2011

It being the last day of 2011, it makes sense to look back on the year a bit. And I thought I'd make some lists to show you all the cool stuff that happened this year, both on the blog and in real life. So here we go!

BLOG

New on the blog:

Spotted --- Monthly Goals --- Sponsors --- Outfits --- Moodposts

Special on the blog:

My very first Blog Party --- the August Break

-

LIFE

I got really into:

toy cameras --- brooches --- Lush --- Studio Ghibli

I tried my hand at:

making chocolates --- Japanese pottery --- driving a car --- PhotoShop

Author encounters:

met Neil Gaiman --- met David Sedaris --- and James Kennedy left a comment on my blog!

Other excited stuff:

made friends with some amazing people --- launched the "Clickables" --- knit my very first sweater

I didn't really think this was an eventful year at all, but looking back I feel quite proud and happy about it! Though I have the feeling 2012 might even be better...

-

Also I wanted to thank everyone for reading my blog and being so wonderful! I hope we'll continue to do and experience lovely things together in 2012.

Have a happy new year everyone!

Free January Ad Reminder

Just to let you know there are still some free ads left for January! Get 'em while you can, cause regular prices will apply to the rest of the year.

Email Me to secure a spot and I'll email you back with the ad-size.

Lovely Movies: Hachi

During the stomach virus I've watched a lot of movies. Mostly about animals and/or animation. I also finally watched Hachi. Apparantly it would be a very special movie about a very special dog. Sounds nice, right? Except no one told me I would cry my eyes out.

{source}

This dog is just so cute. The way he looks, how he acts and just the fact that he picks his owner up from the station every single day. It is actually based on a true story too.

{source}

It's an amazing movie, but I'm not posting the trailer(because it shows everything), so you'll just have to trust me. If like me, you're a sucker for animal movies, you will love this. Just make sure to keep the Kleenex ready.

Oh, and if you(or your kids) really want a dog but can't right now, this will only make you want one even more. Just a little warning;)

Christmas Shopping: Silver Edition

So I've been enjoying the holidays, been sick and been shopping a bit too. I was hoping to catch some post-Christmas sales and I did. And how!

Today I'm showing you some awesome silver stuff I picked up.

I've been wanting a pair of brogues so bad for so long. I went to the store to return a sweater and these caught my eye, they happened to be my size as well. And these brogues really go beyond my wildest dreams. One wish granted!

The day after Christmas I got an email from Lush saying they had 50% off their Christmas stuff. Remember I said I really wanted the "Seasons Greetings"? Well I raced to the store, managed to get that as well as some other awesome stuff, including these:

When I reviewed Bridesmaids I mentioned I really wanted her sweater, right? Well I found one. Not exactly alike, because...drumroll please... mine even has pockets with bows!

So I got 3 things I've been wanting to get for ages but had pretty much given up on ever getting. I'm so excited! I got some more cute stuff I'll show you guys soon and of course I'll do a post on what I got for Christmas.

Have you been to any post-Christmas sales yourself? Picked up anything nice?

A little Christmas gift to all of you...

I hope everyone will have an amazing Christmas! Whether it's with a big family dinner or just curled up with your cat. Last year I made this wreath for an amazing friend. Because I didn't want to spoil the surprise then I had to wait all year to show you guys!

Now onto my surprise for you...

As a little Christmas gift and a nice start of the new year, I'm giving away all Januari ad spaces for free! (At least all I have room for.) I'll give them on a first come first serve basis. Email Me if you're interested and I'll email you back to let you know what size banner I'll need from you.

___

So what are your plans for today?

I exchanged a few of the gifts during coffee and now I don't really know what to do... Christmas makes more sense in the evening I guess. So I'm just looking forward to that. Then I can just watch a movie, unwrap the rest of the presents and have a nice Christmas dinner. I'll be back with an update of course.

Merry Christmas!

Lovely Movies: the Secret of Kells

I love animation and it has been the perfect distraction during this time of stomach flus. On my to-watch list was the Secret of Kells, so this week I unwrapped my dvd and sat down to watch it.

{1,2,3}

It was amazing! So magical, so original and so freakin' cute. I love the way the movie looks and I really enjoyed the music too.

If you're into animation, or even if you're not really, you have to see this. It is completely different from most of the films that hit the big screen, but definitely worth watching.

Have you seen it? Do you know any animations I should watch?

Some Christmas Sweets

Christmas is about eating. And eating a lot. Some lovely sweets have caught my eye these past weeks and I thought I'd share them.

Aren't these merengues amazing?! You can make them yourself!

Strawberry Santa hats? So clever! And delicious with those brownies too.

Last up the cinnamon M&Ms! We don't get special editions here, but if we did I'd definitely try them. Have you?

Are you making anything special this year for dessert or a cute snack?

Owl Things Considered

Animal hats can be tricky to wear. Sometimes they look awesome, sometimes they look childish. But as every owl lover would probably want some owl-goodness to keep them warm in wintertime, I found a nice and less risky alternative: ear muffs!

{source}

And they have another huge advantage: they won't spoil your hair! As an avid wearer of hair buns(though I am growing used to wearing my hair down more often), hats can be a bit of nightmare. Besides, it's nice to change things up a bit.

{source}

Aren't these cute? And I think they're pretty do-able as a DIY...

Wishlist: Dumbphone

Smartphones are the nr. 1 gadget right now, it looks like the majority has one. Though I have to admit it might come in handy, I also get a bit annoyed sometimes(especially at concerts) because people are constantly stuck to their phones.

So when I heard about the "dumphone" I got very interested.

It's so cute and simple. You only have the necessary buttons and...tah dah... it has a little address book in the back. Also, it comes in pink!

I actually saw one on sale a little while back, but thought it was still a bit too expensive for such a simple item. Besides, you can't text on it and I think that might cause problems when people are trying to reach you. But still...a girl can dream. And maybe one day.

GlossyBox: December

The second GlossyBox was yet another special one because it had a Christmas theme, as you can clearly see.

It came with 6 items, instead of 5, and a cute candy cane.

There was a full sized volumizing mouse, a miniature Dermalogica cleaner and a miniature Koh handcream.

In the make-up department: a nice black kohl(+coupon for a discount), a sample of Scaredy Cat eyeshadow and some Cowshed lip balm.

I haven't had the chance to try everything yet, but so far the eye shadow is my favorite. It's super cute and the perfect color for little highlights.

Well that's it for the Christmas box. I am very happy with it and am definitely sticking around for next month.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Tiny improvements

Still feeling pretty awful. It went from bad, to way worse, to now slightly better. I now know it's just a virus and that it'll pass. And I can finally sleep again at night. So I'm hopeful.

Anyway, it's been a boring time so I was dying to get back on the horse and do stuff. I finally send out some blogger surprise mail I'd been wanting to do as a little Christmas-project.

So a bunch of bloggers can expect a little something in the mail!

And I hope from now on I can blog again too. I have some things planned already. Glad to be back! And thank you all for your kind words on last post, it helped made me feel a little better.

Not much of a surprise I guess...

Yet again, I'm not feeling well. This time mostly due to stomach aches, nausea and not being able to sleep well. So what have I been doing to get through these days?

{picture via}

Well mostly reading! Lots and lots of Jane Eyre. Sometimes accompanied by Jack Johnson.

And I have found a very simple pleasure! Reading with nice lip balm and delicious hand cream on. I am not kidding, this is one of the best ideas I've had in ages. Makes life so much better!

Be back soon!

Framed it!

A few weeks ago I mentioned I'd gotten a gorgeous print in the mail. I've framed it and finally took a picture to show you guys. Isn't it awesome?

Thanks again, Julia!

Mini Misty!

A while back I mentioned I was lucky enough to win a custom cat pendant on Jill's blog Dapper Toad. Well... my mini Misty came in the mail today!

Isn't it amazing?!

The packaging was adorable right from the start, the mailer looked cute, then the little box that held my Misty in a teeny tiny little bag. And then of course, the actual pendant. I love it!

It just is her!

That's always the trickiest but most important part of any sort of "portrait", not does it look like the person/animal, but is it the person/animal. And Jill definitely pulled it off.

You can't really see it on this picture though, as my cat isn't really comfortable in front of the camera and always pulls strange faces. (Weird, right?) But I thought I'd post a reminder of what she looks like, and she just happened to crawl into a cabinet today which, any cat owner knows, is always photoworthy.

Be sure to follow Jill's blog. And definitely check out her shop too! Because let's be honest, can you think of any Christmas present that could top a custom kitty necklace? Of course not!

Thanks Jill!

Plans and Goals: December

{picture source}

• Keep warm
• Read a lot
• Comment as much as I used to on other blogs
• Send out some exciting things
• Start knitting a new hat
• Bake cookies again->microwave cake!
• Watch more True Blood
• Go see Breaking Dawn
• Wrap gifts
• Just enjoy Christmas
• Catch some post-Christmas sales
• Maybe make some resolutions
• And wrap a few things up before the new year

I can't believe this year is almost over! Can you? What are your plans for this tiny little bit that's left of 2011?

You know you're weird when...

you love having 369 tweets

when it's exactly 3 o'clock

and you have 66 followers and

are following 99

Interview at Chickiedee

RobbieLee just started a new series on her amazing blog Chickiedee, this time interviewing people about their creative process. I was very honored to go first, and if you're interested in some behind the scenes Blue Eyed Night Owl action you should head on over there now.

And be sure to subscribe to her blog to see the rest of the series too!

P.S. The interview also features some pictures of my creative process and... my newly re-done desk area. Which I promised to show you guys.

In the Mail...

A little while back I was lucky enough to receive a gorgeous Fabric & Handle tote bag.

They came in all sorts of colors but I liked this one best. Somehow I immediately pictured myself taking it to the Japanese supermarket for a bento and then sitting on a bench in the park reading some Murakami or Banana Yoshimoto. Not the time of year really, but I did take it to a conveyor belt sushi place already.

Though we haven't spent that much time together yet, I am already head over heels with this tote. It is very pretty and very functional. And it has the perfect amount of compartments and a little ring you can snap your keys on. The handles are just the right size too.

I am one happy girl!

Check out their website if you're thinking of adding one to your Christmas wishlist.

Lovely Movies: the Adventures of Tin Tin

Having grown up with the comics, I didn't think I'd like the movie one bit. I'd seen a bit of footage and wasn't impressed. But when my dad wanted to see it a second time, I caved and went along. It turned out to be very entertaining.

Though animation is very different from comic books, it didn't really bug me. Yes, the characters did look a bit different, but I expected it to be a lot worse.

This is definitely a fun movie for any age. Enjoyable if you've read the comic, enjoyable if you haven't.

And did you know they acted everything out in front of a green screen and then put the animation on top of that? I don't think that's been done before.

My Christmas Wishlist

Over the past few weeks I've seen so many amazing things online. Since it's December today, I thought I'd put them all together in a Christmas wishlist.

Superheadz cameras have been on my wishlist for a long long time. All the colors are lovely, but I have to say this Light Blue Kumo San is definitely my favorite.

I've been looking at index stamps like these, seems so handy to use in my diary. And it looks adorable too.

I don't think I've ever seen sewing pins as cute as these, have you?

It's nice to have a little speaker for your MP3 player, I know there are some fun ones out there, but non can beat these tiny wooden ones.

I've never had a satchel in my life, I think it's time to change that.

Practical owls are awesome! I love that you could even keep track of 2 time zones on this watch necklace.

And as it's time for sweaters!

You can even get santa hat pins to pin all the little kittens, these sweaters are the best find ever!

Too bad Lush can be so expensive. I think I'll keep my eyes open to see if there are any after Christmas sales I can snatch this up. But I'd settle for the "Little Green Bag";)

I've been eyeing these cuties for a while now.

Saw this amazing tea set on Elycia's blog.

I just can't resist quirky things like this.

I love this set of amazing 6 pairs of earrings!

What do you have on yours?