The Glam Show Live – ticket giveaway!

Bethanie Lunn – our very own Queen of Fabulousness – will be appearing at The Glam Show Live later this month, where she will be divulging more of her insider secrets and further advice on her four fabulous commandments!

The girls at Glam Show Live have kindly offered Bookshelf Boyfriend readers a £5 discount on the Silver Day Ticket* – simply enter the code BETHL0709 in the promotional box on the ticket form.

*discount code valid until 15th October 2009

The ultimate day out for women is coming to Earls Court London Saturday 31st October – Sunday 1st November – The Glam Show in association with TV’s lifestyle expert Nicky Hambleton-Jones.

Showcasing the latest in women’s fashion, lifestyle, health and beauty the event will combine fantastic shopping opportunities together with fabulous fashion shows and the latest in products and services.

The two-day exhibition will host fashion shows throughout each day, featuring the most up-front fashion trends for autumn/winter, alongside vintage style presentations and expert demonstrations in all aspects of beauty, health and lifestyle.

**WIN WIN WIN** A VIP GOLD DAY TICKET TO THE GLAM SHOW LIVE!!!

To help kick off the fun, the Glam Show has also donated six Glam Gold VIP tickets which include entry to all eight feature zones, access to the VIP lounge, a Glam luxury goody bag and a Glam event guide.

To be in with a chance of winning one, fill in the subscription form on Bethanie’s website being sure to state your full name, postal address, email address and which day you would prefer (Saturday or Sunday) – and winners will be picked out of a very stylish hat!

Read Bethanie’s article How to Be Fabulous: My Four Fabulous Commandments on BookshelfBoyfriend.com

Make your own vintage shopping bag

If you’ve been following our Twitterings recently you will know that we have got our hands on our editor Alysia’s great great grandmother’s book of household tips, all cut out of newspapers from the 1920s-40s. We’ve  also come across this rather nifty article, probably dating from the war, about how to make a rather stylish shopper out of upholstery webbing. Not only is it cheap to make (although, what with the recent demise of Woolies, expect to pay more than 2 1/2d. per yard for your webbing), it’s superbly practical – no more yucky plastic bags – and it totally rocks the 1940s vintage utility look – what more does a girl need!

How to Turn Upholstery Webbing into a Shopping Bag

make your own 1940s style shopping bag

“Since the Government’s ‘no wrapping’ order, a shopping bag, like Mary’s little lamb, goes everywhere with most of us. And how prices for them have soared!

Here is a tough, inexpensive but attractive bag made from upholstery webbing. 8 1/2 yds of string coloured webbing is required. (Woolworth’s 2 1/2d. a yd.) Cut 15 strips of webbing 17 ins. long, then the remainder in two, for the handles.

The completed bag has 7 strips a side, with one at the bottom doubled. Treat this as a central strip, and start stitching the lengths of webbing together from the bottom upwards. When joining on the fifth strip, stitch along for 5 1/2 ins., leave a 5 in. gap for the insertion of the handles, then stitch on to the end. Sew on two more strips of webbing and one side of the bag is finished.

Repeat for the other side, again starting from the bottom central strip of webbing, so that the ribbing effect made by the stitching, points upwards to match the reverse side of the bag. Unless this is done there will be no place for the handle.

When the webbing is all joined, double it, lay it flat on a table, and slope off from the top at the top at both sides, one inch, graduated to nothing.

Next, with a half-inch turning, join the sides of the bag together. Insert the handles. Stitch right across the gap left for them, then sew the handles flat to the bag.

Circular handles for the bag are made by stitching the webbing round thin pads of cottonwool.

The shopping bag can be glamourised by a dip in a dye bath. (Dyes also from Woolworth’s 4 1/2d.) After dyeing, when the bag is dry, a narrow bind of of contrasting colour stitched round the top is decorating and strengthening. Press (iron) the bag when this has been added.

The colour scheme of the bag illustrated is tangerine with a navy bind. Other good ones are cherry and black; and emerald and brown. A small oddment of any strong fabric can be used for the bind.”

80s Glamour by Bethanie Lunn

If you can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, wore biker shorts under your skirts (and felt stylish), and watched Fraggle Rock then you were born in the 80s! A great decade though not usually remembered for its fashion genius. Regardless, the 80s are the inspirational decade of the moment and I have to say, through gritted teeth, I’m liking it.

I’m donning my leggings in the day with an oversized sweater that covers my behind (this is a MUST for anyone in leggings), and my body con dress at night.

Here are a few of my favourites…

Body Con Dresses

I didn’t think I could fit into one without resembling a sausage in too-tight casing but they really do hold you in, in all the right places if they’re made well, though a pair of Spanx won’t go amiss either.

Try the classic Red Ruched Bodycon Dress, £35.00 from Miss Selfridge or to embrace two trends in one hit, choose the Rare Multi Colour Body Con Dress, £40.00  – mini but flattering.

 

 

 

Colour Blocking

Bright colours are a hit every summer, we all know that but this season the way to wear them is in blocks of contrasting colours. 

  Have you noticed how fantastic Dorothy Perkins is at the moment? It’s oozing on-trend styles and covetable accessories and their Black colour block dress, £40.00  is a sure-fire way to make heads turn for all the right reasons.

 

 

Jump suits

Again, not a trend I thought would flatter me but jumpsuits cover a multitude of sins (and heavy suppers!), and if you choose the right one for your height, shape and style – you will look like a super stylish throw back.

Playsuits tend to be all-in-ones of a shorter length, often cropped at the knee or above whereas jumpsuits are often floor length, full trouser suits.

They’re great for work or the beach and both styles are so versatile. The look can change dramatically with accessories. Add a blazer and flats in the day for the office and exchange these for reams of mismatched chunky bangles, draping necklaces and sky-high stilettos for the bar.

For true slinky elegance, my favourite has to be the Karen Millen Jumpsuit, £160.00 (www.asos.com). Made of soft satin with a sash tie belted waist and a mandarin collar. If you check it out on ASOS, it has been reduced to £95.00! (Just don’t blame me if it has sold out by the time you look!)

 

All prices and stockists were accurate at the time of publishing.

Bethanie Lunn is now writing her Girls Guide to Fabulousness for Bookshelf Boyfriend.

A Girl’s Guide to Decorating – book review

 

This week we are LOVING A Girl’s Guide to Decorating by London-based interior designer Abigail Ahern! When it arrived on the doorstep of Bookshelf Boyfriend Towers there was a flurry of excitement as we all got to read through what has to be one of the most gorgeous DIY books published.

Filled with inspirational pictures that burst with colour on every page, it is impossible to browse this book without spending far longer than intended and wishing for more rooms in your home so that you can try out the various style and decorating tips.

From making tiny rooms feel more spacious, to tips on dividing up space in larger rooms, Abigail demonstrates how this can be done super-easily, cost effectively and, most importantly, stylishly. The presiding message of the book is that the best way to achieve this is by injecting your own personality through your home. It is a refreshing move from the bland “blank canvas” that has been so encouraged during the housing boom- when was a house was more a commodity than a home.

Abigail includes simple suggestions for how to approach each room and she fully explains all major decorating techniques with step-by-step instructions – from hanging wallpaper, to creating shelving and achieving different lighting effects. Chapters are based around fundamental elements of home design: space; colour; light; texture and the individual touches that make it your own.

Go on – glamorise your home and make it a hot property as well as a cool place to live!

 

Read extracted guides from the book on Bookshelf Boyfriend.com: How to sand and paint floors, and, How to box out shelves.

Buy A Girl’s Guide to Decorating on Amazon.

Make your own paper logs for burning

This is just a quick Thrift Bitch to tell you about something I have just discovered. 

Those of you lucky enough to have a working real flame fireplace will most likely have lit your last fire until the end of the summer (fingers crossed) but that is no need to not look forward to next winter. This contraption will also be of use to those who have a wood-burning stove.

