Wednesday 24 September 2014

MeetMySwatch

I have always admired the Swatch brand, with their clearly identifiable style & reliable designs. I recently discovered their artist collaborations & special collections when Sean (Swatch employee & boyfriend) bought me their limited edition 'Flowerhead' watch, designed by Olaf Hayek. Admittedly, I had never heard of this artist before, but upon researching him I think I have falling in love (sorry Sean!), well with his illustrations anyway! Twisting arrangements of natural forms are painterly adorned to flawless figures, towering over their head like a mother nature's twist on Victorian wigs. The tainted colours he chooses are beautifully vibrant, almost built up then worn away, like these characters were actually Victorian & now have chrysanthemums stemming out of their vintage wigs & stalks fleeing the nest, bringing a sense of surreal serenity to the image. They are endearing yet sophisticated, the detail of his skill showing through his creative ingenuity. However, this skill shouldn't come as a surprise as he is classed as one of the most successful illustrators in the world, being featured in top publications & leading brands advertising campaigns.

Unfortunately, this limited edition watch is no longer for sale in store, but some can be found online if you look carefully & are willing to pay a little extra. Fortunately for me though, I have got mine firmly wrapped around my wrist...


...Lime Green Notebook, Ball-point Pen & Tote Bags - All Swatch...

...Olaf Hijak's Illustrations (from the top)...
...Jewellery Illustration for Spread Magazine, NY...
...Print for LUMAS Gallery...
...Jewellery Illustration for Spread Magazine, NY...
...Illustrative interpretation of Italian Fashion Brand Kristina Ti's Collection...
...La Lettura Magazine Cover...
...Illustration of The Great Egret for Audubon Magazine...


Monday 15 September 2014

MeetMyQuickFix

Sometimes you just fancy whipping something up to snack on, whether it be sweet or savoury. The return of the latest series of the Great British Bake Off has definitely triggered this to a greater extent recently as you just CAN'T watch GBBO without a treat! Well I can't anyway, I think it is near enough impossible! I'm going to be honest, unless I am planning for a friend's birthday cake, or sticking to a recipe, my inventions are normally created from whatever is lurking in the back of my cupboard or fridge. This experimental aspect can sometimes work out unbelievably smoothly (sometimes not), but it's all about having fun...& hopefully creating something scrummy to eat at the end of it as well!

For these cute little blossoming pastries I just used ready rolled puff pastry pleated into a cupcake tin & filled them with various flavour combinations! It really is as easy as that! 


Fill to the top with your chosen fillings & bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

...Fig, Feta & Balsamic Glaze...
...Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate...
...Blueberries & Apple Sauce...


Please let me know what you think about my pastry flavour combinations & your GBBO treats!


Tuesday 2 September 2014

MeetMySeptemberIssue

Welcome to September! I hope it has been happy for you all so far.. It has been a lovely start for me, spending this sunny day in the charming area of East Didsbury, Greater Manchester, raiding their many charity shops & drinking freshly squeezed orange juice alfresco. Wearing part of my latest charity shop bargain find, these powder blue high-waisted cropped trousers, part of a transitional trouser suit (originally from Wallis), the warmth was perfect for the blue cloudless skies of today when paired with a sheer shirt & slip-on sandals. Inspired by the broken bark of a nearby beech tree, I have mixed & matched my trouser suit pieces with existing items in my wardrobe (see my previous post featuring this shirt here). Seeing as Winter Pastels are a approaching trend for the colder seasons coming, so why not experiment with some pieces now & then layer up when the season comes. I am waiting for the perfect opportunity to take my full suit out for the day ready when the leaves falling & the temperature is dropping, so keep an eye out on my bloglovin profile for my full suit outfit variations coming very soon...



...Silk Flowers (worn in my hair) - collected from various accessory & vintage shops...
...Black Cat-Eye Sunglasses - Vintage...
...Black & White Bird & Floral Sheer Shirt - Topshop (last season, similar here)...
...Powder Blue High-Waisted Cropped Trousers - Charity Shop Find (originally from Wallis)
...Black Leather & White detailed backpack - TK Maxx...
...White leather slip on sandals - Avarca Menorquina...

...Bloglovin...Instagram...Twitter...Design...