The Internet should come with a breathalyser

Following on from that oh-so-cringesome  theme of my last post, I have a wee confession to make today – I didn’t remember that I’d actually written it until I came on here this morning!  That’s sounds really bad, doesn’t it? Hear me out: I’ve been insanely busy at work this past while; long gone are the days were the weekends were for anything other than sleeping for 15 hours at a time, with beer being replaced by copious amounts of tea and books. It’s not exactly rock’n’roll, but that’s how I like it. (I’m an auld woman now, you know.)

It’s not that I was ever the biggest drinker in the world, but these days I can really see where that old cliché about getting drunk at the smell of alcohol comes from. I’m totally and utterly useless! So you can imagine what I was like last Saturday when I went on my friend’s hen night, of all things. I knew I was out of practice, as they say, so I was pacing myself and trying my best to take it easy. In fact, if you had asked me at the end of the night I would’ve told you I was totally sober , it wasn’t until the next morning that I realised I’d been away with the fairies! And then to come on here today with the intention of making my first post in months, only for the cold realisation to hit me that I’d been on that night… Well, let’s just say it was unsettling. I completely remember writing it now (I wasn’t that bad), but still. I suppose it could’ve been worse, I could’ve done one of those soppy ‘I love you guys’ posts like I’ve been guilty of in the past. 

Anyway, I’m not quite sure why I’m even drawing attention to it since I’m a tad embarrassed by the whole thing and should really just let it pass and hope no one noticed. I think it’s a compulsion of mine to point out things that I really should try to cover up. I also wanted to explain why I’d wasted both yours and my own time with yet another one of those whiney ‘I’m sorry I’ve not posted anything in ages’ tirades, put it behind me, and resume with regular ‘normal’ blogging. I’ve a post lined up for this afternoon and everything! 

By the way, the image I’ve used with this post (and the last couple) is a page from my digital art journal, which I’ve not been updating as much as I’d like but which I’ve not totally abandoned. I’d just thought I’d point that out because it’s the type of thing I used to blog about before I got in the habit of making these pointless posts. This is the last of them, promise. Expect a return to the randomness of old, whether it’s some silliness that’s been on my mind or some loveliness I’ve encountered online.  

And just like bloody buses…

…you don’t get a post for months then two come along at once. You see how committed I am to my promises in the previous post? I had parties to go to tonight, people to kiss and hug and spill beer on, but nope - I just told them they could keep their champagne and sing-songs, I had a blog to resurrect! (It has nothing to do with the fact I’m shattered and my old back complaint’s playing up, honest it hasn’t.)

Anyway, this is another of my resolutions for the new year. This time last year I committed myself to keeping an art journal. Well, I did, but the results weren’t always great. I’m not the most tidy person either, so any time I made a page I usually made a mess too. (Glitter glue and paper everywhere - my room usually ended up looking like it was hit by a playschool class on the sauce.) So, since I spend most of my time at a computer, and since I’m a little bit more adept on Photoshop than with hands-on arts-and-crafts, I set myself a more manageable target this year - digital art journaling. This is my first go, I’ll post another one each week.

Happy new year folks!

New Year, New Me

image source

Well, not really. I’m still the same old me, just a little older since I’ve last been here. Though not much wiser… So then folks, how the hell have you been?!  All’s well this end, I’m glad to report. Happy to back in this weird and wonderful land of fanciful findings and frivolous fantasies. Where’ve I been without you all? As soon as I logged in here and saw those familiar names scrolling down through my dashboard I felt like I’d never been away. It’s really rather comforting.

Anyhoo, to answer that rhetorical question to myself, I’ve not been anywhere particularly special. Just hanging out with the neighbours, in a virtual metaphorical sense.  Spending too much time on Twitter and Tumblr, to put it more literally. In the past wee while I’ve gone beyond my lingering guilt at committing cyber adultery on you guys and fully embraced my micro-blogging addiction. Hence my total abandonment of this, my true internet home.

So - and you may have guessed this already - I’ve made it my New Year’s resolution to do something about that. I’ve already started giving the place a bit of an early spring clean (it’s not finished yet, I’ll get my blogroll and other wee foottery things back up soon enough), and I’ve decided to take a new approach to how I blog here, too. My addiction to Tumblr and the like isn’t hard to figure out; I’m pretty well occupied in my real life at the minute and only have the time and enthusiasm for popping in briefly, throwing a few posts up, and making a quick and quiet exit.

Tumblr makes that easy with its anonymity - on Blogger I’ve always felt an obligation to respond to each and every comment left here by visiting that person's page. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE catching up with you all since you’re all so damn lovely and have the bestest blogs ever, but that’s exactly the problem! I’ve been lucky enough to meet so, so many wonderful kindred souls on here over the past year or two that I always have a lot of loveliness to catch up with. And because of sense of duty to visit you all every time I post… well to be honest it puts me off posting. Not because it feels like a chore, but because I know how long it’ll bloody take! Not a bad complaint, I know. Just an impractical reality of my (previous) Blogger blogging habits.

I think it was the lovely Kathy who, in her infinitely witty wisdom, once told me blogging buddies should be like the people you talk to at the supermarket. You like them, enjoy and even look forward to hearing what’s been going on in their lives or whatever, but you don’t think they’re terrible and throw a huff if they’re in a hurry and don’t have time to stop for a chat. (Well, not unless you’re slightly insane.) It makes sense, for an analogy in which blogging is groceries. So, from now on, I may not always be able to stop for that wee natter, but then again I might have loads of time for a good auld chin wag… What I’m trying to say is I might not stop by your blogs every time I stop by my own, but I will get around to say hello eventually!

image sorce

Then there’s that other issue I need to address - POSTS LIKE THIS ONE!!! When I haven’t been on in a while I feel compelled to spend ages posting a big warbling apology for not having posted in a while. And just like with my self-imposed visiting obligations, the longer it’s been since I’ve posted the longer I’ll spend apologising for not having posted - sure just look at the length of this post! No more of this carry on, is what I’m saying.

Shorter posts, but more of them; meaningful catch ups not obligatory visits; blogging because I want to, not because I feel I have to; and no more months on end of random apologetic posts! That’s my blogging resolution for 2012. Well, hope you all had an excellent night. Good thoughts and best wishes for the coming twelve months!

The Moon and Two Butterflies

Has anyone else noticed that it’s Thursday? And - and! - it’s Easter? I think I must’ve encountered some sort of time warp ‘cause I’ve no idea where this past week month has gone.  One minute it’s a dreary March afternoon and the next thing I know I’m dandering round the beach and half the country’s in the sea swimming. Like it’s almost summer or something! Madness.

Anyway, how’ve all you lovely blogging folk been doing? I’ve been quite the anti-social networker of late, apologies. There’s just been too many offline distractions vying for my attention this past while; I’ve been living an almost internetless existence which, I have to admit, has been rather refreshing. And a little nostalgic actually, kinda like being back in the nineties :) That said, now that I’ve plugged myself back in I’m itching to get out in the ether again.

Before I set off on my blogland adventure, though, I just want to share some of my latest digital collage. They’re not great and I’d intended on saving this post until I had a few I was happier with, but since these are the last creations I’ll probably ever make using my beloved Gimp I thought I may as well. A little tribute, if you will.

You see folks, as happy as I am with my wee free friend, the time has finally come to move up in the world. Yup, I’ve managed to get my hands on Photoshop again! I’m not saying my collage is going to get any better just because I upgraded, but I do imagine I’ll be making many, many more as I reacquaint myself with PS and all it’s goodies. ’Tis going to be fun. 

 

Oh, I almost forgot. Here’s a list of the sites where I found the vintage images used. All wonderful places to wander!
Vintage Printable
The Vintage Moth
e-vint.com/
The Graphics Fairy

Couture Cutlery

Bangle by The Hairy Growler Jewellery Co

I take no credit for today’s find whatsoever, all I did was open an email from a friend and follow the link to the loveliness. (Thanks Roxanna!) In fact, after having had a right nosy thorough the masses and masses of said lovelines I realised I’d already briefly encountered the work of The Hairy Growler over at a certain fairytale blog of inspiration. So no doubt a lot of you did too. 

No matter, though, for even if you have already come across Mr Growler’s stunning recycled silversmithing over at Ruthie’s place another wee run over to his webpage wouldn’t do any harm. Due to the one-off nature of his pieces the site is constantly updated, so much so that regular visitors are encouraged to refresh their browsers so they don’t miss anything. And for those of you who, like myself, are only properly discovering his wonderful work now then I strongly recommend checking it out. So many pretty things to ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ at!

Made entirely from recycled Victorian tableware and pre-1919 silver coins, every single piece in each of the many collections is as beautiful as it is unique. The Hairy Growler claims to bring “the magic of myth” and “the twinkle of nature” to his jewellery design, and he’s certainly not exaggerating. The man’s a magician, just look at what he can do with spoons! 

Guilty Pleasures

Some of my not-so-guilty pleasures :)

 

One of the main reasons I’ve been neglecting blogging so much recently is, put simply, guilt. It might sound mad but I feel guilty because I love it so much; I love writing posts about pointless things, I love wandering the web hunting for arty treasure to share, and I love catching up with all my blogging buddies. Lately, though, every time I sit down to do any of the above I’m overcome with self-reproach and an overwhelming sense that I should be doing something more ‘constructive’.

For fear of sounding melodramatic, I’ve been feeling rather panicky of late regarding my ‘direction’ and all that carry on. I’m fully aware that we’ve been going though the worst recession for generations, and I am accepting of the fact that I’ve had health issues hampering my quest, but I just can’t help shake this gloomy frustration at my faltering career. ‘Career’? I hate people who whine about their ‘career’! And I do  feel terrible even complaining about it because I realise I have it so much better than BILLIONS of other people and I have no right to moan whatsoever. I’m only mentioning it because this frustration is at the root of my guilt - I feel I always could be applying for another job instead spending time blogging.

Anyhow!  I came to a realisation this evening while taking a break from yet another siege of applications. I’d gone down for a cup of tea and decided to watch some TV to relax. I love films but except from a select few shows I don’t usually watch much telly. I usually read, write or play around with my photos to unwind but, with my head a bit fried from all the ‘hire me I’m great’ begging letters to newspapers and press offices and the like, tonight I felt I needed something a little more mindless. And so I found myself watching Eastenders, the most depressing of all the British soaps (which are all pretty darn depressing to be honest). That’s when it occurred to me that blogging is ‘constructive’!

It’s constructive in that it makes me happy, as opposed to sad, doomed and depressed which is the usual outcome of a visit to those cheery folks on Albert Square. I had been thinking that blogging had become one giant exercise in procrastination for me, but why should I see it that way and then think nothing of consigning 30 minutes of my life to soapy oblivion? I could easily had a blog post up in that time and I would’ve felt so much better for it! Why should I feel guilty about something just because I enjoy it?  From here on I’m turning over a new blogging leaf, folks. This post aside, there’ll be no more moaning and nearly week-long absences. I’m going to strive to find you all the most frivolous fanciful things I can and I’m not going to feel one iota of shame at doing so. See you all again soon!

Oh, and because I hate posts without imagery, here are some more of my not quite relevant photos. Just a few of my favourite things: tea, books and taking pictures :) 

 

 

 

A Matter of Opinion

I did something a little mad today. At least some people might call it mad. Personally I think they’re the mad ones (the people who’d probably think I’m mad). It’s really just a matter of opinion, and not that mad at all if you ask me. You’re probably wondering what it is I did that’s so mad, or not mad as the case may be.

Right, well this afternoon I was walking up the street with a friend when we decided to call into a little vintage shop that’s only opened on Saturdays. It was my first time in it since it’s only newish and I instantly fell in love; the woman who owns it travels all over Europe and beyond gathering up hats, clothes, jewellery and all other sorts of other wonderful things then brings them back for sale in the shop. Just like one of those places you find in the hip and cool districts of big cities, not on our wee town’s main street!  Anyway, it also sells wedding dresses and twenty minutes after going in for a ‘quick nosy’ I had bought one.

Yup, totally broke and with no plans for even setting a date for the big day, I walked in and bought the first wedding dress I tried on - ever! If anyone cares, it’s a little French vintage tea-length number with pretty sleeves. It’s made entirely of cream lace except for a lovely little satin ribbon at the waist. I love it. Think something like this only shorter and with more lace:

That’s a photo I’d saved on my computer from when I first got engaged, back when it looked like the wedding was going to happen sometime this century.  Unfortunately I can’t find the link for where I found it right now, but I can remember it was a posh London shop that specializes in vintage bridal wear. I can also remember the price - around £3000 if I recall correctly. Mine cost 80 euro. Go me!

Anyhow, it’s not the fact that I’ve bought my dress even though I may still be yet unmarried and living in sin by the time I’m collecting my pension that’s a bit mad. My (eek!) dress probably hasn’t been worn for manys a decade, so I’m sure it’ll keep for another few years. The mad part is how quickly I went from seeing it to owning it. Is this not supposed to be some sort of important decision or whatever? Maybe I should’ve thought about it if for more than a few minutes, but I doubt that would have made me like the dress any less. And now I don’t have to worry about having to get one whenever we do get round to organising stuff. It’s one less expense and thing to stress about in the future, which is really quite wise if you think about it!

On another note, it turns out Himself doesn’t have much faith in me. When I told him of my impulse purchase he was a little too under-whelmed for my liking and when I impressed on him how much I loved the dress he told me that, in fact, was the problem. I dress like a granny apparently. My fashion sense has been likened to Dot Cotton in the past, but I’ve always taken that as a compliment! He, on the other hand, is a tad sceptical about what I might possibly have chosen, and thinks vintage simply means old and ditsy. I should go out and find the frilliest, most obnoxious one I can and leave it lying about for him to ‘accidentally’ discover. That’d get him worried alright. Good enough for him!

Well folks, just thought I’d share my news with you. I’m really a big girly at heart and I’ve been on cloud nine all afternoon :) Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend!

Inspirational Findings

‘Sunday Stroll’ by Vintage Findings

These days when I come across art or photography that really tickles my fancy I often just click on the ‘share on tumblr’ button in my browser. Mainly because it’s so handy - it uploads the image straight from its source and includes all the proper titles, links and credits. Used properly, it’s a really easy way of blogging someone else’s work with all due acknowledgment. (Unfortunately it isn’t always used properly by everyone, but that’s a story for another day.)

I often feel quite lazy and anonymous, though, silently blogging into the Tumblrsphere. So this evening, due to the guilt I’m feeling about neglecting this blog in favour of that oh-so-convenient  honey trap, I thought I’d give the work of this lovely lady a proper post - using words and everything :) 

Working under the name Vintage Findings, I stumbled upon the Californian gal on Flickr a yesterday while on one of my inspiration-seeking quests.  Her photostream is wonderful and extensive, with hours worth of wandering potential through her beautiful photography and stunning digital collage.  It was, however, her art journal set which first grabbed my attention.

 

As I perused her pretty pages, my first thought was to my own poor abandoned journal lying in a pile on the floor behind me somewhere. I had an urge to turn off my computer, forget the plans I had for trying stuff out on Gimp that night,  and get the glue and scissors out. Then something rather exciting came to my attention - her pages were digital! I honestly didn’t realise at first, they’re so well done. Later when I found her webpage I discovered she prints them in such a way they look like pages from a book.
 

On her website you’ll also find a link to her blog, which isn’t just inspirational - it’s educational too. Here she often explains her methods and sometimes even brings you on a step-by-step tour of how she created her work.  A wonderful resource for someone like myself still learning about layers and textures and such things. There’s tons of tutorial sites out there on the web, but a lot of those are written by fellow amatuers yet only learning themselves. At the Vintage Findings blog you get an insight into the creative of process for some really quite excellent art!

All in all, I think yesterday was quite a good day at the Flickr office. I’ve often thought about trying out digital collage but the furthest I’d ever got was making my blog header and buttons and stuff. Now I’ve found Vintage Findings I’m thinking of giving it another go! If I ever manage to create anything even a fraction as fabulous as these I’ll be a happy bunny.  

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
   The flying cloud, the frosty light;
   The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
   The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Excerpt from ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1849)

Happy Hogmanay all! Anybody have any exciting plans for tonight? I’m set to have my quietest New Year’s EVER! I’m not heading out anywhere, which’ll be the first time since I was a teenager, and neither am I going home to my Scottish mother’s house, which will actually probably end up madder than  any pub or party I’d have been going to anyway. It’ll always does between the crazy (in a good way) relatives and their wacky traditions. Instead I’m sitting in with himself, who’s all dosed up now too, and having a nice relaxing one. I’m rather looking forward to it, actually. Anyway, just wanted to wish you all the best for 2011 and let you know how wonderful it’s been getting to know you all over these past months. Here’s to another great year of blogging!

Halloween: Time of the Fae

Image source

So you think Halloween’s all ghosts and witches, goblins and ghouls do you?  It is, I suppose. But what about fairies? This is the time of year they’ll get ye, you know; restless souls aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the thinning veil between here and the Otherworld. Not so long ago people had the wisdom to remember that and kept an especially watchful eye for spritely shenanigans around now. These days, though, the autumnal power of the fae folk tends to get overlooked in favour of imported pumpkins and sugar-coated candy.

Speaking of, what ever happened to carving turnips and bobbing for apples? And I bet no one gives trick-or-treaters monkey nuts and mandarins at the doors anymore. Poor parents nowadays with their buzzed up kids. When I was little we came home with bags of fruit and nuts; you were doing well if you got a couple of chocolate bars or a toffee apple. No one decorated their houses then either, and people told ghost stories instead of partying. It was spookier!

It’s funny to think of the cycle of Halloween as a holiday over the past couple of centuries: first the Irish took it with them on their coffin ships to America. There it was adapted to fit with the harvest of the new land (e.g lots of pumpkins, not so many turnips), as well as being mingled in with similar traditions from other cultures (the Mexican Day of the Dead, for example). Then you Yanks, being the grandmasters of capitalism that you are, sold the whole thing back to us via Mars bars and movies. Don’t get me wrong, this new version of Halloween is as much fun in its own way, probably more so. I just can’t help mourning how many of the Irish traditions we’ve lost even since I was a child in the late 80s. Like the fairy stories! Image source

Yes, I did remember about the fairies. The whole point of this post was to not forget the fairies! They don’t have blogs of their own, you see, and need someone to draw attention to their plight as an underappreciated spirit race at this most important time of year, when their influence on the human world is at its strongest.  After all, the fae can be as scary as any other spooky spectre abroad on a Samhain eve. Just look at the most terrifying vision of them all- the Banshee, whose name is actually only the anglicised form of ‘Ban Sidhe’, literally meaning ‘woman fairy’. You wouldn’t want one of those things showing up at your door on a dark night, believe me. Image by Norma Peters

She gets them a bad press though, in my opinion. Fae come in many forms and not all their influence is to be feared. In fact, most of the time if you do them a good turn they’ll repay you straight back, like in the wee anecdote below. Taken from a lovely little set fairy and ghost stories collected from around my local area by the good people over at movilleinishowen.com, it’s a great example of why we should embrace the little folk and their mischievous ways. And be on the lookout for them this festive season!

 

 Image by cambiodefractal

To the mind of the older generation the world of spirits was all around. The souls of the dead did their Purgatory in the area in which they lived during life; fairies lived in every hill and dell and were constantly in touch with human beings, and the devil and his assistants were all the time on the watch. In the daytime nothing was visible but at night the whole spirit world became fully active. The lonely road and the empty house were spots to be avoided. Only the rash and the foolhardy went to such places.

Some fairies were good. Donall O Gallchoir and Sean O Gormain of Gortlesk in Ballygorman were making poteen at a wild and lonely spot at the bottom of the Bengorms. It was midnight when the stilling was completed the two men sat quietly sampling the whiskey. Suddenly a small, red-haired woman appeared with a small tin pan in her hand. The two men regarded her, without fear, as a spirit. She asked for some whiskey, which was given to her. As she turned to leave she thanked them in Irish and told them that the police were coming. Then she disappeared.

The men hurriedly hid all the apparatus and, each with a keg of whiskey on his shoulder, went in haste up the bens by a devious route. At the top they secreted themselves for a while. Soon they saw a party of police go directly towards where they had been stilling. The men quietly went their way in safety to Gortlesk.

© movilleinishowen.com