wagwaan?

Making stuff

You know I get a lot of support from the Community Centre, right? I try and reciprocate when I can and as we are having to do a lot more fundraising this year due to cuts in funding I have been roped in to help (I know we are not alone in this, sadly.) Anyway, we have the option of taking a stall in the local "artisan market" and have all kinds of crafty goodness planned so we can make stuff to sell.  I was playing around with some bits of felt & ribbon and some pound shop hair clips yesterday... Claire was my (rather unwilling) model:

I really should get the big camera out for pictures like this..  

Well I had such fun that I made loads and loads of the bow ones, with different ribbons, and they went down a treat at the coffee morning today where I showed them off. "Baby Anabelle", our little nearly-2-yr-old resident beauty, let me put one in her hair to see how it looked and she was so sweet I let her keep it. They are perfect for little ones so I hope we can sell LOADS!

Let's travel!

Oh my goodness!  I have just found this amazing site whilst blog-hopping. It is making me want to travel. Like, really badly!  Check it out here.

Do something that scares you...

Have you heard that one before? Do one thing each day that scares you?  Personally I am not a huge thrill-seeker. I get enough of an adrenaline rush just living my everyday life, thank you very much!  But I do think we shouldn't stick to what we know because of fear. Where is this leading? I hear you ask. Well, I have long wanted to do something. Something just for me, but something that is very social, and for some reason I've been a bit afraid to do it.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago Claire and I were wandering through the local shopping centre when we came upon a group of young people dancing to some 40s music. I couldn't help myself. I went and signed up to their mailing list to get a free class and I really, really want to go, even if I go along on my own. 

I think it was on the list of things I wanted to do before I turned 50 but never got around to, so this is the year. I am going to do stuff I've never done before and I'm going to start the way I mean to carry on. Join me, anyone?

Creature comforts

It arrived! Yesterday my Ikea armchair was delivered and it's wonderful. How excited am I to own some real grown up furniture? Sad really isn't it?!  It got me thinking, because actually, nearly all my furniture is second hand. Either it's been given to me or I got it from a charity shop at a bargain price, and although I really love that it's "pre-loved", it was time to buy something new. 

Recently, I had received a little bit of extra money and I could no longer stand the tatty old sofa whose cushions sank as soon as you sat on it. I hankered after a nice, clean, white sofa, but when I measured the one I wanted there was no way it would fit. Instead, I turned my attentions to the lovely curvy lines of the Ektorp armchair, and though I was tempted by the name Ektorp Jenny Lund for obvious reasons, I went with the ordinary Ektorp because it is wider and has a back cushion. Love at first sight.  

It arrived in the afternoon, in a flat pack box of all things (and there I was, wondering whether it would fit through the door because I hadn't measured because hey that's way too rational a thing to do when you are in love, right?). I waited until Claire got home from work and after watching our favourite new show, New Girl, we set to with the instructions and nuts and bolts and lo! there was a gleaming white armchair in my front room.  Claire eyed me jealously as I sank into it, with my feet up on the fuchsia pink John Lewis pouffe, my back supported by the very gorgeous Alvine flora cushion. Aah. Bliss. The cat thought so too.

(cue very bad iPhone pic to give you an idea...)

You know what? I am going to be out at a Trustees' AwayDay all day today and Claire reckons she is going to spend the day lounging in MY armchair. Kids. Huh.  :)

Colour inspiration

Thanks to my lovely friend Kirsty I have discovered an amazing blog called Design Seeds. I pinned some colour schemes I liked and here they are....

Hmmm <3 

Here I am!

Why, hello!  Yes, it's me :)  I know I said this blog would get more interesting, but give me a break - life has a way of throwing you curve balls and I have had a huge one thrown my way. No matter, though: I am still here, and still on track to have an amazing 2012.  

First of all, I can't wait to get started with Project Life. I've been in love with this product since I first saw it, probably on Ali Edwards' blog, but it's been impossible to get here. I nearly ordered some through friends in the States but decided to wait a bit longer. Well now it's nearly here, according to the people in the know. Just in time for my birthday next month, I think, so it's going to be my birthday present to myself. And while I wait, I have downloaded some cards by Cathy Zielske and other clever designers, just so I can get started. Watch this space!

I have also been meaning to upload the Christmassy pictures and without further ado here is the one of Claire and the fève she got in our galette des rois. 

So cute!  The packs this year had those little Japanese dolls in them. Claire obviously wasn't feeling up to having her portrait done at that point, so we compromised a little....

Ok, working backwards (because that was on 12th Night), here is a picture of our mantle during the Christmas season. You might remember the NOEL tealight holders from my previous blog header. I have left the picture as it was SOOC because the colour makes it feel warm and cozy:

Over on the right, there, in front of the little Christmas tree, is a children's nativity set that I bought in Tiger. Love it! And the traditional paperchains from East of India are very cute too. 

I also realise I never took any pictures of my presents this year - except this one, that is. Claire bought it for me. Isn't it lovely?  And it goes just as well with the red colour scheme as it does with the pink. Very clever.

I have to be careful with this one, because Lyle thinks it's great fun to attack the buttons when he sees them.

And last but by no means least, this is what our front room looks like in the season. You probably know that we live in a Victorian terrace, and this type of house is usually long and thin... I took this from the dining room looking towards the front. Shame the blinds weren't down properly so you can see the garage's "MOT" sign opposite!  I love our little house. We might not have got around to decorating it, but it's cozy and warm and lovely, especially with twinkly lights and candles.

 That's it for today folks. I will try and get the blog updated more often, I really will. Cheerio for now!

Out with the old

I'm so excited to be "spring" cleaning right now. The decorations are all put away, the old sofa has gone to meet its maker, the new armchair is being delivered soon and the red, Christmassy, blankets and cushions have gone into storage, making way for the pink ones to come out of storage.  I'm decluttering and dusting, blowing the cobwebs away - figuratively speaking of course - and the place looks bigger already.  I still have some way to go, but I'll get there.

Yesterday I got to hang out with my girl Stephie and while we were out we bumped into two more mutual friends, so I had quite a sociable day. I told her my sofa needed to go, and she offered the services of her husband and 15 yr old son. They arrived at 10am this morning, tools at the ready, dismantled the old sofa, and took it to the dump. How blessed am I to have such wonderful friends?? I am so grateful. 

The weather was cold, bright and crisp, and I had a couple of errands to run. Just as I was leaving, Claire said she needed some fresh air, so she came too. We walked into town, ran the errands, sat and had a smoothie, and got the bus back.  Although I do get tired, there is a world of difference between what I can do now and what I could do this time six months ago, and I can't wait to get out more - there are so many museums, art galleries, films, markets, etc, that I want to see and this year I am determined to make the most of them. I feel like I've been in limbo, in hibernation, for so long, and I'm itching to see the world. 

Watch this space. The blog could get a lot more interesting in the weeks and months to come!

Hello and Welcome to 2012

I've just added a quick New Year banner to welcome in 2012. May this new year bring you every blessing and may you dream bigger than ever before!

It's way past my bedtime, so I'll love you and leave you, but I do hope you'll say hello in the comments section. Cheers <3

Eff You Enn

I have been reading the latest Psychologies mag and I'm so impressed with this issue. I read one a long time ago but wasn't blown away by it, but this one has a 16 page dossier about how to inject more fun into your life. A journalist was given the task of doing something fun every day for a week. At first she wanted to refuse the assignment but then she asked herself "when did I get too busy to have fun?", so she accepted. At first she felt quite self-conscious doing silly things but as the week progressed she realised that it was vital to make time for fun. Obviously, she says, a week doing nothing but having fun would become boring because when it's forced the enjoyment goes. However, each time she allowed herself to have fun, she felt engaged and energised.

This whole dossier really spoke to me. The more I journey through YOU University and discover my authentic self, the more I realise how life can just "get in the way" if we let it, and we don't even realise we are doing it. My authentic self is fun and carefree but serious when I need to be. I have become bogged down in worry and self-doubt and this has led to a serious sense-of-humour failure recently! Obviously, when you have to look at how you are going to pay the bills and keep a roof over your head, you are not going to do it while acting the clown, but I do think you need to maintain a balance between being serious 24h a day and having a laugh to relieve the tension. More than most, I realise how short life is and how close I came to not being here to enjoy it, so from this moment I am not only going to keep reminding myself to seize the day, I am actually going to do it. 

I'm going to have more F.U.N. in 2012! Join me?

One word

There's a lot of talk in the scrapbooking community about choosing one word for your new year. I know I chose one last year and then promptly forgot about it. Oops.  This year I think my word might have to be CHANGE. We shall see. There is so much shifting and moving in the whole world, not just in my little sphere. I feel that 2012 will be full of new things and I'm going to live it to the fullest.

It is as plain to me as the nose on my face that life is SHORT and now that my health is back to normal (apart from residual lack of energy), there is no excuse for letting the days, weeks and months drift by.  I need to work on the planning aspect, as this is what I need to keep on the straight and narrow, but even that is fun - I love stationery and books and pens and colours... and that "back to school" feeling you used to get in September but now seems to happen as the old year gives way to the new. 

I feel full of hope for what is to come and I hope you'll join me on the journey.