Who Knew.....

....that trying to go back to university could be so difficult? Getting the place on the course turned out to be relatively easy (thankfully I didn't have to go through UCAS and such, but achieved my place by going directly to my chosen university and applying for a place) its everything else that is proving incredibly trying. I'm hoping my experience detailed below, will help someone else who is struggling in this situation.

My main obstacle seems to be receiving funding, either from the university itself, or from Student Finance. Due to already having a BA, and wanting to achieve another one, most funding options are closed to me. Going on to another BA course is classed as doing an Equivalent Level Qualification, something seemingly frowned upon in the eyes of Student Finance. 
The first port of call when investigating funding options was to go directly to the university. They offer a scheme where if your household income is less than £42,000 per year, £7,000 of fees are waived, and you also receive £1,000 cash and £1,000 in your student account. As I only work part-time, and am classed as an independent student, I fit the majority of the criteria (others include being a permanent UK residence and being accepted onto a full-time course) Brilliant......or so I think. The final criteria is based on where you live, as in coming from a low income area which generally has few university applicants. Unfortunately, due to living in Canterbury, a relatively affluent area, I failed this criteria and therefore could not be accepted onto the scheme (It does seem somewhat ridiculous that something as simple as that could potentially ruin someones chance at university) 
Thankfully, I managed to find a solution. On the Student Finance website, I found the following:

Exceptions - graduate entry medical and dental degrees

Students who start their course from September 2009 onwards who already hold an equivalent or higher level qualification will only be eligible for Maintenance Loan if their new course leads to a qualification as a:

• Medical Doctor
• Dentist
• Veterinary Surgeon
• Architect
• Social worker
• or if the course attracts an income-assessed Healthcare Bursary (NHS course)

BINGO! Something of a happy dance did occur when I saw this, especially once I had spoken to an advisor who took my details, and said it would be fine. So, 34 pages of forms later, I now have a 6 week wait to find out how much funding I will be able to receive. 

I have to admit that after the initial set-backs, there wasn't a part of me not willing to fight for my place. I know a lot of people would have given up long before now, but something occurred at a recent university Open Day. There was not only a tour of The School of Architecture (the level of the work has officially panicked me!) but I also attended a talk on the architecture course. During the talk, we were informed of the different modules that we would study across all 3 years. This lit a passion in me that I had relatively forgotten. The excitement of studying some of my favourite architects in the very first term is phenomenal. Along with design, we will be taught the history and culture of architecture, as well as technology and environment. I know that the workload is going to be massive, but its something I'm looking forward to. 

Time management is definitely going to be a key factor, so a new diary has been purchased in preparation! 

To Pastures New

This week has reminded me how much a hate moving house!!! Having spent 5 days packing up the flat that the boys share (my belongings were done in about 2 hours, save the kitchen items) I have since spent 4 days helping move things, sorting through boxes and bags in the new place, and cleaning the old flat (mine will be done on Saturday) I can honestly say I've never known a move to go on for so long.....and I very VERY much hope I won't have to go through another house move for a very long time!

Even though I'm not officially living with my significant other, nothing really feels like it has changed. I know that we were practically living together in the months leading up to the move anyway, but being my first time living with a partner, I wasn't sure if something would change. I mean, obviously not expecting massive drama-filled-fireworks type of thing......to be honest I don't really know how to describe it. It is amazing to have all of my belongings with me now though, instead of constantly having to pop back to my place to pick up specific items. And, moving has helped me re-discover items I'd forgotten I owned. Is like buying them all over again, but without the expenditure!!!!

I must admit I have become very house and interiors obsessed recently, as soon as we knew where we were going to be moving to. We even did a trip to Ikea, and I am very proud to say that I did not purchase everything in sight. The inspiration has been amazing, and that, along with Pinterest, is fuelling my ideas for turning the new house in to a wonderful home!

Pictures will be posted once everything is all unpacked and we've settled in and really made it ours.

Quiet Times

I know I said I would primarily use this blog for my creative passions. However, due to recent medical issues, I seem to have lost a lot of motivation. Currently I am stuck on crutches, having had a fall back in February. An MRI in March has revealed a cyst in my left knee. Whilst that would not have caused the fall, it may be causing the pain and tenderness that I still have in my knee. Since then, I have been having acupuncture to release the tension and pain in my knee, and am booked in to see the orthopaedic department at the hospital next Wednesday.

Getting out of the house has been an issue for me. I am very much one of those people who if I don't have a reason to go out, I won't. And needing to get out every day isn't necessarily a good reason for me to venture outside, especially given the bad weather in recent weeks.

One thing I have been enjoying is jewellery making. It is very much a side project, something to keep me occupied of an evening, but I've received a lot of really good feedback.

Above is currently my favourite creation. I found some old comics in a charity shop, and along with some cameo components, I made a Bananaman cameo bracelet with matching banana earrings. This is my first attempt at using the cameos and I'm incredibly pleased with how it's come out.

In the meantime, I've also had a birthday (thankfully incredibly quiet and wonderful) and a trip to Norfolk to see my Dad, step-Mum and younger brother and sister. All-in-all I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. I have a house move to look forward to, as well as starting university, and hopefully getting back to work soon.

Breaking Bread

Today I took my first journey into properly making home-made bread, ie. not using the just-add-water mixes that you can get in Tesco. G has a bread maker, and had suggested using that, but I wanted to really make it by hand and learn to get it right on my own steam.

So, I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, my sundried tomato and onion bread!

I followed a basic recipe that I found online at
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1916656/easybake-bread 
and also utilised the professional fountain of knowledge known as my head chef boyfriend.
After the initial proving, we punched the bread twice to remove the air, or bite back. I then transferred the dough to a bread tin (with some leftover to make some rolls) and left it to prove for another hour before baking. For the added flavours, I used half a white onion and 3 sundried tomatoes.

For my first attempt, I'm incredibly impressed with myself. The loaf has risen nicely, has a good crust, and tastes delicious. Is something I will definitely continue with, and when I'm a bit busier with university and such, I shall learn how to use the bread maker.

Getting My Craft On

Due to being pretty immobile at the moment (crutches really aren't as fun as I remember) I seem to have a huge amount of time on my hands at the moment. I've been helping G where I can with his LARP costume ready for the first Empire event this weekend, and one of his requests got me back in to my crafty ways. He was after a Saxon-style beaded necklace to go with the rest of his costume. Having looked at examples online for inspiration, below is what I came up with for him. 

I had a lot of the components lying around anyway, and raided The Bead Pot on Palace Street, Canterbury, for some more beads and the clasp. G loves it and it goes amazingly well with the rest of his costume. 

This has opened the floodgates, and with Pinterest for a tonne of inspiration, I've been playing around with some designs.

This is my first experimentation back in to the world of jewellery making. I love the classic Rockabilly symbols in the charms, and would look lovely with a day or evening outfit. I've also started some cupcake earrings which are still very much a work in progress. They're pretty simple at the moment, and I want to add some more detail to them.

Below are a couple of pictures of some items I've picked up from charity shops and eBay to create some more designs. I'm thinking of cutting up the classic 90's comics and using them to make comic book cameo pendants, having found the equipment at a bargain price. Have also got inspiration for a Swallow charm bracelet, but that is still very much a pipeline dream at the moment.

Some baking has occurred too, however no photos were taken before the cookies and cakes were demolished by myself and the boys. I have posted the links to the recipes I used, both of which were simple to follow and made for amazing treats!!!! 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2459643/vintage-chocolate-chip-cookies

Enjoy!!! 

First Anniversary

Yesterday was my first anniversary with my significant other. To celebrate, we decided to do a day in London. Given that I am currently on crutches, this took a lot of planning on Friday, deciding where we wanted to visit, and arranging wheelchair reservations where possible (generally all of the main tourist attractions will lend a wheelchair, they only require a call in advance)

First stop was to The Design Museum, close to Tower Bridge on the South Bank. I've wanted to go there for years and even had it on my list of things to do before I turn 30.

