hello JUNE
Ok so we're half way through July and this might just be the latest I've been with one of these round ups but with post wedding work catch-ups, mini trips and our big Honeymoon adventure at the end of the month, June was a bit of a mental one! I thought it would be nice to capture it though and keep the monthly updates going so here it is in a (not so small) nutshell.
BACK TO WORK
After a very exciting and full on May, I decided that the 1st June would be my first day back in the studio for a couple of weeks before our main Honeymoon trip. It started well with a big ol' inbox and order packing catch up, wearing my new favourite tee from the lovely Dora Does!
First day officially back in the studio today and this fab new tee from @doraexplored is helping remind me what I do 😆
However on my rainy trip to the post office I skidded on my bike and ended up arse over tit in a ditch, pulling gravel out of my hands and trying not to cry as someone helped me up. What a plonker! I brushed myself off though and made it to the post office and back home again but as soon as I sat down the pain hit me and I spent the rest of the afternoon on the sofa drinking all the tea.
The number of cups of tea I needed to get through my first day back! ☕️
Pins available at hello-sunshine.co.uk
Thankfully the next couple of weeks went a lot smoother and although my portrait and commission books were staying closed, it was nice to catch up on emails, pack some orders and feel a little more productive in Hello Sunshine land!
ALL THE FOOD
The past few months have been full of food, I mean most of my life revolves around food but with the wedding and holidays we seemed to have the perfect excuse to treat ourselves more often than we *perhaps* should have.
Love them or hate them, I share a lot of food snaps, mostly over on my @jo_want insta account but I thought some of them definitely deserved a mention here so below are some of my fave foodie moments from June.
@steakandhonour and @guerrillakitchsmashed it with their @eatcambridge night 🙌🏻 SO. MUCH. INCREDIBLE. FOOD!
A cheeky, (teeny-tiny) @gelatojack starter
OK... so maybe there are 2 dream vans out there for me 🚌💛🍔
Oops! Tripped and stumbled into the @guerrillakitch van tonight 🙊 so bloody glad we did too, because that buffalo jack fruit is 👌🏻
As well as some lovely treats out and about in the local Cambridge community, I made sure we had all the necessary treats in at home too...
Adulting hard with lunch choices
WORKING IT OFF
I should probably be the size of house with all the food I enjoy and though I may not be as trim and in shape as I could be, the motivation to stay active so I can keep eating and stay healthy(ish) is strong. I love being outdoors too so I don't often need an excuse to get out on my bike, or go for a run, paddleboard or hike.
Luckily June provided plenty of opportunity for some outdoor activities, and we particularly enjoyed a lovely couple of days exploring the Peak District when we went camping with friends.
This weekend has been 👌🏻 Camping, hills and hiking 10 miles with favourite beans with cracking weather to boot ⛺️
We also enjoyed a mini adventure and making the most of our National Trust memebership at Belton House in Grantham. A fascinating house to explore, with a stunning Orangery, brilliant Creative Women exhibits and beautiful grounds to get lost in.
Sunshine-y boat house at Belton House
An amazing installation, called ‘War and Pieces’ by Bouke de Vries was also on show in one of the dining rooms, which was incredible to see up close. Find out more about the touring exhibition here: boukedevries.com/war-and-pieces
‘War and Pieces’ by Bouke de Vries 👌🏻
For activities closer to home, the cats were good at 'cheering me on' as I tried to battle the heat and face a few runs too. It's always nice to come home to such a warm welcome, isn't it?
These guys sum up all the sweaty post-run feels 😅
WEDDING PORTRAITS
During my brief stint back at work I had the absolute pleasure of taking my live Sunshine portraits to Nottingham again but this time it was for a wedding. I've said it before, many a time, but Sunshine portraits are my favourite! Whether it's customers at craft fairs or guests at a wedding, it's always a crazy, wonderful, intense time but I LOVE IT!
Live Sunshine portraits are my most favourite ; especially when fur babies are involved!
I had a great couple of hours sketching as many guests as I could between the ceremony and wedding breakfast and although I don't have any action shots of me there, I can share the portrait I created for the happy couple ahead of their Big Day.
Rae & Emma
CAMBRIDGE CREATIVES
Rather than organising any photowalks again this year, Claireabellemakes and I decided to plan a relaxed punt and picnic with anyone who was free and fancied joining us. It was such a lovely day, the sun was out, we had a fun punt on the river before heading to Jack's for ice cream and then finding a spot on Jesus Green to stuff our faces and chat.
Punting with some of the Cambridge Creatives Crew!
We also had a bit of fun taking snaps in front of the best colourful wall in Cambridge, outside Steak & Honour. Facing our awkward photo fears and taking some 'headshots' for each other was a lot of fun - something that's hard to do when you work alone but need to share photos of yourself now and then.
Dungarees and scabby knees 🙊 #foreverawkward
It's always so much easier when there's a 'band' of you doing it and it's even more fun if you can rope in a passer by to capture your next album cover shot! Look at these beauts!
📷 @hahonline : Newest girl band to hit the streets of Cambridge?
It was so nice to see lots of familiar faces and meet some new ones as everyone laid out their blankets and shared snacks and stories. A few people brought craft projects along and we had a lovely few hours in the sunshine together. There was also A LOT of excitement when little Leo arrived too!
Leo got all the cuddles and attention... you can see why, right? And he has his own instagram now! 🐾 @adventures.of.leo
HONEYMOON COUNTDOWN
The week following picnic fun times was about finishing up any last minute work, making sure outstanding orders were packed, publishing May's epic blog round up and getting excited for our honeymoon.
I can’t seem to concentrate this week 🙊 #joandwillsnextadventure 💕 sticker love from @luckydipclub@andsmilestudio @emilycoxhead@lizharrydesign @veronicadearly
As you can probably tell, I may have spent some time procrastinating and getting over excited by doodling in my diary! I don't tend to keep a fancy bullet journal as such, my pages are usually laid out in weekly spreads and then filled with simple to do lists but now and then I like to play, especially with holidays ahoy!
Making plans for the second half of our next adventure... well, more doodling and getting over excited than actual plans ✏️
As you can tell, we had a pretty exciting, fun filled fortnight to look forward to but I won't give any more holiday gossip away right now, as there will be a honeymoon specific blog post coming up after the mini wedding series is done. I will leave you with one of my most favourite snaps from the first part of our trip though...
34 on the outside... 4 on the inside 🙈
Hope you enjoyed the fly by update for June and fingers crossed you'll be popping back here to catch up on all the wedding posts as they pop up. Thank you, as always, for reading and here's wishing you all a cracking week in the sunshine!
☀️