by Carla Louise | Jun 19, 2011 | carlalouise |
I feel I have to post, just to say how inspirational and useful and generally lovely it was – is the first one I’ve been around for the whole thing AND been brave enough to actually take part – and I’ve found a whole host of fabulous people in the process!
Off to have toast for dinner and then going to go and catch up on all the links and followers 😀 So exciting!
(and I’m even more chuffed because no one kicked me out for being a lifestyle rather than a devoted beauty blogger – you lot are lovely!)
by Carla Louise | Jun 19, 2011 | Uncategorized |
I’ve had a lovely celebratory weekend so far – Friday night out with Lizzy for her 21st, wearing my blue hair… which was really fun! Then last night a group of us went for dinner and to the theatre to see the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, put on at the Chelmsford Civic Theatre by Springers . I didn’t quite know what to expect, but it was FABULOUS! Had so much fun – in the words of a friend, “I had a ridiculously good time tonight” 🙂
Definitely think I’ll be hunting down the film to watch, and it’s made me want a corset and frilly knickers even more than I already did – lol!
Today I’m off to Colchester Zoo with Mum & Dad – it’s Father’s Day, and Dad said he’d rather like to go to the zoo and visit Mum’s meerkat (a 60th birthday present from her office) so I’m taking my camera and crossing my fingers the weather behaves!
In crafty news, I’ve rejoined Crafter…oo! and am determined not to let life get in the way of me being active on it this time – likewise with a couple of other forums I’ve drifted from recently.
Right, best go and wrap Dad’s pressie and get ready for them to pick me up – pics tomorrow!
by Carla Louise | Jun 16, 2011 | Uncategorized |
A random selection this week… it’s been an odd sort of week but there have still been things to smile about!
- Today is Lizzy’s 21st. Squee! Happy birthday chica! Cocktails tomorrow… and blue hair!
- Corsets – I love them! Hoping to order a couple for the Fling and Heather’s wedding
- lying in the sun on the floor at lunchtime, making notes and not caring what people think
- being super-inspired for all my different projects and making tonnes of plans
- BBQing in the rain for my Gran’s 82nd birthday
- Rollerskating… I can still do it! Eeeeee! And flying round the rink is definitely one of the best feelings in the world
- 2 new members for etc – and it’s only our first exhibition! now planning lots of other things to do with it
- dinner with an old friend who now lives abroad – these catchups are glorious but all too rare
- seeing my advert published in an email *pic*
- my housemate finishing an assignment, thus giving us an excuse to go out for dinner
- the Fling is coming…
- hunting for cars for the rally – found a Golf which would be awesome
- have survived the day job for three months this week
- as mentioned in a previous post, the clientsfromhell.net and damnyouautocorrect websites – so much inappropriate but much-needed laughter!
- a girl on the tube this morning wearing the MOST gorgeous vintage lace dress, with her hair in victory rolls, bright red lipstick and carrying a parasol. I wanted to be her!!
- My blackbird popped up on my way to work this morning too – I thought he’d abandoned me since the rain arrived!
- My friends are amazing – able to improve my mood even if I’ve had the day from hell and am all emotional and rubbish. I obviously know this anyway, but it’s wonderful to be reminded.
by Carla Louise | Jun 14, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Today I discovered Clients From Hell. www.clientsfromhell.net. It was both hilarious and comforting… lots of creative people have to deal with difficult people on a daily basis! I can’t even pick a favourite, they all made me giggle… go look, especially if you’re a design freelancer or a creative in a non-creative business. I guarantee it will make you feel better.
After the majority of the day was over, there was a team meeting which I couldn’t make partly due to being not that useful (I’ve not been here long and marketing is separate from the team, so I wouldn’t have much to contribute to the discussion) and partly because someone needed to stay here and answer the phones. I did a lot of work during this chunk of alone time in the office, much of it design (because it’s SO NICE to have peace and quiet and uninterrupted time to really get to grips with an ad – it’s almost impossible to produce decent quality design work in a non-creative environment when you’re asked to buy cake or book flights just at the crucial point when you’re having a breakthrough with whatever it is you’re designing).
However, I needed a break and so I had a quick nose through DamnYouAutoCorrect. I had forgotten how much this cracked me up – and although there were only three of us left on the entire floor, I still had to hold back the snorty giggles… and dear god, I don’t think there’s anyone or anything in the world that has that hysterical effect on me quite so quickly! Secret weapon for next time I have a bad day, definitely!
In other news, I’m waiting for the estate agents to get back to me on my flat – they wanted fees of £204 including VAT to produce a new agreement and re-reference me so I can continue living in the same flat I currently reside in, once Julia moves out. I don’t mind paying a fee for this service, but that is a completely ridiculous amount of money for sending a few letters and altering and printing a mailmerge document (the tenancy agreement). So hopefully they’ll come back to me with a revised, more sensible fee.
Have been drafting Things that make me happy Thursdays, and despite having been in a really odd mood for several days now, there’s actually quite a lot that does make me happy. I must try taking some photos to go with those posts soon, actually…
After work I had dinner with a very old friend who now lives in Germany, and it was gorgeous to catch up! We chatted till daft o’clock, completely put the world to rights (at high speed – there’s always so much to catch up on) and promised not to leave it so long next time. 😀
by Carla Louise | Jun 12, 2011 | Uncategorized |
I’m having so many inspired moments this week I might just explode!
Roller skating makes me really happy… but I need to re-learn how to stop. However, whizzing round the rink at speed after 11 years of not doing so is the most fantastic feeling! Sadly, like my car, the minute I stop I feel distinctly ordinary again – there’s clearly something about wheels!
Have had a fabulous weekend celebrating my gran’s 82nd birthday – we BBQ-ed in the rain and laughed a lot and it was just generally really lovely – although I see a lot of my family, it’s rare to see them all at once for longer than an hour or so, so it was gorgeous. Had a proper chance to talk my latest business idea through with Mum & Dad as well, to get an initial feel for its workability – they seem to approve and threw up some very salient points which I shall go off and investigate over the next couple of weeks, but it was rather encouraging!
I have also been drooling over firebox and Corsets UK – the first is dangerous because I adore gadgets, and the second is dangerous because I adore corsets! Had intended to dye my pink one purple this weekend, but failed due to the rain – I don’t dare get bright violet dye out indoors (especially not in my parents’ abode, lol!)
I really must go and dig out my camera charger so I can get some photos into these posts – they’re not terribly interesting otherwise!
by Carla Louise | Jun 9, 2011 | Personal Development, Thrifting |
Ok, so I’ve missed a couple of Thursdays… this week I’ve been ill Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and off work Tuesday and Wednesday, so have had more time than usual to scribble stuff down that makes me happy.
- Weddings. I love wedding blogs, I love helping to plan my friends’ weddings, I love going to friends’ weddings. They just make me daftly happy!
- Inspiring business planning with Lou at the weekend – I think between us we might do the kick starting we’re not really managing alone while working full time and juggling all our other commitments.
- Skating – see previous post, I think I have a new addiction!
- Daft girlie films – Legally Blondes, Aquamarine, Glee…
- My blue hair had its first outing and got lots of compliments, this made me happy 🙂
- Slapa 2! For those not in the know, Slapa was lovely Les’s car (yep, an MR2, how did you guess?!) which sadly met her demise on a corner in Tuscany… she rolled. Les and Anne got out unhurt but Slapa is no more. This made me incredibly sad, but yesterday they posted that they’ve found a new Slapa, she’s silver and can have the plate transferred – so they’ll be at CAE with a ‘2! 😀
- Christina Perri. I have a bit of a (unrealistic, as I don’t do tattoos lol) style crush and I love Jar of Hearts. Which I very much wasn’t expecting to! Adore the dress she’s wearing in the video as well!
- The Pinup Body workout. I’ve not been to one of these yet, but Naomi happened to mention it and it looks amazing! Definitely on my to-do list 🙂
- A new member for Etc Collective, on the strength of our exhibition – can’t really put into words how happy this makes me. However this also means the pressure is on to find a new exhibition space!
- My vintage duvet cover – it’s absolutely gorgeous! And fits my floral/vintage room perfectly… and is so much better quality than I could buy new. And has withstood three hot washes without shrinking or damaging or fading. Perfect.
by Carla Louise | Jun 9, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Because I didn’t already have enough hobbies and things to spend my money on, I’ve discovered street skating. Or should I say, rediscovered rollerskating, and realised you can do it outdoors with hundreds of like-minded people! Have spoken to the lovely people at DemonXtreme in Colchester and from Saturday will be the proud owner of a new pair of skates with indoor and outdoor wheels 😀 They’re going to be standard white figure skates as I’ll still want to skate indoors too, but once I get a bit better again, I’ll decopatch them 😀 Patchwork skates ftw 🙂
So once I’ve got my balance back and remembered how to go, stop, speed up, slow down… haha, I’m definitely going to be like Bambi on ice for a bit… then I can go have fun with these guys:
- Easy Saturday Skate – two chilled out laps round Battersea Park on a Saturday morning – no traffic. Yes please!
- Sunday Stroll – beginner/intermediate level amble round London on skates on a Sunday morning. Welcomes quads as well as inlines (and I’ve never got on well with inline skates, much though I’ve tried). Again, yes please!
- London Skate – this I’m hoping to do later in the summer when I’ve built up my confidence and fitness considerably, it’s a Wednesday night street skate sticking to main roads with no hills.
- LFNS (London Friday Night Skate) – this is for when I get MUCH better, an intermediate/advanced skate round London on a Friday night involving hills and sprints. Yeah… as I’m fairly sure I’ve forgotten how to stop, this is going to take a bit more practice!!
- The Goodwood Roller Marathon – is on 14th August this year. On the off chance I’m a) fit enough, b) have improved enough by then and c) not in Nottingham sorting out the rally car that weekend, I may possibly try one of the mini races. There is no way in hell I’ll be able to do the 22 miles, but may aim for that in 2012 as skating round a race track has to be a particularly awesome thing to do 😀
Yay 😀
Oh, and I’d love to go and see the London Rollergirls in action, but can’t see me ever joining a Derby team – could definitely get addicted to watching though!
by Carla Louise | Jun 7, 2011 | Uncategorized |
So after a lovely inspiring weekend with Lou, I sniffled my way through a dreary Monday at work (it rained, I’d forgotten my umbrella, it was rubbish) and have spent today curled up indoors with an entire box of tissues and what feels like half of Boots. I’ve drunk at least a bottle of some concoction which tastes foul but is helping the spiky feeling all down my throat. Yeurgh.
In other, happier, news, Lou and I bought some exciting books which should arrive the same day, so we can give each other a kick when we lose motivation. This is a Good Thing. Lots of plans for vintagey goodness going on, for sometime next summer… but these things take time to plan!
I also took my blue hair out for its first proper public outing on Sunday, just for a wander round Reading but got some lovely comments and approving looks – it beats going out with unwashed hair, that’s for sure! Only downside is that I keep doing double takes every time I catch a glimpse of it… it’s very blue!
I made it slightly more normal with a headband – but def think I’ll wear it again! Also bought some purple dye for my pink corset – that’s this weekend’s task, so I have a corset to wear for the Fling 😀 Then I just have to work out what I’m wearing to Heather’s wedding and I’m sorted!
🙂
by Carla Louise | Jun 2, 2011 | Uncategorized |
My world has been full of celebrations recently, as the 26th of May was my Mum’s 60th birthday 🙂 She and I and Dad marked the actual day by going out for dinner, and we had a massive party at Forrester Park on the bank holiday weekend to celebrate with family and friends.
Here she is, with her frankly amazing cake:
Doesn’t she look gorgeous and happy?
There was much catching up and happiness – we saw new friends, old friends and family, all equally loved and it was beyond fabulous to have everyone there – if any of you are reading this, we love you even more for coming!
Here are a couple more photos –
Mum and Dad with me and their ‘other daughter’ Julia 🙂
Claire and I – we’ve known each oher since we were born and we don’t see each other nearly as much as we should!
And my favourite of the whole evening I think – Mum and Dad look so happy, and Will and Cally are there in the foreground too – without them, especially Cally’s organising skills, the party wouldn’t have happened at all. And it was a glorious way to mark Mum’s big birthday!
🙂
xx
by Carla Louise | May 30, 2011 | carlalouise |
I spend so much time drafting blogs by hand in my lunch hours and on the train, with a pencil and paper, that I might start scanning them instead of typing my posts!
With the Etc exhibition ‘Reading Matter’ having just gone up, and my obsession with stationery and writing letters as strong as ever, I thought I’d round up some of my writing-related finds on the interweb 🙂
- Smythson stationery – I love it, it makes me happy but it’s so expensive I don’t own anywhere near as much of it as I’d like to
- Downey & Co – these guys make the MOST gorgeous invitations among many other things. One day I’m going to have the mother of all party invitations custom-made by Leo & Joe!
- The Paperie – beautiful journals, notecards, stationery in one droolworthy online shop!
- Moleskine – among my most favourite notebooks, there’s one in almost every handbag I own
I’m a bit short on photos this post, will try to add some this evening – on limited connectivity at Gran’s house and it takes *forever* to upload 🙁
I have several friends with whom I exchange regular letters as well as emailing, texting and phoning; and there really isn’t anything quite like the feeling of receiving a real handwritten letter to read on the train in the morning – instant happiness!
Another project up my sleeve for later this year is The Postcard Project, more about that in another post.
Right, off to town with Mum to add to my fabric stash 🙂
by Carla Louise | May 22, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Stupidly late this week, and in two parts – here are some of the things that made me smile this week 🙂
- making a lady’s day by telling her (truthfully) her dress looked fab on her
- crocheting in a golf club!
- the entirely unexpected beauty of the Pitt-Rivers & Natural History museum in Oxford
Just look at that ceiling.
“I’m late! I’m late!”
- Mollie Makes magazine – I treated myself to the first issue after a particularly tough day at work and it transformed my journey home into an hour of pure happiness!
- Visiting my old school briefly, and realising just how far I’ve come since those days
- Strawberries and Cornish clotted cream. In individual portions. In the Tesco next door to my day job. Win.
Lunchtimes don’t get any better than this.
Part two on Tuesday (yes, I know, that’s more than halfway to NEXT Thursday) when I’ve had a chance to get the pics off my phone – I’m using it as a photographic notebook more and more these days!
by Carla Louise | May 14, 2011 | Adventures |
I’m sure life has got more mad since I started blogging about it! I’m very aware I still need to sort out the header for this blog and switch my links and thinks across from the Blogger account they’re currently pointing to. I hear Blogger’s had some problems – I haven’t actually posted there in well over a month so am hoping I won’t have lost anything; massively sympathise with those who blog regularly and may have lost stuff though, it’s not good.
I spent a lot of time with other cars like this last weekend… (that’s me with Poppy, my car) drove (roof down in the dark, it was faaaaaabulous) up to Nottingham after work on Friday (my London colleagues definitely think I’m mental now if they didn’t before; the majority of them don’t have cars and they cannot understand why I’d do that!), and drove across to Wrexham for my car club’s Spring Ding Day on Saturday. Went in his car not mine, which was absolutely fine until we started lining up cars for photos, then I wished I’d brought Poppy with me (not least because for once she was actually cleanish!) But was great to be a passenger – you’d think I’d never seen a sports car before, let alone own one *blush*.
We defeated the rain and got there in one piece, had a gorgeous day chatting and drooling over each others’ cars and going for drives – and then instead of taking me for a drive, lovely Phil let me drive his S2000 which ticked off one of the things on my List… it’s the one on the right for those of you less car-addicted than me 🙂
Then we got out some string, and spent lots of time shouting instructions at each other. The result?
(Stole these photos from Lynne, I’ll get mine up in next couple of days but am stranded minus camera or card reader at Mum & Dad’s this weekend!)
Yeah… I love my car and the people in my club 😀 We’re all ridiculous about our cars, but it’s a great atmosphere, everyone’s friendly regardless of whether you’re a new owner or a veteran, and I’m definitely in the inner circle now – I get insulted with a smile! 🙂
This weekend I’m on my way to the Pitt-Rivers museum in Oxford to see the Wilfred Thesiger Africa exhibition, long journey there and back but I think it’ll be really good.
So I should probably head for bed – sweet dreams all!
PS I’ve discovered and become addicted to Pinterest – more on that later!
