jacket ebay, tshirt and trousers topshop, urban outfitters bag, topshop smaller necklace, h&m chunky necklace and bracelets.

this is my last post where I complain about the lack of summer we're having, i promise!

i bought this camel jacket from ebay a while ago but when it came it is a bit too oversized for me (i'm only 4"11!) so i've always been put off wearing it, for fear of looking like i have stole it from my dad. but as this horrible weather calls for a jacket, this morning i entered into a dilemma, my leather jacket felt too black and heavy, a blazer wasn't warm enough, a cardigan looked too knitted and wintery. so, eventually i reached for this, the camel colour offsetting the woollen texture, and adding a lighter shade to my usual all black outfit. now, the size was still bothering me, but by doing the coat-around-the-shoulder cape look, it started to feel better.

  

                                     

ideally, i'd have paired the outfit with a whistles neon pouch and some neon courts, but the simple lime h&m bracelet will have to satisfy that citrus craving for now. i'm officially on spending-lockdown, i fly to spain for a month on monday to be an au-pair, so i'm saving all for an &otherstories spree in barcelona. my biggest worry now though, is how to i refrain from looking undone and sweaty in the city? if anyone has any holiday/heat tips please help!

  

 

teacup candles aren't a new idea, but i spent the weekend making my own so thought i'd share how to do it. i found a lot of diy guides that just seemed too complicated and with a lot of messing around. so i tried to simplify how to do it. these candles make great presents and you can pick up the components cheaply.

you will need...
a large pillar candle
a tea cup (and saucer if wanted)
a microwave and microwavable bowl
a wick with metal sustainer.

i got both my wicks and my teacup and saucer from ebay. both were fairly cheap. my candle was an orange blossom one from wilkinsons, but I have also made one by using two votive yankee candles, which make your teacup smell delicious too!


first place the candle in a microwavable bowl and heat on high power for 50 seconds. repeat, and repeat, and repeat. this takes forever, but for safety's sake please don't try and microwave it all at once! just so you don't risk burning your kitchen down or something... it won't melt for ages, but as it softens, cut the candle up. it starts to look something like a prawn cocktail! just a warning: most candles you buy in shops are not fully coloured (yankee candles are) so if you buy a bright candle, it will be mostly white inside, so the end product will be a paler pastel colour. the wick's i ordered from ebay weren't that long and my cup was deeper than them. so i tied the wick from the melted candle around the wick i had purchased.

the metal sustainer should allow the wick to just balance in the bottom of the cup but if it won't sit right simply dab a little superglue on the bottom. as you heat the wax it should get more and more runny but do not stop until the wax is completely clear. at this stage act fast as it cools very quickly, so pour immediately into the cup. leave it to set until completely cool and then trim the wick. some guides say you should superglue the cup to the saucer, but i'd hate to ruin the china! and if you give it as a gift, once burnt out it can be washed and used as a cup too.

p.s i downloaded the 'a beautiful mess' app this weekend, so may have got just a little carried away editing my pictures!

I dont wear alot of colour, and very little green. but this summer i've become keen to try it. it may be the array of leaf prints that are on offer, or the prevalent neon trend, or perhaps it's being home in my kelly-green childhood room, painted in defiance to rid the blue and silver snowflake wallpaper. but whatever it is, its becoming infectious and making my monochromatic usual wardrobe seem pale in comparison.

I decided the best way to combat this colour-disease is with accessories or prints that can be tied in with the  greyscale collection i own, because i know i am a fickle being, and in two months time, green will be no more, and ill be back to grey. or black. or navy. something dark and not so impulsive.

1) topshop blouse. 2) freak of nature playsuit @ asos. 3) everours dungaree jumpsuit. 4) zara lime bag .5) topshop shirt. 6) topshop bracelet. 7) topshop shorts. 8) everours blouse.

so there it is. a mix of the monochrome pieces ive been lusting over forever, and the green i'm cautiously applying. the first blouse from topshop doesn't really count as being brave, but i love khaki (its close to grey!) I can imagine throwing this over jeans with bright red lips and nails. not so summery but transitional for autumn all the same (and its never really like we have sun anway.) the freak of nature playsuit i've been pining over since i tried it on in ark in sheffield. it could be worn baggy perfect for holidays, or put a shirt or blouse underneath and it becomes an overall. the obsession is becomin unhealthy! which moves us on to this everours jumpsuit. everours is a new website to me but all the stuff on their is so perfect! i could easily order it all. both collared blouses, the topshop check one and the everours lace, would be perfect for pairing under  the black dungarees. everours also sell the white blouse in a lemon yellow colour which i love too, so may have to order both. the two accessories, the bracelet and the bag, add the colour easily and make it so much easier for me to accept the colour into my life. and finally! the topshop leaf print shorts. these are my favourite, and ive been pining after them for so long. they are, unfortuantely, out of stock, but i'll be doing some hunting and some ebay-ing to track them down. topshop sold these with a matching tee too and to wear the two together as a playsuit would be perfect. bright. brave. not me. but so perfect, that maybe i'd be able to cope. 

                                       

                              

topshop top, dungarees, and necklace. h&m bracelets. zara bag. & urban outfitters studs.

at this moment in time, i can imagine spending alot of my summer in overalls. a strange fondness for the all-in-one garment has come over me, and i'm finding myself coveting all sorts of wonderful onsies. sure, being just under five foot, i do infact look like a toddler, and paired with the polka dots, i do feel like i should be attending nursery school. but there's something about them i can't quite place, which make me want to reach for them regularly. perhaps its the alexa air they give, or paired with the monochrome and a-line skirt shape, they feel a bit sixties, or perhaps its their ability to go from day to night so easily. so it appears, the infatuation may not be too strange. i think the abundance of gold off-set the child like quaility, and help it appear more put together over-all, (get it?) i love the shape of the topshop collar, although the super shiny gold and the geometric pieces make me feel all liz taylor cleopatra-y.

this weekend ive been doing this...

(parks and recreation is becoming an obsession!)

1) all topshop. 2) all topshop. 3) blouse & jeans, topshop. office sandals. 4) ASOS dress, topshop hat and glasses. office brogues.

just a few outfits i've been mentally planning for payday and for when we finally get a british summer/i book a holiday.

the first outfit i've been keeping a close eye on for ages, but i just don't have anywhere to go to justify buying it. i love the camel colour of the trousers, and i've been wanting a pair of flatform sandals for ages, but i'm glad i waited because these are the best ones i've seen.
i love that the tea dress shape is coming back, so the topshop dress and blouse i really like for this. the black shoes from topshop remind me of the alexander wang julia booties, and as these are definitely out of my price range, these seem a good compromise. they also help tie in the black from the hat, and add a little something to an otherwise girly dress. similarly the acid watch jeans and heavy sandals make the topshop blouse less overly cute.
then last but not least, the asos dress would be perfect for throwing on over a bikini, but also could be dressed up with the brogues and the hat for going for food. i think you can probably tell i'm imagining sitting in a café on las ramblas, iced coffee in hand and ordering tapas. a girl can dream can't she?

the biggest question of all of this, is can i really rock some round 60's sunglasses? earlier this year i went to a fancy dress party as john lennon and it was primarily based around the glasses. i tried them on in the fancy dress shop and my friend told me i had to go as him as i bore a striking resemblance. although a great guy, i'm not sure this was ever that complimentary and i do fear that with my unkempt brown hair, trying to wear a pair would just be like a constant recap of that costume. however, i do love them, and i've seen a lot of people wearing them well, so perhaps john's not too bad an idol. i'll just refrain from wearing an all white suit, and hold back on the CND signs.

my idol. my woman. my google-to-see-if-hadley-agrees.

hadley freeman is undoubtedly one of my favourite writers. from the age of fourteen i've been addicted to reading her guardian columns, and as a more grown-up student, with a feminism module under my belt, i not only enjoy her almost mocking take on fashion, but also appreciate the kind of writing she puts out there for women.
clever women are making a breakthrough- or so that's what every magazine and newspaper reviewer will tell you. from lena dunham to bertie brandes, women are being praised for being funny, or being clever, or shockingly, women can actually be both! and whilst i'm all for this praise, it seems women were probably always doing this, hadley being a prime example (tina fey i'm looking at you too), so can we just hold back on referring to it as a 'new' thing.
but it is something i am glad to see more of and i'm glad is actually breaking into the mainstream; it beats last years mr grey obsession, and i'd much rather be swapping these books around the pool than having to trade my copy of caitlin moran's 'how to be a woman' for 'chelsea wives' next time i go on holiday with the girls (not going to lie though, with a switched off brain, chelsea wives went down as easy as the daiquiris!) but, there, we've hit the problem. if feminist books were as light hearted and easy to read as the chic-lit that comes free with cosmo, maybe they'd be as popular. and hadley knows how to do just this.
'be awesome' is essentially hilarious. i read it on the train and collected a few odd looks for snorting. filled with advice to rally women together under shared experiences, 'how to cheer up your friend who is depressed about being single' and on how to cope when bombarded with a plethora of very contradictory messages from women's media (why is this six stone woman selling me perfume along side this article that says 'love your body shape'). hadley is charming throughout, never judgmental, and fully understands the tearing dilemma of the woman who wants to be the best feminist she can be, but also may be a tiny bit in love with spencer matthews, and may be a tiny bit addicted to a certain newspaper's showbiz sidebar.
i read this book within two days of the little brown amazon package of joy arriving at my door, and although i enjoyed every last minute of it, i know i'll be dipping in and out at a slower pace to really soak up all her wisdom.

i love u hadderz. & alsooo...follow me with bloglovin!

                         

most things here are old; shirt, shoes and bag are all urban outfitters, scarf and earrings are topshop, and bracelets and necklace are from h&m.

I haven't blogged in a long, long time, and never like this. various things such as uni and work have got in the way but i'm free for a whole summer, so thought it's about time I put some posts in.

I wore this outfit for work today, paired with some topshop leather leggings you can't see, and i hoped with sandals but the weather was saying flats. i love the print on this shirt, and it means it goes well with both black and tan accessories, and you can mix and match it up a bit. most of this jewellery doesn't often leave my body and the bag is full of everything imaginable; i'm sure last time i rooted round the depths i found a pack of playing cards (!?). it's not all that summery an outfit, but it seem's last week's sun may have gone back into hiding anyway. i'm recently resisting massive urges to go spend a lot of money on summer dresses and hats, but alas, one has to pay rent and it seems a bit redundant when i seem to be reaching for coats and scarves still. so until i've booked a week in barcelona, i'm fighting temptation.

today i've been doing this...