Author: La valise de louise

Poisson d’avril

I have been back home for 15 days now (and have a lot of work to complete before I return back for the last term of Uni, garrrrgh) Home is pretty grand. I have been enjoying the company of my family, friends… and books. Todays heralds the beginning of a new month – the first of April, that day of the year where you have to look for joke articles in the newspapers, take bad news with a pinch of salt and let all the Easter chocolate slowly slink down your throat to your thighs. March is over, spring has supposedly sprung, although I think the whole of the United Kingdom begs to differ, and creme eggs are passé (it’s ok, I prefer Kinder Surprise anyway).

Yesterday was Easter Sunday – I’m 22, my brother is 15, we’re old and yet we still searched for eggs in the garden. Last year I was in Germany and had to make do with coloured boiled eggs placed on the shelves in my flat rather than an Easter Egg hunt in the garden – so it was nice to revive a tradition of old.

I tried and failed to get a sweet Easter style picture of Chino. Turns out rabbits won’t pose adorably with chocolate eggs. They will try and eat the eggs because, surprise, bunnies love chocolate. The eggs, however, escaped unscathed and poor Chino was placed behind bars.

He is ridiculously cute, I know, I know, and please rest assured, he did not remain under capture for long. In the late afternoon, I went to my aunt’s, as it was her birthday – she’s a cake baker extraordinaire, as I mentioned in my first ever post, and on this occasion she’d made a particularly wondrous cake, which was Easter themed, as you can see below.

Tonight I’m going out for a German meal – I’m looking forward in particular to the dessert on the menu (because I obviously have not had enough chocolate or cake over the weekend)
The dessert is described ainsi –

“Poor Knights ( German Version of French Toast ) “Easter Style “ with Cinammon Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream
Arme Ritter “Auf Oster Art “ mit Zimt Zucker und Vanille Eis”

When I lived in Konstanz, my friend Flo used to make French toast for Anne Ce and I all the time – I’d go so far as to say that it became a staple part of Anne Ce’s diet. And ice cream was a part of mine…. Konstanz has great ice cream parlours! In any case I am really looking forward to trying the version that will be served up tonight – and savouring a little bit of the past! (how very Proustian).

Besides spending time thinking about food… and chocolate, I have been enjoying BBC iplayer – in particular “In the Flesh”, a three part mini series about Zombies (or sufferers of PDS – Partially Deceased Syndrome) and the return of “Doctor Who”. Luke Newberry was outstanding in his role as tormented Kieran Walker – the last episode of the series was emotionally charged, with an important message about mental health issues. If you’re into the supernatural and psychology, then I would definitely give it a watch.

Well, on that note, I’m off to prepare my face for the German meal…. here’s hoping the French toast lives up to my expectations!

Chino

It’s the Easter weekend, what could be more topical than an Easter bunny? I admit he doesn’t look too festive right now, but give him time to settle into the Easter spirit. This is Chino – he is a dwarf lop, just over a year and a half old and is fully house trained. Although rabbits are very quiet, he has a headstrong character and provides our household with a lot of entertainment, with his crazy helicopter jumps and affectionate nuzzling. Words can’t describe how much I adore this little guy… every time I leave home to go on my travels, I just want to scoop him up and take him with me. If you had asked me two years ago whether I thought rabbits would make entertaining and personable pets I would have been doubtful, but they are actually very rewarding animals to have as pets. Chino never ceases to surprise me with the little quirks and mannerisms that he displays. For example, he likes to curl up in front of the television, and always inspects new or out of place objects. If you’re considering getting a pet, then I would strongly advocate getting a rabbit – just beware of cables on display and make sure you supervise them around wooden furniture… they do like to chew on things!

“Think pink!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVserRvKyec

Here’s a song from “Funnyface” to listen to – a song which advocates the colour pink! It’s still cold in the UK but I’m looking forward and hoping that Spring is just around the corner… and that it will usher in flowers and sunshine, as well as a refreshing colour mix up with regards to my wardrobe of blacks and burgundies…
I went shopping yesterday, and was looking through quaint little home and decor themed shops for shabby chic style dressing table mirrors. I picked up these two tops on the way, and the little cushion, which I thought was quite elegant!

So hopefully when the weather gets warmer, I’ll be thinking a bit more pink…

A little splash of something tropical…

A little splash of something tropical...

Blurred Cichlids – that isn’t the full name of the species, just a nod to the blurriness of this image. Fish move fast. These two yellowish fish are the latest addition to my brother’s aquarium – which comprises of quite a few little tropical fish, my favourite being the clown loaches, which apparently are called Maurice and Clive. You can’t see the clown loaches in this image because they like to hide out in their bachelor pad behind a piece of driftwood. The activity in the aquarium is pretty to watch, however I must admit I prefer Chino the rabbit to these guys… because you can’t cuddle a fish.

Topsy-turvy Springtime

A photo from last week – snow and tulips

When everyone sleeps…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3upSOAoKcSk

It’s twenty to three in the morning. I’m sat cross-legged on my bed with a mint hot chocolate in an Aristocats mug. It has the diva kitten Marie on it and was purchased in February. Did I need another mug? No. But I can never deny my inner child a visit into the lair of the Disney Store, what is more, I always want to leave clutching something, and who can turn down Marie?

“The Aristocats”, or “Les Aristochats” as my mum calls it, is one of my all time favourite films. When I was younger, we used to watch it together, and our favourite part to this day remains the instrumental accompanying alcoholic goose Uncle Waldo… and his nieces Amelia and Abigail. I think the film has wonderful songs and vocals throughout -who can fail to be roused by “Everybody wants to be a cat”, or charmed by the silky smooth voice of Duchess, voiced by Eva Gabor (who also provided the voice for another sophisticated lady, Miss Bianca from “The Rescuers”, another childhood favourite of mine)

I think out of all the characters, I probably identify the most with… *drumroll* precocious Marie and artistic Toulouse…
The sequences with the kittens around the piano always makes me laugh – Toulouse, in creating his masterpieces, gets paint everywhere. I’m no Picasso but I am also guilty of this crime, as my family would be able to ascertain to you! I get paint absolutely everywhere! Including on the walls, my face, my clothes and this one time the inside of a freezer, but that is a story I won’t elaborate upon today…

Do you have a favourite film from your childhood that you still like to watch today? I am definitely guilty of overindulging in classic Disney films – there is an entrancing beauty in the animation of their hand drawn art.

I’ll leave you with a picture of another (much earlier) Disney Store cat purchase – Clarence the cheshire cat, posing with some macarons from Guernsey!
(With regards to identifying with this character…well I guess we share bizarre sleep patterns and big eyebrows!)
Ciao!

(a gratuitous inclusion of my face, including aforementioned cheshire cat eyebrows and an outfit I enjoy)

Channeling Tim Burton

This is what happens if I’m left alone with face paint and crayons. On the far left is a photo of me sporting what can be best described as a sort of Corpse Bride tribute look from Halloween 2012… the other two pictures came about one humid summer night in 2012 when I was feeling bored and unproductive. I was in Konstanz over Spring- Summer of 2012 and had bought a lot of cheap art supplies so that I could liven up the walls of my room… My room, which gradually became known as the honorary disco of my residence! Now, I’m not sure whether or not you can apply Tim Burton to Disco (maybe his film “Dark Shadows” is applicable to this concept) but this was what I felt like drawing that particular evening! These pictures feature Edward Scissorhands and Emily (aka. the Corpse Bride), two famous characters created by Tim Burton. I was looking through my Konstanz Photos, feeling all nostalgic, as I was just moving in to this town of dreams a year ago this weekend…. And I decided to give these pictures a viewing on my blog – the blog that seems to jump from topic to topic each post!

Drawing is something that I find really therapeutic and calming – There is something wonderful about being able to switch off to the outside world, channeling all the pent up energy in your mind onto paper, and creating something colourful. A couple of hours ago ,I went to a private viewing of an art exhibition in my college, and it has reminded me that I need to take time out now and again to pick up my pens and paints! I need to make a promise to myself to keep drawing, and to remember how happy it makes me feel… So that’s what I intend to do this evening 🙂 Read some autobiographical fiction and do some drawing!

Les Ongles d’une James Bond Girl!

