One of the biggest struggles I've found when switching to a more handmade, ethical wardrobe from independent shops is finding those shops. The big brands have big budgets and a lot of visibility, you can barely browse the web or even Pinterest without their ads popping up showing you the latest items in their shop--this also makes it harder to resist those impulse purchases! Thankfully through Instagram I've been fortunate enough to stumble across a number of smaller, independent shops through one way or another. Sometimes it's through friends recommendations and sometimes it's when a lovely Instagrammer you've followed for years starts her own fashion label, which is the case with Revintaria, a nature and vintage inspired line based out of Poland. Even if I didn't already follow Alice on Instagram I would have found her shop eventually as a few people have commented on her clothes tagging me saying I would like the designs--and I do! Their clothes are made in classic styles using natural fabrics and finished with the loveliest details, like the Georgiana blouse I'm wearing with the most gorgeous leaf embroidery and delicate cuffs. Each design in their collection feels thoughtful and personal. The Aurora midi skirt is simple enough to pair with almost any blouse, but detailed enough with the double buckles, lace trim, and delicate patterning to feel special. For spring Revintaria has released several lovely peasant blouses, more classic midi skirts in forest green and mustard, and a few cottagecore perfect dresses as well. The sizing is also surprisingly inclusive for such a small and new brand; sizes start at xs and run up to xxxl and you can also get custom orders on some styles as well (see more on their IG stories or message them to enquire). Additionally they plant a tree for every piece purchased! Honestly it's a lovely little brand that I hope to see continue to grow and flourish in the coming years. We took these pictures at the foot of the Mourne Mountains between some of the many twisting stone walls in that region with the gorse in full bloom. The gorse blooms almost all year round, hence the old saying "when the gorse is out of bloom, kissing's out of season." I only learnt this year that gorse flowers are also edible! The rest of the plant is not considered edible, but petals can be turned into simple syrups or cordials. You can recognize gorse from other variations by the distinct coconut scent of the flowers--it's honestly so strong and sweet smelling. It always feels a bit odd to me to be surrounded by that heady tropical, coconut scent when in the much colder climate of Ireland with mist clinging to the mountains in the background.  

I just added a new preset pack to my shop and this is a special one because it's a sampling of all my favorite presets from previous packs. Not only are these my favorites but they're also the ones that have been the highest rated, used, and recommended by my testers and buyers. This pack features twelve unique presets that are a combination of warmer and cooler edits, more autumnal tones and spring tones--which means it's perfect if you're not sure how seasonally driven your content is or if you just want a pack that you can use year round. You can purchase the Lightroom desktop or Lightroom mobile version of this pack in my shop for £24 (around $32). The Lightroom mobile version is also compatible with the free version of Lightroom mobile and both packs come with instructions on how to use them. Here's a few of my favorites from the favorite pack in action. "Golden hour" is one of my absolute favorite and most-used presets no matter the season. It's designed to bring a bit of golden hour glow to even the flattest images and does a great job of creating depth and making colors pop. It's originally part of my Summer Preset Pack, but now one of the twelve featured presets in the new Favorites Pack. It's kind to greens, slightly warm, and adds a lot a lovely contrast to images. "Cherry Blossom" is a really lovely pastel preset originally from my Spring Preset Pack. I use this preset so much throughout spring and summer to bring out the best in soft blossom pictures. It's very gentle and green toned; I think it gives a lot of photographs an almost painterly effect as well. "Shade" is one of my most subtle and natural presets. Many presets are designed to be a bit strong because the user can always personally adjust to make them softer or less intense, but Shade is one that is naturally very gentle but can still take a photograph to the next level. It's designed to mimic shade and adds a nice bit of depth and richness to every photograph you use it on without ever being "too much."

I hope you love these presets as much as I do and click here to shop the Favorites Presets Pack!

