Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas 2012!
My Christmas day started at 7:00am when my excited youngest sister crept in to my room with a torch. We unwrapped our stockings and had a lovely breakfast of scrambled egg on toast with bucks fizz. It was surprising to have heavy rain and thunder at Christmas (yes I had to mention the weather) and we're still waiting for the snow, forever dreaming of a white Christmas. The lunch was incredible, thanks Mum, and the table has never looked so grand in the red and gold theme for this year. Our tree was covered in gold baubles and tiny red wooden figures which looked adorable and the twinkling lights were so magical when lit up! Not much else to say really, it was a very relaxed day, and we enjoyed the Christmas specials and movies on TV, and ended the day with full bellies and watching the box set of An Idiot Abroad which I bought for Dad. Oh, and I am delighted with my presents this year, I'll do a separate post on those though, what a treat!

I took way too many photos this year, but I tend to forget the littles details of Christmas too easily if I don't take any photos, and most of them are of my cats. Normal. I also managed to take some photos of my Christmas outfit but I got my 9 year old sister to take them so they are a little blurry. I need to train her to be my outfit photographer haha! Anyway, the rest of the photos were taking by me, and I tried to reduce them down, but there's still plenty the enjoy.

Dress from H&M / Cardi from New Look / Belt from Primark / Slippers from Bedroom Athletics / Gold glitter bow from Crown and Glory

This is one of my favourite Christmas songs, it's called Christmas Time by Cider Sky

I hope you all had a magical Christmas!

❅

Secret Santa

It's Christmas Eve! I've been a bit ill recently, and my blog posts are lacking a bit, despite having so many planned! A few weeks ago, I decided to participate in a Secret Santa run by Rachel from Life Of A Sweetaholic, and was thrilled with my presents! I was super excited and couldn't possibly wait till Christmas to open them. A massive Thank You to Clare for all these wonderful gifts.

Wishbone bracelet // Heart and bow bracelet // Star lip gloss from H&M // Hand cream from L'occitane // Nail varnish in Grace Green from Models Own // Peel off face pack // Amazing hair bow from Miss Selfridge

❆

Christmas at Tulleys Farm

The other day I drove my dad and youngest sister to Tulleys Farm (which was pretty scary because I'm still learning) as her end-of-term/start-of-the-holidays treat. Tulleys always do really great events for Christmas/Easter/Halloween, and so I got to pretend to be a child for a few hours participating in an elf hunt, watching a puppet show and decorating a gingerbread snowman (my sister decorated a reindeer). It was absolutely freezing, but still no sign of snow, and I would have taken more photos of the pretty twinkling lights, but I was too preoccupied, however I did take a photo of the wonderful nativity scene made entirely out of vegetables!

Music I've Been Listening To: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Andrew Belle / Christmas Time by Cider Sky / Red Hands by Walk Off The Earth / Posters by Youth Lagoon / Dissolve Me by alt-J / Something Good by alt-J

Book Wish List

I can't believe it's Christmas in only a few weeks! Does anyone else remember last year's Christmas so clearly that it can't possibly be a whole year ago? I have decided to put together a Christmas wish list, but this one is just for books, there are other things I'd like too but I thought it'd be nice to separate them out.

1. Wreck This Journal (Keri Smith) I have been wanting this book for so long, it just looks like so much fun and each page has a little challenge that can be interpreted in any way, so it's great for when I'm not feeling that inspired. Also, I've seen pictures online of the pages and how people have decorated/destroyed them and so I'm bursting with ideas!

2. The Fault In Our Stars (John Green) I've already read this book, but fell in love with it so much that I want my own copy to keep and flick through whenever I please. I'm a big fan of John Green's books and YouTube channel, and there are so many incredible quotes in this book, not to mention how much it pulls at my heartstrings.

