Top Five Vintage blogs

Trawling the net for tid bits about your favourite category of interest? Hopefully Alice Jean's can make your search time more profitable - provided you are into mid century culture of course !! Here are my five all time favourite blogs on a mid century theme.....enjoy! (Click on each banner to be taken to the blog page....)

 

Number Five - The Beauty Blog
 

Lindy Charm School for Girls is run by my wonderful friend Miss Chrissy, and if its hair and makeup info you are after, then you wont go wrong here. Miss Chrissy is all about sharing the vintage love and creating a connected vintage community Australia wide - so get on it beauty lovers.....release that inner glamour puss !!!

 

 

Number Four - The Décor Blog

I wasn't really sure if I could include this site as a blog - its just so much more than that! However, I couldn't leave it out....if you are after décor or retro renovation information, there is no better site to turn to. You will be inspired by the authentic houses, and the renovation work of others where keeping a historic aesthetic is paramount. And if you love pastel bathrooms (as I do) this is the site for you!!!

Number Three - The Fashion History Blog

 

If there was an award for the most inspiring clothing blog, this would win hands down. Wearing History is the work of an amazingly dedicated (and downright lovely) woman - her authenticly historic creations will leave you gobsmacked......from Victorian Scarlett O'Hara dresses to 1940's wartime outfits, Wearing History is a stunning example of what human beings achieve when they follow their heart and their passions. Thankyou for sharing your incredible ability with the world !

Number Two - The Stylist Blog

 

If its fashion you love, there is simply no better personification of classic beauty and style in a modern woman than Esme and the Laneway. This treasure of a blog is full of inspirational images - such an artistic stylist and photographer is 'Esme'...... There are also fashion and hair tutorials, and the written word is compelling. The other reason I adore this blog is that it is as far from jumping on the bandwagon vintage trending as you can get. It is authentic and beautiful, and obviously a passion and love of the author - not just the 'vintage washing', make it hip blog of the moment. Such a breath of fresh air in that way. Thankyou for your contribution to a beautiful world my friend ! OXOX

 

 

 

 

Number One - The Music Blog

If I am feeling blue, all I have to do is ....... tune into this digital radio station and I suddenly find myself compelled to dance around the house - no matter if I'm cooking porridge in the mornings or mopping the floors or tapping away at the keyboard, WFMU puts a song in my heart and a spring in my step. They also have the most fantastic blog, full of the quirky, the eccentric, the wild and crazy, and - like every good blog should - the informative. There is no better mid century pop culture blog - or digital music station for that matter ! Love you WFMU!!!

 

 

‘Oh Brad, I’d love to show you my flower garden’

What’s not to like about gardens and their history.  

The plants they contain provide riches almost without limit, spanning an astonishing physical, social, and cultural spectrum. From utility to ornament, their almost inexhaustible patrimony has clothed, fed, warmed, protected, and inspired humans since the dawn of time.  

Gardens have profound significance to humankind. They have universal value as repositories of cultivated plants, maintained using the skills of horticulture, and ordered through diverse processes bound by tradition and innovation. They are intrinsically linked to organic nature and, through this bond, with the shared biological cycles of life cycles of humankind.  

Such associations have imbued plants and gardens with rich symbolism, venerated and celebrated in myth and tradition.  Gardens can also ornament, gratify, and inspire. In short, gardens and their plants are vital to human survival and spiritual wellbeing

Much more than art and architecture, gardening and garden-making have an egalitarian basis permitting these pursuits to be practised by a potential population many times greater than those who create other art forms. So while the spectacular gardens of Versailles, Stourhead, and Central Park are iconic destinations for garden lovers, the humble backyard vegetable patch, funky patio, arty pop-up installation, and tattered nursery catalogue are all of equal interest to garden historians.

And I’m fortunate to be in the thick of it, co-editing Australian Garden History (quarterly journal of the Australian Garden History Society), as author of books such as Gardenesque, Botanical Riches, The Garden of Ideas and Cultivating Modernism, and a passionate collector of gardening ephemera (see Brad and Janet above).

In my writing, I love the interaction between image and text, place and context, author and reader. These are all intimate and vital links that help place gardens at the forefront of Australian cultural and social history. Stay tuned.

Richard Aitken

(guest blogger)

 

Awesome 60's House

How is this for a stunningly preserved modernist gem? Built in 1961 by architect John Polivka, just outside Minneapolis, USA. Click on the images to link to the "Retro Renovation" article, where there are more impressive visuals to inspire you in your modernist architectural love.

