Wake Up, Lovely

that day i don't really like

2012-02-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not huuuuge on Valentine's day...it's extremely far down the list in comparison to every other holiday. Even Pancake Day tops it, but I consider that reasonable. After all, it does involve pancakes. I'm not really a romantic type, and my Valentine's Days tend to consist of 13 hour shifts, but I'll keep in the spirit regardless.
I've found a few V-Day treats that even I love for you romantic types to enjoy ;)

Source: madewithloveby.me via Kate on Pinterest

I can't possibly love these cupcakes anymore. If somebody could teach me how to do this...well, I'd probably get it wrong, but I would be very grateful at the same time. In fact, I'd most likely just ask you to make them for me ;)

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Kate on Pinterest

What a lovely packaging idea. Understated and adorable.

Source: google.com via Kate on Pinterest

I LOVE the little envelopes on the wall, especially the red one. I can only doubt that I will never celebrate Valentine's Day for extravagantly, but if I did, it would look like this.

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Kate on Pinterest

What a fun addition to a fake plant...I can imagine it's not advised to sew real leaves, but I could think of so many pretty things to stitch onto fake ones.

Source: flickr.com via Kate on Pinterest

I think these are shamelessly fun and flirty. They'd make a lovely gift for your favourite co-workers or best girl friends this Valentine's day.

I hope you all have an amazing day tomorrow. No negativity if you're single please! Instead of sinking into a lonely frame of mind tomorrow, appreciate everything that you love about being single and don't forgot to send a little treat to your parents or your best friend. Valentine's is for everybody you love, I like to think...including yourself. Get yourself a little pink cupcake or a bunch of flowers, or make like me and consider the day a perfectly acceptable reason to treat yourself to some new shoes ;)

for the love of mason jars

2012-02-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10

I've developed a love large enough that I could happily decorate my entire house with clear jars that once contained strawberry jam and pickled onions, a la photos above. I'd have them hold toiletries, kitchen ingredients, flowers, tea lights, even food. I think they're delightful. Sadly, but probably for the best since I'd end up looking like the crazy mason jar lady, my decoration is restricted to my tiny workspace...so for now, my mason jar obsession is temporarily replacing my mug-as-a-pencil-pot obsession. {That's not technically true. I've filled the mugs with other knick knacks.}

Do you use mason jars for decoration/paint pots/the kitchen/anything of the sort? I'd love to see pictures or hear what you guys like to use them for. Any excuse to fill up some more ♥

30cm of lace

2012-02-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

I'm in desperate need of a haircut right now. I'm permitting my wonderful hairdresser to do whatever he wishes with these terrible locks of mine come Monday, but for the last week or so I've been resorting to quick and simple hair styles to keep it from looking such a mess.
I've found in times of great need a simple piece of lace comes in handy quite nicely. You can use it as a hair-tie in a loose ponytail, as one of your three strands in a pretty plait, wrapped around a messy bun or simply as a headband.

Simple, pretty and hides your hair related sins ;)

pinecones and heart-shaped potatoes

2012-02-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

A happy Friday indeed. A Friday not spent parading around a restaurant with hot plates and my perfected 'eyes and teeth' {or 'tits and toosh' as my boss says!} is such a wonderful rarity, one that I welcome with both arms outstretched. The mister and I are off to London today to shop for pretty things, stroll around Harrods like we're rich enough to be there and, most importantly, to see Snow Patrol. It feels good to be excited.
I hope your day is just as enjoyable, but if you need something to brighten your day, here's a handful of pretty looking things!
{one} Boomcases. Speakers made from vintage suitcases.

{via}

{two} Pretty colourful pinecones.

Source: indulgy.com via Ann on Pinterest

{three} An amazing craft room.

Source: flickr.com via Ann on Pinterest

I don't think I will be fully content with my life until I have a craft room of this size, full of so much prettiness that I would probably rarely use.

{four} This week.
Hot chocolates on a snowy morning. New paints and brushes. Pup sleeping like a human. Heart shaped potatoes at work. Harry Potter marathons. Reaching a new milestone in blog readers. Watching old videos. Listening to Oasis. Comfy nights in.

{five} A knitted flowers tattoo.
So incredible. I want, I want, I want.

Source: wristtattoos.eu via Kate on Pinterest

positivity poster

2012-02-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Just a little print I drew up on a cheerful day. I hope it encourages you to have an optimistic day. You are more than welcome to use it/share it as you wish. I've put it on to Pinterest too so you can pin it if you're one for fancy motivational prints ;) xo.

dreams to plans.

2012-02-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

I want to forget the scare of doing something new. Forget the idea that I could screw it up and burn the mindset that I can't do it. I want to realise that I have the entire world in my hands if I want it & I can do anything that I want to do with it. I don't want to sit here and dream it and plan it instead of actually going for it.

I want to explore new hobbies and try my hand at new crafts. I want to learn crochet and flower arranging and tattoo design.
I want to get fitter and remain excited about keeping fit.
I want to educate myself again. Learn the art of creative writing and study the most interesting parts of psychology just because I want to.
I want to write all of the e-books that cross my mind instead of letting the ideas sit on paper.
I want to heavily plan out my first novel and ignore that I'm probably a little young to be settling on such a huge thing.
I want to ignore how much I despise driving and just work to pass my damn test.
I want to treat myself to a new tattoo. A big, detailed piece.
I want to blog professionally.
I really really want to embrace the optimism and outlook on life that I didn't have two years ago and make good use of it.

If only it wasn't midnight...and I wasn't super tired ;) But what an exciting way to wake up tomorrow morning.
Your encouragement and enthusiasm would mean the world to me right now, lovelies. I'm feeling good about making life happen!

hand painted moleskine giveaway! {6 winners!}

2012-02-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hey pretties. If you enjoy making little lists, keeping a notebook by your bedside or carry around a little journal in case an amazing idea pops into your head, then I have the perfect little giveaway for SIX of you today ♥

Today I'm giving away six of my hand-painted moleskines to six different winners. All of them are one of a kind, illustrated & painted by me and are either plain or lined, with a little pocket at the back.
You can enter to win as many of the moleskines as you like, just list the ones you like most in your comment!

Here's how you enter to win :

MANDATORY ENTRY :
♥ You must be a follower of Wake Up, Lovely on GFC.
♥ Leave a comment below listing which moleskines you'd like to win along with an email address so that I can contact you if you win!

EXTRA ENTRIES :
♥ Follow WakeUpKate on Twitter
♥ Tweet about the giveaway {be sure to mention @WakeUpKate so that I see it!}
♥ Blog about the giveaway {remember to leave a link!}
♥ Tell me what you would use your moleskine for!

You have five different ways to enter, so make sure that you leave a comment for each entry! I'll be choosing six different winners at random {after seperating the choices for each moleskine!} next Wednesday, and will be emailing each winner! Good luck ♥

why put a bumper sticker on a ferrari?

2012-02-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Instead of sharing a range of pretty tattoos discovered around the wonderful internet, this week I wanted to address an article that's been viciously making it's way around the blogging world. Many bloggers have shared their own response on the piece, with Danielle's being my favourite, and I wanted to share my opinion on the matter too. You can read the article, written by Lisa Khoury, here to see why it's touched a nerve and caused such a controversy!

Before I share my reaction to this article, I feel like I should stress that I'm not writing this as a personal dig towards Lisa. She's entitled to her opinion, as much as I wish it were slightly more open-minded and not put so rudely. I'm writing my response to the opinions shared that I'm sure many others agree with, and explaining why tattooed women are perfectly lovely just the way they are.

While it may not have been Lisa's intention, the entire article implies that we, as women, are merely objects. There to make the men drool. And tattoos spoil that; by getting tattoos we are disgracing this idea that women are just beautiful objects for male entertainment. I don't know about you, but in that case, I'm happy to be the disgrace.

I don't get tattoos because I want to be cool or rebellious {I'm too much of a dork to be either}. I know very few people who do. If I wanted to be rebellious I'd go out and drink myself unconcious or take drugs, two things that I'm pretty strongly against, but honestly, the majority of people I know that have tattoos, do neither. I get tattoos because it makes me genuinely happy to put the artwork of talented artists on my body as daily reminders of the people I love, the things I live for and the pieces of life that I want to permanently remember. I hasten to add, because of the opinion in the article that tattoos are not a 'genuine, satisfying change', that I don't just think that these tattoos are making me happy. I do consider them a genuine, satisfying change to my life.

"An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body. She appreciates it. She flaunts it. She's not happy with it? She goes to the gym. She dresses it up in lavish, fun, trendy clothes, enjoying trips to the mall with her girlfriends. She accentuates her legs with high heels. She gets her nails done. She enjoys the finer things in life, all with the body she was blessed with."

Just because I am tattooed, does not mean I am not elegant. Or classy. Or feminine. Maybe I'm not the classiest of women, but that is because I fail to walk like a lady in high heels and I don't have a cute laugh and I prefer to sit with my feet under my backside rather than one knee over the other. My lack of class has nothing to do with any tattoos of mine.
My tattoos do not stop me from appreciating my body. Those of us with tattoos still workout and eat the food that's good for us. We still dress up in pretty clothes and get our nails done and enjoy the finer things in life. We just do it with tattoos. I have never heard of a woman getting a tattoo because she wasn't happy with her body.

The idea that covering your body with tattoos is unproductive bothers me more than the implication that I'm unattractive or unclassy because I have tattoos.

"But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person? Has this tattoo, for instance, caused you to learn something new about yourself? Has it challenged you? Has it led you to self-growth? Nothing comes out of getting a tattoo. You get a tattoo, and that's it. You do something productive, though, and you see results. That's a genuine, satisfying change in life. Not ink.
Invest your time, money, and effort into a gym membership, or yoga classes, or new clothes, or experimenting with different hairstyles if you're craving something new with your body, not a tattoo."

I am a happier person with my tattoos, because I'm me. No, I haven't learnt anything. No, it's not challenging me. And no, it probably hasn't led me to self-growth. But I don't learn anything by splurging all my money on new clothes. Watching TV doesn't challenge me. And half an hour of pilates doesn't lead me to self-growth. I get happiness out of a tattoo. I get satisfaction and a fun time and a new piece of permanent art work out of a tattoo.
I'll still invest my time into educational books and exercise DVD's and different hairstyles. Nobody has the right to assume that a tattooed woman doesn't invest her time into productive things. I personally consider wasting time judging women with tattoos to be unproductive when there are so many other things to care about.

I also find it infuriating that this article suggests that buying new clothes and getting your hair and nails done is a productive way to spend your time. It's an incredibly shallow way to spend all of your time. If I don't gain anything from a tattoo I certainly don't gain anything from having pretty nails and a new outfit every day.

My children and grandchildren will not question their values and morals because their mumma/grandmumma has her fair share of tattoos. They will learn to accept people as they are, and to appreciate that people are different and find joy in different things.
I believe it's perfectly acceptable to think that tattoos are ugly or a waste of money or something that you'll deeply regret in 30 years time. Each to their own. But I don't think it's okay to publicly put down every female with a tattoo, and label them as unclassy, unattractive, unproductive or unappreciative of their bodies, or imply that the next generation will lack values and morals because of us. I see the article as sexist since there's no implication that men shouldn't be getting tattooed. And more than anything, I see the article as narrow-minded and ignorant. We should be appreciating that some people enjoy things that other people don't. Everybody is different. If somebody wants to alter their body, then let them live their life.
People who waste their time publicly judging those with tattoos should be doing something more 'productive', like informing someone why they shouldn't be binge drinking or taking drugs or over-eating. Something that actually affects a person's health and well being. Not a silly irrelevant topic like whether a woman decides to engrave some permanent ink into her body.

Why do I put bumper stickers on my Ferrari?

{Lisa has since written another piece regarding the reaction she received to her first article, which you can read here. While I believe her apology is genuine, I still strongly disagree with her opinion which I don't believe is taken away from a simple sorry. I hope she's recognised that her previous personal issues, that encouraged her beliefs on how women should be, don't give her the right to slate the appearance of how other women choose to look, and I really hope she's learnt how to approach strong opinions without offending a wide range of readers!}

Kate's Library {borrow a book!}

2012-02-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

When I was far off from being a teenager, I would spend endless hours with my nose in a book. My mumma would always be taking me to the library and the majority of my Christmas presents would be new fictions. My teen years weren't the greatest years of my life, and among many other things like painting and a healthy diet, I gave up reading. I didn't realise how much I missed it until I left school at 18. It took some time to get back into it, and I'm more drawn to non-fiction books on subjects I'm fascinated by, like psychology books and craft books, but I'm in love with reading again. I've found it to be a wonderful thing to fall back into an old love so comfortably.

I've been thinking about the books sitting and looking pretty on my bookshelf. I love owning my own books so that I can go back and read them whenever I fancy, but often I think they could be put to better use.
So for those of you who aren't so keen on spending your hard-earned money on books, or don't like to buy books because finding a home for them is a struggle, or enjoy renting books from libraries but find they rarely have the same extent of books that amazon offers...I thought I'd turn my little blog into a personal library!

Every now and again I'll be sharing books that my lovely readers are more than welcome to borrow for a month! All I ask is that you are willing to pay the small shipping cost and share your opinion on the book after you've finished reading...and of course, that ya send it back my way ;)

Here's a small handful of books that you might like to borrow for a few weeks! Just send an email my way regarding the book you'd like to borrow and I'll send it your way ♥

a touch of yellow

2012-02-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Outfit details : Top / Dorothy Perkins - Skirt / H&M - Boots / No idea, three years old! - Cardigan / Tesco - Necklace / Sevinoma

Hello snow day number two. I need no excuse to curl up by a warm fire and sketch & paint all day, but not being able to get places because of the snow makes for a good reason ;) I'm not the biggest fan of snow, especially when I'll be dragging my feet up a long snowy hill on the way to work tomorrow, but from the cozy inside, it's pretty to look at.

Yesterday I got up after a nice lay in and by 9:30 I was out photographing the snow. Mumma and I took a stroll into the fields and found ourselves wellington-boot-deep in snow. It was a lovely, relaxing day.

Today will be full of tidying up, designing a pretty blog, sketching, blogging and enjoying the guilty pleasure that is old punk rock. Later on I'm going to be turning Wake Up, Lovely into a mini library for my fellow book nerds!

Have an amazing Monday. xo.

start your day with optimism

2012-02-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

Just a little something I made to start your day off right. I'm hoping to make a lot more of these over time, so I hope you find it encouraging! You are more than welcome to share the video on your blog if you'd like to.
It snowed super hard overnight in the UK, so after getting the need to go out and mark my footprints in the clean blanket of white at 9:30 this morning, I've settled down at my desk with a warm cup of tea and my favourite HP soundtracks, ready to get some drawing, blogging and reading done.

I hope you all have a charming Sunday. If it's snowing where you are, don't make like my crazy neighbours who started shovelling it out the way first thing this morning. Put your slippers on and stay indoors! ♥

talent show : cupkay

2012-02-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Way back in August, I featured one of my favourite bloggers, Kayla from Cupkay. Meet a girl with the prettiest tattoos, awesome style and an enourmous amount of talent when it comes to drawing and painting! I have so much love for her artistic style and wild imagination when it comes to her artwork, and she's recently opened up her own etsy shop selling prints and pretty moleskine books!

Meet Kayla!

When did you first start sketching and painting?
I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember! It's always been something I could feel "at home" with no matter what was going on around me. When I'm making art I am "me" and nothing could bring me more happiness.

You have such a unique style! Did you work on building it or did it just come naturally?
Thank you! My style is constantly evolving and changing... it seems like every new piece I create is a little different than the one before. I think it's something that's built naturally (if that makes sense). I don't intentionally try to draw/paint in a certain style, it just happens. But it's also something that is continuously building.

Who are some fellow etsy artists you really admire?
Oh my gosh, what a difficult question, there are so many! If I had to pick five it would currently be Amber Seegmiller (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ambird)- her line work blows my mind, Mel Stringer (http://www.etsy.com/shop/girliepains), Sashiko/Wishcandy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/wishcandy), Jen Moreno (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenyffermaria), and Danny Brito (http://www.etsy.com/shop/dannybrito)

What advice would you give to anybody thinking about opening an etsy shop?
Patience, patience, patience! I'm further than I'd like to be from living the dream of working from home, or even making enough through my Etsy to pay a bill or two, but I'm not giving up. Believe in yourself, be confident in what you do, and be patient! Sales will come in time, just do your thing and don't stop. Do what you love for yourself, not for sales... if the main reason why you make things is just to make a few bucks on Etsy then your hobbies will soon become a task, and a burden. You are capable and amazing, patience pays off. Don't be hard on yourself!

You can find out more about Kayla by visiting her lovely blog, or you can stop by her shop!

what i wore : day off

2012-02-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

Monday is my favourite day of the week {she says while the rest of the country who are going back to work boo and hiss in her general direction}. Monday is my Sunday and I either spend it with the mister or I spend it in my own company, getting bits and pieces done. I ♥ it either way.
I wear a boring t-shirt and jeans at work five days a week, so even if I'm not going anywhere I'll put on a pretty skirt on my days off. If you're wondering what the hell is going on with that fringe of mine, I have a tendency to cut it myself. And I'm not professionally trained in hair styling. So sometimes, it looks like this. Like crap.

Shirt - Republic {two years ago}

Skirt - Tesco

Jacket - New Look

Tights - Tesco

Legwarmers - No idea

Boots - Fenicks

Snood - Republic
Rings - Mano Y Metal & RubyRaeLove

{Everything in this outfit cost under £25 and most of it was bought at least a year ago. Worst outfit blogger.}

You can't tell, but sleet was starting to come down in these photos. So of course I went outside like a crazy person. It's definitely getting colder this week, so after my brief walk into the fields I got busy with my extra long to-do list. What a productive day. I love to get everything ticked off and I got lots of silly projects and naggling tasks out the way. A day that starts with a Starbucks {ice-cold coffee frappucino when it's practically snowing out, please} and ends with an early night finishing up a good book is a good day to me. ♥

7 ways to make your day better

2012-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sometimes bad days are inevitable. I think a bad day every now and again can be a good thing; a reminder to put effort into making a day good yourself rather than waiting for good things to happen to you. Bad days make the good days seem even better. But just because a day seems to be setting itself up to be a horrible one, doesn't mean you just have to let the next 24 hours ride out disappointedly.
You spilt your coffee all over the carpet. You have no internet connection. You miss your train. You get to work and your boss tells you that your co-worker is off sick. All the little things that make you groan and encourage you to leave an aggressive 'arrrgghh' tweet in capital letters with multiple exclamation points.

But hey, long-face-fred, no need to let a few bad beginnings on a cloudy day rain on your parade...

It's an easy thing for a morning person to say, but I find getting up a little bit earlier so beneficial. No rush to get ready before work, more time to yourself and the chance to get something done before your day gets going, even if it's only a little something. You could use the time to get a quick workout over and done with, catch up on a chapter or two of your book, maybe even get a blog post up! 30 minutes can make the hugest difference, and you're less likely to resent having to go off to work when you've had a little bit of time to enjoy yourself first ;)

Y'know, cause exercise releases all those endorphin thingys? So does ice-cream, but let's try fitness first. Most of the time the last thing I want to do first thing in the morning is jump around with false energy, so if you're not a morning exerciser, a five minute workout in the afternoon will you give you a burst of energy to get you through the evening. You could spend five minutes on an exercise bike or a treadmill, put on your favourite guilty pleasure song and dance around like a goof or just do a few pilate moves quickly. Personally, when I force myself to get off my backside & wake myself up, I choose the goof option. Something by Katy Perry or an old pop band from the 90's tends to do the trick!

Every day deserves a bit of pleasure. If you like your morning coffee, don't neglect yourself a trip to Starbucks. If you've achieved something, find a way to reward yourself. There's no reason why we should go through an entire day without some kind of 'just because' satisfaction.

If you check your blog comments to find a nasty anonymous message, or somebody is super rude to you at work, it's easy to let it ruin your day. Instead of letting something play on you, sit and think about how to resolve whatever the problem is/write down what's bugging you/talk it out and get it out of your way. Once one thing has managed to ruin our day, it's easy to feel like everything else is going wrong along with it. Remember that you get to choose how you react to a situation, so don't let anybody else's negativity ruin your positivity!

When you get home from a long day at work or you've just finished a long and tedious task, allow yourself a little time to just sit in peace and quiet. Pour yourself a cup of tea, go for a walk, take a hot shower; whatever helps you to relax a little before you get going again. Our energy levels tend to dip a little in the afternoon, but we end up being less productive if we don't give ourselves a short break every now and again!

Know what needs doing before you get going in the morning. I like to write my to-do lists for the next day the night before, and I'll usually think about what I want to get out of the way first. It's often said you should get the boring tasks out of the way first, but I find it easy to slump into an unproductive mode, so I'll do something that's more fun every now and again too! A to-do list really helps to prioritise your day and I always like to remind myself that the quicker I tick it all off, the sooner I can do something just for me.

At some point during the day, it's nice to just let go and do something fun. It can be something as quick as sharing a funny photograph on instagram, or having a sing-song in the shower. As long as it makes you smile, find some time in your day to laugh...even if it's just to yourself.

Of course, some days cannot be fixed with a few crazy dances, coffee treats and obsessively organising your priorities. If your day constitutes as an absolutely terrible one, get into your pyjamas and curl up under your duvet with an oversized bar of chocolate and your favourite book. Everybody is entitled to one of THOSE days every now and again ;)

january wrap-up

2012-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

It's been a funny start to the year. I'm happy to be setting myself a lot of goals but I've started to realise that some of them are simply there to deter me from what I really need to be working on; driving and my career. Outside of my health & fitness goals over February, I'm going to be concentrating on those big goals a lot. Big scary goals.

I did enjoy the seemingly never-ending month of January though. Each of the photos above reminds me that.
Here's a handful of my favourite blog posts from this past month :

hello new year // goals & resolutions // DIY : tape measure bows // a pretty ring tree // a quick & easy blog schedule // tattoo tuesday : colours // my workspace makeover // taking adventures // blogs to follow // january sponsor highlight // a month of healthier living // talent show : lucie ellen // silly things about me // hobby vs career

february : health and fitness

2012-02-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

I started to kick off my resolutions and goals for February at the beginning of the year, it seemed that the healthier girl inside me was a bit of a keen bean ;)

I've already switched to a healthier breakfast cereal, but I would like to choose a different healthy cereal every day. I find it easy to settle into a routine in the mornings, and Special K is too delicious to resist. I'm definitely eating more fruit & veg and making myself drink a couple of glasses of juice every day too {not eating juice like I mistakenly jotted down in my resolutions! ;) }.
Encouraging myself to workout more often is proving more of a challenge. I feel so good after a quick workout, but it's finding the time. After a day of running around the restaurant I'm rarely bursting with the urge to run around some more, and I've usually given myself a mile long to-do list that puts exercising slightly down the prioritiy list.

Over February I'm going to put a loooot more effort into working out a little bit more! Half hour pilates workouts are going to find their way on to the top of my to-do lists. Any tips for feeling more motivated to work out?

tattoo tuesday : crafty ink

2012-01-31T09:06:00.000-08:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

I think I've topped my record for how many amazing tattoos I can fit into one post. Aren't they all just so pretty?! I want to knit more just so I have a valid excuse to get a tattoo of various coloured yarn. Sadly I don't knit or sew enough to get a tattoo like any of these {not without an awkward 'nice tattoo, do you knit?'... 'no' conversation, anyway}. Maybe when I'm 60 years old and knit scarves for grandchildren I'll have a more valid reason to tattoo wool on my body.

{If anybody could provide me with the genuine sorces/owners of these tattoos, I'd be so very grateful! Repins lead to very invalid sources.}

january resolutions : a review

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of January I shared my goals and resolutions for 2012 and specifically for January. It's been a bit of a strange month, and I found myself working towards February's goals far too quickly, but I think I kept up with most of my goals for January pretty well too. My resolutions for the entire year are coming along swimmingly!

I've kept up with eating healthy breakfasts {most days!} and I've only let my 'cleanse, tone and moisturise every day' resolution slide a few times. I've been eating fruit and drinking juice almost every morning and I'm trrrrying to work out a couple of times a week at least. I've kept up my money diary, I've been taking more photos {especially with my camera rather than my phone!} and I even styled my hair a couple of times {I'm a shameful brush and go kind of girl ;) }. So far, so very good!

As far as January's resolutions go, I don't think I did too badly at all! Slightly more excited about February's resolutions since I've already gotten started, but I feel like taking care of my personal appearance was a good way to kick off a year of bettering myself! I've definitely learnt that I feel tons better when I've taken time to play around with my make-up in the mornings and I like having prettier hair. Giving my face a bit of TLC has done wonders!
It feels good to get things ticked off!

How are your resolutions coming along?! I hope you're still working on them and ticking off some of your goals for the year - I'd love to hear what you've accomplished so far ♥

hobby vs career

2012-01-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find myself losing sight of how young I am. I feel like I should be in some kind of rush to succeed and get everything that I want out of life straight away. Lately I've been taking a step back to consider what I really want to do with myself. Work is starting to feel realistically robotic; I couldn't tell you the last time I looked at a food check to find out what table I'm going to, I just go there. My brain isn't stimulated anymore.

Do I really want to open an etsy store and fill it with handmade books? Or am I trying to convince myself that my hobby for crafting must become a career and using the idea of making books to substitute my constant craving to actually sit down and write one; something I've always wanted to do since I can remember? If I was truly keen on perfecting a craft to the point where I could make a living out of it, would I not be working on handmade books endlessly instead of allowing How To Make Books to sit on my bookshelf almost untouched?

The more I think about it, the more I realise how much I've been ignoring what I feel like could be right for me.
I spend more time blogging than I do crafting. I could waste hours searching for psychology and self help books on amazon, not because I feel like I need to help myself, but because I find the approach to cognitive therapy fascinating. My favourite things to write about revolve around the ideas of encouraging optimism and choosing your ideal way of living. I couldn't tell you where most countries are and I use my calculator for the simplest of additions and subtractions, but without much education outside of two years of Psychology A Levels & too much reading I could tell you why people are behaving the way they are and how their life experiences are likely to have affected them.

Perhaps, all of this is because that is where my life is headed. I'm not meant to spend hours putting books together or painting endless canvases. If sharing a fun DIY doesn't please me as much as curling up with a book and learning about the human nature, it's inevitable that some things, as much as I love them, are just not hobbies, not a potential career.

sky diving for a cause

2012-01-29T02:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday friends. I wanted to share something amazing with you all today; something that'll hopefully encourage you to give up your morning Starbucks and donate even just a little bit of money!
One of my best friend's mumma is doing a sky dive in order to raise money for St Catherine's hospice, in remembrance of her friend Julie. Brave lady, huh?! Here's a little bit more about what she's up to, from Gillian herself...

"First I did the Race for Life, then last year the Midnight Walk, this year I thought I would take a huge LEAP and do a SKYDIVE !!!!! on the 2nd June 2012.

I am doing this to raise money for St Catherines Hospice who need to raise £4.7m in voluntary income each year to insure they can keep providing their vital services to those who need them.
I wasn't aware of the Hospice until my friend Julie Thompson fell ill to cancer, they helped her and her family in every way possible, Julie met people she could talk to who were going through the same things and made some good friends. St Catherine's Hospice made it possible for Julie to stay at home until the end, this meant the world to her, to be with her family and be a part of normal home life.

Julie was a brave and wonderful lady and I would be happy if I can be even half as brave as her on the day !"

If you'd like to donate and support this wonderful lady's sky dive, visit her page on Just Giving! If you find that you can't donate outside of the UK, feel free to email me at wakeuplovely@live.co.uk and we can organise a way for you to donate through paypal! ♥

silly little things about me

2012-01-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Everybody has idiosyncrasies, quirky personality traits and set little routines that make us feel out of place if we have to go without them. We all do things that are noticeable to other people but we rarely realise ourselves. When I'm angry I push my tongue behind my top teeth, I flex my fingers ALL the time when they're feeling stiff and I very rarely say a simple hello {'bonjour', 'good moaning', 'harrooo'}.

