Pink and green

Just a quick outfit post, today, of something I wore last week. I went on a mini shopping spree and was excited to wear my new purchases out. Luckily, I had lunch with a friend planned, which was the perfect opportunity to wear them. I was more than pleasantly surprised to see just how well they worked together.

For once, the wind made for a good photo! I said on Instagram that I felt a bit like a teddy girl by way of the 80s. Or maybe a combination of the style of Andie Walsh and Duckie Dale, now that I think about it. I'm definitely wearing this together, again, anyway.

My hair turned out really well that day.

And the blouse & blazer on their own. I nearly bought a plain mustard blouse, instead of this one, but I'm so glad I changed my mind. This is something a bit different.

Room Tour Part Two

Now for part two of my room tour: the details!

A closer shot of the top of my shelves where you can see my Blythe collection (I'm hoping to get a new shelf for my Blythe dolls, though.) It's also easier to see some of my other collections like my (mostly vintage) cameras and ceramic cats.

The poetry books (& little fox penholder) that live on the chest of drawers I use as an extension of my desk. I guess my taste in poetry is fairly eclectic. You can also see the long stitch of Michelangelo my nonna made for me when I was little.

My favourite shelf. Most of my ceramic cats live here. My favourite is the vase up next to Mickey.

Bits and pieces.

My bedside table - it's not usually this tidy. That Morrissey poster has been up forever as well as the Stray Cats ticket stub and a picture of one of The Horrors.

More DVDs and toys.

A view that shows some of the art prints I've managed to get up (I have at least this amount again to put up, still.)

 

And another view of my bed!

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed this mini-tour of my room.

Watching, Reading, Listening (Three)

I was going to post the second part of my room tour, but then I realised it was time for another Watching, Reading, Listening post!

TV

My biggest TV obsession this past month was In the Flesh. I've watched it twice through, already, and I'm desperate for more. It's thoroughly beautiful and both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Yes, it's about zombies (Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferers) but it's also quite political, in the big picture of the show, as well as being about prejudice, grief, family, community, friendship and, well, the human condition, I guess?

It's top quality writing with beautifully realised characters, a gorgeous soundtrack, etc. So of course a third series is not (yet, I hope) confirmed. Always seems to be the way with quality television, sadly. Of the genre variety, at least. You can check out my In the Flesh tag on tumblr (there are spoilers, obviously) for more of an idea, if you like. (If you don't want spoilers, definitely take a look at this post at least).

Other than that I watched the From Dusk Till Dawn series and re-watched Haven. I need a new show to sink my teeth into but I can be so picky!

Movies

I've only been to the cinema once this past month, I think, and that was to see Jersey Boys. (Above is a photo of what I wore to see it.) I found it bloated and slow, but it was enjoyable enough, especially once the songs actually started with frequency. I've seen a production of the stage show, too, so I was comparing it to that no matter how hard I tried not to.

Books

I haven't really been reading anything, lately. Embarrassing! Perhaps this next month I'll collect some links of what I've been reading online as well as books/comics - would anyone be interested in that? It would, at least, fill any voids in those months I've not been able to read any books.

Here are a couple of links I do remember reading:

"I Want to Talk About the Dresses": C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength at The Toast (I've actually only read the first book in this series but I still loved this article)

Best Feminist Films: An Essential List at Flavorwire (I've not really seen many of these! Must get on that.)

Music

I'd say I've mostly listened to The Raveonettes and Helen Love this past month. I can't believe I'd never heard of Helen Love before. So suited to my tastes.

Anyone else 'discovered' any new music or TV they're digging, lately?

Room Tour Part One

Room tours are something I enjoy a lot on other people's blogs and, seeing as I haven't been going out much, lately (well, I have but I keep forgetting to take photos), I thought it might be a nice idea to do one of my own. I ended up with more photos than I thought, so I'm splitting it into two posts. This part will be more of an overall look at my room, the next will be zooming in on some of my favourite details.

(The lighting is pretty bad in my house, especially in winter, so apologies for any poor quality because of this).

Doing this post was a great motivator to tidy my room, again. It's been very messy, lately, so seeing all this clear space is a relief. My room doesn't look as cosy as other's - I think it' the lino floors - but I'm pretty happy with how it is, at the moment. I do have a to-do list to make it even better, though, but it's always a work in progress.

Shelves! Full of many, many books (including photography, cinema, fantasy, crime drama, biographies and graphic novels), DVDs and toys.

 

I usually try to only post one photo of a particular thing, but I thought it might be good to see the shelves a little closer.

 

More DVDs! (And toys). Most of my TV shows live here (except for a few boxsets).

Where the magic happens! Or, at least, the blogging. The Batgirl poster is by Kate Bresnahan. I like having Batgirl watch over me as I work (from my tiny, tiny desk).

My fairly small wardrobe in which all of my dresses, skirts and blouses are crammed. (I forgot to take a photo of my tall boy, but, really, it's not that interesting). This wardrobe was my mum's when I was little so it's at least thirty years old. I'd get a new one but this still does the job and I can't seem to find wardrobes with mirrors on the front, anymore. (I'm too cheap to buy separate ones. Ha.) You can see some Teen Wolf and Lord of the Rings fanart peeping out from behind my curtain, too.

Another shot with my bed. Ursula takes pride of place in the middle, on top of the granny blanket my mum crocheted for me. Above my bed are two portraits of me - one by Amanda Laurel Atkins, the other by wishcandy. I was going to make it a whole portrait wall (because why not?) but I don't have the money to commission any more, unfortunately. It looks a bit sad with just the two.

And just another angle of my room. It's a pretty small space, really.

Hopefully the next part should be up either later this week, or next week, depending on how the other posts I have planned pan out.

My blog turns 5 today!

Wow, my blog is now five years old! Can you believe it? I almost can't.

I've been tweaking my layout for a while now but I've decided to officially 'announce' the new look, today. With my blog's new look, there is a new focus (well, sort of). I guess it's been more of a slow transition than an abrupt change, but that's because that's how life goes. I've even finally redone my about me page! Huzzah.

Leaving everything until the last minute, as is my usual fashion, I don't have much planned for this post but I thought it'd be fun to take a look at my first ever outfit posted on here, compared to the most recent. Oh, and you can use the code HAPPY5 to get 25% off of everything in my etsy shop until the 19th.

The outfit and the post that started it all: A Wink and a Smile. Aw.

Coincidentally, my most recent outfit also features a black pencil skirt (well the first was a dress but the similarities are still there).

I was going to do a list of my favourite posts and my most popular ones but, well, as I mentioned I left this 'til the last minute. My top post (in terms of hits) is my 'How I made my Rockford Peach costume' post, which is awesome. I know I get a lot of hits from people looking how to make one - I just hope my post is helpful. That costume is still one of my proudest moments.

Thinking about it, I'm not sure I could rank my favourite posts, anyway. I always loved my Silver Screen Sundays - they were fun! Going back through my archives, I'm finding outfits I forgot about and some I'd rather not remember. But that's what I love about documenting (even a small portion of) my life, online, in this way. Anyway, enough navel-gazing. Thank-you to everyone who has ever supported my blog - maybe next year I'll do something to celebrate properly.

Oh, as well as a new layout, I finally have a Facebook page. Let's hope I remember to use it. And while I'm plugging, my friend and I started a new project: Vicious Peril! Check it out if you like.

(Remember to use the code HAPPY5 for 25% off my etsy shop.)