Full speed ahead, Mr. Boatswain.

We all live in a yellow submarine. Happy Friday!

via a cup of jo

With love from Kate

I'm loving these beautiful and whimsical illustrations by Kate. There's just something about them that embodies that sense of childhood wonder. Check out her etsy and her tumblr.

Feast your eyes....and your tastebuds

I discovered this clever and inspiring blog the other day via Design Crush. Feasting on Art is a food blog that derives its inspiration from the fine arts. I need to try my hand at the Mondrian pound cake.

The art of leaf cutting

These cut leaves are so delicate and gorgeous.
The silhouettes look so dreamy.

via mentalfloss

Monday Mix #26: I'd just like to point out that that rhymes

I've got kiwi on the brain this week. I was watching Life of Birds and the part where David Attenborough is literally stalking a kiwi bird always cracks me up (at 3:00). Found this nifty illustration by Matt Cipov while searching flickr and I have quickly become a fan of his work.

So, here are five new songs I've been listening to throughout the week. May I just say again how awesome Hans Zimmer is?

Macaroni and Ridiculous and other tales from the week

Oh wow, first week back to school and I already have ridiculous amounts of homework. That coupled with getting the new computer and lack of time to surf the internet results in no posts! I'll be better next week. Here are a few things I think were noteworthy this week:

Monday was spent putting the finishing touches on my rainbow cake (the last slice was devoured on Thursday and I definitely need some more rainbow cake in my life), making and eating the most insane mac n cheese ("Macaroni and Ridiculous" as Liz dubbed it. 4 kinds of cheese, bacon, and onions. This mac n cheese puts all others to shame...and does a bit of a number on your breath. Worth it) and watching The Prince of Egypt when it was discovered that our good friend Kaycie, an animation major and know-all for anything animated, had never seen it before! Inconceivable! The score for this movie is just incredible.

Pfft, say what you will but Tina Fey can do no wrong in my books. Pretty much everyone stuck her on their worst dressed list but I thought Tina Fey's Zac Posen dress for the Golden Globes last week was cute.

Although, I do enjoy this Totoro comparison. But that is just because they are both so totally awesome. Clearly.

I am so happy Project Runway is good again and we can forget last season ever happened! Hooray! For those of you who don't watch, this week's challenge was to make a cocktail outfit for the models out of a burlap sack. That's right, people. That dress is made out of a potato sack.

While the thought of how itchy these burlap pants must be makes me squirm, I still dig this ensemble and think it's cool that the designer didn't go for the usual cocktail dress.


And a quick scan from my sketchbook (well, that's an understatement after the time I just spent trying to hook my printer up to the new computer but anyways...)

We have weekly sketchbook assignments for my illustration class. This week's theme was portraits of people who have been dead for at least 100 years.

So, that was pretty much my week. Just insert copious amounts of schoolwork into the gaps. Have a good weekend and I'll try to get back to regular posting next week!

This cake is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Roy G. Biv, baby.

Best. Cake. Ever.
This is the stuff that dreams are made of.
I love this cake more than my friends.

Ok, the first two are true. I still love my friends more than cake . . . . marginally.

I used this amazing recipe from smitten kitchen for the cake (which would be incredible just on its own) BUT THEN I MULTIPLIED IT BY AWESOME using these rainbow instructions here. Finally, I topped it off with some Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream a la How to Eat a Cupcake.

A couple notes:
• Do not attempt this using regular liquid food colouring. You can try to get a deep, vibrant rainbow from those feeble pigments but your efforts will be in vain. Please, do yourself a favour and use gel food colouring.

• The recipe actually makes 3 layers of cake. I may or may not have dropped one of said layers on the floor. So don't let my pictures fool you. This recipe is a beast.

• I highly recommend reading all of the tips for making layer cakes that smitten kitchen has posted on that same page with the recipe. Oh so helpful.

Short Break

Well, I had hoped to post yesterday from my snazzy new laptop but it it doesn't look like I'll be able to get my hands on it until Tuesday. For the moment, I have commandeered my roommate's laptop to post this briefly. Have a good weekend and see you next week!

Back to the land of ice and slush

Milwaukee-bound today.

(picture here)

"I find lentils completely incomprehensible..."

Oh Dollhouse, why did you have to go and get cancelled?

Well, lentils aren't so incomprehensible when they are in a tasty soup like this! I've been on a soup and bread kick for the last couple days. Yesterday's recipes were from bitchincamero. This is one of my favourite food blogs with amazing recipes and beautiful photography; her recipes somehow seem fresh and hearty at the same time. I made Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup and Irish Skillet Sodabread last night.

I always thought sodabread was made with soda pop and I learned that (doi) it's because of the baking soda. For some inexplicable reason mine tasted like cornbread even though I didn't use any corn in the recipe. I added some beans to the soup and it was de-lish. I recommend adding the lentils before the sweet potatoes and cooking them for a bit unless you like your soup with a bit of crunch.

What's this?

Only my favourite food in the world in cute appetizer form! Mini grilled-cheese with tomato soup shots. (via a cup of jo)

Monday Mix #25: Maybe I'll see you on the moon

Picture from here.

Alternate title #1: Chromeo, where have you been all my life?

Alternate title #2: Hans Zimmer, you are a genius.

Here it is! A brand new year and five songs I've been listening to this past week.

I love the above picture with it's clean-cut jeans and the surprise bear feet. It makes me think of those second amendment t-shirts.

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

Deadroads
I like that humming in the backround that is sort of Shins-New Slang/Animal Collective-Fireworks-y.

NEKO CASE

Hold On, Hold On
I really like the power and the drive in this song.

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS

Maybe I'll See You On The Moon!
Just and all around cute and hopeful song.

HANS ZIMMER
The Kraken

One of my favourite movie themes by Hans Zimmer. If you haven't heard the Sherlock Holmes soundtrack he scored you need to go listen to it. Right now.

CHROMEO

Bonafied Lovin'
I dare you to listen to this song and not dance.

Sleep and sunshine

While I love the rain, I would much rather be sleeping on a dock in the sunshine on my beautiful island today. Just got this roll of film developed from the trip over the summer to Mayne Island. I like the dreamy quality the light-leaks give it.

Dear non-broke future self...

....buy these shoes!

(via oh joy)

Hey, Soul Sister

This song puts a smile on my face. Have a lovely Thursday!

Dan-ah Kim

I love the neutral colour palettes, patterns and stitching in Dan-ah Kim's beautiful illustrations! Check out more of her beautiful work on her website.

Book love

I hope my future home will contain so many books that they will need to occupy every available surface and spill out from corners and cupboards. Having time to read over the winter break has been one of the highlights of my time off from school.

So far I've devoured Eat, Pray, Love (which I thought was going to be a pretty floofy book but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this woman's travels and all the interesting people she met), The Lovely Bones (literally could not put this book down. It's been on my to-read list for ages now), Blankets (beautiful graphic novel about the author/illustrator's first love. Couldn't put this one down either), and The Lake of Dead Languages (this book is literary crack I tell you! Recommended to me by Abi).

Currently working on Basilica and have The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Vanished Smile on deck.

Anyone have any good book recommendations that I should add to my list?

via designverb

Who needs bookshelves? Seen on milk

Here and here

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday. I've had this song stuck in my head all day.