Last day at Timico! Cake enjoyed by all.
I have learnt a lot, and gained an insight into all the components that make a business work.
I also learnt that they call each-other ‘mate’ a lot.
I will have to pop back again sometime.
Look out for where Desk Day will take me next.
Finished at Timico ‘mate’
Spent the day mainly writing blogs and doing personal admin bits and bobs -who’d have thought that Google Authorship could be so stressful?
Dad and I went to Boundary Mills a.k.a the Granny Shop during lunch. The shop assistants’ uniforms are like something out of the eighties, that shop is a time warp. Also I couldn’t move for clearance signs, not that a sale is a bad thing.
Admin stress
I recently reused some glass bottles to make centre pieces at Mum and Dad’s 25th Wedding Anniversary party, I do like a bit of art and craft. This is how it all came about and how I achieved the end product.
When I was on the Welsh Highland Railway during my summer holidays, I decided to take home two empty glass bottles, which had previously contained apple juice and lemonade (if you were interested, they were the Fentiman’s ones). I thought they looked quite vintage, and it would be a good idea to reuse them, rather than sending them onto the refreshment trolley and into the recycling bin.
I began collecting more and more of these bottles, jam jars and mini jam jars because it came to me that I could create centre pieces out of them for the anniversary party that was coming up. I had seen YouTube demonstrations of people colouring bottles by coating the insides of the bottle with paint, particularly as wedding decoration ideas. This was a cheap and easy idea that I knew it could try.
For me, this project wasn’t just cheap- it was free! I didn’t pay for the drinks that came in the bottles, nor did I pay for the paint. I raided my Grandparents’ garage (top tip, you find allsorts in there) whilst we were staying at their house on the Isle of Man, and used normal tins of emulsion paint. You’re supposed to use acrylic paint but I normally cut corners (usually in baking, essays etc.).
I put some off-white paint in some bottles, and some pure white in others, to see which would give the best effect. I swirled the paint round inside the bottles, and then stood them to stand upside down in milk cartons. The excess paint could now drain out and the cartons would catch it.
I encountered some problems whilst doing this. Because I wasn’t using the right paint, it didn’t really stick to the inside of the bottles well and tended just to drain out. Also, because I was, in essence, simply transferring paint from one container to the other, it didn’t want to dry. Air couldn’t get in to the narrow necks of the bottles so it took a very long time.
For the centre pieces, I left some of the bottles clear to create variety. The bottles were different shapes and sizes for a bit of interest and to make it look unique. I bought some pink roses to put in all the bottles for a pop of colour.
The assembly took some time, and I had some very helpful cousins joining in, but here’s how I did it:
1) Cut squares of silver wrapping paper and equal sized squares of silver organza.
2) Laid the two layers together and blue tacked them to the table on the diagonal.
3) Arranged a scalloped napkin (found in Peel charity shop) and some paper doilies on top.
4) Placed on a few bottles with ribbon tied round them.
5) Trimmed the flowers and along with those added the water to the bottles.
I was happy with the finished product because it wasn’t overpowering, but looked cute, vintage and suitable for a wedding anniversary.
Bottles with the insides coated with paint
Letting the excess paint drain out.
My helpful cousins assembling the centre pieces
Before putting the flowers in.
Got to go to a PR agency today for a meeting, which was really interesting!
All the brainstorming of ideas made me think back to doing school projects, where you got put in to groups and everyone suggested ideas to make a cracking presentation.
Our history videos were BBC documentary-worthy. ‘Inside the Keep’ was a particular favourite of mine, where we created a TV show/musical about medieval weaponry.
I got given the opportunity to write a blog for the BCS Agency website. Look out for that http://www.bcsagency.com/blog/ .
At the BCS office
Some of the work that BCS have done
Yesterday was the Bank Holiday, had a great weekend celebrating Mum and Dad’s 25th Wedding Anniversary. More to follow on that.
Back in the office today, getting confused because I had that Monday morning feeling even though it’s Tuesday.
Looking particularly thrilled that the Bank Holiday is over
Today was dress down Friday.
Wore that new H&M top with a shirt over it.
I’ve been at work experience for two weeks now and it has been fantastic.
I like having the routine and doing things that actually contribute to the team.
Driving myself to work and back today gave me even more of that precious independence.
Looking forward to the bank holiday weekend.
Still feel like I have to be discreet taking my Desk Day pics
Had a nice day at work, getting the hang of it now, nothing exciting really happened.
Joe got some great GCSE results today!
Forgot to take a photo in the office.
Photo of me yesterday
This afternoon I attended a ‘Bloggade’ at Timico.
It consisted of chats about how to manage your blog in order for it to be successful.
I found all of this very interesting and realised I wasn’t really doing any of it.
This is, for the moment, by choice, because I haven’t dedicated the time to it, however I have retained the information for when my blog really does become a useful tool to me.
A highlight of the day was when we tried to get #bloggade trending on twitter using various tactics. We also got a tour round Timico’s very impressive data centre.
Here is Dad’s blog post about it all: http://www.trefor.net/2013/08/22/first-bloggade-a-big-success/
Getting a tour of the data centre
Complimentary crisps and flavoured water
Desk Day Six was meant to be yesterday, however it turned out to be a sick day for me.
Nevertheless, I am back at the desk.
Today was a normal and enjoyable day at work.
Afterwards I met Phoebe and Sarah for a coffee. Sophisticated.
An unexpected gust of wind caught me as I left work.
Actually, I didn’t spend today at a desk. I was in London with Dad on business!
I shadowed him from meeting to meeting, and managed to nip into Liberty before we got the train home.
The Liberty Art Fabrics department is absolutely my idea of heaven. I was in awe.
I loved the idea of creating wall art out of beautiful fabrics in embroidery hoops.
Reflection of the Gherkin in Devonshire Square
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