September Favourites 2016

It's been a while since my last monthly favourites post because I'm just that useless, so I've combined my favourite things from over the last few months for today's post.

These are some of the things I've been enjoying lately...

I have a real weakness for fun novelty brooches, so I couldn't resist treating myself to this cute resin owl brooch from Cath Kidston a month or two back. In fact, I had to buy it the moment I first saw it. In all honesty, I got bored of the owl trend a few years ago, but I think this little guy is adorable, and it's the perfect finishing touch for Autumn outfits. He's really study and well made, and the best part is he was only £8! (Psst! I blogged about him in more detail here).

I know I've not blogged any outfit photos in forever (sadly, I've not been physically up to it in forever), but that doesn't mean I haven't acquired a new dress or two lately. One of my favourite new additions has to be the Brittany blue lipstick and lips print swing dress from Lindy Bop; it's one of the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen or owned. Along with that amazing print it has the sweetest little love heart pockets (yes, it has pockets!), short sleeves, a heart cut-out to the back, and a big flared skirt. Every last detail is perfect. The fit is quite generous, so I'd recommend sizing down if you choose to buy one, but I can promise you, it's well worth a purchase.

Being unable to leave the house much this year, I haven't had much opportunity to wear make up (it seems pointless putting on my face for bed rest), so I've only recently started trying out the Urban Decay Vice 4 eyeshadow palette I got last Christmas... and I adore it! I'm not sure why I'm including this set since it was a limited edition set and it's no longer available to buy, but the colours are so pretty and the shadows so high-quality that I felt it deserved a quick mention. It has an amazing variety of colours, and I love that it has a mixture of brights and neutrals. Of course, the bright shadows are my favourites- especially that amazing emerald green shade 'grasshopper', which I'm rather obsessed with. (Green eye make up is my favourite). I personally think these are some of the best colourful eyeshadows out there. The colour pay off is incredible, they're long lasting, blendable, and feel velvety-soft on my skin. They're perfect in my eyes. Step aside from the Naked range, and try some of Urban Decay's colourful make up, too- I promise you won't regret it!

I've been working my way through the new nail polishes I gained over the Summer, and I've already managed to wear each polish more than once. I have to say, I bloody love all of them! Both brands of nail polish are fast-drying, glide on wonderfully, and remain chip-free for at least a couple of days. The Mavala nail colours tend to be chip-resistant for a little longer than the Sally Hansen polishes, but they're both great quality formulas. Every shade is beautiful, too. The Sally Hansen Salon Manicure polishes featured above are Frutti Petutie, Aria Red-y?, and New Flame, and the Mavala polishes were all from the Shades Of Summer set, which includes Madrid, Sunset Orange, Nice, Osaka, and Bangkok. As I'm sure you can tell, I love wearing reds, oranges, corals, and dark pinks on my nails! 

As usual, I've been busy cross-stitching away, and after finishing my Home Sweet Home sampler in August, I began working on this very colourful patchwork Christmas kit from Riverdrift House. It's been really fun to work on so far, and it's so easy to follow as the entire design is colour-blocked in simple patterns. It's bigger than it looks, though, and the largest I've attempted, but I'm hoping I'll manage to get it finished in time for Christmas. Fingers crossed! 5/8ths down, 3/8ths to go!

I haven't watched a huge amount of new films or TV shows lately, but I've been enjoying Containment, and loved watching The 5th Wave, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Giver, and The Longest Ride for the first time. All such great films. I was most surprised by 10 Cloverfield Lane; it was so different to what I was expecting, and nothing like the first film at all, but I loved it. Although I'll never look at John Goodman in the same way again; dear God, he's terrifying in that movie!

I've read several books over the last month or so, although I'm ashamed to admit that three of them were Nicholas Sparks novels. I'm not usually one for soppy romance / chick-lit novels, and would generally rather stick pins in my eyes, but for some reason during an August heatwave, I had an urge to read something easy I could read in a day without thinking... and ended up reading three. I must have had heatstroke. Ahem. As romance novels go, The Lucky One, and The Rescue weren't too bad, but The Choice read like a sloppy teenage fan fic. Not necessarily a bad thing if you like that sort of thing, but his books really aren't for me. I did however thoroughly enjoy The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge, and The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton- both great books I would highly recommend. I'm hoping to review them properly as soon as I get a spare second.

I'm now reading Wool by Hugh Howey, which has been on my to be read pile for years, and although I'm only a couple of chapters in, I'm loving it so far.

And last but by no means least, I've been enjoying working my way through the latest book in the Listography series; Spirit Listography: My Inner Self In Lists. Like the other Listography books, it's a fun creative writing book, packed full of listing prompts, with a full page beneath each one for compiling the list, and a pretty watercolour illustration on the adjacent page. As the name of the book suggests, the lists focus on topics about our inner selves; our minds, bodies, and souls; our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, and what have you. The lists featured include: 'little things I love in life' to 'what I've learned from my mistakes', 'values that are most important to me' to 'what I would tell my teenage self'' and so many more. It has a really interesting range of prompts, that help to get you thinking about topics that are important to you, and ones you may never have given much thought to, and if you enjoy writing lists as much as I do, I think you'll love this book. I personally think it's fantastic. It's actually the seventh Listography book in my collection, but it's definitely one of my favourites, and I'll be reviewing it in more detail with plenty of photos really soon.

What have you been loving lately?

Favourites | March and April 2016

It's been a couple of months since I last wrote a monthly favourites post, so I've combined my favourites from March and April for a long over-due catch up.

A week or two ago, I treated myself to this gorgeous polka dot fit and flare dress from Billie and Blossom Curve at Dorothy Perkins, and it's quickly becoming one of my favourite dresses. The fabric is fantastic quality, it fits in all the right places, and the capped sleeves are surprisingly flattering on my upper arms (which as hard as I try, I still haven't learnt to love), so it's pretty much perfect in my eyes. Not that I can ever resist a navy polka dot frock! It's my first piece from Billie and Blossom Curve, but I'm so impressed with it that it definitely won't be my last. The dress comes in UK sizes 18-28, and retails for just £30.

I finally added the Accessorize red telephone box bag to my novelty bag collection last month, after coveting it for the best part of a year. I swooped when it was half price on promotion over Easter, and also found a 10% discount code (don't know if it still works but try RWDAW15), so I snagged this little baby for just £16.20! I adore it and only wish I'd bought one sooner. It's easily one of the best novelty bag designs I've ever seen, and one of the coolest in my ever-growing collection. It even holds a surprising amount of stuff, so it's actually fairly practical, too. 

I was lucky enough to win a set of Beanies chocolate-flavoured instant coffees, and the OPI New Orleans mini nail polish collection from Hollie / Pretty Big Butterflies' birthday giveaway last month, which was really exciting and sure put a smile on my face. I haven't tried any of the coffees yet, but they all sound amazing, and only have two calories per cup! I'm looking forward to finding out if they're as good as they sound. I have, however, sampled all of the mini nail polishes already, and all four shades are so beautiful, especially the duck-weed-green polish 'I'm Sooo Swamped'. I've already worn it a few times, and I'm definitely going to buy a full-sized bottle of it once I've used this little bottle up. The colour is to die for!

My best friend, Angela, came to stay for a few days at the beginning of April, and sweetly surprised me with a (belated) parcel of Easter chocolate. Yay, free chocolate! I think we've been sending each other Easter goodies each year since she moved back to Scotland in the late nineties! I have to admit, it was lovely getting them in person for a change. Did you try the Galaxy Golden Eggs over Easter?! OMG, they were so good!

I haven't had as much time or energy to cross stitch since we adopted our crazy puppy on the 1st of March, but I've been trying to get back in to the swing of things over the last couple of weeks. I'm doing my best to set aside at least an hour or two to sew every day, and I'm beginning to make progress on the 'home, sweet home' sampler I started months ago. I've completed just over a quarter, so I need to up my game, but I think it's beginning to look pretty damn good. 

Over the Easter weekend, I bought myself a lovely new diary from Cath Kidston, which was half price on sale at Bicester Village for £7.50. It's such a pretty diary with various Cath Kidston patterns bordering each page, a bold blue and pink Provence Rose print on the cover, and a pink polka dot inner cover. Each week is given a double page spread, with one page for the diary and the other for notes, which is the perfect amount of space for me as it'll mostly just be filled with medical appointments as I have no life. Haha! What I love about this diary is that it also features an address book towards the back, plus pages for notes, birthdays and events, travel plans, shopping lists, to do lists, recipes, films and books, and museums, galleries and exhibitions, so it can basically organise your entire life. If only they'd bring out a blogger's planner like this!

When I bought the diary, I also treated myself to a new clasp purse from Cath Kidston because my old red star-print one is sadly now tarnished and past its best. I couldn't leave without this cute navy and neon yellow polka dot purse when I realised it was just £7! It would've been rude not to take it home! It's a gorgeous little purse.

April wasn't a productive month when it came to enjoying films, books, and music. I didn't manage to find much time or energy for any of them; not with a hyper puppy about. I tried to read every day before bed, but only managed a few pages the entire month because I was so shattered and kept falling asleep after just a paragraph or two! Same happened when ever I tried to read in the day time. I didn't discover any new music at all, and the only new-to-me films I can remember watching are Inside Out, Non Stop, and Jurassic World. Jurassic World was soooo good! I was excited to finally get my hands on Mockingjay Part 2 on DVD back in March, though, as I'm a big fan of The Hunger Games series, and had been looking forward to watching it again ever since I saw it in the cinema last November. I think it's such a great film, amazingly true to the book, and a strong end to the saga.

My little fluff-ball, earlier today, aged 19 weeks. 

And finally, I couldn't end my favourites post without including my beautiful Tibetan terrier puppy, Rosie, who was my favourite thing about March and April. She's ridiculously adorable, even when she's being an absolute terror, and she makes me laugh and smile every day. What's not to love about being greeted with a wagging tail, or having a puppy literally jump in to your arms to smother you with kisses each time you let her out of the crate in the morning because she's so excited to see you? Puppy cuddles are the best! She's definitely changed my life for the better; providing me with companionship and giving me something to aim for every day. I feel like she's making me a less selfish person one day at a time.

What are you loving right now?

Favourites | February 2016

Here are some of my favourite things from the past month...

I recently blogged about how I'd found myself the perfect green polka dot dress after years of searching. Well, less than two months after finding the first, I found a second green polka dot dress that I'm also crazy about- the Lindy Bop Kody tea dress. I think it might just be even more perfect than my Lola swing dress from Dolly and Dotty. It's a beautiful chiffon tea dress with an elasticated waist and capped sleeves, and it's perfect for every day wear- unlike many of my swing dresses that can look so out of place here in The Cotswolds. I really hope that Lindy Bop bring it out in more colours and patterns, because I'd happily buy one of each! I love this dress!

I added the Accessorize rocket bag to my novelty bag collection a couple of weeks ago, and even though it's not the most practical of bags, it's been really fun to use so far. The best part is that it only cost me £4.50!! It was originally £35, reduced down to £5, and with a 10% discount code I snagged myself the best bargain ever. All I need now is a dress with an awesome space-themed print to go with it, so I can create the perfect outfit for it.

My favourite ever Lush product has to be Happy Soap- or it was until some wise-guy at Lush HQ decided to discontinue it, maybe five or six years ago. I was absolutely gutted when it was retired (yes, I know it's only soap!) because it was the best soap ever. It had the most amazing orange, citrus fragrance, and left my skin soft instead of dried out, like some soaps do. Plus it was usually shaped like a smiley face in gift sets, which made it the cutest soap ever.

Well, you can imagine how excited I was when I found out it was available in the Lush Kitchen last month, which is where Lush make up small batches of discontinued or exclusive products for a very limited time. The menu in the Lush Kitchen changes regularly, so I didn't waste any time in snapping a few Happy Soaps up before they could get away. With delivery I spent about £20 on three soaps (I must be mad!), but it's still as gorgeous as I remember, so I think it was worth it. I only wish they'd bring it back permanently. 

Reading: I haven't found a lot of time to read lately, except for reading up on puppy care, so I'm still reading The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. I'm hoping to do better this month.

Watching: The Martian, About Time, Shutter Island, The Impossible, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland (Disney cartoon version), Dumbo, Finding Nemo, This Boy's Life, The Fault In Our Stars, Mrs Doubtfire.

Listening: I'm still playing a lot of Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco, mixed in with Ronan Keating's latest album Time Of My Life. I'm not really a fan of pop music, but my exception is Ronan / Boyzone, who I've been a big fan of them since I was nine. (Make of that what you will). I'm really enjoying his new album at the mo, although I personally don't think it's his best. My heart still belongs to Fires.

And finally, I spent a fair few hours colouring away in the adult colouring book My Mystical Wonderland, pretending to be artistic even though I'm definitely not! The pictures have been really fun to work on, especially the lion above with his heavily-decorated, voluminous mane.

And those are some of my February favourites.

What have you been loving lately?

Favourites | January 2016

It's been a while since I last did a monthly favourites post, so I thought it was about time I put a new one together. I've been enjoying all sorts of things these last few months, so you can expect to see some fashion, beauty, food,  creative hobbies, and entertainment faves in this post.

First up is the latest addition to my novelty bag collection- a robot bag from Accessorize, which has to be one of the kookiest bags I own. My Mum thinks I've lost the plot, but I think it's really fun, and it makes me smile because it's so damn cute and quirky. It's definitely not the most practical of bags, with just enough room for a phone, keys, lip balm, and a small purse, but who wants practical when you can carry a robot bag around? If you like the sound of an impractical robot bag, you can still get it on sale for just £10.50 here.

I haven't used a lot of new beauty products lately as I spent all of January in bed with the flu and I've just caught another cold, but two products I have been enjoying are Korres' Bergamot Pear body milk, and L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom hand cream. They both smell amazing, and have been keeping my hands super soft and well nourished all month. I'll review them both properly soon.

Over the last couple of months, I've gradually been working my way through my Yankee Candle stash. My favourites have been Snowflake Cookie, Christmas Cookie, Cranberry Ice, Sugared Apple, and Red Apple Wreath, which have all smelt ridiculously good. I'm currently loving Orange Splash, a candle my sister gave me for my birthday last year that has a gorgeous orange-citrus fragrance (funnily enough). I'm not sure why it's taken me seven months to use it, but it's been worth the wait and I'd definitely repurchase it once it's finished.

Watching (Movies): A Long Way Down, About Time, The Grey, Interstellar (amazing movie!), Insurgent, We Bought A Zoo, Life of Pi, Mockingjay Part 2 (at the cinema), plus loads of old faves.

Watching (TV shows): The Big Bang Theory, Daredevil, Fringe, Home and Away, The Supervet. (I haven't been watching that much TV, but now I've got Netflix there are loads of shows I want to binge-watch).

Reading: I've only finished one book so far this year- Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller, which is one of the best books I've read in years. (Review coming really soon!) I'm currently reading The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton.

Listening to: Panic! at the Disco's 'Death of a Bachelor' album on repeat, with a little bit of Fall Out Boy's 'American Beauty / American Psycho' album mixed for good measure. Both amazing albums! 

I've spent quite a few hours de-stressing with the adult colouring book 'The Menagerie', which is filled with beautiful, intricate animal pictures. I can't tell you how many hours have gone in to that hippo so far, but it's been keeping me busy for weeks, and I still have so much left to do! Would anyone like me to review the book once I've completed a few more pages?

Another creative book I've been enjoying is '642 Things To Write About Me' (recently reviewed here). I've written in it almost every day since I bought it in December, and I'm loving it. It's not just challenging my creativity, but it's prompting me to stop and think about my thoughts, feelings, opinions, and all kinds of moments from my life, before exposing them on paper, which I personally find far more challenging than writing meaningless fiction. It's a fun kind of challenge, though, and the book is well worth a purchase if you love to write.

The weekend before last, I began a colourful new cross stitch project, a patchwork-style 'home sweet home' sampler from Riverdrift House. It's so bright and cheerful that it's been so much fun to work on so far, and it's super easy, too, as it's all colour-blocked in simple lines or patterns. It might not be much of a challenge, but I'm finding all the continuous stitching really therapeutic, which is just what I need right now. I can't wait to see it all come together because I think it's going to look awesome when it's done. That's something I never thought I'd say about a 'home, sweet home' cross stitch sampler! 

I found Pocky sticks in Tesco before Christmas, and I had to get them to see what all the fuss was about.  I don't understand why people are obsessed with the chocolate flavoured ones as the chocolate is disgusting, and tastes very synthetic, but the strawberry flavoured ones were amazing. They taste like strawberry Mini Milk lollies in biscuit form. I wish I'd bought more than one box!

I can't stop wearing my bespectacled French bulldog brooch whenever I go. I'm surprised I haven't pinned it on to my pyjamas yet! It's easily one of the cutest brooches I've ever owned, and it goes with everything. I don't know who made it, but I bought it in a little art shop in Cheltenham called the Cheltenham Collective. (P.S. It doesn't actually have a discoloured stripe down the middle, it's just the way the light hit it).

And last but by no means least, is this gorgeous green polka dot 'Lola' dress from Dolly and Dotty. I've blogged about it in a haul post already, but I'm still crazy about it, so I had to include it today. It's so beautiful! I've worn it a couple of times already and feel amazing in it whenever I wear it. I've even taken photos of me wearing it (!), so I'll tell you more about it in an outfit post later in the week!

What have you been loving lately?

Fashion and Beauty Favourites | August and September 2015

I can't believe I'm putting my August and September favourites together today. How is it already October?? I've got no idea where the last couple of months have gone, and something tells me the next two are going to go really fast, too. It'll be Christmas before we know it, which is insane!

Before I start looking ahead, I'd better look back and share some of my fashion and beauty favourites from August and September. I usually share other things I've been loving in these favourite posts, like books and crafty things, but this month I'm going to blog about them separately, because I fancy a change.

I didn't buy many clothes during the Summer because I spent 99% of it living in my pyjamas, not feeling up to dressing like a proper human being. but I did treat myself to a gorgeous blue and red lip print swing dress from Lady Vintage in August. I had coveted the dress for months, and when I saw it on sale for about £25, I just couldn't resist. It's an absolute beauty! The print is gorgeous, the fabric is fantastic quality, and it fits like a glove. It's sadly no longer available to buy, but the dress comes in loads of other patterns, and there are a couple of other dresses in this fabric that are still available on sale.

In August, I also added a new novelty bag to my ever-growing collection- a studded cat-ears cross body bag by Yoki Fashion. I'd wanted a cat ears bag for years, so when I found this one on sale for £15, I had to snap it up. I love the studded ears and the fact it has a polka dot lining; my only bug-bear is that it's a little shorter than I'd like. The bag is no longer available in black, but a pink version is available here for just £12, down from £30!

I've been loving all the new season Cath Kidston things and made a few cheeky purchases over the last couple of months. I adore my new resin sausage dog and squirrel brooches. Aren't they adorable? They remind me of the Erstwilder designs, but they're far more purse friendly at just £6 each. I also picked up the resin rose bracelet in a gorgeous raspberry colour. I already had the bracelet in red and cream, but I couldn't resist buying it in another colour because I wear them to death. And they're just so pretty!

Another new addition to my CK collection is a pink and blue Provence rose print camera case. I've been searching high and low for a new camera case since I got my camera for Christmas last year; finding one to fit it has been a nightmare. It's taken me nine months, but I've finally found the one! It's a brand new design for AW, and a little wider than their old ones. so it even fits chunky little compact cameras like my little Canon. Now I can actually take the camera out of the house without worrying about breaking it. Yay!

My current beauty favourites have to be my new Inglot eyeshadows. I added a four pan palette and four shadows to my existing collection of twenty-two back in August, and I'm completely smitten with them. The shades are all so beautiful, and I've had so much fun wearing them, and combining them with some of my other Inglot shadows to create lots of different looks. What I love about these eyeshadows is that they're highly pigmented, blendable, and long-lasting, and very reasonably priced, too. The single eyeshadows are just £5.00, the rainbow trios are £6.50, and the palettes, which are sold separately, start from around £5.00. The four-pan is £7.00. Since each shadow and palette is sold separately, you have the freedom to create your own perfect palettes with the shades you love best, which is a brilliant concept. There are dozens if not hundreds of colours to choose from, and something for every taste. I'm going to dedicate a whole post to my Inglot eyeshadow palettes very soon, so if you'd like to know more about them and see swatches, keep an eye on Polka Spots over the next couple of weeks.

So, those were my fashion and beauty favourites from August and September. What were yours? Tell me in the comments below!

Favourites | June and July 2015

I'm a little late with my July Favourites post, but better late than never, right? Considering I skipped my June Favourites altogether, I can at least say this is an improvement! Ha ha!

I didn't have enough to feature for June, so I'll be combining my favourites from June and July for today's post.

June may have been uneventful, but July was a good month for lovely things. It was my birthday at the beginning of the month, which brought presents and a little extra cash to spend how I wanted. Let's just say, it didn't stay in my purse for long!

Wearing / wardrobe newbies:

Evans Flamingo PJ Set: I got myself the cutest flamingo-print PJs from Evans during the heat wave at the end of June. I needed some nightwear I could wear around my family in the 30'C+ heat without melting, and this set has more than paid for itself. It's so comfy, too!

Scarlett & Jo Dress: My parents gave ms some money for my birthday, which I spent on the gorgeous red and black Scarlett & Jo prom dress I'd been eyeing up for months. It's so beautiful! It has a plain black top with a mesh insert and capped sleeves, and a floral polka dot skirt with a light tulle petticoat underneath. I haven't actually worn it properly yet as I've been living in my PJs a lot lately, but I feel like a million bucks in it!

