Soothing Sunday #3 (On a Monday!)

Image is from here.

 Well it isn't anymore... it is Monday but last night I got home at 8PM and just wanted to sit somewhere like below!

Image is from here.

So I started this post last night and put it to one side to watch TV and eat pizza and lots and lots of sweeties. So here is what I would have posted yesterday:


My week has been filled with lots of time to myself, but I have loved it. I have visited CWI twice (that's where I did my placement) I'm pretty sure if I keep visiting that much they will think I still work there! The second time I visited, I took cake. Homemade marble cake to be precise! It was tasty and they all enjoyed it! I will be posting the recipe and photos on The Other Blog very very soon! The image is more blurry than anticipated but nevermind, it still looks tasty.

 I also did a spot of baking with my friend Heather (and I supposed I should mention her boyfriend Josh seeing as he did help a little bit). Another recipe to be added to that Cakey blog of mine, but with less photos! They were called Chocolate and Pear Muffins, however they aren't very muffin-looking (as you will see in the next photo) but they sure are very very yummy!

I have also started working at GAP Outlet, in the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in -or should I say just outside of- York. I love it!! I have to travel but it is worth it and it has encouraged me to buy one of those Young Person's Railcards. So all is good, just can't wait to feel more settled and actually know what I'm doing a bit more!

Travelling will also encourage me to read on the train, so I visited one of the University Libraries and picked up a few books. This time (where I cannot go on facebook or play silly internet games) will actually enable me to do some reading without too many disturbances!

Getting up in the morning and switching on the telly has somehow got me a little addicted with One Tree Hill. It's quite early in the series (I think) so it is quite easy to get into.... and well I'm really enjoying it!!

So I think that rounds up my week. There will be lots more to come next Sunday (and I will really try to post it on the SUNDAY!).

The Tote Bag

Image is from here.

Hello, I've had a productive day today. I have tidied and sorted the flat a bit more (there is still a lot to do) and I have been to the library to get some books out to do some reading for my dissertation.

I am usually awful at finding the books I want, no matter how organised I am, I just can't seem to follow the little symbols on the sides of the book to "help" you find them. Anyway, it was going well, until I could only find the Reference copy of one of my books (it didn't really matter because I picked up 2 extra books in its place) but I double checked and there was a standard copy available somewhere. I decided to go have another look and on my way to where the book should have been hiding, another book caught my eye...

It mainly caught my eye because it has the most interesting cover in the whole library but then I wanted to know what was inside this beautiful cover. It is basically filled with hundreds of designs found on the fabulous accessory the Tote Bag. Here are some photos I have taken from inside the book:

 You can also find out more on this website: http://www.jiteshpatel.co.uk/totebagbook/.

If you could design your own tote bag, what would it look like?

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

 

As I am home for the summer, I have borrowed my dad's library card to take some books out for me to read. I chose a couple that I would probably not have read/bought and now that I have finished the first book, I am glad that I did.

 The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is a book set in the 1950's following the life of Penelope Wallace, an 18 year old girl who would just like to grow up and fall in love with her favourite pop star Johnnie Ray. The story begins with how she met Charlotte, a girl her age but very different in personality to Penelope. This is definitely a very girlie book, talking about fashion, shopping, falling in love, pop stars and food. I absolutely loved the book I couldn't stop reading it at the end, as I just had to know what happened! I really connected with Penelope, she was so honest with herself and how much she admired Charlotte's confidence.

Even though this novel was set in the mid 1950's it was lovely to read and I would recommend it to everyone!

Images are from WeHeartIt & Amazon.

Soothing Sunday #1

 

I have noticed a couple of blogs do a "weekly round-up" on the same day each week, which I love the idea of!! It would be good to look back on my posts to see what I've been doing with my time, it will encourage me to keep taking photos (something I seem to be bad at remembering) and it'll be a regular post that I can stick too.

I always like to think of Sundays as long, relaxing days full of cups of tea and TV watching, long walks and lie-ins. That is why I thought the adjective "Soothing" would be a good choice to name my new regular weekly post.

So what have I been up to this week?

Earlier this week I treated myself to a recipe book, Cooking with Chocolate, and a cupcake stand. I love baking and I would like to start collecting more recipe books and developing my own recipes... look forward to seeing more cakes made by myself!

 I have finally sent off the book Northern Lights to Emily who writes the blog emily--charlotte.blogspot.com for her to read and pass on to another blogger. I'll be keeping track of the journey of the book, and I hope that it travels far and wide. Emily, enjoy reading it again!

Today I went to Skegness to watch the Carnival with my friend Hannah today, it was actually quite fun. There were some impressive floats, we think the theme for this year was The World but all in all it was pretty good. My favourites were the brass bands and drummers( playing some classics such as YMCA), as well as the Zumba dancers who practically danced all the way around Skegness!

Above is my new playsuit from Missguided which I absolutely LOVE! I haven't had a playsuit before, and without thinking about the struggle of going to the toilet, it's great to wear! It's such a nice summery print and is really comfortable, even on warm days.

I hope you've all had a great week!

Sunday image taken from here. All other images are my own.

I've had a little idea...

In March, when I was working at my placement, I was given a book by my friend Chantelle as part of World Book Night 2011. This was quite an exciting thing to be a part of as Chantelle had 30 or so copies of this book and was handing them out to people to read, for free!! Once the book has been read, it can then be passed onto someone else to read (for free) and the process is repeated through friends and families. There is a tracking number in the back of the book so that you can register that you've had the book, and where you had it. Then a little while after you've passed it on, you can track where the book has been!

