Sunday, 15 November 2009

My big little wishlist.



Over the past week or so, I have been asked by my parents, friends and the boy what I would like for Christmas and instead of the usual mental shopping list (in my head its like a huge receipt roll!) springing to mind, to each one of them I have replied 'Errrrm, ahhhh, maybe, no, well....'

And so, even though it may seem part bridezilla, part spoilt child, I've compiled my wish list here for them to browse. I thought it might give be of inspiration for you too! Nothing is over £30.










Harry Potter/In The Loop DVDs- all Amazon



Sweetheart necklaces from Sugarpop Clothing at Etsy.com



A lifetimes supply of Lush's Snow Fairy please?



This ring is so beautiful! Ceramic skull ring by Mixko at Etsy.com


The September Issue DVD- Amazon





Perspex Key necklace/ Cameo Frame necklace by Sarahkeyes at Etsy.com


Filigree ring by Ruby Rouge at Etsy.com



Oversized statement pearl necklace at Asos








Topshop socks!

Any other ideas? What is on your Christmas wishlist??

Posted by E is for Eleanor at 16:06 10 comments
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Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Chiller killer

I was having a random browse on Etsy and came across a store called Furburger. I saw and fell in love with so much stuff...


Amazing embroidered jumper
Croc patchwork bag-


Floral tunic top-


Then I checked their shipping info and squealed a little bit when I realised they didn't ship to the UK (currently frantically emailing them to see if they'll make an exception!)


It got me to thinking about jumpers and knitwear per se, and about why I hate the usual boring cardigans and jumpers that go on sale year after year. They always look so functional, which I guess is great for the weather are getting here, but at the minute I am loving the abstract, quirky and cutesy element coming back out on the high street now.


Dorothy Perkins-



Topshop-

















This is definitely one of my favourite- Berman at ASOS- bright argyle knit. Amazing oversized as a dress with a contrasting huge scarf.




And this by Fred Perry <3->




Any clues on where else stock interesting, affordable knitwear?
x
Posted by E is for Eleanor at 21:40 3 comments

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Snap, crackle & pop!



I've had so much firework-y fun over the last couple of days, my ears are still ringing from all the bangs!

Thursday night, remember remember the 5th November, we clambered up to the top of Primrose Hill with hundreds of other people to try and steal glimpses of the big displays going on all over London.
The atmosphere was so happy and excited, a community waiting for the flares and sparkles on the horizon, exploding over everything from Canary Wharf to St Pancras to Battersea Park. My very clever and talented friends Hannah and Mandy made mulled wine in flasks and homemade oven-warm vegetable pasties.






I came home to see my parents this weekend and did my usual £29 shop in Primark. (EVERY time I go to Primark I spend £29 exactly. Weird) They had a lot of cute stuff in there and I bought a pair of my favourite skinny back jeans that fit perfectly for £8 and a cute wolf print top for £6.

Usually Primark corsages are a bit flimsy and cheap-looking but I found the one below which is huge and stiff and crepey.


I also fell in love with the mary-janes they have in at the minute, all pastel pinks, creams and greys with cute little frills and the perfect size heel for me. I fractured my ankle and toes a few months ago and have been wearing hideous trainers and sticking to sensible brogues and boots but with Christmas coming and and party dresses to buy, I wanted something as soft and as delicate as a fondant fancy. These heels were £13.



I usually hate it when people who gush about romance and love but the boy bought me flowers last week and they are so pretty and have lasted for ages so I had to take some photos <3



And this is what my tonight consists of- a pack of oreos and some hot chocolate to recover from my hideous hangover (staying up until half 2 in the morning discussing the state of the world with my Dad was not a great idea when combined with 3!!! bottles of wine between us)


I hope everyone is having a lovely, cosy weekend!
Posted by E is for Eleanor at 20:44 4 comments

Thursday, 29 October 2009

Happy Halloween at last my pretties!




Currently...

Watching.

Hocus Pocus.

Still on the halloween trip, watching a ropey SJP and young Thora Birch is such a trip down memory lane. Being 13, having sleepovers and applying facepacks, toasting marshmallows, playing Dreamphone and playing knock-up ginger. I miss my 13 year old self.

Reading


My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

Such a funny, sweet book written by a gentle, hilarious man. Set on the island of Corfu, Durrell's autobiographical work about his manic, hair-brained family and the greek characters he meets, along with the dozens of animals he befriends is near-perfect for me.

We hope that there will be fireflies and glow-worms at night to guide you and butterflies in hedges and forests to greet you.
We hope that your dawns will have an orchestra of bird song and that the sound of their wings and the opalescence of their colouring will dazzle you.
We hope that there will still be the extraordinary varieties of creatures sharing the land of the planet with you to enchant you and enrich your lives as they have done for us.
We hope that you will be grateful for having been born into such a magical world.
Posted by E is for Eleanor at 21:04 3 comments

Sunday, 25 October 2009

Hocus Pocus (Halloween-inspired post no. 5489587)

(Beautiful photo courtesy of weheartit)

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
 Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
 Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
 Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,
 -- For a charm of powerful trouble,
 Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

Salem, Massachusetts has been on my theoretical road-trip ‘to do’ list ever since I was obsessed with Sabrina the Teenage Witch forever ago. (Remember ‘Shake your whammy fanny?!’ Big laughs) The combination of a history of witchcraft and wrongdoing & the magical 17th century wooden mansions like the House of Seven Gables make me a bit dizzy.

