2015 in review

»   I finally got around to buying a Macbook. I had been wanting one for so long and finally caved and bought one.
»   My dad came to visit me with his partner and my baby sister, who is so adorably cute!
»   We went to a paintball course for Craig's birthday which was amazingly fun.
»   I finally got to see the new Star Wars movie. I was so happy and I sat with a huge smile the entire time!
»   I watched all five seasons of Game of Thrones in like two weeks. I felt this was an accomplishment.
»   I left my job after deciding that I couldn't work there any more. It was a hard decision, but necessary.
»   I upheld my challenge of reading one book per month. Barely, I just scraped by.
»   I built many blanket forts while Craig was working. He's yet to find this out.
»   I spent a lot more time with Winry which has made her my furry little best friend.
»   I took an interest in learning how to code which made my blog design a lot easier to handle.
»   After months of moaning, I caved and finally went to the doctor about my back. I'm yet to see any results.
»   I don't need as many friends as I thought I did and just because they hang around me, doesn't make them friends.
»   Even though I own a Samsung Galaxy S6 and a Gold iPhone 6, I still bought the Rose Gold 6S. I have a problem.
»   I realised that sometimes my dad needs to make more effort with me. It's not that hard to send a quick text.
»   Craig has proven this year just how amazing he is. In more ways that one. I plan on doing the same for him!
»   I also caved and bought a Gillio planner, which is just beautiful. I have no regrets on that one.
»   I got a new tattoo for my birthday, courtesy of my lovely wee mammy.
»   She also got me my ears pierced again. She's obviously a bad influence.
»   I lapsed from blogging a great deal which is something I plan on rectifying in the new year.
»   I realised that I despise working in retail, however it's my only real job experience. I'm doomed.

2015 has been a great year for me. Plenty of good things happened and luckily nothing bad really happened that I can think of, which can only be a good sign. I'm looking forward to you, 2016, and whatever great things you'll bring. Also, if I could lose a teensy bit of weight too, that'd be great.

thank you for reading! ♥

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a quiet little christmas

Christmas this year was a quiet one. I used to love the hustle and bustle of Christmas, with my brother and all my cousins running around and playing with whatever new toys they had gotten that year. My mum in the kitchen preparing dinner, my dad playing guitar and having a beer or two with my uncles, my gran sitting on the couch trying to be interested in all the kids showing her every toy they had gotten for the millionth time. Having to squash round the tiny dining table to eat the huge Christmas dinner that mum would make (so many leftovers for the next day's dinner!).

This year was a bit different. My family over the years has sort of lost touch with each other, a divorce will do that. So it was just me, my mum and my brother for most of the day. I liked it though, it was very quiet and peaceful. It meant I could enjoy a long bath in the morning and not feel like I had to dress up fancy for the day and I could generally just have a laugh with my brother without feeling the need to entertain. It was lovely. We opened our presents on the living room rug around 10am and then watched a film on Netflix. I made us a cup of tea and then started to help mum with preparing dinner. Side note - Why is Christmas day the only day of the year where people have their dinner at 2/3pm? Crazy.

My gifts were lovely and incredibly well suited to me. I know that makes sense to have presents that I would like, but I'm quite hard to buy for, however this year everyone was spot on with things that I actually had been wanting for quite a while. Craig especially, he bought me the Pandora ring I was desperate for, I love it! It's a tiny bit too big for me though, so it might need to be swapped for a smaller size. The day was finished off with my big cousin coming over with his kids, who spent the next few hours wrestling with me and fighting over whose turn it was to get the next piggy back monster race. I don't see them that often so I didn't mind being a human play thing for a few hours.

Christmas definitely was lovely this year. Was your Christmas like mine and very chilled or was it hectic and busy? I'm curious to see what other Christmases are like!

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THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU CAN'T SLEEP

click for source

You know those days where no matter how hard you try to fall asleep and despite feeling exhausted you just can't drift off? Going to bed and just lying there, unable to switch your brain off is the worst. I think everyone has experienced a night or two like this and I've found myself getting this a bit more recently since having fallen out of a proper daily routine. I've found a few simple things to do help get to sleep and to fill the void between wanting to sleep and actually sleeping.

 ways to help you sleep 

1. Put your phone away.

I am the worst for this. I'll be winding down for the night, getting all comfy and then whip my phone out and scroll through Instagram or Twitter for too long, until I end up feeling sort of awake again. I've been trying to leave my phone on the table at the end of the bed, that way I can't be tempted to have a nosey once I'm comfy. It's mainly used for an alarm at night now.

2. Reading a chapter of a book.

I used to have a great night time routine of a small cup of tea, some hand creme and a chapter (or three) of the book I was currently reading. Having a small reading session was my way of letting my brain know that was me switching off for the night and it worked almost every time. I would feel my eyelids dropping and then I'd pop the book away and nod off instantly.

3. Have something on in the background.
This is a very common one. Sometimes it works to have the tv on in the background or some music, basically anything you would consider white noise. More recently I've been using apps on my phone to simulate the sounds of rain or thunder and lightning, which I find very relaxing when I'm trying to sleep.

4. Open or close your window.
Depending if you like sleeping with the window closed or open, try doing the opposite. The change in temperature might be what you need to drift off. You're body might be too cold or too hot and not realise it. I like to sleep with the window closed most nights, but sometimes if I'm finding it hard to drift off I'll open the window slightly to let some cool air in, which usually does the trick.

5. Get something scented for your pillow.
You can purchase pillow sprays for helping you sleep, the most common one being a lavender scented. I turn my pillow over to the cool side and pop a quick spritz of lavender on to it. I only use these on rare occasions, but when I do I tend to drift off into a very deep sleep.

  things to do when you can't sleep 

1. Write a list of things you want to do the next day.

This is one I do quite a lot. I prioritise what I want to get done the next day, be it house work, errands or just little things like paint my nails. If I write things down, I tend to stick to it.

2. Organise something.

A few nights ago I rearranged my book case into colour order (so pinterest) and now it looks super pretty. I'll probably move it back in a few days time, I like to keep my books together in their collections or by favourite to least favourite.

3. Watch a film or an episode of a tv show.

Pretty self explanatory, I tend to put on something that I've seen a million times, just to I can zone out and hopefully feel a little more tired.

4. Do the dishes.

I always leave the dishes until the end of the night or the next morning. They are the one thing in any household task that I hate doing! However, I'm finding myself doing the dishes at night when I can't sleep which also saves me doing them in the morning. If unlike me you actually wash your dishes when you use them, then find something else to clean that you would usually leave until the next day. Unless that's hoovering or something, as you might annoy your neighbours!

5. Do some light exercise.

I do mean light. I've been watching some youtube videos recently that teach you some relaxing yoga positions and talk you through some small periods of meditation. I have to say, the meditation helps wonders when I'm distracted from sleep, it totally helps me get into the mood to drift off, I would highly recommend giving it a try. Plus, it's totally good for you!

Just a few simple things I've found that have helped me over the last couple of weeks!

love,

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favourite handwritten fonts

anemone ($10) / baby fox / isabella script ($15) / laser metal / lillybelle / sweet pea

For the past few months or so I've been gathering quite the little archive of fonts to use. Not that I really do anything with them, I just like to look at them and occasionally make a new blog header. I thought I'd link you to a few of my current favourites. I think I love handwritten fonts the most, so here are six of cutest ones I've collected. You can never have too many pretty fonts, in my opinion. Most of them are free, however there are two there that you would have to purchase if you like to use them. I managed to snag them when I had some credit for Creative Market, however I've spent all my money there, so these will have to do for now.

I have a few more that I will be posting over the next little while, but I thought I'd post my favourites first!

love,

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A SIMPLE DIY - DREAM CATCHER

Last night's sleep was not good, however it did give me a cute little idea. I couldn't get to sleep until around 4:30am and in all the time awake I managed to think up this little diy. I tmade this in around an hour and given that I haven't made anything in a few months or so it was quite therapeutic to actually do something with my hands and not just type something out for a while.

What you'll need - 

an empty pringles tube (I'm giving you permission to finish a whole tube!)

a bread knife / something sharp

colourful washi tape

string / twine / ribbon

a lot of patience

step 1

Buy some pringles and finish off the tube, you'll need the top bit of it. I would recommend the bbq flavour, they're definitely my favourite.

step 2

I used a bread knife for this part. You need to cut off the little metal-ish part at the top of the tube, the bit that the lid pops on to. I used a bread knife just because it cut through very easily and scissors would have been quite difficult to manoeuvre around it. This will give you the circle you need to work from.

step 3

Tie some string in a knot at a random bit of the circle, wrap it around the circle a few times and then take the string to the opposite side of the circle and tie another knot. Repeat this until the whole circle has been wrapped in string and you have something that resembles something similar to a bike wheel.

step 4

Take a separate piece of string and wrap it around the inside bits of string (the bits that look like bike tire spokes), to form an inside circle of string. You can do this as many times as you like until you reach the desired effect you're looking for.

step 5

Grab your favourite washi tape and place two bits of washi on either side of a separate piece of string, making sure you leave enough room at the top and bottom to add more feathers and to tie to the dream catcher. Cut the washi into feather shapes and make a few precise cuts at the side of feathers along the edges.

step 6

Attach the string with the washi feathers to the bottom of your dream catcher. I put mine at different lengths so it didn't look symmetrical.

step 7

Add some smaller lengths of washi to parts of the body of the dream catcher and wrap it around. This is mainly for colour and aesthetic value.

step 8

Make a loop of string at the top of the dream catcher in order to hang it up.

Viola, a very cheap and easy way to make a dream catcher. It looks super cute too! I might make a few more, that way I can hang one in every room, much to my eye-rolling boyfriend's benefit. If you do decide to follow this diy please let me know. I'd love to see if any of you make this!

love,

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a recent addition to my t-shirt collection

I love a good t-shirt. I also love swearing. I have quite a penchant for the occasional 'bad word' and I wouldn't have it any other way. As the wonderful Billy Connolly said, "A lot of people say that it's a lack of vocabulary that makes you swear. Rubbish. I know thousands of words but I still prefer 'fuck'". Couldn't have said it any better myself.

I was out shopping at the weekend buying Christmas presents and wandered into Pulp in Edinburgh. I love a nosey through there, for clothing that's just a teeny bit different. I went in to have a look through the sales and found this raglan top, with the words 'You're Fucked' written in the inside of a Magic 8-ball. I seen it and instantly took it right to the counter.

The top itself is a very relaxed fit, being a unisex top it's not exactly fitted, but then again, I'm not trying to impress anyone by wearing it so I wasn't too fussed. It's one of those tops that you just throw on with a pair of jeans and a hoody, which is literally my staple outfit. I wore it out to the Christmas Market with my lovely wee mammy which was fine, but she wasn't too happy with me wearing it out to the pub as well. I thought it was pretty funny having people look a bit off when they read it.

I'll probably save it for the next time she's over for a visit again, just to annoy her. It is a nice top though. Would you wear a top like this out or save it for inside?

love,

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