Pick-Me-Up Monday!

I know for most people Monday is the worst day of the week, the weekend is gone and there is work to be done. It signals the end of another week, another one beginning. I decided Pick-Me-Up Monday is a nice way to start the week, pretty pictures, songs, ideas, thoughts and positive energy... well hopefully!!

I had a HARD weekend, I'm not going to rant and rave and go on about it, the short version is that I was hoping to announce to you all today that I was pregnant, until I started bleeding yesterday. So that was my rotten weekend, but today is another day and another week. If you want to talk to me more about it you can ask anything on formspring.

So onto thing that are happier and cheerier!!

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of travelling by Claudio.Ar

The title of the above photo caught my eye, plus it's such an unusual photo! A song which has helped calm me this weekend, whether you have faith/beliefs or not, has been Hymn by Brooke Fraser. I heard it at the end of a TV show [don't ask me which one because I can't remember!!] and looked up the lyrics. The tune is so soulful I found it extremely uplifting.

And just to finish off, this is a picture I took of the stunning pink peonies I have sitting in my living room at present. I love how full the flowers are and the light pink, plus they are adorning my recycled bottles which makes it all the better!!

I hope you all feel better, or that you had such an amazing weekend that you're still buzzing!!

Delicate Eccentric

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