Monday Must Haves #1

It feels like I have been away forever!  Work has been completely mad, getting used to being in the store, closing up by myself and preparing for a visit from someone in senior management.  Around my work, I've been trying to fit in writing a letter to my spangly new pen pal, making holiday plans with my boy and working on my crafting!  I've sorely neglected my blog because there simply aren't enough hours in the day that I'm not busy doing other things or sleeping *chuckles* What I thought would get me back into the swing of regular blogging would be to start a little weekly post of things that I've seen around and about and am currently lusting after!  So, here we are, starting today with - 

Yay!  I *finally* got a weekend off last week and, after catching up on loads of sleep, ironing and other chores (as well as spending a really awesome Sunday with my Mum for Mother's Day - we rocked it with white wine, dried fruit and nuts to snack on and an incredibly competitive game of Scrabble) I got a little bit of time to head out and pick up a few things for my holiday.  I can't believe it's April already, this time next month I'll be hanging out with my boy in sunny NJ (^_^)

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I *love* jumpsuits at the moment!  I actually bought this one on Saturday and have lived in it since - it's comfy, cool and will look awesome with a cardigan and flats or wedges and a big, light sun hat.

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I'm loving long at the moment and this maxi dress is gorgeous - I'd team it with a light green cardigan for cool summer evenings and some pretty gladiator flats.

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I've wanted a mood ring for ages and this one is *so* pretty.  I've only ever seen plain beads in mood rings before, I love the floral pattern that makes this one so different!

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The nerdy, Super Mario playing girl in me *adores* this.  I don't think I'd ever take this off, it's just freakin' awesome.

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This piece of art has such beautiful colours in it.  I'm not usually a fan of more abstract work but this one really caught my eye.  It's gorgeous, if only I had somewhere to hang it!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday and that their week is getting off to a really good start!  I'm excited that time is rolling by so quickly at the moment because the sooner I get to be with my boy again, the better (^_^) For me, this week is going to be about working hard but also making some more time for myself, to have a little pampering, a little quiet me-time and to get properly cracking on my letter writing and crafting.  Have a good one guys!

And Now For Something Completely Different

Well, different but still on the creative theme (^_^)
I spent ages trying to decide how to make this postcard for Kyla.  I wanted to do some wire work but that can get kind of bulky and it deforms so easily in the mail.  Then I figured I'd attempt some parchment craft but, again, it's pretty fragile and might get wrecked on the way to Canada.  So, with some encouragement from Creativity BootCamp, I tried something still connected to my paper craft but different to what I normally do.  Et voilà!  My very first paper/card/button/sewing creation!

I was inspired by a clothes magazine that came out of my brother's Metal Hammer (a magazine for rock and metal music) which was showcasing punk/goth/rock style clothing.  I initially wasn't going to stitch at all but I wanted to attach buttons and make sure they didn't come off!  I love origami too, I've always been keen on Japanese art and culture and it felt right to add a little origami heart to the slightly awkward looking skull.

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, since it was a bit of an adventure planning and creating it.  I wasn't sure how to place my stitches around the edge of the skull and sewing on paper, I discovered, is very different to sewing with fabric!  There's far less room for error!  Despite a few little mistakes, I took it slowly and I really enjoyed making it.

The point of the exercise in Creativity BootCamp is to branch out into new directions creatively and see if I could discover another side to my creativity, something else I could make and enjoy.  And I did!  I'm not sure yet how I'll refine the process of stitching with paper and using a combination of materials in crafting, but I'm going to have a lot of fun finding out (^_^)

In other, terribly exciting news, tonight my boy and I are having a Skype Date Night, which I'm really looking forward to!  He's told me to wear my favourite colour and that the theme of the night is 'haunted'.  I'm so curious to find out what he's planned for us!  We're going to make some scrummy tuna sandwiches together and eat, then who knows where the night will take us!  It's difficult, being in a relationship with someone so far away, but we make the effort to keep things interesting and show each other that we really care and are invested in our relationship (^_^) Roll on May, I can't wait to see him again!  Hope you're having an awesome Sunday!

