Chelsea Girl

Last week I did something very unusual for me. I went into a shop and paid full price for something new. I know, I know! £30 of my hard earned cash. Blimy. Mind you I don't regret it, because this is what Retro Chick wisely calls pyjama clothes. A dress which looks 'statement' but feels loungy. Plus, it's kind of repro-retro (well, no, it isn't, it's just from River Island- but it is part of their Chelsea Girl revival range). And anyway, as I always say, my style combines vintage/retro and modern- so why not repro and modern too?

Quick, Thrifty, Tasty

Yep that's me. Haha, no, I'm not that vain - I'm talking weekday dinners. Oh no, I hear you cry, not one of those smug 'much cheaper than a take-away' so-called easy weekday recipes that are actually nigh on impossible. I feel your pain; when I read features like that in magazines they drive me up the wall. This post reveals the truth behind my thrifty eating... the lazy, cheapo, truth. How to eat if you:

• Work 12 hour days;
• Also want to actually have a life;
• Want to save money;
• Don't want malnutrition.

Project Perfect

There's been a lot of talk about the language we use to describe ourselves (and others, in some cases, unfortunately) out there in blogland recently. Who knows why, with LFW, the annual January health kicks, the 'gap' trend and so forth... it's been in focus. Which is a good thing; the online community need to find a way to use language to describe things as they are, but bearing others' (and our own) emotions in mind. I'm never one for sugar coating things, but I hate unkindness. Treating people kindly and fairly, through deed, representation and language is trickier than it seems - and treating ourselves kindly and fairly can be even harder.
It happens at an early age and it isn't just with looks - when my kids (the ones I work with, I don't have 25 kids) are reviewing their work, they have to write down three things that went well, and three things to improve. Guess which three they struggle the most with? Even the brightest and most diligent - well, usually, especially the most diligent. Perhaps we confuse hard-earned pride with arrogance, I don't know.

Flaws And All has started a new type of blog post - Project Perfect - to get a bit of this no-nonsense positivity out there into blogland. I think it's a great idea. She basically asks us to post a picture of ourselves we really like. Then, three things we're not so happy with about ourselves but with a twist, how might other people like that feature? And then the tricky part: three things we do like about ourselves. Right, best get on it.

So here is a picture of myself that I like. I like it because of the colours and the style - it reflects the kind of look I enjoy wearing. My hair is perfectly balanced between natural and styled, and falling over one half of my face (which I like) and as a consequence I don't look like The Moon off The Mighty Boosh.

Right- now three things I don't like:

1) I have a round, fat, gormless face no matter how skinny I get. I even have a double chin. On the upside, it does seem like this trait means that I still get asked for ID in Tescos sometimes. Other people might think I'm friendly and approachable (like the opposite of a posh model face) I suppose.

2) My knees look like baby knees, ugh, and they bend backwards a bit. I want knobbly knees. But as I tend to wear maxis and trousers, no-one's the wiser. To be honest I don't think other people would even notice my knees. They are quite good for scaring small kids at parties when they bend backwards!

3) I have hideous dark shadows under my (hooded) eyes and look terrible without make up. The only possible use these have is that if they look really bad, my husband and my mum tend to make me tea and look after me as it means I'm a bit run down. And I'm pretty good at recommending make-up skills and products to friends, which is useful for them.

Now three liked things:

1) I have an ample bosom, but not so big they're unmanageable. Yeah I am that shallow.

2) My eyes change colour depending on how rested and hydrated I am. I come with a free lightshow, how cool is that?

3) My hands are long and elegant and my nails grow easily. Gels or acrylics, you say? Pah. These are all natural baby.

Excuse the messy varnish.

If you'd like to join in with Project Perfect, pop along to Flaws and All to find out more!

The Cat's Pyjamas!

I like art. I like a licenced bar. I love free-to-get-in stuff.

Which is why I am so grateful to The Londoneer for bringing The Cat's Pyjamas to my attention. It's a late opening of the Guildhall Art Gallery, celebrating all that was wild and wonderful about the roaring 20s.

Review: Style Me Vintage

The buzz-word 'vintage' seems to be everywhere these days. Whether you're a modern dresser after a look for an event, someone who collects and enjoys older things or a vintage purist, it can become frustrating finding quality and value for money amongst the rogue EBay sellers out to make a quick buck. And once you have it, what to do with it? How to accessorise and care for your garments can have you scratching your head.

One Of Those Nosey Tag Things...

Oh yes. Jason over at Jason Shaw's Seafront Diary tagged me in the latest bloggers' tagging game. Here's How it works:

First, you paste in these instructions (or type them in if you use blogger and it messes up):
1) You must post 11 random things about yourself;
2) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post;
3) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer;
4) Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them;
5) No stuff about 'you're tagged if you're reading this' - legitimately tag people.

I would say, if you want to ignore that last one and dive in, feel free. Likewise of course if (when you've read my tawdry answers) you've been tagged and refuse to do it point blank, refuse away! Not everyone's as daft as me.

Making Luurve

I don't get people who dislike Valentine's day because they say (usually condenscendingly) 'anyone who treats their loved one especially nicely once a year must therefore be neglecting them the rest of the time'. Not only is that deliberately mean spirited (assuming that everyone apart from their holiness of holier-than-thou is neglectful every other day and merely OK on Valentine's) it patently ignores the one thing that modern psychologists, historical sages and wise nannas all agree on; that it's impossible, and unhealthy, to be in a full-on emotional state 24/7 - so ritual and celebratory dates are valuable. A moment of excess and expression. Everyday love is vital; it's listening, cooking dinner, remembering to take the bins out on a cold night so they don't have to. It isn't - unless you're rich and unhealthy- champagne, chocolates a-plenty and nights on the town. That's why we have festivals.

ZOMG! A More Exciting-Than-Usual Monday...

Mondays eh? What to do... scrape the ice of the car (if you have a car), get to work, drink bad coffee, work, coffee, bang head on desk, meeting, home, spag bol, TV, brush teeth, zzzz.

But this Monday was different. This Monday was glitzy. Thanks to ReeRee of Rockalily Lipsticks and ZoZo of The London Lipgloss. I eschewed my spag bol and TV for a tube uptown, glamour, meeting lovely bloggers and three cheeky glasses of Merlot.

Andi B. Goode: Changing and rearranging yourself

I've just read this on my lunch break- if you are a distinctive dresser or vintage fan, it provokes some very interesting debates. When do our 'styles' become our 'rules'? Should we stick by these rules even if we fancy a change..?

Andi B. Goode: Changing and rearranging yourself: I've finally got around to finishing this post on my personal style that a few of you expressed interest in reading about here . At first I...