THE JESUS PROJECT.

during a catch up with my friend, she told me about something called #thejesusproject over on ann voskamp's blog 'a holy experience'. basically, it's a project to memorise verses of the bible. last year, they did romans, and this year the theme is soul sustaining verses about jesus from the gospel of john. the idea is to memorise a verse over a week (or two if you'd like) and by the end of the year, you have these verses to use as your sword.

i love this idea, especially because one of the sole purposes of my chalkboard wall was to display a bible verse along with memos and important dates, and this project means i won't be searching for a verse, and it has a purpose. 

there are also printable versions of the verses if you don't have a chalkboard, or simply would just prefer them, i think they're beautiful and i'll definitely be printing out my favourites to frame. having the verses around your house and out where you're living is something i've always loved and wanted, rather than them being closed away in a bible on your bedside table. they catch you and fill your heart with joy and love, and i love that. 

4-10/365

four // dad's birthday consisted of a meal & seeing the secret life of walter mitty. i tried to spend it offline.
five // sunday morning breakfast at my new dining table.
six // the first thing you buy for your brand new fridge is a magnetic plant pot, of course.
seven // first thing hung on the walls in the new house.
eight // current read & a coffee after college.
nine // wilted.
ten // new pillows arrived in the post. learnt two new things on photoshop that make me feel so much more confident about making the images i take look how i imagine in my mind. today i also realised how much i really want this 365 project to be of photographs taken on my dslr, not just a quick snap on my iphone (cough nine of the ten so far).

four.

i was going to use this image as my 'ten' for the 365 project, but i just love it so much. it may not be the best photograph i've ever taken, but it's definitely the best photograph i've ever edited and dare i say it, it's my personal favourite.
i hate to boast and never feel worthy to appreciate/like my own work but i'm just so proud as to how this turned out. i'm trying to focus on the fact that my photography should be what i love and what i'm passionate about, opposed to what others think about my work, but it's hard when people don't always get it & think your work is 'boring' or 'nothing is happening'.
i might say i am falling in love with photoshop and definitely see a purchase in the future (which may even result in a vsco purchase too!!!)

be proud of what you create. don't be afraid to say 'i love how this turned out and i'm proud i was able to do it' because someone will appreciate it. maybe not in this year, or this century, maybe it won't be anyone in your family or friendship group, but someone will, and even if you never know, at least it was appreciated by you.

N E W // moodboard.

a moodboard for the living room. i want it to be simple, clutter free & comfortable. of course everything is black, white or grey. i'm sure a little colour will be incorporated at some point, but i want to keep it a natural as possible. 

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

2014 aspirations.

i hate calling them resolutions. it makes them seem like a revelation, or something profound when really they're aims i want to achieve during the year & beyond. i wasn't going to share my aspirations (that's actually what i've titled it in my notebook) but i just looked back and read my blog post from the end of 2012 and it was so nice to read about the things i really hoped for & wanted when i was in a completely different stage of my life. it's funny reading something you wrote a year ago, when you were a completely different person, in a completely different mindset. i'm so glad i have this blog to write and share & keep as a capsule for myself (& possibly my children one day). i'm glad i kept it up and scanning through, i blogged at least twice a month during 2013; the months i blogged a lot showed when i was inspired, and the months that were quiet were my busy/uninspired months.
so, my aspirations for 2014 are;

• keep blogging! try to do 'photo an hour' every month, at least six during 2014; share the process of my new house as it grows and develops into my dream property; share more of my photography; share monthly recommendations - films, books, bits & bobs; and most importantly - enjoy it!
• read ten books. i failed miserably at reading twenty books in 2013; i read around eight, i'm not really sure. but i've already started book one and i think ten is way more realistic.
• keep it simple. i don't want my home to be cluttered with things i don't want or need. my head feels cluttered when my room is & i don't want that to transfer when i move. not only in terms of material things, but in what i'm doing & saying too.
• have two hours computer/phone/internet free every day. i'm glued to my phone/computer and struggle to not have either in my hand or open on my knee. i want to switch off from the cyberworld and really pay attention to the real world; what's around me, what people are saying and doing and i really want to spend the time reading/meditating/cleaning/talking to someone. i'm pretty much on my phone/laptop 14 hours of the day, if not more & i want to stop!
• don't buy what i want, buy what i need. i want to be more frugal & condense my spending. find more things to do that don't cost money, learn how to manage money & admire things but don't buy them when it isn't necessary. 
• do what i love. i was so blessed in 2013 and have so much hope in what god has planned for me this year. i want to really listen to what god is saying to me and act on it. i did that more than ever last year and i really saw the outcomes of being faithful and hopeful. i want to keep taking everything to god, putting my worries, fears, hopes & thanks on him and rest in the knowledge he'll do what's best for me. you can never stop learning and changing and i can't wait to be a better version of the self i am right now.
• jar of thanks. i did the jar in 2013, but not as often as i'd like. i want to not save it for "big" things and just go wild! i haven't decided on whether i will share what was in my 2013 jar. maybe some, definitely not all. 

have you got any aspirations? how are they going?

PROJECT 365 // 1-3/365

this year, i really want to do a photo series project. inspired by so many cute 52 projects i followed during 2013, and hearing about so many 365 projects; i want to do my own and share them weekly (every friday).

one // i found this by chance in waterstones & thought it would be great to have a new daily devotional for 2014.
two // trying to make a house full of boxes of unmade furniture & unfinished floors a home with a bunch of early tulips.
three // moving in earlier than expected. day filled with boxes and flat packed furniture.

N E W // 01

first of all, happy new year! i find it crazy that it's 2014; i'm going to be twenty this year!
just before christmas, i took a few photographs of the house before we did anything to it. this was handover day. it was a bit of a standstill over christmas, but we got an alarm fitted and finally have started laying the flooring - i forced my parents to go to ikea in manchester to get the floor as it was taking too long to come into our local store.
once christmas week was over, i just wanted to get in & make it home, but of course the floor has to be down. i bought some fabric to hang up at the front window until the blinds have been made.
next week i'll share what i've bought/what's on my wishlist for the living room.

let's do this, twenty fourteen!!