Five Faves to Follow in 2018

It's been a while since I did a post dedicated to my internet favourites and I thought it was about time I did an updated one because I've discovered some excellent new reads this year (and fallen even more in love with some older ones). As well as being my favourites, these ladies are also people I'm expecting big things from in 2018 so you should definitely give them a read or a follow if you don't already. For me, blogging is all about people so I'm drawn to blogs with a more personal touch, written by someone who is honest and relatable so if that's your thing too then read on!

No Space For Milk | If you were to force me to name my favourite blog (it would be very difficult because I love so many) but I would pick Rachel's. She writes about such a wide variety of topics from beauty to mental health and she's got the balance just right between tackling important issues and writing more lighthearted posts. She's an incredibly talented writer, she articulates her points so well and I always feel like her posts are the perfect length - I feel like that's a really odd thing to say, but I suppose what I mean is that I always feel like she puts across everything that needs to be said without it ever becoming unnecessarily long winded (something that definitely can't be said about me). I also have the pleasure of calling her a friend in real life and she's an absolute gem.
Posts to read: The Bride I Never Wanted To Be, Making It Count, The Paradox of Blogging.

Natalie Leanne | Every blog has a vibe to it in my opinion and Natalie's vibe is definitely a calming one. In terms of content she's similarly skilled to Rachel in that she can easily cover hard hitting topics in amongst lighthearted ones. She covers a wide range of topics, which seems to be a theme in the blogs I like, but my favourite from Natalie are her general 'life' posts, which are always so thought provoking and uplifting. Her Instagram is one of my favourites, not only for her pictures but also for her chatty and honest captions and I love her vlogs because she's so relatable. She's another gem I've met in real life and I definitely hope to see her again in 2018.
Posts to read: Not Doing It For The Numbers, Sometimes You Don't Have To Write About It, Getting Out Of A Funk.


Sophar So Good | It's crazy that Sophie only started blogging this year as her content has been top quality from the very beginning (something I'm pretty sure hardly anyone can say *cringes at every single blog post from 2014*). We have insanely similar personalities so I find myself nodding along in agreement to every post she writes and also wishing that we lived closer because I think we'd be pretty good friends. I've loved watching Sophie's blog grow this year and I'm so pleased she's had so much support from other bloggers who love her content as it's so well deserved. I definitely expect big things from Sophie in 2018.
Posts to read: The Ebb And Flow Of Creativity, Why Is It So Hard To Take Our Own Advice?, Shout Out To My Legs.


A Glass Of Ice | I've been reading Gabrielle's blog for a while now and she's always had absolutely stunning photography and a beautifully distinct aesthetic to her blog (read it and you'll immediately know what I mean) and this year I feel like she's really developed her aesthetic to the point where just looking at her blog is enjoyable (although don't just look, read too as her writing style is excellent). I don't know how she does this, but her writing matches her aesthetic too and I find reading her blog extremely calming - it helps that she usually writes about dreamy weekend breaks and hotels! Her Instagram is a dream too.
Posts to read: Is Hygge Still A 'Thing'?, 6 Of The Best Glasshouses To Visit In The UK, The Art Of A Gentle Morning.


Queen Beady | I'd be very surprised if you're reading this post and you've never read Bee's blog. I feel like I really get to know her through her posts, which I think is a sure sign of an excellent writer and one of my favourite characteristics of a blog. From reading her blog I'd guess that she only publishes posts she's 100% happy with, which is why the quality is always so high and every single one is well worth a read. Her photography is incredible too and her Instagram is just a dream, in fact I'd go as far as saying it's my absolute favourite account!
Posts to read: The Art Of Slow Living, I Am Enough, What Being A Feminist Means To Me As A Married Woman.

Who are your favourite bloggers? Please leave me some recommendations!

Amy x

Comfort and Style

I've spoken many times on this blog about how I like to dress comfortably and how that is my priority when it comes to my wardrobe. At some point I've probably referred to myself as a 'comfort over style' kinda gal, and I'm sure many of you would view yourselves that way too. I can't wear things that aren't comfortable, whether it's a waistband that digs in, an itchy sweater or something that forever needs hoiking up, I'm just not there for that. Because of that there are definitely certain things I would never wear that are incredibly fashionable and look amazing on people. I think that's why I've always thought of myself as a comfort over style person.

