Tuesday 25 June 2013

Happy thoughts

So, you may have noticed that I've been a bit rubbish at blogging recently. Well, life sort of took over & things are a-changing. I'm recently single after a split from my long-term boyfriend (who's popped up on here a few times) and it felt really weird not acknowledging it online as this is such a personal blog! Anyway - it was obviously weird and very sad, but Craig remains one of the nicest people I know, and therefore, this has been a really positive (and mutual!) decision. So now we're in the process of selling the house and wrapping up bits and pieces... and then it's onwards, and onto my next adventure!

Whilst it has been a surprisingly easy process, it's always nice to have a fun distraction every now and again, and the last few months have definitely needed them! So here's what's been making me smile recently.

1. Animal Crossing


I saw that the newest version of Animal Crossing was coming out, and without much (any) thought, I pretty much immediately stalked ebay, just so I could buy a Nintendo 3DS and play it. I love Animal Crossing, and have spent MONTHS of my life playing it, it's just so good! I've only owned it for a week and already am having conversations with my (real-life) friends about things that I've done in my (ac) village. Don't judge me.

2. PALS (and photobooths)


I know summer has arrived when the Edinburgh Film Festival Party is on, and the photobooth is almost always my favourite part! Here are some of my very favourite people & I recreating famous movie scenes.. Can you guess them? (Perhaps don't even try, let me continue to pretend that we're all amazing actors..). 

I took a week off work this month and filled it with pals, sunshine, parties and adventure, and it was perfect. There's nothing like surrounding yourself with wonderful people and times to feel good!

3. Riley


Look at this ridiculous guy. How could he not cheer you up? One of Riley's favourite ways to lie is on his back with his paws up in the air, but he HATES getting his tummy touched, so this is a deceptively dangerous position. This was how he lay one afternoon in the garden, just watching the birds (who all must think he's a bit of an idiot).

Monday 24 June 2013

Outfit: lazy stripes

I'm a big fan of dresses (I dread to think how many I actually own... a clear out is possibly needed), but on slouchy days there's nothing better than some comfy jeans. Here's an outfit I wore to an afternoon in the cinema to see Lilou's Adventure & Man of Steel...  which turned out to be a bit of an odd combination of movies!

Denim shirt - Matalan
Strapless top - New Look
Jeans - Primark
Satchel - The Leather Satchel Company
Necklace - Forever 21
Shoes - Clarks flat shoes*
I'm so glad we have finally entered the season of not needing a jacket - life is so much more fun when you aren't lugging around a coat! Looking at this I realise that I really need to try and be more of a grown up and actually iron my clothes... but who has time for ironing? Not this girl, clearly.

I got the necklace from the massive Forever 21 store that recently opened up in Glasgow. I know some people absolutely rave about it, but I struggled to find much that I liked (apart from my EIFF dress, which I will blog about soon!). It was also just FULL of tiny teenagers buying tiny leggings, which made me think I am perhaps not their target market. Still, that's okay!

I am also still in love, as ever, with my beautiful satchel. Since getting it in January there have only been two days that I haven't used it, because it's so perfect that no other bag will compare. And it's still in great nick! Let's see how it survives the summer (and the madness of the Edinburgh fringe that will soon descend....).

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Fox girl painting

Hi! As we're half way through 2013 (I know, right?! Jeezo) it seemed like a nice excuse to chat about painting, and show you my most recent attempt. I restarted painting in January (as a new year's resolution) after years and years of neglect, and painted my first ever person this year (it was rubbish, but that's okay). Since then I think I've definitely found my stride again - or am getting there at least!


At first I'll sketch a really rough outline - I used to have to draw quite a detailed pencil sketch before I could paint, but now I just need the rough shape of the face and marks where the eyes/nose/mouth are going to sit. Then I start layering colours - I pretty much only use watercolours, mainly because I really love them & the blending you can get if you are patient (which I'm not really, but I somehow manage to avoid smudging things too often).

Bit by bit I start working on the features - building up shadows and colours, before using a super thin brush to add detail.


I still find painting hair really tricky, but I think I'm getting better (there's definitely more movement in this piece than Rosie's painting from February). & I think I'm starting to find a bit of a style - I love dark outlines, tiny details and shadowing too much to be a softly, softly pretty painter, but that's okay.

There's still lots to learn, but I love it!

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Picks of the Edinburgh International Film Festival

I absolutely love the Edinburgh International Film Festival and am so excited that there's only two weeks until it starts! This year (the 67th year no less!) they are showing 146 films - brilliant to have so much choice, but it can be difficult to pick what to go to!

Here's what I've got my eye on this year. It's quite an eclectic bunch of films, but that's surely one of the best parts of having a huge film festival in town - try something you've never heard of, go out of your comfort zone & have fun!

1. The Bling Ring

Showing 22nd June, 8.30pm & 23rd June, 6.40pm
Sofia Coppola’s latest is based on an incredible true story. A group of L.A. high school friends track the activities of celebrities online so that they can rob their homes. Motivated less by greed than by a fascination with status brands and famous people, the gang target Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan and others, bragging of their intimacy with their victims. A biting, stylish take on celebrity culture. 
Hermione ain't a school girl any more. Emma Watson joy aside (I love her), this looks ace! It's based on a true story (from this Vanity Fair article) and it looks pretty awesome.


2. Lilou's Adventure (Lilou no bouken)


Showing 23rd June, 2.50pm & 25th June, 6.10pm
In Okinawa, Lilou, a 10-year-old half- Japanese, half-Guinean girl, becomes friends with a Japanese girl, Kokoro. When Kokoro disappears, Lilou sets off on a journey to find her, using clues from a video game. This playful, imaginative and unpredictable film is a great children’s tale for adults.
An adventure story! Using video game clues! That looks super cute! I am sold.


3. The Great Hip Hop Hoax 


Showing June 26th, 8.40pm, June 27th, 8.50pm & June 28th, 8pm
Californian rap duo Silibil ‘n’ Brains are poised to take the music world by storm. They’re talking the talk... walking the walk... and they’ve just pocketed a hefty advance from a major music label. Surely nothing could go wrong? Truth is definitely stranger than fiction in this astonishing, funny and moving documentary that touches on issues of Scottish national identity whilst showing the unbelievable lengths to which people will go to achieve fame.
It's a documentary about two Scottish guys who managed to get a hip hop career by pretending to be from L.A. Sounds mental, hopefully will be good!


4. Shooting Bigfoot

Showing June 21st, 10.45pm
An intrepid young filmmaker travels from Britain deep into the American heartland to probe the mysteries of Bigfoot and Bigfoot mania. He forms uneasy alliances with several Bigfoot trackers, including a man who believes he is part sheep, a known hoaxer, and an entrepreneur with a short fuse. Things get hairy as the filmmaker realises that his companions may not be the harmless eccentrics they seem.
I love the monster movies that crop up at EIFF each year, and this looks like it could be suitably creepy (and sort of hilarious).


5. Not Another Happy Ending 

Showing June 30th, 8.45pm
Karen Gillan stars as Jane, a young Glasgow writer whose first novel is a success, thanks in part to the editing of her sympathetic but businessminded publisher, Tom (Stanley Weber). Reconciled with her estranged father (Gary Lewis) and embarked on a new relationship with a handsome and self-absorbed writer (Henry Ian Cusick), Jane comes down with a severe case of writer’s block while struggling with her second novel. Tom believes that this is because she is too happy, so he resorts to drastic measures to get her unblocked.

This is the Closing Night Gala of the Film Festival, and it's lovely that they've picked a film set in Scotland to finish on. I reckon Karen Gillan is the perfect person to star in an indie rom com, and this looks just lovely.


There is absolutely LOADS on, and I'd definitely recommend going if you are in town! The festival is on from June 19th - 30th & tickets can be bought from www.edfilmfest.org.uk or from the Filmhouse, Festival Theatre or Cineworld.

Monday 3 June 2013

May instagram

Shhh, I know it's June now. Here's what last month looked like for me...

Instagram username: @eversojuliet
 1. I spent my last day in London drinking MASSIVE milkshakes at the Diner (yum!). I wish there was a place like this in Edinburgh... if anyone has any recommendations then please share!

2. Tagged along with a pal to see some art & found this fun looking table, which made me want to dig out my old spirographs (they must be somewhere in my house!).

3. Wearing about five layers in the horrible it's-May-but-still-freezing weather Scotland's been having. & mis-matched socks, because I am an eternal scruff.

4. Say hello to the best mug ever! It's from ebay & it's awesome!

5. Bought some tiny succulents to sit on my desk, and I love them! I probably love them a little too much actually... I need to keep reminding myself that I don't need to water them constantly. Sorry, plant pals.

6. The perfect Sunday morning... a trip into town, coffee & a good book. Since moving to the suburbs I've been a bit lazy about coming to town on the weekends, and am glad I'm making the effort again.

7. Being a DINOSAUR (rarr) at the National Museum of Scotland's Museum Lates. Keep an eye on this page for details of the next one... if you haven't been yet (and live in Edinburgh) then you HAVE to go, they are so much fun!

8. Riley. Adorable. As usual. Yeah, I know, move on already.

9. Having a beer (!) in the sunshine (!) on the day of the Edinburgh Fringe programme launch! Hoooray, hello summertime!

10. My cherry blossom tree has finally perked up after a winter of looking very sorry for itself, and now has the loveliest pink blossom (apart from a big bald section, but shh, let's not talk about that bit).

11. & the flowers in my garden are doing well too! Here are some beautiful daffodils, that I felt guilty about picking.

12. The best news of all, summer seems to FINALLY have arrived in Edinburgh! Look how beautiful my home town is. Long may it last.