Growing up

"The only constant in life is change."

So why do we find change so hard? Being in your twenties is a time full of change. Filled with excitement for the future and nostalgia for the past.

Those memories of long summers with your friends by your side are fading. Now summer comes around and your friends are scattered around the country or even the globe. Responsibilities, careers relationships and money occupy their time. All you want is to relive those carefree days. But we must remember...

"Growing older is a privilege denied to many."

And I'm grateful, I really am. I just need time. Time to adjust to this new "normal". It wont be long before the pitter patter of tiny feet surround us and we look back on our "carefree twenties" and wonder what we found to worry about.

My Little Provence Box

I was so excited when this month's My Little Box arrived and I discovered it's theme was Provence. I adore France and Provence is utterly beautiful. As always the box is gorgeous...

This month's gifts included these adorable My Little Doll magnets. I had way too much fun playing with these and changing her outfits. 

Next were 4 lovely L'occitane travel size products (I'm really looking forward to using these!), a My Little Beauty eye shadow crayon and a really cool DIY bracelet. It's a lovely gold cuff that can be embroidered with any pattern of your choice, it's even beautiful without but I'm looking forward to adding my own touches.

And finally, I think my favourite thing of all is this beautiful Provence illustration and quote. I just love love love the illustrations that come with my little box, even down to the info leaflets, everything is beautiful designed and a feast for the eyes. 

As always it was such a treat opening up this month's My Little Box. I'm definitely craving some sunshine in the South of France now!

30 day French challenge

Hello lovely people!
I am back, following up my 'Try something new for 30 days' post. My 30 day French challenge got off to a great start. I've been wanting to improve my French for a long time but never seem to find the time, so I really enjoyed the purpose of trying to do a little every day. At the moment I'm using the DuoLingo app and I really like it. I managed a 19 day streak using DuoLingo every day but I have to admit it all went a little wrong after that! I definitely didn't manage 30 days straight but the challenge has really spurred me on. I've rediscovered my love for French and ordered a GCSE French revision guide, something I wouldn't have considered before I started my challenge.
For a little reminder of where it all started, here is the video that inspired me.

Now I'm off to decide on my next 30 day challenge... let me know if you do one too! 

How to make a happy board

Hello lovely people,

Today I'm going to show you how to make a mood/inspiration/happy board like this.

It's a super simple, easy and cheap way to liven up your room. All you need is;

• A corkboard
• Acrylic paint in the colour of your choice
• Drawing pins
• Photos, postcards, magazine clippings etc. 

You can theme your board on anything you want or just be guided by all the things you love.

First paint your frame in the colour of your choice, a couple of coats should do the trick.

Next, get pinning! Anything and everything that makes you smile or feel inspired. Keep adding until you're happy with how it looks.

And ta-da! It's real life Pinterest and equally as fun and addictive!

xxxx

3 Positive things about today

1. The weather is still beautiful!
2. Took Molly for a walk down by the river, the willow trees there are amazing.
3. Conversations with strangers about how great Cockapoos are!

Try something new for 30 days

I've been a big fan of TED talks for a few years now, I've learnt so much and been truly inspired by some of the talks. Today a playlist popped up of 11 talks to watch when you're stuck in a rut. Although I'm very busy at the moment I feel like life is very samey and I need something new to challenge me, so I was excited to watch these talks. The first is a talk I watched a long time ago but had forgotten all about, but today it was just what I needed! Here it is...



And so here I am to commit myself to starting 30 day challenges, I have a few ideas of things I want to do, pretty simple things I do anyway, but I often find time drifting and realise I haven't taken a photo or listened to some music for a week or more. I also set a goal last December to start learning French again and I can't say I've learnt much yet! Motivation is what I needed and I feel inspired now. Expect another blog post in 30 days telling you about a challenge I have completed (hopefully!).

Spring has sprung

Spring bulbs, hot cross buns, Easter eggs, warmer weather and lighter evenings. Spring is upon us and it makes me so happy!

Stationery shopping!

Today I went to Whiteley Shopping centre for the first time in years and it was amazing! Their Paperchase is much bigger than my local one and I still had a voucher to spend from Christmas so I could shop guilt free! The notebook is from Tiger and everything else is from Paperchase, I hope you enjoy having a little look at what I bought.

Creative Journaling Essentials

Creative journaling is my favourite thing at the moment. If it's new to you this might be a good starter guide or if you're a keen creative journaler yourself here are my personal favourite things to use!

Firstly you need a notebook. Most notebooks will do the job, but make sure the paper is thick enough that whatever pens you are using don't bleed through. I would avoid glue bound books in favour of stitch or spiral bound as the pages can fall out a glue bound book after a lot of use (as I discovered part way in to my year's journal!)

Next is pens, any pen you like! Gel pens are good for not bleeding through pages and come in some great colours but my favourite basic is the Uni-pin fine liner that comes in a variety of thicknesses. And I do love to use a classic fountain pen too.

Photos are a great addition to a journal, there's nothing like a photo to make memories come flooding back! Instant cameras are great for journaling as you go. I have a Fujifilm Instax mini 8 which I love. The film isn't cheap but it's perfect if you want an instant photo in your journal. Printing off photos is important too in this day and age of the digital world. Whether it be with a home printer or online there are lots of ways to get it done and it is worth it for the memories!

My favourite glue for sticking in photos or other memorabilia (Ticket stubbs, labels, tags, lost and found items, anything goes!) is by far Pritt Stick. I also use double sided sticky tape but avoid liquid glues as these can wrinkle your pages.

Stickers are an instant way to add fun and colour to your journal, I always keep a big stock lying around to fill in any gaps and make my journal look pretty.

If you're not in a writing mood but want to include something that sums up how you're feeling adding a quote can be perfect. It's amazing how someone you've never met can put your thoughts so perfectly in to words. You can find a never ending supply on Pinterest and there a lots of lovely books filled with quotes out there too,

Finally little works of art, you might think you're the kind of person who can't draw but there are always ways to add your creative touch to your journal. Even if it's a little doodle of your coffee cup or something in your day you will be surprised at how quickly you improve, as they say 'practice makes pefect!' If doodling/drawing is not your thing, try some stamps and ink or a splash of paint. Washi tape is the easiest and quickest way to add colour to your journal and there is pretty much every pattern you could ever wish for out there (beware though, it is strangely addictive!!)

I hope you enjoyed this and happy journaling! I'm thinking of compiling some of my journal pages for a blog post so if you'd be interested in that let me know! 

December in photos