Giveaway Countdown

Make sure to enter the giveaway for a free blog design! 

You have till Wednesday!

Fine Tune: Cold War Kids - Miracle Mile

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Mischief Champion

I have big love for this lady's cartoons.
Find more here.

Pimp Your Blog Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Hi Guys. I am very excited about today's post! Because it's a GIVEAWAY! Vaida from Don't Tell Anyone wrote to me a few days ago to ask if I wanted to co-host one with her and Kotryna from Girl With A Movie Camera, and not only was I flattered that they had thought of me as the third musketeer, but I am also pretty stoked about what y'all can win.

Each one of us feels happy with every new follower, every new comment and every tweet we receive from our readers! So in order to celebrate you being amazing, I teamed up with Vaida and Kotryna for this fabulous giveaway!

So, the prize. 3 lucky people will be in for a chance to be treated to a brand new look for their blog! A lovely new layout can help to take your blog to a new level, and this is why Vaida and Kotryna are giving away 3 of their pre-made blog templates. Yep, three of our followers will be able to pick their favourite templates from either Vaida's shop or Kotryna's store on Etsy! They will then help you to install the templates and provide full post-design support! Is that fab or what?

All you have to do to enter is follow at least one of us gals, but the more love you show us, the more entries you gain. And you have until Wednesday, 24 April 2013 to get lovin'. Simple. If you're entering, leave me a comment that links to your blog, so I can come and check you out, too. Okay? Ace. Thank you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

                     We will announce the winner next Wednesday! Good luck and thank you all for entering!

And just in case you cannot wait until a winner is announced, or you just simply need a new blog design RIGHT NOW, check here or here for all the creative, affordable designs that are available.

Gods Own Junkyard

It is not often that people call it a lucky coincidence when their car needs to go in for repairs. I do! This is because my car repair shop is situated right next to the most magical place, and if I hadn't dropped off my ride and walked by this place on the way home, I might have never discovered Gods Own Junkyard.

I noticed some neon signs in the window of what looked like a storehouse, and when I walked past I caught a glimpse of a statue through a metal fence. I looked closer, and saw the Mother Mary. Like an epiphany, she had led me to a dream location. Are you aware of the neon graveyard in Las Vegas? I sure am, and have been dreaming of going there for the longest time. But guess what?! There is a neon graveyard a 20-minute walk for my home! Or, not so much a graveyard but a reprocessing resurrection plant. And this was it! Sadly, I had other engagements on the day, but did a little research later, located the junk master's Twitter account and asked him if he would allow me to visit with my camera soon. 

Gods Own Junkyard is run by artist Chris Bracey. The passion for bright lights goes back to his father, who had been running a sign-making business in the same location since the early 1950s. The original shop still exists, but Chris is taking his family legacy to quite another level, and is quite famous for it. He has designed pieces for many movies, photo shoots and exhibitions (including his own), referencing pop culture and human nature. 

Piled high in his heavenly scrapyard are old signs, movie props, display boards, kitschy statues, discarded shop fascias. And in the midst of this a little shed, which has been converted into a shrine to the gods of light. And the gods are kind to the motley collection of rejects, because a lot of this junk will one day come back to a glorious new life in the arts.

Walk with me:

When I finished wandering around the yard, I made my way back to the work shed and felt like I was entering the inner sanctuary of the neon gods. Everywhere you look in this tiny space there are light and colours, tinted bulbs and tubes, luminescent statues and wall hangings. The whole display evoked the sensation of being out on the town, walking along the Las Vegas Strip, down Broadway, or through the West End. Neon just makes everything bright and glamorous, and for me it acts like the flame for the moth. I could look at it for hours, which I nearly did.

Behold the beauty:

You can visit Chris' current exhibition at Scream gallery. It runs until the beginning of June. But if you are in London on a Friday or Saturday, I implore you to make your way up East for a stroll through the junkyard and to see where his striking artwork originates.

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated). All artwork © Chris Bracey - Gods Own Junkyard

Cat in a Blanket

Fine Tune: Chvrches - Lies

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Breakfast

Fine Tune: Houndmouth - Penitentiary

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The Chequers

On Good Friday, Marco and I had an impromptu date at a new pub in our neighbourhood. I had been out on a photo-taking venture and he was just done running errands. I suggested we go for a drink at The Chequers to catch up on our mornings before I had to head across town to see a friend.

The Chequers just recently re-opened after a refurbishment, which turned it from a slightly dingy boozer to something quite different. The new owners are still putting on the finishing touches, so right now the pub's interior looks a lot like somebody furnished a building site with lots of funky charity shop finds. Which incidentally is a style I very much like.

There are loads of different areas to sit, and Marco and I moved twice until we settled into a cozy corner with a sofa. There was so much attention to detail, with a lot of the décor choices providing talking points. My favourites were a painting of a swan and a wall of handbags on the way to the Ladies'. There also were fresh flowers everywhere. 

In addition to looking swell, The Chequers also offers a great selection of drinks (ales in particular) and food. On this occasion, I only had a perfectly squidgy brownie with a side of cornflake ice cream (yum!). I would have liked a coffee to go with it, but the espresso machine wasn't up and running yet. 

I definitely want to go back soon for coffee and another dessert or to try some of the savoury choices on the menu. To top it all off, the staff were really friendly and helpful and I can see this pub becoming a favourite of mine real quickly! 

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated).