Capes and collections

 I'm sure I am not the only girl that has succumbed  to one of "those" sites on the web.

You think that you will just have a cheeky peek and then before you know it, 6 hours has lapsed, you are trembling, slack-jawed and pop-eyed with all the hot, hot eye candy that fills the screen.

"It's OK to just look," you try and assure yourself. "I can stop anytime," you try to convince yourself.

But then with every gorgeous creation that that pops up on the lap top your appetite grows and you want more. Your need becomes insatiable.

And then one day, during the rocky journey of addiction, just looking isn't enough. You need more than just looking. More to tantalise. More to stimulate. More! But what can fulfil this desire? How can you sate this yawning need that overwhelms you and inhabits your every waking thought?

So, with heart racing, hands shaking and emotions in overdrive, you finally give in and do it.

You succumb to that beguiling temptress that is eBay!

Sometimes there may be a little guilt, but sometimes there is a soaring sense of bliss and triumph, of a battle hard fought and won. When there is success it is amazing. But when the victory is not yours, the disappointment is crushing.
Oh, I have long had a passionate affair with eBay. So many beauties up for grabs and whilst the loss of some of those lovelies (yes I am talking about you, divine emerald 50's prom dress!) hurt , I am always willing to get back on the horse and continue on my never ending search for vintage perfection.
So when I was invited by eBay to try out their new "eBay Collections", I jumped at the chance.
With eBay collections you can curate your beautiful eBay finds in to groups, adding little descriptions so that you are left with lust lists to set your heart  racing.  From a girl that adores making lists, it really is great fun to organise your must haves into easy to access and visual collections.
Don't take my word for it. Check it out. But be prepared to lose a couple of hours as you trawl through items from the delectable to the downright bizarre. If you would like to check out my missbandthebygones collections head over to eBay and  take a gander at the pieces that have me weak at the knees.
One of my collections was called "Caped Crusaders", and it was there that this cape became part of my little narrative. The more I kept working on my collections, the more I knew I HAD to have this one. It couldn't remain in just an internet collection, it had to become part of my actual real life cape collection.

And so I pounced and it was mine!

Smug face! Can you blame me? It is just so gosh darn gorgeous! Perfectly purple with a lush fur (faux?) collar that makes me feel like royalty.

I plan on taking this dame out for a spin this weekend when I am heading out to watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I'm not sure if I am more excited at wearing my new to me cape or watching
Frank-n-furter prance about in fishnets. Sooooo excited!
What collections would you create with eBay Collections?

New beginnings

Consumed by stomach clenching fear and exhaustion (from way too many sleepless nights spent worrying about who I was going to talk to, be friends with, eat lunch with - very high school I know!), but with a huge strained and slightly desperate smile plastered on my face, I embarked on my new job.

After 11 years of being in the same job and knowing my colleagues and clients back to front, and inside and out, I am experiencing that awful state of constant confusion and ignorance.

Will I remember every ones name? Will I remember where everything is? How will I know what to do?

Overwhelmed is probably understating how I have been feeling. But I have been applying that wonderful piece of advice, "fake it 'til you make it", and I think that I may have fooled everyone into thinking that I know what I am doing. Maybe.

I have been enjoying some VERY interesting characters with rich (and often heart breaking) histories, and I love the company I've joined and all of the amazing charity work they do. The area I now work in is trendy and vibrant and I adore strolling down the gorgeous tree lined streets filled with old terraces and art deco heaps. And did I mention that I get to wear my own clothes (hurrah!) instead of the eeuurrgghh uniform that I was forever trying to cover up with bright flowers and crazy brooches so that I could ignore how depressing it was. And even though I am struggling with working 5 days a week again, and sorely missing that extra time with my kids and my op shopping jaunts, I do have the company op shop (yeah baby, we have an op shop!!!!) to delve in to and explore.

Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself of how well my first week has gone and the positives of my new position? Yeah, well, I kind of am.

I'm still in that period where I remember nostalgically all the great aspects of my old job (and none of the horrible aspects like incompetent boss, cranky residents, ridiculous demands and crazy work load), and yearning for that comfortable feeling you get when you know everything about your job (comfy like wearing old slippers!). 

But that comfortable feeling often leads to complacency and stagnation, so even though I am super scared most of the time, I am revelling in the challenge of the unknown and hoping that the new beginning leads to new successes, new goals set and achieved and a sense of achievement from having the courage to jump in to this foreign situation when my brain was begging me to stay and hide.

Hurrah for new beginnings!

I have been playing it rather safe with my work wear this week, easing my new colleagues and residents into my often odd wardrobe choices. I don't want to scare them off too soon. 

But, oh, how I have been loving feeling like me at work and being able to express my personality through my clothes. Nope, never gonna get sick of that!

We have a long weekend here, so I am recharging my batteries after such a super charged week and I am looking forward to catching up on blogs, catching up with pals and sleeping in. 

Any tips on coping at a new job?