Baroque Boudoir

The Horror, The Horror

2012-02-14T13:06:00.000Z

Although it's Valentine's Day, I've spent most of this watching some pretty disturbing Butoh dance videos on YouTube after stumbling across Frauke on Fashion Installation.

Originating in post-war Japan, Butoh dance performances involve "playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup with slow hyper-controlled motion, with or without an audience." (wikipedia)

Kazuo Ohno

Sankai Juku. These guys are my favourite and by the looks of things, the most well known contemporary group. Check out more of their work on You Tube. Most of the embedding options were disabled.

Traditional Butoh from one of the Masters

More contemporary versions. "LuLu" is NSFW.

Floristry Taster - Week 3

2012-02-09T09:28:00.000Z

leather fern // gypsophila // eryngium // iris // rose // statice

First attempt at creating a presentation bouquet. Can you spot the mistake? The top rose stem is making the cardinal mistake of crossing the other stems.

Second attempt and problem sorted.

Attempting to master the all important 'spiral'

Voila! The finished product. I was quite pleased with what I produced this week. I managed to achieve my final look at only the second attempt. Like last week, this made me feel quite smug. Not only have I learned a new skill, but I've also learned that I have a really nasty competitive streak and will plough over anyone in an attempt to be 'teacher's pet'. This is not a good thing. But I couldn't help but beam with delight when the teacher came round and said, "Perfect. Yellow and purple is one of my favourite colour combinations." My heart skipped a beat and I did a wee dance inside.

I got a call yesterday to say that next week's class has been postponed due to staff CPD at the college. What a shit excuse! It's Valentine's and I bet the staff just want the night off. So my hand-tied will have to wait. I plan to practice for a fortnight and have it mastered before I even get there. (See! How horrible is that?!!)

Guns N Roses

2012-02-07T16:28:00.000Z

Axl Rose turned 50 yesterday. Happy Birthday my fellow ginger ninja! Here he is posing in October 1985.

Doing his thang in a pair of leather chaps at Radio City in Anaheim, California, October, 1985 (Pic:Getty)

Onstage with Slash at Rock In Rio II on January 15, 1991

As I remember him, at the MTV Awards picking up best video for November Rain. And let's just leave it there. No one needs to see pictures of Axl AFTER 1992.

Instead, I'll leave you with some beautiful roses that arrived a work for me today. A total surprise from my sneeky but wonderful husband. Altogether now, "Awwwwww...."

Piercing Beauty

2012-02-07T11:02:00.000Z

I'd never do it - because I'm a big fearty - but these Givenchy Couture shots really make me wish I had my septum pierced like Angelica or Aoife.

Before The Rain

2012-02-06T12:39:00.000Z

ASOS turban // vintage Jaeger jacket // orange pussy bow blouse (£8 in the New Look sale) // H&M faux fur scarf // Topshop trousers // TK Maxx boots

Nipped into Shawlands on Saturday afternoon for a spot of lunch with Mr G and then a London Fog at Beanscene with Miss Lou. Left the house and it was cloudy but dry. Then the man upstairs must've left the bath tap running. It poured and poured and poured. The rest of the world gets snow. Glasgow gets pissing rain. And I choose to wear a tweed jacket with velvet cuffs n collar. Not a happy bunny. Hope you all had a good weekend x

Floristry Taster - Week 2

2012-02-03T16:23:00.000Z

This week I made my very first buttonhole/corsage. I'm jolly pleased with it, even though I had to make do with a bunch of flowers from the Co-op. The florist I've been using didn't really have anything suitable in stock when I popped in at the last minute (2 hours before my class - eek!)

It was far more technical than last week's effort, which really appealed to my technical side. I like to have a bit of structure and some rules to follow/break.

My apparatus: leaves, florist tape, wire and ribbon.

Wiring my rose leaves (not the best choice as they are too soft, but for practicing they did the job)

Wiring the ferny stuff - not even sure what it's called *slaps wrist*

Taping the wires - probably the most tricky part

Wiring and taping the flowers (and my crap bow which I chose not to include in the final display. Not keen on them in general. Think they are a bit tacky.)

The final result from behind.

And from the front.

IMG Model Show Package

2012-02-02T14:30:00.000Z

I stumbled over IMG's Model Show Package for Fall/Winter 2012 on LilyLoveLock's blog earlier today and couldn't help but 'steal' a few pictures. I'm not really a fan of any particular model, but I graduated in Art History so these collages really appeal to me. To see the full package visit the Fashionising site.

Mission Impossible

2012-01-31T16:36:00.000Z

...Saturday afternoon....

....1500 hours...

.....5 hours since last feeding session....

.....the situation is tense and reaching boiling point...

Emergency averted!

Hotdogs and popcorn all round!

After busying myself tidying the flat and dying my hair on Saturday morning I got itchy feet and wanted to go out and do something. Mr G suggested we go see a film. As I've said before, I'm not really a huge cinema fan. After a bit of debating we settled on Mission Impossible 4 at the IMAX. Not normally my cup of tea, but I can always be tempted by the promise of cinema grub. I skipped lunch in anticipation of a hot dog with mustard AND ketchup, but as you can see for the top photo, I was hank marvin by the time we arrived at the Science Centre complex - not a good look!!

I settled into my seat in the relatively quiet cinema - just the way I like it - and promptly wrapped my laughing gear aound my hotdog. It was gone before the opening credits but luckily I had a tub of popcorn to keep me amused a bit longer. I usually last about 30 mins before I start to complain that I'm too cold and another 15 mins before I'm asleep. And for my IMAX viewing pleasure, I also brought along my earbuds because it's always ridiculously loud and I literally have to cover my ears in pain.

It's normally an impossible mission to keep me awake throughout the entire film, but wee Tom and the utterly fantasic Simon Pegg held my attention right to the very end. In fact, I actaully had my fingers physically crossed as Tom leapt around that building!

I have no right to review films properly as I usually forget what I've just watched about an hour later, but I hereby give Mission Impossible 4 5/5.

Mango Intense Copper

2012-01-30T19:01:00.000Z

To the left...

And to the right...

...Jump up and down - I've got a new haircut!!

Last Saturday I cashed in my Groupon voucher for a cut and restyle at Ellen Conlin hairdressers in Giffnock. After I decided I was gonna go back to my old bob style, I kept my eyes peeled for a good voucher option. Ellen Conlin has a beautiful salon out the west end of Glasgow which I've passed on many occasions and always thought, "Hmmm, that looks like a good hairdressers". So, when the Groupon deal popped up just after Christmas I couldn't help but check it out. To my delight, she has a sister salon just down the road from me, on the Southside. Twenty quid and just a few stops on the bus. Perfect.

The salon has flat screen TVs at each chair - tres posh! So whilst the lovely Kimberley snipped away, I giggled to a good old episode of The Big Bang Theory - Bazinga!!

I asked for a chin-length, classic bob and showed her the pics of Karen Elson I had on my phone. She was a little apprehensive about cutting my fringe so short and so blunt at the sides. I think it went against all her proper training and instincts. But, overall, I think she did a grand job. What do you think?

I freshened up my colour with L'Oreal Feria Mango Intense Copper. I switched to this colour just before Christmas. Although I ADORE my L'Oreal Majicontrast, it just refuses to hold in my hair. The Feria one is a little darker, but has more staying power. I had planned to return to my trusty old black, but have decided to keep the copper/orange/ginger for a wee while longer.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts about my dad. He's still in hospital, but definitely on the mend. With everything that's been going on recently I completely forgot about my wee blog's 2nd birthday on 24th January-oops! Hope you all had a good weekend x

Floristry Taster - Week 1

2012-01-27T15:45:00.000Z

Anyone that's been following me since November will know about my sudden obsession with becoming a florist. No idea where the idea sprang from, but I've been planning my career change ever since. My first experience was at a fantastic Christmas workshop in Roots and Fruits, Glasgow. After making my own table centrepiece and a beautiful wreath I was bitten by the bug. Mr G signed me up for a 6 week taster course at Langside College that started on Tuesday night...

"Please bring a single flower, some foliage, a pair of scissors and some gyp if you so desire."

After many failed google attempts at 'gyp' I had to give in and ask my mum. It's short for gypsophila, commonly known as Baby's Breath - tiny little white flowers. So, I popped into a local florist after work on Tuesday and selected 2 beautiful lilac roses (a spare in case I made a mistake!), some eucalyptus leaves for foliage and some unidentified white flowers as they didn't have any gyp in stock. After a quick bite to eat I trotted up the road to the college with my rather small 'bouquet' and a pair of scissors in my bag.

Week 1 - A single flower arrangement

I know, it looks kinda basic. It IS basic, but we were taught a few important starting skills which we need to master before we go any further. Most importantly, the correct way to layer up stems and tie a nice strong knot (in the correct place) in order for us to produce larger bouquets in the future. We were also shown a few different ways to wrap the cellophane around. Again, pretty basic stuff, but the girl taught a few tricks of the trade which should help in the future if I'm going to be banging out 20 of these in one go.

After the cellophane came the trickiest part of all - the dreaded bow! There are 13 of us in the class. Every single one of us struggled. I came to the quick realisation that we all had the same problem - we only had two hands each. In order to hold the flowers, tie the knot, construct the bow and assemble everything together, you need an extra hand. I have searched on Ebay, but I haven't had any luck. If anyone would like to donate a 'spare hand' over the weekend, please get in touch at the usual address. I have been instructed to bring along a perfect bow to next Tuesday's class. Homework!!

I decided to release my beautiful roses from their, dare I say, slightly tacky, cellophane prison after I took the shot above. Here they are in all their glory:

On display alongside David LaChapelle's photo of the late, great Alexander McQueen and the equally late, great, Isabella Blow. Just in the background you'll catch a glimpse of digital artwork gifted to me by the Smu.

Style Crush - Ilona Smithkin

2012-01-26T16:39:00.000Z

Ilona Smithkin from Advanced Style

How much do I need those eyelashes!

Happily Grazing

2012-01-26T12:44:00.000Z

Sorry for the long absence. Had a bit of a crap week last week. My dad took ill whilst working in Malta and I flew out to visit him in hospital for a few days. He's still not 100% and my poor mum is out there on her own with him, so to be honest, my mind's been in other places. Hopefully he'll be well enough to fly home soon.

A dreary day at work was lifted yesterday with the arrival of my first ever Graze Box! I hadn't heard of the company until a friend offered me a voucher to claim my first box for free a few weeks ago. Thanks Smu! I promptly ordered up and just as promptly forgot all about it. So it's arrival yesterday with the postman was a bit of a surprise. I felt very special and a wee bit posh having my lunch delivered to the office.

My personal welcome, a flyer for a new wee book I've been gifted (top left) and my well loved Sons of Anarchy mouse mat (top right)

What is Graze?
It's a beautifully packaged little box of nutritious and delicious tasty treats, delivered direct to your door, as often as you want, for only £3.79 a pop. You can rate each of the 100 or more options as LOVE, LIKE, TRY or BIN. Mr G described it perfectly as "Love Film for lunch". I chose the 'lightbox' which means every wee punnet is between 54 and 146 calories. I got a cherry tomato, basil and puglian pesto focaccia, fig roll, very nori-sh and the waldorf. I've bumped everything up to LOVE except the fig roll which was nice, but not as amazing as the other 3.

A few morsels of my Waldorf Salad that I tried so hard NOT to scoff in 10 seconds flat. Failed. Will try harder next week to master the art of Grazing.

Fancy giving it a go? Click HERE and use my code (8NWT2KZC) to receive your first box for FREE x

Spring/Summer Inspiration

2012-01-16T14:25:00.000Z

Quiet weekend. Had a duvet day on Saturday and then doddled into town on Sunday afternoon for a spot of lunch at Sloan's Bar before settling down at the cinema to watch 'The Artist'.

I've got to admit, I'm not really a cinema-goer. I hate having people sit behind me, next to me or in front of me. I hate the sickly smell of nacho cheese mixed with hotdogs and more than anything, I hate the noise - the rustling, the chewing and the unnecessarily loud soundtrack. Normally when asked if I want to go see a film I'm only tempted by the promise of popcorn and a nap. However, as I've been obsessing over the 1920s for the past few months, the idea of going to see a silent film set at the end of the era kinda floated my boat.

The film did not disappoint. It looks stunning and the attention to historical detail is beautiful. The actual storyline is a little weak, but to be honest, I wasn't really there for the story. I was there for the cinematography (and the silence!) We have a copy of Pandora's Box at home so I'll be getting stuck into that over the next few weeks as well.

My Spring/Summer is going to be all about drop waist dresses, embellished turbans and t-bar shoes. I'm going to shimmy and shimmer my way through to autumn! Hopefully with the help of ASOS's 21st Century Gatsby trend guide.

Here's a wee photo of me from Sunday. It was icy cold outside, but the sun was streaming through the blinds so I took advantage of it, coupled with my new camera phone (Samsung Galaxy S2), to show off my Amy Winehouse for Fred Perry scarf - a beautiful birthday pressie from Spinal Lou. The headscarf was an attempt to do something - anything - with my overgrown fringe. This time next week I SHOULD be the owner a freshly cut bob. Happy days.

River Of Stripes

2012-01-13T16:51:00.000Z

Lime Stripe Shirt Dress £40 // Black Stripe Shirt Dress £40

Tube Skirt £22 // Pencil Skirt £25

Wide Stripe Trousers £30 // Striped Ponti Leggings £22

If you're a long time follower you'll know of my addiction to stripes. Can you imagine the whirring noises in my brain when I popped into River Island at 5 to 5 the other night to return jeans for Mr G and saw these beauties staring me in the face?? Striped oot ma nut!! Want them all. That is all.

Hairspiration for 2012

2012-01-11T12:01:00.000Z

Karen Elson by Ellen von Unwerth for Vogue US, from Spinning Bird Kick

Karen Elson from Bohemia

Louise Brooks bob in orange. Straight and curly. Appointment booked for Saturday 21st January. Can't wait!

Teacake Titillation

2012-01-09T16:27:00.000Z

It's tea time at work and for the first time in ages I whipped out a cheeky wee Tunnock's Teacake to accompany my builders tea. Within seconds the conversation revolved around which Tunnock's delight each of us preferred. After much uhm-ing and oh-ing the lowly Wafer, Log and Snowball were all usurped by the out and out winner, the humble Teacake. Sweet, but not overly sweet, with a moist biscuity base.

It wasn't long before this photo of nipple tassels popped up on our screens - thanks to DC for the link! The tassels, or 'Teacake Titillation' by Fiona Wilson, were on display at Luke and Jack's Virginia Gallery as part of the group exhibition, TEASE, last Sept/Oct. Uh-mazing! Unfortunately I only had one teacake today. Will bring another tomorrow and we can make our own!

Another gorgeous painting that was due to go on display alongside the tassles was STOLEN before the exhibition even opened! If anyone has any information, please contact the artist directly.

Sale Fail

2012-01-07T18:31:00.000Z

I'm usually an absolute whizz at the sales. I've got my technique nailed, and 9 times out of 10 I always manage to bag a bloody good bargain. This year however, I think my mojo has been blown away in the recent storms...

December 28th
I chummed up with one of my best pals to brave the weather and hit the shops. This is very restrained for me. I'm usually gagging to get in there ASAP. Maybe this was the first sign of my waivering abilities?

Armed with my list - ALWAYS have a list, and generally speaking, always manage to stick to it, we headed straight for Frasers. First stop Origins for a nicely packaged gift box with an even nicer discount. RESULT. Next on the list was 'leather jacket, long sleeves and collar'. Well, I'd already had a good hunt online and couldn't find anything so it was no surprise that the stores didn't yield any goodies either. The only other najor item on my list was 'new phone'. But that's not really a girly shopping experience, so that was quickly dropped and the hunt was on for 'something I've seen full price but knew would go into sale'. I had about £70 budget to play with. Headed straight for the Label Lab concession asI'd spotted this wee beauty last month:

Do I need another fake fur coat?? Do I hell, but this was reduced from £110 to £65 - bargaintastic! And it's soooooo soft! Shopping trip over, Christina and I headed to the pub for some 'light refreshments'. Got home, admittedly a little bit squiffy, immediately donned my new purchased and swanned around the flat like Cruella on coke, pestering the life out of Mr G:

"It's so pretty! Feel it - it's soooooo soft! Feel it! Feel it!"

Only to realise at this point that I'd been rattling him about the face with the security tag... Oops! I would normally go on a rant about now complaining wildly about incompetant staff n all, but the girl that served me was cute as a button - looked just like Angelica, so, I forgive her. I folded the coat away with the intention of returning in the New Year to have the tag removed.

Hogmanay (Dec 31st)
I'm sat sat at the computer, sipping on my (3rd) glass of Cava and casually reading through everyone else's New Year's resolutions. I (automatically) opened a new tab and begin to browse for 'leather jacket'- just in case...

... what popped up? Only THEE Sara Berman jacket I've been after for e-ons reduced from £439 to £154!! Long sleeves - check. Collar - check. Not to mention the leopard print lining and massive fringed sleeves (that are REMOVABLE *squeal*). After a brief "Should I? Shouldn't I?" moment, the jacket was in the 'bag' and the transaction completed within 2 minutes - Happy New Year Madame G! If I return the £65 fur coat to Frasers, that will bring the price of the Berman down to under £100 - which was my sale budget anyway (does anyone else's mind work this way??)

January 2nd
The BBC reports the worst storm to hit Glasgow for decades. Roofs are being ripped off, trees are blocking roads. But I need to return my fur coat. I'll wait til after lunch - it'll have calmed down by then. Two o'clock and I'm proudly battering against the wind heading into town. Place is deserted - brilliant! Nip straight into Frasers, explain about the security tag, get an apology and promptly return the coat. Have a wee wander through the store, ohh-ing and ahh-ing at the MAC counter then decide to treat myself to a Starbucks - last one before the NY fasting. Order a Grande 'fat' latte and get comfy - nice and quiet. Whip out my phone to check the old facebook, twitter, the usual. Get an email alert:

"Hi Lisa

I am very sorry, but the Salamander Rose Fringe Jacket is from our SS11 collection and this jacket sold our in our SS11 sale. I have spoken to our IT department and they are not sure, how this product was still available for purchase.

Once again I am very sorry and we will refund the full amount, today.

Kindest regards"

Noooooooo!!! Absolutely gutted. Now I have NO Berman and NO fur coat :-(

Epic sale fail.

I was on the verge of leaving town with nothing. This can't be happening. I never leave town with nothing. What can I do?

Jump into the nearest O2 shop and cross off the last niggling item on 'the list' - New Phone. Swapped my 2 year old iPhone 3G for a swanky new ceramic white Samsung Galaxy S2. Phone was free and my contract has almost halfed - RESULT - finally!

January 5th

Still miffed at my lack of sale bargains. It's late night shopping. Trudge through All Saints - nothing. Urban Outfitters - nada. New Look? Treasure trove! Trundled into the fitting rooms with 7 possibilities and came out with 3 'gotta have it's'. A long line orange pussy bow blouse (£8), a floral summer dress (£5) - easily transformed with a chunky cardigan and a pair of Docs, and a yellow plaid jacket - £44.99 down to £10. Now that's more like it! It's not quite the Beckerman jacket that I've been lusting after for years, but it's a pretty good knock-off version of Chris Benz's A/W 2010 one that was spotted on Iman and a few other slebs. And did I mention it was a tenner - a tenner!!

Beckerman sisters // Chris Benz

Also sporting my new 'dangly' earrings. Amazing Galibardy skeletons which were a birthday present from my fantastic brother and his equally fantastic fiance - thanks Sam and Laura!

Have no idea what's going on with my face in this one. Putting it down to squinting at the incredibly bright flash produced by my new phone. P.S. These pics were taken by Mr G using said new phone :-)

2011 Round-Up

2011-12-31T16:26:00.000Z

January
Hogmanay Pugh-style. I donned my turquoise wig, fake Gareth Pugh wedges, Zana Bayne wings and a whole lotta leather to bring in the New Year. This here wee blog also celebrated her first birthday.

February
Celebrating the end of my 20s at our Labyrinth inspired ball and my first ever MAC make-over. Got spoiled rotten on Valentine's Day!

March
Experimented with long extensions before going from black to ginger.

April
Experimented with curls, blue and black lipstick. Still obsessed with Gareth Pugh. Won a beautiful Sak Label necklace from Wobblin Betty and met a whole host of wonderful gals at the Scottish Ballet Blogger Meet-Up.

May
Discovered Loreal Majicontrast and finally achieved ORANGE (and my most popular post ever...). Endured hours 6 and 7 under the needle to complete my peacock backpiece. Got a kiss from the world's number one rock star - Mr Robin Guy *squeal*

June
Mental month at work - resulting in quiet month for blogging. Went for hot chocolate delights with my brother and his fiance to celebrate their respective birthdays and wore one of my favourite summer outfits.

July
July started out badly. We lost our wee cat, Lydia. She was the happiest, wonkiest wee creature and we still miss her wet nose kisses and her pneumatic purr.

The rest of the month was all about the HAIR... I flirted with the Fauxhawk, crushed on other bloggers, rocked out to some 'quality' hair metal and began dabbling with the top knot. July ended on a happier note - by getting tattooed with my 2 besties x

August
Back to a slower pace of life in August... Was treated to a wonderful hot stone massage courtesy of the lovely ladies at Zen Lifestyle in Edinburgh and jetted off to sunny Tenerife for a week's holibags. Got prickly heat which sucked, but also got to pet a monkey - pet a freakin' monkey!!!

September
Discovered the naughty but terribly nice, Age of Reason scarves (Mr G blew me away on Christmas morning by sneaking in an extra wee pressie - the Bondage Doll scarf!! Outfit post will follow in 2012). Chopped my fringe after a nail biting blog comp selected "long hair, short fringe". Went to visit my wee mammy for the Largs Viking Festival fireworks display.

October
FINALLY got my eyes tested and snapped up 2 bargain pairs of specs from Glasses Direct - highly recommended! Won a fantastic ring from Bad Passion. Rocked some trademark leopard print and vintage Jaeger to Glasgow's best fashion event, In The Company of Wolves. Made a life-changing decision to retrain as a florist...

November
Another month of highs and lows. November started out with an early birthday surprise from the gorgeous Miss Spinal Lou - the little minx only booked me in to have my ears pierced! Just in time for party of the year - our pals' 'This is NOT a wedding party', party!

Things turned sour shortly afterwards when my Grandad passed away. But all lows must surely be followed by a high - a lovely, long-overdue family reunion.

December
Made the decision to call it a day with the orange hair and revert back to my trusty old black bob. Dabbled in cosmetic surgery, took part in my very first official Floristry class and generally had a good time this month. For those hardcore fashionistas out there, check out Mr G's wonderful 'Spinning Bird Kick's Editorials of the Year.'

Plans for 2012?
Out with the old and in with the new: New hair, new career, new flat and new skills - driving and saving! Can't wait to read all about everyone's plans for 2012. Also looking forward to discovering new blogs, so, if you follow me and I haven't checked out your blog yet, leave me a wee comment below....

...and that about wraps things up nicely for 2011.

I wish you all the best for the New Year!
Love Lisa x

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:08:00.000Z

Ho ho ho!! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa is good to you.
We're off to the 'shire this afternoon for Christmas with my folks and then, weather permitting, we'll be crossing the Clyde to the good ole isle of Bute to catch up with the in-laws.

Eat, drink and be merry xxx

Bernice Bobs Her Hair

2011-12-22T15:18:00.000Z

So, I'm finally back at work (boo) after my nasty throat/cough/sinus mutation virus. Spending two whole days in the flat gave me lots of time to think and plan - one of my most favourite hobbies! Planning and list-making. My love of all things Art Deco has once again reared it's decadent head. I've been creeping all over Tumblr sites such as Maudelynn's Menagerie, FY1920s, So You Think You Can See and my favourite, the Sydney Flapper searching out inspiration for my new/old hairdo. I adore my orange hair, but it just refuses to hold the colour and after a week it's a piss yellow shade - which I hate. I also hate the cut, or lack thereof. I trawled through old photos from a couple of years ago and I've fallen madly in love with my old Louise Brooks bob...

Las Vegas, October 2009

Vegas, October 2009, eating - again...

My wedding day, 3rd October 2008

I don't want to do anything too spur of the moment (just incase it's the illness making me mental), so I've invested in some Feria hairdye that's a nice copper shade. Will switch to this over the Christmas period and then get it bobbed at the end of January. If I'm still not happy I'll go back to black after that.

What's your favourite style decade? I'm 70% 20s, 10% 30s and 20% 80s.

Christmas Flower Class

2011-12-20T14:16:00.001Z

I'm off work today with a raging sore throat and chesty cough, which has left me with only a croak of a voice. I'm feeling sorry for myself but I'm sure Mr G is enjoying the peace and quiet. I'm sat at the computer nursing my 3rd cup of tea and swigging from a bottle of glycerin honey and lemon. In an attempt to cheer myself up, I've decided to post some photos of my first foray into floristry...

On Thursday evening I toddled along to Roots and Fruits Flower Shop (a well-known and well-loved Glasgow institution) for florist Di's Christmas Class. I'd been looking forward to it for weeks and Di didn't disappoint. I was welcomed with a glass of Prosecco and mountains of Ferrero Rocher - Christmas is definitely coming! After a lovely chat we got to work on our table displays...

We learned how to bend hosta leaves and willow before adding the finishing touches - beautiful white roses and orchids (I can't remember the variety - bad Lisa!)

After another one (or 2!) glasses of bubbly, we moved on to our door wreaths. Di showed us a few 'tricks of the trade' (no, I'm not telling!) as we nestled red apples, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, dried green chrysanthemums, walnuts and dried apple amongst the fir. It looked and smelled good enough to eat!

The wreath is now proudly displayed on our front door and (after I've freshened up the roses) the table display will travel to Largs with me for Christmas day.
I start my Flower Arranging taster course in just over a month. *excited*

Christmas Tache

2011-12-15T11:32:00.001Z

The Tall Ship's Christmas Lunch.

What is wrong with this photo?

Benefit's Benefits

2011-12-14T10:48:00.001Z

Benefit was the brand I 'graduated' to after I moved on from goth favourite Spectacular and good old 'get it down the local Superdrug' Rimmel. I had just turned 18, moved out of home and into my first student flat in Glasgow. I had the choice of Bad Gal eyeliner or eat for the week. Obviously the eyeliner won that contest. From there I flirted with most of their products - Benetint, High Beam, Play Sticks etc on and off for about 6 or 7 years. Then I discovered Nars, MAC, Origins and Aveda. I side-stepped Benefit's 'quirky' packaging and was drawn to the darkside.

I hadn't stopped at the Benefit counter again until about 6 months ago. I was on the hunt for a new blusher to match my new hair colour and was once again pulled in. I ended up walking away with a beautifully packaged little box of Bella Bamba. It sparkles and it smells delicious! Said box of delights was down to its last few pink crumbs last week. Faced with dabbing my brush into the dark depths of the make-up bag to collect any dust that remains was filling me with dread. There was nothing else for it. Although I had promised to save money for Christmas pressies, make-up's a necessity, isn't it?

Imagine the squeals of delight when I popped my Boots card into the reader only to discover that I was entitled to a tester of Benefit's new wonder-product, Porefessional! Having suffered from a ridiculously oily t-zone since puberty, Porefessional was gonna have it's work cut out on this face of grease. I gave it a test run on Sunday, but forgot to rub it right into the bits at the side of my nose, so that wasn't so good. However, I used a sensible amount this morning* (about 7.30am), applied MAC Studio Fix over the top and I haven't had to powder my nose once!! It's now 5pm. Normally, I'd pat a good wad of translucent No.7 powder over the Studio Fix before I leave the house at 8am. Powder again after lunch, tea break and then again at 5 before I leave work. Porefessional is Da Bomb!! I can't recommend it enough for any fellow greasers out there. Not sure if the Boots offer is still on, but for £23.50 a tube, this stuff is well worth it.
*wrote this post yesterday

Toaty Wee Tree

2011-12-13T14:12:00.001Z

This is Evil Edna, the fairy at the top of our toaty* wee Christmas tree. We didn't bother with a tree last year - it takes up too much space, but Mr G agreed to move things around a bit and we made room for a tiny little 3 foot fir at the fireplace.

*Scottish Slang "something small"

These toaty wee photos are bugging the hell out of me - although I resize to 600 pixels wide, Blogger seems to have shrunk them all down. Can anyone help me fix the problem? *edit* Fixed the problem! If anyone else needs help, see here or email me x

Shiny Disco Balls

The new telly on 'Christmas Mode' to set the scene...

... Our nativity cats. 'Cat people' always receive cat ornaments as presents, hence our Motley Crue of moggies. Someone pointed out on Facebook that they looked like a nativity set with baby Jesus as a mouse/dinner.

Shop Local

2011-12-12T10:48:00.001Z

After a rather productive day in the house on Saturday (cleaning, constructing and moving stuff around), I decided to hit a few craft/vintage fairs that were happening on Sunday on the southside of Glasgow.

vintage sheepskin coat // black leggings from Topshop // ASOS black polo neck // H&M mustard sleeves // really old necklace - from H&M? // Sara Berman patent bag // KG boots

Sara Berman bag, Kenneth Jay Lane bee ring and 'Lex', my Alexander McQueen keyring (gift from Mr G)

First up (and literally 2 minutes from my flat) we have Whims-icle Affairs, promising, arts and crafts, pre-worn, vintage and designer clothing. Kirsty wrote a fantastic blog about the last one in November and I felt I'd really missed out, so there was no way I was gonna miss this one! I stood for about 5 minutes literally pawing a fantastic 1980s dogtooth dress but I was mainly shopping for wee extra Christmas add-ons for folk, NOT myself, so even though it was only £18, I gingerly stepped away and moved on down the hill to fair number 2, the Afternoon Twee.

I have 'borrowed' this photo of the Afternoon Twee set-up from their facebook page. I need a new phone so I can take half decent photos on the go! This was my third visit to this one. First one was amazing, second was poor and this one was back right back up there again.

I picked up both of these beautiful wee vintage teacup sets for my Nana's Christmas. The candle is 'Cranberry Marmalade' - delicious! Really kicking myself for not picking one up for myself... Set was a bargain £6, candle was a little pricey at £10, but I couldn't pass up the Japanese style pattern.

Special wee treat for Mr G's afternoon snack - a mini Baileys cake and a cointreau one for me. The girl had an orgasmic selection of Christmassy chocolatety indulgences. £1 a pop - no bad!

And finally, I'd like to introduce to the new ladies in my life. These are original 1920s photos of girls of the Folie Bergere. The first stand I reached had literally stacks and stacks of cutouts from vintage fashion magazines and dress-making patterns. I had a fantastic conversation with the wee man who owned the collection and came away feeling like I'd made an amazing discovery. He's expecting a delivery of some very special items on 15th December which he will have on sale at the next Twee in January. That's all I'm gonna say right now. If you're local, I'll be the one sitting outside waiting for them to open the doors!

I've also asked him to search for original photos of tattooed ladies from the 1880s-1930s. This is gonna be my new obsession and collection. Prepping for our new (imaginary) flat!

After a lovely wee afternoon at the fairs, I popped into Pierrot and Coco. A truly whimsicle boutique hidden up the side of the local Co-op. It's a bit like shopping inside the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. Beautiful surreal jewellery by the likes of Tilly Bloom is encased inside bell jars while cardboard stag heads peer down at you. What a treat! You can have a peek at their Christmas treats here, but unfortunately for those of you who don't live locally, you'll have to wait until the New Year for the opening of the online store - sorry!

BTW, what's going on with Blogger photo resizing?? All my portrait photos have been shrunk from 600 pixels to 400, but landscape are fine. Anyone else having the same problem? Anyone able to help?? *edit* Fixed the problem! If anyone else is having problems, see here or email me x

Vampire Facelift Anyone?

2011-12-09T12:56:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to go along to the Sculpta Cosmetic Clinic in Glasgow for their pre-Christmas open evening. Although I'm covered in tattoos and have loved changing my appearance since the age of 12, the very thought of cosmetic surgery leaves me feeling a little queasy...

So why did I go along? Curiosity. That and the promise of free booze and nibbles ;-)

I went along with my birthday twin, Angela, (who's a total nip/tuck fan). We were made to feel very welcome on arrival and offered a choice of wine and sandwiches. We opted for white, and a wee cheeky tortilla wrap. The schedule for the evening included an introduction by the clinical lead, Dr Ahmed, followed by live demonstrations of dermal fillers and a 'vampire' face-lift! (More on these later...)

Next, we were invited for a tour of the clinic, having a nosey at the various treatment rooms, including one operating theatre. Only partial sedation is used onsite, apparently for bigger ops, such as a boob job, they have a contract with the private Nuffield hospital. All a bit intimidating for me - looked very similar to my private dentist's practice and the whole thing was starting to make me feel a little uneasy... but still REALLY fascinated at the same time!

Microdermabrasion
After the tour a very lovely clinician called Susan offered me a free microdermabrasion trial. I was already onto glass number 2 of the old vino, so I was feeling brave and hopped up onto the bed. For those of you unfamiliar (as I was!) with the treatment, it's like a cross between your dad's sanding machine and the dentist's hoover. Sounds much scarier than it actually was. Susan went to work on my chin, cheeks and nose. After about 15 mins (remember this was only a wee trial, not the full treatment) my face felt a little warm, but that could have been the wine, and silky smooth. Susan unscrewed the machine to show me all the icky dead skin she's managed to remove - how satisfying!

Dermal Fillers
Next up, a rather brave lady became Dr Ahmed's guinea pig for the live demonstration of dermal fillers. This particular treatment was something Angela had been considering for ages, so we paid close attention. First, Dr Ahmed drew lines (in biro!?!) all down the lady's left cheek, explaining that he was going to replace all the natural collegen that had been lost through the aging process. The result would be a nice natural plump cheek and less visible lines - ya dancer! Next, we were led downstairs to one of the treatment rooms where Dr Ahmed got to work filling a GIANT needle with the filler. I think everyone in the room gasped a little at the length of it. It must have been about the length of my index finger. From here he proceeded to push said instrument of torture right along the biro lines on the lady's face. It took AGES and straight away her cheek began to ooze blood, swell up and bruise. The room was really hot and after 2 glasses of wine, both Angela and I had to get some fresh air before he had even finished the treatment. It was every bit as scary as I had envisaged and actually more invasive than I had previously thought. I think even Angela is having second thoughts...

'Vampire' Facelift
You'd think we'd had enough by this point, wouldn't you? But how could we leave before witnessing a 'vampire' facelift??! This procedure was doubley intriguing for me. Obviously, the inner goth was awakened at the very mention of a vampire, but also because the procedure doesn't involve injecting any foreign bodies into the skin. Known professionally as PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), a vampire facelift involves the doctor taking blood from the patient, spinning it around to separate the plasma and then injecting your own plasma back into your skin. Susan, my microdermabrasion nurse, was desperate to have this done even though, in her own words, "you look a little bit like a frog for a few days afterwards". Apparently it is the only procedure which lifts the eyelids and attacks the fine lines just under the eyes. We plucked up the courage to have a quick peek at this one before we left. I was glad to see that the needle looked a little shorter, but the whole concept of having someone jabbing about my eye with any kind of needle gives me the willies...

Unfortunately, both procedures can take up to 2 weeks to settle and therefore we didn't get to see the final results - only the nasty, painful, gorey bits. Not sure the 'open evening' had the desired effect on many of us. It seemed like the majority of the audience chose to wince and look at one another rather then watch what was going on in the chair.

Angela asked me yesterday if I was now a convert after my fancy facial scrub experience. I have to say, I am not. My skin felt good yesterday, but not any visibly better after I'd applied moisturiser and it's back to being dry again today. Not worth the £95 it would have cost me had a I paid the full price. And dermal fillers? Yikes! That's one needle I won't be going under.

Your Thoughts?
What are your thoughts on cosmetic surgery? Would you go under the needle? the knife? Have you already done so? I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories.

Shoe Lust

2011-12-07T15:05:00.001Z

Jeffrey Campbell Security Boots

Not a huge Lita fan, but I'd mow a sista down for a pair of these babies!

Tattoo Inspired Christmas Cards

2011-12-06T15:13:00.001Z

Are you all ready for Christmas? I've bought metres of wrapping paper and some presents, but still a long way off from 'prepared'. Every year I debate with myself about whether or not to send cards and every year it comes down to the same thing - can I actually find any that I like enough to handwrite and post all over the country? Having been through all the usual styles - Vogue, Victoria and Albert Museum, Japanese etc, I'm bored with everything on offer. So, I went on the hunt for tattoo inspired cards and found a link to Crankbunny's Etsy site via Needles and Sins. What delights! But I'm way too late to buy them. Expect a shit card from me this year and one of these babies next year!

Carnival People - Miss Suzy and Sir Craig wish you Merry Christmas!

You can even personalise each card by choosing which object you'd like each of the characters to carry.

Crankbunny has loads of other unique and quirky items on their site including these beautiful jointed paper puppets, Golden Ticket scratch off cards and my favourite of all, the Tell-Tale Heart scratch off card:

"Lady Pamella Mam is a special lady from Victorian times long ago. With a penchant for the finer more silky and exotic things in life, Pamy knows the best way to show off her tattoos is in her favorite fancy sparkle dress!"

"Someone may be a truly lucky winner with this card! The Golden Ticket is a lucky scratch off card that reveals a secret customizable message."

Dying To Be Orange Again

2011-11-28T13:10:00.001Z

Check those wrinkles! I was wearing my gifted Russian hat until Mr G exclaimed "you look like a licorice allsort..." *extended pause* "The nice ones! The tasty ones!"... Changed into my new ASOS turban instead. Not cold enough for the Russians just yet!

Finally plucked up the courage to dye my hair in our new WHITE bathroom - so far, so good. Used some tile sealant from B&Q - last thing we want when we go to sell the flat is piss yellow stains running down the tiles...

ASOS knitted turban // Label Lab wax trenchcoat // Loreal Majicontrast hair dye in Pure Copper // Primark cosy tights // fake Burberry boots from TK Maxx - been lusting after these for nearly 2 years and couldn't believe my luck when I spotted them on the TK Maxx site for a mere £60!

Primark dress (from this time last year) // cosy Primark tights // Vivienne Westwood choker

Would you believe that this time last year the snow had come down? And here I am standing outside in nothing but a dress and tights - mental. I hope it snows again this year - I bought a fantastic sheepskin coat! It weighs an absolute tonne and unless it's minus 5 outside, I'll boil alive.

JB Millinery

2011-11-27T10:26:00.001Z

Last month I was kindly invited along to Bee Waits' exquisite fashion show, In The Company Of Wolves. One of my favourite collections to strut down the catwalk was Jenivieve Berlin Millinery. Jenivieve started out creating hats and costumes for dancers before making the welcomed leap to the catwalk earlier this year with her debut collection, Rebel/Rebel:

"a clash of regal elegance and punk rock style. Bold colours, Swarovski crystals, leather, tartan, chain and studs have all been thrown in, mashed up and spat out in the face of the monarchs nuptials to create a truly eye catching and anarchist collection."

Her latest collection, Lace and Chain, is inspired by the Bohemian revolution that swept through Paris at the end of the 19th century, a tribute to the women that worked the streets of the artistic quarter from dusk til dawn. Chains, Vietnamese lace and vintage feathers feature throughout the collection giving it a certain elegance and sophistication. Perfect for my cousin's wedding next year!

Credits
Styling & Millinery - Jenivieve Berlin Millinery
Clothes - Obscure Couture
Models - Debay De Lux, Hazel Martin, Kirstin Gribbin & Julia Bell
MUA - Ruth McIntosh
Hair - Lou Clavé from Toni & Guy
Nails - Karen Hale
Assistant - Morvern Connelly
Photography - Dawntroversial Image

Buy Nothing Day - UK

2011-11-25T09:51:00.000Z

Saturday 26th November is "Buy Nothing Day - UK". In protest against our highly consumerist culture, organisers ask us to lock up our wallets for the day and dump our love of shopping. I'll most definitely be taking part this year, although it'll not be a challenge as I don't get paid til Monday. I feel like a fraud. However, it'll be good practice for February...

I am a shopaholic - seriously. I'm useless at saving, cash literally burns a hole in my pocket, and every month I'm down to my last pennies come payday. If I'm gonna go back to college in the future, I need to prove to myself that I can indeed save more and spend less. I will be going cold turkey in February - no spending ANY cash on myself. It's only 4 weeks. I can go 4 weeks without buying anything - can't I??? I plan to document my rehabilitation from day one on here. Every time I feel the urge to spend but resist I'll make a note of the amount I've saved. E.g. If I'm out and about in town and I think to myself,

"Hmmmm... I fancy a wee latte to keep me going"

I'll make a note of the £2.50 or so that I've just saved by NOT stopping for coffee. (See - I don't actually have a clue how much a latte costs - I just hand over a tenner and stuff the change in my bag til the next time). Same will apply each time I see a new item of clothing online or in a shop that I'd otherwise just buy - this however, is gonna need LOTS of moral support - I'll probably exchange my shopping addiction for a tweeting addiction!

Coffee And A Catch Up?

2011-11-21T13:43:00.001Z

Another week has passed with no posts - sorry! Here's a wee photo round up of what I've been up to over the past 10 days or so...

These pics were taken on Friday night at our friends' "This is NOT a wedding party" wedding party. Like most weddings, things had gotten a trifle messy as early as 10pm. The booze was flowing, the choons were banging and the feet were dancin. Top night.

Sara Berman dress (Ebay bargain) // Ebay tartan leggings // Westwood for Melissa rocking horse shoes // choker and studded gloves were gifted

Outfit was inspired by D&G's tartan on tartan from A/W 2008 - check out my Pinterest board.

Me and ma grrrrls

Starbucks Grande Praline Mocha to go

The wedding was a happy end to an otherwise pretty emotional week. Wednesday was my paternal grandfather's funeral. Although a sad occasion, lots of good came of it. My dad's family live over 300 miles from Glasgow so, Tuesday was road trip day. Me, my brother, mum and dad all piled into the car and headed off down south. I think this was the first time the four of us have really spent any proper time together since I left home 13 years ago. Mum had made sandwiches which we ate out the boot of the car whilst stopped at various service stations along the way - topped up with praline mochas from Starbucks and Krispy Kreme doughnuts - a novelty to us north of the border - you just cannae get them in Scotland...

Due to the distance between us, I'd only met my cousins once in the past so it was great to finally meet properly, see their home town and hear loads of stories about them growing up.

Chelsea, Sam (my brother), Jamie, me and Tami. Vicki is missing from the photo - she had toddled off to put baby Xander to bed. Oh! You can see my new boots in this photo too. I opted for the more affordable version - proper post to follow.

I mentioned a few posts ago about my new plans to re-train as a florist and that this used to be my Grandma's career. While we were visiting last week, a sad time was turned into a happier one when I broke this news to my Grandma. She was delighted and excited for me and went rummaging for old books and boxes of silk flowers and foliage - which were promptly put in the boot of my dad's car and driven the 300 miles back to Glasgow. Thanks to Grandma I've got everything I need to get started!

Gaga Over Gareth

2011-11-11T12:03:00.000Z

Gorgeous Gareth's collaboration with Melissa is available from the online Seven store in NY. Loving these gladiator sandals for the summer but not keen on the ballet pumps - just never been a fan of that style. They will sit nicely alongside my Westwood for Melissa rocking horse shoes :-)

Of course, anyone looking to pick up a wee birthday or Christmas surprise for me need look no further than Gareth's new MAC collection. I'm not fussy. It's all about the packaging anyway. It's released on 23rd November in the U.S. Anyone know the UK date?

Bugging Out Over Sorapol SS12

2011-11-09T16:57:00.000Z

Oggling this bugtastic collection by Sorapol. Loving the use of bright jewel colours, texture, sculpture and layering. Photos from Blow Presents and the Sorapol Tumblr.

Jumping Ship

2011-11-07T16:28:00.000Z

Well, my lovelies, it's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, just been dealing with different real life issues, some bad, but some good too. I never dwell on the negative, so, on the upside, we've had a brand new bathroom installed at home which brings us one step closer to selling up and moving to a bigger, better flat - yay!

On Saturday I was treated to a very special early birthday treat by the delicious Miss Spinal Lou. It was the best kind of treat - a surprise! I absolutely love surprises - I think it's to do with the act that my mum is crap at keeping them and always let slip what she'd got me for birthdays and Christmases when I was young. So, you're all dying to know what the surprise was, aren't you?? I got my ears pierced!! 30 years old and covered in tattoos and I was shaking like a leaf. I had them pierced when I was a teenager but let them close up after being in hospital for an operation when I was 19. I'm totally squeamish about piercings and have been trying to work up the courage for years. It was an NY resolution this year too (along with dying my hair orange and moving house, so nearly there!). Chuffed to bits. We went to a proper piercer - no nasty gun-mutilation and it was pain free. Happy days. Thinking of buying me a Christmas present? You know what to get - Pamela LOVE:

Another thing that's been keeping me preoccupied these past few weeks has been my job. Well, my career to be more specific. I enjoy my job (I'm Learning and Access Officer for The Tall Ship), but beginning to question whether or not I want to work in museum education for the rest of my life. It's all I really know and I've been at the ship for 6 and half years. Is this it? Is this really as good as it's gonna get? I'm not willing to settle for a 'job' that slowly but steadily sucks the life from me. Instead, I've decided to retrain. As a florist!

I've been researching floristry for weeks and discovered that the local college (literally 5 mins from my house) runs the City and Guilds Level 2&3 courses AND that my grandma used to be a florist - I had for some weird reason always thought she was a baker... So there you have it - it's in my blood! It's meant to be! So, if any of you lovely readers out there have any floristry experience or have decided to 'jump ship' and retrain, I'd love to hear from you.

My preferred mode of distraction at the moment is planning my new career, style, house and life in general, on Pinterest. Any fans out there? If so, you can find me here x

21 Jump Street

2011-10-31T16:57:00.000Z

Lusting after this graphic print 80s jumpsuit from shop floorwhore on ASOS Marketplace. Suitable for a friend's wedding reception?

Passion For Fashion

2011-10-28T14:11:00.000+01:00

I won my first ever Twitter giveaway last week. Bad Bassion kindly popped this amazing Medieval Knight knuckle ring in the post for me. He had his first outing last night at the In The Company of Wolves fashion show hosted by none other than the fantabulous Claire from Bee Waits. The show was awesome - as always. Stand outs for me were Jenivieve Berlin millinery (definitely gonna order one of these babies for my cousin's wedding next year) Bonnie Bling and Isolated Heroes. Hair and make-up on the girls was just awesome too. Bad blogger here never took her camera along, so you'll just have to take my word for it, or better still, join the ITCOW facebook page to keep up to date with future events.

Vintage Jaeger jacket (gift from Spinal Lou) // fake fur boa from H&M // H&M leopard leggings and TK Maxx boots - my current 'uniform'

Mikey necklace (gift from Auntie Angela) - it has a jewelled scarab on it!

Check the lush lining and real velvet guffs and collar - none of your velour crap

My Halloween plant - bought for 2 quid from the supermarket

Specs Appeal

2011-10-23T20:19:00.000+01:00

Finally had my eyes tested last month and got myself some new, desperately needed, specs. I'm short-sighted and basically can't see 6 feet in front of me at this time of year. Dusk is a total nightmare and as it's now getting dark at 'coming home time' I'd like to make sure I'm getting on the right bus and not trying to flag down police cars instead of taxis. These sexy wee wayfarers cost me the sum total of £17.70, including lenses. I ordered 5 frames for a free home trial from Glasses Direct. Chose these and ordered them a few days later. They were £59 and for that I could get another pair completely free. I chose a standard rectangle shape pair in an orangey/goldy colour - for work n that. The day I ordered I got an email through from the company offering me a further 40% off the total. Feck! That brought the 2 pairs down to £35.40 - practically FREE!!

Excuse the hair. I've decided to grow my fringe again - sorry to everyone who voted for me to cut it. I just cannae make it work for me with longer hair and I love the length more than I love the short fringe. The colour's all washed out too. We are in the process of installing a new bathroom and we've been without a bath for nearly two weeks, so I'm smelly, hairy and blonde... BUT - it should be all finished this week and I have a sack full of Lush bath bombs in preparation for my long awaited soak!

ASOS jumper // H&M leggings // TK Maxx boots

Hairspiration

2011-10-19T16:59:00.000+01:00

Lusting after this girl's lovely bright top knot with added curls. Nicola (new blow presents account manager ) with Asher Levine.

Tentacle De-lights

2011-10-18T10:44:00.000+01:00

Octopus chandeliers by Adam Wallacavage. Want one. In every room.

Frye It In Butter

2011-10-17T11:31:00.000+01:00

So it's winter boot season - ya dancer! Best time of year as far as I'm concerned. These are top of my list: Frye Veronica Slouch in Butter. But they're a wee bitty on the expensive side at £280...

These are a close contender: Kurt Geiger Vincent in Tan at a mere half the price, £140. But will I get the quality? Will I pull them on every morning and sigh, "wish you were Frye"? I need some advice! Do any of you own a pair of Frye's- are they worth the extra dosh?

Busy Busy Bumblebee

2011-10-14T11:39:00.000+01:00

Hello my lovelies!
No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. But I nearly landed in my downstairs neighbour's bathroom...
We had our old, nasty 1970s bathroom ripped out on Monday - yay! The plumber found horrendous dry rot underneath the floorboards - he could put his finger right through to downstairs - boo. Needless to say, this week has been a bit of a nightmare - showering at the gym and balancing along planks to reach the loo. And it's far from over. Might not have a new suite until the end of next week...

On a brighter, happier note I've been filling my head with dreams of a new career. Not giving too much away, but here's some nice pretty pictures.

A Wee (S)Troll In the Park

2011-10-03T07:45:00.000+01:00

It's me and Mr G's 3rd Anniversary today and as a treat, my mum and dad took us out for Sunday lunch yesterday. When they arrived at the restaurant my mum was carrying what looked like a deformed child in her arms - my favourite Dam troll!! She'd been clearing out the loft and had come across a bin bag full of my old troll and Pound Puppy collections! Like I said in my last post - I was never a Barbie fan - too pretty. I preferred the ugly little faces and coloured hair of the trolls. Had about 40 in total. The one in the photo was the largest and by far my favourite. She's actually wearing a dress that belonged to me as a baby. How uncanny is the resemblance??! Orange hair, brown eyes and a pale blue frilly dress... creepy as fuck! After lunch Mr G and I couldn't help but take some scary photos in the park.

Glasgow's heatwave: kinda muggy but damp.

OMG I have more wrinkles than the troll... The number (806) on her foot is a limited edition number. Wonder if she's actually worth anything?...

Warehouse army jacket // leopard print tights from somewhere // obligatory DMs // denim dress from Primark // Vivienne Westwood necklace // TK Maxx studded leather bag

Tattooed Barbie?

2011-10-02T10:13:00.000+01:00

This is Simone Legno's Tokidoki Barbie. Rumoured to be the first ever tattooed Barbie? I have no idea - never been a Barbie fan, but having practically modelled myself on Tokidoki, I'll definitely be on the hunt for one of these. She's launched on 8th October in Santa Monica.

However, she's no Feral Cheryl. Modelled on green extremists in Australia known as 'ferals' (known elsewhere as 'crusties' - no offence!). Each Cheryl is individually styled with dreadlocks and tattoos. Sadly (?) she's no longer in production... May have something to do with her 'bag of herbs' that she was never without...

Sod The Heatwave

2011-10-01T18:37:00.000+01:00

Went on a mission to buy a nice new beige fur coat for the impending autumn - something nice and simple that'll go with anything. Had lunch with a few pals (and a few cocktails...). Came home with this ridiculously over-the-top leopard print extravaganza. Yaldi!

Going Out In Glasgow Tonight?

2011-09-29T13:41:00.000+01:00

It's all happening tonight in Glasgow. I've got FOUR invitations to FOUR amazing events all happening around the city. Sadly, I also have to work later than usual and I'm only going to manage one (or maybe two?) of them.

City Centre
First up we have the opening night of Scottish Ballet's Autumn Season at the Theatre Royal. A double bill featuring Pennies from Heaven, a playful, uplifting work steeped in the vintage glamour of the 1930s and a new work created for Scottish Ballet by Boston Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo, Kings 2 Ends. It's curtain up at 7.30pm tonight so there's no chance of me making it along to this one, but thank you to the gorgeous Ann for the invitation.If any of you out there fancy something magical this weekend, tickets can be purchased here.

Hillhead
If you're out the west end this evening, The Only Way Is Glasgow, is sure to be a top night. A Fashion event dedicated to Glasgow style with all proceeds going towards Spirit Aid. Tickets are a tenner and everything kicks off at 7pm at Oran Mor. Again, I'm not gonna make this one...

Partick
Rachel Dill and Lucy O'Donovan are throwing a private view of their new exhibition 'People and Places' tonight at the Big Mouth Cafe on Dumbarton Road. This is one I'm definitely going to make. It's from 6-9pm if anyone fancies popping in. If you can't make it tonight, the show runs until 29th November.

