In which there is soppiness, sunshine and a shoe rack

I don't think that me and Andy have ever taken so many pictures as we did on this day. I have a folder full of them because Andy seemed more than ever before to be delighting in capturing pictures of me. Perhaps it was the weather and the getting out of work early, but we were in one of those giggly silly moods. Perhaps it was that we had just had milkshakes.

The sun and the still air reminded me of America. 

Although I often am very critical of American politics and such things, the times the two of us spent there were wonderful. I love the food, the feeling of being miles from home and leaving every bit of responsibility behind, but I especially love the smell of the still warm air we had in Texas (and the ability to go into a pool when it got too much). Any moment where I get that scent of Summer brings back all those feelings of escape and happiness.

As I blogged a while ago, and any picture of my hand reveals, Andy and I are engaged. This means that at any moment of boredom or lull in our conversations we fantasise about the wedding, discuss plans, do invite sketches and talk about how much we cannot wait to get married. I really can't. I love how much we are doing it together and how much fun that day is going to be. 

It sometimes feels like there are two worlds. The real world and the one the two of us inhabit inside our bubble. We really have plenty of life issues going on with jobs at the moment and I suffer from a lot of self-esteem and anxiety issues. Sometimes I get completely overwhelmed by a sense that I have failed at life, but never at our relationship. It means everything to me and even if I never get to fulfill my dreams and ambitions and even if feminism winces at it, the two us together means I'm never failure.

/soppy

Back to the real world! These outift photos are me daring to do something different with my hair. I having a strangely round head like a ball so I always keep my hair down to try and look like I have a reasonable shaped face, but here I am giving it a go for once. Expect a return to hats.

Dress: Camden market; Shirt: Andy's; Monopoly Neckalce: Made by me/Eccentric Accessories;
Hairband: Ditto; Shoes: Asos; Socks: Topshop

Elmer bag! I love Elmer. Got this from a book fair. It came with Elmer books.

Handmade hairbow by me. I went through a period of making ribbon bows all day. I have loads of these at our house from running craft fairs for Eccentric Accessories

Scotty Dog Monopoly Piece necklace. I have one of these in my shop.

Shiny nails!

Side story: I made this. Yeah! Absolutely super proud of this bit of home DIY. It's a shoe rack. And I totally made it. I did the drilling and the screwing and everything. Andy just held the pieces together. (Obviously that was a Very Important Job). I am PROUD.

So was that too many pictures? Too much soppiness? If you made it to the end and my random shoe rack story -thank you!

In which I come clean about blogging

I have had an awkward guilt-ridden relationship with my blog at times and I have decided to come clean.

I started this blog to do Something Original On The Internet.

A grand aim in our open information age.

I was going to write an entire blog from the perspective of Origami Girl.

Origami Girl is my alter ego. The girl I would be if I had super powers. She makes things out of origami and they come to life. I wrote some short stories about her and know her inside and out. My boyfriend and I made up little tales where we were both superheroes and we would go on fantastical dates together, like he would make a boat out of ice and I would give it paper sails and it wouldn’t be a problem that I can’t swim. My alter-ego probably can swim pretty well actually, but the water makes her washi-paper wet. Not that I am hung up on my poor swimming ability; it’s completely incidental and never an issue. So… firstly I wanted the blog to be a ‘creative writing exercise’. A test of my skill if you will.

However, I also wanted it to promote my jewellery business. I was going to make origami-themed jewellery and other great things and people would love the character and associate it with my Eccentric Accessories. The thing is it didn’t work like that. I wanted to write a blog that I would want to read and in general I find craft blogs boring and self-absorbed[1]. Harsh, but self-promotion isn’t interesting. Second of all, the origami jewellery? Not actually my forte it turns out. Some people do it much better. I make things out of buttons and toys, with Operation charms and dominos –but not so much the origami.

Don’t get me wrong –I tried self-promotion. I really wanted to make money from selling monopoly house earrings and I STILL DO[2]. I just want the blog to be more than that now.

The creative writing was its own issue. If I want to take the self-deprecating angle I can say it was because I am not a good enough writer or not determined. Pretending to be someone else all the time is hard. So I watered down that idea a little bit and let the fashion encroach, whilst keeping sly references to saving the world, origami and a secret identity (ie. the not-showing-my-face thing). Over time Origami Girl has just slipped away from the internet and back into my subconscious.

I like blogging for itself. I love clothes and fashion in ways I never expected. I like to write. I also like me. I would like to be free to talk about toys and tulips and the TARDIS without worrying about how my alter-ego would phrase them. 

I still love origami. I still make origami, but I can’t be Origami Girl any more[3].

The blog is actually going to keep going the way it has been for the last six months, but if I want to put up a little creative writing it might not be in the character of origami girl. If I want to put up fashion photography I want to be free to show my face. I hope those of you who read it at the start enjoyed reading my little tales, and I hope you enjoy what the blog has become and will be. Thanks.

High quality origami jewellery made from folded silver. It blows my mind. Found on etsy.com

The kind of jewellery I actually make. Monopoly dog pendant. Available from me/Eccentric Accessories.

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[1] Like all things there are some wonderful exceptions. I would recommend Scientific Culture for one.

[2] Although the business is currently on hiatus as a result of moving house.

[3] But the blog domain name and banner are staying for now. Afterall, I am into origami –I just haven’t yet figured out how to save the world with it.  

In which Origami Girl makes a decision...

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Ok back again.

So as I said I worked out I had these powers early on, but it isn't always the obvious leap to accept the responsibility. There will always be people who have powers and don't use if for their own evil purposes to take over the world, or to fight the world-crushing villains. Some people just live their lives a little bit warmer or a little bit stronger than everyone else keeping it safe and quiet.

Yet everyone has defining moments. The times when you make a decision about what you want to do with your life.

Well I had mine when I was 15.

I was in school late one evening working on an art project when I heard a couple of girls picking on am much younger girl outside the room. They were pushing her against the wall as she was trying to walk away and ignore them. There was no one else around in the long quiet corridor, they had clearly assumed no one could see them having their fun. I felt a wonderful sense of satisfaction rise up within me even before I had taken action. That hallway was littered with paper. Posters, flyers, notices all along the walls as well as huge dustbin at one end piled high with torn up work. It was a playground of paper for me. From one end of the dark hall I pushed all that paper towards the bullies creating a whirlwind of flapping thickened paper spirally towards them. It beautifully avoided the shaken girl against the wall and those other kids were swept out of the school by my paper tornado.

If I could do that in school, I could do so much more outside when I was older and free.

I still don't fight the biggest villains, the Galactus of this world. There are others who fight them, one of whom I'm particularly close to but I'll come back to that another time.

I just take down Mafia bosses, crazed murderers and over jealous step-mothers. That kind of thing.

Back to the present then. This week I am selling one of my very first disguisable weapons.

A shuriken on a hairslide.

When this is solidified I can reach up and dispatch a working throwing star at an unsuspecting criminal. No one queries a pretty star in your hair.

Here we are:

Ok. I'll also explain the deal with the selling part. This is going up on eBay as the blog goes up. You can then bid on it as you see fit. If no one buys (and this is the first week so I'm not going to be overly optimistic) then I will just keep it for me and then if someone requests it at a later date if it is still available I will sell it outside of eBay, possibly through my website which is over at www.eccentric-accessories.com

The site is real and reliable but obviously the name and information is an alibi. I wouldn't actually give out my name on the internet that easily.