The wonderful Effie of The Snail and the Cyclops,  has finally revealed the secret project she’s been working on for her shop. I am in awe right now! The photos are so beautiful.

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My favourite is the one of the 3 dresses hanging on the bar and the one of her sitting on the rock thing and… heck, I love them all! It reminds me how much I want to do a photoshoot (and have done since about 2006!) and that I have muchos work to do on my own little shop before it can be launched again! I doubt I’ll be able to do something quite as beautiful as Effie, but right now, this inspires me to get off my arse and try! Now… where are those friends of mine who are willing to model…

I rarely share the artwork I do, mostly because I rarely do any! But since starting art again this year, I have been doing some and I realise just how much I missed it last year. Admittedly, I thought gcse art was awful. Mostly because my teacher managed to take away any confidence I had in the subject, to the point where I do believe I cried myself to sleep once. Anyway, a-level is much better and in some ways, taking a year break is just what I needed to gain some confidence again. It’s a slightly freer way of working now (though still quite strict because you are supposed to meet certain criteria etc.) and we are slowly being encouraged to become more comfortable showing work we do.

So, cutting a potentially super duper long ramble short, I am going to force myself to be more comfortable showing work, by showing it on a slightly more public space (i.e. the internet). It is, by no means perfect, so some constructive criticism is more than welcome.

Bear in mind that the picture is unfinished, so pointing out that her face looks flat and one hand is still a block will not help! I’ll put it behind a cut because it is of a nude female form and I don’t want people to get offended (despite it being perfectly natural).

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Until I stumbled upon these lovely creations on Sparkles and Crumbs. Oh how I love that blogs can link to each other and you can just discover something beautiful that you may not have found otherwise.

Needless to say, I have been utterly convinced to join up now! I still have no idea how to use it, so whether I’ll be able to create stuff quite like this, is another question entirely.

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Stuff I love about Autumn:

• Chilly breezes with thick scarves, hats and an assortment of other accessories
• A fabulous coat to wrap up in (personally sorted in this department, but carrie & selina have both been pondering coats recently)
• The fiery reds, musty yellows and cool browns of the leaves, especially when they crunch under your feet
• The mood of the world just after a heavy downpour (do you know the one I mean?)
• The rays of a setting autumn sun, as they dance over your slightly pinking cheeks

I could go on, but I feel my vocabulary is lacking right now and there is only so much flowerly language we can take! What do you love most about autumn?

On a side note: I do have a latest finds post (lurking) which should have been posted at the weekend. Oops! Blame it on excessive amounts of work from school and this perpetual tiredness I am feeling. I partially blame my brother who has had a cold/flu type thing this week. With a bit of luck, I have not got it properly and this tired thing is just lack of sleep.

How has your week been so far? I ramble a bit about my life on here, which lets be honest, is not all that interesting. So, I would love to know a bit more about you! Who are you? Age? Where do you all come from? What is your secret love? Last dream? Greatest personal achievement which other people fail to see as an ‘achievement’? Just throwing out some ideas there…

NB: This post is VERY long, so you may want to grab a cup of tea first!
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• Art AS - even though I’m in the 2nd year of A-levels, I was lucky enough to be able to pick up Art as an AS. It’s mainly so I can help build up a portfolio of work to get into a foundation art year, but I adore it! I cannot believe I didn’t take it last year! I may not be absolutely amazing, but it’s quite enjoyable and relaxing AND, I have it every day except Monday. I have never said that about school before…
• Dressmaking -my dress making teacher is so lovely! The class was oversubscribed, so she added an extra day. How nice is that?! Anyway, I am working on a trench coat at the moment (adventurous and possibly barmy I know) and she’s been so helpful so far. I really do love going! Seriously folks, if you’re interested in making your own clothes (or sewing generally) and there are classes nearby, it’s worth enrolling. Even if you know a bit of sewing (like I did) it’s worth going just to build up your confidence.
• Hand-me-downs - from the mother, grandmother or someone else in my family. Unfortunately, they got rid of lots of there stuff years ago, but I’ve found the odd gem lurking around in wardrobes, attics etc. It’s especially great finding something when I haven’t had a chance to trail round some charity shops. And, it’s better because I know who the item belonged to before (well, I generally don’t think about previous owners of clothes) and it has a little more meaning to it!
• Playing the guitar - it’s a little known fact about me, but I have tried and failed at an couple of instruments, namely the piano and oboe. I got my grade 4 theory, but I never quite mastered the playing of either of those instruments. Then, when I was around 13 I started learning the guitar. Again, despite having lessons for about 3 years, I was never brilliant. I hadn’t picked up my guitar for almost an entire year and then last week I just had an urge to play. And you know what, it cheered my soul! Of course, my fingers are sore now…
• Emailing Cousins - I’m really close to my cousin (we are but 7 months apart in age) but I don’t get to see my cousin quite as much as I did when I was younger. She has a busy life and I have patches of busy bursts and we never quite get round to telephoning each other. The other day I received a lovely email from her! And we’ve been going since (it’s my turn atm, I haven’t replied yet…) but it’s so nice to actually hear from her. It doesn’t replace an actual meet-up or conversation of course, but it’s wonderful nonetheless.

Ahh, that did actually cheer me up! I am feeling like a jolly little bee now. I dunno quite how TiLT works, but from Gala’s blog, I gather you are supposed to share what you love/are thankful for in a comment or on your own blog (like I am doing now!). Hop to it my chums!

All images from Google & Flickr

Marilyn Monroe (a.k.a Norma Jeane) was a 1950s actress, singer, model & all round icon. I won’t go into to much depth about her history or career, because there are many other websites which can tell you that. Instead, I’ll focus on her style.

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You can’t see all that well because my head is tilted, but I tried out Casey’s 1940s hairstyle. My version used a little less hair in the rolls (my hair is shorter than hers) but it has become my staple for the last 3 days!

• Black & white polka-dot shirt: hand-me-down
• Green & white hounds-tooth skirt: hand-me-down
• Sheer black tights: ?
• Black t-bar shoes: charity shop
• Granny handbag: vintage shop
• Pearl earrings: gift from grandmother
• Pearl necklace: hand-me-down

In the evening, we went to another friend’s 18th pirate themed party. Naturally, I dressed up (unfortunately no pictures of my costume, but think a toned down version of Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with a hippie) and ’twas a good evening. Sleep was lacking as always and I discovered that I get into a foul mood once I start sobering up again! All in all, a pleasant weekend. How were your weekends?

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So, since my brain has lost it’s function at this very moment, I shall tell you (and for my own benefit as well) what you can expect in the not too distant future from Coral Stars:

• DIY/craft tutorials - I’m hopefully going to be doing some mini tutorials over the next few weeks about how to make various items. I’ll be starting with one on how to create a bag from a jacket, but after that, I’m free to try out anything you desire! As long as it’s not something which is too complex (my skills aren’t super duper fantistic & I’m sure we have a few novice sewers reading) I am open to any and all suggestions. I shall brainstorm myself of course!
• Vintage style icon - on the whole, I find style icons a little overrated. I just don’t see the point of focusing on just a few “icons” because my influences come from everywhere. BUT, I want to learn a little more about fashion history and a great way of doing so, is to research icons of the past. So, maybe some kind of feature (once/twice a month?) which basically just covers a “vintage icon” and their style. I’m a little iffy on this idea, so I really want to know what you think.
• Craft/style challenge - I use the word challenge, but I don’t mean it as a competition at all. Again, I am a little iffy about this idea, but in essence, it would involve me saying “hey, let’s all try making … over the next 2 weeks” (or similar). Then, we could all share our creations somehow (working on this aspect still) and see just how unique each creative mind can be! The possibilties for inspiring each other are endless because it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see some technique/idea one person has done and think ‘oh, I like that. I’ll try it next time’… and just like that the craft bug spreads itself!
• Behind the blog - just before shutting my old blog, I was going to start a regular feature which basically involved doing a smallish interview with a blogger (indie artist, designer… whoever you’re curious about!) every so often. I was lucky enough to do one with Susie Bubble (which I am certain would not have happened had I tried it now because she seems so incredibly busy! I am in admiration as to how she does it) last time and am now toying with the idea of moving that post here (the info would be slightly outdated of course) and starting up the feature again. I probably wouldn’t be doing one more than once (maybe twice) a month, but it could be intriguing…
• Shop updates - as you can tell, I have already linked to the shop in the top, despite it not being fully open yet. It’ll be next week before I get anything into it, but, as you are my readers & I love you all dearly, I would obviously like to let you know about new items a day or two before I list them. This has nothing particularly to do with the other blog content ideas, but just letting you know in advance in case any of you are the types of people who object to blogs which do this. It would not be the main focus of the blog!

There are a few ideas. I have a couple more lurking in my mind I am sure, but they have not manifested themselves into a form my conscious mind can comprehend as yet! I’d love to know what you think of those ideas because I’m really not sure about some of them. Other than that, I’ll continue the normal mix of remixd outfits, latest finds, advice/tips on various things, inspiration and random musings.

P.S. I only just realised, but yesterday was the website’s 2nd birthday! Yes, coralstars.com has existed in some form (shop first, now a blog) for the last 2 years and I just want to thank everyone for their support. From the early days with those few who agreed to link with me, to now with everyone who leaves such kind words in comments, you are all amazing!

I like silly faces! Even though it’s distracting…

The basics of my ‘dress code’ is: black jacket, black bottoms, white top and ’smart’ shoes (i.e. no trainers). Whilst they don’t say you have to buy suits, they want the clothes to be “suitable for an office environment”. Other than that, we are free to roam.

• Black blazer/jacket: bay trading (this is actually too small for me…)
• White shirt: asda (I really hate this shirt because the collar just… well, it isn’t one and the fit is just wrong. But I must work with what I have)
• Pleated black floaty skirt: vintage shop (though I question the legitimacy of it being “vintage” - the labels were cut out which leave me suspicious)
• Tights: ?
• Black buckled t-bars: charity shop
• Bow tie: ‘hand-me-down’ (i.e. robbed from father’s wardrobe!)
• Necklace: lady luck

Latest find: black buckle t-bars // Outfit details

As you can see, today’s outfit was rather safe. I added the bow tie as a fun little quirk! I’m going to continue my careful injections throughout the week to my very limited wardrobe, so we’ll see what the result is at the end!