I’m 21! + 21st Makeup Menu

Hello beautiful people! I am extremely jolly this Monday as it was my 21st birthday yesterday and I had the most amazing day! I think it was probably my best birthday yet and I feel incredibly spoiled. A huge thank you to my lovely blogging friends for their birthday wishes and as I was eating cake I was thinking of you. Today I’m sharing my makeup menu with you and a selection of pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

For my 21st makeup I knew I wanted to keep things quite simple and really make a statement with my lips. I only had one request and that was for my face to look nice (you know those days where for some reason your makeup doesn’t look as good). Luckily, my prayers were answered and I was very happy with the end result.

Products listed in order of application:

1. Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser – Normally I use Simple’s light hydrating moisturiser but I have noticed my skin has been drier than usual so have switched back to the replenishing rich one. At the moment this seems to keep my skin supple and moisturized for longer.

2. Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 101 Ivory Beige – I purchased this foundation two weeks ago and somehow I have failed to mention it on my blog. I wanted a change from my Rimmel Match Perfection and I am loving this one. It provides a fuller, more matte coverage but is still hydrating and lovely on the skin.

3. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 Fair – I must say this every time I do a makeup menu but this concealer is so good. The shade is perfect for my skin and I had a spot on my chin I wanted to conceal and this did the job. It never clogs pores or makes spots worse.

4. The Body Shop Honey Bronzer 01 Light Matte – If you saw my Birthday Body Shop Haul you’ll know this product is a new addition to my makeup drawer but a welcome one! This bronzer adds a beautiful glow and is so easy to apply without going overboard. I applied this to my cheeks, forehead and jawline using my Real Techniques Blush Brush.

5. Dainty Doll Powder Blush 004 You Are My Sunshine – I was worried about my blush, bronzer and bold lip all competing with each other but I think all three look nice together and compliment the look I managed to achieve, it didn’t look like I went overboard. The golden shimmer of this blush just gives the top of the cheek bones that something special. I actually prefer to apply this blush with a Real Techniques Setting Brush as it is very pigmented and it allows me to use a lighter hand.

1. Chi Chi ‘Heiress’ Billion Dollar Palette – I used a shimmery light pink all over the lid before sweeping a light brown over the outer edge of the eye and through the crease.

2. Rimmel ScandalEyes Lycra Flex Mascara – This mascara is hands down my favourite out of all of the ones I’ve tried and owned so of course I had to use it in this makeup menu. The wand is so light and easy to hold and I love the volume and lift this mascara gives my lashes.

1. Dainty Doll Wonderbalm – I use this as a lip primer 20-30 minutes before I apply lipstick, especially if a lipstick is on the drier side. It helps the lipstick apply smoother and doesn’t make it look glossy or distort the colour.

2. MAC Ruby Woo – I made my mind up weeks ago I wanted to rock MAC’s Ruby Woo on my birthday. This colour is bold and beautiful and lasted amazingly well throughout the night. My perfect red – I think so!

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My Birthday In Photos:

1. Birthday Nails | Emotions from the OPI and Mariah Carey Holiday Collection. 2. Badge | I bought this badge to wear last year but ended up celebrating early and didn’t feel right wearing it. I took full advantage this year and a few kind strangers even wished me Happy Birthday. It also got me free entry into a club. 3. Presents Galore | I got home from clubbing to find the table and living room decorated with balloons and presents.

4. Birthday Balloon | My mum dashed off on Sunday morning to purchase this and get it filled with helium. 5. Lunch | Lunch was pretty low key as I went out for a meal with family and friends on Saturday night but we had yummy savouries and grape juice! 6. Happy Birthday To You | After lunch came the cake, a chocolate sponge filled with fresh cream and strawberry jam. It was absolutely delicious and the candles looked magical.

I can’t even begin to explain how thankful and lucky I am to everyone for their birthday messages, presents and all the effort they put in to make my day special. I know I didn’t share what presents I received but I think I’d need an entirely separate post for that and I’m sure a few of the items will pop up in favourites posts throughout the year. As always, thank you for reading!

