A Child Of The 90's - Tag

Hey lovely people!

It's Saturday and I thought I would do the 90's Kid Tag! :) Feel free to leave me the links to your own tags... I love reading them. :D


1. Favourite Disney movie?
The Little Mermaid... Hands down!!! It has been my favourite movie of all time from the first time I watched it. I even read the original book by Hans Christian Anderson.

2. Favourite music artist?
I loved loads of pop stars and bands in the 90s... main ones being Take That, Boyzone, The Spice Girls, All Saints and 3T.

3. Favourite Nickelodeon show?
Disgusting as it was, I loved Ren & Stimpy. Thinking about it now, I don't really know how I managed to stomach it... It was pretty gross!

4. Favourite candy?
Erm... I loved... and still do love those little Millions sweets - the tiny little balls of candy that you get in loads of different flavours. They were delish, but always gave me toothache.

5. Favourite game (board game, school  game)?
I loved playing games like Red Rover and British Bulldog in primary school... I have such fond memories of playing those games in the playground.

6. Favourite McDonald's toy?
I remember these toys always looking amazing in the adverts, but always being such a disappointment when you got them, so I definitely don't have a favourite. 

7. Favourite book?
I have a Children's Bible that my gran gave me when I made my communion, and it's such a beautifully written and animated book, explaining the stories of the bible in such a lovely child friendly way. I still love that book.

8. Favourite clothing store?
I used to love Tammy Girl, the childrens branch of Etam if I remember right. I wasn't really a big shopper then... much as I am now. I prefer to order online. 

9. What would you watch when you got home from school?
I used to love Zzzap (does anybody remember that?) and Art Attack, but before those programmes, there was a show called Knightmare that I used to watch religiously. It was a virtual game set in medieval times. It was sooooooooo good!

10. Favourite TV show?
This one was a no-brainer - F.R.I.E.N.D.S

11. Favourite toys?
I was a bit of a tomboy and love the WWF (WWE as it's now known) so I used to have all of the action figures from Ultimate Warrior to Shawn Michaels. The WWE is still my guilty pleasure to this day.

12. Favourite commercials?
I don't really remember a lot of adverts that stood out to me, but I do remember always watching the Sylvanian Families adverts, and always begging my mum to get me them. This however, never transpired.

13. Nsync or Backstreet Boys?
Oooh this is a hard one. Seen both in concert several times... but I think Backstreet Boys just wins ever so slightly. However, I adore Justin Timberlake more than life now, so technically speaking it could be called a draw!

14. Weirdest fashion trend?
Skousers... or skirt trousers. :) Does anybody remember these??? I had like 5 pairs and I loved them soooooo much. They were so comfortable and hid your bum which was a big perk for me!

15. Favourite collectible?
POGS!!! I had the best collection of pogs ever. I couldn't for the life of me tell you how to play with them now... That is long forgotten, but I do know that my collection was very impressive and I was often the envy of my friends.

16. Favourite beanie baby?
Never collected them... didn't really understand the fascination if I'm being honest.

17. How many Tamagotchis did you go through?
A lot. However, I did hold the record amongst my friends for the keeping my pet alive for the longest time - I think it was about 65 days. They were so much fun weren't they???

18. Favourite game system and game?
Ok so this is also a hard one, because as well as being a bit of a wrestling fan, I was... and currently am an avid gamer. Lol! So I think I will have to go with the Sega Master System for this one. It was the first game system I owned and it's where my love of video games began. I had loads of games for it, but my absolute fave was Sonic The Hedgehog and it was wayyyyyy better than the version released for the Mega Drive. 

So there we go... loads of useless information about my experience of the 90's. I loved doing this tag because of all the lovely memories it provoked. It's so sad getting older... I really hope I never forget all of these lovely parts of my childhood.

Take care lovelies. x

A Little Bit More About Me Tag

Hey lovely people! :)

How are you all doing today??? I'm having a great day so far and have big plans to do absolutely nothing tonight... except finally catch up on How I Met Your Mother. I know I know, it finished weeks ago... but we fell away from it in the final season and we are finally sorting that out!!!

So anyway, here is today's post.

Where and when were you born?

I was born on the 23rd of June 1985 at Bellshill Maternity Hospital, in Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Me & my gran Rose.

Who chose your names and the reason behind them?

My mum chose my name based on a character in a TV show she was watching. If I had been a boy, she and my dad would have named me Christopher. 
Your earliest childhood memory? The first thing I remember as a child is being on holiday in London with my mum and dad. We had just eaten lunch in a little Italian restaurant and had made our way to Trafalgar Square where I was trying to catch one of the hundreds of pigeons flying about. My dad lifted me up onto his shoulders and I was sick all down the back of his jacket... Spaghetti Bolognese and all! Lol! I believe I was 2.
What were your hobbies as a child? I loved reading and was a bit of a geeky child. My sister and I both collected ornamental cats (sounds utterly ridiculous I know, but they were super cute and were all dressed up in funny costumes) and I loved them. I also loved swimming and it's remains the one and only "sport" that I can do well. 
Do you have any siblings? I am the oldest of 6. I have 2 brothers, Stephen is 21 and Matthew is 18, and I have 3 sisters, Joanne who is 23 (and has 2 adorable kids of her own), Claire who is 15 and Aimee who is 13. So you can imagine how manic life was growing up in my house as a child. 

Funny story as a child? My sister Joanne is a bit hot headed and would often get up to no good when we were little. One day she had misbehaved and was sent to her bedroom to "think about what she had done". My mum and I were sat in the kitchen (which is directly below her bedroom) and noticed a rope dangling in front of the window. After inspecting it and realising it was coming from my sisters room, we both ran upstairs to find her half way out her bedroom window, with scarves and belts tied together and knotted around her bunk bed post. She was attempting the great escape and had already sent our brother Matthew downstairs with supplies and clothing for her, which he had left at the front step. She was 8... and it is still quite literally the funniest moment in my life. 
Did you do well at school? Yes, as I said before I was a bit of a geek as a child. I had little to no social life and really enjoyed school. I loved to study and my favourite pastime was making up colourful notes and laminating them. I left school with 8 good standard grades and 5 highers. I would go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat!!! :)
Your teenage celebrity crush? Oh I had lots! I loved Devon Sawa (Casper, The Final Destination etc). I also lovvvved AJ from the Backstreet Boys. But these crushes often changed from week to week. 
Your favourite song of all time? Oooft... that's too hard a question!!! I will give you the ones I can think of right now: With or Without You by U2, Hold On by Wilson Phillips, Best Friend by Queen, The Scientish by Coldplay, Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol and I Was Here by Beyonce. This list is not exhaustive!!!  Have you fulfilled your dreams and ambitions? Not yet. I want to be a super successful photographer with my own boutique style studio. I would also love to have a really successful blog with tonnes more lovely readers like you lovely people. 

There you have it lovely people! Why not give this one a go yourselves. I'd love to get to know you all a bit better. 
Remember, I'd love to get my teeth into some more of your fab blogs and I will start featuring my favourite weekly blog as part of my Friday Favourites! So get sending your links - either in the comments box below or via twitter here.
Take care lovelies. 

The Blogger Tag

Hey there lovely people,

Happy weekend to you all. Hope you are having a fabilicious Saturday.

It's that time of the week for another little Tag. They are one of my favourite things to read on other peoples blogs because it's nice to get to know the lovely person behind the posts. 

So here is this weeks choice... The Blogger Tag! 

The Blogger Tag

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

It's naturally straight with a bit of a kink in it.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

Both. If I'm feeling in a particularly "pamper myself" type of mood, I will get a hair cut & colour at the Hairdressers, but most of the time, because my hair is so short I am happy just to dye it myself at home. 

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

So as I was saying, I have super short hair, so coming up with different styles is often difficult - but I try my best to change it up as much as I can.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do my own. I have always had long nails and so have never wanted acrylics or anything. As well as that on the one and only occasion where I did have a manicure, the lady doing it absolutely destroyed my cuticles with her buffer and they were all bleeding and sore - BAD EXPERIENCE!!! Plus I like to change my nail colour a lot, so it would end up costing me a small fortune if I went to a manicurist every time. 

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Like I said above, I change my colour a lot. Maybe 2 or 3 times a week. :) I love a fresh set of nails.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

Both - I stick to darker shades like 1.Chick Flick Cherry from O.P.I. or 2.Desire from Rimmel which is what I'm wearing just now. In the summer I like bright & pastel colours like 3.Hip Hop from Rimmel and 4.Brompton Place from Nails Inc.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

So if I'm just having a normal day - food shopping, out a walk etc then 10 minutes. If I have a night out or somewhere fancy to go then it's a kind of whole day process where my makeup can take 2-3 hours. I like to take my time. :)

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face. I always put my primer and foundation on first.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I have a relatively big collection of products that I often forget I have, particularly eye-shadows. So definitely a collector.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Once in my whole life. I have really sensitive eyes so putting fake lashes and glue on them is a little daunting. However, my sister once put them on me and I loved them... pity I couldn't really see properly the whole night. 

11. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Nope. There are maybe 3 days out of the week where I let my skin breathe... and on days like today, where I'm feeling under the weather, makeup is the furthest thing from my mind.

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. 

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes and often too.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Not a lot... and I'm not entirely sure they are too high end. I have some Smashbox lip products, Bareminerals powders and concealers, as well as Clinique and Liz Earle skincare products.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I always tend to plan what I'm wearing and leave it sitting out and ready.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Often. I have a handbag addiction, and like to showcase all of my different ones as much as possible. I do, however, have some favourites that I use more often than others.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

So I go to bed through the week at around 10.30pm, but don't generally fall asleep till about 2am. I wake up anywhere between 8 and 10am in the morning. My nights are slightly longer at the weekend.

18. How often or when do you workout?

Not as often as I should... at all!!!

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right - my hubby is left handed.

20. How tall are you?

5ft 7inches.

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I speak a bit of French & Spanish.

22. How many pets do you have?

2 dogs - Oscar & Bonnie.

23. How often are you on Blogger?

Too often - haha! All day, everyday!!! Addicted is an understatement.

  

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Yes - It's nice to read peoples nice words. Reminds me that there are still lovely people out there.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes - this has become a bit of a problem for my poor hubby. My spending has increased exponentially since I got more and more into blogging and watching YouTube.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

It was initially an idea I had for my Photography, that I was telling stories through my pictures - hence "Once Upon A Picture" and when I decided to blog I wanted there to be a consistency with my pictures and my words.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

I have a Canon 600D DSLR, but I also have a few point and shoot cameras too.

28. How often do you clean your house?

I try to clean a bit everyday, but have a good clean of the entire house once a week.

29. What's your favorite color?

RED!

30. What is your favorite drugstore/high end makeup brand?

I love Rimmel for their nail polishes, Bodyshop for their foundation and M.U.A lipsticks (they are super cheap and super pigmented). For skincare my absolute faves are Clinique, Liz Earle and I really like Simple.


So there is my Blogger Tag answers. Hope you all enjoyed reading them, and feel free to leave your tags in the comments for me to read.

Take care lovelies. x

T.M.I Tag

Hey lovely people!

Is everybody having a good Saturday??? I hope so.

So today I thought I would go ahead and share some info with you all... or perhaps too much info as it were.

This is a tag that I have seen loads of times and I love reading posts about it and watching YouTube videos about it, so I thought I would give it a go and share it with you all.

So here goes:

1: What are you wearing?
I'm having a "black day" today so I'm wearing black leggings, a black long-line vest top, a black jumper & black socks. I am however wearing a bright orangey red lipstick so at least there's a pop of colour. 
2: Ever been in love?
Yes. I am super in love with my husband.
3: Ever had a terrible breakup?
Yes. I had quite a serious boyfriend when I was 14 and my mum thought it was getting too serious so told me I had to finish it, hence a some very complicated break-up drama. 
4: How tall are you?
5ft 7inches. 
5: How much do you weigh?
Too much.
6: Any tattoos?
Nope. However my husband has 2 that are dedicated to me. One is a small "D" behind his left ear and the other is the date we started seeing each other on his right wrist. So does that count???
7: Any piercings?
Yes. I have one piercing in each of my ears. I used to have 2 piercings in each ear but I kept forgetting to put earrings in them and so they eventually closed up. 
8: OTP? (One True Pairing)
Ok, I have a few of these. I absolutely love New Girl and want nothing more than things to work out between Nick & Jess. Also I am obsessed with The Vampire Diaries and I very much in love with Ian Somerhaulder who plays Damon and I much prefer him and Elena as opposed to Stefan and Elena.  
9: Favourite Show?
This is too hard a question. How can I possibly whittle it down to one show. So I'll just give you my current faves: Modern Family (HILARIOUS), New Girl (AMAZEBALLS), and I'm re-watching Ugly Betty from the beginning again so that too. 
10: Favourite bands?
The Killers, Snow Patrol, Cold Play, James, Mumford & Sons to name but a few. 
11: Something you miss?
This is more a "Someone" I miss... and that's my Granny Rose. She died almost 14 years ago and I miss her everyday. 
12: Favourite song?
Oooft... too many to name. Current faves are Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" just because it's a super sexy wee beat and "Drunk In Love" by Beyonce just because she's freaking awesome!
13: How old are you?
28... 29 in June!!! *sobs 
14: Zodiac sign?
Cancer.
15: Quality you look for in a partner?
Somebody who is kind. 
16: Favourite Quote?
This is a little "Photography" related number but I just love it:
"Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important. Capture the good times. Develop from the negatives. If things don't work out, take another shot".
17: Favourite actor?
Oooh... erm... I love Christian Bale & Tom Hardy just because they're such method actors. Every role I watch them in is completely different from the last one. 
18: Favourite colour?
I lurrrrvvveeee Red!!!
19: Loud music or soft?
Loud all the way.
20: Where do you go when you’re sad?
Into the arms of my hubby. He's the best cuddler you will ever meet and he always makes me feel better with one of his big bear hugs. 
21: How long does it take you to shower?
10-15 minutes. I love a shower so I do. 
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Lol... 5 minutes. Unless of course I'm going out and in need of a little makeup fix, in which case it's about 30-45 minutes. 
23: Ever been in a physical fight?
Not really.
24: Turn on?
ARMS!!! I am obsessed with arms on a man. 
25: Turn off?
Arrogance & superiority.
26: The reason I started a blog?
Initially it was to document my photo-shoots but after reading loads of the fab blogs out there I decided to just make it a lifestyle blog, covering all the aspects of my life as opposed to one single subject.
27: Fears?
I'm terrified of insects... like irrationally terrified. But on a bigger scale - I'm scared of losing the people I love in my life. 
28: Last thing that made you cry?
I cry all the time. Like ALL THE TIME!!! I seriously do believe that there is something mentally wrong with me at times. So the last time I cried was this morning - watching a programme on the TV about Astronauts and the dangers they face in Space. 
29: Last time you said you loved someone?
Today. I end every call with my hubby with "I love you". :)
30: Meaning behind your Blog Name?
Ok so "Once Upon A Picture" was the username I chose when I set up my Flickr account because I aspire to be one of those photographers who tell stories through their pictures... so I decided that I would name my business "Once Upon A Picture Photography" and when I decided to do my blog it only made sense to continue on with the theme.  
31: Last book you read?
"Reflected In You" by Sylvia Day - It's a raunchy little number so not for the faint hearted.  
32: The book you’re currently reading?
"Entwined With You" by Sylvia Day - The final book in the 3 part series.  
33: Last show you watched?
Ugly Betty. 
34: Last person you talked to?
My husband. 
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
My sister Joanne.
36: Favourite food?
Oooh chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

37: Place you want to visit?
New York! It's my ultimate dream holiday - but I want to have the proper New York experience in a fancy Manhattan hotel and do all of the touristy things so I'll need a few weeks to spend over there and a few thousand pounds to book it in the first place. 

38: Last place you were? 

At the park with my dogs and my hubby.

39: Do you have a crush? 

Yep... my hubby... and Ian Somerhaulder. 
40: Last time you kissed someone? 

10 minutes ago.

41: Last time you were insulted? 

Wednesday night on Facebook when a narrow-minded individual put a post on about "chunky women".

42: Favourite flavour of sweet? 

I love citrus flavours so lemon, lime and the like.

43: What instruments do you play? 

None... *shamed

44: Favourite piece of jewellery? 

My wedding ring of course. 
45: Last sport you played? 

Lol... I'm not exactly a sport playing type of gal... I can however swim really well. And I was at the swimming a few weeks ago. 
46: Last song you sang? 

Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis - an addictive wee tune! 
47: Favourite chat up line?

None - they are cheesey as heck!

48: Have you ever used it? 

Refer to the above. 
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? 

Right now... my hubby & my 2 pooches. 
50: Who should answer these questions next?

You, you and you!

So there you go, far too much information on yours truly! Hope you enjoyed reading this and by all means leave the link to your blog or video responses in the comments section. I'd love to give them a read. 

Take care lovelies. x

My Saturday Night

Hello there my lovelies! Happy weekend to you all!!!

I hope you are having a fab weekend so far. I am having a lovely Saturday night to myself, as my hubby is away to watch the boxing. So I had a delicious take away for dinner, I've poured myself a glass of wine and I'm watching he boxing from the comfort of my livingroom, with my lovely dog Oscar snoring at my feet! 

He's cute eh???

But I couldn't very well show off one and not the other, so here is a photo of my younger pooch Bonnie... who followed me into the kitchen and stared at me while I poured my glass of wine... obviously hinting at me to take a photo of her too...

It has to be said... they're my babies (without sounding too much like a crazy person)! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, whatever it is that you're doing!