7 things and Irishwomen "wouldn't know style if it tottered up to them in 10-inch heels"

I've received a Stylish Blogger Award from the lovely Hattie over on Inside the mind of a Discoball. Merci beaucoup m'dear! As many of you will have seen over the past few weeks, I'm to share seven things about myself:

 
1. My name is Elizabeth - my Mum's Betty. I really like the tradition of passing on first names. Elizabeth's probably a great name to do this with - so many great versions and diminutives.

2. I've met my idol - the luminously beautiful actress and animal lover Tippi Hedren. Just last year in the BFI, London. My husband very sweetly waited in line until everyone else had gone home to cajole her into writing a dedication to me on my own film still of her as Melanie in The Birds (fans had been warned not to do this, sorry Tips). Bless him. And good on you, Tippi. It made my month.

3. My favourite film is Hitchcock's The Birds. I love everything about it - Melanie's chirpiness and cocksure attitude, her wonderful wardrobe, the lovebirds, the bay, the thrilling suspense, the mysterious ending. And I am not one bit scared of birds. I LOVE them. I also quite recently enjoyed Birdemic, aka the worst - and therefore surely the funniest - film ever made. If it ever hits a picturehouse near you, go. I nearly laughed my contact lenses off.

4. I am a Tabasco demon. It's as addictive as crack and makes everything taste, well, of its peppery hit, but I do sometimes wonder if I should bring it around with me in my handbag, in case a morsel of bland food comes my way during the day.

5. I LOVE animals. Especially cats. I often talk (excitedly) to my husband about getting a kitten when we move to a place with a garden. In fact, from time to time I daydream about coming home to a fluffball kitten. Youtube is often mined by me for its cute cat videos. If that's sad, I don't care.This is my absolute favourite:

You've prob already seen it, but if not, as Sarah Misfits would say, "You're welcome".

6. But I am also a dog person. I do like all kinds, but my favourites are big dogs. I grew up on a farm with my beautiful dog Jolson, who died at 14, almost three years ago. I was inconsolable but I knew he was a good age for his breed and couldn't go on.

My parents then got a new sheepdog, Jackson, around a year later - he's as bold as brass and a completely different personality from dear old Jolson, the sweetest and calmest dog in the world. Look at little Jackson here, with his velveteen squeaky hamburger.

 
7. I have a pathetic IKEA addiction. For someone into vintage and secondhand, I should probably be quite ashamed. Also, I don't have a car, which really ups my victim status, I feel. Yes, that's right - I take a torturous 40-minute bus ride and head out to IKEA on my own, for what I believe to be some quality me-time. I'm as happy as Larry wandering slowly around the little showhome bits, looking forward to some cheapo grub halfway through. And then I drag all my awkward flat-pack purchases back on the bus home. Life-affirming.

 Just some recent IKEA purchases - I ALWAYS need "storage solutions"

Are you still there? Good on you. Just a pic of yesterday's comfy outfit - complete with my newest bargain, a Paul Costelloe diffusion line cashmere scarf (€25 down to €5). Yes, it was the Irish designer Paul Costelloe who infamously uttered the quote in my post's title, around the late 1990s. What a muppet. Nice scarf though.

 Details

Vintage sweater: Guerrisol, Paris

Jeans: Primark

 Shoes: River Island, gift

Socks: Urban Outfitters, via Oxfam

Scarf: Paul Costelloe for Dunnes, sale

Vintage bag: Free'p'star, Paris

I pass this award on to whoever feels stylish today!