A little bird told me.....

 

I am loving my new hobby of doing art but the pictures are starting to pile up a bit now.  I will soon have enough for a gallery opening (or enough for the downstairs toilet at least).

 

 

This bird took about 2 hours to do from start to finish, same silver pen on black card.  Thankfully my friend Jo has given me a bit of a commission to do for her.  She is drawn to trees so this will give me a chance to move away from animals and have a go at something a bit different.   That is what I shall be doing on this week's day off....unless its sunny.  If it is, it shall be Pimms o'clock on the patio outside from lunch onwards.

Penchant for Pendants...

As well as having adorned our house with hundreds of shoes, bulging wardrobes and oodles of bags, I also have a couple of necklaces hanging around the place. They hang on doors, coat hangers and  on little trinkets in the bathroom so I thought it was about time I posted about some of my favourites (pictured above). 

Each one has a story to tell but I shall try and keep them short......

From left to right.....

1. Difficult to see but this pendant is graduated different colours of amber that I bought on a trip to Poland with my mum. We went to Krakow and amber is in abundance there, spilling out of every market stall and despite the recent increase in prices, you can still find some beautiful pieces for less than £10. This one was about £4. Amazing. 
2. This would be in my top 3, I adore it. It was expensive (£50) and I never normally spend that kind of money but I fell in love....again. It came from a little stall at the Bath Christmas Markets last year. And because it has so many colours, you can match it up to pretty much any outfit so despite the price, it's like having 7 necklaces in one. Good financial sense.
3. This petite little red heart was a gift from my mother-in-law last Christmas. I used to admire it every time she wore it and then last year she gave it to me. It still touches me now as she often wears the matching earrings but gave away her necklace. I am a lucky lady.
4. The diagonal white and silver pendant came from my beloved Cannes in France. Every Saturday in the summer there is a market on the seafront and I found a man selling trays and trays of cheap pendants. Cheap and Cannes do not normally go hand in hand so I snapped it up quickly. €3 euros! 
5. This one came from France also but the Sunday market in St Raphael where I spent the best year of my life. My mum was visiting me at the time and she also wanted one so we got a deal for both. The colours represent the different chakra's in the body apparently. The stall holder did try to explain more but I struggled to understand it all in French. 
6. Encore la France! St Raphael again but this time it was bought this year when we went back in April. It was a rainy day and the kids and job were dribbling at the choice of ice cream stalls along the seafront so I took the opportunity to duck I to a little gift shop where I found this cobweb necklace. A little Gothic in style and not my normal "tasse de thé" but something cried out to me.
7. This lovely blue "Lady Di" style necklace was my something blue at my wedding and it cost £2 from Primark. I also bought the matching ring. I love cobalt blue and wear this necklace often, always with fond memories of the best day of my life.
8. These three interwoven rings were bought in Clovelly, one of England's most beautiful villages. John and I were camping in Devon and went there for the day. Each one has tiny little purple and violet stones, it's so dainty. 
9. A beautiful starfish bought on our honeymoon last year in Santorini. This lovely blue stone was everywhere on the island but I am ashamed to say I cannot remember what it was. It was around £60 but John let me spend some of our wedding euros to treat myself before we left. 
10. This big, deep red, stone circle was another find at the Bath Christmas market a couple of years ago for £10. I love it but don't wear it as often as I should. No idea why. You need to wear quite a deep v-neck or low top to do it justice as it is surprisingly big. 
11. The little one to its side is the pendant that I found a couple of months back I a charity shop for £3. 
12. This is a real statement Art Deco style piece. John sneakily bought it when I wasn't looking one day on a shopping trip. I was dribbling at it in the window of Past Times, a lovely shop that has since closed down. He presented it to my on my graduation two years ago. A lovely surprise. 
13. This key is unfortunately not the real Tiffany Key necklace but I love it all the same.  I found it in a little shop in Ilfracombe, Devon while on a weekend away last April with John, his son and his girlfriend.  I have always wanted a key necklace but hadn't really found one that I really loved until then. I think it was £16.
14. This necklace was a gift from Jo for my 30th birthday and I wear it all the time. The lovely cream colour makes it so versatile, it just goes with anything and it is very dear to me.  I love square necklaces and rings. I shall still be wearing this in my eighties (along with the tutu and mother ship of all corsages).
15. This silver beaded drop necklace was once my nan's and its really special to me. I am so careful when I wear it, I would be heartbroken if it ever broke. I can still see her now sat in the window of her flat, twiddling these beads around her fingers and thumbs as she watched the world go by. There is something a bit Barbara Cartland about it. Thanks Nan.
16. Last and by no means least....another little treat from France. This one from the Verdon Gorge on a day trip this year on our holiday.  We always stop in the same little craft shop there that is rammed with little treasures. I bought a beautiful olive wood bowl a few years ago in there, that I use to store all my rings in.  I loved the twisted design of this with tiny little embedded stones all the way down. And for only £7, it wasn't going to be left behind.

 

And this lovely thing was another glorious charity shop find. I found it at the same time as my beloved cream cowboy boots after a lovely afternoon with and old friend in a local cafe with far too much red wine shared.  It really is a wow piece and I feel special whenever I put it on. It was £3.75 I think. I remember getting that and the boots for just under £10. Great afternoon.

 

So there you have it. A selection of my favourite pendants and their story.  All I need now is a 5 storey jewellery box to store them (and their brothers and sisters) in.

Lady in Red

            
     "My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income....." Errol Flynn.

I love that quote. Thankfully, my gross habits are contained within my measly net income very well. It's funny, as time ticks on I find myself less and less interested in High Street shopping, to the point where I rarely pass through their doors anymore (unless for something specific like a present). Second-hand shopping has become my mainstay....the joy of unearthing little treasures outwaying anything "pre-determined" that I can find in the High Street giants (my beloved M&S are obviously excluded from this). 

This dress is a good example of  one such treasure. I found it on Etsy, on a site entitled 20 bucks or less. This was the jewel in the crown....very Miss Moneypenny. I cannot wait for it to arrive. Favourite colour, bow detail and accordion pleat skirt. Three of the best ingredients for a showstopper day dress and all that for £13.

And if the stars are aligned in my favour.....I'll get to the postman before John does.

It's a tie.....!

Look at what I found today....A diamanté necklace in my beloved St Peters Hospice Bradley Stoke. 

It was in the window of the charity shop (at £6.50) and it just caught my eye. I instantly thought of a tuxedo jacket (which I still haven't yet found), slim cigarette style trousers and some silver heels.

 

I am dying to get it out the box and show it off but I have no idea when that will be. We are off to to the pub for tea tonight but I am not sure Wetherspoons is quite the right outlet for my eccentric dress sense.

Your time will come my lovely, your time will come........

Why so blue......

I'll tell you why.....

I weighed myself this morning and although I knew it was not going to be good news, having the 

Wii-Fit categorise me as obese, was a little tough to take. It is true that as we approach our first wedding anniversary, we have noticed not only our love has grown but so to has our waistbands. "Happy Fat" apparently. Not sure either of us are happy with out additional luggage so we have made a pact to do something about it. The goal is my scary birthday at the end of July. Even more of an incentive is this beautiful cornflower blue dress that I have bought for the occasion. I obviously didn't pay enough attention however to either the advertised sizes or my own incremental growth because it was a knee in the back job to try and secure the zipper the other night. Hence why I have posted the pics of the lovely Jess in her dress (and not myself) before I bought it from her site on Etsy. 

I was so excited when it arrived and it it such gorgeous material, it cannot hang too long in the wardrobe before it gets worn so I must work hard. It is certainly not wearable as is (I am ashamed to say). It is definitely harder as you get older though to achieve any weight loss or toning without the aid of a Navy Seals style trainer, which I do not possess. I am very self disciplined when it comes to spending ....always searching out the ultimate bargain and not wanting to spend (or waste) too much money, so why can't I be equally as dedicated to looking after my weight and health. Laziness? Probably. Procrastination? Definitely. 

Well the gauntlet has well and truly been laid down now so let the Hunger Games begin....... 

Art Attack

Hi All.....

I am sad to say that it's been a difficult fortnight as we lost a beloved member of the family last Monday.  A fortnight of tears, memories, quiet thoughts and lots and lots of hugs. Death isn't really something that scares me but the death of someone close to me does. The void that is left behind for those to try and accept is possibly one of the hardest things that we ever have to contend with. Loss and loneliness equal the heartache and pain of any illness or disease that we may be faced with. You can take pills and treatments but you cannot bring someone back to life (not unless you are Superman and the victim in question is a perfectly cream-suited Lois Lane).

Anyway, not being in a shopping frame of mind, I passed up on bargain hunting to stay at home and do some art on my day off last week. I just felt like a quiet day at home.  And in the absence of a trip to any charity shops, I thought I would share a couple of drawings that I did.

Not sure how well this translates in the photo but it is in fact a peacock with its feathers draped around it. This one took about three hours in total over a period of time but I finished it finally last week. I usually scour the Internet for ideas of outlines and shapes to get me started and then I just add whatever detail I want inside the shape. 

I have to say, I am really enjoying some me time lately, just me and my weapon of choice.....a metallic silver pen. I am also secretly really proud of the finished pieces. They may have to wait a while to be hung, a long while in fact, as we are in need a new home with some empty walls. But in the meantime they are framed up and ready to go.

I have a friend moving house next weekend and I have promised myself that I will attempt a painting of her pet tortoise.  That said, I don't have high hopes....watch this space.

Three's company...

These are the other pieces that I bought on my recent trip.....none of which cost more than £3.50 and all from charitable organisations.

I am not 100% about this top but I fell for the colour and the fact that there is something a little Jane Austen about it. It's all about peppermint for me this summer! It has really pretty embroidered detail on the shoulder and under the bust but it's quite long. I am rather "hippy" so I have to be wary of long, clingy tops as they just don't seem to suit me too well. I am also quite short so they give the impression I have very short legs! I think as long as I stick to slim bottoms it will be ok (and I will pair them up with some lovely peppermint shoes that I know  my wonderful mum is getting me for my birthday!).

This is a simple camisole originally from Next but I like wearing jackets a lot with fitted jeans so it's nice to have a selection of them just to bring a burst of colour underneath. Sadly, I always try and match up my shoes to the colour of the cami. I have a couple of emerald green pairs just waiting for an introduction....

This little (little being the operative word) was a present from John! We happened to walk past the Cancer Research Shop in Fishponds the other evening after going out for tea and I noticed it on a mannequin in the window. I knew he would be in the area the following day and I joked that he could pick it up for me (not once actually thinking that he would), but when I got home, there it was.  It is from Topshop and is a size 10 so it is a tad snug but that is just more of an incentive to fit into it. I love the cobweb detail on the shoulders created out of tiny gold beads. 

Pretty Paillettes

The girl just can't help it. I am like a magpie to all things shiny.

This top (originally from River Island) was also found in the same St Peters Hospice shop as the Mac in my previous post for the grand sum of £3. It's a tad reminiscent if Studio 54 but what the heck, isn't that the essence of retro, something that harks back to a different era? It may be a while though before she struts her stuff under the disco lights although having said that, my friend Jo and I are definitely overdue a cocktail or two. Between my unsociable hours at work (and the fatigue that usually befalls me afterwards), and her globe-trotting, we rarely get quality, girlie downtime together. Anyway, I digress......

Sometimes items smothered with sequins can be really rough but this is so soft to the touch. Even John was surprised (yes, I made him feel it). It is also adorned with cute little buttons all down the back as an added detail. I am not sure as yet what I will wear it with. Te leather trousers are a no I think (a little too much mutton and not enough lamb). Maybe some black, slim, cigarette pants or even my Ali Baba trousers......

The Mac is Back!

What a glorious day. I am so happy that the weather has changed for the better. I need the sun, I am sure I was born in a greenhouse. I hope it is beautiful wherever you are reading this from.

I thought I would take the ripe opportunity of taking a few shots of new additions dans le jardin. Despite my lack of blog posts of late, I have still been on the prowl in the background and this is one of the 5 or so items that I treated myself to last month. A lovely beige Mac. Originally from Mango, I came upon it in the St Peters Hospice shop in Fishponds, not far from where I live. I have a couple of Mac's that are very dear to me but I have not, until recently, managed to find a classic beige one. With Burberry being slightly hors budget, a cheaper alternative was very welcome.

It was £7.50 but was brand new with tags, the original price being £47. Quel bargain. The only issue is that the belt is a bit impractical as there is no fastener, just a large loop but that is easily fixed. Also, it's not waterproof so holds the title of Mac somewhat loosely but nevertheless, a great little purchase.

Lord knows where it is going to reside however. I house all my coats in a canvas wardrobe in the girl's room and it is already bowing with the weight of around 30 or so inhabitants.....

Petit Hibou

I am so proud if this....

My love of art is going from strength to strength, I just wish I was more interested years ago before I started suffering from RSI. Every piece takes its toll on my wrist in terms of pain but it's still worth it.

This little fella took about 3 hours to do. I just used different silver pens on black A3 card and bought a cheap frame. I am so pleased with the outcome, especially as its all freehand. I found the outline of an owl that I liked on google images and used that as my base, then just kept adding more detail bit by bit inside the shape. 

I love him. I have also created a peacock but that's not quite finished. Watch this space! 

Sequins on a Sunday?

Why the hell not.......

After an afternoon of water fights in the sun with John and my stepdaughter (and some very excitable local kids that gate crashed), it felt only right that I should change into something a bit special. And dry.  We thought we would take Keely out for tea tonight to make up for being boring parents this weekend.  I worked yesterday and other than the watery activities this afternoon, we haven't done a lot with them this weekend. So much so that middle child left us this afternoon for a better offer. And then the was only one.

I'm glad I dressed up to be honest. I have neglected my wardrobe of late as I am continuing to put on weight and not much comfortably fits really. I really need to do something about it, it's just so much easier to do nothing and just moan about it.

Anyway, this gorgeous top was found on Etsy from Lions Mane Vintage . I paid around £15 for it but considering its totally covered in sequins front and back, I think that was a good price.  It came from the same lady that I bought my beautiful black velvet dress from a couple of months back, I just hadn't worn this item before. It works better with black jeans but they have moved to the back of the wardrobe until i can actually do them up once more.

 So my love of sequins continues and just like when I was a little girl, they still hold the power to make you feel instantly Princess-like.

And here is my Prince, once more stealing the limelight.