Cake plate doily

I get a bit of a sucker for vintage crochet patterns. I may not ever use or make them all but its my way of saving them from being thrown out in the rubbish. Their images capture something of their era - from the furniture they are shown with, to the ladies, their homes and their ways of life. They capture a small tiny glimpse of that 1940s-1970s crocheter. The patterns I mostly go for are the crocheted doily's and or table runners, they are mainly appealing and still versatile and usable today. My mam has said in passing one of the town's charity shops had a huge mass of old knitting and some crochet patterns so I thought it was worth a wander down. I was happily surprised by how many there were even along some of the hideous crochet patterns of plain dresses for children.

I left with this haul of eight patterns for a grand total of 50p! They all date between the 1950s and 1970s - mostly single pamphlets of tablet runners or doily's, some patterns for cushion covers and one booklet filled with endless pineapple designs to make towel edgings, bed covers, doily's and even a bag.  But there was loads more I could have taken away with me - including a collection of Crochet Monthly by the looks of it a one time monthly publication with some interesting looking patterns - I may have to return for the rest on my next day off.

I think a fair few of the pattens must have been owned by the same lady - a lot of them are annotated and changed by the same hand, stitches marked, added and taken away. Even this pattern for the Cake Plate Doily had an additional sheet of paper attached - I can't work out where or why she'd made these notes or what pattern she was changing, on the page's reverse she'd listed a random assortment of charity shops.

So this bank holiday weekend while hiding from the endless amounts of rainfall and lack of things to do I hunted out some shiny crochet yarn I managed to get while it was being sold off and attempted the Cake Plate Doily. I think it was the delightful ladies and their pearls in the above image that persuaded me. That and their cakes. 

Because its a doily designed to go over your plate, it was designed to be crocheted with an additional ring crocheted onto the rear of the pattern, thus allowing you to hook it snug over your plate! It is a sweet idea and would jazz any plate up for your afternoon tea - but just thinking of all the washing and reshaping every time you got a bit of jam from your Victoria Sponge would put me off slightly. Sadly I ran out of yarn to do the fancy adding too which is a shame but it sits fine without - joys of making your own art is artistic license I guess!

Oh and if anyone is sharp eyed yes that is a brand new compact but I'll get around to blogging about that within the next week hopefully

Part 4. Refiled

This weeks been filled within running through hoops to get all our paper work; photographs and evidence properly resorted for refiling for my visa application. I've become slightly paranoid wanting to recheck everything they state they wanted. Guess I don't want my forms to be halted any more. Just want it sorted.

First up was getting an American sized passport photograph - of course it was super-sized by being 2" squared and therefore required going to a photo studio to get them taken and developed. This trip coincided with hitting the streets the day of a HUGE downpour (the first of the week) so I look rather drench and ragged. I would post it on here but I look like a convict, but its got to the point of not caring what it looks like. 

With finance visas you have to photographically prove your relationship - mostly by having photographs taken within 6 months of the visa processing date - for us that's anything six months before January 2011. Its kind of hard trying to switch your mind to being analytical about your pictures when trying to remember dates and times. Not only that but having the person who did the initial filing - to have photocopied proof of travelling/visiting the other partner. That means photocopying passport stamps, boarding passes, tickets. Its good luck we'd managed to keep any of these things, yet alone be able to find them. 

Its weird seeing pictures of yourself as evidence, all the pictures were only from last August but they seem a life time away. I guess if we knew properly how long this would of all taken we'd of filed the papers straight after these holidays or just have got married in March.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing, we just have to focus in this step for now. 

A tale of a long distance relationship and trust

 

Once people realise or they find out i'm in an long distance relationship (UK to USA - if your new to this place) they always wonder or think it's weird how I can trust someone I can't physically be with for most of the year. Apparently merely saying "I just do" is too hard to believe. Or understand. 

Some people will never understand, or want to understand, and that's their prerogative. But and I'll borrow a line from my favourite band flyleaf "true love overcomes all fear". If what you have is real, true and is truly what [both] you want then you can trust. And it's not a trust that has to be naive or blind. A guy, or a girl for that matter can cheat whether you live in the same house or a million miles away from each other. If a persons intent on doing it, distance doesn't have to be a factor in the slightest.

But there isn't a magic point or key that will get you to that level of trust. Nothing magically occurred between me and Joe that got us to that level, it just came from us and what we have. I know and believe what we have is so magic that neither of us would ruin it. That trust has to come from inside you. Maybe to some extent it has to be gained too from both sides of the couple; but that, as in any other relationship comes with time. 

Personally I think if you've found a guy [or girl again - just to say i'm not being sexist]  that's more then certainly keen and bothered about being in a long distance relationship why would he then go and cheat? It wouldn't be worth their time or effort to keep up that presence.

But then again, what do I know? According to some, just a naive knowledge of love.

image taken from here

Barry M instant nail effects

Instant nail effects - taken a day and a half after been first applied.

I am  rather behind the band wagon so much that its left the next town and run off with a banshee. I'm wandering along in the tumble-weed. Half the problem is that me and nail varnish don't get on too well - I love it just dispensing tablets during the day job doesn't, clips and cracks can be pretty much spontaneous. Don't get me wrong I love painting my nails when i'm on holiday and I can enjoy having it on, but I gave into the flow and thought sod it i'm trying the nail effects after seeing so many reviews here on blogger. 

Currently Barry M have four instant effect colours - black, white, pink and blue. Normally I love Barry M - it's cheap, its cheerful, it lasts pretty well and it's full of a variety of colours. Yet i was a like a child in a sweet shop debating which colour would be the best - with the majority of my nail varnishes dark in colour it was a little tricky but I guess half the "thing" about these effect nail varnishes is making them clash and stand out. All in all I went for the blue - can't really go too wrong.

First I went with a base coat of Beauty Uk Glam Nails in Soft Lilac - another cheap and cheerful brand (you see the trend hint hint) two coats and its sorted. After leaving it to dry I added this effects lark - I hadn't used it before so I had no idea what to except - it says not to overlap coats but I found that a little tricky and possibly is why it didn't come out so well, also it has a bit of a funny smell - not the traditional nail varnish smell at all. Its weird watching how a coat of nail varnish crackles and gathers into lines. I finished it off with a layer of Rimmel Wear Maxx in clear as a top coat - just an extra barrier from the lines chipping off.

I will admit, it did take me a while to get either my head around it and come to like it. First I started thinking "oh it just looks like I don't bother with my nails" but the more you see it and the more you have it the better it appears. I love that its a bit trashy.  I'll have to play around with the colours I use as the base coat, but over all it lasts well, the colour stays and it goes on easy - once you get the hang of applying it.

What beauty products have been rocking your boat lately?

The complete vintage compact collection to date

Sher gave me the brilliant idea of detailing a full post on my blog regarding my complete compact collection - I say complete and later remembered i'd forgotten to photograph and mention two more compacts - one being a plastic purple flowered compact and another the powder I use everyday - a Per Una simple compact. A year and a half ago I started collecting compacts after finding one ... then four more random old compacts when we were clearing out my grans house. I took them to clean them up merely because I thought they were too nice to through away, this was their first every picture and mention on my blog;

The five inherited compacts originally blogged about on 21st September 2009

These were the ones that started it all off, and despite the two i've missed on this occasion (the purple one can be seen in the image above) this is a collection which varies in countries of origin, size, shape and cost. To make it easier to photograph and therefore for you to view, I've divided my collection into five "themes" with each compact briefly described underneath.

Stratton compacts 

During the 1950s up to 50% of all the compacts in the United Kingdom were made by Stratton, the market was dominated by them and to a point - still is. I don't have too many Stratton's I will be honest - I prefer lesser known brands. 

Back row 1952/3 Pantoon style compact with micraclean mirror cleaner (present from the parents), front row L-R first compact I found/owned gold toned flower engraved compact (inherited from my gran), white enamelled rose and butterfly two mirrored compact (from Joe), blue large compact possibly originally sold as a set with matching lipstick (ebay)

Vintage American powder compacts

All these compacts have been gorgeous gifts from my boy all sourced in America in random vintage shops in suburban Detroit or Ebay; I love American powder compacts - they seem a lot more daring, colourful with much more shape and content variety then their English cousins. 

Back row - Elgin 1940s chameleon two toned compact, unmarked Pennsylvania state map rectangular compact, middle row - the French Pegi of Paris plain square unused compact, Columbia of 5th Avenue powder and blusher compact, unused Marhill mother of pearl topped butterfly compact, first row - 1940s  American Beauty car boot shaped Greek key edged compact, small Elgina powder and rogue compact possibly from the 1930s when compacts went tiny and often were combinations of rouge, lipstick and or powder.

Branded English compacts 

Gathered from a various source of places and eras, showing the best of British between the 1940s to the late 1950s when compacts were at their height; showcasing British craftsmanship and engineering.

Unmarked British compacts

A lot of the compacts you might come across (away from Ebay) most probably will be unbranded, only marked by a "made in" and or patent number. Sometimes these were merely sold as cheaper alternatives, made by lesser known companies wanting in on the hay day or as souvenirs. 

Miscellaneous compacts - old and new

Just what I call my random compacts - brands that are unknown or compacts that are the contemporary version.  

So there you have it, a year and a half and 24 compacts down, here's hoping for a total of 48 in another 18 months. You can find more individual compact information, a more detailed reasoning why I started collecting them and some hopefully useful hints and tips on my compacts blogger page here.

Motor city

So this is the city all the visa work will allow me (hopefully) to live in and be a part of. While i'm not even in Detroit as of yet, its the city near my guy. It's easier to say he lives in Detroit then explain to people about all the suburbs i'll just say he lives north of 8 Mile - people have heard about that because of the film. Nevertheless because its not New York, or somewhere in California, or Florida there's always the need to somewhat defend Detroit, even I have to defend Detroit and i've never even been to America. I know it's nothing "fancy" and a little run down - it merely reminds me of Hull (UK), a city once dominated by industry and life but due to changes in time, a city that's haunted and struggling to pull away from its past. But it's a city that shouldn't be written off. No city ever should.

One of my loves is Joe's pictures of everyday places, sights, road and things he's passes - just the everyday things that makes American life what it is. I love all the photographs of the roads, the buildings, traffic lights hung up in the air (i'm never going to understand that) the side-walks. That's what makes America feel more real away from the endless tourist guides. Another element that was refreshing to find was the huge huge advertisement Chrysler did for an ad break during the last super bowl final - just love how even a company is trying to re-image motor city, even with a little help from Emimen. I love it's honesty - it doesn't find the fact there's disused buildings, huge industry or run down areas - but that's what makes Detroit what it is, to walk away from that would be to walk away from it's principles.

At this rate i'll end up on a one women re-branding mission via facebook and photographs. I know some of the girls on blogs I follow live either in Detroit or Michigan but anyone with any insider information about places to go, things to see, shops to invade would be more then welcome!

Don't you just love the underdog?!

Part 3. Visa visa laaaa

Feels at the moment I can at least do weekly updates on the whole visa lark. I guess if there's anyone else out there that's going through this or wanting to see a real life example maybe they'll stumble across this and it'll help seeing a guide. Or maybe just show everyone how darn hard it is to be an immigrant in the 2010s.

At least you could now say we heard from them, but wasn't overly positive - then again I'm a die hard cynic. We were today presented with the words "Request for evidence". Reading that all important small print a request for more evidence is normally required when; 

"... an application/petition is lacking required documentation/evidence (initial evidence) or the officer needs more documentation/evidence (additional evidence) to determine an applicant's eligibility for the benefit sought ..." 

apparently we fall into the later category for both me and Joe. Firstly they need more proof about me and who I am - well photographic evidence. But then you remember USA passport photographs are bigger then the British ones are (it wouldn't be simple to be the same would it?!) and photographic evidence of us as a couple. Oh and more proof of Joe actually being American of all things. I know they have their reasons and they are just following the rules. Just gets me down a little knowing my case is being held "in suspense until we receive the evidence or the opportunity to submit it expires". 

It's back to all being one step at a time. I just want to post some happy news about visas sometime soon. So I guess trying to move countries isn't as easy as the newspapers and scare mongers would have you believe. On a happier note its my weekend off work so me and Joe are up watching animee films together - it's something we do to equalise the distance for a few hours, just chatting on msn watching Studio Ghibli films.

Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend?!

Dresses

I've been slightly needing some retail therapy for a while, it's slightly hard when your meant to be saving money. Its hard to make myself buy things or treat myself when im saving, i think I make myself mad when I do that though. I pushed together the honeymoon, moving to America and treating myself into looking for a dress. There seems to be absolute tonnes of dresses available on the high street at the moment - most at a decent price which makes it even better, I was just tempted into New Look because I hadn't been for ages and it was my lunch break and I had to, just had to get out of work.

clock wise from left - Mela loves London £24.99, Pussycat £25, floral belted sundress £27.99

Ended up taking three to the changing rooms - all three I could of brought if I was feeling crazy and richer. I'm still getting use to seeing me in a dress, wearing them on holiday helped, but if you'd of said even a year ago i'd be openly aiming for and looking to buy a dress i'd of thought you had me confused for another girl. My choice all came down to texting Joe "floaty or tight" - I was stick between the blue dress and the white and black butterfly.

