Shoe Love

Sorry that I haven't blogged for the past week, y'know how life gets in the way for us bloggers. 

Just to bring you up to speed, I've started my Accountancy evening class, started learning how to crochet, been to an amazing village farmers' market and start Freshers' Week for my Photography course on monday. 

Last night after reading Kaelah's post on one of her autumn outfits, I searched for a uk stockist of those wonderful Gee WaWa shoes, seriously, I want them so bad, in every colour! They look comfortable enough to wear all day and look great with jeans, especially the wide leg/flare/bootcuts of this season, and with pretty dresses, tights (and cardigans!). 

Aren't they awesome?! 

Though I do love how Kaelah wears hers olive versions with maroon tights.

Admitting defeat, I stumbled across office's website. I've never been on there, but my luck was in, and I ordered a pair for £12 (+£3.50 P+P) that were £65! Wow, BIG discount. 

A bit different, but substantial enough for winter, I'm hoping.  Again, tights, skinny jeans, bootcuts, can see it all happening with these shoes. Love the detail too, and £53 off?!

Hat Pattern on Straight Needles.

So, I promised you a reveal of the hat I've been knitting over the last few days. To be honest, it took me a couple of hours, but I redid it once, and I might re-do it again and use the same lace pattern I did for the scarf. 

The hat, like the scarf, is really simple. Again, it uses Knit, Purl and K2 or P2 TOG. 

This pattern is also for use on straight needles, other than circular of double-pointed (which a lot of hat patterns are for). 

I used the Debbie Bliss Paloma in Mustard, which calls for 10mm (but I used 9mm) needles. It's gives a very elastic finish, which is of course great for hats and gives a perfect fit. 

CO Cast On 

K Knit

P Purl

K2P2 Knit two Purl two

K2TOG Knit two together

CO 56 Stitches.

K2P2 for 8 rows. 

This gives the ribbing on the edge of the hat, making the fit even better.

Knit in Stockinette stitch (K a row, P a row) or in Garter (K all rows) for 26 rows. 

In the hat below, I did about 8 rows of Garter, followed by stockinette starting with a K row on the wrong side, so that the purl rows show on the same side as the first 8 rows of knit (I was experimenting a bit here!) and even when you start decreasing in the next step, continue with the type of stitch you are doing, e.g. if you are using stockinette use P2TOG (on P rows) or K2TOG (on K rows) depending on the row that you are on.

Decrease by K2TOG or P2TOG four times on every row. 

On the first decreasing row, knit(or purl) the 11th and 12th stitch, second row 10th and 11th row, and so on (do count your stitches and divide by 4, and minus 2 to work out how many stitches are in between your k2/p2tog stitches). 

Repeat until you have 8 stitches left, then cut yarn leaving 12" tail.

Pull the yarn through remaining stitches, cinch tight and weave in ends. 

You can pull the yarn through the remaining stitches by using the end of your other needle. When weaving in the ends you can pull the stitches (close to the edge of the hat) apart a little and pull the wool through, making sure to keep it as tight as you can. When weaved to the end, just tie off (either to itself by looping through stitches or to your BO wool). 

(Sorry about the overexposed-ness; dang PhotoBooth!) 

This is on the P side, so you can see the 8 rows or so of K, followed by the ws side of the stockinette and so all the P stitches. 

I showed you a pattern earlier this week for a simple lace-like scarf, here. And this is the finished scarf (or cowl). After getting to the desired length, I bound off, leaving a 6" tail and weaved through the two ends, pulling tight and tying off. I like cowls, there a bit more useful than just a scarf :)

Any questions about either pattern just ask :)

Rebekah

x

Furniture Fridays: Back to Nature

During a little research for tonight's post, I came across these. 

How awesome are these?! I keep trying to work out how it's been done. At first glance it looked like they'd cemented old pieces, then I thought maybe yoghurt? 

Looking closer, its seems to be the same material bio-degradeable seedling pots are made from, a kind of cardboard material that retains a lot of water. 

The artist Kevin Hunt thinks of it as a very changeable work of art, in that it is beyond his control and adapts due to the conditions. 

I just love the idea of sitting on a seat, cushioned by grass. I can imagine a picnic table made like this, love it! 

Rebekah

x 

British Wool Week 2011: Part 1

This week is British Wool Week, celebrating everything that is great about the amazing textile that is Wool, from British herds, with British Designers (and a few italian ones thrown in there too). 

To kickstart this week, La Galleria in London, is hosting "an exhibition that showcases the true versatility of the natural wool fibre. It will feature exclusive creations by renowned fashion designers and interior decorations. It will show wool in all forms of application from fashion to technical and intelligent textiles, to car interiors, safety needs, crafts and the built environment."

It sounds utterly fantastic! It opened today (8/9/11) and runs till the end of the month (29/9/11). If you can get to London, do it, they have over 50 contributors, from Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith to YSL and Alexander McQueen, incredible! 

Wanderlust Wednesdays: The English Seaside

As the English Summer starts to dissipate and gives in to the cold brutal winds, crisp air and beautiful autumnal colours, I can't help but look back on some nostalgic images and musings from a few of my faviourite places. 

I come from Yorkshire, on the East Coast of England, which offers some amazing seaside destinations, such as Bridlington, Scarborough and Whitby. All are absolutely bursting with history, fantasy, fantastic views and walks. 

As a child, I remember being dragged out on those cold and windy days, when you want nothing more than to stay at home in front of the box, or with a good jigsaw. But thinking now, it's those kind of days that shaped your childhood, made the memories and gave you the future appreciation of where you lived, and of course, the plans to drag your kids along blustery cold English beaches.
What part of where you grew up do you particularly love?

Bridlington

Bridlington South Beach

Autumn Clobber

Sorry about the lack in posts the last few days, been a bit distracted by long knitting sessions and back to school shopping, this has also meant a lack of photo taking for my project, dang it. 

After seeing a post by the lovely Rach of So, hi. on her fashion trends for the upcoming weather, I was inspired to do a more british version, for the weather we'll be experiencing in the next month or so. It's also British Wool Week! which I absolutely love, so making sure I wear something knitted that I admire for the skill and quality every day :) 

More on British Wool Week in the next few days. 

I bought this earlier last week, £35 from Dorothy Perkins, and I absolutely love it! The colours are great and it's a really lightweight knit. Perfect for around the house, or out shopping on warmer days. I bought it for when I'm in the studio at college and want something a bit warm to wear that's more substantial than a cardigan, but still light enough to be comfortable. 

Wild Mushroom, Leek and Asparagus Pie

Today's recipe is for another pie! I do like pies round this time of year, not just because they're great comfort food, and come in all different varieties, but that Saturday evening telly is getting good. We have the return of Dr.Who, and also X Factor (which I'm less excited about), and so being able to mix a few ingredients, put some pastry on it and chuck it in the oven, knowing that you will have a good part of a meal in 20 minutes, is very useful and reassuring. It is now becoming more acceptable to be on the sofa, with some delicious food, rubbish telly and a bit of knitting, without being accused of "wasting the warm weather/summer".

A big, warm, cosy welcome to Autumn!

A Shopping Discovery: White Stuff

Hello lovely readers :)

I got myself a great new bit of technology yesterday, an iPad2. I'm overwhelmed by it, but when it comes to bloggin', it's a bit awkward. I think that this might just be a Blogger problem? Anybody else experience this?

Anyway! Today I was out shopping with my ma' in a little market town called Beverly, it's quite up and coming and has shops that we dont even have in Hull. One of these shops is White Stuff and I think I'm in love. When on every hanger it has engraved "Happiness in Every Stitch" I know I'm in the right place.

It's expensive, I must admit. For a dress you're looking at £65, a cardigan or skirt £50 and a top £40, which isn't too bad for a one off purchase, but when you want everything in the shop, it can't be quite an expensive venture.

