Lash Blast

Today i discovered these beauties, false eyelashes made of paper!
They just look so intricate and delicate.
They're made by a company called Paperself and designed by Ting yu Wang.
They are inspired by the art of Chinese paper-cutting and are available in 11 styles.
Each of them have a symbolic meaning from Chinese culture:
Horses: success
Peony: happiness and good fortune
Peach blossom: love and romance
Peacock: luck
Butterfly: beauty
Clown: to bring happiness.

1. Clown full lashes.

2. Peacock full lashes.

3. Model is wearing Peony full lashes.

4. Model is wearing Peach Blossom small lashes.

5.Peony full lashes.

 

My favourite are the Peony lashes as the look really lacey, Peonies are one of my favourite flowers and in the black and white picture they are really striking and elegant.The small lashes come in a pack of 4 so you can use them on your top or bottom lashes or both for added impact. I think they would be wonderful worn for a prom or special occasion. Most places are selling them for £10-£12. Asos.com currently has a sale on the lashes they stock, so i might have to snap up a pair for the Christmas party at work, if not they will have to go on my Christmas wishlist :)

 

Ttyl

Jennifer x

Song Sunday

Wow its Sunday again already! This week has gone so quick. I haven't really got explanations for the songs i picked this week, they're just songs that ive been listening to a lot recently. Hope you enjoy them.










Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.
Jennifer x

Forever 21 store in the UK

The first Forever 21 store in the UK opened last week, Yay!
One problem, it's 3hours from where i live :(

Im hoping they will open a store near me soon, but in the mean time im trying to persuede my mum to drive me up there on the way to a place we're staying the week after next.

I live at point A and im going to point C. Point B is where the Forever 21 store is :-s

Kinda out of the way but its our work Christmas party the following day and i wanted to get a new dress for the occasion without breaking the bank.

Heres some of the items im loving from the store.
Im really into cloches at the moment and these two are reasonably priced.
The jeans are only £12.50, Bargain!
I think the Minnie Mouse top paired with the skinnes and the jewelled bow heels would be a great party outfit.
Pale pinks and nude colours are set to be big in Spring/Summer11 so the Minnie Mouse top would easily carry over to next season.
I also really love the heels the model is wearing with the jeans but i cannot find them on the UK or USA website, so if anyone knows if theyre sold out or not released yet, i'd love to know when they're available.

Ttyl
Jennifer x

Song Sunday

Hey, first up is Hammock by Howls, i heard this song at work the other day and thought it was quite catchy so looked it up. It was the line 'howling at the moon' that caught my attention, i seem to be very fond of wolves at the moment without realising i have been watching Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Twilight (all featuring werewolves), also reading a book by Isabel Wolff (great author btw if you like chicklit) listening to a song Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio (next mv) and music by Patrick Wolf.


As mentioned before this is Wolf Like Me by Tv on the Radio, a friend recommended this band to me a while ago and i love this tune, i also like the way that it has been shot in the video with an old fashioned movie kinda feel.


Next up is Forever and Ever, Amen by The Drums. A friend also told me about this band a while ago, when they only had a few songs out, i must admit i wasnt in love with them at first but i had another look at them recently and there are quite a few songs i like on their album, this one is a favourite as it always makes me think of someone in particular.


My favourite song of the week is Blue Moon by Kendal Johansson, i downloaded this immediately after seeing the latest episode of Gossip Girl (408). It just sounded wonderful in the last scenes of the episode, i must have listened to it at least 20 times since last night.

