All is OK, and Moving On November 17, 2011
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Depression, Family.Tags: blogging, Family, Love
2 comments
Hush, little brain. Things are OK. Thank heaven for parents though.
I arrived back in the UK last week – I’ve never been so glad to see the rolling hills, to hear the copious pleases and thank yous (O America, how rude you seem!), and to rejoice in the wonderfulness of being back. I went straight home to see the parents, of course, and it was there that advice was expertly dispensed.
I had been questioning my relationship decisions since they were made, checking the boy’s Facebook page like an addict, and generally moping and whining. Which, you know, I’m fond of doing. And the parents made me realise that which I already knew… that expecting everything to feel the same after a trip like that was naive in the extreme. Time had passed, and I assumed because life was more fluid and different, that must mean I wasn’t in love. Turns out I am, quite a lot, but I nearly missed it because I got scared and presumptuous.
So, I think I have started mending things and fixing woes. I think everything will be OK. Better than OK maybe. Thank god for parents!
On another note, I think the time may have come to move on from this blog, to organise my life. I’ll still be blogging, but I’m going to do it somewhere else – I’ll let you know the link when I do! It’s just clean slate time… moving away from the depression and life that was on this blog, and starting afresh. I hope you’ll come with me!
Dressember Day 7: Ice Laden December 7, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Dressember, Fashion, Photos, What I Wore.Tags: blogging, charity, dressember, Fashion, Ice, snow, What I wore
1 comment so far
Day 7
I loved today’s outfit – what would be a party dress, combined with a blue jumper and stockings. It was a lovely opportunity to break out my suspender belt, and try out these knit vintage stockings. There is nothing that makes me feel as sexy as stockings and suspenders, and the stockings were warm too. An added bonus!
As for the weather, well that was anything other than warm. The drive to work was like something out of the most clichéd of Christmas cards. Every branch hung heavy with thick ice crystals, and birds movements in the branches above would dislodge a glittering tumble of ice gems to dust the car like sugar on a cupcake. The air was pale and misty too, and the overall effect wasn’t far from being trapped in a glowing bubble of whiteness, blocking your vision every way you turned.
Icy Leaves
Icy Fields
At the Last Minute… February 19, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Life, Chatter & Politics, Social Media, What I Wore, Wordy Business.Tags: blogging, daily outfits, events, Fashion, last minute, outfits, Shoes, What I wore
4 comments
Ahha! An opportunity for a pun! It mustn’t be missed – quick, grab it, don’t let it go. Yep, that’s right, squeeze the life out of it. Kill the pun by talking about it too much. Well done Lauren, well done.
In case you didn’t know and thus don’t get the pun, I spent thursday up in Manchester for a LastMinute.com meeting. I am now one of their new bloggers, starting to write this month, and I am very excited about it! The day was spent networking and attending sessions, and it actually turns out that despite the propensity for puns I am quite god at networking. As I was all alone and knew noone, I decided just to talk to whoever I came across, because otherwise I would be lonely! It worked, and I have hopefully made some really useful blogging and restaurant contacts. We also heard about their latest innovations, marketing, and brilliant social media strategy – they really have it sussed!
The evening was spent at the restaurant week launch party, where we watched 50s style singers and a cooking demonstration (not at the same time!). This meant we got to eat sublime Scallops, Venison and Lemon dessert. Followed, of course, by the actual dinner, a free bar and some more networking – plus very nice people! And a night of free 5* accommodation!
Anyway, I had to wear something smart yet quirky (because well, that is me after all!), and this is what I chose! I did wear a bra with the halterneck which backfired when it got warm in the evening – I had to do an emergency bathroom bra removal before I could take my jacket off! Most unladylike!
Jacket: Warehouse
Dress: eBay
Tights: Primark
Heels: New Look
The kitchen is much better for light isn’t it! I shall stick with this in future I think.
Whilst shopping in Manchester today, on Ben’s credit card as I am out of cash, I ended up buying two pairs of shoes. The first was a pair of Bronx in Barratts that were £20, and they are incredibly comfy – if a little summery!
The second pair wasn’t such a good bargain. In fact, considering how tight I am, they were pretty damn expensive. And ridiculous. But I tried them on as a joke, and then all the women in the aisle at TK Maxx (shoppers, I might add, not salespeople, I am not that much of a pushover!) convinced me to buy then as they look – kind of wicked. They are very Nubby Twiglet esque, and I love them! So, please don’t mock me and my £70 boots, I promise they look amazing!
Links à la Mode | The Countdown Begins December 20, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Blogs, Fashion, Links á la Mode.Tags: blogging, Fashion, link love, Links á la Mode
add a comment
Edited by Dramatis Personae
The countdown has begun–not only until the end of the year–but until the end of the first decade in the 21st century. That’s kind of amazing to think about. Styletastic and Sway, Sway, Away! both look at fashion from the Oughts with two distinctly different visions. [the3st] interviews the founder of ModCloth, while Wicked & Whimsy reviews Closet Confidential (by the hilarious Winona of DaddyLikey fame!).
