mirrormirror

An Interlude

Huge apologies for lack of bloggery in recent days.  We're on vacation and I was so busy in the days leading up to our departure that I didn't quite get round to mentioning it. 

Anyway, after a few days here (the Husband was conferencing again), we are now having a fabulous time here in Mexico, having scored another great deal via LuxuryLink.com.

Don't miss me too much. I will be back next week, with loads of holiday pics to bore you with and HOT CELEBRITY GOSSIP (guess which A-list stars had booked out the Mexican hotel for a party for their wedding anniversary?)

Calling All Font Nerds

Since we ascertained that there are a few of you round these parts, why not give your inner geek a treat with the 'Rather Difficult Font Game' from ILoveTypography.com?

You have a not-so-stellar 21 out of 34 to beat.

Art for art's sake?

Image from Domino April 2008

Apart from the fact that Drew Barrymore's much hyped production offices were brown and old-fashioned and fugly as hell, I was somewhat saddened to see this wall of thrift shop finds was proudly emblazoned as having been 'scored in one day'.

Leaving aside the fact that it is one of the ugliest walls of art I've ever encountered, aren't art walls supposed to be full of precious treasures tracked down over years, each with its own memories attached and story to tell - winning a nailbiting Ebay auction; discovering an unknown artist on Etsy,; saving up for a piece by your favourite artist that you can't really afford and yes, tracking down something genuinely delightful in a thrift shop or flea market?

Or is  it just me?

Come Into My Garden - April

This month the garden is all about blossom and tulips and the colour scheme has become more subdued again as the bright yellow early daffs and lipstick pink tulips fade away.

The cherry tree was in her full splendour earlier on in the month but now a confetti of tiny white blossoms cascades down over the garden every time there is a slight breeze, leaving a dusting of 'snow' all over the flower beds.  It is all very lovely.

 

The espaliered apples are also looking stunning.  I had forgotten how beautiful pink-tinged apple blossom can be.

This is the view looking across to our neighbours' house and over towards Lake Union.

I have been talking sternly to the squirrel to make sure he doesn't get all our apples this year.

Some gorgeous new tulips have arrived which I like much better than the rather gaudy lipstick red ones we had last month.  I wish I could remember their names though.

Somewhat foolishly though I planted these in the bed on the side of the garden where they can't be admired easily from the patio.

Close to the patio I appear to have inadvertently created a 'black' garden where the black violas I planted last autumn are still going strong, mixed with the dark new leaves of the berberis and the velvety black of 'Queen of the Night', one of my favourite tulips. I love how it's completely not 'springlike', though I wish I'd planted a few pink or orange tulips here to liven it up a bit, and it is really difficult to photograph.

The back of the garden in contrast is now a white garden full of white daffodils, counterpointed by the lime green of the fading hellebores and the sprinkling of tiny white flowers on the daphne.  I'm loving the way that bluebells are growing up naturally through the woodland garden at the back.

We've been working to spruce up the patio a bit as well.  The pansy which I planted last autumn is now enormous, so I moved it to the pot where the gaudy tulips were, awaiting further instructions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've also given up on my dream of growing dwarf chamomile in between the flagstones (I couldn't find the 'lawn' variety anywhere) and have been putting in this pretty little thyme.

All the sprucing is in honour of the newly painted Adirondack chairs, now complete with little table from Target.

Cirque du Soleil - Corteo

or a lesson in customer service.

"We live in an often sad and baffling world.  I remember my grandmother used to tell me never to look at the floor, only look up. Corteo is a show that looks up."

Daniele Finzi Pasca, Creator and Director

So yesterday we had tickets to the circus. 

The Minx was extremely excited and all dressed up in her posh red velvet frock, though she had no idea what a circus was. We had been keen to take her to see it because, since the beginning of the year, she has been attending Seattle's famous and fabulous 'circus school' where even at the age of three she has been learning basic acrobatics, trampolining, trapeze work, tightrope walking, juggling and balancing on balls.

We were very excited because we had already seen two Cirque du Soleil productions (Saltimbanco and Alegria) in London and knew that we were in for the most amazing treat.

