The Big Knit

Posted on October 30, 2013 by

Just a quick one to update you all on the craft front!

hats

There’s not been much time in my life at the moment for crafty things but one thing I have made time for is to join in with Innocent’s annual Big Knit.

Every year Innocent drinks ask crafty people to join in and knit thousands of tiny hats to adorn their smoothie bottles, and for every bottle they sell they donate 25p to Age UK.

I was happy to hear that they had extended their deadline this year, so I had time to rustle up three little hats using their ‘doddle’ pattern to send off to them. Sadly their deadline is tomorrow, so if you are hoping to join in then I’m afraid it’s too late (unless you are a super fast knitter, and have access to some kind of Superman-speed courier service).

I have to admit I was a little bit sad putting them in the post to send off to Innocent HQ, as I had grown pretty fond of them. However before sending them off my work mate in the studio had a bit of fun with them!

hats on banana

It’s nice to know that I am doing my bit to help out old people, and I had such fun knitting them. If you still want to make a donation to the cause, then you can text ‘knit’ to 70004 to donate £3. Or maybe get cracking on your hats for next year!

Pretty Nostalgic Gathering

Posted on October 27, 2013 by

Photo courtesy of

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Pretty Nostalgic gathering at the very beautiful Kings Weston house in Bristol.

Pretty Nostalgic is an independent magazine which started in the summer of 2012, which celebrates a love of the beautiful, the thrifty, and the historical. Their motto is ‘Spend Wisely, Waste Less, Appreciate More’ and captures the make-do-and-mend ethic of post-war Britain.

The gathering was the first of its kind, and was a glorious celebration of this; a real family friendly day out full of music and dancing, rooms and rooms of beautiful things and a whole host of stalls offering handcrafted items from artisan makers. It really was all my favourite things in one place!

pretty nostalgic gathering

I started the day with fellow West Country blogger Duck in a Dress, who was the first friendly face I met when I walked through the door. We received our press packs (I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was about this, I’d never got one before) and headed on through to the first of the talks, held by magazine founder Nicole Burnett.

She talked us all through the beginnings of the magazine, and her background as museum curator. The magazine itself is much like a museum exhibition, full of timeless images and inspiration which you can pick up and flick through time and time again. She emphasised the fact that the writers are always passionate and knowledgable about their subjects, which really is apparent when you read it.

Pretty Nostalgic Pledge

The ethos of the magazine is to take inspiration from the past to live a simpler and happier life by buying less, creating, thrifting and recycling more, and buying things directly from the makers. One thing which really resonated me during the talk was when Nicole mentioned looking back when you’re sat in a nursing home at the age of 90 – the things you will remember will be the things which you have created, collected and surrounded yourself with, and not the items on your credit card bill.

The magazine is also working extensively with charities, and for every yearly subscription not only does the reader save £12 off the RRP price but Pretty Nostalgic will donate a further £12 to a selected charity. This month they are supporting Children in Need, with the idea that they will build up and eventually have an extensive list of charities which the reader will be able to choose from when they subscribe. If that’s not another reason to sign up I don’t know what is!

The next talk was by the lovely Annabelle Beeforth of Love my Dress blog, who was holding a Q&A session. She gave some really invaluable advice about blogging, especially the need to organise yourself, something which I think I’m lacking a bit at the moment! She has also just written a book in the Style Me Vintage series about weddings, which looks absolutely gorgeous. Even if you’re not planning a wedding it is lovely to flick through and find some inspiration.

kings weston house, beautiful chandelier vintage wedding cake vintage wedding dresses

I had a little wonder around and was able to take in the scale of the beautiful building, and also some of the makers who had set up stalls in the surrounding rooms. One was dedicated to vintage-styled weddings and was simply breathtaking – I’m probably not getting married any time soon, but all this talk of weddings isn’t half giving me ideas!

pizza

I was also quite excited to see that Pizza Monkey had set up outside! They did the catering at my work’s summer party and they make the most amazing handmade pizzas in their wood-fired oven. This was the ‘posh monkey’ – brie, mushrooms and truffle oil (plus loads of chilli flakes, because I cannot eat anything which isn’t smothered in something spicy), and needless to say it tasted as lush as it looks! I can’t quite believe I ate the whole thing.

vintage people

Whilst munching on said pizza, a rather dapper-looking group of people arrived, promoting an event happening next summer – the Dig for Victory Show in Somerset, which having a peek at their website, looks absolutely awesome! I’m always quite jealous of people in WWII-era attire, and these folks were no exception, they really looked the part. I’ll most definitely be attending their event, I’d better get cracking on my outfit!

business cards

Perhaps the most exciting part of the whole day for me was the bloggers networking hour, which took part in the cutest yurt I have ever seen, set up by the Wedding Yurts company. We all crammed in and began furiously exchanging business cards – it was such a nice experience, and so lovely to put faces to names of blogs I have been reading for a while. Everyone was so friendly and full of amazing advice, and I have plenty of new blogs to read!

All this has made me wonder if I should have a blogroll section. All the best blogs seem to do it, and I think it would be pretty awesome to share with you all the blogs which I have been reading over the last few months which have really inspired me and made me smile. Watch this space!

All that remains is to thank everyone at Pretty Nostalgic for such a wonderful event, and for allowing me to be a part of the blogger’s hour. I can’t wait for the next one!

Cinnamon Rolls!

Posted on October 21, 2013 by

Autumn = cinnamon.

I mean, let’s face it, the smell of cinnamon is just reminiscent of crisp cold mornings waking up with mugs of cinnamon coffee, or grey miserable English days sitting in a coffee shop with a vat of hot chocolate topped with a mountain of cream and dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg. Or is that just me?

I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year over the weekend and it has just put me in autumn-hyperdrive; I am furiously craving anything warm and spicy which puts me in the mood for winter. I have been meaning to make cinnamon rolls for probably about two years now, and seeing as I had nothing better to do last night I gave it a go!

homemade cinnamon rolls

cinnamon roll with maple glaze

homemade cinnamon roll

Now there are many, many recipes on the internet for cinnamon rolls. Some use yeast, some don’t use yeast, some use buttermilk, others use eggs to enrich the dough. I found this very basic recipe from Food Network UK, which appealed to me because it didn’t have a list of ingredients as long as your arm.

There were a few amendments which I made – firstly, I didn’t use all the butter it stated for the filling, and it was practically swimming in pools of butter when I pulled it out of the oven. It would have definitely overflowed if I had used it all. Same thing goes for the cinnamon and sugar filling, but now I have leftovers for my cinnamon coffee!

Also, before rolling and baking, I did a little ‘massage’ on the butter and sugar to meld it all together, a little trick I learned from Man v Food, where he visited a diner which made the largest cinnamon rolls known to man. This makes it a lot easier to roll up ready to cut.

Lastly, this recipe doesn’t mention any salt whatsoever. I used unsalted butter for the filling and there was something not quite ‘right’ about them – they were almost too sweet! If you don’t use salted butter for the inside (which you probably should) then add some salt to the dough.

All in all, I will most definitely be making these again. Now that I have begun hibernating for winter I think this will be my staple diet food.

Have you done any baking recently?

Beauty Swap

Posted on October 18, 2013 by

You may remember I while back I organised a ‘Frock Swap‘ at work, for people to donate their unwanted clothes and get something in return for nowt! The idea is you donate, pay a suggested donation of £2 or £3, and pick up some new bits which take your fancy.

Well, last night I did much of the same thing, organising a Beauty Swap at work in aid of the Katie Piper Foundation.

nail varnish, beauty swap make up remover eyeshadow collection fragrance rainbow nails

I’m part of the so-called ‘Ministry of Giving’ at Lovehoney, organising fundraising events for various charities of our choosing. I love organising things at work – everyone is so generous with their time and donations, and they are always such fun events. Plus you get something new for free!

