GUGAW

a glorious day to discover a hidden pub

2011-04-09T19:49:00.001+01:00

testing out the new 50mm on some spring nature-y bits....what a lovely little lens.

spent last weekend wandering around the woods with mother and siblings in celebration of mums day....so ending up in someone's back garden which was unsuccessfully being passed off as a beer garden was probably not the appropriate venue for celebrating your mother! i tried to see some charm, i really did, maybe if i squinted i could enjoy the 'rustic' salt of the earth charm, maybe i've been spoilt by all the london gastropubs? unfortunately what with the landlord's utility room being right next to the pub benches, running machine, washing machine and catering freezer included...and not to mention the lighting/washing line combination in the garden....well that's too hard to give a 'charm' polish to! sorry mum for the strange mother's day venue...but the trusty iphone came to the rescue and directed us to the more suitably gentrified white hart pub with it's lovely open fireplace and pretty outside courtyard. ah, a sigh of relief, a gulp of peroni and a hat tip to middleclass-dom. plus, i could admire this little dream cottage, isn't it gorgeous?

more from my 365...

2010-12-10T12:45:00.004Z

not many weeks left until I've completed a whole 365, one photo for each day of the year!

here are some of the latest:

beautiful leather off cuts from the oxford indoor market

left over wrapping paper - think i might make some xmas cards!

feeling the tron vibe on the late night train

xmas lunch

frosty etchings on the bus stop

even a one stop shop can look pretty through a portrait lens!

father christmas, if you would be so kind.....

2010-11-29T22:28:00.002Z

i would love some of these little trinkets in my stocking...

£13 at Muji

£15 at Habitat

£8 at Amazon

focus on the fireworks

2010-11-09T00:16:00.000Z

out of focus but i like the result!

fallen petals...

2010-11-05T15:23:00.003Z

new designs in my shop

looking for business card inspiration...

2010-10-27T18:47:00.000+01:00

just browsing through the moo business card project and kicking myself for not submitting a card...they were offering redesigns for free! here's a couple of the redesigns that i thought were particularly nice, now to think about how these ideas can be integrated into my b'cards...i'm torn between something illustrated with nice simple lines....but thinking that i should probably make the most of the photos that i have in my etsy shop. i like how farrell photography have used 1 fab image and created differences across the cards with the colour on the back of the card. it can be so tempting with moo cards to cram in as many photos as possible into the business card pack simply because you can, but maybe picking 2-3 good ones is the best way to go about it.

in the woods

2010-10-27T11:02:00.000+01:00

in terms of places - places being fields, the seaside, mountains....i think woods and rivers are my favourite places to be. all the calmness and gentleness, and the subtle shades. and for the stunning views as the sun starts to go down and you get the golden light shining through the leaves.

a long weekend of making and baking...

2010-10-26T23:15:00.000+01:00

monarch flutterby brooch

i'm in the middle of a long weekend (plus a few days) off and it's lovely to just spend time being creative and cracking on with some of the projects that have been piling up. so far i've ticked off jewellery orders, new designs (see the keshi pearl bracelet below), making some cork boards with the massive stack of coffee bean sacks i bought (tutorial to come soon), was inspired by jamie oliver and baked my first pie (and more pics of this to come too), repainted the bin of doom.........aaaand painted the kitchen! one more day off tomorrow so still some time to start a few more projects!

coffee bean corkboards

jamie oliver's 'chicken' (quorn) pie

fallen petal bracelet (in my shop)

i want this expanding table!

2010-10-22T10:23:00.001+01:00

moo card inspiration - a massive photo frame!

2010-09-30T17:36:00.003+01:00

moo business cards

i absolutely love my massive moo card photoframes. of all the art work hanging in my house they certainly create the most conversation. as soon as people come through the door - i put these in the hallway to add some warmth to a boring space - people just stop and look through all the old photos, remembering the times and laughing at all the silly (and beautiful) faces!

my idea for this frame grew out of not being able to decide what were my favourite photos! i take a LOT of photos and i found it really hard to limit myself to just printing 10 or so to put on the wall. but unfortunately my two up two down house does not have the wall space of an art gallery (although i am thinking of smothering the stairwell in photos....hmmmm maybe some moo postcards?).

if you haven't already heard of moo they are a really cool printing company who make business cards, postcards, cards, stickers......but what makes them that extra bit special is that you can get a different image printed on EVERY single card that you buy (they call it printfinity). this meant i could order two packs of business cards each with a different photo on EACH card and create a massive photo collage! woot! too give you an ideal of scale each of those photos are the size of a standard business card and the frames are A1 (i think...does that sound about right?).
i would definitely recommend giving it a go, it was super super easy to do and two pack of cards (100 in total) cost around £25 delivered. the cardstock is also really good quality - thick with super vibrant colours. i brought the frames pretty cheap - plain pine frames from ikea which i painted white.

these frames are 2 years old now and i've got maaaaaaany more photos that i need to print so am planning on making some more frames very soon. this time i might use mini moo cards (they are half the size of business cards) as i can make up more photos to fill more space! this might be getting a bit moo obsessive but i'm also thinking about decoupaging a table with moo card photos too......!

if you don't fancy making up your own frames moo does a pretty cool mosaic frame which you can fill with mini moo cards. the design of the frame is pretty innovative...the little holders move around in about as many different designs and orders as you can think off (see video over here).

my week in pictures...

2010-09-30T14:46:00.001+01:00

fancied the look of a plum for breakfast but resorted to using it as a blipfoto prop

found an acorn cup but no acorn to fill it

recovered from a weekend of boozing by watching harry brown

spent the day pitching to win a fake dominos brief

partied at koko with rus, jak and tobs to the sounds of little dragon

spotted a feather on the way into work

decided to keep my new green faux silk cushions

a wonderful wonderful wedding!

2010-09-22T09:36:00.002+01:00

despite the wedding happening over 3 weeks ago now i'm still glowing from the 3 day wedding party of a very dear friend. the celebrations were full of stunning settings, delicious food and wine and some of the most lovely people i've had the pleasure to meet. and the guests can sure turn a good wedding into a great wedding!

the wedding took place in liechtenstein ("where?!" i hear you ask!) and we crossed swiss and austrian borders as the party moved from liechtenstein to the lake of constance (bodensee) and back again. guests had quite literally flown from all over europe which resulted in a wonderful collection of languages and people. the bride and groom had met in england and as a result there was a large contingent of english speaking folk and german speaking folk so they made the great decision to conduct the ceremony in two languages to ensure that everyone was involved. and then the not so good decision of getting me to translate....as i don't speak german!

no no i kid, i was incredibly honoured to be asked to stand next to the deacon and translate the prayers and speeches into english....despite having done lots of public speaking it was one of the most nerve wracking things i had done! i'll felt sick with nerves all morning and daren't have a drink before speaking for risk of getting very drunk! or maybe a drink would have helped to calm the nerves......

doesn't she look absolutely stunning?

dramatic skies in wiltshire...

2010-09-17T13:46:00.000+01:00

these thunderous skies welcomed us into wiltshire, snapped from window of the car whilst whizzing through the countryside

massive bead destash!

2010-09-13T10:54:00.000+01:00

i'm having a massive bead destash in an attempt to clear the clutter and clear the mind...which means that i have stacks of very lovely beads that i haven't used and need a new home. after a long morning of sorting the beads into colour varieties (ok, i secretly enjoyed this, it was very therapeutic!) i've ended up with 6 large boxes full of beads, mostly glass, and with a few enamel, shell, metal and the odd plastic bead. they are all available in my etsy shop at an absolute bargain price - the boxes have so many beads in them that i haven't counted them all but i can assure you that you're getting a good deal as some of the beads cost £2 alone! the boxes are priced between £2-£8 depending on how many beads are in each box. perfect for if you are looking to update your supplies or someone looking to get into jewellery making...hope you like them!

yurting in dorset...

2010-09-10T19:40:00.000+01:00

back from a lovely lovely set of mini breaks...first off we stayed four nights in a mongolian yurt down in dorset. yurts are a wonderful way to camp, all the glory of the outdoors and the pleasure of crawling out of the door directly in the woodland, but with none of the damp canvas tent sides clinging to your back as you sleep, nor the hard ground as your blow up mattress slowly deflates...in fact double beds, duvets and pillows make staying in a yurt pretty luxurious (or glamping - but such an ugly word doesn't do justice to how sweet this experience is!) and with the wood burning stove requiring regular stoking and candle light after sunset firmly reminds you that you are indeed camping in a woodland.

anyone a fan of mary queen of shops? and did anyone see the episode with the grocery store in corfe castle? we visited cleall's, see the evidence! looked very cute from the outside but can't help but think that the owners are finding it hard to resist their cluttered ways....

postcrossing...

2010-09-01T08:00:00.003+01:00

my first postcrossing postcard sent to brazil, looking forward to receiving a postcard back now! wonder where it will come from....

making felty baby mobiles...

2010-08-29T15:00:00.004+01:00

my first foray into felt baby mobiles...which took me FOREVER to finish! this owl mobile was started in april before baby ben was born and i didn't finish it until august when the little one was 3 months old, oops! had some definite learning curves on the way, firstly threading ribbon through stuffed shapes is really tough! resorted to embroidery thread which was much easier to get through the stuffing and i think looks nicer, the little shapes also swing and twist better too. secondly, i need to get a nice balance between the detail and the amount of sewing required....it probably doesn't help that i'm a slow sewer but it did take a (really long!) while to stitch all the little details on (the owls are double sided so you don't get a plain back when they twist). i've spotted other designs which are just the silhouette shapes like the hearts so that might be a quicker way to go....thinking of making a garland for myself, maybe hearts, or leaves...not sure yet. aaaand,a football themed effort, hmmm.....!

SEE FULL BLOG POST BELOW:

this is the second design, for a leeds football fan! i've haven't made anything football related before, luckily leeds have a cute mascot.

i will always love you marks and sparks whilst you make amazing biscuit tins...

2010-08-22T09:00:00.002+01:00

custard cream tin from marks and spencers

the morning started with the usual hubbub of waterloo, this time via marks and sparks (that's marks and spencer to those unfamiliar with the friendly name!) to collect something healthy(ish) for lunch....actually if i remember right it was very healthy and delicious...a quinoa, blueberry and mango salad...anyway i digress. whilst queuing to pay for the healthy salad i spotted a wall of these amazing biscuit tins and just had to leave the queue and collect one. maybe you can tell from the picture - the front of the tin is raised so it is literally like a giant custard cream. wonderful. this is my third biscuit tin from marks and they are all charming. so thanks for putting a smile on my face and please please please keep making these wonderful nostalgia tins as i need such beauties to store my writing paper, ribbons and threads in. thank you.

loooove this fashion shoot of the dirty disco...

2010-08-21T23:50:00.000+01:00

so my friends are in this pretty awesome band called the dirty disco, you should check them out as they are doing some exciting things, including the release of their new single white room (on itunes, have a listen). they recently conducted this photoshoot with diego indraccolo and i absolutely love the photos of the guys. adam (above) could so be a model right? styling is by kay korsh.

apple necklace giveaway on my facebook page!

2010-08-13T13:48:00.000+01:00

super super easy to enter - just come over to my facebook and add a comment there!

punting picnics, vintage VWs and bumper cars!

2010-08-12T09:30:00.001+01:00

ah, more photos! following the april-may update here are some snapshots from june and july....so far my summer has been absolutely wonderful and i've spent it with some very special people:

had an amazing picnic to celebrate jon's birthday at the cherwell boathouse in oxford

tested out the caquelon with some chocolate fondue

had a wonderful weekend at the fab volksfest in bristol, so many adorable vintage vw's, will post more soon!

tested out my bumper car skills at the volksfest, and even if i do say so myself, i thought i was pretty good!

caught up with wonderful old friends

relaxed under the london eye with more wonderful friends post a chocolate making extravaganza

lost a Frisbee in the river and watched the boys knee deep trying to fish it out

watched the 'tidal' waves drenching people at thorpe park and rested after a scary ride on stealth

tested out dennis' canon 500d on my beautiful sleepy kitty

and then tested out the camera on my beautiful boy

ate THE most amazing pieminster pale and drunk delicious golden raven ale at the raven in bath

spent the day with very special friends wandering along the bath canal and nibbling cheese as the sun went down

and a few more of those links:

- cherwell boat house, great for a picnic and a punt!
- bristol folkfest
- the raven of bath

whilst i've been away...

2010-08-07T16:42:00.000+01:00

so i've been a busy bee these last few months, practising a bit of living in the now and being a 'yes' woman...as a result there are an awful lot of photos to share (also i'm doing a 360 photo project, i told you about that right?)...here's a few of the things we've been up to and my favourite photos from the last few months - starting off with april and may and i'll update on june and july in a separate post!

spent a night in our favourite hotel - the hoxton hotel - and discovered hidden art gallerys around shoreditch

completed our first crossword whilst demolishing tea and poached eggs

spotted a beautiful carousel in a puddle which looked like a gateway to an alternate world whilst taking a rainy stroll along the southbank at waterloo

shared voucher food to say goodbye to a dear friend who is starting an exciting journey in far away countries

had the most amazing easter banquet in the gentle shire

twittered with a sweet little canary, my gran's shy companion

received a beautiful canvas from the very talented ychee

enjoyed a beautiful late spring evening whilst listening to drumming and eating jelly belly beans to celebrate a very special dad's 50th birthday

watched my brother drink some outrageously disgusting drinks (why do boys insist on giving each other 'cement mixers'?!

ate battered halloumi and mushy peas at the most delicious vegetarian restaurant in brighton, terre a terre

heard some beautiful guitar playing at a friends house gathering from kimwei (www.kimwei.com)

was entranced by the lovely fionn regan at the moles club in bath

drove by beautiful fields of bright yellow rapeseed on the way down to the westcountry

and arrived at the wedding of a very lovely couple at a beautiful sustainable farm - crasken - in cornwall and camped in a bluebell tip field!

- and some links to help tell the story - the beautiful canvas is by my friend ychee

- if you are wondering what 'cement mixers' are check this out!

- terre a terre is an amazing vegetarian restaurant and

- kimwei's beautiful guitar playing can be heard here

now i know what to do with these bottles....

2010-07-29T21:38:00.003+01:00

i have these bottles from ikea and was about to give them to charity, but now i've been inspired by the talented fryd + design, gorgeous! just need to find a little cupboard to paint white now...

and to the lovely tania, 3 posts in two days huh? i'm on FIRE! ahh, i missed you.

learn your times table in typographic style...

2010-07-29T09:04:00.015+01:00

type table poster - proud creative via design museum shop

stumbled across this print in the stylist magazine, isn't it really rather gorgeous? my babies (which i don't have any of by the way, unless you count the cat) will be learning their 8 and 6 times table using this for sure....and i could still use the help myself!

the design museum's online shop is full of wonderous goodies so take a browse whilst you're there, look what i spotted!

rob ryan tape!

excited about these postcards - a 'collection of 100 postcards, each featuring a different and iconic Penguin book jacket, lovingly presented in a chunky book like box'. bet they look amazing all lined up and framed on a wall. also perfect for this new postcrossing project i'm thinking about taking part in (if you haven't heard about it before check it out).

pear memo notes

looking for some mind expansion?

2010-07-28T09:52:00.007+01:00

i mage by randy son of robert

who doesn't need a good reason for learning new things and educating yourself? thanks to AQR for providing this fab list of free and cheap mind unfurling events to attend across london in september, october and november. i've highlighted some i thought sounded particularly interesting - anyone else thinking of attending some?

September

Wed 1st, 6.30pm, Museum of London. ‘Jerry White: the story of a great city.’ Join Jerry White, Profession in London History at Birkbeck University, as he discusses his remarkable new book. Award winning historian, Jerry White looks at the fascinating and turbulent history of London illustrated with objects from the Museum of London’s collections. £5/ticket.

Mon 6th, 7.30pm. ‘Crossing the Line:’ Storytelling at the Canal Café Theatre, Little Venice, London W2 6ND. More info: 0207 289 6054.

Tues 7th, 6.45-8.30pm (doors open 6pm), Intelligence Squared, ‘Sex, Bugs and Video Tapes: The private lives of public figures deserve more protection from the press.’ Speakers include Max Mosley and Tom Bower. £25. Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrance, London SW1X 9DG.

Thurs 9th, School of Life (London): ‘How to have better conversations.’ We’ll be exploring its history, drawing lessons from top talkers like Doctor Johnson and Woody Allen. We’ll investigate the psychology and philosophy of conversation – as well as the assumptions we make about other people that stifle mutual understanding. And of course we’ll put the ideas we explore into practice. £30.

Mon 13th, 6.30-8pm, ‘Employment, labour markets, and development.’ As nations struggle with what they fear will be a ‘jobless recovery’ from the global recession, the report studies how employment can be raised in developing countries and how the participation of the majority of the population in economic growth can be warranted. The report recommends a fundamental change in the assignment of economic policies to allow for growth, inclusion, high employment and monetary stability at the same time. London School of Economics, free, entry: first come first served. More info: events@lse.ac.uk or 020 7955 6043.

Mon 13th, 6.30pm-7.45pm, free, pre-booking advisable. The Royal Society (London) presents: ‘Our buildings, our neighbourhoods, our cities? How can specialists and communities world together to create sustainable cities for the future? Booking open from 9 Aug.

Sat/Sun 18th and 19th, Open House Weekend at venues across London. A simple but powerful concept: hundreds of great buildings of all types and periods open up their doors to all, completely for free. See http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk for more details

Wed 22nd, 6.30-8pm, LSE Arts public lecture. Simon Schama’s latest book is a selection of writings about subjects such as Shakespeare, contemporary art, Hurricane Katrina and cheese soufflés. “Passionate, provocative and entertaining, Simon Schama is never predictable - and always stimulating.” London School of Economics, free, entry: first come first served. Only one ticket per person can be requested, from 10am on Wed 15th Sept. More info: events@lse.ac.uk or 020 7955 6043.

Tues 28th, 6.30-8pm, ‘Staying Power: Six Enduring Principles for Managing Strategy & Innovation in an Uncertain World.’ The focus is on how managers can tackle the simultaneous challenge or innovation and commoditisation in markets often subject to unpredictable change and disruption. London School of Economics, free, entry: first come first served. More info: events@lse.ac.uk or 020 7955 6043.

Tues 28th, 8pm, free, from Big Ideas: ‘What is time for us?’ Archaeologist Andrew Gardner asks how we engage with time, both at an ordinary level and when dealing with the long periods on historic, prehistoric, geological and cosmological scales. The lecture should not only offer an opportunity to broach a deep philosophical question but also interesting insights into how contemporary archaeologists think about their discipline. At The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1DG. http://www.bigi.org.uk

Wed 29th, 6.30pm, £15, including a ticket to Kew Gardens. British Library, ‘Conserving biodiversity. Whose money? Whose rules? A high profile panel debates the costs and advantage of retaining biodiversity in South Africa. Chaired by the BBC’s Andrew Marr,

October

Fri 1st, 6.30-8.30pm, Museum of London, ‘London Futures: Business, Industry and Climate Change.’ David Hone from shell and Bruce Halai- Carter of The Green Desk are among the guests discussing how businesses can help combat climate change. Book in advance, £5/ticket.

Tues 5th, 6.30-8pm, Museum of London. ‘London Futures: Sir Crispin Tickell in conversation with Dr James Lovelock.’ Join two of the most respected environmentalists of our age as they discuss climate change. Book in advance, £5/ticket.

Tues 12th, 1.15-1.55pm, free, no ticket required, UCL Lunch Hour Lecture, ‘Incest and folk-dancing: why sex survives.’ This lecture will talk about sex, and how inbreeding is an escape from true sexual reproduction, about how some creatures abandon sex altogether – and about how mating within the family is still surprisingly common in some populations. At the Darwin Lecture Theatre, accessed via Malet Place, London WC1E 6BT. More info: Dan Martin 020 7679 7675 or dan.martin@ucl.ac.uk

Tues 19th, 6.30-8pm, free, no ticket required, London School of Economics: ‘Department of Law lecture: the independence of law? ‘The Rule of Law’ is a phrase much used by little examined. In this lecture, Lord Bingham considers how it forms the foundation of a fair and just society, a guarantee of responsible government and the best means yet devised for securing peace and cooperation. Email events@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 6043

Thurs 21st, 7-8pm, University of Cambridge. ‘Can we feed 9 billion?’ Food: surely one of the greatest challenges facing humankind this century. Already we have reached a world population of almost 7 billion. With the population expanding by about 80 000 people per day, we will reach a population of 9 billion by the end of this century. But how can we feed them? Leading science author, writer and broadcaster Dr John Emsley, formerly of University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, will explore the possible solutions, debunking several myths and scare stories that have recently dominated the headlines. Free, no tickets, arrive early. More details: john.otoole9@btopenworld.com

Thurs 21st, 5.30-6.30pm, free, no pre booking required, University of Newcastle, ‘The Blitz: attrition, endurance and experimentation.’ At The Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building. No other details currently available online.

Sun 24th, School of Life (London). ‘Jane McGonigal on Productivity. Collectively, the human population spends 3 billion hours a week playing computer and videogames. Is this a colossal waste of human resources – or, in those 3 billion hours a week, are we actually being extraordinarily productive? Jane will urge us all to become more productive of what really matters in life – happiness, resilience, and meaning – by spending more of our time playing bigger and better games.’ £12.50.

November

Thurs 4th, 1.15-1.55pm, free, no ticket required, UCL Lunch Hour Lecture, ‘Doomed to fail? The challenges of coalition government for Westminster and Whitehall. Disraeli said England does not love coalitions.’ The 2010 election lead to the formation of the first coalition at Westminster for over 60 years. Prof Robert Hazell will talk about how the new coalition government operates, and its plans for much wider political and constitutional reform. At the Darwin Lecture Theatre, accessed via Malet Place, London WC1E 6BT. More info: Dan Martin 020 7679 7675 or dan.martin@ucl.ac.uk

Mon 8th, 7.30pm. ‘Mistaken Identity:’ Storytelling at the Canal Café Theatre, Little Venice, London W2 6ND. More info: 020 7289 6054.

Tues 30th, 8-11pm, free, Big Ideas presents: ‘What is the role of religion in US political life? How does religion interact with politics in the US? Do we have a duty to understand it, given its enormous importance? And what (if anything) can our efforts to engage with these questions tell us about the British or European situations, which are clearly quite different? At The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1DG, http://www.bigi.org.uk

blue and white

2010-03-14T14:19:00.003Z

this little design has been sitting on my desk waiting for the right amount of sunshine to get some pictures taken. the sun peeked out for mother's day so i took the opportunity to get some shots and list it in my shop! you can find it over here and i'll be listing matching bracelets and earrings soon. the beads really reminded me of delft pottery, what do you think?

her morning elegance...

2010-01-30T23:17:00.003Z

thank you youtube, you made a good recommendation to me. this video is really rather fab, some stop motion loveliness. i think she might be dreaming about her love...it's a very clever idea and beautifully executed. lovely song too.

like her or loathe her..

2010-01-30T00:40:00.004Z

lady gaga is one distinctive lady. love how you look at barbie and instantly know it's lady gaga. so much patience to create those teeny tiny outfits. they remind me of these more risqué fetish dollies i spotted over on etsy - very very cheeky and you have been warned!

these really tickled me, i really quite like them! found here and see more of veik the artist here.

AMAZING kinetic sculpture

2010-01-27T09:25:00.005Z

this is just absolutely amazing! the artistic design and engineering that has gone into this 'kinetische skulptor' is so hard to imagine. i couldn't post a video below but do check it out here - would absolutely love to see it in person.

it's a sculpture of 'form-finding' art with 714 metal spheres each individually controlled by stepper motors and hanging from thin steel wires. at first they move chaotically but then form beautiful controlled shapes. it's so peaceful to watch and quite transfixing!

sweetly terrifying: alma...

2010-01-12T09:00:00.001Z

this is so beautiful...and so creepy! toy shops and dolls which come to life. a short video - it's only 5 minutes long...i definitely recommend watching it.

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

i'm going to try very hard...

2010-01-09T23:04:00.004Z

to take one photo, every day. i'm excited and nervous about the challenge! i guess it's a new year resolution of sorts, a creative challenge. i'm thinking about buying a digital SLR (maybe the Canon 450D or 500D, anyone have any experience of opinions? please share if you do!!) and thought this would be a nice project to help me get to know my camera and encourage me to think more creatively everyday - capturing everyday beauty. at the moment i'm just relying on my powershot and iphone (i've found an awesome app - i'm blog about it properly soon) but soon i hope to be getting to grips with a much better camera!

my photo a day commitment is being facilitated by this pretty cool site -blipfoto. you can only upload one photo a day, and whilst you don't have to upload a photo everyday for me that really is part of the fun of it. and the challenge. and i imagine it will just continue to get harder to think of photos to take but i'm hoping that i'll get to learn some skills along the journey! anyone done anything similar before or have any tips about staying creative everyday?

so, here is my first week of photo journals, one journal a day. i've been writing a little each day to accompany the photo - check out my journal if you want to find out more!

saturday 2nd january 2010

sunday 3rd january 2010

monday 4th january 2010

tuesday 5th january 2010

wednesday 6th january 2010

thursday 7th january 2010

friday 8th january 2010

here's my journal if you want to know the stories! let me know if you are doing anything similar, would love to know your creative commitments!

if you're not making a resolution, then make a wish...

2010-01-01T22:37:00.004Z

this is such a beautiful project set up by the lovely kitty (of kittypinkstars, sock creature maker extraordinaire). kitty has chosen a tree and is encouraging passersby to share a wish and tie it to the tree, creating a shared piece of guerilla art. check out her photos on flickr - it's beautiful, happy, and wonderful!

so what would you wish for? jot your wish down in the comments below and i'll send them across to kitty so she can write it up and tie it to the tree next time she is down there! my wish is....'may the wish i always wish for come true'....i have pretty much got just one wish, and don't worry, the wish fairy will know what i mean...

the tree is inspired by keri smith - if you're not already familiar with her stuff you definitely need to check it out! and kitty has a facebook book if you want to find out more info.

happy wishing!

loving the threadless...

2009-12-20T17:00:00.000Z

i knew about threadless....but why hadn't i explored it properly before now? at $10 a t-shirt at the mo i couldn't resist...now that is a proper good deal!

and so i've brought a batch of 6 Ts to help with some last minute xmas shopping. of course had to slip one in my me - interestingly rather than the normal 'nature' style i'd have gone for i ended up choosing something a bit....well blokeish.... but, my theory is that it should look kinda cute teemed with some black skinnys, little ankle boots and a leather biker jacket no? anywhos - i've added some more desirables at the end....it's going to be REALLY hard resisting buying more of those $10 tees...

my new 'blokeish' tee:

and the remaining that i must resist buying:

(is this ironic in a good way or just a bit too fat hairy biker?)

i ordered them special delivery so they should be here any time soon!!!

from me to you: 30% off in my shop!

2009-12-16T09:14:00.006Z

merry christmas lovely people!

as a little xmas thank you for your support throughout the past year and for providing me with the pleasure of reading your blogs i'd like to offer my lovely blog readers 30% off the necklaces below! i've also included the ever popular snow white 'twilight' necklace.....and there's still time to post to the UK before christmas (i'm totally holding faith in royal mail for this one) and if you fancy a post christmas gift for yourself i can send the necklaces to any country!

get your orders in over the next few days - i'm wrapping up xmas orders on the 18th december. to get the discount just make sure you're a follower of my blog and let me know in the message to seller box or send me a message/email to say that you read my blog and i'll refund you the difference through paypal.

check out www.gugaw.etsy.com to see the necklaces...

sleek retro graphics...

2009-12-07T22:59:00.006Z

(p.s. hold tight with the vampire talk, there are some really awesome graphics in this post!)

so, i'm into the third book of my birthday present (thanks for all the birthday wishes!). are the sookie stackhouse novels as good as true blood? is true blood as good as twilight? either way i'm pretty riveted and pacing my way through the sookie books at a good speed - absorbing them on my commute and my pre bed time! i think i might soon reach saturation point with vampires but until that happens i'm going to keep rolling with true blood (hurry up with the third series!), sookie, another read through the twilight books and a re-run of interview with a vampire....

so who you gonna choose - bill or eric? (edward is soooo not included in this choice as i know who you'd all go for!)

talking of true blood check out these awesome graphics over on exergian's blog, i LOVE the clean lines and pure minimalist beauty. and there really are some of my favourite tv shows which make them even better....wouldn't these look amazing printed as a line of posters? the style also reminds me of some of the tart cards i blogged about, more graphic beauty!

it's my birthday!

2009-11-24T09:15:00.009Z

pretty pink balloons by aspidistra

it's my birthday and i'll write a blog post dedicated to me if i want to! so, for my birthday i'm at work - boo. but! because my office is in central london that means that i can treat myself to a paul's hot chocolate and a little savoury for lunch (by the way, it is THE most amazing hot chocolate). this evening i'll be celebrating with voucher food and close friends to try and save a bit of cash for the full celebrations this weekend!

anyone heard of the secret cinema? it sounds amazing! we've booked tickets to go see it friday night....i can't tell you too much about it because i don't know too much about it....but that is all the fun of it. secret cinema takes place at an undisclosed location to watch an undisclosed film - you find out the location a few days the event - with locations varying from derelict theatres, rooftops, parks and other secret spaces. there are some clues about the film released via the twitter stream before the event (i'm sooo hoping for bugsy malone!) and the location becomes a huge piece of interpretative drama related to the film. check out this video from the halloween special, it's look amazing!

following the secret cinema we're staying at one of my fave hotels - the hoxton hotel and intend on spending saturday wandering around markets and finding some delicious veggie indian food. i hear that there is a street somewhere in central london which is crammed full of indian veggie restaurants, just need to locate it now....

so, pictures of my birthday celebrations coming next week - have yourself a cupcake on me to celebrate!

south bank, hot chocolate, and the dead weather...

2009-11-18T14:04:00.005Z

(one of) my anniversary presents was tickets to go see the awesome 'the dead weather', an amalgamation of jack white (white stripes) and alison mosshart (the kills) and completed with quotsa and raconteurs crew. they were fabulous - she was fabulous, sexy, raw and i like her style very very much! hmm...sharp tattered boots, tight jeans, and graphic tee, ok, so not original but i like it.

prior to our night of gritty bluesy rock we took a detour via south bank to wander along in the autumn evening....spying sandsculptures, glugging hot chocolate, watching early evening carousels and lamenting getting older whilst we watched the young 'uns skating...

a vegetarian bag...

2009-11-04T08:30:00.000Z

so i'm still struggling with the leather vs vegetarian issue....love the look of leather and that more people work with it, therefore more choice available. but can't help feeling like a bit of a hypocrite for wearing leather when i'm vegetarian....

so, whilst searching for a new leather work bag (nice and roomy, lots of little pockets, handles - not shoulder straps) i decided to have a look into vegan bags. happily they are not all knitted festival-esque things! here are some of my faves...

matt and nat:

not only are these bags vegan but they are made using recycled bottles - up to 55 bottles in some cases! so you can have a happy ethical conscience whilst using these bags. a rather cute addition is a little message inside each bag letting you know how many bottles were recycled for each bag...

all these bags are half price at the moment, coming in at around £75 a bag...fairly pricey for a non leather bag but they sure are pretty...(psst, the first one is the one i like babe)

anyone know of any other good vegan or vegetarian bag designers?

hmmm vampires...

2009-11-02T08:30:00.001Z

this post is by no way, ever, nuh uh, an excuse to write about vampires. because i'm not obsessed with them at all.

but, i've been featured in a rather fab etsy gift guide - an inspired dark romance....hmmm

here is my peridot apple (now realise that i should make one with ruby or maybe cherry quartz, why hadn't i thought before?) and a few of my favourites from the gift guide:

ok, so i've done twilight and LOVED it. i'm on season 2 of true blood and loving it. a raunchy adult twilight....i'm gearing up for a vampire flick with interview with a vampire, and i'm going to watch lost boys for the first time. is there anything i've missed? oh yes, delicious vampire-esque design with baroque loveliness in my last vampire blog post.

so we are agreed right? vampires are HOT?

i found a rabbit...

2009-10-30T19:02:00.003Z

honestly. i found a rabbit. a couple of nights ago we dropped my brother off at work and i saw a black shadow skip across the road, at first thought it was a kitty....but it was moving really odd and with none of the grace of a cat. realised it was a little bunny, a domestic one (think we've identified it as a chocolate brown rex, but we know very little about bunnies!) and i couldn't bear to leave the little thing hopping around and dashing between car wheels. so the next 20mins saw the bloke and i flagging down traffic, hopping, skipping, dashing and leaping after the bunny. it's a quick one. and with fur like silk it managed to slip by everytime!

an oncoming 'couldn't care less' car put the pressure on and after some quick footwork we managed to snatch the bunny from it squidged by car wheels fate. a sweet friend at a nearby restaurant provided carrots and a box to transport it, and another sweet lady who lived a few doors down offered hay and guinea pig pellets (we did a bit of a knock and 'have you lost a rabbit?' - she hadn't, but offered us rabbit food and even temporary rabbit lodgings until we found out who it belonged to....the kindness of strangers...)...we decided to take the little beast home and work out what to do with him in the morning....

i've made some 'found rabbit' posters and will be flyposting along the road we found it tomorrow....and i've rung the rspca and local vets. but starting to feel a little like no-one cares about rabbits, the response has pretty much been "so are you keeping it? you are keeping it?" erm, um, am i? i'm worried that in theses few days we've started to get attached already, this curious and friendly little creature might have burrowed it's way into the hearts of my boyfriend and brother (....and possibly mine....) but i know that there is someone out there who loves it very much and is missing the cheekiness....and i will stop looking at rabbit hutches...anyway, i don't even know how to look after these little beasts!

exploring the blue mountains and byron bay...

2009-10-27T13:49:00.019Z

crikey time flies, nearly 2 months since we came back from australia....getting deep into the english autumn and winter is sneaking in and making fingers and toes tingle in the frosty mornings. and in those 2 months i only managed to upload one batch of photos! so making amends below and sharing some of my faves from our 'blue mountains to byron bay' leg of the trip.

by the way, happy anniversary babe (i love you)...it's mine and the bloke's ten year anniversary today. ten! now that time really did fly....two many memories that i don't know where to start. so maybe i'll start my sharing how we decided to celebrate our ten years (yeh, we did it 2 months in advance, i told you about the awesome deal we got?)

so, this leg of the trip started in katoomba...quaint, like a time machine back to the age of aquarius (i mean that in the nicest of ways!). highlights were most definitely the common ground cafe, a beautiful building handmade (handmade!) by the family and friends who live there. the rawness of the woods, the very wonky beams, the snugness of the log fire and the deliciously warming squash soup were...wonderful. i neglected to take photos but happily lots of flickrites have. if you are a festival veteran you may have seen common ground cafes before - beautiful wooden buildings put up especially for the festival serving amazing food. i remember sheltering in one at glastonbury festival one year...

a second highlight was the lovely bed and breakfast we stayed in at katoomba - ballykissangel. at £55 for the night it really was a steal and i would throughly recommend it. a stroll up the hill brings you the blue mountains, a perfect location. see my pics below - just like a house your gran might live in a just as warm and welcoming!

the blue mountains were surprisingly more blue in the photos than the looked when we were there! check out those steps, hand carved by the ranger nearly 100 years ago!

after a...10 hour drive (i think....i slept! i am such a bad passenger/girlfriend) via a fruitless stop for food in coff's harbour (a stop recommended by lonely planet...i, however, would not recommend. we settled for dominos and dominos is baaaaaad in australia) we arrived at our 'my name is earl' style lodgings for the night. i'm not going to post a link, you dont want to stay there....though it was mildly amusing to stay somewhere that looks like the setting for every redneck shotgun murder scene you see in movies! but happy days, we were off to meet loved ones in byron bay and so the next morning we hastily made our way there.

byron is lovely - as bohemian as expected and full of lovely shops and restaurants. the falafels at orgasmic are definitely worth stopping by for and you can take away little boxes to devour at home! before driving up to brisbane the next morning we stopped in at the utopia cafe in bangalow for breakfast...one of my many poached egg and toast breakfasts whilst i was in australia, but this time on organic sour dough - deliiiiicious. stomachs full we took a wander around the market, collecting macadamia nut butter, a chilli jam and admired all the beautiful antiques at heaths old wares and collectables. what a lovely antique shop - beautiful objects beautifully displayed. lots of enamel, vintage tins, old wicker baskets and some stunning copper pots (see below) that i REALLY wanted. really wanted. £30! what a bargain. except for the cost of flying it back to the UK...

one batch of photos left to get ready - brisbane! i've been in photo heaven these last few days. having the week off with no plans has allowed me to indulge in those little tasks that are very fun but hard to make time for....like adding photos into photo albums and chuckling over the bad hair cuts in old albums! you know the types of photos i mean don't you....!

butterflies now ready...

2009-10-10T00:12:00.000+01:00

eek - i'm really pleased with these butterflies.....mainly because i'm so slow with a thread and needle so it took me an age to make each one! now available in my etsy shop.

and i've just had a new shipment of felt turn up! lots of yummy berry colours.....can you have a berry coloured butterfly? well, i haven't seen a green butterfly and i made one of those so maybe i'll do a berry coloured one too!

a free necklace for you!

2009-10-02T21:35:00.004+01:00

eek! lovely christina over at down and out chic is featuring my jewellery on her blog - go check it out because you can win a necklace of your choice by entering our giveaway!

and...i will definitely get the rest of my aussie photos up very very soon - promise!

i intend to travel in style...

2009-09-24T09:17:00.001+01:00

not that i'm particularly traveling anywhere....not yet anyway. but when we booked our aussie holiday (more blog posts coming soon) we intended on trecking up the east coast from sydney to brisbane in a campervan...see the sights, live the bohemian life for a while, and be gloriously unshowered. but....our budget would only stretch to worryingly decrepit vans that risked leaving us stranded far from petrol stations and at the mercy of kangaroos. so we settled for a car and b&b, which was by faaaaaaar the best choice! campervan-ing would be fun for the long haul but for just a three day road trip we decided to go with the comfort factor.

but, in my (extensive!) research i stumbled across these beauties and fell in love a little. they are teeny and tiny but they are also stunningly retro and just damn cool. check out the awesome cath kidston style fabric in one of the teardrop trailers below. who wouldn't want one of these attached to to their vw bug or cream fiat 500 with italian flag stripes down the side (i imagine this quite a lot)?

all pictures via vwcampervanblog.com

which one is your fave? think it has to be silver teardrop with the gorgeous blue vintage fabric inside - mwah!

flutterby...

2009-09-16T23:00:00.001+01:00

here's what i've been working on this weekend just gone...a collection, or rather a 'flutterby' of butterflies!

so apparently 'flutterby' is an old collective noun for butterflies...it's kind of lovely. or alternatively a 'kaleidoscope' or a 'rabble'. these butterflies are of the felted variety and nestle quietly in your hair, upon your shoulder or where-ever else you desire to pin them. i've adorned them with crocodile clips aaaaand pins to help them serve your wishes! arriving in a 'kaleidoscope' of colours and designs in my etsy shop very soon!

all part of my hundertwasser inspired pieces (see here, here, and here). they've been some time in gestation...but hey, good things come!

any other colour combinations you'd like to see?

thatsa ma boy...

2009-09-14T13:10:00.005+01:00

woohoo! check out my gorgeous bloke's band over on classic rock magazine's website. kingskin (that's his band, and you can see him second from left, hehe!) have a track from their latest album as 'track of the day' and you can download the track april from the classic rock website in celebration of this!

all prepping for their album release which is coming out soon - if you're a music/grunge/early 90's geek it might mean something to you that they recorded it with steve albini (of nirvana fame).....if not, then just know that he's a pretty cool and talented bloke who recorded their album. the band are big nirvana fans so it was a pretty massive deal to them and they were all really excited about it, like a load of small children on xmas morning! now the album has all been pressed and it's quite exciting to see the massive boxes full of the printed cds.

if you like what you hear you can hear more over on myspace - good eh!

exploring sydney...

2009-09-10T21:59:00.004+01:00

right, so my first batch of australia photos! i started with 1000, whittled it down to 400 good ones and i'm sharing some of my favourites with you! after a gruelling 24 hour journey we arrive in sydney to a brisk morning more reminiscent of london town than australia. my last visit to aus had been for an extended christmas break of scorching temperatures, so despite knowing we were arriving to an australian winter we were still caught out by the chilly air!

that first day was such a slog, having arrived at 6am we wanted to make the most of our first day and resisted sleeping until the evening. mooching around the botantical gardens was beautiful, and i saw my first flying fox - massive massive bats! and there were squillions of them resting in the palm trees, so many it kind of made my skin crawl. you know what i mean? how a large number of animals in one place is kind of.....creepy? i LOVED the succulent area and i am now inspired to smother my desk in succulents and cactus, though sadly our frosty winters would kill them all. maybe i could have a succulent shelf? my jetlag nearly got the best of me as i fell asleep whilst sat on the edge of the circular quay, like a narcoleptic i was suddenly asleep and beginning to topple back into the water! luckily i woke as quickly as i fell asleep and promptly moved back from the edge...

anyways...sydney was lovely. it seemed like a petite city...maybe we didn't explore it all or maybe i'm used to the sprawling nature of london. but i'm in love with the idea of a beach within a city. yes yes we have seaside city and towns here in england which have their own, very english, charm. but we never have the vibrancy of colour. the eternally blue (at least for my holiday!) skys and the seas with a touch of turquoise. it's almost as if the sun is different in australia, the colours all look so different. maybe it is, i don't know.

and the opera house is fab! every evening in sydney we spent our time supping bottles of jack daniels (love the pre mixers!) down on the waters edge watching the sun go down, listening to the waft of jazz from the bars and the chatter of city folk drinking their after work cocktails....

if you find yourself in sydney my recommendations for visiting would be to:

1) wander down from hyde park, through the botanical gardens and down to the opera house. it only takes around 20-30mins and it really is a lovely walk.

2) take a boat trip out to manly and explore the lovely cove and rambly walks down to the right of the main beach. and the views of the opera house and harbour bridge really are stunning when the boat brings you back.

3) go for food in potts points. lots of lovely restaurants, classy delis and wistful window shopping. if i ever move to sydney this is where i intend to live.

here are some photos of our exploration of sydney, mainly the opera house, the harbour bridge, manly, bondi beach, a delicious banoffee pie and our gigantic bottle of makers mark! hope you enjoy.

more photos to come! i've got snapshots of the blue mountains and brisbane just waiting to be loaded...

migration...

2009-09-03T17:37:00.000+01:00

charlietyack

hmm, not me, not yet. although who wouldn't be tempted by australian winters that are warmer than british summers? and eternally bright blue skys? and turquoise seas? hmmmm, so i'm back from my lovely aussie holiday with a MOUNTAIN of photos, some delicious peanut brittle, a very slight tan and an odd looking insect bite on my arm (the chemist asked if i'd been bitten by a spider!? i have no idea what critter is responsible...!).

i have stories and photos to share....but this post is about my realisation that the seasons changed whilst i was away...the leaves are turning, the mornings are crisper and the birds are flying in their synchronised v's. i always feel a little wistful when i see the birds migrating...maybe a need for some change?

silverlining11

eyeful

ginacreates

jenmccleary

alaskalasermaid

anyone else feeling the autumnal change in the air?

lost in the forest and the wizard of oz...

2009-08-13T23:46:00.001+01:00

i'm too lucky. look at this collection of beauties i've just received from the lovely emily over at lost in the forest. i have been coveting this stunning embroidered brooch for a while now, so when it was slipped into the package with the pretty purse and brooch shown below i was over the moon! isn't the detail of the stitching just beautiful?

even the packaging had elegant little touches with hearts cut out from vintage book pages. you can see emily's beautiful collection of handmade delights over at her etsy shop....full of lace and sweet keepsake lockets.

so, i'm off to australia tomorrow! things may be a bit quieter round here for the next couple of weeks but i'll try to drop by with some pics. this blogpost title is a bit misleading and i have no intentions of visiting the wizard of oz but we do intend on seeing the blue mountains, sydney, dorrigo national park, byron bay and brisbane among other lovely places. can't wait to share the pics with you all!

speak soon xx

memories of little granny...

2009-08-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

ah...so my penhaligon's perfume arrived! what a win...to go from winning not much more than a badge in a raffle (though let's not forget my primary school winning streak at bingo) to winning this entire anthology set of penhaligon's perfume courtesy of the lovely weebirdy. doesn't the bottle just fit perfectly on my bedside table? i love the art nouveau style packaging, a beautiful embossed box with contrasting ribbon which folds down at the front to reveal a short history of the perfume. my four (four!) bottles of perfume arrived hand delivered at my office in a shiny gold bag...must say i felt rather glamourous carrying this bag home on the bus!

so the four scents are very nostalgic and mostly floral based - gardenia, eau de verveine, night scented stock and extract of lime. i think the night scented stock is my favourite with its floral scents mixed with spicy and musky notes.

i won these fabulous (and expensive, £95 a bottle! i've not come near to spending that on perfumes before, but it's nice to have some of the 'posh' stuff!) perfumes by entering weebirdy's competition about our favourite nostalgic scent. immediately my 'little granny' came to mind ('little' in that my granny was approximately 4ft 7 inches...i wonder if she was always that tall/short? i like to think she shrunk a little in the wash...like a fine cashmere jumper). little granny reminds me of summers spent picking willow catkins and crab apples, fishing for stickleback and shelling peapods. it also reminds me of these particular smells, which i wrote down to enter weebirdys nostalgic perfume giveaway:

"ah...it has to be the smell of imperial leather soap mixed with the delicate scent of a light spritz of rose perfume...these are the smells of my grannies hands...mix this with a waft of apple crumble bubbling away in the aga and the smell of charred wood on the fire and i am whisked back to my childhood..."

to celebrate her 98th birthday (sadly she never did receive her birthday card from the queen) i arranged for us to have a traditional tea party...the first surprise of the day was the classic car which pulled up in the drive to whisk us away....the second surprise was arriving at the polly tea rooms for tea and scones (or massive portions of chocolate cake as evidenced in the picture below! if you are in the wiltshire area i heartily recommend a visit to these tearooms for some traditional english charm and wonderfully tasty cakes!)...the third surprise was the family aleady crowded into this petite tearoom to welcome the birthday lady. here she is below, isn't it hard to believe she is 98? so full of life, with a cheeky sense of humour and sincere love of cake...maybe the secret to a long and happy life is a combination of these?

i like to think that this classy little lady i had the pleasure to know and love pulled a few strings to get these perfumes whisked across to me...i know she would have absolutely loved them and would have treasured each bottle. they probably would have been her 'special occasion' scents, as a finishing touch after she'd carefully clasped her pearls together and given her hair a final fix....

would love to know what your favourite 'nostalgic' scents are!

meet my fluttery lodger...

2009-08-07T13:15:00.004+01:00

i have a new guest in my bathroom...the moth has taken up residence for the past week despite my efforts to shoo it out the window. i do manage to get him out, but he comes back (at least i think it's him, there may well be a gang of them tag teaming nightly sleeps in my home). he's a sneaky one though, creeping under the towel bales and fluttering out when i grab a towel after the shower. or dive-bombing me in the shower and leaving glitter on the tiles where the water has splashed him...i'm not sure what type of moth he is....umm...brown. and spotty. this isn't him above, this is a one spotted by photontrappist but it does kind of look like my moth...

anyway, here are some purchasable and less fluttery moths for your perusal:

beautiful brooch by luxandlove with leaf texture rolled on the surface to create moth wings!

by gollybard

by blueterracotta

by deardodo

real butterfly gifts

ok, so the above is not a moth but it kind of looks like one. on a side point what do you think of these shadow box with real dead butterflies and insects inside them? i'm undecided between beautiful and macabre....or beautiful because it's macabre? cruel or necessary for conservation? if you're more informed than me please let me know what you think because i'm just not sure but love how beautiful they are.

aaaand on a second point of curiosity....what IS the difference between a butterfly and a moth? well, according to the wisegeek's 'brief and straightforward guide'...there aren't many differences beyond their preferred hours of socialisation and the clubbed or not nature of their antennae! and yet i treat them so differently to their beautiful butterfly cousins...i'd pretty sure i'd welcome a butterfly into my bathroom and even set him up a little home, maybe pop some flowers in so he doesn't need to go far to feed...hmm maybe i should show less prejudice to my less colourful lodger...

why do we seem to love moths less? is it their dowdy wings? is it their bad reputation for being clothes munchers? do the butterflies have a clever PR guy doing a smear campaign on their brown winged cousins?

thank you muchly...

2009-07-30T10:09:00.006+01:00

hello all,

so some fab news....i'm going to australia! managed to book an absolute bargain of a deal to sydney in the next few weeks. me and the bloke have been wanting to go for a while to visit his family but the cost of the flights and staying out there were a huge barrier. so when we saw this deal the bloke got up extra early and actually managed to bag some tickets, what are the chances eh? so now i'm hurriedly trying to organise a neat capsule wardrobe to take with me...it's a tricky task, anyone got any tips?

i've been saving up the blog awards that my lovely readers have given me and thought i'd pop them altogether in one post, so huge thanks beth, tania, emily and carol lin for my premio meme and lovely blog awards!

ok, so things about me then...i apologise in advance if this gets boring:

1) i think esau is the most handsome cat in the world, i haven't introduced him properly yet but i will, soon.

2) if you didn't already know, i make jewellery! i loooove my jewellery box of beads, all ordered by colour and theme

3) me and my bloke have been together for 10 years...and yep, that does mean that we met when i was 15. we're celebrating our 10th anniversary by going to australia

4) leather is my one vice as a vegetarian, i find it really hard to ween myself of it and feel like a total hypocrite for wearing it

5) i get high on coke...and not the white powder kind. i'm super sensitive to caffeine/sugar/stimulants of ANY kind and i get all head rushy and giggly like a little kid. but after nights of jd and coke binges sometimes the palpitations make me drunkenly scared i'm going to die. i'm a drunken hypochondriac

6) i would love to be a live music photographer. alas i have neither the tools or the skills

7) if i could play any instrument i would want to play the harp. specifically play the harp like joanna newsome. she is brilliant, beautiful and kooky.

8) i have already seen all my 'must see before i die' bands: radiohead, erykah badu, massive attack, portishead, prodigy, lamb, beth gibbons, lou rhodes, bat for lashes, bjork, willy mason, kings of leon, fiona apple....although not necessarily my 'must see' bands the maccabees, simian mobile disco, santigold, noisettes, and gossip are very worthy of a mention. so, now i need some more must see bands...thinking that feist, m.i.a, micachu and the stripes, yeah yeah yeahs and pj harvey may very well make the list...

9) i have at least two other 'must do before i die' activities. the first is to see the aurora...preferably after dog sledding across snow for a while. my second is to find some rough amber on the baltic cost and have this made into a piece of jewellery. i have other things i want to do before i die but i haven't thought of them yet.

10) i love pizza. margherita. simple as.

and so my favourite blogs that i want to bestow these award to...i'm probably mashing up the 'rules' here but to be honest i got a bit confusseld about what award means what so i'm just going to list below my fave reads. owners of my fave reads are very welcome to grab your lovely self either the premio meme or lovely blog award, or both....or neither. this is just me showing a bit of love to you!

1) droll girl : this blogger makes me laugh at loud. a cute mix of cheekiness, some lashings of naughtiness and some lovely design posts to boot.

2) down and out chic : full of beautiful interior design posts, gorgeous outfits and craft makeovers. i'm eternally jealous of all the lovely flea markets and stalls that she finds.

3) hula seventy : if i could be a photographer, i'd be hula seventy. her blog is stunning and sweet

4) it's unbeweavable! : pretty lady who has fab rock hair, fab rock eye makeup and fab rock lipstick. ok ok so there's way more to her than that, like loads of yummy balmain-esque fashion and dating stories about the new beau which i can live vicariously through

5) myrtle and eunice: so, right back at you lady! i love your blog and your crafty goodness.

6) wee birdy : so reading this blog totally paid off when i won the penhaligon's perfume collection (will share all shortly!). fab blog full of great tips about enjoying the more bohemian and stylish side of london.

7) the satorialist : everybody probably reads this already, but i love it so thought i'd share just in case. full of beautiful people with beautiful outfits to make you jealous.

8) sell sell : sell sell are a creative agency based in london and this is their blog. full of gorgeous typography, posters and pictures of london life.

9) la marquise des anges : lovely photos, lovely blog, lovely etsy crafter....need i say more?

10) blue moss : another etsian, this blog has the most gorgeous outfits and collections and knicks knacks. always a pleasure to read.

11) french charming : full of beautiful things....i think you can tell i appreciate bloggers who appreciate beautiful things? lots of ruffles, lace and vintage pieces. perfect

12) seens from the backs of my eyelids : and finally the perfect blog for when you are in need of a quick pick me up - always sweet and happy.

tart cards never looked so good...

2009-07-27T14:20:00.002+01:00

if only tart cards actually looked as graphically gorgeous as these, then london telephone boxes would no longer be quite so seedy and grim. and i love that they are called 'tart cards' (you know these cards right, those nasty postcards full of boobies, bottoms, hair extensions and porno lips that litter city telephone boxes)...tart cards make them sound almost...well a bit raunchy but in a good burlesque kinda way. enjoy the tongue in cheek and gorgeous typography which was commissioned by wallpaper, st bide library and type and let me know your favourite!

there are mountains more to check out over on the wallpaper, all 450 of them. and there is an important reminder that is also very worth checking out. though the aim of the project was a tongue in cheek look at fonts, it shouldn't be forgotten that prostitution and the sex industry is a place full of vulnerability and abuse and a very serious issue. mike dempseys response is a very important reminder of this.

thanks to sellsell for posting about this project - let me know your favourite!

beautiful bubbles...

2009-07-24T09:35:00.002+01:00

stumbled across these beautiful bubble photos over on bonbi forest's blog. richard heeks has a lovely photoset of bubble photos and it's amazing to see that when the bubble bursts, rather than there being the explosion that you might expect to see there seems to be a rapid spread of disintegration across the bubble. so pretty and what a brilliant idea for a photo!

you might have already seen these photos in the UK press as he was published in 6 press titles in one day! well deserved attention for such beautiful shots.

so i've developed an obsession for balmain...

2009-07-19T00:38:00.002+01:00

aren't these outfits just beautiful AND wearable. looking at catwalk outfits is fun but often it's just too flouncy, nakey or bizarre for mere mortals to wear. but these three outfits from the balmain aw 09-10 are so deliciously gorgeous....yeh so i intend to round of the shoulders but i'm definitely feeling the black cropped trousers, fitted leather jacket and loose white t.

i've not used polyvore much before but was inspired by these amazing balmain boots to do a little sketch of what i'm intending of wearing the knees and elbows out of this autumn! i need these boots. cant afford these boots. can anyone recommend highstreet versions? maybe it's too early yet and the highstreet will be all over this in the next couple of months?

i'm very pleased to say i've already found my perfect leather jacket...one from the kate moss at topshop range...it's a cute cropped jacket with 3/4 sleeves, collarless with embroidered detail around the neck and sleeves....i LOVE it. you can kinda see it below....but the dark picture doesn't really do it justice (the pic was taken is a really old a snug pub down in my home town, a very english pub!). so, just the cropped trousers and cool t's to find....

from sugar bullets (1 + 2), urban outfitters (3), topshop (4 + 5) ben sherman (6)

anyone else liking the balmain look or spotted any other aw 09/10 styles worth checking out?

could this be the epitome of origami?

2009-07-14T20:00:00.000+01:00

this is truly stunning, created by a very talented (and slightly obsessed?) artist..i mean look at the attention to detail! and who has fingers that steady? i KNOW i would stomp on this beauty as i was making it in my studio, or drop a spot of tea or biscuit crumbs down the little paper streets. but it's sooooo beautiful. this entire piece is made from paper and even has a moving train, theme park, cathedral and has lights built in to highlight the structure. shockingly the artist wataru ito says he intends to burn in down when the exhibition has finished, record the burning, and then play it in reverse to see the 'castle by the ocean' rise from the ashes. someone really needs to hide all fire starting materials from this gent.....

check out these amazing photos via tokyobling:

however if your budget and skills don't quite stretch to this paper castle here are a few origami and paper craft goodies...

1. papercutdiecut

2. crazybutcute

3. twinravenpress

4. tinatornoff

and even more papercrafts and cutting over at my paper cut blogpost

35 artists, 35 prints, 35 pounds...

2009-07-12T17:55:00.011+01:00

i've become a bit of a fan of anthony burrill since stumbling across his prints...so was really excited to see another print over on the print club london site as part of their secret blisters exhibition! the exhibition looked great and i would have loved to go along to it...35 artists each anonymously produced a poster design which was screenprinted for the exhibition - anonymous so that buyers were encouraged to buy what they liked purely because they liked it rather than the name behind the design. each design has had 35 copies printed and are selling for £35 a pop - a bargain me thinks for a limited edition design which is a good size at 50cm x 70cm.

i read up on the 'print club london' through the site and it sounds like a really interesting little business that aims to revive screenprinting by providing artists with an affordable environment to get their designs screenprinted. members pay a monthly fee to use the facilities and you can also have workshops if you are fresh to screenprinting (like me, i would love to learn!).

check out these other gorgeous prints....i'm sooo tempted to splurge, can i wait until november to add them to my birthday wishlist?? if you're just as tempted as me you can purchase them over here at their online shop

a 50% off voucher for you...

2009-07-11T16:48:00.008+01:00

here's my little stash of parcels waiting for the postie on monday...a collection of orders and goodies for my giveaway winners! i've also still got 2 x 50% off vouchers for my etsy left so drop me an email at claire@gugaw.co.uk if you would like one (voucher to be used by 17th July 2009).

as a little temptation here are some new items i've just added to my shop:

sparrow in mustard

gold lining

see my etsy shop here

and the winners are...

2009-07-09T09:28:00.006+01:00

thanks sooo much to everyone who entered the merry unbirthday giveaway! the comments, tweets and blog mentions were very sweet and overwhelming, and to show my gratitude i've decided to randomly pick two merry unbirthday winners! congrats to blue moss and renee.bradbeer! and interestingly you have the same taste with blue moss choosing the sweet rose earrings and renee choosing the sweet rose necklace!

aaaand i'd also like to offer a little something extra...i have 4 x 50% off vouchers for my shop offered on a first come first serve basis. just send an email to claire@gugaw.co.uk and i will send you your personalised voucher (the one below wont work!!) and make sure to use it by the 17th July 2009.

much love xx

update: there are two vouchers left as of 10pm tonight, dont be shy and just drop me an email with your contact details!

summersville prints...

2009-07-06T17:37:00.006+01:00

i was introduced to this clever artist via lupin's tweets and i absolutely adore all her gorgeous prints!

here's a flavour of some of lucie's lovely designs...

i love the books and after seeing how great they look it's given me a little nudge about using the fabric stash at home to cover some notebooks i've got. i've been wanting to cover them for ages but it's just one of those crafty projects that i never quite get round to - bet you know what i mean eh!? what little projects have you got waiting for a spare moment of your time?

and don't forget, today is your last chance to enter my jewellery giveaway!

swords and leather...

2009-07-04T23:45:00.006+01:00

so this feeds in perfectly to current obsession with rock chic (that's chic, not chick....or is it sexy punk as elle describe it in their latest issue?). loving the black leather (hmm, i've temporarily given in to my moral battle) and the sword. but i think it's because its a real sword that makes it gorgeous. it could easily be a tacky plastic/cheap metal sword. but it isn't. which is why i really like it. think this would look GORGEOUS teamed with black skinnys, a loose white tee and a cute black biker jacket....hmm my autumn/winter inspiration! find this custer bag over at empire33. cheers to likecool for the introduction.

aaaand....you've still got a chance to win anything from my etsy shop!

p.s. it's bad news when the price of a bag is on application only right?

creating jewellery with silverware...

2009-07-04T10:00:00.000+01:00

how beautiful is this! the talented and very kind rachelle over at spoonerz sent me these lovely pendants made from preloved silverware. these are made from the end of the cutlery, who'd of thought that old spoons, forks and knives could make such lovely jewellery! and...i absolutely adore the pieces that she makes with fork tines, you can see them in her shop over on etsy. and because she is such a fab artist, etsy decided to make her a featured artist! thank you muchly lovely lady.

ooh, and here's a sneak peek of some gorgeous new silver coloured beads i've brought...think i might do something nice and simple with them, maybe a multilayered necklace? let me know if you have any other ideas.

annnd, dont forget about the giveaway for ANY piece of jewellery in my shop - only two days left to enter!

enter here

beautiful feathers...

2009-06-28T13:40:00.005+01:00

i came across these beautiful photos by babyjoan over on la marquise des anges lovely blog. the dreamy focus and irridescent colours are just stunning....aaaaand would look perfect framed in a little bunch on my bedroom wall! these photos have also inspired me to make some jewellery pieces, so now i'm off to hunt out some beautiful feathers....

also, dont forget to check out my giveaway where you could win any piece of jewellery from my etsy shop!

GUGAW Jewellery Giveaway

aaaand, lovely PJ is offering a $50 amazon voucher for her caption competition - it ends tonight so make sure you go check out the very cute photo asap!

merry unbirthday giveaway: another chance to win ANYTHING from my shop!

2009-06-22T22:00:00.003+01:00

giveaway? to you? yes you! yes indeed there are 364 unbirthdays in a year and to celebrate your very merry unbirthday you've another chance to go grab yourself a design from my shop, go on, any piece....what do you like the look of?

so just two things to do:

1: pop by my shop and find something that you would like
2: let me know what you would like in the comments below!
2a: aaaand, if you mention my giveaway in your blog or tweet i'll double your chances of winning by giving you a second entry (just leave a comment letting me know your friendly deed)!

so, have you decided what you'd like? just drop me a comment below telling me what you would like below and then on Monday 6th July 09 i'll randomly select one unbirthday boy or unbirthday girl and will whizz your unbirthday present your way.

and, perfectly on theme, check out these amazing new shots from the tim burton adaptation of alice in wonderland!

and just in case you forgot the song....

A very merry unbirthday

To you

Who, me?

To you

Oh, me

Let's all congratulate us with another cup of tea

A very merry unbirthday to you

Now statistics prove

Prove that you've one birthday

Imagine just one birthday every year

Ah, but there are 364 unbirthdays

Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer

From: Alice In Wonderland

reminiscing on the solstice...

2009-06-21T17:04:00.005+01:00

have you ever been to stonehenge? it is my most favourite place from 'back home'...it is mysterious, beautiful and to me, has a really powerful energy. on two days of the year the fences are taken down and you can walk right amongst these enormous beauties to celebrate the summer and winter solstice. last night was the summer solstice...celebrating the longest day of the year: midsummer. i find it hard to describe what it is like being at the stones...i wouldn't say i was a spiritual person but i feel such a strong energy emanating from the stones when i'm that close to them. not a physical energy (although some people claim to feel a 'shiver' of energy when they touch the stones) more of an emotional energy, a connection with something ancient. when you visit the stones you park a mile or so from the henge and walk across fields with the stones beckoning you in the distance....walking with a tribe of people all heading towards the stones, playing instruments, wearing flowers and ivy in their hair. and as you get closer to the stones you can take them in in all their huge and mysterious glory...a henge which supposedly took over 3 million man hours to build with it's creation beginning over 5000 years ago.

theories and rumours abound around the mysteries of the stone (many of them avalonion, which to me creates beautiful imagery in my mind of knights, white horses and flowing locks full of flowers!) and the henge site is surrounded by other ancient sites which are thought to coincide with ley lines, or energy lines, that run through the earth. growing up just 20 minutes from the stones i've been able to visit these other sites, such as avebury stones, the chalk horses and silbury hill, and have been able to walk among the many crop circles that 'mysteriously' arrive (or less mysteriously are created by wiltshire folk who arrive late at night to create these beautiful signs by pressing the crops down with boards!). i have yet to visit the beautiful glastonbury tor though....

unfortunately cloud covered the sunrise this solstice year so i thought i would share some shots from 2005 where we had a beautiful sunrise among the stones...

i've been visiting the saracens at stonehenge for almost 10 years now....but i think it might be my last time. over the years the number of visitors have massively increased, with other 36,000 people thought to be at the stones last night. but it's not the number of people, it's the type....when i first started visiting on the summer solstice the stones encircled a wide tribe of people for that night: pagans, druids, neo-travellers, locals, those who respect the earth but who hold no particular religion. last night was saddening....it was like a student union party, full of teens wearing day glo glasses, falling over themselves wrecked on alcohol and party drugs, climbing on the stones....and other more aggressive types who were skulking around and bringing an odd air to the celebrations. the media made out it was a pagan and druid celebration....it was more like an acoustic rave full of people who have no respect or care for the ancient stones that they were puking on. also made me realise i'm turning in to an oldie....'back in my day....'!! but, it is sad, think i'll attend the winter solstice next time, utterly cold but i'm sure much more magical.

has anyone else ever visited stonehenge? would love to know you thought of the stones...and where are your favourite places from your home town?

makeover: white rustic mirror

2009-06-15T11:30:00.000+01:00

thought i'd share a tutorial...i had a spontaneous moment a couple of weekends ago which involved a bright teal tin of paint and a spray can of white satin paint....which resulted in this.....

so pleased with the results! and it was super super easy to do.

started off with a chunky wooden mirror (and check out nosey esau's really dirty paws, they are meant to be bright white where had he been?!)...i liked the cutout detail of the mirror but wasn't too keen on the burnt wood effect and in a small bathroom it was just too dark. now, as far of doing a proper job of painting the mirror i maaaaay have missed a few steps (like the bits where i have to sand it down before painting and between layes.....) but i'm pleased with the finish and so far the paint has happily stayed in place. even when wiping it down with a wet cloth when i've been cleaning the bathroom so i think we should be all fine.

for some reason the mirror wouldn't remove from the frame (assume the wood probably warped a little from it being in the bathroom and getting damp) so i marked off the mirror using brown paper and masking tape. i would recommend making an effort to get the paper and tape as close to the edge of the mirror as possible, in my spontaneous excitement i neglected to check this properly and had a little bit of white paint seep on the mirror.

next step is to get merry with the paint can. i'd sprayed the wood edge in light layers, so that after the first layer you could still see the brown wood coming through. but by using lots of thin layers rather than one heavy layer you get a much more even coverage. in total i probably used 3-4 layers, and spraying the mirror from different angles to get inside all the cutouts. however, it was pretty tricky to get the chunky paintcan at all the different angles and i could have been there forever making sure it was perfect...and besides, i quite liked the inside of the cutouts not being quite perfect....it added to the rustic feel of the mirror.

so, following a mad dash indoors as the raindrops started to fall on my still wait paint (grr), peeling back the paper and tape and scrapping off with a knife the little bits of paint that had trickled on the mirror (better taping would have prevented this) i had my new white mirror. and it worked so well against my freshly painted teal wall - woo!

so, super cheap and easy makeover: i already had the mirror (though you can pick up similar ones from ebay and flea markets for less than £15), tin of hardware store's own brand white satin spray paint - £5, and about 30 mins of my time.

anyone else been getting handy with white paint? you can be sure there will be a lot more spray painted furniture to come!

can fish and cats be friends?

2009-06-13T18:00:00.007+01:00

is it inhumane to buy bright flouncy fish when you have a very curious, very naughty and rather large feline boy? i've always wanted to have some of these beautiful japanese (or siamese?) fighting fish. these dazzlingly coloured betta splendens (that's their proper name innit) are particularly handsome fish....i've had some of those cute flouncy goldfish before but these are something else. and apparently they are pretty ferocious too, hence the name, and need to be kept in solitary confinement. i'm thinking they would look gorgeous lined up along a shelf - three fish in three matching bowls....maybe something like this but bigger.....and filled with marbles on the bottom....? for my last fish bowl i brought an amazing bag of clear marbles from the house of marbles and it looked lovely. but would the temptation be too much for esau and would i come home to broken glass, spilt water and a smug cat? aaaaaand, there the whole choice about colours....three matching fish? different colours?....

beautiful photos from mochi, creative research house, kokako, petezpan, saveena, ktischlinger, tanakawho, amanda emblow, emmyloucooper, ray134

if you could wake up anywhere, no limits, where would it be?

2009-06-11T09:01:00.012+01:00

these videos are so beautiful....i find them strangely moving and uplifting, difficult to watch without a tear in my eye and i'm not really sure why. maybe it's the simple aspirations of people, maybe it's because of those who love their life exactly as it is and with who they spend it....

a simple concept but stunningly executed: ask one question to fifty people. and from this you are offered a brief but insightful snapshot into these people's life and loves. the cinematography is lovely....i love how from the single location (both city and spot on the street), you can imagine these people walking by and stopping to answer the question. some look a little bemused, some really happy to be taking part. and the choice of music to go with it is so perfect. i'm really in love with these films!

click here if you can't see the video...

my choice, to wake up tomorrow, would be in an island within a beautiful indonesian style lodge, on a bed draped in silk throws, white muslin billowing at the doors and windows, R beside me and esau at the foot of the bed.....how would we get back? not sure that we would want to....

so, where do you want to wake up? no limitations...where would it be?

the sartorialist...

2009-06-10T09:00:00.003+01:00

i browse the satorialist, and whilst i love the photography i'm not always inspired by the outfits. except for this one. she is gorgeous, the dress is gorgeous, the shoes are gorgeous. i. must. find. this. outfit. (or at least something similar). and so the hunt begins...

anyone else visited the satorialist? would love to hear your thoughts on the outfits there...and do let me know if you've spotted a similar dress anywhere!

sneak preview + doughy cookies, felt and chunky ceramic...

2009-06-08T21:36:00.006+01:00

this weekend just past involved a massive plate of ben's super doughy cookies...a divine chocolate selection of choc chip, double choc chip, and triple choc chip (all R's selection) with perfectly doughy centres, crisp crunchy edges and generous chocolate chunks...if you are ever in the city of bath i THOROUGHLY recommend stopping by and grabbing yourself a large mug of earl grey and a warm cookie, sitting outside in the small but charming alleyway and watching the bath citizens stroll by...but, if you are not near bath these delicious cookies are also available in a few select locations (including egypt!) aaaaaaand you can buy them online.

following the cookie and tea devouring i started work on two new pieces...here is a sneak peek of some new pieces i've been working on which encompass my love of chartreuse and chunky ceramic beads.....

hope you also had a weekend filled with cookies, tea and crafts!

loving these typographic prints...

2009-06-08T09:30:00.002+01:00

is it ok for me to have everything i want: anthony burrill

i've mentioned previously my LOVE of typography (here too)...well, i've got some more finds to share with you! these awesome posters are by anthony burrill...whilst i'm reminded of the infamous 'stay calm and carry on' posters, these posters seem a little more...thought provoking?

via goodintheair

for a cheap treat these lovely postcards are only £2 for four:

anthony burrill: friendchip postcards

and even better, this typographic poster from sell sell is....FREE! i got mine through the post last week and it really is rather fab. a little tempted to put it up in my workplace but it may cause a little offence....so i might just stick with putting in the studio, bullshitters be warned!

could i ever be a live music photographer?

2009-06-04T16:32:00.005+01:00

bat for lashes, originally uploaded by GUGAW.

my first (unofficial) role as live music snapper....featured on the bat for lashes website woo! such a lovely gig. i think this is one of my secret (less so now) career aspirations....taking pictures of live acts is one of my favourite part of going to gigs. would love to actually take all those great intimate shots of the bands...

hmm, guess i'll just have to watch the other photographers with their fabulous cameras and triple a's whilst i lean over the barrier as much as i can to sneak a shot (after hustling my way to the front!). i have a few ok pics i've managed to get this way, there's a picture of the noisettes that i'm really pleased with, must try and find it and post it here.

anyone else got live act images to share? would love to see 'em!