Ideas: A Lazy Weekend

So there is nothing better than having your days off at the end of the week to enjoy yourself, relax, indulge and experience new things. I see as Fridays and Saturdays as my days for getting out of the house and doing fun things and Sundays as my relaxed day. Lately my Saturdays have been my chilled day as I haven't been feeling too good and so when it gets to Sunday I feel like I need to do something.

Dont get me wrong, its still a chilled out day but sometimes I just can't handle sitting around all day as I feel like I'm wasting my life away, so I've put a list together of little things you can do on your day off that make it a little bit more interesting.

1/ Making snacks ready for a film or a TV marathon
So sometimes there is nothing better than getting cosy in your dressing gown and sitting down with some treats to watch a film or catching up on your favourite shows. Instead of buying in some snacks full of bad things why not make your own? This will help you accomplish something in the day and also help to improve your cooking skills.

Now I'm a little addicted to popcorn at the moment and it can be such a simple thing to make. Buy some popcorn kernels, add half a cup to a saucepan with some coconut oil or butter, put a lid on and watch them pop away. All you need to do it make sure you shake the pot now and then so non of them get stuck to the bottom and add your flavourings. You can just add sugar and a pinch of salt or if your feeling extra naughty drizzle some chocolate over the top! yum!

Another thing that is really easy to make are cookies! I always whip these up on random occasions as they take less than 20 minutes and taste a lot better than the ones you find in the supermarket. You can try my 'Chocolate Tea' flavoured ones here or just change the recipe and miss out the tea leaves and mix in chocolate chunks instead or if your feeling health conscious you can try this 'Coconut Tart'

Tea flavoured cookies dipped in chocolate 

Gluten-Free coconut bites (tart)

2/ Yoga
I've done yoga here and there over the past few years but I haven't really stuck to it but when I do take part in a class or follow a yoga video I feel so much better in myself. Yoga helps you to reflect on the positives in your life and get rid of all the negative vibes that are dragging you down. Its also a form of exercise which releases good endorphins which will make you feel better anyway.

So in the comfort of your own home grab a mat or blanket, turn on youtube and either follow a session from your laptop or connect it to your TV with a HDMI cable. No one will have to judge you but you will feel much better for it when you are finished.

3/ Plan a weekend away with your loved ones
So todays the day when you really don't want to do anything so why not take the time to plan a little break away? Everyone needs some 'me' time or just a moment to get away from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy what is around you. I done this the other weekend and now I have something to plan and look forward to.

Me and Nick have planned a 2 day getaway in Graffham, West Sussex in a cute little flat that we found on Air BnB. Its set in a little town where we can go for walks, have lunches at a local pub and enjoy the quiet life of the countryside. Its going to be a great time for us to spend some quality time together and really enjoy each other company without worries about the daily chores we need to get done. There are hundreds of places on Air BnB you can check out and you can get a lot of them for a great price and in locations that hotels dont offer you.

Source: Air BnB 

I am already dreaming of staying in a log cabin in the heart of Scotland where there is a hot tub and beautiful scenery around us, I mean, how dreamy does that sound? So grab a notebook and start a Whats App group and get your next trip planned. It doesn't have to be expensive like a holiday abroad but you can have just as much fun because its about the company you keep, not where you keep it.

4/ Write a letter
The world we are living in right now is becoming more of a digital one as the months go by. Gone are the days when we need to make a effort to talk to someone by either travelling to their house for a catchup or writing a letter and telling them about your day, all it takes is a quick facebook message or a text and thats it. The only thing with this is that the communication is short and sweet and not really meaningful.

Now we all love a bit of stationary and what better excuse than to buy your own writing set? There are lots of beautiful ones out there so head down to your nearest Paperchase or purchase one online and get writing! Here are a few of my favourites:

Source: Paperchase Art Deco Set (left) & Paperchase Parisian Set (right)

Source: Etsy Writing kit with box

 5/ Go to a Car Boot

If your a pinterest fanatic like most of us then you are going to love a good car boot sale. There are always little gems hidden away which would make the perfect DIY project. Buy an unwanted chair or bedside table, sand it down and re paint it. Spray an old ornament or lamp stand copper. All done for pennies but way more satisfying than finding something triple the price in a shop. 

Give your area a good google for some car boots and head down one weekend. You will be surprised what you can find when you have a good nose around. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I have inspired you to do something different with your day!

I will add a few more things when I get the time so watch this space. 

Enjoy your lazy day no matter what you do.

