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Uncategorized Tasty Foodstuffs Style Bella Threads from the Web What I Wore Today Fun How To Inspiration

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More stuff can go here...

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Woven with style; just for you!

Image by LollyKnit

• Everyone is talking about TheSelby & how wonderful the photos are. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth a look! I particularly like Chuck Guarino and Ryan Turner digs & the handwritten interviews just kill me!
• Oh! How I wish we could make coffee this way at work!
• Want to look like Winona Ryder? With her tongue in her cheek Mademoiselle Robot tells you how!
• Krisatomic shares some beautiful details from Russian masterpieces. Ruffles, lace & pearls, how can you resist?
• ecogeek tells us all about this funky handbag complete with solar panels (& not just any kind of solar panels, the sexy kind!) Leave in the sun to charge up your mobile phone or just carry it around while you’re being awesome!
• & speaking of environmental concern, No Impact Man always manages to inspire me. These simple words left an impression on me & now I can’t stop thinking about it.
• I also found this story by Kent Nerburn totally inspiring.
• Also worth a look, this post form Kris Carr was just too good not too share. Read the following;

I will share one last story. At a signing last week a young girl listen to me speak as tears flowed from her soul windows. When it was Q&A time she asked “how do you do take care of yourself if you don’t like yourself, your body?” I wanted to walk over and hug the hate right out of her. “But you are God. You are Jesus, Buddha, Elvis, Etc. You are a Divine vessel sweet lady. How can you hate u? This sack is just your vehicle. Nothing more. Your job while clonking around in sneakers is to feel the love and shine it out, that’s all. Because when we go back to the universal disco we bring more positive energy to the soup. We recharge the universal gigawatt! If we choose not to love this time then perhaps we have to do it all over again. No judgment, only opportunity.”

Have a lovely Tuesday!

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The night before last I went to see Bill Bailey with some friends at the QPAC & had a riotous time. This is what I wore.

• Black button up blouse
• Mod sixties hounds-tooth dress
• Black textured tights
• Brother’s red satin tie
• Black patent pumps
• Wayfarer sunglasses

Notes: I dig this dress. My stepmother threw a seventies themed party ages ago & we went shopping for outfits at our local thrift store. That’s where I found this beauty! I’ve only ever worn it a couple of times because I don’t really know how to wear a pinafore. Sitting in the back of my closet it caught my eye & I decided that it fitted the whimsical eccentricities that are characteristic of Bill Bailey. I stole the tie from my brother & bought these shoes while on a shoe shopping mission in Leipzig.

The night was a whirlwind of sushi, bubly wine, laughter & more wine. All in all, I had a wonderful, giddy time & I’m looking forward to seeing Bill perform live again sometime soon.

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My brother & I had a hankering for pancakes, so I whipped some up & we devoured every single one. Just like the Walrus & the Carpenter in Alice in Wonderland! Those poor tasty pancakes! Would you like some of your own? I’m sure you do, so here’s the recipe.

Bella’s Tasty Pancakes

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

pinch of salt

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt into a large bowl. Crack the eggs & add to the bowl with the milk & whisk vigorously! Let the mixture sit for about half an hour to let the eggs & the baking powder react. Whisk again & then cook in a frying pan (or proper pancake pan if you can afford one!) over a medium heat. Serve with all things delicious & share with a good friend. Makes about eight pancakes.

This is in my opinion, the best pancake recipe I have come across. I don’t like recipes that make you add melted butter, because the whole thing separates and gets messy & I don’t like recipes that make you wait a whole hour while the batter sits! I like my pancakes with raspberries & maple syrup. How do you like yours?

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Found: Love Letter

I recently sent out the invitations for my twenty-first birthday party. Designing, making & mailing them was an intensive process. I’d forgotten how difficult it can be. But my mission left me thinking about how average invitations today can be. So I thought I might try my hand at writing about them.

