Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.............

 

It has been a really REALLY long time since I have done a garden related post, mainly because, in truth, over the last couple of years since my marriage ended I have not had the drive to put into my rental garden in the same way I did my very own patch of earth. However, as part of my employment I had the tremendous privilege of going to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show this past March, and joy of joys, it rekindled the spark/love of gardening within me again. You may be seeing more posts about sustainable vegetable patches in the near future ! In the meantime, enjoy this wander through the gardens and displays of the recent MIFGS - and isnt it a delight to see the swing back to cottage garden plants in landscaping fashions again? I know as a designer I will be glad to see the end of yucca's in every new northern Victorian garden !!!! Happy virtual strolling everyone...............

 

 

Totally Not Vintage!

A thousand apologies all the vintage lovers who follow my humble blog, but this post is simply nothing to do with anything vintage. I just wanted to share a cause I am passionate about - rural revitalisation and a business opportunity going begging. Who wouldnt want free rent in a huge space in the darling little riverside community of Cohuna? It might not be a vintage post - but let your imaginations run wild and imagine all the wonderful vintage based ideas that you could put in a space like this - salon, antique shop, retro cafe, car museum, vintage market, or a vintage styled marketing/webdesign/advertising business.....honestly, the sky is the limit !!! Good luck with brainstorming all the enormous possibilities !! XOXO

 

 

And we have a winner.......

Thankyou to everyone who entered Alice Jean's sunglasses competition, and biggest congrats to Ms Rebekah Sherlock  - thanks for liking and sharing Alice Jeans Facebook page and competition....these lovely little sunglasses are making their way to you asap. Enjoy !!

 

 

Amazing Fruit Slice....mmmmmmmm

Been in a baking mood recently ( for the first time in a very long while ). Maybe its the cooler weather, maybe its a renewed interest in making my own and knowing whats in the food I eat, maybe its because the kids have gone back to school and I wanted interesting treats for arvo tea and the lunch box......whatever the case, I got my mojo on and made this divine Fruit Slice last week, took it to coffee with the girls and the response was very gratifying (as was the taste !!). So dig in lovely people - there is a new season upon us, and now is the time for getting handy in the kitchen again after a summer of fun ! (Here in Australia anyhow - in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy your spring !!!)

 

Base:

1 packet malt biscuits crushed

1/4 cup milo (malted milk powder)

1/2 cup (1/2 tin) condensed milk

60gms butter

 

Top:

1 cup dried chopped apricots

1 cup sultanas

1.5 cups shredded coconut

1/2 cup (1/2 tin) condensed milk

 

Method:

Melt butter and condensed milk together, combine with rest of base ingredients. Press into lined slice tin. Combine topping ingredients and smooth onto base. Refrigerate. (Note - I find that a tad more butter in the base works best to hold it all together.)

 

 

Once it has set, all that's needed is to cut it up and serve to ravenous crowds or at a dignified high tea with friends - the choice is yours !

 

Last chance to enter....

 

Just a reminder beautiful peeps that today is your last chance to enter the Alice Jeans sunglasses competition......Click here for more details

Dont miss out !!!

Cohuna Rock N Roll Hall of Fame...........

 

When I was a little girl (how many good stories start that way?) I remember Mum and Dad were always going out to "meetings". These meetings seemed to take place usually on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, and Mum and Dad were always dressed up to the nines whenever they went to these "meetings". I had no idea what went on at a so called "meeting", but it sure as heck looked pretty flamboyant and glamorous......one day, when I was old enough, I wanted to go to "meetings" too......

 

Now that I am older, and maybe just a tad wiser, I have come to realise that Mum and Dad were usually on their way to a dance in Cohuna, leaving us in the wonderful care of Nanna and Pop or Ma and Pa (both of whom lived 5-10mins down the country road - lucky for my Mum and Dad !)

 

Cohuna Rock N Roll Montage

Now, to the ordinary observer, Cohuna was nothing more than a service center for the local agricultural industry, a cute little riverside town of maybe around 1300 people in the 60's and 70's. But every week it would miraculously come alive with a dance in the local town hall - part of a country Victorian circuit for up and coming names in the emerging rock and roll scene at the time. 700-800 people would flood into the hall to hear soon to be famous names such as John Farnham, The Bee Gees, Ian Turpie, Normie Rowe, Rob EG, and Denise Drysdale to name but a small few, all supported by local band The Lonely Ones (Click on the montage above to see the famous artists performing at Cohuna and the songs that were best known for).

 

 

I live in Cohuna today, and although the hey day of the Cohuna dance scene is a memory, it is a very vibrant one. Cohuna holds the prestigious honour of being the most well attended dance scene outside of Melbourne, at the time, and it has left a rich heritage of music lovers in the area. Special thanks should go to Geoff and Betty Thompson as part of the team that put these dances together way back when........

 

Having recently complete a thesis focused on the elements that create a thriving rural township, I can say that investment in celebration is one strong area Cohuna needs to latch onto - particularly in this realm where the history is so distinctive and unique. This wonderful Australian Rock n Roll history really does set Cohuna apart from other little agricultural service centres and cute villages. This is something that is completely their own.

 

 

As a stepping stone, some locals and I have launched a facebook page - do head over and check it out, and please 'like' if you are interested in this piece of popular cultural history. Who knows where it may just lead to.....maybe someday we will see vibrant dances happening for up and coming rockabilly/blues/roots music making the boards of the town hall floor shake again !

 

To find out more about these artists and their performance at Cohuna, Like the Facebook Page and keep updated ! 

Dont miss the Two Shots single launch !!!!

 

People - you know I am passionate about the music of my friends. My beautiful, creative and talented friends......so if you like edgy hillbilly style, there is no place for you to be other than with me on the 11th of May at Open Studio, 204 High Street, Northcote.

 

The Two Shots will be releasing their latest vinyl 45 single "Last Fast Blast" and you are going to want to be there and pick yourself up a copy !! Here are some fast facts about the Two Shots

 

When Carola and Hank met in ‘Bar Open’ in December 2007 in Melbourne Australia, little did they know that they would become - The Two Shots. They started writing their own songs pretty much straight away, inspired by their own personal and shared experiences. Carola has been Berlin based and played electric bass in the girl band Joymentals, and was double bass player and vocalist in Hot Eskimos. Hank’s played in rockabilly and western swing bands, such as the Rockin’ Bandits and the Starliners and Hank's Jalopy Demons, in Melbourne. After rockin' Berlin for a year, you can now expect to see the Two Shots playing up a storm in Melbourne in the near future.

 

Come along and check them out guys - you wont be sorry! And you'll experience all that is wonderful about the creative, unique music culture in the hip northern suburbs of the most happening city on the planet !

Another competition - for all you specs lovers !!!!

After the success of my last competition I fossiked around for another great item to host a giveaway for, and, as luck would have it, I was contacted by the Sunglasses Shop who were looking for someone to promote their clubmaster like women's sunglasses. Lucky for me, and lucky for you readers !

 

So, this is the knacky little item - they look very spiffy on, and sport total retro cool. So how do you win a pair? (Is pair the right word for one item in this case?????) Its really very simple.....

 

Simply share this post on your facebook page, AND like the Alice Jeans Facebook page and your in the draw......it couldnt be easier ! (If you are already an AJ's Facebook follower, simply leave a coment telling me that you have shared the post on your FB page) I will be drawing the winner on April the 21 so you have a little over two weeks to start sharing and liking......and in the meantime check out the sunglasses shop - they have both wayfarer and clubmaster style frames for men and women, so you can keep your retro appeal cracking !

 

 

So now that you know how easy it is to win, whats stopping you? Share the retro sunglasses love !XOXO

A Date for the Diary........

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 !!!

Producers Picnic

Next weekend, if you are scratching for a GREAT event to attend, you would do well to sojourn to the Murray River townships of Koondrook Barham for their inaugural Producers Picnic (Part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival). Not only a divinely beautiful destination, but a community bursting with great produce, live music, children's activities and of course, delectable food and wine. Check out the details at the website here.......

 

 

And be sure and tell Mardie that I insisted you taste her scrumptious lemon tarts !

 

Living Doll - Miss March 2013

Living Dolls are mothers, nurses, models, photographers, graphic designers, grandmothers, students, teachers - infact you name it, they come from every walk of life but have this one thing in common - they love and live vintage !

 

Alice Jean's Miss March is the adorable Margie - aka Swingin' Kitten - DJ and Dance Teacher extraordinaire....enjoy her beautiful insights on modern vintage culture, and Margie, I particularly love your sources of inspiration  - I am inspired just reading about them !

What does 'vintage' mean to you?

Vintage to me means an appreciation and respect for a bygone era specifically from 1940’s to 1960’s. For me it reflects a time of style, manners, innovative design, grace, fabulous music, and amazing architecture.

Mainstream and popular culture doesn’t quite ‘fit’ me and I prefer to draw inspiration and appreciation from the mid-century era. Vintage just feels right to me and it fits like a glove. It feels like it was meant to be.