 

Photos by SpaceCrafting

Great Heritage Houses for Sale

 

 

With the Barham-Koondrook Producers Picnic coming up next weekend, it is also a terrific chance for potential treechangers to check out our vibrant, creative, diverse and progressively minded district. When I look at the obstructive price of real estate in major cities, it is encouraging to know that you can still get beautiful heritage homes for sometimes well under $350,000 - and in prime picturesque river side locations too !  If you have ever thought of tree-changing, you would get plenty of bang for your buck at beautiful Barham-Koondrook. Or as a bargain holiday house, you could enjoy the lakes (and watersports), rivers, forests, cafes and local delights of Golden Rivers Country a simple 3.5 hour jaunt from Melbourne any time of year. What's not to love? Check these beauties out..... (Click on the photograph for a link to the sale sight....)

 

There are also loads of stunning contemporary houses for sale too - but as my blog is devoted to heritage, we are sticking to pre 1960's classics here......

 

As for the community, there is a big need for professionals - doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, accountants, nurses etc within the region as a whole. The community is very welcoming and supportive of new entrepreneurs, and the capacity for web based businesses and remote design consultants is brilliant. Creative and imaginative minds are celebrated here, and there is a strong tradition of welcoming other cultures and backgrounds within this twin river-township......

 

If you think this sounds like you, then jump in your groovy old jalopy, grab a picnic basket and head to the Producers Picnic next Saturday to experience and find out more about this wonderful community - and your potential place in it !!!

The Garden at Overnewton

 

Last weekend I had the great pleasure to attend Becky's baby shower high tea at Overnewton Castle, and was once again mesmerised by the beauty of the buildings, trees, and grounds. So much so that I had to share some snaps here with you and remind you once again what a stunning place it is for any event - love love love !

 

Great heritage houses for sale

My home town, and the districts surrounding it, is peppered with beautiful pre mid century architectural gems, and at the moment there are a nice little selection of them up for sale, at extremely reasonable prices ! If you have ever thought of tree-changing, you would get plenty of bang for your buck. Or as a bargain holiday house, you could enjoy the lakes (and watersports), rivers, forests, cafes and local delights of Golden Rivers Country a simple 3.5 hour jaunt from Melbourne any time of year. What's not to love? Check these beauties out..... (Click on the photograph for a link to the sale sight....)

Six bedroom, 3 bathroom $299,000

Three bedroom, two bathroom, $325,000

Four bedroom, two bathroom, stunning two storied design/reno $245,000

Three bedroom, Seven car parking (5 lock up, 2 undercover), Inground pool, 2.6 acres $245,000

Four bedroom, two bathroom $295,000

Four Bedroom, Open fire place, brilliant reno, Orchard $240,000

Three Bedroom, Two Bathroom, Centrally located $235,000

Four bedroom, two bathroom, three carspaces, 2960 m² $230,000

Three bedroom, two bathroom, beautiful reno $299,000

 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom contemporary reno $260,000

Three bedroom, beautiful reno, $245,000

Three bedroom $179,000

Art Deco, Renovators delight, three bedroom, $289,000

Three Bedrooms, solid renovators delight $168,000

Retro delight, three bedrooms, three carparks $159,000

Five bedroom, two bathroom, $290,00

Three bedroom, two bathroom, six garage $390,000

So, if a tree change is on the agenda for you in 2013, why would you consider Golden Rivers country? Well, here are a few reasons. The area has some great private and public schools, an extremely progressive organic foodie movement happening, it is a resilient and welcoming community with excellent catering to culture and the arts - music, dance, fine art -, sports, education and health care. It is a great place to work as a freelancer, entrepreneur, medical professional, educator, hospitality worker, artist, lawyer, retailer....infact the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

And if a holiday house is more your game, and you love water sports, bushwalking, fishing, or sipping a chai at a cafe, then the tranquility of this area, away from the hustle and bustle of places like Echuca, or Yarrawonga, would suit you down to the ground. With prices like those listed above, what have you got to lose !?

I plan to highlight each of the towns in Golden Rivers Country over the coming months, but I hope you can see the potential in this smattering of residential opportunities in Kerang. Below are a couple of photographs depicting the things my family and I love about living here......happy house hunting my future neighbours !

Fabulous water activities and fun......

Breathtaking sunsets.....

Community Events........

Eating out......

Bushwalking.....