Shepherd Illustration Prints For The Home

I've planned on having a gallery wall for quite a while, and whilst we're saving up for a house we're collecting prints that we want to have on display. The lovely Shepherd Illustration sent me a few prints and cards to proudly display in my new house and I'm in love. The shop is run by Lauren who designs mostly wildlife-based illustrations including sloths, giraffes and birds to reflect the love for the outdoors. She's got multiple degrees so she's qualified in what she's doing, we even went to the same university (at different times) so it feels right to show off her products here.

The Sloth print is one of my favourites as it's absolutely adorable and will be a great feature hanging on our wall. My little sister is obsessed with sloths and will love this one and probably want to have it in her own room. I love the sloths little happy face and think it could cheer you up if you were ever feeling a little down which is a bit of theme I have with prints; promoting a positive mental attitude.

This one is simple yet detailed that depicts the courting ritual of two Bee-eaters. I really like how intricate the birds are that contrast nicely with the simplicity of the golden dragonfly. The 'I Love You' message at the bottom of the card could make this a perfect valentines gift. You can also get it without the message which means you can give for other occasions to a range of people.

I find this 'Got Your Back' print really friendly and would be a great way to help make someone's day. The simple message and illustration depict that sometimes life can be a little tough but there will be somebody there to help them through. It could be used as a sympathy card or even for a friend who's struggling with something, just to let them know you are there for them. 

There is something about Giraffes that I have always found cute. These prints show two giraffes in a 'loving embrace' and would be great to give to a partner as it symbolises the message you are trying to show. I think the 'I Love Your Face' message that can be added at the bottom is adorable and would definitely make me smile. If you'd like to check out some more of Lauren's amazing work, you can find her over on Instagram here.

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Landon Tyler Candle and Diffuser Review

The New Year can often be the time when you spend a bit of time cleaning up your home after the busy Christmas period. Sometimes it can be nice to add some new aromas to help spruce up your rooms and get it feeling fresh and clean. I've always enjoyed trying out different home pieces and different scents throughout the seasons. Being able to mix things up a little is always good as I tend to find that I either bored of a scent or don't really notice anymore as I've got too used to it. 

Landon Tyler have a good variety of reed diffusers and candles that are available in various scents. The ones I've got are both in the Tuscan Garden which is delicate leafy scent which is a blend of violet and geranium with lemon, ginger and musk and tuberose. It gives off a fresh scent that will enhance the room and the diffuser can last up to 12 weeks. The diffuser comes as a frosted glass bottle that gives a luxurious look and feel to it even though it's only priced at £12.00. 

To supplement the diffuser is the candle (£10.00) in the same scent that is hand poured into the same contempory frosted glass. It could be perfect for another room in the house and will burn for up to 40 hours. I found these to be a nice addition to the bedroom and living room and look much more expensive than they actually are. I actually bought someone quite close to me the reed diffuser for Christmas as I don't think it's got an aged attached to it. It's an all round great scent that I think most people would enjoy. I hadn't heard of Landon Tyler before being sent these to review but I'm really impressed which I don't say lightly about home-based fragrances and I'd definitely try out more of their products in the future. 

Post contains press samples and affiliate links.

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18 Goals For 2018

Be more adventurous with photography.
Last year I bought my third lens for my Olympus Pen, and a Macro Converter too. I'm hoping this year I can use my photography kit to take better beauty shots, photos of food, travel pics and just so much more. I want to push myself outside of my comfort zone and take some incredible photos.

Manage my pain better.
I have my own techniques for managing chronic pain but I'd like to try new things out to see how they affect my body. I've already tried Pilates but I think trying out Yoga would be great for my body and my mind.

Daily blog.
Since I work on the blog full time, it doesn't always mean I'm posting every day. I'm setting myself the goal to write every day, even if it's a photo diary with a bit of text. I'm hoping to write about more beauty releases and travel features too.

Begin to freelance more.
I started my freelance journey in December and I'm ready to research into more opportunities and see what I can offer the world. I really enjoy writing and transcribing so I have my fingers crossed that I can make my own place in the freelancing community.

Start writing about wedding planning.
If you haven't seen my Twitter or Instagram, last month I got engaged! I'm over the moon and I couldn't be more happy right now. I've done a few pieces on weddings but now that I can plan my own out I'll definitely be featuring it on this blog soon.

Get a proper skincare routine in place.
This is one of the most difficult goals for me. I have combination skin that got really unhealthy when I was sick for the last quarter of the year. I need to set a proper routine in place to clear my skin up and balance the hydration/excess oil situation out.

Push for what's best blog-wise.
It frustrates me so much when bloggers accept sponsored posts (with dodgy links too!) for like £10 as it makes a ton of brands/prs offer really low rates. This year I need to stick to my guns - if people want sponsored posts on my blog then I need to be firm with my rates. Quality over quantity I say. Plus I shouldn't be spending hours on posts without good pay..

Buy a house.
Possibly the biggest goal for this year is to my a house with Andy. We had a little flat when we were in uni together but since moving home to my Dad's we've been saving for our own house to hopefully stay in until we're old and grey. We'll be staying in Liverpool and we've already seen a few houses that we're keeping our eye on. If you have tips for first time buyers feel free to let me know!

Have a weekend away.
I prefer little weekend trips compared to week or two-week long ones, but I'd love to just go to one place this year so we can still save money. As much as I want to go back to Berlin I think I need to explore Italy or maybe somewhere else in Poland.

Wash my makeup brushes more.
I was so bad at this last year that this is kind of like a guilty admission to make me wash them more. It's probably one of the reasons that my skin has been bad in the past few months too, so I need to make use of my beauty washing tools.

Vlog more.
I already vlog along with Andy for our travel YouTube and we need to start filming more. We don't do chatty vlogs, they're more showcasing different places and filming some arty shots so it's not like we have to prepare ourselves for what we have to say.

Track blog stats monthly.
I have done this on and off the past few years and the blog turns 4 next month so I need to keep track of stats more to see what works and what doesn't. I mean I know roughly, and you'd hope so by now, but with plenty of social media accounts to look at I could do with a more detailed chart.

Adopt 2 dogs.
This comes with getting a house but I'd love to adopt two dogs once we have a place. My family dog Charlie was adopted from the RSPCA in 2008 and she's still living her best life but I did wish she had a friend. My Dad can't accommodate another so I hope when we're looking for dogs we're able to have two at the same time.

Practice calligraphy.
My best friend bought me two calligraphy books for Christmas so that I can start practicing in order to make our wedding invitations. I'd love to create cards and prints too so the quicker I start, the better.

Host an engagement party.
Hopefully in April we'll be able to host a party with both of our families together to celebrate. Despite being together almost five years there are still quite a lot of people who haven't met eachother yet and I feel like this needs to be done before the wedding!

Take photos on my phone more.
This goes without saying that my iPhone 6S doesn't really cut it, and I'm going to get an iPhone 8 Plus if all things go to plan. I've seen that the camera can take some amazing photographs on it, and with this I'd be able to post on Instagram more often.

Start driving lessons.
I've said this for the past 7 years now but I really need to learn how to drive. I'm 25 this year and I should have already learned by now. It would be great to be driving around in a car by myself, just imagine all the blog prop shopping I could do!

Save up for a new laptop.
I've been sharing a laptop with Andy since 2015 and we really need two to both be able to blog. I was thinking about getting a Chromebook as it could be used just for typing posts up, but I've seen laptops with good storage on them for a fair bit cheaper. I'll have to look out for some good deals.

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Christmas At Home With B&M*

I've never hosted a Christmas Day dinner before, until this year when things have played out a little different. I wasn't sure which theme to go for; bright and red, subtle and silver, shimmery gold or rose gold and glitter. Or even a multi-coloured theme to go with everything else. However, I saw some pretty rose gold baubles from B&M and it sparked the whole idea of a copper Christmas. They've provided me with some items to help me decorate for Christmas and treat my guests to some wine and treats too.

The first thing I thought about was about what we'd eat with. Did I need to buy more plates? Do they need to be Christmas themed only to sit in a cupboard for 364 days a year? I decided to stick with the white plates we already had but could do with some placemats and coasters. These aren't from the Christmas section of B&M but I walked past them and couldn't not get them. They're double-sided with the side I used being glittery and champagne but the underside is like a metallic copper. I asked Andy which side to use and to my surprise, he liked the glittery one. There are matching coasters too with the same reversible sides so we picked up them to match. You will notice I completely forgot about cutlery as I was so focused on making the scene pretty, and the £4.50 napkins I bought especially for this campaign from another store but oh well. When I move house I will be buying rose gold cutlery and B&M do a pretty set for just under ten pounds.

We picked up a red, rosé and white wines so that our guests have something lovely to drink and they're all under £5 each. I will be providing something non-alcoholic of course but I haven't planned that far ahead yet. There are some very similar wine glasses you can pick up for £4.99 for a pack of four. I already owned this pretty copper sequin table runner but if you're doing a silver or gold themed table, then B&M do some sequinned table runners too. For across the runner, we used a 6 pack of rose gold baubles that we found whilst browsing our local store for £2.49 each and they really tie in the Christmas element to this glitzy table. I would have added some crackers but I've been to a ton of stores in the past few weeks and I've not found one that sold copper ones and obviously, I didn't want to break my theme.

Behind our table we have a set of drawers that is pretty handy for keeping tablewear in. The dining room is pretty dark so I knew I had to lighten it up a little. I started with a centrepiece; a rose gold glittery tray from B&M that is now under £5 which is an absolute bargain. I filled it with bits I found whilst in the store which included a glittery candle, a mini white candle, some copper bows to stick onto presents and a huge pack of rose gold baubles. In front of it I added some faux holly and ivy, and glittery leaf things I had lying around.

Me being me, I went to about six B&M stores to pick up these things because I wanted it to be a perfect set up and I walked around the whole place each time, so I found bits I wouldn't have normally done if I had just gone to the Christmas section. I found a large jar that you'd probably fill with pasta but I had an idea in mind. Use some of the little baubles and a selection of battery-operated fairy lights and you can DIY yourself this little decoration. In fact, you could do this with almost anything to make it Christmas-themed, and switch it out with something else for the rest of the year. There are plenty of items in your local B&M Home Store for Christmas including some amazing light up decorations, Elf-themed Christmas bites, present ideas and of course, Quality Street chocs. I'm really proud of how this turned out, and hopefully next year when we have our own place and it's all light and bright these items will look even better.

*This is a sponsored post and post contains press samples*

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Fiesta Flamingo Light From Prezzybox

I've always been into my home decor and love decorative items to put around the house. This Fiesta Flamingo Light (£35.00) from Prezzybox is a nice little addition to my bedroom as it's a pretty piece to have and actually comes in useful as a lamp. The XL Carnival light could be perfect to be used at a celebration event when you want something a little different to have on display, or you can have it out all of the time if you don't mind quirky things to give the room a bit of life. 

Standing at 52cm, this flamingo light is actually much larger than I was expecting. It contains 12 LED lights across the metal fuchsia pink structure which give off a surprisingly bright glow. I've used this light during the day as a decorative piece, as well as in the evenings as a low-light lamp when I just want a warm glow in the room. A bonus of this flamingo light is that it only takes 3 x AA batteries (not included) to power it so there is no mains power connection needed. This makes it much easier to place the lamp wherever you want as you don't have to work around plug socket locations.

I think this light would be perfect for a number of occasions and is quite reasonable in price for its size. It could a perfect gift for someone who either loves flamingos or just anything that is unique and wants to add a bit of colour into the room. Using this as a prop at themed events would work really well, or even decorating your room with something a little different to the many standard lights out there. I can definitely see myself finding a proper place for this when I move into my own house and will be sure to take it with me to have a spot in my beauty room.

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Life Updates

I've not been blogging as much as I have previously, but the past few weeks have been fairly busy! Aside from being on-and-off sick due to my chronic illnesses, there has been a few changes to our lives that changed our routine. Don't get too excited, it's definitely not what you think.

Wedding Planning

For the longest time, I have been obsessed with weddings. I didn't ever really know what I wanted for my future wedding but I loved looking at different styles of venue, dresses, colour themes and flowers. NCC Home Learning got in touch and asked whether I'd like to study at my own pace so of course, I picked their Wedding Planning Diploma option. I'll be studying for a while, with 14 modules to learn including the actual marriage ceremony, photography, catering, setting up your own wedding planning business and more. I'm beyond excited to get started! 

Room Makeover

Whilst we're saving up for a house deposit, for the past two years, myself and Andy have been living in my Dad's house in my old room. The room was decorated in 2008 and was in much need of an upgrade to not only change it from a 15-year-old's room to an adult's but to also accommodate Andy's things too. We have so far stripped the cream and black flock wallpaper and painted everything white, and will soon be wallpapering which makes me feel really old, but I'm actually quite excited about it. We've had a huge sort out and have donated so many things to charity which is always nice. 

New Lens

I have wanted to upgrade my photography kit for a while and one thing stood out to me; a new lens. I've added the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Standard Prime Lens to my blog kit and I'm in love with it. It's not only great for portraiture but also giving you blurry backgrounds too. The aperture range is f/1.8 to f/22 and is compatible with Micro Four Thirds. I love how it's a silver lens too as I know there are black ones available but it matches in with my Olympus Pen E-PL7 well.

Chronic Life

Although I've known that I've had two life-changing chronic conditions since January 2015, I feel like I'm still not used to it. I feel like I still don't know my limits and try to always keep up with everyone else. I don't pace myself well and end up ill in bed for a few days after a day out. I'm getting used to different medication to help me so it's been a strange month and a half. With the room getting made up I've done things I've not done in years like painting, and the next day I've been paying for it in both energy and pain. One day I'll understand my body.

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A Real Night's Rest | Hush Sleep Premium Mattress Review With Airsprung

A comfortable nights sleep has been something I had missed for quite some time. Even without chronic illness, I've always had trouble getting to sleep or waking up uncomfortable from a low-quality mattress. When you're saving up for a house you always imagine you'd be buying a bed and mattress as your first items, and for sure these have been on our list for quite some time. While every month I'm putting in money towards our house deposit, it doesn't half dampen your spirit when you've had an awful nights sleep but still have to get up and work. For the first time in a while, aside from hotel stays, I've been sleeping better. I'm the proud owner of a Hush Sleep Premium Mattress! (£520)*

I thought a memory foam mattress for someone in their early twenties was out of the question as I'd heard they were super expensive and they're larger than normal mattresses so it would be even harder to get it in the house and up the stairs. What if I told you they were wrong. Before it was delivered I received a text with a 2-hour delivery slot on which worked well considering a lot of deliveries are just specified by day. The mattress comes rolled up in the packaging in the above photos, in a nice swiss roll looking shape, inside a box that's smaller than me (the width of the bed). It does take two people to carry it upstairs as it recommends on the box and due to chronic pain I didn't do this myself. When you put the mattress on the bed you begin to unroll it and it's still vacuum sealed at this point and looks quite thin. Once you cut open the plastic and take it off, we flipped it over to the correct side and it began to 'inflate'. It basically doubled in size and although I've read you're supposed to let them do their thing I had to lie on it immediately as it looked so comfortable. I was right. 

It was strange getting used to the mattress as I was used to springs poking me in the ribs, but this was like sleeping on a cloud in comparison. It's made up of full-size springs and memory foam so has the durability with added comfort. I was so surprised at how deep the mattress is, and as you can see from the above photos it was unusual for me having to get up onto a higher bed. The bed frame we have has four drawers underneath with them filled to the brim as we moved from university up in Newcastle back to my Dad's house almost two years ago so since we're saving we don't have a glamourous bed frame to really show off the mattress. Besides that, the brighter photos do it justice and I can't believe how much my sleep has improved since throwing our old mattress away and replacing it with memory foam Hush Sleep one.

The mattress features 1,000 pocket count 18cm full-size pocket springs and 'next generation memory foam'. Inside the mattress are numerous layers which all provide different things to help aid you in a good nights sleep. The top layer is a soft-knit fabric with Hush branding on and provides an excellent sleeping surface. The breathable design helps to keep the mattress cool which will be great when the summer months roll around. there's a soft white supportive layer to protect the memory foam, a supportive base for the memory foam, a fibre insulator to cushion the springs that are below the luxury foam layers, a support core and the foundation. The support core is the heart of the mattress (Revo) which uses a unique open cell structure to increase airflow by up to 30 times compared to a premium visco-elastic mattress. The foundation is a combination of foam and fabric to stabilise the base. You can tell a lot of research has gone into making the mattress, which you would expect as the company have 145 years of manufacturing experience in total. The mattress is made in the UK in Wiltshire with free delivery anywhere in the UK.

I pride myself on being honest in every single blog post I write here, and I kid you not this is one of the comfiest mattresses I've had the pleasure to sleep on. It does take some time to get used to if you've never slept on a memory foam mattress before so the first few nights had me a little confused, but after about four nights my body was used to it and I slept through. It's been a few weeks now and I could never go back to a bed without memory foam in it as I comfortably sink into the top layer and I sleep like a baby. I'm excited about the future when we buy a new bed frame with a beautiful headboard which will really make going to bed the absolute dream. Getting out of bed in the mornings sure is getting harder though!

*Mattress received in consideration for a review

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5 Ways Of Displaying Pictures In Your Home | Ad

I seem to be on Pinterest nearly every day and come across so many things I love for my future home. I've got my own Home Inspiration board and love adding things to this so that when it comes to getting a house I will have all the ideas already planned out to make kitting out my future house easier. I'm particularly looking forward to decorating the walls with photos and prints and I have a particular weakness for pretty things. I'd like to have a few different styles throughout the house and thought I'd put a few ideas out there about 5 different ways you can display pictures in your home. 

Canvases

These are great to use if you want to bring a picture to life as they will stand further out from the wall, so if you have a high quality photo they can look really impressive on a canvas as they can really draw your attention to it. You can buy canvases in a range of sizes and get any type of photos printed onto them. My Dad has actually painted on a canvas before and it's the main feature above his Mother's fireplace and everyone comments on it as it really stands out and looks so expensive.

Polaroids

These photos will give a more retro look to them so when a normal photo wouldn't be anything special, a polaroid would come out really well. You have a few different options for displaying them too as you can hand them up with little pegs, often connected to a few others on some string. This means you can display multiple pictures in a cute and pretty way. As polaroids tend to be smaller it means you can attach them to areas you wouldn't normally think of, such as the edge of your shelves or could even be made into coasters with a little bit of DIY. I'm actually started my own polaroid hanging using my Fujifilm Instax that I picked up whilst I was in LA.

Gallery Wall

I think these look really interesting and give you more freedom as to what you want on the wall. You can have a variety of frame sizes and colours to mix it up so you end up with a really unique photo wall. It's also where you can have a mix between prints and photos and you can put your own stamp on it to give your home that personal feel. The great thing about a gallery wall is that because you arrange the frames in no particular order, you can keep adding new ones as you wish. I have already planned out some of the photos I'll be displaying for my own gallery wall when I next move home and is a lot more interesting than hanging one photo or a mirror for example.

Collage

This are perfect if you can't decide which photos you want to display and want it include them all. There is no end to what ti include in a collage, it could be your favourite photos from a party or event or could be a collection of photos over the years. Prints could work well here too if you want to match it to a theme or colour within the room. This is especially useful for upcoming uni students who want to create a collage of their friends and family at home, and to make new memories for the future.

Standard Photo Frames 

Don't forget about using the good old photo frames as they offer more than you might realise, don't think that they have to be boring. You can buy a collection of photo frames that are already joined together which would be good for having a group of family photos in for example. You might also want to buy some plain frames and decorate them to your own preference; check Pinterest out for some ideas. Places such as Paperchase will sell really pretty frames if you wanted something more like this, I know I've already eyed up about half their collection already. Another bonus when using photo frames is that you can switch up the photo whenever you fancy a change.
I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration for displaying pictures in your home (sorry if you are now full of ideas you just have to try now.) I've taken so many photos over the years and have had mixed experiences when printing them out and it's so frustrating. I have tried going into photo shops to transfer my photos and get them printed, but this requires making a trip out just to get the photos you want. I moved onto ordering online as it seemed much easier as you could just upload them and a few days later they would arrive. I did start to discover issues with this as the photos would come back cropped and sometimes this would miss out a key part of the photo which meant it was pretty useless. Having my phone on me all the time means I often capture moments on it so have a nice collection to scroll through. Being able to print at home directly from my phone would make things so much easier and mean I could get the exact photos just how I want them. This is where the HP Printer comes in which does just that, if you want to find out more have a look at the video below.


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Floral Scents For Your Home | Party Lite Candles

As a candle lover and girly girl I love making my room pretty. This not only through clean, fresh colours but through scents too. In all honesty I couldn't cope without having some candles to light as they help me relax and make my room smell gorgeous. Party Lite sent me two of their upcoming candles for September in Peach Honey Citronella and Cherry Blossom to review.

Party Lite offers a range of different fragrances and candles to brighten people's homes and they are a party plan business. This means that people can attend or even host their own parties to share the candle range with friends and family. You can view products online and order products from their website too with an online consultant.

The candles are very true to scent, both before lighting and after. I've always been curious as to which scents come across as the strongest since I started buying candles. Obviously the cheaper you go there won't be as strong a scent, time burning or quality of wax as something more expensive. From using a lot of Yankee Candles I discovered that there are only a few scents that really make your whole house smell which is disappointing, especially as the strongest in my opinion is a Christmas candle of theirs. I was pleasantly surprised that these candles make your whole room smell and lit together their smell very floral and fruity, yet not overpowering. I know that some people don't react well to scented candles and someone in my family ended up with a headache but that goes for every type of scented candle.

I was surprised at how well the name of the candle matched the scent and of course I requested a fruity/floral scent instead of something spiced as I can't stand those types of smells. There are plenty more scents coming up in September so if you're interested in Party Lite candles then head over to their website to look through the online magazine. They really do smell beautiful.

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