Songs on Sunday #8

- Guns don't kill people, rappers do. 

 (Completely unrelated side note: I was just sent this screen shot of me on webcam to one of my friends *slaps forehead* who does this? . . oh wait, I do! SUCH a muppet! I just thought it was pretty funny!)

- I'm so proud of one of my friends (Pete, I bang on about him, but hey ho, he really is one of the most important people to me at the moment) he's not your average success story, he didn't try hard at school, and to put  it bluntly was a complete idiot. But, he's done a complete 180° and now he works for a charity and  with children at schools running music workshops.

- Words can't describe how much I love this dude.

- All he does is listen to music, I was at his flat yesterday evening and I have no idea how he has not been evicted, his neighbours must hate him! He plays music SO loud!

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- These songs are his. (not what I'd associate with him mind.) . . . . .

- That's more like it!

A Love Affair With: Andrey Yakovlev & Lili Aleeva #10

- Andrey and Lili are the perfect dream team from Moscow.

- They have hundreds of beautiful images in numerous collections but these are my absolute favourites. (Material Girl, Old Movie, High Sky of Spain, and Hic et Nunc)

- I adore fashion photography, mainly because it does what I like best, it captures people.

- All images available here

- I even fell head over heels for these black and white images, because despite the fact that they are black and white, they don't feel it, you can really feel the depth of the colour in the images.

-Side note: how gorgeous is the model Maria Osinzeva in the first two images?!

2 :26 Vintage Beaded Belts

1. Skinny and Bernie

2. Simplicity is Bliss

3. Blank Stair Vintage

- I have a LARGE collection of belts, so I always look out for interesting ones (practical and beautiful, just how everything should be!) My current favourite is a tan leopard print number I wear all the time (I would say it's not as tacky as it sounds, but, it is!)

- I've found quite a few of these gorgeous beaded belts recently and I wish I owned one!

-When I was younger, (15/16) I spent a year in the hospital, and became a bit of a dab hand at weaving beads on the loom, so I may attempt to make one of these gorgeous belts because, despite them being so beaituful, they are a little on the pricey side! I could weave the beaded segment easily, I'm just not entirely sure how to attatch it to the belt. . . I'll work on that!

-Having said that, I may just browse Etsy and Ebay until I find the perfect one, that's my usual answer!

2 :25 Michael Garbutt and His Vintage-y Photos!

- Michael Garbutt

- I would absolutely love some of these photos in my house!

- The car in the first photo, the colours in the Parisian photo. . .in love!

2 :24 So There's This Parrot. . . (Margaret Hinge & Her Beautiful Feathers)

-Next door to my parents' house, there lives a parrot. This bird has recieved death threats on many occasions by my parents, relatives, visitors. . . anyone who has had the misfortune of encountering it.

-It's a pain in the bum, it screeches ALL day!

-My neighbours seem to hate it as much as we do, because every morning (come rain or shine, or blizzard) they wheel this parrot out of their house and over to their boundary fence.

-They are such beautiful birds, but, I hate it all the same, I just want to go to sleep after having been at work for 11 1/2 hours, (starting at 5:30am) not listen to the bloomin bird!

-Having said that, colourful feathers DO have their uses! . . . I found these trinkets here and I think the use of the feathers is so beautiful!

- The artist is Margarent Hinge (All jokes about her username being 'mhinge' aside. . . ) Marge's Feathers produces some amazing earrings and pendants.

-I love that the top half of the feather has been encased in metal

-Her pieces are electromagnetically plated with copper. There are some entirely encased, and some only partially. (all of them just as gorgeous as each other)

- Oh and if you were wondering, all feathers are naturally malted and cruelty free!

2 :23 Betsey Johnson A/W11 Hair (NYFW)

-We all know Betsey Johnson is known for being a little bit 'out there', but that is the reason we love her is it not?!

- I've recently found these images from Betsey Johnson's Autumn/Winter 2011 runway show at New York Fashion Week, and the thing that really impressed me the most was the hair the models were sporting.

-All images available here

- It makes a change from the usual mussed up beachy waves everyone and their grandma seems to be sporting at the moment.

- I love the use of lace as a stencil! so creative!

- Sadly this is not a look I will be rocking, as my completely out of control Europe-esque mop doesn't and couldn't stay brushed long enough!

2 :22 Hanna Loves Nick and Pete

(A picture taken by Pete on a road trip we took a couple of weeks ago, for some reason we thought this was hilarious)

- It's funny how much you can care for another person.

-That's a problem I have a lot of the time, I focus too much on other people, not on myself. I'd rather everyone else was happy than myself. I'm learning slowly, that I need to be happy aswell.

- I had a pants year, it's no lie, and I'm not quite over it yet, I'm happy again, it's over, but it still hurts, I'm not ready to laugh about it, I'm not ready to accept it, not just yet.

- However, I am grateful, I'm so grateful for the last year, because if I hadn't gone through all the rubbish I went through, I wouldn't have met some of the most amazing people I know.

- That's not entirely true, I knew them, but I wouldn't have become as close to them as I have done.

- These two men, Nick and Pete, are the highlights of my life, they are who I strive to be. One of them has scarpered off to America for the summer, and I miss him immensely, he doesn't know I miss him so much, but I don't think he knows how much he helped me. The other, I have been spending a lot of time with, and I love him to bits, he makes me smile when my day has been rubbish, I always leave his flat feeling happier than when I arrived.

- HOWEVER, he does have an awful habit of ringing me when he is drunk, or, just in the middle of the night. I recieved a phone call last night, and it turned out he was walking home. ALONG A MOTORWAY! He makes me worry so much for his safety, I have never been so stressed out!!

- I guess what I'm saying (or trying to) is that I love these two so much, and I would be so devastated if I ever lost them.

- Appreciate those you love.

Songs on Sunday #7 (Amy Winehouse.)

- I think it is only fitting if I dedicate this weeks "Songs on Sunday" to Amy Winehouse.

- I'm not going to lie, I was never really into Amy Winehouse, (allthough I do love 'In My Bed') The only song that really has any emotional connection with me is 'Back to Black' which reminds me of a woman  I aspire to be. (a story for another time)

- She was never really my style, and on top of that, I had enough of drug problems in my own personal life (ex boyfriend, psycho, enough said!) to want to hear about it in celebs-ville aswell. So I kind of ignored her.

- Having said that, I do admire how she always did her own thing, and how she was as unique as her voice was. I think it is sad that she is no longer with us, if ever the saying 'too young to die' was apliccable, now is the time.

- My heart is with her family at the moment, I know exactly how much it hurts to lose someone you love.

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2 :21 M&M Blondies (i.e. The Colourful-est Cake Ever!)

- THIS is what happens when I get left to my own devices!

- Not that anyone really complained!

- I found the reicpe here, and her beautiful photography made me want to attempt! So after a morning of spring (or should that be summer?) cleaning my sister and I knocked these up.

-We made a few alterations to the recipe, but it is basically the same as the original, we reduced the amount of m&m's mainly because we couldn't be bothered to go buy more, but I think it was definitely enough, not sure I would have wanted any more in.

-We also have a fan oven, so we reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes.

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups self raising flour

2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 6oz bag of M&M's (with a few reserved for the top)

-We cut them a lot smaller than the originals and boy am I glad we did, they get a little sickly, but they are amazing all the same! A once in a while treat!

2 :20 Green Green Green; Let's Have a Green Shopping spree!

- This all began with two simple images.

-and,

- When I realised, I own no green pieces of clothing!

- The image of the first skirt would just not leave my head no matter how much I tried to make it. So I went off in search of the perfect mint green skirt (and got a little side-tracked along the way!)

- I just thought it was funny, how alike these two are, 1. Topshop & 2.Zara and how little there is between them in price.

-1. Bershka I just liked the colours in this image!! 2. Topshop

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 
11. 12. 13. 14.
15. 16. 17. 18.
19. 20. 21. 22.
23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

-Still haven't found a skirt! This one's pretty though *ClickyClicky*

- Don't worry, I worry for myself!

A Love Affair with: Cole Rise #9

-All pictures can be found here

- Cole Rise. 

- I love his work, I love the cross processed effect he has on the pictures and I love the floating people. 

-Most of all I love that he has an entire collection focussed on cows!

- Who has a collection on cows? Oh that's right Cole Rise does, I don't know why I find this so amusing, I mean if you think about it, why not? Yet somehow, everyone overlooks them, you get pictures of cats, why not cows?

- Despite the fact that his pictures are focussed on cows, you almost forget that the cow is there and look past them to the beautiful landscapes.

- You want to know the best bit about Cole Rise? (other than he provided the artwork for Flyleaf) He looks like this.