Autumn Love

Tuesday was crazy glitteratti at Mystery Jets gig. We were full of cold but it was still awesome. There was crazy amounts of glitter, they could not be more 80's.

i have been gettting quite creative at work this week, doodling on the whiteboard and making paper chains (in my lunch break of course). It has been noticed. i'm wondering how long i will be able to sustain an office job for, before i get insanely bored again. And i actually really like my job. One of my goals for next year is to take an art class. i'm undecided between printmaking and Art & Design. Thoughts?

i had a package from Miss Elsie. Yesterday i spent an entire evening making this. i was having one of those madcap creative flows where all the ideas and the products seemed to come together perfectly. i love those times! It's very refreshing to make a book without the pressure of finding photos to match what you want to say. See the whole album here.


i think it is one of my favourite mini's evvvvver. i have been taking a lot more notice of this season this year, mostly because my eyes have been opened up to it. There was so much going on in my world this time last year that i never even noticed the colour of the trees or the sharp drop in temperature, i was too busy looking forward to my winter of summer. i have been really enjoying observing the change in seasons, and although i miss my flip-flops and i really hate being cold, i am learning to love autumn.


And i did some x-stitch. Which i haven't done in SO long. i used to do this ALL the time, before scrapbooking came into my life and took over.


i would love to blog tomorrow, but there is really no chance that is going to happen, and considering most of you will not be reading this til then anyways...

* i want to take the time to remember my Grand-dad (he has been on my mind much more than usual lately, i wonder what he would make of the last year)

* i want to wish Katty B a most fabulous birthday (love you, girl)

* i want to wish everyone a happy halloweeney!!

Always behind the camera

So i've been sorting through a lot of old photos & scanning away, i made mum dig some out of the garage (i know, how dare she keep them somewhere so unsafe :o !!). i haven't even seen some of them before, so i was super excited going through them yesterday. i mean SUPER excited, i LOVE old photos. Not just looking at them, remembering what my childhood was like, but the feel of the grain and the smell and the colours. They are just SO cool. M, i can't wait til you are down next and we can go through them together :) i even found one of me with all four of my grandparents, which i'm sure is the only one in existence, so precious. i am really lucky that my dad was into photography when we were kids (and he was pretty good too). There are tons of us as babies and toddlers, and then as he started to go away on business more, there are fewer. i am finding it tough to find many of me as a teenager. i took quite a lot in my last year of school, after i got my own camera, but there are none of me on my own (except the standard yucky school portrait)! i still never take enough pictures, even on my RTW trip this year i didn't get enough of me. It is evident from some of the photos that i've come across that i have always loved to be behind the camera.

i am getting in a really halloweeney mood. i'm nearly finished my costume (with a lot of help from mum on the sewing front). i am sooooo excited for Friday, it's been a while since i've really been out, and actually looked forward to it. Excited about dressing up, catching up with some people i haven't seen for a while, the tunes at Chaos and the general drunkeness. i just know it's going to be good.

Some bands getting me in the mood:

Justice
Does it offend you, yeah? p.s you should read their wikipedia entry, it's mildly amusing
Pendulum

i hate to wish my life away, but Friday can not be here soon enough. For reals.

Making stuff...

OK people, since when did Hobby Craft become cool? Me & She Who Must Not Be Named arranged to meet there to get some fabric for our Halloween costumes (the fact that she is willing to do fancy dress at all, let alone make it herself is highly unusual). Anywho, of course i had to have a looksie at the scrabooking stuff, because usually they do have some Making Memories bits. But now they have a whole aisle dedicated to Scrapbooking and are carrying American Crafts (including thickers!) and Amy Butler!! i have been trying to get my hands on Amy Butler stuff for at least 18 months now and all of a sudden it's showing up in my local craft store. Some thing wierd is going down. Are people beginning to take Scrapbooking seriously in this country?!


