"Stressed" is "Desserts" Spelled Backwards.

And so the exam results period is upon us. Tomorrow (I can't quite believe it), at stupid o'clock in the morning, students around the country will be picking up AS and A level results. As I'm off to college next year, I need to gain 1 pass (E grade as I understand it). If I don't get that 1 measly pass, I have no idea what I'll do. Probs cry for a very long time.

Exam related stuff can stress me out, so I decided to busy myself the past couple of weeks, arranging to meet up with friends, sewing, craft work and the most dangerous of all these: cooking. Now my track record for cooking isn't brilliant and usually involves me setting fire to things. E.g. pasta, microwaves, etc. But I'm a determined sort of person, so I 'borrowed' my sister's cupcake book, and decided to make some coffee cakes.

Primrose Bakery cookbook and icing bowl

Surprisingly, the cakes turned out quite well!

Coffee icing complete with coffee bean decoration

Managed to find red and white spotty cake cases too

I made a batch of about 18 cakes, but when I came to ice them, there appeared to be less cakes than before... Note to self: NEVER leave cupcakes unattended when other family members are around. I therefore had quite a lot of icing left over and it would have been a shame to waste it. So naturally, I had to eat it. BIG mistake. Managed to stop myself halfway through the bowl though and have put the rest in the fridge. I'll use it to ice the large batch of cakes I'll be making tomorrow if my results aren't what I wanted...or they could be celebratory cakes. Let's hope for the latter.

Then something very strange happened: I washed up all the cookery things I'd used AND cleaned the kitchen. Am normally very reluctant to do this and leave it for a couple of days before I decide to tackle it. Then realised the amount of coffee I had put into the cake and icing mixtures, PLUS the numerous large mugs of coffee I had had today (to settle my nerves obv) was probs more than my normal daily intake...

So the conclusions of today's experiment are that a) I CAN COOK b) coffee makes all things possible and c) when stressed, desserts are always helpful. FACT

50s Pin Up Dress for Em #1

Have decided to do a range of 1950s inspired halterneck dresses to sell locally. To advertise them, I need a glamorous brunette model, who has the hourglass figure of the classic pin-up girls of the 50s. Enter my mate Em. She's kindly agreed to do a couple of shoots in return for a couple of dresses. These posts will show everything from the making of the dresses to the final shoots, for which I'll be borrowing a couple of classic cars from Dad's garage.

Here's the prototype of the first dress I'm making. (Sorry about the bin bags in the background- my room is my workshop at the moment and I'm in the middle of having a long overdue clearout). It's the classic cinched in at the waist with a voluminous skirt halterneck dress, adapted from a Simplicity pattern. Side zip on the left side seam. A lining hasn't been used in the prototype, but whether or not I include a lining in the finished dress will depend on the choice of fabric for the outer shell. This dress will be fitted to Em, but other versions will be available in standard UK sizes.

View of the halterneck. This has a loop-button fastening.

Tip for prototypes: you don't have to spend a lot of money on calico. Your local dry cleaners will have sheets and duvets from hotels that can't be taken back because of small holes. I picked up several from a dry cleaners in Bath for around a couple of pounds per sheet. They're usually double sheets which means you have plenty of fabric. I managed to make two blazer patterns and this prototype out of one sheet!

Next on the to do list is for Em to have the dress fitted properly, then it's off fabric shopping!! As I'm making several versions of the dress, I might get a mix of fabrics to experiment with: cottons and linens as well as more formal dress fabrics.

Fitting and fabric choices coming soon!

Scottie Dogs & Spots

I love cushions. So I thought why not make some?

I was in Fabric Magic last weekend and found an amazing new fabric collection, but I can't remember who it's by. There are a number of designs that are very Cath Kidson come Emma Bridgewater, from spots and stripes, to boats and cars. They use pastel colours with splashes of brighter colour and you can mix and match just about any of the designs. So with my Auntie's birthday coming up, I descided to make a cushion for her from these fabrics. Her house is full of them, but just one more cushion wouldn't hurt.

So here's my finished product:

Just a simple button-up cushion, no zips or anything flashy, measures 19" on the diagonal

Buttons from  Jumblejelly  haberdashery in Bradford on Avon

So I hope my Auntie likes the new addition to her cushion family. Hoping to make more of these in the coming months and get around to selling some once I've finally properly set up my Etsy account. My Etsy store is Jess Hawke Originals, where I'll soon be selling other textile products and other handmade items. Let me know what you think of this cushion design!

Ciao for now

Just because I don't need them, doesn't mean I don't want them.

Now I'm not usually a big fan of trainers. They're clumpy, not very ladylike and my mum always said that my Vans made me look like I had my feet in two sponge puddings. But hightops however, are a different story.

Especially THESE ones:


Oh yes, that's right, Wonder Woman Reeboks. Now I know they came out in 2009, but I love them so much I have to show them to you. Apart from the fact they look a darn sight comfier and less depressing than my plain old black Vans, they have a certain quirky vintage look about them that I quite like. With skinny jeans in Winter, or shorts in Summer, they look great all year round.




I love the way they're cheesy, but not too cheesy. Ok so they're bright metallic colours with gold detail and bright white laces, but that was what the 70s TV series was all about, with the big, loud <<SHAZAMs>> and the <<KAPOWs>>! And Reebok have done really well with the overall design of the shoe: they could've just whacked a cartoon of the lady herself onto the sides and be done with it, but instead they've highlighted each section of the shoe with a different part of Wonder Woman's costume.

And now, here's Converse's take on Wonder Woman:

I love converse. I've been living in the same pair of (RED) Converse for over a year now and they're falling apart but I don't care. But these? Oh deary me Converse. Where's the bright colours to reflect the <<POW!>> <<WHACK!>> <<BOOM!>> of old comic book heros? Pastel colours don't exactly reflect superhuman strength or laser vision or flying powers. It's like super heros have gone girly. Too girly.

I can't find the Reeboks on the web at the moment, but when I do (and I will), they are going straight to the top of my birthday list this year to match my Wonder Woman phone case and mug.

Crafty me...

Have decided that after all this exam lark is over, I'm going to start doing more crafty stuff. Then if it goes well, I can make a small business and sell all the things (candles, sewing things, etc) at vintage fairs and become a millionaire.

Projects to follow...

And here's one I made earlier...

Product design coursework. The brief? To make a jacket that shows military influence. I had a long think about what I could do, which hurt my brain a lot. I didn't want to go down the route of bog-standard military cut, gold buttons, big shoulders, etc, so I looked at the theme of war. This then lead to WW2, which lead to rationing, which lead to the slogan "Make Do and Mend." Simple, but there are so many ways to go. Using second hand or vintage materials, homemade features, recycled objects, the list was endless!

To reflect the little possessions people owned during the war, I wanted to keep the cut of the jacket simple. So I found a vintage (more brownie points) Vogue suit pattern and won 10m of wool on ebay for £10. For the lining I found a vintage yellowish brown flower fabric. Sounds hideous, I know, but it was second hand and cheaper than buying new.

Next the detailing of the jacket.

Military decoration was originally very ornate, so I wanted my jacket to have simple features with a twist to make a bold statement. I wanted ribbon detailing for the cuffs and collar of the jacket and while I was looking through the pretty box full of lovely ribbons, I came accross a fabric tapemeasure. And it was ORANGE (ooo pretty colours...). It really stood out against the grey wool and gave a lovely twist to a seemingly normal cuff feature.

Then came buttons. I'm a sucker for vintage things, and I love buttons. There's just something about them that makes them so likeable! Anyway me and vintage buttons are a match made in heaven so you can imagine my delight as I went around countless vintage fairs and charity shops, being forced to shop for buttons... But nothing suited the jacket, so I made the decision to recycle a vintage object and use it as a fastening. I then explored the different ways I could re-use objects to make buttons: typewriter keys, old brooches, all kinds of things. But I decided on wooden cotton reels, ends chopped off, sanded down and holes drilled into them. And they looked brilliant. They still had the original Sylko labels which added that little bit of extra charm.

10 hours later, after many metres of thread later and sore pin-pricked fingers, this was the final result:

Took me bloody ages, but I'm very very pleased with it. What would I do differently if given the chance to make it again? Make it my size so I could wear it.

How Bazaar.

Having a flick through July's Harper's Bazaar today, I noticed a feature that I saw as a bit odd.
It's summer, and Harper's have done well to notice this by whacking a great pic of Claudia Schiffer in a sun hat and swim suit on the front cover, with the bold title 'The Hot Issue.' So far so good. But then you turn to the main interview and what do you find? A double-page spread of Ms. Schiffer, lying in beautiful white sands with the sun shining brightly, wearing a...thick cable-knit cardie?!



Am I missing something here? Are bulky jumpers in this summer? Does the fashion world really wish to fry everyone before summer 2011 has really begun? The next few images are of Schiffer looking remarkably comfortable in various chunky knits inspired by 70s roll neck jumpers, even though the weather looks unbearable. As glamorous as the photos are and although Schiffer pulls it off (sort of), I see them better suited to an autumn/winter edition than a summer one.












That aside, the next section is Schiffer doing a shoot for Harper's summer collection looking stunning in numerous garments. From brilliant patterned swimsuits to daring crochet dresses, dazzling whites to statement block colours, Schiffer can pull off anything.

 

Harper's Bazaar, you have redeemed yourself (if only just). But only because you have this fabulous lady who looks absolutely sensational in anything.

I spy with my little eye...

Strolling through Paris in the summer sun last year, I stumbled across two policemen.

ON ROLLERBLADES.

Why aren't our police people be as carefree with health and safety and as humorous with the little things in life like the French? And I'm loving the 'Bad Boy with my baseball cap clipped onto my belt' look.

As if this wasn't crazy and surreal enough, just who are the dynamic duo?

That's right, you guessed it. That permanently smug Australian and the boiled ham in a pair of specs.

AKA John Torode and Greg Wallace from Masterchef.

Made my day that did.

hoheehoheeho (french laugh. ish)

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WATCH. NOW.

Ben Goldacre tweeted this. The best thing I've watched for a while. It's the kind of thing that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

http://bengoldacre.posterous.com/stop-everything-watch-this-on-full-screen-and

Go on, pick up the phone and give someone a call. I'm about to :)

Fall in love all over again.

Dirty Dancing was one of THE iconic films of the 80s. No doubt about it.

It had everything a teenage girl wanted to believe. They were Baby; uncool, family orientated but wanting to explore the world. Then came the family holiday, where they were introduced to the rougish dance teacher, and the rest is history.

And you thought something like this wouldn't ever come along again? Well you're probably right.

But I bet I can come close.

The 2010 film HeartBreaker (L'arnacoeur) is an example of French film at it's best. Alex (Romain Duris) and his sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier) break up couples for a living. But when a client asks them to break up his daughter Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) and her fiancé (Andrew Lincoln), they have the challenge of doing this within a week. With not only do they have such a short amount of time to deal with, but also the fact that Juliette is one tough cookie. An absolutely fabulous and effortlessly classy film made complete with a superb cast and a humour us Brits will love. Definately in my top 5.

But what does this have to do with Dirty Dancing I hear you ask? The only key information Alex has is that Juliette likes Wham! and Dirty Dancing.

And that's all I'm telling.

So go on. Watch it.

And have the time of your life.

Wombling Free.

Tired of seeing gum stuck to the pavement everywhere you step? Bored of seeing the same old plastic bottles on motorway verges? Annoyed at the sight of MacDonalds packaging everywhere you turn?

Then you need...


THE WOMBLES.

The simple solution for a big problem.

To Tweet, Or Not To Tweet?

Last week, I decided to take a BIG step in the social networking world: twitter.

I'd always thought about it, but I knew it'd turn out to be another site which I'd develop an addiction for and that it would become a hinderence for doing well in my A levels, therefore leaving me with no education and no real hope for a decent career.

But I decided to take the plunge.

Now I have it, I've discovered it's purpose is yes, to ruin my education and turn the me into an addict, but also stalk. Don't act surprised, we all do it even if we don't like to admit it. My current number of followers is 5 (will probably stay the same or decrease) and I'm following 20 (will undoubtedly increase). And the person I stalk the most? 3 guesses (I've written a post about him). If you're reading this Mr, don't think I'm a crazed superfan (please!).

And so in ten years time, it's more than likely that I'll have crap grades, no social life and a blog with countless posts that no one reads. All thanks to twitter.

WOWZERS.

Came accross this today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iANRO3I30nM

Actually indredible.

The One They Call Brian...

Professor Brian Cox is the "Master of the Universe" says the Telegraph.
And I agree.

Not just because he knows a pretty large amount about our world, how it works and the rest of the universe, but also because he knows how to explain it so that it's easy for everyone to understand.

Being a student who has a passion for wanting to understand the world, Prof Cox is a God sent.

Ok, so maybe the fact that Brian's more (quite a lot more) aesthetically appealing than the stereotypical old, big-haired, white lab coat scientist, plays some part in it. But it's also the way he explains everything in that voice of his; I don't know why, but it's a voice you want to listen to. He doesn't drone on or overcomplicate things.

However, I think the thing that really makes people interested and keep wanting to learn more, is because of the use of the figurative metaphors used in his programmes: one minute he'll be in America, comparing the landscape of the Grand Canyon to that of Mars; the next, Tromsø in Norway and explaining the occurance of the Northern Lights. It's this new, but simple way of learning, that has got Britain hanging off the Professor's every word.

Brian's first series, Wonders of the Solar System, was brilliant. I was finally able to understand some of the ways in which our planet works.  But Wonders of the Universe, series two, is set to be bigger and better. I would say out of this world even. But a sentence can only have so much cheese.

