magnetic letters

Tags

crafting, crafts, fun, magnets, miscellaneous, photos, random

A few years ago I went on a trip to Helsinki and in one of the many museums and galleries I visited I bought a set of magnets from a lovely crafter. She had taken old keyboards apart and stuck magnets on to the back of the letters. She had a whole selection of words and key combinations and I selected  the word “dream”.

Ever since then that one little word has been reminding me to dare to dream but it has also made me want to make my own “letter magnets”. So when a little while ago my keyboard broke I finally had the letters to work with , sadly it took me quite a while to source the magnets. Who knew that there seems to be some sort of shipping ban of magnets on Amazon.

On Thursday I stumbled upon a whole bag full in a little crafting store and I couldn’t contain my excitement. And yesterday I finally had a little bit of time to create. Now all I need to do is figure out how many words I can make out of one set of letters … after all I think letter magnets could be great gifts. If any of you have any ideas let me know

a pile of letters

self sticking magnets

clear out the back of the letters, mine had bits of glue and plastic stuck to them

stick a magnet on to the back

voila … magnetic letters

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thelma and louising

Tags

Ardgillan Castle, Cindy Lauper, fiends, fun, Hill of Tara, Ireland, irish weather, miscellaneous, nature, outdoors, photos, random, roadtrip, Skerries Mills, thelma and louise, Thelma and Lousie, thoughts, travel

A bit like Thelma and Louise a friend and I went on a tiny road trip yesterday. She has just bought a new car, ruby-pinky-red and very pretty, and wanted to show it off and give it a spin. So we set out in sunshine and drove up to the Hill of Tara.

This ancient and historical important hill is set in stunning scenery. Soft rolling hills covered in lushous green grass sprinkled with daisies and buttercups surround the small elevation of earth that plays such a significant role in Irish history. It is only a short stroll up a hill, behind an old church and a few steps through a graveyard filled with crumbling gravestones and ancient trees. And although the Hill of Tara is really only a small selection of invisible iron age structures of which only the raised circular foundations are left for the eye to see and a few ancient standing stones and a small neolithic mound, it is still very beautiful and an ideal spot for picnics, walks and letting your mind wander back in time.

On the main raised section there is a phallic looking stone that is called the Stone of Destiny. It is said that when the true King of Ireland touches it, it would let out a loud roar that can be heard all over Ireland announcing his arrival, although I touched, hugged and kicked it, it stayed silent and a little grey. My friend had her short cuddle too but no success either. So we left the ancient site and went uncrowned for a cup of tea and scones, a true queenly Irish afternoon treat.

Detail from Graveyard on the Hill of Tara

Timeless on the Hill of Tara

Even with clouds covering the sky we drove towards the coast and Ardgillan Castle. This massive old Irish House is set overlooking the Irish Sea and surrounded by wide spread gardens. Sadly the Irish weather had caught up with us and the dusky cloudy light had given way to rain. But we braved the weather in the hope that maybe we would make the last tour. Funnily enough the Scouts of Ireland seemed to have a similar idea and were braving the downpour, playing games, having fun and their laughter, shouts and songs was carried towards us on the wind. And although we missed the tour we enjoyed our brief visit and were glad we didn’t have to stay the night, unlike the Scouts who where staying in wind beaten tents and sleeping bags.

Poppy in the gardens

Iris in the gardens

As we were passing by Skerries we decided to stop at Skerries Mills, a small collection of old windmills set on the Irish Coast that still makes flour today but is mainly a heritage site. Again the weather let us down and as we were a little late in the day we settled of a cup of coffee and a chat indoors.Deciding to return another sunnier day we drove back to my place and settled in for pizza and a film until my friend decided it was time to take her new baby back home and let her sleep for the night.

Skerries Mills Window

And even if if our little trip didn’t end with us driving off a cliff or spanking Brad Pitts behind we had fun and enjoyed our girly afternoon filled with fun, beauty and lots of tasty delights, Cindy Lauper serenading us all the way.

passionatly pleased

Tags

awards, blogs, friends, fun, life, miscellaneous, passionate, random, thoughts, writing

The funny and very passionate Lil and Jil have decided to pass on Mr Nowan Zen new Living Passionately Award to little old me and all I can say is that I am passionately pleased about this.

Now I am not sure I live passionately every day but I am passionate about many things, sometimes this is good, sometimes bad and other times only I know about it. But I do believe whether something makes your blood boil, your heart jump, your skin tingle or your head explode feeling passionately about things is good and makes you feel alive.

Well as always there are a few rules to go with the award (so Mr Nowan Zen’s edict)

1. Take a deep breath
2. Think about who you’d like to pass this on to
3. Do something weird and out of the ordinary today
4. Post the award someplace conspicuous…..the underside of the hamper lid, inside of the lav door, at the bottom of the bird cage.

I took several deep breaths today, especially as I nearly choked o my sandwich when I read I was being nominated … so number one done.

I put on my Jimmy Choos while still in my PJs just because I wanted to feel pretty, and my feet really did … so I think that covers number three.

I posted the award underneath my desk, just in case a midget or leprechaun happens to come by … number four done too.

Now to my passionate co-bloggers who live colourful lives I love to follow

1) The Girl with the Hat

2) theforgottenwife

3) realityinprogress

4) gina

5) Ailialana

6) astimegoesbuy

naughty is nice

Tags

art, breaking rules, Cubism, Expressionism, fun, miscellaneous, naughty, Picasso, Pop Art, power, psychology, ramblings, rules, thoughts, Van Gogh, Warhol, wine

I was naughty last night. I know it was a work-night and I needed to get up early this morning but for some reason I felt like a glass of wine (dark red pinot noir) and a film was the best way to end the day.

As I opened the bottle and those fruity, berry flavours filled my nose I felt my body relax and was really looking forward to just sitting down and being lazy. As I poured the ruby red pinot and put on the the DVD I couldn’t help but grin at the thought how I was braking my own rules.

A study done a while back shows that people actually believe that those who break rules tend to have more power, drive and are more likely to get things done. The reasoning behind this idea is that the more powerful someone is the fewer rules they need to keep. For instance someone who sits down at a table in a cafe without waiting to be seated, buts his feet up on the seat next to him and brusquely orders a coffee is seen as more powerful as someone who politely waits their turn.

As teenagers it’s important to break rules even if it drives parents up the walls and the phrase “I can’t believe she/he did that, she/he knows better!” seems to be always on the tips of their tongues. Without this naughty behaviour adolescence can’t feel independent, test their own capabilities and learn how to deal with consequences.  It even seems to be that risk taking/rule breaking is hardwired into their brains for a certain period of time allowing their minds to learn how far they can push themselves and why some rules are necessary.

As a writer and designer I know only too well that the rules you learn on how to write a ‘good’ article or design a ‘pretty’ page have to broken every now and then to change the ‘good’ article into a ‘brilliant’ one and the ‘pretty’ page into a ‘stunning’ one. In art Picasso broke the rules of perception and created Cubism, Van Gogh decided to NOT paint what he saw but how he felt and Expressionism was born and Warhol focused on the mundane not the special in his Pop Art revolution. This shows that while you need rules as guide lines it is only when you step outside the boundaries that you can create something new and unique.

But sometimes breaking rules is just fun, it gives you that little tingle of delight that you are doing something you shouldn’t and it makes you feel alive. Simple things like running barefoot over a lawn you are not meant to be stepping on, or stealing the toiletries off a hotel-cart or maybe swiping the flake out of someone elses 99er and popping it into your mouth before they can take it back are breaking rules, but not really harming anyone. And the little rush you get makes your heart pump, adrenalin flow and your mind think outside that ominous box. And sometimes all you need is a glass of wine on a work-night.

So today I will make sure to break a few rules, have fun and maybe seem powerful to the rest of the world.

