28 February 2011

This one's a gem!

Warning. I am about to hop on my soapbox and wax lyrical about a pair of shoes. A PHENOMENAL pair of shoes. They're by Haus of Price (nope, me neither) on the lovely Solestruck website whose mantra "to rid the world of ugly shoes one pair at a time' always makes me chuckle. As we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I believe that I share my eye with a random magpie somewhere. Behold:

Look at all those stones and studs!
Wedge (my new favourite thing apparently), peep toe (an old fave), platform (of course) and H-to the-I-to-the-G-to-the-H!
The shape of the wedge is just perfect and the peep toe is exactly the right size! I hate an oversized peep toe.
The only problem is the $334.95 price tag. Time to get my DIY on I reckon. Pass me the glue gun! Did I ever tell you that I once superglued my finger and thumb together? This is going to be fun...
All images c/o Solestruck

27 February 2011

A flea market, a craft fair, a seaside town and a leak

Well, what a busy day Saturday was, taking in a local flea market, a trip down the coast to a farmer's market, a farm shop, a craft fair and a potter about a seaside town. For this most exciting set of events, I decided to wear a new dress from H&M, cinched with a belt (it's a total pregnant making dress without the belt and, now I look at it, this pose is a bit pregnant-tastic. I am not pregnant), also from H&M and some comfy Schuh boots.


The flea market was at our local hall, the Drill Hall. It's a great wee place that holds lots of classes and events every week and the odd special event too (Judy's affordable vintage fair is coming next weekend and right after my payday too which is VERY considerate!). Now, despite the fact that I took my camera along, I neglected to take a single picture (I'm a bit crap that way) but it was full of nick nacks and plenty clothes, shoes and bags. I was eyeing up a cute Clockhouse (from C&A. It was cool when I was a kid!) blouse but the seller was asking for 7 quid which felt a bit inflated so I left it.However, I'll definitely be back next month for a look as it's great to have something like it locally!

Post flea market, it was time to head down the coast to East Lothian.

The farmer's market being dismantled. You bet I forgot to take a pic while it was on!
Maybe I forgot the picture taking because I was distracted by tasting some glorious local cider (oh, you better believe I know where my priorities lie!), Thistly Cross, which is made by Belhaven Fruit Farms. I tried Elderflower, Strawberry and Whisky cider and they were all delicious! Plus, I love the fact that it's local stuff.

 I bought a bottle of Elderflower and one of Strawberry. Yum!
Next was a craft market. There was a lot of crap (lots of naff jewellery and the like) but there was a stall with gorgeous water colours, one with some AMAZING (but EXPENSIVE - who spends £300 on a table when they're at a £1 craft market filled with cards and necklaces?) wood work.
And the £1 admission fee got you a cuppa and a chocolate biscuit - winner! And you better believe these are the only two pictures I took!
This fella was chillaxing outside the craft fair in the sun. Why's the light shining up his sheet?
After Haddington (are you bored yet? Sorry), we headed on down the coast to North Berwick. Here's my pal Lynsey with some choice vinyl:

Lynsey is deeply dippy for Phil Collins and she knows it! But look how shiny her hair is! Redeemed!
Fabulous loose leaf tea purchased from the wonderful Howdah Tea and Coffee Co - the fella in there is quality for a bit of chat. I went for some almond tea and some Bengal Fire (chai) tea which is absolutely delicious!
Arguably the purchase of the day. My bizarre pin cushion/holder owls - they were a quid in a charity shop! Now dey is where I storz ma bling, innit?
And when I got home, my neighbour came up to say water was leaking through his roof from my flat. Fun times! How was your weekend?

23 February 2011

Socks 'n Sandals

Once the sole preserve of German tourists (excuse the racial stereotyping. If it helps I can crack a joke about my fair nation's obesity problems, drug epidemic or chronic teen pregnancy rate), socks and sandals are a surprise fashion winner. It's a look I've been embracing for a while (socks = being able to wear peep toes etc in winter. For me, that extends my shoe wardrobe and, therefore, is a bit of a no brainer...) but in a relatively subtle fashion - think nude, black and white socks. However, inspired by the Man Repeller (if you haven't read her blog you should - it makes me wee myself a bit), I decided it was time to ramp up the sock action and get ridiculous. Here's how:

Take one pair of socks, preferrably with a silly pattern:

Socks: Dorothy Perkins
And wear with a cute pair of would-be summer shoes. Hmm. That's actually kind of it...

Shoes: Topshop
Shoes: Topshop, Socks: Dorothy Perkins
And strut! I'm definitely going to be cracking out the more interesting socks in future - as if I'd miss the chance to add yet more pattern into my look. I'm also definitely going to be writing more fashion guides. With pearls and gems like this it's sure to take off.

I love these shoes but if you read my recent post featuring the gold ones, you might know they have a crack in the sole. Here it is:


I'm just crossing my toes that they don't snap while I'm wearing them! Can you cross your toes?

21 February 2011

Cherry. Popped. Rock 'n' Roll style.

Last weekend, I finally popped my King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (to give it its full name) cherry. For those not in the know, King Tut's is a legendary Glasgow venue where everyone who's anyone seems to have played on the way up (or, in Texas' case, on the way back down). It's probably most famous for being the venue where Creation Record's Alan McGee spotted a wee band called Oasis. He thought they were pretty good, signed them and the rest is...och, I'm not even going to say it.


Tut's is roughly the size of my living room (OK, maybe it's a wee bit bigger) and, as I've now discovered, a brilliant venue for the intimate rock 'n' roll experience. The thought of being at some of the gigs it's played host to in the past makes me go hugely weak at the knees. It's actually kind of mad that it's taken until now for me to go finally visit King Tut's given that I spent most of the 90s on buses and trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow going back and forth from the Barrowlands (another legendary Glasgow music venue, albeit a bigger one, frequently cited as a musician's favourite) and the SECC (a godforsaken anonymous metal barn) to see many an indie band. In fact, I've seen so many of these guys over the years:

Tim Burgess and Damon Albarn within touching distance? Yes please!
So many good bands. And Whitesnake. Gotta love a dude with a MASSIVE perm.
It's funny seeing bands name checked in the mid noughties (sorry, I hate that phrase but don't know what else to call that decade) that now fill stadiums willy nilly. And Natalie Imbruglia. And, yes, I just wanted an excuse to say willy nilly.
I'm missing the 1993 step which, no doubt, had Oasis on it. You can read the venue's history here if you so wish. I think it's really quite exciting!

Anyway, the lucky fella popping my Tut's cherry was Miles Kane, he of The Rascals and, er, Miles Kane fame and the-one-who-isn't-the-one-from-the-Arctic-Monkeys in The Last Shadow Puppets. Aw, he's a cute wee thing and he was really good. He rocks a nice dirty bass line (and his bassist looks like Jeff Goldblum's child which added a distinct comedy value to the whole thing. Not as much comedy as the fella near us who was Pat Sharp's face twin. Genius!) and does a fine job of creating indie choons you can dance to. I'll be honest, I don't have any of his stuff (except The Last Shadow Puppets) but isn't that part of the joy of going to a gig on a whim when you've heard a couple of songs you like - you might just end up enjoying it.

Miles Kane. He can do two things at once.
Working the crowd
Taking the business of rawking very seriously.

19 February 2011

Pretty jewels

Hello and happy Saturday to you. I regret to inform you that my money diet is not going so well. I am trying though, I really am. However, I got sucked into Primark last Sunday (I was in Fife and we don't have a Primark in Edinburgh and, because of this, whenever I'm in Glasgow or anywhere in Fife, I can't stop my compulsion to pop to Primarni and have a wee look. Whatcha gonna do). Of late, I've found Primark stuff to be crap. I mean really crap, even by their it's-so-cheap-you-sort-of-expect-it-to-be-shite-and-you-try-to-ignore-their-potentially-questionable-ethics. I said POTENTIALLY. I ain't making no claims. Anyway, point is, of late, things have just been so badly cut, so oddly shaped (talked about squished boobs and an empty waist - usually it's my pear shaped ass that doesn't fit stuff properly. My fairly ordinarily proportioned top half is usually grand) and such poor quality that I've ended up walking out empty handed. However, one area that's got a wee bit more interesting is their jewellery. And, on account of this I picked myself up some swell wee bargains. And I'm afraid, people, that's pretty much the sole content of this post! Dude, I can't be being all kinds of funny for your ass all the time. Hells no. Lookee!

Pretty cameo ring £2 - I love Cameos but don't think I've actually bought one before now. I'm not sure why...

It's another ring! It was also £2. And you know me and florals - I'm a SUCKA and I couldn't resist this.

Super cute tea cup...

...and teapot necklace £1.50. How sweet is this? I love teapots and teacups and I love tiny charm necklaces - go figure.

Little rocking horse and rose necklace £1.50. Did I mention I got a wee bit carried away?

Cameo necklace £1.50. Well, if a girl's going to start buying up cameos, she might as well invest in a couple. Am I right?



Oh, actually, on a non shopping diet tip, my healthy eating is not going great so far - not terrible but not great either and people keep bringing delicious treats into the office and I keep not resisting them. Oh dear. On the plus side, my exercise tally is at 3 zumba classes and a big swim so far this week so that's pretty bright and hopefully I'll make another  zumba tomorrow. Good times. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

17 February 2011

Wedge you looking at?

I think I've discovered the World's Comfiest Boots*! Actually ridiculously comfy. I'd NEVER been a wedge girl. That is to say I've always liked them on other people and admired them on shop shelves but just never thought they were for me - I always thought they looked weird on my feet. However, having dipped my toe with my awesome leopard wedges (if anything was gonna reel me in, it was gonna be leopard print, wasn't it?!) I decided wedges weren't my enemy after all and the amazingly soft vibrant purple suede and £25 sale price tag on these Schuh beauties won me over.


They're pair # 52 in my shoe wearing challenge and, on account of their amazing wearability, I'm totally getting my money's worth out of them. The only things I can't do in them are swim and drive. Pretty good, huh? I could be Ziggy Stardust! Mind you, I'd wager that he'd have swum in wedges. But that's rock 'n' roll for you.


Look! The soles are starting to get all scuffy and manky already because I've worn them so much. Sadly (for you) there are none left online right now BUT there's a chance they will be back (insider tip!) in the next week or two. And they come in black too, if you're feeling boring a little less adventurous on the colour front.


I've mainly chosen to wear them with pretty casual stuff on account of their roaring fabulousness, hence the Uniqlo t-shirt dress (speaking of which, why can't I get nice basic t dresses in Uniqlo anymore? This bugs me. Their t-shirt dresses were one of my favourite things about them. Now they have the odd good thing and a load of crap.) and leggings and Primark cardi.

*The boots were put through a series of rigorous tests to gain this stature, including being worn on a sizable walk from the train station to my home in the drizzle, a full day's work on my feet and finally, and perhaps most conclusively, on a drunken run for the bus. They passed all tests with flying colours. I looked like Carrie Bradshaw minus the horse face, plus a few lbs stone, running for that bus.

14 February 2011

Graftas

Like the Grammys, and the Baftas. Together. Graftas, geddit? Good Lord sometimes I shock myself with my sheer funny-ness. Anyway, start showering my inbox with a series of emails about people in posh frocks and whatnot and eventually you pique my interest. A few more and I start wanting to share. First, let me start by saying that I enjoyed the Bafta clothes best but that the Grammy outfits were more entertaining. You be the judge:

Baftas

Jesica Alba in a simple but be-yoo-tee-full maxi dress. I LOVE this colour! Even I would look good in this dress.
Gemma Arterton also in a relatively simple dress but, BANG, that cobalt gets me every time. Plus she is HAWT! And I love a girl who ain't afraid of a bright slash of lippie.
My notes tell me this lovely lass is called Bonnie Wright. To me, she's Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter. And I happen to think that, if she ditched that ugly lumpen black bag this would be a rather smashing outfit.
Ruper Grint is on here because, according to a 'what celebrity do you look like' website, he's my face twin. FACT!
Gosh, Emma Watson is just beautiful. Plus the dress is pretty too. Looks like it was a good night for the Harry Potter kids.
Tracy Emin - it's the face that does it for me. Haha!

The Grammys

Back to my notes for this one - apparently this girl's called Juliane Hough. I'm not even going to pretend to know what, other than wearing a dress I quite like (but also think looks a bit sicked on), she does.
I told you the Grammys' fashion charm lay in its entertainment rather than style. What is this on Katy Perry? I sort of love it! I shall christen it the Mermangel.
Just when Nikki Minaj (does anyone else really want to call her Nicky Minge) thinks she's out Gaga-ed Gaga, Gaga rocks up inside an egg. Kudos on the leopardyness my friend.

Yes really...apparently she's in there.

12 February 2011

Turquoise and leopard and red all over

When I was a kid, (confession time!), I DID NOT get the, what's black and white and re(a)d all over joke for years. (In case you haven't heard this, inarguably brilliant, joke, the answer was 'a newspaper'). I probably heard it first aged about 4 or 5 and I took it too literally, went with red, the colour, and simply didn't understand how a newspaper which, clearly, was black and white exclusively (this was the 80s people), could POSSIBLY be red all over too. It just didn't make sense. I'm genuinely surprised a giant sized shiny penny didn't drop out of the sky when I finally twigged its word play. Or maybe it did and was so busy being eureka-ed out my tiny brain that I didn't notice.

Weirdly, I totally got the joke: Q: why did the apple turn over? A: Because it saw the jam roll. In fact I and positively revelled in the food-tastic wordplay. Ah well. And, these days, there's little that satisfies me more than a cheeky little pun or play on words. Seriously - love it.

Anyway, the title of this post is somewhat misleading as the shoes in question are not in fact, as described in the title. They do have a GLORIOUS turquoise shimmering fabric,  embossed upper and they DO have a fabulously furry leopard print heel but, in light of these facts, it's probably become clear to you that they are NOT red all over. Oh no.


You see, the heel tip is red (nice touch Irregular Choice), as is the side of the sole but the rest of the shoe is very definitely not red. Not even the sole...
 
...which features an adorable bunny-in-a-teapot (of course. Why not?) and black heart print on a blue background. Sadly, in wearing the shoes, I've begun to stamp on the bunnies. Still they have their teapots for protection and, frankly, I'm sure they were aware of the fate that might befall them when they chose to reside on the sole of a shoe.

Now, as far as I can see, it seems only appropriate to wear a shoe with such a high caliber of clash with some extra clashery...


...so it seemed only appropriate to throw some flowers and green lurex in the mix. Am I right? And, thank you for noticing, yes this is, I believe, the first time you've had any hint of my backside in a picture. And yes, you're also right that, with its magnificent proportions, it is a wonder it hasn't made an appearance any sooner! On a more serious note, this is the only picture that truly shows off the shimmery shine of the upper of the shoes so please be sure to peer closely and appreciate.


The shoes are pair # 51 in my 'wear all my shoes' challenge. Here are some nice big pictures so that you may admire them up close. They're Irregular Choice and were purchased on a wee website called Branch309.co.uk. It's a site that sells branded shoes cheaper than you'd maybe otherwise find them. Definitely worth a look!