Im back!

Autumn is here, Uni has started and less than 2 months till Christmas and less than 4 months till my wedding - yipppeee!
I haven't technically been away, just been busy with all of the usual September and October madness.
So what's been going on in the land of Tor?
Well, I have been massively busy reading for my degree, and I have also reignited my interest in History. I have recently been reading about the Victorian's - fascinating. A lot of the stuff I have been reading about in History really helps to make sense of the things we see around us today, like architecture, green spaces, leisure spaces and sewage systems! It is really shocking to think of how a city could possibly function without any proper drainage or waste facilities, and how the Thames used to be regarded as a stinking cess pit.

It has also been interesting in reading about the creation of the Welfare State. I have really began to form some solid opinions of how much the State should be involved in welfare provision or not! I'm not ready to declare my views just yet, but that's the interesting part about learning, deciding where you sit!

Besides studying I have also been doing some wedding preparation. I have sorted out my bridesmaids outfits - black - conventional moi? Never! stylish - yes! Flowers, bright and in your face - check, cake, ostentatious and my childhood fantasy - check, invites, homemade and stylish - check.

I have also been learning how to use my scanner. Having had it for a year and not using it once, I thought it was time I taught myself how to use it, and now I am addicted. I have been able to rescue photo's which were destined to never be seen again and I have had fun making things for my friends out of old snaps.

Autumn's coming!

I know that this is possibly a premature statement to make, as we have only just changed into August, but I can't help myself. I love the Autumn so much, that as soon as I can see it and sense it just around the corner I begin to get excited. Don't get me wrong, the summer is great and sometimes a lovely sunny day on the beach is just the ticket, but it does not have that certain 'something' that Autumn has.

I love the Autumn because I like the way the sky seems more intense and the atmosphere feels sharper. I love the way the sun sets in Autumn and the sunsets I get to watch on the way home from work. It's the way it makes things smell too, things seem mellow and woodsy, subtle yet smoky. It's the way you begin to see your breath in the mornings the more you move into Autumn, it's the sounds of children going back to school. It's the mentality of new pencil cases for new school years. And this little lot is just the start of why I love the Autumn so much.

I love to go for walks in the Autumn, especially on a Sunday, a walk through the Countryside to admire the scenery and scout around and look for natural objects which might be useful later in the season.

I love the way that the leafs turn into the most vibrant reds, golds and yellows and then gather on the ground, waiting to be scrunched in. It's the bonfires, the fireworks, the pumpkins, the thick and warming soups, scarfs, gloves and hat's, the late summer fruits and the promise of Christmas just round the corner.

I love the way that I want to make things, farmers harvest their crops and I begin to sew and harvest my crop. I love the Autumn fashion, goodbye to skimpy, floaty dresses and hello to tailoring and style. Purple leather handbags, patent black platforms, Rouge Noir or Blackberry nail polish.

I just love the Autumn, can't you tell?

Lazyitus or am I just a slow person?

I am off work for today and tomorrow, as I only work 3 days per week when I am not studying. I have just realised that it is close to 4pm and all I have achieved today is umm...

1. Ordered an ink cartridge and spent an hour plus deciding what else I should purchase from Amazon to make up the free delivery. So in actual fact the print cartridge cost me £20, when I could have bought it from Smiths for £10. Oops. (I bought Sew Pretty Projects)
2. Dyed my hair.
3. Cleaned the bathroom. Only because I got hair dye on the walls. Oops.
4. Phoned the mechanic to fix my car and made an appointment for tomorrow, which he could of done today, but I didn't want to have to put my make up on and actually find clothes that match.
5. Washed the dishes. Decided it was better than boyfriend rolling eyes at me for doing now't.

I wish there was a 6th item, but I think that I am just incredibly lazy or incredibly slow.

Owww my head

I am hungover. Street parties are fun. And I didn't help clear up - oops!
I have lost my beautiful red bunting, maybe it will turn up.

Gluten free biscuits for tomorrows street party

Today I have been slaving away at home. And it has been very pleasurable. I have made no less than 12 meters of red polka dot bunting and several batches of gluten free biscuits. We are having a street party tomorrow and I will be decorating the front of my flat (were only 3 stories high and im on the top) and helping out with any other odd jobs round the street. Im really looking forward to it, ill post some pictures tomorrow so you can see my efforts!

Gluten free biscuits

175g plain gluten free flour

50g caster sugar

110g butter

1/2 teaspoon of xanthum gum (this is the secret, and is what sticks the flour together in lou of gluten!)

dash of vanilla essence

chocolate chip cookies or a liberal dollop of bright pink icing!

10-12 mins in the over at 180 (takes a bit longer than normal biscuits)

Funky red and black table mats

These are my favourite tablemats ever. The pattern is from a book called the 'impatient patchworker' (thats me!). They are in one of my favourite colour combos, red and black and use my favourite polka dot material. I am going to make some more in this style for my friends for Christmas.

The weather is confusing me

I am getting very confused by the British weather. It is July and it is dark, dull, wet and cold, it feels like a late October day, which makes me want to drink hot chocolate at work and wear thick black tights. However it is the middle of July and I am wearing a pencil skirt (sans tights), a short sleeved shirt and a pashmina for warmth. I think I get tired because my body thinks it’s in winter mode and needs chocolate and sleep.

Wedding Invites

I have decided that I am going to make my own invites and stationery. This is mainly because I have not really seen any designs I like that are within my budget, they all look generic and no love has gone into them. I also like fiddling about with bits of paper, so making my own will be a pleasure…ask me how I feel after creating the 50th card! What do you think of my prototype?

Hello!

Well today will be the first entry of on my blog. I guess I should do a little round up of why I am writing a blog and what’s happening in my life at the moment. I am going to be keeping a blog to record all the things that go on in my life, so you can expect entries about what I have made for dinner, what the weather is like (oh how the English love to talk drizzle!), places of interest I have visited, the tribulations of my wedding planning, pictures of homemade wonders or just things I like and general rambling.

It is a raining wet July day and I am debating about whether to get the staff bus into town at lunch time and visit one of my favourite craft shops and possibly purchase some new fabrics for a brand new project (yet to be decided), or whether to wait until home time and make some on line purchases. I am thinking about making some pot holders, bit of a trial really and also an excuse to use up some beautiful peacock fabric that I cut to the wrong size! I am thinking either a log cabin type affair or something a bit simpler to showcase the peacocks.

50 things about me

1) I am a mature student
2) I moved from Bristol to Brighton in October 2006
3) I met my boyfriend in Byron Bay, Australia
4) I love craft blogs
5) I love cooking thai food
6) I once stuck my hand in a beehive
7) I have never been stung by a bee
8) I don’t like mushrooms
9) I have never been on television
10) Nor do I want to be
11) I have 6 Step brothers and sisters, which I acquired in the space of a year
12) I would like to have a baby
13) I have a short attention span
14) I like bright colours
15) I hate black trousers
16) I am a skirt girl
17) I love makeup
18) I can not sing
19) I can belly dance
20) I want to visit India again
21) I have known my best friend for 27 years
22) I can swim under water for a long time
23) I am a qualified diver
24) I always thought I was a C grade student
25) I proved myself wrong and got 6 A’s for my first year degree
26) My favourite flower is a Frangipani
27) I like sewing and knitting
28) I love dogs, cats and hamsters
29) I live near the sea
30) I am interested in Health inequalities (and how to reduce them)
31) I am a very jumpy person
32) I am half Polish
33) I love cake
34) I miss my friends in Bristol
35) I love travelling
36) I am a day dreamer
37) I used to work in Sales
38) I hated working in sales
39) I would like to see Barack Obama elected
40) I prefer the internet over television
41) I have never used a sun bed
42) I do not like cars
43) I can drive
44) I prefer to travel on foot or by train
45) I do not like brushing my teeth before I go to bed
46) I have never had a filling
47) I love autumn
48) I love the smell of fresh coffee
49) I love my family
50) I am in love.