This is it.

Hello readers.

Katie and I have decided to say a fond farewell to this blog. It’s been great, but it’s run its course. We don’t have enough time to update it anymore. I’m working for newspapers, websites and magazines. Katie’s fuller than full-time at college.

We’ve had lots of fun, and have made a million new friends (we’re not even going to bother to link to them, it’d take too long).

Take care.
xx
Ailbhe and Katie-Lilga.

Erm, Hello.

Hello readers. If we still have any.

Although Bluebirds seems never to update any more, you can see what I’ve been spending my time on herehere and here.

In other news, I’m obsessed with this.

(Sc)arf (Sc)arf

Well, the post title’s filled our requisite laboured pun quota for the day. Well done to all those who entered the scarf competition. The winning photos are below. You know who you are. Your scarves are winging their little ways to you, in the post yes yes. Well, they will once we’ve emailed you asking for your address.

May we present:

Toby ‘being embarassed’

Santa George

Now. That’s that.

xx
BBASN

Coat to Wear

Goodness me, it grows chilly, doesn’t it? Do you know where it wasn’t chilly? NEW YORK. A better post will advance happily forward when I’ve got my film developed but in the meantime, how are your respective necks? Feeling the wintersome air? Hmm. We can help.

Giles Deacon has made a dress for a rabbit. The Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny, to be precise. He’s also made some limited edition scarves for the same rabbit. (Why a rabbit would need clothing, is beyond us, but we’re always a fan of Animals Doing Human Things).

Here’s a picture of the scarf:

It’s quite nice, isn’t it?

We have two of these to give away for free free free. If you want to enter the competition, please send an email to bluebirdsaresonatural@gmail.com with a picture of your favourite animal wearing human clothes. It can be a link to google images, or you could physically draw it if you’d rather. Either way, you want the scarf, you need to give us anthropomorphism.

Comp. closes this time next week i.e. 6th November 2009.

xxx
BBASN

HELLO

Hello Blog. I am the worst co-blog owner ever. I AM SORRY. I have been doing so many manymany things, which you can read about here (which is almost as badly updated as poor old B.B.A.S.N).

Here is a quick recap though. Imagine it as a montage. That’s more fun. I moved to London and am now living with Layla and other lovely people. And I am freelancing manically. And I’m going to New York in a week’s time.

In other news, I am the worst-packing emigrant ever to leave the Island. It’s now October, and since I didn’t pack a coat, I now just layer jumpers like there’s no tomorrow. Great. But, yknow, I did bring two leotards. Which has got to count for something.

Right, well, that was suitably slapdash. Let’s pop up a youtube clip for the closer, and remember happier times, when this blog was updated more than once a month.

x
A

To be sure, to be sure

Favourite boots, meet the blog, blog, meet my favourite boots. I will start by saying that this post is specifically directed at those readers who, like me, are sensible (unrealistic), and strong-willed (stubborn), and rarely spend more than €20 on a pair of shoes. Fact is, while they might glitter and shine amongst the dusty tat in a Capel Street charity shop, get C.S.I.’s Calleigh Duquesne and her fancy equipment on their case and she will uncover a layer of glue that has all but given up on sticking stuff together. V. criminal and v. tragic, I know, right? Totally. Over the past year I have thrown out three pairs of FAV EVER shoes after the cobbler’s €2 job lasted less than a day. I’m sure other people have had more success going the professional route but when these two boots started flapping away at the toe I figured it was time for a D.I.Y. After one quick google I decided on Stormsure via this shop on eBay.

I followed the instructions to the letter, was quite generous with the glue, and the 15g tube was enough for the two pairs of boots, the soles of which had become completely detached. So far, there has been no loosening around the edges, but it remains to be seen how a wet Irish winter will affect the result. However, for around the €8 mark, I think this was an excellent solution.

Oh Calleigh (2.10 below, yes).

Katie

P.S. Apologies to the 16,000 people who visited this blog for the big Crop Circle Debate ‘09. We do actually talk about other things. Sorry, I mean, we only talk about other things.

AM to PM

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while. Both us Bluebirds lead busy lives. Lives that involve going from one place, to another, and then another still. Last Friday, I went from work to dinner, to DJing. I needed a practical outfit for the office, but something that would see me through a night out. I needed, in short, to be living in Grazia.
I did not need to be wearing the below.

High heels? White tuxedo jacket? WTF?

Here’s the kicker, friends. It’s impossible to try and incorporate 3 separate outfits for 3 separate occasions into one. Something’s always going to look a bit off. So, which is more important? Looking well at work? Or looking slammin’ on the dancefloor? I think we all know the answer to that one. Either way, there are some tips I can give.

1. Make-up.
Obv you want your day to be as hassle free as possible. Obv again you don’t want to be lugging your make-up bag around for 24 hours. So, put it all on at the start. Go on. Unless you’re 12, there shouldn’t be too much glitter involved, and unless you’re 15, things should be light-ish on the eyeliner side. It’ll be fine. Honest. You’ll look a bit fancy for typing at a screen from 10-6 but whatevs. Haters gonna hate.

BRB making an Excel spreadsheet

2. Clothes.
Same as with make-up, you want this to be as hassle free as poss. However, unless you’re mad for classy trousers/sophis jacket combos for nightwear, this is going to be a little difficult. What you want is a cover-up. Again, bearing in mind that something is going to look a bit off, either whack a jumper on on top of your dress, or a skirt on over a shorter shorts/skirt/dress. Fine. Grand. As regards shoes, you’re going to have to bite the bullet. Decide: can you do the whole day/night in heels? If so, fair play. If not, grab some flats.

Maybe too many layers, alas.

3. Bag
This is going to be difficult. So far, your bag is going to need to carry your day to day stuff (bike lights, keys, bottle of water, purse, book), your stored-away cover-up for later on, and whatever excess make-up you brought. It’s also going to have to do for dancing with. So basically a shoulder strappy satchel thing should do the job. Obv. No need to go on.
Not Satchel Allen. Wrong Satchel.

4. The Alternative
Is to just bung everything you could possibly need into a canvas bag, including change of clothes, get changed in the toilets and dump the bag in the cloakroom. But Grazia never mention that option.

x
A

Pro Nails

Did anybody know that there was a NATIONAL NAIL COMPETITION? No, nor did I. Now I do and I’m too excited to breathe. Very inconvenient.

The deadline is August 28th, and all info is here. Enough of that though, it gets better.

The top five categories are:
Everyday Extensions
Tip and Overlay with UV Gel and Liquid/Powder
Manicure
and and and and
PHOTOGRAPHIC NAILS.

The inspiration for the Photographic section is….Irish Myths and Legends.
So, I imagine something like the below, but on each nail, a figurine detailing a section of the saga of Deirdre of the Sorrows?

Competition is open to students and all. You’re not allowed steal my Deirdre of the Sorrows idea.

x
A

Can’t Speak French #4

JLS. UK Number 1. One of their members would appear to be French, or, at least have a French-sounding name (holla! Ortise). But, can they speak French?

Before
‘Cause you’re the only
one i let in
Tell me how to stop
This Feeling
Spreading
I’m hoping somehow
That you know
Ooh Ooh

Let’s just get back together,
We should’ve never broke up
They’re telling me
That my heart won’t beat again
We should’ve stayed together
’cause when you left me it stopped
They’re telling me
That my heart won’t beat again

During
causez votre le seul un que j’ai laissé dedans
Dites-moi comment m’arrêter Ce sentiment
Propagation I’ m espérant de façon ou d’autre
Que vous savez
Ooh Ooh
Let’ s reviennent juste ensemble,
nous should’ve le jamais ne s’est vers le haut cassé
They’re me disant
Que mon coeur won’t battement de encore
nous should’ ve est resté ensemble
la cause quand vous me l’avez laissé a arrêté
They’re me disant Que mon coeur won’t battement de encore

After
‘ cause your only one that j’ left
Dites me inside how to stop This feeling
Propagation hoping for way or d’ other
Which you know
Ooh Ooh
Let’s return just together, us should the never to the top
They is broken
saying to me that my heart won’t beat of still
us should’ve remained ‘ together
the cause when you me left stopped
They’re saying to me That my heart won’t beat of still.

Well the sentiment remains, if nothing else.

The Verdict? JLS: Can Speak French.

x
A

Country Grammar

After a delicious FBB (cheers M&S, and also Ams) I was only really good for an afternoon of light reading. So I bought the new i-D. Man was I disappointed.

Firstly, let me just preface this by saying;

1. As a magazine, I quite like i-D, and I buy it most months.
2. As a journalist myself, I understand how sometimes typos get the better of most people.

However, what follows is just embarassing.

Over the 162 pages, there were a mortifying amount of mistakes. I’m not just talking typos though, and though it’s tempting, I’ll not do a page-by-page roll call. Suffice to say that:
In the lead story alone (one on Lily Allen), they mix up ‘heirs’ and ‘airs’. That’s not forgetting the constant ‘lets’ vs ‘let’s’ and ‘its’ vs it’s’. Elsewhere, they misspell ‘arctic’ and in a spread on Stephen Dorff, get the colour of his eyes wrong. Despite there being 3 full-page photos of him and his green-not-blue-eyes preceding the write-up.

‘Aged 35, has eyes of blue’ Cheers i-D

Hmph. Looks like it’s back to Dazed for me, so.

x
A