My Interview with Jess from Jessthetics

The mega-fab, awesomely babely Jess at Jessthetics interviewed me for her Blogger Favourites feature. She asked some really great, hard-hitting questions about why I started blogging, how I found feminism, and why I'm so open & honest in my writing.

Read it now on her blog, Jessthetics!

Easy Victory Rolls Tutorial with Broke & Chic

I recently partnered with Broke & Chic to bring you this fab Victory Rolls Tutorial! 

I'm so glad I get to share this with you finally - I think this style is perfect for the upcoming 4th of July! Maybe it's because I'm American, but Victory Rolls just bring about this feeling of intense American pride harkening back to the grand old days of 1940s America in the midst of war, both men & women working tirelessly for the honor of their country. Yeah, a single hairstyle can elicit a lot of feelings in me - probably unsurprisingly to anyone who knows me.

In lieu of further dorking out, make sure you check out the full tutorial here.

p.s. This fun gingham top is courtesy of the wonderful Jayne at BOODWAH!

Guest Blogging Series: Home by Jamie of Petite Panoply

I'm really excited that the next guest post of the "Home" series comes from Jamie of Petite Panoply! I've been reading her blog for the past couple of years and am obsessed with her. She's got great wit and quirky style - plus she's petite like me and you can't not love her fiery red hair. I'm so glad that she decided to guest blog about what home means to her - and as our first non-Brit of the series!

Hello everyone! I'm Jamie and I blog over at Petite Panoply. First, I'd love to thank Chloe for inviting me to guest blog on Of North. I really enjoy finding out about other people's lives and all the little differences (and similarities) between us. I'm excited to share some images and thoughts about one of my home towns with all of you, Athens, Georgia!

My home in the traditional sense is Lawrenceville, Georgia which is a suburb of Atlanta. I've lived in Georgia since the 6th grade but it's not where I'm "from." Does anybody else have a hard time answering that question? It's difficult when more than one place feels like home. My extended family is in Illinois, so that feels like home. I lived in Virginia as a kid, so that feels like home too. But Georgia is where my immediate family is so that's what I tell people - for now! Since a couple places feel like home for me I'll focus on my college town.

I lived in Athens, Georgia (which is even farther east) for 5 years during my time at the University of Georgia. It's such a great town! You may know it as the home of the B-52's and REM, but it also has tons of delicious food, fun concert venues, and a botanical garden down the street. It's a place with its own local flavor. The people who live there are hardcore supporters of local businesses and local music. You won't find many big chain stores in the downtown area and I think that makes the town really unique. One of my favorite local franchises is Jittery Joe's Coffee. They roast their own beans and make special roasts for different restaurants around town.

Athens now has two craft breweries that are frequented by students and townies alike. Terrapin Brewery is one of my favorite places to hang out. It has a laid back outdoor area and runs tours most days of the week. It's one of those places I'll be returning to Athens to visit in the future. Another brewery, Creature Comforts, just opened downtown too. I visited a few weeks back and it was tasty.

Athens is also a college town in the south so football is a big deal there. Saturdays in the fall are crazy as alumni and fans tailgate all over town, female students wear red & black dresses, and everyone yells, "Go dawgs!" at one another. I'm not a huge football fan but I was in the marching band in college so the atmosphere will always give me nostalgic feelings.

I'm feeling nostalgic writing about Athens because I have to move out of my apartment in a month or so. I'm glad I was able to share a little about my town with you though! Sure, I had plenty of days (in a row) where I didn't leave my apartment because I had so much school work to do, but the good memories will always be there. I’ll even miss my apartment with its undersized air conditioner and storage-less bathroom. If I had the chance I would absolutely live in Athens as a non-student. It's a fantastic place and definitely has become one of my homes.

Make sure you check out Jamie's blog Petite Panoply. It's one of my faves and if you're looking for some expert pattern mixing - she's your girl! Thanks again for sharing Georgia with us, Jamie!

Guest Blogging Series: Home by Lily of Joli House

Of North's second guest feature is written by the lovely Lily of Joli House. Lily began commenting on Urban Tease some time ago and I checked out her blog as a result - and fell in love. She's an immensely thoughtful writer, unfairly beautiful, and a talented knitter. Read on to hear about what home is for her.

Of North is one of my favourite lifestyle reads. I read Urban Tease, and now I love the idea behind Of North! The nosey person in me loves finding out about peoples' lifestyles all over the world: how similar but yet totally different places like Chloe's native Minnesota are to here in Lancashire. When Chloe sent me a lovely email asking if I'd like to be a part of this guest blogging series I very happily obliged, and set to work thinking of what exactly it is that evokes feelings of 'home' to me. I live in the North West of England, so here are a few things that feel particularly 'Of North' to me. :)

Starting with home in the most literal sense of the word - my bedroom. Although I've moved houses several times and kept decor fairly basic throughout, it's the little handmade bits and pieces that I've always had around that make my space my own. 6 weeks after I was born my mum made this tapestry cushion for me and it's remained on my bed ever since! Naturally, the colours have faded and it's maybe lost a little plumpness, but this one's gonna be sticking around for years to come. My Nannie also made many a handknit toy for me when I was younger - complete with the fiddliest little details imaginable - and I've kept a few out as decorations. Everyone has a husband and wife mouse couple on their windowsill, right?