Unfortunately half of the museum was closed, due to an exhibition change. However, the collection that was available to visit was excellent. It was amazing to see original architectural plans for everyday items, such as telephone boxes. The exhibition was incredibly varied, showing classic items through the ages, including chairs, lighting, and electronic items. The museum is moving in a couple of months, and I'd be happy to visit again at the new location.

After a trip across Tower Bridge (no photos I'm afraid,  due to the pouring rain) we went to The Wellcome Collection. I had never heard of this before, and was pleasantly surprised.

The Wellcome Collection houses the medical curiosities and inventions collected in the 1800's by Sir Henry Wellcome. There is such an astounding variety of objects housed there, showing both part of the original collection, as well as more modern medical items and medical art. It is definitely somewhere to visit, whether interested in medical curiosities or not.

Finally we went to The British Museum. I hadn't been here for nearly 10 years, and had forgotten how vast the collection and building actually is. Unfortunately we were unable to view the entire museum, but we managed to visit key collections.
One key feature for me was to see the main hall. It was designed and built by Sir Norman Foster, one of my favourite architects. Under a geometric domed glass and steel ceiling, the large spiral staircase houses the gift shop as well as part of the main cafe. The hall is huge, and a fantastic focal point for such an eclectic collection of exhibits.

Despite many aches and pains today, yesterday was absolutely amazing. It was fantastic to finally see The Design Museum, and experience new and old places. I love being close enough to London to be able to visit relatively regularly, but far enough to still get the tourist-y day trip experience.

*for more pictures, see my Facebook page

CREAte Open Lecture

At the end of last week, I received a reminder of a CREAte Open Lecture up at the Kent School of Architecture at the University of Kent. They tend to hold a lecture each month, on varying topics, hosted by a variety of guest speakers.

This past Monday, off I went up the hill to see Sir Terry Farrell talk about the Thames Estuary/Gateway project. Sir Farrell is a leading modern architect, having designed and built buildings around the world, including the MI6 building and Charing Cross station in London. He was appointed head of the Thames Estuary project in 2008, and has since turned the project on it's head.

Above: The MI6 Building, London.

Normally I am incredibly apprehensive of lectures on topics I don't have a lot of background knowledge on (as my boyfriend constantly tells me, I can, at times, have an incredibly short attention span). However, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite is being quite a short lecture, only 45 minutes including questions at the end, the subject matter was interesting, and I found it relevant to my life and the area that I live in. 

The main aim of Sir Farrell's vision is to get back to nature. The Thames Estuary area is 40% nature, including water, and holds the largest group of nature reserves in the country. Whilst the government brief was essentially to extend London out in to Essex and Kent, he felt that the natural benefit of the area needed to be respected. 

Above: Sir Terry Farrell's initial design vision for the Thames Gateway and Estuary

Unfortunately an overall scheme has not yet been completed. Compiling the information from local authorities in the Thames Gateway area is a huge task. Each local authority has an idea of what they want to do to benefit their residents with their land. However, several main ideas were addressed during the talk -

- Turning the Medway towns in to one large city. The five main Medway towns - Chatham, Rochester, Strood, Gillingham and Rainham, are all centred around the dockyards, which are unfortunately no longer in use. Developing this area in to something of a city centre would transform the identity Medway, giving it a previously unknown solidarity

- On the Greenwich Peninsula, using the Millenium/O2 Dome as a seed to grow local and national business in the area to make it an economic hub.

- Develop the Isle of Dogs to become a proud place, full of activity, including using the water as parkland for water based activities.

Each of these ideas would have a huge knock-on effect in Kent and Essex. Whether or not they are positive ideas, or if they will even be put in to practice, is something only time will tell.

