DIY Christmas Pocket Top

Hello There,
I have been tossing and turning about buying a Christmas jumper, there are so many cute ones out there but i decided that the expense isn't worth it for something you only wear on the odd few days. I have spotted a few Christmas tops around but I haven't found any that I like so here is my inexpensive not to the festive season.

You will need: 

The Christmas Gift Guide! 2014- 21 Gift Ideas for everyone!

There's only 2 Saturdays left until Christmas, that's not much shopping time. You have probably got the Children something as they will have told you hat they want, the best friend because you know exactly what they like, but there are all the other friends that you don't know what to do when shopping for them. But never fear I have drawn up a pictures only list of 21 items for 21 different personalities, the prices of each range but they are all under £50 ... if anything catches your eye just click the picture to find where you can buy it!

1)The one who loves the gym (sometimes!) 

6 Not so Obvious places to visit in Hong Kong

As this year begins to draw to a close, for the first time in 4 years I am not making my annual trip to Hong Kong, I'm going again next summer but I do miss the place. So because it's on the mind I thought I would do a little travel guide to Hong Kong with my top 6 places that might not on the tourist map.

1. Ozone Bar- 103rd Floor of the ICC.

The ICC is also home to the Ritz Carlton Hotel Hong Kong which runs the  Ozone Bar on the highest floor open to the public. The tourist guide will probably tell you to visit Sky 100, the viewing deck on the 100th floor, but unless you have Children why not get dressed up and go 3 floors higher and enjoy the open air view. The drinks are expensive but if you are only having a glass of wine or a cocktail then you will only spend the same amount that you would have to get into Sky100!

2. Macau-China

Very young and, despite the smile, I was
utterly terrified! 

When visiting Hong Kong it might not be that obvious that you should leave the country and head somewhere else. If you have a British Passport or a HK Residence card then after a 1 hour ferry ride you will get into Macau, no questions asked.

Macau can be done in a day if you get up early, and really it is the place to do all the typical tourist stuff. Including the Skywalk around the top of Macau Tower, watch Zia by Cirque de Soleil, and don't you dare leave without going to see the House of Dancing Water. It was the most breath taking thing I had seen in my whole life and something you simply can't put into words!

                                                 3. The back streets

Just trust me on this one!

In a big new city you probably don't want to go wondering down what appear to be alley ways but with a place so densely populated some of the finest restaurants have to be tucked away on a certain floor of a building. The best meals I have enjoyed have been hidden in a room with very limited windows.

4.Launtau Island and Ngong Ping 360

This is definitely on the tourist guide but I love it so much that it has a special place in my heart. Launtau Island is on the outside of the city but still has a lot of life. It was on my second trip that we stayed in an apartment with a roof top garden in Launtau and, as soppy as it sounds, I realised that Hong Kong was truly the place for me. The place you want to visit however is Ngong Ping 360 which is a Buddhist temple and home to the Big Buddha  which is accessed by a cable car from just outside Tung Chung station. Once you get past the tourist village and reach the                                                                      real temple you find yourself in another world. I have been 3 times and I                                                                    still love it!

5. Middle Levels at night

Partying in Hong Kong take up most of the time on the trips. There's always a place to go for a good night, Wan Chai is also worth going to for places like Banana Joes but if you only have a few nights then take yourself to Middle levels. The streets are so tightly packed that you end up with groups of people falling out of clubs and creating street parties in the middle.

6. Discovery bay

After all the time spent partying, shopping a visiting sites you will probably want a lazy day. Discovery Bay is a strange residential area where no cars are allowed in, only a set number of golf buggies. You can get there by a bus from Tung Chung or a Ferry from central. Although it is purpose built and does feel a bit like a theme park it does have some good restaurants and places to sip cocktails while looking out onto the harbour and the little beach with the Hong Kong Skyline just peeking out in the distance. Stick around till 8pm and you will get to see the Disneyland fireworks on the other side of the harbour.  

Okay, summer time is now out of my system, the Christmas series is carry on this Sunday  with 'The ultimate Christmas gift Guide!

Hope to see you then!

Claudia x

Quote of the Week: Keep Calm and Enjoy Christmas

Christmas is Coming! Best Start getting ready...

Is anyone else in shock that it is the 1st of December today! This year I am more organised for Christmas than I ever have been before but I still have a lot to do over the next 25 days. The one thing I have definitely sorted out for 2014s festive season is the Enjoying Today Christmas Series, which will have a new installment every Sunday from now until Christmas Day.

For number one I thought I would talk about things that you need the most time to do- Crafts! I have three Christmassy ideas and two tutorials, including the much anticipated ribbon wreath tutorial.

Mini Santa Sack and Card Holder Tutorial

Got lots of little stocking fillers to give to friends but want something different, need to make your budget restricted secret Santa present that little more special? Why not try this mini Santa sack with card holder- approx. final measurements 33cm x 22cm, pocket size 16.5cm square.

Ribbon Wreath Tutorial

As I promised, here is a quirky project for you to try out this Christmas. You can make yours any size you like, you will just need more or less ribbon, the list of materials bellow are for a wreath that is 30cm in diameter.

How to use One Note as a blog planner

Hello there,

As you may have noticed over the past few week, due to a number of reasons, my blogging consistency has dropped. So for most of this week I decided to take a few days off to re assess how I was planning everything. Before I took these few thinking days I was only using scraps of paper, the odd phone reminder and my memory to do my blog planning. It was definitely not working. The first thing I attempted was having an actual folder with sections for blog posts, general diary, social media and link parties. Some that I saw looked so beautiful but I just didn't have the patience for that level of detail, I needed something that I could chop and change- I needed something computer based.

While pondering my thoughts I found an application, pre-installed onto my tablet called 'One note'. At first I was skeptical as it just looked too small on my little tablet screen but when I attached my key board I become hooked! I now use it for all sorts of planning, blogs, college, work… everything. In this post I explain the basics of One note and then show you how I use it for blogging.

*I am not being sponsored for this post, these are all my own opinions.

What is one note?

One note is an application that is found on Windows 8 and is touch screen compatible. The basic premise is that you have notebooks within one note that are then broken down into as many different sections as you like and each section has as many pages as you like.  You can add charts, text, small drawings, pictures, links and other documents form windows applications, you can put them anywhere on the pages so you can organise all your notes however you like.

Probably the best way of explaining it is using the Microsoft video introducing the application.

7 Tips for buying a Sewing Machine

Happy Sunday!

Hope you all had a great weekend. As I promised in Friday's post I spoke about my very messy desk and its new addition (click here to read it).

Here's the picture from the post, to the left you can see a brand new sewing machine! I was so excited as this had been months in the planning, a sewing machine can be such a huge expense that will to be used for years to come so I wanted to get it right, on the way I learnt a few tips on what you should thinking when making this investment. 

1) Talk to the Experts, but don't always listen!

I'm lucky that I work in a quilting shop, I went round all the other staff and asked their what their opinions were. They were completely honest in their opinions and definitely didn't want to see me get ripped off. However not all sales people will be this way, shop around, talk to lots of different staff members in different shops. You will meet people who are trying to sell you things you don't need but you will get a few who are honest. Once you have all your opinions and advice you can begin to narrow down your options. 

2) Pick a well known brand

Janome, Paff, Brother and other names you may have herd of will be the ones to go for as these have the widest range of attachments, replacement parts and engineers for when you machine needs servicing. You also need to look at the brands that are popular in your area. For example at the shop I work for we stock Paff and Janome but the majority of people who work and come to classes there have a Janome machine. Getting a Janome meant I knew I could find someone who knew something about my machine going wrong or simple things like how to do decorative stitches and other clever tricks. 

3) Look out for deals

Of course you need to make sure that the machine is right for you but you can get a perfect machine with a great offer. Janome send out new deals every season, anything from money off to free quilt kits. Also look for in store offers, because all the prices are set by the manufactures the shops often add their own offers, like in store vouchers or training time on your machine. Add on's like this, especially ones that come with lessons will allow you to get the most out of your machine. 

4) Read customer reviews- but ignore some!

Just like when you are looking for a hotel to stay in you will always fine the odd bad review. Different machines are suited to different people so not everyone will be happy with a perfectly good sewing machine. However if you find reviews that are talking about common faults or issues with the manufactures (not the shop that sold it to you) customer service then you probably want to forget about that particular machine as it is likely to cause a lot of problems for you in the future. 

5) Know your level and then go one higher

Sewing Machines are a real investment, they are really built to last! I know people who have had their machine for 20+ years and they still work just fine. Even if you are a beginner, look at a mid to high level machine, don't just go for the absolute basic. I almost did this, but after taking some wise advice I opted to splash out on a computerised machine; It will last me as my sewing skills grow (even after this week I have learnt so much that I would want to upgrade by now, had I gone basic!).

6) Try out the machine in store.

Most shops will give you demonstrations and let you have a go to see if the machine is right for you. Once you have started narrowing your options ask to try out a few machines that you are interested in; be sure to ask plenty of questions that go deeper than the sales pitch. Go for something specific to you; if you are a quilter ask about the attachments such as extension tables, if you attend a lot of classes ask about its weight and durability. 

7) And finally... buy from someone who you trust!

As I said in number 5, this machine could last decades so you want to be able to keep going back to the company you brought it from for advice, expertise and general troubleshooting. If you don't trust them to give you this kind of service then get the same machine from elsewhere. I have never come across a machine being carried exclusively by one shop, once you have chosen your machine, shop around for customer service.  

So that's it, my 7 tips for buying a sewing machine. 

Brought a machine recently? Whats your tip to add to this list?

Hope you all have a good week

Claudia x

My Desk.. Explaining myself!

Last Friday I used and idea from Kay @ The Best of Intentions , and today is going to be the same. I haven't run out of ideas, it is just that number 34 on her list worked really well for what I wanted to talk about today.

34. Take a photo of your desk right now and explain yourself.

Yeah I know it is a mess but I do have my reasons! Firstly is that yesterday that desk wasn't even there, it is now the only office furniture I have in my whole room. The sudden addition is because I have bought myself a sewing machine! In the past I have only hand sewn but having a machine has opened up so many more possibilities.

So what does having a sewing machine mean for future blog posts? Well first up is on Sunday I will be posting a list of tips for when you are buying a sewing machine. After that I will also be doing 'how to's' and tutorials. The first won't actually be a proper sewing tutorial, it will be the ribbon wreath which I promised a while back.

But the most exciting part is that by the New Year (hopefully) I'll be setting up my own little craft business selling simple things such as cushion covers to start with and then hopefully progressing to bigger things such as full sized quilts. It is a scary adventure and I want to take you guys along with me! I'll go through how I am planning everything and getting m self organised so I can run the business and the blog and still go to my regular work. Obviously I will be starting small and not expecting to make huge amounts of profit, but I will take each day as it comes.

One promise I have for you is that I will not be purely business focused, Enjoying Today is still going to be an outlet for me and a place to talk about being positive and enjoying life.

I hope you will all support me in this venture with your kind words that you always leave. I have to thank all my readers for their beautiful comments because without their kindness I don't think I would have had the confidence to take the plunge into being a sole trader.

Short but sweet post that announced what it needed to.
Thank you for dropping by as always,
Claudia x

P.S. Sorry If my posts are a little late at the moment, my internet keeps crashing.

Wake Up Wednesday

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               Welcome to the 43rd week of 

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I Run Like A Girl- I'm Proud of It!

Hello there!

You may have herd about the Always TV ad that went viral this week (if you haven't it is at the bottom of this post). It is a brilliantly made video about how 'like a girl' is considered to be an insult and then begins to attempt to reclaim the phrase and change its meaning.

I don't have particularly strong feelings when it comes to feminism but this advert made me stand up and listen. The part that really caught my attention was when the older girls where asked to 'run like a girl'. They all did this strange, ditsy, skip of a run, which is probably what I would have done too. But then they turned it all on its head and got much younger girls (pre-teen) to 'run like a girl' and their reaction was to sprint as fast as their legs could carry them.

