Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things I've been coveting this week...

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I'm loving Cath Kidston's brand new Hen Party collection, which launched just last week. The hen designs are so daft, I can't help but smile whenever I see them. Aren't they fabulous?! I would love to collect all the stationery, kitchenware, and some of the bags and purses, and definitely need to get my hands on the set of notebooks before the season is through. 

There are also some amazing dresses, skirts, tops, and pyjamas in the collection, which I'd buy in a heart beat if they came in plus sizes, along with lots of other pieces I haven't featured here, so if you like these, make sure you check them out!

Cath Kidston Sunshine Oval Cross Body Bag

I also love this cheerful little cross body bag from Cath Kidston's new season selection. It would brighten up any outfit in an instant, and probably a bad mood, too! 

Cath Kidston Patchwork Storage Baskets

These storage baskets are so pretty and would be perfect for organising my craft supplies. I'm definitely going to be needing them in my life.

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Lindy Bop have released some gorgeous dresses this week, and I'd especially love to get my hands on these beauties to wear this spring. I don't even care that pastel colours wash my super pale skin out; these dresses need to get in my wardrobe now.

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My current favourite brooches from acrylic jewellery brand La Vidriola. The hippo is particularly amazing, wouldn't you agree?

Skinny Dip Hoppin Phone Case

How cute is this bunny print iPhone case from Skinny Dip?! I mean, seriously, look at their little whiskers and twitchy noses! So bloody adorable. I need it! 

I used to own two bunnies until they died of old age a few years ago, so I can never resist anything bunny-themed.

Junarose Heart Print Long Line Shirt

I rarely get along with button-down shirts because I'm quite broad shouldered and they always gape in the chest- and I don't even have a large bust- but good God, this pink heart print shirt from Junarose is wonderful. It looks super versatile, too.

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Australian jewellery brand Curious Carousel have the most adorable range of brooches inspired by British wildlife at the moment, and these are just a few of my favourites. The designs come in different colours and / or finishes, with some facing the other direction, for those of you who prefer to wear brooches on your left side. (As you can see, I prefer wearing them on my right). I want to adopt all the foxes and bunnies for my brooch zoo!

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And these embroidered bobble hats from Papio Press are easily some of the most beautiful winter hats I've ever seen. I especially love the red panda and red fox designs.

If you'd like to see more of the pieces I have my eye on, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish Lists here.

Any favourites this week?

Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things I've been coveting this week...

Erstwilder In Full Bloom Collection

Available in the UK from Carnation Collectibles, Daisy Park, Glitterally, Lottie & Lu, Kitty Kat, Thunder Egg.

Australian jewellery legend Erstwilder released a brand new nature-inspired jewellery collection this morning called In Full Bloom, and I'm obsessed with the whole twenty-five piece collection. The range is made up of brooches, necklaces, and earrings in a wide variety of different flower and plant designs, and it has to be one of the prettiest jewellery collections I've ever seen. I've been anticipating this collection for weeks, and I adore the designs so much I could honestly buy every single piece (y'know, if I wasn't poor). I could only stretch to one today, so I've treated myself to the amazing pansy brooch, but I would've loved to have bought the pansy and daffodil pieces, the lily brooch, monsteras, and so many others along with it. I'm not holding my breath for collecting them later, as the collection is proving to be extremely popular and so many of the pieces have sold out already. Some were gone in minutes! I haven't linked to individual pieces like I usually do because of this, but I've provided links to where you can find the collection above, so you can shop the remaining selection. Move fast if you have your heart set on any of the pieces; they won't be around for long!

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Skinny Dip have a fantastic collection of Disney iPhone cases at the moment, with designs of some of the best Disney animal sidekicks. Pocahontas has always been one of my favourite Disney films, so I'm dying to get my hands on the Meeko and Flit case. It's so cute!

Skinny Dip Sebastian Make Up Bag

If you like the Disney phone cases, you may be interested to hear that Skinny Dip's collaboration with Disney also includes a range of make up cases in matching prints. My favourite is this awesome pink Sebastian case.

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I discovered another wonderful acrylic jewellery brand on Instagram this week called Teacup Girl, whose designs are created by an Australian jewellery designer and based in Thailand. Just look at how adorable their brooches are! My favourites have to be the swan and the blue lovebird.

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Cath Kidston have released heaps of new season products this week, and I'm particularly smitten with their Bouclé bird cross body bag and matching purse. They're both so cute! I think they'd be perfect for pairing with florals in the spring... even if it feels like a lifetime away right now.

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Lindy Bop have such a gorgeous selection of embroidered and motif knitwear at the moment. I wish I could add these four beauties to my wardrobe.

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And I'm also loving these amazing Polly Pocket novelty cross body bags from Truffle Shuffle. Polly Pockets were some of my favourite toys when I was growing up in the nineties, so these bags are the best things I've seen in ages. My little sister actually bought me this Polly Pocket bag for Christmas, which is the best bag ever, so now I need the other two to complete my collection. By the way, the two heart-shaped bags are both currently on sale!

If you'd like to see more of my top picks, you can find all of my previous Wednesday Wish List posts here. I also pin pieces that catch my eye on to my wish list boards on Pinterest (many of which never make it in to these wish list posts) and you can check those out here.

Any favourites this week?

Wednesday Wish List

I'm back with my first Wednesday Wish List of the year, and my first wish list in over a month. I don't know why, but it feels like I haven't compiled one in years.

I wasn't sure whether I would put a wish list together this week, as I don't feel I should be wishing for things so soon after Christmas, but then I remembered I have so many amazing things saved up to show you, so I've decided to do one anyway.

In this week's post you'll find a generous dose of novelty jewellery, and a handful of beautiful bags and purses. Would you really expect anything less from me?

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I love these bags and purses from Cath Kidston's Disney Bambi collection, which launched just before Christmas. The designs are so adorable! The best part? They're all currently on sale, so if you have your eye on anything, now is the time to shop and grab a bargain!

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Erstwilder released a fun mythological creatures jewellery collection before Christmas called Myths and Legends, and I've naturally been coveting most of the collection ever since. My favourite pieces, the Loch Ness monster, phoenix, and griffin brooches, sold out so quickly I couldn't get my hands on them (although, the griffin has now been restocked!), but there are so many awesome pieces still available. I love the Loch Ness monster necklace, and centaur brooch! You can find a list of stockists around the world here, and FYI, some of the pieces are currently on sale in the UK via Daisy Park here.

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Tatty Devine recently launched some new acrylic brooches and necklaces in the shape of retro gadgets, and as usual, they don't disappoint. I'd happily add all of these to my jewellery collection- especially that awesome sewing machine necklace.

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I bloomin' adore Kitschy Kittens' brand new range of acrylic mermaid brooches. They have to be some of the best mermaid jewellery designs I've ever seen! Every piece is so perfect I can't even pick a favourite. I want them all!

Kimchi and Coconut Blob Fish Brooch

This acrylic blob fish brooch from Kimchi and Coconut is everything.

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Just over a month ago, Panda Cat Productions brought out the most amazing collection of Bedknobs and Broomsticks inspired acrylic jewellery, and I have to admit, I'm still a little obsessed. I've always loved the film, and it brings back a lot of childhood memories, particularly of visiting my grandparents who would pop the film on for my sisters and I on almost every visit when we were kids. The movie is such a classic and makes me so nostalgic, so I can't help loving this collection- even though several of my favourite pieces, including the amazing codfish and 'no peopling' brooches, are sadly now sold out. (You can see them on their Instagram here). Of the remaining pieces, I'm particularly crazy about the vulture stretcher bearer cardy clip brooches and the flying bed brooch, and would love to add them to my collection. If only I wasn't so poor right now!

If you'd like to see more of the pieces on my fashion wish list, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week?

My Goals For 2019

It's a brand new year, so I guess it's time to set some goals for the year ahead! 

Don't worry; I'm not about to start spouting some "new year, new me!" bollocks. It's a new year, but you're still going to get the same old me... whether you like it or not! (Probably not!)

