Verbs are doing words

Leaking - out of my eyes while watching Seeking a friend for the end of the world. I didn't expect it to be so moving. Steve Carell manages to be both hilarious and a figure of pathos, and Keira almost hit a Clementine note with her 'quirky chick' character. Am I a loon because I think end-of-the-world movies are fun?

Over-committing - just maybe? My second 52 project, and I'm just a little (ahem) behind schedule. But hey, it's no biggie. I'll class this as a "to be continued". It's so much fun, but I made the rookie mistake of stitching like a fiend for a few hours straight, then wondering why my head was pounding. What a rube.

 

 

Hooking - for love. That's right! Valentine's Day is not too far away, and I'm listing my heart garlands in the shop. 

 

 

 



Happy Valentines Day everyone.

Obsess much?

Typewriter clutch purse from octopurse on Etsy

Sooooo my birthday is coming up pretty soon and I's just suggesting to the universe at large that it consider for one second that this bag will actually, literally make my life complete.



A quick mention about the sale in my shop - if you use the discount code KISSES000 you'll get 20% off everything, which is nice. Aussie shoppers still have 3 more days to take advantage of the sale before my mailing cut off... then Valentine's Day is upon us!



Back in the shop - just in time for Valentines!

St Valentine Heart Garland 1m, $15 from Miuandumi on Etsy

These garlands can also be made to order in different colours and lengths... so if you're wanting a rainbow heart garland... let me know!



See that gorgeous black floral kiss-lock bag hanging in the background? I love that bag. It was made by Vicki of Marcello Neckwear, and I bought it from her at a BrisStyle market over a year ago. When I'm not using the bag, it hangs next to my bed, and greets me with awesomeness every morning when I wake up.

My Tangled Hair

My tangled hair

I shall not cut:

Your hand, my dearest,

Touched it as a pillow.

ANONYMOUS Translated from the Japanese by G Bownes and A Thwaite

Have a heart, my love

Rome 2010

So, St Valentine's Day. Whether you love it or hate it, think it's a chance to be super-romantic or another way for Hallmark to take your money, Valentine's Day is kinda hard to ignore. If you work with other people in any kind of situation, there will be the squeals of glory and delight from the recipients of enormous bouquets, and there will be the grumbles and razzafrazzes of those not so lucky. I've been on both sides, but I'm an old married lady now, and I get to stamp my feet if I'm not gifted with something shiny or sweet smelling. (I'm mostly kidding!)

loveheart cookie mcwashere glogster

Personally, I like Valentine's Day as an idea. A day simply to express your true feelings of love and devotion, to make known your affections, to revel in the overuse of love hearts and eat a little chocolate? How can that be bad?

The issue that I take is the cookie-cutter feel of a dozen red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. As with almost everything in my life, I want it different. I count myself lucky beyond measure to be married to my best friend, and to share with him many of the same tastes and opinions. (Except maybe when it comes to 80's music and sarsparilla) This means that I can be certain he'll never rely on the tried-and-tested Valentines favourites. One year it was a trip to a day spa (heaven!), once a voucher for a deep relaxation massage. There's usually a drawing or a painting, or a terribly mis-spelled and daggy poem. (He has a degree in fine arts, so his art should be better than his poetry)

I'm not bragging, I promise!

We can own our gift-giving, even on such clearly prescribed celebratory days as this, especially if the gift is a shared experience. I say no more red roses! Unless of course that's the one thing that your sweetie will swoon for.

These sound dreamy to me...

• A row on a lake with Django Reinhardt playing, and a nice bottle of red
• Make a bed picnic with a big tub of cookies and cream icecream
• Sit on your favourite beach and watch the sun come up
• Go out dancing together until your head is whirling

I'd love you to share your ideal St Valentine's day....

BrisStyle Valentine's Day Gift Guide

If you're a little stuck for gift ideas for your sweetheart, I recommend having a peek at the BrisStyle gift guide. There's lots of cute, romantic or anatomically correct ideas. I especially like the mixed metal 'Love Pendant' from Forever Inspired Jewellery by Liv, because we have an ongoing competition in our house to describe how much we love each other. "I love you to the moon and back" is a pretty good start!

My contribution to the whole smoochy St Valentine's Day scene is the St Valentine Scarlet Heart Garland, with nine crochet love hearts hanging on a line. I have them hanging above my bedside table, and I have to say, I'm growing very attached to them. But, I'll happily sell them to someone with stars in their eyes!