Tea by Post - Cuppa Tea Pet? April 2014

Pop the kettle on lovies it is tea time again! This months 'cuppa tea pet?' I am talking all about one company but different types of tea. Oh keep reading as there is a giveaway right at the bottom of the blog!

I came accross Post Tea when a suggested advert came up on my Facebook home page. Of course not one to turn anything to do with tea down, I 'liked' the page and I am so glad that I did because a couple of days later the lovely lady who owns the company posted about a new sampler box. The sampler box is simply that, lots of lovely individually wrapped packets of loose leaf tea so you can try in a smaller size before committing to purchase a larger one. Perfect!

All the individual packets of loose leaf tea came individually wrapped in little packets that look so sweet, it really was a delight to open and see all their little cute and happyness in the box. I am a bit of a packing nerd and I like to 'feel special' about things, I know that is probably hard to explain. I like to feel good about using a product and I really liked the feeling that these gave me. I felt instantly good about the tea before I had even tasted it.

The tea is all loose leaf which in my connoisseur capacity I believe to be the best kind. The tea was all kept perfectly fresh and dry in their little packets and arrived to me in the most perfect of conditions. I took a photo of a couple of them so you could see what they looked like.

Lemon Gunpowder

Refreshing Infusion

Pepperming Infusion

Of course I am into tea in a big way, I think you know that by now right? So it is safe to say that I have one or two tea strainers, but don't worry if you don't, because little tea bags were included so you can make your own little tea bags. It is little touches like this from companies that makes me so happy. I had no idea that they would be included but a very nice touch indeed.

I also ordered the Spring Tea set which was again delightful and beautifully packaged.

And also came with a tea ball strainer so no worries if you don't already have one !

The three teas that were included in the box were Spring Spritzer, Camomile Infusion and Strawberry Split.

I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the teas and I will definitely be placing future orders for myself and for gifts. I am rather taken by the 'make your own chait tea kit' where you can mix and match the spices so you get it just right for you. I am also really tempted for later on in the year with the Tea Advent calendar, how exciting, a different tea every day during advent!

Well that was a bit of an overview on the company and the tea that I bought and as I have said I was very impressed and will definitely be making future purchases. If you would like to know my opinions on the taste of each individual tea, please do watch the video...

PLEASE NOTE: Any of the links in this post to the Post Tea website are NOT affiliate links. This video / blog is in no way sponsored by the company. I purchased the tea myself and am sharing my own views and opinions with you just because I love tea and I love this company too! The photography is also my own.

Giveaway

Post Tea have offered a giveaway to my lovely Blog & YT watchers and readers of one of the original tea sampler boxes and one of the feeling groovy mugs as shown in the video, please just enter below...

To enter after you have added your email address and name make sure you click 'BEGIN' and then follow the instructions! It isn't that obvious so you need to look out for it - it is under the bit that says 'open to...' :D

Entry-Form

Completed art journal flip through - January to April 2014

Well my 'Day Dreamer & Wishers Journal' is now finished. That is it. Done. As you know from previous ramblings, I have loved working in that journal so much and am sad that it is finished. I really enjoyed working in it and love some of the art inside that I created. I journalled in written form quite a bit too. I had a few moments of negativity at the beginning of the year but I didn't want to keep being reminded of them everytime I opened my journal so I hid all of those loose leaf pages into little pockets and envelopes so I know there are there if I ever want to look at them and if I don't then I don't have to. I got out of that little glitch and moved on to some very happy times which for me is why I think it made for good art work. I tend to write more when I am down and art when I am up, funny how that happens sometimes. Is it like that for you?

Here is just a small selection of pages.

When I journal I have a mix of styles. Sometimes I just write but I can't show you any of that as it is very personal. I also just art for arts sake as well as for meaning. Sometimes the meaning is very clear to see and other times not. I collage and I smash too and stick receipts and stuff in from places we have been. My journal is all sorts but it is not defined. To me it is just my journal.

If you would like to see more of these pages and the rest of the pages in the journal then please do watch the video as I do a full flip and talk about what they were created with etc.

Book Review - The Memory Box by Margaret Forster

This week I have been reading The Memory Box by Margaret Forster.

The synopsis from the most recently published edition (not the one that I have - the one I have eludes to it being far more mysterious!)...

Catherine's mother died when Catherine was just a baby girl, leaving nothing but her perfect reputation to live up to. Or so she thought. But then Catherine finds a box addressed to her, filled with objects seemingly without meaning - three feathers, an exotic seashell, a painting, a mirror, two prints, an address book, a map, a hat, a rucksack and a necklace.

And while she's busy playing detective trying to find out who her mother was, she finds out more about herself than she ever really wanted to know. Secrets are discovered, truths uncovered, and Catherine realises that maybe there was something more to her mother, something that her familiy has kept from her.

How long a shadow can a dead woman cast?

I really wizzed through the book as it was so gripping, I just couldn't wait to find out what this dark secret was that Catherine (The main character in the book) was to find out about her deceased mother through unravelling the secrets of the items left to her in the memory box. I was hooked I just had to know! I was expecting it to be something truly amazing like she was a spy or something but I got to the end and was like, oh is that it? She was just a normal woman who did things in her teens that were a bit risque big deal!

Oh well! It was a gripping read one that I enjoyed, I was just a bit disappointed by the ending.

Have you read this book? I would love to know what you think of it too!

Managing the day in chunks - Filofax Friday - Week 16

Even though it has technically been a short week what with the bank holiday this week to me seems to have been really long, that could be because I have a lot of work on at the moment with my 'day job'. It is because I am juggling several things at the moment and trying to fit it all in the day / week that I have needed to look at how I am managing my time again. I don't have appointments or meetings everyday but I do have a large to do list at the moment so I have been looking at ways in which I can chunk my days down in order to accomplish those things and I am basically setting myself an appointment with my emails. It may seem daft but it is really working for me.

Ignore that it says July, I just used a blank week for demonstration purposes!

So anyway I explain it all in this weeks video and it probably makes more sense when you hear me explaining it all!

Homework
Remember it is not compulosry, no one will know if you have done it or not. I am just setting prompts / tasks for you to help and motivate you in this series. Pick and choose each week whether you would like to do the homework or not it is entirely up to you! If you ever need to ask or clarify anything with me please do get in touch through any of the social media platforms. Sometimes it takes a while but I do reply to each and every message that is left for me.

So this week I want you to start to look at your day and see if there is anything that you can do to help make it run that more smoothly. I am not saying that my way is how it should be for you, far from it. I am a strong believer that you need to find a way that works for you whatever that may be. I just want you to question that way every now and then and for you to be honest with yourself as to whether it is really working or not.

In the picture above, this is what I have been doing pretty much every day and it is working for me. I would like you to try doing that (watch the video first, it will make more sense that way!) first to see if that makes any difference to your day.

Let me know how you are getting on, I love to hear from you all!

Sorry this is a super quick blog post from me this week, I must dash, I have those million and one things to do before the week is out (yes I am writing this at 9.30 am on the days this goes live lol!) and get over to my client and I really need that cup of tea and planning session!

Have fun this week and I really hope that looking at your day in a different way will help you accomplish more things too!

Much love x

I made a new journal!

Following on from last weeks ramblings about whether to make a new journal or whether to buy a ready made one, I came to the conclusion on my own, you will be so proud of me! So here it is! I just thought I would do a video to show the process on how I made it and what it looks like when it is finished.

I am liking it already. No I am loving it and can't wait to get started now. It is filled with watercolour paper and I am chomping at the bit to get it started. Such a change from last week don't you think lol!

The Easter Tag

I hope you are all having a really relaxing Easter weekend, what ever it is that you are up to. I hopped on to YouTube yesterday and saw an Easter tag video and I thought it might be fun to join in and do it to so here it is!

I love learning about how different countries and cultures celebrate Easter so if you would like to do the tag I tag you either in a blog post, youtube video or just in the comments below. I would love to know how you celebrate and what you get up to!