Big is Beautiful

Last night I noticed a new documentary on BBC iplayer called Britain’s Biggest Beauty Queens.  Intrigued, I felt compelled to watch it. The documentary follows four of the finalists in the year leading up to the 2012 finalists, what they do to prepare for the three rounds - daywear, swimsuits, and eveningwear.  All of the contestants are plus-sized, therefore size 18 and upwards. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00yp2rz/Britains_Biggest_Beauty_Queens/

On the one hand, it was refreshing to see such a different approach to a beauty queen competition. Celebrating curves, encouraging normal women to have confidence in their body. The swimsuit round especially forced the women to confront their body insecurities and show off their figures to a room full of people. Given how society seems to promote a Size Zero culture, it was fantastic to see the other side of the spectrum.

One of the issues discussed was the perception of people around them as they grew up. One of the contestant talked at great length about how she had to move out of the area due to violent bullying. She even says that it became routine to be violently beaten by the bullies. This really struck a chord with me. Being a plus-size myself (I wear a size 16-18) I’ve found that I’ve been incredibly lucky to not receive this sort of treatment. I’ve always been on the larger size compared to friends, and am generally quite comfortable (people loving my rack is a great confidence boost) I’ve never received the negativity that these girls have. I think having a fantastic group of friends growing up was a huge help. I also think that how you carry yourself is also a big thing to do with it. I try to be confident, dress for my size, and make the most of my assets. A lot of women tend to cover up as soon as negative comments are thrown. Women (and men) need to realise that they are all beautiful, and need that confidence to be themselves and live their life.

However, another part of me couldn’t help but think that, to a certain extent, the whole process seemed to promote obesity. Every scene of the women eating showed them consuming junk food, drinking wine, and generally being quite unhealthy. Whilst I understand that due to some medical issues, women find it difficult to lose weight, but this seemed to promote bigger is better, but in an unhealthy way.  

Personally, I believe any size is beautiful, as long as the person is happy with their image and not putting their health at risk. Everyone is beautiful, we just all need the confidence in ourselves to believe this! 

Always Be Prepared

This afternoon, I spent the majority of my time putting together my (now bulging) suitcase ready to go on holiday for a week.....and I do not do packing lightly. Having been on many trips where key items are forgotten, I now find that I pack for every single possible eventuality, meaning I take A LOT of stuff with me.

Being a typical girl, as well as having many clothes, I have many toiletries with me. There are several things I simply could not live without for a day or two, let alone a whole week.

1. City Rush perfume from Avon - I have a real thing about smelling nice, regardless of what it is I'm doing. The new perfume from Avon is absolutely beautiful, slightly musky, but not too heavy, so perfect for day and night.
2. Cinnamon and Cranberry shower gel from Avon - perfect to get into the Autumn/Winter spirit
3. Salt Spray from Lee Stafford - this was recommended to me recently, and I absolutely LOVE IT!! Spray into your hair before blow-drying (or leave to dry naturally) and this spray gives a slight curl, creating that "just gotten out of the sea" casual look. It also has hairspray and volumiser in it, which is perfect for my fine, somewhat limp, hair, without having to back-comb it.
4. Dark hair Dry Shampoo from Lee Stafford - something I use every day to give a bit of volume and a refresher to my roots
5. Body Shop Seaweed Cleanser and Body Shop Seaweed Toner, along with Avon Anew Night Cream - these products represent my evening skin care routine. Once my make-up has been removed, I use these products to refresh my skin before heading to bed
6. Soap and Glory exfoliating face soap and Avon Anew Day Cream - I use these in the morning, mainly to wake myself and my skin up. I've only recently started using the Avon Anew creams, and have to say they are AMAZING! They do three different types, for in your 30's, 40's and 50's. I've been using the ones for 30's (yes, still 18 months away but not harm in being prepared) and my skin feels incredibly soft and smooth. Would definitely recommend!!

Along with toiletries, there are certain cosmetic items that I also cannot live without -

1. Benefit Smokin' Eyes - I've used this for years, it has a combination of colours for day and night wear, and lasts forever!
2. Falsies Mascara - does exactly what it says on the tin
3. Revlon Photoready Foundation and Powder - these are the only bases that I can find that perfectly match my skin. Being incredibly pale, others end up looking orange or yellow on me. These are amazing, and last all day.
4. Metallic Eyes set from Claire's - a huge range of colours to create the perfect eye look, whatever the occasion.

Seems like a lot that I can't live without, but these products give me confidence in myself that I look vaguely human and presentable to the world.
What can you not live without?

Party Sparkles

Tonight I've had something of a girly evening. Inspired by some of the demo products I received in my Avon delivery (and my over-excitement at trying new things) I decided to give myself some amazing nails for the weekend.

Pink by S&C at Boots, part of a gift set from my brother and his girlfriend, Electric Dreams from Collection 2000 Hot Looks at Superdrug, and Fuchsia Dazzle ColorTrend top coat by Avon.

The picture on the left shows my nails with just the pink and blue on. I absolutely love the blue shade, and it stays so well on my nails, even at work. Also, I love having a statement nail, but I love to change the nail I make a statement of. I feel this jazzes it up a little bit.
The picture on the right shows my nails with the purple glitter top coat on them. I absolutely love this new product! Available in gold and silver, as well as the purple, the glitter top coat will be available in Avon books very very soon. Is perfect for the upcoming party season!!

Fun Packed Day

Today has been wonderfully busy, seeing lovely people.

Whilst waiting for the boy to finish work, I popped into The Seven Stars to see Alix for a good old gossip. Shortly after arriving, we were joined by Ruben, Ciaron and Alex. Cue many discussions about literature, Skyrim, and LARP events (yep, we're geeks) It was so nice to get out and see people, without the hint of drama. I persuaded Ruben to try Alix's specialty stripped slush (a mixture of raspberry and strawberry slushie) which led him to inevitable brain freeze.

This afternoon saw a trip to Ramsgate with the boy to find material for his LARP costume ready for Empire next year. Due to having a sewing machine, and being creatively minded, I am going to be making the LARP costumes for several people ready for the new game. We ended up in The Haberdashery Shop, which completely blew me away. The amount and variety of buttons and beads they stocked was astounding! 

There were three aisles like this, thousands of buttons, clasps, beads, everything you could ever need for dressmaking, jewellery, whatever creative pursuits you can imagine....And yes, there was even a section just for google-y eye buttons and beads. I can see myself going back there time and again, spending a 

                                            huge amount of money! 

Whilst in Ramsgate, I also discovered the Magick Shop. It's down a small back street, and much like the Haberdashery Shop, it's an Aladdin's cave of beautiful things. I found a green aventurine ring in there for only £2.00. I couldn't not have it!

Aventurine is most commonly found in green, but can also come in orange, yellow, blue, brown or grey. The name Aventurine is derived from the Italian "a ventura" meaning "by chance". This leads Aventurine to be seen as a lucky stone, promoting prosperity and protection. 

Heading up to Westwood Cross, we decided to have a wander before going to the Vue cinema. I discovered that the Clinton Cards there is, in fact, a Yankee Candle heaven! If you don't know what Yankee Candles are, 1) where have you been? and 2) go find them and smell them! They are AMAZING!!!! I know where I will be doing most of my Christmas shopping this year.....using the philosophy of "one for you, one for me" 

All-in-all, it's been a fun day. I've decided to not comment on seeing Dredd too much, as I don't want to risk spoiling it for anyone. Suffice to say, it was good, but not necessarily my sort of film. I know the boy thoroughly enjoyed it though. 

More Money Than Sense?????

This evening, I decided to pick up a copy of Grazia magazine (yes, I am a self-confessed celebrity gossip whore) Flicking through, one headline caught my eye - "Would You Pay £185 For This Paper Bag?"

Erm....what???????

Pictured above is the bag in question. Designed by Jil Sander, the bag is made from 100% coated paper, stitched in brown thread, with two little ventilation holes in the sides....and has a price tag of £185. In her Summer collection, Sander also designed a see-through acetate shopping bag. Is it me, or does there seem to be a pattern forming?!?!?!?!

Personally, I am not completely unaware of fashion trends. Working in a fashionable accessories store, I look at a lot of magazines, seeking out the latest trends expected to arrive in the coming months. However, even I find this notion of a paper bag for £185 completely ridiculous. For a start, why would a paper bag need ventilation holes? To ensure your equally indulgent purse/lipstick/phone doesn't suffocate whilst you browse for more over-priced items to put into your paper bag?

Apparently this is supposed to be seen as something of a joke product, designed to mock the apparent banker culture, which I can assume is something only really experienced in cities larger than humble ol' Canterbury. Worryingly, however, I probably do know more than one person who would die to own one of these bags.

From now on, I'll be keeping any McDonalds/Burger King/Starbucks paper bags that I get hold of, printing a name on them, popping in some holes each side, and flogging them on Canterbury High Street for at least £100 each.....seems like a winning business model to me!

A Personal Entry

I told myself I'd use this blog to display and promote my creative side. However, I'm having a day where I feel I need to write stuff down that's a bit more personal to me.....but I'm also not too sure how to put things into words. I'm going to be honest, I generally find this sort of thing incredibly difficult to talk about, but I'm going to give it a shot, as I feel I need to.

This morning I experienced my first ever group counselling session. I've been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and this group will spend the next six weeks focusing on different areas of both illnesses, along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapies designed to make both easier to cope with on a day-to-day basis. The session today was an introduction to the general meetings, and a look at how the symptoms of anxiety and depression can be broken down into a vicious circle.

The initial analogy used was that of the fire triangle. Basically you have Oxygen, Fuel, and Heat, all of which are connected together (tried to make a diagram with arrows.....it went hideously wrong) If you remove just one of these things, the fire will die. A vicious circle for both anxiety and depression involves Thoughts, Feelings, Body/Physical Effects, and Behavior. These things are again, all connected, and are connected to Triggers. For both illnesses, we looked at examples of each section, listing different things we associated with each. Setting everything out like that helped me to understand the whirlwind of each, and made it easier to look at how to combat, and cope, with each.

I've been asked how I think this morning went, how I feel about it. To be completely honest, I really don't know. I'm struggling to put it into words, other than meh.....it wasn't distressing, it wasn't a magical cure, it just addressed how all of us were feeling and how we processed our situations. I am hoping that over the course of the six weeks I feel some improvement, not only with being able to express myself to people without feeling like I am burdening them with my issues, but also to be able to cope better in day-to-day situations, without the reliance of medication.

September Sunday Social

This past Sunday, I had a stall at The Lady Luck Sunday Social. This event occurs the first Sunday of every month, with different arts and crafts stalls, as well as a Stitch and Bitch knitting group, tombola, and reading group.

Each month I sell cupcakes, brownies, various other baked good. For this one, I decided to go for Vanilla Cupcakes, with a Raspberry centre. The recipe below makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

8oz caster sugar
8oz butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
8oz self-raising flour
Half a jar of raspberry jam (or any jam of your choice)

Method:

1. Cream together the caster sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, but don't over-work the mixture.
2. Add the vanilla essence, and sieve in the flour. Mix everything together until the mixture is smooth.
3. Spoon half of the mixture into the bottom of the cupcake cases. Then add a teaspoon of jam to each cake, and spoon the rest of the mixture into the top of the cakes

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on cooling wrack.

5. For the icing, I cheated, and used pre-made vanilla butter icing by Betty Crocker. You can use any butter icing variant that you prefer.

A massive thank you to Rosie for giving me an icing masterclass, and helping me to get the cakes ready for the stall. Rosie did make some white chocolate decorations, simply by melting white chocolate, and using a mini piping bag to make shapes on grease-proof paper. Unfortunately, they didn't make the transport down to the Lady Luck, but they looked and tasted amazing.

