Bookshelf Boyfriend founder featuring on Radio Scotland

 

Annie McGuire & Julia Sutherland

Bookshelf Boyfriend’s founder Alysia Maciejowska will be appearing on Radio Scotland’s The Fred MacAulay Show this Wednesday morning.

 

She’ll be chatting to co-hosts Annie McGuire, their resident techie, and Julia Sutherland (less techie but equally lovely) about the trials and tribulations, joys and highs of setting up and running a website.

Tune in to catch her at about 11am. For more info about the show check out the Radio Scotland website.

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

Super-Boyfriends! #1: Stay At Home Dad

We at Bookshelf Boyfriend Towers don’t always want to sound down on boys, in fact we often think they can be rather wonderful! In order to mark our acknowledgment of this fact we have decided to profile the views, stories and opinions of some fine specimens of boys, today we are starting with the story of a Stay at Home Dad. If you are the exemplification of a Super-Boyfriend get in touch and tell us your story too.

My first year as a Stay At Home Dad

“I’ve been a Full Time Dad (FTD) – my label of choice – for about 18 months, since my wife returned to work after her maternity leave had finished. This decision was made on strictly financial terms. We didn’t want to put our daughter Mollie into a nursery and my wife earns more than I used to, so the moment we saw the blue line on the test I knew that my ‘working’ days were numbered.

Father Son and Purple by maubrowncow

99 days out of 100 I absolutely love it and wouldn’t change what I do for any obvious cliché you can think of. There is the odd day I pray for some adult company or even just some peace and quiet, but these are few and far between. I know that I am a very, very lucky man to do what I do. I have two women who love me dearly- one old enough to go back to work whilst I lounge at home all day watching Neighbours, play in the park with all the Mums and generally have lots of fun, and one who loves me enough to let me wipe her bum several times a day, clean up after her and generally wait on her hand and foot 24/7.

I started taking time off work for all the important things that I would have been there for anyway (scans, ante-natal classes etc) and was always very happy, bordering on proud to state at these that I was going to be a FTD. The usual reaction to this was jealousy from both sexes. Women said how great it’d be to spend all day with your child, and most men mentioned the words ‘Play Station’ at some point.

I didn’t tell anybody at work my intentions before I handed in my notice. I broke the news at the office by bringing in cakes for them. When I was asked what they were for I told them all that I’d just quit. I was so happy it was ridiculous. It was time for a new chapter in my life to begin.

I’d imagined that it would be an easy thing to do, get Mollie sleeping, do a bit of decorating (perhaps a bit of that Play Station thingy) and have the house finished by Christmas. That kind of thing. It soon became apparent that this was not the most realistic expectation and my goals quickly changed. I learned how to use the washing machine and how to cook food that didn’t involve a microwave. I became much more skilled around the house in general. I’d always considered myself to be a relatively modern and fairly domesticated chap, knowing which end of a Hoover did what, stuff like that. But I think it would be fair to say that I found my new role to be in a whole different league!

The most daunting thing was going to the Parent and Toddler groups for the first time. Imagine meeting your last boyfriend’s friends, parents & family, all on the same day, doubled. That is roughly what it feels like to be a bloke with a pram, walking into a Parent & Toddler group for the first time. The second time is relatively easier as you are not a stranger, but it still isn’t a picnic either.

Some of the moments that make you realise just how much of a woman’s world childcare is might sound really silly to people who have not seen it from the other side. For instance, in some shops and shopping centres the baby change facilities are in the Ladies toilets or are called Mother & Baby rooms. I know it sounds petty but it does niggle me. I will quite gladly walk through the Ladies to get to a baby changing room now! If Mollie needs a clean and there is only one place to do it, then that is where I will go.

When I first started taking Mollie swimming last summer the instructor used to tell us to put our children on our hips. I was sitting there saying to her – “errrr – I have no hips I’m a bloke!!” She is now much more used to me being there and in fact at this term’s swimming there were four dads in the water at the first lesson, which was quite nice for me. It shows how things are slowly changing for the better in my humble opinion.

A Father and Son by EJP Photo

My second most memorable comments have been: “oh look – a man with a pram, how strange!” (how much did that one annoy me?) and “Oh, playing Housemaid for the day are you?” (I wouldn’t mind, but she is a shopkeeper and says it EVERYTIME I go into her shop). Both of these comments have been from people I could politely call ‘older’. In stark contrast one of the people who seems the most impressed with what I’ve done is actually my Granddad. He never tires of telling me what a great job he thinks I’m doing and how he thinks “it’s bloody marvellous what you do boy”. (It can’t really be favouritism as he has six Grandchildren and five Great grandchildren.)

I’ve found that after a year or so people do get to know your face in the groups, the shops, the park and just generally out and about. I am on first name terms with quite a few people in my hometown – OK that’s not strictly true – quite a few people are on first name terms with Mollie! She seems to smile at everyone wherever we go, and people seem happy to stop and chat to her, so it can take a bit longer to do things when she is with me.

