Q #7

I have yet to read anything with Margaret Atwood. I download the Handmaiden's Tale audiobook a long time ago, but always put it on when I am sleepy and never get past a certain point. This quite makes me want to give a physical copy a go, because it perfectly sums up my visual hunger for the world, and how I devour things like Pinterest, blogs, Tumblr and magazines.

just pinterest things

glastonbury tor | flat peaches | blackberry jam | blueberry orange ice lolly recipe
flower crowns | ideas for quilts | illustrations of beluga whales | birds eggs

blue tiled bathrooms | portuguese houses | colour-work mittens | the perfect fair isle sweater

(links are to my boards where the image sources can be found!)

I've had a couple of sick days this week, today and yesterday I have felt like death warmed up - I was caught in the rain in London on Tuesday, and I think it gave me a cold. Today I woke up late after not sleeping well, rushed into work, found out they really didn't need me, and had to deal with a complete asshole at 9AM... I was home by 9.10AM, and I think I needed that. 

The rest of the day was spent napping and sneezing intermittently on the sofa, wrapped in my lovely quilt, which me and my mother have taken to calling my blankie cause I've had it wrapped around me all day...

Anyway, I apologise if you follow me on Pinterest - I have literally spent most of the day hunting down things I want to eat, things I want to make, things I want to do this summer, and summery pictures - my apologies if I spammed you with jam, I have a serious thing for jam and the smell of sugar and fruit cooking in the kitchen. 

Don't forget to link me to your Pinterest accounts, please! I go through phases with it but I am fully obsessed with hunting down the perfect summer recipes at the moment.

showertime scents - korres shower-gel

If there is something I can never resist, it is getting something for free, and Waitrose currently have the amazing Korres shower-gels on offer: two for one. They had the same offer about a year ago, and I quickly snapped up four of them (shh, I know it's overkill, but they're literally the best shower-gels I've ever tried). A couple of weeks ago I realised I was down to my last one, and what perfect timing it was to see them on offer again. I got my favourite scent - Basil Lemon - and a few other new ones to try. I literally haven't found one that I don't like, even their Japanese Rose version (I'm not really into florals) was amazing. 

They are really rich feeling on the skin with good oils that moisturise the skin beautifully, and full of good ingredients in pretty packaging; I love the different designs on each one and how they list their contents so simply, great for people who might be allergic to something, or who want Vegan/Vegetarian products, etc. The Bergamot Pear and the Guava are just sweet enough without being too over powering or childish, and the Basil Lemon is the perfect sharp, citrus scent that I want for a summery body-wash. The Vanilla Cinnamon smells like Christmas and Autumn, and every scented candle I buy between October and February, so I'm saving that for later in the year. I also really love their Fig and Mango scents, too, they're great little luxury treats to use every day when you jump in the shower in a rush.

The only place I've seen these where I live is in Waitrose, if you want to smell them in person - but a quick google tells me that some of them are also on offer at feelunique.co.uk for the same price - I highly recommend having a look if you're in the market, they're on they more expensive side for a body-wash at £8.00, but at £4.00 you cannot go wrong.

Have you tried these, what did you think? 

the dog in the bluebells

It's a very wet, miserable bank holiday Monday, here, today - I somehow wrangled the day off work last minute (normally I have to work bank holidays) and now I have nothing to do because the weather is awful and I planned nothing. I went to see a local textile exhibition with my mum this morning which had some cool stuff in, but now I'm sat here, listening to a bit of the latest Must Stash podcast, and trying to tackle the pile of laundry in my bedroom, exciting stuff. 

I thought I would give you some slightly nicer photographs than that lovely image, from when me and my friend Amy took her dog to the local bluebell wood last week. I've been to the area so many times, I had two friends that lived a hundred metres from the wood, but never knew it was there until Amy showed me. Her lovely pup, Monty, who I think is just the funniest dog loved it, and we tried to get him to sit and look cute in the grass but he wasn't really having it. The sun came out for a bit, but then it started raining and we hurried home, but it was really lovely finding a hidden little treasure like that.. I think the bluebells are gone, now, but I'll be sure to enjoy them again next year.

(PS - the title of this post reminds me of those Animal Ark books I used to love when I was a kid - did anyone else read them? I was obsessed with them.. haha)

weekend wanderings #18

(images from benjoyment.tumblr.com, honeycomb-studio.com, and spoon-tamago.com)

• I live with my parents, and my mother bought this fancy new food processor - and as soon as I knew it was coming I just wanted to make all the things that involve the blender that was in the post.. We opened it last night and immediately made some mango and berry smoothies that were so good! I wanted to try having more green smoothies, because I love spinach and kale and that, and thought it would be fun to try this particular recipe, I stumbled upon, on Pinterest. Citrus and coriander is an amazing combination, I really can't wait to try it.
• The post, What Am I Doing? by Daisybutter really resonated with me this week - it is exactly how I feel about what I'm doing with my life at the moment, and how to deal with those incessant questions about why I am still living at home, what am I doing there, etc, etc... Just go and read it. 
• Unretouched photographs of the varying colour-shades of lightening, the most perfect photographs.
• These photographs of the most beautiful house in Mexico by a Japanese artichect - the blog, Spoon and Tamago, will tell you more, but it makes me want to emigrate, immediately.
• There's this husky that sits like a cat - you're welcome.
• An interesting article about the inside of a psychoanalysts office - something that intrigues me. I have very strong memories about doctors offices and therapists rooms' but I've never been to see a psychoanalyst, so it's interesting to compare the two.
• I always think that when I'm a 'grown-up' I will have beautiful ceramics in my house - and these are the sort I would die for - earthy tones with little hints of gilt, absolutely beautiful.
• I drove past the kelpies on the motorway when I was in Scotland and wish I knew more about them, they're gigantic, and it was lovely to see these photographs by knitting designer Kate Davies pop up on my dashboard.
• alohallo.blogspot.de is my favourite blog find this week - beautiful photographs of sunshine and summery places that make me want to travel, as usual!

planning party dresses

(images from asos.com)

Despite the fact I used to post a lot about fashion on here - I feel like I have stopped caring a lot about the things I put on my body these days. I basically live in a uniform of black (continued on from my university days where it was useful to hide the ink stains) and dressing up consists of putting on an unstained pair of jeans or trousers and a smart blouse. 

That said, there are parties quickly approaching that I will have to look presentable at and I thought I would treat myself to something new, and something colourful, for a change. I've resorted to ASOS, because as much as I can't stand their awful customer service, they do have brands that I like and a good selection of bigger sized clothes. 

I need two dresses, one for my dad's 60th birthday party, and one for a casual birthday party of my own with a few close friends. I'm thinking the blue or the green will be perfect for my dads 'do, one of the red and orange dresses for mine - I've got these lovely platform heels I haven't had a chance to wear yet. 

But as is the way with these things, they could get here and be awful! I will keep you posted, because I know you're all hanging on the edge of your seat there. 

Q #6

A short note, today: a reminder that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

spring sunshine

Maybe it's because I was born at this time of year, but I always feel like there is something like excitement in the air when things start getting warmer - like everyone is anticipating the summer and what that brings. The recent warm weather has got me itching for summer, and working all weekend felt awful - when I clocked off at 4PM I raced home to sit in the garden with a jug of iced tea and some lovely music whilst my mum got a BBQ ready. Everyday this week I've been driving down to the gym and there are these amazing rows of cow-parsley and hawthorne trees which both have this beautifully creamy white and green colour - my absolute favourite colour combination. Together, everything just makes me feel like I'm on the tipping point between spring and summer and like things are looking up. But who knows..

loop london visit

A week ago I went to London to visit Laura, a fellow knitter with a lovely blog, and we took a jaunt to Loop, in Islington. She had been before, but I had only seen their stand at the Knitting and Stitching show at Ally Pally, but never visited their store before, despite being in that bit of London so often. It was such a cute shop, with a really great selection of yarn - lots of American/foreign yarns that are actually quite hard to find over here.
I indulged in a little bit of Madeline Tosh sock-yarn - mostly because it was such a bright, fluorescent highlighter yellow that caught my eye. Basically, screw tasteful yarns in subtle colours haha. The staff there were super lovely, very helpful and just very nice, and it was such a welcoming little shop. I sometimes feel a little bit out of place in hipster-y places, but not there in the slightest. I loved their little bags with the bunny (hare?) on and have been carrying around my current project in it at the moment, along with a set of pom-pom makers I also picked up at Loop, which were so cheap! All I need now is a reason to make pom-poms..
Let me know if you have been to Loop, or your favourite LYS! 

sponsor uncia and tigris!

