August favourites 2014

I've been loving quite a few things this month, but managed to cut the list down to my 6 faves of the month to share with you! Most of these I've owned for a while, but for one reason or another I've been really using them a lot recently. So here goes!

One Line A Day diary

I finally bought this in 2013 after wanting it for ages. I couldn't wait until the end of the year, so started it in the middle of July - meaning that, as I've been filling it in this month, I can see last year's entries from the same day!

If you have a similar 5 year diary you'll know how hard it is to keep up - but I promise you that if you keep at it, it's most definitely worth it!

Sleek i-Divine palette in Snapshots

I love the Sleek palettes, especially my Mattes V1, but Snapshots is the latest addition to my collection and I love how colourful it is!

It's great for adding a subtle bit of colour, but now I need to do a bit more experimenting with some bolder, brighter looks. As with the other Sleek palettes, the texture is great, the pigmentation is great, and I'd definitely recommend it.

Elephant necklace

I picked up this cute little elephant from Topshop and have been wearing it non-stop for the past few weeks. It goes with most of my outfits and I love how tiny it is!

Seche Vite

I've experimented with all sorts of nail polish drying sprays and drops and oils, but as far as I can tell, nothing compares to the ease and speed of Seche Vite.

I've also been doing a lot of nail art stamping, and there aren't many top coats that go on nicely without smudging - Seche Vite protects and dries all in one go, what more could I need?

Batiste XXL Volume

I have thin, flat hair that never keeps its volume, no matter what I try. However - with just a burst of this wonder-product, my hair is transformed! There's not much more I can say about this product other than it's firmly on my list of essential must-haves from now on.

Lego Movie game for Xbox 360

This might seem like quite a random choice, but I've been a fan of the Lego games since I played the Star Wars ones years ago. They're incredibly well written and just plain old good fun.

I've only played the first few levels of this one so far (I picked up the game on offer in Game recently), but it seems like they've improved the graphics and gameplay no end compared to the Harry Potter games (which I finally completed to 100% last month!) - definitely worth buying if you're a fan of this type of game!

So...

What do you think about my product choices? What have you been loving this August? Let me know!

I'm on a boat!

Last weekend we made the most of the glorious weather and went out boating!

I've never been in a rowing boat in my life and it was a bit wobbly but once we set off it was great fun! 

The boys got a bit competitive but rowing in a straight line is harder than it looks. I had a quick go, but we were running a bit late returning the boats the the hire place (and I somehow kept rowing us into the side) so I handed the oars back over and enjoyed the ride.

We even got to see some wildlife - a beautiful dragonfly followed alongside our boat (but never stayed still long enough for a photo) and we said hello to some ducklings, too.

Afterwards we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Chiquitos (I love that place!) - complete with sombreros!

I need to find out the recipe for their spicy popcorn!

Adding my LEGO brick to Durham Cathedral!

We were in Durham at the weekend and happened to stumble across #durhamcathedralLEGObuild - an ambitious (but fun!) fundraising project that gets visitors to donate money by adding bricks to a model of Durham Cathedral.

They're recreating the entire catheral in LEGO, to the scale of a LEGO minifigure - so when it's finished it will be almost two metres high! The volunteer who was there at the time demonstrated it using an Abraham Lincoln minifig which, for some reason, made me smile :).

Apparently LEGO themselves donated the bricks, which I thought was a pretty nice gesture considering the amount that will be needed! And the plans were drawn up by a specialist LEGO modelling company, Bright Bricks, who design all sorts of random kits for different companies and different reasons.

I was so excited to add a brick and be part of such a huge project - they've raised thousands already - and I can't wait to see it when it's finished. They're putting together a time-lapse video too, and adding regular updates to their Facebook page - so if you want to take a look you can find them here: www.facebook.com/DurhamCathedralLEGObuild

Here's me, pointing to the blue sticker (that's where my brick is!)

Inside the LEGO Durham Cathedral

We had a really nice day out in Durham (not only because I got to play with LEGO!) and the weather was gorgeous (if a bit cold!). We also stopped off at the Angel of the North. I'd definitely recommend a visit, it's pretty awe-inspiring when you're right up close.

Has anyone else been to visit this LEGO cathedral, or been involved in any other similar projects? I'd love to hear about it!

Cheerful nails for a grey January day

I'm having a massively clumsy day today - I managed to slam my hand in the front door, walk into a table and drop my toothbrush down the side of the sink (not in that order) - and the day's barely started yet!

