Saturday 27 August 2011

BROOKLYN BLACKOUT.


Yesterday I baked a triple layer, double chocolate cake with help from my lovely assistant, Mr Sally! We used the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, and somehow managed to make it through the whole thing without any major disasters.


The cake really went down a treat, there's only two slices left in the fridge! Next week I'm going to try a recipe out from my new mystery cookbook, and I'm really excited to see how it turns out.


I was hoping to do something creative this week, like painting something on that canvas I bought, or filling a few pages of my moleskine, but as soon as I sit down to do anything I'm completely uninspired! How do you deal with creative block? I'm thinking I'm just not in the right mood for it, but the problem is, when I am, I'm usually too busy to do anything. It's a vicious circle!

love, Jessica

Thursday 25 August 2011

SIMPLE GRACES.



Oh hey, look, it's me again! Can you tell that I'm proud of myself? I've been working all week but I'm still working on this when I've got a chance, so go me! On Tuesday evening Mr Sally and I went for a short walk in Peatlands Park and I got him to snap some photos for me.








It was a really nice evening and great to spend some time out of my house and out of work. Peatlands is a lovely park to walk around because it's so different from the forest parks or manor parks which are a lot more common here. It's a super place to take photos too, the landscapes are widely varied and all stunning, and one of the best things about it is when you go out on some of the really long walks, you feel a lot further away from civilisation than you ought to. It's refreshing!





Daisy-print dress - Topshop
Belt - Topshop
Tights - Primark
Brogues - Office







I have a day off tomorrow and I'm hoping to bake another recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook - a dark and delicious Brooklyn Blackout Cake - triple layer, double chocolate! Yikes! I'll be enlisting the help of Mr Sally to keep me right and avoid the sticking to the tin, discolouration or collapsing issues I've had before... here's hoping I don't run into any more difficulties!

I mentioned I got a new cookbook (it's so awesome!), which I hope to christen in the form of some baking or cooking within the next fortnight or so, so more on that then.

Happy weekend!

love, Jessica

Tuesday 23 August 2011

100 ACRES OF SYCAMORE.




Wow, can you believe it? I'm actually updating my blog mid-week! I'm here to give you a taste of another of my favourite musicians.



Fionn Regan is another folksy singer-songwriter with a place in my heart. Probably in the top left hand corner of my right atrium. I've been in love with his music ever since I heard the delectable Penny in the Slot (above), from his debut album The End of History. It's definitely worth repetitive listenings. The lyrics, soft-spoken melodies and delicate guitar come together to make something really magical.



His second album for me, was a bit of a surpise, with Dylan-esque electric stylings. It was a huge departure from The End of History, and while some reviews found it a step in the wrong direction, I enjoyed it! I like to hear when artists take new directions, particularly when they are as skilled as Regan is in crafting earthy, folk music. The album is harder to fall in love with than his debut, but after a few plays the choppy chords will have you humming along.

A week or so ago, Regan released his third album, 100 Acres of Sycamore, and it is really what has got me wanting to share him here. He's returned to his roots and produced another stunning collection of songs in the same vein as The End of History. I'm loving it a lot already and I've only listened to it a few times, so I'd strongly recommend it to old and new fans alike. Listen out in particular for the romantic For a Nightingale and  for Sow Mare Bitch Vixen. I've not been able to source any of his new album for this post, but check out the iTunes page in the link above (or his Facebook page) for some previews!




(Photos by me from his gig in the Empire from last spring)

In other news, Mr. Sally and I snapped some pictures this evening, and I got a new cookbook, so expect more from me this week!

love, Jessica

Saturday 20 August 2011

WISHFUL THINKING PT 1.


A new feature I'm planning on writing every so often is Wishful Thinking! All too often I find myself daydreaming of outfits I could put together if only I had such and such a piece of clothing I've spied, or what I could accomplish if only I had this item or that, or how much I'd love to do this  or go there, and this blog is the ideal place to document my wishlists as they continue to grow! I'm limiting this to five 'things' per post, because otherwise it would just get out of control.
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This week's number one: a good haircut and colour
(image found through Oh the Lovely Things)
I haven't had my hair cut in 4 months plus, and it's really starting to show! I've all but given up on the front of it in particular, it was once a 70's styled short-ish full fringe, but has now grown out into one long piece of hair which I sometimes wear to one side, and other times wear as long loose centre parted bangs. I want it cut ASAP! I want my full fringe back, and I want it coloured too. It's been years since I last dyed my hair, and because I'm too scaredy-cat to cut my hair off into anything very interesting, the only way to get a change is to dye it, and I'm really into the ombre trend at the minute, so I think a little subtle lightening on the ends would go down a treat.
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Number two: a tripod.

(image from Amazon)
Since starting this blog, I've come to realise that taking self portraits, particularly for outfit posts, is an art-form. I truly believe my life would be one hundred times easier if only I had a tripod! I did have one of these Hama ones, until it got stuck somewhere while I was outside in the dark taking some pictures of the sky at night and I accidentally snapped it! I realise that I'd save money in the long run with a more expensive tripod, but in the short run and near future, this cheapish tripod would be more than perfect!
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Number three: American Apparel, full stop.
(images from American Apparel)
Yeah, that's right, if you want to get me a present, you can buy over the whole damn company in my name. I know that a lot of people consider it one of the kings of hipster branding, but by god, I have a special home in my heart for multi-coloured basics, and American Apparel is perfect for these. Something I have been lusting after for ages is a hoodie, plain and simple. I'd happily take one in several colours, but at the minute the dark heather hrey is my favourite. Another item I've been admiring recently after is the double layer chiffon maxi skirt. I love that it's slightly sheer, and i'd be wearing it with a short body-con skirt underneath for modesty's sake.
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Number four: an update to my makeup bag.
(images from Smashbox + Shiseido - see links below)
My makeup bag is already overflowing, but I'd definitely trade out some of my bits and pieces for something new! Foundation is something I have a lot of bother with, because my skin is pretty fair, and it's very hard to find a good match that's nice to wear and doesn't make me look like death. I'd like to try some of Mac's offerings, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them! Otherwise, I tried this Smashbox Soft-Lights blush/illuminator recently, and it was beautiful! So shimmery and pretty! And I'd also like to pick up some new lipsticks, like for example the lovely Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Fuschia! It's a killer shade.
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Number five: sewing bits and pieces
(image from Make this Look - see links below)
I recently stumbled upon a wonderful website, MakeThisLook, which is an archive of all the Make this Look articles from Sew Weekly. It's ignited the desire to sew once again, and I'm dying to buy some fabric and sew myself up a pretty dress. Unfortunately, this is one of my more wishful fancies, because I don't have a lot of spare time, or the spare money to buy a lot of fabric to work with, but maybe as a weekend project in the future! This Day after Day dress is just beautiful!

Wow, I feel so much better after writing this. It's almost as though I bought everything!

love, Jessica