Since this will be my last edit of links a la mode for this year, see you all in 2010!
Links à la Mode : December 17th
- 39thandbroadway.com: – How Brands Get Burned By Celebs
- A Typical Atypical: – Suffering from Buyers Remorse: The Real Deal
- Brunette and Pink: – Makeup Tutorial: Leighton Meester Inspired Winged-out Smoky Eye Look
- DailyDivaDish – Create a sparkling New Year’s look with the Tarte Treasure Chest Giveaway. Enter to this limited edition kit.
- Friend in Fashion – Sugar and spice and all things nice – Unearthing the unique designs of the fabulous, Arizona based designer Monique Martinez, through the captive lense of Galaxie Andrews.
- Grit and Glamour: – The Trend Conundrum–rends are a tricky thing; what makes some women look so pulled together is not a wardrobe full of the latest styles and trends, but the ability to know which ones to avoid.
- i’m the it girl: – My Love Affair With Hermes and the Great Debate: Kelly or Birkin?
- Idiosyncratic Style: – 12 Great Holiday DIY Projects – give something special this year (even if you are short on time and money)
- kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – My most amazing (and green!) find this year: Denim Therapy, a company who will restore your tattered favorite jeans to like-new condition. Seriously.
- La Société de Mode | The Fashion Society: – Combats are stomping their way back into style
- Pursed Lips: – Thoughts/quotes on Lady Gaga as a powerful tool, if a difficult one to reach, for designers.
- Style on a String – Getting down to the wire: Gifts for the Stylish Geek who is kind of Girly too
- Styletastic: – As the 00’s are coming to en end, we look back at the fashion memories that will define the decade. Ah the memories!
- Sway Sway Away!: – Sway Sway Away! presents Caitie’s bitching and moaning on the worst trends of the Aughts.
- THE COVETED – Love it or Leave it : Rodarte for Target
- The Fashion Planner: – The Fashion Planner shows you how to make a jaunty beret.
- The Working Wardrobe: – Beware of “business casual” being too casual for the workplace.
- tick tick heart: – A focus on the varying fashions of some of our quirkier leading ladies in film.
- White Rabbit: – Pros and Contras of Artificial Nails
- Wicked Whimsy: – Closet Confidential: A Review
- [the3st]: – Success & Getting There: Interview with Susan of ModCloth.com
PLEASE READ IF YOU’D LIKE TO PARTICIPATE:
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine
To blog or not to blog? November 1, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Blogs, Depression, Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: blogging, Depression, Life
14 comments
I am feeling a bit strange about blogging. I get plenty of hits, but they are just people looking for images that are on my blog, with searches for “Geisha” currently hitting up in the area of 700 hits a day! I feel I am just yet another limp and vacuous voice pumping out nonsense that no one cares or wants to read about into the blogosphere.
I spend my days reading witty blogs, intelligent blogs, a huge number of brilliant blogs, all the while knowing that mine is just… not. Mine is average, dull, unexciting. Why carry on writing, when all yours are so much more wonderful.
I am sure this is just a funny mood I am having, a moment of paranoia, of low self-esteem.
But does anyone actually care if I write or don’t write, if I choose to blog or not to blog? I think not.
My First Feature Article October 6, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Blogs, Fashion, Wordy Business.Tags: blogging, Fashion, fashion blogging, journalism, style, Writing
1 comment so far
I am, officially, a feature writer. The lovely Tamia from Style Sample mag was kind enough to offer me the opportunity to interview the delightful Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. After surmounting seemingly insurmountable technical issues the article was finally written, and was published today. I am, need I say it, slightly excited!
Go read it, and even buy it! Style Sample is a mag for fashion bloggers by fashion bloggers, and you can read it online, or actually order a hard copy!
Style Sample Fashion Magazine
Absent in body but not in mind October 1, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Depression, Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: blogging, redundancies, stress, Work
3 comments
Hi guys. Sorry I am not posting currently. To be honest, I am not feeling the blogging vibe this week. Instead, I am feeling stressed, and teary, and exhausted. My mind is racing along manically at 10 thousand to the dozen, and it is overpowering me a little bit to say the least.
Why am I feeling like this? Work is being restructured at the moment. Don’t worry, my little position organising UK marketing is safe, but I sit at my desk every day and here about other people going. My boss is not around at the moment either, meaning that I am now managing all marketing activity for the entire country, all from a small single desk with a very slow computer.
I am stressed. This is interesting, as normally I don’t get stressed easily. Don’t get me wrong – I am very fond of whining (practically a profession, that is how good I am at that!), and I am not adverse to an occasional wild sob-fest. Stress, however, is generally something I save for very special occasions. At the moment, however, I have nowhere to unwind. I am wildly busy at work, and then I come home to a house that we have to tidy, and clean, and organise. Relaxing in an environment where the floor is covered with random piles and the air is dusty is a difficult thing indeed.
And so, to that end, I am not putting blogging first. I am putting me, for a rare occasion, at the forefront and giving myself time to unwind without responsibilities. For this week, I am for me and me alone!
A Little Social Media Whine September 28, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics, Rants, Social Media.Tags: blogging, digital media, google, online media, Social Media, twitter
3 comments
I have noticed something interesting. This something interesting is also something a little… irritating, to be honest. With the blogging world and digital media world obsessed with social media sites, you could be forgiven for thinking that everyone has jumped on the twitter and social networking bandwagon. You could be understood for presuming that everyone is punching out witty one-liners (witty 140 - character-ers just doesn’t sound as cool) at the drop of hat, that blogs are de rigour in media savvy companies and that google is old hat and completely understood by the business world.
What did I notice?
I noticed that none of the above is actually true.
Firstly, twitter. Many companies use it well – publishing companies chat about new book releases, big companies host twitter competitions based on re-tweeting and more. A lot of people have twigged onto the fact that twitter reaches an instant waiting mass audience, easily and efficiently. More companies, however, do not use it well. Recruitment agencies, for whom twitter should be an invaluable tool, generally fail to publish new jobs to a captive and interested audience. Social media companies forget to link simply and clearly to their twitter feed, which seems rather hypocritical to me.
Then take blogs. Perfect for technological and forward thinking companies to show how much they understand their industry, and to boost their SEO returns to boot. So many, however, have a neglected pitiful creature of a blog, or never even set one up to start with. The static, unchanging, boring content of their website is deemed enough, yet not even a digital savvy sloth would stay around for more than 5 seconds. Hmm, what a crap metaphor!
Why are so many companies bucking the trend? No, scratch that… why are so many digital, social media conscious companies missing the potential. Are they rebelling against the power of the internet, or are they stuck in print for promotion even though what they promote is online? Have they simply forgotten to add their business result to google businesses, or is it an ommision of choice?
Come on people – put your media hat on and use it wisely, it has so much potential!
Land Ahoy! September 13, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Blogs, Crafting, Fashion, Vintage.Tags: 1930's fashion, blogging, Crafting, quilting, sewing, vintage
3 comments
Well what a spectacular weekend I have just had. It began with a lovely evening gossiping in the pub with Cie, something we very rarely get to do anymore as just us two. It was meant to be a girls night out… but with a few more girls! Every cloud, however, as getting a chance to catch up and chat was a definite silver lining!
Saturday was spent at a sewing day for Sew Make Believe, which was a great opportunity to get the girls together in a crafty frame of mind, chatting and sewing and giggling. Once I recovered from my first hangover of the weekend (hey, I have a weak stomach, ok?!), I settled in to start chopping up my quilt segments for my colour wheel quilt. My blue section is mainly cut, and I simply have to invest in a rotary cutter!
Colour wheel quilt segments
The weekend kept getting better, as myself, Cie, Kateand Nommi whisked ourselves off on the train to London town, where we were destined for that 1930′s fashion event that I have been preparing for weeks. You know all those vintage dresses, and hairstyles, and 1930′s obsessing I ave been doing? Well, they all culminated in last nights SS Atlantica journey of discovery. Based on the beautiful St. Katharine’s Docks, we wandered around for a good half an hour before we found where the event was being held – but boy was it worth it! The interior was a little undecorated (especially considering they turned us away because they were “running late”) but we soon didn’t notice after a few glasses!
Tower Bridge was just next door
Once inside, we noticed at once the hug range of 1930′s fashion interpretations. Many people had opted for 1920′s fashion, a much easier era to define and pin down. Other people, however, were clearly clad in truly stunning vintage items, some of which were just… wow….!!! My dress was finally decided to be 1940′s – but I loved it so much and did feel very art deco 1930′s – so all was not lost.
Our 1930's vintage outfits!
We sipped champagne and drank cocktails all night, before getting involved in some 1930′s dancing. I know no steps at all and have always avoided anything that involves coordination – but suddenly it all worked. I suited the 1920′s dancing with wild abandon, but was useless when it came to anything with defined steps! It didn’t matter, however, as Nommi and myself were soon whisked away by some very dapper young men in suits who spun and swished us across the floor. It was great!
My wonderful dancing!
Just when our poor feet could dance no more, I felt a tap on the shoulder. And that is how I finally got to meet the wonderful Fleur de Guerre, 1940′s pin-up gal who is even more beautiful in the flesh than on her blog! After a bit of gossiping and introductions (in the real non-blog world for once!), we finally gave in and decided to head off back to our hotel – literally buzzing from both the great night and the delicious champagne!
Myself and the lovely Fleur
