Archive for the 'shopping' Category

making a list and checking it twice;

Published on December 12, 2009 in a little more personal and shopping. 18 Comments Tags: , .

Dear Santa,

I’m not seriously planning to ask for anything this year, because it would be a bit rich with a wedding coming up and money being a bit tight. However, so I can look back and laugh next year, in an ideal world I would ask for:

- some really cosy M&S jammies like these ones or these;
- the new Chuck Klosterman (have I mentioned how much I love Chuck Klosterman?);
- a Vestalife Ladybug docking station;
- the complete history of Craig Finn and Tad Kubler’s old band;
- maybe a(nother) cute sweater dress;
- some Uggs, as my fake ones are so bloody comfy, or alternatively some ridiculous heels;
- that Thunder Road t-shirt I’ve wanted since Dublin;
- a 21.5″ iMac;
- a slanket
- a Camera Shy necklace from This Charming Girl, and a Gorillapod…

To be honest though, I’d rather all my friends and family had a fantastic 2010.

Big love,
Lis xoxo

[Cheers to Helen for the inspiration.]

come on over to my place;

Published on November 10, 2009 in photography, shopping and work & writing. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

the maisonette
the maisonette
the maisonette
the maisonette
the maisonette

Trying to catch up, slowly but surely, with bookmarks and photographs and little notes on bits of paper scattered over the sofa I jokingly refer to as my desk. The Made in the Shade Maisonette, which opened its doors in the newly renovated upper floor of De Courcy’s Arcade in the West End at the end of October, promises to be Glasgow’s permanent retail, gallery and social space dedicated to showcasing and promoting off-beat design, craft and vintage lifestyle in what the papers are now calling the city’s “answer to Covent Garden”. Roll your eyes if you will, but the shop is an adorable and friendly little space stocking everything from hand-bound notebooks to Tom Selleck embroidery. I might have spent more than I intended, although I’m afraid the ‘tache didn’t do it for me.

Since Carrie and Clare are my best Twitter friends I’ve got a piece on my visit and the opening published on Mookychick and many thanks to Kaite for setting me up with that one!

And since we don’t like to be called parochial around these parts I’d also like to direct you to the home on the web of Blackbird Summer Market, happening so far away it’s a whole other season. The first Blackbird will take place in Melbourne, Australia’s Worker’s Club, 51 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy on Saturday 5th December. The fabulous Sam and Courtney have been working flat out to put together an exciting all-day lineup of great bands, DJ sets, food and – of course – vintage fashion and handcrafted jewellery and products. Definitely not to be missed if you’re in that part of the world – the Glasgow contingent will be shivering and wishing you the best of luck, girls!

never take a break from my pining after furniture;

Published on May 21, 2007 in a little more personal and shopping. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Fuckssake. If you have to get on my train, stinking of drink, at 10am on a Sunday morning and stick your tongues down each other’s throats, could you at least do so quietly? Your slurping noises put me off my Starbucks. Surely they can issue ASBOs for that sort of behaviour? They seem to be able to do so for everything else in this country.

Other than that though, it was a good – if quiet – weekend. We didn’t make it to the cinema after all because I managed to, um, put my back out doing some overenthusiastic flat cleaning (I’m so tragic), but sometimes you need a night in with classic light entertainment programming, Haribo and toffee popcorn. I also managed to watch Batman Begins, without falling asleep, on my second attempt.

Yesterday I went to IKEA, which I swear has to be like my favourite place on earth. I’ve always had a fascination with furniture stores, particularly ones which display laid out dream bedrooms or kitchens. They’re so ordered and co-ordinated and beautiful: of course, as my mum says, “real life takes over” and the displays are hardly reflective of a real living space. The trick, I suppose, is to be able to blend the old and the new and the inherited – and to find some place to store your clutter! It doesn’t stop me from looking though, and I suppose that’s why those “Grand Designs” programmes are so popular – nobody in real life will ever have a home like that, but we can dream.

And who’d want a place that looks like something out of a magazine anyway? Our flat was furnished when we moved in, and we’re gradually replacing the generic art prints on the walls with photographs and posters and pirate flags. We still need to move in most of our books and music too. Perhaps when my financial situation is a little more positive I’ll invest in some Innovative Storage Solutions. And some more fairy lights.

In other news: Silversun Pickups and Andrew Bird are the latest acts to be confirmed for Indian Summer, which is just getting better and better and which I still can’t afford to buy a ticket to.

she looked good on paper, huh;

Published on May 10, 2007 in a little more personal, fitba and shopping. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I miss my handwriting. I’m so out of practice with paper and pen than these days, when I do write (only the functional, address labels and greetings cards) my letters are screwed up and slanted.

I have a box filled with the dozens of journals I kept through my teens. I’d take great pride in sitting for an hour or so every night, forming neat and tiny letters as I examined the events of my day and, oh, the exquisite pain of being young in minute detail. Such introspection was never particularly healthy, of course. I realise that now.

And you’d always get to the point, roughly halfway through a book, when you’d get a little bit lazy and you’d scrawl outside the lines. Lining up the next journal with its new, unspoiled pages and clean smell was always a treat and you’d promise yourself that you’d do better next time. When we lived in Edinburgh, Kaite and I would spend ages in Paper Tiger on Lothian Road looking through the racks of pretty journals and imagining the great use we would put them to. We spent too much money in that place as well, not least because they also stocked those Cheeky Chimp toiletries like their white chocolate flavoured lip-balm.

I’m going to be travelling a lot this weekend. I think I’ll take some paper with me, and maybe make a start on these stories I’m supposed to be writing.

Two items of note from the inter nets today: the most tragic news story of the year (although Lisbon’s a pretty name for a girl: still, it was forty years ago!), and news of the Stephen King/Ryan Adams mutual appreciation society.

PS I am so totally going to New Look on my lunch break today. The thing is, I love Lily Allen and Kate Moss pretty much equally, but whose clothes are more likely to be made in cuts that would flatter me? Not that I can afford to buy either, but it’ll be nice to have a look.

PPS While I’m getting a bit girlie, this article (courtesy of Kaite) is the greatest thing I’ve read today. My make-up is a terrible vice. The worst thing about not being particularly well off at the moment? My Dandelion face powder (a must) is running low…

the shameless nepotism issue;

Published on October 14, 2006 in music and shopping. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

(Or, the one in which I take advantage of having my own little piece of the interweb to let you know what some of my clever and fabulously talented friends have been up to of late.)

My mate Stevie says that the great thing about indie compilations is that, even if they’re awful, there’s likely to be at least one thing in there that catches your ears. And the first offering from London’s The Depths Records has a higher hit rate than most.

The idea is simple: a monthly compilation of twelve tracks from unsigned artists – any type of music from anywhere in the world. It’s a sweeping remit that works, and makes for interesting listening.

A little heavier on the electronic than your typical indie compilation but not to its detriment, The Depths vol. 1 takes you on an epic music journey from chillout ambience to shouty, bratty punk via the sweet (The Lavas), the ones who grew up on their dad’s Beach Boys and Hollies records (Michael Knight), the twangy, acoustic country one (Made J) and the just plain weird (RECORDER).

Some personal standouts, you say? I’ll go with “Don’t Get It” (Flying Club) which, to employ a lazy music hack cliche, sounds like Greg Dulli covering Goldfrapp; “Here Comes The Night” (La Concorde) – girly shouty vocals over a catchy synthline giving way to a Sahara Hotnights-style power chorus; and “Stuck On Strawberry” (The Pinks), its heavy riffage keeping tender boy/girl harmonies firmly on the right side of twee.

Truth be told there isn’t a bad track among this compilation of 12: some stuff that’s not to my taste, sure, but even the one I was planning to slag off turned into something pretty great after a minute and a half of bleepy-bleep computer crap. It’s certainly a refreshing change from nineteen million guitar bands trying to sound a bit “retro” and coming across like Libertines rip-offs. Damn you, Joss.

Go visit the website to order yourself a copy, or add The Depths Records on Myspace to keep up with the latest on vol. 2!

This Charming Girl offers handmade and vintage jewellery pieces for those looking for something set apart from the chunky plastics of Claire’s Accessories. Jacqueline’s designs bring to mind secret teenage romance, road trips, summer nights and black and white movies (possibly not the one I ordered, but visit the site and you’ll see what I mean!). You can also add the site on Myspace to keep up to date with the latest designs and offers.

Going to see Children of Men with Jason and Andy in a bit, and tonight Jay and I plan to have a Spaced marathon with popcorn and plenty of gin. Best kind of Saturday night, really.