New Year. New Shop! Re-Design. Introducing a Whole New Line and Updating Shop.

I'm spending my Christmas Break redesigning my Etsy shop, making new products and generally revamping things up. Here's to the future!

Merry Christmas Time and a Happy New Year!

Things have been very busy!!

Things have been crazy with work, I've been neglecting my blogs and Etsy - terrible I know!! But things are picking up and hopefully work won't be so stressful with Christmas just around the corner! Happy belated Thanksgiving to my American friends!

Rainbow Umbrella.

What do you think? Beautiful, right? Methinks so!

Much of a muchness. That is how I would describe the last couple of weeks. Pretty hectic, haven't had time to really update here, or there, or there or there! Hopefully things are going to start settling down and I can get back to normal! Hopefully... 

New print that I picked up for £1.50!!

I've wrapped fairy lights around so at night it is sooo pretty and kind of calming!

~ Aimee

Guest Post On Dumb Little Man.

Guess what guys? I've guest posted on Dumb Little Man! I can't believe my article was posted on my first attempt! I would really appreciate your support if you can pop by and read/comment/promote my article. How cool? Can't believe it really!

Thank you so much!

Fantastic new folders in a whole rainbow of colours!!

Aren't they the most beautiful thing ever!!!

Skincare Regime.

Okay so this post is obviously about my skincare regime, I told you this blog was going to be eclectic!  So here are all the skincare products I use on a daily basis. 

From left to right: 

1. Simple deodorant - I don't think I'll ever use a different one, I know that there's been no resounding scientific link found between breast cancer and certain chemicals found in deodorants but you can't be too careful! 

2. No7 Toner - restores Ph balance and soothes skin - it's non-astringent.

3. Witch foam cleanser. This is actually what I use for the second part of my cleansing ritual - I use a cream cleanser (Botanics) first and then foam, the toner.

4. I use a second toner on the more oily regions of my face.

5. Simple eye make-up remover. But it doesn't take my mascara off very well, so I bought a Nivea oil based cleanser (the kind you have to shake to mix the oils).

6. St Ives apricot face scrub. I absolutely love the smell of this scrub. It is amazing. I haven't noticed a huge difference in my skin since I started using it. But I will carry on using it anyway just for the smell!

7. No7 Microdermabraison. I've used this twice and I really like it. The scrubby bits are really tiny and exfoliate incredibly well. My skin was super soft afterwards.

8. Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask. This out very liquidy - you have to shake it up before you squeeze it out. You put it on clean skin and it's very wet - all you have to do is wait for it to dry on your face - I'll give you a warning though - this dries really, really tight on your face. 

9. Vichy Normaderm Night Cream for imperfection prone skin. You have to put this on oily areas of your face, the places where you have large pores and spots. It tingles a bit when on your face - but only for a few minutes.

10. Botanic skin calming serum. You put this on before moisturising and after toning. If you do it the Korean way - you slap it on (literally) instead of rubbing in.

11. Botanics Mattifying Gel. I stopped using this. When you touch your face after using this the gel just rubs right off in little bits. Which is very annoying. I would not recommend buying this.

12. Skin calming day moisturiser with SPF15. Great little moisturiser the pot seems to last forever. Although I think it would be more hygienic if it was in a pump tube instead of a pot.

13. Superdrug Vitamin E. Eyecream with SPF15. This is my day eye cream. The first time I used it I put a little too much on and didn't realise I had been walking around with 'white eyes' all day!

14. Dr Jart Blemish Barm SPF40. This is great, it blends in really well. It doesn't make you look orange or cakey, it looks completely natural.  I don't ever use foundation (just a bit of powder with SPF in - cause my skin can get super oily/shiny) but I still need a little bit of concealer after I've used this BB cream.

15. Bodyshop Hemp Hand Cream. I don't use this as often as I should but when I do my hands are always left soft.

16. Witch. Witch Hazel Blemish Stick. The stick is a translucent blue. It's weird to describe - it's not make-up, it's a spot treatment which you rub on, the stick is very cold when it touches your skin which is actually a really 'cool' sensation!

17. I also use a night-time eye cream - Nivea.

My Brand Spanking New Filofax. Personal Malden Ochre.

So today I am a tiny little bit excited about my new filofax! I have had my heart on the Personal Malden in Ochre for sometime and oh my goodness - it's certainly lived up to my expectations. It's absolutely beautiful.

 

I'm going to be using this as a wallet as well so I just went ahead and put all the necessary bits and bobs in. Now I'll only have to carry this - instead of both a purse and an organiser.

This view shows you the so-called 'flatability' of the Malden - which I have to say I am very happy with - it's not too rigid or too floppy. I know other people have complaints - but every organiser is a bit different so I guess I'm just lucky!

