tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32857624040303666532024-03-13T06:40:13.113-07:00THE KILLER SCENELucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885975646377702013noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285762404030366653.post-69675234130837614662013-07-13T16:44:00.000-07:002013-07-13T16:44:12.407-07:00Age Ain't Nothin' But a NumberThe other night post viewing of <i>"The Apprentice" </i>I troweled through Twitter via the show's tag in the hope of uncovering something beautiful that would help fuel my obsession with business-based shows and Karren Brady. Unfortunately, I uncovered an ignorant woman (from my home region upsettingly - sometimes I wish I could decide which parts of the North-East "accidentally" drifted into the North Sea) who accused Karren Brady of "sexism". Her argument when something along the lines of (yes, it was a woman which perhaps is the most disturbing thing: kind of like seeing your parents having sex but less surprising) "Sexism. She shouldn't be congratulating Alan Sugar on selecting a woman as being his apprentice. Imagine if Nick Hewer championed a man blah blah blah ignorance blah blah blah." It was upon this sight that I roared like the female, less Welsh version of Tom Jones that I am and replied to her frankly idiotic tweet in a somewhat frenzied way.<br />
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Now, let me explain sexism. It's a simple concept that most seem to grasp but many still seem to misinterpret the basic principles of. Its foundations lie along similar premises to racism: it is about a majority oppressing a group of people for their own gains, entertainment, on the basis of their ignorance or simply as a cruel and unusual way to get their kicks. A powerful majority cannot really experience it, as they are used to being powerful and dominant within society. Like a white person cannot have racial prejudice thrust upon them because they have propagated racism for centuries, there is no such thing as being sexist towards a man. Sure, you can be a misandrist or believe women are better and it's not necessarily <i>right</i>, but sexism in its truest, most odious form is male-based oppression aimed at women. Anyway, this woman on Twitter claimed to be a feminist in as many words - I laughed myself into an early grave.<br />
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So, I may have addressed her as being an absolute berk - tact has never been my forté - and I stated the above in as many words. She called me rude. She also patronised me for being only twenty years old and said I only knew sexism in theory, which was perhaps the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard. As a woman, by the time one reaches their teens, they have endured sexism in its many hideous forms. I have had catcalls, wolf-whistles, men shout "get your tits out" (my tits, however large they may be, do not carry neon signs saying "please make me feel as uncomfortable and awkward about my body as possible"), my body parts grabbed, sexual propositions and men attempt to kiss me all in the name of their own sexual gratification. I've been told I can't play video games, I can't like football moreover play it, I can't join the police force because it's "not for women". To say I only know sexism in theory is completely ridiculous; most women experience sexism before their teens. Furthermore, there's this notion that young people must live in balls of cotton wool and be completely naïve to the world and its inexplicable horrors. I am more street-wise than some adults, male and female, whom are twice my age. Age is not relative to knowledge.<br />
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I didn't care that she called me rude - to be honest, it's expected in relation to my citing her as being a "berk". However, to be patronised and have sexism told <i>at </i>me, as though I were a naughty puppy who didn't understand how to use the toilet properly as of yet, was so condescending it made me furious.<br />
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The more congratulating achievements of women or their successes and strengths is seen as a taboo or incorrectly, "sexist against men", the less incentive they will feel to stand up to their male counterparts academically, socially, emotionally and within the workplace. We should all be championing women, not ignoring the ongoing problem and hoping it goes away and we all whisper behind our hands, "Women are the same as men and should be recognised for their achievements." We should fight out at those imbeciles whose ignorance dictates that anything but women being on an equal level to men is something taboo. I won't stop screaming from the top of my lungs that I am equal to a man and that my age, sex, social background or <i>anything</i> else for that matter stops that.<br />
