Face Fixation: Hope Sandoval

Some people have faces like magnets that pull you in like a force of nature. One of those people is Hope Sandoval, the lead singer of dreamy early nineties band Mazzy Star.

Her voice is equally as captivating as her face, my favourite track is the haunting Halah from the bands 1991 album She Hangs Brightly, check out this beautiful live rendition on the roof of London's EMI .

Having not released a single in fifteen years, Mazzy Star reformed in 2010 and will be playing at London Field Day Festival this June. See you there.

Meadham Kirchoff's Secret Garden

Admittedly this post is VERY out of date, nearly a year to be exact. These fluorescent flower photos were taken at Meadham Kirchhoff's Secret Garden pop-up shop in Oxford Circus' Topshop back in May 2011. 

I'm just totally mesmerised by the rich array of colours, that are not dissimilar to Meadham Kirchhoff's AW12 collection. 

        

Floristry at its finest. 

Mudchute Farm

As a born and bred Buckinghamshire girl growing up in a house surrounded by fields, city life can bring me down from time to time. That's why, one weekend, earlier this year, my school-friend Lisa and I made it our mission to get a taste of the country without leaving London. 

Isle of Dogs very own Mudcute Farm is where we ended up. OK, so it is located behind a giant Asda store but it definitely served its purpose. 

While I have visited local farms in my area such as Hackney City Farm and Spitalfields, what really lured me into visiting Mudchute was the promise of Alpacas, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Not only do they look the part but they were also ridiculously friendly plus their shaggy legs always remind me of Mr. Tumnus the Fawn. 

I knew I was in for a good time when I was greeted by this French Bulldog and Husky dream duo. 

Nokia the horse - a modern name if ever I saw one. 

Kissy kissy.

These climbing goats instantly reminded me of one of my favourite Tumblr discoveries from last year goatsonstuff.com.

To top off our visit, we enjoyed a wholesome lunch in the Mudchute Kitchen - I had wild mushroom and pasata on toast and Lisa had the vegetarian fry up breakfast, both were very good.

Mudchute Farm is open from 9-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and admission is free. Address: Mudchute Park & FarmPier Street, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3HP, nearest tube: Crossharbour on the DLR. 

www.mudchute.org

Dog Day: Pickles the Pug

Carmen Miranda Fruit Bowl

Every day I fall in love and today it happened at approximately 9pm when my mum emailed me about Sweethoot Dog Hats. 

These incredible hand knitted hats are the creations of mother and daughter Julie and Bernadette who make them lovingly in the town of Sykesville in Maryland, USA. 

The star of the show of course is their beautiful beady eyed pug Pickles. Isn't she a dream?

Here are some of my favourite designs.

Little Devil 

Flying Purple People Eater 

Geisha Girl Hat

Happy Happy Birthday Cake 

This must be her favourite as she sure looks happy to be wearing it. 

Chocolate Ear Bunny Hat 

See more designs where these came from over at the Sweethoots Etsy store www.etsy.com/people/Sweethoots

Top Shop: Search & Destroy

Like every year, I wasn't really looking forward to January, that was until I found out I was off to New York with work. I had been to the city before but my previous trips had been totally touristy and I still felt like I didn't know what all the fuss was about. But when my boss and I found ourselves trying on 5" platforms in the first hour of landing, I knew I was in for a good time.

Prior to this visit, all I knew of New York shopping was Bloomingdales, Macy's and the giant Toys R Us in Times Square with a big wheel in the middle of it. So stumbling across East Village's Search & Destroy and being presented with a Mr. Blobby costume and a window full of dolls definitely came as a welcoming surprise. 

Search & Destroy is a Japanese punk-vintage store that looks like it could have come straight from Harajuku's Takeshita-dōri, which happens to be my favourite shopping streets of all time.

Everything about the shop was my fifteen year old selves dream. 

These pink fluffy brothel creepers reminded me of a bag I made using the same fabric for GCSE textiles.

It's unlike me to post something risquè but these pin-ups tan lines were too good to miss out. 

 

Unlike the average second-hand store you'd find on Camden Market, the walls, shelves and ceiling were filled with toys, objects and film memorabilia that made it feel more like you were wondering around a museum then a shop. 

I used to own one of these Po from the Teletubbies rucksacks but I can assure you, this won't be something I'll be bringing out again in my mid-twenties. Unless I decide to go for a career change as a lady clown or something. 

I like a bit of weird and wonderful but some of the things in this cabinet did cause distress. 

Sadly, I didn't buy anything in the shop as I spent all my money in Trash and Vaudeville next door but there was lots of good stuff on offer, including many of the toys themselves.

You can visit Search & Destroy in East Village at 25 St. Marks Pl (between 3rd Ave & Astor Pl) New York, NY 10003.

And while I'm here I thought I'd give a mention to two more highlights from the trip. The first is this amazing bacon cheese burger accompanied with three giant gherkins and a pot of guacamole from DuMont Burger in Williamsburg. What made it even better was the chocolate ice cream milkshake that followed for dessert. 

And then we have these beautiful but dangerous Jeffrey Campbell platform trainers that I was oh-so-close to buying until I came to my senses and realised I am a grown woman, not a 15 year old Spice Girl fan. Who am I kidding, I still want them. 

Clogs, Cheese and Lots of Green

This August I made a return trip to Holland for the first time in ten years. I have been visiting the country since the age of three and while I am very aware of its uniqueness, I feel like there is too much focus on Amsterdam in the media and other areas seem to be neglected. 

With this in mind, I was keen to be remind myself of the traditions that make the Netherlands so special which is why I visited the tourist town of Zaanse Schans. 

Located in North Holland, the picturesque town of Zaanse Schans is a perfect welcoming for all things Dutch.

 

 With sky lines of windmills, clog and cheese making demonstrations and ornate wooden houses, the town looks like it has come straight out of a Dutch fairytale.

This cheese factory was a right treat, especially as the shop was dishing out samples of every variey going. My favourite was the smoked cheese that comes in the shape of a sausage and is best accompanied with balsamic chutney.

 

If, like me, you like a good photo opportunity then Zaanse Schans does not disappoint. I had a ride in a giant clog while my mum opted to sampling a slightly smaller pair. 

One of the towns star attractions was the clog museum home to every style of clog imaginable. Clogs are the most famous of the traditional Dutch attire and were originally worn by workers for foot protection and for clogging which was a special kind of dance. 

 Brides even got their own personalised clogs made for their wedding day. As pretty as they look, I'm not sure how graceful I'd feel heading down the aisle in a clumpy pair of these.

A correspondent brogue, Minnie Mouse style slip-on heel and roller clog were amongst my favourite designs.  We were also treated to a live demonstration of how the clog was made which was rather satisfying. 

The winner for the best sign of the trip went to this notification placed in front of the fields of sheep and goats. I happen to be typing this whilst stuffing my face with the second sandwich of the day...

If you like the look of Zaanse Schans, it's also worth visiting Volendam just down the road. Unfortunately we didn't make it but this happens to be one of the few places where people still dress in the original Dutch clothing.