Playlist: 21 Songs In 21 Years

Hey everyone – welcome to the second of my special birthday posts! Music is such a big part of my everyday life and I came up with the idea to compile a list of 21 songs into a playlist, each one representing a year I’ve been alive. These are all songs that I have loved since I was little and songs that are special to me. The playlist will be broken down step by step and I’ll explain why I chose each track.

Rules: In order to be considered, each song had to be released as a single or feature on an album in the year it corresponds to.

#1. 1995: Shania Twain – (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!

I chose this song as the first track as it is a great way to kick off the playlist and 1995 was the year big things started happening for Shania. The album this track is from was released just two weeks after I was born. Shania is a huge inspiration to me and her music has always stayed with me throughout the years.

#2. 1996: Spice Girls – Wannabe

Who doesn’t love a bit of girl power? Wannabe is a song that makes me happy whenever I hear it and is the essence of fun. I also know Mel B’s rap word perfect!

#3. 1997: Shania Twain – From This Moment On

I know I shouldn’t be biased but From This Moment On is one of my favourite songs from the entire playlist. This is the song that made me buy Come On Over and fall in love with the album. To this day it is still my favourite album and one of my most played albums of all time. I also want this song to be my wedding song.

#4. 1998: Jennifer Paige – Crush

I’m not going to lie, 1998 was a hard year to choose a song for but I did it. The beat to this song is so poppy and up my street and I always sing along whenever I hear this on the radio. In my opinion this song has aged well, it doesn’t sound nearly 20 years old at all.

#5. 1999: Steps – Better the Devil You Know

This song (a cover of the Kylie hit) is what ignited my love for Steps in the first place. Steps hold such a special place in my heart as their music made me realise that I want to be a singer too. I have an old video tape of Steps performing this song that I used to play over and over.

#6. 2000: Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around

Spinning Around is my favourite Kylie song and always brings a smile to my face when I hear it. This song brings back childhood memories of me dancing round the living room when I was five or six years old. Spinning Around was track #1 on a cassette tape and I played that cassette tape to death. I’ve still got the cassette and played it a few years ago – it’s still a cracker!

#7. 2001: Enrique Iglesias – Hero

This is another one of those songs that doesn’t seem it’s age. By 2001 Enrique was a worldwide success and Hero further cemented that. The lyrics of this ballad are so beautiful and almost bring me to tears. This song is special because we all need someone to look after us and be a hero in our lives.

#8. 2002: Dannii Minogue – Put the Needle On It

You can’t include one Minogue without the other. Put the Needle On It is one of Dannii’s classics and helped her 2003 album Neon Nights to become her most successful. Everything about this track is slick and sexy, the beat, the lyrics and the music video.

#9. 2003: Lisa Scott-Lee – Too Far Gone

Words probably cannot explain the obsession I have with Lisa Scott-Lee. She has always been my favourite member of Steps and her solo music is right up my street and the type of music I’d like to make. Too Far Gone was Lisa’s second solo single after Steps split and is a perfect groove for the dancefloor!

#10. 2004: Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved

My mum is a fan of Maroon 5 so in a lot of ways this choice reminds me of her. The poignant lyrics of this song have always struck a chord with me – the words are sad but beautiful.

#11. 2005: Sugababes – Push the Button

Again, this choice reminds me of my mum – she used to have this song as her ringtone. Push the Button also reminds me of my 11th birthday. I had my first ever birthday party and my friends and I were talking about how much we loved this song.

#12. 2006: Cascada – Everytime We Touch

One of the biggest things that draws me into a song is the beat. While I do love a good, slushy ballad, up tempo music is where it’s at! This track is proper Eurodance and has the most amazing beat that just makes me want to sing along and dance.

#13. 2007 – Westlife – Something Right

Something Right is up there with My Love as my all-time favourite Westlife track. When I first heard this song it reminded me what I loved so much about Westlife when I was a kid – beautiful voices making good pop music. This track really reignited my love for Westlife, for a few years they had slipped under my radar but they were back!

#14. 2008: The Saturdays – If This Is Love

I cannot begin to explain how special these five ladies are to me, what did I even do before The Saturdays? I feel like The Saturdays are one of the first bands I have followed right from the very beginning and all of the memories and friends I have made because of them I will treasure forever. It’s only fitting I picked their debut single as it’s where everything began.

#15. 2009: Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Someday Soon

This song gives me goosebumps because the lyrics are very personal to me. The lyrics are all about chasing your dreams and being successful in what you do. The lyrics could apply to a number of situations but the line, “someday soon, they’re gonna write your name in the sky” makes me imagine what it would be like to make it as a singer and inspire people which is my biggest dream. Also the line, “You know you’re my hero, you’re gonna be a star tonight” makes me think of being on a stage and hearing people sing your lyrics back to you, that’s when you know you’ve made it.

#16. 2010: The Saturdays – Higher

This is hands down my favourite Saturdays song! I prefer the album version with Una’s middle-eight over the single version which features Flo Rida but New Zealand Spotify only had the rap version so you’re stuck with it.

#17. 2011: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Not Giving Up On Love

I have been a fan of Sophie since the ‘Murder On the Dancefloor’ days and this tune from 2011 is one of her best! She teamed up with Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren and Australian sisters Nervo to deliver a track full of euphoric synths and pulsating beats. I am so glad I’ve been able to showcase a few of my favourite Euro/trance tracks with this playlist.

#18. 2012: Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen

The title Anything Could Happen just makes me happy and fills me with positivity. It could have negative connotations but for me it doesn’t. Anything Could Happen is about releasing and letting go of everything and moving forward with the mindset that good things will come to you. This song was also a turning point in the show when I saw Ellie in concert, the whole room felt electric and everyone was singing along.

#19. 2013: The Saturdays – What About Us

This is the last Saturdays track I promise! What About Us is very special to me as it was the band’s first #1 in The UK and it was the first time I heard The Saturdays played regularly on New Zealand radio. Before that I felt like I was one of few people who knew about them and the fact What About Us charted at #27 in New Zealand means the world to me. Enough people bought and liked the song despite not knowing a lot about who was singing it.

#20. 2014: Da Buzz – Touch My Soul

I have listened to Da Buzz for years and I truly believe Swedes make some of the best music in the world, the singers, writers, producers etc. I really don’t know what to say about this song apart from it’s a bloody corker! It is in that Eurodance vein but with Da Buzz it is about the lyrics and vocals just as much as the beat. It’s not just a few lines layered over top of a sick beat and repeated for 3 minutes.

#21. 2015: Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do

Love Me Like You Do is my absolute favourite track from 2015 and I think it really did a lot for Ellie. It opened up her voice and music to so many more people and has bought her a lot of success in the process. This song even made my brother a fan of Ellie.

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Honourable Mentions: There were a few tough choices and that meant some of my most played tracks didn’t make the cut. These songs are also very special to me and I wanted to mention them: 2008: Girls Aloud – The Promise, 2011: Pixie Lott – All About Tonight, 2013: Shane Filan – Everything To Me and 2015: Delta Goodrem – Wings.

Thanks for reading, I know this was a monster of a post!

Birthday Body Shop Haul

Happy Monday – hope you all had a lovely weekend! I’m extremely excited for the week ahead on Chanelle Hayley. It’s my 21st birthday this coming Sunday and to commemorate the occasion I have birthday related posts in store for you this week and next Monday. I’ve got a Body Shop haul, a makeup menu and a few other surprises up my sleeve – stay tuned!

Speaking of Body Shop hauls… Last weekend I popped into my local store armed with a list of goodies I wanted to buy. During birthday month I get a one time 20% discount and I also had a $10 off voucher yet to redeem. Long story short I saved quite a bit of money and it does pay to take advantage of special offers and schemes like that when you can.

What was on my list I hear you ask? My current body butter is almost finished so I wanted to get a replacement, I’ve wanted to try a makeup setting spray for a while and I’ve been promising myself I would pick up a bottle of the Strawberry Eau De Toilette. I also picked up one of the Honey Bronzers in the shade 01 Light after reading about it on Lauren’s blog.

