Friday 16 September 2011

Helping Hands: BlogLovin'



I'm a massive fan of BlogLovin'! Seriously... my blogging life depends on this site! Without this, I wouldn't be able to keep up with all of my favourite blogs - it's seriously fantastic!! 

For all of you who've never used BlogLovin', it's a simple blog following tool which is also perfect for using on the go, with your mobile. I don't know about you guys, but I find it impossible to use the Blogger dashboard on my iPhone - with no method of scrolling. If I have more than 3 posts to catch up on then I can't get to the darn things! 

The home page is fairly simple, with a selection of "popular" blogs on the from page for your information, it can be tailored by subject if you'd like to have a peruse at some of the wonderful fashion, home or beauty blogs out there. There's also a fancy section for "up and coming" bloggers on the right hand side. I love that this isn't regimented for bloggers with a certain amount of followers, it's a total free-for-all!



You can use the handy toolbar at the top of the page to view your favourite blogs, it even tells you how many posts you have outstanding (I recently had over 500 outstanding - BAD BLOGGER!) and puts them all into a simple format, marking them as "read" once you've viewed them.


Adding a new blog is fairly simple... all you need to do is copy the URL for your chosen blog (it can be on any platform), select the "Account" tab and click "Manage Blogs You Follow". You'll then see a list of all your blogs, with the option to add another. 





If you're not on BlogLovin' already - I would seriously recommend it. I absolutely love it and it'd be so nice to see some of you guys on there! Please come on over and follow me if you're around!!



Thursday 15 September 2011

Crochet: For Old Ladies?

Recently... I've randomly discovered the art of Amigurumi. I'm not really sure how, I kind of just came across some images on a blog and thought that it's the coolest thing ever! 

Amigurimi is a Japanese art, which has been adapted across the world. You can create the cutest little items using simple crochet techniques. 

See, I say simple.. but I've never used crochet in my life - it's something I'm desperate to learn as I'd love to make little presents for people's christmas stockings! Maybe my super-star Mum will teach me if I can track down a pattern! 

I've collected a few images and blog lines. I think these are truly awesome and I can't wait to give it a go. Let me know what you think, have you given this a try?


www.planetjune.com


I would seriously love one of these little cactus plants for my desk at work. Aren't they just fantastic?!?!?!!? And I wouldn't be able to kill it! 
close-encounters-crocheted-kind.blogspot.com

Errmmmmm, these look totally scrummy don't they?!



Source


kaboodle.com

etsy.com

forevertulip.com




This is so cute it actually hurts!! I giggle every time I see this!!!
gadgether.com

handmadespark.com

Source

joydevivredesign.blogspot.com

www.planetjune.com


I'll keep you posted with progress! Hopefully they'll look something similar to one of the above!

Monday 12 September 2011

Book Time: My Own Mini Library

I've always had an obsession with books, recently it seems to have spiraled and I'm left with  over 40 books which I'm yet to read. 
I love having collections of books or multiple books by the same author on my shelves and I've learned to recognise the genres which are best suited to me. 

I've always loved biography, auto-biography and comedy but lately, I've also discovered fantasy. Books by the likes of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin have become firm favourites of mine. 

These are just a select few of my newest books - I still haven't read a single one of them!! 
I'm particularly excited about "One Day", I'll watch the film once I've read the book. 




Me and the Other Half LOVE Where's Wally - hence the yellow book above, please excuse the sadness! 



Do you have any books you're dying to read? 

Saturday 10 September 2011

Stash: The Body Shop

There's one shop which, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to stay away from. The good old Body Shop! 
I struggle with my skin awfully, with uneven tone and terrible breakouts and The Body Shop is the only brand which I genuinely love and have no problems with. Ever.

I am, however, a little bit out of control and have an enormous stash of their products at the moment. To stave off the B.Shop cravings (sad!) I thought I'd post a few photos of my collection so far! 





I've acquired various lotions and potions, in tubes of all shapes and sizes - but my favourite by far is the Vitamin C Micro-Refiner. I suffer from dry skin on my face and this is the only thing that helps! 
Fine exfoliating micro particles and crushed garnet stones remove dead skin cells to reveal a brighter, more radiant complexion and baby soft skin! It does hurt if you rub too hard though - ouch! It smells DIVINE too... Yum! I love the Vitamin C range. 



After seeing adverts in a million magazines, with TV adverts to back them up, I thought that the "Rainforest" shampoo and conditioner ranges would be the next best "wonder" hair care product. 

The only time I've ever been disappointed with The Body Shop was after I'd purchased and used these for a week - Unfortunately the formulation isn't quite right for me. They're very thick, very goopy and impossible to lather up. They smelt amazing (as most Body Shop products do) but I'm afraid that's as far as I'll go.

I did buy these some time ago so they may have improved the formula by now, maybe I'll hunt down some more up to date samples and give them another go! These bottles were donated to "Give and Make up" in the end.


Ah, the Tea Tree range. Another one on my list of all time favourites. I purchased this range from a Body Shop rep after having a tough few months with breakouts and general skin ming! 
I have to admit, I've not used this very much so it's lasted me an awfully long time - I guess that's one thing which makes The Body Shop so great, their products last forever!

I would recommend the Skin Clearing Lotion if you have issues with acne, it's a fairly gentle treatment so won't sting the be-jesus out of your poor face after application and it dries out those nasty spots within the hour! 

Perfection! 



Yep, I have an obsession with body lotions too. These are the ones I've chosen to keep after donating various duplicates to "Give and make up" - I have no idea why I had so many. 

I don't tend to use these body lotions every day (especially not the coconut one with the glitters - GLITTERBOMBALERT) but I do use them if I feel like I need to be pampered or if I'm getting glammed up for a night out with the girls! 

The Plus side with these... they smell incredible and they truly do last for hours - they leave you smelling good enough to eat, for the whole night! Even when you're doing some serious partying! 

A negative... unfortunately they do take an awfully long time to sink into the skin and I feel like they leave a slight film behind - not for me, I hate feeling "filmy" and clammy. Which is why I don't use them at all times. 


These are my favourites pots! I'm also a huge fan of the vitamin E range, you might have seen the vitamin E facial wash above. This illuminating moisture cream has a hint of highlighter in it and can make your skin glow instantly. As for the Jojoba night cream, it's perfect for those last minute dry skin panics!




I don't tend to use much of the Body Shop's make up range... unfortunately I find it a little expensive and some of the colour ranges are limited. I do, however, LOVE their concealers and lipglosses! 


And here it is, my full collection in all of it's glory - there are many things which I've not written about individually for fear of boring you... however, I have tried and tested all of the above for a long long time. 

If you have any questions at all about these products, or you'd like to see any reviews on your favourites - do let me know!!