A Very Handmade Bear

I am not sure what to blog about today, as there are a couple of potential things, but nothing that really stands out. I have decided to go with a post about these little guys. I made the goldy/ brown one months ago and the blue one one of the weekend nights.

They look very handmade (especially since I just noticed the fray I have not corrected on the blue one yet), but are cute I think and very simple to make for a little gift. All you need is some fabric (one for the body, one for the nose and one for the outfit, if you want them to have one), something to stuff it with (the gold one has old duvet wadding and the blue one an old pair of tights) and a needle and thread.

Draw a basic template onto the main fabric, having it doubled overm so you get two of each bit:

Cut it out and sew around the edge, leaving the neck open on both the body and head, ready for stuffing:

Then turn them inside out (this can be a little tricky- use a pencil to poke in and help you push out the arms and legs fully) and stuff them, using your own discretion to decide how much to put in.

Then cut a small circle of fabric for the nose, place a little stuffing in the centre and fold it around it, sewing the edges together. this can be done fairly roughly, you just need it to make a little ball when you are finished.

Sew this onto the centre of the face.
Finally, sew the neck together, with the bottom of the neck piece either tucked into the body (as with the blue one), or overlapping on the outside (like the gold one, which was easier). It is tricky holding it in place, but is easy enough to sew in a straight line alone it once you get started. I just used a running stitch that went through both sides.

Then, if you want to, you can add an outfit. I simply cut a large rectangle of fabric and lay the bear on it. I then marked where to cut it for the arms and neck and did so. I slipped the fabric over the bear's head and cut it to the length I wanted it, then sewed down the edges of the fabric. Fot this blue bear, I decided a dress should be worn and wanted a little more shape, so I simply cut out another thin strip of fabric, put it around the waist, and sewed it at he back, to secure it into place.

And you are done! It took me an hour and a half or so, including the preparation, so not too time consuming and with a lovely little end result :) This pair are officially 'Hermin' and 'Hettie'.

A (Late) Midsummer Night's Dream

I went to see the latest RSC production of A Midsummer Night's Dream last night. I really was not sure what to expect as it is a play that could be done in quite a few ways really, and some of the RSC productions I have seen have taken things pretty far out of the original context (The Taming of the Shrew in a strip club, anyone?). Plus, I had never seen this play on stage before, which is odd since it is such a famous one.

It was also the first time I had been into the newly refurbished theatre, having been watching plays at The Courtyard for the past couple of year. I was very impressed, especially by the shop, which held a lot more stock and which tempted me into a couple of badges, a fridge magnet and a postcard. The actual layout was similar to The Curve in Leicester, with it having a variety of stage doors for entry, situated along a rounded theatre wall. Very nice, anyway.

It turned out that the actors playing Nick Bottom and Hermia were not able to perform that night, which was a bit disappointing to hear, but the cast turned out to be fantastic. The whole play was well acted, but I think those two actually stood out as the best: Hermia perfectly embodying the ‘little, but fierce’ role and Bottom being a great comedic actor.

It kicked off in an interesting manner, with live action whilst some of the audience was still entering. The scene set was rather like a warehouse, with stark white walls, bare bulbs and metal all around and the Mechanicals were, interestingly, introduced in the first few minutes via a ‘problem’ under the stage (a steam emitting trapdoor), which they had to go and fix.

The play appeared to have a 60s setting (mini dresses donned the two young female lovers) and lights were used to create 'magical' effects, such as the flower's juice annointing the lovers' eyes. In fact, the staging itself was excellent, complete with floating arm chairs and a dining chair 'forest' at one point. 

The finale (the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe) had to be the highlight of the performance though. Done in a greatly comedic way, with purposeful 'mistakes' by the actors, it was fantastic and full of proper full body laughs. Even some of the 'extras' sitting mostly out of site on the metal staircase were laughing heartily along, possibly because they were seeing it afresh because of the understudies performing that night?

I don't want to say too much more and spoil it for anyone going to see it, plus I am aware that this has been a rather long post. All I can say is that this version of the play is well worth a watch and combines the magical fantasy elements of the play, with the comedy and makes a well rounded, well thought out piece. I think it could have perhaps afforded to push the set and magic even further, but the rather stark nature of it did work well to showcase the great talent of the actors. A great show and amazing, despite the fact the understudies had to step up (I wouldn't have known they were if it had not been pointed out) and the play did suffer slightly for it, with the loss of a fairly and a Mechanical as a result. Well worth a watch if you can in the Stratford or London seasons.

Storage Galore

In the process of 'doing up' my spare room I have been adding lots of Storage. I don't have a lot of money, being a student and only working part time, so tend to try and find cheap but pretty items. I opted for the simple 'Billy' bookcases from Ikea in white, as they provide lots of extra storage space, but also allow a fairly neutral colour scheme and allow you to blu tack cards and so on up the sides to add some extra colour. My main want though was storage boxes, as I have lots of things that need boxing up and keeping together if possible (art supplies, magazines, sewing kit etc.).

Anyway, here are a few cute and pretty ones that I have found recently and that fit in quite well with my general bluey theme for the room.

First up is these boxes from B&M:

The turquoise and white one is the 'medium' size box (£1.99) and the purple and white the 'small' (99p). They are a pretty good size (the medium one is holding lots of my A4 paper and notepads) and fit perfectly onto my shelving. I also have the large version of the turquoise one (£2.99), but sadly, that does not fit on my shelves, so is just sitting on the floor at the end of the bed at the moment. The boxes have big press stud like things on the corners to allow you to assemble or dissemble them really easily and have ready made lids.

Next up was the most expensive box, at £3. This one is from Asda and such a good size. It is the right size for A4 paper again, but really deep.

It doesn't strictly go with my colour scheme but has a beautifully summery feel to it (it reminds me of beach huts and deck chairs with the stripey pattern) and actually folds down really easily. You simply insert a thick rectangle of card (included), into the bottom of the box to make it retain its shape, and then take it out when you want to fold the box down. It is made of a plasticy fabric, which sounds horrible, but actually feels pretty nice to the touch. A must for a girly room I think :)

Last up is these two beauties:

The little drawer unit is perfect for jewellery or nail varnishes and the box can have pretty much anything in it, of course. My mum actually bought these for me today and does not know the exact price. They are from Wilkinsons and the estimated price is around £3 for the drawers and £2.50 for the box. I love Wilkinsons anyway, as they tend to have bright, lovely things, that are relatively inexpensive. Their stationery section is normally my weakness, but I am glad my mum spotted these as the drawers are just what I have been looking for to go on my dressing table.

I also have some plain grey storage boxes that were in the sale in Dunelm and are really useful. I am thinking of covering them in some nice wrapping paper, but do quite like the muted, plainess of them against the other brighter boxes. I don't think Dunelm have my exact boxes in stock at the moment, but I have had a quick look on the website and found some nice decorative boxes starting at £3.99. One type of box from their site that I will definitely recommend and vouch for though are these:

At £1.99 they are a good price (plus come in a range of colours, from black to bright green or pink) and perfect for storing shoes in. I can fit one or two pairs of heels or a pair of heels and a couple of flats in one box. They are made of fabric, but have a good frame to stay in shape and are secured by velcro on the side.

So there you go- my storage solutions, as found in the shops at the moments :)

My New Project

As I have mentioned, like a broken record, my best friend is off to uni soon. I wanted to give her something personal and lovely as a present to take with her and make her room homely. Thus, I decided to embark on a new project and make her my first ever patchwork quilt. I ordered the squares a couple of weeks ago now on eBay, and they actually came from South Korea. I decided that I would buy ready cut squares, simply because I found a selection available on there (I wasn't expecting to), plus they were pretty reasonably priced, especially for fabric nowadays. Anyway, the squares arrived today :D I have been waiting for this day for too long.

These are them layed out, sorry about the busy background of the lace tablecloth.

There are 150 squares of 10cm square each, in a wide range of fabrics (the most we have of any one patch is 2). My mum offered to help me sort the squares out tonight after work, so I went around at 11 and we spent the next 2 hours organising the squares into design and drawing squares on the back of each one, which will be the lines I sew along. The square we have ended up with, after allowing the border to stitch together, is 8cm squared. I did this by measuring 1cm in from one edge, drawing a line, and then measuring out 8cm from this and drawing the next line. I then did this with the other two edges too. This ensured that the squares were the correct shape, even if the squares arrived with us cut at slightly wonky angles.

Here is a square that is drawn on:

The project obviously has a fair way to go yet, but all the prep work is out of the way, yay! I am planning to make rows of them to start with, then stitch the rows together, then sew them onto a backing sheet.

On the back will be a border of patches, that is 2 patches wide, and which has some patches that are embroidered with messages from close friends and family. I thought that was a nice touch to help her take a bit of home with her.

So there we go, watch out for more on the project as I go along. I am sure it won't take long at all once I get properly started. I can't wait!

Catterday III

The kittens came home in December :D Here is one of them starting to explore his new territory.

My best friend came to collect them with us and was shocked by how inquisitive they were and how quickly they adjusted. She too has a beautiful cat, and apparently when he 'came home' he just went and hid. Ours were running about the place, sniffing and climbing on everything and generally just claiming their domain. This nature has continued throughout their life and they are lovely cats, not too timid at all and welcoming to guests. We can even take them to visit people in their carrier and they won't make any fuss once they are there.

New shoes!

I have new shoes :D When I was dragged into TK Maxx yesterday I could not resist a browse in the shoe section and fell in love. I now own these Hush Puppies, which are last season (I think), but were £29.99, down from around £65!

They are suede on the outside, with a leather upper interior (I am not usually a buyer of leather, but made an exception this once) and a real wood heel. They are also waterproofed according to the label, so don't need to be subjected to me spraying them.

They have an amazingly good grip (my main shoe gripe) and look great with the black jeans I was wearing today, so hopefully can be dressed down for everyday use, as the chunky heel allows that really. I have been looking for some everyday shoes recently, after my favourite boots are wearing to nothing, but have found nothing with grip on in the shops lately. I think these will do for now on days when I don't want to wear my pumps. Yay!

Photo Thursday III

I am in quite a summery mood this week, so have decided that a picture of me in the summer last year will be this weeks 'Photo Thursday' image. I was playing around with daisy chains and my friend got this shot whilst I was looking for some more.

To me it sums up that lovely relaxed summer's day and brings a bit of sunshine into the week that isn't the warmest August known to man, it has to be said.

One Day

I opted to go and watch One Day today, as a last minute decision, simple because I was so excited to see it when I first heard about it. I have since read the book and will admit that it was one that was a bit so, so for me. It was easy enough to read and I loved the concept of the plot. I did not dislike the characters and it did keep me reading. However, I did feel it was a bit overhyped. Not that much happens in it really and, although I suppose that makes it true to life, it just did not grab me completely. I did not even cry at it, and I am normally a complete emotional minefield that anything can set off. It just seemed that after all the praise and love I read about it in the press, it wasn't anything amazing. It wasn't completely lacklustre, but is not something I will count amongst my favourites.

Anyway. I was still excited about the film and could actually imagine Anne Hathaway as Emma. It may simply be because I knew she was playing the part before I read the book, but I was not in the camp that opposed her playing the part- I thought she would do a great job. I think that she did :) Ok, the accent was not perfect. The Yorkshire accent tended to flit and and out, even at the beginning when it was meant to be strong (I was expecting it to diminish lots as the film went on anyway, as it does in the book). Her accent was defintiely English all the way through though, and I don't think it detracted from the film at all.

Dexter, or should I say, Jim Sturgess, surprised me. From interviews with him he seemed a fairly shy actor (I have never seen him in anything before, so was judging purely on what I read over the past few months) and not someone I could imagine at Dexter that well. I thought he fit the bill perfectly though and made a loveable, but a bit idiotic, character who had the charisma that the part requires. I wouldn't fault either actor at all and feel that it was a pretty good cast overall. I was surprised to see that it was a relatively unknown cast really, apart from Hathaway, and thought that was a refreshing thing, as you are not sitting there constantly wondering where you have seen so and so from before. I also liked the random appearance of Matt Berry as Dexter's agent, as that was an unexpected surprise.

Overall I did like the film and came out glad I had seen it. I am more than willing to sit through it again this coming week with mum, who is on the latter half of the book now. I feel a bit strange about it really though. On one hand I really do feel the book is better, as the film missed out some things that I thought were pretty integral for character development, due to the fact you can only show so much. Things like relationships the character's had were brushed over or never shown at all, and Dexter's problems during his time as a TV star were brushed aside and downplayed on a huge scale, I feel. I thought the character's could have just been shown with so much more depth, but at the same time felt they did not suffer for what was left out. There are bound to be differences from the book and it was done well in the way it was translated to screen (maybe because Nicholls scripted it?), but I still felt that something was missing and was constantly thinking about what was missed out. I think that is the problem with having read the book first though. Having not enjoyed the book too much on reading, I can see from the film that I must have in fact liked it a fair bit and thought it was better than the film and worth a read after having seen it. I can't help but wonder if people seeing the film first will not enjoy it as much, simply because they lack knowledge of some of the backstory and so only see the characters as purely their on screen form? It seems to me that it may be one you enjoy more having read the book to begin with.

The film was well done really and an enjoyable one. For those who have read the book, it is a good enough version to warrant a watch and I don't think you will regret it, and for those who haven't, I would encouarge a read through of the book after, just so you see what was missed, as some of it was really good and worth knowing about the characters.

There were a few little niggles for me, such as locations from the book randomly changing to be set somewhere else in the film (budget restrictions?) and the frustration of some chapters being cut down to just a few minutes on screen. The bits they did in depth were good though and I feel Emma and Dexter really came across in the way that they seem to have been intended.

It is a good one if you want a bit of romance and escapism for a bit. Don't put too many expectations into going, as it is not absolutely fantastic, but it is not time wasted either and is just a nice way to distract yourself from everyday life for a few hours, as you can't help but like the characters and want to know what happens in their stories.

The Uni List

Inspired by my best friend getting into uni, I decided to write a list of all the essentials that people tend to need when they make that big change for themselves. My list is based on my own experience moving into a proper 1 bedroom flat, but it pretty much translatable to work for halls as well. It could also be useful for those moving into a first ever house away from parents :)

Kitchen:
Plates and bowls                 Mugs and Tumblers

Cutlery                               2 saucepans, 1 large, 1 small
Frying Pan                          Wok (if you like Stir Frys etc.)

Utensils: slotted spoon, fish slice, masher (if you like mash), tongs, wooden spoon, potato peeler, pizza cutter
Microwaveable bowl          Baking tray

Tin opener                          Bottle opener

Collander                           Sieve
Measuring jug                    Cheese Grater
Weighing scales, if you plan to bake
Sandwich bags and a couple of tupperware containers to keep food fresh
Tin foil                               Greaseproof paper
Washing Up Liquid            Salt and Pepper Shakers
Tea Towels                       Oven Gloves
Tray(s)                              Bin Bags
A George Foreman Style Grill and Sandwich Maker are other appliances you may want to consider. Most others (Kettle. Toasters etc.) should be supplied by your uni, but check of course.


Your room:
Colourful bedsheets (2 sets, including bottom sheet, duvet cover and pillowcases). A matress protector could also be useful, just in case of a drunken incident
Alarm clock (I would recommend an iPod docking one- can be a great way to listen to music whilst studying, plus works to wake you up)
Cushion for your desk chair, you may well need it!
TV/ games console/ radio- none are necessary, but it is always nice to have something to put on in the background and entertain you when you are in. Also, box sets and DVDs to watch on your laptop.
Stacker draws- an easy way to keep the place relatively tidy and store notepads and things
Extension cord                      A nice lamp
Headphones                         Phone and Laptop chargers
Pen pot/ desk tidy                 A calendar or wall chart organiser
Laundry Basket                    Bin (some rooms supply one)
Photo frames with family photos/ decorative items for your walls (generally there will be pinboard to use, so remember pins too)

Miscellaneous:

A torch, for power cut emergencies (maybe candles and matches too, if you wish)
Ornaments/ fake flowers in a vase etc. It really is the little touches that make it home

First Aid Kit                        Hot Water Bottle
Febreeze Spray or Incense/ Scented candles
Document wallet including passport, passport photos (you will need these for enrolling), driving license, national insurance number, rail card, TV license (if you need one), bank details, medical card and insurance details. Add in uni acceptance letters and your halls contract, if you have one.
Sewing kit, with safety Pins
Umbrella                             Board Games
Batteries                             Personal Safety Alarm
Your toiletries and toilet roll, as well as towels. If you have your own en suite, a toilet brush is advisable too.
Stationary supplies and academic supplies, such as a diary/ planner.

Packing something simple to cook for your first night is always good too, just in case you do not get a chance to pop to the shops because you are too busy moving in and meeting everyone.

Most other things, apart from your clothes, you can get there. By taking all the above though, you are sure to be able to settle in and feel comfortable in your surroundings, without worrying you are missing something. Good luck if you are going to uni, or moving out, this year!

A Stitch in Spare Time

Today was a pretty relaxing day and evening. I watched Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model whilst sat down with some knitting needles and red and black wool. I just decided to see where it took me really. I have a vague idea of wanting to make my mum some nice little plaques for her bedroom and this was sort of an experiment for one. I think I will redo it, as well as some more, in a different colour, as the red would clash with her current decor.


Anyway, this is what I ended up with:

Sorry the picture is not the best quality, as it was taken on my webcam. I still have to sew the ends of the wool in, but it turned out pretty well I think, since I have never really attempted complicated patterns before. It is a simple stocking stitch (knit a row, purl a row) to make it a nice smooth texture and wasn't really done with that much of a pattern. The height of it is 17 stitches, with 3 stitches at the top and bottom left free from pattern to create the border, thus meaning the letters' height is 11 stitches. Anyone who can do basic knitting should be able to create this I am sure =) I am pretty much a novice and am quite proud that I managed to pull it off with relative ease.

So yes, a lovely relaxing night that ended up with something coming out of it. Now, just to decide what to do with it!

Nails Good Enough to Eat

I have confessed before that I like to dabble in nail art, but haven't shown any. It is a poplar and maybe over-one design, but I have decided a Watermelon theme on my toes would be nice and summery for this pretty miserable August week. I actually wanted to do this design last week and did the red and green varnish then, but only managed to get around to the finishing details today.

All you need is a bright red base (Barry M's 'Bright Red' here), a green to sweep along the outer edge of the nail, in a slight curve (I used an old discontinued Rimmel one for mine, but their 'I <3 Lasting Finish' in 'Grass Green' should be good) and then white and black polished or nail art pens.

I used a toothpick and white paint to draw the dividing line, and then put on dots with my black nail art pen (from 'Star Nails'), but you could just as easily use a toothpick for this too, or small brushes for both parts.

I kept my other nails plain red, as the nails are too small to decorate really, but you could easily duplicate the design on every finger, or else do a dark green, like the outer watermelon, on some others :)

So here are my nails this week:

No doubt they will change again soon, but for now I will enjoy that last chance for summery patterns whilst I can.

Catterday II

I am doing these chronologically so next up is a photo of one baby catty on the day we picked him as our own. Who could say no to this face?

His eyes are now a yellowy amber (a good thing since blue eyes can be a sign of deafness if they remain whilst this breed grows up) and he is probably 3 times as big at least. I still remember picking him up the very first time, before we picked him as ours and when he fit on my palm, and am sure that when we went to officially pick him when grown up a little that I had the same one. I just felt a draw to him and I am sure you can see why from that cute little expression.

The Times, They Are a Changin'

Over dramatic title alert I think: I just love cheesy titles that are song lyric inspired.

The first change, the best and actually important one, is that my best friend got her A Level results and is officially heading off to Cambridge! I am so very proud of her, although will miss her loads. I already do a bit and she hasn't even gone yet! She is a very clever lady and I know she will do well there and I can look forwards to going to visit her too and getting to know and see a new city a little :)

The other change is that I have finally been lured into a contract phone (I know, not a big deal, but I resisted for so long). I did not want to switch as I loved my Pay as you Go deal, but it is kinda necessary as work has me spending a lot on topping up recently and a contract will control the costs. The main difference about the contract is that I now officially own my first SmartPhone. Something I was, again, resisting. I am a pretty simple hearted girl and don't really feel the need for a fancy phone, but we shall see how it goes. The phone in question is a Samsung Galaxy Mini. It is a touchscreen (eek, causing problems with texting already!), and has fairly good reviews overall, seeming a good phone for a beginner who does not want too much really. The only let down is the camera, but I have my Nikon for that :) I have already been persuaded to download Angry Birds, so shall no doubt be in for hours of frustration over playing that, and have also downloaded some apps I wanted when perusing the list of available ones: Flixster, IMDB, Not Always Right and BBC News to name most of them. We shall see how this whole thing works now, hopefully I will love it, because I am tied in for 12 months now, afterall.

I am not a fan of change but both of these are potentially good ones that are not going to affect my life negatively, so hopefully it will be a good year and I can use my now instant internet access to make sure Beth and I can keep in contact via email if we want to too.

Photo Thursday II

It was hard to pick a photo this week, as it will be every week I imagine. This one is only here because it was literally created today. It was originally an image from a trip to London a few months ago now (to see Shooting Stars be filmed at the BBC, so you can tell the length of time ago, as it is now airing). Anyway, some photo editing software was downloaded to the computer this week, so I had a mess around and this was created using the ink sketch setting. I know it is not techincally the original photo, but I like the effect and quite liked the photo to begin with anyway =)

It has made it to here because it features a certain Hello Kitty, who I love (I was basically dragged into that state by being bought loads of things with her emblazoned on it, but am now a fan on my own). If you want your own picture by her and to look at the wonderful selection of merchandise on offer featuring her, then head to Hamleys in London. It was one of the highlights of my day, and this photo is a lovely memory of that.

Horrible Bosses

Orange Wednesday and I was not at work- woo! Tonight I went to see Horrible Bosses, which I was not massively fussed about, but liked the idea of enough for me to give it a go. I ended up quite surprised actually, as I enjoyed it more than I imagined. I was expecting a typical boy film I think, with big doses of the slapstick/ toilet humour brands of comedy. It was not too in your face though and had laughs, but not at the sake of the plot, which could have been a bit rubbish really from the general concept.

Basically, three guys all have jobs in which they hate their bosses. The economy is not the best for getting a new job, and they may not get a good reference anyway from the monsters they work for, so they end up agreeing that the best bet is to get these bosses out of the way (aka kill them). A bit stupid, I know, but it turns out fairly ok. The acting in this film carries it well I think, with pretty big name stars in in (Kevin Spacey as Horrible Boss 1; Jason Bateman at his employee; Jennifer Aniston as Horrible Boss 2; appearances from Jamie Foxx and Donald Sutherland etc.) and you come across feeling that the plot was played out in the best way it possibly could have been. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is intelligent comedy, but it is not stupid either.

Jennifer Anistor looked uber hot as a nymphomaniac boss and it was great to see her in a different role to chick flick ones that she does tend to be favoured in. Generally it was just a good and a little different. A great one for a laugh if you just want something to entertain, so get it out on DVD when it comes out (not too long I bet), as it will be coming to the end of its cinema run soon I believe.

The next comedy on my hit list will be Friends With Benefits I think. The trailer is before everything at the cinema right now, and I just want to see it already! It is pretty much the same concept as No Strings Attached (which I loved!) as far as I can tell, but looks funny, so will hopefully not disappoint. It seems a pretty good summer for comedy overall, as Bridesmaids was good too :)

A Free Tuesday

I normally work Tuesday, but have been given it off this week, which is great. I am not up to anything that special today, just a lovely relaxing day and night, but thought I would take the time to think about other lovely things that I have to look forwards to. Thinking about it, there are a few more than I anticipated, which is always a good feeling.

Thursday, August 18th- Results Day! Not mine, but my best friend's. She is uber smart and set to go to Cambridge. I have no doubt she will get in, so I can look forward to being there to celebrate with her.

Monday, August 29th- A Midsummer Night's Dream at Stratford. I practically lived at The Courtyard last summer and saw all but one of the productions. This is my first time in the refurbished theatre though, and for what should be a great play =) surprisingly, I have never seen this one on stage before, so it will be great to cross it off my list.

Sometime in between... Beach trip and painting the house (I know I am sad to be excited about that, but I love decorating, even though it will only be freshening up the cream since I rent).

Monday, September 12th- Heading off for a mini roadtrip around the West/ North of England. It is supposed to be rainy, but who cares, as it is my little holiday this year and will be great either way!

Saturday, September 17th- A work friend's birthday party/ house warming party. He is lovely and it should be a nice night being able to meet new people and celebrate with him.


Tuesday, September 20th- Pearl Jam film night =) I am pretty excited about the glut of band documentaries out recently. I like Pearl Jam, so this is on my list and will be fab as I get to see it at the Cinema de Lux (meaning nice comfy seats, plus the fab Showcase popcorn!).

Monday, October 3rd- My best friend leaves for uni. It will be the saddest day in a long, long time I imagine, but I will be so happy for her and will hopefully get to send her off in style.

Friday, November 18th- The Darkness concert. Should be entertaining to say the least.
It is not a massive amount, but a few things that are booked and well spread out, to mean I head into Autumn happy.

I Want to Love You Madly

I love this song at the moment.

The concept and general message of it is pretty lovely and refreshing I think- loving someone right here and now and not letting things weigh you down or worrying too much about the little things and where it is heading. Obviously in a relationship you want some stability and security, but I think it is possible to know you are both heading somewhere long term without having to stress about when the next milestones will happen and things. I probably interpret it in my own way and it could well just be about a one night stand kind of scenario. For me it isn't though and is just a lovely upbeat song that reminds you that you don't have to take things too seriously. The lyrics are below for those who do not know them:

"I don't want to wonder
If this is a blunder
I don't want to worry whether
We're gonna stay together
'Till we die

I don't want to jump in
Unless this music's thumping
All the dishes rattle in the cupboards
When the elephants arrive

I want to love you madly
I want to love you now
I want to love you madly, way
I want to love you, love you
Love you madly

I don't want to fake it
I just want to make it
The ornaments look pretty
But they're pulling down the branches
Of the Tree

I don't want to think about it
I don't want to talk about it
When I kiss your lips
I want to sink down to the bottom
Of the sea

I want to love you madly
I want to love you now, yeah
I want to love you madly, way
I want to love you, love you
Love you madly

I don't want to hold back
I don't want to slip down
I don't want to think back to the one thing that I know I
Should have done

I don't want to doubt you
Know everything about you
I don't want to sit across the table from you
Wishing I could run

I want to love you madly
I want to love you now
I want to love you madly, way
I want to love you, love you
Love you madly"

The 'know everything about you' bit is the only bit that stands out to me as making this definitely seem a song about short term things. I think you can still take something from that though in the sense that it is nice to have separate interests and little things that you can talk about that are new to the other person and more about you as an individual. It is a nice message for us all to remember I think.

It makes me happy anyway and I love the beat and things <3 I don't want to overanalyse, but just share it for those who may not know it.

A Week In

I am a week into my blog now and still posting, so a good start indeed! I figured at this stage I might as well do a post meaning you get to know a bit more about me, as if you read this then you will obviously be ok putting up with my wittering as it is. I think a '5 things' blog post will do the trick, so I will do a few lists, each of 5 things, that mean you can learn more about myself and my loves.

5 things that make me happy:
- Sitting inside on an autumn or winter day, listening to the sound of the rain on the window. I find there is no more comforting feeling.
- Buying presents. I love shopping for other people (although am not the greatest fan of shopping in general). I am always getting little bits and pieces for people if something reminds me of them. It is only generally a pound or two here and there, but who doesn't love an occasional surprise gift?
- The cinema. Film in general really. I can get on with most genres and just love being absorbed in the plot and someone else's life for a while, even though they are not real. A well chosen film can cheer me right up.
- Animals. I never thought I would say this, as I was a pretty scaredy cat kid and did not tend to like many animals (apart from my childhood rabbit and guinea pig). I love animals now though and am often told I will need to buy a zoo when I am older with all the pets I want. I have had cats and a hamster (sadly departed now :( ) since adulthood hit and would love more one day. My favourite days out are to feed the ducks, to the zoo, or to a local garden centre with a petting zoo. I have an obsession with black and white animals mainly (penguins, pandas, cows, you get the drift..).
- Dresses. I am a dress girl. I never even owned a pair of jeans until my mid teens. I have a load of tea dresses and tend to wear dresses all year around (I love my thick, wooly tights in the winter!)- they can make you feel like you have made an effort even if you haven't really and just generally make me feel good.

5 favourite films:
- March of the Penguins (see above black and white obsession)
- The Virgin Suicides- it was just directed and filmed so well I feel.
- 500 Days of Summer- the perfect, different, rom com type of film.
- 10 Things I Hate About You- Heath Ledger in this is amazing <3 It is a great feel good, pick me up, and a great example of a teen movie.
- Norwegian Wood. This film is up there at the moment as it is hard picking just 5 and it is a recent watch. I love foreign films anyway and I just liked this adaptation, which really captured the dreamy feeling that the book leaves you with.

5 things I would love to do before I die:
- Hang gliding- I don't think I would mind sky diving too much, but this idea appeals to me way more. I quite like heights and imagine the view is incredible, and the feeling of being up there would be too.
- Surfing. I am a water sign (cancerian) and do love the water and being in it. The look of surfing has always appealed to me, even though I am so unsporty it is untrue, so I would love to give it a go.
- See Penguins in their natural habitat. I don't necessarily mean the south pole, I would be just as happy with South Africa or New Zealand, but I would love to observe them in the wild.
- Own and learn to play the guitar. I have wanted a guitar for years. I love music and the sound of guitars. So far I have not managed to persuade anyone to get me one for Christmasses or birthdays, but I will end up getting myself one if that does not work soon, I am sure.
- Have a family. I never used to be maternal, but I feel (although I do say so myself) that I could be a good mother and would love a little one or two or my own.

5 things I dislike:
- Cheese. It makes me feel sick. As does ham.
- Dishonesty. I don't mean a white lie that won't harm anyone, I mean actually lying, I don't get the point.
- Lifts. I am getting over it, but am not a fan at all.
- My nose. It is not too bad, but it is my least favourite body part I think- it has a bump and may well be a bit too long too.
- Crocodiles. They scare me- a lot.

I think that will definitely do for now. I hope that gives you a bit more of an insight into me really :)

Catterday I

I am a cat owner and proud. Thus, I have decided that Saturday will be renamed 'Catterday' on my blog, so I can share a photo, or maybe anecdote, each week. I have 2 little black cats (well not so little anymore- they are nearly 1!) and love to coo about them. This will be both an easy way to share them with the world, and an easy blog post on what is usually my busiest day at work, so I hope you don't mind =).

I thought I would start at the beginning (no better place, after all) and show the first photo I took of them at just a week or so old. This is before we officially picked ours yet and is a lovely photo of them with their brothers, another black cat, plus a ginger and a grey tabby, and their mum:

Watch out for more next week

Pug Love!

One thing I have somehow failed to mention about me yet is my love for pugs. I don't have one (although hope to have one, or maybe even two one day, and have the names picked out) and am not even a massive dog fan usually, having gotten over a massive phobia of them, but that breed melt my heart.

I watch 'Gok's Fashion Fix' just for Gladys and Pixie, Brix's pugs how adorable they are- especially in their little dogs coats. I know a list, in my mind, of quite a few celebrity owners. I had 'Pepper the Pug' (look him up if you don't know of him) as my desktop background for about a year. Whenever I see one out I go gooey. I have this video on my iPod. I have even read lots of pamphlets and articles about caring for them.
This love usually mainfests itself via Google Images. However, in the past year or so it also does so on the David and Goliath website. They have a range of pug tees (plus a nightwear set and hoodie) that set me drooling. At £20 a t-shirt though, I just can't justify the price, especially at the moment since I am pretty poor.
If you don't know the range then some are shown below:

I am considering buying myself one a month as a treat, as I am sure they can't be available for much longer. I really want 'Pug Mix' to start with, as I love music too, but that is a relatively new addition as far as I am aware from my viewings, so I think that will have to wait. Is is sad that I even want the matching pants? At £7 I would probably never wear them, but hey, they cold br framed or something right?


Anyway, I have been happily living in ignorance of pug clothing recently, not tempting myself with the David and Goliath site too much. Here is the link to the UK one if you wanted to take a closer look or buy (lucky!) by the way

That was until I saw a 'Pugs not Drugs' t-shirt in Topshop when I was persuaded in by my best friend. I fell in love, hard, and told my mum about it. Little did I know that she managed to fish out the details of the T-shirt from me and then only went and bought it for me as a surprise. I was actually amazed and felt so lucky, as it cost £20 for that version too. I wasn't even aware of owning it at first, as she had hidden it in a bag (sneaky way to get me to unpack washing) for me to find when I hung my clothes up. Needless to say, I didn't bother until she hinted I should . Anyway, I stuck it straight on and here it is!

Yay for pugs! I saw a picture of Frankie Sandford from The Saturdays (a pug owner!) wearing a pink cropped version in a photo last year and liked the slogan then, so seeing it come to a shop near me was amazing. I am sure it will become one of the tees I live in, since my mum got a baggier size for me too, so it is very comfy. I hope this is the start of an influx of even more pugs into the fashion market (although my debit card disagrees), so I shall have to see. I have already seen 2 pugs in fashion ads in my magazines this month, so it is a good start. Long live the pug!

Photo Thursday I

OK, so I decided that, since I like taking photos, I would share one every week on a Thursday. I just picked the day as it happens to be now, and I have my first photo picked out.

This is one of my favourite shots from my time at Sonisphere 2010. It was just a blurry, out of focus shot, that I took when trying to pick the right setting. However the colours on it are beautiful and it stands out to me as one of my favourite ever photos because of the way I managed to catch the light looking like music notes. I am not sure how that is even possible, but it happened. It is as if I captured the music they were playing as a visual, and it amazed me. I truly think this is a once in a lifetime shot for me, so here it is:

Ciaté nail polishes = my clear favourite

If there is one thing I love, it is freshly painted nails. I am still devastated that, because I work with food, I can't have my finger nails painted anymore. I used to have them painted virtually constantly and loved playing with nail art. I have only just really thought about starting to apply nail art to my toe nails instead (it is not so great, especially on my feet, as my big toe nail is the only one of any real size at all, so is the only I can really do anything major with). I did recently try a pokemon design though, with a fab half red and half white nail (complete with black dividing lines and the centre circle) and a yellow pikachu on my other foot, with little red circles for cheeks and drawn on features. Hopefully I will be applying many more different designs soon and maybe showing them on here. My nail art pens are missing me! (well, ok, it is definitely the other way around...)

Anyway, one brand of polish I love to pieces is Ciaté. I got my first ever polish by them free with Marie Claire last year, and on using it found it to be a virtually perfect nail varnish, The colour was strong and vibrant, with a nice gloss, the brush (a 250 bristle, flat brush) was good and meant it applied evenly and well, the bottle was oh so cute with the little bow around the handle and, most importantly, I had it on for 5 days with no top coat, totally chip free. That is very rare for me. I since begged my mum to invest in some more for my Christmas gift and received another 3 bottles. It is a shame I can't paint my fingernails for long at a time, if I do at all, as it is a waste to put on a polish that lasts so well. On my toes the polish lasts until I have to trim my nails, so it still gets a good airing on there.

Anyway, I wanted to share my love now as a) I rarely get any slightly expensive beauty items to recommend and b) Marie Claire is again giving away a free polish this month. I have opted for the lovely nude colour 'My Fair Lady' (ok, I am hoping I can get away with it at work occasionally, although doubt I will actually end up trying), but may buy a second copy for the purple shade 'Wait Until Dark' too, since the cover price of £3.60 is pretty good if you get a £9 polish free- you effectively get 2 full size bottles for the price of less than 1 from their official shop. Bagain! You also get a 25% off discount code if you register on the site before September 30th. Roll on pay day :D

I really do love the brand and can't recommend them enough. They do every shade you could ever really want, apply and wear brilliantly, and look great lined up on your dressing table. Here is their shade 'Knickerbockerglory' from the website, for those who do not know what the bottles look like.

A tip I heard as well is that Amazon sell the polishes at £7.99, so slightly cheaper than Ciate themselves. Worth considering if you like them from trying the freebie. Go snap up the magazine today and try it for yourself, or else browse the extensive range online :)

Let them Eat Cake! Or just admire them :)

One thing I love more than anything is baking and decorating cakes. It is a lovely thing to do, as you can share baked goods with people you love, and it is a more personal kind fo treat to give someone as involved some form of effort.

I am often elected to make birthday cakes for people, or just enjoy making a few cupcakes for friends birthdays as an extra little (yummy!) gift.

To make a typical sponge cake I use two round or square tins and the recipe as follows:
6oz/ 170g sugar
6oz/ 170g self raising flour
6oz/ 170g margarine
2 large eggs

Simply blend the margarine and sugar together to start with. Add one egg in, and mix, then the other. The stir in the flour with a metal spoon, half at a time. If the mixture seems really thick or is curdling slightly, then you can add a splash of milk to help.

Then divide the mixture equally into the tins, lined with greaseproof paper, and bake for around 20 minutes in an over pre-heated to 180 degrees (200 for non fan ovens).

Prick the cake, when you feel it is done, with a skewer or knife and see if it comes out clean. If so, the cake is done. If there is any wetness or mixture on the knife though, then stick it back in the oven for a little while.
You can use this recipe for cupcakes too, just spoon the mixture into cases in a patty tin.

The things I have the most fun with is decorating and personalising the cakes. My best friend and I often bake cupcakes and decorate ones for each other and just some in general, with lots of little bits and pieces: hundreds and thousands and sugar strands, chocolate, food colouring, icing pens, icing shapes, mini marshmallows and so on. Here is one particularly messy example!:

I recently tried using proper frosting, which never normally works for me, to decorate cupcakes as a birthday treat too:

Decorating proper cakes has got to be my favourite though, just because you can be that bit more creative with shapes and proper colours and things. Some examples from over the years are below. I hope you like them- I was assured they were tasty at the time :)

 There will no doubt be more of these added over time, so keep an eye out for them.

Pinterest

I love Pinterest. It is a website where you basically create virtual pinboards to keep bits and bobs you find on the internet together. I always found my history, or pictures folder, would get clogged with sites I had saved, or pictures I downloaded to my desktop, but now I don't have to because it is easy to collect everything together in one place.

To join you have to get an invite from a member, but that is easy enough to do really. If anyone reads this and wants to join then if you get your email address to me through a  comment or private message, then I could send you one myself. Once you are a member yourself you can also add your friends and find ones that already use it.

You start, once signed up, by creating pinboards, or using the set ones they give you to start with, and basically come up with some categories that the pictures you pin will fall into. You can add more boards at any point and will often find that you do tend to like lots of pictures that could come within one category ('romantic', 'beautiful places' etc.), so won't find it too hard knowing what boards to create.

To be able to pin things you simply save the 'pin this' link they give you on signing up to your favourites, and then whenever you are on a page you see a picture you like on, you go into your favourites and click the 'pin this' link. It will then show you all the images on the page and you pick the one you wanted to save. In a little pop up window you can give the picture a caption and pick which board to assign it to. Once you then click to save it, it goes straight onto your board.
On your boards you can see all the pictures you have pinned, and if you click on them you can also see the source page that it came from. This means you don't have to bookmark the picture yourself too, so you know where it came from. It is also a great way to make sure you can revisit an art blog or one you have taken inspiration from, and will basically have a collection of your favourite sites in one place over the course of the board, so can click onto them whenever you wish, through the image you saved.

You can use boards to collect wardrobe inspiration, wedding inspiration, tattoo inspiration or whatever you wish. It can mean you just get to store pretty pictures and revisit them again and again, or actually make collections that will one day mean you have lots of ideas in place for your wedding or fashion ideas and so on.
Everything you pin can also be seen by everyone else on the site from the homepage and can be repinned by them onto their own boards, or you can repin nice things you find on theirs. You can also follow other users that you like the boards and pins of, so you always see their new pins on your homepage.

To be honest, I was not thinking the site would be that amazing when I started, but it really does become addictive and just a lovely way to keep inspirations, ideas and lovely things in one place. Sometimes I will actively search for pictures to add to my boards, and sometimes I will just add one occasionally when I come across something I particularly like on a website. My own boards currently include: 'Great Spaces and Places', 'Cakes', 'Wishlist', 'Romantic' and a couple more.

It really is a site that you need to try to like it. It can be lovely to sit of an evening and just look at what your friends and strangers have pinned and find things that you never would have discovered otherwise.
It really is one of those things that I am so glad I have joined and may not be something I use every day, but it always there as a document of what I like and my interests and something I can look back on and smile after a lull from using it. Give it a go if you haven't before, or just browse the site without joining for now and see what it is about. It is fun, addictive and useful, so I hope you like it as much as me if you elect to give it a try :)

Scrabble Tile Obsessed

I recently saw a picture, through a blog online, that I traced back to DeviantArt (click on the link to see) from an artist called KatherineBaker, who does some lovely art with words.

Anyway, it made me think about scrabble tiles and the cool things that can be done with them. I already have a beautiful scrabble tile ring from my best friend:

If I can get a used game from a charity shop I might have a go at some photo frames or something similar, but for now I just wanted to make some messages with tiles I have made (just slightly rectangular pieces of paper in a similar colour to the tiles). I loved the idea of a nice message, as you rarely get to give a card just telling someone they are great and it seems a bit odd just writing that on the front of a piece of card. By scrabble-izing it, it is a cute but more substantial way of being able to say something like that. I thus started with this card:

Lining them up in fairly neat rows and using nice bright colours made it look nice enough for me. Inside I then went on to write exactly why the message was true and a few things I love about the recipient.
I then extended the theme to a birthday card I had to make for in a few days time. The recipient is a fellow English student so will hopefully like the idea.This is the original with the 'tiles' stuck on. I chose a green background, like the actual board in the game (or at least the version I have):

I had room to put on all the words I wanted to in the end, when originally I was going to stick with a simple 'Happy Birthday'- I like how this has turned out though. One it was dry I drew on lines with black pencil crayon and shaded a few squares in, the colour they would be for triple word scores and so on, making sure I replicated the right pattern. The end result is:

Not too bad if I do say so myself :) Hopefully he will like it as something a little more personal than a shop bought card. I finished the theme off with a nice and cheesy 'I hope you day is a great as a triple word score' written inside, because it simply had to be done.

So, that is my scrabble tile themed evening out of the way for now, but I am sure I will do some more things along these lines in the future, and hopefully using the real thing.

Getting to Know Me...

I think I had probably better start off with a small 'getting to know me' post, just in case any scrolls down or wants to know more about the person writing the gibberish I no doubt will.
I am:

• Into crafty pursuits, and make lots of little bits and bobs.
• A fan of food (but mostly plain stuff). I try to cook, but have not branched out that far yet. I can, however, bake.
• A student, wanting to be a primary teacher.
• Someone who loves to be helpful, or at least tries to be whenever I can.
• A book lover. Reading and writing are cathartic to me and a lovely escape for a little while.
• Quiet, shy, reserved: however you want to put it. Those who know me well probably wish they could shut me up half the time though.
• A photo-aholic. I take my camera most places and love capturing those memories.
• A good listener. In fact, I sometimes like to sit back and just listen or observe.
• A fan of brackets (sometimes too much).
• Into pretty things. Maybe I spend too much on postcards, little ornaments and things to brighten up the place, but I like my house to be a home.
• A procrastinator- although, for once, I am not meant to be doing anything right now.
• In my early twenties, but much younger at heart and with 'a mature head on my shoulders'.
• Reliable, in the sense I am trustworthy and will always be there, but not always the fastest person around. This blog will probably have massive amounts of posts sometimes, and then none for quite a while. I am accepting of that.
• A little odd occassionally (Ok, maybe more than that )- but just me.

Hopefully that s enough and may give you an insight in what I will be posting. Photos, things I find and like, things I make or bake and just general ponderings.
And there is me I hope you enjoy my blog.