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! 

♥

Getting back into crochet.

Crochet has been a huge love of mine for around 6 years now, but recently it's taken a bit of a back seat as I needed a bit of a break from it (all that crochet action caused some serious thumb ache!). As with many things, my obsession with Youtube has sparked my creative side and I really want to get back into crocheting again.

Honestly, I really want to make a shawl. Call me old, call me a granny, but whatever. I'll have a kickass handmade shawl, made by me. I'm forever trying to find a cardigan when I'm cold or even a hoodie but I thought this would be perfect because it could double up as a scarf in the cold winter months. 

I went to my local Hobbycraft to have a look around their wool section, as I frequently get updates saying they have offers on! I knew I wanted something darkish, something grey as this would  I also knew that I wanted to use Aran wool as it's normally quite soft. Low and behold, I stumbled across something that was actually perfect! 

The wool cost me £10.00 which I actually thing is a bargain - considering most cardigans cost around £10-15 and don't last that long with me anyway! It's so soft, it feels lovely. And it's just the right shade of grey. 

Also, can I just take a moment to talk about my crochet hooks? My sister bought me this case FULL of coloured crochet hooks from Vegas a couple of years ago and they are amazing. They're metal, but not too uncomfortable to work with. It also came with a really handy pair of folding scissors which I keep attached to the zip. I actually forgot to take a photo of the outside of this case but it's bright fuchsia pink! My favourite colour ever. 

The reason I want to get back into crochet is because I want something productive to do in the evenings. I'm sick of coming home from work (or not even working as of late...) and going straight onto my computer, spending several hours on my computer and then going to bed. I literally feel as if I'm wasting my evenings and having nothing to show for it. 

I'm going to make this my weekly project and will do updates on this to keep you all posted - lets see how long this takes me!


EDIT: I actually finished this 5 days after starting it! Here's the finished project:

♥