Shoe Love March 31, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, What I Wore.Tags: cheap clothes, Clothes, Credit Crunch, Fashion, secondhand, Shoes, style, vintage, What I wore today
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Don’t you love it when you find a great pair of shoes? A pair that look cool and fit perfectly?
This isn’t a rare feeling for me. With high heels, the majority of shoes fit like a glove – such a change from the reality of growing up with stupidly thin long feet. Wedges or platforms fit best, and anything with a buckle (or four) will be practically sublime.
The story isn’t, however, the same for dolly shoes. The staple easy-wear item of girls all around the globe, this lovely little creatures just refuse to fit my feet. They slice through my skin, they twist up my toes – they just are really bloody painful. If I want to wander around in flats, therefore, I have to wear trainers – because I am too tight to shell out on flat boots!
This weekend, however, a trip to Primark turned up a result. As I compulsively try on dolly shoes wherever I go, just in case, I was trying on a pair of light blue patent darlings, with a pretty little bow. Aspiring after my sister, who can climb mountains in Dollys and has a million pairs, I slipped them onto my feet – and joy of joys, they fit!
Aside from nearly breaking down in ecstatic tears at the fact (ok, slight exaggeration there!), I was truly shocked and more than a little amused. A design of shoe that has been rocketing in price lately (costing up to £40 in Topshop, scandal!), will only fit me when it costs £6 – not reduced! Sometimes I love my feet, on the rare occasion when they are not conspiring to make me fall in love with the most expensive shoes in the shop!
So here you go – a little bit of love my my new shoes!
On another note, my writing for Queens of Vintage has been really fun lately – I get lots of challenges from people to find the best vintage items (so far I have done galaxy dresses, Mod dresses, Wedding veils, bathroom cabinets and 40′s hats) available on the internet. Unfortunately no-one seems to have any challenges for me at the moment – so if anyone fancies going on the website and commenting with a challenge, that would be great! It gets my shopaholic urge it’s daily kick, but without me spending money.
If you haven’t checked out the website before, it really is worth a look! Lovely place, full of great stuff!
Little cop outs March 30, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Art.Tags: art, drawing, illustrations
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It is such a copout, isn’t it, to draw people and avoid drawing their faces. Unfortunately, my faces always look like they have been squished with a shovel or transplanted from a pig, and so avoiding drawing them in one of my biggest aims. A good excuse, I have discovered, is to make them wear masks! Hence why my latest magical woman has a certain ninja quality to her!
Now spider faces, I can do. In fact, I am average at anything that doens’t involved a human face, human hands, or human feet. This one actually looked quite scary despite the fact that, as Ben pointed out, it actually looks like it’s been crossed with a bee!
Pretty dresses March 29, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Thrifting, What I Wore.Tags: Clothes, Fashion, Second Hand, second hand shopping, style, Thrifting, tights, trends
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This weekend produced two beautiful dresses. The first was a Primark classic. I always love finding cheapy dresses that look great on – and its such a relief to spend £13 on a dress rather than the absurd sky high prices Topshop charges.
I feel like wearing pearls and dancing around the streets in this dress – it’s so lovely and summery! And, like many dresses in Primark at the moment, brilliantly retro.
The second dress was a more satisfying purchase, and I have falen in love with it. This was a brilliant £4.50 buy in Erdington high street – home to a huge collection of charity shops and plenty of bargains. Oddly, I bought a giant book of baking that I had never seen before, and Cie bought the same one today at the boot fair. Small world! In fact, this weekend has been one for bargains – we went to our first big boot fair, and it was packed full of 20p goodies and 50p plates. I have missed places where you can buy stuff for less than it originally cost!
I’m considering wearing them with a pair of tights I picked up today at the very same bootfair – there was a whole collection of lovely vintage tights for 20p each – makes me wonder why I bother spending anything about a quid on them, when there are so many pairs in charity shops and second hand treasure troves. I got a cream paid, a cheer pair, and these beauties!
