NEW YEARS EVE, 2010.

Christmas makes me lazy..  All that food, all those presents (which, by the way, I still have to post about!  I might do it later today seeing as I have absolutely no plans to move)..  I do believe that this is my first blog post in over a week, and now New Year's Eve is already upon us!

Let me begin by saying that New Years Eve has never been a big deal to me.  Last year was the first year I actually ventured out of doors to a party on the 31st.  I bought a new gold, strapless dress, and hoped for one of the best nights of my life (ok perhaps I'm exaggerating ever so slightly.)  But I don't know why I thought it would be any different to every other night.  It was packed, messy and just generally disappointing.  Let's face it- New Years Eve seems to be a lot of unnecessary hype.

Now before I come across as a cynical killjoy, I must tell you that this year, once again, I will be heading out to celebrate the evening with friends.  We will be starting off in someone's house, and then head on into town where the festivities will be in full swing, I am sure.  Unfortunately, this, the first New Years Eve that I have a boyfriend, will be spent apart from him as he has chosen to go to Kerry with friends for the weekend.  But I can't have it every way I guess- so I can just go ahead and say so long to any aspirations toward the perfect New Years kiss..

Anyway, wallowing aside, what will I be wearing tonight?  I considered wearing the same gold dress I wore last year- it really isn't appropriate for any other occasion- but decided against it.  Instead, I'll be wearing a short red dress with ruffled sleeves.  I bought the dress from A|Wear back in September for 'Traffic Light Night' during Freshers' Week, but decided against wearing it, so it's still got the tags on.  Cheap and cheerful, as A|Wear often is, the dress cost only €45, even though it's made out of lovely light material, and has a belted waist and decadent ruffled sleeves.  And red is the perfect colour for celebrating in, no?  I finished off the dress with a chocolate brown faux fur coat from Penneys, which is wearing exceptionally well considering its low price and presumably equally low quality.  Due to the fact that I'm practically 5"8, I rarely wear heels when I'm going out, and so I'll just wear a pair of plain black patent pumps.  What were you guys doing on NYE?

Happy New Year readers, I hope it's lovely. x  

Tunic Dress- A|Wear, €45.

Faux Fur Coat- Primark, €25.



It’s Still Cold Outside

                                  

                       Coat/Cape- *Totallystoleitoffmymother*

XXXXXXXXX

60’s Darling.

Dress-TK Maxx
Watch- Vintage
Shoes-Deichmann

Because Its Cold Outside

 
I’m always cold, hence I amassed quite a few winter coats. This is my furry one.

Faux-Fur Coat—Vinatge
Furry Hat—Matalan
Ring- Primark
Scarf- Random Shop
                XXXXXXXXXX

Marion Cotillard:Lady Gray

Merry Christmas Everyone

Have A Blessed Day.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2010; what were you wearing?

Every family has their traditions, different as they may be.  In my family, we always spend Christmas Eve together, as well as Christmas Day of course.  Usually Christmas Eve for me entails lunch in a nice restaurant (today it was Rossini's Italian restaurant in Cork city), then coming home to exchange gifts.  This year was no different, except that I invited Peter to have lunch with us as well, which was really nice.  I lunched on seafood pasta and Italian ice cream, and was really glad I hadn't worn something form-fitting due to how full I was when we had finished!  

I tend to make a bit of an effort to wear something nice on Christmas Eve, though this year all I wanted to wear was ten pairs of tights and a giant cardigan, due to the Arctic weather conditions to which I was exposed.  I soldiered on however, and donned a new Topshop dress and shoes to lunch, hence I've decided to do an outfit post, after roping my little brother into taking the pictures for me.

This camel/burnt caramel colour is definitely my obsession this Winter.  I've wanted to snatch up absolutely everything in this warm hue.  A large proportion of my wardrobe is comprised of various black garments, and these two colours compliment each other perfectly.  The dress was comfortable, though I would certainly not recommend wearing it in the cold as it offered absolutely zero warmth.  I adore the lace detailing on the bust though.  The shoes were a great bargain at just €18, and I just love patent and their vintagey t-strap style.  

Well, that's all from me until St. Stephen's Day perhaps, when I can blog about wondrous gifts and tasty xmas munchies- I've already received a few pressies which I can't wait to show off.  Enjoy it guys x

Black Trench Coat- Old Navy, $35.

Dress- Topshop, €59.

Pumps- Topshop, €18 (sale!).

Nail Polish

They’re 3 for 2(and £2.99 each) @ Superdrug’s, just sayin…

How to make; GINGERBREAD MEN.

As I said in my last post, this was never intended to be a recipe blog.  I just love Christmas food so much that I can't resist cooking it, then telling the world about it.  Tonight, I made gingerbread men.  They made my house smell amazing as they baked, and they were really easy, so here's how;

Ingredients:

(once again, I really like to work in American measurements! So much easier.)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of margarine

1/2 cup of golden syrup

1 egg yolk

2 cups of plain flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ginger

a little water

For frosting:

icing sugar

water

Method:

1. Blend sugar and margarine until smooth.

2. Stir in golden syrup and egg yolk.

3. Sift in flour, and then add the rest of the dry ingredients.

4. Mix until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, and the mixture is smooth. (I added a little water here to help the mixture to stick together.)

5. Refrigerate for half an hour.  While you are doing this, preheat your oven to 180°C

6. When you have removed your dough from the fridge, sprinkle flour on a clean, dry surface.

7. Roll your dough out to 1/4 of an inch thickness roughly, and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.

8. Place onto un-greased baking trays and cook for 8-10 minutes.  When the cookies are done, they will be firm but still soft to bite.

Decorating:

Mix icing sugar and water together to create plain white icing.  Dip the hands, feet or heads of your gingerbread men into the mixture.  Alternatively, you can decorate with tubes of coloured icing, or Smarties.

In the making..

Baking!

Just out of the oven.

Unfortunately some of them broke, so be careful when you're taking them off the tray.

The finished product!

These taste really good with the hot chocolate from my last post! Enjoy.

My week in pictures...

• I am addicted to Starbucks Toffee Latte, I have it everyday. They have all my money :(

• Went to Camden to get some Christmas presents :)

• London is so pretty at the moment, all the snow. Had to walk everywhere because London seems to struggle with a lil’ bit of weather.

• I Love Christmas Lights

 

• They both scare me enough to exercise. I want to make a point and not put on weight during the holidays…

Hope everyone's taking it easy

CHRISTMAS Hot Chocolate.

This really wasn't meant to be a recipe blog.. But every time I discover something new, I can't resist!

I just got home from college today, my dad was supposed to drive up and collect me yesterday, but the ice meant that he couldn't, and so I got the 12 noon train home today with Peter.  This was quite difficult- let's just say that I don't pack light.  But it was so good to finally get here!  Not to say I won't miss Dublin terribly.

When I got back to my house, I really felt like it was Christmas for the first time this year.  All the decorations were up, and my mom had a cinnamon spice candle lighting, so it all felt seasonal and warm.  Seeing as it was absolutely freeeezing outside, and we had marshmallows in the house, I decided what better way to warm up than to make some hot chocolate?  So here's my recipe!

Ingredients:

(I used American measuring cups for the milk!)

4.5 cups of milk (I used semi-skimmed)

8oz of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of instant coffee 

(the coffee is optional, but I think it gives a really nice flavour!)

Marshmallows

or

Cinnamon sticks

or 

Candy canes.

Method:

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan, bring almost to simmering point.

2. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir the chocolate in until it's melted.

3. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the caster sugar, vanilla essence and coffee.

4. Whisk the mixture vigorously until it's a little bubbly on top.

5. Spoon into mugs using a ladle, and float some marshmallows on the top, or alternatively, place a cinnamon stick or candy cane in your mug and let the flavours infuse out of it.

Boredom.

  

I gave her light make up, barely there eyeshadow plus a tiny hint of contoured cheeks etc. Aren’t her lashes like maaad long???
Plus she did my make up

So Sayonara for now X

Dream.

I want them soo much!

My very first OUTFIT POST; Joyeux Noël.

Welcome one and all to my very first outfit post!  There is no reason why I’ve waited this long to do an outfit post really, other than the fact that I was being lazy and forgot to ask my boyfriend to take my picture every time he came ‘round.  But today is different!

This past week has been pretty much entirely devoted to Christmas shopping. Being the shop-a-holic that I am, of course I couldn’t leave the shops without picking up a few new additions for my wardrobe.  It’s tradition for my family since I was a child (as with many other people, I guess) that we get a new outfit to wear on Christmas day every year.  Seeing as Christmas day usually entails just sitting around opening presents, stuffing my face and having a generally relaxing time, I like to choose something that I will be comfortable in, rather than something which is overly dressy.  This year, I also made sure that I chose something that could double up as college clothes come January.

Staple item: ‘Cupro Roll-Up Shorts’ in Claret- €50, Topshop.

These silky burgundy shorts caught my eye on the top rack as soon as I walked up the stairs in Topshop, Stephen’s Green.  As I had already picked out my shirt in Urban Outfitters, I decided I would try the shorts on for size, and then return later with the shirt to make sure they complimented each other.  The minute I had tied the clasp on the shorts, I was in love.   Comfortable, practical, and affordable, I put them on hold behind the counter and left the store, Temple Bar-bound.  When I got back an hour later, there was only one pair of the shorts left on the upstairs rack, in a size UK6, so I was relieved that I had thought to put them on hold! 

Cooperative ‘Printed ‘70s Button-Up Blouse’- €55, Urban Outfitters.

I better not take all the credit here, so I must admit that it was not me who found this blouse, but my boyfriend Peter.  He definitely has a good eye, and once I tried this blouse on, I had to have it!  It’s perhaps quite reminiscent of men’s pyjamas, and for this reason, it fancy it all the more.  The lovely silky texture of the material doesn’t feel like anything I already own, and I can already tell that I’m going to want to wear this every day.

‘Lace Bunny Bow Headband’- €14, Urban Outfitters.

This cute and practical hair accessory was a Christmas gift from my lovely roommate, Amy.  It is much easier to wear around my head than a scarf, because of the fact that the centre of it is made from a long piece of bendy wire, and can be molded to fit my head perfectly!  Seeing as I’ve just recently decided to experiment with my naturally curly hair rather than straightening it on a daily-basis, I need some pretty bands and bows to help tame my mane!  Adore it.

‘Basic Button Through Shirt’ in Cream- €27, Topshop.

This sweet little sleeveless button down, collared blouse is available in a large variety of colours such as navy, camel, burgundy, white and even striped.  At only €27, I couldn’t leave it behind! I was also really pleased to see that it complimented my new shorts perfectly. 

‘Bow Hair Clip’ in Everglade Poly- €11, American Apparel.

I have two of these bows from American Apparel, and I’m beginning to find it quite hard to leave the shop without buying a new one these days!

And what would any outfit post be without it's critics/photographers/inspiration (I better throw the latter in before it becomes my last outfit post ;D)

Meet Peter!
x

So I hope you liked my first outfit post, more to come!

Merry Christmas!

Strange Days Lead to Strange Nights

I return -- the last crush of final assignments and panic-inducing sales conferences are finito, and I am free until January. But, last night. Oh, last night..... I can't quit you.

And by "quit you," I mean I cannot process just how events spun so off track.

Original Plans:

• Attend the last overview course, learn about scholarly publishing.
• Meet-up with all the kids from our program at 8 PM, and attend Ship Sharp's fundraising event at The Boat.

Straight-forward, right? The process was A-->B-->C, and then home again.

