Polly Frances Elizabeth

Tulips

2012-01-22T00:05:00.001Z

My boyfriend bought me these lovely tulips earlier in the week. They are a bit past their best now, but still really pretty.

Tulips are one of my favourite flowers, I think I like the shape of them. I particularly like the colours of these ones- I adore red tulips, and variegated ones. It's nice to have a mix of colours rather than having to choose one.

The jug I have used for the tulips is one my dad gave me, I think he found it in a charity shop. It came with a bowl which I'm planning to use as a fruit bowl. It has little terracotta coloured flowers and leaves on so it goes really well with the walls, and it looks very vintage, so it's exactly my kind of thing.

This has just reminded me of some tulip fabric I have tucked away somewhere, I will have to dig it out!

Leopard Print Kanzashi

2012-01-18T19:30:00.001Z

I have been experimenting with making tsumami kanzashi recently. Kanzashi are traditional Japanese hair ornaments, which are mostly worn by geisha, but are also worn with kimono for formal occasions or as a fashion accessory. Tsumami kanzashi seem to be the most popular, and are made from folded squares of fabric. They seem to be enjoying a renaissance with the spread of Japanese inspired fashions, and you can find lots of tutorials online. I used the one at Vivcore, and I encourage looking at the rest of her site, she has some incredible designs.

As I haven't been making these for long, I still have a lot of improvements to make to my technique, but I was pretty pleased with these. They are leopard print and black satin plum blossoms, which I gave to my friend Anna for Christmas. I can't wait to make more, I plan to have a whole rainbow of them!

Field of Light

2012-01-18T00:05:00.001Z

A couple of weekends ago I went to look at the Field of Light installation at the Holburne Museum in Bath. The installation was by Bruce Munro and was apparently inspired by the blooming of desert flowers after rain. I didn't really care what it was inspired by, I just thought it was absolutely stunning!

Thousands of glowing lights on stalks were scattered across the gardens of the Museum, like alien flowers.

They slowly changed colour from red to pink to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple to white and back again.

A rainbow of lights.

There were even lights in the cafe. It was a wonderful way of brightening up a cold, dark winter night.

Unfortunately the Field of Light has gone now, but the Holburne is still well worth a visit. I was very impressed by their controversial extension, it was quite beautiful. I still pine for the old cafe, which was housed in a tiny summerhouse in the garden, but I think the extension has actually added to, not detracted from, the original building.

New Year

2012-01-01T23:37:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

This is my Japanese inspired New Year decoration, consisting of some faux plum blossoms in various colours, a sparkly pom pom twig from Primark, a homemade pom pom bamboo twig, some origami cranes and some vintage Japanese doll's fans. The unfortunately shiny picture in the background is of a lady in a kimono with a drum, it was from an out of date calendar but the pictures were so pretty I kept them.

I have so many hopes and dreams for 2012, I hope that for me and everyone else it is even more sparkly, colourful and filled with lovely things than this picture!

Belated Merry Christmas! & Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T20:39:00.000Z

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! This is my tiny Christmas tree which I somehow managed to keep living from last year. I hope it sticks around for next Christmas too!

I'm really looking forward to 2012 and making some much needed changes in my life. I have already made a lot of changes this year-I got together with my boyfriend, moved house (into my own place rather than living with relatives) and cities, and changed jobs, which has all been very positive. I plan to build on this in the year ahead and I am feeling optimistic.

I hope everyone has a lovely New Year's and that 2012 brings lots of good things! Thank you for reading my ramblings, I really do appreciate it.

Falling Leaves

2011-12-12T22:19:00.002Z

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...The Last Roundup

2011-12-05T23:35:00.000Z

I have been a very bad blogger recently! In my defence I have been quite busy and very tired-cold weather makes me even sleepier than usual. I also failed to wear a different pair of shoes every day. Heels just aren't practical for work, and with the winter drawing in the siren's call of the faux ugg boot lured me in on too many occasions! I did wear a wider variety of shoes than usual though, and thought I'd share the ones I did manage to wear.

Boots-Ebay. These are my favourite boots, I love them!

T-bar heels-Barratts. I like these for a '20s/'30s look.

More t-bar heels-New Look. My boyfriend bought me these, he has good taste!

Red heels-Dune. These are my personal ruby slippers and have been slightly ruined from repeated wearing in sticky floored clubs. I still adore them though.

Faux uggs-Primark. I rejected these at first, as I thought they were...well, ugly! My exact words at the time were "I can't, they're just too hideous!". Then I got cold feet. Now I am rather fond of them.

Despite failing my own challenge (the shame!) I did feel more inspired to wear different shoes and outfits. I definitely want to do more outfit posts on here, hopefully including lots of clothing I've made myself. And I still have so many pairs of shoes to wear!

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 13-Polkadots and Pattern

2011-11-14T13:41:00.001Z

Day 13 was unusually warm, so I took the opportunity to wear sandals and a dress. It did feel very odd wearing sandals and no tights in November though!

The dress was made by me, using a gorgeous printed jersey fabric. I love the shape of this dress and plan to make more, it's very flattering. The skirt is almost a circle skirt and is cut on the bias so it falls beautifully and twirls out if I spin around in it. The bust of the dress is ruched and crosses over at the front.

My shoes were polka dot sandals, extremely high heeled with a platform. I think they are wonderful but I have to be very cautious walking in them on the uneven paving stones outside my flat! It does feel a bit like wearing stilts. But ahh they are so pretty!

Outfit details: dress-made by me, hair flowers-H&M, shoes-Primark.

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Days 9-12 Catchup

2011-11-14T13:28:00.001Z

I have been somewhat neglectful of posting about my shoe challenge, but I had a very busy week and have been too tired in the evenings to blog. Here is a catchup with the shoes I have been wearing in my absence.

On day 9 I wore these pretty pink sparkly shoes from Primark. I absolutely adore these, but as they are made from plastic they are not the most flexible of shoes and are not great for walking in! Perfect for days when I don't have to do much and can just sit down though. I wore these for an afternoon at the theatre. I expect these will crop up in a lot of future outfit posts as wearing them makes me feel like a fairy princess.

Day 10 was a work day so it was back to sensible Primark plimsolls, floral ones this time. I like these as they are a bit more interesting than my other plimsolls, and I love floral patterns.

On day 11 I wore these black suede shoes with bows with a black dress. These are from Office and are surprisingly comfortable despite having 3 inch heels!

And on day 11 I must confess that I wore no shoes at all!

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 8-Pretty Purple

2011-11-08T19:07:00.000Z

These are my shoes for day 8, some little bronze ballet pumps. I had these in several colours (bulk buying is obviously a habit with me) but unfortunately some of them succumbed to my obsessive wearing and disintegrated. I think these are on their way out too, sadly. They are such a lovely colour though, and subtly shiny rather than full on sparkly, which is nice sometimes (several people will be unable to believe I just said that).

This was my outfit today, a purple long sleeved top and a wonderful skirt with a watercolour style print. This skirt was a triumph of bargain hunting, £1 in the Primark sale section! I think it has already become one of my favourites. It is very soft too, so good all round!

I also wore earrings, which is unusual. I make a lot of jewellery but rarely wear it, despite having a massive collection of homemade and bought costume jewellery.

These ones are made with amethysts a friend brought back from India, and purple glass beads. I don't have my ears pierced so I use extremely old fashioned screw on earring backs.The only problem is that with big earrings like these, they have a habit of falling off!

Outfit details: top-hand me down from mum, skirt-Primark, tights-Tesco, shoes-Primark, earrings-made by me.

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 7-A Nautical Outfit

2011-11-08T18:45:00.001Z

Here are the shoes I wore on day 7 of my shoe challenge-once again they are plimsolls. I was so excited to find shoes which fitted me (I have tricky sized feet) I bulk bought these in every colour they came in. They are quite good for wearing to work as I am stood up all day so need something comfortable.

And here is the outfit I wore with them-a cute little nautical jumper and a very tight navy skirt! I like how the stripes on the jumper and the shoes matched. It is hard to see in the picture but the skirt also has a white picot edge so this was a very colour coordinated outfit!

Outfit details: jumper-Tesco, skirt-made by me, tights-Tesco, plimsolls-Primark

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 6

2011-11-07T22:10:00.001Z

So here is day 6, with another photo of me making a strange face. I really do look so much more relaxed when I use the timer, but it is so difficult to set up!

Anyway, my outfit for this day consisted of a lovely vintage (1970s) dress which was given to me in a bin bag full of clothes "to cut up or throw away". I quickly rescued this gem and did not feel the need to cut it up! It is now one of my favourite dresses. I wore some of my favourite shoes too, little pink wedges with bows. They are really comfortable but give me a bit of much needed height. I love anything with bows. in fact I love these shoes so much I bought two pairs and am just about to get the same style in white!

Outfit details: dress-vintage, nude fishnet tights-Primark, pink shoes-Peacocks

Bonfire Night

2011-11-05T21:37:00.000Z

I really like Bonfire Night, especially as it means sparklers! They make me very happy.

We could see some fireworks from our balcony, they were so pretty!

These are the shoes I put on to go out on the balcony, just some little pink plimsolls from Primark.

I made some coffee cupcakes and tried to decorate them to look like fireworks. They have purple icing, sprinkles and gold edible shimmer. They taste good, super sweet but with a strong coffee flavour. I did have purple and gold fingertips after eating it though!

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 4

2011-11-04T19:18:00.000Z

This is sort of cheating as I didn't actually wear this all day, I was lazy and wore the same clothes and shoes as yesterday (day 3) for most of today. However after going out into the rain (again) and getting wet feet and clothes I decided it was time to change into something considerably more comfortable when I arrived home. I put flip flops on so I could paint my toenails but still be able to walk around without getting cold soles! I hardly ever wear jeans, I am very into my skirts and dresses, but sometimes they are good for slouching and being lazy. Also, they are warm. Which is more than can be said for most of my dresses!

Outfit details: top-Dorothy Perkins via charity shop, jeans-stolen from boyfriend (and rolled up about six times!), flip flops-Asda

Black and Gold

2011-11-04T19:10:00.000Z

This was my outfit for day 3 of my different pair of shoes every day challenge, a black and gold themed combination. I love this skirt, it is so shiny and full! It even has pockets in the side seams, which are very handy. It's hard to see in the photo but it has a sort of chrysanthemum pattern on it, it's very unusual.

The shoes, although rather dirty and wet from walking in this picture, are one of my favourite pairs of

flat shoes. They are suede pumps from Primark, and they remind me of the shoes Snow White wore in one of my childhood story books. There was a picture of her having a dance lesson in her castle (before the wicked queen sent her away) and she was wearing lovely black ballet shoes which I always wanted!

Outfit details: top-Dorothy Perkins via charity shop, skirt-ASOS, tights-Tesco, shoes-Primark.

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...Day 2

2011-11-02T23:04:00.001Z

I really need to work on my posing skills! I hate having my photo taken, especially by people I know. so it looks like the camera balanced on a chair with self timer method might be continuing...

Anyhow, today's shoes were fairly boring plain black plimsolls from Primark. They are my sensible work shoes. I have them in many colours. I tried to make them more interesting by adding starry tights (I like these, I think thy have a hint of circus performer about them) and a sparkly cardigan. A small child did point at my legs and shout "stars!" but that was about all the reaction I got.

Outfit details: shoes-Primark, starry tights-Primark, shorts-Tesco, long sparkly cardigan-New Look via charity shop, top-Dorothy Perkins via charity shop.

A Different Pair Of Shoes Every Day...

2011-11-01T15:13:00.000Z

I have a lot of shoes. And when I say a lot, I don't mean enough to have a different pair for each day of the week. It's a borderline addiction which has resulted in me owning about 50 pairs... My boyfriend has become slightly exasperated and suggested I don't buy any more until I have worn every pair I own. Yep, that's right, I have so many that some of them haven't even been worn.

So I have set myself a challenge, to wear a different pair of shoes, every day, for a month. I'll share which shoes I'm wearing and the outfit I'm wearing them with on here. My lack of flat shoes means that unless I'm at work I'm basically going to be permanently in heels, which could get interesting! But I think it will be a fun challenge, and I'll finally get round to putting some of my beauties on my feet rather than just gazing adoringly at them. Oh and don't worry, it won't be a solid month of nothing but outfit posts-the pictures of me in my varied unsuitable footwear will be mixed in with tutorials, baking, going out and all the usual stuff. I think it will be good as it will encourage me to blog every day, dress up more and hopefully make some more outfits!

So today's shoes are some simple black suede heels from with a bow on the front, from New Look.

I wore them with black tights, a red and black dotted dress, a red cinnebar bangle,

and red flowers in my hair.

Outfit details: dress-Marks and Spencer via charity shop, bangle-museum gift shop, stockings-Wilkinson (unexpectedly good!), shoes-New Look, hair flowers-H&M

I'm looking forward to doing more outfit posts but I'll definitely have to find a better way of taking the photos-I had to balance the camera on a chair and use the self timer to take these!

Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:44:00.002Z

I had my little brother and sister over for Halloween. We watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, ate jack o'lantern cupcakes and lots of sweets, and carved pumpkins. The drawings are my annual Halloween drawings, the house is the one I did this year (from this photo) and the happy pumpkin is from last year. I made the pumpkin in the witch's hat and the owl from some cotton scraps. My starry tights were my nod to dressing up and are from Primark-I'm sure I'll wear them again!

Window Decorations To Giant Sparkly Necklace!

2011-10-11T17:56:00.001+01:00

I had some of those glass prism window decorations which make little rainbows lying around. I used to have them up in my window at my old house, but there's not really anywhere to put them now I've moved-we have a combination of French windows, Georgian sash windows which can't have anything screwed into them, and a teeny tiny window which they wouldn't fit into. They were too pretty to stay packed in a box, and I've been wanting a big sparkly necklace for a while now, so I decided to turn them into one.

First I took off all the hooks from the top using pliers. I kept them as I think they might come in handy in for another project.

Then I took out out all the links between the "jewels", as they were cheap wire and didn't look very nice close up.

I replaced the links with silver plated jump rings.

I wanted my necklace to have a longer drop in the middle, and smaller drops graduated along the length of the necklace, so I lay all the jewels out in my design.

I joined them together with silver chain and more jump rings, added a clasp, and voila!

A gorgeous sparkly necklace! I'm really pleased with this, now I just need a suitably princess-y outfit to go with it.

Giveaway Winner

2011-10-08T18:46:00.005+01:00

The winner is blackmagic! Email on it's way!

[I used the random number generator at random.org to pick the winner, but due to my lack of techy skills I couldn't get a screenshot]

Thank you to everyone who entered, I have more giveaways planned for very soon so try again next time.

Super Glittery Nails Tutorial!

2011-10-08T16:44:00.000+01:00

When I want glittery nails, I generally just use glittery nail varnish. But there are days where I want something so glittery that it can practically be seen from space. On those days, this is what I do. Be warned, it is messy!

You will need:

glitter-I'm using Fairy Dust, a facial glitter, which you can get here, but you can use any facial glitter or very fine craft glitter.
plain nail varnish in a shade close to the colour of your glitter
clear nail varnish for base and top coat
a sheet of paper or other covering to protect the surface you work on

Paint on the clear nail varnish as a base coat and wait for it to dry. Once it is dry paint on your coloured nail varnish. It needs to be opaque, so you will probably need two coats.

While the coloured nail varnish is still wet, cover your surface with the paper, and pour the glitter over the wet nail varnish. You may need to do this a couple of times to cover the whole surface of the nail. Catch the excess glitter on the paper so you can use it another time. If the whole nail is still not covered put on a coat of clear nail varnish and repeat this step.

Shake off the excess. Once the varnish is dry and the glitter is secure you'll probably need to wash your hands to get any remaining glitter off.

Put a top coat of clear nail varnish over the top of the glitter to seal it. And you're done! For some reason my nails aren't showing up as sparkly in the photo as they are in real life, but you should have an intensely glittery, sparkly effect, almost like an opal. These nails would be great for Halloween, maybe in black or red, or for Christmas in pastel colours.

Don't forget, there is still time to enter my giveaway! It closes at 6.30pm this evening.

200th Post Giveaway!

2011-09-28T10:00:00.029+01:00

I finally made it to 200 posts! It certainly took me long enough... So to celebrate I am having a giveaway. You can win this cute little necklace I made, which has a vintage style telephone charm and two Venetian glass beads, which are turquoise with pink roses. The chain is gold plated.

You can enter by becoming a follower of this blog, and leaving a comment with an email address I can contact you on if you win. If you tweet about this giveaway you can have 2 entries (2 separate comments), if you like my Facebook page and tweet about it you can have 3 entries (3 separate comments). Please link to your tweet in your comment. The giveaway will close on the 8th of October at 6:30pm. The winner will be generated at random and will be contacted by email once the giveaway has closed.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

I Heart Bristol

2011-09-27T10:00:00.006+01:00

I finally got round to moving to Bristol. I've been having a love affair with this city for years, as evidenced here, here, here, here, here, & here. I'm sure there is more besides that somewhere too. I feel a strange combination of familiarity and freshness towards Bristol, I spent a lot of time here as a child so I know my way around certain bits, but other areas are a total mystery to me. I'm enjoying exploring and getting to know the place, and I think I'll be very happy here.

The Last Summer

2011-09-26T10:00:00.020+01:00

I took a lot of photos of my garden this year. At the time I wondered why I was doing it, but now I am glad I did, as it turned out it was the last summer I would be living in that house.

I will miss that garden, but I have now moved and have a balcony, which presents all sorts of exciting opportunities! I'm looking forward to spring when I can start making my own mini garden. I plan on having herbs, vegetables and LOTS of flowers!

London Snapshots: Portobello Market

2011-09-25T10:00:00.003+01:00

On my last trip to London I went to Portobello Market for the first time. I'd been intending to go for some time but had never got round to it, so I was excited at the prospect.

I walked through Notting HIll to get to the market, admiring the beautiful houses and gardens.

The market runs along a street of pretty houses and shops, painted in icecream colours. It is extremely crowded and packed with people, but this gives it a bustling, energetic feel.

I stopped for a red velvet cupcake at the Hummingbird Bakery. It was delicious as always and was devoured within about 20 seconds of purchase.

I enjoyed looking at the colourful market stalls. Other than a stall full of vintage cameras, and another of printing blocks, the early part of the market didn't really grab me, but the food stalls were exquisite.

I was very tempted by this beautiful display of flowers.

The bright colours of this fruit stall grabbed my attention. Everything looked so succulent! It reminded me a little of the fruit shop in Amelie.

Even the bread stall looked gorgeous, with loaves of every imaginable variety just begging to be eaten with lots of proper butter.

But the cutest sight of the day was definitely these pugs, seen "chilling" (to quote my friend J) outside a pub.

I didn't buy much at the market, just a cupcake and a vintage compact, but it was a great experience and there was plenty to look at. Hopefully I'll go again next summer.

London Snapshots: Wandering in the V&A Museum

2011-09-24T17:14:00.000+01:00

One of the lovely things about visiting a museum alone, especially a museum with free entry, is that you can wander aimlessly for hours, lost amongst all the beautiful objects. No one else's tastes to cater for, no talking, just pure eye and intellect candy.

The V&A is one of my favourite places on earth, and I have visited multiple times, yet there is always more to discover. On this occasion I was most impressed by the new Medieval and Renaissance Gallery, with it's stunning presentation.

I'm always fascinated by architectural details so this archway caught my eye.

Old favourites, such as this Chinese model of a boat, always have to be re-visited.

I loved the contrast of these detailed carved heads and the plain brick wall.

I was slightly concerned this angel was about to fall off and crush me, but it was still beautiful.

The Cast Courts were a new place for me, I can't quite believe I managed to not visit it for so long.

As a very short person everything looks tall, so these pillars were especially awe inspiring from my viewpoint!

The Ironwork Gallery held unexpected treasures, and I spent a good deal of time happily ambling through it.

One of my favourite cases was filled with novelty biscuit tins from the 1900s. I love the randomness of the V&A-great works of art alongside cheap novelty items.

This giant key was originally a sign for a German locksmith.

There was even a giant lock to go with it. When I have a house, I want a lock like this on my door.

Of course the Sculpture Gallery can't be ignored, and I was particularly taken with this bust. I think I could easily wander around the V&A for at least a week before I got bored. Tea and cake would have to be provided of course, cultural activities require sugary sustenance. Maybe I'll try it sometime.

Fleet River Bakery

2011-09-24T15:55:00.001+01:00

I'm trying to get through all my London posts but life keeps getting in the way! There have been a lot of changes recently, which I will explain in another post. For now though, here is a review of the Fleet River Bakery which I visited for breakfast while I was in London.

The Fleet River Bakery is in Holborn, an is renowned for fresh, tasty food made on the premises. The cakes and bread are baked on site and the salads and quiches are also prepared in the kitchens of the Bakery. I visited at breakfast time so I chose to have a latte, which was well made and presented, poached eggs on toast and an extra of fried field mushroom.

The toast was homemade sourdough bread, which was crunchy and delicious. The eggs were perfectly poached, runny enough to spill over my toast once cut, but with some firmness at the bottom. The mushroom was divine and gigantic. It was finished with herbs which gave it a subtle flavour. Water was provided on the table which was a nice touch. In fact my only complaint about the food would be that I visited with a friend who is mildly lactose intolerant, and they seem to have got our orders mixed up. Her toast arrived with butter, mine without, and I had to go and ask for butter. My frien decided to eat her buttery toast and face the consequences, but it was still slightly irritating.

The decor of the Fleet River Bakery is quite shabby chic, with plain painted walls, big antique mirrors, and mismatched vintage furniture. I really liked the feel of the Bakery and found it a comforting, homely place to eat.

Overall I would recommend the Fleet River Bakery-my breakfast was great and I felt relaxed and happy eating there. If you have any food intolerances you'll need to spell them out clearly, but that goes for any eating establishment, and the pay off is tasty food in a friendly setting. Prices are reasonable for central London, I paid around £9 for breakfast and coffee.

London: Japanese Gallery at V&A Museum

2011-08-27T18:41:00.001+01:00

I went to London over a month ago and have only just got round to uploading the photos! One of the reasons for my visit was to see the Japanese Enamels exhibit at the V&A before it went. The pieces on display were so beautiful! I was impressed by the intricacy of the designs and want to learn how to do enamelling myself now.

A lot of the pieces had designs from nature, such as butterflies, animals and flowers. I think the floral design on this vase is very elegant.

My brother likes dragons so I took this for him, the dragon was extremely detailed and much more striking in real life.

I liked the butterfly vases best.

There was a display showing how the enamel was applied-first the design was drawn onto a plain metal vase, then metal wire was soldered on as the outline. The gaps between the wire were filled with different coloured enamels, which were then polished to make it smooth and even and beautifully shiny.

The design on his box was absolutely minute, I don't know how someone had the patience to make it!

I had a little wander around the rest of the gallery too, this inro caught my eye with it's gorgeous poppy motif.

The samurai armour is impressive but always slightly freaks me out!

Especially the scary battle masks, I wouldn't want to be charging into battle against someone wearing this! The Japanese gallery is always worth a visit, the V&A has a very good collection of Asian art. Find out more here.

Victoria Stitch

2011-08-11T16:43:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a copy of Harriet Muncaster's book Victoria Stitch on her blog! I have been coveting it for months and I absolutely adore her style of illustration so I was really pleased.

The pictures in the book are gorgeous, with lots of colours and tiny details. The characters are quirky and intriguing, and it helps that one of the main characters bakes cakes! In fact there is an abundance of cake in this book, there are even cake houses. Of course I want to live in one now. I really enjoyed looking at all the drawings of different cakes, and the colour scheme in the cake house was very me.

The story is impish and humorous, with a slightly gruesome twist at the end which I didn't see coming. It's all very lighthearted though so I don't think it would scare children. I think this is a great book for children or adults with a slightly wicked sense of humour, and I can definitely see the illustrations providing me with lots of inspiration. You can find out more at Harriet's blog, or buy the book here.

Wedding Dresses

2011-07-28T21:44:00.001+01:00

When visiting the Fashion Museum for the Dressing The Stars exhibition, I also visited What Will She Wear? The Enduring Romance of The Wedding Dress. This is a special temporary exhibit to coincide with the year of the Royal Wedding, and it features beautiful wedding dresses from the Museum's archives.

I have to admit that I am not particularly into wedding dresses. Modern ones at least. I don't get that desperate yearning for one which women are supposed to have, and I don't really see the point of spending a small fortune on a dress which will be worn once. I think a lot of wedding dresses are pretty ugly. This may be related to my scepticism over weddings in general-if I do ever get married, I plan to elope, wearing a dress I will have made myself, which shall not be white and shall be worn again. However the vintage dresses in this exhibition, and a couple of the more recent ones, are stunningly beautiful. The 1910 dress pictured above is such a lovely romantic shape, with gorgeous lace rose detail.

This 1920s dress was really striking, with a train which swept the floor, and lots of embroidery and beading.

I adored this sweet 1940s wedding dress, the nipped in waist and slightly flared skirt are so flattering.

This was my favourite, a 1934 bias cut dress with long sleeves which fastened with tiny covered buttons. Show me a covered button and I practically swoon, I'm obsessed with the things-especially when they are covered in silk or satin and can be slowly, seductively unbuttoned. I like how this dress is very covered up, with the floor length skirt and the high neckline, yet it hugs every curve deliciously closely. It's demure yet slinky at the same time-exactly what I'd want in a wedding dress. No meringues for me thank you.

In contrast, although it has a similar basic shape, this 1992 dress has a daring cut out back, very saucy! I think even today this would raise a few eyebrows, the majority of people seem to be very traditional when it comes to wedding dresses, and quite shocked by anything outside the norm. I do rather like the sweeping train on this one.

So, in short, even if you are not wedding obsessed, and do not care a jot about the Royal Wedding, you can still enjoy this exhibition. The dresses are outstanding, and lovely to look at. A particular highlight for me was an amazing lace dress by Alexander McQueen, which for some reason I don't seem to have a photo of. There are many more gems which I didn't get decent pictures of, so I would definitely recommend visiting the exhibition in person! Find out more here.

Film Costume Exhibition at Fashion Museum

2011-07-16T11:40:00.003+01:00

Dress worn by Bette Davis in Death On The Nile

A few days ago I went to see the Dressing The Stars: British Costume Design at the Academy Awards exhibition at the Fashion Museum in Bath. It is an excellent exhibition in a beautiful setting-it is housed in the Ballroom of the Assembly Rooms, with beautiful eau de nil walls and sumptuous chandeliers. The costumes look gorgeous against this backdrop.

Another Bette Davis costume from Death On The Nile

I particularly liked the costumes from Death On The Nile, they were very elegant.

Moodboard for Death On The Nile

Laurence Olivier's costume from Hamlet

This costume was beautifully embroidered.

Moodboard for Tess

There were moodboards scattered throughout the exhibition, which provided an interesting insight into the process of designing costumes. They reminded me of my sketches, scribbles and notes when I am planning things to make.

Wedding outfits from The Duchess, worn by Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley

The wedding dress worn by Keira Knightley had so much detail, with pearls sewn onto it, ruffles, beading...it must have been very heavy to wear.

Costume worn by Judi Dench in Shakespeare In Love

This costume was incredibly beautiful, with ornate beading and embroidery, so it seems a shame that it didn't appear in the film for very long! I adored Shakespeare In Love as a teenager, I had such a crush on Joseph Fiennes.

Dress worn by Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech

This dress looks simple but it is deceptive-it is not until you get up close that you notice the subtle pattern in the fabric, the frill on the bust and the diamante belt buckle, which all give it an air of understated luxury.

More costumes from The King's Speech

The layout of the exhibition is very good, with large boards displaying information about the film the costumes came from (with a useful synopsis) and the costume designer. There are also film stills to show the costumes being worn.

Colin Firth's costume from The King's Speech

Worn by Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria

There are many more costumes in the exhibition which I haven't shown pictures of, including Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow costume from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Worn by Emma Thompson in A Room With A View

I would really recommend this exhibition, it was well laid out, interesting, and in a lovely setting. You can find out more at the Fashion Museum website.

Liberty of London Purchases

2011-05-29T18:08:00.000+01:00

When I was in London (which was a month ago already!) I finally got the chance to visit the Liberty haberdashery department, which was like my idea of heaven. There were so many beautiful fabrics that I couldn't actually decide which one to get, so I am saving that for my next visit.

Instead I got some gorgeous Japanese chirimen crepe cord, which I think will probably end up as handbag handles,

some big burgundy buttons, which I think look almost Tudor inspired,

and lots of little buttons! I'm thinking that the larger ones will go on a velvet jacket and the little ones will be used for dresses. I really like 1970s style dresses with big sleeves and long skirts and lots of little buttons on the bodice at the moment-like the ones Ossie Clark and Bill Gibb made famous-and I think these would go perfectly with that style.

I'm really going to focus on my crafts and sewing for the next couple of weeks, I can't wait! I have so many ideas and want to get some of my many projects finished so I can actually use them!

St James's Park-Squirrels

2011-05-11T11:49:00.001+01:00

St James's Park is home to a ridiculous number of extremely tame squirrels. They have no fear of people and will come right up to you, which can be a problem, as my boyfriend discovered when one tried to climb up his leg!

I find squirrels quite cute, so I liked watching them scurry about.

This photo really reminds me of Squirrel Nutkin, although he was a red squirrel.

This squirrel was almost meerkat-like, standing on it's hind legs to peer over the bluebells.

These squirrels were amusing, but I think after the climbing up the leg incident my boyfriend and I will both be happy with our shy, boring, local squirrels for a while!

St James's Park-Scenery

2011-05-10T12:11:00.001+01:00

As well as having an abundance of birds, St James's is also very pretty.

There is a huge man made lake through the centre of it, with views of Horseguards Parade and the London Eye in one direction,

and what could be mistaken for a rural idyll in the other.

There are so many trees you could almost forget you were in London.

This is the Birdkeeper's House, now used as offices, which is one of the prettiest houses I've ever seen.

It looks like something from a fairytale and has a wonderful garden. I'd quite like to live there, only my boyfriend wouldn't fit (he is not of my hobbit-esque proportions) and I think I'd get bored with the tourists and pigeons. One of which landed on my head in a very traumatic moment!

I still covet the garden though. One day...

St James's Park-Birds

2011-05-09T13:37:00.000+01:00

I took so many photos in St James's Park that I've had to break them own into several posts. There are so many different types of birds there!

I think this is a Greylag goose. It was very pretty and very tame.

Mandarin ducks. They have really interesting plumage.

This is a moorhen, I always think they are very cute.

Lots of unusual ducks.

Canada geese. They are always really friendly but I suspect that may be because they want food.

The fattest pigeon I have ever seen. I am amazed it could still walk!

A coot. Look at the giant feet!

Pelicans preening themselves on a rock.

And finally, a very stern looking heron. My grandma loves herons so I am going to make her a card with this photo on at some point.

St James's is such a lovely place to go to see wildlife, I really enjoyed looking at all the different birds.

London

2011-05-08T21:33:00.001+01:00

Last weekend I went to London with my (new-ish) boyfriend. It was the first time we'd been to London together so it was fun showing him all the places I like going. Fortnum and Mason had big sparkly butterflies in the windows. They were pretty, but they still don't compare to the Snow Queen window displays they had back in 2008.

As always, the courtyard of Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy of Arts, thrilled me. I love the ornate architecture. We didn't go in this time, but next time I'm in London I will be lapping up the opportunity to send some time in such a wonderful building filled with incredible art. The restaurant isn't bad either!

I took lots of random architecture photos while walking around, I find the buildings in London very interesting.

We went to the National Gallery, which I'd never been to before. It was amazing to see the work of Impressionist artists I've loved since childhood, such as Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec , Monet and Vuillard. Reproductions of their paintings always look so smooth, but in reality they slapped the paint on thickly and it is very textured! However I have realised that I have a fairly short attention span for art, much as I adore it. My brain seems to fill up very quickly so after four rooms I had reached saturation point and couldn't process any more. As the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are both free I can go back for short bursts.

Trafalgar Square may be cliched tourist territory but I still find it beautiful and impressive. And I *still* want to jump into the fountains every time I see them.

I like seeing all the odd little details in London. This is one of the reasons I wouldn't want to live there, I think I'd stop noticing such things.

The front of Charing Cross Station had an intriguing tower type thing which looked almost lacy. I still get excited when I see red London buses, I'll definitely be going on one next time I visit. It's much easier to sight see from a bus.

This bridge looked very old fashioned and sweet. I do love London, despite it's dirtiness, noisiness and the abundance of people in a terrible hurry to get nowhere in particular. There is just so much to do! I can't wait to go back.

Cherry Blossom Birthday

2011-04-27T11:52:00.001+01:00

Kimono Inspired Outfit

2011-04-26T15:52:00.001+01:00

I wanted to show off this kimono style top I made with some chirimen [Japanese crepe fabric] I ordered from Etsy.

I also made the skirt, which turned out rather shorter than intended!

Of course this outfit had to be paired with Asian jewellery, chopsticks in the hair, and a parasol.

Kimono style top-made by me

Elastic belt-Primark

Skirt-made by me

Hair flowers-H&M

Bangles-Museum of East Asian Art gift shop

Ring-Miss Selfridge

Wedges-Office

Parasol-V&A shop

Tulips

2011-04-18T14:28:00.000+01:00

I am really enjoying Spring and all the flowers and sunshine and prettiness. I think Spring is my favourite season.

These beautiful tulips were in the garden of my boyfriend's house. I love their frilly edges, they look almost like tiny upside-down ball gowns. Perhaps ball gowns for fairies.

Hello, I'm Polly and I am a blossom addict.

2011-04-06T14:20:00.000+01:00

The arrival of Spring meant that nearly a fortnight ago now I made the first of many pilgrimages to the Botanical Gardens. There are many things I love about the Botanical Gardens, but the thing I love most is the blossom. I just can't get enough of it. It doesn't matter what kind-plum, cherry, hawthorn, magnolia-as soon as I see a tree with blossom on I start jumping up and down with delight and making "ooh!" noises.

I think this photo is an effective representation of how much I love blossom-I was so busy looking at it I couldn't keep my feet in a normal position and seem to have become pigeon toed.

I managed to take a few pictures of the gorgeous blossom and branches against the sky (a recurring theme which I seem to take at least a hundred pictures of every summer!) before my boyfriend ran off with the camera. Having a boyfriend who likes photography, and even better likes taking photographs of ME, is a novel experience for me, but it does provide interesting opportunities. He shall be coerced into taking outfit photos at some point, I have new dresses I want to show off.

This cherry tree was like a Memoirs of a Geisha, tinted photograph, pink buttercream dream. It was incredibly pink, that soft sugary pink of macarons and little girls' dresses which cameras never seem to quite pick up on.

Cherry blossom makes me ridiculously happy, I could have stayed looking at that tree for hours.

There was one blossom tree (not sure what kind) which had long branches reaching down to the ground, like a tent or canopy. I like to be completely childish and get under the branches of these trees as if they are a little house. It's very comforting and I like looking through the branches. In some ways I really haven't advanced from the age of about 5!

Pink magnolia trees are almost too much for me to take, they are so beautiful.

Magnolias always seem more grown up than cherry blossom somehow. Cherry blossom is very girlish, simple, innocent, magnolias are more blowzy, intense, headily perfumed.

I think one of the reasons why I love blossom so much is that it is so fleeting. I know that in a month or so all these blooms will be gone and all I will have left are these photos. So I have to enjoy them as much as possible while they are still there! I foresee a lot of picnics and trips to places with blossom in the next few weeks...

Spring!

2011-03-21T22:02:00.003Z

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, and it really did feel like Spring. The sun was out and there were lots of flowers blooming in the garden. I adore primroses, they are so simple but so pretty, and I like how each petal is a heart shape.

Forsythia is so bright and cheerful, and really nostalgic for me as several of my childhood homes had it in the garden.

You can't really get much better than pink primroses! And these are such a lovely soft, delicate pink.

There are lots of violets in my garden, I love them, they are look so vintage and sweet.

And of course, it wouldn't be Spring without daffodils.

Spring is probably my favourite season-the flowers are beautiful, I love seeing the trees with all their leaves bursting out, there are lambs and ducklings and an abundance of other cute baby animals, and there is a sense of hope. It times quite well with how I've been feeling recently, as I've been a little down but am now coming out of it. I don't usually blather on about too much emotional stuff, but my life hasn't been how I would want it for a long long time, and I feel like I lost my sparkle some time ago. Now I feel I'm taking little baby steps towards coming out of that and getting back to my best, and I have a few people in my life who I think will really help me with that. It's a nice feeling.

Cardiff Castle-Inside

2011-03-21T13:56:00.002Z

The inside of Cardiff Castle is one of my favourite places to visit, I find it fascinating. Everything has had so much thought and detail put into it, even the window frames.

The Arab Room is absolutely stunning and always takes my breath away a little. One day, when I am rich and have a gigantic house, I'd like to have a room for cocktails like this.

I love all the little alcoves and stained glass in the castle, it gives it a romantic, fairytale feeling.

Even the staircases are beautifully decorated, and look like they would lead to mysterious secret towers.

The Banqueting Hall is incredible and has lots of carved figures on the walls and ceiling, including lots of angels.

To be honest this is the one room which is a bit too Medieval-inspired for my tastes, but I still admire the thought and craftsmanship which went into it.

The carved ceiling is very impressive.

Everywhere you look there are interesting details.

I love the amazing ceilings, which are intricately carved and painted.

Although I don't know if I'd want to live in a house as crazily decorated as Cardiff Castle (even I have limits!) it definitely provides me with a lot of inspiration. I like the combinations of rich colours and the Arabic influences, the stained glass and the many animal motifs used. And there is the added benefit that for an hour or so I can relive my childhood fantasy of being a fairytale princess!

Cardiff Castle-Outside

2011-03-20T16:54:00.002Z

Over the Christmas holidays I went to Cardiff Castle with my brother. I'd already visited in September when the weather was very different, but on this occasion it was a freezing cold, misty day, in the aftermath of the snow so there was lots of slush in the streets. It wasn't particularly pleasant to walk around in but did make the castle wonderfully atmospheric.

Proof of how cold it was came in the form of the frozen moat. In fact it was so icy that the motte had been closed off for safety, so we could only look at it from afar.

The clock tower, which had looked very shiny and cheerful in September, looked dark and imposing in the cold weather.

But the house looked inviting with lights shining through the windows.

I really like Cardiff Castle, it has so many little details, like the gargoyles on the guttering.

It had the perfect gloomy Gothic atmosphere on this visit, but I'm looking forward to seeing it in the sunshine again this summer-my brother and I are already planning our next trip! In fact, there are so many places I want to visit now the weather is improving, I am going to really try to get to all of them.

Shepherds Falkiners-Purchases and Review

2011-03-18T16:31:00.005Z

A few doors down from the flat I was staying in during my time in London is Shepherds Falkiners. It is a book binding and stationery supplies shop, aka my idea of heaven. I have a long standing stationery addiction and have at times had to be forcibly removed from Paperchase before I bought yet more notebooks (my current collection stands at around 20). To make it worse, Shepherds Falkiners is not just any stationery shop, but one of the highest quality, with beautiful handmade writing paper, decorative papers from around the world, many intriguing varieties of glue, bookbinding thread, and much much more.

I could feel my money evaporating as soon as I entered the establishment, and I was practically drooling, which is really not good around large quantities of expensive paper.

I wanted to buy the entire shop, but I settled on 5 sheets of gorgeous hand screen printed chiyogami paper from Japan, a snip at £6.50 a sheet. Chiyogami is high quality washi paper printed with brightly coloured, intricate traditional patterns, often with gold accents.

I love it and have had many origami sets made from chiyogami before, but had never previously been able to get such large sheets.

My joy was immeasurable. I also picked up a sheet of lacy tissue paper in a lovely cream shade.

After managing to resist the other delights on offer, I made my way to the counter only to discover a display of bookbinding glues, including Japanese rice glue. I had been on the hunt for such glue as I want to start making kanzashi, and had even considered making my own, but didn't fancy spending several hours boiling rice into a paste.

Of course, I had to buy some of that too, which added another £8 to the bill. I then exited the shop as quickly as possible before further bankrupting myself, and returned to the flat of my friend, who was rather shocked at my profligate paper buying habit.

In all seriousness, although £6.50 for a sheet of paper and £8 for a tube of glue may sound extortionate, these are incredibly high quality materials so are worth the money. The chiyogami paper is A2 sized and is almost impossible to get hold of outside of London, and it is very beautiful. I'm hoping to use some of it to cover furniture, and the rest will probably end up as book covers. The lacy paper will probably end up as a lamp, when I finally get round to constructing one, and the glue will last me a long time and make lots of kanzashi. The staff in Shepherds Falkiners were extremely polite and helpful, and wrapped everything beautifully. There really is an astonishing array of amazing paper in there, so I would definitely recommend it to any fellow stationery obsessives.

Shepherds Falkiners

76 Southampton Row

Bloomsbury

London

WC1B 4AR

Random London Pictures

2011-03-16T15:53:00.001Z

During my last visit to London I spent a lot of time walking around on my own, which doesn't usually happen. It meant that I took a lot more pictures than usual of ordinary streets, rather than tourist areas.

I always like the contrast between old and new in London and a lot of my snapshots seem to have been focusing on this. I also loved walking around in the dark with all the lights twinkling, with no particular direction in mind, just seeing where my feet took me.

This was taken outside the Natural History Museum, which was all lit up with Christmas lights and had an ice rink. It looked very striking.

And this was taken in the very weak afternoon sunlight just up the road from my friend's flat, when I was trying to find the British Museum. I thought the sky had pretty colours and I liked the silhouettes of the trees.

I do like the more unexpected aspects of visiting places- the wrong turns which lead you to a new discovery, or just looking at things you've already seen many times in a new way. I think it is these things which give a sense of adventure, and I really hope that's something I always keep.

Asian and Japanese Galleries at the British Museum

2011-03-15T23:39:00.001Z

I am aware that with the current events in Japan this post is not brilliantly timed, but I had already planned it before the earthquake, and I still wanted to write about the amazing art and artefacts I had seen while in London. Japan has such an incredible culture and history, and I think it is all the more important to remember that at the moment. So absolutely no disrespect is meant, and my thoughts and wishes are very much with all those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

The British Museum has a wonderful Asian gallery, covering pieces from China, India, Korea, and other Asian countries. The level of craftsmanship in some of the pieces is breathtaking, this headdress was particularly intricate.

There were many beautiful jade pieces, including this intelligent looking horse. I love jades, and spent a long time looking at delicately carved jewellery, ornaments and calligraphy equipment. In fact,I think the British Museum has one of the best collections of jade I have seen.

The Japanese gallery was well laid out and fairly spacious. The objects tell the story of Japan from Ancient Japan, with very early potteries,

to the Edo period, through samurai armour,

to woodblock prints which mix an ancient technique with a modern style,

to modern day manga, set in the British Museum.

There is even a tea house built in the gallery. I was very impressed with the collection an also the fact that the Museum chose to look at the transition to modern Japan and how the past had influenced the present, rather than just focusing on ancient pieces. I will definitely be going back and would really like to take my brother next time as I think he would love it.

V&A At Night

2011-03-14T15:13:00.001Z

I love visiting the V&A, and find the building incredibly beautiful. The entrance hall always takes my breath away a little, and makes me feel I'm back where I belong.

As I visited in December the shop had pretty Winter themed displays which I wanted to take home with me.

But by far the most stunning sight was the John Madejski Garden and the surrounding buildings, lit up in the falling darkness.

The glowing windows were reflected in the water and looked absolutely magical. I could have stayed there for hours! I can't wait to go back to the V&A in the Spring, I always feel so at home there.

Thoughts

2011-03-14T14:38:00.001Z

I don't usually make any reference to world events on here, but as I often post about subjects related to Japan I didn't feel I could ignore what has been going on there and continue to blithely write about Japanese artefacts. It is horrible to see such devastation, and my thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes.

British Museum, Where Have You Been All My Life?

2011-03-11T11:38:00.000Z

Back in December I went to London for a few days to have a change of scenery. I spent a lot of time in museums and shopping so have some catch up posts on what I saw and bought there.

One of the places I visited often while in London was the British Museum. It was within 5 minutes walking distance of where I was staying and has free admission, so it was the perfect place to dip into for an hour or so between shopping and socialising.

I really could not believe that I had never been there before, and will now be making up for that mistake as often as possible. Although it still doesn't usurp my one true love, the V&A, it is a treasure trove of knowledge and beauty and is exactly my kind of place.

In addition to having amazing collections of artefacts and well laid out galleries, the architecture is striking and beautifully lit at night. I was in awe.

It is somewhere I would be quite happy to visit just for the building, but the wonderful treasures inside are an added bonus. I will definitely be making many return trips!

Arts and Crafts Bedspread

2011-03-05T15:10:00.003Z

Firstly, I must apologise for having been absent from the blogging world for so long. I had some personal stuff going on in December, along with lots of computer problems, and I was also beginning to feel pretty lack lustre about blogging, so it was difficult for me to post with any enthusiasm (in addition to just being difficult to post full stop, as every time I tried to upload photos my PC froze!). I'd rather not write anything at all than some kind of filler while my heart's not in it, so I gave myself a break and now I'm back with lots of ideas and passion.

While I was taking a break, I completed a commission I'd been given-a hand stitched applique bedspread with an arts and crafts theme, in earthy colours. It was made from quilting cotton which was lovely to work with, very soft and of a good weight. I pre-washed all the fabrics before using them to avoid shrinkage when the finished piece was washed for the first time.

The base of the bedspread was machine sewn together and was made from two different shades of green cotton. I made patterns for each of the applique motifs from paper and then cut them out by hand before tacking them to the backing fabric and sewing each one on by hand with back stitch.

It was hard and tedious work but I think it all paid off in the end. I was really proud of my work and the lady who commissioned it was thrilled. It was sent to Australia as a Christmas present for a little girl, and I really hope that it can become a lovely heirloom for her family.

It is odd to think of something I've made being on some one's bed halfway round the world, but it is also a really amazing thought! This was my first big commission, and it felt great to get paid for doing something creative which I enjoy. I am really looking forward to doing more creative work this year.

Spice and Candied Peel Cakes

2010-11-28T19:02:00.001Z

These are some cakes I made today with my brother and sister. They have spices and candied peel in them, so had a Christmassy smell. Apparently they were tasty, although I didn't try any-I often find that if I make cakes I don't want to eat them straight away. The recipe is from the current issue of making magazine, which I'm quite impressed with. I'm not usually a fan of craft magazines as some of them are so laden with twee, hideous projects that they put me off crafts altogether! But making seems to be doing pretty well, the projects are tasteful and don't require several hundred pounds of materials and equipment to start.

It's Christmas crafts a go go here right now, I spent the afternoon working on a Christmas stocking as well as the cakes and have just printed a stack of Christmas projects from the Martha Stewart website. It's funny to think that in a month Christmas Day will already have come and gone...

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-11-16T23:21:00.000Z

I actually made these cupcakes over a week ago but I only just got round to photographing them! My kitchen is so cold at the moment (it's an extension to the the main house so isn't very well insulated) it has kept them nice and fresh. I don't think we really even need a fridge in the winter it's so cold!

The recipe for these is in the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook which is my go-to book for cupcakes. They always turn out well and people seem to love them-I think it's because they are so moist, they almost melt in your mouth. Plus I find their mixing method of creating a "sandy rubble" then adding the egg and milk is so much easier than creaming sugar and butter together. I made these with the goo from inside my Halloween pumpkin (which has now sadly died and been composted) and although they taste good-how could they not when they have cream cheese frosting?-there are some slightly unexpected large lumps of pumpkin in the bottom. I think next time I'll used tinned pumpkin puree, and slightly less than is called for in the recipe. But overall I think these were successful, I love the taste of pumpkin in cakes. It's so earthy and autumnal and contrasts brilliantly with cream cheese frosting. The plate they are photographed on is one of my favourites, I bought a little stack of them at a fete in the summer-which reminds me, there is a huge backlog of thrifty finds waiting to be photographed and written about...

Autumn At The American Museum

2010-11-01T20:45:00.002Z

Yesterday I went to the American Museum with my boyfriend. I can't remember going in Autumn before, and it was interesting to see how different it looked from when I visited earlier in the year.

I always love walking through the bamboo forest, but this time it was carpeted with orange leaves which contrasted with the thick green foliage.

There were brightly coloured berries everywhere.

The landscape had so many shades of yellow, orange, red, brown and green.

I love looking up into the branches of trees and seeing the light filtering through the leaves.

A log by the side of the path had sprouted a covering of fungi.

The trees were so bright they looked like flames.

I find Autumn very inspiring, with all the beautiful fiery shades of leaves and the atmospheric skies. Hopefully I will get time to do some crafts with an Autumnal feel before the leaves have all disappeared!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:21:00.002Z

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone has had a fun evening! The drawing above is one I did for my Halloween cards this year. I have always liked Halloween, which is a bit strange as I don't like anything to do with horror (other than vampires, which I am slightly obsessed with). I think it's because as the dark nights start drawing in I need something a bit festive to brighten things up.

I had a Halloween night out last night, and went to a pub full of people dressed as zombies and other terrifying creatures! I went for a slightly more glamorous look-for the purposes of Halloween I was a vampire, but as I remarked to a friend you can wear pretty much anything and say you're a vampire.

I sewed some lace onto a corset I already had to make a halterneck, because I felt a bit too exposed in the corset alone. I wore it with a floor length skirt which is red with a black sheer over skirt, black mary jane shoes with extremely high heels, and a heart shaped padlock necklace.

This evening I went over to my mum's house for a quick visit and carved a pumpkin while I was there. It had a happy, cute face rather than a scary one because I seem to be incapable of making scary things.

My brother and sister had also carved pumpkins which were outside the front door to greet trick or treaters.

I made this tea light holder last year for an article I wrote on Halloween decorations. I think it will now be brought out every year as I like it and seemingly so does everyone else! It's like a pumpkin without all the goo and mess.

My mum had a little lantern lit to guide the trick or treaters down the path. I thought it looked so pretty!

I'm staying in tonight and I'm a bit too old for trick or treating, so I shall spend the rest of the night eating the chocolate vampires I was sent by a friend-they are delicious!-and perhaps watching an episode of Being Human, which is about as horrific as I can handle!

Autumn Fields

2010-10-26T11:21:00.000+01:00

I am lucky to have a great view out of my studio window. I've been really enjoying looking at the changing colours of the landscape over the past few weeks.

One of my favourite things about Autumn is the abundance of ploughed fields. The earth around here is a gorgeous reddish brown which looks really striking against the green hedges and vibrant yellow leaves of the turning trees. It makes me want to paint!

I See The Moon...

2010-10-20T20:20:00.000+01:00

I've been finding the weather a little confusing lately. It's been a bit chilly, but only last week I was sat out in the sunshine with a friend chatting and remarking on how mild it was, and there are still lots of flowers in bloom in my garden. However, when I looked out of the window at 6.30pm and saw that it was pitch black with a huge, clear full moon, I had to accept that Autumn is definitely here.

Not that I mind, as the night air smells fresh and intriguing, and there are so many things to look forward to over the coming months. Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas, wearing boots and capes and over the knee socks in every colour imaginable, mulled wine, fairy lights, and snuggling up under big blankets. I'm really looking forward to all the things I have planned for this Autumn and Winter!

On that note, apologies for things going a bit quiet round here, but I'm working on a lot of different things at the moment and have so much planned that I've been quite distracted. Hopefully I'll have some things finished to show on here very soon.

Georgian House

2010-10-10T21:44:00.002+01:00

Last Sunday my brother and I also visited the Georgian House. It is within walking distance of the Red Lodge and my brother is studying the Georgians at school so it seemed silly not to go! The house was built for John Pinney, a sugar merchant, and was designed by Robert Adam.

On the ground floor of the house are a study and two dining rooms which could be partitioned off or opened out for entertaining guests. They have been set out with furniture and replica foods as if people are just about to sit down to eat.

I liked the little tea caddy on the breakfast table.

There were beautiful chandeliers hung over the tables.

On the way down to the basement was the pantry, where all the china, glasses, silverware and so on would have been kept. There was some beautiful china on display.

In the basement there is a plunge pool, which would have been filled with cold water so Mr Pinney could have a refreshing dip. Plunging yourself in cold water used to be considered beneficial to one's health...I think it just sounds like a recipe for pneumonia, especially in the days before central heating!

The kitchen was filled with kettles, jelly and butter moulds, and all sorts of interesting looking brass objects. I could just imagine it in use, with a roaring fire and people bustling about.

The next room was the laundry, which was equipped with stoves to boil the water for washing the clothes.

There were lots of mangles and other contraptions for scrubbing the clothes and squeezing the water out of them. They all looked very labour intensive, I am glad we have washing machines now.

Upstairs there was a large parlour, with a huge woven rug and heavy drapes at the window.

The bedroom had a four poster bed with frilly drapes and a pretty cradle at the foot of the bed. The bedroom was quite spacious and light, it seemed like a pleasant room to sleep in.

There was also a little dressing table. In this picture you can see the shutters on the windows.

The final upstairs room had a wonderful view across the city, the sky looked beautiful!

I enjoyed visiting the Georgian House, although I did find the Red Lodge more interesting. I think that is just because I am more used to Georgian architecture though, I've spent a lot of time in Bath so have seen lots of it. I would still recommend visiting the Georgian house, it is very attractive and for people less familiar with the interiors of Georgian houses I think it would be really informative, especially the kitchen and laundry areas. The Georgian House has free entry, and you can find out more here.

Red Lodge

2010-10-09T16:30:00.003+01:00

Last Sunday I went to the Red Lodge in Bristol with my brother. I'd been intending to go for a long time but hadn't got round to it-I used to go there on school trips as a child so it is somewhere I've known of for years. I was really glad we made the effort as it was definitely worth it! The Red Lodge was built in 1580 as a lodge for a Great House, which unfortunately no longer exists. The lodge would have been used for entertainment and as extra accommodation, a bit like some large houses have annexed accommodation for guests today. After it was originally built it has had many changes of use and lots of additions to the structure and decoration of the house. The rooms in the Lodge are now partly Tudor and partly Georgian, and the outside of the house does not look Tudor at all.

The first room we visited in the house was the Print Room, which was Georgian. It was a small room hung with various prints from the era. The things I found most interesting were the "japanned" grandfather clock, the painted and carved harpsichord and the beautiful tiles around the fireplace. There were some lovely landscapes, and images of birds and other animals, but my favourite was this tile with goats or sheep painted on it.

The next room was the Great Oak Room, which is one of the largest rooms in the house and has the original Tudor features. It had an impressive carved stone fireplace, and incredibly intricate wood panelling covering the whole of the walls.

Even the ceilings had moulded patterns.

The heavily carved doorway led into a small dressing room.

Which in turn led to a bedroom, which was home to a four poster bed with ornately embroidered hangings and bedding.

The drapes and bedding have been recreated following patterns from original Tudor textiles. It was a very beautiful bed but I think I'd find it pretty spooky to sleep in!

In the 1850s the Red Lodge was used as a reform school for girls, so there is a room exhibiting some objects and photos from that time. This is an exercise book which was found underneath the floorboards, it is filled with beautiful neat handwriting.

There was a photograph of the Great Oak Room being used as a school room! It seems strange that such an impressive, ostentatious room was used for something so utilitarian. I wonder what the original owner of the Lodge would think?

The stairs back down to the ground floor are beautiful, with glowing chandeliers and lots of gilt edged mirrors.

The rooms downstairs are Georgian, and much more sparsely decorated and furnished. The rooms feel much airier and lighter, less oppressive than the Tudor rooms, gorgeous as they are. The main feature downstairs is this fireplace, decorated with painstakingly hand painted Delft tiles.

The huge windows look out onto a re-created Tudor knot garden, planted with herbs used as medicines or for cooking.

Unfortunately the garden was closed due to wet weather, so I had to content myself with the view from the window.

As the piece de resistance to an already brilliant visit, a very kind member of staff let us look at the cells underneath the Lodge and take photos of them. They are usually out of bounds to the public, but he saw my digital camera and said we might be able to get interesting photographs so unlocked them for us. They are believed to be left over from when the area the Lodge stands on belonged to the Carmelite Friary, so would have been used for monks, not prisoners.

I had a really good time visiting the Red Lodge and found it very interesting, as did my brother. The staff were friendly and helpful, useful information sheets were provided, and the Lodge wasn't crowded so it was easy to see all the details without having to push past people. The Red Lodge has free entry, which I think is fantastic, and you can find out more information here.

Pin Cushion and Needle Book

2010-10-05T23:29:00.000+01:00

I made my sister a pincushion and needle book a couple of weeks ago for her birthday. She's 8 and has just started to get interested in sewing.

The pincushion is made with a combination of a printed fabric and a purple fabric, as purple is her favourite colour.

The needle book is the printed fabric on the outside, with purple fabric inside and pink felt for the pages.

The printed fabric I used has needles and thread, buttons and scissors on it so I thought it was appropriate! My sister liked these and hopefully she will use them to do some sewing projects.

Berkeley Castle Butterfly House

2010-09-26T20:14:00.002+01:00

Unfortunately I start this post on a slightly sad note. I took masses of photos in the butterfly house, and some of them turned out gorgeous, especially some of my boyfriend with a huge blue butterfly perched on his arm. I took so many I had to use two memory cards, and then when I got home I couldn't find the one with all the best pictures. I was really really hoping it would turn up, but it hasn't, so I think I must have dropped it in the car park of the Castle. I am really upset about this! Thankfully I still had some butterfly photos on the other memory card, but I am just sad that the best ones are gone.

Anyway, we had a lovely time in the butterfly house. It is basically a large greenhouse which is heated so that the butterflies can survive-they are all tropical varieties which wouldn't normally live in Britain. It was like being in a sauna and I had to take both my jumpers and my hat and scarf off! There are lots of different flowering plants growing in there for the butterflies to feed on.

There are also big trays of fruit, mostly bananas and oranges, left for the butterflies to eat. This was a really good way to see the butterflies close up, as they were too busy feeding to fly away.

There were also lots of butterflies resting on the roof, which was another good way of getting to close to them without them suddenly whirring off. This one had such striking black and white patterns.

I liked the markings on this one too and the bold colours.

This butterfly was almost transparent and its patterns looked amazing with the light shining through the clear parts of its wings.

There was a seating area with a fish pond and lots of flowers, which attracted a lot of butterflies. I was able to see them feeding and could actually see their very long tongues going into the flowers! It was awesome and slightly weird at the same time.

I loved these butterflies, which were blue on the insides of their wings. The eye pattern on the outside was equally beautiful though in my opinion. They have these "eyes" to scare off predators.

There were some absolutely enormous butterflies resting inside a netted area. I think it is just as well they weren't flying around as something this big coming towards my face would have been quite terrifying! Each of their wings was bigger than my hand.

The butterfly house is kept free of pests by miniature Chinese painted quails, who eat all the ants, woodlice and so on. They were adorable and I really wanted to take some home as pets!

In terms of a review, I had a great time in the butterfly house and I think that for the entry fee (£2.00) it was good value. It is quite basic and is as if you've walked into some one's personal greenhouse, it doesn't have the tropical rain forest feel that some butterfly houses go for. However I think the cost of entry reflects this, and it does what it says on the tin, so I don't have any complaints. The butterfly house is suitable for all ages but I think children would especially enjoy it. The gift shop was even more dire than the one for the castle, but it did have a selection of butterfly postcards and a guide to butterfly species, which were all reasonably priced. The member of staff on duty was very pleasant and knowledgeable and answered my questions in a friendly tone. So overall it was good, if a little rudimentary.

Adult prices-Castle, gardens and butterfly house £7.50, Gardens and butterfly house £4.00, Butterfly house £2.00

http://www.berkeley-castle.com/

Berkeley Castle Gardens

2010-09-23T22:37:00.001+01:00

It recently occurred to me that I visit places other people might not have been before. Several readers of this blog seemed to find my posts on Cardiff fairly informative, so I've decided that now when I write about places I've been I'll do a little review as well as writing about it from a personal point of view. On Sunday I visited Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire with my boyfriend. The castle has three attractions, the castle itself, the gardens, and a butterfly house (which I'll be writing about tomorrow). We got tickets for the gardens and butterfly house as we didn't arrive until 2pm and didn't want to have to rush to see everything.
The gardens are absolutely gorgeous, and huge. Most of the gardens are made up of lawns with large, imposing trees dotted about. Terraces with floral borders lead down to the main lawn, and there is also a wooded area with some hidden tunnels and quirky corners.

There were lots of different varieties of dahlia planted in the gardens, which I liked as I love dahlias. I think they're so pretty and fresh looking. The borders were beautifully kept, as were the lawns, and there were also lots of lovely fragrant roses, anemones, black eyed susans and other traditional flowers.

There was a big lily pond with a fountain, surrounded by carefully clipped hedges. My boyfriend remarked that it looked like something from the Queen of Hearts' garden and I agreed!

The views from the higher parts of the garden were stunning. It really did have a fairytale atmosphere, the delicate flowers contrasting with the slightly sinister looking trees, and all overlooked by the ancient castle.

I liked exploring the hidden paths in the wooded areas-in one place you have to walk through a very low archway which was only just big enough for me, and I am only 5'2"!

The castle had some really interesting details, such as decorative windows and doors. I'd like to go back another time and go inside the castle to see more of the architecture.

Another architectural detail I liked was this game larder, which originally would have been covered with wire mesh and would have been used to store meat. I thought it was an interesting shape and I liked the little cupola on the top.

Overall, I thought Berkeley Castle gardens was a good day out which I enjoyed. It was well kept and interesting, with lots of things to look at, and I only saw one damaged area-a missing paving stone, which had been clearly marked with an orange cone to avoid accidents. The entrance price was very reasonable-it is £4.00 per person to look around the gardens and butterfly house, which I think is just right. I felt relaxed there and it is not overrun with staff monitoring your every move, as some tourist attractions are. Visitors are free to wander anywhere within the gardens (other than a couple of places with no entry signs for safety reasons). Berkeley Castle was also clearly signposted so easy to find.

However I was not impressed with the tearoom, it was small, crowded and quite expensive, although the soup I had there was tasty and the scones in the cream tea were obviously baked on the premises, which I approved of. Some of the older members of the tearoom staff were not friendly and seemed almost hostile, especially towards visitors of teenage/young adult age. The gift shops are not well stocked and the items are poorly displayed. I feel that these are areas which could be easily improved so it seems a shame that they let the rest of the attraction down.

From an access point of view, this wouldn't be a particularly good place for disabled people or anyone with walking difficulties to visit, as there are lots of steep steps and uneven areas.

But I would still say that Berkeley Castle is a great place to visit, especially if you want a reasonably priced day out. I would just advise taking a picnic!

Prices: £7.50 for castle, gardens and butterfly house, £4.00 for gardens and butterfly house, £2.00 for butterfly house only (all these are adult prices, please check the website for children's prices).

Open Thursdays and Sundays until end of October, butterfly house closes 30th September.

http://www.berkeley-castle.com/

Cows Part 2

2010-09-19T12:34:00.001+01:00

Yes, more cows, but they are just so adorable! These ones are further along the road from my house and are in a much more luxurious field-fitted with all the mod cons including trees.
I wasn't sure if these two were being affectionate or having a fight. I don't think they were sure either, they seemed to alternate between head butting and nuzzling. The cows all started running along together which looked very sweet. There was even a little calf with it's mum. They reminded me of the pictures on Malted Milk biscuits.

I didn't realise until after I'd taken these pictures that there were actually two farm workers in the field with the cows! I don't think they minded me taking photos as they didn't approach me or ask me to stop, but they did seem a bit baffled! I think they thought I was a bit crazy, and my outfit probably didn't help dissuade them from that view...

But never mind, I had fun taking these pictures and it was good to see some of the more attractive aspects of my village. If only it all looked like this!

Cows Part 1

2010-09-18T14:24:00.001+01:00

So continuing the farmyard theme, I thought I would move on to cattle. I think this sudden interest in agricultural animals has sprung from me thinking about my dream of having an eco friendly house and keeping animals. How realistic this is considering I spend much of my time in stilettos and skirts, have a serious shopping habit, and need regular interaction with other human beings, I do not know, but these things do not ruin my fantasy of rural bliss.

Anyway, on to the animals! I'm not sure if these were male or female, so they shall just be referred to as cows. These two reminded me of Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they seemed to mirror each other's movements a lot and followed each other around. Also, do you see that gigantic cow in the background? My boyfriend was quite astounded by it's massive girth.

Here is the super sized cow again, it really was huge. I'm surprised those skinny little legs could hold up such weight!

This one was my favourite, I think it was probably the youngest of the group. It was a bit scared and was sheltering behind the hedge, but it looked so cute!

Sheep

2010-09-17T15:50:00.001+01:00

My boyfriend and I have started taking little walks up the road from my house when we're bored. Despite living in what could arguably be called "the countryside" (I was spoilt early on in life by the unmarred beauty of the Cotswolds, so I'm somewhat cynical about this) I look out from my window onto a busy road and some low cost (i.e. unattractive) housing. A two minute walk to the right of my house, however, and it looks like I live in some kind of rural idyll.
I like sheep rather a lot, which I think dates back to bottle feeding a lamb at a farm park when I was a child. I like their bulky wool and their little skinny legs sticking out, I even like their strange baaing noises. I can sometimes hear the sheep very early in the morning and it is oddly comforting. I'm not sure about their intelligence level, I suspect it is a little questionable, but they seem very amicable and sweet. I often pet the sheep at my local farm shop (with thorough hand washing afterwards of course!) and they are very friendly and don't seem to mind it at all. I also found this vetch flower in the hedge. Isn't it lovely? I think it's a relative of the sweet pea.

Vintage Vase

2010-09-15T20:43:00.004+01:00

I haven't had flowers for a long time, but I picked up some freesias yesterday as they were very cheap. I know freesias are often used as filler flowers in bouquets but I like them on their own. They're a bit plain but I like their simplicity, and they smell lovely. I used a little glass vase, which was one of my thrifty finds over the summer, to put them in. It came from the charity shop near my house, which looks very unassuming from the outside but is filled with hidden treasures. I really like the floral pattern on the vase, which is etched into the surface. It's so delicate and pretty. This vase only cost me £1, I think it was a good purchase!

Cardiff Castle

2010-09-02T19:14:00.011+01:00

The main reason for visiting Cardiff this time was to go to the castle. I'd wanted to go there for a long time but was having trouble finding someone who'd go with me. That problem was solved by recruiting a small sibling! The castle is really interesting and has a lot of history to it. Parts of it are Norman, there are Roman foundations, medieval additions, and then the main house is Georgian and Victorian. The Norman keep is still there and is really fun to climb up to, although pretty scary as well, especially as I suffer from vertigo!
Here I am clinging on for dear life. There were lots of little details I liked, such as the slit windows. The main house is a piece of Gothic splendour from the outside, with extra Victorian spires and turrets added on to the plainer Georgian structure. The inside of the house is absolutely incredible. It is a beautifully executed example of faux medieval grandeur, with stained glass aplenty and an abundance of gold leaf. It was designed by William Burges, an architect who loved medieval art and architecture and who designed his own home in the same style. Everywhere you look there are beautiful little touches such as painted butterflies and animals. The ceilings are ornately carved and gilded and seem to have been influenced by Byzantine architecture. Heavy metal candelabras hang in almost every room. The wallpapers are all printed with gorgeous patterns and there are a lot of borders painted with delicate images of birds. Birds were a recurring theme in the house, there were also marquetry birds on doors and bookcases. My favourite room in the house was the rather in-politically correctly named Arab Room. It is truly stunning- every surface seems to have been carved, gilded and painted, and the multicoloured stained glass windows are dazzling. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

As someone who loves history and design, particularly crazy, extravagant design, I really enjoyed my visit to Cardiff Castle. As well as taking photos myself I bought a guide book, which is full of colour pictures, so I have plenty of images for inspiration. I would definitely recommend a visit as seeing pictures is really no substitute for seeing these amazing rooms in the flesh!

Edit: I have now uploaded more of my pictures of the castle to my Flickr page, so take a look if you're interested!

Cardiff

2010-09-01T22:18:00.005+01:00

Cardiff is one of those places which I've been to before and which has always been on my radar, but which I'd never explored properly until recently. I've been there twice so far this year and both times have been astounded by what a lovely city it is. It may help that I love Welsh accents and find Welsh people to be incredibly polite and friendly! But I also think it's down to things like the statues and sculptures which seem to adorn every street...

the abundance of pretty fountains, parks and green spaces in an extremely urban area...

and the quirky little details such as a park built over a graveyard, with the tombstones lined up around the perimeter.

Or the fact that it has an incredible museum with free entry, which has one of the best art collections I've seen and which I will definitely be visiting again soon to examine in more detail.

Funny little architectural details like this drinking fountain endear me to the place too. Cardiff has a lot of Victorian architecture, which I have a strange fascination with and love to photograph. Another reason for a return visit.

The shopping is rather fantastic too, although I didn't indulge in much of that today. Of course Cardiff does have it's rougher areas, and some parts of Cardiff county are the poorest in Wales, so it's not all sunshine and rainbows. But with all the well kept parks, thoughtful pieces of public art and general wealth of culture, it seems like a good place to be, even if it's only for the day.

Review- Lady Luck Rules Ok: Trade Secrets Tour

2010-08-22T13:28:00.007+01:00

On Saturday I headed off into Bristol to attend one of the dates of the Lady Luck Rules OK [LLROK] Trade Secrets Tour. If you haven't heard of LLROK, it was a very successful jewellery business which ran between 2003 and 2010, selling fashion jewellery aimed at young people. I always liked the aesthetic of LLROK products as they were very colourful, quirky and retro, and I own a few pieces of jewellery from there. I was also impressed by their very reasonable prices and the seemingly never ending press they managed to generate. So when I saw that Leona Baker, the co-founder of LLROK (she set the business up with her partner, Sam) was going on tour to run a series of talks on small businesses, I snapped up a ticket.

I wasn't really sure what to expect and was a bit worried that Leona would be a sort of ice queen entrepreneur who was intimidatingly perfect, but she seemed really normal (in a good way) and was extremely friendly and welcoming. She put everyone in the room at ease immediately, and although the talk was crammed with useful information and advice (I was scribbling things down in a notebook the whole time!) she spoke in an informal, cheerful way which made it feel less like being at school and more like having a chat with a friend. Just a very useful friend who has a string of contacts longer than her arm!

I will not be revealing any of the information she disclosed, but suffice to say the number of useful contacts over all areas of small business, from press to trade shows, went above and beyond my expectations, and I think it will prove really useful to me in future. She also covered more basic issues such as how to approach shops with your products, insurance, and so on, so by the end it was quite difficult to think of any questions to ask her! In addition to all the great information, everyone who attended the talk got to make a personalised necklace, which was the perfect finishing touch to an already outstanding event.

I would really recommend this talk for anyone who runs a small creative business or anyone who is thinking of starting one. There are only a couple of dates left but they both have tickets available, and if you can't make it to one of the talks Leona Baker is also running jewellery making workshops in London in September. Check out the LLROK website for more details.

Sundae Skirt

2010-08-19T18:46:00.004+01:00

I finally got round to taking some photos of a skirt I made a while ago. The construction of it is really simple, just a waistband which fastens with two buttons, the skirt gathered onto the waistband and a little zip in the side seam. It's a shape I really like to use to show off crazy prints, such as this ice cream sundae print which I just adore. I'm planning many more garments with the same print! I love this skirt so much, as it is comfortable, very soft, extremely flattering and shows just the right amount of leg. With the ice cream pattern it reminds me of the novelty print skirts which were popular in the 1950s. If anyone is interested in a tutorial for this skirt just let me know!

Invasion Of The Caterpillars

2010-08-18T17:14:00.000+01:00

My poor nasturtiums have been completely decimated by a sudden invasion of caterpillars! I don't mind too much though as it means there will be more butterflies around. And it is quite interesting watching them as they much their way through everything in their path.

The borage is doing well, I love the star like flowers.

And my sweetpea finally has a flower! Hopefully more will follow.

The Slightly Ridiculous Outfit I Wore To Tesco...

2010-08-16T17:45:00.004+01:00

So, after all my promises I thought it was about time I got round to doing an outfit post. I had been waiting for a day where I looked "perfect" but then I thought I'd just bite the bullet and go for it. So, this is what I wore for a dash to Tesco yesterday. I can report that wearing two different colours of leopard print, two different colours of polka dots and a teapot necklace to a provincial supermarket will result in people staring at you as if you are an alien. I'm quite inspired by Japanese street style at the moment so have lost all inhibitions about mixing colours and patterns together. Hamming it up for the camera. My boyfriend kindly took these, so there aren't really any detailed pictures of what I was wearing, but I'll be doing them myself in future (I'm experimenting with the self timer on my camera and also looking into camera remotes) so I promise the quality will improve. I am also thinking that taking them indoors might be a good idea as the whole sunlight in the eyes thing isn't a good look.

He did however have the sense to take a picture of my shoes. This is why he is my boyfriend, he understands the importance of shoes. I absolutely adore these! They are very cheap canvas wedges, but they are comfortable, have bows on, and most importantly are pink. I love them so much I have actually bought a second pair as back up for when these inevitably disintegrate from being worn so much. I am also in love with the accompanying pink leopard print ankle socks. I am very into socks at present.

So, outfit details:

Blue and white leopard print cardigan, Oasis
White t-shirt, F+F at Tesco
Blue polka dot skirt, Peacocks
Pink leopard print socks, Peacocks
Pink canvas wedges, Peacocks
Blue teapot necklace, Accessorize
Pink polka dot bow alice band, Sainsbury's children's section

Strange Sky

2010-08-09T20:14:00.003+01:00

On Saturday night there was a big rain storm over my house, and just before the rain started falling there was the most unusual light. It made everything look almost golden, but it created a slightly sinister atmosphere!It was very beautiful though, the sky had some incredible shades of mauve, blue, orange and pink, with this eerie orange light illuminating everything underneath. Then the rain started to pour, and a lovely rainbow was created. I absolutely adore rainbows so that made me very happy. I never mind it raining if there's a rainbow!

My Garden

2010-08-06T20:31:00.000+01:00

I realised that although I had photographed all the shoots from the seeds I had planted, I hadn't shown the full grown plants. So here they are! Unfortunately the first lot of lettuces have already grown and been eaten, but I've planted a second lot which are shooting up already! The peony has some lovely big glossy leaves but no flowers. I think I'll probably have to wait til next year for those.

The nasturtiums finally have flowers! Lovely big pale yellow and deep orange ones.

The tomatoes are doing well and I have one ripe one waiting to be eaten in my kitchen.

The borage has some little buds which will open out into gorgeous blue star shaped flowers.

The sweetpea also has little buds so I'll be getting some pretty pastel coloured blooms soon. I can't wait!

Botanical Gardens

2010-08-05T23:00:00.000+01:00

Sunday was my boyfriend's birthday so we headed to the park for a picnic under a tree.It was a wonderful, relaxed day, with sunshine and blue skies and nothing to do and nowhere to be. We took a walk around the Botanical Gardens, which were in full bloom with beautiful flowers. Bees were everywhere. I love the startlingly bright pink of these anemones. They look so whimsical.

A dusky orange lily hidden in the foliage on the edge of the lake. It reminds me of sunsets.

Some kind of japonica, with lovely shades of orange and peach splashed across it's petals.

Not sure what these were but the bees loved them, and so did I! Such a vibrant colour.

A bright and beautiful daisy of some sort. I think it's probably a relative of echinacea judging from the shape.

Ahhh the dahlias. Big, overblown, and verging on tacky, but I just adore them. They remind me of origami, Japanese fabric patterns, and the 1950s. This one was in quite muted tones, with gorgeous pale pink and cream shades. Like pretty lingerie.

This one was more of a show off with it's hot pink edges. Doesn't this just make you want to put a big bunch of them in a vintage jug, don an apron and dance around to 1950s music? Or even better sip some daiquiris somewhere you can admire the dahlias.

My conversion to fancy dress...

2010-08-04T21:49:00.007+01:00

My boyfriend's birthday party had a video game character theme, so I had to turn my hand to making a fancy dress costume. I chose to dress up as Chun Li from the Street Fighter games as she seemed to be the female video game character with the most clothing! As I think people's everyday clothing should express something about them if possible (although I'm currently pretty terrible at doing this myself...one day I'll have my perfect quirky wardrobe!) I've usually not been keen on fancy dress, as I didn't see the point in "being" someone else. Another factor in my dislike of it was that as I rarely have money going spare, trying to get costumes has been a nightmare in the past. However, with the success of this costume and the reaction I got to it I think I'm converted!Chun Li is mean to be chinese, so her oufit is basically a modified version of a traditional Chinese dress, or qipao. This was also a reason for me choosing to dress as her because I really love the qipao. I used a blue polyester knit fabric which I already had for the basic dress, which has puffed sleeves with zig zag edges, and splits up the front of the skirt. Chun Li's skirt is actually tight, floor length and with gigantic splits up over her hips, but I didn't think that was very practical for a trip to the pub so I made mine knee length. Although it has quite big splits the skirt is made in panels so is loose and the splits don't show so much. I sewed it all together on my beloved overlocker. The yellow detailing was done with some gold spandex which I used with the wrong side showing-the gold side had started to rub off, but the yellow on the other side was perfect! I love it when things get used up, and this was the perfect way to use something I would have otherwise had to throw away. I hand sewed the yellow pieces on with small running stitches, which allowed them to give slightly with the stretch of the fabric.And here is me in the full costume! I did my hair in two little buns with circles of white fabric held over them with hair elastics, and strips of white fabric tied around. The white belt was from a bought Chun Li costume, the dress part of which didn't fit, hence making my own. And then to finish it all off I had brown tights. I couldn't find the white boots Chun Li wears so I wore plimsolls. I'll be keeping this costume and possibly wearing it again, so hopefully if I do I can get the boots and also add yellow edging to the zig zags on the sleeves. I can now see that without the stress of not being able to get the right costume, fancy dress is fun! You can assume a new identity for a short while, and it's almost like when you're a child and play out lots of different characters. I got a lot of comments on how good my costume was and people were really impressed that I had made it. Now one of my friends is interested in doing cosplay and wants me to go with her, so there may be more costumes appearing here in future...

Brownie Cheesecake

2010-08-03T18:43:00.007+01:00

It was my boyfriend's birthday at the weekend so yesterday we had a little meal to celebrate. We did stuff at the weekend too but I was staying at his house and I don't feel familiar enough with his kitchen to cook there-I like having my own stuff around and knowing exactly what is in each cupboard! I decided to make the Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook as a treat. I halved the ingredients as the recipe was to serve 12 people and although my boyfriend and I could probably polish off all 12 portions it would not be very good for us! The recipe calls for lots of melted chocolate. I had to resist eating it rather than putting it into the mixture.

I'm afraid I always cheat with mixing the butter and sugar together and stick the butter in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften it. I don't have an electric whisk or food processor and trying to mix butter straight from the pack with a wooden spoon means I end up feeling like my arm is about to drop off!

The brownie mixture smelt really good with all the melted chocolate added.

The cheesecake mixture was surprisingly easy to do and came out really creamy and smooth, I was pleased.

This is where I hit the first baking issue-my pan was too small. The brownie was meant to be in a flat layer under the cheesecake layer, but as I poured the cheesecake in they were competing for space so the cheesecake ended up filling the middle. It wasn't too much of an issue but I will be investing in a larger pan in future!

This is when it came out of the oven-the brownie had ended up forming the base and crust rather than sitting underneath the cheesecake. However this did make it easier to break sneaky pieces of brownie off the edge, and it tasted amazing. I'll definitely be making chocolate brownies again soon!

The second issue was that the brownie cheesecake was meant to have a layer of raspberry infused whipped cream on the top. Unfortunately my local shop didn't have whipping cream so I bought single cream, and however much I tried to whip it, it just wouldn't get any fluffier. So I gave up and just poured it over.

Despite the problems, it was still worth the effort, as it tasted amazing! The tart taste of the raspberries counterbalanced all the cream and chocolate perfectly, and the vanilla cheesecake softened the very strong chocolate taste of the brownie. I'll be making this recipe again for certain, I'll just make sure I get exactly the right ingredients and the right sized pan next time! Now I'm going to go and eat the last piece...

London and Cirencester Finds

2010-07-23T17:52:00.005+01:00

While I was in London and Cirencester I didn't actually buy as much as I normally seem to, though my money still seemed to magically disappear! So I thought I'd group my purchases together in one post. Then I can move on to some different topics quicker, including some crafty stuff hopefully! These were the first things I bought in London-a Japanese plum jelly and a Japanese daruma sweet made from bean paste, from Minamoto Kitchoan. I haven't tried them yet but the last lot of sweets I had from there were yummy!I stocked up on notepads, pens and origami paper in Muji. Their products are reasonably priced, functional and attractive in a minimalist way. I really like their pens, they are great for drawing, and they sell the cheapest and best quality origami paper I've ever come across.I got a little chirimen cat mirror in Chinatown, along with a maneki neko phone charm. The Hello Kitty ring and phone charm were from vending machines in Chinatown. I like the vending machines, it is fun not knowing what you will get. The ring is absolutely giant, especially on my unusually small hands! I'll still wear it though, just not when I'm going to be doing anything practical. Sorry for the blurry photo by the way, I was taking it one handed! I also picked up some koala shaped biscuits and some alsa guluman in one of the Chinese supermarkets. I get koala biscuits every time I'm in London, the shapes and designs on them are really cute and they taste good too. They are a crunchy, thin, almost salty biscuit on the outside, with a chocolate filling. They taste a bit like Pretzel Flips if you've ever had those. The alsa guluman seems to be similar to gelatine, but it doesn't contain animal products. Since I turned vegetarian earlier this year I have found it really difficult to find vegetarian jelly, so I'm hoping I can use this as a substitute by adding my own flavouring. My first stop in Cirencester was Lexi Loves, a treasure trove for any crafty people. I bought some very cute iron on appliqués to decorate cardigans and pockets. I also got some super sweet writing paper, printed with kitsch images of cupcakes, chocolates, candy apples and ice lollies. My final purchases were some pretty pink and purple bangles which have a sort of holographic effect. I really like them and have been wearing them a lot.

I have many other recent purchases, mainly from charity shops and car boot sales, but I'll save those for another time-I want to get the blog a bit more balanced with some posts on things I've made and perhaps some outfit posts. Everything recently seems to have been about places I've visited or shopping!

Yay!

2010-07-20T22:44:00.004+01:00

The lovely Ella of Ella Masters has given me a blog award!

It's the first blog award I've ever received so I'm very touched! The rules are to name 10 things I like, then tag 10 other bloggers. So, the 10 things I like are:

Cherry blossom
Creativity
Dancing
Good friends (including my boyfriend!)
Good food
The smell of gardens on summer evenings when it has rained
Tea parties
Looking around museums and art galleries on my own
Bed
Fabulous shoes

Of course I like a lot more things than that but those were the ones which came into my head.

The 10 people I tag are:

and Violet

They are all wonderful in different ways, please take the time to check out their blogs as I'm sure you will love them!

Cirencester

2010-07-18T23:01:00.005+01:00

I went to Cirencester a couple of weeks ago with my Mum for a day out. It is a very relaxed place which never seems to change much. I used to live near there so we tend to go back to visit once a year at least. We had a delicious lunch in the New Brewery Arts Centre, and took in the exhibition of automatons by Robert Race. I really liked the exhibition, it was thoughtfully done and it brought out the child in everyone. There were lots of handles to turn and levers to pull so it was very interactive.

We visited the wonderful shop Lexi Loves which sells pretty fabrics and trimmings and buttons. There are some very unusual things for sale there which I haven't found anywhere else. I got a few bits and bobs which I am very happy with-I'll put them in another post.

After the shopping I took a little trip to the abbey to walk around the graveyard (which was very cheerful looking for a graveyard!), then have a look inside and light a few candles.

There is a big green space behind the abbey which used to be it's grounds but is now open to the public as a park. It looks pretty and I have vague memories of going there as a child so I'd like to go there next time I visit.

I really like the painted shop fronts along the high street, they look pretty and the colours remind me of ice cream. Hopefully I can go back to Cirencester again soon!

St James's Park

2010-07-17T23:02:00.005+01:00

The last part of my day in London was spent in St James's Park. Although I'd been there once before, a very long time ago, I hadn't really seen that much of it and had forgotten most of what I had seen. So it was great to go back and spend some more time there, taking in the atmosphere.Not only does St James's have lovely floral borders and views of the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade,

but it has a beautiful lake in the centre!

This gorgeous little house is on the edge of the lake. I assume it's the park keeper's house, but it looks like something out of a fairytale!

The lake is home to lots of different birds, and the surrounding area is home to a massive amount of squirrels. There were some baby coots swimming around when I went, they were very cute.

I saw a stunning black swan quite close up, I'd seen them before but never close enough to see the details on their feathers and beaks.

The lake is absolutely massive!

I really like Canada geese, these ones looked so sweet resting in the foliage.

There was a heron lurking on the edge of the lake, I think it was waiting to catch a fish.

This squirrel thought my mum had some food in her hand so launched himself at the railings at high speed!

There is a large rock in the lake which is home to a group of pelicans. They are very strange creatures but interesting to look at. St James's Park is so beautifully kept and such a relaxing, pleasant place! I hope I get to go back again soon.

London!

2010-07-14T23:04:00.006+01:00

On the summer solstice (June 21st) I went to London with my family. It seems like ages ago now, but I've had a bit of a backlog with all my Falmouth photos and have missed out on a lot of blogging due to being pretty busy, so I'm only just getting around to writing about it!

It was a special trip as it was the first time I've visited London with my family as an adult. The last time we went on a family trip there was 8 years ago, so my youngest sister had never been before. Now that I have at least some knowledge of London and it's delights I decided to show them around. Firstly we went to Piccadilly Circus and had lunch at Ed's Diner, which they loved. Then we went to the Royal Academy courtyard to look at the sculptures and the architecture, although we didn't go in as it's a bit heavy going for young children! We went to Fortnum and Mason, an amazing Japanese sweetshop I always visit called Minamoto Kitchoan, and then cut through Burlington Arcade to get to Regent Street.

We went to Carnaby Street to visit Muji and a couple of other shops, then walked around for ages trying to find China Town even though usually it would take me about five minutes to get there! I think the pressure of having people rely on my sense of direction got to me. We did find a little square with this statue in on the way, it was a nice little green space.

I thought these houses looked like pictures I've seen of Amsterdam, with all different shaped facades.

This was a funny little feature near Carnaby Street, the pub was called The Shakespeare's Head so there was a model of Shakespeare looking out of one of the windows.

We knew we were finally approaching China Town when we saw this dragon/lion on a building! Ah the relief!

There is so much red in this picture! I love the gates of China Town, they are pretty and so at odds with the surrounding architecture.

I always like this lion-y/dragon-y thing but usually there are too many people around it for me to photograph it. I was lucky this time! My family really liked China Town, especially my sister who bought some things from the Hello Kitty vending machines. Where I live you just don't get anything like China Town, it's not very culturally diverse, so it was a real experience for my brother and sister.

I always like looking at the architectural details in London, there is so much to see and almost every surface has an interesting texture or carving or tiles or stained glass.

The National Gallery has some gorgeous features. I think it's wonderful that a building which houses art has such an artistic exterior.

The carved domes look very Byzantine, with echoes of Russian and Islamic architecture. We didn't go inside the National Gallery this time, but we did visit the National Portrait Gallery and looked at Tudor portraits and some modern ones. I think we'll go back another time to take more in, there is just so much to see!

Of course, we had to take a trip to Trafalgar Square. Even though it's a really cliched tourist-y place, I do love the fountains and the views towards Big Ben.

I had to get the obligatory tourist photo of Nelson's Column, even though I was lazy and took it of the back! I was sat on the steps leading to the National Gallery and couldn't be bothered to move after so much walking.

I like the current artwork on the fourth plinth, a giant ship in a bottle with African fabrics for the sails. It seems appropriate to have a ship in a place dedicated to a naval battle. Also, I am just fascinated with ships in bottles! They are so intriguing and fun.

Another obligatory tourist photo of one of the lions on the fountains and Big Ben in the distance.

After a rest in Trafalgar Square we headed down the Mall towards St James's Park. The buildings there are huge and incredibly grand.

I'm going to do a separate post on St James's Park because it was so beautiful, but here is a sneak peek. It was really lovely. We spent a long time there and I was so glad we managed to get there, it was a relaxing end to the trip.

We walked across Westminster Bridge to Waterloo tube station so that we could get a quick look at the Thames and the London Eye. Then it was back to Paddington to get our train home. All in all it was a good day! Hopefully we will all go back to London again soon, maybe to a different area-I'd like to get my family to the Natural History Museum, V&A and Hummingbird Bakery, so I think a trip to South Kensington will have to be planned! I'd also like to go on my own and spend some time in the V&A and at What Katie Did. That's the great thing about London, there's so much to do there.