Here’s two of my favourite things in one.
The first, Poladroid - an instant picture creator for digital photos.
It almost makes me not want a Polaroid camera, almost.

The second, my new prized accessory.
Yes, that’s a pair of antlers, my dear.

I got Leon’s cookbook just before Christmas, but have been waiting to make this rather time consuming dish. You’d think these would be quick - but the mixture requires freezing/chilling before baking, so it’s one for when you’re not hungry and you’ve got time to spare.

Leon’s sweet potato felafel.

Two sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
30g fresh coriander
120g gram (chickpea) flour
Salt and pepper

Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven for 45mins-1hr, until soft.
Remove the skins.
Mash the sweet potato with the flour, cumin, coriander, fresh coriander and season.
Freeze this mixture for 20mins, or chill in the fridge for an hour.
Take out, and using soup spoons - shape the felafel and pop on an oiled baking tray.
Pop in the oven for 15mins at 200degrees, or until they look golden and tasty!

Listen to Tunnelvision, by Here we go magic because it’s soothing and lovely and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

Merry Christmas.

Someone stick this poor fellow back together.

Christmas card by Adrian Fleet [www.adrianfleet.com]

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This is really quite difficult.
I’ll have to go by what Last.fm says, which is good - as it means those are the albums I’ve been listening to a lot, rather than picking out 10 albums I think are cool.

My top ten artists, of the last 12 months, are:

10. Grouper
09. Julianna Barwick
08. Crystal Stilts
07. Grizzly Bear
06. The Aislers Set
05. Animal Collective
04. High Places
03. Caribou
02. No Age
01. Beach House

Now, seeing as not all of those artists have released an album in 2008 (I’m still waiting for the next Grizzly Bear album and oh, for another Aislers Set album) - I’ll revise over the past three months.

10. Broken Social Scene
09. M.I.A.
08. Crystal Stilts
07. The Aislers Set
06. Atlas Sound
05. Jana Hunter
04. Animal Collective
03. Department of Eagles
02. Deerhunter
01. Beach House

Without further ado. This is my top ten albums list.

10. Amiina - Kurr
09. Headless Heroes - The Silence of Love
08. No Age - Nouns
07. (I wanted Jana Hnter - There’s No Home here, but that’s from 2007).
so…. let’s have… Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
06. Beach House - Devotion
05. Crystal Stilts (EP)
04. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
03. Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
02. Deerhunter - Microcastle
01. Deerhunter - Wierd Era Contd.

They might not all have been released this year and if not, I apologise, I’m catching up.

10 . You, the living.

09. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

08. Let The Right One In.

 
07. Burn After Reading

06. In Search of a Midnight Kiss

05. 2 Days in Paris

04. Hunger

 
03. The Fall

02. Lars and the Real Girl.

01. No Country For Old Men

Poke made a rather lovely Christmas Zoetrope for Topshop this year. If you haven’t played already, there’s a year’s worth of shoes left to win. My life! A year’s worth of shoes! Now, sadly, I can’t win them… but that’s not to say you can’t have a go. There’s plenty of gift cards and 10% off vouchers to win too, if shoes just don’t get you that excited.

I’m terribly smug this year, having purchased all of my christmas presents already (It helps having a really small family). Lots of places seem to be doing ‘beat the credit crunch’, ‘do a cheapo christmas’ and ’sod off buying as many people as possibly presents’ lists… so, just in case you have a few people to buy for and you’re stuck for ideas here’s a few things which won’t cost the earth - but are likely to make really awesome presents.

1. Leon Cookbook
I think Leon is fantastic. Allegra McEvedy has created a cookbook, with lots of their recipes and many they used to have, but have since left the menu. It’s a really well-designed, chunky, full-of-love-for-food cookbook. Plus, this has the best set of soup recipes, so it’s a perfect winter present.

Now for the cheap bit, It’s usually £20, but you can get it for £12 at Amazon.

2. Alfred Hitchcock Box Set
This is a bargain and if you know a Hitchcock fan, it’ll keep them amused until spring, quite easily. The box set is usually £90, but you can get it again for £18 from Amazon.

3. Clocky Alarm Clock
A cute looking alarm clock, on wheels. It’ll beep, if you don’t turn it off - it’ll jump off the site and wheel around the floor beeping at you. Well, you did have the chance to turn it off… Far too cute to smash into tiny pieces when you finally reach it. $50 (excluding postage) Available from Nanda.

4. Antony Burrill Postcard set

I have a ‘Work Hard and Be Nice to People’ poster by Mr Burrill. I think his postcard set is great too.
£8.99, available from Concrete Hermit.

[Photograph from Getty Images.]

Frequency and Volume is one of the best exhibitions I have been to in a while, since my favourite exhibitions are always those you get to take part in.

Lozano-Hemmer has transformed The Curve into an interactive space, where the shadows of each visitor - cast when standing in front of spotlights on the floor - are then used to tune in to different radio channels.

You can move around the 90-metre space, so that your shadows dimensions allow you to tune into pirate radio stations, commercial radio stations and even air traffic control. The exhibition is open until the 18th of January.