March Round Up

Helen
Doing: The other weekend I went to a marmalade fair. Yes, you read that right a marmalade fair. I am actually really 82, rather than 28. It was held on the HM Frigate Unicorn in Dundee. The city has a history of marmalade manufacture and there were some old photos and jars on display as well as marmalade crafts from Fluph and many other stalls. There was actually surprisingly little marmalade about but I did enjoy trying some chilli popping candy and discovering that Eden Mill brewery in St Andres do a fine line in gins. It was also fun getting to explore the boat where the fair was being held. You can explore all decks of the ship and get a real feel for how dark and unpleasant life at sea could be.

Watching: I love horror films but haven't been watching many recently. Not many new release have caught my fancy so I decided to look into the depths of Netflix. This is where I found Ginger Snaps. I've been meaning to watch it for a while so decided to settle down to it one Friday night. I'm always on the look out for horrors with a female focus that isn't just about screaming and falling over. I liked the tongue in cheek menstrual metaphors and bulky, layered outfits. I mostly enjoyed it but did find myself loosing interest towards the end.

Buying: I tried on this green H&M dress back in February and hadn't been able to get it out of my head since. Green is not usually a colour I go for but I really like it with my hair. Plus I am in need of more items in my wardrobe that aren't covered in pattern and this one fits that criteria. It has a slight texture to it which adds a bit of interest without being overwhelming. The skirt length is also very ladylike and great for flouncing around in. Be prepared to see it in its full glory soon.

Clicking: I always get excited about a new collection from The Whitepepper. There last drop had dinosaurs for goodness sake! Their Summer collection is all about the sea and I am super excited about the wave patterns and EVEN MORE excited about the shark prints that are filling the lookbook. And, while I don't think the sailor collars would suit me, they are super cute! Ahoy captain! Plus their fashion videos are totally adorable and really make me want to plan some more video shoots for Wardrobe Conversations.


Kimberley

Doing: we were invited along to STEAK Edinburgh to try out their new Steak on Stones concept. Since Helen is trying to take a break from eating meat right now, I took my carnivorous other half along. We love a good steak date night. Oh lordy, Helen is missing out! The restaurant is beautiful and the staff are attentive. You get to sizzle 200g of steak (which is surprisingly generous) on a hot lava stone (no stinky fumes or spitting fat) at your table. It's fun and SO delicious. I recommend the creamed leek, pea and bacon side. And if you're still hungry for more, they are serving fresh donuts in four different flavours for dessert. I'm already planning my next visit.

Watching: I recently had a mid-week sleepover with fellow blogger Miss Vicky Viola. She made me a gluten- free pasta (and it was actually good?! I still have to see if it was the brand of pasta or having it cooked by an Italian that did the trick) and we ended up watching the original film version of West Side Story. I've seen it at the theatre a few times and I always think I like it. What's not to love about a street gang Romeo and Juliet story? ...Well, it was awful! We had the best time ripping the whole film, as it is just laughable to modern eyes. The actors looked around thirty and the acting was over the top. If there's one thing we took away from it, it was how menacing finger snapping and pirouettes can be. No one will mess with our girl gang now! *twirls aggressively*

Buying: I cannot believe I'm saying this but I have almost completed an entire month without buying clothing, accessories or make up! And I don't mean I bought stuff on sale, on Ebay, kidded myself I needed that one new nail polish or swapped items with my sisters. I have nothing new. The reason is pretty simple: my husband made me. Being kept busy with events and doing crafty things has kept me away from the shops, and I've been eating and drinking out a lot this month (even more than usual!). Shopaholic ban-1 savings-0. Swings and roundabouts!

Clicking: Obviously said spending ban is pushing me into online shopping overdrive, so I know what's new in all the (virtual) shops. Our favourite sparkler, Luna on the Moon has slowly been unveiling new items over on her instagram. Surreal and sensational, I can't decide what bottle shaped bags I love more- glittery gin, poison or ketchup? Actually I'd love me some milk. And a balloon. And a pineapple. And a watermelon. And an eye. But from the new pieces, the milk please!

Styled by Kimberley: Vintage-esque

Faux fur coat | vintage
Dress |H&M
Shoes | Dune via Ebay
Bag | Bailey & Quinn
Colin the pompom | River Island
Scarf | vintage via Armstrongs
Best Bitches necklace | gift from Helen

I'm not sure I can call this look 'vintage-esque' because most of the outfit genuinely is vintage, or at least second-hand although it's all pretty new to me.
You may have noticed already but I am living in my faux fur at the moment. It's so cosy but I know I won't get much more wear out of it as spring is on it's way in. As well as making me shrug my shoulders a la rap video pimps and yearn for a crystal topped cane, it reminds me of 60s. These polkadot shoes from Dune are incredible and the chunky heel keeps the platform cute and retro rather than stripper-like. I'm a pimp, not the ho.
Since I had a lot of pop going on I kept the rest to simple black. I love the way this looks pops against the graffiti background.
My hair is getting to the 'lob' stage as I grow it out for my besty's wedding in August so I added some oomp and a flick for a simple 60s look. It's cute and flirty, I think. Even on grey hair. Really need to use scarves in my hair more- this equestrian print polkadot and pink scarf would've been perfect as a hairband.

I've been on a semi- shopping ban for two months because I have grown-up things to save for but I thought I could get away with shopping vintage in February. Apparently this still counts as shopping, and I guess when it looks this good it must be. Total ban has been in force all March! Boo hiss.
This was a fun girl date outfit for an afternoon of tea and cake (always). I got lots of compliments from friends and strangers. It just goes to show that even old tat can look great when it's looked after properly and styled properly... and the clothes looked good too :P

Styled by Helen: Vintage-esque

Dress | Nishe via ASOS
Cardigan | Charity Shop
Coat | Warehouse
Shoes | Dorothy Perkins
Sunglasses | Claire's
Necklace | Tori Pickford
Flower Ring | Runaway Fox
Brain Ring | VeraMeat
Lips Brooch | Rock Cakes
Hand Pin | Datter Industries
Match Brooch | Lou Taylor



Spring is officially here! While it may still be kinda chilly out there, I for one am enjoying the brighter mornings and evenings. I made use of them over the weekend, heading for a lovely early evening walk with my sister, Heather. The key to Scottish spring time is layers and lots of them! I started off with this cute vintage style dress. It was an impromptu gift from my sister. She picked it up in the new year sales but she wasn't happy with the fit so I got my grubby little hands on it. Being a sibling has it's advantages.

I love the pattern on this dress. It's covered in little umbrellas, making it even more appropriate for the changeable weather.  The red, white and blue colour combination gives it a slightly nautical feel and I can see me rocking it for seaside outings when things turn more summery. Can you tell I really wish it was summer already?!

To make this dress more suitable for the here and now I added a simple navy cardigan. Always a good way to protect against a chilly breeze. On top of it all I added my leopard print coat. It's safe to say I love this coat and have pretty much worn it to death over the past couple of years. There are now huge holes in the pockets and some fraying edges but I just don't want to part from it. Though I am hoping to put it to the back of the wardrobe as soon as the weather improves. Ok, I may be getting a bit optimistic there. 



To be even more optimistic I added some sunglasses to my ensemble. They weren't at all necessary but they are just so darn cute. I've had this pair for years and I still love their classically kitsch shape. Perfect for adding fun and colour, with a wee Lolita nod. I'm hoping this year I will be organised and get some new prescription sunglasses before I actually need them. Usually it's coming to October by the time I'm thinking of buying them and by that point it's way to late.



To top of my look I tried to do something cute with my hair. I'm not very good at hairstyles but ever since my beehive experience I've been wanting to give it more of a go. Plus I'm not loving my hair at the moment. I've been trying out a few different dyes and shampoos in my attempt to make my beauty regime cruelty free and I still haven't found the right combination. My fringe and roots feel heavy while the ends are frizz city. What I really need to do is get it trimmed. That would probably help a lot. I was quite pleased with this upside down messy milk maid braid look, so for now maybe updo's are the quick fix I need to get me through my hair woes.



How are you enjoying the start of spring?

Thanks to Heather for all the photos. 

Scarf School

We were very excited when we heard that Hill Street Design House would be hosting a scarf masterclass with our favourite scarf designer (and girl crush), Karen Mabon. We have written about her designs before (many times) and they have appeared in more than their fair share of outfit posts, so we made sure we signed up as quickly as possible. To ensure we didn't waste our precious tickets, we prepared as much as possible before the day. This mainly consisted of pinning as many beautiful scarves as possible.



On the day we were welcomed into Hill Street with pretty sweets and plenty of inspiration adorning the walls. Karen started off with a little intro about her, taking us from her Edinburgh College of Art days studying goldsmithing to working with set-designer Fred Butler and onto having her designs stocked in Liberty's scarf hall. We got a peek at her initial illustrations and tips for finding inspiration. One of the most helpful parts of the intro was hearing about the importance of placement. This got us all thinking about the best ways to design that would allow our scarves to shine when being worn in various ways as well as when lying flat. After this we were let loose drawing out initial ideas. It was amazing to see how varied everyone's initial designs were. Karen came around us all, giving ideas of the best way to make our sketches into fully fledged designs.



With the limited time available we quickly got onto our designs, choosing to use paper cutting and collage to speed up the process. Being bloggers it seems we both have a bit of a egotistical streak and each created layouts featuring our own mugs. These quickly became nicknamed narciscarves (everyone wants a scarf with our faces on, non?). We also both covered our designs with bright colours and things we love. Basically we wanted to make sure our one off designs were as personal as possible.




