Spring Pastel Mani

Got my nails done today - wayyy overdue as the other ones were cracking off all over the place!

 

Loren Ridinger Tweeted THIS:

 

 

Which I simply ADORE - the layered design, the pretty pastels, the dainty shape: It is all so perfect for the Spring transition.

 

I decided I wanted something like that - but with a bit more attitude.

So I got THIS:

 

 

A combination of:

 

Essie Castaway

 

Orly Snowcone

 

& Technician's own Gold polish

 

I LOVE to mix up my nails art every now and then to add a little pizazz to proceedings! I'm so glad to have them cut down too - I couldn't even do my shirt buttons up this morning!

 

What other nail trends are there at the moment? Has anyone tried the nail wraps before? I may experiment with them in the future.

 

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrifty Thursday - Cleverly Customised Calenders

This week's post follows on from my ideas yesterday. It's all well and good having a delightful mood board but if you have nowhere to hang it, then you have a slight problem.

 

It's the 10th of January so we should all by now have our new calenders/filos/diaries on the go...so really this week's project shouldn't cost you a penny!

 

We look at our organisers every day and all we see are numbers and pages, but why should we stare drearily and count down the days until our next big thing? I'm going to customise my diary with images similar to those on my moodboard so I can be reminded of my goals and what in turn is going to make me happy this year!

 

That weekend away - the one that is going to be the first weekend away of the year and isn't until March:

 

 

(Excuse the terrible picture quality - blame my BlackBerry!)

 

That week before the super luxurious trip to the Caribbean - the one you've spent all year preparing for:

 

 

 

Inject a little fun back into your everyday lives. I used images from the Boots magazine I mentioned yesterday (only because I haven't had a chance to go and stock up on my glossies!) but you can also take your own pics to really pump some personality into your organiser!

 

These are some of my personal photos that could be used on my moodboard/in my organiser:

 

It can literally be anything that will help you see through the year happy and successful!

Give it a go, it's just a little bit of penny-pinchin' fun

 

xx



 

Brazen Brollies

Tis the season to... get wet! Forget about dreaming for a white Christmas, what we really wanted this Holiday Season was for the rain to stop!

However hard we begged the rain to stop falling, it still remains an issue. Popping to the bank, running for a loaf of bread, taking the dog for a walk; it's all so much harder to handle in this incessant drizzle!

What makes me even more upset is the fact that I don't even own an umbrella. Until now...
Casually trapsing through my Twitter feed earlier today I realised how stunning an umbrella can be.
'Love Umbrellas' ( @LoveUmbrellasKlair ) have changed the way I see an umbrella; they used to just be an awkward tool that had to be used to keep your freshly ironed hair straight an your perfectly polished face perfect. Now, they are playful accessories available in a rainbow of colours and girly shapes:



Seeing these beauties I wondered what other hair-saving designs can be found online? Trust me, there is no excuse for any of us to have the standard black rain-tool with the brollies I found!

Lisbeth Dahl umbrellas do girly vintage glamour perfectly and one of these would be the perfect addition to a posh frock on a night out. These ones are available from Mollie & Fred from £16.99:



Another brilliant brolly guru is Lulu Guinness; taking the LBD to umbrella form giving each one an elegant twist. These are my top Lulu picks available on her website:



Anyone else planning a payday treat?

Thrifty Thursday - DIY Christmas Stocking

Happy Thrifty Thursday everyone! Temperature is currently sitting at 1 degree here in frosty Herts but who needs to worry about the Arctic weather conditions when you've got a Christmas Stocking to make!?

After last week's delightful little wreath (still hanging proudly in the hallway) I decided to creep up the creativity levels. The main issue in making the wreath was literally building the thing, using those little tree branches and tying it all together with twine... I took an extremely long way around the problem.

Not this week though! I got an old PE shirt from school, some white craft glue and a load of pretty, shiny sequin-ny stuff to create my home-made Christmas Stocking, which I can present to you...NOW!



 

 

Bearing in mind it is still a little wet (this thing is going to take a minimum of a week to dry, that much is guaranteed. I should learn to sew!) and I still need to tidy up the edges and add the faux fur trim; I still think it's so pretty! The blue fabric was a bit of a let down, and the fact I had not one tub of paint in the house, but the finished result is my glittery, randomly French version of a stocking.

 

If this thing holds together, I am SO blogging a picture on Christmas Day when it is full of candy and other wonderfully delicious treats!

 

The inspiration for this stocking came when I saw Mooky Chick's Post online. There are so many kooky ideas on there that I couldn't keep my eyes of the page! I wish I had the materials to try the Faux Fur ones! Other than that, the post inspires you to make a stocking of your own using whatever you have in your house! I had an old shirt, she's used bath mats. Whatever you got!

 

Another new favourite blog of mine is Cookin' Cowgirl. Another creative lady getting all festive and fun this season; and her stuff is 150% a lot more polished than my amateur stuff! Check it out, she's funny, too!

 

 

 

Have you made anything this Christmas season yet? Or seen something I should attempt? Tweet me @sheldan2207 or comment below

 

xoxox

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Don't get me wrong, the majority of my Christmas Shopping is done online. I'm a solitary creature most of the time, so avoiding any sort of queue, crowd or rush is sort of my thing.

 

Today, though, I headed out into the big wide world, accompanied by Mother Dearest to do some Christmas preparations.

 

Final gifts were bought for friends of friends, work acquaintances and other people's partners, festive snacks were purchased and turkey crowns were investigated and measured.

 

To our surprise, we returned home happy and full of festive cheer. Yes, there were crowds and yes, there were queues but all was done to a happy soundtrack of Mariah Carey, Spice Girls and Slade. At this time of year the humans become sociable. Mum and I had a delightful conversation with a total stranger about out Christmas Dinner eating habits in the local Aldi. So not us. So not her.

 

"Thanks for waiting", says the happy-to-help sales clerk, "Buy one-get-one-free chocolates?"

 

How did she know I prefer two chocolates instead of one? It's that time of year when the retail industry has a huge employment surge and employs the happiest, dappiest little shop keepers who love a good sales incentive. Lovely!

 

Today, my favourite shop of all was The Works. I thought I'd just pop in to get materials for tomorrow's Thrifty Thursday. The phrase 'to pop in' assumes I was going to be a few moments, popping in, popping out again. The crowd in The Works are a breed all of their own! The craziness that ensues when prices never really exceed £1-£2! They have a wonderful Christmas CD playing, thousands of books, stationery items, toys, decorations and calenders all hanging in organised chaos. It's my sort of shop.

 

Talking of tomorrow's Thrifty Thursday, I've decided to up the ante for tomorrow's DIY project! If I tell you the materials I have, you can guess what the finished product will be:

White Craft Glue

Novelty Embellishments

Thick Fabric

One Sock

Scissors

Glitter Pens

Candy Canes

Christmas Decorations

 

In the words of Rolph Harris; "Can you tell what it is yet?!"

DIY Decorations & One Of A Kind Gifts!

One of the best things about christmas is the fact that you can clutter your house full of flashing Santas, glittery tinsel and brightly coloured hanging things, and no-one can tell you otherwise! Of course, every year we spend absolutely thousands on new decorations, trees, candles, etc, etc, etc. What if we decided more food, less decoration this year? What with most families having to reign in their spending at the moment I thought I'd test the waters with some DIY Christmas decorations, starting with a wreath. I'll come back to that later!

Unfortunately, the holidays are somewhat tinted with stress, with the giving and the cooking and the preparing. With everything going on it's hard to keep up with what everyone actually wants for christmas. Instead of being the one that always gets exactly what's on the family's wish list, I've always been the one to pull a random on them all and get something they didn't even know they wanted themselves! I don't know about you but I still like to have a few surprises on Christmas Day! Today I've put together a small collection of niche music boxes, a fabulous gift for those close to you who love music and quite the conversation piece to have at home too. Click on the links below for an array of beatiful musical gifts.

Lastly, today I woke up to a magical dusting of snow. Although not as much as the kids were hoping for, just enough to melt quicker than the rate it fell at, which is good news for anyone else! All this means, though, is that more is almost definitely on the way and what better way to prepare than to get yourselves a handy pair of Snow Boots! No excuses for the morning commute now!

DIY Christmas Wreaths

Christmas wreaths are never something I've invested in over the holidays, and I've always pondered over the high prices of some of them, which is why I'm going to attempt to make my own this year! I've found really helpful blogs online that I'm going to use to help me! Tomorrow, I'll be getting all the bits and bobs I need for my wreath and will post a step-by-step commentary on how it went on Thursday! It will be a Your Desirables version of Art Attack! In the meantime, if you want to join in the festive fun, check out MidoriSourPatch, Caroline Inge's post on Home Depot, Jewels For All, Amalia Misc and (my personal favourite) Clouds Of Colour for some Wreath-spiration! Check-in on Thursday to see my efforts! Make sure to show me yours on Twitter @sheldan2207!









 

 

Music Boxes

Something I stumbled upon Monday evening when researching my Vintage Bird Cage pick of the day! I never thought of something so perfect until I saw the Gold Plated Singing Bird Cage at Magical Music Boxes. Granted, the price tag is more for the wealthy among us, however, a couple months saving up for this thing and I guarantee it won't be a waste of time! Garden parties, lunches in the conservatory, afternoon tea in the lounge, this beautiful home accessory is not only a stunning addition to any house, but also quite the conversation piece. When I'm a millionaire, this WILL be in my house. I love it! I'm also very aware that I am not a millionaire, just like the majority of you! So, I set about looking for a much more affordable music box for my own humble abode. The Music Box Shop has music boxes that are also... wait for it.... jewellery boxes! From pink teddies for the kids and wooden for the mature, from red roses for the girly and floral for the trendy, there are patterns to suit all and prices start from a slight £12.50! American company Mr Christmas has tree symphonies, musical wreath eggs, musical pumpkins and seasonal clocks! All prices are in US$ dollars though. If that's a problem head to Music Box World where fun musical stocking fillers start from £5.99!

 

Snow Boots

Sure, snow is pretty. It's magical and it gets people talking and together and gets everyone feeling very festive! That's the first day. After the light dusting, it snows again and again until the British people become fed up and at a standstill. Planes, trains and automobiles are told not to move. Getting to work is one long slog up a very sludgy hill. How many times have you fallen over in front of a total stranger? NO MORE! The style and market gurus have finally taken note of our struggles, teamed up and snow boots are now finally a winter fashion must have! Even Aldi have a pair of £15 snow boots up for grabs! Other bargain outlets for snow boots this year include Sports Direct, Wynsors & Amazon! Click the links for their ranges. If you want to step out in style check some hot faves of mine: ASOS (for Juicy Couture, Kurt Geiger and See by Chloe), Selfridges (for UGG) and John Lewis (for Hunter, North Face and Helly Hansen).

 

That's all for today, I hope I've inspired a few of you on such a cold evening! As always get in touch on Twitter @sheldan2207, it's always a laugh over there! If not comment below, I love to hear feedback.

 

Check-in on Thursday for my step-by-step guide to my DIY wreath and what my next festive DIY accessory is going to be. Share yours and I'll post those too! Any seasonal DIY ideas? Let me know!

 

 

xx

 

 

 

 





What Are Your Desirables?

Walk into Accessorize and how do you feel? Open a Bombay Duck catalogue, are you just as excited? Does the organised chaos in Paperchase make total sense to you?

 

Then you've found the blog for you. After spending almost 35 minutes in H&M deciding between the beige beanie hat or the red rib-knit hat with the ickle bow detail (and then checking out with both) I realised my need for accessories has gotten a little out of hand.

 

Ornamental bird cages, Thomas Sabo and Christmas Ribbon are among my Most Desired Items today and I'll tell you why...

 

The vintage, Victorian bird cage image has forever been used to 'pretty up' an item, from bedsheets to hanging ornaments, it has always been a popular pattern between the frenzied accessory-holder. With the likes of  Lydia Bright and Dawn Porter consistently looking flawless in quirky, unique styles the vintage style flag is flying high again: 



Today's Vintage Bird Cage 'Pick of the Day' is
this stunning Lulu Guinness Birdcage Umbrella from Brollies Galore:

 

 

My next most desired items come from the Seasonal Thomas Sabo Collection.

 Diamond encrusted polar bears, prefectly detailed snowflakes and a super stylish snow-doll are just some of the lust-worthy collection at Thomas Sabo at the moment. Which is your favourite?



 

My Thomas Sabo fave, and therefore my pick of the day, is a proud looking, sparkling penguin perfect for every lady's christmas list. Absolutely adorbs:

 

Whilst we are on the subject of Christmas (22 sleeps!), have you seen what's on offer in Paperchase's christmas section this year?

 

Let your gifts stand out from beneath the tree by using some of their delightful 'Scandi' patterned boxes and gift wraps, or use their plain brown gift wrap and complete the look using their wonderful selection of ribbons, stickers and patterned tape!







 

 Today's Paperchase Christmas Pick of the Day:

 

 

Their wonderful gift wrap perfect for every present this christmas.

 

Have a stylish one this year!

 

 

 

Tomorrow on Your Desirables:

 

 

Niche Music Boxes

 

DIY Christmas Wreaths

 

Snow Boots

 

 

 

 

Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me @sheldan2207

x All feedback/suggestions welcome x