The recycled paper brick maker is to me a wonderful contraption. Basically all you need to do is soak your old newspapers, place them in the brick making mould and then squeeze it to get rid of excess water. Then leave the new recycled paper brick to dry.

When completely dry it can be used in replacement of logs/coal, making it thrifty as all hell- pretty much free after you have bought the brick maker. On top of that it’s more environmentally friendly as you are not using carbon energy fuels and you are recycling something that would otherwise have gone to waste! Perfect.

Bricks burn for up to two hours. Prices vary from around £15- £30.

Check out Amazon for the eko-mania Heavy Duty Paper Log Maker, or B&Q for the Winther Brown Paper Log Maker.

See more tips and how-tos by our Nifty Thrifty .

My love affair with Primark…

I cannot deny I love a bargain. The ability to return home with an entire outfit for under £20 excites me. However, earlier this year research by War on Want publicised the working conditions in overseas factories of British high street fashion stores. 

Unsurprisingly, fashion giant Primark was the worst offender paying its employees in Pakistan a reported five pence an hour. So will our love for cheap and cheerful fashion be over-ruled by our morals or are we willing to turn a blind eye in order to bag a bargain?

Before 2003, Primark was largely viewed by fashionistas as an uncredible clothing supplier. I myself would shy away from the store, thinking if I stepped foot inside I would be rubbing shoulders with the unemployed and people who wore shell suits.

However, one day a friend managed to drag me in and despite the shell suits I was captivated by a navy military jacket which was on sale for a mere £10. The cotton was scrappy and the stitching was unfinished, but I bought it anyway, thinking even if it falls apart after two washes, the price per wear is still cheaper than a loaf of value bread.

I’m no Kate Moss but the jacket was featured in Vogue’s fashion pages that month. Primark was officially on the fashion map and like the majority of British women; it has since been my first port of call when shopping on the high street.  The love affair began.

Three years later, I still have the jacket, I haven’t worn it for two of those, but as I look at it now, I consider who the real fashion victim in all of this is? Is it me, for returning to Primark every week and giving in to throw away fashion? Or is the real victim the factory worker who cannot even afford my jacket after working for an entire month to produce it

After some thought, I don’t even like the jacket that much, but like everything that is sold in Primark, and many other high street stores, it is shrouded with the ‘throwaway” fashion mentality.  I’m not saying that from now on I’m only going to buy designer – and neither am I saying that I will never shop in Primark again. However, as I keep thinking about it, I think as a Western world we have become so blaze in our buying habits that we have forgotten the real cost of the latest commodities.

Let us not cut Primark from our lives, it is undeniably a wonder (I bought an electric blue woolen coat for £20 last week), but let us merely adapt our attitudes to it. Every relationship changes and develops; from now on my love affair with Primark will take on a whole new stance.

Hannah’s tips for beating the addiction:

 

• Cut down on weekly excursions to Primark thus providing less support for the sub standard working conditions.
• Instead of merely sending my throw away fashion onto a landfill site I will be dropping them into my local charity shop thus helping another cause
• Plan ahead by deciding what you want before you actually go in, how many floral print dresses does one girl need?
• Last but not least…careful of the items around the tills, slipper socks will never be on trend, no matter how cheap they are.

Hannah has more advice on how to look great and maintain an eco-fashion conscience at BookshelfBoyfriend.com.

[HE]

September festival style

 

Our wet August may be over and Glastonbury, V, Reading and Leeds festivals just hazy memories, but with a host of festivals still to come throughout September, Hannah Eichler has a few tips to get you through the end of The Season…

 

Whether or not your ‘summer’ has been all about the festivals this year, this season has seen a real throwback to 70’s style with everyone from style icon Sienna Miller to newlywed Coleen McLoughlin rocking hippy chic.

Hippy chic remains bang on trend for Autumn / Winter 08 too; with unusually hippyish designs at Roberto Cavalli, to voluminous silhouettes at D&G.

At the recent V festival goers kept it casual in denim shorts, floaty tops and fringed suede boots; while at Glastonbury earlier this year, model Lily Cole took hippy chic one step further with a pretty daisy chain as a hair band.

