29 July 2013

Bloggers of Note #4

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Happy Monday you lovely people - how's tricks?

I thought that it was about time that I did another of my Blogger's of Note posts. you can find all the previous ones here. Quite a few of these blogs I have no idea why I haven't included them before as I have been following them for ages!! Well, here you go:

Annee Apple - The very lovely Annee's blog is filled with photos of her (hectic-sounding) life, her lovely kids, cooking, and (my most favorite type of posts) - sneak peeks of her soon-to-be-sold stationery. Annee is one super talented lady - go and say Hi!

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Attic24 - Lucy's blog was one of the first blogs I ever did read, and I have been following along with her for years. In fact, I can't believe I haven't had her as a Blogger of Note already! Lucy is a genius with a crochet hook, well, with anything crafty really. She has an AMAZING eye for colour - just look at the pic below - yummy!! If you like crochet, you will LOVE Lucy, I guarantee it!!

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Becky Bedbug -I can't remember how I came across Becky's blog, but boy am I glad I did. Some of my all-time favorite posts are by this fab lady, her posts cover fashion, work, lifestyle, reviews - loads of different things. And how cute is her new blog design? One of my fave recently-discovered-in-the-archives-post is this one, where her brother gives his fashion opinion on some of her outfits. I fell off my chair! Check out her 'guide' for new readers here.

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Asking for Trouble - Marceline runs the amazing Asking for Trouble shop here, and blogs all about her art, kawaii stuff and general lifestyle stuff on her blog. I think her characters are just too cute! I made a purchase a few weeks ago from her shop, and can I just say that the service was excellent, the order arrived super super fast, and there was even a couple of little surprises for me in there! I can't wait to place my next order - the only trouble is deciding what to get!! (p.s. - I am totally not sponsored by Marceline, I just think she is awesome!)

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Polka-Dots and Sparkles -I believe that I found Beks' blog through the Twittersphere (wow that word is bleurgh!), and spent many a happy hour since scrolling back through the archives, looking at all of the pretty things she's made. I wish that I had some of her skills!! I loved her recent post about her holiday on a houseboat - the photos make me want to just sail off into the sunset. p.s. do you have an iPhone 4/4s? She's giving away some phone cases on her blog. Go and see!

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Wreck This Girl's Blog - Fab is one of the lovely ladies who runs Postal Society, a place for us snail mail geeks to get together and drool over pretty envelopes (and other things like that). Fab's blog is filled with drool-worthy stationery, free downloads and inspiring smash-booking. I actually featured one of Fab's illustrations in my round up of room tours during my Other People's Houses month.

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Hope you enjoy browsing these lovely ladies' blogs :)



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19 July 2013

Etsy Finds Friday #25

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Happy Friday!! And wow, what fantastic weather we are having over here in the UK - it's been warmer than just about anywhere in the world!!

If I had the car today I would be taking Zoe off to the beach to have a plodge in the sea, but we are car-less today, so will be going up to the park for a play on the swings, before going off to booby class, and then...

Tonight is my Hen Party! I've booked a party at Lush, where we will play games, make face masks and have private shopping time - weeeep!! Then it's off to Nando's for some chick chick chicken, before pootling along to some of my favorite pubs in Carlisle - the Boardroom and the King's Head - one of the oldest pubs in the City; the area of the city dates back to Medieval times, and ale is reputed to have been available on the site of The Kings Head as early as the 10th century! I can't wait - it will be the first night out (without Martin) for years!!

This weeks Etsy Finds Friday theme is, therefore, hen party stuff but not plastic willies and inflatable doodads!! Not for me thanks!! Think cute and hand made accessories and pretty party bags.

This is Etsy Finds Friday number twenty five - all of the previous Etsy Finds Friday posts can be found here. Please come back next week or you can follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on next week's list!

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I would have loved to have had a day off somewhere in the country, crafting and partaking in a bit of tea, but (as I am the least organized person in the world right now), there was no time, and nowhere really nearby that offers this. So these tea party brooches from fabthomson will have to do! 

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Hehehe - Hen Party bags - get it?I wish I had been organized enough to do little goodie bags - unfortunately, I am not. These customizable bags are from shintashop.


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Rather than the 'traditional' willy-shaped head gear, I would much prefer this dainty mini top hat from PMDBoutique. It's fancy!


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Another 'Hen' Party thing - this felt badge from By The Hands of Wood is so fun!  


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Pink bunting with photos of the bride-to-be and her hens - what's not to love? From Beauteous Bunting.


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We will be playing some games at Lush, but I love this idea - and it would give me an excuse to look through old photos too! Photo game from Sincerely Kristi.


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15 July 2013

The Bucket List and Goal Recap


Hello sweetie! What's the crack?

Have you heard of a Bucket List? I hadn't until I saw the film with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in it a few years ago. I have a mental list of things to do before I die - but I don't think I have ever say down and written them out. There are some things that I'm not sure if I will ever get to do (visit Iceland, live in a windmill, get over my fear of flying) and some that I am pretty sure I could do tomorrow if I really wanted to (finish the main quest line on Skyrim, sew clothes for me and Zoe, swim under a waterfall). Some things I have ticked off already (ride a horse along the beach, have a baby, visit New York). My friend Dave has a notebook filled with his bucket list, and quite a lot of them have been ticked off! For me, it's finding the time, energy and money to do these things. Real life just seems to get in the way. *sigh*

I received an email this weekend letting me know that Hannah from the very pretty Dainty and Ivory blog (go and have a peek - go on!) had suggested that I might like to take part in the latest moneysupermarket.com competition, all we had to do was list one budget bucket list item, and one extravagant bucket list item. As you know, I'm a big fan of making lists, and seeing as how I was planning on doing a goal catch-up post in the next couple of weeks anyway, I thought that I could combine the two!

So, here are two of my bucket list items:

Budget

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(photo of me and Bidean nam Bian taken by Martin)

Climb Scafell Pike (highest peak in England), Ben Nevis (highest peak in Scotland) and Snowdon (highest peak in Wales) - OK, so we would need money for fuel to get to Ben Nevis and to Snowdon, but I'm sure that we will be having a camping holiday up in Scotland soon anyway - it's one of our favourite places to camp, down Glen Etive, wild camping at its best - only us and the deer. And of course, we both have family near Wales, so again would only need the fuel to get there, a couple of butties and a choccy biccie for the top!

Extravagant

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I have wanted to visit Japan since we learned about it in Year 8 at school (so, from when I was about 14 or 15). This wouldn't be your bog-standard backpacking holiday - no sirree!! Visiting all of the wonderful historic sights that Kyoto has to offer, staying overnight in a temple, and of course, staying in a traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan. I would love to visit each of the four main islands; Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku; visit Tokyo, Hiroshima, and see the Cherry Blossoms. Maybe one day, if we save all of our pennies!!

What would be on your bucket list? I think that Beks, Katie and Laura might like to have a go too!!

I figured this was a good time to review my goals for this year as well, as I suppose you could count this as a mini-bucket list?!?! I dunno!

  • Finish blanket and mend the finished one - Well I've mended the first one I made, but I still have to finish the rainbow giant granny square blanket (as it is now called) - this is because I have decided that I want it to be big enough to cover a double bed. So I have quite a way to go yet. It's currently about a metre square.
  •  Cook 1 new recipe per month - er, I haven't really managed this one - more effort needed!! I'm just so knackered when I get in from work I just want to shove something in the oven. But I have a couple of 15 minute meal style books, so I shall dig those out this week.
  • Go to the dentist - I did this!! Yay! And got 10/10 - go me!
  • Create a cleaning schedule - nope, I just still do a massive sweep whenever we have guests coming round. I am trying to do a pick up around the house once Zoe is in bed, so that the mess doesn't get too excessive. Must. Try. Harder.
  • Organise a calendar - Yep - I have a calendar, some stuff is on there, but not everything! And Martin doesn't pay attention to it anyway. 
  • Lose weight - Well I haven't put ON any weight?
  • Learn to knit - Ah knitting - my arch nemesis!! Give me a crochet hook and I'm loving it, pass me knitting needles and I just get in a right state!
  • Set up Etsy & Folksy shops and sell 5 items in 2013 - I've had five sales!!! Yay!! And two of the orders were for two item each, so I have actually sold 7 items! So I would amend this goal, to sell 10 items by the end of the year.
  • Sew a patchwork quilt - I have a pile of cottons upstairs - I just need to site down and cut it all up, then that's a start made at least! I will do it this year!!

What are some of your goals/bucket list items?

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12 July 2013

Etsy Finds Friday #24

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Happy Friday you lovely lot! You had a good week?

To celebrate the summer that has lasted more than a week, this week's Etsy finds are brought to you by the colour yellow! Yellow always makes me feel happy, but it isn't a colour I really wear a lot, or have around the house. Zoe's bedroom is yellow, but that was mainly because we didn't know what colour 'bean' was going to be - a pink one or a blue one. So, in an effort to introduce more sunshine into my (and your) life, here are some pretty yellow things!

...And it was all Yellow!!!! (you're welcome for that ear worm).

This is Etsy Finds Friday number twenty four - all of the previous Etsy Finds Friday posts can be found here. Please come back next week or you can follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on next week's list!

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How cute is this wooden squirrel tape dispenser from The Sewing Post? No hiding this little man away in the drawer!!


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...And to be used in my little squirrel tape thingy? why, some pretty yellow washi tape from the most awesome shop Loollipop - so much pretty!!


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I know that Zoe would LOVE these little rubber duck earrings from onetenzeroseven - she is a little bit obsessed with rubber ducks at the moment!


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But how adorable would Zoe look in this little yellow chevron halter neck dress from All Ribboned Out? Spots and chevrons - what's not to love??!!


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I need these printed-on-a-Gecco Owl notelets from Circular Accessories for my stationery stash. What?! You can never have too much owl stationery, I keep telling you!!


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And last but not least, these adorably cute little neeedle felted birds from felt me up designs. I just wish I was this good at needle felting. Practice makes perfect though, right?

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10 July 2013

What's Been Occurring Wednesday #23

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Hello there! Long time no see! What have I missed?

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I seemed to have taken an un-scheduled blogging break for the last few weeks. Since going back to work I have struggled to find the time (and, to be honest, the motivation) to blog, Instagram or even tweet. I've still been reading all my usual blogs so have kept up to date with all my lovely blogging ladies, but I have had a big cull of blogs (and twitter-ers, and Instagrammers) that I was just skimming past - why was I even subscribed to some of them I have no idea! I was feeling overwhelmed and actually getting quite stressed out when I couldn't keep up with all of the blogs I was reading and I thought - this is crazy! Why am I doing this if it is making me this anxious?! I'm supposed to be relaxing here! So now I am feeling a lot more comfortable with the number of blogs on my feed, as well as the number of people I follow on various social media platforms.

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So, now I feel more organised with my blog reading, it's time to get more organised with my blog writing! For my birthday I got Blog, Inc.by Joy Deangdeelert Cho, which I am dipping in and out of - I'm using it more as a reference guide than a read-it-cover-to-cover book. I find that some sections just aren't relevant to my little blog right now, like the chapter about sponsorship, for example. (This seems as good a place as any to ask if you want to do a button swap, just drop me an email - yay!) I do love the little interviews with bloggers in the book - but that is because I am a nosy parker! Becky did a review of the book the other day - you can go and read it here. I also won a printable planner from the very lovely Laura a while ago on My So Called Chaos blog. Which I should really start using. Hmm.

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I keep meaning to write about all the wonderful things that have been arriving through the post lately. In fact, I have a draft post filled with lots of pretty things. I really should photograph stuff before I send it out, but I am usually in such a rush to get it into the post office that I forget! The photo above is what I received from the awesome Laura from Bugs and Fishes - one of her My Library Project zines, filled with graffiti found in library books in her student days. So much fun! And just look  at how pretty her business card is!

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This last weekend saw my our little family being very very busy enjoying the nice weather that Cumbria is currently experiencing. Saturday found us pootling around Talkin Tarn, which would have been perfect if not for the very noisy rowing competition taking place on the Tarn. Martin was not impressed by the loud speakers and tannoys, various small animals and young 'posh folk' carting boats around the place. He was happy (for a while) with a tummy full of ice cream, before we strolled back to the car and back to my Dad's for hand-made pizza, cooked on the BBQ. I'm sure that he much preferred our Sunday walk up High Pike with his parents - a 2,000 footer (Zoe's first), followed by a roast dinner in the garden at Plumbland. Tasty!

I am hoping that this post will mark my getting back into the rhythm of blogging again - I am hoping some bloggy inspiration rubs off all of the other lovely Cumbrian bloggers who I'm meeting up with on Sunday for a picnic in the park - bliss! And my mother will be looking after Zoe for a few hours, so I will be child free - wow, I'll get to be a grown up again!!



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