Ou est la discotheque?

50

2012-03-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day! Not only is it the first official day of spring but it also marks a very special persons birthday... our father! Today is his big 5 0 and although he will probably be quite embarrassed to see this, we know deep down he is flattered!

Happy Birthday Dad!

(Ha, the only recent image I had of him on my computer :( but is a goodun as it shows him doing what he does best) oh also check me out stuffing my grumpy face in the worst restaurant known to man.

- Charlotte & Molly

Thrifty Finds

2012-03-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Some pretty things I have had the good fortune to thrift recently

(100% silk Jigsaw shirt)

(Beautiful Missoni blanket... probably my favorite thing ever, it's huge and so pretty)

(Suede necklace with knife, fork and spoon charms.... will probably put the charms on to a chain instead though)

- Charlotte

Design Sunday || My Work

2012-03-18T07:25:00.004-07:00

I've always been tempted to use a 'Design Sunday' slot to share my own personal work, however have never felt I have anything adequate to share... nothing I've been passionate enough about. That is until now.

(Usherette uniforms and hats we made. Taken from The Other Cinema facebook)

I guess I feel I want to share a bit of my background, to kind of emphasize how happy I am at this stage in my life, in regards to creativity and my career after a long(ish), confusing and frankly depressing struggle to find it!

I have always been 'creative', designing, sewing, drawing and painting from a young age and it wasn't until I was doing my A-levels that I realized if I wanted to it was possible to study something 'creative' at university (up until this time I assumed I would do an English degree) from there I went on to a years art and design foundation diploma , which putting it mildly was one of the best years of my life. I made some amazing friends and had the chance to experiment with endless materials, processes and tools until my heart was content...after some deliberation I followed my heart on to the fashion and textiles pathway where I then irrationally convinced myself I wanted to be a fashion designer... fast forward a year to me a few months in to a fashion design and marketing degree freaking out because, actually I should have listened to my tutors advice that fashion design wasn't for me. Fortunately for me I was able to easily move on to a trend and fashion forecasting pathway after my first year, where I then graduated. (* In hindsight I don't regret any of these 'mistakes' I made as along the way I have picked up and acquired different skillzzz that have proven useful in my post uni life and current career choice!)

(Illustration my own)

Since then I have been 'testing out' various career paths trying desperately to find one that fits me, all fashion related Including; PR and marketing, social media and have even been an assistant buyer! However I have never felt that anything has been quite right... Just so you know I refuse to ever have a job for the sake of it, my aim and goal in life is to have a job that I love, that doesn't feel like just a job*.
This has been the most frustrating and depressing stage... If you have ever been unemployed for any amount of time unwillingly you will know how disheartening, worthless and useless it can make you feel. Along with this I also experienced working in a 9-5 job that i absolutely despised in horrible conditions with people I didn't like very much for very low wage.

(*A great way to test if something is right for you is: if the thought of starting at the bottom with no complaints, willing to do long time periods of the work for free purely for experience and get excited at the most mundane tasks involved in the job, then it's a keeper! If not (and you're looking for your dream job) maybe you should take some time to have a good think and maybe re-adjust exactly what makes you tick!)

(Collage my own)

However things all change this time last year where I was introduced to some amazing people (see blog post below) and the world of costume! It finally all clicked in to place for me, It just makes perfect sense in so many ways (which I won't bore you any more with) and I am completely and utterly head over heels in love with it!

It is long and irregular hours, early starts and late nights, low budgets and unpredictable working conditions and when working on a job regular meals go out the window and a diet of sandwiches and caffeine take over... (although these are all conditions of most 'media' and 'creative' jobs) we all do it for a reason though and it's all worth it in the end. I am constantly learning, and have so so so much more to learn... like a ridiculous amount, but it makes me really happy and I'm finally excited about my future!

(The Balloon man at The Third Man Secret Cinema production. photo by: Barnaby Steel)

(Anna at the Third Man. Photo by: Gareth Jones)

(Sluggers Gym jumper I have been painting for Bugsy Malone)

So that's it really... feel free to take a peek at my modest portfolio or to ask me any questions in regards to education, career advice etc... I'm not saying in any way that I am an expert or anything however I feel I have been through a lot of mixed emotions and confusion that come with these kinds of issues and if I can maybe help, encourage or inspire in any way I will try!

- Charlotte xx

what's inspiring you?

2012-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Things that have been inspiring me lately...

(sources: 1 2 & 3)

1. beautiful hair ornaments... not just Japanese Kanzashi styles but these ones are particularly pretty! They are quite pricey to buy though, understandably, so may have a go at making my own!

2. The colors in this image more than the organization. Although recently my organization have needed to be improved, which is always a good thing!?

3. Illustration. A job related inspiration but I have decided it is important for me to improve on my drawing and illustration skills, I have started drawing daily and can already see myself improving... I'm also hoping to take a few courses soon and drawing will be one of them, more for a boost than anything else (Oh and Fred Butler is always my go to for an inspiration kick... man I love her!)

4. And finally, despite how cheesy this sounds, my biggest inspiration of late has been the people I work with, they are the most amazing, lovely and dedicated people, I really have them to thank for so far teaching me everything I know about costume and I feel so lucky to be able to work with each of them!
Coincidentally THIS is what we have been working on, so if you fancy an amazing night out in a beautiful building with a fantastic atmosphere make sure you get a ticket!

What's been inspiring you lately?

- Charlotte x

DESIGN SUNDAY || Gillian Ayres

2012-03-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took Charlie's advice and me and Adam spent the afternoon being tourists in our own city. It was refreshing to be one of the 'Saturday Strollers' (you know the slow walking annoying type) rather than the ones with road rage. (To start with anyway. I don't honestly know how anyone in this city gets anything done. The pace is mind blowing.)

Anyway we went to The Victoria Gallery which often has really lovely exhibitions on. I'd heard there was a photography one with some of Ansel Adams prints, but I seemed to have missed that.

However what is showing are these incredible prints by Gillian Ayres. I don't recall ever seeing/ hearing of her before, however she has a CBE and an OBE and was made a Royal Academic so a lot of other people obviously have.

Anyway here is some of her incredible work.

I love the bold and bright colours, the textures which don't come through the screen so well and also the scale. She had some A2 sort of size prints right up to huge A0 scale paintings. She also had some that were circular. They were just so inspiring to see.

I bought a post card of her work and I'm going to date it and try and make a habit of going to new exhibitions there regularly with Adam and keeping a record on the back of the postcards we buy.

Molly xo

P.S

ALSO (need to blog more often so I don't write such HUGE posts) I'm trying to completely overhaul my diet so if you have any tips and tricks on how to curb/ replace junk cravings or healthy alternatives etc. or know any good blogs please let me know and I'll put together a post about it !

Snack Time!

2012-03-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of my all time favorite lunches (or snacks hehe). I once tried something similar from a Michelin star restaurant however I have devised my own version which is much more ££ friendly!

All you need is 3 ingredients (+ condiments and seasoning)

1. 1 Fillet of smoked mackerel (super cheap in the supermarktes)

2. 1 pickled beetroot (you can buy packs from the fruit and veg section, not the jarred stuff)

3. A few slices of good quality sour dough (preferably lovely a fresh chewy loaf)

To prepare the dish follow these simple steps:

1. Using a fork gently shred the mackerel in to a small bowl. Then add a spoon of chosen 'binder' (creme fraiche, plain yoghurt or mayonnaise work well) and a pinch of salt and mix together

2. using a cheese grater, gently grate the beetroot

3. lightly toast your slices of bread

4. then layer!

Sorry there is no photographic evidence, my kitchen is so dark (darn basement flat!) that photos just come out terrible... boo

anyway trust me this s delicious!

- Charlotte xx

Window Shopper

2012-03-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Just a light hearted up date on some fun things I've bought myself. By light hearted I obviously mean self centered.

I don't really like Urban Outfitters but me and Adam went in to see if they had mens shirts in the sale department. There were none but there were these amazing cat slippers which I obviously love, being a cat lady and all. Although they were only 4.50 I was a bit miffed when I got home and found a hole in the back of one of them. I darned it up good and proper though.

There's this little store near where I live stuffed full of costume jewelry. A lot of it is hideous and plastic but not this beauty which incidentally matches my new nail polish. It's from 17 (they're doing a free highlighting concealer worth £6ish with any purchase from the range so I obviously went for the cheapest thing) and it's called Heartbeat which I don't feel goes with the colour?

Got a goody lined up for tomorrow though. Shallow Saturday, Design Sunday.

Peace

Molly

photos 2

2012-02-29T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos off MY phone from the last week...

Tate Modern - note to self: remember that it is a bad idea to visit at the weekend or during half term...

incredible view from the place I've been working all week... you can literally see all of Londons famous landmarks

Dedicating my Sunday to making T-shirts and drawing costume designs for Molly's film... maybe if we all pressure her enough she will send chocolate as a reward ;)

The satisfaction of finally organizing and sorting a million market bags filled with costume pieces in to some kind of order... (this is just the beginning)

and that concludes my exciting week! I've been a bit awol from this blog recently, as much as I love the internet sometimes the negative side gets a bit overwhelming and you need to take a break!

hopefully I will feel more inspired soon to blog about something original and interesting instead of copying Molly....

- Charlotte xx

Photos

2012-02-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos off my phone from the last couple of months.

A lost balloon at the train station

Some pin hole photos my friend took from our flat...

...they were better in real life, my phone camera quality is rubbish.

Lots of origami cranes at the same exhibition as the pin hole photos.

Can anyone recommend me some sweet blogs to read? Leave me some links or drop a comment below and I'll check out your blog (as always) I keep getting stuck going round and round the same blogs !

This is mine and Adams dinner from tonight. It was very tasty and very easy to make. I basically just made a marinade out of a chow-mein stir fry sauce (feel free to not be lazy and make one from scratch) I added in some more soya sauce, chilli flakes and nut oil. Baked the meat in that while I cooked some rice and steamed the pak choi over it. Et voila. Inspired by the tastiest chinese meal me and Charlie had in China Town last week.

p.s Adams pak choi looks like spinach because it is spinach because he decided before trying it that it is like leek. Which he hates. Boys!

Film Review Virgin

2012-02-23T14:35:00.001-08:00

I just remembered I wrote this last week on the train home from London to stop me from falling asleep and missing my stop.

You know when you book a table seat especially for your journey home and then when you get to it there are four 16 year olds and they've taken down the reserved ticket? God dang I was too tired to put up a fight.

Anyway without further a do here is my first ever attempt at a film review.

TheWoman in Black

Thisweek I was lucky enough to go to a cinema 'lock in'. My friendsboyfriend works at a cinema near us and he invited a bunch of us tocome and watch The Woman in Black late at night in an empty cinema.

Isaw the theatre production of this back in my GCSE days and the showand the experience has stuck with me. When I heard they were makingthis in to a film I was SO excited. I love any kind of mysteries/ghost stories and I remember falling in love with the play. Thestoryline is so simple and heartbreaking it is like an emotionalroller coaster.

Inmy honest opinion the film was crap. It was fucking scary, I'll giveit that. Me and my friend had a 'safe word' (lettuce') so that if itall got too stressful we could whisper it and diffuse the tension. Ithink maybe the dark and empty cinema added to the fear factor for usbut when I got home I wasn't scared and didn't have nightmares so Iwouldn't even say it was megascary. Just jumpy I guess.

Anyway, I think the thing that mainlymakes it a bit... not as good as it could be, is the fact that a)Daniel Radcliff hasn't changed since he last played Harry Potter(physically or as a thespian) and b) It was set in a small ruralvillage that looked rather like Hogsmead. Many a time we wereexpecting Daniel to whip out his wand and save the day. Instead hetried his very best to look scared (constipated) and try to help thewoman in black.

Theother thing that I think made it a bit rubbish is that you see in aquite a bit of detail the woman in blacks face. It was verycomputerised and she kept whooshing atArthur Kipps (Radcliff) looking very much like a dementor. I mean shehad a black gown that trailed off into a ghostly wispy nothingnessand a black hood/ veil that covered her grey face. And she whooshed! Like a dementor. I just feel that had the film makers relied moreon our imaginations to create this woman for ourselves, not one of usat the lock in would have burst out laughing at the first sight ofher. I mean seriously ! Did no one noticeanysimilaritywhile filming/ editing? It wasn't just the similarity to a dementorthat lessened her scariness though, it was also the fact that you seeher. Peoples imaginations are alwaysworse than the real thing. The makers should have had some faith thatpeople do still have an imagination.

The film was well paced and thecostumes and locations were pretty impressive. The house where thewoman in black haunts is very grand and beautiful, if verydilapidated.

I feel like I need to reiterate thatthis film just doesn't do the actual story justice. There is a lot oftension building and faffing to make it scary and it's very jumpy andit just doesn't need to be. All they have at the theatre is a toy anda rocking chair and it scared the bejesus out of me. I just didn'tlike it. It was fun to watch because it was jumpy but that's the samewith any scary film. It wasn't because this one was particularlygood.

I'mdisappointed because I was reallyreally lookingforward to seeing it. I thought it would be more haunting andpsychological than jumpy and creepy.

I would recommend reading the book orgoing to see it at the theatre. Don't snub the theatre because youthink special effects are what makes things scary. They don't. A gooddirector, amazing actors and an imaginative audience make for ahaunting experience. The thing with the theatre is that you're therein that house, you can feel what the characters are feeling and whenyou see something move out the corner of your eye it genuinely couldbe her. Imagine sitting in the theatre and suddenly all the lights goout. You think you've heard something or seen something move but yournot sure. Were the lights meant to go out? What if she's behind you !

Has anyone else seen this? What did you think? How did I do?

Molly xo

DIY Bejewelled Collar

2012-02-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

A super quick and easy DIY to jazz up an otherwise pretty boring shirt... 

All you need is a glue gun (or any kind of fabric glue) and a selection of gems, beads or sequins!

Et Voilà!

- Charlotte x

*N.B I had an afterthought that glue gun glue may not hold out in the wash so would advise hand washing... otherwise fabric glue should have washing instructions on

Happy Valentines?

2012-02-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

I work in Thorntons.

Yesterday the general public spent £1200 on Valentines themed chocolate in our store ALONE.

TWELVE

HUNDRED

POUNDS.

...

Although apparently the americans spend on average 13-14BILLION pounds each year on Valentines day.

WHY?

Why I ask !

Just why?

Here is my all time favourite statement on Valentines from 'Shit my dad says'

"Valentine's day is bullshit. Our DNA demands we fuck each other, so if you need a holiday to talk your wife into screwing you, it's over."

Amen

Molly.

Design Sunday || Vase

2012-02-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

In Bristol there's this awesome scrap store where you get a huge trolley and fill it up with stuff and then pay like £15. Depending what has been donated recently it can be a gold mine. Last time I went there were scraps of maroon and mustard suede, off cuts of fabric, medical supplies, bra straps, fuck loads of huge reels of paper including wrapping paper from Lush which was cute. You basically take whatever you want and there's always loads of crafty looking primary school art teachers there.

Anyway also last time I went there were these awesome chemistry flasks and I just loved them so I picked up 3 flasks in like small medium and large and also a bulbous one with a long neck. I thought they'd make nice vases for when I got my own flat. A year later I moved into my own flat and I was right, they make the BEST vases. I got some daffodils for 50p today which was pretty sweet so here is a photo. (This is the smallest one of the three)

Repurposing at it's finest. I used to keep my makeup brushes in this one but since I made a new case to hold them I've re-repurposed it.

Sorry if that was a bit boring, if you want something a bit more inspiring head over to dynamicmolly.tumblr.com where I'm blogging all my inspirations and mood boards etc. for my current project.

Molly

(My uni rotation is called Dynamic Image hence the weird blog URL which my tutor really enjoyed laughing at but I think it makes sense so poo poo )

HOW TO || Stay looking sexy in the cold

2012-02-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when it's really cold (winter) and all you want to do is go around your daily business in your duvet.

But that's not very sexy and that is what is important in life.

So I have a fool proof way for you to stay sexy for your other half in these cold grey months.

Get yourselves an indoor scarf. Maybe animal print to add some allure. Tie it at a jaunty angle or around your head in a Hollywood glamour kind of way.

Make like Grace Kelly and keep your ears warm

Substitute your old toweling dressing gown for a sultry slouchy knit.

Source | Who doesn't fancy a bit of flash dance?

No one likes a sloucher so accentuate your waist with a contrasting colour belt. This will synch you in and remind that special someone there's still a body under there.

Source | Keeping it classy

and Finally.

Two pairs of socks will not only keep your toes warm and chilblain free, the chunkiness will soon super slim your legs.

Source | The chunkier the socks... the skinnier your legs

Et voila !

Sultry, sexy and ready to go to bed.

And yes... I look this good all the time.

Two notes of interest:

1. This is actually my 'indoor scarf'. It's fleece so it's super warm but I can't bring myself to wear fleece outside of my own 4 walls but my grandma bought it for me and it's really a nice leopard print so I wear it inside.

2. For point 2 I found that picture by googling 'sultry slouchy knit' so they do in fact exist apparently.

Feel free to photo reply with your attempts of 'sultry, sexy, winter warmer' outfits.

Peace.

Design Sunday || My work

2012-02-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a mood board for a film I want to make based around the aphorism "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got."

Peace out, Molly xo

FAKE

2012-02-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

This has been bugging me for a long time.
An established blogger has been doing 'Designer Inspired' posts where she finds counterfeit designer goods at the request of her readers.
I think this is wrong on so many level. So many.

a) It's a crap example to set to people. "Can't afford the real thing? Just buy this fake one and have it NOW!" - I know from experience it is a lot more satisfying saving up to buy the real deal. Why are people so obsessed with having what everyone else likes and having it now?

b) The quality is obviously going to be crap so are you really saving money? Unless of course you're into "disposable fashion" in which case obviously it's fine to then throw it into one the overflowing landfill sites and then buy yourself a brand new version at the expense of a some foreign child laborer.

c) Do people not realise where the money from counterfeit goods go?

"1. Counterfeiting robs the U.S. alone of more than $200 billion a year. It's a cash, tax-free business; legitimate citizens like yourself will still get stuck paying taxes, while counterfeiters line their pockets at your expense.

2. Terrorists, gangs and organized crime syndicates all profit from selling counterfeit merchandise. Sometimes designer handbag knockoffs are lined with drugs and used for smuggling things like heroin, too. There is also evidence that the bombing of the World Trade Center in '93 was funded by the sale of counterfeit apparel.

3. You might realize that things like knockoff toys or electronics are an unsafe idea, but did you know that even items such as fake sunglasses can hurt you. According to IACC counterfeit sunglasses can shatter easily; they may fail to provide UV protection as advertised."

I just think it's really shitty all round.

Molly.

Garment 1

2012-02-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

One of my goals this year was to make a new garment every 2 weeks, well I may have to change that to every month but I have managed to finish a pair of culotte trousers. I'm not overly keen on the fabric but I had a lot of it and it was the perfect weight so I went for it. I am definitely going to make another pair, maybe in a mint silk with a longer leg and less pleats at the front, perfect for summer hopefully!

Next on my list is a waterfall front jacket, which I may start this afternoon.

OH and I have an exciting millinery project in the pipe line! eeee

- Charlotte x

d + d

2012-01-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

About a week ago we made some exciting changes to darwin + delilah.

We are both rather active people in that we are always changing and evolving our styles and tastes plus we hate routine. Although our core values for darwin + delilah will always stay the same we can't promise everything else will.

Firstly our logo, the new one above is a rough copy of the new one, we still need to tidy it up a little... we realize that it's not the most healthy thing for a brand to keep changing their logo and so hopefully this won't change again for a while. We just felt suffocated by the last one.

Secondly we have moved our beloved shop from Big Cartel to Etsy. This is mainly for the reason that the strong community that comes with Etsy will help us when we slack on the d+d front. This also ties in with the third change which is we will be re-opening our website as a webzine/shop/blog hybrid...but more on that later ;)

- Charlotte & Molly xx

Design Sunday || More Zombies

2012-01-29T05:02:00.000-08:00

Soooo I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks now but have somehow the last few Sundays I have been super busy, but today I am curled up on the sofa, watching 'rear view window' in my pj's after working a 12 hour day yesterday... no excuses!

At the beginning of January we received a rather lovely and exciting comment on this post from one Stanley Becker (Hi Stanley!) If you happened to click that link and read the post you will have noticed that Mr. Stanley Becker is one half of Chic Pix - The creators of the book (I walked with a Zombie) i wrote about finding...

He was kind enough to leave his e-mail address for us to get in touch if we wanted to find out more, which of course we did! It has been so lovely to speak to him and find out little snippets of information and anecdotes from a design duo with not much internet presence (quite an ironic novelty in today's culture!) and of course to receive more samples of their work!

Below are a some of my favorite pieces he sent me (it was pretty difficult in deciding) I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

London / New York

Consumer

Life on Earth

The Family

Modern Medicine

(Please if you borrow these images to include the Chic Pic copyright next to them!)

He did send me many more than what is here so maybe I'll post the rest sometime ;)

- Charlotte xx

DIY || Shorts, cases and laptop decor

2012-01-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

On fireworks night last year, I locked myself, Adam and my family out of our flat and also out of my parents car. Long story short I still owe my dad some money for his car window that the police smashed for us.....

So we ended up spending a pretty stressful night back at my parents house before putting together a tool kit and breaking back into our flat.

The point of this is that every cloud has a silver lining. Not only did Adam and I get a roast that Sunday I also acquired a new pair of shorts and 2 makeup bags !

I'd bought these shorts years ago from a charity shop. They're high waisted and the legs came down to mid thigh and weren't overly flattering so I put them away. What the fuck ?!?! It wasn't until I got them back out I realised I could just shorten the bloody legs ! Idiot... they're now one of my most worn items in my wardrobe. Anyway I took the leg off cuts home because I feel wasteful even putting mouldy food in the bin. It was so easy to just sew up the chopped end and stick a zipper in the hemmed side to make 2 little pencil cases.

The Blue zip is for my brushes (B for blue and B for brushes) and the pink zip is for my makeup because it goes on my pink face. This was my actual logic while buying zips.

Now all I need is some Hello Kitty patches to stick on them :) I'm so chuffed I actually saw a project through ! It was one of my NY's resolutions (Who read that as New York's resolutions?)

Also me and Adam bought some stickers the other day...

Obviously they're not finished yet. Check out Adams. He is hard core and stuck his on his ACTUAL aluminium....

Also look at this cutest note ever my wee Cousin wrote me at Christmas.

Anyway have a fun weekend everyone. I've been sewing and essay writing and generally being productive which is enjoyable. Oh yeah and don't forget to check out our entry for the Sarenza competition. It was so much fun to do. I was in Starbucks on Skype to Charlie (awkward in itself) making a shoe porn Gif....

Love&Peas

Molly

Shoe Porn || Almost literally

2012-01-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

With a slinky silver sheen to the cool molded plastic Melissa X Vivienne Westwood have produced this beautiful and slightly naughty masterpiece. Boasting a voluptuous heel delicately detailed with a sling back strap to ensure you have full support. The contrasting wing detail on the toe adds that little subtle extra which matches the secretive red sole only you will know about… and of course we can't forget about the peep show toe (the inspiration for this post) providing us with not only well adorned feet but also pure unadulterated aesthetic pleasure.

Hehe can you tell how much fun we had making this post??

As Sisters we disagree on a lot of things. However we tend to agree on much more, including our love of shoes (although ironically this in turn is the root of many arguments... when we were younger we were pretty much in competition to see who could be the most sneaky and steal coveted items for the others bedroom… in fact i'm sure this still goes on now…yes Molly I do have your 'kill your idols' hoodie and im pretty sure you have my converse???)

Anyway when we heard about the Sarenza Ambassadors Competition we though 'why bloody not!'… we may not have the most followers but we blimming love shoes! We also saw it as a great opportunity to collaborate together (sistas doing it for themselves!)

Sarenza is a great place to shop for shoes on-line, they make it so easy to find the perfect pair with their many options, although it's big enough to wile away the hours creating 'millionaire wish lists' and still not see every style, (we definitely took a while deciding on just one pair that we both thought deemed itself 'the favorite'. )

(Melissa X Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Lady Dragon - £143.70)

We both love Vivienne Westwood (who doesn’t?) but we also love her for her mind (inc. her campaigning) and her collaberation with Melissa is a great one. Not only do they produce great smelling shoes but they are also rather eco-friendly (a big plus in our books) by using a crazy self invented plastic (Melflex) which is a hypo-allergenic, recyclable, and extremely flexible PVC oh and it’s also cruelty and animal product free (Win win!).

So there you have it our slightly naughty (and tongue in cheek) entry for the fabulous Sarenza Ambassadors competition!

XoXo Charlotte & Molly

INSPIRATION || Lauren Nassef

2012-01-24T04:22:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love it when you stumble upon an artist whose work just keeps getting better and better the more you click?

My research led me to an amazing lady called Lauren Nassef whose illustrations are beautiful, diverse and inspiring.

Take a look. (All images sourced from www.laurennassef.com)

From 'Historic Preservation Trends'

'Alphabet Blocks'

"An illustrated map for a student brochure for The University of Chicago. Art directed and commissioned by The Grillo Group."

'Italian Girl, Italian Greyhounds'

'Boat Collage'

What I love is that she has the ability to draw accurately and precisely as in the illustrated map and the cinema, but the freedom and looseness to create such beautiful images as the Italian girl and the Boat collage.

Go and check out her website, it's worth stopping by the drawing a day part, there are loads of people who have her work as tattoos and they look amazing ! Especially this one cos we all know I love cats;

Also the girl in the photo is pretty good looking too. I have hair envy.

Go and get inspired, Love Molly

Outfit of the week

2012-01-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

I quite enjoyed this outfit so thought I would share what has been adorning my body recently!

Hat stolen from Molly (mwahahaha) Scarf second hand, Flowery jacket from French Connection (it has been sitting unworn in my wardrobe for about 6 years - i knew I would want it one day hehe) Silky shirt from H&M, Jeans from Topshop and my trusty Hobbs desert boots

While wearing this jacket the other day I started to think what an amazing vintage piece it will make in 10 - 15 years which kind of excites me. On the same train of thought my mother has recently expressed her regrets at not keeping certain pieces from when she was younger and was encouraging me to keep a few bits I was thinking of selling, for my children in future years. I guess it's interesting how at the moment I love to buy pieces that have a history and story but have never really thought about the pieces I have that have the potential to have a history for future people...

So at the moment I have this jacket, a pair of amazing metallic silver wedges and a beautiful coat that although I don't wear that often are pieces I will be keeping to pass on... have you ever thought about this and what would or are you keeping???

Mmm a yummy smoothie I made which will definitely become an obsession of mine as they are so ridiculously easy to make! This one contains: frozen mixed berries, fresh pomegranate, orange juice and spinach. Also don't you just love our vintage cinema seats? We use them as dining chairs as they are much more comfortable (the joys of living with an art director means our flat becomes extra storage for props!)

- Charlotte xx

WORK || By Me

2012-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

So I'm going to be writing an essay on plagiarism, (if you've got any good articles or anything for me send me a link) and so I was in two minds as to whether to post this up but fuck it. I'm really proud of it so without further a do please enjoy my first ever film entitled 'Hidden Desires'. And yes. It is about what just sprung to mind.

My name is Molly Young and I made and filmed every last second and detail of this. If you love it and want to re-post, re-produce or copy it please ask for my permission first. If you want to re-post cos you hate it, please also ask for my permission first.

hope you enjoyed it.... M

FAST || SLOW || FAST || SLOW

2012-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

As you have all probably guessed by now, we enjoy food a lot around here, we also love design and so when the two merge we get very excited!

When this dropped in to my inbox this morning from Trendland i couldn't wait to share it around even more...

KOREFFE Are one of Germany's 'most highly awarded design agencies' and I love all of these food design concepts....

"SLOW FAST FOOD is fast food that’s nevertheless healthy. Seasonally and traditionally cultivated fruit and vegetables, gently conserved in hand-filled glass pots – and ready to enjoy immediately.

The SLOW FAST FOOD packaging combines modern presentations of fresh fruit and vegetables with the type of design used traditionally for conserved foods."

The Slow Fast Food was the first example I saw from the company but then I started to explore more and discovered more little nuggets of joy...

Cheese pencils for the deli garage

Edible spray paints for the deli garage

Arggghhhh there are so many cool things they have done... and I am really loving the sound of this 'the deli garage' !!

Check it all out HERE!

Oh and I just noticed that 'the deli garage' not only have an on-line shop (warning: you may end up spending money!) but also a pretty cool blog!

Hope you are all getting through this awful January week, I've been having my highs and lows!

- Charlotte

INSPIRATION || BOOKS

2012-01-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

Kinky Friedman is probably my favourite author. I seriously recommend reading his books. He is a cowboy detective and in real life he's a senator for the state of Texas over in the U S of A.

He also fancies himself as a bit of a country and western star. The point is he writes with his tongue in his cheek, a sense of wit unrivaled, he has a feline side kick and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. But more impressively he gets himself out of all kinds of trouble.

I first read 'The Mile High Club' purely because the title was naughty. It is probably my favourite, however I recommend you start at the start with 'Greenwich Killing Time' (see what he did there?)and work your way through the other 18 titles. I came home today to 'A Case of Lone Star', 'Frequent Flyer', 'Musical Chairs' and 'Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola' waiting for me. I got them super cheap on Amazon. Used and a bit battered but that's fine because it's going to happen sooner or later.

Also how good is this cover for 'The Mile High Club'?

Find his books here and get yourself over to Amazon.

Molly.

Why thrifting beats the highstreet

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Vivienne Westwood Shirt (£8)

Striped Jumper (£7)

A.P.C Cashmere & Wool coat (£5)

Hilarious 90's striped crop top (£2)

Gigantic spotty dress re-made in to skirt (£1)

Nicole Farhi Silk skirt (£7)

Hand made peter pan collar dress (£3)

Floral dungarees (£4) Ooh and my favorite picture in the background was £3

Silky shirt (£1.25) Huge scarf/shawl (£1)

I was just going to post about my latest finds (above) but then got 'trigger happy' while going through photobooth and decided to pull all these out...

Recently I have fully jumped on the 'night wear for day time' trend and have been living in over-sized silk shirts that could be luxury pajama tops and this new shawl scarf which could almost (and sometimes does) double as a blanket to hide beneath... and I am loving it!

I love to hear about people's thrifty finds so share with me yours!?

- Charlotte xx

DESIGN SUNDAY || SB

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have a deadline coming up.

I'm pretty on top of my work which is a good feeling.

But obviously I've still got shit to do but here are a few pages out of my sketchbook.

When all my works been handed in and come back to me I'll post it all up.

Dyed some lace red ... racy !

Guess the project from the props list

Dance of the dead

FYI I uploaded this collage onto tumblr and it got quite a few "notes" so there......

Molly

Design Sunday // Recipe

2012-01-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

This Sunday is a mix of design and food (two of our favorite things so we wont complain!) I do have a really special Design Sunday post lined up but won't post it until next Sunday as I want to do some 'digging' around this week ;)

So Molly knows me very well and for Christmas gave me this amazing book....

The perfect shape + the perfect sauce = the geometry of pasta

It is full of the history of various pasta from all around Italy, recipes for both pasta and sauces and recommendations for which sauce to eat with which pasta... I will admit now that im a bit of a food geek so I really love it! It is also beautifully and simply illustrated throughout

I know a lot of people think life's too short to make your own pasta, and most of the time I agree, however it is in fact really easy to make it from scratch and so do I think for 'special' pasta dishes, nothing but home made will do!

So in a bid to embrace the new year and promises we make I am diving straight in and last night made my own spinach and ricotta ravioli... and it was delicious!

If you haven't got a pasta machine don't worry, with some elbow grease a rolling pin will do just fine!

Ingredients:
To make enough for 2 people
Ravioli:
- 100g Pasta flour or 00 flour
- 1 medium eggs
- 300g fresh spinach
- 2 -3 tbs ricotta
- Salt, pepper and nutmeg for seasoning

Cheats Tomato Sauce:
- 1 small tin of tomato puree
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 small onion
- handfull of fresh parsley
- tsp chillie flakes
- salt for seasoning
- water

First of all make your pasta! I won't spend ages telling you how to do it as I'm no expert but I like Jamie Olives recipe HERE!

While it's resting in the fridge for 30mins I would make your sauce...

Chop onion finely
add to a heated pan with a splash of olive oil and gently soften
slice the garlic finely and add to the pan
sprinkle in your chillie flakes and let it all cook together for a minute or so
then add your tin of tomato puree and slowly keep adding water and stiring so the tomato puree thins down to the consistency you like
Add salt to season
finely chop up parsley and add

you can then take the sauce of the heat and leave it to the side to be heated later

Now the fun part! Making the ravioli...

Wash the spinach and add to a large pan of salted boiling water
cook it for around 2 minutes then drain off and freshen with cold water
Now you have to really squeeze it dry using your hands and then also wrap it in a clean tea towel and squeeze it until no liquid easily comes out
Pop it in a mixing bowl along with the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of nut meg

Then mix it all together, adding more ricotta if you think it needs it. Also have a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste!

Pop it in the fridge until you need to use it.

Take the pasta dough out, divide it in to quarter pieces start rolling the first quarter out flat, you want it pretty thin, I think the book recommends about 0.7mm thick.

Then you can start spooning on the filling mixture...

I kind of guessed where to place them as my pasta sheets are funny shapes, so just make sure there is a couple of cm between each dollop...

you can then roll out your next sheet, which should be roughly the same size and place over the top. Don't worry if you need to stretch the pasta a bit to get it over, it's pretty strong stuff!

As you can see my 'dollops' are quite far apart and could have been closer!

Using your finger tips press the pasta down around the mixture to seal it...

I then used a pizza slicer to cut each piece out, trimmed the edges down and rolled them up to seal.

Heat up a pan of salted water (you could use the water from boiling the spinach to get some of the goodness lost back!) and put your sauce on a low heat to start warming it up!

Then when the pasta water is boiling add the ravioli and cook for around 2 - 3 minutes, they will rise and be floating on the top...

Dish up with the sauce and enjoy!

The best thing about this recipe is that you can freeze the ravioli, so why not make more and keep them for a 'lazy' day!?

Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!

Charlotte xx

INSPIRATION || The Virgin Suicides

2012-01-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

This is the most beautifully shot film.

I forget how heartbreaking it is.

Jeffrey Eugenides is an amazing writer. I'd recommend his other book Middlesex. It's pretty heavy going and different to The Virgin Suicides and some parts are difficult to read but I think it's worth it. It definitely opened my eyes.

Has anyone else read Middlesex?

I'd love to know what you thought.

Molly

p.s I was thinking of maybe writing up some film "reviews" / my opinions on here, I sat down to write some and I found it really hard but if anyones interested let me know and I'll persist with writing some.

INSPIRATION || Vertigo

2012-01-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

new

2012-01-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

There is no escaping it or the mixture of hope and depression it brings. To get in to the spirit of things, and because I feel it can never hurt to reflect on yourself or aim to make yourself and others happy I invite my sister (Molly) and my boyfriend (Adam) (the other two contributors of this blog) and all of you reading this to list 5 'resolutions', aims, goals or whatever of anything you hope to acomplish this coming year...

GO!

Me:

1. Get myself out of my overdraft

2. Work hard and gain as much experience in my chosen career field as possible

3. Take darwin & delilah even further

4. Make at least one new garment every 2 weeks (1 a week would be pushing it)

5. Experiment even more with food

Oh look there i am!

Hi its me Adam my 5 resolutions are...

1. Do more posts on here, you may of noticed i've only done about two this year

2. Make and eat more curry! mainly eat.

3. Clean our fish tank more often, sorry Bruce, Jackie Chan and The Wizard

4. Play more instruments

5. Make more sets

(L-R) Me, Helen (my best friend in the whole wide world) on New Years Eve

H!i

1. Stay happy & motivated !

2. Look after myself better

i.e eat more than one meal a day etc.

3. Wear more wigs

4. Make lots of stuff to be proud of

5. Work hard.

I'll report back on how this is going in a few months. We'll see.

Happy year of the Dragon!

Crack

2011-12-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

A very very late Christmas DIY post but if you are running out of money and have a few last minute pressies to buy this could be your answer!

With my extended family we all partake in secret santa, opposed to all buying each other presents, however because I love making things I always make a little something for everyone, last year it was mini panettone and this year I have decided on christmas crackers!

These are really fun and easy to make, you can personalize them in many ways and in my case use a lot of 'waste'.

I used lots of lovely fabric scraps to make mini bows with pins on the back so they can be worn in many ways! Such as a bow tie, hair bow or broach!

*apologies for the awful photos! My camera battery died so had to make do with my BB camera :(

All you need is:

- an empty loo roll,

- Cracker snaps (which are sold in most craft shops or i bought mine on ebay)

- a gift of your choice

- Some strong paper

- Ribbon

- and a set of awful jokes!

I decided to use brown paper for the strength with a sheet of tissue paper over the top for colour...

Pop all the 'ingredients' inside a loo roll and using two extra rolls gently roll the paper around and stick it down...

Remove the extra rolls and tiethe ends tightly with ribbon or string (make sure the cracker snap ends are equal on each side!)

I made glitter covered cardboard initials to decorate them with! Easy peasy!

I am so excited to share these with my family on Christmas day!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday whatever you do and however you celebrate!

- Charlotte xxx

NB! If you do have a go at making these I would advise in cutting out little strips or scoring slightly at either ends of the tube to make it easier to pull... never underestimate the strength of brown paper!!!

Design Sunday || Photography

2011-12-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

I was browsing Retronaut and came across these incredible photos of Circus performers from the 40's/50's.

So much fashion inspiration. I need to make some of these bunny ears for sure !

All images from retronaut.co/

Aren't they incredible? Which outfit would you most like to wear? I think I'm going to go for a tutu in the second to last image with the feather turban.

Drop us a comment and I'll check out your blog :)

Molly xo

Design Sunday | Packaging

2011-12-11T04:59:00.001-08:00

L-R: Bobbi Brown, MAC, Lush

Hello Design Sunday ! I've missed you.

These are a few of my favourite beauty products at the moment. Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15, MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Up The Amp and Tuca Tuca Perfume by Lush.

Can anyone spot the common denominator here? My whole dresser is now black and white. And it looks so clean, sleek and minimal.

There's something about white on black that stands out so much more than any other colour on white. You would have thought that a nice clinical white would be the ideal colour for cosmetics packaging but the Natural Collection (the products I actually love and use regularly) springs to mind and to me it just looks cheap. These products above retail from £30 to £5, that's quite a big price bracket, but they all look on par to each other from that aspect.

They look like a family but I bet any beauty junky can tell at first glance what brands these are. Just by the font and the shape of the packaging.

Personally I think there is much to be said for simple branding. I like minimalistic design that is functional but still looks good. For example the Soap&GLory products look really lovely, but it always takes me a while to work out what each product is. This could just be me though ! I've heard really good things about them though so I might familiarise myself with the brand and try some out.

I've got some product reviews to do in a few weeks when I've got some good use out of some new things I bought. More on that another time.

I wanted to start posting some of my own work on the Design Sunday posts but this term I only have one deadline which is in January so nothing is finished to a standard I'd want to share yet, so once I've got everything ready for assessment I'll start posting some more of my own work. For the mean time I'm going to keep posting about things I like or things that inspire me or things that make me mad.

Do any of you find your drawn to a certain style of packaging? Are there any brands who's packaging you love/hate? Does anyone else really care as much about packaging as I seem to?

It's good to be back,

Molly xo

pssst... check out the Darwin&Delilah gift guides below

Christmas at darwin & delilah

2011-12-03T12:36:00.001-08:00

We don't need to remind you that Christmas is coming, but if you are still to get your Christmas cards and presents then we may be able to help you out!

With the arrival of these new Christmas cards comes the arrival of a new designer to the darwin & delilah family... The lovely Carla (who you may have seen before modelling in our lookbook!)

Christmas cards

We have also put together some little gift guides!

Currently we are also giving away Free P&P in the UK if you spend over £10 (using the code: XMAS) YAY!

- Charlotte & Molly xxx

24 on the 24th

2011-12-02T04:01:00.001-08:00

The 24th of November was my 24th birthday, and i tried to muster up excitement for it but it just didn't arrive, which I feel quite sad about as I'm worried this has marked the turning point where your birthday is just another day... boohoo

Anyway despite me being mopey about my day of birth my friends and family (as usual) did not dissapoint and spoilt me rotten, so this is really a thank you post dedicated to them!

My ridiculously generous boyfriend took me away to Stockholm for the weekend as well as giving me this amazing ring from COS which is so much fun to play with! (I love that it seems to have become a little tradition for him to buy me unusual jewellery on special days hehe)

My gorgeous friends then came over to gorge on food and drink bringing with them delicious freshly laid eggs (from their hens), ginger wine and the most amazing birthday cake ever! Which you may have seen if you follow us on twitter... obviously they know the way to my heart ;)

My parents gave me a beautiful pair of Hudson boots, which I'm sure will be in an outfit post soon! They came to visit over the weekend with my sisters and we had a blimming lovely time, just chilling out, eating food, playing games and going for walks... I do miss these little family moments now that I haven't lived at home for almost 5 years! Oh and I should mention that it's pretty handy having a sister who works in a chocolate shop!

Other highlights include a personally signed card from Babette Cole which Adam's mum was amazing enough to get for me (!) and some yummy home made chutney!

I'll stop blabbing on now and share some pictures:

- Charlotte xxx

P.S I just thought I would mention that we are selling some of our old ladies vintage stock on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/darwindelilah/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

PreLoved ReLoved Love

2011-12-01T10:51:00.001-08:00

Hello !

I finally have the internet in my flat so I'm tucked up on the sofa instead of shivering on the fire escape. I have so many blogs to catch up with so please leave links so I don't forget you !

In the first 4 weeks back at Uni (10 weeks ago now !!!! It has flown by) my project was to create a video with a message. I decided to use images from the Darwin&Delilah A/W lookbook to make an animation about up-cycling clothes !

While searching for the video to upload here I came across this amazing lady.

Source

Obviously great minds think alike and I have accidently appropriated her blog name into a slogan. A WHOLE YEAR NOT BUYING ANYTHING NEW !

"PrelovedReloved – A year of vintage and second hand. Raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, fashionably.

Could you wear nothing but second-hand clothing for a whole year?

Imagine no more proper, brand spanking new clothes fresh out of the wrapper. No Saturday shopping splurges with your girlfriends or quick lunch break trawls round the shops.

Well that's exactly the dilemma that Kim Sklinar has set herself in 2011 when she launched her campaign PrelovedReloved, in order to raise £2500 for Macmillan Cancer Support."

I am a serious second hand shopper but sometimes I do make a bee line for the convenience of knowing I'm going to get what I need from H&M (work trousers) so I'm completely inspired by the challenge of not buying anything new for a whole year. There is so much we can learn from this and this has definitely re-inspired my thrifty side which has dwindled of late due to the ridiculous price of things in my local charity shops. £15 for an old misshapen bobbly jumper just because it has a Hobbs label in it. Come on Shaw Trust !!! (name&shame)

Has anyone else found charity shop prices rising lately? Or is it just Bath? Or am I just becoming stingier by the day? Ahhh lots of questions and stupidly long sentences for you all. But seriously, I hope you enjoy my video and that you check out Kims website and if possible donate a little for Macmillan through her Just Giving page.

Peace out .
Molly

S W E D E N

2011-11-22T10:08:00.001-08:00

This weekend I fell in love with Stockholm. The buildings are beautiful, the people are friendly, the apartments are so pretty and it's just wonderful... I can't wait to go back again to explore more!

Something I always do while in a foreign country is take some time to wonder around the local supermarkets, i am obsessed with food packaging! The tea above is delicious and managed to fit two packets in my luggage along with the cute owl biscuits! yum yum

SWEDEN I LOVE YOU!

HELLOOO IM ALIVE

2011-11-20T08:50:00.001-08:00

Hello strangers it's Molly. It feels weird to be blogging. Good weird. I'm just stopping by to say I'm alive ! And that I won't have internet until December 2nd (I got the internet ball rolling on September 20th. Orange are brill, BT are rubbish) but I will be back for good once that's all up and running. I'm currently sitting on our fire escape looking at this view

logged onto a BT Openzone hotspot. I'm in love with my new flat, the christmas lights and that festive feeling. So to perk you all up a bit before the real festivities start I thought I'd share with you the best breakfast I've eaten in ages ! Enjoy, and I'll see you when there's only 22 days left until Christmas (hands up who else is excited !!!!)

p.s I bought 90% of my presents today for £30 ! Bargain. Hands up whos jel haha

p.p.s sorry for not spell checking this recipe. Bad blogger points to me

Molly xo

Christmas Shoppe

2011-11-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

Yay the darwin & delilah Christmas shop is now open! We will be continuously adding new items throughout the next few weeks so make sure you follow us on twitter or like us on facebook to be kept in the loop!

- Charlotte & Molly

xxx

Design Sunday - U L T R A

2011-11-13T10:27:00.001-08:00

(ULTRAbod (Skincare)

We Are Ultra are a Malaysian based creative collective driven by sustainable design who were founded in 2009. They collaborate with designers, artists, organizations and companies to create "meaningful products, experiences and workshops from our own innovation-minded point of view."

One of my favourtie projects of theirs is ULTRA 10. The idea of wearing 10 pieces over 365 days, however these aren't just any old items, these are ULTRA exclusives. A capsule wardrobe of multifunctional pieces that essentially make up 10 different garments, included is a 4-in-1 Coat/Dress/Jacket/Skirt and a 2-in-1 Jacket/Vest.

The garments themselves are distinctly minamilist and all challenge the idea of over-consumption associated with the fashion industry. All of the items are made from various recycled and natural-blend materials and you may return the ULTRA 10 at the end of each year for up-cycling – and in return receive a fresh supply at discounted rates!

Presenting, the Ultra 10 from Ode to Liberty on Vimeo.

Have a little look at their website to get a better idea of everything they dooooooooooo
(all images above from weareultra.com)

>HERE<

- Charlotte xx

style like me

2011-11-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's early on a Thursday morning and I should be asleep but instead my mind is whirring due to coming across an inspiring website which seems to encapsulate everything I feel and think about 'fashion' and 'style'. A lot of things have really been getting to me recently (more so than usual); people's constant want and need for new clothes, and that these clothes are from huge mass producing chains, that so many people who claim to love fashion are still obsessed with following trends and with no imagination and also that if people love fashion and stuff so much why do they not care about the people who make these garments, the conditions they are working in or what these companies are doing to the environment?! As I become more involved in the blogging world I have almost felt scared of speaking out about these issues that bug me, but then that would just be stupid wouldn't it, So from now on I'm not going to worry about it.

I want people to stop being so greedy and I want to see more creativity, fashion is a wonderful thing and should be discovered by each individual and not in Topshops new in section. I also wish that people would consider the ethical and environmental impact that many of these brands have and to appreciate the ones who do. I realize that I am talking about so many different issues that I'm too tired to address tonight so I will leave you with a link and some videos that from StyleLikeU, the website i mentioned above and hope that they inspire you too...

Fred Butler Closet Interview With StyleLikeU from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

(I have been a massive fan of Fred for years, so much so that I got a little star stuck when I spotted her in tesco the other month, haha)

StyleLikeU Closet Interview With Fatima Robinson from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

Lauren Adriana Closet Interview with StyleLikeU from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

Larry B. Closet Interview with StyleLikeU from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

It was really difficult just selecting these 4 to put here as they are all so amazing and engaging...
I really should sleep now
- Charlotte

Design Sunday - In Bloom

2011-11-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

in bloom London is a small lingerie label creating beautiful and simple underwear who not only fully embrace femininity but also aim to inspire positive change in the way garments are made.

Emily Huc (founder and designer) grew up in France and inherited her passion for fashion from the close women in her family; 'elegant and delicate fabrics, the hunt for individuality in a detail, the pleasure of discovering the perfect fit in a garment.'

She later worked for a number of years in the international development & environmental protection industry which is where she realized the fashion industry isn't all that glamorous, and from then on started to think about how the two can work together. Around the same time a lot of new brands started to emerge working in more environmentally friendly and sustainable ways with 'interesting sourcing stories'. There was one niche market that Emily found was missing and after studying at LCF launched her new sustainable lingerie label.

I was fortunate enough to have a little chat with Emily at the Source Expo event a few weeks ago, who was lovely and really informative, I also had a close up peek of the lingerie and it is incredibly soft and beautifully made. I am really excited to purchase a set as soon as my bank balance is more healthy!

Make sure take a look at the in bloom website here, and if you are ever around Portobello Road take the time to pop in their shop!

- Charlotte x

Wheres Molly?

2011-11-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, as so often happens when you move in to a new flat, the internet is still not working in Molly's new place which is why I have been making all of our posts lately! - Charlotte

November!

2011-11-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wow it's the first of November! My favorite month, mainly because it means my birthday! woop

So about a week ago we (our shop, darwin & delilah) put out a little e-mail with a competition in, we then opened it up to everyone else not on our newsletter list. The competition was to send us your favorite Autumn or Halloween recipes and today we picked a winner!

So congratulations to Kate for this spooky entry!

She was even kind enough to share the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Beef Tomato
1 Onion (chopped)
1 Red Pepper (chopped)
1 penny-sized piece of fresh ginger (grated)
100g Basmati Rice
250ml Vegetable Stock
1 Pre Roasted Chicken Drumstick
1 Large Mushroom

Method:

Peheat an oven to 200c

Cut a 'lid' off the tomato and scoop out the inside flesh. Carve a spooky face into the skin! Brush the Tomato & lid with oil and place in oven for 20mins.

Heat some oil in a pan and cook the onion, pepper and ginger until soft (usually 5 mins). Add the rice & vegetable stock and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 12-15 mins until cooked.

Whilst the rice & tomato are cooking, carve a scary skull face into a mushroom.

Remove the tomato from oven and place on a serving plate. Drain the rice and spoon into the tomato, allowing some to spill out onto the plate. Replace the lid.

Nestle the drumstick alongside the tomato and decorate with the mushroom. Serve.

We also wanted to share this other entry which we also loved a lot as it not only looks really yummy to taste is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye! So thank you Di for sending it in!

Cook two sliced onions in 100g unsalted butter for ten minutes.
Add 1200g chopped pumpkin, 3 crushed garlic cloves, stir well, pop the lid on and cook for 10 minutes.
Add 800ml vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, a tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika, a tablespoon of turmeric and cook for 40 minutes.
Whizz with a hand blender and decorate with radish and black olive eyeballs!

YAY! So thank you to everyone who entered, hopefully we will have lots more fun things happening in the future!

- Charlotte xx

Bloggers Breast Cancer Raffle

2011-10-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

When Sarah first tweeted about the idea of putting together some kind of bloggers raffle to raise money during Breast Cancer Awareness Week I thought it was such a fantastic idea, using the blogging community to the best of their advantage!

SO It has finally come around and we are really excited to be a part of it as we'll not only be donating lots of £2's in return for tickets but darwin & delilah will also donating a very special vintage piece to the cause. (We have something really exciting en route from a supplier but we want to wait for it to arrive and check it over before revealing it!)

(the following has been copied and pasted from Sarah's blog, as I waffle on too much to explain properly!)

Sorry, what?

It's an online raffle, nattily abbreviated to TBBCAR which is being run through this very blog and JustGiving to raise money for the Breast Cancer Campaign.

What do I doooo?

Go HERE on Friday 28th October and donate money. For every £2 you donate, you will get a raffle ticket! Then there will be a RAFFLE!

What can we wiiiin?

Things! All sorts of things! I will update this post as we get more in but so far we have...

£50 of Debenhams vouchers

£20 of Clippy vouchers

A selection of House of Holland tights from MyTights

An October Glossybox

Handmade bracelets by Sophie

£20 gift voucher for Crown & Glory

£30 gift voucher for my Etsy shop
A special vintage piece from Darwin & Delilah
£100 gift voucher from Stanwells Boutique
Bespoke online design service from Abby
2 x £50 Vouchers from Sarenza

A signed copy of The C-Word by Lisa Lynch
A signed copy of Cult Fiction by Ardie Collins
A selection of GoGo Philip jewellery
A Simeon Farrar for Fulton Limited Edition Umbrella

How can I help?
So please promote this on your blogs this week (pleeease) linking them back to this post, and then hit up JustGiving on Friday and donate, donate, donate. I'll draw the winners via random.org over the weekend.

And if you know anyone who would like to donate raffle prizes - or you yourself would - send them my way!

Here's the science bit, concentrate.
You don't have to be a blogger to donate or enter the raffle - so tell your friends, families, colleagues and randoms on the street - but unfortunately the prizes can only be won by UK residents. :(

Previous posts and LOTS more info are here!

SO there you have it! Spread the word and get involved!

Dress like a 5 year old

2011-10-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

When your 23 (about to turn 24) and feeling old it's fun to embrace your inner child and dress like a 5yr old!

Take 1 peterpan collared dress (custom made via carboot sale) + Stripy AA leggings

+ 1 hair bow

= an outfit to rival your toddler cousin!

- C

Details

2011-10-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

A few details of my personal favorite bits new to the shop

- C

P.S We are running another little competition to win an original DoDo design apron plus other amazingly kitsch prizes! Find out more HERE!

Design Sunday - Amazing Tack!

2011-10-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today's Design Sunday is a bit of a cheat and also mentions the dreaded Xmas word (SORRY!) but after seeing these today I just had to share them. Now we all love a bit of tack, may it be secretly or not, and Christmas is the perfect excuse to ogle and maybe even indulge! While having an afternoon stroll around Angel today we came across this shop (really cant remember the name but it's in the central bit next to H&M) which was already full to the brim with Christmas displays and produce and amongst it all were these slightly scary but possibly amazing decorations. The first decoration actually bought horror to my face but after looking at the others i started to secretly love them hehe....

(Pink lap top decoration anyone? Quite loving the panda behind though!)

Ha dinosaur! Adam really loved him...

Crazy turtle lady

Hot doggy dog

Pizza and a pretzel And OMG a cat driving a car behind!!! How did I not see that one in the shop!

What is your secret 'tack' indulgence?

- Charlotte x

(sorry for the poor bb image quality!)

Coming Soon on darwin & delilah!

2011-10-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yay new things finally! Here is a little sneak preview for you and it will all be going 'live' on Monday! - Don't worry we'll remind you ;)

Also we have a little competition lined up to win some awesome kitsch prizes, with a Halloween twist! So sign up HERE to our newsletter to take part!

- Charlotte

P.s Aren't our models lovely!

Perfect Sundays

2011-10-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Sundays! I know lots of people who feel the same and a lot of people who are at a complete polar opposite...but i have and will always love them! They especially seem to get good in the Autumn; A lazy lie-in, a little stroll to get breakfast or brunch somewhere lovely, Columbia road flower market, steaming hot drinks, cold noses, laughing with friends over a full roast and red wine, sunday papers or a well thumbed novel, crappy tv and organization for the week ahead.. bliss!

What do you love about Sundays?
- C xx

Design Sunday 1 million

2011-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I thought I would showcase an event which has design aspects to it, so not strictly a design sunday post but at least its on the right track!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working with The Ethical Fashion Forum curating and designing the trends area for their upcoming Source Expo event. They work really hard in building relationships and educating fashion businesses in a way to help them become more sustainable, ethical and eco-freindly all in a fashion forward way.. so goodbye soggy green smelly hemp trousers and hello beautifully designed stylish clothing (see this post) !! The Sourse Expo event takes place tomorrow and Tuesday and will be showcasing lots of great designers and suppliers along wtih copious amounts of information if this is something you're interested in, whether you're a student, designer, buyer whoever, it is also a fantastic opportunity to get networking! take a look HERE to find out more.

- Charlotte

darwin & delilah autumn 2011

2011-10-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Phew I am finally back home in London after spending the weekend in Bath with Molly (the other half of our shop darwin & delilah) and our two beautiful lovely models photographing all our new stock!

I don't want to reveal too much just yet but I thought i would share a few 'outtakes' from the weekend.

The whole weekend was a blast, we are really getting in to the swing of everything and have really learnt how to work along side each other. Key moments from the weekend include Molly setting fire to our home made pizzas and shouting "FIRE FIRE! ACTUAL FIRE! CHARLOTTE IT'S REAL FIRE!" (the oven was actually on fire...and i guess you had to be there!)

We thought it would be a good idea to finally get some good photos of us together and we ended up with these ~~slightly~~ ultra cheesy, tea-drinking images... as neither of us are particularly photogenic or used to being in front of the lens most of them ended up awful due to us goofing around!

Isn't Molly and Adam's kitchen cute though!?

The beautiful view from the flat

Poppy (our main model) being dressed and styles by yours truly!

I really love the composition of this photo! Adam cooking lunch and Poppy taking a much needed tea break!

Hope you have all had a wonderful weekend!

- Charlotte xx

Bhalo

2011-10-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post before I rush off to a meeting (related to this post actually). While doing some research this morning (for said meeting) I came across this company: Bhalo.

"Bhalo designs limited edition womens clothing and accessories, made from only ethically hand woven and naturally dyed cottons and silks. Our garments are designed using a variety of fun colour and graphic influences inspired by our travels.

Bhalo travel to rural villages in Bangladesh, for both sampling and production, where we work with a collective of local fair trade producers. As well as being focused on ethical working conditions and community development, Bhalo’s production has a green focus also. The cotton is not only AZO chemical free, but also hand loomed and hand embroidered. Silks are hand printed and all of the sewing is mostly done by foot powered pedal sewing machines, giving opportunities to people who would have otherwise been left behind by the mechanisation of the garment industry."

I just wanted to showcase a few of their designs as they really grabbed me and are really reasonably priced! I love the knee patch trousers, shift dresses and tailored fits and the colours are wonderfully 'me'.

Anyways visit their website HERE and find out more!

- Charlotte xx

Tarte aux Pommes

2011-09-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Autumn means apples! So what better way to eat them than to bake them in a tart!? (or pie or crumble but today we talk tarts!)

This is a recipe I use on many occasion as it is really very easy and quick! The end result is so yummy and goes perfectly with creme fraiche, cream or ice-cream!

Ingredients:

o Six Apples for a large tart or Three of Four for lots of small tarts
o 1/2 one of those tiny jam's you can buy or 2tsp from a large jar (Apricot is good but I've also used passion-fruit which was lovely)
o 500g shortcrust pastry (I'm naughty and buy mine)
o 2 - 3 tsp of ground cinnamon (depending on how strong you like it)
o Sugar for sprinkling
o Splash of water

Method:
o Pre-heat your oven at about 180

o Roll out pastry and lay in buttered tin. If you want to make small tarts use a fairy cake tray, cut out circled of pastry and lay them in the individual holes. (make sure to butter your tin!)
Then place pastry to one side.

o Wash and chop up 3* apples in to teeny tiny pieces (i like to leave the skin on as it adds colour and flavor but peel them if you wish!)

o Add the chopped up apple to a small saucepan with a splash of water and the cinnamon. Gently cook on a low heat with a lid on. (This can be left while you prepare the other apples)

o Cut the remaining** apples in to quarters and take out the core. Then thinly slice them to achieve a half moon effect.

o Check on your saucepan of apples. They should be very soft. At this point I like to use a potato masher to mash the apples in to more of a chunky paste. You could otherwise give them a very quick blitz with a processor - keep it chunky though!

o Spoon the mashed apple in to the pastry and spread it out to cover the whole surface. Don't worry if it's a bit patchy.

o Using the half moon apple pieces start arranging them on top. This is where you can get creative!

o Spoon your apricot jam in to a cup or bowl and add a tiny bit of boiling water (or apple juice from the mashed apples) and keep stiring and mixing it in until the jam is like a thick sauce.

o Using a pastry brush coat the apples in the mix, and be generous!

o Then sprinkle (a lot) of sugar over the top (sometimes I like to be fancy and use vanilla sugar)

o And pop it in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes. Keep checking it until the pastry is a light brown and the apples are looking golden.

o Is delicious warm or cold!

* for the small tarts cut up 1 and 1/2 apples for the filling and the same for the half moon

(Small tart Vs. Large tart)

- Charlotte

Design Sunday - Missed it again

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ok Ok so we should really change this to 'Design Tuesday' but to hell with it!

I did almost skip this all together but really felt the need to shout about a design something to people who may not know about it, as it could possibly be the best thing since sliced bread!?

"The Poundshop is a platform for designers to sell designer goods under the strict brief that the product is to be sold for £1."

I have been fortunate enough to visit two of their pop up shops, meaning my house is now filled with cute and cleaver bits and pieces. They have also recently launched a pop-up on-line shop (for a limited time), complete with a 'Liberty Picks' tag chosen by Liberty's home buying manager Michelle Alger.

The idea is pure genius and the products are brilliant!

(refurbished cutlery, Floating teabags & Vintage playing card badges)

Ok so i just started to 'save' my favourite product images to share here but found myself saving them all so I shall leave you with this link and piece of advice...

Link: SHOP!

Advice: HURRY ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!

But definitely follow them on facebook etc to keep up with any future shops!

The secret garden

2011-09-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about living in London is finding the unexpected. Secret gardens are something i really love and so was utterly delighted to spend a while in such a place near covent garden yesterday.

- Charlotte

Design Sunday

2011-09-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Oops ok so it's Tuesday, but on this dreary tuesday these images by Rob Steel really cheered me up.

Little update:

- I have lost my voice, which I think Adam is enjoying a little too much!

- Been following LFW from afar, working on the shop and drinking too much vino (possible cause of final voice loss) although catching up with beautiful old friends and making lovely new ones makes it worth while!

- Molly has finally moved in to her new flat in Bath and keeps badgering about when I'm going to visit her... I'll have to find a suitable house warming present!! Any suggestions??

- Exciting news for us but because of her move we will be shooting the new dariwn & delilah stock photos and lookbook around Bath which should make for some very pretty photos!

- And Adam has been a busy working bee again helping out a friend of a friend at LWF (totally lost on him) and starting on the next Secret Cinema... Sign up here as it's gonna be a goodun!

- Charlotte xx

glitter socks

2011-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, we have become absolutely awful at blogging! I guess it's just life getting in the way!?

Today I am feeling OLD! ha I guess moving on from my last post about teenage nostalgia, I am feeling my age by carrying a 2 day hang-over... how has this happened!? I am also feeling something which in contrast probably should have been left behind in my 18 year old self which is the 'I want to punch myself in the face to stop these drunken flashbacks' feeling... anyone else get that or is it just me!?

HELLO!

I am really enjoying wearing hair scarfs in this way...I'm usually a giant bow on top of my head kindda gal, but I like to pretend that this way has a more 60's chic vibe.

I am really loving the 'cheapness' of this outfit.

Denim shirt - French connection Via ebay, Bretton stripped top - stolen from the mothership, Jeans Topshop 6 years ago, sparkly socks - Freebie from Ellegirl and Converse from Ebay.

The socks reminded me of this post over at Young Shields a while ago - Love it!

