Planting Seeds for 2016 — The Year of Growth

Planting Seeds for 2016 — The Year of Growth

I’ve always been terribly afraid that I could “waste” my life being comfortable, by not making hard decisions and simply going with the flow of what’s expected of me.

I often think of my life in chapters, as if I’m reading my own memoirs, wondering if I want to be part of the story that’s unfolding. This outlook helps me keep clear goals and stops me from floating along comfortably into oblivion.

Yet sometimes I struggle to stay in control of my own narrative and keep the story moving in a direction that I’m at peace with, throughout the ups and downs.

That’s why last year, I declared that for me 2015 would be The Year of Living Bravely — a prediction that was 100% accurate, as I changed my life’s course in remarkable ways.

We all encounter our own highs and lows, and many friends have faced major life changes in recent months. And sharing our stories always helps us feel less isolated. So I wanted to share with you a few of the biggest challenges I faced last year and how that’s shaping the year of growth ahead …


Left my comfort zone

I took a three-month journey in the USA with the express purpose of making new professional connections, determining how I could grow this website into something much more than a personal blog, and learning critical skills from industry leaders in the field of digital commerce.USA Tour Highlights

This meant three months away from my children, my family and my hometown. The trip was huge in a personal sense, and it made me even more determined to pursue new ways to expand my business.


Ended my marriage

I’ve always kept my personal life fairly much to myself on this blog. While I do occasionally talk about or show glimpses of my family, it’s something that I’ve purposefully kept to a minimum. After all, my reasoning is that I opted in to writing this in 2008, they didn’t.

With that said I won’t go into detail here, but I will tell you this has been the most monumental decision of all and it touches every facet of my life.

It has made me re-evaluate just about everything about myself and why I do what I do. It has also shown me the incredible friendships I have developed through these pages, and just how strong and supportive they are.


Learned to live with less

For years I’ve struggled with clutter and being a “vintage collector” had become a catch-all excuse for living with too much stuff.

I read every book I could get my hands on in an attempt to understand why I wasn’t succeeding at getting on top of the mess.

I knew that all of these things were acting as a security blanket of some kind, a type of anaesthetic, but I didn’t know what from.

I began the long and sometimes painful process of getting rid of many things in the last half of 2014 and carried over into 2015. When it came to crunch time and I had to fit all my possessions into a storage locker, I realised just how little I actually needed.

When I packed a single suitcase, with two pairs of shoes for my three-month journey in the USA, it became clear that less truly was more.


Fell madly in love

I fell completely and utterly in love with a man who makes the term “other half” a reality for me. He was the missing piece of my puzzle.

Together we’ve begun a new chapter in our adventures, goals, creations and relationships. He has changed my perspective in many ways, bringing a new sense of purpose and verve to my days.


Made huge strides with my offline business

My Candice DeVille vintage styling business found a new home in a gorgeous little 1950s house! Our new Melbourne salon is all set up with my collection of vintage hair and beauty supplies, with plenty of room for bridal parties. We successfully launched Hen’s Party events, Ladies Days and Mother Daughter styling days, to much excitement.

New vintage beauty salon

In the media, my styling work was featured on the cover of the “Just Married” wedding styling book, a cover story for Glory Days magazine, in Glamour magazine and coming soon in a feature story for Complete Wedding magazine.

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Our Vintage Events have been a growing success, with the 2015 Camperdown Cruise Glamour Central being the most commercially successful to date. And in 2016 we’re launching a massive Vintage Marketplace with the Ballarat Heritage Weekender (May 7th & 8th).

I’ve also started to take on digital media clients, including a huge national real estate firm, developing content and marketing plans, social media strategies and helping businesses thrive online. Speaking at General Assembly, the Public Relations Institute of Australia and Newscorp, I had some great opportunities to share my knowledge and build key relationships. I even got to hold a million dollars!


Lost a large part of this blog

In an attempt to create a superior version of Vintage Current over the last months of 2015, an unrecoverable error occurred: We lost every image from 2008-2014 with the updated blog design.

I had always thought if something like this happened I’d be devastated. But I wasn’t.

Perhaps in light of the previous months it felt like a blip of the radar, perhaps I’ve learnt to deal with crisis much more productively.

What this means is that 2016 sees Vintage Current starting afresh with our best pieces and building from there.

It also means I have hours upon hours of work to do to recover the best bits and focus on creating the kind of resource that becomes an essential part of your personal vintage journey.


Set even bigger goals for Vintage Current 2016

With all of the above in motion, this year is going to be a huge challenge for us in terms of creation and community.

Vintage Current is evolving into something bigger than this blog. I am passionate about our vintage community, bringing us together through our mutual loves, sense of adventure and shared knowledge.

For me, 2016 is time to act — to step away from the drawing board and into the driver’s seat.

Now I need your help to take our vintage community to the next level.

