"Oh-oh, this is beautiful..."

I recently did a post about shoes which involved one of my favourite makers Irregular Choice.  I thought it was now time to talk about one of my favourite jewellery designers - Tatty Devine.


I am a bit clueless at times to fashion and funky makes and it sometimes just takes someone to point me in the right direction.  In this case, it was a pal of mine Sarah, who already had a few of the items they made.


Now for those of you unaware about Tatty Devine, they are an independent jewellery maker in London, with an online store and two shops and make very unusual jewellery.  When I mean unusual, they make necklaces and rings etc but using very quirky designs.  For instance, a banana on a chain or just the words  "welljel" in a glittery font.  This isn't jewellery for people that want to just wear diamonds around their neck, this is for individuals that want something that represents them and their tastes!


Within the last year of really knowing about them, I now own 4 items and hope to buys some more soon. Each piece goes with a variety of items in my wardrobe but adds an additional something to my clothes.  When I wear their items I kind of feel empowered and fighting against the reforms of the crowd (they  have lots of seasonal items, so somethings are only made for so long and only have a certain amount made).  I have always liked unusual things but never really found a designer that felt like their jewellery was meant for me - I've found that now in Tatty : )  Although I love all of mine, my moustache necklace is probably my fav and was a gift from my manager at Christmas - she has great taste!  It is also a great conversation starter, with people randomly asking me about it when I wear it out - I love things that bring people together.  


Unfortunately, Tatty Devine came up in the papers the other day because Claire's Accessories have been ripping off their original designs and selling them cheaply.  As an ex-buyer of Claire's (even if I hadn't stopped shopping their before, I have now), I'm appalled that your designers couldn't come up with their own ideas and makes me wonder how many other brands you have been knocking off over the years for cheap sells. As an individual that not only freelances but supports entrepreneurs in the workplace, I think your company should seriously rethink your strategies and not think that you can get away with this underhanded approach.  Whatever you do, you definitely won't get my custom back and I'm sure, many others.  Full article here:   http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/fashion-blog/2012/feb/24/claires-accessories-tatty-devine


As for Tatty Devine, I love your brand and thank you for representing the creatives, eccentrics, individuals and stylish women of London and finally giving us a vibrant brand for the Capital.  I love your stuff so much that I have started buying stuff for friends now who are also loving the designs.  It may have taken 15 years to find jewellery that suits my taste, but I'm so grateful it's finally here : )


At the weekend, I wore your moustache necklace out in Lincoln and after a few drinks took these photos which I turned into a short video clip.  This video shows you how much fun you can have with a Tatty Devine item.  Enjoy! http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21251488/Our%20Version%20of%20Moustaches.m4v 
(This is inspired by Moustaches and uses the track from the original on Weebl stuff - http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/Moustaches/)

Have a look at Tatty's great designs:  www.tattydevine.com or @tattydevine

Today's post title comes from Athlete's Beautiful:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mk-RL_cLDg&ob=av2n (Forgot how much I liked this song : p)

"First drink of the day..."

So I wasn't going to write a post because I'm away this weekend, but I was inspired by our night out yesterday.

I'm up north celebrating a pals birthday over a weekend.  Last night was meant to be the calm before the storm ahead, yet it landed up as quite a night.  The lads went to a brewery for a tour and drinks and then we joined them in town after.  Although we didn't go clubbing we went to two pubs with music and drank to excess and stayed out til 3am - my poor head and throat were feeling it this morning.  And now we have our 'big night' out today and drinking will probably start again soon : s

I'm quite experienced at the 'several days on the trot getting hammered' nights out but I'm getting older and there is nothing I can do about it.  For instance, last night I drank a beer, then some wine, then some cocktails, then some shots, then some spirits and mixers.  Years ago that would be easy.  Now all I have is fear of being sick or actually being sick, urge to eat very cheap takeaway food on the way home and a major headache with tiredness that drains me through the next day.  I don't dislike the experience, I just can't handle it!

As for the second night on the trot, the morning is always the hardest.  Today I woke up at 9am but it took nearly 1hr and 30mins to actually get out of bed - granted I was getting offered tea and food to the room, so I had no inclination to leave, but still.  That is disgraceful!  I used to go clubbing, stay at a mate's, sleep for 4 hours then do a days worth of work - not anymore.  It sometimes takes days for me properly to recuperate!

The thing is I can still have great nights out, it just has to be paced.  No one needs to deal with me becoming unconscious or being violently sick for a day  (both me when I was younger) and although I have only ever been sick in a house in a toilet o a bucket, it's still not right for someone else to deal with.  I'm generally a considerate person when it comes to that - I think : s  I also waste too much tme recovering now, when I should enjoy the other parts of still being 'relatively' young (see not young, apparently that bracket stops at 25).

Also, I am starting to feel older in the 'going out' field in general, which means that you have to play your choices of drinking locations more carefully.  Luckily for last night, not only were we not the oldest in Slug and Lettuce (even though you are normally of a certain maturity age to go there) but we were not quite the most embarrassing (several older guys were rather entertaining on the dance floor).  One of our mates was a close contender but we don't need to mention what he wa doing, lol.

Anyway, time to prepare for drinking part 2 : s   I'm scared!  Hopefully I can handle it like last night.  If not, it's going to be a long journey home tomorrow : s

Today's post title comes from Rathergood.com's own band 7 Seconds of Love's song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRVhevmDwlk

"Nobody knows it, but you've got a secret smile..."

I won't normally do two posts on one day, but I'm pretty busy over the weekend and had something else to chat about.

I don't know about other people, but I love nothing more than a bit of bad taste, cheap-ish clothes every now and then.  I don't know if it's an age thing (I'll wear what I want) or just the fact that I love adding something random to my attire to make myself smile - yes, it's all about me! : )

It originally started in Primark (and mainly continues on there) when myself and a mate of mine both quite liked picking up ugly looking knickers (kind of like women's y-fronts with pictures on or in vulgar colours).  I don't know what it was, I think it's just because when I wore them I would have a secret smile going on in my head "Yes, I'm wearing hideous under garments and no one knows".  It's not as if they were old, they were just new and crazy looking, lol.

Anyway, this soon went on to other forms of clothes and yes, it's Primark's fault!  If they are going to sell hideous items for cheap, why not buy them - I always have enough fancy dress events to go to (another subject, another time).  Oh and then their' TK Maxx as well!  When shopping with a friend for wedding dresses and bridesmaid stuff, we tried on some awful clothes just for the heck of it and took pictures - it was a LOT of fun!

My most recent purchases are:  a pair of female Bermuda shorts with goldfish on (wore those with flip flops around Oxford when I ran out of clothes whilst away), bright pink care bear pants (you are never too old to care, lol), cocktail shaped sunglasses in January (can you believe it) but we gave them away.  Oh and I bought a blue wig, but it's not bad looking and it was only £6!

I say as you get older, go wild!  I've spent enough of my life caring what people think and it never makes you happy.  So people, go out there and be proud to be loud.  My day couldn't be any better when I know I have one little secret from everyone : )

Today's post title comes from Semisonic's Secret Smile:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kryV3E4QKGk&ob=av3e

"Always look on the bright side of life..."

For once I have decided to write a post slightly earlier in the day, so you can all enjoy some links I've found on this nice sunny day (especially if your stuck in an office).

I am a massive fan of comedy (various styles, films and TV and across the world) and I love nothing more than a good comedy song/video or parody.

I have written odd bits and pieces of lyrical comedy for fun and for the odd mini performance and I not only know how hard it can be to do but how desperate it is to get it right.  My inspiration also always comes to me at the worst time (when I'm in the shower, nearly asleep, a time when I have no pen or paper or all of the three, lol).  I have also made various music videos for fun with friends and edited them and it takes a long time and determination to get it finished. 

Anyway, I don't want to stop you enjoying the day, so below are links to some people that have inspired me and/or just clips that I like (watch whatever you want or don't want) :

Big fan of Monty Python and this is one of many songs on their album "Sings" which makes me smile - Sit on my Face:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=&feature=fvst

mjHrrXZQEbU

The brilliant Victoria Wood I used to watch with my parents when I was younger and this is a re-edited version of a song that I remember when I was younger - The Ballad of Barry and Freda:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMWKkWjDe4&feature=related

Watched a lot of Spitting Image (when I was meant to be asleep) and the vinyl (yes, I'm that old) with this song on used to be in our living room - Chicken in the Air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5AFxzY-nM

Brilliant show Goodness Gracious Me used to have songs in some of the episodes and this is one of my fans - Kiss my Chuddies:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-r5eEjbsTI

The amazing (they are worth that credit) The Lonely Island now have celebrities in most their videos, but here is one of their first videos (still with a credited star in) before they got even high profile - I'm on a Boat:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU

Response to a song called Jizz in my Pants by The Lonely Island (Just a good watch, but definitely worth watching the original video too - if so, look out for the star in disguise too) - Puke in my Mouth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJsQcnB6GC0&feature=rellist&playnext=1&list=PL3B43BA85E457DEAF

Amateur Transplants (Adam Kay and previously Suman Biswas) were doctors who wrote and sung comedy songs relating to the medical profession and life in general.  Although this might not be their most well known song, I particularly like it because it's clever - Parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcrijUrDDiI (real song, but can't find their official version)

