Bristol graffiti hunting...

On Friday I went graffiti hunting in Bristol with Milo's camera and here some photographs of what I was inspired by. Afterwards I went out a-walking with the lovely Lucy, took some pictures, walking on Brandon Hills, ate yummy (yet expensive Thai food) and went to the art museum. I felt so inspired when I returned, but a combination of procrastination and running low on supplies made me give up on creating anything for the weekend.
Today Milo and I went to Hobbycraft so I could pick up some new blank cards and while I was there I picked up a few chipboard albums, one of which I'm using to create my art journal for the 52 week deck of me challenge.
This weekend I've been feeling like I've gotten nothing accomplished... no creating, no studying, no blogging....

Grrrrrr and YAYYYYYYYYYYY!

Simultaneously feeling both grrr and yay today... It's annoying me that I am still without internet, because I find it very difficult to open up and write candidly when I'm sitting in a busy cafe with my laptop on my.. well.. lap. It's been a busy week that feels like a month. A week of settling in, unpacking and trying to find myself here in Bristol. It's the first time that I really find myself in a city not a student, and as I live in a largely university area chockablock full of students, I can't help but feeling jealous and feeling a tug on my heartstrings, missing school and being an academic. Milo's been busy at his music uni pretty much everyday with homework on the weekend, so I've been left to my own devices. I spent a few days wallowing in uncharacteristic self-pity thinking that Bristol has nothing here for me and wondering what I am actually doing here. But I'm happy to report that's all in the past, I've moved on and am now starting with a self confidence of "if you want something done, you have to do it yourself"... I'm stressed because I'm such a social person and I don't actually have any friends here, so I put an add up on gumtree here and here, in the hopes of meeting a few nice girls to spend some time with, drink tea and maybe share some creativity. I'm not sure where to start exactly with this update, since I have so much to talk about, especially my thoughts on Bristol after my first week here. So far I'm loving Bristol and all it has to offer, it's a young and vibrant city, distilling the best that London has to offer with a more manageable scale. I'm finding the people to be friendly and open and the city itself is stylistically interesting and beautiful. Bristol is a maze of hills and valleys and affords some really spectacular views, particularly in the area (Clifton) where I'm living. Over the weekend Milo and I walked to Clifton Village, which is about a 10minute walk, where there are cute little boutique-y shops, antique stores, listed buildings and a suspension bridge that over looks an amazing gorge and a green landscape beyond. On Sunday, we took advantage of amazing weather and went to the seaside (only a 25 minute drive away!)

I'm still planning on updating my etsy and folksy shops this weekend, with lots of new goodies that I've been working on and am hoping to do a freebie giveaway contest on Monday :o) I've been feeling so inspired here in Bristol, from the shapes, sounds, wall murals and art, fashion, and the bustling busyness of it all... and finally having a large desk certainly helps!

I'll give a few previews of what I've been working on and what will be available this weekend.

xo Nikki

To whom it may concern:

I've spent all day applying for jobs with my computer perched on top of an ironing board, 6 books, a round tub and various pieces of paper to catch the one bar of free wireless by this window. Just wanted to say hello and that I should have consistent internet in a few days! I've been making things like crazy and will have a big Etsy and Folksy update by the weekend *hopefully* so maybe something might catch your eye....

Push my buttons!

Hello all!

Yes, unfortunately I am still without internet and I'm feeling a bit crazy because of it. I'm not used to feeling so incommunicado and with the combination of moving to a new city where I don't know anyone, plus Milo in school pretty much all day everyday, I'm feeling a bit lonely and yes... I'm missing my overzealous blogging. I had a job for about... oh.... 5 hours, up until the time when I went to the bathroom, took off my apron and made a James Bond style duck under the bar to find my coat and jacket before putting my coat over my head in a sweet sweeping movement and hurrying myself out of the bar and home. Phew. I'll spare you the details of my awful few hours, but let's just say it wasn't pleasant. So now I'm on the prowl again-- job agencies, handing out CVs, yuck yuck, and all of that stuff.

On a very positive note, I was able to set up my crafty things on the desk and I've received my 1000 buttons from Ebay. Love! I spent last night obsessively putting them into groups and looking at them all, I think my favorites so far are the twin pair of mustard yellow Ferrari buttons. Meow! haha!


Why have only 2 people signed up for the CD swap?? Come on people, this is a chance to get cool mixed CDs in the mail from even cooler people! All you have to do is message me that you want to be a part and I'll send you the directions... it's very simple 1. make a playlist & theme 2. make copies of that playlist (I'll let you know how many) 3. post them to me 4. I'll organize them and within a few weeks you'll receive a pretty package in the mail with mixed CDs and probably some goodies thrown in from me :o)

Etsy and Folksy updates

I've added links to both my Etsy and Folksy shops and will be updating both shops with products in the next few days, as well as starting out freebie contests next week hopefully. I know that I need to start packing all of things (eventhough all of my stuff is still hanging out of a suitcase because the car we're driving is so tiny I need to relocate all of my things to black rubbish bags so we can squeeze as much as we can into the backseat), but instead of packing I'm updating my blog and thinking about taking some more photos of what I've been making over the past few days while holed up in a hotel room in Bristol. I'm in need of a stock up of supplies before we leave on Monday so I think I'll probably take a trip to Hobbycraft tomorrow and stock up on some new paper, glue, earring backs, and cardstock. I'm on the look-out for a set of cheap buttons because Hobbycraft is ridiculously expensive for buttons.

Updates about Bristol are as follows
1. I love it! and was gutted that I needed to come back to Milo's parents for the weekend because I was really getting used to the idea of Bristol as "home"
2. I got a job straight away, I'll be waitressing 4 nights a week at Rack's only a few blocks away from our flat

This weekend Milo's village is "A Village at War!" and is turning itself into a 1940's war-time village, complete with rationing and air-raids and a 1940's style dance. You're supposed to dress up in period clothing so maybe a pencil skirt and a curly up-do for me.

Bristol bound...

On our way to Bristol tomorrow for a few days staying in a hotel, while Milo starts his university course in songwriting at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music and I look for a job. We're moving in a week, so this is the intermediate step in between moving from Milo's parents to being properly by ourselves. Tomorrow is a new moon, so I feel that cosmically we are in a great position to start our life in Bristol. The new moon is supposedly the best time during the lunar month to begin new projects and phases, so it's a new move, a new moon and I'm just starting my "moon cycle".