Butterfly Box

First, I want to apologise for this Sunday post not being a Friday post. I tried my best but I was away from home and had bought the wrong camera cable with me. I don't know where this other cable came from, but it was one of those awful ones that are only for one thing and yet you have dozens of them. All the pictures were right there waiting but I couldn't get to them!

In absence of the photos for what I wanted to write about, and in keeping with it being Mother's Day recently, here's the birthday present that I gave my mum last year. It's a 15cm wooden cube with a photo on each face, except I did a little cross stitch for the lid.

You and Me Against the Zombies

I don't know if this was just my school but they had 'Pivot stickfigure animator' installed on all the computers. I had a bit of a nostalgia-fest and made a rubbish live action version of this card I'm about to show you:

Pfft, zombies are always interrupting.

I'm the sentimental type. I like to keep little notes and doodles that people have given me, and I like to give them out. It's nice to give and receive little reminders of love and appreciation.

I also know a good thing when I see it; my current relationship is very very good, and likely to be my last. I fully trust him to have my back in the impending zombie apocalypse, and that's not something to take lightly. Which brings me to this impromptu card. It's not a special occasion or anything, just another day when I'd been feeling low and he'd set me off giggling like a small child at fart jokes. This is a "thank-you for existing" card.

Little K and Big K, zombie bounty hunters.

This card isn't particularly exciting, I know, it's just stamps and felt-tip pen. But it's personal, and sentimental, and I like that.

Zombie apocalypse, are you prepared?
L

It's Mum Day!

Today I learned that Mother's Day isn't very consistent around the world. It can be in every month except January and September, which is pretty strange. In the UK at least, it is today. So happy mum day to the British, the Irish, the Nigerians, and the islanders of Jersey (Jerseyans?), Guernsey (Guernseys?), and the Isle of Man (Manx, I think.)

My mum doesn't like soppy generic poems, or rude jokes, or cards that follow the theme of 'Mum runs around after the kids all day and this is her one special day of rest but don't forget you've got to wash my sports kit and can I have chicken nuggets for dinner please'- she just isn't like that. I'm thankful that I started making all my own cards now, because it saves me from standing, staring blankly at the cards in the shop, trying to pick between two cards that will both be received with a polite smile. Yeah, I'll skip that if it's alright with you.

She is, on the other hand, a florist. So it's safe for me to assume that she likes flowers, and I especially know she has a fondness for the wild roses that grow all along the dog walking paths where she lives. I raided my battered nature guide stash to find some pretty dog roses (interestingly named as such because they were used to treat the bites of rabid dogs in the olden days.) You can also eat the fruits of them, or at least I was a fan of scoffing rose hips when I was younger and wilder.

Nice try, internet. But you shan't know my name!

This simple card and matching envelope involved cutting out the flowers with a craft knife (mine is actually a budget scalpel) and then gluing onto a card base with some fetching pinky-red background. I used my favourite alphabet stamps as usual, and it ended up looking rather elegant. I also love precision-cutting with craft knives, it's very relaxing. Probably also a mental throw-back to the good old school days of cutting and sticking.

The moral of this is that (assuming your mum is nice) you should probably be reasonably nice to your mum all year round, because it's most likely Mother's Day somewhere else in the world.

Have fun, go bake some cookies or something!
L

Things I've Bought From Charity Shops: Part 1

...So it begins. A semi-regular blog feature, how exciting! Presented to you all this fine day are a selection of things I've bought at my local charity shops. Although you can measure how run-down a place is by the amount of charity shops in the high street (we have 7 on one short stretch, not even kidding,) they often don't get the love they deserve. Charity shops are a veritable treasure trove for people who like cheap stuff. You can never find what you're looking for when you want it, but if you have a bit of forward planning and don't mind buying your winter jumpers in July then go have a look. You could even consider volunteering at one so you can nab things as they come in and for some CV padding.

Apologies that I don't remember which charity shops these came from, but I like to wander up the high street and go into each of the seven in turn. Statistically speaking it'd be Age UK because we have two of those.

Without further ado, and all photographed on my lovely leopard-print bedsheets for your viewing pleasure:

March Update (Blue Hair!)

This past week has been really busy for me, my hunt for the elusive job is proving difficult. I'm in the awkward position where I'm not quite a student at the moment, so I'm not allowed to apply for the usual internships, and I have to explain what 'suspended for health reasons' means. Not so much fun. Still, I've made some new connections and have gotten pretty good at eating on a tight budget.

I don't have anything much to share today, unfortunately. I'm partway through writing a nice beefy piece on charity shops so you can have that on Friday. Also coming is a Sunday bonus post about the Mother's Day card I made.

I did dye the underside of my hair blue, however, so here's a photo of that! (Using Directions neon blue on bleached hair.) Priorities...

So bright, so blue. I'm wearing my -10°C thermals because my radiator is broken (again.)