new year's resolutions

Now, it's coming to that time of year where people tend to start thinking about their New Year's resolutions. It's fact - and just pure common knowledge - that the most popular resolution is LOSE WEIGHT. I'm not proud to admit that this has been a recurring resolution for me for the past, say, five years or so, and I haven't even lost a pound. I've actually gained weight. So I've decided that this year, it's not going to be on my list of resolutions. Instead, I'm going to stick to resolutions that are attainable for me, such as to eat 10 chocolate bars per week. No, in all seriousness, there needs to be a change from me. I've thought of a few already and the list will probably keep going until 11:59:59 on New Year's Eve. For now, here's a few that I'm thinking of committing to.

Get healthy
Okay, so it's not too dissimilar to "lose weight", but it's broader and allows me to focus on, well, getting healthy. My diet at the moment is atrocious. I have no motivation at all, so, at the start of 2013, I've vowed to join the gym. And I will do it. I promise. No more laziness for me, it's time to kick myself up the backside and realise that my body is pretty out of shape, outside and in. It's not just about the gym, though, because I really need to sort out what I'm eating. I tend to just constantly eat, especially when I'm bored, and it's always chocolate bars and crisps that I'm snacking on... Looks like it's just fruit from here on out!

Stop procrastinating
This is a biggie for me. I'm absolutely hopeless at getting things done on time, but I should probably do something about it quickly seeing as I need to be applying for universities around this time next year and I can't afford to be wasting my time doing nothing. My homework is rarely done on time, and on those amazing occasions when it is finished, it was rushed the night/morning before. Although you can't teach an old dog new tricks, you can trick yourself into thinking that you can, so, in that respect, I'm really going to push at this next year.

Charity work/volunteering
I told my mum that in 2013 I want to (single-handedly) raise at least £150 for charity this year. Although I'm still undecided on which charity I want to do this for, I'll probably swing towards the RSPCA or a similar local charity that needs more fundraising. I also want to volunteer at a charity shop and my local library, so I'm definitely going to be applying at the start of the year - a good idea, I think, seeing as people will be throwing out all of their old gear to make way for their sparkly new gifts.

Get dreadlocks
Really. It's something I've been wanting to do for a reaaaaally long time, and after weighing up the pros and the cons, I'll probably end up getting them when my hair has grown a little bit. Here's a few pictures of ladies with amazing dreads, something which I can only dream of having at this point.

All images from weheartit

Get inked

Yep, I'm turning eighteen in June, which means I am finally legal to get tattoos! Growing up with parents that have tattoos has left me itching to get some of my own - although I'm not telling anyone what I'm planning on getting, yet. It's a surprise!

This seems to be turning into a list of things I want rather than things I need to be doing, so, at risk of rambling on further, I'll leave it there. These are just a tiny snippet from a huge list of things which I want to do in 2013 - I'm just hoping that I can stick to all of these!

Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Have you ever stuck to your resolutions from previous years?! Leave a comment below, I love seeing people's aims.

frosty

Sorry for the lack of updates lately - I've got exams in January so I'm doing a lot of prep and revision at the minute! Thought I'd show you a few photographs I've taken for my photography A level...

ombré

I finally caved in and did it... Admittedly, it's just made me a bit more ginger, but I want to be a full-blown ginge anyway so I'm getting there.

scarborough 2011

My favourite thing to do ever is get old disposable cameras developed yonks after I've taken the pictures. These are from summer last year when I went on a day trip to Scarborough with my sister and my papa. I can't quite remember, but I think they were taken on a Kodak film camera which I got from a gift shop for about £1 cause it was out of date. I loveeee shooting in film, despite the hassle and the lack of certainty that comes with it. Film pictures are so much prettier than digital photographs. Anyway, enjoy these photos!

thank you!

Yaaaaaay! Thank you to all of you lovely, wonderful readers for helping me reach the first of (hopefully) many blog milestones! I'm extremely thankful to all of you, and I can only hope that you carry on reading and enjoying my blog. Last night I was sat at my laptop watching the pageviews creep up, and as they did, I noticed that I'd reached 50 followers, too! So thaaaaaaank you!

