Les feuilles mortes

I'm in the UK right now and it was all that I could hope for and more besides. Here is a picture of me basking in the golden afternoon sunshine in the churchyard of St. Andrew's church in the village of Alfriston in East Sussex:

I really wish I could stay here forever.

There's a little bookshop nestled next to Ye Olde Smuggler's Inne at the center of the village called Much Ado Books which has the most delightful selection of collector's books a bibliophile could hope for. I highly recommend it, considering I emerged with three huge volumes: a Folio Society fascimile edition of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence & of Experience", another gorgeous Folio Society collection of Women's 19th century stories titled "The Lifted Veil" and a leatherbound Oxford Library of World's Great Books (grey with gold embossing) of Don Quixote de la Mancha.

My beauties

Don Quixote de la Mancha

Songs of Innocence & of Experience

The Lifted Veil: Women's 19th Century Stories

Some othere pretty books accumulated here: facsimile copies of "The Hunting of the Snark" by Lewis Carroll from an Alice in Wonderland specialty store in the North Laines in Brighton and "Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson from a tourist shop at the Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.

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I visited Bath the two weekends ago and found this stall that sold leather journals for a really reasonable price and the owner embosses your initials for free. It was the most amazing thing ever. I purchased a journal there, and may have to purchase another one when I go back in December. Here is a photo documenting the embossing process (but not my journal, the one seen in the picture is actually my friend's who couldn't resist getting one either after watching me get one).

In summary, I do not think I could ever get tired of this place in all honesty. The only thing I really miss is the selection of Asian foods at home.

Something from a fairytale

I have loved the Pre-Raphaelite painters ever since I found and read this book in my high school library many years ago:

Pale as the Dead by Fiona Mountain

So imagine my delight when I discovered on The Clothes Horse's blog that Chloe's Resort 2012 line emulated the romantic Grecian styles from those paintings. I am so so so very in love!

These are a few of my favourite pieces:

I ADORE that dress and those shoes!

If this is going the way of a new trend I am definitely very much in support of it and would love to see cheaper, more affordable versions in stores soon!

Hipster Hobbits

I know I haven't updated this in a while and I'm not sure if anyone even reads this but just found the greatest mashup doodles ever done shared on io9.com. The original post is from the blog A Girl and Her Demons. The simple style reminds me of the illustrations in The Little Prince and the concept is just great. This post is entirely of LOTR characters but you should definitely check out her other drawings too which includes Doctor Who, Bones, and Series of Unfortunate Events.

This one titled "Arwen as an indie coffee-shop queen" is my absolute favourite:

Closely followed by the one of Eowyn as a biker chick:

Hey and what else beats hipster hobbits?

You can check out her full gallery of "The Broship of the Ring" here.

Paper Bag Princess

This is definitely the coolest thing I have seen in a while:

This is a replica by A Matter of Style of a brand name handbag (Birkin) made entirely of just brown paper and tape!

If only I had a sewing machine I would definitely try this out for myself. Coolest DIY bag ever. Puts my paper fetish in an entirely new dimension.

Outfit inspiration - Madelaine

Remember that children's book about the little French girls who were looked after by a nun?

This outfit totally reminds me of Madeline. The addition of a cloche hat makes it more chic and grown up and the colour combination is just stunning. Love love love.

Dress from ASOS

Wallpaper florals - Part 1: Shoes

I have this obsession with floral patterns I think that stems from a love affair with french countryhouse-esque wallpapers. My brother nicknames my signature floral pattern as "that creepy wallpaper pattern" which closely resembles something between Paisley and Damask. Anyways, the whole point of this is that I tend to buy things that are patterned over things that are plain coloured to the degree that I have now remind myself to buy plain coloured things or else I will actually end up going out looking like I walked through a wallpaper. But just so you can appreciate the prettiness that is floral patterned things I will now post a collection of stuff I really like starting with:

SHOES.

Rachel Antonoff for Bass
http://www.freepeople.com/whats-new-shoes/daydream-saddle-shoe/

Dr. Martens
http://www.freepeople.com/rose-cloud-lace-up-boot/_/cmCategoryID/8a61524b-907c-474c-ab37-f357c9ae11e3/

Boutique 9
http://www.freepeople.com/lace-oxfords/_/cmCategoryID/8a61524b-907c-474c-ab37-f357c9ae11e3/?productOptionIDs=12b8c951-1a20-4ee1-bf90-10c3e51e5a64

Jeffrey Campbells
http://www.modcloth.com/Womens/Shoes/Wedges/-Fine-Furnishings-Wedge

Jeffery Campbells
http://www.modcloth.com/Womens/Shoes/Flats/-Perfect-Photo-Op-Flat

British Wellies

It's that time of year again when the rapidly cooling weather and the threat of the oncoming 4 months of rain means that I am desperately searching for a pair of 'the' perfect rainboots. In Vancouver, there are many options for various kinds and styles of rainboot, but it so happens this year that I cannot find anything I am even remotely in like with.

Now the sad end of my previous pair of walmart rainboots (in which the plastic started to crack and by June my rainboots were leaking rain from the top of the shoe - this is a significant change from my pair two pairs back, which had a hole worn in the sole during the harshest and coldest winter Vancouver had ever seen and I was forced to walk around in a pool of ice cold slush water in my boot for the rest of the day at school), has convinced me that cheap rainboots are not the way to go.

So. I decided to look into Hunter rainboots, because of their fitted shape and durability. The problem with Hunters is that a) they are very pricey and b) they do not have a single colour I like in stores and I refuse to buy black rainboots. Black rainboots may look classy but when it's wet and dreary in Vancouver, I prefer to stomp out in bright colourful rainboots to combat the lack of colour in the world.

And then there are the Brits, who possibly have the most extensive and most adorable collection of rainboots in the world which they refuse to share with the rest of us.

Google has led me to discover this ridiculously adorable line of rainboots by Hunter for the Royal Horticulture Society that is neither sold nor shipped to any place in North America. Look at these beauties:

While I am in love with all of them, the one of the far right is my favourite, followed by the black and white pair and the pastel blue. 

I have decided to move to the UK just to take advantage of their collection of wellies (and I'm actually not kidding that much, since I am now considering on doing a term next fall at the University of Edinburgh). 

If anyone knows where these wellies may be purchased/shipped to Canada, please inform me and I will love you forever. 

The rainboot search continues!