E N D   O F   A    B L O G    Y E A R

E N D   O F   A    B L O G    S E A S O N

If you've been following my blog for a short while, you'll know that  I've recently decided to separate my blog into 'Seasons'. This means that I get a bit more time to produce content and even out the workload alongside my University commitments. So, as January comes right around the corner, that means that 'Season 1' comes to an end. Throughout January and February, I will be producing content but not publishing anything until March, where Season 2 starts. I'm nervous to see how the mini hiatus goes over the next two months and I'm really hoping that, when March comes around, people have still stuck around to see my new content.

Despite this, I wanted to look back at the way Season 1 has gone so far. To be honest, though, I reckon it's a bad Season to go off as I was just finding my feet and I didn't have any 'pre-season' free time to build up a bank of content. When I was busy (all the time... Uni life), there was simply no content and anything that went up was perhaps not always with complete maximum effort. I'm quite confident that having time to prepare for more posts will buy me that time that I need so I'm already very excited to see what Season 2 can bring.

E N D   O F   A    G O O D    Y E A R

I ' M   O N L Y   H U M A N

At the start of 2018, I worked in retail. It's fair to say that it was around that time that I started really listening to my motto: 'I'm only human'. This initially came from the idea that customers in the shop would want me to run a marathon, perform magic tricks, and turn day to night for them - I quickly realised that it's normal that I can't be good at everything, make a miraculous change in customer service, or find their bloody order. However, this motto has, sure enough, followed me like a rather pleasant shadow all year. If I've ever found myself in bad moments of self-doubt or feelings of worthlessness, I've been able to remind myself that 'I'm only human'. It's physically impossible for one person to be good at everything, please everyone, AND be healthy all at once - but that's completely and utterly natural and okay.

C H A N G E    C A N    B E    G O O D

It's without argument that I've undergone some pretty big changes this year, especially with the whole University malarkey (if you're new, you might not know, I started University this year). Nevertheless, I've loved every single minute of this change. I've welcomed new friends, new feelings, new places, new experiences, and new tasks. While not all of these things will have been a great success, they've definitely all managed to shape me as a person. I think, as well, that I've often worried a lot about changing. I'm often a home bird, attached to the village in which I grew up, and the friends and family that watched me grow; now, though, I'm embracing new chapters in my life and realising that embracing these things doesn't always cause 'bad change'. I'm in love with the city that I live in now, but still, have a special place for that village. I have wonderful new friends but have also found joy in meeting up with friends from years ago. It's things like this that truly give me the confidence to keep going.

W H O    M A T T E R S   M O S T

As I mentioned before, I've welcomed a lot of friends into my own bubble. From work colleagues to University friends, I'd consider myself a lot more social these days than I used to be. I've also started to realise, perhaps just as I grow older and maturer, that it's really important to hold on to those people who care for you. Whether that's parents or friends, I think that this year I've finally started to realise who matters the most in my own life. It is something that takes a lot of personal development and it helps to know exactly what you want out of a friendship and, in some respects, be a bit harsher on yourself. I'm now surrounded by people who care, people who will check up on me even when they don't just 'want something', people who want to spend time with me, and people who love me. Most importantly, I've learnt to reserve time for myself; after all, I have to live with me.

S H I N E    A T    A N Y    T I M E

I've gone my whole life as the quiet one. I was never 'Head Girl', choir leader, Student Representative, or on the School Council - I've always kept my head down and pretty much plodded my way through education. After taking a gap year in 2018, I realised that I yearned for a 'purpose'. When I started University, I told myself that it was my time to shine. I went in with my shoulders back and my head held high. I borrowed books from the library, I threw my hand up in Seminars, and I landed a job at the Uni in the first few weeks. While I still have a long way to go, and a lot more waiting to be done, I am really proud of the things I've achieved so far. I've learnt that I don't always have to be the quiet one, I can shine at any time.

I    C A N

Possibly most importantly, and possibly most stereotypically, I've learnt that there are more things that I can do than I thought. I can go to a nightclub and enjoy myself. I can go for drinks with the girls. I can pitch a blog post to a brand. I can get a job. I can go abroad. I can and I will. 2018 has been somewhat liberating. I've learnt so many things about myself, I've learnt my own capabilities, and learnt my own desires. I'm, of course, still (and probably always) learning the things that I can and can't do but, in some ways, I'm looking forward to being able to look back again and discover even more about myself.

What have you learnt in 2018?

P O T A T O     S T A M P I N G

I've got to admit, I was very excited to try this one because potato stamping is something I've never done before. The inspiration for this one came from this article but I put my own twist on it, using black ink instead of white and allowing for a more rustic-style shape. I adore how it turned out too!

If you plan on doing this, all you need is a basic potato with a steady hand for cutting. I opted for a Christmas Tree shape as it was pretty easy and quick to do but still looks festive and fab. I can't urge how careful you must be here though - please remember that potatoes can be quite soft and a slip of the knife can be nasty, perhaps wearing gloves and sitting in a calm, well-lit place would make this easier.

In terms of colour, I used a basic black ink pad. Of course, you can use paint for this too and the colour possibilities are endless. I reckon this would look wonderful with gold ink/paint. Similarly, you can do some doodling on top of your designs. I was going to add some white stars on my tree but decided to keep it simple.

G E L    P E N    D O O D L E S

I'm surprised that this one turned out well, to be honest. I laid the paper flat with a white gel pen in my hand and just went in for some doodling. Being the perfectionist that I am, I expected to look back and think it looked rubbish but, I actually really enjoyed that rustic, doodle style that I'd achieved. The inspiration for my design was from this Pin and ended up being so quick and easy to do. 

If you want to give this a go, I recommend that you measure out your piece of paper, for the item you mean to wrap, then doodle across the whole sheet. You might feel as though some of your doodles will be wasted in the folds but it does end up giving a great effect when the drawings curve around the item seamlessly.

I used the Pilot Choose 07 white gel pen for my drawings which I believe gives great pigment but, with the brown paper being like a blank canvas, you could almost use any and every colour.

F E S T I V E    F O L I A G E

The last one is something that I've seen being done a hella lot on Pinterest, including here, here, and here. Adding foliage to things seems to have been all the rage over the past few years and we all know that I'm certainly not shy of plants. They give this natural, minimal look to everything they appear on and it certainly works well with the brown paper.

I gathered a few leafy twigs from our outdoor conifer and just tucked them behind the label on my gift - it's as simple as that. This foliage could easily be added to any of the previous designs too, especially as it carries on so well with the green ribbon. 

For my other gifts, I think I'll try adding some different types of foliage too, such as eucalyptus and pine leaves. What other plants would you add?

D I Y    L A B E L S

When we came home one day, started wrapping, then realised we hadn't purchased any labels/tags for the gifts, I had to resort to making my own. Luckily, my first one turned out great so I kept making them on and on. 

I cut these labels out of brown craft paper after creating my unique designs. For each design, I will write something Christmassy in my own typography style. For all of my calligraphy, I tend to use the Tombow Brush Pen which I adore (!) and completely swear by. It's such a trusty piece of stationery which would also be a good gift in itself for any of your bullet-journalling friends.

If you don't have the time to make your own gift wrap or find some foliage in the garden, you can opt out of plastic-coated card this Christmas by adding your own DIY labels to your gifts.

I'd love to know what ideas you all have for gift wrapping this year!

Let me know in the comments...