Final Frocktober Fun Fest: Day 30 + 31

Top - Day 30 - My MIL's frock, I call 'Carnivale'. I love this frock. It's a riot of colour.

Bottom - Day 31 - Vintage frock found on the weekend, my Mum's belt. I did have heels on but they killed me. Children are my own. And clearly not into pulling Halloween faces. This is shortly after we trick or treated at a neighbours house, he didn't have any lollies, so he gave the kids money. I told the kids to give the money back, they wouldn't, so I took the money back. Then Tiny cried because - well it turns out she'd brought some of her own pocket money in her bag (unbeknownst to me), and I'd just handed it all over to the neighbour. All I can say is he better buy something pink with that hard earned cash of Tiny's since he didn't 'fess up when I was on his doorstep.

If you still want to sponsor me, you can. Not that I'm pressuring you, but it's for a good cause. Protect our ovaries!

Day 28 of Frocktober: Heading To Woodstock

I'm starting to wrap up Frocktober. I'm a little bit too excited to get back into my jeans. Hold onto your skirts ladies - still 3 glorious days of frocks to go. Plus my sister's birthday dinner tonight. What will I wear?

Before I decided to do Frocktober, I went on a wee shop to update my wardrobe. I bought new jeans, and some new floaty pant things, and haven't been able to wear them. Every time I see them in my wardrobe, a small part of me dies. Which is good, because then without those bits of me, I will be able to fit back into them.

I'll catch up with my frocking posts this weekend. Promise.

Rachel Zoe? In my closet?

Did you ever wish you had a personal stylist to help you decide what looks best? Rachel Zoe to just walk out of your wardrobe and end your wardrobe woes?

Did you know Westfield host Personal Style Sessions? An in-depth 1:1 session with a professional Westfield stylist. Sessions start at 1 hour - you can find more info here. They can show you what suits your shape, and flaunt what you've got, while disguising those parts you don't dig so much.

I've often made the mistake of shopping solo, taking something home, only to realise in hindsight that it doesn't suit me, or Matt's kindly (and I genuinely mean kindly) informed me that some other style looks best.

I've also dreamt of having a make-over. That sounds ker-azy, but I'd love to see how someone else would make-me-over. Put myself at their mercy and see what they come up with. I become stuck and safe with things sometimes, whereas someone neutral can mix things up a bit and give you an overhaul. Et voila! A new you.

Since having children, I know my body has changed slightly, and sometimes I fumble and have a fashion mishap. I'd REALLY really like someone to go jeans shopping with me. Last time I went, I found myself in General Pants having a mid-life crisis, with the pumping music and the shop assistant imploring me to try on some spray-on jeans that had me unable to even walk out of the change room. I'm having flashbacks! If I had a stylist/bodyguard, they could back me up and say, under no circumstances am I to wear spray-on jeans or I will have to lie on my bed all day not moving.

Also - check out their Body Shape Calculator - Apple, Triangle, Hourglass? It can help you identify how to dress best for your shape. *fist pump*

In the interests of discretion, I received a Westfield Gift Voucher to trial online shopping.

Killing Time: Holy Cow!

Much to Matt's disgust, I am hooked on crime shows. And then they freak me out. There's a fine balance that I tread. Killing Time is about to start and it looks amazeballs.


Tv1 on Foxtel.
8:30pm Wednesday
Six episodes.
Something to get your teeth into.
#killingtime

EDIT:: I've removed the embedded file because it was doing something odd to my blog, so if you want to see a preview click here.

Day 27 of Frocktober: FRock-a-billy Blues

With only 4 dresses left in Frocktober, today I decided to amp things up a bit.

A frock made by a dressmaker who specialises in drag queen outfits? Made from upholstery fabric. Yep, you bet your bottom bippy.

There's still time to sponsor me if you can spare $5, $10 - whatever amount - it all goes to ovarian cancer research. I'd love you long time!

