Who will love Aladdin Sane?

I'm pretty excited for the next two and a half weeks - it's my "vacation" of the stay at home variety. I'm so excited to have the place entirely to myself and the world at my feet. I'm already researching to see which neighbouring villages have an abundance of charity shops, scoping out the weather forecast for a day at the seaside, planning days of endless drawing, hoping to start a personal diary-like zine project I've already half written. I've been planning to use this period to get my new YouTube channel up and running properly too, and have a list of ideas including vlogging, speed draws, 'hauls', etc. So if things get a little quiet over here I'll probably be over there! My mind is buzzing with inspiration and ideas for just about everything lately, I want to seize on it as much as possible as it's been so long. I feel like I've awoken from a deep sleep and feel so much like myself again.

I've really been enjoying myself these past few weeks away from uni, and it's gotten me thinking as ever about it not being the best place for me. Everything's a bit up in the air at the moment as I have to stay where I am for the time being for medical reasons, but I've been thinking about what's actually important to me and what isn't so at least when I move on I'll hopefully have a better idea of what I need to be happy. Whilst I think being a mature student is a great step for most, unfortunately as an art student I've learned that it's quite pointless. I'm 27, I've been drawing and honing my skill for 16 years and am paying to be taught stuff I already know ten times over. Having said that though, it's definately been far from a waste of time. It's quite reassuring to see that everything you've taught yourself over the years is right, and I've definately learned that drawing for other people isn't for me! It's much better for me to stick to self initiated projects I'm passionate about and keep my drawing part time, otherwise I'm apt to end up loathing it and loosing my favourite hobby and likely my sanity with it as art is my stress release. Sometimes there's a pressure to "dream big", but honestly I'd be perfectly happy simply selling things through Society6 for pocket money. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to do it. I don't believe in the notion of "selling out", but commercialism just isn't my cup of tea.



These earrings arrived last week from Sugar and Vice and I adore them. They also sell speech bubble necklaces or brooches that can have anything you want written on which has set my brain buzzing with ideas! I've often loved quotes but had nothing to do with them, so I think that could be a really lovely idea.



I also went record shopping and picked up all of these. I didn't think I'd found anything, then as I got up off the floor from flipping through endless crates I saw a tiny shelf hidden away in a corner specifically for classic rock and was in my element. I hoped this shelf is new or I'm gonna be mad I've been completely oblivious to it before! I was most glad to find Mr Bad Guy, it's a pristine first pressing for only £6!

My life in sugar town

I'm currently home until May, and have been enjoying playing tourist in all of the places I used to frequent quite regularly. Absense really does make the heart grow fonder! Last week I went to Lincoln with my mum and it ended up being a really wonderful day.

My family home isn't terribly far from Lincoln, to us it's the place you pop into when you need the kinds of things you can't find in the villages (I particularly like it as it has a large art shop, so I can go and fondle the pens and fantasise about paint) This time was a little different as we actually climbed Steep Hill which we usually overlook. It's a beautiful area full of architecture from the 11th century onwards, passing by the cathedral and the Norman castle that contains the Magna Carta.

Most things are incredibly old in my little corner of the world, it's not unusual to see things dating back as far as the Roman period, so I tend to get quite blasé about it all and take it for granted. I truly do appreciate how beautiful it is though! I always get a little frustrated when all of the tourists want to visit London for the history. London burnt to the ground in the 1600s, there's much better history elsewhere in the country!



It's difficult to capture just how steep the hill is in photographs. It's the level of steepness where you feel sure that if you tripped, you'd roll right back down and can't help but walk a bit silly to make sure you don't.



Lincoln Castle, built by William the Conqueror. I hadn't been this far up the hill since going to Lincoln with my friends as a teenager, easily over ten years ago.




I picked clementine and cranberry flavour, so delicious! I couldn't decide between this or tutti frutti but definately made the right decision.












And the goodies I found! The acrylic necklace was too adorable to pass up, and I love collecting octopus things as it reminds me of my favourite song by my favourite Beatle. Watermelon bon bons were picked up from the old style sweet shop, I do wish watermelon flavour would become more mainstream as it's my favourite!

I also had a little luck in the record shop, finding Essence to Essence by Donovan, an album which I've been listening to an awful lot this year so was all the more glad to find on LP and in such nice shape too. I also finally found Their Majesties Satanic Request so my Rolling Stones collection is padding out quite nicely! The two bundles of fabric in the corners of the photo below are lengths of crimplene I picked up in a vintage shop for £1 each. They're hemmed and look to be the skirts of two maxi dresses that someone has shortened, but I'm sure I can knock up something wonderful out of them! I can never pass up cheap vintage fabric even if I don't have any immediate plans for it, especially when they're so beautifully patterned. They'll make lovely cushions if nothing else!




Life is a Merry-Go-Round - Donovan
My favourite song from Essence to Essence