Happy Hallowe'en!

I'm not a very good Hallowe'en participant. I didn't dress up and I don't have any candy in the house, I didn't carve a pumpkin and I'm not planning to watch any scary movies..
However Hallowe'en does mean a bank holiday here, so I had a lovely long weekend with these guys:

Mr. Ukulele and Mr. Knitting!

I've wanted to learn an instrument for so long but I kept putting it off because lessons are quite pricey. But fortunately, the ukulele is super easy to learn online! I used to play drums but I've never played a stringed instrument before. Over the weekend I've learned to play along with "Foundations" by Kate Nash and "In Five Years Time" by Noah and the Whale - it's so exciting! If you've ever thought about learning an instrument try a ukulele, it's fun and so satisfying to be able to learn a tune so fast. I've just been strumming away all day long with a big smile on my face. I can feel myself growing some callouses on my fingertips already, soon I'll be just like a pro.

Aside from ukulel-ing I also had time to finish another knitted Christmas present.

I got the pattern for this knitted kitty here. Hmm, now that I look at it, the original looks a lot better than mine.

Luckily this little guy is a present for my friend's baby daughter Sadhbh, so I don't think she'll mind too much if he's a tiny bit wonky. Kudos to any non-Irish reader who can guess how the name "Sadhbh" is pronounced!


Did you do anything fun for Hallowe'en? Or do you like to hide like I do?

Double Indemnity

I posted a couple of months ago about attending a Film Fatale screening of Roman Holiday (original post here!) The idea is that you dress up as a character from the movie or in clothes from the era, and everyone there made such a big effort! I was blown away, everybody looked incredible. Well next week Film Fatale is on again, and the film they're screening is Double Indemnity, made in 1944. I'm so excited! The dress I'm going to wear is my grandmother's wedding dress, which she had custom-made. I love it, and I can't believe what a good fit it is! 

vintage dress // Topshop boots

I'm planning to try to put pin curls in my hair, but I'm not very good at hair styling (particularly vintage styles which seem very tricky). If it works out I'll try to take another picture for the full effect!

               

I love the detail on the collar and the buttons are beautiful, they're all hand covered with the same silk as the dress.

H&M tippet // vintage bag

My new favourite fur wrap from H&M will of course be making an appearance. And how pretty are these pockets? This is seriously the most flattering dress I've ever worn. I don't consider it just an old fashioned dress to wear as part of a costume, I would certainly wear it day to day - I'm just a little worried that even to have it dry-cleaned might damage it. So I wear it sparingly!

Do you have any family heirlooms that you still love to wear? Or are you dressing up this weekend for Hallowe'en?

*It looks in a couple of the pictures like there is a stain on the bottom of the dress but it's just a splash of rainwater, phew!

Hair-to-do

I've been so thrilled some recent lovely blog comments about my hairstyle. I am obsessed with my hair - in that I am never, ever happy with it. It has a strong wave through it which has been the bane of my life, and it has never done what I wanted it to. 

I've tried so many styles in my search for "the hairstyle" - the one that I'll love, that will make me feel gorgeous, the one that I won't have to beat my hair into submission to achieve. A selection of my past hair styles:

*please excuse my silly face in these, they are for hair-illustrative purposes only!

Most recent was the long blonde hair which I chopped up into a crop last February. That was fun! I wanted to see what would happen - and now that I've seen it I want it long again! Not because I don't like it, but because I want CHANGE. This photo of Michelle Williams was the inspiration for my crop. I love her! And I still love this cut - I may return to it one day. 

Next up I'm thinking of something like this - a bob with a fringe, then just keep it like that until it's long again! But maybe red. Or maybe dark brown (which is my natural hair colour). The other problem is that my hair grows super slowly. So many hairstyles, so little time!

So do you think you've found your ideal 'do? Would you go for a crop? (I must say it was a scary step). Are you ever tempted to make a huge change?

Faux fur and peter pan

Vero Moda dress // H&M faux fur wrap // Aldo boots

Please please someone stop me buying any more clothes? I've wanted a faux fur wrap and wedge ankle boots since the summer and now that I have them I declare myself all shopped out for the Autumn!

I've had a Vero Moda voucher in my wallet since June however, and in their sale today I finally found something worth spending €15 on... I got this cute peter pan dress in the sale.

If I mention one more purchase between now and Christmas please chastise me severely?

Knitting and news

I've been very neglectful of the crafting element of my blog so far! I love making things, and I dabble in lots of different crafts - sewing, pattern making, painting, felting, printing, cross-stitch.. at the moment my love is knitting! It's so relaxing and yet productive. At the moment I'm knitting this hat for my boyfriend's Christmas present (yes I like to start early!) It's from this pattern:  basket weave hat on the cute Kody May Knits blog, and it's super simple. I love basket weave. It looks great but you don't have to concentrate too hard while you're knitting.

My other current project is a patchwork blanket that I've been working on between other projects for literally three years now. It's multicoloured and lots of different stitches. One day it will be finished.. here are some of the squares I've done so far! There is nothing so enjoyable at this time of year as sitting by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate, knitting and watching some fab tv (aka X Factor).

In non-crafting news, I am thrilled to have been chosen as a featured blogger on the really lovely Wrinkle in Time Vintage blog. I'm not sure what date it will be posted but I will put up a link when it goes live!

Are any of you guys crafters or planning to make some cute handmade gifts for Christmas this year? Am I the only one who starts thinking about Christmas this early?!