WHAT'S IN MY (UNI) BAG?

A big warm round of applause for my trusty Cath Kidston satchel, please. I bought this wee beauty two years ago in the Cath Kidston shop in Cambridge, only able to justify the price tag because of a discount voucher. I had wanted one of these satchels for a while, and then when my sister purchased a floral one I knew I just had to get my mitts on one of my own. She's been my trusty bag for uni ever since: she's stuck with me on my daily bus journeys, treks across campus, and library camp-outs  come sun, rain, wind or snow (and believe me, there's been a lot of snow). I have always loved getting my school bag ready, and as this is potentially my last year as a student (boo) I thought I'd do a special University edition of the 'What's in my Bag?' tag. This is a long'un, so fellow nosy bag-lovers - you're welcome!

Also, for any beauty lovers reading: my nail colour is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 'Ruby Do'.

// Umbrella //

It can be a burden to lug around, but a brolly never goes amiss when I'm spending all day on campus. Compact-able and polka-dotted are two very pleasant bonuses.

 // Keys //

Featuring key rings such as a Cath Kidston fob, a Harry Potter chocolate frog (that really smells like chocolate!), and a London 2012 Olympics souvenir.

// Phone //

Samsung Galaxy S4. Peonies for wallpaper - need I say more?

// Lotion //

A must for my art student's hands/elbows. I'm not usually fussy about which lotion I have - so long as it works I'm happy - but I'm currently using The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter.

// Laptop //

MacBook Air with a Greene + Gray memory foam case. For writing essays (read: browsing Pinterest) on the go.

// Gum //

When I'm eating tuna sandwiches for lunch and I've still got four hours of classes, projects and general social interaction left, gum is a must-have.

// Pencil Case //

UK stationary shop Paperchase has been my go-to place for gorgeous pencil cases since I started secondary school. I'm a firm believer in the need to surround yourself with beauty, and prints like this make doing so easy.

// Student Card //

I bought this bus pass cover at a Paperchase in Brighton two years ago and I think my reasons for purchasing are self-evident. I mean, just look at it! I use it for my student card which doubles as a bus pass, and fellow commuters compliment it on a regular basis. 

// Notebooks //

I know that I could go to a supermarket and buy a cheap blank notebook but I just can't resist trying to find the most beautiful books for my class notes. This year I picked up this duo by Pastel at Indigo Books and I can't wait to get writing.

// iPod //

Yes, my S4 has music on it and yes, this iPod Classic is old-school, but I take it with me whenever I can. It's actually my Dad's and the reason I'm always pinching it is because it's synced up to my Dad's friend's ultra-cool, ultra-diverse iTunes Library. Cue bus ride serenades courtesy of The Smiths, Dido, Gabrielle Aplin, Tom Odell etc etc etc. 

// Micron Pens //

Whether I'm writing notes, doodling, or creating a full-on serious work of art, these pens are my faves. I especially love them in Sepia - plus, they're fairly inexpensive at my local art supplies shop.

// Coin Purse //

With all of the stuff I have crammed into my satchel I don't have room for my usual envelope style purse, so I use a coin purse for loose change and my debit card. This one by Forever England was a present from my Nan-nan.

// Paper clips //

These flower-shaped paper clips by Paperchase have been used several times to secure essays in lieu of a stapler. I don't know if I've ever received extra marks on the grounds of extra-cute stationary, but I sure should have.

// Sunglasses //

I've had my Ray-Ban Wayfarers for years and I will never get sick of them. Never ever ever.

// Lip Products // 

If I ever empty my bag, I usually find half-forgotten lip products in every single pocket. My current loves are Clinique Almost Lipstick, Burts Bees Lip Balm, and Revlon Colorbust Matt Balm in Complex. 

Kitty xx

CARROUSEL

Every time I hear the word 'carousel', the words to my favourite Joni Mitchell song come floating to the surface of my mind...

And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down.
We're captive on the carousel of time.
We can't return, we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game.

Quoting these lyrics makes this post suddenly seem rather deep and philosophical, but there's been good reason for the song to be going 'round and round and round' in my head for the last week or so. Every day as a Production Assistant at The Works International Art Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, I've been passing Carrousel, the creation of a Montreal-based trio of artists known as BGL. Made of shopping trolleys and crowd barriers, Carrousel is a fully-functioning carousel available for the public to ride for free. After days of watching it being set up and then having to walk around it, curiosity finally got the better of me and I found myself lining up with a gaggle of excited children to try Carrousel for myself.

The ride on Carrousel, however simple the concept might seem, was rather magical in its own way. Carrousel touches upon one of the things I engage with most as both an art lover and as an artist: taking the everyday or the mundane and transforming it into something beautiful.

