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I’m a complete homebody so I thought it was about time that I did a mini-series about my room. This is the longest time I’ve had a single space to call my own since I lived at home. I live in a shared house, so my room is the only space that I can really call my own, and now I’ve been there for a year it really is my own. I’ve dismantled and built furniture, decorated, and even filled the whole space with the scent of lavender and tea tree.

I make my one room work pretty hard. Because it is my only real space, it has to do everything. I’m very lucky that I have a room that’s big enough to be able to handle everything I want from it. If I’m honest I didn’t expect to have quite so much space in London, but I’m so so glad that I do.

My room is laid out in sections by use. That’s in part by design and in part because of where the immovable elements of the room are, but more to come on that in a future post! There’s a sleeping area, my semi-bathroom, a living room, and my office. I’ve drawn a little diagram to help give a little context to the tour, and because I always struggle to join up YouTube room tours where the camera cuts around. I also just really wanted to draw a semi-architectural diagram.

I’ve decorated the space in as much white, and light neutral colours as I can to try and capitalise on the small amount of light I have in my room and to make the space feel even bigger and more calming.

SLEEP

My bed is my favourite place in the world. Moving to London was the first time I had a double bed in my life and let me tell you it was a glorious step up. The blanket my grandma crocheted for me sits at its foot, and a sensible, I think, number of decorative pillows sit at the top when it’s made including my sleepy sloth friend. The side table is often home to too much rubbish, but when I have it in check it’s just my light, some of the jewelry I don’t wear every day, my book and a few other little bits. The rug on the floor is something I’ve had since I was at Oxford, and I really think it makes the space feel homelier. It’s a lovely grey pattern, that’s just subtle enough for my liking.

LIVING

My little living area is a relatively new development and is in a bit of a thoroughfare tucked under the mantle of an old fireplace. On the mantel, I have all of my books (I’m trying not to let the collection expand too far), some art, and either a candle or my oil burner. I also have a string of fairy lights that I got for Christmas last year spread across the mantel which I turn on for my evening/relax lighting. The star of the show though is my big rattan chair. This is my watch TV or read spot and I absolutely love it. It’s snug and cozy, but still light and airy enough to go with the room without being imposing. The side table next to it is perfect for tea and biscuits as well as storing a few bits including my speaker and my journal.

SHOWER

I have a strange shower set up in my room. I have a shower and a sink to myself, but no toilet, and no division from the rest of the room. I’m not complaining though. I love having a shower to myself, knowing I can get in whenever I want and hang out in my towel for as long as it takes for me to procrastinate. I have an open shelving unit with all of my toiletries (it’s effectively a medicine and makeup cabinet) and my spare towels, as well as a few selected cleaning supplies. It’s a bit of a pain to clean and dust but it does the job.

WORK

I love that my workspace is physically divided off from the rest of my room. This little space contains my desk, chair, and all of my work materials, as well as acting as storage for my bike and laundry dryer. This area has the best (and only) natural light with the patio door and skylight, which makes it the ideal working space. The main feature of the area is my desk, but I also have a little open shelving unit that helps divide the space and contains a random assortment of items from photos, to tea, to fruit, to washi tapes, my collection of letters and spare paper. My “office” is also the most decorated area of the room with my prints and postcards all up on the walls, as well as my resolution tracker.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next post in this miniseries all about my favourite design pieces in my room, which will be here in the next few days.

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or even just glanced down my Instagram feed you will know that I don’t really use a lot of colour in my work. I feel like that line based monochrome style makes my work more easily identifiable and I just generally feel like it gets across the point I want in the simplest way possible, which is my favourite way to do anything.

But recently, the pieces that have been catching my eye the most use more colour. I love George Greaves and Manjit Thapp and Faye Moorhouse. They’re all so different but they all use colour so well. I love seeing rich hues and textures working together. I love seeing how colour can bring an image to life. And I used to use a lot more colour, throughout my school career the works I was known for were coloured pencil drawings like the one below.

So, I’ve decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and set myself a challenge. For the next 10 weeks, I am going to create at least one fully coloured piece every week. I’ll be posting everything I make over on my Instagram so if you’re not following me there, what are you waiting for?!

I’ll also be doing a recap at the end of the 10 weeks here, to share what I’ve learned and a few of my favourites.

To kick the challenge off I thought I’d share my first piece with you here before it goes up on Instagram.

I’m really excited to see where this challenge takes me and to see the new kinds of work it will allow me to produce, I’m thinking there might be more scenes, new styles of portraiture and even some more detailed work.

I’m thinking these kinds of challenges will become a bit more of a regular thing, to link in with my goal of trying out more new things and learning some new design skills. I’d love your feedback on if this kind of stuff interests you and if you’d want to see more of the behind the scenes, or if you’d prefer just to see the outcomes on Instagram.

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A little while ago I did a run down of creative and lifestyle YouTubers I love and you guys seemed to love them too. So I thought I’d add a few additions to the list because I’ve fallen in love with a few new creators since then and you know I’m all about sharing the creative love. If you haven’t read the old list please check that out too, it’s got 16 incredible creators in it, and it would be a shame if you missed them!

FURRY LITTLE PEACH

I mentioned Sha’an in my last list, but I had to mention her again because she’s posting regularly again and she’s my absolute favourite. Her studio vlogs are wonderfully put together and really give you a little insight into her world. She seems like the absolute loveliest person, and watching her work and create such amazing work has really inspired me to hone what I do. Also, if you didn’t know her watercolours are stunning!

BLOOM

Bloom is a little bit different to my picks last time. Libby and Brogan discuss pop culture and real world stuffs. Their mind mapped videos are some of my favourites out there. Libby talks through topics ranging from the gender pay gap to Stranger Things while Brogan illustrates their argument, they always get me thinking and really make me want to get into more animation. Whether you want to have a chuckle or learn something new head on over to their channel. PS – they’re also the loveliest ladies in real life too.

MARIE JACQUEMIN

In my last list I shared my love for New Age Creators, and if you haven’t checked them out already please please do. Marie is part of that team, and that’s where I first saw her. Now I’m a big fan. I love her blog, as I mentioned in my rundown of creative blogs, and her solo channel is pretty dang great. She’s documenting her time freelancing as well as her travels, and lots of beautifully shot insights into her life. Her recent (well when I’m writing this recent) postcard from France video was absolutely stunning and definitely worth a watch!

JORDAN CLARK

Jordan is a new addition to my subscriptions list. Her videos are arts and creativity based mainly. All of her videos are just so calming, I think it’s a mixture of her voice and the editing style but they always put me in such a chilled out mood. So if you’re on the hunt for a new evening time favourite look no further.

LUCY MOON

I can get a bit frustrated by vlogs that all look the same, but Lucy’s 168 hours is a wonderfully refreshing (and beautifully put together) antidote to that. Her videos are creative and just so honest. I love her style and her love of tea is something I can definitely get on board with. I’m personally really looking forward to seeing her Sunday Social series grow.

WHAT OLIVIA DID

In my last list, I included lifestyle and fashion favourites on the list, and I’m doing the same again here, because I love What Olivia Did. I took me a good while of reading Liv’s blog to realise she had a YouTube channel and I’m so glad that I did. If you like her blog you’ll love her videos, they’re created with the same aesthetic and even more personality. Liv is in my list of dream lady friends. Her videos are mainly style based, but she does some great travel and lifestyle bits too. I love that she’s started talking about ethical fashion now as well. Her “Inside the wardrobe of” series is so good that whenever she releases one I save it for Sunday breakfast, my prime YouTube spot.

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I knew I wanted to create some Halloween content again this year. But then I realised that I’m not really a Halloween person, and I wanted to make something that I would actually use. I won’t be going out, I’m unlikely the decorating my room (we never celebrated Halloween at home, okay?) and I’m not doing any Halloween baking. So I thought I’d share with you my perfect Halloween night in, featuring some great movie recommendations, a recipe and a free printable.

MOVIES TO WATCH

I’m not into scary movies so these are all family friendly, and suitable for all hours of night and day.

1. The Addams Family (Wednesday is one of my personal heroes)

2. Hocus Pocus (a classic)

3. Halloweentown (I mean it has Halloween in the name, and if you really want to make a night of it you can watch the sequels)

4. Beetlejuice (a childhood favourite)

5. Ghostbusters (new or original, they’re both fun)

HOMECRAFTS

I created a little Addams Family inspired colour in sheet to keep your idle hands busy as you watch a movie, to distract a child or relative or just to use as a festive background.

You can download a free pdf of the sheet here (and if you subscribe to my fortnightly newsletter in the sidebar there are loads more freebies to come)

RECIPE

Chilli is one of my favourite autumn time foods full stop. But this is a special Halloween version, ft. some pumpkin because if you can’t carve them you gotta eat them.

500g Mince (beef, turkey, or Quorn depending on your preference)

1 Onion, diced

2 Cloves, garlic crushed

1 Medium pumpkin or you can use a butternut squash if you can find one

1 Carton black beans

1 Tin kidney beans (plain or in chilli sauce)

2 TBSP Tomato Puree

1 TSP Cumin

1 TSP Coriander

1/2 TSP Smoked paprika

1/2 – 1 TSP Chilli flakes

Serve with rice, plus cheese and sour cream if you eat dairy and are feeling indulgent

  1. Open your pumpkin or half your butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, rub in oil and roast at 200 degrees for 45 minutes or until soft
  2. Fry your onion, garlic and spices
  3. Fry your mince
  4. Take your pumpkin/squash out of the oven, scoop out the flesh and give it a little mash
  5. Add the pumpkin/squash, tomato puree, and beans to the mix and leave to simmer for 10 minutes
  6. Serve (in the pumpkin if you’re feeling fancy)
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Celebrating your own achievements is so important. You have to recognise your own progress and acknowledge how far you’ve come. Not only is it nice to give yourself a little pat on the back, it’s essential to keep you growing and striving forward for the right reasons. Mini-celebrations are sometimes just as important as the big ones because every big project is made up of little steps and each one of those is a milestone and a learning opportunity in its own right.

You can’t just celebrate your own achievements. You need to recognise those of the people you love. For me, one of the best ways to see if someone truly cares about you is if they’re there for you when you’re winning as well as when you’re losing. It can be a lot harder to put your own problems to one side and celebrate someone else, especially if you feel they’ve done something you want to achieve. But if you love someone, that love should be the bigger feeling and you should share in their joy and help them remember how important it is to acknowledge their achievements too. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you too.

Here are some of the best ways I’ve found to celebrate my wins and those of the people I value most…

A NIGHT OFF

Taking a night off, to do whatever you want (for me that means Netflix and a bar of Ritter Sport) is such a great, and simple, way to celebrate a small success. So many studies have shown that the thing that makes us feel happiest is having free time to spend doing something we love, so give yourself the luxury of some breathing space. I feel like a night off is also particularly great if you’ve been working on a project or spending a bit extra time to get something right.

TREAT YO SELF

I wrote a whole post about the importance of treating yo self, but I had to put it in this list. Everything here is essentially a variation on treat yo self, but I’m thinking specifically here of the Tom Haverford style of buy yourself something nice. If there’s been something you’ve been waiting to get or wanting for a while, use a small victory as an excuse to get it. Not only is it nice to get something nice, when you buy something as a bit of a self-reward the item itself gets caught up in the victory and will act as a reminder of your achievement in the future.

WRITE IT DOWN

If you don’t want to buy something but you still want to make sure you remember the little things, write it down. Again, so many studies have shown that writing things down makes them stick in your memory so much more. So, take the time to jot them down in a diary or journal or even write a letter to your future self.

The Story Behind: My Greeting Card Designs

SEND SOMETHING SPECIAL

Writing it down doesn’t just work for your own wins, if you want to celebrate a friend there is nothing better than sending a hand-written note, or even a little care package filled with victorious goodies. If you’re looking for a card to put your thoughts in and to express your joy there are two in my shop that I designed just for this kind of situation: my YAY card is great for all celebrations and is one of my bestsellers, and my Number 1 Fan card is perfect to tell someone you’re their, well, number 1 fan. Making that bit of extra effort to celebrate someone else’s success is one of the best ways to show that you care.

MINI PARTY

Or, there’s always the option of going all out and throwing yourself or your friend a mini party to celebrate. That doesn’t have to mean canapes and a band (unless you want it to), it can just be having a pizza night or going out to the cinema together. You can do whatever you want as long as you’re celebrating in style.

BREAK WITH ROUTINE

If you don’t want to do anything big, just break with routine. Have a special dinner. Take a more scenic route to work. Have a morning shower instead of an evening one. Call your mum a day early. Just do something to mark it as something a bit special. If you’re celebrating a loved one, take on a task they would normally do. Do they normally cook you dinner? Put the oven on. Do they always organise group gatherings? Take the reins. Acknowledge all they do for you, and all they’re doing for themselves at the same time.