Urban Perk #4: Ryoji Ikeda's "Spectra"

Afternoon Everyone,

First of all I would just like to say that the

winner of the Pixies' Doolittle poster is:

ALEX CABRE

Thank you to everyone else who entered, there are some

more competitions on the way!

Secondly I would like to talk about something I found

yesterday...

So my Dad and I were leaving the cinema

after seeing Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (which

I highly recommend!) when we saw a beam of light

shining up from the ground and onto the low clouds.

We decided to find out what it was and so we spent

the next 20 minutes or so tracking it down in our

clunky old VW. 

At first we thought it was coming from the Imperial

War Museum because as many of you know, yesterday was the

centenary of the First World War.

But driving towards the light we worked out that it was

in the wrong part of London. When we got closer we saw that

this was not one small light, but about 50 of them

beaming towards the heavens.

Upon entering (for free) the Victoria Tower 

Gardens you see these beautiful lights shining bright

and with purpose. On closer inspection people are walking in

and out the columns of light or lying on the floor and 

gazing up at the spectacular sight. A stunning atmosphere 

is created through an ambient soundtrack that swirls from the speakers and into your mind.

Inspired by the declaration "the lamps are going out all over Europe, 

we shall not see them lit again in our life-time",

said by Sir Edward Grey*, spectra is a stunning piece 

of art that unites the people across London and reminds

them of the hardships and sacrifices of the 

First World War.

spectra can be seen from 12 miles away (on a clear day).

The exhibition is on from dusk till dawn 

and will permanently fade out in the early hours of

 Monday 11th August.

Lest we forget,

Poppy x

*Sir Edward Grey was the Foreign Secretary during the 

outbreak of WWI

Urban Perk #1

Hey Everyone,

I've been away in Istanbul (hence the lack of 

content) but I'm back now!

Since the weekend is on it's way I'm going to show

you some inspiration on where you could go 

this weekend. This is my first Urban Perk

post of many to come (I hope), these locations 

are chosen based on factors such as People, 

Entertainment, Price and Fun/Interesting-ness.

The locations are aimed at Teens who want to 

explore further than the nearest shopping

center.

Warning: Be prepared to discover new territory, home to 

the world's wildest.

Urban Perk #1: Southbank Real Food Market

Entertainment: Food, an occasional vintage fair, 

entertainers on the river

People: Friendly ~ Price: £

The Southbank Real Food Market takes place every

weekend (Fri-Sun) and offers a gorgeous variety

of food, from Chorizo to Chapatis even the pickiest

of eaters will find something to their liking. 

And not only that but after buying your food you

can walk down to the Thames and watch the Skateborders 

backside and bail at the skate park or laugh with

the  entertainers on the riverside. 

My favourite part of visiting the Southbank is

watching the oh-so-cool skateborders try out 

new tricks. And if the weather's good, the 

River Thames sparkles magnificently whilst boats

and tourists cross by boat and bridge. 

Here are some photos I took on my visit a few

weeks ago:

Southbank Skate Park

Amazing Brownies!

Fresh Juices 

Creperie Lui

Hotdog!

Be sure to check out the hotdogs and brownies,

they're seriously good!

Love,

Poppy 

Ps. A new interview will be posted on 

Saturday :D

Awesome Idea #6

Hello All,

Have you had a good week so far? 

(I know I have!)

So today I wanted to show you another Awesome

Idea, I saw this and just thought it was 

very cool and extremely clever:

I think its very clever of the designer

to incorporate the idea of imperfections 

into a piece of simple design. 

Usually, design is very clean, smart and elegant, 

so I thought that this was a great twist on 

that perception. 

This weekend, I'm finally going to the photography

exhibition at the Natural History Museum!

Plus, I might be hitting Brick Lane again - which would 

be awesome! It means I can show you this 

beautifully hidden gem on Brick Lane.

All will be unveiled...

Love always,

Poppy Valentine x

If I Could Pick Any Song...

It would be....

She's Got You High by Mumm-Ra

(also featured in the film 500 Days of Summer)

I love his soft, raw voice and the repeating harmonies

that soar throughout the track. The lyrics are 

genius. Sounds a lot like The Beatles (at the

end) in terms of harmonies and tune, but also has a 

underlying hint of The Kooks. Perfect.

I'm very excited to tell you that within the next

few posts I will have an interview with Great Caesar 

for you (I uploaded their song on the last "If 

I Could Pick Any Song..." post)!

If you don't know them already check out 

their song "Don't Ask Me Why" - it's one to watch. 

Love always, 

Poppy Valentine x

Redecorating (again!)

Hey Everyone, 

Just wanted to show you some pictures of my room.

I was redecorating yesterday (my version of therapy)

by adding some pictures and rearranging my stuff.

I bought some lovely mini prayer flags and stuck them

between to adjacent walls to create a cosy little atmosphere

in the corner where my desk is.

I also stuck some 7" vinyl in a 3x3 group on the

wall to add some colour and texture - it looks so cool!

Finally, the quote I created from pages of Q music

magazine. The quote is from a song that I posted 

on my blog a few days ago ("Don't ask me Why"

by Great Caesar). 

If you have any cool ideas or pictures of your

DIY decorating - feel free to comment below :)

Have a happy thursday,

Poppy Valentine xx

If I could pick any song......

It would be......

"Don't ask me why" by Great Caesar

This song will make you feel amazing by the end. 

It's uplifting, moving and powerful.

So please click Play (please!).

Poppy Valentine x

The Liebster Award

Hello All!

