double explosions

...otherwise known as double exposures.

after seeing a tutorial on how to do this in photoshop, i can't stop. i'm not that great in photoshop yet but i'm trying to learn a new trick every day or so. what i love about lomography cameras is that you can do multiple exposures on one frame, that's what hooked me on the holga when i was a teenage. of course, doing it digitally does feel a bit like cheating but there is the plus of not wasting film on potentially bad shots. 

fitting room katie meets old door near old street station in london.

nude on a spanish beach meets craggy early spring gardens in richmond park.

what do you think? 

are there any good photoshop tutorial sites i should check out?

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rainy nights mean craft nights

i am totally enchanted by the incredible things you can make out of paper. one of the ladies i work for at the artyard is a master of this medium. the entire studio is filled with papier-mache creations from life-sized deer heads, dainty designer shoes to paper roses and cakes. last night i ducked down to the studio for an evening of craft and all i have to say is wow!

when the weather has been such a muck lately, i can think of few things better to do than tuck into and evening of crafting with a glass of wine. 

love this herringbone navy and white fabric, perfect for the outside of this clasp purse with a touch of pink for the liner. it's a bit lop-sided but for my first purse attempt, i think it's pretty alright!

i was surprised how much i got into the paper crafts last night. there is no limit to the things you can make. here is my trio of tarts and cakes i made out of various bits of papers and cardboard.

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pretty in pink

there is a lot of hot neon pink going on lately. i can't get enough of it. i even painted my nails pink today, not something i would normally do on a tuesday morning but it was raining and i finished my work early. bring on the blush, i've very tempted to buy a spray can of my own and touch up a few things around this flat, just not sure if pink is really davey's colour. don't want to scare him!

from top left: neon table legs / ikea hack pots / ikea hack stool / pops of pink

digging the pink?

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self portrait

i always feel bad to leave this place empty when not too much is going on. so i leave you with this drawing for a rainy thursday night. it's my attempt to draw more which really means not that often at all. but i'd like it to be more often.

that cup of coffee in the drawing is steaming, you just can't see it. 

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kew gardens

when you live so close to a place it's hard to make it a priority to go there. kew gardens will always be there, i thought. we'll go, one day. it's still there but finally some friends pinned down a date and rain or shine we'd go. luckily there was more shine than rain and it was a gorgeous day for touring the gardens.

here are a few shots from the day. i mostly used by diana mini that day but these iphone photos will have to tie you over until my film gets back from the lab. 

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cooking french

i have to admit, i'm a bit obsessed with this new cooking show on bbc2, little paris kitchen. think julia&julia in the form of a cooking show. introducing rachel khoo.

synopsis: south-london girl moves to paris with €800, enrols at le cordon bleu cooking school and opens an underground restaurant in her 21 square metre flat. her kitchen? 2 gas rings and a small cooker. the food? amazing!

i went to a similar restaurant in budapest, no name on the door just an apartment with an open plan kitchen. we were seated around the dining room table, our place settings of mis-matched china and silverware, a menu of gourmet yet traditional hungarian dishes (with palinka of course). there was even a piano in the flat, which proved entertaining after a few glasses of wine. i love the idea of an underground restaurant, inviting people into your home for some good cooking! have you been to a restaurant like this? if you know any in london, please let me know.

Source: google.com via Carolyn on Pinterest

Source: bbc.co.uk via Melanie on Pinterest

i picked up her cook book at whsmith the other day for £15 and it's half romantic paris look-book/food porn and half recipes. nicely bound in blue canvas. so far, so good but there isn't much i can cook without an oven (thank goodness we're moving next month!). look this girl up!

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