I have been so quiet on the doodle front but I promise I haven’t been avoiding my doodling responsibilities. Here’s one of the many pictures I’ve been creating quietly to one side, finally the time has arrived to be able to share it with you! Red Shoe Diaries (a rather groovy Nottingham based band) are releasing their single at the start of next month. Check here for more info and to have a listen!

Been ages since I did a makeover update. The other month all of my black jeans decided to expire – as you can imagine that made me very grumpy since I’d just cleared out most of my clothes. It meant jean shopping… what I find the most intimidating of shopping adventures.

I was against buying the same cheap black trousers because I figured a couple of months down the line I’d be writing a pretty much identical post to this. I decided to use it as an opportunity to add a little bit of colour into my wardrobe and went for these coppery coloured trousers instead. I’m really chuffed with them. They’re comfortable, easy to look after and they’re different.

I’m making an effort to add a few new colours and patterns to my daily outfits, accessorizing a little differently too. I braved some stripey hand made legwarmers the other week and I’ve started bringing out the odd pair of shoes I tend to overlook in the mornings. It’s becoming fun finding new ways to wear old things. It’s cheaper too.

I’ve been absent from ye olde blog lately. It’s been a busy time here in old Mapperley-topsville. Halloween’s been and gone (shocking! – no pun intended). The trick and treaters ate ALL my sweets – totally not cool. I spent most of last week either living at the cinema or buried in my paints. The painting right at the top is finished, phew! and it’s the biggest I’ve done so far so I’m really pleased with how it’s come out. As you can see there’s a handful more I’m currently working on. I’m looking forward to framing the finished pieces and who knows they might make a formal appearance in the lovely shop sometime before Christmas!

Talking of Christmas – The cards are back for sale in the shop and a new one will be joining them before the week is out. Not to forget some lovely new stocking fillers will be tagging along too – I just need a new staple gun to complete that mission.

The Makeover mission’s been a proper challenge recently but I’ll come back to that with pictures and heart wrenching tales of sighs and grumps. Until then, for those of you who have some halloween candy left over – enjoy! For those of you, like me, who don’t – Fancy a cuppa?

ps for the next 24 hours (until 11am Thursday) get yourself 20% off in my shop! use the code BLACKCATS.

pps – A little Halloween illya roar for those of you who missed it:

Here are some (very pink) snap shots of my doodle from this weekend’s “Raise the Roof” festival that was going on at Nottingham Contemporary. Sorry about the poor picture quality – I should be getting some better ones soon but I wanted to share a picture of my life size cat lady. I love doing these wall doodles!

A little D.I.Y project for the house. I’ve got enough fabric for a couple of chairs – I just need the chairs now.

Another little project I finished this morning is my mouse (it’s quite big so possibly a rat) tea cosy. I found the pattern for free here- there are some amazing patterns on that blog. I saw one during my last visit up to Orkney in someones window and wanted it. So it was a bit of a surprise when I came across a pattern so quickly – I didn’t even own a teapot when I started making it. Funny what knitting will make you do… I’m going to alter the eyes a little – bigger beads are needed I think.

An update on the make over mission! Finding comfortable and well fitting top layers are tricky and when you do find one a year or so down the line, when it’s beginning to look a little worse for wear, you start to wish you’d bought 1 or 2 spares. Well I’m prepared this time. I found a lovely lightweight, well fitting jumper with pretty button detail on the back – good for layering as the seasons cool down but I can imagine it’ll be quite comfortable when it heats up again too. Plenty of room to move about, sit and stand and still feel smart and relaxed in. So anyway, I bought 3 – different colours of course (black – basic requirement, teal, dark dusty pink) but essentially the same jumper 3 times round. Today I’m being brave and wearing the dusty pink one…

I’ve started wearing skirts again, which means I’ve been on the hunt for some new winter legs (and by this I mean tights). I found these pretty tights in New Look – somewhere I never thought to go for tights BUT they’re actually really affordable and they have a big selection too. I tend to wear block colours and the textured tights break up the outfit a little and add some well needed pattern and detail – win win!

I’m slowly getting my head round all this and I still have a couple of tatty things in the cupboard I need to pluck up the courage to part with. It was a nice feeling waking up today with 3 lovely new items of clothing to choose from instead of thinking “I’ll wear whatever’s clean and dark”. Progress? I think so.