Old photos and a mooch down memory lane

I've been sorting out the flat since we decided we're staying here for the foreseeable future- this started with me finding a box of photos from my digital camera that used to be on my walls in sanquahar street. I thought they ought to go in an album. found the albums- and found these beauties!

As a teenager I used to carry around a 90s olympus 35 mm film camera. it was old, decrepit and ate batteries like no-ones business. it was also pretty heavy- so I was surprised I took so many photos and carried this camera even to school! I don't remember doing that! but clearly I did.

this is the school field- I'd guess we were year 10? I'm wearing my marylin manson hoodie so it can't be much before that! I can't get over how young we all look.

This is Kirstie's birthday party- we all look really dressed up! I'm impressed- and very young. I remember Kirstie cooked loads of oriental food and it was delicious- she also introduced us to grenadine and archers with orange juice. which probably accounts for some of the photos.

Reading festival. this was at the end of my first year of college. I think. suggestions for date welcome.. I dyed my hair black- and it looks surprisingly natural. This was the year I burned my face with a flaming marshmallow and they festival staff tried to send me to A&E. I lacked enthusiasm for this. preferring to treat my injury by drinking too much malibu.

Tony wore a dress for a dare- not his normal attire.

sexy, unwashed tent photo.

this is a page of random photos the top right is Tony at reading, next to that Sammie's 6th form portrait, under that Jim with pigtails. doesn't he look adorable?

the one on the bottom right is me on the train home from reading festival. The Tshirt I'm wearing is my Sex pistols tour "pistols at the palace" top. I'm amazed how skinny I am in this photo- that top is like a children's age 10. I'm going to turn it into a pillow case.

This was my 18th birthday party. I don't remember much, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed myself.

Teenage evening Kim's house- possibly for Kim's birthday? looks like we had a nice time anyway- check out my 1950's full skirted petticoat (bottom right). I used to wear that under my 50s dresses.

looks like mooching- around Didcot.

This was on the french exchange- we went to Rob's house- he lived out in the middle of nowhere and had a barn that his parents let us use for a bit of a den- awesome stuff!

more french exchange- although these are a random selection of events.

Bowling- again with the french exchange and all our families- slightly embarrassing!

This is a page of odds and sods- top left is my and my friend Nikki ready to go to a cadettes evening playing dominoes with veterans- I remember someone tried to teach me to play cribbage.

the top photos on the right are photobooth photos- a bit of an early 2000s trend- we used to take photos with a photobooth and stick them into our planners at school- I probably have loads of these stuck into my old planners!

the middle photo was taken on a school trip- in a display.

the bottom photos are of Stoney and Womble- when we were teenagers they used to make "jackass" style videos and end up in A&E rather more than average.

more teenage shenanegans.

the top photos are of a makeover I gave my friend Nik- he looks appreciative, right? that took AGES!

underneath on the left if a photo from Truck Festival, then two photos from the oxfordshire youth orchestra- we performed at the oxford apollo which is massive- on the main stage. I almost had kittens.

it was awesome to find the photos- I miss being a carefree teenager!

t-shirt modification- baggy band tee to racer back top

Last weekend, I swung by Generation Records and skimmed their heaping collection of band shirts. Although the majority of the shirts they carry are for hardcore and metal bands, I managed to find a Beach House shirt from within the racks. The only problem with it? It is (or should I say, was) a big baggy black t-shirt. Wearing a big baggy black t-shirt in boiling 100-degree New York City summer weather is a sure-fire way to reduce yourself to a puddle of sweat. I bought the shirt anyways, knowing that Youtube is an oasis of DIY videos, especially for cutting up shirts like my newly acquired Beach House one. Using Youtube user kissndMAKEUP's video as a guide, I successfully turned my shirt into a comfy, more weather-appropriate racerback tank that's one-of-a-kind--no sewing required! Here's how I did it:

 

First things first--cut the sleeves off. I ventured about an inch lower than where the actual seam of the sleeve ended. Use the first sleeve you cut off as a template for the other sleeve to make sure the two are cut evenly. Don't throw them out just yet! You'll need them later on.

Next, cut off the collar. Make sure the back is cut as low as the front is. This will make the next step a little bit easier.

Flip the shirt over and cut the back (and only the back!) into the shape of a "V." I found it helpful to dab a puny blob of lightly colored nail polish where I wanted the point of the "V" to be so that it wasn't crooked. Cut it as high or as low as your heart desires, depending on how much of your back you want exposed. Be careful not to cut too low, initially, because sadly, there's no undo button for that. I was adventurous with mine and cut it about an inch, give or take, lower than the arm holes.

