Ahem

So.

Apparently I haven't blogged since August 20th. Ooops. I happen to have a very good reason. Or several very good reasons, actually.

Most importantly, one of my best friends got married this weekend.  I was her bridesmaid, and we had a blast. It meant that we were all super busy for ages though. Admittedly, she was obviously more busy than I was, what with moving house as well, and all. But even still. I have been wedding occupied for days and I have loved it. We had a hen night:

I made cake for all the guests to eat.

I made a book for all the guests to sign.

 And we had FUN!

Me posing in my *beautiful* wedding gown - look at the garter!

This was the wedding dress competition; one of many games we enjoyed. It involved white bin bags, toilet roll, selotape and staples. What with the bride being on our team, and her also being the judge, obviously we won. Woo!

We also played this awesome peg game. We were given two pegs when we arrived. And then were given a list of 'banned' words. When we heard someone say any of the banned words we were entitled to steal a peg. Such fun! Banned words included: The Bride's Name, her husband-to-be's name, wedding, married, and then eventually we added the word 'peg' - this was how I lost my stash. Bah.

As well as being busy having lots of fun at hen nights, I've also been busy having fun making cupcakes...

Red velvet cupcakes with white cream
cheese frosting, with dark chocolate hearts.

...210 of them to be exact. It took about 6 hours to bake them all, and another 4 to decorate them. The colour scheme of the wedding was cream and poppy red, so these cupcakes seemed like a natural choice. They went down well. We even managed to bring some home.

(...and we also found a tray of them still in the oven 5 days later.... oopsie!)

The wedding was incredible. I was secretly quite jealous. I would have loved to have thought of all the things that these guys thought of when I was planning my wedding two years ago. It was just stunning. Every aspect of every bit of planning was beautiful. From the hall decorations, to the table layouts, to the timing of the day - everything was just brilliant. They got married in a standard school hall, but halfway through the frist day of decorating, this is what it looked like: 

excuse the terrible quality - I was using my old point and shoot

And once it was all finished, it looked incredible. I can't wait to show you proper photos.

It was such an honour to be involved so intensely with the wedding. Their story, both as individuals and as a couple is filled with  ups and downs, sorrow and joy, but most of all their stories show the ultimate power of trusting in God's plan. It was such a pleasure to share in the happiest of days with them.

I shall post pictures of the wedding when a) I get permission from the happy couple, and b) I find some one who has pictures - what with being a bridesmaid I didn't have my camera on me.

As well as all of the above, I have been trying to learn how to do my new job. It hasn't been all that successful so far, but I'm getting there. I was plagued by IT problems over the summer, meaning I couldn't do any of the learning I had planned to do. But I've had two training days at work now, and it asll starts properly tomorrow, so I'll see how it goes. I cannot express how happy this job makes me. I have responsibility, I am surrounded by people I like, I have an office that I share with a friend, and I have a ten minute walk down the hill to get there. I love this. I think I could quite happily do this job forever.

I've also been busy getting more stuff done with the site - little maintenance bits and sending off orders. I'm really enjoying researching who visits the site, how long they spend there, where they've come from, etc. I hope one day, when I have more time and a bit more know-how, to use this data to my advantage.

I've also been making another quilt. A real cheat-quilt, actually. I've basically sewn the top half of one duvet cover to the bottom half of another duvet cover, put a double duvet inbetween, and am now sewing all three together by quilting lines diagonally over it all. It's not a masterpiece, but it'll do it's job, and look pretty enough. I'll post photos when I'm home long enough in the day to get decent light.

And amidst all of the above it has been my Boy's birthday. Our good friends very kindly hosted a birthday dinner for him, as they knew his birthday would be overshadowed by the wedding (being on the same day!) - and it was such a lovley evening. It was so good to be treated to dinner, and to hang out with good friends.

My Boy. With a ship. Happy Man.

And so I shall leave you, with the promise of a forthcoming ethicality post that I started and didn't finish (sorry Andy!) and the thought that in three days I shall have my kitten home with me. EEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Sherlock. My 'other' boy.

x x

Broked it

Again.

I was playing around last night with crazy complex how-tos for changing the font in the post titles and dates, etc, and just as I thought I had it working, it inexplicably went haywire, and the sidebar disappeared under all the posts. I fiddled around for another hour or so, looking up every possible solution on the net, but to no avail. It genuinely was inexplicable - it worked, and then it didn't. I'm utterly convinced it has nothing to do with the coding for the font changes, as it worked fine for a while, then stopped. And I've sinced removed all the coding for that, and it didn't change, so I've put it all back (with a different font). I've removed the sidebar, changed the layout, changed the html, changed the widths, added sidebars, reduced all the post titles, reduced all the gadget titles... and nothing. So I've just removed it all for the time being as I couldn't get it to look decent.

Anyway. That completely isn't what this post is about.

This is:

there are new products in the shop :)

I've added a selection of hanging hearts

and a variety of handwarmers

and some plain envelopes with patterned ones to follow soon.

Head over to the shop and have yourself a little look.

It's been a really busy few days here, with all the cutting and machining and trimming and stitching and turning and filling and sewing and photographing and uploading and everything else that goes on day to day (blog reading, emails, general life stuff!)

I think I'm going to have tomorrow off from doing site stuff; I'll have a lazy morning, then off to a church babrbeque in the afternoon with my Boy. Yummity yum.

Let me know what you think about the new products; leave me a comment or drop me an email

x x

Sweet and Sour Recipe

 Well hello there.

I've been beavering away today making things...

Can you guess what it is yet?

More on that tomorrow.

For now, I thought I'd share one of the simplest, tastiest recipes I know that a couple of people asked me for ages ago. Sweet and Sour Sauce. I don't have a photo, but it's pretty simple....

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 3 tablepsoons caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon white wine vineager (I occassionally just use white vinegar and a bit of sherry when I don't have white wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (I usually use light soy sauce)
• 1 mug water
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

Method :

• Put all the ingredients except the cornflour into a saucepan. Put on medium heat. Stir occassionally.
• Mix the cornflour with a little (up to 2 teaspoons) of cold water.
• When the ingredients in the pan are boiling, add the cornflour mixture whilst stirring.
• Keep sauce on the heat until required. Keep stirring occassionally. 

Yum yum!

I really like this sauce - I much prefer it to pre-made jars of sauce from the shop, and you can add to it whatever you like. Tonight we just had diced turkey breast with slices of carrot (really need to go shopping!) and it was tasty enough. Given the choice I'd add onion and pepper and pineapple, but that'll have to wait till next time!

I hope everyone else is well. As I said, I've been beavering away cutting and stitching and trimming and turning, and hopefully I'll be able to show you more of that tomorrow.

x x

Trouble recovery?

Day Umpteen of sorting-out-site-stuff-that-I-wish-someone-else-could-do-for-me.

Bleurgh.

I've remade a lot of the PayPal buttons (if ever you're crazy busy and want the MOST boring thing on earth to do... there's your solution). I also found out late last night that my ivylou mail stopped sending from my Outlook. Bit random and quite problematic. I seemed to have solved the problem, with a lot of help from a good friend, by installing Thunderbird and that seems to have sold things.

I think today is going to be an ivylou day - making things and taking photos of them. :)

troubles

This site management thing is a nightmare.

I'm venting, and this may well end up getting deleted, but I'm having real issues with the site - something I expected to be fairly easy. The issue is actually not mine - it's PayPal's. I've had lots of issues with them so far, but now it seems that the buttons I made for the multipack cards don't work. Now, why those ones in particular don't work I have no idea. I made them all in the same way. All the others work. The single cards and the prints are all fine. But it's pretty annoying. I envisage the multipack cards being my biggest earner - so much so that I have sales pending that I can't complete because PayPal is being, well, PayPal. Thankfully, the cutomers in question have emailed me to let me know about the problem, and are willing to wait for the issue to be fixed. But why is it doing this?! Why is it so hard? This was meant to be the easy bit, right?! I've made the stock, I've single handedly, pretty much, built the site up from scratch - I began by coding it myself, and then moved to Dreamweaver (my version of which seems to be riddled with bugs, so that hasn't been easy either...) and now I have issues that I don't seem to be able to resolve.

How frustrating.

I just want to get going. I want to be able to email all my family and friends about the site, and I can't - because they won't be able to buy anything - and what's the point in that?! I know that if I go to a site and it doesn't work, I don't get back. If I'm really passionate about what the site is for/selling then I might email them and let them know there's a problem, but I still go and find what I want somewhere else. I don't want that to happen to my site. I don't want to damage what will already be a tricky thing to get going by handing people a broken site.

That would be foolish.

ivylou. x

Ethicality

If that’s not a word then it should be.


So. This has been on my heart for a long time. Trying to be more ethical. Not in a super-super ethical way. Just a sensible,-look-at-where-my-money’s-going way. I’ll post more about this in a few days, when I’ve got all my bits of paper about the subject together, and straightened things out in my head (I’ve done research!) – but what do you think about living with an ethical purse?

 

x x

A new way of life?

 [source:me]

So.

I went on Holiday last week. Yes, Holiday with a capital H. Holidays are a big thing for us. Since Boy and I have been married (two years and 5 days!) we haven't been away on our own with me not being ill, at all. I was dreadfully ill on my honeymoon. I had pyelonephritis (or pyelitis) - which put simply is E.Coli in the kidney. I'd had it once before, but until I'd had it diagnosed the second time, I didn't know that that was what it was the first time. So that was in August 2009. I was in hospital and everything. I was in HOSPITAL! On my HONEYMOON! Grr. Anyway. Between then and a trip to Paris 6 weeks later for my 21st, I'd had pyelonephritis again. And then I had it in Paris. And then I had it in October. And November. December was a good month. So were January, February and March. April was not a good month. In fact it was a very very bad month. I spent a whole week in hospital being rehydrated and treated and doped up with morphine. But that was 2010. Surely we'd be safe to go away somewhere and me not get ill now, right? In 2011. A year and some months since lasting having the infection.

No.

I was sick. Not pyelonephritis sick. Vomitty sick. Which is a big deal for me - I haven't been physically sick since I was 11. I'm now almost 23. That's a long time. In fact, it's long enough to forget what feeling sick feels like. It's gross.

Luckily, I did not get as ill as my fellow holiday-goers. We went with our roomate/lodger/my-best-friend-of-all-time and a couple we know from Church. First, our good friend Mr S got sick. Really really sick. All night. Doctor called out and everything. Whilst he was getting better Mrs S got sick. Not quite as sick, but still out of action all day sick. Then roomate/lodger/my-best-friend-of-all-time got sick, just as they were going home. Boy and I were staying on for a few days on our own. Then I got sick. Ugh.

All I can say is: "ah well." I've been worse, and I'm thankful it only last a day for me, and that I got over it pretty quick, and that Boy didn't get it at all. I don't really mind being 'normal' ill anymore, because not many people realise quite how sick I was in the first year of my marriage. Anyway, I tell you that to tell you this:

I want a simpler life.

I've just spent 8 days in a beautifully simple cottage in the absolute middle of nowhere in Weshland (that being Wales.) There was no junk. No clutter. No distractions. The cottage wasn't covered in stuff. Wasn't packed to the brim with 'belongings.' Just had what we needed. And did I miss the junk and the stuff and clutter I had left at home? No, not really. Sure, I missed some of my craft stuff, and I missed having the internet (it only took me two hours to trawl through the 203 blog posts on my reader when I got back earlier today...) and I missed having loads of baking stuff on hand to just 'whip something up' with. But did I miss the clutter and the mess? The feeling of forever walking into 'stuff'? No.

Now don't get me wrong. I love our flat. So much so we've just signed a contract to say that we'll stay here for an extra year (which is a big deal for us as we've spent the last two years trying to move away...). I like that it's quite small (although I wouldn't say no to a bigger place, obviously!) and I like that it's 'ours' for now. I like knowing that I'm definitely here until next August, and that I won't have to face moving in my holidays, again (5 houses in 2 and a bit years...). I like that it's full of 'our' stuff - as opposed to somebody elses - and admittedly, it's mostly my stuff. But I want it to be simpler. I want it to be cleaner, and smoother, and tidier, and less cluttered, and more lovely. I want to get rid of stuff I've been keeping just because somebody gave it to me, or because I think I might need it in ten years time. I only want to have around me the things I want; not the things I think I'll need at some point.

So, from here on I'm going to try and achieve a new goal by the end of 2011. I want to be decluttered by Christmas. I've started already - whilst unpacking I condensed the contents under our bed somewhat significantly. I threw away some stuff, and re-packed some of the other stuff. Our bedroom is one of my biggest bug bears. We don't own a wardrobe - which is not ideal. We have a chest of drawers each (mine is bigger) and then we have two hanging rails, of which I use about 95%. My poor Boy. He doesn't seme to mind. He doesn't own much stuff. I, however, do. I've been through my clothes many times and I don't think I can get rid of any more stuff. I'm a layers girl; and layers means lots. That's just how it is. That's not to mention the two bookshelves of books we own (currently condensed to one, because one is being used for storage in the kitchen, so all our books are double stacked, which I hate.) or the ooooodles of other 'stuff' I own. It's going to be hard, and a complete change for me, as naturally I'm a hoarder, but I want to do it. I want to live a much more 'open' life, if that makes sense. And this is how I shall start.

I've been slightly spurred on by reading various blogs talking about making money - not because I'm particularly interested in making more money for the sake of it, but because I admire the way these people live their lives - so I'm thinking I might try and sell some stuff. I'll let you know how that goes.

I have lots to tell you about Wales, and a surprise birthday party, and businessy stuff, and something that's been on my heart alot lately. But I think that should wait for another day. For now, let me show you something adorable:

Meet Sherlock....

Well...

...Things haven't gone as planned.

I said in my last post, sometime last week that I would blog on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and would do site maintenance stuff on Sundays. Then I got sick. And now it's a Thursday. Oops. But here I am. A bit less sick, and a bit more bored.

I work in a school, and that means that I've just started my six week holiday. Well, it's actually five and a half, but who's counting?! On Monday I did nothing other than be ill. On Tuesday I braved up and went to my lovely friend's house and met her kitten and did a bit of knitting. Nothing to show you though - although there will be soon. Yesterday I helped a friend pack up her stuff to move house and then had date night with my boy. Today, though.... Today..... I have discovered Pinterest. Oh my giddy goodness. What an amazing resource this is! I've spent nearly an hour straight just looking at 'stuff' and feeling inspired. I actually got my invitation earlier this week, but have been to ill to have a proper look at it. I love it! I'm still working out how it works, but I've seen a lot of buzz about in the blogging world lately and I'm eager to use it properly. I've found a few people I know, and started following a few people I don't know, but for me, I think its best use or potential is going to be that I can collect all my 'inspirations' together on one page, with pictures! I have folders and folders of bookmarks in my toolbar, which tend to get ignored, but I think pinterest might change that.

I'm going to have a play and come back later.

I hope you're planning on joing the pinterest gathering - looking forward to sharing with you!

x x

ivylou.com is a go!

I am very excited to announce that www.ivylou.com is now live and ready for action!

This has been a long journey for me, and I know that it is only just starting. I have lots of people to thank, and be grateful for, and I hope I have given all these people credit where it has been due.

Someone who has not had enough credit is my Boy. He has put up with my whinging that 'such and such won't work' and 'so and so doesn't do what I want it to do', along with me spending more money than I probably should have done buying things to make things with, to put on the site. He has been patient and helpful, and loving, and he makes the best cups of tea in the whole world. :) I love you, my Boy.

I plan to post on Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays, and to do site maintenance on Sundays. I will hopefully be able to respond to emails asap and get orders out as soon as they come in. (Thanks to my new job meaning I have every afternoon off!)

I'm looking forward to meeting you all and hearing your thoughts and opinions. Please let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions/corrections/questions/thoughts etc. My email address is info@ivylou.com or you can get in touch via facebook and twitter.

Take care, and thanks for joining me on the journey!

x x x

3, 2, 1... Lift off!

I'm good to go!

This is SUPER exciting.

Last night (Monday) I put together my hard-copy portfolio to show a few people who have asked for it at work. That was exciting enough. What is more exciting though is that I am now ready to launch the site! It will have to be a job for tomorrow, emailing everyone, etc, but I can't wait!

:D

Eeee!!! Here's looking forward to seeing you soon.



x x

Goals

So, as I’m so close to being able to launch ivylou.com I thought I’d write myself a blog post to put on record the things I wanted to achieve this year, kind of as a record to look back to.

Back in January of this year, 2011, on the way home from a tutorial for my Open University course, I wrote a list of ‘Things I Want To Achieve – 2011.’ Something like this is particularly uncharacteristic of me, as although I’m a goals-orientated person, I have never in the past seriously stuck to any kind of resolution I have made. However, calling them ‘things I want to achieve’ seems to change my mindset, and not only was I excited about it at the time, I’m still excited about them now. Here they are:

• Knit a piece of clothing
• Start blogging on ivylou.com
• Make prototypes for shop items
• Learn more calligraphy
• Use sewing machine more
• Hand-make more gifts than I buy
• Develop a ‘style’ for ivylou.com
• Find a handwriting style I like
• Cook more ‘new’ savoury dishes
• Watch more musicals (one a month?)
• Read more fiction books (one a month?)
• Become qualified as a proof-reader
• Finish audio-Bible.

Not a bad list really. Some realistic goals in there, and some bizarre ones (…I hate my handwriting!) and some just darn sensible ones.

Here’s my progress so far…

• I crocheted a slouch hat, which I gave to my friend, thanks to a free pattern from Gleeful Things: clicky
  I picked a pattern for a jumper that I like, although I have faaaaaar too many jumpers already, and I’m not sure I have the will power to take on such a huge undertaking. I think I’ve decided I’m more of a crocheter. I have knitted some bunting for a new-born baby though. 
• Here is evidence of the blogging!
• I have made a few things for the shop, but I’m not completely happy with them; they need a bit more tweaking before I’m ready to make them public.
• I have dabbled in calligraphy – I bought myself a few nice pens and nibs and inks and played around a bit – still a long way to go!
• I use my sewing pretty much at least once a week. I don’t do an awful lot (although I snapped three needles in 15 minutes yesterday!) but I fiddle around with bits and pieces. I bought a free-hand embroidery foot – oh, the fun!!
• I have yet to buy a gift for someone this year! :D I bake a lot of the gifts I give, but I think that’s acceptable!
• I’m definitely still working on the style for ivylou.com, but I’m learning a lot in the process
• No further forward on the handwriting.
• Also not that much further with the savoury dishes. As you’ll soon learn I spend a HUGE amount of my time baking sweet goodies.
• I have been very disciplined with the musicals! So far this year I have watched ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ ‘Evita,’ ‘Wizard of Oz,’ ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,’
• I haven’t done quite so well with the fiction books, mostly because I’ve been studying so much for my course. I’m hoping now that that’s over for a few months I can catch up. I have though read ‘Beloved’ and ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ and most of a couple of non-fiction books: ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ and ‘The Inner Life.’ I’m currently reading ‘The Robe’ by Lloyd Douglas, at the request of my father-in-law, and I’m enjoying it. I started reading ‘Watership Down’ a few months ago, but I just couldn’t get into it. My housemate has told me I have to read ‘The Go-Between’ by L P Hartley, but it will have to wait a while! There is never any end of books to read in the house of ivylou, what with me and my husband both being book-geeks (with me being a Humanities and Literature student, and him being a student of Philosophy) and now the arrival of our housemate who also loves literature. I am spoilt for choice!
• I am very close to becoming a qualified proof-reader, but no closer than I was when I wrote the list. Again, now that the OU course is over until October, I hope to fit this in over the summer.
• And I’ve made it from Genesis to Mark with the Bible. The New Testament is so much cooler than the old.

So there we are. You can all hold me to account to my goals now. I shall continue to post updates about them every now and again, or when something substantial happens.

But for now, I shall sign off. Tomorrow is a busy day, and I don't even know if I have to go to work yet!

See you soon, 

x x x

procrastination techniques

...I have a really important essay due in in 4 days. I've written the title.

But, in having not written any more than that I have achieved the following:

• baked 24 red velvet cupcakes
• cut out 40+ hearts to sew and fill and for the shop
• waxed my legs
• cooked a lot
• potted a tomato plant
• made the house a mess and tidied it again, several time over
• done 6+ loads of washing
• had lunch with the in-laws
• stripped the bedding
• unpacked a bit
• hoovered
• organised my sewing desk
• read some of Watership Down
• got my tea-lady job back (yipeee!) and have been to work on my days 'off'
• and many other things besides.

I suppose I'm kind of running out of procrastination tactics. Although I do have a lovely Skype date with my amazing over-seas friend later. Maybe the house needs tidying for that...?

The recipe I promised weeks ago is coming - I've promised myself I'll do the essay first. Gah.


ivylou
 x x

a few spare mintues

So, here I am at the Emerging Leader's Conference, hosted by Vineyard Churches UK. We have a few spare minutes before lunch, and I thought I'd drop in and see what's been happening in the blogging world. Lots and lots apparently! I really should have brought my own laptop, rather than using The Boy's, as I can't really do anything with the blog posts I read whilst I am away. Usually I read them all and then if I think I will use them again in the future I put them in a bookmarks folder on my firefox window. Definitely not the most efficient way of storing things of interest, but it works for now.  Maybe when my new fancy phone arrives (why do Monday's never come quick enough when you want them to!?) I will be able to view what I like when I like and link to/email them as I please. Until then I shall just potter about the blogging land trying to remember as much as I can.

In other news I have a request! People have asked me for a recipe, so I can start my blog with a request - what fun! That'll be Monday's job I think, whilst waiting for the phone to arrive *super excited grin*

I have discovered that I already have a blog set up with blogspot called ivyloublog - which do you prefer, ivyloublog or thisisivylou?? I could switch everything over, but I'm not sure I should. Help!

Until the next time,

Take care,

ivylou.

x

i've made it

....!!

After several long months of working out how to do this and that, and after lots of help from numerous people, I'm here! I've finally got me a blog, connected to my own website, with my own shop, sellling my own 'stuff'!

Hip hip hooray!

I think that means it's off to bed, said Zebedee.