The Craft Bureau

Hello!!

Just a last note to say I have now moved over to The Craft Bureau! Come and Join me!

http://thecraftbureau.blogspot.com/

Kat x

Hibernation is over...

Hello!

So its been a while!

Many things have changed here in the garden. And there are many more changes to come!

We Live In the Garden will be no more! In its place a new space will appear.

The Craft Bureau.

Im very excited and cant wait to share!

More details to come soon :D

Kat xx

Artist in the Office By Summer Pierre

Holding down a full time job and being creatively inclined can sometimes feel like a difficult feat.  Since I've joined the full time club its be difficult to balance the two, working in an office dominates about 45 hours of my time a week.  In a quest to seek a balance (and not go completely insane and quit my job) I decided to enlist the help of Amazon and search "creativity in the office" and this is what I found........

Image via Amazon

Wonderfully drawn and wit that will make you laugh out loud on a train (ahem) this book is inspiration, motivation.and helpful reminders in a way I can immediately relate to...visually.

Image Via Amazon

You can open the book up on any page and find an answer you have been looking for..its like having little post its to remind you that its ok to have a job and be an artist... in fact being an artist is your other job and its just as important!

Artist in the office is full of insightful quotes from some of the finest artists, writers and musicians. Summer Pierre is herself a writer, artist, and musician who has had to hold down a 9-5. This book made me realise I wasnt alone and that it is possible to have a 50/50 balance of work life and an artistic one oo and also not to be ashamed of it!. 

Its always been a dream of mine to be able to be an artist/photographer full time or to be working in an environment where my creativity is encouraged. But with things the  way they are economically at the moment, its tough. Anyway what's so bad about getting loads of money to work in an office.....oh yes the ability to feed that mt tape addiction...

So if you've just graduated or are feeling a bit bummed about not working in your dream job I highly recommend this book! Summer also has a lovely blog here

Kat xx

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE/WORKSHOP 2

Hello!!

Amongst all the madness of moving I received WORKSHOP 2 by the lovely Beebee of WALK ON THE WILD SIDE. 

Image via WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

The zine was wrapped so beautifully that I was staring at it for a good 10 minutes before I could bring my self to open it!

What I found inside was just as wonderful!  The zine is full of craft and stationary making tips, how to's and a nice idea for storing all the wonderful mt tape I'm sure most of you have, while also showing it off! There is also a nice little section on stamp making (Loving Beebee's handmade stamps!)

Image via WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

And being the lovely lady Beebee is she put in a few super Kawaii goodies in for me! Cant wait to get writing letters on these!

I'm very much looking forward to what Beebee releases next!

Kat xx

My Life As A Magazine

Hello!


I don't have as much time to read blogs as I used to.  But when I do get a moment I skim through Google Reader to keep it below 200.  I've somehow acquired a habit of not reading the blogs that I love the most so that I can assign some quite time in which I devour and absorb each post.  My Life As a Magazine is one such blog. I now have 12 unread posts and I cannot wait to sit down with some Earl Grey and have a good old read.


Jenna Templeton is the mastermind behind one of the most inspiring blogs I have ever read! She is also mad keen on MT Tape.... :D


Not only can you find inspiration in every post on My Life As a Magazine but Jenna has put some of her MT knowledge and ideas in to a lovely zine called "Little Book Of mt Masking tape".


Oh how I love receiving mail covered in mt! 

The zine is FILLED with inspiring uses for MT and even gives us a little history of this amazing craft tool.

Images via My Life As a Magazine

Wonderfully juxtaposed mt, tips on how to use it and examples makes this a zine worth having!


If your not already mad crazy about mt tape you will be after reading Little Book Of mt masking tape!


You can buy a copy here.  


Head on over the My Life As a Magazine blog  and say hello to the lovely Jenna!


Thanks so much Jenna! xx


Kat 
xx
 

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Hello again!


I have returned! I went to a festival called 2000 Trees in Gloucester (lovely place which looks like it could be the definition of the English countryside), the heavens opened, the rain fell and we went home.....a day early!


Anyway back to business!!


If you haven't already come across the lovely Beebee at WALK ON THE WILD SIDE I highly recommend you do....right now.....actually after you've read this post but make sure its the next thing you do :D. Not only is she, like myself, mad keen on MT Tape but she's also super lovely and super crafty!  I was soo excited when I read she had released a zine!


I present.......WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, WORKSHOP zine.

Images via WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

And look........

It came wrapped so kawaii!!!

Beebee shares her favourite crafty tools, inspirations and some super kawaii crafty how tos!  The whole zine is colourful and wonderfully designed!


To see what all my excitement is all about click on over to the WALK ON THE WILD SIDE store here.


Beebee is currently working on WORKSHOP 2 and I for one cant wait! YAY!!


Thanks Beebee xx When I received this in the post it really made my day :D


Coming soon: More amazing blogs and zines, recent stationary purchases and finding places to get craft supplies in London!


Kat xx

Naughty!

Hello!

Apologies! Working full time and 2 weekends of festivals have occupied most of my time! Final festival this weekend then I'll be back with a muddy thud!














Kat xx

Tissue paper flowers for the Garden...

Hello!

So recently i've been focusing on my new job, which I assumed would make me too tired for any kind of creative adventures or ideas.  Surprisingly it's had the opposite effect! I cant stop thinking about what I want to make next! I dont have much time now (10 hour work days at the moment....boo!) but i'm still dreaming up ways to make pretty things.


I decided to brush off the old creative cobwebs with doing something small out of the Hello Sandwich Gift Wrapping magazine.........

These were super easy and SUPER FUN to make!! You can stick them on to presents, make a garland  or attach it to your wrist as a corsage which looks really awesome! Note:Camera battery died before I could take a picture of it! :(.

I even decorated box of choccies with a mini one and whipped up a homemade gift tag:

The last image was taken with Instagram.....I am completely obsessed.  There is also a "We Live in the Garden" tumblr which I update with Instragrams so pop on over and say hi!

Coming soon: Naughty Kat has bought new stationary including a Crop a Dile eyelet punch, newly discovered blogs and their amazing zines and more Instagrams!!

Have a lovely week!

Kat xx

Hello Sandwich? Kawaii to the max!

Hello!


Ebony Bizys......what can I say she is an amazabells genius of a crafter! Her blog, Hello Sandwich has been a constant source of inspiration and motivation!


I cant even express the happiness I was experienced when I received the Hello Sandwich Gift Wrapping Magazine in the mail......

If you love crafts and have an obsession with wrapping presents (like moi) then you will love this zine.  A lot of the projects open the eyes to quirky new ways of using everyday things around the home such as sponges, tin foil and sticky back plastic (contact plastic).

Confetti Bow

Handmade gift tags and lovely stamp collection!

The zine is beautifully designed and the instructions are easy to follow so there is no room for excuse in attempting one of the projects......in fact as soon as I opened it I had my sticky back plastic and hole punch at the ready!  

I love this zine and its kawaii to the max ideas! Im soo looking forward to what Ebony does next!

Her blog is deliciously insightful to her life in Tokyo and the craft scene out there.  I recommend popping over to the Hello Sandwich blog as soon as you can if not sooner!


Total blog crush!!


Kat
xx

Lions and tigers and bears.............OH my

Ello,

So the next few posts will be catch ups.  Its been a bit busy here in the Garden........Ive been to Brighton and Turkey, finally got a new job and have started the process of looking for a new little garden to live in.  All very exciting!

I've started a We live in the garden tumblr for all the Instrgrams i've been taking.  Its a far easier (and tastier)  way for me to keep track of whats been happening. Maybe ill see you there?

So rather than bore you with talking about where i've been and what i've been up to here is my April/May in pictures :D........

Brighton.......

Turkey.......

Misc........

