Tuesday 31 May 2016

may 2016

If May was a pattern it would look like this...




Monday 30 May 2016

accidental patterns

Whilst making an altogether more complex pattern this week I accidentally created these simple little repeats. Minimal effort required. Bonus.






Saturday 28 May 2016

girls weekend

The other half has gone on a stag do. All weekend. The little one has gone on a scout camp. All week.
The big one and I are having a fab weekend. In peace.

Thursday 26 May 2016

earlybirds

Oh joy of joys. It was the little one's last "rise n read" this week. Woohoo!! No more 7.30am school start times twice a week. 
Although I have to say it's not as bad now that it's light. And it was dead sunny this week when I dropped him off at 7.20am. And the birds were singing. I actually quite liked it. For a minute.
I won't miss it though. Bloody glad it's over.



Saturday 21 May 2016

weekend

Sometimes I just love it when we don't have much planned on a weekend.
This is one of them.
Yay.

Friday 20 May 2016

it's a jungle out there

Rain + Sunshine = TotalChaosInAnUnattendedGarden. 
But really. Who has time to chop it all back? 
Not us.
When it's nice weather we do something.
When it's crap weather the last thing we want to do is mow the bloody lawn.
But it's getting to the point where we're gonna need some heavy duty agricultural machinery to sort it out if we don't give it some attention soon.
Why oh why did we go for the house with the massive garden?

Thursday 19 May 2016

rain again

I bought new sandals yesterday.
It has rained ever since.
Sorry everyone.


Tuesday 17 May 2016

exam season...

My favouritist niece starts her GCSE's tomorrow. She's only 2 months older than the big one but she's in the year above her at school. And it was only about 2 minutes ago that she actually started school so I don't quite know how it's possible that she's already about to leave to go to horsey college! 
Good luck Bebopalula! You'll do fab! xxx

Monday 16 May 2016

hiding

Sometimes I just sit in my studio on a night, pretending to work, but really just avoiding the rest of the house which is always a tip. I'd rather faff about on my computer than face the reality that even though I've been picking crap up for 15 years it's still a bloody mess. My three children don't care. (That's 2 offspring and 1 other half) They just don't see it. And I've run out of energy. The house never looks like it should in my head. So when faced with the choice of tidying up AGAIN or sitting looking at the mess I decide to opt out and stay in my room. It's white. And clean. And tidy. And out of bounds to the rest of the messy sods I live with. 
Tonight I drew this...

Sunday 15 May 2016

date night

When did the simple act of going for a night out with your other half get elevated to "date night" status on facebook? And am I the only one who is totally irritated by it? It's so naff. It's not a bloody date night. It's just a night out! Stop sounding so smug!

Anyway....the other half and I went out last night. We went to see James at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. I saw them loads in the 90's and booked the tickets in a fit of nostalgia. I suppose I should have listened to their new stuff before we went...
Still, they were on top form and we had a fab night. So...I'm off to update my facebook status....date night success...smug face...

Friday 13 May 2016

surtex envy

Aw... seeing all the posts of people on their way to Surtex is making us Dotty Wrens well jel. We LOVED it when we went. We had the best time ever. We almost considered showing at Blueprint this year. But we just couldn't fit it in. We're all dead busy. And there's not really much point in showing if you've already got too much work on is there? 
Only sometimes I think it would be fab just to do nice work that you really enjoy doing then bog off to New York to sell it. 
I'm not moaning. Really. I do love being busy. And I love most of the jobs that come my way.
But you can't beat just pleasing yourself and working on stuff you want to work on can you? With no-one telling you what to do. And what not to do.
It's hard to say no to the hard cash though isn't it....
Who knows..maybe next year we'll be back eating nachos and drinking mojitos in NYC.... 

Meanwhile to everyone else heading to New York ... have a fab show x 

Wednesday 11 May 2016

happy friday...on a wednesday

Happy Friday are a fab Spanish company who have licensed some of my designs. They look brill. I'm seriously thinking of ditching the kingsize in favour of twin beds so I can get a couple of duvet covers for our bedroom! I'm sure the other half will be thrilled.
Available here



Monday 9 May 2016

hello sunshine

Woohoo! Sunshine! In Yorkshire! In May! Get in!
It even got to 24 degrees yesterday! Amazing!!!
I love love love it.
Just one bad thing...the fair people of Yorkshire don't appear to know how to dress appropriately for such weather. I have seen far too much naked white/pink flesh this weekend. Seriously chaps, get a base tan in your garden before you subject the general population to your puny white torso/hairy pink beer belly. It's not big and it's not clever to walk down the main road in just a pair of flimsy shorts and last year's flip flops. The fashion police have been informed.

Sunday 8 May 2016

passport photo

Both kid's passports need renewing before our hols. I've been aiming to have their photos taken for the last 3 weeks but failed miserably. Finally got round to it yesterday. 
Of course it wasn't simply a case of transporting them to the photo place and getting them to say cheese. The big one was at her friend's house after staying over. And had no makeup on. (And she won't even go to the co-op without her full slap on never mind allow someone to photograph her for an official document) And the little one looked like a coconut due to a distinct lack of hair cutting for like at least 3 months.
So I picked the big one up from her friend's. Dropped her at home with orders to get ready pronto. Then took the little one to the barbers. 

Now the barbers used to be owned by Derek. Derek the Demon Barber. But Derek retired last year. A woman bought the shop. A woman with fancy ideas. A woman who has gradually replaced the 70's plyboard panelling and lino with something a little more contemporary. A woman who has also started doing women's hair! By appointment!!
The whole point of Derek's was that you could just walk in and sit on the plastic chairs with a load of blokes and wait your turn. I took the little one a couple of weeks ago and was told she'd be at least 45 minutes before she finished this woman's perm! PERM! In Derek's! Whatever next!
Anyway yesterday we turned up and there were no women with rollers in. Just one bloke waiting and one kid having a happy haircut. By a not so happy young girl. No idea where Derek's replacement was but she had been replaced by a replacement-replacement. Who had the personality of a dead fly. And was really not up to Derek's super speedy short back and sides with a bit of witty banter. We waited like forever for our turn. By the time we left there were about 5 blokes waiting behind us. In silence. No-one said a word the whole time. Especially Miss NoPersonality.
Anyhow...we went back home to collect the big one who by this time had had AGES to get ready. 
...Only to find she was in the bloody bath!!!
I had a major meltdown. She never leaves the house without spending at least an hour doing all that contouring crap they do these days. And her hair takes Like. For. Ever. to dry. I shouted till my head hurt and stomped about like a 2 year old. This was meant to be a quick bloody job not a full day event!
It took 2 hours and 15 minutes from picking her up to finally getting her in the car.
That's when we looked properly at the little one and realised that Miss NoPersonality was as rubbish at cutting hair as she was at providing stimulating conversation. He's now sporting this weird wonky short fringe style that I'm sure is not on trend anywhere in the western world...but will live on in the form of his official travel document until he is over 16 years old! (Think Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber)
Luckily the photographer was super efficient and we left there in superfast time. Mission Accomplished. 
So that's it. My job is done. The next time they need a passport they'll be nearly 21 and 17 so they can sort the damn things out themselves!

Tuesday 3 May 2016

pineapple pattern

Avoided doing any real work tonight and made a pineapple pattern instead. Cos if I'm being honest the jobs I have on this week are boring my pants off. 
AND I'm suffering from post weekend fatigue...with a heavy dose of PMT thrown in....

Monday 2 May 2016

april 2016

Ah what a fab weekend. The spa was ace. The company on top form. Went to the pub last night with the other half. And now it's bank holiday Monday. Woohoo!

Anyway....this was April...