Archive for December 2014

Hello everyone!

As the year is closing in and we all gather round to welcome in 2015, a lot of us have resolutions on our minds. Now if you're anything like me, you'll make the same ones every year, go in with the best intentions but give them up mid-January.

This time around, I have a bunch of resolutions of the blogging kind and am determined to stick to them!

Here goes!

PHOTOGRAPHY

Before I started blogging, I never really had any interest in taking photos but recently it's become a big thing for me to try and make them the best they can be. I'd really like to improve my photos and make them more creative, whether that be on this blog, my Instagram or wherever. I'm also hoping to save up and invest in a DSLR!

POST SCHEDULE

I want to keep my creativity up and post 2-4 times a week. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with Sundays being Weekly Reflect posts. I'd really love your input on this - how often do you think is best?

FAVOURITES

Y'know, I never really do favourites posts but I'd like to. I'm going to aim to do them every month alongside a video, which leads me onto my next resolution . . .

YOUTUBE

The big one! I finally bit the bullet and started my channel at the start of December and I want 2015 to be the year I really start and stick to it. As I said, I'm gonna ease myself in my doing a favourites video each month but you never know, you might see the odd tag or get ready with me on there so I'd be very grateful if you subscribed!

OUTFITS

Despite starting this blog as a fashion one and having a huge love for all things fashion, I've noticed Thrift O'Clock has taken a definite turn in the beauty direction. I'm hoping to bring out the thrift hauls and outfit posts in full force in the new year. I've loved seeing other bloggers 'year in outfits' posts so fingers crossed I can do that at the end of 2015!

MEET UPS/EVENTS

One thing I feel like I miss out on with regards to blogging is actually meeting up with bloggers! I'm very lucky to have got to know quite a few on Twitter but I hope in 2015, especially once I've left school I'll go to events to meet up with some offline! I actually set up an account on Twitter for Northern Irish bloggers to connect & network this month and I'm determined to get some meet ups organised for us #nibloggers!

COMMENT/SHARE

Recently I've made a conscious effort to comment more on other blogs. I think it's important to give credit where it's due, especially when people work really hard on a post. I'm gonna try and share a lot of other blogger's posts on Twitter too if I really like them!

BLOGTOBER/BLOGMAS
Okay, I have to admit I watched a lot of Vlogtober & Vlogmas videos and read a lot of their blog counterparts this year and couldn't help but wish I'd organised myself earlier to be able to do them! Fingers crossed for 2015!

Thank you so much for all your support in 2014, I hope you'll come join me in 2015 and see these resolutions be carried out!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Thanks for reading,
Maeve
x

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P.S. I took these photos of the snow around my garden the other day!

Hello everyone!

The big day is fast approaching and what better way to celebrate that than talk about all things Christmas!

1. What is your favourite Christmas film?

Oooh, now this one was always gonna be difficult! I remember when my brother, sister and I were all young and we would set out the Christmas videos (yep, that long ago!) on Christmas Eve and pick one to watch. It would usually be either Santa Clause The Movie or The Santa Clause, they're absolute classics in my eyes. I also love watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, it always feels like Christmas once I've watched that!

2. Have you ever had a White Christmas?

Yes! I love it when it snows on Christmas Day.

3. Where do you usually spend the holidays?

Always at home with my family - I think that's the best way to do it!

4. What is your favourite Christmas song?

You just can't beat a bit of Mariah or Michael Buble, now can you? If they collaborated for a Christmas song, oh my. I also loved this by Cast of Lions last year and it's what I'm listening to as we speak!

5. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Nope!

6. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Well there's Rudolph of course . . . Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid . . . that's all I got! Your turn to try.

7. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

Wrapping presents to the sound of Michael Buble's Christmas album is a definite tradition, as is visiting my Granny on Christmas Eve. Another tradition we've always stuck to is on Christmas morning, we always had to check and see if the radiator's warm. The heating comes on at about 6 o'clock in our house so if the radiator's cold, we go back to bed. If it's warm, we can get up and check if Santa's been!

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

We had a real one a few years ago which was nice but we usually stick to our fake one and love it.

