January Round-Up - The Month in Review

Uhhh...what just happened to that month? 2017 has been fairly kind to me so far. Busy...but kind. I thought I'd start doing a bit of a monthly round-up of how I'm progressing with my resolutions and thinking about the month ahead.

My Blogging Resolutions

I've stuck to my blogging schedule...hurrah! I still want to do a lot more here..and make it more personal...but for now I'm back in the flow of blogging, which I've really loved. I'm worrying less about whether my posts fit the blogging mould and that's helping me get over my blogging-block. I also want to get more crafty on here, so that's a goal for February.

My Personal Resolutions

I've been trying to focus a lot on my health this month, and it's been working. I've lost weight (yay!) and feel like I have lots more energy. So I plan to keep up with that for Feb. The aspect I need to focus on more is de-stressing. I think it's just in my personality to worry about things and with the worry comes the stress. A February goal is to try mindfulness to combat that. I've definitely managed to look for the positive this month, instead of focusing on the negative, and have spent lots of quiet time with loved ones doing things I enjoy. For February I want to get back to doing a lot more crafting...I've signed up to 2 crafts swaps over at Craftster to help with that! I'm definitely frozen with fear when it comes to starting up my online business...so that's something to work on over the next few months!

What I've loved this month (as told through blog posts)

1. Using my happiness planner this month to focus on the positives each day

2. Learning how to make beeswax candles

3. Discovering Readly, which is a far cheaper way of feeding my magazine addiction!

4. Watching this is us...definitely my favourite TV show of 2017 (so far)

5. Having a relaxing day out with Hubby and Puppy

6. Joining a book club, which has got be back into regular reading 

So there we go January is finished and I'm looking forward to February. I'm hoping it gets warmer and the evenings get lighter. I'd love to get some crafting projects finished, some more books read and some new places visited.

How was your January? I hope it has been kind to you too...and here's to a love-filled February!

Bye for now

xxx

Subscription Box Reveal - Papergang

My Papergang Subscription has arrived...and it's my favourite yet. The artwork on the items is so, so lovely!

Here's the box itself, which is a little hint of the beauty inside...

Read on for more pics of what was inside (and...don't forget...spoilers!)...

Sunday Best - Monograms

I'm really happy to see that the monogram trend seems to be here to stay this season. It's a given that you can't beat the design of a black letter in a classic font on a white background but there are some really gorgeous designs that give the old classic a new twist. I've been searching around for some monogram pressies recently and so thought I'd share a few of my favourites for today's Sunday Best.

These Buoyant Letter Mugs from Anthropologie are combining two of my favourite things...monograms and blue. Love them!

Also from Anthropologie (who are, after all, the kings of the monogram) are these really pretty meadow trinket dishes. I'm a bit disappointed my initial has a kite rather than something a little bit more awesome (Koala, Kangaroo, erm...Kazoo?) but they would make the cutest presents, maybe teamed with a little soap or some earrings.

These notebooks from Not on the Highstreet give a cute modern twist to the monogram design.

...and this monogram print from Not on the Highstreet would be so perfect for a little girl's room 

And lastly - I love these clay gift tags by The Squid Ink Co on Etsy so much that I think I'm going to plan what birthdays I need to buy for over the next few months and then but a little stash of them - they'd make any wrapped present look so special but then would be really cute to pin on the wall afterwards....and at £2 each they are an absolute bargain! 

Are you a fan of the monogram letter trend? One thing that does always amuse me is the letter range that is always left in the sales...there aren't enough people with names starting with Q or Z in the world...that's for sure!

Bye for now

xxx

Doggy Days Out - January Edit

I've definitely found that since getting a dog I've been exploring more places and I've seen some truly beautiful places. At first I found I needed to adjust to the fact that having a dog with me limited what I could access, particularly at National Trust properties (not that I can imagine for a second why most of the properties don't want you to take a dirty smelly whirling ball of chaos into their beautiful old buildings).

However - I've found myself doing a lot more walking around grounds, instead of walking around old houses, and have seen some old places in new ways.

I thought I'd share one outing each month on here. Our walks aren't earth shattering in their excitement, but I try to get some pretty pictures and these walks are definitely an important part of my lifestyle now. I live in the South West of the UK, so the posts may be a little tiny bit biased towards this area...but I'm hoping it'll encourage me to explore more areas. I'll mostly tell the story of the visit in photos but if you have any questions just ask!

For today my doggy day out was at Buckland Abbey. The Abbey is steeped in history and is a National Trust property but for me the most amazing part of the Abbey is the incredible sense of peace and restfulness which just seems to surround the grounds. It was raining when we arrived...but that didn't put us off...and we were rewarded with a rainbow...

...and then the sun came out...yay! (although that lasted about 10 minutes)...

If you have a dog with you, you can't go into the Abbey, for obvious reasons - but you can see the Abbey as you walk around...

There are a few different walks you can take - depending on your stamina. We chose the shorter walk today (partly because a welcome addition to the rain was hail...woo!), and that took about 50 mins (allowing plenty of time for Indy to sniff everything in sight). The walk follows a path through some fields and then through a forest. It's absolutely beautiful, and there's a lot of wildlife to be seen...

...as well as beautiful views...

At the end of a long walk the reward is food and drink (hurrah!). If it's not raining or pelting tiny bullets of ice at you then you can eat with your doggy pal in the courtyard. Today the wiser choice was to shelter in a cute little room at the back of the courtyard which dogs are allowed in...bonus. 

The menu is pretty comprehensive - soup, paninis, jacket potatoes, sandwiches...all very lovely and warming.

Indy seemed to have a lovely day...he got to drag lots of sticks along the ground, eat part of a sausage roll, and get really, really, really soggy. Three of his favourite things...bonus.

This was just a super relaxing afternoon of walking, taking photographs, and eating comforting food. It was exactly what we all needed. We looked pretty terrible after the first downpour...so no photos of us...but we didn't even mind the rain.

If you're ever in South Devon and looking for somewhere to take your doggy pal I can honestly recommend Buckland Abbey. It's peaceful, beautiful and can either involve a short or long walk. Oh, and it has my favourite National Trust gift shop. I can't believe I almost forgot the gift shop!


I hope you enjoyed the photos of January's doggy day out...I'm already planning February's venue (and hoping for sunshine!).

Bye for now

xx

That Friday Feeling...This is Us, Lightboxes and a Funky Tune!

This week has simultaneously flown by and seemed to last forever. I'm not sure how that's possible, but there we go!

I think lots of deadlines and lots of 'to-do lists' have left me feeling like I've been fighting to achieve things all week, but that I've just run out of time to get everything done!

It's the weekend though...hurrah! I'm got some work to do, but also some chilling, and some crafting, so I'm feeling pretty content right now (and I have a pizza cooking in the oven...bonus!).

Here are a few things that have been bringing a little bit of loveliness my way this week...

What I've been watching...

This is Us is probably my favourite TV show at the moment. With only one episode a week available (rather than the binge watching of series we're used to these days) it's a little piece of pure and beautiful pleasure. I don't want to give anything away but if you enjoy a heartfelt, character driven show then I couldn't recommend this highly enough. It's made me cry and laugh all at the same time and I adore every single one of the characters. It's a perfect show to curl up and watch while wearing a giant dressing gown and drinking a big ol' mug of tea. If you haven't seen it yet, it's currently showing on Channel 4 in the UK and so some episodes are on All 4.

What I've been decorating my home with...

I love my lightbox. I've had it for a couple of months now and have changed the message a few times. There's something quite lovely about thinking of a positive message you want to display and then undertaking the game of 'do I have the right letters'. The answer to that game is often 'no' so I'm looking into buying some additional letters (and I've found you can get some different symbols for lightboxes too...yay!)

What I've been listening to...


I have a habit of getting addicted to songs. At the moment it's Sing by Ed Sheeran. I've needed a bit of uplifting this week and this helps every time. Love it!


Whatever you are doing I hope you have a lovely weekend, I'm hoping to set some time aside to do some crafting and take some photographs for blog posts, so wish me luck!

Bye for now

xx

Collection Crush - Marigold at Marks and Spencer

The 1970's are alive and well in Marks and Spencer for their new season of 'Marigold' home ware. The colours in this collection are so pretty and remind me of spring. The oven gloves also totally remind me of a pair my mum had so they get plus points for nostalgia. Here are a few of my favourites:

1. Tea, coffee and sugar tins

2. Oven Gloves 

3. Tea Towell 

4. Apron

Bye for now!

xxx

Sunday Best - Valentine's Presents for under £10

Buying presents for Valentine's Day is pretty simple in our house - we generally buy each other a book and write a cute little message inside it. However, for the last couple of years I've also bought a little gift to go alongside the book. I'm definitely not a believer in over-the-top gestures on Valentine's Day but there's nothing wrong with a little treat (or two). Here's my selection of my favourite finds from Not on the Highstreet, all with a price tag under £10.

I actually bought this last year...because oh my god...it's a lobster cookie ...and is also a reference to one of my favourite Friends episodes ever: Lobster Biscuit

This 'reasons why I love you' tag book is such a cute and simple idea

Everyone loves a fortune cookie and I love the idea of giving your beloved a personalised message in one...and also the challenge of writing it in the traditional fortune cookie style.

I think I might get a couple of these personalised photo letter coasters for my desk at work - they're a cute way of having photos around without creating desk clutter. I think they'd also make a sweet Valentine's present with a favourite photo of you and your loved one (you know..man, woman, cat, dog, parakeet...whomever it may be)

If you have any ideas for simple and sweet Valentine's presents I'd love to hear them!

Bye for now.

xxx