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

Christmas wishlist: Union Jack tea cosy

When I think of Christmas, or any other special present-buying occasion, the delights of etsy are never far from my mind. So when I saw this gorgeous Union Jack tea cosy, I knew it would have to make it on the list: my house is full of this kind of kitsch, and it's patriotic to boot! Some may say it's a little tacky - I say it's cool.

With the Royal Wedding never far from anyone's lips I predict this kind of thing will be really popular this Christmas, and a great thing to have as a conversation piece when the wedding does finally arrive next year. And besides, what's more English than a nice cup of tea?
This is from lovely Etsy seller, Diane Tubb Designs and comes in at $25 (approx £16)

Merry Christmas!
Love, Tor xx

Previous wishlist items:
Topshop beaded collar
Sam Edelman boots

Etsy obsession of the week: Follow the white rabbit

Etsy is proving to be a valuable wedding tool, both for sourcing suppliers and finding inspiration for my own DIYs. Because we are having an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding, I often type "Alice in Wonderland" into the search box on Etsy and wonder at the lovely stuff that pops up. In celebration of my new favourite theme, it will be the focus of today's obsession of the week: Here are some of my favourite Alice in Wonderland Etsy fashion finds:-

Rabbit in a rush necklace, Shoogi, $29.50

I love how dignified the rabbit on this necklace looks, and I love a locket that you can personalise on the inside with pictures of your family and loved ones. The tiny key charm is a lovely detail to the necklace too, and I think the pricepoint is really reasonable. The designer is based in Isreal, and even if you're not an Alice fan, well worth checking out for some of her other incredible designs.

Alice in Wonderland vintage book handbag, Alanamalia, $75

Of all the pieces i've found this is my absolute favourite, as it combines my two favourite things: books and fashion! These book bags are constructed around real books, and each bag is custom designed and handmade; the inside and the lining etc are 100% cotton. Other books are available including Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Brothers Grimm, HG Wells and many more; there is something for every book lover. I fell head over heels in love with this etsy shop!

Queen of hearts dress, loliposh, $125

These dresses are an absolute bargain, especially when you think of the amount of work that must go into custom making them! Not quite costumes, but too elaborate for a stroll around Asda, I don't know how or where I could make this work, but I know I want to give it a go! This dress would look so flattering on a pear shape or hour glass figure: if the queen of hearts inspiration is too much for you, then loliposh also make similar shaped dresses in vintage pastel or floral fabrics perfect for garden parties, picnics, or hot summer days!

Love, Tor

Etsy obsession of the week: Bring me robots!

Today's etsy obsession is on a theme, rather than from a particular shop. I have an inner geek that loves Star Wars, watching old cartoons, and robots: so imagine my delight when in the etsy "geekery" section I found a whole area dedicated to robots. I couldn't resist scouring through every single page, and oohing and ahhing over all the robot goodies I could fill my house with! Here are my three picks of the best robot shops that etsy has to offer:

Beatup creations Star Wars plates. I am so in love with these! The individual plates are around $40. The cake serving plate set with cake stand is $250. With a tea set like this i'd have tea parties every single day: and if anything is going to entice boys into enjoying the essentially girly activity of afternoon tea and cakes then it's got to be the heady mix of cake and Star Wars. I can't explain how excited I was when I saw these: I want it all!

Sweetheartsinner creations necklaces. These necklaces are all handmade using old movie posters: if you're not a robot geek like me you can also pick up Audrey Hepburn, pin up girls, Victoriana, and a whole host of wonderful black and white movies too. Each necklace comes in at $7.00, which is an absolute bargain: so good, you don't have to choose just one!

Stars and Robots pillows. The first thing you notice about these pillows is how cute their little robot faces are: it almost looks like they're smiling. The robots are made from left-over fabrics and recycled clothing and at $12 each, they'd make a really great present too!

I can't get enough of robots; I even bought robot fabric to make new pillows for our study/spare room. Now, if I get my way, they'll be making their way into the kitchen and living room too!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Fables by Barrie

I missed last weeks etsy obsession, because my etsy trawls lately have mostly lead me on wedding hunts: it's amazing what you can find on that site, and even more amazing how much of it I will be attempting to make at home!

