Joining Forces and Exciting New Ventures

I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason and that is certainly the case when it comes to my new and exciting venture! And it all began with this tea set!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was doing a random search on eBay for local vintage items and happened to see this amazing tea set for sale and in the same town as me, which was a complete fluke! The lady selling the item (Storm) delivered it to my house and we had a quick introduction chat and I discovered she also had kids around the same age as mine and we left it at that. The following weekend I was at a swap meet in the next town over and we ended up literally bumping into each other and having to fight for items at the crockery table, we decided we definitely had to meet up properly for a cuppa and a chat........ We hit it off instantly! 

Over the next few weeks I continued to buy a few bits and pieces from Storm and out of the blue she asked me to spend a day with her out and about stocking up her eBay store. So off we went for a drive and stopped at all the op shops on the way, it was such good fun and we found some amazing items, mainly for her store but a few things for me too including this wicked hat!

So after an incredible day of bargain hunting the decision was made that we should team up and become vintage ninjas to find amazing vintage items at great prices to share with you all! I would like to introduce you now to Retro Respection our eBay store! We will be starting a Facebook page over the next few weeks and once a week I will be featuring my favourite items in store on my blog and hopefully giving you a little bit of history on each item. 

This week I want to share with you an item we found at out first stop, a yellow 1970's Remington Riviera typewriter.

How hot is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It still has its carry case and is such a bright yellow! It feels great to use and still has a strong "ding" at the end of a row. All it needs is a new tape (ink) which is easy enough to find online and you are ready to start typing up your own letters! 

Click here to buy this amazingly retro typewriter online! This one is up for auction on eBay and finishes on the 21st July 2013. A great functional display piece! 

My Wish List And The Power Of Positive Thinking

there is nothing good or bad, only thinking makes it so. ~ Hamlet

If you are going to be sulking around all day thinking "I'm never going to have the money to buy that" or "I'm never going to be able to fit into that dress", than more than likely you never will! Positive thinking is an amazing power to own and so many things can be achieved just by changing your perspective on life. 

There is a movie and book out called The Secret and if you are interested to look into the power of positive thinking than I highly recommend you check it out! I have achieved many things in my life which I put down to positive thought, it may just be a coincidence but hey I would much rather walk around holding my head high and being happy/hopeful than moping around being sad about all the things I do not have. I know a few people who have a negative outlook on life and bad things always come to them, they only see and focus on the bad so that's exactly what occurs. Focus on the good and good things will happen. 

I find it helpful to make an inspiration/dream board of the things that you want in life. Whether it be a healthier you, a dream home, abundance or a holiday it always helps to see what you want everyday in a positive way and to imagine yourself with that object in your life. So I am putting together a wish list of all the things I would like to have so I can see it everyday and be positive that they will come to fruition. 

1: A laminate table and chairs in blue and cream.

2: A kitchenette, again in cream and blue.

3: A vintage caravan in blue and cream hahahaha are we seeing a recurring theme here????

4: Some blue Pyrex.

5: My ultimate dream is to live on a farm again

So you may be wondering why my wish list is all "things" and not wealth or fame. To be honest I am quite happy with my life at the moment, I have an amazing husband and children, we may not be rich but we are never without. I could lose a few kilos to be healthier but I love my curves and I love how my vintage style makes me feel, I finally feel beautiful after so many years of trying to "perfect" and change myself. I don't need to be a size 8 to feel beautiful and I don't need to be rich to feel fulfilled. I certainly do not want to be famous because I do things to please me and no one else. If you do things to please others than you are not living your own life, you are living everyone elses. Take the time out to discover what you want in life and who you want to be and start striving towards it! Be happy and be positive and good things will happen!

We Have Ourselves A Winner...Or Two!

I had so much fun hosting this little giveaway as a thank you to all of my followers and here is the link to the giveaway post if you would like to see what I was giving away.

So here we go!

Prize Draw Number One : 1960s magazines and coffee cup

Lucky number 10 belongs to CAROLINE JAMES! Congratulations!


