The Life Pursuit: San Smith

It's that time again!! Today I'm featuring San Smith of The Life Pursuit. I only discovered her blog recently and already I'm hooked! Not only is she an incredibly talented artist but she also has an wonderfully cute and addictive personality. Not to mention her gorgeous pink hair and she's beautiful - some people just get it all!!


The first day I came across her blog I sat and watched her live demo [which airs on a Friday] as she drew an illustrative Kiki's Delivery Service picture. To be able to see her creating this amazing picture with such poise and elegance was unreal!!


She also features a number of craft tutorials from cookies to painting and still finds time to sell her goods via her shop!


You will be missing out if you don't check out her blog!


Delicate Eccentric

Darrielles Clay Art

I stumbled across a picture of a bowl with yarn in it and strangely a space for the yarn to thread through to allow you to knit or crochet while keeping the ball in one place. What a great invention!! I love this innovative idea, I always have balls of wool flying around the floor and I know I should just wind them into a centre ball pull but sometimes I'm just too lazy!!! Darrielles Clay Art doesn't just sell yarn bowls but also ring holders, cups, bowls and so much more! 

I'm also scarily in love with this little plant pot, the attention to detail with the little white birds atop a blue pot is just stunning!! There is also a heart-shaped bowl which has the same little birds, they look like they're in love! 

I couldn't finish this post without showing you these sweet little trays which feature a lace design and are coloured in a misty minty green! They are so darling although I don't know if I would want to melt candles on them because the pattern is so pretty!!! According to Darrielle's Etsy shop she has been working with clay for over 20 years, there's no wonder her work is so delicate, interesting and divine!!


Delicate Eccentric

Who Do You Think You Are?

Myself and my daughter when she was about 11 months!

A few days ago Susannah Bean had posted a great little personality quiz which she found on another blog. She had said the results were really accurate and asked if others took the test to link her to their results to see what they thought. I thought it was scarily accurate too!!

Your view on yourself:

Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:

Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education

Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.
The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

 There was also a further part if you click "Give Me More"

You are a very serious person. You tend to be quiet and well behaved, and you don't have a great deal of self-confidence. You prefer to be alone rather than with friends and that could make you a little less interesting to certain types of guys. You are very attractive in an individual kind of way, and this means it can take people a little while to get to like you.

You really care about other people's feelings and are quite serious about the issues that affect your life. You are sincere, and your concern for the well-being of others makes many people want to be your friend.

You strictly follow rules, and you expect other people to be the same as well. People can get tired of you easily, as you can make them feel a little guilty about themselves. You always make decisions on your own, and can be dismissive of other people's advice. You like to be the leader in groups, but can forget to be concerned about the people you are with.

Guys see you as being a thinker and a careful person. They will be really attracted to this quality in you, but you need to learn to speak your mind, otherwise people will find you too shy and quiet. Learn to relax and lighten up--it's okay to have fun sometimes. When you learn to develop your fun-loving side, guys are going to flock to your side.

Your boyfriend believes that you are a strong and independent person. Your confidence and cheerfulness make you an attractive person to be around, but sometimes you need to pay more attention to what other people, including your boyfriend, are thinking.

I think it's one of those quizzes that you need to go with your first instinct, your gut reaction to the question, to get accurate results. There are further parts to the quiz as well if you have the time and inclination to continue!

If you do take the quiz either paste your results or a link to your results as a comment and tell me if you thought it was accurate!!

Delicate Eccentric 

Blog Swap on Swap-Bot

I love swap-bot and this week I found this wonderful little swap created by ~TrainMama~ to swap blogs and give us a glimpse at others we may not have otherwise found!


The first blog I read was Olivia Arrow who is an extraordinary artist, so much so that I was looking at a gorgeous ATC of a Native American "Kickapoo" woman which I thought she had bought but had made herself! She also has some tasty looking vegetables that I would quite like a bite of!


Next up we have Jessica's blog called My Scrappy Corner which features so many stunning scrap book pages. My scrap book looks horrendous in comparison!! She has a real eye for colour and patterns and the photos she uses and beautiful as well!!


Alfie's blog - The Craft Pad - is more of a showcase for her amazingly professional products, I'm particularly interested in the Cookie Cutter Gift sets she was selling at the Bang! craft show. 


Vintage Terrace "2" is run by Coleen and she seems to be a girl after my own heart. In between her lovely crafts are flowers. Like most women, I love flowers especially lilys which there are plenty of!


Tallys Treasury does exactly what it says on the tin, not only is Tally fiercely articulate she is also scarily innovative with all the craft tutorials she posts. I could not stop reading and can't wait to finish this post so I can go back and add some more to my list!! Her girlie tshirt is just what I need, as were the cassette tape notebooks!! Want Want Want!


Yvonne's blog "A day in the life" gives you a glimpse into her world. It's a personal blog containing lots of different thoughts on her favourite books, movies and the fact her school  has it's own Wiki page!!


Lucky XIII Creations has a talented hand in every jar. Every post seems to feature a different craft which she's turned her hand to and successfully mastered!! Plus her little Totoro is so cute [Love Totoro!!].


Shelby blogs about her life as a mother... their Simply Crazy Life! It's very personal and very touching, plus her kids are totally adorable!!!


Any girl on the search for a perfect shoe gets my vote and right now my vote goes to Dissolved girl [who also has the same name, slightly different spelling, as my daughter!!]. I also love the gorgeous bag she made for a different swap!!


Another personal blog, this time by Sarah, as she makes her way towards every girls dream - her wedding day!! She shares her thoughts and ideas on her blog and I'm still drooling thinking about the cakes she posted!!!


I hope you all enjoy these lovely blogs!!


Delicate Eccentric

Feature Friday!

I read a lot of blogs, sometimes I have 50-100 new blogs posts to read every day! I feel so inspired by all the different backgrounds and places these people come from I thought I would pay my respects to them by featuring a different blog each Friday. Hence - Feature Friday!


This week I'm featuring Susannah Bean. This girl has a beautiful face, an eye for beautiful dresses, an articulate mind and a hand for making the most stunning hand-made items for sale in her Etsy store.


Susannah is so down to earth and grounded, she talks about her personal life in a way that makes you wish you could be part of it, to be on that fishing trip or at the Civil War day!! She's very open about her insecurities which, while all of us girls/women have them, we don't normally feel comfortable with but she does it in such a way that I feel empowered and stronger as a woman, that I'm not alone in how I feel.


I honestly think that Susannah is a beautiful person, inside and out, and I love reading her blog every day.


Delicate Eccentric

blah to TADA!

I spent about an hour going through Claire's amazing blog - Blah to TADA! - don't even take my word for it, just get over there. Claire has such an eye for detail it's unreal, she recycles [or upcycles] so many things into beautiful creations. Her creativity is evident over every page. The picture above shows crayons which had all been broken, so she melted them down, then poured them into an Ikea ice-cube tray and allowed them to harden as heart-shaped crayons!!! I know my little girl would just love them!

How about this? Using old eye-shadow with glue as paint to make exotic looking stationary! If you are anything like me you have a tonne of old eye-shadow you never wear sitting in a drawer which is more stale than Tutankhamen!! There is no way I could list all the things she makes/recycles/upcycles, it really is on another level. If you have anything left over - even toilet roll tubes - she could show you how to make headband or bracelet stands to display your jewellery!! 


Delicate Eccentric

Trudi Canavan

My favourite books in the whole world are The Age Of The Five Trilogy. I read the first two at great speed, picked up the third [The Voice Of The Gods] and refused to read more than half because I can't bear the fact that the story will be over. There are so many twists and turns, just when you think you know what's happening, everything turns on it's head and leaves you reeling. I cannot say enough about these books. Trudi Canavan's first trilogy was the Black Magician's Trilogy.

The prequel to the initial trilogy came out in 2009, The Magician's Apprentice, although I haven't read it yet as I recently bought the 1st book in her newest trilogy which is the sequel to the Black Magician's Trilogy!! The Traitor Spy Trilogy [as it is known] takes place a generation later than the previous trilogy and the second and third books in this trilogy will be released in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Trudi Canavan is definitely one to watch!!


Delicate Eccentric

Brat & Suzie

I saw this kitty [with a bow-tie!] shirt a couple of days ago online and fell in love. How could you resist it?! It's by a company called Brat & Suzie and they have such a funky range of clothes. The kitty also comes on a vest style top as well as a pink tshirt. Perhaps you'd prefer a Pirate Cat crop tshirt instead?

Brat & Suzie are a British company and are a collaboration between Designer Polly Vickery and Illustrator Louise Boulter. They create such unique original designs that you're bound to find something you fall in love with instantly! If you're into the crop style but not into kitties they also have countless other animal illustrations including the Owl Doll which features 4 owl matryoshka [or nesting] dolls. I think, personally, this is my favourite design.

Delicate Eccentric

Cath Kidston

Cath Kidston is world renowned for her gorgeous floral fabrics, stunning home-wares and beautiful bags. What I didn't know [and maybe you won't either!] is she also has a lovely range of knitting and sewing accessories. The picture above shows the Small House Sewing Basket which is perfect for a child's storage or for some smaller pieces you might own. The interior is a pink polka dot and there is a compartmentalised tray inside to help keep things organised and it's a steal at just £35.

If this isn't to your taste maybe you'd prefer the Mini Dot Floral Sewing Tin which comes complete with 6 spools of thread and a paper needle case containing 8 needles! Not only that, it's also in the sale at the moment for just £10!! My mind is going crazy thinking of the million and one uses for that gorgeous tin!!!

Delicate Eccentric

Cross Stitcher Magazine

I'm sure many people are glued to their sofa at this current moment in time while the Netherlands play Spain in the World Cup Final. I have spent the match getting to grips with cross stitch. Although I taught myself to knit about 5 years ago and then how to crochet last year [how wonderful the tutorials are on the internet!!] I've never attempted cross stitch before. Browsing the craft magazines in one of my local shops the other day I saw this free kit with the Crossstitcher magazine [actually if I'm honest they were 2 kits and I had to have them both!]. The retro tattoo-style swallow was so cute and not too big I thought "I can do this!" and really I couldn't believe how easy it was - maybe my knitting/crochet brain helped! I'm enjoying it so much I can't put it down, I just want it finished so I can frame it. I have always been fond of quick projects - I think the instant gratification side of me craves it. The other kit is called "Home Sweet Home" by Angela Poole which is too adorable for words!!

As I type, Spain have just scored!! Yay.. okay so the only reason I have been supporting Spain [since England were knocked out] is because Fernando Torres [drools!!] plays for them!! He's as adorable as the cross stitch, well back to it I must go!

Delicate Eccentric

The Dainty Squid

You definitely have to get over to The Dainty Squid for her latest giveaway!! These amazing tshirts from Deadworry are up for grabs!! All you have to do is leave a comment with your favourite item from deadworry.... easier said than done... trust me!!

Enjoy!

Delicate Eccentric

Marzipan Cinnamon Cookies

This morning I decide to make some Marzipan Cookies from my "Baking" book which had been on sale in Ikea. It doesn't sound like a very exciting book but there are so many tasty muffins, cookies and cupcakes in it, it's hard to read through it without wanting to make everything! Last week I had bought some "ready-rolled Marzipan", again just because it was on sale, even though I had nothing to use it for. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make them, last week I made chocolate chip doughnuts from the same book and they were lovely. So I got all my ingredients out this morning and away I went!

Here are the cookies, pre-baking, looking quite dark because of the brown sugar in them. I was also supposed to grate chocolate over the marzipan [which I'm sure shouldn't have been as much as I used but I didn't measure it I just cut smaller circles out!] inside but as I had none I just put the marzipan in alone!! The end cookies are also supposed to have white chocolate drizzled over them but again, my cupboards were devoid of chocolate to I settled for cinnamon which actually worked really well!!
Just in case you fancy your hand at these yummy cookies I thought I would throw in the recipe for you!

Marzipan Cookies

Makes 12

150g butter

150g brown sugar

1 egg

250g flour

100g marzipan

100g grated chocolate

80g white cooking chocolate

Prep. time: about 45 minutes

930 kcal/3906 kj

P 15g, F 49g, C 108g

1. Preheat the oven to 190c/375f/gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and then mix in the flour.

3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough about 5mm thick. Cut out circles of approx. 8cm/3in. [I just used my hands to flatten it and a glass to cut circles and guessed the size!]

4. Place half of the dough circles on the baking tray; place a piece of marzipan on top of each and sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cover each with a second circle of dough.

5. Firmly press the edges of the filled cookies together and bake for about 10-12 minutes in the centre of the oven. Cool and garnish with melted white cooking chocolate. [Like I said, I just used a sprinkle of cinnamon here!]

Hope you all enjoy!

Delicate Eccentric

The Old Post Office, Lisbane

I thought for a change I would blog about somewhere local, The Old Post Office in Lisbane. This gorgeous little place is only about 5 minutes drive from my little country cottage. It's an old post office but has been converted into a tea room and gift shop. It has so many original features like the thatched roof you can see in the picture above and the old-style fire places and low ceilings inside. They serve the most delicious home-made food, their jacket potatoes were the size of my head and I had a sampled a drool-worthy cinnamon scone!!

The gift shop was so stunning with a selection of to-die-for cards, journals, jewellery and cups. They had all those little "I just can't live without" items that you just have to have. I got a stunning journal with lined pages with a quote on the front:

Dance as though no one is watching you,

Love as though you have never been hurt before,

Sing as though no on can hear you

live as though heaven is on earth.

~ Souza 

I also snagged some notecards which was a set of 10 Roger La Borde note cards, five of which featured hedgehogs and the other 5 had owls so of course I had to have them!!

The seating area outside is just as lovely with as many flowers as you can imagine. All in all, it's a little gem in the middle of the countryside and if you're ever in Northern Ireland you have to visit!!


Delicate Eccentric

Fred Flare

It would be very easy to spend all day [and night!] on Fred Flare as there are so many items to browse. The set of three Babushkup Nesting Glasses will only set you back a mere $20 and they fit inside each other the same way any nesting doll would! Not only are they adorably cute, they also save space and add a little colour to your life!

As if the glasses weren't cute enough you can also get this cutesy Nesting Doll tape [it also comes in a coloured grid design but how can you resist those little doll faces!]. At only $10 for over 75ft of tape imagine all the boxes you could tape up or if you're feeling really risqué you could give your bedroom a makeover with it!! So many uses, from making cards to using in a scrapbook, I'm sure the 75ft wouldn't last long in my hands!

I couldn't sign off without sharing this gorgeous beaded Zanzibar bib necklace which wouldn't fail to complete any outfit. With its stunning orange and turquoise beads, and ribbon tie, it's so feminine and yet definitely makes a statement. I can't imagine anyone wearing this out and not getting a head-swelling amount of compliments!


Delicate Eccentric