Today though I gave the wedding hunt a miss and began my hunt looking for the perfect bikini: I always generally opt for a one piece to hide my wobbly tummy, and have already written a couple of posts this year about the perfect onesy, but now i'm looking for a bikini. I want to get brown, and sadly that means revealing a little bit of flesh!

Winona of Daddy Likey has written a series of great posts about finding the perfect swim suit for bigger girls: turn to her for the funny!! For the best place on etsy to find an affordable vintage inspired bikini (vintage swimwear is most flattering on curves) stay on the page:

I love these bikinis from Fables by Barrie especially the sailor pattern and the high-waisted shorts (to keep wobble under control) It is the perfect compromise between getting bronzed and staying covered up, and I think it looks more sexy than those tiny little string things which only really suit swimwear models!

Top and bottoms from Fables by Barrie will set you back around £100, which is more than your average swimsuit, but they have a timeless classic appeal and they look like quality garments too.

I hope you all have great bank holiday Monday fun: i'm going to the Hatfield Galleria for their discount craft shop, to get the rest of the things I need to make my wedding invitations. Have a good one guys!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Triccycat's jewels

This week etsy obsession ties in with another of my obsessions: leather. It's the one thing I couldn't live without. I love the way it feels, the way it smells. And Triccycat's jewels immediately appealed to the leather (and handbag!) lover in me.

Looking at these you know you're looking at real craftsmanship: the bags are built to last for generations. Each bag is all hand-cut, hand-stitched, buckstitched and hand-dyed. They aren't cheap (the bag with the handle is $545) but you know you're making an investment in a piece that will last forever, and the styles and designs are timeless.

It's the bags that excited me the most, but the shop also does some really lovely leather notepads and stationary (and we all know how I feel about notebooks and pens!) And the rugged leather journal (above) is only $40: much more affordable!

I hope you're all having a wonderful bank holiday! As is the tradition in our fair isles, lets all go and have BBQ's in the rain!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Mysilverpie

The etsy obsession comes a little late this week and I was going to give it a miss, but when I stumbled across these family necklaces from my silver pie in a relaxing trawl across the site last night (it's fast becoming one of my favourites!) I knew I had to share! My boss has one of these necklaces with the names of her children on it, which is why the listing caught my attention, and I realised what a sweet way it was to honour your family whilst still being fashion conscious: much better than the seemingly obligatory mum/kids name tattoos!

Mysilverpie makes bracelets, necklaces and even rings which can have names or any other words you choose added to them. All the pieces are handcrafted from silver in the sellers home studio. Each piece is made especially for you once you place your order, so you can have whatever words or names you like, no matter how unusual! My mum will only wear gold jewellery (because she has very sensitive skin) which is a shame, because this would be a perfect present for a mummy and something really thoughtful to give a friend who's just had a baby (am I the only one that seems to have a lot of those lately!?)

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The Topshop sale starts today and a quick peek at the website shows massive discounts on some really pretty stuff: I'm heading down there this afternoon to have a proper look, and obviously I will be taking my camera with me to share the best bits with you guys!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Devaniweaver

The "etsy obsession" feature is one of the few features i've started on the blog and managed to keep up every week. I think it's because I love the excuse to spend Sunday evening trawling through etsy and fantasy shopping: you never know what you might find, and some of the shops are so unusual!

This weeks etsy obsession is devaniweaver chosen exactly for that reason: the clothes are so unusual that seeing them made me smile! It isn't to everyone's taste (I'm not even sure if all of it's to mine) but I love it anyway. And each of the pieces are made to order, so you know what you're getting is good quality and handmade (one of my favourite things about etsy!)





The one piece that drives me crazy with delight is this oversized cameo dress: I really want this to wear to my birthday party! It works out at about £80. I've looked at it about 5 times and i'm so close to ordering: what do you guys think??

