Currently | July 2018

It's been a couple of months since I last sat down and wrote a 'currently' post about some of the things I've been doing and enjoying lately, so I thought it was about time for a catch up. 

Let's start with what I've been watching...

Watching

I haven't actually been watching much of anything new over the past few months, because I've not been in the mood to concentrate, or start anything new. Do you ever get days / months like that? I've been enjoying season two of The Handmaid's Tale, and Timeless, but apart from that, I've mostly just been watching old favourites like The Big Bang Theory, and Home and Away. I think the only new film I've watched this summer is The Greatest Showman, which I absolutely love. It's one of the best musicals I've seen in years, and I love that it unapologetically celebrates people of all shapes and sizes, colours, abilities, and conditions. It's so refreshing, and sends out such a positive message. I only wish they had featured more actors who have the health conditions- real albinos, real bearded ladies, real conjoined twins- to truly celebrate and help normalise such conditions, but I suppose finding actors with the conditions who can also sing and dance can't be easy in this ablest society. Regardless, I really enjoyed the movie, and I can't seem to get the songs out of my head.

Listening

I can't say I've been listening to a lot of music lately, just a bit of Linkin Park here, a bit of Fall Out Boy there... but I've been loving Panic! at the Disco's new album 'Pray For The Wicked'. It's full of amazing, upbeat, catchy songs.

 Reading

Since my last 'currently' post, I've been having a bit of a Frances Hardinge reading binge, and have worked my way through A Skinful of Shadows, A Face Like Glass, and Cuckoo Song. All three were fantastic page-turners that kept me gripped until the end. Hardinge has such a beautiful way with words, and her fantasy stories are so unique and original. I'd definitely recommend the three above.

Earlier this summer, I also read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, a novel based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner of Auschwitz who was forced to tattoo numbers on to the arms of the men, women, and children entering the concentration camps. The importance of his role earned him some protection in the camps, and he secretly used his privilege to help his fellow prisoners and the girl he was falling in love with, while risking being caught at any moment. Lale's harrowing story was fascinating and one of the best Holocaust stories I've read, but difficult to read at times, when the horrors he witnessed and friends experienced were described. Still, I flew through this book in two days, and highly recommend it if you have an interest in reading about the Holocaust.

  

Stitching

As I've been busy working on other craft projects over the last few months, I haven't done as much cross stitching as I'd like, and I'm still working on the colourful Spectrum Mandala cross stitch from The World in Stitches that I showed you in my last 'currently' post. I'm back to cross stitching daily again now, though, and I'm finally beginning to close in on the three quarter mark. I'm really happy with how it's coming together; seeing all those colours blend together is super satisfying. I'm hoping to get it finished by the end of August so I can spend Autumn working on some Christmas craft projects.

Crafting

In June, I finally finished the four felt spring wreaths I taught myself to make during the Spring, (which I blogged about here), and they came out so well it's given me such a sense of accomplishment. I've decided to make Christmas wreaths in a similar style, and as the Spring wreaths took months of work, I've already began working on them so that they'll be ready in time for Christmas. I've started making red felt roses and poinsettias to use, and next I'm going to figure out how to make felt amaryllis flowers, and possibly even pinecones and mistletoe. I can't seem to stop making felt flowers now I know how!

Painting

I haven't done heaps of painting lately, but I recently treated myself to a cheap set of gouache paints, and I've been having fun getting to grips with them. I've wanted to try painting with gouache for years, and I'm loving how vibrant the paints are compared to the watercolours I usually work in.

Buying

I had a nice little rebate earlier this year, so I've been able to treat myself to some amazing Erstwilder brooches, and lots of beautiful pieces from the Cath Kidston Alice in Wonderland collection lately. I've also been buying some Body Shop body butters and lotions, a few books, and a couple of Kimchi and Coconut brooches. I'll be blogging about most of them really soon!

Winning

I was recently lucky enough to win copies of Breathe magazine, and Breathe Special Nature Journal from Emma of The Cornish Geek (thanks, Emma!), which I'm absolutely loving. I've never read Breathe magazine before, but it's filled with inspiring articles on wellbeing, mindfullness and creativity, and illustrated with beautiful art. It's been such an enjoyable read, so I'm definitely going to be picking up future issues. 

