drummbellina

LINKAGE! (November 2010)

 

In which I share my favourite links from the past month. You can see previous LINKAGE posts HERE :)

- Chloe of Bo and Bella has been through an amazing amount of hairstyles in 3 1/2 years! And she looks great every time, I'm so jealous! I can't even find a parting that suits my fat head.

- I heart Em of lickmycupcakes because of posts like this. Full of win! 

- GRAZE is an amazing service for those (in the Uk) who want a variety box of really healthy + interesting snacks delivered through their letter box or their work desk. HERES HOW IT WORKS. (Unfortunately I've accumulated 3 weeks - minus 2 snacks - worth on top of my microwave because I'm rubbish at health but it's still a brilliant idea! Just make sure you'll actually eat them.) 

- I found this oh-so-simple DIY Hand-stitched T-shirt over at LeHappy. It turned out cute! I love the story behind the fabric too :)

- This girl's illustrations are the cutest!

- Erm.. here's a quirky tutorial: make a sweater out of 8 pairs of socks !! I wouldn't, but that is so clever. 

- 60 second inspirational videos for 21st century women - covering lots of subjects, worth a look!

- I really enjoyed this article on productivity: How To Fold Time And Space – The Entrepreneur’s Magic Wand 

- Stylit is a great idea,it's a fashion inspiration and planning notebook with all sorts of fun features. If you can't afford that though, check out my post "How to make a look-book, thrifty style"... it's a similar idea! 

- Alannah Hills website is the prettiest in the world. Me and Jess had lots of fun exploring it together :)

- How to make a gingerbread house - this is one of those things I've always wanted to do but never get round to!

- Look at these toaster plushies!!! They're so perfect! <3

- I loved this short video by Danielle LaPorte: Anchoring Into A Life Of Freedom

And here's something silly, fuckyeahsociallyawkwardpenguin !

---♥---

Bonus Feature! Songs I Can't Stop Listening To:

 

(Mostly R&B - I hope you like it. Everyone else in blog-land seems to be into obscure indie bands... I feel like a bit of an oddball with my oh-so-mainstream music loves!)

Rihanna - Only Girl In The World , Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are , Rihanna - What's My Name , Iyaz - Replay , Black Eyed Peas - Time Of My Life , Willow Smith - Whip My Hair , Roll Deep - Good Times , Taio Cruz - Dynamite , B.O.B - Magic , Soulja Boy Tell'em - Kiss Me Thru The Phone , Will.i.am - Check It Out , Far East Movement - Like A G6 , Flo Rida - Club Can't Handle Me

 Hope you're having a great weekend!

xxx

LINKAGE! (October 2010)

 

 Happy November! Here are my favourite inspiring/entertaining/interesting links from October saved just for you. (There's now a LINKS graphic in my side-bar that'll take you to all the previous months too -  because sometimes you just wanna sit online and look at stuff and procrastinate on real life.... I know it's not just me!) 

♥

- Firstly, how cute is that opening picture up there?! ^  Lollypop sticks and magazine pages = awesome sign. Ooh, I could make one for my little girl's bedroom door ...or something! (Anyone know the original source please? It's been reblogged a trillion times on tumblr so I haven't managed to find it yet).

 

- I also want to spell something out on the wall with sticks !

 

- Supermarket Sarah is awesome -  LOOK!!  From the about page: "Sarah's "walls" started in her living room but have now spread into public spaces; galleries, shop fronts, bars, receptions and most recently Sarah curated a 30ft high wall at Selfridges London Concept Store." It's one of those wonderful things you wish you'd thought of first!

 

- Lately I've been on a "look for decent covers of my favourite songs on youtube" kick and I discovered ASTON Music, a classical band that covers Lady gaga - "Telephone" and Rihanna - "Rude Boy". I think they sound fantastic!

 

- What "I'm bored" can mean (and what it almost never means).

 

 

^ Supposedly "funny" greeting cards usually ...aren't. But these ones at Bluntcard kept me smirking and scrolling until they ran out.

 

 

^ I love Japanese magazines for their crazy quirkyness - I can't read it but it's fun to look at the pictures! You can download a copy of one called Egg HERE (it works, I checked. You get a zip file of 149 scans in jpg form!).

 

 - Tim Burton fans might like this makeup tutorial! The video is really well done too.

 

- Loving the Peter Pan Collar trend? Here's a tutorial on making your own using cute hankies - or any other fabric I guess :)

 

 

^ Trisha at MarySew made an awesome Batman Zipper Pouch using fused plastic bags! (I so want to try this)

 

- ColorMeKatie turned her kitchen table into a giant scrap book! (If you haven't heard of her before, I recommend her entire blog - she's pretty amazing).

 

- The most adorable cake by the adorable Em - Tiny penguins, glaciers, polar ice caps, snowballs, and a blue jelly pool - oh em gee!

 

- notthatkindofgirl.net is one of my newest favourite blogs - mainly because of her funny little comic strips - like THIS one!

 

- 25 reasons to dress up is a lovely list :) 

 

Another great piece on Procrastination that makes me feel like less of a loser.

 

 

 ^ Promise Tangeman explains the photo transfer process - clever stuff!

 

- How to Make a Playsuit/Romper (WANT)

 

- How to be friends with an introvert (I am one)

 

And that's the end - phew. This post always takes me at least a couple of hours - time for a well needed stretch and some lunch for me now! Hope you enjoy the links!

xxx

LINKAGE! (September 2010)

 

^ Violet Bella

Ok, where did September go? (Where did the year go?! Where did my life go?!!!) It's that time already - here's all the online goodness I collected for you this past month...

 

This shop is gorgeous and this shop is gorgeous! (Violet Bella has a lovely blog too) - I love fellow upcyclers! Really like the sort of hippy/bohemian vibes these two have going on aswell. Oh and this one too! So inspiring.

If you had fun trying out my cute knickers tutorial you might like this giant list of free lingerie sewing patterns. There are bras, camisoles, pajama pants and all sorts in there!

This mini-book tutorial would be a great project to add to your handmade xmas list.

I'm impressed with this floating vase tutorial - I've added this one to my "never ending to-do list" :)

I stumbled across this Top 100 Tutorials of 2009 post too...omg, so much I want to try, so little time!

A brief guide to life does what it says on the tin.

 Have a bunch of pretty shopping bags laying around? You could frame them!

Betsey Johnson's Spring 2011 show was fantastic (it's the only one I watched, I'm no fashionista!) and even just seeing the bright and colourful clothes on their rails backstage excites my silly mind: Watch it here!

 I discovered a new favourite photographer: Miles Aldridge! amazing pictures here

Ever heard of Spoonflower? They print your own fabric designs!!

The law of the ugly chair is brilliant and can be applied to pretty much anything in life (a Danielle Laporte article btw! nuff said).

(This was posted back in march but...) I love this quilt so much:

 

.... how cute?! ^ Made by Katie Jean

Look at this! A place to send all your broken crayons to be recycled! What a great idea.

I want this Alice Drink Me Necklace.

... and I wouldn't mind a little box of positivity sent my way! Genius.

 

I can't get enough of these girls' sweet voices singing covers of eminem, kesha and more! (you may disagree, I have the music taste of a teenage girl... Scott says it just sounds like noise!)

And finally - I just thought this was really clever - This is how depressed people view happiness.

That's all, hope you enjoyed them! Have a great weekend :)

xxx

Linkage! (July + August 2010)

 

 

^ I'm in love with this homemade sewing kit for little ones! Tutorial HERE

Did you know you can paint clothes with acrylics ?! I'm inspired to try this in my own style - think of the options: bags, pillows, tops... or anything made from fabric!

If anyone has kids to entertain - you have to check out filthwizardry! So many fun creative things to try - my favourite: Care-A-Lot from stuff in the recycling bin !!!

I love this gorgeous pink and white apartment

Heart Handmade posted these DIY Newspaper Pots for starting off seedlings - they look so good!

16 first steps to creating the life you want from some of the worlds best bloggers - so much inspiration in one post!

A quick gratification craft - safety pin art (with beads)

I found some good illustration/drawing links: 6 tips to get better at drawing and how to draw big wavy hair!  Also fashion drawing for beginners :) 

Alice In Denimland!

Send yourself reminders to - insert "that thing you never get round to doing but if you did it would totally make your life better" here - with Hassel Me

Use up your pretty scraps of paper with this cute Matchbook Notepad tute! 

I found a couple of Bow Belt tutorials HERE and HERE - a thick one and a thin one :)

And just a couple more good reads: a simple system for getting amazing things done and Stuff No-one Told Me

 

... and that ends my favourite links from July and August! (There's not that many - I banned myself from the internet for most of July!)

xxx

LInkage! (June 2010)

 

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~ My favourite links from the month of June! ~

 

An Interview with 14 year old entrepeneur Jordan Golden - she runs her own sleepwear label! At 14!! I'M IN AWE!! 

These illustrations are so beautiful - inspiring me more than ever to keep up that drawing practice I was talking about.

Looking through shitmykidsruined makes me feel much better about the cute little face my Jessica crayoned onto our freshly painted wall the other week!

A pretty accurate (for me anyway) personality test with pictures.

I love this cute cookie clouds tutorial. Nicely presented :)

"I heart baby" is a tumblr full of lovely nursery inspiration.

I stumbled upon a great article by Danielle LaPorte circa 2008 - 19 Easy Living Tips.

Look at the sweet mini bunting necklaces in this etsy shop

Free e-books for self-growth :)

In my search for illustration inspiration I re-discovered Keri Smith's blog and this: How To Start As An Illustrator   !!

Tara is awesome: Mid-Summer Check-Up – 42 Fun Activities to Give Your Vacation A Boost = ♥ See also: 34 Ways To Combat A Gray day

Mary Richardson challenged herself to do something new every day in "My Month Of Living Adventurously"

"100 Ways To Be Elegant" has some fun ideas to try (whether you want to be elegant or not)

"Finding your calling" (another Keri Smith gem!) is a big paragraph of inspiration that I've had printed and taped into a scrapbook for years! It pretty much sums up why I want to do what I want to do and I'm thrilled to actually know where I found it now!  ♥ ♥ ♥

Pretty much every article by Steve Pavlina gives me an A-Ha! moment - this one also has the added bonus of telling me one of my biggest "flaws" is actually okay ;) - "How To Fall In Love With Procrastination"

"The One Thing That Will Make You Extraordinary Today" tells why our to-do list should only have one item. (Sounds good to me!)

Funny: "Illustrations reinterpreting and visualising the titles of emails found in your spam/junk box".

I discovered Gem Fatale's Style Blog and these great things:  her brilliant magazine project "Gem Says" (scroll down and enlarge), this no-sew pillowcase DIY and this leopard print nails tutorial !

The Pocketmod is a free printable disposable pocket organizer - looks pretty fun and useful :)

And saving the best 'till last.... probably my most favourite blog post on the entire internet... "This Is Why I'll Never Be An Adult" - enjoy!

xxx

Linkage (May 2010)

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♥ Dr Rosenrosen does Lily Allen remixes - I heart the second track :)

♥ Tips for aspiring artists and business owners by Elsie! (old but good)

♥ It's never about you = very true :)

♥ Let out the creative beast

♥ THIS and THIS from weheartit.com (I could spend days on that site!)

♥ I want to make myself versions of this bow print and this adorable snuggly bear hoodie of cuteness

♥ I really like this girl's way of visually recording goals and fun things to do

♥ Ruffled Scarf Tutorial

♥ I'm loving Nicole's Blog which I just found this morning! She's writes witty things like this:

 "...here is what I’ve learned recently:

Getting involved with people = feelings. Feelings = fucking nuisance. Getting involved with less people = having less feelings = better. "

♥ Bow Tie Necklace Tutorial

♥ Free e-book!: Better photography in 3 steps

------♥------

PS. I now have a Formspring if anyone wants to ask me stuff :D

xxx

Linkage! (November '09)

Hello Sandwich posted this bow of cuteness made from clear contact paper, sequins and paper pieces. I'm totally inspired - and wondering what other tiny things could fit inside! She also has a brilliant post full of fun gift-wrapping ideas!

100 Things to Do During a Money Free Weekend is pretty good.

Print and make a ceiling cat - I love this!

Modern Seamster is a free online magazine (PDF) full of articles, tutorials and lovely images ♥ ♥ ♥

Refuse To Choose looks like a great book going by the first 16 pages that are available to read - are you a "Scanner"? I think I must be!

The Art Of Non Conformity has a "Free guide to designing and living out your Ideal World" for you to download - I couldn't resist with a title like that.

Smile And Wave has had some brilliant guest posters while she's been busy with her brand new baby, with lovely ideas like family sketchbooks and this braided head-bands made from strips of fabric

These hanging pom-poms are on my to-make list, they're beautiful! (I scored a pack of tissue paper from the charity shop the other day for 10p = win)...

...as are these gift bags made from newspaper - except I want to make mine with pages from an old Care Bears annual that I saw in the same charity shop. Hopefully it's still there!

Lastly, Color Me Katie managed to find a fun use for her scraps of paper...click to see (and then read the rest of her blog - she's pretty amazing).

Linkage! (July '09)

As I've been busy sorting out the whole etsy launch/blog move shebang recently, my "Linkage" folder in my favourites has remained pretty empty. So to make up for it I'll share my "Good Articles" folder with you!

 

Most of these had a helping hand in getting me where I am today - running my own business (finally!) and living a more creative life. Whenever I lose direction I read through these to get all pumped up and focused again!

-  10 reasons you should never get a job - Steve Pavlina

- Superhero guide to designing a creative business -  Andrea Scher

- Crafting for profit -  PDX Super Crafty

- Selling your D.I.Y clothing -  Deranged Designs

- How to be a writer -  Gala Darling

- Living an artful life -  Crafty Chica

And these were the very few that made it into the Linkage folder:

- Unemployment Craft Projects - recycled sketchbooks, no-sew circle scarf, inspiration binders + more!

- Parasol Magazine - download it for free! It's about art, design and creativity.

- Cut jewellery out of magazines and wear it! - Jazzi shows you how in this awesome tutorial.

 

xxx

Linkage! (April 09)

• Dinosaur dress - the most awesome dress I've ever seen and the fabric was from a thrift store!
• 11 ways to go green and save money by Doe Deere -  good tips in the comments too.
• One Pretty Thing is packed full of tutorials for things to make - use it for gift ideas!
• D.I.Y padded envelopes - a tutorial using old kids books from Swirly Thoughts.  (Includes a great tip for getting free bubblewrap!)
• Replace broken watchstraps with ribbon - a great style tip from Carrie at WishWishWish
• Find out "How to travel on the cheap" - part 1 and part 2 - over at yes and yes (because you won't find out here any time soon, I'm clueless!).
• Thrifting Tips at Shiny Purple Cats - I love the 4th one the best!
• Oh - and I found a kindred spirit over at Student Charade - Megan's blog is full of inspiration for a fabulous student life!

Reminder! - Today is your last chance to enter the Giveaway so get your entry in if you want to! I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow xx

Linkage! (March 09)

• I've always wanted to learn to play something on Guitar. Lo and behold, the internet granted my wish yet again: Free Guitar lessons from The Toy Dolls!
• Making charity shop art better - they're not exactly to my taste but it's a fun idea anyway!
• Cardinalcyn at Craftster shows how a bit of plastic packaging can give you an awesome cleavage!
• Get toned up for summer with free exercise videos at ExerciseTV
• Fabulously Broke shares my hatred of the word "Frugal"
• Re-use envelopes by turning them inside-out - hadn't thought of that!
• Bored? ABC Adventures is full of awesome things to do!
• Can't afford knitting needles? TryFinger Knitting instead!
• 31 Days To Fix Your Finances from The Simple Dollar looks really, really good:

"We’re looking for ways to trim away fat (things that make you uncomfortable when you look at them) so that the meat (your goals, dreams, and values) have room to thrive." - Amen to that! Got any good links for skint girls? Leave them in the comments plz!

Linkage anyone?:

How the hell did I not know about this site until this weekend??! It's an unbelievably awesome website/show for people who want to make their own clothes. Yesterday I spent many hours at the computer watching all the videos on the site and reading all the inspiring posts in the forums. You should too!

Some other cool stuff I found:

Backseatkiss.com - has a hilarious record bowl tutorial.

DIY Scene - a new D.I.Y. Indie Design and Craft forum.

Deranged Designs - has a really helpful "D.I.Y Ideas" page where the designer Annie has written up fabric guides, sewing tips, no-sew ideas and even a guide to selling your own creations.

I'm so inspired after finding all these! I'm off to the charity shop for supplies...

xxx

Random Linkage:

I thought I’d share some of my favourites this week…

 

If you have books you don’t want anymore:

- Bookmooch is an online book swap community where you earn points for all books you give away which you can spend on other peoples books!

- PaperbackSwap is another one that works the same way.

- If you’re not into reading right now, sell your books for hard cash at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. It’s free to list as many books as you like, Amazon just takes a small percentage when books actually sell. Worth a go!

I found some cool sites for thrifty girls:

- Thriftgoddess blog

- ThriftShopRomantic - “Home decorating, dreaming and penny pinching with style”.

- Gothic Martha Stewart - “D.I.Y Décor for the morbidly inclined”. The link will take you to a list of things to look out for in thrift stores and stuff - I love it.

- TheThriftShopper.com is a US directory of thrift stores but it’s still worth a look if you’re in the UK cos there’s a few good articles and links on there.

If you’re a lover of free stuff: (who isn’t?) check out SmartFreeStuff (UK) or StartSampling (US)

For us poor people: PoorAndMakingIt is a live journal community where people post links to articles and offers and share poor-skills.

Anyone interested in graphics will love: D.I.Y- Design It Yourself - a really cool site with ideas for making your own stationary, logos, zines, press kits and lots more fun stuff!

If you can afford a one-off bulk shop: why not spend a Sunday cooking up a month worth of cheap and healthy microwave meals! You can find lots of recipes and ideas at DinnersInTheFreezer or have a look at this free cookbook for the low budget vegetarian. Make it fun by doing it with a friend and a few drinks!

Lastly: Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year - a pretty interesting article about a mature student doing just that.

Enjoy! XXX