More Sleep, More Music, More Tea

[ yes ]

Last week I mentioned how I've been trying different methods of getting things done, and how I crossed a couple of 'big' things off of my list. It has been such a relief to get those tasks that really add an unnecessary weight on your mind, crossed off and no longer yours to worry about. I keep track of most of the ideas and projects I really want to work on, but feel like I can't start until I've got some of my creative mental clutter dealt with and out of the way. Yesterday I put a couple of illustration in the post that I have been wanting to complete and send for quite some time, and it felt so good to see them go into the post box. I have one last creative project to work on that I promised to a friend a while ago that has been on my mind and then I'll have a clean slate to start new projects for myself. I cannot wait, I have so many ideas & projects that I want to work - opening an Etsy store being my main focus. But before I throw myself into that project I need to do more of the above.

Write A List

[ here ]

Lately I've been trying out different ways of doing things, so rather than writing a little to-do list everyday, I've taken to writing one week long list and adding one task from my 'big' to-do list each week. Today I crossed off two 'big' tasks and it felt pretty darn good! In the evenings when the day is done I find it incredibly hard to sit and just watch something guilt free, I need to be multitasking so I don't feel like I'm not doing anything. And the thought of all of those bigger tasks starts to really weigh me down, so I'm determined to wipe my slate clear and start on some new projects without the boring grown up things to do first. 

You're Wrong Nick Cave

People are good. And last week I was reminded of just how kind people can be when I received a completely out of the blue honest gesture via the post from a friend of the past. A couple of years ago when Luke & I lived behind Darby Street in Newcastle we befriended this incredibly sweet lady that owned a kitschy boutique that we bought things regularly from. And she also sold some of my felt brooches that I used to make while I was studying.

When we moved to the Central Coast her boutique closed down and we fell out of contact with her. That was a good three years ago, and I had completely forgotten about my brooches and their whereabouts and it wasn't until I received them in the mail that I remembered I had even made them!

In the package was the last of the felt brooches that weren't sold, and the money for the brooches she had sold. I was completely blown away at how lovely and kind it was to have my things sent back to me after all these years. I'm sure most other people would be so preoccupied with all the loose ends to tie up when closing a business that some of the smaller things would just have to slide. So now I have an extra $60 to contribute to my dress fund!

Hello March

This year seems to be going along quite smoothly at a nice pace. I always find the first couple of months blend into one another and feel like one long month, and when April comes the year really starts as plans for the following months are made. This month our current lease ends, so our main focus right now is to find a new rental & relocate to Newcastle. We spent most of last month looking for houses and made more than a couple of trips to Newcastle for viewings with no luck, so March, I hope you brought us some good luck in the house department! This month we will also be saying goodbye to one of our dear friends Sarah as she has bought herself a one way ticket to Europe. Almost everybody that I know is in the process of a great transition in their lives, and it is almost hard to not feel the change in the air. 

One of my goals for this year was to work on my blog and already this year I have started new features, posted more regularly and varied my content. In the past I've only ever ran one consistent weekly feature, and this year I took on a couple of  extra weekly posts. And while I have enjoyed writing them each week, I found that it may not be the best method for me. I would like to work on posting more varied blog posts during March, so I will be making my weekly 'My Happy List' a monthly feature to make room for new content and not limit myself with a strict weekly routine. My Saturday 'Pin Of The Week' posts will also be revamped, and I am excited the most about about sharing my new style posts. I'm looking forward to trying out new things for this space this month and all the other changes that will be going on in-between! Now, go put on David Bowie's "Changes" & enjoy your day!

Pinch & A Punch

Paper bag background from here

Hello February, didn't you creep up suddenly! This year has been going nice and smoothly so far. Luke & I had quite a pleasant January with Romy, but now we're ready to get stuck into this new year. January is such an idealistic time of year with resolutions and plans, but February is when it all really starts. This month our house hunting begins! Our lease is up in March, but we have been told that our landlord doesn't mind if we break our lease, so that has given us some extra time to look for another house. I've mentioned before that we have crazy neighbours and they are one of the reasons that we are moving, and the quicker they are just a silly neighbour of the past the better! We are definitely ready for a change, and I am especially looking forward to changing things up around the house. I've been browsing Pinterest to come down from my Pretty Little Liars high after seeing the new episode, and looking at house inspiration has definitely taken the edge off looking for a new rental. 

This month I have set myself some little goals to read new blogs + catch up properly on old favourites, start a new novel, finish the illustration I am working on, send four pieces of snail mail & write a blog post everyday. I'm looking forward to how busy this month is going to be!

Hot Tip

Every now and then during a conversation, or in a situation where something unfamiliar arises, you pick up tid bits of advice that are either entertaining, informative or helpful. I personally love when the person you're talking to throws in a little hot tip that they have picked up along the way, whether it is relative to the conversation or not I have picked up some pretty interesting tips here and there. Not all of these tips however are as applicable  as they are interesting, but should I ever need to get the smell of seafood out of my hands I'll know to rub lemon all over them! I thought that every now and then when I come across something really neat & helpful that I would share it with you!

A helpful tip I picked up from a book I read recently, The Happiness Project, was to take ten minutes at the end of each day to tidy up. I implemented this helpful hint the first evening after reading it & awoke the following morning feeling pleased with myself that I had done so. I didn't start my day off cleaning up from the one before and it certainly made the morning run smoother. While it seems like such a basic concept and thing to do, Luke & I can be a little too relaxed at times, especially when Romy is teething - anything goes! So committing to making the time to tidy up and get things organised for the following day has been one of my favourite helpful hot tips I've picked up in a while.  

Happy New Year!

[ source ] 

New beginnings are wonderful, especially the first day of a new year. There is so much promise and positivity because you have the chance to start afresh and make changes in your life no matter how big or small. This year rather than set myself big resolutions and let my motivation for them fizzle out if they aren't seen through within the first few weeks, I am going to span out the things I want to work on and change across the next 12 months. First up on my 2014 agenda is working on this space here. I will be changing my blog content slightly, starting new features & posting more regularly about the things that I want to post about. Blogging has been such a positive & productive hobby for me, and especially so the last 6 months. When I started to plan blog posts, I found I started to get more ideas for this space and I became more interested in what I was trying to achieve. I originally started this blog because I wanted a space to share my illustrations as a way of motivating myself to draw more and to do more with those drawings. And this year I would like to get back to basics and make better use of my creative side, which I feel as been quite lazy of late. 

This year I want to read more, and watch less. Lighten up & let things go. Take advantage of the fact that I have a chef as a husband and take him up on his offer to teach me how to cook. Discover my green thumb and plant some herbs. Stay positive. Get to the bottom of my craft box and make more things. Ditch some bad habits. Learn to sew. And get into the habit of doing things now. I have a great feeling about this year, happy New Year everyone!

BRB

Romy & I are just about to go pick my Mum up so we can begin our little road trip back home. We'll be picking my sister up along the way from Newcastle and then our car trip fun will begin! I'll be back after Thursday, with a couple of super low key posts scheduled. I hope you all have a safe & lovely Christmas break with your family & loved ones xoxo

Four Simple Goals: Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

(thanks for the photo Rikki)

Last month I posted about my four simple goals before 2014, and one of those goals was to step outside my comfort zone a little more. And one way in which I feel I have started to do so is with my recent dress purchases. I normally stick to knee length t-shirt style dresses with stockings and flats, but I wanted to get more wear out of my salt water sandals and the only way to do that was to ditch my stockings. So I started looking for different styles of dresses and eventually came across these long, cap sleeved smocks at a no name (literally, the shop doesn't have a sign) dress shop across from a cafe Luke & I go to, and snapped up three of them! They're ankle length sack style smock dresses that go perfectly with my sandals and are a quick and easy dress choice in the mornings. This sort of dress is something I would secretly covet, but not actually buy, so by purchasing three I think I have well and truly stepped out of my comfort zone! One goal achieved!