Sewing kit essentials & my setup.

This blog has been on a bit of a hiatus the last month, and for that I can only apologise. I've had a hectic month which includes family members going into hospital, feeling poorly myself and sadly, a death. I needed to take a bit of time to myself as I really didn't feel like sitting down and typing up a post knowing that my heart wasn't going to be in it. However, now all of that is over and things are slowly getting back to normal, I thought I'd start my blog back up again with a craft post, as I don't think I've ever actually done one on here!

I've always been quite a crafty person. My Nan showed me how to knit when I was little, my Mum taught me how to crochet when I was a teenager and I've taught myself how to sew. I also studied Art Textiles all throughout school, where I actually managed to get A* results! Over the years, I've gotten significantly better at crochet, however I've only just started out sewing, so my skills are still building there. Sadly, I've forgotten most of the skills I built when I was shown how to knit, but to be honest, I like the look of crochet more! 

As I've just mentioned, I've recently started out sewing. I bought myself a sewing machine for my 20th or 21st birthday (I actually cannot remember without checking the receipt!) and sadly, I've just not had the time to sit down and actually use it properly. I've dabbled here and there previously but never really gotten into it until recently. I also bought a sewing tin from Aldi about a year ago, but again, it hasn't been used properly until recently. After watching numerous videos on Youtube and reading several Sewing books, I thought it'd be nice to actually make my own basic Sewing kit and my own setup, so that's what I'm going to show you here! 

First things first, here's my setup. I actually bought this table about 2 days ago from a local Charity shop for £15.00, what an absolute bargain for something that's made from solid wood and not a laminated wood! This is actually a really useful table to have found as it's on wheels meaning I can place my setup anywhere that I fancy. It's big enough to hold all my fabric, sewing tins and also any books that I have. 

The sewing machine that I have is the Brother LS-14, which I purchased from Hobbycraft for around £70.00, but as I had vouchers for there for my birthday, this actually only cost me around £40.00. I think it still retails for around the £70.00 mark and to be honest, I couldn't be happier with this machine. It's a good starter machine and isn't too difficult to set up, it practically holds your hand with everything. It has diagrams showing you how to thread both the upper thread and how to wind the bobbin, it also shows you how to thread the bobbin too. It has around 14 stitches (if I remember correctly...) which range from various straight stitch positions, zigzag stitches and a buttonhole function. It also has a reverse stitch feature which is something that's come in handy whilst making my own clothes recently as it makes sure everything is just that little more secure when finishing off an item. 

You get a few items included in the box, such as a warranty card, instruction leaflet and a DVD. Also included is a buttonhole foot, a zipper foot, a set of spare needles, bobbin spools, a screwdriver and also the standard zigzag foot and foot pedal. 

So here are my two sewing tins. The small rectangle tin is the one I purchased from Aldi when they had a sewing "specials" week last year around the same time as the Sewing Bee on BBC. I think this was only around £3.00 and it's jam packed with essential items such as various threads, snappers, scissors and hand sewing needles. It's a good little tin to have as I always find myself delving in it to repair something. The heart shaped button tin is from B&M and I think this was about £1.50 a couple of years ago before I purchased my sewing machine. You know when you buy something just because you like the look of it...but you actually have no idea what to do with it? That was one of those moments. At the minute it's filled with little items I'm slowly collecting such as better quality threads, a bias tape tool and also buttons. There's more items in there, which are shown below. 

Okay! So here are the other items in the kit. These are what I'd class as essentials in my opinion, or different variations of these products should be classed as essentials. 

1. Tailors chalk, or any sort of marking tool. I purchased this container of 3 tailors chalks for about £1.50 and so far they've been really handy to mark out on fabric as it just brushes off if needed. I'm sure these will last me ages as I've already used the white chalk a lot and it's barely made a dent on the corner!

2. A tub of tins. I bought the little container for 60p and thought it'd be really handy to keep pins in as it's got a secure lid, so if I drop it, they wont go everywhere! I've had various boxes of pins for a couple of years so I've just emptied them out into this, however I also bought a basic box of pins for £1.00 to bulk out my stash a bit. 