I was really interested in this idea, and since I started reading the book earlier this week, I have been thinking about who I'd like to pass the book onto.... Well, here is my idea:

Why don't we keep this book "Blogger Themed"? There are two ways this could be done, people request the book and an order is made and the book is passed along in that order, or, each blog nominates another blog and passes it onto them individually! Any ideas on which idea is best would be really helpful.

I suppose I better tell you about the book then! The book is called Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman, and is one part of a three part series called "His Dark Materials". I'm not going to lie... I LOVED this book, I could barely put it down! The book is really different, it contains mystery and superstition, following the story of a young girl and her dæmon and how her life will be changed forever. It's really gripping, and with so many twists and turns throughout the whole book. At first I didn't really like the main character, probably because she was the complete opposite of me, but as I got to know her more in the book and her tale, I found myself connecting with her. I would highly recommend this book, and cannot wait to hear what others think!!

So let me know what you all think, if anyone would like to request to be next then comment or send me an email!! I think it'll be a lovely way to unite Bloggers (in a sort of book club kind of way?) and this one little book could travel the world on Bloggers alone! When I pass on the book, I'll include a little note to let you know how to write a journal entry on the book, so everyone can track it, and you could all sign it with your blogs to show who has had it!

The image above is taken from the World Book Night website. The image of the book is taken from my camera.

Waiting At The Window

When I was little there was a book in my house called "Now we are Six", I can't remember it well, but I remember one poem from inside it, very well. The book was written by A.A. Milne (the very famous person who wrote Winnie the Pooh stories, and the poem featured an illustration with Pooh Bear in the window) and was about raindrops on the window. It didn't matter where I was or the window I was looking out of (be it at home, in the car, at school) I'd remember this poem, and think about it as I watched the rain hit the window.

Well, when I opened my curtains this morning and found it was raining, I was reminded of this poem, I still love it! I hope you enjoy reading it too.

These are my two drops of rain
Waiting on the window-pane.
I am waiting here to see
Which the winning one will be.
Both of them have different names.
One is John and one is James.
All the best and all the worst
Comes from which of them is first.
James has just begun to ooze.
He's the one I want to lose.
John is waiting to begin.
He's the one I want to win.
James is going slowly on.
Something sort of sticks to John.
John is moving off at last.
James is going pretty fast.
John is rushing down the pane.
James is going slow again.
James has met a sort of smear.
John is getting very near.
Is he going fast enough?
(James has found a piece of fluff.)
John has quickly hurried by.
(James was talking to a fly.)
John is there, and John has won!
Look! I told you! Here's the sun!

Poem by A.A. Milne and featured in the book "Now we are Six" published in 1927.
Image is from here which features more poems from A.A. Milne.

Tell me your secrets...

"In November 2004, I printed 3,000 postcards inviting people to share a secret with me: something that was true, something they had never told anyone. I handed out these cards at subway stations, I left them in art galleries, and I slipped them between the pages of library books. Then, slowly, the secrets began to find their way to my mailbox.
After several weeks i stopped passing out postcards but secrets kept coming. Homemade postcards made from cardboard, old photographs, wedding invitations, and other personal items carefully decorated arrived from all over the world. Some of the secrets were written in Portuguese, French, German, Hebrew and even Braille."

This is the beginning of the introduction to the PostSecret book. This book is just one of many books produced by "accidental artist" Frank Warren. 5 years ago, he invited others to share their deepest, darkest secrets with him. He encouraged those who were hiding something to speak out, but he allowed them to do this anonymously. From all over the world, people send Frank postcards containing their secrets, he is then welcome to read them, post them on his blog, or even get them published into his books. Frank gives people an outlet for their hopes, fears, confessions and memories (whether happy or painful) and allows them to share them with the whole world.

I haven't sent in a secret yet but every week, after Sunday, I go to the blog and I read each secret for that week. Sometimes I can relate to them, and this is what most followers of PostSecret like about it as it can make them feel less alone with their secrets. What I love about PostSecret is how everyone is invited to post in their secrets, regardless of religion, age or race; and also the design element of the postcards. Every postcard is unique, and is normally designed with the secret in mind. People draw, print, type, write, collage, paint on their postcards, they're given the freedom to tell their secret exactly how they want to, visually or with words. Sometimes postcards are hidden inside an envelope, this shows they want to share their secret but they're not quite ready to, this can give someone peace of mind just as much as sharing their secret. People have proposed, confessed their love and thanked friends and family all through this website and the books. Below are some examples of the secrets in the book and visit http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ for more secrets and information.

Quote and images are taken from the PostSecret book by Frank Warren. All images are from my camera.

The Fashion Book

The Fashion Book is fashion's equivalent to the Art Book. I bought this book at the end of the summer and it's like my little fashion dictionary. It's small, compact and concise. The book features designers (fashion and textiles), illustrators, photographers, models and icons from the past 150 years and is really inspirational. I decided to invest in this book after choosing to study the 20th Century Fashion. Below are some photographs from the book showing layout. Each page features a different person, has a photograph showing an aspect of their work and includes information about them and where they fit into the fashion world. The list of designers and icons is in alphabetical order, which not only makes it easier to find information on a specific person but can also create juxtapositions between the creators and their work. The book includes quotes and gives a short biography, sometimes with information you might not have found elsewhere. For example in the entry about Stella McCartney the book claims "on Friday and Saturday mornings McCartney would garner antique buttons and vintage clothes, which explains the romantic strand of her style". I'd recommend this book for all with an interest in fashion.

Below are some photographs of some of the pages in the book including Stella McCartney, Kate Moss, Paul Smith, Thierry Mugler and Willi Smith.

Photographs are from my camera of The Fashion Book, Phaidon Press, 1998.