Same same

Hello there! Nothing new here: same shoes, same tights, same dress, same cardigan... All stock basics. I'm afraid it's terribly difficult to present new outfits constantly when you're on a budget.

However unoriginal, I did want to leave you with some new outfit pictures before I hop off to Alice Springs and leave you all with a bit of peace and quiet. Thankyou for reading, and I hope to  metaphorically see you in about a week!

Love

xox

Sparklers and Sprinkles

The title is pretty self explanatory; there's me as a floating head and chocolate-freckle cookies.

A walk in the park

Nothing beats sunny winter days, where the air is crisp and leaves beg to be crunched underfoot. I was lucky enough to spend my Saturday exploring the New South Wales Gallery and The Royal Botanic Gardens. We managed to squeeze into one of the last days of the Archibald Prize exhibition and I'm so glad we did. As gallery-hopping goes, I am a novice, but twice I've gone to the Archibald Prize and twice I've been astounded. Of course the works are created by extremely talented folks, but what I enjoy most about the exhibition is how much you learn about both artist and muse. It's amazing how some artists can capture an exact feel, a precise moment in someones life and display it on canvas with such accuracy you feel you are right there too. In this aspect Jenny Sages work stood out to me.

         "Jenny Sages’s beloved husband, Jack Sages, died on 1 October 2010.
              ‘For our 55-year marriage I was his woman and he facilitated my need to work in every possible way,’ she says.
‘The MDF board on which this work is painted was the last one he built for me. I used it to make my first and only portrait of Jack. I started it in June last year and finished it on July 18th. He sat for me almost daily on our verandah.’
              Jack is featured with his portrait in the documentary made by Catherine Hunter for the National Portrait Gallery to accompany Sages’s solo exhibition Paths to portraiture, which opened in Canberra in 2010 and tours Australia until 2013.
              Jack served in the British Navy during the Second World War when he was stationed in Alexandria in Egypt. Sages met him in Israel in 1954 while travelling the world after three-and-a-half years at art school in New York. After five days together, they were smitten – though another year passed before they would meet up again and decide to marry."

I think the meaning behind the work is breath-taking. Standing next to it, looking into this man's cheeky eyes, it seemed like I could feel each memory they'd had together, etched into every brushstroke. 

Moon Boy by Tim Storrier was my favourite, I adored the whimsy, the concept and the nostalgia. Describing his self portrait, Storrier states: 

On a nostalgic whim using memories of old lost clothes
I painted them hanging on a structure to resemble a figure
Arranged in ways to suggest the posture, stance and attitude
Informed by the emotions and moods of a youthful self long ago,
Passed

Such method can bring life to the memory of people long gone …
scarecrows of nostalgia …

Aethetically, Matt Doust's White Cocoon was stunning. It's a very large painting, so standing beneath it you can't help but be captivated by Miss Ward's ethereal beauty.

Finally, Amanda Marburg's portrait of crossword

 creater "DA" caught my eye. She took a step away from the norm and I believe in doing so, she really conveyed this man's personality. Her description sums it up well...

"My portrait of him is a study of a man locked in his own mind, obsessed with the way words and letters work and interplay. It was rendered initially in plasticine. Adjusting and playing with the plasticine model before painting it is akin to him pushing his mind and coming up with the nuances and subtle shifts that make cryptic crosswords work."

‘The painting consists of DA in the foreground and a case of knowledge in the background, gridded up and ordered as a crossword is.’

Source for above photos and information: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/archibald-wynne-sulman-prizes-2011/finalists/archibald-finalists/

 

After the exhibition we went for a walk in the gardens and had a blissful lunch in the sun.

Miss Lauren and Miss Hilary locked away for good!

Outfit

Blouse- Vinnie's (Pennant Hills)

Skirt and jacket - 1940's suit

Shoes - Payless (years ago!)

Bag - gift from my Nanna

Glasses - Melbourne

Whoops... : P

All and all, a fantastic day!

Love

Oh... Barracuda

Warning: The following post has nothing to do with Barracuda, predatory fish or any other marine life forms, it was simply on my head that night due to this killer scene in Charlies Angels, who doesn't love a little dominatrix fetish?


Painted my nails for the first time in ever so long and was actually quite chuffed with the result.

Then, as promised, more cooking!! Today, butterfly iced Vo-Vo's, for my overseas readers, I included a link. Essentially they are coconut cookies with strawberry and vanilla marshmallows toasted on top and a strip of jam down the centre.

Perhaps not as pretty as those in the recipe book, but darn tasty!

Love xo

With a little help from my friends

Would you look at that? I'm finally out of my pyjamas! It's true, I'm finally fully clothed and finished my exams, and what better way to end the semester than with a night of debauchery with some lovely ladies!
I'm halfway through my transformation from day-to-night-wear in the above photo, hence why my hair is still pinned up in the snood. (Makes things so much easier, especially when the wind is wicked, like it was in Sydney on wednesday!)
We started the night in Newtown at Moo Gourmet Burgers, I had a Peach Bellini and a cheeseburger with chips.

The drinks looked lovely and certainly sparkly, but didn't really have much of a peach taste which was disappointing.

Loved the wall art!

The portions were nice and big, but we all thought the actual meat patties had quite an intense taste which overwhelmed the rest of the burger. So, while okay, we weren't blown away with the food.  

I tried my hand at some drawing skills! (Yes, it's a half whale, half cow.... a Cohale. Don't ask why.)

As did Candace! Don't you love her top?

The lovely Ivana and her amazing eyes, so stunning.

After dinner we wandered around Newtown, checked out some local shops and revelled in being a bit sinful and silly. (No photos of that sorry, it's strictly on a need to know basis!) Though we did stop in at a delicious gelato joint where Andrea got this mini-pancake wonder!

Jacket - Dotti

Dress - Alannah Hill

Headband/bow - thrifted

Yum, yum, yum!

The night ended with tea at a quaint Italian restraunt, with frankly fantastic lights and photos by the car.

Thankyou for reading, and see you next time!

S'Marvelous S'Marshmallow Pie!

The pink top is in honour of the marshmallows!

Inspired by this adorable Wrigley's advertisement from the 50's, today I made my very own S'Marvelous S'Marshmallow Pie! (The "S's" are because I'm cooking it!)
First up I had to change the measurements to Australian metric ones. So...

• 450 grams Marshmallows (I always thought it was Marshmellows but Wikipedia has proven me wrong!)
• 3/4 American cup of milk (Now, since I have a measuring cup with both metric and imperial, I didn't have to change this measurement. If you are making it at home, just be aware that mertic cups are 250ml and American ones are 240ml, so there is a bit of a difference.)
• 500 mls of cream (It actually translated to 560mls but I rounded down!)
• 100 grams dark chocolate (I was estimating for this part, as I'm not sure how "5 squares" translated to today's sizes. I used 70% cocoa because you need a bit of bitterness)

The recipe is pretty simple.

1. Bake a pie crust (or use a store-bought one)
2. In double boiler, melt marshmellows and milk. When smooth, mix in chocolate until melted.
3. Whip cream, fold in mixture, pour in shell.
4. Chill

     Right, so there are the instructions, however.... upon experimentation I've found that you get a very very runny mixture if you pour the melted ingredients straight into the cream, and this makes putting it in the pie quite difficult (plus you don't get that nice fluffy texture). So, I put the mixture in the fridge to harden up a bit before pouring in. It did stiffen, but not to the extent I wanted and I didn't get that marshmallowy feel. Next time I think it would be best to chill the melted ingredients before folding into the whipped cream.
      Also, though I haven't tried my finished product I can state that it is very very sweet! Even when using the bitterest chocolate I could find. I think next time I'd like to try and even darker chocolate, and a crust with less sugar. Next time I make it I think I'll use less marshmallows and substitute with some even darker chocolate... Maybe even mix in some berries for freshness.
      Alternatively, I think this recipe would be great to use as a base for a Rocky-Road pie! I'm thinking you could add some crushed peanuts to the crust (The salt and savoury might even counteract the sweet) and top with fresh or glacé cherries!

Skirt - Glassons

Top - S.E.S.

Apron - market in Port Stephens

Scarf worn as bow - Myer, Princess Highway

It's very important the chef checks the freshness of all the ingredients used!

 Quality control

My pie crust (turned out okay except for that air-bubble!)

If you've ever wondered what melted marshmallows look like...

 I had extra pie crust so I made some small ones, here's one I prepared earlier...

S'mini S'marvelous S'marshmallow pie! (with a tight nibble taken out of it)

And with a slightly bigger nibble!

I am yet to try the final "big" S'marshmallow pie yet as it's still chilling in the fridge (I'll update later with photos), but I think this recipe was a moderate sucess with room for more tasty improvements! I look forward to experimenting further! Thanks for reading,

Love

xoxo 

Lying in the grass

Before the rain

Some more photos of me and my pyjama's!

Watching the rain

 The best thing about vintage pyjamas are all the extra frills and ruffles! I love these sleeves, if I could, I'd wear it out!

Love xox