Fingerwave favourites

I love a good fingerwave.  They are a joy to behold when perfectly aligned, creating smoothly undulating frames to twenties and thirties faces.  Fingerwaves are also a fabulous way of taming naturally curly hair without heat styling, and so I've been sporting them more and more often of late, in a half-hearted attempt to save my sad and sorry ends.

 Simple brush out with one kiss curl and plastic leaves

 Kiss curl crazy

 Centre parted smooth waves

Fingerwaves set off by a Rosie Alia leaf crown

Instagram vs Twitter vs Blogger

My best 'not-impressed' expression

I haven't given up on blogging - honest!  But between Instagram (@rubyarmoire) and Twitter (@rubyarmoire), I'm finding fewer reasons to track down my laptop to curse and cry over Blogger (case in point - I lost this entire post due to it crashing aghhh).  Using Blogger is akin to using eyelash curlers - worth it in the end, but it may require a bodily sacrifice.  I spend hours lining up images in draft posts, checking again and again that they're correctly aligned on the preview, only to have them dance about the published page.  And as much as I love editing images in Photoshop, I prefer the convenience and quickness of Photoshop Express and Instagram on my phone.

I'm still very new to the 'blogosphere', so to say my blog is changing direction makes no sense, as that implies it had direction in the first place.  But with Instagram and Twitter vying for my time, I feel as though a little clarity would do my blog some good.  I will still post long winded posts with carefully edited photos every now and then, but themed Instagram retrospectives are more likely to be the norm.  Hopefully this will mean more frequent posts!

The London Library

Some people collect inanimate objects.  I collect interesting people, mostly by accident, while wandering around London streets.  I met the fabulous Anna one fortuitous day on my transport travels, and it turned out that aside from vintage clothing, we also have libraries in common.  Queue visit to one of the most interesting libraries in London, the London Library.  It is as old as can be (born in 1841) and simply marvellous!  We even managed to track down my favourite book series that I've been failing to remember for 10 years! Dimsie is definitely one for your reading lists  if you're a fan of school girl grows up stories (and written in the twenties too).  Thank you to the beautiful Anna for a lovely afternoon and plying me with macaroons and tea.  Delicious!

In other news, I'm going to be moving house soon, which is why I haven't had time for reading and commenting on your blogs (and I've really missed doing so).  Can't wait to settle in and catch up with all of you soon.

A recipe for a sunny day

I'm sure you're familiar with the old adage, saving for a rainy day, and indeed it is generally accepted to be excellent advice.  Taken literally, however, it is next to useless when inside the consistently wet borders of Great Britain.  Saving for a sunny day makes a lot more sense.

Today was one such rare occasion.  The sun graced the London skies, dispensing joy and warmth and smiles.  The last sunny day I can recall was perhaps over a month ago, it sticks out in my memory as not only the last time I saw blue overhead, but also the last time I took whisk to bowl and baked.  These (gluten free) cupcakes are delicious zesty reminders of Spring's green promises, laced with a heady lime syrup and dotted with blunt nibs of pistachios. Blackberries doused in the citrus-bright sweet essence form ramshackle crowns atop a tart and creamy apple-scented frosting. 

The weather is set to turn tomorrow, and all the uncharacteristically happy commuter faces are likely to follow suit. If only I had a batch with me now to dispense a little sunshine of my own making...

Valen-twice

I had the good fortune of attending two events dedicated to Mr Valentine this year.  The first took place on the auspicious day itself; a late night at the Museum of London with a 20s theme.  I jollied along in my best bib and tucker with a friend in tow.

'Hello? Is it me you're looking for?'

Finding myself with nothing to wear, an emergency purchase was in order, and eBay came up trumps with this dress I had mooned about previously.  My hair was supposed to be in smooth fingerwaves, but decided not to cooperate and I ended up with a bit of a random 'do that on reflection I'm quite pleased with.

Aside from admiring the exhibits, a few activities were laid on.  The only one I really enjoyed was put on by the London Swing Dance Society, who gave a short charleston class and an incredible demonstration.  It awoke an itch in my feet and a twinkle in my toes - if I can somehow find a spare minute I Must Learn To Dance.

Look at all the pretties

My second Valentine outing was to the Ric Rac Club run by the beautiful Vintage Mafia.  I've never seen so many fabulously attired gorgeous people in one place before (excepting the last event, of course).  Fleur of Diary of a Vintage Girl fame and a Mafia dame has done a lovely write up, hop over for a nosey, and the Vintage News ladies took fantastic snaps for your perusing pleasure.