3. Hand sewing needles. An absolute staple not only for finishing off any machine sewing mishaps, but also for hand sewing (as the name suggests!). This little tub was included in the tin from Aldi so they might not be the best quality but they surely do the job. 

4. Scissors. I have two types of scissors I'd consider essential, embroidery scissors to snip off any long threads and dressmaking scissors to cut your fabric out with. I bought both of these from Hobbycraft, the embroidery scissors were about £1.50 out of a reduction basket and the dressmaking scissors were also £1.50 from their value range, although I might invest in a better pair, going forward. 

5. Tape measures. This is pretty self explanatory, you need these to measure with believe it or not! I have two types, a retractable tape but also a long measuring tape, which I actually think was out of a Christmas cracker...! I'm not sure how much these would be new, possibly £1.00 each or so but as I say, both of these were actually given to me so don't quote me on that! 

6. A seam guide. Now this might not be essential to some people as you might use the markings on your sewing needle plate, but this has actually been so useful for me since I started making my own clothes! It's a simple metal object with a flat edge and a magnet inside so it sticks to your needle plate and is also adjustable. It simply guides your fabric evenly alongside it when you're sewing to ensure your hems/seams remain an equal distance rather than having a wobbly line! 

7. Stitch/thread ripper. Again, self explanatory. If you make a mistake and need it to be gone, these things are essential and make the job so much less tedious than sitting there with scissors trying to snip the thread away! This was also in the tin from Aldi but I know you can pick these up for as little at 50p if you shop around. 

8. Pencils & pens. Obvious, but essential for marking out patterns. 

I'm pretty sure that the items in my kits will grow inevitably as I get more confident in sewing, and I'll more than likely swap some stuff for better quality items. If you have any suggestions or any questions about my setup, please let me know as I'm always interested in hearing from you! 

♥

My favourite Youtube channels.

I've been on YouTube for as long as I can remember, both uploading and viewing. Although, my uploading days are yet to become regular and somewhat decent, it comes with no surprise to anyone that I spend many evenings having a binge on YouTube videos, as I'm sure many other people also do.

Whilst I don't follow the typical "mainstream" Youtubers, it doesn't mean I don't like them. People like Zoella and Fleur De Force may be considered Gurus, but to me their channels come across as very fake, especially as the more involved with companies they get. I'm not slating them in any way, as I'm somewhat envious of how far they've come. Although, I do feel that some of the videos posted aren't 100% truthful about the products they're reviewing.

I love finding channels which aren't as super popular but the video content is exactly what I'm looking for, so I thought I'd share my top 5 YouTube channels. (I do not own any images below, all links direct to the owner)

Madeulook by Lex

https://www.youtube.com/user/MadeYewLook

I remember the day I stumbled across this page and instantly fell in love with this talented lady's content. I've always been interested in SFX makeup and body painting but never thought to look at it on YouTube. Lex is around the same age as me and if I'm being honest, I'm quite envious of her talent. It makes me wish I'd pursued my art further after school. I highly suggest looking at her videos if you want to learn some body painting tips, or even just to have a look at the AMAZING detail in her work.

Glam and Gore

http://www.glamandgore.com/

I had seen this channel in my suggestions before and thought meh...it didn't instantly appeal to me, but how wrong could I be? I'm obsessed with Mykie's work. There's so much effort that goes into her looks, both SFX and "normal" beauty. She's got such a loveable personality, but she is also incredibly beautiful. Again, I highly recommend this channel if you're anything of an art freak like me because her attention to detail is second to none.

Annika Victoria

http://www.pineneedlecollective.com/

This is a relatively new find of mine but I'm already hooked on this channel. I love anything thrifty so this channel is right up my street. I'm 100% certain I'll be trying one of the tutorials from Annika's channel, she makes them super easy to follow. Her clothing style is so bold, I really wish I had the guts to try it myself on a daily basis! This lady deserves way more followers than she has.

