Love Quirky!

Passion

2012-01-28T11:19:00.003Z

how absolutely true.

For the past few days or so I have been focusing on my illustrations. My main interest is fashion illustration but I find it quite difficult sometimes. Hair is an absolute horror to draw not to mention the clothes. Eeeep!

If you take a look at my portfolio, my current drawings are much better and very different now. I hope to perfect them before putting them up. My past illustrations are weak and very amateurish.

I am my biggest critic.

I have met so many other artists recently who tell me that they are never truly happy with their work. They always feel they can do better. That makes me feel so much better knowing that I am not alone in this.

My question to you is what is your passion?

Lookbook competition

2012-01-27T12:37:00.002Z

hello pretty ones,

Sorry I haven't been blogging my internet has been terrible so I took the chance to focus on my illustrations and that's what I have been doing.....drawing, drawing drawing! It has been a while since I did and I am trying to get back into it.

Also I have fantastic news. I participated in a lookbook competition which you can see from my sidebar and I won! The theme was 'Cheap Fashion'.

You can read about the post here.

This is what I won

Such a lovely dress! This has made my week. Thank you Angela :)

I think I will wear it for Valentine's Day if i gets here in time :) Yay!

Please check out Angela's blog. She has great fashion sense and always an inspiration! :

Du Juan

2012-01-24T11:11:00.000Z

I don't normally have a favourite model but this beautiful lady here caught my eye.

Personally I think women from the Far East are the most beautiful women in the world. Before you think I am tooting my horn here, I am from the South East and only a quarter chinese. And out of all the best traits I could have gotten from my chinese side, I get the round face. Meh.

source google images ,2,3,4,5

She's absolutely stunning don't you agree?

When I grow up I wanna be Du Juan.

Outfit Post

2012-01-23T14:39:00.000Z

It was a pretty windy day here in Birmingham.

I had a few alfalfa moments

I look like I have an antenna here. If I could photoshop it I would, but I am rubbish at it. Also I think the antenna makes me look like a human ladybug.

I like it.

Cardigan - H&M

Boy's Tshirt - Gift from Malaysia

Skirt - H&M

Tights - Primark

Shoes - Vintage

Inspired by this post

I have a facebook page now, I would appreciate it very much if you could take the time to 'like' it.

Only if you want to of course :)

Also I'd like to wish everyone out there a very Happy Chinese New Year!
I am terribly excited about the Year of the Dragon. I predict good things.

Cigarette song

2012-01-22T18:00:00.001Z

Story of my life

this song has been on the top of my playlist. It's cute isn't it?

Outfit post coming soon. Stay tuned!

Alice Glass

2012-01-21T15:15:00.000Z

Alice Glass is the lead singer for Crystal Castles.

She is my girl crush and have always been ever since I started listening to her music.

I love her hair,

Her effortless grandmother chic fashion sense,

Her make-up

And of course,

best of all,

her music.

She is always an inspiration.

source: google images

30 day drawing challenge

2012-01-17T10:03:00.003Z

This is the perfect excuse to get me back into drawing again

I saw this on Show & Tell recently and thought I'd share with you lovely people out there and see if anyone is interested in joining in the fun?

I am planning to do it for the whole month of February. Let me know if you want to join in too!

Also I'd like to thank those of you who commented on my photoshoot post. They really made my day! :) Thank you!

Photoshoot

2012-01-16T09:28:00.001Z

If you had read this post, I mentioned I was approached by a photographer at my regular cafe and asked if he could take pictures of me.

As promised here are some of the photos from the shoot.

It was quite funny really, he asked me to do an angry pose, and I laughed because when I am asked to look angry I find it hilarious. I am immature like that.

This is a failed attempt at an 'attitude' pose.

and last but not least my crouching tiger, hidden dragon pose.

He has to choose one to submit for the Birmingham Loves Photographers Challenge. Which one do you think is the best one out of all?

Photos courtesy of Nigel Cotterill for Birmingham Loves Photographers

Jewelry Organiser

2012-01-15T12:32:00.000Z

Happy Sunday my lovelies.

My jewelry needed serious sorting out. I don't wear as much jewelry as I used to so it was a bit like a treasure hunt for me trying to find missing earring pieces in my house. I still haven't found some of them!

I used my old inspiration board for this project as I couldn't find the right frames for it yet. Please see this post. I am happy how it turned out. It's so neat!

I am a happy bunny.

Yesterday was a really lovely day. The sun was shining brightly (it's been so dreary the last week or so) and of course it would've been such a waste if I stayed at home. I headed off to my favourite cafe and met some really lovely people who were part of the Birmingham loves Photographers society. I was approached by a man who had taken my picture back in December when I was roaming the German Market and he asked if he could take more pictures. And so we did. I'll post it up as soon as I get them!

I know I promised a diy project that involved my rings. Unfortunately it didn't turn out well so I am going to leave it for now but do not fret my sweets! I have been busy sewing and altering a skirt that I have. Very excited on how it turned out and will be sharing it with you in the next few days so stay tuned!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend xx

Kristian Jones

2012-01-13T22:06:00.000Z

If you have read my past posts you would know that I sometimes help curate at six eight kafe. This time it was the work of a local birmingham artist named Kristian Jones who I have had the pleasure of meeting.

I loved his work so much I took three of his prints and two badges (they were free) at his launch.

These pictures don't do his work any justice so please go have a look at his portfolio. Here are some of my favourites.

I have the last print and the two from the first picture. I am looking forward to putting them up!

Kristian is not only an illustrator, he is also a full time graphic designer and he used to be a lead singer of a band called Sea Fields. Unfortunately the band broke up last year which is a shame cos I had a listen and I thought they were pretty good.

I am a fan.

If you love The Smiths then you'll definitely appreciate this.

What do you think of his art and music?

Blue and Grey

2012-01-12T18:55:00.000Z

today we went out for our what was once a weekly sushi lunch date has now turned into a monthly one. it's one of our new year resolutions. After consuming enormous amounts of chocolate during the holidays we decided it was time to give our stomachs a rest and eat healthily.

has it worked? well, we've only just finished the last batch of chocolates last night..........and we just bought some chocolate easter eggs (i know it's only January but it was on offer so who could resist?)

Why oh why are chocolates so darn addictive!?

why God why!?

Anyway this was what I wore

I must admit I couldn't stop giggling the whole time. Posing makes me giggly.

Jacket - Gift from a friend

Top - Primark

Tights - H&M

Bag - Vintage
Skirt - Charity Shop

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

and Stuart kept on pretending he was a fashion photographer clicking like mad with our cheap camera which didn't help.

My colour coordination was inspired by our dull english weather. I am in desperate need of sunshine.

