Wednesday Wish List

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

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I love these beautiful Polish-folk-art-inspired acrylic necklaces from Tatty Devine. The colourful designs would make the perfect statement pieces for all kinds of summer outfits.

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How beautiful are these embroidered Natalie swing dresses from Dolly and Dotty?! I'm in love with the embroidered flamingo detailing- especially the little flamingo chicks! 

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Collectif are killing it with amazing dresses this season. I'm obsessed with this flared gingham dress, and San Francisco swing dress (which goes up to a UK size 28!) from the Collectif x Modcloth collaboration. I need both them in my life.

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These Disney's The Little Mermaid novelty bags from Danielle Nicole are absolutely amazing, especially the boat cross body bag from the 'Kiss the Girl' scene. (One of the best Disney movie scenes ever)! It has to be one of the best novelty bags I've ever seen. Ursula is pretty damn fabulous with her glittery dress and tentacles, too, though. 

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Betsey Johnson's Halloween novelty bags are already available to preorder, and there are some fantastic designs in the mix. I think the Candy Corn is my favourite, although, that glittery red Glampire lips bag is high on my lust list, too. I have to say, I can't wait for Autumn and Halloween; I'm so over this heat!

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Speaking of Autumn, these tartan dresses from Hell Bunny are my idea of the perfect Autumn uniform. I would wear these gorgeous frocks to death during the colder months with black tights, ankle boots, and a black biker jacket. Can they magically appear in my wardrobe, please?

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And I'm also coveting these beautiful classic red handbags from Kate Spade- not that I could ever afford to buy one, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

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

Have any pieces caught your eye this week?

My Handmade Felt Spring Flower Wreaths

In January, I set myself a list of goals for the year, and one of those goals was to make a spring wreath. Now here we are in July, and I'm proud to say I've smashed my goal by not only making one spring wreath this year, but four!

I originally intended to make a pom pom wreath with a few felt flowers mixed in, similar to the ones I made last Christmas, but as I got stuck in to the project, I changed direction and decided to ditch the pom poms and made floral wreaths almost entirely out of felt instead.

I started the project back in March, hoping to have the wreaths ready by Easter, but it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. Each stage was time-consuming, with each flower taking up to half an hour to make, and the leaves taking three hours to glue to each wreath alone. I was also hindered by my pain which only allowed me to spend up to an hour on them a day, so I didn't complete my last wreath until early June.

Okay, I might not have finished them in time for spring, but I like to think I'm ahead for next year!

I'd never made anything like them before, but I didn't follow any tutorials (except for how to make the roses, which seemed too complicated to figure out without a little help- they weren't), and made it all by hand through trial and error. I admit, I did have to Google for templates for the petals and leaves because I'm not brilliant at drawing free-hand, and needed something to draw around, but I made everything else up as I went along, using photos of flowers as a guide. I taught myself how to make felt daffodils, tulips, and pansies (with hand-embroidered faces), and enjoyed learning how to make felt roses using this tutorial from The Flower Art. Making the flowers was fun and super satisfying; after a while, I could almost do them with my eyes closed, and began to feel like a felt florist as felt flowers overflowed from jars and bowls around me. Once I got started, I found I couldn't stop making them! It's an addictive process.

I tried to make the flowers look as realistic as a felt flower can, and used a variety of bright and pastel felt sheets from Hobbycraft and The Felt Fairy in shades of yellow, pink, purple, peach, orange, and white, with three to four shades of green for the leaves. Two of the wreaths I made are made of pastel-coloured flowers, while the other two are a little bolder. Unfortunately, I haven't captured the true colours of the felt well in the photos as I suck at photo editing and couldn't get the photos right, but they're much deeper and brighter in real life. The yellow daffodils are bright and cheerful, and the dark green leaves are grass green, not forest, but you get the idea. I can't decide which style I like best- although, I decided to keep the second wreath I made with the purple ribbon, so perhaps I prefer the deeper coloured flowers after all.