Below are some images from the inside the changing room, though they are all unique, and some of my faviourite items from their website

Owls!

Furniture Fridays: Beautiful Shelving Units

Hello, and thank you for joining me tonight :)

In the second installment we will be looking at beautiful pieces of furniture in the form of shelving, woohoo! I do think that shelving is a difficult one to get right, filling the right space, with the right colour, etc. And allowing some space for alterations down to colour and pattern whenever you re-decorate. If you get wood shelving, do you sand and varnish, or do you just prime and paint? What about the wall behind?

I love this workspace, dual chairs too! Great use of space too, so useful!

I think this is a fantastic idea, using wallpaper or fabric to line the insides of old crates.

Could even be changed at whim for a new pattern or colour scheme.

Kitchen Garden, end of the Summer.

Hello Y'all :)

We've always grown vegetables and fruit in our garden, especially tomatoes and cucumber in the green house, but this year, we decided to do a little more. The hauls weren't huge, but what we did have was great and has been enough to make us want to do this again next year, with a few changes. 

This year, we grew the following:

Tomatoes, around four varieties

Green Peppers

Butternut Squash

Carrots

Garlic

Sweetcorn

Onions

Leeks

Asparagus

Pak Choi

Potatoes, again, four varieties

Broad Beans

Peas

Runner Beans

Raspberries

Strawberries

(We also have wild gooseberries and brambles/blackberries)

Like I say, not much did well, like the Garlic and Onions which just rotted, sadly. And all of the peas and beans gave us just a few small harvests, not as much as they could have. The potatoes this year where definitely the best, and I was happy with the varieties I had chosen. Next year we will be giving more room over to the potatoes so that we're able to store some for christmas time. 

Pea Shoots, March 11. 

Pak Choi Shoots, March 11, also. 

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Dream Road Trip USA - Part 1

Hello everyone :) Hope you're day is going well!
Welcome to the second installment of Wanderlust Wednesday and the first part of "Road Trip USA". 

Saying that I loved America would be an understatement. Of course, I love living in England, I'm a Yorkshire girl at heart and always will be, but America still holds the notion that you can achieve anything and be anybody for me.

I visited back in 2008 and went to Arizona, saw the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, a lot of scenery and a few malls. Never saw as much as I wanted to, but this was a history trip with school and was fantastic nevertheless. There is so much in America that I want to see, I could stay for a good few years very happily.

When it comes to booking and planning holidays, I know I'm not the only one who loves it. I put in imaginary dates, budgets and check flights. I love it, so today's WW will be the first part of my dream USA Road Trip.

Cardigan Appreciation

I love a good cardigan, in fact, I love almost any cardigan, and I know a lot of you out there do too. They're great any time of the year, hot or cold. They add class, youth, femininity to any outfit and make those rainy days that much brighter.Here is a little collection of some of my faviourites, enjoy!

Above two are Laura Ashley pieces from this summer. 

Such a simple DIY! Love it, must do this. 

Cauliflower Cheese with a kick

I love Cauliflower Cheese, and I alter the recipe each time, adding different flavours, types of cheeses, etc. Here is my basic recipe, with a few suggestions. 

Cauliflower Cheese

CC is a really simple side dish to complete, takes few ingredients and goes with a lot of different foods, I usually have it with some kind of quorn fillet; a meat alternative for others could be something like steak or pork chops. It's also a staple in christmas and special occasion meals.

- A head of cauliflower

- 150g of grated cheddar cheese

- 50g of grated blue cheese, if you wish

- 50g of Butter

- 80g of Plain white flour

- 550ml of Milk (more depending on how thick you want the sauce)

- 1 tsp of mustard, wholegrain or english (I used honey wholegrain)

- 1/3 of a nutmeg grated (1/2 tsp of ground)

- Salt and pepper to taste

1. First you want to cook your cauliflower, so chop into florets and place into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until just cooked so that they're still tender. Start checking with a fork at 5 minutes. When its done, drain into a colander and place over the original pan to drain. Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 6/400F/200C. 
2. Start making your thick, cheesy sauce. To do this you melt the butter on a low, gentle heat in a pan. When melted, add your flour very slowly, mixing with a wooden spoon constantly to prevent lumps. I use a small hand sieve for the flour. Continue to mix until all of your flour has been incorporated and allow to simmer for a minute or so.
3. Now you have a good base in which to add your milk, again, do this very slowly otherwise you'll end up with lumps, and a sauce isn't good with lumps! Continue to stir until you have the consistency you want. 
4. You can add the cheese at this point, stirring as you do so, ensuring that all of the cheese melts. Add your seasonings; mustard, nutmeg and S+P. 
5. Add the cauliflower into the sauce and place into an oven dish, cover with breadcrumbs, some more grated cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Enjoy!

CC lends itself to some great variations, such as adding a tsp of creamed horseradish (instead of mustard), parmesan or gruyere (instead of stilton), even add in some cooked macaroni. 

In need of a good home.

Let me introduce the lovely, Yuki. 

Through some strange circumstances we were left with this cat, no rescue centre can take her as she's not an emergency and no one we know is looking for a cat. 

She's a house cat, unlike mine, and so has never been outside. This is such a strange concept to me, as my cats come in and out as they please, even when it's cold and raining outside, they still go out. However, I'm feeling a little less guilty about having her just in my room for now, she has everything she needs and is used to. 

I feel like she's an orphan, her owner actually went back to Penang in Malaysia and left her with us. Yuki is very timid, she perches on my windowsill (all of 2" wide) and watches everything that is going on, not wanting to get involved. I've been trying to get her confidence by giving her lots of petting; whenever I leave her I feel so bad. I imagine that because she's been on her own for so long that any time I leave, she thinks that I'm never going to come back and starts her delicate meowing, whining for me to stay. How sad is that? :(

We're looking for a home for her; she's about 2 and half years old, a tortoiseshell with a few white markings, very petite and so affectionate, hopefully someone will want her. 

Back To School: The Right Course of Action

  Good Evening, hope you've had a good day :) Tonight I'll be talking about going back to school and what its like for me. 

Two weeks today I'll be heading back to school/college/university. It's actually going to be a new school for me, as I left the school where I had been for the last 7 years back in summer 2010.  I had started a university course in October 2010 in Philosophy and Film, but after illness and difficulties in catching up I dropped out during the Christmas break. It was a good course, but I just hadn't enjoyed the kind of unique environment a university offers and I much preferred a college setting. 

Easy Pattern Scarf

Hello again! Hope you're having a great day :)

As promised, here are some updates of the scarf that I'm currently knitting, you'll find a brief explanation of the pattern I'm using to, so simple, but great results!

The original pattern recommends using two strands of different wool together, as it calls for 5.5mm needles (us size 9). I however just used a single strand of wool that called for 6mm, you can still see the pattern, but I can imagine it being nicer with the lighter weighted yarn. 

The pattern is actually very simple to do, I've been strongly avoiding any kind of pattern where I don't understand the abbreviations! ha! I had actually looked at this pattern before, but ignored it because of that reason, how wrong was I?! If you know how to knit, and how to purl, then you're good to go!

Update: New Knitting Project

  Good evening, Dolls! 

  Today I've been working on a new scarf for the autumn. It follows this pattern and is a light way pattern for when those days are just getting a little colder and don't quite demand the wearing of a thick scarf. And as I've chosen a wool with a lot of oranges, purples, reds and yellows, it's very autumnal to me, lovely!

  A few pictures to come tomorrow so you can see the pattern and the fantastic colour, and also a few images from the vintage market (I seriously can't wait for this!). 

  As always, I leave you with a few images from my pinterest that caught my eye today, have a good day and make the most of this bank holiday if you're in the UK, hopefully the weather will improve. And for those of you in North Carolina/New York/East Coast, keep safe!