Breaking rules makes you seem more powerful

apparently I’m it

Tags

blog, blogging, fun, humor, miscellaneous, questions, random, Tag, thoughts, writing

In this chase of blogs I got caught and am now It … so stilishbabe asked me a question, I have to answer and then ask 11 other people a question, too.  Now I know we all want to know how to solve world hunger and spread peace but what we really want to know is what your sock drawer is hiding and what do you do when you’re alone, or am I the only one who is nosey?

stilishbabe asked me this: How do you manage to be so good at all these ?Designer,lecturer ,writer?? HOOOW?

I actually am quite surprised by the question as I am not really especially good  at any of the three. Yes, I think I do a good job, no better or worse than others, but am I a stand out talent, not really. But I will take the compliment and just say … when you do something you like, have fun with and challenges you I think you strive to get better at it. And as the saying goes, practice makes perfect and I have been at it for a while so am on a road toward getting good, perfect is something I don’t want to be as flaws make things special just like a stamp, the ones that are rare due to misprint or imperfections are the ones everyone wants.

Now to my questions:

morezennow: when selling drugs from your basement, do you ever switch them just to see what happens?

kate: how many cups of coffee does your cat drink a day and does it have to be starbucks … also do you share and is it a latte?

Lil and Jil: who steals whose clothes the most and does it go as far as underwear … and is there something you don’t know about each other, common cough it up!

realityinprogress: as a wandering soul what kind of shoes do you wear and what do you always carry with you?

notlostjustweird: as a Shakespearean what character out of which play would you be and why ….and how many alter-egos do you have?

Anna: what hat is it you wear, is it a thinking one and what is the story behind it?

Jots: what is your favourite artist or piece of art and why?

astimegoesbuy: as a fashionista bloganista what is your take on the LBD … and favourite vintage find?

spookysister: as a girl who is woeing and being woed what impact has it had on your nails and working live? Are you getting any work done or just daydreaming and have you chewed those nails off yet?

blameitondisney: which Disney character do you want to be like and which one are you most like (can be other cartoons too)

goodoldgirl: as a puzzler how do feel about labyrinths, how long does it take you to do a crossword  and have you ever gotten lost in a maze?

crystal chalice

Tags

cinderella, dating, expectancies, fun, love, miscellaneous, thoughts, trophy, unexpected, weddings

I am no Cinderella but yesterday I came home after midnight and was the proud owner of a crystal chalice (sadly still no glass slippers in my shoe collection). As this unexpected gift of a light-reflecting wine glass sits on my desk it reminds me of the fun night out, yet I am still amazed at how it ended up in my handbag. And no, I didn’t steal it.

Like Cinderella I was invited to a ball, well a wedding reloaded, and like the princess I had several tasks to do before I could leave the house. I wasn’t in the best of moods and the cake I was baking was not really doing what it should, so running a little late I arrived not long before the bride walked down the aisle.

As I sat in a modern day windowless church with the annoyance of the morning still bubbling in my stomach I started to wonder about expectancies and how we always seem to expect something even when we think we don’t. I stood and sang hymns of praise, I listen to the pastor speak his blessings and watched as my friend shed a few tears of joy, and as the beaming couple floated back down the aisle  I felt my mood shift slightly.

Afterwards the party first revolved around tables laden down with food, then around the dance-floor, the bride and groom always in the center radiating joy and smiles never waning from their faces. This couple from two different continents and with a language barrier between them succeeded against all the odds to find each other and make love work. Seeing this unexpected happiness made my thoughts wander back to expectancies and the disappointment they can bring if not fulfilled.

Maybe it was the champagne bubbles in my brain but it suddenly occurred to me that what we expect has a lot to do with how we see things, if we can change our perspective, what we expect will have to change too.

After the afters a small group of us went for a night cap and chatted like old friends even if we were strangers in the afternoon, an unexpected twist in a long day. As we each spilled a few beans we drank wine and laughed about life, dating and men in general.  And as the night progressed so did the little bit of safe, fun fueled flirting with the lovely barman. And before we left, success, the craved crystal chalice was mine, presented to me by the princely man with smiling eyes.

