DIY Wish/Memory Jar

What is a wish/memory jar, i hear you cry! Well, pictures of these things have been all over Tumblr and Pintrest recently, and so, here is a nice little DIY for you to make your own!
This neat little idea is essentially a jar, that you write down either wishes that you have for the year, or good things that happen to you throughout the year, and you put them in the jar. At the end of the year, you open the jar and you read all the little things you have written! It's like an unconventional diary of nice little snippets for you to document your year!

You will need: 

A jar! Any kind, any size

Small pieces of paper or post-it notes

Things to decorate with!

I used a mason jar, easily found at any home supply shop, or supermarket. And a bunch of things i found in my craft box.

I used some old ribbon, and stuck on various bits and bobs!

Write your wishes or write down when something good happens to you, and pop it in the jar!

I made a note of the date on mine too!

And there is your jar! 

You can make it as outrageous or simple as you like. Cover it in glitter, wrap it up in paper or just leave it plain! It is yours to do what you want with.

And remember, you don't have to just put pieces of paper in it. Pick flowers from a fun day out, press them and put them in the jar to remember the day! Find conkers in the park in the autumn, put them in the Jar! Confetti from a birthday card, an invite to a wedding, anything small enough to fold up or fit in the jar, that will remind you of happy days, put it in!

I hope you give this easy DIY a try, and fill your jar with beautiful things this year!

Kitten noses and puppy paws,

xoxo

New Years Eve makeup musthaves!

OMG, there are only 2 days left of 2013! One of the biggest nights for partying is coming up, New Years Eve is nearly upon us! 

I'm sure you have already thought about your outfit, and maybe even snagged yourself a cute new bargain in the post Christmas sales, but have you thought about your makeup yet? 

We all have our 'favourite faces', the makeup we automatically put on for work, going shopping, and then a totally different up look for going out for drinks. We are all guilty of it, and i don't blame you! It's easy to do! So instead of doing a totally dramatic makeup tutorial for New Years Eve, i bring you my top 4 must have products, to keep your makeup looking fresh and flawless way into the early hours of 2014!

This product is a must have for ANY night out, or all day shopping trip! Simply apply you makeup as normal, and then add a spritz of this at the end, to keep your makeup in place for up to 16 hours!

Available here from Debenhams

 This little compact is a complete cover-up with its own sponge and brush. A super fine powder makes it great for brushing over already applied foundation, or for when you need a top up throughout the day, and perfect for if you have any oily skin!

Keep this beauty in your bag, you won't regret it!

Available here from Benefit Cosmetics 

If you are a fan of glitter then this will be your new best friend. It's perfect for applying over your usual eye shadow for a completely new look, or my new favourite thing to do, using it to run over my cheek bones instead of a highlight! 

Available here from House of Fraiser 

I'm sure you have already heard about this one. It's the UK's number one, top selling mascara!

The brush on the wand, separates, curls and lifts your lashes, giving a super extended and full look.

And it's long wearing, which is exactly what you need for a big night ahead of you!

Available here from Benefit Cosmetics

I would even wear all four of these products together, for a simple look with a whole lot of oomph from the Moondust! You can even dab it on the ends of your lashes when your mascara is still wet!

I hope you have a fabulous New Years Eve!

xoxo

realistic New Years resolutions

Where has the year gone? There are only 9 days left of 2013! And only 3 days to go until Christmas day!
I'm sure you are all sorted for Christmas now, and thinking about what your New Years resolutions will be, But did you know that only 8% of people actually stick to them? The main reason being they are too vague and we try and stick to too many!

Every year people make the same old resolutions, with the top ones being; lose weight, spend less, save more, stay healthy, less stress, help others and quit smoking. How many years in a row have you tried to keep to one of these, and failed by February?

Here are a few easy to stick to resolutions, that i think anyone could keep!

The key for keeping your New Years resolutions is simple, be realistic!
If you are a smoker, don't kid yourself into thinking it's going to be easy, and you can quit cold turkey! Instead, aim at cutting down one cigarette each day, and the process will be much easier.
If you are an unhealthy person, and want to start exercising, don't suddenly think that you can run a marathon! Why not join a weekly class in something that interests you? There are so many fitness classes out there now, pole dancing, kickboxing, whatever takes your fancy, if you sign up for a class it's more motivating to go! Plus you will meet other like minded people in your position!

If all else fails, and you still don't think you can stick anything out, all year long, why not take part in Cancer Researches Dryathlon? Sign up by the 1st, to get your fundraising pack, and give up alcohol for the month of January whilst raising money for cancer research!

This year, why not try and stick to just one New Years resolution? And one that won't be too hard to stick at! Don't make it a chore, and don't think of it as something you have to work at. Just make it a lifestyle change!

I hope that with this small guide, the start to your 2014 sees you happy, healthy and motivated!

See you on the other side,

xoxo

Last minute Christmas gift guide!

I looked at the calendar in the kitchen today whilst making myself breakfast, and all of a sudden was hit with a wave of, OMGGGGGG THERE IS ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Like a lot of people, i did a handful of my Christmas shopping during the Black Friday sales, but there are a few people who always leave it until the last minute, or just totally didn't realize that Christmas was so close!

So, for those people i have created this last minute Christmas gift guide!

If you are short on funds this year, avoiding the shopping centres or just feeling crafty, then channel your inner Jasmine Blu, and make yourself a gorgeous DIY hot chocolate set! On her blog, Jasmine shows you how to create these totally cute sets, with step by step instructions and pictures!

Jasmine has even decorated some of the jars with lace and pretty bows. Totally kitsch!

If you have a fan of makeup in your life, be it your wife, girlfriend, mum or work buddy, i'm sure you will have already heard about the long awaited, newly released, Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. If you can bare to brace the crowds in the next few days, i strongly recommend heading to your nearest Debenhams, House of Fraiser or other makeup counter to get your hands on the next big thing in makeup! 

Boasting 12 new, never before seen shades, the makeup lover in your life will adore this new palette!

We all have that one person who has everything, or wants nothing, every Christmas. Yet, every year you find yourself running around trying to find them something they might like, and usually resorting to a box of choccies and a bottle of bubbly. But how about this year, donating that money you would usually spend, on a more worthwhile cause?

Cows 'n' Things, is an ethical gift scheme run by Age International, that works to support people in over 40 of the worlds poorest countries. On the website, you can buy gifts such as a fruit tree, school books, a chicken for eggs or even a two room house. You buy these gifts on behalf of someone, and they receive either an e-card or card via the post that explains you have bought the gift in their name.

The gifts start from as little as £5, and could provide someone with food, shelter and a better life. That's better than getting someone a box of chocolates that they wont eat half of!

Everyone loves a trip to the cinema, but nowadays it can be quite expensive! That's why i think gift cards for days out are a fantastic idea, and this one from Cineworld is really great!
For £20 you get two adult tickets for a 2D or 3D film, a voucher for two drinks, and a regular popcorn.
Although the actual boxes have now sold out online, you can head to your nearest cineworld to pick one up, or if you don't have one near you, you can order the e-voucher version, that you can then put in a card for your intended recipient!

Everyone loves a movie!

If you really want to be super dad, uncle, grandad or just superman to any kid in your life, then a Furby is the way to go this Christmas. The crazy talking owl beasts have been revived from the 90's and brought back in super neon colours and crazy designs, and they are hot property right now! 

What's that i hear you cry? Furbys are nowhere to be found? Well, stores are getting deliveries in every day! Checking on websites such as Argos show that there are no furbys available for delivery! Oh no! BUT, if you click on the little 'check store locally' button and input your postcode, it will show you where there is a furby available close to your address! I checked mine and a few other postcodes, and i was able to find one in stock every time! So go get that weird neon Furby creature!

u-nye-boh-doo?

Then i have a couple of tips for you,

• Get there just before the shops open in the morning.

People don't like getting up early on their days off, and who can blame them? But, if you can bare to face the cold morning light, get to your intended shopping mall just before the shops even open. New stock will be out from the night before, there will be very small ques and over all, much less hustle and bustle!

• Don't over dress!

This may sound like an odd one, but when you are shopping with a reason, you gotta get your game face on! Put those trainers on, and leave the pretty shoes at home, you are in a war for that Furby! It's freezing outside, but inside they will be blasting those heaters, and you don't want to get weighed down by a coat and scarf along with all your shopping, so leave the coat in the car!

• Go alone

For the love of humanity, leave the kids at home. They will slow you down, want McDonalds and probably cry because it's so busy. Same goes with husbands and partners. If you shop alone, you shop with the intention of getting what you want, in and out of there as quickly as possible!

Last of all.... Good Luck you brave Christmas soldier!

I hope this guide has helped you get some ideas for that last minute rush, and how to go about getting them!

Evil Furby bids you farewell,

xoxo

Here comes the bride!

So, as i mentioned in my last post, i'm getting married next year! And as you can tell, i'm really quite excited!
We got engaged this year whilst on holiday in Egypt, and pretty much as soon as we were back home, we had decided that we wanted to get married next year in the summer.
Being a person that quite enjoys organizing things, i went into wedding planner mode, looking up timelines and various other helpful information online. The only experience and knowledge i had of weddings was the handful i had attended as a guest, and trashy (and amazing) television programmes such as 'Don't Tell The Bride' and 'Bridezilla'. Judging from these shows, i was expecting wedding planning to be a totally stressful and terrible experience, involving lots of crying and screaming. How wrong i was! I have been totally calm, with only a few stressful moments, usually involving the groom, and have actually been enjoying planning our special day.
Planning your wedding shouldn't be a laborious task, it should be something you enjoy doing! So i decided i would pass on some tips and tricks to you guys and gals, to get the most out of your engagement, and planning your wedding!