So of course i ended up leaving with not just the halloween fabric, but a few bits and pieces including Amy Butler papers (if her fabric ever shows up in this country i may actually faint, because that is even impossible to get in the US, or so i'm told) and a new MM album (in 8 1/2 x 11, can you believe it?!?! And for £12.99, a steal!) which i've used to house my Barcelona layouts, which i've been storing for 2 years now.

This week it seems my creative cycle has gone full circle and i've been feeling the need to make stuff again, i even did a layout mid-week, which is really rare these days. i think it has actually been a whole month since i scrapped anything (i really have no idea where the last month went!). The ideas are buzzing & i am writing lots.


Around this time of year i always start getting a bit reflective and ponder on what i've done in the past year, what i've learnt and what i want to achieve in the next, so this tends to come out in my work.


i've had a low-key weekend after a few manic weeks and spent the entire day in my pj's watching SATC and making stuff. i am not feeling the need to be out partying every weekend like i was during the summer, which i guess is another one of those cycles i go through. i'm sure i'll be out and about a lot during the run up to Christmas though.

i've got mum to dig out more old photos, so i am looking forward to sorting through those this evening, maybe a bath and more films. i am so loving this season!

Stuff that makes me happy

Monday - The Rifles gig (lots of Paul Weller wannabes)
Tuesday - Does it offend you, yeah? gig (felt like i was in an episode of skins, possibly the maddest gig i've ever been to)
Wednesday - The yes word.

All round general happiness. Enjoying the sunshine while it lasts.

'oh you're still alive then?'

Was the response i got from my ma yesterday when i walked through the door, before zooming out again just over an hour later.

On Saturday the Keane album showed up at my door although it wasn't in the shops til Monday! It is The Shizz. Pre-ordering is the future.

Sunday we met a load of the Hollyoaks cast at a charity football match. Super fun. It's the only thing on telly i insist on watching. Although DH is back this week, which i'm very excited about. And i did watch Peter Kays Britain's got the pop factor and possibly a new celebrity jesus christ soapstar superstar strictly on ice, which is one of the funniest things i have ever seen on tv. OK, so maybe i do watch a bit of telly every now and again, but it is pretty minimal.

Tuesday was dvd night with Annabananna, Weds was cinema with Nic ( to see one of the funniest films evvvvvver plus yummies), Thurs was girly sleepover with Vic and then back to Annabanannas last night for more sleeps and taking my favourite little man to see Igor this morning. i've also managed to make visits to see she who cannot be named & Bri Bri this avo.

All thanks to my lil Sis who gave me some wheels. Errr, do i hear the word Freedom? i was buzzing on the drive to work Monday morning. i am already wondering how i ever coped without a car. For reals.

All this results in no time for the PC, no FB, no blogs, no e-mail etc. It feels a bit wierd to have been out of the loop (i mean Flickr have had a major re-vamp, how could i have missed that!) now i'm trying to catch up but i didn't miss it all week. i have been loving the girly time too much.

i have laughed an immense amount this week. Laughter is the best medicine.

You don't see me

Tuesday was ELBOW gig. Who were magnificent! The guy infront of us who almost elbowed me in the eye, THREE times was not! So obviously Elbow's music is magical (One day like this must surely be the most beautiful song of the year), but there was also a lot of banter to be had with the crowd, which always makes a gig so much more fun. Plus instead of clapping for an encore, we had to sing them a song. Can you guess what we had to sing?

Very excited for Keane's new album on Monday. Listen to it here (clearly Bowie/Queen inspired) and their Live Lounge from this week here. Remix of Calvin Harris/Dizzee Rascal & Queen = genius!!

Last night was spent with Vic & Brett eating pub grub and laughing. Always laughing in that girls presence.


Mostly at the moment i am loving my walks around the castle. Because the leaves are beautiful. Because sometimes i need to take pictures and sometimes i don't. Because i need time to clear my head in the crisp air. It is my favourite castle in the whole world. i am still in awe that something so old is so near.


i have been storing my camera in my lush basket and it smells delish. Taking pictures looking down is my new fav thing. i have had my ipod on shuffle (a very rare thing for me to do) for the last few days and it is spewing the most awesome songs ever.

