Lately I've been...

Making Shimelle's amazing pumpkin cupcakes...and devouring cupcakes from Lola's (shown below are the scrummy red velvet and peanut butter cupcakes.  I may have accidentally consumed the other two before I remembered to take a picture).  

Ordering a LOT of Yankee Candle samplers.  My current favourites are Farmer's Market, Apple Cider, Autumn Fruit, Cinnamon Stick, Moonlight Harvest, Macintosh Spice and Cinnamon & Sugar.  I also  ordered Witches' Brew and Candy Corn for Halloween.  I think I might have a new obsession. 

Finishing Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life for Me: The Abridged Version.  I cannot recommend this book enough...it's both original and unusual.  I loved it.

Source

Playing with this sweet little guy.  Winston has been a member of our household for approximately a month and a half.  He's a long-haired Syrian hamster...and he's very cute. 

Listening to Songs from Dawson's Creek and Lady Antebellum - a rediscovery and a new discovery.  Both of them are comforting and cozy ('Feels Like Home' is one of my all-time favourite songs)...perfect for the season ahead.        

And wearing my new favourite jacket.  The weather has been much cooler over the past couple of weeks, but today it was cold.  I love Autumn.

What have you been up to lately?

Ever been a tourist in your own town?

A friend of mine is travelling in Europe at the moment (she's originally from New York).  To make the most of the expensive airfare across the pond, she decided to hop on a Eurostar and pay me a visit in London for a few days!  It was her first time in the UK, so we had a packed four day itinerary to make sure that she saw the 'best of British.'  We were exhausted by the end of it, but I had a lot of fun being a tour guide and seeing my hometown from an entirely new perspective.  I was looking through some of the photos this evening and thought it might be fun to play around with the Pioneer Woman's PSE actions (which are awesome!).  Here are some favourites....

I got so frustrated with the lighting whilst we were out and about...my little point-and-shoot camera couldn't handle the brightness of the sun behind the clouds and most of the photographs I took at that time of day were pretty disappointing.  I originally discarded this photo of the London Eye, but came back to it later on and tried out the BW Beauty action.  I love how dramatic it looks!

After we stopped by the Eye, we meandered along the Thames and then crossed Westminster Bridge.  This was a view looking back towards the Eye and County Hall, which is now the London Aquarium (I think PW's Seventies action might be my favourite).

That afternoon we spent a little while exploring Westminster.  I always marvel at how elaborate Big Ben is...the attention to detail is totally mindblowing!

 The next day we decided to visit the Tower of London.  I had never been before and was giddy with excitement (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this once or twice quite a bit, but just in case...I'm a massive historical fiction fan!).  And wow....it didn't disappoint.  We joined a tour given by a Yeoman Warder (otherwise known as a Beefeater), who was surprisingly funny and amazingly knowledgeable (as a side note, I had no idea that they lived in the Tower compound!  How cool?!).  We saw the infamous ravens, the Crown Jewels, the Bloody Tower and  also Tower Green, where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey were executed.  Jessie was also keen to see Tower Bridge, pictured above.

Something else I didn't know...soldiers are still stationed at the Tower of London, mainly charged with the duty of protecting the Crown Jewels.  And for the record, the door to the vault was H-U-G-E (as were the various jewels which adorned the crowns).  

As we left the Tower, we saw the Naked Bike Ride go past (I think the finishing point was actually the Tower of London).  I was speechless...and still am.  We also went to the British Library where we saw the Magna Carta, as well as the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. A massive highlight was watching Les Misérables...the actress who plays Fantine knew one of Jessie's friends from New York, so she kindly met us for coffee, gave us a backstage tour of the theatre and gave us two tickets to watch the evening performance!  She was the nicest person you could possibly hope to meet (she even signed my programme!) with an absolutely phenomenal voice.  And Les Mis was incredible...I would 100000% recommend it if you haven't seen it!

And that was our whirlwind tour of London!  Thank you so much for looking!

Over the past two and half weeks I've been...

