DIY Snowglobes

It's the last day of November, which means its not so bad to start getting really festive now!

All the stores have had their decorations on sale for a few weeks now, and more and more houses seem to be decked out with lights and decorations....little bit early for me, but I'm sure by next weekend we'll be digging the tree out of the attic! 

I've been making lots of different things this year, as I really want this to be a fantastic Christmas. We're hosting, so it's all about the decor, the food and atmosphere, and of course, the presents! I LOVE giving Christmas presents, more so than I like receiving them. I love buying things that I just know people will love, and watching them open them and their faces light up. I've got some awesome things this year as I started really early (September, ahem!) and did a lot over eBay.

But its the decorations that I've been thinking about the most.

This snowglobe was so cheap and easy to make, and would be just as easy to customise to fit your theme or colour scheme this winter! 

I bought a standard mason jar. I have a gazillion anyway but obviously this called

 for a new one ;). The tree came from the local Garden Centre, where everything is christmaschristmaschristmas everywhere. They only had one size, so I had to buy a bigger mason jar as all of mine were too small. The snow was from there, too.

 It's as easy as it looks..... I love the globes when they're done upside down, but 

I wanted this one up the right way. (That's my OCD kicking in!)

I put a tiny bit of strong glue on the base of the tree and stuck it down.

It took about an hour to dry completely. Then I poured in the snow, just enough to cover the bottom of the tree, about an inch deep in the jar.

I then printed out this awesome photo of the view from our flat, 

the one we moved out of recently.

Our first Christmas together was spent looking at this view, the snow, enjoying it together,

so it seemed apt to make this snowglobe a nod to the first Christmas we had together in our first home, now that we're spending our first Christmas together in our new house! 

I made it more sepia so the tree would stand out more.

Then, you need to add water. I'd leave maybe 1.5-2 inches at the top,

and then add either baby oil, or what I found worked better was glycerin - you can get it from any pharmacy or chemist, and it mixes into the water unlike oil, to make the consistency thicker, so that the snow falls slower. 

Obviously, you can't stick the background photo inside the jar if you're adding water,

so either tac it to the back, or do what I did and laminate it :) 

So cheap, so easy, yet so effective! I have a few more different ones

to make in the next few days, so photos will follow ASAP!

Sunday Social / It's my Birthday!!!!

Hey all!

Firstly, before we crack on...

 It's my birthday! 

 I'm slightly shocked over the fact that I'm now 26...when did

that happen?! 

I'll be sure to update you all later with what went down on the 

best day of the year ;)

So, onto the Sunday Social....

this week is all about our fun favorite things!

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Plymouth is awesome in the summer for ice cream - the vans come around and

do some awesome cones! But I don't actually like ice cream - I'm a fro'yo kinda person.

I do love ice poles though, and my favourite is Rubicon's lychee flavour :)

2. What is your favorite smell?

 Fresh Linen | Freshly Baked Bread | Lillies | 

Yankee Candles | Christmas Trees

3. What is your favorite TV commercial? (Past or present) 

This one is pretty funny :)

4. What is your favorite day of the week? 

 

Sunday! I work Saturday mornings in the kids ice skating club, so

Sundays I always make sure I have free. Since we started dating, me and hubs have always spent our Sundays together without one of us working, usually cooking a roast together.

5. What is your favorite way to waste time?

 

PINTEREST. FACEBOOK. INSTAGRAM. BLOGGER. 

 

:D

 

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?

 

 Not a super picture, I;m afraid, but currently I am loving my new black snood :)

It's basically a scarf, but its tubular so it has no ends, like a hood. Hence the odd name! 

I love love love them, especially because with normal scarves, Scout thinks the ends that hang down are playtoys and often strangles me...!

Sunday Social 24/11: Thanks!

Hey guys!

 

This weeks' Sunday Social is really sweet - its about sharing the things we're thankful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my incredible man.

I am thankful that we found each other, and that we instantly knew it was 'right'. I am thankful that he loves me for just being myself, and that I can love him for the same.

 

 

I'm thankful for an amazing family unit who I can always rely on.

My sister, for always being hilarious.

My Mum for being my rock.

My Dad for bringing me up on Doctor Who and good music.

