Quick Catch Up: Hello July

Holy July Batman! I think I know pretty much how this month is going to play out already…I have another huge deadline at the end of the month and in-between it all I’m going to be trying to squeeze out as much summertime as I possibly can.

I love the new project that I’m working on…hopefully I will be able to share it at the end of this month – I’m totally crossing my fingers for that, I mean this is something that I just want to shout from the rooftops…but can’t just yet. You can imagine how tricky that is, right?!

New projects are great, the last month has been nothing short of a creative adventure…I’ve learnt so much, it has been such an amazing journey. There is a lot to be said for learning new things and trying out other ways to be creative. This has been in my thoughts a lot in the last few weeks, thinking about trying out something different…I mean something other than this new project that I have been working on. So, I’m going to try to squeeze in some new learning time this month. I have no clue where these extra hours in the day are going to come from, but already a couple of days into my Declutter Challenge and the house if feeling lighter, there is more space to breathe and that my friends is the perfect opportunity to try to squeeze in learning something creative, right?

 While July will be a month of staying at home (with the occasional exciting day trip!) the coming months are pretty packed to the rafters, here’s where I’ll be over the next few months…

2014 Diary Dates

7 – 10 August The Festival of Quilts NEC Birmingham

9 – 12 October The Knitting & Stitching Show Alexandra Palace, London

30 October – 2 November The Knitting & Stitching Show RDS, Dublin

20 – 23 November The Knitting & Stitching Show HIC, Harrogate

Here’s a little round up of some of the things that have been going on here at Peachy HQ too…

Crafts: Fabric Corsage

Style:  Easy-Make Rubber Band Bracelet

Skills: Learn To Sew With Wendy Gardiner

Eats: Sweet Tea Ice Pops

My Browser Besties:

1: Molly Jacques

2: Skillshare

3: Scribblers

4: Blue Bonnet Lettering

My Blog Crushes:

1: Hi & Hello

2: Quality Sewing Tutorials

3: The Dainty Squid

4:  Kerrie Michell

While I have had my hands full this last month, I have had still had time to keep up with some quality book time. I’ve even had the very special privilege of reading the first couple of chapters of a friends first work of fiction…oh, man – I can’t wait to read the rest!

My Months Reads:

So, here are the books that have been occupying downtime this month…

23 Human Remains-  Elizabeth Haynes

Fantastic read…for fans of dark, dark, chilling reads. This is something of a slow burner as the characters and plot builds, but it is not a drag to read. While this is a dark and very twisted book, there is a strong sense of humanity in it and in many instances the characters give you pause to think about your own life and situations! 

24 The Long Way Home– Karen McQuestion
I don’t think this book was a good choice for me. I was hoping there would be a bit more punch to the storyline of four women taking a once in a lifetime road trip. It seemed a little watered down for my tastes, still a quick and pleasant story.

25 Where There’s Smoke - Jodi Picoult

I’m a long time fan of Jodi Picoult, so it goes without saying that I loved this (very) short story. The characters, as usual, are fascinating and intriguing and oh-so real. My only real complaint is that this is so short…I think that the editing might have been a little abrupt at the ending (but, I would say that!) Now, I just have to hang tight until Leaving Time comes out at the end of the year!

26 Sharp Objects- Gillian Flynn

Excellent! This book is brutal – with look away from the page moments. This is the third of Gillian Flynn’s books that I have read and this is far the best, most haunting and most definitely the most graphically chilling of them all. 

27 Paper Aeroplanes- Dawn O’Porter

I really, really wanted to enjoy this book, but it didn’t inspire the same buzz of nostalgia that Isable Ashdown’s Hurry Up & Wait did. Unsure whether to read to try the sequel…

What are y’all reading – do you have any recommendations to add to my July reading list?

If you are looking for something to read - be sure to keep up with the other books I’ve been reading this year - January Reads, February Reads, March Reads, April Reads, May Reads or come check out my Goodreads and say Hi!

So, for me July is going to be a month of breaking up deadlines by trying to learn something new – tell me, what are your plans for July?

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