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Friday 29 August 2014

IFB Links Ă  la Mode Roundup

Hi guys, I'm so sorry I'm not posting much at the moment, things are super overwhelming at the moment so I'm taking a short break from blogging, just for a couple of weeks.
However my last blog post was picked for the international fashion bloggers link round up & the rules are that you have to post the roundup on your blog inside of a week if you ever want to join in again so I guess this is my last post for a week or so.
The other posts in the link up are really good & well worth reading. I particularly loved the post about Australian fashion.

lalam0828

Last Weekend

Labor Day marks the last day of "Summer" even if it's actually September 21st... but who's counting? Oh yeah, EVERYONE! Fashion Month kicks off next week, so everyone get your rest. Get everything you need to be done for regular life done this weekend if you can, because we'll all be glued to the runways for the next month. So now is the time to muse about life and style, to stock up on your Fall wardrobe, and catch up on your magazines... don't know where to start? These links will help!

Links Ă  la Mode: August 28th

SPONSOR: Shopbop Soulland, Ryder, R&B Standard Issue, Arpenteur, Officine Generale, MCM Bags, White + OHW?, Spiewak, KSNY Bags, Smith+Mara & 360 Sweater

Want to be featured in Links Ă  la Mode?

1. Read the clarified rules and submit your links on this page: Links Ă  la Mode.
2. If your link was selected and you need this week’s code, visit this page: Links Ă  la Mode Code.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Making Mobile Phone Photography Look Like You Have a DSLR


This post should probably be called 'making your photos look as good as if you had a fancy pants expensive camera' but you know, I've made the image & doesn't it sound way more catchy this way?

Okay so in my opinion the most important step in making your photos look like you're using a fancy pants camera is the editing but I would like to say a word for background & composition. I feel sometimes that people who take their photos on their cameras forget that however good or bad your camera is, the photo is only as good as the subject :)

Sunday 17 August 2014

Sunday Post: Bake Off Fever


I am the kind of baking nutter who watches the bake off like it's a competitive sport. I have literally been known to shout at the screen when I think someone's making a huge mistake. I actually thought about applying for this season.
I'm so glad I didn't though, there's no way I could have managed it if I'd got through ^^

Anyway, having watched them make Swiss rolls all I could think of is was kind of roll to make. It's pathetic, I do this every year but this year I'm really hoping I'll actually make the things I'm planning ^^
I have thought of every possible flavour combination for a swiss roll: lemon poppy seed, chocolate with a macerated berry cream, green tea & lavender, grapefruit with homemade grapefruit curd & maple bourbon & pecan roll.
I actually made the last two, swiss rolls are surprisingly easy to make & are really quick to cook (about 8-10 minutes in the oven). But my favourite (& the one my family finished quickest) was the maple bourbon one so I thought I'd share the recipe.

Friday 15 August 2014

Wheelchair Fashion: Scarborough Day Out



Probably about two weeks ago (when it was really, really warm & the coast seemed like an amazing idea) my family went to Scarborough. Beachwear in Yorkshire usually involves jumpers, even in the middle of summer, so no bikinis & short shorts here. No practically sheer 'beach cover-ups' either.
The only real 'beach wear' options open to me then were boho or a classic Capri pants type look. This kind of supposed to merge the two...

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Red's True BBQ


This maybe super weird but I am obsessed with slow cooked, smoker type BBQ, things like pulled pork & brisket...really American style BBQ.
So when Red's True BBQ opened in Leeds it went on my list as a must do. That was embarrassingly long ago - so long ago that Red's has opened up a new location since then - but finally, FINALLY I have been & let me tell you it was so worth the wait!

Friday 8 August 2014

Wheelchair Fashion: Black Dress Selfie for Severe M.E. Day


Today's ootd post is coming to you with a side of activism. That sounds really Sesame Street (at least to me) but you know what I mean.
The 8th of August is Severe M.E. day. Severe M.E. is very misunderstood for a number of reasons. Severe M.E. sufferers are often incredibly isolated, house-bound or bed-bound, & unable to communicate with the outside world, often for many years at a time. They are so incredibly ill, for such a long time, that it is very hard to imagine....even for doctors.
I sit right on the edge of Severe M.E. & when I'm at my worst I get glimpses into what it is like to have Severe M.E. so I will try to explain but if you want to know more I will link a couple of posts & blogs at the end that will give you more of an insight.

