Letting Go.

This post was inspired by my far too clever for his own good boyfriend, (who, as it happens, has just started his very own blog!! Go follow). I was having a mini meltdown, letting work stress get to me, and as usual, he snapped me out of it.

Do you ever have days when you feel like you can't do anything right? Today was that day. Getting quite a lots of negativity from various things, (shan't go into detail), and I was getting stressed, panicking and thinking- why haven't I got it figured out yet?!?! Couldn't grasp the fact that I was 24 and grappling with 2 jobs in order to both survive financially and to hold onto a dream.

Other mid-twenty-ers out there may be able to relate. You're out of education, thrust into the real world, and by now you should have the job you wanted, the flat, the social life- the whole deal right? So it's a bit of a slap in the face when you spot that you're actually living with you're parents and are more than a little further away from your dream career than you wanted.

But you know what, (and sorry if this is a little blunt), but THAT'S LIFE. Shit happens. It's all part of the so-called 'journey' and yeah, there are times when it sucks and you just want to curl up in the foetal position and sob, but it's these times, (and the way we handle them), that shape us.

Key things I took away from my conversation with the boy:

• Don't Panic. You're still young, you don't have to have it all figured out yet.
• Don't Take Any Shit. Don't slog your guts out for employers that take you for granted just because you're young and a teeny bit desperate. Take it in your stride and learn from these mistakes.
• Let Go. It's all part of the ride.

OK I'm probably over elaborating on the actual words that were said, but none the less, these are the thoughts that followed. 

So here's to all the people of the world who are lost, confused and maybe a little scared.

LET GO

and enjoy the highs and lows of this mental rollercoaster we call life.

(And try not to vom during the loop-di-loops.)

(All images via here)

Imogen....

Just a quick post tonight, wanted to share some more awesome jewellery with you, (seem to have developed a slight jewellery fetish at the moment!). 

This talented designer is called Imogen Belfield and I've fallen hard for her organic metal and porcelain creations. Each one looks like a work of art, carefully put together by the elements, twisting metal and gemstone into a textural dream.

I love my pretty delicate jewellery too.....but sometimes I just really crave work like this-

 rough, unpolished and raw.

What do you think?

Song of the Week....

I heard this song on the radio earlier this week and it stopped me mid - conversation....which nearly never happens..... it was that good. Turns out it's Adele's new single, due for release early next year. All I can say is- I'm excited. If the whole album is full of songs of this quality, it's going to be effing brilliant. I've always liked a bit of Adele, just love that soulful voice.

So here it is, not sure if this is the official video, but whatever it is, it's freakin' awesome....

'Rolling in the Deep'

ADELE 'Rolling In The Deep' (Studio Footage)

- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

  

What do you think??

Butterfly and Bush...

Feeling in need of some pretty imagery today, off sick from work! So I thought I'd share an artist I came across in one of the Sunday supplements this week called Tracy Bush.

Tracy is a British artist that works with paper to create butterfly and flower pieces as well as artists books. I particularly like here butterflies, here's what her website has to say....

 "For many years Tracey made scrapbooks, collections of ephemera that could not be thrown away. The use of scraps is a way of recycling both materials and images in a process of reconstruction. These books have now emerged as Lepidoptera; butterflies and moths, ancient symbols of transformation. Each moth or butterfly is hand-cut from layers of recycled papers and then sewn together using a bookbinders pamphlet stitch. They are then pinned out in entomological boxes made by the suppliers of the Natural History Museum London and the Paris Museum. "

Beautiful, no?

The Haul

As promised, here is my post full of fashion-like purchases! I rarely go clothes shopping due to lack of money, so it really was a huge treat to just go a bit nuts.

Here's what I got...

First up is just a simple black maxi skirt from Primark, wanted something to wear with cosy jumpers and big boots, this is perfect :) Apologies for the blurry photo, lighting wasn't great, damn you Winter!

Next up is a rather pretty nude dress from HnM. Was in the sale and thought it would look great with layers for Winter...

Next little purchase was this Owl print top from M Butterfly. Hangs really nicely once it's on, just fell in love with the shape and print.....

Now this one was a complete impulse buy. I was telling my sister how much I liked knitted turban type head-bands, but that I could never pull them off. So she stuck this one on my head in Primark and said 'Yeah you can' and I bought it. Nice.

These two necklaces came from Topman. I love men's jewellery and Topman has got some amazing pieces in at the moment, couldn't resist these two....

Not bad. Now I am not alowed to spend money ever again. What's that? Christmas is coming?

S**T.

Something for the Weekend....

