Elementary, dear Watson!

Hello!!!  I've just had a lovely evening catching up with 2 friends who I haven't seen for over a year and a half at least!  It's so nice to find out what they've been up to!! I must make more effort to do this with other friends who  haven't seen for a long time because it's so nice when you do!  I made Spaghetti bolognaise!  A staple Kezzie dish!

Anyway, very little effort went into this week's Inspiration Monday with the lovely Megan and Nora at the Two Birds boutique sadly as I am just soo tired from the weekend's excursions for CBC's extended birthday celebrations!  I knew I had the items to recreate this lovely Emma Watson outfit but just couldn't face sifting through my wardrobe to find them! Bad form Kezzie!

Anyway, I went for the features of Black and white floral on top half and reversed them so the floral was on the cardie and the black on the shirt (thrifted) and then paired them with the first floral skirt I could find!

Excuse pale legs again- I took off the trousers I have been wearing under the skirt for the pictures!

I had blue shoes but lacked energy to locate them!

Excuse decapitation- camera battery died after taking this!!

Go and check everyone else out!

Frantic last minute attempts to get final Scavenger hunt piccies together!!  Why do I have about 6 contenders for 'Multicoloured' and nothing for in/out?

Tschuss jetzt!

The red car and the blue car had a race

Since the shopping ban began, I've had the yellow version of this car-print skirt on my mind!  Literally, I thought, "Shopping ban" and I thought "Car-print skirt!".  I admit to growing a little more envious when I discovered Char (a fellow shopping banee) had got one via the lovely Alex!  And then my knight in shining armour, CBC,  stepped in and saw my wistful expression when I showed him the skirt (read that begrudgingly taking it as flashed it at him mournfully when he was in a fluster at the counter paying for something!  Somehow, he took it!)

It's been rather unsuitable weather for it since I bought it so it had its first outing for his birthday and then worn to school the next day with different tights top and cardie!

It takes inspiration from the Gucci catwalk (ooo-er!) and my headteacher spotted it instantly (we always spot new clothes on each other!) and said it reminded her of this Milkyway advert (except the proper 1990's version where it said, "He's looking for a lovely treat, lovely and light, because he knows it wont spoil his appetite")  Yep, there's a red and blue car there!

 Worn with unironed red and white candy-striped ruffle blouse (Warehouse via charityshop)
Primark heart cardie, Wolf and Moon bunny necklace and Aldo shoes.

 I've taught 2 maths lessons this week (if you don't count Reception taking away caterpillars from leaves) and it's been a bit surreal. One thing that kids have always struggled at when I've taught it in the past is division using written methods.  And yet Wednesday and today, somehow they got it, they got the method I taught them and just wanted to keep doing it utterly enthusiastically!  It's lessons like that that remind me why I'm a teacher!

Any old iron? (TAFT!)

What are you like about ironing?  I am terrible as my outfit to school today demonstrated!

 It's Thursday for thrifters linkie day today with Meagan and I was conscious of this as I dressed!  I was going to go for a total thriftathon but then the absence of my brown suede boots stopped that!
One thing I love about looking at other people's blogs is to learn inventive ways to wear your clothes that I wouldn't have thought of!  Lots of you have taught me about wearing a dress tucked in with a skirt to make a different top! So I tried that with a dress I'd not thought of doing that with, today!

Most of the outfit is charity-shop sourced and again, comprises of items I'd not thought to wear together.

Top (actually a grey dress), Primark via charity shop (thrifted for my American friends)
Polka dot skirt, Hobbs via charity shop
Belt and cardie, Primark
Shoes, Aldo
Kissing Earrings, vintage via St Francis hospice charity shop
Grey pearl necklace thrifted 2nd hand via village fete
Tights ?

Some people scoff at buying something Primark from a charity shop but I remember really wanting this dress but it being at a time when I was trying not to buy things unnecessarily so I didn't buy it but then when I saw it in a charity shop (was cheaper anyway), I couldn't resist!  I've bought Primark things there several times! Who cares where it came from if I like it and think it's worth the money- the charity shop can't do anything else with it!

 My camera takes getting used to and I had NO idea why it suddenly went hazy! It's like it said, "NO more photos you vain idiot!"

Excuse the goofy shot, it was to show the earrings and necklace! I still haven't worked out how to take head shots, you can see straight up my nostrils here!
4 thrifted items in an outfit- not bad!

Today was quite fun at school!  I held a little survey via the children outside in Reception and Nursery to find out what the most common colour of toilet people had (it was a spur of the moment thing prompted by one child showing me the posh loo he'd made out of lego!).  Apparently, it is white!  All were white except for one green (shudder) loo!  Why can't I have a turquoise loo!?

It was CBC's birthday on Tuesday, so I made him this card.  Another attempt at stained-glass window painting.  Rather messy but ok! SO that's another monthly make for April for Annie the Felt fairy's link-up!

Chocolate cake phobia



Get thee hence fungus!

 Hello dear bloggers!  I have a question for you:  What phobias do you have?

Phobias are often strange or irrational things.  http://www.dictionary.com/ cites it as such:

pho·bi·a   /ˈfoʊbiə/ Show Spelled[foh-bee-uh]
noun
a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.

I've had some issues with certain things in the past, that I cited as phobias, though I've never been sure if they are just deep-rooted aversions or indeed phobias?

This stemmed from a late-night conversation with a jolly bunch of revelling strangers on the Secretary express (aka, late train with rowdy drunk city of London workers). All very nice and friendly.



You're outta here my wooly friend!

One of them has a phobia of cotton wool:  her face and her voice as she  described it showed she had a real issue with it.  The others all laughed at her and called her a weirdo.  I laughed at the idea but listened.  I understood, I'm not keen on the creaky noise it makes when you pull it apart.


Evil foe, I shun ye! Get your shiny brown malevolence away from my presence


Another guy had chocolate cake phobia, and he cited a childhood experience with it, having been very very ill with it that lead to that.  Again, he was mocked, but I listened in, laughing at the appropriate places, but not mocking or joining in with the banter.  He laughed at himself as well, but he was obviously not fond of it!



No balloons at the party (don't tell the girls that ribbon from the SWAG bag holds a menacing adversary on the end of it)

 Once, I worked with 2 people who had a balloon phobia.  The sound, the touch, the smell, the
I found it bizarre but didn't ever mock!   I understood: I dislike the smell of balloons after my hand touches them!  Likewise, rubber bands!

That's the thing- phobias are bizarre!   That's part of what they are!  It's funny to hear about them and have banter but I'd never knowingly mock someone!
What have I cited as mine:



AHRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


Mushrooms:  Well, for years, I really had a deep-seated fear of mushrooms.  To this day, I utterly LOATHE them!  I even wrote an empassioned diatribe on this blog in reference to them here. Read it- you'll think I'm crazy, but I am earnest to the point of evangelistic in my hate of them!    Missy and Nicole and recipients of comments left on their blogs when their food posts include mushrooms!  Somehow, I can't keep my mouth shut!

Plasters:  I have a really awful thing about plasters and have done since primary school!  I would rather bleed all over the place than put an awful sticky beige square over an injury!  They honestly make me shudder- the feel, the colour, the especially wrinkled effect on a non flat surface, especially those big awful ones they used to use on little boys' and girls' knees in the 80's.  Urgh!  It may have stemmed from an incident where a scab was accidently ripped off when wearing one as a child but I'm not sure of the exact incident.  I couldn't bear scabby children when I was a little girl, those who always had plasters on them, it just worried me!  Now, as a teacher, of course, I have to put this all aside, but I always regard them with a great inner feeling of distaste.

Sick:  I cannot bear it and I know one or two other bloggers who feel the same.  I learned how to control it so I would never be sick as a child and I have managed to sustain this mostly.  I think it's a control thing- it's such an out of control thing to be doing. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I went off alcohol and never really bothered with it. It's just horrid horid horrid seeing it, and all the senses that go with it!  I don't even want to go into more detail!

Maybe they are not really 'phobias', in the clinical sense, but they are certainly things that I try to avoid and have a strong aversion to and that's acceptable I think to think of them as such. What do you think?

Now it's your turn!  Share your phobias or deep aversions.  Come on, there's got to be some interesting phobias out there!!!  What are your phobias or hates?

Helga bird



      Good day!  It's Monday and it's time for the Twobirds inspiration outfit! (Sara Rue. Don't know who but love the red hair!)  I was really excited when I saw this one as I was sure I had something similar.  Strange then, that I couldn't seem to find anything suitable in my wardrobe in terms of colour!

However, I thought of the dress I'd worn to go and see The Artist with CBC on Friday.   It seemed to bear a similar shape, ruffly neck in a V.  This dress came from a Northumberland department store, Beals, it was part of a Fashion link initiative, where a company had donated these dresses to be sold in aid of Save the Children. It was only £5! 

These would have been outdoor shots except that the wind was howling like a wolf so I imagine I would be showing my underwear in the shots if I'd have persevered out there!  It's so funny, so many days have started gloriously, then the wind kicks in and finally the rain (pelting it down as I speak!).  Therefore the light and the shadows are all wrong in these shots! There are also pale legs but let's not go there!!!!

 Worn with Aldo kitten heels, gold bangles Primark, silver belt: Kush, plaited hair headband Asos, vintage gold Oak leaf earrings, St Francis hospice. (2 shots so you can see the ruffles better)

 I really like doing my hair like this!  I keep meaning to try and actually do it with my hair as it's long enough and I've read Lauren's tutorial on how to do this, but I'm not exactly skilled with my hair.  Anyway, I've always been lucky with these fake hair bands as they always match my hair-shade.  I've got about 5 of them of various sizes, dating back from the first one I bought in H&M in about 1999!  I always feel like a Helga, Gretl or Heidi when I wear my hair like this!

 The smile isn't quite reaching my right cheek as my gum is still swollen around my wisdom teeth, meaning it's sticking out and catching between my teeth! How tiresome! It's making me feel somewhat miserable, but I'm trying to keep spirits up! I have to confess, that once again I broke the shopping ban as I was feeling sorry for myself and I found these gorgeous 24 carat-gold plated oak-leaf earrings in the ST Francis Hospice shop along with 2 cute chiffon dresses.  It did make me feel a bit better!

Aldo shoes, which couldn't be seen in the main shots properly.  Very comfy! Bought after I borrowed a pair from a medical student when I had forgotten to bring dark shoes for a concert some years ago!  Luckily, she had size 8 feet like me and had a spare pair of shoes with her! I'd never heard of Aldo before then, but I went along pretty sharpish after that!

I had a lovely time on Friday seeing The Artist  at long last.  I think the thing I loved most was the two main characters' smiles!  They surely must have been chosen purely for their beguiling and infectious smiles!  I cried lots at crucial moments and laughed lots at the darling dog's antics!   It reminded me a lot of Singing in the rain, probably because of it being the end of the silent movies era and beginning with 'talkies'.  No wonder it won so many prizes- it was something refreshing in an era, saturated with the same old films!
The costumes were utterly amazing!  I saw several hats, coats and dresses that I was itching to have a closer look at!

On Saturday night, we went to a party which a friend of CBC had.  It was held in a wonderful flat in Covent Garden, London.  I never imagined anyone living round there, just shops, but above the shops, a whole host of sensational flats are lurking.  It was wonderful vintage chic with uber modern touches.  Simply wonderful and such a range of characters there- ranging from professional dancers to Saville Row tailors, bookshop owners, hair-dressers and environmental workers! I always feel incredibly shy when encountering new people, especially where I really don't know many people, but it's always a pleasure to hear about people's lives!

Anyway, go and look at the Twobirds link for more lovely bright, ruffly dresses!

101 dalmations

 Hello!  Thank you for your kind comments, sympathy and advice in reference to my teeth!  It's still hurting and swollen today, but I have high hopes it will sort itself out!!

I have a slight confession to make.  With this oufit, I have slightly contravened the spending ban, the post-Lent bit. I bought this top, intending to give it to a friend (another one as it was so cute when I bought it for the other friend!) but I bought a size too small and can't find the receipt!  So er- I am keeping it!!
Otherwise, apart from one another slight transgression, I am going well on it!  It's fine and I am used to it now and ok with it!  It's amazing what CBC buying the car-print skirt (my crave for the last 2 months) did to my shopping urges!

School was not bad today, I did have a bit of a confusion over the maths investigation I taught!  I didn't get them to do the right task, but it's one of the few Fridays in which I haven't felt really really exasperated by them!  Perhaps my attempt to be Pollyanna-like and very very patient about it worked!

Anyway, the top is a Primark special- I wonder JUST how many dalmations there are on it!

I think Char of T-rexes and tiaras has somehow put animal prints into my head! It's her fault!

Worn with Green ASOS skirt (mental note to self, do not wear with tights all wrinkled up in a bunch around waist with top all bunched up!), H&M cardie and Tesco boots with Primark, Kate Middleton style sapphire engagement ring necklace!  Yes, I am THAT sad, I bought it to go with my Issa dress lookalike!

I have to say, I do adore everything she wears!  Even the body-con dress which is TOTALLY not me!
Hurrah for the weekend!  Hurrah for corsydol gel!  Hurrah for cups of tea!

What shall we herald with hurrahs?!

Cinderella, The Crystal Maze and wisdom teeth

Hello!  Greetings from under a loud accompaniament of percussive rain on the conservatory roof!  Wow, how rainy it has been!!! Let's start with the positive!  I always smile when I wear this M&S Per Una knitted dress as it was the bargain of the century some years ago.  I like the fact it looks like fringing!  I tried to wear it with a Peter Pan collar top underneath today, to give it a bit of interest but I'm not sure that colours really go.   Also pleased as, like Cinderella, I got my missing shoe back!  One of these boots has been missing for a year!  It was in a drawer!

One really fun part of my day today was having to be the teacher in the knowledge and understanding area (i.e. science and stuff) in Reception.  One of the activities that had been set up was a series of half-pipes which were balanced in a downhill of great length from the water-tray to a bucket down the other end. 

I challenged the children to get the balls (lots of them) from the water tray to the bucket without touching the balls with their hands!  So they used the water! It was TOTALLY a Crystal maze challenge from the Oceania zone!!! Do you remember it?  I always wanted to go on the Crystal maze as a child and to my delight, I discovered they show Richard O'Brien repeats of the Crystal Maze on Challenge TV on a Saturday morning!  We had great fun and a great system going until I made the mistake of issuing the challenge to a very bright child of getting the ball to go back uphil from the bottom and applying the right science of needing a greater force, he dumped the entire bucket of water from a height onto the pipe in order to get enough force to push it back up!  Let's just say I was a little wet afterwards!

On the converse, last night, the area around the gum of where my impacted wisdom tooth wishes to come through began swelling up and being sore.  It started coming through a few weeks ago or so - well part of it through a flap of gum!  I felt a bit like a teething baby.  I brushed at it because I know the importance of not allowing any bacteria to build up!  However this morning it was really swollen to the extent that it was catching any time I shut my mouth properly and ate. It was really sore!  All sorts of thought ran through my mind thinking I had an abcess or something and I managed to secure an appointment with my dentist for after school.   He said I'd done the right thing in brushing it (but not so strongly!) and said that's it's because my tooth is at such an angle and because the other tooth above it coming through into the cheek so it's digging into the gum where the other one is coming through!  He suggests that if it continues to cause grief (I have gel and optional antibiotics), I might have to have the TOP one out, as that can be done as a local anaesthetic whereas the bottom one is in a very difficult position and the roots are very near the lower jaw nerve so I'd have to go to hospital!   Eeeeeek for both options!!!! I want to know if anyone has had these procedures done and what it was like and any issues!  I really dislike any dental procedures!!!

Anyway, I'll leave you with the dove of Peace to end on a positive hippy vibe! Peace man!

April Showers of thankfulness

It's funny.  It can be a really miserable day in terms of how you feel (not well) and the weather but somehow you are full of the joys of Spring!

 Like school today.  I woke with a rotten headache, this rendered me late for school, it was too cold to wear what I planned to school (car print skirt!) analogue TV (RIP) ceased today, so I couldn't sit and watch the news whilst dressing and I was all soggy by the time I got to school, I discovered I was doing small groups in the afternoon and felt a little nervous and unprepared.  BUT, the day was positive.  I was thankful for many things.
I was thankful for my new groups really understanding what I was teaching them, being positive to my teaching, for their making progress.  I was thankful for my choir who just soak up my teaching and enthusiasm and produce this wonderful sound, I was thankful for a colleague in another school who has said I can borrow some music and talking to her, I was thankful that my Head has really tried to make my life simpler this year in order to allow me to focus more on the music when that might not be the case for others.  I was thankful for my colleague who gave me a lift home when not feeling well, I was thankful for my Dad who I just had a lovely chat to. 

And I am thankful for this blog.
I am thankful for your friendship and comments.  It really means a lot to me when you leave me lovely messages. I always think it but don't always say it.  I've never had anyone say anything that isn't positive, uplifting or the type of thing that builds one up.  I thank you for your continued enthusiasm and friendship.  It makes my day when I get home and see a kind thought or comment, especially when I am so busy and can't meet up with flesh and blood friends, it's lovely to know that someone has thought of me.

 I'm posting this outfit shot in anticipation of Thursdays are for thrifters  link-up with Meagan at Brass in Pocket.  This skirt was a thrifted item around 2 years ago and I love shoving my hands into the pockets (pockets with skirts- genius!) and walking around!  I wear it with a comfy black H&M top (a great top for not feeling great!), Primark hearts cardie, Red shoes, Whitestuff necklace, Daisy earrings and cheerful turquoise belt to avoid it being too glum and austere Victorian!

 This smile is for YOU!

 Speaking of Red shoes!  Can you believe the coincidence?  After posting that about it on Monday, I went into school yesterday and the colleague who gave me the Alice brooch had this on her desk, they were watching A night to remember (David McCallum swoooooooon!) in class, and it was part of a triple set which I am now borrowing!

 And a special mention for CBC who sent me this lovely card (with lovely message) in the post to cheer me up at my school gloom, despite his own gloom! 

Go on, share your own joys and happinesses!!!!!!!!

The red shoes

I've never seen that film but it was one of those that I always wanted to see as a child!  Like Krull, which I only ever saw bits of until 2 years ago!  Amazing how memory makes something exciting.  When I was it I was so disappointed- it was creepy and weird!  Maybe I'll feel the same about The red shoes.  Anyone seen it?

It's Two birds Inspiration Monday day!  Hurrah!

The inspiration:  Ms Kerry Washington.  Another unknown for me!

 Cute outfit!  Three key features I picked up on to include in my look.
Short shirt-dress
Red shoes
Dark colours

 It was far too cold for bare legs and though I pondered flesh coloured tights, I don't think this would be acceptable for school!  Far too short!

 The rundown:
Red shoes:  Lovebirds from Red or dead
Paisley Dress:  Cath Kidston
Belt:  Matalan
Leggings, earrings, necklace etc: er-?

 I love red shoes!  Today, one of our cleaners who is a darling, saw them and asked me my foot-size.  When I proffered my gargantuan size, she said, "Oh my sister had a pair she gave to me that she'd bought before she'd lost weight and they were your size! I'd have given them to you!"  Darn it, they were red suede as well! Oh well, hopefully someone else is enjoying them!

