Give me your hand and I'll hold it. Birdy.

An interesting idea for old Hama beads

Hi guys, just a quick lil craft post today, admittedly this idea isn't originally mine - I stumbled across it on the internet - but I tried it and it was just too good not to post, so here we are!
   
Now, you probably don't have a load of old Hama beads around your house, unless you live with someone under 10, but I do and I used to use them as well, so we have 2 whole boxes of the things.

All you need:
Hama beads or any other plastic beads with holes in the centre....
Headphones or earphones
Penknife or craft knife
A sensible, safety head

How to make:
Basically all you do is - very carefully - cut a slit in one side of the bead. Always be careful to keep your fingers out the way and if you are not sure you can be trusted to cut safely ask someone who can to do it for you! Then slide the bead onto the wire that connects the headphones to the jack!
    There are so many different colour combinations your could try, you could even go all the way up the wire to the top in one crazy rainbow of beads!! I went for a more sedate (!) approach just using my absolute favourite colours and some greys and whites.

 

....and yep that is a cake stand in the photo before you ask! Millie X

10 utterly random things....

So, hmmm, 10 things, harder then it sounds! I think I will just do random thoughts and such, OK, deep breath, plunge straight in, here goes....

1. If I was the 8th dwarf my name would probably be clumsy, sleepy#2 or random or even maybe ihaveabsolutelynoideawhatiamdoingherethisisafairytaleforgoodnesssake........
  What would your "8thdwarf" name be?

2. There is no other name for a camel but Ermentrude. I mean isn't that just great!!

3. A baby echidna is called a puggle! Search up pictures - they are absolutely adorable!

4. My voice must be really hard to understand or I mumble or something because the other day I was watching Narnia, Prince Caspian with a friend and I said "he's creepy" about Caspian's uncle and she thought I said "he has a great beard"!! I obviously did NOT say that, but it was weird anyway!!

5. Surely Cinderella could have picked up her shoe before the prince caught her up??

6. My movie and TV taste is really weird....some of my favourite things to watch are:The Voice (Ok this one is obvious), The Next Step, Breakfast at Tiffanys (Probably not expected!) Thunderbirds (Umm yh....so what?!), full length ballets, We bought a zoo (this is one of my favourite movies of all time and I could probably recite parts to you!!)....the list continues, long into the night....

7. Never wear sheer, green no less, tights on a rainy day. It is a very stupid idea....

8. It is much easier to persuade yourself to go for a run if it is sunny and you will ALWAYS I mean ALWAYS feel better for pulling your self off the sofa afterwards!

9. You probably shouldn't sing a remix of Kaiser Chiefs album Education, Education, Education, War to yourself whilst walking down your road as passing strangers will think you are just a bit weird??!!

10. And finally.... wait no I've run outta things to say, apart from this one thing - I would rather be at Hogwarts....

If you post your own 10 things, please tell me in the comments, I would love to have a look! Millie X

Fairydancer8's 10 things

So just in case you don't know 10 things is a series I started, only did one post and then invited Jess from Fairydancer8 to do with me. Basically we post 10 things about literally anything-simples.
We will be re-posting each others so to kick start here is Jess's first 10 things post:
    Click on the link to reach Jess's blog

Fairydancer8: 10 things!: Hey, so I've decided that flower power has not been working out so from now on I will be starting a new series called 10 things!! So ten things that I've done this week or ten things that people have said to me this week etc, BUT there is a twist, communally me and another blogger (called 'The Stylish Purple Elephant') have decided to post each other's 10 things on each other's blogs so not only will you see mine BUT you can have the pleasure of reading the other bloggers 10 things as well!! So here you are , the first  ever 10 things ( on my blog any way!) :

10 THINGS THAT I WOULD BANISH (if I could!) :

-Homework, I mean if you wouldn't then your strange or love homework which is also strange!

-GCSEs, ALL OF THAT STUDYING!

-Queuing, I spent a 1 hour queuing for shoes! WHY?!

-Odd socks, I mean WHY OH WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT!!

-Rubix cubes, how can anyone do them?!

-Flip flops, I can never walk in them and if I try I fall over!

-Shoe laces, one bow is always bigger than the other and when you try to sort it out you just end up undoing it!

-The rain, I know it sounds stupid but with out the rain it would be sunny! (For once!)

-Mondays because on Sunday you are always upset because you know that the next day is Monday which either means work or school!

-Lasagne, you might love it but I HATE IT!
I hoped you enjoyed that! The other bloggers post will be up on my blog soon so bye for now!

I will also be posting soon, so see you then! Millie X

A little rant about the weather

Don't read if it is sunny where you live because you will just laugh at our misfortune....
   
    Whilst I was doing biology this morning I suddenly heard some birds tweeting away and looked out the window. I had a poetic moment, because it was actually NOT RAINING for once!!
    I thought ok I must go for a run after lunch. So all was well, until 10 minutes later the rain started again. It went on like this for most of the morning and as it has been doing all week, no YEAR!
    Our kitchen has windows in three walls, so when the sun goes behind a cloud, the light changes dramatically and suddenly goes all dark and gloomy (when the lights are off). It did this while we were having lunch, but then instead of the sun coming out again, it started hailing.... very loudly.
    From ok to bad to absolutely awful in the space of half an hour. They were the size of peas and looked like perfectly miniature ping-pong balls. It only lasted a minute or two but soon the grass was covered with them and if you did that thing where you squint your eyes and look at it with your head tilted, then it just sort-of, just sort-of looked like snow. Until you opened you eyes properly it was awesome. But then I had to open my eyes and all the hail did was put a stop to any intentions of going outside and made us all feel like lighting the fire. The only person who seemed pleased by this un-welcome interlude was my lil' sister who instantly said "I'm going out to crunchle it!". What does crunchle even mean??!!
    But now it is sunny again and once more I am thinking of going outside, but then again I will probably get halfway down the lane and get caught in a blizzard or something.
    The best thing about this manic weather is the photo opportunities it provides and today was no exception! I rather like the way the hail got captured mid air and there are all these teeny white splodges! Very technical term that - splodges - because I am obviously very professional....!!

 

See you tomorrow when hopefully you might just be lucky and get something a bit more cheerful to read! Hoping for sun.... Millie X

Lip scrub DIY and review

Don't you just hate January weather? Rain, getting up in the morning and get this: it's still dark, Rain, having tea and guess what: it's dark again, Rain, not wanting to go running because: it's dark.... Winter is not in my good books (unless there is snow or you are inside by the fire with movies).

Another thing that I am having trouble with at the moment is dry lips. Anyone else get this?
It is insanely annoying, not to mention painful and looks hideous! To help fight against the evils of dry lips, I use a ton of lip cream and such but this only really helps prevent more happening. What has already invaded my personal space is harder to get rid of. To get rid of flaky bits I use a lip scrub and THEN apply a layer of gloss or protective cream. I don't recommend using a scrub regularly in case of damaging your mouth with constant rubbing but when in need this is a good way of stopping
flaky-ness and making perfectly smooth lips. Wait does smooth lips sound weird?

I never used to use lip scrub until I was given one. It was a LUSH bubble gum lip scrub and I tried it, not because I needed to but because it smelled SO nice!! I didn't use it again though, it basically just sat on my shelf for a while until I actually needed it! Now I use it and it is amazing! I will recommend to anyone in need of a lip scrub and don't trust my advice below on making your own!

 

All opinions and pictures are my own.

 

You can just make a cheap one for yourself using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen cupboard + it is so easy + works just as well as a shop bought one!

You will need:

Sugar
Olive Oil
Honey

How to make:

1. Put a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl. This is the grainy bit that will scrub your lips.
2. Cover with Olive Oil, this is to moisturise your lips and stop them from drying out, so don't add to much, just enough to cover the sugar. The mixture should not be too liquidy.
3. Now add a dribble of honey  to stick the mixture together.
4. If you want now  is the time to add flavouring. Peppermint extract, lemon, vanilla extract are all cool ideas but my favourite one by far is adding a small bit of coco powder. This will smell gorgeous!

Change the quantity's of ingredients you use by how much you want to make. I think doing it by eye is sometimes the best. It will keep in a cold place for a fairly long time, so you could make one big batch to last until spring comes once again and thaws our flaking lips.... drama queen!

Pouring into small containers and giving away as presents is a cute idea and people will certainly be grateful at this time of year! Tie a little ribbon round the top or create a personalised sticky label!

 

Now hopefully we can fight a bit better against the evil of dry lips (forever the drama queen!)!

Millie X

Goodbye for another year

"there always a time in the year when you are happy at the beginning and sad at the end".

That is how Jess from Fairydancer8 described Christmas, in her post on taking down the Christmas decorations. The sad bit is that it makes you realise that Christmas is another whole year away.

We took our Christmas decorations down yesterday and I may be being overly dramatic here, but it makes you feel like nothing nice will ever happen again. Wow that was gloomy.



On top of that all school work started up again. I'm a real ray of sunshine today aren't I?!

 

Millie X

 

10 things that I noticed this week

Hi guys, I am starting a new series - 10 things. 10 things I noticed, 10 pictures I took, 10 books....
you get the gist. Today it's 10 things I noticed this week (written with the help of Jess, Hi there!).

1. Rain. BOOM. Just putting that out there, though it's kinda obvious. Look out the window guys.

2. Why on earth does only half the muffin ever cook?  And then the rest is burnt anyway. Lose, Lose.

3. Putting up a new calendar just makes 2016 seem more real.

4. What can I do to make my house plant not die?

5. Scented pencils never actually smell like they are supposed to?

6. The excitement when you find a book that has your name in it!

7. The best screen saver is obviously a cartoon sloth. I mean why not?

8. How much I am in love with stationery shops!

9. Shockproof phone cases aren't actually shockproof.

10. A movie isn't a movie when watched without marshmallows.

Let me know if you think this series will take off! What would your 10 things be? Millie x

Keeping those New Year resolutions

So many people make resolutions at the beginning of the year and then forget/give up by June.
I for one am guilty of this! Mainly we set ourselves too hard, seemingly impossible tasks to achieve. Here are some tips to help them seem more achievable:

1. Don't set yourself too hard challenges in the first place!

2. If there is one really big thing you want to do, like getting fitter or quitting something, then just focus on that one thing and don't make loads of other resolutions in case you get side-tracked.

3. Believe you can do it. That sounds cheesy but a lot of the time the reason why people give up is because they start off thinking it is impossible and they will never be able to do it. If you follow the advice of the first 2 tips and then believe you will be able to do it.

4. Break it down into smaller steps working up to the original resolution. If you said you would workout everyday, then start of by working out three times a week, adding on another day each fortnight? Within 10 weeks you will have reached your goal.

5. To make you keep to this smaller steps method, write down on your calendar each day you are going to do it, then stick a gold star or something next to each day you manage. Adapt this method to what ever your resolution is.

6. Don't give up at small things

7. Tell friends and family so they can help you to achieve this.

8. Obviously this isn't going to work with everybody but I hope it helps somebody! Remember, you have to really want it and stick to it. Good luck!

So here we are again - HAPPY NEW YEAR

Another year over, a new one just begun. I wonder what is going to happen this year?
 

 Happy New Year Everyone, hope it's a good one!!

 

Thinking up resolutions that are difficult but that I actually might have a hope of achieving is always hard, but this year I have absolutely no idea.... what are your resolutions for next year?

This is what I have managed to come up with:

 

Blog regularly Obvious but worth putting on this list anyway, in the hope that I do it!

 

Try not to break my phone This one is a bit silly, but I'm serious!

 

Cook more I mean make dinner by myself, cause I can do it but I don't.

 

Take a run or at least a walk everyday This one should be achievable if I set myself a specific time of day to do it. This would be a good achievement but I can see it will end up being on everyday that I don't dance, which will be 4 out of 7 days.... still a good achievement but not what I was hoping.

 

Dance better I am not sure if I can just tell myself to do this and it will work, but I will try!

 

So after saying I can't think of any, I have come up with a few that I think I might be able to do!

 

Hope you all have a good 2016 and thanks to everyone who read my blog last year, hope you stay with me this year as well! If you are new to this bit of internet, hi, welcome, pleased to meet you, keep reading, I would love to hear from you in the comments! Millie x 

What I listened to in 2015

Here is a little round up, not of what came out this year that I liked, but just of songs that I listened to this year (some of them are several years old), hope it inspires your playlist for next year!

Superheroes by The Script Obvious to anyone who has read my previous music posts!

Shut up and Dance by WALK THE MOON

You're Beautiful by James Blunt

Bright by Echosmith

Ugly Heart by G.R.L

On my Way by Charlie Brown

Wings by Birdy

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Pompeii by Bastille

Any songs by Keane, The Killers, The Script....

Immortals by Fall Out Boy

George Ezra in general....

Fireflies by Owl City

Brooke Frasers albums Albertine, Flags and What to do with Daylight - basically anything

Never miss a beat by Kaiser Chiefs

As you can see that was quite an ECLECTIC MIX?? I cannot remember back to the beginning of the year so this is more a list of what I listened to this autumn....

Have you seen my new (and improved) about me? At the top of the page next to Home. Millie x

Star Wars The Force Awakens

 

SPOILER ALERT JUST DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU  HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET, MWAH HA HA I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T!! JUST KIDDING....

Woah. That is basically all I can say. STOP. It was just too awesome. FACT. But I did promise a review so here a few bullet points of things I noticed, references, general cool stuff....

• Did anyone notice that at the end Luke's hair looked pretty much exactly like Anakin's in the 3rd film? He suited it though :P
• "Ok the garbage will do" Oh my gosh it's the Millennium Falcon - the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!!
• When Han was like "Is there a garbage chute, trash compacter" and Finn was like "yeah...."! Original trilogy reference alert + real funny
• Mark Hamill's 30 seconds of fame at the end - they gave him literally, what, 1 1/2 minutes + he didn't even speak, just stood there?!
• Oh come on I NEED to know who Rey's parents are!!!! Please let Luke be her dad....but then who would be her mum? Would they take Mara-Jade from expanded universe? I only know about EU and Mara-Jade and stuff from my brother, I'm not that clever!!
• Poe is officially awesome - "It' kinda hard to hear what your saying, you know with the mask, it just all sounds like, huh, huh...." - Oh my gosh, so funny!!
• I sort of expected Han to die, but it was still sad, like Kylo almost turned and then he was like, stuff it all and lightsabered him.... :( I think maybe it will be Rey who turns him in the end?
• Parts of Kylo Ren and Rey's fight were just like Obi-Wan and Anakin's
• General Hux - You get the impression that he's a bit OTT....just a bit....
• Finn had better wake up pretty quick otherwise he is going to miss out on all the action
• Did Daisy Ridley just rule it all or what?!
• Kylo-ren is my favourite character along with Poe Dameron and obviously Rey

To conclude, I REALLY REALLY CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONES TO COME OUT!!!!
In the meantime, I think I might have to see it again....

1 sleep till Christmas - Christmas Eve

Um, hi?? The last few days have been busy, full on, yet fun, awesome, but tiring. So I haven't posted. Again. So here we are again. Do I apologize? It is my blog so I shouldn't have to say sorry. But then again I said I would post everyday and I clearly haven't done that so I probably should apologize. I am saying this because, I mean who wants to read a blog that constantly just apologies? It's boring. But sorry anyway.

Yay we made it to Christmas Eve!! Most Christmas Eve's - when the weather allows - we spend the day on the beach. Crazy, I know, but fun! Mostly.

 

The waves were really wild but my camera didn't really pick it up.

 

I really want to live in one of these!

 

Sweet as.

 

Isn't this just adorable?!

 

Took this out of the car window while it was raining and then I blurred it even more - does it work?

 

 

I have a few posts that I didn't post over the past few days, so you will get those after Christmas but for now bye, night and Merry Christmas. How do you spend Christmas? Hope you have a good one x

 

7 days till Christmas - Ice Cream Cake

Ice cream cake

 

You will need:

Ice cream

Chocolate bars

Chocolate drops

Sweeties

Caramel

Any kind of thing like this

 

How to make:

Put the ice cream in the mixer. Break up the chocolate bars and caramel and put in the mixer with the ice cream. Pour in the sweeties and chocolate drops then put the mixer on slowly. You might have to stop and un-gunk the mixer blade once in a while. Pour back into the ice cream pot and put the remaining sweeties on the top or in your mouth.

I know the pictures don't make it look that yummy but it really is. Once you get past the fact that it is practically solid sugar. This recipe is coming to you from me and my little sister. SHOUT OUT.

P.S Oh my gosh, oh my gosh I am going to see Star Wars The Force Awakens tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!
Expect a review some time tomorrow.... x

8 days till Christmas - Glittery nails and American diner tales

Hello again, I am seeing rather alot of this blog the past few days and if I am to keep my promise, then I am to see a whole lot more! This is a good thing because in the past I have neglected to look and post on my little bit of internet, so after Christmas and this series is up, I hope to keep up the regular blogging and post at least once a week - but I am hoping to average at two posts a week "woah don't knock yourself out Millie!" -. I know this isn't actually v much and some bloggers post multiple times a day, but in my crazy busy timetable, I think that would be a good achievement!!
    And now onward with the festive stuff for today....

Like the stars in the night sky - Glittery nail art

You will need:
Nail polish
Glitter

How to do:
Paint your nails like normal, it doesn't matter what colour but if you are going for a starry night theme then use a dark purple or black. Before they dry sprinkle glitter on the top of them. If you are really patient it could be a cool idea if you put more glitter at the top of your nail then the base, so it sort of cascades downwards. If you have a clear nail polish then painting over the top so you don't trail glitter everywhere might be a good idea!
    I used Barry M Speed dry nail polish in Sprint Finish. I really love the dark shade of this, it is one of my favourite colours and now I can wear it on my nails!!

Here are just a few cute photos that I took at the diner today:

This evening my choir are going to sing at a carol concert in a nearby church and on Sunday we are singing in our own carol service at our church! These are really nice events to attend and totally get you in the Christmas mood, so how about looking out for one going on near you? x

9 days till Christmas - Christmas Market

 Hey there, sorry about yesterday.... but that was yesterday and today is today so lets forget about it yeah?? Today we went Christmas shopping and stopped at a Christmas Market, so I have a few cute photos! The one below is of some big paella dishes that I saw (the steam got in the way of this photo a bit, but I think it gives it a cool effect, right??) , I was very tempted by the garlic potatoes but I didn't, in the end, when I saw the beignet (French doughnuts, there is a picture below).

This was almost the same size as my face and I only managed to eat half!! The guy selling them was French and talked in a mixture of French and English. I could translate what he was saying with my very small amount of French but now thinking back, I can remember loads of cool French phrases that I should of said back! *sigh* that is always the case!

 

I just realised all these photos were food related.... what does this say about my eye for photos?!

I have been insanely busy, so I am sorry there hasn't been a proper post for a few days and I am not going to promise there will be a proper one tomorrow because I will probably have to break that promise and rush with some last minute thing. But watch this space anyway because if you are lucky, I have a recipe and nail art design up my sleeve. Well not literally, but whatever. x

Girl Online and Girl Online On Tour by Zoella

My bookshelf is a jumble of words, stories and characters. Percy Jackson sits hand in hand with Anne of Green Gables. Eva Ibbotson gives Michael Morpurgo a hug, Harry Potter is sandwiched against Judith Kerr and Theresa Breslin. Noel Streatfeild is in the seat next to Annie and Goodnight Mister Tom.... you get the idea. I have had two recent edition's to my shelf's which is now in the only available space up against Charlottes Web. They are Girl Online and Girl Online On Tour by Zoella. I don't follow Zoella or watch her vlogs but I know who she is (who doesn't?!). When I first got told the plot -anonymous girl blogger goes to NYC, meets guy, all is well, gets back home only to discover he is a famous rock star with a girlfriend, but they get back together in the end - I was a bit sceptical about whether this was going to be any good. But I read it any way and I am so glad I did!!

    It is funny and makes you feel good. My favourite character is Elliot, I think everyone needs a best friend like him. I also like all the blog post that are interspersed throughout.

    In conclusion it was awesome.STOP.

But then I read Girl Online On Tour. I basically couldn't put it down. But not because it was so good, because everything got messed up and I had to find out if everything turned out ok! It does turn out fine so I guess in the end it is a good book, but I prefer the first one. If Girl Online got 4 stars then Girl Online On Tour gets 2 1/2 stars. I really hope there is going to be a third book.... please??!!

    I recommend both books for 11-16 year old girls but that is just a generalisation, anyone can enjoy them.

11 days till Christmas - Our tree

Hey guys, I am feeling very Christmassy today, how about you?

I am sorry this is such a short post but I thought I would just show you our tree, as I have been promising to do for a while *sheepish grin*. Isn't it pretty??!! Hopefully I will have a proper post for you tomorrow, but this is better than nothing, non? And now I dare you to go away, get offline and say Merry Christmas to the first person you see that you are not acquainted with! x

 

12 days till Christmas - My favourite Christmas film and sequels

My favourite Christmas film ever is most definitely the first Nativity! film from 2009 starring Martin Freeman, Ashley Jenner and Marc Wooten as the legendary Mr Poppy. It is just so heart-warming, festive not to mention insanely hilarious, the sort of film that is perfect for watching on a rainy afternoon in advent (We get a lot of those down here!) with hot chocolate and squirty cream in front of the fire.... just give me a moment to picture that scene....ok....where was I?
    Mr Poppy is basically every kids dream primary school teacher! Well, maybe not some of the things he does, but most of it, like making Angel Gabriel be like Elvis and bringing a donkey to school!!

    Although the adults are good and all that, the real stars are the children and all the funny personal things they bring to the film, like when they audition for the play and one of the kids (Ollie) holds his breath until he turns purple and then another (Bob) does this street/breakdance/hip hop dance sequence thing that literally makes you need the loo with all that laughing!!

    The way the film all comes together at the end with the big nativity at Coventry cathedral is so cool, the music and costumes and the music and dancing and the kids and the music.... I swear you will not be able to get that song "Sparkle and Shine" out of your head for months!!

 

Five sparkling and shining stars

The second film Nativity! Danger in the Manger, is also awesome. It is with most of the kids from the first film which is nice because you can be like, "oh I remember her!" or "oh my gosh it's the really cute little guy, just grown up a bit!!". The story does get a bit off the beaten track in the middle when they are lost, but not that much and it makes up for it at the end when they are at Song for Christmas and they sing that awesome number. My favourite bit of the whole film is when they get an encore and all the older pupils stand up and start singing solos into the dark and it is all magical.

Four stars for the magicality

 



Nativity! Dude where's my Donkey. Now this is a tricky one, cause as much as I loved the songs and the kids and the big Flashmob in the park in London, I also think it was all a bit unrealistic?? Plus I really loved the dancing and songs, but there were a few too many and the last one when they gate crashed the wedding was just a little bit cheesy.... though I did love the begging bit of that song when the girl stood up and sang then Lauren and some of the others joined in and then suddenly they were all singing their hearts out, but then it got cheesy. I think if some of the songs were cut out and some of the reminiscing bits when they took him to places from his childhood, it could have stood a chance at being as good as the first two but as it is I am only giving it;

2 stars because of the random bits

I recommend putting aside an entire day just for watching all these films in a row like a big musical, Christmassy, hot chocolate-athon, they really are worth it!!

13 days till Christmas - That's Christmas to me

Today it was my last dance lessons before Christmas and our teacher let us warm up and stretch to some Christmas music in body con! You have know idea how fun it is to hop up and down to at double time to "All I want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey!! I thought I would do a little review on my favourite Christmas album at the moment:

That's Christmas to me by Pentatonix

Pentatonix is an a cappella group of five people who make and cover songs. "That's Christmas to me" is their new album and it is full of covers of traditional Christmas songs that have been Pentatonix-ified and made to sound even cooler.
    The songs on the album include "Let it go" "Hark! The herald angels sing" and an amazing version of "Winter Wonderland" mixed with "Don't worry be happy" featuring Tori Kelly!!
    My favourite is The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy because it is such a traditional well known piece of music, yet when they perform it, it sounds completely strange and unfamiliar yet so awesome. That is the case with all of the songs on their album; you think you know the song "oh that old thing" but when you hear it, "woah".
    You get the idea, it is a totally awesome present for anyone, I would recommend anyone to have a listen to it at least and I am basically gushing all over it....

See you tomorrow x