I'm Not Wierd.

Well, this has been a super busy week for me to say the least. Nightshift at the citz for the two shows I have been working on, "Three Sisters" (main stage) and "Plasticine" (studio space) Pictures to follow after opening night on tuesday! People often ask why I need to do nightshifts when Im working at the theatre, well its because on the run up to production week the carpenters will fit up the set into the stage during the day, followed by lighting plots and other technical malarkey. So it means that we can only get on stage to paint or touch things up at around 9pm when everyone else goes home! We dont need to do this at uni, because that would be a bit ridiculous, but while Im out working in a professional theatre I get treated the same as everyone else. So its good practise :)

Anyways, I just wanted to share with you all some lovely pictures from my artist friend Neil who has an exhibition of his new work, being revealed at The Maisonette in Glasgow between Saturday 3rd and Friday 30th April. His exhibition is titled "I'm Not Wierd" and here is a little taster of some of the treats he will be sharing...

A super talented and rather OSM guy, so if you are Scotland or Glasgow based then please head along to The Tiny Gallery at The Maisonette and check out his work! Heres a wee description from Neil himself:

"For the past few months I’ve been keeping numerous sketchbooks to hand. I've been jotting down all the little thoughts that would otherwise be forgotten. At the same time, I've been talking to other folk, urging them to make note of any funny little thoughts and ideas they have too. The idea being that later, I'll gather all the notes together and illustrate them.
The end result will be a collection of pieces ranging from the funny, personal and sad; to the downright weird and disturbing. Since the work will be presented tightly in The Tiny Gallery at The Maisonette, coming to the show will be like walking into a collective brain. And a very weird brain at that."

Sounds pretty neat doesnt it :) However, if you arent based in Scotland then you can show your support in other ways, and have a little nosy at some of Neils work here: 

 

neilslorance.com
 flickr.com/photos/osm_art
 twitter.com/osmart

Due to the wierd pattern of nightshifts I ended up with a day off on thursday. I slept for a considerable amount of this, and then went off to Girlz Night with David so my mammy could cut his hair. I ended up getting a haircut and my nails painted too which was lovely, as my hands were an absolute state from gloss paint and expanding foam :S Haha dont ask! So it was nice to get them cleaned up and all girly again. They used an OPI polish, which is my first experience of them but I was super impressed. Didnt catch the name of the colour but Il definately ask next time Im in. I hit pan on my Mac MSF so treated myself to a new one and chilled with a magazine and some amazing tea (that tasted like popcorn!) while I was waiting to get my hair cut. The tea was so good - and you drink it from this little bowl and oh so cute mini teapot. Couldnt have been any cuter if it tried :)

  

  

We also went to the original Where The Monkey Sleeps cafe (my work is just a smaller branch) for an amazing sandwich and some rocky road cake. We havent been out for lunch or dinner much recently because of trying to save our pennies, so was nice to spend the day together before David went to work. And have some awesome grub of course :) Food is a passion we both share! Although David is a typical guy who can eat so much and not even gain a few pounds. His metabolism must be crazy fast, haha and I hate him for it! :p

Haha so HERES a picture of me looking rather sleepy (not smug, promise) with an indication of what I've been working on all weekend. Was a great gig, the production team were lovely and getting to work and chat away with the man himself was pretty cool too! However he did comment on my swallow tattoos and joked about their connotations with people who have been in jail... haha, thats never going to be something I'll stop hearing eh? :)

So my easter break officially begins tomorow, and I am rather glad. The next two weeks before I start at the Tron will consist of some europe hostel booking, chilling with my boy and with my bestie who is off to america soon for almost a month! a little visit to the cbbc Waybuloo studio tomorow, some website making, portfolio sorting, filming for another advert competition, slr buying, and catching up with some friends who I have missed dearly these past busy few weeks. I wont moan because I know I bring it on myself, but the busy times just make the weeks roll in even faster. I need to catch up on my google reader too and possibly spend some selfish time pigging out in my jammies and drinking lots of tea, purely because I feel like I need a rest and some chill time amongst the madness. But more updates to follow :) Take care y'all, speak soon ♥

Evidence

That aswell as raiding my makeup drawers inside out, my three year old brother actually took the liberty of trying out some Benefit 'No Competition' on himself. Found his dummy in my room with the evidence intact. Busted!

Sunday best.

I have just spent the past 5 hours researching into hostels for mine and Davids Europe trip this summer. I have taken so many notes, and at least 3 possible hostel/hotel options for each city so I shall show it to David when I see him and see what he thinks. Hoping to get most of them booked before we go. Our route is as follows...

Brussels (inc day trip to Bruges) - Morning in Amsterdam - Berlin - Prague - Vienna (inc day trip to Salzburg) - Budapest - Zagreb - Split - Ljubljana (inc day trip to Lake Bled and Bohinj) - Munich - Interlaken (inc day trip to Bern) and finishing off in Paris!

So if any of you have been to some of these places and have any reccomendations on nice things to see and do (or nice places to stay, for that matter!) Then please feel free to share. Actually, any travel trips and experiences that you want to share would be nice. Id love to hear all about them. Also, Im having to pack a weeks worth of 'backpacking friendly' clothes to do me for one month. I do want to have a nice mixture of stuff packed but Im gonna have to be very selective and think smart. Not my best point at all when it comes to packing, but hopefully it will be a fun challenge *cries a little bit inside*

(Im a hopeless romantic when it comes to me and David. Dont tell him - even though he will probably read this -  but Im oh so excited about finishing our trip off in Paris :) Girly much? ♥)

You will probably agree that my initial hopes of taking a brand new dslr camera around europe for a month is a less than intelligent idea. For various reasons! So im making a sort of compromise, and hoping to buy my friends canon 350D second hand. Much cheaper, as its a few years old. But hopefully will give me the opportunity to take some very pretty pictures on this memorable trip.

I have 2 days night shift at the Citz this week, I had to do it for two weeks last year because the carpenters fit the set into the stage during the day, and our paint calls are scheduled for during the night! And that place is so haunted its not even funny :( So dominoes pizza and loud music shall be on the cards. Please think of me on tuesday night at 10pm when youre cosied up in bed and Im just on my way to work :) Then next weekend Im working on the filming of the Jimmy Carr dvd at the gig in glasgow. And thats me officially on my easter break by then, thank goodness. After a couple of weeks I'll be starting my placement at The Tron which runs till late may, then my grad show is the start of june, following with my 21st birthday on the 11th and then graduation time :) So even though it seems like a wee while away, when your diary starts slowly filling up I feel like the days roll in faster and it will be europe time before I know it. And the arrival of my new baby bro or sis come mid august ♥ I hope im home on time. I told Julie today when we were out for coffee that she has just to hold the little 'un in until I come back ;) Haha easier said that done eh ladies?

So its an exciting year ahead but a tough one at that. This is the one where I feel like I really grow up, and become a 'woman' if you dont mind me getting all gushy. I'll be 21, have graduated, went travelling, moved out, and been with my boyfriend 2 years come september. Its all a bit scary to be honest. Scary in a good way, none the less. This blog has been a real outlet for me to talk about life and its strange goings on. Thanks again for reading and sharing your thoughts. Its a funny world we live in, but we all go through the same stuff at some point in our life and its nice to be reassured that were not alone in the madness ♥

Going Ga Ga on a saturday.

I have never been a Lady GaGa fan until today. Il admit I didnt really 'get' what she was trying to do or what she was all about... I watched her in Beyonces video for video phone, and then in Gaga's video for telephone and I must admit she is a strange but fascinating creature :) So I downloaded the album and 4 hours later of sitting at my sewing machine listening to it, I think Ive been converted! Today has been a productive wee day, little stress head me got my shift at work covered so I could do my essay (DONE!) and make my Tam O'Shanter hat. The hat is pretty much finished, but wee Jan doesnt seem to like more than 5 layers of fabric and interfacing and Ive broken a machine needle. Not chancing it again, I've only got one left in the packet! So I think on monday I'll ask the nice ladies in wardrobe at the citz if I can jump on one of the industrial sewing machines for half an hour. Have a beautiful weekend lovelies whatever you are all upto :)

What's on your mind?

cause we're so scared to find out
what this life's all about
so scared we're going to lose it
not knowing all along
that's exactly what we need ♥

I just want to live while I'm alive

This was my view walking home from the Citz last night. The sky was honestly so surreal! I think I must have caught it at the perfect moment... I had to stop and take a picture. The only other time I have taken a picture of the sky similar this was a couple of years ago around spring time:

Im loving the fact that the air is slightly warmer, and that the sun is showing its face for longer hours in the day. These little changes are making me optimistic that it wont be too long until summer :) Is it wrong that I look forward to it so much? This winter has felt really long and dark. I have never watched the sunrise properly, somewhere picturesque. Maybe I will get to see it somewhere nice in europe come july/august. Here are some winter sunsets I took a good while ago working on a short film in Loch Lomond:

 

Thats Davids shillouete! Haha he is pretty much blacked out. These pictures havent been edited very much either. Our world, and the sky, and the way nature pieces everything together is pretty beautiful when you really think about it. Talking about David, yesterday was a year and a half to the day that we started going out. I know its not a proper anniversary as much... a 'halfaversiry' if you wish :) But we went to Yo Sushi for some grub, it was yummy! I had to send one of my little hot dishes back because it wasnt very warm, Ive never done that before in a restaurant but I couldnt eat it lukewarm. So the waitress gave us 20% off our bill which was super nice of her. I got David a little card from Lazy Oaf (loves it) and he got me a nice card too :) We didnt talk about exchanging anything, but we both did it unknowingly anyways! David also got me a Hello Kitty tin full of marshmallows and a matching strawberry lip gloss. He knows me too well ♥

Things are going well at the Citizens Theatre, I spent half a season working there last year so I know the building and the people, and the workshops. So its all been good and Im feeling pretty settled already. Its quite a long and busy day, but this is what I want to do with my life so I wouldnt have it any other way. 110% effort and commitment all the way will hopefully get me where I want to be. Im not the best painter in the world but I work bloody hard and keep my brain constantly switched on. I make too many lists and use my moleskin diary to death, which emotionally exhausts me at times because I actually do want to be able to switch off when I feel like it. But during term time its good to get the positive momentum going, and not necessarily that easy to slow down or stop once you get started or into a certain frame of mind. Or at least thats the way I feel anyways. 

On a more positive note, I am going to have my dinner, and then a smelly lush bath, and then get into my jammies. This fridays episode of lost is calling my name to get streamed dans l'internet! Yahoo homepage informed me today that 15 Hollyoaks characters are getting killed off?! Say what!? The worlds gone insane. Most certainly ♥

Sunday Best.

Hello everyone. And hello to my new followers :) I think that may be thanks to a little award I won from the lovely Victoria at Lily Loves Lola... But yeah, thanks for the award girlie ♥ This weekend I went to see Alice In Wonderland in 3D with David, everyone seems to be talking about it just now so I wont rant on. It didnt get a good write up, but I do think it was a very good film. Its had much more hype than alot of other Burton films, so maybe this will encourage people to dig deeper and watch some of his older masterpieces! Ones that dont necessarily contain his muse ensemble of Depp and Carter. 

Tonight as Im typing this I am watching Stardust, it is certainly one of my favourite films. One that I could just watch over and over. Yesterday I worked as per usual in the cafe bar, serving up all the mums and dads their skinny lattes and rocky road, and the kids hot chocolates. So many hot chocolates, every fooking saturday! Honestly, by the end of the day Im sneezing out chocolate powder. The families that send their kids to drama works at the rsamd, and the music school cant be short of cash. Half these little 'uns pay up with £20 notes out their teeny wallets and purses. When I was 10 years old I dont even think I knew was a £20 looked like! I remember getting £2 for my lunch at school and being very happy about that. Maybe my mum spent the remaining £18 on buying me some manners :I Enough said. These kids may be well entertained on a saturday but 99% of them dont know how to verbalise 'please' or 'thank you'. Sometimes Im even lucky enough to have their money put in my hand, rather than thrown on the counter! It really gets me on my soapbox, but its not entirely their fault I guess. The mummies and daddies arent always the most pleasant of folks either. Ever feel like sometimes older people look down on you, if you work in a shop/cafe/cinema or something like that? Yes I get paid minimum wage to put up with your shite all day but its only my bloody part time job. Its made me be more aware of my attitude and manners when I go into a shop and Im served by someone. Even if Im in a foul mood, I'll always make an effort to be polite. All in the name of niceness and good karma, ye know? 

On saturday night me and David got some dinner and watched the latest episode of lost. Loves it! We lay in bed this morning eating cheerios, making each other laugh and I caught a wee bit of hollyoaks. This afternoon I met my daddy for a coffee and a wander around town, then I went and met one of my best friends Katrina down the west. It was chilly but really sunny and my raybans made their first appearance this year :) We had a look around all the charity and vintage shops, and I bought a scottish brooch for the Tam O Shanter hat Im making for the end of the month.

"I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine"

 

Im meant to share 7 facts about myself, but I have bored you all with that old chestnut so many times now. I think instead I will share 7 pictures (maybe a few more) of my year out before uni that I spent working in a fancy dress shop. Something remotely laughable at on a chilled sunday night :) 

The name of the shop is Forgotten Dreams, they also did events management stuff and these big inflatables were one of the services we provided! I was too small to go in them and only went in once, but I took this picture on a job that I was facepainting on and we had the clown there too.

This is my old boss, Tom, and the back of gemmas head :) We also hired out a range of these big windy men and this is one out the front of the shop!

The company also did balloon decor for events, so I got full training in balloons (ha, sounds technical... not!)

and how to make up arrangements of all shapes and sizes, archways, and balloon modelling. We worked at weddings, birthdays, christenings - you name it. Made me appreciate how much work goes into these strange creations.

