Launch party low down and ACOFI giveaway...

On Friday I attended the launch party of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration (or ACOFI, as its affectionately known). And this is how it went down...

I wore my electric blue vintage cape dress, and my new high heeled boots*. I spent the day thinking about the party, wondered if I'd see anyone I knew, felt grateful that my mister was joining me.  I met him for dinner after work. We ate pizza's piled with duck sausage and artichoke, San Daniele ham, ricotta, pesto and ruby chard. Delicious. I Broke my (mostly unsuccesful) detox and really enjoyed a caraffe of dry white wine before slipping into my new heels and tottering, precariously, up the road. 


We queued, gave our names with anticipation, even though I had put us on the guest list, then jostled our way to the free bar, admiring the venue's high ceilings and white beams as we went. Carbon neutral Adnams ale and Vodka Tonic in hand, we stood at the front and bopped away to the rthymic folk tones of 6 day riot, who began to play shortly after we arrived. Glancing around the room was entertaining. Black lipstick, blue hair, 10 inch heels, lots of capes, hair piled impossibly high on heads and more rubber wedges than I'd ever seen in my life (mine included). It was brilliant. After the band finished we made our way downstairs, still having not actually met anyone. Although I wish I' have met some more illustrators, I was pleased to see a familiar face in Jess, who i'd met at an Amelia's magazine christmas meet up. She introduced us to Hels Martin, a fellow Amelia's contributor, and her beau. The group of us hung out for the rest of the night, eventually ripping up the dancefloor later. Hells yeah.

There were goody bags filled with customised Moleskine's, Tatty Devine necklaces and Dr Haushka products. Sadly I didnt get one, but there was cake, and I ate plenty of that.  The cake was created by Lily Vanilli, piled high with real flowers and flanked with pearlescent shavings of white chocolate. Stunning.

The Pippettes took to the stage for a stonking DJ set that got everyone dancing, fueled no doubt by the free flowing alcohol.  The Mystery Jets followed with another DJ set which was even better; more dancing, more drinking...you get the idea.

We caught the last tube home, stopped for some chips on the way and eventually fell into bed,  feet throbbing and ears ringing.

It was a brilliant night. So nice to meet some online friends in person. So many creative, eccentric people under one roof. Lovely cake, great music and free drinks. Amelia Gregory? You throw a mean party.

The ACOFI launch party leads very nicely to the ACOFI giveaway. 'Hurray' I hear you scream!

I haven't done a giveaway before, and I have mixed views on them. This is new territory for me so bear with me.

As a thank you for reading my blog, and in celebration of the official launch of the book, I am giving away one copy of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration, plus issue 7 of the magazine and some Amelia's postcards**. As I have already said, the book is truly a work of art. Each and every page is designed beautifully, the illustration is breathtaking, the designers inspiring. In fact I think this is one of the most beautiful books I own. The magazine is almost as lovely as the book, and having thumbed through every page of the magazine, on several occasions I thought it was time for somebody else to enjoy it.  

To enter, please leave a comment below telling me why you would like to win it and I will draw the winner on the 8th February. Thats it. If you would also like be a follower, that would be nice as it helps me to know how many of you are out there but it isn't a pre-requisite to enter the giveaway.

So, here's to new books and ethical fashion and new friends and my first ever giveaway!

Happy Sunday to you.

x

* I unfortunately didn't bring my camera. If I can borrow photo's from other bloggers I will upload them asap. In fact- were you there? Did you take photo's? Could I borrow yours? I'll credit back really clearly, promise.


**I was going to give away a whole pile of stuff that i've been collecting for you (the book as well as some vintage and handmade stuff) but I have decided to split the goodies up. I don't want to dilute the brilliance of the book, and there may be people who want the book but not the other fiddly bits.  So, I'll start with the Amelia's goodies, and then when I get to 200 followers (gulp) I'll do another Thankyou giveaway. Phew. Overcomplicated?! Maybe.

Reasons why January and February are good.

I have decided to resist my normal January grump.  A moratorium. I  will not succumb to the gloom, I will not talk of debt and cold and dark. (*repeats indefinitely*) 


There are actually lots of brilliant things that happen in January and February, things that distract from the constant cold and drizzle, things that are perhaps sometimes a little lost in the gloom. I have been making a mental list of these things as I trudge through Soho, in the cold and drizzle and dark in the morning. Reciting them in my mind. And I thought i'd share them below. 