Now, I know what you are all thinking – “Beauty swap?! Ew. That sounds well unhygenic!” and at first, so did I. But hey, there are rules, people. Things for swapping include new brushes, used-once eyeshadows, nail varnish and perfume, in a presentable condition. Mascara, lipgloss and wand concealers are a no-no! We don’t want any styes, thanks.

It means you can get rid of all those unwanted 3-for-2 items, testers and misjudged Christmas gifts which become accumulated at the back of your bathroom cupboard, whilst picking up something new that you are far more likely to get some use out of. I’m all about downsizing my toiletries at the moment – not much room in a boat bathroom!

I am now fast becoming the swap-shop queen, this was the third event that I have helped organise, and looking forward to the next one! Have you ever swapped make up with anyone? You should try it!

New Layout!

Posted on October 16, 2013 by

Holy crap! It’s been a long time coming!

In case you haven’t noticed, things have been changing around here! In my attempt to make it in the blogosphere I have simplified my layout, and commissioned some sweet artwork from my very talented friend Lucy Sherston to head things up.

It you take a peek at her website you will find some absolute gems, she is a very clever lady. I do enjoy having sneaky peeks at new projects popping up in her Instagram feed too. Tom’s particularly fond of this one below, as he is quite a big fan of the Hold Steady.

Image Source: Lucy Sherston

I asked Lucy if she would be so kind as to draw a header which represented what I do around here. It was quite difficult to explain what it’s all about, as I think that this blog and it’s theme is still evolving somewhat, but I knew it had to involve three things – something Bristolian, something pirat-ey, and something to do with knitting.

I am so, so happy with the outcome! I really appreciate other bloggers being girly and pretty with their layout but it wasn’t quite me. I think the colours still maintain the girliness, while the pirate flag makes it completely badass. The balloons are the Bristol part – I wanted something which was representative of my home but definitely not the hideous suspension bridge!

I also got Tom to take a picture of my face to go at the side so you can picture me when you read my posts (that sounded way creepier than it needed to). All the best bloggers do it, don’t ya know.

By all means I’m still learning, so if you have any comments or suggestions let me know what you think!

Treats from Coco de Mer

Posted on October 11, 2013 by

cosmetics from coco de mer

I consider myself incredibly lucky to be working as a full time photographer, especially considering I produce product images for quite simply one of the most gorgeous brands in existence, Coco de Mer. Yesterday myself and three members of our content team visited head offices on business and had a tour of the beautiful store in Seven Dials, Covent Garden.

I have a huge fondness for Coco de Mer – there is something just ‘right’ about it; it seems to capture an irreverent naughtiness whilst showcasing some of the most sumptuous and beautiful lingerie money can buy. I cooed at the racks of Bordelle and Marlies Dekkers whilst sipping on a truffle vodka and tonic, made especially in honour of London Cocktail Week.

When we left we were very kindly presented with a bag of goodies, of which I managed to pinch these lovely products by MonuSpa – a rosewood reviving mist and hand and nail cream. I also took the opportunity to buy a perfume by Etat Libre D’Orange which I have been coveting for months, the limited edition Tilda Swinton creation, ‘Like This’. They all smell absolutely gorgeous, and I’m so glad I finally took the plunge and bought the perfume, it is the most perfect scent for this weather – warm, musky and gingery with hints of neroli and rose.

Of course a bag of treats from Coco de Mer wouldn’t be complete without some of their delightful own brand products, of which we were each given a little feather tickler and a beautiful embroidered silk blindfold. If you follow me on you will have noticed I managed to restyle it on the train back home!

Have you made any on-the-spot beauty purchases recently?

The Lounge, Bedminster, Bristol

Posted on October 8, 2013 by

hot dog with pulled pork

Another day, another hot dog. I managed to munch my way through three hot dogs last week, which was a pretty impressive achievement – one at Atomic Burger, one in a pub in Cheltenham called The Tavern (alas, no photo) and this one, which was enjoyed at the Lounge in Bedminster.

Image Credit

I love the Lounge. It is part of a bigger chain, but this is the original Lounge, opened roughly ten years ago. Since then they’re all over the place, there’s four in Bristol alone! In my experience it has been consistently decent for food, its decorated really nicely inside, and they do these awesome Cherry Bakewell cocktails (something along the lines of vodka, amaretto and a cherry Pago), which are absolutely lush.

Recently, I’ve noticed that BBQ food is getting pretty trendy – first there was Grillstock, then the Lounge, which has just changed their menu, then the other day I noticed even Spoons are getting in on the grilled meat action! I am not complaining, by any means; the more hot dogs I can stuff into my chubby little face the better.

This one was particularly excellent – pulled pork, cheddar and chillies. I’m making it my mission to sample as many hot dogs as is possible to a human lady, so watch this space for more meaty updates.

Autumn nails

Posted on October 5, 2013 by

I got my nails did a week last Wednesday with my friend Lisa. I’ve never had a full set of acrylics before, and it’s been so long since I’ve had nice long nails that it’s taken some getting used to! It’s been a lovely experience having them though; this is step one on my quest to be a lady, and it has made my hands, if anything, feel more feminine.

I had them painted at the salon a girly pink colour, but the night before last decided that I wanted something more fitting for the autumnal climate at the moment. This is a colour from Nails inc which came free with Glamour last summer – it’s a really lovely deep rich red. I painted my ring nail (is that still a thing?) with this glittery gold from Model’s Own, who are most definitely becoming my favourite brand.

Looking at these photos has made me realise firstly the state my hands are in, and how badly I have painted my nails! In fairness I have just got back from cleaning my old house, which is testament to how well this varnish has stayed in place!

I think I’ll have to be a little more careful next time.

Atomic Burger, Bristol

Posted on October 2, 2013 by

We went to go to the launderette. We ended up at Atomic Burger.

root beer

neon open sign

We did manage to get our laundry done first, but popped in here on the way back. For the uninitiated, Atomic Burger is the brightest and most garish burger joint in Bristol, situated in the middle of student territory about halfway up Gloucester Road.

It is pretty cool inside, the walls are covered with pop culture references and old toys from the 80s and 90s – it’s been cleverly set up for 20-somethings to come inside and go ‘OH COOL! I had one of those when I was little!’, which is exactly what I did. There’s a giant AT-AT on the wall, and the kitchen door has been painted like the Tardis. Even the toilets have had the comic-book makeover; the girl’s loos are indicated by a life sized Batgirl on the door, and even have Barbie wallpaper inside!

old school vintage tomato shaped ketchup bottles

fairy lights on the ceiling

hot dog

I had the ‘Buffalo Dog’ – a german frank covered in pulled Louisiana chicken wings, blue cheese sauce and spring onions. This was accompanied by ‘Trailer Park Fries’, topped with pulled pork, cheese sauce and fried onions. I have an obsession with root beer too, which somewhat infuriates Tom; if I see it on a menu I can’t help but order it, and these tinnies were £3 a pop.

Now, the hot dog was excellent. We have eaten here a couple of times before and the food was OK, but man, seriously, this hot dog was awesome. They have clearly bought in better quality sausages, and you can really tell. The fries, however, were a bit crap. They were really soft, and I unfortunately had to send them back. Sad times.

Tom had a massive burger of some sort, and fries covered in the same gubbins as my hot dog. He seemed happy with his food, there was none left at the end! They were quite busy when we arrived, and we took the last table, which may explain the bad chips. They did pretty well considering there was only two of them in the kitchen and two of them waiting the tables.

The verdict is that Atomic Burger is an experience – visually, physically, and… tastily? The food is going from strength to strength, and at least you have something to look at when you eat!

Lily Doughball

Bristol-based fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog

Monthly Archives: October 2013