Prize Draw Number Two : 1960s nightie and 1950s framed advert

Again! Lucky number 10! Which belongs to EMILY! Congratulations!

So that's it! I hope you have all enjoyed this little giveaway and I hope to do another in the future!

Could Caroline and Emily (I have your email address)  please contact me so I can organise postage!

*CLOSED* My New Blog Look Is Here! Which Means GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankyou so so much to Brittany from Va-Voom Vintage for finding the time to give my blog a much needed facelift!She has done an AMAZING job and I love it! It is so bright and pretty and retro! Please head over to her page and send her some love!

So now that it is all done and dusted what better to way to celebrate than to do a giveaway! I really love giving back to those who have supported me, without you all I would not be living the vintage inspired life I am! You are my inspiration and drive to keep going!

There will be two prizes to be won.....

1: 

A brand new cup and coaster set and some reading material from the 1960s

2:

1960s nightie. Never worn!
The tag says 36 bust but because of its style it can fit much bigger (I am a 42 and fit into it fine)

1950s framed advert for Lystav fabrics

 To enter you must do the following:

1: Like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MissDollyBowPeep

2: Like Va-Voom Vintage's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VaVoomVintage

3: Follow my blog and

4: Leave a comment here stating which prize you would like to win (1 or 2)

The previous 4 steps will give you 1 entry, for a bonus entry you can follow me on instagram @missdollybowpeep. If you do so please add your instagram name in your entry comment :)


Entries close at 5pm on the 6th July 2013 and are open to everyone everywhere! I will post worldwide :)

Granny's Curlers

A few months ago I acquired this wicked set of vintage Granny Curlers (not sure if that is the correct terminology but I like the sound of that!) and put them away in the back of the cupboard never knowing if I would actually use them.

Than along came today. I don't normally wash my hair in the morning but decided it was getting really grubby and needed to be done and every time I wash my hair in the morning I try to somehow curl my hair because hey! no matter what I do it cant look any worse than my hair normally does after washing it. Frizz everywhere! So last time I attempted this I tried pin curling by hand at it was disastrous! But I had faith in these curlers that have surely seen a lot of history in the making!

After my shower and washing my hair I towel dried it and put in some styling mouse and set to work on rolling up my hair. These little beauties are fabulous! They are plastic on the outside but wire on the inside and are so easy to use! Now if you haven't seen the pic of me with all my curlers in sporting a VERY orange play suit than please head on over to my Facebook page and check it out! It was quite the site!

After a few hours of being extremely patient I couldn't wait anymore.....

As you can see I get extremely excited my the smallest things......I don't get out enough! 

Now I really should of waited longer as I discovered it had not fully dried but I was really impressed with the outcome. After some (lots) of brushing and shaping here is what I ended up with...

                                                                          

 Not bad I think! I love the wave at the front. 

Headband by Sarsparilly

Now I should of waited until the hair was fully dried but i am terribly impatient when it comes to hairstyling. It makes me really regret not purchasing a vintage hairdryer kit I came across in an op shop a few weeks ago, it had the hair dryer with the hose and shower cap looking thing to dry your hair while styling..... Does that make sense? hahaha It was only $25 and had been checked by an electrician...... I am soooooo kicking myself now!

What do you guys think? Any tips or words of advice?

Going Domestic!

Well there are no more episodes of Call The Midwife to watch :( and before I start onto the latest season of Downtown Abbey I thought I better get onto some much needed housework. Not the everyday cleaning like dishes, laundry etc but the nitty gritty stuff.....Gritty like my microwave which I'm starting to think has developed its own ecosystem! Its funny how you can use something everyday without really looking at it. How much are we really missing in our everyday lives? But after really seeing what was inside that machine I'm starting to think I was better off ignoring it!

So I could just use my good old elbow grease but surely there is something new and exciting that can help me cut away the time needed to tackle such a job! Which led me to google "how to clean your microwave" which led me to some YouTube clips and YES there are videos for everything these days! And turns out the best way to clean a microwave is with vinegar! Just your everyday vinegar that is always in the back of the cupboard for no real reason at all, cant remember the last time I actually used vinegar in cooking.....What do you use white vinegar for anyway?