Cut the end of the sleeve off where the seam is so you're left with a thick strip of fabric. Gently pull the fabric strip to stretch it out.

Take the fabric strip you just cut off the sleeve, lace it underneath the "V" cut, double knot it tightly, and cut the excess off. Make sure it's not tied too low, so that a little keyhole will be formed in the back. Once you've done this, you might want to trim the neckline wider so that the straps are a little thinner.

As a finishing touch, I made a little slit in the front of the t-shirt's neckline. Though it might seem weird, this little detail makes the t-shirt lay nicely when you have it on. And you're done! Pair it with a bright colored bandeau or tank, or wear it to the beach over your bathing suit. Cutting up t-shirts is never not a nerve-wracking experience, but the payoff is oh so worth it.

My attempt:

feeling a bit bored/ inspired I dug out an old famous stars and straps t-shirt  and decided to cheer it up a bit.
I'm not quite convinced yet- clearly the woman that wrote the original post has small boobies- mine forced me to almost entirely cut away the back of the t-shirt to allow me to tie the back back together- otherwise it turned into a home made wonder bra.

Fruitful monday

On monday afternoon I "helped" Dorothy to clear out the dark room at work- and for my hard work I was permitted to keep these gems! I can't wait to have a go with the camera and see if I can get it working! its 35 mil film so thats not a problem- I just need some good weather and a nice outdoorys event to take pictures of!
:D
yay

I also saved 30 boxes photographic paper for a friend of mine whos studying photography at uni. so that'll save him a fortune!

it's been quite an exciting two weeks really- last week Jen came to stay as she was running a workshop in bedford- so we went out for dinner on Tavistock street and shared wine! (on a school night! naughty!) then in the twilight we went to the park to see the ducklings- I was wearing my ballerina pumps and got my feet all mosquito bitten.
:(

On friday we saw Sar and Dan and we went out with them on saturday- drinkies in town- it's been so lovely to catch up with people and have a bit of a social life.

I've started to go to aqua aerobics on a monday- its amazing. I get to drift round the divng puul wearing a float and behave very much like a man-o-war jellyfish disrupting everyone else's aerobics. turns out it doesn't matter what kind of aerobics we're doing (step, standard or aqua) I'm still a danger to myself and others.
I've also started swimming. turns out I'm much worse than I remember and I've always swum breast stroke wrong.

now, no one is to panic- my feelings on physical exertion remain the same. I've been going with Helen to keep her company as shes training for an outdoors leader qualification in september- I don't really have an excuse not to go since the pool is at the end of my road and she leaves her bike here.
at least I'm making my membership pay for itself.

I want to go!

Fake photo marathon photos

1) this is me

2) happiness (is simple things)

3) carnival (or as close as you can get to one in bedford)

4) colour

5) music (please)

6) my favourite thing (made by my favourite person as a breakfast..yummy)

7) dreams (just add some zeros please!)

8) magic/trick

9) National pride

10)education

11) motion

12) emotion

I'm fairly happy with these- I'm a bit gutted because bedford doesn't have very much going on, so that made this into a real challenge- that and I'm not 100% on where everything is etc so I don't venture all that far.

I'm probably missing ALL the cool stuff.

for number 3) I really wanted to try and get some pictures of the circus that is in town, but it was not to be.. for number 4) there was a really awesome flower display in the park I wanted to photograph- went all the way there and it was gone! who moves a flower display?! mentalness! 5) I had gone to town to look for a busker- but found an african drumming group and a choir all clapping and singing (used for carnival) that had scared off al the usual rag-tag buskers, although I think the band stand is poignant. 6) where to start?! so may things I love- cake, music, biscuits, travel, countries, tea, vintage stuff, vintage clothes... I tried to do something unexpected.. 7)dreams - I just wish it had some more zeros! 8) magic- there were so many things I wanted to do! I found some bread just strewn on the ground and wanted traff to pretend he'd magiced it there with a want..he refused so you've got turtles in bedford pond. TURTLES?! I alwats though they were ornaments. apparently not. 9) bunting, union jacks ..you name it..it could be anything! 10) we didn't know squirrels ate bread! 11) I'm gutted about this- yeah, ducklings and adorable and speedy- just just before that the swan flew from the other side of the pond and landed on the water so we would feed it bread.. it landed like 30cm infront of us, but I was too busy assuming the brace position to take any pictures. 12) I am happy with!

Kaftan

Just because you’re on the beach, that doesn’t mean you need to dress like a bum. Super comfy and chic, caftans are not only the perfect bathing suit cover, but they can also be easily dressed up for a night on the town. 

Making your own custom caftan is a breeze. Get a breathable, cotton fabric that’s 60" wide, and measure from your shoulder down to your desired caftan length; double this measurement, adding ¹/₂" for the hem. Cut the fabric to the desired length, then fold in half so right sides are touching, pin the edges together, and iron down the fold. Mark the center of the fold with a fabric pencil. 

Measure on yourself how wide you want the neck to be and subtract 1" from that number for hem allowance (you can always make it larger later). Mark the center of the fabric along the fold, then divide the neck measurement in half and mark that distance on the fold, on both sides of the center mark. Measure how deep you want the neck to be, subtract 1" from that number, and mark this measurement straight down from your center mark. Flip the fabric and connect the two width dots with a slightly curved line no more than ¹/₄" below the fold; this’ll be the back of your caftan’s neckline. Make a cut in the fold at the center mark and cut along the back of the neckline. Then cut straight down the front of your neckline, fold the fabric over (you’ll have a v-shaped neckline), and pin down. Slip the caftan over your head to check the neck size, and adjust if needed. Fold a ¹/₄" hem along the back of the neck hole and sew all around the neck. Trim the excess fabric from the folds, iron the seams, and attach decorative trim to the neckline. Hem the sides and bottom of the caftan ¹/₄". Turn the caftan inside out and pin the seams together on both sides, starting 10" down from the fold and continuing 12" down from there. Sew the side seams together between these points on both sides; the holes at the top will be for your arms.

Try your caftan on inside out and use a fabric pencil to mark the sides of your waist on the front. Making sure the marks are even with the outer edges, create a 1" vertical buttonhole over each mark, then open both with a seam ripper. Measure around your waist where the buttonholes fall, and double that number to determine your belt length. Cut a strip of fabric that length and 2" wide, adding a ¹/₂" seam allowance to both measurements. Fold the fabric in half along the width so the right sides are facing, then pin and iron. Sew ¹/₄" along the sides and down the length, leaving a 1" opening in the middle. Turn the belt right side out by pulling the ends through the hole, then handstitch the hole closed. The belt goes around your waist, through the buttonholes, and ties over the fabric in the front—it doesn’t cinch the back, so your caftan will be belted in the front, but flowing like a cape behind you. Bring on the glamour!

Ice cream (no Ice cream machine needed!)

First, you’ll need the components for your DIY ice cream maker: two empty, clean metal coffee cans (one 1lb. and one 3 lb.) with plastic lids. Make your “batter” by pouring ¾ cup heavy cream into a small saucepan, and adding ½ cup sugar. Slice open avanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the saucepan, then add the pod to the pan. Warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, and remove from heat. Then add ¾ cup heavy cream, ½ cup whole milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the small coffee can and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to make your ice cream, remove the vanilla pod and seal the can’s lid with duct tape. Fill the bottom of your large coffee can with crushed ice, and put the smaller coffee can inside. Using ¾ cup rock salt (available at most grocery stores), fill the space between the large and small cans with alternating layers of ice and salt, until the mixture reaches the top. Seal the lid with duct tape. Now comes the fun part: roll that sucker around the room for 20 minutes. By then your ice will have melted, so refill the large coffee can with ¾ cup rock salt and crushed ice, re-tape the lid, and roll the can around for another 20 minutes. Then grab a spoon and dig in, or pop the smaller can in the freezer to further harden.

photomarathon 2011

Sunday, 12 June 2011

Photo marathon!

I did it! and I got a little certificate and everything! we were really lucky with the weather- its tamping today and it was on friday too, but for the marathon we had glorious sunshine!
so,
photos.

the topics are given out by the organisers & you have to take an image that fits the title- the 1st list of titles are given out at 10am, the next 4 at 2pm and the last 4 at 6pm, then you can submit your images from 8pm.

Inside out

community

superpowers

Drama

the great outdoors

Double

Secret

Element

Motion

Obsticles

Dreams

I am especially proud of my "inside out" image. for anyone who has never tried to carry a coffee table out of a 2nd floor window my advice would be "JUST DON'T- OK?!"