Love Khrissie x

DIY: Candle Making

I love a good bit of DIY, especially searching for it on blogs and pinning my favourite things on Pinterest. I constantly dream of a home I can own where I spend my free time making things for it, blogging about it and just living the life near a beach somewhere, without a care in the world. This for the foreseeable future is just a dream but I can start improving my DIY skills on the way so when the time comes, I am ready.

I found a Groupon voucher for a candle making class a few months ago and jumped at the chance. Candles are one of my favourite things, I buy them quite a lot and they never last too long but thats because I buy the cheaper ones. I wish I had the budget to invest in a more expensive candle but I can't right now so making them is the next best thing.

The company 'Midas touch crafts' is one which is run by a mother and daughter, all non profit as the proceeds which aren't used for the materials and hiring of the venue are put straight back into a charity. For this class we made one cupcake size candle (a slightly bigger size than a tea light) as it needed to set in 3 hours plus some different techniques for decorating candles. This was a great beginners class as you learnt all of the history of candles and the basics of putting one together. Me and my housemate had a wonderful time learning these skills and came away with a lot of knowledge about candles and the process in which to make them. Naz herself was a great teacher and had a lovely personality which made everyone feel at ease. If you want to attend one of her classes (as she has lots of different ones too um hmm..how to make bath bombs, yes!) so check her website out.

So to make a basic cupcake candle you will need (links attached):
Glass containers
Container Wax (soy is better as it uses less chemicals but use paraffin for practising as its cheaper)
Pre-waxed wicks with tabs
Thermometer
Glue dots or Glue gun 
Pyrex pouring jug (glass)
Fragrance Oil

If you want to decorate the inside of your glass you will need:
Sprinkles or confetti
Mod Podge
Paint Brush

To make the candle you first of all need to stick your wick down in the centre of the container. You can either use a glue dot or a glue gun if you have one. You then need to take your mod podge and glue all around the inside of the container without glueing the bottom, as this can make your wick move. Then take your sprinkles or confetti and place them onto the glue, however you like and allow to set.

While this is setting, pour some of your container wax into your jug and put it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir and put it back in for another 30 seconds. This is when you should test the temperature of your wax and make sure its at 65 degrees (make sure its no higher before you pour it into the container because if it reaches near to 100 degrees it then becomes dangerous and you will have to throw it away).

This is then when you can add in your essential oils. Remember you only need a few drops as it is highly concentrated. The reason you should use essential oils is because thats the best way to get the longevity of fragrance each time you burn your candle. Have you ever noticed your candle only smells for the first time you burn it? Thats because a fragrance block has been used, which you can find in a lot of the cheaper candles.

You can then leave it to set, either in a cool room or the fridge (make sure it cools a bit before you put it in the fridge so there's no risk of the glass shattering) as this will cut down some time. It is as simple as that and pretty fun too!

These are the basics you need for candle making. You can mix up fragrance oils for different smells and get as experimental as you like. You can also colour your wax with candle dyes if you want a certain look for your candles or to match the colour to the smell (red/berry) etc. Crayola crayons are also brilliant for this as they are already coloured so a lot of the hard work is done for you.

You can also decorate your candles in numerous ways if you make them in votive moulds. These are moulds that you can take the candle out of afterwards so they are free standing. As an example we had a go at adding glitter to ours in whatever way we decided. I opted for an over the top christmas look and covered the whole thing! Use some mod podge as a base and layer the glitter over the top.

I hope you have enjoyed this little candle DIY tutorial. If you dont want to buy all the items separately and give this a go you can either sign up to a candle making class to see if you like it first or buy a starters kit which will give you most of the tools you need except the thermometer and jug.

If you have any questions just leave them down below and I will get right back to you!
Happy making!
Love Khrissie x

Jewellery: Dolly Box

Happy bank holiday weekend everyone! Spring has well and truly sprung and so I thought I would treat myself to a Dolly Box. This is a one off box subscription curated by Kate Murnane of 'Dolly Bow Bow' on YouTube, consisting of 4 everyday pieces of jewellery and one statement necklace. After seeing how beautiful the pieces are from her shop and the great taste she has in fashion, I just had to give it a go. 

This spring the box was inspired by Paris which I didn't know until I received the box. I was really happy as I have wonderful memories of Paris and so wearing pieces that represent the wonderful city of love is just wonderful. The package comes in a black box (pictured above) with the cutest bow around it. Once opened the pieces are neatly displayed in sweet little pink bags. 

The first piece I opened up was this adorable rose gold necklace of the Paris skyline. Rose gold is my new favourite colour of metal so I was really pleased with this. 

I then opened up the cutest little silver earrings. They are inspired by the lovelock bridge and would look cute on any earlobes, the only problem you have is deciding what ear you put them on.

Next up was this beautiful rose gold heart ring, which you can wear with the necklace for a love inspired themed outfit. Its so dainty, it would look gorgeous layered with some other simple rings.

Last of the pink pouches was this yellow-gold bracelet with the French phrase 'je t'aime' which means 'I love you', how sweet. The only problem is that I have the smallest wrists in the world and its miles too big for me. I'm going to keep it non the less and see if theres some way of changing the chain to something I can alter.

I was really happy with all the pieces I received, not remembering there was another surprise awaiting my eyes. Behind the pale pink tissue paper a dainty chain was poking out. I lifted the paper to realise the most gorgeous statement necklace was waiting for me! I mean... look at this!

Light rose gold with flowers in the most amazing soft pink hues, its just too pretty! Perfect for pairing with a cute cream day dress to add some sparkle on a picnic date with your loved on by the eiffel tower! (breathe) It just makes me dream of wonderful memories with my favourite person! <3

The box is sold at £26.99 but as it included the statement necklace and as your getting another 4 pieces of hand selected jewellery on top of that, I feel like its a pretty good price. I was really happy with the selected items anyway and now that Kate has redesigned her website and business cards, I'm sure its going to be an even more exciting box to receive.

Thanks Kate for an amazing box. I look forward to the future subscriptions to come out. In the meantime check out her shop as there are some amazing pieces on there and I've just noticed a home where section which I need to grab a few pieces from quick!

I hope your enjoying your weekend and you enjoyed this post.
Let me know if there is anything you would like to see from me as I want to start getting back into
blogging again as I have missed it! I've just had other things I've had to deal with first :)

Love Khrissie x

Contiki to Asia: Thailand

So I've been wanting to write this post for ages but I couldn't find my memory card with all my pictures on so I haven't been able to but I have now found it so I've been spending most of the day downloading the 700+ photos and thats just on one memory card! opps! Last year Llymlrs went on a Contiki trip to Asia for 14 days and through seeing all the pictures and blog posts, I was super jealous! I've always wanted to Asia and see the sights plus I have had an urge to travel since I have been going through my quarter life crisis (I know right!) and wondering what to do with the rest of my life! When Lily got back from her trip she posted a photo on Instagram of her jumping into a waterfall with a caption letting followers know that she was holding a competition for Contiki to let one of us win a Contiki trip of our own if we post a photo of us showing our inner child and tagging it. I was like 'YES! amazing...I need this trip' and posted this....

The caption was 'Me in an adult sized ball pit of balloons' and a month or so later I got a comment on my photo letting me know I had won the competition!! I couldn't believe my eyes and I was jumping up and down, like a child finding out they are going to Disneyland. I emailed them right away to see what trip I had won and they told me I had a £1500 budget to pick what trip I wanted. It was a no-brainer for me and so the 14 day Asian Adventure trip was booked! All I had to do was pay for my own flights but seeing how much money I saved I weren't bothered by that at all. You have no idea what this meant to me!

So Contiki is a tour company that arranges your whole holiday for you. All accommodation is included as well as some excursions, travel and some meals. You go with a group of up to 30 people and all aged between 18-35 so its a great way to meet some new like-minded people.

The day arrived for me to leave on my once in a lifetime trip, and there I was backpack and hand luggage in hand, on my way to Gatwick to get on my first long haul flight..on my own...to Asia!! (Is this real life!?) I was super nervous about the flying alone part but once I was on the plane and ready to go I was fine. I had a quick stop in Dubai on the way as I was getting two flights there but this worked out better for me as it gave me a chance to stretch my legs and get some 'fresh' air.

Once I arrived in Bangkok I had a taxi pick me up and take me to the hotel. I completely forgot it was only 7:30am when I arrived, so my jetlag was already pretty bad by this point. I pleaded with the receptionist to let me in my room early as I desperately needed a nap. Eventually I was allowed in and hit the sack straight away! I soon got woken by my new room mate Maria but I didn't mind at all as she was super lovely. We chatted and slept some more ready for the first night of the trip.

It got a bit later in the day as so we went to the bar next door to meet some more of our Contiki group. They were all some welcoming and lovely. It got to 6pm and it was time to meet the whole of the group, our tour guide and head out for dinner (and just a 'couple' of drinks)

That night lots of drinks were had, laughter and jokes were made and tuk tuks were riden. It was a great night where we all got to bond and create our first memories of the trip. The next day we got up bright and early, checked out of the hotel and headed out for our first temple visit...

The Grand Palace / Bangkok

This was a great temple to visit! The craftsmanship on the buildings is just beautiful so there are lots to look at. We all got given a square of gold leaf to put onto the Buddha too, look how neat I got mine. I was really proud of that...its the small things that please me. Theres so much to learn and admire while your there so if you ever decide to travel to Bangkok, make sure to visit.

Soon after this we got to take a trip along the klongs (canals) of Bangkok and feed some of the fish with bread. The sea and river always calms me so this was a nice little cruise to sit and chill on although if its a little windy you could get a little sea sick!

We then jumped onto an overnight train to Chiang Mai which was an interesting experience. It feels like your a student all over again as the seats turn into beds that you sleep in over night. I got woken up but a couple of cockroaches crawling in my bed which freaked me out and I hardly slept but thats all part of the experience, right? If I done this again I would definitely have the top bunk! In the early hours of the morning you will get woken up by the staff calling out 'Orangeee Juiceee' trying to make you buy some, and trust me they don't give up but it ended up becoming a running joke each morning at the hotels after that.

Doi Suthep Temple / Chiang Mai

I really enjoyed this temple too! The stairs up to it were really hard to climb but its a good workout for your legs. You always have to take your shoes off when you enter a temple as a sign of respect. You also have to wear long trousers and cover your arms sometimes, so make sure you take appropriate clothing when you go. You can always pick some up at a local market if you dont have any, which feel more authentic anyway.

Our local guide told us about each of the Buddha's which represented each day of the week. It can then translate into and what animal and colour you are depending on the day and year you are born. I'm a wednesday child, year of the horse and green is my colour. They all have their own meanings and are pretty interesting too as it can tell you something about yourself you might not have thought about.

I also done this fortune telling thing where I had a cup of sticks and I had to sit down, shake them and see what number fell out. There are then pieces of paper on the wall that tell you something, which can be good or bad but both times for me, the stick came out blank? I never asked the tour guide what that meant as I was too scared it was something bad. I also walked around this walking square where you hold flowers, walk around three times and make a wish. I'm not going to tell you my wish just yet as it hasn't come true but I will do if it does. Its a really calming temple and everyone is there to wish for good fortune for them and their families so its a great place to relax if you want more positivity in your life.

Thai Cooking Class

As well as there being lots of thing included in the trip, you can also pay for some optional extras while your there. One of them was a Thai cooking class, which I opted for straight away as I love cooking and theres no better time to learn than in the country itself. Our teacher took us through the market and told us a bit about different vegetables and spices that were used before he took us to his kitchen in the beautiful countryside.

You can see in one of the photos that the teacher done the trick of the flames which we actually got to try out ourselves if we wanted to. I thought there was nothing to lose to went for it, to be surprised how hot it was! So hilarious though, but don't try this one at home kids! We got to cook a variety of tasty dishes including 'Cashew Chicken' and 'Massaman Curry'. It was some of the tastiest food I have eaten in a while, even if I did cook it myself. The best thing about the evening was everyone sitting around the tables at the end and eating it all while drinking a cold Chang beer. Thats the life! You also get given a recipe written by the teacher himself so you can re-create the dishes yourself.

To end a great evening we went to see some Thai kickboxing which was pretty epic in the end. The last fight was a french guy who must have been over 6ft tall against a Thai boy around the same weight. The fight lasted all of 2 minutes when the french boxer kicked him straight in the head and knocked him cold out on the floor. There was lots of blood but pretty awesome to watch.

White Temple - Chang Rai

We were lucky enough to stop off at the beautiful white temple on our journey through Thailand. It was my favourite from the whole trip as I just loved the contemporary edge to a traditional design. Its much more stunning in real life too so make sure you check it out if you ever visit.

Hill Tribe Visit

Another additional excursion was paying a visit to the traditional hill tribes up on the hills in Chang Mai. There were roughly five tribes in the hills that we went to see. My favourite were the longnecks as they really fascinated me with all the gold rings and the stories about what they see as beautiful, it really got you thinking.

This lady was my favourite. I loved how upbeat and happy she was which lifted the whole mood of the group. I couldn't help but buy a embroidered purse and bracelet from her stall.

This little kid was the cutest! As I was taking photos of him and his mother he crawled up to me as he was really fascinated by my camera. He was trying to push all the buttons and ending up taking the photo above, which really brought a smile to my face.

I really enjoyed taking these photos because when I looked back at them and looked into the eyes of the people I was taking the photos of I could really see they had lots of stories to tell. They all have a look about them which I cant help but think about and wonder what they have been through. Thailand was great and I enjoyed ever minute of it but it wasn't over yet. Our next journey was in Laos..