Ailyex vs. Dogboyo

Mme. Suzanne may like matador-related schadenfreunde in Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain but seeing tennis players hurt and still completing their Wimbledon matches always gets me. Poor Julien Benneteau managed to rack up an impressive list of injuries on Centre Court against Djokovic but it was very gentlemanly of Novak to go over and offer him a towel.

I did wonder about posting a how-to of these button holes, seeing as I was inspired by Fritts Rosenow. However, I make no claims about replicating the aforementioned boutonnierres, or figuring out any trade secrets. I just like to make things. So . . . .

To make Rock ‘n Roll Button Holes you will need:

• Green florist’s tape
• 1 strand of hobby wire per button hole
• 4 plectrums per button hole
• 2 fabric leaves per button hole
• Ribbon - approx. 2″ per button hole (not pictured)
• Glue gun & mat (not pictured)
• Wire-cutters (too big for this photo)

I used two blue plectrums at the back of every button hole and two black Gibsons in front, but you could use any combination or number you fancy. I also picked out some cool picture plecs for my fiance and the best men to make them feel special like.

1. Glue a piece of wire to the back of a blue plectrum.
2. Glue another blue and two black plecs to the first. Then fan them out in a sort of guitar-flower shape.
3. Place your leaves at a slight angle and wind the stems around the original wire.
4. Wrap the whole stem with florist’s tape, and trim with wire-cutters.
5. Take a piece of ribbon and tie it in a double knot, just under the plectrums. Trim into points if you like. Et voila.

Like I said, I make no claims of originality, just the need to fiddle with craft wire and bimble around guitar shops.

So far my approach to trad wedding bumpf like favours and button holes has been “people are there for vows and cake” and to just opt out. But when I saw Fritts Rosenow’s plectrum boutonnierres on Brooklyn Bride, I was sold. Personally I would have loved to indulge in some peacock feather bouts from Whichgoose, but I didn’t think the boys would really be at home in something so pretty. So we wandered Wembley Guitar Centre and over the weekend I whipped up this dude:

Tutorial coming soon if you’re interested . . .

I am currently enjoying the warm feeling of coming home to a small pile of RSVPs  . . . It rules. I designed our wedding invitations and they were very kindly printed by my Uncle Keith. To be honest I never considered buying our invites, although I did spend way to much time looking at wedding invitations on Etsy and Hello Lucky. One of my hopes for our wedding was for it to be homemade and individual, which made DIY invites the only real option. That and the moola. There were many prototypes but our nearest and dearest eventually received this little lot:

I’m thrilled with the way they came out - simple, unique and not easily explained.

Asperatus Clouds in New Zealand. Photocredit: Merrick Davis

I’d sure like to, however these cool asperatus clouds also have a faintly Lovecraftian look about them. So maybe not.

biro and coloured pencil, 2006

Ah, the sun is out and everything feels lighter and fresher round here. Plus, Gala’s iTC is giving me a real boost. All together now, Aaaahhh . . .

biro and coloured pencil - 2006 perhaps

Still loving rediscovering the sketchbooks. This is from one of my university books but I don’t even remember drawing it. She looks a little like Harley Quinn, but after realising that the Joker will never love her enough, non?

Packing up for the move isn’t going very fast, specifically because I insist on looking lovingly at all my sketchbooks, no matter how messy.

Instead of my weekly resolutions, here are my aims for Gala’s iCiNG Transformation Challenge - where everyone has to take the next month as an opportunity for change. I don’t plan on becoming a whole new person or anything, but I hereby pledge to:

Practice yoga twice a week in between classes
I do practice occasionally, but without consistency, it has little effect, so I’m going all out in order to be very bendy!
Eat healthily every day
It seems that eating healthily is my weekly resolution every week. Hopefully if I do it every day for a month, it’ll become second nature. Cue salads for packed lunches, no eating after 9pm, less carbs and lots of fruit and veg.
Do a detox week
For me this means no meat, dairy, caffeine or junk food. They’re all thing I know aren’t good for me (esp. dairy which screws up my skin) but it just seems too hard to cut out. This is going to be way hard, but totally worth it to see what effect it has on me - will my skin really clear up like the doctor says? Will I be bouncing off the ceiling with energy? Will I be tired all the time? We shall see, we shall see . . .
De-clutter and throw stuff out
What with moving house, this is my chance to stream-line my stuff, eBay as much as possible and have a wardrobe that contains only wearable things.
Think positively about myself every day
Something that should come naturally but sadly, doesn’t. For me this includes not comparing myself to my friends, stepping away from negative people and taking the time to enjoy my life and the lovely people I share it with.

Here’s to a good month! x

Any kind of sketching is still hurting my wrist, but hey, it feels worse not to. For this week my resolutions are . . .

Turn off the TV
There’s not a whole load of shows that I watch, and yet the telly always seems to be on in the background. So apart from films and stuff, I’m going to make a real effort to turn it off and do something that I really want to do.
Start clearing up for when we move house
It’ll be so cool to get rid of stuff . . .
Make an effort to wear fun things
Guaranteed to perk up my day, even if it’s just a massive pair of earrings and I look silly (^-^)

Happy Monday! x