Get yourself a good wedding planner binder!

These are available in many places, and really are a huge help! They have sections on different parts of wedding details, such as the budget, clothes, rings, venues, cars, cake etc that help you keep track of everything as the months go by. It is really easy to forget things when you have so much to plan, but if you break it down into small sections, it makes it so much more manageable!

My mum sent me this vintage inspired wedding planner. It's small enough to take in my handbag, but has everything of importance in it!

Be open to change

Most people will get engaged and then have a good few years before they start planning a wedding properly, and in that time colour themes can change four or five times. A lot girls, and even some guys, will have the image of the perfect wedding in their mind, and will have had it there since they were a child! My number one tip would be to try and push that to the back of your mind, and start with a clean slate. In reality, your budget may not stretch to that Vera Wang wedding dress! 

Other people WILL get involved

Like it or lump it, mothers are going to get involved in the planning. Some do it because they want to help and be involved in all aspects of the wedding, and others do it because they want to make sure that your Satan worshiping, black metal loving friend with that huge mohawk, isn't sitting next to dear old Nana. Either way, there will be times when you do want to turn into your inner 4 year old fairy princess, and stamp your foot on the floor in defiance shouting "Its my wedding and i will do what i want!", but its better to refrain from that, and just pretend that they are getting their own way. Nod and smile and then change things back after they have gone home.

Don't be afraid to say no 

This goes hand in hand with the tip above. There are times when you will have to put your foot down and politely say no to things. When we were making a rough first draft of our guest list for the ceremony, we suddenly realized that there was no way we were going to fit everybody into the church. We made the decision that young children would only be invited to the reception after the church, to save space. Most people were understanding, as there are a lot of children in the family, but of course a few kicked up a fuss. One of the hardest things to do, is say no to family, but in times like this you can't be afraid to. It's a cliche, but it is your day, and what you say goes!

Don't let it take over your life

I really do think this is how Bridezillas hatch from the lovely ladies they once were! Remember that it doesn't all need to be done right now. The more you try and squash in to doing here and now, the more stressed you become, the more scales you grow, the more you turn into a Bridezilla. In most cases, you have plenty of time! There are some fantastic planners you can find online that tell you month by month what you should be doing. One of my favourites is this one from Your Wedding Magazine which you can print off and put into your wedding planner to help you visualize what you need to be doing and when. Take a break once in a while!

                                                   

Don't be afraid to DIY

The wedding industry is a HUGE business, and along with helping you make the most of your wedding day, they are also there to rinse you of every penny you have! You can make huge savings by doing things yourself instead of going through a company that does exactly the same thing. 

Hotels will all have wedding packages that they want to sell you, and they are hideously expensive for what they offer. Just as an example, when we were looking for a reception venue, we went to one hotel who wanted to charge us over £8,000 for 50 guests. We explained that we didn't want to have a formal wedding breakfast and were told that we "have to have a wedding breakfast" if we wanted to book their hotel. So with two fingers up to them, we walked away and that's when we decided we would plan all aspects of the wedding ourselves. But you can just cut corners here and there if you don't want to do it all yourselves, such as making the save the date cards and posting them yourselves, instead of paying someone upwards of £100 to do it for you!

Book your Honeymoon as early as you can

Your honeymoon is probably going to be a huge chunk of your wedding budget, but the sooner you book it, the cheaper it is going to be. Trying to decide where to go is difficult. With the time of year you will be getting married, your desired location might be in tornado season, or in the dead of winter, just as ours was! It's helpful to go into a travel agent and get them to help you talk through some ideas of what you want your honeymoon to include. I found this especially helpful as there isn't much help found online for where to go in each season with what you want included. Remember when booking to make sure they plaster the word 'honeymoon' all over your reservation, so you get all the little perks of a newly married couple!

Don't be afraid to ask for help

Sometimes there are things we simply don't know how to do, or don't know how to start, or simply just need an extra pair of hands doing. That is what your bridesmaids, groomsmen and family are for, so utilize them!

Last but not least, enjoy it!

I hope these few tips help you when it comes to planning your own wedding, whether you are already engaged, or are hoping that you will have a Christmas engagement! 

I am totally excited to get married next year, i only have a few bits and bobs left to plan, and it's all going swimmingly well. I'm sure after Christmas its going to fly by!

Peace out, brussel sprout,

xoxo