Lost in another world

I love books. It's a fact. I also love stories. And while you might assume that they come hand in hand, I want to explore the stories further outside the realms of books. The stories I love are of people, and lives. Simple and familiar to the lives that we ourselves live. Sometimes a bit of drama or fantasy certainly doesn't hinder a story line, but the life of celebrity doesn't interest me.

These stories are often found now-a-days in tv series, movies and of course, books. I love to have a story to follow and find that I enjoy having something to watch or listen to whilst I'm busy with my daily errands and jobs. Just listening to music or the radio isn't always enough for me. (Sometimes I wonder if I have ADHD!) And so I watch tv series's from start to finish over and over again, spending hours following a long story line.

Recently however I ventured back into the option of books, heading straight for the audio version. Audiobooks allow me to follow a story whilst continuing to do other things (which reading does not allow) and I remember loving a couple of audio books when I was a child. Strangely enough one of my favorite reasons for having audio books around is for running.... I get bored of music and need ridiculously upbeat music to keep me going. Whereas with a story I am interested and happy, the time just flies by.

The one problem with audio books is the price, starting at £10 a decent audio book can reach up £50! I do not have that kind of money.... But what I have found is that a local library will only charge you 50p to rent an audiobook (a cd version can easily be imported into your iTunes to listen to on your iPod and keep forever ;) and at most an extra 50p to reserve them.

I recently borrowed all of the Harry Potter Cd's from the kids section (yup the kids stories tend to be my favorite...easy to fall back into and listen along to!) and I cannot stop listening. I find I'm much happier to get on and do things when I have the lush tones of Stephen Fry to keep me entertained. I cannot recommend them enough!

Do you have any favorite stories or ways of entertaining yourself? Or are you quite happy with the radio, or even silence?

365 Project- It's finished!

Over the last year I have completed a 365 proejct, a photography project that inspires many every day and encourages creativity. I decided last year to start one on mine and the mr's 2 year anniversary to document a year in my life. Each day I took photos to represent my day, and while sometimes I struggled and forgot, other days I was glad to have documented the day. Anyway, now that it's over (phew!) lets look back at my year and celebrate mine and the mr's 3 years together!

Plus check out these other 365 Projects;

Anna Hardy did one for a year photographing anything and everything
Kelly spent her year similarly and started her blog especially for the project and is now doing this new project!
This guy spent a year photographing skulls before moving onto more skull related 365 projects

Abiento x

{Content is King} Alt Summit Channel

Since I began my foray into blogs and the whole world that comes along with it, I have slowly discovered the amazing world of conferences that the US has to offer. From those specified to wedding photographers, to those, like Alt Summit, that are for designers and the like. Well, like I said, the conferences take place in the US. And sadly, I live in little old Cornwall! Hopping on a plane to Salt Lake City really isn't option for my measly student budget. However, from following the blogs of the people who not only attend, but also speak at these conferences I found that Alt Summit has a new venture; Alt Summit Channel. The lovely people behind Alt Summit decided to share the knowledge of their friends through short online courses that only cost $15 (roughly £10!). I signed up for 4 of them pronto!

Last night was numero uno; Content is King led by Melanie Blodgett of 'You Are My Fave' fame. What I discovered was inspiration and a chance to talk and listen to bloggers who unsurprisingly, I already follow!

On the top of my blogging to do list now includes not only ideas on how to develop my blog further once I am no longer a student, but also has tips for me to check back on for writing the posts that will keep this blog thriving. Turns out I do a lot of things in my normal life that could make for great posts! Why haven't I been posting them!?

So please, give me your opinion. Would you like to see any of these ideas up on the blog soon?

