2017 - Another epic year in the life of this blonde dumpy selfie lovin' dame.

JANUARY 

Saw the year in with my favourite people. Played The Mouth Guard Game but with a difference. We read X-rated erotic fiction.

Celebrated Chinese New Year in China Town. Fed a dragon a cabbage.

Celebrated Australia Day in true fair dinkum style in the pool eating twisties and drinking fruit cup cordial.

Went to see the amazing Sunny Coast Rude Boys at the Triffid and skanked until I nearly pulled a hammy.

FEBRUARY

Kimberly and Amy's fabulous Engagement Party.

Catch up with the gang from the OLD days.

Took my Father in-law Mick to see his crush Suzi Quatro in concert.

MARCH

ROCKABILLY REVIVAL

Donated plasma for the first time - AB NEGATIVE BLOOD = PLASMA GOLD

APRIL

Ladies Luncheon at Paddington Deli & Epicerie

Sheree's 40th birthday Great Gatsby Lawn Picnic

MAY

GERTIE Meet n Greet at Needlefruit.

JUNE

LADIES LUNCHEON - PLAID IN THE SHADE

I quit my job

Then I was fired from my new job.
Then my brain exploded into little pieces of grey and red goop.

JULY

Christmas in July party

AUGUST

GREAZEFEST WEEKENDER

Saw "My Dad Wrote a Porno" podcast live at The Triffid.

Mr Timmy visited from San Fran

Started my Certificate IV in Ageing Support with this bunch of amazing women.

SEPTEMBER

My favourite dirty ho Mz Lyndie came up from Melbourne to stay.

My annual FANCY DRESS DISCO supporting beyondblue

OCTOBER

SPOTLIGHT sent he a stack of awesome Gertie fabric !!!

Had a stall at the Rewind Mid-Century Garage Sale

Kate's Birthday Miss Halloween Pin Up Pagent Party.

NOVEMBER

Those Darn Sew and Sews Meet n Greet.

Lisa's birthday drinks at "Can you Keep a Secret?"

DECEMBER

End of Cert IV class training celebrations

Mick's work Masquerade themed Christmas party.

BOXING DAY BANQUET

R.I.P HARVEY POOKAH. 2001 - 2017

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You’re trying to escape from your difficulties, and there never is any escape from difficulties, never. They have to be faced and fought.” - Enid Blyton

FORTY FIVE

FORTY

FIVE

How the hell did I suddenly become 45 years old?

I'm not going to lie to you.  The last 35 years has not been plain sailing. 

No sir.  

My first 10 years were pretty fricking great. Climbing trees pretending to be living with Moon Face in the Faraway Tree, building cubby houses, reading insane amounts of Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Choose your Own Adventure Books, riding my bike and swimming.  

ALWAYS swimming at the Oakey Pool.

It all went kind of pear shaped around the age of 13.

 "Vicki on Xmas Day 1980. 8 years old. new togs and roller skates".

Of course it hasn't been ALL BAD. There has been some amazing adventures in my life. 

I wish I could remember more of them but alas, a diet that was mainly based on wine, cigarettes and bourbon has destroyed a vast amount of my long term memory.  All I can say is , thank god there was no social media or digital cameras.

My life definitely improved around 5 years ago when I gave up the turps for good. No more panic attacks of hyperventilating until I pass out and no more hallucinations and self harm.

HOWEVER

The last 2 years has been a struggle for this old blonde gal.  I worked in a job that was just utterly ridiculous in its treatment of staff when it came to work loads, pressures, bullying and gas lighting.

12 months of crying in the toilets, self harm, thinking I was going crazy (again) and eventually thoughts of suicide lead me to quit with no job to go to.  

This was something I have NEVER done.

I have always been of the mind set that you shut up, suck it up, stop ya whinging and get on with it.  

But it was too late. 

It completely destroyed my self esteem and sent my anxiety levels off the charts!

Couple this with seeing my father very quickly decline with dementia and then his death and now the guilt associated with "could I have done more?"

I very quickly got another job but unbelievably was fired after only a week because "I wasn't a good fit."

That was kind of the last straw for any self-love I may have had left and I fell inwards.

After about a month (and the incredible support of my husband, family and friends) I pulled myself up out of bed, whacked on some red lipstick and made a decision.

To study to work in Aged Care.  I enrolled and have started doing a Cert IV in Ageing Support with a view to work with dementia and eventually be a Diversional Therapist.

I am absolutely shitting myself. I have NO idea if I have made the right decision but at least I am heading in a direction.

After applying for numerous jobs (in the interim until my course and prac is finished ) and not even getting to interview stage OR worse getting to interview stage and not getting the job (even though I though I was a shoe in each time) I found that my nerves and self-esteem were just fucked. So the decision was made for me to take an extended break from working while I do my course, to focus on my study and to focus on ME.

It's funny.  Being 45.

I feel very odd.  Like I am floating.  I always knew who I was.  

