Songwriting: How Long Is A Piece Of String

Hello! 

This is a little song I wrote and recorded a while ago, 

called 'How Long Is A Piece Of String?' 

I wrote it about my little sisters.

You know that age where they just ask you questions about everything? 

All sorts of impossible questions that you don't have the answer for...

But wish you did.

That's what it is inspired by. 

I hope you like it, let me know :) 

x

Literature: The Quiet American

So, The Quiet American is officially one of my all-time favourite books. 

I didn't think I would like it....

But immediately, I was hooked. 

The main character, Fowler, 

is very intriguing. 

From people I've discussed this book with,

I've heard very mixed opinions about him.

Like, polar opposites.

That in itself is compelling.

I for one would read this book just for Fowler's wry wit alone! 

It's centered around what is to become the 

Vietnam War, 

But that's not the only conflict. 

Fowler also has to compete for his love interest. 

To what lengths will he strive to keep her?  

That's where Pyle,

'A very Quiet American',

comes in...

but he also has a hidden agenda. 

'I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he'd caused.' 

Sound good? 

It is. 

Read it, please. 

x 

YUM: Mint Sorbet Recipe (You're Welcome)

As the weather becomes warmer, 

the need for a refreshing afternoon snack also escalates. 

This recipe for Mint Sorbet from Donna Hay is sooo good.

It's super easy and the results are delicious! 

I'm kind of a hopeless ice cream tragic so for me this is like the best thing ever.

Have fun making your own!

(and also using a retro ice cream tin is so much cooler (PUN) and more fun ;)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup mint leaves

3 cups (750 ml) milk

1 1/2 cups (240 g) icing sugar 

(it says to sift it.. I tried and 

lets just say my mum wasn't very happy with me haha. In the end it worked fine without doing it) 

1/4 cup (60 ml) glucose syrup 

(this stuff is super sticky but run your spoon under hot water first and it will slide right off) 

METHOD 

 Place the mint, milk, sugar and glucose syrup in a blender and blend until combined. 

Pour into a metal tin and freeze for 3-4 hours or until set. 

Cut the sorbet into squares and, in batches, blend until smooth. 

(make sure you do this step. I know it's tedious but seriously it looks and tastes so much better afterwards) 

Return the sorbet to the freezer for 1 hour or until ready to serve. 

Makes 1 litre. 

(I made 2 litres; just double all the quantities) 

(and dad's 'redback' sauce in the background!) 

YUM! 

Happy cooking!

(...or freezing?) 

x

Happy 50th, Gilligan's Island!

This has always been one of my dearest television shows. 

It's appropriately goofy and hilarious haha :) 

When it come on I get super excited and go coconuts (pun intended) like this: 

I always loved this scene where the girls start a go-go band!

Here is a compilation of funny moments:

Thank you Gilligan's Island, 

for cementing my love of the 60's 

and good, clean fun. 

Music: And It Was All Mellow (Indie Folk)

I know I usually post about the old-school tunes, but I also really like to listen to indie folk music. 

Here I'm going to share a few tracks from my favourite bands/artists in this genre, if you haven't heard of them before then give them a listen :) 

Let me know if you have any cool music you want to tell me about! 

1. ANGUS AND JULIA STONE 

This Aussie duo is amazing. Their music is so chilled but is still very poetic and often moving.

(p.s. I have a pretty big crush on Angus) 

Mango Tree

Devil's Tears

...and they recently released a new album! 

So far this is my favourite song:

Death Defying Acts

2. First Aid Kit 

These two sisters are one of those acts where you can listen to an entire album

without getting bored.

Their sound is so entrancing and powerful.

Their own songs are beautiful and unique but they also do amazing covers. 

Emmylou 

(one of my all time favourite songs!) 

Wolf

Dancing Barefoot, Patti Smith Cover

They also just released a new album, and it is 

ethereal. 

How cool is that album cover! 

There are so many good songs off this album but I love: 

Cedar Lane 

3. Xavier Rudd 

Xavier Rudd is just the epitome of chilled, mellow beats. 

I love him. 

One of his best songs is Spirit Bird, 

which goes for about 10 minutes but is never boring.

I could listen to it on repeat all day, 

probably while making home made lemonade and then lying in grass. 

Follow The Sun 

Come Let Go 

Flash Back Friday

This song is all kinds of funky. 

Fashion: Florals? In Spring?....

Despite what Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada thinks, I love spring and I love florals and I love them together. 

Here I am defying all the rules. 

(you can always defy the rules as long as you wear a grey t-shirt because a grey t-shirt will go with everything). 

Arty Farty: Finished Product

...Ground control to Major Tom!

I'm back, baby!

My internet went totally AWOL for a while there so sorry I've been away so long.

(you forgive me? Good.) 

As promised, here is the finished product (YAY!) of my art final! 

It's done entirely in pointillism. 

Hope you like it!

Stay tuned and stay classy, 

Miranda

x 

Arty Farty: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

I have quite a love of digging through oooold photographs.

I found this one in a family album.

This is my great grandma, and she was a pretty special lady.

In this picture she is in her nursing uniform.

I love finding out the stories of these women of the 'olden days',

having to make a path for themselves in a world dominated by men. 

I did a little art series juxtaposing the beautiful oldness of the photographs with typography showing 

my favourite feminism quotes. 

'I Am Woman' is one of my all time favourite songs

and pretty much the feminism anthem. 

It rocks... just like you.

Roar like a lion today. 

Poetry: Sea Of Voices

Style: Oh! Spring how I love you

How much do you love spring!

The sun is out!

The birds are out!

The flowers are out!

The snakes are out (oh)...

Maybe not the snakes. 

Utterly terrified. 

But as you can see I am combating my fear because the fruit is also out, 

and I can make lemonade. 

(there was some dispute as to whether these were in fact oranges or lemons 

(said the bells of St Clements) but we did eventually discern that they were the latter. 

I might even share my lemonade recipe 

(because you're just all so spesh and it's so spring). 

I love that weather where it's still cold enough to wear pants, 

but warm enough to go bare sleeved and sandal clad. 

I also love when an entire outfit is op shopped!
YAY! 

Wishing you safety from slithery bitey things and lovely weather, 

Miranda

x 

Arty Farty: A Decade Of Change

Hey guys, 

I thought you might appreciate a little peek into what my life is revolving around 

right now. 

This is the first piece in a series of ten,

focusing on the 1960's in Australia. 

I've been using pointillism as it's representative of pixels,

like the events would be portrayed on television 

to families at the time. 

I wanted to explore Australian events of major change because 

I feel like significant events happened here too,

that are relatively unknown to the rest of the world.

This picture is of Frank McFarlane, 

known as the father of immunology 

for his work in the bodies immune response, 

specifically around clonal expansion and deletion. 

Because science. Anyway, he was 

awarded the Nobel Prize. 

(interesting side note: Alfred Nobel

decided to invent the Nobel prize to deflect attention 

from the fact that he also invented dynamite...

there were a lot of people not too pleased with him at the time!) 

So, 

this is my first image in the works :) 

(Please excuse my just-showered hair, I told my dad not to take it with flash haha) 

Hope you like it! 

I'll post the finished product soon...

once I finish it ;) 

x 

!!!!!!EXCITEMENT!!!!!!

OH MY GIDDY AUNT 

MAC is releasing a Rocky Horror make up collection!

I am excited beyond belief and had to share the news with someone. 

Now I can be Magenta erryday. 

(I really can't pull off 'erryday' in real life but here I can sound cool with no judgement or sad looks)

;)

seriously, 

I can't even. 

Arty Farty: This is possibly the best thing I've ever seen

 Art History + High Street fashion trends = a totally new hybridisation of brilliance.

How darling are these appropriations?!? 

The Frida Kahlo one is currently my lock screen because I love it so...

it even replaced my previous Rocky Horror one!
(shock, I know... something earthly can actually compete with Tim Curry) 

Enjoy.

x

What Does Feminism Mean To You?

For Studio Arts this year I've been researching feminism. 

I knew a fair bit about the first and second waves, but I didn't actually know much about the 'third wave' and now the feminism backlash that is so controversial. 

