She is Bitten Smitten

Handbags.

I have many of them. Too many, really. Thing is, although I am a massive admirer of designer handbags, I do not have many of them. I don't see them as a good investment. The truth of the matter is, I would rather spend my money on photography gear. My lenses are expensive but they do bring in the money. My handbags only bring in some admiring glances, and goodness knows which one I prefer!

I have a couple of Coach bags--one was bought by Mr Bitten at an outlet in California and the other was an Ebay find. I have a Francesco Biasia tote which was a treasure find from a local charity shop. And I have a Modalu tan slouch bag which I also got from Ebay. My collection of vintage bags is growing though---all scavenged from charity and thrift stores. I have a burgundy suede flap bag from Russell Bromley, a tan leather (sooo soft!) clutch from Bruno Magli and most recently, this beautiful Parisian-made structured shoulder bag. It was a steal at £6. Made of bonded leather, it has good hardware and patent faux crocskin on the front flap.

(photo here)

There must be a lot of stylish grandmas here where I live because I seem to find so many lovely vintage pieces in the charity shops. Lucky!

Me:  "Put your shoes on, we're going to preschool."
Wonder Boy: "Nooooo Mami! No want it shoes on! Want to wear my feet!"

Super Girl: "When I become a Mummy and G* lets me, I am going to name my baby, Poppy!"
Me:  "Why does G need to approve?"
SG:  (Rolls her eyes) "Because he's the daddy!"

*G is the 5 year old son of one of our old friends. :-)

 I have to admit that I am a bit of a magpie and I get instantly drawn to anything shiny and sparkly.

I first saw these lovely, glitter ankle boots from Barney's but cannot justify the ridiculous price. Some fashion bloggers talked about DIYing them and I saw some projects that actually worked. However, the boots that the projects started with were already expensive to begin with. The most common one seem to be the Sam Edelman Putty boot. I did a few searches and didn't find a suitable boot that I can try to DIY. I wanted it to be genuine leather which was a challenge in itself.

And lo, behold what I found in the Next website.





The exact pair I was looking for! I don't usually buy boots full price and always buy from TK Maxx or during the sale, but at £68, these babies were a steal! I did balk a bit when I got them, thinking they might look to glam or too bling for wearing during the day, especially the school run. But after a bit of eerming and aah-ing, I gave in and decided to keep them. I mean, look how pretty??!!!! The lovely olive green exterior is real leather and feels quite solid. The chunky heel is high enough to give you a bit of height but is very comfortable. The sparkles are great but I did notice they do shed. I am getting some super strong clear glue to layer over the sparkles to hopefully, keep them sparkly for longer!

Overall, I am happy with these babies and can't wait to try them on different looks this autumn and winter.

Male-Female friendships are tricky. For as long as I can remember, I've always been surrounded by men. Now, I don't mean to sound so much as a ho, but truth is, I've always had plenty of male friends. And half that plenty are gay. I do love my gay friends. They are creative, interesting, fun, honest, fashionable, trendy, and most of all, downright loyal. When I was a student and was a wee bit naughty, I remember always feeling safe when I was with my gay friends. But I digress. My friendships with my gays are not the tricky bit. I can even say they have been the most constant.

I am talking about my friendships with the men of the straight kind. And of these, I admit, I don't have a lot.

I can honestly think of two friendships with straight men that I can truly say have been a cut above the rest. One was a guy I had met on a student conference. We were polar opposites. He was a student activitist while I was the campus poster girl. But for some reason, we just got on really well. We wrote long letters to each other, spoke on the phone often, and we saw each other when we can. Nothing romantic about it all. He had a girlfriend, which for strange reasons, I never actually met. We still keep in touch now via Facebook, but distance and life took its toll and we just don't "talk" as much as used to.

The the other friend is a guy I met during my first year working in Japan. He was on a one-year internship in Tokyo and we had met at church. We got on like wildfire. We spent a lot of time together, just us two and with other people. There wasn't any physical attraction of any sort--we were more like brother and sister. He was great fun and a great character, but also a bit too smug and cocky--which I both loved and loathed. We were very honest with each other. I remember one day, we were analysing our friendship and he told me, "See, this is why we work. I know you don't fancy me." And to which I replied, "Because you are definitely not my type." There was a lot of banter, and pretty much a lot of fun. His year in Japan ended and he went back to the UK. I felt so lost initially. I had lost the Clyde to my Bonnie. But as you do, I got on with my life and a few months later, I met my husband. That is a completely different story... but fast forward to five years later and we are married and decide to move to the UK. I thought my friend and I can pick up where we left off now that we were in the same country again. But after that one time the three of us got together and it was evident that he didn't get along with my husband, I knew things had changed. We did try to make it work, but at the end of it, there was really no way. We had a massive falling out and sadly, we have lost touch.

I do miss having a male friend. The sad truth is that when you have a friendship with a man who is totally outside your relationship with your husband, it takes hard work. I don't think my husband is the jealous type. But if he feels uncomfortable about my friendship with another dude, I'm afraid, I have to take his side. It's an awful thing to say. But things just become so different when you get married. Suddenly, you can't just open up thoughts and feelings to another person of the opposite sex without your partner feeling somewhat cheated.

It's all very strange. And a little bit unfortunate.

But it does make me wonder though. Is it possible for a married person to have a deep friendship with a person of the opposite sex, without jeopardising anything?