I invited Lulu Guinness to Tea.

Fortnum and Mason sure know how to dress up a milk and two sugars.

Miss V x

'Be my thrill, my little white pill.'

Last night, I stumbled across The Weepies: the husband&wife folk double act from Massachusetts.

{Via Amanda Palmersheim}

Their music is nothing short of blissfully happy &really rather cute. Give 'Be My Thrill' a listen. I've had it on loop for almost 24 hours.


If you fancy watching/listening to something even cuter, this is guaranteed to make you grin like the cheshire cat.


Miss Dx

Ambled upon: Slanchogled, arts & Craft Shop

A beautiful summers afternoon in Camden, London. Before enjoying a delicious latte outside a trendy cafe, I stumbled on this treasure trove, for all you artistically inclined.


'Slanchogled' is a Bulgarian art shop, situated within minutes of the famous Roundhouse and close to Chalk Farm Station. I am always 'drawn' to art shops, but this one in particular had me enthralled, for its impeccable organization, quirky finds, and creative atmosphere.

What's more, the staff were friendly, and the choice of materials available to buy were diverse.A picture may paint a thousand words, but this craft corner will leave you speechless. 


Miss V x


P.S
more info can be found on their website: Slanchogled

A few things I've learnt from cinema...

As any of my friends will tell you, I have big love for films, and the bottom shelf of my bookcase is brimming with  a few of my favourites. From 'Some Like it Hot' to 'Juno', each &every one fits snugly, matching my changing moods to make me laugh like a fool or cry like a baby. Much like a good book, a good film doesn't merely entertain, it can teach you something, or at least remind you of something you've forgotten. A well crafted plot with real people (NOT caricatures) should reflect life as it is, which is why I'm relegating the first three 'Twilight' DVDs to the attic, where they will stay forever.


So, in no particular order, here a few things my favourite films have taught me...


#1: A clumsy double act will always surpass a bombshell
When I was ten, my uncle introduced me to 'Some Like it Hot'. It was a refreshing and hilarious change to the sea of chick flicks I normally got excited about, and they seemed pretty dull in comparison. Why? Because Jack Lemmon &Tony Curtis in drag will always be a classic recipe for a comedy caper. Even with Marilyn Monroe wedged between them, the two gents will always be the real stars of the film, because they're not afraid to make complete fools of themselves,and they pull it off with class. 


#2: It's fine to have a trippy imagination
As a kid, I sincerely believed that Narnia was real. So deep was my conviction that I sat in my wardrobe for an hour in the hope that I could meet Mr Tumnus and prove that mythical creatures really did exist. Sadly, though maybe luckily, I grew out of this phase eventually. Nevertheless, the fantasy of a far removed world that only a privileged few can access continues to have a strong appeal. Admit it, it would be cool, right? This is why works like 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'Big Fish' will always be classics to me. A giant, witch, and a ringmaster/werewolf who turn out to be real?! Oh, if only...


#3: Audrey Tautou is wonderful
From the shy and awkward Amelie to her stunning portrayal of Coco Chanel, this lady knows how to act. I've come to admire how the elfin beauty can carry of wayward gold digger to fashion paragon with ease &grace. I like that she hasn't been typecast, because she can carry off all shades of womanhood without seeming false or pretentious about it. When there are a few too many Megan Fox-alikes out there, Miss Tautou represents real women, from the dippy to the classy.


#4: Guys fret about the opposite sex just as much as us girls do
Maybe it's a little odd that '(500) Days of Summer' can instantly cheer me up when I need it, given that it's not at all romantic or slushy, but that's where its charm lies. The opening line of 'This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story' tells you instantly that this will be one of the rare films about love that doesn't sell a trussed up fairytale. The girl wont be timid and reticent about pursuing her hellenic hero, and he wont be strong, sturdy and superhuman. Instead, she can be a bitch (as us girls can often be), and he'll feel anxious, because, wait for it... He's... human!!! So, ladies, don't feel distinctly 'girly' (n.b. naive/weak/whatever) whenever you find yourselves analysing what those two kisses at the end of his last text symbolised. Why? Because guys do it too! (No, really. I once overheard two men on the Central line having a  very similar conversation). 