Back pocket which I have just stuffed full of stickers and the cutest little page markers/paper clips in the shape of bicycles, which I bought from staples.

All in all, I am beyond happy with this little treasure - it's the perfect size to carry around, I'm usually carrying at least two different notebooks at any one time - but now I can fit it all into this, plus it's my wallet! I'll probably do another post when I have it all setup - just to show you how I'm using it. Stationery and filofax addicts will know how fab it is to have a look-see in someone else's organiser! It's like having a little sneak peek into the private recesses of their mind! 

How important is packaging?

I've been toying with the idea of changing my packaging at HIPPIE-LAND for some time now. I want it to better reflect what it's all about and what better way to fit in wit the rainbow theme - than brightly coloured, sweet shop bags! 

Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii. Now and Then.

Mt. Vesuvius with the ruins of Pompeii in the foreground.

This is what Mt Vesuvius would have looked like before it erupted and buried the beautiful and rich Roman city of Pompeii.

What used to be the centre of Pompeii's political and domestic life. The major courtyard/piazza - contained the meat and fish market, governmental offices and official buildings. 

Inside Vesuvius! This is the crater - this photograph does not capture how big it is - it really just shows a little bit of one of the sides - but it is huge - you could fit a couple of houses at least inside.

This is the view from the top! The Bay of Naples is a sprawling metropolitan with skyscrapers! In Rome there are no really tall buildings because legally nothing can be higher than the roof of St Peters Basilica! Also in the distance you can just about make out the Islands of Procida and Ischia. In the other direction is the Isle of Capri (but you can't see it on here unfortunately!) 

I'll probably post more pictures, I'm finding them pretty inspirational at the moment!

When In Rome.

Here are a few photos from my time in Rome:

The Italian flag, on top of the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, in the Piazza Venezia (The Venetian Square).

Roman centurion taking a modern break, on the Spanish Steps.

The Roman Forum. Ruins of Ancient Rome.   

Tiny little butterfly. 

The sloping side of the Mt. Vesuvius. This is the most dangerous volcano in Europe and the 5th most dangerous volcano in the world! Although still active and well overdue for an eruption a whopping 3 million people live in the red zone. When it erupted in 79AD, burying the City of Pompeii and its inhabitants, it released 100x the amount of energy released by the Hiroshima bombing. You can actually see and walk around the ancient ruins of Pompeii, which are beautiful even if a little terrifying. In the bottom left-hand corner you can see the outline of a person - I left this in to show the sheer enormity of the volcano. Which although well overdue for eruption is still 

View of St Peter's at sunset from a courtyard inside the Vatican Museums.We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Vatican at night, under the stars, and to sit in the open air listening to a beautiful musical performance. You can see on the photograph that there are railings around the top (Cupola) of St Peter's Dome, you have to get an elevator to the top and then walk 320 steps up a narrow staircase - but the views make it all worthwhile - with a vista over the entire of Vatican city and the River Tiber.

Just one of the many, many scooters/Vespas/Lambretta/Harleys you will find in Rome, it's the easiest way of getting around the tiny, cobbled streets of the city - but it makes the pedestrian's job of dodging traffic even harder!

Returning on a jet plane to England...

I'm back after a week in Rome. Just getting back into the swing of things.  WARNING: Future posts will be photo heavy!

On the way out.

Passing over the Suisse Alps!

A 'Room With a View'

 And on the way back after a truly wonderful week!

Little Island Idyll. No idea what it's called!

Up The Garden Path...

Just wanted to share with you our beautiful, blossoming garden. I love this time of year everything is so green. Picture heavy I'm afraid!

Apples growing on a our lovely 'Red Love' tree, which we planted in memory of a lost loved one.

It's a bit of a jungle out there right now. Our entire garden has turned into a rainforest!

Nasturtium flower petals, which you can actually eat, but they don't taste of much!

Clematis and Honeysuckle, which is pretty overgrown right now - but the flowers smell amazing.

Radish flowers which turned into radish pods -which you can also eat. We're drying some out at the moment to get the radish seeds for next year. 

How to dry herbs? Tie 'em up and hang 'em.

Here are herbs, picked from our garden and tied up. I use these herbs in some of my candles and soaps.

My favourite part - crushing them up using a mortar and pestle!

Have a lovely day!

Poetry On A Sunday Morning.

 We grow great by dreams.

Dreamers ... see things

   in the soft haze of a spring day,

or in the red fire

of a long winter's evening.

Some of us let these great dreams die,

but others nourish and protect them,

nurse them through the bad days

till they bring them sunshine and light

which comes to all those

who sincerely hope that 

their dreams

will come true.

     ~ Woodrow Wilson

Actually this isn't a poem, it was part of a speech that President Wilson made, but Susan Polis Shultz editor of 'Don't Ever Give Up Your Dreams' put it into poem format. 

Rainbows Live In Your Heart.

I came across this beautiful painting whilst exploring Etsy. You can find it here at SchadStudio. I wanted to share with you a poem I find particularly inspirational and it's even about rainbows!

The only way to find rainbows

is to look within your heart;

the only way to live fairy tales

is through the imagination and

power of your mind;

the only place to begin a

search for peace

is within your very soul;

because rainbows,

fairy tales and peace

are treasures that grow

from the inside out.

~Evelyn K. Tharp

Let me introduce you...

I'd like to share with you one of my other current adventures: Middle Finger Project. I don't know what it will come to be, but I know what it is right now. It's my attempt at giving something back. I want it to be an outlet of positivity and inspiration. I want it to be full of both practical and philosophical advice on living a more fulfilled and happy life. Because I know only too well how hard it can be.

It's a work in process but I hope that you can help me get the word out there!

                                 http://www.middlefingerproject.com/

Have you answered the knocking?

I'm not just talking about painting. Photography to crochet. Dancing to quilting. Art is not just fine art, it ain't just traditional painting. Art is personal to the individual. It shouldn't be defined by government. Ask 10 people what they think art is and you will get 10 completely different answers. For me art is creativity. Creativity in all its glorious colours, shapes and sizes. The way I choose to express this creativity varies on almost a daily basis - I am constantly changing and whilst I have not always embraced my artistic side I now hope do so with all my might for as long as I can - because it brings things out in me I barely recognise, it lifts my mood and it makes me a better person to be around (or perhaps worse - when I focus on something it is unfortunately to the detriment of everything else!).

I believe that we've probably all got at least a little creative potential somewhere within us. But it's hardly surprising given our hectic modern day lifestyles that the gentle pitter-patter of our artistic voice gets drowned out. Even us Etsians can get bogged down in the technical side of things what with; work, study, children, parents, Etsy, blogs, websites, facebook, tumblr, twitter, pinterest, reddit, dig, likes, favourites, shares, treasuries, comments, SEO (don't even get me started) etc, etc, etc the list goes on and on. It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that all of these things that we 'absolutely have to do' can and will make us lose focus and distract us from doing what it is that we love to do - that is primarily - to create.

So use this as a reminder, if you need one, to make more effort to listen the wisdom of your inner artist. Ask yourself: What does it need? How can I feed it? How can I bring it more into my life? 

I have answered these questions myself and come to the conclusion that I really have no idea what I have or what I want to say to the world. I gave up on writing a long time ago and I'm too much of a perfectionist for painting. Abstract and modern art appeal to me but it is the world of words that I have always revelled in. Reading and putting words on a piece of paper (or computer screen) are two things I am forever telling myself to do - but never quite get around to actually doing (like many of us I'm sure). So I bought a book to encourage me, I've had my eye on it for a while - it's called 'The Artists Way' by Julia Cameron and you can find here at Amazon. She mainly teaches two ways of encouraging your creativity - morning pages (I first thought it meant reading the newspaper) and artistic dates with yourself, both of which I will discuss more when the book arrives and I've read it. But you can find lot's of info about it here, here, here, here and here!

P.S. By the way you might be interested in my other blog which focuses on creativity, productivity and personal development.

P.P.S. The quote used in my photograph is from Terri Guillements - I'll admit I had no clue who that was till I Googled it. Turn's out she's the brains behind the Quote Garden which I've been using for inspiration for years!

How Do You Make A Light Box?

I love most of my product photographs on Etsy - I think that they fit in with the kind of brand that I'm creating, i,e. earthy, eco-friendly and natural. I'm constantly changing and improving them and I know that I still have a long way to go but overall I'm pleased with how they look at the moment. I love photographing my items against a 'natural' backdrop and our beautiful garden is the perfect place to do it! But today I wanted to try something a little different. I admire photographs, like this, taken on a white background - they look polished and professional. So I thought, what the heck? Let's give it a whirl!

This is an ordinary cardboard box - which I taped up.

I then scored A4 paper size holes on 3 out of 6 sides of the box. Of course when I try to do something which does not involve Sookie - she tries extra hard to get my attention. This involves running around, growling when I cut the card (apparently she doesn't like scissors!) and her piece de resistance - throwing toys through the hole in the box - which is rather clever really.

Once you have cut three sides out of the box you just need to tape, glue or bluetack white paper to the inside. I then used two desk lamps (but you could use three) to illuminate the left and right sides. I found that it is best to place the item you wish to photograph on a larger piece of paper which covers the back and foreground - so as not to get any nasty lines where the pieces of paper end.

So this was my first photograph. I don't think it is too bad for a first attempt - but my photography skills do leave a lot to be desired. But this just goes to show that you don't need super expensive equipment to get half way decent photos. I'm going to keep experimenting with my backgrounds and see where it ends up - who knows where?

Until next time...