remember what your heart is for

i feel very strange at the moment.

i keep feeling like i'm slipping away from everyone i know. i've felt this before and i recognise it. i kind of knew something like this would happen when everyone moved away to university and so i tried to prepare myself, but i really couldn't. it feels like every time we meet up, i can feel myself becoming more and more distant from my friends. some i barely even recognise as the people they were when they left. they've all changed in so many ways, and i don't feel that i have at all. i am stagnant. the fixed point of the turning world around me (if i may butcher ts eliot's words for my own mediocre problems).

i feel like it's harder for me somehow, because i haven't moved away or even moved to a different school environment. college is really just the same as sixth form, and i've moved on from what i'm currently studying. i still have friends in newcastle, but i'm so busy with college i hardly see them. i do have friends at college, but i'm not as close to them.

i feel like i'm clinging on for dear life to this part of my life that i don't want to end. but slowly, it will leave my grasp.

i don't want people to comment on this post that it will all be alright, or i will feel better eventually. i know that i will, but that doesn't make the here & now any less painful or difficult or heart-wrenching.

*

i think it's not really the right time for an introspective, maudlin post so close to new year. i feel i should be looking forward and making plans and being happy about the year that is yet to come - which in so many ways i am, and yet i can't shake that creeping, foreboding feeling that everything is falling away from me.

wheels on fire, rolling down the road

happy post-christmas everyone! i hope you all had a lovely time, and are pleased with your presents. i had a cracking christmas, i discovered that i love parsnips & ate far too many jelly beans for my own good.

i also received some really lovely presents, i'm so pleased! i got a tripod & a camera remote (which i used to take these photos) which are going to be so useful for doing photoshoots with my jewellery! i also got a vinyl to mp3 converter that i've been experimenting with today, i'm so happy because it was one of the few things i'd asked for.

i'll probably post about most of my gifts individually over the next few weeks, rather than all at once so i have plenty of things to post about. plus, i'd rather get back into the swing of regular posting!

i went to pick up my laptop from my mum's today (i spent christmas with my dad & his family), and opened a few presents from her side of the family while i was there. my sister got me the lovely red lipstick i'm wearing in these photos, it's a gorgeous raspberry red colour. very happy, as i'd asked for a red lipstick! it's called mischief & is from topshop.

my mum got me an eyebrow palette & some foundation, which i'd also asked for! i'm not wearing the foundation in the pictures, but i did do a bit of experimenting with the eyebrows! i'm pretty inexperienced at putting on make up as usually i just stick on a bit of mascara, but i'm actually quite excited about learning how to properly apply it. bit lame, but i've always felt a bit self conscious about it. i was exceedinly careful applying it today as i didn't want to look like frank n furter. my mum also got me some vintage hair & make up books (which i'll post about soon!), which i'm looking forward to trying out looks from.

outfit is pretty insignificant, i just happened to be wearing this today.

also thought i'd take a picture of my ~christmas nails~ as i will probably take them off soon! i really should have taken pictures when i first painted them, as they're a bit chipped now.

can't really go wrong with red & sparkly green. that's my remote in my other hand by the way, and yes i know i don't have to have it in the shot i was just trying it out.

right, i'm off to go & catch up on all the christmas telly i missed, ab fab in particular!

*

ps. you can still get free postage in my shop until january 1st! use the code DECEMBER at checkout, and you can use this as many times as you like!

it was cold and it rained and i felt like an actor

hello! seeing as i have more free time than usual (or rather i have more free time that i should be spending working), i thought i'd post an outfit with the petticoats i bought a few weeks ago.

i can't take any full length photos at the moment because my camera just won't focus properly in the low light for some reason, so you'll have to make do with these mid length shots! the skirt/petticoat is quite long & ends a couple of inches below my knees. i was a bit worried about how long they were, but i actually really like it!

skirt/petticoat - charity shop, tshirt - h&m, scarf - vintage, tights - topshop.

i think this outfit was in danger of being a bit twee, before i put the scarf with it. i don't generally wear scarves,  i've had this one for years & never really worn it, but i think it really works with the skirt and adds a bit more neutral colour to the whole ~ensemble~. also, they really work with my brogues (not that you can see them!)

i'm quite busy this week! thursday i'm going out for a meal with some of the fashion & textiles lot from college, then going to a friend's house to watch the made in chelsea christmas special, and on friday i'm having a bit of a reunion at my house to catch up with everyone who's been away! i'm so excited, it's rare i actually have this much in my social calendar, paha!

this is probably going to be my last post before christmas, so i hope you all have a lovely time whatever you're doing!

strawberry fields

here are a couple of things i've bought lately!

i bought this man's bow tie for £1 from a charity shop a few weeks ago, and it is so cool! it doesn't photograph that well because it's velvet, but it's a beautiful burgundy colour in real life.

i love the androgynous look, and i wish i could pull it off but i think i wear too much pastel & own too many skirts! i'm going to put this in my "outfits to consider corner" and it may reappear on here soon!

(just joking, i don't have a corner like that in my room. i meant the metaphorical corner in my head)

i also bought this teapot & teacup combination on the same day in a different charity shop, but also for just £1! after a long time thinking that i didn't like tea, i've been doing a fair bit of experimenting & realised that i just hadn't found my winning sugar-and-milk combination. which is; milk and three sugars. yes, three.

it just seemed like fate that i should find this strawberry emblazoned teapot just sitting on a shelf, seeing as i bought a strawberry emblazoned plate just a couple of weeks ago & strawberry fields is the name of my jewellery shop!

(which, by the way, is still offering free postage until january with the code DECEMBER! i know, i know, i'm so good to you!)

it also has my name on the bottom of the teacup! fate, i tell you.

this is a knitted tie i'm working on! i'm going to give it to my dad for christmas. provided i get it finished in time, of course!

i'm thinking about making some knitted ties & bow ties for the shop, what do you think? i really love men's accessories, and i think they could be a really quirky addition to the shop! knitted ties were pretty big in the 70s/80s (forgive me, i cannot remember which), so it would be perfect for a vintage gent. if they sell well, i could also make some mini hairbows for girls too!

goodbye for now, i've scheduled another post for some time this week! hope you're all having a lovely winter.

lilac

oh gosh, it's been too long since i posted! so sorry, but my life is massively dull & i didn't want to bore you with it.

i took a couple of quick outfit photos today (we've had family over for my dad's birthday), they're a bit rushed & rubbish i'm afraid! i wore this the other day to go shopping with a friend, & i thought i'd post it here because it's quite different to what i usually wear.

jumper - gift, blouse - car boot sale/miss selfridge, skirt - h&m, tights - mother's.

i've had this jumper for about three or four years but i've never really worn it before, it has sat in my wardrobe unworn for quite some time. i kind of liked the spots & stripes combination in this outfit, and the black & turquoise colours. i'm also wearing turquoise tights, but they didn't photograph well!

i love the collar on this blouse! i bought it at a car boot sale for £1, and it is so versatile. it's very completely sheer, so it's quite difficult to wear in the daytime unless it's covered up like this.

my hair is such a total disaster area at the minute. it's just ridiculous to manage & i'm so, so bored of the cut. my mum has bought me a vintage hairstyles book for christmas (or possibly my birthday) so hopefully i'll be able to learn how to do pin curl & victory rolls etc, because i am such a total failure at trying to copy youtube tutorials & i really want to be able to actually do things with my hair!

i've also decided i really want to dye my hair a lovely shade of grey/lilac! i love the whole lilac rinse colour (like the middle picture), and i've decided to stop harping on about it & actually do it. i'm going to book an appointment to get my hair cut in january, and then for a colour consultation. it may well end up being a mistake, but i don't even care. if i'm ever going to do it, now is the time.

the dog

hey guys! i'm finding myself with more time to blog these days, which is brilliant as i totally love doing it! i've got a pretty long list of things to blog about, so i'll probably schedule quite a few when i can. i feel like such a rubbish blogger given my pretty dismal number of posts last month!

anyway, if you follow me on twitter you might be aware of my overexcitement at all the knitting, embroidery & fabric manipulation workshops i've been doing over the past week. (i'm supposed to be doing some embroidery now in fact, but it's not until friday so i've got a fair bit of time!) i've done some knitting before, but i never really knew how to cast on or cast off so it always felt a bit restricted, but i've managed to pick that up pretty quickly in the workshops. i've loved doing the knitting so much, somehow i've managed to do 24 samples!

all of my samples!

samples made using ribbon & large needles, sari fabric and the bottom one using thin wool with big needles & gradually adding two more wool strands.

samples with different string, a shredded charity shop scarf, bobbly wool & a sample knitted with different pieces of lace and ribbon.

two samples made with different thicknesses of nylon guitar strings, and one made with copper wire & thread.

experimenting with knit & purl, and making a rib.

samples with thick yarn, and using three and five wools on thin and thick needles.