10 Things Criminal Minds has taught me

Happy Friday Everybody

Today I was hoping to do a post on how to make the ribbon wreath that I posted on Sunday but the shop is waiting on an order of some of the ribbons I need so it will have to wait. In a panic, with nothing to write in its place I browsed pintrest for ideas and I came across this post from Kay at The best of intentions blog on '36 of the best blog post ideas ever'. I loved the whole list, so don't be suprised if I make a few more posts that refer back to it in the future.

For today's post I opted for number 26: The top 10 things I have learnt from Criminal Minds. I got so excited, I have found someone who loves the show as much as I do. Just as Kay says in her post, I could probably write 25 but I thought I would streamline it a bit. I could go on and on about all the fancy definitions that Spencer has taught me but I have added some more meaningful ones as well, so without further ado lets get on with the top 10!


10) Entomophobia is the irrational fear of insects and the fear of becoming infested. Thank you Dr Reid! Got to throw one of his random little facts in there, he has so many of them that I quite regularly forget them but this was from Monday's episode so it hasn't left my mind yet.

The Geek that you can't help but love!

9) Zugzwang is a chess term. I had never even herd of the term until this saga in series 8 began, I was on the edge of my seat through the whole thing.

8) America suddenly feels a whole lot smaller when you have a private jet! Its like Washington for breakfast and lunch in California... oh and the odd serial killer and psychopath thrown in between.

7)LDSK stands for long distance serial killer, you don't use the term sniper anymore. Honestly I don't know if this is true but it is correct in the criminal minds world so that's good enough for me.

6)A PHD is worth the work when you get to correct someone who doesn't call you Doctor!

You Said it Dr Reid!

5)A small intimate wedding is exactly what I want one day. I don't think it gets better than JJs wedding!

4) When you are struggling the only thing you can do is give it a try, it might just work out the best example of this has to be when Emily saves Will from blowing up by getting the right combination. 

Just helping out a friend

3) Halloween is serious is America, I was aware of this but I had to include little Henry and Jack dressed up as their favorite superheros. 

2) Never trust a group of girls who say they are only going out for a few hours! I knew this already but this bit makes me laugh every time. 

1) Nothing is stronger than the love between a parent and a child. No matter where they are. 

JJ reads it to Henry over the phone

So that's it, all 10. Do you love criminal minds as much as I do? If you do answer this question in the comments:
What is you're favorite moment and what is one thing that you have learnt from all 10 series?

Enjoy the weekend everybody!

Wake up Wednesday

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All About You: Link Up

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Procrastination: Quote of the week

Christmas is coming: Sunday Post

Hello Everybody!

Now I know that we have only just got in to November but we are all secretly preparing for Christmas.
This year me and my sister wanted to go all out with the decorating and we wanted to go handmade. Today we completed the first installment of decorations ( a bit early but we just couldn't wait).

Bridal Wear with a difference: Wedding Series 2

Hello there!

We are back with the November installment of the Wedding Series on Enjoying Today!
About a week ago I went wedding dress shopping with my Mum and in just over half an hour she had picked her dress (no pictures-can't let the surprise out!).

So in honor of that I am going to show you 3 Wedding dress styles that will turn heads at you wedding for being just that little bit different.

1) The Short Dress

It's daring but with the right venue and the right style of wedding then why not go for it!

Etsy 

Reem Acra 

House of Mooshki

Wake Up Wednesday!

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               Welcome to the 41th week of 

 Wake Up Wednesday "Linky" 

Looking Forward: Quote of the Week

Over the past few months I have had to leave a lot behind, even without going to university. I have had to leave school, let my friends go and let my free time go as I step into the real working world.
There's no two ways about it, it has been a shock but I am beginning to settle in.

My Fabric Stash!

Hello there,

I thought I would post something a little different this Friday. As you may or may not know, for the past 19 months I have worked for a Patchwork and Quilting Company. Its based in a shop down the road from where I live and it a madhouse! It can get pretty hectic but we are like one big happy family who are always sharing laughs. I love my work and it will be heartbreaking when I have to give it up for Uni, however lets live in the moment and I'll explain what my fabric stash is all about.

I met Boris Johnson!

So I was on my lunch break from college today and as I wondered into a crowd I found Boris Johnson, yeah the Mayor of London with the funny hair cut and the cycling obsession.
I step back from the crowd just to take it all in, still shocked I walked in a big circle round the whole crowd and got this rubbish picture from behind a TV camera.

Boris from a distance 

Quote of the Week

I know it seems like a strange quote to have as the quote of the week on this blog but I just thought It was worth mentioning.

The Body Shop- consultation

Hello There,

Last Sunday I talked about my desire to get back into wearing make up, if you didn't read this post click here to read it.
So last Friday I had an appointment booked for a free Skincare consultation which covered everything from cleansing to moisturising, make-up and taking it all off at the end.
What I really wanted from this whole experience was a new set of make-up and a load of tips on how to use it and what worked best for my skin.

A Little Trip to London: Sunday post

Hello there,

Firstly, I'm sorry all my posts have been delayed by a few days, not only have I been very busy but I also haven't been feeling great, whenever I get home I have just fallen straight to sleep. However I promise that by the end of Monday night all my missed posts will be uploaded, and of course I will be linking up with #Allaboutyou on Mama- and more as usual.

Quote of the Week

Good Morning Everybody,
Happy Monday!

Recently I have been doing a lot of posts on style (capsule wardrobe) and beauty (Sunday post).
Today I wanted to reflect briefly and remember that inner beauty is the most important thing.
Style and beauty are great to have fun with and enjoy, however it is only an outer shell.

So today I want you to get up, look at yourself in the mirror and laugh! Be happy to be alive, even if it is a grey autumn morning. It sounds very cheesy but we are all beautiful in our own way so walk with pride and let everyone see.

Have a great day and a great week.
Talk Soon,
Claudia x

Beauty Makes a Come Back!: Sunday post

Hello Everybody!

Another week has passed and life is still changing.
Last week was quite a down beat post, however this one is definitely an improvement. I have seen some friends this week who are still living near me and we have half planned a few nights out. Also I had a great week in College, in fact I am now ahead in my assignments! That might just be because I am fast at typing but all I know for sure is I feel a lot happier in myself.

So the big change this week- Make up!
I posted about my capsule wardrobe on Friday (click here to read it) and have now begun shopping which means I am making more trips to town and into department stores and past all the beauty counters, which got me thinking about my own beauty regime.

Last January in a strange change of mind I stopped wearing make up. I never used to dare leave the house without it but recently you would be lucky to see me with mascara and a little lip gloss on.
Since then I have got it into my head that make up is this strange thing that goes against self confidence and oppresses us by making us think that we aren't naturally beautiful- I know it got a little extreme!

But my mind is once again changing, I don't think I will ever go back to a dependency on wearing make up and to be honest I never want to, however I would like to start wearing when I feel like I want to look a bit more done up.
There's only one problem; after 9 months of not wearing anything not only have I lost all of my make up, I also wouldn't know how to use it if I had it.

So I am now on a mission of two things:

1. To rebuild my collection with quality products that I have researched and properly tried out before buying.
2. To be confident about my beauty skills but still happily not wear make-up when I don't feel like it. 

As with anything I get into my head, I will always have a plan of how to achieve it. Make up is no different.

I started off last week by subscribing to Birchbox so I could get a selection of new products to try out each month. There's also added benefits like collecting points when you buy full sized products to get money off future purchases. I'll talk about my Birchbox in an unboxing/review post later in the week.

Some of Birchbox and BodyShop mini haul

Birchbox October 2014 Editiom

Another thing I will start doing is talking to the girls at beauty counters. I have always been cautious about beauty counters as there's no prices and I worry that I will be dragged into buying something. However they want you to love the product you get so that you come back time and time again so they will happily go through the products, try some out on you and maybe even give you the odd free sample. The most important thing for me to remember is that there is no obligation to buy anything, no one is going to force you into it.

I have found that is worth keeping your eye out for events at beauty counters and department stores as they often offer free treatments or consultations. Obviously their intention is to make a sale but if it doesn't impress you then don't waste your money.

At the moment The Bodyshop are offering free skin consultations and 5 minute makeovers. I have the consultation booked for next Friday and I will ask if they have time for the make up to because there's a BB cream I saw in there that looked nice.
Benefit are also doing free mini makeovers to promote their Christmas gift sets. I'm definitely going to take them up on this offer as I have been told that their make up is great, but I have to see it to believe it.
Finally, Origins are doing a free mini facial, I only encountered their products last week but they looked very natural which got me excited. I will be doing this when I get a chance to go to the shop.

The other thing that has got me excited about make up are the discount cards. There's loads out there but the most recent one I got was the Bodyshop one. You get loads of savings, free gifts and vouchers with it, which means I will definitely be spending when I go there next Friday!

Before I sign off I must remind myself that beauty will always come from health and within. Make-up and beauty treatments are good fun and nice to have but we must always be confident in our own natural skin that we take good care off with health, fitness and general care.
However, all this comes second to a positive and happy attitude on life.

Thanks for reading... in the comments tell me:
Whats your best beauty tip?
and
Whats your favorite beauty product?

Claudia x

Capsule Wardrobe: De-clutter and planning

Hello there!

For many years now I have have a strong belief that less being more, this has lead me to a fascination with capsule wardrobes. This time last year I cut down my wardrobe from over 80 items to just 25 in a bid to get my capsule wardrobe. However this didn't last long as there was no planning and I never went shopping properly for new pieces that would create the perfect mix and max wardrobe.

So now that a year has passed, I am once again on a mission to build a capsule wardrobe but this time I am taking it seriously. I know exactly what I want to have in my wardrobe, but before I make my shopping list I need to know whats in my wardrobe. 

Step 1- Get some space

My wardrobe is a little cupboard with a clothes rail so I just dragged it out and into my bedroom. I also cleared my bed so I have plenty of space to lay everything out.

My wardrobe before it is decluttered

Step 2- Start sorting

If you are going to dramatically reduce your wardrobe you have to be ruthless. I kept telling myself that they are only clothes, they just take up space if I don't wear them. My original plan was to only keep things that I was going to have in my new wardrobe, however some things I want to replace and update so I kept those as otherwise I would have nothing to wear until I went shopping. But I will get rid pf them once their replacements turn up.

I made 3 piles: one for my summer clothes that I will box up and deal with next spring (bottom left), one for clothes that I want to keep for lazy days but will now be living with my PJs (bottom right), and a pile for all the clothes that I am going to get rid of (top right).

If you are wondering about the Captain American top, its my sisters that I need to give back to her.

Step 3- Get rid of clothes
There is no point deciding what you don't want if you then don't make sure they leave the house.
My first point of call was my Sister, I got her to go through everything and decide what she wanted to keep.
The rest we bagged up, the brown bag on the left is for my summer clothes and the Ikea bag has got all the clothes that will be leaving.

To get rid of them I will be splitting this bag into two. Most of it will become part of a closet sale that I will be holding on Ebay, any money I make from it can go towards updating my wardrobe. The rest, plus anything that doesn't sell will go to a charity shop.

Step 4- Make a shopping list
Now all that is left in my wardrobe is my work uniform, some of my friends clothes that I need to give back to them and about 13 items of my own (not all of them are there as some were in the wash at the time)

Dramatic weight loss!

So now it is time to make a shopping list, the following list shows all the clothes that I want for my wardrobe, it can be made up of both the things I still have and stuff that I need go shopping for.

• Black skinny Jeans
• Light blue skinny Jeans
• A pair of leggings
• Black skater skirt
• Black skater dress
• Tight black dress
• Two tees- grey and white
• Two vest- black and white
• 3 blouses- sleeves, half sleeves, sleeveless 
• Plaid Shirt
• Denim shirt
• Two jumpers
• Two cardigans 
• A blazer

And that's it; apart from my work uniform, running kit and lounge wear that's all the clothes I wish to own.

So It has begun, I'll do an update once I have brought all the new clothes and I will start doing 'outfit of the day posts' so that you can see how I make a small wardrobe work!
I'm also going to go through my shoes and most of the other things I own to try and stream line everything, but that will come with time.

Thanks for reading, and in the comments tell me:
Whats the one Item of clothing that you couldn't live without?

Talk soon,
Claudia x