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?