I printed off our emailed tickets, and we were all ready to jump in the car, when I happened to glance down at said (very expensive) tickets and realised that they were for Saturday's performance, not Sunday's.  I suspect you can imagine how I felt, particularly when I looked down at my terribly excited little girl.

On the off-chance, we phoned up their customer service helpline to see if there was anything they could do. They were able to ascertain, using their extremely high-tech ticketing and barcoding system, that we had indeed not attended the day before and then said, 'I'm afraid we have to remind you that tickets are non-refundable'.  Oh well.  'But we're going to let you have some comp tickets for this evening's performance.'  If they hadn't been on the other end of a phone line we would have kissed them then and there. 

As it is we are even bigger fans than we were before and I feel I owe it to them to blog about it at least.  GO RIGHT THIS MINUTE AND BUY TICKETS FOR CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.

So what do you get for your money? Firstly, as I mentioned, the tickets are expensive, but they also represent the most incredible value for money.  Everything about the experience is perfect, from the ticketing and customer service helpline, to the carparking arrangements and huge Dr Seuss coloured big top.

As we took our seats, clowns were performing in the aisles and huge ghostly chandeliers could be seen through the semi-sheer scrim. The Minx was both mesmerised and overwhelmed by the noise and spectacle.

And then lights went on behind the scrim and we could see a clown on his deathbed with angels flying up above and a crowd forming his 'corteo' or cortege. And then began a celebration of the clown's life.

We saw ladies of the night spinning and swinging from sparkly chandeliers (which delighted the interior design obsessed part of my soul); kids bouncing on beds; clowns riding bikes in the sky; upside down tight rope walkers; and little people flying round the big top carried by helium balloons.  I love how Cirque du Soleil both represents the very best in modern circus technology, but also carries on the old circus traditions with nods to commedia dell'arte, gypsy folklore and  vaudeville.

The music is all original and fabulously sung and performed, including symphonic whistling from the ringmaster and a woman who plays the gypsy violin behind her back.  The costumes and lighting were sensational, the set and props amazing and the attention to detail is extraordinary. Every single member of the large cast is a master of his or her art.

After being initially somewhat nonplussed the Minx got right into the swing of things and kept shouting 'wow' very loudly, and was so inspired that during the intermission she treated a small crowd gathered outside to an exhibition of fantastical dance moves and many views of her undergarments. (I have realised that I am so not a stage mother, as I find such exhibitionism cringingly embarrassing). Very cutely though, she cried when it was over because she didn't want the circus to end.

And so closed an evening that was not only a hugely inspiring feast for all the senses, but also hugely inspiring from a business perspective.  Cirque du Soleil is as close as it gets to a perfect customer experience.

GO RIGHT THIS MINUTE AND BUY TICKETS FOR CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.

All images scanned in from the programme.  I so wished I could have taken my camera.

Sock yarn - not sure

So I'm working on my next pair of socks - since I'm still in the throes of my obsession. I got another yarn from Violet Green which looked like this when it was in the skein.

I was assuming, based on my previous experience, that it would come out softly variegated, or perhaps in some nice stripes.

Instead I seem to be creating splodges of colour which make them look a bit as if I've been treading grapes in turquoise socks, which I'm not entirely convinced is the look I'm after.

The good news is that I'm absolutely adoring the Jaywalker sock pattern I found online - complex enough to be interesting and easy enough not to be a complete and utter PITA.  It's a shame that the yarn doesn't show off the intriguing zigzags though. But definitely a pattern I will try again.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a gratuitous pic of my knitting on our new bedroom chair - a bit of a bargain from Urban Outfitters - of which more later when the bedroom is tidier.

Now I know my ABCs

Just loving these ABC prints from Etsy shop Lucky Paperie

I think it's the two colourways I like mostly. (Found via black.white.bliss, one of my favourite design blogs)

Britain v America - Magazine Covers

Ever since I moved from London to Seattle, I've noticed that there is a very different design sensibility between Britain and the US, not just in interiors but in every aspect of life.

So I thought it would be fun to launch a series of posts where we can compare and contrast everyday elements of British and American design and just have a chat round the differences.

First up, here are the May 2008 covers for British and American Vogue, which to me exemplify the two different design aesthetics (even though American Vogue is famously edited by a Brit).

May 2008 cover of British Vogue featuring Natalia Vodianova

The cover of British Vogue is simpler and cleaner, with far fewer words and simple fonts (though note the use of the serif font).  Colour though is brought into the typeface.

The focus is very much on the model. Note it's a model not a celebrity - celebrities do appear on the cover of British Vogue but comparatively rarely.  Though admittedly the lines get a bit blurred with celebrity models such as Kate Moss, who seems to be on the cover of British Vogue all the time.  The colours are very bright, clean and fresh and to my eyes very English.  The whole thing seems much more uncluttered and spare.

May 2008 cover of American Vogue featuring Gwyneth Paltrow

American magazine covers - and this is no exception - seem to have a lot more going on.  There are more words and more different font sizes (though only one sans serif font is used throughout).  There are more emphatic caps and italics and a quote is included. All the words mix lower case and upper case. 

The image used is much busier (and more obviously photoshopped?) - more Gwyneth, more dress, more background. There's a lot more Hollywood glamour - a movie actress, big hair, silver and sequins. And with the mask, even obvious movie product placement (for the Iron Man movie, starring, you guessed it, Gwyneth Paltrow). The colours, though, are more muted and soft than on the British cover.

So, which one do you like best?  Which one would you buy? Do you prefer the cover from your 'home' country?  Does the other cover seem very different and/or strange?  Does the British cover seem scarily uninformative and gaudily bright? Does the US cover seem more old-fashioned (as it does to me)? Or does the serif font on the UK cover look old-fashioned to American eyes? If you're neither British nor American which one stands out for you? Am I the only person who thinks Gwyneth look strangely like she's been carved out of wax?

Discuss.

(Just adding a poll, because your answers are intriguing me.)

So the thing that's intriguing me, is that not a single person has said they prefer the US cover, but surely Anna Wintour et al must do focus groups and stuff about this sort of thing? And must think that the US-style cover will sell best? Can anyone out there explain?

By the way is the poll working properly? I've had all sorts of trouble getting it up.

The Lab

You know what it's like when you organise a party and you're not sure if anyone is going to turn up? Well, that's how I've been feeling over the last few days about the Lab. 

And then of course I was worried whether the people who did turn up would actually be NICE or not :)

But of course I had no reason to be anxious.  People CAME.  Everyone was fantastically friendly and charming and interesting.  There were even people who, scarily, read this blog.

Matte Stephens and his oh-so-cute wife and muse 'the real Vivienne' were everything you knew they would be and more, and hugely inspirational.  Matte has been plugging away at his art for the last thirteen years and, it seems, almost literally starving in a garret, before John Tusher from Velocity discovered him on Ebay of all places, became his friend and mentor and Matte turned into an overnight sensation.

Anyway it's late and time for bed now, so go and read Mary T's (who actually had her camera with her at the beginning of the evening) great write-up over on Shelterrific, Tim Gunn's alter ego Uncle Beefy has also written a splendid post.

Thanks as always to John and the Velocity gang, our literally gorgeous sponsors from Dry Soda, Matte and Vivienne for making the trek up to Seattle from Portland just after moving across country from Alabama.  And of course to the wonderful Grace, who was the catalyst who made everything possible.

Apologies for the very bad photos. I sensibly forgot my camera so had to wait until the Husband could bring it at the end of the evening, by which time I'd had too much champagne and everyone had gone home.

Apologies too for rushing off so quickly and not saying goodbye to everyone.  Due to monumentally bad planning on my part, I had a date with an egotistical rap  artist immediately afterwards.

Next month's Lab is going to take place on May 28th and will feature a panel of Seatttle's finest craft and design bloggers .  You would be mad to miss it.

John Tusher and knitting neurobiologist Jerylin indulge in a little interpretive dance while Megan Not Martha looks on. 

Matte Stephens holds court

Matte's work on display

Glow in the Dark - Kanye West

Kanye West in rehearsal at Seattle's Key Arena (all pics from Kanye's EXTREMELY cool blog)

One of the CDs I listened to while I was in labour was Kanye West's The College Dropout.  The midwife kept asking if I'd like to listen to something different (I think she hated it) but I found all the expletives to be just the thing. 

