illustrated packing list: Sicily

The long awaited holiday has arrived! 

The weather isn't looking too great in Sicily at present (thunderstorms!) but I am unperturbed, it's just going to be great being somewhere other than London. As you can see from the packing list, I'm also optimistic that we'll see some sun. Rather pleasingly I was able to include a couple of handmade items of clothing too :) 

Arrivederci chums! 

illustrated packing list: Helsinki

Another illustrated packing list. Yup, I'm off again, this time to Finland for a four day trip with my sis. Just as it's warming up here in London, we're trading it in for some cooler temperatures two hours into the future. Jumpers, scarf and mittens have all been packed. We're hoping to visit some of the little islands around Helsinki as well take a day trip to Tampere to see the Moomin museum aaand I've identified a bunch of cafes and bars to try too. Needless to say, I cannot wait!

2015: in review

I'm not going to lie, I was quite happy to see the back of 2015. Although it was eventful, it wasn't plain sailing in the slightest. Hard-going would best describe it.

Back in January I made a very unspecific list of things I wanted to achieve throughout the year and, despite my putting a bit of a downer on 2015, I have actually done pretty well (funny how things work out eh?!). So, as I love a good review, let's break it all down shall we...

The big goal of 2015 was to move out of my parents house and buy our own flat. Oh my god, the stress of buying property was something I couldn't have conceived. Naively writing about how scary mortgages are, back in January I had no bloody clue about the months of frustration and stress quietly simmering away at the back of mind and pit of my stomach. But, raised blood pressure and extra grey hairs aside, there IS a happy ending to this: we officially became homeowners on Dec 4th :D We've not moved out of my parents' house yet (the flat is lacking a few crucial elements such as a fridge and washing machine) but the move is imminent (two weeks time if everything goes to plan)!

★ Career - if you're a long time reader you're probably already aware how absolutely miserable I was during my four months of unemployment. It was shit. The shittest, in fact. The joblessness played a starring role in why 2015 was a tough one for me, but... This has a positive ending too because I found employment with a charity and I now work with the nicest bunch of people a gal could ask for. Sure, the money ain't great and the work itself is pretty boring but, rather fortuitously, at the end of 2015 I got some freelance sewing work which'll help with the extra money and interest that my office job can't provide. Like I said, it's funny how things work out.

★ Health - badminton games became a regular occurrence throughout my unemployment but, as soon as I started my job, regular exercise (and having any kind of self control when it came to crisps and chocolate consumption) fell by the wayside. It took quite some time for me to settle in, figure out my routine and it wasn't until the end of September that I finally joined the gym. The last few months have been great - I go to the gym twice a week and I've been gradually shrinking my portion sizes. Just before Christmas I felt pretty good, the best I'd felt in aaaages to tell the truth. Of course the festive period arrived and now I feel over-fed, over-tired and very squishy around the middle. But that's ok, I'm ready to stop eating all the biscuits and get back on that elliptical machinecome Monday.

★ Travel - I did extremely well in this department. Continuing the trend that started last year, 2015 saw a lot of long weekends away around the UK: Dorset, Shropshire, the Isle of Skye, Yorkshire dales, Brighton for our anniversary and most recently, the Brecon Beacons. My passport also got some use this year what with our amazing holiday to Iceland, a few days in Slovakia and the week long road trip along the west coast of Ireland (which I still need to post the pictures from...it's super late but I really want to share as I've got lots to reccommend)! I think 2015 will take some beating travel-wise and, what with having just bought a flat, I don't think 2016 will be a big holiday year for us but who knows!

★ Making - I'd say it was a productive year, a bit of crochet, a bit of design, a bit of knitting. I tried weaving for the first time and although I didn't get around to using my printing kit, I DID some rather successful dressmaking, a dress but more importantly tops (something I'd been sorely lacking). Both the Bess and Zippy tees are great patterns, which I've recreated more than once (and will continue to do I'm sure)! Although I probably did more sewing than anything this year, I'm particularly proud of my jumper, the most labour intensive project of 2015 but so so worth it.

I mentioned that this was a tough year, particularly for Mitch's side of the family. In October, his uncle passed away - what I'd call a character, incredibly warm and welcoming, very chatty, loved his tea and always had interesting stories to tell. I was lucky enough to have met him a number of times, including when we stayed with him and his wife in Germany. He died before his time and, in a way, quite suddenly. We'd known he was sick but the truth of how bad it was wasn't really shared. I have great memories of him and, more importantly, so does Mitch.

This was also the year Moriarty passed on and I still miss that little guy one hellava lot. Ah le sigh. I've been contenting myself by looking at all the cute furballs on instagram, thankfully there's lots. Fortunately/unfortunately our new flat doesn't allow pets (not that that's stopped us before) but I think it'll be awhile before we get another. Mitch is holding out for a dog but of course we'd need a garden for that!

And speaking of gardens, 2015 was the year we whole heartedly threw ourselves into growing our own veg. It was a fantastic experience and, not to toot our own horns, but our hard graft really paid off. Gardening definitely became a new favorite hobby this past year. Sadly our flat doesn't come with a garden but we're hoping we'll be able to keep a few herbs on the balcony.

I guess this overview paints it in a rather good light but it's been a year of stops and starts, incredible highs and emotional lows. Through it all, my friends and family have been there, a constant source of support, advice and, when I needed it, the perfect distraction from the stressful stuff that gets blown way out of proportion (and there was a lot of that stuff this year). Mitch is obviously included in that catchment of friends and family but he gets a special mention because he's had to put up with A LOT. I know he's my husband and it's expected that he'll support me in anyway he can but damn, that guy goes above and beyond :) We've had some bloody amazing adventures last year (Iceland being perhaps my favourite) and I cannot wait to begin our next!

So, thanks 2015, you were a bit of a test, but we're out the otherside and all I've got are positive vibes for the year ahead :)

avocados + pears

a bit of fun for a Friday...

Last week I submitted a cushion deisgn to the Ohh Deer pillow fight and this, is it!

I actually drew the design way back at the start of the year and put it to one side. But last week I finally got around to scanning it in and giving it some colour and thought it might rather suit a cushion...

You'll find mine and a whole bunch of awesome cushions in the competition shop. They're only available to purchase until the 20th November so now's the time if you're thinking about getting someone a pretty cool cushion for Christmas :)

Below are some of my favourites:

Heyday // The Pod // ArtPop // Windmills // Origami Dinos // Scandinavian Flower // Mountain Sun

the illustrated packing list: west coast of Ireland

* Hello! My ineptitude coupled with the fact that my phone is on it's very last legs (and thanks to intermittent signal & wifi) this post didn't publish last Sunday as I'd thought... but here it is anyway! We arrived home earlier today and I've got a lot of pretty pics to sort through (which I'll share obvs) - Ireland is one hell of a beautiful place :) *

I'm currently hanging around at Luton airport awaiting to hear which gate to go to - first post written on the move! Exciting. As the packing list says, I'm off to the west coast of Ireland for a week, starting off near Galway and ending up in Cork. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've never been to Ireland before which just adds to the fun! We're doing some camping and hostelling, probably some walking, lots of exploring with a few pints of Guinness thrown in for good measure. Should be good :)

that time I volunteered at the Saatchi Gallery

For five days at the start of May you would have found me wearing a bright blue t-shirt running around the Saatchi Gallery - taking tickets, manning the cloakroom, circling the rooms and being that helpful, smiling face at the information point - all in aid of the Craft Council's annual international art fair: COLLECT.

I'd originally signed up because I was unemployed and needed fun things to look forward to. Luckily when I got my job they allowed me to take some leave to honour the commitment. The exhibition was short (only open four days to the general public) but took over the entirety of the Saatchi which, to me, felt like pretty good value for the ticket price (£12 in advance, £17 on the door) plus there was SO MUCH to see! Around 30 galleries take part from all over the world, representing over 200 individual artists. Incase you haven't worked out what's coming...this is going to be a v.picture heavy post. I was massively impressed, not to mention inspired, by many of the pieces.

 stone whales by Tonino Negri // ceramic babies by Shigeki Hayashi // glass cube by Sabrina Cant (I found this memerising, the picture doesn't do it justice, it looked like a little universe inside a cube!) // giant vases by Felicity Aylieff

stickleback fish by Edouard Martinet (this fish was made from allsorts of metal bits and bobs including a bunch of spoons!) // Archive of elements and orbitals by Louis Thompson

