SUNDAY PROJECT WEEK 008

001. This past week has been so stressful! The hand-in date for all of my projects was on Friday, and the last day of College forever! So so sad. The entire week i have spent working my arse of trying to get everything done, i've barely had any sleep this week having two all-nighters. I felt so sick from lack of sleep i genuinely thought i was going to die. Surprisingly i did manage to get everything done though! I'm really going to miss college, i didn't think i would but looking back on old photos makes me sad, it's gone so quick! Two years of my life finished. 

002. I had my New For Old photoshoot this week, i'm quite pleased with the result but it's wasn't half hard to get there. Everything just seemed to go wrong, two of my cameras died and it got dark super fast. So naturally i sulked for quite a while. I also got some location photography done for one of my units on Thursday, my dad took me to the really old Cemetery in Whitehaven. Some of the tombstones are so creepy, but surprisingly it wasn't as scary as i remember it used to be. Strangely i really enjoyed the walk, i wouldn't mind going back. A lot of Tie-Dying also. 

003. Dylan bought me a new onesie, as pictured above. It's a Dinosaur! And he dyed my hair black. Looking at my portraits from the last couple of weeks, i'm kinda questioning whether i should have dyed it, my hair looked quite nice. Damn. 

004. I'm off to London tomorrow, i'm so excited. Dylan and I went last year for Wireless Festival and we packed so much into 4 days i honestly think it has permanently damaged my feet. They felt like they had been worn down to stumps! We're setting off in 6 hours and we still haven't made a schedule (i like to be extremely organised). I think i'm going to be on my own for a majority of the time as Dylan is showing his work at some Design Festival called New Blood, so i'll probably end up in Topshop. I was in there for over two hours last time, so i think i'll cope. I'm looking forward to going to the museums, i'm such a nerd and Hamleys obviously. 

005. I shaved Dylan's hair, now he has a bald patch. Oops. 

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Pumpkin, Morticia, Dye, Dying my Samples, My first attempt at Tie-Dye, Mine and Dylans Second Attempt at Tie-Dying, My New For Old Photoshoot, New For Old Fashion Sheets, A little Trip to the Old Cemetery, The New Cemetery, Location Photography in My Over-Grown Garden, Very Unorganised Dressing Table.

SUNDAY PORTRAIT WEEK 007

001. It's been a busy week indeed! I knew my last week off would catch up to me! I've been improving old projects to get the grades to go to university. I need a MMM but i'm trying to aim higher! Most of my week has been spent doing my Unit 10, Personal and Professional Development work. I've done so much work for it, it's unbelievable! 200+ pages. 

002. Also a bit of good news. I got a DISTINCTION for my final major project! Yay! I can't even express how chuffed i am. I worked so hard for it, but i really didn't expect to get a distinction, i though a merit maybe. The all-nighters payed off after all. I even got some really nice comments in my comment book at the exhibition.

003. Thursday night was a Congrats on The Sex party! (Lonely Island reference) Everyone brought food to Dylan's student house, and we ate. Volovants were amazing.  Dylan and Mines offering was Nachos, mainly Dylan's, i just watched. I was on vodka for the second time since last year, and still could not get drunk! I think i'm immune, not even joking. I wish i could have gotten more drunk but we had an early train back to Whitehaven to catch also. 

004. I've been working on my New for Old project this weekend. My brief was to make some sort of workwear for a woman. I chose for a Mechanic because it's typically quite rare that a female would go into this kind of work. I did the project a couple of months ago but i hated the way it looked so i'm starting again! I almost have it made fully. It's all stitched i just want to dye it a bit darker. I shall post when i'm finished! 

005. Also, my hair is messy/curly because of the rain, it's not intentional.

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Charity Shop Bag £2.99, Charity Shop Bag £1, Private Viewing at College, Lucy and Myself, Dylan, Myself and a Gappy Fringe, Great Dancing, Dylan Fits in a Suitcase, Before the Burger, The Aftermath, Cute Kitten, The Most Amazing Meal; Chicken wrapped in Chorizo and Cheese with Root Vegetable Mash and Peas, Congrats on The Sex Cupcakes, The Sweet Area, The Savoury Area, Tit Wank and Ham Wallet Cookies, D and L Cupcakes, Where's Pumpkin?, My Graze Box was so Pretty This Week, That's going Straight on My Wall, Yummy Graze Box, Dylans pride and joy; Nachos.

 

SUNDAY PORTRAIT WEEK 006

001. It has been a fairly relaxed week to be honest, it shouldn't have been as i have a hell of a lot of work to do to raise my grades. So the next week will be extremely busy! 

