Disney Outfits - Peter Pan

Following on from my post yesterday I bring you an outfit inspired by Disney's Peter Pan!  This was the first outfit I created on Polyvore so it's a little more straight forward than the rest but I still like it!

Peter Pan by victoria-prattley

Let's start with the top first.  Green, for obvious reasons, with a Peter Pan style collar (see what I did there?!).  A grey pair of skinny jeans to represent those tight trousers he wears.  Some cute brown ankle boots, again because that's what Peter wears.  A necklace with the words wish and Tinkerbell on it, because he's lost without his fairy friend.  And finally a bracelet with a whole load of feathers on it, to represent the lost boys.
Keep an eye out for my next outfit which will be inspired by Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Disney Outfits - Cinderella Ballgown

I don't know about you guys but I love Disney!!  I have seen all of the films so many times I could almost recite them in my sleep.  So when I discovered Polyvore for the first time guess what I did, I set about creating outfits inspired by Disney characters.  I then came across someone who was doing something similar on Polyvore, however I feel that mine are different as I've taken the character's personality into consideration, rather than just the colour scheme.

And with that little explanation out of the way, on with the first outfit!

Cinderella - Ball Outfit by victoria-prattley

So as you can see I kept to the colours of Cinderella's ball gown but it's not exactly what you'd first expect right?
The dress is a classic powdery blue, definitely reminiscent of Cinderella's dress, however it's short and super feminine with the gathered bow/tie in the front.  It almost reminds me of something a little girl would wear.  To me Cinderella is one of the most naive princesses so the dress reflects this perfectly.
I kept the jewellery pretty traditional, lots of diamonds with a few pearls.  Again I think of Cinderella as one of the most naive and childlike of the princesses so with her jewellery I think she'd choose what she thinks she's supposed to wear to a ball like this, but it's not necessarily something she'd like.
Now for the shoes.  Did you know it's really hard to find a glass slipper on Polyvore?  I found some transparent plastic shoes but to me they just looked cheap, so I opted for these lace covered, nude coloured shoes.  Again these reflect Cinderella's inherently girly nature whilst also adding a sense of sophistication, or at least that's what she thinks.
Well that's it for now!  I hope you enjoyed this and there are a few more to come in the future!  Feel free to add me on Polyvore!

Etsy shop is up and running!

I am pleased to announce that my Etsy shop finally has some things up for sale!  It's not much yet as this is all I've had time to make while I've been studying at university, however I will be making much more in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for posts about them!

There's a button on the left that you can click to get to my Etsy shop, or alternatively click here!

I hope you like them!

My newest obsession...

I love musicals, that's pretty much why I ended up studying technical theatre.  However I'd recently discovered a new favourite musical.  My love for it possibly over takes my love for Les Miserables, which is quite a big deal!
What is this mystery musical?  Well it's none other than The Lion King.

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I went to see it in London as a late 21st birthday treat in March, with my friend Jodie.  We both love the film so we were expecting to love the musical just as much.  Except I totally underestimated how much I would love it.
I'm not even sure where to start without rambling so I think I'll just start with the beginning, Circle of Life.

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It pretty much starts out how the film does.  The sun rises and all of the animals come to greet baby Simba.  That's the simple version.  However to be in the theatre with the animals (puppets/costumes/creations) parading down the aisles and looking down from the balconies was overwhelming.  Not to mention the attention to detail, the sun was shimmering as it rose and the lights gradually changed to reflect the dawn.  I've never seen something look so realistic on stage before.
I'm not going to lie, I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of this opening that within about 30 seconds of the song I was in tears.  I could go on and on about it for hours but I'll stop now before I bore you.  If you really do want to know more then feel free to contact me.

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Other than the costumes and puppetry, I think my favourite aspect of the show was the music.  Nothing beats a live orchestra in a theatre setting and there is just something about the African influences that I adore.  Surprisingly it wasn't the songs from the films that became my favourites.  One of those songs is called "He Lives in You".  It's sung by Rafiki and Simba just before Simba returns to reclaim Pride Rock from Scar.  It's a wonderfully uplifting song that's loaded with emotion.  I hope you like it as much as I do!

Like I've already said, I could go on about this for hours.  If you want to know any of my other thoughts on this musical, or anything really, email or tweet me!

Blog Swap!!!!

I meant to do this post ages ago, however I then managed to get the worst cold ever known to mankind and then be snowed under in uni work and meetings.  So I'm sorry to Holli that this has taken me so long to put together!  Hopefully it's worth the wait.


