I finally graduated!

Life has been moving pretty quickly the last week weeks - update to come! But on Friday I finally graduated. I say finally as it seems to have been a long time coming! I had two years off in the end before starting uni and then a 3 year BA course and when my friends started working in hot shot city jobs as I was starting second year, I sometimes felt a little like I was playing catch up.

Watching… A little romance is therapy for the heart.

Le Mal by Jean Paul Gautier. 

This little beauty was a rediscovery in my final eve of procrastination for revision but now I am finallyyyy free of a life in the library and can chill out again. Its been a long time coming and I'm pleased to say that I never have to do revision for exams or essays over Christmas again. 3rd year finals are done and now its just on with the 2 dissertations. Oh Sussex, you do know how to spoil us!

I'm heading home for just over a week and I literally cannot wait! Chill out time, good food and evenings of wine with mummy is going to be combined with some job searching, socialising and possibly a little bit of sale shopping. The perfect was to end one term and begin another. 

If you haven't seen the advert, which was aired originally a few years ago, give it a watch. I promise you won't be disappointed!! <3

10 things that have made me happy this week...

Image 

1) Fabulous fabulous Christmas celebrations with the fam, extended family and yet more family!! So.much.food.

2) A school reunion like no other. I loved 6th form and going back to see everyone in that setting was slightly strange but more over really lovely. We ended with a little bit of a pub crawl and some very good catch ups!

3) Crisp cold days. Boots, leather gloves and big cosy jumpers. It really doesn't get any better!

4) Secret santa with the girlies and making plans for years to come; I just don't think we can resist when we're all together!

5) Seeing the boy after a 3 week break. Being apart definitely makes you realise what you have and for us, living 2 minutes apart at Uni I think having breaks only makes us better.

6) Heading back to Brighton. Yes there are horrible horrible exams but its so lovely to see everyone and the stories from New Years eve are pretty unrivalled!

7) Our litre and a half bottle of Prosecco on NYE. There is something distinctly classy about drinking it out the bottle, I'm sure of it!!

8) Knowing that in 7 days I get to go home again and have a proper 10 days of chill out time. I literally cannot wait!

9) Whipping out the fur scarf. I found my favourite mink coloured faux fur scarf upon my return to uni and had forgotten quite how much I enjoy wearing it.

10) Finally getting to use my super gorgeous new bag, which I am more than a little bit in love with, purchased with some Christmas money from Daddy! I couldn't resist the lipstick either!

And we danced all night.

The last few weeks have been a bit sporadic with regard to blog posting so I thought I'd start off the new year with a little catch up of my going's on! There's lots scheduled over the next couple of weeks, including my Christmas Hamper posts with some gorgeous recipe's for pressie inspiration at any time of the year! 

Top: 

The stunning Christmas tree for my sister's first Christmas in her new home; the gorgeously grown up Ona; views over the Stour Estuary on a wintery morning.

Middle: 

So many chocolates have been consumed over the past couple of weeks, these get the gold star of approval!; OCs supper: 130 men, 7 girls, of course; discovering my boobs, it was a big moment for us all!

Bottom: 

Girly catch ups with my favourites; new year frivolities; library moments.

Top:
Sarah went to Durham and got a new car (we couldn't resist the ridiculousness of this pic!); getting ready sesh :)

Middle:
The outdoor christmas tree and views over the green; my favourite niece, New Years outfit.

Bottom:
The first midnight of 2014; one of my favourite pressies from my big sisters with pics of every big family occasion over the couple of years - its gorgeous!

<3

From sale sedation to Mulberry's menagerie

January sales, love them or hate them they're pretty hard to resist. From Christmas eve if not before the shops are filled with bright red sale signs and the shoppers seem to take on a whole new characteristic, fighting among the rails for a bargain!

I love a good bargain as much as the next person but this year, as I sit in the library revising for two horrible exams I'm feeling incredibly uninspired to shop. I did Westfield before Christmas; we were there for 8 hours, it was a pretty good stint, but there was nothing I wanted. And I really do mean nothing, apart from most of the Zara stock of course but thats a given! Nothing stood out. Bad fabrics, poor cuts and overpriced pieces for the designs and everything in all of the shops I visited was the same as the last. This winter for me has been all about the long suede boots, a few days of Chelsea's and big oversized knits and not a lot of other statement pieces.

So, in the time when my bank card would usually be bearing the brunt of my severe lack of revision, when the bloggers are all posting their 'best of the sales' posts and when everyone else is still getting over the New Years hangovers, I'm incredibly pleased to have spotted the new Mulberry campaign this morning. Fronted by the babe that is Cara and shot by Tim Walker the Alice in Wonderland-esque shoot is quaintly British in style, and the location is the same mansion that was used in the A/W campaign. I'm swooning! The name is iconic, the products are sexy and cool and its one of those brands that everyone needs a little bit of in their wardrobe. The flowers only serve to uplift the drear that we've felt over the last couple of months with the saturation, and lack of inspiration, on our British high street.

The art director Cooke Newhouse comments: 'The spring 2014 campaign was a beautiful but naughty tea party with Cara and her ark of animals — the perfect Mulberry moment. They didn’t have the best table manners, but Cara was very forgiving.'

The campaign gives hope that Spring, and a bit of a revamp of the high street, may finally be on the way!

10 things that have made me happy this week...

1) Cheese night! Camembert, Edam mmmm; the blue not so much! A perfect spontaneous night with my house followed by a trashy movie!

2) Autumn leaves everywhere I go. What's not to love.

3) Walking out of my house on crisp winter mornings. Even it the day isn't that exciting the Zara coat that I get to put on makes everything okay.

4) The boy. Chatting, chilling and laughing. There has been lots of that this week. 

5) Seeing the Christmas lights for the first time in Brighton. I was like a child. Fireworks and Chriatmas are definitely my weaknesses!! 

6) Making plans for Chriatmas with my home favorites. I can't wait to go back to the countryside and see everyone already! There will undoubtedly be a lot of wine/cider involved as per and no doubt at least a few hilarious stories to be told! 

7) A fabulous sports luxe shoot for the magazine I edit, Promenade. The website is coming soon so watch this space! 

8) A delish supper out with friends. They really are the best. 

9) A little bit of a shopping trip to reward the efforts of the week - new jeans and lacy tops anyone?

10) And finally, 7000 words. Done! It's felt like a lifetime and I'm so glad these little babies are now safely in the hands of the school office!

Wintery delights: Blackbird Tearoom

When the days get chilly there is nothing better than chilling out, catching up with friends and warming up with good food. Of course, we couldn't think of anywhere better than Blackbird tearoom in the South Lanes, and which since its opening has become a pretty regular haunt. I've blogged on it before but couldn't resist sharing a few more pictures!

And strangely enough, I want to start with the toilets! I know, I know, classy right! But it is just so unusual. You walk out of the back of a tearoom, through the cobbled garden until you find a secret little door, leading to what looks like a stone outbuilding. Creak open the door and you find this...

Now tell me that isn't cute?! Granted it is slightly chilly in these wintery months but hand folded towels, nice soap and wonderful vintage prints. My kind of loo! Now, back to the cake!

The walls are adorned with old tins, candelabras and pre-war ornaments, and each table has vintage lace table cloths to add to the atmosphere. 

The menu ranges from savoury to sweet, with the cheese, chutney and cress scone or Blackbird cakes being personal favourites. The tearooms exude quaint charm and the attention to detail is paramount. Choose either a window seat or one of the tucked away tables upstairs and this place really is the perfect choice to while away a rainy afternoon with girlfriends.

The infamous Blackbird cake - a Victoria style in style but not in sentiment! Blackberry jam really does add something amazing!

Mmm look at that sugary glory!

And this little baby: cheese, chutney, scone, hot, salad just mmmmm!

Choc orange cake, also delish - like Terry's but in cake form and definitely mine!

<3

Date for the diary

Next Wednesday, Sussex Style (the society that I run at Sussex) and Sussex Arts Soc are collaborating for what is set to be a fab event in our industry speaker series. Gabi Mind will be talking about her career as a fashion buyer and the role of illustration in the fashion industry. 

Gabi graduated from London College of Fashion in the 1984 after studying Fashion Design and illustration. She worked as a Fashion designer for Bill Gibb in the 80”s and worked as a Fashion Buyer for Fenwick of Bond street in the 90’s. Gabi has worked as a lecturer in Fashion Retail at University for the Arts London and is now a lecturer for BA Fashion Design and Printed Textile design at the University for the Creative Arts. She will be giving a lecture titled ‘drawing is at the heart of everything we do’. This lecture will offer an insight into her experience of being a designer, buyer and teacher in the high-octane world of fashion and how drawing shaped her career. The talk will be followed by a fashion illustration drawing workshop. 

If you're in Brighton on Wednesday please do come along - this should be a great event and everyone is welcome!

More details can be found here.

Baby You're a Firework

In amongst the essay madness was a trip to Lewes on Tuesday for their renowned bonfire night celebrations. We started off with lunch at Prezzo and a couple of drinks in the pub before heading out to join the celebrations.

Lewes is a big deal. Pagan celebrations, parades, 7 bonfires and fireworks. People trek from miles around to attend the event and this year was no exception with over 30,000 people making their way to the tiny town!

This year was my first visit and we got very very lucky, attending as guests of the Town Council and being hosted at Lewes House which as well as being gorgeous, had the perfect viewing platform above the crowds and even better a very large supply of free wine!! The photos tell the story better than I can...

By 9 o'clock we were feeling decidedly tipsy and made our way down to one of the firework fields, Southover. The scene was amazing and we did not expect it to match up to the atmosphere of the parades but it really really did! The fire was huge, the crowds were entertaining, the mud was knee deep and the fireworks were breathtaking. Amazing!

Thank you for hosting us Lewes and thank you Georgey for having contacts in the right places!!!

Slutty Brownies

These are the ultimate comfort food and all courtesy to Betty Crocker and a fabulous recipe from The Londoner which I adapted slightly to truly fulfil my hangover needs last week! (And if you haven't found The Londoner yet then a) where have you been?! and b) get following!).

You will need:

1 Box of cookie mix,

1 Box of brownie mix,

2 Eggs,

A couple of your favourite chocolate bars - I used Terrys Chocolate Orange

Some oil - I prefer sunflower to vegetable 

& your favourite ice-cream (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350F, 180C, gas mark 4.

Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

Pop your cookie mix into a bowl, add water as directed on the pack, and an extra spoon for good measure to stop the mixture from drying out too much when its in the oven.

Squidge the cookie dough into a baking tray (greased or lined) until it covers the bottom. Then add a layer of your favourite chocolate. This is where Rosie uses Oreos but as I didn't have any in the cupboard I decided to give chocolate a go and it resulted in a deliciously gooey chocolatey yumminess!

Next, mix the brownies as directed on the packet, until smooth and pour over the chocolate-cookie mixture...

Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Leave to cool and devour/if you're feeling nice let your housemates join in and help! Mmmmm, I will definitely be making these little babies again!