• Clothes customizing; I often buy cheap and simple high street clothes and then customize them to my style and taste using little tricks and ideas. By adding sequins to shoulders and a different lining to a coat I can transform supermarket clothes into something that my family and friends lust after. Interested in learning how I do it?
• D.i.y gifts; For christmas and birthdays I often make gifts. I save myself a ton of money and give my loved ones something personal that they will treasure for ever. Want to see what I did last year?
• Business talk; I don't talk about it often but one day soon I hope to own my own business. Want to learn the tips and advice that I learn too? I'd be willing to share...!
• Meet and Greet; From the courses I take to get me closer to the step above, I meet lots of people. Successful people. I now have the option for regular contact with them and have the chance to interview them and share it here for your reading pleasure? Interested- let me know!
• Freebies! I don't know why I never thought of this before- but I design patterns on a daily basis. If I were to develop them one step further I could be giving you readers free downloads of my patterns to use as desktop backgrounds and the like. Want to know more? Just comment below!

It turns out I have lot more to say than I thought, and all of this is original content, my original content, because no one will have done it the way I have done it. 

Please feel free to let me know what you think, and let me know what types of posts you would like to see as a reader of my blog. It will help greatly and encourage me to move forward with the ideas I have had thanks to Melanie!

So, once again, thanks to Melanie and Alt Summit for the inspiration! I can't wait for the next course!

Abiento x

P.S check out Andrea's post on the course. She beat me to it and said everything I wanted to say! Well done girl :)

It's Monday!

Today I woke up and felt awful. I've taken the whole weekend off to try and recover from my lovely and so fun viral infection, and it's not budging. So I'm taking today off too to prepare myself for the busy couple of weeks ahead! I have another whole project to complete this week at uni (hoping to do it in three days!) plus my mum arrives from Canada tomorrow night!

So today I am all thoughts about this project and my upcoming assessment. I'm spending 3 days focusing on colours and shapes, and when I saw this it seemed perfect. I just have no idea how to incorporate the idea into my project. We will see!

Thanks miss James for the inspiration! I just love the melting of colours together, so like watercolour, and yet bolder, brighter and more fantastic!

Abiento x

What's in your cupboard?

This cupboard holds hefty responsibilities. It is the only cupboard we have, and we have to share it. We stuff it full of everything we will need for cooking and eating purposes and frequently get annoyed at it when we can't reach what we want because there is too much other crap in the way. Because it is our only space in the kitchen to put our food. Hefty responsibility don't ya think?

Well I kinda lied, we also have this drawer. It's generally pretty empty except for some oats, some root veg and my favorite kitchen utensils that I daren't leave out so as to protect them from harms way.

But the point is, this is the only space we have for our food and condiments and other bits and bobs, and well it's not really enough. Neither is our tiny fridge that has to hold enough food for 6 people. So in many ways we tend to struggle with our cooking and eating requirements. This is what we have in our cupboard. And as I look at new recipes online I wonder how on earth I am going to fit this much fresh food in my cupboard or fridge. And more to the point, how much it is going to cost me.. So I was wondering. What's in your cupboard? What are your weekly staple buys that you buy every single freaking week. And how much do you tend to spend on a weeks groceries? Is that too nosy? I don't know, I'm just curious. So share if you will :).

Abiento x

A time of crap

Well, lets just say that last week was crappy. Well and truly crappy. It started off the week before last really, and then got gradually worse. And worse. Everything broke. Twice. Including myself. And that is not even a joke or an exaggeration.

Here is a run down;

So the friday before last my car broke down, had it fixed by Monday. Petrol cap refused to open by that evening however. Felt well enough to go back to exercising on Tuesday (after my cold) so went to netball. Woke up Wednesday feeling like death. True death. Went into uni and dropped my phone onto a concrete floor. So this happened.

Friday morning went to drive into town to get it fixed and my car broke down again. Got a lift into town and got phone fixed. Naturally phone was not fixed and had to take it back so they could restore it to it's broken glory and give me a refund. Went to take car to garage and made it 100m down the road. So obviously had to wait for a tow. My car seems to love to wait until Friday as well so that any necessary parts have to be ordered over the weekend resulting in at least 3 days with no car. So am now even more ill than before, with a car even more broken than before and a phone that cannot be fixed (just yet). Perfect. Anddd it's monday! woop woop! Here's to hoping that this week goes a little bit better than the last!

Abiento x

I've got the munchies.

As a non dairy eater, it can be very hard to eat pizza. However when I discovered that a pack of 2 pizza bases in Asda is only 57p I decided to use ingredients that I always have lying about the house to make a Lucy friendly pizza!

Simply with tomato puree, some veg and meat of some kind you have yourself a yummy pizza- so simple! Plus if you're like me, then you'll love a ton of salad with whatever Italian food you eat! So pile it up!!

Plus- add some wine, a friend and make a night of it! Fantastic :)

Abiento x

It's Monday! (Again)

Oh it's Monday again! I feel like I'm dragging my feet a lot at the moment- taking time off has been a really bad idea to be honest. A month off at Christmas, followed by Berlin and a week of illness has totaled in 6 weeks in chilling out. Plus with the mr having two weeks off from work he has been a huge distraction to me; it's much more fun to hang out with him than do a project I don't really care about all that much...!

Anyway, it's monday, and so there is work to be done, tons of work to be done, friends to catch up with, a cold to get over and an essay to write! Eeek! Anyway, I'm gonna crack on and come back later :) Good luck with your week, wherever you are, hopefully it will be less stressful than mine!

Abiento x

I've got the munchies.

Over the weekend I semi moved into my friends parents house in a small surfing town on the north coast of Cornwall. Sunday night, Mike came for the night- we cooked dinner together, watched Michael Macintyre and had an early night :). We are both ill at the moment so a big bowl of  tomato pasta was perfect for us! Last night I decided to use up some of the leftover sauce and flourish up the same dish a bit.

Overall delicious and filling- plus I made a large portion so that I have some for lunch tomorrow! Here's my recipe :)

A handful of pasta
1 chicken breast
a handful of peas
1 large (and I mean BIG) mushroom
a few slices of chorizo (or salami, or other...)
some sort of cheese
tomato sauce (I used a tomato and herb store bought jar)
A handful of spinach plus another handful of rocket
Any salad veg that you like- I chose to use cucumber

Start by cooking off the pasta in a small amount of water, keeping it at a rolling boil and adding more water when necessary.

When nearly done, add the peas so that they cook with the pasta.

Meanwhile in a frying pan, cook off the chicken, followed by the mushrooms.

Drain the pasta and peas, replacing them into the saucepan. Add the tomato sauce and return to the heat. Chop up the chorizo and add that too.

In your bowl create a layer of salad then combine all the warm ingredients and pile up on top! Finish off with some yummy cheese :).

I believe that when it comes to Italian food, we all eat far too much of the carbs. The pasta in a pasta dish should not be the main ingredient, it should be about a third of it. So I tend to double most of the above ingredients (except for the chicken) to save some for another meal, then eat it with the salad. This way it is more nutritious, healthier and just as filling! This was a meal I really enjoyed and it was oh so simple. I love to just add lots of random veg and meat to a meal for a yummy combo. Next time I might try it with some kind of seafood as apparently cured and deli meats compliment seafood perfectly!

Enjoy and let me know if you try to make a similar dish! :)

Abiento x

I've got the munchies.

I like food. Me and my siblings like to joke that it's a family trait. "Oh yes, your definitely a Gregory if you like to eat!" "Us Gregory girls have all got big bums!" is the kinda thing you could have heard us say often.  However when you grow up living in a house with a vegetarian who is yeast intolerant, you learn to eat healthy. Plus then you yourself become lactose intolerant and boom half the worlds food is restricted from you. Luckily, over the last couple of years I have transferred from vegetarian to pescatarian, generally now only not eating beef and lamb. I have slowly come to like meat, and can now handle the odd bone or two. (Thank you South-East Asia!) And so my range of foods and cooking has become slightly more varied. It probably helps that I live with a ravenous carnivore.

Found here

But as I have been slowly losing weight, my always healthy diet has had to be focused slightly. I'm also now cooking a lot more for myself, particularly as I'm working less at the cafe and can't rely on two tins of tuna and tin of baked beans for the week. Fruit is now a staple in my diet also. Lots of it! I bought two packets of blueberries, a packet of frozen raspberries, 2 bags of bananas, a bag of oranges and a bag of apples last Friday. Plus a tin of pears and one of pineapple chunks. In the space of five days I have eaten all of that, spare for 2 bananas and an apple. Yummy! And as the weight loss comes off, and my experiments with food continue, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite meals and recipes.

