Cat's Corner

When I left school and went to study Art & Design at college, I discovered a passion for clothing and accessories.  I wanted to stand out from the crowd and show off my creativity!  The only problem was, of course, that I only had a part time job at Mark One (MK One as it is now) and most of my cash was spent on bus fare or driving lessons!  So I discovered charity shops…

I remember my first purchase being a vintage faux-fur coat, which was fantastic value and kept me warm at the bus stop too!  From then on, a friend and I would raid the high street charity shops near our college once a week and try to find unusual, vintage and designer items at bargain prices.  Nothing amazing to report, but we certainly had enough clothing and accessories to keep us looking funky for two years of art college!

The pattern continued into University, where my most memorable find was a 70s red leather biker jacket that’s still in my cupboard today!  When I came home from Uni and finally got my drivers license, I started to visit local car boot sales and built up a fantastic collection of vintage handbags, necklaces and bracelets!  My trophy find being a beautiful genuine Mulberry handbag at the bargain price of £10 – I nearly passed out with the excitement!!

Even though it’s been several years since I stopped being a student, I still can’t resist the lure of the secondhand bargain!  I work in a creative Marketing role, where I am lucky enough to still be able to dress in a creative manner (although no more fur coats!) – shopping secondhand allows me to keep a bigger wardrobe at a lower cost, so I can afford to be versatile.  Not only that, I love that it means I’m unlikely to bump into someone else wearing the same or similar items of clothing! 

Recent charity shop finds include a Chanel silk scarf and a Radley handbag!  Of course, nowadays it’s become popular to shop vintage and there’s less out there from the 60s, 70s and 80s – but half the fun is in the thrill of the hunt! 

Here are some of my treasured finds:

Well I’m having a very exciting day so far in relation to Trollbeads!!  First off, a guest blog I wrote for Trollbeads UK went live today – read it here.

Then I had an email from TB HQ to say that my People’s Bead 2010 entry – a camera design entitled ‘Capture the Moment’ – had made it into the top 100 designs!  I’ve won a bracelet, lock and the winning bead :O)  I’m verrrrrry excited indeed!  View the top 100 and the finalists here.

Read all my posts about Trollbeads here.

Well, the long awaited review of my Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Shoes Ultragirl Bow Flats is finally here!  I also decided to trial a pair of Melissa Ultragirl IV alongside them, you know, just to make it fair ;o)

As you may have read here before*, I’ve been waiting a long time for these Vivienne Westwood beauties as hubby hid them away for my birthday! And they don’t disappoint!  They’re so beautiful that I’m forever bumping into things because I’m staring at the floor and not at where I’m headed!  I also don’t get anywhere very quickly, because people are always stopping to ask where I got my gorgeous shoes!

So, what are they like to wear?  Well, they’re extremely comfortable, thanks to the wonders of the Melflex material they’re made from, which conforms to the shape of your foot for a custom fit.  They’ve been great worn at work, smart daytime occasions and nights out as well.  I never thought I’d go out dancing in flats but I haven’t worn heels since I got them!

Perhaps I shouldn’t have bought the regular Ultragirl flats as well (mine are model IV), but I was intrigued to see if there was any difference…and there is!  The IVs are actually even more comfortable because they have a padded lining that offers more support underfoot and stops your feet getting as hot as the flat liner in the VWs.  I’m sad to say as well, that the lovely pattern inside the VWs has started to wear away already and I’ve only had them for three weeks.  This isn’t a big problem obviously, but given the price I didn’t expect it to happen. 

Otherwise they’re pretty similar – both are scented with the signature bubblegum smell and the shape seems to be identical – I guess Vivienne Westwood customised them from Melissa Shoes’ original design. 

I am totally in love with the VWs and I would definitely recommend them if you’re looking for a beautiful pair of flats – I’m sure like me, you’d get lots of wear out of them.  Click here to buy them from a retailer in the UK.

If you’re on a budget, or are not worried about the extra detail on the VWs, the regular Melissas will also serve you very well, if not in quite as beautiful a way!  I got mine on eBay for a great price ;o)

*Read all of my posts about Melissa Shoes here.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d visited the Filofax store on Neal Street, London.  It was my first visit and I was hoping to pick up an A5 hole punch for my desk planner – I wasn’t disappointed…

On arriving at the door, hubby elected to stay outside, but quickly followed me in when he realised I may need a little ‘taming’ before I got near the cash register!!  The ladies in the store were very friendly, chatty and helpful and even recognised me from Twitter and Flickr!  They gave me room to check out the stock without hassling me, but were there when I had questions - perfect service! 

Row upon row of all things Filo were on offer, even Filofax handbags – very tempting!  I managed to resist the beautiful displays, but I did get my punch, plus some dividers and an envelope for my personal sized filo.  The punch was a necessity for work, where I clutch my A5 Balmoral like my life depends on it – I’d been getting through so many packs of paper it seemed a good investment.  I’ve started by using up some old A5 letter-writing papers, which make for good scribble sheets!

Plus, I’ve been able to organise the Personal sized vintage filo that I carry around for everyday use.  I’ve used the dividers to separate out maps and general info for when I’m travelling, a monthly diary to plan my hectic social life, birthdays reminders (for all the cards I hand make!), notes and finances, blog notes and sketches.  I’ve also added the new envelope at the back to keep track of expenses receipts – no more lost train tickets ;o)

I’ve recently filled my Shaeffer propelling pencil with 2B leads so I can get more enjoyment out of sketching, and I’ve celebrated by drawing out a front cover that matches my calling cards from Moo:

If this post has given you the urge to get some new accessories, check out a range of Filofax organisers and accessories online here.

Read other posts about my Filofaxes here

As I mentioned in my birthday post, I visited the Crocs store on Neal Street in London this week!  This store, though not huge, is well stocked and nicely designed for browsing and choosing your new shoes.  The staff were friendly and approachable and we were pleasantly surprised to be offered a freeJibbitz on signing up the mailing list!

Since hubby and I have both recently got new pairs (matching Mammoth slipper Crocs!) we resisted the urge to buy any more, instead choosing a fewJibbitz for my Mammoths and hubby’s Caymans, which are now not only bright orange but also covered in yellow smiley faces…hmm!  Thank goodness his new favourites are a more subtle pair of khaki Modi Clog Crocs!

I would recommend Neal Street but warn you not to expect the entire range of Crocs, as it’s not a particularly large store – however you will find a decent selection of women’s, men’s and kids.  Well worth a visit if you’re in the area and you’re a fan like me!!

Read all my posts about Crocs here!

Last weekend was my birthday and I am happy to report that I was totally spoilt rotten!!  I finally got my hands on those yummy Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Melissa Shoes (brown bow flats) – thank you hubby :O)  I was also treated to two Trollbeads from my Dad – black armadillo and 3rd eye chakra – which look stunning on my black/gold/purple combo!  A friend also sent me a beautiful artisan bead, a reddy purple armadillo that is just gorgeous and my Mum gave me a rather scrummy iPod shuffle in a lovely aqua colour!  Very spoilt indeed…

My birthday celebrations included a LOT of eating, seeing Toy Story 3 in 3D, visiting Lord Snowdon’s ‘In Camera’ photography exhibition and spending a day up in London.  I visited the Neal Street stores of Crocs and Filofax and bought a beautiful vintage laboradite and silver ring in the Covent Garden antiques market!  I will blog reviews of the two stores and my fabulous new shoes in the near future – keep an eye out!

If my love of jelly shoes and plastic jewellery wasn’t enough of a hint, my love of Filofax should tell you I’m a child of the 80s!  I grew up in an era where business women wore pencil skirts, shiny patent court shoesand huge shoulder padded suit jackets – but there was one accessory all these women couldn’t be without – a Filofax!

I seem to remember it started for me with a Mickey Mouse organiser and I worked my way through the years with a variety of sizes and colours, taking a see-through pink jelly mini organiser with me to University.  When I graduated and set up my business in 2003 I took a trip into London with a friend and we visited the flagship store of Paperchase in Tottenham Court Road.  If you like stationery you will, like us, have hours of fun in this store!  It was there that I spotted an A5 black leather Balmoral Filofax(below) half price in the sale (around £60 from £120).  What a bargain!  As a busy freelance photographer it was the perfect place to store my appointments, client details, job notes, business cards and financial information.  Now, seven years on, it still serves me well in my job as a Marketing Exec and is the perfect place to plan my busy work schedule.  If you have a job that requires planning, a hefty A5 Filofaxwill be a great asset – choose a leather one for longevity.

Over the years I’ve cleared out many of my older Filofaxes but I still have four others that I chop and change year to year as a social life diary.  In the past I’ve favoured the mini and pocket sizes for their compact size in my handbag but more recently I’ve rediscovered the personal size.  This is big enough to use comfortably for notes, diary, and in my case, the odd sketch or two, whilst still fitting into most of my handbags.  I use mine for fun but I think it would be just as well suited to business use.

I’ve tried to use digital planners, like Psion, Palm and iPaq but they just don’t suit me – I like a to-do list that I can satisfactorily scribble out each time I’ve completed a task!  It’s an essential for me to always have a pen and paper to hand – Filofax fills that need!

If you’re like me, or you’d just like to give it a go, grab yourself a Filofax here!

View more pictures of my Filofaxes on Flickr here or read all my Filofax posts here.

You might remember a while back I customised my silver Prima Crocs with ribbons (here).  I also have a pair in gold and couldn’t resist giving them the same treatment!

A friend in the USA told the girls in her local Lush store about my Crocs ribbons and now they all wear them too!  It’s simple – just choose your favourite colour ribbons, tie a knot across two of the holes, double knot, tie the ribbon and double tie so they don’t come undone when you’re out and about (this was a bit of an embarrassing discovery first time round!).  Finally make sure they’re even and cut the loose ends to size.

Crocs Prima comes in many different colours – get yours from Amazon UK here or directly from Crocs below:

Read all my posts about Crocs here!

As I’ve been offline for a week I thought it only fair to treat you to two Trollbeads combos! The first is to complement a fantastic vintage amber necklace I found at the car boot sale this morning. It’s also partly inspired by the tribal theme that’s all over the fashion magazines at the moment – hope you like!

Clockwise from Flower Lock: artisan stopper, artisan silver, tibet ornament, ooak, Tupilak (big), alabaster amber, Grey Wolf, Lions, jasper, ooak amber, china LE silkworm, ooak amber, china LE white jade, Koala, Fur Animal, alabaster amber, winter, brown bud, vivienne, tupilak (small).

The second is more playful, inspired by the orange dress/purple leggings combo I’m wearing today – I teamed it with my most precious gold and silver beads to give it a classy twist…

Clockwise from Mexico lock: Fairy, stopper, tibet kyang, Orange Armadillo, G, Silver Trace (Pink), space, ooak, around the world, khaki stripe, daisy, Purple Stripe, gold endless, ooak, Planet (small), LE crazy lace agate, C, striped bud, ooak, Lucky Knot.

Get your Trollbeads bracelet from a UK stockist here.

When I first started my Trollbeads collection, I decided I’d start with a necklace chain, so that I could build up my collection slowly (ha!)…well anyway I’m sure you’ve figured out the rest, but whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been collecting for a while, here are ten reasons why you need a necklace (you can thank me later!)…

1. If you’re starting out, a necklace looks great on its own or with a single bead
2. If you already have a bracelet, you can match a necklace with just one bead
3. Mix and match Trollbeads with other pendants for a unique look
4. Share unisex pendants with the man in your life (if you can bear to!)
5. Showcase your special or favourite beads by moving them to your neckline
6. When you feel like showing off, put your whole collection around your neck!
7. Make use of other charms too, eg the Thomas Sabo charm carrier that fits perfectly!
8. If you work with your hands, a necklace will keep your beads safe from knocks
9. Show off a big bead, e.g. a fantasy ooak, by placing it in the centre of your necklace
10. If you were collecting a different brand of charms before you discovered trolls, this way you can still wear both!

Get your necklace chain from a UK Trollbeads retailer here.

Tip:  If you have long hair or plan to wear lots of beads at once, I wouldn’t recommend the small basic lock.  My hair gets caught around this lock and if you’re wearing lots of beads, Troll themselves recommend a bigger lock to ensure it will take the weight.  Why not go for a larger lock like one of these?

Here are some of my necklace combos for inspiration (click for a larger view):

Want to read more about my Trollbeads collection?  Read all the Troll posts here.