I'm thankful for my special, nutjob of a puppy for making me so proud of him

and laugh at the most inappropriate of moments :)

 

I'm thankful for my little 5 month old nephew for showing me a whole new level of love, and for preparing me for future endevours! ;)   

 

I'm thankful for our beautiful new home and the opportunity we've been given.

I'm thankful for having a great part-time job whilst I study

and a fantastic group of work mates :)

 

 

I am thankful for the amazing exciting opportunities for the next year

and the fact that we are now in the position to accept them.

 

I am thankful for my best friend of 12 years, Lucy, and the way

our friendship doesn't ever change even when we're miles apart.

 

 

 

Oh, and finally...

I am thankful for coffee.

We all know how much I love it.

 

 

What are you thankful for?

Share and linkup! ;)

Next week's questions

These are all about fun favorite things!

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

2. What is your favorite smell?

3. What is your favorite TV commercial? (Past or present) 

4. What is your favorite day of the week?  5. What is your favorite way to waste time?

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?

Have a great holiday week!

Home is where the heart is

I realise that it's been forever since I've actually posted any updates about the house.

To be perfectly honest with you, with everything going on healthwise, we haven't had the time to get things done that need doing. But they can wait :)

So we got the gate up whilst hubs was in hospital. Such a relief with the puppy!

Although, little man's been going to the park a few times recently,

in the hope that this Momma can tire him out a bit more!

I'm eagerly wanting to decorate this feature wall but it still needs one last coat of paint - the natural wicker colour, before my frames and quote vinyl can go up.

Hubs has promised me it'll be ready by Christmas :) so in the meantime, I've

put up my bunting.

The bane of our lives - the skirting boards - still need to be done, and we're hoping to get

them on with the help of my carpenter Grandad ASAP. (There's a chill coming through the gaps so we desperately need them sealed!)

Oh and of course, the beautiful (ahem) fireplace....

Well. We're having it removed and using the original fireplace behind as a wood

burning fireplace. Anyone have a real fire? Any advice?

My lovely Mum-in-law gave us these curtains for the dining room - they're 

a light golden beige - perfect for Christmas, but equally as lovely for all year round.

 

Well, you can't get worse that what we had when we moved in...

brown floral burlap.  Laaaavley...!

 

The dining room itself hasn't, and isn't, being redecorated for a while. The carpet

desperately needs to go, but the walls aren't so bad, so it's not a priority at the moment.

Plus, of course, Christmas is coming and that brings decorating of its own.

I can't wait to add a festive stamp to this house! I've got so many great crafty ideas in the making, and I've gone a little nuts with gifts this year trying to make it extra special.

So that brings us upstairs.

Well, the smaller of the two spare rooms is still being used to hold rubbish. But little by little, I'm sorting through it all and throwing out lots of things, and finding new homes for others.  It's filling back up again though as I'm looking after some baby things for my sister. 

Like I mentioned before, we won't be decorating that room until we are expecting - but we already have carpet for it (so much left over from doing my parents house, there's enough for this smaller room) and I think we'll probably get someone in to paper the walls when the time comes. 

The main bedroom is still the same. Walls 90% stripped, carpet 50% up, wood floorboards still need cleaning and treating, and of course the walls then need painting or papering. I've got the vinyl stickers for that room too but there's no rush as we're sleeping in the other big room. It's definitely odd knowing that we have two extra big rooms but they're just not being used. I'm hoping to start getting back into a routine again soon and crack on with whats left to do.

So there we are. Not a lot has happened since

I last updated, but it's coming along. I'm happy to have a functioning dining room

and have been utilising the huge table space to make my Christmas decorations. 

I'll post a few how-to's soon. :)

The next thing to look forward to, though, is my Mum's hair photoshoot.

Unlike last year when, as you'll recall, I had to dress like a stripper that fell in a trash can and walk down a catwalk, this year is just a photoshoot with the much improved theme of Christmas. So after much deliberating (me saying 'I refuse to go as a Xmas tree' until my Mum agreed), she's decided to go with the idea of a Snow Queen. 

How beautiful is this vintage dress?! She got it in a vintage thrift store, 

and it was like it was made to fit me. It's so cute.

Of course, the Queen of Ice needs some blingin' (sorry...) accessories...

the most gorgeous shoes, icicle earrings, crystals, diamonds, and possible a tiara.

And as for the hair, apparently we're doing a glam fauxhawk!

Well, watch this space. Photos will be up next month after the shoot ;)

Saira 

xo

Sunday Social 17/11: 4's

  Hey guys :) Hope everyone is having a fabulous Sunday! Today's questions are all about 4s! I'm a little late today - it's been a hectic one, full of Christmas shopping and crafting. Keep your eyes peeled for some blog updates soon! 

1. Name 4 jobs you've had in your life.
Ice steward; Theatre Box Office Sales; Community Nursing Assistant;

Psychology Research Assistant.

 
2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.
The 6th Day; The Proposal; The Hunger Games; 

The Notebook

3. Name 4 places you have lived.
My parents house, Oludeniz in Turkey, Mine and Hubs' first flat,

and the house we're in now! 

4. Name 4 of your favorite foods.
Cheese, Popcorn, Noodles, Grapes.

5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.
My purse, my iPhone, my sunglasses, and my keys

6. Name 4 places you have been on vacation. Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Lanzarote.

 

 

 

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up!

Next week's questions

We want you to share with us the things you are most thankful for! 

As many as you'd like!

Have a great day y'all!

Sunday Social 10/11: Thanksgiving

Hey y'all!

This weeks'  are all about Thanksgiving memories!

Here in the UK we don't celebrate it, but 4 days later it happens to be my birthday,

so I'm tweaking this post to talk about my birthday memories instead!

Hope y'all don't mind. ;)

We did actually accidentally celebrate Thanksgiving last year, however, when all my family
had a last minute roast dinner together. It was hilarious, and unexpected, and we still joke
that we 'accidentally celebrated Thanksgiving'. :)

So, here goes...

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving birthday memory

I remember turning 14 or 15, and getting the very first The Sims game on the PC.
I was super stoked! I also remembering getting a pair of denim (don't judge!) knee boots
for one birthday as a kid, and I loved them so much. 
I think my favourite birthday, though, would be all the years as a kid that my parents threw me fancy dress parties.

Me as Belle and my sister as Robin

 

2. What is your favorite Thanksgiving birthday food

For the past two years, we've been to eat at Chiquitto - an amazing 
Tex-Mex restaurant. My favourite birthday food is always the meal we have together.
I'm not a huge fan of cake, but my sister always outdoes herself with my birthday cakes!  

3. What is a Thanksgiving birthday tradition you and your family have?

My only tradition is the cake making from my sister which is fairly recent
 (past couple years). Other than that, we don't really have any.

4. Show us a favorite Thanksgiving birthday picture(or 5) from years past.

2012 roller disco

cookie monster cake 2011

2011 chiquittos

2010 my giant pink fondant fancy cake

5. What are you most looking forward to about this Thanksgiving birthday?

We're trying a new restaurant that my parents love, in the beautiful Royal William Yard. 
I'm also excited to see what hubs gets me. He knows me so well, and I don't ever want anything, but he always manages to spoil me somehow ;) 

 So i hope you don't mind my personal take on this week!

Festive Traditions

I'm sorry. I know it's only just November, but that justifies a Christmas post, I've decided ;)
 
What traditions do you and your families have for Christmas time, or do you have any that you're thinking about starting this year?

 

This will be hubs and I's  Christmas together, but our first in our home. We have a few traditions we've built up over the years, but this year is really our chance to start as we mean to go on, and make it extra special.

When I was a child, I always remember going to the garden centre to get a tree. We always had a real one, every single year that I can remember. I loved the smell of it, but not the needles so much! I can still remember them getting stuck in my Goofy slippers. We'd go with my sister, parents and Grandad to pick one out - I always wanted the tallest one and we nearly always got it. The older I got, the shorter the trees. 
 

They'd shrink wrap it in its little mesh wrapper and my parents would, thick gloves at the ready, squeeze it into the car. Whilst my Dad and Grandad took it home, us girlies would browse the shop for decorations, shredded glittery snow, lights and anything else we could think of. We'd always get a little box in Lindor truffles at the till to eat on the way home. Then Dad would come back and get us and by the time we got home, Grandad had usually managed to get the tree in its pot ready for us to decorate. On went the Disney VHS, mince pies went into the oven, and we decorated the house. 

We also had the tradition of Christmas day itself right from when I was born until 2008 when my Grandad died.  We'd get up, Dad would make scrambled eggs for breakfast - my parents had it with salmon but that was gross to a ten year old so me and my sister had it on its own. Well, it'd barely touch the sides because we were so excited to open the presents all over the living room! One of us would have the sofa and one, the arm chair. We'd take our place, the Christmas telly would go on in the background, and we'd start seeing what lovely things we'd been given. 

Then at lunchtime, we'd come to my Grandparents house (not the one who did the tree), and they'd have lunch all ready. There would be two bags of presents, and we'd open half before dinner and then half after.

And then Boxing Day. Since what feels like the dawn of time, my Mums side of the family ('tree' Grandad) all get together to catch up, have a few drinks and generally celebrate Christmas together. My Mum has 5 brothers and they have their own partners and children, so you can imagine how lively it gets!

As kids, it was always quite controlled, but as my cousins and I have grown up, we seem to be the ones looking after the adults!  

My cousin, sister and me 2011

My cousin, me and sister 2012

 

However, in the last 4 years with me and the Mister, we've started a few more traditions. My Mum, sister and I do all the Christmas shopping during late nights in town, equipped with hot mulled wine and a paper bag of chestnuts from the food stalls. 
Hubs on the other hand is a typical man. He picks one day usually only days before Christmas, I drop him into town and commit myself to one store, whilst he has free range of the city centre for 30 mins to get all my presents.
I've usually bought his presents to his family, so he only has me to buy for. Then, he bungs it into the car and I try not to peek all the way home :) 

So this year, it's slightly different, because not only do we have the house we've been dreaming of, there's a little addition to the family in the form of Oscar my nephew! Although he's too young to really understand it right now, it'll be lovely to have a little one wriggling around. 

So Christmas day this year is at our place, and I'm super stoked. Mainly because this house was my Grandma's house - the house we came for Christmas dinner every year. The house that holds so many great memories. And the best part is that its now becoming more and more our home, and less of my Grandparents home. It'll be a great housewarming too. 

So that means I need to think of some new traditions, decorations, and how the heck to cook a 6.5 (Oscar being the half!) person roast in a 2 shelf oven....!

So I'd like to do some things this year as a nod to the years of great Christmas's in this house. I've already downloaded the Christmas movies we watched as kids whilst decorating. I'm stuck on the decision of whether to get a real tree or not. We bought a brand new fake one last year which was expensive but it's lovely. But I always miss that smell, picking the tree in the cold winter air with our gloves and boots on. However I have to be practical and remember that there's a very lively puppy sharing this house now...! 

Here are some traditions I'd like to start....

1. Christmas Punch, on tap!

I bought this awesome Jamie Oliver drinks dispenser recently, and am hoping to make a festive cranberry punch, or perhaps a lukewarm mulled cider for our guests.

 

  2. Christmas eve surprise box by Anna

A box for your partner, sister, best friend, child. Whoever. On Christmas eve, full of things to make the last day before Christmas special. This example is based on a box for a child, but you get the idea - festive socks, new pajamas, a Christmas film and book(s), hot chocolate, a snack, a mug for the hot choc, etc. Obviously, you can personalise it to your recipient. I think this is lovely :) I did something similar last year but this year I'm hoping to make one for my sister as one of her presents. 

3. Christmas Crock-Pot 

There are so many different Christmas warm drinks, I've found a few recipes I love, but I really want one that I can warm in the crockpot through the morning for when the family arrive.  Ashley's pink peppermint eggnog looks the bees-knees! But then so does this slow-cooked caramel apple cider....!!!!

I love the idea of having flasks on the side with mugs, marshmallows and candy canes, so the guests can warm up as they arrive. 

 

4. Stocking Surprises

Hubs always likes to have something small in our stockings. We totally forgot last year, so this year I'm hoping to get a few little bits and pieces to surprise him. Travel-sized toiletries, his favourite sweets from the American import store, boxers - anything small and not expensive. 

Do you have any traditions you've always followed, or some you're planning to start?

And here, to sing you out...