The Nature Journal, which is designed to help you connect with nature to improve your wellbeing, is even better, with gorgeous art and illustrations on every page, and tasks to complete throughout the year. From writing down your favourite things about each season to exploring nature and recording the animals and plants you see, it's full of fun projects to help you connect with the natural world. If you love nature and enjoy being creative like I do, you'd love it, and need to get yourself a copy. I'm really looking forward to getting started on all the Summer and Autumn tasks, but it's so pretty I almost don't want to make a mark in it.

Needing

a holiday, a life, and some clothes I can wear in the heat without melting.

Wanting

Everything from the new Cath Kidston Otters and Mini Badgers and Friends collections, all the Erstwilder jewellery, some new bookshelves, a holiday by the sea, to spend some time out of the house, and my heart to calm the fuck down.

Wishing

the heat would cool down, and we could have Autumn weather already. If you haven't heard the UK is currently basking in the hottest and longest heatwave since the sixties. We've had over four weeks straight of 30'C+ weather here in Oxfordshire (it's been up to 34'C!), which is not normal English weather. We might get a week of it each summer, but that's usually it. Our houses are designed to keep the heat in and we don't have air conditioning in our homes, so it's been unbearable. I'm always overheated from my chronic illnesses, and can't regulate my own body temperature, so I feel so uncomfortable in the heat. I've not had the energy to do anything, and I feel like I've lost a couple of stone sweating from places I didn't know could sweat. I'm so ready for the weather to change, and for Autumn to begin. It doesn't sound like it's going to happen any time soon, though.

Celebrating

On the 2nd, I celebrated my 33rd birthday (man, I'm getting old!). I'm not one for parties and don't really have anyone to celebrate with any more, so I had a quiet one with a trip to the zoo, and an evening in eating birthday cake and a buffet tea with my family. I was given some lovely presents, too, which I'll be blogging about soon.

Playing

My younger sister bought me a Nintendo 2DS for my birthday earlier this month, so I've been having fun playing Mario Kart 7 almost every day since. It's been years since I last played it (on the Wii), and it's great fun. Does anyone have any 2DS game recommendations? I need to buy some new games to play on it.

Eating

I've basically been living on ice cream and all the cold drinks I can get my hand on, to survive the heatwave. Maxibons and Haagen Daaz lollies have been two of my recent faves- but nothing beats a 99 from the ice cream van!

Loving

I'm loving Insta stories at the moment. I could spend hours watching them from my fave Instagrammers every day (and sometimes I do). It's so addictive, and I love seeing what everyone is getting up to or enjoying. I began putting my own stories together a couple of months ago, and I'm really enjoying sharing little snippets from my life, like things I've been buying or crafting, and I'm having fun getting creative with it. It's definitely my favourite platform to use right now- although, I don't post every day because I haven't always got anything exciting to share. It's not easy coming up with interesting content when you're housebound and have no life!

So, that's what I've been doing and enjoying lately. What about you? 

What are you loving right now?

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Blog Every Day in May Day Nine: A Moment in My Day

Today is day nine of the May blogging challenge, and today's prompt is 'A moment in your day. (This can be just a photo, or both a photo and words).'

Well, I can't say I've got anything interesting to share with you for this topic. I've mostly been in bed today reading and watching a little TV.

I've been attempting to get stuck in to the big pile of magazines I've been meaning to read. One or two of them have been waiting to be read since March! 

I buy (or get given) magazines, to keep myself busy, and with the intention of getting through them the same day, but then I always get preoccupied with blogging. There's always so much to do!

I love reading Company, Cosmopolitan, Look, Grazia, Marie Claire, Glamour, and occasionally Elle and In Style. I love to soak up all the fashion, and also reading the inspiring true life stories.

I've also read a little more of the novel I'm currently reading; Instructions For A Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. It's set in the middle of a heat wave in the summer of 1976. A man goes out to get the newspaper, like he does every morning, but this time, he never came back. His wife, and their three grown children who have flown the nest and are living their own lives with their own problems, come back together to try to make sense of his disappearance...  and that's currently all I know.

I'm not quite a third of the way through it, but I've enjoyed it from the start. It's a real page-turner and I'm finding it hard to put down. I've read several of Maggie O' Farrell's novels, and I always find myself engrossed whenever I pick one of her books up. They're so well written, and interesting. I recommend The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, and After You'd Gone. 