Here are the instructions: Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Here goes nothing......

The smell wafting through the house right now is really disgusting but that's my own fault for leaving it so long between cleans, its a mix of vinegar and leftovers haha But other than the smell it really did work wonders! All I had to do was grab a paper towel and wipe the crap away. So much easier than scrubbing away for hours and much better for you than using chemicals.

I must say I am pleasantly surprised in the effectiveness of good old vinegar. I will be looking into other cleaning techniques which use safer alternatives to chemicals and are just as good. 

YES, I know this is a very boring post but you will be thanking Miss Dolly one day when you have a microwave as disgusting as mine!

Let me know if you have some other cleaning tips!

Miss Dolly Bow Peep xxooxx

A Bit Of A Catchup And Random Thought For The Day

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a marvelous Christmas and New Year! I sure did! Christmas was very laid back and the least stressful I have seen in many years, the only stress I had was trying to get my hot curlers to work haha something I must practice more!

Christmas Day Outfit: Dress from That Shop and flower from Chickabilly. This was also before makeup, cant seem to find any post makeup..... woops!

The best thing about Christmas was the lovely present I received from my hubby...... A voucher to Red Leopard Photography so I can get my first photo shoot done! YAY! I'm so excited! I have so many ideas going on in my head in regards to outfits and props I must start writing a list.

I also have a very busy month ahead of me including the following:

1. A burlesque masterclass with the very talented Ginger La Minge
2. Learning to sew
3. A body positive photo shoot with Red Leopard Photography and
4. Jury duty!

What does one wear to Jury Duty? A great chance for me to dress up everyday I think haha

I also wanted to thank Super Kawaii Mama for the shout out on her blog recently, I'm sure a lot of you are very familiar with her blog and if not please head over there and check it out. She has AMAZING tutorials and is just adorable. 

So that is a rather brief catchup from me as my mind is completely blank after an experience I had this morning which I wanted to talk about. It is not really vintage related but i just needed to get my thought off my chest. Ive recently started to learn how to run (which is a lot harder than it sounds for someone so unfit as I am) and it has come to the point where I need to start pushing myself a little to get more out of my workouts. So I'm coming up to the last 4 minutes of my running section (more like shuffling) and I find I'm starting to get very emotional and nearly in tears, I start to think "this is really weird, its only exercise" but than I realise why..... I was being bullied by myself to keep going when part of me didn't want to. My submissive side was being bullied by my authoritative side. In my situation it was a positive outcome, I had run way further than I had ever done before and in a way became stronger as my authoritative side won. I had gained some power! 

Now this is where my random thought for the day comes in...... Does the submissive trait in women pass onto the next generation from an era where women were generally submissive? 

My mum was 48 when I arrive so I have technically skipped a generation compared to my friends of the same age. I have always had low self confidence and was always too afraid to speak up. In general I am submissive. I have been working hard over the last year to change that and become a stronger person, which I have but I still wonder, where did it come from? Mum was brought up in the 40s/50s and had a lot of expectations placed on her, she was expected to only be home schooled and only the basics, she was expected to stay home and help out her mother and as the youngest daughter she was expected to look after her mother later in life. Even after becoming a newly wed my mum and dad were forced to live with my mothers parents, rather than keeping her own home and gaining some independence mum was than to keep her parents home as well as try to create her own family. I am very grateful that my mum broke the cycle and was always encouraging me to do whatever I wanted to do and she tried very hard not to push me in any direction but at times I did see her struggle with how she was raised compared to how she wanted to raise her own children. 

So in a way I am now leading my own women's revolution in myself to try and catch up with my generation of strong, independent women so that my children will hopefully carry different tendencies to that of my mum and myself. 

Well I'm not sure if any of that made sense, which is what normally happens when you get stuck with a random though.

Have a lovely day!

Miss Dolly Bow Peep xxooxx