Something you all should listen to

I've been meaning to do a full on  autumn playlist but I'm absolutely in love with this album and finding it a little hard to listen to things which aren't this album so I thought for now I'd just share this. -Julia

Lil Sketchbook Pages

Just thought I'd pop in and post these sketchbook pages. They're just sketches, nothing finished, and please excuse my tumblr url watermark!

 

I feel like I'm almost developing a drawing style and also like it is actually quite cute.

Side note: I am starting to cringe ever so slightly at the title of this blog, even though I really do like plants. I'm off to think up new names.

-Julia

(surprises everyone by reviving blog)

You lovely people may or may not have noticed that I stopped posting for quite a bit. This is really just because I was starting to feel weighed down by the responsibility of taking photos, editing them, uploading them (multiple times with this terrible host) and writing for them every day. It's only been in the past week that I've started taking photos again really! I'm excited to share them, anyway, so maybe this means I'm back (but no promises!).

  I am still in love with this bag. It's starting to be a more normal shape now which is brilliant. I'm taking advantage of the full length mirrors in the house we're staying in by the sea because

I have short person problems with the wall mirrors.

I sometimes forget to be arty which is another reason why I stopped posting for a bit. I start wearing tracksuit bottoms and lying in bed all day. It's depressing. I'm getting out more lately which is really nice and I have a whole bunch of people constantly inspiring me to make art (I'm very lucky!). -Julia

Starry

Still trying to get into the swing of blogging again! Margot had her first bath very recently. It's been hot outside and she was very well behaved. 

Some of you might maybe remember the t-shirt swap which I'm doing with Flo soon, and I finally got around to testing out the fabric paint! I wanted to test it and make sure it didn't wash out (still haven't quite done that, yet) before I painted her t-shirt so I did this one for myself.

 I am babysitting right now and listening to starry cat. I think I've linked to this before but it is totally worth listening to. -Julia

Flowers

You all probably guessed that since I had that break from blogging to finish my project I've been finding it a bit hard to get back into posting daily. Suddenly I don't have to go into college any more and I'm all like "Whaaat? What am I supposed to do with all my time?!" or something.

I am still taking photos though! The flowers I picked for the outdoor table blew over in the wind. The photos could do with some cropping and aren't quite perfect but kinda artsy, I think. Hmmm. -Julia

I'm back! (again)

  My camera cord has returned, and with it so have I! I'll be uploading photos of the past few days over the next few days and it will all probably get very confusing. For now here is a pretty mug I found at a charity shop which was having a clear out, and a book I bought for my friend's birthday. I hope you're all still alive, after all this time! -Julia

Art (etc)

With less college work I feel kind of like I should generally be doing a lot more than I am, but I hadn't quite found my motivation until tonight when I got FireAlpaca open and after a few cranky warm up drawings messed about till these came out. I really like them.

(They're not watermarked but 100% mine, please respectfully ask me for permission and wait for a "yes" before reposting!)

After this I remembered this project I'd started maybe two, three years ago. It was a shoulder puppet with a brake cable mechanism, but I only got as far as making the head and buying the mechanism. This cable had been on my floor for a very, very long time, until I one day decided to put it somewhere very safe. Of course I spent all evening looking for it and found just about everything except for it, but you can buy them inexpensively on Ebay so that's a summer project goal. I feel like I could sculpt a better head now- good thing the cables come in sets of two! -Julia

I'm Back!

So that brief hiatus lasted a tiny bit longer than expected. We got given new work on Monday which had to be finished that day, and then yesterday I decided that (seeing as I finally had a day without urgent work needing doing) I would have a sort of day off. A really chill day doing not very much and seeing my bae. Which was lovely. So!

I recently entered The Raggy Rat's giveaway for a little sock rat doll and I won! My chosen rattie, named Quentin, arrived home today. He is so perf.

Sadly I still have college work to do finding jobs to write CVs for (but then we don't send off the CVs?), and we sat in the garden keeping an eye on the guinea pigs.

I had the smallest ice cream ever.

And I cut my knee on a ukulele. This really concludes my first after-not-posting post. I need to work on my writing but the pictures are almost on point, almost. -Julia

~

Please excuse this short blog-hiatus, I'm very very busy with my college project (see above + lots of boring writing and a sketchbook) which is due tomorrow and will be back posting normally as of then. Thanks v much!

Friday

 I'm not sure how to introduce this post but here's a pretty photo I took yesterday.

And here's a less pretty photo which I took today.

This afternoon (or for some of it, because Orange is the New Black season 3 came out at JUST the wrong time) I studied in the garden while watching over the guinea pigs in their run. I still have a bit of a way to go with this project and I'm relying on tomorrow for that. So I'd better get to sleep. Eep. -Julia

Contact Juggling

Please excuse the lack of a post yesterday, my posts will be probably very patchy till this Monday (my project deadline) although I have now finished my final piece (!!!!).

Today it is really sunny outside and so I thought it would be a great idea to go out contact juggling as a reward for doing my final piece. Here is a photo of my finger being actually burned.

My poor contact ball is so scratched up but I've promised myself a new one when I get so good that I literally never drop it. That is not yet.

If anyone's interested this is a 100mm clear acrylic ball. I found this size very heavy to start with (I began with 75mm balls), but it's a nice in-between size for both smaller isolation tricks and tricks which involve more of your body.

Don't go out when it's really sunny. You'll probably get burned.

Today I'm a little bit obsessed with Walk This Way by MØ. -Julia

Tiny post

Today after college I worked on putting fur on my axolotl doll (it is not a realistic doll) and I've been really busy with college work but this evening I had time to spend with my bae and it was calm and happy and just generally a really nice time.

The deadline for my college work keeps changing and is now next Monday, after which I might even start posting posts with actual substance sometime! For now here's a picture of the sky this evening. -Julia

College Monday

As usual on Mondays today was my terrible 9 till 5 college day. I did lots to my axolotl doll (which is good because the little guy is due in on Friday! I'm gonna miss him) and took kanken photos with my kanken friend (yo Eliot I'm not actually sure how to spell your name?).

Today has a song and the song is Vulture by Micachu. My mum bought me this CD along with my beautiful Kanken for my birthday knowing I liked it and listening to the songs on her bassy speakers is like listening to them all new all over again. I originally found her (them? sometimes?) when my friend Lily sent me a link to the song Lips, and they are one of the few bands I could listen to turned up loud enough to annoy the neighbours.

Birthday + Kanken

Today was my seventeenth birthday and I feel so old and like I should be much more organised at this point, but it has been so so lovely, I really could not have asked for a better day. I got some amazing things (which I will be sure to post about sometime!) and spent the afternoon with my family, my boyfriend, and very briefly a friend (yo Eddie!) popped round too and it was 100% good vibes.

Honestly I will probably be posting about this for the rest of the week so here are a very few photos from today before I go to sleep. In fact, I might leave more birthday-y photos to tomorrow and have today as appreciation for the beautiful new Kanken my mum bought me. (and bubblegum!)

Also here is a terrible selfie because I've been doing my hair in rag curls lately and it is brilliant. I look sad but I promise I am v happy.

My Kanken is a classic size in warm yellow. I had a hard time choosing between that and navy blue but I'm really happy with the choice I made.

Definitely a great start to being 17. -Julia

VIP Visitor

Today we had a very, very important visitor. Here they are pictured posing in my garden.

To celebrate I made a salad for my very spoiled guinea pig (they're both being so spoiled at the moment). Next on how my camera is edging closer and closer to death;

Babbies. That's all I got for today but I'm loving how it's getting warmer and warmer outside. Mmm, summery vibes. -Julia

Garden

Today was mostly college work but I feel like it's getting a bit repetitive doing so many posts about my axolotl doll so here are some garden pictures from earlier. It was reaaally warm today, almost muggy but nice later on.

And a bonus picture of Margot and Caramel in this huge run I've constructed from parts of two different cages and a playpen thingy and the side of a pond. Babbas.

Short post today because really nothing particularly interesting happened at all. Best blog post ever. -Julia

Axolotl Progress 02: He stands!

My posts are getting later and less great because I'm coming up to a big big college deadline in about 10 days, but they should get better again after that for sure. My axolotl project doll is now standing and although there was a minor problem with the lower jaw falling off I'm at least 7% sure that it's fixable. At least.

I wore this shirt which I really love and even attempted an outfit post but the photography was a little off and the way I was standing made it look kind of square and frumpy when it is actually v nice in real life. This is all I'm posting of that terrible session.

This evening I watched Parks and Rec with bae which is always lovely. Hope you all had nice days too. -Julia

Extra Double Post

Last night I was so off and tired that by the time I got into bed and realised I'd forgotten to post I was past uploading photos so I decided to do a kind of double post today to make up for it ye?

Today I was off college (as I keep saying I am totally off at the moment). Yesterday afternoon I was mildly productive though and sewed some little pouches for mine and my brother's guinea pigs. They seemed to approve after some initial confusion about if the pouches were to be sat on or sat in.

Below see Margot (my absolute Queen, 50% bumblebee), and my brother's ginger baby Caramel.

Slightly less aesthetic-y today but guinea pigs are very important. Today I did get one pretty photo actually, the sky was nice this evening.

I'm listening to this Petit Biscuit playlist right now! It's really chill. Not my playlist, just one I found on youtube.

-Julia

Deadlines

My terrible news for today is that I have no news. I had 9 till 5 at college and it was grey outside and I was sleepy the whole day. Here's a photo from yesterday to say sorry for the lack of photos today! Tomorrow if I'm feeling productive I'll make something for the guinea pigs, I think. Hm. Looming deadlines kill me inside.

Hope you're all getting through whichever form of educational torture you're probably going through right now. I think it's important to remember that even if you fail it isn't the end of the world, however unlikely failing actually is. Woah, motivational.

-Julia

Last day of half term sobbing

My family have a tradition of going out to eat on the last day of a holiday, and as it's the last day of half term this meant today. We planned to go for waffles but that was super busy, so we ended up in Pizza express. I had this huuge salad (which was really really nice) and a hot chocolate after.

When I say my camera is dying this is exactly what I'm talking about. Anyone know if you can replace the lens on an Olympus F1.8? I'm going to have to look into that.

After eating we walked back through town as the sun was getting lower in the sky and I took a bunch of pretty (if slightly out of focus) photos as we were going. These may be the first completely unedited/tinted photos on this blog ever.

Also note that my uh, "adorable kitten friend" is VERY offended that he hasn't get been mentioned. Hi, Billy.

-Julia

Axolotl Progress

This morning I was super motivated to do college stuff (look at this terrible webcam photo of how my axolotl doll is coming along!)

 

But by the end of the day (or maybe like 6) I was absolutely done with the world. By 8 I could be found in pajamas watching Legally Blonde. It was one of THOSE days where my motivation just drops to 0 and doesn't perk up again 'till it's too late, and everything is boring even though I'm full of ideas. I just don't have the energy to do any of them. Eh, this happens from time to time and that's okay. I'll hopefully be back and bouncy tomorrow!

-Julia 

Seasidey

Today I went to a nearby seaside town and stocked up on craft supplies. It was hella rainy most of the time which was pretty. I bought a sketchbook, a cute lil water colour tin, and some white and black acrylic paint. The feeling of having a new sketchbook is definitely one of the best things ever.

I took these on the way there and back. The first one has weird reflections which are maybe a little bit cool? Maybe? The second one is a very nearly tree tunnel. Tree tunnels are magical.

 These last two I took on the beach. You could probably have figured that out for yourself.

On my list of photos to post I have all my new pretty art supplies and the fabric which arrived yesterday. Lots of nice things to look forward to.

Sleepy vibes. -Julia

Tiny drawings + coffee

I woke up lazy and tired this morning. Possibly because SOMEBODY introduced me to this terrible, terrible game which I will not link to because your life and your time is valuable and I will not take that away from you. I will not expose you to endless hours trying to engulf smaller blobs. I would never do this to you.

I started the day with coffee and plants watching the guinea pigs in their outdoor run.

I drew in an old sketchbook lots of small, quick drawings.

 

Excuse the watermark, it's my username on pretty much everything but this blog. The temptation to lie in bed in a cozy onesie all day was very, very strong, but I went to the park with my mum, my brother and his friends. My social life, guys.

I got a very pretty package containing fabric which I will post about sometime too! It was a bit dark by then for good photos but it's really gorgeous.

Hope you all had a nice day. -Julia