Filofax A5 fleuro pink original . I love neon !

I have found planner peace !
The neon pink original A5 is so supple it is much easier to carry round than the other stiff cover filo's I have tried and it makes me happy every time I use it :-)
The only thing I would like to change is the ring size . They a big enough but just a little bit more would be perfect .
I have sections for notes , fitness , gardening, camping lists, shopping, cleaning, everything ! Plus all the info I need to be organised .

I did try a personal for a few years but it was too small and felt crowded . This does weigh down my bag but I don't care :-D helps my fitness yes ?

I don't always carry it around though , it often lives on my desk open at the daily page and appointments can go straight in .

I love not lying awake at night wondering if I have forgotten something , I know it is all written down . 

Succulents! My new mini obsession

Succulents ! I love them . As the light levels drop and my garden is full of spiders that even my husband is scared of I have taken my gardening inside and have added these fun plants to my existing orchid collection .
I am even trying to propagate them and some have tiny little plants growing !

Depression got me

I havnt been posting for a while because I have been enduring a bout of anxiety and depression. Still am. I have had some nice moments,  it hasn't been all doom and gloom but it has left me  with no energy and feeling overwhelmed.
On the most excellent side my mum has been told she is cancer free. That is such a HUGE Relief.
I have been attending parent groups for dealing with my children with the new twist of,autism to add to the adhd and probable add. I am learning a lot. It's a great group and well Worth attending.

Friday sees me in London delivering artworks to the mall galleries for an exhibition/competition. Awards night Monday.
All in all everything is going well apart from a few small worries that I am trying to sort out. And also not to worry about! 
I had been neglecting my filofax which added to the anxiety so I am diligently entering everything into it to save the panic checking I usually do. It really helps. I am.using a second hand brown A5 Finsbury right now as my daily diary and I am finding it great,  but heavy. I found a,second hand very scuffed pink personal finsbury on ebay that I may switch to to see if that serves better.

Last chemo

Yay!  I have been quiet because mum has been having her last chemo session and it's end of term as well so I havnt had time to do much except look after mum and manage kids. Now she can start growing her hair!  :-)
Chemo is so much better than it used to be,  she didn't need to use her wig and,she kept her eyebrows! 
* feeling happy*

Spring is also in full flow
Sunshine and blossom everywhere! 
XO. Sev :-)

Time for myself.

Add caption

Sketch time ! Now that the weather has fully thrown itself into spring I can get out and about easier . These sketches were made on the cliffs above one of my islands beaches . Im loving those sharpies ! I need to get more colours . I bought them for using in my filofax but I love them so much they have ended up an art tool . 

The beach . These cliffs and beaches are full of fossils and crystals but I was down there for the sketching . I plan to have some more cards and postcards printed with my artwork on them . 

Wild plants and flowers  Early april and buds are bursting everywhere . I love this time of year :-D 

Autistic spectrum .

Hi all .
Well as you know this blog is a life blog that includes everything , not just painting and filofaxes because life isn't that simple hey ? so .
Mums having chemo now after a successful operation  , thats all going well but in other news we have a few other answers . My boy is likely to have Autism . I already know he has ADHD with Aspergers tendencies , now I have a new direction to look in and from the preliminary booklets we recieved , it seems this explains a lot . Its great to have things make sense to me now , and for me to see into his head and emotions a bit more . Good progress !
His school has been very supportive and the local doctors as well and I finally feel like we are getting somewhere . It helps so much to know what we are struggling with .

Because of the prevalence of cancer in my family I recently underwent a series of appointments to calculate my risk of contracting cancer . and it seems my risks are low which is another big lift for me , I am getting my worried reduced one by one . Being proactive has really made a difference to my daily stress levels . One thing at a time .

Art wise , i've been back in the studio making art and I have nearly finished my latest mountain painting .

THis image is partway through the painting. 

New filofax week setup in my retrobloom .

Raspberry Finsbury!

I have a new raspberry Finsbury A5 filofax :-D 

I use this filo for keeping track of all my online blogs , websites , Etsy shops and anything else I need to update on a regular basis plus a gallery log of ideas to paint , inspirations and competitions . 

I have a thing about the stitching .

Details details :-) They make me happy . I love the fabric inside with filofax on it and I love that its engraved on the ring support too . 

I have a world map and a time zone map in it . LOADS of cream lined paper , finances , to do etc but no calendar in this as i keep my work calendar as a year to view in my A4 . 

It came with a cream A-Z . I have always wanted one of those ! This is a filofax I won from ebay , it had a torn pen  loop but a bit of superglue fixed that and its fab ! 

It has loads of credit card pockets which clearly should be renamed stationary pockets . I love those martha stewart stickers ! I also remembered to put some of my business cards in it . 

Setting it up with my studio page . Each tag relates to a blog or Etsy shop etc . 

I love how the pink bits in the map match the deep raspberry cover . Its all in the little things . 

Not to be left out , my retro bloom personal filo has a new week in it . With plenty of raspberry to match its new workmate :-D 

Sorting out my Etsy shops . Being organised online with my filofax FInsbury raspberry .

I have a cunning plan .
This year I am going to organise blog posting , shop maintenance , studio time , competitions to enter , everything work related into a filofax .
I have an A5 raspberry Finsbury that I adore . I have divided up into sections for each thing that I do . My main focus of course is my art . Thats who I am and what I do but I also have several fun shops for other interests because being a creative person I cant just do one thing . Nope , has to be lots .
I really need to make these shops effective and that means work . It also means not forgetting that these things need work and thats where the filofax excells .

Today my first thing to do was upload new makes to my Etsy shop scandichalet .
This shop is all about homemade bright warm , fun but useful quality items . Mostly fabric but anything household could sneak in here . I have plans for some filofax related goodies now I am officially an addict .
Here is what I have uploaded today . These summer dresses my nine year old loves . She has one in her size and wore it all summer at the beach over a white T . Looks fab with a plain knitted jumper or cardigan and sandals . It was so easy to wash and dry . I hung it in the caravan awning overnight and it was done by morning .

This baby jumper is so snuggly . My kids are all 9 and above and only the youngest will put up with being grabbed and hugged just because I like the jumper . I called this peony pink because I have those flowers in this exact colour . 

This is the baby version . I wasnt sure about this fabric until it was made up into the dress then I totally fell in love with it . It looks like the sort of dress I see in very expensive clothing magazines but can never afford . Its so crisp and fresh . Im really happy with it . 

My Scandichalet shop page inside the raspberry finsbury A5 . 

Sunshine and stickers

Finally the storms stop , if only for a little while . YAY And my dizzy is mostly gone . I wanted a bright new week so spring green was the way to go . Feeling fruity too :-D 

I am reallly loving how easy it is to move my tags (and jobs) my stress levels are down a lot and my sleep is better because I know everything is written down . I just LOVE those apple stickers and I  am sad I only got one sheet . They are the best . I also love my cheeky Rilakkuma bear sticker . He makes me smile and the name  relax bear reminds me to take time for myself . which I will need because my boy has been tentatively re diagnosed as ADHD Autism . Explains a lot . 

Whilst I have been ill Valentines day happened and as I was putting cups away I realise I have a bit of a love themed cup cupboard . This shows how much I love my coffee :-D 

I also love my husband because he takes me out to but stationary supplies and actually realises it is important for me . These pens I picked up for a pound for the set , Tesco I think . And they work really well . 

These rainbow sticky notes and the leather look box were a find in The Works . 

These stickers , mostly my local pound shop , two for a pound ! Filofax fun coming up for sure . 

Owl notepad . sadly the paper inside is plain , it would have been awesome with owls on it too  .I write notes and shopping lists and all sorts of things in this and then clip the note onto the inside cover of my Retro bloom filofax personal with a mini bulldog clip . 

Just to prove we have sunshine in Kent , my mums crocuses :-) We went for a fab walk along the beach , blue skies   , blue sea , no wind (NO WIND) to the local park cafe but we had to actually lift the picnic bench out of the bog water to sit at it with out coffee ! Everything is just so soggy here . I cant wait for it to dry out a bit . 

Art wise , I have some great projects coming up , I have applied for an artists residency  at an exciting venue , more on that If I am selected , and next week I am demonstrating for an art group . I am really looking forward to that . I hope to finally get back into the studio and get stuck into some mountain and wildlife art over the next few weeks too , I have one started and will upload progress on my other blog with a link from here when its live . I have gone moody on a mountain canvas .
I hope the sun is shining wherever you are too , thanks for reading
 Sev XOXO

Filofax Classic Italian leather chocolate A4!

My new Filofax Classic  chocolate italian leather A4 ! 

A total Ebay bargain . Hardly used and smells absolutely divine . Its perfect for all my art project work and I have a year planner in it too to keep all my artist activities /demonstrating,exhibitions etc organised . Although I have all the dates in my Retro bloom personal filofax its nice to see all my  artist related work in one place so I can see my timings . 

It just so happens that this came at the perfect time . I just recovered from the HORRID dizzy virus and I was asked to submit an application for an artist residency . It's a complete pleasure to plan for it in this . 

I adore the stitching details in it , it feels very secure and classy and the colour is fab . 

It has a full length today marker plus cream dividers . I have an A4 hole punch so I can add in whatever pages I like to this plus plastic sheets to hold loose pages which is a complete bonus . 

I Love the cream A-Z too .

My A4 is purely business so I wont be customising it . It is business as usual though in the retro bloom personal filofax . Here is my next week set up . 

