For your amusement...

This was apparently found in a school hallway in Long Beach, Mississippi:

Reminds me of something Stewie Griffin from Family Guy would write :)

xx Love Swah

Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. I am quite the cupcake connoisseur and have sampled the majority available in Sydney (stay tuned for a post on my quest to find the best cupcake in Sydney). Anything cupcake related sends me into squealing fits of girlie crazed excitement. If I walk past a cupcake bakery I press myself up against the glass, transfixed, making whimpering sounds like a dog outside a butchery.

My first cupcake-related find are these darling laser-cut cupcake wrappers.

Just when you thought cupcakes couldn't be anymore aethestically pleasing they come up with these beauties! Yet another reason to make me want to start my own cupcake business ;)

For Australian readers, they can be purchased from http://www.alfrescoemporium.com.au/index.asp?p=store&r=130

International readers try http://www.paperorchidstationery.com/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/775/page/1//nav_id/775 or just google "laser-cut cupcake wrappers" and you will get tons of options!

xx Love Swah (aka "The Cupcake Queen")

Tales of the Unexpected

I love avant garde photography and the best blog for the latest and greatest is Foto Decadent http://community.livejournal.com/foto_decadent

I simply must get my hands on a copy of the December issue of UK Vogue. This photoshoot is featured in it, the scans are obtained from the afore mentioned Foto Decadent community. It is photographed by Tim Walker - one of my absolute favourites! It features Karen Elson (one of the hottest redheads around) and features my all time favourite director Tim Burton and his missus, the wonderful Helena Bonham-Carter.
Ok I am sure you are all hyperventilating by now and want me to shut up and see the photos. Onwards!

To see them in their full shiny glory, pick up the latest issue of UK Vogue. For those of us who don't live in the UK, I am hoping my local Borders will have it!

xx Love Swah

Retro Queens

If I could afford it (and bothered to put in the time and effort) I would love to dress fulltime in 1940s/50s retro fashion. This article (courtesy of http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) features 4 gals who epitomise 40s glamour. Not only does it feature gorgeous pictures of the girls, they also give tips on what they use for their glam hair, make-up and clothes!

High maintenance glamour is all very well for models and celebrities with an army of stylists, hair and make-up experts to create the look, but could a mere mortal carry off a retro revamp for the party season?
To get the low-down on old-school styling, we talked to four Forties aficionados who recreate the vintage look every day and asked them to reveal their tips and tricks - from how they pin-curl their hair to where they buy their bullet bras.

Emma Bown is a size 6 but with womanly curves which work well with Forties clothes

EMMA BOWN, 39, is an actress. She says:
MY LOVE of Forties clothes comes from the old Saturday movie matinees, featuring actresses such as Deanna Durbin, Claudette Colbert and Ginger Rogers.
When I was a teenager, my mum still had some clothes from the Forties. We are the same size, and I used to wear a cream linen dress with red stripes that belonged to her.
I went to university at the end of the Eighties and I remember thinking I looked just like Katharine Hepburn in my pencil skirts and close-fitting jumpers.
Modern clothing just doesn't suit my body shape. I'm a size six, but I've got boobs and a bottom. Forties clothing goes in and out in all the right places.
I have been stopped and asked for a couple of tips about my look I was very pleased when someone compared me to Lauren Bacall.
I roll my hair, which is a high-maintenance look. If it goes right first time, then I can do it in just ten minutes. If it doesn't, I can waste an hour.
The most expensive piece I've bought was from the vintage shop Steinberg & Tolkien just before it closed. It's a full-length dress in skin-tight black crepe silk and cost £225 - very Rita Hayworth. I'm saving it for my birthday.
It doesn't take long to get ready, unless I'm doing something special with my hair, about an hour at most, because it's the clothes that matter. A beautiful dress, a bit of lipstick and you're done.
MAKE-UP: During the war, make-up tended to be quite plain due to the lack of products available. Some women even used charcoal on their eyelashes. I just use an eyeliner and Maybelline Great Lash mascara.
When applying lip colour, you first need a solid line with a pencil because red lipstick can bleed. I invest in a decent one, such as Clarins 350. Red is a difficult colour to get right: match it with your skin tone as well as your clothes.
I go to Nails Inc for a manicure and, of course, dark-red varnish.
HAIR: I get inspiration from old photographs. As well as hairspray, I use Brylcreem to hold the hair in place and give it shine.
CLOTHES: Agent Provocateur (www. agentprovocateur.com, 020 7439 0229) for stockings. Trashy Diva (www.trashydiva.com) has good quality clothes. Grays Antique Market (www.graysantiques.com, 020 7629 7034) does great Bakelite jewellery.

Sammi Sadler's boyfriend also dresses from the 1940s

SAMMI SADLER, 20, is a systems administrator for a software company in Woking, Surrey. She says:
AS A child, I always stared at pin-ups from the Forties. I loved the immaculate clothes and perfect make-up. Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda was the most amazing woman.
Back then, men and women admired curves; they didn't want bones sticking out all over the place.
I love my bullet bra - I got it on eBay. It was never worn and was still in its packaging. I don't wear stockings on a day-to-day basis, as women did in the Forties, because they ladder so easily - but I wear them for an evening out.
I dress in Forties style all the time and I do get a lot of stares. In London, it's complimentary and people think I'm in a show. But local guys my age make rude comments and poke fun.
Other girls are intrigued. I went into a shop and two followed me in to ask: "Where did you get your lipstick?"
Wearing original clothes from the Forties can be a problem. You can only mend them for so long. I'm getting to the point where I can wear some things only on rare occasions.
My boyfriend dresses in Forties gear, too. When I met him, he was wearing a threepiece suit, trilby hat and two-tone shoes. I just thought: "Wow! He's the man for me."
MAKE-UP: It takes me 40 minutes - liquid eyeliner, mascara, a bit of eyeshadow, blusher (MAC Mocha) and the all important lipstick (MAC Glam or MAC Red). I use a dark-red nail varnish and leave a half-moon blank at the bottom of each nail, a Hollywood pin-up trick.
HAIR: I use curling tongs, hair pins, hairspray and practise, practise, practise. I put it in a hair wrap and don't have to worry about it all day.
CLOTHES: What Katie Did (www.whatkatiedid.com, 0845 430 8743) is good for reproduction underwear such as bullet bras and stockings.
But eBay is my lifesaver - I find so much on there from the US that I would never find in Britain. We weren't making clothes in the Forties like the Americans were. We were make-do-and-mending

Lady Kamikaze bought her first ever Forties outfit from San Francisco

LADY KAMIKAZE, 34, is a DJ at the Black Cotton Club in London. She says:
WHEN I was 16, I preferred Fifties music and fashion. There was a rockabilly boom in Japan - my former boyfriend was in a rock band and the small town where I lived had its own scene.
Then slowly I began to work my way back and appreciate Forties fashion through listening to the music of the era. The first outfit I bought came from San Francisco - a Forties Hawaiian shirt and high-waisted trousers.
It takes time to find clothes in good condition. Original Forties clothes usually have a stain or moth holes and I don't want to wear something like that. I don't worry about the price.
If it's in good condition and I love it, then I have to buy it because I'm never going to find something like that again.
Clothing-wise, the beginning and the end of the Forties is completely different. From 1947, Dior's New Look came in and it was more Fifties style with a tiny waist.
I prefer the early Forties fashion - I appreciate beautiful details such as embroidery on sleeves or a drape on a dress.
Marlene Dietrich was cool and elegant - she could be a really sexy female or quite masculine and that's why I like her. Sometimes I wonder who wore my dress or jewellery in the Forties. I imagine a husband gave it to a beautiful woman as a present and it's a fantastic feeling - I'm wearing a piece of history.
MAKE-UP: I use Chanel, MAC and Shu Uemura - they do really nice dark-red nail varnish and lipstick. I like Chanel 08 or MAC Liza Red with a MAC Cherry lip pencil and Chanel 08 nail varnish or MAC Shirelle.
HAIR: I keep it very simple, short and slick to my head. I can do it in just five minutes.
CLOTHES: Vivien of Holloway (www.vivienofholloway.com, 020 7284 2074) makes Forties and Fifties reproduction clothes. The Girl Can't Help It (www.thegirlcanthelpit.com, 020 7724 8984) has vintage clothing for men and women.

