Inspiration: ANIMALIA PARAPHERNALIA, it’s a jewellery jungle out there!

An ode to the animal kingdom:

I love animals, truly I do

But I don’t want to feed them or walk them (would you?)

and seeing as taxidermy’s not my thing

really, what better than a nice big ring?

Ok poetry’s not my thing either but what else was I to do but pen a passionate poem on the subject that has occupied my mind night and day? I want it, I need it, I SIMPLY MUST HAVE a shiny little (or big) jewelled animal to call my own!

Dior, Delphina Delettrez, and Chopard are my inspiration, Dior’s turtle ring being at the top of my “one day when I’m rich” wish list.

Dior turtle ring, P.O.A, via diorjoaillerie.com

Dior fish earrings P.O.A, via dior.com

Chopard bee ring, P.O.A, via chopard.com

Chopard monkey pendant P.O.A, via chopard.com

Delphina Delettrez ring, via delphinadelettrez.com

Delphina Delettrez beehive necklace AU $3 000, via delphinadelettrez.com

Until my poetry starts raking in the big bucks, the above beauties are, sadly, aspirational.  However, a tout about the world wide web turns up some lovely, more achievable options for a budget conscious fashionista, including a darling antelope on etsy . Fuelled by desire for my own bargain beastie, I hit the local shopping centre and headed to a tacky budget jewellery chain store in the hope of turning up a treasure. And what do you know, I struck gold – nestled in the charm cabinet amongst blingy initials and 21st keys was my lovely lady bug, and in that moment I knew it was love (it’s much easier to fall in love when the price is right). See my new pet pictured below … soon to be added to my bracelet alongside a triple-jointed crocodile and a flying unicorn.

Cx

my new lady bug, all at sea

Vintage antelope pin AU $24, via etsy.com

Trend: PINK ME

Charlotte Free for Wonderland Magazine via Trendland.net

When I was fifteen I was obsessed with Gwen Stefani and died my hair platinum blonde. I quiffed it, joined a band, and sang No Doubt covers. It was sad, but even sadder – my hair snapped off and I had to go a 1950s chesnut brown for two years while my hair recovered. It was traumatic enough for me to withhold from dying my hair orange like Milla Jovovich in the Fifth Element (I also wanted her Jean Paul Gaultier bandage outfit for God-knows-what), and I stayed a safe mousey colour even though I burned to ape Franka Potente‘s shock of fire engine red hair in Run Lola Run.

That was the nineties – my noughties obsession comes in a flush of pink, on Charlotte Free‘s head. She’s American, she’s a babe, but mostly she just has pink hair. I want it, I need it, but I’ve been burned before. I’m looking for a pink hit with no commitment.

Enter, Kevin Murphy’s COLOUR.BUG. It’s the hair colour equivalent to a one-night-stand. A chalky textured product, the BUG wipes right onto your dry hair, and then locks on with hairspray. It’s that easy. I’ve been sporting pink highlights left, right and centre, and then washing it out and going back to beach-fabulous the following day.

Watch a how-to video right here right now.

A word of warning – DO NOT WEAR WHITE while wearing the BUG … no matter what the ads might say, it rubs off onto your clothes. I pretty much only use it if I’m wearing black, or something that I don’t mind getting a bit marked up. It does wash out though in a cold wash.

$24.95 for cheap neon thrills, you can buy at good hair salons or online at adorebeauty.com.au.

Cx

COLOUR.BUG cluster via thedownlow.co.nz

Charlotte Free for Wonderland Magazine via Trendland.net

Franka Potente in Run Lola Run via dvdbeaver.com

Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element via millaj.com

Gwen Stefani via picgifs.com

Feature: I DIE, DIY! TOP FIVE BLOGGER D.I.Y. PROJECTS OF 2011

When I was a kid, I used to make Christmas presents for people ALLLLLLLL the time. Granted these ‘gifts’  usually consisted of popsticks, too much glitter glue and some play-doh hearts, but nevertheless they were received with a mixture of fear and confusion  great delight and anticipation. What could be behind the potato-stamped wrapper? A macrame vase? A sequinned ornament? Or – the magnum opus as far as my crafting career was concerned – a stapled-together cushion with a picture of my mum and and emu lovingly (and incredibly accurately) rendered on the front?

The truth of the matter is, people always love to receive a handmade gift. Or at least they feel more compelled to pretend how much they LOVE it than they would if you gave them socks or soap. And for me, watching people scramble to overcompensate for their underlying horror with a theatrically feigned expression of delight is the true Christmas miracle. But I digress. Point is, there are actually some amazing gifts that you CAN make, with nary a pipecleaner or popstick in sight, and thankfully for us (and my traumatized  family members) there are some wonderful bloggers who have taken the time to show us how. Here are five of my favourite blogger-DIY creations of 2011.

1. A PAIR AND A SPARE. Because anything glitter will sit in pole position, always – and because Geneva is an all-round AMAZING D.I.Y. Queen – her take on MIU MIU GLITTER BOOTS:

image via Harper's Bazaar Australia

2. HONESTLY, WTF? Ummm, obsessed with cobalt, did I mention?Honestly WTF’s take on COBALT COLOUR BLOCKING being a) no exception and b) genius comes in at number two.

image via Honestly WTF

3. STYLE HURRICANE. Pretty sure this one gets the award for most profesh-looking D.I.Y. project ever – Style Hurricane’s version of the JIL SANDER MARKET BAG is third on my list.

image via Style Hurricane

4. DREAM AND DRESS. Ok, so perhaps I’d prefer it if you could  knock me up a D.I.Y. 3.1 Phillip Lim handbag, but this ROPE NECKLACE is a pretty good consolation prize.

image via Dream & Dress

5. PARK & CUBE. Too crafty for words, this version of a KARLA SPETIC ‘CARDUOGAN’ is utterly lush and clever – this girl has serious skillz.

image via Park & Cube

image via Karla Spetic

Happy Christmas-Countdown Bunnies! x

Inspiration: MERCURIAL ACCENTS

A quick inspiration/procrastination post….because when I am trying to write a literature review, my mind naturally wanders to more pressing matters…like how I need silver toes. You do too? Snap. x

image via Garance Dore

Alexander Wang ‘Devere’ Bag

image via Hype Maniac

 BAPE Silver Metallic Bapesta88 Kicks

image via Jak & Jil blog

Silver Fingers.

image via Studded Hearts

ASOS Silver Leather Pants

image via Le Fashion Image

Silver Toes.

image via Studded Hearts

Gillian Zanseri.

image via Net-a-Porter

Miu Miu Silver Patent Mary Janes.