 Universe - S by Shihoko Fukumoto // A path strewn with roses by Serverija Incirauskaite Kriauneviciene (all the holes were drilled through this old VW car door and it's real thread used for the cross-stitch - swoon)

jars by Steffen Dam (one of my favourite pieces from the show, it's all v.cleverly made from glass)

tarzan (necklace) by Rodolfo Ramo Azaro // ribbon desk & unstable stool by Angus Ross // porcelain pieces by Nicola Tassie // porcelain rhinos by Kensuke Fujiyoshi

annoyingly I can't find find the name of the artist but I can tell you it's made from lots of strips of ceramic // black magma egg by Kate Malone // morning trio by  by Serverija Incirauskaite Kriauneviciene (this was another cross stitch one - love) // forged mild steel bowl by Junko Mori

another pic of those beautiful stone whales // the orrery by Steffen Dam

Another of my favourites: a rhino knight by Kensuke Fujiyoshi

Moving Through by Ann Sutton //amore mediterraneo by Ugo La Pietra // Beautiful bangle from the I AM HERE part of the exhibition, alas the Crafts Council failed to include the name of the artists in this section (which as a bit odd) // robin by Edouard Martinet

  stunning mint vase (artist unknown) // tiger family by Kensuke Fujiyoshi // vase by Kate Malone // voilins (made of wood and fabric) by Indra Marcinkeviciene

 Ciliege by Ugo La Pietra

In terms of a volunteering experience there were a few lows (being asked to go and get lunch and e-cigarettes for staff members of the Craft Council and spending 2 and a half hours in the smallest most overcrowded cloakroom I've ever seen) but mostly highs (meeting lots of lovely new people and generally just have a good laugh with the other volunteers, Saatchi staff and secruity guys who were also hired to work the event). If you'd asked me after the first two days whether I'd do it again next year, truthfully, I would've said no (owing largely to the cloakroom incident). Had you asked that same question at the end, after Saturday and Monday which were by far the best days (almost to the point where I got very much into the swing of things and forgot that I had another job to go back to), my answer would be a big fat: "yes!" I think when volunteering at events you need to be interested in the subject matter but ultimately, it's the people you're working with that make it a positive experience and I was v.fortunate at COLLECT :)

Being the nosy bugger that I am, I'd be interested in whether you've volunteered for something and what it was like...

pick me up London

Pick Me Up, London's graphic art festival is now over (this has been sitting in my drafts folder for a while) but I wanted to share some of the awesome stuff we saw anyway. It's held over two weeks at Somerset House and definitely worth making a note of if you're into artsy stuff.

My favourite thing at the exhibition were theese 3D printed dinosaurs designed by Jack Cunningham. If you've been following this blog for a while you'll know that I'm a BIG dinosaur fan so these guys were right up my street.

The joyously detailed pen and watercolour artworks by Laura Callaghan. And this Ice-lollies print.

The excellent 3D paper constructions by Hattie Newman.

There were also workshops and fun interactive things to do, talks and plenty of opportunities to buy notebooks, cards and of course prints :) I wouldn't advise going on the last day as it was pretty busy. Hopefully, next year I'll have some money to spend (and fingers crossed, our own flat to put them in)!

Lastly, I liked this plate from Lazy Oaf a lot :)

 

the illustrated packing list: Reykjavik

 By the time you read this I'll probably be on my way to Iceland :) Mitch and I are staying four nights in the country's capital so expect a bit of radio silence on here. It'll come as no surprise that it's going be cold in Reykjavik (hence all the layers) and BBC weather is reckoning on snow and sleet for almost the entire time we're there. Rest assured we're aiming to do some touristy tours (though probably not the northern lights as it's going to be cloudy throughout our stay) as well as have a mooch about the city, eating and drinking lots hopefilly :) See you on the flip side!

Making lately (and some March goals)

a bit of doodling // after successfully finishing my brown TOFT bear, my sis asked me to make her a white one // baby blanket progress // fun lunches

And some goals for the month...

1. Finish a bunch of craft projects - baby blanket, crochet bear, needlepoint black bird.

2. Get a haircut.

3.Go and see an exhibition (Magnificent Collections at the Barbican perhaps, or maybe Fashion on the Ration at the Imperial War Museum).
4. Drink 1.5 litres of water a day and cut down on bread - 1 slice a day maximum (being at home a lot has meant that my bread consumption has got way out of hand over the last month or so).
5. Go on another bike ride. 
6. Buy (or possibly make) an address book.
7. Set aside some time to do more drawing (you love doing it after all).
8. Ebay the rest of the stuff set side *ahem* in January...
9. Continue to apply for jobs, 5 a week minimum (and do some prep for your interview).
10. Sew something! We've got to March and I've not done ANY sewing yet this year :(

Happy Tuesday all!

