not too cool for {crochet} school

why am i still awake and online after midnight you ask? you might also ask why i have a little metal hook in bed with me. the answer to both questions is here.

my name is em and i'm addicted to craftyminx's incredibly cute crotchet tutorials. the videos are super easy to follow and her blog is so sweet i just want to click around it for hours. 

photo courtesy of craftyminx.com

now i have got a grip on the basics i want to just keep going. i may end up with a very long scarf all in the most simple of stitches. this makes me feel good because i'm learning something new and i'm tackling a potential handmade christmas present. well for anyone who needs a very basic, very long, green scarf!

if crotchet is something you've thought about but never got round to trying, here is your chance. but make sure that you get some sleep at some point too. goodnight!

{em} x

quote lovely - j.r.r. tolkien

so very beret

in all the excitement around my paris trip, i forgot to show you my newest addition to my hat collection. i spotted this cute beret in the cath kidston shop while hunting for suitable outfits for a parisian weekend, but didn't buy it because, well, i have more hats that i can count. but then after 24 hours of regretting leaving it behind, i ran back to snatch it up quick. 

now i know what you're thinking. a beret to wear in paris, that's a little cliched, but have you seen it from the back?

that bunny broach just about sealed the deal for me. i just can't say to a bunny / hat combo. in the end i was thankful for my cute beret. it sheltered my poor hair from the rain shower we dodged around on our splendid walk along the south bank. i think i may need a new hat for every weekend break from now on. 

{em} x 

10 things... to blog about

joining in with shimelle's '10 things on the tenth game' is one of my favourite blog features. knowing that playing along brings lots of new readers to my little unremarkable space makes it even more fun. so in honour of all those bloggers stopping by for the first time today, i thought i'd share some blogging inspiration. today's list is 10 great blogging prompts.

1} write a letter to your past or future self. share what you have learnt and what mistakes were important to make.

2} give your opinions on some recent news. be brave and put your thoughts out there!

3} write a guide on how to...

4} write a guide on how not to...

5} share your notes on the best blog posts. big up some of your favourite bloggers and think about why they inspire you. 

6} finish the following sentence. this may surprise you but...

7} say it with photos. leave out the words for a change and show your day in photos (like mine back in april)

8} talk about your hometown. it may be boring to you, but to somewhere else it could be an exotic place. i've been meaning to share some of my favourite places in manchester for a while now.

9} make a list (hula seventy has some brilliant lists).

10} tell the story behind one of your favourite photos.

do let me know if you use any of these ideas, i'd love to hear your take on one of these prompts. check out 10 things written by other bloggers at shimelle's blog, and some of my previous 10 things here.

{em} x

swoon!

images of these iphone charger docks are all over the blogosphere right now and i just had to share one. but that's no surprise, pretty and practical are 2 of my favourite things. 

check out the etsy shop for lots of pretty book combos, many featuring my favourite cloth bound penguin classics. although it would pain me to damage one of my own collection, i'm tempted to pick up some hardbacks from the second hand shop and make one for myself. 

and while i'm being crafty with books, i'm thinking of trying my hand at some black out poetry... i find this stuff amazing.

wishing you a happy crafty weekend.

{em} x

what am i'm reading ~ end of the summer

looking at my reading pile right now, i've noticed a theme of novel to film stories. i'm sure that isn't deliberate, but that's summer isn't it? if it's a easy summer read, it'll be great on screen. there's plenty of time for the more meaty stuff over the winter months. 

a room with a view ~ e.m. forster. an oldie but a goodie. if i didn't already have a great catch, this book would make me want to go to italy and fall in love again and again.

the bell jar ~ sylvia plath. i love to go back to the bell jar every few years to remind me why i read and moreover, why i write.

the help ~ kathryn stockett. so i figured i should read this before the film hit the cinemas. i picked it up and just couldn't put it down. now i don't really want to see the film anymore. i'm sure that no-one could do justice to how i picture the characters myself. if you only read one book this year, this is it.

one day ~ david nicholls. i know i'm late to the party here, but how good is this book! i wish i was friends with dex and em at university. i was gripped to their story, clever depicted on the same day every year for 20 years.

what are you reading right now? any recommendations?

{em} x

wedding junkie: engagement pictures

the fella and i had an engagement photo shoot this week.  we spent 2 hours in the park at sunset, often feeling silly with a crowd of spectators, but it was worth it. this is the only shot i've seen so far, and i must say i love it! i'm sooo excited to see how the rest turn out. 

{em} x