Lilli Lou Vintage

Christmas decorating

2009-12-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

I really adore any excuse to decorate :) we have kept it quite simple this year. But there are a few things that make me smile everytime I walk past.

The first is the paper butterfly garland my girls made (well they punched the shapes and I sewed it all together), the second is the photo's I have been adding across the fireplace every day in December. Some photo's are funny and silly and I LOVE that. And the third is my gorgeous white Christmas tree, given to me by my dear friend Ruth who passed away a couple of months ago. Makes me smile.

And here are my very very well loved cushions sitting on my lounge, all made from vintage fabrics, but all looking rather tired and used!!! I really want to re-do them all, the problem being my kids LOVE them, they all have their fave cushions to snuggle into when they watch TV. So perhaps they will have to find a new home, in the kids back room .... and I can start the search for *new* vintage fabics !! **YAY**

So tell me, what do you decorate your home with at Christmas? Do you use traditional colours? and what in your home is very very well loved??? Something that you just can't part with???

A quick etsy update today, there are some lovely new vintage papers, more fabric strips, some Christmas trims.

Just lovely stuff :)

Have a gorgeous day!

Lisa
x

More yummy dresses!

2009-11-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, some more dresses and coats are up. And if you are into Retro 80's style stuff and AMAZING Armani Jacket. Just click on the button on the right to see what's up for sale.

I had a few *helpers* with the photography today. Miss Lilli taking the photo's and Miss Liv telling me what to put on next. Liv ohhhhed and ahhhhed at every single dress. So cute! Really looking forward to getting a dressmakers manequin so I don't have to be in all the photo's!

Happy Day,

Lisa

Getting there .....

2009-11-12T02:35:00.000-08:00

Yep, Lilli-Lou Vintage is officially open on Etsy.

But it has been slow going tonight!! Kids upset about the lightning and thunder, having to unplug computers etc.

Over the next few days lots of new things will be added, including more dresses (yummy) and some vintage items that you just may *need* for your crafting stash ;)

I am glad of the small progress I have made tonight, and know that the whole process will get streamlined in the coming weeks, it will get easier and faster.

Love Lisa
x

PS - taking photo's of yourself with a self timer while trying to NOT look at the camera is rather comical especially while you giggle to yourself with no one around!! Ha!

What a difference a few weeks make ....

2009-11-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

I have been absent for very very good reason which you can read about here . I have been busy making sure my family and especially my littlest munchkin feel loved and safe. We are now all doing well, and Liv is taking some steps forward to her usual happy self. We are blessed.

So onto Lilli- Lou Vintage!

I am busy behind the scenes setting up an Etsy store, *hopefully* it will be live by tomorrow night. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. The store will stock a mixture of vintage clothing, paper crafting packs, fabric, home-wears. My house can simply no longer hold everything I collect and continue to buy.

So onto some of my latest findings.

Gorgeous petite tapestries, they measure 4 x 6 and are just so sweet

A Vintage leather jounal/document holder. I ADORE this, it reminds me of my Pop.

Also I have added a piccy of some frames I have hanging in my home, these are not a new find. But I LOVE them and thought the might give someone some inspiration. The frames were really dark wood, none of them had the glass still intact. That didn't stop me.

A quick sand back, a splosh of white gesso, another quick sand.

Ready to house some of my fave photo's of our family.

I will be back asap with a link to the Etsy store and more yummy things to look at.

Lisa

some new finds and the first parcels

2009-09-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

So so so exciting, my first parcel's have gone out. wrapped in yummy vintage music sheets *love* it. Hopefully one is heading to your post box, if not I do have a few more yummy strip packs left both in the pink and blue.

And now onto this weeks finds ... I was flat out busy this week so only manged ONE visit (which is shocking I know) and I found a gorgeous music book, with a yummy scrummy red cover - yep I bought it for the cover!

I also found this super sweet little milk jug and delicious cornflower blue plate - both made in England. The look so sweet together!

And probably my fave find, is an *almost* complete set of Woods dinner set... ahhhhh. I love Woods. We are actually using this set to eat from, I figure there is no point collecting if you can't use it. Can you see all those little crazy cracks... I love them. I love the aged/worn/someone else loved me look!!!

When you frequent junk shops/op shops/ charity stores you get to meet and witness many funny/weird/strange things..... this week I was there are the door opened at one of my fave haunts. And the sight was a little funny and disturbing. I mean there were a couple of hard core junkers!! I had to take a step back. The door opened and the were in like lightening. Grabbing baskets and THROWING stuff in... it was unreal. They weren't even really looking or admiring, just chucking stuff. Then after they had grabbed anything that *might* have been good, they went through their baskets and emptied half of it!!! weird weird weird.

