Hello - I am back!

Well it has been quite a few months since I last got a chance to write my little blog, it has been on my mind often, but finding the time has been somewhat difficult!

Nevertheless I am going to start getting back on the blogging bandwagon and thought I would provide you with a little update.

Things have been crazy hectic for me lately.  First off, I made a crochet tutorial video on YouTube which was received warmly and has sent my YouTube subscribers through the roof to over 2,000! So I am working on a new crochet tutorial video for you ASAP, I dont want to let you all down.

More importantly, I found out earlier on in the year that myself and my husband have been blessed with a wee bubba due towards the end of November 2015 so that has had me in a whirlwind of sickness, tiredness and first time mummy conundrums! Still, I have lived through it so far and I am sure I will survive :0)  We have our second scan tomorrow which is very exciting!

All in all I have lots to share with you over the next couple of weeks, lots of catch up photos on various different crafts and crochet items I have made for the bubba, little snippets of decor in our newly painted nursey, and much much more so I hope you are with me along the way.  

I am also probably going to be posting some mummy type questions so if any of you can help that would be much appreciated as I havent got a clue what I am doing!

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Custom Made Penny Board

Ok, for my husbands birthday back in November I ordered him a custom made, design your own Penny Board straight from the Penny Board Official Website.  It cost no more than a standard Penny board and I loved that we could make it exactly how we wanted it, right down to the colour of the trucks and the bolts.  

The second picture was the finished design we had submitted that we built on the website and the first picture is what came.

Hubby is over the moon with it and, like with all things he does, has taken to it like a duck to water.  He can skate, ice skate, skateboard, snowboard, the lot.  Yep, one of them.  But good for him, I wish I could but I think I need a bit more practice on my Lush longboard first.

Let me know what you think.  Do you have a Penny Board?

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I'M BACK! - Lots of blog posts coming soon!

 

 

Hey guys

 

This is just a quick post to let you know that I am back in the world of blogging!

 

I had a lovely holiday abroad from half way through April which will explain my absence from the scene and I look forward to sharing with you some photos from that as and when I get around to sorting through them all myself!

 

In other news I have also ordered some extremely exciting bits for my Filofax which I hope will be arriving soon so lots of fun posts to follow about that but I am going to keep it a secret about what they are at the moment, do not want to ruin the surprise!

 

This week is also a special one for me as it is my birthday tomorrow so I look forward to telling you about my day :0)

 

Hope you have all been well and I look forward to blogging with you soon!

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Trip to the Pet Shop

Hey guys 

Bit of a random post from me today but I thought I would share with you my recent trip to the pet shop!  I'm not sure why it has only just dawned on me, but these places really are like a trip to Toys 'r' Us but for your pets (well mostly dogs as you are allowed to take them in) and if most of us are honest for us too.  Toys all shapes and sizes, textures and make a gazillion different sounds.  A clothes section that would give Primark a run for its money and even a pick 'n' mix type section of treats! I don't know about you but I enjoy spending money on my pets and take pleasure seeing them get excited over a new toy or special treat.

I cannot believe the size of the section that is devoted to doggy outfits now! I must admit I partake in the odd (sensible) wooly jumper to keep my pooch warm at the moment as our house is FREEZING but personally I wouldn't stretch to dogs in tutu's and booties, each to their own though.

I love walking around the small furies in their little homes waiting for that special family to come along and (I very much hope) give them a forever home with love and warmth.  They are so sweet and small and curious, I guess much like us when we were younger.  The hamsters always give me a chuckle, especially when they are running so fast in their little wheels that they fall out!

I was happy to see that there was a rehoming/adoption section in this pet shop too.  It had animals that had been brought back or put up for adoption, for whatever reasons, and I hope that people don't discount them and choose to give them a second shot.

I am very pleased that these large retail pet shops no longer sell puppies or kittens and other like animals.  There are plenty out there that need homes so I am glad they are not exacerbating the situation with more.

Anywho, that is me done for now.  I hope you found this unusual blog topic a welcome stray from the norm! :0)

Do you have any pets? If so, what? What is your favourite animal?

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Chapitre un: I am learning French : Je suis l'apprentissage du français - Michel Thomas method amongst others

Bonjour!

Ca va? Je suis tres bien, merci!  Je voudrais parler avec vous sur apprendre à parler français.

Okay, basically...I am learning to speak French at the moment and I thought I would share this journey with you kind folks?

First off before I forget, can any of my readers speak French? If so, please comment below and encourage me / practice with me if you so wish.  I need all the help I can get!

I have wanted to be bi-lingual for a long time now and always feel ashamed that the Brits have such a reputation for not having / bothering to learn other languages "because everyone speaks English already", it's lazy and I don't like it!

 

A pipe dream of my husband and I's at the moment is to "one day move to France and live in a gorgeous chateau in the French Alps". However far fetched this seems at the moment I believe it is important for everyone to have dreams and goals that they wish to work towards, this is ours. Ergo, the need to speak French has arisen.

 

With fluency in French being our ultimate goal we have set ourselves several tasks to carry out which will hopefully help us achieve this:

 

1. We are attending an evening beginners and improvers fast track French course at an adult college.
2. We are also using the Michel Thomas Total French CD course to speed up our learning.
3. We also purchased an Easy French Reader book to again, add more to our learning each week.
4. I have purchased one of my all time favourite books "Twilight" part un which is called "Fascination" en France. I figured that knowing the plot and kind of being able to predict what I am reading would help.  I am going to read a couple of pages a day armed with a dictionary and figure that by the end of the book, surely my French will be good, right?

Short from being able to completely immerse ourselves and live in France for a year and only speak to French people we really are doing all we can!

 

I am on the third Michel Thomas audio CD out of seven and it certainly gets you talking from the word go.  He gives you lots of rules that will allow you to speak hundreds of words immediately just because the endings are pronounced differently.  For example, any word in English ending in ary is pronounced aire, necessary is necessaire *said with French accent*.

 

If you would like and find it useful, let me know in the comments below and I shall provide reviews and updates on the course as I go through the CD's?

 

This is all I have to report at the moment and please please wish me luck, I need it!

 

What methods have you tried to make yourself fluent in a language?  What has worked for you?

 

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Park with the pooch

Hey guys

Today's post is just to share some beautiful (well I think they are) photos that I took whilst walking my pooch at the park over the weekend.

It was a perfect winters day, sun was poking through the clouds, birds chirping and clear fresh air to clear your head, aaahhh.  

It was quite chilly so I made her buckle up in her pink stripey jumper (bought from Pets at Home about 3 years ago) and off we set.

It has become a bit of a favourite past time of mine / Saturday morning ritual to walk her while the hubby is getting on with stuff in the house and a time that I use to really do my deep thinking and be at peace with myself. I love spending quality time with my fur baby too as she is doggy sat by nanny during the day on weekdays while I'm at work. Weekday evenings and weekends just never seem enough to me but my hubby has refused to let me be a stay at home mummy to the dog! Boo him!

In case you are wondering, she wears a Perfect Fit Harness available from the Dog Games Ltd website but I shall go into that in more detail as I am going to be writing a blog post review of the harness soon. *Watch this space*

 Love the reflection in the water of this photo ^

 Wouldn't this just look magical in winter covered in snow?! ^

What is your favourite thing to do to chill our and escape the world? Do you have a dog? If so, what breed are they, age, name? I would love to hear about them as I love all animals.  If you have blog posts about your pets please feel free to leave links to them in the space below.

Thanks for reading guys!

Robin Sparkles


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Gandy’s Flip Flops: Orphans for Orphans

 

 

Hey guys

I was very excited yesterday because my Gandy’s flip flops arrived! I am very happy to be supporting such a fantastic charity and it also combines with some retail therapy so smiles all round!

If you haven’t heard of this company/organisation yet you should definitely go to their website and read their story as it is truly heart-warming. Basically, two brothers who were sadly orphaned in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand have set up the shop/charity.  A few years after the tsunami they set up Gandy’s flip flops and for every pair of flip flops they sell, some of the money goes towards building a children’s home out there.  The ultimate goal is to eventually have children’s homes built all over the world.

I know the “fashionable” thing at the moment is to be bustin’ a pair of Havaianas but seriously, getting a pair of Gandy’s flip flops are both fashionable and you will be supporting such a great cause. I for one certainly feel better spending money on myself when I know it will also help other people less fortunate than myself.

They have a huge range of colours and are aimed at both men and women.  They are available to buy on the Gandy’s flip flops website directly and also on various different other sites (I got mine from House of Fraser).

Do something great, place an order and spread the word, I promise you will feel good and be glad you did every time you look down at your feet!

 

Do you own a pair of Gandy's flip flops? Will you be purchasing a pair? Let me know!

