A mystery revealed...

So I bought this cute little bird feeder which is basically a pretty yellow saucer mounted on a metal stick. I filled it straight up with bird food and then waited.

And waited.

Not a bird was to be seen. Any yet all of the bird food mysteriously disappeared.

Luckily the mystery is now solved - I caught this little guy (girl?) casting a judging eye on the empty saucer. I quickly filled it up, and the pigeon quickly returned and started working through the stash (and has returned several times since).

I'm honestly just happy that it's being used. I would like to attract a bit of a better selection of birds mind you - I'm turning into a right old bird-watcher recently!

Have you had any surprising visitors in your garden?

Bye for now!

Kat xx

That Friday Feeling

It's Friday lovely people! That means it's time to kick back, enjoy the sunshine (please British weather...stay sunny...please?) and maybe carry on with a bit more work towards my life laundry project.

By 'bit more' I pretty much mean 'start actually doing something'. Just thought I should clear that up.

Photo from handbag.com

So what do I have planned for the weekend? I have some birthday present shopping to do, so a visit to my local town centre is planned. I'm in need of a little pick me up, and my make-up stash is screaming out for an update so I think a trip to the Urban Decay counter. Speaking of which, how utterly amazing is this Pulp Fiction inspired set? I don't think I could carry off that lipstick quite like Mia Wallace but I'm happy to give it a go!

The weekend will also undoubtedly also involve some forest exploration. It's become a weekly ritual now, and I feel totally peaceful and calm when I'm there - until my beloved mentions the Blair Witch and I become all jittery!

I'll also be reading my way through Fat Mum Slim - a blog which I'm sure everyone else in the world already knows, but I've only just discovered, and already love. I also love the photo-a-day project. I've been meaning to use instagram more often, and think this would be a brilliant way to get started!

My last little plan for the weekend is to find my crafty mojo again - I miss crafting so much! I think I may stalk pinterest for some inspiration for little projects...if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them!

 Whatever you have planned for the weekend I hope it's a happy one!

Bye for now!

Kat xx

Etsy Favourites - Kate Broughton

I have a list of 'go to' Etsy shops when I'm searching for gifts for people (and little pick-me-ups for myself of course) and thought I would start sharing some of them to spread the love.

The first Etsy shop that deserves muchos love is Kate Broughton. Kate is an illustrator and her shop is packed full of some beautiful prints, cards, notebooks, mirrors and nailart - featuring lots of different nature inspired themes including birds, flowers, whales and gardens.

Here are my current top five favourites from the shop...

Whales of the World Print - I'm still obsessing over whales and absolutely love this print! I think it's going to be going on a wishlist!

Woodland themed nail stickers - I have a few sets of Kate's nail stickers and these are next on the list - my nails suddenly feel a bit naked without some woodland magic on them!

Toadstool writing set - Made from recycled paper - I love the retro mushroom-ness of this set!

Mandarin Duck Pocket Mirror - I'm particularly fond of this because a cute family of Mandarin Ducks seem to have taken up residence on a pond near my home

Coastal Birds of Britain Print - another beautiful print, this time with a selection of British coastal birds.

This is my most recent purchase from Kate's shop -  a cute little Garden Notebook for my dad and some nail decals - a bird set for me, and a crafty set for a friend. I haven't used them yet but will take some pictures when I do.

I just wanted to add that I'm not sponsored in any way to make these posts - they're just my opinions on some amazing artists on Etsy - hope you enjoy discovering them!

Collection Crush - Tatty Devine & Rob Ryan

I've been a fan of Tatty Devine's jewelery and Rob Ryan's designs for quite a while now, so the two teaming up for some Rob Ryan jewelery is pretty much heaven for me. I've picked my favourite pieces above, but honestly love each piece in the collection. Sadly it's a little bit out of my budget range for now...but that doesn't mean I can't dream (and drool)!

To see the full collection check out Tatty Devine.

Stationery Haul - Gemma Correll Notebooks at Tesco

I absolutely love Gemma Correll's artwork - I have a couple of her prints brightening up my walls and a couple of necklaces/ brooches featuring her adorable pug design.

Tesco have started stocking a pretty amazing range of stationery, so my weekly shop now pretty much always includes a little browse down the stationery isle (who needs food when there are pretty folders to buy, right?). On my last visit I was so excited to see this little guy staring at me from the shelves:

I love the 'Pugs not Drugs' design and am so happy to have his grumpy yet noble face in notebook form. However, there was also a design I haven't seen before, and I had to buy it as my new notebook for work...because, well, it sums me up very nicely...

Honestly - I think I spend at least 90% of my day with that look on my face. Inside there is an equally cute design on each page...

These notebooks were on sale when I found them - for just £3.75 each - bargain! You can hopefully still find them in-store at Tesco. Alternatively there is a pretty amazing selection of Gemma Correll stationery available at Amazon.  

Motif Monday - Finnick Odair Bookmark

Any Hunger Games fans out there? Anyone else totally fall in love with Finnick's character as the story unfolded? I put this design together for a craft swap a while back and thought I would share it here today. It's possibly one of the more random designs in my collection - Finnick's trident, and then his name spelt out in the Maritime Flag alphabet (I liked the maritime-water-Finnick connection). I thought I'd share it here in case anyone else wants a slightly obscure Finnick bookmark to add to their collection - and also to put it out there that if you would like anything else spelt out in the Maritime alphabet let me know!

I'm about to start another read-through of the books, but think I might make up this bookmark first. I still find myself enjoying reading actual books more than my Kindle - maybe because I've always loved bookmarks?!

Here's the pattern - no particular floss colour requirements - you'll just need a black, white, yellow, blue and red - nice and simple!

Sunday Best - Desk Organisers

Etsy Treasury - Getting Organised

In the spirit of getting organised as part of my Life Laundry project I found myself looking for storage solutions on Etsy - which lead to looking at desk organisers (honestly - my current stationery obsession is starting to worry me). There are too many beautiful organisers on Etsy, and here's a treasury of some of my favourites. I'm drooling over the idea of having a calm and tranquil office space at home at the moment and think that any of the above items would make it a beautiful and calm place to be!