After our ancestors fought for us to have it as good as we do today (though there is still a fair way to go until equality) I was shocked and frankly rather disgusted at the latest 'I don't need feminism' craze. 

(Check out this link where Kitty Flanagan addresses the issue: both hilarious and brilliant! http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/extra/season-5/kitty-flanagan-on-feminism). 

But it got me thinking: why is this happening? 

I decided to investigate. 

What do people actually think feminism is? 

Do they understand?

Do they feel equal?

Do they feel stereotyped?

Do we still need feminism?

What does feminism mean to them? 

I made a survey and handed it out to women I know.

Teachers, fellow students, sisters, friends.

Here are the results. 

I think these results are very enlightening and interesting. 

Thoughts? 

What does feminism mean to you?

Flash Back Friday

Christine McVie bares her soul. 

Arty Farty: Embroidery

I've been doing these embroidery on photograph pieces.

I love it because it's very methodical and breathes new life into a previously overlooked or old photograph.

All of these photographs are mine from some point or another. 

This is the Catholic church in my home town.

This was taken at Mt Hotham, Victoria. 

I think this was taken when my little sisters and I were playing dinosaurs when we were younger at our holiday shack. 

I hope you like these! 

x 

Liebster Award

  

Rules

1. You must link back to the person who tagged you.

2. You must answer all the questions

3. You must come up with 10 questions for your nominees

4. You must tag 10 other bloggers

I have been nominated by Amelie. 

Lets do some Q & A. 

1. The beach or a tropical rainforest?

I will always love the beach but I'm going to say tropical rainforest because I've never been to one before, and I have a thing for watching David Attenborough and he makes them look so fascinating. 

2. What's your dream career?

A photojournalist working for a publication like Yen, Frankie or National Geographic. Also being an illustrator/ author of children's books. 

3. What is your favorite clothing brand/designer?

I'm a big op shopper/vintage girl but I love Isabel Marant, Yves St Laurent and American Apparel. 

4. What is a current event/world happening/etc. that you care a lot about?

Climate change/ global warming. My favourite picture at the moment is Emma Thompson (goddess!) telling

our Prime Minister Tony Abbot to wake up and smell the ice melting. 

5. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Oh my gosh it's like Sophie's choice. 

Licorice, coconut, banana, vanilla. 

6. What is your favorite food?

See above: ice cream.. 

I also love avocados, dark chocolate and carrots. 

Also, does tea count as a food?

7. Science or math?

Science! I love my biology and I hate maths. 

8. Writing or reading?

Ooh another tricky one. 

It depends on what I am writing or reading ;) 

Like, if I'm writing a maths test.... 

haha. Probably Reading. 

9. What is your dream destination?

Mexico to see the Frida Kahlo museum. 

Also Scandinavia for the Northern Lights, 

I'd love to see Morocco...

and Saturn. 

10. Who/what inspires you?

At the moment:

Spring, Rookie, Romanticism, Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell, Alexa Chung, Japanese morning brew tea, 

my art teacher, old national geographic pictures, those Jelly fish that sparkle and street style. 

I nominate anyone who wants to do this, because I don't know many bloggers yet! 

I'd love to make more connections so if you do this maybe we can follow each other 

:) 

My questions are:

1. What is your favourite novel?

2. Where in the world would you love to go?

3. What is your all time favourite song?

4. Spice Girls or N'Sync?

5. Sweet or Savory?

6. What is your favourite film?

7. Summer or Winter? 

8. If you could travel back through time, which era would you visit?

9. Fact or Fiction?

10. Tea or Coffee? 

Style Muse: Natalie Joos

This woman is very funky in the way she puts together outfits; I like the eclectic whirlwind of different styles that create one style.

I love the coordination between the shoes, sunnies, lips and purse. 

The crisp white top is a really good choice as it balances out all of the colours

and craziness of the t-shirt motif. 

The floaty, feminine skirt contrasts with the chunky knit but it all works well together. 

I love that headband too. 

I'd love to try this sheer look, how the skirt is short but then it drapes to almost full length.

The leotard/body suit behind which matches the shoes is effective too, as it is really 

tricky to pull off sheer where you can see under garments.