3. Tim Walker Pictures As you probably already know, I'm quite obsessed with Tim Walker and have already bought his Story Teller book, I would have got this one at the same time but it was quite pricey, luckily I've found it on Amazon for almost half the price. I do hope I get this book one day because I will treasure it forever.

4. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) I was recommended this book by a fellow blogger, and after seeing a trailer for the movie, I became intent on reading the book first. It's a fantasy adventure exploring the spirituality and practicality of a young Indian boy when he is stranded at sea with a tiger. If the book is anything as good as the trailer then I'm in for a treat!

5. Love Letters of Great Men (Ursula Doyle) I stumbled across this book somehow and previewed the first few pages online out of curiosity. The title explains it all, but what I loved most about it is how deliciously written the letters are, so overwhelming with love! I'm a hopeless romantic, and wished people still wrote long and adoring love letters, so I know I would definitely enjoy this book.

6. Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook You can never have too many sketchbooks, and Moleskine seem to be really popular, I adore the curved edges and slightly yellowed paper. It's also a really handy size to carry around a jot down little sketches, I really want to get back into sketching, I don't seem to have any time to do large drawings anymore. I love seeing what other people do in their Moleskines, anything from quick watercolours, detailed ink drawings or quirky doodles.

So that's my book wish list, I have just finished reading The Hobbit and watching the movie the day it comes out, and hoping to read the Lord of the Rings series soon, as well as any of these books from my list. So many books, so little time!

❄

P.s. Don't miss out on my GIVEAWAY for UK bloggers, ending on Friday 14th December. Prizes from Crown and Glory, Models Own and Yankee Candle. Exciting!

100 Followers/Christmas Giveaway! (Closed)

A few weeks ago, my little blog reached 100 followers on GFC, I couldn't believe how far my blog has come in such a short amount of time, and it was amazing to think that out there were 100 people who actually enjoy my blog enough to follow it. It's also very exciting to think that all this has happened within 5 months, just think what'll happen after a year! And so to say thank you I have organised a small giveaway of lovely little goodies in time for Christmas. I thought I'd give away prizes that I would like to win myself, and I actually bought myself the same Crown and Glory bow, another Models Own nail varnish and a selection of Yankee Candle products - I think I'm getting obsessed!

This giveaway is for UK bloggers only (sorry but I don't have much money left, involved in too many Secret Santas) and will end on the 14th of December. The winner will be picked at random contacted by email within 48 hours and announced on my blog.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storyteller Exhibition by Tim Walker

Quote by Tim Walker

I'm sure we've all heard of Tim Walker's magical, whimsical, nostalgic and enchanting photography. He has definitely got to be one of my favourite and most inspirational artists, and I couldn't wait to visit his exhibition at the beautiful Somerset House. I am researching Tim Walker's work for my art A Level, studying how stories are told through photography. The project also includes a 3000 word essay, which normally make me loose the will to live, however this essay has been particularly easy. I was surprised by just how much I could write about Tim Walker, and that essays are easier to write of you are really passionate about the topic you are writing about. The exhibition visit was partly for research, but I would have gone even if I wasn't studying him, I also got a little carried away in the shop and bought his Storyteller book (it's enormous!) and three postcards. I thought I'd share with you some photos I took at the exhibition, along with photos from my sketchbook, Tim Walker's book and postcards. Prepare yourself for a photography overload! (All images and photos taken by me)

Did you visit the exhibition? What do you think of Tim Walker's work?
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Out with the old and in with the new

A quick post to let you know that my blog had a makeover and to introduce you all to my brand new blog design. I spent about 5 hours straight learning about codes and layouts, and experimenting with designs and colours. It's now got some fancy gadgets, like social media buttons (they took forever to understand!), a blog button, and a search bar, ooh fancy! I feel like this is a big moment for my little blog, and I'm so happy with how far I've already come after only 4 months. I was also a bit sad to see the old layout go, but it was just too...pink, here's my old header. Goodbye, old header.

Product Review - Firmoo Glasses

"Firmoo.com is the world's most popular online eyeglasses store. Years of expertise in optical industry enable Firmoo.com to offer varieties of prescription eyewear to the consuming public in high quality yet at extremely affordable prices."

I was contacted by Firmoo asking if I wanted to review a pair of glasses/sunglasses of my choice. I thought this was an excellent opportunity for me and my blog, also I recently broke my sunglasses so I've been hunting for a new pair. I've been wanting a pair of circular sunnies, think John Lennon / Harry Potter style, though not sure how they'd suit me, so I accepted Firmoo's kind offer and ordered myself a pair of these in black. 

Delivery was super fast, and they came with a proper glasses case and mini screwdriver with extra screws, so hopefully these glasses will last me ages (or at least till the end of next summer!)

I don't often wear glasses, besides sunglasses, so I decided not to go for normal (non-prescription) glasses, instead I went for some exciting new sunnies. I usually stick to accessories with a small price label but these were priced at $42 (£26.40) and definitely look more pricey and are such good quality, I promise I'm going to take special care of them. When I received the glasses in the post, the circular lenses were a bit larger than I expected, but rather they were too big than too small. Luckily, I think they suit me quite nicely, they definitely make an outfit look that little bit more exciting. I'm hoping the sun will come out more often so that I can wear them all the time! Here's photos of me wearing the glasses, and some different ways to style them.

Black wild cat top: Miss Selfridge // Blue top: Topshop // Hat: Ebay (H&M) // Sunglasses: c/o Firmoo

Firmoo also have a special offer for all you readers, they have launched the First Pair Free Program to bloggers worldwide. Choose you first pair of Firmoo glasses for free, you just have to pay the shipping, and you can even get a refund / exchange if you aren't satisfied with them. Any stylish glasses / sunglasses can be found on Firmoo, and all are available for both prescription lenses and non-prescription lenses. You will absolutely fall in love with the excellent quality, affordable prices, fashionable designs, fast delivery and good service.

Interested? Find out more here.

Ombre Hair

I bought this Loreal Paris brush-on dip dye ombre kit on the weekend because I thought my hair has been looking quite dull recently and ombre ends is a little less dramatic than dying all my hair. Also, I knew I wouldn't have any allergic reactions (as I usually do to hair dye) because this stuff doesn't (or shouldn't) come into contact with my scalp. Thumbs up from me! I really wasn't sure how this would turn out, so I went for a proper ombre kit rather than just buying blonde hair dye and dying the ends. This set came with a handy little brush into which you put a bit of hair dye and brush it through you hair. The dye had to stay in my hair for a lot longer than usual hair dye so I had no idea what would happen, and hoped it wouldn't turn ginger!

I love the end result! Especially now that I've embraced my natural curls, it makes my hair look more lively and I really love the golden colour (not ginger, yay!) The only downside it that it's made my ends very dry, well, more dry than usual and it still smells slightly of dye, although that fades after every wash. I'm not sure how even the dye is, and the only way to find out is by straightening my hair, which I don't plan to do in this dry, wintery season. I'm glad I liked how this turned out because the dye is permanent (and I hardly ever cut my hair, I want to grow it out), I usually go for semi permanent dyes so that they'll eventually fade out and I won't have to commit to one colour.

What do you think of ombre hair? Have you tried it?
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What I've Bought (Part 3) and Party Nails

I've been spending again. I set out with the aim of buying a new winter skirt for college and instead bought all of these goodies.

♥ Company Magazine

♥ Loreal Ombre hair dye

♥ Primark heart tights

♥ Models Own Purple Blue Beetle Juice

♥ Models Own Disco Mix

♥ Collection 2000 brown liquid eyeliner

♥ Primark green and tan backpack





With the two nail varnishes I bought, I found that when they were combined they made some pretty sparkly party nails. I now want to experiment more with layering nail varnishes and colours and there are so many to choose from the Models Own range!

