Tuesday 28 October 2014

Things I've Learnt Since Graduating: Indulge Your Passions

28 OCTOBER 2014

There are only a handful of things I miss about school, but one of those things is art lessons. I went to a very academically-focused school where Maths, Science and English were considered paramount, but by far my favourite classes always involved holding a paintbrush, pencil or smudgy stick of charcoal. 

By age 17 I succumbed to the pressure from my teachers and dropped art as one of my subjects to pursue the academic path to adulthood and a career in the law. Now, on the other side of university, and working in a job that has little to do with my degree, I can honestly say that I regret giving up the subject that gave me so much pleasure. 

I always justified it in my mind that I could continue art as a hobby, but it's only now that I have a full time job, my own house and my own space that I have time to dabble in a little creativity, whether that's simply through this blog, by baking something delicious, or by painting a design on a cake for a pagan wedding ceremony as I did last Friday. As indulgent and rewarding as these moments are, even now, they are fewer than I would like them to be.


My advice to anyone who has a true passion for something would be to indulge it, don't push it to one side. That's why I started this blog; to channel the creative element of my personality into something productive. I don't necessarily mean that you should choose creativity over academia - you should always do what you feel is the right thing to do when making decisions about something as important as education - but find a way to express your skills and talents, don't waste them.

Sunday 26 October 2014

POLPO

26 OCTOBER 2014

I've been feeling a little uninspired lately, particularly in the kitchen. I have a few good recipes in my arsenal, but still always seem to be eating the same things. I think we're all a bit guilty of that sometimes - after a long day at work, the last thing you feel like doing is cooking something extravagant from scratch. The problem is, it ends up getting boring, especially when you're trying to keep things relatively healthy as well. 


When I fancy trying a new recipe, my first port of call is usually the internet. As good as online recipes can be, I fancied buying myself a recipe book that I can keep and refer to to time and time again. So, I perused the listings on Amazon and Polpo came up.


Not only did its exposed spine and unusual typographical style stand out to me as unique, but this book received excellent reviews from the public and focuses on my favourite cuisine: Italian, or Venetian to be precise. Polpo follows the journey of restaurant owner and chef, Russell Norman, as he explores the recipes that have inspired him during his travels to travels to the beautiful city of Venice. 


So far we have only tried a couple of recipes, but they have both been amazing and I can't wait to try more. The recipes are easy to follow and are beautifully written with a friendly, humourous commentary. Immaculately styled, this book is a true pleasure to read, and looks great on my bookshelf too! 


Tuesday 14 October 2014

KITCHEN CUTENESS FROM LIV'S

14 OCTOBER 2014

The kitchen is one of the only rooms in our house that we've decided not to re-decorate.  Crisply decorated rooms are gradually emerging as we tackle our renovation project, yet our little kitchen remains untouched (and a little outdated) with its olive green tiles and farmhouse wallpaper. I was desperate to add a little something to it to make it feel like ours. I saw lots of sets of tea, coffee and sugar canisters in the various homeware stores around where we live, but nothing that I truly loved and seemed to be a reasonable price. And then I went into Liv's...

If any of you have been to Solihull, you might have had the pleasure of this Aladdin's cave of beautifully unique homeware. Founded by Liv, this gorgeous store just oozes style inspired by her Scandinavian roots. The stock changes constantly, so that every time I go in there's something new and beautiful tempting me to part with my pennies. This stainless steel set of tea, coffee and sugar canisters caught my eye, and at only £12.50 for the three I just couldn't say no! And now our kitchen looks a little more homely too!


Friday 10 October 2014

THREE REASONS

10 OCTOBER 2014

Long time no post again, I'm sorry everyone! We've been super busy trying to rescue our bathroom, which now only consists of a toilet, a wash basin, and 4 very bare, very uneven walls. I'll save the detail for another post but, in short, we've had rather stressful couple of weeks with very little time to stop and reflect on the positives. So, now that I've got 5 minutes, I thought I'd share my three reasons to feel happy this week...

1. It was my birthday on Saturday! Whoop! So I was treated to a fun-filled weekend starting with a trip to the Monkey Forest in Staffordshire, followed by dinner and gin cocktails at the Jekyll and Hyde, and ending with a spa day and delicious meal at the Elms Hotel & Spa in Worcestershire. Lucky girl!







2. My Dad's shoulder surgery went well on Tuesday :) He'll have to use his other arm to write me notes like this one for the next few months!



3. My Mum makes the best fruit cake ever! We even managed to marzipan and royal ice it successfully - not bad for a first attempt!