To make the wreaths, I began by wrapping spring green wool tightly around one ring of a wooden embroidery hoop for the base, which took about an hour and a half for each one. The next step was attaching the felt leaves to the hoop with a hot glue gun, I used three shades of green felt for the leaves, and it took about three hours just to glue them on to each one- and that's not counting the time it took to cut them all out first. Once the leaves were in place, I played around with different arrangements of the flowers I'd pre-made until I found a look I liked, and then spent a couple of hours gluing them securely to each wreath. To finish the wreath I've completed, I tied a length of pretty ribbon to the screw of the hoop to hang it from (although, for the inner hoops, which don't have a screw on top, this is best done before you glue on the leaves, as you have to tie the ribbon around the embroidery hoop).

I still need to buy ribbon to finish the last three wreaths as I haven't got anything suitable in my stash, but other than that, my felt spring wreath project is complete!

Obviously, I'm not a craft blogger, but I had hoped to blog a tutorial to show you guys how to make a felt spring wreath, but spring has been and gone, and now summer is swiftly ticking away, I guess it's going to have to wait until next spring instead. If anyone wants to know how I made anything, though, just send me a message, and I'll try to talk you through the process. I am planning to show you how to make a felt Christmas wreath before the year is through, though, so watch out for that this November / December! 

I've moved on to making felt Christmas wreathes already, so that they'll actually be ready to hang on time this Christmas, and have been busy making red felt poinsettias and roses over the last few weeks. I'm going to figure out how to make felt amaryllis flowers next. Once you get started, it's hard to stop! 

Without meaning to toot my own horn, I'm really pleased with how well the felt wreaths came together, and proud of them for a first attempt at felt flower / wreath-making. Apparently, you really can do anything when you set your mind to it!

Have you ever tried to make a felt wreath or flower? What was the last thing you crafted?

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Wednesday Wish List

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

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I discovered a new jewellery brand this week called Little Pig Jewellery Design, who hand make the cutest acrylic and wooden jewellery. These pretty rainbow and pastel coloured brooches are just a few of my new favourites. How cute are those party rings?!

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Tatty Devine's new rainbow shooting star jewellery collection was made to make a statement. I particularly love the Shooting Star Rainbow Statement Necklace (#1).

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Erstwilder recently launched an amazing seventeen piece astrology collection called 'Written in the Stars', and I'm in love with so many of them. The collection has been designed by Sally Land, and features sixteen brooches for the twelve signs of the zodiac and the four elements, along with one special bonus necklace (see below). I can't say I take astrology too seriously, even though I seem to possess the traits of a typical Cancerian, but holy crap, this collection is amazing! I'm tempted to buy the Cancer the Compassionate crab brooch with my birthday money, but I also really love the bull, fish, ram, and several others. I may need to start a collection...

Erstwilder The Evening Star Necklace

Just look at how amazing the necklace from the Written in the Stars collection is! It's so pretty.

Vendula London Lemon Charm Handbag With Scalloped Edges

This yellow polka dot scalloped charm bag from Vendula London looks like the perfect quirky summer day bag.

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I love these summer print Ursula and Evie swing dresses from Lady Vintage. They're currently available to preorder in sizes  14-30/32.

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And, finally, I think it's fair to say that Lindy Bop have the best gingham, polka dot, and floral dresses and skirts this season. Can these all magically appear in my wardrobe, please?

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

What's on your wish list this week?

101+ Summer Blog Post Ideas

I think it's safe to say that summer has well and truly arrived here in the northern hemisphere. The sun is shining, the sky is an endless stroke of blue, and my home feels like the fiery furnace of hell. 

We're currently basking in a scorching 30'C heatwave here in England, and while the sunshine is glorious, I'm not loving the heat and the humidity so much. I feel soooo uncomfortable right now. I'm  seriously thinking about setting up camp in the freezer, and staying there 'til Autumn arrives.

I might not enjoy the summer heat, but there are lots of things about summer that I love, like taking holidays, trips to the beach, having barbecues and picnics, going to outdoor gigs, the long hours of daylight, and so much more. If you're a blogger, I'm sure you'll agree that one of great things about summer is having no shortage of day light for capturing all those blog photos, and also having so many fun topics to blog about. From blogging about your summer travels, to shooting fun summer outfits, creating colourful festival-friendly make up looks, and sharing delicious summer recipes, the possibilities for summer blog content are endless. Really, we're only limited by our imagination, and the adventures and experiences we have this summer. It's the time of year when we can really have fun with our blog content, and I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to creating my summer posts over the next couple of months.

If you're planning your blog's summer content and are stuck for ideas, don't worry; I've compiled a list of 130 summer blog post ideas to give you some inspiration. (I was planning to stop at 101, but I figured it might be helpful to share the other 29 I came up with, too). There are all kinds of ideas on the list from fashion and beauty to lifestyle and travel, so there's something for all kinds of different blogging niches here. Feel free to use as many of these ideas on your blog, vlog, or social media pages as you'd like, and to interpret them however you like. I hope they help you create some killer summer content!

Here are 130 things to blog about this summer...

Lifestyle
1. Your summer bucket list / goals for summer.

2. A look back on how many of your summer goals you achieved. (And how many you didn't).

3. 10 / 25 / 50 things everyone should do before the summer is through. (An essential summer bucket list).

4. A Day In The Life, summer edition- share photos of what you got up to during one summer's day.

5. Photo An Hour, summer edition- take a photo every waking hour of your day and compile them in a post.

6. A list of free or inexpensive ways to have fun this summer.

7. Fun ways to enjoy the light summer evenings.

8. How to have a great summer with chronic pain / illness.

9. Tips for keeping cool in the heat.

10. How to sleep in the heat.

11. Tips for surviving weddings if you're shy, introverted, and / or social anxious.

12. Share your summer homeware wish list.

Travel

13. Talk about your summer holiday plans; where are you going?

14. Blog about your summer holiday adventures.

15. Write about any summer day trips or adventures you take.

16. Share your travel bucket list.

17. 5 / 10 places to visit in your area this summer.

18. Best places to visit in your country this summer.

19. How to have a great holiday without going abroad.

20. Tips for saving for your holiday.

21. How to make some extra cash for your holiday.

22. How to travel on a budget.

23. How to book cheap holidays / hotels / flights.

24. Tips for booking last-minute holidays.

25. Travelling tips.

26. Tips for travelling with chronic pain / illness / disability.

27. Tips for travelling with children / pets.

28. Tips for taking an epic road trip.

29. How to have a great staycation.

30. Ideas for things to do on staycation.

31. Your summer travel essentials.

32. How to pack for a week / fortnight with just a carry-on.

33. How to effectively pack a suitcase.

34. What's in my carry-on?- Show your readers what you've packed in your carry-on bag.

35. What's in my suitcase?- Give your readers a peek at what you've packed in your suitcase.

36. The best holiday you ever had.

37. The worst holiday you ever had.

Entertainment
38. Share your summer playlist.

39. Talk about your favourite summer movies.

40. The best TV shows to binge watch this summer.

41. Your favourite summer reads.

42. Reviews of books you read over the summer.

43. Are you setting yourself a summer reading challenge? Blog about it!

44. What you're currently reading / watching / listening to.

45. A low down on this year's best summer festivals / gigs .

46. What to pack for a festival and what to leave behind.

47. Blog about a festival you go to.

Foodie
48. Share your favourite barbecue recipes.

49. Write about your favourite picnic recipes.

50. Blog some amazing summer recipes.

51. Share your favourite summer cocktail recipes.

52. How to throw the perfect barbecue.

53. How to throw the perfect picnic.

54. Write about a meal you had at a cafe or restaurant this summer.

55. Review a summer menu at a cafe or restaurant.

56. Talk about the best places to grab a bite in your area this summer.

Crafts and Hobbies

57. Share photos of any crafts you've been working on.

58. Blog some summer craft DIYs.

59/ Americans- share your 4th of July craft DIYs.

60. Share your summer photography tips.

61. What craft supplies you pack for your travels.

62. Give your readers a peek at your summer bullet journal pages.

63. Blog your summer stationery haul.

64. Put together a summery stationery wish list.

Blogging
65. A list of 50 / 101 summer blog post ideas.

66. The best summer photo props for your blog and social media photos.

67. How to stay productive in the heat.

68. Put together a summer Instagram round up of photos you've taken during the summer.

69. Share some summer Instagram 'Insta-stories' ideas.

70. Create and share some summer Insta-stories templates for your readers to use.

Body Positivity
71. Compile your body confidence tips for summer.

72. Advice on how to cope with body-shaming this summer.

73. How to deal with body-shaming people at weddings (whether you're the guest or the bride / groom).

74. How to treat fat people like humans (IE. with respect) this summer- and every day of the year.

75. How to love those summer freckles.

76. How to stay cool in the heat while staying covered up (for those who don't feel comfortable flashing the flesh).

77. How to bare your arms and legs with confidence this summer.

78. How to rock that bikini or fatkini this summer.

79. Share your anti-chafing tips and favourite anti-chafing products.

Fashion
80. Share all of those wonderful summer outfits you've been wearing.

81. Tips and ideas for beach to bar / office to beer garden outfits.

82. Wedding outfit ideas.

83. Share your summer fashion wish list.

84. Put together a summer fashion haul.

85. Blog your pre-holiday fashion haul- the clothes and accessories you bought to take on holiday.

86. Your pick of the best sundresses for summer.

87. The best beach bags for summer.

88. The best bikins / fatkinis to choose from this year.

89. The best one-piece swimsuits for all sizes.

90. This season's best summer sandals.

91. The best summer flip flops this year.

92. The best sunglasses out there this summer.

93. Talk about summer's top trends and your favourite pieces for each one.

94. How to make the summer's trends work for you if you're plus size.

95. Your favourite fruity fashion pieces.

96. Share photos of your favourite summer jewellery and accessories.

97. Do a 'What's In My Bag?' post.

98. Give your readers a peek at what's in your beach bag.

99. Show everyone what your summer handbag essentials are.

100. Compile some summer outfit inspiration (from plus size and straight size fashionistas).

Beauty
101. Share your summer beauty haul.

102. Show us your pre-holiday beauty haul- the beauty products you bought to take on holiday.

103. Put together a summer beauty wish list.

104. Reveal what's in your holiday make up bag.

105. Give everyone a peek at what's in your holiday wash bag.

106. Talk about the best sun / sea / swim hair products.

107. Write about the best cooling products for your skin this summer.

108. Give your two cents on the best SPFs out there this year.

109. Tell us about the best heat / sweat resistant make up products for summer.

110. Write about your favourite summer skincare products.

111. Talk about your favourite summer fragrances.

112. Your favourite eyeshadow palettes for summer (new or old).

113. Share your own festival make up tutorial.

114. Share some summer make up tutorials.

115. Create a summery nail art tutorial.

116. Share some summer nail art ideas / inspiration.

117. Write about the best nail polishes for summer.

118. Tips on how to do your own pedicure and get your feet ready for sandal season.

119. Talk about this summer's latest beauty releases.

120. The best travel-sized make up brush sets.

121. Share some effortless summer hair tutorials.

122. Your tips for treating sun burnt skin, and the best products to use to relieve the burn.

Pets
123. Share your knowledge of great places to visit with your dog.

124. Blog about any adventures you take with your pet(s) this summer.

125. Write tips on how to keep pets comfortable and safe in the heat.

126. Share recipes for dog ice lollies.

127. Best places to take your dog for doggie ice cream.

128. How to keep your dog / cat / pet calm during a thunderstorm or air show (if you live near an air field).

129. Dog friendly beaches to take your four-legged friends to this summer.

130. What to pack for your pet for your travels.

And those are 130 things you can blog about this summer.

I hope this post has given you a little inspiration, and helps you create some amazing summer content your readers will love.

What kind of content do you most enjoy reading on blogs during the summer months?

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My Birthday Wish List 2018

With my birthday less than a week away, I thought it was about time I shared my annual birthday wish list, so I'm going to share it today in lieu of my usual Wednesday Wish List post.

