Are you dissatisfied with the size of your...

Brooch Collection?!

Once upon a time in the not too distant past my brooch collection looked like this;

But now I have a much bigger brooch collection and I am so much happier with my life and I find I am much more attractive to the opposite sex and my teeth are 7 shades whiter and I have dropped 3 dress sizes and improved my mental acumen x100!! See;

Just kidding- brooches get me acting pumped like a low budget infomercial actor!! Plus 'before and after' shots are begging for it!

Ok so let's keep this short and sweet (lol) here are the brand new to me brands I'm loving;

Tangerine Menagerie
 https://www.etsy.com/shop/TangerineMenagerie

Gorgeous little resin sculptures to adorn your clothes, hand made in Seattle by a lovely lady named Julia.  I managed to snag this Alice Brooch for a friend by way of a pre-order which was the only way my slow fingers were ever going to manage it- these baby's are limited 

edition runs and sell out within minutes!!  

I added the mint dachshund to my order at a later date from the etsy shop because I needed a little green sumin a and Julia very kindly combined postage and refunded the difference after first emailing me.  

AtomicMingo 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AtomicMingo

I'm vaguely aware of the Trans-Tasmin rivalry I ought to participate in by virtue of being a kiwi but credit where credit is due Australia is at the top of its game when it comes to pumping out retro inspired brooches and none more so than AtomicMingo!! There are plenty of plagiarist's lining up to be 'inspired' by the fabulous Miss Lixxie Lou's designs but my money is on the real deal every time!

Heidi and Gretel

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HeidiandGretel

+

Bok Bok B'gerk

http://www.bokbokbgerk.com.au

Hehehe I do so love a novelty theme- coffee and pie! I'll be double brooching these little darlings in the near future!! Two more Aussie brands creating sweet pinable clothes treats for you.  The coffee cup I purchased from Bok Bok B'Gerk directly. The piece of pie I purchased from www.vintagepip.com.au (my all time favourite supplier) but it's made by Donna under the brand Heidi and Gretel and profits from her sales go directly to her brother with cerebral palsy to help him get out and about.  So you don't just get a lovely resin or wood brooch you also get a dose of good feels when you buy a Heidi and Gretel.

Charcoal Designs

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CharcoalDesigns

Over to the States for some kitschy resin goodness.  This brooch is BIG and it is KITSCH and oh boy do I love it!!  My order also came with a bonus brooch that a friend nearly twisted my arm off for... So, not shown here but a surprise brooch delivery is a good brooch delivery in my book!!

And lastly;

Mrs Polly Lucite

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsPollysLucite

From Italy! Mrs Polly Lucites creations have an air of 'serious vintage reproduction' to them.  From the colours, design and quality of the finish to the vintage packaging design.  Mrs Polly Lucite is not mucking about- these are novelty brooches for the vintage enthusiast who wants a little something authentic to the era and as reproductions go this brooch is exquisite! 

And that about covers all the new brands I've added to my collection recently.  I've also revisited a few trusty old brands such as;

Erstwilder 

http://www.erstwilder.com

Now selling direct from their own Australian website for your convenience.

DeerArrow

http://www.deerarrow.com

Hey Australia why you so good at brooches?

Luxulite

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Luxulite

File these under 'N' for 'Never disappoints.'

And lastly (yes really);

Baccurelli

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Baccurelli

I waited patiently for Rosie to come directly from Meli at Baccurelli head quarters and my patience was rewarded! Then Betty Mae arrived from Vintage Pip shortly after and now I am all brooched out!

Happy Pinning Lovelies 😊

Amelia

Follow me on Instagram @mammatwohoots to see how I style my collection on a day to day basis!

And I shall have ALL of the Petticoats, please!!

If repro vintage clothing was a buffet it'd be fair to say I've pretty much gorged myself on circle skirts recently! 

I've sampled lindybop, Pinup Girl Clothing, Vivien of Holloway and (if they are ever released by Bulgarian customs) Bernie Dexter.  Patterned or plain, novelty or not, cheap and cheerful or pricey pricey- I care not. For there is room in my wardrobe for all!!

But this isn't about my love of circle skirts- that's old news!  Though in fairness to linear thinking I ought to be blogging about the old news first rather than skipping ahead to the new news.... I digress!  At any rate this blog is about my desire to up my circle skirt game with Petticoats!!!

So if petticoats were cars it'd be reasonable to say that Sam's Petticoats are the fabric equivalent of one of those vintage rides that smell of old leather, even older money and have a busty silver lady chilling on the bonnet.  You know- Fancy with a capital F.  I have one cream Sam's that's stuffed (in a reverent way) into one of my wardrobes (I know, I know).  Like that fancy pants car though, it's pretty much only ever used for special occasions (read- twice) and being in the market for an 'everyday wear' type undergarment at an affordable pricepoint I decided to look elsewhere.   

Hell Bunny petticoats come well recommended so I duly tracked down an online supplier and got most of the way through check out before the inability to find/read my card details in the dark defeated me (PayPal is a must for anyone who does their online shopping in the dark waiting for the sound of toddler breath to change to the slow, steady sound of deep slumber that indicates ninja-ing out of the room is now possible).

At any rate I never got round to buying a Hell Bunny Petticoat.  Instead I went to London and met this awesome lady (Leanda Lewis) 

And together we visited Vivien of Holloway.  And then I went back on my own.  That's two visits to Vivien of Holloway on a two day stop over to buy not one, not two, not even three but FOUR(!!!) Sam's Petticoats.  Oh the shame.  So much for mid range affordability.  I went intending to buy a skirt.  One skirt (ok that's not entirely true).  I tried on the skirt and in the corner of my eye, I could see hanging the fluffy, swishy softness that is a Sam's petticoat and suddenly it was there in front of me and I was stepping into it.  One swish and I was asking for a red one to await me at the counter.  Two swishes and a pink one joined it.  I restrained myself at two under the watchful eye of Leanda (jk she's as big an enabler as I) and left with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction.

The missing practicality of a black one haunted me through the night and I knew that I had to go back and fill this petticoat emptiness!  So I did.  And because it was quite a long tube journey I convinced myself I needed a lavender petticoat along the way, you know, for fun.  Sadly there were no lavender petticoats so I settled for a purple one and two brooches (yes I am the worst).

I might have had to buy an extra suitcase at the airport and be that person, hurriedly re-packing my suitcase at the check-in desk.  And sure I splashed a ridiculous amount of money on undergarments that go largely unseen.  And ok... Having reached the blistering hot climes of my final destination, Sofia, I realise that I will have to wait a few months before its cool enough to wear them without dying.  But as I recall the gentle swish and soft sigh of my top quality, silky, Sam's petticoats against my bare legs and the cheeky flash of colour peeking out from beneath my now immeasurably more epic skirts I have but one smug thought- Worth. it.

Brooch, Brooch Baby

I have a huge weak spot and its name is Novelty Brooches. There's something about a good novelty brooch that I just can't say 'No' to.  Though I try to display a little discernment in my choices for the sake of my pocket the truth is if its plastic, colourful, odd or shiny chances are high I'm planning out the outfits I'll pair it with before I've even finished carting it.

Believe it or not I really only started collecting novelty brooches about 5 months ago.  It started innocently enough when Leanda Lewis over at GinnedUp introduced me to this little Erstwilder beauty in March '15...

Ahhhh Erstwilder and their novelty resin brooches in adorable flora, fauna and miscellaneous kitsch designs that are oh so affordable. It's virtually impossible to say 'no, not for me' to an Erstwilder.

One little birdy was pretty quickly followed by a few more delicious friends.  'Shake, Rattle and Roll' sold out almost everywhere before I knew she existed and she became my Unicorn brooch- I hunted her down mercilessly and paid out a ridiculous sum to have her shipped half way across the world.  Of course if I could have summoned up an ounce of patience I would have had her at a more affordable price a month later.  Ho Hum. 

Then I branched out and purchased a gorgeous little pink resin palm tree from another Australian crafter PeachFlamingo and a nifty little silver and pink number from the ever on point Luxulite to join my glorious Erstwilder and true vintage originals.

Sad story time- my Erstwilder magpie took flight somewhere between London Heathrow and Hong Kong airport.  Truly it was a case of 'One for Sorrow, Two for Joy' as I replaced her and got into the habit of securing my brooches with tiny elastic bands- a trick that has saved at least two other brooches from a similar fate.

Then I thought I would take a short break from resin and purchased this amazing Litewood Tiki brooch and the Atomique brooch from U.S based TheOblongBoxShop (which also happens to sell the most glorious novelty circle skirts) and these two amazing hand-painted wooden brooches from Australian DeerArrow.  I double dipped on the Deer Arrow- a red gumball brooch and cupcake sprinkles cardigan clips are in the post this very minute!

And lastly... back to resin.

Beautiful, beautiful Betty from Baccurelli who came to me via the quite frankly amazing, enabling VintagePip who comments the nicest things on Instagram and even tags me to make sure I don't miss out on future awesomeness- how's that for customer service?!  The crafter behind Baccurelli also provides exceptional customer service as I discovered when I emailed her directly about an unavailable mini doll that I was lusting after.  I had a reply and specially listed brooch carted and paid for within 30 minutes of contacting her. 

Unfortunately my full brooch collection is scattered across the globe thanks to some rather interesting circumstances and I have more than one or two in the mail but for now feast your eyes upon my glorious collection of novelty brooches one last time!!!

And prepare for future updates...

Amelia xx
instagram @mammatwohoots