So this is how my jewellery is now displayed. I spent last week painting two frames white, finding chicken wire/hutch mesh in gardening shops & searching everywhere for tiny S hooks before settling on eBay. About six months ago I made a jewellery tree, like this but sparser & made of actual branches that I wrapped with plaster of paris & painted black. That kept falling over & didn't accomodate my long necklaces so was pretty much a fail. This on the other hand means I can actually see anything. It also reminds me how much shit I used to buy on etsy. I think some clearing out is called for so I can replace it with stuff I actually want to wear. How do you display your jewellery? I'm always amazed by people who can like "re-accessorise" everyday with every outfit. I'm more of a wear-forever-or-until-you-change kind of girl, which begs the question, why do I have so much jewellery? Also the two necklaces that I wear the most, my crystal bullet & my reindeer are not on this. Silly, silly.

My mum found these old badges the other day (at the top). I met Emily the other day when she was up in Bristol & talking about my mum I sometimes forget how awesome she is, like what she does & what kind of wisdom she's imparted onto me. With the student season coming up at work, it's just nice to be reminded that these jumped up children who think they're better than me because they're on the other side of the desk will never be as articulate, informed or observant as she has taught me to be. But anyway, how frickin cool are they? I love "The Fight Goes On" so perfect. Now I just need a jacket to pin them onto. My new leather one is just too delicate right now. I'm thinking a blazer or a denim jacket. I feel like I'd have to do it all the way though like this piece of awesomeness. Time to start badge collecting!

Yay Sunday post

I'm not a very pink type of person. My skin is pink. That's about it. But I seem to have gradually acquired many pink items over the past year or so. & as you may or may not know I have a weakness for monochrome outfits so hey presto pink cropped mohair meet oversized silk shirt dress. It's reminiscent of a dress I saw somewhere that was out of my price range & that, frankly, makes it all the more appealing. Plus it's warm whilst not being too hot for work, lovely. Oh & you can never go wrong with a cheesy name necklace! (thanks Joe)

Most of the jewellery I wear was given to me by someone else. So when I was musing to my friend about wanting some fat (or is that phat?) gold door knocker earrings straight out of the 80s she was to say the least, a little surprised. I got my ears pierced in a bout of "wanting to be like everyone else" in my early teens & spent a whole summer smelling like TCP. I've never really been big on them for some reason. Maybe it's the drawing attention to my face thing. But I see so many people rocking them so well that I thought I'd go the whole way & start with these bad boys.

They're satisfyingly cheap looking & feeling & actually one broke when I was wearing them the other day. The bf rose to the occasion and greased his hair back so we looked like a throwback ganster/gansta couple going to see The Artist. Which was not at all what I was expecting. Much like the new songs on Lana Del Rey's album. Talk about clunky. Hmm... Anyway, off track. Possible cultural appropriation aside there's something quite weirdly "power feminine" about big ass earrings. I like it. Especially with one of my favourite dresses from my favourite vintage shop in the whole of Paris. Apart from maybe Didier Loudout but I've never actually been in or bought anything from there so...

Last week I was feeling a little like I'd peaked too soon Christmas wise. I'd got all my gifts, finished making them, been to Pairs & sort of had a mini Christmas already. Then I came back to miserable weather & work. Boo. So after getting over my horrible illness (pretty much) yesterday I put my Christmas "glad-rags" on to try & get in the spirit. Awesome green & red nail varnish (Barry M Emerald Green & Rimmel Celebrity Bash (THE best red varnish I've ever found)) & my trusty reindeer necklace.

After taking some family friends Christmas shopping, as a sort of tradition I splurged a little on some shiny sparkly awesome nail stuff. (let to right: 17 glitter top coat & strengthening base coat, Barry M mushroom, red glitter & hologram) One of my few female friends Cat informed me that it was horrific to be painting straight onto my nails, as I've always done. So I pronto got on some base coat hunting. I'm not very good at taking care of stuff like that. The mushroom is because I have no like "nude" nail varnish, anyone have any tips? I just like Barry M. Plus, who doesn't want to have Dorothy nails? New Year's Eve pairing with my shoes I think. I don't know if the Dorothy's have ever been on the blog.... ohh teaser. & I was pretty disappointed with hologram. Does anyone have any tips on how the fuck to apply it? I was thinking a cocktail stick to pick out the sequin things so my nail doesn't become like double the thickness with the clear nail varnish that coats it. It'd like a mirror ball though, which is pretty awesome.

Anyway yes so basically the takeaway is that because I have finished buying stuff for other people I'm now buying stuff for myself, very christmassy! Happy almost Christmas though innit.

Today I had my last exam. It went pretty horrifically but that's besides the point, I am now officially out of education forever. I have no uni lined up, this is not a gap year, I am now officially a real human being in the real world who has to act accordingly. Now, I've been looking forward to this - as well as being completely fucking scared by it - since basically the moment I went to Manchester's Open Day & discovered the one uni course I maybe, on an off chance wanted to do, didn't exist anymore. Taken as a sign from the universe or whatever I thought fuck it, what's the point in going to uni to do something I don't need to just because I can't think of anything better. I know, I know, you meet loads of people there, it's not about learning blah blah. But I have amazing friends & I intend, in the course of the rest of my life to go on meeting amazing people. I don't know why I need debts, deadlines & 3 years of my life to do that. Uni is great for a lot of people but just not me. I feel homicidal every time I find myself on a campus.

So for now I intend to postpone the huge looming question, "What the fuck do I do now?" At least until September. So I have 3 weeks at home to finish books about Mexican drug cartels, turn my sisters old room into a craft room & listen to the Specials. Then it's off to Berlin & summer holidays until August. Then there's just August... So my internal school-alised clock can begin to panic, but instead of it being about going back to school/college it'll be about what to do with the rest of my life.

Sorted.

This is one of those dresses that gets comments every time I wear it. Usually from the couple of people who have actually realised that the girls on my dress are flashing. I love that sometimes, from a distance it looks like a floral print, & it's more unexpected when you realise all their skirts are blown up.
After whole heartedly deciding not to go last night. After painting my nails multi-pastel colours Cat wormed her way into my brain & convinced me too. We were late, but luckily so was Mr. Doherty & well...it was beautiful. Odd but charming. I wish I could've really got in there & shown my adoration rather than standing at the back with goosebumps the whole night, having flash backs to Reading. But hey, I guess that just makes me a proper grown up.

Sunny!