I also really love the cupcake dress. My sister is thinking of having a cupcake themed wedding: can you imagine how wonderful it would be if I rocked up wearing a version (with a longer skirt) of this dress?! Aso, the pony dress has real hair that you can plait and put clips in; it's a grown up girls dream! All the pieces are very pink, very girly and very cutesy. It's definitely a very youthful etsy shop and I know that if I saw someone walking down the street wearing any of the pieces I would stare and then smile: which is surely the point of having fun with fashion!?

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: CandleLynn's yummy cupcakes!

I know it's the title of the feature, but it's true to say I really am obsessed with Etsy. The obsession started with jewellery, ranged into fashion, and now i'm turning to Etsy for my homewares too: so although this is a fashion blog this weeks Etsy obsession is a seller who actually specialises in making candles: CandleLynn. I figure that if you guys are anything like me your desire for pleasing aethetics branches into your home too!

My kitchen is cupcake themed (see visual evidence below) so imagine how excited I was when I found scented candles shaped like cupcakes and other food stuffs, perfect for my kitchen. Because my kitchen/living room is open plan I like to have scented candles in the kitchen after i've cooked, to take away the cooking smells (I think i'll call that a Tor's top tip!)

They are also a bargain: less than $8 US for your choice of three cupcakes: i'd go for a selection of pink and yellow ones and display them on a floral cake stand!

I left my job last Friday and am taking just over a week off before I start my new role. As well as a whole host of wonderfully fun fashiony things, I also intend to have a proper Spring clean of the whole flat, including of course the kitchen. I will be buying myself these candles as a reward when the job in complete: they're hand poured, and handmade when you order them. They are highly scented with high quality, fragrance oils and you choose your own colours and fragrances. This seems like a highly decadent cleaning reward without spending too much money!

Whilst we're on the topic of domestication and my kitchen, I realised I was getting old this weekend, when I asked for a new dinner service for my birthday, instead of the usual clothes/shoes.

I saw it about a month ago and fell in love. Three more trips to see it, and I knew it had to be mine. I think the blurb on the site will describe it better than I can: "Patterned bone china dinnerware and serveware designed by Concetta Gallo for Habitat. This distinctively beautiful yet odd aesthetic is all about contrast and juxtaposition. Photographs are mixed with original drawings, smooth graphic lines with grainy textures, flowing liquid colour with block line and intricate detail, and precious gold finish with a floating, surreal sense of scale." So beautiful and unusual: although possibly too pretty to let anyone eat from them!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Emily Ryan

Last weeks etsy obsession of the week focused on the cutesy, so this week I wanted to focus on something considerably more serious and step away from my adorable animal friends, however when I saw this bird patterned shift dress by Emily Ryan I fell in love and I knew I had to feature it!

This dress is made of cotton, and is cut in a 60's shift style. On the front panel there are three stuffed applique birds flying from the bottom to the top. The neck, shoulders, arm holes, and hemline are also stuffed to add structure to the dress. I know it's a little wintery but I just adore this dress: it's exactly to my taste and the wide sleeves and mini length would flatter my figure perfectly too.

Emily Ryan is an independent designer located in Portland, Oregon. She has been designing custom and retail pieces since 2001, and hs participated in many fashion shows over the years. Currently, She loves modern sculptural designs that explore texture and shape, as well as artistic, comfortable, and cozy designs and is continually inspired by 1920's couture, science fiction, and Japanese fashions

All the pieces are handmade to order, meaning you would be getting your hands on something really rather special: this dress is from the 2010 Winter Solstice Collection and I am completely in love with every single piece. I can't emphasis enough how wonderful I think this collection is, I covet it all. The piece above is called the butterfly coat: It's made of heavy weight cotton, which lends itself to structure and form. It is gathered at the sides, nicely showing the waistline and giving a lovely butterfly wing effect. It is gathered across the back, the bottom center front, and also has an oversized gathered neck. I think it's beautiful: I got so fed up of my coat this winter, but I know if I had one like this i'd never be bored!

I often find myself raving about my new discoveries (I guess I must be over-excitable) but I think Emily Ryan is a very talented designer. If I could have it made without the polo neck - not good on my bust- then that dress would be making its way to my wardrobe right now!

Lots of love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Swiedebie

Morning everyone,
Sorry for my absence this weekend - we travelled up to suprise my mum for Mothers Day, and I seem to have been struck down with a head cold, which has left me lethargic and not really feeling up to posting. Hopefully normal services will resume now!

When you aren't feeling your best, sometimes you need an overload of cute to perk you up, and this is where my Etsy obsession of the week comes in: Swiedebie does the most marvellous adorable things with felt!

I love pandas (I look like one most mornings because i'm a slob with the eye make up remover!) and I want this little fella to pop my business cards in; they say you should make your cards and yourself as memorable as possible when meeting new people, and what's more memorable than a fat sleepy panda guarding your cards?

The creator of these little cutesy pieces of whimsy is Swee Leng who lives in Holland with her husband and daughter, but originates from Singapore. Each piece depicts her inner-child world, and looking at each piece wakes up my (not often sleeping) inner child too!

I'm like a teenage girl when it comes to anything cute and although I'm a bit too old to adorn my bag with cute keyrings and badges, I definitely still want to! These plushes remind me of the shoes made by EmandSprout (You can read my interview with their creator here) and I think if you only wear or use one at a time (strictly one at a time!) you can still make yourself smile by adorning yourselve with a little animal cuteness. I would love this babooshka doll in brooch form to add to my peach lace blazer.

What do you think? Does there come a time where you have to put the cute back in the cupboard, or are you never too old to adorn yourself with sleeping pandas?

Love, Tor xx

Sneak peek: Wish Upon a Star Boutique

As I think I have mentioned in previous posts, myself excluded, I come from an incredibly crafty family. My sister always makes homemade cards for every occasion and my nan can knit almost anything. But noone is more crafty, or talented than my mum. Which is why i'm delighted to announce that we have finally persuaded her to start her own business selling a variety of homemade wedding crafts.

Mum will be selling silk flowers for the whole wedding party (I especially love the fairy wands and headbands for the flower girls), individually made favour boxes, hand stitched ring cushions: if you need it for a wedding she can make it, and (in my opinion, without bias) it's all so beautiful it takes your breath away.
Whilst the website and wedding fair schedule is finalised, here is a sneak peek of just some of the beautiful things she creates:
The silk flowers my mum buys are so realistic that its hard to tell the difference, and I think it turns what is an expensive waste that would die in five days into a perfect momento of your special day that you can keep forever: either as a dressing up tool for a wannabe-fairy bridemaid or a table centrepiece for the bride.
I'm sure she'll tell me shes not ready for me to post this but i'm just so so proud of her I wanted to share. I'll let you all know when the online shop is launched. She's even thinking of setting up her own blog too! In the meantime if you have a wedding coming up and you'd like to be put in touch with my mum, just drop me a line.

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: not really garbage

It always seems to be on a Friday that I have a little bit of time to kill and find myself trawling through etsy. I'm not especially crafty so couldn't do any of this stuff myself (unlike my mum and sister who are both about to set up their own etsy shops). I think that's what makes me appreciate it all the more: that I couldn't do it myself!

My obsession of the week didn't actually come from trawling Etsy, but from a memory doing so triggered: I wonder if Zana had added anything new to her shop! Garbage dress (http://www.garbagedress.com/) is one of my favourite blogs, and Zana has a sense of style that I most admire out of all the blogs I read: I would love to be able to dress like her! And with the contents of her Etsy shop, you can:

If I were shopping I would have those winged ankle straps. I have so many shoes they would look amazing on, and it would be great to inject a little Zana-style into my wardrobe. Obviously all the goods are handmade and 100% leather. I seem be having a real love affair with leather lately: I wear my new leather jacket everyday (sometimes under my coat if it isnt warm enough to wear alone) and am always stroking leather goods innappropriately.

Oh, I nearly forgot: here is the link to the etsy store! http://www.etsy.com/shop/garbagedress

Hope you're all having a great Friday!