Robin Sparkles

New Years Resolutions 2014

Hello my little sparkles

Today's post is going to be a bit of a different one for me. As it is written on 1 January 2014 I have decided to document some New Years Resolutions which hopefully you can remind me to stick to throughout the year!  They will include the classic get fit and eat healthy but with hopefully a few personal ones thrown in too.

So here it goes:-

• Exercise more and maintain my goal weight (see, I told ya!)
• Eat healthier meals
• Spruce up my blog and give it a new lease of life.
• Spend more time working on and promoting my blog
• Reach 100 followers on my blog.
• Write 100 posts this year on my blog (not pointless ones though, they must all have substantial value).

 I would like my blog to become more of a documentation on lifes journey and a place a can have chats and discussions regarding things as well as the nail designs, DIY crafts and beauty reviews, more of a "Dear Diary" type place.  I hope you would like to join me on this journey and help me to find my "inner blogger".

What are your New Year's resolutions? Please feel free to post links to your blogs below, I would love to find like minded people to follow and read.

Happy New Year sparklers.

Robin Sparkles

Lush Longboard Limited Edition gorgeous girls board 44"

Hey guys

Today's post is just a quick one to show off my gorgeous Lush Longboard I just bought!

I grabbed a bargain off eBay as it had only been used a handful of times, I absolutely love it.

Its a really long board at 44" which makes it perfect for cruising which is exactly what I wanted it for, not worried about tricks or flips.  I have been out on it a few times (admittedly holding on to my husbands arm for support) but feel like I am getting more confident every time and slowly getting the hang of carving from side to side.

Next summer I'm hoping I will have mastered it enough to go cruising down the seafront on my gorgeous girlie Lush longboard!

Let me know what you think! Do any of my readers longboard?

Robin Sparkles

GUEST POST REQUEST: NAIL STAMPING / ART DESIGN or DIY TUTORIAL POSTS

Me again!

Just a quick request, if anyone would like to be featured on my blog with a guest post please comment below and let me know.  You can email me your blog message and photos and I shall upload it and reference to your blog and let it be known that it is a "Guest Post".

I hope to hear from some of you soon.

Robin Sparkles

Ps. If you have a post you would like to make that isnt regarding nail art designs or a DIY tutorial, just let me know and I am sure I can feature it! :0)

The Liebster Award - my first ever award!!

Hey girlies

Something very exciting happened yesterday, I was tagged by the wonderful The Nail Art Hobby for The Liebster Award and I feel very happy and honoured to have done so.

I am hoping that this will help me and others not only to start getting more well known in the fabulous blogging community but also to help people find brilliant blogs that might have gone undiscovered.



For this tag, you need to do the following:

1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2. They must also answer the 11 questions the 'tagger' has set for them.
3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.

4. They must then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in their post.

5. These lucky bloggers must then be told.
6. There's no tag backs.

11 Things About Myself

1. I am the middle sibling of three.

2. I like reading through nail blogs, watching YouTube DIY tutorials for nails, hair, clothes customisation etc.

3. I am a very lucky fiance to the bestest man in the whole world.

4. I am a very lucky mum to the bestest pooch in the whole world. I do training and agility with her and she is awesome!

5. I am *shamed face* a bit of a Twilight geek! I read the books and loved them, then the films came out and I loved them equally.

6. I have got a university degree.

7. I love travelling to far away places and exploring to see as much of the world as possible.  I have a list of 50 places to see before I die and am trying to complete it.

8. I have always wished that I had done horse riding as a child.

9. My favourite TV programme is Sex & the City closely followed by How I Met Your Mother.  I curse the day I ever decided to watch every single episode of Lost, what a waste of life that was!

10. I am a huge fan of the authors Belinda Jones and Cecelia Ahern.  I like to read chick-flick books, no John Grisham for me!

11. I am a bit of a speed demon, I like fast cars, roller coasters, motorbikes etc.

Questions Set By The Tagger

1. What/Who got you started with nail art and how long have you been doing it?

 I have been doing nail art a relatively short time now, only as long as I have been doing my blog so I would say about 3 1/2 months. From a young age I used to cut pieces of masking tape and do my french manicures myself but had never really discovered the world of nail "art" or stamping etc.  I would say that being shown cute A.S nails blog with all their fabulous designs sparked an interest in nail art and adding that as a big feature to my blog.