1. Brazil Nut Body Butter 200ml

I have wanted to try something from the Brazil Nut range for the longest time and I can’t wait to get started on this body butter! This body butter is ideal for dry skin and has a decadent caramel scent which will make it perfect in the cooler months when my skin tends to be drier and needs moisture. There are three key ingredients in this body butter: Brazil nut, cocoa butter and shea butter. All three help to keep skin soft and silky. When I took this up to the counter, the sales assistant told me The Body Shop are discontinuing the Brazil Nut range. I’m not sure if that means it won’t be back in the future but if you want to try something from the range, get in quick so you don’t miss out! My only hope is I don’t fall too in love with this body butter.

2. Vitamin E Face Mist 100ml

If you’re not a fan of roses you might not like this face mist as it has a rosewater scent. The scent isn’t overpowering but if you have a sensitive nose you might think differently. This product is designed to be used as a pick me up for the skin and to set makeup. I have been using this for the past week and it is so refreshing. A couple of sprays is all you need and it doesn’t take long to set either. My makeup has been a bit tacky lately due to the heat and something like this is perfect for a quick spritz and instant coolness. I imagine this will also be nice in winter to provide an extra bit of hydration if skin is a little dry. I haven’t had a reaction to this product and it says it is suitable for all skin types.

3. Strawberry Eau De Toilette 30ml

I cannot get over how dinky and cute this bottle is! It may not seem like you get a lot but 30ml is one of the standard perfume bottle sizes. I absolutely love my Strawberry Lip Butter and I’d sprayed this scent on my arm on a previous visit to test whether I’d like it as a perfume and I do. The scent is fresh, fruity and sweet and works nicely as a summer scent. This EDT also contains real strawberry extract so the scent is a true strawberry not fake.

4. Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder 01 Light Matte

Normally I steer well clear of bronzers as they’re either too shimmery, make me look orange or don’t apply evenly. When I read about this product on Lauren’s blog I thought it sounded too good to be true but upon swatching it in store it isn’t. The bronzer is pigmented but not so much that it applies heavily. I have been using it over the past week and I really like it. I have been applying it over my cheeks and forehead using my Real Techniques Blush Brush and it looks lovely and natural. If I knew how to contour I would use it for that but for now I’m happy. You don’t need a lot of product but it’s super easy to layer up if you want a more sun-kissed look.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products!

One Year Blogversary!

Hey everyone – can you believe I almost forgot to write this post?! Exactly one year ago today (June 15th 2014) I started this blog and wrote my first post. Time has passed so quickly and it doesn’t feel like I’ve been blogging properly for a year.

I just wanted to write this post and take time to thank all of you who have visited my blog and keep coming back. I’m sure you all know how much I enjoy chatting with you and getting to know you better. I’m so grateful for all the wonderful blogging friends I’ve made and anyone who takes the time to comment. This blog would be nothing without the readers.

It’s amazing to think back to my very first posts and how much I have learnt since I started. Over the past 12 months I feel like I’ve found my voice and topics I enjoy writing about. I am extremely proud for keeping up with this blog and the commitment I have made to it. When I started Chanelle Hayley I had no idea what to expect and in some ways that’s the best mindset. I didn’t put pressure on myself, set crazy follower targets or push my blog on anyone. Everything I’ve achieved has been organic and through hard work and determination. (Cheesy, but true!)

I know today’s post is a short one but I simply wanted to say thank you and let you know how much your kind words and support mean to me. I’ve become a lot more confident blogging wise as well as personally and I know that if I’ve had a bad day, chances are there’s a lovely comment waiting to be read and replied to.

Thank you once again, big hugs to you all! Here’s to the next 12 months!!! ❤

Birthday Celebrations!

Hello – how’s your weekend going?

Yesterday (or today depending where you’re from) was my birthday and marked the end of me being a teenager. Yep, I turned 20 and am now officially an adult – scary! I actually celebrated on Thursday by getting my hair done, having dinner and going clubbing for the first time. Yesterday was a lovely chilled out day which consisted of me doing exactly what I wanted.

Everything began with me prepping and painting my nails on Wednesday. I opted for OPI’s It’s Frosty Outside; a silver metallic texture with silver, mirror-like hexagonal glitter.

I took the time to write a short message on a journal card for each of the friends I had invited out to dinner. I am always extremely grateful when people spend time with me and it was my way of saying thank you.

For Thursday nights events I wore an Izabel London Silver Sequin Dress and Diana Ferrari Onix Leather Suede Ankle Boots.

I only bought the dress on Tuesday and fell in love with it instantly. Lots of glamour and sparkle, perfect for a birthday!

(This photo was taken in the early hours of the morning, so please excuse the lighting).

I adored my make-up on Thursday night and wanted to talk you through the products I used to create this look:

• Primer: Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer in 001
• Foundation: Australis Matte Mousse in ‘Buff Beige’
• Concealer: Australis Concealer Stick – Light
• Bronzer: Chi Chi Real Minerals Bronzer
• Powder: Thin Lizzy 6 in 1 Professional Powder – Light
• Eyes:
  • Eyeshadow: Chi Chi Billion Dollar Wallet – ‘Heiress’
  • Mascara: Rimmel ScandalEyes Lycra Flex in Black
• Lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in ‘Fire & Ice’

I have also included a close-up of the eyeshadow palette I used.

Chi Chi Billion Dollar Wallet – Heiress

Shadows 1, 3 and 4 were blended together to create a smokey yet subtle eye look. I generally go for a bold lip OR a bold eye. If I’m wearing bright lipstick I tone down my eyes or if I want to highlight them I wear a more neutral lip.

We ate at The Pig & Whistle Historic Pub which is described as “a bar with atmosphere, historical charm and style.” The atmosphere was very relaxed and the service was excellent! More importantly, the menu had variety – you don’t always know what people like and I thought it would cater to the most tastes. I had the 1/2 size fish and chips and it was delicious!

#Foodporn

After dinner myself and a friend came home before going out again later to go clubbing. It was my first time clubbing but I had such a good time.

For my real birthday yesterday I started the day off by receiving some lovely tweets and rode my 10km on the Exercycle. Shortly after that I changed into a bit more of a special outfit and did my face while listening to Shane Filan’s You and Me album. This album is my go to and if you haven’t heard it you should take a listen! I have even included the Spotify link for you below 🙂

Birthday face

 

1. ‘C’ Keyring

2. England stickers

3. The Body Shop gift card

4. Sticky notes

5. Stylo stationery items – pens, pencils and bulldog clips

6. Mini pegs

The presents I got are lovely and I feel like a very lucky girl to have received them. My favourite however, has to be the Sony Cybershot DSC-W810 camera my mum bought. I enjoy taking photos but I’m by no means a professional. I’m sure with a bit of time and practice I’ll be able to hone my skills.

Naturally I had to go for the pink camera!

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I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating my birthday this year, even if I did kinda do it twice! I also loved writing this post to share with you, especially the FOTN (face of the night) section. Let me know which looks are your favourite for a special occasion ❤

Chanelle x

Birthday Plans

In last week’s Cry and smile post I mentioned I was a little stressed out over my birthday and what to do. A week later and there have been a few developments – good and bad (but mostly good) – and I simply wanted to get them out there. Call this post self-indulgent but getting my thoughts off my chest last week really helped so I’m hoping this will do the same.

I have decided what I’d like to do, dinner and clubbing (whoop!) and I’ve even made a little checklist of what I need to do to make sure I don’t miss anything.

I’d planned to go out on my actual birthday (next Saturday) but a friend has a family reunion that weekend so wouldn’t be able to make it. Initially, I was gutted I had to move my plans forward from Saturday to Thursday to the point where I was in tears and felt like nothing ever goes right and doing nothing altogether. Then I started thinking about it and came to terms with the fact there are pros and cons to pretty much every situation. As long as I’m happy and enjoy myself that’s the main thing.

Despite not getting to celebrate on my actual birthday and one friend not being able to make dinner as she’s working (hopefully she can come clubbing) I’m getting my hair done on Thursday so it will be nice and pretty for my night out. I also have a bigggg birthday badge I’m planning to wear even though I’ll feel slightly guilty I’m two days early! The club is having a glow party on the Saturday so I won’t have to worry about getting glow in the dark paint on my clothes and going out on a weeknight should mean town is less busy.

I’m also one step closer on the present front. My mum came up with the idea of getting me my own digital camera, nothing fancy just a point and shoot. I’ve been looking at some online and think I’ve settled on one I like. I’ve used the family digital camera a few times in the past for photos but it would be really useful having my own. All my blog images would be HQ and I enjoy taking photos so I wouldn’t just use it for my blog.

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After writing this post I feel better and I’m ready to let go of the initial reservations I had about moving my plans forward. I’m incredibly excited about next week and the only thing left to do is brush-off my dance moves!

Chanelle x

Cry and smile

I try my hardest to keep my blog a positive space but I also use it as an outlet to write about my thoughts instead of bottling them up. Call this post a ramble if you like but in reality it is simply me trying to make sense of what’s in my head.

I worry A LOT. I worry about tiny insignificant details but to me they are huge. One of the things stressing me out at the moment is my birthday. In most ways I’m really excited about it and have an idea what I’d like to do but when I start thinking about the finer details little doubts start to creep into my mind. If I invite people out to dinner and to go clubbing will they want to come? My mum has been wracking her brains trying to think of a gift idea and when she says, “I have no idea what to get you,” I know she means it in a good way, she wants to get me something special and wants me to like it but I feel a bit like a burden. I’d hate to think people spend time stressing over what to buy me or think I’m difficult to buy for.

For me, I’ve never thought of my birthday as a special enough occasion to be celebrated. I’ve never done anything extravagant and I’m not a party/drinks girl (I wouldn’t even have enough people to invite to call it a party). I guess in a completely selfish way what I really want are people to celebrate my day with me and make me feel loved/appreciated. Last year one person texted me happy birthday (my brother) and a friend turned up at my house completely forgetting it was my birthday. It upsets me that I feel like I’m not as important to people as they are to me but in some ways I wouldn’t change my thoughtfulness because I know what it’s like to be sad and I hate seeing other people be anything other than happy.

I’m still having no luck on the job front and pretty much everyday consists of eat, sleep, repeat. After my obligatory flood of tears (at least once a month) I try my best to put my smile back on and focus on something else. Exercise has been a big help because I always feel better after my cycling or focusing on a new fitness challenge. I’m not at my idea of ‘perfection’ but every step gets me closer.

Despite what I said I AM excited for my birthday and I’m taking steps to make sure I do something fun and spend it with the right people. The year started off on a high so these past couple of days have just been a speed bump in the otherwise happy road.

“Not everyday is perfect but there is something perfect in everyday.”

Sorry for rambling, you deserve a gold star if you read all of that! Like I said, this post was purely to get my thoughts out.

Sending you all big hugs,
Chanelle x

Dannii Minogue Birthday Project 2014

Happy birthday to the uh-mayzing Dannii Minogue, who turns 43 today!

I thought when better to share and talk about the project I worked on for Dannii’s birthday than on the day itself!

I can’t quite remember how I came up with the idea to send Dannii a birthday present but I didn’t do it for recognition or to get something out of it. I wanted to do it as a way of saying thank you and giving back to her. Part of me also wanted to do it because I hadn’t done anything like this before and Australia is just across the ditch so I wasn’t worried about the parcel getting lost or damaged.

I started working on the gift, coming up with ideas of what I could get Dannii and buying presents in March. When the time came to send it off six months later in September part of me was sad to see it go. I enjoyed everything about this project and knowing Dannii appreciates it is all I could have asked for.

Onto the contents of the parcel:

All packaged up and ready to go!

This is the box Dannii’s gifts were posted in. When I bought it I was worried everything wouldn’t fit but it ended up being the perfect size.

I love the “Keep calm and…” sayings and instantly knew this card was a must have for Dannii!

Dannii’s card read:

“Happy birthday Dannii!

There aren’t enough words to explain what you mean to me but I hope your special day is as lovely as you are.

Enjoy these gifts as much as I enjoyed buying and making them.

Lots of love, Chanelle x”

The original idea I had was to put happy and positive messages into this mason jar, which developed as time went on. I ended up handwriting the messages that said things like “Don’t forget to smile.” and “Today is a new adventure.” Also in the jar is a handwritten recipe for chocolate brownies – I know Dannii likes to cook and bake – and some Cadbury Pinky chocolate bars. I wanted to include something for Dannii’s son, Ethan, as well so I wrote a little message in the card saying I hope he was allowed some chocolate.

Sticky notes are useful for convenient notes and reminders. What makes these ones in particular adorable (apart from the colours and designs) is when taken out of the plastic wrapping they fold over and close like a little book.

My brother bought my mum an owl bookmark/paper clip from Funky Land for Mother’s Day so in all fairness I should give credit for this idea to him. I decided on these two for Dannii because they remind me of emojis and I know how much she loves a good emoji on Twitter! 💋 👫

When thinking about what to buy Dannii I wanted at least one of my presents to have a purpose. Journals can be used for a number of things but being a singer I thought she might be able to use it for writing song lyrics. The glamourous cover image also reminded me of Dannii.

This micro wooden d from Typo was plain white when I bought it. I used two different washi tapes to create the design in the image above. This is actually one of the first pieces I bought as well as being one of my favourites!

Parcel within a parcel! This parcel contains the sticky notes and the bookmark/paper clips.

I didn’t wrap everything that went in the gift box. The little ‘d’ had a bubble wrap bag, and the jar was wrapped in bubble wrap as well. The journal, birthday card, and letter I hand-wrote were simply placed in the box.

The parcel didn’t take long to get to Dannii at all and she was kind enough to Tweet me when she received it, letting me know everything had arrived safely.

Let me know if you’ve ever sent fanmail to one of your favourite celebrities!

Chanelle x

Tango Turns 5!

Tango with the ‘Happy Birthday Tango’ sign I made her.

October 3rd is a very special day in our household. Tango, our Sealpoint Birman, turns five today!

We got Tango in February 2009 after my aunt told my mum the breeders she got her second Birman from had another one for sale. My aunt named her Birman ‘Boogie’ and I thought it was only right sisters with sister cats had names related to each other. I started listing different dances and Tango just stuck.

Birman cats are renowned for being cheeky and having lots of personality and Tango doesn’t disappoint. She may be little but what she lacks in size she certainly makes up for in character! Tango is very much like a little person and understands what you tell her, the only trouble is she can’t talk back to you.

Getting into the birthday spirit two years ago for birthday number three!

Animals are just like members of the family, the memories you share and the happiness they fill you with is like no other. Their love is the best, they are always there for you in times of need and love you unconditionally.

Safe to say this little lady will be getting spoilt and receiving lots of cuddles today!

Do you have any pets? Let me know!

Chanelle x

Week In Review: September 1 – September 7, 2014

The start of a new month is always exciting! September also marks a change in seasons, so if you’re like me and live in the southern hemisphere we’re going into spring while our counterparts are going into autumn/fall.

I will be posting an update here every Sunday giving an overview of my week. Accompanying photos from my Instagram will also be included. Here’s the latest:

The week got off to a great start! On Tuesday I weighed myself for the first time in a little while and discovered I’d lost 3kgs – I feel pretty proud. I think it might have something to do with the 30 day squat challenge I’m currently doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday saw one of my closest friends turn 20. For her birthday she invited a group of people out for a meal at Abracadabra, a Mexican/Moroccan restaurant. I’d never eaten there before but nearly everyone ordered off the kids menu anyway. I had a good night and the next day she dropped round with a little thank you message. She had printed one out for each guest, which I thought was such a cute gesture!

Today (Sunday), I had my fringe cut and the rest of my hair trimmed. I’ve had my mum do it for a while now and she always makes a good job.

Today is also Father’s Day. Father’s Day falls on the first Sunday in September in Australia and New Zealand. Sadly, my dad isn’t part of my life and our relationship is a strained one but I wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day!

There have been nationwide internet outages since Friday night which has been a pain but I’m glad the problem seems to be sorting itself out. With everything being computerised these days it shows how reliant we are on digital technology.

Hope you enjoyed reading about some of the happenings from my week, would love to hear about yours too!

Chanelle x