chalk, cheese and cardboard

And the new academic year begins once again. 

Beginning the term by compiling a Materials Bank of various forms, textures, and colours that are interesting to us, we provide ourselves with an easily accessible source of inspiration for the projects to come. However, my little library features two halves, each very distinct to the other. On the left we have the natural, organic pieces whose essence is of great importance and whose value I feel so strongly about. On the right we have a box of fun; it's pink, fluffy, glittery, sparkly, shimmery, shiny, plastic, and oh so barbie. Please don't make me pick a side of the fence to sit on. My challenge will have to be finding the middle ground.

First to experiment with the natural. Inspired by a tour of an old paper mill in Amalfi, Italy over the summer, I try to re-create the process in a sustainable, vegetable loving, way. Maybe the results are not so beautiful but they are a successful sort of cardboard.

youfoundlunch

Every year graduate students from art colleges around Britain exhibit their collections in London. The event in question is New Designers where we flock in the hope of having our work seen by somebody in the industry and *eek* being offered a job!
A venture on the expensive side of expensive, Chloe and I decided to get together and fundraise ourselves some money. Current target: £400. That covers the cost of our stand in the Design Centre alone. After that I think we'll be ringing on friend's doorbells looking for a couch to crash on for the week.

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During the summer we had splendid success selling salad boxes. But now the days are colder and the students newer, we thought a bake sale was in order. Theme? OATS!!!

Calling our day 'oatily delicious' we stood outside the main University of Edinburgh Library with an array of sweet and savoury bakes, each containing that one key ingredient.... oats!

For the savoury bakes we prepared small stacks of oatcakes, with a choice between spinach, pumpkin seeds or cracked black pepper. Sold as a set with a nice British apple and a wedge of either Danish blue or Gouda cheese, they were a perfect snack.

Over on the sweet side we had - Ginger and Dark Chocolate Cookies - Chewy Apple Cookies - Peanut Butter and Banana Flapjack - Banana Bread - Raisin and Pumpkin Seed Flapjack- Jars of Granola.  Many credits are due to DeliciouslyElla for her wonderful vegan recipes, thank you. 

Talk about a two-way twister

   

"Never knew how much I missed ya..." Gone are the days of having a 30 minute tv allowance in the evenings, being made by parents to choose the one programme you want to watch for that day. Here are the days of internet streaming and too many hours wasted away in the lazy indulgences that being grown up entitle you to. Here's to hoping my eyes don't turn square.

beginning a new chapter

They say it is the intention that counts. And so listening to whoever "they" are, those spoken of wise people somewhere someplace, I shall begin again the blog. Because a friend is a very special thing to have and one should endeavour to make happy those who make one happy.

Much time may have passed since I last wrote, but in terms of things changing during this sojourn, well, little has. Knitting still happens and small projects are undertaken. Today I worked my way toward the toe of this sock, number one of two, which shall be a present for my dad, a man who asks every year for socks for Christmas, though how he makes his way through so many pairs in a year to always need more, I'll never know.