The little things.

 Forget being a cat lady, I'm full blown bunny mad...having Bruh around has made me wonder how I ever lived without him. He's had a profound effect not just on myself, but on the man fellow too. I won't be embarrassing said man fellow by digressing too much, but I will say that Bruh's been getting a hell of a lot of cuddles and consideration (not just from me)! 

Pets help you remember to be compassionate and show you how much joy can be sought from the little things in life. My blog, with its few followers might be considered in some circles as a little thing, but like a lot of simple pleasures its yielding big rewards. I'm not being sponsored, or endorsed, neither am I raking in the money. Instead I'm connecting with like minded individuals and getting help from people I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. 

I'd like to thank Kirsty Hill from the wonderful Tales of a Land Locked Surfer Girl for reminding me to stay positive and not get caught up in the details. Thank you! 

Until next time
Stay strong, surf well 

The funny thing about time.

It amazes me that in the space of 1 day I lost everything and at the same time gained so much. Yesterday I discovered that I won't receive the funding for my Occupational Therapy course, which means the dream of going to study up in Saltburn (surfing beach) is pretty much void. There are some funds available but not enough to cover living expenses. I wouldn't just be 'student poor' I'd be struggling to cover my basic needs, which is no environment to be growing and learning within. 

I've always believed that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and everything happens for a reason. So it came as no surprise that all this drama unraveled exactly when I was bringing Bruh my gorgeous new bunny home.  I've always had a connection with animals it originated way back when I was little and is a big reason why I chose to lead a vegan lifestyle. Bruh has come into my life exactly when I needed him to, when the distraction of something alive and in need of my care would help me work through what the hell I'm supposed to do about my professional life.
(What professional life)?! 

What's even more remarkable is the effect Bruh has had on my boyfriend Mr Sunny. Having never owned a rabbit before Mr Sunny has been amazed at Bruh's inquisitiveness and good personal hygiene! Even I, a veteran rabbit owner, have been lost for words over how confident and affectionate Bruh is having only been with us literally for a few days. Yesterday we all fell asleep in the living room, Mr Sunny on the floor, me on the sofa and Bruh stretched out sleeping like he hadn't a care in the world. I say this tentatively but we feel like a little gang, us against the world. 

On the way over to go collect Bruh when I was worrying about what to do regarding University, Mr Sunny mentioned how impressed he was when I led an impromptu yoga session in Newquay. He's pretty good at investing in people and reckons he could see I had massive potential to do this as a career. Yoga has always been my safe place and other than going to teach it at surf camps I never really considered it a full time thing. 

The next few days I'm going to take stock and try not to make any big decisions. Now's the time for reflection and enjoying what I have right now. Here's some local photos which are reminding me to stay positive.

I may not have the best paid job in the world but I get to work with awesome people like these pair!

This is me and Jack (the parents dog) post run, he's cantankerous, grumpy and unsociable but he's still my favorite running buddy.

This photo is called 'fresh Birmingham' I love mooching around the local market buying anything from Coriander to Ackee.

Mr Sunny took this photo out in his garden, one of my favorite places out in the world.

 Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love


 

Left of my pillow.

 Left of my pillow is where sunshine goes after dusk and where he stays before rising early (always before me)! I nickname him Mr Sunny because he makes me feel like everyday is summer, I'm only light and health in his presence (...and that dear blog reader, is the restrained version of how he makes me feel)! 

This ordinary poet wants to utilize big fancy words and pretty sentences to try and encompass how much I love this man, but well, I have a habit of writing big declarations and then getting a good kick in the arse if/when it goes wrong! 

So let me just say this instead. 

I feel happy in a 'guilty for my good fortune' kind of way, like I can't quite believe my luck. I've done the sobbing into my pillow, the so angry I want to scream and the reckless running away to foreign soil...The pain, the humiliation, the being alone and frustration has all accumulated to being able to appreciate a good thing I have going on now. 

Dear reader, we don't need someone to lead fulfilling, enriched lives, we have ourselves for that but its nice when you can share the passing of time with someone who makes everyday feel like paradise.  

You may have noticed I'm a bit of a soppy cow on this here blog and if your a regular reader you'll recall that I have previously talked openly about past loves. I like to be transparent, what you see is what you get with me so although I cringe when I reread about how gushy I've been about an ex I see it as an honest reflection of a young woman trying to find something everlasting. 


Yesterday he talked about us waking up together and going surfing. The grin this statement caused could have stretched from London to New York I cannot tell you! He doesn't have to be a good surfer, heck he doesn't even have to like it, just the fact that Mr Sunny wants to wholeheartedly give it a go is good enough for me. 

Today I went thrifting...

It seems funny to call what I do 'thrifting' as its always just been 'charity shopping,' to me and my folk. Thrifting sounds so trendy and purposeful whereas what I do is rummaging and hoping! I wanted my clothes to reflect how happy I was feeling today so I decided to wear this tribal vintage number (from the 80's I believe). I'd bought it originally as something to sell on but like everything I've purchased with this intention its ended up on my back! Dress £10 from Oasis Market, Birmingham UK. 

I don't usually hyperventilate about wedding dresses as its not something I've ever really thought about (i.e. getting married) but this beautiful 60's/70's number took my breath away. 

More bounty from my charity shop spree, I got these two vintage cushions for silly cheap and this beautiful seashell themed illustration for my growing surf wall. Can't wait to get this into the new place and style it up! 

I'm enjoying immensely the accumulation of bits and bobs for my new pad (wherever and whatever it may be). I'm still up in airs about whether I can live right by the sea (Saltburn) or get a place slightly further away to keep costs down. The sensible side of my brain keeps telling myself its ok to not be on the beach front...even if I'm 40 minutes away by public transport that's better than being three hours away in either direction, like my current land locked status!  

Speaking of sensible, I'm having to put getting a dog on the back burner for a while as my life is so changeable right now and it wouldn't be fair on an animal such as a dog. I am however so bursting with love and compassion that a pet is still on the cards, right now I'm dithering between a rat, bird, ferret, bunny or guinea pig. Not sure what to opt for just yet but I'll do my research and hopefully have a blog mascot in the not so distant future! 

Until next time water babies

Stay strong, surf well
Love

Junk Shop Tales.

Does my vintage look big in this? I found this original vintage dress on a market for a measely £10.

Let me tell you a story. Not so long ago I bought a bike from a junk shop and called it Ethel. Its a classic 1960's Raleigh model designed specifically for a woman. Not only is Ethel in fine working order, I also bought her for a mere £20, a totally un-hipster price from my local junk shop! The benefit of living for most of your life in a small West Midlands town is that you start to know shop owners. Like Naggie the lovely French Muslim man who runs the gift shop Treasure Island, or my new friend who owns my new favorite junk shop. 

Junk shop owner (we haven't swapped names yet) called me over this afternoon to tell me about the bike. He said it was bought in by a man in his 80's who was giving it away because it belonged to his wife who had sadly passed away. The old man wanted to know that the bike had gone to a 'nice person.' Well Junk shop owner told the old man all about me explaining that I was a 'nice lady.' He mentioned how overjoyed I had been and that I'd returned to say thank you stating that my families dog had also taken to running alongside it. 

How great is that? Not only am I mega chuffed that I got a vintage bike for peanuts, in the process its managed to make an old man happy knowing his wife's bike has I quote 'gone to a good home.' This is precisely why I love vintage/charity shops because you are buying stories and life histories, can you say that about your river island top?  

This week I've been scouring charity shops for frames for the purpose of creating a surf art wall for my new seaside abode. Wilkinsons (to my UK readers) sell sample pots of emulsion for a measely £1.10 which is exactly what I used to jazz up the frames as well as some wave painting. As you can see the surf art is really starting to come together. 

I've also been busily crafting shabby chic flowers which is an almost free way of creating table art, all you need is some scrap magazines and sticks! 

 A scene from Birmingham, this is near the Custard Factory which is a great hub for artists and vintage! 

Here's my shabby chic flower arrangement, I'll show you how to make these in a post shortly.

 Above and below are all my own creations I've been making over the last few months. The frames were salvaged from charity shops and spruced up with sample wall paint. Eventually they will hang in my seaside home a la surf wall! 

Point Break so bad its good right?! Love this find on Ebay, it will be framed to go along with my surf wall art project! 

The sunnies (please excuse the ridiculous face I was doing duck lips on purpose!) were 50p from a Christian charity shop. Again so bad they are good right?! Amazing how ghostly my self portrait function makes me look on my phone! 

     





































Until next time 

Stay strong and surf well
Love

The Ocean at the end of your toes.

I surf well when my mind and body are fluid, when I lose myself in the action of surfing and I'm not over thinking the process. I know beforehand when I'm going to wipe out too, not just because a billowing monster is about to land on my head, but because my mind is elsewhere in those precious few seconds of focus before my board drops into the wave.

I've noticed when you over think things often they unravel, perhaps this is because you stop trusting your instincts and allow yourself to become too analytic.
Analysis in science is an integral part in proving or disapproving a theory in life, analysis allows us to decipher our next steps or reflect upon steps already taken. Sometimes though, I think over analysis is an environment for doubt, insecurity and self sabotage to exist. 

I say this because I am in a very good place in my life and I'm on the precipice of positive change (hopefully) so suddenly I have a lot too lose, or at least it feels like this. I'm also in a stable, blissfully happy relationship that is continually evolving into something meaningful. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again Happiness is terrifying. 

I often revert to Eastern philosophy to help stop me over thinking all the time, happiness much like the ocean is in constant flux, an ebb and flow. It is something which can never be controlled or captured it is better to just go with the flow and enjoy those few seconds of riding the wave. 

Weekend Sunshine. 

Here's a few snap shots of what I've been getting up too lately! 

I often have this reaction when in the vicinity of vintage.

Beautiful Adelle in the ever cool Oasis Market, Birmingham. 

A sneak peek of vintage items coming to the soon to be online store...

     


































































Bewdley, Worcestershire UK.

I spent a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon in the quaint town of Bewdley with the delectable Mr Sunny. There were antiques, farmers markets and yeah, you guessed it Vintage! A great day and highly recommended! 

This lady was incredible, she posed like this all day! 

Bargain dress which channels my 60's Bohemian desires! 

Mr Sunny is tentatively allowing me to put a few photos of us up, I'm glad because I love these shots! 

I can't remember why he felt the need to run but I love this shot, shows how cheeky he is! 

Mr Sunny was forced to pose for this photo hence why he looks a tad coerced, still gorge though! 

This was in Bewdley Museum and was all about the foundry there, definitely worth a ganders!   

     
























































































































































































































Until next time land lubbers and water babies! 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love

Practical Magic.

I'm post night shift so some of what I say may have an element of delirium about it, I do have a point and it will make sense however, so bear with me... Life at the moment is gloriously intertwining my two passions- Surf and vintage. 
In a matter of weeks I'll be off to Cape Town to go work on the Gap360 surf project which is a prospect I'm majorly excited about and under prepared for! In the meantime I'm at home building up my vintage collection, in the hope of eventually establishing an online boutique with my best friend Jemima.   

My other current obsession at the moment, is deciding what pet to have. Ardent follows of this blog will know that for a long time this was all about getting a dog. Well if I was eight years old I'd still be harping on about that, I am unfortunately 25 and fully aware of the level of responsibility. For now its on the back burner until I fully know my schedule at university, it would break my heart to leave a dog alone or day, or worse still have to re-home it. There's also my family dog Jack who is the apple of my eye, it would be unfair to force a puppy on him knowing his cantankerous nature. 

Instead I'm looking into a big cuddly bunny or a friendly parrot, something I can take with me to the care home and work as a therapy pet, as well as cuddling at home! 

Any who I'm digressing, today's title is in reference to a little craft project I have for you lovelies. Here are a few pics from Le life and then I'll get practical and show you how to upcycle a lamp, oh here it goes....

 I suddenly remembered I had this tea set, so yesterday waded through spiders the size of kittens to get it out of the shed again! This was purchased from Penrith farmers market back in the old university days ahhh memories. 

My hair typically is very low maintenance (let it grow, forget to brush it) but lately I've been trying the whole blow drying malarkey and I quite like the straight results. 

 I was walking the dog to go buy wine so a really classy outing for me here. The dress is another vintage treasure I recently found whilst rummaging in my fav shop. The filter I used on this picture totally doesn't do the vibrancy of the red justice...must try harder next time! 

I'm getting excited about going to Cape Town so found myself reminiscing last night about Africa. This is one my favorite photos I've ever taken. I was working as a yoga teacher in Ngor Island Surf camp, Senegal. Mammiko the little girl on the left I got to know through her mom Haddie and this is a traditional clothes day at nursery that I had the privilege of attending. How cute are they!?!   

How to upcycle a lamp!

You will need:- 
- 1 lamp 
- scrap material
- scissors 
- pencil & paper 
- tape measure
- ribbon
- buttons 
- felt  
- glue gun

1. Get down to your local charity shop and buy yourself a lamp. My fully functioning lamp was a mere £3.50! The material was all scrap from charity shops that cost a grand total of £2. 

 2. Depending on your lamp shade, measure the panels and decide what size squares of material you want to stick onto it. As you can see below I roughly gauged the size, which I first drew on paper as a template. Pin the paper to the material and start cutting. 

3. Warm up your glue gun and when ready start gluing the pieces onto the lamp. Its a steady process and sometimes the squares don't stick perfectly, persevere because it will look good eventually!

4. Now for the fun part! Start customizing at your own leisure, I stuck ribbon up the seams of the lamp and added everything from buttons to felt. If you want to add felt get creative and make shapes, it was ridiculously easy to draw a cat face and stick it on. 

                                                                 

5. Voila! Your very own shabby chic lamp. I gave this one as a present, which may seem cheeky when it only cost a grand total of £5.50 but this one of a kind and lovingly crafted, time not money people! 

Until next time...

Stay strong, surf well

Love