Rachel Dill 'Late Home'

City Centre
Did someone say Lock-in?? All the students are back in town and to celebrate, vintage emporium Tatty-Bon are hosting a Freshers Lock-in from 5-8pm. If you're up the Trongate, pop into the shop on Parnie Street for a good rummage and wee cheeky Lambrini! Spend over £10 and get 15% discount. Customised clothes and handmade jewellery galore!

A very bad photo of a very awesome handmade Tatty-Bon cameo gifted to me by the extremely talented Lynne

A wee birdy tells me that Urban Outfitters are doing the same. Personally, I'm gonna skip the high street and head to Tatty-Bon instead - I suggest you do too!

Style Icon - Nancy Cunard

2011-09-27T16:43:00.000+01:00

Feeling inspired by Nancy's stacked bangles and turbans at the moment. Heir to the Cunard shipping company, Nancy fought her upper class roots to become a political activist in the early part of the 20th century, fighting against racism and fascism. She hung around with the Dadaists and Surrealists and even published her own poetry. She suffered mental illness and poor physical health, worsened by alcoholism, poverty, and self-destructive behavior. At age 69 she weighed only 60 pounds when she was found on the streets of Paris. She died 2 days later in hospital. Her ashes rest in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. Rock n Roll, baby!

Age of Reason

2011-09-22T16:17:00.000+01:00

I'm a scarf addict. Rain or shine, I'll never leave the house without one - even in Tenerife I kept one in my bag - just in case. Can't stand a draft round the back of my neck. You can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon these Age of Reason scarves on Hivenn's blog. Scarves with naughty matryoshka dolls, handcuffs and a tall ship logo? Yes please!

"The label is called Age of Reason because it represents a seed change in our way of thinking about accessories. We seek to create scarves that will last you a lifetime; a scarf you'd actually hand down to your daughter even if it was in tatters. The galleon ship is an important emblem because it reminds us to explore new territory, to come up with new ideas, and not to fear being different by saying "Buy less, but buy quality. Be proud of your things and never throw them away."

This one is inspired by the Royal Wedding and was released just in time for London Fashion Week. Available from Whistles but not online :(
You can pick up any of the other designs on the Coco de Mer site :)

This is a VERY naughty little number - oo-er indeed!

Penguin Ink Collection

2011-09-21T16:24:00.000+01:00

Last year Penguin Publishers celebrated their 75th Anniversary by inviting 6 of the world's best artists working in the world of tattoos and illustration to design covers for 6 of their favourite books.

My favourite from this collection is Bert Krak's interpretation of Martin Amis' 'Money'.

Chris Garver's interpretation of Ian Fleming's 'From Russia With Love' is another good one.

This year, Penguin have chosen 6 books by British authors and asked 6 British tattooists to illustrate the covers. Here are a few, but you can see the full collection and snap each book up for a mere tenner here.

Valerie Vargas and Han van der Sluys

Duncan X and Lynn Akura

Thanks to Glitterbird for making me aware of these beautiful covers.

To Chop Or Not - Results

2011-09-20T15:53:00.000+01:00

So here we have the results from my 'To Chop Or Not' poll. Short fringe, long bob (which has been scraped up into two messy buns for going out to the dancin' on Saturday night). Instead of just attacking my fringe myself I decided to go professional for a change.

On Thursday night I took the Style Fairy's good advice and nipped into Al-Aisha's beauty salon to pop my threading cherry. Two minutes later and I had perfectly plucked brows. Very pleased. Next, I headed into the town centre to hunt out a good standy-by deal to have my hair cut. Rainbow Rooms Buchanan Street could fit me in in half an hour - just enough time for a quick once around Frasers to pickup a new skirt (below) and sheer blouse (another time).

I opted to have my fringe slightly rounded at the edges. I'm still not too sure what I think of it - I usually just cut it straight across, but I'll live with it for a bit and decide what to do when it needs cut again.

This is also a glimpse of what my hair looks like 1 week after using the Manic Panic Electric Lava. It's nice and orange now, but my hair just refuses to hold any dye... Might be back to the drawing board again on this front.

Primark vest top // Miss Selfridge sheer skirt // leopard print tights // TK Maxx shoe boot wedges // New Look feather necklace

This was my attempt to show off how sheer the skirt is. Didn't work so well. We used Mr G's new camera phone but didn't check the settings, hence the poorer than usual quality.

On Saturday Mr G and I treated ourselves to a wee night oot. We kicked off the night at Balbir's Tiffin Rooms where we indudged in some Indian nibbles, wine and light Jazz entertainment.

Nom, Nom, Nom...

Green chillies in batter - HOT!!! You can also see my bargain New Look sale scarf and my 'fancy' nail varnish (inspired by the Dainty Squid)

After dinner we met up with some pals for a few more drinky-poos in the Halt Bar and listened to some Solid Gold Safari choons before hopping in a taxi down to the SWG3 to see Factory Floor - who were pretty damn excellent. I may have been caught up in all the excitment at this point because I then suggested we head to the Arches for some more dancing at Death Disco. This may have been a step too far for our old bones. We bailed early and went home a good cup of tea. Top night, but Sunday was a write-off.

Did you all have a good weekend?

Things I Love (and Loathe) Thursday

2011-09-15T15:42:00.000+01:00

Everyone has shit days at work. This has been a particularly shit week for me - until today... Look what arrived on my desk this morning!

Things what I LOVE....

Rachel Stamp. You've no doubt heard me bang on about my favourite band a million times on here. I've been after this delicious GREEN VINYL EP for years and it finally popped up on Ebay last week (I have 'Rachel Stamp' saved as an alert). I have no way of listening to it as we got rid of our decks years ago, but it makes a very nice addition to my (almost complete) RS collection :-)

My brand new Banana Guard. It looks like a giant, deformed dildo, but it does the job - no more bashed and bruised bananas for me!
Cold, crisp mornings. It was only 3 degrees this morning and it means I can start layering up.
Another *new* thing for me this week was a wee pressie from the gorgeous Spinal Lou. Vimto bon bons. These chewy little sweets are just the bomb - total Vimto explosion in your gob. Only problem is that they are very moreish... BUT, they are also only a quid from your local Poundland - score!

Aztec Print, especially leggings. So much so that I bought TWO pairs from Urban Outfitters on my way home last night. Including these ones:

Things What I Loathe...

Aztec Print Leggings - on my thighs? Hell no. The stretched, wibbling print is enough to make anyone think they're on a bad acid trip. They'll be going straight back to the shop on Saturday.
Untamed Brows - soon to be tamed as I plan to visit Al-Aishas after work to have them threaded (for the very first time - eek!)
Unruly Hair - again, hopefully this problem will be solved tonight at a standby appointment in town. I'm a cheapskate and refuse to pay £40+ just to have my fringe cut and my hair trimmed.

Manic Panic Electric Lava

2011-09-11T17:09:00.000+01:00

On Friday night I finally got around to experimenting with a tub of Manic Panic Electric Lava. It had been chosen especially for me and flown half way around the world by the wondrous Punk Glam Queen and my 'peely-wally' hair was long overdue a good dying.

Manic Panic classic cream dye is made from vegan ingredients and promises to actually condition your hair, rather than wreck it. Since stripping the black out I've been bleaching my hair roughly once every 6-8 weeks. Needless to say, it's not in the best of condition. When I applied the Manic Panic, I could actually feel my hair going "aaaahhhh..." - like when you apply after sun to sunburn. It literally soaked up the dye like a sponge. The end result is a little more red than the bright orange I was hoping for, but I'm putting that down to my dry porous locks and hoping that it will simply fade to orange and actually last a lot longer than my usual dye (Loreal Majicontrast in copper) which fades at a ridiculous rate - 1 week tops :(

As you can see, I've not chopped my fringe yet. I'd normally just attack it with my own hairdressing scissors, but I think I'm gonna be all adult about it and actually go to a professional - after I've seen a professional about my caterpillar eyebrows that lurk beneath it! Next week, I promise. Hope you've all had a good weekend? x

My Little Pop Icons

2011-09-06T16:55:00.000+01:00

My Little Mad Hatter

My Little Lady Gaga

My Little Frida Kahlo

My Little Damien Hirst

My Little Edward Scissorhands

My Little Slave Princess Leia

My Little Cthulhu

Demented customisation to the max. Finnish artist, Mari Kasurinen, makes over a whole herd of My Little Ponies. I think Cthulhu is my favourite.

Baby You're A Firework

2011-09-05T12:15:00.000+01:00

Label Lab trench // green and orange tartan shirt from ASOS // scabby old black leggings // DMs

This weekend Mr G and I made a wee trip back home to the 'shire to visit my wee Mammy, overindulge (again) on some tasty grub and watch the fireworks display that marks the end of the week long annual Largs Viking Festival.

Mammy and me. Take a good look - as soon as she spots this, she'll make me take it down :(

After a few gin n slims, I couldn't resist the lure of the tacky neon kids toys. Disco Stick for me, lightsaber for Mr G. Also snapped up some bitchin' light-up cyberlocks, but holding them back for a special occasion.

Fireworks were pretty damn good. First 5 mins went pop to Katy Perry, but then the dj switched to some rather depressing Pink Floyd track...

It wouldn't be a trip 'doon the watter' to Largs without the obligatory ice cream stop at the famous Nardini's. I had caramel shortbread and coconut, Mr G had raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake laced with Scottish tablet. For those of you who are wondering, tablet is just a toothache inducing concoction of butter and sugar melted together and left to set hard. It's what Scottish we'ans are raised on after they come off a bottle - you don't need teeth to eat it (and you certainly won't have any left later in life).

To Chop Or Not? RESULTS

Voting has ended and the fate of my new haircut has been decided:

Short bob, short fringe               5
Shoulder length, short fringe 8
Short bob, long fringe              6
Shoulder length, long fringe        5

So, shoulder length, short fringe is the winning combo. Now all I need to do is sort out my hairy eyebrows before chopping my bangs. Thanks yo everyone for your input. I'll do the 'do this weekend and post the winning look!

Garage Magazine Launch

2011-09-03T13:12:00.000+01:00

Monday 5th September sees the launch of Garage Magazine. The new baby of former POP magazine editor, Dasha Zhukova.

Timed perfectly for NY Fashion Week, The NY Times describes the debut issue as "one of the most intriguing magazines to come along in years, it is not entirely clear whether this is a fashion magazine that takes
more than a passing interest in art, or an art magazine that knows its stuff about fashion."

It comes with a choice of 3 covers:

Hedi Slimane's black and white photo of a young model's vagina tattoo, designed by Damien Hirst and tattooed by Mo Coppoletta. The actual tattoo is covered with a peel away sticker (similar to The Velvet Underground banana) and is already banned by WHSmith
Or, you could choose a sketch of Richard Prince's smiling tattoo design
Or, a Nick Knight photo of Dinos Chapman's dollhouse complete with Lily Donaldson puppet

I'd like all 3 please. And I'm hoping local Glasgow Magazine shop, GmBh might be able to hit me up.
There's still 3 days left to VOTE to help me choose my new hairstyle. Check out the right hand nav bar x

To Chop Or Not?

2011-08-30T15:28:00.001+01:00

I'm bored with my hair again. Still loving the colour (although it needs another top up - Manic Panic plans for this weekend!) but I'm toying with the idea of chopping my fringe short.

October 2009. Short bob and teeny tiny fringe.

This option could result in me looking a bit like...

Fashion journalist Lynn Yaeger (scary!), or...

Beth Ditto (not a pretty expression, but i do like how choppy this style is)

Option 2 would be to keep the length as it is now and just take a smidgen off my fringe to 'expose' the brows. But do I really wanna look like an aging emo kid aka Hayley Williams from Paramore?

November 2010. Shoulder length hair, fringe just above the eyebrows.

Hayley Williams

Option 3 would be to keep the fringe long but chop the length back up into a bob:

Or, I could leave it alone and let it grow longer so I can still put it up in a top knot for the winter. I need your help! Please VOTE for your favourite style (righthand nav bar) and I'll go with the majority!

Me And The Monkeys

2011-08-29T21:27:00.000+01:00

So we got kicked out the hotel at 12 noon on Friday. It's 34 degrees outside and the flight's not until teatime. How do you kill 4 hours in Tenerife with no access to a pool? MONKEY PARK!!!

Yip, that's MY hand right there, feeding a ring tailed lemur a grape we stole at the breakfast buffet! For a measly 10 Euros you can wander through (a pretty huge and very well kept) enclosure full of lemurs, squirrel monkeys, iguanas, 2 tortoises and that other wee chap you can see above. Some kind of Tamarin I think. Looked like a cross between great uncle Fred and a bat. Made the cutest little chirruping noises too.

Check his wee hand!!! We bonded over our orange tufty hair.

My facial expressions speak for themselves - I was besotted, but for the full effect, here's a wee video of me and the pregnant (maybe just fat?) lemurs.

Hola! Holiday Highs (and Lows)

2011-08-28T18:28:00.000+01:00

Mr G and I have just returned from our wee week away in Tenerife. This is an image heavy post, so I'll keep the words to a minimum.

HIGH: endless days of glorious sunshine by the pool. LOW: a giant cockroach dropping out the tree above resulting in me squealing like a wee lassie and Mr G jumping into the pool for safety... with his iPhone in his swim shorts pocket. Major FAIL.

midi length sundress from Primark - matches my Tequila Sunrise

HIGH: Slurping gallons of sangria and cocktails whilst literally LOLing my way through Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman. LOW: all that booze coupled with fried breakfasts, ice-cream lunches and buffet dinners means "I AM FAT"

HIGH: Siam Park Water Kingdom. Amazing rides including a 3m high wave machine.

Bargain sale swimming cosy from Marks and Sparks, set off with ridiculous (but necessary for peely-wally Scottish lassies) bandana from the local market in Los Cristianos. Thunder thighs courtesy of too many second helpings

Pretty much all highs, except... LOW: both of us breaking out in a hideous prickly heat rash the next day resulting in antihistamines, 'special' cream from the pharmacist and emergency 'cover up' clothing for the rest of the hols. My legs are still covered. I look like I have scabies.

HIGH: By day 5 I felt like a total heffer, so when 'Reuben' came looking for ladies to take part in some light aqua aerobics, I decided to take the plunge and joined in. LOW: it made my prickly heat sting :(

HIGH: Boat trip to see whales and dolphins. We saw bottle nosed dolphins and pilot whales (above). We got to stand out on the bow as we bobbed and crashed all the way out into the Atlantic. I squealed with delight each time we when over a giant wave. It was like being on a rollercoaster! LOW: A glut of kids, puking into carrier bags, stinking the place out.

'Easy Rider' top from Primark (last minute panic buy). Kinda love how cheap it looks.

Standard white cotton 'holiday frock' from Warehouse about 3 years ago.

HIGH: Free booze - a complimentary glass of Cava on arrival, a whole bottle for Mr G's birthday and another glass (and rose for me) as part of the hotel's 'black and white' theme night. LOW: We were the only ones who made the effort to dress in black and white. We should have got another bottle.

HIGH: Literally - very high - Mount Teide, the volcano at the centre of the island, is 3,718 m (12,198 ft) above sea level. We took a coach all the way up through the National Park and then a cable car to the top. The landscape was breathtaking (and it wasn't just the thin air) LOW: I badly needed a wee on the bus up the mountain, forcing Mr G to interrupt the guide mid-sentence to ask him to pull over. I was going to either scream in pain or actually piss myself. However, we stopped 2 minutes later at a lovely wee cafe - emergency thwarted!

HIGH: I got to see indigenous flora and fauna including lots of Gallotia Galloti (wall lizards) and a beautiful blue dragonfly (too fleeting to photo) LOW: It appears I am more afraid of heights than I previously thought. I was literally on the verge of tears as we climbed out of the top elevation on the cable car. The views were incredible, but I just wanted to lie on the ground and cling to the lava rocks.

My favourite scarf from last winter (Tie Rack sale) - they warned it would be cold at the top - it wasn't // ANCIENT vest top from about 6/7 years ago // new sunnies from Ebay // tie-dye trousers from Topshop

Trusty leopard print jumpsuit from H&M sale. A lifesaver after the 'break-out'

HIGH: I got to wear my new sunglasses (cheap knock-off versions of the Topshop Unique ones I blogged about here) and my American Apparel Neon Nails polish. LOW: no decent outfit shots due to scabby legs and Monica-style frizzy hair.

By far the biggest HIGH of the whole holiday was our last day... but that's a whole other post - stay tuned ;-)

Things I Love Thursday - Holiday Rituals

2011-08-19T11:13:00.000+01:00

This was actually written yesterday. Better late than never?

Tomorrow we fly to Los Cristianos, Tenerife, for a week. First holiday in almost two years. Obviously I'm really excited about going away, but I'm equally excited about preparing to go away - making lists of all the things that I need to do before we leave and all the little rituals that take place in preparation for leaving make me brim with excitement:

To do:

Buff body to within an inch of its life and apply layer number 3 of Dove Summer Glow (remember to add an extra dollop to white patch on left knee - and remember not to cross legs afterwards)
Remove all unwanted body hair (including facial hair and eyebrows)
Paint toe and finger nails with brand new American Apparel Neon Nails
Do housework BEFORE painting nails
Iron stuff (especially the 'holiday clothes' retrieved from bin bag in the back room)
Decant shampoo and conditioner into holiday bottles (sellotape lids) and pack alongside SPF 50 (for tattoos), 30, 15 and aftersun
Leave out 12 pouches of cat food, 2 boxes of dry food, 2 packets of Dreamies, 4 tins of tuna, various tumblers of water 'hidden' around the flat and Pussy Lawn for 'enrichment'. Make sure Mildred's cushions are lying flat on the couch and leave (smelly) cardigan rolled up on bed - to remind her of mummy
Look out holiday purse and stuff it full of fake money (keep a few pound coins for snacks at the airport)
Look out european adaptor (and buy an extra one - just in case)
Decide whether I really NEED to take hair straighteners - hunt down as many kirby grips as possible and buy an extra pack?
Call mobile phone company to set up roaming and turn OFF data roaming
Pack travel bag: Caitlin Moran book, iPhone, earphones, holiday purse, sooky sweets, (knock off) sunglasses for arrival, socks for the plane, passport, print out of flight and hotel details (carefully highlighted for quick and easy referral)
Pack first aid kit: plasters for blisters, Remegel for over indulgences, paracetamol for hangovers, safety pins incase straps ping or buttons burst, antihistamines in case something bites (not sure about this at all - hope my mum is just taking the piss?)
Edit down number of outfits (we're only going for a week), carefully select jewellery and make-up to compliment edited version

Doubt I'll be blogging while we're away, but hopefully I'll still be tweeting! If you are in the slightest bit interested, you can follow our shenanigans by following me here.

Cheery-bye xx

Stop Copying Me - Biatch!

2011-08-18T12:59:00.000+01:00

Loving Lady Gaga's outfit in the new You and I video. Turquoise hair and Zana Bayne leather harness? That's soooo 2010. Here's me on NYE:

Sporting turquoise wig and Zana Bayne 3-wing shoulder piece ;-)

MAN the Label

2011-08-15T14:59:00.000+01:00

I spotted these beautiful, chunky works of art while browsing through my Google Reader. Pictures of them popped up on various Aussie blogs including Little Black Book and Cake Face. The designer behind them is Sheila Man:

Born into a creative family in Buenos Aires Argentina, Sheila Man has been heavily influenced by her fashion designer mother and architect father. Following her heart to Australia at age 18, she settled in Bondi and immersed herself in fashion design, fashion production and tailoring studies.

MAN blends organic and industrial elements into wearable, adaptable art. Each piece is beautiful, strong and distinctive.

MAN is a labor of love, with Sheila creating each unique piece in her home studio. Her jewellery reflects her South American heritage, extensive travels, and new home in Australia.

Tania from Cake Face sporting multitudes of neck candy

Tartan Time

2011-08-12T15:05:00.000+01:00

Top 5 images from Jean Paul Gaultier A/W 2007, Cecilia Hammarborg Storm Coat, Beckerman jacket

Although I fly to Tenerife in a weeks time, the dreich* Scottish summer weather has got me thinking about my favourite season - Autumn! I'm lusting after layer upon layer of tartan, swathes of plaid wrapped around me and swaddled in faux fur. I can hear the crunch, crunch of fallen leaves under my patent leather Louboutins already!

*A combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather. At least 4 of the above adjectives must apply before the weather is truly dreich

Grindhoose

2011-08-12T11:18:00.000+01:00

Grindhoose is Glasgow's very own FREE grindhouse cinema experience! And it's all organised by my amazing wee brother.

Get your zombie arse down to The Old Hairdresser's (across from Stereo) on Renfield Lane, Glasgow, tomorrow night at 8pm to be transported back in time to 1970s/1980s 42nd Street New York and experience some of the trashiest, sleaziest and wild films ever to have graced the not-so-big-screen.

They will be screening two surprise films back-to-back along with supporting features and crazy trailers. There is a bar downstairs ...and you can drink in the cinema so come along and have a great time! On your arrival you will be escorted to your seats by our lovely usherettes the Zombabes!

You can expect to see anything from horror, Euro-sleaze, gialli, action, martial arts and revenge flicks and it's all FREE!!!

There will also be loads of freebies from Synapse and Alternative Cinema in the form of t-shirts, posters and DVDs so there will be a raffle (free of charge obviously) at the end of the night!

Seats are limited so make sure to "attend" the facebook page and please spread the word!

Murad Mask and Cleanser GIVEAWAY

2011-08-11T10:07:00.000+01:00

Hello, my lovelies! I have a great wee giveaway for you courtesy of the team at Zen Lifestyle. After my awesome hot stone massage on Sunday I was given a goody bag of products. As I had such a great time at the salon I thought I'd pass on a few miniature products to you guys as a GIVEAWAY:

Dr Murad's spot busting face mask and facial cleanser:

Clarifying Mask 30ml
"Take a break from blemishes. This natural clay-based formula absorbs impurities as it deep cleans and quiets blemish breakouts. Sulfur reduces blemish severity as it encourages the skin to clear. Soothing zinc and licorice extract comfort and calm irritated skin."

Refreshing Cleanser 45ml
"Start fresh. This foaming wash super cleans all traces of surface impurities and makeup without drying, leaving skin soft and smooth."

To enter you must:

Follow Baroque Boudoir using Google Friend Connect OR Bloglovin'
Leave me a comment below with an email address that I can contact you on

For extra entries:

Become a FAN of Zen Lifestyle on Facebook and tell me your FB name and that you've done it in the comment (1 extra entry)
Become a FAN of Baroque Boudoir on Facebook (1 extra entry)
Tweet about this giveaway - don't forget to tell me you've done it in the comment (2 extra entries)
Blog about this giveaway - don't forget to tell me you've done it in the comment (2 extra entries)

The giveaway is open internationally and I'll put all entries into a spreadsheet before using a random number generator to select the winner on THURSDAY 1st SEPTEMBER.

As an extra special treat, Zen Lifestyle are offering you guys 25% off your first treatment at any of their three Edinburgh Salons. Simply call 0131 226 6777 to book your appointment and quote 'Baroque Boudoir'.

Twitter / Facebook / Bloglovin

Zen Lifestyle

2011-08-09T12:42:00.000+01:00

I'd like to tell you all about the wondrous oasis that is Zen Lifestyle, nestled on the corner of Teviot Place in Edinburgh's old town. On Sunday I was invited along to the award winning salon, skin clinic and day spa for a hot stone massage. Although I've been lucky enough to have visited two very luxurious spas in the past (Blythswood and Cameron House), I've never actually had a massage.

Fiona and her team at Zen made me feel really at ease. After taking my coat (and dripping brolly - it was POURING outside) I was ushered downstairs to the waiting area - big comfy sofa and the choice of cucumber infused water or peppermint tea. As I have a mild fear of needing the loo at inopportune moments, I declined on this occasion.

Before I could get too comfy, my therapist, Jenny, appeared and led me to the treatment room. A tub of hot stones, a good squirt of the most amazing smelling Elemis oils and an hour later, I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to lift my arms off the bed - I was so relaxed!

In a state of bliss in the posh loo - I decided to drink a glass of cucumber water afterall!

If you're looking for a wee pampering session for yourself or someone else, take a peek at all the fantastic treatments they have on offer including celebrity must have, HD Brows, Shellac manicures, and some good old microdermabrasion. My only question is:

When are you opening a salon in Glasgow??

Skelly Tote

2011-08-06T09:57:00.002+01:00

Limited edition (50) canvas tote bags by Ana Bagayan.

$30 + $5 flat rate postage worldwide. Bags come filled with goodies (until Ana runs out!)

Feeling Bold?

2011-08-05T15:31:00.000+01:00

Glasgow's favourite fashion pop-up shop is BACK and will be celebrating their first anniversary tomorrow at The Arches Cafe Bar from 12-6pm. So if you fancy a bit of boutique shopping or even a new hairdo, pop along and join in the action.

The Rainbow Rooms team will be on hand to do some 'dos alongside all these fantabulous designers:

BONNIE BLING
OBSCURE COUTURE
MODISTE
SABINE MITSCH
LITTLE RED SHOP
EMILY GOUGH
ISLA SCOTT

and

make-up artist KIMBERLEY DEWAR, nail artist HARRIET PURDIE and fair trade beauty brand SWEET PEACOCK

joining some of the Bold veterans...CHOUCHOU, JENNIE LOOF and DAVID BLACK.

Tickets are a mere £3 and can be preordered here. I've got mine!

For all you east coasters out there, just so you don't feel too left out, why not pop down to CRUISE on Sunday afternoon (in yer best togs) to be papped by none other than Garcon Jon.

That DRESS!

2011-08-05T09:49:00.000+01:00

I couldn't let this pass. Katie Shillingford's custom designed Gareth Pugh wedding dress. It's simply not of this world. It would be the dress of my dreams and Katie looks absolutely stunning. Girl's got good taste. Her bouquet was similar to mine.

They're Creepy And They're Kooky

2011-08-04T12:10:00.000+01:00

This photo just popped up on my personal Facebook Page. It's from our local rag, the Largs and Millport News, summer 1992. Largs is twinned with Brisbane, Australia, and each year the town crowns a young girl as the 'Brisbane Queen'. At the tender age of 11, Jim Morrison, Marc Bolan and Bruce Dickinson were blaring from my boom box and I was already experimenting with eyeliner and writing poems about dead rock stars. Needless to say, I had no interest in wearing a pretty dress and tiara. However, as part of the celebrations, residents were (maybe still are??) encouraged to take part in a parade of floats around the town. As you can see, we went as the Addams Family. How befitting. But can you spot me??

A tub of eyeliner to the first person who gets it right!

Cindy Sherman for MAC

2011-08-03T11:49:00.000+01:00

There have been hundreds of celebrity MAC collaborations, most of which I tend to regard as gimmicky and just another way to repackage the same stuff and sell it on to the same people. However, this latest collaboration with Cindy Sherman seems like an obvious move and one that I'm surprised they've not tried before. Or maybe they have and Cindy's been stringing them along for years?

As a photographer Sherman embodies the art of transformation through the use of wigs, make-up and props etc and I think she is a clever choice for a brand which prides itself on helping tranform the ordinary into the extraodinary. I love MAC and I'm just pleased that they've snapped up a true icon before Illamasqua! I've only ever been disappointed with Illamasqua products. They dry my skin out beyond belief and when I booked myself in for a makeover I ended up with 'smokey eyes' and a pasty coloured lipgloss - yawn...

Cindy's three 'faces' will be available throughout October at MAC. Good timing for Halloween some may say?

On The Hunt For Those Elusive Shades

2011-07-31T20:44:00.000+01:00

Photo by Les Garcons de Glasgow

I NEED these Topshop Unique sunglasses in my life. More specifically, I need them in my suitcase for Tenerife on 19th August. If any of you fabulous fashionistas out there can hit me up with a pair (gold or silver) or even point me in the right direction, I'll be in your debt foreva!

She Was Born To Be My Unicorn

2011-07-31T10:16:00.000+01:00

Bernard Willhelm SS11

Trust Bernard to bring a little sunshine (and a unicorn) into our wardrobes. Now who'd like to bring a little spending money into my purse? I suppose, if I was quite handy with the old sewing machine I could transform a few packs of Ikea striped tea towels into the dress at the top?

Pouting Pansies

2011-07-29T16:07:00.000+01:00

The girlies and I went on a little day trip on Tuesday. All the way to sunny BARRHEAD. For those of you not familiar with the west of Scotland, Barrhead is not known for its picturesque landscape or friendly locals... However, we weren't there to take in the sights. Instead, we were off for a day of sticky buns and mutual tattooing at Minerva.

Way back in May 'Auntie' Angela and I promised Spinal Lou we'd get her a new tattoo for her birthday treat. But how could we make it that wee bit extra special?? Join in of course!

So, all three of us packed a picnic and hopped on the train. Iced buns and two bags of Percy Pigs - essential for keeping our sugar levels up - wouldn't want anyone fainting, now would we?

We'd already settled on the idea of getting daft 'matching' tats - the singing pansies from Alice in Wonderland. I've been obsessed with these pansies for years so getting them as a tattoo was inevitable.

All the pretty colours!

Getting set up

Lou going for the more traditional Wonderland pansies to tie in with her amazing Alice tat

That's Auntie Ang on the left, Lou in the middle and me, with the orange hair, on the right!

I'm up next. Took me months to decide where to put them. I opted for my ankle so that they tied in with my swallows that Kaye did a few years ago

That's Angela on the left in a glorious shade of her favourite colour and Lou sporting her trademark pout

Auntie Ang waited patiently all day and plumped for her right ankle - mirroring my left ;-)

That's me on the left flashing my trademark eyeliner and mascara and Lou on the right, mwah!

Auntie Ang and me (we're birthday twins too!)

The Emergence Of The Butterfly

2011-07-27T19:38:00.000+01:00

So, have all you UK peeps been enjoying our wee 'heatwave'? How many of you headed off to the beach over the weekend?

No beach for me I'm afraid. Instead, Mr G and I packed our swim togs and headed off to the Blythswood Spa for some luxurious pampering. I was fortunate to pop my spa cherry back in November (a surprise birthday pressie from Mr G) so I had quite high expectations for Glasgow's first 5 star hotel...

The pool in the Thermal Experience

After 2 hours lolling about in the Thermal Experience (bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles!) we dried ourselves off and flip-flopped upstairs to the treatment waiting room. David had booked in for a facial and was whisked off. I, on the other hand, had gone for something a little more obscure, The Rassoul Experience:

"Cleanse your body and soothe your mind in our state of the art Rhassoul by combining the benefits of mud and steam. Begin by using the exfoliating husks of nutrient packed argan seeds and Himalayan salts to gently remove dead skin cells. After the application of traditional Moroccan mud over your entire body, sit back and relax. After 20 minutes the steam chamber will release a flow of warm water onto its ceramic seats, softening the mud as well as coaxing toxins to leave the body. The powerful healing qualities of the mud will leave your skin silky smooth. The perfect experience to share with a friend, leaving your skin nourished and your mind refreshed."

So, I'm conjuring up visions of being slathered in mud, wrapped up like a mummy and placed in a steam tomb with just me wee head sticking out...

Hmmm....

I was led back down to a wee room just off the corridor in the Thermal Experience and asked to take seat in what looked suspiciously like a gas chamber. Next, I was instructed to de-robe and cover myself in the 2 tubs of organic white mud.

"Now?" I ask as I drop my robe to the ground and begin to faff around with my bikini ties.

"Erm... not just yet. You can wait until I leave. I'm just going to explain how the experience works"

Clearly I'd gotten the wrong end of the stick. No one was going to lather me up and wrap me in bandages. This experience was of the DIY nature.

"You'll have 10 minutes to apply your mud, meanwhile the room will warm up. It'll be a dry heat and the mud will begin to harden. Next, steam will enter the chamber from your right and the lights will change colour for another 10 minutes. After the steam, the room will fill with an aromatic mist and finally, the shower will come on so you can rinse off. I've also prepared a scrub for you to use at this time. The shower will remain on for 6 minutes. If you don't get alll the mud off, you can use this hose."

And off she trotted...

So, I'm locked inside my Rassoul chamber, all on my lonesome, manically rubbing mud all over my n'ked body before my 10 minutes are up and the steam comes on. I turn white and slowly but surely my skin tightens and i begin to resemble an elephant. Good stuff, it must be working. It gets hot. Hmmm... not sure I like this. Oh! that'll be the steam coming in. This is even more un-nerving. It pours in at chest height and slowly begins to fill the chamber. Now it's really claustrophobic. *It's only 10 minutes Lisa. Relax and enjoy the 'experience'.* Just as I'm getting into it, the aromatic mist sprays out from god knows where! It's mighty pungent and takes my breath away before my eyes start watering *gasps*. This only lasts a few seconds before I start again. *Relax Lisa, enjoy the 'experience'.* WFT??!! That'll be the shower then? Cold water batters down from above. Right, gotta get this mud off - only got 6 minutes. Start scrubbing, rinsing, scrubbing, rinsing. Clean. Ready to go. But shower's still going. Six minutes is longer than you think...

I eventually emerge, like a butterfly - all silky smooth, but knackered from the traumatic transformation. I just don't think I'm cut out for this pampering malarkey.

Overall, the Rassoul Experience was fantastic for my skin and the staff at the Spa were wonderful. I just wasn't prepared for the DIY nature of the task...

I Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog

2011-07-24T14:35:00.000+01:00

Jacket from Mango // Jumpsuit from Warehouse // necklace a gift // bracelet vintage // introducing the top knot avec fringe = new everyday 'do

Mummy's baby, Mildred Pierce

Rocking horse Westwood for Melissa making an appearance

Friday night with Mr G. Steak, chips, onion rings, mojitos and late night dancing games. Saturday duvet day watching bad movies and eating pizza. Today lazy morning, lunch and then off to the Spa at Blythswood Hotel for evening pampering session. C'est la vie!

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Plastique No. 5

2011-07-22T15:59:00.000+01:00

Nothing like a bit of skin-tight shiny wet-look latex to get you in the mood for the weekend ;-)
These little numbers are by Joy Williams Design, Brighton, England. I NEED the padded jacket in my life. It would complete me. Thanks to Clatty Natty for sending me the link.

What's everyone up to this weekend? Mr G and I are gearing up for a weekend of self indulgence starting tonight with posh steak and chips followed by cocktails, continuing tomorrow with an all important duvet day and concluding on Sunday with a day at Blythswood Spa. Finally cashing in my vouchers from our fantastic Bloggers Day Out way back in April. Thanks to Claire for reminding me that they expire at the end of July!

Open Up and Say... Ahh!

2011-07-19T16:21:00.000+01:00

Been listening to lots of this:

Faster Pussycat

Poison

Which has put me in the mood for one of these:

Sara Berman

William Rast

Sadly I don't have enough of this £££.

Consequences of Body Modification

2011-07-18T12:59:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely relaxing day yesterday just catching up on all the posts on my Google Reader. One post that resonated with me was Pearl's discussion about Body Modification in the workplace. I started to write a comment, but then quickly realised I had quite a lot to say on the matter and that alot of you, my lovely readers, have 'modified your bodies' with hair dye, piercings and tattoos, so I thought I'd try and write it all down here. I don't normally get into such wordy posts, but this is a topic I feel I can comment on at length.

I started dying my hair with Wella Colour Mousses when I was 12 years old, much to the dismay of my mother. I came from a Catholic background and I suppose any form of messing around with your god given body was a big no-no. So why did I want to change my 'lovely long blonde hair'? Simple answer, I thought it was cool. Philosophically? I suppose this was the beginning of me trying become 'me'. I hated the fact that when I took off my eyeliner and my clothes, I just looked like everyone else. I wanted to change ME, my body, permanently. There was no way my mum was gonna let that happen. I left home at 17 and within a year I had about 8 piercings, pink hair and best of all, a tattoo. I was a student and like most folk that age, thought I was indestructible and that even with my crazy appearance, I should be able to work wherever I pleased. Through sheer arrogance and persistence, I 'stuck it to the man' and blagged a job in House of Fraser keeping my piercing and pink hair intact.

Now, at the ripe old age of 30, I’m not stupid or arrogant enough to think that I can parade around my professional place of work displaying all my tattoos without attracting some form of attention – positive or negative. Six years ago I spoke with my then manager about my decision to get my first major tattoo (half sleeve) and asked whether or not this would cause problems for me at work. This is not to say that if she said “it is forbidden” I wouldn’t still go ahead, but at least I was fully informed as to the consequences of my actions. As it turns out, she simply asked if I would be willing to keep it covered up in certain circumstances. I thought this was a very acceptable compromise. Since then, I’ve continued to get some pretty large and visible tattoos (forearm, chest, feet), further transforming my body into ME. The company has gone through many more managers. Not one of them has ever brought up the subject of my tattoos. Maybe this is because they assume I've been given 'permission' to display them in the past and don't want to rock the boat, or maybe it's because my tattoos make me look aggressive and intimidating and they are simply too scared to confront me??!! At the end of the day, unless I'm sitting at my desk, most of my working day is spent face to face with school kids, families or stuffy old Trustees. I don't want to be judged by these people on my appearance. My ability to conduct myself in a professional manner is far more important. Therefore, 90% of the time I choose to cover my tattoos. Outside of work, I do like to be judged on my appearance (and I dare say every blogger who posts outfit photos does too - whether they admit it or not). In my own time I take great pride showing off my tats, my dyed hair and all sorts of ridiculous unpractical outfits. There is a time and a place for everything.

my chestpiece - All is Vanity

All forms of body modification are a choice made by the individual. Each individual should consider all the consequences of their actions before making any changes to their body - permanent or not. People tow the line when they 'dress up' for a wedding. It may not be your style, but you make the effort. Same if you attend a funeral. It's all about respect for yourself, respect for those around you and respect for the situation you are in.

Does altering my appearance change my ability to work? I've given this quite a lot of thought. And I my answer is YES. On the rare occassion I'm caught out at work with all my tattoos on display infront of a visitor, I begin to feel very uncomfortable and exposed. I instantly think that they are judging me and as a result I can't concentrate on doing my job effectively. In contrast, on the (equally rare) days I make the effort to dress in business attire, I feel super confident.

This is my personal expereience and I do not necessarily think this applies to everyone in the same way.

What are your thoughts on Body Modification in the workplace? BM in general? Elf ears anyone? How about tongue splitting? Subdermal implants? Tightlacing?

On a much lighter note, Pearl mentioned that she has been watching endless repeats of Miami/LA/London Ink. Not sure about everyone else, but I'm sick of hearing about 'memorial tattoos' and ridiculous, lengthy, 'heart wrenching' reasons for nameless people getting tattooed. What about art for art's sake? I want to know about the artist behind the tattoo, not the receiver. If you feel the same, tune in to Vice TV for new show, Tattoo Age. Each episode is introduced by an artist who then talks to other artists about their work and their infuences etc. They also explore different cities each week and take you on a tour of some of the cool hangouts. In episode one, Markus Kuhn introduces us to Virginia Elwood and Thomas Hooper are they explore a New York art gallery for inspiration. Watch it!

The Gypsy Gentleman - Episode 01: New York City from Marcus Kuhn on Vimeo.

Neon Nails

2011-07-17T11:02:00.000+01:00

Spotted these over on Sparkly Vodka yesterday. I'm so bored with all my polishes at the moment and everything in the shops just looks the same. I don't even bother to think about what I put on anymore. Just reach for whatever bottle is closest. But I'm all over these neon brights from American Apparel. Perfect for my upcoming holi-bags! Did I mention that we've booked a week in the sun?? 19th August. Should be suitably HOT HOT HOT. First ever package holiday and I can't wait. Los Christianos, Tenerife. Apparently there's a piano bar, chocolate fountain, boat rides to see dolphins, Monkey Park, segways, camel rides and... a water park!! A good water park will complete any holiday!

