Weekend and giveaway winner...

We've had such a lovely long weekend!

We walked on the beach alot
and I had a paddle in the sea.
We ate far too many cookies, danishes and delicious food,
(sorry diet... ha)
We looked around some shops
and admired some lovely looking cupcakes...
We enjoyed each others company and
we didn't plan anything.
It was amazing!
(boo for being back at work tomorrow)

On the plus side the winner of the giveaway is Farah!!
Congratulations love, I'll contact you asap :)

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well
check back tomorrow for something exciting!

Hurray, its friday!

{Thomas always takes the best photos of me... from last weekend in Malham!}

It's another long weekend
(I love May purely for bank holidays!)
and we've got some fun things planned, I'm so excited!!

And... this time next week I'm see my family and Harry.

double excited!!

1. Yellow is for sun
2. and farmhouses...
   (I put a couple of these on my tumblr, I love!)
3. I need these plates.
4. and this book.
5. Butterflies are so pretty!

Happy weekend everyone!

and don't miss out on my camera giveaway

I'll be deciding the winner on Monday so only a few days!

A rather impromptu giveaway - Closed

After finally sorting out my box of cameras - I realised that there was a camera in there that I already had: this little panorama camera!

So I decided that I wanted to give it away to one of my readers!

It takes 35mm film and although I don't believe it has a true wide angle lens like the vivatar slim and wide and the image is cropped by a template onto the negative I still love how the pictures turn out and it was is easy to carry around and snap away happily with.

This camera is a true, cheap plastic camera!

If you're not convinced, here are some examples of photos that I have taken with it

and you can also see more examples here.

I love it and I think one of you will as well :)

:: How to enter ::

This giveaway is now closed!

p.s. if you happen to love film but don't own a film camera and perhaps enjoy a good swap, then now may be the perfect time to enter this giveaway... just saying...

An unexpected surprise...

Whilst venturing into my amazing box of cameras I was stunned to find that two of the cameras still had film in them!

Unfortunately one of the films must have been quite old as I tried to wind it on and it completely snapped. The other one however had a few random photos on it... but the film was so old that the negatives turned green once they were developed and most of the photos came out quite purple.

How cute are the rabbit and guinea pig! And how random is the last photo - I have no idea whats going on there.

I love the idea that my cameras were all loved and used before I got them - imagine the things that they would have taken photos of... perhaps one travelled the world?? Who knows...

When fuji instax mini's go wrong...

On Saturday we went to Malham, the weather was gorgeous, we took a picnic, sat by waterfalls and everything was good.

Until my fuji instax didn't work - cue complete panic...

After opening the back of the film I realised that one of the photos had a small nick in it (can you see in on the top left?) which meant the photo couldn't pass through the rollers, so I had to pull it through resulting in the yellow fuji. The other photo didn't even make it through the rollers (I don't remember why) but I did have fun pushing the chemicals up and around the photo - you can even make out a partial thumb print on it - how cool is that?!

As a result the next two pictures came out with light exposure on them, however you can still make out the pretty waterfall.

In fact I kind of like them...

I really love the two that turned out properly though - especially my little holga - I put her down for a second and though she looked so lovely that I had to take a photo!

Much Love Monday!

I was going to blog about our weekend but then this arrived!!!

I sat one of my desk so I wouldn't think about the whole box of cameras sitting behind me waiting to be explored...

I am completely in love with this kodak brownie, I've wanted one for ages and its cuteness is just wonderful...

Happy sigh...

p.s. I haven't taken part in Anna's Much Love project for ages, I've missed it :)

Hurray for Friday's...

I love Friday's - every week I see some amazing things and I can't wait to share but first...

{Fill in the Blanks Friday inspired by the lovely Lauren!}

Todays theme - fashion

1. One fashion trend I really regret is honestly, none, even though I do cringe a bit at my bright orange jeans I used to wear, I seriously loved those jeans when I had them and part of me wishes I had as much bravery to wear them now as I did back then.

2. The one thing that always completes any outfit is a cardigan, I have so many and they are so versatile.

3. I would describe my personal style as autumnal… I tend to wear rich colours, no pinks or pastels for me… and I love cardi’s, scarves and layers – I think autumnal is the perfect word for it :)

4. My fashion muse is um… perhaps Emma Watson, she always looks lovely – most fashion icons seem to be tiny though with no curves which I find quite hard to be inspired by… I need a curvy muse!

5. If I could own one designer piece of clothing it would be... do bags count?? I would love a bright yellow mulberry bag please.

6. I would love to raid the wardrobe of anyone... it would someone who has a lot of cardigans and mulberry bags :)

7. Today I am wearing my fave jeans, a black shirt type thing which has cute buttons (with short sleeves, its sunny!) and my little black pointy flats.

and here are some amazing links for a sunny day :)

1. Diana shared an amazing website on her blog today - you have to check it out - the quotes on the right hand side are perfect - I'm up to page 15
2. A post dedicated to cardigans, hurray!
3. I am totally in love with this woman...
4. this is one of those blogs I wish I had thought of.
5. The worlds longest exposure (via wanderlust)

6. I really want a label maker! Especially these ones...
   
   
   

   Happy weekend!!
   

Why hello there...

It is gorgeous outside today which for England is pretty rare... its the kind of day you wish you weren't working and you can hear the pub garden calling your name :)

Luckily we are going out for tapas and a gig tonight so I think I may insist we sit outside for a little while... I really hope the weather holds out for the rest of the weekend... in fact weather gods, the next few weeks (months would be pushing it right...) would be amazing!

Exactly* a year ago I wrote this post... and today I want to write exactly the same thing again!

So I am :)

Such a pretty blue tree.

I don't know which type of tree it is but it makes me smile

everytime I walk past it.

(and the colour looks gorgeous in fake polaroid, yeay)

*Isn't it amazing how nature works and just seems to know the passage of time.

I actually couldnt believe it when I saw it was the same date but last year...

Too much fun with clipart...

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Katrina had some free wasabi tape clipart on her blog and now not only does she have that but she also has some cute tags, more fun tape and this amazing paper buffet selection of clipart. Katrina is officially amazing!!

As soon as I saw the new additions I knew I had to play with them and I can honestly say that I had far too much fun putting this together (it's my first digital scrapbook page!) It also provided the perfect opportunity for me to pull together some random fujis and photos that I've been dying to post but I wasn't really to sure how...

For all of Katrina's freebie, click here and if you haven't had enough of lovely tags, bags and doilies, check out her amazing shop on etsy as well...

p.s. the bike photo is for Amy!

p.p.s. I used a program called Paint Net instead of photoshop to put this together, its a bit simpler but its free!

Oh my...

Right now my blogging issues seems to resolve around balance - what to put on here, what to put on Tumblr, whether or not to just use my images or use someone elses, is more than one post a day too many..?

Anyway, I realised as I was looking through my blog that I missed my 'Oh my...' feature - where I just had to share something that really made me think 'oh my...' and I realised that as long as I was happy with my referencing and I gave as much credit to the creator as possible then I should really share the things that I love on here as well - some things are just that amazing!

And these are some of them....

Beautiful camera illustrations by Liyen from The Designer in Pyjamas

(Original blog post here... Click on each image for their flickr pages)

I mentioned about my Yashica Autofocus yesterday...

I adore this camera and it looks so amazing here.

There are more cameras and photos on Liyen's blog and Flickr page - yeay.

I'm in camera inspiration heaven... and if I hadn't already really wanted to draw in a moleskine before, I really do now. I think I may have to go shopping this weekend...

I've officially gone camera crazy...

I may have just brought this collection of cameras for a bargain price!
I'm so excited!!!


p.s. Check out my England guest post on the lovely Cassie's blog!

Little letters...

{Photo taken in Scarborough with my Yashica Autofocus, I heart that camera}

Dear little blog,

Its odd to think that when we started we were both completely different. It's just a shame I'm stuck in the same job and it frustrates me. But you are still my haven and even though I'm feeling a little lost, I am going to pull it together and you will be my happy place again.

Dear Sunshine,

You make me happy but where is the warmth?

I want to wear my shorts (yes, I have shorts!!) and finally wear my yellow tights.

Dear poloroid camera,
After all the letters and the waiting - I'm afraid that we don't really get on as well as I had hoped... part of me is a little sad but the other is really happy that I seem to have found my medium in 35mm film and that I can enjoy looking at other peoples polaroids appreciating how incredible their work really is!

Dear fuji instax,
Don't worry I still adore you... we get along just fine.

Dear buses,

You seem to be running on time recently, I can't decide whether to be happy or suspicious.

Dear cookies,

It seems out of all the sugary foods that I miss you the most.

I'm worried now though that the next one I have won't live up to my expectations....

Dear negativity,

You creep up on me when I least expect it and you are starting to annoy me.

Dear self imposed blog rules,

I might start ignoring some of you soon, just to see what happens!

Dear moleskines,

All of a sudden I want to write and draw in you...

I just need to buy one first.

Do they come in yellow?!

{as always inspired by the beautiful Naomi from Rockstar Diaries!}

Sometimes...

We forget about how much we love living in Leeds.

However we were reminded at the weekend when we walked along the canal into the city.

It's easy to forget that you are in the middle of the city...

even if masssive blue cinema's creep into your photos...

And massive buildings eventually start to pop up in the distance...

Luckily it was also sunny enough this weekend to go sit in a pub garden... where a spider tried to drink my beer. Hurray for sunshine!

p.s. My lovely blog friend Jenni is hosting a giveaway of two of my prints in honour of an amazing cause: The American Cancer Society - please head over and take a look at the amazing work her and her friends are doing!!

Dear Friday's...

I have missed you!

I've missed the routine...

I've missed the blanks...

and I've really missed sharing links...

its been too long and I want my blog back!

{inspired as always by the lovely lauren}

1. The very best thing about the summer is beer gardens… I have no idea what this says about me but I love going to a pub and sitting with friends having a nice cool drink and chatting about everything… it isn’t even warm enough for that here yet though… boo.

2. My first crush ever was Taylor Hanson – can you believe he’s married with like 4 kids now?? He’s still dishy I must admit but he’s a bit skinny for me now – I saw Hanson a couple of years ago when we were living in London and he was sporting the skinniest jeans I’ve ever seen… ever.

3. This may sound really silly but… I was really loving the idea of decorating a house and buying things for it that I knew would stay there for a while… I might be avoiding design blog’s at the moment whilst I get over it.

4. I squeeze my toothpaste from the bottom but Thomas squeezes from the top – it annoys me.

5. My absolute favourite "comfort food" is – I have no idea anymore – before we gave up sugar it would have been chocolate or cookies but my taste buds are totally different now… I’m going to go with Chilli – I really love that at the moment…

6. A random fact about me is that I am really not that cool... I don’t think I ever have been…

7. The one piece of technology that truly makes my life better and I couldn't live without is my phone.

And here are some amazing links for you, I added a few extras as its been a while - hurray!

1. A rather amazing engagement photo shoot - I wish I had thought of it!
2. Gorgeous Diana photos of dogs - I need a dog.
3. I love Seinfeld!! (believe it or not... I'm not home...)
4. I wish what was in my bag looked like this...
5. I love art and this cake is amazing!
6. A happy yellow montage with a great quote
7. Some lovely yellow and green...
   

Oh and I nearly forgot, giveaway winners!

First a massive thank you to all of the lovely shops involved, they really are amazing and if you have a chance please look around them again. Second, thank you for all your great comments, I had so much fun reading through them and I loved seeing what people's favourites were.

So here goes...

The winner of: Diana's Polaroid Carnival Set which includes 3 gorgeous 5x5 prints of polaroid photos is... Micaela!

The winner of: an 8 x 10 print of Phebe's delightful Legs in the Sky print is... Adele!

The winner of: An 8 x 10 print of Sarah's beautiful Polaroid 640 in teal is... Alexis!

The winner of: a set of Cute n Boots darling polaroid pocket books portraying a time line of polaroid cameras is... Bklyn76!

Congratulations to all the winners - I will be contacting you shortly.

Happy weekend!

Meh...

I have no idea what to post today...

After a few days of posts floating around my head, I have nothing... nothing!

I feel like having a big whinge about work which is bad considering I only got back today and really who wants to hear about that? I don't want to read about it in a few years time when I look back at this (hi future me)

I could post some pictures... but I always post pictures... boring... and I took maybe 10 over the weekend and most of them were bad ones of Matt Groening...

So here I am with nothing but a bad mood and whingey post...

I think I'm still frustrated/disappointed from Tuesday - we looked at mortgages for a shared ownership house but for a £75,000 mortage we would have to pay back £180,000 over 30 years... plus rent on top of that... um... what?!

I think we'll stick with renting thanks. I was anxious about it to start, then I really swung round the idea of a garage and more importantly a garden (which can lead to pets and vegetables...) and now we're back to square one. The even more frustrating thing is that I was and I still am happy with square one - I have no problem with renting and I don't need a marriage/mortgage/house/garage to feel happy or commited...

...though a garden would be amazing!

stupid mortgages, stupid migraines and stupid me for getting so wound up about things when I'm happy with how things are already...

p.s. on a side note the picture below is still making me laugh (its the fist I think...) and this seems so exciting, I think I'm going to enter some ideas.

Sorry for the blog silence...

...but Thomas and I have a few days off work after ATP and it caused an unplanned but probably much needed blog break...

here's a funny picture that had us both really laughing after some disappointing news today... I hope it makes you laugh too. I'll be back on Thursday.

(I can't decide if its his face or the fist that makes me laugh so much?? love it!
via Slightly Amusing)


p.s. don't forget to enter my amazing polaroid giveaway, its been great seeing everyones favourites!

A polaroid themed giveaway - closed!!

Right now I am (hopefully) sitting on a train to Minehead for ATP curated by Matt Groening! I am so excited!

So... as I have no polaroids to share with you today I decided that now would be an awesome time to have a giveaway to celebrate polaroid week and being nice!

This giveaway is a bit epic as there will be

not one but four different winners
each winning something from a truly wonderful shop.

I must admit I am a teeny bit jealous of the winners already.

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First up is the lovely Diana with her shop City Light Photography. I have loved Diana's work for almost as long as I have been blogging and I always automatically think of her images when I think of polaroids so I am delighted to include her work in the giveaway!

So you can win... Diana's Polaroid Carnival Set which includes 3 gorgeous 5x5 prints of polaroid photos.

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Next up is Phebe with her creative polaroid prints, I only discovered Phebe's flickr this week through Pugly Pixel but I was instantly smitten and inspired by her sense of fun and adventure especially as I am just now starting to take polaroids of my own.

So you can win... an 8 x 10 print of Phebe's delightful Legs in the Sky print.

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Next is Sarah from Urban Varieties with her amazing prints. I have a weakness for anything camera related on Etsy and when I first saw these my heart skipped a beat at the simplicity of how beautiful the black lines looked against the colour backgrounds. I could happily own one of each print if Thomas let me...

So you can win... An 8 x 10 print of Sarah's beautiful Polaroid 640 in teal.

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And, last but not least is one of my favourite etsy shops, Cute n Boot. I already own some the pocket books from this shop and I absolutely adore carrying them around in my bag during the day just in case I need to write something down.

So you can win... a set of Cute n Boots darling polaroid pocket books portraying a time line of polaroid cameras.

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The winners for this giveaway have now been announced.

Thank you to everyone who commented!!

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Are you excited?? I am! I hope you have all loved Polaroid week not just here but on my tumblr and of course Flickr as well... I already can't wait for next year... I might have some colour polaroids by then!

Happy weekend!!

Roid week! Day 4...

Hurray, some actual polaroids for roid week rather than my fuji's

(although I do adore my fuji camera!)

PX600 film is so temperamental - isn't it funny how none of my polaroids so far have turned out the same way...

I love these two photos as they are some of my favourite things: my cameras and my girls.

If you love polaroids and are enjoying polaroid week so far then you should definitely pop back here tomorrow, I have something far too exciting plannned!

Roid week! Day 3...

I was about to panic and say I didn't have anything for day 3 but then I remembered how many fuji pictures I took during our weekend away with our parents and that I still had some more to post. (phew and hurray!)

{Flamborough Lighthouse}

{the beautiful white cliffs}

{Flamborough beacon}

I love finding beacons!

After going to Bempton Cliff's on the Sunday, we then followed the coast line and went to Flamborough Head where we had a delicious tuna melt for lunch and I saw my first puggle.

(I'll let you guess which one I was most excited about...)

p.s. Is polaroid week making anyone else want more and more different types of instant cameras and films...? Disaster!

Roid Week! Day 2...

Photos taken whilst walking to work...

I've been wanting to take a photo of the magnolia tree for ages! Hurray!

Roid week! Day 1...

Today is a Bank Holiday- which for us means...

no work (woo)
waking up early but staying in bed for ages
resuming my addiction for Puzzle Quest on the DS
(I'm a geek, I know...)
yummy tuna melts for lunch,
home made pizza for dinner,


...and walks around the abbey,
taking pretty photos for Roid Week!


p.s. Have you seen the Flickr pool? Its incredible, I particularly love this Paris photo, this lovely poser and this batman polaroid! Amazing!