The class was filled with other fellow Karen Mabon lovers and a number of familiar faces in the form of Miss Vicky Viola, Ashley of Rock Paper Pen, Sinead of Wee & Twee and Fiona. It was lovely to see everyone but there wasn't much chat as we concentrated on getting creative and raced to get finished in time. We all managed it and the final paper designs all looked fantastic. We seriously want one of everyones! The designs are now in the capable hands of Karen who will prepare them all for printing. We also hear tell of a Scarf School graduation in the works and we are possibly even more excited about that than the class itself. It will be so nice to see everyone's finished scarves and get a good calm chat without the glue covered fingers and scissor blisters. Who are we kidding, we loved that. Long live Scarf School!

Hillary's Crafternoon

Crafting and cake? Now that is a blogger event we can get excited about. Don't get us wrong- we love fashion events to fill our eyes but here's something to fill our bellies and keep our hands busy- an afternoon at The Butterfly and the Pig in Glasgow to put our blood (some), sweat (not so much), and tears (of laughter) into. We spent it crafting for Hillarys Crafternoon. The day was a great way to showcase the fabrics from Hillary's Blinds and we love anything tactile so it gave us a great excuse to manhandle all the different materials. The lovely ladies from The Crafty Hen were on hand to help us non-crafty out.

We headed through and met up with our Girl Gang faves, Miss West End Girl and Miss Vicky Viola. First up was a simple (they claimed)  notebook cover. We got to pick our favourite material and adorn with adorable ribbons and buttons. Playing with the patterns and prints was fun but, using our girlgang intuition, we all ended up with the same geometric fabric! The instructions were clear enough but we were like kids in a 3rd year high school art class- too busy giggling and gossiping to keep up.The promise of cake on finishing sped us up and we all pulled together our co-ordinating notebooks at the last second. The use of the glue gun to add our adornments was the final touch. We weren't the only ones excited to glue- everyone was waiting in the queue! It was another excuse to chat to fellow crafters, and speak to so many lovely people.

The next challenge was a little trickier for those of us who don't sew. Both of us do a bit, so it should have been a breeze. Should have. The instructions were basic- cut out a doubled up main body of a bird and attach the belly to create a 3D toy. The pieces didn't match in size (to create a rounded effect) so required some maneuvering. The whole thing needed neatly hand-sewed and the beak needed to be carefully poked out from inside. We all finished with varying degrees of success (to put it mildly- one was sewed too close to the edge so it had stuffing poking out everywhere and another one was described as a snake) but we were working under a time pressure and had to fit it around cake and chat (very important to us). There were a lot of Monty Python-esque Dead Parrot jokes but with a bit of help on hand we all completed the task and proudly took home our toy birds.

Despite our different levels of skill, everyone in the room seemed to have a great time crafting. We know our cheeks ached from laughing by the end. Having a tactile task to undertake was the perfect way to check out the materials and there was so much creativity. We wish every weekend could be spent getting our sew on. Thanks so much to Joe Blogs Network for hosting the event and to The Crafty Hen for having such patience!

What Helen Wore: Crafternoon

Cape | This Charming Vintage
Dress | H&M
Tshirt | Zara
Boots | Zara
Bag | SewLomax
Necklace | c/o Sugar & Vice

The observant among you may have noticed that I was wearing this cape in last weeks outfit. This is what happens when you have two events in one weekend and are trying to pack light. After relaxed jeans for the first day of Edinburgh Fashion Week this was outfit number two for a trip through to Glasgow for Hillary's Crafternoon. Turns out the packing light thing didn't really work. I ended up walking around Glasgow looking like a crazy bag lady! Luckily my Girl Gang ladies were on hand to help lighten the load. My pile of backpacks and tote bags was moved out of shot for these snaps.



I didn't really mind styling up my cape again. It's such a fun statement item and I'm really enjoying working it into my wardrobe. For this outfit I went with the idea that brighter is better and styled it up with my super comfy jersey dress. I got it on sale a while ago it it's so easy to wear. Plus the stretchiness allows for more cake consumption.

One of the things that crossed my mind when purchasing my cape was the fact that it was patterned, as are most of the items in my wardrobe. I worried that it might be a little tricky to find stuff for it to go with. Then I thought 'screw it, clashing prints are always fun'.  I didn't go too clashy on this occasion, matching the colours of the cape with the colours in this floral tee. A simple print wearers trick.   



The bag was a super cute birthday gift from Ross. I love the fun embroidery and the fact it comes with an attached night time alternative that can also be used for extra storage for day trips. I am always in need of extra storage space! I can't wait to take it down to London when Kimberley and I head down for her bday.



Now on to this oh so tasty necklace! It's from the new Afternoon Tea collection from Sugar and Vice and it is just too cute. I thought it would be particularly appropriate since we'd been promised delicious cakes to go with our crafting at Hillary's Crafternoon. I am also a huge cherry bakewell fan so it is so perfect for me.




What do you think of my second bash at styling my cape? And do you have any tips for packing light? I sure could do with some!