Archives for June 2012

Fever

June 29th 2012 Style

Summer, Oufit, Olympics, Next, Next Scarf, 2012, London Olympics, Supporters Scarf, Ligia Dias Necklace, ASOS, Shirt, Sleeveless, Head Scarf, 50's, Retro, Quiff, Hair Roll, Cat Eye Sunglasses, All Saints

Summer, Oufit, Olympics, Next, Next Scarf, 2012, London Olympics, Supporters Scarf, Husky, Puppy, Siberian Husky

Next Olympic Supporters Scarf * / All Saints Cat Eye Sunglasses / Ligia Dias Curb Chain Choker / ASOS Shirt

Finally it has begun to feel like Summer! It’s been so nice to be able to sit in the garden with an ice cold drink, flicking through magazines & playing with Nico. Fingers crossed it stays this way, though as I’m typing this it seems as though the sky is going come crashing down with all the thunder & hail!

With the sun finally out I’ve been really getting caught up with the Olympics fever everyone else seems to have got already. I’m not usually much of a sports fan but with it being held in London this year, I have to admit I’m finding myself feeling pretty patriotic & excited about it!

I don’t wear my hair up very often, but it has been far too hot & sticky to wear it down, so I’ve been taking the opportunity to practice & test out holiday hairstyles. I feel sort of naked with it all scraped back, so I always have to have a quiff, roll or huge bun when I tie it up & it has to be a little scruffy looking, I don’t do neat! This is a super quick & messy style, but I love that it keeps it all out of my face & off my back without having to use any tight hairbands or millions of uncomfortable pins. Next kindly sent me one of their official supporters scarfs as part of their ‘I’m Supporting’ campaign & it couldn’t have arrived at a better time, I’ve been looking for another nice, large headscarf for a while now. I love that the majority of it is navy, with just a few hints of red & white when it’s tied, I think it keeps it from becoming just another tacky souvenir & I could easily see myself wearing it long after the Olympics are over.

Of course, Nico hates to be left out, so as soon as he saw we were taking photos he wanted in on the action too! We couldn’t resist letting him have a go with the scarf & the photos were too cute to not share! I haven’t had the heart to tell him that there’s no sled dog event though!

PS: Next are currently holding lots of competitions for Olympics related prizes, all you have to do is enter a picture of yourself wearing one of the scarfs to be in with a chance of winning! Go here!

Isabella Morawetz

June 27th 2012 Inspiration

‘Maelstrom’

Isabella Morawetz’s ‘Maelstrom’ was part of my inspiration board on Sunday, but I fell so hard in love with her work that I thought it really deserved its own post. Her work is primarily digital, using Photoshop & a Wacom tablet, but it has such a beautiful painterly quality about it, it’s almost hard to believe.

I came across her ‘Maelstrom’ piece whilst browsing Tumblr, I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad that the person who had posted it had included the source! Does anyone else get as annoyed as I do with Tumblr for that? I swear, there’s nothing worse than seeing something amazing & having no idea where it came from or who made it! The colour palette, textured look & purposely unfinished bottom half reminded me so much of Francis Bacon’s work, being one of my absolute favourite artists it’s no surprise I loved it as much as I do. Whilst her other work is nowhere near as dark as this, and I would say this is my favourite piece, it is all equally as stunning. The attention to detail just blows me away & the mixture of textures, especially the use of the canvas-esque one, create such depth that at first glance you’d assume they were oils.

I used to do a lot of digital painting, but it has been such a long time since I last did any, as over the past few years my work gradually became more illustrative & less realistic. This has really inspired me to have a little play around with a more realistic digital style though, especially now I have my new Wacom. I’ve been meaning to paint more for a while & this way is so much less messy!

Isabella Morawetz, Girl, Painting, Digital, Photoshop, Ombre, Hair, Pastel, Fairytale, Sparkly, Dip Dye, Blue, Green, Portrait

Isabella Morawetz, Lips, Close up, Painting, Digital, Photoshop, Study, Mouth

Isabella Morawetz, Painting, Digital, Photoshop, Portrait, Hand, Girl, Dark, Haunting, Isolation

Isabella Morawetz, Painting, Digital, Photoshop, Blood, Mouth, Close Up, Lips, Vampire, Bleeding

Candy Pop!

June 25th 2012 Life, Style

Topshop, Lace Up, Ankle Boots, Battered, Worn, Distressed

Todd Lynn for Topshop Cropped Tux / ASOS Lilac Denim Dress / COS Belt / Topshop Lace Up Boots / Ligia Dias Chain Necklace

Last Friday was the Ballad Of Candy Pop party for the launch of the latest issue ‘Baby K’, which I have a double page spread of illustrations in! Exciting! I’m just waiting for the post man to deliver my copy, so I shall give you all a look when it arrives! We had a wonderful night & got extremely spoilt with free drinks & goodie bags packed to the brim with awesome candy pop stuff! I only wish we could have stayed a little longer & that I’d had time to get my nails done!

The theme for the night was obviously ‘Candy Pop’, I hate to not make an effort & dressing up for themed parties is one of my most favourite things, so I didn’t want to go in my usual head to toe black. My wardrobe is distinctly lacking anything at all girly, so I decided to order this lilac dress from ASOS. Of course I had to add heaps of black to balance out the girly hue though! I’m surprised how much I like it actually, I think with it being denim & the seam detailing, it keeps it from being too girly & the lilac is beautifully faded & just the right side of being greyish that it’s almost a neutral. It’s a good addition to my tiny ‘not black’ side of the wardrobe!

I bet you’re wondering why I did a shoe photo of these almost falling to pieces boots, but they are possibly one of my favourite pairs & the pair I wear most often, so I felt it was only fair! I’ve had these for years, they are easily the most comfortable shoes I own & they are my go to shoe for gigs & festivals. When I heard the party was being held at The Old Blue Last, a notorious live music venue, I knew they were the only shoes that would do. The more battered they get, the more I love them, I think I will keep wearing them until they literally drop off my feet! I’ve already started scouring eBay in the hopes another pair will be listed, so that I can have a back up pair on standby!

I’m not sure if it was the free shots, or the fact we got talking to people, but before we knew it was time to get the train home & I totally forgot to take any photos of the night! I know, I’m a rubbish blogger! Below is a little instagram round up with a few from me & the rest from the Ballad Of facebook page so you can get a little feel for the night! I’m already looking forward to the next one & I promise I wont forget next time!

Archives for June 2012

Footer