PIN IT // POLKA DOTS

bedding / nursery / crates / gift wrap / rain print / basket / bedding

I spend a fair amount of time on Pinterest. I'm actually pretty bad at pinning (I try and only pin stuff that I actually love) but I could spend hours just scrolling through. It's such a great place to get inspiration and ideas for pretty much anything!

Lately I've been drawn to interiors and furnishing. As you know, Rob and I are currently living together and our little rental is definitely a work in progress. I find Pinterest is the perfect place to gather ideas and DIYs. I really love pattern on pattern and polka dots are perfect for that. They seriously go with everything. Plus, they are super easy to DIY and fit anywhere in the house.

Basically, they are perfect. And so are these pins. 

IT'S SUNDAY // 03

Last week was okay. Just okay. I had a few meltdowns that really stuffed up my thinking. I had all these plans to be productive and on top of things but it just didn't seem to happen. I think we are all allowed to have our moments though and I'm looking at this next week with my happy hat on. 

GO FOR THREE RUNS

Despite not even managing to run last week, I know that I should be exercising at least three times a week - even if I don't feel like it. I need to get back into a routine and treat exercise like brushing my teeth, it's not to be avoided. Plus, I have a treadmill! No excuse really.

WEAR MAKEUP

I'm not really a big make up wearer. Sure, I'll wear it if I'm going out, but I've never really taken the time to sit down and figure out what works best on my face. Because it's not important to me, I think a lot of my friends, family and just people I know are used to me not wearing make up. Which I like. It means they are pleasantly surprised when I put "my face on." I like how I feel when I wear it though. Not a lot, but enough to just make me feel a little more confident and put together. I want to spend more time on me, and I think this is a good step.

DESIGN A BABY SHOWER INVITATION

This is the one party I can't seem to get my head around. Currently my design style leans more towards an older target market (twenty firsts, engagement parties, weddings) and while I do try and design more "cute" invitations, I've been struggling with one for a baby shower. I thought this week I would be a bit more specific so I'll be a bit more focused. We will see how I go.

RECAP // LAST WEEK

Well, I failed on the photo side of things but I did manage to go vegetarian (for a meal) and see a friend! My vegetarian meal was a simple stirfry with frozen veges, egg and noodles - plus a few bits and pieces to make it tasty. On Monday I had a lovely friend come over and I even cooked dinner! I hadn't seen Michelle in ages and it was so nice. What I love are friends who you don't need to see everyday to maintain a friendship. I've known Michelle since I was in primary school (18 years!) and we've been pretty tight ever since. Unfortunately, I didn't make the run. It's been a rough week and I find that when I'm not feeling 100% exercise always seems to be the one thing that slips. It's also something that makes me feel better when I'm down, so I really need to work on remembering that when I'm not having such a good day. Live and learn though, and this journey is a work in progress.

I'm looking forward to this week! I'm feeling good and determined to see my three goals through. 

EASY (and cheap) SCRAPBOOK IDEA

I've kind of gone off DIY blog posts. Not from other people (I am totally inspired by other DIY projects) but just my own. I like doing things my way, and I find that while the result may look good, I'm not the best at explaining how I got there. There's never any real "method" when it comes to my projects so sometimes the tutorial falls a bit flat. What I do like doing is sharing what I've done and letting you decide if you'd like to try. 

Last weekend was our first one back after our holiday in Niue and I thought it would be nice if I spent the whole weekend just doing crafty/creative stuff. Seriously, the best weekend ever. I'm considering boycotting socialising so I can just spend all my time doing that. Ha! Okay, not quite, but I do really enjoy it and I find it pretty relaxing as well. Because I took a whole lot of photos (around 1000!!) I thought it would be nice to create a little holiday album. I've since decided that I'm going to do this for every trip we go on. It might seem like a lot of work, but I've found a pretty neat way of doing it that is not only cheap, but looks pretty darn cute as well!

WHAT YOU NEED

a photo pocket album (mine was from harvey norman but you could probably pick one up anywhere! mine had 36 pockets) / photos / coloured paper / scissors / glue stick / any other crafty stuff 

I've always wanted to do a scrapbook but I know that it can take a lot of time and it seems to require a lot of supplies. Coloured card, buttons, sequins, washi tape, special stamps.. The list goes on! Because I wanted something personal that wasn't going to be a huge amount of work, I decided to go and buy a cheap little photo album that really is just full of photo pockets and add something interesting to each individual photo. I liked having the freedom of not having to glue everything down and there was no worry of layout. Each photo had it's own pocket and what I did to it was totally up to me.

I wanted to have a similar "theme" throughout the whole album so I went through the paper I had and just chose a few patterns and colours to use. I also stuck with similar "fonts" and text layouts so it felt cohesive. I really loved the cover I made which was just a piece of patterned paper and cut out glittery letters. Ahh. I love glitter! So so much. Anyway... I wanted to use those letters throughout the book so there were a few layouts that had them. I also wrote funny (well, funny to me!) comments straight onto the photos and cut shapes out and wrote on them as well.

I won't lie, it was hard to be funny and quirky throughout the whole photo album, but I think it was worth it! A lot of the pages just explained who was in the photo of where we were. I cut out arrow shapes that looked like name signs to show where the photo was taken. I just wanted people to enjoy going through our album and get a feel for where we were. Obviously you can't really sum up a holiday in 36 photos or less, but I just loved the idea of having a little summary sitting on our coffee table. 

There are so many ideas as well, in terms of what you can do. It's easy enough to mix it up with colours, and with type. Especially because different locations will require different themes. You could even predesign the type or collages on photoshop and print it out so it's ready to go straight in the book. Because I work mostly on the computer, I love being able to get busy with my hands and creative with things I can find lying around.

I've since printed out photos from our trip to Australia and I think I'll make another little one for that as well. Even though they are little, I think they are super cute to have lying around for when people come and visit. They are also easy to store and flick through! So nice to be able to take a trip down memory lane every now and then.

NIUE SCRAPBOOK // AUGUST 2014

(How clever is this GIF?! It's my first time making one and I love it!)

Let me know how you guys get along and if you decide to make one! I'd love to see what you come up with. Just remember, it's your holiday and you really can do what you want. Make sure it reflects your personality and your trip. And just have fun! Because that folks, is what life is about.

WORK IT // HOLIDAY TIME

Before I went on holiday, I was approached by Vegas.com to write a bit about how to stay fit and healthy when you go away. Bit of a coincidence I thought! They've got this new "Hotel Hike" which goes around local casino's and hotels. The twist is that you have to walk everywhere. That's right, you can't even use escalators or the lifts! It's a pretty neat idea though. I think we all know how hard it is to stay active while we're on holiday. 

Last week we went to Niue, and it was fitting that this little piece came up at the same time. As you know I've been on a bit of a health/exercise buzz for the last year and a half, and it's hard to just that all slide for a week. Going on holiday can often lead to you putting on weight and slipping back into old habits, and if you've worked so hard to keep it off, last thing you want is to be set back a couple of kgs. It's not the end of the world, and fun should be your priority, but I don't think it's too hard to stay on track. 

Here are some ideas that can help you stay in shape and have fun at the same time.

GO FOR A WALK

Alright, I suppose this one is a little bit obvious but probably overlooked all the time. Even though it's definitely the easiest way to stay active. A lot of tours include bus hikes and walks as well, so keep your eye out for guides that seem a bit more hands (or feet) on. Yes, walking everywhere is going to take a bit longer than getting in a taxi or catching the bus. But sometimes, when you walk, you get to see some pretty amazing things that you would have otherwise missed. If you're planning on doing some sight seeing near your accommodation, chuck on your walking shoes and take a stroll instead. 

GET ACTIVE 
This one depends a little bit on where you're going, but why don't you make the most of the activities surrounding you. A local bush walk, go for it? Kayaks for hire, why not! Maybe you could hire bikes and cycle around town instead of driving around. It's also a great way to try something new and mix with the locals a bit! Again, you'll see a whole other side to the place you're visiting and get a bit of exercise while you are at it.

CHECK OUT THE GYM 

This one is definitely not for me, but I can see the appeal. Most hotels come with a gym that are open for reasonable hours and generally free. Or if you're staying in the same place for a couple of weeks, have a look around and see if there are any reasonably priced gyms near by. If you are working towards a goal, and have the motivation to go to the gym a couple of times during the week, be my guest! At least you know you'll be sticking to your routine and can spend of the day not worrying about it.

PLAN YOUR MEALS

Going on holiday generally leads to less strict eating, and for good reason! You're in a new place and the food and drink options are endless. Don't be too hard on yourself. If you do feel your resolve slipping away a little bit, maybe try and plan your meals. It will probably work out cheaper! Planning on having a big dinner (and probably dessert) means you can go to a local supermarket and grab some cereal and maybe sandwich food for lunch. That way you'll have eaten well during the day and saved enough money to splurge on a cocktail or two. 

FORGET ABOUT IT

Hey! You're on holiday. I think it's the probably the only time that any of us go "guilt free" when it comes to food and exercise. Without the added stress of thinking about calories and goals, you may have the best holiday ever! To be honest, a week away isn't really going to make the biggest difference. Essentially, holidays are about getting away and relaxing, so if exercise doesn't quite fit into your plans, don't worry about it.

