Monday 31 August 2009

The day my mind was blown...


This is my secret for today - I hope you like it. The secret was created by sewing the image onto a piece of fabric and writing the words with a fineliner. It looks much cooler in reality (I promise). Above is a picture of the t-shirt I made for my friend, it took a while but it looks awesome. I might go into the t-shirt making game with skills like these. If this doesn't make sense it is because I've had a few too many glasses of wine. Enjoy!

Sunday 30 August 2009

The day I finally read postsecret...




I have chosen two postsecrets today to show you. There were quite a few that stood out to me. The second secret here is the one I have chosen as my background - it will hopefully make me push hard to achieve what I want, because I agree with the sentiment of the secret that the sweetest things in life are the things you work hard for. The secret at the top first of all made me laugh and then made me incredibly sad. I am so very glad I didn't need to 'fuck' anyone to get into Oxford - although I doubt I would have resorted to that (...and the majority of my interviewers were women). However, the idea that someone out there wants what I have so very badly that they would do almost anything to be there has made me consider how often I forget how lucky I am. I hope you can also take something away from the secrets I have chosen today - and of course my AI for today which is in the post below. Enjoy!


The day I waited for postsecret...


This is my secret for today - uploaded as I thought about reading postsecret in a few hours. Look forward to me selecting my favourite secret from the selection tomorrow, go and have a look yourself at http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/. My AI today was created by using a fineliner and a glitter pen. I really like the design but I am not sure why the quality of the scanned image seems so bad. Anyway I hope you like it, enjoy!

Friday 28 August 2009

The day I purchased the t-shirt...


Here is my secret for today. It was created by taking a picture of a sequined dress from a fashion magazine. I then cut out black, white and grey letters to spell out my secret. A short post today, but I am working on a secret for another day - so look forward to that. For now, enjoy!

The day I started a new book...

So I have been doing this long enough that I have managed to fill one whole book with my secrets. I am very excited be to starting a new book (it is really pretty and has a ribbon to tie it up - maybe I should upload a photo of the books for those who haven't seen them). This is my secret for today - it was created by using a blue fineliner on white paper. This is a secret which has been turning round in my head for weeks and finally I have found a way to word it. I desperately need some sleep, so forgive me if this makes no sense. Anyway, enjoy!

Thursday 27 August 2009

The day I couldn't wait...

This is my secret for today. I have sorted out the timing issue - hooray for my ever improving computer skills. I have become quite excited about the blog in the last few days - having both extended my readership and encouraged others to plunge themselves into the world of the blogger. I have also found a whole load of exciting blogs to follow which I strongly suggest you go and have a look at (you can see them if you look at my profile I think). This secret was created by taking a photo, drawing butterfly outlines on the back and then cutting them out. I then glued them to a sheet of paper trying my very hardest to retain the original photograph as best I could. The words were handwritten with a lovely green pen - the final few words are a different colour because I am a bit of a tit and mixed my pens up, but I think it looks nice anyhow (remember you can enlarge any secret by clicking on it). This is a really important secret for me so I really hope you like it. Enjoy!

Wednesday 26 August 2009

The day I went to the post office...

This is my secret for today. I am going to try and sort out the time on here because it seems to be set to American time - no guarantees though, I am almost completely computer illiterate. This secret was created by making a copy of a photo, using pva glue and teeny tiny glitter (which is now everywhere) to make a border. I then used a matching purple pen to scrawl my secret around the outside of the photo. The dashing young lady in the photo is, of course, a younger me - make special note of the fetching bowl cut I am displaying so cheerily. Anyway that is more than enough from me, enjoy!

Tuesday 25 August 2009

The day my header changed...


Well done for anyone who got the answer right. I like that the secret is also a message to anyone who figured it out. Check out my snazzy new header - created by my very close and extremely talented friend. Look forward to my secret tomorrow. For now though, enjoy!

The day I made you figure it out...


This is my secret for today. I have left it up to you to work out the secret for yourself, comments below - you can comment by clicking on the title of the post. I will upload the same AI later on today (probably early evening) with the secret revealed so get your thinking caps on. Enjoy!

Monday 24 August 2009

The day I ate cupcakes in the park...



This is my AI for today. I am currently sitting in bed (amidst a mess of craft items) drinking tea and watching 'Come Dine With Me'. I suggest you do the same. This secret was made by using a combination of black quink ink and bleach, it is a really easy but quite lovely technique I think. The letters are from a packet of stickers, which I cut around and then coloured in the same way as the background. Enjoy!

This is a poem by Maura Dooley called 'Gone' which I meant to post with my secret yesterday:

You were only a bag of soft stuff

but I imagined you like a nut,

your brain beginning to pack itself

around the kernel that was me.

My limpet, my leech,

my little sucker-in of blood.

Gone. Sometimes I think we know

of nothing else, lost loves, lost lives,

the hopeless benediction of rain.

Sunday 23 August 2009

The day I finally finished sewing...


This is the long awaited secret for today. I think it is probably my favourite secret so far - partly because it has been the most time consuming and partly because it has probably been my most painfully honest secret thus far. The secret began by taking a piece of canvas fabric and sewing an outline in black thread. The rest of it was then filled in with coloured thread, with the writing acting as the final flourish (also sewn onto the secret). It took about a day and a half and only 3 hours sleep to create, so of all my secrets this one I truly hope you do enjoy!

The day I was still sewing...





Here are my two favourite postsecrets from today. The first one represents what I do most days - attempting to find my own secrets and deciding whether I am feeling brave enough to release them into a much more real world. The second secret is the one I have chosen as my background, it will hopefully encourage me to right all the wrongs in my life. My secret for today is in the developmental stages and will be posted later upon completion. Enjoy!

Saturday 22 August 2009

The day I screwed up...

This secret has been a long time coming. It was created by going through a long, long process which began with a photo. I used a photo of myself to make a stencil - a photo which I laminated (yes, I own a laminator and his name is Clemence) and then used my craft knife to cut away. I then mixed paints and stenciled onto a piece of card. I used a glue stick and gold leaf to fill in the blank areas, rubbing them to achieve the speckled appearance. The words are printed and glued on. Enjoy!

Friday 21 August 2009

The day I ate too much popcorn...

So here is my AI for today. I am stranded at home on a Friday night feeling oh so sorry for myself. As a result I have decided to spend my evening making some secrets. This secret was created by using a combination of pva glue, cotton thread, coloured paper and pens. As always, enjoy!

Thursday 20 August 2009

The day I returned...

I want to have a nap. I slept with a pillow made out of clothes last night - and despite it being shockingly comfortable I feel like I need some extra sleep. Anyway you have heard from me today already so I will leave you to enjoy!

The day I forgot to tell you that...

You can comment by clicking on the title of a post - a box should appear below the secret. Enjoy!

The day I went to Oxford...


So the reason there was no secret yesterday was because I went to visit some friends in Oxford. After a night with Japanese students we relaxed in the pub and created a wanted poster for my perfect husband. This is the basis of my AI for yesterday - with my own secret scrawled on the side in red pen. Drawings courtesy of Anna (my special cupcake of a friend). +10 points if you can guess which attributes I am looking for - comments below. Oh and remember you can enlarge any secret by clicking on it. Enjoy! (and look forward to the AI for today a little later on)

Tuesday 18 August 2009

The day I was wined and dined...

So a good friend is cooking my dinner tonight...which is exciting! In preparation I am eating as little as possible to today to conserve my appetite. So a short post as my nutrient starved body struggles to think and type. This secret was created by using a beautiful image found in a magazine, some black paper and my favourite silver pen. Enjoy!

Monday 17 August 2009

The day I finally returned...


I thought this was a really fantastic secret from www.postsecret.blogspot.com this week. It will be the background on my laptop for the next week and will hopefully remind me to enjoy the simple things in life. Enjoy!

Friday 14 August 2009

The day I should have returned home...

The final secret for a few days now - try not to miss me. This AI was created by painfully tearing a page out of one of my novels (it is, however, one I have two copies of) - 10 points for guessing what book it comes from. The ink pot and quil image is from a free H + M magazine, which has been surrounded by gold glitter (yet another recent, albeit messy, purchase). For the next four days (and hopefully a little bit longer)...Enjoy!

The day I (presumably) said goodbye...

By this stage I have given up predicting what I will be doing. Hopefully it will involve cups of tea and floral dresses (if I am present then it almost certainly will). This secret was made with one of the many excellent craft items I purchased when I went late night shopping. The background was created by layering gold skeleton leaves (the words on the packet, not mine - although what a fantastic description). The words are displayed on some brown parcel paper and were created by using both a gold pen and a fineliner. Enjoy!

The day I may have gone to the races...

It is quite difficult to know what you have been doing when you haven't yet done it. I imagine on this day I will be nursing a rather sore head and a sorry liver. This secret was created by covering the background with some of my newly purchased textured (yes, textured!) wrapping paper and a silver pen. Simple, but it works I think...and it is finished. Enjoy!

The day I most likely drove towards the sea...

I am going away for a few days (don't worry I hear your desperate cries for more AI). I have made my secrets in advance - I am a woman so planning ahead is actually possible - and will now upload the four secrets seperately just for continuity really. Also I cannot work such difficult technology as blogspot. Anyway...this secret is one I have been thinking about for a while, the words have gone through many a reinvention. The secret was created by cutting a photo into strips and sticking them back together. The words are written in tipex and then outlined with a fineliner. Enjoy!

Wednesday 12 August 2009

The day I probably went fruit picking...

My secret for tomorrow today...as you do. I know I will be busy tomorrow (probably fruit picking and watching Bugsy Malone) so I have uploaded my secret tonight instead. I am also going away on Friday for a few days so will make my secrets in advance and either post them before I go or after I come back. My AI for today was created by using a grey/blue paper as background (which my scanner seems to think is white), a black fine liner to draw the words and a silver pen to create the stars. Enjoy!

The day that Tesco were rubbish...


I spent most of today sorting stuff out and generally doing not much. Tonight I may have to order some books - yes, more books. I recently showed a few people my real secrets (in the book I may have mentioned previously) and was told that it would be nice to know how they are made. So...this secret started with an idea for what I wanted to write and a desire to use my red lipstick which I never quite have the guts to really wear. So the background is brown parcel paper glued onto a postcard sized piece of card. The red design going up along the side started as a piece of card that I coloured in red and the pattern sort of emerged from there. I quite like the art deco (ish) style of the design. I then slapped on the red lipstick (yes...that is a print of my lips). I then used a fine liner to finish off the lips and the writing and to draw on the speech bubble. I hope this doesn't spoil the illusion - I always used to hate those stupid magician reveals all type programs, then again what I do isn't really magic. Very long post today - anyway, Enjoy!

Tuesday 11 August 2009

The day I went to the farm...


The farm was awesome - I want to buy a pig. Enjoy!

Monday 10 August 2009

The day I ate leftovers...

I spent ages on the secret for today - you wouldn't believe how many times it has been reinvented. Anyway that is enough from me today. Enjoy!

Sunday 9 August 2009

The day the plan came to fruition...




I have chosen two postsecrets today as I thought this week was a particularly good one - check it out at http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/. The first secret has much to do with some things I have been considering lately, and in particular a conversation I had recently (although it should probably read 'I am going to give you everything I had growing up'). The second postsecret struck me as so beautiful (on the back: A secret is a grave). It is the one I have chosen to have as my background on my laptop - the words also struck me as strikingly similar to my favourite poem: Philip Larkin's 'Deceptions' from the collection 'The Less Deceived'. I hope you enjoy my choices but I urge you to visit postsecret and make your own. Look forward to my new AI tomorrow as I spent a long time agonising over how to make it look perfect. For now though, Enjoy!

The day I actually made a plan...

I am uploading my new secret at this strange hour because I have been babysitting and have just returned home. I like the way the design of the postcard reinforces the message of this secret. Looking forward to postsecret in a few hours! I will post my favourite postsecret from the week, but for now...Enjoy!

Saturday 8 August 2009

The day I forgot to buy a present...

The paper I made my secret with today is really beautiful. I have been keeping it for a while and trying to work out the best way in which to use it. The freedom of flying birds seemed very appropriate for the message of my AI today. Looking forward to postsecret tomorrow, in the mean time though...Enjoy!

Friday 7 August 2009

The day I thought about dreaming spires...


This is secret number twenty. It is also something I find very difficult to admit to people. Honesty is, however, the best policy as I have been discovering whilst creating my secrets (or my AIs as I have become accustomed to calling them). I hope you enjoy!

The day I recovered from last night...


So very true. It is my secret vice. Also something I try to avoid at all cost because I know it isn't good. Bit of a rough night last night and as a result I have a grazed knee and a sore head. Anyway, enough wallowing. Enjoy!

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Tuesday 4 August 2009

The day I couldn't wait for the evening...

This is a particular favourite of mine so far. Gold leaf brings me endless amounts of enjoyment - as do my new alphabet stickers. Needless to say this was a joy to create. I made a piece of art a while ago with the same message, it suddenly came back to me and seemed very fitting for the mood I was in. Enjoy!

Monday 3 August 2009

The day I bought my book...


I bought a book today to display my secrets in. I have also created a beautiful title for my blog which can be seen above (floral fabrics are so exciting). This secret took ages to dry and needed to be hair-dryered before I could scan it in. Glitter pens are so much fun that I can forgive their slow drying though. I hope you like my secret for today, as always: Enjoy!

Sunday 2 August 2009

The day I thought I should really start my reading list...


This is my favourite postsecret for today - check them out at www.postsecret.blogspot.com. I always find the really sad postsecrets much more meaningful than the upbeat or funny secrets. I think they are more brutally honest and this is the aspect of postsecret which I so admire - total honesty is not that easy (as I have found out along the way). Enjoy!

The day I rediscovered floral fabrics...


My life is feeling very organised right now - new storage has forced me to sift through the rubbish in my room. I sense a large clean out looming. I plan to purchase a book in which to display my real life secrets (yes, they exist beyond the realms of this blog) which is very exciting - money permitting of course. Don't forget to follow my usual advice and enjoy!