Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Hurrah!
Monday, 29 June 2009
I've Been Doing A Lot Of This Lately
Friday, 26 June 2009
A Spare Half An Hour
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Home Love (Things I Love Thursdays!)
Once the kitchen is finished, I'm declaring a war of love on the rest of the house. There's lots of little things we've been meaning to get around to - hanging artwork in the bedroom, re-painting the front door, dusting. (Oh, how I hate dusting!) I also really, really want to overhaul our office space - which is currently a little worse for wear because we throw everything in through the door when we need to tidy the rest of the house in a hurry. I bet we're not the only ones to have a room like that, right?
This week's Things I Love Thursdays! is a small collection of the inspiration I've hunted down on Flickr. I also want to share this tutorial on How To Make An Ottoman From A Coffee Table from Little Green Notebook, this tutorial on Making A Tin Message Board featured on Design*Sponge and this Vintage Printer's Wooden Tray by Kirsty Neale, which you can see more of on The Copy And Paste Project. I'll have an awesome home one day. In the meantime, wish me luck - I'm off to tackle my burgeoning pile of laundry.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Paying It Forward
This isn't going to turn into a philosophical post, I just wanted to share a few things with you that always make me feel a little bit warm and fuzzy inside. Let's start with The Pay It Forward Foundation which is a real life movement based on the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was later turned into the film. Then head on over to Operation NICE which encourages people to be "pro-actively nice" and, if you're not all 'niced' out, try looking up the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation as well.
So, what's brought on all this niceness? Blame it on Kylie. Not the Australian singer (though she does seem insanely nice, doesn't she?) but Kylie who blogs over at 3 Sheets I was instantly taken with Kylie's own inherent niceness and her excitement at participating in a different kind of Paying It Forward. Paying It Forward, Crafty Style.
I've pledged. Will you?
1. The first five (or less) people who leave a comment and pledge to participate will receive a little sumthin', sumthin' from me - lovingly handmade, just for them.
3. What I choose to make may be quick, or it may take some time, but you will receive it before the end of 2009.
6. To Pay It Forward, you will need to copy these 'rules' on your own blog (basic rewording is okay, but the spirit must be the same) and make five things, one for each of the first five people who commit to Pay It Forward on their own blogs.
7. Once I've made your gift, I will e-mail you and you will need to provide your mailing address. (I am UK based and will be happy to send internationally. You should be willing to do the same.)
Who's in?
Friday, 19 June 2009
Ready For The Weekend
I especially like the cover version of Regina Spektor's 'Us', but loved this tune best of all. Now press play. I promise it will take you into the weekend with a big smile on your face!
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Portrait Love (Things I Love Thursdays!)
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
My (Un)Creative Space
Unfortunately, my space isn't all that creative at the moment. What's worse it that it's all my own fault.
Oh, yes! I've been tidying.
The good thing has been finding all of those long forgotten "Ooh. I could use that for something." items that have been saved with future creative projects in mind. The bad thing is that, in trying to tidy one room in the house, the remaining rooms now look as though a whirlwind has ripped through the house, bringing it with it all manner of rubbish and helpfully depositing many half empty cups of tea in each room.
Once I've finished concentrating on the final week of my photography course (and putting together the dreaded portfolio!!!) I'll be needing several weeks just to get back on track. In the meantime, I thought I would attempt to garner some sympathy by displaying what will, hopefully, become known as the before pictures of My Creative Space.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
30 Things To Do While I'm 30 (Things I Love Thursdays!)
Just before my thirtieth birthday, I was inspired by some other list lovers (Elise Blaha - 24 and Hula Seventy - 38 Things To Do Before I Turn 39) to put together a list of things that I want to do before my next birthday.
Today's Things I Love Thursdays! collection is inspired by all of the things on my own list of 30 Things To Do While I'm 30.
1. Start running again and enter the Liverpool 10k.
2. Complete my photography portfolio for my Beginners Photography course. (Check.)
3. De-clutter, de-stash and stick with the Use What You Have philosophy as far as possible.
4. Drink more water.
5. Start a blog. (I'd already done it. Check.)
6. Throw a big garden party.
7. Spruce up the garden in preparation for the garden party!
8. Go camping and sleep under the stars.
9. Go to the fairground. Yeah baby. (Check.)
10. Make these lovely necklaces, this fantastic skirt and this beautiful bracelet instead of just drooling over the pictures.
11. Build sandcastles on the beach.
12. Spend more time with my parents. (Check.)
13. Have cocktails with some good friends.
14. Plan a weekend away; take a road trip or just go somewhere new. (Check and Check.)
15. Refashion my wardrobe, mend old favourites and donate old clothes to charity.
16. Send a message in a bottle.
17. Dust off my bicycle and get my groove on.
18. Go to the cinema at least once a month. (Check.)
19. Take some craft classes. (Check and Check.
20. Learn a new beading stitch. (Check.)
21. Climb a mountain. (Just a small one to begin with!)
22. Start the family tree.
23. Organise my life and home.
24. Display more photographs - get them off the hard drive.
25. Take some photographs of Me and 'The Steve' - using these fabulous people as inspiration.
26. Learn to make pretty cupcakes.
27. Do something that scares me.
28. Clear out and organise our little shed. (I started, I really did. But the bottom fell off!)
29. Put up an inspiration wire or board.
30. Laugh more. (Check & Check )
Sunday, 7 June 2009
About Me
Contentment;
Answers;
New adventures;
More time in the day;
A self cleaning house;
And a life full of small pleasures.
Loves:
Mum, dad and the rest of the family;
The 'Steve';
Crafting;
Laughing with friends;
Lists;
And beans on toast;
Dislikes:
Bad manners;
Ignorance;
Being late;
Cucumber;
Train delays;
And grey, miserable weather.
I just wanted to you to know - and to have a proper 'about me.'
Friday, 5 June 2009
Blogs Are Like Buses...
Well, now actually, that's not true. I've been inspired by other things -the sunshine; new beading patterns; craft classes - like Rachel Denbow's awesome art journalling classes - and trusty challenge blogs like Copy & Paste.
Sometimes, I'm too inspired. Do you know what I mean? I get lots and lots of ideas and want to do them all, but don't know where to start. The latest prompt at Copy & Paste inspired by Alice in Wonderland made it really difficult to decide on an interpretation - it really is a challenge blog!!! I knew I really wanted to do a scrapbook layout about my beliefs, but I honestly couldn't figure out what I believe in.
Did I believe that children are our future? Did I believe that for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows? Did I believe in a thing called love? I didn't know whether to be facetious or serious. Typically, I only decided in the small hours of the night - it's when I do my best thinking - and I'm actually really, really happy with my final layout.
What do you believe in?
Sun Drenched Days And Starlit Nights
I'm a little late for Things I Love Thursdays! but that's okay because I want to share a layout that I did this morning. Just because I love it :)