GIVEAWAY and Etsy obsession of the week: Vintage Willow

Hi guys,
Whenever I need inspiration, or just a feel-good half hour after a long day at work, I turn to Etsy. It's the perfect place to find quirky pieces, vintage charm, and wow at the talent of the people who host shops there, making awe-inspiring handmade loveliness. One such etsy shop is Vintage Willow which specialises in chunky oversized jewellery (my personal favourite kind) made out of tiny seed beads, with dramatic effect:



I asked Vickie, the creator of these gorgeous Vintage Willow pieces, a couple of quickfire questions:

When/why did you start making jewellery?
I started making them in or around the start of 2010. I was still a struggling Law student then in Sheffield, and I thought, maybe it's time to make some cash by doing what I love best, and that is making some good old-fashioned vintage-inspired jewelry.

What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from many places, but mainly my mom and the regular brunch sessions I have with her and my girlfriends. My mom's style is classic with clean lines - nothing too over the top but still enough to make an impact. Brunch sessions are a good time to observe what ladies around me are wearing, and also the look of fancy cakes and deserts and such inspire me too!

Who is your personal style icon?
My personal style icon would definitely be Victoria Beckham and Scarlett Johansson! Wherever they are, be it at the airport, red carpet, or just at brunch, they still manage to maintain an impeccable, casually cool yet classy look!

Favourite Designer?
Without a doubt Diane von Furstenberg! The clean lines of her dresses especially, makes every woman feel like a queen! Her outfits are tailored so well for a woman, especially with curves, and can bring us easily from the office to dinner and drinks to weekend brunch! And of course, even her printed garments are of the most unique colours and prints!

Which celeb would you most like to see wearing your pieces and why?
Dita Von Teese and Scarlett Johansson! These two ladies to me, are the epitome of a classy lady. They embrace their curves so well, and are always seen dressed to the nines and looking so presentable, even if it's just out to town for a short while. I would love to think classic vintage-inspired jewelry designs like mine would go well with their figure-flattering shift dresses and such!


Would you like to WIN a piece of Vintage Willow jewellery? Well then you're in luck, because you can! Just follow the blog (using the follow box to your right) and tell me who your style icon is in the comments! The winner will be chosen at random and announced at 12pm on Friday 30th March!

Love Tor x

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Happy Valentine's Day: Have a heart!

Hi guys,
Happy Valentine's Day! The most commercial day of the year so far, but admit it: you still feel smug if you got a card/present/romantic gesture, and disappointed if you didn't. I'm sitting firmly in the didn't camp today, and I had a pang of something not dissimilar to envy when a florist truck full of red roses and helium balloons whizzed past me this morning. So I thought I'd do a little virtual Valentine's shopping of my own instead!

Heart print is going to be on trend all summer long. I loved the black and white Miu Miu heart print, and picked up a replica version of the shirt in Primark last week. Yes Primark: My life is all glamour! So if your beloved decided not to buy you a present (or simply forgot, like mine) then why not buy yourself a little treat?

Lanvin heart charm bracelet, Net-a-porter, £230
Sweetheart jumper, Topshop, £49
Vivienne Westwood Melissa heels, c/o Sarenza, £143.70
Leopard print heart tee, River Island, £24.99
Bleeding heart sweatshirt, ASOS, £90
Heart print skinny jeans, River Island, £20
I love Me keyring, Accessorize, £5
Heart print hat, Accessorize, £6
Lulu Guinness dusky lips clutch, £245

What are you doing to celebrate Valentine's day? Are you going out tonight, and if so, what will you be wearing? Come on, make us all jealous with your romantic stories!

Love Tor xx

Fabfrocks loves: Statement rings

Hi guys,

I love chunky statement rings: it's the one piece of jewellery I throw on every day, and even if I'm just wearing jeans and a jumper, it makes me feel 'fashion-y'. What I don't love though are green fingers that look like you're suffering from an acute case of gangrene: which is what happens whenever I wear the aforementioned statement rings.

If I buy them from Topshop or Accessorize, I'm looking if I get 4-5 wears from each ring before my finger starts to look rotten. From Primark I can only wear a ring once or twice before people start wondering if I need to visit a hospital.

So my (mini) New Year's Resolution is to give up the cheap finger furniture. Have fewer pieces of better quality plated jewellery and fingers that look pink.

The beetle ring is by Kenneth Jay Lane. I got it in the Harvey Nicks sale just before Christmas, reduced from £115 to £32. The Juicy Couture flower ring (chavvy brand I know, but I do like their jewellery) was reduced to £29 in Bicester Village yesterday. In fact, Bicester Village yesterday was mayhem, but their were some amazing further reductions to be had!

If I can I'd like to get one more ring in a plain gold to add to my collection, so that I can wear it with anything. But my focus is definitely on quality rather than quantity, for a change. And my fingers have never been happier!

Love Tor x

Welcome to the menagerie!!

Hi guys,

My love of anything with an animal on (especially jewellery) is so well documented that Mike can't walk past it without bringing it home for me. Not that i'm complaining about that, of course!! Yesterday when we were in Primark looking at the baby clothes for my lil sister's impending arrival, he went to town, and picked up every piece of animal jewellery in the store!

It's amazing how many animals have been immortalised in brass and enamel. The trend started with birds and tigers, but now almost no animal is immune! Here's what I got:



- Seahorse brooch, £1

- Turquoise and bird necklace, £3

- Massive owl necklace, £5

- Turtle necklace, £3

My favourite by far is the owl, which is massive and such an attention grabber! I also love the turtle, which is so unusual, and has a real vintage look about it. The Primark jewellery binge was the perfect end to a perfect day: we went to Bicester village where I got a Vivienne Westwood scarf, a big Mulberry notebook, and a dress and sequinned cardigan from French Connection...But that's tomorrow's post!

Love, Tor xxx

New Website: Your Fashion Jewellery

Hi guys,

If I had to list my fashion obsessions, then the list would look like this: 1. Dresses, 2. Shoes, 3. Coats and Jackets, and 4. Stacks of gold jewellery (see today's stack below as evidence). Today's post will focus on no. 4, and my new website discovery: yourfashionjewellery.

Similar to ASOS back-in-the-day, the jewellery is divided into categories by celebrity, so you can pick the star who's jewellery you'd like to imitate, and choose the piece you like. But what I really love about the site is considerably more simple: I love the the charms and trinkety costume jewellery, which is massively wearable, and has the added bonus of being cheaper than Freedom @ Topshop (my usual jewellery haunt).

I don't really wear quality real gold/silver jewellery: I still love to layer my fashion jewellery and stack it high! I don't tend to wear earrings, and have abandoned most of my rings since I got engaged (it seems weird to wear a cocktail ring next to an engagement ring) so my jewellery obsessions are bangles, bracelets and layerable necklaces.

My favourite pieces from the site are: the 6 row gold chain necklace (£7.99) and the studded bangle (£5.50) See what I mean? I told you it was cheap! But the quality and finish looks really good: I can't wait to see a piece in the flesh and check it out!

The website also sells fashion accessories: hairbands, silk scarfs (perfect for wrapping around your head if you're creative, or tying to your handbag if you have monkey fingers like me!) but it's the jewellery that's caught my eye....as if I needed any more bangles, I have a feeling i'm about to go shopping!

Love, Tor xx