I like to draw II

Well, I finally learned to draw pretty on my phone and it's kind of exciting. 

I'm very sad that I was unable to participate in the Halloween festivities this year, so I drew this creepy lady with her creepy doll to make me feel better. Also sad - Community being postponed which means no Halloween episode (my favourite) and maybe no Christmas episode (my other favourite - Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas is on my seasonal watch list, along with the Muppets Christmas Carol and The Polar Express).

Because I am creepy, I decided to draw this random young lady on my train. I thought she was super styling and I was jealous of her fluffy vest. Partly because I can't pull off fluffy vests, as much as I'd like to. Whenever I go into stores with faux fur items, I like to rub my face on them as a softness gauge. Yes, I know it's gross.

A lady and her pug. I love pugs. When I "grow up" I want to have a pug and a dacshund and they will be the best of friends and cuddle up together and make me YouTube famous, like Boo's owner, or Maru's. Also, please excuse my complete inability to draw hands. That's right, those are hands, not freakish mutant finger-claws.

Whitewashed

Despite the current state of my room, I like to imagine that my future home will be beautiful and clean and airy. The other day, my friend Kaari and I went to this store in Newtown called Octopus Designs, and she introduced me to the joys of overpriced scented candles. There was this especially amazing-smelling one called Bora Bora, which totally lived up to its name, conjuring up images of island resorts and empty beaches. I could definitely imagine having a bunch of those candles in my dream bathroom, which would be white and light-filled, with blue, black and natural accents. 

My dream apartment will obviously be fully stocked with all the necessary amenities, including the fluffiest of towels, pretty soaps and lotions, and bathroom reading material. 

I would suggest that this is everyone's dream shower. I love the window, the spaciousness, the blue brick-style tiling. 

Images from my Pinterest

|1| Ikea Lidan baskets

|2| Due shag bathtowels

|3| West Elm hooks

|4| Handgun toilet brush

|5| Neest bucket

|6| Old Faithful striped towel

|7| Glasshouse Bora Bora candle

Chipster Update

Clockwise from the top left:
1. There was the most beautiful sunset last week, all pink and purple and orange.
2. & 3. Sparkly nail polish! I have a mini collection of them. A note - it is really really hard to remove glitter from your nails!
4. Neon yellow nails. I wore this colour for about two weeks, which is a record for me.
5. Orange toes.
6. Totoro plushy. Sitting atop my Penguin Classics, next to my Rubik's cube. It's Chipster overload.
7. Cheerleader and sorority girls.
8. Rob had some eye thing and had to wear an eye patch. I think he will appreciate me putting this on the internet.

I like to draw

I sketch a lot. Sometimes I get bored in lectures, watching television, or on the toilet, and so I like to sketch. One of the main reasons I got the Samsung Galaxy Note is that it comes with a stylus and I can now draw whenever I like, on the go. My favourite drawing app is SketchBook Pro - it has a pretty amazing toolkit and you can do layers and stuff. Here are some drawings I've done on my phone recently.

I drew my new header image in a similar style to the old one, with some of my favourite Chipster-y things floating around. I can't draw hands.


This was me playing around with the tools on Sketchbook Pro. More Chipster-y things! I like the way those macarons turned out.


I drew this today after seeing these two girls in one of my tutorials at uni. They were so matching, one wearing a stripey black and white dress and the other in black and white polka dots. I love stripes and polka dots AND an achromatic palette, so I found them very aesthetically pleasing. In a non-creepy way. Okay, a little creepy, since I was staring at them and drawing them. As you can see, I can't draw feet either.

Chipster Update

Things that have been happening in Chipster world lately.

Reading: Being on Goodreads turns reading into a sort of competitive social activity. However, I may be the only one amongst my friends actually playing... I'm ashamed to say so, but I think I always read books with other people in mind - my friends, random people on public transport etc.

I have lovely friends who buy me things.

These raccoon earrings from my friend Kaari. She was worried that they might not be my style! Laughable, because they are perfect.

Dr Who necklace from my cousin Miranda! With little Weeping Angels, the scariest of the Dr Who villains. I love wearing my geekiness around my neck.

And of course, the camera with which these pictures were taken, from the lovely Brigitta who has just left me for Satan's suburbia, i.e. Canberra =(

I bought a liquid chalk pen from Smiggle! It makes every surface a chalkboard surface, it's so much fun.

I cleaned my room, and now there are a bunch of cute little vignettes around my room.

Chalk-decorated jars. I have a lot of jars and not much to put in them. I stuck a polar bear on one of them, I like bears.

DESK PICNIC

Today I decided to have a picnic at my desk at work. If it seems like all I do is have picnics, well, that's because that is an accurate reflection of my life. It consisted of: rice cakes with bean hummus, ricotta and salad; and apple slices with blue cheese. I feel sorry for my coworkers who would have had to put up with the stench of my blue cheese. 

        

CHIPSTER DETAILS: WINTER THINGS

Winter things!

❄ Hideous thrifted sweater ❄

❄ Knitted circle scarf ❄

❄ frankie magazine ❄

❄ Jane Eyre Hardcover ❄

PANDA NAILS!

I decided to paint my nails with little panda faces after seeing this on Pinterest. 

Here is a short, not-very-descriptive tutorial on how to do it.

First, you need a white nail polish, a black nail art pen and top coat. 

If you can't find a nail art pen, you can just use black nail polish 

and any utensil with which you can transfer the polish to your nails!

I created the heads of the pandas in three steps. 

One middle stroke upwards, then dragging the polish on either side to make a rounded shape. 

I don't know if this diagram explains it, or if people even need this to be explained.

Here is a GIF I made to demonstrate the painting of the ears, eyes and nose. 

It is not very demonstrative. 

Is it pronounced "jiff" or "giff" (with a hard "G")? 

Because people always say "gif" but I'm pretty sure 

I read somewhere that the original creators of the file format pronounced it "jiff". 

PANDAS!

WELLIES!

☁ 1 - Loeffler Randall - these are my favourite. I would totally wear them in Summer too.

☁ 2 - Modcloth

☁ 3 - Modcloth (sold out)

☁ 4 - Hunter

☁ 5 - Target

☁ 6 - Burberry

I am searching for a pair of cute wellies for Sydney's wet weather season. I love those Loeffler Randalls', but I feel like rain boots should be for getting muddy and scuffed and therefore should not cost $150 (don't even get me started on those Burberry boots). I like short boots because they are more versatile and won't make you look ridiculous if the forecast was wrong and it turns out to be a beautiful cloudless day, whereas long boots are more practical and protective against the elements. Wellies evoke scenes of idyllic English seaside towns, taking long walks through the countryside and Elizabeth Bennet-esque muddy skirt hems ("positively medieval"); all things that I feel a sense of nostalgia about but have no reason to because I've never actually experienced any of them. I will very likely end up buying a cheapie pair from Target. 

Obligatory adorable picture of a piglet in boots. Nawww.

CHIPSTAGRAM 13.06.12

It's been a quiet week around these parts. Last couple of weeks of uni mean plenty of essays. I just can't get inspired to write essays anymore, my five years of uni are really starting to get to me. I handed in two essays today about a week late, thank goodness for the Arts faculty's lax late policies.

My sheep-like sensibilities have deigned that I will fall for the current neon trend that's permeating fashion at the moment, and fall hard. It's very unsettling to know that my taste is so obviously informed by mainstream trends. Also, tiny bottles of spirits - I'm starting a collection.

A lady in a Chinatown store frightened me into buying this necklace, but I'm glad she did because I love it. They remind me of scales (or feathers, but I prefer scales). & procrastination means rewatching the entire series of Daria. I am still adamant that Jane is Asian - maybe Eurasian. It's actually scary to think how quickly I got through it. Procrastination also means that my Pinterest account is being resurrected. I joined it a million years ago, but I never really got into it, probably because no one was on it back then. Follow me!

Sucre in Balmain does the greatest hot chocolate in the world. Well, hot chocolate is kind of misleading, because it's more like chocolate sauce. It's so thick it's undrinkable, but also amazing. Their cheesecake is pretty darn tasty (and pretty) too.

Hopefully after this last essay (does anyone happen to be an expert on the poetry of Frank O'Hara?), I'll come up with some blogging ideas. More likely I will sit at home and rewatch Buffy.

A WINTER PICNIC GUIDE

Image from We Heart It.

Image from Tumblr.