I'm not one for making big, unattainable, life-changing resolutions that I'm never going to achieve because where's the fun in failure?, but I do like to set myself some smaller goals to aim for each year. Goals like reading more books, places I want to visit locally, crafts I want to try, and plans for my blog for the year ahead. Goals I actually have a good chance of achieving but that still provide a challenge. This year, I've set myself lots of those kind of goals for the coming months, and if you'd like to hear about some of them, please keep reading!

So, in 2019, I would like to:

Read More

One of my top priorities for 2019 is to read more books. I finally got my reading mojo back in 2018, after years of being distracted by blogging and the Internet, and read more books than I've read in years. While I only finished about 17 or 18 books last year, it was still an improvement on the 7 I managed to read in 2017, and I would've read more if I could've. I'm hoping to do even better this year, and make time for even more books because it's something I really enjoy. I'm being realistic, and have set myself a goal of reading 25 books, which I should be able to achieve, but I'd like to get through even more if I can. I've just treated myself to several new novels with my Christmas money and I'm already over 200 pages through my first book of the year (Birdbox by Josh Malerman- which is amazing so far!), so I'm sure I'll make a dent in the challenge really quickly. If you have any book recommendations, let me know!

Do Lots of Crafting
I've realised that I'm rarely happier than when I'm creating and making things with my own two hands, so I want to spend 2019 doing as much crafting as possible. I want to make more time for the crafts I enjoy, and also challenge myself with lots of new crafts to learn some new skills. My crafty goals include:

♥ Do Lots of Cross Stitching

I didn't cross stitch as much as I would've liked last year, so I want to make up for it this year by cross stitching regularly, and making lots of fun designs.

♥ Design My Own Cross Stitch Pattern and Then Stitch It

I'm thinking of trying a simple geometric design to start with, as it shouldn't be too hard to get right. I've wanted to try creating my own patterns for years.

♥ Attempt More Embroidery Projects and Improve My Embroidery Skills

I haven't done a lot of embroidery, so I'd like to try to master it this year.

♥ Make Something on a Loom

I bought a small loom last year as I thought weaving looked like fun, but I still haven't made anything with it. This year I will. I just don't know what I'll make yet.

♥ Learn How to Needle Felt

It's a random craft, I know, but I'd love to give it a try. I actually bought a needle felting Christmas decoration kit this Autumn, but never found the time to make it, so this would be a good place to start.

♥ Try Card-Making

I've contemplated making my own cards for years and have never given it a try, but Aycan's DIY reindeer pom pom shaker Christmas cards have inspired me to actually attempt some this year.

♥ Learn to Crochet

Learning to crochet a granny square blanket has been on my to-do-list for years, but I still haven't got around to it. I really want to find the time to fit it in this year.

♥ Make More Hoop Art

I really want to make more hoop art, and try more elaborate designs, so I'm going to get started on this soon. I'd love to be able to fill a whole wall with my hoops.

♥ Learn How to Use a Sewing Machine

I learnt once, but haven't used one since I was about thirteen and had to study textiles in secondary school, so I can't remember how to use one. Back then I was useless with a sewing machine- probably as I had no interest in crafting and CBA- but now I'd love to learn how to use one again, and like to think I'd master it easily this time around. I'd love to be able to use one to make my own clothes, patchwork quilts, and bunting one day.

♥ Make Felt Wreaths

Over Christmas, I'd hoped to make felt floral Christmas wreaths, but ended up being too ill to make them, so I need to play catch up and make them this year instead. I also need to make a couple more of my floral spring wreaths, and I hope to blog tutorials for them, too!

Improve My Photography and Photo Editing Skills

One area of blogging I really struggle with is photography, particularly photo editing, which makes me want to pull my hair out on an almost daily basis. I just cannot get my photos to look good, no matter what I do. It consumes me, and stops me from publishing content far too often, and I need to find a solution before it drives me crazy. I know I say this every year, but I want to work hard on improving my photography and flatlays this year, and learn some new skills to make my photos look as good as they can.

Rebrand the Blog

Last year, I gave Polka Spots a brand new look with a Pipdig blog design, which I still absolutely love, but I never did find the time to rename and rebrand the blog. I've hated my blog name for almost seven years now, and it makes me cringe every time I see it, so I want to take the steps to rebrand and rechristen the blog to something less cringe-worthy ASAP.

Work Hard to Improve the Blog

This year, I'm aiming to work hard on my blog and provide quality content that I hope you guys will enjoy and want to read. I want to improve the quality of my writing, flatlays, and photos, and feature a variety of interesting topics. I'd love to include more crafts, beauty, books, stationery, fashion, homeware, and adventures on the blog, and work with more brands in 2019. I'd also like to be more interactive with you guys here and on social media, grow my readership, and work on self-promotion. Let the hard work commence! If there's anything you'd like to see more of on the blog, let me know in the comments!

Improve My Instagram

Despite its flaws (algorithm, anyone?), I bloody love Instagram. I love sharing photos from my day, and filling my grid with colourful and meaningful photos from my life that I can look back on. I particularly enjoy sharing perfectly unpolished little snippets on my Instagram Stories, and of course, gaining inspiration from others. I want to make the effort to fill my grid and stories with quality photos this year, and make my account something I can be proud of. I don't plan on going for a theme, but I want it to look as colourful as possible. If I can grow my following and engagement along the way, that would be wonderful, too.

Shop For Presents Throughout the Year

I want to do my best to pick up birthday and Christmas presents for my family and friends throughout the year to help spread-the-cost, and be super organised this year. I don't want to be skint at Christmas or be panicking about finishing my shopping days before Christmas again, like I was this Christmas.  It's too stressful. This year, I'm going to be prepared. In fact, I've already added four small presents to the present stash, so I'm off to a good start! I find picking up presents over the year really takes the stress out of gift-giving, and it gives me more time to find the perfect gifts, too.

Get Stuck in to Surveys Again

I didn't participate in anywhere near as many paid surveys in 2018 as I did in 2017, as I couldn't always be arsed to put in the effort for a few pennies. but I'm intending to get stuck in again this year.  I'm going to do it to pay for all those presents, but also to make some extra cash to live on because I barely have enough to get by. If you'd like to know more about earning money through online surveys, I wrote a post all about it here.

Look in to Ways to Manage My Arthritis

Over the last year or so, the arthritis I've suffered with since I was a pre-teen, has deteriorated and started to become problematic after two decades of being manageable. It's began causing excruciating pain, swollen joints, regular stiffness, and difficulty using my hands for every day tasks, which sure is sobering at the age of 33. Last month it was the worst it's ever been, so I know it's time to start looking in to new ways to manage my symptoms to see if anything out there can help. Anti-inflammatory drugs haven't worked for me, but I want to look in to anti-inflammatory diets as there are foods there are known to help with inflammation. (This isn't about dieting, but adding more foods with anti-inflammatory properties in to my diet in the hope of helping my joints). I'm also planning to speak with my rheumatologist again to find out if there's anything we can do to manage it, and have an appointment to see him again in a couple of weeks. I need to make sure I try everything I can to make it more manageable before accepting this as my new normal.

Lose the Extra Weight I Gained Last Year

Last year, I gained a little weight from spending so much time on bed rest and not taking care of myself as well as I should have, and in all honesty, I don't feel comfortable in my own skin anymore. I've tried to love the extra padding I've acquired, but the truth is, I don't. I don't even feel like myself anymore. I honestly don't give a shit about being plus size, but I definitely felt more comfortable in myself when I was a size or two smaller, so I'd like to get back to that. To be honest, the main reason I want to lose those extra pounds is so I can fit back in to my clothes. Most of my clothes no longer fit me and I can't afford to buy new ones, so it would be easier if I could fit back in to them. I miss my favourite dresses!

Eat Better

Continuing on from the last goal, I'm also aiming to eat better, and look after myself properly. It's time to start taking better care of myself.

Continue Training Rosie

My three-year-old Tibetan terrier, Rosie, still needs some work when it comes to recall and shutting up when she's asked (that dog could bark for England), so I'm going to continue training her until we've cracked it. I'd love it if she could have the freedom to wander off the lead in public and play with other dogs in the park without worrying about her getting hit by a car or going missing. She has the run of our garden at home, but it would be nice if she could have that freedom on her walks, too.

Have a Clear Out

I feel the need to have a good clear out at home, and get rid of some of the clutter- not only to raise a little extra cash, but to make some space, too. Sometimes it feels like my stuff is closing in on me. I also need to sort through and organise some of my digital files and photos, too, and try to keep on top of it. I think I'm going to make a start on this soon and start the year with a good spring clean.

Visit Somewhere New

It's unlikely that I will get a holiday or weekend away this year, but I hope I can at least visit somewhere new before the year is through.

Some Places I'd Like To Visit in 2019

♥ Brighton

♥ London.

♥ Badbury Clump woods, when it's carpeted with bluebells in the spring.

♥ A lavender field in The Cotswolds.

♥ A sunflower field, if I can find one close to home.

♥ The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

♥ The beach.

So, those are some of my goals for 2019... what are yours? Have you made any New Year's resolutions for 2019?

Looking Back on 2018

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope you're all having a fantastic new year so far, however you're celebrating it. Have you / are you doing anything exciting to mark it?

I just had a quiet New Year's Eve at home watching movies and eating Indian food with my little sister, and today, I'll be enjoying a turkey roast with the family again, which is something we always do on New Year's Day. I'm not fussed about New Year's, so a quiet, lazy one at home suits me just fine. I'm such an old lady! 

Fortunately, my quiet New Year's Day leaves me time to write, so for my first post of 2019, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon, and  write a summary of 2018...

I can't believe it's already time to write another one of these customary end of year posts where I look back on the last twelve months of my life with a mix of nostalgia and regret, and contemplate my life choices. It only feels like five minutes since I wrote the last one. 

2018 felt like the shortest year on record. The whole year passed so quickly for me. The days, weeks, and months seemed to blur together and zoom past, which baffles me as you'd think time would drag when you're living a Groundhog Day life at home with chronic illness. For me, it never has.

I wish I could say that 2018 was the best year of my life, and was a year filled with achievements, adventures, new experiences, and milestones, but if I did, I would be lying. In reality, 2018 was a pretty boring and uneventful year for me, and I achieved and experienced very little- at least outside the confines of my own home.

My year was once again spent housebound with chronic pain and chronic illness doing my best to keep my head above water, and get from one day to the next. If nothing else, I can at least say I achieved that, even if every day was a struggle with constant pain, fatigue, joint stiffness, and tachycardia to contend with. My health actually deteriorated in 2018, with several of my health conditions worsening as the year went on. I experienced fibro flares far more regularly and intense than ever before; the arthritis, which I've had since I was twelve, suddenly nose-dived and started bringing excruciating pain, swelling, and far more stiffness to my joints than I've ever experienced; and my tachycardia not only continued but was a daily nightmare, bringing breathlessness, chest pains, and a crushing feeling across my chest regularly, too. The tachycardia became so bad, I was rushed to A&E again one joyful night in October, but they never did get to the bottom of it. The main thing is, I didn't let it break me, I got through it all, and I'm here, still fighting.

As my health was so bad, I was rarely able to leave the house for anything other than doctor's and hospital appointments, and the only fun experiences I had out and about were two visits to my local zoo in the summer, and an overnight trip to London to see Fall Out Boy live at the O2 in March (which was amazing!). Seriously. That's it. The handful of other brief interludes I enjoyed from captivity were just occasional visits to the supermarket, shops, or coffee shops with my Mum or sister. I didn't even spent time with anyone other than my immediate family. Wow, my life is exciting! Look at me living my best life! Haha! (I can hear those tiny violins now!)

Okay, it wasn't a year where I lived my life to the full, made amazing memories, and achieved my dreams, but l made the best of every day and life was good in other ways. I read a lot of books, I did a lot of crafting, I taught myself how to make felt floral wreaths (and came in as a runner-up in a Hobbycraft competition with one of them!), I worked hard on my blog, I painted, I wrote, I tried to improve my photography, I watched some great movies, and I spent quality time with my family and my dog. I always had plenty to fill my time with, and never had enough hours in the day to do everything I wanted to do. Considering I was ill and house bound, I think I succeeded in adding plenty of life to my days and conquering those little achievements. I believe in celebrating the little things in life, and I think I still had a lot to be thankful for. Just because I didn't reach any big milestones or celebrate any big life achievements, travel the world, or meet lots of new people, it doesn't mean my year was a failure. Every little victory was worth celebrating! Sure, my life could've been better, but it also could've been a lot worse.

One thing that helped me get through yet another year of this unconventional life without being bored out of my mind and feeling like a total failure, was having this blog to throw myself in to. I honestly could not have got though the year without it. It kept me occupied every day, gave me something to wake up for in the morning and aim for every day, and provided me with a distraction from the pain. I worked extremely hard on my blog in 2018, and while I didn't see much growth, work with a lot of brands, or manage to blog every day, I think the quality of my content improved, and I'm proud of the posts I published. I like to think my photos and flatlays improved a little, too- even if I do still suck at photo editing and it left me wanting to pull my hair out almost every day. You can't have it all, right?

Some of my favourite posts from the year include:

♥ Two Years With Rosie.

♥ Vendula London Russian Doll Cross Body Bag Review.

♥ Polka Spots and Freckle Dots Turns Six.

♥ DIY Colourful Easter Crackers.

♥ Fall Out Boy Mania Tour Live at the O2 & Other London Adventures.

♥ Erstwilder Australiana Brooches.

♥ Erstwilder South American Socialites Brooches.

♥ Old English Company Stationery Haul and Reviews.

♥ How to Make Money Online By Answering Surveys.

♥ My Handmade Felt Spring Flower Wreaths.

♥ The Cotswold Wildlife Park July 2018.

♥ Erstwilder Brooch Haul.

♥ Cath Kidston Disney Alice in Wonderland Haul.

♥ The World In Stitches Modern Spectrum Mandala Cross Stitch Kit.

♥ The Cotswold Wildlife Park August 2018.

♥ The Famous Five Clothbound Hardcovers by Enid Blyton.

♥ Kimchi and Coconut Australian Animal Brooches.

♥ The Jane Austen Collection From Arcturus Books.

♥ OPI Disney The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Beauty Advent Calendar Review.

♥ Erstwilder Festive Splendour Christmas Brooches.

♥ Christmas To Color by Mary Tanana Adult Christmas Colouring Book Review.

♥ Erstwilder Kitschy Christmas Brooches.

♥ Christmas Fashion and Homeware Haul.

♥ DIY Hobbycraft Nutcracker Christmas Crackers.

♥ DIY Christmas Eve Box 2018.

♥ DIY Retro Reindeer Christmas Cross Stitch From Mid Century Maude.

♥ DIY Christmas Pudding Pom Pom Wreath.

♥ DIY Easy Christmas Hoop Art.

2018 was also the year that I gave the blog a whole new look with a Pipdig blog design. It helped me fall back in love with my blog all over again, and I still love it all these months later. It was one of the best blogging decisions I've ever made, as it not only looks so much better than my old crappy layout, but it helped rekindle my love of blogging, too! 

I loved blogging for you guys in 2018, and I just want to say a big thank you for all your support last year. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, share my posts, leave me such lovely messages, and follow me on social media! It means so much. It amazes me that anybody would want to read my blog, much less enjoy my content, so knowing you guys do makes all the time, effort, and hard work that goes in to blogging worthwhile! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys are amazing! I hope you'll stick around in 2019!

I don't know what 2019 will have in store for me or my blog, but I can't wait to find out where it will take me. What I can tell you is that I'm going to work hard to make Polka Spots and Freckle Dots as good as it can be, and produce more quality content that I think you'll enjoy and want to read. I'll talk more about that when I blog my goals for the year later this week, but if there's anything you'd like to see more of on the blog in 2019, do let me know in the comments!

So, 2018 is behind us, and 2019 has just begun. I hope it's an amazing year for all of us, filled with happiness, good health, great experiences, wonderful people, a little bit of wealth, and everything else you may be hoping for.

Happy New Year!