Summer Review

Hello you lovely bunch of people long time no write :( Sorry about that but I have just finished my A-Levels and it's been a whirlwind. So I thought I would write a little post about my summer so far and all the bits and bobs I have been up to (the summer after A-levels is honestly one of the best in my opinion because a) you appreciate free time a lot more and b) you just can spend time with the people that mean lots to you before going to uni)...

  

This summer I was lucky enough to go to Italy with my family - it was so so lovely I recommend saving up your pennies and planning a holiday to this country, pronto! I love the window seat on planes and these photos just show how different England is to other countries - the patchwork green grass is just beautiful but then again so was the Italian terracotta buildings. Seeing Pompeii was pretttyyyy amazing yet surreal at the same time, I mean, to think that a natural disaster preserved this place...it's crazy. Also I knew it was a big city but honestly it was way bigger than I expected!

Oh the food in Italy. It was insane I really recommend looking on Tripadvisor for places you can go - but make an effort to visit the small independents (the Italian only speaking are the best!).

Of course the World Cup was going on over summer and I was home for the final which was one of the only times I have ever followed football but I loved how it brought everyone closer - plus beer gardens are the best!

I went to my first weekend music festival Boardmasters. It was honestly such a good weekend I mean there are always dramas here and there but overall I had the best time with the best people! One of my highlights from the weekend was going down to the beach with tropical sunshine and dipping our toes in to the sea - it was lush!

There are so many other memories from going on nights out, a city trip to Liverpool, visit to London for the day with my mum going to the V&A to see the Fashioned from Nature exhibition, walks, lunch dates and lots of good food! 

This summer has been one of the best I have ever had! I hope you all have had an amazing summer too!

All my love 

Ames 

<3

Summer To - Do - List

Hey everyone!

As summer is here (unless you live in England as our summertime is always mega sporadic) I thought why not share what I am planning to get up to this holiday with you - which hopefully will either give you a few ideas of what you want to do, see or go (I decided to choose 20 things - so I would class this as a biggish list but still achievable and I will fill you in on how I do!)

1. go on holiday to a hot country or road trip around your area
2. swim in the sea (cold or warm - I'm not fussed)
3. read 3 books minimum (I'm a slow reader normally but sometimes can be a bookworm - so I  thought setting a small goal would be more achievable and easier to accomplish )
4. spend quality time with all my family
5. do yoga watching the sunrise
6. go ice skating
7. keep knitting the jumper I started

8. learn how to touch type 

9. do more embroidery - buy some little embroidery hoops
10. make some more clothes/upcycle
11. write my personal statement for university
12. ride a bike in a foreign city
13. play inflatable rounders
14. keep fit - swimming, running and walking
15. learn how to do the splits
16. progress my textile/fashion knowledge
17. write more blog posts
18. go to parties and see friends
19. have a picnic in the sunshine
20. feel ready for my A levels next year!

All my love and wishes for a fab summer holiday

<3

How to de~stress? (Back to Work)

Being a part of society as it lies today, we will all have gone/are going through our own stresses, some bigger than others and some smaller. Today I wanted to share a few things we can do to reduce our burdens and appreciate our lives rather than wish it all away! 

 

Tip No.1 ~

Firstly remember you are never as alone as you may think. It can be as small as texting family/friend and asking if they want to meet up, or you could go on a walk and say hello to people you pass - humans need human contact so no matter what you decide to do. Spending time with people you love and trust to share your burdens can really help!

Tip No.2 ~

I would also recommend reduce your use of social media for a day or even a week just limit it down to an hour a day - trust me you will notice just how much time you have for work, social activities and happiness! Please don't take what I say to the extreme as this can have the opposite effect - social media is now an embedded part of our lives so by not being included we are essentially out on a limb. So find your personal balance and stick to your decision. Focus on you!

Tip No.3 ~

Read, knit, crochet, sew, watch T.V, play a board game, go on a run, go for a swim, climb a mountain. Do something/ Plan something to look forward to that will benefit you for the better. For example if you are passionate about kickboxing or football call up a friend and go and have fun ~ you are more likely to remember the fun you had trying out something new than the times you spent stressing out about something that won't matter in 24 hours!

My last but in my opinion the most important one is to inhale some oxygen and let it all out and put your head down and do the work you have to do  - the quicker it's done the freer you become

All my love 

<3

Hello Strangers...

Well this has been a very long time indeed, so recently I have been out enjoying the summer and haven't found time to sit down and write on my blog. However, I have found some time now and wanted to have a ickle catch up with you all. I had my acrylics done at the start of the holidays and they have lasted so well, at the moment I them black (hard core right.) but in this photo they are a lovely colour by accessorize (of all places) and it's called 'first dance'.

Oh and I did go on holiday but it wasn't to sunny :/ I have my fingers crossed that next year I can go somewhere that is guaranteed hotness. Where have you all been on holiday this year? Did you go somewhere cold or hot? Also I can't forget I made some rainbow cupcakes the other day and am currently writing up the post for my cupcake series :) I hope you all will enjoy that one. Basically, I only wanted to say sorry for not posting anything for while. However I'm back now, for good, at least until I loose inspiration again. Lets hope that doesn't happen for a bit though, I'd love to know what you have been up too over the past weeks?

Lots of love

<3

'No Ordinary Cupcakes' Simple Butter-Icing ...

Hey everyone, hope you have had a good week! Today I wanted to show you how to make lovely butter icing, which you can make in any colour but I wanted to sow you how to make baby pink this time, anyway lets jump in to it...

You will need:
100g Butter
250g of icing sugar

Make sure the cakes have cooled down for at least 5-10 minutes (this is because the butter icing can just melt off the cake, if the cake is too warm)

 Beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and creamy

Next, add some vanilla

Then add your chosen food colouring

To ice the cakes, fill a piping bag with the butter icing and make a swirl in the middle 

Then fill in the rest of the cake (remember to be generous with the icing)

You can just leave them as they are, but why not be creative and
decorate with sprinkles, stars or any other decorations you might have!

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you try this recipe out and if you liked it?

<3

Gifts for anytime of the year No.3 DIY Hearts in a Jar...

Hey everyone I hope your all having a great day! I thought I would show you how to make this super cute jar to either put in your bedroom or give as a gift (It would be amazing for a person you care a lot for), I hope you enjoy....

You will need:

Love Hearts (or any sweets in general, preferably heart shaped ones)

Mason jars or some cheap glass jars like I have I bought mine from Tesco's

Skewers x3

Pastel card for the arrow and X and O
Scissors
Sticky tape
Pencil

Instructions:

 

First to make the shooting arrow you need to cut the two ends of the skewers off and cut the pastel paper into a heart and a feather shape like this...

 

Once you have the two pieces ready, stick them on to one skewer, the heart and feather will be for the shooting arrow then the X's and O's will be on the other two skewers. To make the house shape look like a feather just cut to the centre to create something like this..

To make the X's and O's you just need to draw an X and an O on to the piece of card with a pencil and cut the shapes out with scissors.

Then pour your chosen sweets in to the glass jar. Then use sticky tape to attach the arrow to the jar and use ribbon if you want to embellish it even more!

  

Your finished product should look like this, I think anyone would be really happy to receive this as a gift!

Let me know if you try this DIY!

<3

Mini Spring/Summer Haul

Hey guys, so the other day I went shopping and picked up a few items that I really wanted to show you all...

The first item that I picked up was this Disney Detangling spray that works as a heat protectant as well. The reason I got this was because it has Ariel on the bottle (Ariel's my favourite Disney character)...

Then from new look I got this super pretty pair of shorts (that looks like a skirt), I absolutely love it because it can go with anything.

Okay, so last but no means least I picked up this stunning swimming costume from River Island. It was £30.00 which is quite expensive for a swimming costume but I couldn't resist!

I hope you are having an amazing day! 

<3

Inspire Me again...

Hey everyone! I didn't know what to write today so I decided that I would give you some inspiration for spring, enjoy...

All photos are from We Heart It

<3

REVIEW - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Hey Guys! How has your week been? Today I wanted to review Garnier's Miceller water, I have been using it everyday this week to take my make up off and I have been loving it! I actually think it is better than Bioderma, because it takes eye make up off quicker and more gently. It is now my favourite product for removing make up, it's amazing! Plus for the money it is great value. If you have been contemplating whether to purchase this product, I definitely would - I guarantee you'll like it...

Let me know if you have tried this product and, if so, do you like it? 

<3

Christmas Dipped Strawberries

Hello everyone, I can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow, where has December gone! Before you know it, it will be 2014. That's crazy! So, I've been doing a lot of baking today and wanted to show you how to make these easy Festive dipped strawberries. You can make these right now if you want to, they would make a lovely treat for your family...

You will need:

White Chocolate Buttons

Green Sprinkles

Strawberries (of course)

a Tray

Glass bowl

Saucepan

a few bowls

Instructions:

First, wash the strawberries

Then fill the saucepan with water and place the glass bowl on top, don't use too much water though, just enough to surround the bottom of the bowl.

Next, 'eye' how much white chocolate you want to melt. Stir until smooth.

After, dip the strawberries into the white chocolate then in to the green sprinkles.

Lastly place on a tray and put in the fridge until hard.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

<3

Christmas Gift Tag Inspiration

If you are wondering how to spice up your presents this Christmas, there is still time to be creative with these simple and cute gift tags, you can either buy them straight from Etsy or make your own versions...

I hope you had a great day!

<3

Tissue paper flower

Hello, in my previous Blog post I shared some ideas for wrapping Christmas presents, but today I wanted to show you how to make these really simple and easy flowers to liven up any gift...

You will need:

tissues paper

scissors

elastic band or lunch bag tie

cello tape

mini stapler

Instructions:

Start by cutting out the tissue paper in to rectangles. Try out different sizes until your happy make sure you have about 6 to 8 sheets together.
Next fold the sheets altogether as if you were making a fan. One side, fold, flip, the other side, fold, flip etc.
Then use the elastic band or lunch tie to hold the middle.
Pull one side of the tissue to the other side and staple once, like so...

Pull one or two sheets of tissue up to create a crinkled effect. Do this until you have a voluptuous tissue flower.

I hope you had a great day!

<3