My Picks from Tumblr #3

Geeking over groceries

Went for a mooch around Ikea with The Mother a couple of days ago, and as we happened to go in the evening, a delicious dins of meatballs was inevitable...

Omnom. 

After a bit of a browse (and purchasing a few bits we never knew we wanted needed!), we went to the little bit at the end where you can buy all the Ikea food for funsies at home, and I realised how amazing the packaging design of everything is!

Love that the wine's called Glogg (Swedish for "Glug"?)

Sardines (they looked better in real life - turns out it was quite hard to get the contrasting silver just right in a hastily taken phone picture!)

Fish paste...

And Crab paste! 

I was going to spend a little more time being a geek & taking pictures, but was starting to get funny looks from people just trying to buy groceries. Kill-joys. 

Bloody love Ikea though <3

A little something

To pass the time...

A fun website that popped up between friends of mine on Facebook: 

Draw a Stickman

It's a litte silly, sure, but a whole lot of fun too - a really cute way of reminding people to "be creative - every day". 

Which in turn, reminds me of a list I saw on Tumblr a little while ago: 

(http://paulzii.tumblr.com/post/3360025995)

Enjoy!

A thought...

One of my best friends really doesn't like ska. 

Actually, quite a few people I know seem to feel fairly indifferent towards it. Which I totally don't understand! How can you not enjoy it?! It's just so happy & uplifting! Big love. Especially for this song at the moment (although having just watched the official video I don't think it really does it justice. But hey ho). 

What are your thoughts on Ska? Love, Hate, or somewhere in the middle? 

My picks from Tumblr #2

Love this outfit. 

Adore the wings on these birds.

(Again, none of these pictures are mine but if you'd like to, visit my Tumblr for click-throughs, sources & shizzle). 

Ghost Bikes

I read a small snippet about Ghost Bikes in a piece of press recently (I forget exactly where...), and after having a look around the website think it's a lovely, if slightly sad idea that's totally worth telling people about. 

"Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists' right to safe travel."

The Ghost Bikes were originally set up in St Louis, Missouri in 2003 but soon made their way across the pond. 


"The ghost bike movement began when Patrick Van der Tuin saw a vehicle hit a woman in a cycle lane in St Louis. He later placed a white bike there with a notice saying: "Cyclist struck here."
ghostbikes.org/press 

Passing it each day, Van der Tuin was impressed that drivers took note and slowed down."

It's scary just how many people are knocked off their bikes every year, and devestating how many die as a result. 

Anything that helps people to remember cyclists, slow down or just take more time to look out for them is amazing. To do it in such a visually striking way just makes it that much more amazing. 

"Ghost Bikes now operates in 43 countries and 75 cities worldwide".

Naked Leopard

I was going to title this Nude Leopard, but naked just sounds so much better :) 

(I am, of course, referring to my nails this week): 

Have been up to all sorts recently. Went down to the 'bourne to see the Mother, Brother & Dog & generally chillax by the sea...

Then after a super swift turnaround, it was off to see some lovely London ladies for film-watching, drinking & eating far too much & general good times! Oh, and a spot of nail admiration, obviously...

These were both done by the lovely Dani, who's website you can find here. 

Apart from that, it's been fairly quiet...but in quite a nice way :) 

Something I plan on trying next week

Devilled Chicken
(Real Fast Food, Nigel Slater)

For two, with green salad:
2 cold chicken legs (or as I plan on using - a whole bunch of skinless chicken strips...but why argue)


For the paste:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
2 tablespoons fruity chutney (mango preferably)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or mushroom ketchup
A good shake from the Tabasco bottle


Mix the ingredients to a paste. Slash the skin and flesh of the chicken with a sharp knife and spread the spicy goo over the meant and inside the slashes. 
Grill, 10cm (4 inches or so) from the flame, till sizzling and hot right through - about 10 minutes, turning once. 


Chicken cooked in this way makes a wonderful sandwich. Slice the meat from the bone while still warm and pile into a crusty roll or soft floury bap, then spread with lashings of mayonnaise and a few crisp green leaves. 


I was personally planning on making this with chicken strips, and serving with couscous and salad. However, reading about the possibility of having it in a crusty roll is making my mouth water! Perhaps something for lunch the day after? 


It should look a little something like this: 

(Pictures to follow, promise.)

My picks from Tumblr, this week.

(None of these photos are mine - visit my tumblr for links, click through's, credits & shizzle).   

This one made my mum laugh :) 

Recently...

Playing (and winning!) scrabble at the Fitflat - what can I say, we're pretty wild...

A day of mooching around Southbank with Sj

& Simon

We went to the Press Photographer of the Year 2010 exhibition (which I would highly recommend! It's free, and totally worth a visit). 

I spent the day in Camden with Leanne, and after a spot of chinese & impulse buying, we spent many happy hours in a really cute cocktail bar...

Thanks to the legendary Leanne Effect (and happening to know someone who had just started work there), we got the happy hour prices all night long! 

Totally worth a re-visit. 

I've also been putting my culinary skills to the test, and made my first Mac'n'Cheese! It wasn't quite as good as The Mothers, but there again, what is? 

There are about 4 dishes I can claim to make pretty well, but if someone stays for more than a week it's pretty much destined to be beans on toast after day 5 :) 

I've also been working on my nails a bit more, and collating all the pictures into one (online) place. The oh-so-wittily named nailing-it*. 

I wish I'd thought of taking pictures of my nails right from the start, but oh well. I just thought it might be nice to see them all together, especially as it's rare for more than a couple of days to go by without someone commenting on them/asking how I did them/if they're wraps (definitely not!)

But check out, enjoy & let me know if anyone tries any/has better designs I can steal adapt...

*Feel free to throw any better nail-related puns my way...

My favourite fashion item?

I Heart Scarves by starryeyed featuring a wool shawl

What would yours be? xo