Anyway, it's been a particularly grey January so far, and there doesn't seem to be much sign of summer yet... So I've brought a bit of sunshine to my nails to brighten up the day! Hope you like :)

DIY Hogwarts Letter (Studio Tour gift pack)

Like loads of people my age I've been a fan of the Harry Potter books (and films) ever since I was young and I've grown up in awe of the 'wizarding world' created by JK Rowling. My boyfriend is an even more avid fan than I am so, as a present for his birthday, I bought tickets for us to visit the Studio Tour down near Watford.

Unfortunately the gift 'presentation pack' left me a little underwhelmed - surely the most obvious (and exciting) gift would be a letter from Hogwarts? Or, at the very least, it'd be nice to have something that wouldn't look out of place on a wizard's mantelpiece!

So before I handed the tickets over, I set to work on a slightly more exciting gift package.

My version of a letter from Hogwarts; an invitation to the Wizarding World

Here's my version of a Hogwarts letter, complete with booking details on an added square of parchment. Because Matt's not eleven (and not a wizard) I created it as an invitation from Albus Dumbledore to visit the Wizarding World and tour the 'grounds and facilities' of the school (as well as other destinations).

My first thought was that it should be on thick cartridge paper, and my second thought was that it shouldn't be standard A4-sized - because why would wizards use A4 paper? :) So I created my design with very thick margins and trimmed the paper once it was printed, to make a long, thin letter. I was then able to fold it into thirds, around the tickets (still inside their paper gift wallet), and then work out an envelope/wallet to keep it all together.

I was originally going to just tie the letter with string, but it felt a little too loose - and the last thing I wanted was to lose the tickets! So I fashioned a wallet from some dark red leather-effect card that I'd used for another project.

I think the final packet came together quite effectively and I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out! The distress ink worked well on the leatherette card too, picking out all the raised features and making it look a bit aged.

The most taxing part, though, was the wax seal. I had - rather ambitiously - decided I wanted to seal it with the Hogwarts crest. Which is fine if you have a wax stamp with the crest on it! But I had to improvise...

I made this by taping a black-and-white version of the crest onto a block of wood and drilling in at key points. Through a combination of drill bits and files, I managed to make a shape that vaguely resembled the crest.

I said before that it was ambitious, but I think even that might be an understatement! It did take me a while, and it was very fiddly! Once I'd finished it, and before using the wax, I sealed the block with some clear spray paint - very important if you don't want the wax getting stuck in the wood...

Using a small stick of sealing wax turned out to be harder than I expected, because by the time I'd dripped enough wax for the seal, the first drips had started drying (hence some of the areas only have light indentations). It took a couple of attempts before I was happy with the result (by which time I'd almost run out of wax!).

If I did it again, I would either go for a simpler shape, or find some sort of CAD carving equipment (I'm sure something must exist!) - Or I suppose I could fork out for an official wax seal stamp from Warner Bros... :) But I think I quite like the hand-made feel to it, and it was fun to give it a go!

But, anyway, let me know what you think - And let me know if you've been to the Studio Tour & what you thought (Matt and I loved it)! :)

Woah it's mid-November - How'd that happen?!

This year has gone crazy-quick. I seem to be saying this a lot of late, but there's something about this year that has just been way quicker than all the other previous years! Maybe it's just me, but I still feel like we should be winding down to the August bank holidays, not cosying up in the dark evenings with only half a month until December!

That said though - I am getting super excited for Christmas now! Matt and I picked out our advent calendars yesterday while we were food shopping, and I keep seeing them on our bookshelf and getting excited! (I want to open them now!)

We've got so much planned between now and Christmas, including two weekend breaks and lots of time with family and friends. We've both managed to get some days off work before & after the Big Day too, so there's plenty to look forward to.

Who else is looking forward to the festive season? Or am I getting a bit over-enthusiastic a bit too early..? I have a feeling that maybe I am... :)

Grow little sunflower, grow

I planted three sunflower seeds on the May Day Bank Holiday a couple of weeks ago and noticed today they're just starting to sprout! This is the first time I've ever planted a sunflower so (even though this might be slightly sad of me) I'm kind of excited to see how tall it will grow :)

My sister has a matching pot that I planted at the same time so we're having a bit of a race... Hers are winning at the moment, they sprouted about three or four days ago so mine have a bit of catching up to do...

Amelia xx