But no. No, no. I realize now just how much 2010 is not the Year of the Moffatt.

The Real Events:

• Drove 40 minutes to Kipling subway station to allow for a later night out. Started strolling to the underground path when I realized: Where are my keys? Imagine me pawing the window, staring at the keys nestled in the front seat cup holders.
• Called Mom so she could drive the back-up keys over. I did mention I was 40 minutes from home, right? And that I couldn't leave the car alone since the keys were so visible? And it was about -5C at that point? Did I also mention Mom has never been to the Kipling Station before? And that there are no clear signs indicating where the Kipling Station is? Did I also mention I suck at giving directions? Yep.

• Arrived downtown ten minutes late for class. Booked it across Yonge-Dundas Square where I wiped out on the pavement. And I mean wiped out. As in, four people were around me in four seconds helping me up and asking, "OHMYGOD, are you okay?!" My knee is swollen this morning.

• Ran into A and B, two girls from the program. Turns out our lecture was moved to another building, despite the fact that all night courses take place in ONE building only. None of us knew where the other room was, and a security guard offered the most confusing directions imaginable. Translation: Class is cancelled.
• Ran into K, who was also confused over the sign, but arrived later than the original group had. Decided to go to B's house to hang out before The Boat.
• Had an awesome time at B's for a few hours. Played the most cerebral version of Kings ever. Also discussed: party subs, December birthdays, how much older I am than everyone else even though I don't look it (yaaay!), how wild K's family is, how straight-laced mine is, plans for our publishing careers.

• 9 PM. B's friends still hadn't arrived. S texted B, told her he was heading out soon. Beer cut through rising nervousness, at least for a short while.
• 10 PM. B's friends arrived. No one but the publishing kids wanted to leave.
• 10:30 PM. Still trying to corral people who were at various stages of drinking/creeping sobriety. S arrived at The Boat with no one else from our program there.
• 11 PM. Managed to get people on the street. K and I were sober, everyone else was not quite. B tried to direct a crowd wandering in at least three different directions at once.
• 11:30 PM. Realized the people who said they were going to stop in at Pizza Pizza to pick up a slice were gone for 20 minutes. They sat down to eat. We were all waiting outside. Did I mention we were still on Front St. at this point? And The Boat is in Kensingtion Market area? Check out the interactive map --> here. Also, the Dundas St. W. streetcar had gone off the tracks earlier in the afternoon to add to the confusion.

• 11:45 PM. K and I split off from the group. K was exhausted, had to work the next morning at 8 AM. I had steadily lost hope for the second half of the night.
• 12:00 AM. Arrived at St. Patrick Station. Could not orient myself to the map. Realized if I made it to The Boat, I would just have to turn around to make sure I got back to Kipling Station before the trains stopped at 1:30 AM.
• 12:30 AM. Back at Kipling Station, defeated. Read a text from The Advocate asking about my whereabouts. Felt very cinematic at this point, surreal.
• 1 AM. Back home, icing my knee. Wondering how this would have looked as a bizarre, arts hauz film. Collapsed in bed.

***

In a nutshell, it was a strange night. I don't often experience strange nights like that. I felt disoriented, and not on account of the beer, either.

I had a three-hour window where the world was right.

We were all sitting around, sipping drinks, talking arrogant about the future. I was in a good place, mingling with new people who were interested in attaining the same goals as me. And the thought of connecting this new network with the established network of people from high school felt right. I was buzzing at the prospect of one artistic crowd blending with another. I'd been talking about The Boat all week, and the ladies were excited to get there and dancedancedance.

And then I watched the night unravel. I felt removed from it, oddly. I was watching the beer pounded back, I was watching the clock ticking forward, I was watching the red-and-green CN Tower lit up from B's window -- the whole scene was like a glass floor cracking under foot. I traced the lines out, and knew there wasn't a single thing I could do to stop it.

And then I knew 2011 has to be different. In all possible senses, it has to be.