How Pinteresting #3.

Halloween and Bonfire Night are over, which means Christmas is coming, and for the last few weeks I've been researching different fonts for Christmas cards and cute wrapping ideas, I can't help it – I guess I'm just the kind of person who really does love Christmas.

Christmas is going to be pretty great this year, it looks to be the first one that I'll be spending officially at my mum's house, we won't be having turkey and it will be the first time I'll be seeing my sister since August - Facetime and Skype only do so much of the job - I'm really looking forward to it more than usual and there are lot of other festive things to take in before the big day too!

As well as Christmas and thinking about how to wrap presents I haven't even bought, I've been wrapping myself up - frosty mile-long walks from the car into work don't really allow you to make a choice about that part - and thinking about all kinds of winter warming food.



1 // Wrapped + Sewed Christmas Wrapping – Love the idea of shaping gifts into fun Christmassy shapes. I don't think I'd get away with this kind of intricate wrapping with Little Doll around (she's quite the helper) but isn't it adorable?
2 // The Perfect Chicken Noodle Soup – Another easy-to-pin recipe from the delightful, Design Love Fest, I really like this simple twist on traditional chicken noodle soup, the photo-styling is pretty great too.
3 // To the Moon & Back Playroom – Pinterest is a goldmine for cute kid's clothes and great playrooms. I know I'm not at that part of my life, but actually that's not the point, I'd rather have some of these spaces just for myself.
4 // Steamy Kettle – I've been wanting to try photographing steam myself but this photo, even though I've got a (less romantic) electric kettle, sums up my feels for November weekends perfectly.

You can follow me on Pinterest: here.

Wise Wednesday Words #2.

It's why-not-Wednesday(!) ♥

Ever get the feeling that sometimes enough is enough? I've spent enough time being angry or annoyed in the last 10 days or so (heck, the last few months) and I'm done with it, no more slumping.

Moon and I have some quality time coming up, I finally have a few pennies in my purse again and it's time to get back onto feeling happy and looking after myself again.



[1, 2, 3, 4.]
Hope you have a nice Wednesday, follow me on Pinterest for similar and more.

How Pinteresting #2

I wasn't sure whether I would be doing this again, but I must admit that I'm feeling a little run down this week and I wanted to post something! It's all a bit annoying given that tonight I'm off to see Dry the River (for the 11,000th time), I'm doing my best to power through but there's no doubt that Sunday will be made for relaxing - I do hope to feel well enough to get up to Greenham Common at some point though, it feels like it's been almost a year since our last visit and it's perfect for this wild weather.

We're finally getting our changing of the seasons here but well, it is October after all. I do love different things about each season but as a summer baby, warm weather will always be where my loyalties lie. That said, being wrapped up and coming into a warm house from the cold does provide a lot of satisfaction.

I've found that in the last month, with the weather actually being all over the place, it's been hard to get into a theme on Pinterest lately. It still feels a little too early for Christmas (although that event is getting scarily closer) and it's not quite autumnal enough to start banging on about frost, changing leaves and pumpkin everything — that said, the clocks go back in a couple of weeks and I tried my first ever pumpkin bread this week so only time will tell...



1 // The Most Breathtaking Views of Beautiful Earth from Above — That title isn't a lie, some of these are pretty awesome. I think next year, once I'm back on my feet after throwing all my money at becoming a home owner (WIP), I'll start to get serious about updating my kit, everything I have Photography-wise is so old now and although I love it and actually don't fancy getting rid of it, I know it's time for a change, especially if I'm likely to be taking on more event photography at work (yeah, so that's something that might be happening).
2 // Watercolour Mural — I feel like I've had wedding thoughts and inspiration coming out of my ears lately, and I'm not even having one. This from my point of view isn't intended to be that weddingy and is actually something I like on more of the home décor level, such a simple but pretty idea.
3 // Mirdinara, Breeze — I feel like this .gif, with its hypnotic ways, epitomises autumn, I wish I knew the original source so I could find more - that's the real trouble with sites like Pinterest and Tumblr, it's very easy to get lost.
4 // Russian Dogs by Lili Chin — I've seen these illustrations floating all over the place for a while but when I finally uncovered the original source and discovered there was a Russian dogs version, I found my favourite. Borzois are fun but obviously I picked it due to the samoyed, I can't get enough of those guys are the moment.

It was a little harder than it should have been to sift through all the motivational quotes I've been pinning lately (even visual pick-me-ups can do the trick), I figured this was a slightly more interesting selection and better for a good, old-fashioned link-up.

You can follow me on Pinterest :: here.

Wise Wednesday Words.

We made it to Ireland! There's something about the air here that's really good at blowing out the cobwebs and I'm looking forward to the next few days before getting back on the work wagon next Monday.

But before I wish the week away, here are a few wise words to brighten up your Wednesday.

Have a great day!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4
Follow along on Pinterest for more.

:: Have you entered my giveaway to win tickets to the Royal Berkshire County Show on the 20th September? ::

How Pinteresting!

I've been using Pinterest for a little over two years now and I tend to dip in and out, pinning everything for a two week period and then ignoring it for a month or two.

I think really I'm like that with most things online, and some days computers, phones and gadgets are just not the one. That said, Pinterest can be a really great place to invigorate the mind and inspire, whether it's soothing a bit of wanderlust or finding something new to cook, there are times when it's become a bit of a go-to.

Without wanting to say similar things to what has already been said, I thought I'd just share a few of my favourite pins from August with you.

I'm still not sure where I'll be going with this but it's just some more of me trying to put some things out there and get something other than photographs of days out up here. Diary posts are nice but I always think of this place as an online scrapbook.



1 // Blue Lagoon, Iceland :: I've still got that long-lasting hankering for an Icelandic break, not sure if our money-diet will allow it as the deadline we set ourselves is drawing nearer, so beautiful photographs might have to do it for now.
2 // 'A Better 'Yes' Down the Road' :: Definitely helps with some recent uncertain feelings.
3 // Vitamin Boosting Juices :: I was big into smoothies and the like a couple of months ago, I think I want to get back into it. Changes of the season and upheavals in life usually bring illness and I'd like to prevent that, please.
4 // Silhouettes on Colourful Curtains :: Design.Love.Fest never fails to inspire when it comes to photo shoots and this is just some really lovely styling. That's the kind of thing that makes me long to 'do Photography' again.

+BONUS // Samoyed Puppy :: All the fluff.


I'm really after feedback, is this the kind of post that you enjoy reading? Should I do more of them?

Even after those 2 years I mentioned before, I feel like I'm still getting a hang of this Pinterest thing, you're welcome to follow me on the journey if you like :: http://www.pinterest.com/intoruth/

:: Have you entered my giveaway to win tickets to the Royal Berkshire County Show on the 20th September? ::

Winter Warmer: Apple & Blackberry Crumble.

After our brunch at La Campagna at the Drove Orchards in Norfolk, we ended up having a quick nose around the wonderful farm shop there. Eating local seems to be my new thing in more recent months and I love a good farm shop. Being on an orchard meant that the shop was full to the brim with apples. With all different sizes and varieties to choose from, we went for the 'seconds' barrow and were able to fill up a whole carrier bag for just £1, I only filled half a bag but was offered to add more once I'd paid (such lovely Norfolkian hospitality).





Thanks to a few over-enthusiastic blackberry picking trips, the Drove Orchards' farm shop and that silly storm, last week was the perfect time to get to work on perfecting an apple and blackberry crumble.

Usually, I'll put my hands up and readily admit to just picking up a packet of crumble mix, but I was feeling a little more ambitious and figured it couldn't be that hard to make it from scratch, so that's exactly what I did.

Good ol' Pinterest is to thank for the crumble recipe but the guess-work of the filling was all my own. I also added a few rolled oats to the top just to add a little something more to it.



Ingredients
Crumble Topping

• 3 oz brown caster sugar
• 3 oz plain flour
• 3 oz butter
• A handful of rolled oats

Filling

• 3 medium-sized apples
• A couple of handfuls of frozen blackberries
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sugar

Instructions:

1. Add the flour, sugar and butter to a mixing bowl and cream/blend together until they have a crumbley consistency
2. Add all your fruit to your dish, squeeze over lemon juice and sprinkle your sugar
3. Put your fruit in the oven on a medium heat for around 20 minutes - at the halfway point give it a stir
4. Once your fruit is cooked and your apples have soaked up some blackberry juice, cover your fruit in the crumble mixture - this is where I sprinkled on the rolled oats
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the crumble is golden

Doll's always so appreciative of my baking.




I was quite surprised by how easy this was to make, and I'm so pleased that I'll be able to put all that extra fruit to use. This will definitely be a staple as it gets colder and more drizzly.
I think if I were to make it again, I'd definitely add a bit more fruit as this crumble was a little flat, it did make four comfortable portions for Moon and I though so I'm a little reluctant to change at the same time.

Do you have any go-to winter warmers now that the nights are drawing in?

Tuesday Tabs #15

Time to de-clutter my tabs bar once more, a much more productive way to wait for paint to dry.

Currently I think I need at least a 28 hour day, that would be good, I can't seem to fit everything in. Doll is settling in almost too well, and although she was being - weirdly - affectionate when I returned from an interview this afternoon, I didn't appreciate her loud wailing outside our bedroom door at 5 o'clock this morning, so our visitors are probably in for a treat when they stay at the weekend...

I'm not sure how much I want to talk about job hunting today, I'll just say it's steady and leave it at that. I can't get any more fed up with it than I am already. Let's just get started, shall we?

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Due to all the stress, I kind of failed April's Photo A Day challenge, so I'm going to try and start again with this months, again from Fat Mum Slim. I might only post it once a week though rather than every day. I didn't like how cluttered it made my blog look if I posted something else. #ocd

(via It's Nice That)

I don't know what Ikea think they're playing at by being this awesome but how good is this? Following the previous week's announcement about their new TV units, I was already pleasantly surprised, but this is too up my street. Ikea are doing all kinds of exciting things at the moment and KNÄPPA is one of them, would love to know when it will be released so I can try one out.

(via The Dainty Squid)

Make A Run For It Skirt, $188.99, Modcloth
I have too many printed animal items of clothing, but this skirt is perfect, and the colour is lovely, definitely in need of more orange in my wardrobe.


Wombat Hug Brooch, $AUS35, Made By White
Wombats are wicked, easily my favourite Australian animal and I don't actually have that many brooches, let alone any wooden ones.


Interview with The Maccabees for Swiss TV Show 'POPBAR'. They say some good things, like how it's silly to cover The Beatles.


How many great movies are coming out in the next few months?! I'm a big one for trying to avoid full-trailers if possible, especially if I've already heard good press about a film or know who's going to be in it. However, I'm a little obsessed by this viral trailer for Ridley Scott's Prometheus, everyone needs to at least watch this trailer, but the film itself, judging from it's official trailer, just looks generally epic.


'LOL I'm just kitten' t-shirt, $28, Burger and Friends


Hand screen-printed Dala horse, Seventy Tree
Ever so slightly gutted that this piece is now no longer available. ;(


Rob Ryan's Bells vase, £35, John Lewis
I'm obsessed with Rob Ryan's 'Bells' series at the moment, it just makes me feel so warm because the words are so beautifully put. I'm also lusting after the plates, but as I wouldn't want to eat off of them and have no where to display them, I'm mainly eyeing up this vase, especially since seeing it on display in the local John Lewis, perf. ♥

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Link Love: ♥

Camera Bag Round-up from A Beautiful Mess — I'm currently waiting on a new bag, but a huge, and I mean huge part of me wishes I had the will-power to save up for a great-quality, pretty camera bag like the ones talked about here. It's a really strong well-rounded overview too, talking a bit more about what else is on offer other than Jo Totes. Don't get me wrong, I adore Jo Totes, I'd just never considered there were other similar brands.

Perfectly-timed Animal Pictures

Per Johansen's Mæt (Full) — Wonderfully, grotesque still life images from Danish photographer Per Johansen.

Make a teddybear from a sock — This is a super-cute craft idea, definitely on my to-do list once I get the never-ending list of everything else out of the way.

Create Your Own Fabric Patterns — Amazing!

It Looks Hard But Isn't: 15 Dishes to Impress Your Guests — Don't think I'm quite ready to impress people with my cooking just yet, but living in your own (non-student) home does bring about a certain notion of 'entertaining' rather than the more manageable 'drinking'. I like cooking anyway, so if nothing else these are some good ideas to test out on Moon at least.

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Currently listening: 'Call Me Maybe' - Carly Rae Jepsen
Currently watching: HBO's 'Girls' (Lena Dunham ♥)