I'm beginning to realise that I only ever write about music...

Maybe it's a little monotonous, but it's fun, so I shall continue. : )


I won't lie, most of my time is spent looking for new artists (and rediscovering old ones) &their musical fruits. Of all my extra-curricular activities, I'm pretty certain that it's my favourite. Well, as the end of 2011 is almost upon us, and since there's a hubbub of 'Best Artists of 2011' pieces in the media, I'll share my very own version with you.


So here it is. In no particular order...

James Vincent McMorrow

Let me start by saying that when I first bought his album, 'Early in the Morning', I had it on repeat for about three weeks. His is a breed of music which is beautifully simple yet evocative. All he really needs to do to make you smile is sing along to the harmonious accompaniment of strings strewn with a dash of percussion. If you haven't already, give him a listen. 'We Don't Eat' and 'If My Heart Should Somehow Stop' are my favourites, but better still, the Irish genius has covered Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'.
For your viewing pleasure...

Angus & Julia Stone

When I was about 16, I was a little bit addicted to these two, and 'Mango Tree' will never fail to make me smile. But I recently heard a cover of the 'Grease' classic, 'You're the One That I Want'. They replace John Travolta & Olivia Newton John's gleeful shimmying with a simply pretty melody which is guaranteed to send shivers up&down your spine.
Enjoy. :)

Daryl Hall &John Oates

Yeah...they're a bit of a guilty pleasure. But look at them! They're so amazingly cheesy that it's bloody difficult not to love them. So, if you're feeling a bit glum, I heartily recommend that you dance around like a mad(wo)man to 'You Make My Dreams Come True'. Go on, you know you want to...

{Via Pentinent Magdalene}

Delilah

Usually, I hate flicking through the music channels, as they tend to be rife with mass-produced pop &fourteen year old boys singing about puppy love. But, it was in this context that I first heard 'Go'. It's moody, a little bit dark, but oh so good. Somehow, Delilah manages to marry Chaka Khan's 'Aint Nobody' into her own track about unrequited love (or lust, you decide). 'Love You So' is equally addictive.

Lana Del Rey

{Via Ivana}   

Her lyrics may be simple, but when they're mingled with her silver tongued song, they make something quite brilliant &unpretentiously romantic. 

'Come and take a walk on the wild side

Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
You like your girls insane
Choose your last words
This is the last time
Cause you and I, we were born to die.'

See what I mean? Yes, you do. :) 

Simon&Garfunkel

When I was little, I used to dance around my living room to 'Cecilia' with my brother. Yes, we were (and still are) that cool.Needless to say, I grew up to the duo's music, &I recently discovered my dad's collection, all five albums, no less. I'm no uber softie, in fact, most things typically viewed as romantic make me cringe. Yet, I turn into a lovestruck school girl when I listen to the songs these two boy wonders have made. Apart from the oh so brilliant 'Cecilia', 'Song For The Asking' and 'Wednesday Morning 3AM' are my firm favourites. Who else could write a bloody beautiful song about a guy spending a final night with his lady before running from The Law?

{Via Celine}

Miss Dx

Merry Christmas

About to make my epic journey into the heart of the countryside. God bless you all and have a Merry Christmas 


Miss V x

 via Shea Carrow

via Jennifer Murley from th00.deviantart.net

Frost yourself

I love sparkly things. When you wear it right you can put your own Christmas tree to shame.

via Charlotte Knot from http://lottaagaton.blogspot.com

via Betina Van Denend from sparkleandhay.com

via Natalia Villaplana from weheartit.com

via Jaclyn Dorn from saracmills.tumblr.com

via Shelby Crandall from inthecitywithcrystalin.tumblr.com

via Kate  Bocchicchio from reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com/page/17

We don't have to financially frazzle to dazzle -   check out the deals on Asos this Christmas - putting this bag on my wish list, a steal at £15.00

from Asos

Miss V x

I've been singing The Smiths for days.

I have to admit, when I was younger I found Morrissey a tad depressing, but recently I've developed an affection for his lyrical genius.

What I like about his songs is that they're romantic without having to resort to selling a woolly fairy tale. They talk about what life (and love) are really like.  I think my favourite lyric is from 'There Is A Light & It Never Goes Out':

'And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.'

It's earthly, it's real & if I'm frank, it sweeps me off my feet better than Edward Cullen ever could.

So here's to you, Morrissey, you bloody genius.

Miss Dx

{Via Lucy }

Nails Incorporated? Nails infatuated!

via Moa from http://camilla.freshnet.se

I'm always painting my nails. Miss D and I would sit many an afternoon and have a tea, chat away and varnish our talons. Thing is I'm a bit boring - sticking to familiar colours, and quite frankly the art of not smudging is an achievement in itself, never mind creating cool patterns. So time for a bit of inspiration...

 via Aline Leal from letthemhavepolish.com

 via Aleisha V from laquaintrelle.com

Via Elena Kholina from http://26.media.tumblr.com

via Abby Leopold from http://www.refinery29.com

Via Celine from plurielles.fr

via Angie from chloesnails.blogspot.com

 Why settle for boring nails? Make the most of this time of year with spectacular nails.   




Miss V x

Happy festivities!

Wow, epic busy few months...how are you blog world?

I don't need to remind y'all it is nearly Christmas! So we better get all christmassy on this blog..Time to share the Christmas love..

 via:  [maisontwenty3}  from  themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com

 via Amelia Bloore from marthastewart.com

via  Mary Gallegos from  digsdigs.com

Miss V x 

Hello again.

Well hello there, good sir/lady. I hope today is treating you kindly. : )


I thought I'd share this 5 minute nugget of beauty with you. I guarantee it will make you smile, or maybe even move you.


It was made by Andrew Clancy, and is a montage of the footage he shot in  New York City over the course of one fine year.


The accompanying song, 'We Don't Eat' is by James Vincent McMorrow, and I'm sure you'll love it. His breed of music has that rare, ethereal depth to it which is so hard to find in the modern industry.


Enjoy. : )


Miss Dx

20 reasons to embrace Autumn.

 21st September I think is officially the declaration of Autumn. Quite frankly, I have normally already accepted this by the 1st of this month, and sunk my head back into my woolly winter scarf in woe.

 I really am a summer person. Who isn't? Hot days, icecreams, amazing sunsets, t-shirts, sundresses, swimming, barbeque's and sunglasses mean its time for holidays, time for great days out, time for being carefree.

So there is generally a feeling of anti-climax and all round disappointment when September rears its ugly complete-with-ear warmers head.

But actually, I've thought of several reasons why in fact, Autumn is actually a great, even remarkable time of year.  Hibernation ? I'm thinking liberation...

{via Megan Magill }

20 reasons to love Autumn

1.  The smell of bonfires. Summer floral fragrances are rarely found  outside the perfume counter. However, the strong woody charcoal smell with notes of burnt and smouldering? -  that, the English autumn can offer in abundance.

2.It's a more acceptable time of year to drink litres hot chocolate. Regularly.

3.Getting darker early = more opportunities to see fireworks displays, and generally star gaze.

4.Our love/ hate relationship with overtly early Christmas consumerism.  We love to hate it in our grumbles about the fact the adverts are already appearing in September. At the same time, the closer it gets, the more we are mesmerized by the sparkly Christmas lights  in shop windows...

5. The endless colour/style/ texture combinations, with scarfs..coats..hats..

6. The unveiling of nature's colours in all their majesty. The lands of reds and golds.

7. Nights in seem somehow more acceptable. But baby its cold outside...

8. Less need to go to the gym. Animals fatten up in preparation for the Winter months.Best diet advise this time of year? Watch some David Attenborough.

9.September is the month of X factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Spooks, Downtown Abbey...

10. It is no longer advisable to wear material/ canvas shoes. It is therefore a necessary and  wise move to buy a nice new lovely pair of winter boots. Maybe in two colours and several heel variations.This is NOT a ridiculous  fashion expenditure, but an intelligent and appropriate response to the climate.

 {via Joyell Lewis and imgspark.com}

11. It's a time to read. Sit in a cafe, all nice and snug with a page turner. Summer reads? One spends too much time Frisbee dodging to really do any substantial beach reading.

12.Soups in cups. Soups in flasks.

13.Hot water bottles.

14. Its a time of organization. New job,  new college, new term, new beginnings.  Time to sort out your wardrobe. Organize your sock draw. Make resolutions to improve your life without the New Years pressure.

15. A time for friends. Summer sees the majority of people asleep in a hammock, and since us Brits rarely see the sun, tanning becomes an anti-social activity of sheer concentration . Autumn means dinner parties, coffee dates,shopping trips, museum visits...

16. Sitting in parks. During the summer this isn't always a pleasant activity, as you compete for picnic spots and dodge/run from the multitude of dogs unleashed. In the Autumn you can sit in Green park and enjoy the serene scene, even in a busy city.

17. Less general cavorting about the place and more time for home ,family, friends and yummy cooked dinners.

18. Starting to get excited about all the dates in the diary yet to come in the year. Firework night, Christmas, New Years eve.

19. More appreciative of the commuter hours. It may be over-crowded, but its a darn site warmer in this packed carriage than on the platform.

20. Because, lets face it, the more we enjoy the colder months, the quicker summer really will come round again.

Miss V

{via Megan Magill}

What the Night Delivers: the perfect soundtrack to a lazy/sleepy/dreamy day.

I was lucky enough to see Scott Matthews play at the Moseley Folk Festival a few years back, and the Wolverhampton lad had the whole crowd enamoured when he broke out in to silver-tongued song.


After being introduced to his music by my big brother, Mr. Matthews has stuck as one of my favourites. Either his songs will make me smile incessantly or gush like a teenage girl due to their lyrical genius. &with poetry like:

'Can I be your endless thought somehow?

'Cause I've traded all of mine for yours now.

This is our beginning from an ending paralysed,

that's growing under sullen city lights.

You have me solely.'

you'd be a scrooge not to .

&like the sucker that I am, I've had his new album, 'What the Night Delivers' on repeat for three days now, and I'm not planning on stopping this trend any time soon. : )


Give it a listen and you'll see (or hear) why.


Miss Dx

Shoes

Here are some of my sketches. I seem to only ever draw and design shoes, I think I always find myself impressed with their architecture and structural possibilities.

I feel really influenced by the drawings of Manolo Blahnik, who's book of works I received as a birthday present when I was younger. I almost always draw heels, and love the idea of monochrome, classic modern designs.

Pretty much anything with an acoustic guitar makes me smile...

Which is why I think you should give this a listen...


As a sucker for anything singer-songwriter-y, I reckon Josh Kumra's acoustic version of Wretch 32's 'Don't Go' deserves just as much hype as the original. :)

Miss Dx


{Via Rachel White}

I'm all wrapped up, over tailoring and coats.

Autumn inspiration....nothing like a bit of tailoring. 

{via Jennifer Gilbert}


 




What I love about Autumn is the endless tailoring possibilities, especially in the coat department. There's something about masculine-style tailoring that Coco Chanel captured perfectly - it looks effortlessly elegant on women.

  

{via Kristy C }

{via Andrea Beckers and Leap of Style}


I currently love this one from Asos 

Miss V x

Upon Reflection

It's been 10 years since that fateful New York day, and it will remain as one of History's cataclysmic events, for it shook up the following decade; and I'm sure we'll continue to feel it's after effects for some time still.


Like countless other stories of people vs. people,  9/11 remains an affront to the freedom and goodness of humanity. It's all too easy to shut ourselves off from the bigger, wider, scarier world, but when images of men and women throwing themselves from a burning building are presented to us, the question 'when will we learn?' resonates.


Let's go back to basics, and consider why these conflicts and atrocities happen in the first place. Such acts of merciless and blind violence are borne out of the false dogma that some are superior to others, and are thus more deserving of the privilege of life.


There's a simple, yet overlooked remedy to this peverse ideology: the recognition that human = human, regardless of creed, beliefs or any other added detail. Only when each and every person realises this simple fact will we start to see a difference, and only then will we be assured that we're closer to a peaceful world in which the brotherhood of man isn't just a romantic ideal.


So here's hoping we all start to learn from our mistakes to build something &somewhere better.


Miss Dx

Inspiration

{via Christy Childers, http://cosmic-in-paris.livejournal.com/25013.html, M Blahnik}

Who inspires me when I draw pages of doodles of shoe designs? The artistic, legendary genius who is Manolo Blahnik

{via Karolyn Bears, source M.Blahnik }

  {via Christy Childers ,   http://cosmic-in-paris.livejournal.com/25013.html, M.Blahnik }

 

{via Leigh Ann Tennant and liberty.co.uk}

May put some of my shoe designs up...



Miss V x

The trailer doesn't give much away (cue dramatic music &slow motion), but this biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi looks like it's got serious guts; &I can't wait to see it.

So forget 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', I reckon 'The Lady' is going to be this year's big 'un.

{Via Sara Johnston}


Miss Dx

Love with a capital L.

 London. One of our all time favorite places.

 Miss V x

 {via Jackie Derring, source A girl, A style }

{via Jessica Henderson , source Birdcage walk}

I almost feel like, somebody's watching me..

I will never forget a distinctly memorable conversation I had on the telephone with a good friend of ours, where every few minutes into the conversation he would exclaim that a different cat was staring at him on his front drive. By the end of the conversation, I like to think that some sort of cat coup were keeping close cats eyes on him, something like this .


Miss V

{via Lynn Goldfinger Abram, source joie de vivre}

Cox, Cookies &Cake

Two men have joined the Pantheon of great boy double acts: Brett and Jemaine, Simon and Garfunkel & Ben and Jerry will now have to save two seats for Eric Lanlard and Patrick Cox.

What on earth am I banging on about? Well, magical things (N.B. cake, damn good cake) are created when a shoe designer and patissiere join forces.


These two boy wonders have managed to turn cupcakes from cosy and ever so slightly reminiscent of the W.I. to glamorous and risque. Take a gander at their menu and you'll see what I mean. (Beach bum cakes? Really? Genius.)


{Via I Heart Cupcakes & Cox Cookies&Cake, of course. }


P.S. I'm going to try my hand at some of their recipes...watch this space.


Miss Dx

Kingless, but still conquering, the best way to fuel your lunchbreak.

LEON.


Miss D and yours truly decided to grab a light lunch at this wonderful eaterie one  rather sun-less London afternoon recently , for a catch up and a good old lunch. What we were looking for : inexpensive, tasteful and fast fuel before a good old boutique browse.


The criteria was well and truly met. Miss D had a quick veggie curry which she confirmed had the authenticity of any traditional Indian restaurant, while I had a warm garlic chicken wrap, which, with a fresh lemon juice to drink,  at the price roughly rounding at a fiver, rivalled any M & S lunchtime work meal deal.


Take-out is of course the most convenient option for the common commuter, however since we had a spare moment or two, we decided to marvel the retro decor , take in the lively atmosphere and eat in style with other style - sophisticated East Londoners. 


What makes this place stand out is that it doesn't feel like fast food; it is a well presented , well thought out restaurant with welcome staff and high quality food... and yet this is exactly what it is - food that is with you within seconds of your order.


Admittedly this isn't the first Leon I have enjoyed, nor will it be the last, with branches popping up all over the city, you would be a fool to spend your well earned lunch money anywhere else.


Go! Grab it while its hot ! find your nearest LEON







Miss V

Miss V is Falling for Fall.

{via Ellen Sears and sunsurfer}

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I feel big love for David Mitchell; and his SoapBox podcasts on Youtube never fail to make me giggle.


This one, in which he explains why male grooming is a bit daft, is my favourite.


Enjoy. : )


Miss Dx


{Via David Mitchell SoapBox}

Poignant Platonism

Miss V

{via Christine Martinez . and of course, Plato.}

Le Tourbillon

I first watched 'Jules et Jim' in an A-Level French lesson, and it was this song that sparked my reverence for French cinema.


Enjoy. : )


Miss Dx

Tea Genius

Miss V - Came across this today. As an avid tea gulper, love it - a simple, yet ingenious invention by George Lee.

{via Ben Silbermann}