2. How long have you been blogging for?

Oops, I accidentally answered that in my last answer! Approximately 3 1/2 months.

3. What is your favourite colour to wear on your nails?

My favourite colour at the moment is OPI Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj collection.  It is a cute baby doll candy floss kinda pink and I love it!  Especially on my toes, makes my feet look tanned! :0)

4. Favourite nail art technique? (Water marbling, stamping, gradient, etc)

My favourite nail art technique is nail flocking.  If you haven't done so already, google it! It is incredible and I LOVE the look.

5. How many different polishes do you own?

My nail polish collection is still pretty modest/small at the moment.  I would say I have about 15 colours.  My next investment needs to be into a blue and a green.

6. Do you have a favourite polish that you keep buying when you run out?

I haven't really found myself in that situation before but I would say that will probably be the case with my OPI Pink Friday polish.

7. Any tips/tricks you've learnt whilst doing your nails?

I have learnt to clean around the edge of the nail with a cotton bud and nail varnish remover at the end, rather than keep wiping off bits here and there and risk ruining the nail art design.

8. Most you've ever spent on nail polish?

Haha, I am sure this answer is getting boring now but my OPI Pink Friday was £9.00, I thought that was extortionate in comparison to my Barry M's. (Well worth it though).

9. How often do you paint your nails?

Every 2-3 days although I am trying to start using glass stones to try out designs rather than my nails as I am noticing the effects it is having on my nails :0(

10. Where do you get your inspiration for nail art?

I would say a lot of my inspiration comes from tutorials on Youtube, namely the fabulous Cute Polish and also some lovely bloggers such as The Nailasaurus, Spellbinding Nails, Sincerely Stephanie, Northern Nails to list but a few!

11. Favourite design you've blogged?

I would say my favourite nail art design that I have created and blogged about at present would be my Salt Nail Art.

My Questions For The Tagged

1. What/who inspired you to start blogging about nail art and where do you get your inspiration for nail art from?

2. Do you blog about anything other than nail art and how long have you been blogging for?

3. What is the top thing on your "wish list" you would want if you could be given one thing for free today?

4. Favourite nail art technique? (Water  marbling, stamping, gradient etc.)

5. What are your favourite 3 nail polish colours & brands at the moment?

6. What are your hobbies other than nail art blogging?

7. What software do you use to edit your pictures before uploading them to your blog?

8. What software do you use to watermark your photos before uploading them to your blog?

9. How often do you paint your nails and how do you keep them in tip-top condition?

10. What is your favourite design you've blogged?

11.  What is your favourite film and favourite book of all time?

And finally, I tag:

1. Trying to be Beautiful

2. Northern Nails

3. Cute A.S Nails

4. Cristina Nails

5. Elanor's Nails

6. Nails by Mellissa

7. The Clockwise Nail Polish

8. Polkadot Sophie

9. Just Talk Nails

10.

11.

As you will notice, there are two empty spaces for tags. That's because the people I've tagged are the only people that I follow with under 200 followers and haven't (to my knowledge) done this tag. If you have a blog with less than 200 followers and want to be tagged, just comment below this post and I'll add you onto it! :0)

*** If the people that I have tagged for this award do take part and write their own posts, could you please comment below with the links to your blog posts, I would really love to read them all :0) ***

Hilariously funny sound cloud clip - This is what crazy looks like via text message

Hey guys

This is just a quick blog from me just to highly recommend that you click the link I am about to post and listen to the entire thing!

It is HILARIOUS!! I am still struggling to believe that people like this actually exist!

This is basically a New Zealand radio station reading out a very long string of text message conversation between a lady only known as JJ and a man called Kevin. They have had a one night stand and this is what happens the following day...

You will not regret that you listened and I am sure you will laugh as much as I did.

Please leave me comments on this post below and tell me what you thought!

http://soundcloud.com/vaughan-1-1/this-is-what-crazy-looks-like?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=mshare&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fvaughan-1-1%2Fthis-is-what-crazy-looks-like

Welcome to my blog / online diary

Hello and welcome to my blog / online diary!

I am going to use this space to show some of my craft projects I have going on ALL the time! Also perhaps review products I have tried, services I have used and generally use it as a writers vent!

I hope you enjoy my blog and find some of the blogs content useful / helpful or in any way interesting!

Ciao for now!

Robin Sparkles

Ps.  In case you are wondering about the name - I am a HUGE fan of How I met Your Mother (American TV show) !