I like to take my time, browse, take it all in, talk to the lovely old ladies usually serving .... well except for that time I spied a gorgeous vintage Dolina dress..... but that was different, really it was ;)

Lisa

Blue and beautiful ....

2009-09-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Just updating with some pretty strips in a blue/aqua theme.... they are just so pretty! Email me if you want them pateygirl@tpg.com.au same cost as the pink ones $5 for the pack plus $2 postage. If you have already purchased a pink pack, there is no additional postage cost :)

Also I have some of these gorgeous flowers, all handmade and inked, and finished with a vintage button. They were made to co-ordinate perfect with the strips. There are four in each packet. Cost is $4.

I am photographing some pink flowers to match the pink strips this afternoon, they will be the same as the blue ones but made to co-ordinate with the pink strips.... so if you were lucky enough to get a packet of the pink let me know if you want to matching flowers as well.

Lisa

Pretty Strips

2009-09-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

**edited to add, there is only one left ! Omgosh! I will have some more pink themed strips up in the next day but if you really really *need* that particular lace.... email me asap!!!

emails can be sent to pateygirl@tpg.com.au

I have started going through all my lovely vintage fabric and trims, and let me tell you it is a HUGE job, especially because I keep adding to them *grin*.

I really can't help it, the thing that makes it so difficult not to buy a new pretty piece is that I just know I may never ever find another fabric the same ever again. That's the thing with collecting vintage and antique pieces. You can't simply pop into a store and buy it another day. Blink and you miss it. I have learnt that the hard way.

But all my collecting and obsessive buying means that I can part with some of my yummy stuff to you (I have to make more room somehow). I am busy cutting and packaging lots of loveliness, and I know that you crafty girls are just going to love it.

Because of the nature of sourcing vintage pieces, most packs will be very limited additions, especially ones with lace and trims. I seem to be able to source a fairly good amount of vintage fabrics but trims and other bits are scarce. So if you like it, please don't wait as I may not be able to find more :(

The first packs are some pretty pink fabric strips, cut and ready to use. There are three different fabrics: a delicate soft pink with a tiny white spot (1 inch wide), a gorgeous small floral print with pinks and purples on a white base (1 inch wide), and a larger floral print with pink flowers and green foliage on a white base (2 inches wide) PLUS some beautiful pink vintage lace. YUMMY! The fabric strips are all over 1 metre long, and the lace is 30 cm. Plenty of pretty for lots of crafting.

I had a bit of a play with a packet. Yum! the colours are so gorgeous and soft. They layered really well with some patterned paper, a smear of paint, and a stamp. They are brilliant to fold and pleat and then run over with your sewing machine.

Pretty strips cost $5.00 plus an additional $2.00 for postage and handling. If you are interested please just send me an email and I will save a pack for you and also give you payment details.

If pink isn't your thing, check back tomorrow for a different colour pack ... and many more will be added over the next week.

PLUS some super cute flowers to match all the strips.

Lisa
x

Repurposed

2009-08-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

One thing I really get a lot of satisfaction from is re-purposing an item. There is just something special about taking an item that has already been loved and re-making it into something else.

I know my Pop would be proud, I have really funny memeories of him walking up and down the local beach where we lived with a bag in hand collcting old bits of thongs (flip-flops) taking them all home and using all the bits to make a *new * pair. As kids we use to giggle and think it was really funny .... now it makes my heart warm at the memory. He was a true recyler.

I picked up two mens demin shirts while junking (my loved term for rummaging through opp shops), a pair of scissors and my trusty sewing machine, an hour or so later I have one skirt and one dress for the girls. They are so soft from all the wear they have already had, and have become firm fav's to wear after school.

So now I am busy sorting and finding other bits to make more of the same. I am really hoping to have the girls summer clothes made from mainly re-purposed pieces and vintage fabric finds. There is something so lovely about dressing the girls in wholesome, fun, girly things.

Keep an eye out in the next few posts for a tutorial on making a re-purposed skirt!

Lisa
x

Welcome

2009-08-26T02:18:00.000-07:00

To Lilli-Lou Vintage...

I thought it was about time to share my love of all things vintage, show off my finds, let you in on some of my secrets to finding great stuff, and some tutorials along the way. PLUS some giveaways, and an opportunity to buy some super yummy stuff.

My girls seem to love searching for that elusive vintage find just as much as me, so I thought it only appropriate to name the blog after them. Lilliana (aka Lilli) and Livinia (aka Lou Lou) = Lilli Lou Vintage. Perfect.

Like most vintage lovers I am a collector *ahem* hoarder of beautiful things, so I want to know what everyone else collects? Is it fabric? books? china? or all of the above??

Back really soon with our first give away !