9. What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?

Putting Christmas dinner itself aside, we do love some cheese & crackers in our house when it gets festive. Oh, and there's always the obligatory tin of sweets!

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

Definitely giving! I try to be personal with my gifts and take a lot of care choosing and wrapping them. Getting presents is great too, but seeing someone appreciate what you got them is infinitely better!

11. What's the best Christmas gift you've ever received?

Back in the day, I once got a toy pedal tractor and it was amazing. Yep, I used to want to be a farmer so that was a fabulous present. My dolls house was a favourite too. Fast forward to this year, Santa kindly got me a ticket to see Nicki Minaj live and I'm pretty thrilled about that!

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

Christmas in New York sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

I have to say I actually do enjoy wrapping! I wouldn't stay I'm a pro but I do try!

14. Most memorable holiday moment?

I'm actually struggling to think of one in particular there's been so many! My parents always went out of their way to make Christmas extra special which is something I can't wait to emulate when I have children.

15. What made you realise the truth about Santa?

When I got to secondary school, some other children planted the idea in my head. I refused to believe but then the day came when my dad and older sister told me.

16. Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I always try to and they last for about two weeks. For the upcoming year though, I have a bunch of blogging resolutions I'm really hoping to stick to. I'll be posting about them soon enough!

17. What makes the holidays special for you?

Being with my family. My sister will be coming home from uni tonight so we'll all be reunited and it doesn't get much more special than that.

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Well now I feel festive!
I hope this got you in the Christmas mood, let's all share Christmas memories & traditions in the comments!

I tag:
Georgia
Jess
Becky

Thanks for reading,
Maeve
x

Hello everyone!

MAC.
Quite possibly the most talked about makeup brand.
If you don't own something from MAC, there's bound to be something on your wishlist at least.

Throughout the time I've been watching Youtube videos and reading blogs, there’s always been common theme and that’s MAC Cosmetics. Despite only owning a handful of products from the brand, I could probably recite their lipstick shades like the alphabet. Okay, slight exaggeration, but y'know, I can recognise a fair bunch of them!

After hearing so much about their eyeshadows and having always had a huge love for anything customisable, I decided to treat myself and start a Pro x15 Palette back in January.

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Now, you’re all smart human beings and you’ll be able to tell that January was quite a few months ago . . . and that there’s only one shadow in the palette!

Individual MAC eyeshadows are £10 each and I can’t justify splashing out on them all the time. That said, I do feel kinda bad for leaving just the one without any friends. It set me back 30 of my well earned pounds on the packaging alone – very unlike me to spend like that, but I see it as an investment.

The shade I own is Blanc Type which I thought to be the ideal starter shade. It's matte and milky cream in colour so can easily be worn all over the lid as a base or as a non-shimmer highlight. I love using it with my cheaper eyeshadows to prolong their wear time!

What are my plans for the rest of the palette?

Well, I'd quite like to fill the top row with a graduation from Blanc Type all the way to a dark brown. That would be my neutral row, leaving room for slightly more adventurous colours on the other two.

Coppers, purples, deep greens and rosy pinks - those are the shades I like to use most often.
If you're a MAC fanatic and know your shades, I'd love it if you could recommend me some!

I think if it's within your budget, a MAC Palette would make the most amazing gift - you could start it off and leave the rest up to your loved one's imagination!

Thanks for reading,
Maeve
x

Hello everyone!

I'm back with another gift guide - this time, it's one for the bloggers.

I wanted to play on the idea of what a 'typical blogger' would want. It's just a bit of fun, nothing too serious and I do think there are some really cool gifts here that anyone would appreciate. As with my other Christmas gift guide, everything featured is sourced from Shufflechristmas but this isn't a sponsored post, I just love the website!

Let's get started!

"Bloggers love tea, candles & cats. They also wear a ton of rings on every finger."

I have to admit, I adhere to nearly all of these stereotypes - I love cats, love candles and am quite partial to a good cuppa. The only one I don't do is wear a load of rings but I must say I do love that look! The peace ring holder would take pride of place on any lady's vanity as would a candle or two! Don't have a cat? Allergic? Cute doorstopper to the rescue!

