I have a new hobby. One I’m not exactly great at
(which is a bit of an understatement) but one
which I love all the same… printmaking.

This studio is currently one of my favourite places.
A little haven of niceness.

I may have a creative job
(I’m an advertising copywriter by day)
but it’s to looming and multiple deadlines…
so it comes with a fair amount of stress.

{Ok, so it’s not like being a doctor
or running a nuclear facility…
but the way my stomach gets tied
in knots sometimes you’d think it was!}

So this place… and doing something where it’s ok to fail…
well, that’s pretty relaxing to me.

See that horses sign?
It’s for clothes horses from when
it was a public wash house…
not actual horses as I first thought!

The very first print I made was a collagraph –
basically a collage you then put ink on to.

It has to be said I enjoyed making my little collage
and then didn’t really like the resultant print!

Therapeutic all the same!

I also tried wood cutting… which is bloody hard!
{And even harder if you insanely decide you
want to carve circles into a piece of wood!!}

I did a little homage to my Polaroid 1000…
which came out not too bad I think.

The thing I liked best of all (weirdly) was dry point…
where you etch into metal the design you want to print.

Above is my first attempt…
a sort of 60s-esque New York-ish skyline.

I’m planning to do a much better version of this now
that my teacher has revealed I don’t have to do it all free hand…
but then I kind of like that I did it all that way.

 And next? Well, I think I’ll do a proper screen printing course…
and maybe finally make my ‘create no nuisance’ print.

******

So what about you all? Is there something you love to do
that you’re not great at?  I think the nice thing about
having a hobby you’re bad at is that, well,
maybe one day you’ll be good at it.

Or that’s what I tell myself!

So with Christmas on the way,
I got up early this morning to head to a few markets
with the intention of finding some presents
and potentially a cosy coat for me
since for some reason I don’t have one.

(I blame my overenthusiastic
charity clearouts in the summer!)

Here’s some snaps of what was on offer
at one of the markets… I think I snapped
much more than I bought!

A toy typewriter…
so so so tempting but I resisted!

I used to collect badges when I was little.
I had a whole pinboard of them from every
exhibit/museum/zoo I’d ever been to.
I still have a thing for them now.
Love the design of this cookbook…

Love these angry little owls
and their ‘be wise save’ message.

A beautiful opera glove holder!
Who knew such things existed…
very Downton Abbey!
A Daily Mail (!) annual for girls
on a reworked blue chair.

Was rather tempted to buy this just as it’s so random…
a book for logging who you got your Christmas cards from!
Vintage books… I should have bought
the one on coffee for my coffee-addicted husband!
No market is complete without cake!
How gorgeous are these ice-cream sundae cupcakes?!

****
So what did I pick up?
Well, I can’t show you everything as some
are presents… but here’s the things I got
as happy December gifts to me!
A cosy vintage cape… not quite a coat
but it was such a bargain from the
lovely Totty Rocks gals I couldn’t resist.
Years ago, I used to stalk these 70s German elephant
moneybanks on ebay. But they always, always
went above my price range… so happily
I found one today. In your face, 2007 ebay!
A Sergeant Major moustache…
apparently this came out of a 1950s magic box.
I can’t really think what magic tricks you’d
do with a moustache but there you go!
A pair of vintage shoe clips…
I’ve resolved not to buy any new party outfits
this year and just update my old ones instead.
Love how these clips transform a dull pair of shoes!
Oh yeah… and cake.
You didn’t think I’d leave without some of that!

Our kitchen table has a whole lot of craft clutter on it
right now (mostly from my printmaking class)
so I thought it might be easier to snap the cakes
on the floor… I thought wrong!
Yup, I got one picture before my cake
was in danger of getting licked by a cat!
So in order to save the cake, there’s no more pics!

I’ve also entirely forgotten what flavour
my cake is… so I won’t know until I have it.
Looks rather pretty and festive though.

*****
So I think that makes for a good little haul
and I got a few presents too…
tomorrow, I’m going to try and get up
for the car boot sales too.

Let’s see if I can get all my Christmas shopping
done without any high street shops!

Happy Saturday everyone xx

I have a new sideboard.

I didn’t need a new sideboard.

(Actually in truth very few people ‘need’ a sideboard.)

But here’s what happened:

The wonderful little cake shop Auntie M’s
was closing down in Glasgow.

I’d been in quite a few times partly
because of their lovely baked goods,
but also because it looked like
a gorgeous little Mad Men-esque
set of a living room.

I loved the couch, I loved the drink cabinet,
but every time I was there I mentioned
how much I loved that sideboard.

***

So when Auntie M had posted
that she was closing down,
I felt really rather sad.

And then she mentioned that
she needed to find new homes
for her vintage furniture…

So we adopted that sideboard.
How could we not?

Auntie M, we will look after him well
(I decided he was a boy!)
and I wish you the best of luck
in whatever you do next…
I know it will be amazing.

****

Happy weekend everyone xx

P.S. Thanks for your lovely comments
on yesterday’s post, I was a bit nervy
about posting it so that’s made me
feel much better. You guys rock

I love old suitcases.

I love that they’ve possibly had lots of adventures before I ‘met’ them.

We’ve been collecting a few lately for a future little project. And I’m
always taken with how much more attractive the vintage versions are…
even if they’re a little battered, it just adds to the charm.

Through the joys of pinterest, I came across this ace upcycling idea
by the Oh So Lovely Girls (who also have a too cute caravan!)…
little fabric hearts on an old case! I would love
to see that going round on a turnstile!

*****

And talking of suitcases… life has been a little hectic lately
(still wondering what happened to life getting dull when married!)
so I’m taking a little break to give myself a chance to breathe.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to pack a suitcase myself…
or at least click my heels together and see where they take me!

 See you all in October my dears xx

******
Pic 1: skunkboy creatures and Oh So Lovely
Pic 2: From our wedding by Lillian and Leonard

I’m not from Edinburgh.
As a city it wasn’t my first love.
In fact, Glasgow stole my heart first,
then I cheated on it with Copenhagen.

But by god, I have learned to love you Edinburgh,
you crazy cool be-castled city.*

(Spot the deliberate mistake in this pic!)

And every August, I fall a little more in love
as the Festival takes over and forces me**
into the streets to go and explore, laugh,
think, meet, and generally not sit on my sofa.

This year was no different.
Except I went to more shows than ever before.
And also to 3 weddings and a 90th birthday too.

Here’s a few snaps that sort of sum up
a little of my Edinburgh in August…

Hanging out in the Mirazozo Tent…
and playing my new iphone!

The Speigeltent… one of my favourite venues.

Animals took over my local gardens… 

The re-opening of the Museum…

And finishing off the Festival
with a gig at the castle itself…
Oh yeah and some silly snaps from the 3 weddings…

Thank you Edinburgh, it was great.

Now I need a lie-down…
and maybe a cat nap too!

Happy Friday everyone xx

****

So what about you? Do you love where
you live? Or do you dream of living
somewhere else?

****

* Yes, be-castled is not a word.
** Forces me without the need
for a cattle-prod or other threat!

Just after we got back, I opened up the Cath Kidston
magazine to discover an article on buying caravans.

It seemed like a sign.

(Despite the fact it was also the same weekend
as some tossbag trashed our car. Ahem.)

The problem is… we live in a flat.

In the middle of Edinburgh.

Not ideal for keeping a caravan I know
but sometimes it’s nice to dream about these
things without worrying about the logistics.

Anyway, I was pondering what
it is I like so much about caravans…

And I came up with two reasons. (Well, three really.)

1. Very happy childhood memories of caravaning
with my Nana, my Papa, my cousins, my cat.
Fuzzy felt, listening to the rain on the roof
and drinking sweet tea with nettle stings on my knees.

2. And this one came from the same Cath Kidston mag…
“a caravan is another room to enjoy doing up,
without moving house”. Well, if that doesn’t
just sound like something I would say!

3. As well as my very happy childhood memories,
a caravan is now where I have been
at my happiest as an adult too.

In my Dad’s wedding speech, he wrote a sonnet
(yes he made people cry with his speech!)
that ended with the words
“It sounds like rain on a caravan roof.”

And then he spoke about how my Nana
would have loved that we were starting
our married life in a caravan.

Not only because she loved caravans but
“because it’s also a perfect metaphor for a long successful married life.
She would have agreed it’s about joy and disappointment shared,
up close. That’s a real test of any relationship
but the key thing to remember is, come rain or shine,
all you need is those you love and those who love you back.”

(I said he made people cry.)

So this Friday, I’m truly utterly, smitten
with the idea of us having a little caravan
of our own… and you know one day
we might even make it a reality.

Happy Friday everyone xx
Hope you all have lovely weekends.

*****

P.S. That little yellow caravan?
It has the most stylish interior
I’ve ever seen for a caravan!

*****

1. and 3. via snailtrail (via guardian)
2, 5 and 6 scanned from cath kidston mag
4. caravanolic (via pinterest)
7. and 8. enjoycupcakes (via urbanfarmgirlandco)

There is the teeny tiniest of sneak peeks
up on our photographers’ blog.

A good excuse for some cute pics
of animals peeking I feel.

Strangely I’m suddenly very nervous
about sharing our day…

Not about the pictures themselves,
but how much the day meant to me…
it’s scary sharing something that important,
even though I can’t imagine anyone will say
anything but nice stuff.

But still… that kitten? That’s me,
hiding round the corner for a bit!

******

Have a lovely weekend everyone.
I’m off to another wedding!

******

1. http://i.imgur.com/yexvD.jpg
2. susansabophotography
(Both via pinterest)

Watching this week unfold has been
so desperately sad. And so sad
that things can get this desperate.

But rather than add to the debate,
(though there is a very good article here),
I thought I’d do a sort of ode to London.

About my two recent London trips.
One pre-wedding. One post-wedding.

*******

Trip no.1…

…all the family fun you can have with free signs.

 You know how I sort of have a thing for foxes?

This is me doing my impersonation of the Southbank fox.

And yes… being a fox again!

(They have whiskers right?)

 My super, super gorgeous little sis.

The next day was her graduation
from acting school Italia Conti.

Me busking… with my harmonica necklace.

Where I would live in London if I could…

Ok, not really. But I do have my eye on
a ‘if I ever win the lotto’ flat down there!

*****

Trip No.2

Yup, he’s still there… had to check!

Then off to see my little sis’s play…

Then on to see a friend’s dad’s play…
this is where we got lost.

Which is fine because getting lost is (eventually) followed by ice-cream…

Bubblegum ice-cream!
(Tablet ice-cream feels healthy now.)

And after ice-cream, you must sit down…
at a fake beach of course.

The best of getting lost? Finding old signs…

Love this tea and coffee sign.

But this one won me over completely…

I’ve actually started designing a print based on it.
That’s just how much I love it.

Also seems somewhat relevant to right now, doesn’t it?

*****

Hope you all have safe, happy, relaxing weekends.

I’m off to a 90th birthday party.

Yup, 90! How amazing is that?