Meet my alter ego, Jinty McGinty! This is the horribly unattractive outfit I got to wear when I was entertaining at events and parties. As a balloon modeller the hourly rate was awesome and it was so much fun. I can make all sorts of silly animals, and this will remain to be my party trick for a very long time :)

My main work I did apart from at the shop was being hired out as a professional facepainter. I got to work in loads of different events all over the country, from small scale fun days to private parties for big companies. I miss it :( One thing that I wont miss however, is all the ridiculous stuff I had to dress up in! For events jobs especially. Ive been the easter bunny at Ikea, little sister wimpy at the Wimpy Homes opening, Lady MacBeth at Stirling castle in the pissing rain, Mrs Claus in over 5 different grottos... the list goes on. I allow you to laugh at my expense :)

Clearly Im not dressed up in this last pic, but I just wanted to post it to show you all how young I looked! I was ony 17, so working full time until I started uni seemed like the longest year of my life. It allowed me to pay to learn to drive and sit my driving test, go a nice holiday to canada, and buy my first snowboard. I wouldnt have been able to do these things if I hadnt been working full time, and my dad thought I would get too used to having money and not want to go back into education. This wasnt the case, and I was absolutely desparate to start uni and have something productive to focus on. I was very young and naieve when I worked at forgotten dreams, it was a family run business and I got caught up in the politics and ended with them on very bad terms. Which I do regret, but there was nothing I could do about it. I started uni with a fresh outlook to life, and glad that I had taken a year out instead of doing 6th year at school. Nearly three years on, I cant believe Im about to graduate! :(

I start work tomorow morning at 9am at the Citizens Theatre. Its my first day and Im nervous, even though Ive worked there before :( So I've got all my brushes and my kit ready, just need to make my lunch and iron my painty clothes and Il be ready to get to bed. Im working on two shows, one is in the studio theatre and is called Plasticine, and the other is a main stage show called The Three Sisters - a play by Anton Chekhov A girl in my year is doing the design, so hopefully should be a nice show to paint. I'd better be off now to get organised, hope everyones monday morning tomorow isnt too bad ♥

Daffodil Girl.

 

Needing some inspiration, I nabbed this little quiz from Lil over at a storm in a teacup. She is lovely :)

Listening... Cobra Starship, Rihanna, The Glee Soundtrack Vol 1&2, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, and the 500 Days of Summer Soundtrack.

Reading... Empire magazine and my Studio Ghibli book. The Life and Death of Charlie St Cloud, and The Time travellers Wife are sitting on my shelf unread :( Boo me!

Watching... Lost season 6. Last film I saw was the Princess and The Frog, and last dvd I watched was Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.

Buying... Fabric from Mandors because I am making an old style scottish hat for a documentary, and last night me and David booked our outward and homeward bound flights for Europe this summer. Score!

Wanting... Some products from the Dermalogica Clean Start range, and a pair of Nike Dunk SB's. Wishing Cornwall and some surfing was taking place this easter, but its not gonna happen :(

Trying... To master this whole piano playing malarkey. Its going well so far, and my university has lots of lovely baby grands to play with so I really cant complain :)

Loving... Vera Wang Glam Princess, M&S lunches (even though they are too bloody expensive) going to see Underoath soon, Hairspray The Musical in may, and cant wait for lunch at The Bothy next sunday with my mammy and gran. I love the west end on a sunday.

Planning... The next crucial 6 months of my life. From completing my work placements, degree show, and making it to graduation. Then onto interrailing with my lovely boy this summer, and coming home to job hunt and flat hunt ♥

Making.... A set for an advert out of cardboard, with gorgeous illustrated drawings and a very talented Ashleigh Blair!

Writing... List after list after list.

Cooking... Dinner on saturday night. Watching masterchef really puts mine and Davids skillz to shame :)

Inspired by... words from my family and friends, wandering the aisles at Hobbicraft, Millars Art Store and Mandors, We Are Made In The Shade, and too many fashion/makeup blogs to mention!

This is my 'view from the afternoon' :) Thank you to Nicole at Language Timothy, and Joanne(?) at ♥Music, Fashion, Clutter♥ Im pretty sure thats your name lovely... haha please correct me if Im wrong! :) Im going to pass All Things That Glitter onto:

Kel @ Silver Peacock 

Kavita @ I Heart Vintage

Eleanor @ Pretty Much Penniless 

Jacque @ A Quirky Girls Thoughts

 

And the Sunshine award onto:

Alix @ Alix Darling

 Jessica @ o me, o life  

Jen @ A Little Bird Told Me 

Lindsay @ Pixies and Bears

 

Hope everyone is having a great week whatever theyre upto. Im barely keeping my head above water at the moment and it is making each week absolutely fly in. Anyone else feeling the same? Its so nice going for the bus in the morning when its light, and coming home in the early evening and its still light! Hooray for sunlight! Haha last time I said that, it then snowed for three days. So no more comments on the weather from myself :)