Diptyque Candle // Peace Ring Holder // Candy Cane Candle // I Woke Up Like This Mug // Cat Door Stopper

"Bloggers love cute stationery, mason jars & fluffy socks."

Another confession, I'm an absolute sucker for stationery! But then, if you've read this or this, you might already know that. The notebook would be great for Youtubers planning videos with the video design on front - remember those old things?
I find it kinda odd that mason jars have been a 'trend' as of late but there you go. The ones with lids and straws do look quite handy though. I think they'd make a great gift for anyone, especially someone who's just moved to a new place and is in need of homeware!
I love the idea of using poloroid photos for coasters. A bloggers gonna need somewhere to set their tea while they're typing! Oh, and who said socks were a boring present? I think we'd all appreciate them if they were fluffy and looked as cute as that Boohoo pair do!

Fluffy Socks // Video Notebook // Comic Strip Photo Frame // Scented Rubbers // Pencils // Mason Jars // Poloroid Coaster Maker

If you'd like any other themed gift guides, do let me know and I'll get on it cus these were actually really fun to make!

Thanks for reading,
Maeve
x

Guess what?

Today I turned 18!

I was born on this day in 1996 and it's crazy to think I'm officially an adult now - I can now legally vote, get a tattoo, get married, buy a house and even watch a bunch of films that were age restricted from me yesterday. I swear I'm still a kid though.

I don't feel any older but I do have a sense of renewal and I see this birthday as a fresh start. I thought this might be a good chance and a good place to reflect on things blogwise. . .

Apparently I started this blog 2 years, 5 months and 2 days ago.

It started out as a little hobby, something I dreamed up after a trip to the charity shop and I've never looked back. I'm not a successful blogger by most standards but I've definitely been lucky to reach little milestones and be able to do some pretty cool things as a result of this blog.

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I remember always coming home from a good days thrifting on a Saturday, photographing the clothes I bought the next day (with my woeful quality phone camera!), writing a little bit and posting it up then and there. Blogging was quite a sporadic thing for me then - there were no plans and no schedule and I loved it.

I then started to share my love for all things makeup here; hauls, MUA lipstick swatches and the odd simple nail art tutorial. The more I blogged, the more I fell in love with creating my own wee space to share my thoughts.

Fast forward a bit and I took a slight break from blogging. School work had to take centre stage and blog posts became a rarity. I never forgot about my blog and I continued to read a ton of other blogs, but my enthusiasm for posting just weaned off. What's interesting to note here is that I kept my blog a complete secret from everyone. I'm honestly not even sure why! I think I just thought that people would judge me for it but rest assured, I don't feel that way now at all!

Fast forward even more until the start of this year and I had a sudden burst of inspiration to blog. I really wanted to improve my writing and photography so I vowed to kick this blog into shape. My family soon found out about Thrift O'Clock and while a little confused about the concept at first, they got on board with it and now really support me. Getting a decent camera for Christmas helped and I now thoroughly enjoy taking photos and making them the best they possibly can be!

At a recent interview (a pretend one for a marketing job, set up by my school) I included that I run a blog in my application form and it sparked an interest in my interviewer. He seemed really impressed that I took the gumption to do something out of the curriculum and put some effort into it. This was the first time I talked to anyone about my blog outside of my family and it feel really liberating! I'm proud of this blog and I'm ready and motivated to put even more into it!

So where might we venture next?

Well, it's always been a dream of mine to start up a Youtube channel and I really do hope to start that sometime soon. It's most likely to be in the Summer of next year when I'll have plenty of time. I'd hate to start now, not have time to film/edit and leave big gaps between video uploads. Until then, I hope to keep this blog going and growing and who knows what could happen.

It's a constant journey and I want to thank you all. For those who've stuck with me, thank you. For those who haven't been here long, join the party! And thank you. I really didn't mean for this post to get so long but here we are, and if you've read it all then have a pat on the back!

As for the future of this blog, who knows.

Let's just ride it out and see!

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

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