Fancy Dress Disco supporting beyondblue 2017

WELL ROLL ME IN HUNDREDS & THOUSANDS 

AND CALL ME SHIRLEY....

Geez September rolls around bloody quick.

And September means.............

THE ANNUAL FANCY DRESS DISCO supporting beyondblue

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my 4th Fancy Dress Disco for beyondblue and I just have to say that each year it just gets better and better.

As some of you know I have The Bipolar and so awareness and raising money for an organisation that does so much to help people with mental illness, depression and anxiety gets me right in the feels.

It also helps that I frickin' LURVE getting dressed up in crazy wacky outfits and dancing like a man wrestling a snake in a phone box to all my favourite retro tunes. 

 Add to this my obsession with all things sewing and well, 

it is my FUNNEST night of the year.

This year Club Greenslopes once again stepped up to provide the host venue. 

Will, Lance and all the staff are just so lovely and the room itself ticks all the boxes for what the disco needs (huge arse dancefloor, funky flashing lights, fairy lights and a stage for me flaunt my shit on and show off on)

So many utterly BRILLIANT people/businesses donated heaps of great goods to be raffled off.  From incredible art to skin and hair care products to pin up glam goods to life coaching session....

Sure, it might give me the shits that I couldn't win the $1000 Flight Centre voucher or the $100 Lush gift boxes but I'm just happy that other people won them

 *smiles very very very wide*. (kidding)

As usual, my "commiddy" of rapscallions, misfits and oddballs were my saving grace as I had bitten my fingernails past the quick and was contemplating moving on to my toe nails. Honestly, if it weren't for them I would be balled up in a corner somewhere whimpering " I can't do it. No one will come. What if? What if What if??.  They grab me by the shoulders, slap my face, shake me and then hug me. They also take care of the raffles and the door on the night & help blow up all the balloons (ok so they probably inhale more helium than what goes into the balloons) AND help me clean up at the end of the night. They are fucking awesome.

This year I chose to go as Effie Trinkett from movie The Hunger Games.  I'm not a big HG fan BUT I am a big fan of the costumes of Effie in the movie and so in true Vicki style I chose the most stressful hardest outfit to make.  The Reaping outfit.   I used a utterly STUNNING *cough* 1980's bridal dress patttern.  The top is a fushia cotton sateen & the skirt is corderoy. In the movie she wears silly black high heels. I have feet flatter than Donald Duck and can't wear a heel higher than about 2mm so I found the PERFECT colour match in a pair of awesome granny slippers from Kmart. 5 BUCKS. THANK YOU.  Then I had to buy the wig & make the huge arse flower. (Huge arse hair flower was from the Bargain Shop for $5 and spray painted).

Besides the fact that I am about 2 metres shorter and wider than Elizabeth Banks who plays Effie I think I pulled the look off pretty good.

Each year the effort and creativity that people put into their costumes just blows me away.  I feel truly grateful that they embrace the fun of the night.  There are just TOO many photos for me to put on here but these are some of my favourite costumes of the night.

TO SEE MORE OF THE COSTUMES GO TO THE WEBPAGE:

http://fancydressdiscobb2017.blogspot.com.au/

-==========================================

BEST INDIVIDUAL COSTUME WINNER Kate as PRINCESS FIONA
THANK YOU TO WILD THING CREATIONS FOR CREATING & MAKING THE TROPHIES

BEST GROUP COSTUME WINNERS Karen & Travis as Little Red Riding Hood & The Big Bad Wolf
THANK YOU TO WILD THING CREATIONS FOR CREATING & MAKING THE TROPHIES

On the Monday after the event I felt that I could finally put my full weight on my legs after dancing, bopping around, running to & fro and doing little jigs for about 8 hours straight -  to heave my arse out of bed to count the money .

I was so happy to announce that the night raised a total of  

$3625 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED. 
Those of you who came along, those who donated money, those who donated prizes and those of you who shared it on social media to help make it such a successful fun happy night.

To see ALL the photos taken by Phill's Kustom Photography go to:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v8ye8whzxnd7uta/AAD20BBqlIyPNo_nyeSxaQUaa?dl=0

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BEYONDBLUE GO TO:

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

THE GREAZEPEST NEST - GREAZEFEST 2017

GREAZEFEST 2017 !!!!!!!

OK So Greazefest WAS a month ago BUT my life has been a bit..... well.... it's been a big pile of topsy turvy poo-poo lately what with abruptly loosing my job and becoming a lady of anxiety ridden leisure.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER THOUGH EH?

