Well we are one month into 2010 and it has gone by very quickly. January seemed to be the month of extremes in terms of natural forces. January started off with severely old weather, seems like alot of you bloggers experienced alot of snow, sleet, rain, freezing pipes, icicles and then some had problem with heating and no water as a result. Then came the devastating earthquake at Haiti, which was an attrocity. People all over blogland supported and remembered the people of Haiti in their donations, thoughts and prayers. Then there were floods and mudslides in Machu Picchu. For so many the New Year did not bring happiness with it, but we all live in hope that the rest of the year will improve for all those suffering people. We also remember many friends and family members who are ill or grieving, your thoughts and prayers are with them all. So overall January has been a bleak start to the year but we will look forward to Spring which is the season of renewal, birth and new beginnings.
So I am just recapping on my goals for 2010

No.1 Eat healthier so instead of biscuits with mugs of tea- replace with cream crackers, replace cake and sweets with fruit- well this one went down a treat, haha, I havent totally stopped eating my biscuits but I have cut down on them alot- so I'd say so far so good :)

{Jacob's Cream Crackers}

No.2 Keep positive, jot down positive thoughts and ideas in my notebook- This was an easy goal for me and so far I'm still jotting down all my innovative and creative thoughts in my fairy notebook.

{My fairy notebook}

No.3 Complete my plant and bird identification booklets- This month I tried to focus on my Bird ID Booklet rather than my Plant ID Booklet. I have progressed well with this and have began to stick my sketches into the booklet I bought. It doesn't look much now but it will hopefully improve as I progress with it.

{My Bird ID Booklet}

No. 4 Study for my course- I'm still studying, I always seem to be studying something or other

{Some of my study notes}

No.5 Keep in contact with my friends reguarly- I have to admit I have probably falling down a bit on this one as the weather has been so bad I havent been able to get out much. If it wasn't frostly it was foggy. In order to visit my friends I have to drive as we live in a rural area and there is no public transport. I did a bit of catching up this weekend.

{Chakpak}

No.6 Continue with my craft projects- finish off any which are unfinished, keep practicing on my new sewing machine- Well I did finish off my latch hook rug as the corners needed to be fixed, I also did some cardmaking. I cut up all the Christmas cards so I have lots of scrap pieces for making Christmas cards next year. I have done some more practice on the sewing machine and hope to get more old material soon.

{My recycled Christmas cards}

No.7 Make more handmade projects- I haven't had much time for any new handmade projects this month but I hope to get back into the swing on things in February

{Ideal Home}

No.8 Buy some blank white cards to make greeting card- Well I bought some cream ones and lovely paper and stickers too, so at least that was something :)

No.9 Continue taking photographs of my travels and my local area at home- I have taken very few photographs this month it has been very dull but I have some snowy photographs.

{Photograph from the garden}

No.10 Spend more time outdoors- Mmmm I need to work on this one

{Mute Swans}

No. 11 Appreciate those I love- Always and forever

{Love is... the little things we do for each other}

No. 12 Start a very big project (It's top secret though so I can't share with you all yet)- Yes this has started, the 'behind the scenes; stuff has started so hopefully it's progressing ok, fingers crossed.

No. 13 Declutter my walk in wardrobe which I was meant to do ages ago and sort out all my clothes- Ah now this is only January... this one can go on the Spring clean list

No. 14 Start back with my To- Do Lists as they were very helpful- I have started back with my To-Do Lists and my February one is being added to all the time, I also started weekly To-Do Lists

{Lara Leigh Designs}

No. 15 Keep applying for jobs and try and not get down about them- Still at this one, I am trying my best, had interview and presentation but I will persevere until I get something.

No. 16 Improve my cooking skills- I made Shepards :) And for me its something new that I hadn't cooked before so I am trying

{All things nice.... including food}

No.17 Don't worry about little things as much- Now I really need to get over this as there are so many people all over the world who have real things to worry about, but I have to admit at times I just can't help worrying, I get stressed and upset. I panic and worry about little things. Does anyone else have this problem? This is something I really need to work on.

{Poor dog trapped on ice in Sea}

No.18 Grow vegetables- Too early for this one as the frost is still here. Poly dome should be going up in the Spring time though.

{Gardening-tips-idea}

No. 19 Organise my time better- i.e schedule for the week ahead- I've been using my diary lots and as already mentioned I have started my weekly To-Do Lists

{Get up and Go Inspirational Products}

No. 20 And most importantly enjoy life :) This month I am just grateful for my family and friends and all their support, I am also grateful for my good health and everything I have got.

{Paul Foreman Mind Map Inspiration}

Well its Saturday evening here in Ireland and I'm relaxing watching an episode of Escape to the Country which I taped yesterday. I did alot of house work this weekend, hoovering, changing bed clothes, cooking, dusting and cleaning. Here are some of the beautiful clean soft bed clothes on my bed :)

Here is the patchwork quilt I have on my bed at the moment. I really love the pink colours, I didn't make it myself- I wish I was that good. My mother bought it for me years ago when I was a child and I love it :)

I thought it would look pretty with my grey quilt cover.

Here is a photograph of my yummy shepards pie, everyone loved it so I'll be making it again soon :)

Here are the few hearts I made on my new sewing machine, I'm learning. I still have to stuff them so they are still open at the bottom to put the stuffing in. I'm only a learner so you will have to excuse the odd shaped hearts, I did use a perfect template but practice will make perfect.

It's the weekend again already. I had a busy week this week. Hope you have some nice plans for the weekend, I intend on doing some sewing, visiting friends and a bit of cleaning. I just made some shepards pie for dinner. Yum yum, I'm not the best of chefs but it turned out good. Also changed bed clothes nothing like the softness of clean bed sheets :) I also did some sewing it's been awhile since I had the chance to sew :) What are your plans for the weekend???

Hello all my dear blog friends, followers and readers. I have been busy the last week so my posts focused on my interior design ideas and colour. I will be getting back to my crafting at the weekend. What have you all been up to? January is almost over now, then its Spring time!!! :) . Christmas only seems like yesterday. We still have frosty mornings this week but at least it is dry and there is even some sunshine beginning to shine through :)

I'm waiting in hope for the first warm and sunny day, here is a little poem I came across that I thought I'd share with you all;

The First Warm Day
The first warm day- O lovely phrase
   After the weary winter days,
To wake one morning with a start,
And know keep down within their heart,
That Spring has blossomed overnight,
With all her shining lamps a-light.

The sun's bright warmth on earth and sky,
A little warm wind blowing by;
To look and find a rub of green,
Poking its nose up through the screen
Of matted grass and sodden ground,
With triumph like a bugie sound.

The first warm day..... how hearts are stirred,
How sweetly flows the spoken word
In happy greeting to a friend;
Above the road the tall trees bend,
Like ladies at a royal tea
Bowing before great company.

A thousand hearts rejoice and sing,
To greet the first warm day of Spring.
           ~Edna Jacques
                                                  

You can't change the past . But you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.

Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.

{Prima}

This image is from the Prima 2010 calendar, it is all about spring cleaning, reorganising and decluttering my home and life :)

{Coton Manor}

Wth Spring comes the blossoming of flowers like bluebells, snowdrops, tulips and daffodils :) Walks in the woodland discovering the beautiful floral displays :)

---That's what spring means to me!---

Just another of my interior design idea pages that I prepared last year, this one focuses on a bedroom with hues of blue. Blue reminds me of the sky, the lakes and the ocean here at home in Ireland. I love blue, especially baby blue. This bedroom has an airy feel with hues of blue from the sky, lakes and ocean. It takes a crisp white palette and adds hints of blue. This creates a truly calming and relaxing retreat which soothes and brings tranquility into your life. Enjoy!

 

 {All things nice...}

From reading my blog you are probably all aware that I like all things girly and pink. I have a keen interest in interior design and love reading any interior books or magazine. I love Escape to the Country and Grand Designs on TV. I am not the best of people with computers but I have tried to put together some inspirational ideas for my dream home :) Here is a nice mix of girly, glamour and just a hint of pink. I love white furniture, however here in Ireland people don't tend to use it very much in their homes, maybe it's because it can look a bit stark at times if not complemented with other colours. As our weather is dull and can be quite cold it may be another reason by people don't use it as much, they may perfer darker wood furniture which feels warmer. Anyway I'm going off the point there. So do you like pink?? As the saying goes 'Pink makes the boy wink'.

{Dulux}

"A fundamental Truth: Man Needs Colour"

This quote by the architect Le Corbusier states the need for colour in our lives. Colour affects our interpretation of things. According to Mindini (2001:238)  'Colour is among the first illusions through which man perceives the world'. Colour is manufactured in our minds. Our eyes and brain perceive colour. Colours are experiences and can excite, scare or impress people and it can create a sense of warmth or cold. 'People react to colour therefore how they perceive colour will influence their reactions to a place' (Porter: 1982). This may also apply to everyday items like cothes, furniture and buildings - people react to the colour of various items.

{Colours in the sky @ home}

{Dulux}

Under certain rules our visual interpretation accepts some colours such as harmonised or contrasted colours. Colours play an important role in all aspects of design and can create focal points in our lives and landscape. The use of colour can create distinctive characters in our dress sense, our homes, landscapes and townscapes.

Sir Isaac Newton developed the colour wheel in the early 1700's and it has been used ever since as the foundation of colour theory. The basic colour wheel starts with three primary colours- red, yellow and blue. Different systems of colour have been developed such as the Munsell and Ostwald Colour Systems.

{COLOURLovers}

The colour wheel provides such a variety and choice of colours that considerable thought can be taken when deciding on which colour to use. There are certain rules with regard to colours. There are a number of different types of colour schemes, including monochromatic, complementary, triadic and adjacent schemes. These contain combinations of colours which are generally accepted by people. Monochromatic colour schemes use one colour or hue, containing different values of that colour. As Gloug states 'colours of the same hue are harmonious'. Complementary colour schemes employ colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. Triadic colour schemes involve three colours that are equidistant on the wheel. Adjacent colour schemes employ colours that are next to, or near each other on the colour wheel.

{Page thinker}

{Page thinker}

So when you are spring cleaning and redecorating why not get out a colour wheel and come up with some nice colour schemes you like :) All the colours below are from Dulux, for me they are lovely and fresh just the right colours for Spring time :)

* All interior images above are from Dulux Paints Ireland