Ribbon and Thread - Day 12, Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

My fancy is always tickled by the awesomeness of Etsy. I can get lost in its quirky, creative pages for hours on end. If you want to feel that this global village is a little smaller, then all you need is a little smaller then all you need to do is order something from one of its variety of sellers - you will receive service beyond anything you would expect from any local store. I have yet to receive a piece from a blessed etsy seller that was not originally (and beautifully) packaged, with a personalised note - long live customer service and the human touch.

And so I would love to invite you to meet (and browse the wares of) my new favourite etsy seller: Ribbon and Thread. I am a huge fan of the handy canvas holdall and own a varied collection myself - cute, good for the environment, better than the crappy old plastic packet - Bags for Life are the way forward, and this stylish collection is too good to turn down. Hand made (with much love) by my dear friend Bridget, each one is hand painted with unique designs. The totes are trendy, arty and well made. Being, sadly, artistically mediocre at best myself, I marvel at what Bridget produces. Next payday I will be putting in my order (I am a sucker for the London print) and I urge you to do the same - the fun Bubble design for a friend to haul around her vintage shopping finds, the sneaker design for a college student's book bag, or one of the birds for Nana's knitting.

Just a bit of Joan

The weekend was a total write off thanks to the fact that quasimodo decided to move out of the belfry and onto my eyelid...I have a huge sty which no amount of Golden Eye antibiotics or Jackie O sunglasses can apparently camoflage. Hence, I have had a weekend on the couch with Don and Betty Draper, Joan Holloway and the rest at Stirling Cooper. I have pretty much buried myself in the Mad Men box set, hiding my shameful peeper in a fugue of sixties cigarettes, slips, bourbon and sexism...

For those of you who have never watched the dirty indulgence that is Mad Men basically the show is a slick, sexy depiction of the world of advertising, and linked parts of American society and culture, in the 1960s. It's an education - just how far away is 40 years? At times the opinions and beliefs of the characters seem ridiculously quaint and old fashioned, at others the process of seeing opinions held and defended so long ago, allows you the cathartic realisation that in some aspects we haven't come that far at all.

A while ago I posed the question on my Facebook status (the Magic Eightball of modern times):

Can I be a modern woman and still want Don Draper?

Perhaps an easier question to answer is, can a modern woman still want to look like Joan Holloway?

Played by Christina Hendricks, Joan is a powerhouse of a woman. Perfectly put together, she is not the obvious feminist heroine, and her pandering to the men in the office at times borders on the sycophantic, however there is no doubt that the lady knows how to get what she wants (most of the time). And she is a style icon. Her clothes make me long for a time when dressing was an art. She lived in a time when the roles of gender were easily definable, and when ideas of what each looked like were pretty set in stone too. I can do without the gender stereotyping, thanks very much, but god, what I wouldn't do for those clothes! I am the queen of low maintanence, throw on outfits, however, after a weekend with Joan, I am desperate for a little bit more femme fatale, a little less happy hippy...

My Joan inspired wish list:

Giovanni Gold Brooch

Diana Vintage look pencil dress - custom made

Vintage Pen Necklace

A letter to my Liebe

The love letter is not dead! How do I know? Because the other day I played a little part in delivering one. I was getting on my train to go home the other evening, and I saw a cream envelope tucked into one of the seats. I extracted it, and it was addressed to someone in Berlin, but not yet sealed. Inside there was a letter in German, that was addressed Liebe. A few years ago my lovely friend Yvette bought me a little heart shaped pin that says Liebe on it. And so I know that it said Love. It was also signed with a kiss - and I think this may have been an adolescent kiss, as it was done with glitter lip gloss :) The letter had a faint scent that seemed lightly laced with violets.

The sweetness of this letter just plucked at my sense of romance (plus it was far enough after Valentines Day that I wasn't resenting the world's couples). So I decided to post it for this girl who had gone to all the effort of posting it. I hope it got there safely.

In tribute to the young lovers, I wore my Liebe pin yesterday, along with my favourite new bracelet. I bought it off etsy, and now I want a necklace to match!

Peachy Keen

I have never been the biggest fond of peach...It reminds me of eighties weddings ( above: me as a flower girl in '86), and the frilly toilet roll covers favoured by grannies. However, lately I see it catching my eye. First, I saw this hopelessly girly, romantic tunic listed on Etsy - its all in the whimsy value I tell you. I then started seeing little bits of it I liked all over the place. (All items can be found when searching for Peach on Etsy). I even found myself coveting peach SHOES the other day - whatever next?!

However, I have not as yet given in to wearing any. I am just not sure if I am 'a peach'. While incredibly pretty I am just not sure I am that much of a girl. Give me your thoughts on this here femme dilemma...

TuTu Fabulous

From something a little serious to something a lot frivolous! These are the first, sneak-peek pics of my magical birthday tutu! A few years ago I was flipping through channels and landed on the enviable image of Amy lee (of Evanescence) in a fantastic deep red tutu - it was mighty Cinderella goes Shirley Manson, and I fell a little in love. And so with my 26th (oh God) birthday approaching, I decided I wanted one of my very own. Where to turn but to the joys of Etsy and the expertise of Kristin of PrincessDoodleBeans.

Kristin, the designer and maker of many a little (and big) girls dream, was brilliant to work with. She patiently answered my million questions, indulged my many mind changes, and completed this wonderful work of tulle whimsy in record time. And so, now, it is winging its way to me via UPS and soon I should get my box full of flouncy, gauzy goodness!

The Bird of Tattooed Happiness

I just love this old school Sailor tattoo vibe - adore the fun graphics (not sure if I want to be covered in sailor like tattoos, but do love the artwork). I am wearing a little tattoo bird of bejeweled happiness today. She (this little swallow is sitting on a rose therefore must be a girl bird) arrived yesterday in a very special care package ordered on Etsy from the wonderful iamerica. It was described as a real gem and I must agree... the pin has a 3D look as the fabric has been puffed out and 'pooffed' to make it tactile little piece, and then just for the fun sparkly effect (I'm a magpie!) it has a few Swarovski crystals in just the right spots. works so with the multitude of jewel colours in my wardrobe. I love jewel colours...Sapphire blue, emerald green, ruby red, the purple of amethests...I think there are very few people who do not look fantastic in them. They are bold, striking and some what reminiscent of royalty and I think they all can pretty much go together too. My green cardie, which I thought was on its way to early retirement, got a happy little lift. It was just the sort of thing to cheer me up as I trudged into work this morning after my stirfry lunch leaked in my bag...the perfect grey antidote. I also tried it with my purple jacket, and that worked too - Yay!

The last picture is my tattoo inspired wishlist - all these items are available on Etsy from a variety of sellers when you search 'Sailor Tattoos'.