More Etsy desires

I adore the cards sold at Etsy shop Able and Game. I have picked four of my favourites below, and it really was hard whittling it down to that.

I just wish that the shop wasn't based all the way over in Australia. I just don't think I can justify all those air miles and a big old postage charge for a set of (incredibly) pretty prints...Can I?

Wish list

I have been coveting this framed poster on Etsy for ages. It strikes just the right tone, falling safely into the category of being charming rather than overly twee.

My mind is lingering more and more on household decor these days, both because I am planning a move in the new year and because my dearest friend is moving far, far away to set up her new home and has a far greater budget than I to decorate with.

Therefore I get to shop both for myself, with a hit list of Ikea and the local market, and also for my friend where I indulge in the great pleasure of perusing Heal's and Habitat.

From Etsy seller Bread and butter shop

Changing seasons

Some new purchases, and some old favourites. I am currently shopping my wardrobe following a big clear out, a lot of ebay selling and a very empty bank account. However I have managed a couple of purchases for autumn so no need to feel so sorry for me.

The brown boots were a bargain at M&S and the large silver/grey scarf is from Zara and is beautifully soft. The Zara high heels destroyed my feet while out on Thursday night but they are fabulously high and hugely flattering for a shorty like me.

The black boots at the top were bought at All Saints last year, but seeing the current trend for what I call "building site" boots I think I can get away with them this year too.

The three winter jackets I have had for a while, and I am particularly looking forward to sporting some colour as the days get darker in the bright yellow mac.

Book worm

Dear Mr/Mrs Borders,

I love book stores. The smell, the feel, the soul of the place. I can spend hours in there, and as such I buy most of my books in one of your shops.

And that is despite the fact that I could get them online for literally 1/4 of the price. You MUST know that. Despite your Buy 1 Get 1 Free offers, I could save myself a large wad of cash by visiting Amazon or Ebay or any of the many, many online stores which sell second hand books,

So I will lay my receipt out for you now, just so you get the picture - and put in brackets what I could buy a new copy for online (and it hurts me to look this up, and find out what i could save).

The Book of Dave by Will Self = £7.99 (Amazon £4.34) saving approx. £3.50

The Qur'an, a translation by M.A.S Abdel Haleem = £7.99 (Amazon £4.79) saving approx £3.30

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood = £7.99 (Amazon £2.00) saving approx £5.99

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell = £7.99 (Amazon £2.90) saving approx £5.09

My Mum by Anthony Browne = £3.00 (Amazon £1.44) saving approx. £1.50

So my bill came to a grand total of £36.65, and that was before I ran back down the street to flag up the fact your shop had charged me £5 extra for one book and, with my Buy 1 get 1 half price offer, I walked away paying a grand total of £31.65.

The lady at the till tells me this happens often, the wrong prices flag up all the time and throw in the fact you didn't have one book I wanted (Backwards in high heels by Tania Kindersley and Sarah Vine, as you ask) and most copies of the Qur'an were over £12...well it wasn't a great experience.

Next time I will probably go online. I will save myself about 40% per book after P&P and I am guaranteed to get what I want. But I want your shop to survive, so I write this letter to ask you to think more cannily, discount more effectively, get stock in (I was in the Oxford St store - your HQ!) and get a till system that works.

Thanks ever so,

A book shop lover

The Hungry Caterpillar

I am a huge fan of children's books and particularly the animation that helps to create so many adventures in a child's mind. The Hungry Caterpillar was one of my particular favourites as I grew up and so when I saw this mug for sale in John Lewis recently, as part of the 40 year celebration of the publication of the book, I had to gobble it up (pun absolutely intended - and please read gobble as buy) immediately. I love how the simple image on each side bring back a world of memories, and now it provides a little bit of nostalgia every day as I enjoy my morning coffee.

Essentials?

On Friday evening I took a leisurely walk into town to meet my friend Charlotte for an evening of comedy at the Bath House in Soho. I went via Tottenham Court Road to hunt out the perfect make up bag, which I have spent the last week internet shopping for.

I know to some this will seem an utter waste of time, but for me having the perfect hold all for my new stash of products is of upmost importance! I have already got a selection of about 10, they are one of those things I pick up whenever I visit a Boots or a department store, and that lovely feeling when you empty out an old, grubby make up bag and re-arrange your products in a sparkly new one is certainly worth the lowish price tag. I think in these recession riddled times a girl should always remember the satisfaction of a simple purchase like this.

My internet search took me to Heal's, and this cute little receptacle. But when I went into the store I thought it was a little too small, and not quite worth the near £20 it cost. I went on to Boots and Superdrug but to no avail...all were a little cheap or glittery. I was the Goldilocks ofTottenham Court Road, nothing quite right.

Then to Muji, which I should of thought of all along. I cannot tell you how much I love this gem of a store, everything from its furniture to its clothes to its mini bottles and teeny tiny travel kits.

And there I saw it, the gorgeous grey gingham bag with a structured top so that it keeps its shape and fits far more than it should because it keeps it height.

So there it is, the perfect little hold all for your daily make up. Go buy it now, or alternatively run and never return here to a woman who can wax lyrical for 3 paragraphs about the joys of a case for your cosmetics.

Above are my purchases including a great white and grey striped t-shirt which is thick enough to not reveal the shape or colour of the underwear beneath (a rarity in a t-shirt under £30 I find) and a dark grey soft cardi which is loose enough for a summer evening with a tee underneath but has a great slim fit on the arms and creates a sleek silhouette and feels perfectly soft and snug.

Variations on a theme

In the last month I have bought these 3 pairs of shoes. I probably need to get over my lust for leather, strappy heels as I've pretty much got it covered.

These three range in price from £6 to £65, the pair on the right being the cheapest from Peacocks and the middle pair the more dear from Office. The others on the left were in the sale at Urban Outfitters. I can't pick a favourite, I have always been able to spread my shoe lust both fairly and equally.

Summer

Summer has arrived in London today, which of course means that tomorrow it will pour down with rain. But for now the sun is bright, the sky is blue and the weekend is just hours away.

As ever, Toast have delivered to my inbox a little slice of joy. This picture makes me long for my holiday (in T-6 weeks I shall be sunning myself in Rimini, Italy). It also takes me back to last year's jaunt to Sardinia where the water was cystal clear and the sand on the beach was a yellowy pink I had never seen before.

I sit now in a silent office with air conditioning, white walls, cheap faux wooden desks and strip lighting. On a day like today, I long to be anywhere but here. On a boat in the Mediterranean with my toe dipped in the sea seems as good an option as any.