Pinspiration... For The Sake Of A Laugh!!!

Hey lovely people!

So it's Wednesday and the long weekend is well and truly behind us, and if you're anything like me then that is a very depressing thought. So, in a bid to not only cheer myself up, but you lovely people too... I thought I would post some funny things I found on Pinterest recently. 

So I hope you managed to squeeze out a laugh or 2 reading those... I certainly did... And I feel miles better for it...

Take care lovelies. x

Another Friday Faves!

Hey lovely people!

It's FRIDAY!!! And its the beginning of the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend! I am so excited!!! Can you tell from the overuse of the exclamation marks??? Eeeeek!!! 

Anyway, it's just a quick little post today because the sun is shining and I am just home from a lovely walk with my dogs and I intend on heading back out with hubby... perhaps to a beer garden somewhere! So here goes:

1. My hubby!

I love this guy soooooo much and I get to spend the whole weekend and Monday with him. You have no idea how happy that makes me. He is quite simply the best person I have ever met in my whole life and he makes my life so much better. :)

2. This weather!

Blue skies and the smell of fresh cut grass, it is the ultimate spring weather and there is no better way to spend the day, than with my gorgeous doggies and my handsome hubby! :)

3. New makeup!

It's always a good week when I get to play with new makeup! :) And not only that, but the price I paid for the makeup was outrageously cheap that it made it all the more fun. As well as that, i've been trying out my new Models Own nail polish, and it is fab! 6 for £20... how can you go wrong! 

4. Instagram!

I have been taking part in a photo-a-day challenge throughout April and it has really made me appreciate how great Instagram is all over again. It's been super fun, and I think I will make it a regular thing every month. Not only do you get the chance to see everybody's fab pics, but it encourages me to get my camera out everyday... even if I'm not working! :)

5. Blog of the Week!

http://www.onestopsavvy.co.uk

This fab lady is a mummy and a brilliant little beauty guru, delivering posts ranging from makeup reviews to parenting advice. She is a super sweet lady, with an obvious passion for blogging, and after only having recently met her via twitter, it has become a part of my daily routine to check her tweets and admire her instagram images. You should definitely follow her and keep up to date with her fun and interesting blog posts. 

So that's my Friday Faves this week lovely people. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will hopefully be back tomorrow with another post... but please forgive me if I don't... I may get carried away with this weather. 

Take care lovelies. x

My Fave Youtubers

Hey lovely people!

Today I thought I'd share my favourite Youtubers of the moment with you all.

This is a super exciting world filled with super creative people, putting themselves out there and sharing their lives with the world... and let me tell you, once you dip your feet in the Youtube pool... you will end up knee deep before you know it!

So without further rambling here are my top 5 favourites and a little bit about them and their channel:

1. Jaclyn Hill - Professional Makeup Artist

She is a super sassy lady from Florida, with an infectious personality and a tremendous talent for applying makeup. She has an abundance of amazing makeup tutorials and haul videos showcasing her extreme shopping addiction. She's funny and really entertaining and you really can't help but watch video after video.

Jaclyn also has a twitter account >>> Jaclyn Hill 

a Facebook account >>> Jaclyn Hill

and an Instagram account >>> Jaclyn Hill

So be sure to check her out. You won't be sorry you did!

2. Lily Pebbles - Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty Blogger

Lily is a trendy, blogger from London, who provides makeup tutorials, product reviews, style guides and sooooooo much more. She has a way of drawing you in with her effortless charisma in front of the camera and her knowledgeable chats about beauty products and fashion in general. She is super normal, so it feels like your just listening to a friend when she talks... and that's what I like most about her.

Lily also has a twitter account >>> Lily Pebbles

a Facebook account >>> Lily Pebbles

and an Instagram account >>> Lily Pebbles

She's totally worth a look so go ahead!

3. Hannah Maggs - A Little Beauty Vlog

Hannah initially started this channel as a beauty blog, but fell pregnant with little Grayson and decided to share her pregnancy experience with her viewers. She is so open and honest about her experience that it's simply refreshing. Her most recent post takes on the ever controversial topic of breastfeeding.