One thing my USA trip reaffirmed was the importance of staying connected to your peers and community. And while the past year’s big moves and changes carried over to the blog post rhythm, as the new adventures unfold, I’d like your input and feedback to help chart the course.

Please join me on this new journey by subscribing to my Vintage Current updates!

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We’ll keep you apprised of new posts, videos and resources, and preview our forthcoming projects. Vintage Current subscribers will be the first to know about (and be a part of) exciting initiatives, and be eligible for special email-only giveaways and contests.

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb

Believe In Pink – Breast Cancer Awareness

Believe In Pink – Breast Cancer Awareness

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we kicked off with a High Tea for the McGrath Foundation.

You might wonder why I am at a BP station? Not the first place you would think of for a glamorous High Tea, I know… But BP is using its Australia-wide network of 1400 stores to help raise money for the McGrath Foundation.

Until October 7th, every time you pick up a BP pump, anywhere in Australia, they will make a donation to McGrath. Plus selected stores are selling delicious PINK lamingtons! Then for the whole month of October, you can choose to make a donation directly to the McGrath Foundation at the checkout. A simple and easy way to help support this cause that touches us all.

My friends and I spent the morning catching up, eating ice cream and talking about the important initiative that is Curve Lurve.

Curve Lurve is the McGrath Foundation’s education initiative, aimed at increasing breast awareness in young Australians, with a particular emphasis on young women.

Being breast aware means regularly checking your breasts so you know what’s normal for you – and seeking advice from your GP if you notice changes. We all have them and it’s incredibly important to get to know them – intimately!

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Catching up with the girls was simply brilliant too. I know I have a great community out there and having the support of these ladies is quite an privilege. We talked vintage, cake, and the all important issue of personal health.

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Share your own #BelieveInPink moment and help spread the word about Curve Lurve!

Unearthing Greatness and Adventure

Unearthing Greatness and Adventure

I always dreamt of becoming an Archeologist.

I had grand plans of becoming a superhero/adventurer, part Wonder Woman and part Indiana Jones, tromping through the desert sands uncovering treasures and dusting off the next great thing for mankind. I loved the challenge, the mystery, the sheer romance of it.

But what I never expected was how this desire would later emerge in my real life.

Let me rewind for a moment ….

Here at the new salon location we’ve moved to, we now have a garden to play with! Yes, our little 1950’s house sits on a small block with an unruly garden. I’ve learnt that shortly before we moved in, it was overrun, unloved and untended. There was a little chainsaw action before we arrived, but that’s about it.

Challenge accepted.

vintage garden roses

A Vision Takes Root, Blossoms Into A Plan

When I stand at the front gate, I picture the house and garden in its heyday. I can see the small holes in the concrete fence where the little iron gate would have been, the rounded troughs in the earth where a tree once rose. She is beautiful but neglected; her life isn’t over, just dormant.

As the spring sun gave us reasons to smile last weekend, I hastily gathered as many small flowering plants as my wallet could handle. I’d planned to fill the gateway garden bed with colour, alleviating the dullness of an empty space covered in pine needles.

Standing back from the lawn, I let my imagination overlay reality with images of neatly edged beds, filled with blooms and welcoming friends. There were old bricks scattered about the backyard, under trees and shrouded in thorny weeds. As I plucked the bricks from amongst the roots, I avoided the spiders’ nests, scraped off years of encrusted dirt, and stacked them up in preparation for my vision.

The house had provided the bricks, a small broken shovel and an idea. All I had to do was make it happen.

A Surprising Discovery

My first strike into the soil was sharp. The loam gave way easily, but beneath it I hit an unexpected resistance. Down on my hands and knees, denim soaked in mud, my fingers curiously pushed back the earth.

What I found, in the very spot I’d chosen to slice my shovel, was the original concrete garden edging, roughly 10cm below the soil. Whether this had been deliberately grown over or was the work of years of debris and neglect was unclear.

But the sheer joy of finding this small piece of history overwhelmed me as, thrilled, I dug away more and more to reveal the extent of the original design.

Sure, it’s a small thing and certainly no ancient discovery, yet it provided an even stronger sense of connectedness to this place. I revelled in how my vision for this space dovetailed with the original plans, and that I could be a catalyst for bringing them back to life.

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An Unexpected Life Lesson Emerges

I could have stayed in that cold dirt for hours, chipping away at the layers, with my mind so full of parallels: How deeply we bury our original plans for ourselves, letting them become neglected in the debris of daily life. How expediency and convenience so often become weeds that strangle our intentions of beauty enjoyed at a gentle pace. How we settle for the lot we are given rather than digging deeper to find another way, getting our hands dirty in the process. I found myself waxing unexpectedly philosophical.

I may only be her keeper as a tenant, but I cannot help but take a sense of ownership.