Chicken Quorn Pie from Jamie Oliver

   Another simple and lovely recipe, a little adapted, from Jamie Oliver. As I'm vegetarian, I've changed from Chicken Breast/Fillet to Quorn Pieces, but of course, you can still use the chicken, turkey would work too.

Chicken (Quorn) Pie with Wholegrain Mustard

  - 1 - 11/2 bags of Quorn Chicken Piece Small piece of butter and a dash of oil
  - A bunch of spring onions/scallions
 -  1 heaped tablespoon of flour (additional if you wish to thicken the sauce)
  - 150g Button Mushrooms (optional - I used frozen peas)
  - 2 teaspoons of Wholegrain Mustard (or English)
  - 1 heaped tablespoon of Creme Fraiche
  - 500ml of Vegetable stock (chicken if you're not using Quorn)
  - A few sprigs of Thyme (I used dried)
  - 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg (I grated about 1/3 of a whole one)
  - 1 sheet of pre-rolled shortcrust pastry (the recipe calls for puff, but it's your choice)
  - 1 egg

Wholegrain Mustard and Tuna

Marinaded Tuna Steaks

Tuna steaks are a great ingredient which can basically go with anything, today it was a sort of steak grill with oven chips, but you could put them with rice, potatoes, pastas, salads, etc. 

Here is a simple marinade recipe for delicious tangy steaks (can be used for tuna and beef steak).

• 4 - 6 tbsp Olive oil (I used rapeseed oil here, as it's a locally produced oil with healthier properties, but olive oil is just as good in this case)
• 2 - 3tsp Wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin Powder
• 1 - 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper 

1. Get your tuna steaks out and place them in a tray so they can lay flat, check for membranes/connective tissue, etc and trim it off. This is usually done by the fishmonger, but just incase. 
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients. Add extra oil if necessary to get the right consistency. 
3. Simply pour the marinade over the steaks, cover in cling film, and refrigerate for 1 - 5 hours. 

I grill mine on a flat plate, but you could use a non stick frying pan, or even a barbecue. 

Furniture Fridays: Side Cabinets of the last century.

Welcome to the first installment of "Furniture Fridays". Today will be all about side cabinets (how exciting!..No, really!). The functionality certainly hasn't changed, but the styling has, and here is a short history. Enjoy!

"Arts and Crafts" 

1880 - 1910

The "arts and crafts" movement originated in England as a revolt against the lack of craftmanship in the mid 19th Century. It was instigated by the artist William Morris, who encouraged the arts and crafts style, and the "Do-It-Yourself" approach. Here we have a cabinet which is the epitome of DIY "Arts and Craft" Furniture of the time, such as the intricate carving, ornate doors and filigree handles. This is a very ornate piece, showing a great amount of skill. 

This is more common of the era, popular in America due to the simple styling and pure functionality, allowing it to be cheap to produce with lesser skill to more ornate pieces and so being more accessible to those setting up life in America at the turn of the century. 

Tea Party Dress Up

  Today will be a short post as I've not been doing much more than setting up a quarantine tank for my male Ranchu goldfish, Fuji. He's contracted Dropsy yet again, but just on one side. Dropsy is a condition where they cannot regulate internal fluids and it goes in between the layers of skin and scales and makes them bloat out, resembling a pine cone. It puts a lot of pressure on their organs and is a difficult thing to treat. Heartbreaking, but thankfully non-contagious. 

  It is also the second day of my project and today's subject is "What you wore today"; sadly nothing interesting as it was a day of moving tanks about (starting to clear my room a little more), and the plans to head to a Rock night at a local bar was cancelled. However, a simple print is something that I love and today I wore one of my new faviourite shirts.

Update: Here is my Day 2 photograph. 

   I'll update this post a little later with today's picture once flickr and iPhoto decide to co-operate. 

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

Today is the first installment in a series of posts called "Wanderlust Wednesdays". Travel is something very close to my heart, and I adore learning about different cultures through the art, architecture, history and cuisine. Growing up I was lucky enough to travel all over europe, this is what spurred my love of Photography.
    Every week I'll be bringing you posts of my faviourite places to visit, dream destinations, and little getaways.