With the hope of an Indian Summer to come (fingers crossed), here are a few festival essentials to ooze effortless style while still being practical.

1.  Hunters – The classic British wellington, as seen on Miss Moss. Choose a colour to suit your style, from £50 at my-wardrobe.com

2.  Denim shorts. Don’t do a Coleen by bringing your Chanel tote to the mud pit, stay cheap and chic with these shorts, £6 at Matalan.

3.  This Liberty Flower print dress is perfect to make those wellies a little more feminine. £50, Topshop.

4.  OK so it might not be the most trend lead item you’ll take, but it will keep you dry…. ‘nuff said. Drift Jacket, £29.99, Peter Storm at Millets.

5.  Waterproof mascara, Vaseline & Baby wipes. Anymore and you’re at risk of looking like those girls you see teetering in platform heels across the field, wheeling their huge suitcases behind them.

Enjoy at…

Bestival - Isle of White – 5th, 6th, 7th Sept

Sugarhill festival - Wiltshire – 5th, 6th Sept

Weyfest – Surrey – 6th, 7th Sept

End of the Road festival – North Dorset – 12th, 13th , 14th Sept

Big Beach Boutique 4 – Brighton – 26th, 27th Sept

 

Hannah Eichler has been contributing articles to the new Bookshelf Boyfriend style section.

[HE]

Single workers hit by financial crisis

As news reports yesterday stated, inflation has reached an 11 year high.  

This is further bad news for the “invisible poor” who were identified by a National Consumer Council report as being primarily young single workers living on their own with no dependent children.  These are people working long hours on a low income, who pay their bills, their tax and their contributions, but are struggling to pay for more than basic essentials.

The report says they are being “neglected” by government whose policies (rightly) help families, children and pensioners, but ignore the low-waged singles. Similarly, many businesses, from phone companies to insurers to utility companies, overlook singles. Yet this group makes up one sixth of the UK’s workforce, and could be you or someone you know.

The Bad News:

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that a single person needs to earn at least £13,400 a year in order to achieve an acceptable standard of living, which is half the amount needed by a family of four.  The problem for poorer workers is that the proportion of income spent on essentials is now growing at a faster rate than their wages.  This has not been helped by the rising cost of food, petrol and household energy bills, which have nearly doubled over the last four years.  

The removal by the government of the 10p tax band means that, despite the compensation announcement at the last mini-budget, 500,000 single childless adults under 25, another 115,000 childless single people aged 25 to 55 and 140,000 childless couples aged 25 to 55 will lose an average of £83 a year.  

On top of all this, many single people who bought a house a few years ago, are now finding their fixed-term fixed-rate mortgages coming to an end – typically pushing up the payment by over £100 per month on a £100,000 mortgage. Those faced with negative equity can’t re-mortgage to find a better deal and are now stuck paying even higher rates of interest.  These mortgage rate rises are also seeing to the rise in private rents.

The Better News:

If you are struggling financially there are a few things you can do to help your situation. 

• Read the Bookshelf Boyfriend guide to budgeting and planning your finances, and check out the rest of our finance section.
• See if you are entitled to any benefits such as Working Tax Credit, which many people fail to claim.
• Shop around and switch your gas and energy supplier regularly.
• Install a water meter if you are in England and Wales. If for practical reasons your water company refuses this, ask them to offer you an “assessed charge” based on an estimate of your use as a single householder or on what other metered customers in your area pay. 
• If you are getting motor insurance, again, shop around, and include another person (such as a friend or relative) on your policy, which can help to reduce the cost by up to £200.
• If you think you are going to struggle with your mortgage payments soon, it may be worth considering renting out a spare room or all of your property and becoming a landlord.  In which case you will also need to consider the pros and cons of renting, if you don’t have family to stay with.  
• If your money is out of control and keeping you awake at night read our article on borrowing and debt, which has lots of handy information and links for further help.

Quaker Social Action is a London based organisation, but has a very good selection of links to places for further help.

