Matin Lapin

my favourite things this week ♥♥♥Valentines edition♥♥♥

2012-02-12T10:36:00.000Z

♥ conversation hearts printable

♥ lovely duck pattern from Teasemade

♥ Sherlock valentine by Beth

♥ I like you and naps card by Katie of Sad Shop

♥ awesome Golden Girls valentines

♥ crochet edging tutorial by Meredith

♥ I'd snap at the chance valentine from Skip To My Lou

♥ love hearts cheesecake recipe from Hungry Happenings

♥ cute I dig you valentines

the stamp of approval

2012-02-11T12:49:00.000Z

{new address card by Natalie Candlish}

Now that I've finally moved house, and I intend to be here for some time, I think I should treat myself to some nice personalised stationery or even a stamp of my new address perhaps...

{1: trialbycupcakes} {2: lineacarta} {3: Primele} {4: foryoo}

{5: cartolaio} {6: meanttobecalligraphy} {7: kmcalligraphy} {8: ampersandity}

I want them all - which do you like the best?

dance like nobody's watching

2012-02-10T09:20:00.000Z

This is my new favouritest video.

I can't remember how many times I've watched it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!*

*and if you fancy doing something similar in North London - let me know!

gallery wall lovin'

2012-02-09T10:18:00.000Z

I read an awful lot of blogs about interiors and interior design. Whether they be sensible blogs showing tutorials and practical information or purely for aesthetic pleasure, I am pretty much addicted to them.

What do I do when I'm feeling a bit down?

You'll find me on Pinterest.

Checking out interiors.

For realz.

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10} {11} {12}

And my favourite trend at the moment is the gallery wall. Oh man, I love them, and I desperately want one. I have masses of artworks, some purchased myself and many that were gifts from my art school buddies. It would be great to be able to display them properly, rather than just propped up against shelves like they have been for years.

Now that I have a nice long wall in my new house it should be possible. It's not a very high wall, and I'm a little concerned that filling the space with frames might make it seem much smaller or make the ceiling seem much lower, but I guess the only way to know for sure is to try it out... and now I know what I'll be doing over the half term holidays next week, woo!

How do you feel about this trend? Do you have a gallery wall of your own?

nice one, Lizzie!

2012-02-08T06:29:00.000Z

60 years ago this week, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and her realms. She is currently the second-longest reigning monarch of the UK - she has only 3 years and 215 days to go until she beats Queen Victoria's record, and I bet she's counting down the days!

It's no secret that I've become rather fond of the Royal Family ever since the Royal Wedding last year, and I've found some pretties that I might like to add to my collection...

{Nice one, Lizzie!}

And then I found this awesome print by Emma Block - isn't it super!?

Must Dash print by Emma Block via A Lovely Being

Will you be celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year?

we've moved house!

2012-02-07T06:57:00.000Z

Moving Day finally came this week, after weeks and weeks of delays and hassle and upset and frustration and crying and getting angry and researching into how one goes about suing their estate agents and solicitors.

It took more time, effort and heartache than I ever thought possible. It was a nightmare, but I’m too exhausted to go into the details right now. Either way, we’re in! Hooray! And Yoyo is settling in well. I was concerned that she would find the transition from a large, laminate-floored, double layered flat to a much smaller, carpeted, single-floor flat difficult to cope with, and it was the one thing I was worried about more than any other aspect of the move.

After the days and weeks of packing, plus the tension and frustration of the super stressful pre-move period, I was sure that she had sensed all of our stress and I was terrified that she would be so anxious in the run-up to the move that she would make herself ill - we certainly made ourselves ill with worry and anxiety, and she’s a very sensitive little thing. A week or so before the move, while we were still busy packing up our belongings, I ordered a Feliway plug-in.It came a few days before the last day of moving, and it’s now safely plugged in here in the new flat.

She seems completely changed – playful but not so scratchy or bitey, and certainly less shy and panicky. Being a rescue cat, she’s always been pretty nervous, but she has been very brave in the last week or so. She has hidden under the sofa a few times, when furniture has been being moved about, but she’s quite happy to come out and ask for belly rubs as soon as the noises die down. The carpet must be a nice change on her paws too, though it makes it very difficult for me to hear her prowling about – she’s even more of a ninja cat!

Now most of the furniture has been re-assembled and the big stuff is all in, she’s getting more confident and is happily exploring corners, burrowing behind drawers and frolicking in the bath tub. I thought it was just our last bathroom that she was particularly fond of, but it seems she’s just as fond of this new one – and this time it’s not just the bath: I found her sitting curled up in the washbasin yesterday.

Although the whole thing has been much harder on me than I had expected, and it will certainly take me some time to get used to the new place, Yoyo seems to be settling in nice and easily, and is getting back to her normal cheeky, mischievous self.

Phew! A happy meower makes me a happy Vixie!

must have Monday - spatterdashes (or 'spats' to you and me)

2012-02-06T20:57:00.000Z

I know I’ve written about some of my favourite kids TV programmes already - here and here, for example - but I recently remembered another great one: Spatz.

It was set in a diner in Cricklewood, and that’s pretty much all I remember other than the awesome theme song…

I was never really sure why the show was called Spatz, and even now I’m not sure... I think perhaps the waiters wore spats as part of their uniform…? That could be it.

I had never thought about spats as anything other than those shoe cover things that are normally worn by members of the mafia - and 90's diner waiters, I guess - but I have come to realise that they are so much more than that, and I’ve become a little bit obsessed with them…

{one} {two} {three} {four}

{five} {six} {seven} {eight}

{nine} {ten} {eleven} {twelve}

{thirteen} {fourteen} {fifteen} {sixteen}

...and is it any wonder? Aren’t they gorgeous!?

I also found some patterns so I can make my own! Wanna join me?

<<<patterns>>>

{1} {2} {3} {4}

RAoK 365: 16 more cheap random acts of kindness

2012-02-03T15:37:00.000Z

Wow, if you've done one of each of these RAoKs, you'll have done more than 50 random acts of kindness so far! Imagine that! Your Karma rating must be through the roof!

{16 free random acts of kindness}

{16 more free random acts of kindness}

{16 donating/recycling random acts of kindness}

{16 cheap random acts of kindness}

Just in case you need some more ideas, here are a few more RAoKs you can perform for very little money:

>>>cheap random acts of kindness<<<

17-32

write a letter of thanks or praise to a local business/institution

gift a stranger

buy a bunch of flowers and give them to someone in the street

buy a box of chocolates or candies and offer them around on the train

give change and chocolate coins to a busker

buy some doggy treats and give them to a friend or neighbour with a dog

buy a big box of chocolates and distribute them in the pigeonholes at work

knit or sew a blanket for an ill or abused child

knit a blanket for a homeless animal

knit, crochet or sew tiny clothes or blankets for premature babies

leave a larger than normal tip for someone who has given you excellent service

list a PIF item in your online shop

bake cookies for your work mates

send someone a bunch of flowers by mail

plant a tree

feed the birds

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Valentine's wishlist - lovebugs

2012-02-01T08:32:00.000Z

There is nothing more adorable than Valentine's Day ladybirds.

Here are just some of my favourites:

♥ pretty jewellery ♥

{felted brooch} {beaded earrings} {glass and silver earrings}

{necklace and earrings set} {brass and stone earrings} {pocket watch pendant}

♥ cute stuff ♥

{ladybird miniatures} {quilted charms} {buttons}

{cute plush} {badge holder} {teeny tiny plush}

♥ cards ♥

{love bug printable card} {hello love bug} {quirky love bugs}

{letterpress love bugs} {luv bug} {dachshund ladybird}

♥ nyoms ♥

{valentine candy printable} {fondant love bug}

{crystal barley lollipops} {fondant hearts}

What's your favourite Valentine's creature?

dress up your roll

2012-01-31T07:11:00.000Z

Why I have never thought of this, I just don't know...

Have you heard of the 'Dress up your Roll' competition?

It is a competition to make the best toilet roll cover.

I'm not even joking.

This is from Quilt Jane - the blogger who runs the competition:

"The toilet roll is always last to be best dressed. It is often hidden in the cupboard or left bare and exposed on the top of the toilet suite.

I want to challenge all quilters and crafter to come up with some original ideas. Covers are simple and quick to make. They are a great way to use up scraps."

The Rules:

1. Join the Flickr group
2. Make a fabric cover for your roll. Embellishments are permitted
3. Post the picture(s) of your finished project on Flickr. If you wish to write a tutorial for your creation then add the link to the picture on Flickr
4. You can enter has many times as you like
5. Most importantly, don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you

There are a couple of tutorials on the website, here and here, and check out the judges and prizes here. The competition finishes on 1st March 2012 and winners will be announced the week after.

