delamere.

yesterday i went to delamere forest to reshoot an assignment with my dad & the dog. my plan was to shoot the birch trees but when we got  there i found that the majority of the trees had been felled. at first i was disappointed, but then i saw the piles and piles of logs that were lined up & looked so pretty. there really is something beautiful about it. the best part of the trip is how much jake enjoyed it. he was in seventh heaven. 

ART REBELS.

as most of us did, i read many blog posts about the art rebels x bråkig collaboration at ikea. i was surprised how much i loved it despite my monochrome tendencies. the soft pastels and light wood just work so well, and i especially loved the brass desk legs. w o w!
i wasn't expecting the art rebels collection to be available in UK stores, so i was surprised when i was greeted by this art rebels "showroom" after i waded through the sofas.
i really really wanted the brass desk legs but couldn't find them anywhere. i am going back on friday and will search for them again, but i did get some bowls. i love the stools & the mint chair. there were also a couple of really eye catching geometric lampshades. i think the use of geometrics is really what pulled me in.
i thought that there wasn't a lot of emphasis on the collection, which is probably good otherwise everything would have been gone(!) but it was annoying when i was trying to track down the brass legs and the guy i was talking to had no idea what i was on about! it sort of made me want a job there, i would be so excited about the products and man i wouldn't be able to help myself rearranging that display.

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forty five // it took me twenty minutes and an hour in between to put my quilt cover on. i will never understand why it's so hard to make a bed.
forty six // helping with sunday school & coming away with a homemade (churchmade?) bracelet; "GAWWP: God Answers When We Pray"
forty seven // my plant collection is building up. i'm trying to add colour but i definitely think i'm more of a green fan when it comes to plants.
forty eight // it reminds me of something off harry potter. the exposed bulb is my favourite part of this plant.
forty nine // i actually really like my room with bare walls. wanting to purge and only own what i need is something i'm wanting more & i'm embracing it. maybe it's boring, but it makes me feel calm.
fifty // this week has been really bad & it's a bit of a shock as i haven't been that bad in a long time. i haven't left the house since tuesday so my shoes have been unworn this week.
fifty one // i get to dogsit my puppy this weekend and i'm so glad it was this weekend. i was really missing him this week and we've had lots of snuggles to make ourselves feel better.

NEW // EAMES OF MY DREAMS.

one of the things on my bucket list (that is mostly filled with things i want to experience, i think this was the only materialistic thing on it) was to own an eames chair & i took the plunge and bought a RAR rocker when a local store had 15% off vitra (you wouldn't think so but it makes a hefty difference on the price)
i am in love with it. it's so comfortable & i love how calm and relaxing it is to just sit and rock for ten minutes. it's definitely been a worthwile investment.

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thirty nine // magazine collection in volume order.
forty // on my string.
forty one // mood light & candlestick.
forty two // i can't justify buying a diptyque for myself so this will just have to do.
forty three // a sleeping dog next to me while i listened to one of the kids i babysit read.
forty four // lazy day & being a valentines scrooge. i've never been one to want to celebrate valentines day.

read // one.

one of my aspirations for twenty fourteen was to read ten books, nearly one book a month. during january, i read stoner by john williams (technically started in twenty thirteen) but considering i had only read a couple of chapters, i think this should qualify as book one.
i felt really weird about stoner. it was a novel about a man's life. that was it. no climax, no mystery, nothing that would make you want to keep reading until the early hours. yet, i couldn't put it down. if i were reading an excerpt, i would have thought it was the most boring book ever writen (apart from 'a handful of dust') but by the time he meets his wife, you feel a connection to william stoner, you feel empathy and really just want well for the chap.
i've recommended the book to pretty much all of my friends, none of whom really seem captivated by the plot, but i know if they read it, they'd understand why i loved it.
i'm a little disappointed with how much i read during january & hope february will be better - i say that, but it's now the second week in and i've barely touched a book.

WISHLIST.

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight 

recently, i've been in one of those 'i'll keep the tab open just in case' moods meaning i now have three different browser pages open with way to many tabs in each. instead of collecting so many tabs i can't tell which is which, i thought i'd share some of the things that i have open in my tabs. it seems terrariums and embroidery hoops are my new "thing".

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thirty two // i'm starting to think of lie ins as major day wasters. does that mean i'm getting old? please, no.
thirty three // daffodils & white tulips; two of my favourites. note to self, daffodils will make your tulips wither & die.
thirty four // i love mail days, especially when they come with pretty little trinket boxes.
thirty five // "borrowed" an aloe plant from my mum's collection at home. it's now differing between my string shelf & the windowsill in the kitchen.
thirty six // my favourite dog. he never lets me take pictures of him anymore, it's like he's become a teenager, so i was so happy when he let me get a few snaps of him all sleepy on the couch on my phone & my big camera. he is a stud.
thirty seven // i haven't woken up until i've had my coffee.
thirty eight // i love this quote from william morris. i hate clutter and constantly want to purge, so this is a great reminder not to let it get on top of me. you can get a poster here.

diamonds on the soles.

what!? a post on thursday!? don't worry,  just this once. okay, so there are no diamonds affixed anywhere on them, but i'm currently trying to sell my dr martens 1461 shoes. i bought them a couple of years ago & they've been sat in my wardrobe because they're a size too small for me. i've only worn them out of the house once & apart from minimal creases where i've atempted to wear them in, there's not a problem with them.
they're UK size seven & £70 at buy now // from £50 bidding. online, they're £90, so these really are a steal. if you would like to buy them (or know someone who would) you can find them here.

life is outside your door.

last tuesday, i saw city & colour live. it's something i've wanted for years, but for some reason, i've always been too late to buy tickets. as soon as his uk/europe 2014 tour was announced, i bought tickets, i didn't ask who wanted to come, i just bought two and decided to figure it out later.
it was magical. it was everything i wanted it to be and more. he may have outgrown a small academy venue, but he still had the ability to silence a room with his voice.
2010-2012 were the hardest years of my short life and while it was happening, i felt like the whole world was crashing on top of me and i'd never be able to get out. looking back on it i never really understood how bad my anxiety & paranoia were. i'd ignore attacks as me being stupid. i'd constantly be worried and reverted back to being a five year old, not being able to go anywhere without someone.
thankfully, i'm so much better now. my anxiety is still there, but it's nowhere near as severe as it was. i'm hardly having panic attacks anymore, in the past few months i've had under five. i hate talking about it & i'm so glad i'm not riddled with anxiety when i'm about to go somewhere; i still get a bit nervous and my stomach is full of butterflies, but it doesn't stop me from doing most things.
this year, i want to do more. i want to go to places and see things and be with people (but not for too long at one time). this summer i want to go to a couple of places and hopefully i'll be able to save up to go. i'm excited for 2014, the year i'm going to ignore my anxiety and walk out of the door.

twenty six images representing me // 14-26.

here's the second half of my recent assignment. i'm currently in the middle of writing a 1500 word essay and it's making me miss darkrooms and photoshop.