On a serious note, I thought I'd repost information I found on the Frocktober page regarding ovarian cancer, because I am fathoming a guess that most of my readers has a set of ovaries. So let's protect them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF), “one woman dies every ten hours from ovarian cancer in Australia.”


For many women with ovarian cancer, the disease is already well advanced when they are first diagnosed.


Unfortunately, there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer.


Frocktober aims to help improve the outlook for women with ovarian cancer by supporting the quest for a suitable early detection test through fundraising for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.


From the OCRF website:


Early stage ovarian cancer may not have obvious symptoms but the following may occur:

• Vague abdominal pain or pressure
• Feeling of abdominal fullness, gas, nausea, indigestion – different to your normal sensations
• Sudden abdominal swelling, weight gain or bloating
• Persistent changes in bowel or bladder patterns
• Low backache or cramps
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Pain during intercourse
• Unexplained weight loss


The majority of women who experience one or two of these early symptoms do not have cancer.
However, it is important that you seek medical advice if the symptoms are unusual or persist.
For further information, visit www.ocrf.com.au or call 1300 OVARIAN.

Links:
•The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation


•National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre: Evidence Based Information

source via Frocktober.org

Way To Make Me Exercise

Yep, just for the laugh factor, this would make me exercise.

Day 26 of Frocktober: Calling Tilly

Only 5 days left of frilly Frocktober. Oh to say goodbye to these sartorial days, when I've had to think outside the square and not pull on my beloved jeans.

Well halleluljah I say. I'm saying goodbye to my lazy fashion self, and hello to frocking up more often.

It's Wednesday. What's a bump that you want to get off your hump?

Day 25 of Frocktober: Up, Up and Away

So there I was just floating around at lunch time, up in the sky, up with the birds.

Vintage dress is my sister's which I am moving to Mexico so I never have to return it, oh I love it so! Vintage scarf as belt. Vintage enamel brooch and clip-on earrings. BTW - Clip-on earrings really hurt. Hair styled by the wind.

Day 24 of Frocktober: Tequila Sunrise

Only 7 days left of Frocktober and I have some crackers ready for the week ahead.


This little baby is an unworn frock I salvaged from a market. Never been worn. Clearly never been washed because it ran like Rob de Castella. Check out the collar on this. WHOA!


Today I was tidying up Tiny's bedroom, which is no mean feat. Man that girl loves to create havoc. And in my time travels, I discovered the Doctor's wallet that he has been searching high and low for. I walked out to the living room and announced my discovery. He was excited, and then sad that all his money had been embezzled by his little sister. He got so teary. Poor little sausage. He marched out and asked Tiny Skase if she had stolen his money. She nodded her head. What a minx! Then realised that she shouldn't have admitted to this fraudulent behaviour and shook her head wildly. Cheeky little sausage.

Heading South

Many of you may know that my husband, Matthew Kentmann, is an artist.

He's holding his fourth solo show on Saturday 5th November.

We'd be ever so chuffed if you'd care to join us:

loft gallery
5 Banyette Street
Bowral
Saturday 5th November
3pm

Daytrippers are absolutely welcome.

Day 23 of Frocktober: The Ham & The Minx

I had a wonderful afternoon at Calico + Ivy,  listening to Kelly Doust  of The Crafty Minx fame speak about her new book. 

Kelly is an amazing, immaculate, beautiful and inspiring creature with genuine verve for her craft - vintage clothing. She lives and breathes it, and is a joy to listen to, imparting her knowledge of new to her frocks, and how to fix them, give them a make-over, or give them new life.

Definitely, 100% check out her new book Minxy Vintage - available at Calico + Ivy, BTW.

Day 23 of Frocktober: vintage dress, my favourite heels. Strange expression home-made. Photograph by my sister - thanks Choc for capturing my ham.

Dawn Tan She's Our Woman, If We Don't Love Her No One Can

Dawn Tan is one of those clever, cool chicks that keep on being clever and cool.