I love using the 3D butterfly stickers . They simply squash flat when I close the pages . I have never been so organised ad I am loving it . no more missing or forgetting things . Using filofaxes is really working for me . I have been collecting from Ebay , only small purchases but I have fun uses for them all :-)  

I am decorating with some of the cheaper tapes I found , this one was from The Range . Its not quite washi and it does pull up the paper a bit if you reposition it but i found as long as I am careful using it then its perfectly ok . Lovely patterns and colours . I am still using the removable task post its . Moving anything not finished onto the next week takes a lot of worry away  . I know I havn't forgotten anything and that helps me to sleep . Which is great because my boy is being assessed now for autism . This will be a fun ride but it explains an awful lot ! 

Sunshine ! Makes my whole day feel brighter . 

Sev xoxo

New week, still dizzy..

Im still dizzy ! and now so is my daughter . I have soooo much to do and I cant . I have managed to keep my Filofax Retro Bloom up to date though . Priorities lol . 

The studio is a distant dream right now , art needs concentration and an ability to stand for long periods of time . Currently thats not happening . Neither is much of the housework and that is distressing me a bit . More than a bit but I have to let it go . I am doing the basics and that will have to be enough . Remembering to be kind to myself is important right now . 

Here is my current week , nice and bright as I need it to be just now . Especially as the UK has has an entire winter of warm wet storms blowing in . 

 

She's getting nicely stuffed :-D Bit like me and the chocolate orange I just eat . Feed a cold right ? 

I have tulips on my table , it may not be bright outside but it is inside . I love this colour .  

The daffodils smell lovely ! These ones I bought but the ones in my garden will soon be out in bloom if they survive the wind . Strangely I can smell the scent of them just by looking at the image . I would love a daffodil perfume . 

Filofax retro bloom and a dizzy day

Well , its one of those days . One of those weeks where everyone gets a nasty bug and this time I succumbed too . Weirdly and strangely dizzy . I am fine if I walk in a straight line but rubbish at cornering :-) I really hope it doesn't last . It leads me on to the subject of this blog post though  , movable labels for mums that have health issues such as inflammation , depression , fatigue , collapsing illnesses ( yep all those in one here ) .

 On weeks like this week I don't manage to get done all the things I had listed in my Fabulous Filofax retro bloom personal for this week . Some weeks are just that way for me so I have started putting the to do jobs onto sticky notes so if they don't get completed this week I just unstick them and put them on next week ! 

Simple . no stress , no forgetting what need to be done and I can forgive myself and accept that I am not superwoman and that I can simply do them next week . Its a perfect system for me . 

My Retro Bloom Filofax !

There are going to be a lot of stickers moved to next week but I can relax knowing those jobs wont get missed out or forgotten . 

I especially love the Martha Stewart teardrop stickies I got from staples  , they un-peel so well and come in a really appealing colour range . 

Sorting Out Forty .

Sorting out forty . 

A blog about an unorganised artist with three kids , one with ADHD and Aspergers , two fishtanks , one cat and a husband . 

Hitting forty is a bit of a difficult time  for everyone but I had heard life begins at forty and I am determined that mine will too . A little bit about me . I am an artist , three times winner of the David Shepherd Wildlife artist of the year Wild places award  . I am a mum , daughter , wife , sister , friend and everything that comes with . I also have a collapsing disease /problem , stress , anxiety and depression . My dad died last december from cancer , my mum has beaten cancer twice . It has been a long , hard , exhausting slog . I have been unwell since my teens when my thyroid stopped working . and exhausted ever since . 

So you see why I need to sort things out  , and I will ! 

I started this blog to share how things are going , to motivate myself and to share those things I love . I have started a new healthy eating plan and exercise regime , I am batch cooking , saving money , organising my house and my kids and learning just how good life can be  . 

Here is the good bit . The start of all this change was FILOFAX ! WHY did I never have one before . 

My new Filofax came ! wohoo ! Its a pocket size pink one and its fab . 

I already have a Filofax retro bloom personal that has transformed the way I manage my daily life , a small thing made SUCH a difference . More on my Retro bloom on other posts ,  I just want to share my new baby ! 

I have a Filofax obsession which is  really helping control my depression in a number of ways  , if i have a Filofax I have to find a way to use it ! I use my retro bloom for my day to day diary  , health tracker , things to do etc and my new pink pocket Filo I  am going to use as a holiday planner . Here it is ! 

At the back is a mesh pocket I can use to store train tickets etc when I am actually on holiday . I will take this filo with me , its the perfect size and will have all the info in it I need . 

The best bit . At the front it has credit card slots and a full length pocket

A map too ! I wasn't expecting that as this Filofax was second hand from Ebay .

It includes a today marker /ruler in pink and all the paper in it is pink too because it is the breast cancer awareness Filofax .

I cant resist putting on my new page setup in my Filofax Retro Bloom personal . I love being greeted each day with bright colours , it really helps to keep me smiling and my mood balanced . I will upload a photo in my next blog post of the end of week look when its all full so you can see just how much I love to use it . 

Thanks for following along with me  on my first post  , I hope you follow my blog and follow my journey !

Feel free to leave a comment I would love to hear from you !
Sev :-)