Amazing Advertisers || December 2013

Aloha Sprinklerinos! 

Oh my giddy aunt! I can't actually believe it is Christmas Eve Eve already!! Where has December gone?!

Before we open our stockings, eat our Christmas chocolates and wave a final goodbye to 2013 I have the wonderful joy of introducing you to December's Amazing Advertisers! I've got some crackers for you this month!! (Christmas pun intended!) 

Festive glass of milk anyone?
Source

Adventures of an Anglophile

Andini Ria is a returning advertiser with Sprinkle of Glitter and I am pleased as punch to have her join us once again, I well and truly fell in love with her blog back in October!  As well as having ultra cool dip dye hair (a girl after my own heart) Andini Ria has a fabulous fashion sense, a waist line that I’m slightly jealous of and a definite knack for blogging! If you’re looking for a blog to ogle at and admire for its fashion, Adventures Of An Anglophile is the one for you!

Aley’s Virtual Gym

If you’ve already decided that getting healthy, losing weight or toning that derriere is on your resolutions list for the New Year then I thoroughly recommend hitting that ‘follow’ button on Aley’s Virtual Gym, you won’t regret it!! After having lost an almighty 90 pounds herself (well done you!!) Aley has created her own fitness blog in order to help others on the road to a tip top healthy lifestyle. Yummy recipes, fitness tips and brilliant motivation – it’s all happening on Aley’s Virtual Gym!

Lipgloss and Crayons

Lipgloss and Crayons is a ‘bit of everything’ type blog written by yummy mummy Carly. Firstly a massive congratulations is in order for Carly as she welcomed gorgeous baby Lydia Grace into the world this month, she’s a right cutie! And if growing another human being isn’t impressive (and exhausting) enough, Carly also shared some brilliant posts this month, my personal favourite being the recipe for mint chocolate M&M moon pies (mmm chocolate) and snapshots of Lydia’s nursery. I’m excited for mummy posts from Carly in the near future and I hope you all hop on over, coo over baby Lydia and share the blogging love!

Beauty in Beta

The sheer fact that cats made it into the description banner of Beauty in Beta instantly gets me instantly excited! That’s even before you have a read through and discover how fabulous Beth and her blog are. As well as loving the current Christmasy design Beauty in Beta is rocking I have also enjoyed Beth’s post muchly, particularly the FBTO (festive blog take over) – a great way to discover new blogs, as well as screen shots of her adorable, squishable cat and red lip snaps. If anyone can rock a red lip, it’s Beth! Go on over feline/non feline lovers, you will love it.

Liv Loves

Olivia is a good egg and I love having her with me on Sprinkle of Glitter, Liv is relatively new to blogging and I’ve really enjoyed following her on her journey so far. I’ve expressed my love for Liv’s creative approach to blogging in the past and I look forward to hopping on over and having a browse. This month Olivia has been a busy bee with assignments (which I hope went well) and it seems like she’s got some real treats in store for us in the New Year! Macaroon recipe?! Yes please!

Amy Grace

Amy has been a long time advertiser with Sprinkle of Glitter in past months and she’s a fabulous gal to have on your blog feed I tell ya! I am a particular fan of Amy’s beauty posts, therefore you can imagine my excitement when I read she had ordered the Naked 3 palette, I’m crossing fingers and toes for tutorials!! Amy Grace is pleasing on the eyeballs and I promise you won’t be disappointed, she’s a beautiful gal that Amy!

Course Craft

Well this is something a little bit different and exciting isn’t it?! Course Craft is an online community which allows you to undertake an e-course created by fellow pals on the interwebs! You can create a course for yourself which others can partake in and enjoy. You’re able to earn some pennies whilst doing something you love and teaching others to love it to, a pretty nifty concept don’t you agree? It seems you’re able to create any e-course of your dreams, from baking to business to calligraphy! It’s all happening on Course Craft! 

And that is all for December advertisers!! A fab selection(box) of blogs I think we can all agree! 

Toodlepip! 

xx

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

Ultimate Advertiser -Aley's Virtual Gym/. Click HERE for more info.

Quiet Monday Update

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

It's been a little over 10 days but I feel like I have been absent for eons. It feels really weird to not be blogging regularly because whilst to you it is just a bit of text and an image on a screen, to me it is a constant thought process, always being aware of possible photo opportunities, thinking how my life can tie into something I might like to share or document and then all the techy stuff like editing and uploading. Blogging is a big deal.

(A little bit of recent baby love. Look at that little hand sneaking round. I love being her Mama)

I haven't been away for any terrific reasons, other than I have been focusing my energies in other directions. I thought I would hop on today, whilst the house is quiet and my brain is ticking over and update you on all the things happening around here. Therapeutic for me, informative for you. Win win. Shakes booty* with excitement.

Where do I start? Let's go in catagories. 

YouTube

This month I committed to doing Vlogmas. Vlogmas is where you upload a video (vlog) every day of Christmas, which in Vlogmas terms is the entirety of December. So far I have averaged about 1 every 3 days and I'm pretty cool with that. I just wanted to capture sweet little moments of my favourite month and I think I have done that. Videos are going up on my second channel, Sprinkle of Chatter.

I am still uploading regular weekly videos on my main channel, Sprinkle of Glitter, and am pleased to notice that I am nearly at 1 Million subscribers over there. If and when that milestone is reached, I will do a dedicated post on what it means to me. Spoiler - It will mean A LOT. If you'd like to help push me there, feel free to SUBSCRIBE. *blushes at cheeky little plug*

Social Media In General

Well, I've been a bit meeehhh with it. For the most part I love being tuned in to twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, bloglovin etc, but for a few days I have enjoyed stepping back and experiencing the moment. I have watched Darcy do things with my actual eyes, rather than the view finder of a camera and I have just eaten meals, rather than snap pictures for an insta. It's kind of nice just to be in life rather than constantly documenting it. That's not to say I won't tune in again, but like waves on sand, my interest in social media ebbs and flows. 

Also, at this most festive time of year, a lot of our activities centralise round friends and family who are not as keen to be on the internet as we are. 

Family

As always, Darcy is being the delight and dream of the month. I uploaded THIS video of her being a Lookbook wizz and am glad to see such positive feedback. 

She is learning to grasp the concept of Christmas and is loving all the paraphernalia that runs with it. We bought her a little nativity set as we are Christians and want her to value the birth of Jesus, but she keeps making jet ski barbie ride the lamb, so it's an unusual setup. 

Matt and I haven't spent a lot of time together recently but have made plans for all kinds of things over the next fortnight. It's funny how you can live in the same house as someone and not really speak too much. It's true when they say you have to work at a relationship. I can't wait for all our Christmas plans and to keep up with our family traditions. I've mentioned them before but with any luck I will do a separate post on them again this year. Yay. 

Personal

Still blonde, still a bit of a chub, still loving anything that sparkles. I'm adoring all the glitzy statement necklaces that are in vogue at the moment and relishing in the excuse to wear as much glitter as possible and label it 'festive'. 

I'm drooling over pinterest and wishing I had the motivation to make my house look as amazing as the ones on there. 

I picked up a couple of new dresses from the Molly range in Oasis yesterday and was pleased as punch that the size 16's fit. I'm usually an 18 and this means Oasis is a shop I don't find much in but that was a happy surprise. This past weekend excluded, I have been working on eating less junk food and fuelling myself with good things. In the new year I plan to go full steam ahead and learn much healthier eating habits. Not necessarily to loose weight, but to feel fitter, fresher and to go cray cray in more clothes shops haha. 

Last week I bought a new camera so once I drag myself out of this fug then I'll be snapping away like there's no tomorrow and you'll be wishing we were on a blog break again!

And that about sums things up. Nothing drastic, nothing wild, just my little glitter life. Ooooeeeee I do love a good catch up post! I have a few exciting things planned for 2014 so I'm looking forward to sharing those with you, but in the meantime, keep an eye on my twitter and youtube channels to keep up with everything going on and thank you from the bottom of my little pink heart for being such wonderful Sprinklerinos.

Tell me in the comments what you have been up to this last few weeks or what you have planned between now and Christmas Day!!

Toodlepip!

xx

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

Ultimate Advertiser -Aley's Virtual Gym/. Click HERE for more info.

*If you follow Tyler Oakley on Twitter, that will make absolute sense to you. 

Florida 2013 in Photos

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

It's been a long time coming but at last, I have edited the snaps I took during our family holiday to Florida a few weeks back. Considering my passion for photography, I took surprisingly few pictures because I chose to focus primarily on experiencing each moment (and, of course I filmed it too haha) so this is just a glimpse into all the fun. 

I would quite happily book another holiday and spend every minute taking pictures of every little detail the whole place was so amazing. I can absolutely see why families spend thousands of pounds every year to go.

Warning - not all the pictures are in order. Sorry!

This is my favourite picture from the entire batch so of course, this had to go first. Watching Darcy enjoy the day time parade was my absolute highlight of the trip. Seeing her face delight in all the familiar characters and watching her tiny hands wave and point in glee was just one of those moments that as a parent you treasure for always. She still talks about seeing 'Sinnerwella' and I still smile. 

Despite a decade age gap, me and my little sister (or Lister as I like to call her) are just as much friends as sisters and I love being on holiday with her. I hope we carry on doing things like this in years to come. This is us waiting for I think the ET ride, which Lister hated. She can watch the most scary films but put ET on and she's outta there!

Oh hai there that man I married. How charming you look in glasses.  

Darcy meeting Curious George and thinking he was the coolest thing ever. She went straight over and was happy to sit on his lap (with dolly and blankie too of course). 

Tina (Dad's partner) and Ben (Tina's son and so my step-brother) having a moment with George.  

I have no idea who this was meant to be but she was so sweet to Darcy (no pun intended) and totally rocked pink hair.  

After a day in Universal Studios (highlights including Darcy meeting Dora the Explorer, Matt enjoying the Transformers ride and me eating my weight in popcorn *drools*) we meandered out of the park and to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. If you ever have the opportunity to go, do. I'm not really a music person (I like it on the in the car and such but I couldn't tell you anything about who does what etc) but I thought the atmosphere was really good and the service was excellent. Also, I'm told it's a Christian British company- who knew? Not me!

What I love most about the above is the lady in pink living it up there. Haha. 

Be still my beating heart, it's Disney. Main street is MAGICAL.  

My little bug watching the Good Morning parade thingymajiggy.  

I could have spent all day just looking at things in main street. Every tiny detail was beautifully done and cared for. More time please! 

Matt took this from across the road as we watched Mickey and a few other characters come down on floats. Oh, and the random native american guy there. You might have noticed Darcy's costume change too. We forked out the $64 (whhaatt?!?!) to buy her the most beautiful Ariel dress and honestly, her reaction when we put it on her in the shop was worth $6400. She was THRILLED and pointed it out to us ALL DAY. What made it even more special was that all the disney cast members greeted her as 'Ariel' as we went round the park and really made Darcy feel amazing.  

Mosiac inside Cinderella's castle. Again, something to spend more time admiring in the future.  

I love this shot of Darcy, my Dad and Tina. She is a very well loved child.  

This is Hollie our new(ish) step-sister. Her and Tiyana are so close in age and get on perfectly so they were often in their own little world of searching out free wifi (seriously, they're obsessed) and going on rides.  

In America they have these cereal/snack bar things called 'Cliff Bars'. Next time I'm out there I'm stocking up because she bloomin' well loved them and they were the perfect treat to tide her over between main meals. Also, we told her they were biscuits so she thought she was getting lucky. Mwahaha.  

'The Kids' (who aren't really all kids) waiting for the parade. We guarded that scrap of pavement like crazies.  

Gargh I wanna squish all 4 of those sweet faces! 

Yeah, I know, super close up. I wanted to crop out all the other random people and I couldn't leave this picture out because LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY BOTH ARE. That is all.  

Darcy's most special moment. Cinderella looked right at us and waved. Darcy squealed. I die.  

 My most specials. 

Splash Mountain was shut and so the rest of our group went off to go on something else (I forget what). Top tip for you though, if you walk past the entrance to the ride, under the bridge there is a little kiddie play area in the shade which is a welcome break for tots who have been in the sun all day and a great place for parents to sit down and take a breather. Right round the corner (by the loos, benches and drinking fountains), there were Jesse and Woody meeting guests. It was well tucked away so the queue was small and it was a great way to spend an easy 30 minutes before we joined up with everyone. 

 I'd heard that if you shout, 'Andy's coming!' then the Toy Story characters drop to the ground and play dead. Not true anymore. They had to stop that for health and safety and the line is, 'they know Andy is at collage now so it isn't an issue anymore'. 

Waiting for the evening parade and fireworks display.  

Amazing. I took over 100 photos but didn't want to throw them all on here but seriously, it was the best fireworks and lights display I've ever seen. Darcy was enthralled, happy and ready for home. 

Being the science geeks we are, Nasa Kennedy Space Centre was our next day out. If you are into things like this, I'd really recommend making the drive and going out there. You can take a bus tour all round Cape Canaveral and drive right up to (and get out to photograph) the real launch pads, buildings the space craft are assembled in and listen to talks from retired astronauts.  

It's not a day for rides and popcorn but it's so interesting and I think it's important to know about the developments we are making in space exploration and to appreciate the work that NASA does. Also, the centre is a lot less busy than the theme parks so if you need a bit of chilled time, this is the place to go. It was one of my best days. 

This part is where I should be showing you pictures of our day at Seaworld. I recently put a snap up on Instagram of Darcy looking at a polar bear and the comments section went wild with debate over whether Seaworld is ethical. I have since done a little bit of research and have decided not to feature any Seaworld pictures and will not be returning to the park. I am glad they seek to provide a message of education and promote ways to protect the oceans but feel deeply sad for the way the whales were captured in the 80's and don't think it's right to keep wild animals in tanks. We don't visit zoos for this same reason. I'm not sorry I went there because if I hadn't have gone I wouldn't have had an opinion but I don't think I will be returning. 

Anyway, serious part done, Islands of Adventure!! 

Matt and is ultimate hero.  

Honeydukes in Hogwarts.  

A rare find- healthy food in a theme park. If you are travelling with littles and you want them to eat healthily (Darcy doesn't have pizza, burgers, chips etc which is mostly what was on the menu) then pack plenty of snacks/sandwiches and keep your eyes peeled for the fruit stands. The fruit we bought was fresh and cold and lovely.  

We on the other hand didn't eat so healthily. Churro after being soaked on a water ride anyone? 

Darcy feeling very daring in a flying fish.  

And then on a flying pink elephant.  

My little photographer back at the hotel. 

And then it was a few last shops (sweets are essential you know) and back to the airport.  

Darcy found a unique place to hang out whilst we waited to board, haha.

And that's that!

I want to write a whole post on Travelling with Toddlers in the New Year (December is fully booked with Vlogmas- eeep!) and of course there will be the Florida vlogs but for now, those are a selection of our snaps.

Ermigerhd that was the BEST holiday ever. I've been to America with my family many times over the years but due to the nature of my turbulent childhood family life, it was always with different mother figures or siblings and there were always rows or disagreements or horrible feelings. Living in a 'blended family' (I LOVE that term) can be really challenging and pose a lot of problems (as I have well experienced) but at last, after twenty years, I think our family is happy and peaceful and as it should be. I couldn't be more thankful for Tina, Ben and Hollie, especially as they arrived just as Darcy did and so Darcy will only ever know the good times and will never have tasted the bad. Long may it continue!!

I'd love to know your experiences of holidaying in large groups or with families, or with littles like Darcy! Tell me in the comments!

Toodlepip!

xx

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

Ultimate Advertiser - A Midnight Wonderland. Click HERE for more info.