Tell Me A Story

I love stories. I believe we are all storytellers and that is what separates humanity from the rest of the natural world. Imagination. To be grossly reductionist, I would maintain that we are all beholden to narratives, those we create, those we believe – and without them we get lost. And that in itself as a feature of (wo)mankind is fascinating.

And just today I came upon a website that’s just perfect for all us story-tellers and story-lovers – it’s called Cowbird, and in their own words:

Cowbird is a small community of storytellers, focused on a deeper, longer-lasting, more personal kind of storytelling than you’re likely to find anywhere else on the Web.

 

Click through and either pick a picture or type in a key word and be transported to a land of a million little stories, the kind we’re all made up of! I’ve a feeling I’ll be wandering through these for a while.

Infographic Proposal

Since I have posted on infographics before and it is Valentine’s Day after all, I had to share this little find – click through to see an infographic proposal by the clever Drake Martinet to his beloved Stacy Green. 🙂

Made to Measure

I’m sure I’ve complained about nothing ever fitting me on this blog before, since it’s something I whine about a lot in life. Though I’m sure it does lead to my shopping a lot less than I’m capable of (cue husband’s sigh of relief here), it is a pain when you find yourself without a winter coat for the third winter running and anything and everything off the high street makes you look like a tween raiding momma’s closet. People on the other end of the scale (!) seem to have a number of options with numerous stores catering specifically to sizes larger than the ‘average’ – ever seen a store dedicated to the petites? Doubt it (but if you have PLEASE tell me where). Searching for sizes 4 and 6 in the UK is a thankless job – especially when each size varies greatly from store to store. So imagine my delight that someone far more mathematically inclined than myself has taken this problem on. Anna Powell-Smith, a freelance software engineer with interests including fashion hacking, cartography, data-journalism and open historical data wrote this article for today’s Guardian. Computer Programmer + Fashion Fan = A website to beat the sizing madness. Check it out thwarted shoppers.

Bejewelled Beasts

I am rendered breathless by the stunning work of London based Illustrator Claire Scully. Her clients include the New York Times, The Guardian, Penguin books, Random house and even a passing glance at her website will show you why. I love the detail and care that seems to go into each of her strong yet delicate creations. Check out her work by clicking through the picture below.

Doggie Paddle

I’m loving this underwater dog series from photographer Seth Casteel that’s been doing the rounds on Facebook. Do click through, check it out and give him some virtual applause.

 

 

 

Portrait Updated

I think I’m done with this for the time being – added some more detail, shading and texture and decided that I quite like having the vintage wallpaper texture [courtesy of the lovely Caleb Kimbrough over at Lost & Taken] over the skin rather than as the background. My husband thinks it looks like me, minus the big ol’ back tattoo! But she’s her own soul 🙂

Portrait

Quite happy with the direction this is going in, would like to do a few different versions as I work on finishing.

Cupcake Cravings

As I was putting together my grocery list for the week I got to thinking about baking a cake. And as I was pondering about the perfect cake to bake (I’m keen on trying my hand at a Japanese sponge soon – love the texture), I got distracted by photos of cupcakes and then by illustrations of cupcakes and so on (I do get distracted easily).

I  tried to focus on my grocery list again but then kept wanting to add things like buttercream and bicarbonate of soda to it – which means that some sort of cupcakery must soon occur or else.

I have now put aside the grocery list in order to concentrate on cupcakes and try to get my mental list of desirables down to a maximum of three to try. To assist in this endeavor I have turned to the Restless Chipotle, who, aside from telling you to ‘channel your inner tart’ has also compiled a list tantalizingly titled ‘50 Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet‘. But there is a lot more out there : The Good Food Channel has its top 10, Panlasang Pinoy has its 23 of the Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet and the trusty Guardian has 3 great ones to offer.

So I’m off now to go in search of the perfect for me cupcake from amongst them. If you have a contender do let me know – and I’ll keep you posted on what occurs on this end!

Wisława Szymborska, 1923-2012

On the second day of February this year, the world lost a beautiful voice. View with a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems (1995) was the book that brought me to her doorstep, and there I stayed. In fact, just the week prior to her passing I had finally received from Amazon nonrequired reading (2002) which I had been hankering after for ages. I feel sad looking at it now and haven’t had the heart to crack it open yet. In the meanwhile, I’d like to share one of my favourite poems from her 1995 colection – I hope it gives you as much pleasure as it did me.

Thought of the Week

I’ve been down with a miserable case of strep throat. Since I lost the man to Star Wars: The Old Republic many weeks ago, it’s been lonely out here and poor Lily’s had to be on extra cuddle duty round the clock.

I miss my mommy *sniffle*.