There is a lot of talk about the Ugg boots, some love them and some hate them. I have never been a fan and never owned a pair. If your excuse is to keep your feet warm you can do it the real way. Nesnalobben is a shoe from my tiny little hometown Nesna in Northern Norway. They’re made of wool and have been worn for decades. They are the best out there for cold days and cold feet. They have even been seen in fashion shows and fashion spreads. I’ll admit they’re not any smaller or less lumpy than the Ugg boots, but they do keep your feet warm.

“Letters we have recieved from users of wool felt boots in Alaska insist that Nesnalobben is the warmest foot wear for outdoor activities in the extremely cold climate.”

I think they’re kind of cute, but that might be because I grew up with them.

Some picks from Wet Seal:

Necklace is $10 and shoes are $19.50.

Victorian lace top is $13.50 and this great short is $15.50.

They don’t ship to Norway though, so this one is for all the rest of you.

I think there are way too few occations to really dress up. My closet is filled with dresses, but many of them are lucky to be worn once. If you feel the same way, why not create the occation? Invite a few friends over for snacks and drinks, and have them dress up in their fanciest dresses and their highest heels. If you start planning now you can host it next weekend.

The invitation

It has to be home made. Flip through old magazines and cut out gorgeous dresses, coctails and flowers. Glue these on a piece of cardbord and practice your calligraphy for writing on the back. Make sure to write that your friends have to be dressed up. If you’re short on cash it’s also allowed to have them pitch in on the fun. Send the invitations out in good time so that people can set aside the day.

The outfit

Have a look through your closet and find your favorite dress. It might be that vintage princess dress that’s too pouffy and nice for any other occation. Or the dress you bought for the dance you never got invited to. There are no rules, except it has to be over the top. Pick out a pair of nice matching shoes that are so high you usually don’t dear to wear them outside the house. Go crazy with accessories. Don’t think simple if you don’t want to. If you’re ever going to take it all the way, this is the time.

The menu

If your not an experienced chef don’t try too hard. The party is all about dressing up, not about frustrating over the stove. Here’s one suggestion:

Honey and brie snack

One baguette or more (depending on how many you are)
Honey
Brie

Slice the baguette up in thin slices and put them on a trey. Put some honey on them and a slice of brie. Put them in a hot oven until the cheese melts. Simple as hell. All you need to worry about is watching the oven so they don’t burn.

The drinks

May not go too well with the snacks, but I’m just throwing in all my favorites in the same way as with the outfit.

Margarita

1 oz lime juice
1 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz triple sec
Salt
Ice

Prepare the glasses by rubbing a piece of lime along the rim and then putting them upside down on a plate with salt. Mix all the ingredients in a shaker filled half up with ice. Shake for a bit. Pour into the glasses.

The party

Light some candles and fill the room with fresh flowers to get that right girly atmosphere. Be ready early so you don’t have to stess. The food can be prepared in advance, but you don’t need to put it in the oven until the guests start arriving. If you need to spice up the party, suggest some silly drinking games. But most importantly: keep the drinks coming! If you decide to go clubbing afterwards agree on an excuse for being so dressed up, like that you’re having a bachelorette party or something. And at last; have fun and feel like a princess!

My last weekend of freedom before the final exams kicks in.

Friday

My boyfriend made Mexican hen for dinner. (He loves cooking.)

Went to two art exhibition openings. First was crap. Second was pretty interesting.

Went to a party, but got tired and went home early.

Saturday

Had to study a bit.

Made sushi. (Yummy. And I even like the home made the best.)

Tested my home made beer with some friends. (It seems to be working pretty well. Was wearing my new belt buckle I got from Ebay.)

Sunday

Was not hung over after the beer the night before. (A good sign.)

Another round of secondhand shopping, but ended up with nothing. (For the best really, I have to put aside some money for Christmas gift shopping.)

Studies again. (Can’t wait for Christmas.)

My boyfriend made italian style pizza for dinner with asparagus as starter. (Did I say he loves cooking?)

I’ve been dying for a nice pair of shorts but I’ve been broke for a while now, and I haven’t found the perfect pair anyway. So I decided to turn an old pair of pants that I wasn’t wearing into shorts. This was so easy that I had to pass on the wisdom. It took a few seconds to do, and turned out great!

I started by measuring how long I wanted them to be. Added an inch and cut off the extra. First I sewed with zig zag stiches around the edges. I folded the fabric up to the length I wanted it and then I sewed with regular stitches as straight as I could. It doesn’t even show that I did it myself. I decided to make them a little long at first, and then I can just make them shorter if I feel like that after a while.

Since last fall we have seen a strong influence of the lady like looks, and it’s still hanging in. Take inspiration from old divas like Grace Kelly, or simply have a look at your grandma. Here’s a list of what you will need to get the look. Remember that you don’t have to take it all the way, but you can spice up those jeans with a little something. If you do want to take it all the way, this is the time to play around with different textures and colors. This style you can get pretty cheap cause secondhand stores are usually filled with old ladies’ left overs.

Scarves Head scarf is a must, it looks so classy! A nice scarf tied around your neck will also do fine.

Pumps Go to your local secondhand store and pick up some classy black pumps. Try socks in your pumps, this will spice the outfit up in a second.