Would anyone like to join me in making one??

must have Monday - a pretty gym bag

2012-01-30T10:07:00.000Z

Since joining the gym back in the autumn, I have always used the same bag to transport my kit. It's plastic, it's green and white and has nice sturdy handles, but it's basically just a plastic bag. I've been contemplating getting an actual gym bag, one that fits everything and doesn't look as silly as wandering in off the street with a plastic bag, which isn't a great look, but normal gym-specific bags are pretty ugly and are often emblazoned with some sports logo, which just isn't me...

I would rather have something pretty and functional, stylish and big enough to hold all my stuff. I've never really been into bags, I just have my owl bag and that's about it, but I have to admit that all the "research" I did for this post was super-tastic fun!

Enough of that - let's get on with the bags...

♥ ♥ ♥ cheap chic ♥ ♥ ♥

1. The British Museum // £7.99 // 2. Lapin & Me // £14

3. Forever 21 // $19.80 // 4. Gillian Kyle // £12.50

5. Pop Kid // £10 // 6. girls with flaws // €19.99

7. Lapin & Me // £18 // 8. Forever 21 // $10.80

♥ ♥ ♥ very reasonably priced ♥ ♥ ♥

1. River Island // £35 // 2. Kate Garey // £34.99 // 3. Kate Garey // £34.99

4. Accessorize // £28 // 5. Modcloth // $49.99 // 6. Accessorize // £40

7. Modcloth // $59.99 // 8. Accessorize // £35 // 9. Sugar Coated by Disaster Designs // £48

10. Accessorize // £32 // 11. Kate Garey // £34.99 // 12. Kate Garey // £34.99

13. With Love by Disaster Designs // £65 14. ASOS // $50.13 // 15. ASOS // $80.57

♥ ♥ ♥ I could probably use the money for something more necessary ♥ ♥ ♥

1. Givenchy // $1945 // 2. Zatchels at Liberty // £114 // 3. Mulberry // £270

4. Zatchels at Paperchase // £97 // 5. Fifty One Percent // £100 //

6. Diane von Furstenberg £375 // 7. Anya Hindmarsh // £165 // 8. Paul Smith // $432

~~~~~~~

What kind of bag do you use?

Do any of these take your fancy?

my favourite things this week #23

2012-01-29T10:29:00.000Z

♥ lightning bolt pencil case from Noodoll

♥ good things pencil set from OneUpDesigns

♥ the entire cat population is my best friend jumper

♥ nap pillow cases from dirtsa studio

♥ amazing baby Jesus bread

♥ reversed canvas wall pockets by Cathe Holden

♥ beautiful fox in foxgloves painting by Andrea

♥ home is a long bear hug by Lucy Player

♥ bedazzled Abba shoulder pads from This Is Not A Craft blog

my favourite Etsians - Q&A with Nicola Rowlands

2012-01-28T15:28:00.000Z

Sharks and biscuits and knickers and manfriends...

...it can only be Nicola Rowlands!

Hooray!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Nicola! Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions - would you like to introduce yourself and let Matin Lapin readers know what you do?

I'm a creative person living in Manchester. I have a small studio in the flat I share with my better half in Didsbury, South Manchester. I work as an illustrator and graphic designer and sell my own products on Etsy.

Cool beans. How long have you been drawing/painting/crafting, and how did you first get into it?

I have been creative and bossy my whole life. I didn't realize that I could combine the two until I picked up a copy of Frankie magazine whilst backpacking in Australia and my boyfriend suggested I enroll on a graphic design degree upon our return to England.

Oooh, I love Frankie! And that's such an inspiring story! So presumably you did go on to study for an art degree?

Yep, I studied Design & Art Direction at Manchester Metropolitan. Bought a Mac, taught myself how to use it to my advantage and crammed in loads of work experience at ad agencies, design agencies, and with a skateboarding magazine in London. I've always been able to draw - but formal drawing classes that I took during my American education years really helped hone my skillz.

{biscuits card} {rainbow brooch} {capybara ornament}

{cotton coasters} {hare card} {you are the best pocket mirror}

You have a bunch of different stuff in your shop at the moment - how do you think your work changed since you started?

I think over the past year I've become more confident in not only what I'm good at but recognising what I'm bad at.

That's pretty neat. I'm intrigued to know where you get your inspiration from and who inspires you?

This is always a difficult question because I always end up sounding really cliche... I don't necessarily carry a sketchbook everywhere - I have a page a day Moleskine diary which is made up of lists and notes to myself - I also have a book/folder which I stuff random things/paper that I think could be useful for when I'm stuck. Mostly though something will enter my brain and sit there until I draw it. Right now, it's noses. That's because a very drunk friend of mine over new years said to me, "why do you have to draw animals? Why don't you draw something different... like noses?" (shortly after, she fell off a chair)

{you are wonderfully wonderful cushion} {pocket lovebirds} {cat tea towel}

{shoe snob card} {heart kitty earrings} {oh deer notelet}

That's a pretty original answer! And what is your favourite project or item in your shop, and why?

My cards - because I feel they're most representative of my thoughts and ideas.

Other than painting/drawing/sewing/crafting what else do you like to do?

Read, run, and look at dogs.

Nice. Finally, let's finish off with an interesting fact about yourself...

I was born in Wales, spent nine years (from age 9-18) in the USA, and now I live with a Yorkshire man. My accent is a total mixed bag.

Thank you so much for all that, Nicola!

If you would like to see more of Nicola's work, check her out here...

// website // blog // etsy shop // twitter //

bathroom libraries

2012-01-27T14:19:00.001Z

It has always interested me what kinds of things people keep in their bathrooms. Bath stuff and toiletries go without saying, but as a kid I remember that the bathrooms or WCs of my grandparents, uncles or aunts, family friends and most other adults I knew contained a bookshelf, or at the very least, a pile of books on a chair. Perhaps it's a little crass to keep books in your bathroom, but it's something I have always just expected...

Generally, it tends to be books that one can just dip into - books containing lists or other factual books, encyclopedias or pub quiz trivia. Having said that, I don't think I ever went to the bathroom in my grandparents' old house without there being a Farside Gallery book, a Calvin & Hobbes book and the newest edition of Private Eye magazine.

My maternal grandparents' house only rarely contained a magazine or newspaper, but on the back of the door was a huge poster detailing the history of the British monarchy, so that was more than enough information to attempt to absorb. I love the idea that bathroom time shouldn't be wasted time - that it should be used as a further opportunity to learn!

The walls of my own WC are currently covered in posters - one details cloud names, types and formations, another pictures shows British birds, another the flags of the world and the last is a detailed map of the moon. A nice selection, I thought, and rather necessary since a lot of people think it odd to keep books in there. Despite this, there is also a book of British words and sayings and yet another history of the British monarchy. Quite a theme there, methinks.

How about these immense bathroom libraries! Jealous much? I certainly am!

{1} {2} {3} {4}

What do you have in your bathroom? Any books?

Boom Boom goes my heart

2012-01-25T20:46:00.001Z

I woke up at around 5am this morning with Armenia's 2011 Eurovision entry buzzing around in my head. It's pretty awesome so I thought I would share:

I've never been to Armenia, but it's on my 'Eurovision Nations To Visit' list - which I am hoping to complete in the next few years. I've been reading up about it, and it's a pretty interesting nation. Here are some factoids:

Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest after the flood.
The world's earliest leather shoe was found in Armenia, dated to about 4000BC.
Armenia became the first officially Christian state in AD 301.
The pomegranate is the national fruit of Armenia.
Cher is of Armenian descent, as are the band System of a Down.

And just because it's the kind of thing I like to do, here's an Armenian-themed treasury. There don't seem to be many Armenians on Etsy, so it's kinda only loosely themed...

{I Love Armenia}

Have any of you ever been to Armenia?

P.S. only 122 days until Eurovision!

always sunny in the rich man's world

2012-01-24T09:11:00.000Z

Money. Dosh. Wonga. It's something most people have and yet no one talks about. As a culture, the British, especially, tend to find it difficult to talk about money. Whether it's because it's seen as a vulgar thing to do, or simply because all of us are far too reserved, it seems I'm never able to discuss any financial issues in a social context. So I'm going to do it here.

{money hats seen here}

Let's start here: when one leaves university it is expected that one will find a job and a house and take the first few tentative steps along the path towards adulthood; part of that involves earning money. Almost everyone does it.

As a child my family didn't have a lot of money. I never went without, but nor was I given every single thing I asked for. If I wanted something badly enough I was taught that I should save up for it myself. Sometimes I may have wanted things just because they were pretty, but other times it was completely worth going without trinkets at the weekend if it meant a bigger gift at the end of it...

The first big thing I ever saved up for was a Sylvanian Family windmill. It was so expensive that I couldn't possibly have asked for it as a birthday or Christmas gift, nor even as a joint birthday and Christmas gift. There was only one thing for it: saving up my pocket money week after week, not spending any of my birthday money and hoarding away, like a magpie, any shiny coins I was given by the ladies at church.

It was so worth saving up for - it was the best toy ever, and I adored it. I had hours and hours of fun with that windmill, making the rabbit family potter about the place, playing with the simple pulley system, opening the entire thing out to play with it in it's full glory. Plus it was a pretty impressive toy to have on display - I felt like I had won some great prize when I finally had one of my own, and to think I got it for myself, with money that I had saved up, was just astounding.

I've always been pretty good at saving, which might come as a shock to anyone who knows me. Yes, I have the odd day when I get really excited about a particular crafting project and spend £40 on glitter, fabric or beads, but more often than not I'll only treat myself to crafty bits when I've made a few sales or I've had an exceptionally bad day and need something pretty to perk me up. Sometimes I will come home from work to be greeted by a package of charms or similar, forgetting that I had bought them in a moment of great upset or annoyance a week or so beforehand...

But despite these tiny lapses in financial maturity, I do have savings. It was drilled into me that saving a bit of money every month is a good thing to do. And it's not just because of memories of this, though it might have helped:

get one of your own on ebay here