everything is in creams and browns because we are restricted to a neutral colour palette on this project. at first i thought this was going to be a total nightmare as i love colour & that's usually the first thing i take my inspiration from, but it's actually quite refreshing to concentrate on texture instead!

this project is all about "multiples", so i'm looking at cobwebs and architectural details.

i can't remember if i said in my last post, but i recently got an offer from sheffield, yay! they sent me an email about accommodation the other day, scary stuff.

i listed 16 new items of jewellery in my shop yesterday, including this cute little dalmatian necklace! i'm also offering free postage on all orders throughout this month, just use the code DECEMBER at checkout to receive the discount! it's valid on international orders as well as domestic ones, so now is the time to treat yourself! (or buy christmas/hanukkah/other denomination holiday presents, whatever floats your boat).

pretty pretty petticoat

happy december everyone! at the moment i'm flitting between major excitement & love for this time of year, and sheer unadulterated panic at how little christmas shopping i have done. college breaks up on the 16th, so hopefully i can get it done in those few days, fingers crossed!

speaking of college, at the minute we're doing knit, embroidery & fabric manipulation workshops which i am seriously loving! i've done so much knitting these past few days my fingers are about ready to fall off. now that i've finally learnt how to cast on and cast off (i could always do the basic knit stitch, just had difficulty beginning and ending!) it's so much better. if i have time, i'll photograph some of my samples & put them up here!

anyway, while i was going shopping for bits & bobs to knit with i had a little browse through the local charity shops and found these beauties!

two silky petticoats in ivory & a lovely peachy pink colour! they're pretty much exactly the same as they both have the same flower pattern, although weirdly they were different prices (£1 and £1.49).

i think they're so pretty, but i just can't work out how to wear them! they hit me just below the knee, so i'm going to try wearing them as long skirts (they aren't particularly see through, in case you were wondering!). in fact, i think i'm going to wear one to my high school's ~celebration evening~ for ex-students next thursday, if i do i'll post my outfit!

they have a lovely lace edging, so i don't really want to take any of the length off. luckily they do actually fit me around the waist as they're elasticated!

i also found this absolutely beautiful strawberry printed plate in the same shop!

it's so strange, i was vaguely looking for a cake stand or a nice plate to display some of my jewellery on for craft markets & i found this hiding under a stack of uninteresting plates! how unbelievably cool is that, it totally matches the name of my jewellery shop!

i think the illustration is gorgeous, and the colours are so pretty.

it was only 49p too, such a lovely find! i'm still pinching myself over my excellent luck, haha.

here it is in action displaying my tea set jewellery at the market i was at yesterday! you can't really see the strawberries very well unfortunately.

the market was a little bit quiet, but i still made a few sales including one of the new disney necklaces i've made! the lady who organised the market was really lovely, after she saw some of my pin up girl brooches she gave me this little book that she was selling on her stall for free!

it's not really pin up girls, but it's illustrations of pulp fiction covers featuring pin up-like women.

i'm going to try and incorporate some of the pictures into my jewellery making, so watch this space!

one of my favourite covers from the book.

in other news, i've reached 54 likes on my jewellery facebook page! ahh i'm so pleased, it's so good to know people like my pieces & all my hard work isn't for nothing.

i'm also offering free postage on all orders (both domestic and international) throughout december! please check my shop announcement on etsy for my last shipping dates for christmas, and enter the code DECEMBER at checkout to receive your free shipping!

hopefully i'll have to time to update a bit more in the next week or so, and have some new jewellery listed by saturday!

my only weakness is a list of crimes

hello there! i bought some jewellery from layla amber on etsy last week, and it arrived a couple of days ago! everything in her shop is so cute, i had such a hard time deciding what i wanted to get! all of the pieces are made from her original illustrations, which are (i think) then printed onto shrinkable plastic! this is such a lovely idea, it is something i would love to do in my jewellery shop, as i really want to get into actual making & branch out into selling some artwork. besides, it gets really annoying & boring when you see lots of people doing the same things.

anyway, her jewellery came in a really cute package tied up with string! i'm really starting to pay attention more to how handmade pieces are packaged now i'm doing it myself, i think it make all the difference when you see something wrapped with real thought. i love the designs on her jewellery cards too!

i bought these ship in bottle earrings which are too cute! they are so tiny & adorable, and it's such a quirky idea.

(the only thing i would say i don't like about these is that they have bell backs instead of butterfly backs. it's just a little thing which is totally a personal preference & nothing to do with the quality of the earrings, i just prefer butterfly backs as it means i can keep the pair together more easily as i have to transport my jewellery box around every three or four days.)

i also bought this bird hair clip set after much indecision! they are so sweet, and seeing as i always tend to clip my fringe back (because it's a bloody nightmare) i think these will be much more interesting than just using a boring brown hairclip.

the budgie one is my favourite as it's such a lovely colour! i also have my eye on a few pairs of the bird earrings for after christmas, i actually got given a "thank you" discount code for 10% off in her shop! i also think she's running a christmas discount offer over on her blog.

i also bought three pairs of earrings as presents for my secret santa & my cousin, but i won't post pictures of them here as it may spoil the surprise!

i went on a bit of a charity shopping trip today, so i will post about the things i've bought at some point during the week. i'm starting a construction project in textiles, and i start a knitting workshop on thursday so i might post about that too!

i was supposed to list some new jewellery in the shop today, but the light wasn't very good so i didn't get pictures of all the new jewellery. i'm not really very happy with the pictures i got either, so i'll probably just re-do them all anyway. sigh, this self-employment lark isn't all it's cracked up to be!

goodbye for now.

our most brilliant friends

hey!

today i was selling jewellery at a craft fair in newcastle! it was really lovely, my stall looked pretty good & i got to catch up with a few friends i haven't seen in a while. the market was a little quieter than i had hoped (much quieter in fact) so i didn't make quite as many sales as i would've liked to. it was still such a good experience though, and i'm actually thinking about doing another one in the same venue next saturday! it should be a bit busier hopefully, and it's only £5 for a stall so it's worth it i think!

there's also another one for "emerging designers" on the 18th of december in heaton perk, which is a cafe that also sells art & books. it might be a bit short notice for me to get onto that, but i'm still going to try!

this is what my stall looked like today;

sorry the photos aren't great quality, i only took my little camera & it was a little low on battery!

hopefully i can get my hands on a cake stand to display some of my jewellery on for next time.

me behind the stall putting business cards in paper bags! i made all my business cards yesterday, and i'm so glad i did because i've been putting it off for sooo long, and quite a few people took them so it was all worthwhile!

it was quite stressful putting all the jewellery out, as everything was tangled in the boxes & i wasn't quite sure where i was putting everything! in the end, i didn't put all of my stock out, but i still had quite a lot on display! it's a little strange to see everything all at once, because normally it's all tucked away in drawers. the next few i'm doing should be a bit less stressful, as i kind of know the drill & i know how long it takes setting up. i actually managed to finish setting up a little early, which was good as it meant i could relax quite a bit before people starting coming in!

some new jewellery i ~unveiled~ at the craft fair! domino necklaces & dalmatian domino necklaces. i love the little dalmatians, i think they're so cute! these pieces will hopefully be up in my etsy shop within the next two weeks, depending on how much time i have outside of college!

oh, and that gun would turn before the sun starts to burn, understand.

hello! firstly i'd like to say i'm so sorry i haven't been posting quite as regularly as i used to. i

've been so busy lately sorting out my ucas form & personal statement (as well as trying to keep up with textiles work!) that i really haven't had the time to do anything very interesting, let alone blog about it!

i've finished my personal statement, and just need to edit it down by about 300 characters (oh god) before hopefully sending it off on friday! i've decided to do english literature and my five choices are durham, edinburgh, york, sheffield and east anglia.

i've also been writing my CV (which you might know if you follow me on twitter!) , and i've just applied to work at the new urban outfitters which is opening in newcastle. i really hope i get the job as i could do with the money, and i love urban outfitters so much!

last sunday, i went to a vintage fair at the royal station hotel with my mum. this was a bit different to the vintage fair i've talked about before, as this one is exclusive to newcastle and was organised by one of my favourite local artists, mandy pattullo! i think the quality was much better than any fair i've ever been to before, and you could tell almost every piece was proper vintage. unfortunately, the prices reflected that so i couldn't really afford much!

however, i did buy this brooch! i bought it with a tie for £20 (eek) because my mum knew the stall owners & managed to get me a bit of a discount!

the brooch is quite kitsch and glitzy, some may say gaudy but personally i love that kind of thing!

the stones normally look clear, or slightly opaque, but they change colour in the light! i took these with flash on, so the effect is a bit more than it would normally be.

i haven't worn this yet, as it's a little bit heavy & i can't quite decide what to pair it with. i've been think about threading it on a chain and wearing it as a necklace if it's too heavy for any of my blouses.

