Back in business

So it's been a while.  I went on unplanned hiatus because school work, university goodbyes and a roadtrip to Wales all happened in the best way possible, and in a manner that is far too exhausting to cover at length.

But I'm back now, and I bring something from the lovely Paperchase who, apart from carrying beautiful stationery and notebooks that make my heart go thump, stock an amazing range of cute, cartoony bags that will be right up your alley if you like Tokidoki or Artbox.

Shriya and I really wanted to buy a bag, but at £19 pounds, the (still gorgeous) bigger ones were still too expensive for our student budget.  That's when she had a great idea - to buy a lunch box to use as a purse!  I got really excited, and even more chuffed when we discovered that the lunchboxes were £6.50 a piece.  I know, right?  No one else believes it either.

I got one in this adorable monster print (though no one needs to know Shriya has the exact same design) and when I brought it out for a farewell dinner and drinks, loads of people asked me about it, and teased me good-naturedly about my lunchbox-bag.  As a mini train case, it works just fine, and at a 20cm length, it's more roomy than one would think.

So here's what I had inside it:

1)  Thick yellow scarf
2)  Ipod
3)  Cards
4)  Cash and change
5)  Eye drops for my contact lenses
6)  My £2 Body Shop lip balm that has been used by practically my whole class.  I'm like some crazy lip balm lady with three or four pots on me at all times and since half the class struggles with chapping, I dole them out during the break like some kind of soup kitchen person.
7)  The Body Shop moroccan rose perfume
8)  Not pictured: my phone

And that's really all you need, isn't it?  A quick tip for those wanting to try the tin-box-as-bag route: put in something soft like a scarf, or something heavy like a big wallet, to stop your stuff from clanging around in a very unbecoming way at the bottom.

Check out the other patterns - they have some adorable food ones - and feel free to share if you've recently done a what's in my bag as well!

Finally, I don't know what this says about me, but I was just as entranced by the packing the lunchbox came in.  I mean, look at it.  You can't say this doesn't get your pulse racing:

Magic Minutiae: Vintage Earrings

I'm huge a sucker for details.  To me, the details in an outfit make it - tiny stud earrings, delicate necklaces, a chunky ring.  Nothing thrills me more to see a person in a cute basic outfit with lots of little touches that make it different and individual.  So I was delighted when my fellow blogger Camille, over at http://sacheebombom.blogspot.com/ announced that she was starting a series called Magic Minutiae that would focus on all the little details in a person's outfit.

She's invited anybody and everybody to join - all you have to go is go to her site and put the Magic Minutiae banner on yours, then link your posts when the time comes.  If you're all detail hounds like me, you know what to do!

This week is the first call for entries and the theme is Vintage Earrings.  At this point, I have to say that I've cheated a little because although I got my earrings from Camden Market, I'm not 100% sure if they're vintage or not.  I suspect they're newly reconstituted from vintage buttons, but I thought they looked old school enough to participate anyway!

The pearlised centre and gold curlicues match with everything from jeans to a cute dress and I constantly find myself reaching for them when I'm looking for studs that don't just hide meekly under the hair.

Dress - Primark.  Necklace - Claire's.  Bracelets - H&M.

Mustard tights - Topshop.  Shoes - H&M.

I wore this to meet with some friends for a potluck dinner.  (Is there a more genius idea than potluck?)  Some people hate these mustard tights, but I'm personally a big fan of how they make any outfit pop like this £10 dress from Primark.  I love the navy colour, the print and the way the fabric falls around the shoulders and the hem.  I think the mustard tights keep it from looking too girly and precious. 

Also, I know that there's a thing called an "arm party" that's coming (back?) into vogue - that is - wearing stacks of bracelets at the same time.  I love the way it looks, but I'm a little bit timid, so I started something that's more like an "arm intimate dinner" with these H&M bracelets. 

Strangely, all the arm parties I've seen on style blogs are extortionate from little branded cord bracelets costing above £50 to massive leather or even stingray bangles that are worth much more.  That's like £500 on on arm!  I don't have the money for such an expense right now, so my bracelets cost about £8 altogether, at £1.99 a set.  Thank you, high street!  I also love how the thread bracelets have little gold buttons as fastenings. 

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Magic Minutiae!  Hop on over to Camille's post to check out all the other great looks!