Pick-A-Chures

I'm no photographer but I *love* taking pictures.  Capturing moments in time that could otherwise be lost is such an interesting and beautiful concept.  Normally, I only take pictures or people or places, events that I've been to that I want to remember.  Since I've started blogging, I've really been thinking about how to set up a shot, where to focus, what I want the point of the picture to be, what I want it to say.  It's a lot of fun to use my camera in a different way (^_^)

Working through the Creative Bootcamp, my creative challenge today was to go out and take pictures.  That's it.  Just go, explore, take different pictures of different things and see what happens.  So that's what I did!

Baby Snail! *squee*

I took a good look at the pictures I took and I see that I'm really attracted to nature, lots of green and close-up shots!  I think I like the detail of it, being able to see all the lines and colours and picking up on the little parts that could be missed in a wider shot.  I feel this represents my creative style as a whole; I enjoy working on the details, making sure nothing gets overlooked and, even if I'm working on something very simple, I like to make sure that every part of it is just right.  I really enjoyed taking my camera out today and exploring different ways to create an image!

I really love sending and receiving mail, as I've already said (^_^) One of my favourite bloggers Kyla Roma, who I've been following for quite some time and who has really inspired me, has invited her readers to send postcards and mail to her, so I'm going to make and send her a postcard!  As she said, there's nothing more exciting than getting something beautiful in the mail!  Think it's time to get my craft things out and get creative (^_^)

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!

Finding(s) My Way Forward

I'm so punny *snorts* Moving on...

I forgot to say yesterday, but some incredibly speedy sellers got my Ebay purchases delivered to me the day after I'd paid!  Really was super super quick!  I am now the proud owner of approximately 800 jewellery findings and some exceptionally pretty spacer beads.  Just waiting for my cloisonné beads and gemstone chips to arrive, then there will be no stopping me.  Right after I figure out what everything is.

I'm really so excited for the Indie Business course; people from all over the world are going to be taking part! It really will be an amazing, enlightening, informative and incredibly fun experience.  I can't wait!  In order to almost "prep" myself, I decided to undertake {this} 2-week creativity bootcamp!  There is a workbook and a guide to download and it's all wonderfully free (thank you so much!) I think it's going to be a really useful tool in helping me understand where my creative passions lie and channelling that into something I can be proud of.  It starts with a letter to my future-self (I love writing these - I've got one to open on my birthday this year which I wrote January 1st...I already forgot what I wrote) and the word "scarlet" as my inspiration for today.  With limited access to my craft supplies (under the stairs, behind bikes, fans and cat litter) I made it very simple, creating an origami envelope to house my letter, decorated with a scarlet origami heart.  It's really pretty and I'm pleased with how it turned out (I've made several of these before but they've never come out this good, due to my apparent inability to cut/fold/do anything in straight lines) I'm looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what my task and inspiration are!  I'm feeling more creative already (^_^)

You've Got Mail!

For those of you who are unaware, it's nearly Valentine's Day.  It's a special one for me and my boy because it will be our first one "together" (in quotes as he's in America and, well, I'm not).  We decided to send each other cards and spend Valentine's evening Skyping together (I don't know what we would've done without Skype!) so I eagerly anticipated the arrival of a red envelope from the USA and ta-da!  I got mail!

Yes, I did attempt to sneak a peek as both of the envelope corners are slightly unstuck *Sorry S!* but I promised not to open it until The Big Day.  So now it sits with my notebook, calling my name, begging to be opened.  Monday can't roll around quickly enough!

Being the creative sort, I made my boy a card.

I posted it on Tuesday so I'm keeping my fingers really tightly crossed that it actually gets there on time, unlike his Christmas gift (posted December 10th, didn't get to him until January 16th!  Grr!)

I made the heart using craft wire as both a frame and decoration.  I wrapped four different wire colours around two simple silver and black frames, which made it kind of bulky but it's a solid piece and so pretty!  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

The pros of using this craft wire are the gorgeous shiny colours and the ease of cutting it (just standard scissors did the trick). The cons are the impossibleness of straightening any unfortunate kinks and sharp ends from cutting (which lead to several finger stabs and unrepeatable mutterings).

I'm really excited to see the card he sent me (no doubt it will be hearts and flowers and have a poem inside - he's a real traditional romantic) and for him to get my card.  I love getting mail, especially from my boy.  Fingers crossed this will be the first and last Valentine's Day we spend apart, then much romancing and general love-y-ness will ensue.  And cupcakes.  Valentine's Day cupcakes.

Do want!