whirlwind weekend

I was literally blown away by the wind whilst I was in Cape Town this weekend. I really don't know how people deal with it! It's fierce, super fierce. In this photo (taken outside my friend's apartment) I couldn't decide whether to hold down my hair or my skirt. In the end I went with the skirt... but it was too late. I had an extremely funny "Marilyn" moment, and we were all in stitches! 


I can't wait to go west coastin' again. Sadly there was not nearly enough time to explore all the new foodie spots I had read about. Although we ate out alot in Cape Town, I definitely feel like I have some unfinished business there! 


Hmmm. Toffie Pop Festival is coming up at the end of March.... :)

how to not care what other people think of you

The latest article written by Tavi Gevinson is called "How to Not Care What Other People Think of You." (Images are from her online magazine: 1 & 2)

tutti fruity flavoured

I put together a quick collage of some recent "pickings" from my Tumblr - I'm sure gonna miss these bright juicy bursts of colour come Autumn. Only weeks to go 'til my cozzie gets shoved to the back of my cupboard and my umpteen pairs of black stockings begin to make their biannual resurgence. But why am I complaining? We have a lot to look forward to for Autumn. If 90's grunge has anything to do with it... I'm ready.


Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4.

just say it.

Glittering fringe banner by Caitlin Holcomb of Nice.

spirit bird

I love the youthful colour in the print "Spirit Bird" by Mr. E.

NYane and mpho lebajoa

I think the Olsen twins just got usurped by a younger, hotter, trendier twosome... NYane and Mpho. These 17-year old twin sisters be all up in the internet right now. So I did a bit of research to find out more about these swagging ladies! NYane is the girl with the short blonde hair and Mpho has the longer, dark hair. They're of South African descent but currently live in Southhampton, England. See more of their awesome outfits on their Tumblr here.

hello pretty space.

Ever since I moved back to Durban I have wanted to re-decorate my bedroom. This is lovely inspiration. Thanks em's world.

girl with the awesome style

In the Wisdom & Youth office I speak of Rooney Mara as if she is a close friend of mine. My fellow work colleagues know exactly how besotted I am with her! She may have been the reason I went a shade darker in my hair colour recently. Heeee.


But if you've watched Girl With The Dragon Tattoo you would perhaps have a better understanding of why I think she totally kicks butt. (I don't think I blinked once during the whole movie). Her performance as Lisbeth Salander was mind-blowing.


Anyway I thought I would post Rooney's beautiful minimalist outfit from the Golden Globes. She's wearing her signature look: A core cut-out dress (by Nina Ricci) in monotone black. 


I am crossing fingers she will take home Best Actress at The Oscars this year. Girl you rock.


Images from just jared.

tridulum - 2012 spring/summer by nouio

I'm quite fascinated by these 3D printed garments by Taiwanese label nouio. Put your 3D glasses on and nature-inspired motifs appear. Pretty strange, pretty awesome.

silver lining.

Manish Arora and Miu Miu. Both images from a-pink-dream.

trademark trademark

Loving these bright, cheerful images by New York based designer and illustrator Tim Lahan. See more from his studio trademark-trademark.

marzipan & strawberry raspberry muffins

A few pages from the book:

It's been a while since I last put up a recipe on the blog! This one comes from a book called Taste Freedom, by Neil Roake. I was lucky enough to be apart of the book... This was my first stint at food and prop styling! I teamed up with stylist/designer Lisa Doyle - we had so much fun working on this together. Styling is definitely an avenue I would love to explore in the future.

This particular recipe actually came from my mom - Neil isn't much of a fan of sweet things, whereas I am (DUH), so I insisted we include a couple of sweet items on the menu for the book. These muffins were craaazy delicious. I made them again this weekend, and when I say they were a hit, best you beleeee-dat!

You can find Taste Freedom cookbook at Exclusive Books, Woolworths and The Space.

Marzipan and strawberry muffins 

Makes 6 large muffins

*I substituted raspberries for strawberries as my mom had picked fresh strawberries from the garden that morning :)

FOR THE FILLING

4-6 tbsp raspberry jam

180g marzipan

300g flour

175g brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg, beaten

1 cup (250ml) milk

150ml melted butter

1. Prepare by preheating the oven to 190 degrees. Place 6 muffin papers in a large muffin pan, then start with the marzipan. 

2. Roll and cut into 12 equal pieces, and flatten with the back of a teaspoon into small circles.

3. Scoop a dollop of raspberry jam on one, and sandwich with another. Keep going, making 6 rounds.

4. Now mix together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, stirring well. 

5. Spoon the mixture halfway up the muffin papers. Pop a marzipan and jam circle on top of each, and cover with the rest of the mixture. This is where I added chopped strawberries to the muffins.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, poking with a skewer to check they're cooked through.

transfixed.

Pause for a moment. Take in the beauty that is Frida Kahlo. 

I scanned these from the book Kahlo by Gerry Souter (Grange Books), so I apologise for the poor quality. I'm fascinated by the complexities of her mind, and how she translated her struggles into bright, naive, symbolic, folk-inspired oil paintings. She had to deal with polio from the age of 12, a tumultuous marriage with artist Diego Riviera, several miscarriages, and a terrible bus accident that resulted in life-long injuries. But this lady was strong. Somewhat misunderstood. Man, I love her so much. (My friends will know this, as several years ago I threw a Frida Kahlo-themed party for my 19th birthday. We watched the movie Frida, ate Mexican food, and thrashed a pinyata!)

holla! :)

Hope 2012 rocks your socks. 


Photo: autumnfever