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: teeny tiny skulls

Hi guys,

I came across this etsy store via the Style Child blog last week, but I can't stop thinking about it and looking at it. A necklace from Moon Raven Designs is now firmly on the top of my wish list. And before I attempt to use inadequate words to explain why, i'm going to show you: The pieces from top to bottom are a raven's claw, a bat skull, and a crow skull. The description on the site explains how these pieces are made (this one is for the second piece, the bats skull) This hot cast bronze bat skull is made from a real brown bat that died of natural causes. It is made of solid bronze, not plated white metal. This nicely detailed skull only measures 1" long not including the bail. The easily removable lower jaw is fully articulated, opening and closing just like the original skull.
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I find anatomy fascinating and it's incredible to me that you can have a working version of something so delicate and intricate and amazing (look at me gush!) hanging from your neck. I appreciate that to some people these necklaces seem a little morbid and to others a little scary, but to me they are a fantastic celebration of the curious creatures our little planet holds.

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My boyfriend rarely reads this lil blog (having zero to no interest in fashion!) but I am not so secretly hoping that nearer the festive period he checks it out for gift ideas and finds this neatly wrapped up post complete with link sitting and waiting for him. Like KD, it's the bats skull that I love most, by the way (cough, cough, hint, hint!)

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Yours not-so-subtly, Tor xx

Etsy shop of the moment: Artlab

Call me a bloggy-copy cat if you will, but I have been coveting this nude coloured artlab bustle since I first saw Queen Michelle wearing it on the Kingdom of Style. It is such a beautiful looking, and I suspect strangely versitile piece. I want to layer it over my peach ruffle dress and team it with studded boots and collar; that, it how I roll. However it has taken me far too long to get round to looking at some of the other wonderful pieces in the artlab store, and now i'm left wondering which of all the pieces I love most. The shop is like a haven for anyone who (like me) is obsessed with ruffles. The second piece (called the Charlie Chaplin bib) is magnificent; these aren't ruffles as we know them but fabric expertly folded and pleated to perfection. I would wear this bib over every t shirt I owned: I might even stop eating lunch for fear of the spillage; thats how lovely I think it is!
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In her profile, artlab's creator says "My inspiration comes from dreams, memories, the urban landscape, film.... I also do photography, sculpture and installation art." And it is very easy to see these pieces as a hybrid between art and fashion; it's enough to make me think its time to fill more wardrobe with more beautiful conceptual pieces that excite me like this, and less highstreet! I recommend you check out the shop: even if you don't have money to burn, its worth a visit for the pretty pictures!
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Love Tor x

Popping on a party hat!

Tomorrow is my birthday. I have taken the day off work (which is naughty really, as I only went back today after last weeks sick week!) and plan to have a wander around Spitalfields with my boyfriend, eat a square pie, and maybe catch a mooovie. Then it's home to change followed by dinner out with friends. A lovely day, indeed! But what would be even more lovely is if, in lieu of paper party hats favoured by Christmas cracker companies, everyone turned up in a Lolitasummer tiny little mini-hat. Because, of course, it isn't really a celebration without a birthday badge and everyone wearing a hat!

Despite this being dinner rather than lunch, in these hats it would be like the prim-est, proper-est (these hats make me make up words!) little tea party and everyone would look like a porcelain doll! The maker of these fabulous hats claims to have a helpless obsession with Alice in the Wonderland. And it really shows!

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Although, there are only 12 designs for sale on the etsy page, that's more than enough for one each with a little selection for me!

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I don't know why I fell in love with these dinky hats so much; usually I crave something over the top, with colours and feathers flying out in every direction. But today, just this once, I would be truly happy with a little understated lace and button and pastel coloured whimsy perching bravely on top of my head. Who knows, maybe its a sign that my tastes are getting less garish as I age....but I suspect maybe not!!
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Love, Tor xx

PS - Is anyone else wondering whether you could DIY something this pretty and dainty at home? I have a sneaking suspicion I will be raiding my scraps and button boxes tonight to find out!!