Okay first off imagine you have really horrendous flu or maybe a really bad hangover. You hurt everywhere, any light burns & any sound makes your entire body hurt. You can feel your family walking past your room & the vibrations from it hurt. The thought of eating or even drinking makes you gag but you are so exhausted you need the energy. Everything is unbelievably heavy & when you finally pull together the energy to go to the loo you struggle not to collapse & sit there huffing & puffing, the effort of sitting making your head swim & your brain turn to mush. You know that you're supposed to go back to your room but you don't really remember how. Someone helps you back & everywhere their body touches yours is in pain but you need the support. You try taking the pain meds your doctor has given you but they do nothing but make you feel even more nauseous. Maybe you start to feel a little better, you're really bored by now, you try to look at your phone. Even on the lowest brightness setting it's too bright but you think you can manage it. About 30 seconds in it starts to feel too heavy, about a minute after that looking at the screen is making you feel sick & you're struggling to read. You drop the phone & close your eyes, back to feeling beyond awful but you're still bored out of your mind. You try to sleep but nothing is happening. When you do drop off the dreams are so vivid & confusing that you wake up more exhausted than you were before but now you feel like someone's watching you & you know it's something to do with the dream.
A car drives past your house blasting music & the shock makes your arms start to flail randomly. Already exhausted & in pain the flailing is the last thing you need but you can't control it. Lactic acid starts to build up in your arms & by the time they stop moving it feels like your back, arms & neck are on fire. Moving, even to get a drink, seems to be impossible & slowly you start to drift of into a proper sleep.


What do Black Dresses have to do with Severe M.E.?


Well as I understand it (from reading this post) it's an awareness campaign we can all get behind ^^
M.E. are very rarely able to do the usual kinds of awareness activities (fun runs, bake sales....leaving their homes &/or rooms) & so awareness campaigns like this one & Blue Sunday are especially good. I mean it helped you guys understand Severe M.E. a little bit better, right?


* Dress - ModCloth * Belt - French Connection * Shoes - ASOS * Bag - Zara *

Blogs that might give you a better understanding:

A rainbow at night: Kit is living with late stage Lyme disease & really nasty M.E. In her 'about me' she classes her self as mostly-housebound (which is what I'd call myself) but she's had a dip recently & is probably closer to totally housebound at the moment. Kit's posts don't pull any punches & really explain the problems with the condition & the lack of any real support.

Documenting M.E.: Brooke has had M.E. for 12 years & is currently in the end stages & literally being killed by her M.E. She has been blogging over the past 8 months to document the end stages in an attempt to help others. Her M.E. is very similar to the kind I have, in that it is degenerative rather than the more usual pattern of dips, plateaus & periods of 'remission'.

Dannilion: Danni is a severe M.E. sufferer with Autism who lives in the North East of England. She writes about her life with the M.E. & Autism, the problems she has getting the care she needs & generally what is going on with her.
        must read - perfecting bed life

Hummingbird's Foundation for M.E.: I actually can't cope with reading this, too much information too densely packed, but my Mum has read ALL of it & says it is REALLY helpful for understanding M.E.

Me, Michael & M.E.: Laura is an amazing person & runs a brilliant blog along with her fiancé. She is bedridden & talks very honestly about her day to day life, how the M.E. affects her etc.
        must read - What M.E. took from me & What M.E. gave me

M.E. myself and I: Anna is the inventor of the Blue Sunday tea party to raise money for M.E. charities & to raise awareness for M.E. causes. Anna has been a severe M.E. sufferer for many years & has recently gotten a boyfriend & written some very interesting posts about dating with M.E.

Now that I've over loaded you with information can I just apolgise if this was not at all your thing & let you know that next week I will be posting a 'normal' ootd post



Monday 4 August 2014

100 years since everything changed


100 years ago today the UK entered the First World War & history changed irreparably.

I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this post but I felt like I couldn't just ignore something quite so important historically. Everything about the world changed because of the First World War.

Anatomical Eye Products: Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer & Eye Cream, You Scream

 
You know how on ASOS you can put things in your 'save for later' & they expire after 60 days of being in your 'save for later'? I don't know about you but I have the terrible habit of putting things in my save for later over & over again & never getting around to buying them. Things where I'm interested & would like to try them but really I need a bit of a push.
 
These eye patches/masks or whatever were like that. I knew I didn't NEED them so I kept hovering & hovering, undecided until I opened up my Blog Yorkshire gift bag & found one.
 
Anatomicals is a really funky brand that do skincare (& I think body washes & hair care) quite affordably aimed at teenagers & students mostly.

Sunday 3 August 2014

Sunday Post: Randomness

 
When I get really tired my thoughts can get really weird & I thought it could be kind of funny to do a post about them....whatever let's see ^^
 
  • I think that after Scotland finally finished having a hissy fit about their referendum Yorkshire should have one & then when we get independence we should have a big deal celebration on the first of August & make blue  cupcakes iced to look like roses. We can also watch the rain/sleet & do super Yorkshire-y things.

Friday 1 August 2014

Wheelchair Fashion: Hazy Summer Days

Summer wheelchair fashion bright floral joy skirt khaki zara shirt

Louche Giselle Skirt Zara Khaki Shirt Wheelchair Fashion

How nice has the weather been lately? These pictures were taken on an evening last week & I am so in love with the hazy effect the bright light & dappled shadow produced. Isn't it cute?

You may have noticed that I am totally in love with full midi skirts in soft fabrics. Unfortunately they're not that common despite this season's obsession with midi skirts. They are really uncommon in any colour that's not black (or maybe gingham).

When I was last shopping a lady working in Joy helped me search & she pulled this skirt.