2012 blog resolution

2012-01-11T15:02:00.000Z

I have thought long and hard about what to post on my blog. When I first started it was more of a personal blog and I would blog about my daily activities. Looking back I don't think my daily life was interesting enough to blog about. After being on a hiatus for about a year (I went to art school) I wanted this blog to be more of an inspiration blog be it fashion, art or anything really and that's what I have fully decided on.

So for the new year this is what's going to happen.......

Once a week I will:-

1. do a diy post

2. do an outfit post because it's fun. I admire the people who do it on a daily basis. I don't have alot of clothes and I certainly don't have any reason to go and look nice everyday. Most of my time is spent at home in sweats so this will give me a good enough reason to dress up and get out of the house!

3. Draw! this is the most important one for me. I don't do it enough and at times I do miss it but i find it hard to get inspired. This is where the blog comes in handy.

4. post fashion pieces. Since I can't afford to go shopping as much as I would like to, I hope this wil inspire me to rummage through my wardrobe and get creative with my old stuff.

5. post favourite diy posts and try do them. I have done one and I am planning on doing more. Bring it on!

the rest of the week will be filled with random musings or any events that I have attended. I am confident my life isn't that boring.

I have done a few diys lately but I have only posted one. When the day isn't so dull and grey (damn you english weather!) I will take photos of them.

In the meantime here's a sneak peek of what's to come

my wrinkly finger

tainted gold rings

Excited? I sure hope so cos I am. Fingers crossed they turn out as how I envisioned.

my diy necklace

2012-01-09T18:52:00.001Z

hello there lovelies,

thank you so much for the lovely comments. I am feeling heaps better now. I realise there is no point in moping around feeling sorry for myself. I should just get my life back on track. I admit watching Bridesmaids have something to do with it. If you haven't watched it, do it. It's hilarious!

I decided to be more productive and got my jewelry kit out and started making the diy geometric necklace i talked about before.

Instead of long tubular gold beads, I used short white ones. I like it but I might spray paint it a different colour. Neon perhaps? We'll see.

I apologise for the poor quality of the photos. My webcam is a bit rubbish.

Today my necklace and I went to IKEA for a couple of hours and all we got was a measuring tape which costed 29p. Money well spent I thought! I was slightly embarrassed when I went to the cashier though but the guy was nice and very professional. Didn't get any odd looks from him at all.

We are gonna have homemade pizza for dinner today. When I say we, I mean Stuart and I. Not my necklace. It's main purpose in life is to hang around my neck and make me look pretty. That's all. Oh and sometimes for an all night girl talk session.

tough times

2012-01-07T13:02:00.000Z

When I started this blog I wanted to remain positive and inspire people. However there are days when you are stuck in a rut and all you need or want to do is just to let it all out. Don't worry I won't start pouring my heart out to you, because that is not how I roll. Also because I don't enjoy writing long blog posts.

It hasn't been a great start to the New Year for me. Things kept on getting worse and there are times when I think I just need to get away instead of facing the demons. Bit dramatic there i know as it has only been a week in the new year. But you when you realise that you have come to a point where you are so fed up with how things are and the best possible thing to do is go. Leave. Move on. Start fresh.

And just when you think all is okay, you find out more things that outrage you as much as it saddens you. So you see yourself getting back to square one.

oh woe is me.

Cue song *starts playing the world's smallest violin*

Sorry guys I don't mean to moan. Just thought I'd let you know the reason why I haven't been blogging as much lately.

On this note I shall leave you with Look by Sebastien Tellier

the video is so mesmerizing. it helps me forget my problems for about 4:01mins

I am gonna head out to have some coffee now. Coffee always helps.

Enjoy Saturday lovelies! xx

Jalouse

2012-01-05T19:30:00.000Z

short video for Jalouse magazine by Matthew Frost

Jalouse Magazine: Une Fille Comme Les Autres from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

Edgy DIYs

2012-01-04T18:30:00.004Z

Ever since I got back into blogging I have found the most amazing and inspiring fashion blogs. One of them is Style Marmalade. Victoria, a mexican residing in London, is an incredible artist and has delectable fashion sense. I love her edgy androgynous look and I also love reading her DIY posts. Here are some of my diy favourites.

Spoons DIY

DIY Edgy Shoulder Pads

Rib Cage DIY

Told ya they are awesome. You can find more diys on her blog. Please go and check her out :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T22:07:00.000Z

Sorry I have been MIA for a few days. I meant to blog when I was at the countryside but the internet connection was really bad so I figured I'd wait til I get back. Hope you all didn't think I was gonna be gone for good!

I saw this video on youtube and I found it really inspiring! You always see fashionable young ladies on TV, magazines, internet etc but you hardly ever see fashionable older women, maybe perhaps there aren't many or maybe I am wrong. So when i saw this I thought it was great and refreshing to see mature women looking so glamorous!

Isn't it wonderful? I have a lot of respect and admiration for anyone who dare to be different. I aim to be the same way but sometimes feel drawn to look like other people mainly because I don't have the confidence.

However, this has opened my eyes!

Hope this inspired you as much as it did me. Remember each and everyone of us is unique :)

quick hello

2011-12-30T20:04:00.000Z

hello lovelies,

just thought i'd say a quick hello. we are in Cornwall now and have been terribly busy, erm, eating and of course catching up with the family. I think I may have gained 10 pounds since we got here (we got here two days ago so yes I have been stuffing my face far too much but it's Christmas so it's okay - well, at least that's what i keep telling myself anyway)

I will be back in the new year with lots of DYIs and fun posts!

Hope everyone is still enjoying their holidays!

and with this i leave you another webcam picture of myself.

you are welcome.

much love xx

Fashion Favourites

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000Z

Something to inspire me before hitting the sales.

source

Which ones do you like the most?

diy jewelry storage

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000Z

I always have a problem with storing jewelry. The jewelry stands are never big enough to hang my long and chunky necklaces or there are never enough space to store all of them so when i saw this diy on pintrest I was sold!

I love the mini earrings assemble. I am always losing my earrings so this is perfect!

It's such a clever way to organise your jewelry and very easy too!

the new year is approaching fast and i need to rack my brain and think about new year resolutions. I've got a few goals I would like to achieve. And one of them is to actually keep new year resolutions!

Planning on going to the shops today to buy last minute presents for my trip to Cornwall and perhaps get some nice frames in the sales for this delightful project too.

Have you thought of your new year resolutions yet?

a diy christmas

2011-12-26T21:49:00.001Z

this year i made more of an effort with the christmas decorating. Every year we head off to Cornwall to be with Stuart's family but unfortunately he has to work this Christmas so we had to spend it at home. And since it's our first christmas at home together I decided to make it a lil festive.

Ah how I love Christmas, it's the only time of the year where having alcohol for breakfast isn't frowned upon.

Yummy Salmon baguette and a lovely glass of champers for lunch. Ah bliss.

We only just realised that we didn't have any champagne flutes so wine glasses had to suffice.

Remember the freebie bunting?

made my own chocolate ornaments for the tree. Obviously the chocolate santas were store bought, but i stuck the wool onto it and turned them into my very own christmas ornaments. Clever? Yes I'd like to think so.

and last but not least, my pretty garlands and floating snowflakes. Pretty no?

I am very proud of myself and I am looking forward to next christmas already! But Christmas isn't over for us yet, no siree! We will going to Cornwall this 28th and have a 'belated' christmas dinner with the family and open more presents. Yay!

I love presents.

Hope everyone enjoyed their christmas :) xx

Freebie Christmas Bunting

2011-12-24T16:11:00.002Z

Saw this on Claire's blog.

Love it? I am printing mine as we speak. So much last minute decorating to do.

Go print yours now!

Merry Christmas everyone!

xxx

Hello!

2011-12-23T22:47:00.003Z

Today I am beyond happy because I got my laptop fixed. It hasn't been working properly for the past two years. It gives off this whirring sound like it's about to take off. The sound got so bad that once, my mum actually thought someone was hoovering in the middle of the night! I never sent it off to be fixed afraid that it might either cost a fortune to get fixed or I might need to get a new laptop.

BUT...a friend said her brother can have a look at it and fix it for beer. So obviously I said yes cos beer is affordable. And he managed to fix it!! I am beyond thrilled! Stuart and I were so surprised how quiet it was and it didn't shut down after half an hour. We even stayed in complete silence, muting the TV and everything just listening and staring at my laptop for ages.

So now since it's all up and running....

You will be getting loads of webcam photos of myself. Yay!

Testing testing

(you're gonna wish I never got my laptop back now)

Hope everyone's all ready for Christmas :)

Wrapping pleasures

2011-12-22T13:00:00.000Z

I have been terribly busy doing last minute christmas shopping (never go after 5pm, it's insane!) and wrapping up pressies (my most favourite thing to do!).

This year instead of the usual wrapping paper I decided to put more effort in and get creative!

Sky-Blue, my bf's cute little niece's birthday present.

This is my attempt at drawing her dog Martha. We shall see if it is a success when we see her tomorrow. I hope she likes it!

We will be heading off to Yorkshire tomorrow to see family so we have been busy baking cookies and making fudge and I still have more christmas presents to wrap! Eeeeeep!

Three more days folks. I am so excited!

So excited in fact that I have been listening to christmas songs all day, getting Stuart to download more christmas albums and belting them out. Stuart had to shush me a number of times cos apparently I was a bit too loud and he was scared the neighbours might complain. *teehee*

Funny subtitles

2011-12-21T10:30:00.000Z

I am a bit late in watching the Harry Potter film. I don't normally go to the movies as I have a short attention span and so the bf and I usually wait for the films to go on DVD or just download them. We sometimes have to split the films, especially the long ones in halves as I tend to fall asleep in between.

A friend of mine watched it on DVD which she bought in Brunei (where I am from). Back home we have a lot of pirated DVD shops, I don't recall seeing a shop that sells original DVDs or music for a long time!

Pirated DVDs are obviously illegal but back in Asia they are sold legally. I don't know how they get away with it to be honest but it seems to be a normality back in the East.

Anyway I thought I'd share a few clips of the bootleg Harry Potter film that my friend had purchased. It's hilarious!

This is supposed to be "Acio Horcrux!"

It seems that they make up the subtitles as they go by. It almost never makes sense and although it cracks me up when I read them it's also quite annoying because you can't get rid of them.I find myself reading the subtitles even when they are in German, Dutch or any other languages cos it's just there.

"the wand chooses the wizard Mr Potter"

Bootleg subtitle: "Come on, who the wizard daughter..."

and the funniest one yet

Seriously!?

Didn't know goblins were fond of bingo.

Who knew the Harry Potter could be a comedy?

Living the eclectic lifestyle..

2011-12-20T10:55:00.000Z

She's edgy, she's cool but is she is a little bit mad?

Have you seen Agyness Deyn's New York apartment?

It's completely opposite of Ms Deyn's usual edgy androgynous style.

Her home reminds me of a quirky boutique hotel.

...which in some sense is really british.

source

I admit do love this. I love the quirkiness and craziness of it all. You can't figure out what is going on as nothing seems to match but at least you won't get bored and it'll make a good conversation starter during parties.

What do you think? A yes or a hell no?

(this post was inspired by Ms Tang's post about her style icon Ms Kate Lanphear. Thanks Annette!)

Just wanted you to know...

2011-12-19T20:03:00.004Z

source

I am ill.

What's worse, I haven't finished my christmas shopping yet and it's too late to get anything online. Serves me right for doing things last minute...again.

I never learn.

Please excuse me while I go back and lie down on my sofa all bundled up, with tissues stuffed up my nose and have a nice cup of tea.

Will be back when I feel a lot better.

Eef

2011-12-18T22:19:00.002Z

Remember this post?

Well, Erin has been kind enough to write sweet post about me on her blog.

source

Erin enjoying a nice cuppa

Please check it out, and while you're there don't forget to say hello.

Don't worry she doesn't bite ;)

Free gift

2011-12-16T12:18:00.003Z

First of all I would like to welcome my new followers! Thank you for finding my blog interesting enough to follow :) I really appreciate it.

For all you lovely ladies out there I present to you Eyeko, a British make-up company which specialises in high quality eye make up.

Eyeko

Click on the link above and you will get a special gift when you purchase over £15 (for UK customers) and since the majority of my readers are from the states, for orders above $20 you will get a special gift from Eyeko when you use my ambassador code E18289.

I don't know about you but I am a sucker for free gifts.

With this purchase you get to buy amazing make-up for a girlfriend or that nice work colleague you like and you also get a nice little something for yourself all for just £15! It's a win/win!

If someone got me this as a christmas gift I'd be ecstatic.

A girl can't have too many eye make-up!

Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend :)

Fantastic DIY

2011-12-16T12:06:00.000Z

I have been really bad this year. Nine more days til christmas and I still haven't done my christmas shopping yet. I know people who've already finished doing theirs last summer! Okay maybe a slight exaggeration there but you know what I mean.

I am also terrible at buying presents. I think. Not that anyone has complained but they don't look too thrilled either. Maybe I am just being paranoid.

Or not.

Anyway I stumbled upon this video and it gave me lots of amazing gift ideas. Money is tight and this is perfect for those who are creative and erm, poor like me.

Jane by Design Style Challenge #1. from annette tang on Vimeo.

Isn't that awesome? Makes me wanna paint glitter on my boyfriend's shirts now. But I won't cos that would be naughty.

If you enjoyed that video then you'll enjoy her blog. I know I do.

I am now her number one fan.

Hope you enjoyed that and let me know if you've got any DIYs going on in your blog, I'd love to check it out.

Delayed photos

2011-12-15T23:53:00.001Z

Remember the live art show i attended?

Here are the photos from the day. Sorry it's a tad late, my camera died after two shots so I had to use a friend's camera and to be honest I forgot about it until the photos were posted up. Oops.

Enjoy.

photos courtesy of Craig Bush and Six/Eight Kafe

Introducing Ms Helen Flannagan

2011-12-14T23:33:00.000Z

Helen is a good friend and a very talented photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with. I met her on one random day when I went to the cafe where she works at and after getting to know each other she approached me and asked to do a photoshoot. Helen is so lovely and talented, how could I refuse?

Here are some shots she took of me.

Ok so they are all mostly the same kind of pose. I hate posing. I envy the people who I have seen here on the blogsphere and well, models who can do it so naturally. I think I look like a prat when I try to pose. So when Ms Flanagan told me she wanted to do a 'natural' shoot, it made me feel at ease. I didn't have to smile or bend my body in an awkward position like those fashion models. All she wanted me to do was look at the camera, relax and look sad. Easy peasy. We even used props like eyedrops to make it look like I have been crying.

I am pleased with how the pictures turned out. Helen uses a film camera for her photography and it's always exciting to see how the pictures turns out after they've been developed. Takes me back to the days when I was a kid before digital cameras were around. The excitement that you felt when you've finished a roll of film and waiting for them to be ready and picked up from the camera shop. Ah fun times.

Anyway back to Helen, she has also had her work published in numerous publications such as the telegraph, YVI magazine and fraction magazine just to name a few.

Please feel free to have a look at her website and her blog and if you like what you see don't forget to follow her too :)

blog buttons

2011-12-14T17:09:00.002Z

have you seen my blog buttons?

Erin a.k.a "eef" from a cute little blog called eef-etc made these from me so we could swap buttons. Isn't that sweet? Erin is a freelance artist and graphic designer from across the pond. I love her cute illustrations and comics.

source

You can have her look at her portfolio here and her illustration website here

Head over to her blog now, she gives out lots of cute freebies too.

ps. I'd love to swap buttons with anyone who's interested. Please let me know. It would be awesome!

DIY Geometric Necklace

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000Z

i saw this fantastic DIY on this awesome blog and just had to share it.

Gold is one of my favourite colours and I also love funky shaped necklaces as you can see from my old posts. So this is absolutely perfect for me!

I will definitely be making these soon.

Pretty clothes for your pretty eyes

2011-12-13T17:30:00.000Z

i hate winter; the cold, having to wear tons and tons of layers, misplacing my gloves (every year i have this problem of finding only one of my gloves and ending up buying a new pair every winter and losing them again!), being grumpy because there isn't enough sunlight, gaining weight because all you wanna do is eat and sleep, the list goes on and on.

However, after spotting this here it's making me look forward to A/W next year. DKNY has done itself proud.

Here are some of my favourite pieces

the ribbons make me think of a wedding dress i found on BHLDN. I loved it so much I decided to save the picture and use it as my desktop wallpaper haha.

Just so you know I am not planning on getting married anytime soon. Just thought I'd put it out there.

source

Now is that cute, or is that cute?

the day i went to london

2011-12-13T12:49:00.004Z

food shopping at fortnum and mason

Christmas Fair which is identical to the Cologne Christmas Market in Germany. It was much bigger and better than our Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham, and I thought that was impressive!

had red velvet cake from hummingbird for tea. Mmmm...

had delicious french food at Cafe De Amis for dinner

saw a play

a trip to the Saatchi Gallery

and last but not least strawberry bellinis to end the night

If I could move back to London I would.

Creative Block

2011-12-12T14:41:00.000Z

When i came across this I just had to share it.

source

When I first started being an illustrator I didn't know it would be so tough. I am my biggest critic and most of the time I can be really cruel to myself.

There are so many talented artists out there that are much much better than myself. Of course this makes me feel discouraged and at times I feel like quitting. I am ashamed to say that I perhaps have slowly quit. I haven't illustrated in the past couple of weeks, thinking what was the point? It will never look as good as I want it to be and how can I compete with all the other illustrators?

After seeing this and reading the comments from other artists, I am glad to see that I am not the only one who feels this way.

I have met other illustrators and the only advice they could give me was "Keep doing lots of work"

I sometimes wonder if this was the best advice they could give me. Yes I can do more work but will it make me happy with what I have produced or make me more miserable because I never think my work is good enough?

The last two lines from the poster got to me. It gave me the answer I much needed to hear.

It WILL take awhile. It's NORMAL to take awhile.

All I gotta do is

FIGHT MY WAY THROUGH.

Thanks for listening/ reading.

away i go

2011-12-05T10:10:00.001Z

I will be going to London for the next couple of days. Have been feeling quite low lately and I think the boyfriend is trying to make me feel a little better by organising this mini break. I am usually a very happy and energetic person but for the past few days I felt like I have hit a slump and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed or just watch sad films and feel sorry for myself.

It's pathetic.

I hate feeling this way.

I used to live in London from 2000 to 2004 and so to me it feels like a home away from home. So hopefully I will feel much much better when I get there. Also, it's sunny today! That alone has already made me feel a lil bit better.

Enjoy the next couple of days everyone! Will let you know how it goes soon

much love xx

Turbulence DVD Launch

2011-12-03T23:31:00.001Z

Last night I attended a film launch called "Turbulence" which was filmed here in Birmingham. The main guy is actually the lead singer of a band called The Scholars. The first time I saw them was at our annual artfest and I thought they were quite good. If you're a fan of 80's new wave, Morrissey or The killers then might I suggest you take a look at them and have a listen.

I promise you won't be disappointed.

I like this song

We had a bubble gum contest.

I won.

only because no one else could make bubbles.

December

2011-12-01T18:37:00.000Z

It's the first of december today folks and you know what that means, 24 days til christmas! oh happy days...

Also, tonight involves snuggling on the sofa and watching our first christmas film for the month.

source

Can you believe my partner has never watched this film before? I know right, where has he been all this time? Underneath a rock?

He doesn't get how a 'dark' film could be chritmassy. It took a whole lot of begging to make him give in. And trust me it wasn't easy. My ever so lovely partner and I have very different tastes when it comes to films. I love anything dark and he loves...er...anything that has the word 'Star' in it, like Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galagtica (you get my drift) so you can imagine how hard it is for us to settle on what to watch when we go to the cinema.

My other favourite one to watch (and lucky for me he likes this too) would be:

source

seriously how could you not love this film? I have watched it religiously every year for the past 5 years. Still cracks me up everytime.

When do you start watching christmas films and which ones are your favourites?

photoshoot

2011-11-30T10:28:00.001Z

being a regular at Six Eight Kafe, i was approached by them and asked to do a photoshoot to promote a new seasonal drink, Chai Latte. I don't know if you have tried it but it's one of my favourite drinks especially in the winter. It's a spiced indian tea which goes well with the cold winter days.

the photoshoot wasn't planned so please excuse my grubby nails.

Scarf - Gift

Necklace - Topshop

Sparkly Jumper - Vintage (which I got at the Vintage Bazaar)

Grey top - Got it on a trip to Canada

Red ring - Gift from mummy dearest

Things you should know about me: If I like something I wear it to death. TO DEATH. Hence the scarf and necklace. Trust me you will be seeing more of them in the future.

I have had the red ring for about 4 years now and I wear it everyday. I do have a few others but unfortunately they are a bit too big for me to wear. It's not fun having freakishly small hands.

What's you favourite winter drink? xx

Carp

2011-11-25T21:31:00.001Z

the artwork i helped curate

Intrigued?

Please visit his website.

Today

2011-11-24T22:19:00.001Z

today in pictures

german beer stand

pretty hanging baubles

pretty stacey with belgian chocolate covered strawberries

me enjoying my belgian chocolate covered strawberries and marshmallows (please excuse the big mouth, it was a massive piece of strawberry)

adorable artwork

if you are under the age of 18 please close your eyes

vintage stalls

comfy sitting area

and a nice chai latte to end the day

what have you been up to today?

ps. i bought a new faux fur coat today at the vintage fair. i thought it looked pretty good until i got home and tried it on. it made me look like a white gorilla with a small head. not a good look at all.

last october

2011-11-23T16:29:00.001Z

So apparently they were in the country last october. I am disappointed that I only found this out recently.

Instead of being there I did this

most delicious cocktail that i have ever tasted

and this instead

Mmmm......cake

It was my birthday weekend. I went out with close friends for a night out and I was surprised with a gorgeous red velvet cake in the morning. I love cake. Just saying.

So all in all, I must say, wasn't really a total loss.

a little peek

2011-11-22T17:54:00.001Z

An illustration I did of a friend of mine.

It was a rough sketch I did last spring. At the time I was inspired by other illustrators who used pen as their medium and now I am completely hooked!

It's cold, grey and foggy here in England. It's making me miserable.

Hope everyone is having a lovely day xx

instax monday

2011-11-21T14:49:00.001Z

Week One

For those of who do not know this, I have joined the 52 weeks instax project organised by the lovely dainty squid. I think it's a fantastic idea and it'll put my polaroid to good use (I am bad at taking pictures, very bad)

Here's my first contribution. As I am a foodie obviously my first one would involve food.

in case you were wondering the cake in the picture is a chocolate guinness cake. its intensely delicious. like, really. i feel its a proper winter cake; thick, stodgy chocolate cake with a thick coat of mouth-watering cheese frosting which, I must say, washes down extremely well with a nice cuppa. Mmmmm...

And no, it doesn't taste at all like guinness.

A day late

2011-11-20T14:52:00.001Z

Why hello there new followers. This is a pleasant surprise :) Sorry I am a day late in blogging, had a busy busy busy day yesterday. First I went for my weekly sushi lunch, went to the Christmas Market, to an art event and then someone's birthday bash. So yes, busy indeed.

There's this quaint little cafe in the city centre that I go to often for their delicious coffee and cake. I am a bit of a coffee snob so I don't do starbucks (sorry starbucks fans) Reason being is that, I don't know about Starbucks in the states but the starbucks here have gone downhill in my opinion. It's very sad. I remember back in the good old days, I used to stop by for a latte whenever I walked home from Uni. It was delicious and always a treat.

Anyway I digress. So I went to the cafe for a live art show. It was very cool and I got to meet a mixture of artists. The cafe is known to support local artists by organising art and music events and also exhibiting their artwork for free. Isn't that wonderful? I am planning on putting mine up in the near future so I have been working hard on my illustrations at the moment.

Pictures coming soon!

I also helped curate the new exhibition by a local Brummie artist called Carp. I am a big fan of his work and I think I showed it well because a man came up to me and said "Good show! Your work looks great!" Took me a while to figure out what he was on about.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend :) xx

Today

2011-11-18T18:18:00.001Z

So I checked out H&M yesterday evening and to my dismay there were only 3 dresses left (which were not to my taste) and some on the mannequins in the display window. I heard they were all sold out 30 minutes after opening in London. In my opinion, up close they weren't really that great. Don't get me wrong, workmanship was still of high quality and the designs were still incredible but I can't really see myself wearing them, and trust me I am up for anything in the fashion sense. The cheapest item were a pair of earrings for £19.90 and the dresses were about £199.90, which was still pretty steep for my wallet. I meant to take pictures but I forgot my camera, sorry guys!

Anyway, today I met up with a friend who I have not seen since last month. Isn't it frustrating when a friend you haven't seen for a few weeks tells you that you have gained a few pounds? Ouch. She didn't mean it in a mean way though, she actually said I looked better but I am not convinced. Ha!

She's a lil camera shy, so let's pretend she's waving a big hello!

Here I am gonna list out what I wore. Just for fun.

Scarf - Gift

Leather Jacket - Zara TRF

Shirt - My partner's dad's old shirt from the 70s, so vintage would be a good way to describe it

Necklace - Topshop

Hope everyone's having a lovely day!

Versace for H&M

2011-11-17T12:12:00.001Z

Today is the day.

Versace for H&M Film from F.TAPE on Vimeo.

Being productive

2011-11-16T15:18:00.001Z

i have been a good girl lately. Getting back into blogging, being productive by baking, cleaning (gasp!), being super lovely to my partner (not that I am never super lovely, it's only when mother nature calls the horns come out. Bit too much info there, sorry) and I have hit the pen and paper and started illustrating again. I have forgotten just how much I miss it. With the right kind of music playing in the background, it gives me a sense of serenity.

this song will always be a favourite

Do you have any cool music to listen to? I am running out of new ones and would love it if you could suggest some great ones! Thank you.

When I am bored

2011-11-15T20:46:00.001Z

here's a small illustration i did. Just for fun.

Muffin Goodness

2011-11-15T11:39:00.001Z

What I did yesterday:

Made these delicious apple muffins with caramel frosting. The plain ones are for me and the ones with the frosting is for Stuart. I've made these before a while ago and I found the frosting was a little too sweet for my liking. I am pleased to say that these turned out much much better.

Nom nom nom

Charmaine Olivia

2011-11-14T16:58:00.001Z

Charmaine Olivia is my new girl crush. She is a beautiful talented young lady whom I have just discovered recently. When I first came across her work I fell madly in love and have been a ~~stalker~~ follower since.

Here are a few of my favourites. I could paste ALL of her work because that's just how much I love them but I don't think it would be very wise.

Aren't they amazing? Hope you love them as much as I do.

2011-11-13T17:44:00.001Z

The Dainty Squid

So I am a little late in discovering this. They are already on their 35th week if I am not mistaken but that doesn't mean it's too late to join in me thinks!

As you can see from my past post, I was feeling inspired to take lots of snapshots. I've just been given a polaroid for my birthday and haven been meaning to use it so this is a fantastic opportunity for me to take it out for a spin.

For those of you who are also interested in joining let me know so I can follow you :) I would love to see what you've come up with.

xx

Happy Sunday

2011-11-13T11:31:00.001Z

Today I have spent most of my morning scanning my work and updating my website. Here are the first few illustrations that I have done last year.

I have only started drawing last year so this is still a learning progress :)

Have a great sunday! xx

2011-11-12T17:44:00.001Z

Did you know that Jeff Bridges is not only an amazing actor, he is also a musician and an excellent photographer? I have just recently found his site and I must say I do love his photography work. He made some amazing photobooks which consisted of pictures he has taken on his recent films. I, myself, find them terribly inspiring.

Might be taking my camera out for an outing soon. I am terrible when it comes to snapping shots. When I remember I take it in my purse and head out to the world for inspiration. Unfortunately it never ends well. I either forget about my camera or I get a little lazy and not bother so I get home, regret seeps in and then the cursing starts. It's a long vicious cycle.

Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend! xx

Dancing song

2011-11-12T17:17:00.001Z

When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do is do a little boogie in the kitchen.

Not that I am feeling blue or anything. Just sayin.

Doesn't it make you feel like doing a little dance? No? Maybe it's just me then.

ps. I love Bombay bicycle club and the new album does not disappoint!

Hello!

2011-11-11T21:33:00.001Z

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! Again. This time I have exceptional news. I have started my own website. Ever since I have graduated from uni I haven't been focusing on my art as much as I should so I figured by starting up a website it would make me get back on track. I do however have to put up more of my illustrations. I don't have a big enough scanner for my bigger pieces so that will have to hold for now. In the meantime I am back on the blogsphere and hoping to get back in contact with my readers. I do miss my blog friends and I am hoping we can rekindle back our friendship! Please feel free to visit my website and tell me what you think :) much love, sal xx

Back for good!

2011-07-08T21:29:00.000+01:00

So I haven't been blogging for a while. Almost a year to be exact. Why? Well there are a few good reasons..I swear; One of the main ones is laziness. Yes you heard me right, plain old laziness.

I am very sorry.

I promise to be good this time. I have been meaning to blog but alot has happened over the past year which is absolutely silly for me NOT to blog but you know when you are busy, like really busy you just ~~can't be arsed~~ forget.

So basically this is the story: I have been a full time student for the past year, studying Art & Design and then specialising in Illustration which is amazing for me because I did not think I could draw. But apparently I could and now I can't stop. No, that is a lie. I stopped for a few months and now I am planning on getting back on it again.

There is so much for me to tell, about a year's worth of life stories but this will have to wait.

In the meantime here's one of my first illustration I did in class. Tell me what you think :)

ps: this blog is in need to some serious makeover.

quick check in

2010-08-13T10:02:00.000+01:00

I will be travelling alot for the next couple of days. I have to go to London later, get to the airport and fly back home. It'll be a 12 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur and then I'm gonna have to transit for a night before heading to Brunei the next day. Phew! I am gonna be so jet-lagged :(

I have been pretty busy the last few days, running around doing errands and spending as much time as I can with the boy. I will be gone for about a month and I am gonna miss Stuart very very much. Last night we had a really nice (belated) anniversary dinner at Loch Fyne. My food was lush!

on the way to dinner

Loch Fyne

I will get back to blogging as soon as I can. I meant to leave some tutorials for you but I haven't had the time. Sorry.

In the meantime enjoy this video of my home country!

loves.

2010-08-10T19:15:00.000+01:00

to the one i love

today is our two year anniversary

unfortunately he has to work til late today and i am stuck home alone but I did discover a sweet card and a box of chocolates on my dresser after he had gone off to work.

it made me cry.

it was such a sweet gesture and i didn't expect it at all. i am not the type who expects much on anniversaries, but birthdays however...well, that's a whole different story altogether!

so i spent the whole day making him a card and i am pretty pleased with how it turned out. No pictures though cos I am embarrassed haha.

hope everyone's having a good day!

happy sunday

2010-08-08T15:58:00.000+01:00

I made these Apple Cinnamon muffins with Caramel Frosting yesterday.

and munching on them whilst watching Project Runaway.

It's the best way to spend a Sunday.

happy saturday

2010-08-07T10:30:00.004+01:00

my first cup of coffee before I take on the challenges that awaits me today

like house work for instance

(yuk!)

and exercise

(boo!)

all i wanna do is watch project runaway all day today.

i watched Coco before Chanel yesterday. I wasn't too keen on it to be honest.

have you watched it? what do you think?

foodie friday

2010-08-07T09:13:00.000+01:00

note to self: stop posting foodie friday posts on saturdays!

anyway

I've entered another, yes another challenge but this time it involves food. yum!

Lola is holding a "whipped challenge" where she will randomly pick three ingredients and you get yourself in the kitchen and whip up something!

for this week she picked

red onions

rice

toffee

I admit when I saw rice I thought ah this is easy cos rice is my staple food. Only after doing it I found out (yesterday actually!) that it's a baking challenge.

sigh

I didn't have time to bake anything yesterday so I am sticking to my current one.

I made Tomato Rice served with Black Pepper Chicken.

the tomato rice i made frrom scratch. ~~the black pepper sauce came from a packet~~

alone time

2010-08-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

i found this video on Chelsea's blog. it's so beautiful and i thought i'd share it with my readers.

It inspired me to go to the park and have a nice "alone" time.

Hope you like it as much as I do.

Song challenge and other stuff

2010-08-04T11:18:00.000+01:00

Song challenge day 8

a song i know all the words to

this is easy peasey cos I only know one song.

ah takes me back to my high school years when I used to watch Empire Records over and over again. I love that film! The soundtrack was just as awesome.

Next.

song challenge day 9

a song that i can dance to

I love 80s music so it's no wonder why I love this artist!

I have been really busy for the past couple of days and cooking up a storm! we had guests over for dinner last night and I cooked a traditional malay dish. More on that later, now I've gotta go do my shred challenge. Urgh. It's becoming a chore!

loves

Song Challenge - Day 7

2010-08-01T16:42:00.000+01:00

a song that reminds me of a certain event.

this is a tough one. i couldn't think of any at all. so i thought i'd improvise.

we went to a wedding in Bedford last year (it was beautiful!) and this song was not played at the wedding (i seriously can't remember the songs they played) but it was always played on Magic FM an easy listening radio station which I had on when getting ready at the hotel.

that still counts right?

who doesn't love a classic?

Foodie Friday

2010-07-31T17:28:00.000+01:00

It's a day late. Sorry.

White Chocolate Scones

hands on time 25mins
cooking time 15mins

Makes 16

75g (3oz) unsalted butter
225g (8oz) self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
1/2tsp baking powder
1tbsp golden caster sugar
125g (4oz) good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 medium egg, beaten
6tbsp milk
150ml (1/4 pint) clotted cream, or lightly whipped double cream
Icing sugar to dust

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius (180 degrees celcius fan), mark 6
Lightly grease a baking sheet. Put flour, baking powder and caster sugar into a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the chocolate. Make a well centre, then add egg and milk. Stir lightly with a round-ended knife until mixture just comes together onto a soft dough, adding a splash more milk if it looks too dry.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and press into a rough round about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Stamp out circles using a 4cm (1.5in) cutter and put on to the prepared baking sheet. Bake scones for 10-15mins until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack.

To serve, split open the scones and spread with clotted cream or whipped cream. Add fruit jam or a spoonful of fruit.

Mmmm...delicious.

Happy trying!

Song Challenge - Day 6

2010-07-31T07:02:00.000+01:00

a song that reminds me of somewhere.

i love this song.

it reminds me of driving from the airport to Exeter when I first arrived in England a couple of Decembers ago.
it also reminds me of Spain when we went there for Valentine's Day a few months later. We were staying at a friend's house and this song reminds me of him playing this song really loudly one morning with him ~~screaming~~ singing along to it. it was...er...lovely.

Right it has come to my attention that I haven't been updating on my 30 day shred adventure! Tsk tsk. So here goes.

It has been 16 days since I first started the challenge. Do I see any changes? Hell yeah! I gained 2 kilos. ha!

Yes. It's sad. I shouldn't have taken it for granted and ate alot of cake for the past couple of weeks. I did take a break from baking for a while but my hands were itching to bake so I made White Chocolate Scones last night *cough*

Apart from that, I do see other changes in me.

I feel healthier, happier (honest!) leaner (I do!) and more energised. Stuart said I look nice and trim now. I thought he was pulling my leg but it's true, my arms and legs are really toned! My legs especially...and my ass, it's not rock hard but it does look like it has gotten a butt lift!

Jillian Michaels is AMAZING. That woman is true to her word. She did mention that in level 3 you'll be having rock hard abs by then and I am at that level and I do not have rock hard abs but I'm blaming that on not watching what I eat.

So there ya go folks! It works. For me anyway. I have been very good, missing only one day (not by choice) but I did 40 mins of workout the next day.

This DVD works and I highly recommend it to anyone. It is not easy but you know what they say - No Pain No Gain.

I would love to hear from other shredders. How are ya all doing? Who is actually doing this anyway? I only know three, me included. Let me know please, I'd love to hear how you're all getting on.

more post later. loves.

Song Challenge - Day 5

2010-07-30T19:34:00.000+01:00

this song reminds me of two friends. They used to play this on the guitar and sing to each other.

For those of you who have not watched the film "Once", well you should. It's one of my favourites.

Song Challenge - Day 4

2010-07-29T12:01:00.000+01:00

A song that makes me sad.

Another song by Imogen Heap (can you tell I love her?)

I do apologise for the quality of the video, this was the best I could find. Hope you enjoyed it.

Confession: this song will always make me cry.

Orla Kiely

2010-07-29T08:00:00.001+01:00

My favourite pieces from Orla Kiely's A/W 2010 collection.

I adore this bag the most!

I can't wait for autumn. It's my favourite season of the year.

etsy favourites

2010-07-28T09:40:00.000+01:00

this charm bracelet tape

an embroidered cityscape print

this adorable print

this summer scarf

this floral doily necklace

Song Challenge - Day 3

2010-07-27T22:29:00.000+01:00

A song that makes me happy.

it reminds me of the time when Stuart and I were getting to know each other. He made me a CD with this song in it :) happy times.

I got to see Imogen last few months at Bristol and she was AMAZING! So amazing that Stuart and I will be seeing her again this November when she performs at the Royal Albert Hall. I can't wait!

She is so incredibly talented. For her concert this November she has written a piece for orchestra which she will conduct before her main show. Very exciting!

I love her....and of course you too my lovely readers. Sorry I have been pretty quiet lately. I will make it up to you soon.

much love,

Song Challenge - Day 2

2010-07-27T10:44:00.002+01:00

Least favourite song.

I really can't stand this song. It gives me a headache.

it's not to late to join in. Visit Krystal's blog for the details.

Song Challenge - Day 1

2010-07-26T21:40:00.000+01:00

Favourite song of the week

What's yours?

30 Day Song Challenge

2010-07-25T12:17:00.000+01:00

That's right me ladies (and gents if there are any), it is another 30 day challenge but this time you don't even have to get off the couch!

I stumbled upon it on Jo Annie's blog and thought I'd share it with my fellow bloggers.

Are you guys up for it?

The 30 Day Song Challenge

Day 01 – Your favorite song
Day 02 – Your least favorite song
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year

It does look pretty tough but hey that's why it's called a challenge! It starts tomorrow. Let me know if you wanna join and link me so I can see what your answers are! Can't wait!

Hope everyone's having a pretty Sunday.

Giveaway

2010-07-24T19:50:00.000+01:00

Would you like to get your hands on this beauty?

Rhianne of For the easily distracted is hosting a giveaway for HolgaRama and you can get a chance to win the camera above!

Go on. You know you want to.

digital freebies - EDITED

2010-07-23T23:12:00.012+01:00

I have always loved the apothecary look so you can imagine my delight when I saw that Cathe Holden of Just Something I Made is giving out free digital downloads of Apothecary labels!

Apothecary Label Hand Towels: Free Digital Downloads

She even shows you how to sew it on your towels! Well, what are you waiting for? Head on over there now! Im downloading mine as we speak!

Foodie Friday

2010-07-23T17:13:00.001+01:00

this was taken from my lovely friend Nikki's blog. she is truly an amazing cook! she baked me a banana crumble on her last visit and it was DELICIOUS! Stuart, who is not a fan of banana desserts other than Banoffee Pie or crumble for that matter loved it which I wasn't too please about to be honest cos then I had to share ha!

enjoy my lovelies!

Karipap/Currypuff

Distance truly does make the heart grow fonder! Nowadays I’m constantly looking for any glint of home comfort food without having to make them myself. Does that make sense? I mean I am simply craving for anything hot, spicy, sour, and probably more predominantly, fried, fried, FRIED! Do you notice how many foods from our part of the world are fried? Fried fish.. fried chicken.. cucurs (fritters), you name it, we fry it! And although currypuffs can technically be baked, who on earth finds that yummy? ;p The point is, we know it’s unhealthy but we continue to love fried food. And that’s precisely what I’ve been looking for (and I won’t care if you judge me). The closest things to fried currypuff here are the Indian samosa and the Cornish pasty, but they don’t quite cut it for me, at least not when the mood is there to whip up your own food! Sometimes comfort food is just that: it has to be home made.