The expression popped into my head the other day when I was trying on these culottes from Boohoo (which are, FYI, some of the comfiest trousers I have ever owned - we all know I'm a fan of an elasticated waistband) and I was excitedly swanning around in all their comfortableness (spell check says it's a word) while at the same time thinking about how darn good they looked. The thing is, we can have both - comfort and style - and I'm not sure why I've spent so long referring to myself as 'comfort over style' when they're actually on equal footing for me. What I haven't previously taken into account is that I do still like the comfortable things I wear to look good (in my opinion anyway, form your own, personal style and all that jazz). Call me greedy (new blog name? Ha I'm so witty) but I want both comfort and style.

Basically, to sum up the past two rambling paragraphs in one sentence (probably preferable for most people reading this), I love this outfit because it's insanely comfortable, but also looks good. It's pretty basic, but sometimes basic really is best and I think this will become such a go to outfit in my wardrobe because it's extremely versatile depending on what you pair it with.

I've been after a pair of black culottes for a while now, but for some reason never got round to getting any because the ones I'd seen were all a bit too pricey and although I knew they would be such a staple I couldn't bring myself to shell out on something so basic. Then during a little Asos binge I spied these Boohoo beauties for £12. Twelve whole pounds. I think the reason they're so affordable is because they're sort of like culotte leggings (which should definitely be more of a thing) in that they're a stretchy jersey material with an elasticated waist. Despite that they seem like such good quality (I can confirm that they're not see through for one thing) and they're also somehow tailored so that they're the most flattering cut ever. Lets just say I was one happy lady when I tried these on.

I also ordered this grey long line t-shirt thinking that they would make an excellent outfit paired together and they do. Ain't nothing better than basic black and grey is there? Obviously I don't really make the most of the long line aspect of this top when I'm wearing it with these, but I think it'd look great worn over jeans too. I didn't realise how matchy matchy my boots were with my outfit until I looked back at these pictures, but they're my old faithful embroidered ones. For good measure (and because it was bloody freezing) I threw on this old check scarf from H&M which I always forget I have.

So there you go, an outfit that's both comfortable and stylish (at least I think so). Are you comfort over style or both? 

Top - Asos | Culottes - Boohoo via Asos  | Boots - New Look (old) | Scarf - H&M (old)

Amy x

Fashion Blogging on a Budget

I think it's a common misconception that to blog about fashion/style you have to spend a lot of money on clothes. I mean, if you're not already into clothes and you suddenly decide you want to start a fashion blog then yes, you're probably going to end up spending more money, but I think it's a safe assumption that if you start a blog about clothes it's because you already like them so you're probably already buying them. I haven't kept a tally chart or anything (although I wouldn't put it past me), but I'm pretty sure the amount of money I spend on clothes hasn't increased since starting my blog. Believe it or not, I don't actually spend a huge amount on clothes. It's all relative obviously, but (very quickly worked out using my online banking statement) this year I've spent on average roughly £50 a month on clothes (which includes shoes, bags, anything wearable), which I really don't think is too bad. Maybe you do think that's bad or maybe you think it's very restrained - like I said, it's all relative. So, seeing as I blog about fashion without actually spending all that much money (in my opinion), I thought I'd throw some ideas out there on how I manage that. 

Re-use clothes in multiple outfits | Every item of clothing I'm wearing in this post has featured on this blog before, they just haven't been worn together. These jeans in particular are probably one of my most worn items on this blog because, well, jeans go with a lot don't they? I try not to feature the same items too close together, but I've worn this blazer on here once a month since I bought it because it's so versatile and can be styled in such different ways. It's surprising how many different looks can actually be created using the same items and it's something I take advantage of in everyday life so naturally I document that on here too. 

Don't be afraid to wear old clothes | The reason I prefer to call myself a 'style' blogger is because I don't always keep up with the latest fashions and I'm a bit of a hoarder of clothes so I'll often wear things from years ago (i.e. so last last last last season). There's this unwritten pressure when blogging about clothes that everything you're wearing should be current, but it really doesn't matter and I'd much prefer to see what people actually wear on a daily basis. For me, that includes a lot of older clothes, which gives me more options when I'm styling outfits and also saves money. I've found that people really don't mind when I wear older clothes for outfit photos (why I ever thought they might I don't know) and I've actually had positive comments when I've worn certain items a lot (hello embroidered jeans). 

Sale shopping | When I do shop, I don't spend a lot of money. I know there are differing opinions on going for quality over quantity, but in all honesty we don't all have the money to spend on high quality items do we? The only things I really invest in are jeans and boots (although when I say invest I mean £40 jeans from Topshop, not Levi's or anything...) and I find that those investments are worth it because they tend to last years. I rarely buy something that's not in the sale unless it's from Primark or at the cheaper end of the scale already. I suppose the only downside of buying in the sale is that you might not be featuring the very latest trends as soon as they're available so if that bothers you then that could be an issue, but it's not something I really care about so I'm happy to wait.

Focus on style, not fashion | As I said, I like to class myself as a style blogger rather than a fashion blogger. I don't necessarily keep up with the latest trends and I definitely don't know anything about designers and upcoming seasons etc, I just like talking about what I wear and why I like it. It was never a conscious decision for me to focus on style rather than fashion, it was just the natural option because of how I am, but it's been very helpful for saving money because I don't feel like I need the latest trends and I've been able to carry on enjoying clothes as I did before my blog. 

Blazer - Bershka | Jumper - New Look (old) | Jeans - Topshop | Boots - Missguided 

Do you blog on a budget?

Amy x

Sugar Free Breakfast Favourites

If you know me, you'll know I love breakfast. If you don't know me then let me tell you, I LOVE BREAKFAST. It's always been my favourite meal of the day and I used to be the biggest cereal fiend to the extent that I'd happily count it as an evening meal while I was at uni. It's a well known fact that most cereal is packed full of added sugar so when I gave up refined sugar I was a little worried that I was going to lose out on my favourite thing ever, but it's just meant I've had to get a little creative and put a bit more effort into breakfast, which is no bad thing at all. I thought I'd share my favourite refined sugar free breakfasts on here (but don't worry, there's plenty of the natural kind).

Homemade Granola | Granola has long been my favourite kind of cereal and I actually used to make my own long before I gave up sugar unless I was feeling particularly indulgent (or lazy). It's so easy to make and it actually tastes SO much better than the shop bought stuff I promise. I used to follow this Deliciously Ella recipe, but now I mix it up, adding different things or whatever needs using up in my cupboard. Because of that, my recipe varies every time, but the base of it tends to always be oats, flaxseed and ground almonds plus whatever nuts and seeds I have in the cupboard. Once I've mixed all that together I heat some coconut oil in a pan, mix in some maple syrup and cinnamon and pour that into the dry mixture to bind it all together. I don't measure anything, just throw it all in! Sometimes I'll add different spices (for my latest batch I added ground cloves so it's like CHRISTMAS granola) or I'll add some cacao powder to make chocolate granola. Sometimes I'll add dried fruit or coconut flakes after it's cooked, but whatever I do it's always bloomin' tasty. My favourite way to eat it is with natural yogurt and berries on the top.

Peanut Butter and Banana Porridge | I love having porridge at this time of year and however much I try to mix it up, this is the one I always come back to - peanut butter and banana. Tell me, is there a dreamier combination? I make my porridge in the microwave because this girl ain't got time for the hob when she's hungry. I just pop my oats, almond milk and broken up banana (this girl also ain't got time for chopping) in for two and a half minutes then stir in a (large) spoonful of peanut butter (crunchy OFC). Quick, easy and bloomin' lovely cause the banana goes all warm and mushy. 

Gingerbread Latte | I'm not a massive fan of Christmas coffee/hot drinks (shocker I know) because I just like straight up coffee, but back in my sugarful days I was partial to a gingerbread latte because they're not quite as sweet or gross as the others. Obviously they're out of the question for me because they are extremely sugary, but I made my own version that isn't too shabby that I have as an occasional weekend breakfast treat. We have a Nespresso machine so I do the coffee shot using that as normal then as well as the milk I add a bit of ground ginger and cinnamon (more cinnamon than ginger even though its a gingerbread latte because ginger can be pretty overpowering) and a dash of maple syrup into the milk frother, whizz it all up and add it to the coffee. Nom. Again, I don't measure anything so I'm sorry I can't give exact measurements if you want to make your own, but I kinda thing people would like different amounts of everything anyway!

