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!

Guest blogger on Season's Ingredients!

Today I'm really excited to be guest blogging over at my friend Shriya's blog, Season's Ingredients!  While you're at it, go on and browse the rest of her blog as well, she has lots of great food ideas and recipes, especially for people on a student budget. (Plus I've eaten many of her recipes so I know for a fact that they're delicious!)

Go ahead and check it out if you're interested in learning how to make this super easy, fresh and healthy 3-minute udon recipe.  She said some very kind things on the post as well, for which I'm much indebted.  Thank you Shriya!!!

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When The D came up, he brought with him a present from a famous niche bookstore back home, Books Actually.  Being very familiar with my notebook fetish, he found an adorable blank notebook that would also be of some significance to me - the book has a darling print of a birdcage on one cover and a bird's nest on the other.  Shortly after he met me, The D got a drawing of a birdcage tattooed on his ankle.  Not because of me - the timing was random and I certainly hope the birdcage doesn't represent me but you know, meaningfulness and things.

The covers are also made of a lovely cream coloured card, and the paper, bound old-school style with string, is very fine and has barely any teeth - perfect for ink drawings.  The other day, inspired by the random idea of a carousel of wild ponies in a forest, I let my fingers do the walking and made a little doodle.  I think it has a quality that fits the whimsical spirit of the book, don't you?

The secret garden

My friend Jon lives in a brick house so lush that we get really excited when we're invited for drinks and snacks.  My favourite part of the house, despite his attic room crammed from floor to ceiling with books, cds and movies, is the garden.  It's one of the first real "English" gardens I've seen here, or at least, the first garden I've seen that complies with all my childhood visions of the English fairytale back yard.

The house opens right out onto the road, so it's a huge surprise when one is led around the sight and into a quiet, scented green tangle, quite tucked away from the rest of the world.

I imagine that if you press back the vines and creepers, the little stone or wought-iron lizards sneaking beneath them will suddenly come to life and flee with flicking tails.

We were invited for a garden party a couple of weeks ago, and I wore a casual, comfortable outfit conducive to stuffing my face.

Tied-waist blouse and brogues - New Look.

Pants - Zara.  Necklace - Made by mother.  Sunnies - Primark.  

Bangle - Vintage.

This summer blouse that ties at the waist is made of the thinnest, smoothest cotton, so light it's like wearing a cloud.  The photos (and my terrible posture) don't do it justice!

Photos of me by Shriya

And of course, what would such a gathering be without the food, artfully put together by Jon and his parents?  We had a hell of a time running in and out of the massive kitchen, complete with a rustic island at one end and an actual iron stove at the other.  At one point, my friends Gruff, Tori, Hilary and I actually gathered round and performed a loud (and squiffy) acapella rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.  There is footage of it, but if I show you, I'll have to kill you.

Despite all the mad laughter, running around and the copious amounts of food...

... even I got a little distracted.

The creek, and the creaking old mill

Does anyone know that old Foster and Allen song, Maggie?  No?  Just me living in the sixties then?  (Foster and Allen sound very old and curmudgeonly when they sing, but every time I hear "All Kinds of Everything", I feel like bursting into tears.)  Somehow, each time I listen to Maggie, I think of the English countryside, the Saxon Mill in particular.

While The D was up visiting, we experienced one day, one!, of intermittent sunshine, and deciding that it was too good to waste, I chivvied him out to the restaurant on the water for drinks and snacks.  I also took advantage of so-called Summer to wear this beautiful pleated midi dress from Primark.  The dress was so eye-catching that at least ten people in the shop were trying it on or buying it when I was there.  I tried to make it my own with a chunky belt, old school necklace and for fun - clashing blue sunnies.  (Though I was only truly able to use them as a sunshield for about 5 minutes in the cloudy day.)

Dress - Primark.  Clogs - H and M.  Necklace - Made by mother. 

Belt - New Look.  Sunglasses - Primark for £1!  Earrings - Portobello.

The above pose is my default setting, and The D had to be all "more ladylike, please!" to get the pictures below.  I'm always classy, yo, just so you know.

My mother made these bracelets with old school beads, pearls and bits of jade I brought her back from Thailand several years ago.  I love how they look as bracelets but I love even more how they make a vintagey, chunky necklace that looks cute with most dresses.

Also cute, these tiny accordion pleats!

The D dressed up in one of his cute smart casual ensembles (love the iron button detail!) and read his Kindle while I powered through a murder mystery.   (If you haven't read Murder on the Orient Express, go right ahead - it's not one of Christie's best works, but the solution is quite novel.)

Shirt - Obey.  Jeans - Yukky Nudies that haven't been washed for three months.

Talking to Dhany about his Nudies is one of our consistent battlegrounds.  

He washes them once a year, if I'm lucky.  Watch - Nooka.  

Sunnies - Paul Frank.  Earrings - Far East Plaza, probably.

And I leave you with Gary Larson face, because I know The D would want it.