Christmas Time!

Hello Guys,

I want to start this blog post by apologising about the lack of posts over December. I have been busy with a much bigger workload at school and also learning lines and going to rehearsals for Hairspray! I have really enjoyed December and the build up to Christmas but as always it has been very busy.

A Bare Christmas Tree...

One of my favourite things to do is to put up the Christmas tree with my family and play some fun Christmas music! My favourite Christmas album at the moment is one by Pentatonix who sing a Capella, which is perfect for Christmas songs and carols. Their most recent Christmas Album is called 'That's Christmas to Me' and it is amazing! You might notice in the pictures some string coming out of my Christmas tree, this is because of my cats. We got our cats Christmas 2010 and it was their first Christmas. My cat Beebo jumped into the tree and it crashed down! So to insure this doesn't happen again we tie the tree to the door with string!

Baking Mince Pies

I don't know about you guys but I love mince pies and baking so another of my favourite things to do is to bake mince pies. The recipe is very simple so it is a great way to relax and mince pies are delicious! I just feel so festive drinking a Hot Chocolate, eating a mince pie, in my onesie, with the fire burning and watching a Christmas film! My personal favourites are 'Elf' and 'It's a Wonderful Life' but let me know what you enjoy in the comments.

I also enjoy painting my nails and so I had to do something Christmasy. In the end I just went for some festive colours and a simple cross design on my ring finger because it was very simple and I didn't have much time!

Finally, the most relaxing thing to do at Christmas in my opinion is to have a long soak in the bath with a Lush Christmas Bath Bomb/ Bubble Bar or to snuggle up in blankets and watch YouTube videos with one of my cats on my lap.


Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed this post. I have just realised that on December the 29th it will be 6 months since I started Raspberries and Ribbons. I have really enjoyed writing blog posts and coming up with ideas and I hope that you have enjoyed reading them. 

Have a Merry Christmas,

Abi

♥

Christmas Countdown!

Hello Guys,
I am very excited because Chritsmas is getting closer and closer and there just seems to be an excited buzz wherever I go. Anyway one creative thing I love to do is scrapbooking but on the computer. One of my lovely friends Nat showed me two sites with some really cute freescrapbooking resources. Those websites are Sweet Shoppe Designs and Shabby Princess Designs.

I have enjoyed making scrap book pages but I also have liked using them for other things. A couple of years ago I made a Christmas countdown and have recently found the document so I have made a few edits and decided to share them with you. To save it click the image, this will take you to a new page. Then right click the image and click save image as. Now save and print your image then cut out the dates and you are done.

Thanks for reading. If you would like more like this let me know in the comments. Have a lovely week,

Abi

♥ 



Christmas Phone Wallpapers!

Hello guys,
Sorry I didn't blog last week, I was having quite a bad day so didn't feel very creative and couldn't think of anything interesting to write so I decided just to do nothing at all. I didn't want to post something I wasn't proud of or happy with. Anyway this week I was on Pintrest and I saw some really cute Christmas wallpapers. I realised that because it's nearly December this would be a great time to share some of my favourite phone wallpapers for Christmas (although I've had mine since up October - Christmas is my favourite holiday by far!)

For me the days have been going quite quickly despite how busy I've been! I've had a much bigger workload and lines to learn for Hairspray! However this busyness excites me because the Christmas season is just around the corner. I really love this time of year despite the fact that it get's dark earlier, there's a lot of traffic and the weather is awful (unless it's snowing, which I hope it will!) because everybody just seems a little happier.

But anyway, here are my Top 5 Phone wallpapers for Christmas:

Christmas Wreath - Merry Christmas
In my opinion this will look better as a lock screen rather than home screen because of the words but I'm sure both will look lovely. Also it puts you in a Christmasy mood whenever you turn on your phone. Click the link to download from the website but also to take a look at the other designs because they are all so cute!





Purple Christmas Design
This is my current wallpaper because I love the colours used - it matches my phone case, and it's not too Christmasy - even though I love Christmas it isn't December yet! The designer has a version for computer desktops and iPad's too. This design is for iPhone but because it's a pattern it will work on any device.






String Lights Wallpaper
I saw this an immediately thought it was gorgeous! I love how the colours aren't traditional Christmas colours and it adds pops of pink to my wallpaper. This is what I will use next because it isn't extremely Christmasy so perfect for November. The other designs shared in the post I found this on (click the name) are really sweet too.

Christmas Gold Typography
I really like this wallpaper! The words are from one of my favourite Christmas songs and it's gold, with stars. Whenever I look at it I can almost hear Michael Bublé sing this in my head! Like the Christmas Wreath wallpaper at the top this is great for a lock screen. When December comes I will defiantly be using this..




Let it Snow
Again the words used in this wallpaper are ones from another of my favourite Christmas songs! I love the icy blue colour and all the pretty snowflakes surrounding the words. If you do use this and use the link in the title you have to scroll down quite a bit on the page to find this wallpaper but it is there I promise!




Earlier I mentioned Pintrest and wanted to say that I get a lot of inspiration from Pintrest and I would highly recommend making an account if you haven't already. If you want to, click here to take a look at my page.

Thank you for reading, let me know in the comments if you use any of these, have a suggestion for me to use or have a Pintrest account and I will take a look.

Abi
♥

Little Lush Haul

Hi Guys,

So at the beginning of October the Lush Christmas range came out and I had a teacher training day so  I was very happy! I bought quite a few things so I thought I would do a mini haul showing all the lovely items I have. A couple of these are from my birthday but I thought I would include them anyway.

Santa's Belly - Shower Jelly


I bought a Shower Jelly for my friend and I wanted to keep it! So I decided to treat myself to one when the Christmas range came out. As soon as I smelt this one I wanted it but the Snowman Shower Jelly wasn't in my local store yet so I decided to wait and compare the two. This one is by far my favourite, it smells of sharp apples which to me this is VERY autumnal because we have an apple tree in my Garden and in September we pick the apples. 



Candy Mountain - Bubble Bar

Last year the Snow Fairy shower gel was bought for me and I loved it! So I had to try the bubble bar. If you have had anything from the Snow Fairy range then you will know what this smells like; very sweet! It's a classic lush Christmas product that reminds me of the smell of sugary sweets. 

Pop in the Bath! - Bubble Bar

This was a Birthday present from my friend Charlotte. She has an amazing blog so click on her name to take a look. Anyway this is such a sweet little bubble bar. I wish I could describe the smell of this product but as soon as I'd taken the picture I was desperate to use it. It made my bath bright pink and very bubbly!



Dragons Egg - Bath Bomb

I know that this isn't a Christmas product but I wanted to buy this product because I love it so much! I have used this bath bomb before, it was the first lush product I'd ever tried; a birthday present from my cousins! It's so beautiful as there are petals inside and that makes the bath look so cute. This might be a very bad description of the smell but too me, this bath bomb smells like my local Lush store! I cannot describe how excited I am to use this!



Think Pink - Bath Bomb


I've had this one so many times before when I was much younger because when you're 7 what's more exciting then a pink bath, especially when the bath bomb has flowers on it! This isn't my favourite bath bomb but it's inexpensive and pretty!



Butter Bear - Bath Bomb

This is such a soothing bath bomb, as it's the Christmas version of Butterball. This was bought for me when by my friend as a 'Well Done' for getting Penny in my school show. It makes your skin so smooth and is really good for people with sensitive skin who may not be able to try lots of different products.


I hope you enjoyed my first (very little) haul. If you enjoyed this and want posts more like this let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading and enjoy your week.

Abi

♥

Raspberries and Ribbons Instagram Page

Hello guys,
Today's post is quite short but I just wanted to let you know about my Instagram page. I have made an Instagram for this blog so that you can know when I've posted and hopefully to attract more people. It is also a great way for me to find other blogs so if you have an Instagram page for your blog/or you regularly share about your blog on Instagram I will be happy to follow you.



My Instagram account name is: @raspberriesandribbons


If you have a blog related Instagram account please leave your account name in the comments and I will take a look.

Enjoy your week,

Abi

♥

Goodbye Sleepover Collab!

Hello Guys,

This week, as most of you will know, I have been doing a collaboration with my friend Emily and we have been sharing with you how to have the best sleepover ever - autumn inspired. 

Autumn Sunset, taken by moi!

We had so much fun making these blogs and we hope that you have enjoyed them and maybe even try one out! In today's blog I will just be sharing an with you what an overview of we have done and the links just in case you missed a couple and would like to have a read.

Monday - Snacks!

I shared a little recipe I came up with called Mini S'mores to enjoy at your sleepover and Emily shared her secret on how to make the best hot chocolate you will ever taste! The link is on the names of what we've done. 

Tuesday - Beauty and DIY

I shared a really cute nail art design for you and your friends to enjoy painting your nails with and Emily shared a DIY you can make there and take home.

Wednesday - Stuff to Do!

I shared some of my favourite films that I'm sure you and your friends will love and Emily shared a few games that you and yours friends could do.

I really hope that you have enjoyed theses extra posts over the last few days because although it's been a challenge I have enjoyed it too. If you do try some of our ideas please leave a comment and let us know because it means a lot! Enjoy the rest of your Half Term and I'll see you with another post on Monday.

Abi

♥

Sleepover Entertainment - Films!

Hello guys,
As you may know because it is half term Emily and I are doing a collab where we share our tips on how to have the best sleepover ever. Today we are sharing a few fun ideas on what to do at your sleepover. I will be sharing some great films which I am sure that you will love and the cheapest place I could find where you can get them from. All the films I am sharing are all 12's, so hopefully all of you reading would be able to watch.

Now You See Me
This is one of my all time favourite films, it has so many little plot twists and the ending is quite unpredictable! I love the cleverness and how all the characters have a distinct role. It follows four magicians who each answer a mysterious invitation to an obscure address with secrets inside. A year later they're the four horseman who break the law in their controversial magic shows.
You can get this from:
Tesco £5.00
Amazon £3.94
HMV: £5.99

Pitch Perfect
This movie is so fun, it's hilarious and a real feel good film. I have 
watched this so many times so I enjoy singing along! It is about the Barden Bellas and their climb to reach the top of the American a Capella groups. It focus's on Becca, an aspiring DJ who thinks that collage is not for her. If you can choose between the 1st and 2nd movie, in my opinion the 1st is so much better
You can get this from:
Tesco: £5.00
Amazon: £4.99
HMV: £5.99

Blended
I watched this at my sleepover and it is so hilarious! Although not all my friends love this type of film, everybody enjoyed it and we where all laughing so much. The story starts with two people on a blind date and everything that could possibly go wrong - goes wrong! They decide they never want to see each other again and end up on a luxury African vacation together and the story unfolds...
Where you can get this from:
Tesco: £5.00
Asda: £5.00
Amazon: £4.87
HMV: £5.99


Hairspray
I haven't watched this for so long but since my school where doing Hairspray as a school musical and I got the part of Penny Pingleton I have watched this film so many times! I personally prefer this to the old film of Hairspray but that's partly because Zac Efron plays Link! It's about Tracey Turnblad, whose dream is to dance on the Corny Collins show with Link!
Where you can get this from:
Amazon: £3.56
HMV: £6.99

The Fault in Our Stars:
I though I would include this film because it is such an amazing, emotional story and so far all the other films have all been very happy and some of you may want a sad film. Emily and I watched this when she came over and we planned this and I still cry! It is the story of Hazel and Augustus and how they fall in love but still fight cancer. It is just so emotional!
Where you can get this from:
Tesco: £5.00
HMV: £2.99
Amazon: £2.99

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and will watch one of these film, let me know in the comments if you do. Today on Emily's blog she shared games that you can play. Click her name to read that. Enjoy the rest of your week,

Abi

♥

Sleepover Beauty - Cat Nail Design

Hello Guys,

It's day two of mine and Emily's sleepover Collab and today I am sharing with you a very cute nail design while Emily is sharing a DIY. I love cats so I wanted to do something cat related and I thought a cat nail design would be perfect! Also as it is getting near Halloween this could be the perfect touch too finish your outfit. So lets get into this!

You Will Need:

• Baby Pink nail polish
• Black nail polish
• Base coat and top coat
• Small nail art tool or a tooth pic

I used baby pink and black but another colour combination that would work really well is dark purple and white.

1) Paint all your nails with a base coat and let that dry. Now paint all your nails baby pink.

2) About 2/3 up your nail (from the tip)  paint two right angles using black nail polish and a tooth pick; these will be the ears.

3) Half way between the tip of your nail and the ears paint a small triangle - this will be the nose.

4) On either side of the nail draw 2 or 3 lines for whiskers. Finally draw two eyes.

5) Paint a top coat and you are done!

Thank you for reading I hope you are enjoying your half term and having some time to relax! Today on Emily's blog she is sharing a really sweet DIY so please take a look at that. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Abi

♥

Sleepover Snacks - Mini S'mores!

Hello Guys,
For those of you who don't know as it is Half Term and I have a lot more time to blog, I wanted to do something special. So Emily and I are doing a collab where we share ideas on having the best sleepover ever. For more information click here.

Today I am very excited to be sharing with you something I have wanted to share for ages. I came up with this idea a while back but wasn't really sure when to post so now is perfect because they are so much fun to make at a sleepover and will be delicious snacks. I really like S'mores but they are quite messy so these Mini S'mores are a great alternative as they are quick and easy!

What you will need for 20 Mini S'mores:

• 20 Marshmallows
• 50g of Chocolate
• 5 digestive biscuits

Method:

1) Prepare your ingredients - put the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and the biscuits in a thick plastic bag.

2) Put your chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, take it out and stir. Keep doing this until all of the chocolate is melted.

3) Make sure all the air is out of the bag, use a rolling pin and crush up the biscuits. Some slightly bigger chunks are nice to leave if you wish. Pour the crumbs into a bowl.

4) Take a marshmallow, dip it into the chocolate and then into the biscuits and then leave on a rack. Cover about half the marshmallow. Do this for as many as you want.

5) Leave them to dry and then enjoy!

And that's it! Leave me a comment down below if you enjoyed. On Emily's Blog we will be showing you how to create the best Hot Chocolate ever. Thank you for reading and have a great week. If you have any suggestions for future blog posts then please let me know and I will try my best.

Abi
♥

Autumn Half Term Collab with Emily!

Hello guys,

A few weeks ago me and Emily had a sleepover, planning something special to post in half term and here it is. This week we will be giving you our ideas on how to have the best sleepover! We will have one post per blog over the next few of days, here is a brief overview on what we will be doing:

Monday - Snacks! We will be sharing a couple of ideas, which you can prepare before or make with your friends

Tuesday - Beauty and DIY! This one is pretty self explanatory but I will be sharing something beauty related and Emily a DIY

Wednesday - Things to do! Fun ideas for games and films

Thursday - Goodbye! This is where our week of collabs will end

So I hope you will stop by each day and enjoy the extra blog posts this week as we have had so much fun together preparing it!

Have a great week,

Abi

♥

Gold Stripe Nails

Hello Guys,
So today I am going to be sharing with you a nail design for autumn. It's quite simple so I hope that lots of you will be able to try it! You could mix up the colours if you wish, for a more wintery look. Instead of gold, silver and instead of orange, blue.

You will need:

• A gold nail polish
• An orange nail polish
• A cocktail stick
• A base coat
• A top coat:

What you have to do

1) Apply your base coat and leave to dry for about one minute.

2) Paint your index finger orange and the rest gold. Do this on both hands. Wait about 5 minutes until your nails are completely dry.

3) Using a cocktail stick and some gold polish, draw a leave outline in the corner of your index finger. Draw the dots and then join them up if you find this easier then just drawing something. Then a little out from that 'leaf' draw a similar design only larger. Carry on until you have done as many as you want. Do this on both hands.

4) After about 5 minutes apply a top coat and then wait for that to dry. Now you are finished

Thank you for reading, I hope you have a great week.

Abi

♥

Autumn Garland DIY

Hello guys,
So even though we are quite a way into Autumn now I wanted to share with you this Autumnal Garland DIY to decorate your rooms with. I made this with Emily and we had so much fun making it so I hope you do too.

You Will Need:

• A3 piece of card
• A piece of scrap paper
• 7ml of Red, Orange and Yellow ready mix paints per cup (or you could use 3 blues for a more wintry look)
• 6ml of Water per cup
• 8ml of washing up liquid per cup
• 3m of String

Equipment:

• A leaf template
• 3 cups
• 3 straws
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Hole punch

What you have to do:

1) Start by mixing up your red paint, water and washing up liquid into a cup with the straw. 

2) Blow until the bubbles come over the rim of the cup, pick up your  scrap paper and put it gently on the bubbles. Check the paint doesn't run and it is the colour you want. Adjust measurements if you need too.

3) When you have got your colour sorted repeat step two on your piece of card and cover the piece of card with as many or as little bubbles as you wish.

4) Repeat steps 1-3 with all the colours you wish - I did 3. Leave 5 minutes between each colour.

5) For the back of the card you can do what you want. I used stamped the letters of the word Autumn all over the back but you could do more bubble print or use some gold glitter - whatever suits you!

6) Leave the card until both sides are fully dry and then get your leaf template and start drawing around it all over your card.

7) Cut out all you leaves and hole punch each one at the tip

8) Measure out roughly 3m of string and string the leaves on.

9) Tie the ends and you are done! Now find a nice place to hang in your room.

Bubbles!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know in the comments if you tried it and if you have any questions. Thank you very much for stopping by and reading.

Abi

♥