If you haven't noticed, I've given my blog a little revamp - which will no doubt probably change in a few weeks due to my extreme indecisiveness! I just think it helps the blog to flow a little better, and the theme which I've chosen to follow is simple but extremely cute... In my opinion, anyway!

I'm starting a new section on my blog - an advice section - which I hope will take off, so if you need advice on a certain topic, I'll definitely try my best to help you out. Just e-mail me your problem to morris_molly@ymail.com.

Another area which I'd like to cover is book reviews. I constantly have a book glued to my hand, so aswell as my advice section, if there's a particular book you'd like me to review, just leave a comment below. I'm not entirely sure this will take off but it's worth a try!

Seeing as I have the chance to do so now, I also want to plug to my new online clothing shop. I've not sold anything yet, but I hope that I will soon, so please check it out here. There's a lot of really cute pieces on there to suit loads of styles, so take a look!

I'd also like to have a little giveway/prize for my 100th follower, so expect to hear more about that soon when I decide on what I'd like to do.

Again, thank you all for reading my blog - I'm surprised that so many of you are finding me interesting enough to read about! If you have any tips/improvements for me then just comment below or send an e-mail to me and I'll definitely take on board what you have to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

make ups/break ups

**I'm starting up a new advice page on my blog, so if any of you lovely readers would like me to write a little feature on something you think would help a lot of people, e-mail me at morris_molly@ymail.com. I'll try to write as many advice features as possible!**

Now, for those of you who've been reading my blog for a while, you'll probably know about Daniel, the boy who I was truly, madly, deeply (sorry...) in love with. Well, unfortunately, we are no longer together. After a lot of thinking about our relationship and the way it was going, I felt as though I was at a time in my life where I didn't want a relationship because I needed to focus on my education. I failed my A-levels last year and made the decision to go back to sixth form. You're probably saying "What's this got to do with relationships?" but my point is that I failed because I was spending too much time with my boyfriend. It's harsh but true, and although it broke my heart to do it, I had to end the whole thing because I really need to focus on getting good grades to get me to university. I'm at risk of rambling on right now, so I'll just get on with a few tips to help you if you're thinking of breaking up with somebody, or even if somebody has just broken up with you. All of these, in my opinion, apply to both sides, so just take into consideration what I'm saying - it really helps!

Don't get stuck in a rut
The main problem for mine and Daniel's relationship was that we'd both go through phases of wanting to end the relationship. It had happened too many times and I just felt as though there really was no helping us. My main tip for not getting into this cycle is to constantly surprise one another, be it with little gifts (sweets will do!), surprise trips or showing up unannounced when your boyfriend/girlfriend least expects it. We didn't do enough of this and I feel as though it really effected our relationship. Give 110% effort, even when you don't feel like it, because the outcome will more than likely be great for both of you.

Laughter, music and family are the best types of medicine
Let's face it, when going through a break up, laughing is one of the last things that you won't to do. But believe me, even if you don't want to, it's possible. Head onto YouTube and watch a few clips of your favourite comedian or comedy TV show. It may only heal your mind for a few moments, but it's best not to get consumed with sadness. Another way to cure your unhappiness for a little while is through music. Joss Stone is fabulous and she was my favourite person to listen to after the break up - stick on one of her albums  and dance sassily around your room for a little while! The last, most important, healer of a broken heart is your family. Especially parents. They've probably been through exactly the same thing, so talking to them about it really helps. You may even get a few tubs of ice-cream out of it, too...

Whatever you do, don't blame yourself
Sounds clichéd, but it's true. Don't beat yourself up about it, because, at the end of the day, the decision has been made and there's nothing more you can do about it. It's probably for the best and you gotta do what you gotta do. Weigh up the positives of being single, and try not to focus as much on the negatives as they'll only get you down. My positives are: not having to answer to somebody constantly; the ability to have a lot more me-time; and, most importantly, meeting new people. You have to understand that sometimes things don't work out and that if it doesn't then it probably wasn't meant to be.

If you're reading this for a reason then I'm sorry for what you're going through at the moment. Break-ups are never easy but it's best to keep your head up and stay strong. As typical as that sounds, it's the best you can do at the moment, so just remember what I've said and keep smiling!

Image from weheartit.com

terry richardson?

