Do the Polka

Okay, so I'm a sucker for polka dots. One of my favourite dresses as a kid was a white summer dress with rainbow polka dots and a big bow on the back. I've always like a classic black and white polka dot print, but something about red with white dots also speaks to me. Maybe it's a throwback to 'Pretty Woman'- I always liked that outfit which Julia wears to the polo match.

Here's a couple more dress patterns from Etsy. How cute are they!





(Top: Cottage Lane Treasures and Bottom: The Craft Portal on Etsy)

Parisian Pink

Yet another dress I'd love to have. I can just imagine this with a white cardigan, for a day of strolling Paris, seeing the Louvre, sitting in a cafe watching passers-by and taking pictures near the Eiffel Tower.



(Pattern from Kallie Designs)

A Little Bit Audrey

Further to my pattern-browsing adventures, I saw this cute pattern & just had to share. I'm not really a fan of plaids, but this outfit is quite cute.

Do you think the 'model' looks a lot like Audrey Hepburn?

(Pattern from Bluette COurt)

Flight Pattern

One lazy night at home, I was browsing on Etsy and got to looking through all the listings of vintage sewing patterns. I've always liked the artwork on the pattern envelopes, especially on vintage patterns.

I remember as a little girl when my mum would take me to the sewing store. She'd put me on a seat at the pattern book table and I'd happily look through all of the pictures of the clothes, while she went to buy the things she needed. I'm actually quite surprised then that at that time, I had no desire whatsoever to actually sew. At that age I was more interested in a) playing in the sandpit with my trucks and Legos, and b) in drawing & painting then sewing.

When I was in high school, I preferred Edwardian and 1940's styles to anything later, though a nice full skirt would ocassionally get my attention. Of course, since becoming a flight attendant - and researching the history of my profession- I've fallen in love with the late 50's/early 60's fitted pencil skirt/dress style.

Here's a few patterns that I like from Etsy. They could easily be used to make an outfit for a costume party or Halloween if you wanted to go as a traditional "stewardess", or even for a 60's/"Mad Men" themed party.


This blue dress on the right would be perfect with a jaunty hat.
(From RRebelGirl)


(Bluette Court)


(ClayFletch)


(Studio G Patterns)


(Wildrose Primitives)

Finally, this cute Misses Pattern from Historically Patterns.


Oh, now if only I could sew!!

(I'm hoping to learn at some point, what with the days off we get in Dubai- especially in the reserve months)

Shhh... Sweet Secrets

It's funny how some things from childhood really stick in our memories and stay there for long time. I still vividly remember certain things I owned when I was little; mostly toys and clothes; that still make me smile when I remember them.

In the midst of Transformers-fever in the 1980's, Galoob toy company came up with an alternative for little girls, pretend makeup & beauty products hidden inside jewellery and animal bodies- called 'Sweet Secrets'. As they got more popular, the toys got more complex, like stationery & actual make up inside like lip gloss & blush... too cute!

I remember them being an absolute craze when I was in the first few years of kindy & school in the late 80's, and one of my most favourite toys at that age was a Sweet Secrets mouse. He had a blue casing with a red jewel, and folded out just like a Transformer does. The 'jewel' pendant had a clip on the back so you could wear it on your clothes, and I recall mine also had a lanyard with a toggle clasp so you could wear it like a necklace. I think my father bought mine for me, which made me miss it even more as he passed away when I was 12. Imagine how happy I was recently to stumble across not only the retro ads on Youtube, but the exact mouse pendant on eBay. (I had to buy it :)

So I was excited when the packet finally arrived in the mail...









Yay! I love my mouse again, currently he is keeping my books company on the shelf. Did you ever have these in the 80's, or another favourite toy? Share it in the comments... :)

Read All About It...

When I was little, I read books all the time. I read so much that I could get through books in a matter of days. I remember reading the Lord of the Rings (all 3 books) within a week when I was around 9 years old. Sadly, being an adult and having to work means less time to read, and the internet has taken over my life a little bit more than books, but I still like to occasionally sit down and read a book.

I also like collecting vintage books, specifically ones about flight attendants. I managed to find some really cool ones on Etsy & Ebay. I'd ordered one back in September but sadly, it seemed that it had got lost in the mail. Then last week, I got a card from the post office saying that there was a parcel for me to collect. Yay! It was my long-awaited book...

It was well-wrapped which is always good.


How nice is this cover illustration?


Even the spine had a cute 'stewardess' in uniform on it.

I read this book on my day off in the park. It was a really good story, part of a series written in the 60's to give young girls an idea about what kind of careers they could have. I wish there was more than one about 'World Airways' though, the characters were good. I even ended up with a bit of a crush on officer Maitland, the blonde-haired hero of the story ;P

Style Is in the Air...

As a flight attendant, I'm always interested in anything which gives me an insight into those who flew the skies before me. Flight attendants, or stewardesses as they were known in the past, were always looked up to by society as ladies of grace, manners and composure.

Vintage airline memorabilia is also a great way to get a feel for the fashions and hairstyles of the day. Air hostesses were always well groomed, and airlines liked to have uniforms which were fashionable and reflected the beauty of their 'girls'.

Recently I've made a few additions to my sizeable collection of modern and vintage airline memorabilia.

Etsy is a fantastic place to find these collectible goodies!

















Vintage enamel Swissair jet pin. This will look great with a scarf for spring, or on a bag as decoration.

Vintage teen novel from the UK about 'air hostesses' (Etsy purchase)

Isn't this vintage Max Factor ad just darling?? It makes me think of raiding my mum's dressing table for pretty earrings and playing with her powder puff!