KJ's Double-Chocolate-Cookie-Dough-Brownie Bites

Warning: This recipe is not for the feint-hearted (because it may severely clog up your arteries)

Today I wanted to share my new favourite recipe with you; it's a big tray of buttery sugary gooey chocolatey  yumminess!

 Have you ever baked cookies and rolled them up in to neat little dough-balls and then watched them merge in to one giant super-cookie in the oven? Well, in an effort to avoid such an eventuality, I decided to follow this cookie recipe and then fill up a baking tray with the mixture, and cut it in to little cookie-squares at the end. However, this produced something much thicker than cookies, much gooier than brownies and much yummier than anything I've ever eaten before!

I hope you enjoy baking these quick and easy treats, and the food coma that you will inevitably endure afterwards.

KJ xo

You will need: 

200g unsalted butter | 300g caster sugar | 1 egg | 275g self-raising flour | 75g cocoa powder | 2 big bars of chocolate | A splash of milk

Note: I used 1.5 times these ingredients as I was baking them for about 20 people.

Rainy Days and Summer Haze

After spending the day attempting revision in the library and trying to avoid the relentless drizzle that lurked over Bristol, I decided that I needed to do something to bring a little sunshine in to my life. I could have made a refreshing salad or stuck a flower in my hair but, of course, it's much more fun to covet after beautiful,  sometimes over-priced pieces that I want to be wearing this Summer. I scoured the Topshop, H&M and Urban Outfitters websites and put together a cute little outfit; it may be heart-wrenchingly expensive altogether, but at £5.99 I don't think I'll be able to resist snapping up those sunglasses tomorrow to help me begin the transition in to Summer!

KJ xo

MOTO Denim Babydoll Dress - Topshop, £42 // Sunglasses - H&M, £5.99 // Hipanema Sioux Bracelet - Urban Outfitters, £69.00 // Shoulder Bag - H&M, £14.99 // Daisy Spike Headband - Topshop, £10 // Fine Box Chain Necklace - Topshop, £12.50 // KEITH Tassel Loafers - Topshop, £50

Third Time Lucky

I'm not sure if it's a girl-thing or just a me-thing, but looking through pictures from other people's proms fills me with rainbows and smiles and other happy things. In the hope that I'm not completely abnormal, I decided to share some photos that I took at my friend Isy's house before we all headed off to our prom (It was actually called "Leavers Ball" but, being American at heart, I have to refer to it as "Prom" and also be rather confused as to why I did not receive a corsage).

This was my third prom and definitely my favourite! When I left primary school we had a hideous 80's themed disco; it's a rather distant memory that I have spent many years trying to block out, but I am still haunted by the masses of tie-dye and neon leg-warmers that invaded the school hall that night. 

Upon leaving secondary school we all dressed up in (what we thought were) our prettiest cocktail dresses and highest heels and teetered over to Ashton Court Mansion. The night ended in a mosh pit and we shall speak no more of it.

This year, as we leave sixth form and head off in to the adult world of gap years, university and full-time employment, I'd hoped we would be attending a slightly more high-brow event. We enjoyed a three-course meal at The Bristol Hotel (the term "enjoyed" is being used very loosely there), before the DJ began playing everything from the Cha Cha Slide to Taylor Swift. Of course, now that we're all 18, the evening was not without it's casualties and some people didn't quite manage to make it to their seats before having to be escorted home by their parents.

Afterwards, we ventured in to the deep dark depths of Oceana (a club with a reputation for tight skirts and fake tan) and surprisingly, I felt quite at home as within ten minutes of being there I had already heard Justin Timberlake, One Direction AND Taylor Swift! Once the smell of Lynx had got too over-powering and we were close to asphyxiation we decided to call it a night and headed home.

I hope you enjoy looking through some of my favourite snaps of all the beautiful dresses and fancy suits as much as I do!

KJ xo

           

The Beginnings of Adulthood

Last month I celebrated my 18th birthday and I wanted to write a post documenting what I received because I'm lame like that. 

I wasn't all that excited about my birthday because unlike most people my age I don't care for going to clubs or becoming paralytic, and if anything, turning 18 signalled the end of my childhood and the start of a huge, new (terrifying) chapter of my life. I mean, are you still even allowed to enjoy things like Harry Potter once you're an adult? And do I have to vote because I really don't know anything about politics, and why does my mum keep twittering on about my need for online banking, is that another adult thing? 

Those worries aside, I did enjoy my birthday and received some lovely gifts which I have photographed below (I never realised quite how blue my room is until I looked at these photos on my laptop!) mainly for my own recollection when I'm old and wrinkly.

It was duly noted that I received two cards with pugs on this year, despite never having shown any particular affection for them.

"Fashions fade but style is eternal"

When it comes to vintage clothing, Bristol is probably not one of the best places to find hidden treasures (unless the hidden treasure you are looking for is a jam stain on an old Primark t-shirt from the local Oxfam). Any decent vintage shops seem to have caught on to the fact that today's youth has an inexplicable obsession with wearing pre-owned clothing in order to be "original" and thus get away with charging £25 per t-shirt.

However, one day I unwittingly wandered in to Fly Boutique and uncovered a gold mine of reasonably priced, good quality, authentic vintage clothing. After my first purchase I became a regular customer and dread to think how much I have spent there, although it is all fully justified in the name of fashion. 

There are at least five charity shops in every shopping district in Bristol and I often hunt through the rails, but the only good item I've ever come across is the maroon cropped jumper pictured below. I believe this is because I bought it in Keynsham which is inhabited largely with OAP's, and therefore the charity shops actually possess clothes from previous eras as opposed to charity shops in the city centre which favour previous season's BHS rejects.

I have also given in to some of the pricier vintage stores, Urban Fox and RePsycho, if only because I can't resist anything shiny and in order to fulfil my life-long dream of owning a full-length pair of dungarees.

Never one to miss an opportunity for shopping, I also went bargain hunting at a small festival I went to in the summer and managed to pick up an unbranded black velvet skater dress which successfully filled the LBD-shaped whole in my wardrobe!

Last but not least, I managed to pick up a cute, summery hat from a stall in St Nicholas Market... and when I say "cute, summery" I mean "gondola driver". 

KJ xo

 Fly Boutique: 

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous"

I'm not quite sure when I realised Chanel was an integral component in my pursuit of happiness, I think it was probably at the age of 15 when I was immersed in books, TV shows and films based on the lives of those living in the most glamorous parts of New York. I rapidly decided my life needed to mirror the likes of Blair Waldorf, and the best way to do that would be to douse myself in Chanel. 

For the 15-year-old me this meant spritzing every perfume I could get my hands on, at every department store I visited, on every item of clothing I happened to be wearing. 

For the 16-year-old me this meant Granny gifting me my first ever bottle of Chanel No.5.

For the 18-year-old me this meant Mummy bestowing me a matching lipstick and nail varnish. 

It may have taken me three years to collect as many products but a wise person once said 'less is more'... Now if anyone wants to help the 19-year-old me acquire a Chanel LBD, donations are welcome!

KJ xo

Fully Focused

As my A2 Photography exam looms closer ("looms" is a strong word, I'm actually quite looking forward to it!) I've found myself looking back over the thousands of pictures I've taken over the last year and a half. I've worked with the briefs "Portraits and Personalities", "Fears and Phobias", "The Passing of Time", "Water" and "Text and Image". 

Most of my friends run a mile at the sight of my Cannon, so I have had a very limited selection of models to work with, but I can't complain because my best friend could probably rival Kate Moss when it comes to working the camera. In hind sight I definitely owe at least 80% of my A grade to her photogenic face. 

When I chose Photography A Level I dreamt of doing highbrow fashion shoots in fabulous locations every other week... Needless to say I soon realised I had overestimated just how glamorous A Levels would be. However I found myself subconsciously weaving fashion in to all my shoots no matter the brief. Whether it be dressing my model in gothic outfits and begging her to wander a graveyard in subzero temperatures; or forcing her in to her pointe shoes and making her plié and développé on a train platform; or perhaps the time I demanded she apply and re-apply make up for hours whilst I hovered around her clicking my camera, somehow fashion has always found its way back in to my shoots. 

Overall I am very pleased with the portfolio I have built up during my time at sixth form, and am going to share some of my favourite images with the dozen people who have viewed this blog since its birth yesterday!

KJ xo

Fears and Phobias: