Etsy Love

I adore Etsy. I think the idea of Etsy is brilliant and I love the many incredible things you can find there.

In this post I wanted to share with you two of my favourite Etsy shops. These are not my only favourites, but just two of the shops that I love. I have previously mentioned two other Etsy shops that I adore, Frostbeard Studios (mentioned here) and Sara R Rocha's shop (mentioned here). Today I'll share with you one shop that belongs to an amazingly talented illustrator and another shop that belongs to a very skilled crafter.

The first shop is the illustrator Morgane Carlier's Etsy shop, that you can find here. The new banner to my blog is made by Morgane and I got it through Etsy, and I could not be happier with it. It captures me in one image and in my mind it is perfect!

Morgane's art is quirky, happy and girly! Just the things that I like! She's got a unique style that brightens the surroundings! Apart from the beautiful blog banner, I have also got a Mary Poppins print in my home from Morgane and a tote bag with the most yummy-looking sweets illustrated on it.

Morgane is a total professional. She is sweet and works efficiently and quickly. I have only ever been way beyond happy when I have purchased from Morgane. And I have even developed a relationship with the exquisite Morgane, and I can now call her one of my darling friends. You can find Morgane's shop right here. Morgane's website is here and Morgane's instagram is @morganeca.

The second shop I want to introduce you to is The Mad Girl Shop belonging to the lovely Madison Steward. Everything from delicate cross stitching to brooches and scarves can be found in The Mad Girl Shop. Madison is such an expert knitter, and makes the most beautiful scarves and ascots, one of which I had to get as it has wonderful leaves knitted in it and it is in my favourite colour, mustard yellow. It is the most perfect autumn ascot, I want one in every colour.

The ascot is incredibly well-made and I am astonished by the handiwork that has gone into it. The beautiful dainty leaves are astounding, and it's warm and comfy too. I also have my eyes on these incredible Hogwarts scarves that Madison knits, that look so nice and pretty. The HP fan within me has a beating heart for anything to do with her house and Madison's Ravenclaw scarf is flawless. You can find Madison's shop, The Mad Girl Shop, right here and her instagram is @madisonsteward.

Dress: River Island (old, similar from Mod Dolly here)

Ascot: The Mad Girl Shop

Have a lovely Halloween weekend!
Much love.

Natural self

I had planned these photos of this gorgeous Poppy dress and Deer Arrow brooch set for a blog post, but this post will be so different from what I originally thought. I hope it doesn't take away anything from the lovely dress and brooch set.

My day started in an interesting manner when I was given a "compliment" on an instagram photo. I was told I don't look good in makeup, and the person who said this also said that he preferred "my natural self". Although the person had intended it as a compliment I found myself taking offence. First of all, saying I don't look good in one way is much more of an insult than a compliment. Secondly, this person preferred "my natural self". How I decide to look is a matter that is only decided by me. His sentiment for my natural self is completely irrelevant. It's my face and I'll wear makeup on it if that is what I want to do. See the actual "conversation" just below.

However, this sparked a thought that's been bothering me since. Where do people, and especially men, get the idea that they have a say at all in what I decide to look like? The discussion with this man turned to feminism, and I came to realise that this is a feminist issue.

I'm very privileged in that I live in a fairly gender equal nation. I'm not saying feminism is not needed here in Sweden, but in terms of gender equality there are places that are much worse off than Sweden. I tend to forget that all places are not like Sweden. So when the person asked me if I was a feminist and told me "I must drive my boyfriend crazy" I was strangely irritated. I am not used to comments like that. What bothered me were a multiple of assumptions that this person made:

1. Why am I assumed to be heterosexual? The spectrum of sexuality is varied and colourful. I could be anything for all you know! For the sake of this post I will share this: I do not identify as heterosexual!

2. Why am I assumed to have a boyfriend? Why do women always have to "belong" to a man? Why can't I be single? And not unhappily single and looking, but single because I don't want to belong to a man or another person! Single by choice! It's a thing - believe me!

3. Why is my assumed boyfriend assumed to not be a feminist? Feminism is not a fight for women, it is a fight for people who think that all people no matter gender or anything else should have the same social, political, economic and personal rights as the next person. It is very much a fight that men need to take on as well! If you believe in equality you are a feminist whether you like the term "feminist" or not!

And that's only a part of my thoughts. I'm rambling now, and I haven't digested the comments yet, but I needed to get my instant thoughts down somewhere before I exploded.

Moving on to this gorgeous dress by Poppy that I managed to get on sale and am so in love with! I adore the enormous skirt that is perfect for twirling and dancing around in. I love the summery stripes that make me think of hard sweets and ice lollies. I paired it with a beautiful handmade brooch from Deer Arrow's collaboration with the illustrator and my friend Morgane Carlier. The wee teapot and cup make me so happy! Which I definitely need now.

Dress: Poppy

Brooch set: Deer Arrow

Thanks to anyone who stayed with me through this long post and my ramblings. Much love to you all!