So Long February!

Luke & I were talking the other night and mid conversation it dawned on me that at the end of this week it would be March. March! How did the third month of the new year creep up so quickly?! Right from the beginning of my pregnancy the main advice I got was to stay busy, and I am so glad that I have been because the time has just flown by so super quickly. So quickly in fact that this week I hit the 28 week mark and realisation that I need to get organised has officially kicked in! I've been getting two days off during the week now after having only one day off for the past couple of months, and with that extra day I've been able to achieve so much more. This month I've done a couple of my blood tests I've been putting off, booked a bunch of my hospital appointments, finally picked out the pram we're going to get, bought some other baby stuff that isn't in the form of a cute onesie, caught up with a friend for dinner, started to look for a new place to live, made the decision to get a new car, bought said new car, organised a new internet contract & updated my car insurance policy (both for which I'm now saving a bundle on!). I've also been able to cross off so many things on my to-do list such as finishing my cousin's wedding invitations as well as my baby shower invitations, make my friends resume look snappy, finish buying baby presents for some other lovely ladies, cook dinner for my parents, and spend some time planning some new things for this little blog that I've put on the back burner for the past couple of months. 

I definitely don't feel as though I have wasted much of my spare time this year, but I do feel as though I achieved a lot more throughout February. And the most important thing I was able to do, was to spend more quality time with Luke. We've both been so busy with work that we have only been able to see each other for an hour or two in the afternoons because of our different work schedules. So for March I intend on making the time to do things rather than leaving it up to chance to have the time for them. See you next year February!

Start Your Week Off With..

Thoughts On Going Full Time Freelance by Maiedae

Stills: A Weekly Collection by The Beetle Shack

Saturdays by Little Wild Moose

The Creative Spark by Delightfully Tacky

Have a great week!

Custom Portrait - Alex & Phil

The photo supplied

The illustration received 

I haven't shared any illustrations I've done lately, and I wanted to share this particular custom portrait I was commissioned to do for a Christmas present last year. Alex wanted to surprise her fiancé with a drawing of the two of them from their engagement photo shoot. She sent me a selection of images from the shoot, and this photo really stood out to me. Drawing this illustration was such a delight because Alex & her fiancé Phil seem like such a lovely couple and you can really see the love in their photograph. I sent Alex three versions of the illustrations - one with the illustration overlaying the photograph, the illustration above, and a version of the love birds without the illustrative graffiti background.

If you would like a custom portrait illustration for yourself, send me an email to  laurenemily[at]y7mail[dot]com for more info and prices.

Start Your Week Off With..

What Hand Made Is by Julie Ann Art

Things I Love About My Home by Goodnight Little Spoon

Anti & Post Natal Depression & The Lifting Of The Fog by The Beetle Shack

Crafty Photography Set Up by Caught On A Whim

Have a great little week!

Dreamy Days Do Happen

Rather than having one day off at the start of the week and the occasional second day off towards the end of the week, I had two days off in a row this week. And they were just delightful! Aside from making my friends resume look snappy, my design to-do list was finally all crossed off. I spent the first day doing little grown up things around the house so it was all out of the way for my second day off. Which I spent comfortably on my lounge with movies, cups of tea, cherries and magazines. I also baked Luke some cookies in the spirit of Valentines Day. It has been months since I've had a day all to myself to do nothing, so I'm making the time for myself now before our little baby arrives. Dreamy days do happen when you get through your to-do list!

Baby Brain

Lately I've had the worst attention span and memory. The ladies I work with keep telling me I have a case of 'baby brain', and until a week ago I didn't believe them. I wasn't convinced that it was happening to me until a trip to the toilet last week. There aren't any toilets in the cafe I work at, they are a couple of doors down in the arcade. Which is great for when you want to have a break from how busy it can get, but also not so great for when you have to explain where they are all the time. The toilets are just before a set of big exit sliding doors, and last week I was particularly focusing on them. When I turned and stood in front of the bathroom door, I waited for it to slide open for me, even though it isn't a sliding door and I had the key in my hand. This sort of thing is starting to happen to me quite regularly. I was getting my lip gloss out of my bag yesterday at work and the lid of it is a plastic reflective gold and I had a fleeting moment of excitement because I thought it was a chewy caramel eclair. I don't even buy chewy caramel eclairs! These next few months are going to be very interesting!

Currently

25 Weeks

Reading: I've put a hold on reading the past couple of months purely because I don't really have enough time for it. A couple of weeks ago I started reading the first instalment from the Pretty Little Liars novels. I absolutely love the tv series, I'm just not sure how much I like the book yet. And I've had a copy of 'HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method' sitting on my coffee table ever since my cousin Kate sent it to me in a package a couple of weeks ago. I'm about four chapters into the book and it has been both very informative and interesting. I've been avoiding reading anything birth related so I won't freak myself out, but reading about Hypnobirthing hasn't freaked me out in the slightest!

Watching: Every Sunday night Luke & I make dinner together & watch one of the James Bond movies. We got the box set for Christmas and have been setting aside one night of the week for it.  Tv series-wise I spent the first week of the new year hooked on season two of Pretty Little Liars, and haven't followed it up with anything as yet. My sister is insisting I watch Parks & Recreation, and has put it on a hard drive for me. But I think I'm going to hold off on box set indulging until after I have the baby.

Anticipating: A day off that I can spend doing absolutely nothing, and not feel guilty about it. My last couple of days off have been spent running errands, design work, or baby shopping with Luke. Once I have a couple of things out of the way and finished with I will be able to live out this fantasy of sleeping in and watching cheesy dvds in bed. I'm also looking forward to having a baby shower. I wasn't going to have one, but my sister has convinced me to have one and is organising it because she is such a sweet heart!

Listening To: On our recent trip to the shops Luke bought The Bamboo's "4" & Hot Chip "In Our Heads", so they've been on constant rotation at our house. I also replaced my copy of The Knife's "Silent Shout", and rediscovered just how fantastic The Knife are. My copies of Gwen Stefani's solo albums have been getting some serious play time too.

Working On: The past couple of weeks I've been working on my cousin's wedding invitations. She is going to have the most amazing wedding in Bali this May. Unfortunately Luke & I won't be able to go because I'm due to have our little baby that very same week! The invitations have been designed like passports and boarding passes for a 'travel' theme. I'm just finishing them up over the next few days and  when I do I'll be sure to share them! I'm also helping my friend make her marketing resume look snappy, and after that will be making some invitations for a surprise 40th birthday party. So I'm definitely keeping busy along with working six days a week!

Wishing: That the rest of my pregnancy is as easy as the first six months have been. I've been so lucky not to have had any morning sickness, weird food cravings or smell aversions. There has only been one downside to being pregnant and in comparison to nine months of morning sickness like some unlucky ladies, it is only a small bother. My left knee/upper thigh area has a constant tingly, numb feeling. To touch it feels like stepping on your feet with a rush of pins and needles. Some days it hurts more than others, but after three months of it I'm starting to get used to it and I only have three more months of it! 

Start Your Week Off With..

DIY Bow Shoe Clips by Caught On A Whim

DIY Earl Grey Gin by JellyBones

Little Mermaid Nails w/Pony Chops by Of Corgis & Cocktails

Sunday Girl by The Life Of A Cupcake

February Goals by Here Comes The Sun

Have a great little week!