Soapy Sam goes on an adventure down the plug hole, at bathtime, and what does he find down there? This was a buntin made especially for Handprint’s production of Soapy Sam, and it tells of many creatures that can be found down the plug hole…down the pipes…down in the dark…
Fuelled by cups of tea and coffee, today the big sis and I have been making business cards! We’ve done pretty well and have ended up with 30 pretty-looking cards, made with doilies, buttons, ribbon and other odd bits and bobs. I’ve also been tidying up/reorganising my workspace a little, pictures may follow later on this week, as I adore Alex’s post about her workspace. I’ll also have to post some pictures of the business cards, but maybe later, as I think it is now time for a bit of relaxation! Today and yesterday I have also been fiddling around with a new blog for this venture, so keep your eyes peeled – some of you have already managed to find it, although I have no idea how! It will officially be launched on Friday, so watch this space. Lots of self-imposed business-y deadlines this week…busy, busy, but it’ll be good.
Here’s hoping you have all had a good Monday. A very happy Monday to you, and you, and you…
This week, I thought I’d do a post about 10 things I’m currently loving…whether that be things I’m using every day, things I’m lusting after or things I’m finding inspirational. Enjoy!
1♥ Miniature pegs. I love these things! Above my desk, I have a little, self-made washing line, that I simply use to peg up notes, to-do lists, and the like. I found my pegs in John Lewis about a year ago, but I’ve seen them in other places now; yesterday I bought some more from Tiger, which is such a great shop for quirky small things for the home.
2 ♥ Chalk Boards. I’m loving them at the moment, so much so, that I actually went and bought a little chalk board in Tiger yesterday (I can get a bit carried away in that shop…). However, I really want to make a bigger, cooler one, with a funky picture frame boarder in a bright colour, and chalk board paint.
3 ♥ Zooey Deschanel. I’ve got a bit of an obsession with her at the moment (a healthy obsession, I’d say…). She’s so pretty, and cute, and the films she’s in rock (500 Days of Summer…?). She’s also in a band, She & Him. I adore her hair, and she was my inspiration behind my current hair cut. Basically, I could keep gushing, but I think I’ll shut up right about now.
4 ♥ Fairy lights. They’re the best. I have three sets of fairy lights in my room, and most nights, they are on, and the room is cast in a lovely glow. The twinkly effect they give off is what I love about them the most; and I might put some more up for Christmas!
5 ♥ Big beaded bracelets. I’m much more of a bracelet person, although I am trying to be more adventurous and throw a necklace into the mix every now and then. But most days? Most days I’ll just reach for my bracelets.
6 ♥ Flowers. I’m a little jealous right now, though, as my friend‘s boyfriend got her some flowers the other day, and it just made me nostalgic for the days when the boy would randomly turn up at my house with a bunch of flowers. He doesn’t do it much at all anymore…hint hint! But seriously, flowers are lovely, and they give a room a fresh breath of air. Lovely jubbley.
7 ♥ Bright coloured pens. Another buy from Tiger! If you’ve followed this blog for a while, then you’ll know that I have a bit of a penchant for brightly coloured…anything! Rainbows, cakes, walls, clothes…anything goes. So when I came across a pack of bright pens for £1, well, I couldn’t turn that offer down!
8 ♥ Picture frames. Right, got a bit of a thing for them at the moment, especially since I’m trying to find photography props. I love the idea of photographs with empty picture frames in them; they work well for quirky portraits, and even for fun landscape photographs if you hold the frame up in front of the landscape scene. On the lookout for some good, cheap frames. I found one for £4 in Tiger, but thought I’d keep looking for now. Do post in the comments if you know of any good places to get picture frames.
9 ♥ Pizza! My go-to-food at the moment. Really, really love Papa John’s pizzas…and, of course, the pizzas at Italian restaurants…can’t go wrong.
10 ♥ Crafty Christmas present ideas. So, my friend has been posting lots of inspiration for Christmas ideas, and they’re really good. May try a few myself, and it’s certainly a good way to make a personalised gift, without blowing your bank fund.
Time for 10 Things I Love…
1 ♥ Jewellery Box D.I.Y by A Beautiful Mess. This is a really cool idea, and a great way to store/display your jewellery. I’ve been using an old fruit crate as a shelf to store my perfume, but since moving my room around a little, I’ve taken this down. But this would be a great thing to try with it, and it means I can get more jewellery…
2 ♥ Tin Can Craft – this is something that my friend Ramona wants to do, and so I searched for it online and this was one of the ones I found. It’s so easy to do; you basically fill a tin can with water, freeze it, then you mark the design on the can…get a sharp object and a hammer, and hammer away! After, you just leave the can(s) out to let the water melt, and you’re good to go! You can put tea lights in them, and they’ll make a lovely reflection on the room around you. (In case you hadn’t realised, candles are a BIG love of mine!)
3 ♥ Jersey Necklace – such a great idea! It’s a good way to re-use old t-shirts that you don’t like any more, and you get a new necklace out of it!
4 ♥ Photo frame for many photographs – this is a really simple, easy idea, but I think the result looks so good! If you’re looking for a different way to display your photographs, then this is one for you.
5 ♥ Super Easy Chalkboard DIY – this is definitely something I want to try. I’ve become obsessed with chalkboards, and I am on the lookout for some chalkboard paint (yes, it does exist!!), and then I’ll be looking for something to paint…so this is a good idea. I’ve seen some chalkboard WALLS! They are so cool. But for now, here you go:
6 ♥ DIY Headband – this looks really easy to make, and it’s effortless style for those days when you can’t be bothered to put a lot of effort into your hair!
7 ♥ Lace Lamp – wow. I absolutely love this DIY, it looks so pretty, yet it seems so simple to make! It is going on my list of craft projects, and I really want to do it, as I have a simple lampshade in my room that is a bit dull…and this would look beautiful! Let me know if you give this a try, I’d love to know how it turned out!
8 ♥ Felt Flower Pillow – this looks adorable, and seeing as I have a small collection of cushions on my bed, I might give this a whirl when I have some time. It might take a bit of time to do…but if you love cushions, hopefully it’ll be worth it!
9 ♥ T-Shirt Refashion – this is a simple way to update a t-shirt, and it makes a plain t-shirt a lot more funky. Give it a try! You can also make many variations of this, so let your imagination be your guide.
10 ♥ Poetry painting – this would be a great way to display your favourite poem, and I simply love it. If I were to make one myself, I’d probably make the canvas a lot smaller for now, as I already have a lot of things on my walls in my room…but it would be a lovely addition!
I hope you have enjoyed these ideas, and if you go ahead and make any of them yourself, please, please, please post a comment to let me know how it went, and if you have a home on the internet, and decide to post the results, leave a link – I really would love to see it! Hope you’ve all been having a very happy Tuesday.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” - Scott Adams
Stepping into the world of business planning is making my head swirl a bit! Perhaps it’s partly because I’m tired, and it’s nearly 8pm on a Sunday night, but the internet is throwing words at me that are making me think a lot more than I would on a Sunday night – words that include the use of executive summaries and financial projections…! I’m faced with the task of making a business plan, and although the actual act of writing it all up might not be that intimidating when I do it, reading and researching it all is just a little bit daunting. It makes everything seem so real and big and just a little bit scary! It is essential though, so I’m just going to have to trek on through all this business jargon and then jump into it head-first…right…? Better to just get it out of the way, then I can concentrate on the more exciting stuff…
If you’re new to this blog, then I apologise! You’re probably scratching your head and wondering what business I’m going on about… About 2 years ago (give or take), I started up a small home business with my sister to create and sell home-made jewellery pieces. It’s been a bit stop and start; we would have periods when we would have a burst of activity and create lot of pieces…then it would dwindle down a bit…and then start creating again…and so on. We’ve accumulated a whole load of supplies – beads, buttons, bits of material etc, and yet we’ve never fully got it off the ground. Until now. I’m determined to really get it going, really push it forward and make it thrive. After all, what have I got to lose? We may as well make good use of all the bits and bobs we have, and it’s a great creative outlet, plus jewellery is something we love, so why not?
However, whilst we started off solely making jewellery pieces, I now want to branch out a little and make other crafty things too – I have many books on crafts, and this would be a good way of experimenting with all the ideas, see what works…and what isn’t so hot. A little bit of experimenting can go a long way…or not, but that’s the fun of it all!