~~~~~~~

This year is going to be a big year. I have a lot of things I want to do, and I think it might be the year I completely blow my savings. New years are typically for setting up a saving plan of some sort, but I'm going to be setting myself up a spending plan instead...

Breakdown of Vixie's 2012 Spending Plan

The Basics

Luckily, I have no real debt. So I'm basically starting at £0.00.

Objectives

To purchase everything I set forth, and still end the year with more than I started with.

The Savings/Spendings

I am moving house, that's almost always expensive. Plus home improvements and furnishings etc. for the new house. Plus rent, which in London is just crazy money.

One of my 30 before 30 objectives is to set up a pension, so I should probably look into that.

My Mummy and Daddy are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in the summer and I would love to send them to Venice for a holiday. I might not be able to pay for the entire thing, but I would at least like to help them out.

I always like to save something from every paycheck in a 'just in case' fund, so that if anything comes up I know it can be dealt with.

I want to continue giving money regularly to charity - whether that's through sponsorship or what, I don't know yet.

That's already a fair amount without taking into account food, stuff for Yoyo, daily travel, medicine/toiletries, holidays, business stuff, birthday gifts or pretty things. This year looks set to be tough, but if I can remain flexible and try to control my urges to buy sequins and other (supposedly) non-necessary items, it should all be OK.

~~~~~~~

Do you have any financial goals or plans for this year?

must have Monday: epaulettes

2012-01-23T06:21:00.000Z

I've never really been one for uniforms of any sort - the pomp and majesty of it all is of no real interest to me - yet I am more than a little enamoured of one aspect of the military uniform: epaulettes.

The word epaulette means 'little shoulder' in French - how adorable is that? It just makes me love them even more. And not necessarily the ceremonial fringey military ones, rather prettier ones that can be added to just about any outfit, like these lovelies:

{silver chained epaulettes} {gold chained epaulettes} {bolero with fringed epaulettes}

{rainbow ribbon epaulettes} {golden epaulettes} {Natalie loves epaulettes}

{epaulette DIY} {flowery and spiky epaulettes} {feather epaulettes}

{chain fringe epaulettes} {geometric epaulettes} {Swarovski crystal epaulettes}

Or how about something a bit more... spiky?

{crystals} {emerald green} {crystals and spikes}

{deep red} {feathers and crystals} {pink and gold}

{silver spades} {gold chains} {teal blue}

>>>all from the wonderful Binkaminka<<<

Don't you think those spiked ones are reminiscent of armour?

I wonder if spaulders will be next...?

original images from here - how did you know I added the pink bits...?

How do you feel about epaulettes - awesome? ridiculous?

And do you think spaulders will be next???

my favourite things this week #22

2012-01-22T10:39:00.000Z

♥ awesome crochet-look tights

♥ edible gingerbread cuckoo clock (with internal gears, no less!) by Michelle Jamieson

♥ pretty triangle cross stitched pendant by Lily Piyathaisere

♥ sweater bangle DIY by Rebekah Gough

♥ the most incredible rap shark earrings by Nicola Rowlands

♥ decorative golden stumps!

♥ loved letter charm necklace by Missy of SugarCookie

♥ wall-mounted pencil holder from Tonya Staab

♥ gorgeous hand-painted friendship necklaces by Sarah-Lambert Cook

Happy Birthday, Gary Barlow!

2012-01-20T14:36:00.001Z

{Howard Donald} {Mark Owen} {Jason Orange}{Robbie Williams}{Gary Barlow}

When I was 9 years old I was obsessed with a certain boyband by the name of Take That. In those days, it was the cheeky-faced Mark Owen who made my heart race, but since their reformation that has all changed...

In 1991, Gary Barlow was 20 years old. He had spiky peroxide blonde hair and a nose stud, and was my least favourite member of the band. When my little brother was still pretty young, about 3 years old, he adored Gary Barlow. It was a peculiar feeling to argue, at the age of 12, with my 3 year old brother about who was the best member of Take That. My mum sided with Richard, as she'd always had a soft spot for Gary too, but I was adamant that Mark was my favourite, and therefore the best member of the group, and that was that.

I was devastasted when they split up in 1996, but in 2005 Take That made a comeback.

Mark Owen still looked almost exactly the same, a little stubblier perhaps, but Gary had blossomed into a dashingly handsome grown-up man.

I tried to fight it, but there was no denying it - Gary Barlow was officially a hotty.

Today is Gary's 41st birthday, and he's still looking good!

Who do you think has aged better?

I don't think you're ready for this... horse fly?

2012-01-18T20:28:00.000Z

Ever since reading this amazing story about a horse fly named after Beyoncé, I haven't been able to get Bootylicious by Destiny's Child out of my head.

It's been a good few days now, but nothing I listen to will make it budge - it's just so darn catchy!

So, this horse fly I was talking about, Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, was named after Lady B because of its gold bum. Incredible, non?

I love that a scientist somewhere thought:

"you know what this gold-bummed fly reminds me of...? Beyoncé!

Yeah, we should totally name it after her - she'd love that!"

~~~~~~~

So with that in mind, I put together a treasury of gold-tipped pretties:

{gold-tipped and gorgeous}

...and here are some more awesome gold-tipped things, just because I love you guys.

{gold dipped bowl DIY} {gold leaf nails} {gold toe flats DIY} {edible gold chocolate skull}

How do you feel about the naming of this new horse fly?

What kind of insect would you like to have named after you?

(I'd quite like a Vixie dragonfly, that'd be neat)

on my bookshelf this month

2012-01-17T11:35:00.000Z

I realise it's been a long while since I did an 'on my bookshelf' type post, but I can assure you it's not because I've been napping, drawing rabbits, playing with Yoyo or sitting about listening to Eurovision whenever I have had spare time since August... teehee, honest!

So, what's on my bookshelf this month?

have you read any of these?

what's on your bookshelf this month?

must have Monday: okapis

2012-01-16T10:20:00.000Z

My adoration of giraffes and zebras is no secret. But imagine how awesome it would be if there was an animal who was kinda like a mixture of the two! Imagine no longer, my friends, for that animal is called an okapi and lives in the Ituri Rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, central Africa.

{beautiful okapi painting by Jeane Nevarez}

You might think that okapis are related to zebras, with their pretty striped legs and all, but in fact they are more closely related to giraffes - their bodies being very similarly shaped, other than their necks being much shorter. Similarly to the giraffe, the okapi also has a long (roughly 30cm) bluey black tongue. Crazy mad.

When European explorers first reported the okapi's existence, calling it the 'African unicorn', their stories were not believed. It wasn't until a body was sent to London in 1901 that the okapi was formally recognised as a 'new' animal and named Okapia johnstoni after it's discoverer, the British explorer, Sir Harry Johnson.

Let's see what pretty okapi things we can find...

///for the walls///

{okapi painting by Diana Sudyka} {okapi painting by Betty Gerstner}

{okapi drawing by Tom Sachs} {cute okapi print by BreeAnn Veenstra}

///in the wardrobe///

{okapi necklace by Oh, Tiger!} {iron-on patch by DrChameleon}

{okapi tie by RulanCapperStarr} {glass okapi pendant by Happy Owl Glassworks}

///in the home///

{okapi bottle stopper from PetPro.com} {cosmetic pouch by Daphne of Octopurse}

{okapi plush from Amazon} {okapi ipod case by Customizables}

///misc///

{cardboard cut-out okapi by Kristofir Dean} {okapi figurine}

{origami okapi created by Yamada Katsuhisa} {okapi bag by daffyanimals}

...and just on the off chance that you might, one day, partake in a "Dress Like An African Animal Day" at work, I've put together a rather lovely okapi-themed outfit. I don't think I would even need a themed day to wear it, I love it!

{dress} {cardigan} {leggings} {bag} {necklace}{shoes} {ring}

and how about this party okapi outfit...

{sequin top} {shorts} {tights} {belt} {scarf} {shoes} {necklace} {rings}

Okapis are so my favourite animal of 2012.

thank you, kindly

2012-01-15T17:59:00.000Z

Ever since I was a little girl, one of my favourite things to do in January is write post-Christmas thank you cards to friends and family.

Emails, phone calls or text messages just don't cut it - hand-written thank you letters or cards are necessary. Most of the people I have mentioned this to have reacted with surprise when I tell them I still write thank you letters, expecting that I would have stopped in my teens or earlier, but this assumption always shocks me in return. If people have been generous enough to give me a gift, the polite thing to do is thank them for it, surely!...

...and what better way than with one of these pretty printable cards?

{deer} {vintage bird} {circus}

{circus parade} {owls} {marie antoinette}

{forest friends} {circus elephants} {octopus}

Do you write thank you letters?

my favourite things this week #21

2012-01-15T05:53:00.000Z

♥ gingerbread typewriter

♥ do you breakfast for dinner t-shirt from DressingOnTheSide

♥ rainbow doodle cake by Rosie of Sweetapolita

♥ tiny cup sphere decoration DIY from Honest to Nod

♥ cute sparkly bat plush by Kira from oops, I craft my pants

♥ look at all these stickers!

♥ gorgeous seahorse lampshade from Petit Pan

♥ graffitied upholstery

♥ hand-printed kitty mug from Kin Ship Press

my favourite Etsians - Meg of Red & Main

2012-01-14T10:51:00.000Z

My first ever 'my favourite things this week' post included a teeny tiny Yeti sculpture made by Meg of Red & Main...

...today, months later, I'm sharing an interview with Meg about all her awesome pretties, including yetis of course!

Hey Meg! Thanks for agreeing to do this! First off, would you like to introduce yourself to Matin Lapin readers?

Hi! My name is Meg and I’m a ceramic artist and monster wrangler from Washington, DC.

Blimey, monster wrangler?? That sounds pretty neat! How did you first get into making tiny clay monsters?

I took my first ceramics class in high school. I was lucky to have an incredibly awesome teacher (holler, Mrs. Messina) who inspired me to push my boundaries and experiment with new techniques and ideas. After that class, I knew that ceramic art would always be a part of my life.

{tiny owl} {halloween dinosaur} {pirate monster}

{alien and planet} {sporty 70s yeti} {tiny bear}

{seal} {emoti-monster sadness} {swamp thing in top hat}

Good ol' Mrs. Messina! Other than classes with her, do you have any other formal training or did you pretty much teach yourself?

I’ve taken random ceramic art courses throughout my adult life in an attempt to bring clay into my everyday experience. When I was working a fancy corporate job, I’d work all day and take a class at night for stress relief. I don’t, however, have a degree in art.

I honestly don't think a degree in art is necessary to be a creative, I think some of my favourite artists/crafters are self-taught. Since you've been using clay since high school, how do you think your work changed since you started, if at all?

I think I’ve skewed more… bright and imaginary since I’ve started. I really love making little monsters – they can be made any way I want them. I’m really excited for 2012 because I’m going to be branching out and incorporating ceramic pieces with mixed media. I recently went on a craft store supplies binge for my new pieces – I can’t wait to get started!

{blue monster} {pink monster} {mint monster}

I love your yetis and little monsters, I can't wait to see your mixed media pieces too! Where did you get your inspiration for them from?

Right now I’m really loving dia de los muertos dioramas – the bright colors and the fantastic figures are right up my alley. Hopefully this gives everyone a clue as to where my new work is headed. I’m also inspired by my husband; he’s been so incredibly supportive of both me and my business. On days when I’m feeling frustrated, a good word from him can do wonders.

I super love Día de los Muertos stuff too - I went to a Halloween party last year in calavera make-up, it was such fun to research! Other than your newest project, what's your favourite item in your shop, and why?

It’s so hard to pick just one thing – it’s like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. I do love chubby animals, so I’m quite partial to my Fat Unicorn, as well as my Emoti-Monster, Over-Stuffed. More of them to love, right?

{fat unicorn} {over-stuffed monster} {chubby bunny} {blob monster}

Yes, I guess so! I've never really thought about it like that! So when you're not playing with clay or designing new monsters, what else do you like to do?

When I’m not sculpting or painting, I’m probably at the gym, with a friend, eating good food or drinking wine. I also love curling up with my cat and a good book.

That sounds like a perfect day off to me! Finally, would you like to share an interesting fact about yourself with us?

Hmmm… interesting thing about me? I used to be a national-level synchronized swimmer. I think that’s pretty interesting.

Woah, that's super interesting! I'm crazy jealous - I love watching synchronised swimming on TV! Thank you again so much for answering my questions, and good luck with all your new projects!

{yeti picnic date diorama}

If you would like to read more about Meg, you can find her here:

shop // blog // twitter // facebook

RAoK 365: 16 cheap random acts of kindness

2012-01-13T12:46:00.000Z

Free random acts of kindness {1} {2} are all well and good, as are donations - but sometimes you can do some excellent RAoKs for just a very small amount of money.

...here are some cheap but awesome RAoKs:

>>>cheap random acts of kindness<<<

1-16

make soup for someone who is sick

give chocolate coins to bank clerks

put sweeties in all of your parcels/letters - even boring ones like bills

give a homeless person a hat or some socks

buy pencils for children in Africa

buy something from someone's online wedding list

buy something from someone's Amazon wishlist

stick lollipops to all of your neighbours' front doors

bake someone a cake unexpectedly

pay for the cup of coffee for whoever is behind you in the queue

buy the barman a drink

leave a pound in a payphone

join the Toy Society

leave a pound in a vending machine

leave change in a machine at the launderette

slip a lottery ticket under a neighbours door

~~~~~~~~~~~~

see my previous RAoK posts here, here and here

to wallpaper or not to wallpaper?

2012-01-12T08:39:00.000Z

In keeping with my being a 'grown up' this year, I've been thinking about interior design more than is probably healthy. Almost all of my recent Pinterest pins are house-related; I have subscribed to a bunch of tumblrs like ❤ interiors porn; and I'm even dreaming about swanky interiors and bathroom designs.

Wallpaper is pretty much the most grown up housey things there is, so I've been feeding my addiction by looking at pages and pages of beautiful wallpaper designs.

Would you like to see some of them???

Of course you would!

// owls // alphabet // parrots //

// plates // zebras // birdhouses //

// birds // animal party // Venetian carnival //

// keys // more zebras // robots //

// swallows // woods // polar bear //

// bluebirds on cream // buttons // birds //

// dark forest // vintage stamps // bluebirds on white //

// tea sets // origami animals // sequins //

What do you think of them?

Do you think any of them are a realistic option for a small Walthamstow flat?

a very brief history of haircuts

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000Z

For a few years from about the age of 5, every time I went to have my hair cut I would ask the hairdresser to save my curls. These were dutifully kept and, back at home, carefully placed in an envelope and sent to my bald Grandfather who I figured might appreciate them. In fact, I'm not really sure what I was thinking, but considering I was only 5 I'm going to just assume I was being ludicrously cute.

By the time I was 11 years old I had a long, thick mane of hair, which reached half way down my back. In an act of stupidity/rebellion/pre-teenage angst I had my beautiful hair cut right back, until I looked a bit like Duncan of PJ and Duncan...

{awkward posing at all, Dec?}

It wasn't a good look on Duncan, and even less so on a slightly chubby pre-teenage girl.

Unbeknownst to most, one of my superhero powers is super-speedy hair-growth and since it normally took no time at all to grow, it would have only taken about 3 or 4 years to get it back to the same length again. But the foolish/lazy part of me decided to keep it short for nearly 2 years. I was a huge tomboy for the next few years, and it wasn't until I was about 14 that it started to look anything like "proper girl-length".

Since that one Big Cut I've never done anything drastic with my hair. At university it was tropical green for a year or so, but length-wise it's not changed too much at all. It is currently the longest it has ever been, and I'm getting a bit fed up of it again. I'm planning on having it cut next week, but I'm wondering how short to go... should I be cautious and sensible, or slightly more reckless considering the speed at which it'll grow back if it's a disaster?

One idea I was toying with was having a fringe cut in... but Kaz has told me I'm not to go crying to her when it ends up looking ridiculous* so perhaps I'll give it a miss, and just dream about it instead...

{one} {two} {three}

*unfortunately she's right - it probably would look ridiculous with my round face and chubby cheeks, grr.

Do you have any haircut regrets?

must have Monday: rose gold

2012-01-09T04:29:00.000Z

For my entire life I have always believed that silver jewellery suited me. It seems I was mistaken, and that gold is actually very complementary to my skin tone and colouring. So with that in mind, I have been thinking of pretty gold things I can add to my wardrobe, accessories-wise.

It's pretty big going from only wearing silver or white gold straight to gold, so I thought I'd do it in steps... starting with rose gold. The pinkiness is still pretty and suits my skin colour, but it's not quite as brash as gold can be... what do you think of these pretties?

---earrings---

{bow studs by Meltem} {faceted studs by Saara} {heart studs by LOOKAjewelry}

---necklaces---

{dainty nugget necklace by OliveYewJewels}

{star necklace by Lisa Argent on}

{rose quartz necklace by applepear}

---rings---

{chocolate diamond ring by Kate Szabone} {kissing bunnies ring by LOOKAjewelry}

{ruby wedding band by Patrick Irla} {rabbit mask ring by f. is for frank}

{tiny bow ring by Mollie} {tourmaline and rubies ring by Tesia Alexandra}

I also came up with this dream outfit, I just wish I had the guts to wear it...

{gold trousers} {blouse} {arrow bracelet} {sequin clutch}

{belt} {spike ring} {necklace} {shoes} {earrings}

Do you prefer gold or silver?

How about rose gold?

my favourite things this week #20

2012-01-08T10:54:00.000Z

♥ magic owl hand-painted plate by Lisa Grue

♥ pretty waterless snowglobes

♥ monster cupcakes

♥ cute bottle nightcaps

♥ farfalle bow tie

♥ a love story storyboard templates from Vol.25

♥ awesome suitcase shelves

♥ adorable candle holder by Marlous of Planet Fur

♥ teeny tiny micro cupcakes!

I heart Sophie Koh

2012-01-07T14:47:00.001Z

Supermarket shopping will never be the same again, thanks to this wonderfully silly video from Sophie Ko h...

I absolutely love it.

End of.

on pushing the boundaries of the work dress code

2012-01-06T11:45:00.000Z

{source}

I'm pretty much almost a grown-up now. I have a cat. I have a sensible job in a high school Maths department. I'm just about to move into a sensible house, which will be furnished pretty sensibly. And yet I still find it really difficult to dress sensibly for work.

For a couple of months when I first started it was all very formal: I would wear knee-length skirts with crisp blouses, and smart jumpers when it was cold. Over the last three years this has gradually changed - certainly for the better - and lately I've started wearing pretty much anything I like in a (very quiet) attempt to push the boundaries. It is fascinating to see just how much I can get away with, and it certainly makes work more fun...

Glitter and sparkles? Sure!

Green jeans? That's fine!

Pink converses instead of "proper" shoes? No worries!

T-shirts with kittens on? Why not?

Hair in various plaited styles? Go for it!

Dinosaur hoodie with spikes on the back? Excellent choice!

Since my role in school is both formal and informal, requires me to be both a responsible adult and someone the kids can talk to about "issues", it makes the whole area rather grey. I guess there's no real set-in-stone rules about what I can and can't wear - and thankfully nothing of the sort is mentioned in my contract. No-one has ever said anything about my appearance at work, and as long as I'm not too silly about it I doubt it'll be a problem. In fact, the only times I have ever had a reaction were when I have been dressed sensibly: Shift dress? Heeled shoes? What's wrong with you, Vix? Why are you dressed so properly?

My glittery cardigans, neon shoes, outrageous colour-combinations and Scandinavian-inspired hairstyles are a constant source of amusement for my colleagues - and I wouldn't think of bringing an end to their enjoyment - but things have got a bit samey now and I've run out of ideas... any suggestions?

{spiky shoes} {crazy eyes} {flamingo glasses}

{80's} {peacock feather tights} {gorgeous peacock shoes}

{amazing gold shoes} {incredible dress} {I love Peter Andre}

How do you dress for work?

Do you have a dress code?

Greenclaws seeds and temari balls

2012-01-05T11:16:00.000Z

Any chance that any of you remember a kids TV show from the early 90's about a large green caterpillar type fellow who lives in a greenhouse? His name was Greenclaws and he had an awesome tree and a mechanical owl and a big box of seeds.

Every week, a girl named Iris went to visit Greenclaws and after a little bit of story introduction they would plant a beautiful "seed" - never knowing what kind of plant it would grow into. The planted seed was watered and placed inside a hatch in the tree until the mechanical owl declared it was ready.

The choosing of the seed was always the best bit of the show, and after seeing these mini temari balls it brought it all streaming back!

I couldn't find any pictures of the actual seeds, but in my mind they were something like these felt balls and temari balls:

{1} {2} {3} {4}

{5} {6} {7} {8}

Aren't they gorgeous?

I know they were probably nothing like that, but in my flawed memory they were exactly like that. I've never tried making temari balls, but I think I might add it to the list for the new year. There's a tutorial here if you would like to have a go at it yourself, and why not have a look at the Temari Challenge Yahoo Group Gallery for some inspiration!

Have you ever tried making temari balls?

Do you remember Greenclaws?

peacock + chocolate = peachoc!

2012-01-04T15:34:00.000Z

A few years ago I spent a couple of days in the state of Tyrol, Western Austria, in a city called Innsbruck. Located in a valley with mountains surrounding it, Innsbruck is the perfect destination for winter sports enthusiasts. It was not for that reason that I was there, however: Innsbruck is pretty much half way between Verona and Munich, one of which I had just come from, the other I was travelling to. It made sense to split up the journey, and Innsbruck seemed like the perfect place...

Ah, beautiful Innsbruck! I often think about the fun I had when I was visiting you, for it was within your city walls that I made one of my favourite discoveries ever: peacocks LOVE chocolate! Now, it could just be Austrian peacocks, or perhaps it could have been just that particular peacock, but I'd like to think it applies to all peacocks.

Let me tell you how the discovery was made:

Unable as I am to resist European castles, one of the days I was in Innsbruck was spent at Schloss Ambras, the castle just outside the city. In the grounds of the castle I witnessed a peacock eat an entire lawn of buttercups, saw a goose chalet, met a hyper-intelligent duck with an enormous head, cheered on a duck dance-off, saw a tiny woodpecker and fed a duckling.

After feeding a couple of dancing geese, I sat down on a nearby bench to have a square or two of chocolate and take in my beautiful surroundings. A squawking sound stopped me mid-bite and I looked around to see another peacock marching towards me. I think he must have been annoyed about not being given any seeds, as he came over and snatched the chocolate out of my hand with his beak! Luckily, it was only a couple of squares, but he swallowed it in one go and then ran off! Hurriedly I gobbled up the remaining chocolate, but on the last piece he came back and tried it on again, the cheeky scamp!

Austrian peacocks are rascals!

As I was reminiscing about this little adventure of mine, I decided to make a treasury all about peacocks and chocolate. That's a normal thing to do, right?

{peacocks love chocolate}

You may have won this time, but I'll be back!

my 2011 in music

2012-01-03T16:04:00.000Z

There are many things I probably should have done in 2011 that I didn't. But we're not going to think about that - new year, new objectives, new ambitions and all that.

One thing I did do last year was listen to a lot of music, and discover a bunch of new artists.

According to Last.fm these are my top artists and top tracks from 2011:

Bit of an odd mix, but there we go.

I wonder if you can guess what my favourite song of the year was?!

Which new artists did you discover in 2011?

must have Monday: to the gym!

2012-01-02T17:23:00.000Z

So, it would seem it's 2012 already. And what with it being January, it's going to be almost impossible not go to the gym at least once. It's as though it's programmed in or something: January = go to the gym time.

Now I, for one, love my gym and it feels mighty weird not having been for a couple of weeks (oh Christmas holidays, you little rascal!) but I don't know if I can handle going in the first week of January, when it'll no doubt be utterly packed with eager resolutionists.

Perhaps it would be more bearable if I could walk in there and show them all that I mean business - maybe if I had some snazzy outfits to wear, some neat accessories and some mean equipment... a bit like these perhaps...

>>> gym tops <<<

{strong is the new skinny} {squat like me} {gluteus to the maximus} {lift like a girl}

>>> gym bottoms <<<

{running tights} {funky yellow leggings} {fairisle print leggings}

>>> running skirts <<<

{fleurs skirt} {run your heart out skirt} {argyle skirt} {black and white floral skirt}

>>> dance shorts <<<

{rainbow leopard} {yellow ruffle} {zebra print} {gold} {pink sequinned} {rainbow metallic}

>>> training shoes <<<

{zumba shoes} {leopardy} {aqua and pink}

>>> gym bags <<<

{chrome dazzle bag} {gym bag} {Lululemon bag}

>>> headphones <<<

{pink paisley} {green} {gummi bears} {m&ms} {cookies} {pandas}

>>> misc gym-y accessories (kind of) <<<

{cushion} {necklace} {towel}

>>> my kind of gym <<<

{skipping rope} {skip it} {moon hopper}

Maybe I'm showing my age, but you know more people would stick at the gym if they had these kinds of goodies to play with! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

new year's recommendation #3

2012-01-01T23:39:00.003Z

{image}

I need to take my business more seriously this year.

new year's recommendation #2

2012-01-01T23:00:00.001Z

{cake banner by Danyelle of Dandee Designs}

I need to remember more of my friends and family's birthdays this year.

new year's recommendation #1

2012-01-01T20:32:00.001Z

{by Jen Collins}

my favourite things this week #19

2012-01-01T11:07:00.000Z

♥ geometric rabbit pin by Rebecca Kemp

♥ love/cake oven gloves from Welcome Home

♥ morse code bracelet from Lime Riot

♥ puxxle the pixel puzzle

♥ Oscar Wilde quote print by Emily McDowell

♥ heart rocks from Color Me Katie

♥ gorgeous rainbow sugar biscuits from Natalie's Killer Cuisine

♥ pink bunny ballet flats from le bunny bleu

♥ birds of the Scottish Isles by Vesper Stamper

last minute printable 2012 calendars

2011-12-31T20:02:00.000Z

OK, so the new year is super close now so it might be a wee bit late to order a 2012 calendar, but that doesn't mean you can't order a printable one and print your own! Yay!

here are some of my favourite printable calendars:

the owl and pussycat printable calendar by Ola Liola of Teva Gallery

printable animal calendar by Maria Elina

printable nature calendar by bluetricycle

printable breakfast calendar by Glazed Mud

DIY papercraft calendar by Scout Creative

free printable owl calendar from My Owl Barn

RAoK 365: 16 donating or recycling RAoKs

2011-12-30T13:58:00.000Z

So, we had free random acts of kindness #1 and free random acts of kindness #2, now for a few more RAoKs - these ones include donating unwanted items to charity, though not all of them are necessarily free...

>>>donating and recycling RAoKs<<<

donate old musical instruments to Youth Music

donate used stamps to the RNIB, Brittle Bone Society or PDSA

donate old coins to Oxfam

donate your old bras to women in Uganda

donate your old training shoes

donate your other old shoes to Soles4Souls

donate unwanted books to your local library

donate magazines to doctors surgeries/clinics

recycle your Christmas tree

donate your old eye glasses to Vision Aid Overseas

donate your wedding dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer

donate your hair (10" or more) to Locks of Love

donate used/new books to Book Aid for Africa

donate your unwanted clothing to TRAID

donate to someone random on justgiving

volunteer or donate at a food bank