Notwithstanding the fact that it brings back memories of the most hellish hours of my life, I've always liked Kanye's music (yes, I know he himself can be a bit of a jerk).  So when I found that he was opening his Glow in the Dark tour in Seattle, and was promising the mother of all stage shows, with lights by the same guys who had created Daft Punk's kickass pyramid then I just had to get tickets.  I'm a sucker for a good light show.

The support was pretty awesome too - Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D and Rihanna.  We arrived in time to catch the last bit of N.E.R.D's set (Pharrell Williams is SO pretty and She Wants to Move was banging ) and all of Rihanna. She looked like a supermodel - all black PVC with dayglo pink and green accents and the most amazing neon pink lipstick. She can actually sing too and Don't Stop the Music and Umbrella were pretty hot.

Then we had to wait for about an hour for Kanye to hit the stage - he obviously doesn't have to worry about paying babysitters.   I have to add it wasn't because he was being a prima donna, but because they were clearly having issues with the set. 

When the show started, we could see why there'd been issues. The set was indeed incredible - a raised stage like the rolling hills of an apocalyptic landscape, the most enormous back screen and a hydraulic platform that tilted and moved up and down.  All accompanied by pyrotechnics, smoke machines, underlighting, overlighting, everywhere lighting, giant lit up globes, an anime blow up doll, a gold painted stripper hologram, a sexy computer and....just Kanye - the self-proclaimed brightest star in the universe - alone on stage for ninety minutes. 

In a act of either extreme hubris or bravery, what was apparently a huge contingent of musicians and backing singers (all his tracks have been reworked for the show) were dressed in black, hidden under the stage in an orchestra pit and practically invisible, leaving Kanye on his own, acting out a (very, very silly) hip-hop space soap opera with all the technology.

I'm not sure it entirely worked for me - call me old-fashioned but I like seeing musicians perform - but it almost did, and Kanye is the only hip-hop artist with enough ego and charisma to get anywhere close to pulling it off. And it all got very moving when he appeared to be close to tears after a stripped down version of Hey Mama. And there really is nothing that compare with seeing a state-of-the-art, money-no-object, no-technology spared stage show.

Just to bring this post vaguely close to on-topic for this blog, do check out Kanye's surprisingly fabulous blog - full of his design and creative inspirations.  He's got some really cool stuff on there.  Oh and couple of reviews of the show here and here. And goodness, the sound system at the Key is cr*p.

The Three Chairs

We finished painting them over the weekend and I think they're OK.  They're pretty dazzling when the sun's out, but brighten up a dull grey day like today no end.  We just need a little round cedar coffee table, which will stay resolutely natural in colour.

It's going to be interesting to see how they go with the garden colour scheme as it develops over the year. The yellow of the daffs will fade away and be replaced by lots of purple and chocolate plants enlivened with splashes of hot pink, red and orange. Though next year I may avoid such very pink tulips.

Bowl-ing bowl-ing bowl-ing

I've just knitted a small green hat.  It is the very first article I've ever knitted on circular needles and it knitted up incredibly easily and quickly as I used big fat needles and big fat wool (Lamb's Pride Bulky in Pistachio). I can't believe that on the couple of occasions I've knitted hats before, I've had to sew seams.  This is so much the better way.

Except that actually, it's not really a hat. If you turn it upside down, bit becomes a, currently rather porous, bowl.  These felted woollen bowls were mentioned on Design Sponge a few weeks ago and I was completely intrigued. They are from the book Oneskein, which also gives instructions.on how to felt it in the washing machine  And that's where I'm a bit stuck at the moment as felting sounds a bit tricky. Is it really possible to turn my hat into this?

Image from Design*Sponge 

The Lab

This is just a reminder to everyone hoping to come to the Seattle creative meet up from 6pm- 8pm next Wednesday 16th April at Velocity's South Lake Union showroom on Yale Avenue, featuring special guest artist Matte Stephens.

The events will go by the name of The Lab - we are hoping that they will become a place to experiment with new ideas, foster creative thinking and provide us all with plenty of opportunities for networking and inspiration.  Please feel free to invite anyone you think would like to come and remember that The Lab is open to both men and women. 

Special thanks are due to John Tusher and his staff at Velocity who have embraced the idea of regular meet-ups so wholeheartedly and who will be hosting and sponsoring future events.

For those of you on Facebook, we have created an events page here - please come and sign up.  All of you who have emailed me asking to go on the mailing list should be receiving an email within the next day or two. Anyone else who would like to be on the mailing list, please get in touch.

After resisting it for the longest time I have become a Facebook addict.  All huge fun, though somewhat disconcerting when it turns out that a very old flame appears to have found enlightenment and turned into a cross between Mother Teresa and Deepak Chopra...

Bee with Fern

Or, how the rich get richer...

Regular readers will remember that earlier on this year, there was much temporary excitement round these parts when This Morning  (which, for American readers, is a major networked morning TV show in the UK) called in the Atelier LZC Bee mirror for a feature.

The excitement quickly abated when the mirror wasn't mentioned at all during the feature and indeed only a tiny corner of it was fleetingly visible during the programme, resulting in absolutely no sales whatsoever.

This is pretty much par for the course, I would say of everything that is called in by journalists etc. only about 25% is actually used in any capacity.  As is also par for the course the mirror was never returned to us. 

Most journalists are really bad at returning stuff.  In theory they're meant to return it, and some are very good about it, but many seem to assume that you've just given them a generous gift, whether or not they actually use the item in their publication. The mythical Vogue accessories closet is not just a myth (and yes, one of their staffers managed to 'acquire' a couple of scented candles a year or so back, though they had at least featured them in the magazine).  And it doesn't seem to matter to them whether the company they're 'acquiring' things from is a huge multinational behemoth, or a teeny tiny online shop.

The reason I'm writing about this scam now is that when we emailed This Morning to enquire as to the whereabouts of the mirror, we were told by the researcher that it had been 'passed on to Fern'.  For the uninitiated Fern Britton is the main anchorwoman of the show, one of the very few women on TV that I actually like, and one of the highest paid women on UK TV. 

While part of me is pleased that Fern liked it enough to 'acquire' it, she has gone down a long way in my estimation. Though to be fair, This Morning did say we could invoice them (but only after we'd emailed them).

The temptation to write "as 'acquired' by Fern Britton" on the mirror product page is almost too strong to resist. At least that way we might get SOME publicity out of all this.

And with this post all chances of 'mirrormirror' ever being on the telly have just disappeared....

Adirondack Pop Art

So, inspired by these, at Ocean Point Inn in Oregon where we stayed last year,

and these cushions by Karen Hilton, which I'm soon hoping to get on mirrormirror,

we went to the paint shop at the weekend and choose these

for the sickly pastel-coloured Adirondacks on our patio.

I'm hoping, since the colour scheme in the garden is supposed to be like this -  full of clashing hot pinks, oranges, reds and purples - that they might just work.

I know, subtle colour is not exactly a forte of mine.  We shall see. Painting updates to come. 

We have socks!

The sock obsession has been continuing unabated and I have actually finished my first pair of socks.  They were a very plain pattern (from Violet Green which comes free with their sock yarn, though I can't find it on their site) and are riddled with mistakes, but hugely fun and I now own the most comfortable pair of socks in the history of the planet. Note they're already slightly fluffy as I have been wearing them all weekend.

I'm a complete novice at 'reading' sock yarn, so I had no idea they would end up looking like this.  Really quite subtle.  I actually love them, though next time I do a variegated yarn I might try a slightly more textured pattern. Because yes, there's definitely going to be a 'next time'.

It was a little embarrassing lying on my back on the lawn like a stranded beetle while I photographed my feet. The neighbours can't laugh though, because the other night we watched them film a zombie movie in their back yard. The bit when the 'body' emerged from the hole they'd dug was really very effective.

Inspiration

So, I know we've been somewhat mean about her in the past, and that she's recently had a facelift, and is no doubt Botoxed to the hilt and airbrushed to the max, but good grief, her Madgeness is looking HAWT in her latest vid.  And very inspirational to those of us who may be past our first flush of youth.

The song is the best thing she's done in ages too.

Polaroid Pearls and Photo Swaps

I was sad to hear that Polaroid was no longer going to make cameras or film, because somewhere deep down I had a vision of myself one day taking gorgeous photos like these. 

Digital cameras just can't get close to this sort of softness and subtlety.  Of course now I want one more than ever.

 

The photos come from Jen of Fieryeyed Photography who writes the blog Nectar & Light - truly one of the most beautiful blogs on the web.

Jen also runs a monthly photoswap through her site The Photo Trade.  The rules are simple.  Give her your name and address and she will tell you the monthly theme and match you up with your swapees.  Get your picture in the post before the end of the month and then wait for the postman to deliver wondrous things.

I joined in for the first time this month and this is what I sent to Susannah on the theme 'Morning Ritual' (I'm very glad that I didn't know beforehand that she is a freelance photographer).

And these are what I got back from Christine, which are currently looking very beautiful thank you on my inspiration board.

I think there was a teensy bit of confusion on the monthly theme, as I was told 'Morning Ritual' but lots of other people had 'Green'.

Anyway, you've got until April 4th to sign up for this month's swap, which is on the theme 'A Faerie Tale Told'.

Updating to say that my breadbin photo made 'Explore' on Flickr!  The first time anything I've taken has done so. 

Come Into My Garden - March

Quick! *Rushes to get the March update in before April*

Spring has indeed sprung and the garden is looking fab at the moment.  All the back-breaking effort in the autumn (oh my goodness, I nearly said 'Fall'), planting daffodil and tulip bulbs is really paying off.

The star of the show is the shade garden at the back under the tree, which is bursting with daffodils and hellebores.  Hellebores, how much do I love you.  

     

 

The first tulips also bloomed this weekend - a sweet lipstick pink called (I think, I forgot to make a note) Elizabeth Arden.  You'll notice that I've put in a wigwam to grow peas though nothing much is happening a present.  There's parsley, rocket, red oak leaf lettuce and broccoli for harvesting in the little vegetable patch though, and the Minx and I recently sowed carrots, radishes, spring onions and more lettuces.

The tulips in my pots are looking beautiful already, I just love them next to the watercolour-splashed pansies, which have been going strong all winter.

Next month I foresee painting in my stars.  I ordered these Adirondack chairs off Ebay hoping that the colours wouldn't be quite as sickly as they looked on screen and lo and behold they look exactly like the Easter Bunny has just barfed all over the patio.

Go Fug Your Room

This room graced the March cover of Elle Decor magazine and I hesitate to include it as a Go Fug Your Room candidate because I like the unusual colour scheme very much indeed.

But I looked more closely and realised that I didn't really like any item in this room.  Every piece is just that bit too ornate and fussy for my taste. Too much piping, gilding, carved wood, embroidery, stuffing, inlay, pattern and stuff.  Each of these pieces would probably work fine on their own as accents amongst plainer pieces, but together for me they all add up to just, well, too much.

I'm intrigued to know what you think, as I suspect that this room is really more  'American' in taste and I'm planning some blog posts about the differences between US and UK interior design. 

Here's the poll - if you feel like saying where you're from in the comments that would be great.

Lisa in India

Photos of the 'Holi' festival from Lisa's blog

OK. This is completely and utterly off-topic, but my friend Lisa from Victoria BC is now in India and she's started a blog about her travels.

Which I strongly advise you to check out if you've ever wondered what it would be like to leave your job and go wandering for a year.  Fabulous and fascinating photos too.

I'm knitting socks!

I think there comes a time in every knitter's life when they consider whether to knit socks. 

I think socks come more naturally to Americans than the British because Americans are far more used to knitting 'in the round' on circular needles.  In the UK I think I'm right in saying that more people knit, as I do, on long straight needles (which are very difficult to find here). So the idea of knitting on four tiny double pointed needles scared the heebie jeebies out of me.

But one of the things which is so inspiring about Yarnstorm's book/blog are the fabulous socks she turns out and when I came across this crazy yarn, I decided that the time had come for me to learn.

Thank god for YouTube.  The basic sock pattern they sent with the wool was completely incomprehensible to me as I'd never even watched anyone knit socks before and couldn't even fathom out how to set up the needles.  YouTube truly is a fabulous resource for knitters and I found this series of tutorials particularly clear and useful.

I'm loving watching the yarn resolve itself into skinny stripes.  The colours graduate through all the warm colours of the spectrum and I love the way they play off each other to create different, unexpected, combinations and textures. I thought the socks might end up too garish for words but they're actually almost subtle. And the Minx is very, very jealous indeed.

I've actually nearly finished the first sock and am totally addicted.  There's enough mindless knitting around the circle that I can knit in front of dreadful reality TV and enough complicated stuff to ensure that I don't lose my mind with boredom.  And they're small enough to pander to my project ADD.

More Cooking In Translation - Hot Cross Buns

My photo of the buns

It's funny how important the 'old country's' food traditions become when you move abroad.  Hot cross buns are now available all year round in England and are no longer such a big deal - though I still remember fondly feasting on hot cross buns for breakfast on Good Friday morning and being excited because my father was home on a Friday (Good Friday is a public holiday in the UK).

But here they scarce as hens' teeth and need to be sought out even at Easter time. And even when you can get them, they're somewhat spoilt by having an cross piped on them in white icing.  Which is OK as far as it goes but means you miss out on the essential splendour of toasting the buns and serving them oozing with butter.  They're supposed to be hot. (The clue is in the name).

So yesterday the Minx and I set to work.  Having had only mediocre success with the usually reliable Delia in the past, I used this recipe from the BBC website which came highly recommended by some food blog or other (I'm sorry I can't remember which).

And then I came across my usual raft of translation issues. 

I couldn't find a source of fresh yeast (a big fat boo to the Essential Baking Company - I'm not linking to them -  who refused to sell me any) so substituted one of those little sachets which seemed to work fine.

'Mixed spice' is a unknown quantity here.  I had to look that up on the Internet, to find that it's a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg with possibly some cloves and ginger.  So that could be recreated.

Mixed peel, however, was impossible to track down. Chopped, candied citrus peel turns up in all sorts of British home baking and is traditional in hot cross buns, even though the slightly bitter flavour is disliked by many and the peel if often picked out.

But who knew?  I made the buns without and although they tasted wonderful that slightly bitter edge was definitely missed.

I followed the recipe and piped on crosses of flour and water paste which are then baked in the oven so they form an integral part of the bun. And then we gobbled them up, hot from the oven, with plenty of butter. Although the Minx proved how American she has become by requesting a 'cold crossed bun' sic.

The Minx's photo of the buns taken with her new camera.  We were both so proud. 

Hooray!

Much jubilation in the household today as we have just learned that the Minx has been accepted at the local French immersion school and, come September, will join their petite maternelle section and be taught 80% in French. The school itself is lovely with small class sizes and a real family atmosphere and the Minx loved it to bits in her 'interviews'. 

I studied French at university and can speak it pretty well, but even after twelve years of study could never match the effortless bilingualism that tiny children can muster if taught early enough.  We're absolutely thrilled that she's going to get this opportunity and happy because it also means she will receive a rather more Euro-centric education than she would have done in a normal American school -useful for when we decide to return. And even better, it means that going to live in France in a few years is now a possibility.

Having said which, it looks like we might be staying in Seattle longer than we originally thought as the chances of her getting such a good education back in London are zero.   And the thought that the Minx's education is now sorted for the foreseeable future is a very relaxing one.

And yes, I do realise that we are just one big hideous ambulatory middle-class parental cliche'.

Seattle Design Meet Up - Matte Stephens

So, get this in your diaries pronto quick.  The next meet-up will be on April 16th at Velocity's new location in South Lake Union and the guest speaker will be Matte Stephens!

Images from Matte's blog

Matte is moving from Alabama to Portland, Oregon, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to welcome him to the Pacific Northwest and hear him talk about being an independent artist. John from Velocity has been a long time stockist of his work, so we will also be able to get a retailer's perspective.

I'll post up details here closer to the time (when they've actually been finalised).  Please contact me here if you would like to be added to our event mailing list.

Here's a bit more scoop on Matte, who has been taking blogland by storm in recent months.

Podcast on Design*Sponge: Matte Stephens and Irving Harper

Podcast on Decor8: Matte Stephens

Matte's Etsy shop

A Bag with Bangs

In general I've found it better to use words like 'elevator' and 'eggplant' (rather than lift and aubergine) round these parts in order to have any chance of being understood.  I still though, find myself far too embarrassed to say 'bangs' (the American word for a fringe of hair over your forehead).  I mean, where on earth did that come from?

I've just finished the Minx's little messenger bag - and contrary to normal experience, I'm not so very fed up of knitting that I never wish to pick up needles again.  In fact I've just started a new project.

The bag was the perfect way to get back into knitting - easy enough to knit mindlessly, while the moss stich embellishment I added was just enough to stop it becoming unbelievably tedious. The best bit though was making the fringe (PLEASE don't tell me Americans call a fringe on a thing 'bangs' as well), which I'd never done before.

After knotting it all up I was supposed to give the bag a hair cut and make the fringe even round the bottom. As you can see I didn't really succeed (the right hand side is definitely longer than the left) but I was terrified of getting into one of those haircutting situations where you keep cutting at it to make it even and end up with a fringe (or indeed bangs) that look like Herman Munster's (the Minx has a permanently wonky fringe for the same reason).

The only downside with this bag is the garter stitch strap. The Minx's first action was to put a heavy jigsaw puzzle into the bag and it stretched so much that it hung somewhere around her knees...

I'll try and get a photo of Minx and bag to post up, so you can see the full effect.

Helvetica

 

 

 

Yesterday I fed my inner geek and sat down to watch the film Helvetica - a documentary film about a font.

I got very into fonts when we were designing the mirrormirror logo and spent ages searching through font libraries to find something to convey the sense of feminine yet contemporary that we felt the brand was all about (and we didn't end up with Helvetica).

Still, it seemed difficult to imagine how on earth a single typeface could be the subject of a feature-length documentary, particularly when the documentary is very plainly shot, with no special effects or historical reconstructions, just lots of graphic designer talking heads and shot after shot of Helvetica logos and signage.

What I had never realised before is just ubiquitous Helvetica is, both in Europe and the US. It truly is the default font of the last half century.

Designed in the 50s in Switzerland,  its spare lines and careful attention to proportion and negative space was very much a product of European modernism (the section about the font's history is absolutely fascinating).

After changing its name from the unattractive Das Neue Haas Grotesk, to an easily pronounced name which celebrated its Swiss roots, Helvetica became hugely popular with both major corporations seeking to give a 'modern' feel to their image and with governments and municipalities who valued its clarity and legibility.  As the film proves, the font really is absolutely everywhere - from the Dutch telephone book to the American Apparel logo - and pops up in the unlikeliest places

What gives the film its edge is the passion with which the graphic designers interviewed were either for or against Helvetica.  For some it is the ultimate, unimprovable font - as plain and beautiful and necessary to the visual culture as water or air is to life. For others it is the symbol of globalisation and corporate dominance - one engaging female designer thought it was the typeface of the Vietnam and  Iraqi wars. 

Some designers loved the restrictions inherent in using it,seeking to refresh it with different spacing and weights; while others condemned the lack of imagination needed to choose it, saying, 'if you're not a very good designer, just choose Helvetica Bold for your typeface and it will look OK.'

In fact who knew how fascinating and funny graphic designers could be?  I loved the chap who designed his wedding invitations in Helvetica and wanted to credit creator Max Miedinger on the order of service until vetoed by his wife.

Go see this film and spend the next few days spotting Helvetica everywhere you go - it's not really about a font, but more a very entertaining conversation about how type and therefore visual culture affects our lives.

I thought I would write this post in Helvetica as a small homage. But Helvetica doesn't exist on Microsoft computers.  Instead you will have to make do with Arial, which was conceived as a copy of Helvetica and now, thanks to Microsoft, is as ubiquitous online as Helvetica is off.