More music next week, ttyl
Jennifer x

First outfit post



Blouse: £19.99 H&M

Shorts: £19.99 H&M

Leggings: £3 Primark

My first outfit post :)

I originally saw the blouse and shortly after i saw the shorts, even though they have the same print on them i thought they would look cute together because of the contrasting colours. I think the outfit would look really nice teamed with one of my pairs of vintage brown brogues.
I wouldn't normally pick a blouse with a high neck but i quite like it on this one as it has the frilled panel and i could always undo another button to make it more of a v-neck. 
I have always struggled to find shorts and trousers that fit me properly, whether i put on weight or lose weight i always stay the same shape (pear-shaped) with my waist being a slightly smaller size than my hips but shorts from H&M fit me pefectly because of being slightly high waisted and not really short and skimpy, which is often difficult for me to find in other stores and they always have cute colours and patterns. I bought a pair of high waisted denim shorts in March, i have had so much wear out of them they were definately worth the £15 i paid for them. So im hoping ill get a lot of wear out of these ones too.

Jennifer x

Song Sunday

This week instead of finding new music that i've found recently, i thought i'd post songs that i already had in my collection. Ive been working my way through my itunes and have found several songs that A. i've either not listened to, B. that i've completely forgotten i owned or C. that i forgot to upload from my old laptop to my new one back in Februaryso havent listened to them in months.
So first up is Solitude Is Bliss by Tame Impala, this was a free download on itunes back in September, i haven't really listened to it before but i don't think it would sound out of place back in the 60s, around the time of the Beatles, its got that kind of sound.



This song i listened to loads when i first found it but was left in a music folder i havent looked at in months, Wonder by Dan Black, its a catchy, end of summer kind of tune to me. It'll probably become a really popular overplayed song now though as its on Fifa 2011 even though the song was released over a year ago. I get bored of songs so quickly when they get played on the radio so often, they just lose their magic, so im kinda hoping this one dosent get thousands of downloads just because its featured on a game.

Next is Take Your Medicine by Cloud Cult, i'd never heard of this band until July but now they are one of my favourites. This is one of the songs i own that i haven't really listened to as much as the others but it actually seems that this is one of the songs where i can relate to the lyrics the most, i shall be listening to it more often after rediscovering it.


Lastly because its 3am and i really should be sleeping this seems like the perfect song, If You Can't Sleep by She&Him. I think Zooey is inspirational shes a talented singer, actress, model and has the most wonderful dress sense. I only discovered She&Him recently but i love their 60s style tunes.



Ttyl
Jennifer x

Happy without you..

Apologies for not doing a Song Sunday post this week, things were a little busy due to Halloween (pumpkin carving and the last minute decision to take my neice trick or treating) and also dying my hair and watching half of season 2 of True Blood.

So here's a new song by one of my favourite artists, Patrick Wolf. he is amazing live and can play practically any musical instrument beautifully. I love this song already, the lyrics just seem really relevant to me at this moment in time.


I hope everyone had a great halloween, ttyl.

Jennifer x

My Christmas Wishlist

Im a shopaholic hence my blog name, i am extremely similar to the character Becky Bloomwood in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic (one of my many favourite films). Though i cant spend much on my favourite hobby anymore and its only the end of October i thought id show you the items on my Christmas wishlist, that i will continue to drool over as i know i'll sadly never own most of them.

The cardigan, called 'bunny got nailed wrap' by Fairground, it has been seen on Marina Diamondis of Marina and the Diamonds and also on Diana Vickers in her video for 'Once'. I have been looking for this for months ever since i saw it on Marina, but noone seemed to know where it was from but today the new striped version was featured in the Metro so had to look it up to see if it was made by the same company, sure enough it was. While looking for pictures for my set on Polyvore i read on a blog that it had been on sale in Cite in Perth, Australia, at the end of March just 2 weeks before i'd gone there to visit family, i even went into Cite on one of my shopping trips, so so gutted that i didnt know at the time!

The Jeans are made by Hello Skinny Jeans, ever since seeing Elle's (allthatglitters21) video about them on Youtube i have wanted a pair. They are supposed to suck everything in so that you appear a dress size smaller and have some really good reviews. I always have a problem finding jeans that fit, i have never been able to wear skinny jeans much to my disappointment. I seem to have chunky legs but a small waist so jeans are always too small or too big. so after seeing these i really wanted to try them as the fit is barely bootcut and theyre made of a stretchy fabric but appear quite skinny so i was hoping they would be a good fit.

The shoes were worn by one of the girls from Belle Amie on X Factor the other week and i just thought they looked like a cute pair of red platform heels, then i saw them in Look magazine, they are covered in a gorgeous rabbit print they are Kurt Geigers Indie Platforms. I think they would look fab with a pair of cream ankle socks and a mini skirt. Or i think i'd even be daring and wear this whole outfit as the shoes would give a pop of colour with the jeans and grey cardigan and have a quirky rabbit themed oufit.

And finally Instant Nail Effects nail varnish which i might be able to afford considering its only around £4.
I saw this featured in Look, its a nail varnish that you use as a top coat that shrinks and cracks to create a unique design everytime.

Have you got a wishlist for Christmas or have you found any drool-worthy clothes/products recently?

Ttfn
Jennifer x

Song Sunday

Already Sunday again, this week has gone so fast.
This week the songs ive found are a bit more mellow, i think it was just the mood i was in when i was listening to them.
First up is Counting Sleep by Trent Dabbs, i first heard this on Vampire Diaries (i know, im a little bit addicted to the series) i think it sounds like a mix of a Miike Snow melody and a good voice that sounds a little like Brandon Flowers.

Next up is Superhuman Touch by Athlete, i actually bought Athletes first album when it came out, but got bored of it after Wires became so famous and overplayed, this song was released last year but ive only just heard it, it sounds completely different to their previous work, i have to say i love their new style.

And lastly Pyro by Kings of Leon from their new album Come Around Sundown. I heard this on an ITV show, Kings Of Leon Excess All Areas where they perfomed it at a gig. I wasn't really a fan of them before as their songs get overplayed so much they just get a bit boring after a while, but this song sounded amazing so just had to download it.

	Kings Of Leon - Pyro .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

 

More music next week.

Jennifer x

Song Sunday

I have decided to do a weekly post about music on Sundays as i alway look for new music on the weekends so i can listen to it on the way to work during the week.
So this week i have found several new songs.
First off i have found a great band from New Zealand called The Naked and Famous, they sound a bit like a cross between Passion Pit and MGMT but better and they also have a female singer. I found them when i was looking up music from The Vampire Diaries season 2 as i'd heard a few good songs featured on the series. Punching in a Dream was featured in episode 5 Kill or Be Killed. The band are over here playing in London in November at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen on the 15th and Borderline on the 16th.


Young Blood was their first single and Punching in a Dream is their second single from their debut album Passive Me Agressive You which was released on 6th September 2010.

Next up is Tokyo Police Club, i already had a few songs of theirs but thought i should look at them again as i hadn't heard any of their recent releases except Gone which was featured on Gossip Girl season 4 episode 2 Double Identity. I found a remixed song from one of their singles, Wait up (Boots of Danger)[DOM Remix] it reminds me of the kind of song played at a school dance in the 80s, i love it :)


Last of all is Teen Lovers (The Shoes Remix) by The Virgins ft Sky Ferreira, i could see this song being a hit if played in indie clubs throughout London.

	The Virgins ft. Sky Ferreira - Teen Lovers [The Shoes Remix] .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Hope you like these songs as much as i do.

More music next week.

Jennifer x

Sew little time...

In my first post i showed some lovely patterns that i had bought, i recently went to ikea and bought some material as i thought it would be cheaper than going to a fabric shop, i know their fabric aren't really ment for clothes but they have some wonderful fabrics and if thing went wrong i wasnt too out of pocket. The 3 fabrics below are all 150x200cm and the heart one was 120x300cm, totalling just under £30.

As soon as i got back i started cutting out the pattern that i wanted to make (simplicity 2688)  i got quite far into making the dress, but lately i havent been paying much attention to it as ive been working so much and been knitting a bit more instead.

I think it's going pretty well considering it's the first thing ive sewn since high school.

I think i shall put some effort into trying to finish it this weekend, i only have to sew the pockets, pleats, zip and hem the skirt.

I will hopefully be posting on the finished dress soon :)

A day in the life of a window dresser

A few weeks ago i was asked if i would be willing to help out when the display team come to the store i work at to update the shop windows, of course my answer was YES!
At my store i am often given the task of dressing the mannequins on the shopfloor, so i had an idea of what the task entailed, I can honestly say i never knew how much work actually went into being a window dresser, they spend a day taking all the old displays out then on the second day they put in the new ones and they sometimes need an extra day to finish off the displays in the larger stores.
I was only able to help out on the first day where we cleared everything out and prepared everything for the new displays.
The display team follow a brief given to them by head office to ensure that stores match their displays.
I had to paint benches to match the new colour scheme then rebuild them, peel off 8ft high stickers of trees off of 6 windows, make up card snowflakes and tear up old flooring. Now that dosen't really sound much for 6 and a half hours work but it took some effort! while i did this the girls layed carpet and put up the snowflakes and nailed up lights behind some of them in the kids and womenswear windows. On the second day they redressed the mannequins and put in the accessories.

I worked with two really hard working girls who were lovely and i enjoyed working with them. I feel proud that i made a small contribution to the windows and can say i helped do that!

Panda!

Last month my hamster sadly passed away, she lived at my mums house and since she's been gone my mum has missed having a pet (even though shes allergic to all animals) so we decided to get a new hamster which i would be responsible for but would live at my mums house again.

Introducing Panda

I know what you're thinking a hamster called Panda??

Its because she has small beige rings around her eyes like pandas and it could be shortened to Pan as i like Peter Pan and Pan's Labyrinth :)

She has never seen a wheel before yet shes been running on it for nearly an hour, i guess she's more fond of exercise than i am.

Causing a riot.

A post about music this time.
I like alternative music often created by not very well known artists, that contain all different instruments not just the standard guitar, bass and keys, i particularly like pianos and strings.
I was reading Sarah Vons blog http://www.yesandyes.com/ and she'd posted about a band called Ra Ra Riot.
I am now in love with this band! they suit my exact taste in music, the catchy bass, the sounds of the cello and violin, they're pretty good at singing too :) as she pointed out they do sound like Vampire Weekend but i prefer Ra Ra Riot.
Heres a few of my favorite songs by them, enjoy :)

Jennifer x







P.S Theres also a free download of 'Boy' on the bands official website http://www.rarariot.com/
its on the first page near the right hand corner just right click on it and save target as to your chosen location!

The First Post!

Hello!

First time ever blogging, been thinking about starting up a blog for a while now and have finally done it.
Firstly my name is Jennifer and i'm 21 years old. I'll be using this blog to post about thrifting, crafting, fashion and music as well as life in general.

So, for the past week i've been in wales, and while i was there i went in a few charity shops, and i found some wonderful vintage patterns.

These two patterns were only 25p each and i couldnt resist the lovely silver and green button.

I found these in another charity shop they had no price on and so i asked and the lady said 10p each and she'd give me the sewing and finishing booklet free.

I was very pleased with my finds totalling 80p for 5 complete patterns!

I have only made two items from patterns before and that was back in high school but wanted to give a proper go of it as i have seen some beautiful items made by other bloggers.

I have recently been looking online at the Simplicity patterns inspired by Project Runway, they seem hard to come by online in the UK, prices ranged from £9 to about £12 on the websites that i did find them on and thought that they were a little on the expensive side.

 I went to YLP Haberdashery in Caernarfon where they stocked them and to my luck they were all 50% off only £4.70 per pattern, i had been looking for four of the patterns but she said that 1 was out of stock, she then found it on a shelf but it didnt have the packaging so she couldnt sell it to me but she could give it to me for free, so i was extremely happy.

I'm thinking of buying a vintage style fabric so they dont look so modern, but i dont want them to look to grannyish, any suggestions for what kind of print i should go for?

Jennifer x