My favourite manicure of the moment! This is OPI Man with the Golden Gun (18k gold flecked top coat) layered over OPI Bastille my Heart (a glamorous burgundy colour from the OPI French Collection). Maroon, Burgundy and in particular, Oxblood, have been a big trend during this winter period… I’m not entirely sure how to differentiate exactly between the shades in this spectrum of deep reds, but I have noticed that these colours have been everywhere in the past few months! They have also been gradually infiltrating my wardrobe, starting with the purchase of a burgundy peplum coat in September. I can now count leggings, tops, socks, ribbons and oversized hair bows amongst my burgundy cachet, although they are not to be worn all at once, of course! Call the colour what you will, it has clearly been the shade of the season – I reckon it’s been the colour most worn in lecture theatres across the country throughout September-Feburary 2012-13. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a colour trend being so popular before. Students swanning around nonchalantly in burgundy chinos and artfully draped scarves, have meant that I am greeted each morning by a veritable sea of these rich hues on my walks around the city…

Back to the manicure!

OPI Bastille my Heart is a great way of adding an on trend accent to your outfit without blending into the crowd too much… It also feels luxuriously smooth if you run the fingers of one hand along the nails of the other hand. I know that textured nails are in, and I love glitter polishes (possibly too much), but you can’t beat a smooth and sophisticated finish. I’m glad that it is not a limited edition polish because I will definitely be replacing it when I reach the end of my bottle! If I had to describe this manicure, I would say that it is a perfect blend of two OPI collections – the French collection and James Bond Skyfall collection – culminating in a decadent look, reminiscent of the tones of a rich french wine. When peppered with gold flakes, you are left with a warm look which will brighten up the cold and drab early months of the year!

A taste of Marc Jacobs – An ode to Soda

I have a confession.

Diet Coke is my downfall. If I have a deadline due, I will always need to dash to the shop first to get some of this elixir in order to ensure that I keep my cool (literally – sorry for the bad pun). If I’m in a restaurant and I order a Diet Coke with my meal, I will experience a few seconds of mild outrage if my drink turns out to be Pepsi masquerading as Diet Coke, often to the bafflement of the people I’m with. You know those annoying people who claim to know the difference between brands of Cola, and whether sugars or sweeteners are used? Yeah. I’m one of THEM. (I worked at a music festival once where the sponsor was Pepsi. No Coke products were available, and buying a Pepsi was cheaper than water. It was a sad time)

When I’m at home in Guernsey, Diet Coke is a drink that I keep for special occasions. Tapping into this concept of keeping soft drinks/soda as a treat or experience, Diet Coke have been releasing beautiful artistic cans and bottles across Europe in the past few years. When I lived in France last year, I noticed that the supermarket chain Monoprix was selling eyecatching limited edition bottles of Diet Coke designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the current mastermind behind Chanel… Thus began my collection of unusual Coca Cola vessels.

Since Lagerfeld’s bottles, I have seen numerous other limited editions come and go, including lacy nautical designs by Jean Paul Gaultier, who did a collaboration with Diet Coke last year. Last summer, whilst on the road from Germany to France, I bought a lacy JPG can from a motorway stop in Belgium, pleased by the glamour of the design. Daft Punk, David Guetta and James Bond have all since made an appearance on Coke Zero bottles. As an aside, it is interesting how Coke Zero appears to be marketed towards men, whereas Diet Coke is clearly marketed towards women. I think that the marketing concept for Diet Coke collaborations is genius – with the purchase of a can, women can claim to be drinking something designer – not only making high end designers accessible to the masses, but also tapping into the psyche of women obsessed with fashion. It has paid dividends with regards to their sales growth.

With the arrival of Spring 2013, comes a new creative director for Diet Coke, the designer Marc Jacobs. I have yet to see any designs for bottles, but the latest incarnations of limited edition Diet Coke cans are inspired by the 30 years anniversary of the brand, with three Marc Jacobs designs each referencing a decade (80s, 90s, 00s) from the past thirty years. So far I have only purchased the above design, but I think it looks quite chic. I don’t drink the limited edition bottles, but I do drink the cans, afterwards using them as cheap yet elegant design features/vases for dried flowers in my student bedroom!

La valise de Louise