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thehappysideof40

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Nearly there already with my reading goal of 12 books for the year. But honestly let’s not talk about the state of the bookcases behind it 😫. I’d love to style them a-la-Pinterest, maybe even organise them by colour! But I think WFH Husband would have a conniption - he sits very firmly in the ‘bookcases are for books’ camp. What about you - form or function??
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I finished this printable over the weekend, really pleased with how it turned out - available to download in my shop now 👍
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#bulletjournalreadinglist #bujotrackers #journaljunkie #bujocollections #plannerinserts #functionalplanner #prettyplanning #20for2020 #20for2020reads

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Patience, patience. Most definitely not a virtue I’ve been blessed with. I’m one of those ‘all-in’ kinda people. You know, the annoying sort who become obsessed with The Thing and then bore everyone else silly trying to share their excitement? So when I disappeared down a Pinterest rabbit-hole last night of incredible ink lettering art, it’s fair to say my family have been … well .. disinterested. All day I’ve been chomping at the bit until this moment when home-school is finished and I’m now hiding away with my own pens and sketchbook to give it a go. I’ll probably be bitterly disappointed with my first results but hey, it’s a marathon right?
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And because I know you lovely people have frankly far more taste than my family - I’ll share a few of the amaze-balls artists I found in my Stories. Honestly, they are just mind-blowing!
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Be More Tortoise print in my shop now.

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Oh how I miss thee, my little tiny home office. I’ve grudgingly given this little workspace over to the WFH husband while the kids and I slog it out in homeschooling over at the kitchen table. But that hasn’t deterred me from sprucing this little corner up a little with the start of a gallery wall. Who’d have thought this beautiful blossom print could be hiding the ugly hole-in-the-wall where the fuse box lives! A few simple changes using prints and frames I already owned (plus a couple of my own printables!) but already I can’t wait for the weekend when this space is all mine again and I don’t have to share it with a boy! 💃💃🎉

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Is anyone else feeling a distinct Groundhog Day effect this week? 🙋🏼‍♀️ I’ve found myself craving anything that’s different in an effort to stave off the same old, same old feeling, so I was delightfully thrilled by a surprising plot twist in the book I’m reading. It’s The Second Sleep by Robert Harris, I won’t spoil it for you but it is definitely *not* the book I thought I’d picked up in my last minute pick-up-anything dash around the library before lockdown. Definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a good historical/mystery read. How are you staving off that same old, same old feeling?

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May monthly setup is all about the lavender. I created a version of this (inspired by @amandarachlee) in one of my first ever bullet journal spreads back in 2018. I loved it so much that I’ve wanted to revisit it ever since. Here’s to a better May than it was April. ———-Pens———-
@sakura_europe Pigma Micron in 03 05 and 08
@zebrapen_usa Metallic Gold Gel Pen
@tombow_uk ABT Brush Pen in 623 and 553

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Starting the colouring in next month’s bullet journal layout. How is it almost May already?! Feeling positive about the month ahead and a garden full of calming lavender #floralbulletjournal #botanicallinedrawing

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How are you with change? I’ve always thought of myself as someone who embraces change, but well ... this is a whole new level right?

I was working on physical prints in my shop right before all this. And man, I was SO excited about it! Finding the right printers, sourcing sustainable packaging, how I could make each parcel special (if you’re looking for a masterclass in gorgeous packaging BTW, look no further than @ceramicmagpie). That’s all on hold for the time-being but now that I’ve got my head around the change, I’m creating my designs as downloadable printables instead. We all still need some pretty right? This one is in my shop now for £3.50, and I’m working on more each week. Viva la change!!

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Are you a stationery lover like me? Ive written a blog post about my current faves and the things I use every week in my bullet journal 👍. For all the deets and links of where to buy online, link is in the bio. I wish my stationery always looked this tidy!

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“Earth Day is every day, and anywhere you are”. I had a conversation with someone recently who said there was no point in trying to be sustainable because some people just won’t ever change. She’s right about the latter part, some people won’t change. But if all the rest of us make small choices, simple swaps, tiny actions; together that adds up to a whole lot.

This illustration is my contribution to the Planet Project, a wonderful project from @storisse aiming to bring podcasters, artists and writers together to focus on Earth - Our Planet. To find out more visit Alex’s account or follow the hashtag #2020planetproject

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Some brilliant advice from the wonderful @madandsadclub this week on figuring out what super charges your self care. With home schooling, kid wrangling and general claustrophobia I’ve been feeling all the frustration of having no time to myself. But once I put some of these in to practice I realised that maybe I wasn’t using my pockets of time effectively. So far I’ve already managed about five of these, including the delectable nappucino! What activities recharge you when you’re in need of a boost?

#moreflowlessno #slowandsimpledays #smallmomentsofcalm #staypositiveandmakeithappen #womensupportingwomen #bujolove #bujoinspire #artisfun #learntodraw #artforeveryone

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