WAH NAILS

Wah Nails - Pretty darn cool. 

Opened in 2009 in the East End of London the salon can now be found in Topshops across England... Not fake, any of these designs below are painted on your nails and for not too much more than your regular priced manicure...  Get me there quick. 

Manicure - £26

Pedicure - £41

Nail Art from £10

Leopard Print & Hearts 

Strawberry Nails. 

A mixture...

Found in Big Topshops & their salon in Dalston 

www.wah-nails.com

CRAZY FOR ORLA

I was walking past Orla Kiely on my way home today and spotted this dress in the window. Luckily it was sold out in my size but thought it was so beautiful all the same... Whilst snooping I picked up some postcards on the counter of Edie Campbell modeling for the Spring Summer '11 Collection. Photographed by Venetia Scott they are truly beautiful prints... 

Boat Neck Dress (above) - £320

207 King's Road

www.orlakiely.com

10 MINUTE INTERVIEW : EMERALD FENNELL

NAME: Emerald Fennell

WHERE DO YOU LIVE: London

GIRL/BOY CRUSH: Barbara Cartland & Don Draper

 

Barbara Cartland!

ACTRESSES YOU ADMIRE?: Miranda Richardson, Helena Bonham-Carter and Cate Blanchett.

STARSIGN: Leo

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN IN RECENTLY? ''Any Human Heart' (with Jim Broadbent) and 'Mr. Nice' starring Rhys Ifans and Chloe Sevigny'.

On the set of 'Any Human Heart' 

AND WHAT UPCOMING ROLES ARE WE EXPECTING TO SEE YOU IN? 'I’m playing a Victorian swinger in the film ‘Albert Nobbs’ and a marvellous bitch in Channel 4’s new comedy ‘Chickens’'.

TELL ME ABOUT THE SCRIPT YOU HAVE WRITTEN? '‘Chukka’ is a rom-com about two rival schools competing in the National Polo Championships. Jilly Cooper meets Mean Girls with a whole heap of romance and under-age drinking thrown in for good measure'.

Poster for 'Albert Nobbs'

Miss Fennell.

WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTING WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO FILL YOUR DAYS? "Writing. And getting hopelessly distracted by the internet- so many amusing cats.".

FAVOURITE MOVIE? "‘The Jerk’ with Steve Martin".

Steve Martin in Emeralds Favourite 'The Jerk' 

FAVOURITE RECIPES? 'Jamie Oliver’s Fish Pie has got me out of many a kitchen disaster'.

FAVOURITE BOOK OF ALL TIME (IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE JUST ONE)? ''Diary of a Nobody' by George and Weedon Grossmith'.

ITEM YOU MOST COVET IN THE WORLD? 'My pair of Christian Louboutin Marie Antoinette Heels without doubt'.

 

Luisa Casati 

FASHION INFLUENCES? 'Luisa Casati. A woman who wanders around London with her own diamond-encrusted pet cheetahs is fairly impossible to beat. Sadly, my own look is more ‘raddled Victorian prostitute’'.

'Chickens' will be showing on Channel 4 in the Autumn... 

'Albert Nobbs' opens in the cinemas early next year... 

'MAKE YOUR OWN DRINKS'

Suzy Atkins new book 'How to Make your own Drinks' is a bit of fun. Perfect for these long bank holiday weekends, it's filled to the brim with exciting ideas that'll stop us buying ready made lemonade etc etc. Some of the recipes are online so you needn't necessarily buy the book but if you love these I'd get it... 

CHERRYADE - So much more delicious than anything from a shop...