And I watched The Lucky One in the wee hours of the morning. It's another of Nicholas Sparks' book adaptions (the same guy who brought us The Notebook and Dear John). It's about a marine called Logan (played by the alarmingly good-looking Zac Efron... err, when did that happen??) who finds a photo of a woman on the ground in Iraq. When he returns from war, he vows to find the woman to thank her for keeping him alive. He finds her, ends up working in a boarding kennels, and falls in love with a woman called Beth who has a young son. Of course, as with most romance films, there's something in their way in the form of the woman's ex husband... And you'll have to watch it to find out the rest.

It may not be the best film in the world, but I like it, and sometimes those small-town romance films can be exactly what the doctor ordered.

And that pretty much sums up my day... Sorry I have nothing more interesting to share.

Life Lately

Today I've put together a post featuring the good things in my life of late, and also those little things which have been pleasing the senses. I've never written a post exactly like this before, so please let me know if you enjoy reading these type of posts, and if you might like to see me repeating this idea from time to time.

So, lately I've been...

Listening To...

Fall Out Boy's first album in four and a half years came out on Monday, which as a big FOB fan, is something I've been hugely excited about for the last few months. I've been playing it on repeat ever since.

I LOVE this album. I love every single song. Every song is so catchy and uptempo, the type of songs which instantly put me in a good mood; which is something Fall Out Boy's music has always had the power to do. Their music has evolved so much since Folie A Deux, yet it still has that distinctive FOB sound. The album is a real mix of genres, with collaborations from artists ranging from Courtney Love to Elton John! I keep finding myself suddenly bursting in to 'Rat a tat tat! Rat a tat tat tat hey!

Watching...

I've been having a Liam Neeson moment lately (c'mon, the man is God!); and have been watching the extremely moving Schindler's List, and the gripping action film, Unknown. Schindler's List is heartbreaking, and I always bawl at the end when Schindler cries for not saving more people.

Reading...

I recently finished reading Dean Koontz's Sole Survivor, which is a thriller about a fatal plane crash in which over three hundred people died, and a man who lost his wife and daughters in the crash trying to uncover a conspiracy others are trying to keep hidden. As a Dean Koontz fan, I enjoyed this novel a lot, and didn't want it to end.

I'm currently reading The Lifeboat which is a debut novel from Charlotte Rogan, and a book I can't put down. It's set in 1914; an ocean liner has sunk on route to New York from a mystery explosion; and a lifeboat full of survivors is left to wait for rescue. The book is about the passengers of this lifeboat, seated inches apart in a boat which is over-capacity, with limited supplies, and an uncertain fate. Initially, I likened the plot to Titanic; a disaster which has always interested me- which is probably why I was intrigued by this novel in the first place, but apart from the era, and the tragedy at sea, that's where the comparisons end. I'm not quite half way through yet, but it's a real page turner, and a book I'm loving. The plot could quite easily have been dull and boring, but the author has really made the unusual setting work perfectly.

I recommend you give both of these books a try.

I've also picked up a couple of my favourite magazines to kick back with.

(Marie Claire Magazine Freebies)...

The May edition of Marie Claire (UK) comes with a Ciate nail polish, and a Jerfens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser! I picked up the issue with a magical gold nail polish in 'Sand Dune'. I don't actually own a gold nail polish so I'm looking forward to trying it out. There's another colour to collect (a nude, I think), and since these Ciate nail polishes retail for £9 each, they're great freebies!

Buying/New Additions...

I added a couple of nail polishes to my collection last week. I replaced one of my favourite light teal nail polishes 'Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sky High'; was given the Sally Hansen pot by my Sister who used it once and didn't like the colour; and tried my first Gelly Barry M polish in Prickly Pear.

I got hold of a copy of a nail art tutorial book I'd wanted since Christmas.

I treated myself to some Listography books to plan things I'd like to do in the future, and record a little more of who I am to look back on one day.

I got this heart shaped polka dot memo board from Sainsbury's a month or two ago. It was only £6!

And my older sister treated me to some bunting which compliments the memo board, and work well with my curtains and bed linen. They should hopefully look great in my bedroom when it eventually gets redecorated.

I also used some money from my eBay sales on some L'Occitane make up, but I didn't have a photo ready to show you today.

Loving... The lighter evenings, and the slightly mild weather which is finally setting in. I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation! I'm so much perkier when the days get longer, and the sun shines brighter. I love everything I showed you above, too.

Wanting... This lamp for beside my bed. // Some maxi skirts, like this one, this one, and this one. // More L'Occitane make up, and some of their Verbena and Cherry Blossom products. // This ring. // This dress. // 

This nail polish. // Some Dainty Doll make up. This Stila make up palette. // A hair cut. // 

Smiling... Smiling's my favourite.

Eating... I had the most delicious sweet waffle with hazelnut and Nutella chocolate gelatos and Nutella chocolate sauce yesterday afternoon. I've not been able to eat anything since, but it was so good! 

Seeing... Currently my laptop screen, and my signed Ronan Keating calendar on the wall in front of me.

Hearing... Just the sound of my laptop whirring as the cooling system is over heating. I've no music playing, nor am I watching the TV as I've got a headache, and I'm enjoying the peace.

Smelling... Right now I can smell the orange juice from the glass on my bedside table.

Touching... My laptop's keyboard, and my burgundy throw quilt.

Tasting... A mix between the morphine I just took, and the square of Malteasers chocolate I took to try to take the taste of it away. Morphine tastes like nail polish remover...

Doing... Writing this post on my laptop.

Wearing... Star print pyjama bottoms, and a sleep shirt with a bunny motif on it. Well, it is half four in the morning as I write this...

Time... 4:33am.

Temp... According to the weather forecast, eight degrees Celsius.

Sitting... I'm not sitting; I'm slumped down on my bed.

Needing... I need a new bedside lamp or lamps, since the lamp shade on my battered old one has now got holes in it, and it's all faded. I also need a hair cut, quite desperately, in fact. Apart from that, my 'needs' are mostly 'wants'.

Tabs Open... Facebook, and Blogger. Google, iTunes, Tweetdeck, and Photoscape on my desktop.

Little Things

Happy Easter Monday!

 Did everyone have a good Easter? Mine was a quiet one spent in bed, but I still had a pleasant day.

 I made sure to watch Steel Magnolias, which is one of my all time favourite films, and one I have to watch each Easter without fail. It's the perfect Easter movie, and such a feel good girlie film. It never fails to make me cry, but I also have a sense of contentment whenever I watch it. It's just lovely. If you haven't seen it before and you love a good chick-flick, then you have to grab yourself a copy pronto, and watch it! You won't regret it!

I also lounged around in my new spearmint green chiffon dress from Matalan, which will hopefully be coming to an outfit post very soon, and my Mum cooked a roast dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. It's a meal reserved for just Christmas and occasional Easter Sundays, so it was a lovely surprise to be greeted with yesterday.

I got this little loot of chocolate from my family. As everybody had left their Easter egg shopping until the last minute, I only got something egg-shaped from the parents, and my sisters bought me various decadent chocolates instead. I feel spoilt, though!

As I've had to take it even easier than normal these past ten days or so, I've been mostly confined to bed with a big stack of fashion magazines, and my book to keep me occupied when I've not been online. I was so excited to find the new issue of Company High Street Edit in Sainsbury's last week. It's one I always look forward to reading as it combines two of my favourite things- fashion and Company Magazine!

I'm currently reading Dean Koontz's 'Sole Survivor'. It's about a man called Joe Carpenter who lost his wife and two young daughters in a fatal plane crash which killed everybody aboard. A year after the crash, Joe, who is so grief-stricken from losing his family, has stopped living, begins to learn of a conspiracy covering up the truth. He goes on a mission to uncover the truth, whilst a powerful organisation pursues him, determined to keep him from it. It's a really gripping read, and I've been finding it so hard to set it down to blog, sleep, and eat. I always enjoy Dean Koontz's novels, but this is definitely one of the best I've read after The Taking. Check it out!

Since I've been a bit under the weather recently, my older sister treated me to some amazing Moomin stationery! Growing up, The Moomins was one of my favourite cartoons, and I've always remembered it quite fondly. We both got a little excited when we discovered the stationery in Waterstones, and she decided to treat me to some of it as she knows I'm obsessed with stationery, particularly notebooks and writing sets.

I got an A5 hardback notebook which I may use for jotting down my blog ideas.

It has lined paper, with a little sketch in the corner, and little Moomins all over the first page.

Aren't these little drawings of Moomin adorable?!

I got a 'To Do List' jotter, which will be great for scribbling down lists and ideas.

The inside cover is also covered with Moomins.

She also got me a set of notecards.

They come in a little metal tin.

Which contains 16 pink envelopes, and 16 pink Moomin notecards.

And finally, I was given a little book of Moomin post it notes.

It's filled with lots of sticky notes in various sizes, designs, and colours.

It's true love! I love it all.

Well, this random little post has been to show you the little things which have been making me smile lately.

What makes you smile when you're not feeling yourself?

Smoothly Does It with Cosmopolitan

The December issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine (UK) has a pretty great freebie with it this month- a tube of V05's 'Smoothly Does It' Frizz Free Cream. I'd only ever tried V05's shampoos and conditioners, and as I've been impressed with them in the past, I was pleased to see this freebie and excited to give it a try.

Smoothly Does It is designed to keep hair smooth and sleek, while protecting it from heated appliances such as straighteners and curling tongs. I'll admit that I'd never used a heat defence product before, even though I regularly straighten my hair. I know, I know, it's appalling hair decorum. I've always intended to pick one up, but I always forget by the time I go shopping.

This 100ml tube is so generously sized it will last for months. It's a full size bottle, and retails around £3.89, so not a bad freebie at all. The packaging is simple and sleek, and easy to handle, and it won't look out of place on the dressing table.

I've used the frizz free cream twice so far, and I can honestly say, I'm really impressed with the product. It's so easy to use, too. Just apply a small amount of the serum to the palm of your hands (a little goes a long way), rub them together and smooth through towel-dried hair before drying your hair with a hair dryer. It leaves my hair super soft, glossy, sleek, and well tamed. I could notice a difference straight away. As for the scent, I can't put my finger on what it smells like, but it's pleasant enough and not at all overpowering like many hair treatments are.

Needless to say, I love this frizz free cream, and I will be purchasing it again once this tub is used up. 5/5 from me! I can't recommend it enough. What are you waiting for? Go grab a copy of Cosmo NOW!

Have you used this serum or any of V05's other beauty products before?

Can you recommend any of their other products to me?

Glamourous Nails

Evening lovelies,

If you read the British version of Glamour Magazine, you may very well have seen that the December issue comes with a free Nails Inc nail polish!

I read Glamour almost religiously, but I was naturally excited to pick up this month's issue when I saw the nail polish free with it. Nails Inc nail polishes retail around the £11 mark, so to get one free with a £2 magazine is fantastic. You get a great read, and can give yourself a pretty manicure for less than the price of your daily coffee fix. What's not to love?

I intentionally picked up a copy that had a bottle of the bright red nail polish.

The nail polish is a full sized 10ml bottle and the colour is called St James, It's a beautiful bright, cheery tomato red, which is my favourite nail colour to wear, so I was excited to try it.

I used this polish on my nails last night, and it was a positive experience. The brush was easy to work with, and the colour went on smoothly, and dried in the blink of an eye. I normally apply three coats of most polishes, but I found two coats was more than adequate with St James.

I love this nail polish!

It's the perfect classic red nail colour; a shade that works with almost any outfit, and is great with very fair skin tones like my own. I imagine this shade would work with most skin colours, though, but don't quote me on that. The colour is a bold tomato red, just like it appears in the bottle, and it's identical to my favourite nail polish, Barry M's Bright Red.

The photo below has captured the colour quite accurately.

I'm very impressed with this polish. I can't think of anything negative about it at all! What a great freebie!

£11 is more than I'd usually spend on a nail polish, but I'd certainly consider treating myself to a few when I can afford to.

There are four different shades to collect with Glamour which alone would cost £44, but if you bought four copies of the magazine, they'll come to just £8. I know which I'd choose.

I'm intending to buy another copy or two if I can get my hands on them.

Have you bought Glamour this month? Which nail polish(es) did you get?

Have you used Nail Inc polishes before? Any colour recommendations?