I like to put one of these posts together every year, but the funny thing is, I never show it to my family or friends, and wouldn't dream of asking them for presents. I might refer them to it if they beg for ideas, but I don't expect to receive anything I've compiled here. I'm not a spoilt brat! It's essentially my 'most-wanted' list; a round up of some of the pieces I'm dying to get my hands on, and would love to receive for my birthday. It's what I would choose from if I was lucky enough to be given any money for my birthday, or might treat myself to a piece or two to soften the blow of turning another year older. It would be rude not to, right?

Naturally, my birthday list is filled with plenty of fun, colourful fashion, beauty, homeware, and entertainment favourites and enough Erstwilder brooches to sink a ship because that's how I roll... Would you really expect anything different of me?

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1. This Pin Up Girl Clothing 'Lounging Lobsters' print dress is amazing! I love that print!

2. I still adore this macaw print Tropical Parrot phone case from Skinny Dip. It's perfect for summer.

3. The Too Faced Life's A Festival Eyeshadow Palette is so dreamy.

4. I'm totally smitten with The Evening Star necklace from Erstwilder's new Written in the Stars collection.

5. I'd love to add Sandy the Shy Seahorse to my Erstwilder brooch collection.

6. Collectif's Jasmine Watermelon swing skirt is the cutest skirt ever!

7. I think everyone needs a Too Faced Magic Rainbow Strobing Brush in their life.

8. I'm dying to try the Too Faced Festival Rainbow Strobe Highlighter.

9. How amazing does Tarte's Mermaid make up brush set look?!

10. I don't have a flamingo in my brooch collection, but I'd love to add Francie the Flamingo to it.

11. I'm so in love with Collectif's Jade Watermelon swing dress.

12. I need Alan the Alpaca in my brooch collection. It's a pink alpaca wearing glasses and a tie, FFS!

13. I also need Erstwilder's purple and pink Eric's Otters brooch in my life. The otters are holding hands!

14. Spectrum's Ursula Shell Brush Set is one of the best make up brush sets I've ever laid eyes on.

15. Another Erstwilder brooch I'd love to get my hands on is Lena the Blue Eyed Birman from the recent Fan Favourites collection.

16. My star sign is cancer, so it would be rude not to treat myself to the Cancer the Compassionate brooch from Erstwilder, right?

17. I've always wanted a colourful Sun Jellies Retro Basket Bag, and I love this one in yellow.

18. I'd love to add the Cath Kidston Alice Hearts Minilite Umbrella to my Cath Kidston Alice in Wonderland collection. 

19. This Spider Monkey brooch from Little Moose is adorable. Spider monkeys are the best kind of monkeys. Fact!

20. High on my Erstwilder wish list is the Neko the Beckoner brooch. Isn't he the cutest?

21. I love this bold cobalt blue floral Summer Cherish Lyra Dress from Lady Vintage. It's so pretty and eyecatching.

22. Cath Kidston's Breton Stripe Watermelon Tote looks like the perfect summer day / beach bag.

23. I adore this Molly Anne Blue Macaws Print Party Dress from Lindy Bop. That print is beautiful.

24. I really want the Alice Words Cake Stand from Cath Kidston... because I don't have enough Cath Kidston Alice in Wonderland stuff already...

25. I'd love to try some of Hawthorne Handmade's embroidery kits, especially their gorgeous Puffin Embroidery kit. Look how lovely it is!

26. This acrylic kangaroo brooch from Kimchi and Coconut is too cute- and it's on sale, too!

27. I don't need any more make up palettes, but I am tempted by Too Faced's Chocolate Gold Eyeshadow Palette...

28. The shades in the OPI 12 Piece Lisbon Mini Nail Polish Collection look gorgeous.

29. And because I haven't included enough brooches in this wish list, I had to add in this awesome Blue Lobster brooch from Kimchi and Coconut. Just give me all the novelty brooches!

30. How beautiful is the Puffin in Bloom edition of Little Women by Louisa May Allcott?!

31. I recently watched The Greatest Showman for the first time and now I can't get the songs out of my head, so I think I need The Greatest Showman soundtrack to sing along to.

32. I also need the new Panic! at the Disco album 'Pray For the Wicked' in my life. 

And that's my birthday wish list!

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

What's on your wish list this week?