Big Top Jamboree

This evening I was sent to photograph for The Skinny magazine at "Big Top Jamboree" - a craft/art/handmade fair organised by Jen Collins, Nikki McWilliams and Lauren Gentry - three graduates from the art school at Dundee University.

I was lucky enough to be there just before everything kicked off at 7pm. There was some really beautiful stuff on show, I'm quite amazed at what people can hand make. It's also really inspiring to see creative people still having the time and motivation to actually create - I know a few graduates who left art school and now work in call centres and banks.

Here are a selection of photos, more are available on my Flickr.

Really, REALLY wish I'd bought that bracelet! 

Quotes

I watched The Notebook last night, what a heartbreaking film. I don't think anyone will love me as much as Noah loved Allie - does love like that even exist? I really, really love the quote it opened with:


"I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough."


Ironically, another of my all time favourite quotes comes from none other than Chuck Bass, in Gossip Girl.


"So the next time you forget that you're Blair Waldorf, remember that I am Chuck Bass, and I love you."


What are your favourite screen quotes? 

Yellow Dress

So, a few weeks ago I was in the Metro Centre in Newcastle and I saw this dress in French Connection. It was love at first sight. John said it was ridiculous and dragged me away to look at a computer game instead. For some absurd reason, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I looked it up on the website that night and when I saw the price, I felt a bit ill. But I still really, really wanted it.

A few days later, I dragged John to the FCUK store in the town centre... but they were sold out of yellow. Then, the day he went back to sea, after I dropped him off at the airport, I drove back to the Metro Centre, desperate to buy it. They only had a size 16 left.

I arrived back in Dundee a day or two later, still with no yellow dress. After pulling a long day at uni, I traipsed with little positivity to the Dundee store. Sold out.

Fortunately, I have an amazing dad who let me bought me it online. It should arrive in a few days. SO EXCITED. 

Featured

My degree project is featured on the front page of Fashioning Technology :)

Pillow Talk - My Degree Project

Hello, blog. Yet another vast expanse of time has gone back in which I have not updated, sorry about that.

Things have been pretty hectic over the last couple of months. I'm rapidly, RAPIDLY heading towards the end of my degree. Where have the last four years gone? I have no idea. Fortunately, as our course is studio based, we don't have any exams this year - just an end of year project.

My project is about networking long distance couples. It hasn't actually come from the situation John and I are in - basically I managed to make a heart rate sensor with any visual/audio output I wanted, and needed something to apply it to. Eventually I figured out that if you didn't want to see/hear your own heartbeat, the only other one you would want to hear would be someone you love's - eg. your baby, child or lover. Children aren't really my forte, so I went with long distance lovers.

My project summed up in 100 words (one of my submissions):

"Pillow Talk is a project aiming to connect long distance lovers. Each person has a pillow for their bed and a chest sensor which they wear to sleep at night. The chest sensor wirelessly communicates with the other person’s pillow; when one person goes to bed, their lover’s pillow begins to glow softly to indicate their presence. Placing your head on the pillow allows you to hear the real-time heartbeat of your loved one.

The result is an intimate interaction between two lovers, regardless of the distance between them."

A Joke

Comic Sans walks into a bar and the barman says "sorry, we don't serve your type here".

Hahaha, best thing I've heard for days.

Lovebirds

Apparently, lovebirds die when they are alone. Someone told me that they had them as pets once, and when one of their lovebirds died, the other one just had something like a heart attack and died a few moments afterwards. They said they only have one mate in their lifetime as well, which is why they’re called lovebirds.

I looked lovebirds up on wikipedia but it doesn’t say anything about the dying part; but if this is true, then that would be quite amazing.