Wednesday, May 30, 2012

'A MONTH OF SUNDAYS'


It's been a month of sundays since I have posted. It's true, we have both been awol for moons and moons but hopefully you'll forgive us when you see why we haven't been tappatappatappa-ing on the computer.  Here's why...
 Atop the Crags overlooking beautiful Edinburgh!
One of many sunsets out of my window...check that castle in the distance

Schools out forever and all concept of time and responsibility too. Be back soon, maybe, probably, eventually.
hannah

Sunday, May 6, 2012

6. LIVE BELOW THE LINE CHALLENGE

A lonely quid sits on my dresser as I write this, and its difficult to imagine that a single coin could provide me with a days worth of nutrition. In 2009 Rich Fleming and Nick Allardice challenged the world with this idea by creating 'Live Below the Line,' an initiative of the Global Poverty Project.  This year, their global awareness week lasts from May 7 - 11, and we've decided to take on their  challenge.
 For the next 5 days we'll be working as a team (3 of us) with a combined budget of £15 to supply us with all of our food and drink. Globally, 1.4 billion people live in abject poverty on a budget of £1 a day, to cover things like food/drink, transportation, heating, electricity, schooling etc, and LBTL aims to communicate the realities of poverty through direct engagement. If you'd like to learn more, join us in the challenge, or donate to the cause, see the detailed rules or LBTL's official website
Being students, we are no strangers to penny-pinching and bargain shopping. After reading about what others who have done the challenge went through, we heeded their advice, compared prices across grocery stores, crunched a few numbers, and did a collective shop at Tesco's. We did our best not to compromise calories, nutrition, or taste, as we all lead busy lifestyles that require us to be well-fuelled, and below you can see the majority our bounty for the next five days. (Rice and potatoes not pictured! We've spent £9.27 thus far and are saving the remainder for fresh fruit and veg and potential unforeseen cravings throughout the week.)
We hope you'll join us in this challenge starting this Monday, May 7 and we would love to hear about your experiences. We'll be sharing ours, as well as our recipes, throughout the week.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

HANNAH'S HAMMER


Disclaimer: I made these drinks on the tail end of my last university all-nighter! Anything tasted good. I know you would have liked to see some sort of home-brewed IPA family, but this is 
all I could muster.
 
As a kid did you ever make 'concoctions'? I did. Basically, I  got my pea-sized hands on a blender, the contents of whatever shelf of the fridge I could reach and it all ended up in the mix. They were usually masses of ketchup flavoured goop, but kids will be kids eh? Hannah's Hammer (thanks flatmates) merely has a splash of 'grown-up' to go along with that same tried and true fun, and proportions are negotiable. Enjoy! 
This is my 'thems fighting words' talking friend. She once poked fun at my blogging dreams, but I am pretty sure she just secretly wishes she was a blogger too. For now she gets (dis)honorable mention in photographic form.
   Considering one of my favorite kitchen essentials is a blender, I decided to let it play another drinking inning. Combine all the ingredients to taste...a smoothie is pretty self explanatory and easy. Still, I hope I have successfully distracted you from a slight cop-out, with the presentation. Also, carving out the pineapple was pretty relaxing and acted as my mid-year pumpkin carving training session! Major pineapple inception going on here too. Haha. 
 ...then we made pizza bagels. Kampai!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

JILLIAN'S SWEET AND SOUR 'SAUCE'

you got me, its not 'sauce' in the traditional sense of the word, but if you had an older brother who liked to party in 2008, maybe you recall hearing an excess of 'lets hit the sauce this weekend!' and well, who wouldn't want to bring back a such a great synonym for alcohol. 
i'll admit it (against the recommendation of british friends), my go-to drink of choice is lambrini. its fizzy, its cheap, and it tastes like stale white wine. that being said, i've tried my share of fancy cocktails and fruity mixers, but i'd never quite found a favorite. well, my friends, today everything changed. after much experimentation, jillian's sweet and sour sauce was born. for me its the perfect amount of tangy cranberry and lemon paired with sweet orange and spiked with white rum. ice cubes were replaced with frozen cranberries, and i may never have to buy a bottle of lambrini again. (but i probably will)
the counterpart to the cocktail is a non-alcoholic sweet and sour smoothie. we're no stranger to smoothies around here, and with 3 fresh fruit markets within 1 block of our flat, fruit is always in high supply. to make this one i blended a banana, orange, 1/3 of a small pineapple, 1/2 of a lemon, 1/2 cup of cranberry juice, and a splash of coconut milk. it's got a similar feel to the cocktail, but we'll say its her healthier older sister. 
cheers!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

5. QUENCH YOUR THIRST CHALLENGE

Because we are looking for absolutely any reason to celebrate, we thought a 1 month+ anniversary of blogging would be an excellent excuse (or let's be real, just an excuse) to indulge in some liquid courage. Hannah is turning in her last EVER university essay soon and will need a drink to keep her thesaurus-checking sorrows at bay. Challenge 5 is to create two signature drinks each; one alcoholic for those of us lucky enough to be of age, and a non-alcoholic option as well. We're pretty dainty drinkers, and tend to dislike most things we can get at the pub, so we are making our own versions!
IN-SPIRIT-ATION:




 It's spring-time somewhere -other than Scotland, because that rainy day week is threatening to become a fort-night of frightful weather- and light libations are in order! What's your favorite go-to drink?

Monday, April 23, 2012

OMBRE WITH AN HOMBRE

Jillian's jeans                            Hannah's 'sweater vest'

dip dip dying!
to round out the end of our our rainy week, we wanted to give our clothes a permanent 'i just jumped in a puddle' look. it's subtle, and uneven at times, but we are rookies in the ombre field!
we used RIT's 'denim blue' shade and mixed the dye as the box directs. we wanted the color to increase in saturation as it gradually traveled down the trousers, and up the sweater vest, so we added about half the dissolved dye and allowed the garments to soak for 5-10 minutes. as we pulled the garments out of the dye inch by inch (each time resting about 7 minutes), we willy-nilly poured in more of the dye until it was distributed throughout. the color on the vest faded in the wash and turned out splotchier than expected, and as the jeans were a fairly dark wash originally, the transition is subtle. we may go back for round dos soon but we are fairly pleased with our toe dip in the ombre pool!
we suggest making sure your garment is evenly damp before dying. also, be conscious that the clothing isn't wrinkled or unevenly placed within the dye -both elements contributed to the resulting splotch botch.

p.s. we didn't have massive expectations for the project, which is a good rule of thumb for taking creative chances. but the possibilities really are endless, and who knows, maybe an ombred three piece suit is in the works?!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

WHEN IT RAINS, TEA POURS

rainy days make us want to snuggle up in our sleeping bags with a good (or tea-rrible) book and a warm cup of tea. after a few days of doing that, and remembering that queen elizabeth was turning another year older, we decided to add baking into the mix and host ourselves a little tea party!

the scene of the crime
leek & garlic and onion & garlic cheddar cheese 'royal-tea approved breadsticks' were on the par-tea menu


granola bars dipped in rice-krispied white chocolate with a raspberry garnish. we took this opportuni-tea to show off a clay plate made in pottery class.

dainty fresh-fruit skewers. princess kate sized and tas-tea to boot!

tea for two, two going in my tea! see the recipe below.

give them a go, we promise you shan't be disappointed! tea in baked goods form is delicious. i hope you enjoyed our terrible tea puns and that your rainy days may be full of spontanai-tea and prosperi-tea! yikes, stopping now. 


Friday, April 20, 2012

THE RAINY DAY NECKLACE



so i've been facing a pretty big dilemma lately. everywhere i turn people are making statements with their necklaces, while i'm left sporting collarbones and the occasional freckle. now i don't want to be the kind of girl who walks through life without her neck making a statement. so, to resolve this issue, i spent a rainy day cutting up old anthropology notebooks (maybe a statement in itself...) and created an easy to make, easy to wear little adornment. just cut, tape, and make a statement! 




we've got some good projects coming up this weekend, so stay tuned! 
-jillian


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

4. THE RAINY DAY CHALLENGE


It's going to be a big week on this side of the world. 7 days of rain (maybe only 6, come on Wednesday!) Queen Elizabeth's Birthday, AND Earth Day are all in the forecast.

Aside from the obvious puddle jumping and layers of goretex that are staples of any rainy day, we've decided to make this week-long precipitation a little more interesting with a rain-inspired challenge. The task: any activity, creation, or concoction that can be both inspired by and completed on a rainy day.  

Here's what's helping us brainstorm:

bears hate rain? we love this print! (buy it here)

ombre tights, yes please (find them here)

moody cityscape (from here)

How do you spend rainy days?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

T-R-ENDS TO TRAVEL

With only a few months left in Europe, we are both blowing this Scottish popsicle stand to travel solo and with family before we head state-side after graduation. If we are lucky, we'll look this pulled together whilst doing so!

dress/primark :: scarf/hannah's - gifted from india :: glasses/F21 :: bracelets/assorted

my upcoming travel plans will take me from beaches to bistros to boulders and i wanted an outfit that could keep up with me every step of the way. the luggage restrictions of the budget airlines that will fly me away to warmer weather limit me to whatever i can stuff in my purse, but with this dress i've got the perfect combination of comfort, practicality, and style (if i do say so myself) all wrapped into one. i may not have to bring anything else!
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I'm sailing away to the sea, desert and then in the same whistle-stop tour, I'll be road-tripping in the Alps. What is a girl to wear? One of my future travel destinations is a somewhat conservative country (won't be busting the above moves out, there) so being respectful whilst having some zing is what I'm hoping to achieve. The skirt is actually a spaghetti strap dress I've hoisted up high, so while it's only one item, it can work double-duty! As for my 'fedorable' hat: it hasn't left my noggin' since I purchased it.
GO! DO!
fedora/H&M :: blouse/Primark :: skirt that's actually a dress/F21
HAPPY TRAVELING!



Thursday, April 12, 2012

FESTIVE & FANCY

Whether it's an open mic night or a fancy cocktail bar, we've got all the bases covered!

I know what you're saying: 'this isn't fancy wear!' But if you saw me on a day to day, this is pretty high-class for me. I've taken heed from street-style and chose the blazer and mixed patterns. I envision this being worn to a low-key bar or an open mic night. Oh, and the British love a good boot, plus when purchasing this pair from the sales-lady she was shocked that I was 22 and without a solid pair. I think she's proud she helped a fashion victim out (I'm glad too!).
jacket/yoinked from Jillian (originally Primark) :: dress/F21 :: necklace/H&M :: boots/Frye-a generous Christmas present from Madre Compadre
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leather trimmed trousers/H&M :: tank top/Old Navy :: jacket/F21 :: slap watch/gift from hannah's mom :: shoes & necklace/Primark

my attendance at formal occasions is far and few between, as in i still can't walk like a normal person when wearing heels, but i love any excuse to dress up and try out a new outfit. sometimes my 'fancy' clothes don't make it past my living room, but fortunately this little number will be joining me and some old friends tonight as we catch up over cocktails!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

CLASS-Y CASUAL

Catch us in class or on a casual afternoon - we're probably wearing something like this.
(raincoats not pictured)


sweater/GAP sale section :: shirt-dress/F21 :: black trousers/Old Navy
necklace/Violet Bella. Who needs shoes? I prefer no shoes or wool socks...no in-betweens here. 

 Layering is the cat's pajamas here. While I'm not super successful at it, here's my budget take on the look. My style is comfortable, casual and sometimes slightly hippy-chic...on a good day, that is!
-Hannah
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top, maxi skirt, shoes/primark :: bag/thrifted :: earrings/indian arts emporium 

aside from providing occasional weather that doesn't require down/rain/wool jackets, thus allowing me to sport outfits like the above, europe has introduced me to loads of new stores - primark being a favorite (clearly). i love the easy-ness of these clothes and how mixable they are - the top with jeans? the skirt with a tank top? the shoes with everything? 
endless opportunities. 
-jillian

Monday, April 9, 2012

3. THE FASHION CHALLENGE

Notoriously, we rock the Alaskan style. This translates as being plaid-clad, rocking xtratufs, clogs (for formal affairs) and your outfit is never complete without an outdoor jacket. Living within the borders of the last frontier, this was standard wear. Fashion rules extended to: being capable of going from class to conquering mountaintops/utmost practicality. I mean, Hannah once made the joke, 'Three quarter sleeves, because I don't live beyond my means.' 
average Alaskan attire
Hopping the pond to Edinburgh has opened our eyes to new textures, patterns and silhouettes beyond waterproof and warm. We have been trying to cultivate some style, and still are.
 Challenge three will consist of three outfits each: one class(y) casual, one for a fancy occasion, and the last suitable for traveling. In showing these, we'll incorporate some lessons that we've learned in Europe while keeping true to our Northern roots.

HANNAH'S TASSEL-TURNING CARDS

Jillian was wagging her finger at me earlier about not completing this challenge on time. I plead the fifth, but I will say that if you are on the west coast or ya know, Japan, I should be golden timing-wise. Either way, here we go!
Ze supplies. 
While I had grand ideas for a vintage national park poster look, needle point embellishments and maybe some cheeky glitter glue none of those things happened. Instead I threw it back to postcards and DIY envelopes. There are a multitude of designs because, well, I'm indecisive. So here are the results of my night watching Cool Runnings, baking cookies and cutting paper like a kindergartner. 
Fun fact: people used to have to cut fabric and paper for me because my fingers were not so fly. 
I could cut my food though, no issues with food eating.   
  
Just a handful of the many designs kicking around in my brain. The writing on the balloon card looked pretty Halloweenish after a wee while, so I nixed that typography.
Coin purse envelopes I made using a template made from my old environmental politics coursebook. Gotta admit, cutting that up felt pretttttty good.
Oh, and sorry if this last diptych gives you the blues.

HAPPY GRADUATING!

Friday, April 6, 2012

BIRTHDAY BEETS




happy 23rd to our dear third flatmate, jillian's boyfriend, and all around stand up guy!

there are plenty of reasons why we appreciate you being born today, one of which is so we could try out some new recipes.








1. breakfast frittata

dice 3 potatoes, roast them in a cast iron pan for 10 minutes at 350F. then go wild! we added 3 eggs, chorizo, leeks, and zucchini, and baked it for another 15 mins to perfection.







2. the beet cake

hopefully you've seen this video, we added the frosting from this recipe, and magic was made!

try it! you'll love it!



              here are some beats to go with your beets
Furr by Blitzen Trapper on Grooveshark

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