TAKING STOCK #7

Flashback to last summer because I'm loving all the sunshine we've been having :)

Lately I have been..

Designing: wedding invitations with George.
Making: lots of stock to take to the Ship Shape Craft Fair next month!
Looking: for the perfect wedding rings.
Listening: to Matthew Mole.
Watching: The DeFranco Fam.
Liking: the warmer weather. Summer is my favourite.
Eating: muesli and blueberries for breakfast every morning. Yummy.
Drinking: plenty of coffee.
Wearing: my leather jacket. No more bulky winter coats. Hurrah!
Wanting: a new sewing machine..
Needing: to focus on exercise and fitness.
Enjoying: being super productive. I enjoy feeling accomplished and it also helps me fully appreciate having some down time at the weekends.
Pinning: cute weddings invites and craft fair display inspiration.
Trying: to eat a little healthier. Ditching the chocolate is easier than I thought!
Thinking: how is this year whizzing by so fast?!
Wishing: there were more hours in the day.. or that I could just manage my time better.
Loving: slow Sundays and preparing for the week ahead.

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

Amy x

TAKING STOCK #6

Lately I have been..

Designing: our 'Save the Dates'.
Making: lots of prototypes for new midgins' designs.
Looking: at things to do and places to go on our California honeymoon.
Listening: to Jeremy Loops. I'm in love.
Watching: Ben Brown. His snowboarding vlogs are awesome.
Reading: Design Sponge. So much design inspiration on there.
Liking: experimenting with embroidery. I have so many hoop art ideas in my head!
Eating: too much soup.
Drinking: loads of water. I've definitely noticed the benefits in the appearance of my skin.
Wearing: lots of layers.
Wanting: to re-design my entire blog layout. It's all in my head, I just need time to put it all together (and figure out HTML..)
Needing: to take a proper day off at the weekends. We all need some time to relax and refresh.
Enjoying: project 365. New post every week!
Pinning: bridesmaid dresses.
Trying: to find the perfect pair of wedding shoes. It's harder than I imagined.
Thinking: of my lengthy 'to do' list..
Wishing: for springtime to arrive already. I'm pretty fed up of this cold and miserable weather!
Loving: that I now have a whole week and a half off from my day job and can fully concentrate on the shop and blog!

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

Amy x

TAKING STOCK #5 - A NEW YEAR

Some thoughts and reflections on 2014..

* It went by SO FLIPPIN' FAST.

* We celebrated with friends and family at our engagement party back in March (after the perfect Christmas proposal) and began making serious plans in the summer. So far we've sorted our venue, my dress and the honeymoon. Obviously we have tonnes more to do before the wedding this September, but I have never been more excited for ANYTHING in my whole life!

* We didn't go on holiday this year, and since I've been lucky enough to travel pretty much every year of my life (whether abroad or closer to home within the UK) I definitely missed it massively in 2014. However I know it'll all be worth the wait once we go on our honeymoon to California this September <3

* I didn't blog nearly as much as I wanted to. I really, really hope I can turn that around this year by getting myself organised and trying my hardest to stick to a regular schedule, since it's something I thoroughly enjoy doing.

* I launched my Etsy shop in October and I'm so god damn proud of myself and my fiance George, who provided me with oodles of support and encouragement, as well as designing and working alongside me to bring Midgins' to life. It took months of preparation to get my work to a state that was good enough to release, and I even dropped hours at my full time job so I had more time to spend at home designing and sewing, and that's one of the best decisions I made all year. I'm still not happy with my day job and would absolutely love to work on Midgins' full time one day. I hope lots more hard work and determination in 2015 will bring me closer to that dream.

* I definitely didn't take as many photos in 2014 as I have done in previous years, and that makes me a little sad. I hope that working on my Etsy shop and my blog with encourage me to photograph more of my daily life and times spent with George, my friends and family.

Now on to current thoughts and the "taking stock" part of this post..

Making: plans and goals.
Looking: forward to all the amazing things in 2015.
Listening: to Dirty Revolution.
Watching: Fun for Louis.
Reading: .. as usual this section is blank, aside from blogs. Although I'm looking forward to reading the brand new Rock 'n Roll Bride magazine this month!
Liking: freshly painted nails.
Eating: all of the Christmas chocolate..
Drinking: a delicious mug of hazelnut hot chocolate.
Wearing: jumpers and skinny jeans, pretty much every day <3
Wanting: to take more outfit photos. And photos in general.
Needing: to put the chocolate down..
Enjoying: writing lists in my brand new diary.
Bookmarking: beautiful wedding rings.
Trying: to save as many pennies as possible.
Thinking: of new designs and business ventures.
Wondering: how many blog posts I'll be able to write this year.
Wishing: Christmas didn't end so quickly and I could leave my tree up for longer.
Loving: feeling motivated and excited after a lovely Christmas break.

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

Amy x

TAKING STOCK #4

"Sweater weather" from Pinterest

Making: new products for Etsy.
Looking: for honeymoon destinations.
Listening: to Ed Sheeran.
Watching: Breaking Bad. Bit late I know..
Reading: blogs mostly, but I really want to read a good book.
Liking: that I had a successful day of Christmas shopping yesterday.
Eating: more vegetables lately. Well done me.
Drinking: Starbucks gingerbread latte. 'Tis the season!
Wearing: warm and snuggly clothes.
Wanting: to organise my sewing space.
Needing: to dye my hair.
Enjoying: sewing all the time.
Bookmarking: wedding photographers.
Trying: to be healthier.
Thinking: of the beautiful wedding dress I chose last week. I can't wait to wear it!
Wondering: what to buy/ make people for Christmas.
Wishing: I had another week off work. Time has disappeared far too quickly.
Loving: the launch of my Etsy shop. It's early days but I'm enjoying it so much and can't wait to see it develop.

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

TAKING STOCK #3

Cuteness from Pinterest.

Since I haven't posted one of these (or posted anything) in a little while, I thought this would be the best way to update you all on my current thoughts, feelings and general life stuff. Apologies for being a lazy blogger..

Making: progress. And I'm so excited about it!
Looking: forward to opening my Etsy shop.
Listening: to the rain.
Watching: New Girl.
Reading: A Beautiful Mess.
Liking: that I finally got some new clothes. My wardrobe was feeling sad..
Eating: raspberries and yoghurt.
Drinking: peppermint tea. I finally tried it for the first time recently, and now I'm hooked.
Wearing: pyjamas, the second I get home.
Wanting: to go wedding dress shopping.
Needing: to tick more off my to do list.
Enjoying: my new Ikea Raskog. I'm way too excited to finally have one..
Bookmarking: sewing machines, cameras and all the expensive things I want but can't afford.
Trying: to work harder.
Thinking: of new design ideas.
Wondering: what it would be like to design/ build a house.
Wishing: I had blogged more this summer.
Loving: that it's starting to feel like cardigan weather. Farewell summer and thanks for being kind this year :)

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

TAKING STOCK #2

Making: a banner/ logo for my shop.
Looking: at beautiful wedding rings on etsy.
Listening: to the pigeons outside my window.
Watching: Game of Thrones, finally!
Reading: Cider with Rosie.
Liking: being outside more.
Eating: BBQ food at the weekend. Mmmm..
Drinking: lots of water.
Wearing: dresses without tights. Summer is definitely here!
Wanting: a puppy.
Needing: to organise my sewing space.
Enjoying: the sunshine.
Bookmarking: furniture and storage for our office.
Trying: to make the most of my time.
Thinking: of honeymoon destinations.
Wondering: what this blog might look like a year from now.
Wishing: I'll be able to work from home full time someday.
Loving: the beautiful barn we visited at the weekend for our wedding.

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.

TAKING STOCK #1

Making: ukuleles, monsters and other adorable plush things. Oh and curtains too..
Looking: at everything wedding related.
Listening: to my fiancé playing guitar.
Watching: #tabletalk
Reading: Rock 'n Roll Bride
Liking: photos of my brother's cat.
Eating: many a baked potato, and strawberries. Not at the same time..
Drinking: hot chocolate.
Wearing: old clothes.
Wanting: new clothes..
Needing: to be healthier.
Enjoying: weekends with George.
Bookmarking: sewing machines. I'm in need of an upgrade!
Trying: to be productive.
Thinking: my to-do list isn't getting any smaller.
Wondering: what I could have accomplished in 6 months time from now.
Wishing: time would slow the hell down.
Loving: that I finally dropped my hours at work so I can concentrate on starting a business from home.
Feeling: brave.

Inspiration for this post from The Daybook.