A secret staircase and its own ghost story. My dream house.

I went through a bloody hilarious witch phase when I was at school but the closest I get to anything vaguely occult-ish these days is watching Most Haunted with my mum and trying not to snort drink out of my nose whenever Yvette gets felt up by a ghost.


And then there’s the house in the book Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. About two sisters, sex, magic and death, the book is twee but one of my favourites and the film is a guilty pleasure, but the star is the huge Victorian white-panelled house and its kitchen-witch gardens edged by the ocean. More photos can be seen in this photo-journal of the set.




It will have to be Autumn when I visit, all browns and cherry reds, leaves and bobbing apples. Sometimes I secretly wish I'd been born in a small town in America, to live in a novella, go to prom and get married in a big white church and live in a house like this. As for fashion, Luella’s Fall 2008 ready-to-wear is somewhat obvious, but very fitting! Country-morning overcoats not too over the top if you leave the hat at home!


And just a couple of sets that I did quickly- my lust for the floor-length lace gown is overwhelming...

Hocus Pocus

I love celebrating the weird and spooky.

This week is going to be manic, I can just tell. Have an amazingly ghoulish night whatever you do!
Posted by E is for Eleanor at 17:32 5 comments
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Sunday, 18 October 2009

Let's do the mash, let's do the monstaaar mash

It's nearly halloween, and with it being probably my second favourite holiday, I am probably going to blogging lots about it!

I've been having a good think for a couple of weeks on what to fashion myself as this year. Last year, it was my second week of living in London and I dressed somewhat half-heartedly as minnie-mouse. Now 1) that isn't scary in the slightest and 2) in the same vein- excuse the pun- there was definitely wasn't enough blood and guts going on. I have a thing about people dressing as playboy bunnies and schoolgirls on halloween (unless they are of the zombie variety). For me, there needs to be gore, gore and gore!

So after coming across this artwork by the frankly, amazing Sylvia Ji, I just knew it had to be based on something around Dia de los Muertos and Our Lady of Guadalupe.





Also, 666photography also have some beautiful shots that seem to be inspired by Ji's work, but involving the seasons-


And just because I love this series of photos, some Miles Aldridge controversy!



So I attempted the make-up side of things yesterday, and for a quick 10 minute trial, it is a bit slapdash but you get the idea- I will probably spend a good hour doing it for the actual night itself!

I just used eyeliner on my face, but it wasn't as precise as I would like so I think liquid eyeliner will work alot better and also not smudge as much. I'll also add some colour to the make up, a la Sylvia Ji, and as you can see just inside the photo I made a crown of corsages. I have some lace to add and am still deciding on my actual outfit, but so far I have bought a black corset (a bargain-ous £8 from Primark!) a load of bangles and half a dozen rosaries. My hair will be back-combed to within an inch of its split-ended life and I'm currently watching a few embroidered shawls on ebay.





Also thinking of adding a golden halo, inspired by Gaga. Just trying to think how to DIY it! any ideas would be greatly welcomed.

And lastly, my question to all of you is the obvious. What are you planning on dressing up as???

x

Posted by E is for Eleanor at 19:13 7 comments

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

What to buy when you would rather be at home in bed...


With these evenings getting darker, the air becoming crisper and our clothes changing seasons, I tend to crave something quite particular. The comfort product. The scented candle (see below), the hot water bottle, the warming bath oil, the wooly socks, the downy throw, the kitsch mug and the perfect hot chocolate to fill it.


I'm a little obsessed with scented candles. They seem so frivolous, the most pointless of objects, reassuringly fanciful. I bought the Black Spice & Myrrh candle by This Works whilst it was raining outside, and smelling it once confirmed that it would be my first comfort purchase of the winter.
From the website-
"A luxurious, 100% natural wax candle, blended with essential oils of warm and spicy notes of Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Clove, Orange and Myrhh, it brings an opulent scent into your home- perfect for winter time. As all our candles are hand poured and blended it means that the candle burns evenly and the fragrance lasts throughout the burn time (40 hours) creating an ambience of warmth in your home. Ideal as a gift of pure indulgence and luxury." It reminds me of making pomanders with my mum at Christmas, studding the oranges and clementines with cloves and tying them up with red ribbon.

Another of my past favourites is the English Eccentrics range. The scents are pretty divine. I bought the Wintergarden version last year and it lasted me a whole 12 months (ok, I only allowed myself to light for a couple of hours a month haha.)

And the packaging! No plain glass votives here! Oh no, this is English Eccentrics!


My now defunct Wintergarden (perfect for storing trinkets/make-up brushes/false teeth :s)


From the website-

"Deliciously mellow autumn scents of fig and pomegranate float over a rain-freshened, English country estate, with topiary trees and late flowering lilies."

And look!>>>>>


"The table is set with fine linen and bone china. Scent from a vase of Devon violets mingles with freshly brewed Darjeeling Tea. A delicate and perfectly Regal aroma"

WANTWANTWANT

And finally, this Sandalwood Rose & Frankinscense beauty-

From the website-
"This aromatic blend invites a meditative state that promotes spirituality and inner peace. Known for its cutting-edge design, Akeewakee has produced ultra-clean burning candles from its New Orleans studio since 2003. Its creations have previously only been available at its signature boutique in Chicago and selected high-end specialty stores."

Marie Claire magazine says "stylishly luxe, with a feel-good eco edge"

xx
Posted by E is for Eleanor at 21:06 2 comments
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