Wedding DIYs #1 Paper Stuff

Mitch and I have been married for 6 months :) In a lot of ways it feels like longer but at the same time I can remember every bit of our wedding as if it was last week. To mark this mini milestone, and because all the "thank you" cards have finally be written, I thought it's be fun to share, in a little more detail, some of the stuff we made for our v.DIY wedding...

So, first up is a little bit about all the paper stuff. (I think the traditional term is 'wedding stationary' but that to me sounds like pencils, notebooks etc none of which was present at the wedding. Incidentally, I really struggled with all the "traditional" wedding terms/ettiquette/order in which stuff had to happen - we kinda just did whatever we thought seemed cool in the end.)

Save the Dates
We used Moo.com to print these. They had lots of different options (we opted for the postcard layout) including the ability to upload your own designs (in our case two v.simple geometric designs that I created in InDesign. The more you order the cheaper each indivual item costs so we opted for 50 which meant we had a few spare that I can now add to our 'wedding book'. The delivery was quick and the quality of the postcards was excellent. Really can't fault moo.com.

Invites
Because I'm pendantic and got, let's say, really into the DIY aspect of the wedding (read: controlling), I knew that I wanted to design the invites myself. Mitch, being the most patient and understanding person ever, let me get on with it. I say, let me get on with it but it's actually my dad who brought them to life. He took my original drawings, edited them in Illustrator (v.handy having a graphic designer around) so that they worked on the paper size we'd chosen, drew the map, laid out all the information AND got them printed. They didn't cost a thing in terms of cash but I know that a lot of his time went into them and I couldn't have been be more grateful or happy with the finished thing :)

Seating Plan
Referring back to my *ahem* enthusiam for DIY-ing as much as possible, I was v.keen to make the seating plan and had a v.clear design in my head. We'd already decided to name the tables after places we'd visited on our trip to New York (where Mitch proposed) so all I had to do was to draw a little illustration to go with each table. I used to draw all the time before uni but it's one of my hobbies that's been neglected for years. The wedding was the perfect excuse to pick up my pen and pencil again. It was a pretty laborious task, mostly because the piece of paper was huge and tracing the designs took aaaaages, but I really enjoyed making it.

Thank yous
Our 'Thank You' cards featured my illustrations from the invites and were, like the 'save the dates', in postcard format. Again, my dad v.kindly put them together and had them printed along with a photo of me and Mitch. Seeing as how straightforward they were to make I really had no excuse for how long it took me to send them out. Apologies friends and family if you're reading this, we are rubbish.

Cat print purse

I actually made this way back in December - it was part of my nan's christmas present - but I completely forgot to post about it. Anyhoo, here it is. The cat print was created from an afternoon of potato printing - I can't recommend this enough, hours of fun - and then I used some colourful threads to fill in the gaps with very simple embroidery (so simple in fact, I don't think it even counts as embroidery). A couple of the cats got some sticthed whiskers before I made it up into a purse. I had intended it to be a coin purse but, as you can see, it's a little on the large side (truthfully, I couldn't bear to cut through the cat faces). It's lined with plain black fabric and features my attempt at an inner pocket (which was not particularly successful, see above, but oh well, my nan didn't seem to mind). I'm definitely going to have another go at printing but I'm not sure what just yet...

Back to the present, it's a horribly grey day today and I'm feeling quite demotivated. The job search slog continues with ziltch results thus far. Sigh. Some tea and a slice of toast should hopefully perk me up a bit. Hope you're all having fun Wednesdays wherever you are :)

the illustrated packing list: a long weekend in Dorest

This evening Mitch and I are cashing in on one of our wedding gifts. Two of our fabulous friends have not only invited us down to one their parents' cottages in Dorset but are also driving us there! The weather's not looking too great this weekend but I'm sure we'll get to go for a walk or two, even if it's just to the nearest country pub. I still need to finish packing so I'll wish you a bon weekend now. 

:)

what Sundays are made for

1 // Sleeping in till late

2 // Crocheting whilst Mitch plays computer games

3 // Christmas present making (aka potato printing)

4 // Spending quality time with my sister (aka watching The Guardians of the Galaxy)

5 // Keeping myself sustained (aka eating mince pies with brandy butter)

6 // Cuddles with Moriarty

And not a job application form or cover letter in sight.