Friday, January 16, 2009

Mon Petit Chapeau de Loli



My little work in progress. I started it last year, but I have allowed myself to be a bit lazy with it. I got the idea when I was stitching myself a couple of pincushions for my sewing. I am also working on a couple of little straw hats, but this here is a little headpiece for myself!


Black top: Jay Jays
Pinstripe skirt: Target
Ivory-coloured lace bow:
a gift I've had since I was
a child from my Tante Kareltje
Cameo: a gift from my sister
Josephine
(not pictured: Bracelet: self-made
Black maryjanes: Payless shoes?)



As you can see, I love cameos! I actually made some cameo and lace-themed stationary today, which I might post another time.

Have a fun-filled Friday night!

Mademoiselle Baudelaire
xo

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Rockin' the Retro in Red...a la Young Modern



Red top - Jay Jays
Grey shorts - Valleygirl
Mary janes - Payless Shoes?
Capricorn necklace - Ginion S.A (de Belgique), a gift from my late Grand-Oncle
Hair tie w/ribbon - ? gift from my Godmother.
(Ring not shown - Michael Hill)

Jy weet, I suprise myself with the fact my clothes in this picture today were from such mainstream, mass-production type stores. Well, Ginion (a jewellery shop in Charleroi) excluded! Over-the-top 1960's-inspired makeup topped of my look for today. My hair a little messy, I tidied it up and changed shorts for black pants folded neatly to 3/4 length for the outing to Papa Duval's house for dinner.
I think for a slightly different look, I might wear a big bow in my hair/on my head (loli-style), and slightly more porcelain doll-like makeup (i.e: not so heavy handed on the liquid eyeliner!).
In winter I wear this outfit with black laceup boots, black velvet tie around the top of my shorts, and a black (or black + white striped) v-neck sweater for a Brigitte Bardot inspired look.



A close-up of my heavy-handed eyeliner and so on! Sort of a cross between Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot and the earlier 50's housewife look! Perhaps a modern toned-down goth!

Ah well, I am quite tired now (I can tell this mostly by the non-English terms and such creeping up on my sentences in a way that could be most perplexing to anyone else), and so to bed I must!

Mlle. Baudelaire.
xo

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Heureux Anniversaire a Moi

Thankyou for the kind words, Katie. I'm glad you enjoyed.

I'd really like to get it out there that being a housewife doesn't limit me to four walls and no life or identity of my own. Monsieur Duval and I find that our ideas very much suit us, and work well for us and our productivity both as individuals and as a couple. I suppose it all depends on the individual and the couple's personalities and their communication, and then there's their ideologies and such. We are not perfect, we still have so far to go, but this is the story so far!

Today I turned twenty-three, and marks the start of a new era. Just becaue I thought it would be a nice day to start on: after all, two weeks after the New Year...surely our minds have settled down from the celebrations and lunatic behaviour/eating and intoxication from the holidays. Not to mention the often ludicrous and more often than not unachievable resolutions. So, a while back and offline I wrote myself a list of 23 things of all sorts. Various goals of varying achievability and desire. I'm seeing it as a guide to work from, and hope to add more as I revise and achieve and refine a few of them.
I read a book called '101 Things NOT to do before you die' and one of those was not to make a list of things. WHy? Because people make these lists, quite often unsuited to them, or somehow seemingly unachievable..and this leads to depression and all sorts. Quite a valid point, and the book was very entertaining, but the way I'm working it is that I figure if I be very specific with those I really want to achieve and have a few obvious ones in there for fun, it will keep me going.

I think that for me this year is going to be the year of self-love, self-worth, and partnership.

The other day I woke up when Monsieur Duval was heading off to work (5.30-ish in the AM), and could not get back to sleep. So I decided I would get up, and if need be, I would take a kitty nap later. Well, 'opstaan en aantrek' later, and breakfast done and dusted, I got so much done before it was even eight thirty I could not believe it - up and dressed, as I said, breakfast; two loads of washing sorted, washed, and hung out to dry; walked to the local shop in hope of purchasing the paper (alas said shop was not even open yet!); another cup of tea; gardens, pots and lawns watered; tomatoes picked and eggs collected; the dishes washed, dried, and put away; kitchen cleaned and bathroom tidie; two mini straw hats sewn with lace... and the odd thing here and there sorted for charity, or put in it's right place! Mind you, I nearly put the dishes aside for later - the sun is blaring hot at this time of year through our kitchen window...I put on the aviators! haha The call from my darling Monsieur did encourage my little achievements. *

So, in light of this, and knowing Monsieur has an early start again tomorrow, I will try this again. With the added goal of drinking more water than usual, and making sure I also get adequate exercise and appropriate nourishment. :)

Oh, and did I mention Mama and Memere are posting me cameos for my gift?! I believe they will be of the resin kind, but imagine the clothing/accessory possibilities! i can't wait. I was thinking I could even put them on some of the things I sell, but oh how I love cameos!

Now, to my beauty sleep - bonne nuit!

Mademoiselle Baudelaire
xo


* Wearing trackpants and a flattering top with joggers for the outside chores and public errands, and daisy dukes and top with maryjanes at home! (Lipstick all the while! Don't underestimate the power of self-encouragement through a great shade of red or burgundy!) Much to Monsieur's and my own amusement, I have found it useful to wear my thigh guards (ma'mselle enjoys the football!) when moving furniture if a dress or daisy's are being worn! Simply remove the guards before encountering good company! ;)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Bonne Annee

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." *

Enchantee, je m'appelle Mademoiselle Baudelaire. And here I find myself, on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of my birth, beginning a blog. But really I don't know where to begin but for to say that I adore many of the smaller things in life, the little things that most people don't take the time to consider but that come together to form the beautiful, whole picture. I like how things connect. I enjoy sharing these moments most particularly with my darling partner, whom we shall call Monsieur Duval.

I am a housewife (in the defacto sense), and take pride in keeping house just as anyone takes pride in their occupation. I am quite old fashioned in that I find it quite an honorable position, to be at home, and creating and looking after a comfortable home for Monsieur Duval and I, that he may come home after a hard day at work and have a delicious meal, and relax without the added stress of finding what to eat, and needing to tidy and clean the layers of dust from having worked the whole week. And it gives us better quality time together, that is not booked out by chores! Of course, there is more than one way for a relationship/partnership to be, this is just ours.

Now, please, do not assume that being quite the domestic goddess in her maryjanes and apron is the be all end all of my existence - I love to sew, and to create (I make and sell accessories and so on, mostly on request), love to dress up (mostly vintage and classical styled modelling), play secretary to Monsieur's broking, and am currently studying financial services and journalism. My interests include but are by no means limited to languages, writing, music (including playing - violoncello and bass guitar), anti-fashion (think gosurorita, pin-up/rockabilly, goth and steampunk and so on), bowhunting, and generally anything to do with self-sufficiency (be that finance, sewing, gardening, cooking, homemaking, et cetera) and culture.

This blog is a part of my plans for this new year, but please forgive this rushed and somewhat disorganised introduction, I am off to continue organising and sorting our home (also a part of my plans for this new year) which we are hoping to be done renovating soon!

A pleasure I'm sure,
Mademoiselle Baudelaire. xo


* - Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities