Prima donna girl, all I ever wanted was the world.

Recently I have had an awful lot of spare time on my hands, and I haven't really known what to do with it. I am a pretty lazy person, and often I do intend to be incredibly productive and creative only to end up having spent the entire day in front of the sofa watching May The Best House Win and How I Met Your Mother repeats. Now, there's nothing wrong with being unproductive, but a whole summer of it is woefully dull and boring! So, about a week or two ago I decided that I needed some sort of place to channel all of my ~creativeness~ so I bought a sketchbook and started putting together all the pieces I have cut out of magazines over the past, ooh, four years, along with lots of other things I have collected. Here are a few of my favourite pages so far;

A page on animal collective names. I have a real love and obsession for the strange and unusual names given to groups of animals (an obsession very strange and unusual in itself), like  murder of crows! Any Series of Unfortunate Events readers in the house?! I found this beautiful illustration set in an issue of the Independent, and I just find them fascinating.

Some mood boards based on sort of 1930s/40s glamour, rich fabrics, and kind of a French influence. I don't know, I find it really difficult to describe and actually articulate why I think the things I have put together go together, so I hope the images kind of speak for themselves.

Two colour boards.

I have so many pretty pictures of florals floating around, these are just two of the pages I have created. The second isn't really a mood board, it's just a collection of all the images that remind me of that dress (I wish I knew who the designer was!). The Klimt images are old postcards I found while helping clear out the cupboards in my art classroom last year.

Sort of vintage French Riviera patterns & themes, with a beautiful Basso & Brooke dress and pale blues.

Bright colour mood boards. (A young Kate Moss is in the pale blue in the picture on the right)

One of my favourite mood boards I think I have ever made. Partly because I just adore that editorial, and that all three images are so very much in tune with where I feel my personal style is going at the moment. Girly and feminine but still feminist. Basically Marina & the Diamonds in the Primadonna video (which is so beautiful and represents what I want to be and look like in every way).

A mood board sort of on the sixties, but also on perceptions of the sixties? All three images are modern interpretations of that famous decade, so I was kind of thinking about how true to life our ideas about it are.

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So, I hope you liked seeing some of my sketchbook pages. I want to use it to do more drawing & writing, basically so I can keep on top of all of my ideas. And also have it to look back through when I'm feeling sad so I can remind myself of how I am talented and good at things, and also see things that inspire me all in once place.

Goodbye for now.

Tramps like us, baby we were born to run.

Hello! I thought I would do a little round up of what I've been doing lately, and also to kind of prove that I do wear what I wear on here in real life!

 

My hair is SO BAD here, hahaha, oh. Imogen, Jess & me (with Miranda taking the photo!) on our textile-twats-on-tour night out. At a drag bar, obviously. And me & Miranda saw our drag queen alter egos.

Tshirt - VV Brown concert, necklace - car boot sale, shorts - vintage, coat - H&M.

Cathryn, Alix & me at The Swung Eight, a swing dancing/1920s-50s night. It was so much fun! Even though I felt really lame because I have no idea how to swing dance, but I think we are actually going to start going to swing dancing lessons, which would be so amazing! Also I felt like the Queen of Pastels in this outfit, and I actually wore heels for once!

Dress - charity shop, necklace - gift, flower crown - DIY.

I went for a picnic with the Textiles gals in a fields near Imogen's house. This was honestly the funniest day ever! Me, Lianne & Miranda had to get the bus to her house and we couldn't work out where to get off so we just sat there for ages having a collective panic attack. Then when we got to the house we hid from Jess, which included running into Imogen's kitchen with a kidnapped ornamental wooden swan. Yeah, I'm 20 next year, and what?

We literally got chased out of the fields by these cows! We were sitting quite innocently in the corner of the field, just by the stream and then we started playing some music (There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths) and about twenty cows started slowly walking, then running down towards us! We all went a bit  crazy & threw things in the picnic basket, put our shoes on the wrong feet & fell over jumping the gate. Very, very eventful!

Story time with Real Life magazine (which was not mine, I hasten to add!). I am going to do an outfit post at some point with these shorts because they are really cool, my mum bought me them for getting a Distinction in my FMP & they are made from 1960s furnishing fabric.

Top - ebay, shorts - vintage, necklace - Tynemouth market.

I went to see Bruce Springsteen last night with my friend Kate! It was incredible. He played for three hours street! It was like some kind of religious experience, truly, truly amazing.

Also, I started getting Graze boxes recently! I found a free code in a magazine, and ever since then I've become kind of addicted to them. I am trying to be a bit more healthy, and they're little snacks seem much better than my usual afternoon packet (or three) of crisps. Anyway, if you would like to try one for free you can with the code RDQ9HTCD. You have to put your details in, but you can cancel them any time. I think they are definitely worth a try, and I get far too excited when it's Tuesday night and I know mine is arriving in the morning!

I just wanted to see I have recently noticed that this little blog has reached 140 followers! That is just the most amazing, slightly bizarre thing ever and I am so, so grateful to everyone who reads what I have to say in my little corner of the internet! If/when I get to 150 I will definitely be doing another little giveaway, so I will start pondering on what to do.

Forget your troubles, come on get happy.

Hello! This outfit wasn't on my list of things to post about, but I was feeling really good today, so.

(Hope it's not really annoying/distracting that you can see my camera, tripod & part of my reflection in that mirror! Professional fa$hunn blogging~)

This playsuit will always be one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe. It has made a few appearances on this blog before, but I don't wear it that often, although it is so easy & comfortable to wear. I bought it from ebay, and I think it might have been my first ever vintage purchase!

The reason I wanted to post these pictures today isn't so much about the outfit, but because I'm feeling really happy & content with who I am, and I just wanted to document this moment and kind of fix it in time. I really just wanted to crystallise a point in my life and on this blog where I could look directly into the camera and smile.

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1. I went to a swing dancing/vintage club night last night with a couple of friends, and it was so good! The band were really incredible, and there was a burlesque singer/dancer there too, who was pretty great. I wish I could have danced a bit more but most people on the dance floor were swing dancing which i have no clue how to do! It was a really lovely night, and hopefully we might go back again.

2. I have put yet more things on ebay! Selling quite a few of my worldly goods, including this petticoat which is breaking my heart a little bit. Most things start at 99p, and I'm selling clothes, jewellery, music & a few vintage pieces.

3. I am going to see Moonrise Kingdom today! FINALLY. I keep putting it off as I can't be bothered to go into town, but I am definitely (hopefully) going in to see it today. Or Wednesday. Hopefully.

4. I have been doing quite a lot of work in my sketchbook recently, it still looks a little bit boring & I want to do some drawing & painting in it, I might share that on here if I ever get around to it!

Flower crowns

My mother and I dyed my hair last weekend! It's a fair bit brighter than I expected, and it's also really uneven if you look closely, but I do really like it.

I went shopping with my mum to a textiles warehouse, and while I was there I spotted a few fake flower decorations and I made a spur of the moment decision to make some flower crown/headband type things like in the Rookie video! (Rookie also retweeted the picture I posted on Twitter as well, which was so cool! Major fangirl moment.) I had actually been meaning to make some for a while, but never really got around to it, or saw anything I really wanted to make a crown from! Watching the video again and seeing all the crowns that people made has made me like, way inspired & I can't wait to make more! I never wear things in my hair any more which I used to do loads (mainly to ~rebel against an all black school uniform), so I want to start doing that more. Summer goals!1!!

The flowers came in packs of three colours, and I spent seriously so long agonising over which ones to choose that I decided just to get them all! They only cost 99p per packet, and I got two packets for each crown so really they weren't too expensive.

I made some with peach, pink and turquoise flowers! I saw these flowers first and I think this crown is my favourite.

I haven't attached them to a headband, mainly because I was kind of too lazy to have to hunt for some & i just wanted to get on and make them! I just twisted the wire each flower around the next one and secured them into my hair with pins on either side. I also kind of wanted something that I could pin into my hair in various different ways.

1. Speaking of Rookie, it looks like there's going to be a meet-up in London in July for UK Rookie readers! I think I will be in London the time it is on, and I would so, so love to go but I will have to see as I will be with my friends and I don't want to monopolise the trip! Beth from Girls Get Busy is going to be there, so to meet her would just be incredible. There is also an event for Rookie Northerners which I would also really love to go to, I have never been to a meet-up before so it would be amazing to go to one of these!
2. I am selling yet more things on ebay! Lots of jewellery, clothes, music & vintage all starting at 99p, please help me finance my trip to London!

3. I went to a book group meeting last night which was all about the history of the Riot Grrrl Movement. I had so much fun! It was really incredible to talk to other people about what they thought about Kathleen Hanna etc, and to speak to some people who actually had been Riot Grrrls at the time! I also met some really cool, feminist people which was amazing as that seems to be something I can only normally do via the internet. I really wish I had bought a few business cards along though as quite a few people were asking me about the jewellery I made (we talked a lot about the DIY culture of RG & I mentioned my Feminist necklaces).

4. I am going to a 1920s-50s music night on Friday, which I am so excited about! I will probably take my camera so I will post some pictures to show you guys! I also may be going to a burlesque show at a local theatre, and hopefully I can make it to the cinema to see Moonrise Kingdom some time this week. My summer of culture continues.

Alien Shirley Temple

Today I thought I would write a little post about socks! Yes, socks. I absolutely love pretty, girly socks and I am starting to get quite a collection of them! I think they add such a cute touch to an outfit, especially my outfits, because I am all about the cutesy, kinderwhore look at the moment~. They are so perfect for this time of year when it's too warm for me to wear tights (well, it usually is too warm!) and I really hate the feel of bare feet in shoes! My friend Lianne gave me this pair of mint green knee highs as a little impromptu gift which was so sweet of her!

Top - ebay, skirt - Topshop, socks - gift, shoes - ASOS

They have the most darling bows on the side, and kind of a rose/herringbone pattern to them? Technical terms, ahem.

Fighting the fake tan brigade with my Casper thighs. P4LE IS THE NEW T4N YOU GUYZ*

I have had these adorably cute Topshop flame socks for quite a while now, but never posted an outfit wearing them! They match the colour of this dress almost exactly, and normally I wear them with my ASOS loafer/boat shoe things just to be scarily Stepford Wife-esque in my colour matching, but I also thought they went pretty nicely with my red heels! Which I haven't worn in aaages! I love pastel tones with red, just the best combination in my opinion. (Meadham Kirchhoff, hello)

These hemlines look way short without tights/a face in shot! Whatevs, slut pride foreverr~

Dress - charity shop, socks - Topshop, shoes - Dorothy Perkins.

Just chilling in my room looking like an alien Shirley Temple, subconsciously matching everything I own to lilac and green. ~subliminal feminist vibes~

1. I have listed a few new things in my shop, like these limited edition Feminist necklaces in different colours. The other ones have been so popular in my shop that I thought I would expand a little! I also changed the sections in my shop around a little bit.

2. Today I had my hair cut (as you might be able to tell in the photo above!), and this weekend my mother and I are going to embark upon Mission Lilac. Wish me luck! I am seriously going to need it, home bleaching sounds scary.

3. Last night my friends and I booked our train tickets to London! I'm so excited, it is going to be so fun! If anyone knows any nice cheap things to do/places to eat in London, I would love to know!

4. I am selling a few things on ebay at the moment, mainly to fund my trip to London and clear some much needed space in my wardrobe! I would be really grateful if you could take a look at my items! Everything starts at 99p, I've only put postage to the UK but if you send me a message I would be happy to change it for you. Quite a few things end tomorrow, but I will be putting more up soon (:

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*Accidental rhymes are the best.

Pressed flowers

Little bit of a shop update/behind the scenes/mixed post today! (Sorry if you follow my jewellery twitter/tumblr as I have posted most of these already there)

Printed photographs from my photo shoot.

I bought these little photo frames in a charity shop recently, and I think they will be perfect for displays some of my photo shoot pictures when I am at craft fairs! I have already painted one lilac, and I can't decide whether to paint the other pale pink or leave it plain.

I also bought this beautiful wooden notebook in the charity shop! You can't really tell too well in this photo, but I'm pretty sure it's handmade as the flowers in the middle are real! It is so pretty.

I'm going to use it to draw out cross stitch designs for the shop, as it has a little pad of squared paper inside! by far one of my most interesting and treasured charity shop buys.

New storage for the earrings!

New earrings that will be making their way into the shop next week hopefully.

I have made a little limited edition collection of my Feminist necklace in red, black, pale blue & pale pink. I am quite excited & pleased about these as I have been wanting to make them in a few more colours for a while now. I am only going to make these four, and they shall be up in the shop by next week too!

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1. I am offering free postage in my shop from today until Wednesday with the code JUBILEE! A little treat for the drizzly bank holiday weekend ahead.

2. I am also selling quite a few things on ebay! I have lots more things than this to put up (seriously, like a whole wardrobe full!) but apparently you can only put up 10 things at a time so this is all for now. I have only put up postage to the UK, but if you ask me I would be happy to post outside of the UK!

3. I was supposed to go SlutWalk in Newcastle today, but I decided against it eventually. It's really strange, I was quite looking forward to it, but I went out last night & I was really tired so I didn't think I could really deal with it. I've been feeling a bit regretful about it all day, in some ways I wish I'd gone but I know the movement has come under a lot of criticism for being cissexist & ignoring (or insulting) women of colour, which I didn't really want to associate myself with, obviously. I don't know, I kind of felt like all of this was too complex to deal with so early in the morning - I need to work out how I feel about something first before I shout about it on the streets.