It does of course go without saying that the good times are also much, much better than I had anticipated them to be. Her first “Dada” had me pretty much in tears. I’ve seen her first steps, seen her poo into her potty for the first time. We’ve had a lovely summer managing to fill our days with walks to the park (always a lovely place to meet parents for a bit of that all elusive adult conversation), coffee mornings, trips to Croydon and Bluewater (she loved Bluewater- so many people to smile at!!). One of her Nans tend to come over most weeks, so I get to see them when they play with their first grandchild, which is a really rewarding thing for me.

I guess that I have been lucky enough to witness pretty much all of the traditional ‘firsts’ that most dads get to miss, and many other things as well. We’re really, really happy with the choices that we made way back when for me to ‘retire’ as I so laughingly joked at the time. We wouldn’t do anything differently given the choice.”

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.

May gardening jobs

The weather hasn’t exactly be great over the last few days, but we’re all promised at least a little bit sunshine this weekend. So what better than a perfect excuse to get yourself out in the garden and get on with a few of those jobs you’ve been meaning to get round to. They’re all pretty quick and simple, so you should get them done before the rain returns!

• Lettuce and mixed salad leaves, carrots, and beetroot can all be sown outside now. Courgettes and squash should be sown in pots on the windowsill, or in mounds of soil enriched with compost or manure.
• Watch out for frosts at night and cover any tender plants with fleece or polythene.
• Keep the hoe going up and down the rows, to keep weeds at bay before they have a chance to take hold.
• Water thirsty crops in the evening if the soil is dry, but not when the sun is high as it’s a waste of water and might burn tender foliage.
• If you didn’t get round to sowing tomatoes, peppers and aubergine earlier in the year, check out your local garden centre as they will have some interesting varieties for planting out when all danger of frost is past.

Thanks to Judy Maciejowska our resident Vegetable Gardening expert. Read more of her gardening advice in the Gardening Section of BookshelfBoyfriend.com.

A thrifty May Day feast for your friends

At long last a warm sunny bank holiday is in our sights. We can start looking forward to BBQs and sunbathing and alfresco prosecco.

Winter is well and truly over and the birth of the summer has been traditionally celebrated in the UK for eons. One of the best ways to celebrate is to eat! What better way to welcome the sun and earth back into awakening (other than dancing round a big phallus with pretty ribbons) than by stuffing your face? There is no better way- it’s the best way to celebrate anything… well that’s certainly our view here at BB Towers.

So for your May Day treat we have come up with a spread of wonder! Whether you’re dining with friends and family or are hoping for something more intimate, we have a meal plan- which will cost you a mere £17 and will provide seven dishes to last you through the weekend – and if you’re really thrifty and have a freezer, well into next week.

One of the best ways to be economical with food is to make as many dishes out of the same ingredients as you possibly can. That means you don’t keep going back to the supermarket and spending your hard earned cash and means less food waste- which is better for us and (you don’t need me to tell you this…) the environment.

These dishes are designed to invoke the lightness and freshness of early summer. Meat lovers beware, these are meat free dishes, not because we are meat Nazi’s but because meat can add a great deal of expense to the average meal… but if you have some needing to be used, feel free to add meat to certain dishes. 

What you will need to get with your £17

(Prices based on high street supermarkets)

• 1 bag of fresh spinach – £1.30
• 1kg- plain flour – 50p
• 4 bulbs of garlic – £1.70
• 3kg potatoes – £2.00
• 1kg onions – £1.00
• 12 free range eggs – £2.50
• 1 block Greek feta cheese – £1.50
• 600g (2 punnets) baby tomatoes – £2
• 700g bag of value mixed peppers (about seven small peppers) – £1.50
• 1kg frozen sweetcorn – £1
• 1 small tub of cream – 60p
• 250g butter – £1

What we hope you will already have in your kitchen stores

• pasta
• olive oil
• chilli powder
• stock cubes (chicken or veg)
• nutmeg
• seasoning

What you will magic these into

Sweetcorn chowder

Potato soup (add chicken, ham, bacon, fish even)

Mash potato with garlic and spinach

Spinach and feta salad

Spinach quiche (add bacon for meat treat)

Spanish omlette with peppers (add Spanish ham for meat treat)

Roast tomato and pepper salad

You can either serve this as three meals for 2 – 4 to last you the weekend or as one big buffet, or even two moderate buffets.

The beauty of these is that if you are cooking for a hoard you can prepare the soups and the quiche the day before. And the Spanish omelette can be served hot or cold. If you are cooking for a small group you can mix and match the dishes to suit the mood! None of the dishes take very long to prepare… what will take the longest is the quiche but don’t be put off as the majority of the time is waiting for it to cook in the oven.

Read Dawn’s scrummy recipes here on the Boookshelf Boyfriend website.

A money-saving feast for friends

[ Dawn Frances - Nifty thrifty - Thrift Bitch blog ]

Enjoy your Easter eggs!

Good news for all you chocoholics – quality chocolate has many benefits, so you can indulge in your Easter eggs with a clear conscience and the knowledge that you are doing yourself a favour!  However, moderation is key, and also, it must be good quality dark chocolate – unfortunately, you don’t get same benefits if you scoff down a whole box champagne truffles.

