Warby Parker Fall Collection 2013

As a kid I never needed glasses, I remember looking at my friends who needed them and being a little envious of theirs. I wanted to be able to wear bright turquoise "The Little Mermaid" glasses to school. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful I don't need glasses yet, but I see the way glasses can frame someones face, make a statement or pull an outfit together. When the "nerd glasses" trend started I was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon. I don't think I was even being ironic, I just loved the way I could wear an extra accessory on my face!

Today Warby Parker launches their fall 2013 collection of eyeglasses, and I'm smitten with each and every pair. They look like something you'd be delighted to find in a vintage shop, like they have a history to them, they're timeless. I could imagine a 1950s business man (or every male cast member of Mad Men) smoking a cigar in a pair of these glasses, which, weirdly, makes me want to wear them even more.

Here are some of my favs from the new collection, there are plenty more amazing styles of eyeglasses and sunglasses available on the website. They even have a pair named Preston which remind me of my home town, Preston.

Mad Men Treasury

I always seem to be the last person to get into all these big tv series'. I've finally started watching Mad Men, I seem to have managed to watch a whole two seasons in two days while doing my painting.

While I'm not as obsessed with it as I have been with Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad & Carnivale, it seems to be the perfect show to watch while I'm doing work. Plus, I get a bit of a kick out of all of the sexist comments. I love how one guy on the show compared hearing a woman say something clever to watching a dog play a piano.

One thing I do LOVE about the show though is the clothes they wear, particularly Christina Hendricks. Here's some of my fav Mad Men inspired items on Etsy.

1. usbtypwriter / 2. blackrufflebrigade / 3. Katarina Couture / 4. The Headmistress / 5. Rekindled Passions / 

6. Cyberoptix / 7. Michelle Tan / 8. Collectable Spectacle /  9. gogo vintage

Etsy Shop Crush - Go Go Berlinette

I don't offer feature vintage shops in my Etsy Shop Crushes, It usually has to be a pretty special vintage decor shop to catch my eye.

Go Go Berlinette certainly is special. Not only do they present their finds in a clean, appealing way, but they also have a great variety of adorable and quirky vintage decor. Most of Go Go Berlinette's finds are West German mid century.

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Fashion Favs Friday - 15/03/13

1. By Beep - Whimsical and beautifully designed jewellery. It's so intricate, cute and tiny.
2. Maria Handmade - Beautiful & bold jewellery that's full of texture. I love the way the jewellery is photographed too.
3. Vera Vague - Beautiful vintage items at great prices. I could buy my whole wardrobe here.
4. Now Voyager - Stunning and super fun hair clips at great prices. Perfect for fancy dress or to make a statement!
5. Fuzzy Ink - Great quality hand printed t-shirts in loads of cool designs. I bought this mustache one about 2 years ago and it's still going strong.
 

Fashion Favs Friday - 15/2/13

1. Revival House - Ultra stylish vintage fashion. They have a great selection of beautiful bags and shoes.
2. Shovava - Hand made and hand printed clothes inspired by nature. These look like the kind of clothes beautiful amazonian women would want to wear.
3. Nan Gates Designs - Cosmetics and glasses bags in the cutest selection of materials.
4. Peace4you - Upcycled and super trendy every day bags.
5. Hungry Designs - Ridiculously awesome and creative jewellery, I love their illustrated brooches.

Fashion Favs Friday 08/02/13

1. Kitty Ballistic - Hypo allergenic jewellery that looks almost magical. Their galaxy earrings are stunning.

2. Azulado - Ceramic jewellery that's sure to turn heads. It's all so unique and beautiful.

3. Newells Jewels - A variety of fun and colourful jewellery, I especially love their bees and butterflies.

4. Sidirom - Fun knitted jewellery and scarves in a great selection of colours and designs.

5. Noteworthy Garments - A selection of on trend vintage fashion at great prices.

Meet Beth from Arrow In the Eye

My favorite this about visiting Arrow In the Eye is seeing all of the awesome antiques and bargains Beth finds. She has a great eye for beautiful and full of character vintage clothes and housewares.

Beth describes herself as a cupcake eating extraordinaire, min pin mommy and politically geeky. Her blog is fun and full lots of bargains. A definite must read for anyone thrifty and with a love for antiques.

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Here are a few of my fav posts:

1/2/3/4/5

Don't forget to enter the CAB Fayre Giveaway! 

Fashion Favs Friday 01/02/13

1. Malam - Chic and flattering fashion with a European twist. I love how playful and fairytalesque (is that a word? It should be!) this shop is.

2. Atelier Settembre - Re useable bags that aren't just eco friendly, they're stylish and fold up into a tiny triangle too!

3. Budaikata - Very intricate and well made beaded jewellery with a great use of colour. I could imagine a princess wearing these.

4. Lauras Jewellery - Girly and beautiful jewellery. I love her little illustrated bird brooches.

5. Brown Bag Vintage - An awesome vintage shop with such fun and beautiful selections. They're all really well photographed too so you can get a good look at the garment before you buy!

Etsy Shop Crush: Equine

As some of you may know, I'm a big horse lover! I had horses of my own until pretty recently and I'm always inspired by these beautiful, powerful creatures.

When I stumbled upon Equine on etsy I was so excited. Immediately I put almost everything in the shop on my birthday wishlist (hint hint Ash, if you're reading this!).

Equine not only sells beautiful horse related vintage items, it also sells beautiful hand crafted hooks, bookends and decorations! At first glance of Equine's bookends I knew straight away the horse figures they had used to make them with, Breyer horses. I played with Breyer horses for all of my childhood, so these hooks & bookends! I'm almost certain I need one to hang my bridles and headcollars on.

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Introducing Miskabelle Vintage

I want to introduce you all to one of my newest sponsors, Miskabelle Vintage. I've followed their blog for some time, their posts are always entertaining, thoughtful and full of great ideas and beautiful photographs.

Miskabelle Vintage is run by the beautiful and trendy Amanda and Jayne. Between them, they share some wonderful outfit posts, yummy recipes and handy tips and DIY ideas.

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Here are some of my fav posts from Miskabelle:

1/2/3/4/5

Fashion Favs Friday 18/01/13

1. New York Couture - Fun and bright kawaii clothing at great prices. You'll certainly turn heads in this awesome clothing.
2. Equeglitz - Smart bow ties in a fantastic range of colours and textures. I wish I had a suit job so I could wear one of these every day.
3. TUFT - Pastel, on trend & girly clothing and jewellery. Perfect for all the fashionable fairy princesses out there.
4. Broken Ghost Clothing - Unique upcycled clothes. They have an unusual and original mixture of textures and patterns.
5. Wear it Well Vintage - A great selection of beautiful and classic vintage pieces. This is one of my fav shops for vintage clothing.

Wednesday Art Feature: Laura Manfre

I first came accross Laura's work when she did a portrait of Kailey from mermaidens. I was so impressed with the portrait that I decided to check out her other work. I was not disappointed!

Laura's work is the perfect combination of cute and kitsch. Her work is skillfully painted in watercolours which I think adds a new and unique take on the previously shiney and in your face kitsch style.

I think the kitsch pattern and the adorable unicorns are my favs!

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Fashion Favs Friday - 11/01/13

1. Frank Ideas - Unique statement jewellery. I love their gathered necklaces, they look so high fashion but without the price tag.
2. Zara Carpenter - Stunning vintage inspired hats with a cheeky and romantic twist. I want to own EVERYTHING in this shop please! Also, their models eyebrows are just perfect (as an eyebrow obsessive, I couldn't not mention that).
3. Style Hybrid -Modern jewellery inspired by different cultures. The laser cut bracelets remind me or intricate windows and beautiful Moroccan patterns.
4. Penny Dreadful Vintage - Glam and quirky vintage finds for the girl who wants to stand out from the crowd.
5. Margaux Lange - What kind of insane person wouldn't love Barbie body part jewellery?? I love these Barbie boob hearts.

Etsy Shop Crush: The Watson Shop

I came accross The Watson Shop while searching for Christmas Decorations (they do Christmas cushions! How awesome!! Shut up about Christmas Chantal.). The first thing that struck me about The Watson Shop is the quirky, vintage vibe I get from their cushion covers. The covers are made from burlap, repurposed from Coffee bags.

I can just imagine these cushions scattered around a coffee shop, the smell of coffee in the air and the crisp, raw texture of burlap cushions seems like a perfect match.

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