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 [...]]]> Photo Credit

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.

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.

Photo Credit

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:

• How to Stay Afloat When Everyone’s Trying to Pull You Down
• This body is mine to love, not yours to criticize
• Ask Nubby: I am 19 and want to be a designer. What should I do?
• A letter to the editor - of Vogue Italia, well worth a read.

* 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?

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 [...]]]> Photo Credit

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!

Why Don’t You:

* Treat yourself to something you’ve coveted for ages but always talk yourself out of buying for one reason or another. We all deserve an occasional indulgence after all! I finally bought a bottle of Chanel No. 5 on Saturday, having never found a fragrance that tops it, [...]]]> Photo Credit

Why Don’t You:

* Treat yourself to something you’ve coveted for ages but always talk yourself out of buying for one reason or another. We all deserve an occasional indulgence after all! I finally bought a bottle of Chanel No. 5 on Saturday, having never found a fragrance that tops it, but always having talked myself out of it in the past because my mother wears it – a ridiculous reason really!

* Sing- in the shower, in public, after a few drinks, on a deserted hilltop channeling your inner Julie Andrews, I always find belting out one of my favourite tunes, badly or otherwise, is such a mood-lifter!

* Read your favourite childhood books again! I recently re-read Mathilda and loved it just as much as I did as a kid. The bonus is that easy-to-read childrens’ books are brilliant for noisy work lunchrooms or short bus trips as they don’t require much concentration.

* Blog Posts:

Cool Tools from Yes and Yesis a one-stop resource for bloggers looking for image hosts, editing software, photo sources etc.

The Value of Reading from Tres Lola is a great post if your RSS reader is looking a bit tired, or you’re just in the need of some great bloggy inspiration.

On Clothes and Identity, plus the follow-up post from No Signposts in the Sea is ally interesting look at how what we wear matters.

Even though I’ve no intention of emigrating any time soon, Amanda Lee’s post; Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Moved To New York is never-the-less really great advice for anyone moving anywhere new.

What’s inspiring you this week?

Photo Credit

In the last few months this blog has gone through a bit of a “dry spell” in terms of content, mostly due to the amount of time I’ve had to devote to my course. It’s made me really think about where I want to go with the site [...]]]>

Photo Credit

In the last few months this blog has gone through a bit of a “dry spell” in terms of content, mostly due to the amount of time I’ve had to devote to my course. It’s made me really think about where I want to go with the site though, and I’ve decided that a major overhaul is in order.

* My Own Photography- I see so many gorgeous images in blogs / sites like weheartit and flickr and I think now is the time to try my hand at creating some myself, so I hope that there will be fewer borrowed images and more original ones shortly.

* More Personal Posts- I’m not planning on turning this into a diary, I have a much-neglected livejournal for that, but I’ve had some experiences in my time that would make good blog posts, and I’d like to share them with others.

* Style / Fashion Posts – I have a bit of an odd relationship with fashion, which deserves and will get a post of it’s own, but I read and enjoy quite a few style blogs and I love clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, etc. so I’d like to try writing about style in my own way. I’m not sure I’ll be posting outfit photos anytime soon, but maybe some day I’ll have the confidence to do so.

* Food – It’s one of my favourite things and the few recipes I’ve posted here seem to be amongst the most popular posts in the archives. Now that I have a little more time to experiment in the kitchen, I hope to have some delicious creations to share.

* Geeky Things – Because, well, I’m a nerd and I like talking about techie stuff I wish I could afford, Online topics, fabulously geeky TV shows, etc.

* Books – My first love, long before I became a computer geek, now that I have time to read more I might as well share the book love!

Of course, the new content won’t be limited to just these topics, I basically plan to start writing on a wider variety of topics and putting a bit more of me into it. I think somewhere along the way I lost sight of the fact that primarily, I blog because I love writing, and the most important thing is to keep enjoying it. It took an enforced break for me to realise it, but now that I have, I feel refreshed and full of ideas!

Is there anything you think I should be writing about? Anything I’ve mentioned in passing that I should expand on? Let me know!

Whew, it’s been a roller-coaster week of too much work, too little time and far too much despairing of my shockingly poor immune system. I’m recovering however, and have resolved to remember to keep taking vitamins every day, not just when I get ill!

This week I particularly adore:

Photo Credit

Whew, it’s been a roller-coaster week of too much work, too little time and far too much despairing of my shockingly poor immune system. I’m recovering however, and have resolved to remember to keep taking vitamins every day, not just when I get ill!

This week I particularly adore:

* Ice Lollies – First the boiling hot weather, then the chest infection / sore throat combination I’ve managed to pick up have made ice lollies essential to my survival this week! I think I ate around 7 of them on Sunday afternoon alone!

* Weird spam comments- “Christina Aguilera is the greatest! Ignore all haters” on an old Sparkle Roundup post from a website advertising prescription medication? These things amuse me, and sort  of make me long for the day when I receive a spam comment that defeats the odds and actually makes sense in reference to the post it’s on.

Photo Credit

* Glee!- The last episode (the last one shown in the UK anyway) was total fangirl heaven for me! Directed by Joss Wheadon and guest starring Neil Patrick Harris, including a totally awesome performance of Dream Onby Aerosmith (one of my all-time favourite songs)!

* The Weather- Beautiful and hot at the weekend, cooling down over the week, it’s allowed me to test-drive my summer wardrobe but it’s not too uncomfortable walking to the bus stop to work! If only we could be guaranteed hot weekends and slightly cooler weekdays all summer I’d be really happy!

* Cooking – I’ve flexed my culinary muscles a little this week and cooked a few new things as opposed to relying on old favourites and quick, simple meals. It’s probably because I’m procrastinating and should be revising, but this sudden urge to cook is yielding some rather tasty results!

Photo Credit

* Other  * Fresh cream banoffee cake (from a colleague’s birthday, it was divine!) * Having trainers that fit * Watching documentaries on iPlayer, 4Od etc * Starting to watch Leverage and rather enjoying it * Reading the Lost spoilers and finding out I was right about quite a lot of things * Seeing blue sky through roof windows * Custard donuts *Chewable orange flavour 1000mg vitamin c tablets * Eating spoonfuls of honey using my sore throat as an excuse * Making plans for when my exams are over *

What’s making your week sparkle?

TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling

Photo Credit

The weeks are going by really quickly at the moment as it gets closer to exam time and the end of my course, but that also means I’m getting closer and closer to having a social life and plenty of time to write again!

* The Sunshine – It’s [...]]]>  

Photo Credit

The weeks are going by really quickly at the moment as it gets closer to exam time and the end of my course, but that also means I’m getting closer and closer to having a social life and plenty of time to write again!

* The Sunshine – It’s finally starting to feel like summer over here, this morning I regretted taking a jacket to work because I was far too warm after my 5 minute walk to the bus stop! I’m just hoping it stays this way now so that I can enjoy it properly after my exams!

* Shopping Success – Two separate Online shopping orders of several items each and it all fits perfectly! This never happens to me, usually I end up having to send loads of items back, sometimes multiple times!

Photo Credit

* The Party – Our apartment-warming party was a resounding success! We managed to buy just enough snack food for everyone who attended, the conversation was fabulous and it was just brilliant fun! Even the cleaning up afterwards was easy!

* Dancing – After the party we went to the University rock night, something I haven’t been to in a good couple of years and although I felt rather old, it was an excellent evening! I danced until my feet were red raw and enjoyed every minute of it! I don’t think I’ve had that much of a workout in years!

* Understanding – As much as I loathe revising for exams, that moment when you suddenly fully understand something and everything clicks into place is a fantastic feeling.

Photo Credit

* Other – Drinking enormous amounts of water and feeling the effect on my skin, home-made sushi, embracing the pale pink trend, bringing out the green tea perfume again, HAVING PROPER INTERNET! (still), curling up on my new sofa with a good book, lower electricity bills than expected, fresh blueberries, fruit juice ice lollies (my new addiction), revision notes on my phone – so useful, other peoples’ birthdays (and the associated sweets and snacks in the office), having shiny red hair again without roots!

What’s making your week sparkle?

This Thursday I love:

* Democracy – This is probably another example of what a huge nerd I am, but I love General Elections! The discussion, the excitement, even the queueing at the polling station, then staying up as late as possible and watching the results come in! I’ve [...]]]> Photo Credit

This Thursday I love:

* Democracy – This is probably another example of what a huge nerd I am, but I love General Elections! The discussion, the excitement, even the queueing at the polling station, then staying up as late as possible and watching the results come in! I’ve found it quite difficult to make up my mind this year, but I think I’ve finally decided. (I’m voting in a couple of hours, stopping off at the polling station after work).

* Getting Sorted- We are so close to getting the apartment sorted out now, we have a sofa on the way, I think I’ve finally found all the items I thought I’d mis-laid and it’s really feeling like a home now!

Photo Credit

* Being Unashamedly Geeky- Enjoying my revision, political nerdery and Cava-fuelled passionate discussions about trans-humanism and the geeky books I read as a young teenager that had a huge impact on my outlook on life.

* Literary Nostalgia – Ordering copies of said geeky books after multiple eBay and Amazon searches! I’ll probably end up posting about them – I can’t wait to read some of my favourites again!

* Soundtracking- After a few months spent without a working portable music player, (my ancient iPod finally started having problems), I now have a new shiny Sony player and it feels great to have a life soundtrack again!

Photo Credit

* Other – Yet more hotel bargains, Diet Coke in glass bottles, Garlic-stuffed olives, Catching up with Castle, Really being able to plan the housewarming party now that it’s close, T-shirt weather, Fresh clean sheets, making the greatest chilli in the world and having enough to freeze for later, Honey on… everything, Turquoise nails, Clothes I thought I’d lost, Feeling healthier, Music!

What’s making your week sparkle?

* The apartment, still, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet! * Having time for a morning coffee * Getting to work on time, even for the early shift, without having to rush! * The fact that the master phone socket turned out to be right next to my desk – [...]]]> Photo Credit

* The apartment, still, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet! * Having time for a morning coffee * Getting to work on time, even for the early shift, without having to rush! * The fact that the master phone socket turned out to be right next to my desk – all the bandwidth will be miiiiine! * My Mobile Broadband dongle for keeping me sane until said Internet is installed * TOAST! I bought a toaster last week, having been without one for 18 months and I have become obsessed with toast! * Getting my bus routes worked out * Long weekends * Feeling more awake * Warmer weather – I almost feel confident that I can get my winter coat dry-cleaned and mended now without missing it! * Starting to get used to climbing the stairs to the apartment * Cava *

What’s making your week sparkle?

It’s been a bit of a big week!

* FINISHING MY COURSEWORK! * Getting the keys to the new apartment * The Big Bang Theory (Wheeatooooon!) * Having to wait for someone, so passing the time reading Grazia in a pub with a JD & coke * Hugh Laurie [...]]]> Photo Credit

It’s been a bit of a big week!

* FINISHING MY COURSEWORK! * Getting the keys to the new apartment * The Big Bang Theory (Wheeatooooon!) * Having to wait for someone, so passing the time reading Grazia in a pub with a JD & coke * Hugh Laurie – not only is his TV career fabulous but I’ve just started reading The Gun Seller and it’s awesome! * Seriously considering attending Infest this year * Great deals on posh cava * Purging my wardrobe – both for the feelgood charity-giving factor and because it makes way for new purchases! * Discussing politics over dinner (I’m such a nerd!) * Lemon cake for breakfast (for a colleague’s birthday) * Sleep! *

What’s making your week sparkle?