INGREDIENTS: 
225g (8oz) fresh, ripe cherries
600ml (1 pint) boiling water
1 lime
50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
Sparkling water, to dilute

RECIPE:
Wash the cherries carefully and remove all stalks. Chop each one in half and remove the stones. 
Put the fruit in a big bowl and bruise it slightly with the back of a metal spoon to get the juices flowing. Pour the hot water over the cherries and stir. 
Using a potato peeler remove a couple of chunky strips of peel from the lime and add it to the cherries, along with the juice of one quarter of the lime. 
Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. 
Cover and leave for two hours. Strain. Add cold sparkling water to dilute to your own taste.
If you're heading away from home for a picnic, pack the cherry base and the cold sparkling water separately and make up the drink when you're settled down. 
Best enjoyed as soon as it is made.


LAVENDER LEMONADE - A Deliciously refreshing recipe for home-made lemonade infused with Lavender

INGREDIENTS:

15g (½oz) lavender heads
500ml (18fl oz) boiling water
150g (5½oz) sugar
1.2 litres (2 pints) cold water
5 ripe lemons

RECIPE:

Shake the lavender gently to remove any insects. 

Put the flower heads into a saucepan and pour over the boiling water. 

Bring to the boil again and simmer for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes to steep. Strain. 

Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the cold water. 

Squeeze the lemons directly into the pan – watch it turn pink! – then strain again if you want rid of any pips and pith. 

Taste to see how concentrated the flavour is, and when serving add more water to dilute to taste. Serve in a glass jug to make the most of the pretty colour.

Add plenty of ice and stir with thick dried lavender stalks.

'How to Make your Own Drinks' - Susy Atkins 

£16.99 from Telegraph Books

OUR FIRST DINNER

We had some friends and family to stay with us for the Food Fest last weekend... They didn't get many meals at home as we were all a touch busy but on Sunday night we had out first meal in our new kitchen and on our new table... !! We had fresh Asparagus and Parma Ham to start followed by Venison Sausages and then Berries & Brandy Snaps for pudding. Pretty basic but eating for the first time with our lovely friends and family, anything could have tasted delicious... 

HAND STITCHED VOGUE COVERS

I'm not sure they are my thing but they are pretty fab all the same... Inge Jacobsen stitched these beauties directly onto British Vogue covers. Jacobsen said it took her about 40 hours to do each cover... Not available to purchase until the end of June (when she has finished her degree) keep your eyes out for her... Who knows what she'll be stiching next. 

 

 Rosie H-W - Vogue March 2010

 

Natalia Vodianova - May 2006

Kate Winslet - Vogue April 2011

Find Inge Jacobsen at: 

www.ingejacobsen.com

HARRIS & JONES

If you could dream up your perfect filing boxes these would be it in my view. They are not cheap but perhaps one could buy one every few months just in time for when you need to do your filing... Might make it a little more fun (!!) 

 

Large Box Files - £40

 

Medium Box Files - £30

  

 Magazine File - £25

www.harrisandjones.co.uk

ZARA HOME ESPRESSO CUP

I just popped into Zara Home and couldn't resist getting these little Espresso Cups... Very Cheap and pretty divine. 

 

 

Flores Filo Coffee Cup - £7.99 for 6  

www.zarahome.com

WE DID IT - MALTON FOOD LOVERS FESTIVAL!!!

I am so sorry not to have posted for so long now.... Things were slightly mad as it was the Malton Food Festival last weekend. Its over and all I can say is I cannot believe how amazingly it went. Running over Saturday and Sunday there were 98 stallholders selling eveyrthing you could possibly dream of eating. I managed to make 800 cupcakes for my stall and sold out on the first day making nearly £1000 for charity. I'm not sure I can wait a year to do it all over again - at least I know now I will have to make more for next years festival. 

Before it all Began (My mixer did break when I started - not ideal)

Nervously awaiting our first customers...

A Sale!

View of the Stall  

Rogge's Flying Saucer Creations

Chocolate with White Malteasers

Patrons of the Festival - Tom Parker-Bowles & Rosemary Shrager

Rosemary cooking Live with the Mayor of Malton

Asparagus & Carrots on Isabella's Stall

Beautifully displayed Walnuts also on Isabellas stall... 

Hope you'll come next year xx

www.maltonfoodfestival.co.uk