Friday 30 January 2015

Instagram Round Up

Hey guys,

I'm sorry I haven't posted much this week. I got my laptop back last week and now have a working keyboard again... but the battery annoyingly still needs replacing. It's completely drained and doesn't last a second unplugged, so it's being temperamental. Annoyingly, I learned the battery isn't covered under my insurance plan (I've been paying a tenner a month for five years and they can't replace a battery? Seriously?!), so I've ordered a cheap one from Amazon and I'm hoping it'll get here soon so I can get back to blogging properly again. I also need some decent sunlight so I can take photos for all the posts I have planned, but now I'm just being greedy!

For today, I thought I'd do something a little different and do an Instagram round-up post. I know most bloggers do these posts regularly, but I haven't actually done one in about two years! Crazy, right? I love using Instagram as I love taking photos, but I don't post as much as some, mostly because I run out of interesting things to share being stuck in bed so much. I have been trying to post more over the last couple of months, though, so I'm going to share some of my favourites from the past few months.


As you can probably tell, all six photos above are of the same river; although all taken on several different days between October and December last year. We pass over this bridge every time we go to and from the hospital, and I can never resist snapping a couple of quick pics because it's just so pretty. 

I have a habit of taking pictures from the passenger seat, so most photos of buildings and the countryside were taken from a moving car on the way to hospital appointments.

1. Xmas shopping in Oxford in Oct/Nov. // 2. Passing through Oxford in December. // 3. Autumn leaves. // 4. Sunset on the way to physio in Dec. // 5 and 6. Two pretty January sunsets from my bedroom window.


1. January sunshine. // 2. Wiltshire countryside. // 3. A river in Oxford glistening in the sunlight. // 4. Satisfying shot of houses in Cheltenham. // 5. Pretty church in Cheltenham. // 6. Storm clouds.


1. Christmas tree in the river at Bourton-on-the-Water. // 2. Nutcracker. // 3. Colourful Santa ornaments in Bourton. // 4. Festive Costa hot chocolate. // 5. Chocolate Snowman- pre-amputation. // 6. Wrapping Christmas presents in December.


1. My lovely Christmas gifts. // 2. First meal of 2015- turkey roast. // 3. Lush Christmas sale haul. // 4. Fresh bedding and fairy lights for the win! //  5. Christmas present for the brother-in-law. Best. Tee. Ever! //  6. Funky Cassette tape bag- Accessorize sale bargain.


1. Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park live at the O2 in November. // 2. Currently reading. // 3. Joaquin Phoenix film fest. // 4. Linkin Park's Meteora album never gets old. // 5. Perving at Hugh Jackman! // 6. The new Fall Out Boy album!


1. Physio / acupuncture / cranial sacral / manipulation / torture room. //  2, McDonald's mango and pineapple smoothie- my favourite way to get brain freeze. // 3. My Dad has had  this Garfield teddy forever. //  4. Wearing my fave fox print dress. // 5. Wearing a Cadbury's purple OPI nail polish. // 6. Christmas Eve selfie.


1 and 2: Riverside under a heavy frost. // 3 and 4. First snowfall in 2 years;  but only a pitiful dusting, // 5. A field covered in a thin layer of ice. // 6. Remainder of the snow when I returned from physio. 


1. Beginning a new cross stitch project. // 2, 3, and 4; Making progress. // 5. My finished Christmas cross stitch, 2014. // 6. Sewing a Christmas card in December.

And those are just some of the photos I shared over the last few months.

If you'd like to see more of the photos I share, you can find me on Instagram here.

What photos do you most enjoy seeing on my blog or Instagram account?

SHARE:

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Wednesday Wish List

Hey guys!

Just a quick post from me today to show you some of the things I've been lusting after this week...


1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18

I'm keeping it short and sweet today as I've just got back from the doctor's on an hour and a half sleep, and I'm going to try to get back to sleep for a few hours. Plus I lack the capacity to form coherent sentences this morning.

I will quickly tell you that my favourite new find of the week is the gorgeous strawberry print Ophelia dress from Lindy Bop (#5). How beautiful?! I'm not sure if I've got the boobs to pull off Ophelia frocks, but that dress is the thing of dreams. I'm hoping Lindy Bop make an Audrey (boat neckline swing dress) in the same fabric; it would be the perfect Summer dress.

A girl can dream.

What's on your wish list this week?

SHARE:

Sunday 25 January 2015

Sunday Favourites #118

Who'd like to see some of my favourite images of the last week?


I want to live in a pretty pastel house!



I love this colour scheme.


I love Keiko Lynn's striped suitcase DIY. The decor is dreamy, too.


These meringue pops look adorable.



How cool are these colourful lips?


This make up look is stunning.


This striped ombre manicure would be perfect for Spring and Summer.



I love these floral tattoos from Sasha U.


I wish my hair was this colour.



Can you imagine having a full-grown pet lion living in your house?


I do!


This opossum is so cute.


This little guy looks so content!




This office is gorgeous.


Doesn't Sammi look amazing in her pretty pastel blue coat?


This series of illustrations from Tom Gauld is brilliant. Click on the source to see more of them.



This rare upside-down iceberg is mesmerising.

Louise's Lovely Links

♥ I got lost in Marianne's post about her hot air balloon ride over Dubai; it sounded like a fairy tale adventure.

♥ I enjoyed taking a peek at Polly's Chicago studio tour; I love seeing how people decorate their homes and offices. I guess I'm just naturally nosey!

♥ ... which is probably why I also enjoyed seeing how Sophia stores some of her make up.



♥ June's "getting ready" wedding photos are all so beautiful.

♥ Having a case of blogger's block? Why not check out Fleur's 50 inexpensive blog post ideas.


♥ I love almost all animals, but this primordial shark is fucking terrifying.

and, finally...

♥ Mali the elephant has been kept all alone in a concrete enclosure since 1977- almost 40 years- completely isolated from other elephants and all other animals. Manila Zoo and the Filipino government are refusing to free her, even though a place has been secured for her in an animal sanctuary in Thailand. Please go sign the petition to free her, so she can go live with other elephants in a natural environment. No animal should have to suffer like this.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.

SHARE:

Saturday 24 January 2015

Book Review: 642 Things to Draw


It's been a while since my last book review, but rather than rectifying that with a novel review, I'm here to tell you about a fun, creative book instead. It's called: 642 Things To Draw.


642 Things To Draw is an inspirational sketch book packed full of prompts to inspire and encourage its owner to draw. Rather than just being a collection of inspiring words and ideas, the book is designed to be used as a sketch book, with room beneath each prompt to complete each one.


If you're like me, you might long to draw but often lack the inspiration when you pick up your sketchbook; there's only so many fruit bowls and wine bottles you can draw before you get bored and give up altogether. Sound familiar? If it does, then I think this could be the perfect book for you.

With 642 different prompts to work through, this book is a great source of inspiration for beginners and pros alike, and it should keep even the most productive artists busy for months, if not years. It includes a wide range of different topics, such as: animals and people, landscapes and buildings, food, every day objects, emotions, body language, fantasy, and so much more. They've got everything covered! The wide variety of subjects helps to keep the sketchbook interesting, and also challenging- well, at least for amateurs like myself!


The pages each feature one to four things to draw, and are neatly divided by thin black lines in to halves, thirds, or quarters (when more than one topic fills a page). The space provided for sketching is limited when the pages are divided in to three or four, but the advantage is that most tasks can be completed in a relatively short space of time- which is ideal if your time to draw is limited.


Here's just a selection of the prompts included in the book:

 A crash test dummy.
 Sea spray.
 A circus.
 Freckles.
 Unmentionables.
 A narwhal.
 Head in the clouds.
 A scream.
 A gravestone.
 The view from an airplane window.
 A tattoo.
 A celebration.
 A spiral staircase.
 Best friends.
 Polka dots.
 A lemon meringue pie.
 A Beatles song.
 A shoulder shrug.
 Tears.
♥ Hills and valleys.


What I love about this book is that the majority of the topics are suitable for artists (or budding artists) of all ages and skill. Some prompts are easy, others more complex, but you're free to interpret each prompt in your own way and draw in your own style, at your own level; you don't need to be Van Gough or Banksy to give them a go. You should be able to complete many of the topics at home, but you could also carry the book around with you, completing tasks as and when you find the inspiration. It's totally up to you!


I bought this book because I used to really enjoy drawing, but I haven't picked up a pencil or paint brush in several years. My art supplies are just gathering dust, and I'm eager to start using them again. I knew I needed a little help with inspiration, though, so having already gotten a lot out of the Things To Write books, I knew this book would be the ideal way for me to slowly ease my way back in to art. 

I'm not a great artist by any means, but using 642 Things To Draw is a great way for me to give it a shot, practise, and attempt to draw a bunch of things I've never drawn before. I haven't drawn anything worth sharing yet, but I'm looking forward to working on more this Spring and Summer when the days stretch out and the daylight is better quality to work from. There are so many interesting things to draw in this book, and I plan to eventually work my way through all of them. Although, knowing me, it'll probably take me a while!


I think 642 Things to Draw is a fantastic inspirational sketch book for any person who loves to draw; and it's a great book to challenge yourself with if you're looking for something new to try this year.

There are a couple of other books in the series, too, including 642 Places to Draw, 642 Fashion Things to Draw, and 712 More Things to Draw, which are all available through Amazon.

Have you got a copy of 642 Things to Draw, yet?
SHARE:

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Wednesday Wish List

Hey guys,

I've got a quick Wednesday Wish List for you today, full of bold, colourful clothes and accessories to help beat those January blues! It my opinion, colour is one of the best ways to tackle the bleakness, (along with loud cheerful music), and it's a hell of a lot cheaper to obtain and enjoy than a holiday! I find it even helps through a laptop screen.


1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16

All that colour just makes me happy, and I'm pleased to see so much popping up in the early Spring collections. I could happily snatch them all up, and feed my colour addiction until its full... which I'm pretty sure it never will be. I'm certain I'll still be dressing colourfully when I'm old and grey, standing out amongst a sea of beige in the queue for my pension. If I'm not, then something has gone really wrong!

(Also, how cute is that Accessorize apple juice carton bag?!)

What's on your wish list this week?

SHARE:

Tuesday 20 January 2015

(Belated) Sunday Favourites #117

I got my laptop back yesterday and finally have a working keyboard again (yay!), so as promised, I've put together a belated Sunday Favourites post for you. Only two days late... Better late than never, though, right?



I'm so in love with this make up look. It reminds me a little of Katniss' make up in Catching Fire.


Somebody get me a bat-eared fox!


Some people think this recent photo of an Icelandic Aurora Borealis display captured an appearance from Jesus. I personally don't see the resemblance, but I do think this photo is stunning.


Gorgeous hair!


This photo is so beautiful.


Kaelah's office is so pretty.


Another stunning photo.


This is beautiful.


This photo of a shark about to breach the water is incredible.


This Jaffa layer cake looks delicious.


I need a unicorn fox tattoo because of reasons.


Keiko Lynn's colour-pop make up look is amazing! 


Louise's Lovely Links

♥ I enjoyed having a peek at Becky's blogging essentials, and reading her four tips for supporting other bloggers. (These weekly favourites posts of mine are just one way I like to show a little love for my favourite bloggers!)

♥ Vicky wrote a great post on cyber bullying, and spoke about her plans to spread some love to victims of trolling.


♥ Sarah's sewing room is the craft room of dreams.

♥ Talking of sewing, Trees made the most amazing flamingo cross stitch for her friend's birthday.

♥ Char's Irregular Choice unicorn heels are the best shoes ever!


♥ In a fashion blogging rut? Check out Mandy's 25 fashion blog post ideas.


and, finally,

♥ I'm not usually a fan of French manicures, but I love this pastel-coloured alternative.

If you'd like to see more of the images that inspire me each week, you can see much more via my Pinterest and Tumblr accounts. I use both on a regular basis (particularly Pinterest- I'm addicted), and find inspiration in a wide range of subjects from fashion and beauty to home decor and adorable animals. Don't be afraid to stop by and say "hello!"

Thanks for reading!

SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig