January Round Up

Helen
Watching: Like everyone else I got invested in Making a Murderer. If it wasn't for stupid work I could have easily watched it all in one go. And not watching it all in one go is a risky business. I had to practically run out of work one day to stop me overhearing a couple of co-workers discussing the outcome. It made me despair at what accounts for justice, confused about what the truth was and pretty positive that I'd make a rubbish juror. If you liked this documentary you may also enjoy the Serial podcast. I listened to the first series towards the end of last year and have been saving the second series up so I don't have wait between episodes!

Doing: January saw Say It Ain't Sew kick off in Dundee. Started by textile extraordinaire Iona Barker in Glasgow, this weekly sewing club provides everything you need to complete a crafty project and all for free! First week was cross stitching. Mine was a bit messy, and took quite a while to complete but I really enjoyed it. So much so that I really want to keep it up. The second week was cupcake pin cushions. As much as I love a cupcake I decided to buck the trend and went for a pumpkin instead. At this rate I'm going to be so ready for Halloween this year! Headed by our friend Jill Skulina, the classes are super relaxed and fun. The perfect way to spend a Tuesday evening, if you ask me.

Buying: Remember The Whitepepper dress I added to my Christmas wishlist? Well, when they're January sale started I was disappointed not to see it wasn't included. The red version was there but I really had my heart set on the black and white version. Since it wasn't there I decided to forget about any further sale shopping. I still kept an eye out though and a few weeks into January it popped up. Due to the usual lack of funds after Christmas I did my best not to buy it, but it wasn't long before it "accidentally" fell into my basket.

Clicking: I'd say Dawn O'Porter's clothing line, BOB, is my kind of style. Maybe it's at the slightly more grown up end of my style but I love all the vintage influences and bright colours. The patterns are pretty hot too and when Karen Mabon designed some prints last year I was pretty excited. This first lot of designs were all fab. Then I started to see sneak peeks of the new Equality Collection. It launched on 20th January and with names like Love Wins, Women are Boss and Boys Toys these prints are fun and meaningful. Unfortunately the finished garment are a touch out of my price range but for limited edition clothing made in London I guess it's not too bad. If there was one item I might save up for it has to be the Love Wins shirt.

Kimberley
Watching: I went to the cinema earlier this month to see Bridge of Spies. It was a kind of random "it's raining, what's on right this second" moment but I really enjoyed the film. It's a Cold War espionage movie starring Tom Hanks (win) that I thought was going to focus on 'is he a spy or isn't he' thriller but it actually centres around the characters and human aspect of the war. There are a few cool gadgets too. Along the Cold War theme, I've also been watching Deutschland '83. It's rare to see a German subtitled series so it was a good chance to brush up my Deutsch but I soon got too swept up it the storyline to concentrate on my vocab. Following a young East German soldier who is thrown into becoming a spy, it is fast-paced and exciting.

Doing: January is typically my hibernating month, where I stay home and get blue post-Christmas but this month I've been keeping my energy up by catching up with friends, including the lovely Kirsty from Indigo Buttons. We're pre-blog friends, having met at University a decade ago but her blog is bloody HILARIOUS. Go read. You will feel like she's your pal too. I also went along to the recent blogger meet up in Edinburgh organised by Ruth from Urbanity Blog. I already knew almost everyone (or they knew me at least) but it was really nice to hang out casually and just chat to people you only normally see online.

Buying: I was also extremely tempted to buy this The Whitepepper face dress (in pink, obvs) but as I was hovering over my shopping basket I got an email notification, It was Coco Fennel's newsletter offering a special subscriber discount on top of sales prices. Hello, Penny Lane dress! I've wanted it since forever and even with delivery it came in under £50 (originally £85 plus shipping). It pays to be on mailing lists!

Clicking: I'm getting really into podcasts because I have an annoying commute at the minute. As well as listening to Glasgow babes Those Gals talk about pop, culture and fashion but mostly their teen years (which were also my mid-2000s teen years) I have finally listened to series one of Serial (mentioned by Helen, above). Sorry Helen, but series 2 is a bit of a let down. It just isn't as compelling. The show I've been binge listening to was recommended to me over Twitter and it's called Guys We F***ed by comedy duo Sorry About Last Night. Billed as an anti-slut shaming podcast, it deals with out-there weird sex and relationship issues but the two brash New York/ New Jersey comedians who run it are hilarious. At first I wasn't sure that it wasn't just shock factor but I was soon engrossed in the stories of their guests and the witty repertoire they have. Any other podcast recommendations welcome!