They have these pretty roses at regular (but not overpowering) intervals, and little black dots. Lovely!
Good God! March 29, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Depression, Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: fairy godmother, god, Life, living, Religion, speculation, thoelogy
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Theology is not, as we joked earlier, the lifelong study of Theo Paphitis. Strangely. But never mind, because talking about Theology got my brain thinking, and I decided to do that risky thing – write a post about religion.
Now please, before I start, I must specify a few things. The blogoshpere is a wide and public sphere, and I am very aware of the offence that can be cast through personal opinion and reckless judgements. Religion is a topic that fires up the hearts of people everywhere, provoking a strong mix of powerful emotions – love, hate, resentment, jealousy, confusion. To write about this topic is to be provocative by default, but I do want to put in a bit of a disclaimer.
I am not a believer in “God”. I am not religious in any way, although I admire the concept of faith, and consider myself to be very spiritual, for a painfully logical individual. Anything I say can offend, but is not intended as such – honest! Choose now if you are happy to read my waffle, or if you would prefer not to.
Anyway, I was thinking today about how lovely it would be to be a member of a religion. I would like to experience that feeling of deep trust and involvement in a greater whole. Unfortunately for me, it has never really crossed my mind that this “god” could exist – I could not grasp how something huge and all-powerful could float around in the metaphorical sky above our heads. I think life is too complicated for a creator, a judge, or a single force.
If I was to believe in anything it would be in the idea of a “consciousness”. Not necessarily a tangible force, but a consequence of so many people and things thinking and acting, in such a small world like this. It is just hard to get my head around the idea that all that is going on on this earth is just it (I suppose the basic reason behind all religion), an this is my way of saying “well, perhaps..”.
My problem is not with religious beliefs (although don’t get me started on the consequences of specific religions, all the murder, torture, greed and more), but withthe idea that this god exists at all. It just seems to me to be ridiculous to imagine it – to see this floaty fella in the clouds. To put all responsibly for your life not on your own head, but on the head of an imaginary invention, clearly created to reassure us of the reasons for our own existence. After all, humans cannot dealwell with the concept of living, and then dying. It only seems worth it if we are working towards some greater purpose, some other existence for the good, some dark hell for the bad.
As someone who has felt suicidal at times (and I now that can go the other way for some people, we all have individual feelings and responses), this had an interesting effect. Now I am pretty much fixed (hehe!), I feel much happier to just live as well as I can for the moment, and not worry about what happens when I die. Death is just something that happens at the end of life – whether it is tomorrow (hopefully not)or in another 60 years. What happens after death doesn’t bother me – but what I do in the hear and now does.
I hope that I live my life well. I hope that I do well enough to feel ok about leaving, to feel little guilt. I also like to think that if I am wrong about all this, that this is notenough to doom me to an eternalhell. Any god who does that – well, I don’t want to be involved anyway. Alongside this simple, personal hope, I hope that religions as separate, competitive and money fuel entities will dissolve and disappear as people become enlightened. I hope that all religions will merge, or individualspirituality and living will be enough. That being good to others and living a good life will do, that icons, gold and membership will stop counting.
Perhaps, as Northern Lights speculates, God is dead? Perhaps we need to get on with it, and do the best we can.
Blog dreams March 26, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Photos.Tags: camera, canon, Fashion, photography, wired
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I’m not very good with the whole outfit shot thing, am I? Even thoug I have so many clothes, I do not have a space in which I can be photographed successfully. I will work on this honest. Plus, I didn’t like what I was wearing today – it was just one of those irritating “off” days that we all have. It might have had something to do with forgetting to wash (as you do) so having to get up really early, and not having time to dry my hair properly, so feeling stressed and crazy and snappy and ARRRGGHH. Just possibly something to do with that. Maybe.
Anyway, I am sellingmy camera (note, I only bought it because it had the potential to take super super close up macro pictures. That was my only consideration, and probably wasn’t the best call). I am selling it to my mother (if I can find another wire for it) for a bargain price, as she for some reason cannot survive without a view finder on a camera, and my one has lovely capabilities.