Treacle, Gardenias, Brixton Windmill, Current Project 

Next up.......Hello Sandwich Gift Wrapping Magazine!

xx

Tisk Tisk

Hello!

Normal blogging will resume shortly!

Here are some choice snaps I have been taking using instragram.





































It's funny how this little iPhone app has ignited my love for photography again.


Kat xx

A Stationery Fiend's Flashback

Hello,

Happy belated Easter! Much chocolate was had........actually too much of everything was had (half price Haagen Daz at Tesco is lethal.) There were BBQ's, drinking Kopperbergs by camden canal, lazy afternoons playing Portal 2 (I dont usually play video games but this game is amazing!!) and Mum's supertastic roast lamb dinner. YUM!


In arty news here are some of my first "illustrations"!!

Cats and Cats and Cats

The tykes above are the amazing Cats & Cats & Cats who are touring America from Friday.  Jealous....me?? nah :).  The bassist happens to be my partner in crime so although im really excited about this upcoming tour im also a bit sad.....more happy than sad though! If your in that part of the world I would totally recommend seeing them! 

On other music related news news im seeing Deerhoof  live next week.......im welling up with excitement! More about that later......

So the title of this post might seem a bit weird but the other day, as I was opening up my latest stationary haul, I had a surreal flashback.  Being an only child and having to entertain myself I spent a lot of time drawing, inventing.....and collecting.  I started to remember all the collecting "phases" I went through.  Different coloured patterned paper, pattered paper bags, pencils, pens, rubbers and stickers.....Oh how I love stickers! My best friend at the time also shared my stationary collecting tendencies and we would compare and compete our efforts to get the most unusual and best of each thing.  I remember sitting there for what seemed like hours counting pencils, I think i managed to get about 100 different kinds......why am I sharing this? lol.

Anyway here is what I got in my little haul..........

L-R- Pigment Ink pads, Mt tape (dribble) and shaped paper punches

My frequented online craft supply stores.....

- Buttercup Crafts Delivery speed is mental....literally got the pads and punches the next day! Prices are really REALLY good! 

- Papernation If you live in the uk and also have an Mt Tape obsession this is a great place, massive selection and great price. (EDIT: I just saw that Urban Outfitters are also selling a couple of Mt Tape packs.....massive mark up however!)

Oh and check out the delicious Mt Tape workshop headed by the amazing Ebony Hello Sandwich (current blog crush)......I wish I could have been there!

Kat xx

Ps......I got the Hello Sandwich gift wrapping magazine a couple of weeks back......Love at first glance!! Will post more about that soon............

Its all relative my dear Watson! & Vote 1 : Ace People! (warning this is a text heavy/contemplative post)

Hello,


I've been thinking over the last couple of days that I should really have some kind of solid direction for this blog.  Maybe issue myself some kind of guidelines and deadlines.  Only thing is I love guideline but hate deadlines.


I then started to think well...I don't really need to define when or what I write on this blog so I should just post when I feel like it or when I actually have some thing interesting to say.  But then I thought.."well i did have intentions for using this blog to document and encourage my new creative awakening"(cheesy I know!) I also wanted to blog to express myself in a more coherent fashion with the written word, as you can see with this post I do tend to scramble on.


Anyway I spent the morning tossing and turning in bed trying to summarise why I have/want to blog and how I should do it to make it consistent, interesting and worth reading, not just for my self but also for those who happen come across my little garden. 


Here are some things I came up with.......


+ I want/need to document my new creative endeavours:
Since graduating I have been reluctant to pick up my camera.  Instead I have been all over other crafts and realised that I should have taken Art/Design or illustration at uni. 


+ Have a reminder of all the blogs, books, websites that I come across that completely encourage and inspire me to try new skills and talk about them here.


+ Make loads of things and blog some How To's/DIY's.


+ Get rid of my shyness and doubt surrounding my creative abilities.


So to sum up what I have come to conclude so far: I want this blog to be about discovering my creativity and sharing it!


I feel much better now. Getting it off my chest and all that.  And even more so after reading this post  by Pip over at one of my newly found and favourite blogs, Meet Me At Mikes. I read a fair few blogs and although its always nice to hear about all the lovely stuff going on in other bloggers lives its reassuring to know that its not always all lovely and perfect. And that at the other end of the Internet is a real person who also experiences real life and is willing to share a bit of the bad as well as all the good.  I have always believed that you need to surround yourself with positive people to be positive.  And that positivity like respect and love needs to be given as much as you want to receive it! I also love that people are almost always willing to be there for you even if they don't really know you or live millions of miles away from you. I love the Internet and the blogging community!  


All this will make sense when you read Pip's post Vote 1: Ace People. 


I think this week I'm going to appreciate all the ace people I know! And I'm going to vote for all the people who take time out of their lives to listen, encourage and inspire others when they might not be having such a great time themselves!


People rule!!


Kat xx

Blooming Marv

Ello, 


I thought i'd just quickly mention my Mothers day shenanigans.


I took my amazing mum to Kew Gardens and we spent the day strolling about admiring all the new spring flowers and had some of the best Earl Grey tea (my favourite mmm) I think i've ever tasted! My favorite part of the gardens was the row of cherry blossom trees that lead up to the Pagoda and the Japanese gateway.  Felt like I was a bit closer to Japan and the Hanami festival. One day...........


Here are some choice snaps......

Kat x

Pick me Up @ Somerset House part 2

Hello again,


I thought Id mention a couple of the artists that stuck out at for me at the exhibition. 

Annelie Carlstrom

Image by Annelie Carlstrom

Image by Annelie Carlstrom

Image by Annelie Carlstrom

I first came across Annelie's work in the latest Monki  magazine I got in the post.  I was then surprised and super excited to see her work up close at the Pick Me Up exhibition.  Her work has to be seen the flesh to truly appreciate the incredible detail. If i wasn't so broke I would have brought a piece (or a few) right then and there! You can find out more about Annelie and her work on her lovely blog.



Seiko Kato

Image by Seiko Kato

Image by Seiko Kato

For my final degree project I decided to go wild and do a collage depicting the story of Cinderella. I thought searching and cutting out images to use would be a piece of cake.....I was so very wrong.  As soon as i saw Seiko's work my finger started to tremble with the memory of the scalpel.  You cant really see it in the images about but each piece is painstakingly cut out and assembled.  The results are astonishing and once you get over the initial reaction of, "that must have taken ages to do" you begin to appreciate the composition and delicate beauty of each piece. You can find out more about Seiko and her amazing work on her blog.


The Embankment galleries at Somerset House are huge and it was slightly dizzying trying to look at everything.  I was hoping to go back to the exhibition to catch the rest of what I didn't get time to see before it closed but didn't make it due to the protests..........Ill leave that story for another time!


PS.........I also need mention a really nice magazine called Its Nice That. I bought the first and second issue and Ive only had a chance to read a couple of pages but can see my self falling in love! If you are interest in contemporary arts and graphic design you'll love it too! Ill attempt to have a post dedicated to each edition.


xx

Pick Me Up @ Somerset House

Hello!


A couple of weekends ago you would have found me and a friend reuniting over some contemporary graphic art at Somerset House!

Pick Me Up is in its second year celebrating and showcasing contemporary graphic art. 


Here is what Somerset House had to say:

"The best, most innovative and avant-garde graphic artists, collectives and galleries from the UK and across the world are exhibiting and offering an exuberant mix of artworks for sale." 

I am a photographer by degree but have much more interest in illustration.  This gathering of talented artists in the sublime surroundings of Somerset House was an explosion of inspiration.

Anyway acting like a kid in a candy store we observed artists making stuff and was given the opportunity to participate in drawing/cutting and pasting (cutting and pasting is the BEST!) workshops! 

If this runs again next year I highly recommend you go! It was only a fiver (adv price) and made for an interesting and amazing day out!


I'm currently working on some drawings and hope to share them in the Garden soon :D.


Kat xx