Invitations are wonderful inventions. I used to save every single paper invite ever given to me, but in a fit of spring cleaning binned them all a long time ago. An invitation has purpose, firstly to let the reader know that you’re having a celebration or event of some kind, secondly to remind them of the time, date, place, etiquette & dress of the event & thirdly, to invite them. This last bit is important. When you read an invitation it should inspire you, you should feel invited, excited to attend & somewhat thrilled. An invitation should not give away all the details, but should whet the appetites of your potential guests, ensuring that curiosity drives them to attend. Gone are the days of drab Microsoft Publisher-inspired invites full of tawdry clip art & overzealous fonts. While publisher can be an wonderful tool for those into desktop publishing; please, stay away from the templates! There’s no one-stop formula for creating a really sensational invite, its more of an intuitive thing. But do not despair! Here are some lovely ideas that will get your imagination racing & have you reaching for the craft glue & scissors in no time!

1. Birthday Invitation 2. First Birthday Zoo Themed Invitations 3. Egg Invitation 4. Cupcake invitations 5. Birthday Invitation 6. John twardrous’ birthday invitations

1. Personalise!

Chances are, when you’re the one creating the invite, you’re also the one throwing the party. So let people know that it’s your party! Incorporate a photograph, or your signature, or something you love. There are bound to be certain, specific, things that will prompt your guests to think of you. Do you have flaming red hair for example? Are you a tennis nut? Is your favourite perfume Beautiful? Do you happen to make the best bowl of nachos this side of the hemisphere? If so, let your guests know the invite is from you by incorporating these cues into your invite.

Alternatively, if your throwing a themed party, weave your theme into the invite. This is important for creating that sense of curiosity I mentioned earlier. Get your guests excited by using the invite to suggest your theme & subtlety is nice. You don’t need your invite to list the entire itinerary or what kind of food you’ve prepared. Is your party a tea party? Could you incorporate tea into your invite? Scent (or even stain!) the paper with tea, create the invites with a tea-cup shaped die-cut, send the invite written on a packet of tea (blooming tea would be especially nice!), or send along one of these cute tea infusers. A clip art picture of teapot is just too drab - you & your guests are so much better than that!

2. Individualise!

Making one hundred invites that are all exactly the same & sending them out can be somewhat boring. Take the time to make your potential guests feel wanted! You don’t have to hand write every single one, but you could include a small handwritten note card in the envelope for example. “I hope to see you there!” or “Maybe we’ll get a chance to finally have that talk about kite-making!” Or go a bit further than that. Print copies of your favourite photos of you and your guests (assuming you know them well enough to have amassed photographs of previous fun!) and send your invites written on the back.

3. Accessorise!

Think outside the box when it comes to the construction & decoration of your invites. They needn’t be written on a bit of paper and stuffed into an envelope. Most surfaces can be written upon. Grab a pen (or brush, or printer, or stamp, or sticker) liberate your sense of creativity & go nuts! Write on cutlery, crockery, napkins, clothing, plastic or vinyl. If using paper, you’re not just limited to normal card stock either. Write on newspapers, photos, handmade paper or pages from an old book. I used to write amorous notes on the back of cheap over-sized playing cards and give them to boys at school….OK, just one boy, but you get the point! Next, consider the delivery of the actual message. Occasion, time, date & place. These are the four key things your guests need to know. You could stitch the details onto fabric (computerised sewing machines make stitching out words in thread very easy), write it backwards, upside down, in another language or in shapely text. For a murder mystery party you could write the words onto individual pieces of paper & seal them in a zip-lock bag labelled “evidence.” Make your guests work for the information!

I guess what I’m trying to point out is that into today’s world of text messages & e-mail & general computer based chatter; we rarely take the effort to communicate with the written word in a tactile manner. Invitations are a wonderful opportunity to communicate with people in creative ways. Receiving invites in the mail inspires childlike excitement & curiosity in us & you can capitalise on this. You have all the inspiration & the creativity you need - now go!

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Today’s threads from the web, are for some unknown reason, matrimonially-themed. I don’t know why, I just had a whole lot of lovely links that all had something to do with weddings! So here we go!

1. Scenes From a Wedding 3 2. The Bride Preparing herself for the Wedding

3. the wedding 4. wedding partly

• Photobooth invitations have become so popular these day that they risk becoming a cliché. Still, when I first came accross them, I thought “thats so cool!” & I was instantly reminded of Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain!
• & further still, Threadbanger shows you how to make your own!
• This cake is pure awesome & the wedding party all wore converse sneakers. Oh yes.
• This wedding invitation left me in stitches, it really did!
• The gorgeous roaring twenties wedding dress worn by minor Spanish royal, Alejandra de Borbón, gave me heart palpitations. It’s Chanel, & her shoes were signed by Manolo Blahnik! Holy Swag Batman! If every wedding came kitted out with that it might be enough to tempt me into matrimony!

