Blog hop

I was asked by the deeply lovely Maria of Dinki Dots to partake in a blog hop, as the young people like to call it these days. I’ve never taken part in one before, so I figured why not. It sounds like a good opportunity for a chillaxed blog post and something a little less ordinary to write about. You can check out Maria’s post here [I’m afraid mine will be nowhere as colourful or interesting]. So here goes … 

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

At the moment things aren’t as hectic as they were before our holidays, so I’m finding it weird to actually be able to work on stuff around our apartment again. It seems like forever since I had a project to work on at home. For the moment I’m hoping to work on … 
  • A number of DIYs that I have in mind for around our home, but the majority of them are in the beginning limbo stages where aspects of my ideas are still a bit shit. But I’m getting there.
  • Our bedroom is in a serious need of shzushzing. Which is probably why you don’t see many pictures of it. The lighting will play a key part and I have a pretty schnazzy DIY in store, so keep your eyes peeled.
  • A couple of weeks ago I picked up a BEKVAM step stool in IKEA [below]. As it happens, it pairs quite well with our salvaged bar stool so I’m thinking they might make quite the kick-ass statement duo. I just have to think of how to co-ordinate and fancy them up … Any ideas? UPDATE: you can check out their mini makeover here
  • There are a couple of small things still to do for #PicadoMexican, but I’m not complaining [totally not yet ready to cut the cord]. 

HOW DOES YOUR WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

I actually resorted to asking my husband this question because I don’t think my work differs from others at all. So I asked him the above, and he replied with – 

Your website is sassy“, he said. “It’s got balls.” 

WHY DO YOU CREATE WHAT YOU DO?

For the most part, I create things out of necessity. I know, groundbreaking stuff. A huge amount of my projects stem from me needing something, so I decide to create my own version of it or just upcycle something to fit what I need. An example would be my fancy footstool; I have quite short legs and I’ve noticed in recent years that because my legs don’t touch the ground when I sit on regular chairs, I get quite bad pains in my legs. I needed a stool for when I work at home so I kept my eyes [and my options] open, and I found an old, unloved stool in a charity shop and made it my own.

HOW DOES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?

My creative process can be unpredictable which is something I really enjoy. I’ve been inspired by the most random of things – cheeseboards, leaves on a sidewalk, my husband snoring, putting away laundry, an episode of Murder She Wrote – you name it, it will trigger an idea. After that I’ll make note of my idea, usually just on a post-it in my agenda, I’ll think about it for a couple of days and after that if I’m still smitten with it, I’ll start a project. 

So that’s enough about me. Onto my nominated blogettes! …

Pat of In My Wheele House

I actually can’t remember how Pat and I crossed digital paths, but it was about 3 years ago. She’s Canadian, creative, not afraid to call it as it is and has a penchant for upcycling therefore we got along like a house on fire. Pat has a keen eye for design and is currently on her way to motherhood for the first time and I personally cannot wait to [vicariously live through her and] see what baby designs she has up her sleeve …

Janine of Steeped in Beautea 

I remember the first time Janine commented on my blog. She was the first person to have heard of me before from an IKEA hack I had blogged about years before, and for me that was a surreal experience considering she was on the other side of the world. Janine and I had a lot in common [dainty stuff + crazy cat ladies]. She was such a thoughtful person from the start. Even sending me messages full of tips and tricks on getting through the pain when I got my wisdom teeth out …  
Pat posted her blog hop blog post here! And Janine will be sharing her blog hop soon so be sure to check back laters  xx

Work hard, play harder

I’m going to try my best to write this blog post without sounding like a whiny little jerk. 

The last couple weeks have been insane. I haven’t had a day off in 4 weeks. I’ve crammed as much as physically possible into each day, working until 20:00 every night followed by more work at home. I haven’t sat down and had dinner with my husband in at least 2 weeks. No, that’s a lie. We had dinner together last week, but I fell asleep before I finished eating. At the table. Like a toddler. I wish I could say I was making that up. 

The awesome things that happened are – I submitted a couple of articles for Image Interiors & Living magazine, styled an opener picture for Image Interiors & Living with an incredible woman whose encouragement and opportunities makes me want to cry into my laptop, I branched out into the world of online shopping {more on that soon}, got to work with two beyond incredible people and #PicadoMexican is now almost complete {ZOMG}, and last but not least I became an aunt for the second time last weekend to a 9.2lbs tank of a nephew that can already hold his head up. Definitely some form of survival instinct has kicked in and I’m choosing to only focus on the good that has happened these past few weeks. 

And what I’ve been working towards? As and from Sunday morning, husband and I are cruising our way through the Baltic Sea. No, seriously. Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg {hello second honeymoon!}, Riga and Tallinn. One week of heaven and {cover your ears} I cannot fucking wait

Work it

Today is the start of bigger things. I’d say at this point you’re all sick to your back teeth reading about me wanting to take my first step towards a career in design. I kind of had enough, burst into wobbly tears and made a lot of ugly crying faces these past few weeks, so I decided to take a step. A tiny one. I decided to commit one day a week to me stuff and one day less as an office zombie. It’s a risk, but not too much of one as I’m still a chicken shit / worrier and am terrified of failure. I haven’t made this move until now because it was far too easy to just not change anything. I don’t have as much balls as some of the bloggers I know who are not only doing it full time, but owning it. I can’t do that. Not yet at least. It’s a weening process for me. 

So far today I procrastinated by cleaning the entire apartment, doing a load of laundry and getting a meter reading before making myself breakfast. But I knuckled down and am now almost finished one of the items on my list. One step at a time. One day a week. Quietly bricking it as I go.