Get your Hotmail Mail to Your Mac Mail

Something I've always been meaning to get round to doing is to get my Hotmail emails straight onto my desktop through Mac Mail. After a fruitless attempt a few years ago I abandoned the idea but now, with he help of a little online tutorial I'm emails a go-go, combining all my email accounts and feeling organised!

How to from About.com:

Access Windows Live Hotmail with Mac OS X Mail Using POP

To set up a Windows Live Hotmail account in Mac OS X Mail using POP (which lets you fetch new incoming mail easily):

• ›› Step by Step Screenshot Walkthrough

• Select Mail | Preferences... from the Mac OS X Mail menu.
• Go to the Accounts category.
• Click the + ("Create an account.") button.
• Enter your name under Full Name:.
• Type your Windows Live Hotmail address (something like "example@hotmail.com") under Email Address:.
• Type your Windows Live Hotmail password under Password:.
• Click Continue.
• Make sure POP is selected under Account Type:.
• Enter "Windows Live Hotmail" (or something similar) as the Description: for this account.
• Type "pop3.live.com" (not including the quotation marks) under Incoming Mail Server:.
• Enter your complete Windows Live Hotmail address ("example@hotmail.com", for example) under User Name:.
• Click Continue.
• Enter "Windows Live Hotmail" under Description: for Outgoing Mail Server.
• Type "smtp.live.com" under Outgoing Mail Server:.
• Make sure Use Authentication is checked.
• Enter your full Windows Live Hotmail address (e.g. "example@hotmail.com") under User Name:.
• Type your Windows Live Hotmail password under Password:.
• Click Continue.
• Now click Create.
• Close the Accounts window.

Voila! Emails whenever I start up my Mac, no need to fight slow loading Firefox!

Black Swan Posters

These amazing art deco inspired posters for the forthcoming film Black Swan starring Natalie Portman have just been released. A round of applause for a film studio that allowed graphic design to speak for itself and not have to squeeze endless celebrity faces into a generic film poster.

It must be the first time I've wanted to put a modern film poster on my wall! I'm just wondering how to get my hands on them? May have to chat up a cinema worker over the next month...

Lino Cutting for Beginners

So I tried my hand at lino cutting, something I have to admit I haven't done since I was about fourteen, cutting out a picture of a local church under the orders of my 200 year old art teacher. So I wanted a way of creating something immediate and with a handmade edge to it - literally edge, the wobbly edge variety. Within five minutes I had a bird stamp with which I adorned the front of my newly bound notebooks (stand by for the blog on easy binding!).

You may think from the pictures the stamp seems to print in rather a patchy manner but as I just used a standard ink pad and not a roller with proper ink the results were not as good but nevertheless the stamp is still great! Another easy method of printing is to paint on some acrylic with a paintbrush to the stamp and you get a lovely painted look.

First off you need to buy a little special equipment here, a lino cutter ad some lino, I bought a cutter with changeable cutting shapes on it for a mere £6 which is a great start as it gives you 10 options for cutting shapes and is a good price to give it a go without the guilt of investment! You can get them at most craft shops or online here.

Next you need a piece of lino, also available from craft shops, prices range from about 40p for small squares to around £3 for an A4 size, for my stamp I just cut a square out of a larger piece.



Next you need a piece of lino, also available from craft shops, prices range from about 40p for small squares to around £3 for an A4 size, for my stamp I just cut a square out of a larger piece.

Simply draw on your desired shape in pencil and decide weather it is in negative or positive, i.e. cut round the shape or cut the shape out, then start slowly marking with the cutter around the shape and cut away the lino. Make sure to cut the lino deep enough to prevent the other parts catching the ink.

N.B it's much easier if you warm your lino a little on the radiator or on top of a lamp for a few minutes as you get smoother edges and less crumbling of the lino.



Once you're done, use a rolled over piece of tape or souble sided and stick it to something solid, I used a wooden letterpress block to give it an even stamp as it's quite small and flimsy at this size. Then stamp away to your hearts content!


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Christmas Decorations Online Shopping

1. Fabric Christmas Pudding, John Lewis £3.25; 2. Dot Hearts Hand printed Decorations, SouthernSkirts $9; 3. 'Gwyn' Owl from Habitat, £2; 4. Lovebirds Christmas Ornaments, PrinceDesignUK £10; 5. Help for Heroes Charity Bears, Selfridges £15 each; 6. White Porcelain Bell Garland, The White Company £15

My top picks of Christmas tree decorations that are available online to shop in your lunch break. I was disappointed that Habitat hasn't a great selection online, as in store they have some amazing decorations. You may prefer to go into The White Company shop for some of their decorations as they are selling out fast - or do what I did this January and buy them up in the sale!

If the shops are a bit same same etsy.com has the world's largest selection of handmade items for sale, beware it's addictive!

The alternative it to make you own which ensures some unique and budget friendly decorations, so if you have the time, have an afternoon with some felt, origami paper and string. Try these links for some home-made ideas:

- For a modern wreath I made one from Domestifluff last year - totally worth the effort!
- Origami a go-go with this amazing star from How About Orange
- For food that will last forever, try these faux sugar cookie ornaments from Creature Comforts

If you can't find anything you fancy with these amazing blogs, my ctl+alt+del is always craftzine.com for an endless supply of making ideas.

Eco Gifts Under £50

1. I love Recycling by Peter Blake, £45 2. Christmas Tree Seed Bomb, £3.99 3. Charity T-Shirt by Luella for EJF, £30 4. Graphic Butterflies, £29 inc delivery 5. Leaf-it bookmark post-it notes by Ginkgo, £12 6. Protect Poster by Binary & The Brain for the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, £10

Eco Gift ideas for Christmas for my eco-warrior PHD biologist little sister Milly. The only problem I have now is which one to choose!

Script Ampersands from DaFont.com

1. Chopin Script 2. Champignon Alt Swash 3. English 4. Champignon
5. Sachiko 6. Shardee

My top picks of script ampersands from free font site DaFont.com

Why cats are no good at puzzles...

Clearly puzzles are far too dull for Martha...

Christmas Tree

Yay, we finished our first Christmas tree in our first house! Minus the flea market fairy on top, but she's just disinfecting at the moment. It was like opening new presents this year as I'd rather thriftily bought my decorations in this years January sales and managed to get a rather lovely selection of The White Company decorations at a third of the price, so opening my decorations box I was glad to see they'd survived the move and looked as lovely as they did in the shop (the danger of The White Company - everything in the shop looks so amazing in the shop but your house has to be chic to start with!).

With a few additions of Home Bargains candy canes (a mere 70p for 20!) and Ikea baubles, I think our tree looks lovely this year - we're almost grown ups!

Now if only we had presents for underneath...

Salford Flea Market Postcards

After braving the fog, snow and freezing cold I finally made the 50 metre trek to Salford's Sunday flea market in search of an old Barbie for the top of my recently erected Christmas tree. Success was to be had with many a bedraggled barbie for the princely sum of 50p, a quick wipe down with a disinfectant wipe and a little sewing and we'll be fairy a go-go in no time!

Aside from the usual tat there were a collection of postcards at my usual favourite stall of war-time memorabilia and house clearance items. I just had to have the postcard from Canada between two school pen-pals with the message "Dear David, I hope you get in the world book of records. From Jennifer Mott". I've been googling all morning to try to find this Jennifer Mott from New Brunswick, just thought it would be lovely if she could get the postcard back after 22 years. I shall endeavor to keep looking...

Winter Garden

As the winter sets in good and proper with a white dusting of snow I am wrapping up my little garden for next year. Having planted all my tulips, daffodils and assorted 'bargain bags' of bulbs from the pound store I've nothing to do but stay indoors and hope that life begins again in Spring.

With overwhelming enthusiasm last year I planted out garlic, carrots and other winter veg but with the late extreme snow at the beginning of year I got a measly return for my investment. This year as I now own a house (scary!) and with an allotment in the pipeline I thought I'd take more time and plant a few things a bit of a time and see how they go.

In the meantime, bring on the poinsettia and amaryllis and I can't wait to get some indoor seedlings started next month!

Snow in Salford!

Celebrating the nearing of December today as I wake up to a dusting of snow across Salford. Only one more sleep until I have an excuse to create a tacky nightmare in my house - only twenty more origami baubles to make, recycle recycle is the theme this year!

Find some good starting points for origami decor here

Or try this origami wreath, a nice 15 minute project.

Jessica Harrison

I know what I want for Christmas this year! Love, love love these porcelain figures by Jessica Harrison, there's something of a Victorian macabre about this. Amazing stuff. Makes me feel a little depressed, she graduated at Edinburgh School of Art (our rival to Glasgow School of art!) the same year as me, damn you successful people! Best get on with my work then!

www.jessicaharrison.co.uk

Halo Folded Wrap - Flat Toaster

With our kitchens getting smaller and amount of appliances increasing we are desperately in need of some new ideas in space saving. Lo and behold, what do I see today - a flat toaster. I am so impressed by this ingenious idea and the design, I was semi-impressed by the see-through toaster, but a flat sheet that folds and toasts - holy moly.



The Halo Folded Wrap is a flat sheet, almost like a silicon baking sheet, you put on the toast, fold over wrap and press the button, even better the toast shows through the folded side as a blue shape that turns red when ready. I can't express how much a I want one of these, they can even be rolled up for storage like a place mat!

Read more here.

Halloween Finger Biscuits

Found a fabulous recipe from bbcgoodfood.com for biscuits in the shape of fingers for creepy Halloween party food. Easy and anything, you just put the ingredients together in the food processor blend away until it forms a dough, then roll out with your hands, make some crease marks with a knife and push on an almond for the nail. Creepy.




Finger Biscuits
100g caster sugar
100g butter
1 egg yolk
200g plain flour
½ tsp vanilla extract
20 blanched almonds
red food colouring

Method

Place the first five ingredients and a pinch of salt in a food processor and whizz just until a ball of dough forms. Tear off a golfball-size piece of dough and use your hands to roll into finger-size cylinders - you should get about 20. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment - a little apart as they will spread during baking. Use a knife to make a few cuts, close together, for the knuckles. Place an almond at the end of each finger and trim away excess pastry around the edge to neaten. Place in the fridge for 30 mins, heat oven to 180C/160F/Gas 4, then bake for 10-12 mins just until firm. Leave to cool a little, then paint the almond with food colouring, if you like. Makes 20.

Get the full recipe from BBC Good Food here.

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Rocking it in Red

Showing that red and leopard print really can look elegant Georgia May Jagger really won this week in the style stakes, managing pretty and edgy all in one with this amazing red lace-trimmed Meadham Kirchoff dress and Charlotte Olympia leopard print heels. Looking every bit rock royalty the 18 year-old daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall attended Vogue's London Emerging Designers cocktail party this week in New York working a youthful scarlet showing us that red can really work on lighter skin-tones. Does this girl ever put a fashion foot wrong?

Photo: Handbag.com

Lanvin for H&M

The wait is nearly over! Only ten days to go until we can get our hands on Lanvin’s collection for H&M launching 20th November. France’s oldest couture house as seen on the likes of Anna Wintour, Rihanna and Katie Holmes to name a few is bringing luxury to the masses with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us regular girls to get our hands on these beautiful clothes. With dresses starting at £90 this 48-piece collection isn’t cheap but worth splashing out the extra cash in time for Christmas. My favorites include the bright yellow one-shoulder ruffle dress and black ruffle prom dress. Get saving those pennies!

Image: Lanvin

Feminism Posters

A few new posters I'm working on here over at E&Sh for my office wall, I'm awaiting the new A3 printer so printing a go-go soon!

French Brocante: How may plates do I need?

Having spent the summer trawling the regional brocantes (antiques markets) of the Lot region of France and having come home with armfuls of strange items for my new house I was perusing my new items thinking I should never ever buy another tea cup in my life! (I have over 60 now...)

One of the benefits of buying antiques in this region is the many chateaus in the area selling their wares. Dinner services, for example that are seen as fussy and old fashioned by their owners, but the city dweller picks them up as vintage chic. I did see a dinner service that brought out the seven year-old child in me, the princess fairy castle style, vile and pink but something of it reminded me of my youth.

When I was about seven or eight my sister and I visited the vicars' wife Lesley Condor at the vicarage to spend an afternoon making our own Faberge eggs (Ok I realise I am only 26 and this was about 1990 not 1920 but I had a rather Enid Blyton childhood). So we carefully blew the eggs which I seem to remember were the size of my head, but must have just been goose eggs not dinosaur.

We cut out the front, make a little interior platform, painted them and coated the inside with sparkle before affixing golden legs and a gold top. The best part however was choosing the tiny figurine to put inside and a transfer on the back. Being about seven I went for a Marie Antoinette looking fairy inside and affixed similar themed transfer to the back - this memory, stored in the far recesses of my mind flew straight into the present when I saw a dinner service at the brocante this summer. The motif was almost identical and this nearly saw me depart with €150 for a 53 (yes 53, must have had a breakage) piece dinner service complete with gravy boats, serving plates and an alarming amount of dinner plates! In which lifetime did I think 23 dinner plates would be necessary?!




This said however, since researching the practicalities of holding our wedding in France, buying these antique dinner services would be cheaper than renting them from the caterer! So next summer I shall take the plunge and get one, just maybe not with a pink Marie Antoinette figure on!

Hate to Love: Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

Ok, so here's where I come across as a food snob, but I am just so over the Jamie Oliver early 2000's 'scrunch it up', 'bish, bash, bosh' style of cooking, or so I thought until I got hooked on Jamie's 30 minute meals. On Channel 4 daily at 5:30pm this programme is aimed at the stay at home mum, the student or the one person who managed to negotiate flexi-time, not so much aimed at the rest of us who don't even dare sit back in their office chair until 6pm for fear of being branded a part-timer.

However, with the brilliance that is 4OD (if you don't know what this is either you're from outside the UK or have such an exciting life that watching the entire series of Kitchen Nightmares in one sitting doesn't appeal) I can sit back and watch the 30 minute show that I do hate to love. What I usually love to watch in intricate towers of patisserie glazed with sea urchins tears and sprinkled with diamond-dust a la Masterchef, but this programme has got me downloading the recipes and giving a few things a go.

The main thing that really appeals in that he cooks a main, sides and dessert in 30 minutes that no only goes but creates a great meal. Ok, so most twenty-somethings won't go for dessert seven nights a week, but as an avid dinner party holder I really appreciate this menu construction angle. I think most of us struggle to pith a main and a dessert with complimentary flavours and a good balance of portion size, so here Jamie has cracked the 30-minute berry sorbet, accompanied by sea bash on sweet potato mash with Asian spiced green AND a lemon ginger cocktail on the side. Blimey, this man is on fire! (See here is you don't believe me!)




So after my long standing anger with Delia Smith for her Frugal Food series involving tinned mince and pre-chopped onions, Jamie has restored my faith that cookery fashion is headed the right way - towards those who enjoy Moroccan lamb with a mango kulfi, not a cottage pie made from tinned goods. What's more every recipe that you see being made is available straight away on Channel 4's website!

Great programme, but I'm looking forward to the next Jamie's revolution. Vive la Food Revolution!

Bold & Noble

With the early panic of Christmas presents entering my head as November looms on I am keeping a keen eye out for some prints for my lovely sisters. This morning I stumbled across a lovely print from UK design collective Bold & Noble, with all their prints kind to the environment and printed on recycled paper I just love their 'make do & mend' poster as well as the 'many hands make light work'. The only problem I have now is which one to choose!

Jumping for Joy in Bristol!

Better late but never, this summer the Sharkey family were jumping for joy in Bristol when my little sister Moo graduated with First Class Degree in Biology! Well done little Moo!



So we had an excellent two days in Bristol, despite the loss of my iPod touch, sob sob. The best bit was watching Moo doing the Bristol University tradition of putting your hands together and pleading for your degree as you go up on stage - strange but funny! At Glasgow we got boshed on the head by a cushion - honestly where do these things come from? But you've got to love the odd traditions!

Congrats Moo! Oh and congrats of starting your PHD, you little geeky child!

Perils of the Single Speed

Well, Phillip does love his single speed but following a succession of pothole related accidents I'm either going to berate the council or take his bike from him! Fix the bloody potholes Salford!

TeuxDeux

OK, I realise I'm a few months behind on the TeuxDeux list website, but my god isn't it fabulous! At first I thought it was pretty dull, a website to write to do lists, but now as I've so many little tasks to get done and feel like I'm juggling too many balls it's my saviour!

TeuxDeux.com does exactly was it says on the tin, creates lovely to do lists. As you ad a task you can click to cross it off and which ever tasks are not completed that day will automatically move over to the next - genius in it's simplicity. Even better it works on your iPhone (or other smart phone) so you're organised everywhere! This week I've been on top of everything, although each day my list grows and I add more and do less...

Sign up to make little scraps of paper a thing of the past.


Pic from smokingapples.com

California Girls Costume: Step 1

As Halloween approaches fast I've had a day of panic about what costume I can do this year, having rolled out the 'dead Russian doll' a few years in a row now I need to step up my game. Having trawled the internet and become brain-dead by the sheer volume of 'sexy witch' 'sexy vampire' and basically anything starting to be scary then turned slutty, I've decided with a little time on my hands (if I block out all the DIY that needs doing in our new house) I'm going to make something myself and who better to be than Katy Perry!

So here's how we get to Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' costume, breaking it down we have a white corset, multicolored shiny fabric skirt, tonnes of sparkly sweets and a lilac wig. Having overcome the first two hurdles this morning - securing a white corset/dress from ebay (China no less) for a mere £13 then a lilac wig from a website called Flagship Fancy Dress. The latter being the hardest thing to find on the internet, lilac wigs are pretty hard to come by and for a tenner, it's fabulous.

So I'm now off to Salford precinct to find an array of plastic and felt items to cover with sequins for the corset - I may really regret this...

Leaf-it

Love these bookmarks and sticky notes by appree in Korea, order them on designboom.com. That would be my biologist/environmentalist little sisters Christmas present sorted then!

Don't know whether I love the sticky notes that curl like a leaf or the leaf bookmarks more? Decisions decisions, well the only answer is buy both! Again, the less money I have the more I find to buy...sigh...

hitRECord

As the sad news hit the papers today of the recent death of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's older brother Dan, I'm taking a look at the brilliant website that these two collaborated together on.

hitRECord.org is an unusual website, it's more of a community, or even a jamming session between people all over the world. The principle is, you make some music, video or images upload then other members use it, remix, collaborate etc.. and re-post it. The idea is if hitRECord.org then manage to make some money out of any of this work they will split the profit 50:50 with each person who collaborated on it.

Spearheaded by Hollywood actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt or 'RegularJOE' as he calls himself, from such films as 500 Days of Summer, Brick and the long running show 3rd Rock From the Sun, hitRECord.org has a unique line into the industry which youtube up-loaders just don't have, combined with the talents of all the other people on the site helping in the production and remixing its sure to produce some amazing results.
My favorite is Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeeth Date (sic) an amazing animation and odd little story which is sure to tickle the cockles of anyone who loved 500 Days of Summer or something a little out of the ordinary.




Create a profile and get going! I know what I'll be doing on a chilly Thursday morning in Salford...

Fab Lab

I nearly fell off my chair when I read about Fab Lab - and in Manchester no less! An amazing FREE resource where any individuals can pop own have an induction and use some amazing equipment from laser cutters to 3D printers. I've been after use of a laser cutter for about a year but haven't had the funds to really get going - now is my chance!

based over at Chips, the Urban Spalsh development in in New Islington, Fab Lab first started at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in inner-city Boston in 2005, now has over 35 locations worldwide.

Here's What they offer:

* A computer-controlled lasercutter, for press-fit assembly of 3D structures from 2D parts

* A larger (4'x8') numerically-controlled milling machine, for making furniture- (and house-) sized parts

* A vinylcutter, to produce signs, printing masks, flexible circuits, and antennas

* A precision (micron resolution) milling machine to make three-dimensional moulds and surface-mounted circuit boards

* Electronics assembly

* Programming tools for low-cost high-speed embedded processors

* Sewing and embroidery equipment


Open to businesses Tuesdays to Thursdays and for individuals Friday & Saturday. I actually can't wait to get in there and start making!

For more info visit their website www.fablabmanchester.org

The Manchester Weekender

It's all too much! Sack the person that put on three festivals in one weekend in Manchester! We spend most of the year waiting for something great to come along and what do you know, like buses, three come along at once. The annual Manchester Food & Drink Festival is back with some of Manchester's top restaurants churning out excellent food in Albert Square, though I think I love the posters more than the idea of standing in the rain eating! See the full programme here.




At the exact same time Abandon Normal Devices (AND) festival is also on, with workshops, films and installation art all around Manchester. I'm looking forward to seeing Phil Collins' latest short film Marxism Today at the Cornerhouse. See the full programme here.

If that wasn't enough Un-convention is on this weekend with Bill Drummond, Jah Wobble, Jarvis Cocker, to name a few, are playing at a host of venues across Salford, namely the Salford Lad's Club where tonight Billy Bragg and Kid British are playing at the iconic venue. Great event, although I found it utterly confusing how you buy tickets, and frankly £50 for a festival pass for one weekend is pretty much most of a weeks salary for some of us Salfordians. Seems as though it's more for people to come to Salford, not for us to see things in our area, what a shame.

Finally the Manchester Weekender, which combines some of the above three but adds some more extra activities, just in case you couldn't find something to do! It rather handily divides the weekend into three choices, The Urban Weekender, The Classic Weekender and the Urban Playground, giving you a slice of what's on whether your preferred weekend includes your fixie bike or your three kids.

Nevertheless it's been a crazy two days in Manchester, but a bit of a shame these things weren't spread over the month as only those with the time to trawl the extensive festival listings packed in enough to get a flavour of what was to offer.

Shall try and catch some of the AND festival exhibitions as the continue over the next day or so. Shall report my findings!

Freelance Space Manchester

For those talented freelance designers in Manchester with the uber-tiny space to work in shared with a cat, two flatmates and an old sandwich, help is at hand! The excellent studio NoChintz has launched Studio 17, an amazing space for freelancers to rent a desk in their eames chair filled space complete with meeting rooms and an enviable business address. Spaces are £250+vat a month, for more info contact Dominic at NoChintz on 0161 236 1412 or email studio17@nochintz.co.uk

Only a hundred more clients and I can have one...