Threadbanger

http://pinterest.com/threadbangerpin

For any Pinheads like me, you will love this channel. There's a frequent upload of "man/Corinne vs pin" which I've found both hilarious and satisfying as I've wanted to try so many Pinterest projects but never wanted to actually do it in case I waste my time. Rob and Corinne are a brilliant couple who share their crafty skills in a very unique way, again something that really appeals to me. There's a wide range of video content on this channel, its definitely worth a look!

Kiera Rose (formerly known as ScarletSaint)

http://www.littledoestore.bigcartel.com/

I've followed this channel for about a year now and I love looking through Kiera's videos to see how much more  confident she's become. I'd actually love to meet this lady one day as she just makes me feel very calm, even on the days where I've had a really, really bad day. She is also one of the reasons as to why I want to go back to my natural hair colour, she's previously had brightly coloured hair but has since gone back to her natural colour and actually, I really like it. Again, Kiera's style is gorgeous and is exactly what I like. She posts videos about a wide variety of things, such as mental health, tattoos, cosplay and also clothing hauls. I'd also love to purchase plugs from her shop one day.

My taste in YouTube has definitely changed through the years, I'm finding it more difficult to find a channel that I'm actually going to stay subscribed to more than a week. The 5 I've listed above are my absolute favourites, so I won't be unsubscribing any time soon. However, if you have any suggestions for new channels, I'm all ears!

♥

September favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourites in quite a while, but I thought as we're now in October and the festive season is fast approaching, why not! 

September was quite a tough month for me for a couple of reasons. At the start of the month, I started a new job which I absolutely love. I work with a great team of people and I haven't once said "I'm bored" since I started, which is huge for me. My dad was meant to have a heart operation last week but wasn't able to have it done - things turned completely upside down and it didn't turn out the way it was "meant" to. I've also suffered horrendously this month with migraines, I had a spell where I didn't get them and now they seem to have come back with a vengeance! 

Moving on from my little overview of the month, here are some of the things I've really been enjoying throughout September. 

I know I've said this before, but I really think I've found my "holy grail" foundation. 

I never really thought any colours from the Max Factor foundation range suited me as even the lightest shade was horribly orange on my pale, freckly skin. It was a bit of a risk to buy as this costs the same of the Revlon Colourstay (£12.99) which I've always considered as the best foundation for me. This one however took me by complete surprise. I've seen the Facefinity 3 in 1 foundation before and it felt nice on the back of my hand but I was put off by the colour, I'm not sure if the tester bottle of Light Ivory had oxidized but it was very, very orange. The bottle that I bought however, was the perfect shade for me. This foundation blends amazingly into my skin, leaving me looking absolutely flawless. And the best thing is I don't get oily skin right up until I go to take it off at night. I bought mine from Boots for £12.99.

I've become really addicted to my Yankee candle wax tart burner again now the days have gone a bit colder, one scent in particular which is Shea Butter. 

This smells absolutely amazing, I know that's a really vague way of explaining what it smells like but I can see myself repurchasing this time and time. The smell lingers all day but isn't overpowering, it's just...gah so nice! I only burn half a tart at a time and even after burning the first half around 5 times, the smell is still very very much there. I bought mine from Webbs of Wychbold for around £1.50 but you can purchase the wax tarts from any good Yankee candle stockists. 

I purchased myself some new glasses in September also, well around the end of August actually. I'd been wanting some glasses for quite a while, as the ones I had purchased a year or so ago weren't really right. When I tried the display frames on, they fit perfectly but I received my own, they just didn't sit right even after adjusting them endless amounts of times. Now, I've wanted Raybans for as long as I can remember, now I finally have some! 

I bought the standard Wayfarer frames, which actually fit perfectly. It's like it was meant to be!....but seriously, these are so comfortable. I was very nervous about buying these as I still spent around £80 on them from Glasses Direct, as I couldn't try them on a home trial. Once I'd ordered them, I received them around 3 days after which was really quick as I'm used to waiting around 2 weeks for them. So far, I'm really impressed. Not much to say, they're glasses and allow me to see perfectly! 