These might not be the most revolutionary breakfast ideas ever, but I'm not someone who can spend ages making breakfast because I'm always so ready for it in the morning I want it there and then so simple is best for me!

What are your favourite things to have for breakfast?

Amy x

Is Getting Older Really So Bad?

Last week I turned 27. Twenty. Seven. I realise that is in no way old, but I do feel a little squirmy when I think about it too much. Have I achieved everything I wanted to by now? Am I on track to achieve everything I want to by the time I'm 30? Am I stocked up on anti-wrinkle cream? (The answer is no to all but the latter.) When I was 21, fresh out of uni with my whole life ahead of me, 27 seemed like a long way away. Then life just happened and where have those 6 years gone? What have I done with them? If I could take a snapshot of my life now and send it back to my 21-year-old self she would not be happy. My life now is not what 21-year-old Amy wanted for herself. But 27-year-old Amy is actually pretty darn happy. And although I'm the first one to join in with the 'OMG we're getting so OLD, isn't it AWFUL?!' conversations, I actually don't think it's all that bad.

We're conditioned from a young age that getting older is not a good thing. You should be upset when you no longer get ID'd and poke fun at your friends by buying them hilarious birthday cards pointing out how ancient they are. And there are some things about getting older that I don't like. I don't like the crow's feet that are there even when I'm not smiling. I don't like the feeling of pressure that comes with being a woman who wants a career and a family and feels like she's running out of time for both (which is probably a topic for a whole other blog post in itself). I don't like the fact that I seem to be getting older so quickly and I might just blink and miss my whole life.

But but BUT there are things that I do like very much. The older I get the more I accept myself for who I am, imperfections, character flaws and all. The older I get the more I also accept that said imperfections and character flaws are mainly my own insecurities and probably go unnoticed by everyone else. The older I get the more my self-confidence grows and the more I value my own worth. As someone who can look back at her early 20s and remember an insecure, awkward girl who was completely and utterly unsure of herself, I've come a long way and I think that's all to do with getting older and maturing. Make no mistake, I am still horrendously awkward, but aren't we all? For me, getting older has meant growing as a person and although I'll probably never like the physical changes that come with getting older, the mental ones are proving to be only positive so far.

So here's to being 27, which is hopefully going to be the best year of my life so far.

And on a completely different note, here's to my new winter coat. It's red and it's cosy and it was from Primark so it was cheap as. Happy Amy.

Coat - Primark (current) | Boots - Topshop (here) | Bobble hat - Primark (current)

How do you feel about getting older?

Amy x

Recent Reads I'd Recommend

Growing up I was rarely seen without a book in my hand. And when I say that I mean I used to get up, pick up my book, read it walking down the stairs, while eating my breakfast, only putting it down to go to school to pick it back up again as soon as I got in and keep it in my hand right up until I went to bed. Reading is actually quite a big part of my life so it seems kind of odd that I've never written a post on my blog about books. The longer I have this blog the less I'm trying to fit into some sort of niche (which I think is probably why I haven't written about them in the past) and I've read quite a few books recently so thought I'd do a round up of three I'd recommend (FYI I don't think any of these books are necessarily new, I've just read them for the first time recently!):

After I've Gone by Linda Green | I picked this one up as part of the 2 for £7 deal in Tesco that I get so easily drawn in by and I wasn't actually expecting much simply because I'd not heard of it, but I was gripped. It's a kind of social media thriller (I'm sure that's becoming a genre) that focuses on a girl who keeps seeing Facebook posts from her future and whether she's able to change that future. It's one of those books where you're almost screaming at the main character to not be such an idiot, but they're the best ones aren't they? It was very easy to read and equally as difficult to put down.  

Lyrebird by Cecilia Ahern | This was another one I couldn't put down (well, all three of these are, hence them making it into this post). It's a difficult one to try to describe and the story line is kind of odd, but in a magical way. It's about a young girl who has lived alone and away from any civilisation for years before being discovered by a film crew who are captivated by the way she can mimic the sounds of nature (like a Lyrebird). As they begin making a documentary about her and her exposure to the 'real world' they start to fear that they're destroying her innocence and her happiness. I've seen a lot of people describe this book as 'twee' and 'boring', but personally I thought it was beautiful and such a unique idea for a plot.  

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes | Shockingly I'm probably the only person who has never read (or seen) Me Before You but I'll definitely be seeking that out after enjoying this one so much. The Girl You Left Behind (which, just to clarify is not a sequel to Me Before You) is written across two different time periods - the First World War and the present day - and tells the stories of two separate women linked together by the fact that Liv (present day) possesses a painting of Sophie (1917), which becomes the subject of a legal battle resulting in Liv discovering details about Sophie's life. It's one of those books that feels so real, particularly the wartime part, which made me pretty emotional because I'm sure countless similar things actually happened. I empathised SO MUCH with Liv and I do love to get emotionally involved in a book. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Let me know if you have any recommendations! 

Amy x

Online Validation and Self-Worth

I'm coming at you with this post after a week long blogging break, something that I should probably have done a long time ago, but I'm someone who enjoys order so I like the fact that I have two set days a week that I post and I love the fact that up until last week I've never missed a post. What I don't like is that this has led to me view blogging as more of a chore and something that I 'have to get done'. At a time when I'm really enjoying work and life in general, my blog was the one thing that I felt was bringing me down, which is odd because I love writing and I love this little space on the internet that I've created. So I took a step back, had a break and thought about why. Why is something I enjoy making me feel stressed and under pressure and generally a bit 'meh'? 

I love the moments of pride that come with blogging - the posts that get a lot of shares, the feeling that you've finally created something worth reading, the first time one of your Instagram pictures gets triple figure likes - it can be a very rewarding process. But with the ups come the downs and what I've come to realise is that I, along with many others I'm sure, had started to base my own self-worth solely on online validation. I only felt worthy if people who I've never met in real life made me feel so. Pretty dangerous no? 

It feels great to write a post that gets fifty comments; they're all positive, you're chuffed to the moon and back that this many people are engaging with your content and you get that little warm buzz that comes with knowing that people like what you're doing. That's all well and good, but what happens when you write a post that only gets four comments? In reality, you should probably just brush it off and think 'well hey, that obviously wasn't my best writing or the most interesting topic' and realise that it's not all about numbers. But instead of thinking about it in terms of the content decision you've made, you start to take it personally (I'm saying 'you' here and I'm not quite sure why because I'm talking about myself obvs). Instead of thinking 'my writing/photography in that post wasn't very good' you start thinking 'I'm not very good.'

Another big part of this is Instagram. Everyone and their neighbour's dog has had a fall in engagement on Instagram recently, but it's another thing that's easy to take personally when you've been basing your self-worth on it. I don't know when that starts, but I suppose when you've had growth in followers/engagement/likes for a while you start to crave it and rely on it to make you feel good about yourself. You start to see every like as someone liking you as a person rather than just liking that one picture. So when the likes begin to dwindle? When the followers start unfollowing? It's a blow to your ego because it makes you feel like people are starting to dislike you and that you're not worth anyone's time. 

All of the above is absolutely ridiculous and it's all come because I've fallen into the trap of online validation making me feel good about myself so when that validation doesn't come I feel bad, 'meh' and 'what's the point?' I think this has affected my content in a way - I'm writing things I think people will like instead of the things I want to write about, which come far easier to me and probably result in much better posts. So I'm going to make a change. I'm going to blog to seek validation from myself rather than other people online. I'm not going to publish a post unless I'm happy with it, not just when I think other people might like it. And I'm going to focus less on numbers, or at least try to (harder than it seems isn't it?) and throw myself back into blogging hopefully recharged, with renewed motivation and with less desperation for online validation.

