Sunday 22 December 2013

O the rising of the sun, and the running of the deer

Merry yuletide to you,world, and you find me in excellent cheer. The smell of mincemeat and chestnuts is pretty much infused into my skin everywhere, and I am now SUPER DUPER excited about Christmas! And cripes and crackers - somehow it's Christmas Eve! I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight! On Sunday my lovely friend Saffron (blogless) and I skipped into Matlock to indulge in a bit o' last minute shopping, and had a beautiful time! This is what I wore:
My shirt is from a charity shop, as is the jumper, and my new floral jeans are from Primark. You can't see it very clearly, but I'm also wearing a lovely vintage canvas backpack!
 A close-up of my floral shirt...
And a close up of the bobbles on my jumper! I wasn't sure about the jumper when I bought it, but as soon as I put it on I fell in love. It's what I class as a 'granny jumper', complete with little 3d bobbles!
 And this is a cardigan I bought in Matlock...I adore it's spanglyness (is that a real word?),and it's very Christmassy. Which is good, because have I mentioned that it's CHRISTMAS EVE?!!!
 A spangles close up!
As I was editing the afore-seen photos I accidentally did this, and thought it looked quite rad and gritty! might be just me, but I'm putting it out there. Have an extremely merry Christmas, flower faeries, and a happy new year!
Sophie
Xxx

Friday 20 December 2013

Tis the season to be jolly!

Hello! I'm feeling super festive at the moment - tis very much the season. The advent calendar is up, the tree is very much up, and (cheese factor one trillion) good cheer is all around! I love Christmas because of all the wonderful things that come with it - the smell of pine needles and cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, the wreaths and ribbons, the mince pies and mistletoe, gah just EVERYTHING.
I love all the traditions about Christmas - for example, our friends in Czecho always send us some of these pretty pop-up angels to decorate the house with. I especially like these ones because of how gorgy and collagey they are! (Look at the little lace flowers!!)

We had our last day of school today, which was lovely because we just watched films and ate Pringles. We all exchanged presents, and felt very lovey-dovey towards one another! I know some people go away for Christmas, but I wouldn't rather be anywhere but right here, at home. I think Derbyshire in winter is lovely (if a little cold) - the bare tree skeletons are like black lace against the pearly sky...gone a little bit poetic! I hope you all have a holly jolly Christmas, and I'll leave you with the best Christmas song ever. Merry Christmas!
Sophie
Xxx

Wednesday 27 November 2013

It was love as sweet as a silken rose; she said welcome to Paradise.

Hello! Cripes -  everything is super hectic at ze moment what with school and The Hunger Games and homework and everything, BUT I still manage to make time for that gem of Sunday night television that is... THE PARADISE!!!!!!!!! It is (In my humble opinion) THE MOST BEAUTIFUL piece of cinematography to grace British television screens in The History Of Ever. It lives up to its namesake - it really is, a Paradise. If you don't watch it, then it's very hard to condense the intricate plot into a few sentences, but it is set in a department store in 1870 in England..somewhere. The main(ish) character is Denise, (played by the beautiful Joanna Vanderham), who works in the Paradise - just to clarify, that is the name of ze shop - and who is from a small village called Peebles. She has massive ambitions, and wants to take over the paradise one day. She is being courted by Moray (Emun Elliot) who manages the store, and they are basically the main characters (There are gazillions of others, but I'm aware of rambling, so I'll just say there's a scary man who owns the shop and his jealous but beautiful wife, and shop girls, and tons of other peeps).
Now, the Paradise is brillig for a myriad of reasons - for one all the characters are very strong and well developed, with interesting personalities and backstories. The plotline is also great, and as the cherry on the metaphorical cake, everything is SO BEAUTIFUL. Every set is gorgeous, as are the costumes, and the hairstyles, and ohmygawd just everything.
Denise, her uncle, and possibly Katherine.
Denise and Moray, looking like a different race of unblemished, perfect creatures!
Katherine glaring at a shawl.
Denise looking oh so incredibly gorgy.
One of my favourite episodes of this series - Denise had to bring the magic of the music hall to the Paradise!

