Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts

14 March 2014

twinkle twinkle little bat

Peek-a-Boo! We've been busy & dizzy with finding treasures full of verve for our spring pop-ups!
dizzy alice has jewellery galore to drape over your darling selves...

And we have hats…because let's get real, what good is a tea party without a chic chapeau?

We are also in a terrific tizzy over our vintage formal dresses, so we indulged in a little dress-up session, all whilst devouring decadent deliciousness. Macaron always make the perfect accessory and after all,
"...it's very easy to take more than nothing" -The Mad Hatter
A little black dress is even a staple in a Wonderland-inspired closet. Classic is always welcome and not to mention how amazing accessories look against this dark hue!
Check out the shimmying potential of Alicia's flapper-inspired shoulders!

The Black Mamba $25; Shimmy Shake $45
Twinkle all the livelong day in these glittery numbers.
Moon River $16; Happy New Year, Alice $30
We would like to thank two outstanding women who made this photo shoot possible:
All the photographs are by the talented Moments-by Lauren and our makeup was applied by the accomplished Anna-Little Red Lipstick.

We also want to thank YOU for stopping by xo




09 October 2013

smashing pumpkins

Fall. What a wonderful season. We can't help but think of Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole as we watch the beautifully coloured leaves fall to the ground (we're sure the leaves are far more graceful than our dearest dizzy doll!). A few fall favourites of ours are hay riding in a pumpkin patch, taking a brisk stroll in beautiful boots, and layering lovely clothing as the cooler weather sets in. 
While roaming our beloved city, we came across a magical pumpkin patch off Garner Road owned by a sweet couple and their cheery granddaughter. Falling in love with this location was inevitable.
As we were prancing in the pumpkin patch, we expected that any second a pumpkin would magically turn into a royal horse & carriage, whisking us away to a mysterious ball...(seriously, these are the things we dream of!)
We delight in Autumn's earthy tones. The "au natural" hue of this stylish French beret has us craving a warm café au lait to cozy up to. Très chic!
Maybe you don't quite believe us when we say, "It's always tea time."
Our vintage Canadian-made purse, "It's not EXpresso", is as rich and robust as your morning caffeine fix.
Our vintage "Apple Picker" frock is red delicious and ripe for the picking! It has found its match with our blossoming "Poppycock" knit hat.
The Lady in Red is patiently waiting for Peter Pumpkin Eater to join her for a cuppa tea...
 Oh autumn, how we adore thee, promise you'll never "leaf" us...
Don't turn into a pumpkin...and fall on down to the art crawl this Friday, October 11th
at 136 James St North from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. 
Alicia's outfit:
Hat: "Latte Lundi", $13
Cardigan: "Caught Cheetahing" (m) $12
Skirt: "Sally the Camel" (m) $10
Belt: "Unchain the Night", $18
Purse: "It's not EXpresso", $20

Vanessa's outfit:
Hat: "Poppycock", $13
Dress: "Apple Picker" (s) $20
Purse: "Velveteen Roses", $10


18 September 2013

superest crawl

"A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to, and familiar ones to listen again."
- Margaret Mead
Hamilton is no exception. Supercrawl showcases the best of what the heart of our downtown core has to offer: delicious diverse food, groovy music, bonnie boutiques, and of course, the amazing artistic talent.
James Street was a sea of smiles this weekend as residents, visitors, friends and family all gathered together to enjoy the yearly street festival promoting our city's art culture. In its fifth year, Supercrawl has come a long way. The popularity of this festival has skyrocketed with numbers reaching over 100,000 attendees this year. We were so thrilled to be a part of Supercrawl over the weekend. There was an undeniable feeling of excitement and energy as Hamiltonians and visitors strolled the streets.
Here's a look at Supercrawl through our eyes:
photo: Kristin Archer for I Heart Hamilton
On the Friday night in the Tivoli Supermarket, we found it very fitting to have Lester Coloma's mural of the White Rabbit riding the Mock Turtle as a backdrop to our Alice in Wonderland-inspired shop. Whilst we were doing our dizzy dance (mostly to keep warm, but also because we were too excited...but mostly for warmth!), an artist was creating another Tivoli mural on the roof directly above us. What a magical feeling it was knowing that a talented painter was up above the world we fly like a teatray in the sky...
Although it was a dark and frigid Friday evening, these bright young things warmed up the night with their glowing smiles, starry eyes, and contagious giggles. It wasn't a surprise that these kindred spirits both fancied the "Madame Butterfly" compact, but alas, only one could claim it.

This darling lass bought our Robin Egg blue clutch wallet. We loved hearing of her creative plans to use this piece for her knitting supplies. The curious sizes and shapes of the inside pockets were the perfect fit for her knitting needles and notions.