I can definately say- and speak for a large majority of students when I say this- that Professor Brian Cox is a true inspiration and a figure in the public eye who we should look up to. After all, he did get a D in A level maths and went on to become Master of the Universe.

Pancakes Galore

So. Pancake day is upon us! If you haven't made any pancakes yet or, heaven forbid, you don't know how to make them, here is a very simple recipe for you to follow.

Put in a mixing bowl: 100g plain flour, pinch of salt and 1 egg.
Measure out 300ml of milk and add gradually to the mixing bowl, while stirring with a balloon whisk.
The liquid should be fairly runny. After most of the lumps have gone, whisk like crazy for about 3mins (hurts your arm but it makes the mixture a bit more frothy). Leave to sit.

While the mixture is sitting, melt some butter in a non-stick pan (don't let it burn!), and ad a small amount of mixture to the centre of the pan. Swirl the pan so the mixture sperads evenly. Cook until brown underneath. Then, either using a spatula or not, toss the pancake and allow it to brown on the other side.

Serve either rolled with a blob of nutella or golden syrup inside or folded drenched in lemon juice and sugar.

(once again) YUM.

Childhood Friend

Now. Do exactly as I tell you.
1.Go to the cupboard.
2.Look for a pack of JAMMY DODGERS.
3.If you don't have one, go and find your purse/wallet.
4.Grab your keys and make your way to the nearest corner shop/supermarket. Go directly to the shop, do not speak to anyone.
5.Go to the biscuit aisle and pick up a pack of JAMMY DODGERS.
6.Go to the checkout and pay for your items.
7.Go home.
8.Put the kettle on.
9.Make a pot of tea.
10.Pour the tea and open the packet of JAMMY DODGERS.
11.Eat the JAMMY DOGDGERS.
12.Savour the moment and remember when you were young and ate Jammy Dodgers with your friends and remember the good times.

YUM.

After having written this post, I have decided to make a Jammy Dodger cushion.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Learning to walk again.

Last October I went to the Lake District with my school as a mentor to year 8 students (aged 12/13). I went because I needed work experience working with young people in order to sign up for a place at Camp America next year.
But what I got out of it was far more valuble than I could have ever imagined.

The trip consisted of 4 days, each with a different activity for each group. These were:
Orienteering at Whinlatter
Brockhole National Park Centre and boat trip
A visit to the Pencil Museum, Castle Rigg vistit and shopping
Mountain walk through the hills and around Lake Windermere.

I know some of these sound boring (e.g. the pencil museum) but these are 12 yr old kids who came to the Lakes with an open mind. Well, most of them anyway...
I went on the same trip when I was in year 8 and didn't think it could be anymore tiring than it was. Everyday was a new activity with new places to visit, new friends to talk to, new home for a week... I remember thinking that the staff had it easy. They didn't have to do the activities; just stand around making sure we all behaved.
Then I went back as a mentor.

Up every morning before the kids, then making sure they all went to breakfast, then checking their bags and making sure they had their waterproofs, the list was never ending! And all that was before we left for activities. When we came back it was check everyone puts their muddy boots and coats in the drying room, go up have a shower, then the PROPER hard work began. Between the 6 mentors and a couple of teaching assisstants, we had to prepare 350 rolls for lunches the next day. Now that may not seem too hard, but when you've been running around after kids all day without a moment to yourself, stuffing 350 rolls with tuna and cucumber is the last thing you want to be doing. After the rolls were done, it was up to staff to organise evening activities and make sure the kids went to them.
Then came the horrible (but also fun) job for us mentors: BEING ON DUTY.  This involved patrolling the corridors into the late hours waiting for the kids to go to sleep. Now you'd think after such busy days they'd be tired. Well, you're wrong. YEAR 8 CHILDREN HAVE AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF ENERGY. Most of which I think they got from their secret stashes of Haribo and other sugar filled sweets. We could be up there for hours (no jokes) before they all went to sleep/we gave up because we needed sleep.

It may seem like a non-stop week, it was the week where I never stopped learning.
I learnt how to share the responsibility of looking after 40 odd kids with other teachers. I learnt how hard teaching can be from talking to some of my own teachers. I learnt how to earn the respect of 40 kids, who by the end of the week were looking up to me and wanting to follow in my footsteps of being a mentor. I learnt how to look after them when they got homesick and how to dicipline them when they did wrong. I found out I can push myself beyond my limits: I didn't lose my temper, I pushed myself physically with all the work I did and best of all, I learnt how to enjoy the outdoors again. I enjoyed walking through the hills, I enjoyed visiting places again that I hadn't really appreciated when I last went to the Lakes 5 years ago and I enjoyed having independence and being away from home.

And it's this new found independence that makes me want to go out, explore the world and make the most of life.