How about you guys? Have you got any tips or anything you like to do to incorporate exercise into your holidays? 

NIUE ISLAND

Hello friends, I'm back!! After a wonderful week away it's nice to be home, but not so great to be at work. However, that's life! We did a whole lot of exploring, swimming and snorkelling and even saw some whales and dolphins. Dad and Donna treated us to a whale watching trip which was so amazing! There were whales only about 50 metres away from us. You're allowed to swim with them but they were a bit too playful so we didn't get a good look underwater. Pretty amazing though to see these huge creatures so close.

Here are some of my favourite photos from our trip.

Drinking fresh coconuts!

My lovely Nana and Grandpa with their famous MakFurly burgers!

Our local Niueans (Dad and Evil Step Mother - who's not evil at all!) husking coconuts

Our family land in Liku

And of course, I had to finish off with some underwater photos! Luckily Dad had an underwater camera (I'm definitely going to buy one) so we managed to get some pretty awesome photos. I'm thinking about making a scrapbook for all our travel adventures so that's going to be my little project for the weekend.

#100DAYSLOOKING DOWN // 30

WELL. 30 (actually 33, but visually, 33 doesn't look as good) days have been and gone. Here's what they looked like. I'm really enjoying this photo challenge. It's a lot easier than most, but I still have to think a bit about what kind of photos I want to take. Because I made that silly rule where no photo can be the same, it's definitely forced me to a lot more creative. And I think it's great! I've also got a couple of other lovely people who have joined in, and it's been awesome seeing what they've been up to.

Don't forget, it's never too late! The 100 days can start whenever you like, even right now! You can read what it's about here and remember to follow along or use the hashtag #100dayslookingdown.

June on Instagram

Another month eh? As far as month's go, it wasn't too full on. Rob and I celebrated our three year anniversary! I seriously can't believe it's been that long. Sometimes it feels like it hasn't been long at all and other times it feels like I've known him forever. I'm one lucky girl though, that's for sure. 

I also started a new photo challenge, #100dayslookingdown. I've been sharing each photo on Instagram daily, so a lot of my updates are just going to be full of "looking down" photos. I actually might combine my monthly Instagram roundups with the challenge photos, at least until the 100 days are up. It's been alright though! I must admit, it's a little challenging to find things to take photos of - especially because part of the challenge is to not take the same kind of photos. I'm getting there though! And I've had a few other girls jump on board as well which has been awesome. Don't feel like you are missing out! The best thing about this challenge is that you can start at any time. Use #100dayslookingdown on your photos so I can have a look!

1. New cushions  2. Our three years  3. Roadtrip!  4. DIY Haircut  5. Evening walks  6. Dressing up  7. #100dayslookingdown  8. Sweet treats  9. Lazy mornings 

Weekend Away // Coromandel

A little lookout point on the way to the batch

My wonderful models.

This was the second time I'd been to the Coromandel (and a first for Rob.) I had forgotten how beautiful it was. Actually, as soon as you get out of Auckland and are travelling around "inbetween" places, the scenery and views are always amazing. Last time I came was with my lovely friend, Kathryn, and she invited us back again for a weekend away to celebrate her birthday. Such a neat idea! And I definitely enjoyed having a break. It's crazy how the stress all seems to melt away as soon as you get away from the city. Once we reached her batch I almost felt like a new person. 

Rob and I set off on Saturday morning and met Kathryn and Nick at a cute cafe in the Coromandel Township. There wasn't a whole lot to see there, except for the sweetest shop ever! It's called Tara Homan - Jewellery, Beads and Findings. Once I walked in and saw all the colours, of course I had to take 1349873497 photos. Not even exaggerating. Okay, maybe a little. 

Isn't it fun?! As soon as I walked in I knew it was my kind of place. The whole shop is just full of colourful and patterned beads and you can mix and match to make your own jewellery. I love how they are all grouped in their colours/shades. It makes for some pretty sweet pictures.

Once we made it to Kathryn's batch, we lazed around for a bit and then headed down to the beach. It was pretty overcast which made some for moody pictures and because of the storm last week, naturally, there was a seaweed fight.

It was such a lovely weekend. It's always nice to just get away, away from all the stress and worry, and relax. Once we hit South Auckland, we could already start feeling all the "city stress" come back. Washing, tidying, vacuuming. We suddenly had this huge list of things we needed to do and it felt like the weekend had been a dream.

Kathryn, thank you again! So kind of you to open up your little holiday home to us and share it with us.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend because we definitely did!

Happy Birthday! xx