This Pamper Hamper from Harrods is perhaps one of the nicest things I’ve ever received as a blogger. It’s one of their luxury chocolate hampers: Harrods champagne, milk chocolate pink and white truffles, a Lardurée candle and rose perfume. I imagine this is the sort of thing Marie Antoinette would pack for her strolls around the grounds of Versailles. Who needs sandwiches and crudité when you can have champagne and chocolate?

Ladies and (especially) Gents, if you are still searching for the perfect present for your significant others or mothers (and have a cool £150 to spare), I highly recommend this most pampered of hampers. I feel down-right decadent eating chocolate and cream and tippling bubbles, whilst I smell of roses. Even in my wee Scottish flat with teeny windows, this basket of goodies makes me feel like a French queen in a palace — all without the fear of servant revolts and a potential beheading. That’s having your cake and eating it too.

Photo courtesy of Harrods

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Dear Cath,

Oh my goodness, Kitcath, I sooo wish you were here to share this basket of amazingness with me. I still think it’s so funny you thought getting a hamper meant getting a laundry basket – tehehehe! Best laundry day ever, huh? Would you like me to bring the pink truffles home with me? Nom nom nom.

I’m currently smelling of the Ladurée rose perfume because I feel so fancy using that atomizer. I’m never had one, have you? I feel so glamourous and la-ti-da-y.

Still the best prezie of all is yet to come. . . SIX DAYS until I see you!!!!!

xoxoxoxo,

Lar

I Bought Less
I’ve been struggling with my ethical fashion dilemmas all of 2012 (I wrote about it here, here, here, here and here: so much angst!). I haven’t been anti-consumerist, but when I shop I’ve tried to be much more conscientious about what and how much I buy. Roughly 60% of my 2012 purchases have been at charity shops.

I Stayed Away From Most Fast Fashion Meccas
I’ve stopped going to many of the high street stores that promote fast fashion (Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Zara). I still go to H&M because they’ve done the most ground work trying to create better work environments and pushing a more conscious clothing line — and sometimes you need a black blazer in a red hot hurry and you come up empty when thrifting. But I never go in and just buy things because they look fun and sparkly (not that it isn’t tempting, but I try to block out the “buy me, buy me, I’m shiny” voices). I plan out what I need and why I need it — and usually make space for it in my (very teeny) wardrobe (that I share with Matteo) by giving something else away to the charity shops.

I Stalked Ethical Sources Online and Still Didn’t Buy Much
I’ve tried to consistently shop ethical sources on line, but they are usually out of my budget or I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for even if the ethics and the price are right. People Tree* are one of my favorite online ethical shops to browse, but I only have one piece by them: this lovely madras shirt in this post. I love it to bits: hand-woven and hand-sewn — it’s one of the best-made and best-fitting items in  my closet. It’s also one of the most expensive shirts I’ve ever bought. Originally it was £65/$105, though I bought it on sale at £35/$56. That’s about ten times more than I pay for my charity-shop duds, and I know that’s out of a lot of people’s price range. But I was able to swing that because 1) it was on sale and 2) I’ve been spending a whole lot less money on clothes by shopping at charity shops and cutting down my shopping habit in general.

What About You, Lovely Readers?
Have you guys made an effort to curb your consumerism? I’m in no way critical or judging you if you haven’t. I really do think just keeping a dialog going really helps. There isn’t an easy and fast solution to these problems, but discussing them makes them less daunting, doesn’t it?

*People Tree is not a sponsor, and even though I can’t afford to buy all my clothing from them — I wish I could! They are the bees knees when it comes to ethical, more affordable clothing.

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Dear Cath,

Hope your exam is going well (sending good luck vibes at this very moment!)! I really can’t wait until next Friday — already I feel like jumping around every time I think about touching down in the ATL!!! Either these next 10 days are going to be the longest days ever — or they will just fly by.

SEE YOU SOOOON!

xoxoxox,

Lar

Matt and I are counting down the days until we are back in the states for the holidays (12 DAYS!!!). As excited as we are to be back home, we dislike the idea of missing the holiday high jinx on this side of the pond, so we are trying to cram in some Edinburgh festivities before we take off: German Christmas marketing (glüwein!), St. Andrew’s Day fireworks, mince pies. and prohibition parties!

Prohibition themed parties aren’t particularly Scottish (obvs), but they are a lovely excuse for drinking delicious cocktails and putting on fancy dress (Americanos, “fancy dress” means “costumes” in British speak — I used to think that it meant “ballgowns and coat tails”). Our hostess with the mostest (see her pouring “tea” in her fox stole in the photos above), served us Earl Gray gin and tonics and mulled wine. in teetotaler teacups.

p.s. I’m quite proud because I picked up my fancy dress outfit for a mere £15 at the local charity shops: shoes, dress, and two necklaces for $24 = more money for gin tea!

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Dear Cath,

I don’t think we’ve ever done 1920s costumes before, have we? I really feel like that era was very unfriendly to short people: drop waist lines and yards of fabric. It totally makes up for it with the sparkle, glamor and general bright young thing-iness of it all though, doesn’t it?

12 days. I can’t get my head around that. Probably by the time you read this it will 11! Then 10. then single digits! Eeeeeek! So excited!!!!

xoxoxox,

Lar

p.s. I’m wearing Meme’s pearl choker — remember that one? The shiny “pearly” bits are wearing off, but I love it still.