Big RedBubble of love...

Newsflash! Well, to me anyway. I discovered a site called Redbubble today, and it is my New Favourite Thing. A kind of free-for-all collective of photographs, art and designs which anyone can upload and then sell through their gallery service. The designs can be printed onto t-shirst (American Apparel ones, so hopefully should be well-fitting) and they are, above all, very cheap! About £13 for a design, with about £2 shipping if you are in the UK. Pretty amazing.

I was particularly taken with the "Tweet" design by Lou Lou, a lovely little bird drawing, which I now WANT on the cranberry t-shirt. The photos are the really special thing though. Everything from personal photos to landscapes and close-ups. You can even have them printed on canvases or framed as part of their package.

I also really like their philosophy on art. Here is a choice morsel;

"I believe RedBubble is part of a revolution in the artistic market. It is about the rediscovery that art can be embedded in the fabric of society rather than spread on top like a thin veneer of Vegemite. "

Love it!

Photo coutesy of Diana Calvario @ Redbubble.com

It's just a little style crush...

Have you ever had a style crush on someone? I get them all the time, but I find it extremely disconcerting when it's focused on someone who is 1 day older than my youngest little sister! It starts the same as any other crush does, but is focused on the someone's style instead of their attractiveness. You get the excited feeling of anticipation, but this time it's about the next incredible accessory your crush subject. Pretty sad really, and I don't know if anyone else does this or if I'm just 'special'! My latest style crush is on my new kindred spirit Clare. I will namecheck her because I'm sure she will be excited by this. I say kindred spirit - she is the Boy's bandmate's girlfriend, and is the girl I would have liked to have been at 18, but we have similar views on everything from fashion to the band. Arty, naturally stylish and confident she makes and wears her own clothes with aplomb. Her style is a sort of cross between seventies hippy traveller and urbanite eighties, with a little vintage thrown in. Brooches at the neck, hand-customised belts and hand-made muslin dresses form part of her look, whilst another component is coloured tights and jersey dresses. Although I will feel like a creep and a 16-year-old, I imagine her festival-chic look might be forming part of mine this spring...

Boy jeans meet girl jeans

Is it wrong to have sexual desires about jeans? The Boy's best mate was wearing the best pair of Topman boys jeans I've seen for ever the other night, meaning that I complemented him an inordinate amount. This led to slight peacock-stalking from him and a few mardy glares from the Boy, but I still can't get them out of my head. I want them! and I want the Boy to have them even more! They were a weird kind of eighties wash, punky but not too OTT and very skinny. They reminded me of the kind of wash my jeans had when I was five in the early nineties, a grainy blue but thankfully without the elasticated waistband and grass stains. If I can find a pair small enough they will definitely be in mine and the Boy's wardrobes this spring, his'n'hers style, his worn with the inevitable vest, whilst mine will look great with a checked shirt and my trusty Converses. Bring on dressing like I did when I was five!

This week's most wanted - Office Roper Boots

This week I am mostly lusting after Office's black leather roper boots. Having wanted some for ages, I consulted my finances, and seeing their parlous state have decided to hold back, despite the obvious lust these babies inspire. Similar beauties have been seen recently on the feet of Kiera Knightley and Kate Moss and would be a great replacement for my worn-out, disgusting old Uggs (see earlier post). However, on visiting the Office sale today in a state of desperate anticipation, I found the white version priced at £25, but sadly I must be running with a crowd as the black ones were still far, far too expensive for my sad little empty purse, hence they remain tantalisingly on the shop shelf instead of on my wardrobe shelf, and make a virtual appearance here!

Tie a yellow ribbon...

In the spirit of new year frugality, and talking inspiration from Suzie Bubble in her DIY section, I randomly bought £11 worth of ribbons in an online sale over the Christmas break. Now, back in Cardiff and with an assorted pack of fabric in a rainbow of colours and textures, I'm slightly at a loss as to what to do with it.
However I had some ideas. A few narrow ribbons would look great slung through the eyelets of my favourite pendants, giving me a new way to re-obsess about my huge collection of long necklaces. Or a piece of tartan ribbon tied as a waist belt or as a choker with a bow would give a pleasantly retro feel to the new season's plaid trend.
I've already started placing ribbons in lines along my wall, studding them with paper clips holding photos and my favourite 30s images, which I think creates a warm 'washing line' look in my cold uni room. Next I'm going to make woven ribbon cusion covers with my Singer to brighten up my cold uni bed, and then I'll add what's left to a diary to brighten up my cold uni days! Finally I'll save some of the best satin streamers to make a random barcode pattern on one of my white t-shirts. With all this twee, multi-coloured decoration, I'll hopefully have a much brighter, and cheaper january than was at first expected during my post-New-Year's-Eve-purse-checking depression!