Saturday 10 September 2011

I live for Autumn.


photo from tumbler.com


Yep. That's me. I am seriously into Autumn. I feel like I'm only every really alive in the Autumn. I spend the rest of the year thinking about Autumn. When it is Autumn, I wake up every morning thanking the Gods that I get to enjoy another beautiful Autumn day - whether it's raining or the sun is shining.

What do I love almost as much as Autumn? Pinterest, of course! Well, not anywhere near as much as I love Autumn but I do like it a whole lot.

Today, Pinterest reminded me just how much I love Autumn... I noticed for the first time that I have two seperate boards dedicated to my favourite season: (totally by mistake)

Everything Autumn (my favourite Autumn DIY/crafts/products) and Autumn Dreams (my favourite Autumn photography).

Can you be obsessed with a season? O:)

Friday 9 September 2011

Bridal Shower Favours

One of my best friends is getting married here in the next couple of weeks and she asked me to be a bridesmaid which of course I said "Yes!" to. Her Maid of Honour is getting married the week after she is so she's kind of swamped with her own stuff - which means that I get to take on a little more than a bridesmaid normally would.

Like organising the bridal shower.

Even though I've been planning it from the UK (and the bride is getting married in the USA), I feel like I've been pretty much on top of things. The planning has been going well. But there's been one thing that I've just been struggling with and that's party favours.

I haven't really liked any of the favours that I've seen. They're either too cheap and gawdy or too damned cute and make me want to puke. I was starting to worry that I would face a mad dash to buy favours when I got to America next week but then, while reading The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book: How to Have a Fun, Fabulous, and Memorable Party, an idea came to me. (Actually, it was spelled out in black and white but never mind that.)

A craft bar!

The bride is a crafty girl, most of the attendees are crafty girls (slash women) so why the hell not let them craft their own favours? Plus, the party starts a bit early and we'll be waiting for a few of the guests to arrive so we can make the favours first - and maybe ask people to make an extra one for people showing up late - and then move straight into food and games as everyone else arrives!

I think the easiest craft bar to do would be a bath salt bar. I've made them before and they're ridicously easy to do (no need to freak out the non-crafty people) and the supplies won't cost all that much. (Plus, a reason to go to Hobbycraft. Bonus.) These little jars from IKEA are the perfect size for taking the salts home:


I'm sure there are other things we can work into the craft bar - like maybe having two going at once? One for bath salts and one for... bath bombs? Or home made soap? Or lip gloss? The possibilities are endless...

Saturday 3 September 2011

Pumpkin Patch

This is my idea of Heaven:



From redbubble.com - and seen on pinterest.

School Time Wondra

I'm very excited today because my financial aid has come through which means that I'll be heading back to school again this October. Like last year, I'll be taking just two classes but I learned very quickly (last year) that when you're managing a house and working full-time, two is more than enough.

The classes I'm taking are The art of English and The Nineteenth-Century Novel. I'm especially excited about The 19th Century Novel because we'll be reading books like:

The Woman in White - Collins
Northanger Abbey - Austen
Middlemarch - Eliot
Germinal - Zola
Dombey and Son - Dickens
Jane Eyre - Bronte
The Awakening - Chopin
Madame Bovary - Flaubert
The Portrait of a Lady - James
Far from the Madding Crowd - Hardy

Some of them are like old friends, one is my favourite novel of all time and the rest are long overdue for a reading. I can't wait - even if it means I'll have to put my trashy romance novels aside for a few months.

The other class is all about how the English language is used creatively - like in social networking, etc. Sounds pretty interesting!

Luckily, my aid covers almost all of my fees. All 13 of the books I'll need come to over £100 which hurt my wallet a bit but at least it's cheaper than buying text books in America, right?

And after this year, I'll have just two more classes to complete to finish my BA in English Language and Literature. Huzzah.