The rather silly thing I did...

Having run my Etsy business for over a year now, I had begun to think of myself as a bit of a dab hand. Last Christmas, my first one, proved a massive shock in order volume and I found myself frantically rushing to Wilko to buy bubble wrap and leaving dubious notes on the oven saying 'back in an hour, don't take them out'.

All in all, it was a bit of a shambles.

Not this year, I told myself. This year I am going to be prepared. And it was that thought that led me to a decision that has left me a laughing stock.
My warning to all of you: know your proportions before you order online.

Being British and therefore somewhat backwards I tend to work in feet rather than metres. I always order my boxes online and, with more orders going to America and knowing that parcels don't always get handled as carefully as they could be, I figured why not bulk order bubble wrap too. I found an Ebay seller and in a couple of clicks I had spent £14.79 on packaging materials. With hindsight, I probably should have realised  that this was quite a lot of money: clearly my ineptness for conversions extends to finances.

Having completely forgotten I'd ordered it I was slightly disgruntled when the doorbell was rung by the deliveryman at 9am. It was only when I opened the front door and saw him holding a box large enough to carry a crouching man that I realised something had gone horribly wrong.

50 metres of bubble wrap is a lot of bubble wrap. And I mean A LOT. I think I now have sufficient packaging material to wrap everything I own twice and maybe outline the perimeter of my flat for good measure. My flatmates (both engineering students, WHY didn't I ask for their help in the first place?!) decided this was the funniest thing they'd ever seen but at least helped me stuff the monstrosity in my wardrobe.

It's safe to say that I think I now have enough bubble wrap, and have given my friends enough to mock me about, for the rest of my natural life. All in a day's work. 

With love,

Kati

Today is a beautiful day to feel okay

Procrastinating fiercely today I came across this really quite lovely quote. It stems from a Facebook page I follow which is run by an anonymous cartoonist.

First reaction when I read this post, I laughed. So many of his posts are funny (I recommend you check them out, link here) but on closer inspection so many are also underlined with a message of positivity. And the more I looked at this post, the more I realised that there was something really wonderful about it.

I have no trouble admitting, most who know me personally will already be aware, that I struggle with an anxiety disorder. It can be incredibly ugly: I push away those I love the most because I don't feel worthy of their affection and sometimes it feels like I will be stuck in a rut of self doubt for the rest of my life. It is something that over the last year or two I have learned to accept as a peculiar kind of life companion; some days I am strong, some days I am not. And that, I think, is what I loved so much about this particular post.

'Today is a beautiful day to feel okay'. I, like so many others, constantly strive for happiness, to feel like I have beaten my anxiety disorder, but the reality is that can't always be an option. One thing that is an option is to look for the 'okay' even on the darkest of days.

I am feeling okay because I have a cup of tea in my hand and the sky outside is a beautiful colour.

How about you?

With love,

Kati

Too poor for a scratch map...

If there's one thing I have learnt during my three years living in student housing, it's that a couple of touches can make all the difference. With just a sheet of patterned paper, push pins and string you can create your very own vintage style wall map. You can mark it with places you've been or places you'd love to go and create a homely touch for less than a fiver.

Interested? Alright let's have a run through.

First things first get yourself a map. Mine is just a sheet of wrapping paper from Paperchase but I know that there are some beautiful vintage maps on Etsy if you want a more individual touch. In terms of fixing it to the wall, I swear by white tack as it's easy to get off and doesn't leave stains.

Once your map is on the wall it's time to get pinning! Now, if you don't feel comfortable putting pins in the wall an alternative is to use craft pegs. You can buy these at Wilkinsons, Paperchase or online. If you are using pegs simply fasten your map to the wall, apply tack or glue dots to the backs of your pegs and stick them as you please. I chose to focus my map on countries I had visited so stuck pins into the relevant areas.

Once your pins/pegs are in place, it's time to attach the string. Tie the end of the string around the base of the pin (or clip into the peg if that's the method you're using), unwind it and create a line from the pin, across the map and onto the wall. Cut the string at your desired length bearing in mind that a notecard will be attached to the end of it.

Repeat this process for all the pins. There is no need to be very precise in the lengths; you can always cut them shorter or start again if need be.

Once you have cut all the strings it is time to make the notecards! How you do this is completely up to you; I used plain A4 paper cut into small rectangles with red fine liner text. I chose to write the name of the country and the dates I was there but you can always write the people you went with, a favourite memory: whatever appeals to you!

Once the notecards are complete place a blob of white tack on the back of each one. Pull the string on the relevant pin taut, place the notecard over the top of the end and press down hard. Repeat this process on all the strings, feel free to trim the strings as you go if you're not getting the look you want, and you're done.

It's a quick and easy craft project which brightens up any student room. Have you got any DIY suggestions? Any quick and cheap ways to make your room more homely? I'd love to hear about them in comments!

With love,

Kati