Sunday Favourites #386

It's time for another batch of my Sunday Favourites! Enjoy!

I'd love to make this pretty DIY fall leaf wall hanging from A Kailo Chic Life.

I love these whimsical art prints by Helo Birdie. I'm dying to get the 'Fruity House' art print (the first picture above) for my wall.

Amazing paper sculptures by Korean paper artist Lee Ji-hee.

These DIY gradient autumn leaf decorations from Mein Feenstaub look like they'd be fun to make, and would be perfect for decorating your home for autumn.

A Subtle Revelry's chocolate oatmeal whoopie pies look scrumptious.

I'd love to have a go at macrame, and this colourful macrame wall hanging from Club Crafted is not only super pretty but suitable for beginners, too!

I know I'm in my thirties now, but I kinda want this awesome DIY rainbow headboard from The House That Lars Built to frame the head of my bed...

These cat and small dog costumes from Tickety Bootique are hilarious! I think my Tibetan terrier, Rosie, is a little too big for them, or I'd have to buy her a few for comedy purposes.

Club Crafted's DIY colourful terrazzo clock would make time-keeping much more fun.

This dessert board and raspberry cream cheese dip recipe  from Sugar & Cloth look delicious. Come to Mama!

The Sugar Coated Cottage show you how to make rainbow buttercream, and I'm going to have to give this a try next time I'm up to baking because it looks amazing.

And I'm loving these beautiful round tattoos of famous paintings by tattoo artist Havva Karabudak.

If you'd like to see more stuff like this, be sure to check out my Pinterest and Tumblr. You can also find all previous Sunday Favourites posts here for similar inspiration.

Thanks for reading!

Any favourites this week?

25 Things I Want To Do This Autumn

Autumn has officially arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere.

The leaves are beginning to turn, the nights are drawing in, and the late summer sunshine we had last week has been replaced by heavy rain and a crisp chill. Aside from the dark evenings, I couldn't be happier. I love this time of year!

September has always felt like a new beginning to me, a brand new chapter in the year, and a time to knuckle down and get stuff done- probably because it's the start of the new school year, which always signified change and hard work. Even now that I've been out of formal education for sixteen years (that's a scary realisation!), as soon as September rolls around, I still find myself motivated to get to work on achieving my goals.

Each autumn, I like to make a list of all the things I need and want to do before the year is through, and then spend the final months of the year trying to achieve as many of them as possible. This year has been no different. I've come up with so many things I want to do before the end of the year, from carving a pumpkin on Halloween to working on making my Instagram grid look autumnal- and so much more. I thought it would be fun to share my autumn goals with you guys today, so here are 25 things I want to do this autumn.

1. Read Lots

I've made it my mission to read more this year, and I've more than smashed my expectations. I'm currently on my 39th book of the year so far, which is more than double what I read last year, and more books than I've read in a year since I was little! I'm making time to read every day and loving it, and I want to keep up the pace this autumn and read as much as I can. Considering my reading habits these past nine months, I don't think it will be a problem.

2. Organise My Files

Lately, I've been trying to get organised and have made a good start at organising my photos, videos, and bookmarks on my laptop. I still have so much to sort through, though, and I want to get it sorted this autumn. I don't need to keep 150+ near identical images from every blog post photo shoot or all those bookmarks I'm never going to get around to reading, so it's time to get rid and then keep on top of everything.

3. Get a Hair Cut

I must get myself a hair cut in the next few weeks. I've not been able to get out to the hair dressers in over two years, and my hair is now past my waist again and looking a bit sorry for itself. I don't think I'll go as short as a bob this time, but I definitely need to lose at least half a foot. I also need to do my roots ASAP.

4. Buy New Shoes

My favourite ankle boots and ballet pumps have worn out, so I really need to find the perfect new pairs for every day wear to see me through autumn and winter. I can't keep looking like a street urchin at my age.

5. Decide On New Bedroom Furniture

My parents have kindly offered to replace some of my bedroom furniture for me, as everything is old and falling apart, and I don't have the money to replace them. I just can't decide whether to go with the grey and oak set they suggested, or a white range, since I've been longing for white furniture for years. I need to make a decision ASAP.

6. Have An eBay Clear Out

I need to have a good clear out and sell some things on eBay over the next couple of weeks to make a little extra money for Christmas and my concert adventures next month. The extra pennies would be appreciated, and it would be great to lose some of the clutter that's closing in on me, too.

7. Get Stuck in to Surveys

I also want to get back in to answering online surveys regularly to help pay for Christmas presents. I haven't participated in as many as I used to this year as most of the time I just CBA, but I need to give myself a kick up the backside because the extra cash / gift cards would be really helpful this Christmas. If you want to know more about earnings money through online surveys, I wrote a post about it here.

8. Go See Boyzone Live For the Final Time

I'm going to see Boyzone live again on their final ever tour with both my best friend and my sister (separately) next month, and I can't wait. I've barely left the house or done anything exciting all year, so I'm really looking forward to getting out of the house, having a bit of fun seeing a band I've followed for twenty-six years, and spending some time with Marie and Angela. I just hope my health behaves itself so I can go. 

(By the way, if anyone's interested, I'm selling 2 x ROW L stalls tickets for Boyzone at the London Palladium on Wednesday the 23rd of October, as I found better seats. £150 for the pair (which is less than I paid for them on Viagogo). Contact me by email or on social media if interested).

9. Be a Tourist in London

Marie and I will be seeing Boyzone in London, and I'm hoping we can experience a little more of the city than the theatre and the hotel room while we're there. We haven't made plans yet, but I'd love to take a tour bus around the city again, visit the London aquarium, and / or perhaps take a little visit to Covent Garden, Selfridges, Harrods, or Libertys.

10. Take an Autumn Walk

I'd love to find the strength to go on a walk this autumn- preferably in the woods or countryside where I can really appreciate the colours of the leaves, feel the cool air on my face, and crunch through paths of fallen leaves. It was always one of my favourite things to do during the autumn before chronic pain limited my mobility, and I can't tell you how much I'm craving the outdoors right now.

11. Carve a Pumpkin

I never do much for Halloween, but I would like to at least carve a pumpkin this year. I think I'll stay clear of intricate designs, like the sugar skull I attempted last year, and stick to a simple Jack o' lantern this year, and maybe even paint some pumpkins in bright colours as well.

12. Make pumpkin Dog Biscuits For Rosie

I would love to make my Tibetan terrier, Rosie, some homemade dog biscuits as a little Halloween treat. I've seen so many recipes for pumpkin dog biscuits on Pinterest, and I'm sure she'd love them.

13. Watch Some Fireworks

I really want to make it to my town's fireworks display on Bonfire Night. I used to go religiously every year, but I don't think I've managed it once since I've been ill. Realistically, I probably won't make it this year, either, and if that's the case, I hope I can at least spot some good fireworks from my bedroom window. I mean, is it even autumn if you don't watch a fireworks display??

14. Make an Autumn Wreath

I would really like to make some kind of autumn-themed wreath to hang on the door and decorate the house for autumn, either with felt or pom poms. I don't have a plan yet; I just know I'd like to make one.

15. Watch Lots of Autumnal Movies

Autumn has to be the best season for movie marathons, and I'm hoping to make time for many of them this year. I'm looking forward to watching lots of autumnal movies- not just creepy horror movies, but autumnal classics like Practical Magic, You've Got Mail, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter, and Hocus Pocus.

16. Make an Apple Pie

My Mum's apple pie (with lashings of custard, naturally) has always been my favourite autumn / winter comfort food. Growing up, she'd often make it for us for a Sunday tea time treat on a cold, dark Sunday afternoon, with the windows steamed up from the heat of the oven, and Luther Vandross blaring from the speakers. (Not much has changed, TBH). Those were the best autumn days. After all these years, I still haven't attempted the recipe myself, and I want to learn how to make it while my Mum's still around to teach me. I'm hoping to get her to pass on the knowledge this autumn, and finally make an apple pie myself.

17. Make French Onion Soup

My younger sister has requested I make some of my French onion soup for her this autumn, so hopefully I'll be able to oblige on a good pain day... if I'm lucky enough to get one, that is. I haven't made soup from scratch in years, and this one really is delicious- especially on a cold day.

18. Make My Animal Crossing Town Look Autumnal

I've been playing Animal Crossing New Leaf daily all year and I have to admit, I'm a little bit addicted to it. After nine months developing it, my town is finally coming together and looking really pretty. The scenery changes with the seasons, so the leaves are changing on the trees and bushes like in real life, and it's starting to look like autumn. I'm planning to make my town look as autumnal as possible, including finding some autumn paths to put down, creating a pumpkin patch, adding some Halloween decor to my house, and dressing my characters in cute autumn outfits. I'm going to have so much fun with this! Does anybody else still play this game?

19. Make My Instagram Feed Look Autumnal

I haven't managed to post much on my Instagram grid all year- mostly because I've not been anywhere, and haven't been well enough to take photos that often. I'm not happy about this, so I want to try to get back in to the swing of things this autumn, and fill my feed with pretty autumnal photos. And most likely, lots of brooches and books, too!

20. Take Autumn and Christmas Blog Photos

Every blogger in the UK (and probably the Northern Hemisphere) knows that autumn and winter daylight is far from ideal for capturing the perfect blog photos. It's so dark and dreary indoors, and the shorter hours of daylight makes it trickier to find the time to take all the photos we need. I don't have studio lights to help with those problems, so I'm going to do my best to take as many photos for autumn and winter blog posts before we lose the good daylight as I can. I've already taken a few Christmas ones this week, and I'm pleased to have some prepared for December.

21. Blog Lots

I've been a terrible blogger this year, and haven't blogged much at all- mostly because I've been too ill, and also had a broken laptop screen for a few months this summer. I'm hoping now it's fixed I can post more often again. I've got so many posts to finish in my drafts, and many more I want to write. It'll just depend on whether my health will cooperate and allow me.

22. Start Scheduling Christmas Blog Posts

I would also like to start scheduling some Christmas blog posts ahead of time, to take some of the pressure off myself, and give myself more time to enjoy the festivities with my family in December. It would be nice to have one less thing to worry about when I have 101 other festive things to tackle on my to-do-list, and the energy to do none of them.

23. Actively Work On Christmas Shopping

As soon as September arrives, I always start shopping for Christmas presents- if I haven't already. I actually have a few little things stowed away in the Christmas present stash already, but not as much as I would usually have by this point in the year. I have the concert trips to pay for first, but I'm hoping I can start Christmas shopping using vouchers earned from participating in surveys, and once the concerts are over at the end of October, I can then continue shopping for presents with cash.

24. Work On My Christmas Cross Stitch

I've just began a colourful Scandinavian-style Christmas cross stitch (this one from Satsuma Street, but on white aida). I don't know if there's enough time to get it stitched before Christmas, but I'm going to do my best to get it finished in time anyway. I want to make time to do some cross stitching every day, and just hope my arthritis behaves itself so I can.

25. Make Christmas Wreaths

Last autumn / Christmas, I was planning to make some felt floral Christmas wreaths, but had to abandon the project not long after I began due to a severe arthritis flare that lasted months. I still haven't made them yet, and I'd really like to make them in time for Christmas. I'm fed up of looking at all the unused supplies that are gathering dust!

I don't know if I'll be able to achieve all of my goals this autumn, but I'm determined to give everything my best shot. I guess I'd best get to work!

So, you've heard what on's my to do list this autumn... what's on the top of yours? What do you want to do this autumn?

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Wednesday Wish List

I've been coveting so many amazing accessories lately, so this week's Wednesday Wish List is all about the jewellery. Kitsch, quirky acrylic and resin jewellery, to be more specific, including some fantastic Halloween pieces.

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After the success of last year's collection, Erstwilder have revived The Bone Brigade for a second Halloween, with five brand new designs and the return of Tabby Tombstone. It's proved so popular that half the collection has already sold out everywhere in the UK- and it was only released yesterday! I would particularly love to get my hands on the wolf and the raven, but I can't afford to make any purchases this month, so I will probably miss out this time. Sob! I've linked to the designs I could find in stock today in the UK, but you can find a list of stockists around the world here, and shop direct from Erstwilder in Australia here. 

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La Vidriola have just launched the most incredible zodiac and 'Cosmica' (cosmic and mythological) acrylic jewellery collections for autumn 2019, and I basically want them all. These are just a handful of the new designs that have grabbed my attention. I definitely need the Almiraj (unicorn bunny) brooch, and I really love the scorpion, even though my star sign is actually cancer.

Rock the Panda Willow The Witch and Jinx The Cat Brooch

This laser cut acrylic witch brooch from Rock the Panda is so pretty I'd want to wear it all year round. A witch brooch is for life and not just for Halloween!

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Kimchi and Coconut have also just released their Halloween jewellery collection for '19, and their designs are the cutest. There are pumpkins and puppies, cats and crescent moons, and so much more, Many of the designs come in different colour ways, too- although, this does make deciding on a favourite so much harder!

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I discovered these amazing laser-cut, hand-painted acrylic Labyrinth brooches by Acrylic Addict a few days ago thanks to Nat posting about them on her Instagram Stories over the weekend, and I'm crazy about them. Labyrinth  has been one of my favourite films since childhood, and these designs are brilliant- especially the Firey brooch. I'm just gutted I missed the pre-orders for these fantastic door guards (or whatever these characters are called!) brooches. They're so perfect.

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

Any favourites this week?

Wednesday Wish List

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

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Tatty Devine have added some amazing new pieces this week. I'm loving the toadstools, dormice, and cat designs, but especially the toadstool brooch. I only wish their jewellery was a little cheaper so I could afford them.

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Lady Vintage have just released this year's Halloween collection, and the designs are all really fun. My favourite is the Lobotomy print (#3), but it's only available as an Elsie dress so far, and I think it'll be more figure-hugging than I'm comfortable with. I prefer and feel most comfortable in a flared skirt. (Who's with me??) I'd love to treat myself to a Lyra or Hepburn design for fright night, though, as all the designs are amazing.

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I'm also completely smitten with these two floral numbers from Lady Vintage. The red Carmine floral Lyra dress is particularly stunning, and would be perfect for autumn and winter. So tempted... yet so skint...

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The shops are already beginning to fill with this year's beauty Advent calendars, and I've already got my eyes peeled for the perfect calendar to see me through December. I like to get one to enjoy every Christmas, and at the moment, I'm loving the look of the Body Shop calendars. There are three catering to different budgets from £45 to £99, and they're all filled with a variety of Body Shop products. I had one of their calendars four or five Christmases ago, and it was a lovely treat, and so worth the money. I'm definitely tempted to go with one again this year, but I'm going to wait and see what the nail polish brands have to offer before I make a decision. Has anyone found any photos of the Ciaté or OPI calendars yet?

The Body Shop's Christmas range has also started trickling through online, and I love the sound of the new festive fragrance, Rich Plum. I'd love to get a few products to try before it goes. I'm also hoping the Peppermint Candy Cane range will make a return because it smelt so damn good.

Truffle Shuffle Aqua Pusheen Shoulder Bag

I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of Kawaii, but Pusheen is cute, and this aqua-coloured shoulder bag from Difuzed is even cuter. I want it!

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Lindy Bop have got an incredible range of Halloween print shirt and tea dresses this season, as well as some stunning autumnal designs. I'm crushing hard on the burgundy textured polka tea dress (so beautiful!) and mustard skeleton toile tea dress, but if they could all magically appear in my wardrobe, that would be wonderful. I know I'd wear them all to death this Halloween.

Truffle Shuffle The Shoe People T-Shirt

And last but not least... I wish this t-shirt came in my size! I was obsessed with this cartoon when I was little. I think I even had it on video. (Yep, video; not DVD). Who else remembers this programme? Please tell me I'm not the only one?!

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

Any favourites this week?

Turning Thirty-Four and What I Got For My Birthday

I know you wouldn't think it by looking at my youthful, wrinkle-free face 😉, but back in July, I turned thirty-four. 

How the hell did that happen?! I'd swear I was eighteen two minutes ago. Can someone slow time down a bit, please?

I thought turning thirty-four and easing from my early-thirties to my mid-thirties with very little to show for my life was going to feel horrible, but for the first time in my adult life, I found I didn't care about becoming a year older. It didn't linger on my mind nor did I lose any sleep over it, like I have done over birthdays in the past. I actually felt okay with it. I guess I've finally learned to accept the passing of time, and the fact that my life is probably never going to be like everyone elses or the one I hoped for myself before I got sick. I'm just doing my best to accept my life for what it is, and trying to live it one day at a time without focusing on achieving certain things by certain times, and making myself feel like shit when I don't. I have to say, it's liberating to take the pressure off yourself and go with the flow. 

Thirty-four hasn't been any different to thirty-three so far. It's been mostly boring and uneventful, but my birthday was lovely. Quiet, but lovely. I know it was ages ago now, but I'm behind with my blog posts (again) and I wanted to document a few photos from it, and also show you what my family gave me for my birthday.

On my birthday, I awoke to presents from my parents, and spent late morning to mid-afternoon wandering around The Cotswold Wildlife Park with my Mum. It's only a few miles down the road from where I live, so I've spent so many birthdays there over the years. It's sort of become a tradition. Since I've been ill and housebound, I've found myself craving the outdoors and appreciating nature more and more, and since I hadn't left the house in almost a month by this point, a birthday trip to the zoo was exactly what I needed. As an introvert, I'm not really one for parties or wild nights out, but a few hours surrounded by animals is right up my street.

I'm not going to go in to the visit as I've blogged about my trips to The Cotswold Wildlife Park so many times over the years (here, here, here and here), but we had a lovely few hours at the wildlife park enjoying the animals and plants, and these are some of the best photos I took.

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The rest of my birthday was spent quietly at home recovering and resting because I was worn out from wandering around the zoo. My Mum put together a buffet birthday tea for me with plenty of tasty snacks from M&S and a Patisserie Valerie chocolate cake, which we ate while watching Mamma Mia on Netflix. 

My parents had a Patisserie Valerie celebration cake custom made for me, and it was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever eaten. I can only remember having one other birthday cake that wasn't homemade or from a supermarket in my life, so it was a real treat. It was a chocolate sponge with layers of Chantilly cream and chocolate cream mixed with fresh raspberries and strawberries, with chocolate cream icing, strawberries and red currants on top, and chocolate curls around the sides. It was amazing! The celebration cakes are expensive, but they're so good I think they're totally worth it for a special treat.

Along with cake, I was also spoiled with presents from my family.

My parents gave me some money which I naturally spent on a couple of Erstwilder Endangered Animals brooches, which conveniently went on sale on my birthday. I also pooled my birthday money from my Nana and Aunties together, so I bought six brooches altogether from the collection. I just couldn't help myself... I bought the kakapo parrot, blue whales, bilby, tarsier, pangolin, and red panda brooches, which I recently blogged about, and you can read my full review of them here.

I also received a big box of Lindor chocolates from the parents, and a set of Sophie Conran Port Meirion Colour Pop pasta bowls to add to my collection (not pictured as I can't get down to the kitchen to get them to photograph, but these ones. Mum found them in the outlet village in Swindon for half the price). I've been slowly collecting the range piece by piece over the last year and a half as it's expensive, but I love the pretty pastel designs and the quality is fantastic, so I think it's worth the investment. I'm already planning a lifetime of colourful tablescapes for special occasions in my head! 

My younger sister, Sarah, gave me two awesome novelty bags from Truffle Shuffle- a Harry Potter Hogwarts letter clutch, and a Moomin house cross body bag. The Moomins was one of my favourite programmes growing up so it's basically the best bag ever. I will try to do a separate post to review and give you a closer look of them both soon.

A week or two after my birthday, I received a parcel of presents wrapped in Care Bear wrapping paper and colourful tissue paper in the post from my other sister, Marie, and brother-in-law, Steve They gave me the most random assortment of presents I think I've ever gotten.

I got a gorgeous Drop Caps edition of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. It has a beautiful teal cover with teal edged pages and it's even illustrated. It's definitely my favourite gift they gave me this year. When we were kids in the early nineties, we loved watching a BBC Sunday teatime drama of the same name, but I never realised it was based on a book until I received it (or if I did, I've forgotten). I can't wait to read it.



They also gave me a flamingo cross stitch kit from Riverdrift House, a couple of cute magnetic needle minders (one is a flamingo design, the other is layered with cakes), and a pink polka dot Q Snap needlework frame. I've never tried one of these square plastic frames before, but it holds tension so much better than the wooden embroidery hoops I've always favoured, and it's actually kinder to my arthritic hands, too, as it's bigger and holding it scrunches up my hands less. If you embroider or cross stitch, I would 100% recommend you get your hands on one. You'll never want to use an embroidery hoop again.

My other presents included a couple of bags of fudge-flavoured chocolates, an adult colouring book, and some Crayola crayons and coloured pencils. Yes, you read that correctly; my 40 year old sister gave me a box of crayons for my 34th birthday... You'd better believe I thought this was hilarious and amazing, and that I've totally began using them to colour like a five year old! I regret nothing.

Thanks again to my family for the lovely presents! I love them, and they're very much appreciated.

Well, that was my birthday this year...

How did you celebrate your last birthday?