Hannah also has a Twitter account >>> Hannah Maggs

a Facebook account >>> Hannah Maggs

and an Instagram account >>> Hannah Maggs

She is a sweet, lovely girl, sharing her life with us lucky people. Go see what I mean!

4. Jim Chapman - A Fun Lifestyle Blog

Jim Chapman is one of a fairly sizeable group of youtubers and bloggers providing entertaining videos where he shares his day to day living, some funny and interesting tags and loads of funny collaborations with his friends. He is the brother of Sam & Nic Chapman (the genius makeup artist sisters behind Pixiwoos), the boyfriend of Tanya Burr (the gorgeously, sweet makeup artist with her own lipgloss and nail polish line just out) and the twin brother of John Chapman (the body conscious, personal trainer who is one half of The Lean Machines). He is super sweet and funny and truly loves his audience - welcoming his viewers with his greeting "hello best friends" on every video post! I seriously can't get enough of him.

Jim also has a Twitter account  >>> Jim Chapman
a Facebook account >>> Jim Chapman
and an Instagram account >>> Jim Chapman

You'd be crazy not to give this guy a visit. He will quickly become your online best friend!

5. Matt Granger - Get Your Gear Out



Matt Granger is an Australian Photographer, sharing tutorials on all aspects of photography and reviewing all of the cameras, lenses and equipment you can possibly think of. He is super talented and really easy to listen to and if you're new to the field of photography he can help you perfect your skills with more ease than you could imagine possible. He has a motto - "Get Your Gear Out" - which is way of encouraging fellow amateur and professional photographers to get out and shoot as often as they can. He is just brilliant and makes his art looking so easy. I highly recommend you makes his videos a part of your Youtube viewing!

Matt also has a Twitter account >>> Matt Granger
a Facebook account >>> Matt Granger
and an Instagram account >>> Matt Granger

He is well worth a watch so get clicking on his page lovely people!

I'd just like to say that these amazing Youtubers are only a small selection of my favourites, and I will continue to share the other wonderfully talented people I follow as well as any new ones I discover along the way. I honestly recommend that you nip along to a few of their pages and have a good look for yourselves. They offer so much in terms of the mixture of areas they specialise in and I believe that like me, you will get a lot out of their posts. 

Take care lovelies. x

My Disney Obession

Hey Lovely people!

This post was inspired by my love affair with Disney movies. I mean who can say they don't like a good Disney classic??? Nobody!!!

Today I have decided to watch Aladdin... simply because it has been far too long since I gave it a watch. Not only does it have some of the best Disney songs included, but it also has Robin Williams providing the voice of the Genie.  It is also the Disney movie with the greatest life lessons... 

1. Always remember to be true to yourself and don't try to be something and someone you are not. 

2. Remember to value your self worth. 

3. It's important to keep your promises, even if you have to make a sacrifice. 

4. Money doesn't bring you happiness.

5. Anything is possible, as long as you work hard enough to get it. 

Now like a lot of people, I have an affinity with the old classically animated movies with The Little Mermaid being my absolute, unequivocal favourite. I was read the Hans Christian Anderson book by my family when I was a little girl and became obsessed with the idea of mermaids and the magical world they lived in under the sea. The only disappointment I had with the book... and obviously being a little girl... was that there was no happy ending. 

However, when Disney released their "Happily-Ever-After" movie version on the 1st of January 1989 (when I wasn't even 4 years old yet) it quickly became my most cherished and beloved movie of all time. 

I thought Ariel was beautiful with her long wavy red hair, lilac seashells and turquoise fishtail. She sang so beautifully and for a little girl like me, she sang songs that were easy to learn and sing along with. I just loved her and I loved the beautiful story of love overcoming all obstacles. It set me up to be a bit of a hopeless romantic, always striving to find that one true love of my life. Well whoever said that fairytale's aren't real, are really needing to have a look at my life because after many struggles and "obstacles" in my way I finally found the love of my life - my own Disney Prince, and I have been living happily ever after for almost 13 years now. :) 

My husband and I on our wedding day in November 2011.