Eating:

1. Chilli con carne at La Perla (seriously delicious, but a massive portion).
2. Irish cream and tiramisu ice cream sundae at Patisserie Valerie (amazing).

Ordering:

I have a confession.

After six months of sitting on the fence...of telling myself that I 100% could not justify the additional expense of a kit each month (even though I lusted after each and every one since January)...I gave in.

I am now a bona fide Studio Calico subscriber.

I experienced my first reveal at the end of May thinking that I would just supplement the main kit with some adhesive and possibly some add-on paper, thereby honouring my promise to Jamie that I would be abstemious.  

Fifteen minutes after the kits went live I was hysterically debating the relative merits of Shade Tree vs. Rec League on the phone with my nearest and dearest.  Five minutes after that, Rec League had sold out (problem solved).  That was, until I decided that I couldn't live without Front Porch.  And some items from the shop.  And some add-on paper.  And then Studio Calico kindly decided to do a 20% offer...so I got the 7 Gypsies receipt holder for my living room...and some more stuff from the shop.

I need an intervention.

Here's hoping I can stay on the straight and narrow next month (I'll keep you posted). 

Inspired by:

I signed up to Tumblr a few weeks ago.  I. LOVE. IT.  I cannot recommend it enough.  Here are a couple of things I've been eyeing up recently:  
 

 By dearcolleen - found via decor8.

 By tagteamtompkins - found via decor8. 

Finishing:

I finally finished the first year of my Masters on Friday!  It's been a hectic two months....but as I watched the last couple of minutes countdown on the clock in the exam hall (opposite Westminster Abbey - such a cool location!) I just felt so relieved to have some respite from deadlines and revision.  Jamie and I celebrated with curly fries, Desperados and the itbox.  It felt good to be free :)

Creating:

More on this later in the week!  But in the meantime, you can find out more here and here....

Happy Wednesday!

A questionnaire!

The lovely Meghann, who also happens to be the fabulous guest designer over at Sketchy Thursdays this month, tagged me in a very cool questionnaire that has been circulating around the blogosphere recently.  I couldn't wait to play along!  Here we go:      

1. If you could own any car, regardless of cost, what would it be?

A Range Rover Autobiography in white, preferably with spinners.  It's my dirty little secret. 

2. If you could spend an hour with any person in the world, living or dead, who would you spend it with?

As a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of stand-up comedy.  The one exception, however, is Michael McIntyre...I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life!  So, if I wanted to laugh, I would have to say him.  Otherwise, Winston Churchill and Jackie Kennedy Onassis are at the top of the list.    

3. What color is your living room?

A nice, neutral white with a touch of maroon surrounding the fire place (a little random, I know!).  

4. What vacations/trips do you have planned for the summer?

Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but Jamie is really keen to go to Spain at some point (I also really like the idea of visiting Marrakesh).  I'm pretty sure we'll be making a trip up to Scotland as well.

5. What is your favorite flower?

 Daffodils!  Every year that little shock of yellow fills me with enthusiasm for the summer months ahead.       

6. Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate.  Without a doubt.  

7. What person do you think knows you best in the world?

Hmmm...It's a toss-up between my mother and my boyfriend...

8. Do you have a laid-back or keyed-up personality?

Unfortunately, I'm Type A all the way.  

9. What goal do you want to accomplish this year?

I have a huge list!  Right now I'm focusing on my fitness, but above all I am 100% determined to pass my driving test.  It's an uphill battle learning to drive in London...
 

10. What is the best photo you've ever taken? If you can, share it!

In terms of composition etc., probably this photo:

But for the 'cool' factor, I love this photo:

Your eyes do not deceive you...it is indeed of three fish floating around in a telephone box.  I took the photo during Lyon's la Fête des lumières when I lived in France in 2007.  For three days or so, Lyon was full of light installations and projections against some of the city's beautiful old buildings.  It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.  My favourite installation by far was this telephone box (which I had walked passed several times previously) that had been transformed into an aquarium.  SO COOL!   

Thank you so much, Meghann, for the opportunity to participate!  Be sure to hop on over to her blog...you won't be disappointed!

So, technically I'm supposed to tag seven people too...but instead I'm going to open the floor to you guys :)  Are you a Type A or a Type B personality?  Who would be your ideal dinner party guests?  Are you secretly addicted to reality TV?  What one food could you not live without?  Are you double jointed?   What's the one film that you could watch over and over again?  Feel free to play along! 

On my bedside table

In addition to watching the election coverage pretty much non-stop since last Thursday, I've recently been reading a lot of fiction in my spare time.  I practically devoured The Pact and Redeeming Love (blogged here)...both kept me awake well into the wee small hours of the morning.  The Pact was my first Jodi Picoult novel and I was totally blown away by her writing and the sophistication of a seemingly predictable storyline.  Redeeming Love was just beautiful...I think perhaps every girl is subconsciously seeking out her very own Michael.  In any case, I cannot recommend them enough.

Image credits: here and here

I have three weeks of revision ahead of me, so I wanted a couple of books to counterbalance the monotony of my Masters reading.  I was seriously tempted by the Vampire Academy series (yup, I jumped on the Twilight bandwagon!), which I first heard about on Jennifer Johner's blog.  I just wasn't 100% convinced that it was entirely my scene, so I settled instead on another Jodi Picoult novel, Nineteen Minutes, and The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (one of my go-to authors, along with John Grisham).  Despite its inaccuracies, I love historical fiction...The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance were both fantastic.  Has anyone read either Nineteen Minutes or The White Queen?  Any other recommendations?

Before I head off, if you're a Twitter fan, Oscraps (@oscraps) is running a promotion at the moment...each new follower is sent a link to a Twitter-themed freebie digital kit!  I downloaded the kit this evening and used a couple of the digital elements to create this little button for my blog:

One of these days - when I get a little less stressed out by PSE - I'm very tempted to give digital scrapbooking a try.  Digital kits are scarily addictive!

Happy Thursday!

Where in the world?

Every year in April, my family packs up the car(s) and does something quintessentially British...we spend a week by the seaside. At this time of year the weather can be pretty unpredictable, but so far we've had sunshine and blue skies. Having a change of scenery feels good...so does the sand. The sea? Not so much (it's FREEZING).

Seeing as I'm out of context, I wasn't 100% sure how to approach Week in the Life. There's no real routine...no chores...but I'm enjoying the process of documenting something that brings us all together, which is becoming harder for us to do each year (with the possible exception of Christmas). I'm taking fewer pictures than I expected and concentrating for the most part on the journaling - I think Ali Edwards' Week in the Life Journal Cards will be the perfect way to record the different aspects of each day. I'm so excited to see how it all comes together next week! How's your Week in the Life project coming along?

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Back in the blogging saddle

The all-consuming essay has been handed in (YEY!!!). I've spent the last few days catching up on sleep and laundry, all the while worrying about how badly neglected my blog has been over the past few weeks. My aim at the beginning of the year was to blog a minimum of three times a week....and so far I've failed miserably. But, sometimes life gets in the way of documenting life. I think that can be a good thing.

Anyway, now that I'm back in the blogging saddle, I thought I would share a few photos with you. In between the sleepless nights and the caffeine boosts (of which there were many), Jamie and I ventured out of London to go to the Craft Barn Craft Fest. The Craft Barn is my 'local' scrapbook store. By 'local,' I mean that it takes us about an hour and a half to get there by tube and train....and the same to get back. But it's worth the effort :)

While Jamie consumed a couple of coffees in the adjacent coffee shop (the photo above with the book shelves and tables), I mostly pottered around. I went to the November Craft Fest last year so I had seen most of the demonstrations, but it was a good opportunity to replenish things that were close to running out. I did get some new Cuttlebug embossing folders though, as well as some Bazzill cardstock in Jet Stream (LOVE that colour!). I always seem to put hundreds of things in my basket and then put them back...do you tend to splurge in scrapbook stores too?

After I finished up in the Craft Barn, we did a little bit of exploring in the town and then settled down in the local pub for the rest of the afternoon, where we had a few drinks and a couple of snacks before heading back to London. As we were walking back to the station, the sun was setting behind us - so pretty!!!

So, do you enjoy going to classes/demonstrations held by your local scrapbook store, or do you prefer to do everything online?

Wishing for tranquil waters...

It's that time of year again...essay deadlines are looming. The kitchen table is covered with books, photocopies and discarded cups of tea. The backspace key on my MacBook has become my best friend...and my worst enemy. This essay has become all-consuming. I miss scrapbooking...and blogging...I even miss the ironing. But I'll let you into a secret: deep, deep down, this is my favourite part of being a student. I love the adrenaline rush, the caffeine, the late nights and the early mornings. I love that feeling of frustration and even desperation as you attempt to construct and argue your thesis...and the elation as you finally push 'print.' In some perverse way, it makes me happy.

That said, I'm ready for life to return to normal. I'm so excited to take Shimelle's new class, and to spend some much-needed time getting caught up on layouts and blog posts. I recorded E!'s Live on the Red Carpet on Sunday night and I can't wait to devour the dresses (I got a sneak peek at Kate Winslet and Sandra Bullock, who both looked STUNNING). I'm looking forward to watching my new favourite TV shows: The Good Wife and True Blood. And I can't wait to get stuck into these:

If you've read either of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Jamie and I are going up to Scotland at the end of the week to watch the Scotland v. England rugby match at Murrayfield (he's Scottish...I'm English...and I'm guessing that this won't be conducive to domestic harmony), so hopefully I'll be able to catch up with my Google Reader on the train. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful week! Are you enjoying the sun where you are? It's so exciting to finally see some blue sky :)

Who dat?!

For someone who doesn't understand the first thing about American football (despite the best efforts of Jamie and my friends and host families in Memphis), I have a perverse obsession with it. It might have something to do with the atmosphere, or possibly the food (I am pretty much addicted to funnel cake). Whatever the reason, I was super excited about the Super Bowl this weekend.

I was especially excited because I saw the New Orleans Saints play the San Diego Chargers at Wembley in 2008. This was my first NFL Wembley experience...and it definitely didn't disappointment! The Saints were the dedicated home team, providing thousands of themed flags for the crowd to show their support (you can sort of see my flag in the photo above).

I have it on good authority that it was a pretty good game, with the Chargers attempting a Hail Mary pass in the final second (although it didn't quite work).

Characteristically, I was a big fan of the half time entertainment! There was a mini parade, complete with floats and marching band (and cheerleaders of course).

I loved the Saints cheerleaders! I practically fell over with excitement when we found out that they were selling and autographing calendars before the game.

I originally wanted to support the Chargers, but I was swayed by the enthusiasm of the Saints fans scattered around us - it is amazing that they travelled so far to support their team! The Saints won 37-32, which I'm told was pretty impressive given that Reggie Bush was having knee surgery at the time.

For me, the highlight was definitely the merchandise...Jamie and I bought miniature helmets and footballs, as well as an NFL London 2008 pennant. And, being the hoarder that I am, all of this was on display for the Super Bowl this weekend! Jamie was away on Sunday, but we watched it last night while munching on a KFC boneless bucket.

And you know what? I almost understood American football by the end of the game. Almost.

I'll be back later with a crafty post!

All Hallows' Eve

I'm so sad that Halloween is over! Yesterday was a flurry of activity - I pottered around in the morning making the cinnamon cream cheese icing for my yummy pumpkin cupcakes (inspired by the very talented Shimelle) and spent some time fiddling around with yet another Halloween project. In the afternoon my Mum and I met up for the most incredible Serendipity-style ice cream sundaes at Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly (which you can see above), where we also wanted to look at the beautiful Christmas decorations that they already have on display. Afterwards we went for a quick wander around the Harrods Pet Kingdom, where we saw some adorable Shih Tzu and Chihuahua puppies! It was especially sad for us because our 17 year old Shih Tzu died earlier this year, and these puppies bore an uncanny resemblance to him when he was just a little puppy. In the evening Jamie and I finally got around to carving our pumpkins after hauling them back from the Whole Foods Market in Camden on Friday...the lack of a car is a definite disadvantage in London. Anyhoo, this is the result:

From the left: Country 'Pumpkin' (designed and named by Jamie), Winifred (named after my favourite of the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus), Count 'Pump-cula' (also designed and named by Jamie), and the little guy in the front is called Casper (as in the ghost), because he just looks so happy.

Jamie carved all but the one in the middle, which I very ambitiously started at 8pm and immediately regretted five minutes later. I don't think I scooped out the pulp properly, and the pumpkin was way too thick to carve using a little precision saw that I found in Waitrose. So Jamie heroically stepped in and we pushed and pulled and tugged until it was eventually finished! Once we got the tea lights inside I was so glad that we perserved because they all looked so awesome lined up below our Halloween display. In honour of Halloween we watched Hocus Pocus whilst eating A LOT of junk food - by the time we started watching Interview with a Vampire I was definitely in a sugar-induced coma, which is probably a good thing because the bits of the film that I saw were just a little creepy...

Before settling down to gorge ourselves we nipped out for a few minutes to (randomly) watch the BT Tower. Over the past couple of days it has been beautifully lit up - complete with Batman-esque spotlights - and every time I have walked past it at night I have unsuccessfully tried to photograph it. During one of my attempts last night, a guy walking past us mysteriously said to stand under the Tower at 8.50pm, so Jamie and I interrupted our pumpkin carving and dutifully stood underneath it. And this is what we saw:

It turns out that yesterday marked 1000 days until the start of the 2012 Olympics in London, and to celebrate the BT Tower got a makeover and a very impressive fireworks display. It was so cool to watch, but sad that it hadn't been particularly well advertised - there were only a handful of people there. I should also thank Jamie for taking the photos (I still had serious camera shake despite his best efforts to change all of the settings on my camera).

And, finally, a couple of the Halloween projects that I have been working on this week:

Again, not ideal photos! But I'm so pleased with the end result. I got the idea for these hanging panels from the Imaginisce Idea Gallery (click on Spooky Town for some more Halloween ideas). I L-O-V-E Imaginisce papers - although I'm not always initially attracted to the designs, the heavyweight cardstock and the 'glossy spot UV accents' (as described by the Craft Emporium) add so much dimension to whatever it is they are used for. For this particular project, I used the Boo Buttons, Bestitched, Boo Whooo?, Fraidy Cat and Trick or Treat papers - all from the Craft Emporium - with some Bazzill cardstock for each background. The accents are all cut out from the patterned papers and attached with foam pads. I used repositionable glue dots for the photos in case I want to switch the photos next year. For the corners, I used my Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper and to make the holes for the ribbon I used my Crop-A-Dile Big Bite (both purchased from the Craft Barn).

For this quick and easy project, I used the Pink Paislee Twilight collection, also from the Craft Emporium. I found this "spooky" card in the 'Pink Projects' section of the Pink Paislee website, but it is also worth checking out their blog, which is showcasing some really amazing ideas at the moment. This card was literally so easy to make - I varied the design just a little bit, using two pieces of ric rac from my stash instead of the suggested twine, and I cut out the skull and the crow (along with the nested circles) using my Slice machine and the Spook Alley design card (purchased from the Craft Barn).

Well, that pretty much sums up our All Hallows' Eve! Today was spent watching Saturday's X Factor on Sky Plus with a Starbucks Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, which seemed appropriate for such a miserable day. I couldn't believe how many leaves covered the roads and pavement on my way to the gym this evening - it's amazing how quickly the season changes in London!

Bits and bobs (and a sad farewell)

It has been such a busy few days, with Jamie's brother staying over the weekend for the NFL game at Wembley between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday (which was incredible!). In the meantime, I have been tracking down books and doing LOTS of preparation for my lectures/seminars this week. So, not much time for scrapbooking or finishing my neglected Halloween projects...Just hoping that I get them finished by Saturday!

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some pictures from the football game on Sunday. I can pretty much say with conviction that I won't have a career in sports phototgraphy, but I can't help but love the colours and the drama of American football! I do not partake in sports (which is a good thing) and I generally do not watch sports (I tend to irritate my boyfriend) but I make an exception for football and baseball. I love the atmosphere and the 'performance,' and, most importantly of all, the food. Funnel cake is quite possibly the yummiest thing in the world!

I heard that about 80,000 people watched the game at Wembley, and there were people everywhere! They even had policemen doing crowd management at the tube station (which in hindsight was a good idea). Also, the weather was beautiful - such a contrast to the year before.


This was the only good photo of Wembley Stadium that I managed to take - a combination of the crowd and the position of the sun made it very difficult to photograph!

These floating helmets were amazing! Before the game started they were just suspended in mid-air, floating around the stadium....such an awesome idea!

During the 'Star-Spangled Banner' (sung by Toni Braxton), one section of the stadium held up the colours of the Stars and Stripes....

And, during 'God Save the Queen' (sung by Katherine Jenkins) another section of the stadium held up the colours of the Union Jack, which were both such impressive sights!

The Buccaneers were the home team, and we were sitting right behind them! Sadly they lost (7-35), which means that they have lost every game so far this season (!). I was really hoping to get a picture of Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, but my zoom just wasn't co-operating.

On a crafty note, I thought I would include a photo of my 'procrastination project' from last week. I was setting up our Halloween display and thought that the photo collage from a couple of posts ago would add a festive touch to the whole thing. I also had a spare frame, so I printed off the collage in A4 and slipped it inside. It looked horrible! The frame wasn't especially nice and the photo paper that I have been using has an odd sheen which made it look 100% tacky. So, to further postpone my reading, I searched on Google for some autumnal digital elements. The maple leaf (or at least I think it's a maple leaf) was free from an article on about.com and you can find it here. The other elements are all from Shimelle's lovely 'Autumn Apples Embellishments' DigiKit over at Two Peas, which you can download for a very reasonable $4! The whole thing isn't very sophisticated - I just printed off the elements onto white cardstock and cut them out whilst watching Running in Heels re-runs. I attached them using a glue gun, and then used some co-ordinating buttons from my stash to fill in the gaps! This was actually my first foray into the world of digital scrapbooking and I was so excited by how easy it was. I don't have PhotoShop Elements or a similar program ordinarily used by digital/hybrid scrapbookers and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to use the elements on my laptop. As it happens, I downloaded them, opened them up in Windows Explorer and then pasted them into Word! So easy.

* I should also apologise for the poor quality of these photos - there is either too much or too little light in this flat and it is impossible to take good photos. A definite problem!

And finally, I just wanted to say how completely gutted I was to find out that Scrapbook Inspirations magazine will cease publication after the December issue. I only discovered Scrapbook Inspirations earlier this year, and it is largely due to this magazine that I returned to scrapbooking over the summer. I was so thrilled to find something on our shores which in many ways 'legitimised' scrapbooking in the UK - by featuring new products and techniques, by advertising retailers and by showcasing readers' submissions in a very unpretentious way. It is a misunderstood hobby in Britain, where I have found that people are generally apathetic - even derisive - about the idea of celebrating and preserving memories. Sadly scrapbooking is either a 'waste of time', a 'waste of money', or people just think that you're completely insane. I am so sad for the staff and the wonderful design team, which had recently expanded to include some hugely talented people - I can only imagine their disappointment. I am so going to miss the thrill of excitement each month when the latest issue falls through the letter box. You can read about the news here, here and here. So sad to hear that “Scrapbook Inspirations catered to a very specialist market which has unfortunately declined significantly during the last year." Scrapbooking in the UK is already such a nascent hobby - I truly hope that this is just a minor setback.