You may already be sold on the wonders of the Paradise, but there is one final thing that sets it even further above similar-ish costume dramas - it dares to tackle feminism. Oh yes. It went there (*Clicking fingers in a z-formation*). Denise herself questions the way women are treated, in fact she has a row with Moray about it. Denise is the perfect role model for anyone watching - she's clever, determined, hardworking, and she has a dream. She may be beautiful, but she is far from a brainless airhead floating around in a pretty dress. And so, my friends, I hope you understand my raging torrent of fiery love for the Paradise! It not only is my life, but it is life. So tune in to BBC 1 8:00 until 9:00 on a Sunday, and be led into Paradise. (Can I just say, I am not being paid by the BBC!) Before I leave, here is Denise's spectacular speech. Toodlepip!

Friday 15 November 2013

Mince pie DIY!

Hello! School has been like a massive angry Hoover of Hate sucking up all my free-time, and turning me into a sleep deprived zombie  a bit tricky lately, so I haven't had much time to boogie post recently, also I have just discovered how to do this, so you can expect quite a few silly rad crossed out words. Rightie, so, mince pies are stupendously easy, and they are also fast, fun and festive! I am desperately trying to persuade all my friends that Christmas time HAS ARRIVED, and I think they'll believe me more with a pie inside them. To make these perfect pies, you will need:

PART ONE - PASTRY!
  • 225g (8oz) flour
  • 1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
  • 100g (40z) butter
  • Cold water - about a jug
1. Sift le flour and salt into a bowl.
2. Cut the butter into rough, fairly small chunks, and chuck into the bowl.
3. Then, using your fingertips, rub the butter in, until it all looks like fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add the water gradually to the mixture, and gently draw it all together, using your hands/a flut blunt knife/a spoon/all three!
5. When it's all together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead quickly until smooth and pliable - here's one I made earlier:

BACK TO THE MAIN RECIPE!

1. Roll out the pastry to your 'desired thickness', and once you've done that, grease a mince pie tin.
2. Use a little pastry cutter-out-erer to cut out your circles of joy! (I have a designated pastry cutter-out-erer, but if you don't use a selltape roll or a wine glass or something). For each pie, you should have a slightly bigger circle and a slightly smaller circle.
 3. Push the bigger circles into the lined tin thingies, so they fit snugly.
4. Spoon as much mincemeat as you want into each one.
5. Take the smaller circles and put it over the mincemeat as a little lid! Pinch the edges together, and make two pricks with a fork or sharp knife to allow the steam to escape.

6. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees (425F) mark 7 for 20 - 25 minutes until you decide they look so darn good you want stuff them all into your mouth in a big happy celebration of festive fun and deliciousness they're done, and then you can take them out and they should look like so:
Enjoy!



Thursday 31 October 2013

DIY - Super rad retro scrunchie.

