Things I Have On Monday!

Okay, so I will definitely get back to the ole Monday Must Haves next week - today is all about sharing my good news with you guys and showing you the bits and pieces I've been up to over the last week (^_^)

♥ I got some *great* news from the tax office last week - a couple of years ago, I worked for an opticians who didn't get my tax sorted out properly and I paid emergency tax for six months.  Last week, a letter turns up telling me I'm entitled to a tax rebate - £936 worth of rebate!  I couldn't believe it!  I'm so thrilled; this means I have more money saved for S's eventual move over here, for our house and for bills and all that junk (^_^) One of the most exciting letters I've ever received!

♥ I *finally* stopped procrastinating, making excuses and got off my butt, bought some proper running shoes and went for a run!  

{Spangly New Running Shoes!}

Even though I had problems when I attempted this the first time around, I'm so glad I gave it another go; I love how exhilarated it makes me feel when I've completed a run (albeit a short one!) and I'm really pleased that I'm getting some good exercise too!  Here's to a healthier Autumn!

♥ I crossed off one thing from my '10 Things' list - check out these bad boys!

{Oh Brown Boots, I ♥ You}

I found these on Ebay in instantly fell in love; they're perfect winter boots for me, with a good thick sole, waterproofed suede and a little heel for that touch of extra height (not that I need it, being 5'7!) I really am now all set for Winter and can't wait to pair these with pretty skirts and colourful tights (^_^)

♥ I kept putting off making this doll because I've never made a doll before and this one looked pretty challenging!  Last week, I knuckled down and sketched a template for myself and today I put pencil to fabric and cut out the pieces I need to make S's sister the perfect addition to her CosPlay outfit!

{It's Gonna Be A Biggun!}

I now have to dye the individual pieces (the head is yellow and the arms are blue and red) and get them all sewn together with the aid of my Mum's sewing machine!  I'm excited about completing this project; it's been a new venture for me and I know S's sister will be thrilled when it gets to her!

♥ Last but not least, I did some more work on my art journal this week and created a page for song number 2;

'The Broken' - Year Of The Black Rainbow

{Obscurity Has No Heroes}

This image was inspired by the following lyrics;

The world looks better when you're falling...

...Pray for The Broken, no-one can fix us,

We are, we'll always be The Wronged.

I'm super pleased with how this turned out (^_^) I love using red and black together, it always looks so striking and bold!  I might tweak the quote I've put in the top right corner; I'd like to write it in type-font and perhaps colour the background a similar red to the praying hands...We'll see!  It's a work in progress!

Well, I get the feeling my week is going to deteriorate pretty quickly since I'm now looking forward to two 10-hour days at work (boo!) but I'll keep smiling after having a great week last week!  S and I are *still* waiting for the paperwork to get there but the good news we've got the necessary funds to make the application so as soon as it gets there, all systems go!

I hope you're all having a great week and thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥

Hello September!

I can't believe it's September already!  It really feels like this year is just whizzing by!

I've had a look at my '10 Things' list and I'm *really* not pushing myself through it!  I'm about halfway through my 20 books list but the rest is just sitting there, not getting done.  So I'm determined to get at least three things on my list done *this month*.

I've been really slacking on my weight loss goal too; if you remember, when I started working in the bakery I had given up sugar for Lent and was managing to steadily lose weight.  After that finished, I started tucking into sweet things again and, well, I haven't stopped!  So all the weight I lost has gone back on *sad face* The worst part is, I ordered myself a gorgeous Coheed and Cambria t-shirt in my usual size and it's really tight so I can't wear it *wails* So my weight loss goal for this month is to be able to wear my Coheed tee on October 1st and for it to fit me like it should!

I'm excited about the start of this month; I'm determined to push myself forward and start working on my goals again, as I've let them slide the last few months.  I'm also excited for my brother's 18th birthday (I can't believe he's so old now!) and for getting paperwork together to send for S's visa application!  We're really hoping we can get things worked out so he can be here for Christmas - wouldn't that be awesome?

I hope you're all enjoying a glorious September 1st and have lots of super exciting things planned for this month!

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥

Monday Must Haves #9

It's that glorious time again!  The sun is shining, the sky is blue and it's a delicious, warm evening out (^_^) I'm sat here with my glass of sun tea, in my onesie, mulling over all the beautiful things I've seen this week and am now completely lusting after!

