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* Keeping busy – I’ve been sorting lots of “real life” things out this week, as well as planning lots of social events and generally getting on with things I’ve been putting off for a while. I feel rather energised and accomplished.
* Great shops – Or rather, realising that Loughborough really isn’t so bad after all, as there are a handful of really unique shopping havens including a couple of great vintage shops and a handmade chocolate cafe!
* Cooking success – Nothing particularly complicated or exciting, but it’s always great to make something from scratch and for it to come out tasting perfect. Last night I made a delicious shepherds pie, of which we still have half for dinner tonight, and earlier in the week I perfected my chicken yakitori recipe.
* Hair changes – I’m having the red professionally removed from my hair, and although I’ll miss it, I’ve dyed my hair for so long it’ll be a relief eventually to be able to leave it alone and let it recover from all the damage I’ve caused! It’s always nice to have a new style too, I’m tempted by a fringe (bangs), but I haven’t quite decided yet.
*Other – Gin and tonic lollies, reading zines in the sunshine, pink cava, fun days with friends, Inception – it’s brilliant!, Watching lots and lots of Farscape, watching the Farnborough air show streaming Online (in the office, when I should have been working, shhh!).
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
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My desire to lose weight is a really big part of my life right now, but it’s also been something I’ve felt reluctant to blog about. There are so many negative connotations to being a woman striving to lose a few pounds these days. You can be accused of:
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Losing weight just because you want to attract men.
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Trying to conform to media stereotypes.
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Being shallow and placing too much value in looks alone., because obviously the only reason anyone wants to lose weight is because of how they look (and apparently this is a very bad thing).
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Trying to be something you’re not, not being proud of your shape, etc.
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Having low self-esteem.
Etc…
Personally, if trolls want to accuse me of any of the above, the can, however since my weight loss endeavours will probably creep into the blog a little here and there, I wanted to share my real reasons for wanting to shed some excess pounds. Also I wouldn’t want any of my readers to think that I believe everyone should be thin. I think peoples’ bodies are their own to do what they wish with however my advice to others if they asked for it would always be to strive to be as healthy as you can, whatever body shape and size that happens to come with.
I intend to lose around 30lbs. Two years ago, I was at my healthiest weight. Since then I’ve been working 9 – 5 and studying in the evenings so I’ve basically spent 24 months sitting at various desks. Boredom-snacking became the norm, so whilst I was still eating healthy, nutritious meals, the amount of sweets, chocolate, cakes and other comfort foods I consumed between meals increased massively, as did my waistline measurements! It piled on gradually, so as is so often the case, I didn’t really think about it much until one day I pulled out a pair of jeans I hadn’t worn in a while and couldn’t get them past my thighs.
I hope that losing this weight will:
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Increase my stamina – with my reduced lung capacity, every extra pound means my breathing muscles have to work much harder, and I get out of breath more quickly.
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Increase my vitality – I feel sluggish and tired a lot at the moment, and I’m sure it’s in part to do with my weight and health in general.
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Have a psychological effect – In feeling better I hope I won’t “need” to comfort-eat as much!
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Save me from having to buy a whole new wardrobe!
Of course, I am looking forward to looking more svelte too, but it’s not my primary concern and my healthy weight by no means meets the fashion magazine idea of “thin” anyway. If I lose too much weight I get really “knobbly” knees, and since I consider my legs my best feature, I don’t want to get to that stage!
For those that may be interested, here’s what I’m doing in my attempt to “battle the bulge”:
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Exercising portion control in my meals, and eating more slowly to allow myself time to digest instead of wolfing down a second helping then feeling over-full.
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Eating fewer processed carbohydrates by only buying wholemeal bread, avoiding sweets, etc. and snacking on fruit and veg, seeds, etc. rather than cheese on toast and Doritos!
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Never skipping breakfast.
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Drinking the low calorie alcoholic options such as white wine, vodka tonics, etc. rather than beer or sickly-sweet cocktails (except as an occasional treat).
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Drinking loads of water.
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Trying to walk more, when possible (i.e. when not under time constraints).
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Accepting any invitation to go out dancing that I can get!
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Sitting on a gym ball whilst watching TV (I haven’t actually done this yet, but I will do once I can find the pump for the ball!)
As you can probably tell, I’m not the gym-bunny type, though as my energy levels start to rise I’ll probably increase my exercise too.
I’m losing weight because I think it will improve my well-being. It’s for me, not for anyone else, and I really feel the need to emphasise this as I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that I was perpetuating any kind of thin = pretty = superior agenda. I simply know what size and weight I’m comfortable and healthy at, and it’s that health and comfort-level I’m trying to get back. If I felt healthier at the weight I’m at, I’d stick to it.
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This one’s all about the blog posts, as I’ve read some absolute gems this week!
* Firstly, Yes and Yes showcased a wonderful lady who’s doing a great job for kids in Uganda. I urge you all to help if you can!
* I am somewhat in awe of Tavi, so young yet such a force to be reckoned with! Her “Open Letter to Seventeen Magazine” makes some really excellent points.
* Aspiring writers listen up! Chrissy has written a beginner’s guide to “Submitting to Literary Journals“.
* Marta has written a brilliant guide: “How to Arrange Fresh Flowers“. Since I don’t have a garden anymore, I’m tempted to start buying myself flowers to brighten the apartment up a bit!
* Corrine’s “The Blogger’s Guide to Hustling” series is shaping up to be a brilliant read. Part 1 is here, part 2; here and I’m definitely looking forward to the third installment!
* “The Fashion Internship Guide” from Flying Saucer looks like it’s going to be an excellent series too. Part one is packed with useful information, much of which I think is applicable to all internships, not just in fashion.
* Finally, this kitty video that was posted by Shanalogic is both adorable and utterly hilarious!
I hope you have a fabulous week!
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This week I love
* Watching thunderstorms from the comfort of my living room * The sound the rain makes on the roof windows * Re-watching all of Farscape from the beginning * Shopping around for laptop stickers * Ice cold Diet Coke * M.A.C. Viva Glam Gaga lipstick * Feeling energised * Making lists and getting things done * Pretty eBay purchases * Planning fabulous events *
What’s making your week sparkle?
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Why don’t you:
* Wear something beautiful to work just because you love it, be a little bit overdressed and embrace it!
* Make lemonade from scratch, it’s always so much more delicious than the shop-bought / powdered stuff.
* Find clips of your favourite childhood TV shows on YouTube and reminisce! My favourite was Knightmare, I loved that show!
* Make a list of all the little jobs you’ve been procrastinating over, and start checking them off, it’s most satisfying!
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Blog posts:
* Gala Darling’s “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” series has been doing the rounds and I’m sure you’ve all read it by now but just in case you haven’t. check it out! Particularly the comments, there’s some great discussion there. (Part 2, Part 3.)
* Erica Lee’s “10 Self-Imposed Rules For Better Blogging” is pretty good advice, I could do well to follow quite a few of her points.
* “Facets of Feminism” from the always-fabulous Already Pretty is a list of thought-provoking quotations about… you guessed it… Feminism.
* “Adventures in the Photo-Pit – Melvins” makes me want to add gig photographer to my ever-growing list of aspirations!
I hope you have a fabulous week ahead of you!
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If I had to describe my personal style, I would probably have to call it… inconsistent. I don’t think I really have a “look” or a style that I stick to, in fact, if I’m honest, I’m a really bad shopper. People are usually advised to buy items that fit in with the rest of their wardrobe, so they have complete looks. I’m more likely to buy something that catches my eye, even if it’s totally different to the rest of my clothing, then find a way to coordinate it later – even if that means having to buy more items so I can create an outfit that works. Also, I’m rather lazy. If I’m not going anywhere, I’ll throw on anything (or not bother at all: case in point, I’m currently writing this in my pyjamas at lunchtime whilst watching the Grand Prix.)