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One trend seen on the runway recently was black. Somewhat Victorian, Lolita & neogoth, it seems black is back. Unless you have a clothing budget proportionate to price of a new home (you lucky girl if you do!), most of the lovely clothes on the runway will not make it into your closet. You can however borrow from these designs and use them as inspiration. Dammit, I know I am - these photos from the Alexander McQueen show just make me swoon! Here’s a rundown of the basic elements seen so far.

The Inspiration

Chanel

Lanvin & YSL

Balenciaga, Givenchy & Collette Dinnigan

Alexander McQueen

Andrew Gn

Images courtesy of Style.com

The Look

Several elements are recurring here, first up, the blouse & it’s all in the details. These Victorian inspired blouses begin with fabric covered buttons leading all the way up to a high collar, accented with simple & dainty lace, ribbon or ruffles all in black or white. That word again; simple. The look is somewhat androgynous & the feminine ribbon, ruffles & lace are merely accents. They shouldn’t shouldn’t steal the show! The blouses are accented with decorative cuffs, both the frilly kind & the simple over sized button-up kind.

Trousers are long, lean & high waisted. Also black, they taper at the ankles or are worn with a small boot-cut. A lot of emphasis is placed on the high waistline, so draw attention there with modest belts or buttons.

The coat. Military-esque styling lends these coats a structured style. Only the YLS coat is worn loosely or over sized, while the rest are tailored and fitted. The cuffs on the coat are designed so the the details on the sleeves of the blouse can show though, which lends everything a slightly Victorian look. Even if patterned, these coats are again, all black.

Skirts & dresses are high waisted & embellished with soft ruffles & pleats. Chanel opts for long, loose & flowing full-length skirts, whilst Alexander McQueen creates doll-like skirts ending just above, or just below the knee. Underskirts or pleats at the side provide volume & the whole thing is yes, you guessed it, black.

Make-up is pale & somewhat neutral (which I must confess is a blessing for little o’l anglo me!) The colour is of course black, but as for the placement, you have two options. Opt for black smokey, even batwing, eyes a la Lanvin & Balenciaga. Both Evan Rachel Wood & Amy Winehouse have been bringing black rimmed eyes back lately. The other option is to paint your lips with lashings of blood red, purple, or even black lipstick, the glossier the better. Their lips may be lovely, but don’t wear your bangs like the alien & eyeless YSL models or you’ll bump into things!

Make it yours

So you want it on a budget? I’d suggest investing in some good quality accessories & trying some DIY restructuring. A good place to start might be a pair of black tight-fitting gloves in satin, rubber, PVC (oh my!) or leather. Purchase some lengths of soft white linnen or silk & use them to make a cravat or wrist ties. You could replace the buttons on an old blouse with some fabric covered ones & add a bit Victorian flair by stitching on some premade ruffles or lace. For something more simple, wear a plain black skirt with black pumps or mary janes & a pair of white tights. Thrift stores are great places to pick a bargains. Keep a look out for useful items & remember, if the clothes you find are not black already, it’s very easy to dye them.

Extra Credit

• Check out these sets on Polyvore for more inspiration.
• Read Gala Darling’s article on Neogoth.
• Celebrate with Miss K of Aromaleigh & read about the recent catwalk trend.
• Peruse what Popsugar has to say about black lips & dark eyes.
• As well as what Claire Coleman wrote at Mail Online.
  

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When I was a kid I never bothered with birthday wish lists, or Christmas wish lists either for that matter. I was, it seemed one of the most content children around. Now however, things are a little different & that’s not to say for the worst. I think its fun to dream up extravagant lists & imagine the fantastic. It just so happens to be my birthday soon, so I thought I would whip up a wish list - it can’t hurt to ask right? Of course not - so here it is!

A night of bubbly drinks and thrilling card games, a Sony Vaio laptop (TZ series in case you were wondering!), a comfy cashmere cardigan, dainty crochet gloves, a talored blazer, knee high argyle socks, more teacups & saucers! A phone of my own (my last was mercilessly destroyed when I splashed water on it), a ticket outta here (oh yes!), Christian Louboutin patent pumps, vintage cameos, a potted orchid - my favourite flower, magazine subscriptions, decaffinated earl grey tea (find some for me & I will love you forever!), Alexander McQueen Skull Clutch, potted herbs & a big stack of books!

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While having sex is a fun way for you and your loved one to spend time together (ok, really fun) I often think it’s nice to do other things together without, you know, being all over each other. Here are some wonderful ideas for things to do with someone you’ve loved forever, or just for a while, or even someone you’ve just met!

1. Build a blanket fort.
2. Share a bottle of something delicious.
3. Play cards.
4. Invent exciting new cocktails.
5. Learn a new language.
6. Cook your own giant pizza to share.
7. Listen to Stephen Fry read Harry Potter.
8. Plant a tree.
9. Make origami.
10. Catch a bus to somewhere new.
11. Read your favorite stories to each other out loud.
12. Climb a tree.
13. & build a tree house!
14. Make a kite.
15. Go cloudwatching.
16. Jump on the bed.
17. Visit a playground & use the swings.
18. Take photos.
19. Stretch out in the sun.
20. Have afternoon tea - in your underwear!
21. Go for swim.
22. Eat dessert first.
23. Draw chalk arrows on the footpath for strangers to follow.
24. Make mix tapes.
25. Play tag.

Have fun!

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• Grey Librarian Skirt
• White Ruffle Blouse & black ribbon
• Black Cardigan
• Black Schoolboy Socks
• Mary Jane Shoes
• Big-White-Bow Headband
• Peter Rabbit Book Bag

My Noggin!

• Notes: This bow reminds me of Blair Waldorf, but I think it’s sometimes more reminiscent of Dolores Umbridge when I wear it! I had a few errands to run at my local bank & at the supermarket so off I trundled with my trusty umbrella only to be drenched within minutes! Tres dépassé! My umbrella was so tiny it left me with soggy socks, squishy shoes & a damp skirt. So to avoid the same mistake on the way back I caught a business-class taxi home. (how naughty!)

When I arrived home I was in need of some warmth, so I whipped up a little treat - delicious hot chocolate - Bella style! Here’s the recipe for all you chocoholics.

Bella’s Hot Chocolate

Put 250ml (1cup) full cream milk, 125ml (1/2 cup) pure pouring cream, 45ml Frangelico Liqueur & 50g chocolate pieces into a small saucepan over a low to medium heat. Stir gently with a whisk until hot. If you like, you can whisk it up till its frothy and full of bubbles. Have a warmed coffee or chocolate pot ready and waiting. You want your hot chocolate to be between 65-70 degrees Celsius. Any hotter and the sugars in the chocolate & milk will burn (& perhaps your tongue!). Makes enough for one big mug or several small cups. Enough to share, or spoil just yourself. (you devil you!)

I had my hot chocolate with some miniature angel cakes & then I stretched out on the couch & had a nap - delicious! How do you enjoy your hot chocolate?

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• Jennine from The Coveted wrote about going poo-free & her no-poo life! For those not familiar with the lingo, the no-poo lifestyle is one without shampoo It may appear unusual at first but the benefits sound pretty good. Read her article How To Ditch Shampoo (and look even better).
• For all you self made clothing nuts, Threadbanger has a really cute video about DIY steampunk fashion & showcases some quick and very easy projects for the steam-pirate in all of us.
• Boudicca recently announced the impending release of their new perfume Wode, named after the blue war paint Queen Boudicca and her armies wore into battle. With rare notes such as hemlock, opium, tuberose & treemoss it comes packaged in a spray-paint can & is ridiculously blue! Diane has more info & some pretty pictures.
• The ever-lovely Fee from Peachy Pan has created some beautiful new Kanzashi (or Japanese hair adornments). Get some for yourself soon because these pretties disappear quickly!
• Google released Chrome today, touted as the answer to all our Internet browser woes. But Marshall Kilpatrick of Read Write Web seems to have found a snag in the Google TOS.
• Michel Techerovkoff photographs the most extravagant shoes! You must click! You must!

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