Here are the questions:

1) Do you celebrate Easter?
2) What was your favorite thing about Easter growing up?
3) What are your plans for Easter this year?
4) Do you color eggs?
5) Do you have Easter Traditions?
6) Favorite Easter Treat?
7) Do you hunt/hide eggs?
8) Do you get pictures with the Easter bunny?
9) What do you typically put in Easter baskets?

This is what we got up to on Good Friday...

Filofax Dashboard - How to make & What with! - Filofax Friday - Week 15

I have been receiving a few comments recently about dashboards so I thought I would make that a subject for Filofax Friday! The questions have been:

1. What are dashboards?
2. What are dashboards used for?
3. How can I make a dashboard?
4. What can I use as a dashboard?

So I thought this week I would address those questions and share my ideas for making dashboards and the things that I have used.

Not everyone chooses to have a dashboard but many people do. I am one of those that does have one but it is only there to serve the purpose of 'prettyness' when I open up my Filofax. Other people use theirs for adhering sticky notes to and also for storing their sticky notes for use out and about. Some people also store washi tape in this way too.

You can pretty much add or use anything in your Filofax all you have to do is hole punch it and off you go. If you don't have a six hole punch I have a tutorial on how you can punch holes using a two hole punch right at the bottom of this blog post.

Notes on laminating and laminators

Laminators serve two purposes as far as I am concerned. Firstly they protect anything you want to use in your Filofax making it more durable, especially card and paper where turning it and using it every day can make it become very dog eared. Secondly if something has a laminated or glossy surface sticky notes and washi tapes with come off easier. Please do consider this when thinking about the purpose of your dashboard. If you do want to use it for sticky notes you may want to use something that has this type of surface.

Please note: I am not suggesting that you rush out there and buy a laminator so please don't think I am. They are jolly handy to have around though and if you love your Filofaxes as much as I do they might be worth the purchase for you as you will be able to make your own dividers and page markers too. Laminators come in various price ranges so you might be able to find something to suit your budget. Remember though that you will also need to factor in purchasing the laminator pouches. I know our local Staples and office supply shop will laminate items for you for a relatively small fee so it may be more cost efficient to just get items laminated in that way rather than having the outlay of the equipment and lets face it who doesn't need an excuse to go and browse the pens etc huh!

Dash Board Ideas

So here are my ideas on what to use as dashboards. These are just my ideas so I am sure there are others out there. If you have any suggestions please do let me know as I would love to hear your thoughts.

Photos
I think photos are a lovely addition to a planner especially if you work outside the home or travel a lot as you can take your friends and family along with you. I would reccommend that you have or make a copy of your photograph though as if this is precious to you, you probably want to save a copy without it being hole punched. A 6x4 is a pretty standard print size here in the UK and whilst it is not a perfect fit, it is near enough for me to use in my personal size and definitely so in my pocket with a little bit of trimming. In the UK I know that you can pretty much get most print sizes so if you are an A5 size user you will definitely be able to get a print done that matches perfectly for you! Photos work great for sticky notes but I would laminate them for that extra durability and they would look even better if you covered the back with some nice paper or scrapbook paper.

Postcards
For me postcards are the same sort of thing as a photograph and you can buy some really nice ones now. A perfect way to remember that dream holiday!

  
Acetate
Acetate is great as a dashboard and in fact I like them for page markers too. They are great because they are fairly sturdy on their own and have the added bonus of being transparent so you can see what is underneath. I actually used a piece of packaging to make my Christmas themed one. You can buy acetate already with a design on it or you can print onto it too. Staples and office supply shops will do this for you too for a relatively small fee.

Packaging
Leading on from the acetate above packaging can be great too! Keep an eye out of packaging that you like. All you have to do is cut it down to size and you have something pretty darn cool to work with.

Scraps
I took a load of scrap bits of paper and other ephemera that was lying around my desk, stuck it all together and then trimmed it down to size and it made a rather lovely dashboard it I do say so myself. I laminated it too.

Washi tapes
In the same way that I stuck a lot of scraps together you could take a piece of paper, cover it in your favourite washi tapes, cut it down to size, laminate, hole punch and jobs a good 'un don't you think?

Stickers
OK so hands up if you love your stickers sooooo much that you don't always want to use them but just hoard them instead. Yeah thought so, same as me! Well if your stickers are flat why not just take the sheet exactly as it is, laminate and hole punch and trim if neccessary? That is a very lovely dashboard if I do say so myself and most of the sticker sheets that I have are actually the same length as the personal so very little work needs doing and they are transparant so you can see layers underneath. That makes me so giddy with excitement I just can't tell you!

Notebooks
Does your used notebook have a lovely cover on it? Before you get rid cut off the cover, trim it, hold punch and ta-dah! If you buy a notebook that you love just for the cover to use in this way you can always use the paper in your Filofax too - don't waste it!

Buy Them
OK so if all else fails, you can't find anything, you are not all that crafty you can always buy one! Where from? Well Etsy is a great place to start, just search for Filofax dashboards and loads will come up. As you know I sell my own artwork as dashboards in my Etsy shop here. My other favourite shop is Filomania on Etsy who has some lovely paper designs to choose from.

Homework

Hey no surprises what the homework is this week huh! This week I want you to make your own dashboard using one of the ideas from above (or your own ideas).

Remember it is not compulosry, no one will know if you have done it or not. I am just setting prompts / tasks for you to help and motivate you in this series. Pick and choose each week whether you would like to do the homework or not it is entirely up to you! If you ever need to ask or clarify anything with me please do get in touch through any of the social media platforms. Sometimes it takes a while but I do reply to each and every message that is left for me.

 

Download

This week's download is... a little bit of artwork from me so that you can print it off and laminate it and use it as a dashboard. I have kept it really simple to appeal to many people. It is the basis of an up and coming summer range of dashboards that I will shortly be selling in my Etsy shop.

The download contains a dashboard for you to print at home in A5, personal and pocket size. You will need software that can 'unzip' the folder to release the files as both pdf and jpeg.  To download the files please click here. Please note that the inserts that I am offering as freebies as part of this series are different to the ones that I sell, so if you have already purchased a set of my inserts these are in addition for you. If you haven't purchased any of my inserts and would like to or just have a nose at them you can view them in my Etsy shop here. Please note: These inserts are entirely free and a gift from me and only the inserts provided are free, I say this because I know some people might prefer one of the other designs that I offer but it is only the ones in the freebie set on offer at this time.

Have a great week and a really lovely Easter!

Remember your planner will only work for you and help keep you organised and on track if you use it. 

Carrot Cottage - The New Bunny & Piggie House!

If you don't already follow me over on my Vlogging / Random channel on YouTube, you won't know that we had a monumental occurrence at the weekend! I got really excited and just posted the video up on the day that it all happened but then I totally forgot about putting it on the blog for all of you who read over here instead so sorry about that. My bad lol!

So days of Mr B banging and clanging in the garage turned out pretty OK, the girls absolutely love their new house as you will see from the video, there was lots of bounding around and happy girly time to be had!

It isactually really difficult to both photograph and video as it is so big and you can't quite fit it all into frame especially with the worktops / cuboards etc in the way. Here is the overall house so you can see it. Please excuse the really bad angle, it is the only way that I can show it all to you. The girls are all out and about playing, when this picture was taken. The top layer is for the piggies and the bottom layer is for the bunnies. The bunnies are able to have the use of the utility room and kitchen (and the dining room under supervision) at all times. We have a door that you can open up for those times when we would need or want to just shut them away but they have plenty of room in there to go on hind legs and walk around so they are not cramped in. It takes up pretty much all of the utility room!

Both sets of girls have their kitchen areas at the end so it is easier for us to top them up at the same time. The both have hay racks, water bottles, a bowl of nuggets and then the bunnies have a water bowl as they prefer to drink out of that.

I got a little artistic and did a cute little collage for the bunnies door, that was my entire input! I love how it looks. It was created from wall paper with scrapbook paper and all sealed in with PVA.

It is just a cute little girly space and they really are very happy with it. If you would like to know anything about the design, construction or materials used then please let us know and we would be happy to share with you.

Emotionally Attached to my Journal

I need a new journal. I don't want a new journal, I like this one! Are you as emotionally attached to your journal as I am to mine? The spine is coming apart, it is bruised and battered and has been through stuff, a reflection of me I guess. I am just crazily attached to this journal and I would go as far as saying that it is the best journal that I have worked in so far. I don't know why in particular. The paper in it isn't the best but I think for me it is the perfect size and snugglyness. I know that is a weird thing to say but I just like holding it and being with it. I am sad that it is coming to an end.

But coming to an end it is and I need to now start to think about making or buying a new one. It is like a book though, you can't start a new one because you are so wrapped up in and still digesting the old one. It has to be done though and I am just having that internally struggle as to whether to make a new one or buy one. There are pros and cons to both. Making your own does give it a soul before it has even been worked it but then I do like the quality of a shop bought bound one. Oh the decisions!

Only a jounaller knows the feeling of the emotional attachment to your journal!

Book Review - The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

It has been a while since I have done a book review on a Monday. At the begining of the year I was reading about a book a week, I was going great guns and then I had a bit of a reading slump. Actually I don't want to call it too much of a reading slump as such just that the weather turned so lovely and I was spending more time out and about than huddle up keeping warm with a book! I love to read and I love to journal and I also love to do other crafty things. You can only do so much of an evening though can't you!

Anyway, I am back with a review of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I found the whole conveying messages with flowers thing so very interesting indeed. I found it a very inspiring book and this made its way through to the recent journal pages I have created too. Here is an example of a really quick watercolour and ink journal page that I did whilst sitting in the garden the day after I finished the book...

I do recommend this book but hear more about what I think of it in the video below...

Easter it be a-coming - Filofax Page Decoration

Easter it be a-coming. I love this time of year, as, well, it is no secret that I love anything bunny related and bunnies are certainly in abundance in the shops at this time of year. Everything has a bunny on it and that makes me very very happy indeed!

I celebration of the season I thought I would decorate my Filofax pages for this up coming week. As you know I don't decorate them every week but when I do I like to share them with you. I don't always decorate my pages as I find it can be too cluttering for my mind. I find that my mind just sees all the decoration and I find tasks get lost and over looked because of it. Some weeks it is fine, when I am not so busy it doesn't matter so much. I thought with Easter approaching I was going to have a quiet week but it turns out that I am not so I went to town with my decoration and I thought I best photograph and share it with before it becomes jam full!

So here we are...

My Filofax Collection - Filofax Friday - Week 14

So last week I did the perfect planner tag and I said that I would show you another time my Filofax collection and what I use them for, well here you go... the time is now lol!

To some it may be a large collection and to others it will be teeny tiny. To me it is my collection and it makes me happy and warms my heart. To me they are perfect and I love using them (bar one!).

Will this be it, forever. Oh no don't be silly! Every planner has a use and there are two more that I would like to get. Last year I used my main A5 Apex and added Christmas to it, this year I am thinking of giving Christmas its own section. Well I think anyway. Whether that will be adding too many to the cooking pot and giving me more to look at I don't know but I really like the idea of making it all Christmassy and I already have a lovely charm for it. The other planner I would like to get is for my veggie patch planning and logging. I am still developing the inserts and am giving them a good trial and testing which is how I came to making and selling my inserts in the first place. Of course I would love a Malden in personal and A5 size too but then that would probably make my others redundant. I don't know.

Some of these you will have seen before and some you will not have but I thought it was quite good to put them all together and to put them into context.

So I will take you on a mini tour of my collection in size and age order not in preference. Are you ready?

So in the pocket range, my first ever Filofax that I purchased in 2002 when I graduated from University at 18 is the pink and brown 'Botanic'. It served me well bless it's little heart and I used it loads and loads. It has really held up to the use and abuse over the years and has very little wear to it. I am now using this as a notebook for my handbag so all it has in it is lined paper.

Next up in the pocket range we have the green and pink 'Petal'. I bought this online, well I bought two actually and one ended up being a giveaway prize. The only downside was it had out of date inserts. I really don't know what to do with it but it is still in my collection for now.

In the personal range I have the purple 'Saffiano' and I am using that for my weight loss and eating diary. If you missed the tour of that you can see that on Filofax Friday Week 9.

Also in the personal size I have the 'Domino' in ultra violet. This is used for my fur babies health, logging when they need check ups, when they last had their claws clipped, health log just to make sure that they are in tippity toppity health.

Moving on to the A5 size I have the 'Apex' in black and orange. This baby is my daily. My everything gets stuffed in their daily. I did a tour of it on Filofax Friday Week 12 if you are interested or missed it.

And then last but bu no means least I have the A5 'Finsbury' in black. Can we say hello darling! Now hand on I said I wouldn't call favourites didn't I lol! Well yes but it is lovely. This little beauty I am using for my written journal.

So that is all in my current collection. I used to have a personal black 'Identity' but I sold that recently as I just didn't like it. Poor thing but I am sorry, we just couldn't bond. It was all in the feel of the plastic-y cover!

I talk much more about these beauties in today's video:

So I hope you have enjoyed my little show and tell of my collection and it has given you a bit more insight into why and what I use them for.

Homework
No homework for you this week folks - you get the week off to catch up and if you are caught up, get out there in this lovely Spring weather and enjoy!

Download
There is no download for this week but I wanted to remind you that I never delete for download links so please do feel free to go back through past weeks and download any that you may be missing. There will be more downloads in the future I am sure of it, just that not all weeks require it or it is relevant. Please note that the inserts that I am offering as freebies as part of this series are different to the ones that I sell, so if you have already purchased a set of my inserts these are in addition for you. If you haven't purchased any of my inserts and would like to or just have a nose at them you can view them in my Etsy shop here. Please note: These inserts are entirely free and a gift from me and only the inserts provided are free, I say this because I know some people might prefer one of the other designs that I offer but it is only the ones in the freebie set on offer at this time.

Coming Soon...
I am in talks at the moment with some lovely ladies who own Etsy stores themselves and we are going to be collaborating together to bring you a massive, no wait, MASSIVE giveaway and lots of advice if you are just starting out in the day planner world. As a sneaky peeky, there may just be a filofax included in the giveaway so stay tuned for that and tell all your friends too!

Finally...

Thank you for watching / reading folks and enjoy your planning.

Remember your planner will only work for you and help keep you organised and on track if you use it.

Creating from the heart, your heart

Good morning all!

I felt in a real philosophical and rambly mood today, well not too rambly but just like I want to just sit down and have a chat with you about creating from the heart, your heart, and what is important to you.

The video is only six minutes short so not too rambly but I just felt like I wanted to talk today and throw some ideas out into the universe, not neccassarily in order to get a response but because it is what I felt I needed to do. If you do feel like sharing what you think with me I would love to know.

The Perfect Planner Tag - Filofax Friday - Week 13

Happy Friday Filofaxing Friends!

Hope you have been having a great week, I don't think it will ever cease to amaze me how quickly the weeks seem to fly by, really it won't. I don't know if that is a sign of getting older or not so maybe I should be quiet now! I do find myself thinking and saying it all the time though. I think a large part of it is I don't seem to be able to do all the things I want to be able to do. I guess most of you feel like that at some point right? I mean there is work, housework, stuff you want to do for you etc etc the list seems never ending right? All I can say is I just don't think I could live without my Filo by my side for me to just dump random brain musings into and to keep me on track. Because friends, I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Yes I know the theory on time management and setting goals back from my days in the corporate HR & Training setting, which incidentally is only three years since I left it but it feels like an age ago. I really haven't missed it! So yes I know the theory but it doesn't mean that I actually do it, all the time. Far from it. I spend many an hour procrastinating on Pinterest or instagram. I just can't help myself.

So Filofax Friday has been really helping me and I hope it has helped you too. Anyways, I came across Alexis aka Miss Trenchcoat on YouTube and have since been stalking her on every social media platform. Not in a crazy axe murderer way you understand, more that I really enjoy her style and what she has to say. So Alexis recently created a tag called 'The Perfect Planner Tag' and tagged anyone that would like to have a go so I thought, why the heck not. So here is my response to that tag, answering all her questions...

