The Classics.

In my post, 'Cinema and Chocolat', I expressed my interest in films and the impact they can have. Today I studied the store shelves for about an hour to find something new to purchase. I have a long list of films I would like to watch but there were too many to remember, so my mind went blank! I managed to get hold of a couple.

Romeo and Juliet, play originally by William Shakespeare.

I remember studying Shakespeare closely in my Literature classes and that included watching the film versions of his works. I enjoyed watching this contemporary take of Shakespeare's classic love story, 'Romeo and Juliet' so much that I borrowed it from my tutor for over a month! I love the combination of the romantic, tragic and comic values in the films complex plot. I know it is one film I will watch over and over again.

Anna Karenina, novel originally by Leo Tolstoy.

I have not read the novel or seen the film of 'Anna Karenina', but I remember watching the trailer in 2012 and I have been wanting to watch the film since. I think Keira Knightly portrayed the Victorian female perfectly in 'Atonement' and 'Pride and Prejudice', (all three directed by Joe Wright), therefore I am looking forward to seeing her act the role as Anna. Anna Karenina was written by Leo Tolstoy, but the screenplay for the film was rewritten by Tom Stoppard. I have read the plays, 'Importance of Being Earnest' and 'Arcadia' by Stoppard and thoroughly enjoyed his themes, sense of humour and narrative skills.

Toffee popcorn please?

Festivities and Liquorice.

On Sunday, I went to the Pontefract Liquorice Festival. I don't usually go to events like this, unless I happen to be passing by, so it was a new experience. The craft stalls, music and entertainment made the atmosphere very lively and interesting.

The liquorice stalls had a fruity scent with a bright and colourful appearance; tempting! They were unique with a strong but sweet and juicy flavour and thick texture. 

Liquorice was originally used by the Greeks, ancient Egyptians and Romans as a cough and cold remedy, it helps to soothe the stomach and quenches thirst too. Plus they are very tasty!

Summer Fruits, Rhubarb and Custard, Blackcurrant, Apple Liquorice.

Pontefract Cakes.

Cinema and Chocolat'

Being a media student for two years developed my strong interest towards films. I think that they are essential for both entertainment and for identifying yourself within the story; whether it is with a character, a plot or expressing an interest.

Today, I went to the cinema with my boyfriend to watch 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'. When I was introduced to the first of the sequel, I did not expect to like it, but it has become one of my favourite films along with the second and third. Personally, I don't think the fourth is as good as the first three and I felt as though the fight scenes dragged a little, but I did enjoy it overall. The fight scenes and graphics were 'epic' as the guy from the 'Menkind' store had suggested to us this morning

A few months ago, I was inspired to create my own DVD collection with the films that I could watch over and over again. I think they also suggest a part of my personality.

Tim Burton is one of my favourite directors! I love the concepts, the themes and his animation style.

Johnny Depp is a very talented actor who can create a variety of different and unique character personas effectively through his acting style.

Therefore, any film with Depp and Burton collaborating is a must have! My collection is still growing; whenever I am out shopping and I come across a film featuring Burton, Depp or both, it will be bought.

I really like the 'Gothic' styles and ideologies and so I really enjoy films with this genre. I love mythical and supernatural themes, especially the 'Romantic' aspect of Vampires. I also like the modern concept of the dark and Gothic twist of traditional fairy tales such as 'Red Riding Hood'. 

I think complex narratives are important too and so I think 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception' portray this very well.

I studied Literature and took an interest in classical novels. Therefore I have chosen 'Dorian Gray' written by the author, Oscar Wilde, and 'Bel Ami', Guy de Maupassant.

One Day is another film based on a book and is one of my favourite tragedy/romance films.

'The Lost Boys' is one of my favourite older films (1987)  and features a vampire theme.

'Inkheart' is one of my all time favourite films because it denotes almost every theme, concept and interest I have mentioned in this post.

I love the gold detail on the 'Twilight' box set!

Roses and Jars.

It's the summer holidays and after finishing college, I have the time to focus on myself and relaxing. I love designing and I love being creative and I feel that one of the ways I express both my personality and creativity is through the presentation of my bedroom - the personality of most people is often reflected through the appearance of their bedroom because this is their own personal space.

My grandma wanted  to plant some roses in the garden so that it would appear more aesthetically pleasing and so this morning, I offered to help her. Walking through stores such as B&Q and Homebase is interesting for me because I really like the ideas I create when imagining what I could do with both the interior and exterior of a room, house or garden.

I found these simple yet classy and effective items whilst looking around and thought they would do great as storage and display for small items in my room.

I filled this jar with the remains of the 'Lush' bubble-bath and soap my boyfriend bought for me for Christmas last year. Although there is not a lot to even half fill the at the moment, I  do plan to purchase more as I think that the cosmetics 'Lush' provides will produce a colourful feature to effectively stand out on the white cabinet in my bedroom.

I think these jars are cute. They are smaller than the one above and I chose them with a tint of light blue because blue is one of my favourite colours. Originally I bought them to store my nail varnish but the jars are smaller than I expected and are therefore too small. So I stored my hair grips in one because I use them regularly. I am undecided about what to store in the other.

This one is my favourite purchase today! I was going to buy three and stack them but after debating for about five minutes, I decided to take one. I think it is a lovely way to make items stand out clearly and I think it works well as a pretty presentation for my perfume. If I change my mind, I think I will look for a smaller one, and one smaller than the second one, so I can stack them as a three to display a range of items together.

The fairy lights are a beautiful finishing touch.

One Year.

Last year, my boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend whilst in his arms on a speedboat during a day trip to the coast.

This year on the 29th June, for our one year anniversary, we took the same trip and stayed overnight. I really enjoyed the speedboat again, playing in the arcades, running through a haunted house, eating fish and chips, laying on the beach and cuddling on the rocks next to the sea at night. I LOVE the sound of the waves, the sight of the sunset and the feel of the midnight walks! 

I also got some cool gifts and i'm sure my boyfriend and I found a store we WILL obsess over. It's called "Ancient Warrior" and provides merchandise from productions such as 'Harry Potter', 'The Walking' Dead' and 'Game of Thrones'.

My new necklace! Engraved with our names as a lovely anniversary present from my boyfriend.

Traditional Japanese. A doll my boyfriend won for me at the arcade.

Dream Catchers! A joint winning effort from my boyfriend and I at the arcade.

A Samurai style umbrella from 'Ancient Warrior'

It has a pretty ribbon. <3

Hello!

Hello!

First of all, this is a bit frightening posting my thoughts, ideas and life experiences for the world to see; not knowing who will see it and what they will think! So gaining the confidence to create this blog has been tough.

I have recently been able to recognise my own personal style of writing so the first few posts will be just catching up with the past year and creating a ground for my work. So apologies for that!

I have created this blog so that I combine my interest in literature, travelling, the media, photography, music, design, beauty and life to express my likes, dislikes and inspiration. Comments would be appreciated and if you could follow me, that would be cool too! 

Thankyou for reading this! x

London: The Music Scene.

For one of my art projects during college, I was given a brief that explained I needed to use historical, contemporary and cultural research of my own choice to record and respond in my own way. I needed to rely heavily on the cultural aspects and themes and interests that inspired me and my work.

I am aspiring to be a graphic designer in the media and so for this project I focused on the music industry and designing album art or posters. To collect the research, I travelled to London as it is one of the most well known places for music in Britain. Of course it is well known for the orgins of the Punk era including both it's music and style.

In this post, I have shared some of the photography I took that inspired some of my work.

A collage of headphones. A window display at Urban Outfitters, London.

A wall display at Urban Outfitters in London of gig flyers, a typical convention displayed on walls at gigs and music scenes.

A wall display at Urban Outfitters in London of vinyl stickers, a typical convention of walls, instruments and instrument storage at gigs and music scenes.

Hard Rock Building.

Outside of the Hard Rock building.

A collage of bands. A wall display at Hard Rock.

The Vault. A museum band and music memorabilia at Hard Rock.

Outside of the Hard Rock cafe building.

Hard Rock Cafe. Where my boyfriend and I spent our Valentines meal. Perfect.

Piccadilly Circus.

I plan to go again soon and I hope to explore more of the music scene and take some more photos to inspire me even further.