Nothing like comfort food for feeling homely! This was today’s lunch of homemade Cottage Pie made by my dad – one of my favourites, amongst roast dinners...and lasagne...and chicken pie...and many more. I like to spend a bit of time in the kitchen myself, and I find that baking on a damp Saturday afternoon feels nice and ‘homey’. Lemon Drizzle Cake is probably my signature bake, and it would feel almost wrong to eat it anywhere but home!  

Moving slightly further away from my house to my 'home away from home'... currently sitting 10 feet away from our front door. :) By having a caravan my family and I have been able to pack ourselves off for a week to various places around England and Scotland, all the while with creature comforts close at hand. As a kid each new place was a new adventure with a whole load of new friends to meet. I loved it! The above photo was actually taken through our caravan window in summer 2012, so you can see we've taken our mini house on wheels to some pretty stunning locations. (Muasdale beach in Argyle, Scotland in this photo). More recently our caravan has remained on the drive, but been a perfect place for girly sleepovers and gatherings.

Lytham St. Annes and Blackpool hold many a happy memory of spontaneous childhood hours.  Since being tiny, we've always made the most of the odd sunny afternoon to spare, and both seaside towns are great for wandering up and down the prom with an ice-cream. How very British! Despite its kinda tacky reputation, Blackpool is pretty stunning in evening summer light, and more recently I’ve done photo-shoots there with my mum. The fact that Lytham St. Annes is such a old-fashioned British coastal town is part of its appeal to me; I guess I feel a sense that 'England is definitely my home' whenever I'm there! Complete with blasting winds and all, of course. ;)

I wouldn't say that my home city is particularly pretty, and isn't exactly the cosmopolitan hotspot of the North. It is convenient, however, as where I live is essentially a crossroads between the coast, a National Park, and a huge city, with Blackpool, the Lake District, and Manchester city centre all within an hour's drive. Reading American blogs it always strikes me how differently distance is perceived in the States: it seems like you guys think nothing of spending 9 hours in the car! That'd take you from one end of the country to the other over here. I guess I'm lucky to live in a country that you're never more than 70 miles or so from the coast, and I definitely plan to make the most of it with plenty of trips to the beach this summer. :)

Guest Blogging Series: Home by Jess of Jessthetics

When I sat down to think of a name for Of North, I made a list of things that I wanted my blog to be like. High on that list were words like Minnesota, northwoods, comfy, birch trees, home... For me, home is a collection of feelings, things, places, people. I try to reflect that in my blog, making it feel like home. And so, when I decided to put together a guest blogging series, I wanted it to be about home -  not my home, but rather the homes of others. And so, welcome to Of North's first guest blogging series! The series is being kicked off by the fab & spunky Jess of Jessthetics telling us about what home is to her.



I was delighted when Chloe asked me to write about the things that represent home to me. I graduated from University this summer, and this year I've moved three times! Like many people my age I don't currently have a steady job, and so I've been moving around doing temporary things. It's hard to make a place feel like your own when you're only going to be there for a few months! Although York (the beautiful city where I did my degree) will always feel like my city, my parents’ house will always be home. It's the place I always come back to, it's where I grew up, and it's where I find myself again now.



It seems fitting to speak about my family first. This photo was taken of us hiking in the mountains in Cyprus - I love family holidays and we still go away together every year! It's my family, really, that makes this place home. Although we all have different personalities and interests we're very close, and they're three of my best friends. I'm incredibly lucky to have had such a loving upbringing, and a brother to share it with. It's because of them that I feel so safe and relaxed at home, and home will follow them wherever they go!



The house I live in also reminds me of home. Asides from moving to University, I've lived here since I was one, and my brother was born here. It's amazing how a single building can hold so many memories and feelings. All my good childhood memories take place here. I remember playing in the paddling pool during the summer holidays until my fingers and toes were numb, with my mum reading in the hammock. I remember doing my homework in the living room and eating Sunday lunch at the same table every week. I remember watching my dad play tomb raider and plastering my room (including my ceiling!) with posters of my favourite bands. At the same time, it was here that I moped about when I dreaded going to school and it is in this house that I remember filling up with teenage angst. This house holds everything, the good and the bad, and that's why it reminds me of home!



This is a photo of the River Soar. It runs through Leicestershire connecting the villages and it's my favourite part of my village. It's the first place I take visitors, and it's the best place to take a picnic on a sunny day! I've been on this river in a peddalo, a rowing boat, a kayak and a canal boat. I've taken many photos along this river, drank alongside it, and walked alongside the riverbank to get to nearby villages. I think it reminds me of home not only because I attach a lot of memories to it, but because it's stereotypical of the countryside I grew up in. I love being in cities because of the people, the range of things to do, and the fact that people don't stare at you when you dress a little differently. However, there's something about being in a city that makes me feel on edge. Living amongst countryside makes me feel freer, safer and more relaxed. It's because of that feeling that the river reminds me of home.



This is my bunny rabbit Archie. Before Archie, we had a bunny named Henry who hopped around the garden, and before Henry there was Louis. I can't imagine a home that doesn't have a resident rabbit. They have so much personality, they're adorable, and there's nothing like a bunny lick to soothe the soul! Archie is very special to me, and he's one of the things I miss most when I'm away from home.



Thanks again to Jess for sharing this piece of herself on Of North. Make sure you drop by Jessthetics where she shares a number of really crafty DIY projects, as well as her travel diaries, personal style posts, and clean eating recipes.