This year 6 of us stuffed into a hotel about a 10 minute walk from the Cleveland showgrounds and promptly set up a Tiki bar in the lounge room (as you do), filled the kitchen with bottles of whiskey, gin and various mixes and named our room The Greazepest's Nest.

What can I say?  

As usual, it was an utterly exhausting weekend and my feet will never be the same again after nearly 3 days of solid walking, bopping up & down and dancing in shoes that would make a podiatrist rip his/her own face off. I may have been showing my age a tad, when I decided to bring a bucket with mint foot gel so after we got back to the room I could have a noice soak with my night cap of Earl Grey & Scotch Finger Bickie.

Next year, I swear to Gawd I am wearing either ugg boots or fugly orthodic shoes and stuff the haters.

This old grey mare ain't what she used to be.

I was pretty chuffed with myself that I made my whole Greazefest wardrobe this year. 

Friday night I declared WESTERN NIGHT

I wore my Vintage Vogue V8728 made out of the most fabulous western print cotton that I bought from Etsy The Busy Bee Quilting

Saturday I wore one of my FAVOURITE patterns, Vintage Vogue V900 made from the fab novelty print sewing measuring tape print cotton from Lincraft.

Saturday night I glammed it up in a stretch cotton sateen from Lincraft. I tried a new pattern from Simplicity. 8245. I was super happy with how it turned out.

Photo care of Lisa G Photography

Sunday I went all tropical and wore a divine vintagey Hawaiian print cotton rayon from East Coast Fabrics.  Vogue pattern V9021.

Well enough about my totes glam wardrobe and let's get to the MOOOOSIC.

Once again Mz Lori Lee had put together a brilliant mix of live acts including Pike Cavalero from Spain and Eddie Gazel from France.   I was super bummed because I missed Eddie due to me being a bloody social butterfly and I lost track of time nattering to anyone who would stand still long enough.

I heard he was absolutely fantastic!!!

Highlights for me were: Benny and the Flyby Nighters, Rusty Pinto, Pike Cavalero, The High-boys and The Lincolns (damn I do LOVE a Teddy boy).

I was very disappointed in myself this year. 

Normally, I spend all weekend sitting and watching the bands but this year I had my busy-bee hat on because I seemed to spend all my time out in the field chatting to people. Don't get me wrong I frigging LOVE shootin the shit with everyone and nervously blathering on to people I've been stalking on social media for years......BUT .......

Emma from Rockabilly Jnr

I just HAD to buy this bag. RAFFIA!!!!

I missed so much of the music of Greazefest that I love because of my gosh darned friendly personality and love of a good chat.

DAMMIT.

Even my selfie game was well below par this year. 

I'm losing my touch!!!

Obligatory toilet selfie 

The Divine ladies from Fractured Lace.

Other notable mentions for the weekend was the discovery of Los Flamingo. 

http://www.losflamingo.com.au/

I have a very unhealthy (for my purse) love of chunky brightly coloured bangles. Now because I would rather spend all my money on fabric and patterns, I simply cannot bring myself to spend $200 on a single vintage Bakelite bracelet.  

This is where Los Flamingos comes in. HOLY SHIT. 

If I wasn't an unemployed shleb I would have bought every single bangle in every colour and style.

What I call FAKELITE bangles. They look like fricking gorgeous vintage bangles but are only about $12 each!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I was hyperventilating with excitement AND they gave away delicious cupcakes with each purchase.

(I have not been paid to rave about this company btw).

OTHER RANDOM HIGHLIGHTS

Riding the tea cup ride with my fellow children Greig and Prudy and unknowingly flashing my fugly beige grannie undies to everyone around the ride. LOVELY.

Being educated in the world of pin up by having some ladies explain to my elderly brain what PUG is.  They seemed to be genuinely MORTIFIED I didn't know what it stood for. For Christ's sake can't you just say "Pin Up Girl". Honestly you would think I'd said I support the torture of baby pandas!

Having a very drunk lady walk directly up to my face outside the toilets, and almost nose to nose,  do a huge kransky/rum scented belch in my face and keep walking. I looked to another lady next to me and said "Did that just happen?" The lady nodded horrified.

Group singing on the way back to the unit to the nesting plovers "Plover Plover Plover Plover you don't treat me no good no more. No good no more ore ore ore" and running through the footy field sprinklers.

Discovering Western Wac sells divine Avanti tea-timers and shirts.

Dancing with some very patient blokes who put up with my gasping for air while trying to remember how to follow a lead and trying to ignore the tearing feeling in my feet.

It's no wonder I have never missed a single Greazefest in 18 years!

I love everything about it. The people, the music, the excuse to get frocked up and basically running amok.

Thanks Lori and all your Robot Productions staff once again.

MERRY GREAZMESS.