This trophy of the night will now remind me to keep an open mind, change how I think and hopefully the crystal chalice will soon overflow with unexpected things.

ants in my pant -ry

Tags

ants, fun, home, humor, miscellaneous, random, small things, smile, thoughts

They are small, black and scurry around as if their life is in a big hurry, but most of all they are really annoying me: ants. For a few days now my new pastime has become squashing them as they are attempting to invade my kitchen. I have been trying to figure out where they are coming from but so far I only have two theories neither of which really helps me. These little annoyances seem to either live in one of two walls OR wander in off the street underneath my door.

I even read up on the internet of how to get rid of them, but really how am I suppose to know where the queen is or what she looks like. Is she wearing a little tiara and a sparkly shoes or is she more like the one in Alien big, black, scary and popping out one egg after another? And stopping the trail would be nice if there was a real trail, instead every now and then I just spot a lone ant wandering around, seemingly aimlessly, are they all scouts and if so where are their badges and does that mean they’ll attempt to light a fire somewhere?

As I’ve never been one for camping this ant situation does not really make me happy but it did get me thinking about small things that make our lives miserable. Not one for nit picking there are a few things that really get on my nerves even if I know in they big scheme of things they don’t matter.

I have this jug in the kitchen that filters water and I always keep it full, so when people use it but don’t bother to refill it I can’t help but fell a little annoyed. Bad manners can drive me up the wall and people who leave empty (or worse half empty) cups and glasses around the place deserve a slap. And why do some smokers think it’s okay to blow what they are exhaling into your face?

But it’s not just the little things that people do that can turn my smile upside down. My hair can cause me so much grief that there are days where I feel the only option is going bald. I hate losing a sock in the washing machine, really what am I meant to do with the other one and why does dust exist?

But in a weird sort of way it makes sense that small things can annoy us to the point of explosion after all they are more likely to happen and thus wear away at ours nerves. And as far as I can see there are only two solutions: either tell the person they are annoying you early on to give them the chance to change their behavior before you pull a knife on them OR learn to live with it. After all whatever it is that is grinding your happiness down is probably really not that big a deal and if we change how we see things maybe we won’t get upset about it.

But when it come to ants in my pantry I think the only way to deal with the situation is put on my bandana and kill them all. So armed with cloves, cinnamon and vinegar I will try and smell them out and hope the queen can run in her heels.

knowing me, knowing you

Tags

friends, fun, memories, miscellaneous, people, random, thoughts

A few days ago the little blue speech-bubble on facebook told me someone had written to me. Surprise, surprise a face from my past popped up and greeted me with the words “Do you still know me?”

I was thrilled to see this photo of a man I once knew and a whole flood of memories invaded my brain of a few summers spent long ago.  My younger self had enjoyed his company and the time we spent together in and out of the theater.  I was a student back then with big dreams and a smaller waistline. My inner hippie was much more active and I had decided to try my hand at acting to varying degrees of success.

While I was skipping down memory lane and opening all those partially forgotten drawers filled with snapshots of the past and memories of happy times the five little words that started this trip struck a cord in me. “Do I still know him?”.

This harmless question got me thinking about how do we know if we know anyone, do we even know ourselves and do others know us? As my mind spiraled out of control and a whole slew of questions came tumbling down I suddenly realised that knowing someone may actually not be that much fun.

Predictability is a great thing but also a little bit boring. Yes, I want to know how people feel, think, interact and react but I also want them to surprise me. I love finding out new things about people I love and when my sister tells me she listens to this band or likes that person I enjoy that I can still wrinkle my nose in disgust and turn to her and say “really?” with a whole array of undertones. I cherish all the information people share with me about their inner most feelings and secrets, I lock them up and hold them dear but I also know there is so much more in their treasure troves of being for me to find out about.

Getting to know someone, even yourself, is like planting a tree and watching it grow. All the information you find out, all the times you spend together, all the memories you created in unison helps the tree grow and bear fruit. So yes, I still know him, or part of him anyway and I hope that the tree of knowing him that was stunted in its growth many years ago will receive new nourishment and grow up to be a bigger tree in the orchard of my life.

How to know yourself

Me, Myself and I

wants and needs

Tags

friends, fun, miscellaneous, needs, phone, random, shoes, thoughts, wants

After spending hours and copious cups of tea, chit chatting with friends about men, sex and what we want in life it became quite clear that no matter how different we are, if you boil it down we are all looking for the same thing: to be loved and to love.

Sadly no matter how many words spilled from our lips or thoughts were shared we couldn’t quite come up with a plan of how to achieve our goal. But we had so much fun discussing guys, life and all it contains that it really didn’t matter. After hugs and kisses all round (yes I even hugged the handsome waiter and blew kisses to the lovely manager) we left in four different directions.

As I walked over the bridge enjoying the warm sun and cold wind on my face I started to wonder about wants and needs. My path led me into one of my favourite shoe shops and as I wandered around the colourfully stocked shelves with a heart full of longing and an empty purse it became so clear that wanting something is really not needing it. No matter how many well placed arguments and creative ideas I came up with why I should buy this pair of green heals, those cute doc martins and that pair of adorable wedges none had anything to do with what I needed, so before I could change my own mind (and I am normally the only person who can) I left with all my wants still unfulfilled.

As I ran the errands I needed to do my phone dropped to the ground and smashed into smithereens. I could just about persuade it back together but I had to hold it in such an awkward position that using it for its created purposes was out of the question. So after all those wants I suddenly had a need. I needed a new phone, not tomorrow, not on Wednesday but right then and there. After all as a free-lance person my phone is quite essential to my work.

As I drove the bearded sales man a little bit insane with all my questions, demands and quizzical looks it became quite clear that what I wanted was a simple phone but what I needed to get was a different matter. With all those smart phones (really why are they called that, they seem more complicated than smart) on offer it made little sense to get a  granny phone when there is no denying that the smarter option was one with a few extras I could use for work.

As I handed over my card and looked at my new phone I felt in need of a hug but all they wanted was my money. And even after trying to figure out what the silly thing can do I still don’t know why the manufactures think I need all the stuff they put on it, when all I want  to do is set the ring tone to “The Muppet’s Show”. Felling a little frustrated and wanting my old phone back I think I will need to spend a few more hours in the company of my phone before I like it, let alone love it. And to all of you out there if you want to call or text me, you need to be patient as I have no clue what I need to do to make the phone do what I want it to. But I will try to meet your needs as I really want to.

off to brunch I go

Tags

brunch, fun, miscellaneous, random, shoes, smile, stress, thoughts, weekend

After a lovely night at the movies and a cocktail nightcap, today is starting out with brunch and friends. If the last 12 hours or so is anything to go by this weekend is looking good. And even though my to-do list is accusingly staring up at me I have decided to ignore it for the morning and re-enact a Sex and the City moment with girl gossip, fancy shoes and scrumptious food.

I love those weekends that are filled with play, happy things and bright memories. A real time to just be, relax and have fun. And it is no surprise to me that people, no matter how high-flying their job or how smart they look in a suit, are happier at the weekend. It is not only a time to let go and de-stress but important for all those social bonding moments with others.

Funnily enough the study also shows that we feel more competent during the weekend then when we are actually at our desks pushing those pencils, adding up figures or typing calluses onto our fingertips. The reason for this is the correlation between well-being and the sense of greater autonomy. Basically if you let me do what I want to do I feel good about myself and do much more.

With that in mind and the weekend stretching out in front of me I can’t wait to be my better self and have fun. And even if I do need to squeeze in a few hours of work (something does have to pay for all those shoes) I will make sure that leisure trumps labor and fun prevails over frustration.

Now all I need to do is slip on those heals, clogs, boots or what ever footwear takes my fancy and let them carry me of to brunch and a beginning of a fun-filled, happy weekend. Who knows what lies ahead and  with excitement bubbling up inside of me and a grin spreading over my face I am hoping the sun will show her pretty face.

Weekend Effect