art equals happy.

a list of things.

-play time with mum.

-accounts.

-being free from exams.

-spending so much money on music.

-having really good playlists.

-new vintage stores.

-discovering how amazing bristol is all over again.

-hand made.

-dreams of tube stations.

-making a budget.

-making cocktails.

-iphone love.

-upcycling clothes.

-piles of projects.

-notes.

-figuring things out.

-looking forward to rachel's journalling class.

-self portraits.

-writing poetry.

-changing into a woman. a uni student. a working girl. independent.

-secret ideas for projects and things.

-walking through fields.

-bouffants.

-twitter.

-having lots of laughs with mum&dad watching QI.

-lots of movies.

-collecting vintage housewares.

-going to see regina spektor at glastonbury soon!!!!

-etsy update next week!

-card games!

-craft supply shopping.

-making inventory lists.

-post.

-note books.

-envelopes.

this is what my life and my dreams have been of recently.

another post tonight. kxo

touching base.

(this post is pretty disjointed, just wanted to say hi!)

so after what feels like a lifetime (4 days) of recovering from exams, i could move and groove today, and i've been working!!! 

that's my new background for my iPhone. I've put two more Vespa-pa-pa-pa Instant Party Mixture up on my etsy shop, and I've been having a ridiculous amount of fun getting ready for a UPDATE!

sometime this week- so keep your eyes open!

new WYS challenge up. 

tomorrow i should be getting together with this girl

to take some photos. 

i'll play dress up too. i have some stuff to show you!

likeeeee what i made for the winner of the 3000 views in six months giveaway (i'll post the winner with the photos)!

 

I'm really looking forward to this summer. there is a lot of growing and preparing to do. but also a lot of fun to be had and a lot of cares to set free. :D

kimxo

p.s. thinking about these beautiful people who are currently wading through exams and heavy piles of revision.

(from recent gatherings. more here)

so i'm finishhheeeedddddddd

with all my exams!

they are done! FINISHED!

(and pretty too!)

i've been so happy about it- that i haven't realized that i still haven't caught up on my sleep. 

oh boy. zombie kim = grumpy kim.

but- i've survived! and we had the BEST leaving day on wednesday.

it's a tradition for the year 13s (seniors) to dress up as a theme, and we picked Circus!

it was sooooo magical.

pretty amazing to see the whole year come together like this. and everyone went all out! i've got say, we know how to play dress up!!!

jon rented a bear costume, and i made a beard on a stick! haha

i still can't get over how funny it looks. (that dress was £2.50. thrifted!!!!)

yay for everyone being so original! 

(there are more on facebook- and i'll put a photoblog together at some point too)

i did have to say goodbye to my amazing art friends though.

i suppose it's not really goodbye- but it hit me pretty hard last night and this morning, thinking about never being taught by all the supportive teachers, who have become friends over the last four years, and having to leave the space that i've grown to call home-away-from-home. 

and seeing jayce, jack, becky and ellen everyday. it's going to take a lot of getting used to.

still, we have the end-of-year exhibition, in a few weeks, and around that time i'm going to do a little tribute in picture form (of course!) of these lovely people who have been on this journey with me.

currently i need to get back on my vespa, so that requires some admin stuff. gross! (i forget that you have to do things like that- that not everything is fun. it's one of those things that reminds me how blessed i am to be a 'creative') but then i will be able to ride around with friends out to the seaside and country and play arttttttttttt alll dayyyyyyy because it's summertime kids!

i love you! tell me how you coped with 'saying good-bye' and successful stories of keeping in contact & highschool sweethearts and magical adventures you had!!! (comment or kim@smithdata.com)

kimxo

p.s. these next couple of weeks are going to be full of 20's music, dancing ridiculously, little projects, etsy updates, and getting ready for uni. i also predict sunshine and picnics!

and everything nice!

i've been saying i'm going to post a 'i want' blog for a long time. so here it is. all the ways straight into my heart!

Art books, prints, doodles, handmade, journals, mixed media, vintage items, wood, felt, fabric, brown paper, quirky, romantic, sentimental, independent, crafty, diy, indie, cute, raw, matte, film photographs, mistakes, messy, sketches, magical, adventure, retro.

more specifically i swoon over...

Handmade Nation-

i love this. for my final project in graphics, i looked at this a lot. it just encompasses everything i love about the handmade world. i want the book!

there are a ton of etsy things which i'm so in love with;

dreams of covering walls with art prints. mmm.

by art4friends

by groundwork (all of her work is so beautiful!)

by michelemaule  (oh my goodness. these speak straight to my heart.)

by linotte (a favourite of mine for a while. and Camberwell alumni!) 

obviously ashleyg. (how much is that last one, exactly me? haha.)

more prints from other places;

marc johns. loveeee. (i want his book!!!! it's a super reasonable price too. might just have to get this.. hmmm)

i love DIALOGUE. artists, have you listened to these? they are real and great and actually quite amusing.

some artists i've found from there are;

Will Bryant;

he is hilarious. flickr. shirt.

totally diggin' Craig Atkinson as well. such a sucker for sketchbooks;

(you can order a custom drawing from him! OHHHHH!!!!!!!)

these books, just because they make me smile. too bad they only ship to US ]:

another cute art book;

lusting after Keri Smith always. yummmm;

threadless is always an inspiration;

gutted they've stopped making this.

 

landland is so beautiful.

(their really old 2222 prints are my favourite. mmm.)

recent purchases include this zine from Rhi, and this print from Abbytryagain;

 

anndddd some goodies from RVA and Rachel's new class!

okay. i swear there are about a million MORE things that i want right now, and even more that i just love, but this should keep you busy for a little bit, anyway. [:

kimxo

(p.s. i got ALL of your e-mails about elsie cards! HOLY CRAP! i better get printing!!! [: love youuuu)

hands up!

so yesterday was massive get-everything-checked-off day.

i made these cute little postcards for some of the SPARK girls (Ashley, Jamie H, Corinne, and Leslie D); 

kind of an inside joke from one of the chats, but i have some extras. if you're an elsie fan, send me an e-mail with your addy and i'll send you one. [: (kim@smithdata.com)

I also realized I had an extra Vespa-pa-pa-pa Instant Party Mixture lying around, so I put that up on the etsy. I'm all sold out of the regular Banter as well, just purple left. [:

I'm going to be more open for business starting VERY soon. I want to offer custom quotes, original art, prints etc so I need your help- let me know what you like, that i've done in the past. please comment here or send me an e-mail (kim@smithdata.com) if you'd like anything made into a print from here or my flickr. 

some ideas;

I hope that made sense. haha. please send me links!

I am also thinking of doing an online class. Interest?

anyway. i will post the winner of the giveaway this weekend sometime. keep commenting to enter! [:

e-mail me your addy! (kim@smithdata.com)

also some self portraits i did yesterday;

oh! and.... giveaway!

i reached 3000 views in the last sixth months!

so i'm going to create something today.

if you comment here, i'll pick one of you to give it away to!

THANKS!

(photo by dan, my cousin!)

love, kimxo

my dad is home!

i missed him so much. 

we had a massive catch-up though over tea and coffee and he brought back a whole corner of africa for me and mum! haha.

and i'm just full of so much inspiration right now. the little things that were brought back for me (wooden spoons, a handmade journal made from 'non-wood', photographs, paintings, prints, a recipe) just took me straight back to my childhood holidays there but with much more appreciation. Thank you masses. they are all perfecttt.

seriously. 

it makes my heart flutter to know that my grandparents are so involved in my world (even if they don't know it!). it makes me so excited for the future as well.

a particular memory that i'm really grateful for is our road trips to fairs and markets and things where there were venders selling all sorts of handmade things. i didn't realize back then but those are some of my fondest memories. in South Africa, browsing the hundreds of local African stalls (so much talent!) and on the Midlands Meander, in the Bay Area going to 'art and wine' festivals, on 10 hour road trips up the Californian Coast stopping in at various stores in the redwoods, up in Gasquet and Redding and Eureka, the little craft stalls by the sea side, all the quilt shows my mum has been in, seeing the paintings that Grandpa makes... 

it makes me sad to think that I didn't appreciate it back then- took it for granted almost, because it's what we always did, it's what i grew up with. 

now i miss it, and it inspires me endlessly.

i've had this dream of being a part of a craft fair for a long time. maybe soon, maybe in London. maybe now that my exams are nearly over i can focus on these little things that make me so so happy.

so i've got a few links for you that i've been loving around blogland lately. 

i'll post it sometime this week. [:

right now, my desk is seriously messy, so i'm going to clean it, get these ready to stitch! (OH YES, A QUILT!)

(i spent over 5 hours in the textiles room printing/transferring these suckers!)

and then start making a better list for this month coming up of quality kim/studio time.

big love to all your crafters. kxo

(p.s. even though i still have two more days of exams-next mon and tues- i'm going to stop with the daily updates, because they were kind of boring me and also i have a bit more time!)

i had a nap today so...

even though it's really really early/late- i thought that justified some pictures!

even if they are just small glimpses at the huge trail of MESS that seems to be following me...

(that's animation right there. hours and hours of silence and concentration.)

and this is my graphics project. my baabbbyyyy that i can't wait to share with you, but it all has to wait!

so that's just some shots of my sketchbooks and workspace.

three of my exams are OVER. that's it. done. finished. i don't have any more lessons in those subjects.

it has not sunk in at all.

one more to go.

tomorrow i print pictures onto fabric!

waiting.

everything is just going to have to wait for this week to be over.

seriously. yesterday was the first time i've really slept in a week and a half. ha!

now i feel like i've wasted all that timmeeeee. yikes!

anyway. i haven't really replied to e-mails etc or anything really, although i have shipped out the last of the POW! orders.

so. just bare with me here.

small little re-caps.

day 11 (thursday may 7)

-final A2 animation day. it's finished. YES!

-panic slightly about the length of my film. it's super long!

-no idea if i ate or slept or saw anyone this day. 

day 12 (friday may 8)

-graphics exam.

-teachers liked my film! so much less stressed about that.

-learnt how to bind a book, but not sure if i'm going to have time to do it!

-made max a bday present:

-finished a little gift for jon.

-made laurie a 'packed dinner'

-(kara posted new WYS challenge!)

-max's party!

-drama drama drama! ewww.

-a random kim fan club formed in a closet next to the toilet and i had loads of people complimenting me. haha! so surreal!

-saw a lot of lovely people that i haven't seen in a while.

-sleep a little bit

day 13 (saturday may 8)

-waaayyyy too early wake-up at max's.

-quite an amusing drive to yatton.

-walking home from maddy's i got some of the funniest looks ever! i was still all modded up from the night before, and i just don't think anyone was expecting to see that at 8:45 am

-had a shower. had cereal.

-fell a sleep for a ridiculous amount of time! GRR!

-movies with mum while stitching for graphics exam.

-sleep

day 14 (sunday- today! may 10)

-feel so stupid for sleeping and not working.

-toast and cereal at noon.

-this.

-work work work is the plan this afternoon/evening/night.

seriously. just a week and a bit and i will be ALL YOURS. i promise.

day 10.

most everything about day number 10 (may 6th) of my exams like i liked;

-seeing heather in the morning.

-being offered cake and tea by the teachers.

-making a serious mess.

-having the perfect playlist for today.

-sneaking peeks at other people's projects.

-lunchtime girls.

-doing transfers for hours and hours, and being noisy.

-being given the most amazing cups/plates/bowls everrrrrrrr.

-feeling productive.

-always wanting to do more.

-being told that i "should 'tweet' more, because i'm interesting" (score!).

-reminding myself of my favourite names in the world.

-coming home to chocolate milk and an RVA package.

-making friends online for uni (i can't wait to meet people. it's going to be an art party all day and all night!), the excitement is almost unbearable!

-quality photos from others on facebook.

(lucy took these. i love them so so so so sooo sooooo so so so much.)

(it is SUCH a treat to see my world through someone else's viewfinder. so fresh and sweet and beautiful. thank you lucy times 1000!)

-finally getting thoughts onto paper.

-checking things off of my list.

-being another day closer to that carefree feeling.

-the promise of sleep tonight.

not talking about yucky things today. 

no time. [: