Your daily dose of pretty: Skully Necklace by Miss Sparrow

I think I missed the Miss Sparrow stall at the Very Vintage Day Out. Or possibly it was one of the ones I had a quick glance at en route to something else. And it's probably a good thing because if I'd seen this necklace it would have been mine. And Eccentric English Boyfriend might not have been quite so reasonable about how much money I spent!:

At first glance this appears to be simply a lovely glass bead necklace. But look a little closer. Skulls! I dare you to wear this to the next afternoon tea with your elderly aunts!

The Skully necklace is NZ$90.00 from Miss Sparrow.

Your daily dose of pretty: Le Petite Fleur Earrings from Whimsy Fix

Whimsy Fix is another retailer we spotted at the Very Vintage Day Out yesterday. Well, in truth we didn't just spot them, we bought from them. Which obviously comes as no surprise.

These are not earrings we bought from them. But they are very cute and I want them:

According to the listing these are "10x14mm Pearlised Vintage Bead decorated with a Vintage BlueRose & nestled inside an Antique Bronze Lace setting - fixed with a dangle earring". They're also pretty.

The Le Petite Fleur Vintage Earrings are NZ$17.00 from Whimsy Fix.

Your daily dose of pretty: Giant Rosie Hair Bone Clip by Rosie Squish

16 Year Old Daughter and I went to the Very Vintage Day Out today. We even dressed the part, in fishnet tights and high heels and pencil skirts. On an unrelated note my feet hurt. But that's beside the point - it was a fabulous day of watching burlesque dancers and rockabilly singers, and browsing clothes and jewellery and trying very hard not to Buy All the Stuff. At which it has to be said we failed.

16 Year Old Daughter came home with one of these in purple:

Seriously, how awesome are those hair bones? I'm tempted to order a couple of the mini ones for myself!

The Giant Hair Bones are NZ$20 and the Mini Hair Bones are NZ$8 for two from Rosie Squish.

There were so many tempting pretties at the Very Vintage Day Out that there are several more blog posts' worth to share with you over the next few days!

Your daily dose of pretty: Skirt by B Original

Following on from yesterday's "curtain fabric but in a good way" post, today's pretty looks like it was made from curtain fabric from the 70s. But in a good way.

That's a very bold print and I'm pretty sure my friend's parents had curtain made from this when I was a kid, but again I like it! On sale for NZ$70.40 from New Zealand store B Original.

Your daily dose of pretty: Stand Tall Bamboo Pendant Necklace by Freedom Creative

Bamboo is amazing stuff. Not only is it the sole food of pandas ("What's for dinner mum?" "Bamboo." "Woohoo, my favourite!"), it's also the flooring material we're planning to use in our renovations (if they ever happen) and at Christchurch NZ based Freedom Creative it's used to make pretty jewellery like this:

The Stand Tall Bamboo Pendant Necklace is NZ$33.00 from Freedom Creative, who happily ship internationally so if you're outside New Zealand and interested in buying just drop them a message via their site.

Your daily dose of pretty: Bows for your hair

Am I too old to wear pretty bows in my hair? I hope not, because I really want to wear this one:

Available for US$12.00 on Etsy from New Zealand company Hunter Gatherer, whose products have the coolest names. This bow, for instance, is called i am the start of a green spring.

I've decided I'm not too old for hair bows. Most definitely!

Your daily dose of pretty: yummy gummy

Yet another entry in the series Things That Look Edible But Are Actually Meant To Be Worn:

Look at his little round tummy, and his googly eyes! The Gummi Bear Necklace in grape is by Auckland jewellery designers Jellybones and available for NZ$32.00 on toggle.co.nz which sells lots of gorgeous New Zealand made clothes, jewellery and homewares (and ship overseas so the rest of you aren't missing out!).

Your daily dose of pretty: Cupcake Rings (mmmmm, cupcakes)

Since I started my special MS diet I've become a little food obsessed. Ok actually quite a lot food obsessed: I'm watching every food programme I possibly can no matter how banal, spending hours staring at pictures of food online, and only just managing to stop myself from buying every food-themed item I can lay my hands on. Like these cute Cupcake Rings - I think I'd like one in every colour:

Mmmmm, cupcakes.

However I do think I am starting to adjust to this diet gradually, which is a good thing because otherwise the next logical stage is for me to do a Homer Simpson and start hallucinating that everyday objects are food. Probably not a good thing - as much as I love our Fred he is a very smelly little dog and I'm pretty sure attempting to eat him would result in all sorts of digestive unpleasantness, no matter how much like a large bar of white chocolate he might look.

The Cupcake Rings are available in your choice of size and colour from Cupcakes and Mace on Etsy (a fellow Kiwi, by the way), and are US$11.00 each.

Your daily dose of pretty: Requiem Skirt by Kitty Bridges

Hello my pretties, and apologies for being absent - I forgot to tell you that I was going to be away at a wedding over the weekend. And also, what is up with hotels that charge NZ$50.00 PER DAY for Wi-Fi access? Seriously?

One of my favourite NZ clothing labels, Kitty Bridges, now has an Etsy store. With new items being added regularly it's worth checking out.

I'm rather partial to this cute skirt with it's wee bows and black broderie anglaise detailing:

The Requiem Skirt is US$97.00 from Kitty Bridges store on Etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: Twiglet earrings

Look at these unusual earrings:



Made from pieces of sterling silver wire soldered together and then hammered for a organic look, matching pendants are also available. US$35.00 from Budgie on etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: *sniff* *cough* *sneeze*

My pretties, I have sadly neglected you have I not? Four days it's been since my last post, because I'm sick. Not Swine Flu sick, or even bed-bound sick. Just sore throat and sore head and can't be bothered doing anything sick. I need pretty scented things to make me feel uplifted.



That is the Revitalise Gift Bag Deluxe, by New Zealand company The Aromatherapy Company. The gift bag contains a 200ml bath and shower gel, 200ml hand and body lotion, 2 x 100g soaps and a bath sponge, all packaged in a carry bag. Scented with Orange and Jasmine, this would be just the thing to clear my head and lift my spirits. NZ$49.99 from Living and Giving.

Normal transmission will resume soon, I promise. When it does I'll be able to tell you all about how - even though I don't feel well - I managed to find somewhere that stocks LA Girl AND Sinful Colors here in New Zealand, and how I might have bought, erm, 17 nail polishes there.

Your daily dose of pretty: AV Dress Lime by Nine Body Coverage

I've blogged before about the gorgeous clothes by Queenstown-based New Zealand designer Nine Body Coverage, and their recently released Summer 09/10 range contains yet more flattering and feminine items, like this gorgeous dress:



NZ$239.00 from Nine Body Coverage. Doesn't it cry out for a picnic basket, a straw hat and a field of flowers? And of course a gorgeous man to feed you grapes while you recline on a cushion ... Has anybody checked Colin Firth's schedule recently?

Your daily dose of pretty: Ruby Rain Girl pendant

I love discovering new (or at least new to me) brands and designers to write about, especially when the designer is a fellow New Zealander. New Zealand-born Kirstin Ash may now live in Sydney but she still thinks of herself as a New Zealander, and I am so in love with her quirky jewellery.

The Ruby Rain Girl pendant especially appeals:



So cute! NZ$95.00 from Kirstin Ash.

Your daily dose of pretty: West Auckland beaches and Blue Fish paua earrings

One of the wonderful things about living where we do in West Auckland is that we are within 20 minutes drive of some truly stunning beaches like Kakamatua, where we took the dogs for a walk today.







Click on the pictures for the big (really big) versions - I love wild West Auckland beaches. That's 14 Year Old Daughter and her boyfriend in the bottom photo, how cute are they?

I came home with a gorgeous piece of paua - there were literally hundreds of pieces of paua (and other shells) washed up all along the beach. Paua is a species of abalone native to New Zealand, and was traditionally highly valued by Maori who used it among other things to form the eyes of their carvings.

These days paua is mostly found in souvenir shops and because of this finding it used in a way that isn't unbelievably tacky is difficult. I do like these Blue Fish paua earrings though. Their beautifully simple shape allows the natural beauty of the paua to shine through.



NZ$67.50 from Flying Fish Design. Click here for a blog post featuring some lovely paua earrings.

Your daily dose of pretty: Max Shop Drape Merino Dress

Max have been around for years in New Zealand, and while I don't shop there now as often as I did back when I worked in one of them office things, I still find plenty of things in their stores to fall in love with. Like this merino dress:



Draping is obviously very in at the moment, and I have to say it's easily overdone. Seriously people, if your dress looks like it's missing a pelmet and a set of tie-backs then the draping has gone too far. This dress however has lovely simple lines, and I love the way they've managed to make the draping flow into the pockets.

Pictured in Smoke, also available in Black. NZ$129.00 from Max Shop.

Your daily dose of pretty: NZ Paua Earrings

Readers who have been with me for a while may remember the piggy earrings which I blogged about back in June. And promptly bought. Well susane01, the Etsy seller (and fellow New Zealander) who I bought them from has another presence on Etsy with the artisanjouel shop, where I found these gorgeous NZ paua earrings:



Which I promptly bought. Are you sensing a pattern here? But that's ok because there were two pairs in stock (US$8.90 each), so if you're quick you might be able to get your hands on the last pair.

Your daily dose of pretty: Glambags handbag

Suffering from a case of Bloggers' Block and completely stuck for ideas for today's Pretty, I typed 'Pretty' into Google Images to see what I could find. Well I found lots of ... stuff. Including a photo of an M.R.I. machine captioned "isn't she pretty" - medical geeks, gotta love them! Give it a try - it's fun (and mostly safe for work, at least until page 17 in my case!).

Anyway my search bore fruit, because I found Glambags, which it turns out is a New Zealand site (woo-hoo) producing cute and unique handbags and totes. Including this:



That's the DBT Russian Red Felt. It's a cutie, I love the whimsical embroidery. Approx NZ$100.00 from Glambags.

Your daily dose of pretty: Misery Cute as Hell Sack of Goodies

I love the tshirts by New Zealand company Misery, and now they've added their distinctive designs to a range of bath and body products.

Look at this:



Isn't that the most amazing artwork? The Sack of Goodies contains a body wash with moisturising algae extract, a hand and body lotion with shea butter, olive oil and aloe, a violet and quince scented splash and a pomegranate and beeswax lip balm stick. NZ$50.00 from Misery. I want these just for the gorgeous packaging, although I'm also curious about the violet and quince scent - I haven't had quince jelly since I was a kid but the thought is making my mouth water.

Your daily dose of pretty: Gypsy Clutch

This sweet wee clutch purse is on sale at the moment for NZ$71.99 (reduced from NZ$119.99) and I am very tempted.



Made from leather with hand appliqued detail featuring faceted glass beads, the clutch is designed by Luisa Clare and available on Floozy. How cute would this look with a bohemian-inspired outfit, or dressing up your favourite blue jeans?

Your daily dose of pretty: Sodalite Rounds earrings by Pallina Designs

Wouldn't these earrings be perfect with today's nail colour?



I love the natural imperfections in the sodalite discs.

NZ$30.00 from Pallina Designs.