16.07.16

That bun, he's just too cute to handle. Literally, maybe that's the actual reason he doesn't like to be held...

14.07.16

My brain has been failing me lately. I need to keep doing things though or I'd just sit and spiral down into worse moods. So here's a vlog where I had all good intentions but end up laying on the floor.

Shop Update ~ Patches, Octopus, Kawaii Food

3scoop // bread // cat ice cream // halloween patch

Here are a few things I have recently added to my Etsy shop. A couple new, a couple restocked. I'm planning to do a giveaway on my instagram soon for the 'prototype' be kind patches I made before making these ones to actually list so follow me there if you don't already. Not sure when I'll do it but I'll mention it again here anyway. I also have a couple of the ice creams and bread slices that I won't be listing, maybe they'll get a giveaway too? I've never done a giveaway so I don't know if anyone would even enter! Only one way to find out though.

I hope you have a good weekend ^_^



be kind - lilac, blue, purple // mint octopus

Failed Vlog Montage

About a week ago I wanted to vlog the day but it ended up being a bit of a bust because I'd been feeling kind of down and it wasn't the best day and it sort of kept happening so for some reason I've plonked those clips into one video. I think it's important to notice when you're not feeling your best and to try and counter it somehow. It's not always possible but I find even making the effort to think about trying can help. This week I've pushed through on work, which can be hard. Working for myself makes it easy to put work aside but I always feel worse for it so I've concentrated on doing as much as I can. Also, stickers. Buying them, sticking them. Whatever. My art journal/scrapbook/whatever it would be called is giving me a nice start to my days. Do whatever helps you but don't give up on yourself, it's ok to feel down even if there's no obvious reason. It'll pass.



I took this photo the first day I tried to vlog and was going to use it as the thumbnail but I thought it was too misleading lol so I went with a youtube suggested one instead.

New stuff plus discount code

I have a quick couple of shop updates to share with you. Firstly I have started selling crochet patterns in my Etsy shop. I was going to wait until there were more of them to mention it but seeing as I had another little thing to share today it seemed like as a good a time as any. I will be adding more soon, I'm currently going through patterns I have already written, tweaking them, photographing the process, making the downloadable files etc. Writing patterns is long, friends. But I hope you'll like them (if you crochet, otherwise they mean nothing to you. It's ok, I understand). Once I've done patterns I've already written I'll be writing new patterns to list too. I have had a few ideas over the years for amigurumi that I think would be too complex (and therefore too high a price tag) to be worth making for the shop but as a pattern rather than a finished piece I think they'll work. These are the two up so far, a carrot and a blushing pear.

If you have a look at my website homepage there is a drawing of me and I have a cute little fella on my shirt. I had the amazing realisation that I could make that shirt be real and now that cute little fella design is in my society6 and redbubble shops. I even have a discount for you, with this link you get free worldwide shipping on everything + 15% Off Wall Tapestries when you order from my shop. Only if you use that link though. (expires 10th July 2016 at midnight, pacific time.) And here are a few examples. I'm still amazed by the range of items. Redbubble have just added a new type of dress too so that's exciting.
































I'm off to eat a massive bowl of rice and work on more new things. I'm feeling super productive. I hope you're feeling good too and if you're not, I hope you do soon ^_^

Lord Mayor's Celebration 2016

I've lived in Norwich for 5 years this summer and have never seen the Lord Mayor's Procession. It's a really big event and I have meant to go before, it's just never worked out. But yesterday I finally went. I watched the procession then met up with Will when he finished work and we had a wander round, got some food and checked out some of the entertainment before the fireworks and heading home. It felt really good to wander about and to just come across stuff happening. I wish the street performers were there every day.





Here's some video I took of the procession, my favourite bit is probably the little Rey and watching R2-D2 go down the road was also pretty magical. I didn't take so many photos of the procession but then we went wandering.



The weather was a little all over the place but it did give us this double treat.





That bean wrap was so good.







I love fairgrounds so much. I don't go on rides but I love all the lights and colours and maybe most of all, the airbrushed paintings decorating the rides.






I love looking at all the slightly wonky versions of characters you know so well or maybe they had a theme like the underwater mural. I love anything handmade and these always have so much character. They seem to be being edged out by bad photoshop ride artwork though. I guess a lazy photoshop attempt is visually the modern comparable to a 'bad' airbrushed painting but anyone can print photos after fudging them about on photoshop. Whatever you think of the airbrushed paintings there's still a level of skill and creativity in there. I hope the airbrushing doesn't disappear too quickly, it's got so much more charm (and crosses a more acceptable line when it comes to copyright).



In this second video I collected together snippets of the fair and some of the entertainment we watched. Like I said before, wandering about and just coming across a performance made for a really good evening, I had a great time. I added a caption on the video but that guy, wow. It really was amazing to watch, it seemed so random and all over the place but you know it must have had so much work go into it. At one point he ripped his trousers off but they were only half stripper trousers so one leg came off but the other didn't so he had to take off his shoe to get the other leg off and then only had one shoe on and was in his pants the rest of the time. He pretended to smoke a flare. He put on a sombrero, filled if with nachos and threw them at us. There was a puppet and it fell apart and it's impossible to know if it was on purpose or not. He was making a soundtrack all the time too recording himself and using loops and repetition. It can't really be described, it was too amazing. Hopefully one day I'll see him perform again. My second favourite performance we saw was really very different but also awesome, the Punjabi Dance Group on the forum stage which you can probably tell I enjoyed from how much they take up of the video.




At the end of the day, once it had got dark, they set fireworks off from the castle. If you watched from city hall they have music timed to it or something but we went round to a different patch of road where there were fewer people which is often a preference of mine. We rarely go out at all and I definitely stayed up past my bedtime (lol, I'm a nanna) so I'm pretty knackered today but what are Sunday's for if not to potter about eating crisps and looking at photos from yesterday?

June Wrap Up

Another month of the year down, another attempt at a monthly round up type thing. Like I say in the video, ever since I started blogging years and years ago the idea of some sort of 'well that was that month' type post has appealed to me but I've never really managed it. So I thought why not have a go at a video version seeing as I enjoy that these days. Maybe it'll become a thing maybe this will be the only one. Hopefully we don't find out for a while, I need the year to slow down!



Here's a photo of (most of) the stuff I mention in my video. I also mention a couple of things that aren't tangible so they obviously aren't in the photo.




Here's that lovely wrapped up Sanrio parcel. It made my week, post is always good but when it's that cute it's even better.



And here's the poster from the My Little Pony comic pack. I love those things, they're pretty cheap too. Also my last dinner of June. I didn't mention it in the video but I probably should mention those carrot and kidney burgers at every opportunity because they're too good. It's a Jack Monroe recipe but I don't use onions and rarely have fresh herbs and yesterday I didn't need the flour. It's basically grated carrot and kidney beans warmed up and mushed together into patties then fried and nommed. So good.

Hope you had a good June ^_^