See, I have spent today searching cameras can now am talking in terms of features and capabilities!
This is the one I want:
A powershot G9, but it is a tad beyond my (very small, some call it compact – se what I did there?!) budget. Oh well, a gal can dream. In the next couple of weeks I hope to actually have a good camera – so my photos can be… wait for it… good!
One day I shall be as good as my long time favourite fashion photographer, Horst P Horst – see below. This images was borrowed from PDN.
Random Kindness March 25, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics, What I Wore.Tags: Fashion, Random act of kindness, tania kindersley, tights
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I love nice strangers. A simple comment or compliment can make your day, and is all the more special because it is unexpected. A grey, normal day is transformed into one where you walk with your head a little higher, with your smile a little bigger. The sky becomes bluer, and the air tastes sweeter.
I was getting my lunch at the little sandwich shop down the road form work, having managed to avoid the eyes of the van driver who shouted “Nice legs Darlin” out of his window at me. his being the one occasion I left me heels on for a walk from work, rather than switching automatically to my soft flat and comfy trainers, repeller of creeps.
Whilst waiting for my (oh so sinful) baked potato, I felt a hesitant tap on my shoulder. The slightly shy looking man behind me wanted my attention. What he said was lovely – “Excuse me. Sorry about this. But I just wanted to say what fantastic fashion sense you have”. Oh, I spluttered, thank you – how sweet. He continued “It brightens up my day seeing you walk past every day – always so bright and colourful etc”.
Isn’t that sweet!!?? Some people are so kind, and can say the exact right thing.
On another note, I am in love with my tights today. The colour makes them my favourite pair at the moment – not quite purple, not quite pink, not quite grey. Indescribable, AND patterned – a definite winner! Plus, they are Dotty P’s, meaning they are affordable!
On a second note, I also was excited to receive my copy of Backwards in High Heels – which is so pretty I can’t wait to read it all!
Pet peeves March 24, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Blogs, Rants.Tags: angry, blogging, grrr, web design, website, Writing
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Nope, not peeves about my pets (although there are plenty of them, those rats are bloody bonkers!), but a pet peeve that has really wound me up this morning.
Now, every day I like to browse a variety of blogs. I look at all the ones on my blog roll, and then enjoy exploring other blogs following the chain of links – from blog to blog to blog. If I really really like them I add them to my blog roll, so I can go back to them on demand. I leave comments, I read posts, and then I generally pummel the back button until I’m back where I came from, and start the whole process again.
This is where my pet peeve comes in – and it extends to normal commercial websites to. They all do it, and I hate it!
“Do what?” I hear you ask.
What they do is simple. If I was a patient person (and not stuck in a technological rut of routine and habit) it probably wouldn’t both me at wall. What these blog hosting sites do is this – they prevent you from going “back”. Sure, you can type in the link, and leave the page in a blink of an eye. But sites such as blogger (the worst culprit out there – I shall growl at you… grrrrrrr) won’t let the back button work as it should. You come onto the site. You read, you write your comment, and then it should be two back clicks to get back where you were in your little bloggy system. However, these don’t let you leave – they keep you stuck in a little circle where clicking the back button takes you to the page you are trying to leave – and only if you manically press the back button will it let you leave – all be it reluctantly.
And then, of course, it will let you leave only to go back 20 more steps that you intended – so then you have to slowly click your way forward. It’s a nightmare.
You all have probably experienced this. You may have accidentally clicked onto a boring commercial website, that won’t let you go back to your google search without a tooth and nail fight. You have probably also experienced it with blogger.
To me, it breaches web etiquette. Don’t get me wrong – it is not the author I am ranting at!! It is the blog hosting website, who is cheeky enough to snag a reader and then pin their wings to the metaphorical butterfly board. Grrrr!
Knitting on a desert island March 23, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Crafting, Media, TV & Film, Meme.Tags: casting on, desert island, holiday, how to knit, knitting, quiz
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So I have shamelessly nicked this idea from Amber over at Forever Amber. The idea is to choose 5 things (based on the questions below) that you would take with you to a desert island. On which, I presume, you are totally and unavoidably stranded. Hey, look at it this way though – at least is sunny and hot!
- A food that can be planted and regrown.
Hmm… I think I would take fennel – I’d get the veg, the seeds, the leaves AND my breath would always smell sweet. Which comes in handy if Brad Pitt happens to be my rugged rescuer, appearing from the past when he was beautiful! Hmm, can’t believe I chose fennel… I really am odd!
2. A person you haven’t seen in a long time.
I would take Stephen in that case – I haven’t seen him in FAR too long, and together we should be able to swim to safety. And, he is with the NAVY (kinda) so will be (hopefully) able to get his navy pals looking for us. On a boat. Duh.
3. A book you (were) read as a child.
Hmm… how I wish I was read “how to escapefrom desert islands” as a child… I would take Enid Blyton’s “The Faraway Tree”, so I could live in a magical, imaginary world if the days get bad.
5. The entire episode run of a television show (it’s a very nice desert island).
It would have to be Sex and the City, mainly because I still haven’t watched the original series’. Also, I would get my dose of shopping, this is assuming that my desert island does not come with a shopping centre! A few weeks ago I would have said Buffy – but I have watched ALL of that now!!
Brill – what fun questions! On a compeltely different note, I have actually started to knit as I have been saying I would for ages! So far I can cast on as many stiches as I need (all based on internet based tutorials), but haven’t master the art of “the second row” (please insert ominous voice of your choice). It does look pretty though, and the wool is in my currenty favourite colour!
To illustrate the point March 22, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Art.Tags: art, blogger, creativity, freelance, illustrator, manga, sketching
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I have always enjoyed drawing – at uni I worked with arcylics (still one of my favourite mediums), but since I left I haven’t had much of a chance to draw anything – until now.
As my creative bone (located right next to my inventive bone, but quite a way away from my boring bone) has been a-tingling recently, it seemed that Ben buying a guide to drawing mystical creatures was perfectly timed. I wanted to draw – and so draw I shall. Hopefully this new-found follow-through creativity (where I don’t just talk I actually do) will keep going into the knitting plan!
Here’s some of what I drew!
The owl was surprisingly easy to draw – so as soon as I get hold of some acrylics I hope to draw a fire bird type creature, and a feathery watery counterpart.
My hell hound! I was pleased with this one, it’s really quite creepy!
I have discovered that whilst I can just about draw bodies (at least with some practise I will be able to), I cannot draw faces – even Manga style, which is supposed to make it easier!
Picnic time March 21, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics, Photos, Thrifting.Tags: charity shops, Credit Crunch, Second Hand, Shopping, Summer
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The sun continued today, as I had hoped. Me, Ben and Cie were heading to Kenilworth for an afternoon of charity shop shopping (plenty of finds – a spotty skirt, some brand new Faith shoes, a pretty cup and saucer etc etc) – and I had been hoping all week that the sun would continue, and allow us a proper pre-summer picnic.
To give you a little background, I have just finished reading the very good book that is “The Gargoyle” – one of the Richard & Judy book club books. The book is very good – about a burn victim, with lots of graphic descriptions and jumping between generations in time. In addition to all the burning etc, the main female character, Marianne Engel, has the ability to conjure astounding picnics – encapsulating a whole culture in a picnic. Read it – it’s inspiring!
My picnic therefore, was rather expansive. Think fresh French baguette, with… brie, salami, ham, chutney, cheese, pate, coleslaw, tomatoes, feta, salad, etc. We sat in the pretty grounds, and feasted ourselves silly! I also made fresh chocolate muffins – which were, if I say so myself, delicious! See the results on my food blog, here - we ate them with strawberries – and apart from the occasional cold breeze it was really summery!
Wasn’t it lovely?