- Charlotte

Teenage Dreams

2011-09-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

(Rookie magazine. Erika from Handful of fashion. Year 11 prom. Drew Barrymore POP magazine 2008. Hair from we heart it.)

Recently i have become extremely nostalgic and slightly melancholy which has led to me mourning my teenage hood. The internet surrounds me by beautiful and effortlessly cool teenage girls who still have the freedom to do what ever the hell they want.

My years as a 15-16 year old were fucking amazing. We thought we were untouchable. I was best friends with two of the coolest girls in the school, we hung out with older boys, drank warm beer, spent our money on the most ridiculous clothes which we would later rip up and bleach and dyed our hair every colour of the rainbow. Our parents were our chauffeurs and chefs and literally our only problems were who we had fallen out with that day and homework.

At 23 I am still 'young and free'... I am fortunate enough to work for myself, I live in my favorite British city and can legally buy beer .... but it's different isn't it!?

Ok I'm over it now.

- Charlotte

A space odyssey

2011-09-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

Wow new blogger is sleek ! Liking it.

My boyfriend and I are moving into our first flat together in two weeks (fingers crossed for paper work permitting) and as incessant penny pinchers we've been trying to find ways to save money on the interior front. i.e D.I.Y central !

I've been scouring the internet for inspiration and here are some of my favourites

From here

Doesn't this look cool? And it's such a good use of negative space. Imagine being able to free up all the space a book case would have taken up ! Clever thinking is what we need.

From here

This looks cool and I can imagine there's a lot of storage underneath there. Wouldn't it be cool to have it in the center of the wall and you can hang curtains around the bed like a 4 poster !

Obviously none of these are particularly helpful in a rented property but then I found this website !

"Ikea Hackers is a site about modifications on and repurposing of Ikea products. Hacks, as we call it here, may be as simple as adding an embellishment, some others may

require power tools and lots of ingenuity."

We have decided to make our first grown up purchase in the shape of the Ikea Expedit Bookshelves. But we want them laying down long ways across the floor with all our records in and his decks on top. But they're not quite deep enough for them, so I did some Ikea Hacking browsing and honestly these are so simple but effective. All images from Ikeahackers.net

How much difference does just adding a work top make? I love the legs in the photo on the left, I think we could be on to something there. I can't wait to get all creative in making the most of our lovely tiny flat.

Does anyone have any good tips or know of any blogs that might be of use?

I'd love to hear if you do, leave a comment or tweet us @ouestladisco

Molly

p.s Hop on over to one of our favourite blogs and enter her awesome giveaway. You get to choose your own prize as well. Check out her photography FB while you enter too, we love it !

rock, paper, scissors

2011-08-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Adam's birthday; we celebrated properly the weekend before with ridiculous amounts of fizz, wine and lethal cocktails (It was also my dear friend Judy's birthday so really we were celebrating for two!) Also in a way which sums up this summer perfectly, we had planned on having a picnic only to have the heavens open on us as we arrived at our destination... after decorating Judy's kitchen with bunting and cramming 10 people in to the tiniest kitchen we managed to settle down for an indoor boozy picnic.... cue blazing sunshine outside.

Anyway (sorry I just love to ramble on!) a few months ago I managed to snag a room at The Hoxton Hotel in their famous £1 sale! Adam's birthday seemed a fitting occasion and so off we went, a tiring journey of 3 whole miles down the road! It was lovely though and very much enjoyed the gigantic shower and free Pret breakfast!

Also I just wanted to share this photo of the birthday twins (triplets as Judy is a real life twin, hi Lydia!) and the AMAZING cake our friend Sally made!!!

So also on a completely UN-related note it has come to my attention that recently all i have been wearing is blue. No seriously head to toe blue. And today I bought a beautiful blue dress to feed my obsession...

(5 year old Topshop blue jeans, Second hand French Connection shirt, Toms)

(Free Pepe jeans tote, American Apparel sweater, Falmer denim cut offs)

Hope everyone has been having a lovely bank holiday and making the most of these sporadic sun bursts!

- Charlotte

Design Sunday || Dalton Ghetti

2011-08-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Many artists have used pencils to create beautiful pieces of work - but only one creates stunning masterpieces on the tip of one. Microscopic artist Dalton Ghetti spends up to two-and-a-half years painstakingly crafting each handmade piece on the graphite of a pencil"

Click to enlarge all images

"Dalton uses three basic tools to make his incredible creations – a razor blade, sewing
needle and sculpting knife. He even refuses to use a magnifying glass and has never sold any of his work, only given it away to friends. He said: “I use the sewing needle to make holes or dig into the graphite. I scratch and create lines and turn the graphite around slowly in my hand”

The Cemetry Collection

Dalton, who is originally from Brazil, has a box full of more than 100 sculptures that have broken while working on them that he affectionately calls ‘the cemetery collection’. He said: “I have quite a few broken pieces so I decided to glue them on pins and into styrofoam for a display case. People might think it’s weird I keep them but they’re still interesting. I worked on them for months so they might be dead now but at one point I gave them life”

These are just in-fucking-credible ! My favourite is the two pencils joined by a chain, I can't even fathom how that was made. I also love the hanging heart in the middle of the pencil. Ingenious ! Such imagination. This would be an exhibition worth seeing.

Has anyone seen these in real life?

Would anyone else have the patience to spend 2.5 years on one piece of art?

My answer to both of those is no so big respect to Dalton Ghetti <3

Molly.

Sources: 1. 2. 3.

Ohhhhh

2011-08-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo from the last week or so...

Annual crew paint of a huge wall...

...afternoon tea...

...finding amazing masks in an illustrated dictionary while looking up words...

...rescuing fallen flower heads...

...pebbly skies...

...horrific photos while drunk for your boyfriends birthday...

...said drunkenness resulting in facial injuries. More fool me.

Love this website. Click through to view.

Burning amber

2011-08-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

I have been in a total creative slump the past week. I think it's taking me a lot longer to get back in to the swing of things after being away for a week. I really hate it, i can feel ideas brewing in the back of my mind but when i come to write them down i just draw a blank. It's very frustrating.

As a way to make myself feel better about it the other night i decided to do a little project I've been planning for a while. A few months ago i went to visit my great aunt who gave me huge bags full of fabric to take home, You can read about it here ;)....

Included in the haul were these half finished cord culottes which she started for herself (about 10 years ago) haha so i decided to take them as well to finish for myself...

In the end after trying them on i decided as the fabric is so thick and heavy they would make better shorts and so some cutting, hemming, a button hole (a failed one) and a button later... Voila!

Im looking forward to wearing them with thick tights, chunky boots and a big fat scarf!

- Charlotte

p.s Any one with great tips on how to deal with creativity blocks, please share!?

Seriously craving

2011-08-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Some silver in my life

Topshop

Converse

If anyone has any they want to give away I'll email you my address ;)
Although as much as I want and need a pair of silver trainers I'm much more excited about MY NEW FLAT ! Que a million and one interior and DIY posts ! Thanks for all the well wishing, can't wait to share my amazing weirdly rustic kitchen with y'all.

Molly xo

tell me tell me...

2011-08-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

After traveling for 7 hours we are finally home after our little break in Devon. It was so nice to get away! Our week consisted mostly of eating a lot of yummy food, playing many many games of ping pong and just hanging out with Adams family.

This is a little stop motion Adam helped me to make last night, it's created from out takes of our first early spring photo shoot for the shop. It was quite an amateurish shoot (which we have learnt a lot from) but as you can see had a lot of fun!!!

Any way we will all be back on form this week so expect to hear a lot from us! hehe

- Charlotte

Sisterzzzz

2011-08-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

I do, want to marry you !

2011-08-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Aw just came across this and I love them ! Give them a listen,

All week I've been trying to find a flat for next year but all land lords hate students. One was asking for 11 months rent UP FRONT ! Just for being students. It's ridiculous. First and foremost we're a couple looking for our first home together, being students comes second. Very frustrating. However we started looking at unfurnished and my incessant refreshing of multiple web pages has paid off and we have 3 viewings tomorrow ! We're viewing a studio flat out of desperation but I'm not sure how well that would work out.

Anyone got any house hunting tips?

Anyway that was boring for you. But I really haven't been doing or looking at much else this week. However I did get a tip off about this little amusing Tid-bit from a girl on my course. Here's a taster to get you to click through "The work, which is a life size cast of the artist's head, is made out of in nine pints of his own frozen, congealed blood." Ahh I love gross things.

I hope everyones staying safe if your areas been affected by rioting. I'm going to send you over to Gold Lions blog as she's got a post about the riots that covers a range of valid and interesting opinions, thoughts and issues.

Ahh what an all encompassing blog post, music, personal life, art and politics. One vital piece missing...

A bit of fashion. Heres (L-R) Big Sis (aka Charlotte/Darwin), Mama Bear, Lil Sis, Papa Bear, and Me the giant of the family (although please note I was wearing heels which you can't see because Grandma Bear insisted you could only get heads OR feet in the photo... as you can see by the 5ft of space above our heads it would have been possible. Grandmas.. who'd have 'em?

Wish me luck for the viewings tomorrow and I promise to be a better blogger. Check out summery clothes over at Darwinanddelilah.co.uk while the free postage is still on and the sun is shining (through the rain harhar).

Molly xo