I am very happy to tell you that I have 

been nominated for the Liebster award by Emm,

for a link to her blog click here.

Here are Emm's questions:

Q)5 Words that define you?

A)Bubbly, Smiley, Weird, creative, Sarcastic(!) 

Q)Why did you start blogging?

A)I started blogging because at the time I was in love

with fashion and I was looking for a new hobby and then

I found it......Blogging.

Q)What is your favourite type of post (to read and write)?

A)I love posts about music that have loads of 

videos or posts with cool cartoons! I like reading 

tutorial posts for hair and creative projects. 

Q)Has blogging changed you? How has blogging influenced you? 

A)Blogging has definitely made me grow up

quite a bit, I've found the type of fashion and music I like. When I started as a Blogger I knew nothing about 

myself but blogging has helped me to find my 

creative side! 

Q)What do you think of your blog, and is there anything 

you would like to change from it? 

A)I'm really comfortable with my new clean look and it looks 

more professional and modern than before. Although I would 

like to have more of my own picture edits and to gain

some more followers/readers.

Q)Your style icon?

A) I love Twiggy's make up and hair but if we're

talking about clothes then I would have to say Emma Roberts.

Her fashion is effortless and really simple-and her 

new haircut is super cool! 

Q)Do you watch YouTube-What do you go to YouTube for?

A) I use YouTube for music. That's all; searching

up new artists, sourcing ideas from music videos and 

keeping up with new songs from artists I love.

Q) Your current favourite song? When you listen to it

do you listen to the music, or the lyrics?

A) My favourite song at the moment is Youth by Daughter.

I usually listen to the lyrics (they tell stories!).

Q)Last movie you watched and how was it? 

A) I watched this weird but wonderful film called The Royal Tenenbaums (a Wes Anderson film), it has really cool style and music - I thought the film was great!! 

Q) Best kind of cake, ever!

A) ANGEL CAKE!! It is amaaazing - you HAVE to try it!!

Q) LAstly, what do you think of Valentine's Day?

A) A bit cheesy, slightly cute but a bit of a rip - off?!

(That took a while!) 

Now here are my nominees: 
Runs With Scissors
Style and Beauty
Soph's Blog
Glow Getter
Live*London*Love
That Delete Button
Fashionaholic
The Simple Life of Fashion
My Life Box
"You get the Picture"
Beat of the Beauty

So, there you have it my 11 nominees! If you are one of the nominees then here are the rules: 

1. Link the blog that nominated you for the award
2. Choose 11 bloggers to nominate who have less than 200 followers
3. Answer the 11 questions (below) given to you
4. Let the people you have nominated know that you have done so 
5. You can't nominate the person that nominated you
6. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate to answer

Here are your questions:

• What is your favourite song at the moment, and why?
• Paste a picture of your favourite photo? 
• What would be your ideal Friday night in e.g. a sleepover, a movie, etc.
• If you could go anywhere in the world on Holiday this summer where would you go, and why?  
• What is the wildest thing you have ever done?
• What achievement are you most proud of?
• What is your favourite thing to blog about? 
• What is your favourite childhood memory? 
• What book are you reading at the moment, do you like it? 
• Name your favourite food.
• If home is where the heart is, then where does your heart lie? 

Okay, so there's your challenge! Hopefully it won't take you too long. 

Have a lovely evening and feel free to follow - I need

to get the amount to at least a 10! 

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! 

Poppy Valentine x

A Song for the Weekend...

Hey Everyone,

I'm so glad it's finally the weekend! I'm

very excited because on Sunday I will be going to 

The Breakfast Club cafe with a few of my friends.

I've never been before but I have heard that 

their breakfasts are legendary!!

So hopefully you'll be seeing some photos 

of that soon enough.

But for now, I'd like to tell you about a 

song I have been listening to for the past week 

or so, it's extremely delicate and precious to

me. It tells the story of three generation of men.

Each single for a different purpose based on the 

society they are growing up in. 

And without

further ado, this is "Blood" by The Middle East.

I really hope you like it! 

Until tomorrow, 

Poppy Valentine x

Drinking out of Jars #lazysundays

Drinking out of old Jars!

#up-cycling

Have a lazy Sunday!

Poppy Valentine x

New and Upcoming Artists #FourFavourites

                                               

NEW UPCOMING ARTISTS:

These are my top artist discoveries of the year (so far), 

take a look:

Banks

This singer has a soft, R&B inspired voice, 

if you enjoy Lorde and Lana Del Ray, then this 

is definitely one for you. As well as having a 

stunning voice, she has also featured on many 

magazine front pages for her dark, mystical 

beauty. This is her new song "Waiting Game".

Amber Run

This band are relatively new and unheard 

of, I found them a few months back with their 

song "Noah". Their music is filled with harmonies, 

soaring choruses and preppy beats. For the lovers

of Mumford & Sons,I guarantee you'll love them! 

This is their new single "Heaven".

Warpaint

Warpaint are an emerging band that are

lined up to play all the big festivals this

year (including Coachella!). This all girl

Indie Rock band are releasing their self-titled 

second album this year. So, here is their latest 

single "Love is to Die".

Luke Sital-Singh

He is an absolute star; Luke Sital-Singh 

has been compared to the likes of Ben Howard

and Jeff Buckley. His songs are filled with

slow melodies, beautiful lyrics and delicate 

notes. He is one to watch in the new year! 

Please take a look at all these amazing artists, 

you might find one you like? 

Have a lovely weekend!

Until the next post, 

Poppy Valentine x