I originally heard The Midnight Beast on an Edinburgh Fringe programme and then started looking up their videos on YouTube.  They have a lot of good songs, but this is the first track I heard - Lez Be Friends:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PPnub_wyJ0

The guys from Songify This edit news clips and turn them into tracks.  This is my favourite one (might be worth looking for the original clip on YouTube first) but "Winning", "Double Rainbow Song" and "Backing Up" are all worth a look too - The Intruder Song:  http://www.youtube.com/user/schmoyoho#p/a/736C3116AD309B58/0/hMtZfW2z9dw

Gary Tank Commander is a Scottish comedy I saw by accident via YouTube (haven't seen it on TV in the south) and on the series they have done mock videos in the army barracks.  This is one of my favs - Imitation video of Lady Gaga’s Telephone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMC6-novink

King of parody songs, Weird Al Yankovich has too many hits to mention (definitely worth seeing all of his older stuff especially).  I couldn't decide which track to put on, so have added a link to an newer one that made me smile - Perform this Way:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M&feature=relmfu

Ginger and Black (the latter a pal of mine from college) are known quite well known on the comedy circuit and are both starting to appear more regularly on TV.  As a duo, they sing their own comedy songs about everyday life and I really like this one - song about being a Runner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwOqu-m5nZg


Late Night Gimp Fight are five guys that I had a privilege of seeing at Brighton Festival and have seen in London since.  I have added a video clip of one of their songs, but these guys are great live performers and I don't think this video gives them as much credit as they deserve (I laughed really hard both times I saw them), so I would definitely try and catch them live if you can - Where has all the Porn Gone?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_npMXQmC4is&list=UU4uLWTrwvWU_xHnjT6k5d1g&index=11&feature=plcp

I am very new to the New Zealand duo Flight of the Concords, but have started watching all the old episodes and can see why they have been so popular.  I have chosen this song because I like the song and video, but there are many more to look out for on the net - Lord of the Rings song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0lHNCiiXGo&feature=related

Have a great day  : )

Today's post title comes from Monty Python's Always look on the Bright Side of Life (If you've never seen the film The Life of Brian with this in it, definitely worth a watch : p): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ

If you're 'app-y and you know it, clap your hands! : )i

I have mainly owned phones for function rather than social and fun.  The main reasons being that I didn't want to be on a contract originally but also because I had other platforms and equipment for things I wanted to do.  


As times gone on, I changed my outlook and also decided that I no longer wanted to carry round a hundred and one separate devises, when most stuff could be done on one.


So yes, I am now the proud owner of a smart phone.  A good thing?  Yes in terms of what it offers my lifestyle, no in terms of lack of focus and distraction.


Ok, so I used to be one of these people that hated people not listening to you because of some distraction on their phone.  There is nothing worse than meeting up with a friend/friends and they spend their whole time on the phone not really being part of the conversation.  It is not only rude, you also wonder why you bothered being there at all.  Now I have to say, my particular friends aren't bad, but I've had times with my brother and boyfriend where I've been like "Did you hear what I said?".  Unfortunately, I've now started doing the same to them : s


The smart phone, an ingenious creating, allowing you to do an AMAZING amount of things!  Do you know what I did the other day?  Plugged my phone into our plasma screen and played various features on it using an HDMI cable - is that INSANE or what?


I have gone back to Sony Ericsson after a previous love/hate relationship for the brand (I owned Sony phones before they joined Ericsson  - wow, makes me sound pretty old.  They didn't really know how to make good phones then, so the collaboration was a good thing : p).  I now have a great phone which allows me to record high definition videos, take cracking photos, has speedy Internet and is part of the Android family.  Ok, so I can watch films and TV on my phone, don't need to carry a camera with me and can use GPS if I get lost.  And not that all those features aren't great (they REALLY are) but there is something about the App world that is so exciting to it's viewers.  I didn't get it before and I don't get it now, but I'm 'appy when I'm app-ing - sorry, that was a bit cheesy, wasn't it?


It's like just now, my phone went off telling me that an unknown user I am playing against on Words with Friends has made their word move and it's my turn (I'm playing with strangers as I do not wish to connect my Facebook account - another discrepancy for another time).  So what do I do, go straight on my phone, write a word and continue what I am doing.  WHY?!?  Why have I got nothing better to do than to check my phone, when I am actually already multi-tasking on my computer.  It's ridiculous, but for some reason we do it.  It's like my phone spellbounds me at times and I am just waiting for that "beep" to go off so I can feel loved by something - sad but worryingly true for so many of us : s ...


...Sorry, I just stopped to think of a word, lol (I say lol, but I'm crying inside 1.  For becoming like this 2. Because the player is beating me hands down : (  I've turned my Internet off now so I have no distractions.


Don't get me wrong, the apps and Internet have been a god send.  For a freelancer like me who has times when they are not at home, being able to apply for work and contact people via the Internet whilst on the move is so important in the modern world - you snooze, you lose!  And that side is great.  Only at Christmas I got stuck at a train station 5-6 miles away from where I needed to be and I was going to be late for work.  I put the GPS into gear and walked there - I would have never found my way there without it!


But as I said, there is this other side.  Prime example, having the Internet on my phone has made me addicted to checking up film details on IMDB - I don't know why!  So what have I done now, added an app so I don't have to keep searching for it and it IS better than there normal website - it's quicker!  I also have added an app called Note Everything (as my phone doesn't let me save draft copies on texts or have a notes page for some reason), which allows me to write ideas and draw things on the move.  It's brilliant because ideas always come to me when I have no paper or pens but I also land up typing into it all the time, lol.   I've also found a great little app yesterday called Crackle.  It is an American app that lets you watch trailers, short films and selected features each day for free.  For instance at the moment you can watch trailers for the new Spiderman and Ghost Rider but then watch whole film versions of classic or cult films - it's fab, especially if I'm bored with what I have on my phone (you do need to be linked to the Internet though, so that's the only downside).


No, the reason it is really bad is for the gaming side.  Everyone is addicted to playing games when they have the odd second of boredom - whether it's online or saved onto the phone.  So I had this game, Aporkalypse - basically pigs saving the world.  It was amazing and the four lead pigs had different powers etc.  It was fun because the levels were interesting, it was challenging, but boy did I start playing it all the time.  So much so, I got other people dedicated to it, who then started downloading it onto their phones, lol.  It was bad!  Well my originally phone set died and it had that app on it, so I decided to leave that one in the past.  But now I have found something else, Blast Monkey.  Another addictive game involving shooting and booting monkeys into bananas using tricks and tactics to get you through the levels - it actually gets quite hard very quickly.  I have opened all the current levels now but have lots of bits that are incomplete.  The biggest problem with the game is if you have even a second on your own you kind of think "Oh, I could play Blast Monkeys for a second".  But then you land up playing it for ages and the people you are with get mad : s  Mainly the same two people I used to get annoyed with : s


You see, technology is well and good, but there is a time and a place for it.  We should enjoy the people with love being with and not take advantage of the fact they are there. I apologise to anyone who has had to put up with me being hypnotised by my phone features. So I say to you, next time you have the urge to pick up that phone and open an app or the Internet, think "Do I really need to do this right now".  

The closest I could get to the original song that the title of today's post is from, lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJwruOSOezU&feature=fvst

"...Making all his nowhere plans for nobody."

Although it's late and I should probably be thinking about going to bed (my sleeping pattern is a bit up the spout at the moment), I have decided to write a blog after just watching the film "Yes Man".

Asides from being a huge fan of Jim Carrey and loving the work of Zooey Deschanel and Rhys Darby, I like the film Yes Man because it makes you think about life and not missing out on chances.

When I was in my early 20s, I used to be a proper "go-get" kind of girl.  It wasn't to do with whether or not I was single or in a relationship, it was primarily that I loved life and just wanted to try things.  I think working in theatre as soon as I came out of college helped this as I tended to have a "work hard, play hard" kind of lifestyle.  Within months of starting my first proper theatre job, I was working three other jobs to build up some money and gain experience.  As you can imagine, this didn't last for long because I was literally working everyday, going from one job to the next barely getting time to eat meals - in this period, there was not much time for play. However, I did get to add to my CV: Student Dance Teacher, Front of House Assistant for Starlight Express, Christmas temp worker for WHSmiths and Box Office Assistant all for the same time period, which was always an interesting talking point for future interviews.  After I cut down the jobs, the going out and fun started. 

Ok, so I didn't used to be a Yes Woman, but I did used to be a kind of "Yeah, alright then" kind of person.   Asides from the usual going out and getting hammered with various mates/colleagues and their mates (another blog, another time, lol)I got to try a lot of stuff.  Due to the fact that I originally trained as a performer (6/7 - 18 years was the main time, with odd things going upto about the age of 21), I liked doing extras work or bits and pieces of performing when I got the chance.  This did bring a lot of fun over the years, highlights include: being a Zombie outside the Imax and along the Southbank; being an angry villager in a short film clip used for a TV screen in a parody theatre show; being dragged out of a local theatre and murdered (plant for the show) and being one of the Chorus Witches in Birmingham Rep's Roald Dahl's The Witches in a local venue.  These experiences not only allowed me to meet lots of cool people but I had so much fun doing it.

Another thing that I have been involved with is voluntary work - partially to add to the CV and also just for the thrill of trying a new role.  One of my favourite voluntary roles was doing street teaming for TrafficOnline and Xtaster based in Camden (unsure if they still exist now).  I used to do a range of roles which would be anything from getting people to listen to new tracks and signing them up to mailing lists to working on a merchandise stall at a gig.  Over the years of working with them both, I supported lots of up and coming bands as well as more prestigious names (which was great because they both specialised in Indie and Metal music which I loved).  Bands I supported included (the late and great) McClusky, We Are Scientists, The Departure, Mando Diao, The Offspring and Maximo Park.  Oh how I miss the days of doing a bit of voluntary work and then getting to watch a band or two for free, sometimes also the odd album launch with free alcoholic drinks all night - bliss!

Then there's the random things I used to do.  There has probably been more than I remember because I did used to be rather random.  There are two rather memorable ones that stick out though:

Number 1:  A well known comedian (I won't say names) asked for a member of the audience to come on stage to do a tap dance  and they would get a free drink and a tenner.  Being a little tipsy and with a large group of mates, I decided to push my way through the row and run straight on to stage.  Unfortunately, it was all a bit of a joke, as there had actually been a plant in the audience but I had beaten her to the stage.  The shocked comedian then didn't know what to do, so he asked me to show some of my tap dancing to the audience, which I willing did.  For my efforts, I got the prizes offered and had a great chat with them with my pal at the bar.  I also landed up going up for a bow at the end of the whole show.  Even to this day, mates who were there mention it, lol.

Number 2: Even better than the first, I landed up entering an Air Guitar competition in Dublin after a slightly tipsy (yes, you'd think I'd learn) me was convinced by three pals to apply (I think they thought I wouldn't do it, but I did).  As you can imagine, I had not prepared to go up there,  so when my name was called, I went up wearing my rock top and jeans, tied my friends bandana round my head and jumped around like a maniac to Blur's Song 2.  The crowd was quite crazy and I always remember this guy near one of the speakers shouting "Shake that ass", LOL.  Well, if that wasn't funny enough, when I got back from the holiday I got an email, only saying I had got into the top ten and they wanted me back for the final!  (None of this is a joke, I still have the email and I just had a look at it - that and why would I make this stuff up! LOL)  Unfortunately, the flights back to Ireland had gone up considerably and I was also back at work so had to turn it down.  Such a shame though, as if I'd won that, I would have been going on a free trip to Finland to compete on behalf of Ireland (Dam it!).  Even looking back now I wonder what would have happened.  I could have been the Winner of the European Air Guitarist competition, sniff sniff.  (Air Guitar competitions are quite a big thing now, so maybe I should re-enter for the UK and see what I happens - I haven't got the guts I had when I was younger, but I'm sure after a few drinks, I'll be sold : p)

It's when I look back at all this stuff and wonder where it all went.  Most of it is down to money, things coming up at the right time and work, but it still sucks.  So many of the things that I did on a whim and the career choices I made helped me find the like minded friends I have now and for that, I am SO grateful!

However, watching this film tonight has let me know my life may be very different to what it was (and I have to learn to grow up sometime) and I may miss my old lifestyle, but I can still be me and have a bit of serendipity in my life.

In the last year or so, I have decided to put some of my time into doing random things for charity, which has made life a bit more different and interesting, whilst being able to support worthy causes.  My favourite things so far have included:  working at the London Marathan 2011 for Oxfam; working on a live filmed phone in evening on QVC for Breast Cancer Care; tried on and bought second items at an OxJam Event whilst boogying away in their clothes aisles; making train carriage bunting for the Craftivists Collective to use at a rail fare rally, working with the Gorillas.org at Latitude Music Festival and dancing at an open aired silent disco in the early hours of the morning with @CaraNeedsHelp and @sarahverrall to support Free2Dance.  Doing charity work has been some of the best stuff that I have done around my other jobs recently and I intend to keep it going : )

Over the years I have done fun things, pushed the boundaries of my own fears and have tried to improve my life on the ride.  So like Jim Carrey's character, you may not want or need to say it all the time, but this little word plays an important part in all our lives and sometimes we just shouldn't be afraid to say "YES" .


Below are some great charities that I have done stuff with that you may be interested in:

www.oxfam.org.uk  @Oxfam
www.breastcancercare.org.uk/  @BCCare
http://craftivist-collective.com/  @Craftivists
www.gorillas.org/   @Gorillas_Org 
www.free2dance.com/  @dancebritain

Post title from a song from one of my favourite bands of all time, The Beatles.  This particular video is from the Yellow Submarine film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvLj72apGLI

  

"Hey, I put some new shoes on and suddenly everythings alright..."

Went out tonight to meet a friend and wore my reasonably new boots.  Oh the bliss of walking down the street wearing nice comfy, yet sexy looking boots.


I didn't use to be a shoe person.  Since a young age, I was one of the tallest girls in my class (known as a "giraffe" for class photos and normally situated somewhere in the back row) and to boot had wide/large feet.  Growing up meant lots of trips to places like clarks and sometimes looking at women's shoes rather than kids.  It wasn't fun, the shoes weren't always nice (as my parents didn't want me wearing riduculous heels) and it felt like a chore.


I don't know when this changed but at some point, shoes became exciting.  I'm not one to wear heels over 4 inches tall (what's the point, I'm 5ft9, would tower over most of mates and would have such a problem walking in them I would look more constipated than sexy) but I like a nice heel and a sexy looking shoe.


I own quite a few pairs of shoes.  I don't know how many but I know they fill up nearly the whole space under my double bed and overspill into the rest of the space.  But it's not how many shoes there are but if there is a reason for having them, even if that reason is for just looking at them and wearing them around the house : )


My favourite shoes for their look are my Irregular Choice ones.  I currently only have 2 pairs, but I'm sure that will change soon enough.  I love these because they are proper "look at me" shoes.  All Irregular Choice shoes have an identity and they will brighten up any normal outfit as soon as you put it on.  One of my pairs is electric blue 3 inch shoe with a Union Jack flag on the front with a heart in the middle and the other is a pinstripe 3 inch shoe with tape measures attached along the back of the heel and wrapped around the front of the toe.  When you choose Irregular Choice shoes you find the real you through your feet and wear them with pride.  They are sexy shoes!  You can buy them at Schuh but it is even more exciting going into their sexy shops and their amazing website - it is truely like being a kid in a candy shop : )


For comfort and look, the winner has to be Hush Puppies.  This is a brand that I always used to think was aimed at an older audience but I think their designs and ideas have changed over the years.  I have 3 pairs of these (2 which are 3 inches or just over), all boots, all sexy to wear and look at.  Who ever thought that heeled shoes could be comfy and look so good : )  You know with Hush Puppies that you pay a higher price for a decent shoe that will last longer.  Definitely putting the pounds to good use!


Asides from this I have an array of trainers, flat shoes and shoes that only suit the odd outfit I have.  Unless there is a really big problem with the shoe, it isn't leaving my room.


I don't know what it is about shoes now, but a good shoe really does make your day.  That's probably why I like Paolo Nutini's song New Shoes so much - the words are just so true.  I could be doing the most dull trip to the shops but with the right footwear on, I'll strut my groove there and back.


Maybe it is because unlike in the 80s and 90s it is more exceptable to be a size 8 for a women and the choice of styles has expanded (apart from in TK Maxx - the words 'pretty size 8 shoes' very rarely gets spoken in there but they are quite good for other stuff).  New Look have definitely upted there game in recent years since all there stores got bigger - wide and large sized shoes, go NL!  I have a problem with choosing one pair of shoes in there at a time, which is why I go in there very rarely : s  However, I did get my imitation Uggs from there and 2 other pairs of knee high boots : )


My only other pet hate is the changes in  our UK shoe sizes.  I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but it aggravates the hell out of me.  I may be a size 8, but a size 8 used to be the equivilent of a European 42 .  Now it is either a 41 or 42 depending on the store.  A 41 is actually a size 7 and is too small for my tootsies.  Come on UK, decide on the sizing you are going to abide by and lay it out across the country and on all stores.  I now have to check the European sizing for shoes rather than the UK one to know the fit will be right.  Argggghhh!!!

Anyway, rant over, shoes are great! 


Cool places to buy shoes:


http://www.irregularchoice.com/  @irregularchoice
http://www.hushpuppies.com/UK/en  @_HushPuppies




Post title from Paolo Nutini's New Shoes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CCQ7IiWZBg&feature=related  Put on those shoes and dance in the kitchen!

"My Funny Valentine"

No, I'm not going to start reciting Frank Sinatra lyrics, but I am going to talk about Valentine's Day.


So it feels like any current normal Tuesday (me doing stuff from home with rubbish on TV in the background), apart from it's the 14th February and all I can hear is Alan Titchmarsh talking about Valentine's Day.


