Ho Ho Ho.

Ahhh, no one is psyched for Christmas! I am, and I love that everything is holiday themed right now, even Google. I went to Guildford yesterday and it was dead, but I've returned feeling holly jolly, even though all I bought was things for myself, but hey, I'm done with Christmas shopping, and I'm quite content with my bank balance hating me.

Tonight I'm meeting up with my best friend, Lucy for Christmas Eve drinks. I was a bit panicky about what to buy her, but on the subject of Christmas gifts, I snapped up one of Lyzi from BeingLittle's fabric kittens as a potential gift for someone but forgot, and was very pleased when I remembered what I'd done, Internet shopping is so great that way.

(via BeingLittle)

They're adorable, and so reasonably priced, I might pick up a few more and even one for myself when I finally get to my someday home.
You can pick them up and have a look at some of the other cute things Lyzi sells on her shop.

Tatty Devine have posted some great tutorials for things to make with Christmas cracker prizes. Will definitely have to give them a go, and hope that I get something decent, I'm nearly always hoping for the mini-screwdrivers though. You can see the tutorial above and others on the Tatty Devine website.

(via Feature Shoot)

This portrait series of disabled pets by animal carer/trainer turned photographer, Carli Davidson, is adorable. She also did a great series called 'Shake' which can be seen, along with the above, on her website.

Nail Art Pen, Topshop, £6.50.

This is definitely a nail-art pen you can trust, after reading Gem Fatale's mini review of them, I was still a bit skeptical. However, after testing them out in real life, they really are literally like using a felt-tip pen and are just great, I can't wait to purchase one for my own as my trusty WAH pen has died and they don't seem to make them in a larger size anymore. :(

(via Nailside)

So envious of these Christmas nail-art ideas right now, I've been very indecisive and my nails are so short at the moment, boo!

(via Interior Porn)

(via The Third Reel)

I've seen this film twice in four days, it's perfection. It's everything I love about a gritty drama and the cinematography is brilliant, along with the soundtrack and the beautiful Tilda ♥. I picked up the book yesterday which promises to go more in-depth, once I've finished fangirling over 127 Hours' novel, 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place', I'll get on it.

(via LazyOaf)

Due to Nigel Slater's recent Christmas special, I was reminded of this video I put together when Moon and I were watching him one evening. It may not show Moon in a great light, but I like it and it's funny.

If you haven't been overexposed to Michael Bublé yet, where have you been? It's so difficult to not love him though when he's willing to parody himself on SNL.

Link love!

The Dainty Squid FF #136

Google Web Fonts — Free open-source fonts for websites.

Kim Jong-Il Dropping The Bass — It's always nice to see some harmless mocking of a recently deceased dictator.

Getty's Year in Focus — I was waiting for this to turn up, so many powerful images set within a great Youtube mix.

Coverjunkie's Best Cover of 2011 — Be sure to vote for Little White Lies because they're great but there are some great other magazine covers to look at too. Such nice visuals.

Modcloth's sale — Add the code 'SALEAWAY' for an extra 25% off up to 28th December. So many nice things!

CHRISTMAS EVE! Yeah!

Wednesday Wonders.

Hello!
I've been feeling very out of sync recently and not really up for much. I've not taken any photographs since coming back from Cornwall really and I haven't been sleeping very well. I guess it's a combination of bewilderment over Christmas and the shopping experience and having to get people gifts, as well as the prospect of once again facing the Jobcentre twice a week for the foreseeable future. Perhaps one positive thing being that I can get back onto the job hunt wagon, but ideally it is not where I want to be and I'd much rather have a job than be looking for one.
I've done a bit of networking and I'm scouting out new things all the time so it isn't as though things have dried up yet, it's just that it would seem that I still don't have enough experience I can't really remember how to prove myself.

Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom, it's Christmas soon and it's a time for overall merriment. Moon and I are heading down to the Isle of Wight on Saturday for a reunion with all our University friends, which will be nice as everyone will be able to make it, I just hope I can pep myself up before then.

The last week or so has seen a lot about retrospectives, with many websites posting their 'best of 2011' lists and images from the year. My favourite compilation so far however, is a video by filmmaker, Barry Pilling. I've been following Barry's work in stop-animation for a little while now and you should definitely check out his Youtube because it's pretty neat. I felt this video was particularly powerful, it's almost easy to forget that all of this happened in the last twelve months.
*contains some graphic imagery*

(Barry Pilling)

You may remember a little while ago when I did my Keep Calm and Carry On post, that I mentioned a little shop on Etsy called 'Keep Calm Arsenal' that produces numerous parody, and actually quite good prints. Well, the subject came up today and I went back to the shop, which is sadly closed for the holidays, I did however discover that 'Keep Calm Arsenal' is part of a bigger network, Stay Gold Media. Stay Gold Media also has a variety of beautiful artwork for sale on Etsy and an awesome blog showing it all off, and it's so reasonably priced!

(Stay Gold Media on Etsy)

'Imagine, John Lennon Vintage Dictionary Print', 8x10, £4.63
'Forest Life Art', 8x8, £6.61
Following on (yes, another follow-up) from the wrapped trees from the series, 'Bound' by Phillipa Lawrence featured in a post from a couple of weeks ago. I recently encountered this stunning series by Zander Olsen, playing with nature and visible lines in the horizon. It's such a simple idea but works really well, I'm also intrigued by the fact that this series was created in Surrey, as well as Hampshire and Wales, but where in Surrey?

(Tree, Line - Zander Olsen via PetaPixel)

(The Maccabees, © Louise Haywood-Schiefer)

I'm unsure as to whether I have much else to say, but I thought it had been a while since my last post and my tabs were looking a bit clogged.

Other things I like this week:

The three-part Channel 4 return of Shane Meadows brainchild 'This is England' in the form of This is England '88'; love the fashion, the history and the story, I am hoping that poor Woody gets a break though.

Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror; I still haven't got around to watching the first one, but Sunday's was brilliant, can't wait for the final instalment.

Buzzfeed's 45 of the Most Powerful Images from 2011

The National Geographic Photography Contest 2011; There are too many good images to choose from, I really like this one, but I also like this one, and they're completely different, whoever is judging these has one hell of a job!

This week's episode of The Simpsons was amazing!

Christmas Nails; These are my favourites I've seen so far but one of my current favourite Tumblr, The Illustrated Nail is coming up with new things all the time. My WAH nail pens have kind of died right now but I'm holding out for some new ones for Christmas, my lack of inspiration has sadly spread to my fingernails.

These shoes from ASOS

Things I must do by the end of the week (Friday):

Practice driving theory

Edit my Cornwall video

Stop putting off doing my portfolio, really, it's looking pretty sad right now.

TGIF. 14/10

It seems that I've been pretty much rushed off my feet this week, the Job Centre will be pleased. I've been in newspaper and everything, surely I can categorise that as networking or something.

Anyway, even though I've definitely not been bored, I'm definitely knackered, it's so nice to finally get a chance to relax. The job hunt has been going quite well, I've been put forward for two roles within Nikon, which would be cool, and I have an interview with a fashion PR and marketing agency for an internship. Obviously, as usual, I've applied for a lot more jobs than I received replies for, but I'm feeling a lot more upbeat about the situation.

Other than the usual job hunt and being a celebrity, I've spent the remainder of my time this week internet shopping, Tumbling, watching TV and getting into Patrick Stump. Nothing particularly exciting but here are some nice things I've seen/found this week.

I just bought this online from River Island,I really hope it works out as a decent camera/handbag, it would be a nice alternative until I get enough dollar for a Jo Totes bag. It is advertised as a camera bag so here's hoping.

(via tr0llop)

I hate it when things like this come up on Tumblr, where do you actually find them in real life?! I'd love the burgundy pair.

(via BuzzFeed)

There's a whole Tumblr dedicated to these kind of images. They are cute though, and in some cases really well done in terms of matching colour schemes and the type (I know what I'm saying) to the point of fashion.

(via Whatacatchdonnie)

I guess that you've probably realised now that I do love a good mash-up and I apologise for last week's poor efforts, but I think this might make it up to you. Now that Fall Out Boy don't exist anymore it's probably perfectly acceptable to appreciate Patrick Stump's voice again right? I've discovered that his debut solo album, 'Soul Punk' is coming out next Tuesday and I'm on it. I also think that he looks quite nice. I was once a Fall Out Boy fan but I grew out of it, his new album possesses qualities found in FOB's metaphorical/visual lyrics but it's much more upbeat, and look at him. *Swoon*
I can't believe that he ever looked like this:

You can currently listen to the album in full over on the Rolling Stone website. Soul Punk is due for release on 18th October.

(via TotalFilm)

Links:

The Only Way is Dalston: As if I needed an excuse to hate East-London hipsters any more. Seems mildly amusing, but I think that it's only because of Vice's spin on it. A mock-trailer can be seen here.

Little White Lies print shop: So many films I appreciate/prints I need.

The Jane Doze appreciating me appreciating them: ♥

My guest blog over at TheEmployable.

News about the new American Pie movie and a redband trailer: All the cast are back and it looks like it might actually be funny.

I was told this week to 'play up my stats' if I get the chance to to in an interview. I think I will, but I have also thought that even if no one actually looks at this, it's nice to have a visual record of things.

Yes The Maccabees!

This morning The Maccabees announced both the title and the release date of their forthcoming third album as well as track titles. I must say that I am more than excited.

After being overwhelmingly disappointed that I was unable to make it to either of the record stores that were selling tickets for the London dates of their October/November tour, I would say that this may ease off my resentment towards them slightly.

They've put together an eerie teaser trailer for the album (titled, 'Given to the Wild). I'm probably going to love it regardless but I'm really banking on there being some romance and maybe even a tiny bit of whimsy on this album. The teaser is similar to the weird videos that they usually put on Tumblr, so it hasn't really thrown me, at least it does what it says.

'Given to the Wild' is set for release on 9th January 2012, with more details on pre-orders to come in the next few weeks. 'Given to the Wild' is the follow up to the 2009 album, 'Wall of Arms'.

To view the full track list, head over to The Maccabees Tumblr, don't forget to follow, like I said, they post some nice weird videos.

The Maccabees updated website.

The Maccabees official website
Like The Maccabees
Follow The Maccabees on Twitter
The Maccabees on Tumblr

Free Street Photography books

Apparently Flickr is down right now, so I'm unable to share the photos from yesterday with you. It's no biggie though, a morning on Twitter has allowed me to discover the awesome new Photography website, The Development Tank.
As they're on Tumblr and therefore readily accessible to view, I would imagine they will fast become a favourite, just remember that you might have probably seen it here first.

Anyway, they recently put up a post about free digital street photography books available from Thomas Leuthard. I thought this was pretty neat, I know it would have been useful for the numerous street photography projects I was assigned at University. The books are both visual and educational in terms of putting the techniques on show into practice. I would recommend you check them out, because not only are they pretty good, but they're also free.

(via The Development Tank)

http://www.85mm.ch/Book/Books.html

Happy.

As cheesy as it sounds, and despite how appallingly cringey the earlier posts on this blog are, I am quite pleased to have kept this going. It has been really useful both to refer back to and as a general visual outlet. I was reading a well-known blogger's blog the other day and she was talking about how it will be a nice thing to look back on when she's older and maybe even able to share it with her kids. I think that's kind of a nice thought, and I'm already quite glad to share this now too.

This week my view count has picked up and I actually feel as though I'm talking to someone, hello!
So I thought I would share with you that I'm feeling positive and happy, particularly as I've mainly been feeling unmotivated and sluggish previously.

Here are some things that have made me happy this week.

I might actually have got to grips with driving, and I'm more excited than scared about three-point-turns and reverse parking.

I'm actually able to write on here and update it with apparently readable content.

I now have motivation to start applying for things properly again.

I'm going to Portsmouth tomorrow.

The sun is shining!

My favourite American shows are back, with just The Walking Dead left to wait for.

(via Sophie Spils)

(via Keep Calm Arsenal)

(via 8:Swim)

(via Passion for the Music)

(via Models Own)

(via Verbal Vomit)

One thing that made me angry this week:
My favourite band is The Maccabees and I was unable to get tickets for their upcoming October/November tour because they were selling exclusively out of record stores who declined telephone orders, meaning you had to get the tickets in person. Rough Trade sold out by the end of Saturday.
This sales structure was based upon keeping booking fees down and keeping the shows more local, despite the fact that most ticket sales still involved a booking fee. It was a nice idea but now I am left without a ticket, I'm having Maccabees withdrawal symptoms and I need to hear some new songs, they're so good live and always have really fun support acts. I am hopeful that they will have another, larger tour once their new album is released in the New Year. This just bugged me because I've not seen them live for a long time and haven't heard any new material in a long time and now I have to wait even longer.

Recipe: Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I suppose I'm somewhat trying to create a bit more structure to my blog and have less really long posts about several different things.

Here is another thing I did at the weekend which I mentioned in my previous post. Moon and I baked cookies!
I know it's actually quite bad of me to bake these kind of things but every now and then isn't going to do anything except make me happy with a full tum.

Tumblr is a source of all kinds of wonderful baked good and these cookies are no exception. Moon posted the link on his Tumblr and that was it settled, we were baking these when I got down to his! The original recipe can be found at How Sweet It Is and we basically followed the recipe exactly, it's just ours look a bit different, and we changed a few things to adapt to our basic British baking knowledge. They were delicious though so I thought I would share the recipe with you, with pictures!

I recommend once baked that you enjoy with a glass of milk, which is exactly how Jessica over at How Sweet It is feels, you can't have anything Oreo without milk.

We followed with American measurements because I have measuring cups and vaguely know the quantity from sight but to get a conversion to weight follow this link.

Makes around 15-20 medium to large sized cookies
Ingredients
1 cup of butter
1 ½ cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of plain flour
½ cup of cocoa powder (we had ¼ cup of cocoa powder, ¼ cup of Lion milkshake mix)
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup of chocolate chips (they didn't have any at Tesco so we put in chunks of milk chocolate)
1 cup of Oreo cookies (we used a whole packet, -2)

Instructions:
1. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
2. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
3. Crush your oreos.
4. Fold in chocolate and crushed Oreos.

5. Add dough to cling film, compact and roll up.


Thankfully this isn't what he usually looks like.6. Refrigerate dough for 2-4 hours (or even overnight).
7. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 300 or Gas 6 and cut through your cookie dough roll and place dough onto greased up baking tray (foil/baking paper will also work).

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cooled, enjoy!

It may look like a brownie but they easily taste better than any supermarket cookie, delicious.