Style Vs Cool - A Pictorial Introduction...

According to the Style Scout in London - the following two images are of 'stylish' people.....

I think that if I walked out of my bedroom dressed like this, Mr Cool would spit espresso out of his nose and Miss 3 would run into the playroom to play dress ups as well. I do not think this is cool and I am now puzzled as to what constitutes 'style'.


There is a very cool blog called, 'What I Wore Wednesday' - which, as the name suggests, is where people send in photos to the website 'The Pleated Poppy' of, you guessed it, what they wore on a ... ahem... Wednesday. I wish oh wish oh wish I had come up with this blessedly cool idea...


There are pages after page after page of cool outfits and deliciously cute shoes..... I could have chosen a squidzillion pictures of cool - but I picked out these few as examples - feel free to click on over and check out more outfits.... 

I know that these outfits tick boxes of where I am at at the moment. I look for clothes that are cute, functional and can carry through from dropping kids to school, going out for coffee (because I do that ALL the time, pfft....) and to popping into the shops. I like a bit of quirk, a lot of colour and, of course, great shoes.


But, cool is also about personality I think and I guess I appreciate when someone can dress to show their personality without having to stand out and raise eyebrows. I also like it when things match.... I can't avoid that.


I am going to continue to explore the difference between 'Cool' and 'Style'. I am not looking for a Nobel Prize people, it is nice for brain to have a chew toy.... 

Birkenstocks are hell cool

I love to research things, so after buying a pair of Birkenstocks, I found it fitting to start learning a bit more about them. Really, one should all know the history of one's footwear.  For those new to these parts, I really like shoes... Converse and Havaianas are favs.  


What I have learnt from my Googling is that while Captain Cook was sailing around the Eastern shores of Australia working out whether it was a good extended holiday place for Britain's crooks and nasty folk, a German by the name of Johann Adam Birkenstock was developing a revolutionary shoe,  he registered as a "subject and shoemaker" in local church archives. 


In 1902, Konrad Birkenstock, developed the first flexible arch support to be inserted in factory-made shoes. Shoes up until that point were pretty much made by hand and inserts seemed to be uncomfortable leather or even wooden wedges. However, it wasn't until 1964 that Karl Birkenstock further developed these factory made inserts and created what would become the famous Birkenstock sandal. Birks (as cool people call them) have been associated with hippies and alternate folks for decades. I am neither of these things but I have had a long fascination with them over the years. I have bought many many cheap imitations varying in price from $6 to $150 and conversions of these in Pounds and Euros also.


A month or so back, I ran into a particularly cool friend at the shops (now that I am a stay at home mum, I spend all my time at the shops - NOT!) . She mentioned her sore feet and said she was going to be ordering some Birkenstocks direct from Germany. Being a friend who appreciates sharing her cool, and her love for a good bargain, she sent me the link to the on-line store. Footshopping.com has a huge array of Birkenstocks and other German made shoes at fantastic prices. It is a shoe lovers nirvana - especially one who is NOT able to pop to the shops all the time to look at shoes willy nilly. I ordered some silver Gizeh Birks and ... my oh my... they are SOOOO comfortable. I wore them to Bookclub with my very cool new shirt-dress and Miss Cool Blogger said, "It looked like my feet were having a party!"  How right she was!


Due to the popularity of my silver shiny shoes, my sister and I decided we would put together an order ourselves. We asked friends if they wanted some as the more shoes we ordered the less postage we had to pay.  Eleven pairs of shoes later, most of my family are wearing Birkenstocks.  My sister even has a pair of Birkenstock SLIPPERS! How cool. 


This is what the Urban Dictionary says about Birkenstocks....  I have provided the link, but be warned people, although some of the example sentences are HILARIOUS - they are a tad naughty... I know that this will just make some of you click on over to Urban Dictionary straight away - but I felt you needed to be cautioned.


Birkenstocks: 
Insanely comfortable shoes. Sandals or clogs are the typical occurence, however they do produce various other types. Worn by hippie and prep alike, lauded for their comfort by all. Everyone should own at least one pair.


Birkenstocks:
Sandals worn by liberals, women in Vermont, and for some unknown reason, evangelical youth pastors trying to appeal to young adherents of Christianity.


Birkenstocks:
Once known as ugly lesbian shoes, now the "cool" thing to wear.
Still ugly.


B's Review:  Get yourself some, they are cool, they are comfortable and they can actually be worn with a lot of things!  And honestly, what is wrong with looking like a German tourist?


Mwah,
B

Cool Kids - Ninja

I have cool kids, of course!


A little while ago I made a LBD. I was using a jersey knit and had long strips left over after cutting out the pattern. Miss A waltzed passed and I grabbed her and turned her into a....

Ninja!

What resulted was an afternoon of Karate chops and "Hi-Yas" on the trampoline and all through the house. Of course the other two cool kids got in on the action.

These headbands are now in the dress ups and are often pulled out for some impromptu kung-fu. It has reminded me that it is the simple things that trigger imagination that make for the best games (they were virtually free too!).


I am messing about with photo editing at the moment - I was going for 80s over exposed. I really have no idea what I am doing in this area though - so just enjoy the photos of my cherubs - esp wee M - he is so cute!

Cool Shirt Dress

I follow the blog,  'Retromummy' and just love it!  Here is a gal who is cool. She quilts, knits, crochets, has a very cute on-line store and, oh yes, also has 4 gorgeous children!  I love reading about her wee baby girl (close to the same age as Cool MM), her car troubles and how on earth she fits in making St Pat's day cupcakes as well as cutting fabric for her store as well as blogging etc etc.  Some women are amazing!


A few weeks ago, Retromummy mentioned an Ollie & Max shirt dress that she had bought and how good it was to wear for dropping kids at school and hanging out at the shops, she said she loved it so much that she bought more than one!  I loved the look of the cute dress with the silver Birkenstocks (I too have a pair, I had them before I saw this photo though... In case you were wondering).


Being stuck on the couch feeding a baby, I had the chance to have a peek at the Ollie & Max website and decided she was right - it was a dress no-one should live without. But alas, my newly restricted 'stay at home mum' budget did not allow for an Ollie & Max shirt dress *sigh*,  but never fear - I did find a Country Road one on ebay for a mere $30 including postage. 


So.... if imitation is the highest form of flattery - Retromummy - consider yourself flattered!  I am quite glad you do not live anywhere near me, so we will never bump into each other wearing almost the same thing (although as it turns out, my doctor has a shirt dress eerily similar to mine..)






I apologise for the dodgy hair  and corny smile  - this was just meant to be a dumb photo I sent to Mr Cool and my peeps to let them know my cool dress had arrived... I did not intend for it to be blog fodder.... But - it does look a bit too similar to Retromummy's photo to ignore the chance to pop into a post...

Cool Kids - Princess Afternoon Tea with Grandma

On Wednesday afternoons, Grandma Cool brings Miss A home from school. It is such a blessing. It means that the two little ones get a nice long nap and I don't have to lug them off to do the school pick-up. As a sign of my gratitude a few weeks ago, and something nice for Miss Z and I to do during the day, we put together a Princess Tea Party for when grandma delivered Miss A.

It was a lovely day getting things ready.  We washed up the china that sits in the buffet that never ever ever gets used and set the table and decided on the menu. It was soooo cute to see what things Miss Z thought were essential menu items; we had to have lollies, grapes and of course crackers - a few varieties at that. We made posters for the door and Miss Z made sure we all had a necklace and a ring to wear during the occasion. She had to wear her pink tuilley princess dress and princess music (Tchaikovsky) had to be playing when the guests arrived.

It was such a great day of learning and fun for her. We talked about what to say when Grandma and Miss A came home. We talked about asking if they would like tea or a cold drink. We talked about offering others food before we choose our own things to eat. We also talked about polite conversation and asking our guests questions. It is not essential to discuss talking with your mouth full or napkin use - wasted words on someone who cannot do up their own zips....

It was such a treat to watch Miss Z blossom with pride over how well her Tea Party went.  I used to do similar things with Miss A when she younger, we used to turn our lounge room into 'Miss A's Pizza Rizza'.  We made posters for the door, menus, placemats and called Mr Cool to ask him to bring home fancy drinks for the restaurant.  She would take everyone's orders and then help make the food in the kitchen.

It is amazing just how much learning can happen in the name of fun. I will certainly do something like this again. If I am going to do it with Miss Z again, I am sure it will be along the princess lines....  Maybe a Princess Picnic or a Princess Treasure Hunt or Princess Dinner Party.... 


Cool times ahead

April - $10 Op Shop Hop

I really want to have a more vintage look this year. To do this I have made the decision to find as much cool vintage stuff as I can in the op-shops. I live in a city with LOTS of charity shops, LifeLine, St Vinnies, Salvation Army and the list goes on and on. I also think I live in a town with some really well dressed, stylish people, so there are some great finds to be had in the op-shops - if you are willing to look.


I think I am going to make Op-Shopping a bit of a hobby. I can afford to buy clothes, this is not a mission to dress on the cheap, I want items that are unique and not on the shelves of every department store. I don't want to look like the centrefold of a mass produced glossy catalogue delivered by a spotty youth on Tuesday afternoons. That is not me and I personally don't think it is cool.  I want to shake it up, keep it fresh and keep my good quality older items (like jeans, coats and bags) and mix them with newer more hip items from various places.


So.... This is my... 

April $10 Op-Shop-Hop. 

Look what I got for under $10!

I snaffled some very cute tan peep toe shoes out of the grasps of a lady whose feet were clearly too big, and she would have had nothing to wear them with anyway. They will be great with jeans or a skirt or even a dress and I shall look into the rule about wearing tan shoes with grey.... They were marked at $4. I also got Baby Cool a 'onesie'. It is in pretty good condition and I love that it has booties - he does not like have socks on. This was marked down to $1!

Now, you may have wondered about the little glass bowls.  This is where the cool comes in, there is a story behind these bowls. 


Over 40 years ago, my parents were married in a white church in the time of cool cars and scary sideburns. Someone gave them this set of bowls as a wedding gift.

Growing up these bowls held prawn cocktails, fish cocktails, trifles, dipping sauces for croquettes and many other things, as you can well imagine over 40 years!


Several years ago, my parents moved from a big rambling five bedroom house into a compact three bedroom duplex. Of course there was not enough room for all their junk, oops, stuff. So, mum started giving away some of her things to her beautiful daughters to look after/have.. I got this set of glass bowls - but as you would expect, over 40 years, not all the bowls survived.


I have used these bowls myself a lot over the years. The big bowl is just the right size for a trifle for 6, sigh, I only had 5 bowls! Before kids and even before we lived overseas, I found one of these little bowls; it was dusty and dirty and lurked in the very deepest darkest corner of a cupboard that housed all the spare mangy cups at a school I worked in. I nearly took it when I left. But that would have been wrong. How could I leave someone else without a full set of these bowls?


So, over the years I would poke through op-shops and markets from time to time looking for another little bowl.  Yesterday, I found one. Actually I found 6! But they were $4 each and I did not have enough in my alotted $10 to buy more than one. When I got to the counter however, the lady (who was, by the way, really grumpy) told me the glassware was half price - so I actually bought two - as you do!


I hope that one day, one of my beautiful daughters will love the story behind these bowls and will tell the story over prawn cocktails or trifles. I hope they appreciate having a spare one too, just in case!

Yesterday's op-shop-hop was fun, but I have a lot to learn. There are some real pros out there who were digging in bins up to their armpits to find the good loot down the bottom - I was not that gung-ho. I had to be somewhere else looking semi-decent.


I wonder what I will find in May?  I may need to have more of an idea of what I want to look for, I don't think I should be buying brick-a-brack every month, I have enough of that junk oops, stuff... 

Cool Blog - Friends Who Cook - Shameless Self Promotion

Being such a cool girl, I go to playgroup on Tuesdays. We have an unusual playgroup in that we don't actually play with our children very much - we just allow our cherubs to play and be a bit free range in a safe environment. One thing we do do well, is morning tea. Cakes, slices, biscuits, dips and ooohhhhh.... lots of yummy goodies.

A very crafty friend, a Crafty Mummy in fact, and I put our clever little heads together and came up with the idea of putting together a blog where we can put recipes of the things that the other tricky mummy's have made us for Playgroup.  Having just had a wee boy, I have been quite slack in getting things up and ready for the blog.  The other day I actually put my first post up - Trifles in Tea cups.

Check it out here.....  Friends Who Cook (or scroll down)

When we started 'The Closed Bookclub', we decided that two people would bring a dessert to our meetings inspired by the book we have read for the month.  In February, we read 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. I was on dessert. I Googled 'Jane Austen cooking' and found that desserts in the Regency Period were all about showing off. Jelly was being used a lot as well as cakes and creams and fruits. Appearance was everything. I came up with the idea of making trifles and I decided to make individual ones in tea-cups. It was very cute and everyone was very impressed.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: This depends on how long the jelly layers take to set
Serves: 8 individual trifles


Ingredients:
12 Savoiardi Biscuits (Lady fingers)
1packet of raspberry jelly
200 grams of frozen raspberries
300mls of thickened cream
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tub of Marscapone cheese
1/4 cup of store bought custard


To finish:
300mls of thickened cream
1 tsp Vanilla Sugar
3 tbs prepared custard
50 grams of white chocolate, grated or cut into shards


Method:

1. Make jelly according to packet instructions, allow to cool slightly
2. Cut savoiardi biscuits into thirds (or however small you need them to be to fit neatly in the bottom of the cups). Soak them in jelly and pop into the bottom of the tea cups, pour in enough jelly to cover the biscuits. Pop 2-3 raspberries into each tea-cup. Put the cups into the fridge to set (this should take less than 30 mins).
3. To make the custard filling, whip the cream and vanilla sugar until quite firm. Whip in the marscapone cheese in 2-3 lots.  Add 1/2 the custard and mix through - don't beat this for too long or it will get too runny again.
4. When the bottom layer of jelly is set, spoon the custard mixture into the tea-cups, smooth over the tops. 
5. Add 2-3 raspberries and press into the custard mixture. Soak more biscuits in the jelly and press down.  Pour the remaining jelly on top and put into the fridge.  The trifles are essentially finished. At this point I cling-wrapped them and was able to transport them to my friend's house and just put the remaining topping and chocolate on top at the last minute.
6. To make the topping, whip the cream and the sugar until quite firm. Beat in the custard, remembering not to whip for too long.
7. Spoon the mixture on top of the trifles until it is nice and high above the rim, sprinkle with shards of shaved white chocolate. Enjoy!

Variations:
- use other berries like strawberries or blueberries
- use lemon jelly instead
- try adding different fruits like mango and passionfruit
- try putting them in glasses so that you can see the delicious layers
- For a picnic one day, I am going to make these trifles in clear plastic cups, but as I build the layers up I am going to set a plastic spoon into the side of the cup, I might even try pressing a raspberry between the cup and the spoon - how cool would that look!


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