Everyone who tried them at the event found them to be DELICIOUS! There will be more next month! x

New Tricks

This week I decided to try my hand at something new. Having seen all of the amazing pieces created by friends, I thought I'd give jewellery making. I popped into the Bead Pot and was overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful things available! Filled with inspiration (and some advice from the lovely lady behind the counter) I purchased some bits to make some earrings.

Now, admittedly, they are incredibly simple, but I am really pleased with them. For a beginner, they don't look too shabby. Of course, now I'm looking at everything, wondering how I can turn it into some sort of amazing jewellery piece. Ebay, of course, does not help this current obsession! Oh the possibilities!!!!!

Days out in the sunshine

This week, the boy and I decided to take a day trip to London. Even though I live so close to the capital, there are so many places that I haven't explored there yet. Walking around Kew Gardens was incredibly peaceful, even with the peacocks wandering around (birds = evil!!) The Natural History Museum was a little bit of a nightmare (good thinking going during the Summer holidays!) and I loved the Science Museum.

On our way to Camden, we stopped off at The Forbidden Planet. This is basically a geeks Valhalla! The ground floor is full of memorabilia from all of the classics - Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, every sci-fi / geek film or tv series you can think of. The basement is full of books and graphic novels. I have literally never seen so many comics in one place!

There was a huge section on art, both classical, and modern varieties. There were a lot of books on tattoo art, which were beautiful. I literally cannot wait for my next piece, just need to decide on what I want to get first and where on my body. I was also treated to a present by G. There was a section on Pin-up Girl Art, which included a book focusing on Gil Elvgren. He is one of my favourite artists, one of the leaders in Pin-Up Girl Art, spanning the 1940's and 50's. The book also looks at how his art was used in popular culture and advertising, as well as his influences on his peers and future artists. Having flicked through it briefly, I've already got several of his paintings in mind that I would like tattooed on me.

Camden was amazing, was my first time there. The number of markets and stalls was incredibly over-whelming. So many different things available, along with different cuisines being offered from all over the world. We ended up in a Brazilian restaurant, where we sampled delicious tapas, along with fresh fruit smoothies. It's definitely somewhere I'd go again, and would consider being more adventurous with.

All in all, we had an amazing day out, doing things we'd never done before, trying new things from around the world.....and all of this right on our doorstep.....well, a 2 hour bus ride away.

Moving Onwards and Upwards

Apparently moving house makes me suck even more at updating my blog *face-palm* Anyways, lovely new house has been moved in to, and majority of unpacking has been completed (it's always those little odds that never seem to have a home, that slow me down) 

Since my last post, I've had some exciting news. As of September, I shall be a student again! I have been accepted by UKC to study Architecture. This will not only mean re-training for my career, but it will build upon my original Interior Design degree and refresh my design skills. To say I'm massively excited is a HUGE understatement!!! 

Had a lovely wander around town at lunchtime with Alix, seeking out bargains in the summer sun. Loads of places have dwindling summer sales, but bargains are still there to be had! La Senza have all of their bras on Buy One Get One Free, including the sale items, meaning you can pick up two bras for only £5! New Look has some amazing shorts for less than £10, and Dorothy Perkins yet again tempted me with sale shoes. Picked up a pair of leopard print ballet pumps for only £10! So cute and hella comfortable!!! 

Once I get settled into the new place, I promise more craft-y activities shall occur, and be documented on here. In the meantime, if you have any tips, please feel free to message me either on Facebook, or at nsparkes84@googlemail.com

Brownies, brownies everywhere!!!!

It's become very apparent to me that I am awful at updating a blog. However, this time I seem to have more time on my hands, so am giving it another go. 


Since posting, I have taken up crochet and cross-stitch. I love both, although crochet is incredibly difficult until an amazing person *cough Bug cough* helps you with it. 


To kick off the new start, I am going to share with you guys my much loved Brownies recipe. I normally take these down to the Sunday Social at Lady Luck every month, and they go down a treat! 


