On crafty-ness

Over the past couple of years, I have turned into a crazy craft lady. Yes, I may be 20-something, but already I'm well on my way to being a granny. What non-crafty people don't realise though is that craft is like, so hot right now.
I started off with quilting - my first quilt was made as a gift for my bf''s mum for Christmas a couple years ago. Since then I haven't had such a tight deadline to get a quilt done, so my next one, a granny square quilt, had been very, very slow. Have to cut some 300+ 2 1/2in squares, and I think I'm close to half cut, but I am taking it pretty easy.

Nice little pile of the California Girl range by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda (and a nice Tilda backdrop)

Went on to cutting some more of my fabrics for this today. I would really love to get started on sewing soon, but alas, heaps more fabric to cut. If I can at least get a few blocks sewn by the end of the year I'd be happy.

Close up of some Tilda fabric - seriously love this fabric!

As much as I love quilting, it can be a bit of a hassle to go to the table and cut fabric or sew after a long day. This is where I'm really happy that I taught myself to crochet. I've seen so many amazing things on Pinterest, there are some incredibly talented people out there. So, I took a day over the Christmas holidays last year, and taught myself the basics in one day. Made one lap blanket which took up a few months, but now I'm 172 squares into a 224 square blanket. Might seem like a lot, but if I can knock off a few a day, I can get there pretty quickly. Then it's just a matter of joining and making a boarder and then I'll have a queen size bed crochet blanket!

Pretttttyyyyy

The thing I really, really love about crochet is how mindless it is. I can just pick it up (although colour selection now is getting quite slim - picking from my 20 colours, which combo I haven't done yet is thankfully easy thanks to my colour chart!) when I'm watching the tv after a long day. I just need to make sure I don't get cramps in my arm if I crochet for too long!

Mmmmm pretty colours.
My big problem is I just have way too many projects - in my head. I'll be working on one at a time, but I have so many ideas in my head and I just can't wait to start them! Once I'm done with this blanket, I have a really really cool idea for the next one!

On inspiration

I could really kick myself for how lax I've been in blogging, but alas, any time I have a great bloggy idea, it just slips through my fingers once I get back on my computer.
Today however, I've been having lots of thoughts (shocking, I know). Thoughts in particular about how happy I am with my career path.
While all jobs inevitably have their ups and downs, I am really happy that I went down the road of journalism.
It wasn't always my intention to go into the world of journalism, even though I did often think it would be super cool to be a music journo. Once upon a time, I had aspirations to become involved in the film industry. In which role, I don't think I ever really decided on as such.
When I was at Uni, I took a Music & Arts Journalism class, which basically changed my career direction. I had a wonderful tutor who complimented my work, and that was that. If I could ever offer advice to someone, it would be to really listen to someone who knows what they're talking about. I've had a couple situations in my life where I have done exactly this, and been happier for it.
Working on craft magazines has brought out a part of me that I never really knew was there. Now I'm immersed in a world that I hardly knew before, and had a small interest in. I see amazingly creative people doing amazing creative things and I find myself wanting to create.
Inspiration is a wonderful thing and it can come by total surprise, but the feeling of inspiration, that light bulb, that little flutter you feel, that happiness. (Or maybe it's just me?)
It's what I like to call "warm fuzzy feelings". It just makes you feel so warm and happy that you're smiling on the inside (and out), that you just want to squee and talk in a high pitched excited voice. (Or maybe it's just me? Probably is....)
Anyway, back to inspiration. I've been thinking a lot about what inspires me. Because I have a few different outlets for my creativity, I get inspired by a lot of different things. For my (fiction) writing, music is the big thing for me, sometimes other books or movies, more for the overall FEEL rather than ripping off someone else's work. For my craftiness, Pinterest is just, amazing. But in my line of work, personally and professionally, what I find really inspires me is a digital magazine called Sweet Paul. I just love this magazine to bits, it gives me so many fuzzy feelings and I've found it inspiring me with where I want to go in life. Might seem a bit weird, but just bear with me.
Any magazine that gives you warm fuzzy feelings is doing something right. This magazine, for me, is so perfect. It has a clear style and brand, it's top class, without being pretentious. It's homey without losing its class, its beautiful and just amazing. It makes me realise something about myself. I've changed in the last couple of years. What I would love to achieve one day is a product that I've crafted, that is me. Its about the product you produce and the feelings from it. Making something huggable (I so totally want to hug these magazines). I want to make huggable magazines. Huggable products. It isn't a feeling or desire I ever thought I would have. Whether I ever will get the chance, actually doesn't bother me too much. I want it, but I find that desire, that drive, satisfies that creative urge anyway. Just looking and feeling inspired at times is enough to quench those urges.
Anyway, that seems like a bit of random rambling but oh well, just felt like expressing some random thoughts. Now, to break up this wall of text, here is a picture of my crochet blanket progress from a little while ago. Made more progress on it now.

Progress!

50 things about me

I thought I'd start off this blog with one of those "50 things you might not know about me". But of course, some people might know these things, some people might know none of them. So, here goes!

1) I really am a huge mix of things. A lot of my likes and loves really contrast.
2) I love heavy metal music. Going to a metal gig is pure indescribable joy.
3) As much as I love metal, I completely adore celtic folk music. I can't describe the feeling I get when I listen to it, with all the wonderful traditional instruments like Uilleann pipes. I just love it.
4) Music is really important for me when it comes to my fiction writing. It can change my story mood really easily.
5) I have a heap of different story ideas going on at once. I am determined to finish them (well, the ones I'm really dedicated to), but when my mood changes, I can't write anything else than that one story I'm in the mood for.
6) One of my stories is over 60 000 words, but it has been going on for quite a few years.
7) Writing is one of the most important things to me. I would give anything for it to be my main source of income. And to call myself a professional author would be a dream come true.
8) I love sewing, I've made one quilt which I gave away, and I have a bunch of other quilt designs lined up, I just need some time!
9) I'm desperate to learn knitting, crochet and embroidery. I have so many ideas and things I want to do!
10) I love orange flavoured things.
11) Blueberries are my favourite berry.
12) I love flowers.
13) I love forests.
14) I love everything fantasy.
15) I absolutely love mythology, especially Celtic and Greek mythology. But all mythology is awesome.
16) I just love history, but not so much modern history.
17) I have always been fascinated by English history, especially English royal Tudor history.
18) When I visited the Tower of London, I had a semi freak-out when I realised I was in the same room where Anne Boleyn was buried. That was major history nerd freak-out time for me!
19) I love ancient history too. And medieval history. Just all the history. Don't make me pick!
20) I'm really lucky I've been able to get to do a bit of travel in Europe. Nothing too long, I've spent most of the time in Sweden, but I have been to Rome, London and Tampere in Finland.
21) Going to Finland was like a dream come true, something I've wanted to do for about 6 years.
22) I love Stockholm. I've wanted to go there since before I landed myself a Swedish bf. When I finally visited Stockholm, it was in the summer, and just perfect and wonderful. I would recommend anyone goes there.
23) As much as I love Stockholm, I couldn't live there, I wouldn't want living there to ruin my love for that city.
24) Sweden is like a second home to me.
25) I'm so lucky to have an amazing in-law family over in Sweden, including the second cutest dog in the world, after my dog, of course! :) I miss them all so much though.
26) I have a black miniature poodle. Poodles are just the best dogs. They don't really smell, but the top of their head smells really nice, since their fur is more like wool than fir.
27) I love all animals, but I've never really been a cat person until more recently. Now I really want a cat. But I will always be a dog person.
28) Otters are the most amazing animal in the world. I love them so much I could die.
29) I want a pet fox.
30) I love salmon. Salmon done any way, especially raw salmon sashimi, and cold smoked salmon. I could eat so much smoked salmon.
31) I love Japanese food.
32) I love lemon-y stuff. The lemon-ier the better.
33) English me so very good at.
34) I can't decide if I would rather be a Jedi or go to Hogwarts. I wouldn't want to live in Westeros, I would probably die an awful awful death.
35) I have come to the realisation that to me, George R.R. Martin is the best writer I've ever come across, simply for the fact that some of the chapters in A Dance with Dragons actually makes me feel sick to my stomach. (It's the "Reek" chapters, FYI, and if you've read them, I'm sure you understand me!)
36) Meeting George R.R. Martin was one of the most amazing things ever. Especially since he gave me a gold dragon (coin, aka, currency of Westeros - can't believe he has actual coins!) and he called me "princess" thanks to my super awesome Targaryen cosplay costume.
37) I've not met almost every single band member of my 4 favourite bands. Just missing Jukka and Emppu from Nightwish. I guess since Meri isn't with Eluveitie anymore, I don't include her in the list now...
38) I was so super excited when I met and talked  to Troy Donockley was one of the coolest things ever. He plays Uilleann pipes for crying out loud! That is an easy ticket to the road of awesome in my books!
39) My favourite movie of all time is Almost Famous. I have seen it sooooo many times, I basically know all the words. The soundtrack is amazing. Its just perfect.
40) Midnight in Paris is another favourite movie, I totally want to go to Paris now. I just wish I could be at that place at midnight and go hang out in Paris in the 20s.
41) I love French 20s/30s jazz, Ahhhhh so awesome.
42) Sweet Paul magazine is like, the best magazine in the history of everything. He has managed to create something that gives me such warm fuzzy feelings.
43) When Sirius Black died in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that was the toughest HP death to handle for me. Followed closely by Dobby.
44) I laughed way too hard at the "Harry Potter must find his Weezey" line that Dobby says in Goblet of Fire.
45) I haven't read Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit. I love the movies, but I tried reading Fellowship of the Ring and snorefest. Can't handle the ridiculously long descriptions. I might try again at some other time.
46) I haven't read many "classics" but I really want to...when I have the time of course.
47) This is harder than I thought.
48) The more intense the tomato is in a pasta sauce, the better.
49) I love vegetables, especially zucchini.
50) Now you know 50 random things about me, yay!