30 Days of Lists: Day 10

List 10: Today was awesome because...
Fonts used: Pincoyablack Black, Capture It 2
This was a quite a good one. It's easy to forget the nice things that happen and too easy to remember the bad things. Here's what happened to me today:

I finally bought a Kindle!
It's not that I was resisting the Kindle, it just never came as a priority to me, although I do feel a little late jumping on this bandwagon. I love reading books and normally I borrow them from the local library. But recently two things have happened: 1. I have read every book I want to read in the library and 2. I am going on holiday using an airline that has very strict (and ridiculously small) baggage restrictions. The first problem was that I would have to buy books if I wanted to read more, except that I don't have any storage space for them, and the second problem was that I couldn't fit a (thick) book into my hand luggage to read on the plane. I love physical books, but a Kindle was the obvious answer. I've only had it a few hours but I'm liking it so far!

I reached level 2 of the 30 Day Shred Challenge
30 Day Shred is basically an intense exercise DVD that you workout to everyday for a month or so. The idea is that you work your way up through levels 1, 2 and 3 as and when you feel capable of doing so. This isn't just an ordinary workout DVD though, it KILLS YOU. It is very intense and not recommended for those who are pretty unfit. Level 1 was a nightmare for the first few days but it got better as my fitness and strength improved. Now I've started level 2 I'm back to feeling like I'm going to keel over and die during the workout. That doesn't compare to the feeling you get once you see and feel your muscles toning and the fat disappearing. And I'm only on day 7!

I sold something on eBay
Not for the first time, but it still feels good to make a tiny profit!

I completed all my chores in the morning
Even better, I have the house to myself tonight which means I can relax and pamper myself.

I discovered I had lost 2lbs in the past week
I'm a happy size 8 (UK size) so it's not my goal to lose weight, but to tone up. The weight loss is inevitable though and I admit it does feel pretty good to see my jeans fitting a little better around the waist. have a feeling that 30 Day Shred has a lot to do with this!! I haven't changed my eating habits at all so I can image if you did this workout while on a diet the pounds would fly off.

I found a parking space outside my house
It's the little things that make me happy :)

30 Days of Lists: Day 9

List 9: Happy Places
Fonts used: NeoRetroDraw (modified), Amano

I have way too many to list but as most of my 'happy places' relate to being outside near hills or lakes I thought I would just mention my favourites which have given me happy memories :)

Reading In Bed
A luxury for me as I'm usually to busy to stop and relax before bedtime.

Edinburgh
I love Edinburgh. I have visited both during down time and during the Fringe. Regardless of what is going on, there is a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere to the city that makes me feel at home. I love exploring the underground vaults and the narrow winding alleyways. Quirky but beautiful.

Redkirk
Redkirk is part of the Solway coast in the South West of Scotland. The name means Red Church and it is literally 3 or 4 miles away from my mum's house. I love to go to there during the Summer to sit and watch the sea. There really is nothing else there; you follow a bumpy narrow track down towards the sea all you can see is fields, 'beach' and sea. The most unusual thing about it for me it that there are a large number of boulders built up in one corner of the beach. When the tide comes in you can sit at the top of the boulders and be completely surround by the sea (apart from behind you, you can escape by stepping up into a field.) Its a very freeing experience, especially as you are usually alone there.

Lake Windermere
In the Lake District in the north west of England. Another childhood place, but excellent for a day out, be it hiking or sight-seeing.

At my mums
I love being home, surrounded by my family and by all that nature. Strange as it sounds, I miss the sea. I think once you have grown up near water it becomes part of you. I feel a little land-locked living in Cheshire.

In my car
I love going for a little drive, even if I don't get out of the car.

The Cornerhouse
The Cornerhouse is an independent cinema in Manchester. It regularly shows foreign films and films generally not screened at commercial cinemas. It's so full of culture that it also holds space for an art gallery, a book shop, a bar and a coffee house. It must be the only place you can have a cup of coffee and a cupcake at 11pm! Love it.

Talkin Tarn
A man-made lake situated between Brampton and Carlisle in the north west of England, it became a regular haunt for while I was studying and living in Carlisle. I still visit occasionally but it seems to have become a bit more commercial since my first trips there. It's still a beautiful area though, another place where you can sit alone and think without looking a bit weird.

The Trossachs
The Trossachs is a National Park in Scotland, just a bit north of Glasgow. It includes Loch Lomond amongst it's many beautiful sights. It was here that I hiked up my first ever 'proper' hill, Ben Narnairn, with my brother and his girlfriend when I went to stay with them in Glasgow. Even though it started to pour down it was a great day, especially when we finally touched ground level and could relax and warm up in the pub with a nice beer and basket of chips. Good times :)

Café Nero @ The Triangle
This isn't because I have a die-hard love for Café Nero as such, but it's the location of this particular one that draws me back to it time and time again. It is right in the centre of Manchester in a small (but sadly unsuccessful) 'shopping centre' called the Triangle. The Triangle sits right in the shadow of the better, bigger and more popular Arndale Centre and as a result it has practically gone out of business, the few shops still there look out to a central-built structure that houses Cafe Nero. It's sad news that the place is so empty, but it's ideal for me. Those who know me know that I HATE shopping with a passion. Manchester City Centre at the weekend is my idea of hell (though the Trafford Centre far surpasses that) and this Cafe Nero is a little slice of heaven to me whenever I go into the city. A cup of coffee, a deep breath, ready to fight my way through the crowds again.
.

30 Days of Lists: Day 8

List 8: Things I Need To Say No To
Fonts used: Nasalization, Gabriola

This could have been a very long list all about eating. I love my  food!

Buying Filofaxes
I have six now, that should be enough (for now!)

Taking on too much
I have a bad habit of doing too much at once.

Eating that 2nd packet of crisps
In my defence, crisp packets are much smaller than they used to be!

Cleaning up after others
I tend to just get on with it rather than nag or moan. I need to stop that habit or else people will just get used to me doing it all.

Having dessert despite already being full
More gluttony!

30 Days of Lists: Day 7

List 7: Style Inspirations
Fonts used: Impact Label, Miriam Fixed Regular

I decided to turn this prompt into styles that I like to refer to when I am designing something in my personal life such as card crafting, interior design, illustration work etc. etc. Looking at the list, one word one summarises everything I like: Swirly. Enough said :)

30 Days of Lists: Day 6

List 6: Things To Collect
Fonts used: Freshbot, Circle, Eurostile
***Quick note on copyright; I've used background image that has been sitting on my PC for ages. I don't  know where it came from so if you recognise it, or if it is yours, let me know and I'll sort out copyright.

I don't really collect things, by that I mean I don't actually go out of my way to collect things. It just so happens that certain things tend to accumulate in my house... not my fault...

Calendars
ALWAYS useful for high quality prints to cut out and use for cardstocking, Filofax dividers, wall art etc.

Cardstock
I like having a large collection to hand so I can just spread everything out and get inspiration for my next card designs.

Notebooks
I don't have as many of these lying around as I used to, I've had a cull recently. I think Filofax is also partly to blame for this, most of my note keeping is done in one of my six Filofaxes these days.

Books
I've read a few books on my phone (HTC HD - the screen is big enough for me read without going blind) but it's just not the same as a physical book. And my books are very...'loved'. Ok, they're a mess. But I'm not precious about my books, they get shoved in my bag, they are dropped in the garden, they have coffee spilt on them. My phone couldn't handle that!

Filofaxes
Six and counting!!!! Only one is not in use; I'm super-organized, my life would be a mess without them.

Buttons
You know those buttons you cut off new clothes, those ones you find around the house, the ones you impulse-buy in a craft shop? I keep them ALL. In a small biscuit tin. Because if you throw a button away, you will need it the very next day.

Masks
I have a thing about masks. In fact I'm attracted to these kinds of things in general, Venetian masquerades, Victorian circuses, ruined buildings, Baroque-style art...love it all.

Ticket Stubs
I like to remember what I've seen and when (and who with sometimes). It's nice to come across an old ticket stub and reminisce.

Plants
I'm obsessed with growing a large plant one day. I haven't succeed yet. I blame the constant house-moving I do (six times in six years, getting tired now), the plants never seem to really settle in, especially if the new place has less light than the old one.

30 Days of Lists: Day 5

List 5: Words To Live By
Fonts used: Clutchee, Disco, Berlin Sans FB

I was very close to using quotes for this list but quite honesty I dislike quotes. Usually they are taken out of context or attributed to the wrong person, or worse, a character from a play/novel/movie (Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare have a few of these). So I thought I would come up with my own 'quotes' for this one. These are things I have either learnt from experience or have come to conclude from the experiences of others. I won't go through my 'words to live by'; they speak for themselves.

30 Days of Lists: Day 4

List 4: Things I will Do Today (And Not Put Off 'Til Tomorrow)
Fonts Used: Never Regular, Prestige Elite Standard Bold

Ok I've changed this one. The original prompt was 'Things I will Put Off 'Til Tomorrow' but actually I don't put things off, if anything I try to cram too much into each day when sometimes I really should let things slide now and then. So here's my list for today:

• Ironing
• Buy travel insurance
• Attempt to fix printer
• Order a new Wacom Bamboo pen

Ironing
Boring, but it must be done.

Buy travel insurance
Again, boring but it must be done. At least with this task I get something good out of it (holiday that is.)

Attempt to fix printer
I think this may be a lost cause but I'll give it one last try before my trip to the tip next weekend.

Order new Wacom Bamboo pen
The pen for my Wacom no longer works and the tablet is so old that Wacom no longer supplies spares. I was just going to buy a new shiny one but a friend lent me their Bamboo pen it seemed to do just as well as the original stylus. So I'll need to order one of those before I go crazy trying to use a mouse in Photoshop!