As the sun shone on Saturday, our talking flowers were chatting the day away. Everyone was worth talking to...
...the skies were a clear blue...
...and if it's always tea time, it's always cupcake time too!
These "his and hers" vintage cornflower ashtrays found homes with a Mad Men maiden and her main squeeze. Not to mention the cutest cameo screw-ons and the Swedish Sea-Dog safety strikers which also went to pleasant passerby.
 This charming gal was a pleasure to finally meet. Her kind words and outright enthusiasm were refreshing and genuine. She had us howling when she skipped up to us shouting, "It's me! I'm Cordelia Shmelia!!" We feel so fortunate to have met such friendly faces this weekend!
Our "Mad Tea Party" bracelet went to this doll. This is the quirkiest bracelet (and the most fitting for it's name) with charms of teapots, teaspoons, tea cups and saucers. Surely a marvellous madness will follow you everywhere when wearing such a piece!
The Queen of Confections herself, bought our "Let Them Eat Cake" 1950's cake stand. She is a passionate baker and blogger for Pastel Macaron. We obviously share the same sentiment: delicious dainty desserts such as her magnificent macarons, deserve an exquisite resting place...until they are devoured of course!
photo: Susie from Pastel Macaron
dizzy alice knows only too well how hard this vivacious vixen will rock this purse of yesteryear's glamour. The golden trimmings and tassels of this vintage treasure will forever be in dizzy's memory.
We were practically doing cartwheels when this cutie bought our "cartwheel" hat. She was considering this hat, but when she found out we were an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired shop, she just had to have it! She felt it was a fabulous addition to her vintage hat collection. Oh, how we adore discovering other Alice aficionados.  
This beautiful brunette browsed our back-in-time collection and bought herself a pair of pearl-beaded earrings. No doubt she will be the belle of the ball!
Our fellow friend and cameo-connoisseur found comfort in two of our prized portraits. The cameo pendant necklace and scarf clip are a match made in jewellery heaven!
  If Alice was written in the 1980's, she would be toe-tapping in these vibrant watercolour pumps. This elementary school teacher's funky style is always admired by her students. We know her kids will get a "kick" out of these spirited stilettos!
A sense of overwhelming nostalgia came over this lovely lady as it so often does when one tries on a cameo. It reminded her of her mother and the rare cameos she used to wear.
A dizzy adieu must be given to these other poetic pieces:

We're still reeling from the wonderful weekend. Seeing friendly familiar faces and meeting new ones was more than us girls could ask for. After a rainy Locke Festival, we were so grateful for clear skies even though the temperature was wonky. But when we were cold, you brought us tea and when it was sunny, you brought us smiles!
We can't wait for next year's Supercrawl, we're already counting down the days until September 12th 2014! (358 if you're keeping track!)
photo: Herbert Fodor

17 July 2013

cuckoo for crawls

If you were crawling on Friday, we don't have to tell you about the undeniable vitality this city has to offer. We are always in awe of the interesting people we meet during this remarkable event. What makes these evenings so exceptional are the people flooding the streets - storeowners, vendors, and visitors alike have made art crawls the obvious place to be every second Friday of the month. If you haven't already, check out Human Stories, a blog which gives a heartfelt and honest account of various Hamiltonians.






Musicians kept these fabulous flocks of people tapping their toes, dancing in the streets, and letting the good times roll on every street corner.






And of course, it wouldn't be an art crawl if not for the art.





We have so much fun at the James North art crawl and there is no better way to describe it than a "feast for the senses." Marvel at the splendours of artwork and the whimsical wares of vendors and storeowners, listen to toe-tappin' tunes that will send you dreaming, and let your tastebuds soar when you devour the unique flavours home to James North - such as the Portuguese Natas at Ola (if you haven't tried one of these delectable bundles of joy, then what are you waiting for?) Click here for Hamilton Hive's review on Ola and the Best Portuguese eateries in the city.

Some highlights for dizzy alice would be meeting a salt and pepper shaker enthusiast. This man was so grateful to find us because he had a hankering to make some additions to his collection; needless to say, he bought all the shakers dizzy alice had to offer!

Another girl was amazed with her retro skort find. Not only did she fall in love with the happy polka dots of this piece, but she knew it would add the perfect function to her bike riding.

A visit from a past customer was very rewarding! She told us exactly how she likes to wear her brooch - she loves to embellish her shirt by wearing the brooch on her hip and wanted to thank us again for the  striking piece.

A big "thank you!" to the lovely ladies, Steph and Maggie, who brought a special allure to our tea party - they sat so stately, you could have mistaken them for the red and white queens themselves!

We give a warm 'fare thee well' to the following dizzy alice items. We know they have made their way into lovely new homes.

Sunny sunflower clip-on earrings:

"Caucus Race" brown leather satchel bag:

Fresh green and white scarf, as well as elegant gloves:
(Stay tuned to an upcoming blog on wearing scarves!)

These glamorous earrings as well as the "Black Widow" wide-brimmed hat featured in our past "Mad Hatters" blog post:

Thanks again to all family and friends who came out to support us.
We hope to see new and familiar faces at our next pop-up!


Until next time, peace, love & curiosity,  
dizzy alice xo
What is your favourite part of the art crawl? What do you hope to see more of in August?
Leave us a comment and let us know!


Many of dizzy alice's photos are taken by the talented
Travis Muise.
If you'd like to contact him for your own photos, you can reach him by email