And on a lighter note, I'm going to dedicate this last paragraph to my outfit because LOL that's probably what you're all here for rather than the last 700 words of drivel. I've featured this jacket once before, but it's become a real staple and I've been wearing it non stop because it's SO COSY and also I think it looks pretty good. Plus I've been wanting a denim shearling jacket for so long that now I've got one I'm going to make the most of it. The striped jumper that you can just about spy underneath it is an old Asos number that I got for about £6 in the sale, which I wore mainly because one of the colours in it matches my new boots. Which brings me nicely onto my new boots. Aren't they beaut? I'd never shopped at Misguided before, but when I saw that they had 50% off everything recently I couldn't not have a little browse and bagged these beauties for £20. I've been really wanting some red boots, but can't find any that I really like or that are very 'me' and I think burgundy maybe is a bit more 'me' (don't know why me is in inverted commas, I do mean me not some hypothetical version of myself) and I love the stars on them too. They're funky boots, but still kind of understated in a way where I feel that I can definitely wear them as casual everyday wear. I'm super happy that now it's colder I can get my faux leather trousers out again because they make me feel v. sassy but also they're surprisingly very comfortable and if you've ever read my blog before you'll know I put comfort before pretty much anything.

Boots - Misguided | Jacket - Primark (current stock) | Jumper - Asos | Trousers - New Look | Bag - M&S (old)

Have you ever based your self-worth on online validation?

Amy x

A Love Affair With Primark

I'm aware the title of this post is a little bit overdramatic, but I couldn't exactly call it 'I quite like Primark at the moment' could I? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it. But that's what this post is basically about. I quite like Primark at the moment, well actually I bloomin' love it. It seems to have happened all of a sudden and I don't know if it's because I've just been going in more often or if the stuff is actually just reallllllly good right now. Maybe both. I have found myself wandering over there in my lunch break more times than I've needed to and usually I end up buying something because it's so cheap I can actually justify it for once and not feel all that guilty (not that I, or anyone for that matter, should ever feel guilty for buying clothes, but for some reason I usually do.) 

Thinking about it, maybe the title of this blog post is rather fitting because what I have with Primark is a bit of a love affair. When it first opened in Hull it was the place to shop because hey look I can get a pair of flowery leggings for a fiver and also some white platform heels for a tenner and aren't I just gonna look the bommmb at the next sixth form party? Fast forward a few years and I only really went there if I needed something cheap for a fancy dress party or if I needed work shoes that were going to get wrecked within weeks anyway. While I was at uni I stayed well clear of the Primark when I was shopping in central London because it was always so busy and overwhelming and I just didn't have the patience to look round it. So although I wouldn't say I ever hated it, I definitely fell out of love with it for a while.

Fast forward again to today and as I said, I'm, bloomin' loving it so I thought I'd share my favourite recent purchase on here, which is this jumpsuit. It's that check pattern that I love, which may or may not be called plaid? I'm not sure, definitely don't come to me for any fashion lingo, but I like it. It's also perfect for layering, in fact I imagine it's supposed to be layered and it's roomy enough to fit a jumper underneath if you wanted to. I actually didn't feel too cold braving a culotte jumpsuit at this time of year, but because this one goes so well with black I feel like it'd be fine with black tights worn underneath anyway so it should be wearable right into winter. I layered it underneath this black polo neck on this occasion, but I can imagine it looking great over a white tee too and possibly even layered over my fave orange jumper.

Jumpsuit - Primark (current) | Top - H&M | Boots - Topshop 

Are you a Primark fan?

Amy x

Little Corners of My Bedroom

I wasn't planning on doing another interiors post so soon after my last mammoth one about our renovation process so far, but I did one of those Instagram poll thangs and you guys said you'd rather see pictures of my house than pictures of me and, well, I don't blame you really. So, similar to this post I did about my favourite parts of our kitchen I decided to do one about my favourite little features in the bedroom. And just a word of warning, this is basically a post all about plants. Soz. 

Plant Ledge | When we first moved in I commented that the small ledge on top of our inbuilt wardrobe would make an excellent place to put plants and once the cats came we had to move most of the plants out of reach because some of them are poisonous and even if they're not one of our cats has a penchant for nibbling plants and then sicking them back up again (it's fun in our house),  but anyway it meant I finally got my wish of using the ledge as a plant ledge! As a self-confessed plant lady, it's definitely one of my favourite little touches in the bedroom. I love having plants where you don't necessarily expect to see them! 

