Collecting and displaying things is one of my main joys in life. I like to surround myself with things that inspire me and make me happy. Every month or so I'm going to share some of my favourite things I have discovered recently in the hopes that maybe they will make you happy too!
I was very lucky to receive some lovely gifts over Christmas and New Year (you may of seen some of these over on my Insta-Stories). Ollie surprised me with this bangle on our 10th anniversary(!!!!) from one of my favourite independent jewelers Datter Industries designed by Kaye Blegvad. He's pretty much bought me a piece of jewelry from there every year, as he knows how much I love them! I love their handmade quality and that she's kept a few little imperfections, it makes them feel really individual and special. The rings I have on (pictured) are also by her.
I'm a massive fan of Kaye Blegvad's work, so for Christmas also I got these gorgeous cat measuring cups and matching measuring pitcher which are an artist collaboration with Anthropology. They are much too nice just sit in my kitchen cupboards so I'm currently using them as plant pots. That way I can look at them all the time.
Talking of things that are too nice to use, my mum got me this DIVINE dogs and plants tea towel by Avenida Home. I think I'm going to get it framed but until then I've hung it up like a Tapestry in my front room. They also do a feline version if you are more of a cat person which is just as gorgeous! May have to get that one too and have them framed side by side.
In keeping with this theme, I thought I would mention a lovely Instagram I came across called Good Boys with Plants. Unsurprisingly, its full of the best photos of good doggies with plants that Instagram has to offer. I'm pleased to note that good girls are also accepted - my good girl Tovah got a feature! It's a great source of drawing inspiration when I'm feeling out of ideas. Here's a pen and ink drawing I made of a rather regal looking Beagle. This along with a load of other originals went up for sale last week on my shop but it was snapped up pretty quickly! There are still lots of others available in need of good homes, including some discounted Inktobers!
Another thing that made me incredibly happy when I unwrapped it on Christmas day was this Lust perfume by Lush - especially as I didn't even know it came in this 100ml size! I usually have the smaller bottle which lasts me a whole year. It smells just like Jasmine, so much so that everyone always comments on it (Wow, can you smell Jasmine?'- 'Yup, it's me!') Even better is Lush's products are cruelty free and made from natural ingredients. Alternatively there is a solid perfume version too!
Lastly, Ollie was an absolute angel and surprised me with a book called 'The Artists Way' by Julia Cameron. It's a 12 week course which guides you through the process of recovering your creative self. It aims to dispel any limiting beliefs you suffer from, such as fear, jealously, guilt and 'I'm not good enough' conditioning. These are all things I have been really struggling with recently, so I am giving this book 100% of my effort. I have already started my morning pages (you write down three pages of your thoughts, hopes, dissatisfactions every morning) and committed to a weekly 'Artist Date', where you go and do something by yourself to feed your creativity. For my first date, I made peanut butter vegan cookies and bought some post it notes. While I was waiting for my cookies to bake, I wrote down some of the nice encouraging things people have said to me and stuck them above my desk. I shall let you know how the rest of it goes. I would definitely recommend it so far though!
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