tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16507346416885248642024-03-04T21:01:43.317-08:00A Letter From EliseThe triumphs and tribulations of a student budget vs. a love of clothes, cocktails and cosmetics.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-34328358903802190542013-09-26T15:02:00.002-07:002013-09-26T15:04:24.846-07:00A Night In WWII - Dad's Army Party<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">The hazy days that made up our early British summer seem but a distant memory now, as I begin to pull jumpers from the depths of my wardrobe once again but they did exist, once upon a time, I promise. On one such summer’s day, my family and I hosted a small Dad’s Army themed tea party. For those of you unfamiliar with the television program, it is a 1970s sitcom based on the Home Guard during WWII. Armed with that common trait whereby one can idealise even the least pleasant of events, we put our hair into victory rolls (between you and me, I’d been desperately looking for an occasion to do so for quite some time) and put together out our best attempt at a wartime spread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I made a Dig For Victory cake (very simple - Victoria Sponge with some homemade icing cut outs arranged on top) whilst my mother slaved over some miniature fish and chip ensembles wrapped in newspaper cones (although I sadly forgot to photograph these - <i>sorry Mum</i>). Other delicacies included egg sandwiches, a sausage plait, rock cakes and an obligatory tin of Spam, which I stayed well away from. My grandfather devised a WWII/Dad’s Army quiz and, of course, we watched a few episodes of Dad’s Army itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">The weather was beautiful and it was a lovely way to pass an evening with my family. If you’re under the impression, as I suppose I guiltily was, that fancy dress is an activity to be reserved for drunken nights out with university societies, then I urge you to think again. A little bit of effort and a shared interest and your family can gather together to create a pretty fun evening, or so I found anyway.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-26133259839205097372013-05-03T06:02:00.002-07:002013-05-03T06:02:17.329-07:0014 Hours in Oslo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have to admit that the rare occasions on which I see 6am are usually somewhat miserable affairs - the dregs of a night out, the final few hours before a coursework deadline, the dreaded breakfast shift at a hotel summer job. At 6am last Friday, however, things were a little different. It was a bight, beautiful late April morning and I’d just arrived in Oslo, Norway, feeling astonishingly fresh given that I’d had just four hours of broken sleep on the overnight bus from Gothenburg, Sweden. I applied my makeup using a hand mirror on a bus terminal bench and set off to explore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By 9am I had already stumbled across Louis Vuitton, found the royal palace and located Åpent Bakeri, where I had a very Norwegian breakfast of fresh bread, stirred jam and coffee. Feeling refreshed, I wandered along the brilliantly named Gyldenløves Gate towards the Vigeland Sculpture Park, where I perched myself on a bench beneath the clear blue Scandinavian sky and began to draft this post, such was my excitement. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pretentious notebook scribbling over, I ventured into the park itself. A key Norwegian tourist attraction, the park is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist and houses the life works of Gustav Vigeland. There were hundreds of sculptures set against expanses of grass and I found the experience thoroughly breathtaking. The quiet of the early weekday morning only served to amplify the magnitude of the sculptures, crafted from granite, bronze and wrought iron, and the comparative insignificance of the few people wandering between them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many awestruck minutes later, I left the park and walked back through the city centre towards the Oslo Opera House. Again, I was left speechless. The Opera House is a huge building, built with sloping white ceilings which you can walk over, and at the top there are breathtaking views of the Oslofjord (interestingly, not a genuine fjord in the geographical sense of the word) to one side and the growing city to the other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m not sure quite why I fell so much in love with Oslo but I know that my amour was at its peak either atop the Oslo Opera House or looking down on the Vigeland Sculpture Park. There was something about the city which just grounded me and left me dumbstruck in a way that very few, if any, cities ever had. There was a sense of the incredible, usually only seen in natural phenomenons, yet Oslo has somehow created it with the clever placement and combination of the natural, the old and the new. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Feeling completely inspired by the sheer beauty of the city, I finally climbed down from the roof of the Opera House and back towards the royal park in order to find the Oslo Litteraturhuset (in English, simply ‘Literature House’) which I’d read was the perfect place for a book lover to eat lunch. The reviews were not wrong. I walked into a large, open room, one half of which is a book shop and the other half houses Kafe Oslo and its delicious lunch menu. I opted for a chicken and apricot terrine on rye and the most delectable sorbet I have ever had for dessert (unfortunately I show my true colours as a rookie lifestyle blogger here and have to admit I got swept up in the eating and forgot to take any pictures...oops). Even the cafe walls were lined with reading material and it was a wonderful place to while away a few hours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Litteraturhuset was situated next to the Palace Park so after lunch I wandered back towards the Palace to watch the changing of the guard, which happens around one thirty in the afternoon. I was lucky enough to visit in one of the summer months (as deemed by the royal house, although the temperature wasn’t quite withstanding by this point) when the Norwegian military band marches through the city centre towards the palace in time for the changing of the guard. Quite a crowd gathered and it was another quite spectacular event, only heightening that “something special” feeling I already had about Oslo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the guard was safely changed, I meandered around the city centre some, browsing the many shops and taking a couple of coffee breaks. I later attempted to find the Grünerløkka district, which was the old working class neighborhood, now home to an array of cosy cafes, exciting bars and vintage dens. Sadly, I got a little lost on the way and most of the shops were closed by the time I arrived, but it was a nice place to wander around on a late Friday afternoon nonetheless and, from the look of the shop fronts, it looks like I missed a fantastic opportunity for some vintage rummaging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One more coffee break in Grünerløkka and it was time to head back to the city centre and take the bus back to Gothenburg. On the journey home, trying to ignore my aching feet, I reflected on my whistle stop tour and officially awarded Oslo the much coveted position of my favourite European city, knocking Budapest from the top spot. It’s hard to explain without sounding horribly corny but I left Norway feeling like I’d taken one huge breath of fresh air. I find myself getting mild Paris syndrome about most places I visit, as they just don’t quite live up to the enormously high expectations I have of them, but Oslo surpassed all I’d hoped for and more. Congratulations Norway, I’ll be back soon, and hopefully for at least a whole day next time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Changing of the Guard</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-86879125757395909632013-05-01T02:21:00.001-07:002013-05-01T02:25:46.349-07:00On A May Day Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkha86_2ffsxHGH1qLGZCdIP8mIWrt2iRImqIoshxRolGHs97n6ZCwu9M99srjCB1294Ec_41JW8huwhL2MYBQKt7K2R6Wwcc-W9y4wpIoy0pFRSKAwiVwreRRwtjQxrdP7zfZX1_hlw1/s1600/DSCF5663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkha86_2ffsxHGH1qLGZCdIP8mIWrt2iRImqIoshxRolGHs97n6ZCwu9M99srjCB1294Ec_41JW8huwhL2MYBQKt7K2R6Wwcc-W9y4wpIoy0pFRSKAwiVwreRRwtjQxrdP7zfZX1_hlw1/s640/DSCF5663.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anybody who knows me at all would be able to tell you that organisation is not something that comes naturally to me and when I do attempt it, it has been known to backfire on me slightly. For instance, I have been known to think I've lost clothes that are in fact hung up in the wardrobe, it's such a rare occurrence. Just yesterday, I phoned the bank in a panic after checking my online statement and seeing a £700 cash withdrawal I absolutely had not made. It turned out I'd opened a savings account and forgotten all about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Equally, when I tried to take outfit pictures at some ungodly hour last week before meeting my cousin from her early morning flight, I learnt that the sunshine which is usually so welcome makes indoor outfit photos all but impossible. I really enjoyed this outfit though for some reason, so here we are. I'm sorry. I'll sleep in next time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As some of you may know, I'm coming to the end of a slightly extreme spending ban at the moment, which came about as a result of one of my new year's resolutions which was to not buy any clothes (or shoes or accessories) between January 1st and June 1st. I found it surprisingly easy at the beginning, as most of the shops were still stocking the dregs of their A/W collections which weren't very tempting and it was too cold to even contemplate new outfits. However, now the S/S ranges are fully launched and the sun has finally come out, I am having to employ a little more willpower. In a bid to make it through the last month of the challenge, I've been raiding last year's summer wardrobe and, as always, trying to mix and match items in new ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The result, one day, was this outfit. It has been beautiful weather here in Gothenburg but not quite time for bare arms yet, so I pulled this old Topshop jumper over a favourite Primark dress. I really enjoyed both the bright coral paired with the colours in the dress pattern and the feel of the heavy cotton knit against the thin summer dress. I know that the old story goes that you should wouldn't wear tights after April 4th but, hey, we're living in an era of global warming and I'm pretty sure there was still snow on the ground in the UK at the beginning of April, so I think I'll let myself off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I haven't blogged for nearly two months which is pretty bloody atrocious. I apologise. I think you might be seeing a bit of a shift towards more lifestyle blogging in the future though, which I'm excited for. As much as I love shoes and lipstick - and I do <i>love</i> shoes and lipstick - I find myself lacking inspiration quite often because I'm just not sure that I can convince myself that it matters enough. Anyway, onwards and upwards! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope 2013's May Day marks the beginning of a beautiful season for you all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-41903255971364516842013-03-03T11:06:00.001-08:002013-03-03T15:27:41.466-08:00Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer - A Bittersweet Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP01LnfqGRkdBYyvxJ4_J-0unWDSigo1rO5LVrHMgxnnDD_jWzXIK03C_kXl1WahZTBSzZPo7meaWAREEw4D1F_KW2L5kNZ2D4hb0fezuBwK1F9h8EpoA2dzN8qVMJVDCuHJ-yHIXIibrs/s1600/Image+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP01LnfqGRkdBYyvxJ4_J-0unWDSigo1rO5LVrHMgxnnDD_jWzXIK03C_kXl1WahZTBSzZPo7meaWAREEw4D1F_KW2L5kNZ2D4hb0fezuBwK1F9h8EpoA2dzN8qVMJVDCuHJ-yHIXIibrs/s640/Image+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnaBHSM7vL0UBQLM9wqhyphenhyphensSTYoOCiCSlBraLqcMuDR4seaHDH6t16q8SzkKiSklbpayOVWr-eAqkHvLPsqAl570fO4IvoiJO_4f1IGFsJIUGzpAvJGvh2FxQr9xWZAJADp7KZRTCoREnS/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnaBHSM7vL0UBQLM9wqhyphenhyphensSTYoOCiCSlBraLqcMuDR4seaHDH6t16q8SzkKiSklbpayOVWr-eAqkHvLPsqAl570fO4IvoiJO_4f1IGFsJIUGzpAvJGvh2FxQr9xWZAJADp7KZRTCoREnS/s640/Image+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in <i>Stellar</i> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For me (and the majority of the online beauty community and indeed the world at large, or so it seems), February brought with it a much anticipated addition to my makeup collection in the shape of a Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer or two. Whilst I may be a little late to the show when it comes to reviewing this product, I wanted to added my two cents nonetheless, as my feelings about the Apocalips were bittersweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll start with the good news. I found the lip lacquer astonishingly easy to apply; they provided the pigmentation of a lipstick, with the ease of gloss application. They perhaps even trumped the matte formulas to which I am usually so loyal as it took just one swipe of the product, blotted, to give a colour payoff that would usually require at least two coats of regular lipstick. Not only is the immediate colour gratification excellent, but the staying power of the Apocalips formula is pretty darn impressive too. I applied it in the morning and hours later, having encountered wind, rain, sandwiches and litres of water, it was still looking picture perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I said though, I wasn't 100% impressed by the product. If I wanted an easy and, let's be honest, <i>fun</i> alternative to a standard lipstick, I couldn't fault Apocalips, but that's not why I bought them. I have an extensive range of matte lip colours already but I wanted something more from Rimmel's latest offering. I wanted colour payoff, yes, but I wanted it to come with a gloss and shine that you could almost see your reflection in. And, on first application, that's exactly what you get but boy oh boy is it messy. I wore the product like this for less than an hour before the endless transferring onto every surface got a bit too much to handle, and I urgently reached for a tissue to blot with, thereby achieving the aforementioned effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The big question: is this product for you? If you want a hassle free lip colour with incredible pigmentation and superb longevity in a nice range of shades, then yes yes yes, I urge you to pick up a Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer. However, if you're looking for something a bit different, something that'll give you a glossy Hollywood smile, then I suggest you think a little more carefully. Unless you love your new lip colour so much that you want a trace of it on every surface, that is, in which case go ahead and enjoy.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-79427753218860124862013-02-22T02:11:00.002-08:002013-02-22T02:16:06.222-08:00Topshop Old, Topshop New, Topman Borrowed, Topshop Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHcxW1GsIhSW12N68HReB19FZc1Ntyei0gVUBWO2gcQAElT5zYyrB9KNmqxzUH033c5VImJ1WtJe52fqV9fRPhONB-Azal_IowoSl-9DNg-yXcqp50MQ2Zpl2T4u1I5YeWLNk1glgzA8o/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHcxW1GsIhSW12N68HReB19FZc1Ntyei0gVUBWO2gcQAElT5zYyrB9KNmqxzUH033c5VImJ1WtJe52fqV9fRPhONB-Azal_IowoSl-9DNg-yXcqp50MQ2Zpl2T4u1I5YeWLNk1glgzA8o/s640/Image+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYGlIGecXAz0KGsVtjFh8V_VYrwGPBtatlJOnltsDm5oNd3J3eZOjEAmH23tt2sCuD0uUQPMh1cjMLDIKbgA3eW88YjLVNK2zlZfCzdohHMCtQDQNrPxzYgAglctfuXU7SlSwxuSgR24K/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYGlIGecXAz0KGsVtjFh8V_VYrwGPBtatlJOnltsDm5oNd3J3eZOjEAmH23tt2sCuD0uUQPMh1cjMLDIKbgA3eW88YjLVNK2zlZfCzdohHMCtQDQNrPxzYgAglctfuXU7SlSwxuSgR24K/s640/Image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Top - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Blazer - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shorts - Zara (DIY)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Boots - Bianco</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Belt - Topman</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Necklace - Vintage</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you may be able to tell from the title, this post just a <i>little</i> Topshop heavy. Ahem. It wasn't until I began to attempt to conjure a title though (and, personally, I think that might be the hardest part of blogging) that I realised just how appropriate that old marital adage would be. And, well, if the shoe fits...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So here we are. Let's start with something old. I picked this top up back in the dusky days of 2010 on a pre-university shopping trip in Birmingham. I found this piece reduced from £38 to just £8 (I remember because I was so darn impressed with my bargain hunting) and I believe there was a 20% student discount event on at the time, taking it down to just £6.40. Quite the steal, I'm sure you'll agree. However, when I plucked this item from the rail, it didn't look quite as it does today. No, at the time it was entirely adorned with silk feathers. On somebody with a different body shape to me I'm sure this would have been quite the statement piece, but unfortunately as somebody with a chest, I ended up just looking like a large, peach coloured bush. It wasn't the most flattering. Never to be deterred though, I took my craft scissors to the foliage and was left with this rather useful, mostly sheer but subtly striped vest. Not bad for £6.40.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The new, borrowed and blue have rather a less to the story of them. In fact, the new and blue are actually rolled up in one in the jacket. No doubt that's bad luck in a wedding, but luckily nobody's put a ring on it yet (yes, let's just take a moment to appreciate Queen Bey shall we?) so I'm safe on that front. Having hunted for a navy blazer for at least a year now, I was pretty happy to find this one for £20 in the Christmas sales just gone. It's just what I was looking for shape-wise and it's been a very useful addition to the wardrobe. I've also taken to layering it with my beige mac to create a little extra warmth and an effect I quite enjoy. As for the something borrowed, I am of course referring to this belt, also picked up in a sale (£2 for a real leather belt I do recall, yes siree!) but from Topman, so stolen from the boys this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Along with my cut up Zara jeans, this outfit is a perfect example of how well worn items can be combined together in a different way to create a new look. As I'm now two months into my spending ban, I've taken to pulling old favourites out of hiding like this quite regularly, in order to breathe a well needed bit of fresh air into my wardrobe as we head into Spring. Long may the penny saving continue.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-29541473567948262852013-02-10T12:19:00.001-08:002013-02-11T02:25:54.373-08:00Style Spring Clean<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Cardigan - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shirt - River Island</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jeans - Miss Selfridge</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Brogues - Unknown Swedish</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite the fact that we're still in the first half of February and that I woke up to snow falling on Gothenburg this morning, my apparently very out of sync brain has decided to declare summer, or spring at least. Long gone are my winter dreams of burgundy and fur, replaced by lusting over warmer days and frantically checking the 'new in' pages of Topshop for trickles of the summer collection. Unfortunately, as I said, the snow is still falling here in Sweden, and when I checked the weather online this morning, I saw that a miserable -5º was waiting outside for me. But still, I couldn't shed my whimsical thoughts of seasons to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I ended up having to compromise with myself, pulling on what seems to be my favourite winter uniform of shirt-knit-jeans but allowing myself to bring out some more summery shades. I'm usually pretty strict on myself with regards to dressing for the season because, after years of trial-and-error experimenting, I've found I'm just not very good at making my wardrobe work all year round in the way that some people can pull off so well. These items both slipped through my organisational net though, so today I paired them together to create a more Spring-ready look. The only downside was that this outfit really just didn't work with my burnt red winter coat, meaning that my only option was to brave this chilly February Sunday in a very thin mac. The things we do for fashion, eh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been a bit rubbish at both blogging and, well, life lately. If anybody has noticed my absence from the internet, I apologise, and I really, truly, 100% promise that things are looking up on the productivity front from now on. I've recently started writing for <a href="http://www.the-editeur.com/store/" target="_blank">The Editeur's</a> blog which has inspired me to work a bit harder on my own from now on, because the world is our oyster, and all. If you are at all interested, you can read my pieces for them <a href="http://blog.the-editeur.com/author/elise-downing/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lastly, over the past few weeks, I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by <a href="http://that-bird.blogspot.se/" target="_blank">Felicity</a>, <a href="http://rostinted.blogspot.se/" target="_blank">Rosy</a> and <a href="http://alaskayoungx.blogspot.se/" target="_blank">Bekki</a>. I have actually already done the award post, just before Christmas, and I don't want to bore you with yet more ridiculous facts about myself and my life, but I really do appreciate you nominating me so a huge, ginormous thank you to all three of you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time (which will be a short time!),</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-37743586003380579212013-01-20T07:37:00.000-08:002013-01-20T12:37:43.245-08:00The Joy of Jacquard <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a life long lover of paisley, it seems only natural that I would have been drawn to jacquard loom and, indeed, I have. For months now I have lusted over quilted jackets and slinky jacquard print bodycon. I have drooled over it in jewel tones, in pastels, in monochrome, in metallic. At one point, I'm sure I have even had a dream in which I was wearing it, yet somehow I never made a purchase, never had a piece to call my own. Until Christmas morning, that is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Amongst a generous pile of gifts, I found this knitted piece. In a perfect combination of shades for winter - dark, yet still bright - and in my favourite sweater shape - thick but not oversized - it was a little piece of woven heaven. As much as I am often drawn to minimalist styles, I equally enjoy patterns that make you look twice and textures that you could get lost in. I love paisley because you could follow it forever, and jacquard holds the same appeal for me. On another level, I also appreciate the contrast of decadent jacquard against the practicality of a knitted jumper. I feel like it just works, as a piece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is something about jacquard that feels so deliciously luxurious; something about the fact that it is so intricate, so multi-dimensional, yet purely for aesthetic satisfaction, that pleases me to the point of feeling almost a little bit royal. For this reason, I wanted to style this jumper simply, with classic pieces. Once again, out came these green cigarette trousers, which for an item bought on a sale whim, come in very handy, very often. As far as footwear was concerned, it was finally time to put to use these shoes which I picked up for just £5 - yes, that's right, £5 - as part of a buy-one-get-one-half-price deal. At the time I wasn't too taken by them but they have really grown on me, to the point of being one of my favourite pairs. I like the simplicity of them, which makes them instantly classy, combined with the chunky heel that adds a hint of modernity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a nutshell, I think that what I'm trying to say is that just as I will love paisley forever more, no matter how in or out of fashion it is, jacquard is also here to stay. Everybody is allowed a few pieces to act as their personal "get out jail free" card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also, I must apologise for how lax I've been on the blogging front lately. I was just about ready to get back into the swing of life when I sustained a pretty horrid ankle injury which has had me house/bed bound for longer than I would have liked.<i> </i>Onwards and upwards though; peaks and troughs. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-55599356048019386852013-01-09T18:36:00.000-08:002013-01-12T03:23:17.655-08:00My Future Listography: All I Hope To Do In Lists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Listography - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Future-Listography-Genuine-Collection/dp/0811878368/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357783628&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I spent the first few days of 2013 wandering around Gothenburg, sampling many of its cafes and generally soaking up a bit of much needed culture after spending Christmas in Northampton. I was not alone in these enriching pursuits though; my cousin Bethany hopped onto a plane for her third visit to Sweden's second city. On one of our perfect days out, we amused ourselves in Göteborg Museum of Art, beginning with a delicious lunch in their restaurant, following onto a lengthy peruse of the museum and culminating, of course, with a browse of the book shop. Whilst browsing this delightful little store, I came across <i>My Future Listography</i> and was completely taken with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This may come as a bit of a surprise - and shh, don't tell anybody - but I'm a bit of a closet sentimentalist. Give me a packet of dusty photographs, a forgotten love letter or a dog-eared train ticket and you'll set me off spouting memories for days to come. I'm also a sucker for resolutions, elaborate plans and motivational planning. <i>My Future Listography</i> allows me to be proactive in the latter and, one day, I'll be able to indulge in the former. Basically, it's the perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The label on the back cover of this book describes it as "the ultimate fill-in journal for pondering the road ahead" and I think that sums it up nicely. Between the wonderfully thick cover pages sit 160 pages of lists, illustrations and spaces to ponder. The lists range from the potentially comical - "list ideas you want to see invented" - to the downright life changing - "list philosophies you wish your brain would permanently adopt". There's a list for every mood and a category for every idea, along with three pages given to "list the things you hope to experience before you die" which to me just seals the deal on the usefulness of this book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think that this book is the perfect gift for anybody, including yourself. It could be a space to jot down hilarious ideas and form lists laden with irony. Equally, it would make the ideal companion for an afternoon of pondering and perfecting the deepest thoughts on life. I would almost go as far as saying that I think it's an essential item for anybody on the cusp of "real life" - and even for those a little past it. It's a place to write down all those things that you urgently commit to memory and then never remember again. It demolishes all your excuses not to fill your life full of wonderful things and, to me at least, that will never be a bad thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you may be able to tell, I'm pretty damn excited by my find. I was so excited by it that I stood and stroked it, full of book based awe, for at least five minutes, trying to weigh up poverty vs. happiness. I eventually decided that it wasn't an essential and could probably wait until loan day, and reluctantly put it back on the shelf. We browsed for a little longer before calling it a day and trudging back out into the cold. It was on this slow march that Beth, sneakily clutching a carrier bag, announced she'd bought me a birthday present. I think you can guess what was in it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was, of course, pretty thrilled by my shiny new gift (my birthday isn't until February but Beth kindly let me have it early). Unfortunately, this does mean that I can now be held fully accountable for my own happiness forever more, with little opportunity to blame forgetfulness ever again. Let's hope that I manage to do justice to the one hundred and sixty beautiful pages sitting beside me as I type this. <i>I solemnly swear...</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-25159811168388017022013-01-01T07:53:00.000-08:002013-01-01T08:38:58.398-08:00A New Dawn, A New Day<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, let me begin by wishing you all a very happy new year. I spent the last evening of 2012 having a slightly incestuous date night with my cousin, featuring a lot of ice cream, multiple glasses of duty free prosecco and renditions of Auld Lang Syne by a whole host of artists, with my favourite being the Jimi Hendrix one. It wasn't the wildest new year I've ever had but certainly one of the best, only made better by the lack of hangover this morning. Rather than lounging in bed, groaning and drinking all of the Lucozade in the world as I usually would, I have instead been concocting an enormous batch of superfood vegetable soup and writing up a list of new year's resolutions for the first time ever. I'm feeling really positive about 2013, in an uncharacteristic turn of events. I think it's going to be the year that things happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I won't share with you my full list of resolutions, as I'm sure you aren't too interested by how little chocolate I intend to eat or how many words I aim to write. However, I will tell you that my number 1 resolution involves me not buying any clothes at all between today, January 1st, and June 1st. No, I'm not really sure why I've forced this upon myself either, except that the negative numbers on my bank statements are getting terrifying and I'm starting to wonder how on earth I'm going to cart all these items back to England come June. To clarify, "no clothes" includes shoes/bags/jewellery/all other accessories, but I am still allowed to buy makeup and beauty products. Thank God for the small mercies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rewinding a little from the new year festivities now and taking a look back at Christmas, I feel I should utter a few words of apology for having taken nearly a two week break from blogging. I was at home, I was somewhat busy, I couldn't figure out a good spot to take pictures... all blind excuses, really. I'm back though, huzzah, with a big fat dose of motivation for 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lastly, a quick word about the Blogger's Secret Santa that I participated in, which was organised by Vicki Higham from <a href="http://alifeofgeekery.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">A Life of Geekery</a>. I had planned to do a longer post about this but unfortunately I was silly and dismantled by present before I had a chance to take a picture of it. After it had sat under the Christmas tree for many a day, I was excited to finally tear open my parcel on December 25th and discovered a lovely Bodyshop gift set waiting for me. It was the strawberry set and included an exfoliant, a shower gel, a body butter and a shower scrunchie, all of which smell divine and will come in extremely handy. Unfortunately, my Santa decided to remain anonymous so I couldn't thank them so, if you do happen to be reading this - THANK YOU!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going to leave you with a few pictures of my festivities now. Warning: an awful lot of novelty festive knitwear is featured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good tidings to all,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-76494242828170526212012-12-21T06:54:00.000-08:002012-12-21T06:54:05.515-08:00The £1 Leather Jacket <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whenever I come home for a fleeting visit, one of my favourite activities is rooting through various cupboards, drawers and wardrobes in my room to see if there are any forgotten gems to be rediscovered. Last evening, in a typical fit of procrastination, I embarked upon this ritual and stumbled upon perhaps my most impressive find yet. This (real!) leather jacket was bought on £1 leather jacket day at Trashy Flowers a few years ago. At the time, I was quite excited, purely because of the incredible bargain, but my purchase got pushed to the back of a cupboard because I didn't really like the colour or the fit or, well, anything really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All I can think is - what on earth was I thinking?! I put it on last night and just sat grinning for hours. It's a lovely soft chocolate brown leather, and roomy enough to fit a jumper underneath, yet cropped enough to not be swamping. Basically, I'm a little in love, and all for £1?! Crikey. Of course, this jacket still doesn't fulfil my desperate need for a staple black biker style leather jacket, but I'm pretty chuffed nonethless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This jumper was also quite a bargain. I found it in the men's section of Primark whilst killing time in Birmingham on Tuesday. There were various colours but I wasn't overwhelmed by the choice of elbow patch shades for the others. I did really like the brown tweed patch on this mustard one though and for just £10, I couldn't resist. I've always liked mustard but it used to clash horrible with my skin tone and hair colour. Since going blonde and drastically improving my ability to apply makeup, I think I can kind of pull it off a bit more now though, which is quite exciting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Talking of exciting, I've had quite a lovely week back in rainy ol' England. On Tuesday, I went to see a showing of White Christmas at <a href="http://www.theelectric.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Electric Cinema</a> in Birmingham. If you live anywhere around the West Midlands, I urge you to visit. It is the oldest working cinema in the UK and, for the same price as a ticket at Vue, you get to sit in spacious velvet seats and indulge with slices of cake and cocktails that cost less than a popcorn and coke deal. They show a variety of new and old films - I've seen Casablanca, The Marigold Hotel and White Christmas there - so check it out and put a visit in your diary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Following that gloriously festive outing, I hopped on a train to Birmingham International to meet my dad for an evening of Andre Rieu. My Grandma was unfortunately not well enough to go so I filled in and used her ticket. I have to admit, I'm really not a musical person and I wondered how much I'd enjoy it, but it was actually very lively. It turns out Andre is quite the comedian! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As well as these two events, I've filled my time with baking, essays and grandparents, so I apologise for the lack of posts this week. I hope you've had a lovely pre-Christmas week too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-89300206166872160622012-12-17T15:23:00.003-08:002012-12-17T15:23:31.856-08:00Come Fly With Me - My Journey Essentials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After a dull week of essays and end of term poverty, I've finally set down on English soil which means one thing: it's Christmas! I think that one of my favourite things about going away from home for such long stretches as I tend to is that coming home again becomes genuinely exciting, rather than being a chore. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also enjoy the actual journey home quite a lot too. I like curling up in a seat - be it on a plane, train, car, bus, boat - with some snacks and letting the hours fly past in a whirl of naps and books and day dreams. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, I know from extensive field research that an underprepared journey is a miserable one. And by that I am, of course, referring to the outfit. It must be comfortable but - and I know this from experience - not so socially unacceptable that disembarking the vehicle becomes a moment of dread. This is important because I at least like to pretend to have an air of the accomplished traveller about myself and pyjama trousers just can't achieve this. It needs to have the potential for warmth because trains and coaches never seem to turn the heating on at appropriate times. Equally though, these layers must be able to be shed when, inevitably, the drivers opt of air con on the hottest day of summer. There should be no clunky jewellery and a minimum amount of bobby pins. Hooded items are an added bonus, as is a small pillow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My pièce de résistance of the formulaic journey outfit is a scarf though, which can often compensate for deviating from every single of the above guidelines. In spring, summer and autumn a large pashmina is perfect, ticking the boxes of duvet, pillow and seat spooning partner all at once. However, for winter journeys (especially those starting in Sweden's double figure minus temperatures) something a little more heavy duty is called for. In came my Monki scarf, essentially a giant fleecy blanket. It was the most comfortable journey I've ever had and you can buy one of you own for a mere £18 <a href="http://www.monki.com/Shop/Accessories/Romina_Scarf/6897-1080986.1" target="_blank">here</a> (it assure you it is a lot larger/generally more spectacular in the flesh).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, you may be thinking, why is she waffling on about this when there quite clearly isn't a scarf in sight? And, yes, you'd be right. This is what I wore under the scarf though: my stretchiest jeans, loosest shirt and softest jumper, with a cami underneath for extra layers and stripping options. I would usually automatically tuck the shirt in but I liked the way it looked loose yesterday; I think it added some interesting texture to that outfit, making it a little more off duty. I picked this lemon beauty up for £3 on a vintage adventure a few months ago, despite feeling a little like Dolly Parton in it at the time. It has really grown on me though and I love the stitching detail on the collar which continues vertically down the opening. Together, these items were versatile, comfortable and - hopefully - acceptable for public wear too. Wham bam thank you mam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There we have it - my journey essentials. Just don't forget your socks.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-84830719439860384012012-12-15T04:38:00.000-08:002012-12-15T08:05:43.644-08:00A Sixties Skirt Safari<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi184rDhtlGwV8dhndaxvd2N_0F5BfMFA0enQq2Wvk9h6CmYd8Hp2d9V1U2bbkaV_W1Lm6fmgR3TJZ1KPya43t6ZmO1WxCLWc1gntXOHjmnxw170qgzMlj2b2HH3vj0QGtbJKnl0AHOtiek/s1600/DSCF5144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi184rDhtlGwV8dhndaxvd2N_0F5BfMFA0enQq2Wvk9h6CmYd8Hp2d9V1U2bbkaV_W1Lm6fmgR3TJZ1KPya43t6ZmO1WxCLWc1gntXOHjmnxw170qgzMlj2b2HH3vj0QGtbJKnl0AHOtiek/s640/DSCF5144.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Cardigan - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Skirt - J.W. Anderson for Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Usually I mix and match my clothes quite a lot, rarely repeating an exact combination, but this outfit is the exception to that rule. There's just something about it that I think really works. It screams sixties to me - the round neck, monochrome mini, ankle boots. I like the contrasting shades and the way the zebra print with the bright pink knit should be tacky yet somehow isn't. It's a pretty garish look, I'll give you that, but it just makes me happy to wear, and that's exactly what clothes should do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You may have noticed that this week's posts have included a heavy dose of curls. I'm not sure quite how I feel about this curly bob I'm sporting but I am absolutely desperate for my hair to grow to Rapunzel style lengths. I think that I've finally accepted that this is never going to happen whilst I'm using heating so I'm saving it for special occasions from now on. Hopefully I'll learn to love the curls soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just a short post today because, as usual, I have too many things to do before I fly home for tomorrow. I've spent most of the week watching Christmas films whilst writing an essay about Sylvia Plath, so that's been an interesting combination of mental states. The next time you hear from me, I'll be on solid English soil, hooray!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until then,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-55805771129031764862012-12-13T00:46:00.002-08:002012-12-13T00:47:38.326-08:00The Early Bird Catches The Worm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think the fact that I've been up since 2am is very clear from these photos. I seem to have once again fallen foul to the pre-Christmas essay rush despite having the very best of intentions. I awoke at 1:45 this morning and established that I couldn't sleep so might as well just give up and do some work. Somehow, I managed to still put my professional procrastination skills to work though and watched YouTube for three hours instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my defence, I am making up for about three years of not catching the YouTube bug. I've just never really understood it before, thinking it was all videos of 13 year old boys playing pranks and bad singers falling off of tables. I recently started watching some beauty videos but I kind of thought that YouTube was just a platform to upload these onto their creator's blogs. I know, hideously ignorant. I'm repenting this sinful lack of knowledge by ruining my sleep pattern/life watching endless reams of vlogs now. If the extent of blogging has blown my mind a bit, the whole concept of the YouTube community has taken it one step further. It's all so exciting in that 'makes my head hurt' kind of way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This current state of mental frenzy and a planned day in the library called for something very comfortable and very large. Out came this jumper. When I bought it in September I wore it pretty much daily but I've realised that it's actually quite an unattractive shape so have rejected it a bit lately. However, I think that wearing a shirt underneath made from thicker and more structured fabric helps the situation a little, so here we are. It's only -6ºC today - practically summer compared to the more common -14ºC - so I got a chance to swap my blanket scarves for this favourite vintage one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm really excited to start developing this blog properly in the new year. I've stuck mostly to outfit posts and daily mutterings so far but now I've got to grips with the whole thing a little bit more, I'm looking forward to livening the whole thing up somewhat. Alas, as always seems to happen when I get excited about a project, that little thing called university is getting in the way. As my Dad regularly likes to remind me though, "the sooner you start, the sooner you finish" so I'm off to the library to free myself of the shackles of post-1960 Brit Lit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Farewell,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. The image below is a summary of my feelings about life today. I'm sorry.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-56676077641741290692012-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:002012-12-10T09:01:38.090-08:00Rodding Around The Christmas Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Dress - ASOS</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been a little concerned over the last couple of weeks about my unsatisfactory levels of festive spirit this year. I am usually annoying festive, yet lately I seem to be grumping around like I'm competing for the Scrooge of the Year 2012 title (and yep, that does exist, an official sport in the winter Olympics don'tcha know). However, I can confirm without a shred of doubt that Christmas has finally arrived for me, no more false alarms. I'm pretty sure I can thank an afternoon of loudly listening to Rod Stewart's Christmas album for this wonderful turn of events. Thanks Rod - you've saved the day, yet again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To support this new festive feeling, and make sure it doesn't run away, I decided to go for a quite festive colour scheme today. Basically, just the red cardigan, but it is <i>very </i>red so I think that's enough. I think I've talked about this piece before but in case you missed it, I picked up for a measly £5 in a sale at my favourite hometown vintage store in a one day only cashmere sale. Yes, that's right, cashmere for five English pounds! I used to neglect it a little as I didn't like the shape but I'm really enjoying it this winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having decided that this cardigan simply had to be a feature of the day, it seemed a good opportunity to bring out this dress again that I ordered a few weeks ago for just £20 in the ASOS sale. It is a little summery but I think the monochrome colouring and the pattern, that to me feels so quintessentially British, make it acceptable all year round and a perfect item to layer. Wonderful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I think about it, not a single item in this outfit was bought full price (with the exception of the tights but as they're Primark-via-mother I'm not sure that can exactly be deemed as an extravagance). I bought the boots half price in Swedish store Bianco a few months ago and the belt, which is real leather, was a January sale bargain back in 2009 for just £7. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This actually isn't a very surprising realisation given that I pride myself on hunting down sale bargains. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Speaking of bargains, I ordered myself a pair of the much coveted Office Nighthawk ankle boots for just £41.25 yesterday! I wasn't sure that they were particularly "me" at first but I think they'll be good to toughen up my quite classic/feminine clothing choices. I do love a bit of genre-clashing, after all. If you want the same bargain, pop to the Office website NOW and use the promo code "LADIES25" at the checkout. This code applies to any Office brand styles so it's the perfect time to order yourself a little Christmas present.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I type this, I have yet another banana cake baking in the oven in preparation for a pot-luck dinner party I'm throwing with a few friends this evening. I'm planning to jazz this old favourite up with some lemon cream cheese frosting. I know this sounds like a strange combination but I have high hopes for it. I'll almost certainly be bombarding you with pictures of everybody's offerings at some point in the week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With merry Monday wishes,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-35810583730702788182012-12-07T05:28:00.002-08:002012-12-07T05:30:06.821-08:00Subzero Shorts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shorts - River Island</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shirt - H&M</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Cardigan - Warehouse</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Brogues - Sweden, Unknown</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Necklace (longer) - Gift</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is it too arrogant to tell you that I'm really enjoying my outfit today? Because, well, I am. I feel I've been a bit uninspired on the outfit front of late which is pretty unfortunate given that I'm in the early days of blogging. I'm not promising to throw on something Vogue-worthy every day (or ever, in fact) but I can assure you that the unaccessorised jeans and jumper days are over. Hallelujah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel like I'm channeling a bit of a 70s school teacher look today. You know, the one who's just settled down after their heady Woodstock youth. I think it's the beads, the exposed cuffs, the printed corduroy. Whatever it is though, I'm certainly not complaining. I've also just realised that as I type this, I'm listening to Bread very loudly which fits the whole vibe very well indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I bought these shorts in River Island last September so they're in their second winter now and I still love them. You can't quite see here, but they're quite flared which I really like. It counteracts the pretty short length somewhat making them more daytime appropriate. (It also means that there's plenty of room underneath for the two pairs of tights I'm wearing but shh, let's keep that between you and me.) I added my current go-to blouse and a warm cardigan because I thought I should at least pretend to acknowledge today's -14º thermometer reading. I quite liked today's colour combination too because, to me, it feels suitably seasonal without being overly dark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's Friday which marks the beginning of the penultimate weekend of the semester. This is quite sad because I'm the only one out of my friends in Sweden who's staying the entire academic year so I have a few goodbyes to come in the next week or so. We're beginning the farewell celebrations this evening with a Christmas gathering for one of my classes which should be nice. I plan to cook up some mince pies to inject a little British festivity into the occasion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a lovely weekend,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-82766784146084008362012-12-06T12:39:00.002-08:002012-12-06T12:42:23.296-08:00The Daily Bread #17 - You Can Leave Your Hat On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jumper - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jeans - Cubus</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Boots - Bianco</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Belt - River Island</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Hat - Vintage</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is something you should know, boys and girls. My name is Elise and I'm a hat-aholic. As any hat wearer whose blog I read will know, I just can't get enough. As soon as a piece of headwear crops up in an outfit, I just can't stop myself from leaving a gushing comment. It's a bit embarrassing really, slightly clingy girlfriend-esque. There's just something about a good, or even a bad, hat that drives me crazy (in the good way).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when I realised that, with the exception of two knitted affairs, A Letter From Elise has, to date, been almost hat-free. Good heavens! I've gushed to you about paisley, about packaging, about Christmas but total ignored my first love, my one and only, the humble hat. To milliners the world over, I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So here I am, repenting my sins and sharing with you one of my favourite items of headwear. I picked this hat up in my favourite vintage store in Northampton, Trashy Flowers. My best friend and I tried on hundreds of hats that afternoon, rummaging through sacks and throwing them all about the place until we struck gold with two remarkably similar pieces, both dark green and this shape. Jordyn's got a lot of wear at the time, although I hear that she's lost it now, but mine got stuffed away for a while because I was convinced it was too small for my head. Eventually, I pulled it out for a halloween Robin Hood costume in 2010 and fell back in love. Robin Hood, what a style icon, aye?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now you get the honour of witnessing a blog first for me: a head shot! Crikey! I just feel that the detailing of this hat needs to be shown off a little more, as you can't see it properly in the other pictures where the whole hat has unfortunately slipped back slightly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm sorry if that close up frightened any small children, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Please do ignore my unsightly eyebrow situation though; I'm growing them out and I'm currently experiencing an unattractive inbetween stage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's just something about putting a hat on that makes the day a little more special. There was a wonderful article in Vogue, I think the October issue, about the magic of hats. Unfortunately I don't have my copy here or I'm sure this post would have just been a block quote of that. It basically just talked about how hats haven't been cheapened yet. They are yet to become too casual, too accessible, too commonplace, and that's what makes them wonderful. They still contain that element of daring which a lot of other items have lost. To be honest though, even if a day were to dawn when everybody and their dog was wearing a hat, I'll still be sporting and building my collection with pride.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hat wearing aside, can we please have a moment of appreciation for my favourite Tom Jones song, after which I've titled this post. You may have noticed a large increase in cheer today and a good ol' listen to Tommy definitely contributed to my improved mood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hats off to you,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-84088199782144136652012-12-05T12:18:00.000-08:002012-12-05T12:18:37.081-08:00The Daily Bread #16 - Soccer Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shirt - River Island</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You probably wouldn't believe it from this outfit, but it's actually -8˚ in Gothenburg right now, with -23˚expected tomorrow. Considering how much I've been telling anybody who'll listen for months how excited I am for frosty weather and festive cheer, I'm actually woefully unprepared for these low temperatures. My solution to this problem for the past few days has been hibernation but I have classes tomorrow, not to mention a serious case of cabin fever. I'm really not sure how to tackle this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You aren't here for a weather report though. I popped this outfit on this morning as I wasn't doing anything or going anywhere and, quite frankly, I just wasn't feeling very inspired. I know that I'm probably not meant to say that here, but it's true. I just don't think that it's my week. I never thought I'd miss England this much but by Jove I do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One thing I will say though is that I've spent all day feeling a lot like an early 90s soccer "mom". I think it's the badly dyed bouffant of hair and the cut off Levis, I just picture myself running around after some rowdy sons called Brett and Finn. (I used 'mom' here rather than the more common British 'mum' because I just know that no mum would ever buy into this.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, I'll update you on my snowy adventures tomorrow and I promise to have cheered the hell up. It is Christmas, after all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-89959371491792091702012-12-04T06:24:00.001-08:002012-12-05T12:17:28.680-08:00The Daily Bread #15 - The Made in Britain Midi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I may have mentioned, a few weeks ago I placed a very ill-advised, bank-balance-destroying Topshop order because I was simply desperate to get my hands on a particularly beautiful paisley skirt. I'd first lusted after it a few months ago but it went out of stock almost immediately, in true Topshop style. You can imagine my delight when a procrastinating browse informed me that it was back in stock. As I was already paying postage, I decided to order this midi dress too, as I'd been hunting for one of this style for a while but had found no luck in Sweden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a simple, high necked, long sleeved, navy blue jersey midi dress but I absolutely love it. It fits like a glove, it's so versatile and it's so comfortable. I've layered it here with a jumper and ankle boots for a cold Tuesday in Gothenburg but it'd be equally at home with some statement jewellery and a pair of heels for a sophisticated night time look, despite the casual jersey fabric. It's surprisingly very flattering too; I'm by no means the skinniest of girls but it doesn't cause any bodycon nightmares, I think because of the fairly thick fabric. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This dress also forms part of Topshop's 'Made In Britain' collection, which you can read more about <a href="http://insideout.topshop.com/2012/07/made-in-britain" target="_blank">here</a>. For me, this dress is an ideal component of the range. It is a wardrobe staple - practical, comfortable, live-in - yet the length and the fit lend an immediate sense of luxe to any look. You could throw it on on the dreariest of days, in the worst of moods, and immediately feel more in control, more put together, more <i>womanly</i> (if that isn't too cliched a word to use). It feels like wearing a secret and that's why I think it fits so well with the collection. This whole concept of understated luxury is something that, to me, just seems so very British.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As you can probably gather, I'm a pretty big fan. It's a feel good piece if there ever was one, and I love that. I feel I should put a quick note about the sizing though. I read on another blog that they'd advise getting a size up in this style. Personally, I completely disagree with that. I think there's nothing worse than baggy body con which will just never sit right. I guess that's down to personal taste but I'd advise going a size down, if anything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I apologise for having been so absent over the weekend; I've been holed up in pyjamas procrastinating like a professional. I finally submitted my essays yesterday though and so I'm back. Today I'm attempting to be very productive and organise a few quite exciting developments in my life, which I'll sure I'll be blabbering on about soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From a snowy Sweden,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-32007585369809166532012-11-30T04:43:00.001-08:002012-11-30T05:01:42.286-08:00Foodie Friday #1 - Gone Bananas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not sure how many of you will be interested in this, as this supposedly a fashion blog. However, I have no plans to get dressed today as there are two unwritten essays with my name on that I need to tackle, and such activities require the comfiest pyjamas and chain drinking tea. As you can imagine, this wouldn't make the most inspired outfit post. In place of this, because I've already skipped a day of posting this week, I thought I'd give you my new favourite recipe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I baked this banana cake last night because I had a few overripe bananas to use and because it was a wonderful way to procrastinate. I would have taken pictures of the baking process but due to my under-equipt Swedish student kitchen, I had to whip this up in a large saucepan rather than a mixing bowl, so it was all a bit unsightly. I knew the second I put this in the oven that it'd been worth it though - the smell was <i>heavenly.</i> I'm not exaggerating. I usually get impatient baking and just want it to hurry up and cook and already, but this smelt so good I wanted it to stay in the oven all day. I would happily have this scent bottled and put in a candle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The recipe based on one I found on Google and, in all honesty, I only picked it because it had cup measurements and I don't have any scales. It doesn't involve many ingredients and is quite the budget bake. There's also the potential to make it very healthy by swapping in wholemeal flour and halving the sugar. Whatever you do though, please just go and bake this now, for the smell alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Banana Bread</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>4 ripe bananas, mashed</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>1/3 cup melted butter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>pinch of salt</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>1 1/2 cups of plain flour</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Preheat oven to 175°C.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In any large vessel, mix the melted butter into the mashed bananas. Add the sugar and beaten egg and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix further. Add the flour and stir until fully combined. Lastly, add any nuts and/or raisins (I used approximately one handful each of roughly chopped walnuts, roughly chopped almonds and raisins). Mix until evenly distributed. </i><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour mixture into a pre-prepared greased and lined tin. Bake for one hour in the centre of the oven.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Inhale the intoxicating scent for sixty minutes. Eat.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyu2_fmNbO1R49RmVVXXtNZx1CPU9zqluE19LdNnb3mjtDkH0AJ5VzNnpgqgFlXygCvA6CAE27Qt9HNNUjZuTOn2znJnAMjXAaHz6XKAE9xARw01EY9aFAGwR8235VDY5ca3JjoqBIozfI/s1600/DSCF4951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyu2_fmNbO1R49RmVVXXtNZx1CPU9zqluE19LdNnb3mjtDkH0AJ5VzNnpgqgFlXygCvA6CAE27Qt9HNNUjZuTOn2znJnAMjXAaHz6XKAE9xARw01EY9aFAGwR8235VDY5ca3JjoqBIozfI/s640/DSCF4951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I quite enjoyed writing this post. How would you feel about a regular 'Foodie Friday' feature? Not only does it let me take advantage of a good opportunity for alliteration, but it would also stop me just conjuring up bowl after bowl of spaghetti each night out of laziness.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-48054204857846119602012-11-29T05:29:00.002-08:002012-11-29T05:29:52.395-08:00The Daily Bread #14 - The Restorative Powers of Paisley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaRKRGbsntHmMAKNQ7lCaQS4GCaTdPQ2xHu8R0Ob3OZT7I3TKy8j7mnhkYoLIj3H6fY6YzeRELTYNI-gErSEmebB37VsW8F2pQzTwULnlM4XlIFzEiDzexMulNr3BJj3VjDNrz-2KbQ_6/s1600/DSCF4925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaRKRGbsntHmMAKNQ7lCaQS4GCaTdPQ2xHu8R0Ob3OZT7I3TKy8j7mnhkYoLIj3H6fY6YzeRELTYNI-gErSEmebB37VsW8F2pQzTwULnlM4XlIFzEiDzexMulNr3BJj3VjDNrz-2KbQ_6/s640/DSCF4925.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jumper - Mango</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jeans - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Boots - Bianco</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today is not my day. I overslept, remembered it was the week for my night class, then I took about thirty photos and only these two were even slightly acceptable. However, on days like today, it always helps to wear something that makes you smile the second you look at it. For me, that's these jeans. After all, when in doubt, wear paisley.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As it's just a casual, dreary Thursday, I styled these statement jeans simply with my new jumper I picked up in the Mango sale and this necklace that got delivered yesterday. The necklace, which you'll see in more detail soon, is a collar made of hands and did come with dangly moons, but one fell off this morning so I just unhooked them all and I prefer it now I think. It was reduced to £4.50 so I don't feel too bad about dismantling it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, I have an urgent appointment with the library to attend to so I shall leave you to your days and return more cheerily tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For now,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtC6HsknozejGIxzf2v_dpf-d7iyo3nlaG0IB0eEJSMuIBqbc_oo_thiF8WtKQhikiA338rZ0_4Vf_7tPfIHm2-oixuOoDeQI1dCy55qPLPDvt9VUut9juKFWnveGAJk35OzDsOjOw7g_k/s1600/DSCF4938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtC6HsknozejGIxzf2v_dpf-d7iyo3nlaG0IB0eEJSMuIBqbc_oo_thiF8WtKQhikiA338rZ0_4Vf_7tPfIHm2-oixuOoDeQI1dCy55qPLPDvt9VUut9juKFWnveGAJk35OzDsOjOw7g_k/s640/DSCF4938.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-25747158191648477382012-11-28T12:38:00.001-08:002012-11-28T12:39:16.522-08:00Loosened Purse Strings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvZB5I3lo2Ym8Ao6Odho3a4i9vhs_ki8T5FhZkLH6PijACZRoRUxA7MMl2jzI93DCuxkog7LnNTesWH404BXMzGi-NTo00OpwhdgIJ-Pr2J4w_tHrlTvtAB6nX1wDFw7cCo5o3T9Edfm2/s1600/DSCF4896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvZB5I3lo2Ym8Ao6Odho3a4i9vhs_ki8T5FhZkLH6PijACZRoRUxA7MMl2jzI93DCuxkog7LnNTesWH404BXMzGi-NTo00OpwhdgIJ-Pr2J4w_tHrlTvtAB6nX1wDFw7cCo5o3T9Edfm2/s640/DSCF4896.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP8slADmi7Ad0nyQRGu0ONvZaoxi4q_1jAgwrIw0g41cnh80xXMBJOdhHBeTtiU5b-o43YJ-D653S0_CCO5IAYuXJKGaw0ANVHfSkEb2RQH9IHN1PasxqHZzlZXFQwHfBfNGBEwDMAqGG/s1600/DSCF4899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP8slADmi7Ad0nyQRGu0ONvZaoxi4q_1jAgwrIw0g41cnh80xXMBJOdhHBeTtiU5b-o43YJ-D653S0_CCO5IAYuXJKGaw0ANVHfSkEb2RQH9IHN1PasxqHZzlZXFQwHfBfNGBEwDMAqGG/s640/DSCF4899.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctjf5feeNDhf63FOzIhiLaFxFYRNWvwo-F9kaSzZbRiF7zeACQmXUOKBSZV59ES1Q9QugYVRIl0zumQqkds8gmYt0Zs5NXLj4K3mc49yrWMANtFksqwbqsmWNu7pgZjaSdVXMB4vOwZR4/s1600/DSCF4905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctjf5feeNDhf63FOzIhiLaFxFYRNWvwo-F9kaSzZbRiF7zeACQmXUOKBSZV59ES1Q9QugYVRIl0zumQqkds8gmYt0Zs5NXLj4K3mc49yrWMANtFksqwbqsmWNu7pgZjaSdVXMB4vOwZR4/s640/DSCF4905.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Purse - Biba at House of Fraser</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For eighteen months, I have been lugging around a tatty old purse and cringing slightly every time I put it into new bags or pull it out to pay in shops. It was an olive green, matte leather, three quarter sized piece that I bought in Bruges after broken zip on my old Topshop number kept letting my coins slip away. It was only meant to be a temporary purse yet it has persevered since June 2011, embarrassingly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every time I found a suitable replacement, I was either experiencing a bout of poverty or I found myself second guessing the purchase. I knew that I didn't want another run of the mill high street purse - I wanted something that would last, something shiny and exciting. Yet, at the same time, I wasn't sure if it was a bit silly to spend such a lot on something essentially designed to hold your money - wouldn't I rather keep the money and simply let it inhabit something less shiny and exciting?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Throughout this angels and devils battle concerning a new purse, I'd had this Biba one at the back of my mind. It's the Ruby zip around model and I kept returning to the Plymouth House of Fraser store to quietly lust over it. I originally wanted it in green, then purple, then green, then purple. I think not being able to make my mind up was the real reason it never got bought. That, and the fact it was going to take a £99.00 sized chunk out of my poor student budget.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, a few weeks ago, I was innocently browsing the House of Fraser website only to find my long-loved purse reduced down to £59.40. It was now or never. I spent a few days pondering the green vs. purple problems, including seeking, and receiving, advice direct from the HoF Twitter team. They said green. My mum thought purple. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a surprising turn of events, I ordered black.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I mentioned in <a href="http://letterfromelise.blogspot.se/2012/11/the-daily-bread-11-double-denim-dilemma.html" target="_blank">last Monday's post</a>, I'm a recent convert to black. I just didn't used to understand it, but now I really appreciate its classic connotations and its understated elegance. Pair it with some gold, such as the logo and zipper on this purse, and I'm sold. It clicked that I would probably get bored with either of the novelty colours (also, as my Dad always says, "where there's doubt, there is no doubt" - wise words) yet black would never go out of favour. It just felt right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you can see, the purse has twelve card slots, plus two pockets behind them where you can keep extra, less used cards - you know, the Cafe Nero loyalty cards and the library cards for towns you no longer live in. There's also the zippered coin purse and lots of room for receipts, notes, bus passes... you name it, there's a hiding place for it in this purse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had this ordered to the UK and made my mum bring it with her at the weekend. She was flying with just hand luggage, a meagre 10kg allowance from Ryan Air, and complained about how heavy it was. For the £60 it cost me, I should think so - if it'd been light as air, what exactly was I paying for? I must say though, parting with a little extra money was definitely worth it. It might not be the most cutting edge purse you've ever seen, but I know I'll use it for as long as it's alive and, at this stage in my life, if I'm going to splash out on something, I have to know I'll be getting my money's worth. I'm pretty sure I will this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you like what you see, this little number and its coloured siblings are still on sale. Find them <a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-hof-Site/default/Search-Show?q=biba%20zip%20around%20purse" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-7352909862801301562012-11-27T05:48:00.001-08:002012-11-27T05:48:25.326-08:00The Daily Bread #14 - Gigging Hell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Top - Topshop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not sure how many of you will be familiar with Northampton, UK, but I assume not a great deal. Growing up there was interesting experience. The town itself is bleak, and I'm not just saying that in a 'woe is me, curse my hometown' kind of way - visitors regularly comment on just how dreary it is. Yet the utter misery of the town meant that its youth seemed to rally together in a bid to have some fun. Whereas other places seemed to have more cliquey divides, Northampton seemed to have that less, in my experience at least. You were simply in on the attempt to make some fun, or you were out, and that was that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A key source of entertainment was live music. I guess it was because it was something that people could do without much help - you could buy a guitar, you could coerce a grotty pub into letting you play, and there you had it, a night out for all your friends. As I can't even clap in time, I participated in this scene purely as an audience member - but what's a band without their audience? For a pretty nondescript Midlands town, we also got a surprising amount of bigger artists coming to play. The best gigs were at the Soundhaus but that unfortunately closed down due to noise complaints (a cause of uproar in the glory days of 2008) but the bands kept coming to the Roadmender. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Given that my social life revolved around sweaty gigs - from the good to the bad, the famous to the hopeless - I was pretty familiar with gig clothes. I find they fall into an awkward category; they need to hit a certain level of nighttime dressiness, yet incorporate the comfort and practicality of day wear whilst also being almost indestructible. It wasn't until yesterday, when I remembered I had tickets to see The XX tonight, that I realised I no longer had any idea how to dress for gigs. Do I even have the materials for it anymore?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This morning I raided my wardrobe and cobbled together this outfit, which I think tonight's look will be based around. I think the black jeans and the breton style stripes are a classic combination which, to me, gives an air of chic yet looks simultaneously carefree. I will probably swap the cardigan for a denim shirt or leather jacket later and add some more edgy jewellery, I'm thinking chains and spikes. I chose these brogues because they seem pretty indestructible and I don't care too much about them. If I had some Converse here in Sweden with me, then I'd probably throw those on instead, but sadly I do not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think part of my problem with gig dressing is that I get a little protective over my clothes and find it hard to be relaxed if I know I'm going to be stood on and crushed. Do you have this problem, or is it just me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Merry Monday,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-61196052018444685772012-11-25T03:07:00.000-08:002012-11-26T09:19:43.239-08:00God Jul (that's Merry Christmas, to you and me)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEWTjoD3kKnVcsfA2wH07mxDKOGSdNb_Hf2AxyEC5phvVnjymR5NjRS0lYsA92GZDtAORNIda2euipnwvoCj2JEXtezw4tEORhXOqUXpms02Zqt7zZ0rUHg-9e3l9dgS4_oeb9MoMNmFr/s1600/DSCF4866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEWTjoD3kKnVcsfA2wH07mxDKOGSdNb_Hf2AxyEC5phvVnjymR5NjRS0lYsA92GZDtAORNIda2euipnwvoCj2JEXtezw4tEORhXOqUXpms02Zqt7zZ0rUHg-9e3l9dgS4_oeb9MoMNmFr/s640/DSCF4866.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It might not even be December yet but, in my life at least, Christmas is in full swing. I think I've been quite patient on the festive front this year, to be honest. Usually the first day of September comes around and I've already got a queue of Noel </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reblogs waiting on Tumblr, my Christmas jumper is freshly washed (and I don't mean one of these attractive little Topshop fair isle numbers; this is bright, this is boxy, this is old) and a dozen mince pies are bubbling in the oven. Amongst my friends and family, I'm notorious for my overwhelming quantities of festive spirit (an awkward side effect being that ex boyfriends regularly contact me in December because "it just reminded them of me" but that's a story for another time) but, this year - 2012, the year the world's meant to end - I just haven't felt my usual festive pazazz. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or - I hadn't. Past tense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then my cousin and my mother hopped on a plane and, in a bid to give them a trip that was actually worth coming for, we trawled around every Christmas market, light display and shop window that Gothenburg has to offer. And oh my, was it wonderful. We were tired and we were cold and really, I think by the 1000th fairy light anybody would be able to say they'd seen enough, yet pretty quickly I realised that the air was full of that Christmas fizz, that atmospheric excitement, and I was off. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCN_iCmY7MJ3Va22ckSIxcR_uSzX-6c18g3WWzZvKXMR3-p8cqbch5-Cxg3ihyphenhyphenlA22Lzf1myaSt2Po3KrjhyphenhyphenOoytywSJEWsd9Tvy53Hcj4-5jPssf_xeYFWJtw3WotCHddqxaqzPKZh-n/s1600/DSCF4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCN_iCmY7MJ3Va22ckSIxcR_uSzX-6c18g3WWzZvKXMR3-p8cqbch5-Cxg3ihyphenhyphenlA22Lzf1myaSt2Po3KrjhyphenhyphenOoytywSJEWsd9Tvy53Hcj4-5jPssf_xeYFWJtw3WotCHddqxaqzPKZh-n/s640/DSCF4877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many mugs of restorative Glögg, several hours spent trying to choose a favourite bauble and a lot of attempted renditions of Mistletoe and Wine later (a bit of a fail, in all honesty, as only one of the three of us has any musical talent at all) and it feels like Christmas. Not only does it feel like Christmas though; it feels like family too, and that's saying something, given that I'm alone in bed in Sweden, miles away from home. The two just go arm in arm. As I stood in the middle of a department store trying on a rather fetching Santa Claus dressing gown (ahem...) my Dad text me to say that him and my Grandma had made a wish in the Christmas pudding for me. That confirmed it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpivM5vHPpmSHBvUbJiEPELdGLR9KnARIorYRQHIWOcxNG1-8G3ICpaWZlgwhzKcV0lvvW-J73jcRstd6dYWp6hH5P2fo-sV_Mrwz-2y9jBFsd5R7ErM2f26DiI1dZynt6CTQprG02uf2/s1600/DSCF4816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpivM5vHPpmSHBvUbJiEPELdGLR9KnARIorYRQHIWOcxNG1-8G3ICpaWZlgwhzKcV0lvvW-J73jcRstd6dYWp6hH5P2fo-sV_Mrwz-2y9jBFsd5R7ErM2f26DiI1dZynt6CTQprG02uf2/s640/DSCF4816.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God Jul, if you hadn't gathered, is Swedish for Merry Christmas. My Mum's name is Julie, occasionally shortened to Jules or Jule, so we really jumped onto the God Jul bandwagon, saying it all weekend long with a range of intonations that gave it no end of meanings. It didn't really quite occur to us until last night that anybody listening in would just think we were the most festive (correction: strangest) trio they'd ever encountered, shouting Merry Christmas all over the place and dropping it casually into conversation. There are worse things to be though, I guess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll leave you with some more pictures from the weekend. They all come with a heavy dose of comforting, home-from-home, Christmas magic. You'll just have to take my word for that. God Jul and good tidings to all.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-26667223841271096962012-11-23T14:07:00.002-08:002012-11-24T00:23:36.691-08:00The Daily Bread #13 - Call The Midwife, Apparently<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Dress - ASOS</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Brogues - Unknown Swedish </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, my mother and cousin arrived for a weekend of festive fun in Sweden and since their arrival, they have done little except mock me for looking like an extra from recent BBC drama <i>Call The Midwife. </i>Pssht. Apparently it was the combination of jumper/collar, swingy mac and very sensible black brogues. I'm not going to lie - I don't really find any of this particularly insulting. Take me back to the fifties any day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I must admit though, the shoes do look slightly like they were acquired via an orthopaedic prescription. I bought them yesterday on a desperate hunt for anything flat-ish and lace up, after the contents of Big Foot's shoe collection was delivered on Wednesday. I couldn't find anything that I loved and I wasn't really willing to part money for mediocre (either my student brain or my middle aged one finally engaging) so when I saw these reduced to 99sek, about £9, I thought they'd do as a filler shoe, until I fell in love again. It got even better when I took them to the till and the sales assistant informed me that it was buy one, get one half price, and off I trotted to find a second pair. I found a pair of quite nice black heels, also in the sale, so ended up with 698sek worth of shoes for 148sek which I'm not complaining about at all, even if they are more suited to the doctor's office...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I must stop rambling about the embarrassments of today's outfit though and please let's discuss the dress instead. <i>Jeez. </i>It came in the Big Foot parcel from ASOS and probably made up for my footwear disappointments. I ordered it on a whim, as I saw it was reduced to £20 and I'm a big fan of toile style prints (as you can tell by duvet set featured <a href="http://letterfromelise.blogspot.com/2012/11/prickig-katt-2-beauty-is-in-wrapping.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I was pretty chuffed when it came. Whilst it's more of a summer dress, with a really exciting shape to the shoulder area, I also love it styled for autumn with a jumper like this, and I think the monochrome colouring stop it being too unseasonal. It won extra brownie points because dresses never fit me properly - disproportionate boob:hip ratio, with the former coming out on top - but this does up all the way to the top without a single gape and also fits perfectly on my waist. Bravo ASOS, bravo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As predicted, today has been full of festive fun already. We browsed the Christmas sections of pretty much every store in Gothenburg, wandered until dark in order to appreciate the lights and then had Glogg, a Swedish mulled wine type affair, with our risotto. Beth and my mum have both fallen asleep now (they blame the early flight for this antisocial bedtime; I blame the Glogg) so I thought I'd type a little post for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Talking of Christmas, something which I won't stop doing until January, I received an email from Vicki (<a href="http://www.alifeofgeekery.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">A Life of Geekery</a>) this week containing details for bloggers Secret Santa which is VERY exciting. Christmas really is a-coming, hoorah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With good tidings and weekend wishes,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. After many occasions of having problems with no light, I took my pictures really early today and found there was too much. Oops!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650734641688524864.post-23183450136922200252012-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:002012-11-22T17:51:20.273-08:00The Daily Bread #12 - Friday Feeling, on a Thursday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Shirt - Glamorous </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Jeans - Cubus</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Cardigan - Warehouse</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you have any of those items that sit in your wardrobe for months, you wonder why they don't get worn, then you put them on and you remember exactly why they don't come out to play very often? That is exactly the case with these jeans. My only other leg denim is navy and black, and sometimes it's just a blue jeans kinda day, so on come these Cubus jeans. Usually, when I first put them on, they've been newly tumble dried (they seem to get washed more frequently than they get worn) so they cling and fit like a perfectly skinny glove. As the day goes on, however, they begin to go a strange and baggy. Looking at these pictures, I see why they don't get worn. The denim just isn't thick enough to suit having any room for manoeuvre, yet that's exactly what there is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The rest of my outfit consists, once again, of some favourites that have stood the test of time. The belt, necklace and socks all date back to 2008. The shirt, cardigan and wedges are slightly newer additions but have still been knocking around for over a year now. I quite like combining older clothes in new ways though to update them slightly. Whilst there's admittedly nothing groundbreaking about this outfit, I know for a fact that these items wouldn't have been put together like this last year and then I feel a little less recycled. I also get a smug kind of 'I told you so' satisfaction in reaction to my mother's endless "but you won't wear it enough, will you?" complaints. Yes, yes, I know that's not really very nice, but that's where we're at.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think I may have mentioned that I placed a naughty ASOS order a few weeks ago. Well, after much anticipation, it finally arrived yesterday and I was over the moon because it meant I finally had some flat brogue-style shoes back in my life, which I was desperate for. I eagerly tore open the parcel, took the lid off the box and pulled a shoe from inside... and kept pulling, and kept pulling. It just didn't stop coming. Eventually, when the whole length of this monster was before me, I couldn't help but laugh: it was simply enormous. I've checked I didn't accidentally order men's shoes, but nope, these are all woman, and supposedly a UK7. They are not. I will treat you to a size comparison picture before I send them back. By jove.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Big-footed tales aside, tomorrow, my mum and cousin are visiting for a festive weekend of perusing the Christmas markets and other seasonal offerings of Gothenburg. You can expect a lot of pictures from this adventure as I really love Christmas, if you hadn't gathered that already. I'm not sure I'll get much chance to post but I'm going to try and have an organised Thursday evening and set some posts up for over the weekend (oo-er, I feel like a proper blogger now!). Have a lovely weekend last weekend of November; this time next week it's officially time to be excited for the big 2-5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With pre-mature Friday feeling,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. Do you like my wine bottle candle creations?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09828140606804964273noreply@blogger.com10