Books & Boots

Against my better judgement (ish) I splashed out and purchased a pair of winter boots. Annoyingly I was out when they were delivered, so now they are being REdelivered, with any luck they will arrive today and one of the many students who live near by will be in (fingers crossed).

I went for these. Low heel, but enough to give you a little lift. They are a tad bikery so I got them in suede, which tones it down a bit. I am a bit worried they will be too small, I read a couple for reviews that said they come up small, but the next size up was sold out so I'm just hoping. 

In other news, check out these beautiful books my boss leant me. They are genuine 1950s editions. Her Mother bought them whilst she was living in France. They have all been signed by owners past, and one has some notes written on the sleeve (I think who ever they were, must have been studying it). 

I had been banging on about how much I love reading, so she brought in a couple of hefty tomes too, these should keep me busy. 

Had a quick peek at Dr. Zhivago, it looks promising can't wait to get started, but I want to finish Barbara Pym's Excellent Women first. It's not a book I would have chosen for myself, but my Grandma gave it to me and she generally has pretty good taste. The best way I can describe it is Just William for adults. Pym is bang on the money in her portrayal of society, and quite humorous with it. 

Last time she visited she bought me Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey. Again I probably wouldn't have picked this one out, but I'm quite looking forward to getting my nose between the leaves.  

    

She also gave me The Mabinogion, a nod to our Welsh heritage, which I'm looking forward to reading. The edition I have only has 2 stories, and a picture of a rather insipid looking damsel on the cover. The complete Mabinogion is a collection of 12, all taken from two older sources: The Red Book of Hergest, and The White Book of Rhydderch. As its so small it will make perfect lunchtime reading. 

I joined GoodReads a couple of months ago, and so far it has been great. I got sent a couple of books to review (free books!). One of the authors, Derek Murphy, sent me Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, as a thank you. I was really touched by this as it was a book I had mentioned wanting to read.

At soem point I will get round to putting up reviews of all of these books, though it may take a while to get through them all! 

xXx

French Fancies

I have come over all French recently. My parents went back to France for their honeymoon (which was extended by a week). I have a feeling that they are regretting the move to the UK. I spoke to Madre on the phone the other day and it sounds like she, at least, would rather be there. Who can blame her it sounds like bliss!

In an effort to create my very own paradis français I have been listening to Yann Tiersen and Rachel Portman, eating almond croissants, watching Tintin, and messing around with some lovely french lace.

When we moved to England, my mother bought this great big bag stuffed to bursting with vintage French lace.  It was mostly just bits and bobs she had picked up over the years, but amongst it all there were some real gems. Like the hand-made lace wrist collars, bras, garters, and suspender belts!

Anyhoo, this fab bag was discovered whilst Madre was sorting through wedding stuff, and she finally handed it over- Yipee! I'd quite like to make some lace collars. Peter pan style is out, as it would involve cutting the lace too much, but maybe some box collars??

I found this fantastic site that sells loads of pretty things, check out these beautiful collars here. I doubt if mine will turn out as well but its always good to have something to aspire to.

I saw a couple of quite simple lace collars in UO, they are just lace with a ribbon wound in around the top. there are also a few piece with standard collars that had lace underneath. Plenty to think about. has anyone else tried to make lace collars? any tips?

Keeping with the French theme. I have also started reading Joanne Harris' The Lollipop Shoes. Which is turning out to be pretty darn addictive. (review to follow)

This is an alternative cover- I think its for the paper back version,
but it captures the essence of the book perfectly.

Being that I have no money at the mo I have decided to compile a wish list of lovely things to dream of.

• Olive Green peg leg trousers, pencil skirt
• Pale pink (almost nude) blouse
• Straw Hat (Madeline style)
• Summer Sandals
• Winter Boots
• Winter Coat (Vogue informs me that the cape is still a must have)
• Petite Cherie, a delicious parfum by Annick Goutal
• A decent set of headphones

Love to all xXx

Weeks and Days

Monday. Have some fun day! 

Well I tried to have fun, but its so tricky to get back into the swing of things after the weekend, especially if you have had a full weekend. Things seemed pretty hectic all day.

failed to get into shot first time round.

I was getting bored of the standard static shot, so I popped on some music and had a boogie. I believe I was 'dancing' to Rockapella's Footlosoe. Total Tune! 

Couldn't decide what to do with my hair. I am a bit fed up with it at the mo.

Went for up in the end, and even
managed the smallest ballet bun ever.

Tuesday. Try on shoes day..

Spent the morning with Phee, we popped into town and I purchased this rather marvelous hat! I have been hankering after one for a while now and this one was cheap as chips so I snapped it up.

Breton, H&M
Jeans, H&M
Shoes, Topshop
Hat, Primark, £4.99

The ballet bun is back. I have now decided to grow my hair a bit.
I want to grow out the layers and Im loving the idea of a proper bun.

I am in a quandary re: sandals. The pair I have are 3 years old now, so I reckon I can splash out without feeling too guilty. There are several contenders...

First up- Urban Outfitters' simple brown leather sandals.
The cheapest of the three at £38 can you believe?!

Next up, Mother knows best sensibles Clarks sandals, £45. The type you had when you were a kid.
these are nicer in the flesh than they look here, but perhaps a tad too sensible?

Finally Office's offering, at £48 they are a tad dearer than UO but still...

I am also considering acquiring some winter boots. I figure I can pick up a bargain by getting my hands on a pair now. However there are a few problems here 1. Boots are not in shops at the mo for trying purposes, and 2. sizes are limited. though my feet are so ridiculously small this is not too much of an issue.

Wednesday. Make some friends day.

So we are half way through the week today. I am going to a festival with work later this year. This fact combined with the purchase of my new hat has evoked the festival goer within, the result...

Vest, River Island
Shirt, Topshop
Skirt, H&M
Boots, Jones

Excuse the breton, I was tidying up.

No Festival outfit is complete without a good pair of sunnies.

Got a surprise visit from our dear old friend Reggie,
in fact I nearly tripped up over him!

Thursday. Rain and grey day.

Brighton today is grey and miserable, so practicality is the name of the game. Super simple jeans, t-shirt, and jumper.

                             

Jumper, Primark
Jeans, Topshop
Belt, Accesorize
Boots, Jones 

I wasn't going to pos this until the end of the week but the photo uploader is having a paddy and I'm not sure it will last another day. so that was my week (to Thursday at least) hope you have had a good one.

xXx

Social Media Advice Needed!

Hello all,

I had an amazing day at work yesterday. We had a really long meeting discussing all the stuff that going on at the mo. Copious amounts of tea and biscuits were consumed (of course, what meeting is complete without these necessaries?!).

Anyway my part to play in the game is all social media based, facebook, twitter, blogger etc etc. I always like to have a 'dry run' at these things so I have created mock accounts for all these and spent a few happy hours playing with them.

I have linked facebook and twitter upto Hootsuite, but there are a few things I need to find out. if yu know the answers to any of the following please help!

1. What is an RSS
2. Is it possible to link blogger to Hootsuite, if so how?
3. how do I link facebook and twitter (without Hootsuite)? I know this involves getting a vanity URL, how do I do this?

very boring post but I could do with a few tips if you have any... 

Power Dressing

As the old adage goes, 'never judge a book by its cover', however you should never underestimate the power of clothes to affect your mood and the way you behave, not to mention the impression you give off. People make assumptions based on what they see. We all do it, its human. The majority of us don't act on looks alone, but the ability to influence by dressing to suit a situation can be very useful.

Up first, an outfit that has featured on my blog already. Its simple, comfortable, and versatile. As a result it has become something of staple (regular followers will be familiar with my love of the breton).

This Dress is actually a large t-shirt 

The cardi is an old purchase from Zara. 

Dress, H&M
Cardi, Zara

As a special treat I donned my glasses, and voila I can see!

So today I have a meeting with the woman who has been responsible for the PR of the company I recently started working for. She is actually an old school friend of my boss, so I assume she is in a similar mould and fairly laid back. Despite this I thought I would make a bit of an effort and wear a shirt.

Jeans keep the whole outfit, relaxed (don't want to over do it), as does the jacket. The boots are ancient, well past their best, but I love them. They are comfy and the heel, not only adds height but gives my step a little swagger.

Shirt, H&M
Jeans, Topshop
Boots, Jones

Jacket, Topshop, £99
(I know, but its super good quality. Its a couple of years old now, but still going strong)

Have fun today guys, so nearly the weekend.

Oh almost forgot to say. I am going down to Weymouth for the weekend tomorrow. its going to be a highly family oriented weekend. I know there is at least one picnic planned with a hefty walk on either side of it, plus many cameras to capture the moment.  Also no one has a car so there will be lots of bus travel- any suggestions for outfits? I need something that is warm enough (in case the weather changes), easy to walk in, and suitable for hopping on and off public transport (and more than likely running for it!)

xXx