by Carla Louise | Jan 1, 2012 | Photography |
I didn’t make an official list of resolutions for 2011, because I had The List to work through instead… I think I’ve done fairly well with those, not sure on the exact number but I think I’ve crossed off between 50 and 60 things on it, which is at least one a week!
2011’s been an incredible year. Unexpected highs and unexpected lows… but for the most part, the highs have outweighed the lows. It’s been amazing… I hope 2012 has as many highs (and fewer, less sideswiping lows, please).
January: An unexpected interview for a new job; Rob called to ask if I wanted to go on a European rally in September; utterly ridiculous snow;
February: My 25th birthday with friends in Colchester; ballet with Emily; got my sunrise lamp which changed my life (or at least my getting up in the morning);
March: I started the new job from hell (i like it now, but I endured months of it before that became the case); gorgeous and very touching leaving drinks from the library;
April: Julia and Ed got engaged; RSVP event; decent amount of crafting and car booting; Wells with uni girlies and Caitlin;
May: Rally planning started in earnest; Spring Ding Day with ROC; drove an S2000; golf day with work so accidental trip to see Hannah; blue hair; Mum’s 60th party;
June: Gran’s birthday BBQ and pool party; took up roller skating again; Colchester zoo for Father’s Day; theatre with the girls from the library;
July: Nick passed away; Open golf at Deal & Sandwich; the Fling, a perfect thing; CAE; vintage typewriters came to live with me.
August: Julia moved out, meaning I lived alone for the first time; I put up bookshelves all by myself; a whole week of sorting and socialising; last bits of rally prep.
September: R2R 2011; first Curiosity Project; surprised Judy for her 60th birthday; Poppy’s 6-week-overdue MOT; planning for Teasets to Typerwriters
October: Launch of Project Pin Up; Katerina returned; corsets; swishy hair;
November: Mad happenings at work; Bonfire night with the family; first visit to Stratford; Mum & Dad’s 38th anniversary; staycation with Annie;
December: Made a friend who lives in the flat downstairs; old and new work Christmas parties; vintage tea party at Lou’s; carol service with Caroline’s choir; champagne brunch at 8.30am with the team; Christmas; new year in Nottingham!
I’m sure I’ve forgotten some stuff, but so much has happened there’s no way I’ll pack it all in to one post. I am intending to keep track of everything better this year on the blog 🙂
Significant events in the lives of my friends (and people I know):
Engagements: Julia & Ed; Sophia & Jon; Tom & Cat; (plus Georgie Hall, Mandy Sohal, Danni Cooper, Laura Hinchliffe, Kelly Savage, Rachel (SHF), Rachel Daw, Chris Freeman; Justine Boehm, Jared Cooksey, M-C Savage; Rebecca Davies; Steph Cluett) = 16 (olus some Christmas ones I’ve probably forgotten)
Weddings: Heather & Steve Tilley (Shephard); Dan & Jo Morgan (Hill); Paul & Claire Jameson (Gratton); Sathya; Pippa Milner (Govett) = 5 (plus I’m sure I’ve forgotten some)
Babies: Anastasia & Nick’s Zoe; Georgia & Ian’s Delilah; Paul & Abby’s Joseph; Paul & Claire’s Shaun; Debbie & Ste’s Elizabeth; Emma & James’s Jacob; Kelly & Shaun’s Finlay; Louise & hubby’s Finley; Steve & Zoe’s Thea; Jarod & Tara’s Hayden = 10 (plus almost definitely some more)
Pregnancies (due in 2012): Krissie Budworth, Jacqui Dowsett = 2
So there’s a roundup of sorts… the stand out moment of the year is of course R2R, from a vague ‘yeah, why not’ to the prep and then the acual trip, it gave me a new sense of perspective on myself and on life, and made me a muchly happy Carla!
Thanks for reading and for all the support and love you guys have given me in 2011, it’s muchly appreciated! Here’s to 2012… and if you guys have done roundup posts I’d love to see them, tweet me or post them in the comments 🙂
xx
by Carla Louise | Dec 21, 2011 | Photography |
I’m heading home to Mum & Dad’s for Christmas on Saturday morning, and I was thinking how happy going home makes me. I love my flat and my independence, but there really is no place like home at Christmas time.
Some of the things in their flat that make me happy (and all of which I hope will move to their new place in the new year, so it feels like home still!)
Dad playing his guitar… one day I’ll learn too 🙂
It’s five o’ clock somewhere… an Alan Jackson song and unarguably the truth! Mmm… cocktails.
Continuing with signs (see where I get it from? I’ll have to do a post about mine one day) – Tabasco ‘hot stuff’. I don’t actually like the stuff, but Mum and Dad are almost addicts 😛 They put it with everything, including breakfast.
Some of Mum’s camel collection and the cross stitch I made for her 60th birthday. To date this is the only cross stitch I’ve finished!!
My graduation photo. Like a million others across the country I’m sure, but I’m chuffed they keep it in their living room 🙂
And last but by no means least, the very awesome knitted Aleksandr, made for Mum by one of her (talented) friends – isn’t he fabulous?! Simples!
by Carla Louise | Dec 11, 2011 | Collecting, Photography |
A little peek into my flat and the pretty things in it that make me happy.
Parts of my bookshelves – A collection of glass bottles, a couple of unicorn ornaments (the one on the right is from Poland, when we went to Krakow for a friend’s hen weekend), photos of Ellie and I and Julia and I, some ducks, a Meakin jug and my favourite thing on this shelf, an original painting by the very talented Chloe at Slightly Triangle. Plus a china duck and a western boot on the shelf above.
The bookshelf to the left (I have three across the back wall of my living room). Gil Elvgren’s pin ups take pride of place among the books, and on the top are some of my vintage treasures. Some of these were bought for Teasets to Typewriters and will form part of the stock when I eventually launch. The Whistlejacket print is not going anywhere, though!
‘Home’ applique and vintage glass candle holders adorning the top of my heater. I stitched this entirely freehand and it was the first bit of hand sewing I’d done in over a decade 🙂
My ‘mantelpiece’ – clearly, being a flat, I don’t have an actual one but this stands in quite well. Full of coffee table books and my vintage china. Then photos (Holly and I, Hannah, Lou and I, a framed Jane Austen quote, Ellie and I on horseback on the beach) and some vintage tins. On the top – a daylight lamp I use when I’m cross stitching, a painting I picked up in an antique shop, a photo of me and my childhood dog Tui, more glass bottles, Singer sewing machine, Rusty’s number plate, more vintage tins, a photo of the rally teams in Sibiu, candle holders and a china horse. 🙂
Juxtaposition of old and new – my old (but working!) landline phone and my Bluetooth headset for my mobile, which both live on my hall table.
And into my bedroom – the ballet print and pairs of pointe shoes that hang above my bed, the vertical patchwork I made last year to hang on the big blank wall above my clothes rails, and my jewellery board (next to my door, so I can grab stuff on the way out!)
by Carla Louise | Dec 10, 2011 | Food & Baking, Photography |
Last weekend I traversed down to Reading (complete with Rusty’s vintage suitcase, pretty shoes and vintage-style party dresses) for a weekend with one of my best friends. She just happens to be behind Contrariety Rose (new site almost done! I’m working on the last bits!) and organised a vintage tea party for a few people while I was down there. It’s always wonderful to see Lou, but this was a specially exciting prospect after a fairly hideous week!
We went to a vintage fair at the Hexagon first (I bought a headscarf “for wearing in a sportscar”, said the lady at the stall. I couldn’t not buy it after that, could I?!) and Lou found this lovely little dress. Rachel found a beautiful 60s shift dress but I couldn’t get a photo 🙁
And here is Lou (first pic) and me (second pic) next to where we’d set out all the bits and pieces…
Tea party details:
Cucumber hearts and lollipop sandwiches from the Vintage Tea Party Book:
Cakes made by Lou’s partner’s mum – a Contrariety Rose cake and lovely little sparkly fairy cakes:
And the forks that made me think of the Mad Hatter’s tea party – there’s something wonderfully Alice-ish about them!
It was a fabulous afternoon, and so lovely to see all the girls – some of them I hadn’t seen since 2007, and a couple not properly since school. It was gorgeous! 😀
by Carla Louise | Nov 27, 2011 | Creating, Photography |
Anna and I had planned to go away for a few days in September, then October, and kept getting thwarted. November arrived, the time was booked off work, but neither of us had the money (or the energy) to go away away. So we decided to crash at my flat for a few days, do some shopping, make stuff, watch DVDs, eat lots… generally have an extended relaxing weekend 🙂
We wrote to Santa while looking at Christmas decorations:
Saw a helicopter tree I desperately want to buy for my parents:
Fell in love with some tree shaped sparkly lights: 
Found some flashing tits for Anna *gigglesnort*:
And I made a wreath. Here’s me pretending it’s a halo (sure. but I can pretend!) 
We visited Sudbury and had a lovely wander round all the shops there, and I also bought some vintage Pyrex bowls (squee!), some books and chocolate from the Cadburys factory shop. Can’t be bad. Was gorgeous to see her, fab to have four days in a row off work and when I go back I shall feel refreshed and hopefully at least a little bit enthusiastic! 😀
You can follow lovely Annie on Twitter – twitter.com/AnnaZEV
by Carla Louise | Nov 13, 2011 | Adventures, Collecting, Photography |
So, I had every intention of participating in the One Day On Earth project, until I realised that a) 11/11/11 was going to be super-busy, full of train travel and that the project wanted video and I very much work in photos not videos. So here, instead, is a selection of snapshots from my weekend…
This was actually on Tuesday, eating ice cream on the back of a Vespa at Joe Deluccios in Westfield Stratford City.
On the train. My handbag (the red and beige one) snapped on the way to the station, so I had to hastily repack, then ditch it without looking like a terrorist. Not easy when you go through London train and tube stations looking shifty!
I spend quite a lot of time doing this – sitting on the floor of a train, reading books. People think I’m mad for sitting on the floor, but I like being able to stretch my legs.
Twitter Mafia love on a Friday morning – love these ladies!
The reminder email that came round from lovely Kim just before the two minutes’ silence for Poppy Day.
Biscuits! Work has a delivery of biscuits and other groceries (tea, coffee etc) every month, and this is what the cupboard looks like just after delivery!
Impromptu trip to Moorgate to buy a new handbag. London is grey but has some striking buildings if you look up while walking.
Mid-afternoon Wispa. Is any day complete without chocolate?!
The emergency/accidental new handbag, to replace the one that snapped in the morning. I like it!
St Pancras station – took this on my way home after a fabulous weekend. It was utter carnage on the way in, and I was trying to sprint which is never a good idea!
And finally home again, with the awesome vintage suitcase we took to Romania. That case started off full of 80s porn magazines, went all the way to Romania on Rusty’s roof, and came home with Team Allegro on their roof. It has a lot more character now than it did when we bought it, but I’m in love and it improved the journey home enormously – I felt like a 40s starlet! (for the first couple of hours, anyway – six hours later I just wanted to be back home, lol). The wheelie case under it was bought for Poland and also came on the rally with us – my luggage is well travelled 🙂
by Carla Louise | Nov 4, 2011 | Photography |
I am currently running too many blogs. One is (obviously) this one. One is Project Pin Up, one is a new one to go with the new Etsy shop (if I ever find time to launch it) and one is London at Lunchtime. I love them all but find it increasingly hard to find time to post, and the longer I’m a blogger, the more I value good posts rather than just posting for the sake of posting.
I think, given how little I’ve managed to post since I started it (londonatlunchtime.wordpress.com) that I might just make it a category on here (which I have done here – I think it fits in ok with the general tone and utter randomness of my other posts). It’s not like my photos are startlingly good, I just find it interesting how much there is to see in London even in the same relatively small space I can get to within a lunchtime.
Thoughts?
Love, a very indecisive Carla x
by Carla Louise | Oct 18, 2011 | Photography |
I spent far too long at the station this morning, trying in vain to get on a train to work.
Having established I could work from home, I went to Asda. The sky was absolutely beautiful….
Then I decided to console myself with the special-offer Haagen Dazs. So after lunch (marmite toast) I dug into both of these. Happy days!
It was surprisingly relaxing being at home and working from my sofa under a big snuggly blanket – not as social as the office, but I did get my work done! 🙂 And now, no commute, so I can blog and chill out before making dinner. It’s enough to make me want to work from home all the time!
by Carla Louise | Oct 6, 2011 | Personal Development, Photography |
I’ve been massively inspired by journals lately, and especially art journals. I’ve always loved the idea of recording your life, and probably my only regret in life so far is burning my teen diaries and deleting my typed uni diaries, which I did for reasons I won’t go into here.
There’s something magical about keeping snippets of your life between pages, to be kept and remembered and looked back on in days, weeks, months and years to come, and it also leaves a record for future generations.
I once came across a box full of tiny notebooks in an antique shop, and, intrigued, asked the owner what they were. She said she had another two boxes in storage and they were the handwritten diaries of a young lady who had started, in the twenties, aged 9, to keep a diary each day, and had written faithfully every single day until she died in her 90s. At the time I was still a student, and this collection was on sale for £250 – well out of my price range (although the lovely owner did say I could pay a bit at a time and she’d keep them aside for me, it was still more than I could justify spending on non-necessities at the time. But I sat in that shop for a good couple of hours, reading the living history of this lady who had lived through a war and through unimaginable changes in her world, and had recorded it all, huge world events and things that were important to her (first kiss, meeting a friend for lunch, all sorts) for us to look at.
On my 25th birthday, inspired by that find, I started a five year diary. I’d like to think I’ll keep it up till I’m 30, although I’ve already missed the odd day – I love that it’s laid out so that each year you can see what you wrote the year before, and it’s a small enough book to carry around. My own little piece of magical history.
Recently I’ve also started to see lots of art journals – Ashley at The Creative Place did a fabulous post recently about her completed travel journal, which made me think I could (and should!) do something similar for the rally. I have been meaning to create a scrapbook/journal of my life since just before my 18th birthday – bought the albums but never quite got round to putting things in them. (Actually, with hindsight that’s a good thing, if I’d completed it age 18 it would have been mostly full of my first love… while he is obviously an enormous part of my past, he is entirely unconnected with my recent past, my present and my future, and I feel a journal I make now will reflect that).
I also love the idea of keeping a journal of my creative inspirations – at the moment my laptop and Pinterest serve for those ‘squee’ moments where I can keep snippets, and this blog records my wafflings and thoughts and other things, but I’d love to have more physical things to look at when I need inspiring. And of course, a diary-journal (as opposed to a scrapbook or a journal for a specific event or trip) would show you how your crafting has grown and shaped and developed over the time you take to complete it.
So this weekend I shall be buying (or repurposing) some box files – they shall live in my studio and into them shall go anything relevant – photos, notes, fabric scraps, labels, broken but significant jewellery… anything that might help shape my journals, and perhaps in 2012 I’ll be able to put them together and make something wonderful to look at.
by Carla Louise | Sep 29, 2011 | Adventures, Photography |
(edit: just realised I’ve forgotten the cocktail pic… will add this weekend! Bad squishy…)
Wow, it’s been a busy few weeks! Any notion I had of life calming down when I returned from the rally and ‘settled down’ to real life again has been firmly squashed, if anything it’s got even busier!
Haven’t even had time to draft a Happy Thursdays post, but instead I thought I’d post a few photos of the rally as a) they’re nowhere else on the internet yet (this is because there are 2101 of them and I have no idea where to start editing that number down to put online. They’d also cost me over £100 to print), and b) it made me the happiest I’ve ever been. Ever 🙂 I clearly have some adventure in my heart!
So… (warning, this doesn’t really even start to cover everything we did, but should give a glimpse.) Don’t forget full write up (well, of the rally – I’m still faffing with the two extra days) is at rustymclusty.wordpress.com 🙂
The P-reg Laguna we bought, after a weekend of Nitro-Mors on the bonnet. See how pretty she was… but I think we made her prettier 😛
Trusty Rusty McLusty (ok, that was terrible, but she was very trusty) in my aunt & uncle’s field:
Rusty & Allegro in Germany, camped near the Nurburgring:
The view we woke to in Switzerland (the coldest night of my entire life, I swear):
View from Rusty’s rear window in the Swiss mountains:
Some proper extreme ironing, not far from Stelvio pass:
Popping to Italy for lunch:
Trying to fix Rat Patrol’s car in Budapest:
Me on Rusty’s bonnet at the Romanian border:
A bunch of us parked at the Romanian border:
Scaring the bloke in the petrol station – I think he thought we were about to hijack him!
Some shots of us driving, just to prove we did:
Group shot in Sibiu, somewhere around 2am:
DONKEY! On the Transfaragasan Highway (as seen on Top Gear – the road, not the donkey):
Group shot at the foot of the south side of the Transfaragasan, left to right me, Andy (Rat Patrol), Graham (Rat Patrol), Rob (Rusty McLusty), Craig (Allegro), Jenny (Allegro), Pete (Allegro):
This was a single vodka and coke in Brasov, celebrating the end of the rally. I dread to think what a double looks like!
Me at the top of Brasov, breathtaking view but I did not like being that close to the edge!
Rob and I on the very last day at Peles Castle in Sinaia:
Yeah… there’s so much more I should put into this post but I don’t want to crash anyone’s computer or bore anyone out of reading my blog 😛 Will link to Flickr album when I’ve evntually got them all up there in some kind of order. But you get the idea. Best nine days of my entire life 🙂
by Carla Louise | Sep 19, 2011 | Photography |
Because I haven’t blogged with photos for a silly amount of time, because the last post was highly uninteresting to anyone but me (and possibly Mimi from Little Sips of Tea), here is a photo of me with three of my gorgeous friends who came to visit at the weekend 🙂
Left to right – Holly, Val, me and Anna
(And look! My Sleek Pout Paint with added blue!)
by Carla Louise | Aug 28, 2011 | Photography |
Beautiful skyscape on my way to Mersea with the family last weekend:
Lunchtime in the Barbican centre – I go here probably 3 lunches out of 5, it’s a wonderfully calming space and has a gorgeous library.
Books from Barbican library – retro wrapping paper, bookbindng for beginners and fashion from the 50s.
Taken during a break while rollerskating in Hyde Park with Jess:
This is London in August.
Finishing off the (working) week with cocktails and Karen 🙂