Tweed A pencil tweed skirt is essential, and even better if it comes with a matching jacket. A tweed coat will also come in handy. Tweed goes perfectly with silk and laces.

Knits A knitted cardigan, a knitted top with a bow around the neck, anything knitted really…

Pearls and gold Here you can score bigtime in your local secondhand store. Look for anything that sparkles. Old ladies likes to wear their finest jewelry on any given day.

Hats Invest in a nice hat. A hat with a net is a winner. You have to be careful though not to go over the top on this one. If you choose a hat like this, make the outfit simple. You’ll find nice ones on Ebay.

Fur You don’t have to get anything more than a fur collar, but make sure to have some fur.

…and this is how my life was rated:

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8.1
Mind:	7.6
Body:	7.5
Spirit:	7.3
Friends/Family:	5
Love:	7.7
Finance:	8.4
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I’m pretty happy with the results, allthough it’s apparantly not going too well in the friends/family department… That my finances turned out so good was a little odd, cause even though I pay my bills on time, I can’t exactly say I have enough to cover all my needs. Oh well, the test was a fun way to kill some time.

What score do you get?

From the last issue of Norwegian Elle, here’s how to dress as a winter princess:

Fur, cape, chunky knitted gloves and tulle.

Remember the pouffy skirt I bought a while back? Here’s how to do it right: buttened up lace top, fur hat and knits.

Fur muff and more knits. Everything white of course.

A lot of this stuff you’ll find secondhand. Fur hats and fur muffs are best vintage. Check out Ebay for this, I have found some great stuff like this there.

One of my favorite online vintage stores, Vintage Amore, is today offering free shipping on all items. You don’t want to miss out on this! They offer a nice selection of vintage clothes and accessories at an affordable price. The free shipping offer is even good for international buyers. This is a one day offer, so hurry up!

Update: If you missed the sale you can still get a $5 discount on orders that are $30 or more. This is good until 4th of December.

It’s time to start thinking of what you want for christmas. My list is partially realistic (so that people actually can afford it), and partially unrealsic (cause it’s allowed to hope).

Mary Janes Simple black ones with high heels will last me for years.

Renewed subscribtion to Elle Mom usually gives me this. Also subscriptions to other fashion magazines, like Italian Vouge.

A black cape Allthough it’s allready a little too cold here to wear one, I’d still like one in case a sunny day comes along.

The Anna Sui boots of my dreams

Cropped 60’s jacket

Beauty supplies Always needs to be on the list cause it’s easy for people to buy. Right now I’m needing a new eyeliner, a deep cleancing face mask, Max Factor eye shadow “Burnt Bark” and a good hair mask.

A simple black leather handbag Like the one from Marc Jacobs. Somehow I end up buying all sorts of other handbags, so I don’t have a single black handbag. Except a very small one in velvet with rhinestones on it. But it doesn’t go with much.

A white chunky knitted cardigan Been looking for one of these for years, but just can’t find the perfect one.

Ramones t-shirt Been wanting one for ever.

Nice notebooks Can never get enough of these.

CD’s I haven’t been listenig to anything new the last months cause I haven’t had the time. But I continue collecting the old favorites. Death from above 1979, Paper Chase, Modest Mouse…

H&M men’s boxers I bought one with Motorhead written on the butt to my boyfriend, but now I regret not keeping it myself. He doesn’t want me buying one for myself in fear of us having matching underwear, but if somebody else gets me one it can hardly be my fault…

DVD’s Any classic movie. At least those with lots of fashion inspiration. Dr. Zhivago and any 60’s movie would be good for that purpose.

If you didn’t find a tee you liked on Threadless, or they didn’t have the one you liked in your size, you will now find several new prints to choose from. There’s still a sale, so all tees are $10! I might have to order some more…

I have gathered together some affordable wristlets for you to spend your money on:

The cute ones: Owl and wing wristlets at Wingfish. $18 for the owl and $10 for the wing.

The secondhand ones: They’re of course on Ebay as well. Hot red starts at $6 and leather starts at $10.

So over to the fun ones: The first is avaliable at Fred Flare for $9. It’s actually a wallet, but might be possible to carry as a wristlet. Another wallet that may work as a wristlet is the apple from Naughty Secretary Club at $12.

More of the classy and expencive kind: The good news is that they’re on sale. Pink is $34 and lime is $37. Both on Zappos.

And at last the ones you can make yourself: The denim & lace is found here with tutorial, and you will find a tutorial for something like the second one here.

OK, many of you are probably sick of the whole Stella hysteria, but I just have one more thing… Some countries will be getting more Stella clothes from countries where the collection hasn’t sold as well. These countries are England, Belgium, Sweden and France. This will happen the 25th of November, so there’s still a chance for those of you who missed out on it. (As long as you live in one of these countries…)

It’s fun to play around and match different garments that you wouldn’t think would look good together. For spring the designers are giving us a bit more space to play around in. Try matching different colors, different patterns and different styles. Put together an outfit like no one elses!

Kenzo, Armani, Gucci and Kenzo again.

A girl needs her beer, even when saving up for a new dress. To save some money I decided to make my own beer after reading a post on it over at Sponbustion Magazine.

If you’d like to try this yourself there are explainations and videos over at Sponbustion. It’s actually very simple and demands very little work. It’s even pretty good!