Love doesn’t quite cover how feel about this amazing editorial from Harper’s Bazaar Spain’s April issue, featuring the incomparable Daphne Groeneveld and lensed by photographer Txema Yeste. View the full editorial here!

Give me a ghost any day (Pic: Môsieur J. [version 8.0])

Once upon a time your biggest fears were ghosts, monsters and the people in the TV breaking through the screen and coming to get you. If only it were that simple now! Being twenty-something comes with a whole host of it’s own scares…

Explaining the internet to old people

You’re having a perfectly lovely lunch with your nanna and grandpa, discussing normal grandparent-y things like Werther’s Originals, the next door neighbours and how Colin Firth peaked in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. And then BAM, Nanna drops a bombshell. “We’re thinking about getting a Google”. Your life flashes before your eyes.

The next couple of months are spent explaining things like how they haven’t actually won £100,000 for being the millionth visitor to a site, why Googling their email address and password won’t lead them directly to their inbox and why Linda Next Door stopped talking to them after Nanna posted a Facebook status saying she “dresses a bit promiscuous” thinking it was a private message.

Meeting successful people your age (or worse…younger)

Why does Bieber get a trophy? From what I can tell he’s a terrible person. (Pic: CarinaLLBieber)

Do you feel a bit sick whenever Little Mix flash up on the TV? Spend a lot of time trolling Miley Cyrus’ Twitter? Have violent, rage-filled dreams about coming up with some sort of Saw set-up for Bieber? Yep, there’s nothing more upsetting than successful young people – but it’s definitely worse when you have to come face-to-face with such a creature, especially if they’re your parents’ friends’ kids.

It might go something like this…

Mum: “Meet Julia, she’s 23 and a hotshot lawyer already! In her spare time she enjoys mountain climbing, working for Oxfam and she’s also fluent in four languages. Oh and have you met her fiance? The Guardian is touting him as ‘England’s answer to Obama’.

Me: “Well Julia, I don’t mean to intimidate you, but my hobbies include stalking 90s pop stars on Twitter, watching Jeremy Kyle for a healthy dose of Schadenfreude and drunkenly cursing New Labour’s false 90s promises to pervy old men in pubs. My three most-searched terms on Google are “How to survive with no money”, “Will I be alone forever?” and “funny videos of sloths”. Oh, and last Saturday I actually launched myself into a bush outside Asda to avoid my ex-boyfriend ‘mad Tony’ because I owe him fifty quid.

People unexpectedly going into your bedroom

For the untidy among us, standards of what constitutes a mess get a lot looser after you’ve moved out of your parents’ house. And you don’t want your friends to know your room is such a mess you’ve had to create little islands of hardback books around the room to jump to and from so you can get to your bed without treading on any of your clothes.

ARGHHHH!!!

Cash machines

Your heart is racing, your mouth dry and you’re feeling a little light-headed. Your fight or flight instinct is kicking in, but you resist the urge to leg it down the street and instead take a deep breath, steady yourself and enter your pin number into the cash machine. You’ve been avoiding checking your balance for weeks now, and have that familiar sick feeling that today is that fateful day where you will have “insufficient funds to complete the transaction”, sending you into a panic about whether it is in fact possible to make a bag of brown rice and some Wensleydale last the whole week until payday. However, miraculously the machine starts whirring and ejects £20. The panic is over for today, you take the money and if no-one’s looking give your bank card a little kiss. “This is cause for celebration!” you think, so you sensibly blow the cash on that little Primark dress you’ve had your eye on, and treat yourself to a bottle of £6 Pinot (not that £4 own-brand shit you’ve been subjecting yourself to). The next day the whole stomach-churning saga starts again.

The youth of today

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? Go climb a tree or something! (Pic: Idiotsonfb.tumblr.com)

Those trucker-cap wearing, Bieber-fevering, duck-facing, WAG wannabes need to turn into proper children like we used to be. #YOLO? Fuck off.

That one weird housemate you never see

As the papers keep on announcing, we are a part of the delightful-sounding “generation rent”, meaning a lot of 20-somethings these days live in house shares. If this is you, then you’re likely to have at one point come across THAT one housemate who lives in the basement and you’ve only seen three times in five months. After a bit of Facebook stalking you found out that he has 48 friends, his likes include “women should stay in the kitchen and make me a sandwich” and “I want to live in A Clockwork Orange”, and his profile picture is a blood-spattered poster from Dexter. You live in constant fear that one day you’ll wake up to him standing over your bed wielding a crossbow and whispering “Good evening, Clarice”. The stress is starting to take it’s toll, but the possibility of a violent, untimely death is less scary than telling your friends you’ve decided to move back in with mum and dad.

Why did you ever leave home? It’s wonderful there! (Pic: Alan Cleaver)

For many of us, spreading our wings to go to uni or starting an adult life (booo) begins with moving out of our childhood homes and becoming a grown up.  The prospect of living without parental guidance was exciting and liberating at the time, but now more often than not we long to be taken care of the way only a mother knows how.

One of the best things about living at home was the food. 

Delicious home-made meals cooked with love and kindness are second to none.  A fully stocked fridge is now the stuff of dreams – one containing only an ancient Muller Corner and a half eaten Chinese is an all too familiar nightmare.  Why didn’t I realise that nice food is expensive and I don’t have Mum’s trolley to sneak things into anymore?! And oh God, the dishes.  The god forsaken dishes that despite our meticulously planned cleaning rota never seem to be done.

Being ill is most definitely not as fun as it was when I lived at home. 

Don’t get me wrong I don’t enjoy being ill, but being at home when Dad always came up trumps with the Lucozade, meals are made on request and hugs are on demand are things I really miss – even when it’s just a hangover.

At first coming home whenever you pleased, and as pissed as you pleased, was amazing.

There were no harsh words about how you were wasting your life and drinking all your money away.  Now I almost long for the telling off – reminding me that last glass of Pinot Grigio was most definitely a bad idea, if the reminder of the embarrassingly tipsy texts weren’t enough.

THERE IS NO REASON TO GO TO COSTCO! EVER! Enough said.

The worst, and most unbearable, thing about not living at home anymore for some people, myself included, is…

…The lack of pets.

A dog in a fabulous top hat is simply not an option for you (pic: petsadviser)

No furry babies to force your cuddles upon and to cheer you up when you’ve had a bad day is surely the saddest fact of them all.  I spend my days stroking every dog I walk past and sobbing uncontrollably at RSPCA adverts on TV, having regular debates with my housemates about how if I did have a dog I would most definitely walk it, even in the rain, and would be first on hand with the pooper scooper.

Despite the sorrows of not living at home anymore, we mustn’t forget there are so many benefits.   We can make grown up choices, for grown up people, even if that means having to wear bikini bottoms to work because we left it too late to do the laundry, having the messiest room in a 2 mile radius and having a pint.  Of wine.  (It makes for fewer trips to the fridge).

he hides his face sometimes when he sleeps

Hamlet has been with us for about 6 months now and he seems settled, always delighted to see us and he is eating really well.

His appetite has, historically been a barometer for the state of his emotional health (read bonkers!). If he is off his food, he’s not a happy little dog and it signals a decline into a state of madness.

obsessing over a ball

This madness manifests itself in serious grumpiness, cowering, loss of appetite, endless licking (like anything!!), lots of sleeping and lots of barking. I truly believe he shows all the signs of severe misery!!

Hamlet is prone to being grumpy and a grumbler at the best of times but the level increases tenfold if he is fed up. Even when he is happy, he is prone to obsessive behaviour and a ball or toy is guaranteed to bring that out in him. I don’t think some of these things will ever change.

Old age is also starting to present itself and he is slowly losing his sight. There is milkiness to be seen in his eyes now and I think he gets startled and scared easily because he can’t see properly.

He has responded positively to our routine though and I think our relatively quiet and peaceful house suits him very well.

He’s a little treasure and we love having him with us

the ears say it all

When he is happy, he is a complete joy; he can’t wait for his mealtimes and will take your fingers off for a crumb given the chance, he stands expectantly at the door for his walks, he strides out and is even happy to see other dogs (that almost never used to happen!!!).

We put him on a raw diet the same as Max’s for ease and it seems to suit him, he looks fit and happy, he is slim and full of beans (between monumentally noisy sleeps!!).

He is still fundamentally the same weird little dog he has always been and I’m not surprised my sister misses him as much as she does.

lovely rheumy old eyes

max in a peach floral number

I have blogged about these doggy neckerchiefs before. I’ve made them for friends who have asked for them and I have given some as gifts, but people don’t seem to buy them.  During my days at Harringay Market, it occurred to me that the reason could be that it isn’t easy to work out what these little doggerchiefs actually are!

Hamlet modelling Agnes’s Doggerchief

Although Max goes down a treat with doggy shoppers at the market; he behaves like everyone loves him and he is always pleased to see anyone who makes eye contact with him, it’s not very fair to expect him or Hamlet to sit around modelling in the freezing conditions that we have had there JUST so that people understand what these doggerchiefs are.

doggy outline

So the solution is to have a stand in; A cardboard cut out of sorts (made of MDF to be precise).

It couldn’t have been easier:- a quick outline of a JRT (Max wriggled a bit but we managed to get him flattened out………only joking!!!! ) enlarged to about the right size, an off cut of MDF from the shed and a jig saw.

cardboard cut out

JC did the cutting for me and it is now done.

Although, I haven’t been making much lately and my pile of unfinished projects is really not getting any smaller making the cut out for the purpose of modelling the neckerchief, made me pick these out of the basket & I got them finished.

I must do some in more masculine fabrics as these all seem to be a bit more appropriate for girls but when you are working with vintage, it is hard to be sure what you will come across.

lady labrador’s neck warmer

Anyway, Agnes now has the cute daisy green, Bosley will get his blue and gingham one next time we see him and there is a labrador along with her chihuahua buddy who also have them in hertfordshire

I love this fabric!!

I love them and would put Max in a new one every day if JC didn’t think he looked ridiculous!!

the tiniest doggerchief in the world!!

Fancy relaxing on one of the best beaches the Indian Ocean has to offer, in one of the most fabulous cities in the world?

If you can, then this competition is just for you!

It’s very simple to enter, click the link, fill in your details and answer two easy questions about Qatar Airways. Then you are entered into our draw to win 2 tickets to Dubai with Qatar Airways.

All that’s left to say is good luck!

K-Midi: More than a woman. (Photo credit: Tom Soper Photography)

Not even Kate Middleton is exempt from the tragic, and rather embarrassing, high heel faux pas. As the Duchess of Cambridge, looking stunning as usual, wrapped her baby bump and braved showers to attend the St Patrick’s Day parade, the unfortunate happened. Kate’s heel became stuck in a drain.

Luckily, a chuckling Prince William was on hand to help the pregnant Duchess from the mishap, which even managed to crack a smile out of one of the soldiers – how very unprofessional!

Every woman becomes a victim of  a ‘heel horror’, as I like to call them, at least a couple of times, and Kate is no exception. Laughing at her own expense, the amused Duchess managed to stay on her feet and continue to enjoy the event held in Aldershot, Hampshire.

It happens to the best of us Kate!

The Duchess stunned in a green Emilia Wickstead coat (perfect colour choice, of course), the same of which she donned last year on St paddy’s day. She’s not afraid to recycle her outfit choices, a brave step for any woman, but one she has certainly pulled off! Every fashion queen (or should we say Duchess) has the odd wardrobe mishap, even Kate Middleton!

In fact, I think you’ll find that our favourite royal is just as ‘normal’ as we are. She took GCSE’s, just as we did, achieving 11 of them, 3 A Levels and a second class honours degree in Art History. She goes to the supermarket just as we do to do her weekly shop, and she even took to the tube earlier this week, where she was too given a ‘baby-on-board’ badge!

If that’s not normal, I don’t know what is!

Always remember to give yourself a little ‘me’ time.(Photo credit: We El)

People always talk about how we can’t have it all. There isn’t enough time in the world to have the perfect job, a buzzing social life and a wonderful family to boot. The way I see it nothing is perfect, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be happy and content with what we have.

Here are the pointers I try applying to my own life in the aim to make it more balanced.

Plan the night before

Planning can sound boring, especially if you are a spontaneous person. But I find planning helps,  you know what you need to do during the day so you aren’t overwhelmed with a million and one things to do. Failing to plan is preparing to fail after all!

Why not stick a mini whiteboard on the wall and check it every morning?

Tick, tick, boom. (Photo credit: Ckepper)

Make to do lists

If planning takes up too much of your time, or you just don’t feel like it’s practical for you, then try making lists. These can be as short or as long as you want to them to be. Writing them out means you are more likely to do them and all those little tidbits you have been avoiding will get done quicker. Also, it’s a great feeling crossing stuff out once it’s FINALLY done…

Paperchase have a really cute selection of list pads in stock at the minute – well worth a look!

Wind down

Make time at the end of the day to just chill out. This sounds pretty simple but not enough of us actually do it. We lead such busy lives there are days we literally come home, grab something to eat and head straight to sleep. The fact is that our brain needs to relax for us to get a good sleep. So spend at least half an hour watching a light-hearted TV show, reading a good book or listening to chill out songs with a camomile tea before bed.

If you enjoy relaxing in a bath I suggest checking out the scrubs from the Soap and Glory range. They smell lovely and really make a difference!

Break it up

During a busy working day it can be easy to work straight up until lunch and even through lunch breaks. We all (I am including myself in this) can feel this is proactive, proving to everyone just how dedicated we are. But doing this continuously is likely to stress out your body and mind, and could impact on the quality of your work. It’s fine to be focused, but you can’t work flat out every day.

There are few things more relaxing than a lovely scented candle.

I love watching YouTube videos for half an hour with a diffuser or a candle lit. Asda do some really nice ones. The pomegranate and cranberry one from Glade is on my list to get! It smells divine!

So this isn’t a massive list of tips, but these are things that I do to try to make sure my life can be as balanced as possible.

Lots of love

Nafisah

x

For more beauty and relaxation tips check out my blog Bamblings of Naffy.

Honeycombed hip jacket from Mr McQueen is simply to sweet for any further words!

Increasingly we have noticed more and more men shopping for iPhone cases which fulfil more than just a functional task, such as simply covering their iPhone.

Men are shopping for iPhone cases which look after their iPhones during the day whether, they work behind a desk, or in the great outdoors.

Guys are also shopping for iPhone cases which make a statement at night, something more fashionable and reflective of their personalities and perhaps even contribute to striking up a conversation with a potential mate.

I thought I would take some of the pain away by sharing Eight Killer iPhone cases for the boys.

Brushed Aluminium iPhone 5 Case

Whose it for: High flying execs and guys that like a sleek industrial look

Time of Day:  Day / Night / Late Night

Most likely to be seen: Office, Bar, Nightclub, Cafe

What women think of you: Player

Colours: Black & Silver

Conversation Rating: 9/10

Hyrbid Dual Tone

Whose it for: Hipsters, DJ’s, Entrepreneurs, Actors

Time of Day:  Day/Night/Late Night

Most likely to be seen: Business meetings at a Cafe, Film Sets, Bars

What women think of you: Interesting, Intelligent, Thinker

Colours: Silver

Conversation Rating: 8.5/10

LifeProof Series

Whose it for:  Ski Instructors, Boat Owners, Pool Cleaners

Time of Day:  Day, Weekend

Most likely to be seen: On Site, Ski Slopes, Swimming Pools, Yacht Clubs

What women think of you: Smart, Caring, Rugged

Conversation Rating: 6.5/10 (Ladies love a rugged tough man)

Colours: Black

Luxury Leather

Whose it for:  Sophisticated Gents

Time of Day:  Day / Night

Most likely to be seen: The AFL or Rugby Union, Members Bars, Office

What women think of you: Sophisticated, Classy

Conversation Rating: 7/10

Colours: Black & Red

Jigsaw iPhone 5

Whose it for:  Artists, Musicians, Students

Time of Day:  Day, Night

Most likely to be seen: Co-Working Office, Art Gallery, Bars

What women think of you: Unique, Artistic, Intelligent

Colours: Every case has a unique pattern

Conversation Rating: 9/10 

Festival Fluro iPhone 5 Cases

Whose it for:  Uni Students, Hipsters, Clubbers

Time of Day:  Weekends Only

Most likely to be seen: Uni Bar, Big Day Out,

What women think of you: Good time not a long time!

Colours: Orange, Purple, Magenta, Blue, Aqua

Conversation Rating: 6/10 (Try to work your charm fellas)

Otterbox

Whose it for:  Tradies, Brickies, Lumberjacks

Time of Day:  Day, Weekend

Most likely to be seen: On-Site, Pubs at Knock-Off,

What women think of you: Tough, Rugged & Outdoorsy

Colours: Black

Conversation Rating: 7/10 (Ladies love a rugged tough man)

Cassette Tape iPhone 5 Cases

Whose it for:  80′s Children, Hipsters, DJ’s, Musicians

Time of Day:  Night / Weekend

Most likely to be seen: In Bars, Night Clubs and Recording Studios

What women think of you: Fun, Life of the Party

Colours: Black, Red, Purple, Pink, Beige

Conversation Rating: 9/10 

So there you have it – 8 Killer iPhone cases for the lads! Fellas enjoy!

www.icoverlover.com.au

Plus, they made Bosco a poster…..how cool is that?!

Thanks guys!!

New Spring sandal designs:

1) Clear straps

2) Perforated wedges

3) Woven pointed toe

4) Bead Embellished

5) Strappy Mary Janes

6) Caged contrast

7) V-line peep toe

8) Simply Wired

9) Metallic contrast

10) Color block

11) Minimalist flatforms

12) Eccentric designs

Officially inspired.

xx

STYLEMOCA

Source

]]> http://iambosco.com/2013/03/20/wordless-wednesday/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:02:15 +0000 iambosco http://iambosco.com/2013/03/20/wordless-wednesday/

We love this beautiful, retro-feel cover of Vogue Italia shot by Steven Meisel and featuring gorgeous models Vanessa Axente and Gustav Swedberg.

Pair simple colors and structures to create a sleek look. Here are a few structured chic outfits that we love:

1) A trouser pant, basic muscle top, and strap heel sandals.

2) A structured romper, buckled sandals, and gold accessories

3) A sexy slit maxi skirt, a studded bustier, and a chunky heel

All of the items about can be found at our store!

xx

STYLEMOCA

As we work on a Summertime garden party, it’s not a surprise that butterflies, hummingbirds and dragonflies would come to mind for all the design details. Yes, like everyone else still buried under the blanket of Winter, we’re craving warm weather, lush gardenscapes and the beauty of nature. Our craving led us back to a lovely garden wedding we planned in New Jersey which incorporated butterflies, hummingbirds and dragonflies into the design. In addition to the beautiful custom save the dates and wedding invitations, the talented Heather Arak of Arak Kanofsky Studios designed hand-painted place cards that attached into the client’s hydrangea trees for guests to grab during cocktails. Absolutely, one of our favorite details! {particularly when we saw many ladies wearing them in their hair during the evening}

{Photos by Rachel McGinn}

Me!!’

Bosco x

Mums favorite cup….

the fabric tree at the national

We are very lucky living in London.

Everything is here and I love it.

the centurion at ‘the savoy’

There are wide open spaces, incredible amounts of wildlife, galleries that are free to enter, ever evolving architecture, a busy river, a comprehensive transport system, more restaurants than you can shake a stick at and some of the best tourist attractions there are in the world.

I spend a lot of time in London at meetings and on sites but I am guilty, like most London residents, of not taking advantage of anywhere near enough of the amazing things that sit on my very doorstep.

classic scene of parliament from the south bank

As usual this is only put to rights when we get visitors who want to take in the sights.

JC’s sister and her other half joined us for a weekend a few weeks ago.

the wonderful london eye

And it gave us the perfect chance to soak in some sights.

We don’t see them often enough and it is a real shame as we get on really well. The boys used to hang around in the same groups when they were troublesome teens and JC’s and his sis have been pretty close in the past.

Both ‘kids’ were bought a weekend away by JC’s mum for Christmas. A great present that took us off to the gorgeous countryside along the Thames in Oxfordshire and theirs brought them down to London to see us.

the under side of the hungerford bridge

We saw the inside of a few pubs & coffee shops but we did lots of walking. Even though it was bitterly cold, it gives you plenty of opportunities to stop off for something to eat or a warming drink. We had a great time wandering along, chatting, sight seeing and generally catching up while soaking in the surrounds.

London is very small really and if you aren’t in a hurry, you can link up with some fantastic sights and catch a few more besides if you look out.

some urban art (this changes almost daily)

There are lots of surprises.

And it is constantly changing (whether through your perception of it or actually changes).

You should look up too, there are some wonders and delights above the eye line that lots of people miss in their mission to get somewhere particular but a wander and a gander is to be recommended.

the courts of justice (constantly featured in the news unfortunately)

Some of your discoveries may not be quite along the lines of what you expect as I found at the royal courts of justice where some eejit had grafittied my name (nearly). Great fun for a photo but a real shame to see it.

grafitti by one of he doors at the royal courst of justice

Especially when there is some incredible graffiti around the city that has become a tourist attraction in itself.

beyond here lie dragons

We covered miles and caught up loads as well as seeing some bits of london that we haven’t seen for a very long time and enjoyed some of the great things that it continues to offer.

I can’t actually wait to do it again.

some delicious street food in the piazza

Marcella Pacca, from Segredos de Viagem blog (Brazil) says: 

The motivation to our blog was to bring to people our experience around the world. For us there’s no one who knows a place like someone who lives there, thats why we take our friend’s tips very seriously. Having the chance to exchange with someone’s “life” for a few days will give us the opportunity to get to know a lot of cool places and have amazing experiences we will be able to share with our friends and readers later, helping to open people’s mind to the unknown and, by doing so, making the world more tolerant.

Mark Brady, from Cycling Around Sri Lanka Blog (UK) says: 

Hi I am older traveller I have done a lot of travelling in the past years. Thirty year ago I travelled from India to Pakistan to China to Tibet to Nepal to India. In the last 10 years I have travelled four times to Brazil as well as numerous other countries. Last year I partly biked between Sydney to Brisbane as seen on the blog http://www.markbiking.wordpress.com. The year before I biked around India. This year I plan to cycling around the world in mid September. I also have been fortunately enough to employ people that also travell. One off my employee has recently travelled around the world on a Swiss army bike over the last three years. By the way a Swiss Army bike has no gear and is extremely heavy. Also rarely brakes down. Recently travellrd 1000 miles around Sri Lanka on bicycle in remote areas that are about to perhap change as described on Blog http://www.cyclingaroundsrilanka.wordpress.com. The main thing I have learn from travellimg is that people and kind and friendly on the whole where ever you go

Juliana Arthuso, from Virando Gringa (Netherlands) says: 

My blog is written in portuguese. I am a student and I don’t have that much of time to write another blog in english, but I have the wish to do it, as soon as possible. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to exchange knowledge, and I am here to show my blog to other people aswell. Even if I don’t win, at least other bloggers and visitors can see my page and give me tips about how to write better and better!

Pedro Savério Penna, from Comi Perninha de Cachorro blog (Brazil) says: 

I’m a World enthusiastic! I just love to travel and get to know new places and people. Adventures sports is in my veins, traveling to do adventures sports is my fuel. Being in touch with the nature elements is what I most like. Water, Air, Fire doesn’t matter, life matters, this is life.

Anna Lau, from Anna Loves Travel Blog (Hong Kong) says: 

We have only one life. So, dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, and be what you want to be. Life just likes a long journey, all I want is to SHARE my lifestyle with you.

Weather Puppy to the rescue!! Rubbish weather made 100 times better by adding extremely cute puppies to the forecast. Brilliant. Plus, they are supporting 16 animal charities through the app…even better!!