IFB Weekly Round-up October 27th

Happy Sunday, my darlings!
I hope you're all having a restful weekend.
Please read the other 19 blogs as chosen by the lovely Fajr of Stylish Thought (thanks so much for including me, Fajr!).

Ciao! Ciao!
Joy x

Still Evolving

Edited by: Fajr Muhammad of Stylish Thought

THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: OCTOBER 27TH

I love how multi-faceted fashion blogging has become. In the beginning it was mostly celebrity style driven but has evolved to include everything from personal style, social commentary, fun fashion trends and high fashion! While blogging is becoming a staple of our everyday world, fashion blogging is continuing to push the envelope.
Fashion is converging into lifestyle and we are defining the medium and what it means to be a fashion blogger. Check out the diverse links this week that our pushing our craft to new places.

• Alex Drake Vintage: Vintage Photography Inspiration
• Being Zhenya: Friday DIY
• Beyond Fabric: Urban Menswear Myth #3
• Brunette Blogging: The Blogger and the Brand
• Cadence and Clementine: A Cut Above the Rest
• Consider Me Lovely: Defying Expectations
• Consumerism Killed My Soul: Arguing for Barbie
• Ethical Fashion Blog: Ethical Fashion Conundrums
• Fashion Dynamite: Soft Dressing
• Fashion Tales: Game Art
• Love at First Blush: In Her Closet- Print Designer
• Oranges and Apples: Workwear, Women & Aging
• Practically Spoiled: Closet Challenge- Lace and Lines
• Shrimp Salad Circus: How to Day- Piano Clutch
• Simply Frabulous: Spend or Save- Low Price High Style
• Snapshot Fashion: Fashion Icons We Grew Up with
• Style. Love. Repeat: The Printed Blouse
• Stylish Thought: 33 Tips on Finding your Passion Today
• The Chic Sheet: The New Geometrics
• What 2 Wear Where: Day of the Dead Hulaween

SPONSOR:
New Jackets at Shopbop: Opening Ceremony, Add Down, RED Valentino, RLX Ralph Lauren, Mackage, Jen Kao, Vena Cava, Doma, Winter Kate, Halston Heritage, Veda, Gryphon, & Ella Moss.
PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

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Vintage Photography: Inspirations for an Online Boutique

Image via Alex Beadon Photography

 This post is part of IFB's Links à la Mode: Weekly Round-up

Happy Thursday, my darlings!
As I've been trying to organise my vintage clothing site, I've been looking at some vintage photographs created by some wonderful and talented people I've come across on the net.

Please enjoy them....

I hope to reveal the revitalised website soon.

Joy xx

Image via David Long/Flickr

Look at Anita's shoes! Fierce or what?!

Image via Alex Beadon Photography

I love this shot and the dress. There may be a few dresses on my studio rail that certainly look like this. I'm really excited to share my collection with you...sharpish!

Image via Jessica D/Chictopia

This clever photograph is oozing with patriotic cool — if there's such a term. Check out Jessica's fab blog on Lullablog.net. You won't be disappointed!

Image via Andrea Rose/Flickr

This photo is just soothing to look at. Andrea's friend Racheal is a beautiful subject and that lovely mustard coat is just divine!
Travel in style. Have an old suitcase. And yes, don't forget your cuddly friend to warm up your lap.

Image from Lena Hoschek Postcard collections

Austrian label Lena Hoschek has been busy with showing at Berlin Fashion Week and selling online goodies. Check out her collections.

And that's it my lovelies. I hope you're all having fun.
I promise to post regularly.

Ciao! Ciao!

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Charity Shop Swap

This post is four months late due to logistical limitations. I sincerely apologise to Lakota who organised this wonderful swap that you always see on my sidebar since the summer, and to my swap partner Jo of Vintage Loving Librarian in 6 inch Heels, for coming up with this just now.

My items were waiting for me in England whilst I was living in Italy. And now that we're back, I finally have this post.

So here you go, ladies and gents. 

I received a lovely 1960s tea set, a knitted tea cosy, a pair of vintage pearl clip earrings, a 1960s apron, a very useful 1960s sugar shaker and a CD of my now-favourite singer from The Netherlands, Caro Emerald.

Since then, here's what I've done with them so far:

Top photo of Hotel Tatin via frogmom.com; Secret to a good tarte tatin: Cast iron skillet

 

❤ Thanks to my new apron, our kitchen's been busier with moi creating stuff. My favourite dessert is a speciality from the famous Tatin Sisters of Sologne, France called Tarte Tatin (Upside down apple tart).

Here's the recipe from France, The Beautiful Cookbook:

3 0z (90g) soft butter

1/3 cup (3 oz/90g) sugar

3 lb (1.5 kg) Golden Delicious or pippin apples or pears if you fancy

1 roll puff pastry (this is my replacement for 250g sweet pastry)

❶ Preheat oven to 425 F (215 C). Grease a 9-in (24cm) cake pan, or in my case, a cast iron skillet, with 2/3 of the butter, then sprinkle over 2/3 of the sugar.

Cut the apples (or pears) in two, peel and core them, and arrange halves upright, tightly packed in the pan or cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and the butter which has been cut into small pieces.

Place the pan/skillet over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes until a light caramel forms on the bottom.

❷ Transfer the pan/skillet to the oven and bake for 5 minutes to cook the top surface. Remove from oven.

❸ Roll out the puff pastry. Place over the pan/skillet and pass rolling pin around the edge to remove overhanging pastry. The dough will sink down the sides of the pan/skillet onto the top of the apples.

❹ Put pan/skillet back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is well browned.

❺ Invert tart onto a serving plate and serve at once. Caution: there will be liquid in the pan so be very careful you don't get burnt.

Eat and think of me as I love this tarte!

❤ Caro Emerald CD

My fingers are quite calloused now from strumming my poor, old guitar since listening to Caro Emerald's music. I've been trawling Youtube to look at some of her videos and it's highly satisfying to see incredibly talented musicians like her. Her band has it all — vintage wardrobe, great voice, excellent double-bass player, wonderful guitar player, a DJ, and other sessionists like trumpet, sax and clarinet players. I am her newest fan and I shall be for quite a long time. I hope you agree. You'd have heard her voice on Martini adverts in Europe for those of you who think she's familiar.

I love this acoustic version of her Back it Up.

❤ Sugar shaker, tea cosy and tea set are being used.
❤ Pearl earrings reserved for a special occasion.

So, thanks so much to Jo once again.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Have a great day whatever it is you're doing today.

Baci,
Joy x

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