Now, sadly, my ugly kitchen and the gloom of winter is going to make any photos I attach to these posts look depressing and rather unappetizing. So bear with me, and come back every Wednesday morning for another recipe :)

Abiento x

I'm in Canada!!!

Hello from Victoria, B.C!! Yup, that's right! Saturday morning we woke up super duper early, and headed off to Newquay airport. 3 flights and a coach ride later we are with my mum! This week I will have lots of photos to share of what we get up to, and hopefully some interesting posts with a Christmas and/or Canada theme!

Abiento x

Birthday Week

This Thursday is my 21st Birthday! I'm so excited! It's a rather strange excitement though; I feel like I've been 21 for quite a while already. Plus as my family and friends are spread across not only this country, but the whole world, it would be a small party! And so last night I had dinner with my family in Cornwall, tonight is cocktails with my friends in Cornwall, and then on Wednesday evening Mike is whisking me away to London for a couple of nights!

It's a complete suprise, I don't know what were doing at all! I'm not even meant to know where were going :) So, look out this week for photos of my Birthday week!

Abiento x

P.S The whole of that cake has now successfully been eaten :) Fatty Fatty me!

Yummy!

I'm going to attempt making this later on today :)

Wish me luck!

Abiento x

A day in my mind

A day in my mind at the moment is pretty hectic with thoughts on figuring out myself and what I want to do with my life. Who am I? What do I like the most? What do I want to do?

So just to give you a little insight, here are some things I am considering for the year (or so) ahead.

In England I have (very recently) been looking at a selection of short courses offered by Central Saint Martins in London;

including this Interior Styling course,

this Graphic Design for beginners course,

as well as this packaging design course.

They also have these very expensive, yet exciting dual country short courses, where you start in London, and then finish at a twin school in either Paris, Milan or Barcelona! I have been looking at these architectural courses linked with Barcelona.

Also in London, I have briefly looked at this private school, instructing in Interior and garden design.

Focusing on slightly more normal degree courses, this visual communications foundation degree in Bournemouth has caught my eye.

Plus, back over in Vancouver a few graphic design courses are taking my interest; here at The Vancouver Art Institute, The Lasalle College and The Vancouver Art and Design School.

The Lasalle College also has this interiors course, same as the Vancouver Art Institute, which is a nice option.

So the plan is to continue my education. In either Art history, Graphics or Interiors. What I do in that field I'm not really sure of quite yet. So next Autumn me and mum plan to take a trip around Europe, and then I will try to find an internship and or some work experience before selecting a field to do some (more) training and education in! So many years of experimenting.... but what ever course I choose- I plan for it to be a year or two at most!

Any thoughts or suggestions for me? I kinda need them right now, as I am clueless! haha

Abiento x

Journal Writing

Every day we are supposed to write. Our thoughts and feelings and experiences as different artists. As we make our way through the foundation year at Falmouth, we are supposed to write. In a journal.

It turns out that a lot of people seem to find journal writing a lot easier than I do. They seem to automatically understand that their journal comes with drawings, and instructions for the day/project. I struggled with that however. I had thought they were intended to be separate, even though all I wanted was to combine them. And so I have to begin my journal again.

And so in that interested I have decided to make this blog into a sort of Journal for the next 9 months. It makes it a bit easier, and it means I can translate it into my terms; right here.

These posts will be daily, with an end of week evaluation, and are for me really, but also for anyone else interested. But don't worry, the normal posting will continue. The inspiration will hopefully up (as it has lacked lately- sorry) and the weekly scheduled instalments like the 'Week in Photos' and "Friday Fun' will still be going on. In fact, it will still all be going on. But it will include this too. And hopefully be better, and make me better for it too.

Thanks for listening :)

Abiento x

Journal Writing (playing catch up)

Round three, up and running! Proper posts to be started on Monday.

Project 3, my favourite of the three, KIT, the project I chose to present on Thursday in the critique.

Just as a catch up, this project has now been critiqued twice as we did a KIT critique in the workshop, which inspired me to begin researching architecture in relation to this project.

