Things that make you go Oooooo (November 2010)

Winter is here and the days are much colder which means I've been spending less time outside and more time curled up under a blanket with a hot water bottle and a good cup of Chai. I can't believe that December starts tomorrow and another year is almost over, it's crazy! On that frightening thought here's what's been keeping me amused all through November.

♥ Halfway Somewhere - Did you know one of my favourite bloggers Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky sings? She has such a beautiful voice definitely worth a listen.

♥ Giant Gummy Bear on a Stick!

♥ Still Life, Still Alive - Such a great concept wonderfully executed it really is amazing to look at!

♥ Violet Darkling - I am head over heels in love with her jewellery, there is not a single piece in her collection I would not wear, now I just need to organise that bank heist so I can buy it all, who's in?

♥ You're Already Perfect

♥ Indian Spiced Pita Pizza - This is the perfect quick and easy recipie for one of those chilly days, it'll warm you right up!

♥ 3 Reasons Why Betsey Johnson is the Coolest Grandma on the Planet - She's just too awesome, I love her.

♥ Fashion & Beauty's Greatest Inventions for Womankind

♥ Welcome to Doe Deere's Unicorn House - such an adorable place and very creative I love it!

♥ Sith Princesses - My inner geek is delighted at this mix of Star Wars and Disney, I've always thought the Sith's are the more stylish side which is reason enough for me to join the Dark side.

♥ 18 Absurd & Frivolous Designer Items

♥ Noir Jewelry - I love LOVE their designs especially their rings and the Disney series is a dream. I'm also ecstatic to hear that they'll be making some Batman themed designs soon.

♥ I Want To Be... A Crochet Queen! - Gala Darling interviews one of my favourite crafters and biggest inspiration Twinkie Chan, some great advice in there for my fellow crafters.

♥ Grandma's Superhero Therapy

♥ Thrifty with $50: Fashion on a budget - Some great advice here from the lovely San Smith on how to create a cute look on a budget. I agree with everything she said planning your look before you hit the shops is a great way to stay focused and keep on budget!

♥ 11 Amazing Fake 'Harry Potter' Books Written in China - Hilarious stuff, although I'm not a Harry Potter fan I'm quite tempted to give these a read.

♥ The Top 100 Tutorials of 2009

♥ Personalised Photo Diaries - I'm so tempted to get one of these for my Filofax it's such a cute way to personalise it and it would make an awesome Christmas gift for someone to.

♥ The Emotional Effects of Overconsumption - Something to consider with the month of consumption and excess upon us!

♥ 31 Things I've Learnt in 31 Years

♥ Biscuiteer - If you still can't find that perfect Christmas gift for someone then cute biscuits is your fail-safe!

Love & Icicles

Cate

xoxo

Beauty Blitz: 5 Winter Beauty Remedies

It might be winter outside... by Nicole Simoes

Winter has to be the worst time of year for my skin and spending most of my days indoors with the heating on high is not having a good effect on me but I've found some great products which are working well at keeping my skin looking healthy and fresh.

Gac Fruit Soap

What the heck is Gac fruit I hear you ask, well I'm not entirely sure myself all I know is that it's one of those so called "superfruits" that has massive healthy benefits. Recently I've been suffering from eczema and I haven't been able to use many products but after washing with this soap my skin was healthy and fresh again. I bought this on a whim from a market in Thailand and I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy anymore because it's great stuff, so if you ever stumble across it then stock up!

Skinfood Moisture Egg Hair Pack

My hair has been a little on the dry side with all the bleach I've been using on it recently but after using this, my hair has never looked healthier! This is total value for money to as it comes in a big fat tube which will last you for months and sometimes you just need to use a little on the ends to perk your hair up a bit.

Loofah Soap

No need for a separate loofah anymore as this soap already has it! This stuff is great for getting rid of all that icky dry skin and you don't have to worry about the inevitable "loofah mould" as you get a new one in each bar, YEY!

The Body Shop's Shea Body Butter

I've been using this for a long time now and it's still the best cream in my book for dry skin not to mention that it smells absolutely delicious. What I love most about this is that it doesn't aggravate my eczema and does a super job of soothing my dry skin this is a must for me during winter and recommend it to everyone.

Fruit Tea by Luciana

Fruit Teas

Because what you put into your body is just as important as what you use on the outside! Winter is flu season so it's a good idea to keep your vitamin stocks up and fruit teas are a perfect way of doing that. Try making your own fruit blends by getting a few packs of different dry fruit putting them in a teapot and adding some hot water to them.

Does your skin suffer in winter to? What do you do to solve the problem and what are your winter beauty best buys? Be sure to comment and share them with us.

Love & Tea

Cate

xoxo

She Howls at the Moon in the Midnight Hour

I feel my style is evolving into something much more dark and sinister, my inner wolf has been let loose on my wardrobe and what remains is a sea of black with a splash of blood red. I've always thought of the Werewolf as a good metaphor for the evolution of fashion and style, with each new moon it gets stronger and sheds its old identity becoming something new and greater than imagined.

The Magic Wolf

"Midnight is upon us, the moon is high and the time for fun about to begin."

 Dress - Zara

Feather Cape - New Look

Tights - ASOS

Shoes - Ironfist

This is just a simple co-ordinate I put together which I thought I could wear to dinner or a party, something classic and magical but fierce and strong at the same time, I think my inner wolf would approve don't you?

 

 Cosmic by Eyeko

Off with her Red by O.P.I

I thought some blood red nails would add the great finishing touch to this outfit and it's really easy to do for all those nail art beginners like myself.

So what do you think, would you let your inner wolf out for a night of fun?

Full Moons & Wolf Howls

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #8

Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, and of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they'd just walk around naked at all times. - Betsey Johnson

D.I.Y Tutorial: Sparkly Bone Necklace

A while back I saw that Audrey Kitchen was selling a bone necklace in her Tokyolux shop and instantly fell in love, I really wanted one in my life but being the ever resourceful girl I am decided I wanted to save my money and make my own rather than buy one.

I had planned to make my own bones out of Fimo clay but then spotted this necklace, which I'm pretty sure is identical to the one Audrey Kitching is selling, in a costume shop for about a tenth of the price! I have to admit the necklaces are pretty cheap and nasty looking so I picked up a few with the intension to make them more wearable and less costumey.

I dismantled the necklaces throwing the cheap elastic cords away and my next task was to remove the "Made in China" stamps from each one of the bones (tacky!) which I did by using a small nail file, it also gave me a slightly rough surface which made a good base to stick the jewels on.

I didn't like the look of the original plastic beads so decided to use some nicer gemstone beads I had instead namely Black Onyx and Haematite, I also used some black Stretch Magic elastic cord I had to make the necklace as I've found it to be more durable and stronger than other elastics.

I found that the necklace was getting heavy from using the Onyx beads so decided to use some of the original plastic ones in the back so it wouldn't weigh as much, I also decided to use less bones than the original so I could make myself another one meaning I could get two necklaces for the price of one!

The best thing is that I now have two awesome bone necklaces to wear for a third of the price of the original one I wanted and I even have one necklace spare to play around with. Chances are you might see these in the Halloween sales so if you fancy making your own get one as it's so easy to turn them into something special.

Love & Sparkly Skeletons

Cate

xoxo

What's in my Bag #3

I've been living out of this bag pretty much since it arrived on my doorstep from ASOS a couple months ago. This bag holds a lot considering its size and it was starting to resemble Mary Poppin's carpet bag with all the strange items I was finding inside of it, so I thought it was about time for a clear out.

A couple of things which were in there like my Filofax, book, scarves, digital camera, used film etc. aren't pictured but you get the picture there is a ridiculous amount of stuff I seem to have collected in there making this bag the perfect tool for your average hoarder.

 

♥ Umbrella

♥ Evian

♥ Glasses

♥ Make-up pouch with anti-bac hand gel, perfume, lipgloss, mini mirror & blotting tissues

♥ Keys

♥ Mints

♥ 3D glasses

♥ Tampon tin

♥ Lomo Fisheye camera

♥ headbands

♥ rings

♥ Spare camera battery & SD card

♥ Feathers

♥ Tiger notebook (which was a gift from Cally)

♥ A pen

♥ Beatrix Potter World leaflet & Chester Zoo map

♥ Hello Kitty purse

♥ My mobile phone

So that's what in my bag at the moment now it's your turn to tell me what's in yours

Love & Peace & Tea

Cate

xoxo