Smelly Cat

The Smeaters household is without a shower.  I don't know exactly what's wrong with it but I do know that it's going to take at least 2 weeks to fix.  We do have a bath, so I'm not actually a smelly cat but today I forced myself down to the gym just so I could shower and wash my hair afterwards!  I was tempted to just go in, shower and leave, but I didn't.  I happily made it in just in time for an episode of CSI Miami starting (the Gorbals Gym cardio machines have wee TVs built into them) so I did a punishing 45 minutes whilst watching that.  The time passed so much faster than when I'm just listening to my iPod!  I think I'll start going to that gym more often, even though there's one closer to my house.

I also handed in my job form for the guitar store, so that was good - fingers crossed!  I heard about a lipgloss that I wanted from Collection 2000, which is pretty cheap (it was my brand of choice when I was about 14 for just that reason!) but they didn't have the colour I wanted!  Very peeving, but never mind.

I think my mum wants to go to Silverburn tonight to have a look at TVs (still haven't decided which one to get: size, brand, LCD/LED...?) and there's a Boots there so I might pop in and see if I can get it.

Not much chat today, really!  It's a lovely sunny day and pretty warm, so it was quite nice wandering about town - and much more of an effort to force myself into the gym!  If it's nice again tomorrow I'll see if I can finally corral ED in and we can go and feed ducks in the park.  Lovely way to pass the day!

I was at LW's flat party the other night, and that was pretty good fun!  Lots of drinks and chat to be had - and wigs!  MM brought a couple along for me to borrow and LW had a few of her own so we all wigged-up and pranced about like those weird kids' dolls.  (Bratz? Is that what they're called, and do they have funny coloured hair?)

Anyway, here we are; I actually really like myself as a platinum blonde - who'd've thought it?!



Party Update

Well, V's party was great fun: lots of tasty food, a mad Chinese drinking game - a wee bit like Ring of Fire but much better - and some good tunes.  My cake was a big hit, I think the most random thing anyone said to me all night was, 'Baking is my forte, and that's a quality sponge!'

Even through a slight beer haze I thought that was random!  He kept going on about how he loved cooking and baking, so I think he expected my cake to be crap.  I guess I should be honoured that he liked it so much, ha ha.

The next morning was a bit mad, with V finishing her packing and weighing her case and giving away stuff she couldn't take, then a taxi bolt to the train station to go to Prestwick.  Still, she made it OK, so it's all good.  I'm really going to miss her, she's so lovely.  It's quite random how we met but as soon as we did we became really good friends.  I think she's just one of those people, she's so nice and kind that everyone that meets her loves her.  So now she's away back to Italy, until at least September.  She has a really good job opportunity there and after a bad accident on her bike here about a month ago I think she wanted to go home for a bit.  But she says maybe she'll come back to Glasgow after the summer, so we'll see.

So, today is Fathers' Day, and at first I had no idea what to buy my dad until one day I got a blast of inspiration and bought him a new dressing gown.  That might sound like a boring present but you have to know my dad to appreciate the genius of it:  as soon as he can in the evening he puts his fleecy jammies on (another present from me, I might add!) and his dressing gown, and then settles down on the couch.  So, I found this uber soft, fleecy dressing gown - in a size small, the only one I found in any of the shops I tried! - and got him that.  He's well chuffed with it, he kept saying it was 'a cracker' and when he tried it on I don't think he wanted to take it off!  Present success!

My mum and granny are coming back from Tenerife tonight, they don't land til about midnight in Prestwick so I hope they've no delays or anything.  And my bro is away for his first trip to Ireland this weekend.  He was going to a 21st party in Droughada last night, and today he's spending the day in Dublin.  According to my dad, he was so hungover this morning that he couldn't even stomach the free Irish breakfast that he got in the B&B - which was one of the things he was looking forward to!  You know it must've been a good night when my brother isn't hungry the next day, I'm glad I'm not sharing a room with him, that's all I'm saying.

Anyway, I hope he has a good time, he's been desperate to go to Ireland for years now, I don't know why he never made it before.  I'm sure he'll love Dublin and Temple Bar.  I suggested doing the tour of the Guinness brewery but he pointed out that 'I don't really care how it's made, I just want to drink it.'

Fair enough, I suppose!

TMC

Too Much Cava.  Oh well.

Last night was MM's birthday cocktail-extravaganza in the ever-obliging RJ's flat.  It's one of those big new flats down in Finnieston: big living room, big windows with big view, a mezzanine and two bathrooms.  What more do you need in a party?  I'll tell you what else: cupcakes.  There were little piles of cupcakes all over the place and they were uber tasty.  I wish I'd thought to steal some and bring them home.  I did get a party bag, though, which was a genius touch.  No-one seemed to be taking them so I think me and LW both got about 3.  Wouldn't want them to go to waste y'know!

Everyone was all glammed up and looking very nice, I stuck some pics on my Facebook but somehow managed to not get a pic of my own dress!  How did this happen!?  I can't quite believe it but I think LW took one so I'll have to harangue her into posting them online.  And now that I work opposite her, this shouldn't be too hard.  Ha!  Slowly but surely me and my gals are taking over Byres Road.  We need someone down the other end now, though.  Who wants a job in Oran Mor?!  So far we're sorted for clothes, shoes and snackables (KM works in Little Italy) so all we need now is a beer connoisseur and we're sorted!

Anyway, woke up with a bit of a Cava head this morning, but a good strong cup of coffee (cup number 2 is due about now) and a killer bacon sandwich (Spanish tomato-toast meets Scottish bacon sandwich = one happy Clara) sorted me right out.

Back working in the shop 2-6 today, and I'm trying to decide what to wear.  Hmmm.  Might go for the tiger top my granny gave me, but not sure what to wear with it.  To much pressure, too little sleep.  Damn.

I think I'm starting to ramble.  The one thing I am going to wear is my Crown Jewell ring.  I'm thinking I should maybe take the security with me and have them watch the door, wouldn't want anyone to steal it.  You might be thinking that it looks a bit familiar:  I can't believe that Kate Middleton had the nerve to copy my ring.  If you take a proper look though, you might notice that mine is actually bigger than her's...

Dresses and exercise!

In light of being unemployed and actually not having all that much money to throw about on new clothes (not that you can really tell, to be fair), this blog has started give me my fashion fix.  I really like putting up pics of new bargins, rediscovered gems and generally fash-forward outfits, so that's why I've changed the title of my blog up there.  I also feel that my dreams of London aren't exactly off to a running start, so the name was a bit misleading anyway.

Glad you all seem to like the turban, I love it and wore it all day and night, even when I was just sitting in the house.  My granny also loves it and that, as we know, is enough to cement the style status of any item.

After Tenerife, the next thing on the Clara agenda is MM's birthday cocktail party.  I am starting to get very excited about this for three reasons, all under one roof: 
1. My amigas
2. A chance, nay, a command, to get dressed up to the nines and
3. Cocktails.

With this in mind, I've been musing over which dress to wear.  Although you might have thought that I'd be champing at the bit (weird expresson, where did I get it from?) to buy something new, in actual fact I have several lovely dresses that are too formal for everyday use and don't often get to see the light of day.  Or the disco lights of a good party.  So, I love a chance like this to dust one of them off and let it know it's still loved.  I have made a final decision, and I just tried it on to make sure.  Still love it, and I think it's perfect, so I've found a winner.

I pranced about my room in it for about 10 mins, just because.  If you go to all the trouble of putting it on, you might as well enjoy it for a few minutes, right?  I even have a pair of shoes that are the ideal height for it, though the colour isn't the best match.  Still, in the name of being cheap 'n' chic, I think I'll just wear them.

I should really head to bed, I'm up early tomorrow to go to a meeting in the Glasgow Women's Library, I'm going to be helping to organise some events with the Glasgow Feminist Network, so I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm already a member but I'm well chuffed at being able to get more involved in it!

After the meeting I'm going to hit the gym, too.  Gotta keep going with the arms routine!  I can see a small bit of definition in my upper arms now, though I accept that it's probably invisible to everyone else.  But I'm determined to stick with it anyway!  I'd love to be able to do the Tracy Anderson Method, but I don't feel like splashing out on the DVDs and books and stuff, to be honest.

Anyone got any good tips for toning up the shoulders and back?   There's a machine in the gym that I know how to use (kind of) but I'm not sure which muscles it actually targets.  Might do a bit of online research and see what I come up with.

I just did e quick Googling, and stumbled across this wee set of exercises by Tracy Anderson for Marie Claire.  They look bloody tough!  I'm not sure I'd even get through one set but I'll give it a go anyway!  If anyone else has a shot, let me know how you get on!

Shopping with KM

Ooooft, I'm tired.

Yesterday I spent nigh-on the entire day in my bed, watching make-up clips 'n' tips from Lisa Eldridge.  I discovered some new ones that I hadn't seen before and revisited a few classics.  The reason for this uber laziness was KM and her rockin' party.  My dad very kindly went out to buy me straws (glitter lips had to remain in tact throughout Cava and punch drinking, and thus required straws) and bought me a bottle of the ole Cava to take up with me.  So when we arrived we tanked that and discovered the cheese board, which me & ED quickly scarfed before anyone else could get a look in.  Then we had KM's punch, which really did, er, pack a punch (badoom-TCHSH!) and then ED very kindly shared his posh grapefruit vodka and M&S lemon juice.  Met some lovely peeps, had a good bit of chat and admired in awe, KM's new flat which is really rather lovely.  She does have one of those mad canopy beds though - like a double-sized bunk-bed with no bottom part.  I must admit I slightly worry for her safety and await the day I get a text message from her in A&E with a concussion, having drunkenly missed a step on the ladder on the way for a mid-night pee.  So far, though, she's been OK.

I left my cardi at her flat so we met up today so I could get it back for my hols, and then we had a very nice day.  Went for lunch in a wee coffee shop in the West End where we had lentil soup and shared a plate of basil-tastic bruschetta, and then... what else? We hit the shops.  I got some toiletries from Boots and we went into that houseware/junk shop Townhouse, where we spent a happy hour or so browsing the junk and picking up some gems for KM's pad.  Then we went to that wee Moroccan (I think it's Moroccan) shop on Argyle Street and were having a happy nosy about when - joy of joys! - I saw a black turban hat slung on top of a row of jewellery hooks.  Now, anyone who has ever listened to my fashion-obsessive chatter for long will know that I've been searching for a wee stylish turban for a while, but to no avail.  The problem was that any I found were woolly, winter ones, or just cosy headbands which, for some reason, a lot of shops have taken to describing as turbans.  Things like this:





Nice though this may be, it is not a turban!




Liz T.  Now all I need are the diamonds to match.

 

So, anyway... as soon as I saw this lying there in the shop, I grabbed it and tried it on in joy.  It looks awesome, and it is actually exactly what I've been looking for; a bit Elizabeth Taylor, I like to think.  I decided that if it was under a fiver I would just buy it for myself.  So I skipped up to the desk and asked the price, and the guy told me that it was only 99p!  I flipped him a pound with a Cheshire grin and couldn't believe my luck.

The funny thing is, the way it was just lying there on top of a bunch of necklaces and earrings, and the fact that it was the only one in the shop, made us both think that maybe it wasn't really from that shop, and actually someone might have left it there while they tried something else on and then forgotten about it.  I think the guy working at the cash desk was just chancing his luck, selling it for a pound!  This suspicion was compounded when KM asked if he had any others and he very quickly replied (without so much as a glance at where I'd picked it up) "No, that's the last one."  The last one, or the only one, I wonder??

A very happy result for me today and I think I'll stick that on for travelling on Saturday because it's very lightweight and will be comfy for keeping my hair off my face, which is my pet hate.  Although I'm sort of growing my hair out at the moment (more out of indecision and apathy than anything else), it drives me mad when it's hanging in my face or on my neck, so I'm always tying it up or sticking a hat, scarf, or turban, on to get it out the way.  I'm sure it won't be long til I get it all chopped off again.  But in the meantime I'll wear my fabulous turban with joyous style and pizazz!

The Age-Old Question:

What Am I Going To Wear?

Yup, tonight is party night and I'm having a dilemma.  Those of you who are regular readers will know that I've decided on the pink! lipstick look, but I still can't decide what to wear.  Going naked is not, apparently, an option.

So my choices are:

1 (a) black strapless jumpsuit* with nude heels, purple neck-scarf, and black feather hairband.

1 (b) black strapless jumpsuit,  with nude heels and black sparkly cape.

2 This new skirt my mum dug out of her wardrobe and was about to throw out, before I claimed it.  It's midi-length, nude, and covered in silver sequins and looks very 1920s.  I would wear that with a black scoop necked tshirt, I think.

The outfit I go for determines the way I do my hair because if I go for the feather hair band then I'll scrape it back and straighten it, otherwise I'll leave it curly.  Ahh, dilemmas, dilemmas...  What to do?

*not my lush new one, because I'm saving that for my hols, and even though it's machine washable, I've already had to wash it once and I don't want to do it any more than I have to.

A bit of a cheerier post...

Well, after being a bit of a grump most of the day and having an annoying and long journey through to Uddingston (long ticket queues, missed train, Pret a Manger closed when I'd planned to hop in for some Miso soup...), I made it to MM's and had a lovely night, hanging with the gurls.  LH & RJ were there too, and Mrs M made amazo steaks and chips for dinner.  I don't know how she does it, she always whips up such tasty meals for whoever happens to have popped in at a meal time!

I did get in to Boots before I got the train and I got my tinted moisturiser (using my Advantage Card points - hello, bargin!) and a bright pink glitter from Barry M.  I had a little pot of a silvery grey Dazzle Dust, but it was unopened, and still sealed, because when I bought it I got two at the same time and, despite testing them all up my arm, I managed to come away with two in a very similar shade.  The thing is, I think I got them in Superdrug, who had a bigger range than Boots... but today I chanced my arm, and returned the grey one and asked to swap it for the hot pink, which they did without any bother at all!  So, all in all, a very cheap and cheerful makeup shopping trip!

KM is having her flat-warming party tomorrow, so that's what I wanted the glitter for.  I don't know what my outfit will be yet, but I do know that I'm going for a kitchsy, dramatic make-up look that I've seen on the Lisa Eldridge blog, which is fantastic.  If you're into make-up and trying out new ideas/products/looks then I totally recommend it!  The videos are also great for passing a bored hour - something about her calm manner and slightly posh voice/accent makes them quite soothing!  I'm really looking forward to the party, and it seemed like the perfect time to go all out and get dressed up!

So, this is the look I'm going for:  I gave the glitter a quick trial at MM's, over the matching lipstick I already had, and it worked quite well, so I think it'll be even better when I do it all properly tomorrow.  Awesome. 

From this photo the glitter doesn't look all that fierce, but once it's on it really shows, and has quite an impact.  Loves it!  Think I'll take a straw to the party though, so I can drink without shedding sparkles all over the place, like some kind of half-cut Tinkerbell.