This week it is, Sorrento, Italy. One of my most faviourite places in the world, a place that I have visited often, and always want to return to. Hope you enjoy!

   First, a few facts. Sorrento is on the east coast of Italy in the Bay of Naples. The area is built on steep cliffsides and hills, allowing fantastic views across the bay to Mount Vesuvius, with the historic site of Pompeii below. The town is steeped in history, enjoys the great weather of most mediterranean coastal towns and is a 3 hour drive from Rome (The Amalfi coastal road is fantastic, and is the most common way to get between Rome and Sorrento; steep, exciting, winding cliff roads with roadside watermelon venders!). 

    When visiting Sorrento, expect quaint cobbled streets lacing through the old town, surrounded by beautiful 4 story buildings, leading down to the main square, Piazza Tasso, with the cathedral, restaurants, and further streets with boutique shops and famous brands. There is a gorgeous antique store in the main Piazza, selling the famous walnut inlay furniture in various forms; from jewellery boxes (with the tune "Torna A Surriento" - Return to Sorrento, famously sung by both Bocelli and Pavarotti) to large dressers and wardrobes. 

Anti-Procrastination.

   In less than 3 weeks I'll be starting a BA in Photography, that means 3 years of studying towards a degree in the subject that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love it because it means so much to me, I think it's one of the most important advances in the last hundred years, from 12 hour long exposures to achieve a grainy picture to perfect images of anything, anywhere. Less than seventy years ago, who would have thought we could achieve an image like the one below?

An image of The Trifid Nebula, taken by the Hubble Telescope, is a stellar nursery. 9,000 light years from here, where stars are being born.

  

    Like seriously? I just think that this is just unbelievable incredible. But until space travel is a regular occurrence and can be funded through goodwill bakes, I will just have to stick to more terrestrial subjects.

    

    The hate comes from finding it so difficult to get inspired, it just happens, so I've always found working to a brief very hard; this is where I will potentially fail in my degree. But I really hope not. Whenever I think of ideas for a project or shoot, it has always been done before, and if you think of taking a more original angle on it, that has been done! Maybe my approach this year will be technique and getting the lighting, subject and setting right above all else. Argh, scary. 

Set in stone

      Good evening! Well, over the last few days I've been making final decisions about the design of my room and making a few important purchases. I've got my beautiful Laura Ashley "Lori Floral" wallpaper (seen in the last post) and I made some decisions on paint colours and have my samples. It was so unbelievably difficult trying to make firm decisions on a colour scheme, as I want it to be very retro, 50s in particular, but still colourful and fun without it being too "flouncy". I also was a bit wary of having too many colours, thinking of sticking to a blue theme due to my wallpaper, then again, I really wanted peach involved.

These are the exact two colours I have chosen; Dulux's "Amber Queen 3" and "Lilac Heather 4" (if you're interested!). 

      The colours are a bit different in reality, especially the lilac, but it still shows a good combo above, well, I believe so anyway! They remind me of pastel shaded sugared almonds, and thats always a good thing. Hopefully the softness will allow for the 3 shades, including the blue of the wallpaper from my previous post. In fact, it makes me think of a lovely sunset, which certainly works!

Introduction to Emily Mary Loves.

         Hello Lovelies! And welcome to my little piece of cyberspace.
Emily Mary Loves is a blog dedicated to the next few years of my life, an adventure through my studies, love life, work life, documenting my inspiration, love of vintage and design. If I love it, it will be here.

     I'll start off with a few images that is currently inspiring me in my latest project that is re-decorating my bedroom (:. Enjoy!

Laura Ashley "Lori Floral" Wallpaper

A beautiful Chunky Knit Elsham Bed Blanket, again from Laura Ashley. 

These fantastic Owl Book Ends, again from Laura Ashley! 

(In a bit of a love affair with LA, atm!)