The Birkenstock: yay or nay?

In 1990, a British fashion photographer called Corrine Day was commissioned to take photos of a young model named Kate Moss for the July issue of The Face. 

Unbeknownst to Corinne Day, the photos were later to become iconic and the shoot later to be heralded for launching the career of the most influential model of our time.

In it, a 15 year-old Kate Moss leans back against a white sun-cracked stucco wall in Camber Sands, England, and smokes a cigarette. The shoot was styled by Melanie Ward and a teenage Kate is dressed in a pair of white jeans, casually rolled up passed her ankles, along with a pair of white Arizona Birkenstocks.

Fast forward a couple of dormant-Birkenstock-years and cast your mind back to last spring. This is when a fashion designer, called Céline, evidently came to the conclusion that the Birkenstock volcano had been dormant for long enough. 

With a quick swish of her Céline-esque magic wand, the designer performed what can only be described as the optimum in fashion feats. She took the ultimate anti-fashion shoe - the simple and humble Birkenstock- and, with the help of some fur-lining, transformed it into the most talked-about, fashionable and must-have shoe of the season. 

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the (ahem) Furkenstock. 

Yes, we were all absolutely confused by this footwear phenomenon at first (and most notably by the addition of the cookie-monster blue fuzz), but overriding all of our furry confusion was a lot of curiosity. This was mainly due to the fact that they looked like the comfiest pair of slippers that we would probably never own. 

Of course, this trend soon trickled its way down to the high street, and while the blue fuzz hasn't quite survived this particular shoevolution, the features of the original Birkenstock are most definitely dominant on the shelves. In fact, take just one quick glance into the shoe section of any shop right now and you'll notice that there have been lots of attempts to recreate the basics of the German brand. The Birkenstock style is everywhere.

But what is the general consensus on these wide-soled German creations? Have you been won over by the comfort and charm of the Birkenstock? Or, are you avoiding them as if the appearance of feminine feet depended upon it? 

These shoes rarely garner a 'meh' reaction. 

However, if the strength of a fashion trend is anything to go by, then it's certainly time to let go of any frumpy associations that you may have had with this shoe. They're big (in every sense of the word), they're reasonably priced, and perhaps most importantly, they are ridiculously comfortable.

Image via The Man Repeller

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Recipe: Lemon Drizzle Fairy Cakes

How gorgeous is the weather in Ireland at the moment!? The sun has been shining pretty much non-stop for the past week and there is currently a lot of red-tinted pale skin being exposed everywhere.

Yesterday I spent a very lazy sunny Sunday afternoon in the garden, along with some friends, bucket loads of tea and some freshly baked Fairy Cakes.

Now these fairy cakes are hardly elaborate but sometimes it's good to keep things simple. They were super easy to throw together and ended up being surprisingly tasty so I thought I might as well share the recipe with you all. 

They were made using a standard madeira recipe, but I added a light lemony twist to give them a summery feel.

To begin I used the standard 4, 4, 6, 2 mix n' mix until you're blue recipe. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, that's:

• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz sugar
• 6 oz self-raising flour, and
• 2 eggs

Throw all your ingredients into a bowl and mix them all together, either with an electric mixer if you have one, or with a trusty wooden spoon if you don't (or, if like me you're lazy about washing up).

Now for the lemony goodness part; depending on your lemon preferences you can either add the lemon to the icing alone or you can add some extra zest into the recipe mix above. 

For the icing simply use icing sugar, lemon juice and some lemon zest. It's that easy.

Now pop on the kettle, grab your teapot... and bon appetit!

Photos all my own.

Etsy Treasury List: Summer Sippin'

In my previous blog post I gave you all a recipe for the perfect summery pink lemonade. Sticking to the same theme, today I thought I would share with you some of my favourite Etsy finds to serve as the perfect accompaniment to your tasty summer drinks!

For those of you who are asking Etsy, who? I can only assume that you've been unlucky enough to be living in a cave these past few years. If you're into beautifully unique handmade and vintage goods, Etsy is your new best friend. Go and introduce yourself and get involved here. 


As I write this there is currently a very dreary and grey looking sky outside... If I keep writing summer-related posts will the sun finally make an appearance in Ireland?

Milk Bottles, Vases, Glass V... BottleMenageri... $24	75 Striped Paper Straws - Le... GlitterDaisySh... $12	Drink Labels Chalkboard~ Dri... WanderlustWedd... $6
Colorful Chevron Drink Coast... FogMountainPre... $7	Mason Jar Chalkboard Labels ... VintageBloomin... $38	Printable lemon drink tag - ... PrettiestPrint... $8
Mason Jar Lanterns Jars and ... HeritageTreeDe... $45	Vintage 50 X 68 Yellow Strip... PamelaMurphyVi... $30	Milk Vases , Drinking, Vinta... BottleMenageri... $72
Rustic wood serving tray win... LodgeDecorNMor... $29	Yellow Stripe Paper Straws -... AllMyStraws $3	When Life Gives You Lemons, ... AdorkableDoodl... $20
Citrus Tablecloth Weights Se... SprinkleandSpa... $28	Rustic Bar Cart Trolley Stor... newantiquity $828	16 oz. Mason Jar Tumbler - T... TheMasonBarCom... $13.95
Wood slices 25 - 2.5" ... VintageBloomin... $14.95

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Recipe: Pink Lemonade

Last weekend I had some friends over for dinner and whipped up this extremely easy, and more importantly, very tasty Pink Lemonade. The total prep and cooking time was under 15 minutes and it lasts for up to a week in the fridge, meaning you can make it in advance if you're short for time.

After looking up lots of recipes online, I mixed a few of them together and came up with something that went a bit like this...

Ingredients:

• 4 lemons
• 2 oranges
• 350g caster sugar
• 400g of summer berries
• Ice, fresh mint, frozen berries, and lemon to serve (optional)

Method:

To begin, slice your oranges and lemons in half, and then squeeze the juice along with their remains into a large saucepan. Add in your summer berries (I used frozen), your caster sugar, and pour over 350ml of cold water.

Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

When it's cooled down pour the mixture through a sieve, pressing it through with a spoon to get all the remaining juices out. You'll be left with a fairly concentrated pinky syrup.

To Serve:

Here's the fun part. When it comes to serving I'd recommend using a roughly 50:50 ratio of syrup to drink of your choice - still or sparkling water, or if you want to throw some alcohol into the mix, Prosecco goes down well.

Pour a little syrup into a glass and top it up with the drink of your choice, ice, lemon, frozen berries and some fresh mint... et voilà!

Who's thirsty?

Photos all my own.