I spent Saturday at work unpacking boxes & putting stock on the system. We've had some of these Penguin English Classics in stock for a while but Joe told me that they're releasing like a few new covers every month in the lead up to Christmas. The covers are just so lovely. My only critique it that the texture on the cover is a bitch to get stickers off, but that's probably not an issue unless you work in a bookshop!

Penguin have made a pretty hellishly animated website with all the covers on it to be interactive & stuff, & this cute little animation is nice. But I was more interested to find out about Coralie Bickford-Smith whose the inhouse designer who gets to make all these beautiful covers, as well as some of those absolutely lovely fabric hardbacks we've had in for a while now. What an absolutely perfect job.

The cover of Edgar Allan Poe also reminded me of this bandana from Slowdownjoe that I keep meaning to buy. I mean, it's cotton! & it's only £15! & it has pen knives on it! They actually have a wonderful selection of bandanas. Makes me wish is was like the 90s again or something...

Anyway, pretty books, yes. Almost enough to actually make me get round to reading some classics!

New t-shirt from my boy now he's back from his travels. I know that Courtney Love will always be questionable when it comes to the Riot Grrrrl movement & parenthood, but I will always love Hole. They're one of the last bands I really loved like a teenager if you know what I mean. I don't get that so much with music nowadays. Like Drake & Frank Ocean I'll listen to on repeat for weeks but I'll never be their fangirl. & plus when I was going mental at the Guardian (that sounds like a top piece of journalism for like Vice or someone, or a really middle class punk band) I locked myself in the stock cupboard & organised lovely clothes whilst soothing myself with Hole on Youtube. Bad times with good music.

So I got round to taking photos of the embroidery I've been doing. I've also listed them up on etsy & updated the photos for my cards. However much I love the process of doing & completing a cross stitch I always spend ages getting round to listing them. Maybe it's because I don't actually like the idea of parting with them. That's why I haven't listed my Edie Sedgewick embroidery up, I'd have to like vet the buyer to make sure they were worthy. Control freak much.

Any ideas for what else I could stitch?

Peek-a-boo!

Well that was mighty bad timing on my part. 54 days away, almost 8 weeks or 2 months & I left on a note that sounded decidedly unhinged. I'm figuring it out though, as I go along & my heads in a much better place. I also went on holiday, listened to a lot of Azealia Banks, Frank Ocean & Amy Winehouse & embroidered. Oh & started a tumblr. But it's pretty different to the blog. More feminism.

I think from here on in the blog's gonna change a bit. Maybe more writing, maybe better photography, just something I can be a bit more interested in. Because hell, if I was burning out on it you guys must've been too! Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see more of, like books maybe? Or music? I dunno.

So how have you been? What's new? I've missed you guys!

"27/06/11

So, this is the beginning of my proper human life. As of the end of (hopefully) my last ever exam at 11.15 this morning. It didn't go so well, but nevermind. I don't want to be a physisist anyway. I also started volunteering at Oxfam..."

One year ago today man. In the diary I started to stop myself doing fuck all. I've been a proper human being for one whole year. I've been feeling pretty fucking down about it too. All I've done is quadruple the days I work in a bookshop. All I've done is a few days here & there in other careers (art teaching, at the Guardian, meeting with a local stylist) that I now realise I do not want to do. Yeah, I'm pretty clear about what I don't want to do. 

Everyone tells me to chill out "It'll fall into place" but you know, it won't. I'll be like 30 still living at home & working at the same bookshop. Bitter & pissed. With all these people telling me how I should go off & do something amazing. Even my boss tells me I shouldn't work there. That I should find something better. But everyone thinks they're better than that right? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I am destined to work in a bookshop & I found my calling at 16 & everyone should just shut up about it.

Except that just doesn't sit right. One more year & all the people my age will have degrees &  I have to have done something. Sorry. Self indulgent post. I'll get over it again & carry on.

Oh wow outfit post, almost back to normal! I'm a sucker for a good print. & when this H&M dress turned out to be 100% cotton as well ("I think you found the only natural fibre in this whole shop" my friends comment) I couldn't resist. It's actually turned out to be one of those awesome dresses that's super easy to wear but looks good still. The top of it is a really nice shape as well which is unusual, even though I've covered it with my jumper because I thought it was colder than it was. Summer's back!

Tying my jumpers at the front has become sort of a thing, because I've never found a good cropped jumper that went well over dresses. The only problem is though, that you walk around all day with this like growth coming out of your abdomen. You get a better silhouette and gain a disease like abysses. Awesome. I can't think of a subtler way to do it though...

I'm just about to e-mail people who said they were interested in the book swap idea. If you are as well drop me an e-mail at: neonpeg@gmail.com.