Monday 2 January 2012

Points of Inspiration: 4 More colour!

 I was chuntering a little about the loss of the dishwasher this morning.  I know it's hard to imagine me in a whiney, less than good tempered mood, but stretch yourself if you can. The dishwasher situation is serious.  I noticed on Christmas Eve eve that it was taking rather longer to run the cycle than it should.  So there followed a test run after we'd provided supper for 7 that evening.  Suspicion confirmed, the programmer is shot - it won't stop working!  Next day, Christmas Eve, after supper for 9, I decide it's safer to wash up..because I don't know how long  a cycle is meant to be, I don't want to forget and leave it running pointlessly and I'm scared that if I do leave it, it'll blow up and spoil my kitchen. And therefore, Christmas.  So I've been a slave to the sink and the drying up.  I know, how tough; but do note the use of the singular person in that sentence.  I.  Turns out everyone else is really busy at washing up time.  Ha! My childhood excuses coming back to bite me on the bum!  
why are iphone photos always so bad?!!

Anyhooo....for once when putting stuff away, all the other, non matching mugs were still waiting to go into the cupboard, so I piled up these, my favourites and took a photo.  I don't know why it pleases me to have them, but it does...shape, colour outside, white insides, practical handle I can actually hold properly and of course, the colours.  Made me, for the first time in ages, want to get to my desk and make something.  So I'm going to.  Even if it's just a mess, at least it will be colourful.  And probably not red and gold.


Oh also, you can see, I've been housekeeping.  Honestly, I don't believe myself to be trendy at all, how funny a delusion that would be!!  But, I  love the blog template, so I have to use it!!

30 comments:

Helen said...

Your colourful mugs look great! Hope you get your dishwasher problem fixed soon - even though there is only me here, sometimes I yearn for one!! And Happy New Year. Should be continuing with my clear out but... Sister Act 2 caught me...

Helen said...

Oh, damn it, forgot - love the new look to the blog!

Kirsty.A said...

Love your new blog templates, and your mugs (I'm totally with you on the white insides - makes the tea taste much better!). You have my sympathy over the dishwasher - but I'm not coming over to wash up for you. Lucky the January sales are on so you can replace it

MaggieC (Silvercrafter) said...

We bought a dishwasher (only a baby one) but then found that because the front of the washing machine is a bit bulbous, we could not fit the dishwasher in the only space left. So, sadly, it had to go on EBay, unused. Like your new blog, although I did wonder if I was in the right place. Love Maggie

MaggieC (Silvercrafter) said...

Mini complaint here.Julia. I like the new design but it has killed the change of colour on Mr Linky, which helped me to know who I had visited on a Wednesday. I can't remember what my system was this week, and I had diverted a bit (as usual) as well, so I am stuffed now. Also It does not seem to be changing colour after you visit anyone. I am sure it is only a button to press to sort that out, if you have time before Wednesday. Love Maggie

Angie said...

A Dishwasher?? whats one of those?? oh yes ....ME.... so no sympathy.lol
I prefer white insides ....but they can stain if you drink lots of tea. Happy New Year xx

Sunshine Girl said...

Love the new blog and the mugs! just think whilst you are busy washing up you can be thinking of lots of lovely crafting ideas to be getting on with when you have finished (I find this when I am in the gym am always thinking of what I can next get on with creatively - never do of course but it whiles away the hours!) - not sure if I am joining in tomorrow as children still off school here so hope you have had a lovely new year and see you next week.

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Sexy new blog-look Missus, me likee. It's very vampish, just like you :)
Hugs, LLJ xx

Ann B said...

I have the best ever dishwasher - Mr B, nothing he likes better than a squidgy sponge and a bottle of fairy liquid - you can borrow him if you like.
Love the new blog template, trendy indeed.

Debs said...

WILD THING - your new blog makes my heart sing - it makes everything grooooooovy!
Love your cheery mugs, white inside as they should be! I love my mixture of mugs all cheery - union jack, eat cake and move on... maybe I should blog them!

fairy thoughts said...

Ah Ha julia, you see it's all in the art and art in everything .... even the chores!
Great new look,
What's a dishwasher? I make them all work in my house, Tea towels 'till dawn...Ha Ha usually with bubble fights too.
janet

Mrs A. said...

Julia don't! I have just had to go and lie down with a cold compress to my throbbing head. Just couldn't comprehend the idea of not having the Dishwasher working!!!!!! Sent The Doc to check ours was not on sympsthy strike. Hugs Mrs A.
p.s. I would send the boys round but they had a juggling kit for christmas.

Deanne said...

loving the new blog style :)
happy new year julia, i hope its a prosperous one x

Craftychris said...

Cool new blog! The mugs are fab - I love colour too. xx

JoZart Designs said...

Life isn't life without a dishwasher! Get it sorted quick or I'll be sleepless worrying about you. I can't cope even thinking about it.
Fancy getting inspiration from a mug display! Well maybe it was worth the DW breaking... but just for a little while.
Love JoZarty x

Helen Laurence said...

Happy New Year!!

I hope 2012 brings you all the crafty-ness you dream of ;0)

I'm starting the new year with a Half Price Sale on all my craft products HERE

Hugs Helen x

Carmen said...

I'm sitting with Angie in the 'pfffft, dishwasher?' corner. Would you believe Craig and I ban (or try to) the kids from the kitchen at washing up time because that's our "romantic chat" time. In other words the only time we get 5 minutes to ourselves. And now the kitchen has a massive hatch in the wall we don't even get that without the kids ears flapping.

I always did think you were a trendsetter by the way ;)

SandeeNC said...

Your new blog template confused me, lol I had to do a double take to make sure I was where I was suppose to be! :0 Sorry to hear about the dishwasher, it would make me whiney!!!

Annie said...

A dishwasher is one of those things we just take for granted and don't miss them 'til they're gone. Really hope your's is back up and running really soon so all that time you are spending on washing up can be spent creating using those fab colours :-)
Hugs,
A x

Fiona@staring at the sea said...

I guess you can't miss what you've never had! I'm the dishwasher in our house and the kids are the drier uppers! Loving your mugs :o)

Shirley Davis (crafter) said...

The mugs look just my cup of tea...and the template is great! Well done you, pat on back time.

Polly Polkadot said...

It was our hoover that broke on boxing day, but thank goodness it waited until then. Mugs are really personal preference things - yours would be my choice, OH would get out the bone china malarky.

Morti said...

iPhone photos are bad for two reasons - one, they only have something like a 3million pixel camera or suchlike, and two, the lens is usually filthy from where the phone has been in our bag/pocket/grubby little mit. Sad but true.

I'm luxuriating in having a dishwasher, not having had one since 2003 when we moved to France. This house has one, but I'm trying really hard not to get too reliant on it!

We need a new kettle though - Lil Miss B has dropped ours and broken the plastic bits. It still boils, but you need a crowbar to get the lid off, and the on switch keeps falling off... Ho hum...

Heather Henry said...

I love the stack of colorful mugs. Very inspiring. I too, get happy and excited over little things like a sweet mug. They're just very cheery and make me smile.
I hope you will show what you created. :)

Princess Judy Palmer said...

I find your stack of mugs very pleasing to look at too. If I saw them in person though they would make me nervous. I'd be likely to knock them over.

Hels Sheridan said...

oooh I lurve those mugs... that photo looks like one from one of those inspiration board jobbies, you know the thing I mean I am sure... I probably called it the wrong thing tho lol Sad for you that you have to wash up.. that is just so wrong! hope it is either fixed/replaced very soon... after all you need your hands to be kept special so you can cover them in ink! Happy New Year to you and yours hun xx

peggy aplSEEDS said...

Happy New Year, Julia! so funny, as usual. even when the dishwasher conks out! i always enjoy your posts!

Hardwick Creations said...

Isn't it amazing that we can see "art" in the most ordinary places around us!

famfa said...

Lovely colourful inspirational mugs. I completely understand.

Dori Melton said...

I seriously could not bear one day without my precious dishwasher... me whining would be the least of what would be happening if it went out over the holidays!

Try an app called Camera+ by tap, tap, tap. It makes a big difference for me with my iPhone photos. I like the grid for composing then when editing, the 'Clarity' scene does wonders for most photos. Plus there are lots of effects that help bring most photo duds back to life. I'm just realizing I should do a post about this. ; )