Picture Postcard

Kensington Market rocks my socks. This vibrant and quirky district of Toronto was my base whilst staying here. This place is always buzzing, the streets bustling and music bouncing on every corner, it's like a massive fiesta everyday. Feed your face with gut busting sweet treats from Wanda's Pie in the Sky, buy kitch homeware, beautiful cards and lovely gifts from Blue Banana before visiting Good Egg for all you literacy needs, including the secrets to baking the perfect Wookie Cookies! On Sunday's the whole street is pedestrianised and filled with independant stalls selling international food, forgotten fashions and hand crafted creations. Vive le Kensington Market!

Pass me the Sangria

After the excitement of yesterday’s events, today has been a much more chilled affair. Work was standard fare, we're in a bit of a lull at the moment, photoshoots are wrapped up, brochures printed, collections presented for another season. We all have a chance to catch our breath before it all kicks off again. A sunny stroll through the English countryside with the boy (that's the horse... boys are another conundrum entirely) was just the right end to the day. 

Ambassadors of Badassery

So today is the day boys are chiselled into bad ass specimens of men. The anticipation has been somewhat overwhelming and my palms are clammy. We went for an early showing, thinking we were clever avoiding the queues and general hysteria... turns out other people had the same idea. Forget the sugary drinks and unnecessary snacks; we made a b-line for the screen on a mission to find some premier seats. Move kid, the fan girls have arrived. In the next three hours we embarked on nothing short of a religious experience. Usually i'm left deflated after viewing hyped up films, not this time!

Minty Fresh

The latest addition to my waning wardrobe are these super sweet mint stripe shorts from Topshop... or at least they were originally. I'm currently trying to save all the pennies i can, but i'm finding it hard to supress my urge to buy, therefore I've rekindled my love affair with Ebay. The way i see it, i'm not actually buyyying stuff... i'm sort of just trading stuff i don't want for stuff i do, and a fraction of the store price! Example, i sold a pair of shoes i haven't worn in donkey's years for a tidy sum, and in exchange i bought these shorts whilst still keeping a bit of a profit. Alan Sugar has nothing on me. Let's just hope it stays sunny long enough for me to wear them.

Fat Friday

Well here we are again, it's Fat Friday. I've found myself in a very familiar place, letching over the Johnnie Cupcakes stall. However, there's a birthday girl in the office today, and that's a good enough excuse. What's a birthday without cake!? Not one i'm willing to partake in that's for sure. So here we have a selection of colour coordinated champions, Banoffee Pie, Double Chocolate, Vanilla Bean and for the birthday girl, a New Yorker. Applying to my face right now!

Like a Virgin

My attic is like a time capsule, a trip up the ladder provokes a similar air of excitement to what i imagine Howard Carter experienced when he stumbled across ole King Tut. Lost toys, unwanted presents, old furniture i remember hiding pennies in as a kid, oh still there, score! Tonight i made a discovery of Machu Picchu proportions, the 50 Shades of Grey of the 90's, Madonna's Sex book. Outrageously scandalous when released, the foil wrapping and metal covers concealed page after page of crude stories and seedy pictures. It's actually hilarious it was such a big deal, and even funnier to read. I'm claiming it as some light hearted bed time reading.

Picture Postcard

This was taken on my first day in Toronto, also known as the 30 hour adventure bender. My friend Fiona picked me up from the airport; we dumped our bags at our hostel and unleashed ourselves upon Kensington Market for what marked a 12 month reunion and the start of 5 weeks of frolics. The day was hot and humid, music was bouncing and people were buzzing. We stuffed our faces with Big Fat Burrito, drank into the wee hours, danced to a band in the street whilst rain poured upon us and lightning lit up the sky like Christmas before performing a rendition of Mambo Number Five with a local Rasta. Awesome. 30 hours absent of sleep later i still felt invincible. Jet lag? Bitch please, i'm god damn turbo hard.

Live, Dream & Design in CMYK

This time last year i'd finished four years of Uni, i graduated in fine style, had to say goodbye to a lot of lovely people and was about to enter the post graduate world of work. It was also about this time i finally decided to get inked. It had been on the cards for quite a while but being such a fickle soul, i wanted time to make sure i really did want it. I have a penchant for graphic design and design for print... it's what i spent my time at Uni dabbling in and is in fact what i do day to day at present. This tattoo reminds me of a really awesome time in my life; it holds a lot of memories and is my own little bit of design geek porn.

Monday Motivation

Ok so i normally wouldn't indulge in lunchtime binges until Friday, but this Monday is dragging like a drag queen dragging on a fag. My self control is low. My mind is wandering. I've started chewing the inside of my mouth. Oh hellooo Peanut Butter KitKat, you chunky champion!! Holding it aloft like a golden becon of hope, these five minutes of victory are mine.