I think that there really is loveliness to be found in everything, even in a shopping trolley spinning round in circles.

Kitty x

Two of the artists from the BGL trio admire their work

HAVING A MARILYN MOMENT

Last night I watched My Week With Marilyn. Yesterday afternoon I browsed the new Mad Men Collection at Banana Republic. Last week I looked through Vintage Vogue dress patterns. Last week I borrowed my friend's book on 20th Century style. Last month I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

The Vintage Vibes have been bubbling away inside of me, and today they came to the surface with two dashes of Va and an awful lot of VOOM. Today I gave myself the Marilyn touch, and I'm telling you, it felt GOOD. 

This past week I bought myself a navy boat neck jumper on sale for $7 at Gap. I also noticed my bright green A&F trousers (also a bargain - reduced from $78 down to $12) in my chest of drawers. A navy and green dress in Banana Republic caught my eye and got me thinking... and voila, my outfit was born. Watching Michelle Williams shimmy across the screen in My Week With Marilyn certainly got me in the mood to do some shimmying of my own, and to shimmy like Marilyn, I needed flicks of cat-eye liner, lashings of red lipstick and a back-combed, hairspray-ed do. So I got to work, only to find out that before there could be any photographic evidence of my Marilyn Moment, I had to go out with the family. Reader, I am proud to say I did it. Minus the lipstick, I went out all retro-ed up and it felt pretty darn good. May have looked like I walked off a Mad Men set but hey, as my Dad told me: I'm young and I'm an art student and I can get away with being a little eccentric. 

When I finally got behind that camera, posing has never come so naturally. I thought of Michelle William's Marilyn cheekily asking, "Shall I be her?", and then, with a pout, I decided I would. 

Verdict? This may not be the end of red lipstick and big hair...

Kitty x

{Jumper: Gap; Trousers: A&F; Black Sunglasses: Forever 21; Red Sunglasses: New Look; Purple Scarf c/o of my Grandma; Red Scarf and Leather Jacket c/o my sister; Navy Coat: Miss Selfridge; Pearl Necklace and Black Ballet Flats: Joe Fresh; Leopard Print Heels: ASOS; Purse: Chapters.}

A VERY LAST MINUTE EXHIBIT

The Art + The Artist.

"What? My work is in an exhibition?!"

The lovely Zana and her work.

Untitled, Zana Zozomora, Lithograph.

Nothing quite like seeing your name printed on the wall...

... I rest my case.

ELEANOR SEES THE BROWN BEAVER

ELEANOR FALLS DOWN THE IMMIGRANT HOLE

ELEANOR GETS A SURPRISE, EH!

This week, out of the blue, I had a piece exhibited in a fellow University, about half an hour away from mine. I say 'out of the blue', because it came about like this: me walking casually through a hall in the Art building last Thursday, my friend Zana seeing me from the other end of said hall and running excitedly towards me saying "Theywanttoexhibitourwork!" and then in the next breath "Weneedtogofindourprofessor!", and me not particularly understanding but catching the words "exhibit" and "our" so saying yesyesyes on the spot. Come Monday, Zana and I are merrily driving over to the other University to see our work displayed in the Art Exchange Exhibition. I found out eventually that the work of mine was a Lithograph print I had done for my Mixed Multiples class, and that the student curator had seen it on the wall and wanted it. If only getting my work into an exhibition was always that easy! No applications, no artist's statements, no overhanging risks of rejection - just leave it forgotten on a wall for a month and I'm all set!

We arrived just before the exhibit closed, so the place was pretty much abandoned, but we got to see our work displayed and that's the most important thing, non? It did feel a bit 'spot-the-tumbleweed-blowing-through-the-barren-wasteland-that-is-the-exhibit', though.

My work (see the pictures above) is a Lithograph print, entitled Eleanor's Adventures in Canadaland, a parody of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is a tongue-in-cheek narrative about my experiences as an British citizen living in Canada, and for those non-Canadians reading who don't get the references, I apologize, but it's a 'Canadian Thing'. The print displayed in this exhibit actually isn't my favourite one - I have another version which is full-colour Lithograph and Watercolours that I feel has much more of a visual impact, but what can you do? Curator's choice is final.

Eerie emptiness of the gallery aside (I mean, even all the food was gone, and I happily confess that the promise of a refreshment table is always my Number 2 reason for going to gallery openings), seeing my work displayed outside of my own campus was a rather nice way to spend a Monday evening, even if it was a little impromptu.

Art on a whim? Yes please.

Kitty x

End of the Show

Let's close on a giant spoon, because it's a giant spoon!