[ASM]

Single girls valentine survival guide – for today and every day…

So, you’re single, you’re heart-broken, all your girlfriends are spending the day with their special loved one, and once again, you’ll be spending Valentine’s on your own. Well, we’ve got a number of reasons for you to be cheerful.

Firstly, there’ll be a lot of girls in relationships having a much worse day than you will be – filled with the disappointment that their beloved hasn’t proposed; has only bought them a cheapo bunch of forecourt flowers; or has refused to acknowledge/pretended to forget about the day altogether. So, stoked up with these merry thoughts of others’ misery, today is the perfect day to relish in your singledom and to be glad you don’t have a Valentine. Give yourself the day off from wallowing in self-pity and crying into your pillow – today with the help of BookshelfBoyfriend you’re going to love love being single and make this your special day of utterly selfish treats.

Start the day as you mean to go, and wear your best undies. So what no one’s going to see you in them? You’ll look and feel a billion times better than wearing your usual greying grannies. If all your underwear is a travesty, then make time at lunchtime to nip out and get yourself a good set. Ensure you get your bra size correctly measured at the same time (this should be done on a regular basis by the way) – and don’t forget matching knickers. Wear these in the afternoon, and you’ll certainly notice the difference. 

Buy yourself some flowers – ones that you actually like.

• Get a nice bunch from your local florist,
• Or avoid all those carbon-emitting air miles, and order some freshly cut British flowers to be delivered to you. We love, the spring joy of narcissi from the Isles of Scilly – www.scillyflowers.co.uk
• If you are still hankering for that feeling of receiving a slightly less personalised pre-packed bunch, then our tip is to get to your supermarket later in the evening, usually after 10pm – this is when bunches tend to be reduced, sometimes to as little as 10p – with just a little TLC they’ll look great and last just as long as a full-priced bunch, but you’ll have the added satisfaction of having bagged such a bargain.Pamper yourself – go out and buy new bathroom treats, or break open those fancy toiletries you’ve been saving for some long-awaited “special day”.
• Get the candles out and run yourself a lovely deep bubble-bath (yes, it’s a cliché, but we all love to luxuriate in a bath)
• If you don’t have a bath, you can still treat yourself here to some super posh shower-gel and fabulous body-lotion scented with your favourite perfume (today is not the day to be worrying about correctly applying and disappointedly analysing the results of your various anti-cellulite creams)
• Ensure some lovely clean bed sheets to climb into later for that extra feeling of post-bath loveliness.
• When you do go to bed wear your finest bed clothes – if its usually just an old T-shirt, then do as Marilyn Monroe did and wear nothing but Chanel no5 (or your own favourite perfume)Cook a yummy scrummy feel-good meal for one, like a huge salad, a stir-fry or a tasty piece of fresh fish, something that’s delicious and won’t make you feel guilty before the next bit…

  Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate – and no no, not your usual 500g Dairy Milk bar, get yourself some delicious Belgian chocolate truffles. Go on, its good for you (well dark chocolate is proven to be), it makes you feel as good as if you’re getting loads of sex (so we’re told), and heck it tastes good too… If you still feel guilty, just ensure that the chocolate is fair trade, and that should be all guilt alleviated.

  Bubbly – ok, we advise caution here, we don’t want you getting so drunk that you’re crying into your glass – so it may be best that you just buy yourself a half sized bottle of really good champers. Accompany this with some strawberries and you’ve got yourself a healthy treat too. Ok, strawberries are out of season, and consequently, not the most ethical purchase, but if you add some Fairtrade vanilla ice cream (like Greene and Blacks) to accompany those that don’t make it into your glass, then that’s some of the guilt lifted…

  Get a good movie to watch. Although really the choice for the perfect film is entirely personal, we highly recommend that tonight is not the night to be watching an overly romantic chick-flick that will send you into lonesome tears. Bookshelf Boyfriend recommends:

• Brokeback Mountain, if you want romance and extra added weepiness (RIP Heath Ledger). With a nice bit of heart-felt boy-on-boy loving, you will also be reminded that you’re better off single: even if you’re married you’ve got no security that hubby isn’t having a long affair with his best mate. Plus its also a very good film.
• Intolerable Cruelty, if you want a jaded and cynical take on romance: George Clooney; comedy; romance; George Clooney; divorce lawyers; divorce; gold-digging; pre-nuptual agreements; revenge seeking; did we say George Clooney; Elvis Presley soundtrack on a great opening title sequence – what more could you want?
• If you want George Clooney but with no suggestion of Romance, then we highly recommend Michael Clayton the thriller; its up for a few Oscars this year and has just been released on DVD – its great!
• Want to try something different? Want strong female leads preformed by perhaps the greatest and most under-rated actress ever? Then how about some classic Gena Rowlands performances from the 1970s in a couple of John Cassavete’s masterpieces like A Woman Under the Influence or Gloria.Have some unashamed and damned good “self-discovery”. That is, you want to be giving yourself an orgasm that’s going to beat anything that anyone else can ever give you. If you are in want of some additional aids then Love Honey have a huge selection of vibrators and dildos and all sorts of other fun toys. If you are in need of a bit of titillation for a warm up, then the archives of Scarlet Letters is a good place to start with a large selection of erotic prose, poetry and art.. http://scarletletters.com/
  

  Most importantly today, we hope you enjoy yourself and have realised that pampering yourself every once in a while is a whole lot of fun and should be done more often…

  If none of this has helped you pick yourself up from a recent(ish) – heck what’s seven years between friends) devastating break-up – then extra help and support can be found out www.soyouvebeendumped.com and remember, you have always got BookshelfBoyfriend to help you get through all the practical day to day stuff on your own.

  [ASM]

Hit the Sales – go on, its good for you!

It’s that time of year again – post-party and overindulgence has left you feeling bloated – but don’t suffer with the January blues. Treat yourself at the New Year sales and don’t feel so guilty about buying yourself something special.

With up to 60% in stores such as Gap, Debenhams, John Lewis etc, there’s no reason not to bag yourself a bargain. Pace yourself however, to prevent the all-too-likely hangover the morning after a shopping binge. Here are some handy hints to make sure you get the best experience possible:

Stick to classics
A good cashmere jumper, for example, can be bought at Uniqlo for the bargain price of £29.99 (RRP £49.99).

Lilywhites are selling Asics trainers for only £50 – well worth investing in if you enjoy outdoor pursuits.

Thomas Pink have reduced their White Collection ‘Ly’ Women’s Shirt – Button Cuff from £99.00 to £39.00.

Even Harrods are promising 30% off a Luella Bartley handbag and as every woman knows it’s the bag that adds a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to an outfit.

Make sure the shoe fits
There’s no point blowing cash on size four Manolos if you’re two sizes bigger. They may well be only £100 but will probably spend their lifetime making a show for themselves in your shoe cupboard.

Check out online deals
If the idea of trawling the high street fills you with fear, shop from the comfort of your very own sofa – online. All the major department stores are online and you can even pick up items that have already sold out in the shops.

Amazon are selling DVDs with up to 75% off. Now if that’s not giving it away then what is!

Grab the ultimate pop princess’ Showgirls tour for only £12.99 at play.com

Don’t forget the boring stuff
Yes, electricals etc.. may seem dull compared to a pair of Gucci Sunglasses but with Currys, Argos and most of their competitors slashing prices, it could be well worth making that investment in the half-price washing machine.

And so to bed
Sales are also a great time to stock up on some quality linen and bedroom accessories. Newbie to the high street, Zara home, have some fantastic 100% cotton Satin bed linen which will transform your bedroom into a boudoir.

Look no further than House of Fraser for a set of two duck feather and down pillows for £24 reduced from £30.

And to really spoil yourself, Habitat are selling a silk bedspread for £97.50 – that’s half of the original price.

So there are really no excuses. If you’re shopping savvy, set out your budget and stick to the rules then you’ll save in this New Year’s Sales.

[This was originally posted on BookshelfBoyfriend.com by Rebecca Bryant.]

[ASM]