This week I'm in love with pretty, flowery, colourful bits and bobs and I'm so excited to share some of these beautiful things with you!

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♥ This is *such* a cute little brooch!  I'm still in love with bird designs and motifs and this happy feathered guy surrounded by flowers is just wonderful to look at.  I love how delicate and intricate it is!

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♥ This is absolutely beautiful, I want it!  I've had a full body pillow to sleep with before and it's *so* comfy, I'd love another one.  The pattern and colours of this one are just lovely, it'd look great resting up against my headboard during the day and so comfy to snuggle at night!

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♥ I have a beautiful, solid wood jewellery box that was a Christmas gift from my parents and I love it.  But you can never have too many boxes to store your lovely necklaces and earrings in, right?  I really like the colour of this and the design is so darling, simple and bright!

I hope you're all having a lovely Monday!  I am, I've had a cracking day off (even though I had to do chores this morning) and am planning on a very lazy evening with lots of sitting in the garden and relaxing!

Oh, I *did* go to give blood on Friday but I was told my veins weren't suitable *sad face* It kind of sucked because I was, in a weird way, looking forward to it so to know I'm not able to is a bit annoying.  Having said that, when she pulled out the needle to show me, I was sort of glad it wasn't going to be put in my arm!  Swings and roundabouts, eh?  So, I'll have to cross that one off of my '10 Things' list as un-doable, but it's all good!  Just need to plough on with the rest of them now!

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥

I Have To Return Some Videotapes

Book #4 of 2011 was the fantastic 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis. 

I'd seen the movie years ago and loved it; 80s music, dark humour and an incredibly buff Christian Bale = epic.good.movie.

For the record, I *love* Huey Lewis and the News

While I'm pleased to say that the movie stayed true to the novel for the most part, I'm almost glad it wasn't word for word!  This novel was gory, horrific and somewhat terrifying in its brutality - certainly not for the faint of heart.

Patrick Bateman is expertly constructed as a character; one half professional Wall Street banker with exceptional fashion taste and perfect skin, an intense work-out routine and an understandable disdain for the ignorance of those who surround him; the other half, an utterly psychotic, disgustingly inventive mass-murderer.  Both halves reside in one body, straining against each other in an expensive, materialistic, drug-fuelled yuppie world.

The novel is hilarious - it had me laughing out loud on so many occasions.  Equally, it had my stomach churning and me forcibly gasping.  There are whole chapters dedicated to music, paragraph upon paragraph of clothing descriptions, discussions on how to wear them and what to accessorise with.  Page after page of restaurant reservations and obscenely expensive meals, littered with Platinum AmEx mentions.  There are snide remarks, death threats, long and gruesome descriptions of torturous killings, copious drug use and more than just a little sexually explicit discussion.  This whole combination runs from the sublime to the ridiculous, dull normality and tedium to twisted insanity in the blink of an eye.  It's precisely this which makes 'American Psycho' unputdownable.

So if you're looking for a read that's a little bit different, that'll make you laugh and shock your socks off, I'd thoroughly recommend this book.  I wouldn't advise reading it while eating, though!

Hope you're having a wonderful Thursday!  I've got a killer shift at work tomorrow (6am-6pm...HELP) but thankfully I've got the whole weekend off *woop woop* which I fully intend on using to relax, read and finding some gorgeous yarn to learn to crochet with!  Yay for free weekends!

What have you got planned for yours?

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥

10 Things And June Goals UPDATE

Since we've reached the middle of the year (and the middle of June, pretty much) I figured now might be a good time to have a look see how I've done with completing the goals I set myself.

...

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have looked!

I've still got quite a way to go!  I've read four books so far this year, one being in this month (review to come soon) and I've got a workout and crochet session planned for this week (promise promise) but most of the goals on my '10 Things' list remain thoroughly untouched and abandoned.  There are things I'm currently too lacking in funds to do (hello, knee-high boots and driving lessons), things I keep inadvertently missing (blood donation, I'm looking at you) and things that I'm just about getting around to but not quite (still got 15lbs to go and the ultimate delicious cheese sauce remains sadly out of reach)

But I'm getting there.  And I *will* get there.  With only six months (I say 'only', but cripes will it fly!) left to go of the year, I need to kick myself into action and really nail some of these goals!  I can happily say I've figured out that dresses are my 'thing' (thank you, S.  I know I should've listened before but come on, you always say I look nice), proudly say I've lost over 14lbs already and I'm pretty stoked about pushing myself towards completing my goals!  I think I've taken it pretty easy on myself so far this year, but it's time for things to change; it's my favourite season, I have a fresh start with a new place and my favourite person coming to live here and there are simply too many awesome things to do this year to keep putting them off!  Roll on the next six months!

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥

New Hair + New Shoes = Awesome Wednesday

Yay, I had my hair cut!  And I freakin' ♥ it (^_^) Here's me and my barnet before (excuse the bleary eyes, it was early in the morning when I took this)

And here's me now, with my 'soft layering', fuller fringe and all-round-awesomeness!

Okay, so it isn't the biggest difference in the world but I can feel it.  I feel shiny and sleek and groomed and my hair is softer than I think it's ever been.  My hairdresser was lovely and gave me exactly what I wanted, plus she massaged my head when she washed my hair *heaven* I think she did an awesome job, now I have lovely hair (^_^) Yay!  Hair, consider yourself crossed off of my '10 Things' list!

My family and I went out to eat today at a gorgeous American-style diner called 'The DownTown Diner', as a special treat for my Mum's birthday (it isn't until Saturday but it's fun to extend the celebrations!) and I had a *huge* plate of macaroni cheese with chicken and a little slice of garlic bread and a delicious banana milkshake with whipped cream on top.  Wow was it yummy (^_^)  I forgot to take a picture because I was ravenous and tucked in right away!  I love eating out with my family, we don't do it all that often so it makes it really special when we all hang out together.

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Here are my pretty pretty new shoes!  I had some canvas shoes already but they've started to wear on the sole *sad face* so I picked up a couple of cheap pairs today that will be perfect for strolling around NYC in (^_^) I'm such a sucker for anything with a cute flowery print and these pulled me right in!

I've had an epic good Wednesday so far (^_^) I plan on doing a little bit of ironing and a lot of sitting in the sun this afternoon, as well as talking to my boy later and finalising my list of things to take on holiday with me.  Hope you're all having a good one today!

Music To My Ears!

Whilst under the stairs, digging through my worldly possessions and searching for my Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Concert DVD *pause for breath* I found my Kennedy Soundtrack CD.  They're hard to describe sound-wise, a mixture of rock, rap and a whole heap of other things.  They've since disappeared into the ether (seriously, they don't even have a Wikipedia page!) but they were a big part of my musical youth.  I haven't listened to this CD in years and wow, did it take me back!  I got it back in 2002 (cripes!) and on hearing the songs was immediately zoomed back to my young teen days, when I was just discovering new styles of music and developing my own identity.  I immediately went about scouring my CD collection for other albums long forgotten.

 Linkin Park, Nickleback, 36 Crazyfists, American Headcharge and Maroon 5 all surfaced, leaving me in a gloriously nostalgic musical wave of awesome!  It was incredible, the memories stirred just by listening to some of the songs.  Most were happy and some were tinged with sadness, but all of them I cherish.

Music has been such a huge part of my life for so many years; I grew up in a house full of music of all different styles which has kept my ears open to develop an eclectic musical taste.  I'm always on the look out for new music but there's nothing like a taste of my teenage days to perk me up.  It was a real treat to find that CD and take a trip down memory lane today!

I finished 'The Day Of The Triffids' today, an exceptional novel by John Wyndham.  If any of you have seen the film which was made in the 1960s, it's nothing like that!  It's a battle for survival, not just against a bunch of genetically modified human-killing-and-eating plants that can uproot and walk around (if that isn't enough) but in a world where the majority are blind and life as it has always been ceases.  It's wonderfully tense and exciting at times, but also contemplative and insightful into the nature of human beings.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be reading it again!  That's 3 down, 17 more to go this year (^_^)

I'm taking Gizmo to have her stitches out tomorrow (yay, no more sad cone cat!) and then I'll be going to see my Nan, who is the person who got me interested in card making and general crafting.  I'm excited to talk to her about my ideas for a business and the way I'm using the things she once taught me to create a better future for myself.  I'm still in the process of designing the bookmarks for B but I've started sewing the one for my boy and I am mighty pleased with the results so far.  I love that I'm feeling so inspired and ready to create lately, I have so many things I want to learn and so much to look forward to.  I hope everyone is having an inspired, awesome Wednesday (^_^)

His Sister's Bookmark

The symbols read 'love' and 'life'

I *finally* got it finished!  It only took me, like, a million hours *chuckles* Really, all in all it probably took me four hours to stitch the characters because I'm ridiculously slow at sewing still.  I backed the symbols onto a dark blue parchment for contrast (and because my boy's sister's favourite colour is blue - that's a bit of a mouthful) and I added a few cloisonné beads in matching colours as a 'placer' to hang from the top of the book.  I really hope she likes it (^_^) I showed it to my boy and he thinks she will.  I'm going to send it soon as a little surprise for her, when I send my boy the bookmark I make him too.  It was really fun to make and such good practice, I'm glad I could get stuck into it and just spend hours absorbed in sewing.  It's become one of my favourite things to do, I'm excited to get started on more projects!

So, I'm still not working at the moment (I paid work a little visit today and was told 'maybe next week' which kinda sucks for me) but I did apply for a job in a bakery today!  I'd be making sandwiches and cooking sausage rolls and all manner of delicious things.  Surrounded by yummy food...That's not going to be so good for my weight loss goal!  Ooh, speaking of which - weighed in this morning and there was no change (yay for not gaining!) My poor kitty cat Gizmo had to be put in a cone because she kept pulling at her stitches and is subsequently the most miserable cat in the world.  I'm giving her lots of snuggles but nothing cheers her up.  She just sits, looking at me, laying on my arms or on my keyboard like "Look at me and my misery.  You did this, human.  You."  Only until Thursday, Giz.  Then the stitches are out and you're free!

An incredibly morose cat

 Indie Business officially starts tomorrow, I'm *so* excited for it.  I've been looking on the group page and so many people have made ridiculously awesome binders for their work, I feel so lucky to be working amongst such amazingly talented and creative individuals.  It's going to be epic good (^_^) I can't wait to get started and see where this adventure takes me.  I hope you're all having a cracking good Monday - I get this feeling this week is going to be an awesome one!

2 Down, 18 To Go!

 In the last three days I've managed to finish two whole books (thank you, power cut!) I absolutely *love* reading but since I left university and started working I drifted away from books.  Only since Christmas, when my brother (who had always disliked reading) got a huge pile of lovely new novels did I remember how awesome it is to sit curled up in a chair with a comfy jumper, a cup of tea and a good read.

For the last two months (literally, two months) I've been battling with 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins.  I'd tried reading it before then but it's a complicated, very involved book and I wasn't ready to give it my full commitment.  Once I got down to it and stuck in, I really enjoyed it; it's an extremely well-written book, insightful and interesting.  The topic it deals with is a little heavy which is why, I think, it's taken me so long to get through.  I'd read a chapter, put the book down and spend time thinking about it and forming my own opinions before continuing on.  There are things written there that I agree with and things that I'm dubious about, but all-in-all I would recommend this novel to everyone, no matter what faith or religion.  It does not set out to convert, but to educate and present an alternative viewpoint.  It would be a breath of fresh air if someone of the opposite opinion could write a novel as well informed and with such clarity as this.

'Last Exit To Brooklyn' by Hubert Selby Jr. was a novel I was introduced to at university by an amazingly inspiring lecturer.  Having finally read it two years later, I can honestly say it is a unique, enthralling and disturbing novel.  I've never read anything like it before, from the style of writing (little use of punctuation, speech running continuously with prose) to the actual content (prostitution, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse and general violence).  Needless to say, it's not a novel for those who may be easily offended and it's certainly not one to be taken lightly.  This novel drags you straight into the heart of the crazy, unorthodox and frightening world it depicts and refuses to let you go until all its stories have been told.  It's an impressive work which takes patience to get through, beautiful despite its aggression, terror and sadness and one of the most engrossing works of fiction I've read in a very long time.

I've really been caught once again by the reading bug and have already started my third novel (^_^) I'm so pleased that my brother has started reading too, since he's got loads of new books that I can pinch once he's finished with them!  Ooh, exciting news!  The Indie Business course is posting its workbook today!  I'm *so* excited to print it all out and put it all into a spangly new folder!  It's still such an exciting thought, that I'm really taking steps towards a future that feels so right for me (^_^) Hope you're all having an awesome Thursday!  Anyone reading any excellent books at the moment?  Always looking for recommendations!

My Foray Into The World Of Jewellery Making - My First Attempt!

I *finally* got my beautiful beady things in the post *squee!* Look how pretty they are!  They're just what I wanted to get me started on this new venture.  I spent all afternoon thoroughly researching jewellery findings so I could figure out exactly what I had and how best to use them.  Luckily for me, my Dad has a small pair of rounded pliers so I was able to use those for my first tries at jewellery making, but I know if I carry this on I'll have to get some actual jewellery tools (especially one of those wire-snipping thingies, those are awesome!)

I figured I'd start off with the simple things, so I made a necklace, a bracelet and a pair of earrings and I'm pleased to say it went really well and I loved it!  I really, really enjoyed sitting and threading the beads, learning how to bend the headpin to make a loop for the earrings and figuring out how best to secure everything with only one set of pliers (the edge of the table came in *really* handy today) Here are some pictures of my efforts!

I used the utterly gorgeous cloisonné beads for the bracelet and earrings and the sparkliest gemstone chips in the world for the necklace.  For a first try, I am *so* thrilled with how they turned out and will *definitely* be continuing on with it.  I found it really relaxing, as I was able to keep all of the kitty cats out of the kitchen, put on some 80s music (Talking Heads, I love you) and just concentrate on what I was doing.  Working on this today has really inspired the creativity in me, I'm really excited to learn more about jewellery making and see what else I'm able to do!

I feel like today has been a really awesome day for me; I explored my creativity by doing something new and exciting, I bought a smart black jumper from the Oxfam shop in town (I've been looking everywhere for a smart black jumper and there it was, £2.99, in my size - awesome!) and I discovered some beautiful notebooks were on offer in the bookshop so I had to snap up a couple (a very tiny one for my bag and an A5 one for ideas, inspirations and plans) *AND* I've nearly finished the book I'm reading so I'll be able to make a (small) dent in my 10 things.  Not to mention that every day I wake up excited and happy that my boy and I finally set a date for me to come over *squee!* I set out to make this year my year and I really think it's going to be one of the best so far!  Now I'm off to go look at the Indie Business site to see what exciting, inspirational words have been posted!  Toodles!

Luff

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you're all having a wonderful day, no matter what you're doing (^_^)

My cat Emmy:A little Valentine's lurve:Creative BootCamp inspiring word - 'Flow'

Today feels pretty awesome so far.  I weighed myself and I lost a pound *yay* so now I'm exactly 160.  Awesome sauce!  Only 20 pounds to go before I reach my healthy target weight, woo!

My boy and I set a date for my trip to see him!  I'm flying to America on May 3rd (^_^) I am *so* happy!  We'd been discussing a date for me to go for ages.  March was in the running for a while but things didn't work out quite as planned, so now it's May!  Which means only 2 and a half more months of Skyping and daily e-mails to go before I get to give him the biggest, most epic hug ever.  Yay!

My job has been kind of sucking at giving me hours this month - I work on a zero-hour contract so I only work when there is work available, which can mean days and days of nothing at all - which means I have had lots of time to pursue my creative ideas and talk to my boy but also means less money (-_-) It was pretty tough for me to get this job so I'm sticking with it as best I can for now, but having a job with so little stability is another reason I'm so excited to learn more about developing and running a successful creative business.  I know it won't be easy, it'll take a lot of time and hard work, but I know it will be so incredibly rewarding and such a pleasure to undertake every single day.  I just really hope I have what it takes to make it work!

Edit - Throughout today, I've been thinking (it doesn't happen often so I thought I should document it) about what it is to be called an artist (courtesy of Creative BootCamp) I wouldn't have called myself an artist yesterday.  But now, I think I would.  Here's how my thought process went when I asked myself "What does it mean to be an artist?" :
To me, an artist is a person who focusses their working life on creating their own personal ideas through various mediums and communicates them to the outside world (I'm *hoping* to focus my working life on it!)
An artist is someone who seeks to inspire (I'd be thrilled if I did), to create beauty (yeah, that's a definite), someone who loves what they do (that's me for sure) and who does it *because* they love it (ding ding ding!)
I think I found it difficult to call myself an artist because a) I'm not a painter/musician/traditional artist and b) I always felt that, to be called an artist, someone else had to give you that title, rather than giving it to yourself.  But now, I really do think that even though I'm not a traditional artist and even though no-one has ever called what I do 'art' or me an 'artist', I think that by creating something, by taking ideas and making them a physical reality, by producing something that I hope makes other people think, inspired, happy...I think I can call myself an artist.
What do *you* think it means to be an artist?  Would you call yourself an artist?
Thank you for reading!