~~~~~~~~~~

Will you be doing any of these?

going potty for bathrooms

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000Z

So it looks like we could be moving house early next year, and instead of being super duper excited about my new studio, I'm really excited about the other rooms - like the bathroom.

I currently have two bathrooms - one is huge and white, with a small patch of blue where I thought I might paint it but then didn't get round to it, and a teeny tiny one with just one purple wall. It was an odd choice of colour, and not a choice that I made, but I haven't got round to painting it white. I probably should before I leave...

I've always liked the idea of a bathroom being like any other room in the house, in that it is decorated and furnished nicely, though most bathrooms spend their entire lives being white and sparsely furnished. I'd like my new bathroom to be a room in which I can spend plenty of time. Something like this would be nice:

>>> frame-adorned bathroom walls <<<

{1} {2} {3}

>>> pretty walls with shelving <<<

{4} {5} {6}

>>> amazingly awesome walls <<<

{7} {8} {9}

What does your bathroom look like?
Do you have art on your walls? Or book shelves?

new year, new calendar

2011-12-28T09:44:00.000Z

I know it might be a wee bit late in the day to start thinking about buying a 2012 calendar, but even though there are only a few days left of the year, you've gotta remember that January is normally pretty quiet - no one has any money after the holidays, people are trying to eat less rich food or drink less, and most people have made resolutions that don't require a lot of socialising...

...what I'm trying to say is that you still have time to order 2012 calendars - and most of them are on sale now too, bonus!

here are some of my favourites...

mini craft calendar by dekanimal

little foxes calendar by Stacie Bloomfield of Gingiber

Violet May desk calendar by Cassia Beck of Violet May

animal wall calendar by Katie Viggers

boy calendar by Able and Game

adorable wall calendar by Michelle of My Zoetrope

pupumon mini calendar by pupurin

wall calendar by Anke Weckmann

fabric board game calendar by Deborah van de Leijgraaf

*** check out Deborah's FB page for a chance to win the fabric board game calendar!

desk calendar by Sarah Palisi

ultra cute calendar by Stasia Burrington

desk calendar by Andrea Courchene of Paper Sparrow

wall calendar by Lucy of Lucy's Happy Place

wall calendar by Mademoiselle Yo

pug calendar by AfricanGrey

Do you have a new calendar yet?

Do you have a lot of plans for January?

Cleopatra comin' atcha

2011-12-27T21:20:00.001Z

I woke up with this song in my head, and I'm not really sure why. They were in one of my many dreams from last night - it was an utter dream fest, but they're all I can remember from the whole night.

I thought you might like to hear it, and you can join me in having it in your head all day, yay!

Cleopatra FTW.

my little obsession with Kickstarter

2011-12-27T07:04:00.000Z

I'm not sure how it took me so long to discover Kickstarter and all of the amazing projects on it.

I kinda got a bit excited when I first discovered it, and backed everything that I thought was neat. There is a lot of awesome stuff on there so if you've not played on it before: be warned!

Here are some of the projects I've backed...

{valentines punch box} {the anywhere organ} {etchpop} {steampunk cards}

{printrbot 3D printer} {personal spacecraft} {the ruler pencil} {cakeland}

{waveform game} {super mini universe} {hatmosphere} {slotto}

Have you used Kickstarter? Have you helped fund any projects?

I'd love to hear about it!

must have Monday - coloured jeans

2011-12-26T11:29:00.001Z

It has taken me a long time to get into this trend of coloured jeans.

When I was about 9 I had the most amazing bright green jeans, which I loved and wore until they were completely worn out. Not everyone enjoyed my eclectic fashion sense when I was a child, and I'm pretty sure my "friends" banned me from wearing them when I was out with them.

Ha, I bet they have their own green jeans now, I was just being avant-garde! Go young me!

{yellow jeans} {zebra cardigan} {vest} {necklace} {silver ring} {boots}

{green jeans} {swallow cardigan} {vest} {wrist wrap} {swallow necklace} {ankle boots}

{pink jeans} {cardigan} {necklace} {star bracelet} {bangles} {boots}

how do you feel about them - it is acceptable to wear brightly coloured jeans?

on my Christmas tree this year

2011-12-25T20:55:00.001Z

{glass cuckoo clock ornament from Selfridges}

{the most incredible unicorn ornament}

{hideously wonderful glass gnome from Paperchase}

{carousel from a German Christmas market}

{glass French Fancy ornament from my mummy}

{beautiful glass peacock from Selfridges}

{tiny glass owl ornament from Selfridges}

{owl bell from John Lewis}

{glittery golden key}

{velvety puffin from Iceland}

my favourite things this week #18

2011-12-25T11:13:00.000Z

♥ knickers print by Nicola Rowlands

♥ awesome rabbity iphone case

♥ gingerbread yoga men

♥ vintage animal alphabet

♥ cutest Missed Connections ever

♥ 3D printed tapestry glasses by Chloë McCormick and Nicholas O'Donnell-Hoare

♥ 3D gingerbread cookie trees

♥ shark purse DIY from A Beautiful Mess

♥ Tree of Hope made up of wishes written on origami cranes

adorable printable garland

2011-12-24T21:18:00.001Z

This is the cutest garland I have ever seen!

You should all print one - just in time for Christmas day as well, yippee!

RAoK 365: 16 more free random acts of kindness

2011-12-23T14:35:00.000Z

Continuing from the list I started last week about random acts of kindness, here are some more for you to try:

>>>free random acts of kindness<<<

17-32

give someone the benefit of the doubt

polish someone's shoes

help someone who is lost

help build a house

sing someone a song

help clean up your local area

use Mission Fish to fundraise on ebay

collect shopping trolleys and take them back to the trolley area

shovel snow for some elderly neighbours

be patient with someone you're not usually patient with

do someone's washing up for them

have tea or coffee with an elderly person

give someone a massage

help someone move house

forgive someone

~~~~~~~~~~~

have you tried any of these RAoKs yet?

a grey day

2011-12-22T11:25:00.000Z

Last weekend I was at the pub with a bunch of peeps, none of whom believed me when I told them I was moving to Walthamstow. I made two FB status updates to that effect, and blogged about it, but everyone thought I was joking.

Despite this odd reaction to my rather exciting news, it hasn't stopped me being super duper excited and thinking about all sorts of housey stuff, not least how the living room should be decorated.

It might sound a bit odd, but I would really like to see how a grey wall would look. Just an accent wall you understand, not an entirely grey room - that might be a bit much - so I've been researching (oh Pinterest, how I love you!)...

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8}

My only concerns are whether I would need a really big room to be able to pull this off, and whether grey might make the room too dark?

What do you think? Do you like any of the rooms above?

gowns and spider webs for baby Jesus

2011-12-21T11:03:00.000Z

When I visited Prague a few years ago, I went to the most amazing church ever ever ever - the church of Our Lady of Victory. You might not have heard of it by name, but you may have heard of what it contains: the Infant Jesus of Prague, a statue of baby Jesus that is believed to have healing powers and perform miracles.

In the museum above the church, which is reached via a spiral staircase at the side of the altar, are dozens of beautiful, intricately sewn gowns for the figure of baby Jesus, as well as photos of the statue in each of his different outfits. It is incredible.

{image source}

It's pretty much not linked at all to the point of this post but when I heard that pajakis were gifts of spider webs for the baby Jesus, the Infant and his wardrobe were, naturally, the first things I thought of.

I have loved the Infant of Prague ever since seeing him, and I'm pretty sure I'll love spider web chandeliers made especially for Jesus just as much! I first read about the chandeliers on Aunt Peaches' blog, and now I can't stop thinking about them...

{1} {2} {3}

I just want to make them out of anything and everything I can find: straws, pipecleaners, feathers, beads, sequins, pom poms, lego wheels, dolly mixtures, felt scraps - anything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

however, I can't decide what the baby Jesus would prefer --

awesome vestments or awesome paper spider web chandeliers?

art vs science: a beautiful mash-up

2011-12-20T16:14:00.000Z

When I was about 3 and a half I fell off a climbing frame and fractured my wrist. I don't remember all that much about it, but I do remember having x-rays and having to have a cast on for weeks. I next had an x-ray in my first year of university, when I had a bunch of x-rays done of my teeth, and the most recent time was in March when I was given a chest x-ray after a horrendous anxiety attack.

So all in all there are a fair few of x-rays of various bits of me in my medical records. Of course, I have never seen them, and had never really thought about them until I saw the work of Matthew Cox, who makes strangely beautiful embroideries on top of x-rays and MRI scans.

{necklace with bouquet}

{wading knees}

{skull MRI}

{underwire bra with tulips}

{feet}

{waterproof watches}

There is an odd beauty in the delicate embroidery against the crisp harshness of the black and white image of the x-ray. I also like the technical aspect of the x-ray vs. the creative aspect of the embroidery - science meets art, and together they become something astoundingly beautiful.

That's just my opinion though. What do you think about them?

see more of Matthew's embroidered x-rays here and here

and more of his embroidered MRIs here

must have Monday: neon Christmas

2011-12-19T08:59:00.000Z

I've been giving it some thought, and I think a pink Christmas might just to be too tasteful and not quite awesome enough... perhaps I should go for a NEON CHRISTMAS?!

{1} {2} {3}

let's see what pretties we can find to neon-up the holidays...

>>>ornaments<<<

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>>>garlands<<<

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6}

>>>decorations<<<

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what do you think - too much?

my favourite things this week #17

2011-12-18T12:57:00.001Z

♥ Vinnie the Pirate Wolf by Sandra Dumais

♥ paper icecream ornaments from How About Orange

♥ plantini model kit from Finch & Fouracre

♥ snow bunny ornament by Peppersprouts

♥ 3D cookies by Lisa Ancarrow

♥ vintage cardigan restyle from A Beautiful Mess

♥ Christmassy eyelashes by Spirys

♥ space skirt by Shadowplay

♥ I Love Lucy fabric

RAoK 365: 16 free random acts of kindness

2011-12-16T11:18:00.000Z

This time last year I was coming to the end of a year-long project called RAoK 365, in which I performed 365 random acts of kindness over the course of a year. I was joined in this by Claire and Phil, and I have to admit it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. We tried hard to do each RAoK only once, but some of them were just too good not to do every day!

When I was chatting about RAoK 365 with Laura at Karmageddon 10, and she said that she sometimes found it hard to think of things to do, so I thought I would compile a list of some of my favourite RAoKs. And as the holiday season tends to leave us all a bit poor, the first installment will be random acts of kindness you can do for free! Hooray!

Now, I know that RAoK contains the word 'random', but this can mean different things to different people - some people think RAoKs have to be spur of the moment and un-prepared acts of kindness, which does kinda make sense, and I'm all for people being kind whenever they have the opportunity, but some RAoKs may require more effort and even a bit of planning, and that's cool too. There are also people who think that 'random' means you have to do an act of kindness to a stranger, which I don't think is necessarily accurate - as long as the act of kindness is unexpected that makes it random - you don't have to just target strangers... though sometimes they are the most fun!

>>>free random acts of kindness<<<

1-16

compliment someone, and mean it

smile at everyone you see throughout the day

hold the door open for someone

let others onto a bus or train before you

help an old lady across the road

help someone with their shopping

make someone feel loved

lend someone your jacket in the cold

do an unexpected errand for someone

offer to weed a neighbours garden

babysit for busy parents

write a letter to someone you haven't seen in a while

leave a thank you note for the postman/milkman

inspire someone

hug a stranger

~~~~~~~~~

You'll get some more free RAoK ideas next week, and you can get more ideas from the Join Me forum, or from this book - for which I was a contributor!

Do you perform random acts of kindness?

Share your favourites in the comments!

19th Century e-reader

2011-12-15T16:52:00.000Z

I never thought I would buy a Kindle.

And then I went and did.

I kinda wish I could have bought one of these instead though.

Rachel Walsh, an Illustration student at Cardiff School of Art and Design, was given the brief: "explain something modern/internet based to someone who lived and died before 1900" and decided to explain the Kindle to Charles Dickens by making 40 tiny classics and encompassing them in a normal-sized hardcover book...

awesome sauce, non?!

the mane attraction

2011-12-14T18:20:00.000Z

When I was little I had a beautiful grey rocking horse called Dobbin, who had been in our family for years. He currently lives in Truro with my parents, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to steal him back soon, when I have some room for him!

As much as I love him, just take a look at all of these other beauties! Oooooooh, pretty!

{carousel rocking horse} {rocking giraffe} {luchador horse} {beautiful traditional horsey}

and a few slightly less traditional rocking horses...

{The Mane Attraction}

I'm a poorly bunny

2011-12-14T09:48:00.000Z

I'm all poorly and can think of one only thing - snuggling up with a lovely hot water bottle...

{I am so poorly} {fox and owl} {moomin} {totoro} {tea and sympathy please}

{owl and fawn} {heart} {Virgin Mary} {granny squares} {bird}

boxing up memories

2011-12-13T10:21:00.000Z

Scouring my studio last night, after Miss Kaz had helped encourage me in my weekly mini studio sort-out, it occurred to me, yet again, just how much stuff I have accumulated.

I have never lived in a flat as big as the one in which I currently reside, and I think I thought it would be OK to fill it up with stuff to make it seem less empty, not realising that one day I would move out, most probably into a smaller flat. Now that time is approaching and I have to make some pretty big changes.

Being the sentimental little thing that I am, I have rather a lot of "memory boxes", as well as boxes full of letters and cards, and although sentimentality, in general, is an OK trait to have most of the time, when it comes to flat-moving it's probably the worst.

I need to get rid of an awful lot of "stuff" but when that stuff reminds me of a particular time or place or person or occasion, it starts to get difficult. You would've thought that memories would suffice, but for some reason I feel as though I need to have something material that I can hold and touch, to complement the memories.

birthday memory box // scrapbox memories // memory box // memory box table

As a child, my mum used to keep all my birthday cards, birthday party invites, tickets from days out and similar mementos in scrapbooks, so it's no surprise that I find myself hoarding these things now. Except, instead of keeping everything in books, things are now kept in boxes: lots.of.boxes. If I can bring myself to go through all my stuff, throwing/giving away anything for which the memory can be substituted for something smaller, I could end up with only one box of scrapbooks and perhaps one other of "things" - after all, some things are just not substitute-able.

I can only imagine how refreshing, cleansing and freeing it must be to get rid of stuff, and considering I want to make a new move to a new building in a new area, surely I should try to get rid of some of the old stuff that's cluttering up my studio/house/life, and start anew.

I'm actually quite excited at the prospect - and though it seems a little terrifying, I think it could be really good for me. What do you think?

Do you keep a memories box?

Have you ever completely de-cluttered your life?

must have Monday: Christmas jumpers

2011-12-12T07:42:00.000Z

It's no secret that Christmas is my (2nd) favourite time of the year - only just beaten by Eurovision - but in all my Christmassy obsession, I have never once owned a Christmas jumper! I have never bought myself one, nor have I ever had one bought or knitted for me. I know, right - unbelievable! I'm not even sure if I would like one ironically or actually genuinely because Christmas is the most fun time ever.

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be ironic.

I know most people think Christmas jumpers are uber naff, but I think they are simply charming! And if these awesome chaps can get away with it *cough* then so should we all be able to!

Poor Kanye wishes he could pull off an ironic Christmas jumper as well as Cee Lo and Snoop Dogg...

If you care to compete for the title of most ridiculous Christmas jumper ever, how about one of these a.m.a.z.i.n.g.l.y hideous jumpers? I especially like the beautiful Elvis one...

nutcracker >> 12 days of Christmas >> *light up* pink houses!

joy >> Elvis >> bears in stockings

baubles >> reindeer and snowmen >> more snowmen

If you don't like any of those (inconceivable!) then how about you make your own like Lindsay did?!

Finally, I should have guessed that these guys would have beaten me to it - don't they all suit their swanky Christmas attire? Love it!

{Mr Elk} {cat} {bear}

{polar bear} {armadillo} {sausage dog}

{fox} {cozy fox} {cat}

So, how do you feel about Christmas jumpers?

I hope it's a bit like this...

my favourite things this week #16

2011-12-11T09:52:00.000Z

♥ amazing panta embroidery by Mareth of LimeRiot

♥ adorable animals on miniature chairs

♥ lollipop ornaments DIY by Ez of Creature Comforts

♥ 'hibernate with me' collars from Cleo Ferin Mercury

♥ chair legwarmers c/o Simply Notable

♥ amazing platinum ring by Philippe Tournaire

♥ kitten mittens by Alyssa

♥ gold geode wood ornament by Michelle Hartney

♥ princess cupcakes by Linds of That's So Cuegly

a change of scenery

2011-12-10T13:30:00.000Z

I've been able to think of little else since writing this post, and I think it's about time I made a move. I do love it here, but there are a lot of things I don't love or need any more:

I could do with somewhere smaller and cosier
somewhere more colourful and less big and white
somewhere with carpets to save having to sweep the floor every single day
somewhere I can make feel homely
and since the flat is entirely open plan, I could do with more doors and rooms!

So far, while living in London I have stayed in the North - and there's where I would like to continue to be. I've done North West and I have done East but I have never done North East - perhaps that's where I should look to go...

Not only could my postcode be a reminder of a mid-90s boy band*, but I would also be super close to Miss Kazatron...

Walthamstow, here I come!

*East 17 with their most excellent hit and 1994 Christmas no. 1 single, 'Stay Another Day'

today at the gym

2011-12-09T22:31:00.001Z

...I climbed 395 metres.

It doesn't seem all that much, but it's the equivalent of Sugarloaf Hill in Rio de Janeiro, Pendle Hill in Lancashire or Annanhead in the Moffat Hills in Scotland.

Phew!

my not-so-secret love of volcanoes

2011-12-07T13:24:00.000Z

Not that you guys have seen it yet (ooh, what a secretive Vixie I am!) but one of the items on my life list is to visit a volcano and to see it erupt. I have not only been up a volcano and seen it erupt that very same evening - Mount Etna in Sicily on 4th September 2007, in case you were wondering - but have also been to the volcanically-and-geologically-active wonder that is Iceland, which is practically one big volcano (there are actually 130 volcanic mountains on the island - 130!!)

Despite fulfilling both of these objectives, I am still super in love with volcanoes, and I simply don't think it's enough to just see one of them erupt: I want to go and see all the volcanoes! Maybe not the extinct ones - of which there are at least 10 here in the UK - since they're probably pretty boring, maybe just the active ones... I'll add that to my life list too, but I'm not sure how close I'll get - will keep you updated. So far I have actually only really been to 1/1500 active volcanoes, so still a long way to go.

Oh, and did you know that at any given time, there's an average of about 20 volcanoes that are erupting! Imagine that! Imagine all the eruptions I have missed in my lifetime! It's mind blowing.

While thinking about all that awesomeness, why not look at these lovely volcanic beauties I found today...

// ring // tea cosy // hoop earrings // ruffle skirt //

\\ screen print \\ ring \\ bracelet \\ earrings \\

// rhinestone-y shoes // pendant // silver necklace // sculpture //

\\ print \\ mixed media piece \\ bracelet \\ medal \\

I love volcanoes.

are you an early bird or a night owl?

2011-12-06T12:32:00.000Z

// owl in a hat // stripy owl // needle-felted owl ornament //

It is believed by many that people who are early risers are more likely to use their time efficiently and be generally more alert than people who would rather stay up late into the night.

Last week I read an interesting article entitled "Morningness–eveningness and intelligence: early to bed, early to rise will likely make you anything but wise!" - where the relationship between early-risers/night owls and intelligence was examined: the results found that it tends to be night owls who have higher IQs, and are generally more creative - which wasn't at all surprising!

// barn owl necklace // viking owl // glasses-wearing owl //

I certainly know that I am most creative in the evenings, and could quite happily stay up all night crafting or drawing or writing, and find that I tend to get a long stream of ideas just before bedtime.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Do you think it makes a difference to your creativity?

must have Monday >>>>>chevrons

2011-12-05T07:42:00.000Z

First it was arrows, then various geometric nail art and now it's good ol' chevrons. Of course, my favourite chevrons are the ones found on friendship bracelets, but these others are pretty neat too, non?

\/\/\ for the wardrobe /\/\/

chevron shoes from Modcloth

cashmere scarf by Amanda Sainsbury

Just Cavalli dress

\/\/\ for the jewellery box /\/\/

beaded chevron necklace by Angi Glenn-Quincy of Tiny Armour

chevron bracelet by William Knopp and Jessica Tata of Son of a Sailor

chevron earrings by LARaised

\/\/\ for the home /\/\/

iphone case by Marco Cibola

uber chevron-y house

personalised chevron stationery by Heidi of RowHouse14

\/\/\ for the walls /\/\/

prism no.1 by Kev of Dig The Earth

spirit print by Cathy McMurray

baby bunny watercolour by Chrissy Poitras

arctic fox print by Sarah Palisi

Red Eye embroidery hoop art by Rachel Anne Williams

hiding places 1 by Amy Blackwell

\/\/\ for the tummy /\/\/

chevron cookies from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

chevron wedding cake by Sweet Sensations

chevron cake toppers from EyeCandey

my favourite things this week #15

2011-12-04T12:45:00.001Z

♥ bird nerd teacups and saucers by Carole Smith of McCheeksMayhem

♥ knuckle tattoo gloves by Father Panik Industries

♥ vintage camera nightlight by Jason Hull

♥ prickly pear chair by Valentina Gonzalez Wohlers

♥ glow stick constructions from the Museum of Mathematics

♥ Wonder Woman stand mixer from KitchenAid Brasil

♥ gingerbread AT-AT by Blackmarket Bakery

♥ adorable candy snails by Martha, natch

♥ funky wool socks by Liz Drew of LizSox

I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas

2011-12-02T07:07:00.000Z

As I mentioned in the Christmas meme yesterday, my Christmas decorations last year were pretty sensible and restrained - it was woodland themed so there were lots of berries, owls and deer - all very twee and traditional.

But not this year, no way - I'm going with bright colours and over-the-top decorations galore!

Christmas Day this year will be spent with the wonderful Kaz, but as she has never hosted Christmas before she doesn't own any decorations! Not even a tree! Can you believe it???

I bought her a pink Christmas tree to make up for it, and now she has decided to go with a pink/purple/silver theme for the rest of her decorations. Working 14 hour days or whatever the crazy girl works, I offered to do her Christmas decoration shopping for her. I asked her what kinds of decorations she wanted on a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being tack-o-rama and 10 being uber tasteful. She chose 6. The foolish girl doesn't seem to know how much I love tacky-things-shopping, and how uncontrollable I get when it comes to hideous decorations!

However, considering the specific brief and the small budget I was given, I think I did incredibly well - I went for mostly semi-tack with a bit of uber-tack and some semi-tasteful stuff - so it should all even out pretty well. That's how averaging works, right?

Let's just hope she doesn't expect any of this lovely stuff, 'cause she'll be in for a surprise if she does....

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7}

{1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

What colour scheme are you going with this Christmas?

woo, more treasury features!

2011-12-01T21:57:00.000Z

As much as I love making Etsy treasuries, I also rather like featuring in them...

I'll have a (stylish) Blue Christmas..... by Rose from SewEcological

Have a Berry Happy Holiday by Tere from MurmurFremo

Spot the Bunny by PurplePearl7