I thought it'd be fun to share a few silly things about me...I hate not to embrace the slightly weirder sides of our personalities, they're the best bits {although I'm sure the mister wouldn't agree that my lack of common sense and tendency to ask a lot of questions during complicated movies my best traits}!

Neither can my mother. This makes for a very cluttered mug cupboard. I even use pretty mugs as pencil and paintbrush pots. One of my silliest, and most irrelevant, opinions is that boring mugs make for a boring wake-up. It's a horrible thing to pour your cup of coffee into a plain mug, make the first things you see in the morning the prettiest ;)

Yuuup, it's displayed in a small wicker basket. I'm not hiding these lovelies away. The pretty sticky notes brighten up the reminders in my day planner and stickers and 'good morning' notes are more fun when they're floral. My mild obsession has extended to my aforementioned mug collection, make-up and handbags and craft kits. My punkier 16 year old self would be disgusted by so many flowers and pastel shades.

The third expression is my favourite right now. I call it my rabbit face. I think subconsciously I'm just doing anything to liven up a quiet lunch shift. I also find myself singing a lot, but I've made effort to keep the volume down after I was singing Maybe This Time to myself while I laid tables and a middle aged gent on table 3 enthusiastically joined in.
{If you're confused as to why it's not socially acceptable for me to pull stupid faces and sing cabaret at work, I'm a waitress with a permanent eating audience.}

I know they're there in case you start to feel light headed during the sitting, but if I see one, I want one. Seven Sins usually has a huge jar full of them and I can't resist an apple lollipop. They make two painful hours pass by a lot quicker, and I like to remind myself that if you have to be over 18 to get a tattoo, they're clearly for adults ;)

Work makes my nails weak and at least two snap each week. This week it's been all but one, sadly. They grow quickly so I don't mind the snapping, it's the five or so hours of running my finger over the broken nail, secretly sulking because I can't get to a nail file until I get home. I'm a little bit nail OCD.

Occassionally I rent some psychology books from the library, but for the most part, I like to have my own books. I like a bookshelf full of pretty covers, I like to see books waiting to be read stacked up on my bedside table and I mostly like to come home to Amazon packages filled with new and cheap books. I will forever stand by my choice that, unless a day comes where I find myself having to travel a lot, I will never own a Kindle. They're just not the same as a book.

I'd love to hear about your little quirks and habits! Celebrate them as much you can ♥

talent show : lucie ellen

2012-01-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have such a treat for you guys today; a peak into one of my latest favourite etsy shops! Meet Lucie Ellen, a talented jewellery maker from Suffolk, who's wooden jewellery is so adorable that I couldn't resist asking her about it ♥

Hi Lucie! Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I'm Lucie, founder of Lucie Ellen and at the moment I live in a small village in Suffolk with my girlfriend Sarah ( www.etsy.com/shop/houseofismay ). I spend my days building my empire, drinking tea and obsessing about clothes. Seriously, I have a huge clothing problem at the moment. I also like cooking and eating rather a lot.

How long have you been creating fun jewellery for?
I started making jewellery about 6 years ago. At first it was more of a hobby, then I got a market stall on Brick Lane, London and things have grown from there. I now sell mainly online (Thank god for Etsy!), and through specialist craft fairs. I also have about 25 shops which stock my work in the UK and beyond. I hope to get even more this year.

When did you decide to open up an etsy shop?
I opened my Etsy shop in January 2009 but didn't actually get started until a year later. 2 years on, and I hope to hit 1000 sales very soon!

How would you describe your style?
I have no idea how to describe my style! I use a lot of upcycled / reclaimed materials so things some things have a very vintage feel, where as others don't. I always have ideas popping about in my head, and nothing is particularly cohesive! At the moment I'm into bright colours, but next week it could be monochrome. Who knows.

What advice would you give to fellow artists thinking of opening up an etsy shop?
My advice: Stick with it! It will get easier and start paying off. Make sure your photography is the best it can be, I seriously can't stress this enough. Etsy is a big place full of amazing things, and good photography can really help you stand out as well as making your shop look sweet. Use your tags! All of them! And again, stick with it.

Thanks so much for chatting with me, Lucie!
All of these images come directly from Lucie's Etsy shop & are credited to her. You can find Lucie's amazing shop here for more fun wooden jewellery, personalised bunting necklaces and pretty brooches - and Lucie was kind enough to offer 15% of to Wake Up, Lovely readers; just use the code KATES .
You lucky things ;)

it's friday, i'm in love

2012-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

It aaaalmost my weekend, I hope it's already yours! This week's been a little bit up and down, but let's not dwell on the downs...life is so much more fun up ;) Before I settle down, after a dragging work shift, with my latest {and amazing} psychology read and a notebook to jot down my next steps in life {I can't organise myself unless it's down on paper!}, I wanted to share some little things I've been admiring this week.

{one} Katie Daisy's lovely artwork

You can find her gorgeous artwork and prints over on her site. I also love her range of pretty quotes on her flickr!

{two} These funny hipster Disney princesses.

I was always Belle. Even more so in an oversized knitted jumper, clutching a book to my chest.

{three} Pretty book necklaces from Bitsweet

{four} My thoughts exactly in a quote as lovely as it is honest

Source: Uploaded by user via Kate on Pinterest

{five} Amber's video tutorial on how to style a top-knot bun

A style I never thought I'd try out but actually loved. She's such an adorable human being.

This week I've also been in love with getting off work early, resisting reading new books while I'm still working through older ones, buying treats with the mister, keeping in touch with my favourite people and nail polishes that I can wear to work ALL WEEK with barely any chippage! ♥

a month of healthier living

2012-01-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

I started off 2012 with a lengthy list of goals and resolutions. I like to make realistic goals and give myself something to look forward to achieving, so inspired by my favourite book, The Happiness Project, I've given myself specific goals each month based around something specific. Health and fitness wasn't going to be the centre of my attention until February, but it's slowly sneaking it's way into January.

After having two killer infections last year I decided it was time to get healthier. I don't have a strong immune system and nobody can help catching infections, but while I was laying helplessly in bed over Christmas without the energy to even pick up a book, I thought about how much better I could combat sick bugs if I felt generally healthy most of the time. I'd had enough of feeling exhausted after work, feeding my body things that I shouldn't be feeding it and feeling like I always had some kind of cold or headache or muscular pain. I wanted to be able to walk around exciting places all day with plenty of energy, and to bounce out of bed in the mornings {or at least get up with more enthusiasm during the wintery months!}, and be able to make it through a concert without feeling dizzy.

So I've dedicated a large percentage of my 2012 goals to becoming healthier. There are no goals to become thinner, to go to the gym every day, to cut out all forms of bad food or to diet myself silly, because I dislike all of these goals.
Losing a tiny bit of weight wouldn't be a bad thing, but I don't want to be skinny.
Cutting out all bad foods would mean never indulging in anything yummy at my favourite restaurants, and I love food.
And diets...are just ridiculous, in my opinion.
All I want is to feel more energetic and to gain the benefits of putting healthier food into my body and devoting a little more time to exercise...

My diet wasn't unhealthy. When I was growing up I can't deny comfort eating...up until I was about 16. During my teens I was in quite a bad way for a couple of years and it was easy to find instant gratification in junk food. Since then I've dropped two dress sizes but all the running around that I do at work was balancing out my diet. I wasn't overeating last year, but I wasn't always making the best food choices. Snacks would be a biscuit or two and breakfast would be chocolate cereal far too often. I knew my lack of energy was related to my diet and I knew my daily diet would have to change in order to help me feel better.
Breakfast has become a bowl of Special K, Cornflakes or Weetabix, and any chocolate cereal is now considered one of my 'treats'. Snacks have been replaced with honey coated banana and granola bars and I'm forcing myself to drink more juice and water every day. I allow myself a treat or two every day...I just don't feel like it's necessary to cut out bad food completely {and obsessing over your diet often leads to obsessing over your weight}. I'm not going to go out to dinner and eat a salad or say no to dessert; that wouldn't make me happy...and I like to be happy.

As much as I'd love to be a fitness junkie, I'm just not. I don't dislike exercise, but it's often lower on my list of priorities. So far this month I've gotten myself both a pilates and a yoga dvd, and while it's taking me a while to get into yoga, I loooove pilates. It's so up my street. After quick-walking the fifteen minutes to work, cleaning bedrooms as well as the whole restaurant, running around the restaurant for four hours and quick-walking fifteen minutes home, exercising isn't the first thing I feel like doing, but I'm trying to fit in half an hour on my days off and some quick workouts before I head off in the mornings. I'd loooove to fit in more ice-skating trips with the mister and an exercise bike is on my to-buy list. Good grief, maybe I'll even join a gym one day ;)

I feel so much better already. I have more energy, I look a lot more awake in general and, without being able to provide much of an explanation, I just feel good. Next month I'm keen to work out a little more and discover some tasty healthy snacks. I'd love to hear about your favourite quick and fun workouts and yummy snacks!

pretty music videos

2012-01-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes all that you need to boost your mood is a pretty, creative video along with a lovely song created by an adorable artist. I always find Lenka's music so delightful and her lyrics so cheerful and enthusiastic, so I was happy to come across her music videos.
If you have a spare five minutes this morning, enjoy the pretty words and creative ideas.

tattoo tuesday : butterfly

2012-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today I'm joined by the lovely Jessica from Lovely Little Things, who's sharing her gorgeous tattoo with us ♥

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Hi lovelies! My name is Jessica, and I am new to the world of blogging, but already loving it. I am in school studying public relations, but my heart is pulling me toward education (elementary specifically), so we’ll see where I end up after I graduate in May. I’m a 20-something just living and learning as I go :) I'm all about picnics, laughing til it hurts, coffee dates, & bike rides. I have a passion for life, and I'm always up for an adventure!

When & where did you get your tattoo?
I got it done in Ybor City at a shop called 1603. Such an awesome (and clean) place to go for tattoos and piercings. I got the outline done for my 19th birthday (thanks boyfriend!) and then gradually over 2 years got the shading done and kept adding more as I went along. I'm extremely happy with the finished product - well worth the time 7 the money.

What's the meaning behind this piece?
When I was 18, I was at a youth camp and that was the first time that I heard God speak to me. Not in a creepy way, but in an intimate, I am His & He is mine kind of way. It's nice to always have this tattoo as a reminder :) The verse that is written near the top butterfly is 2 Corinthians 5:17 and it reads, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (ESV). The butterflies (it's really five shots of a single butterfly in flight) represent freedom and growing. The verse reminds me that my past mistakes don't define who I am today thanks to Jesus. Awesome.

Do you have any more tattoos in mind right now?
Absolutely! It's boyfriend's turn to get one (we help each other buy new tattoos since they're so pricy) in April...he's getting a lion on his chest. But after that one we plan on getting hummingbirds on our feet once we're married. His will be holding a key in its mouth, while mine will be holding a lock. We have them drawn up and everything. Stoked!

What advice would you give to anybody thinking about getting a big tattoo?
The number one piece of advice that I could give is...if you're planning on getting a large tattoo, I'd mull the idea over for a year before getting it. That way you know you really want it and have no regrets. :)

meet the sponsors!

2012-01-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Because it's my day off, Monday is my favourite day of the week...but I know that's definitely not the case for everybody! So for those of you who dislike Mondays, here's some lovely ladies for you all to meet and follow! I love my sponsors so much, I put some lace on them ;)

blog // twitter // facebook // bloglovin blog // twitter

blog // twitter // etsy // bloglovin blog // twitter
blog // twitter // flickr // facebook blog // twitter // pinterest // bloglovin

blog // twitter // bloglovin blog // twitter

blog // facebook // twitter // etsy

diners, bags & books

2012-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

What a mixed week. Work hasn't been so great this week but life outside of work has been just lovely. I'm trying to get into the habit of leaving work at work, but it's so easy to come home and complain about my frustrations, especially when the mister shares them since he works in the same place. Right now I'm just keeping it in my mind that work is simply work and it's my life outside of it that matters. And life outside of work this week has been full to the brim of everything I deem fun.

Taking a shopping trip with my mumma; eating the tastiest muffins you'll ever try and finding some pretty heeled boots for half price.

Making a trip to the tattoo shop with the mister and envying his spontaenous new ink.
Driving up to my favourite huge shopping mall; enjoying lunch at an old school diner, frozen yoghurt and fruit and the new Cath Kidston shop.
Treating myself to a pretty handbag and make-up bag.
Browsing the small range of psychology books at the library.
Getting through a book within five days, which I NEVER do anymore.
Hysterically laughing over my mumma's mistake that sticky toffee sauce was actually gravy that was poured aaaall over dinner.

What have you done with your week? I'm hoping that this coming week will be filled with fun blog planning, lots of reading, some crafting and maybe dinner at my favourite Indian, if I'm lucky ;) I hope your week will be an amazing one {it will be if you make it!} xo

sponsor swaps {february}

2012-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

I'd love to share your ad on my blog over the month of February! I'm currently accepting ads on an ad swap basis and have three different sizes to choose from, which you can find out more about here! If you'd like to sponsor Wake Up, Lovely for the next month send me an email at wakeuplovely@live.co.uk along with what size button you'd like and a link to your url. Can't wait to hear from you ;)

counting the pennies

2012-01-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I shared a post on my plans to experience as much as possible this year; lots of day trips, fun holidays and trying new things. I'm really trying to cut down on buying things that I like but don't necessarily need so that I'm free to splurge on things like concerts and trips abroad, and lately i've been reminding myself of the things I'd reeeally love but never allow myself to splash on.

Now I'm being even more careful with my money, because I'd love to own these pretty things.
Despite that fact that it'd mostly be there to sit and look pretty, I'd love an old school typewriter in a lovely pastel colour...I'd also like an old telephone too, but that's further down the list ;)
Curling tongs aren't a huuuge splurge, but I'd like to invest in a pair of decent ones rather than cheap ones that resist my stubbornly straight hair.
What I really want right now is an exercise bike. Sounds very unlike me, I know ;) When I used to {very rarely} pay a trip to the gym I would be in my element cycling away...but nowadays, I don't want to pay stupid amounts for a gym that i could only get to once a week, and I don't like people watching me work out anyways. I would be more than happy cycling for 20 minutes each morning while I caught up on some reading.

I'd also love a binding machine {again, a decent one!}, a pretty fisheye camera just to play around with since photography makes it way further down my list of priorities now I've left school and a new tattoo or two. Although, honestly, I'm always saving up for a new tattoo. A big piece that took two or three sittings and an incredible amount of detail would make me super happy right now.

What are you saving up for right now? I think the occassional big splurge on something you'd really love is a wonderful thing. xo.

it's friday, i'm in love

2012-01-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Besides fun walks in the rain, yummy granola bars that were expected to taste like cupboard, fitting in plenty of reading time and pretty vintages globes, here's a few things I've been falling in love with this week.

♥ this pretty quote

{via}
♥ this bouquet of flowers made from Harry Potter books

{source unknown}

♥ psychology books. it's been so long since i've felt like i was learning something!

♥ this lovely skull

Source: en.artlimits.com via Design on Pinterest

{via}
♥ puppies.
for anybody who's had a hard day. you can't be sad when you're looking at this.

Source: google.com via Stacy on Pinterest

I hope you've all had a great week. I'm pretty bummed that I have to work all weekend, right now the shifts are draaagging, but I'm excited to spend an evening in my own company tonight. Have an amazing night. xo.

ones to follow

2012-01-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

I've got an evening of planning projects, reading books and a quick workout in front of me, but I wanted to pop by and share some of my favourite blogs lately! I read so many blogs that I absolutely love so I'm planning on introducing each and every one to you...here's just a small handful! ;)

I've followed Carly's pretty blog for forever! Every time I stop by her blog I'm filled with envy over her amazing hair and a need to splurge on all the pretty shoes she shares. I'm not usually one to swoon over outfit posts but Carly always puts outfits together so well that it's hard not to fall in love. Her blog is full to the brim with lovely clothes, fun giveaways and her favourite etsy finds, so be sure to stop by and say hello over at Teacups and Bubble baths! ♥

I'd find it terribly difficult not to love Elizabeth's blog. Her outfit posts are always photographed stunningly and her life is full of fun adventures. I recently sat and read through {with great glee} the Indie Blogger E-course put together by herself and Tieka from Selective Potential, and I cannot recommend it enough. Such a joy to read! ♥

I recently came across Cheeky Cheeky and fell in love with Carmen's wit and the general energy on her blog! Her posts are always so fun and so well put together...her Top 5 lists make me laugh almost too hard, considering I am laughing at a computer screen. Cheeky Cheeky is so fun and cute and always the right medicine to perk me up. ♥

Ever since Amber shared her week long feature on better blogging {which you can find here!} I've been a constant reader of this darling blog. Her style of writing is so lovely and I always the love the little snippets shared on her take on life! Not to mention, her outfit posts are always pretty darn adorable. ♥

{all photos directly from each blogger's site}

Make sure you go say hello! I'm off to enjoy some much needed alone time!

life, currently

2012-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

READING : The first of six Psychology books I picked up in the library.
WAITING TO READ : The Exorcist. The Handmade Marketplace {again}. The HP series once I get myself the adult copies. Lee Evans autobiography. The Hunger Games.
EATING : Cheese and crackers. Bananas and yoghurt. Too much Special K.
DRINKING : Iced tea and orange & mango juice.
PLANNING : Holidays and day trips. A new etsy shop. Blog posts.
SAVING FOR : An exercise bike and a fisheye camera.
ENJOYING : Pilates and reading time.
LOVING : Pretty shades of brown, big mugs and morning cuddles.
LISTENING TO : Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys and Lenka.

I'd love some book and music recommendations right now! And my efforts to eat more healthy food and cut out my treats are actually coming along really well, and I'm enjoying the food, so I'd like to hear your favourite tasty but healthy snacks too ♥

taking adventures

2012-01-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ruts are such an easy thing to fall into. I like my little routines, but sometimes you just want to escape them. When your job isn't particularly fulfilling, it's easy to want to escape that too.

I can't complain about my job. For the most part, I really do like it. I don't plan on being a waitress forever, but it's a job. It doesn't pay badly, I love the company of {most of} the staff and it's fun to chat with customers. But understandably, doing the same thing day in and day out can get tedious. After thinking about it for a while, I realised I needed to get away. I'm pretty easily pleased/amused; a new book or a fun day out can keep me happy, but there's only so long you can go without breaking away from your normal routine. From the same walk to work, cleaning the restaurant, making the beds up in the rooms, saying 'is there anything else I can get you at all?' and the same old worksplace gossip.

I think even if you were in a job that you wouldn't change for the world, you'd still need a break sometimes.

At first I wondered if I could really afford all the small and slightly larger adventures I'd love to go on. Mumma and I want to take a short break in Europe, the mister and I are going to his favourite music festival for a week this summer and we're even attempting to save up for a trip to New York for this winter/spring. I also want to plan concert trips, shows at theatres and fun days out.

Sounds like I've got quite an expensive year ahead of me, doesn't it? Perhaps it does involve cutting back on a few of my usual luxuries...but what am I going to remember and be thankful for when I'm 50; the pretty new shoes I treat myself to on a weekend shopping trip, or the sights I see around Europe and a tour of the Harry Potter set?

What fun adventures have you got planned this year? ♥

tattoo tuesday : the long road

2012-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Tattoo Tuesdays do nothing but make me crave a tattoo. I spent my {very short and effortless} work shift sulking because the mister was getting a new one after a spontaneous decision to get his sixth...and now I'm going to introduce you to a lady who makes me even more envious because her tattoos are so darn pretty! I'm thinking of getting some lettering myself soon; Shalan's lovely pieces are great inspiration!

Meet Shalan, from The Long Road ♥
Tell us a little about yourself, Shalan!
I’m just a regular nerdy book junkie, painter, writer, audiophile living in the mountains with my husband. More often than not I’m on the road – traveling is one of my favorite things. Journey or destination – it doesn’t greatly matter – I just enjoying going. No kids, no pets (traveling really isn’t conducive to that sort of thing.) But one day I’d like to visit a place that I just can’t leave – then I’ll stay and grow beautiful green things and ride my horses all day.

When did you get your first tattoo?
I got my first tattoo when I was 20 – it was very exciting. My very good friend and I were both going through some things in our lives, so we got a little symbol hidden away on our hips (mine Celtic, hers Chinese) – it was like a secret, like we were conspiring in happiness amongst everything else.

Tell us more about the quotes you've had tattooed:
I’m addicted to the written word – so quotes are an obvious choice for me when I get inked. I have a Grateful Dead lyric running the length of my right sight – “bound to cover just a little more ground.” It sort of speaks to my love of travel – but more about my inability to be immobile. I have words worked into the tattoo on my inner forearm – “lay your burden down.” Although you can find this saying in lots of songs and text, I didn’t have one in my when I chose it. It’s just sort of a spiritual reminder for myself and anyone else that we don’t have to carry everything with us. I have a Bob Dylan quote on the inside of my upper arm – part of it is in a song, but it’s actually something he just said offhand. I just love the imagery of it. It’s beautifully melancholy. On my back, just above my left shoulder blade is a quote from Melville’s Moby Dick. It also speaks of adventure, but for me it’s more about daily life. Seeking the depths of emotion or looking for the wild and/or forbidden places in oneself – and not only being ok with it, but encouraging it.

Which tattoo hurt the most?
Oh, my. The one inside my upper arm. Agonizing! The words themselves didn’t hurt so much – but Mark, my artist, did several layers on the color part. It was like getting tattooed on a freshly opened wound.

Do you think long and hard about your tattoos or are you more spontaneous about it?
A bit of both. I choose the tattoos themselves very carefully, but occasionally the urge to get tattooed can come at any time – which will lead me to get either a spontaneously drawn tattoo from the artist or something I’ve had on reserve.

What do you have in mind for any future tattoos?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about getting some of my own words tattooed. I write quite a bit and would love to be able to get something I’ve written done.

Thank you, Shalan! Aren't they all so pretty?!
If you'd like to share your tattoo{s} on Wake Up, Lovely send me an email at wakeuplovely@live.co.uk along with a photo or two! Few things make me happier than gorgeous tattoos ;)

a charming girl

2012-01-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start off the week with something cheerful, lovely and unexplainably inspirational. This video made it's way round the majority of the blog world when it was first posted, but sometimes when I need a little pick me up I refer back to my favourite videos. My first choice is usually a video of me & my school friends lip-syncing to ridiculous songs or dvd's I used to make for my favourite girls birthdays, but sometimes this is just what I need.

The song is adorable and so is every tiny thing in this video, including the little description.
Just a little reminder to have a lovely day.

{Here's another funn video from Kate Spade that I've fallen in love with!}

a week for...

2012-01-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday! It's my weekend, and I couldn't be happier! Work has been driving me crazy lately so last night could not have come around sooner! I spent the evening relaxing with a book and went to bed super early, so today I woke up feeling so much better. It's a terrible thing that the bad bits of your week can so easily overtake all the good bits, because really this week has been amaaaazing...

♥ Celebrating my one year anniversary with the mister {and falling in love with my new little charm for the bracelet he got me for Christmas}.
♥ Suffering through a pilates DVD and convincing myself that it'll get easier.
♥ Dreaming of trips to New York with Craig.
♥ Enjoying a meal at my favourite restaurant with my favourite girls...and forgetting that Wednesday nights are Indian dancing nights {Cue barely dressed women who danced awkwardly at our table while we ate}.
♥ Losing my blog domain and making the decision to change the name completely.
♥ Being entertained with fun magic tricks at TGI Friday's.
♥ Watching the mister put furniture for his place together.
♥ Receiving the cutest little moleskine from the increasingly talented Kayla!
♥ Finding some previously expensive fancy boots in the sale, with HEELS. I never wear heels.
♥ Booking tickets for a music festival...Craig's favourite place in the whole world. A whole week of camping, junk food and not being able to shower, I'll let you know how that one goes ;)
♥ Booking ANOTHER holiday {byeee money, you've been lovely!} to Crete with my mumma.

How could I possibly complain?! A week filled with two exciting trips, new shoes, a new blog name and Indian food ♥
I'd love to hear about your week, I hope it's been a fun one!

Wake Up, Lovely

2012-01-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

Bonjour wonderful people. I love you for reading this after a lot of mix up with the blog. On Thursday a lot of people were emailing and tweeting me to let me know they couldn't get onto my blog; turns out my domain had been taken over and I had no access to the account that would allow me to get it back. Too much confusion! I switched back to a blogspot domain straight away, but after a little frustration I sat and thought about what to do. I love having my own domain too much to be katesirrelevant.blogspot.com, but i couldn't get katesirrelevant.com back.

For the past several months I've been on and off debating a new blog name, but because it involved changing a lot of accounts and my blog would disappear off of followers readers, I didn't. BUT, since it's disappeared off of readers now anyway, I thought I may as well make light of the situation! There's a silver lining to everything.

So, welcome to Wake Up, Lovely! I like the name with or without the comma; without to imply that waking up lovely is the best way to wake up, and with to say 'wake up, lovely, it's a new day!' Use it as you wish ;)

I hate to be an inconvenience, but I hope you all want to keep following the blog!
The updated URL is http://www.wake-up-lovely.com/ !
My new twitter username is @WakeUpKate
My new instagram username is @wakeuplovely
And my new email address is wakeuplovely@live.co.uk , but I'll still be answering emails sent to the old address for a while!

I hope you'll all update your readers, I can't wait to work on what feels like a new blog ♥

a workspace makeover

2012-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing so many adorable home tours around the blogging world lately that have made me realise how pretty I can make my tiny living area look. It's not easy when both your bedroom, your desk and your craft space are all in one half of a room...and I have to take into consideration that a majority of the pretty places I admire belong to those who are considerably older than I am and no longer live at home. But compared to how my half a room once used to look, I'm pretty pleased with how it's all coming along. I long to paint the walls a fun colour and I'd love to be able to put paintings up on the walls, and I'm certain that if I didn't share a room with my mumma who likes things subtle and neat, I'd have a room covered by colour.

I'm looking forward to playing around with my workspace more. I'm thinking about painting my desk a pretty shade, but until then, it's a happy little area to work! And I'm definitely learning to keep things a little tidier and more organised.

I tried to clear out pieces I'd had for year and hunt down some new lovely knick knacks, but I could not kick the habit of using mugs for pencil, pen and paintbrush pots. They look too cute.

{Sorry for the poor quality of the before photos - they were taken back in September when I had no camera!}

Today has consisted of an easy lunch shift, enjoying walks to and from work, trying to avoid picking at bad food but failing to resist a few chocolates, forcing myself through a quick workout {I'm doing well...for me!} and sneaking in a quick read. Tonight I'm meeting up with my favourite girls for the first time in a long time for Indian food...my favourite kind of food! Have an amazing night. ♥

tattoo tuesday : colours

2012-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

via

How adorable are these tattoos? As pretty as my coloured tattoos are, I'm reeeally keen on getting something full of detail, like the lovely little cupcake above. I have a few ideas brimming that I'm becoming more and more keen on {one of them being an almost illegible Harry Potter spell, but the mister has made it quite clear he will disown me ;) } and right now I feel like I need some fun and excitement, which seems to lead to a new tattoo every now and again.

I'm thinking big, bright and colourful.

{The winner of the Handmade Marketplace is Jess from Tenpenny Splendid {expect an email from me!}! Thank you everybody who entered, if I could I'd send one to every one of you! ♥ }

quick & easy blog schedule

2012-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

My 2012 planner has successfully replaced my endless pile of notebooks; it has become my go-to for my list of things to do for the day, it carries my shopping lists, the amount of money i'm spending or earning, people I need to get hold of, reminders...I'm in love with it. I still keep a notebook full of blog ideas, but having my planned blog posts for the week spread out all over different days of the week wasn't working for me. After reading Elycia's post on her monthly blog planner, I knew I need a way to see any planned posts for the month spread out in front of me.

An old blank corkboard happened to catch my eye, sitting at the back of my wardrobe looking a bit unloved, so I cleared some space on my desk and stood it in place. It looked a little dull and I tend to have an incessant need to make mundane things look pretty, so I used some Cath Kidston floral tape to decorate it. I printed out a calendar for January and jotted down all of the posts I currently have planned.

I'm a spontaneous planner; I like to have the necessities planned out so that I can do whatever I want once they're out the way. If I don't keep at least some sort of blog schedule, I would post crap every day of the week. Once post ideas are written up on the corkboard, I use my planner to jot down what needs doing for them and when, so I can draft posts way ahead of time if I need to, giving me more time to go have fun.

Fellow planners and to-do list makers, I know you'll understand my ever growing dorky side. The side of my personality that collects floral stationery, chooses particularly uncool classics from the 80's and Glee covers over my collection of socially accepted music too often and can't drink a cup of tea out of a pretty mug without the urge to post a photo of it to instagram...Tell me I'm not alone ;)

I can't recommend some kind of monthly blog schedule more if you're a daily or every-other-daily blogger! If a planner is more your style than an out-for-the-world-to-see memo board, you can find some amazing blog planners on etsy ♥

a week for :

2012-01-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

The first week of the new year has been for...

Having fun battling stupidly heavy wind and rain on the way to work.
Waking up next to the mister on new year's day...even if he was sleeping soundly while i curled up in cramp-related pain.
Making resolutions and to-do lists for the next year.
Offering to do the washing up at work so that we didn't all have to stay after work and clean up...and being treated to a sticky toffee pudding because of it.
Spending half an hour on a manicure and ruining it the next afternoon due to offering to do that washing up at work.
Treating myself to a new pair of jeans.
Taking care of a sick mister in the middle of the night.
Trying out new skincare samples {a guilty pleausre of mine}.
Receiving a cute book and some chocolates from my lovely brothers & family that live far away.
Trying desperately to ignore particularly miserable people who find satisfaction in making everybody around them miserable too.
Worrying about the mister while he was in hospital.
Enjoying quiet strolls home as the sun's going down.
Grinning at the sight of my pay check.
Debating future tattoos, making pretty bows out of tape measures and falling in love with a pretty house.
Treating myself to a face pack and a hair colour retouch.
Being woken up by a dancing dog.
Finding a new love for bananas and honey and Special K cereal.
Drinking too much iced tea.

How have you started the new year? With good fun and resolution keeping, I hope ;)

A pretty ring tree

2012-01-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I would wear at least three rings every day; sometimes up to eight. Big statement rings were always my favourite, but I loved a few dainty rings. I would spin them round my fingers for forever, spread them carelessly over my desks at school when they got in the way of writing. I used to feel naked without a ring. At work, they tend to get in the way. All jewellery does - sometimes I'll wear little earrings or one singular ring, but too often for convenience sake I won't wear anything.
When i'm not working, I like getting all my jewellery back out, rings especially. Here's a handful of my favourites.

The pretty turquoise rings on the right thumb and the left ring finger are from RubyRaeLove.
My 'Pardon My French' ring is from HelloAmor, and you can find it here!
The big turquoise ring on my middle right finger is from a little shop called The Jewellery Workshop in my hometown. My mumma bought it for me Christmas 2010 and it's my most prized piece of jewellery. I love it to pieces.
The little red button ring was a gift from the lovely Steph over at Femmena Mala, such a pretty little accessory!
My little pinky piece is three rings linked up, which cost me only £5 from Seven Sins, where I get my tattoos.
And the chunky ring on my middle left finger is my latest addition to my ring collection; a personalised ring from the amazing Mano Y Metal {I blogged about it here!}

I'm on the search for some pretty handmade rings right now, so if you have an etsy shop or you've bought some handmade jewellery from a lovely online store, I'd LOVE to hear about it! ♥

it's friday, i'm in love

2012-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

After what felt like a bit of a frustrating week I'm so glad to be sitting down with a glass of iced tea, with a pile of new clothes that have just been delivered sitting beside me and stress relieving music blasting from my speakers. Work hasn't been bad at all this week, but I'm glad to say that it's almost my weekend. I thought I'd share a few delightful things that have made me smile this week!

{one} lovely words

Source: sweetpeachblog.com via Kate on Pinterest

{two} lovely yarn bombing

via pinterest

{three} lovely curls

via pinterest

{four} lovely banana & honey - a new favourite morning snack

{five} a lovely song to remind me that the opinions of others don't matter

{six} a lovely house, a replica of the house in UP

via Hooked on Houses

I'd love to hear about the pretty things you've fallen in love with this week! I'm also head over heels for quiet work shifts, guylian chocolates, pretty red shoes, Special K cereal and having darker hair again ♥

{join in with the little things you love over on Lindsay's blog!}

DIY : tape measure bows

2012-01-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday to you! Today I wanted to share a little DIY that I first attempted at 14 after spotting a cute pair of shoes : pretty bows made from tape measures! They can be attached to shoe clips/pins for lovely brooches/blank rings/hair clips - anything! I love them so much so I'm going to show you how to make your own...You're going to need a few things :

Some tape measures of your choice {I went for some pretty pink ones}, some super glue, a stapler, some scissors and a few buttons.

{one} Before you cut your tape measure up, fold the end of it over on itself to decipher how big you'd like your bow to be. If you want your bow to be 3 inches in width, cut off 6 inches. Take both ends and fold them into the middle before stapling down the middle.

{two} Cut another three strips of tape measure of the same length and repeat the first step, this time stapling each new piece OVER the previous piece, vertically and horizontally until you have a complete bow.

{three} Choose some pretty buttons {or just the one if you like a simple look!} that decrease in size to stick into the middle of your bow, covering up those unsightly staples.

{four} Using superglue, glue down the largest button into the center of your bow, with any smaller buttons glued on top.

{five} Leave them dry completely before attaching them to any clips/pins! You can try out different styles using various coloured tape measures, fun buttons and different widths or lengths. I made a pair to attach to shoes, a brooch to brighten up a winter coat and a pretty statement ring.

2012 :: goals and resolutions

2012-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

When I was younger and certain that everything was wrong with me because every girl around me was perfect and I was simply awful {sound familiar?}, I was always making silly resolutions in the hope that I could change who I was. Lose weight, change my hair, be this, be that. Leaving school was the best thing I ever did on top of losing a previously horrible home life; I'm happier now than I ever have been, and while there's still things that I'm sure I'd change about myself {I'd be more intelligent, I would have a bit more elegance about me and my nose would be smaller}, I've come to accept that this is just how I am, and I'm pretty content with myself.

I still make resolutions and goals; it seems that most bloggers do. It's just a personality trait - I like to better myself and give myself things to do and plan fun things...and all of those things conveniently fit into a new years resolutions/goals list! I came up with a bunch of healthy habits I'd like to get into and some fun things I'd like to accomplish, along with a list of things i'd like to try and places I'd like to go.

After reading The Happiness Project for the second time I also wanted to try something like that myself, so each month I'm setting myself a few smaller resolutions based around a certain topic. January is based around my appearance...which sounds like an incredibly shallow way to start the year. I chose it first so that I could kick off the new year with a few good habits that were also listed on my resolutions list...like cleansing, toning and moisturing every morning and having fun with make-up again. I've gotten into the habit of a simple look for work, when really I feel prettier when I do up my eyes.

It's only been four days but resolutions are going really well so far! I'm trying very hard not to pick at junk food at work...I'm getting ready straight after breakfast instead of lazing around all morning...I'm swapping chocolate cereal for a healthier breakfast...and I'm keeping a really good attitude. I hope any resolutions or goals you've been making are coming along amazingly! ♥

tattoo tuesday : a new year

2012-01-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

2011 saw the addition of only two tattoos, plus the refilling of a previous one. Considering I have my entire life and my entire body to cover, should I want to, two is plenty in the space of a year, but it sounds like very little. In comparison to the mister, who got five and is already plotting his next inking, it is very little.

I haven't put too much thought into my next tattoo yet; I've always got a few ideas, but I like the idea of what new additions are to come in the upcoming year. It's nice to think of how different any tattoos I get this year could be from previous ones. Style is always adapting, my favourite colours are always changing and ideas for fun tattoos forever etched on my skin can often seem silly after debating them for a few months. The tattoo on my hip that I got not even two years ago would look completely different if I were to get it now, but I love it because I loved it back then.

I find it a lovely thing to think of what my skin may look like in a years time. Perhaps I'll have gotten one I'll come to regret in years, or a silly one that makes me laugh whenever I spot it, or perhaps I won't have gotten anymore, as unlikely as that seems. Perhaps something huge will happen and it'll inspire a tattoo that I'll always relate to this specific year, or perhaps I'll have the addition of another almost meaningless but wonderfully pretty flower.

I look forward to what tattoos are to come for myself and for my fellow tattoo lovers! I'd love to hear what you're planning if you're thinking of getting a tattoo in 2012! If you already have some pretty ink and would like to share it, I'd love to feature you on a Tattoo Tuesday post {just send an email my way!}

giveaway : the handmade marketplace

2012-01-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

I loved giving away a copy of my favourite book, The Happiness Project, a couple of months ago, so I thought for a fun new year's treat I'd offer one reader another of my favourite books; The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin.

This book is my absolute favourite when it comes to learning everything you know about starting {or improving!} your own handmade business, locally, globally and online. There really is everything you need to know in this book, with the added advantage that it looks really pretty sitting on your bookshelf ;)

Here's how you can enter to win a copy of The Handmade Marketplace! :

{Mandatory entry}
♥ You must be a follower of Kate's Irrelevant
♥ Leave a comment below along with your email address so I can get in touch!

{Extra entries}
♥ Follow Kate's Irrelevant on twitter
♥ Tweet about this giveaway {Remember to @KatesIrrelevant so I can see it}
♥ Blog about this giveaway {link me to the post!}

There are four ways to enter in total, so remember to leave a seperate comment for each entry! Good luck, i'll be announcing a winner next Tuesday!

hello new year.

2012-01-01T06:41:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to you ♥ I hope 2012 has started off well for you! After two weeks of being unwell I feel really good - I even managed a 12 hour shift yesterday. I ended up welcoming in the new year with the mister, and considering that it was last new year's eve that we finally got together, I considered it a rather lovely way to greet 2012 and say goodbye to 2011.
I loved 2011. I had my first date with the mister at what is now our favourite place to eat out. I got back into crafting and devoted more time and effort to the blog. Me and the mister got ourselves lost in Venice for three hours and ate the best gelato in the world. I opened an etsy shop...and closed an etsy shop. I unintentionally, but very happily, dropped two dress sizes. I added to my collections of tattoos, while Craig started his collection and went on to get five. I went to my first music festival and took a spontaneous trip to see Katy Perry live. I adopted an iphone which has been firmly attached to my hand ever since. I restarted the blog in August, which turned out to be an extremely good move.
I had an amazing birthday consisting of shopping, mini golf, pretty gifts and dinner at my arformentioned favourite restaurant. I visited M&M world, twice. I saw, and loved, the last Harry Potter and devoted far too many hours to watching the series. I got back into reading. I designed two tattoos for some lovely ladies. I made some amazing blogger friends. The mister moved in to his new place. I went on many shopping trips and coffee catch-ups with my mumma.
I went ice skating for the first time and loved it. I became increasingly dependent on making lists and writing notes. I knitted my first scarf and completely revamped my room, as well as my style. I watched my niece turn into a little three year old trouble maker. I became one of the Tuesday Tarts and loved every single Tuesday shift. And I became happier than I've ever been.

I hope your year was amazing. I'm starting the new year as I intend to go on. I always like to start the year with lots of newbies and this year is no different.
New blog layout, new hair, new art supplies, new workspace, new notebooks...

...and of course, new resolutions & goals...

I'll be sharing more about my goals and to-do lists for the upcoming year later this week! I'd love to hear what you have planned - any fun little things you're planning on doing or big goals you want to achieve!

Wishing you all the very best for 2012 - hopefully it'll be an even better year! xo

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-24T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hello loves. I finally have the internet back, although I am still sick and tucked up in bed for what feels like the 70th day. I can't say it's been a particularly fun Christmas week; after a throat infection, dizziness, headaches, nausea, an ear infection and a stress rash that has made my hands and feet twice their usual size and incredibly itchy, I've finally been put on antibiotics. I really hoped to go to work today, but it just wasn't happening. I haven't done anything but watch TV and sleep for the past week, how incredibly tedious.
As long as I can enjoy tomorrow, I don't mind too much.

I'm off to have a long bath and finish wrapping some presents. I hope you all have an amazing Christmas, here's a few Christmas wishes from some of my favourite bloggers :

{I don't know if the voices dismatching the videos is just happening on my computer, but I'm hoping to fix this little glitch!}

{sick note}

2011-12-20T06:29:00.001-08:00

You guys are the sweetest - thank you for the loveliest comments, tweets and emails the last few days.
I'm still sick, I couldn't go to work again today but fortunately the mister is taking good care of me. I have to confess, the last few days I've been pretty miserable. I've been taking two naps a day, I haven't had the energy to do anything but watch tv or read a book and I feel dizzy when I stand up, and it was all topped off by the Internet cutting out yesterday. But I feel better today. Not health wise, but spirits are higher.

I'm sad that I can't blog unless it's through my phone, but I feel like maybe I need this break. With any luck I'll be back to work tomorrow. Until then, cheesy Christmas films, lots of medicine and good company are keeping me cheery.

I hope you're all having an amazing Christmas week. xo.

{deck the halls}

2011-12-18T03:18:00.000-08:00

After a holly bush was discovered in my garden yesterday, mumma got festive and literally decked the house with boughs of holly. I'd been sent home sick, again, so I was pleased to at least be able to lay down with some tea and the Michael Buble Christmas album while mumma decorated.

Of course I couldn't forget to photograph my favourite kind of Holly, who we bought home 12 years ago to date yesterday.

Thank you to everybody who's been sending get well wishes my way. I have two days to rest, and as hard as it is to do nothing but relax, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Have a great Sunday. I'm off to bake some mince pies and draw on some shoes. xo.

quick quote :

2011-12-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

admitting defeat

2011-12-16T04:59:00.000-08:00

Today is a day for hot chocolates, bed rest and vitamins. I am down with too many germs. Yesterday I lost my voice and got really dizzy at work {have you ever seen a waitress who can't speak? it's funny} so last night I retired to bed by 7pm after stomach cramps joined the list of sick symptoms. This morning my voice is still croaky, I'm dizzy, I have a fever and my throat is burning. So today is a sick day; a day spent in bed watching terrible rom-coms and drinking my body weight in hot drinks.

I can't stand a wasted day. Not going to work is bad enough but lacking the energy to draw or write makes me sad. I'm sure I need this day of rest, though, otherwise I'll be sick for days.

I hope you all have an amazing day. I'm hopping back into bed for a bit. xo

Secrets and Treasures // She Dressed in Black

2011-12-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today I'm joined by the forever lovely girls of She Dressed In Black, who have got an adorable DIY for you all! How I'd love one of their Hidden Treasures books for myself! Enjoy ♥

====================================================
Hi lovely Kate’s Irrelevant Followers, Rhi & Lauren here from She Dressed in Black. We’d like to share this easy but beautiful Christmas gift idea for those of you who want to give something gorgeous and original for your loved ones without blowing the budget!

We are participating in a Bloggy Secret Santa, and the theme was ‘Second Hand’ – but this DIY is a lovely idea for anyone you know, we’ve created a bound notebook and a secret hide away from old books! It cost us all of £1.50 and the end result is too fab, we almost want to go and get a tacky trinket from a Charity shop and keep these for ourselves, don’t want to part with them! Here’s how we did it...

Secrets and Treasures Book Set:

For this DIY you need:
2x Hardback books (ours were from a charity shop and cost just 75p each! It took a bit of rummaging to find some non-descript titles with nice plain covers, worth taking a peek under dustcovers to see if a treasure lies beneath!)
Fabric scraps, buttons, ribbons embellishments (ours were all salvaged from our stash of fabrics from our studio!)
Old scrabble tiles
A4 Paper (quite a bit!)
1x A4 Card
PVA Glue
Prit-stick
Glue gun
Craft knife
Ruler
Scissors...

Optional:
Chocolate coins!

First we’ll show you how to make the Notebook:

It really is as simple as cutting up a lot of A4 to the right size (ie; covering the words on the pages!) & gluing them down with a Prit-stick. We left a few cool pages uncovered (ie; the diagram of a submarine!)

We’d also recommend cutting out a chunk of pages every now and again with a sharp craft knife close to the edge, otherwise the book gets far too thick, glue the pages together between the cutouts together to hide the rough edges.

For embellishment, using the glue gun we stuck down some fabrics and antique lace ribbon scraps wrapping from back to front and neatly folded over and glued on the inside. We then took some scrabble tiles (we have a collection of wooden scrabble style letters from Ebay, but tiles from the game will work just as well – look out for sets in charity shops if you don’t have an old one at home!) and spelled out ‘Notes’ on our cover. Et Voila. Gorgeous notebook!

Now we move onto the hidey-hole book. We always found this concept SO COOL as kids, you know in spy movies when they’d have guns concealed in books? The idea of having an innocent looking book on a shelf concealing secrets was too exciting.
For this you need to draw out some guidelines (use a ruler!), a neat rectangular shape inside your book (or even gun shaped, if you’re feeling brave/crazy!) and then using the rulers edge to keep it straight and get slicing through the pages until you reach the bottom. Be sure to leave a decent enough border around the cutout!

Next take some PVA glue and slather it on the inner and outer edges to seal it up! Place under a pile of heavy books to press and dry.

Once solid and dried get decorating! For this book we used some more fabric scraps (purple paisleys and black velvets left over from our He Dressed in Black Collection) to craft neat stripe and a bow (again using the glue gun to stick it all in place) some more finishing from antique lace and a paisley covered button.

Next cut a piece of card to over the embellished edges on the inside cover (just to neaten things up a little!) and glue down with PVA. Then fill the hidey-hole with treats!

There you have it!

talent show : the cozy project

2011-12-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to receive my very own coffee cozy from The Cozy Project; they are so well made, look absolutely adorable and, of course, keep your coffee warm. I love these cozies so much, I had a chat with Jenny, the lovely lady behind it all! ♥

When did you first learn to crochet?

My mom taught me when I was young. 11 or 12 maybe. She taught all of my siblings. Even my brother. Not sure he has kept up his skills.

I just love everything about your cozies! When did you decide you wanted to sell them?
Thanks, Kate. I made one last year for Boss's day. I can't remember where the idea came from... but she loves coffee and I thought it would make a great gift. All of my coworkers loved it and insisted I make more. I have a really great friend who is a blogger and she introduced me to Etsy and practically insisted I open up shop.

Any advice for ladies looking to open up an etsy shop?
Its more work and more fun than you can ever guess! Make something you love and make sure you get great pics. Also.. surely there is someone out there who wants what you make, so find a way to be seen.

What are some of your hobbies outside of crocheting?
I love music... I wish I had the talent to play, but I am really really good at listening instead. Doesn't entirely make up for not being gifted in the playing department... but I love listening. Live shows are the best. I also love being outside. Camping.. I go white water rafting with my siblings every year at least once. Playing with my niece and nephew. Quality time with the friends. My other crafty ways: painting sometimes, collages. Looking at art.

These are some more of my favourite cozies from The Cozy Project. Aren't they all so pretty? You can find personalised cozies, seasonal cozies, floral cozies, everything! They're amazing in both winter and summer when I change to frappucinos but hate having freezing cold hands after holding the cup for too long! I think they make such cute little Christmas gifts for coffee lovers, so Jenny has very kindly offered Kate's Irrelevant readers a 15% discount on her cozies!
Just use the code 'katekatekate' at checkout!

You can find out more about Jenny over on her blog, facebook and twitter!
{Thanks so much Jenny, lovely to have you!}

DIY : a modern tree

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

At Christmas I like slightly more traditional decorations. Mumma and I both like kitschy little things; old fashioned ornaments and red & green pieces. I couldn't help but love all of the pretty handmade trees I've been seeing over blogs and craft sites this season, so I picked up an oasis cone from Hobbycraft planning to decorate it somehow.

After it had sat patiently waiting to be customed for far too long, I pulled out some old white wool that I'd planned on knitting with once upon a time and wrapped it around the cone, pinning it into place every now and again to make sure it didn't unravel. I rolled some small balls from red polymer clay, cut each of them in half and cooked them for fifteen minutes {well, twenty. I have a terrible habit of forgetting} before coating them in glue and shaking a pot of red glitter over them. I superglued every glitter bauble to the tree and left it to sit around ye olde decorations, probably feeling a little bit out of place.

christmas cooking with the kiddo

2011-12-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today felt like Christmas as a kid again, I did everything with my niece that my mum used to do with me. We watched Disney's 12 Days of Christmas {I still remember every single word like I did when I was five}, danced to kids Christmas songs and made new Christmas cards out of last year's cards. My favourite part was baking Christmas cornflake cakes - so quick and easy for Tabby, she loved it.

We broke up two large bars of chocolate and melted it over a pan of boiling water. Once the chocolate had completely melted, we poured in two bowls worth of Cornflakes {Rice Krispies also work really well!} and Tabby stirred the Cornflakes into the chocolate until every flake was covered.

After that we spooned a small amount of cornflakes into nine cupcake cases and dusted icing sugar over the top. Using green icing I cut out two small triangles and rolled three tiny balls with the red icing to make a piece of holly for each cornflake case.

Such an easy way to bake with little ones. Next on my baking list is Christmas pudding cupcakes.

{P.S : I'll be working tomorrow night after a swap shift so the deadline for any Christmas Wishes videos is now the 18th, so you all have another week to get a cute little video in!}

{stocking fillers}

2011-12-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for silly little presents; things that aren't too time consuming, cheap yet thoughtful. A sweet jar filled with somebody's favourite sweets can make a great stocking filler, not to mention a pretty one.
At work this year everybody is taking part in Secret Santa with a £10 spending limit and I got one of my favourite waitresses. A little birdy told me she loved liquorice, so I went out and bought an empty sweet jar and paid a visit to an old school sweet shop. I bought liquorice wands, catherine wheels, allsorts, black and white whirls, and some adorable liquorice satins.

I set out layers of different sweets around the jar to make sure that the outside looked pretty and filled the middle with allsorts and wands. Finished off with a festive label, it looks pretty and colourful.

You could also choose lots of different sweets and fill smaller sweet jars with different coloured sweets. Because it's Christmas, I decided to fill three jars with gold, red and green sweets like coloured chocolate balls, gold coins, green apple wands & bon bons, fizzy peach hearts, red cherries and watermelon slices. A quick, simple and yummy stocking filler that can refilled with lovely sweets time and time again.

ideas to plans

2011-12-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

Now that the new year is drawing closer, I'm starting to think of what I've achieved this year. I'm proud of a lot of things, but I'm still not anywhere near close to where I want to be. I'm young, I have time to waste and fun things to do, but I'm also too ambitious. I work most days in a job that isn't going to get me anywhere but that, for the majority of the time, I really enjoy and I'm good at...and then I spend my evenings blogging and creating. But really, I want to be creating art every day. I want to be spending more time on my blog. I want to be writing every day. I don't have the time, and that's okay, but sometimes I really wish I did.

Today was a long day. Work was super busy, the diners were arsey and it took a whole lot of effort to not shout at the waiter who recognised how busy we were but didn't seem to put any work in and stood texting on his phone for the majority of the time. I finished two hours later than I'd hoped to, and by the time i get everything that I have to do out of the way, I'm exhausted and I don't have it in me to create or write or brainstorm fantastic ideas. That made me kinda sad today, what I would have given to be painting all day.

I want to start making plans again. Figuring out what I want to do with myself and figuring out how to get there. I have so many ideas for the new year and I really just need to buckle down and turn ideas into plans so that they don't just sit in a book without really going anywhere. And that is what I'm planning on doing tonight.
I'm going to eat, shower, treat myself to a tiramisu and a glass of Bailey's and plan away. I don't care how tired I am. Nobody ever achieved anything by putting their feet up and watching TV.

What are your plans for the new year? I'd love to hear what you hope to have achieved by this time next year!
♥

{pretty presents}

2011-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Wrapping presents has never been a speciality of mine - I adore pretty paper, I could spend hours wrapping away presents as long as they're either square or rectangular and I love finishing a package off with some ribbon, but sadly, that is where my talent for making the packaging seem more exciting than the package itself ends. However, I do greatly admire those with a skill for it, and I can think of few things lovelier to waking up to presents like these sitting under the tree :

I love the idea of using doilies around parcel paper, and the adorable big button.

Such a clever use for holly and cinnamon sticks; an idea I may have to borrow.

I love the fun use of wrapping material...and of course, the polka dot ribbon ♥

This is a great idea for identifying which gift is who's. Prettier than simple name tags!

I LOVE the idea of decorating with candy canes and lollipops, how fun.

I hope everybody's been getting into their Christmas wrapping. I can't say mine are quite so imaginative, but they'll be ripped open too quickly to even notice ;)

{all original sources can be found on my Christmas board on Pinterest}

Christmas all year long

2011-12-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Today I'm being joined by the lovely Ashley from After Nine To Five for my on going Christmas party - she's here to tell us all about her favourite Christmas tradition. I think it's simply adorable, and I'm sure you will too ♥

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Hi there! I'm Ashley from over at After Nine To Five. I was really excited when Kate asked me to guest post on her blog because there's one tradition that my husband and I have that keeps me excited pretty much all year, every year.

Source: janespapers.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Christmas All Year Long

My husband and I don't exchange gifts on Christmas. We started dating a couple of months prior to Christmas and opted not to get anything each other for Christmas. Instead, we moved in together a few weeks beforehand and decided we had everything we needed (in fact, pretty much two of everything we needed.)

That tradition has continued, and even more so expanded, throughout our relationship. We've yet to exchange gifts for Christmas, or even birthdays, or Valentine's Day even. Instead, we go on new, exciting adventures together or make a bigger "could-have-been-a-gift" purchase whenever we feel that it's needed/wanted.

Sure, it takes away some of the excitement from Christmas morning. Or the birthdays and Valentine's Day. Wondering what we'll be getting, anticipating it for days or weeks on end beforehand. But for us, it works. I never know when our "gifts" will come up throughout the year now. They could come up tomorrow if the timing was right. And then the week after that, and a month after that. Never knowing is part of the excitement.

It makes me appreciate my husband and our family on a regular basis. I don't feel like our true love is only expressed one day out of the year. I don't feel like the fact that we were born is noticed one day, or even one week out of the year. And I don't feel like we lose the true meaning of Christmas - spending time with the ones we love - this way.

Instead, we celebrate our love, our lives, and our family 365 days a year. And I've really grown to love that over the years.

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I think that's such a lovely thing. Unexpected presents are the best - nothing beats a little bunch of flowers 'just because'. And sometimes a fun day out is ten times better than a gift. Ashley and her mister have got the right idea going on!
Does anybody else do the same? Or is Christmas a time for you to splurge out on gifts? I like to give my favourite people little treats throughout the year, but for Christmas and birthdays I can't help but spoil them, especially mumma and the mister!

a handmade christmas // mano y metal

2011-12-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

I have the first of my Christmas treats from me to you today; a lovely discount especially for Kate's Irrelevant readers from the amazing Mano y Metal. Desiree, the talented lady behind it all, makes the prettiest jewellery, including personalised rings and bracelets that I fell for the second I saw them.

I ordered myself one of these fabulous rings with a daily reminder for myself; Be Peachy, the shorter way of saying even if I'm having a bad day, remember everything I like and love and remain in a good mood and a perky frame of mind {too long to fit on one ring?! ;) }. It arrived today and I am so in love with it! It fits perfectly and is so chunky and comfortable; not to mention a complete one of a kind! Everything that I have forever been searching for in a ring.

Desiree is very kindly offering Kate's Irrelevant readers 15% off their purchase at Mano y Metal, using the code "KateRocks" . Her jewellery is the cutest and these custom rings make the most thoughtful and fun Christmas gifts! Stop by her etsy store to take a peak at her treats...and remember to use your discount code at checkout! ♥

Be peachy today, everybody! Have an amazing Wednesday. xo.

If you sell handmade goods online and would like to offer Kate's Irrelevant readers a special Christmas discount, get in touch with me at katesirrelevant@live.co.uk! I'd love to share a link to your lovely shop ♥

if you have an hour spare...

2011-12-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

...and you have only your own company and some pretty music, decorate an old piece of furniture using cute floral wrapping paper and glue. I'm starting to really notice how much visually appealing objects make me feel happy. Everything we own should be pretty...so lately I'm taking the time to make everything around me look nice. Even the little things; tissue boxes, stationery, notepads. And they always make me feel a whole lot better than mundane objects.

Last night I stuck on some festive music and spent an hour covering my bookshelf with this pretty paper. It's so much more fun and colourful now, and every time I look at it, I feel a little bit perkier.

Make something prettier today.

oh, christmas tree

2011-12-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to decorate my workspace this Christmas, but I couldn't be doing with the long hunt for a tree tiny enough to sit on my desk without getting in the way, so I decided to make my own. Here's how you can make one too {pardon the iphone photographs, my camera is less than cooperative right now} :

{one} Twist a pipecleaner {or two, if necessary} around a pencil or a pen, tightly to make sure that it stays in place.
{two} Depending on the length of each pipe cleaner, cut them down to a suitable length and place the pencil in the middle of a pipecleaner.
{three} Wrap both sides of the pipe cleaner around the pencil. Repeat this and you'll start to see your 'branches' filling out. Remember to make the pipe cleaners at the top of the tree shorter.

{four} Twist enough pipe cleaners around the pencil so that you can barely see the pipe cleaner in the centre.
{five} Push one of your jewellery hooks through the hole of a bead; they should be flexible enough to bend into a hook using your hands. Do the same again with every bead. Then hang them on your pipe cleaners!

Alternatively, you can give your tree a string of colourful paper chains! To make these, I cut out a bunch of paint charts into thin strips, then hooped them together just like regular paper chains. You can use festive colours or pretty shades to match your workspace! Add a bow or a star on the top to finish it off ♥

{polka dots & cowboy boots}

2011-12-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

If I added up the cost of my entire outfit, it wouldn't come to even halfway as much as those boots cost. I'm a huge bargain hunter when I'm clothes shopping; I still think paying more than £20 for a shirt is ridiculous. The cardigan cost me £10 from a local supermarket, the dress was £7 in a sale two years ago and the shirt I wear over the top cost around £3. My cowboy boots have been my biggest ever splurge outside of technology. And I will keep them forever and wear them to death, and in the hopes that one day I have a daughter, pass them down to here if she's unlucky enough to have annoyingly large feet.

Today is another mother/daughter day, which I consider equally as lovely as boyfriend/girlfriend days. We're going to get the last of our Christmas shopping finished, enjoy a coffee and a chit-chat and spend our afternoons productively. What are your plans for today? ♥

sprucing up a home for christmas

2011-12-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came home from work and walked in to some kind of Christmas grotto, courtesy of my mother's imagination and need for everything to look pretty, a tendency she very much passed on to me. What I loved most about it was how she'd spruced up all the usual bits and pieces we keep around the home for the holidays, using the odds and ends found amongst the Christmas decorations ♥

This little plant that sits on our kitchen counter was made Christmassy with some cinnamon sticks wrapped with red ribbon, a couple of pinecones, some simple baubles and a sprinkle of silver glitter.

Mumma put some spare baubles in an empty vase and hanged a few from a pretty fake sunflower to make our more summery knick knacks a little more festive.

Some festive treats around vintage pieces mumma likes to bring home.

She also displayed our orchid collection with some gold tinsel and a couple of pretty pinecones. Here's some more peaks from mumma's lovely decorating and our family tree :

DIY : a little christmas house

2011-12-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

My first Christmas craft took me about half an hour to create and cost me absolutely nothing. All I needed was some polymer clay, some acrylic paint, an empty jam jar and some sifted flour. Here's how I made a little Christmas house :

{001} Roll out an uneven circle of clay to provide a base for the house, followed by five rectangles to form the floor and four walls. Then roll out a longer rectangle and bend it in half (not so much that it snaps!) to create a roof.
{002} Piece it all together into the shape of your house.
{003} Put the clay into the oven for around 15/20 minutes.
{004} When it's cooled, use the polymer clay to create pieces such as bushes, tinsel, doors and windows and a wreath. Shape them around the house to know that they'll fit once they're cooked. Cook them for a shorter amount of time so that the pieces are still relatively flexible. It'll make shaping them easier when you're gluing them!
{005} Paint the house and the pieces seperately. Leave them to dry before gluing it all together.
{006} Once it's completely dry, put the house onto the lid of the jar and sprinkle sifted flour over it for a snowy look.
{007} Put the jar onto the lid and put your tiny Christmas house on display!

etsy love : christmas

2011-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

It just isn't Christmas without some handmade treats :

a pretty ribbon wreath ♥

a christmas cabin ♥

a pretty banner ♥

a set of tree ornaments ♥

gorgeous stockings ♥

Share a link to your christmas crafts! xo.

{life in instagram}

2011-12-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

What a fun month November was. A new tattoo, new prints, new crafts and a new love of ice-skating. Today I've had a lovely day off work so I've been working on getting some bits & pieces done and sprucing the blog up for Christmas - what do you think? We've put our family tree up and our Harry Potter boxset has arrived so I've spent the afternoon watching the special features and making a sequin bauble. The evening will be spent watching the final Deathly Hallows and making some mini paper chains.

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet? I love it. ♥

on the first day of christmas...

2011-12-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

It's December 1st...and for me that means it's the first day of Christmas. I'm ahead on presents and wrapping them up, my workspace is slowly being decorated and the trees and decorations have been put up at work. My usual favourite Christmas songs are already on repeat, I've been reinstated as the queen of putting together party tables at work and I've even watched The Grinch already. Much to the mister's dismay, I am full of Christmas spirit.
I'm going to be hosting a little Christmas blog party right up until the 25th, so I hope you'll be joining me in the festivities. If you're going to be sharing cute DIY's or Christmassy treats, let me know - I'd love to share them here too! The next twenty four days will be filled with fun crafts, treats, discounts from adorable etsy stores and peaks into my holiday traditions.

I hope the first day of December has been great for you - I'm going to spend the night making a little Christmas tree with my niece! xo.

{pretty prints}

2011-12-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

I'm busying myself with work, christmas crafts and present shopping right now, but when I get the occassional free hour or so I like to work on these. I hope to be selling them on etsy in the new year {but if you'd like one, feel free to contact me!}

I'd love to see what you guys have been working on lately; christmassy things, art work, jewellery...I'd love to take a peak ♥

{november wrap-up}

2011-11-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

i loved november just as much as i tend to love every other month, although i'm so glad for december to be here. i can no longer feel a little bit ashamed about my eagerness to decorate for christmas and enthusiasm to wrap everybodys presents {that said, i've done most of it already}. i'm excited for christmas to be upon us!

here's some of my favourite blog posts from this past month :

a look back at old portraits ♥

a framed to-do list DIY ♥

a chat with the talented Nan Lawson &hearts

my first video blog ♥

my love for coffee moments ♥

a neglected love ♥

a safety pin & ribbon bracelet DIY ♥

after an easy day at work i'm spending my evening replying to emails, crafting for christmas and browsing cameras, printers and laptops. have an amazing night. xo.

the little people

2011-11-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

i've been stupid busy the last few days. yesterday i went ice-skating for the first time since i was 9 years old - i loved it and i'm actually proud of myself for not sucking at something deemed a sport. i can't wait to go again!
today i'm working all day but i wanted to stop by and share a fun little project that was shared over at Scissor Quirk a while back. i'm so glad Michelle reminded me of it; it's called The Little People Project and i think it's so clever and witty. i love some light hearted artistic talent, enjoy!

sunday links to love

2011-11-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

hey sweets. hope everyone's had a good weekend. today has been all kinds of lovely, another mother and daughter sunday. early morning coffee and shopping before the shops got too crowded. bought some presents and some treats for myself, not to mention a big basket full of craft materials at Hobbycraft. i have so many Christmassy pieces to make and fun DIY's to come. the rest of the day has been spent in pyjamas, crafting my little fingers off.

here's a few of my favourite blog posts from this past week :

♥ Mervi from My Best Friend Jules shared her favourite comfy treats, including an adorable apple cozy. if only i liked apples.

♥ Michael Ann Made posted a tutorial for a fabric basket that would make for an adorable craft kit for a creative friend.

♥ Kayla from Cupkay has opened up her etsy shop! so exciting, everything is adorable!

♥ Amber from Laughing With Broken Eyes has been hosting an amazing Week to Better Blogging. so many guest posters with useful tips for creating a fantastic blog.

♥ Alana from Sunshine and Bones shared some fun coffee related prints. oh how i'd love some of these for my kitchen.

i'm off to play with some cinnamon sticks, ribbon and candles. guess what i'm making ;)
xo.

{reading time}

2011-11-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

my book collection is growing with a new addition almost every week. i recently bought the book Geek Girls Unite by Leslie Simon on a bit of a whim after finding out that Nan Lawson illustrated it {which you can read about in my interview with her here!}. i'm quite frequently referred to as a nerd or a dork by the mister {not that i deny it. i own too many notebooks, i vote painting over partying and i craft in my dreams} so i figured it'd probably be an ideal book for me.
everything about this book is adorable. it covers every geek girl possible from craft girls to film fans to book nerds; ticking boxes in almost every category has reminded me just how much of a geek i actually seem to be. but it completely celebrates nerdiness, after reading it i'm even happier to recognise myself as a full on dork.
the book includes quotes from fellow nerds, some cute facts about geeky subjects and includes an endless supply of book recommendations that have all crawled their way into my amazon wishlist. not to mention, Nan Lawson's illustrations are ADORABLE.

i can't recommend this book enough if you fancy a light-hearted, fun read. everything about it is cute. if you've read it, i'd love to hear what you thought of it! ♥

you can buy Geek Girls Unite here : UK / US

little things i love

2011-11-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

the past seven days have been for : making tiny christmas houses. tattoo time with craig. christmas puddings at work. perfectly painted nails. walks through the forest. hunting for new books. setting up for christmas parties. having new ink to look down at. wrapping presents. planning new crafts. naughty takeaways with mumma. surprising the mister with a ticket to Paul Weller. already writing things in next year's planner. & enjoying my strolls up to work every morning. ♥

what have you been loving this week? i'm so excited for my weekend to come about, and tonight is for planning, brainstorming & sketching. happy friday everybody! xo.

{sponsor highlight}

2011-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving to my US readers ♥ i hope you're all having an amazing day. despite it not being a celebrated holiday here, today i'm thankful for quiet lunch shifts, ticking off to-do lists, finding an eyeliner that doesn't smudge and my lovely, lovely sponsors. wanna meet them?

blog // twitter // shop

blog // shop

blog // twitter // facebook // shop

blog // twitter

blog // twitter // pinterest

blog // twitter // tumblr

blog // twitter // pinterest

blog // twitter // etsy

blog // twitter // facebook // pinterest

blog // twitter

blog // etsy

twitter // etsy

thirty facts

2011-11-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

{artwork by CupKay}

i'm always so happy to see lovely new followers here on Kate's Irrelevant and i love my close blogger friends, but having blogger friends often means you aren't aware of each others little quirks and habits, their pet peeves and their funniest stories. i wanted to share a handful of fun facts today so you can get to know me better, behind the artwork and the crafts and the shameful amount of instagram photos i share. i'd love it if you shared some facts about yourselves too, i want to get to know my readers better! ♥

{1} if i so much as chuckle when i'm horizontal, i won't be able to stop laughing for at least five minutes. i also have a similar laugh to elmo.

{2} i'm incapable of lay-ins unless i'm completely exhausted. once a procrastination master, now i can't stand wasting time.

{3} my favourite times of the day is first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

{4} i have a really short attention span, i would have done so much better at school if i could manage to concentrate on an exam for more than an hour.

{5} my mum's love of flowers has become my love of flowers.

{6} people who blame their pasts and other people for the way they are infuriate me to an unexplainable level. you choose who you are and how you want your life to be.

{7} i drink milk like it's water.

{8} sometimes my mumma and i will play dorky mystery games on the computer. i can't play one without convincing myself that i should be a detective.

{9} the most famous person i've ever met is Steve-O.

{10} my nails always have to be round and perfectly filed. if i chip a nail at work it'll irritate me until i get a chance to file it.

{11} Art and English were the only classes i was good at in school.

{12} one of my biggest people-related pet peeves is people who say they've had depression almost like they're bragging about it. (i don't begrudge those who openly talk about it, i hasten to add, but there's a thin line between talking about it and showing it off.)

{13} i can't function without lists.

{14} my nickname at work is 'Peanut'.

{15} my favourite character in Harry Potter is Snape. followed by Ron then Sirius then Fred & George.

{16} i've had a girl crush on Mary-Kate Olsen for far too many years now.

{17} me and two girl friends once at a 12 person cheesecake between the three of us in the space of half an hour. i haven't been able to eat vanilla cheesecake since.

{18} when the mister and i visited venice we somehow got lost for about three hours.

{19} the only alcohol i drink is bailey's or vodka&orange. i think getting so drunk that you're sick/sleep with someone you don't know/can't remember the night before is one of the stupidest things a person can do.

{20} i've had the same hairdresser since i was seven years old.

{21} the sound of people chewing drives me insane. almost as much as when people eat with their mouths open.

{22} too often i enjoy the behind the scenes features of movies more than the actual movies. harry potter special features are my favourite.

{23} Abba will always be one of my most favourite bands.

{24} i would love to get a tattoo quoting There is a Light That Never Goes Out if way too many people didn't have them already.

{25} rollercoasters are my favourite.

{26} when i was a kid the gap between my two front teeth was big enough to fit a pound coin through.

{27} i eat two bowls of cereal a day most days. i love cereal.

{28} Kate's Irrelevant was named after an old friend commented that i love everything in life that's deemed irrelevant by everyone else.

{29} the smell of a burnt out candle and playdough are my favourite scents.

{30} i find it bizarrely necessary to take a photograph of every starbucks i drink. i don't know why i do this.

tell me something fun about you! ♥

tattoo tuesday

2011-11-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

i'm a busy busy bee today. i'm tired and achey and on my way back to my second shift of the day, but i wanted to share a little peak at my newest tattoo. i'll share better photos when it's healed up {i always forget about the healing process}, but thank you everybody who's left lovely comments about it on instagram/twitter ♥ i haven't told anybody at work that i got it and my uniform hides it well so it's nice to share it with you guys!
it was nice to be able to get tattooed with the mister, who enjoyed watching my facial expressions despite being surprised at how little i swore or said 'ow'. if you're wondering, it hurts. not as much as on the neck, but it hurts.

here's a little peak at a tattoo design i've been working on for a friend too :

"it looks like a school bag"

2011-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

i'm making a little tattoo trip today, but i wanted to share some pretty satchels that i came across recently from the Cambridge Satchel Company. i've displayed my love for these bags to both the mister and the mumma and the response from both has been 'they're school bags, kate', but i just love them! i want one in every colour, and if they weren't on the slightly too pricey for me side, i would.
{they're actually not that pricey, just a slightly modest splurge, but for someone like me who's handbag is three years old and cost £25, they seem a lot!}

the Cambridge Satchel Company handmake every satchel to order in too many pretty colours and styles; classic, designer, backpacks, music bags...they even do a neon collection.
if anyone feels like buying me an overpriced christmas present, i'll take a classic in yellow or brown please ;)

which colour and style would you pick? you can visit the Cambridge Satchel Company to see more!

sunday links to love

2011-11-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

today is for lazing, puppy attention and getting little bits & bobs done. i hope you're all having a relaxing sunday; the mister and i didn't even get out of bed until 10am which i NEVER do and it's put me in a lazy funk for the rest of the day. i have, however, had a sudden burst of inspiration and am working on my first christmas craft...couldn't resist!

here's a few of my favourite blog posts from this last week ♥

♥ Kayla shared a peak into some amazing moleskines that she's been working on.

♥ Kaelah from Little Chief Honeybee has released her PR + Marketing e-book this week. i'm about half way into it and so far it's awesome!

♥ Danielle shared a much needed pep talk on fitness along with some tips for staying motivated.

♥ i'm so glad Michelle from Scissor Quirk reminded me about The Little People Project, too cute.

♥ and over on B For Bel there are some amazing shelves decorated to look like skulls - such a clever idea.

i'm off to do a little bit of painting for the first time in forever ♥

december sponsor call!

2011-11-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

bonjour pretty people ♥ just popping by to let you know that i'm currently accepting sponsors for December! the entire month is going to be filled with a fun christmas countdown, which'll include some cute DIY's, gift ideas and guest posts. and as a sponsor, you'll have first dibs on joining in with the fun and sharing some christmas treats of your own! sponsorship currently works on button-swap basis, i.e. i advertise you and you advertise me! {if you'd like to sponsor Kate's Irrelevant but don't hold sponsors on your own blog, feel free to email me and i'm sure we can sort some kind of arrangement out!}

all sponsor information can be found here. if you'd like to sponsor me send me an email at katesirrelevant@live.co.uk along with which size button you'd like, your blog url and what size button you would like from me!

DIY: safety pins and ribbon

2011-11-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

happy saturday to you! it's my weekend ♥ after a fun shift of mostly standing around eating chocolate cake i've been sentenced to my bedroom for the evening while mumma has a little dinner party. i don't mind; i've got good tv, some biscuits and a carton of milk to keep me company until the mr finishes at work.
i thought i'd make a little bracelet to keep me entertained this evening and i'm going to show you how to make one yourself! i was about 7 years old when i first made a bracelet like this, so y'know it's gonna be an easy one ;)

{one} you'll need to cut two pieces of elastic string a little bit longer than your wrist before tying one piece of elastic around the top of a safety pin and the other piece of elastic round the bottom. use the holes to thread the elastic through; double or triple knots are best to make the elastic really secure!

{two} select some beads to decorate your safety pins with. all you need to do is open the pin and thread a couple onto it. i chose to go with simple black beads and pearls and chose to only bead about half of the safety pins i was using; but for a bolder bracelet, decorate every pin with bigger and brighter beads.

{three} thread your safety pins through each piece of elastic, again using the holes in the top and the bottom. alternate which direction you face the safety pins to level it out a little.

{four} once you've threaded all of your safety pins, thread a piece of ribbon/lace through your safety pins, weaving it in and out of the pins.
{five} tie the two ends of the ribbon/lace together into either a knot or a bow. then trim any remaining elastic.

alternatively, if ribbons aren't your thing, you can bead every safety pin with beads of all sorts of shapes and colours! these bracelets are so easy to make and comfortable to wear, and they'd make some pretty, pretty stocking fillers for friends ♥

have an amazing night everybody! i'm starting to get lonely, i'm hoping mumma will send in a slice of her homemade pear tart!

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it's the little things

2011-11-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

what a fun week. i can't believe it's already saturday tomorrow, but i get to start work later and it's my weekend following that so i'm a happy kate ♥

it seems the more i try to make note of the little things the more i really appreciate them. a huge majority of the things that make my days good ones are tiny, insignificant things. this week i've loved a whooole lot :

being praised at work because some customers had complimented me. 2am cuddles from the mister when we can't sleep. new make-up. starting a new book. a starbucks treat to cheer me up. tip day. yellow scarves. designing pretty tattoos. drinking soup from a mug. fun candles. when my pup forgives me for not being there first thing in the morning. shopping with mumma. red lips. working on prints. curly. getting christmas presents bought early. indian takeaways with the fam. pretty teapots. buying smoothies just because the bottle comes with a cute knitted hat. iced tea. & my pretty blog readers.

link up over on Lindsay's blog! ♥

metallic pencils and uniballs

2011-11-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

i've been a busy busy bee lately. on top of working a lot and christmas shopping i've been working reeeally hard on getting some illustrations and prints ready for my etsy shop. here's a little peak into my evenings spent drawing ♥

bloggers + christmas = an adorable project

2011-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

bonjour my beautiful bloggers ♥ today i wanted to share with you all a little project that i'm working on to connect all us bloggers this christmas. i want us all to come together and celebrate this lovely holiday with an idea i'm calling Christmas Wishes. i already have a big bunch of amazing bloggers on board, but i wanted to address you all and get as many lovely bloggers involved as possible!

so, if you love christmas and blogging, want to make some new friends and aren't too camera shy, shoot me an email at katesirrelevant@live.co.uk and i'll fill you in with more information!

you can join Kate's Irrelevant, Skunkboy Creatures, The Citybirds Nest, She Dressed In Black, A is for Ampersand, After Nine to Five, Tenpenny Splendid and a whole lot more of us in spreading a little christmas cheer ♥

a positive note

2011-11-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

share a little positivity today...

instead of dissing a celebrity you don't like over twitter, tweet about someone you really admire.

before you share a complaint or a caps-locked display of anger, remember that your followers/readers have to read it too. negativity is contagious.

remember how easily pessimism spreads and keep your unnecessary opinions and expectations to yourself.

instead of acceptin that the day is not your day, do something to make it better. you know what makes you happy, so do it.

instead of postponing a nagging task, get it out the way first thing. you won't have it hanging over you for the whole day.

it's easier to complain that you have no time, but making the time results in a better feeling.

before you go to tell your other half about your terrible day, ask them how their's was first. if their day was bad, they don't want your terrible mood loaded onto them too.

instead of throwing on the same old thing, make the effort to find something pretty to wear.

while you're finding yourself annoyed at having to complete mundane chores, consider the positives. once you've spring cleaned the house, you got a clean house.

when you're mad at someone for something they didn't do, remember all of the things they do do for you.

share a little positivity today...

found at sunshine and cool breezes

about tattoos

2011-11-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

"The tattoo attracts and also repels precisely because it is different."

Margo DeMello

"Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." Jack London

"I always look for a woman who has a tattoo. I see a woman with a tattoo, and I'm thinking, okay, here's a gal who's capable of making a decision she'll regret in the future."

Richard Jeni

"Ink to paper is thoughtful.

Ink to flesh, hard-core.

If Shakespeare were a tattooist.

We'd appreciate body art more."

Carrie Latet

"When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul."

Michelle Delio

"A tattoo is an affirmation: that this body is yours to have and to enjoy while you're here. Nobody else can control what you do with it."

Don Ed Hardy

a neglected love

2011-11-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

ever since i sucumbed to the iphone back in march my poor little camera has desperately lost my affection, sitting on my bookshelf looking pretty but only being used for 'scanning' illustrations and when my mumma requests i photograph her flowers. instagram is my camera's mortal enemy, but it's so easy and quick and edited within a minute.

my first resolution of next year : use the camera more often. i'm going to be working on a little album of photos of mumma's flowers anyway, but no longer will i hide my camera away for trips to venice and the occassional outfit post. it may still escape the privelege of being used on fun days out; an iphone is lighter and fits right in my pocket, but i've promised my darling little photo taker it'll be switched on and snapped a lot more in the new year.

but my shameful love affair with instagram will undoubtedly continue.

sunday links to love

2011-11-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

happy sunday to you ♥ i missed not enjoying a relaxing day off spent working on art & the blog today, but work wasn't so bad and any shift that ends in yorkshire puddings and a glass of bailey's is a'okay by me. i hope everybody's had an amazing week, here's a handful of my favourite blog posts from this last week ♥

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♥ Chrissy over at Whimsical Poppysmic got a blog makeover this week after winning my giveaway; go take a peak, the new look is adorable!

♥ Allison from Crafted Love shared her pick of handmade presents for men at all different prices.

♥ Stephanie posted some gorgeous photographs of her and her mister over at Take-Hart. her style is too pretty.

♥ Kayla from one of my most favourite blogs, Cupkay shared a peak into her workspace. i love seeing peoples' craft rooms and desk spaces, and her's is especially pretty.

♥ Tara over at Deer in a Bottle posted some amazing rings that leave adorable imprints on your finger. i'd so love one.

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i'm off to spend my evening sketching while the mr plays his playstation. have a great evening ♥

pretty blogs for a pretty price

2011-11-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

thank you to everybody who shared a sweet comment about my recent blog makeover! i'm still very much in love with & i'm pleased you all like it ♥ i just wanted to let you all know that i've also updated my design page; my blog designs in particular offer a lot more so take a peak if you're interested in a blog makeover! all of my work is hand illustrated and edited by me, absolutely feel free to email me with any questions or if you have any queries or questions! ♥

to me, happy christmas, from me.

2011-11-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

every year i love coming up with christmas presents for everybody; when i was at school i was joint at the hip with four girls, some of whom i'm still very good friends with, and i would spend hours finding and making adorable presents for them. this year my homemade presents are actually lacking, although i'm trying to squeeze in a few creative treats ;) i'm spoiling the mister and my mumma reeeeaaall good this year. every year i treat myself to a couple of little things too; y'know, things you don't want to ask for cause they're just silly little things.

here's this year's christmas wishlist to myself ♥

{one} i love these hidden teacups so much. a little pricey for a mug but i just adore the little animals sitting on the bottom. i'd go for the bear ♥

{two} a cute coffee cosy from The Cosy Project. i know i'll have to get one for the winter when i'll always have a takeaway cup in hand.

{three} How To Do Better Creative Work by Steve Harrison. i don't know what is supposed to be so amazing about this book, but it's had really good reviews and it's expensive for a book. (if you happen to have a copy lying around and have no intention of reading it, let me know! a second hand copy is just as good as a first!)

{four} a cute animal ring from SpotLight jewellery. i think they're adorable, i love the wolf the most ♥

{five} this lovely personalised keychain from RockCandyVintage. the entire shop is adorable but i fell in love with this keychain simply because C + K are mine and the mister's initials!

{six} The Happiness Project 2012 calendar. each day gives you a new insight into happiness and a new goal to make yourself happier every day. since i'm attempting my own happiness project in 2012 i thought this little calendar could do me no harm!

{seven} Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh. self explanatory.

{eight} this gorgeous wooden ornament from Artangel. so pretty. i think it'd make a lovely finishing touch to my bedroom.

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what's on your christmas wishlist this year?! i'd love to hear what you're all buying for loved ones and buying for yourself! ♥

the little things

2011-11-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

i must start keeping note of all the little things that i appreciate throughout the week; perhaps i'll add another notebook to my ever-growing list of notebooks to buy for the new year : a notebook purely for noting down one thing i've appreciate every day.

this week ♥ : sharing clothes with my mumma. coffee chats. booking tattoos. taking videos of falling leaves. filling empty vases with pretty fairy lights. using every spare minute to catch up on reading. making resolutions. planning the perfect christmas presents. having a long enough break to catch a starbucks with the boy. the she & him christmas album. 'bang bang bang' by christina perri. being made tea at work. bright umbrellas in the gloomy rain. coming home to little treats. family guy & the way craig laughs during family guy. bailey's chocolate. getting two knitted cardigans worth £50 for £20. planning places to go. making new pretty prints.

coffee moments

2011-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

after finishing a bizarrely quiet work shift early i settled down to spend far too many hours devoted to redoing the blog. being insistant on hand drawing everything has it's disadvantages, but i love how it turned out in the end. what do you guys think?! i'm still tweaking a few bits and pieces ♥

today has definitely been a day to appreciate little moments. lately i've been making more of an effort to make the most of tiny parts of my day; one of them being when i'm sipping a cup of tea, an iced coffee, a mug of milk, a hot chocolate. i hate to rush a good drink, so why not take two minutes to enjoy it?