2013 will be the year I... (and an update on 2012).

♥ Join a club

♥ Reach my all time goal weight (even if I don't stay there very long..)

♥ Get photos printed and put into albums

♥ Remember birthdays earlier than the day before (i.e. be more organised)

♥ Try something new career-wise

♥ Visit my sister and brother in law on the Isle of Man

♥ See more of my parents

♥ Take better photos

(all from www.weheartit.com)

I did okay with my resolutions set for 2012. I started to use eye cream like I said I would (an Origins one to be precise). 

I learnt how to do nothing and take a bit of time out to have a nice bubble bath or watch a film without giving myself a hard time that it was a "waste" of time. 

I learnt new things (decoupage) and had a really crafty year, making Christmas cards and presents. 

I slacked a little bit with my exercise but I took part in Race for Life like I wanted to and I'm hoping with the help of You Tube, my workout dvds and the fitness centre round the corner 2013 will be my fittest year yet!

I didn't learn to cook a roast but then again I became vegetarian in 2012 so cooking meat for other people wasn't top of my priorities. We have tried so many new recipes and found some firm favourites. Even Jonathan has cut down on meat which I didn't think would ever happen.

I don't think I'll ever figure out what I want to do career-wise (it seems to make it onto my resolutions every year!) but I think it's time for a change in 2013. Time to try something different.

How did you get on with your resolutions from 2012? Made any for this year?

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Handmade Christmas presents.

I made a couple of cross stitched pieces as Christmas presents this year and would have made more had I had the time. I love cross stitching but it can be very time consuming so this year I only managed to make two gifts.

One was a pattern from Cross Stitcher magazines with a row of pretty pastel houses with some felt leaves, the other was a pattern I bought from Etsy (here) declaring "keep calm and drink wine".

The house design took quite a while to make but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I have got plenty of leftover fabric and thread so I am thinking about making another one to keep. This one went to my sister and her husband.

Each window has white backstitching which is a nice detail when you look closely and I really enjoyed incorporating felt especially as the colours were so pretty.

The "keep calm" pattern was much quicker to stitch and I really enjoyed making it. This one went to my mum who likes... well, wine obviously!

Did you make any presents this year?

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My homemade Christmas cards.

First things first, I hope you all had a very merry Christmas indeed and you're all stuffed full of chocolate and turkey and all the rest of it.

I feel so lucky this year as I received so many wonderful presents and got the chance to spend a few days with family including my sister and my brother in law who live on the Isle of Man so I don't get to see them very often.

Unfortunately my Dad has spent Christmas in hospital due to a recent knee transplant operation but we have all been visiting him and took him some presents to open on Christmas Day. It turns out the Christmas lunch in the hospital wasn't so bad and he has been showered with food by visitors so at least he isn't going hungry. Fingers crossed he will be out in the next couple of days and can take it easy for the rest of Christmas into the New Year.

I'm back home now with Jonathan (well, I will be when he gets back from watching ice hockey!) and on the cards tonight there are festive leftovers for dinner, The Artist to watch and no doubt I'll be playing with my new Kindle Fire HD (thanks Mum & Dad!)

I made my own cards this year and they have had some great comments by family and friends (and people on Instagram) so I thought I would share a few photos with you. They weren't massively cheap to make as I needed a new supply of cards and envelopes, and I bought loads of ribbon and the snowflake stamp. But next year I'll be set as I've got all sorts of bits left over.

I cross stitched different images onto white aida in red and white cotton then backed them onto either red card or red felt. I also embroidered "Merry Christmas" onto white aida and used tiny gold seed beads for the dot above the i. I had a few scraps of felt in my stash already so it was nice to use that up and I've got plenty of red card left for next year.

I rearranged bits of ribbon, snowflakes and the cross stitched/embroidered pieces willy-nilly and off they flew to friends and family.

I didn't really have a plan when I started making them but I think they came together quite nicely in the end.

Do you make your own Christmas cards? I must admit I only made around 10 of these as I ran out of time so we sent out a few shop-bought ones to make sure we didn't miss anyone out but hopefully if I start a bit earlier next year I will get enough finished (August should do it I reckon!) ;)

Merry Christmas everyone x

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The ones that got away...

The downside to being organised and writing your Christmas list in October is that by the time Christmas rolls around you a) forget what you asked for and b) think of another few things you'd like to find in your stocking!

Anyway, I'm most grateful to receive any kind of present and you can't beat getting a good old surprise, so as a bit of fun let this list be the items I'll have to buy myself in the New Year ;)

A "onesie"

How could I forget to put a onesie on my list?! I have wanted one for ages and after trying to find one for somebody else over the past few weeks it seems they have either sold out everywhere or are about £50! Anyway here are a few of my favourites, sold out or otherwise.

A woolly hat

I am not usually much of a hat person but I'm constantly cold and/or suffering from a bad hair day so I'd love a woolly hat to keep my head warm and cosy. You can't beat Accessorize for good hats. The heart one with pom poms is amazing!

A "geek" tee

I know the world and his wife have this Topshop tee but I really like it and would love the green one. At £18 it's not going to break the bank too much although I do have a bad habit of wearing nice tshirts to bed after a while. Oops!

A retro ice lolly neckace

When I found the shop hand over your fairy cakes I instantly loved the retro ice lolly necklaces, especially the Twister version. They're only £20 and would jazz up a plain outfit perfectly. I'm not much of a jewellery wearer these days but I love things like this, and it's also nice to support independent jewellery makers.

Lippies

I used to be lipstick mad and had loads to choose from, with a particular love for bright pinks. I have been wanting to try Topshop lipsticks for a while as the colours are really pretty and I have seen so much of them in the blogosphere. I'd love to find a red that suits me, for nights out. I love the look of Lady Danger by MAC but I'm sure there must be a cheaper alternative out there.

What is on your Christmas list (or forgotten list!) this year?

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Christmas decorations: my top picks.

We're well into November so I'm allowed to talk about Christmas decorations now, right? I have been itching to talk about Christmas on here since the beginning of October!

Last year Jonathan and I moved into our new home at the beginning of November so by the time we had unpacked and settled down Christmas was almost upon us and buying decorations meant a quick trip to B&Q to see what they had left (not much!)

Cross stitched reindeer decorations / Personalised dog bone ornaments /  
Lily Flame candles /

 House lights / OMG Santa! print /  
festive fabric / "Elf" quote sign

This year I'm taking a bit more time to buy and make things that I really like to make our house look extra festive. It's quite a big house, set over 3 floors, so I plan on having a decoration shopping spree soon to add to the things we bought last year and to the bits I have been making over the last few weeks.

I definitely favour the red and white Scandinavian Christmas colour scheme as it's festive but simple and not too over the top, which means I can get away with sneaking decorations up as early as possible. It also makes things really easy when it comes to sewing and cross stitching as you only need 2 colours of thread (I'm lazy like that).

Screen printed retro Santa plush / a selection of festive cushions /  

Christmas tree shaped cinnamon decorations /

Round pom pom cushion / felt Reindeer / Reindeer DIY kit

There are so many other things I have seen that haven't quite made it onto this post due to lack of space, but I hope the items I have included give you some good ideas.

I've tried to include a mixture of UK high street (from cheap and cheerful to slightly more extravagant purchases), online stores such as Dot Com Gift Shop, and items on Etsy from both UK and International sellers. I love Etsy for browsing for just about anything as there's so much to choose from and you can filter the search results to suit what you need price wise or location wise.

Decorative tree / Seasons Greetings doormat

Lily Flame candle /  Moose wreath

Lily Flame candles get a huge thumbs up from me in terms of the cute tins, quirky names and the strong scents which really fill up the room quickly. I prefer them to Yankee Candles as they're much cheaper and I find the scents much stronger, although saying that I do want to get a Yankee Candle "Christmas Cookie" candle at some point.

I have tried the Lily Flame "Just Vanilla" and "Crushed Almonds" candles and will be buying a few more soon, perhaps a couple of the festive ones but if anyone can recommend any other nice ones that would be great!

Festive doormat /  wicker heart with hanging hearts / hanging bird decoration /  

Vintage playing cards banner /

Pom pom wreath / standing Robin decoration / rustic Reindeer /  
wooden Reindeer decorations

My plan for next year, as I have run out of time this year I think, is to make an epic advent calendar using felt and cross stitched windows. I also want to experiment with making my own felt ornaments as I have accumulated a large stash of felt odds and ends which I'm sure could make some really great decorations.

I'll be back shortly to share what I have bought so far this year... :)

Christmas house advent calendar / felt Gingerbread Man decoration / wooden Nativity advent calendar

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2012 will be the year I...

♥ Learn how to relax

♥ Put the above into practice

♥ Stop stressing over the small stuff

♥ Expand my shop

♥ Tone up

♥ Spend more time doing nothing as opposed to doing everything all at once

♥ Take part in Race for Life for the 3rd time

♥ Decide what I really want to do with my life career-wise

♥ Use eye cream on a regular basis (I will be turning 27 after all!)

♥ Cook a Sunday roast (successfully)

 

Source

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Santa's little helpers.

Not only did my Mum have me to help with the Christmas dinner this year, but she had 2 little reindeers. By help I mean they tried to climb in the oven/dishwasher/etc and got under everyone's feet. But they're so cute. You gotta love em :)

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Decorating for Christmas.

This post should have gone up before Christmas Day but unfortunately Jonathan had an accident playing roller hockey on Friday evening and after spending the morning of Christmas Eve in a hospital, blogging was the last thing on my mind. He is going to be okay with time though, so that's good news. Nothing is broken! He has badly bruised a muscle in his lower back and will struggle to do normal things for a while. And sport is certainly off the cards!

The past month or so has been pretty manic for us in our new home and Christmas decorations had to take a back burner while we sorted everything else out. But on a much needed day off the Monday before Christmas we decided to source a Christmas tree and some decorations, and after settling on a red and white theme we filled our basket with baubles and tinsel.

We're really pleased with our tree - not bad for our first one together! Over time we will collect more baubles and decorations and make our home cosy and Christmassy.

After my lovely American friend Alexandra sent me some Yankee Candles I have become obsessed and can't wait to get my hands on some more. The problem is I can't make a decision on which fragrances I'd like for each room! I have been burning Christmas Cookie pretty much non stop since I got it and it really relaxes me (and of course makes the room smell wonderful!) I am definitely going to get some more to dot around the house.

I bought some delightful decorations from an Etsy seller and even though it is obviously too late to get your hands on any for this Christmas you should definitely keep her in mind for next year. She also sells supplies and non-Christmas bits and bobs so go and have a nosy! The things I bought are really well made and extremely cute. I especially love my snowman complete with pom pom scarf. I will definitely be back for more!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.

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