The holidays are drawing to the close, and since my days of freedom are numbered I thought I'd better squeeze a DIY in! And, as you may have guessed from the title, this DIY is how to make a scrunchie. I love scrunchies, and think they have a slightly childish vibe (In a good way) - they make me think of those little gingham scrunchies we had at primary school! They're more exciting than a hairbobble, and incredibly easy to make. I made mine out of velvet, because I have a fetish for velvet, but you could make your out of literally anything your mind can dream up - (Within reason.)
You will need:
  • A piece of nicely patterned material (I normally rumage around in bargain bins for little scraps, at markets or haberdasheries) measuring 10 x 53cm, or thereabouts
  • A needle and thread
  • A hair bobble
So, let's get cracking! (Oh, and by the way, I apologise for the terrible quality of these photos!)
Step 1 - Fold the fabric right sides together. Hold two corners of the fabric together inside the hairbobble, so that the hairband will be trapped inside the tube, and stitch the two corners together.
 Step 2 - Carry on stitching along the same edge, with an even running stitch, so you're creating a tube with the hairband trapped inside.
When you've finished stitching, what you've created should look something like the photo above - an inside out scrunchie with open ends.
 Step 3 - Scrunch all of the fabric over your thumb, and then pull one side of the material through the tumeb, and carry on, until the right side of the fabric is showing.
 Step 4 - When you've finished pulling all the fabric through you should still have an unfinished scrunchie, BUT this time the fabric is the right way out! It should look something like this:
 Yippee! All that remains to be done is to fold one end of your fabric tube inward by about 1cm. Now push the other raw edge into it, so you've neatly joined your scrunchie/tube/thingymajig. Simply running sticth along the join, (Ignore the hairbobble - either skip it or go straight through it) and you have MADE YOUR BEAUTIFUL SCRUNCHIE! Well done!
 You can wear your scrunchie around your chic messy bun, or around a high ponytail, or...errr...anyway, I'm sure there are tons more ways! What I'm trying to say is that your little scrunchie buddy is hugely versatile, and as I've said before, the possibilities for material choice are endless! Silk,velvet, tartan,embroidered something or other, gingham, floral patterns, polka dots....anything! the sky's the limit, so go for it you little...(Can I give you a cringey name yet? Flowers! Faeries! Flower faeries!) flower faeries, and let your wondrous imaginations run wild!

Sunday 27 October 2013

Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?

Hello! Now, straight to business. last weekend one of my bestiez Hanni came round for a sleepover! it was great, we had tons of fun - and among some of the things we did, we watched Pocahontas.
Pocahontas is my FAVOURITE FILM EVER, and Hannah had never seen it before, so of course we had to watch it. The technology in my house being what it is, we had to watch it on my aged and decrepit (let's just call it vintage) VHS video player, but it didn't detract from the beauty of the film! So, here are the reasons why Pocahontas should be crowned as OFFICIALLY THE BEST FILM IN THE WORLD EVER. 1. - Story. I cry every time I watch Pocahontas, because although for the most part it's a happy love story, it is so sad! So, quick story time for you - it essentially tells the story of Pocahontas, the beautiful princess daughter of a chief of a Native Indian tribe.
Her father wants her to marry Kocoum, (above) the strongest warrior in the tribe, but Pocahontas is uneasy with the decision. Then, a ship lands - settlers from England, come to conquer the New World, and dig for gold. Among them is John Smith (I know right, exciting name.)
Of course, Pocahontas and John Smith fall in love (miraculously bridging the language gap!), and it all comes to a head - the two sides, native Indians and English, clash, the tensions builds and they all gear up for one massive fight at the end.....can Pocahontas and John Smith ever be together? Can they unite the two sides? I'll leave you to discover that for yourself, but what I'm saying is it has a brillig storyline! It's also kinda politically relevant, you know, racism and stuff, and it's message is 'love each other, and no-one has to die'...well, they're the reasons I'd give your teachers to let you watch it at school!
2. - Pocahontas herself. She is one of my HEROINES. For one thing she's so beautiful -
With her long, swishy hair, and her almond shaped eyes, and her cheekbones, and long long legs, and big pouty lips.... She also has lovely fringing on her dress, and a gorgy necklace...gah - she's just perfect! Sh also has a really strong, interesting personality, and she's a very free spirit, who does lots of jumping off cliffs and running through woods. As you might be able to tell, I kinda hero worship her! 3. - The music. The music in Pocahontas is magical. I could literally put every song from the movie on here, as I love them ass SO MUCH, but here are my especial favourites:
Just Around The River Bend

 Savages
And of course, we couldn't end a Pocahontas post without Colours of The Wind. It is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG/SONG SEQUENCE that has ever been made! I recommend rewatching it at least five times. Oh, and Tumblr has so many Pocahontas gifs and sentimental quotes I couldn't not include a few!

 

Wednesday 16 October 2013

I'll be in Scotland afore ye - but me and my true love will never meet again, on the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond.

Title a reference to Loch Lomond, traditional Scottish folk song. Anyway, hello dear internet! Now, the subject of today's post is a long time obsession of mine - tartan. Oui, that glorious, familiar yet chic, beautiful fabric - I AM LITERALLY OBSESSED BY IT! As it is now officially Winter in my brain, tatan is taking up more and more space in my noggin. I was out shopping with my budz (get my 90s slang!) the other day, and I saw the DRESS OF MY DREAMS in Primark, of all places. It looks like this:


It's not massively clear from the picture, but it has a Peter
Pan collar and a beautiful little bow tie thingy.
Now, for those of you who don't know, there is a shop called Waiste, and for me its as if some celestial goddess delved into my innermost fantasies for the ideal and most gorgy clothes shop, and pulled it out, and voila,it was Waiste. It is the most perfect shop in the world. Just go and marvel at their website right now, and you'll understand. Anyway, the way this relates to the matter at hand is that they are soon to bringing out a tartan collection, and here's a sneak preview:
Eeeek! Hands up who's excited! Just look at that dress...or the skirt...
So, tartan - how to wear it? One of the lovely advantages of tartan is that it looks divine with any number of things - and at the moment, it is EVERYWHERE. So go out there little faeries, and get your hands on, I don't know, maybe a... DRESS OR SOME DOCS OR SOME CREEPERS OR A SKIRT OR A BERET OR A CAP OR SOME TIGHTS OR GLOVES OR ANYTHING!
This is just what a quick browse on ASOS marketplace revealed, and I think this outfit is gorgylicious - she's paired it with the oversized chunky jumper, which is a beautiful look, and the hat and scarf give it echoes of vintage-icity!
Skirts are an obvious option, but being obvious makes them no less brilliant! I'd aim for a longer skirt, so it looks both preppy and kilty and wonderful at the same time. These greens and blues are a really nice, cool way of wearing tartan but there are literally gazillions of colour combinations to dream up!

These both classify as outerwear, but I think I'd plump (Good word) for the poncho, because it is so floaty and dreamy and individual. Then again, the blazer/jacket is kinda neat and small and sweet...
 I am a Big fan of Docs, yes I am sir please thank you sir. But tartan Docs? That's a new level of stompy/stampy/big soled beautifulosity!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK! Beautiful patent creeper type thingies, but combine them with tartan and you get asdfghjkl!!! (I apologise for the exclamation marks, but this is just too exciting to be expressed any other way!) *Sigh* I don't normally have Christmas list, but maybe I could make an exception this year.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Those were the disco days, sequins and spotlights and bright starry eyes.

Hello internet! It's me again, and I am mighty sorry i haven't written in forever - I've just been mortal busy with lots of things, but mainly my art homework. Anyhoo - I am back! And this post is justa  general kinda catch-up post (How exciting I'm making this sound!) so we're all up to speed. So, firtsly, I realised I didn't properly go into detail about my presents - but I can't go through every single one, so I shall just go through the clothezzzz.
I got these amazink zebra socks from Leila:
This gorgy floral dress from Bronia:
And these lovingly made lace ruffle scoks from Hannah:
On the Saturday just gone it was our friend Beth's birthday party, so we all trooped round Chesterfield, and I bought these 'ere sockingtons:


Then on the Sunday just gone we had a big family meet up and I got this camera case:
And these troosiemabobs:
So, oui, I'd say I was doing wonderfully! I'm feeling pretty happy at the momentus, even if there is that whole school malarkey going on, I have my wondiferous friends! Another subject of extreme importance/excitement is my discovery of a film camera, tucked awa from my parents' misspent youth! I immediately pounced, and claimed it as my own, and this is what it looks like!
See you soon le internet - but for now, The Great British bake Off calls!