Day of the Dead, British Museum

Tomorrow, on Sunday 1st November, it is the Mexican Day of the Dead festival. Its an annual festival where families gather to remember the dead.  Its not a morbid, sad or spooky occasion (hurrah!) but a festival full of colour and happy memories. The British Museum are celebrating it tomorrow with food stalls, performances, story telling and a huge colourful alter.(Im hoping my friend who works there can score me some of that mexican paper bunting!)

(images from British Museum website)

The shop will be selling Day of the Dead paraphernalia including paper cuts, I am most excited about this!I think its all free - so if youre about in London this weekend maybe you should go down?

You can see some dudes in a Mexican workshop creating this beautiful stuff in this little video.

And if you are now feeling all colourful and party- ish, maybe you can join me and be inspired by She's Krafty photostream on Flickr? Look at her incredible Day of the Dead crafts!

Im off out tonight to dance my socks off with some friends at a warehouse party, which I am going to pretend has nothing to do with Halloween (a belated Birthday celebration) I'm really excited! Hope you all have a lovely day!

p.s In honour of tonight, I am currently listening to Yuksek, for free on Spotify. Brilliant electro dance to bop around the flat too.

oh halloween

Oh Halloween. I wish I loved you more. The truth is I think I prefer bonfire night- with hot chocolate and fireworks, and hats and scarf’s, and leaves, and toffee apples and pumpkin pie. I hope you don’t take it personally. It’s just that I find dressing up a bit stressful, and I am also a MASSIVE WIMP. I hate scary films, and I hate scary masks. I do, however appreciate creative artful costumes that have taken love and effort, but my love does not translate into actually making them. If I could though, I would definitely make these....

I discovered the work of Natasha Lawes via In the Bedroom Mirror. Tomorrow, from In the Bedroom Mirror left a lovely comment on my blog, so I clicked back and discovered that she also has a lovely blog! (Check it out and say hi from me!) And it was here that I saw Natasha’s masks. Aren’t they beautiful?

So I hope you all have a lovely Halloween. I am watching scary films at a friends house and eating halloweeny food. I don’t think I am going to enjoy the scary films, but I will try to be brave. My fright thresh hold is very low. I walked out of Blair Witch Project and nearly gave myself heart failure watching ‘The Village’. I even get scared watching the murder mystery’s on day time TV. So I may have to sit with my headphones in and come say hi to you guys instead. Lets see what happens!

What are you doing?

Dear Tesco...

Dear Tesco’s security man,

Allow me to apologise for my husband’s behaviour last week. You see he was on a very important mission.

After helping my sis in law move house, me, my mister and our friend weren't ready to turn in for the night. Unbeknownst to us at the time we were already quite pissed after drinking with fellow movers earlier, but, in an inspired moment, we sent my mister on a booze mission to continue the revelry into the night. So off he staggered in to the night, and to your establishment. You probably rolled your eyes when you saw him stumbling along the isles and barging into customers. And you probably nearly intervened when he piled himself up with the third bottle of wine and the second four pack.

(Image)

He went to the till and realised in a moment only funny to himself that, yeah, it was royally stupid not to get a basket, wasn't it. Yes, you agreed disapprovingly. He turned round to get one (at the end of his shop?!) and in the process spotted sausage rolls and Doritos deciding that the night would not be complete without them. On the pile they went but just as he turned to go back to the till, the momentum caused him to stumble. You probably winced. The beers on the outside of the now ludicrously large pile slipped and the force of their collision with the tile floor meant that they EXPLODED, spraying smelly Amber liquid all over himself and 4 poor bystanders including a child. He tells me he laughed, he apologised, he went purple and he legged it out the door leaving a large puddle of beer behind him. So, um sorry about that.
Although, upon further reflection, it sort of serves you right for being a horrid company which eats up independent shops! Yes! That's what it was, a protest!

Boo to your shop! (But sorry you had to mop up my misters Amber liquid. hee hee!)

Hannah

(Image)

Tree hugger Tuesdays; The Story of Stuff

Have you seen Annie Leonard's short film 'the story of stuff' yet? A friend sent it to me about a year ago. Its pretty cool.


Their website says: "From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."

It is short, informative, and just makes you think about the fads and fashions of stuff- about their disposability. But the best bit (she says shallowly) is that it has some lovely black and white illustrations!- look:

Watch it for free here

Happy tree hugging earth lovers (Yep that's you!)

xx

Guess where I am right now?!

Whoa- OK- I've had some time to breathe now [updating the morning after- ha ha]

You guessed it, I was in Anthropologie. Its good.... really really really good.

When walking around, I could almost hear my aunties squealing (you remember- the slightly crazy aunties obsessed with house programmes and interiors magazines- the ones that gave me my interiors obsession?!- Yep those aunties!) They are visiting soon and I cant wait to take them here!

OK- my thoughts.

The clothes are incredible but extremely expensive. The homeware is slightly more reasonable.

In fact the pricing is really weird. The letters I bought (below) were £12 each which I thought was reasonable, considering they are quite big. But a little wooden bird I saw was £245! Seriously!

The colours and textures are combined so artfully and beautifully- its heavenly!

Its really great that they support so many independent designers too.

Ok- lets get to the textiles porn: (rubbish iphone pics- apols)




I bought these....





I am longing for some of their bedding!



These doorknobs are displayed IN LENTILS! 2 of my favourite things together in unexpected, but mind blowingly brilliant union!




The fabrics in Anth are to die for, but again really expensive. (I'm hoping- perhaps wishfully- that some of that price premium is passed back to suppliers- does anyone know if it is?)




The store design is also incredible. Its all done by staff in store too- how cool is that?




I fell head over heals for these bird plates. Look at this guy!





Lovely coat- nearly £300 though...




So yeah- TOTALLY worth a visit if you are an interiors nerd like me. The experience of simply being in the store is inspiring, and just seeing how they display things is brilliant, never mind the actual products!

After drooling my way around Anthropologie, I went to a crochet course and learned FINALLY how to crochet a granny square!!! (party party party, dance dance dance) so It was a thoroughly brilliant Monday evening- definitely apt compensation for the miserable dark and rain!

Laters lovelies

x

-- Posted from my iPhone

Ode to Autumn leaves...

Autumn leaves; You transform everything around you in to magic.

The trees are shedding precious golden things, swirling and whirring to the ground.

You bathe the pavement in gold.

You're gorgeous, arent you? And you know it.


But I wish that when you are wet you didnt look so much like dog poop. You make me do a funny dance through the park.

(it looks like poop, doesn it?!)

Love Hannah.

Ps Hope you are all having an ok Monday, and you're not too confused by the clocks changing like me!

iPhone pics. Autumn morning...

If I trudged down the road, still full of grog and sleep, and saw this at the bottom of it every morning, I think i would be happy all day...

And if when I walked over the bridge to get to my platform, I saw the golden sun bouncing off the tracks, like it did on Friday, I think I would be happy all week...

And if the platform was bathed in light, just like this, like that morning last week, I think i'd be happy all year...

And if all of my trains came gliding through the bars of sunlight, as if through a golden haze every time, I'm pretty darn sure id be happy forever.

I had mistakenly thought that the clocks going back meant that I had lost my autumn mornings ( I get this wrong every year) it actually means there is more chance to see these golden mornings (even if the evenings are pitch black). I was happily wrong about that , so it looks like my autumn may be a happy one!

It also means I get an extra whole hour in bed....

(Via Melancholia)

Which really, really excites me. Hope you're having a lovely weekend. Enjoy your extra hour!

xx

. Z
e

A letter to a nosy neighbour....

Dear stranger outside my kitchen window,

You were probably puzzled and a little concerned when you saw me at my kitchen window last week. This is understandable... with all those flailing limbs. But fear not, I was not wrestling a snake with vice like grip, snapping at me with glistening jaws. No. This is not the case. What happened was that I came home from work tired, weary and hungry. I switched to 6 music on the radio and began rustling around in the mostly empty cupboards to satisfy a rumbly tummy. I happened upon some wholefood Corn Thins (one of my favourite savoury snacks, don’t you know) and at the same time ‘Little Secrets’ by Passion Pit came on the radio. Oh, this song just gets me. I erupted into a sort of half arsed tired dance which involved pacing up and down the kitchen and punching the air with my fists in time with the music, in a sort of star shape, whilst rhythmically throwing my head back and forth. Admittedly, it must have looked a little odd, this was not normal dancing. Oh- that thing in my hand? It was a bag of corn thins. Yes. I was dancing with my corn thins. Rock and roll, right?

I had ferociously air drummed my way through most of the song before I noticed you outside the window, arms folded. Smiling. I dived for cover by the window, slipping on the laminate floor in the process and nearly knocking myself for 6.

So I thought I had better tell you that, no, I wasn’t in trouble. Yes I was dancing with my corn thins (try it before you judge it), and actually- hold on a sec- what on earth were you doing spying on me in the first place?! HUH? PURV!

Gawd diggity, Next time, before you can even mutter the words ‘crazy lady’ you will find yourself ducking for cover from a flock of razor sharp corn thins, frizbying their way towards your forehead. KAY?

Good.

Image Quixotic pixels, Flickr

P.s [update!] What songs really 'get you'?! Id love to know what you find yourself dancing round the kitchen too!

Tired....

'Tired' by Joetta Maue (one of my favourite artsits)

I am so tired today. My head feel fuzzy and my limbs feel heavy and I have bags under my eyes the size of domestic fridges.

And I definitely need one of these to help me get up in the mornings....

Clock via I want one of those

Does anyone else feel like this week has been positively glacial?!

Any words of wisdom/ cheer to help me on the long slog to get to Friday?!

Thank you my dears...

(zzzzzzzzzzzzz)

Tree hugger Tuesdays; T shirt recycling...

Did you know that there is a blog called Hide Your Arms? Funny name, no? It is dedicated to hoody’s and T shirts. I like that a lot. I stumbled across it whilst googling ‘recycling old T Shirts’. Because My Mister has a growing pile of T shirts that are faded, thinning, holey and out of shape, but which we don’t want to just throw in the bin. Hence the googling, and the subsequent throwing of t shirts around the flat, squeals of excitement and my mister rolling his eyes.

Ladies and gentlemen- presenting 50 ways to recycle old t shirts. My favourites are presented for your viewing pleasure below, and include baby nappies (so cute), laptop cases, ninja outfits, bracelets, cushions and necklaces.

I love it!

xx

Dear Reg the veg patch....

Dear Reg the veg patch,

This is a very hard letter for me to write. I’ve been thinking about what I would say for months now. It’s been so long, so much has happened! Full time employment, baby brothers, dinner parties, holidays, craft projects, wedding anniversaries, Birthdays, house parties...The year has been great. But I know things for you have not been so great. And I fear that I am to blame for it. I want you to know that its not you, its me.

Do you remember the good times?!

The first courgette!

I could have ordered the priorities in my life in a different way- but in the end I chose wine over weeding. Socialising over soil. Partying over planting. And for this I eternally apologise.

I was so dedicated at first...

Let me explain. We live in a lovely flat on the third floor. And therein lies the first problem. The third floor. Three flights of stairs and 2 front doors to get to you. The second problem is that the garden, in which you live Reg, is enormous. And 2 people just can’t sustain the whole thing. The third problem is that there is still no hose pipe. So in order to sustain you it took hours of back breaking labour to lug buckets of water up and down the stairs. I don’t blame you for hating me, but it was supposed to be easy!

Just look at you now...

But it’s not all bad eh? Take a trip down memory lane with me. We fought off cats, weeds bugs and rodents, true. But do you remember the beginning?! How handsome you were! We we’re inseparable! Oh! Those first courgettes! The delicious kale! That crunchy salad! We have been through it all, haven’t we?

so sad...

But- Reg. This is not goodbye. Hold on to hope with me! I have offspring growing right now, and my index finger is twitching over the mouse of my computer on the bulbs and seeds websites...

You’ll see. I will fulfil my dream of leading a normal relationship with you- one that is healthy and mutually beneficial. One where we sustain each other- Yes. Because it has to be a team thing, or its nothing at all.

Oh dear...

Don’t give up hope. Don’t say Goodbye. Because I’ll be back. You’ll see. And it will be better than ever.

Forgive me Reggie....

Yours, in commiseration and regret

List art!

Who blogs on a Sunday morning? I DO! You are probably all in bed/ eating breakfast/ watching repeats on channel 4 and not even looking at your computers- but I had to tell you (/ the Internet?) about this!

Simon over at the shoppinglosts blog turns shopping lists he finds lying around into lovely typographic art. This is List art which is 2 good words together. It was bound to be good, non?

And yes- totally appeals to my OCD tendencies.

My Kitchen walls saw this and yearned for it. They BEGGED me to adorn them with some shopping list art. Seriously- I heard them this morning.

Ok I'm off to enjoy this beautiful Autumn day!

Happy Sunday one and all.

(Via swissmiss)