Mad Men (2007- )

If there was an award for the aesthetics of a TV series (please let me know if there is), Mad Men would unquestionably win it. I can't decide what I love more:


-the costumes (sooo feminine! when considering the female characters that is).

-the misogynistic attitudes (even women think that typewriters are normally too complicated for a woman to use, but *thank God*, men made women a favour and made them fairly manageable for them).

-the slight racism (African-Americans can only be cleaners and waiters).

-the jazz music (fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...).

-the NON-STOP smoking (it's amazing how they haven't all died from lung cancer yet).

-the character of Peggy, the ugly duckling who somehow still keeps her cool with all the [insert rude word] male colleagues she has.

-Betty's costumes (covered in the first point, but I just had to mention Betty separately - oh those dresses).

-the amazing, AMAZING character of Joan, with the red lips, the curvy figure, the confidence, and the charm, so 1960s! (oh wait, the whole series is set in 1960s Manhattan).

I can assure you this list could have been very long. Maybe it's because I have a thing with the '60s.

I'll leave you with a bit of jazz :)

Piece of advice if you are in university

After having a huge amount of work to do for university, and the deadlines fast approaching, Ihave decided to dedicate a post on revision/coursework advice for people in the same place as me. So, if you are loaded with work to do, please do yourself a favour and...


>Don't bring work back home, particularly during the Easter holidays which are so close to exam period. You won't manage to do the work. You won't. The best thing you can hope for is to do some work, but certainly not manage the amount you would if you stayed a few extra days at uni to finish them (or do a decent amount of work and then finish it off while at home).

>Leave PLENTY of time for assignments. They are far more time-consuming than they initially seem to be, usually because of endless hours of research in the library.

>Whatever kind of assignment you are writing up, do logout of Facebook. You'll save an enormous amount of time going back and forth in your Facebook profile and coursework. And let's face it: that notification can wait.

>Write down everything you have to do . For some reason lists have a relaxing effect when you have tons of work to do.

>When researching for a coursework, keep notes of everything you find. You will need it for referencing later, and there's nothing worse than writing an essay and having to go back afterwards to find and add the references.

Last but certainly not least, remember that those assignments are not going to be written on their own! (It's amazing how people forget this tiiiiny point)




...and now I can do myself a favour and follow my own advice!

Highlight of the Day

Taken from guardian.com's gallery on Ladies' Day at Aintree, this hat (it is a hat), made my day. And I thought I was original by having doughnut-earrings.

Edit: I found this photo from the same event (anonymous wearer), and I simply had to upload it here as well! Enjoy!

Designer Love: Issa S/S 2011

 

Images from www.elleuk.com

Some of my favourite key pieces from Issa's S/S 2011. Love the block colours, but I love the floor-length gowns and the lace dresses even more!

Silk (2010)

The new TV series I'm obsessed with: BBC One's Silk. Love Maxine Peake as the genius barrister who turns things around last minute in the most unexpected ways! Too bad it is only a six-part mini series.


Just to give you a taste :)

Double Blueberry Muffins

I don't usually share my recipes. I don't know why, I guess it's an ego thing. But this recipe will definetely blow your mind, and it would be a pity if I didn't share it with you. I got it from Food Network which I absolutely love, and each time I've made them, they have been particularly successful. Enjoy and let me know what the results are if you do make them. :)

Ingredients: (the recipe says it is for 12 muffins, but I usually end up with 15 or 16)

• 115g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease a muffin tin or line the cups with paper liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix. In a shallow bowl, mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries with the back of a fork. Add to the batter and mix.  
With the mixer running at low speed, add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the milk, and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups whole blueberries by hand until well mixed. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon. Use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the muffins (don't overdo it with the cinnamon or they will become bitter) and bake until golden brown and risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before turning out. 

Image taken from www.foodnetwork.com

Designer Love: Erdem S/S 2011

These are just my top picks from his S/S 2011 collection. I love the flowers, I love the lace, the airy dresses, the femininity, the youthful elegance. I'm in love.