It’s My Birthday…

And I’ll wear what I want too!! Well, actually, its not today, it was yesterday - but I am now officially 24 years old.

Hair pins from David for my birthday.

Yesterday was spent not at work, eating pancakes, relaxing, reading blogs, eating yummy dinner, eating yummy home made gluten free chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and just generally not doing an awful lot (except eating it would seem!!).

Birthdays and new years always get me thinking about what I’ve done in my life to get me to where I am, and what I need to do to get me to where I want to be. I have lots of ideas and ways in which I would like things to go, but things hardly ever turn out as planned, do they?

So, here are just a few small things I would like and not necessarily tomorrow or in this order:

1) I would like my own house with my own little sewing studio. I want a big vegetable garden, I want lots of different fruit trees. I want chickens, and a doggy (mostly for David because I wouldn’t mind another kitty or 5!!).

2) I want to work for myself. I’ve only been working for others full time for 2 ½ years and I’m already sick of it. I want to work from home, I want to sew for a living and I want my Etsy shop to take off. I want to be able to work when I want to work and I want to be creative in what ever I choose to do for a living.

3) I want to travel. Anywhere and everywhere! I want to eat chocolate croissants in France, I want to drink beautiful wine and eat yummy cheese in Italy, I want to explore the packed streets and open spaces of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam…, I want to find mummy’s in Egypt and learn to belly dance in India, I want to explore the castles and my family history in Scotland and Wales, I want to meet old friends and make new ones…

XX

Jen

PS) What is up with my font? I think I have a small selection of everyone avaliable!!

This Post Could Be Cheesy...

It was sunny yesterday for the first time in weeks, which was lovely for our anniversary, but today meant ice everywhere. My car was transformed into an ice cube and the road was nearly white.

Yesterday didn’t really feel too much like an anniversary because David and I both had to work all day (except for a little ice cream jaunt in the afternoon to the beach) and then when we went out for dinner that night we had the most terrible customer service! The little restaurant is so yummy though, the thought of not going back is a little sad. We’ve gone there quite a bit from when it first opened and while the food is still amazing the customer service has slowly declined.

So tonight we are going to rug up with a glass of wine and a movie and just stay at home. I love staying at home by the way, I am a homebody in all meanings of the word! Staying at home with a glass of wine, the boy and the kitty are so much more appealing to me than going out. I’m well and truly past my student days of going out all night and sleeping all day (I used to be a party animal if you can believe it!! Seriously!).

Now, some of you may be curious as to who this David fellow is. And while an anniversary is probably the perfect time to introduce him, he has politely asked that I don’t put a picture of him up on my blog, and given that I am a nice person, I respect his decision.

So, in lieu of a photo, how about a description? Fingers crossed this doesn’t come off as cheesy!! He is tall, dark and handsome (yes that is cheesy, but also true!!) with blue eyes. This year he gave up his Editors job of two years to go back to study and get his Masters in English. We met when I was in my second year of study at a show where I was backstage and he was acting.

He is very smart and talented. He has a radio show on Thursdays (but he’s cutting those back now because of study) and also reads the morning news everyday which means getting up at 5.30am, cycling in, researching the news and then being on air at 8am. He is also very talented with a camera, so much so, he has made money selling his images (but I’m scared of him taking photos of me because I get all shy in front of a camera with a person there and so go all silly and pull faces!! I’m not exactly the perfect model).

He loves coffee and makes the perfect pancakes where I, however, am pancake challenged!! I just can’t do it, no matter how hard I try.

He’s funny when he wants to be, quiet when he wants to be and most of all puts up with me! I love you :)

XX
Jen

Where Have I Been?

Nowhere in particular, I don’t think – but certainly not on my blog, sorry about that!!

This is my Joan Holloway dress! I liken it to the dress she wears below.

It’s woolen and lovely and warm and it comes with a matching jacket. I don’t think I’d wear the jacket with the dress though because I think it’s a little too matchy matchy. Speaking of Joan Holloway, I still haven’t finished season 1 of Mad Men. I’m about half way through and it just kind of fizzled out for me, but I do still plan to watch the rest of it!!

Last week was quite the eventful week work wise - our show finished on Saturday to sell out crowds. There were 10 shows all up, held in a theatre that seats around 480 people and almost all the nights were completely full!

This week is also going to be quite eventful too. Tomorrow, David and I celebrate our 4 year anniversary (wow, that is a long time – and funny story, we met at the show I’ve just finished!! I was backstage, he was an actor and the rest is history!!). I also turn the grand old age of 24 on Thursday (which I plan to take off work!) and my blog turns the smaller age of 1 (which I don’t plan to take off work).

The shop is humming along nicely, yesterday I bought a whole bunch of storage boxes and started sorting out my buttons, cotton, zips, buckles etc. I’m going to let you in on a little secret and tell you all that I am a very messy person!! I leave my stuff everywhere and for the past few months David has had to put up with my sewing bits and pieces being sprawled out all over the dining room table! Sorry Hun!! So yesterday, I decided that I really needed to get organised so that I can start properly planning out the items for my shop. I’m not completely finished, but it’s getting there.

XX

Jen

In The Navy...