 It's no secret that hair and make up are favoured pastimes of mine.  Consider my delight when three friends agreed to let me loose on their faces.  It was a particular joy because we managed to cover every decade in the Golden Era between us!  I've found that some people have faces that are made for certain eras (and I amuse myself sometimes by choosing eras that would best suit new acquaintances - am I the only one?), and when correctly attired and coiffured, the results are uncanny.

I ran out of time to do anything interesting with my own hair, but a pile of flowers and berries provided a suitable distraction.  The main reason I was running late that day was because I had decided on wearing a dress that was only half finished (I design and pattern cut in my non-existent spare time), and figured the best time to finish it was an hour beforehand.  Not the best idea I've ever had, but I'm glad to have a new dress (figuratively speaking - this one had been haunting my wardrobe since July!

Taken by the one and only Hanson Leatherby - see Fleur's post for more snaps

A veritable forest of fashion

If you go down to the woods today...

You may find...

 

 

Fox

Pan

Black swan 

Jellyfish

Donkey

Lion

 

 

Hummingbird

All sorts of exotic creatures can be found in the house of

Fashion Forestry.

Book worm

As a long term reading enthusiast (personally and professionally - I work in a library), I am compelled to encourage the book worm in everyone that has the misfortune to meet me. Reading is a pastime that masquerades itself as educational, but is far too enjoyable to only be described as such.

On my daily commute I always sneak a peak at what my fellow travellers are reading.  If I'm not inhaling a book myself, I will shockingly disregard social norms and read over others' shoulders. It's always interesting to note the patterns and trends of popular titles.

Your commuting book can be as revealing as your supermarket trolley, and yes others are looking and judging you by your choices. The title you choose can say a lot about you, and I sometimes amuse myself by trying to predict what the person opposite is reading from their clothing and general demeanour.  For example, the serious, arty-type gentleman with horn-rimmed glasses, brightly coloured socks and brogues is likely to read a serious, arty-type author such as Iris Murdoch or Jack Kerouac. And the young lady wearing a grey office suit with a brightly coloured bag and fun scarf will have a Costa Book Award winner or flavour of the month titles like Fifty Shades of Grey (just say no kids). One quick note about ebook readers - they're very convenient, weigh less than a paperback, can carry your whole bookshelf in one small package yadda yadda yadda, but they ruin my predicting fun (and the hard-copies-are-dying argument too, pfft).  It's a lot harder to nose at other people's books when I can't see the book cover!

Having worked in libraries for quite a while, I can firmly assert that judging a book by its cover is actually a remarkably sensible thing to do (at least with recent publications - I can't speak for the horrors of the 80s and 90s).  Book covers are essentially adverts for the innards, and as such have to cause a song and dance to appeal to their target reader.  I've managed to deduce a 'style guide' to book covers, which helps me to decode whether or not I want to read a book by a new author.

I am not at all a book snob (aside from the aforementioned Fifty Shades of Grey) and particularly enjoy the lighter, humorous types of fiction. That said, I categorically abhor 'chick lit'. Women mooning over their unattainable perfect crush then hooking him by ridiculous, cringe-making means is not my idea of a good read. Plus, they tend to be poorly written. I don't expect every book I read to astound me with perfect prose, but I do insist that the writing style at the very least doesn't get in the way of the plot. Bad writing rage is real, folks.

For my daily drifting-off-to-sleep read, I like a book that can hold my interest but is easy to absorb.  So-called 'cozy murders' or 'cozy mysteries' are my bed time genre of choice.  They can be easily picked out amongst the heavier crime fiction by their painted illustration covers and jaunty fonts used on the spine.  I can spot them on a shelf from 10 yards (as long as my glasses are on my nose, which they frequently aren't).

My favourite mystery authors write intelligent, quietly funny old-fashioned good stories, none of this new-fangled challenging nonsense for my book at bed time please! I save those to maintain my reputation  as a Serious Reader on my train ride to work.  Authors such as Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce is a precocious but wild 12 year old with a penchant for chemistry and solving murders in a 1950s English village), James Anderson (the butler never does it in his jolly trilogy following murders in the 1930s country estate of the eccentrically lovable Earl of Burford and his family) and Patricia Wentworth never disappoint.

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver is often compared to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, but I'd take Silver over Marple any day. Wentworth's main character is a gentle elderly lady whose fondness for knitting and previous career as a governess makes her the unassuming private detective of choice for the well-to-do set she circulates with. Set in 1920s-1950s England (do you see a pattern here?), Miss Silver goes for extended stays in the homes of her troubled clients and watches the mysteries unfold until she catches the culprits at their guilty worst. There's normally a pair of unknowing lovers that get married off too. In short, Patricia Wentworth always provides an excellent read.  And her book covers are beautifully illustrated with gorgeous vintage persons, making them a perfect choice to proudly display on the train (judge THAT fellow passengers).

What sort of books do you enjoy reading?