Trend Alert : Ear Cuff Candy...

I feel a Déjà vu moment coming on… anyone remember the 90s love affair with the ear cuff? Well for those of you who don't (which probably means you're too young, which also means that I sort of hate you...) dressing up your ears with punk attitude was kind of a big deal! As trends tend to, this fashion craze has come back around and in a bigger blingier way than ever which is quite simply music to our ears (see what I did there?!)!

When it comes to the human body, ears are probably one of the weirdest and most alien looking parts of the anatomy so any trend that looks to pimp them up has to be a trend worth embracing!

So who's ear cuffing? Well every man and his dog it would seem! Bloggers, A-listers, socialites, fashionistas and a hell of a lot of the Oscars attendees...

So lets start with the celebs and their bold and brave take on the latest lobe trend. We bought you the Oscars ear cuff adopters on Monday but look who else has been cuffing it...

The fash pack bloggers are also making a serious nod to this edgy ear bling craze...

And last but by no means least street stylers and magazine models...

Inspiration aside, with every fashion fad comes a set of must follow rules. We've collated the below ear cuff etiquette (ECE) which is imperative to consider when selecting your lobe-lustworthy styles to rock and working out exactly how to rock them... 

First rule : less is more - yes earrings come in pairs but ear cuffs don't and in this circumstance two is mostly definitely a crowd. Wear one statement piece and wear it with pride... decorate the other lobe with a plain stud so as not to detract from the star of the show.

Second rule : dress for the occasion - opt for embellished over-the-top bejewelled cuffs for red carpet occasions AKA parties or cocktails with the girls but dial down the look for daytime jaunts, think - plain metal and chain styles.

Third rule : give your piece some room to punch. Getting maximum impact  means a hair-off-your-face approach preferably rock an up-do so to show off your ear bling in all its glory.

Next, our pick of the best-of-the-best when it comes to ECs. We've pulled some beautiful blow-the-budget options and a handful of affordable, highstreet buys to whet your appetite...

Annelise Michelson Carnivorous Ear Cuff, £270

Zara, £1.99

Repossi, price on request

ASOS, £13.50

Ryan Storer, £260

Another Ryan Storer, £450

Adorning Ava, £8

Last up! We have Mini mouse modelling her take on the trend. Purchased from Baublebar during our weekend trip to NYC, she snapped this little beauty up for a mere £20. Check out the website for more styles here...

Printstagram Your Life...

Instagram is a recent obsession of mine, yeah yeah yeah some may say 'get with the programme' or you are 'late to the party' - agreed, in this case I have unarguably taken my good old sweet time in appreciating the snap happy craze. Regardless - I love it now.

YES taking photos with your eyes would be pretty awesome but not something that's likely to be possible in my lifetime SO for the time being I have to work with what I've got... It's not practical to always have my chunky DSLR handy to freeze beautiful moments so I rely day-to-day on my trusty Smartphone camera. After taking a shot I instinctively select a filter or a creative effect to make my picture look the best it can. It's second nature now and one that has been made easier with the invention of photography aps like Instagram. You can capture, stylise and share seamlessly in a few seconds flat.

All Instagram enthusiasts reading this will agree when I say there's nothing quite like that proud and glorious moment when you take a picture, transform it in Instragram, share it with the world and seconds later are rewarded with a flurry of likes and congratulatory comments from fellow followers ... 'wow what a shot' ... 'amazing picture' ... 'quite the photographer aren't we' ... If only that online minute of Instagram fame could live on in reality and be displayed for all to swoon over for ever more! Well I'm happy to say it can! Last week I read about the new Printstagr.am service which gives you the option of turning your Instagram masterpieces into a range of printed products. Tear-off calendars, posters, stickers and even coffee table books - neat huh?!

Images via www.printstagr.am

To mark this inspired idea, I have scoured the web and collected some of my all time favourite shots so sit back and check out my cream of the Instagram crop below... 

Images via www.pinterest.com

Crafts Mania...

Arts and crafts have always been a bit of a 3BM passion. Mummy Mouse was an artist and from a very young age us Mice spent many very happy (and very messy) hours drawing, painting and making things we'd seen on Blue Peter.

Potato printing and sticky back plastic aside, arts and crafts on a more pro level seem to have been going stellar recently with the introduction of online marketplaces like Notonthehighstreet, Etsy and Folksy. While the craftier amongst us have always created homemade loveliness, the internet now allows anyone with a talent and patience to make beautiful things to set up shop online and sell their handiwork to the world. Millions of people are now crafting niche novelties at home and there seems to be a huge appetite out there for all this bespoke craftsmanship. Many crafters create as a part-time job, a hobby or just as an opportunity to practice and refine a skill. Some sellers are stay-at-home parents, others students and some are even children! We would definitely much rather spend our money on unique, handmade items made with love and care than things churned out of factories in China.

So last weekend when our beautiful friend, Kimberley Rose, surprised us Mice with a little bit of homemade amazingness, we were pretty bowled over. We were handed a teeny matchbox-sized package which we opened up to find these three starring back up at us...

Our very own bespoke 3BadMice! You can imagine the squeals and squeaks of delight! Each felt mouse has been styled to reflect Mini, Middle and Biggy's fashion sense. Kim has dubbed Mini Mouse the 'cosy mouse' and has wrapped her up in dove grey cashmere with a statement gold necklace. Middle is 'party mouse' and is rocking a black and white polka dot dress with hot pink trim and a contrasting chunky jet black necklace. While Biggy has taken inspiration from VB and is 'posh mouse' of the pack in a brushed black silk cape with a bold as brass fastening button topped off with a fabulously fierce glitter collar! Not only are we dressed up better than Baby Harper and Suri Cruise, we also look like we've just come back from the Caribbean with tans to die for!!! 

If you love the handy work of Miss Kimba Rose as much as us Mice do, then get your requests in now! Contact her at kimberleyrosesander@googlemail.com or on Twitter @kimberoses with your individual requests and she will provide a quote and get to work! And, it's not just Mice that she makes, she has been known to create all sorts from bears to cats to Royalty... We'll leave you with some more snaps of Kim's past creations... 

Wedding bride and groom sitting proudly on top of a cheese tiered cake...

A birthday mouse with aged 30 balloon in hand..

A Halloween cat and creepy spiders...

A bow tie Birthday bear...

Kate & Will figurines at a British Royal wedding tea party...

Kimberley Rose
kimberleyrosesander@googlemail.com

Plastic Fantastic...

Perspex clutches seem to be the latest fashion craze and us mice are totally on board with this transparent trend! With the festive season fast approaching everyone needs a bit of perspex clutch candy in their lives so we've been doing our homework and have come up with three beauts to chose from all ranging in price. Check out our top three picks below...

See-through on a Shoestring...

...MNO.logie has the clutch of your dreams ready and waiting. Available to purchase on Etsy, all clutches are handmade, can be personalised and start from just £24.35 - too good to be true right?! With so many to choose from you'll be spoilt for choice AND the lovely lady behind the brand has created a special 10% off discount code for all our blog readers! Just type the code 3BADMICE when you get to the checkout and the discount will be applied! 

Transparent Steal...

...Klear Klutch has come up trumps with a cross between a clutch and a school homework folder! A snip at just £59.99 - see you don't always have to splash the cash to look fabulous! If you're not digging the totes see through look, you can always pop a material clutch inside to hide your belongings - perhaps a little chicer to maintain some mystery and keep your party-look maintenance essentials hidden away! It's only available in one colour at the moment, but I think you'll agree it's a Klear winner!

Crystal Clear...

If you're splurging, the Charlotte Olympia Pandora is the perspex clutch box for you! The Pandora comes with three cute inserts in fierce leopard, timeless black and glizty gold and features a beautiful enamel crystal spider clasp paying homage to the Charlotte Olympia web logo. Not cheap at £595 but look ladies, you're essentially getting three for the price of one so when you work it out, you're actually paying £198 per clutch ... now doesn't that seem more affordable?!