I Love Liverpool

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Not too many weeks ago, Matt, Darcy and I took a little trip up north to see friends, work on new projects and spend some time in our most favourite city in the world. 

In case you're new around here, Liverpool is where I went to university and Matt is from, so it's where we met, fell in love and well, the rest is history. 

Darcy's natural alarm clock is pre-sunrise but when there is a water front view, who can blame her?

It was still exciting post-bath and sunrise. Simple things. 

I mentioned before in THIS post but I adore being in the city. I feel one hundred percent at ease and myself in this place. 

Orange juice and crayons for brunch. 

And of course, croissants.

No no, I haven't secretly had another baby, this is my friend's most beautiful little dreamboat. I could just cuddle him forever and ever. Darcy on the other hand was less than thrilled with having Mama's attention shared. 

Little trips like this are what make life so very sweet and taking the time to photograph those memories makes them all the sweeter.

Do you have anything exciting planned or have you been anywhere nice recently? Tell me in the comments because I would love to find new places to explore. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -Amy Lauren. Click HERE for more info. 

My iPhone Life || January 2014

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I love technology. I love how you can be out and about with nothing but your phone, keys, purse and baby (optional ^_^) and still be able to capture all your sweet memories at the click of a button.

For the most part I use my big girl cannon camera, or I upload images from my phone to Instagram, but there are always the odd few that slip through the net and so this post is to catch them all and not let them fade away.

These are the snippets of life seen through my iPhone in January.

Matt and I love mooching around Milton Keynes shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon and stopping at a little outdoor style diner for sweet potato fries. MMmmmm *drools*

 We are very blessed to have such wonderful friends. Mark and Clare (pictured middle) were totally onboard with my new resolution to be more active, so rather than our usual fave of lounging about at home, we took to the park for fresh air, exercise and plenty of Baby Glitter arm swings. Seriously, the kiddo couldn't get enough!

Of course, Darcy features heavily on my phone this month. I have taken my little compadre on errands (she LOVES all the ladies in the salon and I think they're pretty fond of her too), new toys are always a winner, organisation is always a chore but worth it and she has also been accompanying me on my little fitness walks. We love our days together. 

One Friday I headed up to Liverpool for a blog meeting, booked a hotel for the night and then Darcy and Matt met me that evening. Hotel makeup the next morning was snapped. Cheeky extra for you - what you can't see cropped out of shot is a very gorgeous fresh-out-of-shower Matt. Switswoo. 

The Albert Docks. The Liverpool waterfront will always have a special place in my heart. One frosty December night way back when, my charming boyfriend went down on bent knee and asked me to marry him. It was perfection in one night and I always smile to myself when I walk past the exact spot.  

Monkey decided the only way to go with her socks was high and mighty. Who am I to restrain a mini fashionista?! 

Despite growing up in suburbia and then living in the country, I am a city girl at heart. There is something so comforting about big old buildings, higgle piggle roads and being so very small in such a vast place. I feel like I'm invisible and important all at once and I miss it.  

 Once home it was business as usual and this included new, challenging games. I'm focusing a lot at the moment on gender stereotypes as I have noticed that Darcy veers towards what you might call 'feminine' toys (dolls, kitchen set ups etc) and I want her to know she has options and abilities beyond those. Tap-a-Shape was a fun game...until I had to pull all the little pins out over and over and over.

And that about wraps up my January iPhone snaps. I know they're late, life/baby/sanity/friends etc.

If you would like to see more snaps of my day to day or work adventures, be sure to follow my Instagram HERE, my twitter HERE or my Facebook HERE. It's action packed in LouiseLand.

What have you been up to so far this year? Tell me in the comments.

Toodlepip!

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -The Fashion Fuse. Click HERE for more info. 

The Last of Summer

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

This week I started looking at leather boots online so I know for sure that Summer is tucked up in bed and Autumn is here. Hooray. Autumn is my most favourite season but that's another post. THIS post actually, haha.

A couple of weeks ago Matt and I, along with our amazing friend Clare, took Darcy to a nearby beauty spot to take THIS photo but naturally, Mama and her big girl camera went a bit snap-tastic. I considered leaving them loitering on my desktop since it's now Autumn but no, they've made it into Glitter Land. Sneaky little buggers. 