Fireplace | I mean, obviously. I have done a whole post on our fireplace before, but it was such a long time ago that I think it's definitely justified to talk about it again. The fireplaces in the bedroom and the spare bedroom were the best finds in this house because we didn't actually know they were there when we bought the house as they'd both been boarded up so we were very lucky to find such beautiful ones with original tiling too! The fireplace needed cleaning up and repainting and although not all of the tiles came completely clean (trust me, after hours of scrubbing, it can't be done) it still looks beautiful. On the mantlepiece I've got some plants (obviously) and some pictures. One of the paintings was done by my grandad and was given to me by my grandma when he died so that's very special and the other is by my best friend and I'm sure it'll be worth millions one day. The mirror above the fireplace is still one of my favourite things in the whole house - it came from my grandparents' house (on the other side of the family as the painting) and I've seen similar ones in vintage shops for much moneys so we're lucky to have it. 

Dressing Table | I have a post on how I upcycled this table here (and when I say upcycled I mean I sanded it down and painted it...counts right?). Let's ignore the fact that I've also nicked these photos from that post because it got dark before I could get good ones of it now (probably a blessing in disguise because all that's changed is it's more cluttered and also slightly makeup stained). Anyway, I've always had this grand idea of having a beautiful dressing table in my house and I finally got one when we moved into this house. Yay to not having to sit on the floor by my full-length mirror to do my makeup anymore! It's quite small, but this was the only space we had for it to go and I'm not much of a makeup hoarder so I don't really need a big one. I sit at it every single day and its position means I get good lighting from each side, but I'm generally shielded from view of the neighbours. 

So there we have it, a few of my favourite parts of our bedroom. I might do this kind of post for every room in our house so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing!

Amy x 

House Renovation | Two Years On

So tomorrow marks two years since we got the keys to our house. I'm not quite sure what was going through our heads when we bought this house - after six months of viewing houses and turning heaps down because 'it needs a new bathroom' or 'it was a bit tatty' we ended up buying one that was borderline unliveable in and needed absolutely everything doing to it. Aren't we silly? It's been extremely rewarding though and I would recommend renovating a house to anyone - not only does it mean you can put completely your own stamp on it but it also saves a lot of money (to put it into perspective, what we paid for our house and the renovations put together is still roughly £40k less than buying a house in the same area done up to the standard we're doing ours to). *Smug face*

When we moved in our goal was to have it finished within the two year mark. I'm sad to say we didn't achieve that, but when we're doing the majority of the work ourselves while both working full time and also trying to stay sane that was probably an unrealistic goal in the first place. Naturally we've slowed down, both for financial reasons and because we've got enough rooms finished now that there isn't the same urgency as when we first moved in to make spaces liveable. In fact, since I wrote our one year on post (here) we've actually only done the kitchen (although that was a massive job). If you're interested in reading any of the transformation posts I did along the way I'll link them below in the order we did the rooms along with some current pictures of each one.

Bedroom | Transformation post here

We decided to work from the upstairs down for the simple practical reason that we didn't want to have to carry rubble or trample dust through downstairs if it was done nicely. We obviously chose to start with the bedroom so we'd have somewhere nice to sleep, which if you're a fellow DIY-er you'll know is an extremely important thing at the end of a long day's renovating. Because it was the first room we did we were still learning as we went along so it took us a good few months. We even started off stripping the four layers of wallpaper with hot water and a cloth until we realised it would probably be worth paying £20 for a steamer just so it didn't take a whole month to strip the walls. We also wasted some time stripping wallpaper off a wall that we then decided to take down to make it one big room instead of a bedroom and dressing room (forever bitter that I didn't get my dressing room, but it was 100% the right thing to do). Anyway I won't speak about it too much because all the nitty gritty detail is in the original post, but at some point soon I might do a post on my favourite parts of our bedroom and just generally an update - it's a lot more cluttered now than in the original photos!

Bathroom | Transformation post here

We kind of did the bathroom alongside the bedroom as most of the work in there was done by a plumber and tiler so they worked on the bathroom while we worked on the bedroom (although if we knew what we do now we would definitely do this ourselves). The bathroom was the main room that needed doing because there wasn't a shower and I felt a little weird about having a bath in a tub that had obviously been there since the 70s. Although the bathroom was pretty much done within a couple of months we had to wait what seemed like forever to paint it because we discovered a damp patch and we had to wait for it to dry out in what is the wettest room in the whole house. Although the bathroom is small I love it, plus it's my least favourite room to clean so the smaller the better.