My cousin's wedding, part 2: God is in details

I took loads of pictures at my cousin's wedding in Ohio and it was the most beautiful, sunny, picturesque weekend.

I wanted to document it, but I'm always wary of putting pictures of people (and people's children) on the blog who haven't consented to it.  Technically, there aren't any privacy laws where I come from - take that suckers! - but I'd still like to keep all my limbs, thank you very much.  So instead, I thought I'd put up pitchers of some (faceless but lovely) details that I managed to capture.

The delicious Yo! Sushi eggplant salad that I had at the airport while waiting for my flight.  If you haven't been to Yo! Sushi but enjoy conveyor belts, I strongly recommend this eggplant salad, the fried squid and the spicy tuna handroll.  Or that's the lack of Japanese food in my life right now talking.

My aunt's garden and backyard, including the little tree swing for children (is it bad that I wished that I could fit into it?  I mean, I'm practically still a teenager.  Not.) and the table cloth she put on the table out back.  We spent ages sitting under the trees and eating the most amazing dinners.  If you haven't had Haleem, find a way people, stat!  (Haleem is not a person, by the way, though if she were, she would be very hot and wear many bangles.)

A jar of fireflies captured by all my neices and nephews, and string of lights in the trees.  I admit that I had a hand in catching the fireflies, but we let them all go back to their sex lives shortly after, I promise.

Details from the wedding hall - I had a hand in stringing the lights up and putting the flowers together!  If anyone wants to hire me, I'm free and charge a million dollars a day.  By the way, that cake was as amazing as it looks.

My very glittery star and the henna I wore for the wedding.  The lady who came to do the henna did an excellent job, you can see some of the stuff she did on my cousin two posts prior!

Some of the amazing patterns and colours worn that day.  Everyone looked absolutely gorgeous (I know you're obliged to say that but they really did) and all the prints and designs looked so good together.  Anjuly wouldn't want me to say myriad here, so I will.  Myriad.  Also, dig my cousin's beaded pumps.  I know, right.

I hope you guys enjoyed these pictures... it was a relief to be behind the camera and I thought it was a very moving, simple and beautiful wedding, made all the prettier for all the (40 or so!) family hands that went on deck to bring together flowers, decorations and run little errands. Not very elegantly put, but I hope you see what I mean.

Wordless details: Fringe bib

Fringe bib - Forever 21.  Shirt - H&M.  Jacket - Primark.

Jeans - Uniqlo.  Shoes - H&M.  Belt - Ganked off a dress at Primark.
Earrings - Swarovski.  

Details: Terracotta jewellery from Anjuly!

Anjuly came back from India a couple of weeks ago and she brought Shriya and I presents: really cool terracotta jewellery sets!  I just wanted to share them because I thought they were very unique-looking and I had also been secretly looking for a bib sort of necklace for ages and Anjuly read my mind.  I've never had terracotta jewellery before and it looks really different from all the plastic and metal that you get, much more organic.

Aren't the colours on the set amazing?  I love the little details - like the diamond shaped pieces have an arrowhead look going on in the corners and the little swirly things actually look like hamsas.  Also, the necklace is adjustable so it can sit like a collar or a lower bib.  I just think it's super cool.  So, thanks very much Anjuly!

Shriya and I played a game where we each took a box and looked into it without showing each other and then decided whether we wanted to swap or keep the jewellery set we'd look at.  It was like the Monty Hall dilemma because we'd both seen what we were holding, but couldn't guess what the other had and we amused ourselves by trying to convince each other that ours was better.  In the end we swapped and kept the one we hadn't seen!  Shriya's set was equally great though, all these beads in bluey-green colours.

I'm not really the kind of person to wear earrings or necklaces in matching sets, so I just wore the necklace by itself for coffee with a friend earlier this week.  Here's a quick look at the full outfit: I wanted to keep it simple and almost monochrome because the necklace makes a bit of a statement already.  The uber cool crystals were a present from my mother when we went to Portobello.

Dress - Camden.  Necklace - Present from Anjuly.  

Blouse - Dorothy Perkins.  Flats - New Look.  Earrings - Portobello.

By the way, I haven't been reporting estimated temperature for a while.
Here, it's about 14 degrees!

What about you guys?  Do you wear necklace/earring sets together and how do you do it without looking too matchy matchy?  I'd love to know!  And finally:

Tattybye!