Sadly these aren't my lovely pins. These are Clare's and this was totally a 'didn't even mean to take it' shot. I just think it's so beautiful. Darcy has so much love for Clare and I'm so glad that she has such kind, intelligent women around her. Smoosh smoosh smoosh. 

Summer 2013 was good to me. Garden parties with friends, Baby Glitter milestones, trips to see friends, a big ol' visit to LA, half a million YouTube subscribers, date nights, lazy days and a lot of laughter. Dare I say it? Summer 2013 was my best Summer yet. 

Here is a big farewell to Summer 2013 and a deep hopeful breath in that Autumn follows in it's fruitful footsteps.

How was your Summer? Are you able to summarise it in under a paragraph? Tell me in the comments. 

Toodlepip!

xx

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - Stickygram. Click HERE for more info. 

The Best Of July

This month saw an almighty heat wave hit Britain and I certainly made the most it! I spent time exploring some lovely treasure spots in the sunshine, as well as enjoying quality time with my favourite people from the comfort of my own garden.

Having had such a productive month, I thought I would reintroduce ‘The Best Of’ monthly feature, revisiting some of this month’s posts before we introduce August and all it’s excitement with open arms. Let’s go!

 At the beginning of the month I documented HERE the joys of having a couple of house guests in the form of my chums Zoe and Tyler. We made the most of the sunshine and took a trip to the park with Darcy in tow, enjoying big bubbles, ice cream trucks and vintage tea cups!

The following week saw me prancing around in my favourite floaty summer skirts and dresses for my 'Plus Size Lookbook' video over on my Youtube channel. I decided to include a helpful ‘this is where I got it’ POST for you lovely lot, in the form of fancy screen shops and fashion galore.

I then shared THIS fun activity I have been enjoying with Darcy from the comfort of our own home, patio decoration! We certainly brought out our creative side with a pack of chalk and it was exciting to introduce Darcy to new ways to draw and play. Our patio has never looked better! 

This month also saw a change in the hair department, I have embraced being blonde, but felt a spice up was needed for the summer months and the ombre effect was reintroduced to my golden locks. Blondes do have more fun, but not as much fun as blondes with a pink ends! I am in love with my colourful ends and decided to share a few SNAPS with you to fully appreciate the brilliance of my new daring do.

We also decided to embrace our outside space more in July, favouring more time in the garden over indoor activities and electrically. Mid month saw an overload of coloured glass wear, tasty cocktails and a bundle of friends and tea lights as we celebrated our open space with a BBQ, chatting and laughter of which I shared with you lovely lot HERE. A night which showed me how truly ‘rich’ I am. 

And finally and the end of this fun filled month, Matt, Darcy and I decided to take THIS trip to our chum Zoe to explore her neck of the woods. Once again the weather was beautiful and we spent the day both at the park with ice lollies, and in Zoe’s garden with paddling pools and hedgehogs before heading home late evening with a very tired baby. 

Phew! A fun filled month in Sprinkle of Glitter land!

Have you also been a busy bee in July? Tell me all about it. 

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my discloser policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - Made Up by Makeup. Click HERE for more info. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Honesty

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

You might have found your merry way to my blog to read my latest 'Motivational Monday' and be wondering what is going on. If that's you, I hope you won't mind a rare change of plan.

In the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of blog thinking, What do I want from my blog? What do I want to give you via my blog? What do I want my blog to be? Why do I want my blog to be that?, and I don't yet think I've found the answers.

Sprinkle of Glitter started it's early days in September 2009 as an instructional craft blog. Wild times. After six months of growing tired of a glue gun, I steered it toward beauty, where it happily stayed for a good couple of years. In February 2013, I set myself the challenge to upload at least one blog post every single weekday and succeeded. It was such a buzz to be organised and regularly interacting with you and being really creative that I decided to carry it on for March. And April. And May. And June. By July I needed a couple of days rest. 

August is just around the corner and I have possibly my biggest month of the year. I'm going to be in LA for 10 days for Vidcon (I fly out tomorrow woop woop!), back for a couple of nights, off to Wales for a weekend, back for a week, off to London for a few days and then I have the annual round of family birthdays that fall in August to celebrate. I'm exhausted just listing everything!!

Poncy poncy.

This month we're having a change. Aside from the posts I already have lined up for you this week (I was organised a few days back), August will be ad hoc. I will upload when I want, what I want. I know, it's selfish, but surely that's what this blog was when it was born? A selfish creative outlet to talk to new people and discuss topics I might not be able to broach with my Husband (he could care less about taking 600 photos of everything or the latest hair serum) and friends. 

That's not to say I won't consider you, I always do, but I think it's going to be less of what I should and more of what I fancy. Like going to a restaurant and ordering three desserts just because you can. 

So, Motivational Monday is being put on hold. I will still reach #25 before the year is out but I need to build my own motivation before I can offer it to others. There will be a lot more lifestyle posts since those are my absolute favourites. There will still be weekly video updates because my OCD won't allow me to not share them here (haha) and with any luck, by September there will be a happy, focussed, rarring to go Louise. 

Less work, more play. Lucky me. 

Whilst we're on the subject of being honest, I have something to ask of you as well. Who are you? You know so much of me and I so little of you and sometimes that feels a little unbalanced. I would love to know the following things:

How old are you? (Answer in decades, ie. twenties, if you prefer)

Where in the world roughly do you live?

How did you find Sprinkle of Glitter?

How long have you been reading?

When do you read? (ie. On your way to work/school, at night, on a Sunday at 3am etc)

What posts are you most excited to see when you arrive?

What would you like to see more of?

Aside from Sprinkle of Glitter (ho ho), what is your favourite blog?

Those might seem like a lot but it your answers will really help shape the direction I take Sprinkle of Glitter in and will help me make some important decisions. 

Leave your answers in the comments and any other thoughts you have about today's blog post. 

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my discloser policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - Made Up by Makeup. Click HERE for more info. 

Toodlepip!

xx

PS- It's 11.30pm on Sunday night and I just his half a million subscribers on my YouTube channel. I'm so thankful and SO HAPPY!

Patio Parties

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Summer is officially upon us and this year we are working on our outside space.

For four years we neglected our garden in favour of things like fixing the electrics, installing a kitchen, getting married and welcoming a new baby. Now though, we feel as though we have the time and energy to make it a more usable place and that is exactly what we are doing. 

To celebrate making a start (and that is all we have done, a start), we had friends over for cocktails and BBQ and as per, I got a little over excited with my glasswear. I don't know if I've ever told you this but I have a real obsession with coloured pretty glasses. They just look like jewels. Most of these glasses were bought from a vintage homestore.

I made a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, left out a heap of glasses and let people serve themselves- far easier than constantly jumping up and down.

To make delicious drinks look even more appealing I used mirrors (which I originally bought for a craft project that failed) as trays. This helps emphasise pretty table wear and adds a touch of whimsy.

As dusk set in I bought out drinks in rinkydink milk bottles (which Darcy couldn't stop playing with) and replaced the big jugs for tea lights. 

It was such a good night. There were about ten of us and we all ended up in pjs and hoodies, grazing on food, chatting and laughing. We lit candles all around the garden, got the fire pit working and stayed out til gone midnight. The great thing was, since this party was at our own house, Darcy's bedtime routine wasn't effected and she thought everyone was there just for her. 

It's at events like this when I look round and realise how very rich we are. No, we don't have amazing cars (we share a ford!) and I don't buy designer bags but we have so much love and laughter, our good health, a beautiful daughter and pay our bills on time. Really truly, I am so happy these days. 

What makes you feel rich? 

*Goes off to shed tear of joy like a lame-ass*

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my discloser policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - It's A Blondes Life. Click HERE for more info. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Lazy Hazy Park Days

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Last week we had friends Zoe and Tyler come to stay for a bit of work and play. Zoe and Tyler are both YouTubers so we took the time to film videos, share ideas and plan future projects together. 

We also had a lazy day in the park with Darcy (she was with family on our filming day) and so I made sure to bring my camera and snap a few fun moments for us. 

I have also uploaded two videos of our day which you can watch on my secondary channel, Sprinkle of Chatter or by clicking HERE and HERE for direct viewing. 

I feel so lucky to have such beautiful places on my doorstep and great friends to share them with.

I won't witter on about the day since it's all in the videos and I have mentioned their stay a few times back in June but it was lovely. Really relaxed and just what summer should be. 

What are your favourite things to do locally in the summer? I would love some fresh ideas!

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my discloser policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - It's A Blondes Life. Click HERE for more info. 

Toodlepip!

xx