My Stylistic Boutique

When I found My Stylistic Boutique on twitter and got talking to Jen, I was lucky enough to choose a piece to feature from her gorgeous necklace collection. I went for the antique crystal wing necklace and it fits in nicely with my already generous jewellery collection.

It was much bigger than I expected it to be but I think I actually prefer it like that. It makes it more of a statement necklace. The wing itself is about the size of my palm and it has loads of detail on the area which would be the feather. I love the crystals too because they're not overdone or tacky, they just add to the antique style and give it that extra something. The necklace looks like something you would buy in Topshop (but for much more money!) I'm all for independent companies and wearing something that wasn't mass produced so I'm really glad to have this piece to add to my other necklaces.

Jen currently has a 50% off sale on all necklaces so they're either £5 or £10 each - get them quick! She will also be getting some new stock in for summer, including rings and bracelets so I'll be keeping an eye out for those too.

If you want to snap up one of these pieces then click here to go to the shop. You can also follow Jen on twitter at @MyStylisticBou

Film Friday

I've had lots of film watching time recently which has resulted in two cinema trips and a few nights in. At the cinema I saw Chronicle and The Descendants and at home I watched Submarine. My favourite of the three was definitely Submarine but I'll come to that in a bit.

Chronicle

Directed by 26 year old Josh Trank and with a 12A certificate, I wasn't expecting such a dark film. I walked into the cinema knowing that we would be watching a film involving teenage superheroes and that then led me to assume that it would inevitablly feature some kind of moral struggle, an outcast and plenty of action. I wasn't wrong. The film is pretty formulaic but it was different enough to keep my interest. There are some pretty violent and shocking scenes so I was surprised that it was a 12A but I guess film certification is different nowadays! The first person point of view is what sets this film apart from others of this genre. The main character, Andrew decides to film his life with a camera which he is soon able to control through his superpowers. This results in us viewing the film in an almost documentary style. It begins with the typical shaky camera control but that soon settles down and you get used to the way it has been shot. There are some parts of the film where the presence of a camera makes no sense whatsoever but overall I really enjoyed watching it and felt very tense during the final scenes of non-stop action. I actually left the cinema wondering what had happened and how I was supposed to relax after such a frenzy!

Submarine

Produced in 2010 and directed by Richard Ayoade (of IT Crowd/Garth Marenghi's Darkplace fame) I can safely say that Submarine has now been added to my list of favourite films. It's a dark comedy which takes place in Wales during the 1980s and follows the story of Oliver Tate, an emotional and vulnerable boy, who struggles to fit in and understand the motivations of others. I genuinely don't think I can do justice to the film with just a few words but here are a few things I loved about it: the complicated emotions shared between Oliver and Jordanna; the sequence involving fireworks and lights; Graham the spiritual ninja; some incredibly touching moments surrounding family issues; the half dimmer switch and the fact that I didn't know how to feel throughout the entire film. Just as I felt tears welling up, I was distracted with some ironic happening or comic turn. As I've said before, I'm not a film reviewer, I'm just giving my humble opinion but I think that this is definitely a must-see.

The Descendants

So this was an Orange Wednesday watch and admittedly we didn't go with the intention of watching this particular film. But who am I to try and turn down George Clooney? So The Descendants is a story about Matt King (Clooney) who owns a large amount of land in Hawaii and is in the process of selling it off for development when his wife has an accident and is left in a coma. With two daughters to look after, King tries his best to keep it together until Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) tells him that her mum was cheating on him. This leads to the search for the man she was involved with, questions about family and difficult decisions over the land that the family own, all while the mother is still in hospital. I actually found the film too predictable and overly sentimental but I did find parts of it funny and was particularly impressed with the young actress, Shailene Woodley. Most people who have seen this will probably say I have a heart of stone if I wasn't feeling emotional all the way through but it just wasn't for me. It's definitely not a bad film though. I was probably too blown away by watching Submarine that nothing else could beat it. 

And that's my film watching for the week. I need some new films to rent/buy on dvd. Any recommendations?

Pictures taken from The Guardian website.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Valentine's day is always a good excuse to eat lots of sumptuous food and drink endless cocktails. Nottingham is a good place if you want to find some gorgeous restaurants with reasonable prices to match. We went to Le Bistrot Pierre on Tuesday and I can't speak highly enough of them. The service was impeccable and the food was divine. Our waiter was there the moment we needed him but we didn't feel rushed or like we were being watched over. Sometimes you get the feeling in a restaurant that the staff are glaring at you while you finish your meal. Not here. We had a nice evening and felt really looked after.

Now let's get to the important part, the food. I'm really partial to French food and couldn't wait to get started. We began with a glass of prosecco and mini chorizos roasted in honey before moving onto the starters. I went for chicken liver parfait with plum chutney and sourdough toast and we sat in silence as both of us tucked in to what was the best starter I've ever had. My boyfriend had a beetroot and goats cheese tart but I was too busy swooning over my starter to even glance at his! Then for my main meal I had sea bass with ratatouille,gratin dauphinoise, olive oil and lemon. The fish was falling apart on my fork and tasted divine. I could have eaten that twice over.

I plumped for baked apple tart with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Although this doesn't sound particularly overwhelming, it was incredible. It was sweet, sugary and delicious. I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Unfortunately, I was too busy enjoying the food to take photos but there plenty on the website and on their facebook page. Le Bistrot Pierre isn't just in Nottingham, there are nine restaurants across the UK so no excuse not to visit.

Image taken from Le Bistrot Pierre website

Head to their website (here) if you wish you take a look. You can also follow them on twitter @lebistrotpierre

After Le Bistrot Pierre we headed onto one of my favourite cocktail bars. Tilt Bar is on 9 Pelham Street in Nottingham and is fairly tucked away. Follow the stairs and blue fairy lights up to a cosy bar which serves cocktails in jam jars, tiki mugs and brandy balloons. Each cocktail looks different and there's definitely one to suit everyone with such an extensive list. The guys behind the bar truly know how to mix cocktails, they're not just your standard bar men who pour in some cranberry and vodka and give it a shake. This is a proper cocktail experience. Tilt also has live music and a great atmosphere. I was in two minds whether to blog about this and give away my little secret! The cosy atmosphere in Tilt is due to it being a well kept secret and a place with only the coolest of people (in my humble opinion!) Go (here) to view their website and a few of their drinks. My favourite so far is the Razberrito but I've got many more to try! If you're in Nottingham I'd definitely suggest giving both of these places a go.

Image taken from the Tilt website