While I was looking for Disney images to use I came across some pictures of the most fabulous Disney Princesses and I thought I would share them with you.

These real life sketches are gorgeous - and provide a much more realistic image of the princesses.

I love these true to life Disney princesses. They are all super beautiful.

And finally this up-to-date portrayal of the Disney Princesses & what their style might be if they were everyday girls.

Hope you enjoyed this post lovely people. I think it's important at any age to stay connected with your childhood and I think Disney provides us with this opportunity. I will never grow old of it and I will read the stories and watch the movies with my own children and their children for as many years as I have ahead of me.

It was after all the marvellous Walt Disney who said... 

"That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up"...

Take care lovelies. x

SnapHappy Tuesday - Babies

Hey lovely people!

So today I thought I would start a little Tuesday tradition by showcasing some of my favourite shots from photo-shoots I've had. I think it's important to have a part of my blog dedicated entirely to my love of photography... It is, after all, the reason I started writing it in the 1st place. I will share the camera settings and lens choices with you all too in case you'd like to replicate the image yourself.

I will separate each post into different categories, rather than bombarding you all with a cluster of images that have no consistency and flow. 

So anyway, here goes:

ISO 200 - 37mm (18-55mm lens) - f/4.5 - 1/6 sec

This is little Edith and she and her brother were the subjects of my very first photo-shoot. Believe it or not, this is still one of my favourite images. She was such a delicate little flower and didn't really like the big stupid camera in front of her face so it quickly became clear that it would be difficult to get that "winning smile" shot. I'm so glad! This shot is better than any smiley snap I could have got of her. Those big deep dark eyes pop like nothing else and her perfect little "deer in the headlights" expression is just utterly adorable. 

ISO 100 - 18mm (18-55mm lens) - f/3.5 - 1/100 sec

Meet little Darcie. She was 5 weeks old at the time of this shoot and was more alert than any 5 year old I have ever photographed, never mind 5 week old. She was so curious firstly about who I was and secondly about what the hell my big clunky camera was, so she had this serious "brows down" expression on her face throughout the whole shoot. I just loved that. Even at 5 weeks old, her little inquisitive personality was shining through and I'm ever so glad that I had the opportunity to capture it. 

ISO 400 - 35mm (18-55mm lens) - f/4.5 - 1/30 sec

Let me introduce you to Leon. This cheeky little monkey is the most rambunctious little baby I have ever photographed. He just so happens to belong to my cousin and best friend Alison, and I was absolutely desperate to get him in front of my lens. Most of the shots I got of him were action shots because he quite literally DOESN'T STOP MOVING!!! This snap came from me loudly shouting his name (camera at the ready) and capturing his face as soon as he looked up. It was the only way! 

ISO 200 - 50mm (50mm lens) - f/1.8 - 1/200 sec

And last but not least - this is Riley! And I'm sorry but LOOK AT THAT FACE! Is he not the cutest little cherub you have ever seen??? He was super fun to shoot and was by far the funniest 2 year old I've ever had in my studio. He was soooo clever and co-operative, he posed like a pro and even checked after EVERY snap, that the photo I had taken was up to scratch. I honestly could have photographed him all day. He was the epitome of the perfect client. 

I wanted to stick with the muted tones and black and white images this week because, quite simply, they are my favourites. I do love colour images too... and will be showing you several of those over the coming weeks but for the 1st post I wanted to showcase my absolute faves. 

I hope that this kind of post isn't too boring to you all. It's my job and there is nothing more interesting to me that talking about my photos and photography in general - but I understand that it might not necessarily be everybody's thing. This is why I kept all the technical jargon and ins and outs of lighting etc. out of this post. But by all means, if you would like to me to talk about all that stuff then let me know. :)

Take care lovelies. x