What was it that first prompted your interest in vintage culture?

Elvis. I used to watch Elvis Presley movies on a Saturday afternoon when I was growing up and loved the music, the fashion, the cars and the King, of course. It has always been there in one form or another.

I remember when I was 15 years old in the mid 1970’s and a group of school chums and I were talking about what our favourite car was. Whilst they all said theirs was a Monaro, Charger or a Torana, mine was a 1956 FJ Holden. I was shopping in second hand stores in high school in the 1970’s before it became the thing to do. I loved movies with Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day and Grace Kelly – I thought they were so glamorous!

I always thought I was born in the wrong era. I was the youngest child of a much older family. My parents were very stylish and believed in dressing for dinner, respecting your elders, saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and being polite. Dressing appropriately was a way of life for all of my family no matter what the occasion.

What is your favourite era, and do you 'live it' every day? In what ways?

I love 1940’s through to the early 1960’s but if I have to narrow it down, I would say the 1950’s. I love the music, dancing, fashion, style, design, cars, architecture and movies. Everything really!

I have a day job and I am not always able to wear my preferred style of fashion. However I drive to work every day in Marilyn, (1962 S Series Valiant) and I always have a touch of vintage about me.

When I am not at the day job, my vintage life takes over. So I can dress in my preferred style and it does feel good!

Other ways I try to live a vintage lifestyle, is to replicate the manners such as being courteous and polite, holding doors open for people, writing thank-you notes, showing respect on the road for others.

 

Tell us about your favourite item of vintage clothing, kitchenalia, music, furniture or whatever !

So many things to choose from!

I do love out Krysler entertainment unit which was given to us from a friend who was moving overseas. It has a valve radio, black and white TV and a 4 speed turntable. Some very cute aspects of this unit are that it has a hand held microphone which can be used to sing along to records, the radio or whatever your heart desires. The sound through the speakers is fantastic! On the TV, it has a button called remote control however it is not the small unit we all know now as a remote control. You push the remote control button on the panel near the TV and it skips along to the next channel it finds. Bless!

Marilyn, our 1962 S series Valiant, is one of my favourite possessions. She is beautiful and its like driving a piece of art. Marilyn is my daily-driver and she starts second go every day. She is a 6 cylinder and has a 3 speed manual transmission. For 51 years old, she is pretty reliable however she doesn’t like the wet weather too much.

My most favourite possession is our house – it is very special and I love it to bits. Built in around 1950, it is more than what I could ever have imagined owning. It’s a freestanding double brick double fronted house with a single car garage (Marilyn is very happy) with a small front and back yard complete with mango trees. It still has original features as in light fittings, decorative ceilings, original fireplace and Bakelite handles on all the internal doors. We did a total overhaul inside before moving in – no structural work needed to be done – just aesthetics. The finished product is certainly beautiful. We have decorated with furniture and bric-a-brac from the late 1940’s to early 1960’s. We still have modern appliances but hopefully they just disappear in to the background.

Can you share with us why vintage culture continues to hold such appeal for you?

For me, style and grace never go out of fashion. I love surrounding myself with beautiful vintage things – whether it be for the house or for myself.

We mix with friends who share the same interests and passions, so there is no need to explain ourselves as we all understand, we are all on the same wavelength and we all ‘get’ it.

I never tire of the music or the dancing and find it as exhilarating as I did when I first discovered it.

Do you have any tips for anyone starting out in the vintage scene?

First tip is to check our website for news on events and gigs coming up to get a handle on what’s happening. Come along to one of our rockabilly dance workshops of course! 

Now is your chance to provide us with an overview of who you are and what you do. Tell my readers as much or as little as you like !!!!

My husband and I have been DJs and dance teachers for over 10 years now and we are known as “Limpin’ Jimmy and The Swingin’ Kitten”. 

We have taught rockabilly dancing in the Inner West in Sydney for nearly 11 years and have DJ’d at many events – both private and public. There are far too many for me to mention.

We presented many band events over the years and run many successful DJ residencies. We update and maintain our website with gigs and events so people know where to and what to do.

Check out our website on www.limpinjimmyandtheswinginkitten.com.au

 

Finally, what or who inspires you and why?

My parents. They taught me that good manners will always be appreciated and taught me well in all aspects of life. They always had style, grace and poise. They were generous, would help others less fortunate, feed the homeless, were hard workers, were kind souls and they had old fashioned values which I now appreciate as I get older. I like to think I have inherited some of these qualities.