#5: Despite my latent cynicism, I should admit that I am a hopeless romantic
'Once' is a beauty. If you've never seen it, google it now. You wont regret it. What you'll find is an Irish busker (Glen Hansard, singer/songwriter), and a Czech Immigrant (Marketa Irglova- also a singer/songwriter with a hauntingly gorgeous voice to boot) in a sweet limbo between friendship and 'something more'. They're never truly honest about their feelings for one another through the spoken word, as it's through their songs that they really reveal what they're thinking. This is where the romance comes in. With lyrics like:

'I don't know you

But I want you all the more for that

Words fall through me

And always fool me

And I can't react'

I'm pretty sure anyone would turn to putty. 'Once' wont deliver a fairytale, but what it will give you is something much more valuable. In it you'll find a story of love as it really is: shy, slow, &sometimes painful. 

Miss Dx

It's quite fun, listing all the things you can't do. Be glad someone else can. They think the same about you.

                          {via Jessie Di , source weheartit }

Maths is not my strong point.

It's not so much that I cannot make head or tail of it, for I am currently studying for a Masters degree where logic is very much part of the equation (as it were). It is more of a case that I don't feel inspired by numbers. There isn't a great deal of capacity for me to say a lot about the 3 times table- it is what it is. I wish I was better at numbers, I envy those who can reel off digits and do 'on the spot' calculations, and it is easy to feel, like with any skill we don't possess...inadequate.

But perhaps, its ok not to be ok at Maths. Yes, I can't really long divide. But give me a jotter, and I will fill it with doodles, phrases, sayings, poetry....like some kind of extra storage capacity for my imagination. Give me a calculator, and I will probably crunch in my own phone number.

But you know what? We cannot be good at everything. It would be boring if we were. We are all made differently, with some really great personal strengths, and some very vibrant and diverse facets of our different personalities. Which got me thinking: we need to stand up for our own talents a bit more. We could whittle away our lives feeling small because we can't do some of the impressive things other people do. But we are taller in more ways than we probably conceive.

For all I know, maybe Michael Schumacher isn't  very good at singing (sorry Sir, if this is a misrepresentation of your vocal range), but he is really good at racing cars. Albert Einstein himself, was a genius at physics. But the question is, could he tap dance? I'm not so sure, but what I am certain of,  as I'm sure Mr Einstein would agree, is that there will be many geniuses out there who can.

Shine for yourself, don't just be a mirror for everyone else.

Miss V x

Brand yourself.

What one wardrobe essential do you have that makes you feel your most *you*?

I have two. First, big sunglasses. Many a time I have looked barely with-it as I have dashed to the post box/shops/ coffee catch up. I have however feared not because of owning the most effective of concealers: the power of the shades. To make a big impression they have to be bigger-frames-the-better. Personal faves - some much love Tom Fords, one of my most favourite birthday presents.


Second: cashmere jumpers.Otherwise known to Miss D and myself as 'goats' ( after the dear fellows who's coats are so super soft) . There is just something so classic and comfortable about them. Crew neck styles are my personal choice and for me they never go out of season. Whether I am bracing winter winds, or enjoying a summers evening, a 'goat' will never be far away. Those close to me will know that they have become part of my image . Which just goes to show - you don't need the labels to define your style. You define yourself.


What are your trademark pieces?


Miss V x

Rise and Shine Summertime..

To early to get excited? Nothing like a bit of optimism at the start of March...

First thing this morning, I looked out the window while simultaneously listening to Radio 4's weather forecast "Prepare for a chillier start to the new month". 


Clearly, they were prematurely practicing their April fools. Nearly Midday, and we got a scorcher.


So thought for the day: Enjoy it. Have your lunch break outside. Sit in the Park. Walk home, don't bus it. Leave your coat for the cupboard and roll up those sleeves.


And if tomorrows miserable, who knows? Maybe a little tan will be present to remember this by.


Miss V X

Little things you can do...less of a chore, more just for you .

New Years.

I know, it was ages ago.The snow hasn't got to my head that much.

.. and yet I'm already longing for my summer wardrobe.

But we are still technically very much at the start of the ' New Year'.

Now we have lived a little bit of it, one can already make a review assesment on how ones resolutions are going. Like most people, in previous years this would make me think of all the things I said I would do " better/more/less/well" that year. And like most people, I would already be admitting, by the second month, my defeat.

This year however, my resolution was: do something different.

Not drastic, not prohibiting - just improving. 5 little things, that turn out to make a lot of difference.

1. Drink hot water. (great substitue for coffee...keeps you hydrated..add a little lemon juice..great for skin.)

2. Better posture. Not quite walking around with a book on my head, but pulling your shoulders back is an automatic confidence booster.

3. Keeping a Diary. Actually sticking to it. No more of a chore than writing a shopping list, and yet indescrible worth in years to come.

4.Get your eyes tested. Seriously. As fun as it is going around perceiving my surroundings like an abstract painting, it is better to know where you are going.  2012 is a clearer year (and already definitely less 'should've gone to specsavers' moments)

5. Walking. Can't be bothered to excercise? Thats ok. Gym membership is expensive. Walk around a bit. Walk with a purpose. Walk to the cake shop. It's all excercise.

And of course - Live well, be happy, always thankful - Less of a New Resolution, more of a life philosophy.

Miss V x

Is that a wrinkle?! Oh bugger...

I don't know if it's the weather, my ridiculous workload, a lack of sleep, or a horrendous combination of all three, but there's a very fine line on the corner of my left eye. I think it's safe to say that I don't like it. Not one bit. In a panicked frenzy, I've spent the past few days putting green tea bags on my eyes, and I've even bought some soothing, anti- wrinkle eye gel.


All the while I've been thinking 'I'm twenty- two for f**k's sake! Seriously?!'


Begrudgingly, I should accept that I subscribe to the universal fear of getting old and wrinkly, and my constant googling of 'tired skin remedies' is an unfortunate symptom of this fear. Then there's this tiny, niggling part of me that keeps asking, 'Why on earth are you getting your knickers in a twist?' I have a terrible feeling that this tiny, niggling part of me might be on to something...

Why are we so obsessed about reversing the clock and putting off the arrival of our old, wrinkly, &less sexy selves? We can't avoid it,  so why not get excited about it? I'm beginning to realise that I can't wait to hit my twilight years. I know I'll still run riot as a septuagenarian.

{Via Javiera}

So, I've decided to stop obsessing about my natural, predictable, unavoidable ageing. 'Cause let's face it, when the elderly can make blue rinse & aran knits fashionable, you know you'll be in for a good time.


Miss Dx

A tea Piglet, and proud.

 via Ginny from designlovefest.com

One wouldn't normally know what to think, when one opens a christmas present to find tea.

But after enjoying these tea time yummies, it was the best present Santa could have brought me. Before you think "no one could get excited over Tetley" - I am not talking about your average, wafer thin and clinical looking tea bag, the ones that really do justice to the term "fancy a cuppa?".

No, these are posh teas, to be enjoyed as events in your day, rather than an absent minded milk-and-two-sugars.

With their little chic mesh pouches, and the tea leaves clearly visible, fresh and flourishing, one feels like one has been to the plantation in order to enjoy the experience first hand. The flavours are great too, with loads of healthy boosting benefits. Particular fave: Jasmine Pearls.  Wonderful.

Detox never felt so good. Now put away those digestives.

Miss V x

I'm beginning to realise that I only ever write about music...

Maybe it's a little monotonous, but it's fun, so I shall continue. : )


I won't lie, most of my time is spent looking for new artists (and rediscovering old ones) &their musical fruits. Of all my extra-curricular activities, I'm pretty certain that it's my favourite. Well, as the end of 2011 is almost upon us, and since there's a hubbub of 'Best Artists of 2011' pieces in the media, I'll share my very own version with you.


So here it is. In no particular order...

James Vincent McMorrow

Let me start by saying that when I first bought his album, 'Early in the Morning', I had it on repeat for about three weeks. His is a breed of music which is beautifully simple yet evocative. All he really needs to do to make you smile is sing along to the harmonious accompaniment of strings strewn with a dash of percussion. If you haven't already, give him a listen. 'We Don't Eat' and 'If My Heart Should Somehow Stop' are my favourites, but better still, the Irish genius has covered Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'.
For your viewing pleasure...

Angus & Julia Stone

When I was about 16, I was a little bit addicted to these two, and 'Mango Tree' will never fail to make me smile. But I recently heard a cover of the 'Grease' classic, 'You're the One That I Want'. They replace John Travolta & Olivia Newton John's gleeful shimmying with a simply pretty melody which is guaranteed to send shivers up&down your spine.
Enjoy. :)

Daryl Hall &John Oates

Yeah...they're a bit of a guilty pleasure. But look at them! They're so amazingly cheesy that it's bloody difficult not to love them. So, if you're feeling a bit glum, I heartily recommend that you dance around like a mad(wo)man to 'You Make My Dreams Come True'. Go on, you know you want to...

{Via Pentinent Magdalene}

Delilah

Usually, I hate flicking through the music channels, as they tend to be rife with mass-produced pop &fourteen year old boys singing about puppy love. But, it was in this context that I first heard 'Go'. It's moody, a little bit dark, but oh so good. Somehow, Delilah manages to marry Chaka Khan's 'Aint Nobody' into her own track about unrequited love (or lust, you decide). 'Love You So' is equally addictive.

Lana Del Rey

{Via Ivana}   

Her lyrics may be simple, but when they're mingled with her silver tongued song, they make something quite brilliant &unpretentiously romantic. 

'Come and take a walk on the wild side

Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
You like your girls insane
Choose your last words
This is the last time
Cause you and I, we were born to die.'

See what I mean? Yes, you do. :) 

Simon&Garfunkel

When I was little, I used to dance around my living room to 'Cecilia' with my brother. Yes, we were (and still are) that cool.Needless to say, I grew up to the duo's music, &I recently discovered my dad's collection, all five albums, no less. I'm no uber softie, in fact, most things typically viewed as romantic make me cringe. Yet, I turn into a lovestruck school girl when I listen to the songs these two boy wonders have made. Apart from the oh so brilliant 'Cecilia', 'Song For The Asking' and 'Wednesday Morning 3AM' are my firm favourites. Who else could write a bloody beautiful song about a guy spending a final night with his lady before running from The Law?

{Via Celine}

Miss Dx

Merry Christmas

About to make my epic journey into the heart of the countryside. God bless you all and have a Merry Christmas 


Miss V x

 via Shea Carrow

via Jennifer Murley from th00.deviantart.net

Frost yourself

I love sparkly things. When you wear it right you can put your own Christmas tree to shame.

via Charlotte Knot from http://lottaagaton.blogspot.com

via Betina Van Denend from sparkleandhay.com

via Natalia Villaplana from weheartit.com

via Jaclyn Dorn from saracmills.tumblr.com

via Shelby Crandall from inthecitywithcrystalin.tumblr.com

via Kate  Bocchicchio from reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com/page/17

We don't have to financially frazzle to dazzle -   check out the deals on Asos this Christmas - putting this bag on my wish list, a steal at £15.00

from Asos

Miss V x

I've been singing The Smiths for days.

I have to admit, when I was younger I found Morrissey a tad depressing, but recently I've developed an affection for his lyrical genius.

What I like about his songs is that they're romantic without having to resort to selling a woolly fairy tale. They talk about what life (and love) are really like.  I think my favourite lyric is from 'There Is A Light & It Never Goes Out':

'And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.'

It's earthly, it's real & if I'm frank, it sweeps me off my feet better than Edward Cullen ever could.

So here's to you, Morrissey, you bloody genius.

Miss Dx

{Via Lucy }

Nails Incorporated? Nails infatuated!

via Moa from http://camilla.freshnet.se

I'm always painting my nails. Miss D and I would sit many an afternoon and have a tea, chat away and varnish our talons. Thing is I'm a bit boring - sticking to familiar colours, and quite frankly the art of not smudging is an achievement in itself, never mind creating cool patterns. So time for a bit of inspiration...

 via Aline Leal from letthemhavepolish.com

 via Aleisha V from laquaintrelle.com

Via Elena Kholina from http://26.media.tumblr.com

via Abby Leopold from http://www.refinery29.com

Via Celine from plurielles.fr

via Angie from chloesnails.blogspot.com

 Why settle for boring nails? Make the most of this time of year with spectacular nails.   




Miss V x

Happy festivities!

Wow, epic busy few months...how are you blog world?

I don't need to remind y'all it is nearly Christmas! So we better get all christmassy on this blog..Time to share the Christmas love..

 via:  [maisontwenty3}  from  themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com

 via Amelia Bloore from marthastewart.com

via  Mary Gallegos from  digsdigs.com

Miss V x 

Hello again.

Well hello there, good sir/lady. I hope today is treating you kindly. : )


I thought I'd share this 5 minute nugget of beauty with you. I guarantee it will make you smile, or maybe even move you.


It was made by Andrew Clancy, and is a montage of the footage he shot in  New York City over the course of one fine year.


The accompanying song, 'We Don't Eat' is by James Vincent McMorrow, and I'm sure you'll love it. His breed of music has that rare, ethereal depth to it which is so hard to find in the modern industry.


Enjoy. : )


Miss Dx

20 reasons to embrace Autumn.

 21st September I think is officially the declaration of Autumn. Quite frankly, I have normally already accepted this by the 1st of this month, and sunk my head back into my woolly winter scarf in woe.

 I really am a summer person. Who isn't? Hot days, icecreams, amazing sunsets, t-shirts, sundresses, swimming, barbeque's and sunglasses mean its time for holidays, time for great days out, time for being carefree.

So there is generally a feeling of anti-climax and all round disappointment when September rears its ugly complete-with-ear warmers head.

But actually, I've thought of several reasons why in fact, Autumn is actually a great, even remarkable time of year.  Hibernation ? I'm thinking liberation...

{via Megan Magill }

20 reasons to love Autumn

1.  The smell of bonfires. Summer floral fragrances are rarely found  outside the perfume counter. However, the strong woody charcoal smell with notes of burnt and smouldering? -  that, the English autumn can offer in abundance.

2.It's a more acceptable time of year to drink litres hot chocolate. Regularly.

3.Getting darker early = more opportunities to see fireworks displays, and generally star gaze.

4.Our love/ hate relationship with overtly early Christmas consumerism.  We love to hate it in our grumbles about the fact the adverts are already appearing in September. At the same time, the closer it gets, the more we are mesmerized by the sparkly Christmas lights  in shop windows...

5. The endless colour/style/ texture combinations, with scarfs..coats..hats..

6. The unveiling of nature's colours in all their majesty. The lands of reds and golds.

7. Nights in seem somehow more acceptable. But baby its cold outside...

8. Less need to go to the gym. Animals fatten up in preparation for the Winter months.Best diet advise this time of year? Watch some David Attenborough.

9.September is the month of X factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Spooks, Downtown Abbey...

10. It is no longer advisable to wear material/ canvas shoes. It is therefore a necessary and  wise move to buy a nice new lovely pair of winter boots. Maybe in two colours and several heel variations.This is NOT a ridiculous  fashion expenditure, but an intelligent and appropriate response to the climate.

 {via Joyell Lewis and imgspark.com}

11. It's a time to read. Sit in a cafe, all nice and snug with a page turner. Summer reads? One spends too much time Frisbee dodging to really do any substantial beach reading.

12.Soups in cups. Soups in flasks.

13.Hot water bottles.

14. Its a time of organization. New job,  new college, new term, new beginnings.  Time to sort out your wardrobe. Organize your sock draw. Make resolutions to improve your life without the New Years pressure.

15. A time for friends. Summer sees the majority of people asleep in a hammock, and since us Brits rarely see the sun, tanning becomes an anti-social activity of sheer concentration . Autumn means dinner parties, coffee dates,shopping trips, museum visits...

16. Sitting in parks. During the summer this isn't always a pleasant activity, as you compete for picnic spots and dodge/run from the multitude of dogs unleashed. In the Autumn you can sit in Green park and enjoy the serene scene, even in a busy city.

17. Less general cavorting about the place and more time for home ,family, friends and yummy cooked dinners.

18. Starting to get excited about all the dates in the diary yet to come in the year. Firework night, Christmas, New Years eve.

19. More appreciative of the commuter hours. It may be over-crowded, but its a darn site warmer in this packed carriage than on the platform.

20. Because, lets face it, the more we enjoy the colder months, the quicker summer really will come round again.

Miss V

{via Megan Magill}

What the Night Delivers: the perfect soundtrack to a lazy/sleepy/dreamy day.

I was lucky enough to see Scott Matthews play at the Moseley Folk Festival a few years back, and the Wolverhampton lad had the whole crowd enamoured when he broke out in to silver-tongued song.


After being introduced to his music by my big brother, Mr. Matthews has stuck as one of my favourites. Either his songs will make me smile incessantly or gush like a teenage girl due to their lyrical genius. &with poetry like:

'Can I be your endless thought somehow?

'Cause I've traded all of mine for yours now.

This is our beginning from an ending paralysed,

that's growing under sullen city lights.

You have me solely.'

you'd be a scrooge not to .

&like the sucker that I am, I've had his new album, 'What the Night Delivers' on repeat for three days now, and I'm not planning on stopping this trend any time soon. : )


Give it a listen and you'll see (or hear) why.


Miss Dx

Shoes

Here are some of my sketches. I seem to only ever draw and design shoes, I think I always find myself impressed with their architecture and structural possibilities.

I feel really influenced by the drawings of Manolo Blahnik, who's book of works I received as a birthday present when I was younger. I almost always draw heels, and love the idea of monochrome, classic modern designs.