Self portrait from a shoot inspired by Terry Richardson

P.S. I'm almost at 1000 pageviews! Thank you so much to all of my followers/readers and everyone else for helping me to reach this! Hopefully it is the first of many thousands...x

liebster award

Hello, lovelies! A little while ago, I was nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Kayla at Blossom Fox. The Liebster Award is basically an award for bloggers with less than 200 bloggers. It's a great way to make your followers aware of other fabulous blogs, as well as making the owner of the blog feel all lovely and motivated to continue blogging - I know I did!
Anyway, without further ado, onwards with the award!

Rules
- Each person who is tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
- They have to answer the 11 questions set by the tagger.
- They must make 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have chosen as nominees.
- They must choose 11 bloggers to tag who also have less than 200 followers.
- These lucky bloggers must be told!
- No tag backs.

11 facts about me
- I have four dogs (Alan, Ken, Alfie and Mabel) and a lovely little kitty, Eliza.
- I am obsessed with reading and have some weird ability to be able to read loads of books at once... I'm currently reading ten books.
- My top celebrity crush is the gooooorgeous Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also happens to be 6 years older than my dad...
- My star sign is Gemini.
- I still play Neopets... Judge me!
- Me and my sister drew the tattoos which my dad has on his arms and wrists.
- My main aspiration in life is not for a career, which most people want... I want loads of kids and a VW camper van.
- I've written about 40 short stories which I will never share with anyone - sorry!
- My middle name is Joanne, my mum's name.
- I want to have a daughter called Coco.
- I prefer my own company to being with people.

Questions from Kayla
Favourite nail polish colour? 
Red! No competition there. Or black... Or green.

Tell us about your current pets. 
I've got four dogs: a whippet named Kenmilleven Moon River (sorry, he's a pedigree, I have a pretentious dog!), a saluki named Alan, a border collie named Alfie and a mongrel named Mabel. I've also got a crazy tabby cat called Eliza who is about 8 years old but still acts like a kitten.

What is something you really want to buy right now? 
Ask me this question every week and it will always be a VW camper van. I'm desperate for one!

What genre of music do you like to listen to? 
I love funk, soul, alternative, R&B, a bit of pop... Most stuff, really, it generally depends on the artist. I hate Jessie J but I have a guilty pleasure for Domino!

Tea or Coffee? 
Tea. Clipper tea is my absolute faveeeee.

Why did you start a blog? 
I love writing and being able to share things I love with my lovely followers. It's also an outlet for when I'm sad, somewhere to share exciting news or just a place to post pictures that I love. Blogging is amazing!

Do you have any habits? If so, what are they? 
Not that I know of, but my mum says that I sing without realising, so I guess that's one...?!

Do you collect anything? 
This is really sad, but I collect snowglobes from holidays I go on, and I guess you could say that I collect books and magazines, too, 'cause I find it really hard to get rid of any.

How would you describe your personal style? 
Ha, this is going to be difficult! I'm always changing the type of style which I want, at the moment it's hippie... I really want dreadlocks!

What is your dream job? 
I'm really not too fussed but something to do with photojournalism or owning a tea room in Devon/Cornwall/Bristol sounds lovely.

Do your friends or family know of your blog?
Nope! It always embarrasses me if they know because I feel as though I have to be really careful with what I say...

Who I nominate
Hollie at For The Quaint Hearted
Jo at La Vie en Plastique
Andre at 1, 2, 3, pinta!
Rochelle at Even diamonds start out like coal
Florence at Floenem
Natalie at Go Style Yourself.
Caitlin at Sea of Turquoise
Sonia at Silly World
Connie at Silverlining
Dakota at The Fashionista Next Door
Katt at The Katt's Pyjamas

Questions for my nominees
Who inspired you to start blogging?
What is your main life aspiration?
Where do you shop the most?
Do you have a favourite music abum?
Favourite sweets?
Do you enjoy living where you live?
If you could travel to any three countries, which would they be?
Are you currently studying? If so, which subject(s)?
Have you ever had any style/hair disasters?
How long have you been blogging for?
Who is your favourite blogger?

I can't wait to see all of your answers and who you nominate - I love finding new blogs!