002. I have rekindled my love for charity shops again, after getting most of my clothes from them to barely even bothering to ratch through the rails. I bought a purdy old blue and brown bag = £1, a black vintage shirt with a white strange pattern on it = £3.50 and a brown fake snakeskin bag = £2.99 which i saw in a different shop a week earlier and was quite regretful that i didn't buy it. Total cost = £7.49! I love Charity Shopping, it's like a treasure hunt. 

003. Last night it was the private viewing of my exhibition from 6-8pm, it was good. My parents came too overdressed as i expected, my dad even wore a pink tie. It was good to see people looking at my piece and conversing about it. I felt a bit like i was wearing Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, listening to what people were saying about my work and them not knowing that i made it. My exhibition seemed to get the most attention from my room, but that was expected, i mean, i made a fetish outfit! And a few of my business cards went also which is good. 

004. After the viewing we all went back to Dylan's student house to get drunk, i really didn't feel it though, i had half a bottle of vodka and still felt completely sober! Even after playing Shot Roulette! You could tell i wasn't drunk enough by the fact i kept my heels on for less than an hour, and they were my comfy heels. I bet i looked good in my mum's Topshop Ballet Pumps! I was wearing my Vintage Paisley shirt though, i love that top. Town was good, though we only went to Concrete, until that DJ Target came on! Who even is that?! If you're going to play a song, play it, don't say "Target" literally every 30 seconds! We know your name, fuck off and leave. 

005. I should have really taken a photo of myself last night with nice make up and controlled hair, damn, so you'll just have to settle for a photo of the aftermath of a night out. With Dylan also. There's a kitten i really really want in the petshop in town, it honestly is the cutest little thing. It started climbing the bars of the cage for attention and it has the most amazing squeaky voice. It is a tiny black boy with blue eyes and i was so close to crying because i couldn't have it. And writing this is making me sad again. I hope it's there tomorrow.

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Red Arrows from my Bedroom Window, Desert at The Bounty, Face Masks Date, Homemade Chocolate Mint Brownie, My Face, Crazy Morticia attacking Mother's leg, Blog Redesign, College with my Sister, Kitten at the Petshop, Bethany's Birthday Treat, Tesco Chicken Sushi, Colourful Candles, Happy 15th!, Mr Strong Man, The Best Cake Ever, My Mannequin looks better with Lights inside, Looks like people have been taking my Business Cards, Amandaplease.com.

 

YOUR VERY OWN LITTLE VIOLET RIBBON

To make my exhibition look a little better i decided to produce some business cards, hopefully i will get contacted for some sort of project to do over the summer. I wanted a simple design but with a bit of a difference, i really was swaying from sewing a swatch of leather onto the back of the card and the ribbon idea. The practicality of trying to slide a flapping piece of leather into a card slot in your purse would be just awkward. I thought it was important for my business cards and my blog to have a stable continuity and theme, and i think i did that. Even adding an actual violet ribbon as a little cutesy touch, i just couldn't help myself. I hope you like them!

FINAL EXHIBITION

I finally finished putting up my FMP exhibition today, personally i think it looks quite good. I'd rather there was more of a decorative element to it though, which i did try to create with the use of lights shining through my mannequin (but it's too sunny to notice). I also wanted my final leotard and cage to be hung from the ceiling but unfortunately the nails are so heavy, it was close to impossible. Improvisation! I absolutely love my glass heads, after this exhibition i'm going to put fairy lights in them and use them as decorative lamps! I still need to put my business cards out (which should be finished by tomorrow) and i'm considering putting out a little Comments Book, but i'm a bit worried incase no one writes in it, or does but it's negative. Any comments on here would be appreciated so i can improve?

Artist Statement

My project is based on the investigation, which I had undertaken on the hobbies of Elizabeth Báthory, a sixteenth century countess. Commonly known as “The Blood Countess” she has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history, with one source claiming Báthory was responsible for the deaths of over 650 victims. Countess Elizabeth Báthory is fairy unique in criminal history as being a woman who indulged in cannibalism and vampirism. The case has lead to legendary accounts of the Countess bathing in the blood of virgins in order to retain her youth as she is know to be a terrible vain and jealous woman.

The book ‘Evil Psychopaths’ is where the inspiration for this project originally came from, the profile of Countess Elizabeth Báthory was the most impacting because it was so extreme in comparison to the typical female killer, their method being indirect such as poison, rather than physical violence or torture.

I looked into various torturous methods and devices carried out in the Middle Ages as well as those performed by Elizabeth herself, on her innocent victims. This led me into looking at modern means of torture including that of Fetish and Bondage. I combined the two to create an inspired outfit based on one of Elizabeth Bathory’s devices, the “Iron Virgin” as I wanted to translate these methods into fabric manipulation techniques by symbolism. I used zips for torn mouths, ripping fabric for torn skin, spikes and metal to create the illusion of a cage and piercing flesh. 

MINT CHOCOLATE BROWNIE BITES

Wow, my first baking post! I bake a lot so i'm shocked this is my first one. Definitely having another go at Piñata Cookies soon, they were quite the disaster. But Dylan and I made these yesterday and there were super yummy, so here's the recipe if you'd like to have a go!

Ingredients

115g of Butter

115g of Dark Chocolate

300g Caster Sugar

A Pinch of Salt

2 Large Eggs

140g of Plain Flour

2 tbsp of Cocoa Powder

50g of White Chocolate

A Hand full of Mini Marshmallows and Biscuit Pieces

150g of Peppermint Chocolate 

Method

001. Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line an 18cm square baking tin with Grease Proof paper. 

002. Chop the white chocolate into small chunks. Break the Dark chocolate into bits and but into a heatproof bowl with the butter and heat over a pan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Stir and leave to cool slightly.

003. Stir in the Caster Sugar, the Salt, then gradually stir in the Eggs. Stir well until blended.

004. Sift the Flour and Cocoa into the mixture and beat well until smooth. Stir in the White chocolate chunks, Biscuit Pieces and Mini Marshmallows. Transfer to the tin and smooth the surface.

005. Bake for 30-35 minutes (or longer if you don't want them as gooey). Stick a fork through the brownie to check it's cooked through, the fork should come out clean when inserted into the centre. Remember the brownies should still be fudgy inside!

006. Leave to cool in the tin for a while while you melt the Mint Chocolate topping.

007. Break up the Peppermint Chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water until fully melted, keep stirring throughout. 

008. Pour the melted chocolate over the brownie and smooth over to create an even surface then leave to harden. I placed mine in the fridge overnight to set. Then remove from the baking tray and cut into 12 even pieces.

Ps. Enjoy and Remember to share! 

SUNDAY PORTRAIT WEEK 005

001. Hello there! It has been a very long week. My project deadline was on Thursday and i am so glad it's over! A leotard has to be the hardest thing ever to make, (especially when your mannequin is too fat and it doesn't have a crotch). But anyways, i did not sleep one bit on Wednesday night, way too much work to be done. I wish i had been introduced to the wonders of coffee earlier, i have never felt more awake in my entire life! I think i got about 30ish pages of work done...

002. I did get a delivery this week of a new mannequin, (my 3rd to be exact) which did have a crotch, so i could use it for my exhibition which will be held at Brampton Road Campus, Carlisle on June 6th-13th. Unfortunately with my awful luck the torso was too lengthy for my leotard and when i put my garment on it the leotard ripped and the fit was utterly terrible. Of course i cried a bunch. This project was like my baby and the last thing i wanted was to see all my hard work go to waste.  So my dad took an electric saw to the demon mannequin and i stayed up until 3am hand-sewing my 'life' back together. By this point i was so awake there was really no need in forcing my body to sleep.  I did have quite a successful photoshoot though, especially as it was shot in my conservatory using a white bed sheet against the wall! I'm really happy with the outcome!

003. This weekend was the Whitehaven Festival and i was actually really excited. I only went on the Saturday but i had high hopes, and honestly, i was so disappointed. I expected the Festival to be a lot better than last year seen as how it is the Queen's Jubilee an' all. There wasn't really any scheduled events and the amount of stalls were quite a bit lower. It seems that whenever there's something going on in Whitehaven all the scummy/crazy people you've never seen before all come out into daylight. Everyone's town has them, and the amount of American Flag leggings i have seen this week was shocking! We live in England, not America. What are you doing?! If you know be personally you would know that i have a vendetta against Parisian t-shirts (example: A top that has french writing on it, probably saying "J'adore" or some shit like that). I bet 90% of the people wearing these articles of clothing can't even speak french! Sorry I'm ranting now. Foreign writing tattoos also get on my wick! Why anyone would get a Chinese/French/Arabic word written on them is beyond me unless they are born there. Jesus. 

004. I didn't go out at all this weekend, god i feel like such a hermit crab. I really need to stop being a bore and have fun. AFTER June 22nd, old projects to do, grades to rise and that!

So many exclamation marks in this post.

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Exploring the Giant Book Shop, Haunted Forbidden Room, Nando's, Free Cafe Nero Chocolate Milkshake, Emma's Self Help Book, Thin White  Duke Afternoon Cocktails, Poor Stag, Mother Teacup (I'm considering writing 'fucker' on it), Look What i Found Old Photos, Vintage Shopping, My Sister's Birthday Present, A TShirt My Parents Got Me From Benidorm (Remind you of anyone?), Another Ugly Top Courtesy of Mum and Dad, Happy Jubilee Queen Dress-up Doll, Organisation, 3 Lovely Teacups to Make into Candles, My Final Piece, Pumpkin!