Bean juice

i have been sooo rubbish about sharing lately, i really should be doing it more often, i will try harder. Here's a few scrappies i made last night using Kim's Powpapers Line (lovely lovely). Travel is on my mind constantly. i am still so full of this trip one year later, it still feels so fresh. i miss the adventures. When i look through my pictures, i feel the same excitement & i can't believe i had these experiences.


In this one i'm on the Death Railway in Thailand. i'd travelled down from Chaing Mai to Bangkok on a night train a day before this picture was taken & on the day of this trip i think i got up around 5am. Hence the HUGE bags under my eyes. Travel is not all glam, let me tell you (and not glam at all if you're backpacking) there are a lot of long journeys & early mornings. It's still worth it though!


These pages are about the decision to go travelling on my own. When i first decided i was going to go, i had a friend who wanted to come with me. When he decided he wanted to go and live it up in the Big Smoke rather then go travelling, there was no question of me not going. i would just go it alone, it made sense to me. i have always been independant. i could do it my way & that was a bonus to me. Nearer the time to my leaving, when i started to tell people i was going on a trip round Asia & Australasia the first thing they said was 'who are you going with?'. My response 'Errr no one, i'm going on my own' usually received the reaction of an opened mouth gawp. (Um hello people, we are living in the 21st Century, we girlies readily do these things now). It never felt like a big deal-e-o for me to be embarking on this adventure & i was never nervous about it. Looking back though i can see why people might have thought i was a little crazy (the word brave was used often, but i can't see myself as that) to have gone off travelling on my own. However, i was only ever alone if i wanted to be (which i often did), there are soooo many people out there just waiting to be your friend! All i can say is GO DO IT!

Anyway, i digress... So you may have noticed a bit of a change in my scrappy style in the past year-ish. i've been gradually moving away from traditional scrapbooking products and using more everyday stuff. i think i'm going to have a purge of my stash this weekend, i need to reduce so i'm not so overwhelmed by choice.

i've been experimenting with type a bit lately, in one of my many journals. Here's a little looksie. i'm working on a mini book, but i think it will take a while to develop.


Oh and Benguin got featured on The Cover Story. Loveeeeee! We are so proud of him, he's only been learning to play the guitar for a year. Benji please can you do a video of Blackbird song for me next :)

Felt/Embroidered Brooches

i am a huge lover of brooches, especially if they are vintage or handmade. i have so many that i now have them all displayed on a cork board.

My favourite place to shop for brooches/vintage style jewellery is This Charming Girl. And they just had an update with the new Spring/Summer Collection. i am always on the look out for unusal pieces & have picked things up in charity shops, markets, & independant shops, along with the odd thing from high street shops like Accessorize etc. i sometimes pick up badges/pins in Paperchase.

In November/December i became a bit obsessive about making my own brooches, which was prompted by Elsie's online class. Here's a few i've made using some of her embroidery patterns:




If you don't feel adventurous enough for stitching, you can always go for some simple felt brooches like this:


i usually wear mine on a shirt or cardigan to brighten my outfit. But you can pin them pretty much anywhere, hats, bags etc.


They make great presents & are really easy to make. i usually make them while i'm watching a film or something. Once you start making them, they are really addictive. i have new ideas for them all the time. i'm thinking... apples, owls, doilies, cherrys, anchors, bows, speech bubbles, mushrooms & a mix tape for my next projects. For more of my brooches go here. For inspiration check out these groups on flickr.

Brooch
Felt Jewellery
Felt Creations

Or if you're not into making stuff yourself, do a search in Etsy. Here's a few lovely finds:


Frogs Anatomy


ILoveMoJo


EatenApple


PoorRobin

Happy Dragon Day!

Here's how it's been going down this week:

New bras
Craving orange juice
Chipped nail varnish
Feeling bitchy about people
Prohibited drunken texting
Train ride to Winchester to see the lovelies (i actually really miss that train ride, but i miss the boys even more). i wish we hung out all day long bec they make me laugh the hardest ever.
Feeling misunderstood by someone who should know me the best
Taking Vitamin B Complex to see if it helps
Worrying about getting older & being left behind
Discovering an Asian food store in town (yayness!)
Hilarious e-mails from the work crew
Shining shoes
Feeling the urge to tidy & purge, but don't have the time or energy to do it
Sketching & writing a lot throughout the day
Pleased that more of my friends are twittering Join us!
Ikea trip leaving me inspired

Randomisations

Ok, i know i promised some brooch love today, but i still have a few pictures to take, so they might not appear until later in the week. For now here's a sneak:


This one was inspired by TC, my tree loving friend. Fabric is Amy Butler (so yummy).

And other randomisations (yes i just made that up):
*Loving how lots of my friends (minus Dickie who i'm disowning) are now hooked on Hot Rod & The Lonely Island. (& have you seen Stuntman Forever?)
*i've decided BIG Bows are going to be my next obsession. Just need to figure out how to make them. They will be on my clothes & in my hair.
*Drinking lots of Cranberry & Raspberry juice. i'm thinking cranberryade & mojito's might be on the cards.
*Wanting a vinyl record player.
*Ripping ladders in my tights (not on purpose!).
*Lady Gaga on repeat (yes she is about as far removed from my usual taste in music as you can get, but who can resist her?).
*Reading at a reasonable pace for the first itme in a while.
*Patiently waiting for things to arrive in the post.
*Putting papers together for an on-the-road scrapbook
*Wishing i could stay up late to make things, but really ought to go to bed.

And on that note, i actually WILL go to bed (and probably read for a while).

Nighty night!

Doilie Love

i've been taking the on-line class held by Elsie & Rachel & have been extemely lame at actually keeping up with the projects. In it there were several ideas on things to do with doilies. A couple of weeks ago i found a treasure trove of vintage doilies in a charity shop & here's what i've done:

i picked this vest up in Tesco for £3.50


And as per the class i added doilie 'wings'.


And a large one to the front.


i found this dress in a charity shop & bought it for £5.99. i am sooo lucky it's the perfect fit. And it has pockets!! i love things with pockets. i'm pretty sure it dates around the 1980's.


i added part of a large doilie to the neck & added vintage buttons.



i toyed with the idea of shortening the length, but i am not a fan of my legs anyway so decided to keep the length.


i sewed all these on by hand, it can take some time but it's something that can be done infront of the tv. i am really rather pleased with myself!

i had a very productive shopping trip yesterday (thanks she who must not be named for help with the bags). A Heroes 2 marathon. Sewing sewing sewing (finding very theraputic). Making lots of brooches (pictures tomorrow). & drinking coke floats. Right now i have soooo many things i want to make, but i'm super tired. i'm hoping my energy levels will rise this week as i'm going back to the gym. i haven't scrapbooked just for fun in a while & i miss it.

i am looking forward to sunshine this week. Oh yes it's going to be a good one.

Most photos taken by Michaela (+ by me + Memaw).

Dark Times

Can bring people together.

COULD. NOT. BE. MORE. EXCITED!

Did i ever mention how much i loooooooove book 6?

p.s. spot the Gollum look-a-likes.

Blackbird Fly

i was rudely awoken the other morning by Benguin playing this on his guitar. Since then i've not be able to get it out of my head. So beautiful (Also a hint at what my next tattoo might be) And it's making me want to learn the guitar. Which would be hard work.


i saw The Boat That Rocked last night. Much funnier & enjoyable then i had expected. Although one of the leads reminded me of P.Scarf (not good). Of couse the soundtrack really did rock.



i was looking forward to free cone day until i realised it's only on from 1pm til 5pm and i'm at work. Grrr!


Other things going on around here:

Wanting to go vintage shopping
Making lists lists lists
Feeling oh so very tired
Trying to decide on hotels for my trip next month (tricky)
Hatching plans to go work abroad (unsucessfully)
On a gym break
Planning to decorate the inside of my car
Enjoying being curly again
Having lots of creative ideas but no energy to put them into action

B&B April

It's my month to design for the Buttons & Buddies Kit & this time around the kit was white & full of lots of yummies. Thought it was perfect for a vintage theme:


i used a paper bag for the packground paper & combined it with vintage lace & doilies. i also made my own buttons using vintage book pages & eyelet. Super easy!


And white + one other colour is always a good go-to

Lovely days

Obsessed with huge sunglasses & hair bandos/scarves.


Planning bits of my trip to Toronto (next month! eee!). Dressing up in scrubs for a Doctors & Nurses themed outing. Watching films. Dreaming about Japan.


Surviving on very little sleep. Wanting some tan cowboy boots. BBQing it. Impromptu night out. Songs of secrecy. Sunshine. Making a decision on my next tattoo :)

Dear Japan:

I effing miss yoooooooooou!!!

Japan is the most inspiring place i've ever been (although Barcelona comes in a close second). You can not begin to understand it's awesomeness unless you have been there. It's is so unique & out of this world.

Their fashion sense is so polished, yet there don't seem to be any rules! The Harajuku girls are amazing. And the traditional Kimono is so beautiful.

They have the most beautiful fabrics:



Photos by Karaku

Cuuuute stationary:





And the food of course:


Photo: Needlenoodles


These colourful vending machines are evvverywhere!!

i was a little overwhelmed by Japanese food at first but now i love it! It's so hard to find it here in the UK though.

Lately i've been totally addicted to sushi. It's been costing me a fortune so i'm considering buying the stuff to make my own. Have just bought myself a cook book so i can learn the basics. Of course this means i'll need a Bento Box too. Although most of my searches come up with cute kid designs along the the lines of Hello Kitty (not very me) or are too grown up (boring). i need something inbetween. like this:


Ohhhhhh i long to go back. Every day i think about it.

Bangs R Us

Yes. i got a fringe. & i loooove it! So far i have managed to train it to sit just right but i'm sure when i next shampoo & blowdry it will be a different story.

Good stuffs:
MSN chats with far away friends.
Marley & me. So sad but lovely!
My limited edition cover Twilight DVD
A 4 day weekend to look forward to! i plan to: tidy, make stuff, watch films, make a filter for my polaroid camera & chillax.
Dinner with Gareth tomorrow
Doctors & Nurses fancy dress at Chaos Saturday night
Buying vintage sunglassses on e-bay. i'm starting a collection!
Looking forward to making Bubble Tea. After reading about it on Elsie's blog i have wanted to try some for a while & someone is getting some supplies for me :)
Waiting for Kim's Kit to arrive

i'm about to take a bath & read Empire! i've not had much time for baths lately & have missed them so! They are my favourite indulgence.

Family Fun

After a night out on Friday which will inevitably go down in history as one of the most memorable (in that i am one of the few who can remember what happened and will take much pleasure in reminding people what they got up to!), i had a very English family day yesterday. Michaela wanted to see lambs so off we went. Turns out fresh air actually IS good for hangovers.


Don't think she liked feeding the animals very much. 'Too slobery!' Classic quote of the day 'i hope we get to sit on hay!'.


Discovered there is a sheep version of me, according to my mother.


More pictures here.


Had the first ice cream of the year & a meal at Pizza Express. Family time = good.

Happy Mail!

It's an OMGosh day!

A HUGE package arrived from the states from my amazing friend Dianne. Oooooo i love this girl even more then ever!.

Here's a picture of the contents.


i am SO excited about the girl scout cookies, after having seen them on TV shows like Friends.


There was some amazing scrappy yummyness in the form of the passport line from Making Memories. So perfect for me!
And something for my sister, if she promises to share :)


Included in the package was a hand written note, i treasure stuff like this in the digital age we live in. Especially as Dianne took the trouble to write in 8 different coloured pens! She has awesome handwriting too.


Thank-you girl!!

Got to dash as due for dinner at Annabannana's.

Hello April.

i can't believe you are here already.

Life is SO crazy crazy right now & i am LOVING the sunshine.

Monday, Dickie & Garth (as we like to call them) came over for some Mexican, which turned into madness when i couldn't get on any of the sites to book my Reading tickets. Dickie decided he would microwave the tacos himself & almost burnt the house down! They were literally black! Ha ha! He will never live it down.

After the Reading ticket fiasco, we decided we prefered the line-up for V anyway, so have now booked tickets for that!! So SO excited!!

Last night i saw The Knowing & we were both in agreement that it was an ok film until they bodged the ending.

i am in a lot of pain right now with my shoulder but i still forced myself to go to the gym. i probably should be resting it but i don't want to get out of the habit of going as i've been doing so good.

Note to self: avoid Vicki on April Fools Day from now on. Yes, i was got a goodun'.

There's a new challenge blog about town. The Spark. Check it out on Friday when the first challenge is up!

In other news:
i am pretty sure my eye sight is going.
i am frequently having pregnancy dreams and it is scaring me.
i can't wait to get my hair cut.
My room is probably the messiest it's ever been.
On Friday night i plan to dance until my feet can't take it any more.

i promise a more creative post soon!