Wishing and Hoping

Hey,

Well this was going to be a thoroughly miserable, pour-your-heart-out kinda post, due to having a rather emotional time of it this weekend; but you’ll be thankful that I’ve thought better of it though, and have instead decided to share with you my wishlist!  I’m forever scouring the internet for treats and lovely things and have a wealth of beauties to show you.  It’s true to say that from this little lot, my tastes are somewhat eclectic – show me anyone else who pairs vintage-style headbands with harajuku dolls?!

THIS YEARS GIRL - "Merry Go Round" Print

SEONNA HONG - "All Others" Print

PORTOBELLO - Karma Bird Lariat

KITSCHTIQUE - Bow Brooch

TOVICORRE - ipod Case PLAY - Dexter Bobblehead

AMAZON - Tick Tock Gwen Doll

MISSMACAU - Korean Amy Card Case

BOOK DEPOSITORY - Alice in Wonderland

DOLLYDAGGER - Highschool Hellcats Tee

PLASTICLAND - Birdcage Letter & Photo Holder

Amazon - Who Killed Amanda Palmer Book

TOTALLY FUNKY - Apple Handbag

 Amy at WB x

Gimme Five

Hey,

I’ve been a bit blog-lite of late so I must apologise (I know you’re all rooted by your screens to read my latest banal offering – so here it is!)  I think I’ve been too busy reading other peoples and generally looking at the joy that is on the interweb – I blame Claira, I really do – she’s all about the lovely links that are designed to distract!  Also, Wonderland Boutique seems to have kicked up a gear as I’ve been asked by a fellow Etsian to make the Clutches for her bridesmaids at her upcoming wedding!  I’m so excited, not to mention honoured and a little bit terrified (huge gulp) but it’s been lots of fun working closely with someone else picking out fabrics and deciding on trim colours together – even though the time difference on Etsy can result in what I am now calling ‘convo-tennis’.  I shall let you know how it all goes, and post some lovely pictures when these lovely bags are all ready to wing their way to some special nuptials.

Oooh, and a quick pat on the proverbial back for the wonder that is exercise.  If you’ve ever had the (mis)fortune to stumble upon my Twitter updates, then I’m sure you would see that I tweet mostly about gnomes, food, gnomes – and the horrific notion of exercise.  Before, during and after undertaking it, I usually think I will die, am dying, have died.  It does not come easily to me – I’ve never been a runner (I’d rather miss the bus than shame myself by legging after it) or someone who buys trainers to train in, so when I decided to try the possible lowest of the exercise low (home workout dvds) I never thought I’d stick at it.  Any regular followers of this blog will know, that over the past year I’ve lost a lot of weight due to some rather huge and poo-shaped emotional upheaval.  A hellish way to go about it, but a silver-lining none-the-less.  I was determined to lose more though and to keep the weight off (a good tip for doing this, is to get rid – either via Ebay or charity shops – all the clothes that are too big for you!) so exercise dvds were my answer.  With their help, and the boring inevitability of healthy(ish) eating, I’ve gone down 4 dress sizes and am now on my way to 5.  This is a huge achievement for me and it’s been a real incentive to get through the rougher, darker times.  So exercise, my love – I shall never complain about you again!

Anyway, on to the actual point of this post (yes, I do have them sometimes!)  One of my recent internet-shaped discoveries seems to be the appearance of lists.  It’s all about naming your top 5 this, or your 5 least favourite that.  It’s inspired me to compile a few 5-flavoured lists of my own.  So here’s my five – gimme yours….

 

5 FAVOURITE FILMS:

* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

* Pan’s Labyrinth

* Some Like it Hot

* Tale of Two Sisters

* The Hauting (the original one – no room for CZJ in my lists!)

 

5 FAVOURITE BOOKS:

* Wise Children

* Alice in Wonderland

* Fragile Things

* London Fields

* Mrs Dalloway

 

5 FAVOURITE MUSICIANS:

* The Killers

* No Doubt

* Volbeat

* Bat For Lashes

* Ladytron

 

5 FAVOURITE ARTISTS:

* Seonna Hong

* Tara McPherson

* Jason

* Yoshitomo Nara

* Roy Lichtenstein

 

5 POINT PLAN FOR MY FUTURE:

* Move out into my own wonderful place

* Find work in a field I really feel I belong in

* Get  Wonderland Boutique stocked in an actual boutique

* Be appreciative of the people I do have 

* Make a difference and be different

 

Amy at WB x

Plea from a Bookworm

Hey,

Well my lovelies, I come to you seeking some book recommendations (from fashion, to make-up and now to books – is there any part of my life I don’t need advice about?!)  I used to be a voracious reader but over the years – particularly whilst at Uni where your whole time is taken up reading the listed texts that you have no time for any other kind of books – I’ve become a bit, well, lax.  I’m really trying to ‘get my read on’ again though and have recently been devouring short story collections.  I’ve just read and loved, both of Neil Gaiman’s short story pulications ‘Fragile Things’ and ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ (the film version of Coraline is out really soon for anyone else out there who as excited by this as I am!) and have literally just finished ‘No-one Belongs Here More Than You’ by Miranda July:

I’m a bit out of ideas now though.  I’ve done the usual of peeking around on the Amazon recommendations page, but I really hate it when you buy a book and are disappointed, so I thought I’d come-a-begging for your suggestions as to where I should head next?  I love anything quirky and unusual that makes you look at the ordinary with new eyes.  I’ve been thinking about trying ‘My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead’ by Jeffrey Eugenides which is a collection of love stories and recommended by the lovely Claira a while back, but I need lots of others too!  I think I’m going to stick with short stories for a while, as I tried (and failed – and I rarely give up on a book) recently to tackle ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but it felt like wading through treacle.  Perhaps I should have foreseen this as I started another of his works ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ about 5 years ago, and still can’t quite bring myself to finish it!

I suppose I should leave you with a recommendation since I’m being cheeky enough to ask for them myself…I’ve recently re-read (also something I rarely do, as I find that usually all the joy goes out of a book when you’ve already been there) ‘The Vintner’s Luck’ by Elizabeth Knox which is incredible and I also adore ‘London Fields’ by Martin Amis – both are beyond bizarre but also entirely beautiful. 

Now, what do you lovelies have for me….

Amy at WB x