Me at a water park in Andalucia 3 years ago - it's been too long!

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Knot Bad?

2011-07-16T17:50:00.000+01:00

Topshop top // Silence + Noise leggings // Claire's Accessories earrings // Primark brogues // cheap sunglasses from god knows where

So this is my first attempt at the top knot. It's ok, but could do with being a little higher on my head. My hair's still too short for it - had no choice but to use a few kirbies which kinda ruins it. Not to mention my roots. Will definitely give it another bash straight after dying in a few weeks time. Should be nice and bright and a smidge longer.

We had planned to go see Bridesmaids this afternoon at the pictures, but somehow managed to screw up our booking and by the time we got there the half 2 showing was full. FAIL. So, instead of gorging on a giant hot dog and pick n mix in the dark, Mr G treated me to a wee bit lunch at Cafe Rouge on Royal Exchange Square. While it appears most of the UK was experiencing tropical rainstorms, Glasgow was bathing in glorious sunshine - HA! This never happens! Needless to say, I insisted we sit outside and get a wee photo.

I hate my bumpy, wrinkled, Klingon forehead. Maybe I should stick to the fringe?

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Style Crush

2011-07-16T09:33:00.000+01:00

Tell me this, have I been hiding under a rock somewhere for the past 5 years?? How on earth have the wondrous Beckerman Sisters passed me by? I happened to 'stumble' upon their blog when I was hunting for top knots yesterday and I've since developed what can only be described as a love at first sight style crush. On Samantha in particular. This lady's style is killing me. It's the attention to detail that really grabs me. The colours, the clashes, the quirks. Give me MORE!!

Really need to invest in one of Stella Rose's spiked turbans for the autumn. But which colour? It's a toughy but I think Nebula (lilac) would be my first choice. Although I'm holding out for a electric blue leather?

Top Notch

2011-07-15T15:52:00.000+01:00

After last week's rather successful hairdo (even if I do say so myself), I feel like experimenting with something else... How about the top knot? I have the fear that I'll look more Sumo than J-Lo, but I'll give anything a bash just the once.

Taking some hairspiration from these lovely ladies...

From top to bottom: Love Lexi with fringe, one of the amazing Beckerman Sisters, Street Peeper, the amazing Laura from That's So Yesterday rocking the knot with added scarfage

Any tips for a top notch knot??

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Scott Free

2011-07-13T15:57:00.000+01:00

Not sure whether you'd say I'm late to the plate with this one, or perhaps early to the table? Depends which way you look at it I suppose. Either way, these shots from Jeremy Scott's A/W collection unleashed in February are really rocking my boat at the moment. Must be the brief spell of glorious sunshine that made it's way north this morning coupled with the fact that our new passports have arrived and we can FINALLY book our holi-bags - whoop whoop!!

Flirting With The Fauxhawk

2011-07-10T13:53:00.000+01:00

Anyone that follows me on Twitter might have realised that I spent most of Wednesday night hunting down YouTube videos of young Scene kids back-coming their to an inch of its life. I eventually came across Miss Chievous' Fawkhawk tutorial. I can do that! I yelped. I had already mentally planned a kick-ass outfit for Friday night's jaunt to House of Honey in the Wild, but what I really needed was a new 'do. Bring on the Fawhawk! My inspiration for this look? Why, none other than the UK's number 2 topless 'media personality', Jodie Marsh. This is the look she went for after she decided to become a lesbian - for a while. I think she looks nasty - in a good way.

Jodie Marsh

Friday's outfit was inspired my new darling Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes. A few weeks ago I got a rather lovely email from the wondrous Suzanne over at Idee Fixe offering to pop into the NY sample sale and pick me up a wee bargain. Didn't she do well?! I'm totally delighted with these babies and they helped to add a feminine edge to my otherwise quite masculine look.

Birdies on display - can you spot the difference?

And here's the full ensemble...

Hair courtesy of Osis Dust It, Schwarzkopf Got 2 Be Glued hairspray, comb // Claire's Accessories clip on star earrings // Zana Bayne 3 wing shoulderpiece // H&M studded braces // Topshop leopard print bodysuit // H&M high-waisted jeans (still on sale instore for £7!!) // Melissa shoes

Jodie Marsh snarl

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Cheeky Wee Outfit Snap

2011-07-08T16:46:00.000+01:00

Quick snap of me waiting at the bus stop last night en route to see 80s goth band Sisters of Mercy. The gig was shit, but my dress was pretty awesome. Will get better pics another time.

Sporting...

dress from New Look (yup - totally rad wee number in hot pink and orange with the word 'fragment' written all over it) // pink tights // Swan clothing sock garters // black sheer tights with tiny love hearts on them cut to sock length from Primark // DMs // old Topshop leather jacket

These 'bright letter' leggings are even more awesome - but not on my thighs!!

Animated Tattoo

2011-07-08T12:55:00.000+01:00

I've blogged about scannable and augmented reality tattoos in the past, but this is a wee bit special! Artist Karl Marc of the Mystery Tattoo Club in Paris tattooed a design incorporating a matrix code that, when scanned, presented an animation of the tattoo.

Daft? Pointless? Yes!! That's exactly why I love it. I love that the tattoo will inevitably outlast the technology, but it'll still be there as a wee reminder of a certain moment in time. Pretty much all tattoos 'date' and fall in and out of fashion just as the owner falls in and out of love with them, so why not have a little fun in the meantime? Not all tattoos need to be loaded with sentimental memorial pish.

From Needles and Sins blog.

My Weekend

2011-07-06T12:51:00.000+01:00

Photos courtesy of Demode for Brazilian magazine Criativa

These photos have helped to cheer me up after what can only be described as the worst couple of days ever. I tried to write this yesterday, but kept welling up. I'll keep it short. On Sunday evening we noticed our wee Lydicat was under the weather, lying on her bed and breathing rapidly. It didn't take long to make the decision to take her to the emergency vet. At 17 years old, you do start to prepare yourself for the worst, so why oh why did it still come as a horrible shock when the vet said she had a huge tumour in her tummy and her breathing was probably because she was in pain? They gave her a good shot of painkillers and let us take her home to be fussed over before we had to have her put to sleep on Monday. It was the single most distressing day of my life. However, it made me appreciate having a local 24 hour emergency vet service. Vets Now gave us advice over the phone and looked after Lydia when we got there. They do a fantastic job and it must be heartbreaking for them to have to give out bad news on a regular basis.

Wasn't sure about posting this news on here as it's very personal, but Lydia was a huge part of the family and has featured in more than one post. We miss her and I wanted to share that with you all x

Sylvia Ji Throne

2011-07-01T11:20:00.000+01:00

This handcrafted throne featuring 'Maria' by artist Sylvia Ji would look just darling propped in the corner of the Boudoir. They are, of course, limited edition. Only 33 will be produced in faux suede, each one coming with it's own certificate of authenticity. At just under £1600 I reckon this is a serious collectors piece and will most definitely appreciate in value over the next 10 years. It's also available in genuine leather. Keep your eyes peeled in the back of Kat von D's tattoo studio - right up her street!

About 8 years ago Mr G bought me two beautiful numbered prints by contemporary Japanese artist Chiho Aoshima. She trained under Superflat mastermind (and Louis Vuitton collaborator) Takashi Murakami. Both pieces have gone up in value - not mega bucks, but a very good investment. They adorn the Boudoir walls and make me smile every day. After the cats, would be up there with 'what can I shove under my arm and escape a fire with?'

Chiho Aoshima (not my ones - just examples of her work)

Do any of you have little works of art that you treasure - or even big ones?! Or, what's your most treasured item of clothing?

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The Future Is Bright...

2011-06-26T15:40:00.000+01:00

dress by mbyM // Primark tiara // black lipstick by Stargazer // black nail polish by Barry M // Disaya OOPS bangle (gift from Auntie Ang) // Kenneth Jay Lane bee ring // Tarina Tarantino Hello Kitty Pink Head necklace // Sugar Mafia pink lips necklace (also a gift from Auntie Ang)

It's the weekend!! Yesterday was the first Saturday in months that really felt like a proper day off. I slept in until 10.30am - a very rare occurrence for me, I'm usually up with lark, even on weekends. I spent the rest of the morning eating toast and drinking cups of tea, watching Style the Nation and dying my hair.

By the time 1 o'clock came around, I was back on the couch with another cup of tea, waiting for Rafa Nadal to step out onto Court number 1. Watched him thrash his opponent whilst painting my nails. By 3pm I was feeling peckish again and Mr G suggested we head out for some lunch. Next up, a two course feast at The Ivory before heading home just in time to settle down for Novak Djokovic's match on Centre Court - sweet. Ducked out during the second set to throw on my glad rags in anticipation of a pal's birthday bash at the local bowling club. Stood in the middle of the living room squealing in delight at the telly as wee Novak fought his way into the 4th round 2 minutes before Auntie Angela and Scotty Boy pulled up outside to give us a lift along to the bowling club just after 8pm.

Drank pints of cider and black, blethered to Auntie Ang for 4 hours, had a wee dance and headed back home with the wondrous Sergio and Simonotron for a wee nightcap before hitting the hay at the very respectable time of 2am. Slept like an old content cat and have spent today slumming it on the couch watching last night's Casualty and back to back episodes of ER. Rock on!

Springwatch Manics Madness

2011-06-24T11:49:00.000+01:00

This one's for all my fellow Manic Street Preachers fans out there.

Springwatch is a BBC wildlife programme hosted by a bunch of enthusiasts including Chris Packham (Jenny Packham's brother). I remember Chris back in the day when he used to present the Really Wild Show for kids - he had bleached hair and was always a bit of a punk. His love of music filters through everything he does and a few years ago he began surreptitiouslydropping song titles from his favourite bands into Springwatch conversations - genius! This year he chose the Manics. See how many you can spot!

Thanks to Moggie Boy for the link x

Show Off

2011-06-23T13:30:00.000+01:00

Desperately trying to claw back a better life/work balance. Been doing far too much overtime and not had anywhere enough funtime for my liking. Aim to rectify that this weekend!

In the meantime, here's a wee snippet of a shoot for Show Off magazine featuring the fashion department of the Royal College of Fine Arts in Antwerp, styling by Anna Trevelyan, hair by Charlie le Mindu and photography by Saga.

I NEED that crazy pink snood-thingumy!

Visionaries

2011-06-18T00:44:00.002+01:00

"VISIONARIES" - GARETH PUGH from Volt Magazine on Vimeo.

Gareth Pugh and the amazing video director, Ruth Hogben discuss the medium of fashion film. Like I've sai many times before. fashion film is my preferred medium of choice x

Skinny And Boney

2011-06-16T20:23:00.000+01:00

The 6 year old me was OBSESSED with My Little Pony. They decorated the curtains, the bedspread, the lampshades, the rug, the handmade dressing table cover, you name it, it was plastered in ponies. Applejack was my first pony and instantly became my favourite. She was orange with a yellow mane and a bit of a tomboy (or so I imagined).

For Christmas I was given the My Little Pony Castle. And who lived in the castle? Why Majesty, of course! Majesty was a unicorn. Nuff said. Applejack could get tae fuck. What pony could compete with a unicorn?!

One with a BLACK unicorn, eyeliner, inverted cross and lightning bolt, of course!
This wee diva is courtesy of my gal pal Smu. How awesome is she??

And if the illustration wasn't enough, she's only gone and designed these fantastic tshirts too! So clippety-clop on over here to snap one up for yourself.

This post was inspired by the new My Little Pony cartoon, Friendship is Magic, introduced to me by Mr G after a night out and described as something along the lines of the Powerpuff Girls on acid. Saccharine sweet, but sickeningly good. Here's episode 20 featuring Majesty's 21st century equivalent, Rarity and a a fucked up paparazzi pony who appears to be the love child of Lady Gaga and Andre Leon Talley.

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Mondrian And Rothko Had A Fight In My Close

2011-06-12T11:30:00.002+01:00

Striped cotton dress by South from the Very Shop // Pamela Mann mustard tights // Melissa rocking horse shoes // red bandana

Piet Mondrian, Composition A, 1923

Mark Rothko, Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red, 1949

Glasgow saw about five minutes of sunshine yesterday before the lashing rain started again, so I took the opportunity to throw on this fantastic striped dress from the Very Shop. In the 15 minutes it took for me to actually get ready, it had started - hence the brolly.

I love the print on this dress, it looks like Mark Rothko has had a fight with Mondrian (it also appears to match the 'decor' in our close!) It's a good length for me, although an extra inch wouldn't go amiss - to hide my chubby knees! I find it really hard to find skirts that sit just below my knees. I'm 5'6" but have short legs and a long back - like a duck ;) I suppose wearing mustard tights and shoes with chunky ankle straps is a no no for me - Trinny and Susannah would have a fit - but I've never been very good at dressing for my shape.

I chose this dress because it was super bright and colourful - pushing me out of my comfort zone a little, but the wee splash of black served as a comfort blanket at the same time. It's 98% cotton with a little stretch - perfect fabric for holidaying in. Only downside is the sizing. I'm a bog standard 10, but this dress is pretty generous, especially around the bust and waist - maybe that's an upside?? I do like a little room, especially if I'm wearing it in the heat. Mr G and I are hoping to book a holiday to Sitges, Spain in August. It'll be hot, hot, hot, and I reckon this wee number will be perfect for a cheeky night out sipping sangria in a bar in Barcelona. A bit of fake tan and my white wedges and I'm sorted!

This post was in association with Very.co.uk