The Folly

Hello! This is my first post of the new year (!), that feels a little odd to write as it already seems that we are well ensconced in 2015. Anyway January has been busy. My mum is getting married next week so menu planning has been on the agenda (with the exception of a roasted pig, for the meat eaters among us, we are cooking it all!). Puddings, salads and cakes have been filling my brain.

I've also been filling my brain with thoughts of the magazine that I am putting together with George & Josh. I posted about it some time ago now but finally it's forming up into a conceivable project! We had to have a slight re-brand/name change before we even really got started due to the new University of the Arts London magazine being called Artefact (and seeing as I studied there that just wouldn't do to keep it). Nevermind! We're now The Folly (a much better name I think). We've also changed tack slightly since I last wrote about it.  Each issue will explore a different medium. We've had lots of great submissions for our first issue which is exploring short stories and I've even written a story which is a bit of a first.

We're now onto my favourite bit, putting it all together! We've been taking notes from some of our favourite publications of yesteryear. I have several copies of The Saturday Book (I'm also always after more if you spot any..), a wonderful collection of miscellany. Articles range from photo diaries from Japan to a story of two otters that live under an American ladies bed in West London. I have prized the first two I owned for many years, they originally belonged to my dad and I've carried them from house to house. Whilst at university it occurred to me that such a publication really should be re-visited. It manages to be silly, serious and wonderfully surprising all at once. 

We also been studying 60s & 70s issues of Ambit (which is still going) and various other poetry pamphlets and magazines from the 70s that we own. What I love about them all is the amazing typography and slightly wonky typesetting! I can only hope that we can turn The Folly into something as delightful. 

I've always hankered after running a magazine. Since we were very small my brother, George, and I have manufactured mad little magazines (now I guess they'd be called zines). We started with Arte-Attacks, a magazine for our toys that had been nibbled by our dog Arty. It offered advice and support to help them recover (I warned you we were barking). Later on The Ladock Times, a pastiche on our then village magazine. Thus this project seems to play to many of our shared interests. We both have magpie tendencies and have always love collecting together stories, pictures, poems (etc etc) to share with one another so it only seems right to share these with everyone! We are of course always wanting more submissions, if you have a short story that's just waiting to be published of you just want to know more about the project / contribute to future issues email thefollymagazine@gmail.com

I put my ensemble together thinking about what I'd wear if I was the EIC (editor-in-chief) of an up and coming magazine (which I guess I could say I am..). The dress was made by my mum and features my face on the skirt (all EIC's have got to promote themselves #personalbrand). The necklace was also made by my mum, the EIC must always have a watchful eye on all staff and contributors... 

Glasses are also a must. I'm not sure I've ever worn mine in any of my posts before. I can hardly see a thing without them but really dislike wearing them as I feel they make me look a little too serious.

The other very exciting thing to happen which is not unconnected is I had my first feature in Little Thing magazine. It's a very sweet magazine based in China. They have had lots of people contribute to them who I love, including Natalie Lete, so I was very happy when they asked me to do a 7 days of style. I'll post some more of the pictures later this week but here are the magazine spreads. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to translate the captions but an English translation booklet was included! You can buy copies of the magazine here. 

I hope you are all well. I have lots of posts planned for the next few weeks, including lots of wedding pictures, so no more long pauses!

I leave you with amazing funk from Cymande

Linking up with the scarf Share-in-Style

Outfit Details

Dress - Penny MacBeth

Headdress - Penny MacBeth

Bracelets - Penny MacBeth

Necklace - Penny MacBeth

Russian scarf - charity shop

Bavarian folk dancing clogs - car boot sale

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Snow Baby

 I had extremely grand plans for these pictures. I dreamt that a thick layer of snow would fall and the woods behind my house would be crisp white and prefect for snapping frosty photographs in. Alas this did not happen. Despite most of the country being blanketed in white, Cornwall is not (though it is uncharacteristically cold and last night saw our first, and perhaps last, frost of 2014!)

Another slight hinderance was the lens on my poor camera has broken (any help would be appreciated) so these were all taken on my iphone (!). I really hate the quality of them but I really wanted to get this post done before the fall of 2015!

All that aside I had fun snapping these pictures in my garden earlier. The weather was delightfully crisp and fresh; very fitting for my ensemble. The outfit was mostly inspired by some wonderful Christmas cake decorations that belonged to my Grandma; tiny little 1930s snow babies, carol singers, Santas and Polar Bears. 

Source: 1

A little research reveals that they were made by a German company called Bisque. We have a whole host of characters including two very amusing dancing polar bears. Each year we bring them all out and start by choosing our favourites to adorn the cake, gradually they all make it on as we feel sorry for the ones left in the box. Needless to say our cake looks pretty crackers when complete (this year we went all out and added Marzipan fruits).

Prior to the icing of the cake my mum and I on went a last minute shopping spree (around the charity shops) and popped into a, usually rather expensive, vintage shop in town. Hanging on the sale rail we  found these amazing Angora leggings. I've always wanted a pair of fluffy white thermals so they were snapped up and put away until Christmas day. Although I wasn't surprised when I opened them, I was delighted. They are the warmest item of clothing I've ever owned, and therefore probably the most practical, although I do feel very silly in them, very much like a giant snow baby might feel in fact. 

The cardigan is v.fancy, 100% Cashmere no less, and was a gift from one of my mum's lovely friends. It is the perfect compliment to my snowball leggings. Here I am prancing atop a Christmas cake.

Even better than the fluffy leggings are my boots. They are 1930s lace ups and were a Christmas gift last year. I love them so much, they are both the perfect fit and SO gloriously comfortable to wear. I truly wish boots like this were still made today.

I'm yet to actually sample any Christmas cake as I'm not much of a fan (I really can't abide sultanas, currants or raisins in combination with cake products) I much prefer a slice of my mum's marvellous New York baked cheesecake, another family heirloom passed down from my Grandma . It's delicious especially when combined with a crafty activity such as a making a snow globe. I've got very in to making them this season (I've made three already). They are surprisingly easy and make a lovely last minute dinner party gift.

Here's how:

Materials

An old (but clean) jam jar and it's lid

1 tablespoon of Glycerine

A jar full of boiled and cooled water

LOTS of glitter

An Assortment of Christmas cake decorations (trees, robbins, holly- or less seasonal items!)

A glue gun

Method

Carefully glue gun your decorations to the inside of the jam jar lid and leave to throughly dry.

Fill the jam jar with the water and Glycerine and stir. Then add the glitter!

Screw the lid on and glue gun around the seal to make sure it's firmly sealed.

Shake and tadahhh!

*it's very important to boil the water and let it cool as it'll purify it and therefore stop lots of bubbles forming at the top of the jar!

I do hope you all had a wonderful festive season, I'll see you again in 2015.

Cheerio!

Linking to What I Wore Wednesday

Outfit Details:

Faux fur hat - Christmas gift several years ago

Vintage Angora leggings - Local vintage shop

Vintage Italian neckerchief - Belonged to my Great Auntie

100% Cashmere cardigan - Gift from a friend

Lace top - Christmas gift via a Charity shop

1930s lace up leather boots - Christmas gift last year 

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The Christmas Sprout

 It's tinsel season again so in celebration I have dressed up as the much maligned and misunderstood vegetable; the sprout! I have to say I'm a big fan of sprouts, although I haven't always been. I have, over recent years, found a number of recipes that cheer them up royally. I adore them sauteed in butter with cumin and nigella seeds (SO delicious). For the more adventurous sprout eaters among you try some of these Yotam Ottolengi recipes, I can wholeheartedly recommend the sprout risotto.

This very silly outfit was found in Lidl of all places, I think it's intended for a large child but I loved the luscious green and took a gamble that it might fit! The hat was a Christmas present last year and has come to be known in our house as The Sprout Hat. It's incredibly warm and always makes passersby giggle. The funny little red boots I found at a charity shop in the summer for the grand sum of £3! They are Hungarian folk dancing boots, I'd been after a pair for years but not wanted to pay the usually enormous price tag attached. They are 1960s ones, with very plastic soles, not all that comfortable but they are great for prancing around in at home.

The photographs were heavily inspired by everyone's favourite Christmas grump; The Grinch. I love his mad expression!

Source: 1

All that is left to say is Merry Christmas! I hope you all have extremely Jolly ones filled with love and hopefully a baileys or two! I'll be back with some more seasonally inspired photographs after Christmas. Joining in with the Christmas Share in Style.

Outfit Details

Kids ski suit- Lidl

Faux fur hat - River Island

Sprout earrings and brooch - Claires Accessories

1960s Hungarian folk dancing boots- car boot sale

Tinsel wig- Lameta from The Range

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The Earthly Paradise

I recently spent the weekend in London. Whilst there I visited the William Morris exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and it has re-ignited my love for Morris and his band of merry followers. If you haven't visited (and are able to) I thoroughly recommend it. Not only are there a delightful and delectable selection of objects but it is all curated in such a loving and thoughtful manner, it left me feeling utterly inspired and with a long list of people, objects and themes to research!

I particularly loved two items; this beautiful iridescent vase by William de Morgan and this sweet wallpaper designed for a nursery by C.F.A Voysey called The House That Jack Built.

Sources: 1, 2

On my arrival back in Cornwall, the tree branches were bare and a crisp chill had set in the air; winter had arrived. These photographs were taken in my mum's garden and are very much inspired by the pictures of Morris, his family and friends in the garden at The Red House. 

 Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

I wanted to celebrate that beautiful cusp between Autumn and Winter and my mum's garden is the perfect place to engage in such celebration. My mum's grassy lawn is a wonderful array of moss, clover and strange yellow mushrooms which make padding across it like walking on thick pile rug, close up snaps of it form the border for these photographs.

The outfit was inspired by Morris and Burne-Jones in the picture above and a little by the outfits of the children in The Secret Garden (both book and film).

 Source: 6

  I've been after a pair of velvet breeches for many years, these ones were a recent find at a Vintage Flea Market and they are an absolute dream; the perfect fit and colour. The tweed waistcoat is another recent find. Purchased in Oxfam, there is also a matching tweed jacket, I haven't taken them off since I bought them last month. I've recently taken to a sort of dapper gent look, I've always enjoyed dappling in cross-dressing but for some reason this year I've felt particular drawn to menswear. The shoes were also from Oxfam, a lady had donated her entire collection of brogues to the shop and I bought two pairs, both hardly worn and only half a size too big (one has to suffer for dandyism!) There were another pair, a slightly lighter brown, which I wish wish I hadn't left behind, I'm just secretly hoping somebody I know has bought them for me for Christmas!

The shirt is Bavarian, I bought it in the summer from a friend's car boot sale stall. It's striped cotton and has little embroidered chickens on the front; I love the voluminous sleeves, they feel so theatrical. The cravat belonged to my mum in the 1980s and has been the source of much fighting between my brother and I. I originally owned it, then he nabbed it for a Halloween costume (a dead Lord Byron) and now I have reclaimed it, all be it with a little more fake blood attached.

This post has taken inordinate amount of time to put together due to a number of dull details that I shan't bore you with but I will say that over the last few days I have gained a greater appreciation for the transiency and effervesce of life and objects. This weekend for several reasons I will be staying as far away as possible from my computer. I'm going to take a long walk, inhale deeply and appreciate the details because as William Morris said 'the true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.'

I hope you all have happy weekends and enjoy being outside: the crunchy leaves, the damp dusky smells and the crisp, fresh air.

Linking to Visible Monday

Outfit Details

Striped and embroidered Bavarian shirt - Car boot sale

1950s tweed waistcoat - Oxfam

Ex-theatre green velvet breeches - Vintage Flea Market

Cravat - belonged to my mum

Vintage brogues - Oxfam

Vintage faux fur hat - Car boot sale

Red Christmas bow - The Range

1960s reversible tartan cape - Charity shop

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