Wreck This Journal

You know when you buy a present for someone and you love it so much you want to keep it for yourself?

Well thats how I feel about this book

WRECK THIS JOURNAL by Keri Smith

I mentioned in my last post that I had bought it for my sister for her birthday... well I bought myself one too, I couldnt resist!

To give you an idea of what its all about here is a glimpse of what I have done so far. It took me a while but Im slowly letting go of my urge to keep this book perfect, I was even spontaneous yesterday!

The best page is the one which says 'LIST MORE WAYS TO WRECK THIS JOURNAL' so far I have put:

1. Bury the book and dig it up later.
2. Run over the book with a car, bike etc

any other suggestions?



I first heard about this book on Claire Payne's fantastic blog have a look here for some great tutorials and cutesy crafts:

http://clairesblog.paynedesign.co.uk/

Family Christmas

Its my sisters 20th birthday today, Both my sister and me will be working away this christmas so I went home for 2 days to celebrate and have the family feast I will miss on the 25th.

I had a great time with family,friends the chickens and the ducks. We enjoyed great food and company and a few early presents ;) I love living in Cardiff but I wish it was closer to home and the people I love. The ducks have grown so much they are bigger than the chickens! They do not stay still for one second so here is a blurred picture of them.


My sister bought me a charm for my Chamilia bracelet, the suitcase one I love it!

This is how my bracelet looks now, and I have asked for this bead for christmas:

it looks better in real life :]

I got my sister a 'Wreck this Journal' by Keri Smith


The book is soooo much fun!

My friend bought me these adorable mittens and the Kirstie Allsopp craft book!!


I will review the book soon as christmas is over and I have had chance to make something. I am thinking of the mittens now as I type with cold hands...mmmmm.

Because I have given my secret santa presents now I can give you my fail safe gift:


a digital photo keyring.
Its perfect for anyone! plus you can get a good one for £5 so its cheap too! I got mine from Play.com

'It will be lonely this christmas...'

...If I can't get back home to Coventry on christmas eve.

Its been snowing like I have never seen before here in Wales and its causing a lot of transport problems.

It looks beautiful and I adore snow but I would not like to be stranded alone in Cardiff while my family celebrate at home.(view from my kitchen window)


To take my mind off things and keep me positive Ive started to wrap my presents. here is one for my mum.
I made the gift tag out of felt.

The long awaited group photo is also done...


and progress on Moomin house has been made.

Fake Christmas Day!

So yesterday evening was the last time I would get to see my boyfriend before we both went home for Christmas. So me and Ben made an epic christmas dinner which took us 2 hours to prepare and cook.(I know thats nothing compared to a real christmas dinner with a turkey). Ben's housemate also joined us for the festivities.

We had a chicken, roast potatoes, parsnips, sprouts (yuck!), peas, carrots, sweetcorn, yorkshire puddings, stuffing (yummmm) and pigs in blankets!

It all tasted fantastic, I just wished we had made an effort with decorations and crackers and things.

Next we sat down with some alcohol and watched the Muppets Christmas Carol which has to be my fave christmas film ever made!
While we relaxed and let our food digest we played with party poppers, streamers and finally opened our prezzies!

Ben got Matt: UnHinged - some terrible old B movie thing, basically they have a tradition for any gift giving occaision, of buying bad DVDs for each other from Cash Converters or Pound Land. You know the sort, unknown actors, bad special effects, terrible storyline which is always a rip off of a blockbuster film.

Matt got Ben: a Mr T keyring, Ben loves Mr T. *rolls eyes*

Ben got me: The River Island bag I have wanted for ages, he found it on ebay and bought it me, because it was no longer in the shops. It is brand new! and The Wizard of Oz calendar!!!! I am one happy girl :D

do you like what you can see of my dress? Its one of my favourites, from Topshop it looks just like a 1920s dress, I adore it! I really like the silky pattern round the neckline.


I got Ben: A book about Customised trainers and a Stylophone.

We sat and learnt christmas songs on that stylophone all evening, playing with all the different pitches and things, a great toy!

Then we went out to our local pub for another drink and to meet a few friends.
A great day was had by all, I'm going to miss Ben over the holidays!! My mum phoned me earlier and said it was snowing back home, I really hope it settles, I love snow.

I will be updating this now after christmas probably, I hope every single one of you has a very Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year! :) xxx

Vintage Inspired Christmas

I have a huge weakness when it comes to books. Anything about food, crafts, vintage or beautifully illustrated/photographed and I will be straight on amazon adding it to my wish list.

If you're stuck for christmas ideas either for yourself or a friend here are some ideas.

1) Retro Fiesta: Gringo's guide to Mexican Party planning. by Geraldine Duncann


here is the synopsis:
'Viva Mexico! We invite you to explore Mexican cooking the retro way. Peppered with mid-twentieth century American visions of Mexican culture, Retro Fiesta includes classic favourites like enchiladas, tamales, and margaritas, as well as mini courses in pinata making and traditional Mexican party games. Discover the rich Hispanic heritage that introduced post-war America to favourites like chips and salsa and have had gringos saying "gracias" ever since. Filled with vibrant vintage images and great Spanish sayings, it's easy to bring to life the traditions of Mexico in your own home. Grab a sombrero, key up the mariachi music, and get ready to dance a ranchera - it's fiesta time!'

Available from Amazon

2)Sew! by Cath Kidston



I love Kidston's quaint English style so last year I recieved Kidston's Make! and it was great, it had lots of lovely sewing projects such as a teacosy and table cloth. It also came complete with stencils and your own bag to decorate yourself. Sew! comes with all new projects to sew and this time the free gift is a length of unique kidston fabric and handles to create a bag from scratch. I really hope I get this one!

Or equally if you prefer the sound of Make! get that instead :)



Available from most Bookshops, http://www.cathkidston.co.uk and amazon

3) Tattoo Mystique by Angelique Houtkamp


This is for all you Rockabillys out there. If you love vintage tattoo culture, this is the book for you. Angelique Houtkamp is a unique tattoo artist. Her mix of fantasy creatures and flappers along with traditional sailor tattoos create stunning designs and are perfect in book form. Again this is the second book released, her first being Tattoo Darling. This book would appeal to anyone interested in the art of the tattoo and fans of vintage inspired illustrations like.


The books are available to buy from http://www.salonserpent.com/Home.html and Amazon


4)Vinatge Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells



This book is exactly what it says in the title. A step by step guide to creating wonderful vintage inspired hairstyles. Using modern appliances and accessories this easy to follow guide will make recreating hairstyles from the 1930s to the 1960s easy and fun. Each page has clear and well photographed pictures to learn from and admire. Useful for beginners and pro's alike!
You have a choice between the first and second edition.

This picture is taken from the First Edition book.

Vintage Hairstyling is available to buy from the website

http://www.vintagehairstyling.com/buynow.html

and http://www.vintagehairstyling.com/retail.html

5) Leading Men/Ladies and Couples by TCM


Each of these 'guide' books provides a profile of 50 most loved leading men/ladies or couples (depending on which book you buy) with Portraits, film stills, movie posters, basic stats and a biography and filmography. These books are great for those being introduced to classic film and fun for those who already have a great knowledge. I own Leading Ladies and I am always re-reading it.I will be purchasing the others as well!

Leading Ladies has the likes of: Carole Lombard, Audrey Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Barbara Stanwyck to name a few!

Leading Men: Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart and Steave McQueen.

leading Couples: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Bogart and Bacall, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh.

Available from Amazon


Hope this was helpful, interesting and fun!