A little while ago I participated in something called a Blog Swap.  It was organised by the lovely Rachael over at Island Girl Insights.  I was paired with Holli, from Dragon Mommy, who sent me some awesome things!

Everything arrived in a cute little box with this lovely purple pouch inside!  There was a handwritten tag too which added a lovely personal touch.  I couldn't wait to open it and see what was inside!

Look at all those lovely goodies!!!  I'm so glad there were sweets in there too!  I have a massive sweet tooth.

Lets start with the sweets seeing as they were perched right at the top there.  These are some bubblegum flavoured bottles from River Island.  Bubblegum isn't a flavour I normally go for but these were lovely!!!  The sugar on the outisde added a nice sourness which complimented the super sweet bubblegum really well.

Last of the edible items is this adorable, teeny, tiny Lindt bunny.  Holli must have some telepathic powers or something, Lindt chocolate is my all time favourite!!  Especially if it's in bunny form.

Next up is this little face scrub!  I've not tried it out yet but it's just the sort of thing I'm bound to like.  I also have really dry skin so this should be perfect for me!

I also received this purple shatter nail polish!!  I love painting my nails, though I don't have much time to do it.  Shatter polishes are a quick way to make my nails look funky, except I've only had the black one until I got this!  It's from Barry M, my fave, and the number on the bottom is 322 (incase you were wondering).  I just couldn't wait to try it so I swatched it for you all over a couple of coats of Rose (086) from GOSH.

My penultimate item is this eye shadow from MUA.  I've never tried anything from this brand before, I'm not into make up that much.  It's a pale pink (I just suck at colour correcting photos, sorry) with a slight shimmer to it.  When applied it's quite sheer, perfect for me, and looks really beautiful and pearlescent.  Perfect to change up my everyday eyeshadows a little!

Last, but definitely not least, is this adorable owl necklace from River Island.  I don't know if you noticed but I happen to like owls a little bit!  I love the colours on the owl's body and it's big bejewelled eyes!  Definitely my new favourite necklace!
I would just like to say a big thank you to both Holli, for all of these wonderful things, and Rachael, for organising the blog swap in the first place!  You're both wonderful!  If you want to see what I sent to Holli then click here to go to her blog.

Book 1st! - April 2012 part 1

Ok so, as this is the first month, I've decided to do it in 2 parts.  This part will be going through all of the movies that are currently in the cinema and the 2nd part will go over the films that are coming out in the rest of this month!

The most prolific book adaptation currently in the cinema is The Hunger Games.

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I haven't personally read these books, however I haven't heard a bad thing about them.  From any one.  Yes there is the hardcore fanbase, but don't be put off by that!  I'm not going to put any plot spoilers in, you'll have to go and find it out for yourself!  Just like me!  If you're lucky, and I'm organised, I might even post a review of The Hunger Games.  When I finally have time to read it that is!

The next two films are not direct adaptations, but are more loosely based on existing stories, one more so than the other.

Mirror Mirror is a film based on that well known fairy tale, Snow White.  However if you've only seen the Disney film version of this tale then I urge you to read the Brother's Grimm story.  It's a lot more gruesome and creepy than the Disney film, especially in the way that the Queen dies.

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The film sticks more along the lines of the well known Disney version, from what I can tell from the trailer.  However I'd suggest simply going to watch this film for the sets and costumes!  They look incredible!

And last, but not least, is the sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans!  Whilst this particular film is pretty much an entirely new work of fiction is it based off of the first film, which in turn is very loosely based on the myth of Perseus.

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There isn't a specific book about Perseus but it's easy to research into his mythical story.  While you're at it have a look into the myths behind the Titans themselves!

I hope you enjoyed, what I hope to be, the first of many posts like this!

Book 1st!

So if you read my blog regularly you’ll know that I love the vlogbrothers.  Back in early 2011 one of the brothers, Hank Green, decided to start a website encouraging people to read the book before they saw the movie adaptation.  As a book lover myself I loved this idea and was so excited to start receiving their email newsletters about it!  However my excitement was short lived as there was a total of 2 newsletters sent out, the last being in November last year.  I’m not going to lie, this is something that has incredibly disappointed me.

In light of that I’ve decided to do it myself!  Every month I’m planning to let you all know what movies are coming out that are book adaptations so that you can, if you want to, go and read the book first!  This will be mainly focusing on movies that are coming out in Britain as that’s where I live.  Feel free to let me know about any movies that I miss and I hope you enjoy reading the books first!

Re-branding!

Remember when I said I was going to start selling jewellery?

Well I'm creating a cohesive image for the internet now, in the form of Little Owl.

This blog is now called Little Owls Blog and my Etsy shop is (hopefully) going to be Little Owls Creations.

I hope you like the new header and feel to my blog!  Keep an eye out for more changes in the near future!  Hopefully it's going to get to the point where all of the graphics I use (in the sidebar, signature, header, background etc.) have been created by, or for, me.

Exciting times lie ahead!

Kiva

There's a lot of strife going on in internetland the past couple of days.  Personally, I'm not sure about that particular campaign (you know which one I mean).

Something I do believe in though is a website called Kiva.  The video below explains what Kiva is all about better than I ever could so give it a watch!

The best bit is that, for a limited time only, Kiva are giving new members $25 for free which you can then loan to someone in need.  You don't have to spend a penny, only a little of your time, as all of these new loans are being sponsored by the cofounder of LinkedIn.

I gave my $25 to a woman in Jordan who runs an embroidery business.  Who will you give yours to?

Click here to go to Kiva and help someone fund a business to support themselves!

25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 17. Who's your Quidditch team?

CHUDLEY CANNONS!!!! (Because they're the only one I know of, other than the house teams....)

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25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 16. Favourite fan art/fan fic/fan something?

I have to admit I'm not really into fan related things.  Though I did come across some fan art that I really like on deviantArt by viria13.  I just love her style of drawing and the way she colours things so they look almost dreamy and nostalgic.  If you've got a spare minute or two then go and have a look through her gallery.

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25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 15. Have you ever named a pet/something after something Harry Potter related?

Yes.  I had a guinea pig called Hermione.  (Apologies for the bad quality of the picture.)

Handmade Jewellery

I've been meaning to do this since about September last year but just haven't gotten round to it.  I've always had a certain interest in armour and weaponry.  Over last summer I discovered that you could buy chain maille rings and have a go at making some yourself, and that you could even make chain maille jewellery!  Well I just couldn't resist it so I learnt how to make a celtic star and have since turned this pattern into bracelets, necklaces and earrings.  I'm hoping to sell them on Etsy, but thought I'd give you all a sneak peek of what they look like!

Mint green bracelet

Mint green pendant

Dark grey bracelet

Dark grey earrings

Lilac bracelet

Lilac necklace

Whilst making these I also realised I had a lot of jewellery I don't wear any more.  Rather than throwing it out, or selling it on Ebay, I've decided to recycle it and make some new pieces.  I've only made one piece so far but I've got lots of materials left to work with!

Kilt pin brooch

I'll let you all know as soon as my Etsy shop is online and ready to go.  In the mean time please keep a look out for polls regarding prices, the more feedback I get the better!

25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 14. What would you do if you had an invisibility cloak?

Erm... I don't know actually.  I mean it'd always be interesting to know what people think of me when I'm not there but then again, do I really want to know?  Sometimes I can't help but think that it's better to live in blissful ignorance.

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25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 13. Which Hogwarts house do you belong to?

That's easy!  I'm a Hufflepuff through and through.

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25 Day Harry Potter Challenge - 12. Favourite line/passage?

It's my 100th blog post!!  And to celebrate I'm resurrecting this challenge, which I will finish!

As for my favourite line, I think it has to be this one.

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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iPhone Pictures (July 2010 - February 2012)

I thought it'd be interesting to see what pictures I have clogging up the memory on my phone and was surprised to realise I have barely deleted any pictures since I got the phone in 2010!!  Thus I decided to share them with you.  Most of the pictures are there, however I omitted some that have either been featured on the blog before or were incredibly boring (who wants to see several pictures of different kinds of silver trays and teacups???).

If you want to know more about a specific picture then either leave a comment here or email me at life.of.a.goon@gmail.com

Okely dokely!

I'm back!  Everything in my life seems to be back on track now so it's time I start writing on here again! :)

As I was scrolling through my blogger feed, catching up on the world of blogging I happened across a post on my friend Amy's blog about friendship.  I can sympathise completely with the frustration portrayed in her writing.  I couldn't help but think about something I'd stumbled upon a while ago.


The Mayonnaise Jar...and the Coffee (source)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.  The sand is everything else-the small stuff.""If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.  Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your partner out to dinner.  Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.  Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.  Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.  "I'm glad you asked.  It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

In the words of the Terminator...

I'll be back!

I just have some personal things going on at the moment but I should be back blogging within a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your patience <3