Four Sale- English Summer

Well, I did the last Four Sale a while ago...

and it took me forever to ship them.

All the packages are all finally off & in safe hands,

but I will say- 

the shipping on these sales is the hardest part.

First of all, I'm never home!

Second of all, the packaging is surprising expensive,

and I was trying to mail them as cheap as possible to keep the price down.

(Like, $3.50 for packing envelopes? Why can't I find these cheaper here?)

Third, I don't have a car to haul all the packages to the post office,

so it requires multiple runs on foot carrying them. 

(Which obviously is a process that is tres chic, mes amis.)

I should change the name of this to "Four Weeks..." 

since that is pretty much how long it has been taken to mail/receive the goods!

But....this time, I got everything ready first....

so all I have to do is address the packages & drop off at the post.

(I'm getting smarter!)

Like always, four of each item are available.

And man, these things go quick...

Enjoy!

SOLD OUT

I loved these, and thought they were a much cheaper alternative to these ($75!) 

for our upcoming trip to India!

SOLD OUT

Do you use reusable bags? Because you really should.

Not to preach, but it saves sooo many plastic bags!

SOLD OUT

Scarves are cool. This one is especially cool.

It's huge, oversized, and lights as a feather.

*If you make fun of my rushed/ugly photo editing or  awkward solo shots, I will kill you. (Not really, but I felt really dorky trying to shoot these to show the actual size of each item. Please be kind. :)

**All sales are non-refundable, as I buy items on clearance and can't return them. Please consider carefully.

*** Items are obviously not designer or the highest grade material- however, they are flipping cute. You'll like them. I promise! They are fun pieces to give you some oopmh! :)

**** I include packing materials, conversion, and my cc fee to each item then convert the best I can from there. Not perfect, but still a really great deal!

I Love Wedgies.

clockwise from top:
jeffrey campbell, amanda mule £72 | pour la victoire, jaclyn $270 | pour la victoire, divia, $67 | DVF, Opal $206

... err... 

I mean, 

I love wedges.

Wedges are heaven sent.

Can I get an amen?

Flattering to your calves,

perfect with a tan,

and, most importantly-

provide glamorously disguised stability

 for a spastic clutz like myself!

These neutral picks are perfect for the warmer weather...

and you can stretch this summer expense

by wearing any of this palette on warmer autumn days. 

Splurge now. 

Regret Later.

{But be eternally grateful when you see how good your legs photograph in them.}

Life in A Day

The UK seems to get everything after America.

Anthropologie.

Next generation Apple products.

Gwyneth Paltrow.

And I'm still hoping a decent burger will show up.

However, the most obvious lag seems to be movies...

I have to wait *forever* to watch the newest films
that my friends buzz about on all my newsfeeds.

{Speaking of... I finally get to see Bridesmaids!}

But  last night, I got to see a movie that isn't out yet in the States...

and that made me feel, 
well, pretty big time.

The movie is YouTube's first movie,

Life in A Day.

They had over 80,000 videos submitted, 4,500 hours of footage

from 192 countries.

My opinion:

It was good!

As a social-networking, internet junkie-

it was really cool to see a project "created" by people like you & me

be brought to such a big platform.

At times it was a bit sadder, darker, and females-in-labor-showing
 than I typically prefer...

but hey- 

that's life.

And if you don't love it,

well... there's always another day.

P.S. Thanks Daniel & Corie for bringing me along for the fun!

Visa to India

My husband has to go to India for all of July,

right as I get extremely busy with work in England.

Which would leave me in England all by myself for the month.

Boo.

My inability to mooch off his adventure was causing a bit of frustration for me,

as I'd been dreaming of delicious food, elephant rides, & cheap massages for quite some time.

Luckily, we figured out a way for me to head there for the tail end of his trip this weekend...

and I had my visa appointment this morning in London.

Hoorah!

elephant, shoes, people

As I have waded through the visa & flight planning,

it's pretty clear that I am clueless 

 in planning a vacation to India.

Can you help me?

Have any great tips for elephant farms in Goa?

Know any special people in Agra?

Work for any cool hotel chain in New Delhi?

{Even though India may be relatively cheap, wallet-friendly advice is especially welcome...}

Happy Father's Day!

via

While some girls may be settling into their new palaces,

and other girls can claim to have lived in "Camelot,"

I've never felt like anything less than a princess.

Thanks, dad, for being the best.

I'm so lucky to be yours!

When a Slider's a Home Run.

Close on the heels of talking about my love for dessert

come this introduction/tribute/love song 

to the newest dairy delight I've added to my life.

It's pretty tough to introduce me to something new.

... Blizzards, Sundae Drivers, Affogato...

You name it, 

I've eaten it.

... and I loved it, too.

But I was humbled this week when my friend, Rhona,

took me out for a treat in her birthplace of Linlithgow, Scotland.

side note: Linlithgow is also the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, 

... and the lakeside castle ruins are great to explore.

Linlithgow is a charming village

 (somewhere near Stirling & Edinburgh)

full of swans, signets ("baby swans"), 

& golden sunsets...

 that may or may not remind you of The Notebook.

After a walk around the lake,

Rhona took us to Cabrelli's.

As you approach the doors of Cabrelli's,

your senses will be assaulted by the. .. err... perfume

 of their well-seasoned deep fryer.

As the shop is mainly a "chippie,"

serving fish & chips, fried chicken, fried sausages & burgers (!!!),

Cabrelli's has a greasy smell that finds you kind of disgusted... 

kind of reminiscent of Long John Silvers...

... and kind of hungry.

Obviously, the latter won out for me 

after meeting Lawrence Cabrelli.

As the grandson of the shop's original owner,

Lawrence still makes a daily batch 

of his grandfather's secret homemade ice cream.

Only sold in vanilla,

this ice cream will overcome any skeptism 

that your initial impressions of the chippy might have brought you.

And to my delight,

Lawrence offered to make me a slider.

Nope. Not that kind of slider. 

The other kind.

The Scottish kind.

The kind of slider that has

two scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream

sitting prestigiously atop 

a chocolate dipped wafer

 filled with a creamy, marshmallow, center.

So, yeah, basically the best thing ever.

I left a happy customer

who will now be forever scanning ice cream shoppes 

for any mention of "sliders."

Anyone up for recreating a recipe for me?

I may not make it back to Scotland soon enough...

Oxford English Dictionary- Volume 5

Desserts are pretty important to me.

So it as soon as bank accounts, phone contracts, rent, & employment 

were settled after our move to England,

I decided it was time 

to get on local terms with the sweet stuff here....

but it was all a bit of a doozey.

Things looked familiar...

....and they sounded familiar

....but they just weren't the same.

Learning to work my way through menus 

that included curious items like

non sweet pies full of steak & ale

and spotted dick puddings...

could be headache (& tummy ache) inducing!

These days when it's time to indulge in a sweet treat,

I've really got my legs under me.

....though they're a bit chubbier than they were before.

*images: sticky toffee pudding, custard cream, scone

Black to Basics

If you're a wanderlust like myself

(which I'm glad to know many of you are!)...

your eyes are always peeled for great finds

that can accompany you on future trips.

Versatile, basic pieces 

that are easy to pack...

while packing some punch.

(Because who doesn't want to look cute in your trip pictures?)

I seem to default to black.

Especially if it's a well-made piece,

it flatters me more than that one guy from your college math class,

and it didn't cost more than my flight.

{Well... unless, I'm flying RyanAir.}

marc jacobs laptop case ($198) | ysl mascara in noir ($35)
onyx earrings ($175) | philosophy body emulsion ($41)
ysl sandals ($414)... ok, these are a bit pricey. | splendid maxi tube skirt ($81)