Wednesday 28 April 2010

Simple Shoes... simply brilliant!

Sometime before Christmas I won a Simple Shoes competition, and I won a free pair of shoes from their website of my choice. Since my shoes arrived I have been wearing them almost everyday, for around 6 months... and I can honestly say that they are the comfiest shoes I have ever worn! Also, for them to survive 6 months of solid wear is impressive - by now any other shoe of mine would have split or worn away inside leading to pain, blisters and misery. But they still feel just as comfortable as the day the delightful shoes arrived with the postman.
The great thing about Simple Shoes is that they only use recycled or sustainable materials to make their shoes. They make buttons out of coconut shells, recycled carpet padding to make the shoes extra squishy and soft inside, they use recycled plastic bottles, and recycled car tyres for the outer soles to name but a few of the materials. So, really there are no reasons why you shouldn't be a Simple Shoes convert: the shoes are comfy, made from eco-friendly materials and processes, hard-wearing, and look great! I have got my next pair of Simple Shoes lined up and ready to go (shoes below) for when the ones I've got at the moment decide to give out... but they have already survived over 6 months of wear so I might be waiting a long time before I get to wear the new ones!


Monday 26 April 2010

Recycling newspaper doesn't have to be a chore

On my little commute into central London this morning I noticed the Metro newspapers scattered in every train carriage and on the station and it made me think... how many thousands of Metro's are thrown away every day? There must be a better was of using all this paper than simply throwing it away. My boyfriend recycled some of his old NME magazines he had lying around by revamping his guitar. So, instead of throwing your newspaper away or sorting it into recycling bins, recycle it a little closer to home.

It can be as simple or as complicated as you like, and almost anything can be transformed with a few pages of newspaper and a little sprinkling of creativity. Here are some of the ideas other people have come up with to recycle newspapers and put them to good use on Etsy.com to get your creative juices flowing...

EsmeDodsworthDesign makes pendants with decoupaged newspaper letters.
SewDanish makes newspaper woven baskets.

RushofWings makes biodegradable newspaper seedling pots.

JustLiv made this cute newspaper bow alice band.

ThailandCraft makes these brilliant little models out of the newspapers.

Sunday 25 April 2010

Trip to the zoo

I went to Chessington with The Style PA today, it was really quiet due to the weather and the London Marathon, so we managed to go on all the rides we wanted to, which left us with plenty of time to enjoy the zoo. Here are some of my favourite photos from our visit...

Me feeding the lorikeets


hmm... does a beak suit me? I'm not so sure!

This little Mara wasn't camera shy

Sumatran Tiger

Harly showing off his Sealion skills

my favourite photo, I love how the leopard's face is totally in focus and the rest is blurred.

Saturday 24 April 2010

I love Oliver Bonas - kitchenware

I'm currently staying in London with my sister and I have discovered the joys of Oliver Bonas... there are so many lovely things I want for my kitchen! They have such a lovely range of the good old kitchenware basics and the quirky, cute and beautiful that I really just can't help myself! Here are a few of my favourite items from the website:

Polka dot milk pan - I'm pretty sure that a hot chocolate prepared in this delightful pan would taste far better than one prepared in an ordinary pan...
Spatula Chopping Board - I love silicone spatulas, they are so much better than wooden spoons, virtually indestructible and colourful!
Cupcake cases set - every self respecting cupcake would want to be adorned with one of these lovely cupcake cases!
Regency cake stand - The perfect stand to serve my next batch of coconut and cherry cupcakes on I think.

Topshop's New Make Up Range

I was lucky enough to accompany my sister to the launch of Topshop's new make up range. The core range is totally up my street, for a start the packaging was made for me - the polka dots! For me the only truly essential item I have to have is a good eyeliner. Topshop have definitely appealed to me with both the pencil eyeliners and the liquid liner. The pencils come in a variety of shades, my favourites include Bolt, Coal and Petrol. I had a little play with them, and they are beautifully smooth, easily blended and just lovely to use in general. Their liquid liner is great as well, it's almost like a felt tip pen and it is just so easy and fun to use.

The range is available from May 2010, and the price range is £4-£12. You will be able to buy it from selected stores and online at Topshop's website. Needless to say will eagerly be awaiting my chance to get my hands on the lovely new eyeliners in May!

Wednesday 21 April 2010

The Pipettes Vs Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen!

The Pipettes are back! They have ditched the 50's inspired sound and polka dots for a more 80's disco feel... but that doesn't make me love them any less (if anything, I love them more now)! They still have the fun, pop songs that make you want to dance. Their new single Stop The Music and Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen are brilliant, catchy and fun... I couldn't help but dance and sing along. When it is released I will be first in line for the long awaited second album: Earth Vs The Pipettes, and if you like disco-pop songs that make you want to dance then I suggest you do the same... Earth look out! Here come The Pipettes!


Ani - I love her dress. Fits in with the space theme nicely.

Gwenno

Pulling Shapes... The ladies didn't disappoint and I was up joining them in no time!

Colin, the mascot for the gig.

There were two support bands, Angry Vs The Bear was one of them (or Angry Vs The Hair from the sheer volume of the do's they were sporting!). Described as "frantic, noisy, fizzy electro pop punk", they were very good, but a lot of their songs sounded very similar to the next one and the one before it. But overall, definitely worth a listen.

The first support band were Safari, and I have been desperately trying to locate their Myspace, Twitter, website... anything, but to no avail! which is such a shame, because I thought they were absolutely brilliant! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for them when they start releasing material, and if anyone can find a link for me that would be fantastic. Every song had a slightly different sound to it, quirky lyrics, and were something that I would consider buying to add to my music collection.

Sunday 18 April 2010

Sunshine and Cake in Wandsworth Common

I am visiting my lovely sister The Style PA in London for two weeks while I am on placement at London Aquarium. It was my first day and the weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky and definitely T-shirt and shorts temperature! So me and Jenny headed along to Wandsworth Common and stopped off at Crumpet for an icy cold Coke and a slice of cake.

Icy cold Coke and scrummy carrot cake!

close up... the lemon icing was lovely!

To finish off our afternoon and to enjoy the sunshine to the fullest we spread a blanket in the common, ate olives, and did crossword puzzles... what can I say? we live life on the edge!