Hats and Blondies

I like hats. Basically, as soon as anyone I know announces they're getting married I start thinking about what sort of hat I want to wear and how I can create an outfit around it.


(After congratulating them, obv. I'm not entirely self-obsessed.)


But... hats are expensive and I am poor. And if you buy one there's the potential horror of someone else having the same one. (I think my mother scarred me for life by dressing me in the same clothes as my sister when we were little. I would rather turn up at a wedding in a boiler suit than be wearing the same as someone else...)


As a result, I quite like vintage for weddings. Unique and, if you put a bit of leg-work in, often cheaper. And you can say, when people ask where your outfit's from, 'it's vintage, dahling' and feel chic (even if you got it from Oxfam).


Despite all this, the dress came first for the wedding I'm going to next weekend. It's an LK Bennett frock with big pink roses on and is a delight. But I couldn't find a hat. Lots of pink hats/fascinators/head things but all slightly the wrong colour.


So, I trundled over to Hammersmith Vintage Fair* the other weekend and found myself a white hat, and then to VV Rouleaux and found myself the right coloured ribbon. And have combined the two, teaching myself how to make little teeny tiny ribbon roses in the process. Bound to be a useful skill...


Here's the hat before, with a lovely big 80s bow on the back.

And afterwards, bow removed and little pink roses and a bit of trimming to the veil added.

I now just have to figure out how to position the veil to cover the wonderful coldsore that's appeared on my face...


In other weekend news, I also made these blondies. 

Believe it or not, they are mostly made of chickpeas! I spotted the recipe over at Chocolate-Covered Katie (whose blog is full of intriguing recipes, and is currently running a series on vegan desserts!) last week and managed about three days before I had to make it, despite it being late on Monday night when I should really have been doing something constructive.


The recipe's here and I can confirm they really do taste amazing. Possibly a little bit too nutty for me, as I have a complicated relationship with peanut butter (possibly to blame for today's coldsore...) but I'm definitely going to have a play with the recipe to see if I can make it more me-friendly. I have an inkling cashew nut butter might be the way forward...


*I've actually got some free tickets for the next one which I can't use - anyone London based and free on the 5th June let me know and I'll put them in the post!