Baths are good.

i am wearing tights almost daily now.


i have some fun stuff planned for the weekend. i am going out for the first time in a while & this makes me anxious. i am becoming unfamiliar with being in a group of people, i am becoming untrusting of myself in that situation. i am also worried that some wounds which have been healing, may be ripped open again. i am up and down on the constant, which i have been trying to hide quite unconvincingly for some time now. Lots of things are making me want to run away. again. i am trying so hard to keep rooted.

the leaves

i said i missed the summer already. He said he liked this time of year, the colours of the leaves in the trees are really awesome when he is up in the branches.



When i went for a walk on Wednesday i turned the corner at the end of my road and realised how right he was. i didn't have my camera, but figured i could take a picture another day. Today i went again, camera in hand and ipod attached, but the leaves had already gone.

Yet still this season has never been more beautiful to me.

A note to Katty

i long for the days when you would feed me broken biscuits

i miss your laugh

i need your encouragement to take more pictures

i miss your random text messages telling me funny stories from your day

i am in need of your vegetarian recipes

i miss you telling me off for messing around with boys

i miss us quoting Kim Jong Il

i miss you showing me your recent bargains from Primarni

i miss you telling me that everything will alright

i would eat more vegetables if you were around (i promise!)

It's all about Vintage

This week i have been feeling particularly vintage myself, sorting out grown-up stuff like pensions and comitting to actually staying put for the forseable future. A big step for someone who has been floating around for the last 6 years or so.


This is something i've been wanting to post about for a while because vintage has been defining 08 for me. I have always loved things of old, but this year i've weaved more vintage into my wardrobe and my fascination with antiques and just generally anything old has increased. Who wants shiney new stuff when there are objects in the world that have a history? There are so many stories and so much to be learnt from the past.

Here's a postcard i picked up when i was working in the New Forest, of Southsea seafront. The seafront has changed so much and yet is esentially the same and just look at the clothes the people are wearing. Yikesabee!


A fashion blog to check out: The Vintage Society


i love watching films that are set in the past/were actually filmed way back when. Especially when they relate to music/art. Here's a few of my fav's:






Hope you are having a good weekend! Stay Classy San Diego!

Hello October

After a shakey end to September, October is looking much brighter. There are a few exciting things coming up this month, mainly in the music department, but hopefully catching up with some people and of course halloween!

i just wanted to share Josh Pyke's latest video. Which in his usual style is beautiful and artistic. i still can't believe i got to meet this man! He has a new album out this month, as do Keane (check out the website to hear it in full from Monday!), Jeremy Larson and Snow Patrol. Yay for new stuff from my favourites!


i'm still maintaining my hermit status, other then a trip up to Winchester yesterday to see some old colleagues. My summer in Winchester will always be a time i remember as magical. i am already starting to feel like it was a long time ago and forgetting all the details. And i know it's something that will never be re-created, because we have all moved on. i am still missing Gareth like a missing limb so i was super happy to see him. Although we regularly e-mail and chat on the phone it's not the same. i am counting down the days til Vic moves to our office cos i miss her bad too. And i had a chat with Lynchy today (who is way too far away in Scotland). It's an ongoing joke that i live in a castle and he was telling me all the stories he's told his girls about me. They seem to think that i am some rupunzle type. When they asked him if i wore a tiara he told them that i wore a crown and that it was green (because that's my favourite colour). i am now dreading the day i get to meet them because their dreams will be shattered. And i find it totally crazy that people pay enough attention to me to notice things like my favourite colour.

Despite missing my old buddies, i am very happy in my new job and i am becoming incredibly fond of some of the new people i am working with, one in particular who has me smiling from ear to ear.

*In other news*

i finally reached a total loss of 1 stone!

i watched the entire series of Gavin and Stacey in one night and loved it

i am re-reading the Twilight series

Thanks to a tip-off from my friend Matt-from-home, i have changed my facebook settings so that it now appears in Pirate language! Legendary!!