New Year New Resolutions

 Image: Huda Tabrez | Gulf News

Ask me what my New Year’s resolutions were last year, or the year before, or the one before that. No clue. Probably something unattainable and unreasonable like losing half my body weight, giving up chocolate (as if!), learning 10 new languages and quitting my job to travel the world.

This year I’ve decided to not only make resolutions that are achievable but also to write them down, as a way of making myself accountable for them, hopefully motivating me to see them through. Means in January 2020 I can look back at this post and see how I did.

I’ve given it some thought and settled on the following five resolutions, so here we go…

BLOG MORE

I used to really enjoy blogging, in fact I still do, I just never seem to have the time, or make the time is perhaps more accurate. I’ve had my blog for years and have written a little about everything, but as of late (a few years to be honest) it’s been thoroughly neglected.

So this year I’m hoping to rekindle my love for writing, and can maybe even use my blog as an outlet to save my sanity when life as a parent starts to get a little overwhelming.

LEARN A SKILL

For years I’ve been saying I’m going to learn a new language (did six months of French back in 2012), take Photography lessons (bought myself a fancy camera a few Black Fridays ago), become a knitter (I have knitting needles, yarns and patterns in a box… somewhere), learn to bake (all the unused silicone moulds in my kitchen beg to differ), and countless other things.

I will, hopefully, get to them all one day, but this year I’m focussing on learning to sew. In 2018 I bought myself a nice second hand Brother sewing machine, and have just signed up to do a course at the end of January to learn how to use and maintain it. I already have a few projects in mind, and will hopefully be posting about those as and when they get done.

Image: © Cheryl Davis | Dreamstime.com

LIVE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY

This is something I've been wanting to do for some time. I’ve already started this journey by choosing to use cloth nappies instead of disposables with my son, and plan to do the same with my little girl when she arrives in April. 

But I am far from leading an eco-friendly life, so over the next year I’ll be looking to gradually make changes in that direction. Some of the things I'd like to try are reducing our use of plastic in the household and making my own cleaning products. Watch this space for updates on that!

Image: © stockcreations | Dreamstime.com

SELF LOVE

My pre-child care routine was something to marvel at (if you’re into beauty regimes that is). Every month I would schedule time to have a wax, a full-body exfoliation, mani-pedi, face and hair masks, and relaxing bubble baths. Aside from the waxing, I actually can’t remember the last time I did the rest of those.

So I’m declaring 2019 as the year I love myself more. This might be quite challenging come April, but I’m hoping if I can get a little routine going before then it might be easier… I’ll certainly be needing some ME time with two under two!

Image: © Oksana Kiian | Dreamstime.com

TAKE CONTROL OF MY HOUSE

We became home owners last year, and the original plan was to move in and get everything organized and settled before little Piglet arrived. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this way, and moving with a new-born meant that work that needed to be done was put off and boxes just got stashed in cupboards, closets and the loft… where they remain.

Despite my best intentions I just haven’t given myself the time to sort through them all, but that’s definitely not something I want luring over my head when baby #2 arrives, so I’m hoping that little by little, one box at a time, I will get through it all.

 Image: © Photographerlondon | Dreamstime.com

Well, that’s it for now. Wish me luck!

Gaby xXx

Celebrating Paper

Time really does fly. It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago I said ‘I do’ (well, the first time anyway!), and as a lover of creative and quirky gifts, it is only natural that in the days prior to celebrating this first milestone in our marriage, my brain was on overdrive trying to think of the perfect anniversary gift.

The meaning of anniversary gifts stems back to the medieval ages when husbands would give their wives a silver garland after 25 years together and a golden one after 50. Since then many more dates have been associated with different materials to symbolize that year in marriage.

Traditionally, the first year is known as a ‘Paper’ anniversary, meaning the couple gift each other items made of this material. Some believe it is because in the first year of marriage the couples are trying to make ends meet and therefore need an inexpensive way to show their affection. This makes sense if you consider that as the years go by the cost of the chosen material gets a little higher.

Now, getting back to the gift… there are unlimited choices for a paper gift, the most traditional ones being something like a framed photograph of the wedding day, a photo album, stationary, a book or maybe a hand written love note. A more modern approach can be to gift a ticket to a musical or sporting event or if you’re feeling generous plane tickets to an exotic destination.

My favourite however are the personalized gifts, and in the era of Pinterest and DIY tutorials the options are endless. Here are my top paper gifts with a unique twist:

Picture Coasters

These are my absolute favourites, which is why I actually chose to make them for my hubby when the 29^th June rolled around. They were incredibly easy and after looking at a few tutorials on youtube I developed my own system and am really happy with the result. I made 12 coasters and used pictures from our honeymoon, mainly because wedding pictures always get framed but the honeymoon ones disappear into the hard drive. I love looking at surfaces in our apartment and seeing memories of our amazing honeymoon scattered around… and guests love them!

Map Your Love

This is my runner up for best paper gift, and you can really make this project your own. As a multicultural couple I liked the idea of having a big heart made by combining UK and South America maps, and as my husband and I met, got engaged and then got married in three different countries then I could include smaller hearts flanking the large one with all these places. I like this so much I will probably end up doing it eventually anyway, would be cute to have around the flat! Here are a couple ways to do it:

Origami Outfits

I think this would be a lovely ‘him to her’ gift as it seems like the sort of thing a wife would appreciate more, especially if she is particularly proud of her gorgeous gown. I’m not suggesting the husbands learn origami or DIY this, I’m just pointing out that a quick look in Etsy will leave you a few dollars lighter but will earn you lots of brownie points!

A Song To Remember

Your first dance as Mr. and Mrs. is one of the most romantic and intimate moments of your wedding and if you’re anything like me then you’ll love looking back at that moment and wishing you could be there again. This is why I love the idea of a ‘first song’ canvas, use an image of your first dance, throw in the lyrics of your song and voila! Well not quite, you might need someone with Photoshop skills or to have it professionally done, but regardless of how you get it done, it will be a beautiful addition to your home.

52 Things

The funkier alternative to the traditional love letter, a ’52 Things’ booklet is a great way of telling your hubby all the ways in which you love him. You can really get creative and personal with this and maybe even throw in a few anecdotes of when he’s done something truly special that definitely did not go unnoticed. It’s a great way for him to feel special and for you to remember why you love him when he’s driving you crazy!

Get Cartooned

As a big fan of cartoon versions of real people, I just love this option, unfortunately hubby was not so keen. Some people opt for having a cartoonist at their wedding but if you were not one of them, you can still send a cartoonist a picture of your big day or just get an original drawing done whilst you are out celebrating your anniversary, planned or spontaneous, this gift will give you giggles whenever you look at it!

Paper Shoot

If you have some spare pennies in your pocket or a talented photographer friend with a flare for the unusual, then this is definitely the gift for you. It’s a great project to plan together and just think how much fun you would have coming up with paper related poses and making your paper outfits! Creativity is a must for this one, and it will certainly be a first anniversary you will remember. This particular shoot is the work of art of Steph Fowler Photography.

These are my absolute favourites, but for more great ideas, check out my Anniversary Gift Ideas Pinterest board!

A DIY Bride

In January 2012 I got engaged, and I never could have anticipated what would happen next… that I would turn into a full blown wedding planning Bridezilla. I made a choice early on in the process to maintain 100% creative control of my wedding by NOT having a wedding planner, and though it has been challenging it has also been rewarding to see all the pieces coming together EXACTLY as I want them.

For those of you who think you NEED a wedding coordinator, I’m here to tell you that YOU CAN DO IT! My wedding is in 6 weeks, in Mexico, a country where I don’t know anybody so I have had to rely entirely on Internet searches, skype and online reviews.

Before you start planning, keep those three factors in mind, as they will be your biggest allies when planning a destination wedding.

1. Internet searches: The internet has EVERYTHING and if you look hard enough you WILL find it. When looking for something specific try different word searches and search engines. When I was looking for my wedding shoes I tried Google, Yahoo, Ebay and Amazon as my search engines and used a combination of the words lace, platform, peep toe, stiletto, sparkle and bling to find them. After weeks of searching I finally found exactly what I was looking for, and the wait was totally worth it!

2. Skype: If you don’t have it, download it, and if you do have it but only use it for Skype to Skype calls, then buy credit NOW. When planning a destination wedding you will need to make A LOT of international calls, and you will be glad when the phone bill comes and they’re not all on there! Skype credit is wonderful, it allows you to make calls from your skype to any phone in the world for pennies, you’ll have to check their website for the exact rates but I can guarantee it’s totally worth it.

3. Online reviews: I have to say I could not have done it without these. Once my wedding is been and done I will be visiting a few wedding forums and posting my own experiences because the past brides that have done this have been a great help to me! When planning a wedding abroad, you can’t go and look at the venue, you can’t meet the photographer beforehand, you can’t do a cake tasting… you have to book ALL your services based on good faith. Luckily for me I discovered www.bestdestinationwedding.com, where I have been able to find reviews on EVERYTHING, allowing me to make informed decisions based on the good experiences of other destination brides.

Use these three tools well and I can guarantee that slowly but steady, it will all come together.

Best wishes, Gaby xXx