Explore 52/1

Hey, so it seems that everyone is about the 365 or 52 project and I thought why the heck not join in. I am in no way disciplined enough to stick with a daily project so I'm going with the weekly option and I am going to use good old instagram to do it.
I feel that my project should reflect my 'resolution' for 2013 to explore life more and appreciate my city and what it has to offer. Therefore, my photographs are going to document those places around Bath that I have always known but not always appreciated, the places that sometimes get missed by the hoards of tourists or just things around my town that catch my eye.

I also realise that I am a week late in starting my project so here is an instagram I took a few days ago (technically still in week one of the new year!).

This is possibly my favourite coffee house come bar in Bath and it is kind of my local. There is a small chain of Lounge bars now, but The Velo Lounge on Moorland Road is one of the first and still full of independant charm. Each of the bars has a different pre-fix to it's name, often relating to the building it's in and the Velo Lounge used to be a bike shop - get it?
This is the place I go to meet friends, chill out with a cuppa and a book or grab an evening of great food (tapas and burgers to die for), scrabble by candlelight or a pub quiz. It is a cosy hangout with a friendly atmosphere that isn't on the tourist radar, happy days!

Where is your favourite hangout?
Join in my instagram project with #explore52

typically.pretty.wish list 01/13

I'm still in love with chunky knits and it's clear the sun isn't heading to these shores anytime soon, so here is a look at some new items in store that I am coveting! I particularly heart the idea of bringing the leather look leggings out again to wear with a long sweater and biker boots.

1. Denim trapeze dress from Topshop
2. Utility jacket from New Look
3. Knitted clean v-neck sweater from Topshop
4. Basic tee from New Look
5. PU cuff legging from Urban Outfitters
6. Gene cuban ankle boot from Allsaints 

Have a good day xx

Make... An Order Board

Hello friends, sorry about the quality of photo's in this post but I only had my phone camera and poor lighting available to record my make today.
I am very excited that I am writing this on my brand new MacBook Pro, but this wondrous machine has highlighted how much I need improve my photography skills!

For my first make of 2013 I am bringing together functionality with the fun and frivolous. I was given these stag pegs (below) for Christmas and I am going these on a design memo board that I have in my workspace, but they have also inspired me to make another board for my order list (I do like my space to be organised).

So, what is needed to make a clothes peg memo board? Well clothes pegs are a good start!

6 wooden pegs

selection of washi tape

vintage buttons

piece of wood

white emulsion paint

ink stamps

staze-on ink

hot glue gun

nails/hooks and string for hanging

The first thing you need to do is give the wooden board a wash of the paint and put it to one side to dry.

Whilst this drying you can decorate the pegs, do this by sticking your tape to the flat edge of one side of the pegs and trimming to a neat flush finish. You can then use the hot glue gun to stick on your buttons,  layering smaller ones on to larger ones to give some nice detail.

Once your paint is dry you can ink stamp whatever you want written across the top of the board, I chose the word orders with some added detail of a button image I have on a stamp. Staze-On ink really is the strongest you can buy, so be confident of your design as it's not coming off once you have stamped it!

Finally hot glue gun your pegs along the bottom edge of your board, tap your pins or hooks for hanging on to the back, attach your string and voila, you are done.

Have fun xx

Looking Forward...

It's late and I have been a little lacking on the blog this week I'm afraid, and I have to be honest it's because I've been trying to work out what I want from the year ahead of me. Now, I'm not going to do the whole resolution post as it just doesn't work for me and if things don't go quite to plan, it's OK, I can adjust and move on.

The thing I am going to focus on is to 'explore' and I have decided to apply this wherever I can in the year ahead. Of course I want to see more of the world, appreciate where I live more and spend time with interesting and inspiring people (friends and those yet unknown alike). But, I also want to work on my business, and to do this I need to explore new avenues and be more confident. This applies to other areas in my life as well (read single), and those who know me well are always telling me to be more open to things (the favourite phrase is "eyes up Atwell") and say yes more. I do have major self belief issues and I going to try really hard to work on this. 

I also want to spend more time exploring my creativity. I am happy to finally call myself an artisan, a designer, and I would like to spend more time in the design stages of my work. I have always rushed through that initial stage of the design process when it comes to my jewellery. I am so keen to get started on the make, that I often don't spend much time on my sketch books. 

My photography skills and writing are also going to get more attention, I really want people to discover this blog and want to return. I do find it hard to know what to talk about all the time, but I'd like to think I'm connecting with the world a little. I am always thrilled when people want to say hello, and if they then want to look at my work and like what they see, bonus.

I hope I've not been too self indulgent with this post! What would you like to work on in 2013?

New Year, Old Traditions

Happy New Year! For the first day in weeks the rain has ceased and the sun is shining so I am taking that as a good omen for 2013. Let it be a bright year for everyone.
New Years Eve was spent with family and friends and we revived an old tradition to see out the old and bring in the new. Our family always dressed someone as Old Father Time to see off the old year and a child  dressed as the New Year Fairy to bring in the new, they would appear at midnight to start the obligatory party poppers and singing of Auld Lang Syne, and now the new generation of little ones have joined in.
Frighteningly in the old photo's at the age of 3 I appear to look exactly the same as I do now with my fringe cut back in!

 How did you celebrate and what traditions do you follow? xx