Had a day FULL of guilty pleasures today involving: 2 hot chocolates, 1 muffin, 1 Happy Meal from McDonald's and A LOT of shopping....

Met up with my sister in Guildford and had such a nice day. I hardly ever get to see her for a whole day due to conflicting days off work, so was great to have a girly day together. We're terrible influences on each other though, always convincing each other to buy more things...

I'll do a separate post on what I bought as the light's gone now so can't photograph my goodies!

 Instead here is our day in pictures....



My outfit, (top: River Island, skirt: Vintage, tightsand shoes: Primark)



Hot Chocolate no. 1

My gorgeous sis :)

One of my purchases!

Playing dress up...

Pretty changing room!

My sis rocking her soon to be new hooded gilet

A very cool band playing in the street



Guildford's Xmas lights :)

What did you all get up to today?

Song of the Week.....

A band I've know of for quite a while but hadn't given them the attention they deserved until my boyfriend played me some of their music. This is Sigur Ros and they have made the second half of my week so much nicer than the first, just by being in it.

Take a listen to this, one of many songs I've been playing on repeat, all equally as beautiful...

'Starálfur'

(Oh and no, they're not singing in English.....does it matter?)

Delightful D_Luxe

I've got a new crush. It's name is Costumes & Crystal Armour and it's a jewellery collection by the lovely New Zealand brand D-Luxe. I discovered these beauties through the gorgeous blog over at Cellardoor, (which I'm proud to say I contribute to on occasion), and the images were simply too good not to share. I love the use of pastels, illustrations and the general feel of this whole collection. Take a look....

*Swoon*

Mist and Webs

Just wanted to share a few pictures I took today- what amazing mist! Quite hard to capture on film, but also took some pictures of spider webs on the washing line, so pretty.....

Cupcakes... in a Jar!

I know what you're thinking... *puts on Peter Kay voice* Cupcakes?!?!? In a jar?!?!??!

Trust me- it's the latest trend in deserts. I know this because Style magazine and Daily Candy told me so, (and they never lie).

I personally think this is a genius re-invention: Make cupcakes even cuter that they already are and eat them with a spoon. What's not to like? Perfect for parties and you can turn the jars into something cool after you've devoured the cupcake- a nice candle holder maybe?

Take a look at G Desserts for more info, but for now, set your saliva glands to drool...

NOM.

New Winter Coat / Little Gold Rush

So I finally got around to buying myself a new Winter coat, you may remember I was having some dilemma's a while ago. I ended up going for something completely out of my comfort range and very different to my usual style. While usually I would have been enticed by Primark's cosy looking parka, I knew I wanted something a bit smarter, something with some structure, something I could put on and feel empowered by. I also wanted to spend a little more money in the hope it wouldn't fall apart after two wears....

 So I ended up going into Topshop and falling for this military green funnel necked beaut.....

Undone Collar

Done up Collar

It was the only one of its style left, in my size, fitted like a dream- I called it fate. Fate, (as it turns out), also has a sense of humour as I noticed 3 buttons missing and other's dangling precariously (so much for spending more money for quality, huh?) but I was under its spell and with 10% knocked off the price I kind of lost my head. Luckily it came with spare buttons so I am now in the process of restoring it to its former glory, (and by 'I', I of course mean my mum). So there you have it- warm, heavy, dramatic, perfect.

In other fashion-y news my sister came home today and I couldn't help but notice the brilliant gold jewellery she was sporting, I'm not usually a fan of gold, but she wears it well don't ya think?

I really love the deer ring (from Topshop).

Song of the Week

This week I'm going back to another old favourite- Interpol. Have been listening to their latest self titled album a lot this week and cannot get this song out of my head! Great tune and it even has a video- score! Think this is their first single release from the album- good choice boys...

'Barricade'

Young Me Now....

I found this brilliant blog 'Young Me Now' via another great blog 'Deer Brains', the idea behind it is to re-create pictures of you as a nipper....such a simple idea with fantastic results. Here are my faves....



Then

Now



Then



Now

Then





Now

Love this idea :) May have to incorporate it into my 365 project.....

Back to Black...

Do you ever have days when you crave a little edge? You've had a hell of a bad day.... and suddenly you want to shave half your head and wear nothing but black? I'm feeling that today. I want to rip off my pastel florals, cut off all my hair and listen to thrash metal. A tad extreme yes, but sometimes it's nice to revel in the darker side of fashion, no?....

(Images on the left from Lookbook, images on the right from We Heart It)

Speaking of edge, this blog looks set to slap my face with it regularly...

'City Kids'

(Image taken by Callen Jefferson)