Carole’s Creepers

This post is to pay homage to my housemate Carole who is always ahead of the trend! A few months ago she bought some awesome leopard creepers:

I had not seen these shoes except on some pretty amazing looking punks in Camden Town so was quite impressed with Carole’s brave choice but once again she has baffled me by fore-trending a trend! Creepers have now (re) entered the mainstream. You can get your own pair  from Urban Outfitters (though let’s be honest, you will never be as cool as Carole or the punks…) or trawl through the vintage stalls in Camden’s Stables market!

 

 

 

 

The Andrew Sisters

I love the Andrew Sisters! All of their tunes just make me want to dance! Their 1940s swing and boogie woogie tunes always get me dancing, humming, singing and playing air instruments like the trumpet! Most of their songs were about love and boy meets girl but are surprisingly unsoppy. Instead, their lyrics ring of nostalgia and a simpler time…especially their song ‘Hold tight’ which is about FISH!!! What’s not to love?

 

 

Envelope Clutch Bags! Genius…

Was in Nottingham for the Bank Holiday for a friend’s birthday. We all dressed up as geeks which was loads of  fun! turns out glasses are pretty cool and funny! lol

Notthingham is good for two things: shopping and partying! Popped into River Island whilst there and came across this amazing envelope clutch!!! Couldn’t believe how big it was when i picked it up but then realised it was a really clever idea – perfect size for a laptop or ipad or another of those fancy gadgets they make nowadays. the fact i do not own one of the days did not deter me from envelope clutch lust!

So here are my favourites:

River island’s turquoise snake skin envelop clutch – summery statement and surprisingly soft to the touch!

Asos have of course jumped on this trend bandwagon…

Love this white clutch for the girl about town – goes with everything and makes everything look smart.

 

 

For the more classic work bag/clutch go for this gorgeous brown leather portfolio clutch – reminds me of a writer’s portfolio!

 

 

 

For a bit more pazzaz why not try this folklore inspired clutch from Urban Outfitters for an outrageous £350!!! Madness….but it is quite cool…

 

 

Last but not least, this gorgeous bright yellow envelope clutch can’t help but brighten up your day!

Rabbit casserole with cider mustard and cream

Last Sunday we decided to venture to our local Waitrose as a treat – always find it hard going there as I always want to buy everything! They just seem to have such tasty treats and fresh good quality produce! As we were perusing the shelves, I spotted rabbit, next to the prepared phesants and partridges.

Now I have never eaten rabbit up till now out of principle as they are such cute little rodents and because my sister had a pet rabbit called Sandy. However, I do love game and really, having lived in a park at uni, have realised there is a lot of game to be had – especially rabbits as they are at it all the time!

So, I decide to be brave and buy wild rabbit. I found a really amazing, easy recipe on uktvfood.co.uk for Rabbit with Cider, Mustard and Thyme. Didn’t have any thyme but tasted just as delicious! Here’s the result.

Rob Ryan Valentine’s Mugs

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet

And so are you… These Rob Ryan mugs can only be read properly when together -

‘all of these words are worth less than the breath used to say them if we cannot be together’

They are still beautiful alone though…

 

 

Yellow Dress Dreams

Nearly springtime! Has made me start to think about springwear, and most specifically yellow dresses! i really really want 2011 to be yellow’s year so that i can indulge in my favourite colour dress wise!

So, in the name of research, here is my yellow dress wish list so far…

First, this gorgeous Maxmara dress! Floaty chiffon, taps into this year’s ballet trend (though that’s every year for me!) and nice neckline…perfect for a garden party!

This Urban Outfitters dress is quite prim and proper with the little buttons and frilly collar but the length makes it just that little bit sexy.

This dress from Asos is ideal to fulfill my yellow dress dreams! The 50s style neckline is v flattering and the tone of yellow is just right to show off newly sunned spring skin!

Finally, I found this dress by Valentino – absolutely stunning. Two minor issues with it though – a)i am not tall enough to pull it off and b) it is £1,353!!! However, that is the sale price – was originally £4,510! That;s a massive 70% off! Bargain really…

What are your yellow dress dreams?

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

Oh hear is a trailer of it! Enjoy!

King Lear at the Donmar Theatre

Last night, I made my way to Covent Garden and more specifically, to the Donmar theatre. My dear friend Lou had a spare ticket to King Lear which I was glad to take off her hands

The Donmar is a really tiny theatre which only fits about 100 people set in stalls and then a balconised circle. The stage for this particular production was set-less, just plain wooden boards which looked as if they had been splattered with white mud…or to put it another way, it looked like several pigeons had loosened their bowels everywhere…

Anyway, the lack of set was actually a positive as it meant attention was not detracted from the fabulous performances, particularly that of Derek Jacobi who played Lear.

You may know him from Gladiator…

I was honestly moved to tears by his performance. He was Lear! Having studied it at school I really enjoyed this rendition and recognising famous lines. Here are a few…

“Nothing will come of nothing: speak again.”

“Why bastard? wherefore base?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true,
As honest madam’s issue?”

“Who is it that can tell me who I am?”

“Thou whoreson zed! thou unnecessary letter!”

“I am a man
More sinned against than sinning.”

“The prince of darkness is a gentleman.”

“When we are born, we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools.”

Ah what a tragedy! Was really a fantastically moving performance and i highly recommend it! Also, it is a good place for celeb spotting…Colin Farell was there! Not the best actor but quite fit though he was sporting earrings and a weird top-of-head pony tail…trying a bit too hard to look cool me thinks but was still nice to glance at him throughout the 3 hour performance! Here he is taking out the bins haha! Even celebs have to do chores.

 

 

Mad Men Monday…

So I have finally started watching Mad Men…and I am obsessed!!! Watched 5 episodes from Season 1 in a row yesterday! Obviously the costumes are amazing! But what really fascinates me is the psychology of the 50s! Really seems like an authentic take on the 50s, dominated by macho-ism, and quirky values about what a woman’s place was! I am intrigued to see where it will go so no spoilers please!

The most beautiful thing…and my new tattoo!

On my way home the other day I literally bumped into this vine leaf in the shape of a heart! It had curled round the bark of a tree and out into my path! had to take a pic…

The more I thought about it, the more I realised this was the heart I had been waiting for! Been wanting a heart tattoo on my wrist for about 3 years but didn’t what kind of heart and decided to go for this one! So, here is the result!

I had it done by Boff at Divine Canvas on Caledonian Road. It was so good because he did it completely by hand, didn’t use a machine (which is way scarier and harsher on skin!)…he had a sort of quill with the needles at the end and dipped in in ink and then pricked my skin to insert it a few layers in…didn’t really hurt that much. Kind of felt like somebody plucking my hair! Was really surprised at how quick and painless it was! Has totally changed my pre-conceptions on tattoos for the better! Mine just proves you don’t need to be hard, cool or tacky! Just make sure you have the right design and the right person for the job!