I'll soon be doing a post to show my newly ombre-d hair, and a little DIY, watch this space!

Liebster Blog Award

 A great big Thank You to Le Fresne for nominating me!

The Liebster Blog Award “is all about discovering blogs, and helping those with less than 200 followers to get recognized."

The Rules

· Each person awarded must post 11 facts about themselves

· Answer the 11 questions the nominator has set for them

· Create 11 more questions for the bloggers they will nominate

· Choose 5 bloggers to nominate

· Let the lucky bloggers know

Eleven facts about me:

♥ I have all four of my wisdom teeth, and they hurt! 

♥ I plan to dye my hair every colour of the rainbow, but maybe not all at the same time...maybe.

♥ I wish it was normal to wear flower crowns everyday, no matter the season.

♥ I have incredibly tiny hands and feet (size 3) and they are shrinking!

♥ I'm a terrible cook, but I still enjoy cooking.

♥ I carry a book around with me everywhere.

♥ I named my blog Short And Sweet because I am 5'2.

♥ I would love to write and/or illustrate my own book one day.

♥ I wish I was good at singing and music, currently learning guitar and teaching myself the ukelele.

♥ I can wiggle my ears.

♥ I am currently hooked on playing Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii.

Le Fresne's questions:

♥ What did you have for breakfast?

Just cereal, my favourite is Special K with red berries. I'm usually in a rush in the mornings.

♥ Do you have a favourite sound?

I love music scores from films, especially when there are strings and the music gets so overwhelming that it gives me goosebumps.

♥ If you could be a character from any book which would it be?

I would be any character from the Harry Potter series (provided they don't die at the end) so that I could go to Hogwarts and learn magic.

I'd also like to be Eragon Shadeslayer from the Inheritance Cycle, so that I could ride dragons and do magic and fight with swords and just be awesome. 

♥ Favourite thing to do on a rainy, autumn day?

Read! And once I've read enough I like to draw the main characters from the stories.

♥ If you had to live with only books, films or music which would it be?

Ooh this one's tough, I love reading of course, but I also think I couldn't live without music, and then there's films which constantly amaze me with their special effects and imagination. I can't choose!

♥ Favourite winter beverage?

Hot chocolate, and also a sip of mulled wine.

♥ What piece of clothing do you think you'll wear most this autumn?

My burgundy flare skirt, I wear it all the time and it seems to go with everything!

♥ Who is your style inspiration?

I'm not sure, because I don't yet know what my own style is, but I'm always looking at the fashion blogs, and I have definitely started to experiment more since finding them.

♥ Where is your favourite place in the world?

I'd say my room, but that's only because I spend most of my time there. I quite like London, I don't visit often, but when I do it's always really exciting and it's such a beautiful city!

♥ Which blog is your current favourite?

Oh I can't chose just one! I'm constantly discovering new blogs, but there  are a few I'm always visiting. My favourite are the fashion blogs, seeing a person's style develop and finding out what they've been up to. I also like the artsy blogs with incredible photography and illustrations, they're great for those days when I need to be inspired.

♥ What made you start your own blog?

I wrote about this on my very first blog post; to gain more confidence in myself and to develop my own style, to be part of the blogging community. I also think that making a blog will be a great help in getting  the job of my dreams (something in fashion) and to make friends who could help me achieve my dreams. In short, it's about gaining confidence and being a step in the right 

direction career-wise.

My questions:

♥What inspires you?

♥Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

♥What three things make you happy?

♥What made you start blogging?

♥What is your dream job?

♥What advice would you give to a new blogger?

♥Which 5 words best describe you?

♥If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

♥What would you do if you won the lottery?

♥Which song can you relate to the most and why?

♥What is your favourite thing about Autumn?

Tag, you're it! My nominations:

Ellie at A Little Wishing

Missy at Never A Dull Moment

Mandi at Living For Pretty

Megan at Happiness Diamonds

Sarah at Clothes Drawer