style focus: storm in a teacup

http://www.stormteacup.co.uk/


I discovered this weeks' style focus after the company began following me on Twitter; ah, the wonders of social networking! Storm in a Teacup is a jewellery company run by just one lovely lady, Jennifer, who stocks gorgeous hand-made pieces at really affordable prices. The designs are incredibly unique, and there is even a Vintage range of pieces for those of you who like your jewellery to be one-of-a-kind!

The website has a huge amount of stock so I definitely suggest you go and check it out for yourself, but I have selected a few of my absolute favourite pieces to share with you!


Apollo Vintage Necklace, £14



P-A-R-I-S Necklace, £14

Ship to Shore Vintage Earrings, £12

Emma Multi-Way Tie (Navy), £17.50

I am definitely planning on making a couple of purchases when I start my new job next week! I particularly love the versatility of the Emma Multi-Way Tie (available in various colours), which looks just as good wrapped around wrists as a bracelet or left long and loose as a necklace, as it does tied in your hair as a boho-chic headband. Great value for money!

sunday sunday

I've got that usual restless Sunday feeling today. Does anyone else get it? Since I was a child I have always found Sunday to be the most boring day of the week; it just has a feeling about it, sort of like you're just waiting for Monday to come around I suppose.

Image from http://styleofafashionista.blogspot.com/

I bought this gorgeous crochet dress from H&M on Thursday, and am absolutely in love with it already. It was a bargain at £19.99 and, although I bought it with the intention of it being a summer staple, wore it for a trip to the pub on Friday night layered over a black Topshop bodycon dress, black opaque tights and my Doc Martens for a more winter-friendly look! H&M were also stocking crochet tees in the same style, in both white and black, for about £12.99; I think i might be popping back soon to invest in the black.


Mint green chiffon blouse, £19.99, H&M

  I'm also planning on buying this lovely cropped blouse with embroidery detail, which is also available in black and white. This mint green colour is quite unusual though, and would be great for a hint of the returning pastel trend this year, and I love the romantic floaty sleeves.



Barry M nail paint in Mushroom (310)

I also picked up this Barry M nail polish in a lovely mushroom brown colour. I have recently discovered a love of more subtle nail polish shades after my sister bought me a Max Factor nailfinity polish in Percolated Pink (732); a dusky pink colour which is definitely more sophisticated than my usual choice of black or bright red. Saying that, I also have my eye on the Models Own nail polish in Orangeade; a neon orange colour with lots of glitter!
I've never used any of the Models Own nail polish so it would be great to know what you all think of the product. I don't normally spend £5 on a polish, my favourite brands for nails being Barry M and Rimmel. Have you used any of the nail polishes? Would you reccommend them? Which colours are your favourites?

Last night I stayed in to watch 'New York, I Love You' and I highly reccommend it to everyone! I picked it up for £7 in the HMV sale, having had my eye on it for a while. I watched 'Paris Je T'aime', a film by the same producer, a couple of years ago and was completely taken aback by it; the cinematography was stunning and it was so interesting to see how the various directors' styles contrasted in each short film. 'New York, I Love You' continues in a similar vein, with various short films by different directors pieced together to make a feature length movie that really explores the beauty and versatility of New York.

Apparently, more films are planned for this fantastic 'Cities of Love' series with 'Moscow, I Love You' having been showcased at a Russian film festival last year. Fingers crossed it will be hitting UK shores soon!

take a chance

Just a quick post today, as I have a feature deadline this evening and I have yet to put pen to paper! (Or fingers to keyboard anyway..)

I just wanted to share the beautiful package that arrived for me this morning, containing my gorgeous monopoly ring that I ordered a few days ago!

Vicki from Sense and Sensibility made this quirky delight, using the iron monopoly piece. It is great quality, and the adjustable ring size is great as it means it's sure to fit everyone! At the moment you can choose from either the iron or the boot, or you can contact Vicki directly to request other pieces.

Check out her shop here; where you can also purchase some other fun pieces at bargain prices!

I took a trip to Oxford Street yesterday, planning to spend some of my eBay profits on some new bits for my wardrobe, but didn't come back with much at all. I did, however, buy a couple of lovely bits from H&M which I will share with you later. I'm planning on heading into London next week to do a bit of vintage shopping as I'm feeling a bit uninspired by the high street selection at the moment. Any suggestions of shops to visit would be welcome!

x

style focus: one of my kind

I've decided to start a new 'style focus' feature on the blog where I will look at a shop/blog/designer that I find exciting, inspiring or simply lust worthy(!) that week. 

Image from http://oneofmykindshop.blogspot.com/

This week's find definitely falls into the latter category. One Of My Kind is an Australian eBay store who sell a beautiful selection of vintage and preloved items. There is an excellent range of high waisted maxi skirts and pretty pleated dresses that all look completely on trend, despite being wonderfully one of a kind. The gorgeous pieces are, surprisingly, quite reasonably  priced considering the quality of the items and the obvious amount of care and effort that must have gone into sourcing them all. However, for those of you that aren't lucky enough to live down under (like me!), the shipping costs are pretty high; roughly £15 on average, which is often the same cost as the garment itself.

Now, normally I wouldn't share my eBay lusts until having safely secured the item, but as I don't have the funds to make any purchases at the moment I thought I would show you my favourite two items on their shop at the moment.


Vintage Nude Beige Camel Sheer Floral Tiger Shirt Dress

If I was in paid employment I would snap up this beauty without a second thought! I am a huge fan of sheer shirts anyway, as they are perfect for throwing over a pair of jeans during the day or layered over a skirt in the evening, but the pattern and shape of this one is particularly stunning. I love how it is long(ish) enough to be worn as a dress; although I don't think I would be quite as risque as the model in wearing it over underwear and would probably wear it over a short bodycon dress instead.

Vintage Pastel Peach Pleat Maxi Mid Calf Dress w Sash

I also love the simplicity of this beautiful nude coloured midi dress. I normally shy away from longer length items, as they make such a huge statement, but I think the pleated detail gives it a casual twist that would make this dress perfect for dressing up or down.
For those of you lucky enough to have a few pennies in the bank at the moment, definitely head over to the One Of My Kind eBay shop or blog to have a proper browse as every item is a gem!

white blank page

I have been enjoying a wonderfully lazy Sunday; finding lots of lovely new blogs to follow, catching up on the lastest magazines, listening to Mumford & Sons, and cooking a yummy dinner for my family.

I made involtini from Nigella Lawson's 'Feast', another of her amazing cookery books - I often read them in bed like novels!

In the words of the wonderful Nigella; '"Involtini" just indicates that something is wrapped - turned - around something else. I always use aubergines as the casing rather than, say, courgettes, partly because you can get more in, and partly because I think it's the best possible use of an aubergine.'

Despite not being much of a cook, the aubergines turned out beautifully. They were stuffed with a delicious cheese based mixture (feta, mozzarella and parmesan - this is definitely NOT a recipe for anyone with a dairy intolerance!), covered in tomataoes and more cheese and baked in the oven. Heaven.

I also enjoyed flicking through the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Company High-Street Edit. The magazine looks amazing. It's full of fashion spreads that have the visual style of Vogue couture but featuring clothes from the high street. There is something about the matte pages that make the whole publication seem very expensive, too.

I loved the minimalist feel to the 'Cut me some slack' style shoot; the city shorts and sharp blazers were given a contemporary twist by being juxtaposed with cotton tees and string vests.

In contrast, I was also inspired by the inspirational key pieces feature in this month's Elle magazine which was a riot of floral prints and denim - my usual summer wardrobe. I loved the silk dress by Paul & Joe, but will be seeking a high street alternative unless I happen to stumble across £960 any time soon!

My freelance writing for the home interiors website is still going really well, I absolutely love writing and it would be the icing on the cake if I could find somewhere that would pay me to do it! I'm really grateful for the opportunity at the moment though, as it's a really great website to be involved with.

One of the perks of writing, in any capacity, is being able to nab a free ticket or press pass every now and then. I was lucky enough to get hold of a press ticket for this month's Country Living Spring Fair, and a complimentary one for my mum! We usually go along to their Christmas Fair to browse all the lovely craft stalls and eat as many free foodie samples as we can manage, so I'm really excited to go along to this on the 23rd. I'm planning on doing a post about it, if the exhibitor's don't mind me snapping a few pics of their products!

pancakes and eBay

Happy pancake day everyone!

I'm off to The Diner in Camden later to scoff some delicious American style ones, washed down with a huge milkshake! For those of you who havn't visited the joint before, or any of the four other branches dotted around London, I can't recommend the it enough! Okay, it might be slightly pricey but the 1950's style diner decor is spot on; and the chilli cheese fries are heavenly.

Since I am nearly on the last dregs of my wages from Topshop, I have taken to eBaying my unwanted clothes in the hope of making a little extra cash! You can find the items I have up for sale at the moment here;  http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/yllek96. There is only a day or so left on most of them so get bidding if you're interested! I will be putting up a few more bits and pieces later this week though.

What does everyone think of eBay in general? Is it the best place to sell/find second hand clothes? I've got me eye on a lovely polka dot skirt that someone is selling on there at the moment. I am begining to worry that any money I make will be going straight back out of my Paypal account!

I should be starting a part-time job at the end of the month, as a way of making a bit of money whilst continuing to build up my portfolio with my freelance writing. Whilst in New Look yesterday, a shop that I often avoid due to the poor quality of lots of their items, I spotted some beautiful blouses and shirts that I can't wait to pick up with my first pay check! There are lots of gorgeous shirts on the high street at the moment, and I purchased a fair few during my last weeks at Topshop, but New Look seems to be slightly ahead of competition with their reasonable prices.



Frill Peter Pan Blouse, £21.99.



Tie Peter Pan Blouse, £15.99.

Chiffon Waist Tie Blouse, £19.99.

I have particularly fallen in love with the chiffon waist tie blouse, that I think would be perfect for the summer teamed with some high waisted denim shorts and some floral print wedges. The sunny weather today has definitely got me planning ahead for all the beautiful outfits that warm weather allows for!

unplanned leave

Hi everyone!

Huge apologies for my unexplained absence; the past month has flown by so quickly that I didn't realise so much time had passed. I promise to everything more fully in a more detailed post over the weekend but just as a quick update...

Since my last entry I have left my job in retail to finally pursue my dream of a career in journalism. It's a huge risk, and everything I'm writing for so far is completely unpaid, which means that once the remainder of my last pay check has gone I will be on a complete shopping ban! (Although, I might make an exception for charity shop bargains?!). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that being penniless will pay off eventually, as having some time at home to freelance means that I will finally be able to start building up a respectable portfolio.

I have also been decorating my bedroom which has meant that my laptop and all my belongings are scattered all over the house, and I have had no space to sit down and type a cohesive and interesting entry! The last coat of paint went on this evening, however, which means I should have my room back in the next couple of days to really concentrate on some quality blogging!

I spotted a couple of lovely pieces in River Island recently;

Grey print peter pan collar smock top; £26.99

Cream belted lace skirt; £24.99

This photograph of the top, from the River Island website, doesn't really do it justice! In reality, the three little buttons are sparkly and bright and the ditsy print has a real vintage feel. The mid length of the skirt is really on trend, and would be perfect for making the transition from winter to spring; this piece would look equally good with thick tights and chunky boots as with bare legs and leather loafers in the warmer months. The heavy lining also gives the skirt a nice weight, making it both practical and luxurious.