Office | Transformation post here

Technically this is a little bedroom at the back of the house, but it's one of those awkward rooms that doesn't really have any logical place for a bed in it so we made it into a little office/study. Shockingly for a blogger, I didn't want to go all white and instead we went for a kind of 'old library' feel (just with absolutely no books whatsoever) so the walls are a browney beige colour and the rug and other accents in the room are all red. It's made it a really cosy room so it's very nice to light a candle and blog from (which is actually my current situation).

Temporary living room/spare bedroom | Transformation post here

This is the main reason we're taking so long to do anything to the actual living room - we have a temporary one with TV, sofa and all. It doubles up as a spare bedroom because our sofa is a sofa bed so technically we don't ever need to do up the living room right? This is actually possibly my favourite room in the house, to the point where when we change it into a full time spare bedroom I might want to sleep in it.

Kitchen | Transformation post here

And most recently of course, we finished our kitchen. I'll say pretty much nothing about this because I've spoken about it a fair amount on here already, but what I will say is that this room is proof that renovations always take longer than you think they will. 

So, watch this space for the living room transformation, but don't hold your breath for it anytime soon!

Would you ever renovate a house?

Amy x

Getting Creative This Autumn

I don't know what it is about this autumn - usually at this time of year I'm sad that summer is over and end up in both a productive and creative slump - but I've felt extremely motivated to do all sorts of things I wouldn't usually. There's been something so nice about cosying up in a big jumper, lighting a scented candle, making myself a brew and doing something with my time that isn't working, blogging or cleaning. As it's making me all kinds of happy I thought I'd share what I've been doing on here. I'm not sure where I've suddenly found all this spare time from (something tells me the tidiness of my house may be suffering a little) but maybe I'm just using it more productively than I usually would - lets face it, most things are more productive than sitting watching old episodes of Ex on the Beach (which, speaking of, I think there may be a new series...)

So firstly, most importantly and most excitingly, I've started writing a book. When I was little the first thing I ever wanted to be when I grew up was an author and I used to fill notebook upon notebook with little stories (my first was called 'the lost dady' back when I couldn't write capital letters and I didn't know my bs from my ds). I've always said I wanted to write a book (it's been a new years resolution of mine for about five years in a row) and every now and then I've even half-heartedly started, but this time I'm really going to try and go the long haul.

I haven't written anything apart from this blog for the past three years and in a way I think I've used my blog as an excuse to not write anything else because it's at least meant I'm writing something, but turns out I can make the time for both unlike I thought and it's such a different kind of writing that I can definitely do the two without getting bored. I've got a plot idea that I'm actually quite excited about that fits into my favourite genre and I'm really enjoying it. Even if I write it and it only gets read by my mum then I'll still be chuffed that I wrote it in the first place.

Image courtesy of Viking

Back in October I attended the Viking Arty Party with Alex, which was so much fun and I think that was what kickstarted my creative side this autumn. We tried block printing (spoiler: I wasn't very good), making our own Christmas crackers and my favourite activity of the day, brush calligraphy. I definitely wasn't a natural, but I have actually been practising quite a bit since the event and it's definitely something I'll be carrying on with. I want to do a couple of quotes to maybe go up on our walls (if they're good enough) and I've already sent out the card I made at the event so I'd like to make a few more of those too. I'd love to get good enough to make all my own Christmas cards this year so watch this space...

As well as the brush calligraphy, I really want to finish off the Christmas cracker advent calendar we started making at the event. The crackers were surprisingly easy to make and look so good and the idea is to make 24 and string them up as an advent calendar. I don't think I'm actually going to put anything in mine because I'm going to want to keep them up for the whole festive period. Sorry cats.

I don't know if this counts as being creative, but I've also made November the month that I've started a journal as a place to write down little monthly goals and also five positive things from each day. I've been wanting to start one for ages, mainly to write down the little positives from my day, but I'm procrastinator in chief so it's taken until now to do it - maybe I've finally managed to start one because I'm having this little creative motivation boost. And it does count as creative because I've made it all nice and colourful inside. Once a coloured gel pen lover, always a coloured gel pen lover.

I have a few things on my to do list too - I'd love to start knitting again, I have a few little DIY bits I want to do around the house (like fun DIY for once, not renovation DIY) and I want to fish my colouring book out again too. So many hobbies, so little time.

What do you do to be creative?

Amy x