 

Over the last few months, I have been trying to make my blog into something I really love, and I think I have finally got there. A little while ago I changed all the colours and the links on my blog, but yesterday I had a fiddle about with my logo and came across something I really loved, and I thought I would show it off to you and encourage you to have a little look and see what you think.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to talk about something I am trialling on my blog - sponsorships! I thought I would give this ago, and see if there is any interest in it.

The ads are run through Passionfruit, which I have heard good things about, are very cheaply priced as I am not a huge blog, but I know there are lots of smaller craft, knitting, beauty and such blogs that might like a little bit more exposure - thought it would be nice to give smaller blogs, like mine, a chance! 

Pretty much any blogs, websites or businesses (yarn or etsy shops too!) are welcome, as long as they fit in line with what my blog is about, so please check out my Sponorship page and don't hesitate to email me with any questions! 

weekend wanderings #17

(images from joythebaker.com, foodrecipeshq.com and ohhappyday.com)

After doing a sort of themed WW last week - I realised that a lot of the things I've been devouring, so to speak, this week, have been food related.. Anyway, whilst I'm sat here in the garden, very full from the first barbeque of the year, it was so good, here is what I've been wanting to eat..

• I've seen lots of recipes this week that are pistachio-crusted something, and it's left me with a serious craving for pistachios. When I saw this pistachio crusted asparagus I really wanted to try it out - along with a pistachio-crusted salmon that I've seen - it also makes me want to give asparagus another go (I couldn't get on board with it before) because it looks so good.
• I really enjoy couscous when other people make it - I can't seem to get the right consistency, which is irritating. I'm definitely trying this vegetarian quinoa chilli this week - Tuesday I think - I have all the ingredients and it looks so good.
• On a list of things I really like are honey + hexagons - A Beautiful Mess combined these to make amazing honeycomb sugar cookies, which look so pretty. 
• All I want at the moment is iced things - I'm making up lots of ice-cubs and shoving them in everything and these summer slushes look like they'd hit the spot exactly (not to mention how much I'm craving a perfect iced-coffee).
• I've been consuming so much salad now I'm on my diet that I think I am keeping my local in cucumber and tomatos singlehandedly... This salad with grapefruit, honey, berries and mint is a fruit salad, really, but you could chuck some salad leaves in there too, I love a mixture of bitter and sweet.
• The food processor we use at home recently broke, and why is that as soon as that happens, I want to make a hundred ice-lollies and smoothies and need a blender? I bought some silicone ice-lolly moulds because I never have much luck with the old fashioned kind, and have been hunting down ideas for it - these 'firecracker' ones and these variegated ones look so good - particularly the coconut ones..
• And finally, a really love post over on Lyzi's blog about a birthday picnic which just looks really sweet - I'm only a little bit jealous of how cute her wicker hamper is..

Q #5

I think a lot of twenty-somethings can identify with these words by Prado - I am one of them - but it is something more than that, describing a strange state within yourself when you're on the verge of change (whether that is age related or not). A tipping point wherein it can be a struggle to connect two parts of yourself, to align those halves - at a loss for a solution, you just keep going forward, in the vain hope that you'll achieve an outcome. I feel very much like this at this stage of my life. A post-graduation, part-time worker malaise is very much present, making me find it hard to remember what I really want, splitting me down the middle: "that point when there is more you do not care about and less and less you do".

taking stock #1

I first saw this post over on Fill My Little World, and saw that it was a regular thing over on Meet Me At Mike blog, and thought it could be a cute little thing to post today, as I'm not really up to much and have just been pottering about the house after a bit of a rough night.

