A Harry Potter Hen Do Part 1

Tags

Harry Potter, Harry Potter Hen Do, hen do, Liverpool

Way back when Miss Rebecca Higgins first asked me to be one of her bridesmaids I was beyond excited!! Not only for the wedding, but also because I’d get to help organise her hen do!!

Once all the bridesmaids had joined the ‘hen do planning must have group whatsapp chat’ the discussions began and it was decided early on that Becca’s love for Harry Potter should 100% be a part of the weekend, but also that it should just be blooming amazing, lots of fun and a little bit naughty!!! haha

This excited me no end, as I too am a massive potter head! So we all went off and started thinking about ideas and where we could go and of course, good old pinterest played a huge part in the inspiration for the weekend!

I’ve made the board public now so feel free to take a look if you fancy doing something similar. We DIY’d a lot of the things ourselves to save money but there are so many resources and things out there, which you can buy if crafting isn’t really your thing!

I mixed and matched things up and customized a lot of free online downloads too to make them fit Becca’s Hen!

The first thing we had to sort was the location, the brief just said ‘a big city’, and because Becca lives in London we were thinking of Leeds, Liverpool or Manchester….

During one late night online research session along the lines of ‘Hen Do Venues for 20 people’ I stumbled across The Shankley Hotel in Liverpool and its amazing rooms!!

The hotel was obviously designed for hen and stag dos and boasted loads of big dormitory style rooms. We initially fell in love with ‘The Vault’ a huge room with bunk beds for grown ups and your own private underground bar with Jacuzzi…. Sounds good right!!!?!?!?

As fate would have it, it wasn’t available on the dates we wanted and it was also quite a bit over our budget. When I say fate, I mean it, as this meant I kept looking and discovered ‘The Laurent Perrier Suite’.

This room could have been made for us, and Becca, and the theme. A huge, indulgent room that slept 24; 12 nooks, each containing a comfy double bed and wet room behind plush gold velvet curtains all around the star feature of the suite; a huge roman bath which ran the length of the room! The sleeping nooks were split over two floors from a split staircase on the back wall and overlooked the lower level! As you came in through the huge medieval looking, vault-like doors there was also a seating area and a small kitchenette. It was perfect!! We contacted them straight away and booked it…. It was obviously meant to be!!

Not only was the room impressive to look at, it had an amazing luxurious feel to it (think hues of gold everywhere) but it also meant we’d all be together, all weekend!! Any girl will tell you that one of the best parts of a night out is the getting ready, the gossiping, the trying outfits on for approval, the doing hair for each other and obviously the vast amounts of prosecco that are needed to fuel the getting ready process.

By being all-together, it would ensure no one would feel left out or that they were missing out on some of the fun, a must have for our beautiful bride to be! The other obvious bonus to the room was that it looked like it cold have been plucked from the pages of Harry Potter; a mash up of a prefects bathroom and what I imagine the Hufflepuff dormitory would have looked liked!

So with a city and the accommodation sorted it was on to the décor, the games and the general tomfoolery!

Being a creative little sod I was in my element and now that it’s been and gone, I kinda miss my HP themed crafting evenings!! (all though the wedding has taken over all crafting evenings)

In this post I’m gonna concentrate on a few of the things we made to make the room even more special!

First up goody bags!

No good hen do is complete without a few goodies for the brides best gals. One of the bridesmaids suggested Velvet for the ultimate wizard-esq bag so a trip to fabricland and a day at my sewing machine later 17 little velvet pouches (in house colours don’t ya know) where made and waiting to be filled.

Any Harry Potter themed party needs a wand so I spent an amusing evening crafting these from wooden chopsticks, glue guns and some various spray paints/pens! The fact they were somewhat phallic also added to the Hen Party vibe too!

Being it was a hen do alcohol was also required. We brought and found a collection of various miniatures and these were then transformed into potion bottles that Severus Snape himself would have been proud of! I soaked off the labels and replaced them with ones I made or downloaded. Check out these links for some of the ones I used.

I was so happy with how they turned out and with potions including Love Potion, Truth Serum and Liquid Luck, I felt all pretty apt considering their alcoholic contents!!

We also had some sweet treats, some chocolates (incase of dementor attacks), a golden snitch (made from a good old Ferrero roche) and also some miniature boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans!! I made small versions of these by scanning in a full size box (which I brought at the Harry Potter Studios which we visited in November for Maxwell’s Birthday) and scaling it down on photoshop. These were then constructed and filled with good ol’ Jellybeans!! Cute huh!!

Also in the goody bag were Dark Mark tattoos (which I also brought from the HP Studio), A personalized champagne flute, a little deathly hallows bracelet which I made, ‘I solemnly Swear I’m up to no good’ badge (which you can get here), a lumos sparkler (get it?!), A HP themed hangover kit and some Butter Beer lip balms which I pimped!!

All of which were super easy to do, it just needed a bit of imagination and quite a bit of time! At some point, after all the weddings have been and gone, I’ll share some of the templates I made/used/created!!

Goody Bags sorted; lets talk about Décor…

The Room didn’t need much, but we did a few bits here and there…

Lindsay found and printed off a load of harry potter themed photobooth props which towards the end of the first night were brought out and amused and abused! Haha. We also did directional signposts (Diagon Alley, Privet Drive, Gringotts etc_ and I used some of my trusty Kraft DIY bunting to spell out phrases such as Muggle to Mrs, Team Gryffindor, I solemnly Swear I’m up to no good and our hilarious hashtag #SnitchAndSnatch17

Kelly and I also made loads of quite amusing Education Decree Posters using this really good downloadable template and some undesirable no.1 posters of Becca!! Haha

We also did a few signs and bits and bobs here and there, which if you’re HP fan, you’d really get and would make you chuckle!! These included:

*Beware, the stairs move (on the stairs obviously)

*A Fat Lady (for the front door)

*A moaning Myrtle (stuck on the inside of Becca’s toilet lid – haha)

*A Potions Making Station Sign (to hang above the bar)

*Plastic spiders (as in ‘follow the spiders’)

*’The third floor corridor is strictly off bounds to anyone not wanting to die a most painful death’ sign

*’Free Invisibility Cloaks’ sign

*Photos of Bec throughout her life (super cute idea for any hen!)

Urm….. and some balloons?! Haha…

All this came together to just make the room look even more magical!

Caroline also made the most AMAZING sorting hat!!! (I’ll explain a little bit more about that below) When Becca walked in to the room and saw it all for the first time her face was priceless and was worth every second and every penny!!!! So So Good!!!

The last thing we need to discuss is the games…. A hen do is not a hen do with out a bit of gaming so here goes… Here’s what we did and how we did it:

THE SORTING

Being that there was such a big group of us we thought it wise to split the group up into smaller teams, and being that this was a HP themed Hen Do the answer was easy. The girls would all be split into the 4 Hogwarts houses and we 4 bridesmaids would be house prefects!! The idea was that over the course of the weekend any good behavior (excessive drinking, impressive dance moves, winning games) would earn house points, any bad behavior (going to bed early, being sensible/boring) would loose you house points!! The team with the most points at the end of the weekend could win the house cup (aka mini bottle of champagne!!! 😉

To do the sorting we used the fab hat, which Caroline had made and asked Bernie, Becca’s lovely dad, to record a pre written script which (as if by magic) made hilarious comments and musings about the person whom it sat on and decided what house they would be in!! This was so funny and even the girls who were utterly HP clueless still found the whole thing very silly and funny!!

MR & MRS

A Hen Do Favourite!! In a book I created for Bec, We asked Edward her Fiancé 20 questions that Bec had to guess his anwsers!! I used tiny envelopes brought from Paperchase and my favourite Typewriter!!