Last summer I asked if selkiecore was a thing. With all of the different aesthetics emerging I felt like selkiecore could be a really lovely one. I love selkies because they are such a fun mix of seaside, nautical aesthetics and folklore. The post feels like a good visual to describe that aesthetic, although I think it also is reminiscent of old tales of merrows and other sea creatures as well. Selkies are seal-beings that can shed their seal skin and walk on land as humans. Female selkies in folk stories were always having their seal skins stolen by fishermen who then forced them to be their wives. Inevitably though like most stories between mortals and fae, the selkie would find her seal skin again, usually through her children and she'd disappear into the sea never to be seen again. Other stories focus on the male selkies, handsome dark haired and eyed men who wed humans but are so tied to the sea they can only visit land every seven years. The nature of all selkies stories is a bit dark--stolen cloaks, forced brides, and the call of the sea that supersedes all. I imagine as an aesthetic selkiecore would be slightly dark--the frightening depths of the ocean, the gleam of a lighthouse through a wild storm, wind-beaten shores, and thick aran sweaters. When I had the opportunity to shoot these lovely crocheted pieces by Absenta Accessories they immediately reminded me of the seaside and old folk tales. The crocheted triangular shawl in shimmering silver yarn reminded me of nets spelled to capture mermaids or other secrets from the sea. I loved how the pieces felt like netting but also armor. Wrist warmers usually remind me of frail Jane Austen characters knitting in a corner or sent to the seaside for their health, but the way Absenta Accessories makes them they remind me of armored wrist cuffs. All of her pieces have a bit of a mystical feeling, taking traditional handicraft and weaving a bit of magic into each accessory. Her crocheted tiaras are a lovely new addition in her shop; soft but elegant. She also makes lovely collars as well. It was such a pleasure shooting her accessories and discovering her work; I really love opportunities like this to discover traditional craftsmanship and feature different independent shops. She was also kind enough to create a discount for us; use code ACLOTHESHORSE15 for 15% off in her shop. I also loved all the different ways you could style this shawl. Here's just a few different styles, but it could also be styled as a hair scarf, or wound in other ways. Whenever I get a new piece I try to imagine a few different ways I would style or what else I can wear with them. The scallop edged wrist cuffs will look so chic peeking out of coats and long sleeve dresses in autumn and winter.  I don't often feel like a character in a book or fairytale (my life is far too mundane for that!) but style-wise I would aspire to dressing like a character from a folktale. These pieces helped elevate a white dress into something more magical. A merrow maid caught in a net? A selkie wandering the shore looking for her seal sisters still in the sea? wearing Staud dress, Absenta Accessories shawl, wrist warmers, and crocheted crown. PS You can just the code ACLOTHESHORSE15 for 15% off in Absenta Accessories shop.

I’m not a huge fan of fairytale retellings—at least not of the standard fairytales. Frankly there’s just so many versions of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella, and those fairytales only represent a tiny percentage of the fairytales in existence. I love re-tellings of lesser known fairytales because those feel fresh and are less familiar. I mean why is no one writing about selkies or Baba Yaga? There are more fairytales than the ones Disney has already adapted...And so many modern re-tellings depend too heavily on the source material and even the reader’s comprehension of the former tale; the usual update is add a bit more sass or trauma or maybe swords...I say this because if I had known To Kill A Kingdom was a retelling of The Little Mermaid I probably wouldn’t have read it…but I’m really glad I didn’t know because this is one retelling that is worth your time! It was so freshly told and original and the writing style was descriptive and evocative that it’s one re-telling that felt like it added to the mythology and didn't require any knowledge of the previous story to appreciate. The style of writing really elevated it from a re-telling into its own unique story that stands on its own merit. Instead of mermaid Ariel we have a siren Lira who murders princes and steals their heart. Instead of Prince Eric we have pirate-prince Elian who is hunting sirens. It’s hard to give this book justice without pulling direct quotes because it is that evocative, lively writing style that does such masterful world-building and suspense. For me that’s what I look for in a story—it’s more than just plot or characters, it’s descriptive writing that makes me feel immersed in another world and To Kill A Kingdom does that so brilliantly I want to seek out everything else Alexandra Christo has written. It’s dark, it’s clever, and reading it will take you on a journey into dangerous waters of bloodthirsty sirens and renegade princes.

I started following a few different foragers and “wild eaters” on Tiktok and they’ve really inspired me to explore my woodland areas a bit more thoroughly. I always think of foraging when spring is in full swing or even in autumn, but it turns out there are a lot of edible plants in winter and spring too; some mushrooms that emerge in frozen ground and hardy greens undeterred by winter chills or snowfall. Here are four fairly easy to identify edible plants I was able to find in my local woodlands not ten minutes from my house!