This is starting to feel like something of a “fashion sins” confessional, so I will stop there and focus on the real point of this post – to share some Polyvore sets that represent the kind of things I’m wearing at the moment. I don’t own any of the actual items in the sets, but the looks are very close to those I’ve put together from my own wardrobe. Don’t expect fashionista greatness here – I’m not long out of my goth phase really, and that was succeeded by a few years of “I don’t really care about clothing as long as it’s comfy and keeps me warm / cool”.
Also, be gentle with me, I’m very new to this Polyvore thing! For product information, click on the pictures.
First, a couple of typical outfits when I really can’t be bothered to think about what I’m wearing – basically, my wardrobe staples thrown together.
This is a typical outfit when I wake up late on a work morning, screaming for caffeine and looking like I’ve been through the wars. The cardi worn as a top is comfy and hides a lot of lumps and bumps, the backpack is again for comfort – particularly if I’m carrying a heavy book, and the coffee machine is my best friend on mornings like these!
At the moment, during such warm weather, my black cotton maxi skirt is one of my favourite everyday items of clothing. It’s cool to wear (even though my mother refuses to believe this because it’s black) and goes with everything so another item that can be thrown on without thinking. My most flattering t-shirt is a green v-neck one from the Dorothy Perkins petites range, and I nearly always carry a cardigan, just in case. Flat shoes are a must as I’m useless in heels, and shoes with ankle straps are particularly good since they stay on my ridiculously narrow feet a little better.
I have a small collection of floral dresses, all in the same style, that represent the cornerstone of my spring / summer wardrobe. The particular advantage of these dresses is that they don’t crease, so they can be rolled and shoved into bags, worn all day at a desk then straight out in the evening without looking like they’ve been sat in all day, and they’re really versatile. I usually wear them with black accessories, because it’s classic and I have a lot of black in my wardrobe!
This outfit is a good example of how I dress for my somewhat unusual shape. I like my legs, so short skirts are great, and bright prints draw attention to the skirt whilst the circular shape disguises my somewhat massive hips! Batwing tops are wonderful things when you’re a bit wonky! They’re a great way to help disguise things. I like to wear something interesting in my hair too, particularly if it’s an oversized bow, thus hopefully drawing attention to my head and my legs, thus skipping over what’s in-between.
Of all the items here, there are only three I actually own, and those are the camera, the coffee machine and the eyeshadow (M.A.C. Fafi Eyes 1) however I have pieces similar to all the others, and wear them together as shown.
I’ve rather enjoyed putting this together, playing with Polyvore is fun!
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This week, I totally adore:
* My new Vivienne Westwood for Melissa 3-strap elevated red heels * Weekends full of socialising * Smoked salmon for lunch * Watching a documentary on To Kill a Mockingbird with a glass of delicious wine * Getting coffee with a new friend and chatting for hours * Home-made char siu pork * Planning to spend this weekend reading and relaxing * Meeting new cats that live nearby * Matching my eye makeup to my skirt – a few years ago I’d never have had the guts to wear bright metallic blue eyeshadow as eyeliner * The cool evening breeze*
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
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Why Don’t You:
* Let a little nature into your life – grow some mint on your windowsill and make fresh mojitos, buy yourself a bunch of your favourite flowers to brighten up your living room, or simply sit under a tree and read a good book.
* Ask for recommendations from someone whose taste is vastly different from your own – books, movies, music, ask them what they think is the one book everyone should read, the film everyone should see. If you don’t enjoy it, then no harm done, but it may open your eyes to a whole new genre.
* Make a zine, even if you have no intention of ever letting anyone else read it – cutting and pasting is fun!
* Make some gorgeous fabric flowers using Emybloom’s brilliant tutorial (part 2 here!).
* Read these super-inspiring articles:
* Pick up an old point and shoot film camera and remind yourself of what it was like to have to take 24 or 36 photos then wait for them to be developed before you could see how they came out!
* Write a letter by hand.
How are you planning to make this week sparkle?
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Whew, I can’t believe it’s July already! It has been a bit of a struggle, but I think I’ve finally rediscovered my “blogging mojo” (which in itself is something to be happy about) and I’m feeling rather inspired at the moment! This week has been particularly enjoyable due to:
* Cats – Specifically my parents’ cat, Daisy. Much of my weekend was spent playing with her, with the occasional visit from her friend, the imaginatively-named Kitty, who lives up the road.
* Doctor Who – I swear this last series was one of the best pieces of television ever! The attention to detail was superb and I intend to watch every episode back-to-back sometime soon to see with hindsight what I missed the first time around!
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* Air Shows – I love them! I went to the Biggin Hill Air Fair on Saturday and it was marvellous fun! I even managed to come home without any sunburn – a rare event indeed!
* Photography – I have a marvellous new Diana F+ that I can’t wait to start using once I’ve bought some film (yes, I changed my mind againand decided that yes, I would try lomography) and I had a great time taking air show photos on Saturday.
* Shooooooes- Yesterday I placed an order for a pair of Vivienne Westwood for Melissa 3-strap elevated heels in bright beautiful red! I was going to order the black originally (more versatile) but then I found the red ones for only £80 (around £110 everywhere else) and realised I already have lots of black shoes. I hope they fit me properly, with the platform making the height difference only 2.5″ they seem like perfect “training heels” and they’re beautiful to boot! I may even buy other colours if they’re as awesome as I hope they will be!
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* Wine Recommendations – Specifically the ones some of you lovely people left on my previous TiLT – they’re all written in my Moleskine ready for next time I go shopping for wine!
* Zines – I recently received all of Eleanor Jane’s Girl Photographer zines, and they are rather fabulous. I keep meaning to have a go at producing my own, maybe this summer will be the right time to give it a shot.
* Other – Weekend party plans, My morning coffee, Travelling on empty trains during football matches, Having motivation again, Clinique City Block (total lifesaver), Booking driving lessons, Buying gifts for family, Joining IFB (add me as a friend!), Watching documentaries when I can’t sleep, Cool showers.
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
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I am a big bunch of contradictions when it comes to style and fashion. I used to resent the fashion industry for promoting an image there’s no way I could ever come close to achieving, but in recent years I’ve come to love it despite myself. I used to feel almost “unworthy” of pretty things by virtue of not ”fitting the mould”, but now I strongly believe that everyone has a right to style. At first, I shied away from blogging about it as I really don’t feel comfortable with the concept of posting outfit shots – I generally avoid having to look at photos of myself! I love reading about other peoples’ sartorial choices however, indeed some of my favourite blogs are fashion blogs, and I love talking about clothes, etc. so I feel that now may be the time to venture into writing about them too. Don’t expect daily outfit pics any time soon however!
To that end, I thought a post outlining my relationship with fashion and style was in order. Having been born with very visible severe Scoliosis, I’ve always had to make my clothing choices carefully, and there are some trends that have always been “out of my reach” – bodycon is the stuff of my nightmares. Some may see trying to disguise my “condition” (for want of a better word) with carefully-chosen clothing as body shame, I see it as working with what I have.
Like many people, some days I feel down about the way I look, hiding in baggy clothing and not going out unless I have to. Most of the time however, my clothes and make-up give me confidence – I can put together a pretty outfit and allow the clothes to draw attention to the features I do like – usually my legs.
I also have ridiculously narrow feet, shoulders that are about 2 sizes narrower than my hips, a torso that’s so disproportionate to my legs that I end up buying petite size tops and tall-size jeans (when I buy both tops and trousers at the same time some of the looks I get from shop assistants are quite hilarious, particularly buying tall jeans when I’m only 5’1) and I can’t walk in heels to save my life. I’m trying to work on the latter but the rest I’ll just have to live with.
I’m writing this so that I have a post I can link to whenever I write about what I personally wear, buy, or wish for, that goes some way to explaining why I make the clothing choices I do. I’m not asking for a “pity party” in sharing this, in fact, in some ways it has made shopping really easy for me – having to be so careful with what I wear for so long means that now I can walk into a shop and pick things up that I know will suit me, often without trying them on. It certainly makes life a lot easier for the boy when he’s forced to come shopping with me!
This is part 1. Now that the “serious” stuff is out of the way, part 2 will be all about what I do wear, rather than the limitations!
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