Wednesday Wish List

This week I've been coveting...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12

I'm completely smitten with Glitter Punk Jewellery's range of acrylic necklaces, and brooches. I particularly love these twelve beauties- especially the pastel rainbow and silver tiger pieces. Aren't they gorgeous?!

1 // 2

These shell hair brushes from Skinny Dip are amazing!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

I'm loving these four beautiful frocks from Lindy Bop, especially the green Witch Doctor designs.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Lady Vintage's new Isabella sweetheart swing dresses are all so pretty. I need the red Romantic Rose print one in my life.

Betsey Johnson Love machine Novelty Bag

This Betsey Johnson robot novelty bag is one of the cutest novelty bags I've ever seen! It would go perfectly with my Accessorize robot novelty bag!

1 // 2

I'm loving the Mainline Trixie atomic star print doll dress, and navy Willa speckled polka dot wrap dress from Collectif. You just can't go wrong with a black or navy dress with a ditsy print, and sleeves!

Collectif Kitty Shoulder Bag

This black cat novelty shoulder bag from Collectif is the perfect novelty bag for Autumn and Halloween. 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Topsy Curvy's range of Halloween plus size clothing is really fun. I want all the swing tunics, and the longline skeleton choker tee (#7). Of course, I would have to customise it to show a piece of vertebrae fused down to the sacrum like mine is!

1 // 2

And finally, I'm lusting after these two sets of Spectrum make up brushes. I particularly want the ten piece turquoise and lilac Glam Clam set. My little sister has a set and they're to die for.

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.

What's on your wish list this week?

Wednesday Wish List

This week I've been coveting...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15

Erstwilder have released a couple of dozen new brooches, earrings, and necklaces this week, and I'm loving all of them, but particularly these fifteen. They really do make the cutest novelty brooches.

1 // 2 // 3

I'm loving this gorgeous checked Dolores flared dress, and these crane and flamingo motif cardigans from Collectif. They'd be perfect for my Autumn / Winter wardrobe.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

These sausage dog style animal necklaces from Little Moose are adorable. I need the weasel one in my life- one of the nicknames my sisters have for me is Weasel (because my name is Louise and 'ouise kinda sounds like wease. Don't ask; my family is weird!)

1 // 2

I'd love to add these camera and telephone novelty bags from Betsey Johnson to my novelty bag collection. The designs are too cute.

1 // 2

These patches from Skinny Dip! The succulent society patch is amazing!

1 // 2

I really like these two floral fit and flare dresses from Dorothy Perkins curve- and they even have sleeves! 

Essie Nail Polish Advent Calendar

At the very top of my wish list is the Essie nail polish Advent calendar. I don't care if it's a little early to be talking about Christmas things; the heart wants what it wants. Essie have released their first Advent calendar this year, and it features 7 nail polishes, 13 mini nail polishes, 1 mini nail polish remover, and 3 Essie mani surprises. It's priced at £80, so it's not cheap, but I want it so badly! I think it's time for another clear out so I can raise the cash to buy one before it sells out.

1 // 2 // 3

I'm also tempted by The Body Shop's Advent calendars at the moment. They've brought out three Advent calendars this year at three different price levels (£45 / £65 / £99) to appeal to different budgets, and each features a different selection of The Body Shop's popular and seasonal beauty products. They all look fantastic. I had a Body Shop Advent calendar a few Christmases ago and I loved it and rated it highly, so I'm considering treating myself to one again this year, but I can't decide which one I like best yet. Maybe I need all three?

1 // 2

Look how gorgeous the new Kate Spade novelty bags are! The Russian doll is so beautiful, and the yellow taxi is one of the coolest novelty bags I've ever seen. 

1 // 2

And last but not least, I love these two printed A-line dresses from Modcloth. The museum print is my favourite, but the ghosts are pretty darn cute, too.

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

What's on your wish list this week?

30 Things I Want To Do This Autumn

Whenever September rolls around again, I always become particularly aspirational and find myself thinking about all the things I want to do before the year is through. Perhaps it's because September is the start of the new school year, and it's still ingrained within me to learn, get to work, and achieve stuff? Whatever the reason, I feel particularly motivated and creative right now, and have come up with so many goals I want to achieve this Autumn, from carving a pumpkin on Halloween to learning how to use my new camera. I thought it would be fun to share them all with you today, so here they are. These are 30 things I want to do this Autumn...

1. Go for an Autumn walk at least once.

I don't really mind where, as long as it's pretty, the leaves have changed, and I can go crunch through some fallen leaves, and take photos of the pretty Autumn foliage. 

2. Make it to the bonfire, and watch the fireworks.

My town has one of the best fireworks displays around on bonfire night, but I haven't been in a few years. I miss enjoying it with my family, so I'm hopeful I'll find a way to go this November. 

3. Play with sparklers like a big kid.

(Responsibly, of course. If you actually play with sparklers, kids, you will get hurt)!

4. Carve a pumpkin.

In my opinion, carving a pumpkin is a must every Halloween! I'm already looking forward to carving one, and enjoying that amazing Jack o' lantern smell. I also want to buy some mini munchkin pumpkins to decorate the house with, and use for blog photo props.

5. Make pumpkin dog treats for Rosie.

The innards of the Jack o' lanterns we carve alway end up in the bin, so I want to use them to make dog treats instead this year, using one of the dog treat recipes I found on Pinterest.

6. Have Autumn and Halloween-themed movie marathons.

Forget the scary movies, I'm most looking forward to watching Hocus Pocus, and Practical Magic again!

7. Make French onion soup from scratch.

I haven't made it in a few years, but it's delicious, and always goes down really well with my family. It's the perfect Autumn comfort food.

8. Explore a cemetery.

It's been ages since I last explored a cemetery, and I'm itching to visit one. They always look particularly pretty during the Autumn, so it's the perfect season for wandering around graveyards.

9. Visit Pitt Rivers and The Ashmolean museums in Oxford.

I know I've been going on about this for years, but I still haven't made it to either, and I really want to pay them both a visit.

10. Visit Blenheim Palace.

I haven't been since I was five or six, so I'd love to visit it again, and experience it as an adult. 

11. Buy / scavenge some Autumn blog props for my photos.

I seem to be lacking in good photo props for Autumn; everything I own is so bright and colourful! I'll probably start with buying some munchkin pumpkins and gathering foliage, and go from there.

12. Learn how to use my new camera properly.

I was given a new bridge camera for my birthday in July, and I'm still getting to grips with all the features. I'd love to be able to use them all for best results.

13. Work on improving my blog photography and photo editing skills.

To be honest, I'm always working on improving my photography, but my skills need a lot of improvement, especially when it comes to photo editing. I suck at it.

14. Read every day.

I've read more these past few weeks than I have the rest of the year combined, so I want to continue reading regularly, and spend more time off the Internet.

15. Paint regularly.

I find painting so relaxing and therapeutic, so I'm planning to paint as often as I can, and work on improving my watercolour techniques. I'd also like to try gouache paints, so I'd like to treat myself to a set and give them a try this Autumn.

16. Get cross-stitching.

I want to finish the flamingo cross stitch that I cast aside earlier in the year, and get the Christmas sampler I'm working on finished in time for Christmas. I think I can complete both by December if I cross stitch every day this Autumn. Challenge accepted!

17. Learn how to crochet a granny square blanket.

I've wanted to learn how to crochet for years, so I'd love to finally learn how to make a granny square blanket this Autumn that I can then curl up under over the Winter.

18. Fill my wardrobe with clothes in all the beautiful Autumn colours like burgundy, teal, forest green, mustard, plum, rust, and raspberry. I love all the Autumn fashion colours so much.

19. Dye my hair.

I haven't been able to dye my hair since May and my roots are getting ridiculous, so this one is a must.

20. Buy some new ballet pumps.

My last good pair have fallen apart, so I'm in dire need of some new ones.

21. Sit down and reply to all blog comments, and emails.

I'm ashamed for letting it slide and intend to reply to everything ASAP. I want to be reliable again. I've just been having problems being on my laptop for long, as the electricity is making my heart race faster!

22. Take as many blog photos as possible before the decent daylight is gone for another year.

It's hard to take good blog photos during Winter when you don't own blog lights, so I'd rather make the most of the bright Summer daylight before it goes, and take them in bulk now.

23. Give my blog a rebrand and redesign.

I've been dying to do this for years as I hate how my blog looks right now, and my blog name makes me cringe. There's a blog design I really want to buy, but I need my finances to improve before I can afford it, so this one will depend on whether things improve financially.

24. Blog as much as possible.

This will depend on my health, but I'm determined to blog as much quality content as I can, and bring Polka Spots back to life.

25. Prepare some Christmas blog posts ahead of time to make December less stressful. Christmas is exhausting with chronic illness, as I've realised these past few years, so I want to organise what I can ahead of time to lighten the load during December to take the pressure off.

26. Get started on my Christmas shopping.

I want to start putting presents away now to spread the cost, and be all organised come December.

27. Up my survey-answering game so I can afford Christmas presents.

I don't have any financial support right now, so I've been answering surveys online since January to earn a little money for myself. They're mostly paid in gift cards and on a good week I might make £15 from each site I use, but it adds up, and it's a great way to afford presents and treats for yourself without dipping in to your wages. I want to spend more time answering surveys every day, so I can earn more, and afford Christmas presents for my family and friends. I'm going to write a post on earning through surveys soon, if you guys want to know more about how it works.

28. Have another clear out to raise some extra funds for Christmas.

I've had a lot of clear outs this year already, but I'm sure I can find some more stuff to sell to earn a few pennies.

29. Clear out under my bed.

I've got so much crap stored under my bed, and I've been meaning to drag everything out to reorganise for ages. It's in desperate need of a tidy.

30. Continue training Rosie.

My dog still has a way to go with her training, so I'm intending to put the effort in, and keep teaching her things until we've cracked it.

What are you goals for Autumn?

The World In Stitches Spectral Mandala Cross Stitch Kit

At the beginning of May, I began cross stitching a colourful spectral mandala, and a couple of weeks ago I finally finished it! I'm really pleased with the end result after all that time and effort I put in to it, so I thought I'd give you guys a quick peek at the finished piece before it gets lost in my to-be-framed pile.

I bought the spectral mandala kit from an English company called The World In Stitches earlier in the year, along with three others, because I just couldn't resist the awesome colourful designs. Well, you know me and colour... I'm drawn in like a moth to a flame! Seriously, just look at all of those beautiful colours! So pretty.

The kit includes everything you need to make the mandala, including 16 count white aida, good quality, pre-sorted DMC threads, a needle, full-colour charts on good-quality paper, and a beginner's guide to cross stitching to help new cross stitchers get started. All that's needed is an embroidery hoop, scissors, and a pencil or highlighter to cross the chart off with, and you're good to go.

I began the project at the beginning of May, and it took me about three and a half months to complete, mostly by putting in an hour or two a day, with a few full afternoons thrown in for good measure. I assumed it was going to take a lot longer, so I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I made progress.

The design might look rather complicated, but it was actually really easy to sew as the design is broken up in to simple colour-blocked shapes in ten colours, and the chart is so easy to follow. All you do is concentrate on a small section at a time, and not the picture as a whole, and you'll be surprised how quickly it comes together.

I really enjoyed sewing this mandala, and actually found the repetition really therapeutic. I especially loved working with a whole rainbow of colourful threads- it's far more fun than working in neutrals!

My only bug bear was that the chart was printed on six sheets of A4 paper, so I had to stick pages together with double-sided tape to follow the chart accurately between pages, which was a pain in the backside. It would have been so much easier if the whole chart was printed on one piece of paper, even if that meant it had to be printed smaller, or a larger paper size had to be used. The pages are all numbered so it's easy to tell which part of the design is which, but it's so easy to make mistakes when the chart is split between pages, and I hated having to keep pausing to check I was in the right place every two seconds.

Thankfully, it was worth the extra effort. I really love the finished spectral mandala, and it's really going to brighten up the place when I eventually get around to framing it, and hanging it on the wall. 

Now I just need to get started on the Spectrum Mandala I purchased at the same time, which is the exact same design but with the colours in reverse. I'm working on some other projects at the moment, so I'll probably make a start on that one in the new year after I'm done with my Christmas kits.

Both the spectral mandala and spectrum mandala kits are priced at £17.49, and are available to buy on The World In Stitches' Etsy and Amazon shops. You can also buy the patterns separately for just £4.50 on Etsy here and here, or both kits together for £30.99 here.

 Have you crafted anything lately?

You Might Also Like
The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Heart Cross Stitch Kit
The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Squares Cross Stitch Kit
The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Cross Stitch Kits
Hobbycraft Flamingo Cross Stitch Hoop Kit

My Colourful Patchwork Home Sweet Home Sampler
My Easter Cross Stitch 2016
My Merry Christmas Patchwork Cross Stitch Sampler

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2016
My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2015
Operation Cross Stitch

101 Autumn Blog Post Ideas

I can't believe it's September already! Summer seems to have flown by this year, and while I'll be sad to say goodbye to the long, light evenings, I'm more than ready to welcome Autumn with open arms.

I'm already looking forward to seeing the leaves change, dressing in cosy layers, crunching through paths of fallen leaves, lighting Autumn-scented candles, keeping warm under cosy blankets, carving pumpkins, and all of those great little Autumn joys and pastimes, and I don't think I'm the only one!

It's a well known fact that Autumn is the favourite time of year for many bloggers. My social media feeds are filled with bloggers unable to contain their excitement about Autumn's arrival, being able to wear layers again soon, and all the great things they'll be able to blog about these next few months. I've been no different, and in my excitement, I've been listing heaps of ideas for Autumn blog content lately. I thought you guys might find a big list of Autumn blog post ideas helpful for planning your Autumn blog posts, so I've compiled all 101 of my ideas for you, and I'm here to share them today.

Here are 101 Autumn blog post ideas to use and interpret as you wish:

Lifestyle

1. What you're looking forward to this Autumn.

2. Your goals for Autumn.

3. What you hope to achieve before the end of the year.

4. Share photos from an Autumn walk.

5. Your favourite things about Autumn.

6. Your least favourite things about Autumn.

7. Create an Autumn Instagram challenge, and encourage your followers to join in.

8. Look back on your Summer with a photo diary or Instagram round-up.

9. Your favourite films to watch during Autumn.

10. Share your Autumn playlist.

11. An Autumnal day in the life.

12. Your favourite places to visit in the Autumn.

13. The best places to visit in your area during Autumn.

14. Your favourite books to read in the Autumn.

15. How to have the perfect cosy Autumn night in.

16. Tips for coping with the dark evenings and shorter hours of daylight.

17. Share some Autumnal bullet or art journaling you've been doing.

18. How to have the perfect Autumn day.

19. Share photos of how your home is decorated for Autumn.

20. Your favourite Autumn memories.

21. Share a craft you're working on.

22. Complete an Autumn tag post.

23. Your 10 favourite non-scary Autumn movies.

24. Share 50 Autumn blog post ideas.

25. How to stay motivated this Autumn.

26. What's on your Autumn reading list?

27. A list of photo props to use for Autumn blog photos.

28. Share a favourite Autumn recipe or two.

29. Your Autumn essentials.

30. Places you'd love to travel to during the Autumn.

31. 10 fun things to do indoors on a cold, dark Autumn day/evening.