Minerals:
Iron, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, potassium, calcium. Chocolate even contains fluoride (so potentially it’s good for your teeth…?!).
Antioxidants:
Flavenoids, the same type as in red wine and green tea – mop up free radicals and help prevent ageing; also considered to reduce risk of cancer and heart disease.
Mood:
Stimulants caffeine and theobromine (latter not good for dogs, however). Stimulate brain and give burst of energy.

Phenyl-ethyl-amine (PEA), which relieves depression and is also associated with falling in love and indeed with orgasm, is also contained in chocolate – give me that any day!

How to savour the flavour…

 … Ok, you might think you’re enjoying your chocolate already, but are you experiencing it so that it truly indulges every one of your senses?

Sight: 
Your chocolate should be glossy, rich, uniform in colour and smooth.

Sound: 
It should make a clean snap sound and have clean break.

Smell: 
Inhale deeply and appreciate!

Taste:
Allow to melt on your tongue and fill the mouth – there should be a complex, lingering flavour. Spice, nuts, dried fruit, tobacco – are just some of the flavours.

Your experience will vary with cocoa percentage, region of origin, and of course bean used.

There is no need, by the way, to go to extreme – 100% cocoa is very much an acquired taste. 60-70% cocoa content provides marvellous flavours.

The very best chocolate stands up perfectly by itself with no need of additional flavours or fillings.

Original articles by Marian Dougan – BB’s resident chocolate expert!
Read more about Chocolate and other lovely indulgences in our Food and Drink section

Springtime house maintenance

Dilapidated house, by Frankie Roberto

With the bank holiday weekend coming up, and many of us saving the pennies by staying at home this Easter, why not tackle some of those household jobs you’ve been meaning to get on with for ages – your property will look and feel better for it, and you can reward yourself with all that chocolate on Sunday!

 

Moss & mildew:

OK, you’ve hibernated for the best part of six months. Spring is here and it’s time to get scrubbing. Invest in a wire brush from your local ironmongers and scrub off any moss or mildew from your brick and stonework.

Your property will breathe better as a result because you’re removing something that absorbs damp and keeps it right against your home. Moss may look rustic and charming but your home is better off without it.

While you’re at it, remove any moss from pathways and you won’t need to tread so carefully up to the front door again.

Kitchen:

Clean the filter in the cooker hood (a totally nasty job but one your kitchen needs). Also, check around the washing machine and dishwasher areas for leaks.

Bathroom:

When you do your spring cleaning, have a look at the seals around the side of the bath, washbasin and the floor and walls of the shower.

If you can see any gaps or discolouration around the seal, go and buy some silicon sealant from any DIY shop and reseal all edges. The last thing you want is for water to get behind your appliances and cause damage you can’t see.

 

Read rest of article: Seasonal House Maintenance on BookshelfBoyfriend.com

Original article by Madeleine Thomas

V&A Fashion in Motion: Roksanda Ilincic

 

November’s V&A Fashion in Motion programme presented one of London’s most successful young fashion designers, Roksanda Ilincic. The show took the form of five vignettes, specially created for the V&A and featured a selection of key pieces from her past three collections.

After studying both architecture and applied arts in her native Belgrade, Roksanda came to London where she gained her masters degree in women’s wear at Central St Martins College.

Critically acclaimed for her beautifully crafted garments, Ilincic’s distinct style is inspired by the romance and femininity of 1940s and 1950s Parisian couture. She combines these influences with contemporary twists such as raw edges, a-symmetrical lines, strong blocked colours, structural shapes and exaggerated pleating.

Models graced the runway with attitude and aside from harsh eyebrows and sleek hair, the bare minimum of makeup. Each one of them wore towering Christian Louboutin boots.

The choreography showed disparity – the animation of dancers followed by the sleekness of models added a playful tone alongside the silent movie charm of the tinkling piano. Movement enhances the creations; billowing silks flow behind the models and wave with the dancers.

Garments throughout the show played with contrasts, presenting Roksanda’s architecture versus fashion background; the base structures were foundations for lustrous fabrics in playful shapes and bold colour ways, whilst graphic elements went against intricate embellishment, sharp tailoring was set against flowing lines and bright accessories mixed with neutral outfits.

Roksanda’s talent lies in providing simple yet individual chic. She plays with hemlines, shape, structure, and colour; clean lines and boxy shapes counter balance gathering, netting, rouching and one of a kind embellishment.

Ilincic has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including on two occasions, the British Fashion Council Fashion Forward Award, whilst she has also been awarded Topshop’s ‘New Generation Sponsorship’ and ‘Fashion East’ for three seasons. She counts Cate Blanchett, Rosamund Pike, Kate Hudson and Christina Ricci, amongst her clients.

Fashion in Motion: Roksanda Ilincic is brought to you as part of the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series. Featuring some of the greatest designers of our time, Fashion in Motion makes high fashion accessible to a wide audience in the unique surroundings of the V&A.

www.roksandailincic.com

 

[Hannah Eichler]