My pal, Nads

Last week this lovely person celebrated her birthday. I know I mention Nadia a lot on Gloss and it's really because we have become such great buds in the past two years. She is one of the kindest and most creative souls I have ever met and people always remark to me, just how sweet she is. In some ways we are both so similar - we share a love for all things colourful and retro and we're terribly sentimental. And on the other hand, we are quite opposite - Nadia is the picture of poise while I am a bit of a whirling dervish! Nads was styling vintage getups when she was seven while I was skulking around school in ripped jeans and green hair. But she is the sort of friend who will text you to wish you luck for a meeting, who will invite you up for tea on a bad day, who will run down in the rain with meds for you in the middle of the night and who will generally be an awesome pal, really. Nads, my friend. Thank you for everything. For all the chats, lols, skypes, BBM's! Thank you for always cheering me on and entertaining my histrionics! I know this year is going to bring you every joy and success that you deserve. See you later for a Chick's Day cuppa.

A happy surprise!

The past 48 hours have been...intense! They involved dress fittings down the coast, hair cuts, winning a giveaway (!), suddenly becoming super nauseous, helping some poor soul who had been held at gunpoint (mad and sad), late night visits to Nadia to get meds, downing said meds, attending her birthday breakfast, spending time with a football legend in a township and napping in a bid to get better. Thank goodness it's Women's Day on Tuesday because I'm feeling a bit off kilter from all the highs and lows! So...on Saturday, the Hey Cherry girls told me that their last giveaway prize was never claimed so they redrew and I was the winner! I can't even tell you how I chuffed I was. I absolutely LOVE their range of accessories, books and knick knacky goodness. Below is a peek at all the lovely things I won - can't believe my luck. Thanks Hey Cherry gals - you totally were the cherry on the cake of one mad weekend. Hope your weekends were filled with less dramz? x

PS: Thanks for those hilar comments on the previous post! Toasted Chicken Mayo fans unite!

“The world must know…about chicken mayo.”

So the Bride-to-Be, Bridget, one of my old mates, has descended from the BVI’s! We went out for this mad dinner last night and she told me something crazy. I thought I’d just try and recapture the convo rather than try and explain this random but necessary nugget that the world needs to know about. Because the whole world does read Gloss right? Not? Ah, well hopefully this mayo-filled gem will be a revelation for some of ya that live across the seas.

{Skimming through the menu}

Bridget: I’m totally craving chicken mayo. You know you cannot get a toasted chicken mayo in the States? They don’t even call them toasted sandwiches. They just have Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese and Ham which they flip on a press.

Lauren: No chicken mayo? No toasted sandwich?

Bridget: No. They look at me like I’m mad when I try and order a toasted chicken mayo sandwich.

Lauren: But it’s just chicken and mayo. It tastes so good. How is America not eating this?

Bridget: I dunno. The weird thing is, they have the snackwich machines but they don’t use them. They don’t even know what a snackwich is. Just using the press.

Lauren: The machine but no snackwich.

Bridget: No snackwich. Just subs and Grilled Cheese.

Lauren: Do you know that you can get Chicken Mayo pies here now? I thought it would be gross – warm mayo in a pie but it’s like Manna from Heaven.

Bridget: No, that sounds flipping good to me. After the wedding, I’m getting one.

Lauren: We also get cheese burger pies. A patty, relish and cheese in a pie.

Bridget: NO WAY!!!!!

Lauren: Yes. You have to sample all the new pies.

Bridget: I’m going to. You know in America, they don’t call Chicken Burgers, “Chicken Burgers.” They call them Chicken Sandwiches:

Lauren: But it’s on a bun.

Bridget: I know.

Lauren: I love that in France, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is called a Cheese Royale. Sounds so classy.

Bridget: Yeah.

Lauren: Still shocked about the mayo.

Bridget: Yeah, you should blog the mayo. Tell the world about the toasted chicken mayo sandwich.

Lauren: I’m going to.

Bridget: Grill chicken, mix with some mayo, throw it on two slices of bread buttered both sides and put in the snackwich machine.

Lauren: Yeah. I’ll blog it.

Bridget: Cool. Anyway, what should be order?

American readers, is this true about the Toasted Chicken Mayo Sandwich? I’d love to hear more about your snacky traditions! In South Africa, we refer to Grilled Cheese as a Toasted Cheese Sandwich. I also hear you guys eat a lota tuna?

The Blog Shop has turned into an Open Day!

Huzzah! Since posting about my blog shop, I've received a flurry of emails which has sparked me to have a little re-think about it all! Herewith a ramshackled thought stream off the top of my head....

Unrelated image. Just needed to pretty up the post!

So long blog shop - hello open day!

A natural concern for you guys is the clothes fitting you - totally fair enough! When I thought of the shop, I thought, hey, I'll drop a few jackets off  - it'll be a breeze! Ha! Not really. It's turned into a bit of a logistical nightmare - lolz! Ugh, "lolz," I irritate myself when I write that these days. So, anything that isn't sold by Friday will be saved for an Open Day of sorts! That way, you can try stuff on and rummage through everything else on sale. The whole thing is done and dusted within two hours - easy! Naturally, this little shindig will have to take place in Durbs. Unless I win the lotto in which case, it's taking place in Central Park and I'm flying all of your sweet faces there. Nay, it might just be easier to throw all my clothes off the balcony and buy the whole of 5th Avenue. Apparently, they sell nice clothes there.

More on this...day of open.

It will be a HUMBLE but sweet affair. Assuming, I don't win the lotto and all. I will probably team up with a certain accessory queen so there's more lovely things for you to shop through. I'm not putting any pressure on myself to do this regularly. It's essentially just an opportunity for me to pass on some pieces to new loving homes while throwing back a Pimms with some kindred folk!

You'd like me to flog some stuff for you?

A few of you emailed me to ask if I would buy old clothes off you. So sweet you lot. Thing is, I don't really have time to put into a full-time shopping-selling-swopping extravaganza. I know alot of girls (well, not all personally) who buy clothes off people that are scattered around South Africa so I will put you in touch with them.

 But you really have something super sweet and vintagey that you think I would love for myself or to sell?

Ok sweet! If you'd like me to buy those sweet threads off you, I will arrange a day when everyone can drop off clothes with me but you must forgive me for being extremely selective and snobby! I think the afore mentioned Open Day will only be worth everyone's time if I only sell 'super sweet vintagey' stuff or high street stuff that doesn't show much sign of wear and tear. Hope that's cool with ya? You can always donate the stuff I don't buy to charity or sell them to another one of my thrifting friends who do this sort of stuff for a living/full-on hobby!

"Ok so, what the frig did you just say Lauren?"

No more blog shop. Instead, there's a "Buy Day" where I buy your sweet old threads if they're still in good nick and then an "Open Day" when I sell all the goodies in one spot and you can try on stuff to your heart's content. 

I will keep you posted of the dates for the terribly named "Buy Day" and "Open Day." Do not hold me to any of this. I don't have the time to commit to anything more that the odd fun day of flogging old clothes. Thanks to everyone who has an expressed an interest in selling/swopping/buying from me. Tis much appreciated!

Closing panicky thoughts: I really don't have many things to sell at present. There's probably only two souls out there who would come to such a thing. I will probably be sat at some venue with a case full of clothes feeling more foolish than I did today when I chucked a cup of tea over my keyboard, followed by a spectacular trip over a phone cord. Oh well. It's a risk of shame I think I'm willing to take!

PS: Lols at me categorising this in "Fashion." Hardly. Ha.

Shop le blogge!

'Sup guys! I recently decided to start a little blog shop (never one to be left off a bandwagon!) for those days when I'm feeling skint or just in the mood for a spring clean! Usually I donate stuff or sell it for a smallish price to thrift shops but I wanted to have a place where I could sell the items that have been a bit more special to me. I'm only flogging pieces that are still in good nick - not a broken button or zip in sight! I've tried to give as much info as possible as far as brands and sizes go. Where possible, I've also included the original price I payed for an item. If they sell, sweet, if they don't, I shall take it as a sign to keep them! I've decided to post anywhere but that'll cost ya a bit extra. We can arrange delivery/collection over email. I can't promise to update it often but hey ho, we'll see how we go! You can have a browse around here. Thanks in advance for taking a peek!