Dorothy Perkins Dress: The floral-print denim dress is from Dorothy Perkins, and was another piece I bought during the heat wave. I needed something light and comfortable to wear on a day trip to London in the sweltering heat, something with sleeves so I wouldn't have to wear a cardigan to cover my arms, nor roast to death wearing one. (I'm still self-conscious of my upper arms, and hate baring them in public). Thankfully, I found this short-sleeved denim smock dress in time, and it just so happened to be on sale for the bargain price of £12! The denim is light and airy, and the dress loose without looking too over-sized, so it's comfortable to wear in the heat, and it looks cute, too. It was perfect for my trip to London last month, and I've worn it several times since.

Accessorising:

Sass and Belle brooch: I treated myself to the cutest wooden swallow brooch from Sass and Belle last month. I still can't believe it was only £1.50! I think the quality is excellent, especially for the price, and it looks awesome with so many of my swing dresses.

ASOS Curve harness: Speaking of awesome jewellery, I finally got my hands on the mood-stone body harness from ASOS Curve, which I'd been coveting for months. It was so worth the wait! I wasn't sure what the sizing would be like, so I ordered the biggest size (M/L), to be safe, but it's generously sized so I think the S/M would've been better. It can be adjusted a little around the neck and back, though, and I think it looks amazing on. I'll admit that I'm ever so slightly obsessed with it.

Beauty Loves:

♥ I started using Garnier Start Afresh Cleanser and Toner in June, which I've been really impressed with so far. My skin is already softer, cleaner, and clearer, and those are results I like- especially since both products are so affordable. Expect a review soon!

♥ I've been keeping The Body Shop's peppermint cooling foot-spray close by during the muggy summer days, and it's been a God-send on my hot, tired feet. It's easily one of my favourite Summer staples.

♥ Lush Emotional Brilliance liquid eyeliners are among my favourite eye make up products, and I'm particularly addicted to my newest colours, Healthy, a vibrant apple green, and Motivation a striking light teal.

♥ I know I've already mentioned my Lush eye jewels a million times but I adore them! The colours are gorgeous, they're long-lasting, and my little palette reminds me of Trivial Pursuit. I'll be reviewing them in the next week or two, and I promise I'll stop talking about them after that!

♥ I treated myself to a new bottle of my favourite nail polish of all time- a Barry M classic nail paint in bright red. It's been my favourite for well over a decade, and I never get bored of wearing it.

♥ And I also tried some Mavala nail polishes for the first time in July, after my parents gave me a set for my birthday. I'm particularly loving 'Milky', a coral-orange, and 'Vegas Pink', a deep magenta.

Watching: About a month ago, I saw the film 'Little Women' for the very first time, and instantly fell in love with it. It has to be one of the loveliest films I've ever seen. I'm not sure how I'd never seen it before but I now count it as one of my all time faves. If you love period dramas, Christmas, general loveliness, and your sisters, I think you'll love it, too. After watching Little Women, I had an urge to rewatch 'Mermaids' (another film starring Winona). It's a classic and worth watching for Cher's wardrobe alone!

Reading: I've been too stressed to concentrate on reading much, lately, but I'm making slow progress with 'Little Women'. I've only read about 100 pages so far, but I'm really enjoying it. And not just because the copy my sister gave me for my birthday is gorgeous.

Listening: There hasn't been a lot of music blasting out from my speakers this Summer, since I managed to break my iPod last month. It slipped out of my hand, bounced off the glass bathroom scales, and shattered. I'm so gutted! I feel like I'm missing a limb!

Colouring: You'll probably have noticed that I'm hooked on adult colouring books at the moment, and in June and July I did a little colouring-in almost every day. I spent hours colouring away at My Magical Oasis, which is one of my current faves. (Should I admit to owning five adult colouring books now? Probably not, but who cares?!) Colouring-in has been distracting me from my physical pain, and also from the stress of other health issues and medical appointments, so it's been a welcome outlet for me lately. It helps that it's full of pretty pictures to work on. (Review here). Plus using Crayola colouring pencils is strangely enjoyable; it reminds me of childhood!

Creative writing: I've also been working my way through a creative writing book called 642 Tiny Things To Write About. It's filled with creative writing prompts that can be completed in a couple of paragraphs or less, and I can never just complete one at a time. I've lost many happy hours filling out page after page after page. (Review here).

There are many other things I could add to this post, but I think I've rambled on enough already, so let's stop here. If you've made it to the end, thanks for sticking with me!

What are your favourite things right now?