A little creativity goes a long way.

Thank you Brambles & Rambles for the incredibly cute award

I'm going to pass it on to Mind over Matter,The GLOSS and EmilysoEnchanted.
As money gets increasingly tight I'm really starting to feel the creative juices flowing (hmm that sounds quiet unpleasant). Forever in search of beautiful objects to surround myself with I was on a quest to acquire some decorations for my boudoir. Much to my distain is the hefty prices for common as muck prints of Monet's and Van Gogh's, and after paying out for these prints what would I really be getting? Not a unique piece that's for sure or something that visits would be curious about. Thank goodness for the likes of www.etsy.com where you can buy one of a kind creations for reasonable prices. Unfortunately in my case with the aforementioned money problem I needed to be even more resourceful and create my very own one of a kind creations for my home. I managed to nab some canvases in Alidi for just a merge 6 euro for 2. I prefer to paint in water colour as I feel it adds romance and fluidity, also I have included another piece I did in oil pastel when I was younger, my love of colour is very evident I think I must have used every colour pastel I own! The horses decorate my sisters room I painted them for her as a gift. A simple painting no matter what your skill is is a thoughtful and much appreciated gift. And it's cheap! Now I'm no Di Vinci that's for sure but I love the feeling I get hanging a painting I did all by myself.





All the above paintings are my work except for the last one which is my very favourite. It was painted by my boyfriend an incredibly talented artist who's work I adore, this piece hangs above my bed and it's sinister, haunting and a true one of a kind.
Theres nothing like a birthday to induce financial pressure, but last week as one of my flatmates turned 19 I managed to avoid financial failure and still was able to mark the day. This cake created by my boyfriend and I is nice and naughty and only cost 6 euro in comparison to the decorated cakes our local store was selling for between 15 and 18 euro. The C stands for Caoimhe he birthday girl and I'm sure you can work oy for yourself what the cream is meant to be. It definitely caused a lot more laughter than the pricier alternative. A little creativity can go a long way.

xox

Did It Myself!

Goodbye my snow, I'll see you next year...




Snowy footsteps..santy must be around checking if I'm being naughty or nice.
I miss the snow, but the sun is brightening my day and putting a springtime jump in my step. Unfortunatley it is not quite time to shed the layers and prance around in crisp summer dresses and flipflops.
Clothes stores and boutiques are shutting up shop all around me these days this economic crisis is becoming more and more unsettling everyday and so I am now very focused on using my own hands to create as much as I can, it really is becoming neccesary. Theres something incredibly rewarding about dressing yourself in your own creations, it makes your apparellel a strong extension of who you are inside. It means that you can dream up a costume and the make it come to life, you can doon a unique look that is all you. I see clothes as a wearable art form and just plain fun and on that note I'd like to share one of my new creations (excuse the appaling photos), wearing it makes me feel like a little princess. Origionally it was destined to be a skirt, but that's the genious of elasticated waistlines on a whim it became a dress. The dress consists of three layers, two being pale pink and blue net pinned and tucked at random places.







I'd love to know what everybody thinks...
My current style icon is daisy lowe,of a rock n roll core look, mixing girlie pieces and much tougher items with a devil may care attitude. Daughter of Pearl Lowe and Gavin Rossdale. Elements of her style remind me of my own look but hers is just miles a head. I would do anything for her wardrobe, especially her dress collection. Her hair and makeup is never too polished, something that gives serious fashion credibility just look at Ms.Moss of the tooseled, smudged look fame. Lowe's is a truely uniqe look, nothing about her says stylist or catwalk ensemble, it screams personality and style. Hr outfit might begin with a typical pretty dress but is taken to the next level with unexpected quirky accesories such as her heels and clasing nailpolish and rolled up blasers. Of course anything would look good on your when you are blessed with rock n roll genes and jaw dropping beauty. If only we were all so lucky!







Images of daisy lowe property of Goggle images.
xox

My first award!

Thank you kathryn from the fashionprescription for the fabulous award your so very kind! It is my first award and I am so delighted!


The Rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to nominate:
The fashionprescription
Mind over Matter
the tea drinking english rose
Les Petites Fleurs
giggleness
Almost stylish
Dooder city
According to Samantha
Brambles & Rambles
thepelicanandme
Labels or Love
xox

Thoroughly frustrated with the mountain of college work flung upon me but I decided to take a few minutes out for a quick post. Valentines day has come and gone and ohh the treats were wonderful! (Pictures on their way). The weather is heating up just the slightest and music festivals are in the air, for music lovers with a tight budget note that rumour has it fall out boy are vowing to sell tickets to some concerts for no more than £20 to allow every fan to enjoy their concerts, now that's a small act of thoughtfulness I am liking
Having watched a music documentary on the 60s I have become mesmerized with the era and it's music; especially folk music of it's time such as joan baez, tom paxton, peter paul and mary, and Bob dylan's folk era. Joan Baez caught my attention as a real icon; beautiful, with the most captivating voice who sang songs with a real message. I noticed those musicians still living that were interviewed wore large turquoise stone rings (men and women) and am now on search for the perfect one


albeit I would be after something slightly more rustic and affordable.
Speaking of music of the hippie era, I can not end with out mentioning one of my all time favourite films Almost famous and it's style icon for me Kate Hudson as Penny Lane. How I dream of having that russian fur (faux) hat she wore and those embroderied boots she wore before getting her stomach pumped! And what a film for music there is not a single song on that soundtrack I do not love, my very favourite being tiny dancer, I imagine it's me dancing away in the lyrics of that song.


With regards to a different genre of music I whole heartily recommend the dubliners the auld triangle, it was my lullaby when I was young, give it a listen it's truly beautiful. Let me know what you think.
xox

Fabulous news for any thrifty fashionista out there Penney's (or primark as many of you probably know it has an incredibly cute, wearable and extremely affordable collection for spring/summer 2009. When buying items for fun that are not key pieces in your wardrobe theres no need to overly splash out, you can have fun with your look on a miniscual budget. I am not encorging throw away fashion, I believe even pieces like these below have longativity, its about caring for your clothes and buying items that are work with as many items in your wardrobe as possible. This means never using wire hangers and learning to mend your clothes , leaving you with no excuse to dispose of clothes after one season.




No item here is priced at over 25 euro, the majority being under 15 euro (Images propert of Primark). And might I add that the little sailor dress has quiet a resemblence to a catherine holstein dress worn by mischa barton. Designer style for less this piece I have to have.

However these clothes aren't exactly weather appropriate at the moment, so now for a little look at something more cosy and a more eco friendly additiont to my look, with my mothers help and some leftover wool we created some adorable croteched flowers. This is a great idea for the ends of balls of wool when you have to little left to make anything large.

The hat is something of a keepsake for me as 3 generations of the women in my family have contributed to it; my grandmother knitted the hat itself, while my mother and I adorned it with the flower and beading. I have somewhat of a fascination with beading and although it is hard to see I also added tiny white beads to one of the cream flowers to resemble tiny raindrops. Beads are an incredibly afforable decoration for clothing and accesories, collect them from broken jewlery, old clothes, markets, children's craft kits.. rather than spending a great deal in expensive jewlery supply stores. I wore my newly vamped hat with pride around campus lightly frosted with snow. Which unforuntaly is all gone but was a dream come true while it lasted. My winter wonder land;



As for me it's back to the grindstone, although had quite a laugh at a certain addition to my Biological diversity notes on reading that in seahorses the males carry the young during embryonic development, I'm sure there's many women out their hoping to come back in a future life as a seahorse... So back to learning and pondering about crafty projects for valentines day, no rest for the wicked.
xox

Happiness the greatest gift that I posses

What a very hectic time it is to be back in college but ooh the snow is wonderful! It makes me so very excited! It's the happiest weather I think no one gets more excited or makes such a fuss about any other work of mother nature. It felt like Christmas in February. With this new surprising weather I have taken up a new hobby; croteching and have decided to opt out of learning the basics and practising and instead to go straight for some projects, my current obsession being crocetched flowers to sticth onto my hats and scarves (pictures to be posted tomorrow). To go with the happiest weather of my year I thought some happiness provoking pictures were in order, here's a small sample to make you smile....







The pictures above to not belong to me but here is a few that do of some little things that make me happy




My doggy haylie, turtles turt and earl, tiny piggy's; I adore pigs and collect anything related to them- piggy banks, teddy's, posters, I even display a tiny diamante pig brooch on my coat that my mother gave me from Poland, and of course being in love. And to add a cherry to the top of my mood I have just read on vogue.co.uk that glasses are sexy again: "Glasses are back - and the key look is nerdy, but sexy," writes Simon Chilvers. The role models to aspire to include Yves Saint Laurent, Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Jaime Winstone. I shall be donning my mui mui spectacles with pride now nerdy is sexy, nothing like a bit of intellectual trendsetting to brighten the day. On another note Pete doherty supposedly will be giving a lecture in Dublin's beautiful trinity college, hmm stimulating for the masses that will be I'm sure...
xox