<br />Lucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885975646377702013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285762404030366653.post-38491831225968011872013-06-14T17:25:00.000-07:002013-06-14T17:25:02.622-07:00LUST FOR LIFE: june edition<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(F</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rom bottom left: <b><a href="http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=10437745&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208548&parent_categoryId=204484&pageSize=200&refinements=category~[209977|208548]">T</a></b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=10437745&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208548&parent_categoryId=204484&pageSize=200&refinements=category~[209977|208548]">opshop </a></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=10437745&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208548&parent_categoryId=204484&pageSize=200&refinements=category~[209977|208548]">embossed suede backpack</a>, £75, <a href="http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/363/Eye-Shadow/index.tmpl"><b>MAC </b>eyeshadow in <i>"Woodwinked"</i></a>, £12, <a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Tom+Ford+Beauty+Eye+Colour+Quads/D305279,default,pd.html"><b>Tom Ford</b> Beauty Eye Colour Quads</a> in <i>"Crushed Amethyst", </i>£62, <a href="http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/complexion/foundation/sheer-glow-foundation/fiji"><b>NARS </b>Sheer Glow in <i>"Fiji"</i></a>, £30.50, <a href="http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/anastasia-beverly-hills-brow-wiz.html"><b>Anastasia</b> Brow Wiz in "<i>Brunette"</i></a>, £15.50, <a href="http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Swing-Cami-with-Strappy-Back/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2913164&cid=15202&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=-1&clr=Nude"><b>ASOS </b>Swing Cami</a>, £14, <a href="http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/theyre-real"><b>Benefit </b><i>"They're Real!" </i>mascara</a>, £19.50)</span></div>
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To begin off with, I'm just going to write a hasty disclaimer about the prices of most of the makeup products. They are not cheap, and I will go as far as saying that the Tom Ford product should come with an insurance policy or some kind of extortion compensation. I'm not suggesting that you (or I) should rush out and buy these or even be able to afford them as they are pricy and I currently have about fifty-five pence to my name so I definitely won't be doing anything but lusting after them for the foreseeable future or selling my well-worn organs to science for experiments in order to receive a beautiful sum of cash. I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives, but I am lazy and horrible at finding a bargain - I am the kind of person who buys something only to find it in the sale a day later and upon such discoveries I feel hugely disappointed at my lack of frugality. If any of you celestial creatures (I like to refer to humans as mythical creatures because it makes my general misanthropy easier to bear if I feel you all have some ethereal qualities about you) have any cheaper recommendations, please leave a comment below.</div>
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I'm off to Barcelona and Benicássim festival in about a month's time and I currently am looking for holiday essentials, otherwise known as ways to buy into consumerism and blow all of the invisible money I have. I'm trying to achieve a certain look makeup wise, and in a conversation with my best friend I referred to it as "Ibiza prostitute". For an English student, I am awful with allusions and I'm sure this is evident already, but what I mean is that kind of smoky, sexy, "I've been up all night doing a naughty sex" (I will regret writing that later) look. Tanned skin, lots of eyeliner and bronze and gold eyeshadow, lived-in hair and a nude lip. I feel that <i>"Woodwinked" </i>has that holiday vibe as it becomes gradiented when blended and doesn't look too polished which is revolting on holiday and, unfortunately, will sweat off anyway leaving an unsightly tide line (see what I did there!) on your eye. The Tom Ford eyeshadow palette isn't necessarily summery and it would look utterly divine as I wrap myself in furs and channel a Russian Tzar during the savage winter months. However, purple is my favourite colour and it also looks amazing on green eyes and I'm highly into cats and their looks - with the almost unnatural way purple enhances green, my eyes become feline-esque and I don't look like I've rolled off the program <i>"Skint"</i>.<br />
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NARS is such a hyped brand and whilst I love the two products I own - the famed <i>"Laguna" </i>bronzer and the bright fuchsia matte lipstick <i>"Funny Face" </i>which I solely bought because that is the colour Zooey Deschanel wears in <i>"New Girl" </i>and let's be honest, who doesn't want to emulate Zooey - I don't want to spend £30.50 on a foundation that isn't a distinguished brand like Chanel, YSL, Dior or whatever and regret it. Sheer Glow<i> </i>seems like the perfect choice of foundation for me if I could prise myself away from Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. However, I think B10 (the palest - I look anaemic or jaundiced 80% of the year) is much too pale and due to shamefully using sunbeds, I'm now about an NC25/30. <i>"Fiji" </i>or maybe even the next shade up should suffice. I really despise a full coverage makeup on my skin, it clings to my tragically dehydrated skin and I'm young with clear skin and I don't feel that a heavy foundation does anything but make one look as though they are in drag. Great for photoshoots, great on stage, not cute when you're not a Hollywood filmstar.<br />
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I think the Benefit mascara speaks for itself - another hyped product, I want to see what the fuss is all about and I want eyelashes so long that they look as though it almost pains face to keep my eyes open. I want drama, darling! (Imagine Liza Minelli saying that and everything is well.) Anastasia Brow Wiz seems perfect for what I want too: I'm currently using the Benefit brow palette and sometimes it borders Scouse-brow as I have thick eyebrows that tuft at the front. I want more precision so I don't look like I'm balancing garden creatures above my eyes, and I can still retain the Debbie Harry arch I worked so hard on during my "I want to be Debbie Harry so I'm going to bleach my hair and change my face" phase three years ago.<br />
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The ASOS cami and the backpack seem great for a festival setting. I do not have the arms for a cami, I look like an Eastern European shotputter and that's okay, but as there is no viable option for me to wear entirely long-sleeved outfits in thirty plus degree heat, I have no choice. The backpack is for me to carry my adventure tools in. In other words, it's large enough to store vodka, twenty cigarettes, some lipstick, some perfume and my technological essentials in it.<br />
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Lucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885975646377702013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285762404030366653.post-56252506970039610932013-06-12T19:41:00.002-07:002013-06-12T19:42:36.287-07:00LADY LOVES: karren brady<div style="text-align: left;">
I've decided to write a series of posts - and knowing my procrastinating nature, it is likely to be sporadically - about women that inspire me. As not only a woman, but a feminist, I feel like these individuals have gone some way in breaking that glass ceiling and are always extremely talented and interesting. </div>
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I'm going to begin with Karren Brady, someone I refer to as a "bad bitch". Vice-chairman of West Ham United, former managing director of Birmingham City FC, youngest PLC, on the boards of Syco, Mothercare and Channel 4. She could kill someone with a pout and a steely glare of disapproval as she judges their ineptness. <i>I love that</i>. I'm all for strong, independent women and if men are frightened of them too, then that's even better. I'm no proponent of misandry, but in a society where women are often portrayed as being maternal and somewhat lesser than their male counterparts, it's always refreshing to find a woman that can simultaneously be endearing and intimidating.<br />
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I watched her Piers Morgan <i>"Life Story"</i> and quite frankly, that's what inspired me the most about her. Anyone who knows anything about Karren Brady (I'd refer to her by her first name but that makes me sound like I know her well enough to send Snapchats and if I refer to her by her last name she sounds like a member of a Bethnal Green street gang) has heard the whole "Ran a football club at twenty-three, sold Birmingham City FC for £82mil less than twenty years after taking charge" speil a thousand times before. Obviously, that's the tip of the iceberg, and I'm not disregarding any of those things. On <i>"Life Story"</i>, she was portrayed as being more human. The fact she'd survived a miscarriage, would work twenty hour days and had three days maternity leave (my entire reproductive system aches just thinking about that part) is pretty impressive, but she openly admitted she struggled and that to me was most inspiring. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Karren Brady is unimpressed with you and your lack of business acumen, contestants in the 2013 series of "The Apprentice".)</span></div>
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I am an avid viewer of "The Apprentice", for better or for worse (often worse if we're considering the calibre of this year's contestants). It is often that kind of television which some people would like to feel is high-brow reality television - is there such a thing? - when really it's two men in sumo suits depicting the metaphor of business for the enjoyment of the viewer. The contestants are placed in the quasi-reality of business; how often will Alan Sugar's business partner have to star in a fitness video, for example? </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Some classic Shady Brady faces. All screen captures are taken from<a href="http://themanyfacesofkarrenbrady.tumblr.com/"> this magnificent Tumblr</a> which should be updated more.)</span></div>
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I will honestly say that I'm not a particularly logical person. I have common sense, but I'm naturally more intuitive than logical. I tend to behave on instinct rather than facts. I would be awful in business due to my aforementioned spending problem (in my previous post I casually mentioned my Harvey Nichols affinity and why that is awful for a penniless student without a job or other means of a regular cash flow). It does not take... well, Karren Brady... to guess what is needed to be done in order to win tasks on "The Apprentice". This leads me to the side of Karren Brady which I have affectionately named "Shady Brady". I love her no bullshit approach. I look to Karren's (yes, during the time of the construction of this post we have become acquainted and we regularly discuss current affairs) very telling facial expressions to see where the candidates have fucked up. Shock, these are supposed acclaimed businesspeople but sometimes it looks like a parody of businesspeople.</div>
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My friends and I have also crafted a series of Vines which document our quest to perfect the Shady Brady look and we have also captured cruel boardroom moments which also melted my icicle of a heart. We all wish she'd been shady enough to say to Uzma, "If you're in the business of looking good, why do you resemble Shawn and/or Marlon Wayans in <i>'White Chicks'?" </i>Alas.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Classic Karren moments from this series include the "Tidy Sidey" debacle where she crushed the girls' dreams beautifully, Luisa "Corporate World Gate" and Francesca "Can you hear what you're saying? Each delivered with such a wonderfully patronising tone. Majestic viewing.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*On a more superficial note, I've forgot to mention Karren's ever-growing hair, which I believe was a deliberate move on the part of the producers and herself to symbolise her ever-growing power in the boardroom.</span></div>
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If you haven't read this book, I suggest you do it. I felt like such an under-achiever that I crafted a CV, applied to three jobs and I read it in a day. As a person who finds unloading a dishwasher an existential crisis, I felt that this was mass progress and I had Karren to thank for it. It also inspired me to want to power-dress, and this can only be a good thing.</div>
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To end this post, I'm going to leave a series of classic Brady quotes for you all to devour. Not the typical ones which I can recite off my head such as the one about work and home personality (I need to stop reading her interviews/books/PRISM details) but another even more enduring one that sums up her ability to stop anyone - man, woman or beast - from taking the piss out of her.</div>
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A Birmingham City player mentioned that he could see her tits in a shirt she was wearing on a bus to Newcastle (side note: she said she was grateful to be on the bus to Newcastle but as someone from Sunderland she must have been awfully misinformed about the charms of Newcastle) to which she replied, "Yeah? Well, when I sell you to Crewe, you won't be able to see them from there." She sold him three days later. </div>
Lucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885975646377702013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285762404030366653.post-36249057203205040962013-06-11T16:57:00.000-07:002013-06-14T17:51:24.794-07:00HIGH ON REBELLION: a 1970's retrospectiveThe 1970s captures a piece of my heart because I find it to be an era of contradictions. There is a real aura of glamour that was perpetuated by American startlets, and the complete mash together of styles from the punks and the whispering (but present) New Romantic scene. There are aspects that I myself try to emulate: I would absolutely adore to have huge, rollered, bad bitch Jerry Hall hair but I struggle with a far more Diana Ross-like mane. This is the era of disco and Studio 54 - whilst we may not thank it for the return of disco-pants that now cause bile to emerge from my stomach, it truly is an iconic time.<br />
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Throughout the era there is a strange juxtaposition between the desire to abandon all social conventions in what became a definitive moment - the emergence of the punk scene - and the capitalist, aspirational lifestyles that eventually spilled out into the 1980s. There was a constant tension between true decadence and a mentality where individuals, following political upset and economic decline in both the UK and the USA. The UK saw the socialist's nightmare in Margaret Thatcher, whilst the US was still in turmoil following the Watergate scandal under Richard Nixon. In both countries, there was a roar of distrust in the direction government, and this led to a grassroots revelation that saw the punk revolution in the late 1970s. Clubs such as The Blitz and The Roxy became havens for those individualists who wished to push the envelope of fashion and break free from social stigma.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Above: Punks from the <i>"We're Desperate"</i> series by Jim Jocoy, c. late 1970s)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Boy George of Culture Club and Steve Strange of Visage in The Blitz Club, London</span></div>
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To me, one of the most intriguing aspects of this era is the beautifully luxurious makeup that women such as Jerry Hall and Grace Jones donned. I'm a self-professed champagne millionaire on a lemonade budget. If I buy a bottle of Amaretto before a night-out, I think I'm the dog's bollocks and I would not think twice about buying a Chanel foundation at Harvey Nichols even though firstly, I cannot afford it but secondly, I'd be too embarrassed to say I couldn't afford it. I feel that my makeup needs to reflect this, and I am constantly lusting after that golden tan that seventies' beauties such as Farrah Fawcett and Bo Derek displayed. However, as I have the skin of a Simpson with reclusive tendencies, I will never achieve this look of perfection. The iridescent shimmer of eyeshadow looks from this era is magnificent, coupled with the orange-reds that coloured the pouts of those Studio 54 goers. Think, "I've just snorted a line of cocaine off a New York street and now I'm about to fuck Mick Jagger." I'm not condoning those things, I'm just asking one to channel them. Live vicariously through Bianca Jagger. It is pure indulgence that is the key of the mid-70s look compared to the more geometric, harsh lined creativity that is characteristic of the late 70s and early 80s. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">(</span><a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Tom+Ford+Beauty+Eye+Colour+Quads/159634865,default,pd.html" style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Tom Ford Beauty Eye Colour Quads in "<i>Golden Mink", </i>£62</a><i style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">) </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">and (<a href="http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Lipstick">MAC <i>"Lady Danger" </i>matte finish lipstick, £14</a>)</span></div>
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The British music of the 1970s, for me, is unbeatable, too. Championing the fashions of this time were innovators such as Kate Bush (my sin, my soul, Kate Bush - my ongoing obsession with Queen Catherine of Kent is for another post where I can gush embarrassingly about every note she's ever made), David Bowie and Roxy Music. In the 1970s there's was sense of harking back to the glamour of the past, but camping it up and creating an air of flamboyance. The British Art-Rock movement really came to fruition during this time, incorporating esoteric lyrics with elaborate productions to create a truly sweet sound to the ears. Lavish stage shows, ostentatious costumes and the intangible air of uniqueness were what was truly characteristic of these pioneers. </div>
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Debbie Harry of Blondie and Joey Ramone of the Ramones. Debbie Harry has a lot to answer for the amount of bleach I went through in my youth, and the pout of haughtiness I have incorporated into my drunken routine when I am trying to maintain composure. Both staples of the CBGB in New York, they have become incredible influential and have become a part of a wider music scene that has translated into music even today.</div>
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The Southern California cool that infiltrated the whole of America beyond that state. Stevie Nicks' ethereal beauty and sexily smokey voice were real trademarks to the seventies. Another woman I have been hugely influenced by. There is nothing more liberating than dancing with hands flailing and trying to copy that distinctive voice but sounding like you're sitting on a washing machine (or something more untoward). The bohemian look of kaftans, fringe and floatiness is still prevalent now, something which should definitely be attributed to, not just in part, to Stephanie Lynn Nicks.</div>
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Two of my absolute filmic heroines: Elvira Hancock in "<i>Scarface" </i>(Michelle Pfeiffer) and the majestic Rizzo in <i>"Grease"</i>, peering over the shoulder of the eternally irritating Sandy.</div>
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This was just a brief retrospect over the seventies, an era which is too important to talk about in a singular blogpost. If anything, it was pure self-indulgence because I love this era although if I ever do an eighties' post watch me embarrassingly fangirl over copious amounts of blusher, hair that looks like mine when I venture into humidity and shoulder pads that allow me to channel my inner "woman-in-power." Don't forget those glorious synthesisers, which often sound like a frog with flatulence (many apologies, my analogical skills are never at their optimum at 12.56am) but have soundtracked the lives of many a heartbroken teen in John Hughes' films.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8228969/?claim=rd825fw423b">(Just a little sidenote: follow my blog with Bloglovin and I will be such a Grateful Gretchen.)</a>
Lucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885975646377702013noreply@blogger.com0