So I hope you enjoyed that little bit of light hearted fun, I know I did. So in this video I showed you all the Filofaxes that are in my collection. I will do another video on what they are all used for as I know you would like to know ; )

Homework
So there is no homework from me this week as last week was a little bit on the heavy going side and you probably need to catch up and if you are caught up, well then you get the week off.

If you are at a lost end though and would like something to do it would be really cool if you did this tag too. Either in a written blog post or as a YouTube video and if you do neither maybe you could just answer the questions in the comments section? Please do let me know if you have done this tag so I can come over to your blog or channel to take a look. Also let Alexis know that you did this tag too, as I am sure she would love to know.

So the questions are:

1. How many paper planners do you own? Show us!
2. When did you first start using a paper planner?
3. How many planner/calendar apps do you use on your phone? Show us!
4.. Do you prefer paper or digital planners? Why?
5. If you could design your perfect planner or app, what would it be like?
6. Which planner do you think is the prettiest? (you don't have to own this one & it can also be an app)
7. What's the craziest thing you track in your planner?
8. How many hours a day do you spend with your planner?
9. Does your planner go to bed with you?
10. What is your current planner of choice out of the planners you own?

Next Week
I really genuinely haven't thought that far ahead just yet, I need some time and a cup of tea to think about that. Is there anything you would like to see? Let me know if there is! See you soon x

I love her, she makes me happy!

I did a whole blog post on this page including the why's of it over on JournalGypsies.com so go and read it in full here. But then I thought I am not actually sharing much of my art over here these days. I have been a bit slack on that haven't I!

So whilst I am not going to write a full on blog post, I just wanted to share with you my little Strawberry Shortcake because I love her and she makes me so very happy!

Spring / Easter Pinch Pot Project

It has been a while since I have shared, well in fact done anything particularly crafty. I have kind of gotten out of it a bit of late which makes me sad. I don't know why I haven't 'made' anything, there is no reason for it but I guess I have just been swaying more towards drawing and painting rather than making which has made me very happy.

I am trying to work through some projects that I have half finished. Please tell me you have projects that you start and never quite get around to finishing too! I seem to have a few of them, mainly on the knitting and sewing front and I have been sharing them as I go over on my Ginger Juice YouTube channel as I have been vlogging. When sorting through some of those projects I found a part used packet of air drying clay. I knew that I had to do something with this as I knew it wouldn't last forever and it was about a year old as it was.

I have been really inspired lately by pinch pots particularly those made by Paulus Berensohn, that man is fascinating for his take on journals as well. Just search for his name and you will find loads of lovely images of the pots that he has made. In fact, I will pop the videos that I love at the bottom so you won't have to go off searching, they will be right there for you.

As you also know I have been hugely inspired by Spring and nature. Did you know that? I may have mentioned it a few times I am sure. ha ha! Well you know after many years of battling with my inner critic I now consider my self to be an artist. I am an artist and artists drawn on life around them in the art and creations and I do exactly that.

We have white walls in our house and neutral colours for our floorings and furnishings and that is because I like to change my decor with the seasons. Some is more elaborate than others. I purchase or make little bits and pieces each year and build up my collections as I go, adding to them as we build our life. But having the neutral colours enables us to do that with ease.

So taking my recent love of pinch pots, the Season and changing over my decor, I decided to use that clay I found and get a creating! I have a part project share / part tutorial for you.

You know rustic and handmade was what I was going for and it is what I ended up with. It is a simple little thing, one that gives me great pleasure and sites pride of place on my coffee table. I love looking at it and thinking, I made that. And of course there really is something quite medatative about working with your hands like that.

If you would like to see what the rest of my house looks like, with all the other seasonal bits and pieces I have you can take a nosey...

Do you decorate with the seasons? I would love to know and if you would like to share with me, I would love to see!

So here are those videos of Paulus that I mentioned above. They are so wonderful and relaxing all at the same time. I could listen to him talk over and over again. I really could. He has such a wonderful outlook on life and he comes out with such amazing quotes so enjoy!

Paulus Berensohn on pinch pots:

Paulus Berensohn on journals: