Week 15 | Juggling Jobs

So, it's Monday again and I feel in a bit of a funk!  I can't work out why which is possibly more annoying than being in a funk itself.  The good news is that I have a lot going on this week so I'm putting my morning funk down to the typical Monday blues!

I'm continuing to work with the ladies again this week on the event space project. Last week, I concentrated on the internal elevations and visuals, and this week I am looking at the exterior of the building.  I really wish I could share some of the stuff that I have been doing, but as with most projects in their initial design stage, its all 'hush hush'.  It's fun stuff though, let me tell you !

This week is also the start of the 2nd annual Yarn Crawl LA!  I'm really excited because I've been asked to help out at Wildfiber in Santa Monica on Thursday morning.  There are some really great girls that work there, so I'm super pleased that they thought of me when they were looking for people.  I will also be heading down to Gather DTLA to help out on the Thursday night and also on Friday.  Skuli, the little sheep-like dog is being sheared for the occasion.  Evi, Skuli's Mum and the owner of Gather, is planning to make him a little sweater when she has enough of his hair to spin into yarn.

Recently I've become increasingly obsessed with painting.  And painting pretty much anything I can get my hands on.  Yesterday, I painted some pine cone tips that I'd collected a few weeks ago.  I remember as a kid spray painting cones gold for Christmas, and even though I do have a love of gold, I wanted to do something different with these.  So I painted one in a bright turquoise and white and the other in mint.  All of which are colours that I'm loving at the moment.  The acrylic paints were bought at Pearl art supplies.  

I'd really like to have a go at creating some proper artwork on canvas. I'm currently looking to do a part time course in acrylics too.  I have seen so much inspiration on the web of things I like, and abstract art is mainly catching my eye at the minute.  Here are a few of the pieces that have featured in my pinning of recent...

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Week 14 | New job

I was so hectic last week I didn't have time to document any of my goings on!  Why was I so busy? ... I got a job !!!  HURRAY :)  I am helping out with some visualisation and drawings for an event space (full details cannot be revealed just yet!) with Emily Henderson and Dean Fisher.  I am finally back in the land of Vectorworks, Photoshop and meeting with clients.  The position is only temporary, but I'm hoping it might open some doors once it's over.  I am currently working from home, and then meeting up with the team when required, so it's really a nice transition from the 'stay at home' lifestyle I have been living.  Plus it gets me back amongst creatives again, which I have been seriously craving.  We had a meeting on Friday which was great as I got to meet with the whole team and see the space for myself.  Once the meeting had finished we spent the afternoon wandering the antiques stores of Pasadena which was AWESOME!!! I am now desperate for PC and I to move so we can really start to make a house into a home... and basically get loads of gorgeous antique furniture! :) I'm feeling super inspired by the people I'm working with and the work that I am doing. 

Even though I didn't get much time to get onto my computer for blogging last week, I still managed to get some fun crafting in.  I finally finished my Damask shawl (pictured below).  I can't wait to block it so that it increases in size.

See more below ...

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Week 12 | Feeling crafty

I cannot believe we are nearly a quarter way through the year already!  I hate to say it... but time does fly (especially when you're not working at the minute).  I have been reading through several lovely blogs over the past few weeks and found that my reading interests have fallen mainly within the crafting category.  There are some amazing people out there making some really fun and inspirational things.  I started following Folk Fibers by Maura Grace Ambrose.  Maura is a girl who has a serious passion for making patchwork quilts and cushion covers.  She also makes her own dyes for the fabrics using foraged plantlife, flowers, wild mushrooms and other sustainable organic matter.  What wowed me the most about her is the fact that she hand-embroiders all the stitch details onto the quilts.  This must take such a long time but the end results are beautiful and unique.  

See below for few of my favourite currently on sale from her website:

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Week 10 / Reduce the intake

For those who know me, you'll know how much I love my food!  I love to cook, I love to eat out and I love to talk about food.  There isn't a moment where I'm not considering what I'm having for my next meal. It has been a whirlwind of new dining experiences since arriving in America.  Even heading to the supermarket for weekly groceries is a new challenge when compared to what I'm used to back home.  It's strange how you get used to what brands of food you buy on a weekly basis, and when they are not readily available how much you miss them.  New brands almost seem alien to you.  In a way, it's exciting to discover these new products, but then there are times when all you want is a good old English banger and a Pret BLT!  

The downside to most of these new dining experiences is the amount of food I'm consuming.  One thing in particular America is known for is it's portion sizes.  Unfortunately for me and my food loving self, I have fallen fail to this on a number of occasions.  In some ways, I am over the moon about the food I eat, but it's now got to the point where enough is enough:  fries with everything is not gonna keep the lbs off my backside.

My main weaknesses are bread and butter (and salted butter, at that), burgers (with blue cheese, or with  gruyere cheese, or with cheddar cheese, or with mozzarella cheese) and yes, cheese is another weakness (ahem... mac n' cheese).  As are crisps (chips) and dips!

Living with a boy also doesn't help, but there are ways and means of how I can overcome this overindulgence of food.  So for this week's task, I am planning to reduce my intake.  I aim to make healthier choices when we dine out (which we also need to reduce), and portion control:  one plate of food without any return trips back to the kitchen for seconds.  I also aim to cut down on my vices listed above.  I won't, however, be giving up on my bacon butty on a weekend and butter is out but olive oil is in!

And don't hold me to these rules.  If you catch me sneaking bread and salty butter, or heading back for seconds sometime down the road, my rules may have evolved!

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Week 8_Celebration

This week, it's the boy's birthday on Tuesday, so I'm all about celebrating! However, he has specifically requested a 'keep it casual' policy, and although I'd rather have made a big old fuss about it, I'm sticking to his wishes.  We are planning to pack up a picnic and head to the Kenneth Hahn park with the dogs for the afternoon.  We are then going to Wurstkuche in the evening for 'dogs and beers'.  For those who don't know Wurstkuche, it's a sausage grill serving gourmet hot-dogs and fine Belgian beers.  They have two restaurants, one in Venice (which, unfortunately, is under re-construction due to a police chase resulting in a car crashing into the place), and so we're left to hit the one downtown.  It's located in the LA Arts District, a funky little part of town with a mix of coffee shops, specialty retail shops, a sushi restaurant, a pie shop and a New Orleans themed jazz and blues bar. 

Other than that, it'll probably be back to business as usual.  I would, however, like to spread the birthday love a little further and make him a nice dinner on Wednesday.  There is a great fish stall at the Culver City Farmer's Market, so I think I'll pick up some nice shellfish to make either clam linguine (one of our personal favourites!) or a nice seafood stew.  I'll let 'the catch of the day' decide for us.

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