This Second's Obsession

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Parasol Perfection

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If you ever Google for parasols, you will find that the majority of the top results are stores selling garden parasols. An eBay search gets you the variety that only fit babies’ prams – and of course, plenty of items that are not parasols. Stores selling parasols sized for the adult human to carry are quite difficult to find. Luckily, my bookmarks contain a few websites that I have been previously recommended, so when I was asked if I could suggest any, I could supply some links immediately. Also, I searched Etsy. How on earth did we survive before Etsy?

Brollies Galore have got the Chinese paper variety, Edwardian parasols, lace parasols and frilly Can-Can parasols. The prices range widely as well, so you can get very pretty cheap ones or if you want to splash out you can get some expensive extravagant madness! They are based in the UK but they ship worldwide. The Black Rose have a black and white polka dot parasol on their website (worldwide shipping) and more at their Camden store.

Victoriana.com have a page that lists antique and vintage parasols in eBay auctions. There are a range of varieties, and as you might expect, a range of prices. You can also order their Amazon Drygoods general catalogue which includes parasols. The Oriental Trading Company do a small selection including one in white lace and some paper paint-your-own parasols. They ship to the USA and Canada.

From Etsy I would suggest Umbrella Heaven, and if you have Cash To Flash or just want to look, Darna’s East Angel Harbor Hat Shoppe has a few absolutely extraordinary Victorian-style parasols. They are too over-the-top for my taste (all that lace and all those bows!) but I can still appreciate the work that goes into them, as I am sure you will too.

If you want to do it yourself, here are some instructions for converting an umbrella into a parasol, thanks to that bastion of style advice, the alt.gothic.fashion FAQ.

My only parasol is one my parents got me from Disney World when I was two and a half – it’s pink and minimally frilly, and has my name written on it. Obviously this makes it practically perfect in every way – Mary Poppins reference intended – and so maybe I can live without Loretta!

I GOT YARN

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Oh baby.

Isn’t it lovely? This is Rowan Kidsilk Spray in shade 574 and it is going to become one of these. I can barely wait to get knitting. Believe this picture, not the one on the Rowan website, which is ridiculously dark! I’m not even sure it’s the same yarn, even though that’s the right shade number – mine doesn’t have a name on it. I have gone shopping a lot recently, to fully appreciate the wonder that is The Sales. However, now I have yarn I am sated, and there will probably be no more shopping until the January sales. Except in charity shops. I can’t keep away from the cheap books!

Another highlight of the sales is this, pun entirely intended:

It was £12.99! Reduced from £40! It is so cool and not quite as garish in reality. It is in my bedroom at my parents’ house at the moment but will probably go to live at my house with me soon because it would make my boringly beige room a little more interesting. People who have visited my room would argue that my room is not boring because it is decorated with Don’t Panic posters, postcards, photos from art gallery leaflets and ephemera and ATCs I have received in swaps. However, it has only a naked lightbulb hanging from the ceiling! Ludicrous! I was going to make a Chandy, but now I have this I think I will leave that for another lightbulb.

I possess more things to hang from ceilings than I have space to hang them in. I must have about four different wind chimes – one that lights up, one that is a giant dream catcher thing, one with a wooden frog on top, and one with Minnie Mouse on top – yes, four. I also have a mirror ball and a purple star thing that you can put a candle inside, which I believe my best friend Claire got me at some point. The latter is totally cool but has never been hung! A crime for sure. Maybe I’ll have to take down the giant dream-catcher-wind-chime at my parent’s house and put that up for a while. Woefully my house is rented so I cannot make holes in the ceiling!

I also finally bought purple shoes. Oh yes. Purple shoes. I actually already have purple boots and purple ridiculously-heeled blingin’ sandals (they really are blingin’, believe me, if you saw the level of bling…). But I have never before had simple purple shoes. Enjoy and appreciate, ladies and other gentlefolk-