*

my jewellery tumblr has been a little bit quiet of late as i've been so busy, but i've decided to do a new feature, or a "shop spotlight" if you will, on a shop i've been loving on etsy every week or so to freshen it up a little!

this is the first one, and i've taken a bit of inspiration from the colours in my brooch for this ring from astral eye.

isn't it lovely? i just adore quartz and natural stone jewellery, although unfortunately i don't actually have any!

see the original post here (:

that's all for now, hopefully i will post in a few days or so (after i've sent my ucas off!)

x

oh mist rolling in from the sea

happy bonfire night everyone! everyone in britain that is, as i don't think it's celebrated elsewhere.

today i went to a make & mend craft market that was on in newcastle which was really good, although i didn't buy anything because i'm trying to hold onto my funds at the moment. the affordable vintage market was also going on at the same time in another part of the city, but i didn't go to that as it's always a pain having to pay to get in when you don't actually want to buy anything. also last time i went i was really disappointed.

anyway, this is what i wore today;

i've been meaning to post about this skirt for quite a while, but just never really got around to it! i bought it a month or so ago in h&m when i was looking for a plain (as all of my clothing seems to be patterned and loud!), possibly blue button-down skirt and lo and behold there it was! sometimes i feel like it's a little bit short, and as you can see from the photographs it gets so creased so it's an absolute bitch to have to keep ironing, but i really like it! the wide waistband is great too, and it's a slightly looser fit than my other high waisted skirts so i can wear jumpers underneath it, wo0o0o!

i really need to start wearing more jumpers as the cold, dark months are starting to roll in, but i am so crap at dressing weather appropriately! this is one of two jumpers from my wardrobe that i actually wear. to me jumpers just seem to be a bit boring (and don't even get me started on hoodies! *shudders*), but this one has such a lovely collar & knit pattern to it!

jumper - vintage, vest (underneath) - h&m, skirt - h&m, tights - dorothy perkins, headscarf - vintage, earrings - jewellery market.

the one thing that bugs me about this skirt is the buttons, i just think they're a bit tacky & an odd colour against the pale fabric. to be frank, they seem a bit cheap looking for a skirt that cost £14.99.

i've been thinking about changing the buttons for quite some time, as i have some lovely white ones left over from this cardigan but i just haven't got around to it yet!

i really love all the muted colours in this outfit, although sadly i think i'm going to have to throw out these tights as i ripped a huge hole in them near the waistband this morning! they're ladder resistant which i hate because it just means they have no elastic and get holes really easily. it's such a shame as i love the colour - better start scouring shops for a similar coloured pair!

i don't really wear dangly earrings that much these days, i used to wear them a lot when i was fifteen/sixteen so i do have quite a few pairs lying around. for some reason, i don't think they really work with the length my hair is at the moment, also i used to wear them in order to jazz up a dull school uniform, and now that i wear my own clothes every day it all seems a bit much!

however, i bought these (or rather, my mother bought them!) a year or so ago at a country living magazine craft fair, believe it or not! the large stones are moonstone, and are just the most beautiful colour! or colours in fact as they change in the light! the little stones are freshwater pearls and rock crystal.

these earrings were only £10, which i think is astonishing as not only do they contain semi-precious stones, they are handmade & completely unique! a similar pair in somewhere like accessorize or topshop would be pushing £18, and they wouldn't be half as nice as something handmade!

today i did a little bit of charity shopping, unfortunately i didn't find any good clothes but weirdly i did see two people i vaguely knew working there! just a little bit awkward.

i've been really getting into pulp lately on spotify, so i was pretty pleased to find an album of theirs for £3.50!

i also bought a couple of vinyl singles by elvis costello & the attractions, billie holliday & the beatles. i only have elvis costello albums on vinyl, i'm asking for a vinyl to mp3 archiver for christmas/my birthday because i have so many records i want to be able to listen to on the go.

everytime i look through records in a charity shop and see that parlophone symbol my heart always jumps as i think it's going to be the beatles & usually i'm disappointed but today i managed to find a magical mystery tour single (or E, i'm actually not sure what to call it) with i am the walrus and your mother should know - some of my favourite beatles songs! i am the walrus is lyrically beautiful, and quirky & british & just so quintessentially beatles! i also have a major, major soft spot for your mother should know, in fact i was actually listening to it on the bus about an hour before i bought this!

bit of a long post today, hopefully that makes up for my general crapness at updating lately!

edit: my jumper totally matches the colour of my blog background!