Picnics are the awesomest thing ever, but they are usually relegated to the warmer months. Here in Australia, though, it never gets too cold (although this Winter is shaping up to be a real killer), so I don't see why the picnics can't continue. In fact, I think they can be made even more fun and way more romantic, with plenty of blankets, cushions, cuddling and hot chocolate. If it rains, fort up! Maybe use some tarp or plastic sheeting over the blankets to waterproof?

one || Hurricane Candle Warmer Lantern // for cold nights you're going to need to keep warm, and a fire isn't really an option most of the time, unless you are in an actual wood or something. But that sounds scary, I never venture very far for my picnics. Most of the time Rob and I have picnics in the park either across from his house, or up the street a little. Sometimes, if we're feeling adventurous, we'll venture down to the wharf. 

two || Organic Cotton Knit Blanket // the best thing about Winter picnics is the opportunity to snuggle up together under a warm knit blanket. 

three || Isabela Picnic Basket // I love my basket, but there are plenty of other cute ones around the interwebs. I think that a picnic basket is a great thing to invest in, since you can pretty much keep it forever. 

fo||ur || God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens and The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins // picnics don't just have to be about eating, they can be for reading as well! Rob and I are both outspoken atheists and we like to read up on our atheist literature. 

five || Picnic Blanket // a proper picnic blanket is especially important for a Winter picnic, because   they have a plasticky side, in case the ground is wet. 

six || Grey Thermos // it's Winter, and you'll probably want to eat warm things, so a thermos is your best friend. Have one for soup and one for hot chocolate. 

seven || UGG boots // yes, I know they're ugly, but they are so freaking warm. I am planning on getting a pair on sale tomorrow, but I don't think I would pay full price for UGG boots, they're usually more expensive than other brand boots of the same (or better) quality. They're basically asking you to pay a premium on ugly.

eight || Donna Wilson Cloud Cushion // to add to the warm, cuddly atmosphere, bring along some cushions and pillows to sit on. 

nine || Mason Jars // for everything - holding tea light candles; drinking hot chocolate out of; or collecting flowers or leaves. 

Images from One for the table, and A food lover's journey.

What to eat at your Winter picnic ||


❄ Cheese: brie, brie, brie. Brie is the most deliciousest thing in the world. Other cheeses are good too: Camembert, Stilton, Chevre... Summer or Winter, your picnic must have cheese. Unless you are lactose intolerant, or a vegan. But if you just don't like cheese, then you're dead to me.

❄ Crusty bread: baguette or sourdough, you must have crusty bread for your delicious creamy cheese. Crap, I really want cheese right now. Other things to have with your bread: home-made pesto, guacamole, or jam and butter.

❄ Soup: to warm you up. For a Summer picnic I would recommend watermelon, but a Winter picnic needs soup. Pumpkin, spinach, or my favourite, leek.

❄ Berries: you'll probably want some fresh fruit to cut through all that creamy, rich stuff above. Berries are the most wintery of fruits. They're also pretty, delicious and will go well with your...

❄ Hot chocolate: the first thing that comes to mind when I think Winter picnic. Buy or make hot chocolate kits in jars (which also make awesome gifts) and bring boiling water in a thermos.

Image from Creative Organising.

If you are in the southern hemisphere right now, or live in a particularly chilly area in the northern hemisphere, then I wish you many lovely cold-weather picnics to come.

CHIPSTERNET ROUNDUP JUNE '12

one || Kris Atomic did this awesome post on camera apps for the iPhone. Just my luck that I would find this after switching to Android. I stand by my decision though, function over form!

two || I really want to make these white choc lemon truffles from Wit & Whistle blog. They sound and look amazing. 

three || Everything in the A Merry Mishap etsy store is covetable (and affordable), but I particularly like these gold-dipped black earrings. I love earrings but I can't wear dangly ones, because they don't suit my face shape. I stick to studs.

 

four || New favourite style blog - Gabifresh. She's been getting heaps of press lately for her "fatkini" posts. She's so body positive, beautiful and stylish.

five || These shoes by Ld Tuttle via Lambs Ear Shoes are way out of my price range, so I hope the neutral shoe with neon accent trickles down the fashion hierarchy to something more affordable.

six || I'm really hungry right now, so it's probably not a good idea to be perusing food blogs. I like eat make read for their healthy mix of food and drink recipes. I love eggs and I love asparagus, so I think you can gauge my feelings about this recipe.

seven || Tattly temporary tattoos are so fun, I really want to buy some but I feel like I need an occassion for them. Tattly hacks are also a thing, a cool thing.