KIT began for me as the project I was most uncertain of, as I never enjoyed woodwork, metal work or d.t in anyway in school! However I began very freely experimenting with the machines, and learning how to use the machines. I simply started making. No plans in mind! And then slowly an idea started to come together, working under the word balance. The project itself is sort of irrelevant I feel, as it's more what's come from it and where I can take it that matters.

The project has led to this;

in depth thoughts about what I want to specialise in
new fields opening of possibility for the above
ideas of installation pieces and human interaction
research into a new building created to fill the space where the twin towers where

and much more talked about in this post.

Final outcome:

Abiento x

Journal Writing (playing catch up)

Project two, started about an hour after my train got into Falmouth on my return from Lisbon! I had two hours to start my fabric and form project, under the guidelines of form and structure.

The idea was to create three maquettes using different stitch methods to create form and structure in the fabric. After a small amount of time messing around on a sewing machine (so good to be sat back in front of a proper textiles sewing machine), I then just picked up some fabric and started draping it.

This project for me became much more about research and self discovery. I found the project itself rather flat and un-inspiring and while happy with my final outcome do not think its amazing or anything to be hugely proud of. But what I am happy with is the discovery of the following things;

- great enjoyment working alone
- great enjoyment working with others to bounce ideas around with
- lack on inspiration when creating fashion pieces
- huge amount of inspiration when researching fashion illustrations and designs
- difficulty when drawing my ideas (more time drawing needed!)
- great comfort and enjoyment to be back in a textiles room and in front of a Bernina sewing machine.
- ease and suprise when working with fabric on a mannequin as this is something I was yet to do.

So in the interest of keeping this entry short and sweet, like this project here is my final outcome, plus links to the books I used for research, and loved reading and flicking through. In fact I still have one of them sat nicely on my bedside table just as a happy place to go to every now and then!

final choice on maquette placement:

Abiento x

Journal Writing (playing catch up)

Please feel free to ignore this post if you wish. However as part of my course I have to write a Journal, and I have to say that I am finding that it is easier and more successful through this space. And so I need to play catch up a little bit with my Journal writing. Like I said, please ignore it if you want to.

So to begin with.

Message project.

Brief:

To select a piece of art, and to then collect our response to that art into 15 words. After some ideas, we were then to narrow that down to five words for a final outcome which was to be a visual response to the piece. It was not to be a copy of the piece with the words in it, but our response based on our selected words. Plus all the words had to represented in a true type font. (i.e a real font not our handwriting).

I chose to work with this piece by Leslie Shows which I had come across months ago via Pinterest, and found to be very compelling and stunning, particularly when combined with the other images from her collection.

From this piece I chose the following words;
- rough
- voices
- crash
- blurry
- gap
- collide
- consume
- dark
- drown
- lost
- depth
- suffocate
- consume
- stuck
- silence

which I then narrowed down to words underlined. Yes I know that's 6 words! From there I spent some time just sketching my ideas based around the words, keeping it quite obvious in relation to the words and explorative of the painting and its lines.

I then went straight onto thinking about my final outcome for this project (as I was away I had no option of working onto worksheets for development as I couldn't take them with me. I planned to do this on my return.

I further drew out my sketches and my ideas, focusing on a few main ones, and then selecting my fonts.

Throughout the project I felt like I could have taken it slightly further, but there was very little I could do due to being away. However I am happy with my final outcome, and don't think it could be taken any further. What I felt I had missed was the important initial briefing onto the project and the initial use of the type fonts, which was a very different way to start a project than my small sketches on a beach in Lisbon! I do have lots of final outcome ideas for this project which I have drawn out onto worksheets to be shown. However through this project I learnt that I need to focus on developing my drawing skills further (Maybe not need but want), and that I love making things in 3d again!

So here are a couple of shots of the final outcome:

So first project explanation down :) 2 more coming up!

Abiento x

Boardmasters

As a young teenager Boardmasters was a regular haunt every summer for me and my friends- for my mum and her friends even. A few years went by where it was no longer a regular happening, and so this year me and Cara decided that it was time to re-instate the tradition. This was our day via my iPhone :).

Abiento x