Ingredients


100g butter (and extra for greasing)
100g dark chocolate
175g caster sugar
75g light brown sugar
2 eggs
100g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cocoa powder


Method


1. Heat oven to 180 degrees (this is what I use for a fan oven, go to 200 degree for a standard oven) Put the butter, dark chocolate, caster sugar and light brown sugar into a saucepan and heat gently until all is smooth. 


2. Take off heat and add the eggs. Sieve in flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, and mix until mixture is smooth.


3. Put mixture into a greased baking tin (I tend to use a standard round silicone tin, from Poundland), and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the mixture clean. 


4. Allow to cool and cut into slices. 


With this recipe, you can also experiment with different flavours and textures. Once all of the mixture is together, add 50g of your chosen ingredient, for example, which chocolate chips, mixed crushed nuts, etc. It's great for parties, and general get-togethers. 

Pictured above is a freshly baked batch of double-chocolate brownie, ready to be cut and sold.


Hopefully you all enjoy the brownies. I shall be updating soon with more tips and recipes. Also, if there's anything you would like to share on the blog, please email me at nsparkes84@googlemail.com, so I can share your tips and ideas with readers


-x-

Bargain Hunting

Am realising that I'm not so good at this updating my blog lark (note to self: update more often!)

I seem to spend days off seeing people, rather than being creative at the moment. And whilst I want to branch out into projects of an evening, work leaves me incredibly shattered, and I have no idea where the evenings go. Kinda sucks, but I guess I just need to work on the balance of it all.

Yesterday I met up with a couple of beautiful ladies, in the forms of Si and Jame. Both had bubbies with them, so there were plenty of cuddles to go with the gossiping.

After returning home, I had something of a special moment, where I managed to confuse grams of butter, for ounces of butter, and ranted about not having enough to make cakes to take to The Lady Luck. This happens when I'm not in the best of moods, have something of a migraine coming on, and have consumed 4 bottles of Brothers strawberry cider over the course of an afternoon. So, this morning, I realised my mistake, and set about making more Millionaire's Cupcakes to sell.

I've started adding chocolate coins to the tops of the cakes to give them some height, and to hopefully make the students go "ooh, shiney!" and buy them. They seem to be going well so far, fingers crossed the success continues and grows.

Finally, we're having another massive sale at work. Whilst sorting through sale items over the past couple of weeks, I came across a couple of funky retro-esque finds.

I have a huge thing for cherries (stating a fact, in case you couldn't tell from the blog title, tattoo, cherries on many many things I own) I love the fact that this necklace has the twist of the googly eyes.

Also found this set of earrings at the bottom of a basket. Yes, one of the bows is missing, but the whole pack itself only cost £1.00, so can't really complain. Am looking forward to matching these with outfits and wearing them many many times.



September Sunday Social at the Lady Luck

Today was the monthly Sunday Social at The Lady Luck pub in Canterbury. Unfortunately I had to work today, but the lovely Miss Flick agreed to sell cakes for me. Yesterday ended up being a loooooong day due to working then baking in the evening, but is totally worth it. The cakes came out looking pretty great, and even though it was one of the quieter socials, it was still an enjoyable evening.

 

There were 4 flavours sold this month - Reese's Cupcakes, Lemon Delight, Strawberry Daiquiri and Millionaire's Cupcakes, as well as the added extra of chocolate brownies.

The table next to us were selling clothes. The girl who runs it goes to boot fairs and charity shops to hunt down vintage clothing to sell on. She had an amazing collection of clothes and accessories on offer, and left Flick with the below vintage postcard for her pin-up embroidery.

Also, at the Social, there was a tombola stall. I immediately fell in love with a classic cookbook that they had as one of the prizes. As it didn't go as part of the tombola, Emma let me have it. It's soooooo amazing!!! Is one of those cookbooks that has everything in it, and the best thing is, it has an old book smell and feel to it. I LOVE IT! I can't wait to make something using one of the classic recipes.

And finally, what better way to celebrate a long hard day at work than with cider, cake, and fantastic company! Amazing evening had, thank you Flick!