I also purchased a new tablet this month, as I really didn't get on with my Samsung Galaxy tab 3. I've been after a Tesco Hudl for quite a while, even after all the negative reviews I've heard about them. 

Going against everything I've read against these tablets, I really really love mine. I've used it every day since I purchased it, and I'm yet to find a fault with it. The battery life is perfect for what I want, it's a great size and you know what? I'm happy I got it. END OF. Anyone who is negative about the Hudl, get out now! 

And last but not least, my absolutely favourite thing from September was my trip to the Harry Potter studio tour. I could go on for hours and hours about this, it was genuinely an amazing and meaningful trip for me. Harry Potter is something I've grown up around, I've always read the books and I've always watched the films. We went for my partner's birthday and he enjoyed it just as much as I did! 

I took some amazing photos which I'm going to cherish. The photo I've posted above is going to be made into a canvas eventually, when I have enough money. I'm just so happy I went, that's all I can say! 

I'm glad it's finally Autumn, I've already cracked out the jumpers and scalves. I can't wait for it to be Halloween as it's possibly my favourite season, but I'm also excited for Christmas too. I've got a couple of posts lined up for my blog which will be published within the next couple of weeks or so, hopefully things will start picking up again!

♥

Life update: September 2015

Hi everyone! I've been silent on here since the beginning of September and for good reason too! I thought I'd do a little update post just to let you all know what's going on, where I've been and what I've been doing. 

At the beginning of September, I landed myself in a new job. I absolutely love what I'm doing - I'm a Credit Controller which is something I've done before and found that it suited me perfectly. I've been in and out of employment all year and I can finally say that I've found a job I like! This is my third week and it literally feels like I started yesterday, my group is an absolutely amazing bunch of people, which makes it all the better. 

I've also been down to London again for two reasons, one to see my Sister again and the other...HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR!! Oh god I can't even contain how excited I was to be there, to see everything and to actually capture some memories. I literally want to go back tomorrow, it was amazing. For a true Potterhead like me, this was such a great experience and my Boyfriend really enjoyed it too (we went on his birthday...it was more of a present for me haha!). It was also nice to see my Sister again as I'd not seen her in about 6 weeks. She cooked us a lovely dinner and her Fiancé made us pudding. It's a shame I couldn't of stayed longer but we had no one to feed the cat whilst we were away. 

The rest of September is looking pretty bland if I'm being honest, but I'm okay with that. I've had such a great start to the month, I won't be disappointed if the latter part is a bit more quiet. My Dad goes into hospital later this month so that's really taking up most of my thoughts at the moment - I shan't really be posting anything on here about that as it's quite a stressful time for all of us as he's having another heart operation and we're not too sure how it's going to go. 

I'm not quite sure what posts I've got planned for my blog as of yet, I really haven't had the time to sit down and think about it. I need to start making my planner a little more interesting, which is what I plan on doing this weekend as it'll be the first weekend in a while where I just get to chill and do nothing. 

Till next time!

♥

Staples Arc planner - the initial setup!

If you've been around my blog for about a year now, you'll know that I love anything...and I mean anything...to do with planning. My obsession started off with Filofaxes. As innocent as I was, I started browsing on Pinterest (oh, a cardinal sin of mine...) and soon became amazed with how much effort people put into their planners. I've always been one for using diaries to keep important dates, but I felt like I needed something more, something that I can, well, plan my life with.

I happened to stumble across the Staples Arc planner whilst browsing Pinterest and it instantly caught my eye. I'd never seen a planner like it before, it wasn't a coil bound nor was it a ring bound...it was a disc bound planner? Weird. The idea is that you are able to add, remove, change and do whatever to the pages as you wish, all being held by these plastic discs. I actually really liked the idea of this, as sometimes I don't want something as bulky as my Filofax in my bag. Don't get me wrong, my I love my Filofax but this...this just intrigued me.

I took a trip to Staples and managed to find the whole range (not as much as the US stores though, sadly!) and instantly knew I was going to like it. I picked up one of the leather cover "notebooks" as they are called, had a flick through, and was pleasantly surprised at how easily the pages turned, how the planner lay flat and how you could turn the front over to the back like a spiral notebook without the pages falling out. The one I had picked up was an A5 size which seemed a little larger than what I had wanted. The planner I had picked up was around £16-£17, which I actually didn't think was that expensive as the cover is real leather and it was already filled with lined pages.

I browsed through the pre-printed papers you could purchase for the planners too, where there was the standard packets like lined paper, graph paper, undated weekly pages, sticky notes etc. Quite a nice selection, and not too pricey at all. But then I stumbled upon the Arc punch, something that allows you to create your own printables (from Pinterest, Google etc) and place them into your planner. This was around the £30.00 mark which seemed SO expensive for a holepunch! I know you wouldn't necessarily need to have one of these if you were a skilled craft knife user but I'd rather not risk my own fingers...Now I'm not going to lie, the cost of the holepunch did deter me from plunging into the Arc planner world. I don't think I was prepared to spend over £50 on two items, so I waited.

This weekend just gone, I received an email from Staples saying that there was 30% off the Arc range and you guessed it, I bought it. Including the holepunch, much to my dismay...I didn't go mad on things to buy as I knew I could re-use some from my Filofax stash, so I ended up spending around £15 for the planner, clear protective sheets and undated weekly pages, then £18 for the Arc punch, which is a LOT bigger and heavier than what I thought it was going to be, may I just add! 

Here's what I purchased: 

Now the thing which was the deciding factor for me to take the plunge and buy the initial setup is that it's going to be so damn easy to make notebooks for the future. I know they're not expensive and you can pick them up for as little at 70p, but I'm about to start a new job and will need to take a lot of notes where I want to be able to write then re-organise once I'm done. I want something that looks neat so I can leave it on my desk and be able to go through it without worrying about making it tatty. All I'd need to do to make an extra notebook is buy an extra set of discs (around £2.00 for a pack of 12) and then punch the sheets to organise. 

I know the initial setup has cost me a lot, but this is something I'm going to reuse time and time again. I fully understand that some people will be put off by the fact you have to have the punch in order to make this planning system work (unless as I said, you're a demon with a craft knife) but I'm glad I did purchase this. They're so much more robust than my Filofax and you are able to customise them so much more!

Let's have a look at the punch which normally retails at around £30: 

I wasn't joking when I said it was bigger than I thought it was going to be - this is literally industrial sized, haha! In all honesty though, for the price I paid for it I am seriously happy with the quality. The plastic seems really durable, it's definitely weighty and the punches are clean and crisp. I'm pretty sure this said it can punch 8 pieces of paper in one go? I can't remember! Even at full price, I think I'd be happy to pay £30 (if my bank balance would let me...) but if you know someone else who is a planner fanatic and is looking at the Arc range, maybe you could split the price. 

So far I've only gone as far as making monthly dividers and marking the pages up with the correct dates - I've not gone design crazy at the moment because I want to focus on the coming months (until January) then possibly change the design of the pages. I'm still trying to find a layout that I'm 100% with - I need to buy new cartridges for my printer and then I'll be away! I'm not too sure if I like the planner inserts I have at the moment, but again this is one thing I'm sure I'll get used to once I start writing stuff in there.   

My first impression of the Arc system is that I love how easy it is to assemble, rearrange and put back together. I think I love it more than my Filofax already...the only thing I'm really a bit meh about is the fact that there's no way to fasten it, but I've used a headband to keep it together for the time being until I can figure something else out. 

In the next coming weeks I'm going to be updating my blog to show you how this is coming along, how I'm finding it and how durable it is. Keep your eyes open if you're interested in this planner range as I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about it!

♥

What's on my Pandora bracelet?

Carrying on with the theme from my previous post, I thought it would be...interesting? if that's the right word, to show you what's on my Pandora bracelet.

Now one of the things I should actually tell you, is that I actually never wanted a Pandora bracelet. I thought they were far too expensive, and I could never ever see myself wearing one. I've always wanted a "proper" charm bracelet. I remember my Nan having one when I was little, like a proper gold one full of charms, but I've not seen it in a while so I think she might be storing it away! This is something that my partner openly knew, however one day he caught me browsing the rings on their website. Low and behold, the next day he produced this square box, which I instantly knew it's contents.

Upon opening the box, there it was, a beautifully perfect silver bracelet, with 4 charms on it. I sat there thinking wow, this instantly must have cost around £200!...and I wasn't wrong. Now I know previously I said I never actually wanted a Pandora bracelet but my god I instantly fell in love with this. It was the right size to fit my wrist and the charms my partner had picked out were gorgeous!

Moving forward two years, this bracelet is nearly full, and I mean I can literally fit about 2 more charms on there, 4 if they are small. I've had presents from family, my partner, as well as purchasing some for myself. So what does my bracelet actually look like?

This isn't the best picture in the world, but it's the best I can do. For some reason the lighting in my house is atrocious today! As you can see, the bracelet is quite full! It's also getting kinda heavy to wear. Since I've had this bracelet, it's certainly stretched due to the weight of the charms on there. 

I won't list charm by charm, but I totalled my bracelet to be worth around £400, give or take. Considering I didn't want one, that's not bad going haha! I'm not sure if I'd ever have another one, as I feel like a lot of thought has gone into this bracelet. Also, as stupid as this sounds, each charm has it's own personal meaning to me too. I feel like if I ever had a second bracelet, it'd just be an easy option for presents for people to get me, which isn't something I want. I know that sounds selfish, but the ones I have at the minute mean a lot to me. 

This is such a random post, I realise. But I fancied doing something different, I've been writing up the start of a series I'm going to be doing and needed a bit of a break from it! It'll be posted soon, possibly later today, so keep your eyes peeled! 

x

What's on my Nokia Lumia 930?

After nosing around YouTube and a couple of blogs (standard evening for me...) I've noticed that a lot of people are doing "What's on my" (iphone, windows phone) etc. I thought I'd do my little piece! 

I've had my Nokia Lumia 930 since November 2014 and I absolutely love it. I made the switch from Apple to Android to Windows over a couple of years. I was very skeptical at first as I'd heard a lot of negative reviews and about Windows phones and remember the very old version of Windows phones (and hating it...) but I thought I'd give one a go - they can't be that bad can they?! I mean, how much has technology advanced in the last couple of years? 

I'd done a lot of research on this phone before signing my life away to a phone contract, after much debate of "I'm never having a contract phone again" and "I want this phone" etc...I decided to get the Lumia 930 as I liked the way it felt, it's nice chunky phone which means I don't feel like I'm going to break it. It's got a bright, vivid screen and it's also a nice size too.

First thing I'd like to say, with the new Windows phones, I love the amount you can personalise them. I've got my phone perfectly synced with my laptop now so I can keep everything up to date! You can also choose to have large or small tiles, meaning I can have as many or as little apps on my homescreen as I like, but not having to worry as there's a whole other screen with a list of apps. (I hope that makes sense!) 

Okay so let's get into it - what's on my phone? 

I've got my 3 mains apps that I use on the first row - phone, people and messages. Normally when I unlock my phone screen, I check the time which is at the top right hand corner. It's perfect having these apps here as it's easily noticeable if I've had a missed call or a message come through. 

On the second row, I've got the calendar, Cortana and also Whatsapp. I don't really use the calendar app on my phone as I always have my filofax in my handbag. Cortana is brilliant, it's almost like a personal assistant who is also your best friend. Again, this is another app which you are able to personalise to suit your needs - Cortana remembers my work location and is always telling me the quickest route home to avoid traffic, I can store shopping lists, it can also remind me to get petrol when I go near a petrol station. I know a lot of people don't like this app but personally, I use it quite a lot. Whatsapp is another app I use a lot as I use it when I don't have signal (which is actually very frequent around where I live...) or if I want to send picture messages to someone. 

Third row -  I've got a couple more apps as I've resized them. I've got a small battery app (which I can set to power saver mode with 1 click) and a small store app. The largest tile is my Photo app, where I've chosen a static photo to have as a background (this was a rose that was in my parent's garden which was absolutely beautiful!). Next to this I've got my Instagram app and also my OneDrive app which is set to automatically back up all of my documents from my phone to my laptop. This is an absolutely life saver as I normally forget to do send documents to myself! 

Fourth row - Alarm app, settings app, Halifax app and also a group folder. This folder contains 4 different apps (media apps basically) which are as follows: video player, FM radio, Music player and also MixRadio which is absolutely amazing for the days I forget my ipod! Next to the group folder I have my Camera app and next to that is my Internet explorer. Yes, Internet Explorer...and it's actually alright on my phone! I use Microsoft Edge on my computer and the two again stay linked together which is also quite helpful for when I'm on the go and can't take my laptop with me. 

Fifth row - News app, Weather app and also my emails. 

The thing I love about my Windows phone is that I can personalise this homescreen to suit exactly what I need. You can make the apps smaller, larger, group folders etc. At the moment, this layout suits my needs perfectly. No doubt I'll change it again in the future, maybe even the colour scheme. 

If you would like to read in depth reviews about the Nokia Lumia 930, there's a whole bunch of articles out there showing different view points, pros and cons. I'm pretty certain that if this phone is still in perfect condition when my contract is up, I'll get a PAYG sim and use it afterwards. 

This is a bit of a random and mishmash post but I felt like Windows phones have a bit of a negative review at the moment, I just want to break the trend a little! 

♥

I changed my hair!

Guess who's back, back again? Philly's back, tell a friend! (If you want to...or not, it's cool.)
So! I've been umming and ahhing about changing my hair since...well, when haven't I wanted to change my hair as soon as I've already changed it?!
I've had a side fringe now for around..oh god, since I was about 13, so nearly 10 years! Throughout that time period I've had it short, thick, thin, grown out, you name it, my fringe has probably done it. I've always wanted a long, thick, full fringe for as long as I can remember, but I've got a really big cowslick right in the middle of my parting, meaning any sort of flat hairstyle just does. not. work. on my hair, hence the side fringe! I've tried it once before when my hair was shorter than my shoulders, which made my face look super chubby and it just didn't suit me.
Fast forward about 6 years and my hair is now halfway down my back (probably more if I measured it properly) and it's been several different colours throughout that time. I've finally settled on the thought that I'm going to be a redhead for life (hence taking the plunge for henna dye again, I'll do another post on that! besides, no amount of "ginger skin" can fool people!) but I also had a desire to change my fringe. I last had it cut in September 2014 and as you can imagine, it'd grown out horrifically since then! I basically had a long flop of hair, which in all honesty just looked really silly. It would never stay straight, it'd somehow get really greasy easily and it was just really, really f*ing annoying. Girls and guys, you know my hair problems are real.

You can sorta see the long flop here...sigh!

My sister was up from London for the weekend and I had the usual "you need at least 5 inches off your hair" discussion with my family - no, I don't by the way! -  she actually approached me asking if I wanted my fringe cut (she is in fact a fully qualified hairdresser - it's great having someone who cuts it how you want it!). Now seemed like a better time than ever to get that full fringe chopped in. So, I sat in the chair, closed my eyes and as she uttered the words "I'm not an expert in full fringes so bear with me" - I hoped for the best. It's only hair right? It'll grow back, I may own shares in bobby pins to clip it back whilst it grows again but hey, who cares.
Turns out, she cut it perfect and guess what, I absolutely love it.

I went to check it out in the mirror and instantly fell in love with my new thick full fringe! Now my hair is long, it suits my face SO much better, it looks great whether I wear my hair up or down.
If you're thinking of changing your hair and you're not quite sure whether to take the plunge or not, just do it. It's hair, it grows back! If you'd of said that to me years ago, I'd of been sat in my room crying, wishing my life away until my hair grew back. Sure, I've had my share of disasters (albeit AFTER I was a hair model for my sister whilst she was training, I thought I was the biz with that brown hair dye, which horribly turned black!) but honestly, it really does grow back or you can strip colour out and start again. You can pin a short fringe back or style it slightly differently.
It's not the end of the world, just rock that new hairstyle in your own way.

♥

32 Questions

Hi guys! 

I thought I'd come back and do a post today of some random questions I've plucked up, so here we go!

1) Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

We don't have a wardrobe in our bedroom, morelike a build in wardrobe with voile curtains to cover it, so I don't really have a choice but to have them closed unless I want it looking all messy! 

2) Do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

No - I'm very particular with my hair care and I can't really say I stay in a lot of hotels! 

3) Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in our out?

Regardless of the time of the year, I always sleep with my feet out off the covers but I have to make sure my shoulders are covered. I know, I'm weird. This doesn't fare well with my partner as he cannot stay still when he's asleep! 

4) Have you ever stolen a street sign?

No! I am not a thief haha

5) Do you cut out coupons and then never use them?

No! I'm actually really good at using coupons if I ever get them. 

6) Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?

Attacked by a bear, bees are my biggest fear. 

7) Do you always smile for pictures?

I don't like other people taking my photo but I don't mind taking my own photo - maybe it's because I have control over how I look! I always find I look really awkward when other people take my photo regardless of if I smile or not! 

8) Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

No, I can't say that I do!

9) Have you ever peed in the woods?

I don't actually think I've had a tinkle in the woods...however I have done in a field haha!

10) Do you still watch cartoons?

If Family Guy or American Dad count then yes, if not then no!

11) Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

Probably somewhere where no one would think it would be buried, so probably my hometown!

12) What do you drink with dinner?

Either water or squash, I don't really drink alcohol and I can't drink cows milk.

13) What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

Oh see this is a difficult one - if I cook them at home it's normally tomato sauce or if I buy them from McDonalds it's normally BBQ sauce.

14) What movies could you watch over and over and still love?

Shawshank Redemption, I never ever get bored of that film! 

15) Were you ever a Brownie?

Hell yeh I was! Although I didn't last long haha. 

16) Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

No. I really am not confident enough to do that.

17) Can you change the oil in your car?

Yes! Well, I don't know if I could do it on my new car but my previous cars I've been able to.

18) Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?

Nope - I've been driving for 5 years and I've potentially sped on every journey I've been on and never been caught! 

19) Afraid of heights?

If I had a choice, I wouldn't be at any height which causes me to feel uncomfortable haha. I prefer my feet on firm ground!

20) Do you sing in the car?

Yeh, especially when I'm on my own I really go for it! However if I'm in the car with my partner he just tends to look at me like "Why."

21) Is Christmas stressful?

Eh, it depends. I'm normally on top of stuff when it comes to Christmas so I don't really let it get to me! 

22) Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

I've always wanted to be a Midwife and still want to be, but I don't know if I have the patience or funds to actually support myself to get to that stage.

23) Do you believe in ghosts?

I actually do, I love anything supernatural.

24) The first concert you ever went to?

The Killers in Birmingham when Sam's Town came out - absolutely amazing concert. After that I went to see Bon Jovi, which still remains as the best day of my life ever, even to this day!

25) Asda, Tesco or Sainsburys?

None! I actually only shop at Lidl...I get my petrol from Sainsburys though.

26) Nike or Adidas?

That's a tough one because I don't really wear either of these clothing brands. Whichever is more affordable!

27) Can you curl your tongue?

No, I was born tongue tied and had it cut when I was 15, so I can do very little with my tongue!

28) Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

I cried when my Nephew was born, I really felt an overwhelming sense of love because I took my sister to most of her scans and clothes shopping when she was pregnant. I dunno, that little boy means the world to me and I'm definitely an over protective Aunty! 

29) The last concert you saw?

Bon Jovi - best. day. ever.

30) Can you swim well?

I haven't swam in that many years I genuinely would not be able to answer this honestly. I actually have a bit of a fear of swimming, I don't like the thought of drowning.

31) Can you knit or crochet?

I can crochet a lot lot lot better than I can knit!

32) Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Cat person. I always have been more of a cat person, I don't know why! 

I know this was a bit of a random post but I just fancied doing something a little different today. Till next time! 

♥