Amazing Advertisers || September 2013

Aloha Sprinklerions, 

Good grief, where did the summer go?! And how have we reached that time of year yet again in which we are able to start the Christmas countdown?! I say it every month, but my jolly did this month wizz past! I am pleased to report though, we are officially into autumn, hurrah! And along with a new season I have some wonderful advertisers this month that I am pleased as punch to be sharing with you! 

Let's get reading, shall we? 

Source

Luxury Beauty Company

The Luxury Beauty Company is an online beauty shore providing us with hours of online product ogling, wish list making and the excitement of waiting for the postman to deliver new beauty treasures! The Luxury Beauty Company finds exciting products from around the globe, offering a wider selection for all our beauty related needs (a girl can never have too much choice!) I would personally regard the Luxury Beauty Company as a high end store, the products look beautifully packaged and full of ingredients my face and body would love (I’m looking at you, you beautiful skincare treasures!) I suggest we all treat ourselves to a thing or two from the Luxury Beauty Company next month!

Life Is Worth The Fight

Stacie is a long term advertiser with Sprinkle of Glitter and once again her blog has brightened up a few dreary afternoons this month! Stacie is a strong gal and I love her positive attitude towards life despite her illness. As well as keeping us up to date with her wait for shiny new organs, this month Stacie has shared her adventure and snaps to the Harry Potter Studio Tour (brownie points to Stacie for being a Harry Potter lover!) and also the good news that she is soon to be Channel 4 famous, so well done Stacie! Hop on over and show Stacie some blogging support, you won't regret it!

Daydream In Blue

Tom has advertised with Sprinkle of Glitter a few times now and I am never left disappointed when I hop on over to have a gander. This month Tom shared his love for autumn with us which makes me love him a little bit more (well all know how much I love the cosy months.) His autumnal snaps were beautiful, as is all his photography and I look forward to ogling over more of his photography in future! If you’d like to spice up your blogging reads a little I suggest you give Tom a whirl, he writes well and offers a refreshing read (not to mention some of you ladies may find him easy on the eye too.)

Sophie Jane

Sophie is a regular advertiser with Sprinkle of Glitter, offering a variety of posts for us to enjoy. Whilst Sophie’s beauty and lifestyle posts this month have been  (as always) a joy to read,  especially her lovely review of Zoe chummy’s sunglasses for Detour, I have particularly enjoyed her culinary posts, Sophie is quite the little chef don’t ya know! It’s been treats galore on her blog this month with two different cookie recipes, not to mention her breakfast post with the beautiful looking pancakes I ever did see! I suggest we all pop on our aprons and learn a thing or two about baking from Sophie, she’s the hostess with the mostess! Mm I want a cookie now.

The Lovely Raindrop

The Lovely Raindrop is a sparkly little jewellery shop over on my beloved Etsy offering us a variety of beautiful accessories! If you have magpie like tendencies like me then you will love The Lovely Raindrop! They sell the most charming dainty necklaces (I am particularly in love with the birdy designs) as well as rings and bracelets, not to mention there is currently a sale! If you’d like to buy something sparkly to ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’ at then I recommend a visit to The Lovely Raindrop, you won’t be disappointed!

Daisy Dear

Daisy Dear is another new advertiser with Sprinkle of Glitter this month, as well as being a newbie to the blogging world, so let’s all give her a warm welcome! Daisy is a beauty blogger and having read through her last few posts I am excited to see what products and pretties she raves about in the future. Her blog design pleases me immensely; I do enjoy a good quirky hand drawn design! You can never have too many beauty blogs to admire, so let’s all show Daisy some blogging love! 

Liv Loves

Liv Loves is a lifestyle blog written by the lovely Olivia, a newbie with Sprinkle of Glitter this month! Over the last few weeks Olivia has shared with us her love of country music and church attendance as well as (my personal favourite) some teddy bears wearing One Direction tshirts! Who doesn't need a One Direction teddy bear in their life?! I look forward to reading the future posts Olivia provides for us and hope she gets just as much joy out of this blogging adventure as I do!

All Sorts And Anecdotes

All Sorts and Anecdotes is written by Lynsey, a beautiful full fringe puller offer (I do love a good fringe) who has advertised with Sprinkle of Glitter before and I am very glad to have discovered her little space on the interwebs! Lynsey’s blog is filled with lifestyle and beauty related posts and this month I have particularly enjoyed reading her introductory post about Pout (a skincare brand I am intrigued by) and her love of Pinterest, it’s refreshing to see someone else share their favourite pinning snaps! Lynsey's blog makes for a lovely relaxing read, I thoroughly recommend a browse!

The Paper Emporium

Oh my giddy aunt! I don’t know where to begin in expressing my love for this slice of online heaven! The Paper Emporium is another online shop advertising with Sprinkle of Glitter this month and I'm pleased as punch to have come across the treasures it beholds! The Paper Emporium (owned by the exceptionally talented Amy) sells couture stationery (we all know how much I love my stationery) for all your fancy wrapping, gifting and greeting card needs. In fact I would now like all my friends to get engaged and start wedding planning please so I can bombard them with Amy’s beautiful selection of wedding stationary. Event planning shall never be boring again! Have a gallivant over to The Paper Emporium and ogle over Amy’s creative stationery!

And that's your lot for this month I'm afraid! I hope you've enjoyed my September advertisers as much as I have! 

Toodlepip! 

xx

Relationships with Boys || Monday Insights #3

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

With any luck you read THIS post from a couple of weeks ago and fully understand what is going on here. If not, in a nutshell, every Monday you are given a topic to freely ask whatever you like about and I will answer the next week. Hopefully the topics provided will be of interest to both of us and we'll both learn something new. Plus, it's a great opportunity to be totally nosey. --- We can put a man on the moon but blogger can't centralise this!

Last week I asked you what you wanted to know about Relationships with Boys (you might want to call them guys/men etc, it's all the same to me) and so now is the time to answer all your questions. As always, I'm no expert on the matter, I'm just a woman who has led her own life and these are the answers I would give to a friend, sister or cousin. You get the jist. 

These week I've cut it down to 15 questions, otherwise we would be here for fifty years and you all have lives to lead!

Relationships With Boys

What do you think about boys being "out of your league"? Is that a real thing?

At university I studied something called the Social Exchange Theory. It suggests that everybody wants to be with someone who they view as roughly equal to or better than them. This depends on what you place value on though. Things you might value could be personality, looks, wealth, etc. So, technically, I think there might be such a thing as 'leagues', but, since they are so subjective, I would try not to focus on them and be the best person you can. Nothing is more attractive than a fun, confident, happy girl. 

Once you've friendship zoned a boy you used to like, do you think it is ever possible to go back to having feelings for him again?

Yes. What you want changes through time and circumstances so you never know how you're going to feel in the future. 

I have just started dating a boy and now my ex is spreading rumours about me that are not true to people in my school, I'm afraid my boyfriend will think its all true. Any advice on this?

Have a chat with your current boyfriend to tell him that this is happening. Explain to him that the rumours aren't true and ask him to be supportive of you during what might well be a difficult time. If your ex is mature enough (and it sounds like he isn't), speak to him calmly face to face and ask him to stop this behaviour because it is petty and hurtful. If he doesn't or he wants an argument, hold your head high, walk away and rest peacefully in the knowledge that they are lies.

How did your relationship change with having Darcy at what many would regard as a young age?

Having a baby changed my relationship with Matt from man and woman to Mummy and Daddy. It was also a very steep learning curve which I think all parents endure, regardless of age.  I think two years down the line we are back to just being man and woman to each other as parenting has slotted so easily into our lives. We were very ready to become parents as Darcy was a planned addition to our family so the age issue was much less of a big deal than it could have been if she were a surprise. 

My problem is that I really like a boy who already has a girlfriend and I've liked him for 9 months now. What should I do? 

This isn't going to sound fun but I would say- walk away. If he has a girlfriend then he is off the market and I'm afraid you can't have him. Remove your focus from him and think about the other boys you know/just have fun with your friends and family. I know that isn't going to be easy but it would be the honourable thing to do. Sorry :(

Did you know Matt was going to propose? Or was is a total surprise?

I kind of knew because we had discussed it a few months prior and I had pointed out a ring. I didn't know which night or how he was going to do it though. 

I am 18, I never had a boyfriend. This stresses me out a lot. What should I do?

Stop letting it stress you out. It WILL happen. When I was 19 I sat at my Auntie's table and cried because I thought nobody fancied me and I would be a spinster and die alone. Six weeks later I was with Matt and the rest is history. Point is, you never know what's around the corner so enjoy today and let love happen. Oohh what a cliche that was!

Do you ever think you can go back to being friends with someone you were in a relationship with if you were friends first?

Personally I don't but I know a lot of people who are. I think it really depends on the type of people you are and how/why you broke up. Good luck if you are trying to!

My question is have you/how would you get over a boy you really liked but are only friends with and are never going to be more?

This is such a hard one and I have been there. Good old unrequited love. The first step is acceptance. Sometimes you just can't have your own way. It's hard and you feel rejected and angry but ultimately, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. If you are really struggling to come to terms with it, spend less time (if not zero time) with him and cut down on contact. Alternatively, you could let yourself like someone else and you'll soon find you get over that old crush pretty quickly. I'm not saying paper over the cracks with someone new, but maybe open your mind to the possibility of someone new. 

I like one of my close guy friends, who I think used to like me a while ago but I'm not sure if he still does. What should I do? 

If you're brave- tell him how you feel. If you're not- hint. A LOT. I love a bit of risk so I'd just out and out say it. It could turn out REALLY well! 

Did you ever feel isolated getting married at a relatively young age? I'm engaged at 21 and while my friends are excited and happy for me, none of them are at a point in their lives where marriage is in there immediate future, so it's hard to relate to them (or anyone else my age) on that topic.

I totally understand where you are coming from and yes, I have felt isolated. If all your friends are footloose and fancy free, it can feel like you are living in a different world. Just remember though, you have lived in that world and chose this one over it. Eventually some of your friends will catch up to your life milestones and you can all enjoy them together. Until then, focus on all the things you love about being engaged but still make plenty of time to play with your friends (just without the naughty boy fun!). 

How do you know when it's 'right' to move in with your significant other? And do you have any tips for moving into your own place with someone?

I think I wanted to move in with Matt when we realised we were spending every day and night together anyway and that flatmates were just getting in the way haha. The first few months of living together were HELLISH. Seriously, it was nearly the death of us. Every little thing we did annoyed the other one and it took quite some patience to adjust to each others ways. I wish I had gone into co-habitation knowing that because I think I would have amended my expectations accordingly. Go in to it with your expectations low and your patience high and you'll end up pleasantly surprised. 

After being repeatedly rejected in the last couple of years, my self esteem and confidence have taken a major turn for the worse. How do I feel "good enough" and confident again?

Cheesy as it sounds, have some 'you time'. Focus on doing what makes you happy. Pursue hobbies, treat yourself to a curly blowdry, spend sunday mornings in bed with croissants reading books, enjoy life. Once you are doing this and you have learnt to love yourself and enjoy your own company, you'll feel a whole lot more confident. What is more sexy than a woman who knows what she's about?? Not much. I hope you feel better soon. You are absolutely 'good enough' xxx

What are some cool date ideas for teens dating? My boyfriend and I have been dating for 3 years, and I'm running out of cute little ideas!

When we were dating in the early days and had hardly any mulas we got inventive. We started doing this thing called the '£1 Date' (which was more like a fiver actually) and it went like this- cook a frozen pizza, slice it, put it in foil (you need to like cold pizza for this to work), take 2 bottles of fanta and put them in your coat pockets. Take tea light candles and matches, put the foil parcel in your handbag and head down to somewhere cute with a bench (we used to go to the Albert Docks in Liverpool if you know it). When you get there, set up your candles, eat pizza, chink your fanta bottles together and enjoy your date night. Cute cute cute. 

What do you think is the most important thing in a relationship? Love, compatibility, trust etc.

Everyone is different on this but for me it's trust. Not just trusting the other one not to run off with some floozy (how old am I saying, 'floozy'), but trust that what they say is what they mean and trust that what you say won't be judged. I trust that Matt doesn't think my jibbly post-baby stomach is horrid and I trust that he didn't think less of me that time I cried because I couldn't park the car. You have to trust that you can just entirely be yourself around them and also trust yourself that they can be theirs. Ahhhhh smooshy. 

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And that concludes this weeks answering portion of Monday Insights. I hope some of those answers have been of help to some of you and apologise if I didn't get to give your question some love. Hopefully next time!!

Next week's topic will be :

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE 

That's VERY broad so I look forward to seeing what you ask. Remember, you can ask anything about me or anything surrounding the topic.

Toodlepip!

xx

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - The Luxury Beauty Company. Click HERE for more info. 

Happy 4th Blogday!

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Four years ago, on this exact date, I typed into google, 'Free Blog'. A couple of hours and a lot of tinkering later, Sprinkle of Glitter was born and a whole new chapter of my life had begun.

Yep, that is me at 4 years old. Who knew this whole Glitter World would come out of that little head. *Feels proud*

Having this blog has been such a positive exercise for me. It has encouraged me to see the good in so many situations, to value the things I have, to document the important and mundane moments of my life and it has also given me a constant, when other areas of life have been rocky. Naturally I haven't always shared those scary or sad phases of life on here, but over the space of 4 years, nobodies life is perfect. Safe to say though, I'm a happy little clam. 

What I have enjoyed most about working on this blog is the community that has grown around it. I know I harp on about it just about every time I can but really, it means a lot to me. It means that people are engaged in positive thinking, it means that friendships are made, it means that people are being helped (I see a lot of help between you in the comments and support is often offered to people with queries or concerns) and it means, rather selfishly I suppose, that I never ever feel alone.

Last year on my third blog birthday I said this - 

"So, like last year, Happy Birthday little blog. What a journey we've been on! First year a wedding, second year a baby, third year a business, fourth year a ...... . Who knows where we'll go next? I hope you will come with me." 

I think this year the celebration is going to be FRIENDS. This year through blogging and vlogging (the two go very much hand in hand for me), I have made so many new friends and had so many exciting adventures with them. I could go on and on but I think that might be for another post. If you follow Sprinkle of Glitter avidly you'll know who they are. 

As is tradition now -

So, like last year, Happy Birthday little blog. What a journey we've been on! First year a wedding, second year a baby, third year a business, fourth year friends, fifth year a ....... What do you think will come next?

I'm so looking forward to the next 12 months and am excited to see what they will bring us. As always, I'll keep you updated every step of the way. What do you think will be the 5th thing??

I'm off to celebrate now! See you on Monday!!

Toodlepip!

xx

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser - The Luxury Beauty Company. Click HERE for more info. 

PS- 4 years down the line and blogger still decides not to centralise type sometimes. YAY technology.