It's The Little Things In Life

So many things that make people happy are really personal to them, and although holidays, days out and grand gestures are all amazing and lovely and should never be overstated, today I stopped to think about how it's the small things that really brighten my day.

I thought I'd compile a list of things that made me smile, in the hopes that it might make you realise how wonderful every day can be, even if it's not something huge and out of the ordinary.

(Lol I sound so optimistic and like I live in happy clappy land, but in reality two hours ago I was on FaceTime moaning to my best friend about how shit I felt. And it was after I hung up on her, and had spoken to my mum that I realised I felt a million times better, and that it's the people I love which make my life, and how I don't appreciate them enough.)

So without further ado, or inane ramblings which I wouldn't blame you for skim reading over, here is my list of things which make me smile.

1. Visiting or calling to a best friend or family member

The Perfect Girl's Weekend

Since September, I've been meaning to go up to Manchester to visit my best friend, but we've never found the right timing. Luckily, the bank holiday weekend happened to be two days after I finished my last exam, so what better way to celebrate than a few days of brunch, baking and bestie?!

The first day I was there we were both so exhausted we were in our pyjamas by 2pm, but a weekend definitely needs some proper relaxation time.

A Slight Lifestyle Change | Plus Avocado Brownie Recipe

I can hardly believe how long it's been since I last uploaded, two months is ridiculous!

In this time, my life seems to have changed so much in so many ways. I've got a job, found a house in London, lost and gained friends, finished my first year of university... It's crazy how everything seems to happen at once!

I lost a bit of motivation to blog, and have been so busy with revision that by the time I finished working, the idea of writing another word seemed impossible. But recently I've got into a whole new productive and positive outlook, and I'm so ready to be updating my blog regularly. The prospect of a summer in London, and travelling is super exciting, and I finally have a new camera to document it all properly.

Tips for a Successful Dinner Party

I can hardly believe how long it's been since I've posted, the Christmas party season has definitely been occupying a lot of my time! But my favourite kind of parties are the ones where you can actually sit down and have a good catch up with old friends, rather than screaming "SO HOW'S UNI" in a crowded club.

I held my first dinner party before Christmas and it was such a lovely evening I thought I'd share some tips and maybe some inspiration of you're thinking of holding a get together!

Decorating

Since I held it during the festive season, some of the decorations won't be relevant all year, but most of them work all year round!

1.) My essential for brightening up a table (quite literally!) is candles. Lots and lots of candles. They can transform your setting from drab to magical, and create a soft, magical glow in the room. Get cute jam jars, tea light holders or lanterns, the more mismatched the better, and dot them around the table and the room.

2.) To add some interest on the table I put a small amount of confetti and some Quality Street, which added a nice pop of colour against my charcoal tablecloth.

3.) Get the nicest glasses, cutlery and crockery you have out! I'm a sucker for these, and there's some really beautiful designs out. Since it likely won't be a crazy party, there's less anxiety about things getting broken, and they really look special on the table.

4.) I put place names on the table and these are something you can definitely play around with! I'm not the most creative person but it's fun finding your place and seeing who you're next to.