everydaysparks

Stuff I see, which you might not.

Mar 14

St Patrick’s Day Fashion

by Cate

Now that I’ve given you some ideas on what to cook for St Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d share some suggestions about fashion choices for the day that’s in it. Not that you should limit yourself – most of these looks are versatile enough to carry you through any occasion, or even just a trip to buy groceries. In putting this ‘look book’ together, I have left out the vast majority of items on sale for St Patrick’s Day (lots of shirts featuring puns about being lucky or Irish or drunk or green or beer or leprechauns)…

If you’re looking for something understated that could easily transition from work to play, I suggest this ‘tuxedo style’ t-shirt from The Bee Tees. It is available in men’s, women’s and children’s sizes, so you could even kit out the whole family. If that is something that you want to do.

I especially like the detail of the pockets. The class of a tux with the convenience of a t-shirt. [image from The Bee Tees]

The class of a tux with the convenience of a t-shirt. I especially like the detail of the pockets.
[image from The Bee Tees]

This next item caught my eye on etsy because of its sparkle and its green-ness. Then I read the title and was shocked. Shocked, I tell you. Here’s the title: emerald green st patrick’s day shoe cake topper sugar edible glitter sparkley glass slipper. Now, I know that is a lot of detail to take in, but the main point is that THIS IS MADE OF SUGAR. If you have a chance, it’s worth checking out the amazing range of items in the Sweet Pea Sugar Art shop. (Technically, I guess this should have gone in yesterday’s food post.)

A (sugar) emerald slipper. Genius. [image from Sweet Pea Sugar Art]

A (sugar) emerald slipper. Genius.
[image from Sweet Pea Sugar Art]

I was looking for some fashion suggestions for the ladies, but unfortunately it would seem that most of the St Patrick’s Day ‘costumes’ for women are – how shall I put it – not in keeping with tradition. There are a lot of skimpy outfits such as ‘sexy leprechaun’ and ‘beer girl’ and ‘Irish lass’, but if that’s not your thing either, then perhaps you will consider these ‘neon green furry leg warmers’ I found on ebay.

Now THAT'S hot. [image from ebay]

Now THAT’S hot.
[image from ebay]

And we can’t forget the (real) little people on St Patrick’s Day. This ‘beard hat’ from By Miss Sally caught my eye because (a) it’s a great crocheted hat and (b) it’s being modelled by a child stuck in a big green pot. But mostly because it’s a great hat.

Just chillaxing. Nothing to see here. [image from By Miss Sally]

Just chillaxing. Nothing to see here.
[image from By Miss Sally]

Last, but not least, here’s a way to get your pet involved in the festivities. This dog hat will make sure that your pet is stylin’ it up on Monday (or whenever the mood strikes). I also feel like this dog is trying to communicate in this pic from Doggy Diva Boutique in the States. In fact, most of the photos displaying the shop’s wares are intriguing. But, I think that’s another post for another time.

Not sure this dog is feeling the luck of the Irish. [image from Doggy Diva Boutique]

Not sure this dog is really feeling the luck of the Irish.
[image from Doggy Diva Boutique]

Whatever you’re wearing, I wish you and yours a very happy St Patrick’s Day.

(Oh, and far be it from me to judge – if you really want to check out some of the costumes that I didn’t include here, or if you need more supplies for your celebrations, you can have a look on Amazon: Shop Amazon – St. Patricks Day – Shop books, costumes, party supplies, and more.)

Fashion Sparks

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Jul 9

Treats from Ireland

by Cate

I wrote last week that some friends from Ireland were visiting Australia for the Lions tour, spending this past week here in amazingly sunny Sydney. I haven’t yet processed my feelings about the match on Saturday night, where I was the lone little Wallabies supporter in a block of hundreds and hundreds of Lions fans, but I’ll try to write about it another day.

Anyways, my lovely friend Gavan brought me out a bag of treats from Ireland as an international gesture of goodwill. I’m not sure who started this crazy contest – I have been known to send over hideous Austrayan goodies (mostly to remove them from our shops) from time to time – but this bag o’ crap from Dublin’s finest tourist store has really raised the bar. In fact, it has inspired me to put together a Diddly Dee Oirish showbag for next year’s Easter Show in Sydney. It will go off like a leprechaun in a pot of gold, so it will.

Here are some pics of my gifts – do let me know if you would like to borrow anything…

The bag. Off to a very good start.

The bag. Off to a very good start.

Complete with a tin whistle playing leprechaun, if you don't mind.

Complete with a tin whistle playing leprechaun, if you don’t mind.

They really would work with any outfit.

They really would work with any outfit.

Roll on, 17 March...

Roll on, 17 March…

Probably not so lucky if you actually eat them.

Probably not so lucky if you actually eat them.

An unexpected warning on the bag of ShamRock lollies.

An unexpected warning on the bag of ShamRock lollies.

I’ll stop there, even though I’ve only covered maybe half of the contents of the bag. But you get the idea. Although, I do need to add one more highlight – I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Tayto, the Irish crisps that backpackers miss so much that they have their family post out boxes to them (well, they used to, until an entrepreneur started importing them to Australia and charging extortionate prices for a taste of home). Anyways, the flagship flavour is cheese & onion and they’re pretty much a national treasure. So, what else to do but release a limited edition treat – embed the chips into chocolate bars and sell them to the general public. I’ve tried it and it’s pretty much as horrible as you might imagine: some things were just not meant to be, Tayto.

Limited edition indeed.

Limited edition indeed.

Huge thanks to my friend Gavan for this bag of treats – I don’t know that I’ve ever had such a thoughtful/generous/funny/scary/sickening gift all in one bag. Now the stakes have been raised, I’m off to find some hideous Australiana to further advance global cultural understanding and tolerance. Or something like that.

Food sparks

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