Making: a new hat (pictured above) - which has worked its way onto my needles.
Cooking: butternut squash canneloni, for dinner.
Drinking: water, I'm trying to challenge myself to drink more every day.
Reading: Leviathan by Phillip Hoare.
Wanting: it to be sunny again tomorrow, so I can go and do something!
Looking: put my window and appreciating the sunshine.
Playing: catch-up on sleep.
Wasting: time before going to work later (boo).
Deciding: whether or not to bother with makeup before work..
Wishing: for hot summer days.
Enjoying: my new Aladdin water bottle, recommended by Gemma.
Waiting: for dinner to be cooked.
Loving: the fact I finished my Lopi sweater!
Hoping: work tonight will run smoothly, because I feel a little rough.
Needing: a holiday.
Smelling: a Citrus and Cilantro candle and my neighbours freshly-cut lawn.
Wearing: my gym stuff, still!
Thinking: about the moment, for a change. Normally my head is caught up in worrying about the future.
Hearing: my neighbours gossiping outside.
Feeling: a little achy after convincing myself the gym was a good idea (it probably wasn't).
Admiring: newly knitted things.
Buying: birthday presents for everyone else - brothers, dads, friends, etc.
Getting: itchy feet - I feel like I have been in the same place for too long.

lazy london

Whenever I go up to London, I always seem to be in a rush. I don't know why, but it just happens that way - I'm either rushing to get a train, for an appointment, to visit someone or something. It's rare that I have an easy day in the city, but last week it was exactly that. I woke up early enough to not have to rush to the station, got a train ahead of time, and wasn't late meeting Laura - all good things. I haven't seen her in several years, but she recently found out her visa was approved for Canada, and she will be emigrated in a month or so, so it was high time we caught up. We went to Loop in Islington, somewhere I've wanted to visit for a while, and had an amazing breakfast at The Breakfast Club, surrounded by awkward hipsters. We then had a little stroll along the south-bank, got some ice-lolly's and sat in the sunshine, which was really lovely. (I also got to browse the new Foyles in Waterloo station as I had to hang about there for my train, which was cool.) 

There really is something about London in the sunshine, it just makes me feel like summer is just around the corner...

weekend wanderings #16

(photos from itsnicethat.com, post-impressionisms.tumblr.com and theweaverhouse.com)

• I think I have posted about SF Girl By Bay's Real Art for a Ficticious World series before, but I absolutely adored two recent instalments of it - for Sam and Suzy from Moonrise Kingdom and for Sandy from Grease.
• This link has been all over my Facebook feed at the moment (I guess thats what happens when a bunch of your friends are artists) but a Dutch artist in the 1600's made himself a colour swatch book for himself, which I find so cool. The Colossal article has some good photos but there is a fully scanned copy of the book over here. 
• There is a new Tauba Auerbach exhibition on at the ICA in London - she's an artist I studied at university and I really loved her work then, but never got a chance to see any of it for myself. It's there until the middle of June, so I'm going to have to make a mental note to get there and see it before it closes!
• These Russian landscape paintings are so beautiful - by an artist I've never even heard of, either - Arkhip Kuindzhi.
• It's Nice That  posted some photos of this amazingly designed Anish Kapoor book - and there was another one a couple of years ago. I'm annoyed that I've never seen them until now, because they're so stunning! 
• Some giant stars in the desert that appeared for Burning Man a couple of years back are really beautiful. There's even a whole Tumblr for it, which is lovely.
• Emily Katz's home is thing of beauty - and envy, mostly envy. It's everything I would want in my future home, light and airy with lots of plants, books and textiles.
• And an art-blog this week as my links are all sort of art related today - The Jealous Curator which is a blog where every post has something beautiful.

Q #4

I find books very interesting on a more conceptual level - probably part of the reason why I like Borges so much. I don't really want to pick this one apart too much, but there is something intriguing about how a book can create so many similar universes in one volume. If you are yet to read anything by Borges, I would strongly urge Labyrinths, a collection of short stories by him.

If you haven't yet, check out my current reads post from this week, I'm in the middle of Leviathan and finished The Chrysalids on Thursday, and found it really amazing. This week or next I'd like to do a book-tag that I've seen on Youtube.. 

current reads: whales and wyndhams

These two books have been sitting on my bedside table (well, the shelf above my bed!) for a few weeks, but I'm trying to make a conscious effort to get through them this week. It's not that I'm not interested in them, I just keep forgetting that they're there when I'm in the middle of making a quilt and knitting my current sweater. 

Leviathan, or The Whale is a non-fiction novel about one mans relationship with whales and the sea, and it's full of such amazingly interesting information, it's one of those charity shop finds that has been so good.

One of my favourite book-tubers (youtubers that talk about books, weirdly enough) Sanne Vliegenthart aka Books and Quills, recommended The Chrysalids, and it sounded right up my street. My mum dug out this pretty old copy with an awesome cover (the cool thing about having a nerdy mother is the great amount of seventies-eighties science-fiction book covers I can unearth in our house..

What are you reading at the moment?

happy housewarming

This week I have taken up residence in my mothers sewing room - which is basically just my little brothers room whilst he's away at university. I haven't sewn anything since I made that quilt for myself last year, which is still one of my my most favourite things, ever. I remember showing it to my friends when they came over and they loved it - mostly because it is made from flannel and brushed cotton, which makes it amazingly soft, and the perfect snuggly blanket slash throw when you're having a duvet day, feeling sick, or just getting a bit chilly whilst watching TV. 

That said, one of my best friends is moving out of home for the first time, and I wanted to get her and her partner something special for their home, and thought making a mini-version that they can have over the back of their sofa, for example, would be really nice. I picked a bunch of these beautiful woven flannels that I thought would suit her, but would also suit her boyfriends tastes, as they're noting too offensive! I'll keep you updated on the progress..!

weekend wanderings #15

(images from itsnicethat.com, overv.eu, and juxtapoz.com)

• Twitter friend and Youtuber,  Gemma, recommended this game in one of her monthly favourite videos - and I sat and played it in one sitting, it was so amazing. I really want to download it on my mums iPad, just so I can play it on a bigger screen - Monument Valley is one of the most beautifully designed games I've ever played, and highly recommend it! That link also has some cool concept illustrations, which are awesome.
• Normcore is a thing I'm pretty sure doesn't exist, except in a particular kind of fashion blogger types. I was trying to explain it as a thing to my mother in Tesco the other day, and could point out a bunch of people who were 'normcore'. I'm so tempted to get the add-on listed at the end of the page.. 
• I'm sure there are a thousand websites or photographers like Daily Overview, but photographs of the earth from above fascinate me, particularly if they're really geometric or man-made. This is of the Great Wall of China, but they're are so many amazing ones.
• Original Star Wars concept illustrations are great - so stylised and cool. Makes me want to re-watch the films, which I haven't done in a while.
• How awesome does this Green Tea skin-drink look? I like green tea flavoured things but I'm not a giant fan of green tea itself.. I don't know, but I want to try it!
• I went shopping with my friend Amy on Friday, and she was looking for a bikini - I came home and read this article about how bikini-season and summer have become conflated, which bothers me. I love summer - I hate bikinis and swimming costumes and short shorts and how if I dare to ware leggings or jeans in the summer or God forbid, long-sleeved shirts, I get weird looks and questions that are inappropriate. And no, it's not because I'm fat or have lumps and bumps where there should be toned flesh, it's because it's none of your business! I feel strongly about this, clearly..
• A blog I found via a bunch of clicking of links today is the theweaverhouse.blogspot.co.uk, a blog from a pair of photographers and designers, and it's the most beautiful thing ever, as is their Instagram.

Q #3

Today probably doesn't need much interpretation, but it is something I learnt in a very hard way this year and last. It doesn't sound that positive, the need for change. However, I realised something (in a horrible way) about myself, something I have struggled with for all my life, and it was like a switch had been pressed, and I could progress forwards. It's weird how that works sometimes.

tweedy

Sublime Yarns - Luxurious Aran Tweed

I bought these skeins a while back on sale from Hobbycraft, they're such amazing colours but I haven't thought of anything to make with them, yet. They're super bright in real life, both of them have colour from the other running through it, which I think is really cool. I'm not sure what to make from it - I'm thinking perhaps a cowl, as I've had Cupido sitting in my favourites for a few days and I keep going back to it, I really love the stitch pattern. (I have a Honey Cowl queued too - but I'm saving that for a another yarn..)  I'm not sure how I'd incorporate the two colours, though, perhaps with a purple border? I don't want to make a hat, though, I have a hundred of them and I don't need any more at the moment... Let me know if you have any suggestions for patterns, I'd love to hear them!