And the result;

I loved this sheer whitey cream dress on the hanger, it hangs gorgeously and looks pretty decent on if I say so myself. I love the floatiness of the sheer fabric covered underneath with a little slip. The butterflies colour varies in strength when it moves with the light. It'll be a bit posh for everyday wandering and car sitting when it comes to the road trip but it'll be perfect for visiting museums or towns. I just get paranoid about how my stomach looks in dresses - they tend to cling to it and reveal that i'm not as skinny as i'd like to be. Or how I was when I was at university - those where the days of not having to eat my mams (not overly perfect and or nice or healthy) food.But that deserves a rant in its own right.

If your a keen New Look shopper and/or fancy a bargain, their magazine is offering a 20% discount voucher running between the 20th May until June 5th in store. Worth grabbing if you want to stock up on some things for summer!

Click click

I crave a camera. A proper proper camera. One with a fancy zoom and amazing mega-pixels-things. One you can play with the lenses. Adding and taking away. But I have no idea if electronic goodies are cheaper over here or in America. Going by the price of everytihng else i'm guessing buying in America might be the better option price wise. 

My photographic woes sadly continue. Last week I became engaged in a fight with my laptop (yeah it's sounding like the days when I use to blog about my first laptop at university) and well I came off worse. Well really nearly 1,000 photographs of mine and Joe's holidays and most of the images for my blog and random others came off worse. That and photoshop. 

I'd only just got the hang of photoshop - it was a friend you really wanted to get to know, but seemed really off, distant and somewhat untouchable. I never ever found photoshop easy to get on with but after months and months of hard work I was finally getting somewhere. But having to reverting my laptop back to factory settings I've lost it in the mire. Gah. 

I need it back! Keep thinking all my photographs look incredibly lame without it and that comes from a girl that use to be somewhat against photographic editing. 

But a proper camera and photoshop is the way to remember a road trip is to record it properly right?

Isn't that the perfect excuse?

A crocheted hierloom

In the post last week popped a little present from  the future gran in law Bernie, we get on really really well - email each other every week or so, catch up on the gossip, we shared our thoughts and newspaper clippings about the royal wedding and she's helping me plan my own. I always say she's the person that believes in me and Joe the most. I was more then grateful when Bernie posted me this little crocheted hat - a gift from her own mother for her high school graduation. Its gorgeously cute, made of trebles and chains in contrasting white and cream cotton finished off around the join with a red felt ribbon tied into a bow. Its still in brilliant condition - only the ribbon is breaking apart slightly. Bernie wants me to keep it as a basis to design a pattern and dollie for our own daughter - I hope I do her proud. Until then it'll be wrapped back up safe and moved over to Joe's until we can keep it on show somehow - it deserves to be seen and loved.

On a side point the daily Newgate Market in York which is between the rear of M&S and The Shambles has a vintagey-rumbley-junk stall, I forgot what days the stall holders there but on Friday they had FOUR, yes FOUR compacts - all pretty decent ones, three were Stratton, ranging in price from £7.50 up to £18. Yet i'm so caught up in saving money I was strong enough to walk away, one of them I really could of brought. 

If I see them again I might not be as strong but there's only so much room in that suitcase of mine and god knows how many i'm going to be able to take to America anyway gaaah.  

Do you have any heirlooms? 

Three day straight ....

I don't know what's up either - TWO beauty hair reviews within days. Something is going wrong. Or in turn something has to be really good to warrant me wanting to write so many reviews in two weeks. Previously i'd been a big user of fizz ease by john freida - a perfect source for getting and catching that fly away hair, but it never seemed to aid the straightening process - I always had to use yet another product. I will admit I was slightly suckered into buying 3-day straight but i'm always up for trying new hair products plus it was on offer in Superdrug (introduction price of £5.50 something from £6.99).

3-day straight is stated as a weightless spray heat protection product to work alongside hair straighteners and hair dyers. With a mix of polymers and keratin protein this protects and wraps around your hair in doing so sealing in, removing fizz and keeping hair styled and straight for up to three day. You spray (they suggest between 7 and 15 sprays this is somewhat an exaggeration, even with thick boob length hair as i describe my own as being; i've only needed 5 or 6 sprays at a push any more and i'd feel it may weigh hair down too much) to wet hair running it through your hair with a brush or fingers. 

Personally I can tell something good is going on as soon as I start blow dying my hair. Normally it has a half hearted attempt at drying straight then kinks out, curls all over the place, fizzes to an inch of its life and refuses to look normal. Since using this product its dried a lot straighter. Noticeably straighter. You're advised to style as normal whether this is with our without straighteners, i still have to straighten but not to the same extent that I use too. 

I've noticed it's lasted better between washes, I normally wash my hair before bed; as a result it normally went kinky and curly overnight as if by magic. Or i'd set off for work and by the time I got there it would look like I hadn't even bothered with my hair at all. Its passed a windy day and a magic hot sweaty shift at work which normally ends up in me flinging my hair up because humidity made it go manic. I haven't been out in the rain with it yet so that is the ultimate test. Overall its removed the pressure of trying to straighten it to an inch of its life, its more manageable and it feels better - a lot stronger and shiner. Whether it works to the same extent on super curly and unmanageable hair I can't speak for, but on unmanageable slightly curly mind of its own hair it's done it the power of good.

Have you tried it? What have your experiences been?!

the reviews my own thoughts and wasn't the result of any outside source, image taken from here

LIFE: Give a Kitty a Home

Me and Joe are total cat people, my first pet was a ginger and white kitty we got from a rescue centre in Hull. I was about three[ish] and i remember as much as you can when your that age, the day so well. Something due me to the cheeky little ginger and white kitty and every since then it's been the ginger kittys that have had a special place in my heart. We took him home and I named him Bertie after my favourite kiddies book that of Big Bad Bertie, and yeah that name was rather fitting. He became the local brute he'd yow, yell, chase and fight local kitties, well like kitties do. He was stubborn, he got his own way but he gave the best snuggles and loved being played with. He'd wait for me by the end of my street for when I was waking home, he'd jump up and see me in bed on a morning. Sadly he died when I was in my first year at university back in 2005 and I still miss him. The kitty that re-homed herself with us is a little odd to say the least - she rarely purrs, comes inside and hates being picked up.

Joe has a kitty too called Ed apparently named after some cartoon - i'm not fully geeky enough to understand/remember her namesake. She's a stay at home American kitty, loves her tower, purrs a lot at me through skype. She is a little fat however - a lot so. But i've never met her - one of the things i'm worried about when it comes to moving to America is meeting Ed - she's not too good with new people and I just want her to like me too - well she's going to have to tolerate me seeing i'm not planning on working for three or so months after I hopefully move.

We want to re-home another kitty - give ed another friend someone to play with and have some company when she's home alone especially seeing she's an indoor cat (blame the freeway next to the flat). Joe finished work and linked me a picture of the cutest [above] picture of a kitty, all ginger, little cute face. Omg he was calling me make Joe take him home especially since it's only $100 to re-home him. I really wish we could of, I guess it's not fair when its just Joe at home and Ed will probably go nutters and there'll be fur all over the flat.

One day.

Just add it to the things to do list. 

Part 2. And don't phone back ...

Oh look me again!

[this post was reblogged due to blogger being idoitic and loosing posts and comments - gutted!]

At three months and three weeks into the visa application proper, I've come to finally realise why the fall out rate of some American visas [it currently stands at 6% for the K1 fiancée] visa is just that or why more importantly people just get married and then move. Because of the looooooong time-scale. Yet the system is very lax and tight lipped with telling you what is going on, when it's occurring and to a point; why. The first five months of waiting is apparently we learnt today to check Joe out rather then me. To see if he's a fraudulent person. I really do wonder what they have to check out that takes them that long. Yet the person migrating, ie me in theory, could get through the medical and interviews in approximately eight weeks. How does that work?!

Sometimes I really do wonder if any visa processing people have ever had a long distance relationship. Its not a dig at them, I just wonder if they realise how hard they are, yet alone having to do one and do the visa process. Your sat in somewhat no man's land waiting for a sign, a motion, anything. 

Don't dare ring up and ask what is occurring through and don't at all dare and ring back before the five month wait is up. So the happy American official told Joe today. Apparently enquiring into their silence isn't the done thing. We have to be English and wait. God forsake those people who knew nothing about this first five month period.

Thing is, when you don't know the system, and you feel slightly young in comparison to the mass people you hear about doing the K1 visa, it's all very daunting. Sometimes I wish it all came with a help guide.

But I guess that means one month and a week before we can ring them.

Better store that number.

Image taken from here

John frieda foam

I don't i'll admit openly rave about beauty products, the only things even think about reviewing had have to really impress me. I know this products been out for a while but I wanted to make sure the results weren't a one off. This colourants been my product of choice now since early this year and its served me well. Since around 2009 i've been dying my hair myself at home, i grew out of having blonde, red and brown hair and just went for the one colour took - some might call it a step backwards but I was calling it "growing up", plus I needed a way of saving £50 every time I needed to have it coloured. If only the foam colourings had been invented then!

The first and only real down side with the John Frieda foam range is the price, it normally retails around £9.99 but I try and get it when its on offer (Superdrug often have it down to £6.99 at times) so it is more expensive then the original way of home hair dying. But your paying for the newness and the brand. Nevertheless what foam moose colourings offer is a less messy more over all coverage with a less "dying" kind of smell. Doing your hair at home is never going to be easy, sometimes you need four hands, three hair brushes and several hundred clips before you even begin, but John Frieda's foam is pretty much simple from the off. You take your colourant and you pour it into your bottle. You fasten the pump in and you TILT - this is the key word which is highlighted and highlighted several times your hair colourant. No shaking, no jumping up and down. Just five, and only five tilts.

Because it comes out as a foam you don't run that risk of having it dribbling all over the place, [mind you I still have bad aim around my face] it just settles nicely on your hair. You rub it in a little, you cover it across your hair and you pile it up and leave it on for 20-30 minutes. I tend to always leave hair colours on longer then advised but that's my prerogative my hairs naturally very dark with added grey bits [yeah grey bits at 24 woop] so I just up it to 40 minutes which i do think makes a difference especially when you read some of the counter reviews regarding colouring not taking so well. Main deep colour seems to last about four weeks but there's enough on there to keep it looking coloured and fresh. 

I don't often rave about beauty things, but i'll rave about this to the hilt 

Review is all my own words and thoughts and I have nothing personal, business or otherwise interests or connections to John Frieda - ta muchly. Image taken from here

A flamingo and a mirror ... some more vintage compacts

Those of you who are regular readers will know this girl is a vintage powder compact lover. Yet the more vintage powder compacts a girl gets the more picky she gets about the ones she likes or the ones she'll buy. Its the pitfall of getting knowledgeable about something you collect. You sadly don't want any old compact. It's a shame to an extent. Half my problems are solved when Joe buys my presents, he has this most amazing taste about compacts regards of knowing what company they are or their age or history. He just knows. It's that kind of knowledge that irreplaceable and very handy to have. I think I must have had a big grumble about all the "gold" toned compacts out there in the world, at one points that was all I could see; so to give me a surprise and so add a little colour, JJ came up with this little stunner!

In one part it's a step away from the normal powder compact in as much as it's just a mirrored compact rather then one to hold any kind of make-up. This in a point makes it harder to date - seeing it's without  powder it's therefore missing it's traditional Stratton stamp that a collector would use to age its dating. Regardless its still gorgeous and still Stratton in make. The white enamelled top is delicately designed with a blue butterfly and pink roses. I really should be more girlie and buy a proper handbag for work and keep and use this gorgeous compact everyday. Sometimes I just don't want to use and spoil it.

Because compacts aren't the easiest to objects to find in and around where I live, any visit to a new place is always an opportunity to hunt out compacts. Mine and Joe's holiday to Edinburgh became the perfect hunting ground especially with an antique shop within a five minute walk away from the flat we were renting. The only down side was that those we found, weren't cheap.

That was until we stumbled upon this Flamingo oval shaped compact. As a company Flamingo, established by Fulemn Engineering Ltd, were only in production during the early 1950s their limited impact seems to be due to the company's inability to break through a market already full of  compacts by Stratton, Mascott and Kigu to name but three. Therefore run of Flamingo compacts were short and today are very uncommon.

As a large oval shape the edging is gold toned with a topping of  white and red fuchsias with black and gold leaves. Flamingo compacts are sturdy well designed; the company's name alongside "made in England" is stamped under the hinge to the back of the compact. While it does not contain a powder lid, any powder is kept in by a thick puff of which mine still has its original. The puffs thickness and tight fitting acting as a thorough stopper with an additional felt gasket keeping everything in place. 

I slightly feel in love with it instantly until I saw the price. At £35 I was rather shocked a compact could command a price that high but all the ones i'd pulled out to potentially buy were around the £30-£40 mark. But then again I was on holiday so that was the only justification I needed!

"In memory's telephoto lens, far objects are magnified"

I was just about to head back to work from having yet another lunch in the museum gardens on friday. The sun was lovely and shiny after having a bit of a downpour on the way to work and I was just wandering back seeing the sites and I saw this couple. I just loved how they seemed to be framed within the historic remains of St Marys masonry yet to lost in each other regardless of all the people walking past them, the children playing to their right. They were so lost in each other and their photographs. Talking between them pointing out things on the images, recapturing and talking about moments, moments and memories that were luckily captured on films. Such instances remind me of the beauty of photography, its more then just capturing an image, a scene, a person or a landscape. There's reasons behind it all, the whys the where's the when's.

Me and Joe are photo fanatics, sometimes I think we take too many pictures, sometimes too few. But the ones we do have I cherish because they bring back the feelings and the memories of the time. I can me and Joe being like the couple in the photograph above, still road tripping in our 60s and taking way to many photographs, enjoying a good rest.

Treading water

fyi - New Look white cardi with red and blue bows and blue and white striped woolen bow top, also from New Look

Long distance relationships tend to get "harder" at certain times of year. Those special ones that you're meant to share with the ones you love. Not so much valentines day I'm still too cynical with that but I mean christmas and birthdays. This weekends been JJ's birthday (he's getting old reaching the grand old age of 26) and I wish more then anything I was there just to see him opening the presents I got him. To make him a cake. To take him out and spoil him even if that does mean giving in and buying him a tonne more transformers. Over a year and a half into our relationship and we still haven't been face to face for either of our birthdays.  For my last birthday I was a lucky girl and got a HUGE box from him full of pressies and a gorgeous gorgeous bunch of flowers. I want my visa to get here in time for mine. So that gives us a deadline for the end of September.

I want to turn 25 in America.

But I want never gets?

Plus I have a mother that seems to be going off mine and Joe's relationship by the day. She's even conveniently forgotten it's his birthday. The quote of putting heads in sand comes to mind.

Pippa

There's something utterly gorgeous about the hair style of Pippa Middleton at her sister's royal wedding last Friday. While merely a "simple" half up and half down style coming to the back from a deep side parting, with loose curls just fluttering down her back, its embellished and entangled with sweet lilly of the valley flowers setting off the brides bouquet and the flowers within the abbey.

Having a thrifty wedding is our plan and I may just have to scorch this idea to memory and recycle it.

But it is gorgeous, don't you think?!

Image taken from here.

Part 1. Silence is more musical than any song.

I wonder, well somewhat doubt that Christina Rossetti was taking about the silence from USA embassy paperwork people being anything near musical and singing triumphant songs. But silence is all you can sometimes hear. I've never been a girl of patience, I hate waiting for things even though you know it will happen and you count down the hours, the days, even the seconds to make things happen now. What is worse is when there is nothing at all you can do to hurry things along.

It's worse when it's all out of your hands. 

Visa's are merely a waiting game. Each step, or "stage in your application" has an average time-line you can log onto and compare. I guess the average for my visa (the k-1 fiancée visa) is they claim anywhere between 6 and 18 months, depending on various random factors. To be honest I think it's down to chance. Some people have got through the system in 90 days - I have no, no idea how they managed that but i'd love their luck. All you can do is fill your paper work step by step and wait. 

Wait.

Wait.

And wait some more. 

We're three months in and haven't heard anything. You don't even know if you're heading in the right direction or where you are in the processing line. 

I'm not even really allowed into America at the moment, not without proving i'll defiantly definitely leave. What is even harder is trying to sort out a wedding and a honeymoon with no idea when you'll actually be moving but having to get married within three months of landing in the land of immigration.Good job we've only ever really wanted a small wedding and hopefully we can fling most of it all together within a month of me getting there. I better get back to crocheting that shawl again ... fast.

Me and Joe have never been conventional and I don't think our new life starting out together over here is going to be anywhere near traditional. Probably a good thing we like it that way.