Anyway, for now, the focus has to be on the business plan…and I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I’ll surely get there eventually! If only I could get my head around all these words; I think I need a good jolt of caffeine and lots of happy, positive thoughts, and then I’ll whiz right through it all and come out with a shiny, sparkling business plan at the end of it…hmm, maybe. It is exciting…and even the mundane stuff like creating a business plan is still slightly exciting, because it means it’s real and it’s happening. I just need to remember that…
“Many potential start-up businesses are daunted by the prospect of compiling a business plan. But it is not an intimidating process – and a good business plan focuses the mind…” – At least there’s a lot of help out there 
http://www.knowledge.hsbc.co.uk/plan/your+plan/writing+a+business+plan
Wowzers! I’ve come across a great blog – New Dress A Day – and I just had to send you her way!! I can’t do the blog justice, so just click on the link below if you love thrift-ing, craft-ing, dresses and alchemy! Go, go, you will not regret it! I think I’m going to get started with all of my own craft/DIY projects soon – I have a crafty drawer full to the brim with bits and bobs, patiently waiting for my love and attention…
New Dress A Day: http://www.newdressaday.com/
My dream craft-cupboard…! The reality is a messy drawer… Yikes, this isn’t the end of this…there’s a high possibility of another craft/DIY post later… (Off to drink my tea, and ponder the exciting possibilities…!)
…Christmas is on it’s way! Yikes! The last few days can be likened to a hectic mess of chaos…! The carpet in the living room was ripped up…new carpet gone in…went to get new earmold impressions (which will be with me in two weeks)…came home…and shot out again for an evening of fun times with the new theatre group – and all that was just yesterday! Over the weekend I was shopping like mad! And I’m happy to say that it was not for me, otherwise I’d be having an extremely bad case of guiltiness. Yep, all the shopping was for Christmas…and I’ve still got a lot to do. However, I’m being even more crafty than last year. (Last year, I made jewellery pieces as part of friends’ presents…)
There’s a lovely programme on TV at the moment (or it could be finished now…not sure) called Kirstie’s Homemade Home, and there’s some lovely, innovative ideas for things to make for your home. I watched one episode of it…and I fell in love with pretty much everything she made! One thing I’m definitely going to be making is some Vinyl bowls… Basically (and I was shocked when she did this, as I love music so much) you take a Vinyl record…place it over a mug…and bung it in the oven for however long (you’ll have to check on Channel 4′s website for the exact instructions, as I can’t remember)…and ta da, you have your very own Vinyl bowl. You can imagine my shock at the fact that she melted the poor Vinyl!! But after a while I realised that it’s pretty cool I’m going to browse through some cheap records in Camden and make a few bowls for my Dad and my smelly boy. Another thing she made in that episode was a beanbag…with pockets for things like the TV remote, gaming consols, magazines etc. I seem to be getting obsessed with crafty things to make at the moment! I’ve gone and brought a few books to do with homemade ideas 2011 definitely looks like it’ll be an extremely crafty year.
We got the decorations out tonight…but I was the only one bothering to get it started! I’ve built the tree…but everyone else was more content to sit and watch TV…so I’m going to resume tomorrow morning! Oh, I absolutely love putting the decorations up – one of the best things about the festive season for me. I also really like thinking about presents and buying things that I think they’ll really love! Christmas isn’t necessarily about how much you spend, I feel it’s more about the thoughtfulness of the presents and making Christmas magical. It’s probably true that it’s better when there are children around, as they lend that magical feel to the holiday, but you can still create it yourself. It’s going to be an interesting one this year, as the big sis is off to Edinburgh with her man…making this year the first Christmas without her. However, the smelly boy is coming round on Christmas Eve and will be here for Christmas morning…then he’s going home to his family, whilst we have one of my Mum’s sisters and her children (big children, 18 and 20 year olds) coming round for the afternoon/evening. It’ll certainly be different but it’s sure to be fun.
It doesn’t matter how much money you have, I just feel that Christmas is about surrounding yourself with the people you love and celebrating in a jolly good way Hope you’re all getting excited in the run up…and remember, don’t get stressed – life is too short! Just enjoy it
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