Pretty Paper….

About the most that I can create when given some paper and scissors is a chain of paper dolls, however, Julene Harrison has taken things to a new level with her amazing paper cut designs. You can either buy one of the limited edition designs or if you want something really special you can commission a piece.  It is impossible to pick just one favourite, so I have chosen a selection for you to stare at in awe….

Beez Neez Paper Cut, Available at Julene’s Etsy Shop for £58.00

Paris: One of the cities Julene has made into paper cut designs

You’ve got the Love Lyrics, Paper cut design

Check out Julene’s website, Made by Julene for even more amazing designs.

Enjoy!xx

The Perfect Picnic…

Come rain or shine if there’s one thing us Brits can do well, it’s a picnic. So I decided after the slightly disastrous affair last weekend that resulted in forgotten cutlery, crockery and cups that next time we ventured out to find a green space and picnic we would have it down to a T. Instead of the usual dash to Sainsbury’s local to grab the last pack of sausage rolls and warm crate of beer, follow these steps and you too will be a picnicking pro!

Firstly and most importantly (in my opinion) is the blanket, notonthehighstreet.com has some gorgeous

Welsh wool blankets for £20

Next, the picnic hamper, these can come in all shapes and sizes and range from a meagre £10 to a massive £200 – my favourite is the Blyton Cream Tea Picnic Basket £69.95, although it is only for 2 people so you will have to choose your companion carefully!

If you are picnicking on a larger scale then you can always go for this

Willow 6 Person Hamper for £80.00

And last but not least – the food and drink. This is of course completely subjective but here are some suggestions for quick and easy picnic food:

Very easy homemade bread rolls – Wrights Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Bread Mix – if you don’t own a bread machine fear not – follow the instructions on the back of the pack and you will find yourself with 12 amazing fresh rolls!

Quiche – always goes down well and if your pastry skills aren’t up to scratch , just cheat with some pre made pastry (trust me, no one will ever know!) Ready in an hour, this Goats cheese and Watercress recipe will impress. 

Honey and Mustard Cocktail Sausages are a must and so so easy, if you don’t know how follow this recipe.  

Throw a salad together and you are done on the savoury front.

Next to contend with is a Pudding that is easy to transport and doesn’t matter if it is dropped. My preference would be Chocolate Brownies or Lemon Drizzle Cake – if in doubt, make both!

Finally drinks preference, you can’t get more British than Pimms with some strawberries and mint, but a cold bottle of White wine or some chilled beers never go a miss either – I would suggest taking a selection to please all picnickers!

Happy Picnicking!!!!

Royal Wedding Madness…..

I have to admit I am getting caught up in the Royal Wedding fever that is the talk of every paper and magazine. I think to date the best Royal Wedding Memorabilia that I have seen is by the very talented knitter, Fiona Goble, who decided to knit the Royal Family.

 

Absolutely amazing if you ask me! If you wish to take on this challenge then her book ‘Knit Your Own Royal Wedding’ is on sale for £7.99

However if it all seems a bit daunting then you could always just knit one of the Corgi’s – Pattern and instructions kindly provided by The Guardian. I think I’m going to have to dig out my knitting needles as he really is rather sweet!

xx

Saturday in the Sunshine….

Spend Saturday in the sunshine, revelling in the delights that the Designers / Makers Market on Warbuton Lane has to offer!

A few minutes walk from Broadway Market where you can indulge in copious amounts of curry, falafels, bread, browines and much more before wandering across to the Makers Market to look at all the delights these London desginers have to offer from cards to handmade jewellery to cushions and even more cakes!

And if this has completely taken it out of you, walk over to London Fields and collapse in a heap! Enjoy xx

Drink Shop Do

I would love to be one of those people who have a really strong sense of individual style.  Who know what suits them and carry on doing their own thing regardless of what is in fashion. In fact I am an ad man’s dream who gets becomes infatuated with things and immediately wants to imitate them.  Unfortunately my hair tends to bear the brunt of these obsessions.

It isn’t just magazines that sway me, it could be a film, a book or someone who walks past me in the street.  While I was at university I read The Mill on the Floss as part of my course and was so taken with the descriptions of the main character, Maggie’s , dark flashing beauty that I dyed my mousey blonde hair pitch black.  I probably should have finished the book before I undertook this fairly dramatic transformation.  As it turns out Maggie dies rather tragically in a mill pond.  I’d imagine that my raven haired self looked rather similar to her AFTER she was pulled from the pond.  Not hot.

Tonight I am dreaming of retro curls.  The type that would go with a natty little hat and stocking with a line up the back.  The source of this desire?  I’m blaming Drink, Shop, Do, which is a design shop & cafe in King Cross.

I have been meaning to go for ages and as my lovely friends Pippa and Nic were staying for the weekend it seems like a good opportunity to see whether it deserved all the rave reviews it has been getting.

We went in for a quick browse, were seduced by the Amaretto Sours which we agreed were the best we’d tasted and ended up spending the whole afternoon there gossiping over tiny triangle sandwiches and more cocktails.  The music was awesome, the staff  were friendly and the interior makes you feel like you have stepped back in time to the 1950s.

Hence my longing for a vintage makeover.  The best thing is that Drink Shop Do are hosting a retro styling night on the 10th March where you can go along to get your hair done and then just pay the stylist what you think it is worth.

I would definitely go, except I don’t know how much room for maneuver there is with a pixie crop.  Yeh that was my Agnes Deyn phase..

The real thing…

I always think that joining a gym is a bit like getting a new boyfriend. You go for a few dates/ have a trial session then suddenly you have to make a commitment and start spending your weekends together and handing over your direct debit details (NB.the DD is just for the gym) But at this stage you don’t really mind because you are thoroughly over excited. You want to see each other every day, you can’t wait to get hot and sweaty after work and although you wouldn’t admit it to anyone, during bored moments on the tube you start to indulge in blissful daydreams about the future of lean limbs or weekends in European cities.

A month in and those small flaws are beginning to grate on though. Why does the vending machine only sell Lucozade not water and why does he say “banter” in every single sentence??

Two months down the line and you are desperately trying to wriggle out of this. I told my last gym with an entirely deadpan expression that I was moving to the Czech Republic for a work placement ( In fact I had just read an article on Prague in the Metro that morning) in order to escape my contract. Even the lovely freedom afterwards is the same and you can giddily run around and see your friends after work.

However I think it could be the real thing this time, the happy ever after following all those flings. I have found a gym called Frame in Shoreditch and it might be love. Firstly it’s not really a gym because they only do classes and the classes are AMAZING. I can pirouette my way through a ballet lesson and pretend to be Natalie Portman or channel my inner Jane Fonda for the 80s aerobics. Boring day at work? Maybe some hula hooping will sort me out. So I am never going to get bored. It is uber trendy , no one from work goes there and looking at the clothes everyone there wears is better than reading a style magazine for inspiration. And best of all they don’t want me to commit, I just call when I want to book. So if I do get fed up I won’t have to stage my own death.

If my last gym worked in the city, wore a shirt tucked into jeans and had a penchant for missionary then this one is a divine looking media trendy who keeps you on your toes by never asking you out. FIT. Yes please!

Oh and please don’t mention to my old gym that I am still in the country…

http://www.moveyourframe.com/home/

Mumford, I’ll have your sons……

One of the last times I saw Mumford and Sons live was the summer of 2008, it was the final gig of The River Rat Pack Tour – held in the tiny venue that is The Cellar in Oxford. They were absolutely electrifying and the gig ended with half of the crowd on stage with them, leaping around to the twangs of banjos and crashing of drums.

Since that summer Mumford have been on a whirlwind adventure, touring endlessly and most recently performing with Bob Dylan at the Grammys, winning their first Brit Award for Sigh No More, as well as their debut album reaching No.2 in Britain and the US.

So when I got tickets (which sold out in about 30 seconds may I add) for Tuesday nights Communion gig at Dingwalls I was both excited and intrigued; would they be the same after their meteoric rise to fame?

I need not have worried. Mumford and Sons gave the same intimate performance they used to all those years ago. Their success in the past few years seems to have had no effect on them and they seemed relieved to be back playing in their home town with Marcus after a “weird” two weeks, even saying “… this is by far and away the highlight”.

They gave us a preview of their new material, which was brilliant – even though half way through they admitted that most of the songs were unfinished – one song ‘Whispers in the Dark’ (I think – although they even seemed unsure as to names..!) particularly stuck in my mind. For an old fan who had not seen them live for over two years I can’t deny that the haunting sounds of The Cave, Timshel and as an encore, Little Lion Man weren’t the highlights of my night.

All I can say is roll on June 30th when I will be seeing them again. This time it’s in Hyde Park, supporting Arcade Fire and if last night was anything to go by,  I can’t wait! xx

Would you get off with me for charity…?

It is 10.30am and I am hungover.
 
I am sitting at my desk trying to drum up some energy and enthusiasm to actually do some work….. It is going to be a highly unproductive day – and I am guessing that 30 other single guys and girls round London are feeling exactly that same as me this morning…
 
This is due to the fact we took part in a ‘Would you get off with me for charity’ speed dating night organised by the lovely people at Bounce.
 
Being a ‘speed dating virgins’ we were unsure what to expect – having met up in the pub before hand for a quick drink and a brainstorm of conversation topics we then headed to The Phoenix to let the fun begin!
 
Any nerves were instantly put at ease by the relaxed chatty atmosphere that greeted us upon arrival. After a quick briefing we headed straight to the bar to cash in our free drink token before taking positon at our allocated table – DJ Reachround set the tone with some classic 80s love ballards and we were soon joined by our first suitor. All the worrying about what on earth we would talk about were soon dispelled and before we knew it the fog horn had sounded and the boys all moved round to the next table.
 
Time absolutely flew by as did the conversation – I think this probably had something to do with the increasing number of empty beer bottles that were building up on my table…. And before we knew it our final 4 minutes were up and I didnt even have to use the in case of emergency question that was hidden under each table – I’m pretty glad about this fact as if the conversation was going badly asking someone if they preferred ‘Gym or Lazy Sex’ might have just made it worse…!!!
 
A quick trip to the loo’s was made in order to try and remember who exactly we had talked to (I barely wrote any names let alone took notes…) and we handed in our forms with various ticks and crosses on.
 
I can safely say that this was definetly the most fun I have had on a work night and will be recommending the WYGOWM night to all my single friends! I am now waiting in anticipation for an email from bounce to see if any of my chosen suitors ticked me as well! We will keep you updated……xx

You’re pretty fine, Will you be mine….?

I think that it is rather unfair that this Valentines Day I am without a beau – not because I want to be wined and dined (well not only that) but mainly because I have been on Folksy, whiling away my time at work and stumbling across some delightful presents…. here are a few of my favourites…..

Most of the valentines cards that the shops sell for you to give to your beau or secret crush  are pretty generic and hideous – however this is not the case for these 2 retro prints, both featuring a scrabble theme ….

I would be anyone’s valentine if one of these dropped on the doormat when the postman came!’

Or if you want to be slightly more original why not get your hands on one of these lovely signs from Cinnamon & Hill, handmade from recycled wood this shabby chic sign saying BE MY VALENTINE has hessian twine to hang and will last a lot longer than a card!

And if you want to give your sweetheart something slightly more personal then try this locket necklace featuring an engraved initial – and it even comes with a sweet little gift card – however I have noticed that the letters go no further than V so sorry to all those W-Z’s it’s obviously not meant to be!

So boys if you do want to get me something this Valentines – you need look no further….. I will be waiting for the postman on Monday in anticipation – but don’t worry, I have a back up plan, if nothing comes in the post for me I’m off speed dating on the 15th ….. watch this space! xx

When being good is easy..

So who has managed to keep up their New Year’s resolutions beyond January? I’m still going running but giving up alcohol for a month was pretty unsuccessful. After three weeks of drinking fizzy water in pubs I wanted a gin& tonic so badly I was practically licking the bar for drips.

The trouble is that being good is just often not that fun. However the lovely people behind Bounce seem to have cracked it.

Bounce is a London based charity which is focused on providing play opportunities to underprivileged children. So far they have built sports facilities at schools in Uganda, distributed footballs to Saharan refugee camps and run soccer camps in South African townships. The way they go about raising funds is what makes them a little bit different though.

Realizing that a lot of charities don’t engage very well with young people they set out on a mission to change this. In 2008 they held their first big event “Jumblist Massive’, a mash up of a club night and a jumble sale. A thousand people turned up and they knew that they were on to something good.

Jumblist massive is now a regular feature, with Time Out rating it as one of the best jumbles in London. They have their first club night with James Blake and Rank& File coming up on 25th Feb and on the 15th I’ll be checking out their speed dating night “Would you get off with me if it was for charity?” (Any suggestions for witty lines gratefully received)

Helping people and having a good time, so much better than detoxing!

K x

Check them out

http://thebounceeffect.org/