The joys of Paperchase

Oh how I love Paperchase and The Works.

I know, how incredibly sad? As a 27 year old, surely I should be excited by the idea of going shopping for shoes at John Lewis or a pretty dress at Debenhams, but nope. The other day I went shopping and spent hours (really!) at Paperchase and The Works.

So, Paperchase is my all time favourite, but sometimes I just can't justify the price - and that's where The Works comes in handy.


As you can see, quite a few things have a "£1" or "Buy 3 for £5" sticker on them.

I could easily spend a fortune in Paperchase, on things I really don't need. Here are a few things I love but haven't bought...yet.







Birds on Wire notebook

Dreamscape Snack Set

Indigo Dreams Ceramic Teacup

Bison with Feather Headdress Card

Crayon Yellow Ball Point Pen

I don't need any of these, but I do love them all the same. And as I gave them my email address in the shop the other day, I get 15% off my next purchase. Hmm, what to buy?


Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Night Meatballs

Recently I read about Friday Night Meatballs. A craze started by a woman from Philadelphia last year, and I love the idea.

Last year she sent an invite to all her Facebook friends, saying that every Friday night, she and her husband would prepare a meal and that they were all (up to ten people!) invited. All they had to do was let the hosts know by Thursday night if they could make it and show up with either wine, dessert or a side. Simple but brilliant.

It feels like we've lost the art of entertaining. Everything seems to have to be perfect and that puts a lot of people off the idea of hosting.

Don't get me wrong I looove preparing for a shindig at ours, and tend to go all out...

...but it shouldn't have to be this perfect every time.

What's wrong with inviting people over for something as simple (but delicious!) as spaghetti and meatballs, no grand table displays, no gift bags, possibly not even a super clean house? All that matters is that people get together, get to know each other and enjoy their Friday nights together.

I'm not sure how the Other Half would feel about me inviting people over every Friday night as it's his favourite time of the week - come home, TV, beer and pizza.

There's nothing wrong with that, and I really would hate to disrupt his tradition as he enjoys it so much, but maybe I could introduce it once a month, and see how it goes?

It sounds so ridiculously simple, but I love it. Simple. Cheap. Effective. Have any of you started anything similar?

25 random things

Recently I came across an article that mentioned the 25 facts craze that was around a few years ago.

I completely missed it and so thought, as it's a brand spanking New Year, I'd give it a go now. It was waaay harder than I thought it'd be. So, here goes...

1. I love collecting pretty rocks on the beach and now I have a LOT. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of them, but I'm just drawn to them everywhere I go.

2. I hate talking with people on the phone, and find it very tiresome. Sorry mum and dad!

3. I absolutely love watching fireworks and will stand in the good old British weather for hours to enjoy them.

4. I read every single page in a book, from the dedication at the front, to the thank yous at the back. I have no idea why, I just do.

5. I love candles and go through a million (maybe not quite!) of them a year. There's nothing better than coming home, putting the heating on and lighting a few candles. Relax.

6. I wish my brother lived round the corner. Not in Sydney. Boo!

7. I don't know exactly how much I earn (not much!), but love that I don't really know. There are more important things in life than money.

8. I need a lot of time to myself or I can go a teeny bit crazy.

9. I also love the thought of spending the whole weekend on my own, until about 3pm on the Saturday, and then I crave some company and can feel extremely lonely and sad.

10. I try to do some sort of craft project every day. This can be anything from folding a quick origami crane to doing a full blown string art project. It's more likely to be the first option if I'm honest.

11. My full time job is translating from English to Welsh. I enjoy my job and never really dread the thought of going to work BUT I'd absolutely love to have a job that involved and element of creativity.

12. I write a ridiculous amount of lists and sometimes need a list for my lists. Please tell me I'm not the only one?

13. I cycle to work at least three times a week, depending on the weather. I love the freedom, but sometimes also love the bus (did I just say that?) so I can have half an hour to myself to read before work.

14. I go home to North Wales around six times a year, but wish I had the time to go more often. Damn you A470!

15. I, despite being a woman, find it impossible to multitask. Don't expect an answer when I'm cooking, watching television, reading...

16. I've been with the Other Half for over six years, and we met through Match.com. He hates to admit this, but I really don't care - we're still together!

17. If I'm nervous, I play with my ear or earring. The Other Half always comments on this little quirk of mine.

18. I've written a diary every day since I was 9, which means I have 18 diaries. Woo, I feel old.

19. A surprising amount of people call me 'Welshi', because I'm just so damn Welsh.

20. I am the clumsiest person in the world and always have at least a couple of bruises on me and have no idea where they've come from. My latest was a big black smudge on my arm - a lovely addition to my pretty Christmas dresses.

21. I'm obsessed with yellow. The only rooms in the house which have been (half!) decorated are yellow based. Our bedroom has yellow curtains, lampshade, cushion and throw, and I've just painted the kitchen a bright shade of yellow. I love it.

22. My favourite book ever is Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières.

23. I wear pants over my tights - no, not to be like Superman, but to keep my tights from sliding down and being uncomfortable. Surely I'm not the only one that does this?

24. I treat my 'Notes' app as a 'fun' app that I check as often as Facebook or Instagram - I just love ticking things off my list...

25. If I could have one skill that I'm amazing at, I'd love to be able to draw.

So, do you feel like you know me better? Or maybe I've just managed to freak you out by how random I can be at times? Either way, this was fun!

New Year Resolutions

This year, I have ten resolutions I'd like to stick to. Possibly a little ambitious, but we'll see...

1.       Be Siân

So, I’m always Siân, but sometimes I find myself apologising or lying about something I’ve done, purely because I’m a little embarrassed by it. What’s wrong with wearing an unflattering (but oh so comfy) big grey jumper whilst doing cross stitch and planning a trip to all the local charity shops? Nothing. I think I’m pretty damn cool.

2.       Drink less

Right, I’ve tried doing this one before and have always always failed. That glass of white wine after work is just too tempting. However, this year I plan on making a real effort. The Other Half and I have agreed to have a ‘dry January’ to start us off, in the hope we’ll see the benefits and keep it up, or at least cut down on our nights out. I’m thrilled already as on our first alcohol-free weekend we (ahem, I!) painted the kitchen, we (hmmm, he!) put shelves up, we went out and bought several lampshades and other bits and pieces for the house, we had a meal out and went to the cinema. And it all probably cost less, or maybe the same, as a night out in Cardiff.

3.       Watch less TV

I’ve also tried to stick to this one many times before and always fail. As you might remember, I gave this a pretty good go a few months ago and managed to get so much more out of my evenings without TV. However, a nasty cold, along with Christmas, meant I slipped back into the old routine. Get home, change, make food, and watch TV. That’s it. This year I really want to change this.

4.       Stops ‘saving up’ fun activities for the weekend

I’m not sure why I do this, but I do. I have a ridiculously long list of things I want to do - a variety of craft projects, new baking recipes I want to try, and films I want to watch. But, for some reason, I clear my list of things that need doing during the week and hope I have time on the weekend to do what I want to do. It never happens. I end up being too tired, and watch TV all weekend, and am seriously annoyed on Sunday night when I haven’t accomplished anything. I can change this, easily…I hope.

5.       Do less chores

Maybe most of you would’ve put ‘do more chores’ but as mentioned in number 4, I concentrate waaay too much on the things that ‘need’ doing when, in reality, nothing ‘needs’ doing. I need to relax and let things go. The kitchen doesn’t have to be cleaned today. The hoovering can wait another few days. Chill out, you’re turning into your mother! Gasp! ;-)

6.       Stop feeling guilty

I do this a lot. And for silly little things. I feel guilty if I leave the house for a few hours on the weekend when the Other Half would like to spend time with me. He could’ve come with me. I feel guilty for not calling home. Mum and dad could’ve called me. I need to relinquish some responsibility so I have a better sense of balance.

7.       Stop procrastinating

I tend to think of all the things I want to do, make a list and then do nothing about it. If I’ve thought of something fun to do or somewhere interesting to go, just do it. Don’t wait around for the ‘perfect’ time to do it. Which leads on to…

8.       It doesn’t have to be perfect.

I have a bad habit of not starting something until I’m well and truly prepared. For example, I had an idea last year to start writing a book that contained all my favourite recipes and craft projects. Nothing fancy, but I thought it might be something any children I might have in the future would like – almost like a food/craft/idea diary. I went out and bought a pretty leather book. And it’s still empty. What’s the point of waiting and waiting for the ‘right time’ – it’s better to do something that’s alright than to not do it at all.

9.       Eat better

A couple of years ago I lost 23 lbs through Weight Watchers. It was a lot of work counting points and getting up early to do some exercise but I was full of energy, looked and felt better. I swore I’d never put any weight back on.  However, I managed to put an impressive 24 lbs back on!
I’m not really that fat but I feel sluggish and lack energy, and never really love what I’m wearing because I could do with losing a few pounds. So, here we go – I’m determined to lose a bit of weight but am being realistic about this – a stone would be good.

10.   Make an effort with my friends

This shouldn’t really require any effort, but being a bit of an introvert I find it difficult to accept invitations. My friends (my lovely ladies!) are great but I let them down quite a bit and don’t show up. I must do better, because every single time I seem them, I go home feeling better than when I got there. I just need to remember that.

So those are my resolutions. Not sure how many I’ll stick to, but it’d be amazing if I could wouldn’t it? Let me know what you’re promising for 2015.

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