Shoegazer Haul

Here is a roundup of some of the lovely things I’ve come into the possession of recently – whether through receiving them as presents or treating myself to them . . .

Antique wooden peg doll (late 1800s/early 1900s?):

As I have mentioned here before, I have been on the lookout for an antique, wooden peg doll since I was a little girl and used to love watching a little cartoon called Pinny’s House which told the story of a little peg doll that came to life and had adventures. Having had no luck whatsoever finding a peg doll in the many antique shops I visit, I decided to turn to eBay and my luck was in. I won an auction for not one but TWO antique peg dolls, one of which I kept and one my mum now owns as she had been looking for one too. Naturally, my doll is called Pinny :) 

Goat figure:

In October 2010 my brother and his partner moved to Hong Kong following my brother’s promotion at work, so for Christmas I was treated to some unusual little finds they had come across in a shop they said would be right up my street. Firstly, this little goat is a very good representation of a real goat (but hopefully not made of real goat fur?? THE HORROR!) and my brother said he couldn't resist getting it for as goats were my favourite animal when we were little.

 

Green Chalcedony Ring:

LOVE! I got this faceted Green Chalcedony ring as a Christmas present and have rarely taken it off since! The aqua tone of the green is beautiful and the unpolished silver setting gives it an edge.
Jointed wooden bear:
This jointed wooden bear (which reminds me slightly of the Black Forest bears) sits quite happily wherever I chose to place him and is a lovely addition to my collection of homeware and ornaments. He was another gift from Hong Kong.
 

Antique typewriter (1920s?)

I got this amazing piece of vintage writing machinery for my 25^th birthday back in September 2010 as a present from my parents. I love it, but it is incredibly heavy! I can't wait to find the perfect place for it when I get my own place :)

Hope you enjoyed that round-up :) x

Shoegazer's Gift Guide: Christmas 2010

Hello Shoegazers! Have I got an epic post for you today or what? (I'll give you a clue, the answer ISN'T "or what"). I've been trawling the Internet day-in-day-out to bring you this extensive Gift Guide in the hope of helping you find the perfect present for friends / family / your boyfriend / that weirdo you know... See what you think and, as ever, feedback is always greatly appreciated! Right, let's get stuck in to the goods:

For the: animal lover . . .

Above: How could anyone resist these cute and quirky knitted hats for cats. From bear ears to party hats to devil horns, treat the moggy you know to a stylin' new bit of headwear this Christmas - they will appreciate the warmth no end when they're out catching meeces on those snowy winter nights. Meow!

For the: friend with quirky taste . . .

Above: "All I want for christmas is..... a knitted dissected frog." If you can imagine someone you know musing in such a fashion, then BINGO! Here you go... one knitted dissected frog served up on a platter.

Above: Oh yes... Hi-5 mittens. What more could ANYONE want EVER? From Kate Spade.

For the: fan of headwear . . . 

Above: Perfect for the friend or sister who loves to adorn her head with gorgeous hats and faschinators whatever the occasion, these beautiful creations are from Zara Carpenter.

For the: boyfriend or brother . . .

Above: Who doesn't like a drop or two of booze during party season?! Spoil your man with this silver hip flask... whilst reminding him just what he's doing to himself. Bwahahaaaa. From ShotWell.

Above: I love this men's travel jewellery case from Heals. Your man can store his cuff links, watch and all sorts in this handy leather box...  MADE OF WIN!

Above: This sky-scraper scarf from Donna Wilson is perfect for the city-boy with a quirky sense of style.

Above: Entice your boyfriend into doing the drying up by treating him (and yes a well-designed tea towel can be a treat as a present!) to this mischivious item. Just make sure you run a mile if you see him spinning the cloth, otherwise.... OWCH!

For the: home-maker

Above: Setting the table for breakfast would be much more satisfying if you knew you would be eating your eggs from such a cute little set from LAMA. 

 

Above: I love Jonathan Adler's ceramics so much and WILL own a piece one day... if you know a ceramic-nut, why not light their pipe with this jaunty match-holder.

Above: You've heard of a tea-cozy? Well this adorable little teapot comes with a cute spin on the tea-cozy format... it's very own little hat!!!

Above: It's a stag head... it's cable knit... it's A-flippin-MAZING. By the brilliant Rachael Denny. 

