Fabfrocks at home: On the wish list!

Hi guys,
Can you believe that there are just six months left until the wedding of the year?! Yes, i'm talking about my wedding of course, not that insignificant Prince, or whatever! Things are really hotting up: vendors are booked, DIY projects are underway, and in the next couple of months Mike and I will get to do the funnest task of all: choosing our gift registry.

The hunt for the perfect gift registry has lead me to all sorts of sites that I wouldn't usually visit, including The Handpicked Collection: lots of unique and unusual gifts, and perfect for our situation because we've been living together a couple of years, so we already have a toaster, kettle, fish slice, etc. Here's what i'd rather have instead:

-Have you ever seen anything cuter than this penguin door stop? I think doorstops shaped like animals are something you can never have enough of.

- A matchbox holder with an elephant on. I didn't even know such things as matchbox holders existed, but now I do I want one for my coffee table!

-Whilst it's true that I can't bake, I think my mangled attempts would look much prettier under this retro cake hood.

-I love this little mini keepsake chest. It's a perfect place to store jewellery or little love notes. This would also make a pretty nifty Mothers day gifts (If you think that far ahead. Which I do.)

-Although the blog is all web 2.0 (*I am aware this is a horrible phrase!) I actually love writing letters and receiving proper post. So I absolutely couldn't resist these stamp mugs!

Ultimately though, the wedding gifts are unimportant. Making a fantasy shopping list for your home is fun, but (without sounding too girly) what really matters is that our friends and family can all just be there to spend the special day with us. And that someone buys me that matchbox holder!

Love, Tor xx

Easter Treats: lovely non-chocolatey goodies!

Hi Guys,
So Easter is upon us and i'm going to try and be very good and not eat too many candies and treats (I say this even though the boyfriend came home bearing an Lindt bunny last night!) I'm not buying anyone eggs this year ( I think most of the family are trying to be a little more health conscious) but if i'd more time to think it through I would have got some of the lovely non-chocolatey Easter gifts available.

Easter is the perfect time for pastel colours and cute overload: think bunnies and chicks and an excuse for any other baby animals to make an appearance!



Bunny girl t-shirt by artisans for ASOS, reduced to £12. Littlehorn bunny t-shirt dress from ASOS. £25. I love this teeny chick necklace ($44 from Peggy Li) It has the perfect seasonal theme, but is subtle enough that you could wear it all year around too.

A cuter and more traditional gift would be these adorable egg cups from hundredsofbuttons: at $4 each they're also much more afforable too! I particularly like the his and hers ones: wouldn't they make a great moving in/house warming gift!? This time of year is when I think Spring officially begins and I always start to feel excited about being able to get my sandals out the wardrobe and remove some of my winter layers.

Hope you all have exciting plans for the bank holiday Easter weekend!
Love, Tor xx

Wonderfully impressive stocking fillers for under £20

*If you are either of my sisters then please click away now!

I don't normally enjoy christmas gift guides, because I struggle to pen my loved ones into magazines pre subscribed boxes (if they're a boy look on this page, if they're sporty look on this page, etc) However I have very nearly finished my Christmas shopping (Martin Lewis the money expert would be proud, as I wanted to pay for my presents with October's salary leaving me November's for partying and December's for the January sales)

And whilst completing my shopping I have found (and bought!) some really pretty gifts that won't break the bank, so I thought I would share them with you. So here is the fabfrocks Christmas stocking gift guide. 6 great things to suit any under £20 budget and perfect for every single girl I know!

Next week i'll be bringing you another 6 items for those with a bigger budget; under £35. And if anyone is reading this looking for gifts for me then those gloves have particularly taken my fancy; I couldn't believe they were only £18!

Enjoy your Christmas shopping everyone!
Love, Tor xx

Lest he forgets.....

Without sounding like a spokesperson for Hallmark, I thought i'd better mention that Valentines day is fast approaching. Now i'm not normally one for commercial holidays. And I know that Valentines day is the most meaningless and commercial holiday of them all. And I am aware that Valentine's day is mostly disapointing for us mere mortals, pocket filling for the companies that sell us our trinkets, and pretty miserable for anyone without a significant other. But I also think that any holiday that means my boyfriend will make me a homemade card (it's a longrunning tradition) and buy me a thoughtful gift, usually fashion related, is not a bad thing.

This year I am making Mr Man his valentines gift, and as it is a fine example of crafty fashion (fingers crossed) I will upload some photo's of it when it's finished. In the meantime, I've been thinking about what I would like to recieve this year from that ideal world where money grows on trees and everyone can have what they want. My top 5 vaguely romantic and meaningful lust-have items are:

Anatomica heart necklace from Paraphernalia, $20 (approx £10).

By far the most affordable item on my fanatasy list, I love this necklace. Becky introduced me to the amazing jewellery at Paraphernalia last week, and i've become slightly addicted to looking at it. The obvious heart association covers the valentine's angle of the gift, without being overly cutesy and obvious (ala the angled heart shaped necklaces everyone from the Bridget Jones generation coveted) Its a statement piece I would wear again and again (and again, actually!) Miu Miu floral carved sandals, £275

OK, so I know it's a bit of a push on the 'traditional Valentine's gift' front, but as people often gift flowers as tokens of love, and then main feature of these shoes is the floral detail, I figured it would be OK. Besides, its my list of imaginary gifts, and I will imaginarily wear them if I want to!

I have a minor (ok, major) addiction to tan leather: bags, belts, shoes, jackets- if you can name it I can own it in tan. I love these shoes because on the surface they seem so simple but the detail on them is so bold and intricate. These would make a perfect addition to my summer 'staple' wardrobe.

I don't normally wear delicate or fine jewellery, preferring to opt for its chunkier (and cheaper) relation. However, for Tiffanys, i'm prepared to make an exception:

There are many beautiful things on the Tiffany site. However, this is not one of them. I don't know what pleases me more: how delightfully tacky it looks, or how they've managed to make something so expensive look so cheap. This diamond and pink sapphire charm set in platinum would set you back £1,450. I am always attracted to the tackiest possible thing in every store I go into, but I didn't realise that the rule of tack also applied to jewellery that costs the equivilent of 3 months rent!

The next gift idea is perhaps my favourite. Teddybears are cute, and if you're a 15 year old girl, a romantic valentines day gift. My nickname to my family and friends is (I really don't know why) Bear. And Vivienne Westwood is, as i'm sure you've gathered by now as I mention her in almost every post, my favourite designer. What's not to love about Vivienne Westwood teddybear keyrings? And even better, they're on sale for £35 at her magic online store.

Anna Sui top, £156

This is by far the biggest leap from Valentine's romance to fashion, but for this top it's a leap worth making. This Anna Sui top is called a 'Kissing leaves bow top'. Including the word kissing makes it romantic enough for me. And besides, whats more romantic than being taken out for the day wearing this beautiful shirt teams with a pleated mini and brown opaque tights? Exactly.

My boyfriend claims to show a passing interest in mine and Becky's labours and read our little blog from time to time. (Despite his all-consuming lack of interest in anything remotely fashion, God bless him) Of course, our stats show that he hasn't visited the site since November: oh yes, we have eyes and ears everywhere! Despite myself, and knowing that this means I won't get any of the things on my finely constructed list, i'm really looking forward to Valentines this year. Because (and I can;t quite believe i'm saying this) Love is about more than awesome jewellery and gorgeous couture. Only 11 more days to go......

Lots of Valentines love and wishes of finest fashion gifts for you all (you deserve them),

Tor