Old Faces Never Change

Here's to another lazy Sunday. The sun is finally out and i WILL get my fair share of UV exposure god damn it!! Spending a few hours down by the river basking on a rock until Crows steal either my snacks or my spleen is the flavour of the day. The river is also a great place for people watching, the sun brings a whole host of pasty faces out, some which we haven't seen since our college days... wowza, what happened!?  

My Secret Life

Sometimes i feel i lead a bit of a split life... There's the me that loves going out with the girls, buying pretty clothes, wining and dining, random adventures and generally having a hoot. Then there's the me that throws on any old crap, spends several hours getting dirty and sweaty, tries to coax an animal 10x the size of me to do as i'd like him to before donning my penguin suit at the weekend for a prize in the pompous pageantry. It's a part of my life i don't disclose too readily... mainly cause i'm not sure most people whould understand. Today was one of those days, me and 'the beast' went to Burgham Horse Trials. I won't bore you with the details, but here's a picture of us doing our thing.

Fat Friday

Today's Fat Friday treat came courtesy of this insanely chocolaty muffin from Out of the Woods, a lovely little independent in Leeds that does some really delicious food. Soft sponge, chocolate chunks the size of marbles and an oozy chocolate centre; it's all very much appreciated! Everyone seems to be having that Friday 13th feeling, let's get those endorphins buzzing!

Picture Postcard

In April i started my application for a Canadian work visa, well... it finally got approved!! I'm so so excited i think i wee'd myself a little, i plan to fly out next February so let the countdown commence. A good friend went out last year and absolutely loved it, i went to meet her last September and we did a bit of travelling around the East of Canada and the USA. We had such a good time; i have some awesome memories, collected some pretty vintage postcards (one is above) and met some fabulous people. It's something I’ve always wanted to do, so here i am, taking the plunge. There's so much planning to do, so much to look forward to, i can't wait for my adventure to start. I want to live every minute of it.



Coralicious Tips

I got a bit creative with my nails last night, the 'distressed' effect was convincing no one. I have quite the collection of nail polishes, most acquired at those handy 3 for 2 sales to make up numbers. I love using Rimmel 60 seconds nail polish, the shape of the brush means it goes on in one quick sweep and with a good base and top coat, lasts really well. I chose Coralicious and Grey Matter for a fun interpretation of a French tip.

Alice the Camel

If i don't go on holiday, at least i can reap the benefits of my friend’s excursions. I'll have a whole bunch of novel key rings by the end of the year. One such kumpel returned today bearing this rather fetching addition to the plastic wonderland my keys are buried in. Makes me want to break out into that catchy Camel song we used to chant at school, you know the one...

Alice the camel has one hump.
Alice the camel has one hump.
Alice the camel has one hump.
So go, Alice, go.

Alice the camel has no humps.
Alice the camel has no humps.
Alice the camel has no humps.
Now Alice is a horse

Beach with a side of sea please

Holiday is the buzz about the office today. People going, people returning, people booking, everyone's on it! I didn't think i'd be so bothered, i'm saving for big adventures next year, but floods of holiday snaps and bronzed skin adorning my news feed is turning me green with envy. Green however is better than transparent, no? I think the beach is calling.

Peppermint Humbugs

In the midst of Murray madness, today is turning out to be a very lazy Sunday. The best kind of Sunday. I've pitched myself in a sunny spot in the garden amongst these peppermint humbug flowers... well, that's what they remind me of anyway. Armed with a box of Strawberries and a ginger beer, i'm ready to waste the day away. At least the plants seem to be enjoying the weird weather we've been having recently, it's verging on jungle-esque. I probably should have laid a trail back to the house.

Impromp-shoes

I hate going shopping with an agenda, in my experience it always ends in bitter disappointment. The striped Breton top you wanted was everywhere last week, but now you'd have more chance of finding gold at the end of a rainbow. If you are so lucky as to find one, don't get too jazzed, it will never EVER be in your size. An impromptu trip into town delivered today. As me and a friend unleashed ourselves upon the Zara Sale these orange beauties shone out from a chaotic pile of footwear, my size, score! They make a welcome summery addition to the many shades of black i've been rocking recently.
Today's life fact; Impromptu shopping always delivers.

Fat Friday

It's now July, so why does it feel like April!? The rain has completely washed away any hopes of summer and a tan, therefore other fountains of happiness must be sourced. Que Fat Friday. I've gotten in to the habit of treating myself at lunch on Friday, a sort of indulgent reward for surviving another weeks work. Today, cupcakes are on the cards. A selection of Raspberry Ripple, Double Choc and Very Lemon Berry from Johnnie Cupcakes, to share... obviously