It's Friday!!

{Thomas and I with litre(!!) tankards of Polish beer!!}

(How cool would that have been to bring home??)

Woohoooo!!

This week at work has been as hectic/bad as the one before I left for Poland, so it almost feels like we were never there - it's a good thing I have photos as proof to remind me!!

We're having a halloween party tomorrow and I am so excited, so many of our amazing friends are coming, I can't wait to see everyone all dressed up.

So, I'm going to go home from work today and forget about this lousy week and spend some quality time with some of my favourite people!!

I hope you all have amazing weekends!!

p.s. I can't wait to share more Poland and halloween photos next week :)

Krakow - The Main Square

The first highlight of Krakow that we really explored was the main square in the Old Town.

It was such a pleasure walking around the square, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the people watching - there was always something going on.

{Photos taken with my fuji instax mini and my new favourite - the Yashica Samurai}

A blog day of silence for Daddy Butch

Like most of my blog friends, I can't exactly remember h0w I found Summer, or when her blog became a daily read... sometimes it truly feels like I've known some bloggers forever and even now I struggle to imagine not having them in my life somehow... (whether through blogging, facebook, twitter, emails, letters... etc)

I never expected when I started my blog that I would make great friends, that I would adore people that I have never met or that I would come to love their families as much as them. However, the blogging world has completely captured my heart and now it is breaking for one of the loveliest girls on here.

Although this isn't a silent post, I want to dedicate my post today to Summer, her family and her amazing Dad - and also to any other bloggers who have lost close family or who are stuggling with any kind of loss - we all know deep down that no ones life is perfect no matter how it may seem on a blog and I think today is the right time to remember that as well as remembering Daddy Butch.

I'm still completely blown away by the response that this has had on the blogging community and I really really hope that Summer can feel the love and know that her Daddy is remembered and celebrated and he will live on not just through her but through her blog that has touched so many lifes.

Krakow - The Apartment...

With so many photos to share with you, I didn't really know where to start with blogging about Krakow, but I decided to start where we started - the apartment!

Finding this apartment was the best thing that happened to us for this holiday - it was cheap, massive and so central to Krakow - situated bang in the middle of the Old Town and Kazimierz - the Jewish area of the city. It was the perfect mixture of old character with modern features and despite the 6 flights of stairs to get to our floor, it was the perfect base to start and return to every day.

Our street and building - the only pink building on the road.

The living room...

Kitchen...

Bathroom...

Our bedroom...

The apartment was full of lovely features like vintage suitcases and amazing chandeliers which completely enhanced our stay there!

My favouite part though was the guest book that all the previous guests had written in with suggestions for restaurants, bars, days out, which buses to catch etc... a wonderful read for when you have no idea where to start!

If anyone is interested in staying in Krakow and looking into this apartment (its not ours, we rented it, I can send you the link) then drop me an email!

Autumn Home Styling Challenge

A few weeks ago, the lovely Helen from Voucher Codes emailed me about taking part in the Autumn Home Styling Challenge that was being held on the Voucher Codes lifestyle magazine – Most Wanted. As well as writing on the magazine, Helen also has her own lovely blog – Little Doll Face - which I highly recommend, so I was extremely happy and excited when she asked me to take part.

Voucher Codes is a great website to find vouchers for UK based shops - I still think a little bit like a student (even though its been years now!) so any way to save money is always appreciated and I have been on the Voucher Codes mailing list for some time, however I didn’t realise they had a lifestyle magazine and I did spend quite a bit of time reading it once I found it.

I did originally have ideas of blankets, mugs, candles, etc…but my main Autumn crush at the moment is cushions – I love them! I love the variety and how they can instantly create a signature in your house, reflecting your personality through fun and cosy choices without costing a fortune.

1. Bruno Cushion from John Lewis - £35
2. Black telephone Cushion from John Lewis - £15
3. Multi Coloured Lily Cushion from Debenhams - £12.00
4. Becky Bird Cushion from John Lewis - £28
5. Embroidered Love Cushion from Marks & Spencers - £35
6. London Souvenir Cushion from John Lewis - £28
7. Tapestry Jacquard Cushion from Marks & Spencers – £29.50
8. Round Flower Cushion from John Lewis - £25
9. Ella the Dog Cushion from Debenhams - £16.00

I absolutely love the last one - and it came in different colours

it was hard to choose just the one!

A little catch up!

{Thomas and I overlooking the amazing city of Krakow. Happy sigh. }

Hey lovelies!! I am back!

I've missed you! But, how well has my little blog been looked after over the last week?? Such a massive thank you to all the lovely ladies who helped me out - Ashley, Adeline, Andrea, Celeste, Clare, Franca, Caren, Allyn, Elizabeth and Megan - please check out their amazing blogs - you might even find a giveaway and a new layout in there... I hope you enjoyed their posts as much as I did!

Krakow was wonderful, amazing, beautiful and completely overwhelming in the best way possible. Of course I now have 50 fujis to scan and 6 films to develop so I won't be posting about it straight away but I am so so so excited about sharing everything with you! Eeep!!
It's going to be amazing!

Also, I came back to over 500 followers!! Wooohooooo! I wish I had something for you all, a giveaway or something - but I'm so unorganised... lol. I honestly am so happy you are all here though and still completely amazed that you've all stuck around! I love you guys!!

I hope you all had an amazing week - I feel so excited to be back to blogging and I can't wait to catch up with everything I've missed :)

My name is Megan and I am easily distracted...

My name is Megan from Time After Tea and I am easily distracted by 'Sunshine'

I have always been a sunshine baby and the warm weather is finally starting to appear in Australia after a very long winter.

Spring and the lead up to Summer pulls me away from my daily routine and makes me want to go and have fun with friends. Here is what distracted me last Summer....

...Travelling to new places....

...Music festivals...

...secret swimming holes...

...and picnics.

I cant wait to see how the sunshine distracts me this year and the what memories will be made.

What weather distracts you?

Megan

My name is Elizabeth and I am easily distracted...

...by day-dreaming. I have always been a dreamer, losing concentration in lessons at school, being shouted at by the teacher for staring out the window, wandering past my house on the way home then realising my mistake and double-tracking. In fact, I am notorious for missing my stop on public transport due to day-dreaming.

I spent the majority of my childhood travelling between Southampton and London to spend time with both of my divorced parents, and I would allow my mind to wander to the future, fantasising about what I would be when I grew up. Much like everyone else I wanted to be famous – I wanted to act and sing and dance. I would dream about every little detail, the outfits I would wear, the hair, the make-up. I would picture myself on stage at Glastonbury with glitter on my face and platform heels on my feet. I dreamed of living in California in one of those big white houses in the hills. And even now, I sometimes let myself slip back into that fantasy world.

But now my dreams have shifted and changed. I have realised that my dreaming is a happy escape from reality where I can make exciting plans for the future and take new journeys. I dream of my ideal home, how I would build it and how I would decorate each room. I dream of winning the lottery and taking my whole family on holiday. I dream of exploring the world with my other half at my side. And I dream of how the world could be a better place.

Dreams are electrifying, allowing your mind to wander, race and meander for hours on end. And sometimes, those dreams might even come true.

I hope you enjoy day-dreaming as much as I do. Do yours take you anywhere wonderful?

Thank you for having me, Rhianne.

Elizabeth at Rosalilium.
x

(Images credits: 1. Rosalilium 2. Night Fate 3. Margaret Durow 4. Jasper James)

My name is Allyn and I am easily distracted...

hello everyone!

when rhianne called for guest bloggers to help keep her sweet blog company while she was away, i had to volunteer. given rhianne’s big move + all the heart work she put into her photoswap project, she needs to have a much deserved vacay. i find rhianne’s photo love + project so inspired. nice to be happily sitting in her space for a bit to take it all in. now, let’s get comfortable.

my name is allyn of all things ami + i am easily distracted by film + finding joy in the daily.

FILM this is my film camera collection. i have a vintage pentax spotomatic my father gifted me, a fuji instax 210 + a blackbird fly. each of them have their own personality. the pentax is the senior pro. its grit + weight reminds me of its substance. the fuji instax 210 combines my like for fuji film + interest in the instant. finally, there’s the black bird fly. it was a surprise + its toy classification only hides all the complicated elements + attention it requires. there’s something transforming about film + the growing wait in the camera (in ourselves) for photos on print, don’t you think?

there is one camera rhianne + i share in common. It’s the fuji. she has the baby + I have the mommy version. here are my winter vacay shots so we can all pretend we are getting r & r, too.

FINDING JOY IN THE DAILY i believe in being inspired by your insides + the every day. joy lives in that space between the big stuff. it’s the reliable scent of a.m. coffee or the giggles over the story told for the hundredth time. it’s in your favorite cake stand, an email from a new friend + the relief of getting to work on time. it’s ramen on a cold winter day + your kids enjoying a new vegetable. and of course, it’s finding inspiration from lovely spaces of others, like this one. thanks, rhianne, for letting me be a guest!

my final photos are a look at my insides {home vignettes that bring me joy}. have a wonderful day! allyn x

My name is Caren and I am easily distracted...

Hello to the For the Easily Distracted followers! My name is Caren and I come from the land of Tea & Chickadees (which is located in Canada). I'll keep my list of distractions down dto just a few, in honour of you, fellow distractionaries (it isn't a word, but it really should be).

I'm a seriously huge fan of analog photography. I own a couple of Dianas, a Holga, a few Polaroids, a couple of vintage SLRs and a smattering of other oldies but goodies. I'd like to focus on the Polaroid and the Diana, though. They are my true loves. For Polaroid photos, I use a Sun600, a OneStep (rainbow edition) and my beloved SX70 Alpha (which was my dad's).

Above is a Polaroid I took of my goddaughter Astrid

I used The Impossible Project's Color Shade & my SX70 Alpha.

{from top left: cutcopypaste flapperdoodle dollfacelala craftyfolk}

I love the rainbow!

I have two Diana cameras. A 1960s Diana (another from my dad's collection) and a new-to-me Diana-F. They both have their quirks (i.e. light leaks galore) and I love that about them! It's always a mystery as to what the end result will be. And I do love a good mystery!

My sweet Diana-F likes to hang around my neck

Photos taken with my Diana & Diana-F.

They depict my other distractions (thrifting & colourful objects).

I love colour, but am mostly drawn to orange, blue and yellow (the main colours you'd find in my apartment). Put those colours in art or in the form of something vintage, and I'll swoon!

{from top left: geninne moxiedoll lauraamiss thewildplum}

Wrapped up in the above images reveal another of my favourite things: Etsy.com. I spend a lot of time (too much?) on Etsy, looking at vintage things or handmade art. The above selection not only shows a love of colour, but also a love of birds, crayons, teapots & Cathrineholm.

I obviously have a problem. It's impossible to get through a day without distraction!

Thank you, Rhianne, for letting me distract your followers during your vacation.
~ Caren

My name is Franca and I am easily distracted...

Hi everyone, I’m Franca from Oranges and Apples and I’m very happy to be doing a wee guest post over there, so thanks Rhianne!

I thought I’d post about a couple of things that distract me daily: our two cats Bertie (the black one who has only recently arrived in our household) and Ginger (the ginger one, surprisingly!) and the Vignette photo app on my android phone. I only recently got a smartphone and I’m still in the honeymoon phase where I’m snapping away everywhere. And what better subject is there than some cute cats?

So without further ado, here’s pictures of our babies in a variety of different app settings:

Retro





Holga



Diana



Ilford



Cross Process



Sepia




Which one is your fave? I think I like the Holga ones best, but maybe that's just my sense of accomplishment of having managed to take some photos that aren't completely dark - the Holga setting is quite temperamental!

Have a lovely day everyone!

Franca
X

My name is Clare and I am easily distracted...

Hi! My name is Clare and I write at Pampelmuse and Me. I get easily distracted. Limiting the list of things that I get distracted by to one or two, or even a handful, is difficult. I love my camera and get distracted by light and shadows. I find myself stopping and gazing at the way a branch reaches over a fence, or the arrangement of fruit in a bowl. My eyes see beautiful photographs waiting to be taken everywhere and this distracts me. I also like 2nd hand bookshops, making things, receiving letters in the mail and shopping...

Perhaps the better question is what do I get distracted from? This, unfortunately, is easy. Sport, running, keeping fit and maintaining my body in an equilibrium where both it and I are happy. This takes second fiddle to my camera and my crafty pursuits. But this autumn I've decided to do something about it. You see, I want boots. Brown boots with a bit of attitude, perhaps something like this.

But I can't really justify just "buying" them just like that, so I've decided that I must earn them. Yep, I'm treating myself like a kid and have designed my own good behaviour 'score card' - only I'm calling it my "Not to be Distracted" card. Everytime I go to the gym, 10 euro goes toward my beautiful boots. Everytime I run, it's 20 euro.

Over the weekend I ran twice and went to the gym once. I'm embarrassed to admit that this works so well on me. But there you go, the 'carrot' is always better than the 'stick' in my book and in a couple of weeks I'm going to be sporting (sic) some lovely new boots.

Clare

My name is Celeste and I am easily distracted...

...by Maps!

I began my blog, Wanderlust, as a way to document my travels and even though it has become my home for food, life and everyday adventures, the world altogether is what inspires me the most. Maps are special to me because they represent miles and miles all in a single piece of paper. Or in this case... a pillow, or a painting, or a cupcake topper. These pieces of paper represent so many different cultures and so many new places to explore.

In order to commemorate my love for maps, I've put together these beautiful Etsy finds to exhibit how they are beautiful works of art:

1. A Hand-Cut Map of San Francisco 2. Envelopes 3. Origami Crane Mobile
4 .Midwest Dreams Wax Art 5. Constellation Map 6. Cupcake Toppers
7. London Pillow 8. England Hardcover Sketchbook 9. Gift Tags

These are only a fraction of the great map-finds on Etsy! I'm learning that maps are much more versatile than I ever thought and I've already started dreaming of new ways to decorate with them. Thanks for having me, Rhianne! In honor of your Polish travels, this last Etsy treasure is dedicated to you!

The World Traveler Pendant, via The Green Daisy.

Celeste