I confess to feeling gloomy at going back to school but really, most of my colleagues are great!
My old job share and still a good friend, gave me this adorable Alice in Wonderland brooch today, saying she just HAD to get it for me when she saw it!  How wonderfully thoughtful!  I love anything to do with Alice!  She's so so kind!  It really made my day! The day itself was not too bad, I am exhausted, but managed to have a really good recorder club rehearsal and several good lessons.  Twould have been great if not for seriously chatty and shockingly rude year 5's!

Hope your day was sunny and HAPPY!!!!!!

P.S.  I swear that my robin (in my garden) just SHOUTED at me!  I've left the back door open and I can hear a very very loud chirping!  I just went out and he's sitting on the post right by the house!

April makes: quilling special!

Linking up to Annie the Felt Fairy's a make a month for 2012.  Go and see what everyone else has made!  I'm afraid my April makes have not been anything new and innovative in terms of trying new crafts, but I've made one or two cards I've been rather pleased with! I always tend to spend an inordinate amount of time making cards in the holidays, it's just nice to sit and waste time doing something frivolous (I say frivolous as I already have a large supply of cards ready made from previous holidays etc!)

 This first one still needs some googly eyes added to the ladybirds but this one recycles some lady bird bodies (the black legs bit) that I had on some ladybird chocolates I was given for my birthday.  It seemed a shame to throw them away so I made them some red circle bodies from some scrap red card I rescued from the recycling and some black paper and a hole-punch.  The leafy background was produced using a tearing ruler.
The quilling madness:
One of the papercrafts I adore which looks effective but is really easy is quilling, i.e. using a tiny pronged fork to make tiny coils of paper from thin strips that you then shape and put together to make images.  There are some amazing amazing examples out there on the web, go and look!

This all came about because of a card-making book I borrowed from the library that had some lovely quilled examples in.

 Ice-cream!  I was rather pleased with this one using pastel colours and some brown

 A simple daisy, I think I am quite boring with my quilling!  Half the time, I do flowers!

 Another simple flower though I like the combo of bright colours.

 This was an Easter card which I actually forgot to send in the end!

 Another bright flower!

 Another Easter card, not too sure about this one.  Is it a flower, is it a sun, is it Superman?  Who knows!

 One more Easter example, I think this is my favourite, even though it took ages!

Are you bored of quilling yet?

 This was a version of the design that I saw in the craft book that inspired it all.  Well, a similar one! This isn't the finished version which has a contrasting lilac and mint stripey inside- perhaps the recipient, my sister, might send me a photo of it!  I was especially pleased with the flowers on the left- it's the first time I've tried using thicker strips and fringing it in quilling- I actually followed the instructions correctly! (more recycling on this!  The purple flowers are all made out of envelopes!)

 This one was also based on a design in the book but I was cheapy and used free patterned papers from Papercraft inspirations magazine..

 Likewise this one!  I somehow broke my circle scallop punch on this one!

 This one was for a lady who loves monkeys!  The monkeys are cut from some plastic packaging from a Thorntons Easter egg last Easter which I saw (WOMOTM's Easter egg!) were about to be put in the bin so I thought, "Ahaaaaaaaaaa, I know someone who likes monkeys!  Unfortunately her birthday had just been so I've waited a year!!!!

 A simple Decoupage design that's been kicking around for ages (this is where you have multiple images of a picture which you cut and you layer them on top of each other with sticky pads to achieve a 3D effect)

Finally, I'd seen this sort of design in Papercraft inspirations and loved it.  I tried to find 2 different complimentary patterned papers that matched but failed so I made the spotty paper by adding hole-punched scraps from an envelope to orange paper!

There's a few more but one of them is for a birthday next week so more anon!

Please tell me, what do you think of them?  Are there any that you'd laugh at if you received it?  Are there any that you think are nice?  Have I inspired you to make some cards at all?

(Back to my work!  Ahrgh, panic panic!!!!!!!!!)