A look a festive season from a vintage perspective. Old vintage ads and vintage Hollywood stars. Some tips too for how to behave and what to wear on festive occasions from les trois belles courageuse. These will include 30’s,40’s, and 50’s fashions and party planning ideas.
Knock yourself out this New Years Eve!
Gabby …oops! … hic!….
Du …Hmmm…. Gaffe.
Try not to fly awrf the handle this New Years Eve
Cheers dears!
Wanda Wey Awrf
Tale a glimpse of La vie en rose this New Years Eve
Live It! Love It! Revel in it!
Bisous Betty Bourgeoise
C/O
Hybiscus Bloom
31/12/2014
Yes folks we have history right here in Sydney. 
We also have plenty of hidden gems. Old city streets that were once hip and happening that have now been turned into shopping malls.
Lot’s of little lane ways once luring the unsuspecting with the promise of buried treasure now harbour slick night clubs and grand hotels. Once surrounded by lush gardens many of our city gems now wait to go under the hammer of eager developers. Still a great city. Always growing.
Reaching for the stars with it’s deck chaired roof tops and it’s ever climbing sky scrapers. Sydney is an enigma. A city that never gives up. Here then is a pictorial tribute to a city I will always love. Below from left to right ‘Vogue Theatre Surrey Hills, street crowd in ‘The Rocks’ during the depression, jewellery store 1930s, Directing traffic George Street, Tram passes QVB. Building the post office Martin Place, ushers at ‘The State Theatre, plane flying over incomplete Harbour Bridge, Actors taking an encore after Theatre Performance during WW11, City trams on George, Chorus girls State Theatre, David Jones around 1920. We were always a class act.
Sydney is a cosmopolitan city and fully deserves it’s reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Over the New Year holiday Sydney siders will do as they’ve always done. They will promenade the city streets, hang out at the beach and take long lunches.
Sydney we salute You !
Betty Bourgeoise
C/O
Hybiscus Bloom 31/12/2014
Love these old films especially in black and white. ‘Since You Went Away’ with Claudette Colbert,Shirley Temple and Jennifer Jones is about a single mum with two girls who takes in a surprising boarder into the house to make ends meet. It’s war time and her husband is away on duty. A real family film with alot of heart.
The Shop Around The Corner with James Stewart and Maureen O’sullavan is so good it was remade three times. With Judy Garland in the 50s ‘Good Old Summertime’ and Meg Ryan in the 90s ‘You’ve Got Mail’.The film is about two loneley hearts who work in the same department store but actually can’t stand each other. Each has a pen pal that they write letters to. 
Romance blossoms in these letters. They do not realise that they are really writing the love letters to each other. One night a blind date is arranged at the cafe in the shop around the corner. Hence 
the title.
‘The Gaye Sisters’ with Barbara Stanwyck has her trying desperately to prevent the family home which she shares with her two sisters from being sold to developers after her parents die. She is a divorcee with a son that her ex husband doesn’t know about yet it is to the ex that she must turn for help in saving the estate. He’s a brilliant lawyer and charming to boot. Played by the delectable George Brent.
‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ stars Ginger Rogers as state prisoner released on a good behaviour bond to her sister and brother in law for the Christmas period. 
She meets a soldier on leave played by Joseph Cotton and naturally is afraid to tell him the truth. These two are quite an intense pairing but the film works.
This one is not black and white but is totally worthy of being called a classic Christmas movie. ‘All This and Heaven Too’ starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. A real weepie and terribly romantic. It’s about a widow living in a lovely big house all alone in the lead up to Christmas who hires a gardener. 
The gardener is tall , dark and handsome Rock Hudson. Gradually they begin to fall for each other which worries her neighbours and friends. He’s not quite in their league. 
Even her grown up children try to sabotage the relationship.
‘By The Light Of The Silvery Moon’ Doris Day and Gordon MaCRae. A real boy meets girl,boy loses girl ,boy get’s girl movie. Great for the whole family and also in full technicolour. Doris plays a tomboy girl who loves climbing trees and fixing cars. Her boyfriend finds her a little embarrassing. They have a fight and she flirts with someone else to make him jealous. The plan is not fool proof, however, and their relationship becomes quite an obstacle course.
These are just a few but there are many many more not on this list. I’m adding some other classic movie stills here for you to look up over the holiday period. Happy viewing to one and all.
What is it that makes us want to do good deeds at Christmas? Well it’s supposed to be good will to all. A time when families forgive their disfunctional behaviours and a time when friends connect over space and time. It’s also a time when people really want to give and no matter how small the gift it means something to the person who receives it. 
Because it means that someone thought of them. That’s why we send Christmas cards. To let people know that they are in our thoughts. Why can’t we be like this all the time? If we were wouldn’t the world be a better place? Well maybe but it wouldn’t be real. Unfortunately we humans were made to make mistakes. We are extremely complicated. So forgiveness is usually very big at Christmas and is one of the best gifts you can give. While you’re at it forgive yourself.
Make a list too of all the things you are grateful for. If not your family or friends what about the beauty that is all around you? The people that make up your community, the pets that love you unconditionally, the magic of Christmas lights or even for the stars themselves. There is always something to be grateful for. Let’s focus on the good stuff. Enjoy the magic Live It! Love it! Revel in it!
©Hybiscus Bloom 23/12/2014
Bourgeoise Bloomers 