She's just created the Meaty Pillowcase set (pictured above) that showcase her deft use of watercolours, and quirky muse. Food.

I have a vegetarian friend who has been vegetarian since the age of 10. I am thinking these might be a good gift for her, because we have an ongoing joke - as her flatmate, I discovered she had a weakness for bacon. BACON! Who doesn't love bacon? I could have bacon on everything and be happy. But the girl had a fondness for piglet, and oh how I would laugh and laugh if she had these as her bedding.

And it's Sunday morning too. Traditional day of big, hearty breakfasts. You could have breakfast in bed every day with these puppies.

Funniness aside, those paintings are so delicate and ethereal.

I love Dawn Tan.

Raise your right hand if you love Dawn Tan too.

Read more here, or visit her soon to arrive shop here.

If you're lucky enough to live in Melbourne, Dawn also does kids birthday parties. I've tried to coax her into doing Sydney parties, to no avail. Maybe we can start a petition?

How To Be A Morning Person

I am not a morning person. I never bound out of bed in the morning, joyful to see the sunshine.

Nope.

Never.

I am the kind of person that hits snooze 89 times before my senses come to realise that I have 0.567 seconds to get ready for work or the school run, and that I better get my ass into gear and get out of bed. I love bed. I love sleeping. Oh do I love sleeping.

But I really want to be that person that gets up early, that goes into the day full of excitement. I don't want to be the slippery little slug that takes 1/2 an hour to rouse from my slumber.

I want to be the person that can go - BOOM! I am up, I am into the day. I am embracing the day. I am sledging everything that needs to be done. I am a morning person.

Tell me dear readers, how does one become a morning person? Or are they born morning people? Shed some light on this subject.

Is sleep for the weak? I know I'd like to sleep for the week.


Are you a former non-morning person turned morning person? What's your secret? Spill!

image by Mary Blair - it's her 100th birthday. Do you think she was a morning person?

Frocking Fatigue: Day 21

10 more days to go of Frocktober. You can still sponsor me if you like?

I've hit a bit of frock fatigue, and the inspiration is flagging.

However, one of my ace friends sent me the below dress. Vintage Carla Zampatti. Um, yes, hello! YES PLEASE! (this was day 13 - we're back tracking peeps!). Big thanks to her - this is Matt's favourite frock of all time, that colour is aye carumba HOT!

I promise I'll think of something new to blog about soon. Promise. Only 10 days left of frock talk. Phew!

Day 20 of Frocktober

Vintage blue with metallic stripe. Silk scarf from here. Tan sandals.

Are you well? What's news with you?

Clearly I have nothing to write about except Frocktober. It's all-consuming.

However, I do have some other non frock related posts coming up. I frocking promise!

Day 19 of Frocktober: *GULP*

Holy guacamole girls. Today I dragged out from the archives one of my all-time favourite vintage dresses. One I snaffled from Bondi markets about 76 years ago. I LOVE this dress. Alas, if I want longevity in the dress I either need to:
a) lose weight
b) lose 2 ribs
c) put an elastic band in the dress

The last couple of days I've given Betty Draper a run for her money, honey. Yesterday's dress was a neon vintage number (which I will post, just don't have the photo right now), very 60s. Today is harking back to the 50s. I think?!

Frocktober has not only helped me raise a tidy sum of money for ovarian cancer research, but it's also made me think about how I dress.

I've become accustomed to wearing jeans. And jeans. And more jeans. All. The. Time. I haven't even touched those denim delights in 19 days. I looked at them a little forlornly on the weekend, but truth be told - I am loving having an excuse to frock up, every single day. Which is very nice if you can move in said frock. Today. Yeah, not so much movement going on. I've really filled that little sucker out, and not in a good way.

There's a lesson there: if you don't want indentations on your torso from where your dress is waaaay too tight, don't wear it. A good warning would be when you have to ask your husband to zip you into it.

Tomorrow = smock.

Please note, I had to climb through dirt, shrubs and cactus for these photos. And then I flipped out and thought there *might* be a snake in my midst. Vanity Fair - you reading this?

Miranda July: I Defy You Not To Love Her

Rumballs, this one's for you.

Lovers. Food. Sundays.

We went to PizzaBirra last night. I ate my own body weight in pizza. Seriously. Peeps. This is the shiz. Go there. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

See that love heart in my coffee? Clearly the waitstaff knew that we were in the land of lurve. See that tira misu. Aye carumba.

See that husband. Aye aye aye.

See me. Dubious. Yep. But wearing a frock. Second frock of the day. Blue metallic stripe. Vintage.

Wedding Bells: Echoing Six Years Later

Matt and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary today. Those six years have passed by in a flash. I might sound like some old fogie, but seriously, as you get older, time seems to travel at such ridiculous pace. I can barely keep up.

Tonight we've booked a babysitter and we're heading out for a low-key pizza and beer. Well Matt doesn't know that yet, because he's at work, but that's where my head is at. That's the kind of evening I want to have. Low-key. Low-maintenance.

I bought myself some sweet peas and roses at the markets to celebrate. It's all about low-maintenance. Uh huh.

A Fine Mess

This is a sponsored post.


I excel at making messes. And when I am cooking, I am unafraid of making plenty of washing up as part of my food prep. Well actually, that's a lie. A blatant lie. I am afraid of the washing up. Matt's afraid of the washing up. And so it sits there - scary to both of us. We both hate washing up. As part of the Finish We Love Messy Meals campaign, I mixed things up a bit. And I embraced my talent for making messes.

Finish is on the hunt to find Australia's messiest meal family. Submit your photos or videos to messymeals.com.au and they'll select the 3 most entertaining and memorable messy meals that showcase family, home and very messy mealtimes. Finish are actually rewarding you for making a mess. Ace. This competition is actually made for me.

 I myself took the challenge with both hands - and, there's a pattern here, I made that mess. I loved making that mess, while also making and baking - lasagne followed by chocolate self-saucing puddings. Is there a messier menu? Nope. Doubt it. If there is, let me know and I'll put it to the test.

 However, the upside on this happy little mess-making story? I tossed everything into the dishwasher with Finish Quantum, et voila - cool, calm mama, well-fed family, sparkly dishes. Too easy.

 But you’re thinking – what does this mean for me PottyMouthMama? What might you win? A cool $25,000 and star in the next Quantum Finish TVC.

 So if you love making messy meals with your family, then head over here and get your entries in quick before you’re washed up.

Frocktober Day 13: High on a hill

Cara, my friend at work, and I, we love hamming it up for these photo shoots. Well. I do.

Today's dress: op shop find made in West Germany. Navy tights. Taupe heels. Paris pose for my friend James.

Let's call this outfit: "Floral Gladiator" because I am towering over my 6'3 husband today.

What's happening for everyone? Has today been a good day?

I went to lunch and my hair smells like smoke. Yuck.

Day 12 of Frocktober

Into Day 12 and I've hit my target - I'm so stoked - thanks to everyone who has sponsored me - you've helped make a great donation to Ovarian Cancer research.

Day 12 is called "Jocelyne Wildenstein without the scalpel". Vintage dress, hoop earrings, ballet flats, tights, and bad pose. If this pose ain't worth sponsoring, what is?

Frocktober (Retrospective - Day 10)

People have asked about my frocks, particularly people at work, while I was on leave. Well this post is for them, as photographed by the Doctor, this is Frocktober Day 10. My Mum's vintage dress, vintage belt, scarf given to me for my 30th, silly pose my own.

Frocktober: Day 11

This is what Day 11 of Frocktober looks like. A modern day Carmen Miranda.

Vintage dress, vintage earrings, vintage model, pink heels.

You can still sponsor me here if you like?

I Forgot Myself

I had this interesting conversation with a friend today. We were talking about hobbies. Sounds very craft glue and bedazzler, doesn't it? This could be a gross generalisation, but I'm willing to go out on a limb here - because that's where the best apples are. So here we go.

Importantly, we were talking about our distinct lack of hobbies. And the distinction between parents who have children - which parent retains their hobbies. Anyone? Anyone?

When I became a mother, my 'hobbies' took a backseat. They didn't die a slow and painful death, I didn't lament them, they're still there, in the background, in the shadows, but they're not a priority. If I get to do them, brilliant. If I don't get to do them, well it's a bummer, but they're still going to be there, when the smalls are not so small. It's not a biggie

But lately I've forgotten what my hobbies are, like they're a distant past. My current hobbies include:
- mopping the floor and watching it dry
- folding the washing as fast as I can
- deciphering what furry things are growing in the fridge
- negotiating with tantruming preschoolers before they throw themselves off the sofa
- remembering to respond to all the notes sent home with a Kindy kid

BC (before children) I liked:
- going to the markets and rifling through pre-loved clothes
- cooking/baking
- walking and walking and walking through the backstreets of Paddington
- writing poetry, and creaitng my own weekly e-zine called Random Poetics
- going to see live music. Real. Live. Music. Amazeballs.

I truly did have a life BC. I swear I did. I wasn't all kids and no play. I did have other interests. Honest! I used to know stuff!

Daytripper

Right now, any excuse I get to go out driving, I take it, with both hands, and drive.

You see, we have the new Ford Focus on loan for a whole blissful week. I am a woman in love with that zippy little car. I've never owned my own set of wheels, so for one whole week, I'm living a fantasy - and loving it friends!

Today we drove up to Pittwater, Palm Beach, and then spent a blissful few hours at Whale Beach. Ain't life amazing!

We spent the beautiful day in the sunshine, scouring the beach for shells, eating hamburgers by the beach, followed by milkshakes watching the waves roll in. Tiny buried her stash of shells, and a cuttlefish. Next step she's on the Sea Shepherd. The Doctor drew pictures in the sand, and practised skimming rocks. We chose houses, just in case we win Lotto.

It was the perfect way to finish our week of holidays. The four of us, happy as larks in the sunshine.

Betty White Or Not

Whether this is a Betty White not, and my research proves it otherwise, I think this quote is pretty fab and pretty funny.

Day 6: Frocktober

We're away from home at the moment, and I have taken the bull by the horns and gotten in a bit of op shopping. I haven't indulged in op shopping for a really long time.

And HELL-O! The Op Shop gods shone down brightly, despite the big chill and the rain, it was a fortuitous meeting of my money and vintage dresses.

All hail the new-to-me dresses. Can't wait to get these babies on in the next week. And you shall have photographic evidence too. I promise.

PS - thank you to every one of my sponsors for Frocktober. Together we've raised $150 for Ovarian Cancer research. High fives!

Frocktober: Day 4

I signed up with Toni of Little Suitcase for Frocktober.

Frocking up for the month of October, I thought heck yeah, no sweat. Raise some much needed money and awareness for ovarian cancer - hellz yeah.

And then the reality set in.

31 days of nothing but frocks.

I freaked out about the frocks.

Frocks. Frocks. Frocks. And for the record, it was frocking cold. Frocks + cold + me = frocking disaster. But I've stuck it out - I'm 4 days in and dedicated.

If you can spare a little cash to help me raise money for ovarian cancer - I'd be ever so grateful. See over there -----------------> and down a little, there's a button. If you can spare $2, $5, whatever, please click on it. We've all got ovaries - let's fight this fight!

I'm on holidays and it's been ok, but when I am back at work, I dare say old chaps, I'm going to have to step it up a bit. And then some. I'll post photos to prove it.

image via Fotopedia