32. 10 fun things to do outdoors in the Autumn.

33. An Autumnal Instagram round-up.

34. Share your back to school / college / uni / work stationery haul.

35. Why you love or hate Autumn.

36. 5 films to watch on a cosy Autumn day / night in.

37. Share a pumpkin-flavoured recipe.

38. Share a travel post about a place you've visited this Autumn.

39. Your favourite Autumn songs.

40. Describe your idea of the perfect Autumn day.

41. Share your Autumn homeware haul.

42. Share a back-to-school DIY.

43. Share photos of fireworks from Bonfire night.

44. How to beat the September blues.

45. Go to a Harvest Festival and blog the experience.

46. How to support a friend or loved one suffering from SAD.

47. Write a 'Currently' post updating your readers on what you've been doing and are currently enjoying.

48. How to take great blog photos on darker Autumn / Winter days.

49. Share your Black Friday or Cyber Monday bargain haul.

50. Ways to improve your blog this Autumn.

51. Your favourite Pinterest or Instagram accounts for Autumn inspiration.

Fashion

52. Share the Autumn outfits you've been wearing.

53. What's a typical Autumn outfit for you?

54. Share an Autumn / new season fashion haul.

55. Put together your Autumn fashion wish list.

56. The best winter coats to buy now.

57. The best scarves, gloves, and hats to keep you warm and stylish this Autumn / Winter.

58. What's in your bag for Autumn?

59. New A/W trends you're loving.

60. New A/W trends you're hating.

61. A wish list / round up of your favourite pieces from a particular trend (eg. plaid, power red, western etc).

62. The best boots for Autumn.

63. Share a peek at your collection of Autumn gloves, scarves, and / or hats.

64. A round up of the best leather satchels to compliment your Autumn outfits.

65. Tips on how to layer without adding bulk.

66. Transitional pieces to take you from Summer to Autumn, or Autumn to Winter.

67. Your favourite cosy knitwear pieces for Autumn.

Beauty 

68. Your top beauty products for the colder months.

69. Your favourite Autumnal nail polishes or nail polish shades.

70. Your favourite Autumnal make up.

71. Your favourite Autumnal fragrances.

72. Your favourite skincare products for Autumn.

73. Share an Autumnal eye make up tutorial.

74. Share an Autumn nail art tutorial.

75. Best eyeshadow palettes for Autumn.

76. Best lipsticks for Autumn.

77. What's in your Autumn make up bag?

78. Your favourite candles for Autumn.

79. Reviews of new beauty releases for Autumn.

80. Share your Autumn face of the day or night.

81. Share your Autumn empties.

82. Put together a beauty wish list of all the products you're coveting this Autumn.

83. Hair do ideas for Autumn.

84. Your quick and easy hair and make up routines for those dark mornings you want to keep hitting the snooze button.

Halloween

85. Your favourite scary movies.

86. Your top 10 Halloween-themed movies.

87. Your favourite Halloween TV specials.

88. Your favourite horror or Halloween-themed novels.

89. Share photos of how your home is decorated for Halloween.

90. Talk about how you spent or will spend your Halloween.

91. How to do Halloween on a budget.

92. Share your Halloween costume, or Halloween costume inspiration.

93. Share a Halloween nail art tutorial.

94. Share some Halloween make up tutorials.

95. Share a fun Jack O' Lantern DIY.

96. A Lush Halloween haul.

97. Round up your favourite Halloween-themed fashion picks for a Halloween special Wednesday Wish List or Friday Favourites.

98. How to throw an epic Halloween party.

Early Christmas Posts

99. How to start saving for Christmas now.

100. Tips for starting your Christmas shopping now to help spread the cost.

101. How to earn some extra money in time for Christmas.

Feel free to use as many of my blog post ideas as you'd like! 

Have you got any ideas for Autumn blog posts I've not included? Leave them in the comments below!