See you there

xx

Lemonade

1 cup Sugar (I try to use less sugar than this but it’s just a personal taste thing)

1/4  boiling water

5-6 lemons

A whole lot of ice

Dissolve the sugar with the boiling water

Squeeze lemons into jug

Add sugar water

Add a generous handful of ice cubes

Top up with water

Use your judgement.  You could also add some fresh mint, sliced lemons or sliced orange.

Lucky for us our hair is all we really have to worry about but my heart really goes out to the folk in Melbourne who it seems are loosing the battle to keep raging bush fires at bay.  Countless lives have been lost in the most unimaginable way and I hope to god they find those who are responsible for lighting them.  If nothing else it makes you realise how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

Anyway I’ve just finished moving house, it’s hot, i’m tired so I’ll leave it at that for tonight.  Will try to start adding photos asap.

xx

Sorry I will continue this tomorrow.  It’s a beautiful afternoon, the sun is shinning and I need to take this opportunity to go for a swim!

x

So you’ve met the submissive wife, now let me introduce you to the Time warp wife.  A time warp wife not only sees her place as being the homemaker, priding herself on baking, cooking, cleaning, and making herself look pretty for when her husband comes home from work but does it all with the illusion of being in a past decade.  A time warp wife dresses in the era of the 1930′s, 40′s,  50′s, decorates her home in the style of the era, and usually, like any proper lady would have, never leaves the house without her hat and gloves and a fresh coat of lipstick.   Much like the submissive housewives these women say that they are extremely happy with their lifestyles and much of it again is to do with the clear roles in their relationship.  The woman keeps house, the man brings home the bacon, no arguments!

I suppose I am personally always so fascinated with this topic because deep down somewhere I wish life could be a little more simple again. I’m not saying I want to be one of these housewives because I do find that a little bit extreme but to be honest I actually like keeping house, I enjoy the satisfaction of having a clean, cosy home, I like baking (even if it is a bit of a hit and miss situation sometimes!), and I have no interest in having some sort of high flying career.  What really gets to me sometimes is that women who do choose these things are so looked down on these days.  Does not wanting to wear a grey suit and go to work in an office everyday striving to reach that 6 figure corporate pay check make someone less worthy in society?  Maybe everybody doesn’t have to be doing everything, and maybe that should be alright. 

If you want more information about Time Warp Wives you can check them out here;

- http://timewarpwives.blogspot.com/

- www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042702/Time-Warp-Wives-Meet- women-really-live-past.html

- http://www.superkawaiimama.blogspot.com/

- www.venuszine.com

P.S.  Despite what I’ve said I have absolutely nothing against women who do choose to have high flying careers and admire their ability to juggle everything.  I am also aware that in today’s day and age it is very much necessary for many households to have 2 steady incomes.

x

Crayfish fritter, Kaikora

Anybody who knows me (which I’m going to assume you probably don’t) will also  know that I love food.  So aside from being a failing vegetarian, yes I eat seafood these days and yes I feel like a fraud every time, I have developed a small obsession with the history of New Zealand cooking.  It probably has partly to do with the fact that most pakeha (white people) here originated from the UK, and partly to do with the whole ‘make do with what you’ve got’ attitude past down from the pioneering days bur the kiwi kitchen is kind of simple, and at times even a little gross.  Now I can probably thank a slightly irritating but never the less interesting bloke by the name of Richard Till for my new found fascination.  I was sitting on the couch watching mind numbing day time television  last winter (What?! I don’t make a habit of it!  But it was cold and miserable outside so what else was I going to do?) when suddenly this cooking show comes on and it’s not your usual designer kitchen, pre-prepared, talk for the sake of talking kind of programme.  This guy was travelling up and down the country to some of the most remote little places (of which New Zealand has many!) and getting the locals to cook up their specialties.  Being that I am a first generation New Zealander (if that, I wasn’t even born here) I hadn’t ever been properly exposed to how most people live here, and have probably lived for generations.  Here are some recipes for authentic Kiwi cuisine that I’ve discovered along the way…

Whitebait Fritters (Whitebait in case you’re wondering are baby fish that are only caught at a certain time of year when they head from the rivers out to sea.  They are cooked and eaten whole… heads and all!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Whitebait rinsed and dried off
1 Egg
Milk (roughly 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup Plain White Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

Directions:
Whisk egg and a little milk together. 
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle and add egg mixture. Mix quickly until a smooth batter forms, with a fork but don’t over mix or fritters will be rubbery.
Heat frypan pan with plenty of oil to shallow fry.
Add the whitebait to the batter mixture. 
Fry heaped spoonfuls at a time, flip when golden brown.
Drain on paper towel and then serve with a sprinkle of salt and a slice of lemon (or between two pieces of white buttered bread).

Enjoy! x

On a positive note I’ve had a few bits and pieces published!  They are a bit random but have a peek anyway (other than the vintage article the others are ones I was asked to write about);

ONLINE

www.fashionz.co.nz : A Beginners Guide to Vintage Shopping (Aug)

www.3news.co.nz:  A Beginners Guide to Vintage Shopping (Aug)

www.gdo365.co.nz: Beginners Guide to Vintage Shopping (Aug)

PRINT

Metropol Magazine: Beginners Guide to Vintage Shopping (Vol. 11/ Issue 16)

Food Services Magazine: Farmers Markets (Sept)

Apparel Magazine: Let’s Start This Again (Sept)

It’s just a start but it’s exciting to see your work out for everybody to read all the same!

x

“Ah sorry folks, sorry, mental health moment. Sorry guys, mental health”.

And then I watch this leather clad guy stumble off the bus cradling a floral mug.  At least this one didn’t slide into the seat beside me and start pouring out his deepest insecurities.  I don’t know what it is about the way I look that makes every mentally unstable individual think that I am the one person at the bus shelter that will care about their problems, but they do.  Take Neo- Nazi (or so I thought) Rat man for instance,

I’m huddled outside the subway station in Duesseldorf, Germany one afternoon and it’s pissing down by the bucket load.  The train station is a favorite hang out for local alcoholic bums, shaky junkies, sulking emo’s, and an army of punk kids.  Now their generally pretty harmless but are known to have the occasional freak out, so I’m basically minding my own business.  I look up just for a moment to check what time my train is coming but am somehow too slow and end up locking eyes with a bleary eyed, army boot wearing skinhead and before I know it he’s taking big purposeful strides over to my direction.

“Oh fuck”, I think, “Fuck fuck fuck”.

Now in case you’re wondering I’m not exactly what you might call white.  In fact I’m only half German, and the other half is African.  But I have never in my life had any serious racial problems but when this tall spindly Nazi looking guy is making a  bee-line towards me my heart starts pounding a little faster.  So this guy never takes his eyes off me and sits down on the bench so close beside me I can see where he forgot to shave.

“Do you like rats?”

I don’t even get to answer.

“Do you like rats?  Because, because I have this beautiful rat, she is my best friend, she sleeps in my bed but I can’t keep her anymore and she needs somebody to love her.  Do you love rats?”

And it was only then that I saw a white beady eyed little creature poke its nose out of a hole in his jacket.  I try to explain to him that I really do like rats but I couldn’t possibly take care of one at the moment.

“Oh”.

And a few moments pass, this guy is still staring at me.  Suddenly he takes my hand and starts stroking it.

“You have such beautiful skin, such a pretty colour, not too brown, just really beautiful.  And so soft, it’s so soft isn’t it?”

At that moment my train pulls in.  THANK GOD.  I wish my new friend all the best of luck with finding his pet a new home and jump aboard.

Do you see what I mean?  This kind of stuff happens to me all the bloody time.  Here’s another example,

I’ve just finished work and I’m sitting at the bus stop in downtown Auckland when this girl comes running across the road holding her hands over her face like she’s got a blood nose or something.  I’m watching her, of course I’m watching her because it’s an unusual sight and I’m wondering what her problem is.  Well I should have known better because she see’s me and immediately stumbles over,

“Do you think I’m ugly?  Oh god I am ugly aren’t I?”

“No”, I tell her, “I don’t think your ugly, in fact I can’t really even see your face”.

“You know I was just standing up the street and this car load of guys drove past and started barking at me, said I was a dog.  I shouldn’t have even left the house, I’m too ugly.  Man you’re beautiful aren’t you?  You remind me so much of my sister.  She lives in Australia now, she’s really hot.  You look just like her, well except that she recently had a nose job so now she looks a little bit hotter than you do but you have the same body shape”.

And I’m not kidding this went on and on until she finally said she had to go (as though I was the one who was holding her up), and she ambled off down the street.  The guy that had been sitting beside me at the bus stop suddenly turned and asked if I knew the girl, I told him I’d never seen her before in my life.  He told me he had, that poor girl has schizophrenia.  We sat there in silence for a few minutes when the guy suddenly turned to me again,

“Have you let the Jesus Christ our almighty savior into your life yet”?

“No”, I tell him, “I am not religious and plan on staying that way”.

“But you don’t know what the lord can do for you, why don’t you come to my church this Sunday and experience it for yourself”.

Ah no thanks.

When the first bus arrives I decide to hold back and let this guy get on, there’ll be other buses where I won’t have to fight off being converted.  So I get on the second bus and am relieved to see that it is practically empty.  A few stops later a middle aged man gets aboard, he pays his fare and walks down the bus and I’m thinking he’s going to brush right past me but he stops.

“Excuse me please may I sit here”.

I can’t believe it, so many empty seats and he’s got to choose mine.  I shuffle over anyway.

“Thank you.  You know what’s so sad about today’s society?  People are too scared to communicate, just look at them all sitting there starring straight forward avoiding conversation with their neighbor”.

It’s late and it doesn’t seem worth starting a debate over so I agree half-heartedly.

“My mother died last week, I’m in therapy because of it at the moment.  She was pretty old but anyway that’s where I’ve just come from…”

But to be honest though some of the people I meet aren’t completely insane.

A little while back I had just finished a thirteen hour shift at work and was down at the bus stop trying to figure out how long I’d have to wait in the cold for the next bus when this slightly round middle aged man asked if he could be of any help.  I quickly realized that he was one of those people whose job it is to make sure people pay their fare, that the buses are running on time, and the bus drivers are doing their job.  Anyway it turns out we both had a while to wait so we started talking.  We discussed rising petrol prices, working late night jobs, how the new bus system works, and then all of a sudden he let out a cry.

“Look at this”, he said holding up a shinny silver coin,” Brilliant, it’s a Canadian one, I don’t have this yet.  I collect coins you know, have been doing it for years.  I used to sort them into categories and keep them in books but these days I just fire the bloody things into a box.  Still you never know, one day I might sort it out and then I’ll be glad to have this one in my collection”.  I really found a soft spot for this guy whose life revolved around the running of the inner Auckland buses and his ever growing coin collection, some peoples lives seem so deliciously simple and straight forward.

I catch the same bus everyday, the 045 which stops outside the dairy at 0930am every morning.  There are a couple of people I am beginning to recognize like the young Japanese guy who has to sprint to make his bus more often than I do, or the pale doll like girl with the big red lips who is always re-adjusting her ripped stocking, but there are some who I apparently over-look.

“Hey I know you.  I think my friend proposed to you once.  You work in that bar don’t you?  Yeah he always asks girls to marry him when he gets drunk, it’s getting pretty embarrassing”.

(Before I go any further I would just like to be very clear about the fact that I am NOT an expert in this field.  I am not a body piercer or a doctor, nor do I practice extreme body modification.  I am just a person fascinated with what the human body is capable of and what it can endure.  Also, most of the photo examples I have used I got from Google Images.  So if you see yours here and you would like me to remove it then contact me and I will do so immediately).

Interesting Piercings:

Achilles piercing

 The Achilles piercing passes through the tendon and the ankle.  Not surprising this is a pretty rare piercing and considered a high risk one at that!

Eyelid piercing

Yup this one actually goes through the hood of your eyelid and comes out the other side.  Amazingly enough it apparently doesn’t irritate the eyeball.

Transfinger piercing

This is a piercing which actually goes through your finger.  The process doesn’t look too gory but you need to take into consideration the amount of nerves and tendons in your fingers.  For pictures and more information go to http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Transfinger_Piercing

Genital piercings

There are a great many different piercings possible down south for both men and women.  The most extreme I have come across is the Isabella piercing for women.  It is a very deep clitoral piercing that starts just below the clitoris and exits at the hood.  This is also considered to be a high risk piercing due to the risk of hitting a nerve.  I won’t post a picture but if you interested you can go to http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Isabella_Piercing for a peek.

Corset piercing

These are a pretty cute, temporary only (!!) series of piercings particularly popular with fetish groups.  Basically two vertical lines are made down the back (although there are many other places you could do them too) with hypodermic needles or captive bead rings, and then ribbon is laced through them to give the appearance of a corset.

Stretching

The stretching of piercings has become very popular, in fact you’d be hard pushed to walk down the street and not spot somebody with a stretched earlobe.  Stretching is a great example of how amazing the skin is because you can really keep stretching an earlobe until you run out skin… which can take a while!  Just be warned that once you’ve stretched your skin to a certain point (or too fast) the hole may shrink a little but won’t close up again.  Your only option then is plastic surgery, so think about it first!  Earlobes aren’t the only body part that can be made wider, lips, nostrils, nipples etc can also be stretched.

Suspension

Suspension is said to be as much about the mental as it is the physical.  This is very serious business and as I am not an expert in the matter and have never done a suspension I’d rather not pretend I know what I’m talking about.  For more information visit http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Suspension or talk to an experienced body piercer.

Implants

Implants involve putting foreign objects under the skin.  They come in a pretty wide range of materials, as well as shapes and sizes.  Basically a small insertion is made into the skin to create a pocket where the object is put into, when the wound heals the object is trapped under the skin creating shapes and forms.

Scarification

Branding

Branding is a way of purposely scarring your skin.  Basically you inflict a serious burn on your skin by either using heated metal, or more commonly now a form of laser branding.  The idea is that you burn a pattern/ picture onto your skin and as it heals it leaves a raised, slightly different coloured scar.  If your still not sure of what I mean then think about cattle branding… it’s a pretty similar process.

Cutting

This is the most common form of scarification and it’s certainly not just reserved for depressed teenagers.  An expert can create amazing images in the skin using surgical or hobby blades.  The cuts are generally no deeper than 3mm, and the pain is compared to that of a tattoo (which I would compare with being flicked with a rubber band over and over again!).  The end results can be surprisingly delicate and beautiful.

There are many other forms of scarification available these days but these are just two of the most common examples.

Tongue splitting

Tongue splitting involves cutting the median fibrous septum which is that bit in the middle of your tongue.  There are several different ways in which this can be done.  The end is result is a fork like tongue (think of a snakes tongue), and each side of the split can move separately.  It is possible to make the tongue whole again although it is said to be a lot more painful and heal much slower than the split itself.  Splitting is not strictly reserved for the tongue and can be done on many other body parts, particularly genitalia.

Corsetry

Corsetry or tightlacing is a way of binding the body to produce a small waist, this results in an exaggerated hourglass figure.  It is usually a short term effect and your body goes back to normal once the corset is removed, however with a lot of training (tightening the corset bit by bit over time) organs can move and the body shape can change permanently.  This needs to done with great care because it is possible to do serious internal damage.  Corsetry is most popular with women however there are many men who use them too.

I have really just touched the tip of the ice berg here when it comes to body modification.  There are endless options and they are constantly growing.  Modification is/ and should be a very personal decision and everybody gets it done for different reasons.  The most important thing when you decide to get something done (even if it’s just getting your ear pierced) is to go to a professional.  Modification is not natural for the body and there are many risk factors associated with cutting, scarring, piercing and altering the body.  Be smart about it!  If you have any quesions or queries about Body Modification go and check out http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Main_Page

A beginner’s guide to Vintage

Why buy old clothes when you can get new ones?

1.  1.  Its fun! 
2.  2.  Find clothing that will suit your body shape.  Ever since   companies began to mass produce garments in the 1950s we have fallen  victim to ‘one style suits all’, this is clearly NOT the case.  Familiarizing yourself with tricks and styles from previous decades is a great way to discover a flattering style for you.
3.  3.  Quality.  The reason it is still possible for us to scour the shops for vintage pieces is because they have been able to last the decades.  Back before factory mass production most clothes were made by tailors, and HAND made by people at home.  Quality over quantity I always say!
4.  4.  Being unique.  When you’re wearing vintage you know you can waltz your way into any party confidently knowing that no other girl will be wearing the same dress.  In fact chances are no other girl in the world will be wearing the same frock.
5. It’s a great hobby.  Some people collect tea spoons, others hunt the stores for old records, I collect vintage.  There is nothing like rummaging through your local thrift store on a Saturday morning and finding an authentic 1940s in New Zealand made dress.  Collecting vintage is like collecting fragments of history.

Is there a difference between Vintage and Retro?

Yes! Yes! Yes!  The term ‘vintage’ is being thrown around so loosely these days that even last seasons range is being deemed as vintage.  The term retro could be used to describe anything from the 1970s right up to the 1990s, so it’s old, but not that old!  Vintage generally means everything from around the 1920s to the 1960s.  Oh and anything over 100 years old might also be referred to as antique.

Where can I find Vintage clothing in NZ?

Ok this can be a little tricky because we are such a small country so you might stumble upon the odd New Zealand made garment but most of it trickles in from overseas.  Needless to say we do have a few great shops around Auckland that ooze vintage styles,

Victorian Gilt (http://www.victoriangilt.co.nz/):  This little shop is just bursting at the seams with vintage from every era.  It is a favorite place for film crews to get authentic vintage items for movies, stylists snag pieces for fashion shoots, and everyday vintage lovers like myself can get lost in a musty heaven.

Peachy Keen ( www.peachy-keen.co.nz):  Not only does this place stock some great rockabilly style items, they are now selling custom made vintage inspired corsets! 

Tango:  This shop is amazing, and whatever you do listen to the shop owner!  This guy knows his stuff, ask him for a little advice and before you know it you’ll have an armload of dresses that fit you like a second skin.

St Kevins Arcade (On Karangahape Rd):  Here is an arcade not to be missed by vintage lovers, make sure you give yourself plenty of time because you’re not going to want to leave in a hurry.

Trade Me (www.trademe.co.nz):  Its not quite as good as ebay, but if you check in on a regular bases you are bound to find some treasures.

What is ‘Vintage inspired’?

Vintage inspired is just that, new clothing inspired by vintage styles!  Generally these clothes are re-productions of vintage pieces; in fact often they have been made from original vintage patterns.  The upside to vintage inspired clothing is that it’s not so fragile so you don’t have to feel guilty for actually wearing it!  Vintage inspired has become very popular over the past few years so all you need to do is Google it and you’ll find more sites than you know what to do with.  Here are a few of my favorites anyway,

Rita Sue (www.ritasue.co.nz):   This site stocks everything from shoes, stockings, dresses, lingerie, and hair accessories.  AND they are based in New Zealand so you won’t be spending a fortune on postage. 

Devol Clothing (www.devolclothing.com):  Totally vintage/ rockabilly inspired and can be made to measure.  This is my favorite label in New Zealand.  You can also check out their stuff at Frutti in Wellington.

Miss Illicit:  The brand spanking new store from the Illicit crew is Pin up heaven.

Stop Starring (www.stopstaringclothing.com/):  These guys are the king pins of vintage inspired clothing and their dresses are just to die for.

Pin up girl clothing (www.pinupgirlclothing.com):  This is like your one stop pin up shop, it stocks so many different brands with everything from pin up couture, to swimwear, to naughty Halloween costumes!

Where can I wear my vintage threads?

Well anywhere you like honey!  Depending on your job there is absolutely no reason why you can’t incorporate a little vintage into your everyday outfits.  But if you really want a special excuse to get fancied up then consider Swing dances, Rock ‘n’ roll dances, Hot Rod shows, Nostalgia events, and the increasingly popular Burlesque shows that are popping up around town.

Tell me more, tell me more, tell me more!! 

If you’ve been left with a little taste for Vintage and you’re curious to learn more then you NEED to hunt down a copy of ‘It’s Vintage Darling’ by Christa Weil.  This book is gold.  Trust me!

“If you go to see a magician, you don’t really want to see how the tricks are done, you just want to enjoy the results” – John Doyle (Surrendered Wives).

Awesome…where can I sign up?!  What do you guys think about it?

Anyway on that note I actually just finished doing the house work before and have to admit to quite enjoying it.  I only do it once a week (we’re only 2 people and its a little house), so every Sunday when my flatmate is at work I turn up the music (I’m a huge rockabilly/ swing fan so it’s either that or a bit metal if I’m in a lousy mood).  I put on my favourite pair of black heels, snap on the yellow rubber gloves, tie a scarf around my head to keep my hair out of the way and start scrubbing!  Through all my singing, dancing, and tittering around in heels the house work is done before I know it and I’ve had an entertaining afternoon.  Lets face it, it’s gotta be done (house work that is), so you may as well make an event of it!

While rattling on about house work here are a couple of related home-maker things I love;

Bakerella

How cute are these cupcakes from Bakerella??  I admit that its not something MY mother would appreciate, but I think its cute as sin all the same.  This woman has an entire blog dedicated to cupcakes, baking, and cake decorating and its not exactly the type of stuff your nana would whip up.  Check her out… http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

Lucky Lady 

 This site has some really great Rockabilly, Retro inspired homeware.  It’s a little bit kitsch but thats kind of what I like about it!

http://www.luckylady.com.au

Also check out

Anomalee’s

More rockabilly/ punk/ retro inspired homeware… what I would give to know where this gal gets her fabrics from!

http://anomalees.com

Cakes Men Like by Benjamin Darling

I have NO idea how this book ever came into my clutches but I love it!  Its basically a compilation of cake recipe’s from the 30′s, 40′s, 50′s produced by different companies to entice women to bake with their product.  If nothing else these cakes will give guaranteed heart attacks and high cholesterol!

Okay well thats enough with the house wife business for one day I think… don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression of me already!

xx