I MUST NOT TELL LIES

A fun game of our own invention… We asked the girls to share with us a naughty/funny/saucy/embarrassing story about Becca and we may have also added in a few fake stories…. The game is simple, Becca would read them one at a time, out loud, and the girls (split into house teams) would then have to guess if she was telling the truth or not! Correct answers = house points… you get the jist!!

QUIDDITCH PROSECCO PONG

A pimped up HP hen do version of Beer Pong (with quidditch hoops made by my lovely fiancé)

LIVERPOOL SCAVENGER HUNT

This was a great way to get out and about and see all the best bits of Liverpool. Lindsay used the add called GooseChase and added in loads of funny HP/Hen Do tasks as well as some standard Liverpool-esq ones.

This was such good fun and the teams could do as much or as little as they wanted…. Fab fun!!!!

PIN THE LIGHTENING BOLT SCAR ON EDDY POTTER

An amusing take on the kids party game of pin the tail on the donkey!! Unfortunately the Eddy Potter face I’d made got a little chopped up! Whoops! Haha but we improvised and it was still very funny!!

THE NAKED HARRY POTTER CAST GAME

This was probably one of the funniest games I invented!!! Haha….. I spent an amusing evening googling naked/topless pictures of the cast of Harry potter then chopped off their heads! The game was to match the actor with the character, extra points given if you also knew the character name!!! Very funny/very childish/very hen party appropriate and thanks to Daniel Radcliffe’s stint on the stage quite exciting too!!! Haha

POTIONS MAKING

Quite simply – cocktail making/ pimp your prosecco station… We renamed some classic Prosecco Cocktails with a HP-esq title and provided all the herbs/fruits and mixers to create! Simple and obviously well used!

HEN DO BOOK

I also created a hen do book for Bec, a little tradition of mine, but this one was my most impressive/fullest yet!! I asked to girls to sent me notes/photos to include…. I also left space to put all the pics in which we’d inevitably take over the weekend and also other funny things like ‘design a dress for Becca’ and a space for well wishes and a card/letter from her mum and hubby to be!!

So there you have it!

A few hints and tips of you’re thinking of planning a HP Hen Do!! I hope you find this useful!! I post the actual pics separately as I think this post has enough content!!

 

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Joyeux Noël

Tags

Christmas, Christmas 2016, Christmas Traditions, family, Last Christmas as a miss, Noel, relationships

Well, another year and another Christmas with my love – done. Being home this year was lovely and especially special after being away last year. It also seemed a whole lot more poignant as it marked a whole year since Maxwell proposed which was pretty magical too!

I think as we were home this year I went all out with dressing the house and created (in my personal opinion) my most festive decor to date! In addition to the tree (which looked blooming gorgeous) I also went to town and decorated the sideboard, hallway, and 3 fireplaces (our bedroom, lounge and basement)

You can read a little more about my style and inspiration here, and I’ll share a few more pics!

Over the month of December we got up to quite a few festive festivities which was lovely but we made sure we made time to have some important one to one time too! We spent the majority of Christmas day together (doing a teeny Veggie Christmas Dinner for 2) and were joined in the afternoon by my lovely Mumma!

After a lazy start we showered, made some avocado toast and opened some stockings in bed. This is a tradition I love of ours… we (over) fill two stockings with a mix of cheap and cheerful gifts, many of which are from vintage/second hand shops… We also tend to use our stocking for all those middle type pressies saving only the biggest and best for under the tree. We also comically speedy fill our stockings whilst the other is out of the room… if we’re like this now, I can only imagine what we’ll be like when we have actual kids! haha

After stockings we headed into the lounge, turned the tree lights on and put on Christmas classic; Home Alone. We also spent quite a lot of time playing on Maxwell’s new fave pressie, an 80’s Tetris game which we managed to plug into the tv via his equally 80’s VCR player! haha

We called some family and replied to festive messages from loved ones and then cracked on with our Christmas meal. We’d been good and done some prep before hand so it wasn’t too much work, Maxwell was in charge of the Roast Pots and Gravy, I took care of everything else.

We started with some breaded brie and homemade cranberry sauce (which was delish) had about an hour break (time for pressies and a bit of ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’) then it was time for the the main… For our veggie main we made a layered vegetable crumble (stuffing, roasted butternut squash, wilted spinach & cashew nuts topped with a herby crumble and pine nut topping) roasted pots & parsnips, fig & balsamic red cabbage, roasted carrot mash, asparagus, green beans, yorkshire puds and a couple of cheeky pigs in blanket (I’m a meat eater so this is a small must of mine)

With a Christmas cheers to a years engagement and full bellies we headed back to the lounge and put our feet up. Gifting continues and I surprised Maxwell with his main present, (2 tickets for The Cursed Child – ekkk) and I received lots of lego, just what every girls wants!!

Later, joined my Mumma (who we rightly spoilt with champagne and a few pressies) out came the cheese and crackers and the official Christmas chill commenced. Maxwell also gave me my main present (which I can’t wait to use) He’d made me my own giant loom so I can make all our macrame and woven pieces for the wedding! Boy did good!!!

Our day finished how many others did I’m sure… A full house (our fab housemate Ed joined us), a great film on the tv (Lady in the Van for us), continued grazing on cheese and a game of cards against humanity!! We collapsed into bed content and full of love and happiness.

Boxing Day was spent in true British fashion: playing with new toys and a walk to a pub! Bubble and Squeak for Breakfast and Christmas Pud and left over cheese for dinner!

 

 

So there you have it, another spectacular Christmas (our 5th one together) I’m sat here after spending the day de-Christmassing the house and whilst I’m always sad when the decorations are gone, the house feels like it can breathe a deep breath again and we can all start getting excited for 2017 and all the good things it will involve!

Christmas Style #5

Tags

Chic Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Style, Christmas Tree, Festive style, home decor

Hello again, welcome back!

So for my second and final inspirational Christmas Style post I’m sharing with you super stylish gorgeous mummy friend Chloe (aka the magpie mother) and her babe of a daughter Miss Iris

 

 

 

My Festive Style- I would describe it as simple and chic with a lot of different metallics and a mix of modern and vintage inspired decorations. I think I have discovered the perfect style for our home and tastes which is a reflection of our families’ overall style. It feels more grown up and edited with some fun quirkiness still thrown in for good measure. This is mine and the hubbys 10th Christmas together and our 9th Christmas tree. We have gone through the over excited buying of decorations in the first few years to now finding a style that we love and a collection that I am excited to add to each year.

Fave decoration and why?

This is hard as I am such a magpie and I love many of our decorations for various reasons.

Am going to cheat and share a few of my faves. This silver martini glass, the Swarovski Crystal bauble, and the Posh Poddle – Chicness, Sparkle and Quirk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you DIY?

Not so much this year. Christmas has caught us by surprise a little bit this year. It has snuck up on us. I do have these fab pussy willow branches that I brought last year and my mum told me not to put them in water so they last and a year on they still make a fab, simple-yet effective display.

 

 

Who does the decoration?
It is a joint effort. Mr K is sent up the loft and does the heavy lifting. He normally does the lights then I go round after him and tweak them. I do most of the decorating and he does the lights outside. Iris has her own little tree in her bedroom so the girls decorate that together which they absolutely love to do.

 

 

 

 

 

On a scale of 1-10 How much do you love Christmas?
Oh we are way over the scale. We are completely in love with all the magic of the season and since having children this has just exploded. Iris is a true believer and the way her face lights up when we talk about Father Christmas, I cannot wait to see her on Christmas morning. We have brought her a wooden playhouse in the garden that Mr K has been styling up. We have a ribbon with a key that starts in her room and trails through the house into the garden until they find the house. Eeeekkk cannot wait!!

 

 

Anything else you would like to share-

Miss Iris saw me taking photos of our tree and decorations and I told her what I was up to she wanted me to ask about her tree so here she goes…

Describe your tree- it is pink and has a snowiness to it. The lights are pink which are very cool and I get to choose a decoration every year with Mummy. We just brought this doughnut and ice-cream one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite decoration is my Elsa one and mummy likes this reindeer one. Matilda takes them off though and we have to put them back on.

So there you go… I hope you’ve enjoyed this little series I know I have so I’d love to do it again next year (maybe a bit earlier next year too! haha)

Wishing you all a wonderful day and a HUGE thanks to all my gorgeous girls who shared their stunning festive styles with me! You’re all fab!

Christmas Style #4

Tags

Christ, Christmas Style, Christmas Tree, Festive Decor, home decor, Traditional Christmas, unique style

Happy Christmas!!!!! I hope you’re all having a magical day surrounded by those you love most. I’ve been all organised and lined my posts up for today so fret not, I am chilling out with my loved ones not stuck at a computer!

I thought it would fun to spoil you (it is Christmas after all) and give you a double whammy of Christmas Style posts today!

First up is my gorgeous friend Miss Kelly Hayden, super cool london gal pal and all round beauty. (plus her fab fiancé Charlie too of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 theme: The Nightmare Before “Fan-tacky” Christmas.

 
Describe your festive style: A mish-mash of traditional red and gold pieces, thrown together with some Christmas holiday souvenirs we’ve collected on our travels.

Favourite decoration and why: Tough question…But I think it has to be our Jack Skellington bauble. We picked it up while on holiday in Florida, along with Jack and Sally which sit on top of our tree every year, like little angels! However, we’ve recently come back from New Orleans where we picked up a beautiful Christmas “Merman” looking buff holding a daiquiri. Yes…a MERMAN with a DAIQUIRI!

When does your tree go up? Early as possible. Ideally the 1st December!

Every year we get a real tree & we love the smell of a real tree throughout the month!

We loving celebrating Christmas…so any excuse to get the decorations up early.

Do you DIY anything? We made our personalised Christmas Stockings a couple of years ago, and next year I’m determined to breakout the cross stitch and create something festive for the house.

Who does the decorating in your house? Realistically, I’m a “Christmas control freak” when it comes to decorations. Charlie will “hold” and I will “place”.

I think I have Obsessive Bauble Placement Disorder.

 
On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love Christmas? Certainly a 10…We love the run up to it and and the excuses you can use, just “because it’s Christmas!!”

Anything else you wanna share? I don’t think I’m on my own when I say I love the “smell” of Christmas. I stock up on lots of Christmas Candles (spiced apple & cinnamon are my faves!) and buy in lots of Christmas flowers, plants and foliage. Along with a traditional Poinsettia, this year I’ve gone for eucalyptus and red berry stems, which smell amazing!!

Gorgeous huh?? I’ll give you an hour to go off and enjoy another mince pie then I’ll be back with my last Christmas Style post! Ho Ho Ho xx

 

Christmas Style #3

Tags

Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Style, designer, Festive Decor, home decor, home style, kroma, tropical christmas, Uk Designer, uk style, unique style

Another day and Christmas is very nearly here…. Today you’re in for a real visual treat….

You may remember back in September I had the honour of dressing the reception of Mr & Mrs Reid, well if their wedding was anything to go by, I just knew their festive style would be equally amazing, and I was not wrong.

As soon as I spotted the first festive Instagram post from Kate she was on my list of people to contact, and I’m so glad she did, so here goes, let me introduce the beautiful Mrs Reid and her equally beautiful Christmas Style.

 

 

 

Describe your festive style:

This year it seems to be a modern tropical twist on traditional festive decor with lots of green and gold with hints of pink.

Favourite decoration and why?

I think my favourite decoration is probably the pink and gold pineapple I got this year as a gift from one of my besties Tassie, it’s just so cute.

When does your tree go up?

1ST December if possible!

Do you DIY anything?

There are a few spray painted baubles that we did ourselves last Christmas.

Who does the decorating in your house?

We decorate the tree together then I tend to gradually add other bits and bobs throughout the month!

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love Christmas?

10! I have always been lucky enough to spend Christmas with family and friends so it’s a happy time with happy memories.

Stunning huh??? Huge thanks to Kate for the pics and I’ve got 2 more posts lined up for you which I’ll share over the next couple of days. ekkk!!

Christmas Style #2

Tags

50's, Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Style, diy christmas, Festive style, home decor, kitsch, retro, style blog, vintage christmas

For today’s Christmas style post I’d like to introduce my beautiful friend Mrs Anna Zizzou…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 Theme:

I think you could sum up our festive home decor as ’50s kitschmas!’

Describe your festive style?

A white vintage tree with original 50s pastel and bright baubles mixed with a few modern kitsch ones. Most of the old ones have come from charity shops and car-boot sales. (*Buying out of season is a great tip for getting vintage ones super cheap)

Favourite decoration & why?

Every year I fall back in love with with my decorations and unwrapping each one fills me with so much happiness.
I love all of my baubles especially all together (even off the tree) so would be hard pushed to pick a favourite although I really love the collection of colourful 50s snowy trees that belonged to my grandparents! I love to think how many trees most of the baubles have adorned before and how many presents they’ve seen unwrapped.

When does your tree go up?

The past few years our tree has gone up on the 1st of the December. My brothers birthday is on December 17th so growing up we always put our tree up after that so his birthday still felt like his birthday rather than Christmas.

Instead we used to drive around in the evenings looking at other peoples trees and decorations to feel festive and I always knew that as an adult I would want to put my tree up in the beginning of December for others to come and marvel at.

Do you DIY anything?

This year I made some bauble wreaths for the first time using a mixture of old and modern baubles bought from our local charity shop.

I really enjoyed making them and working out the perfect composition. They aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but I love them!

Anything else you want to share?

My most treasured and delicate baubles always live at the top of the tree, where as the stronger or newer kitsch ones hang lower down to try and survive another year in the hands (paws) of the cats.

I also had to share Anna’s amazing wrapping paper skills this year… would you just look at them?!? She got black paper and drew on decorations in pink, green and white! They looked just stunning under her retro white tree!

So there you go, another day, another stunning festive style! I don’t know about you but I am loving this series and wish I’d started it early… I think I’ll definitely be doing a follow up series next year!!! I’m just about to draft tomorrow’s post which will be a tropical explosion…. I can’t wait!

Christmas Style #1

Tags

Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Style, decorations, Festive style, home decor, Noel, style

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve got a bit of a thing about Christmas… Putting up the tree, dressing the house, unwrapping all the decorations… I love the traditions you make and the way it makes you feel. Corny yes, but who the hell cares…

I had planned to do this series throughout December but got a bit delayed but I thought better late then never, and who knows, maybe I’ll continue the tradition next year when things are a bit calmer and I’m a bit more prepared!

The idea is simple, I’d share with you all not only my Christmas style but the variety of festive styles adopted by my very stylish friends… from Kitsch to tropical I think I’m covering all grounds.

I asked my girls to share a few pics and answer a few questions and it only seems fair that I get the ball rolling…

So here goes:

2016 Theme:

This year I’d describe our theme as beautiful & classic. We’ve got a very limited and warm colour range including mustards, metallics and whites with wood, glass and brass. I think it’s my favourite ever!!!!

Describe your festive style?

I like to think over the years my festive style has evolved and changed as I have. I believe it’s now quite refined and a true reflection of what I love most. I’d say I’m quite classic with our festive decor but I include a mix of vintage and modern items which sit harmoniously together. I don’t have a lot of colour but it’s very warm and inviting… crisp white clean lines alongside warming brass and mustard pieces.

Favourite decoration & why?

Oh now that’s a tricky one as I have so many. I brought some gorgeous new baubles this year including a huge etched rose gold one which I adore. There’s also our hand blown Mickey Mouse bauble which we brought last year at The Magic Kingdom when we got engaged so that’s pretty special and as I lost my granddad a few weeks ago I also brought a granddad star for him so sentimentally that’s really special now.

When does your tree go up?

1st of December if possible, then I can spend the rest of the month fussing and tweaking things! haha

Do you DIY anything?

Yes, there are quite a few little DIY things around the house… my newest and most favourite addition is my cream and gold woollen tassels for the tree!

Who does the decorating in your house?

The boy helps with the tree and the lights and maybe the first few decorations then is happy to sit back and let me get on with it (which suits me fine – haha)

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love Christmas? 

Oh a definite 10… I’ve always loved christmas and then my boy went and proposed last year on christmas day so made it even more special!

Anything else you want to share?

Being away last year, as lovely as it was, has made being home this year even more special. I’ve gone all out this year and as well as the tree I’ve also decorated other areas of the house more then I ever have before, the fireplaces in the lounge and bedroom, the sideboards and the hallway… It’s like a festive wonderland in our home and I know it’ll feel so bare come January!

Plus who else adores wrapping presents??????

So there you have it…. that’s me. Next up I’ll share my beautiful friend Anna Zizzou’s…. get ready for a 50’s kitsch explosion!

Record Breaking

Woah… seems you all liked my Book for Lilly… Lotales had a record breaking 564 view yesterday!!!! :O Thanks all for stopping by! x

2014: resolutions

Tags

2014, artist inspiration, creativity, new years resolutions, readling list

I didn’t really make many resolutions in 2014, I did however choose to try and add a little creative variety into my life…. My goals were simple and allowed me to still have one of my busiest years ever!

The first was to read as much as I could…. To try for at least 1 book a month….Obviously this relation varies highly on what I was doing but I feel I made a nice dent and added a few more novels to my bookshelf.
Incase you’re interested here’s what I read in 2014 (a varied choice I think you’ll agree!)

Warhorse
In my shoes
A short history of tractors in Ukraine
Alice in wonderland
Awakening Sleeping Beauty
50 shades of grey
50 shades darker
50 shades free
How to fall in love
Life after life
13 reasons why
My bookie wook
The fault in our stars
A discovery of witches
Shadow of night
Hunger games
Catching fire
The mockingjay

So there you have it… I adore reading and much prefer spending an hour lost in a book then online/infront of the sofa…. Maybe I’ll continue this resolution…. Maxwell did after all buy me a beautiful 70’s edition of the hobbit for Christmas!!

The second thing I challenged myself to do in 2014 was to draw creatively each week influenced by a very different style or artist to me. I was to do 1 drawing per week of the year, they were only quick sketches most of the time (something which has inspired a 2015 resolution – more on that later) but I did it…. Lots of the ones I really like are the delicate detailed studies which I hope will transfer into my new creative work in 2015.
Some are rubbish and I debated sharing them as the point was to draw without pride and fear of others opinions… But I though what the heck…. So if you’re interested again… Here’s what I’ve been doodling… Thank you to all the amazing art and artists who inspired me….

So there we go… I’ve got a few things planned for 2015… I’ll do another post on that later…. What about you? Please feel free to link to your resolution blogs!!

Finally Happy new year to all my followers… Thank you for following my journey… It means a lot! Ami x

Faces – the story in their eyes

Tags

blogging, eyes, humanity, life, people, photography, world wide

I just saw a post on Facebook showing people from around the world. Each has their own story to tell, lives so different yet we’re all kind of the same… Strip back the skin colour and the background, we are all just humans, struggling to get by the best we know how… some just have it 100 times worse then others… You can see the original article, sources and their stories here. Below are a few of the images that resonated most with me… I think it’s in their eyes….