I need to rescue, to strip back the layers and let the original beauty shine. It’s a kind of therapy for me, in much the same way that I love taking moth-eaten, beaded cardigans and darning them back into worthy service. In our throwaway society, this gives me a sense of connectedness, of greater meaning and purpose.

This type of mindfulness carries over into my consumption habits and helps me see the end game — to slow down and appreciate what lies beneath, and to leave things better than we found them.

 

Have you ever had a similar experience, where the mundane starts your mind racing philosophically? Did it transport you back to your childhood dreams? Are you seeing things differently as a result? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below …

How to get over your fear of missing out.

How to get over your fear of missing out.

HOW TO GET OVER FEAR OF MISSING OUT

The beginning of Spring brings with it the beginning of party season, and that awful fear – the fear of missing out.

Dealing with the fear of missing out (FOMO) can be a real problem. The more we see of our friends on social media, out hitting the town while we’re left behind, the more it seems to induce all kinds of paranoia. Maybe you’re at home because you’re studying, your wallet is a bit too light or you’ve chosen to spend your Friday night on the sofa with the kids.

It can happen when there’s a cool conference we’ve wanted to go to, or just a simple weekend BBQ, FOMO can raise it’s head without warning.

Even when we actively choose to do something else, there can be a nagging feeling that cool stuff is happening and we’re not there.

 

So how can you tame this beast and get over the fear of missing out?

Despite marketing tactics to the contrary, not everything is a must see must do, moment.  What is it that you’re racing towards?

Simply telling you to stop feeling like this isn’t going to help anyone. Instead, you need a concrete action plan that will help you get the good stuff and none of the anxiety that goes with it. Here’s some of the tricks that I’ve found useful.

 

  • Value where you are. 

At the heart of FOMO, is the assumption that where you are not, is better than where you are. It’s a vicious cycle when you consider the ridiculous nature of the concept.

There is always something happening, somewhere, and it becomes impossible to truly enjoy the experience you’re in when all your mental energy is spent constructing the ‘what if’s’ and imagined scenarios of where you aren’t.

So much time and emotional energy is spent pining away for what we don’t have, we neglect to nourish what we do.

  • Enjoy the perspective of distance.

I simply love this quote from Alexa Chung;

“If anyone’s Tweeting that they’re like, “Oh, I’m having the best time at this party!” know that they’re standing in the corner of a party, tweeting.”

vintage cocktail party

  • If you wanted to go that conference but can’t make it, determine why you would like to be there or what you think you could gain from the event. How else can you gain a similar benefit?

Break down your event goals into a few dot points. Did you want to meet people, make connections, learn a skill, be inspired, have fun? Understanding what you feel you’ll gain from such an event helps you to determine which emotions and what kind of drive is coming into play for you.

Maybe you feel the need to be ‘seen’, perhaps you think what you learn will give you ‘the edge’. Whatever drives you is important to acknowledge, then you can determine how to achieve a similar benefit even when you can’t be physically there.

 

  • Set aside specific time to check in on social or follow the event hashtag.

It’s all about control. Do you control the information or does it control you? Sure, there might be lots of valuable information /contacts / friends that you could make at this event, but scheduling time to “meet” them is super important.

Think of it this way. If you were to host a meet and greet cocktail party to make these connections, would you schedule that time into your calendar or would you make it an open house event from the moment you wake up to the moment you close your eyes?

By constantly checking in on an event hashtag, social feed or (worse), having all these set as push notifications, you’re doing exactly that.

Instead, schedule a window of time where you can interact directly with the social feed, learn more, make notes, swap details and then say goodnight.

  • Be present where you are.

When you’re mindful of the moment you’re in, its value (or lack of) becomes clear. For example, just kicking back and watching trash tv can be a total waste of time, something that is simply mind numbing and killing off the hours before bed.

Conversely, this same activity, done mindfully, can be an excellent way to relax and unwind. It can be the comfort at the end of a frenetic day, cuddled up with your dog / cat and a hot chocolate.

When you are present in that moment you have the ability to enjoy just how wonderful and luxurious it is to have the time and the comfortable place to do that.

 

Now stop watching, waiting and get out there and do something yourself; or don’t.

Remember the key to getting your FOMO under control is realising that your time is your own and how you actively choose to spend it is your decision.

Don’t let fear of missing out be the thief you keep inviting in.

 

How to Improve your Self Esteem in 4 Easy Steps

How to Improve your Self Esteem in 4 Easy Steps

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I was Cat Called and I liked it.

It began like any other Monday, fighting with the snooze button and responsibility. I dragged myself out from the warmth of my flanelette sheets and headed for the bathroom. A quick morning ritual of coffee, lipstick and a once over in the mirror. Nothing too fancy, just a pair of black swing pants and a cardi, cats eye glasses and a red scarf at my neck. I grabbed my handbag and headed up the road to the trams stop, fighting the chill in the morning air. Then I hear “Hey!! Hey honey!” and my head spins around to see who’s shouting in the traffic. Windows down and a huge grin on her face, a lady waves at me, “Honey, you look fantastic!” “Thanks so much!” I call, waving back to her. The smile is contagious.

As I continued walking to the tram I made a mental note to write about this happening; how unusual and fabulous it was. How on a cold Monday morning this one simple act gave me a brilliant boost of self esteem that warmed me for the rest of the day.

There have been many articles doing the rounds of late talking about the negativity and objectivity of cat calling, and I certainly see their point. But it also makes me think how gun shy we’ve become in giving (and graciously receiving) compliments. Now, hanging out the window at the traffic lights and verbally high-fiving some one for their choice in shoes may not be your style, but there’s sure to be one that is.

The more we think about complimenting people in our day, the more aware we become; looking for opportunities to lift someone up and give them their dues. There are so many opportunities that present themselves to us each day, not just an outfit that catches our eye, but actions, words and other talents that could do with some kudos.

Oddly, it seems that the more we’ve come the rely on social media as a means of communicating with each other, the more the art of the real world compliment has died. It’s become to easy to “Like”, to comment ” Fabulous”, much of the sincerity has been lost. The effort to notice and make contact with another human being to deliberately lift them up, is worth it’s weight in gold.

As I continued my walk I was deep in thought, deconstructing which simple practises I use every day to boost my own sense of self confidence.

Here is my very simple plan to improving your self esteem; immediately!

How to Improve your self esteem in 4 easy steps

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Yep, no Facebook or Twitter compliments count here. No “Like” buttons either. Only the real world, face to face exchange that comes with being aware of your interactions and surroundings. Tell your Barrista how much you appreciate their coffee art skills, compliment a co-worker on their great idea or the chap in the park on his choice of tweed walking cap. It’s all about being in the moment, feeling it and the law of reciprocity. You can’t help but feel better about yourself when you have lovely things to say to other people.

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Imprive your Self Esteem in 4 easy steps

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Comparison to others is the enemy of a healthy self esteem. The more we sit on social media, comparing our real lives to other’s edited versions of their own, the more dents we put in our self esteem. But sometimes, there is an honesty in putting ourselves out there with others, that helps to break down our mental barriers.

When it comes to body image and putting things into perspective, I’ve found no better remedy than hitting up a burlesque class and revelling in the glory of other women in all shapes and sizes. It pays to ensure that whatever class you’re planning to attend is at your skill level, but outside of that there are so many options for this kind of experience, you just have to look. It might be belly dancing, tap classes or if you’re game, even a visit to a life drawing class. As women we are particularly cruel to ourselves and our bodies, forgetting that they are the only ones we have. There is nothing quite so normalising, and simultaneously self esteem boosting, as filling your visual landscape with other real, fabulous women having a blast, instead of hyper produced glossy pages of fantasy.

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Improve your self esteem in 4 easy steps

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A win is a win, no matter how small. Teaching yourself to celebrate the little wins you have encourages you to think more positively about your goals, your abilities and ultimately, your self worth. Sure, we all have big goals on our plates, big projects to attend to and huge To Do lists that look like they’ll never end. Taking the time to break down the big scary stuff into smaller pieces, then patting yourself on the back when you’ve done them, is hugely helpful. For some, especially suffers of chronic illness, something as seemingly small as getting out of bed in the morning is a great achievement. Through recognition and celebration (yes you deserve to bust out the good coffee this morning), you are making a great investment in your mental health bank.

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None of us are born “perfect”. We’re learning to become our best selves every day, and being wrong is all a part of that process. Fear of failure, fearing not getting it right, or thinking we’ll be perceived as stupid, is a crippling way to live. Sometimes this works its way out in the little things, like being too afraid to wear red lipstick for fear of getting the shade wrong, and missing out on that joy altogether. Sometimes it’s bigger things that stop us from achieving our goals, hobbling us before we’ve even begun.

Being wrong or “failing”, is your friend. Quite often our idea of wrong is subjective, playing into the rules that others seem to set for us. When you see achievements made by people you think of as brave, outlandish or daring, these things all came about from the peace they have with being “wrong”. Start small and train yourself to see what you’ve learnt along the way. It may be as simple as having a few friends for dinner when you’ve never really hosted, or it may be putting a pitch to a new client.

Seeing success for what it is, a string of lessons learnt then acted upon to find improvement; does wonders for your self esteem.

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I’m always working on the way I talk to myself. Owning my thoughts, and then the actions that come from them, is a constant process we need to be aware of in order to effect the positive change we want to see in our lives. There are all kinds of things I’ve realised I have very little confidence in and I’m actively applying these techniques to see real improvement.

The gift of good self esteem is one only you can give yourself.

Xx