Living in a bubble

Sorry I haven't been around for some time, things have been pretty stressful at work which of course means I've been on a necklace-making spur. When I get anxious I feel the need to disconnect my mind and start doing things with my hands. This results in a shitload of jewellery (honestly, I haven't bought any accesories for the last two or three years) and no photographs to start moving it around nor energy to take samples to shops. A few retailers have asked me for necklaces and earrings but at the low prices they're expecting I don't know if I could be bothered. Since there's so much cheap and nasty stuff available they can't seem to see the difference between imported plastic stock and handcrafted labour-of-love type creations. So I got back to redesigning my jewellery site, which I hope to show you very soon.

Lately I've been working on handpainted pieces. I reuse pieces I like from broken or spoilt jewellery, paint and varnish them and try to turn them into something lovable; this is a new fad, as I get bored pretty quickly, so I've gone from pearls and gemstones to acrylic and wood. I'm presently wearing this one, which matches my weekly love for everything green:

Let's see if next week I can get some friends together and go for a photo shoot. All my friends are pretty unique-looking and fantastic for shoots, I'm just lucky like that. Also, one of them's a professional hairdresser and make-up artist, and she owes me one (or more) after repeatedly waking me up at unearthly hours to go and model for her make-up classes.

On another note, lots of stuff is going on. I had an interview and a test for a job in a local newspaper yesterday. Pay is crap (as journalism normally goes), and it's more of a translating post than a reporting one, but it would be nice to get some use out of my postgraduate degree, and I loved the place. Wish me luck! It would be great to get a job, at least 'till recession is over and I can get a decent income out of publishing, so I could just stop whining over money and having the usual panic attacks when paying-the-printer time comes.

Recently I've been hooked on Stylebubble. Susie Bubble is turning into my all-time heroine. The way she can effortlessly wear absolutely anything she wants (no matter how quirky or awful) and get away with it, apart from being strikingly attractive (sorry, I always had a thing for Chinese/English girls) and be an all round sweet person is kind of mind-blowing.

 

Seriously, how DOES she do it? I hate that body and that dress, but she manages to make them look like something wearable and fun. However, look what happens when she dress up for a wedding:

I adored the fact that such a beautiful dress was the result of a dry-cleaning disaster. Am I in love much? Methinks maybe. And talking about love, you just have to admire a pattern named after the wickedest man in the world, Mr. Aleister Crowley:

Great wallpaper by Katie Deedy featured on Interior Design. Also available in other colours, such as... wait for it... green!

Hello Steampunk

Steampunk, what's not to love? Tim Powers, Robert Rankin, victorian corsets, hobnailed boots and weird clockwork-driven contraptions. Personally, I adore it. There's so much revival going on, so much "let's go back to the 80's", it seems we're endlessly recycling the same stuff, so it's refreshing to find a fashion and design trend that respects true inventive and originality (and looks great in the process). Gianfranco Ferré created these fabulous heels inspired by steampunk brass and buckles:

Steampunk fashion is diverse, entwined in popular goth, punk and even lolita culture. It's all about mixing and experimenting: goggles, neckerchiefs, pirate inspired trousers, coils and cables, neovictorian headdresses, the only limit is your imagination:

 

More great photography by Kat Bret at her website.

Paul K. Stolen is a great scenic and costume designer who creates astounding sets and garments really worth a look. More at his website.

And since everything is better with bluetooth, why not adapt steampunk to modern technology? I found this on Geekologie:

And just when I thought "oh, it's about time someone created a steampunk house", I discovered Sara Carlstead Brumfield's blog, http://thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com, with a few spectacular pics. Whoever thought you could make a coffee table out of old Samsonite luggage?

Guilty pleasure

As I've always said, nothing like extremely high heels to make you feel stupid and glamorous at the same time:

Most things designed by Cristian Louboutin have a very special luxurious edge. These fantastic button booties could do with something chic to match. How about this? Just a little something from H&M's autumn-winter collection:

You could even have the complete outfit and go for a sexy Juicy Couture handbag:

But then, of course, you'd need the perfect place to lounge around wearing your perfect ensemble. You'd need something unique, maybe the inside of a Toyota Innova?

Not too keen on the exterior but, then again, nothing is ever totally perfect.