A birthday

Honey, my beautiful assistant, offered to pose with a simple gold bow (which complemented her colouring perfectly) for a photo for my husband's birthday card. She gave him the card this morning and he loved it!

Day dream

Ikea Karlstad 3 Seat Sofabed
Ikea Karlstad Footstall
John Lewis Cushions
Muji Coffee Table
Habitat Rocking Chair
Unto This Last Shelving Unit
Anglepoise
Ikea Solvar Chairs
Muji Dining Table

I've got bit too much time on my hands at the moment, and I've been daydreaming about all the things I'd love to buy for my home. We definitely need some new dining chairs, but all the other things are purely for dreaming. We have two perfectly good sofas (although I don't like the beige colour..) so I don't think I'll be able to convince my husband to buy the one above. Although it does convert into a sofabed! But we already have a sofabed in the spare room... oops. I've loved that rocking chair ever since Habitat introduced it several years ago. And the coffee and dining tables from Muji are just perfectly simple. Must stop this day dreaming.. my home is already fully furnished!

Basically, if I moved in here I would be very happy!

Colour fun

I've had this jacket for a few years but have never worn it as pale cream just doesn't suit my complexion. It's a fine cotton/silk fabric with a layer of wadding sandwiched in the middle. It only cost £5 from TK Maxx but the brand is Dagmar which I understand is a Swedish brand and I always felt it was too good to give away. The label states dry clean only, but I decided to be brave and hand dye it.



I'm so pleased with the results! The colour I used was Rosewood Red by Dylon and I stirred it in the dye bath for about 20 minutes, then rinsed it thoroughly and allowed it to drip dry.



I wore it on Monday, but the temperatures have since dropped so I won't be able to get away with such a lightweight jacket until the spring! It will work under a winter coat though, as it's feather-light.



Since the original colour was cream, the resulting colour is quite pinky and warm toned. (I once made the mistake of dying a cream top grey, and it ended up greenish!)



When I took the jacket out of the dye bath, I threw in this jumper from Uniqlo. It was originally light grey with bright blue stripes, but the colour just didn't do anything for me. But I love it now and I've worn it twice! It's a mysterious pink-but-almost-brown. I'm so happy I have two new items to wear but I didn't pay a penny :)

Daily wear

My favourite kind of skirt is one that twirls as they always make me feel happy. I made this one from a much longer and larger linen skirt I found. I kept the pretty hemline intact and cut off the top half, gathered the top edge and attached an elastic waistband. It's really comfy and I'll wear it lots.

I picked up the cardigan from a charity shop this week. It was originally from LK Bennett (bargain!) and is more of a jacket as it's made from quite a heavy, tightly woven knit. I was worried the colour didn't suit my skin tone (as I've often been told that I shouldn't wear yellow) but I feel the colour is fine. In fact, I really like it!

Cardigan: Charity Shop

Skirt: Self made

T shirt: Marks & Spencer

Tights: Sainsburys

Making space

For the first time in my life, I have a super-duper organised wardrobe. There are drawers too!! Two Ikea Malm bedsite tables from the spare bedroom slot in perfectly. It's incredible being able to find absolutely anything I want and not having to sift through piles on the floor.

I've discovered that it's impossible to keep things tidy when there's just too much in there... so I'm getting rid of about a quarter of my clothes and have started listing things on ebay. I'll post anywhere in the world :)  Here are some of my faves that I wish I could keep:

Inspiration

I've added lots of images to my tumblr over the past few days. I'd quite happily move into any of these places.

Since finishing uni I've been productive and sorted through every cupboard and drawer. I have two boxes of clothes to list on eBay, and several bags of odds and ends to take to the charity shop. For once, I feel organised; it's such a relief to know everything is in order. The next thing I need to do is touch up some paint work, paint a couple of doors, and possibly paint the insides of the wardrobes. I've written a list of things we still need to buy for the flat (new dining table and chairs from Ikea, a couple of lamps, chest of drawers), and things we can make ourselves (bookcase, shelves). It's terrible having time at home as it makes me want to change everything around!

Glimpses

Since finishing uni last week, I've gone a bit skirt crazy and have made 3 skirts, and found another 3 in Charity Shops that need alterations. I made this one yesterday morning (from a men's shirt) and took it off quickly to take a photo. Little Honey couldn't keep her paws off it!



The brushed cotton is so soft and cosy...



It's just so comfy and easy to wear. I want to make 5 more, but do I need so many..?



I found this Anglepoise in a bric-a-brac shop in Brighton last weekend. It was quite a bargain and I adore the colour.



The sea air in Brighton was really refreshing.



We went on a trip to Oxford on Sunday morning and travelled via Paddington.



Can't wait for these home grown pears to ripen fully.

What I've been wearing

1st Row: Gap t-shirt, Charity Shop cardigan, Charity Shop necklaces
2nd Row: Charity Shop dress, Uniqlo Jeans, Dorothy Perkins scarf

I've always loved the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe: a collection of pieces that coordinate with each other. I'm not organised or minimalist enough to achieve a totally capsule wardrobe, but I do love to pieces that mix and match.

Over the last few weeks I've been wearing a lot of navy with coral and was so excited to find a scarf that incorporates both colours! I think this coat by APC is my ultimate dream, but at $560 it's likely that I'll stick with the navy blue one from UO that I bought a couple of years ago!

Film memories

I finally had a film developed that had been in my Agfa since July. It always amazes me how it captures details, like the sun reflecting on the lake above. It has come out just how I remember it.



I took a few photos of the side wall of Tate Britain that overlooks my college, whilst waiting around for a tutorial. The craters in the stone are traces of bomb damage during the war.



Cherry picking..



Daisies in my granny's garden, standing tall and proud, holding so much hope for the coming summer months.

Little things

Over the last few weeks, my life has been filled with miniature staircases and trees, as I've been finishing my final project.



It was exhausting; I've never worked so hard in my life. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family. One little person found it a bit boring and did all she could to get my attention.



Now college is (mostly) over I can relax and take things easy (for a little while)...



I enjoyed the last few days of sunshine before the rain arrived.



It's so nice to finally have the time to do things like picking damsons (although I wasn't much help and decided to take photos instead...)

Comfortable

Top: Uniqlo
Jersey skirt: Uniqlo
Bag: Primark
Shoes: Terra Plana
Necklace: Charity Shop

Refocused

Playing with the macro and iso settings on my camera.

Trying to keep focused and motivated on my project.

Less than four weeks to go.

Refocus

More reflections

Worst nightmare

Last week, my husband bought what turned out to be the most expensive of bouquet of flowers ever. £185 to be exact. And they could have potentially cost us the life of our precious Honey.

We learnt a BIG lesson:

Cats + Lilies = Potentially FATAL



Being a typical indoor cat, Honey is very curious (verging on mischievous) so when I put the bunch of mixed flowers on the dining table (which she never jumps up onto) she immediately investigated the new smells. I told her off, she promptly jumped down and scampered away, and I thought she'd lost interest. There was a single lily stem in amongst the other flowers, and at the back of my mind I knew that they weren't good for cats. I didn't realise they were FATAL, I just thought they were something she shouldn't go near. So I cut the pollen stems, thinking this would make them safer. I was wrong.

The following day, I was working on the PC and I could hear a rustling sound and I suddenly thought it must be Honey playing with the flowers. I dashed into the room and Honey bolted off the table. She knew she was in trouble. She jumped up onto the bed and started nuzzling me and purring, as if to say sorry, and I noticed a yellow stain of pollen around her chin and a little smudge on the corner of her mouth. (Even though I cut the pollen stems, some of the pollen had dropped onto the petals.) Without thinking, I cleaned it off with a wet cloth, then immediately searched online. Something didn't feel right. And everything I read confirmed my fears. Lilies are the most dangerous plants to cats. I cut out the remaining yellow stain in her fur to prevent her cleaning it off, I called the vet, and she was admitted within the hour.

Without medical treatment, a cat that eats ANY PART of a lily will definitely become ill. It may not happen straight away, but within a few days they will suffer renal failure as the toxin damages the kidneys. The most important thing to do it to take the cat to the vet as soon as possible for IV fluids. Some cats may vomit the lily up and appear well for a few days, then become gravely ill. It only takes a tiny amount of the plant to cause irreparable damage.

We didn't know if she had actually eaten any of the pollen, or bitten into the leaves or petals, but the vet treated her as if she had ingested some. Lily poisoning is so serious, that you just cannot take any risks with treatment. She spent three days on an intravenous drip administering fluids in an attempt to flush the toxin out of her system. When Honey is at the vets, she turns into a wild cat and bites, scratches and growls (she's a typical tortoiseshell, apparently). She had to be sedated each time she ripped the drip out of her arm and it needed to be reinserted, and also when they did blood tests. She refused to eat and didn't go to the toilet for two days. The vet didn't know if Honey was just upset about being in unfamiliar surroundings, or if she was ill. On the third day, they did a blood test which thankfully revealed full kidney function. We collected her and within five minutes of being at home, she ate some food, went to the toilet and drank some water. She was so pleased to be home, and we were relieved all her bodily functions were in working order. This morning, Honey had a follow-up blood test (involving another sedation...) which showed normal kidney function. The vet said that after 8 days it is highly unlikely that a cat will become ill, but it is not unheard of. We need to keep a close eye on her, but going by her huge appetite, it looks like she will be fine. Perhaps she never ate any of the lily. We will never know.

***

What strikes me, is that everyone I've spoken to since our ordeal seems clueless that lilies are poisonous to cats. People respond with, "I've had cats all my life, and we always have lilies in the house, and they've never been ill." Well, aren't they lucky, but that doesn't mean that lilies are safe. The veterinary nurse said that lots of cats are admitted with lily poisoning, especially indoor cats and kittens. Many cats that suddenly suffer from renal failure may actually be suffering from lily poisoning, but the cause is never found.

The question I have is why isn't this more widely known?! Why don't bouquets of lilies have a label pointing out the danger to cats? Is it because supermarkets and florists are worried they will lose sales? Cats are the most popular pets in the UK, and the majority of mixed bouquets contain lilies, so why don't people know about this?

When I have some time on my hands (in September), I plan to write a letter to all the chains of supermarkets and florists in the UK asking them to put a simple warning on lilies. A cat face with a red line through would be sufficient. Something that will make people think twice. From what I've read online, people in the USA are more aware of lily poisoning than in the UK. That really needs to change.

Anyway, after the events of the last week, I think I've gone off flowers for life!

Reflections

Reflections intrigue me. I like the layering of images and distortions created. I took these photos today, whilst taking a break from my work. It gave me something new to think about.

Moments

The second pair of Terra Plana shoes that I bought... shh, don't tell.



Spinning. My head feels so light after a haircut.



Progress on my project, but still a long way to go... Making the final model this weekend.



Evening glow that lasts only a few minutes.



My grandmother's giant daisies.

* * *

I'm taking a big of a blog-break over the next week weeks, as I'm in the thick of it at uni. Six more weeks to go *sigh*. There's so much more work to do; it's scary. But sometimes a bit of pressure focuses the mind.

Throughout August, I'll be taking part in Susannah Conway's August Break. I'll be sharing daily photos that I take, without the pressure of words. It'll be a refreshing break from my work and won't be too distracting. Hopefully life will get back to some kind of normality in September, and I can pick up some of my sewing projects...