Snacks like popia (springrolls) and currypuffs can be found in many parts of Southeast Asia, and I am not sure who ought to claim it as theirs. In Singapore, you can easily find these in those Old Chang Kee carts dotted all over Orchard Road.. and in both Malaysia and Brunei, you only need to drive a little to the nearest pasar malam (night market) till you stumble upon fried food heaven; and in no way is the karipap elusive. Apparently Thais have a version of thekaripap too.. called kalipap (?) and of course, the Philippino version exists, called panada. I can only imagine that this came from the Spanish version of the empanada/impanada, which makes sense since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish. I do tend to go off a tangent. Anyway, wherever it originated from is not much of an issue – there’s plenty of variety in terms of what can constitute as the filling for currypuffs and that simply leaves a lot of room for people to claim as their own. Here’s a recipe which I borrowed from this wonderful Malaysian website which takes you through the step-by-step process of making our much loved karipap ^_^ It’s for the specific swirly/shell pastry and it is fun to make. There is something about the repetitive work of pastry-making that’s simply intoxicating and this was such a stress-buster for me last weekend!

(Remember, you can click on the link where the original recipe is and pictures of the techniques involved)

Karipap Pusing/Karipap Putar
Source: website
Pastry ‘A’
300gm all purpose flour
1/4 Cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
Pinch of salt
1/2 Cup water
Add salt to flour, then pour the oil into the flour and combine using the tips of your fingers. Add water a little at a time until all is incorporated and forms a dough.
Pastry ‘B’
150gm all purpose flour
100gm unsalted butter (the original recipe called for margarine)
Combine the butter and flour together to form a dough.
Filling
2 sweet potatoes, diced finely
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 (or more) Tbspns of curry
1 Tbspn cinnamon powder
Salt and sugar to taste
Some oil
1 cup water
Fry up the onions in oil until they are translucent. Add the potato and the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer in water and keep on topping up until all the moisture is reduced. Mash the potato to get a smooth filling (optional, of course). You may add chicken or beef to this recipe.
Method
Roll both types of pastries into balls, ensuring that the ones from Pastry ‘A’ are slightly larger than ‘B’. Using a rolling pin, flatten a ball from Pastry ‘A’ and place a dough ball from Pastry ‘B’ in the centre of it, enclosing it to form a larger ball. Repeat with all of the balls. Take one and roll with the pin, to form a pastry sheet. Now roll one edge of the sheet towards the other, just as you would a swiss roll cake. Then roll again with the pin, now forming a sheet with a narrower width. Roll once again from one edge towards the other. Take a knife and cut this roll of pastry into a few slices about 1cm thick each. For each of these slices, roll again with the pin to obtain a circular sheet. You can see from here the beautiful swirly pattern on each sheet. Insert fillings (about one teaspoon is often enough) and enclose into a half-moon shape. Pinch the edges and twist to form the familiar looking currypuff. Fry in hot oil in a deep frier or a wok.

Comfort food currypuffs? Done. If you’re like me, enjoy this with an awesome dipping of chilli sauce (sweet thai chilli is good too). Fantastic.

I must say, kudos to the creator of this recipe! This is such a beautiful, flaky pastry that has a ’short’ texture and simply crumbles and melts in your mouth. The intricate layers and swirling effect are gorgeous, and they may look complicated but they are far from that. Mine here are sooo imperfect but take a gander at the pictures from the website where the recipe came from! Beautiful, no?? The filling is awesome too, I must add! But a wee warning though: this karipap has a high potency… for fat deposits to settle straight to your hips!

And that’s the way the cookie crumbles karipap krumbles ^_^

xoxo

please drop by Nikki's for more recipes and don't forget to say hello. She'd love that.

2010-07-22T16:56:00.000+01:00

I am feeling quite proud of myself lately.

I have been so productive and trust me it's a rarity!

As you all know I have joined Jamie's 30 day shred challenge and to be honest there are times when I feel like giving up. It's so intense and me being silly decided I am up to more challenge and moved up to level 2. I was wrong. It has been two days now and I feel like a zombie. I am so terribly tired but I promised to push myself and not to give up. I seriously can't wait for the 30 days to be over!

I've got some good news to tell.

One of my cousins (the one who came to visit) just had a baby! He's a daddy to a baby girl named Rana. I am so happy for him and I can't wait to see his beautiful daughter this august. So I have been making baby Rana a pretty baby blanket. It's my first and I am happy how it's turning out.

more good news.

I applied for a diploma course in Art and Design at Birmingham City University and I got accepted! I am so thrilled! There were so many complications when I applied that I almost gave up. I had to do a portfolio on such short notice plus it was a first for me in doing so as well and when I didn't hear from the uni for a couple of months I panicked and rang them up. Apparently they didn't even receive it and I had to email them again last week. In the end all went well and I wasn't even required to do an interview.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my fellow indie classmates and teachers for inspiring me to take up this course. Without you I wouldn't have had faith in myself to do go back to uni. I really appreciate the motivation you have given me when I felt down. I love you guys!

It's gonna be tough going back to studying though. I am pretty nervous about it cos the last time I did was when I was in uni almost a decade ago. Dunno how my brain's gonna handle it but I am sure I will be fine. I am so excited!

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

2010-07-21T20:49:00.000+01:00

What do you do when you've got over ripe bananas left? Why, make Banoffee Pie of course!

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

adapted from the King of Desserts himself - Mr Phil Vickery

Base

2tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp mixed spice <----i didn't add this

100g (4oz) butter, melted

250g (9oz) digestive biscuits, finely crushed <---- I added chocolate digestives)

Filling

100g (4oz) butter

50g (2oz) caster sugar

50g (2oz) dark brown soft sugar

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk

1 tbsp black treacle <------i replaced this with Golden Syrup

75g (3oz) dark chocolate, melted

Top

4 small bananas

284ml carton double cream, lightly whipped

cocoa powder, to dust

1. add the cocoa powder, mixed spice (if you're using any) amd melted butter to the crushed biscuits and blend well. Press the mixture into the base and part way up the sides of a 20cm (8in) spring-form tin, then chill well

2. Make the filling: place the butter and both sugars in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the sugars dissolved. Add the condensed milk and bring back gently to boil, stirring continuously to make a golden caramel. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove from the heat, then add the treacle or golden syrup and the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.

3. Spread the filling ove rthe biscuit base and chill for about an hour 30 minutes until firm. I placed mine in the freezer for 45 minutes then moved it to the fridge.

4. To serve, slice the banananananas, fold half of them into the whipped cream and spoon over the toffee base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and dust liberally with cocoa powder.

this is by far the Best Banoffee Pie we have ever made. I have yet to try bake a proper pie though! Didn't have the right ingredients so thought a Banoffee Pie would be close enough. It does have the word Pie in it after all.

summery tunes

2010-07-20T11:27:00.001+01:00

For her official videos click here and here. They are really worth watching especially her skinny genes vid. Please check them out.

Hope you love them!