A small person far away

Yesterday for the last time I started to pack up my trunk.


Seven years ago I brought my trunk home from the school shop. It was so large I could fit inside it. (yes, it is a fun game!) It had classic metal locks and a dark green finish.

Together my Dad and I sat down and painted my name across it in large wobbly gold letters. As my Mum got through the mountain of name tapes I sat down and wrote out my kit list, sticking it to the inside of the lid in case we forgot anything.

We then started to fill it. Fill it with the regulation number of shirts and skirts, shoes and games kit. Books were piled in along with things that might be needed to help a small person far away from home.

Over the years that trunk has been unpacked and packed numerous times. It has been heaved up stairs and dropped on toes. It has had serious arguments over, namely as to how I can possibly take so many clothes and do I really need them all. It has been forced closed on more than one occassion.

All those memories came back in a flood when I opened it again last night. The same trunk smell and the same kit list remain. There was the typical mulch in the bottom; old posters, pens and secret notes.

For the last time it will be filled to be taken home, The duvet will be popped in the top on the last day of term and the treasures and momentos of my last year at school will be placed around it.

And at the bottom of the trunk is a stack of letters, neatly adressed. Letters from my Mum to me. Letters spanning those seven years. Letters to her small person far away. A small person who for the last time is coming home from school.

Thanks for stopping by.

Loves xxxx

Sunday Storyboard.

Thanks for stopping by.

Loves xxxx

The moment

Stephanie wrote this post the other day and reading it really hit home.

As a scrapbooker I think I do get hung up on the photo, the composition and the light. In my head each picture needs to say a lot, needs to have great depth of field.

The bottom line of this is it doesn't. That in actual fact that fleeting moment on film is what I want to record. I want to document the moment not the photo.

Looking on these photos I won't remember the shutter speed but the laughter.

Rather than see the bad composition I will see the face that for a fleeting moment is pensive before he cracks into another joke.

Rather than hate photos of me I will treasure the fact that the boy takes an interest in photography and took the time to point the lens at me.

Rather than see the shot of the back of my head I will see the moment when he pulled a face and I creased up.

Rather than record the poses I will record the candid scenes.

Rather than focus on the photo. This Summer the next goal is to focus on the story.

More on these photos the day,  the story and the sweet couple I took photos of later.

Thanks for stopping by

Loves xxxxx

Crafted bracelets

 Hi 

True to form I have started on my summer goals.

Red nail varnish- check.

Crafted bracelets- check.

I have had such fun playing around making these the last few days. All are so easy and in most cases super quick.

Blue fabric bracelet- my own design. Simply make a tube of fabric right sides together, turn inside out. fold in half lengthwise then half again. Tie and knot.

Square knot bracelet- tutorial here. Very quick and easy.

Nut bracelet- here. Bit more fiddly.

Friendship bracelet- here. takes quite a long time.

You may have noticed the blog has had a little facelift. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by

loves xxxxx

The end of an education// goals for this summer

The end of my education. I officially finished my exams on Thursday. I cannot explain how weird it feels to wake up in the morning and know that I have no work, no revision and no exams to prepare for.

The boy and I were discussing the fact that we cannot remember a time in the last three years when we haven't had something on at school or work to do! For me I will have no work for a year as I am on a gap year next- a very bizarre thought.

The end of the last exam was a typical rush of hugs, huge grins, shrill squeaks and champagne. Then we did what girls do best...open the chocolates and watch films!

With the end of exams comes a whole set of summer goals. Little things I have been saving  for this time of freedom:

Make a new patchwork quilt possibly to cover my whole bed!

Document my summer in a mini book.

Go strawberry picking- lots!

Take more pictures in the sun. Play around with different shutter speeds and effects.

Make a new skirt or dress.

buy some espadrilles.

Paint my nails red.

Fill my wrist with crafted bracelets- as you can see this one is in the making! Tutorial here.

So... a few things to keep me busy then. If anyone knows any great sites for tutorials could you drop me a link? Thank you.

On a side note you may have noticed the new button in my sidebar. This is link with love. A new movement set up to try and credit images and artwork to their owner. On the Internet it is so easy to take other peoples work and forget that time, money and thought have gone into it. Hopefully through this we can encourage people to link up with original owners and thus share work with love! More info can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by

Loves xxx 

Variation on the theme of Bunting

Hi


This is a post I was meaning to do at the end of half term however revision and exams came in the way!

I am an unashamed bunting lover and as seen on this post, I am finding ways to make mini bunting because in my opinion mini bunting is sweeter and cuter than the full sized version! And miniature size things are always better aren’t they? (yes I am a small person!)

So... in a form of experimentation from the first set of mini bunting I set to find a way to make quick bunting that was slightly more durable because while the last set was nice, it won’t last for long!

The result....

It is so simple to make and fairly quick too.

1. Take your chosen material and fold it in half. My triangles were literally cut by eye- life is too short for measuring!

2. Cut the triangle so the shortest edge is on the fold like so.

3. Keep cutting triangles until you feel that that is an adequate amount to string around your room.

4. 4. Keeping the triangle folded (you could iron it down but again, life is too short) sew the two long edges making sure you leave about 1cm before the fold.

5. This will become a tube to push the string through.

6. Sew all the bunting pieces like this and then thread the string through the little tunnels.

7. Sew the bottom of the tunnel under the string. This is an optional step. I just like how it finishes them off.

8. Voila! One string of bunting.

The other advantage with this sort of bunting is that it is far easier to tie somewhere!

Hope you are having a lovely week?

Thanks for stopping by

Loves xxxx

The day the laundry bag died

Hi all

Today I am joining in with Sian's storytelling Sunday.

 Over 7 years ago I was getting ready for my first real adventure that was boarding school. To an eleven year old who was an avid Harry Potter fan, the thought of boarding school was exciting and daunting to say the least, enhanced when her parents brought home a trunk with metal locks (I know- exciting!)

In typical boarding school style, a kit list arrived in the post and on that list was..One laundry bag.

My Mum knowing that the transition to boarding school would be difficult decided that we would make a bag together.

I hasten to add that my Mum could have been a seamstress I swear. She rarely needs a pattern and can make a skirt in an afternoon! So, mother and daughter sat down with the bag of fabric scraps. Scraps from old dungarees, curtains, trousers and torn skirts.

Together we chose material, material that felt nice, looked colourful and fitted together. We sat down and pinned, cut and pieced. Then her feeding the material through the machine and me on the pedal we set to making my laundry bag her shouting stop every time we came to a pin!

Once the patchwork outside was made we made a simple lining out of jolly yellow fabric and threaded a lovely purple cord through the top- voila! One laundry bag.

But... how to name it. I hasten to add that in the boarding school world every thing has to be named, from your hockey stick to your underwear. My Mum then came up with the idea of applique initials. Out of the same yellow fabric I drew large childish letters and clumsily sewed them on in... you guessed it...purple cotton! ha ha!

For seven years now that laundry bag has hung in various boarding school dorms. Filled up periodically with dirty washing to be sent to matron and as I've got older to be washed myself. Each holdiay it has come back home brimming with dirty games kit. It has been accidentally left at homes numerous times and thus has been posted on more than one occasion.

This holiday I picked it up and realised that it was little worse for wear. In fact it probably would only survive a few more weeks . I think it is a fitting end that the end of my school career coincides with the end of a bag that a little girl and her mum made to bring a personal touch to a slightly scary new world.

Bring on a new project for uni!

Loves xxxx

The boy

Happy Friday

Today is a combination of ideas of thoughts and pictures. I have been talking about the boy on here from day one and he makes occassional appearences in the odd picture or two. That said though he rarely gets a whole post to himself. (yes, I am about to do a post on the boy and if you wish to switch off that is cool by me!)

*The boy is called that because he wishes I keep some form of his indentity hidden but also because he is younger than me. months not years but still. The boy he has been.*

This Boy:
Was fairly quiet
Didn't really like having his photo taken- he did not know what he was getting himself in for!
Was one of the most gentle people I have ever met.
But had the most rock hard faith and morals.
Had a rad. sense of humour.

This Boy:
was all of the above
was more confident
introduced me to his family
did the most incredible impressions
could pick me up and spin me round.
kissed me in the rain

This Boy:
was all of the above
had enough meds to stock a chemist
worked so hard but found time for me too.
humoured by need for photos.
listened to indie music

This Boy:
Is all of the above
makes me laugh till I cry
laughs and mimicks me when I am unreasonably grouchy.
plays the bass
still beats me at pool
is the perfect gentleman- carrying my bag to my boarding house each day.
finishes my sentences.


And looking at three years worth of pictures, this boy isn't a boy anymore. He's my man.

Love you.

Thanks for stopping by xxxx

Simple equations

The problem: Bunting is beautiful
Bought ready made is expensive

The Solution: Crafting is fun
Making is quick and cheap.

Simples!

I am an an unashamed bunting lover and also an unashamed teenager who's bunting love does not extend to her purse.

What to do? raid the box of fabric cut offs and russle something up.

The result is a new love affair with miniature bunting. Envision tiny little triangles trailing all the way round the room! In love!

This bunting is so simple to make. I didn't use a template just simply cut out triangles from eye. The result is a quirky mix of sizes and patterns. I then fed them one by one through the sewing machine in exactly the same way I did this tutorial.

*warning- limit yourself on the number of sweet little triangles you cut out because if you are anything like me, you will keep feeding them through the machine until you have miles of bunting (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!)*

Thanks for stopping by

Loves xxx