A Temporary: Secretary Lucky Dip **Photo Heavy**

This post is so overdue, it's bordering on ridonkulous! I think it's pushing a month and a half, if not two months since I bought a lucky dip from Temporary: Secretary, and the images have been sitting on my PC for the majority of that time, so I really don't have any excuses to offer, other than....nope, no excuses whatsoever. 

Image from Temporary:Secretary

The Story: So, I first came across Temporary:Secretary about a year ago, when Sarah started following me on Twitter (evidence that following people on Twitter can find you business ;P) The moment that I started browsing her website, it was like love at first sight, because practically everything was exactly what I look for in jewellery: quirky, fun and bursting with personality.

The Problem: Ah, the eternal problem of amazing jewellery shops like Sarah's?? There's too much on offer that I want, and I can never decide what to pick. I really am terrible at making decisions, so I kept putting off buying anything, because that would mean that I would have to choose, and I didn't want to upset the pieces that I didn't choose!!

The Lucky Dip: So, instead I spent several months wanting to buy a Lucky Lip, because with a Lucky Dip I don't have to choose. Ah, it's just so easy! And my brother's impending wedding brought upon me that great urge to purchase.

Image from Temporary:Secretary Blog

The Lovely Sarah: This is where I really have to thank Sarah, because I was looking for items to match a particular colour of dress, so I asked her if she wouldn't mind avoiding colours that would clash, and this was absolutely no problem. So, I definitely cannot fault Sarah's customer service, but then I couldn't anyway, because I do tend to chat with her on Twitter quite a lot (generally about her gorgeous cat Oscar...have you met Oscar? He's lovely, you really need to meet him ;P)

So, I wanted to share with you some of the fabulous goodies that I received as part of my Lucky Dip, which consisted of 12 items, for £20.

My Sister-in-Law: My new sister-in-law is an artist, in fact, to show you how amazing an artist she is, here is a picture of the wedding invites (this version is in Turkish, but she also had English ones printed as well!)

Image by Burcu Musselwhite

She is also an amazing photographer, so when I received these two little gems, I just knew that they would make the perfect "Welcome to the Family" gift for her :)

Image from Temporary:Secretary

Image from Temporary:Secretary

I also gave her a white-bead bracelet, that I can't find an image of.

My Favourite Pieces: 

I have to confess that the ribbon fell off, and I'm so rubbish at tying neat bows that I haven't put it back on!!

I adore this lollipop necklace so much. It's on quite a long chain, and I wear it nearly everyday, accompanied by my Totoro necklace that I bought from Jiji Kiki. I love it.

 How adorable are these binoculars? And so quirky!

I love the fact that this necklace isn't perfect, it has it's defects and is a little misshapen and I think that adds to the appeal of it.

 A Television....on a necklace? Who would have thought it? Genius, I say!

This might sound weird, but I actually prefer the back the front. Not because the front is horrible, but this side just has this quirky little edge to it.

These three items are definitely the ones that I wear the most :)

Ear Rings:

 The thing I love about these earrings, are that they are a style that I would never buy. I tend to opt for dangly earrings, so it made a change to have something a little bit different.

 Ultimately, this picture was me trying to be all arty. And, I kinda like it :P

This is going to sound really weird, but these earrings remind me (in a good way) of those old bottle caps, but a little misshapen, and decorated. 

Noting that I tend to go for dangly earrings, both of these pairs were weirdly heavy, which you'd think I'd have been used to!!

Ring:

A heart-shaped knuckle duster. Well, that's one way of spreading the love...fist style ;) haha! Or, it's taking the idea of kissing someone's fist/knuckles a liiiittle too far hehe :D

Hair Clip:

This hair clip is so darn cute, and I did actually wear this whilst in Istanbul, not for the wedding, but for a family meal the night before. Unfortunately, my hair is a little bit too fine for slides like this, and it kept slipping a little, which is a shame, but I still love it.

Saving the Best to Last:

 I'm not going to lie, this has to be the most bonkers necklace that I have ever owned. It is a huge rocking horse. Oh yes. And I love it! It's the size that makes me chuckle, because I don't think that I've ever owned a necklace where the "pendant" is so big.

I've had so much fun with this jewellery, and I am so happy with my purchases, which is a big deal, because from the moment I placed the order I started to get paranoid (in an oddly excited way) that I wouldn't like anything that I got. But, the key to a Lucky Dip is to stay open-minded, expect nothing and you'll get more than you expect.

If you haven't checked her out yet, you can find the Temporary:Secretary Shop right here, and Sarah's blog right here.

Make sure that you pop over and say hi! Oh, and if you buy anything, don't forget to share ;)

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Temporary: Secretary's Positive Beauty Pledge

Anyone who has done the Pledge for me, will know that I don't like asking people to do it. It's not that I don't want people take part, because seriously, I want LOTS of people to do the pledge. But, I just don't entirely feel comfortable with people feeling like I'm forcing them into it, and I'd like them to volunteer to do it. If that makes sense.

I will confess, however, that I did ask Sarah of Temporary: Secretary if she would be this week's Positive Beauty Pledge, as a result of this post on her blog. But, luckily for me, Sarah agreed, so here she is (yay!)


Sarah's Pledge


I promise to not judge anyone on their appearance. I promise to treat people how I want to be treated and will not judge anyone on the way the look, the way the dress or the interests that they have. I have no rights to judge negatively and will not ever do so.


I promise that I will not be my own worst critic. I am guilty for this all the time but will promise to stop. 


It is not in my nature to rise up and be confrontational. So, my promise is that I won't get upset and accept that not everyone has to like me and that everyone has got their own opinions.


The Bad

What are you doing in this picture?


It was a photoshoot styled for the Hello Kitty Fashion Journal (HarperCollins) It was taken about 3 years ago.


Why don't you like it?


People on my blog have said that it's not that bad. And that makes me feel like I am just being silly. I've not explained why I don't like it, I don't want to bore people with the issues that I have with myself! But to me, the picture is more than appearance. I don't like it because, to me, it represents a time when I was quite embarrassed about the website and what I was doing. The girl in this picture is not "me". I was still at uni at the time and I found it hard to self promote because I'm not a very confident person. I was worried that my friends would think it was naff. I find it hard to tell people about achievements incase they think i'm being big headed or annoying (Hell, it took me a year and a half to tell people about the hello kitty book!) I also find it hard to tell people what I've achieved incase they put me down. I'm not a very strong person and I would just cry at anything bad! So, anyway, when I got asked to send some photos through to the people at HarperCollins, I panicked and I thought "How do I do this without showing the real me?" - I didn't want people to know that Temporary:Secretary was me and so I tried to somewhat disguise that with some silly sunnies!! I didn't want to be judged. Even on my own blog, I only started to reveal the real me about three months ago. I have realised that I don't have to hide behind what I do. I don't have to be so reserved all the time. The only person that will effect is me.


Is there anything that you like about the picture?


....... Initially, I would say no. It really does make me cringe! But on a positive note, it has contributed to the learning curve. And the whole "style" goes with the context of the book. Fun, kitsch, colourful. 


The Good

When was this picture taken?


Easter time, 2011. 


What are you doing in this picture?


At the Lakes with my family


Why do you prefer this picture to the first one?


When I first started the business (I started the blog at the same time too) I had posted a few pictures of myself before but always got my face hidden somehow! This picture marks one of the first time where I decided to show everyone "This is me!". I prefer this picture because I am more comfortable about what I do now and I think it shows. I'm not trying to be anyone else but myself. No hiding and not dumb sunnies in sight!


Has comparing how you feel about both of these pictures made you realise anything about how you view yourself?


I have got to accept that it doesn't matter what people think, and that I have got to be stronger because whatever we do in life, it's open to judgement whether we ask for it or not.







Give an example of someone that you consider to be "unconventionally" beautiful

Lady Gaga


Why do you think she is beautiful?


Because she is confident and confident equals sexy! She's so talented and there's so much love for her. 


A huge thanks goes to Sarah for agreeing to do the pledge, and as a reward, here is your lovely Positive Beauty Pledge badge, for you to use as you see fit :D

If you are interested in taking part in the Positive Beauty Pledge, drop me an email for details :)

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