As you know from my blog, I am 29, so I have 29 years experience (ok, not from being born that's weird), let's say from 8 upwards (when boys and girls started mentioning it in the playground and chasing each other round), meaning I have a good 21 years knowledge.  As a youngster, Valentine's Day was dire.  At primary school you had a few kids who gave out cards, whilst others got jealous.  At secondary, you either had the popular girls who got gifts from various guys they had no interest it or the odd girl that got a gift from their date that they thought would be their soul mate for life.  I also had the thing that I went to an all girls school. The only guys we met at school were the male teachers (no go area for most, but definitely a few sackings followed certain incidents in the future) or the lads that jumped over our gates, desperate to see girls in their break as they were stuck in single sex environments too.  Not what I would call a choice.  Don't get me wrong, I was a really active teenager, who was involved with societies, sports groups etc out of school.  But these guys tended to be annoying, just mates or gay.  As for college, I suddenly felt a bit out of depth.  Most people were sexually experienced by now and desperate to get the gossip from others (I was studying performing arts at the time, so they are even worse than most)and I hadn't even had a boyfriend by then (I'd kissed guys and been on dates, but not only was I picky, education and doing fun stuff had always come first).  And then came being an adult.


My first Valentine's Day was in 2003 when I was 20.  By then I had had enough rubbish Valentine's Days to know although I was slightly excited at this officially being my first, I still kind of thought this day still sucked for so many.  Although I was in a relationship, many of my friends were currently single and hated even hearing about it (which I completely understand).  Being at university at the time, in a creative environment, I came up with the idea of Anti-Valentine's Day (which I later changed to Alternative Valentine's Day).  Now I am not saying this is my idea, as I am sure it has existed for ages, but |I decided to work on my ideas and put them into action.  Basically I thought that whoever you are you should enjoy Valentine's Day and spend the day/evening with people you love (friends/partners/parents/siblings - whatever).  So straight away I created a design for a badge and paid out money to get 50 badges professionally made ( I found my badge this morning : p).  Next I gave them out to people I knew from uni, work and else where and their mates and so it began.  That year, some people I knew started doing fun stuff on Valentine's Evening and others just supported it and wore their badges.  Unfortunately, I landed up working but my boyfriend was working too so it was a bit cack but alright.  Well, the following year, I was single again and so I got involved too.  We had an AV party at my friends house where a group of us drunk and ate loads and it finished with laughter and drawing on someone's face and then putting them in a cab - good times!  You see, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as it's fun!


Anyway, for the next few years I carried on the tradition and enjoyed what it brought to me and others.


Well, having now been in a relationship for years, neither of us have really made a big thing about Valentine's Day as we always used to go away in Feb.  But now due to both of us slowly changing our work patterns, we seem to be around for it and it just made me think about the good times.  It has made me realise how much I miss supporting AV and how the smallest things can make a real difference.


Its now I would like to mention a great thing that a group called the craftivists collective have been doing (I think it is great but sad I didn't think of it, lol).  The craftivists collective are a group that do creative things to do good or as they say on their flier "A spoon full of craft helps the activism go down!"  They have started getting people to make Valentine's Day cards using a basic template and then leaving their handmade cards in random places for people to find - sharing the love of Valentine's Day to all!  Unfortunately I did not get around to getting involved this year but will definitely do it next year.  I love this idea because you get to make  people smile who you don't even know and may even make their day.  You may be interested to get involved with them too: 
http://craftivist-collective.com/ and @Craftivists


After thinking about this, I have now put a message on my Facebook account and sent texts to friends.  Just think how happy a nice text on this card companies made for lovers day could be or a random card from someone who cares to make to those around you.  Whatever you do, make your loved ones know they are loved and have a HAPPY AV!

This posts title comes from Frank Sinatra's My Funny Valentine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LqqFcjjbrQ&feature=related

'Sweet Like Chocolate'

Today I did some food shopping.   It wasn't a necessity that I went, but I had heard from a friend that Tescos were doing an offer on Chocolate Eggs and I just had to go.


I know what you're thinking, going to the shops because of chocolate.  There are two points that I have to chuck in 1. That I was going to the doctors and was just detouring 2.  I eat so much chocolate, that I don't want to pay a lot for it.


You see I've been a chocoholic for well over 10 years and it's an expensive hobby.  My parents preferred me eating chocolate to sweets, so I had a taste for the sugary goodness from a young age.  And then through various stresses in education and work, I became a bit more dependent on it.  Against some people, I'm not that bad and I have controlled it over the years.  I used to smell it or know that there was a bar hidden in the cupboard and I'd want it!  Now it's more a yearning when I need a boost (yummy, lol) or just a need for something sweet.  The thing is, however bad your day or life is, it always seems better with chocolate.  And yes, a night in with a bar of chocolate and a good movie can be better than a night with your fella.  The reason, it fulfils your needs and doesn't argue -  that's it!


So anyway, I eat a lot of chocolate.  I used to be particular about what I ate (I am still very partial to Hotel Chocolat if I wish to splash the cash), but now it's all about the offers!  The problem is, sometimes all the offers come at the same time, so I land up bulk buying (I don't want to be without chocolate when all the prices go up).  It's like today, I bought 2 massive box of Malteasers (because you got more than paying the same for two mini boxes and one box is for my fella for Valentine';s Day) and some milky bar buttons (which aren't my favourite but cheaper than the rest).  You see, when I first got addicted to chocolate it was cheap.  You could quite easily go into good old woolies and buy 5 normal sized choc bars for £1 (I know this was a long time ago, but I can still have memories).  Now you are lucky if you can get 2 bars for the same price.  And it's not just about the amount of bars you can buy, but also the grams.  To someone like me, the gram content is very important.  A "medium" Cadbury's dairy milk bar used to be 200grams and a large bar would be 400grams.  This changed a good couple of years ago or less, as the "medium" bar is not much over 100grams and the larger one is about 230grams.  So we pay the same amount or more for over half the size of the bar we used to.  If I wasn't a chocoholic, I wouldn't pay the prices!


Getting back to Tescos, the reason why I particularly like Tescos and Morrisons (even though there isn't one near here) at this time of year is because of the most glorious holiday on the calendar - EASTER!  These two stores especially have the best bargains on Easter eggs and so I bulk buy eggs in advance for the family.....and me : s


I didn't used to buy myself Easter Eggs because it seems sad and surely there is only so much chocolate I need.  But then I thought, don't be ridiculous, if they are cheap, treat yourself.  So now every year I do!  It has got a bit worse in the last few years though as the offers have got better.  Last year was PRETTY bad!  I must have bought myself about 20-25 actual Easter eggs before, during and after the Easter period and that is aside from the free chocolate in the Easter egg boxes and the stupid amount of Cadbury's creme eggs I bought (my favs!).  You are probably now reading this and thinking I'm a lunatic, especially as I got given Easter Eggs on top of this, but I was actually being very clever!  I worked out last year that because the price of chocolate had gone up so much last year and the offers on Easter Eggs had got so much better, that you actually got better amounts in grams of chocolate eggs and additional bars in an offer to buying normal bars.  I just bulk bought the offers and ate them over a period of time - clever!


Also, if you are like my friends and I, Chocolate eggs (or spherical shaped chocolate) tastes so much better than eating normal chocolate bars.  I don't know why but it does!  So if you get post-Easter blues, you can also go to Thorntons for their bags of broken Easter eggs that normally cost about £2.  See who better to know for your chocolate needs but me : )


So as I was saying, I went to Tescos to look at the Chocolate Eggs.  Unfortunately for once, Tescos bloody let me down.  The eggs were not of great value, making the chocolate bars more worth while and making my trip completely worthless (I don't really like shopping in Tescos normally).  Well, I say worthless, I landed up buying lots of other stuff I didn't need and I didn't even get what I went in there for.  Dammit, the Tesco trap happens again (I've been warned by several theatre shows before, I should have listened) and one of my mates just doesn't know what a good Chocolate Egg offer is!


Learn that it's not being a chocoholic that's the problem, it's the stupid things you do in the name of chocolate!

Here are the best sites to get those needed eggs from : )
www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
www.thorntons.co.uk
http://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk


Today's title comes from the 90s track Sweet like Chocolate:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHFFol-8REI

"Long, long, time ago..."

So, it's been awhile since I last wrote a blog.  I think my last one must have been when I was around 17-18, reasonably new to the Internet and desperate to have my voice heard on my own space.  Now over 10 years on, I'm having a go again.  This time there is more of a reason.


Like many women my age, the thought of turning thirty has been something that has been approaching for sometime, it's just I forgot how close it had become.  At the start of the year, I became less than 10 months closer to the end of my 20s and I have definitely started to freak out.  At the start of my 20s I was at university, was happy doing casual work, most of my mates were single and we all loved to just go out.   Years on, a large proportion of my mates are married or on the way to the alter, permanent work seems like the best way forward for stability (but not for enjoyment) and people go out less.  What is THAT about!  I still try to do lots of fun things and fight against the change of age, but at some point, even a little bit of me has to grow up.  It's not fair, I still feel like a 23 year old...at least : )


Anyway, this blog is so I can air my views and ever changing thoughts of just about anything on the lead up to my thirtieth birthday on the 26th October 2012 - yes, I'm still happy to be loud and proud about it : )


I hope any of you that read this enjoy my future blogs and if you ever want to comment about any of it, I would love to hear from you.


Well, it's nearly 10pm on Wednesday 8th February and I will leave you for now as the countdown officially begins...


The title of my blog and this particular post can thank themselves to the great lyrics of one of my favourite comedy parody singers, Weird Al Yankovich.  This song is called "The Saga Begins": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU&ob=av2e