Old ladies ask Jo Henbrey where she gets her clothes from

JO HENBREY, 31, is chief instructor and manager at a riding stables in South London. She says:
WHAT I love about older clothes is that they're cut for women. They expect you to have a waist and bottom.
I have lots of pencil skirts, sharply tailored suits, full-length evening dresses with Oscars glamour and corsets. It used to be easy to get bargains, but now everyone is a little wiser to what they have.
I don't go to the pub in full evening dress, but I always dress in Forties style. I've had only one negative comment in my life, which was from a drunken woman.
People usually think it's cute. I stumbled across a tea dance in London's Spitalfields Market and the pensioners asked me to dance. All the old ladies asked: "Where did you get your clothes?"
MAKE-UP: Bad Gal Lash mascara by Benefit, and fake eyelashes and liquid eyeliner by MAC. I use Stila blusher in a shade called Poppy and more than a modern girl would wear. I only ever wear MAC Russian Red lipstick, but any brand of red nail varnish. Red goes with anything and it's instantly glamorous.
HAIR: I wash my hair every day, but women in the Forties didn't so it was grubbier and easier to style. I use setting lotion and lots of hairspray. Elnett is great because you can brush it out if it goes wrong. Nina's Hair Parlour (www. ninasvintageandretrohair.com, 020 7928 7061) does retro hairdos.
CLOTHES: Black Cotton Vintage (www.myspace. com/ blackcottonvintage, 07961 566198) sells vintage clothes from the US in good condition and also vintage furniture, so it feels like going to someone's house.
At Frock Me (www. frockmevintagefashion. com, 020 7254 4054) I bought a black jacket with a nipped-in waist, which gives the figure a lovely hourglass shape. The next fair is on Sunday, December 9, in London.

xx Love Swah

The Chocolate Bacon Bar

Whilst this has nothing to do with art, fashion or design, I feel the urge to share the latest culinary fad to you:

The Chocolate Bacon Bar

(image courtesy of The Daily Mail)

Yes, you read that correctly. And where does this delight hail from? Britain of course! The home of dodgy food. (I have lived there and can confirm this)

Despite it's high price tag of £6, Mo's Bacon Bar has sold out within 48 hours at Selfridges. Want to know more? The "treat" contains chunks of applewood smoked bacon, smoked salt and milk chocolate. A Selfridges spokesman said that while bacon and chocolate sounded like a strange combination, "the execution is fantastic. It's a real explosion of flavours and people love it."

"There has been a real revolution in luxury chocolate, as there was with wine a few years ago. People are much more knowledgeable about it and there is a growing demand for these high quality, exotic products instead of a box of Milk Tray"

My appetite has unsurprisingly disappeared...

xx Love Swah

New Agent Provocateur lingerie collection - Pirates

The new Agent Provocateur lingerie collection has been released with an ever popular theme - pirates! Starring Helena Christiensen and Alice Dellal, the photography is almost as hot as the lingerie.

Looks like I have some shopping to do. Meow!

xx Love Swah

Photographer - Julia Fullerton-Batten

I came across the work of photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten quite some time go and was kicking myself for not saving her images. Thankfully I came across them again recently and they still take my breath away!

Teenage Stories:

More of her work can be found at http://juliafullerton-batten.com/

xx Love Swah

Combating Monday-itis

Feeling stressed, depressed or anxious? Or perhaps just downright glum. Ah, Monday mornings. Don’t we all hate them. I always seem to have the song by the Boomtown Rats “I Don’t Like Mondays” in my head when I arise. The song was written about 16 year old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children in a school playground. Her explanation - "I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day”.
Whilst I have never had the urge to kill small children, it does suck starting off the week feeling downright horrible.

Here are some tips I feel help me shake off the feeling and hopefully can help you too!

Exercise
I know when you have downed a few too many jager bombs on the weekend exercise is the last thing you feel like doing. However, a morning walk gets the endorphins pumping and makes you feel so much better! The fresh morning air and a chance to clear your head all help in lifting my mood. I plan to start Pilates and yoga on a regular basis soon, I hear this has great physical and mental benefits.

Tea
Drinking a cup of tea makes me feel wonderful. I have mine white with sugar, but whatever floats your boat. Black tea, chamomile, peppermint. Whatever you choose I guarantee you will feel better after you have finished it! Better yet, whilst the kettle boils, do some gentle neck and shoulder exercises.

Relax
Always make sure you take at least a 20 minute lunch break. Preferably 30 mins – hour but I know in a lot of jobs this is nearly impossible! I always make sure to once a week get a 20 minute massage in my lunch break and it does me a world of good. Not only does it help my headaches and neck and shoulder pain, it’s great to relax if work and life is stressing me out.

Sunlight
Anyone who knows me is aware of my aversion to sunlight. I am as pale as a ghost and burn easily. However, since I was little my dad has been regularly dragging me out into the early morning sunlight for some need Vitamin D. I find it actually does lift my mood in the long term, and even short term it is nice to feel the soft sun on your face. I think all the stories you hear about people living in the far north suffering from serious depression in the long winters enough proof. Just don’t burn!! If you must do it during the middle of the day when the sun is strongest, wear sun block!

Cooking
I don’t cook much, but when I am stressed or feeling down nothing makes me feel better than baking. Specifically naughty treats! Dark chocolate fudge, caramel slice, chocolate cake… you name it, I bake it.

Spoil yourself occasionally
Whether it be a massage (as mentioned above) or even just curling up with a good book and some Tim Tams – make some time to spoil yourself! Get a facial, a body wrap, buy yourself something pretty. Just make sure it’s only on special occasions, as not only will the treats lose their effect but your credit card bill will be looking pretty unhappy!

Give something to another person
I can be in the darkest of moods, feeling so sorry for myself. Then I buy the Big Issue off a homeless person and tell them to keep the $1 change. $1 means so little to me, but to her – her smile was huge and she couldn’t stop thanking me. Just doing a little thing like that made me feel so much better, knowing I had made someone else happier. Volunteer at an animal shelter, do a fun run and raise some money for cancer. Even help your mum out with the vacuuming!

Cat humour
If all else fails, then check out http://icanhascheezburger.com Nothing cheers me up more than animals doing silly things (even better if you have an actual cat or dog, pet them!)

xx Love Swah

Items on etsy

New jewellery items have been listed on etsy now - http://loveswah.etsy.com

Check it out!

Etsy Buy Handmade loveswah

So many more items to be added, however I am seriously lacking sleep and time at the moment! I didn't realise moving office was such a big headache. Hopefully I will have some more time later in the week.

xx Love Swah

New jewellery items for Love Swah

Here a few recently finished items of jewellery I have made. They will soon be uploaded to my Love Swah etsy shop at http://loveswah.etsy.com/


Black bow and heart brooch. Also available in pink!

Black and white rose cameo mounted on a vintage silver setting. Finished off with a cute silver bow.

Black lucite rose on a chunky silver necklace with a toggle clasp.

Pink and white rose cameo mounted on a vintage silver setting, with a silver bow strung on a black faux pearl necklace.

These were all shot using a table top studio with a photo tent. As you can see I am still learning how to use this set-up! Practice practice practice and hopefully my product photos will soon be top notch.

There is a LOT more of the jewellery to come, I will try and upload some more in the coming days. Oh to have some spare time right now!!



xx Love Swah

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Tarina Tarantino - The Wizard of Oz collection.

Hooray! One of my favourite jewellery designers, Tarina Tarantino, has just released a new line. With so many beautiful designs I am left wondering, am I a good witch or a bad witch?

WIZARD OF OZ "TIN MAN" CLOCKWORK HEART NECKLACE

I love anything that combines hearts and bows and Tarina does it to perfection. Coupled with the miniature clock and rhinestones, I am sold!

WIZARD OF OZ "GOOD WITCH" DROP EARRINGS

These earrings are simple, yet elegant. Beautiful to look at, but I would never actually wear them. Long earrings and Swah don't mix!! I end up whacking myself when I do over-zealous head jerks (it happens quite a lot).

WIZARD OF OZ "WICKED WITCH" HEART NECKLACE

Eeeeeheheheh (witch cackle). The perfect necklace for when you are feeling a little wicked or perhaps green with envy!

WIZARD OF OZ "GOOD WITCH/BAD WITCH" HEART TOGGLE NECKLACE

The perfect solution to my good witch or bad witch problem - a double-sided pendant with the Good Witch cameo on one side and the Bad Witch on the other. I can flip it depending on my mood (which changes frequently).

For more delicious jewellery goodies check out http://www.tarinatarantino.com/




xx Love Swah

Welcome

Hello everyone, my name is Swah and welcome to my new blog – Love Swah!
I live in Sydney, Australia and am obsessed with anything girlie, vintage and unique.
I will be babbling on about art, design, fashion, travel and anything else that springs to mind.
Stay tuned!

xx Love Swah