The preparations for Chinese New Year.  Innumerable lanterns strung between buildings.  I didn't notice at first, my umbrella shielded them from me, and I was too busy thinking about my day. I glanced upwards and caught my breath. A grin, an instant party, even at 8 o clock on a Monday morning. 

My God daughters Birthday. Her birth, just over a year ago,  means that from now on the beginning of January will be tinged with a rosy glow. Be gone early January blues, for Florence was born!

Burns night. We enjoyed a lovely Burns supper with friends, the first of many I hope.  I got carried away buying oat cakes and Scottish cheese from Neals Yard Dairy; baulked at the bill,  realised later that it was so worth it. Haggis from the butcher; earthy, sausagey, surprisingly tasty, with smooth mash and delicious roasted roots.  Scottish fiddle music and attempts to recite Burns poems in the correct dialect (I will be better at this next year!)


Pancake day. Oh pancake day. It looms large for me, one of my favourite events of the year. Cheap and delicious, easy to multiply for friends, made in minutes and an instant crowd pleaser. Lemon and sugar or experimental concoctions involving yogurt and bacon. Either way I'm a very happy girl. 


The light. Its mostly dark but when it shows up, the light at this time of year can be utterly breathtaking. Blue with violet undertones. Strange, bright, sometimes eerie.

Things that grow. Despite the seeming silence on the surface, there is a flurry of activity underground.  Snowdrops bloom, Narcissi push up through the soil. And some of my favourite vegetables are currently thriving; Cabbages, Jerusalem Artichokes, Beetroot,  Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Chard, Chicory...


January detoxing has led to unexpectedly cheap nights out. Experimenting with non-alcoholic cocktails with a friend. Tap water with our meals instead of wine. A pleasant surprise when we look at the bill leads to further plans for alcohol free outings.

The early darkness and cosy nights. Finishing the day with my mister at the kitchen table. Lentil and sausage casserole and the radio, the candles flickering.

And of course Valentines. I don't like traditional Valentines celebrations but I am planning on doing something different this year. I am going to write about it for Amelia's if I can get my act together....

So. There it is. My lets be positive about January/February post. Who'd have thought it.

 Have I missed anything? Do tell...

(Give away post really is coming soon, promise)

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

If you happen to follow me on twitter then you will already know that before Christmas I ordered and received my copy of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration. You would also probably know how excited I was about this book. It is written by Amelia, for whom I've been writing articles for  for over a year, and someone I'd now call a friend. It also combines two of my big loves; Illustration with ethical fashion. Oh my.

The book is beautiful. Insightful interviews, inspiring designers and beautiful illustration, it is a delight. Below are some of my favourite pages (used with Amelia's permission)

Katie Harnett

Faye West

Michelle Urvall Nyren

Natasha Thompson

Lovely, isn't it?

If you like clothes, inspiring design and beautiful illustration, you will love this book.

The best part, however is that when I met Amelia before Christmas she gave me another copy of the book as a thank you. I love the book but I don't need two, so I've decided to give one away to one of you, as a thank you for following my ramblings. Hurray! (details will be announced soon)

Happy Tuesday to you

x

P.s Just to clarify this is in no way sponsored.

Starstruck.

It was only the other day that I was pondering upon who add to my 'people with whom i'd like to have tea list' on Pinterest*. Of all the potential addendum's (Barack Obama? Mother Theresa?) I perhaps chose someone slightly unexpected, in the form Dick Strawbridge. He of 'Coast', 'Its not Easy being Green' (Ace program about sustainable living) and  'Scrap Heap Challenge' fame. He who wears the handlebar mustache crown with pride. Just two days after proudly adding Dick to my list, I received an excited phone call from my mister. Not only had he seen Sire Strawbridge in Soho and approached him to say hello, he then asked him for an autograph for me! 

Best husband ever. 

P.S I made some changes to my blog over the weekend (many are ongoing).  My mister helped to turn my drawings in to my new header. Lovely man. What do you think?

*Are you on Pinterest? I just joined.  Shall we be pin buddies? Find me here. 

2011 trend spotting...

I stumbled across a trend spotting website recently. My mister and I found it strangely fascinating, and whiled away a good hour flicking through the slide show in bed with our cups of coffee on Sunday morning.  Some of my favourites are below with some rambling* commentary.

Genius. 

The cult of the DVD? The Book purists? I'm not so surprised by this. But its interesting.

This one is for my Husband. He is on his 5th brew and they have all turned out fantastically. I'm very proud of him. (Beer brewing post coming soon!)

Nail bling is where its at. Word. 

Bizarre but oddly comforting. 

The end of the traditional 'season' in fashion. I'll be pleased to see a quicker runway to retail timeframe, how about you?

This one got us really talking. We are both going to aim to do this. A few evenings a week with no laptop, phone, TV. What do you think? Good for the soul or massively boring?

I was very pleased to see this in there and really hope that awareness of deforestation becomes truly mainstream this year. 

See the whole slideshow, all 100 slides,  here. 

Happy Friday!

*Blogging was unintentionally light this week,  due to unexpected but very nice socialising. So its been done mostly late at night, bleary eyed. More regular blogging will resume soon.

The London List

My mister and I made a list over the weekend. A list of the places and things we want to do in London this year. Japanese restaurants and Mongolian bars. The deer in Richmond park, foraging on wimbledon common. Brunch in a factory, a summer roof garden crawl, exploring the whole Thames Path. The Prince Charles Cinema, The Royal Festival hall. Small strange museums; of toys, brands and pickled organs. Finding London's best coffee. Wine and cheese nights, festivals and concerts. It was a good list. Even if we don't get round to doing most of it. 

One place we want to visit is the Museum of Everything in Primrose Hill.  I heard that Juergen Teller had taken photographs of the Missoni family in there. Then I saw the photo's and then I died. 

Dazed Digital

New York times

New York Times

 I love the colours and the clutter and the beautiful girls and the light...

Juergen Teller is the bomb. My super all time favourite, in fact. (see more here)

Odd claim to fame: He once took my photo. It's in a book.

Hows Tuesday treating you?

P.S Have you seen PJ Harvey's new video? I love her.

Garland wall

Taking down the Christmas decorations inspired some changes in our flat. One of them is this wall.  I decided to pull all of the garland's from around my flat together to create a garland wall. I like it. I think it can stay. 

P.s Thanks for your sweet comments on the hen post.

Ray's hen soiree...(epic post)

Approximately 4 months ago Ray celebrated the end of her single years with a hen do to rival all hen do's. You might want to get a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable for this one.

It was a three day extravanganza and involved celebrating of some of London's finest gems. It also involved a treasure hunt, fish and chips, afternoon tea, two royal parks, three London bridges, a lot of champagne, a boat trip and nipple tassles.

Ray and I have been meaning to blog the hen do for ages, and I recently received a lovely email from a reader asking about hen ideas which inspired me to finally get round to posting it. Also Ray is blogging about her wedding this week so the Hen do post is a good start.

I decided, somewhat foolishly that the weekends activities would be revealed to Ray in a series of riddles, which I would pen myself. They were in awful rhyming couplets and were accompanied by even worse drawings. (Ray has them all somewhere... shudder!)

Day 1

On Friday lunch time I delivered a mystery parcel to Rays office....

It contained a big coat,  a hat, an envelope containing her first clue and a flask of pepermint tea and a tea cup (to calm her nerves)

The first of the riddles

The riddle told her to go to the middle of Tower Bridge, where someone would be waiting for her with her next clue (and champagne, of course...)

After enjoying the views and polishing off a glass of champers, Ray was given her next clue which told her to go to the middle of London Bridge, where someone else will be waiting for her with her next clue, and yet more champagne...

Ray "where on earth are you taking me?"

Meanwhile, Me and Emily were setting up a picnic in Regents park bandstand....

A few riddles later, Ray on the way to Regents Park...

The Regents Park bandstand is set in a beautiful location near willow trees and a lake. We spread out blankets and quilts on the floor, tied bunting to the bandstand pillars and laid out the crockey. We brought real plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins with us in a wheely suitcase as well as music and speakers. We ate fish and chips alfresco with champagne as the sun went down (this is why Ray needed the coat in the package!)  As it got dark we lit candles in jam jars, it was more lovely than we could have imagined. We bought our fish and chips from the wonderful Sea Shell in Marylebone, by the way, and they deserve a mention for being the best Fish and Chips ive eaten in London. Highly recommended. 

Unfortunately, we didn't realise that Regents Park closes at about 7pm so we had to climb out... oops.

Good skills Ray...

After stuffing ourselves with fish and chips and scaling fences Ray was given her next clue...

The clue told her to told her to go to Kings Cross where we walked (/drunkenly stumbled/ giggled) to Drink Shop Do.

Image via

Once there, we drank cocktails, admired the lovely surroundings, ate a plentiful supply of sweets from the in- store sweet shop and had a lesson in sexy French, ooh la la! 

On a side note, I would also highly recommend Drink Shop Do, it sells lovely vintage and handmade products, runs craft courses and serves afternoon tea AND cocktails (my kind of place)

Day 2

Ray knew nothing of the whole weekend, but for day two she was told to dress glamorously. We went to her flat at about 2pm to drink a glass of champagne together and give Ray her next riddle. 

This resulted in us taking taxi's to The Fan Museum in Greenwich, a wonderful small eccentric museum dedicated to fans. We were joined by a group of rays friends to have afternoon tea in the lovely Orangery which we hired specially.  

The Fan Museum

A fan...

                                         

Ray opening her baked goodies. She is dairy intolerant so 

I made her dairy free scones and cake.

In the background you can see some of the lovely floral murals which cover the walls in the Orangery.

Mmm lemon drizzle cake and scones

Ray was asked to introduce each of her hens by explaining how she knows them and then telling a funny story about each hen (I gave her a few days notice to prepare for this!)  The hens were then each allowed to tell a funny story about Ray in return.  It was hilarious and quite revealing (thank goodness we weren't sharing the Orangery with anyone else!)

Rays other bridesmaid made each hen a goody bag from fabric. Each one had an 'R' embroidered on to it, and contained sweets, party poppers, a CD with Rays favourite music on it and a special cookery book.

Ray opening her party bag

Rays Bridesman put the cookery book together which contained 'recipes' that each of the hens had contributed. Mine included the number for our local curry house, and an 'Im sorry' sausage stew.

The cookery book

 We strictly banned all tacky hen paraphernalia, but Ray was given a special hen cape made from floral fabric. It had some special embroideries on it that I wont share here for fear of offending people, but you get the idea, I'm sure! (Another reason I'm pleased we had the Orangery to ourselves...)

 After afternoon tea Ray was given her next clue...

The clue told Ray to walk to Greenwich Pier where we would be catching a boat...

On the way to the boat...

I love this picture!

We enjoyed a lovely boat journey down the Thames, looking out on London's famous landmarks, and sneakily drinking champagne which we smuggled onto the boat.

 Ray was told to alight at Tower Bridge, where she was given her next and final clue....

We would be going for dinner at Proud Cabaret, London's premier cabaret club which models itself on a 1920's speakeasy.  It is opulently decorated; drapes, candelabra's, mirrors, feathers; it is truly wonderful.

As we feasted on a delicious three course dinner, we were entertained by an amazing selection of singers, dancers and incredible burlesque dancers. 

We had great seats to enjoy the entertainment and watched wide eyed. After dinner, we left our seats and danced the night away to a brilliant in house DJ, then stumbled home in the wee hours.  And thus ended the second day of frivolities.

Me and Ray looking very merry.

Day 3 (are you still with me?!)

As you can imagine, Day three didn't have the brightest start, so the days activities were gentle. When I could finally drag Ray out of bed at some point mid afternoon, we went to Greenwich park to finish off the previous days cake and lie in the sun with the boys.

The weekends activities were organised by me and Rays other bridesmaid and bridesman, a true team effort.  The photo quality is a bit dodgy because we were too busy being excited/ drinking/ squeeling/ having fun, so apologies.

Rays main gift was a wedding quilt which each hen contributed too. 

It was ace. We all had a brilliantly good time. And it was a good tribute to Ray too, I think, which is the main thing. 

If you have any thoughts or ideas please do share below, it would be very useful, I Imagine, for anyone in the midst of planning a hen party.

x