I'll take a Blackberry Anything!!!

Ink me...

Blue me up anyday...

Always up for a pretty read.

All these dreams have to go somewhere!

Ain't no spring in this step.

See? I’m not too difficult, I just like things that would make sense to me and things I am likely to utilize.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

£23ish from GreatGraceCrochet.

£12ish from tocamade£33ish from willacather99£23ish from susanjie£10ish from CritterJitters£63 fom American Apparel£49ish  from MetropolisNYCVintage

I got it out of protective custody.   This is a gorgeous, incredibly warm handspun handknit cap from Cookie. It just appeared in my mail box.   At the time, I was a little uncertain if she wanted me to blog about it because our Cookie is an intensely private lady.  Earlier this fall, she mentioned that she wouldn’t mind if I blogged about it, but at that time, the hat was safely nestled in safety with lavender leaves protecting it from the dreaded moth.   Well, this weekend, I busted the cap from the lavender bed and took pictures of it.  This is a gift that is so precious.  Completely hand made.   By a friend.   And, I thank you, dearheart, for this beautiful and incredibly warm cap.  And, here’s another picture that doesn’t do it justice.

A modeled shot with a faceless model.  Very artsy, non?  But, it’s a great shot of the cap!  The top color is a bit truer.

How was your weekend?  Mine was wonderful.  Thanks.  So many things going on and not one blog worthy.  I got called out for an inaccuracy on the cookbook saga.  My friend Sharon told me that she had offered to help.  Well.  I’m gonna take her word for it because my mind is a sieve and I just might not have heard her say it.  I roll like that sometimes.  So, I’m not going to have to edit myself (thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and also, she’ll help with layout and stuff like that there that I don’t know beans about.   I’m artistic, but disorganized if you get my drift.  Well, even if you don’t.  I’m artistic, but disorganized.  And, Sharon is both artistic and organized.  Plus, she’s my friend.  I love her.

My yard is covered in leaves and they are filling my pond, but I’m too tired to care (much).  I will need to get the leaves out the pond today because I can’t see in the dark after work.  Besides, the leaves will suffocate the fish and we can’t have that.  I stayed up late last night watching an abysmal movie that lasted 2 hours and 27 minutes.  It was The Transformers-Revenge of the somethingorothers.  It was awful.  Yet, I continued to watch it.  I knew I had to get up early to make breakfast for homeless guests that stay the night at church, but still I watched this horrible movie.  I got to the point where I was hoping that all the main characters would get killed.  There was nothing to save this movie.  I’ll tell you, 5:00 a.m. came darned early today.

Now, my soundtrack for this day?  I’m in the mood for something silly.  That might be the fatigue, but I am in the mood for silly.

The Muppets and a great version of “Bohemian Rhapsody”!!!!  Enjoy.

And, here’s how they work! Click on a picture that attracts you and you’ll be taken through to an Etsy treasury (16 fabulous items) – each treasury’s based round a theme so you should find 15 other potential gifts – Like a personal shopper, doing all the hard work for you!

Do you love anyone enough? – featuring Gazelle Jewellry’s Gold pearls bracelet £36ish.

White and pink Christmas in Paris – featuring Kitty L’Wren’s Christmas in Paris £18ish

White out – featuring WildWomanJewellry’s enameled white heart necklace

Gift list for friends – featuring GloryGift’s knitted beaded ring £17ish

Find the hostess gifts – featuring margity’s personalised knit pillow £38ish

Don’t forget to like Who is the Fairest? on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Who-is-the-fairest/219608368103287?sk=wall

Check out our random picks of the day and find new finds on our likes!

From xoxiishop, only £12ish and part of the price goes to charity!

Treat you very own Mr. Moustache to this fabulous moustache wax kit – £16ish from MansFaceStuff.

25% of the price of this ‘tachinator’ goes to charity – can’t refuse, I know I want one! £10.00 from crownandglory.

From masters of None – another one for the boys. These manly ‘tache cufflinks are just £15ish.

First up, the ultimate cake for any chocoholic this newly discovered cake company is based in Derbyshire. The Wow! cake’ll set you back £7.95 for a small and there’s plenty more treats available including non-chocolate yummies – Miss Piggy’s.

These hand smoked chilli and mezcal truffles are from Cocoadance (another Derbyshire based company) – and I can heartily recommend their chocolate goldfish!

Try a selection box from trufflepigletchocs for £5.00 – fantastic and unusual flavours included.

This gourmet amaretto hot chocolate mix come from tetoncocoacompany and a large pack (15-18 servings) will cost you £10is – less than a pound a cup and delicious too!

Well I’m drooling officially now but I’ll leave you with a few other chocolately websites to savour without any guilt!

www.greenandblacksdirect.com

www.divinechocolate.com

www.montezumas.co.uk

At £228ish it ain’t cheap but, boy is it fabulous! Nab yourself a unique seat from LisaFrick.

Not quite your thing? How about these salvaged and prettified chairs from ruifelix (£38ish)

This gorgeous winged armchair comes complete with an ottoman – £325ish from nakedwindow

Curl up in a hammock – great alternative to an armchair – £22ish from hamanica.

This director’s chair is embellished with ‘Peace’ – custom order your own embroidery – £48ish from gretta47.

Jean of all trades

Jean White is a Canadian-born artist who has lived in the USA for the past 12 years. A true ‘Jean of all trades’ she writes, draws, paints, photographs and makes fantastic pieces of art. 

A writer by trade, she has been selling her creations on Etsy for the last ten months.

Within her art and photography she likes to explore both colour and composition something you can really see in the painting ‘Dawn’ (above) and ‘Turquoise Door’.

Like many artists who sell through the internet Jean writes a blog (www.jeanofalltrades.com) allowing her to promote her creations but Jean’s has a life of its own and here you can find her photographs and musings on fashion and style.

To see more of Jean’s art and craft follow the link below – and those of you lucky enough to be based in the Seattle area look out for her exhibiting in a gallery near you!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JeanOfAllTrades?ref=seller_info

And to finish…three essential things to know about Jean:

1. She’s a vegan who cares about animals and the environment.
2. She supports businesses that believe in sustainability and fairtrade.
3. She can’t pass a thrift shop without a rummage!

Hartstringz has some beautiful handembroidered pieces, this is one of my favourites (£12ish)

A complete contrast but just as lovely, this black and white nude is £24ish from ElizabethZusev

Own an original painting for under £40 from artpower – simply wonderful.

Bring a little romance into the house with this downloadable photo – only £1.50ish from gingerteaphotography and you can then have it printed however you like. Brilliant idea – though I say so myself!

This gorgeous fashion illustration is perfect for bedroom walls, simple, eyecatching with a Parisian flavour – £17ish from JessicaIllustration

And finally – for a large piece of art why not try Jmjartstudio.  This 2foot by 3foot original painting is £150ish and simply stunning.

This bag is knitted and felted in the washing machine, making a sturdy and roomy bag – perfect for work. The pattern cost a mere £3.50ish from bunsandballs or Wye Needlecraft and including the wool it’ll cost you around about £20.

Handy with a sewing machine? Whip yourself up a vintage dress – £4ish from ThePlayfulNeedle – just remember to double check sizes!

Corsages go with everything – try bellasymphony for a fabulous pattern booklet for £3.60ish.

I’ve been lusting after this book for a while – covering everything you could possibly want to know about combining crafts and style this gorgeous book, written by Company magazine’s craft columnist, is £16.99 from Waterstones (currently on offer on the website).

Making a great gift for any young girl of your acquaintance these fabulous necklace kits are available from Recycle:Recycle:Recycle for a mere £1.50 each.

And to finish…a few useful websites for the creative soul!

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/ - make and share craft tutorials including melted crayon art, belt bracelets and knuckleduster glasses cases!

http://www.thewoolbaa.co.uk/ - The wool Baa, based in Sheffield, is the place to find all your knitting needs or just to ask for advice all dispensed with a healthy dose of sarcasm!

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 - Hobbycraft – full of practically everything you’ll ever need when it comes to craft – I find it very useful for bulk buying the basics but tend to prefer junk shops and independent stockists for fabrics/threads/beads/buttons etc.. more fun and individual.

http://www.wye.co.uk/ - based in Derbyshire but with a website and international mail order, this is where to find threads (for embroidery), Buns and Balls knitting patterns, cross – stitch, advice, linen for hand stitching on and powerful daylight lamps to see by!

I always think that black plates can make even the worst/laziest dinner look good – may be just me but there we go – £14.95 for the 3piece set from Nice Nosh.

Feeling pretty? Start a collection of vintage plates – mix and match means you can go ahead and break a few and no need to worry – £14ish per plate from calloohcallay.

Or two for £20ish from JimmyVintage.

Have dinner off some modern art – £18ish from owlcreekceramics.

Add a bit of colour to dinner – £23ish for 5 from by the way side

And finally – not neccessarily for the more squemish diner – try these fabulous ‘Bone appetit’ plates from foldedpigs, £43is for the set of 4.

Time to get cooking!

Handknitted and large enough to wrap yourself up in this afghan blanket from wyopotter is not only machine washable but a snip at £33ish.

This cushion is upcycled from a ‘cottony-soft’ old sweater and looks fabulously crazy – £10ish from JeanofAllTrades.

Coffee cosy – much warmer and better fitting than those cardboard sleeves – £6.00ish from GlenEchoDesigns

Try this stripy blanket for a little bit of colour – £42ish from SoFarWanted.

Hanknitted and they also do a fab range of cushions – my personal favourite being the orange knitted bow.

And so to bed…

Try a felted hot water bottle cover – £13.00 from bettybutter – snuggly!

Just think, with these to keep you toasty warm this winter you’ll be cutting down your heating bills as well – eco-fabulous and economic!

Fairtrade and 100% organic cotton – doesn’t get much better! So, how to accessorise it?

Treat yourself to a luxury handknitted, chunky cardigan – £95is from ovejanegra (it’ll last you for years)

I do love a bit of glitter – £69ish from Suadelaintimates.

And finish with an old-school satchel – £66.60 from leathersatchel and some coloured opaque tights!

I have rather indulged here pricewise – so below are a few other matches that’d be just as fab and slightly lower in price.

£32ish each from Stay Gold Mary Rose

and yes they are real teacups

£16.50ish from Hanahouhale – cedar cigar box bag.

So pretty and only £15 from post – they also have bats if you’re feeling seasonal!

Tiny picture but fab blazer and price – £20ish

from  11threads!                           

As usual I’m starting pricey but this handpainted ‘La vie en rose’ teapot from Bettyraspberry is worth every penny of it’s $98.00 (£64is – see already cheaper!) also included in the price is a cup and saucer and tea plate – so go ahead and treat yourself.

Or try these teapots from Country Traditionals – £14.95

To drink… Try Teapigs – here with their Chocolate Flake tea £3.99

Sticking to the hand painted scheme – hows about this set of four teacups from wandersketch ($40.00/£26ish) – no saucers = less washing up – genius!

Every self-respecting tea features cakes, so here’s a choice of two cakestands – first up…

From When the music’s over at £15.00 this retro vinyl cakestand, just goes to show tea needn’t be girly!

Or this smasher from Esther Coombs at £138.00 – a unique piece of art as well as a cakestand.

Now you’ve got the tableware all you need is the cakes and a friend or two – Enjoy!

LOOK what she sent me

Bit of a blurry photo, my eyes must be worse than I thought!

100g of yarn, Debbie Bliss yarn….soft, soft Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran, a mix of wool and angora so you can imagine how SOFT this is, in a beautiful soft green and a flecked tan.

A tin of Clotted Cream Fudge, oh, oh ALL mine, I love fudge, but is a luxury to buy so I will be enjoying every little morsel.

A sweet little Rose candle in a pretty little jar, made to look like a little jar of jam, with sweet rose paper and a gingham ribbon to finish it off.  I burn rose candles so of course I was right chuffed with this.  A bar of Sweet Lavender soap, I just love the way it is presented and I love Lavender too.

You can’t see them very well, but Karen had made a button necklace (gorgeous) and there is a beaded bracelet (very chic) which I wore out on Friday night.

A close up of the bag and below one of the inside, such pretty colors, very vibrant….and look, butterflys.  This is perfect for my little wip’s, (like the apple cosy that has been frogged too many times to remember now) It has a pocket inside, Karen is so neat with her stitching.

Look at this cushion cover, I actually shed a few tears when I saw this, it is my ideal little home, with the window boxes, the fence, birds, flowers, butterflys and hearts depicting lots of love.  The only thing I would add is the chickens and veggies..perfect (and a nice man, must not forget him)

Even more crafty goodness, egg cosies and the beautiful Lavender soap were wound into the green yarn and these little buttons were tucked into the tan yarn in a pretty little green bag.  See the paper it all came in tucked there in the background, flowers and butterflys.

A close up of the green yarn and you can see the egg cosies peeping out.

I was utterly and thoroughly spoilt by Karen, a very thoughtful and intuitive, I may add, gift, I am ever so grateful and beyond touched.

Thank you ♥

The day this parcel arrived I had been feeling below par for a few days (am on some naturopathic tablets now) and had endured a few beyond stinky days at work   It was so nice to come home to, rip paper and squeal and stroke and cry my way through all these goodies.

Went out on Friday night as I said above, Kaila and I went to a Cabaret night that was put on by the dance school that she used to dance at, some of her friends still dance there.  It was lovely to catch up with the girls and the parents, pity the food wasn’t as nice, I ended up in the toilet at the end of the night and I won’t say any more about that!!!!!  And I didn’t even drink (I was the driver)  The food was disgusting and some of it turned my stomach as soon as I put it in my mouth, a few people I spoke to later said bits of it tasted off.  I guess the way I have been feeling lately my system is a bit weak, hohum.

We have had some amazing weather lately, sunny and warm and I could go out without a coat (happy dance) but of course it brings on the sneezes, I am putting it out there that the tablets I am on will build up my immunity and help me stop feeling so tired and light headed.  Oh sorry for the little moan girls.

My dance job is a good place to be, lots of music always playing and happy kids around dancing.  The head teacher/owner/friend has gone to Bali for just over a week, so Kaila and I are looking after it for her and Kaila is standing in teaching for her, so I will have three very late nights there as I will be locking up. Last class finishes at 9.30, then I have to put heaters away, check everything is in its right place etc.

Kaila just did her grade 8 ballet exam, which now qualifies her to teach RAD ballet.  She is enjoying her retail job and out of 15 days has worked 12 which is good because she may be out of work for around a month whilst they refurbish the shop.  Although she could be called in to one of their other outlets.

Well I am about to pop my blanket on my lap and hopefully finish it this afternoon.

Take care and lots of love to you all.

xxSxx

]]> http://sandiart.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/awwww/ Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:40:57 +0000 sandiart http://sandiart.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/awwww/ I was buzzing around like a little bee on Friday, I went yarn shopping, I was making use of the voucher my daughter gave me for Mother’s Day, bought some lovely yarn (another post as I haven’t taken photos yet) then I visited my Auntie.  She lives a 10 min drive from me, but we don’t often catch up, she’s busy, I’m busy.  We had a lovely couple of hours catch up, tea was drunk and home-made choc chip biscuits were devoured.  My cousins little 4 year old was there too.  Did some food shop on the way home, I opened the door  and look what was waiting for me…..ooh I was so excited

All the way from the UK…………….

Inside were two parcels, wrapped in this beautiful paper, and an envelope with strict instructions to open the parcels first, Oh I did as I was told!!

More unwrapping was to be done, I was so intrigued as to what it was, so excited and a little heart thumpy too.

Ahhhh, wooden hangers, gorgeous variegated blue yarn, sweet little crochet flowers that came in the little ‘With Love’ bag and an oh, oh so sweet photo card of one mini Cuckoo.  Thank you so much Cuckoo, you made me shed tears, loudly and snottily, you sneaky sweetie you.    The yarn is beautiful and so soft, I don’t know where she gets the time to do what she does (she crocheted the little flowers) with two very energetic boys and a baby….bless you.  I have a giggle at the antics of her boys, but then I’m not there to clean up the mess….she is a very clever girl with her craftiness, baking..(yes I am going to make the cupcakes cuckoo honest)…sewing and crocheting and all the other things she crams into her days.

♥

I also received this Stylecraft yarn

The top left is periwinkle, it is such a beautiful color….but look what else I bought..hmmmm, not what I thought

fluro pink and orange…………not sure what to do with this, any suggestions??

I have added another 7 colors to my grannie since I showed you last, will take a photo of it and the new yarn tomorrow.

I’m off to have some Rocky Road ice-cream…..mmmmmm.

Love to you and you

ˆ•ˆ

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Sandi

]]> http://franzistylenomad.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/presents-in-the-office/ Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:26:08 +0000 thefashionnomad http://franzistylenomad.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/presents-in-the-office/ Hello world,

Well I had a particularly fun day at work today! Doing all the work that had piled up for me over the weekend, which I wasn’t able to do because of a lack of internet wasn’t that great, but I had two surprises today.

Firstly, the ladies from the Ted Baker press office in London came over to Ireland and paid a visit to us in Harmonia to show us their autumn/winter collection. I didn’t get a chance to grab a few photos as it would have looked odd in a room with six other people. It’s quite country heritage in themed, with lots of luxurious silks and and bright colours. It’s nice to see that they’re keeping up with the colour blocking trend of spring/summer as it’s one of my favourite trends.

Well here’s the goodie bag we each got, so I’m quite pleased about that. And there’s a new wallet in there, which will come in handy when mine finally breaks.

Then to top it all off, I get a parcel couriered in from Tommy Hilfiger. I got a parcel!!!! I didn’t think other people were aware that we interns even existed, and here I am getting packages all for myself! I feel so proud right now, that the PR companies have started taking notice of me, five months in of me constantly flooding them with emails about the most banal of things.

I got a beach towel and a backgammon game, which will come in handy for whenever I go abroad on holiday. But seeing as I’m broke and only a poor little intern, I’ve a feeling I’ll be waiting a few years!!!

So that was my day. I hope you guys had a fun day too.

Until then,

Franzi

xoxo