The Twisted Muse: A Brooch Tutorial

The Twisted Muse: A Brooch Tutorial: Who doesn't just love a fantastic brooch to pin onto a coat, blouse, or even a stylish hat?  I know I do and my daughters definitely do t...

WTF

Life is too stressful, new house, leaving job, unpacking, everyday life... It just all gets too much sometimes. Unfortunately I am a make do type of person and when things are tough I always decide to pile the pressure on. I can't remember the last time I was on my own. When I say 'alone' I mean quality time, not having a bath or getting the bus... I mean spending a day in my own company. I know a lot of people who feel like this and also a lot of people who find it hard to be alone... not me, I love it... oh the things I could do with a day to myself, pluck my eyebrows, read, colour block my wardrobe, go somewhere and be anonymous. My next rant is this... I spend all day nearly everyday hearing my name and I'm sick of it. I want a day where I don't hear it! x

Monday already....

I have acquired a new hobby! Working on my bike. The week before last I picked up a lovely vintage raleigh sapphire from Ashgate Hospice Charity Shop... For just £15, super bargain times.
BF has taken the piss a bit because I said that I was going to spend some time working on my bike this week and weekend and he wanted to know what work I was going to be doing and whether it would require any power tools or heavy equipment, suffice to say his cheekiness was met with short shrift! What I am actually going to do is raise the seat, attach my basket, when it arrives from etsy this week, put my plastic daisies round the basket, clean the bike, polish it, use that special bike de-ruster stuff and maybe look at getting some new handlebars.... If this is not working on my bike then I don't know what is! Had a good ride on it yesterday though and riding round to best friends tonight to cook her dinner because she is laid up with a bad ankle... x

So....

Tomorrow is nearly upon us, a stressful day for lots of us unfortunately. Had a bit of a breakthrough with Zoe last night, she has all this anger and love bottled up inside and she finds it hard to express it or let go if it, it's so tightly internalized that it takes so much work to actually get to the root of it. We talked properly about how she is feeling about tomorrow, the problem is that so much emphasis has been placed on the actual day but she is feeling this grief all the time, it weighs so heavy on her that it has clouded her confidence  and self worth. I tried to tell her how proud her Great Nan would be of her and that she would love the young woman she is becomming but I worry that she just doesn't believe me. Luckily she has lots and lots and lots of family and friends that love her and in turn she loves back. She has had a really hard time for the last goodness knows how many years, it's taken her a long time to find out who she really is and she is starting to really get there now, which is testament to her strong character because I'm nearly 34 and I have no idea who I am, what I want or even whether I am worth enough to get up in the morning!

She is warm, kind, loving, funny and a delight to live with, I just wish she would realise all this.

My day is stressful tomorrow because I have my trial at Debenhams and I am going to be working solidly on a comprehensive merchandising plan... I am nervous with all the ussual self doubts someone has when they are trying their hand at something they are passionate about. The old demons get into your head and make you question your talent, self worth and all the ussual suspects arise. I am on my own tonight too as BF is currently travelling down south to his gigs and Zoe is having some time with her lovely boyfriend. I will get my head into my portfoli and make sure all the t's are crossed and i's dotted, then an early night x

The Husband....

Goodness I do worry about him. Regardless of the fact that we aren't together anymore we have managed to stay friends and support each other when there have been ups and downs. It hasn't always been easy but we made a vow to each other and although the marriage didn't work out we managed to get a pretty good friendship out of it. He is a good man, you may not have always heard me say this because we did have some terrible, terrible times and being in an abusive relationship has scarred me but I have been looking into having some counselling to help me come to terms with that abuse. We bought out the worst in each other... it's that simple, alcohol was the main problem, alcohol and a clask of two strong ego's. Since splitting up neither of us has had a wonderful time of it and James is coming out of a horrible relationship right now and I am trying to support him as much as possible but I have to bite my tongue because he isn't at the stage where I can say 'Actually James, Louise is a nasty, lazy, dole scrounging, drugged up, abusive, cruel and manipulative slag'.... Awkward... So for now I will console and advise but if I ever see the skanky little whore bag I will slap her so hard she will wish she was still whoring herself out for coke!

Whoop Whoop

Confirmed with Vintage Life Magazine this morning that New House will be photographed for a feature on Vintage Homeware Collecting! The hoarding is finally paying off!

http://www.vintagelifemagazine.com/

Here is the link for the magazine if people aren't already familiar with it, it's pricey to buy but free to look at online...

My avid readers will know that I am somewhat of a coloured glass collector. I collect mainly reds and greens (pale through to dark). I also collect 1960's shot glasses and patterned glasses from that era, 1950's champagne glasses and well all the glasses I can find. My latest obsessions is shallow wine glasses with coloured stems, so pretty!

It all started with some dark red port glasses, last used as a table decoration with tea lights last Christmas. In the interview my obsession with glass is naturally going to be the main topic of discussion, plus I am to pull out 5 of my most treasured pieces. As my usual decade of choice is the 60's I am going to do it all Mad Men style and make some martini's for my guests x

Nervous

I'm so nervous about Friday, I have put in all the work but I am a quaking mess! Looking forward to having some time in Meadowhall with Best Friend after training times though. We are off to get my Matron of Honour Dress... It is a less than conventional choice but would you expect anything less, ideally I would have found something vintage but there hasn't been time to source the right thing and I am losing more weight by the day so don't want to have to bother with altering something that would be tricky to alter back so I am going off the peg courtesy of Coast... Opting for the long, black, tight dress of course! Got some lovely shoes for the wedding from Office yesterday, really beautiful detailing on the heel.
Today I've summered it up with a long, vintage Laura Ashley dress in a pale blue with white flower, along with my AA black belt (found at the weekend by BF) and black ballet pumps! Hopefully a swelter free outifit, it's bloomin' warm in this shop. Excited about birthday times as we are having a little trip away the weekend before my birthday and then I'm booked in fo tattoo times on actual birthday day... Then it's young Ms Richardson's birthday (most important day of the year) then the BF's birthday and then Best Friend's wedding... super busy times, plus new job.... AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhh too busy x