Above: Calm-a-llama-down... by sitting on it. Who wouldn't want to find this llama cushion nestled under there tree??

Above: Snap up a print such as this "Wedged in Fashion" one from Little Doodles whose little birds are currently appearing in Vogue the world over!

For the: fashionista book worm

Above: Discover the inspiration behind some of Anna Sui's prints, dresses and designs in this hard back book.... mmmm, books.

Above: Luella Bartley spills the beans on how English girls are so damn chic in this lovely book... (mm-hmm, that's right, us English girls have got it goin' oooonnnnn). A perfect coffee table book perhaps? Yum.

Above: Fans of the wonderful Fifi Lapin will already be desperate to get their paws on this gorgeous book. If you aren't familiar with the blog, be sure to check it out. The book would make a great gift for a fashion-fan as Fifi models all the latest trends to perfection!

For the: magpie!

Above: Bambi & Snowflake’s affordable harness necklace (as featured in Grazia magazine and also available in plain gold, silver and gunmetal) will set off the simplest Christmas party outfit and tell everyone how fashion-forward you really are... treat yourself or perhaps a friend or sister this festive season. Go on. You know you want to...

 

Above: KNOCK KNOCK! It's a ring... with a working knocker! Woooow. By Pat Kim.

 

Above: Earrings and brooches made completely from paper (except the fixtures) by Essimer. Devine!

 
 Above: Know someone green-fingered? No? Well you will if you buy this garden ring from Woodland Belle. Sorted. Perhaps to repay you for your generocity the reciever could swear an oath to do all your weeding for a year? BONUS!

Above: A teeny-tiny butterfly sitting on a mini-mushroom and hanging round the wearer's neck for all to admire. Scoop one up from Woodland Belle.

Ps. Many thanks to all the online shops, etsy sites, blogs and websites that have produced or written about these lovely things. Merry Christmas! x

Visual treats

Just a quick post today with some visual treats from FFFFound:

 Above: A cloudy friend

Above: Seriously cool nail varnish packaging design

 Above: Party hard...

Above: Awwwww. This kitten reminds me of the carol singing rabbit in the Muppets Christmas Carol.

Shoegazer Fashion Finds: Unique AW10 / Animal headwear

Time for something a little less 'realistic'. Today's second AW10 Fashion pick is Unique, who styled their collection with some whimsical animal headwear... which got me thinking, if you did want to recreate this look, what's out there to help you? So here, along with images of the Unique collection, are some Shoegazer Finds that fit with the theme.

Above: Mister Tumnuss IS Narnia's Next Top Model.

So, here are the finds I came across. Crimp your hair, stick these on your head and you're well away....

Above: This Racoon mask is from Captain Cat.

Above: Leather fox mask from teonova

Above: A simple antler headband, secured with elastic. From faerywhere

And finally... the obvious option:

Above: Dig out your novelty christmas antlers. Sorted.  

Shoegazer finds: Year of the Tiger

The Chinese New Year has bought with it the year of the Tiger so to celebrate, here are some tiger-based finds to get your teeth into. Fact: Apparently the Tiger wards off the three biggest household threats - fire, theft and ghosts... so you can sleep safe for a year without the threat of fire breathing burglar ghosts. WIN! Enjoy... 

Above: This vibrant, clean cut Tiger print comes from DutchFloor and would look great in amongst a cluster of framed prints.

Above: Baxter the Tiger comes from the wonderful Etsy shop NoneSuchGarden. Puuurfect.

Above: It's the yeeeear...of the tigerrrr! (Who can resist a bit of Eye of the Tiger based word play this year?). This Tigerrrrrrrr print comes from KaizenCollective.  I love the block print over the patterned background.

 

Above: Possibly the cutest Tiger find of this crop, this little plushie Lucky Tiger comes from MeMeCraftWork.  

Above: Why not get some personalised Tiger book plates? Who knew Tigers were so resourceful with their tails?! These are from Oiseaux.

Above: This quirky Tiger loves nothing better than laying back and flying his kite. If you like kite Tigers, visit Erinaellis.

Above: Pick up this print of a very stately Tiger from Berkley Illustration. He's such a cad!

Above: Lastly, the smallest of today's finds... this Tiny Tiger comes from VioletPi. Meow :)

x