I would go out all the time. Get frocked up. Dance. Party. 

I was a vintage rockabilly girl.

I feel like I am losing her.  

Like I don't feel like I FIT IN anymore.

I look at the gals on Instagram with their perfect vintage hair sets, tiny waists and incredible clothes and then look at myself.  I have gained a massive amount of weight, have chronic undiagnosed pain and rarely go out anymore because "I can't be arsed".

It's like I don't know who I am anymore.

BUT

I am not one to wallow in self-pity. Each day I make baby steps.  

I will NOT compare myself to the Instagram people (who I KNOW spent hours perfecting that look before taking 5000 photos before settling on that one).

 I will eat healthy food.  

I have started aqua aerobics again because the water is where I love to be.  

I will keep sewing a crazy amount of frocks that I may never wear just for the shear joy of CREATING.   

I have started to create an environment of greenery by buying pot plants to put around my house.  

I am listening to inspirational podcasts.  

I am LOVING doing my course and even though I am anxious about how I am going to go working in such a challenging job I know that I am a good person who will try my best.   

I don't know who I am at the moment.

But that's ok.

I'm Mz Vicki.

I'm Alive.

I am totally blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people.

I am grateful.

I am strong.

Look at her. She looks like she washes her hair in streams and milks things. - Black Books

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

I open the door and there is a youngish man from some courier company with a largish box in hands.

"Sign here" he mumbles.

He is barely down the steps when I eagerly slash into the box like a crazed killer from an Eighties horror film.  

They have arrived.  

Spotlight Stores have ever so generously sent me a big box of the new range of the International Sewing Starlet Gretchen Hirsch's (aka Gertie) fabric line. 

I hold the fabric to my heaving chest and stifle a sob of joy.  So much loveliness.

I whisper "Welcome Home". 

I decided that my first frock make from the pile of divines should be a Hawaiian rayon frock due to the fact that I will get heaps of wear from it because of our unbearable fucking horrid humid bullshit summer/spring/autumn heat.

I wanted something flouncy and light so I chose this fake wrap dress from Simplicity.

I will say it was an easy to intermediate pattern to make and the advice I would give to anyone making this is WATCH THE SIZING. I followed the sizing on the pattern and still had to take it in 2 inches on EACH SIDE.  The end result though, was great.

Gertie's rayons are just wonderful and soft but still have enough weight in them to give a beautiful drape.  The tropical hibiscus & pineapple print is super bright and again, suits a Queensland summer.

I am a sucker for anything with those fluttery sleeves, especially because of the ole 'tuckshop' arm thing, plus they are comfy 

(which as I'm getting older seems to be becoming more & more important).

The perfect accessory - hair flower from Kat's Cadillac Vintage

I couldn't wait to wear my new creation so I was stoked when the bullshit amazing Rewind Mid-Century at Shorncliffe announced that they were having a huge garage sale.  Because of my insane sewing & clothes buying addiction I have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many clothes to sell and they agreed to let me have a stand. 

Holy moley the sale was MASSIVE and I reckon about 300 people came through the doors in the first 2 hours alone!!   I sold a fair bit of stuff but to be honest I had a great day just drinking coffee and chatting to the punters coming through. 

I met a STACK of great people and even added a couple to my FB and Instagrams to stay in touch!  I had a great pozzy out of the sun and with a frigging glorious breeze off the water.

There was so much AMAZING things for sale and all for great prices. 

I told myself that I was banned from buying ANYTHING!

BUT

then I saw this 4 metres of new hawaain rayon for only $20.

Seriously, it would have been CRIMINAL to just LEAVE it there!

After the sale was over I wandered over to the main shop.

If you are into Mid-Century Modern and you haven't been to Rewind you need your head read. First time visitors, be prepared to hyperventilate upon entering the main doors.

If I won lotto and had a lovely open plan home I would just go straight into Rewind and go 

"I'll take THAT THAT THAT THAT THAT THAT THAT & THAT OH & THAT".

or

I could just LIVE at Rewind.

Holy shit. So much incredible amazing beautiful pieces.

I REALLY wanted the concrete cockatoo

I managed to snaggle Collette the boss-lady to take some snazzy pics of me in my fancy frock posing against various incredible furniture pieces.

I liked sitting on the lounges and pretending for a moment that I was in my ultimate dream home.

I got a lot of compliments on the dress which was noice.  This pattern will definitely be going into my 'Will Sew Again" drawer.

I am super excited to have been chosen by Spotties to trial the awesome Gertie fabrics and I am already onto frock #2 which will be a sexy little number made from cotton sateen navy with pinky/red roses. 

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

If there are any OTHER fabric companies out there who would like to send me samples of fabric and have me make them up into something fabulous just contact me.

Just sayin'

hint hint fabric.com

www.facebook.com/rewind-mid-century

Rewind Mid Century - Sinbad St, Shorncliffe

https://blog.bygertie.com/

www.spotlightstores.com