Yesterday was a bit of a write off because I was incredibly tired! It was raining full on all night and it was very very loud – we woke up to a blanket of snow on the hills (which was pretty, but I’d way rather get some sleep!!). So, even though it’s Autumn, Winter has truly arrived and its been cold and wet and interspersed with hail, sleet and snow since the weekend!

This little dress is one I got at market day at the start of the year! It’s very very cute and has little bows that tie up through the bodice, but because its cold I really need to wrap up with a jacket as well as a thermal underneath. Has anyone else noticed that tights don’t actually keep you that warm? I have two pairs of black woolen tights that are super snuggly, but your average run of the mill tights are not warm at all!! I’m wearing navy tights here (to go with the colour theme) and I know my little legs were feeling the breeze!

Here it is without the jacket (but still with the thermal, the dress has short sleeves) but David had just told me that he had made me a cat shaped pancake, so sorry for the weird expression.

Here is the cat shaped pancake – CUTE!!


Yesterday I arrived home to the sweetest little package ever!! It was from the lovely Mervat and contained a notebook, amazingly scented soap and candle, a bracelet and a big flower brooch. Thank you so much!! It was part of Pay it forward and she made my day – now it’s my turn to pass on the kindness – and I’m going to start with blog awards!!



I received a few blog awards eons ago that I never got round to passing on, I hope I got them all! I had to scroll through my blog comments and try to catch them, so if you gave me an award and its not here, I’m sorry! I think I had a few more than three, but that’s all I could spot!!

The first is from Love<3fashion, she gave me the One Lovely Blog award - "You are to pass this award on to 15 people whose blogs you think are really lovely and who are new to you. This helps newcomers also. If you do not have 15 new to you, just choose those you think have lovely blogs. This award is yours to take and post on your side bar with the name of the giver beneath. Remember, I think you are wonderful!"

The second is from Baby Sloth and is the Friends award - "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

The third is from Noir Girl who Splashed me - The Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you must:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.

Now, I’m going to cheat and bend the rules (because I’m a rebel like that!!) and I’m going to move the awards around in a circle, I love all these blogs and think they all deserve awards so Love Fashion is getting the Friends award, Baby Sloth gets the Splashed award, Noir Girl gets the One Lovely blog award and because Mervat was so lovely I’m giving her all three!! Yay!

I also hate leaving people out of these things, so if you are reading my blog right now then you deserve a little something too - so I’m splashing you all!

Have a lovely day,

XX
Jen

Hello Again...

Sorry for being such a slack blogger these past few days – I haven’t posted, haven’t replied to comments and I’ve felt very uninspired, which I’m sure I can put it down to a few things.

1) We have a show opening on Wednesday next week – it’s in its 115^th year! We have the tech weekend for it this weekend and there have been one or two slightly stressful things that have occurred to make it more stressful than it should have been.

2) The opening of my shop is looming!! It’s gotten to the point where last weekend I was feeling so over whelmed by things to do for the shop that I didn’t do anything!! I watched Ghost Whisperer and ANTM most of the weekend – how unproductive!!

So with that said, I’ve decided to push the opening date back a month to the end of June. I instantly felt better after I made that decision, and actually felt like I could focus my attention on specific things for the shop instead of starting one project, getting bored and feeling a little stressed that I won’t have enough stock for the shop and so moving onto something else. So, you’ll just have to wait just a little bit longer for the shop to open – and I hope it won’t be a let down after I’ve made you wait so long!!

XX

Jen

The Start of May...

The weather is in that stage where it doesn’t quite know what on earth to do. On the weekend it was lovely and sunny and warm, yesterday was cold, grey and rainy and today it’s freezing but beautifully clear and sunny.

It also the 1^st of May, I turn 24 in 28 days, David and I will celebrate our 4 year anniversary and hopefully I’ll have a shop up and running too. Speaking of shops, thank you so much all of those that took part in my questionnaire, it’s really is quite eye opening!! There are so many different opinions out there that I never would have thought of – it’s the old thing where just because I like something, doesn’t mean everyone will!! So I’ve now got some great information to go with and hopefully I’ll be able to create something lots of you (if not all of you) will like.

I tried to go a little 20’s with my outfit here – well at least I feel a little 20’s in my little wool cloche. I went a tad crazy at the start of the year and bought 3!!! Black (the one I’m wearing and also my favourite), Red and Grey. I’m not too sold on the red one on me though, I don’t think I suit it on my head no matter how much red I actually wear – its just a little too much!!

I also got these beautiful white vintage shoes. They are too big for me, but nothing stuffing a little fabric in the toes won’t fix!

Also, a few weeks ago, I entered into a little competition on Casey’s blog. She had the greatest competition idea where we all added 4-5words to make a little story, she then drew names and low and behold, mine came out - I think I squealed when she emailed me and told me I won something, but I was by myself so there is no proof!! Here is the story we made up –

“The cool breeze reminded me of an autumn day three years ago in the city. A ravishing young woman with fiery red hair sauntered past me. She seemed to be in quite a hurry, her heels clicking away at the pavement…”

And this is what I won – it’s made out of vintage fabric and it’s lovely, I think she needs to make a tutorial for them because they would make such great gifts for people!!

Now, I think I have about 3-4 awards to pass on, and I know I said I’d do it this week, but I haven’t gotten round to it, sorry!! I’ll dedicate a whole post to them next week :)

Have a lovely weekend,

XX

Jen