17 Resolutions for 2017

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Hi Everyone,

I know for some people it is probably a little late for a resolutions post. Because I am on holidays from work, I don't feel like the year has properly started, so I think it is the perfect time. People should make new goals whenever it suits them and if you are going to make new goals for a new year, it is probably smart to wait a bit, so you can let the procrastination start before you go making any crazy plans to "better yourself".

Some of these are goals that I want to achieve and some of these things are important things that I learned that I want to remember. I had some of these on my list last year. I am repeating them because I want to continue with those goals, because I did make a little progress with them and I want to continue doing that. Who says you only have 12 months to achieve these things?

I feel like I learnt a lot about life and I changed a lot last year. I am looking forward to this year, for many reasons. My sister is getting married this year, some friends might be travelling back my way this year and there are a few other smaller events I hope to go to. I think there might be a few possibilities for things to improve in 2017 so I look forward to those!

Here are my resolutions:

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1. LEARNING THE GUITAR:
I already know a couple of basic chords and strumming patterns. For years, I have just looked up songs with easy open chords and played while I sang along. I call this DIY karaoke. It is awesome because you can slow the fast songs and do your own thing. I decided to invest in a more expensive guitar at the end of last year (an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Pro in Trans Blue to be exact) with the condition that I would try and improve my playing and actually learn some riffs.

I have already learnt to use a Capo and learned a couple of really slow riffs. I have a list of songs I want to learn, I also want to learn some harder chords, get better at quick chord changes, transpose some piano songs for guitar and get to know the notes on the fret-board a little better. I would also like to continue purchasing cool guitar pedals and learn how to get the best sounds out of them. I have been nerding out over famous guitarists and what techniques/gear they use to get their sound, So I can't wait to learn more and start experimenting.

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2. GO TO THE BEACH MORE OFTEN:
I love going for walks along the beach and even though I live in a good spot, where there are quite a few nice beaches at a very short driving distance, I still don't tend to go very often. It is such a shame that I don't go more often as I find that walking along the beach is very relaxing and is pretty good for the skin on your feet.

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3. STOP WORRYING:
I don't know if this is just me, but I seem to have this problem where I think about all the things that can go wrong and I actually try to prevent some of them happening and end up creating a problem that wasn't even there. I don't know why I worry. I wish I didn't, because I think it is stupid. If I worry about something it usually doesn't happen. If something bad does happen, then it is usually not what I thought it would be anyway. Sometimes I will guess that something is going to happen, And it does happen, but those are usually things that don't affect me, therefore I didn't come to those conclusions because of some random fear.

So in 2017 I will be trying not to worry. What happens will happen. There is no point stressing about it. Stressing is bad for your health and uses up time that could be spent focusing on something more interesting...

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4. REMEMBER THAT I AM MORE CONFIDENT THAN I THINK I AM:
This is kind of a weird one. I have always been one of those people that thought I wasn't very confident. I get told a lot that I need to be more confident and I decided against doing future pin-up competitions because I'm not really confident enough to get up in front of people and try to fake the charisma that I just don't have. At the very beginning of this year (about an hour in) I was talking to someone and they reminded me that I am a lot more confident than I originally thought. While I may not be very outgoing, I do wear vintage dresses, apply bright lip colours, get up in front of people at karaoke and sometimes go out alone. A lot of people wouldn't do those things.

I also realized that being outgoing and being confident are not necessarily the same things. I'm not an outgoing person by nature and I don't know if it is really possible to change that about myself. However, I will do something that a lot of other people wouldn't do, because it is uncool and they would be embarrassed. Some of those people are the chattiest, most outgoing people I know. Just something to think about...

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5. DO FUN THINGS WITH NICE PEOPLE:
Last year I decided to be more social and make an effort to go to things. I ended up meeting some really nice people and I had a lot of fun hanging out with them. I want to continue having fun in 2017 and find some people that enjoy some the same kind of "fun" as me. My kind of fun is hanging out at the quieter pubs (versus the one with the blaring music) or hanging out at the beach or just chilling in general.

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6. ENJOY MORE OLD MOVIES:
I really enjoy old movies, but sometimes I will choose to watch something that I have already seen  instead of one of the unopened classics taking up residence in the TV cupboard. Most of the old movies I watched in 2016 were pretty enjoyable and in 2017 I hope the same is true.

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7. CONTINUE TO BE 100% ME:
In the past there have been many times that I have toned down the way that I dress for other peoples benefit. It wasn't because they wanted me to tone it down, but it was because I thought that is what they want. It wasn't really until last year that I took the plunge and started buying more vintage style reproduction dresses and deciding to actually wear them. I noticed that people actually like me more when I wear what I want to wear.

The same goes for a lot of things. There have been times where I would be careful what I said, so that I didn't offend anyone, or I wouldn't talk about the things that I actually wanted to talk about because I would scare other people away with my weird interests. Once again, I think I realized that people actually like you to have your own opinion. I think the moral of the story here is that people don't want you to be something you are not. People want you to be the person that you want to be and they can tell when you are being authentic or not.

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8. GROW MY HAIR
So I started this last year. I had a really short pixie cut and it has taken me a very long time to get it to what is almost a bob. Even at this short length I have found some interesting new ways to style my hair. I have been setting my hair as often as possible and learning the best way to brush out the curls and pin them into place. I hope to resist the urge to cut it all of again, so that I can continue trying out new styles.

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9. BE MORE ADVENTUROUS WITH STYLE:
So last year I wanted to "Dress my Age" more often and I feel like I did that. I also wore a lot of things that I had never worn before. This year I wanted to continue with both of those things, but I also wanted to try going for things that I usually wouldn't go for, such as a different colour or a different cut.

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10. BE MORE ASSERTIVE:
In 2017 I am giving up on subtlety and people pleasing. Firstly, subtlety does not work. Some people don't know what you are telling them when you are speaking right to their face, so why would a subtle hint be any better? Also, trying to be careful how you say something, just means that you aren't saying it clearly. If the person is pushy they will just think that you are indecisive and argue with you about it. Finally, I want to give up on procrastinating my true feelings. Sometimes I will agree to something because that is the easy thing to do, so that I can find away to get out of it later. Which just means that I will stress out about it until I find a solution. Stress that would have been avoided if I had just been honest from the beginning.

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11. GO TO THE HORSE RACES:
I haven't been to the horse races in a couple of years. It hasn't stopped me from accumulating pretty dresses and matching hair pieces. I really wanted to go last year. I had a list of events written down that I was going to make myself go to and I managed most of them except the races. At the start of the season I couldn't find someone who wanted to go with me and at the end of the season I had to work. I honestly don't know that I will enjoy it that much, but it is one of the few things you can do for fun in this town and I'm going to give it a go.

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12. BE LESS SERIOUS:
I am a very serious person and I don't think there is anything wrong with that, but sometimes I would like to be a little less serious. Have a bit of fun and just care a whole lot less about what anyone else thinks.

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13. BE LESS CRITICAL OF MY CREATIVE EFFORTS:
Sometimes I start doing something creative and I give up on it pretty early because I am too critical of it. When I think about the creative people that I admire I forget that they probably had days when they felt the same. If they criticized themselves as much as I criticize myself then a lot of the artworks, fashion designs, songs, books and movies  that I like probably would not exist. This year, I would like to post-pone all self-doubt until after I have created my ideas.

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14. STOP CHASING AFTER OTHER PEOPLE:
I get that sometimes I have to make the effort to organize things with people if I want to be social, however, If I find myself in a situation where I am the only one making the effort then I'm out, because one-sided friendships are not real friendships. It is really that simple. If you have to constantly chase up people, then those are not your people.

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15. TRY TO PERSIST:
I don't want to give up on things too easy, just because it is hard or because it seems like it isn't going my way. I want to give things a chance before I give up completely. Some of the best moments of 2016 wouldn't have happened if I hadn't persisted.

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16. LEARN TO MANAGE TIME AND MONEY:
So this one covers a lot of different aspects of my life. I have always been good with money in the sense that I am rarely ever broke and I still manage to buy a lot of things that I want, but I would like to improve on what I buy to make sure that I am making purchases with research behind them and not just buying the cheapest thing.

As far as time goes: I want to procrastinate less, waste less time on the Internet/social media, waste less time putting up with people that I don't want to put up with and less time waiting around for other people to do the things that they said they were going to do. I would also like to spend more time sleeping and less time running late for things.

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17. ACCEPTING THINGS:
I have decided to look at the past from a new perspective. There were things that happened in 2015 and 2016 that I wasn't happy about. I have realized that these things happened for a reason and changed me a lot as a person. So I accept them. I want to put more energy into the present and the future. I also want to remember what happened and who was responsible, so that I can avoid making the same mistakes again in the future.

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So of course I still want to read more books, write blog posts, and do some fancy nail designs, but those 17 resolutions listed above are the main goals for the year. What are your goals for 2017? Have you started on any of your goals already?

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

16 Resolutions for 2016

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Hi Everyone,

It's that time of year again. 2015 is nearly over and now I'm about to make a bunch of promises to myself for 2016, that I possibly won't follow through with. 2015 wasn't the best year for me, but it could have been a lot worse, so I guess I'm grateful for that atleast. I decided not to post a year in review, because I didn't achieve a whole lot worth mentioning and I don't feel like I read enough to pick out my favourite reads for the year. According to all of that starsign stuff 2016 is supposed to be my year, not that I'm completely sure I believe in starsigns...

I did really enjoy my Christmas at home with family and I'm looking forward to purchasing a few bits and pieces online as I see sales popping up. So far I don't have any plans for New Year's Eve, though I do hope to figure something out before then. I have never really done anything previously for New Year's except sit on the couch in my pajamas and even if I do plan something, I usually end up sick and can't go. Here's to hoping this year will be different, but I guess it's not the end of the world if I stay up late watching the fireworks on the T.V.

Without further ado (and in no particular order) here are my resolutions for 2016. You will notice I didn't list a reading goal here. I do hope to read, however, I think setting a goal to read a certain amount doesn't really work for me. If I feel like reading I will read. If the books are good; the books are good...

16 RESOLUTIONS:

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1. BE SPONTANEOUS:

I am generally not one of those people who will "Go with the Flow". I like to plan things in advance. I like to know what I am doing so I can dress appropriately. I don't want to dress up at night on the odd chance that something might happen, but I am also not one of those people that can get ready in a short time-frame. If I am somewhere with people and they invite me to go somewhere shortly after I usually tend to say "No" just because I was not prepared to be asked somewhere and I feel like I have to stick to the plan in my head... I think there were a few social opportunities in 2015 that I let slide by and I do regret that. So in 2016 I am going to try to be more spontaneous, even if it isn't in my nature. 

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2. BE LESS AFRAID:

I am an anxious person and a lot of things scare me. If I were to list my fears this post would go on forever. So I won't. I'm just going to say that in 2015 I did conquer a few teeny tiny smallish fears and it felt really good. I think I would like to conquer a few more in 2016. I would also like to be less afraid of people because I think that particular fear affects the way I live my life a little too much. It is really weird, because I don't care what people think of me or say about me, but I'm honestly petrified of how they'll treat me. I know that people are just human and I'm just human, but I'm also a weird human in comparison to the others and I usually can't figure out what to do in a social situation until at least 24 hours after the moment...

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3. DON'T HOLD BACK:

I am a people-pleaser. While I don't really care what people think or say about me, I don't like to cause conflict. I also cannot lie to people. So I usually find that if I disagree with someones point of view on something I can tend to bite my tongue. If I am dressing up for an occasion I will "tone it down" for the sake of being "appropriate". I do refrain from sharing a lot of things about myself with others simply because it is easy or because I don't have the energy to deal with their reactions. In 2016 I want to try not to hold back as much.

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4. GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA:

I am not saying cancel my accounts or anything, because social media is honestly one of the most useful things, however I do think I spend too much time on there and I would like to get away from using it as much as I do. I think it is amazing what I have managed to achieve in the weekends that I left my phone in my purse, in another room. In 2016 I think I would like to spend less time looking at my news feed and more time reading or drawing.

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5. STOP EXPLAINING MYSELF TO PEOPLE:

I have been doing this for most of the post already. I do it all the time. "I I I..." I am sure that people grow tired of me talking about myself and think I'm selfish or something. I probably am. When I do something weird and I get a remark or a look, Or if someone makes an observation about me, I feel like I have to explain myself. Why am I the way I am? For how long have I done things this way? etc. etc. I think in the future I'd like to just be weird and not explain myself. Why can't I just say "That's me" or "Because I can" and that be the end of the story. 

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6. TRY AND DO SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERYDAY:

I didn't do as much art as I would have liked to in 2015 and I think that is a real shame. I don't really have any good excuses. I stressed a bit about stuff, I lost motivation and some inspiration. My painting night was taken over by different social activities throughout the year... I think I would like to do something small nearly every day to stay motivated. I would like to do just a quick sketch or jot down some ideas each day in 2016.

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7. LEARN SOME NEW DANCE COMBINATIONS:

I tried attending dance class again in 2015 and it didn't work out. So I've been dancing at home. I've been improvising a  bit and I choreographed a little bit, but I mostly keep practicing the same old tap combinations I was taught. In 2016 I would like to keep going with the dancing and learn some new combos from Youtube. I think I'd like to master some of the Time Step Tuesday combos which would be a bit of a challenge.

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8. WEAR THINGS THAT I HARDLY EVER WEAR:

I have been doing this a little bit already at the end of 2015. I pretty much just want to go through my wardrobe and make an effort to wear things I haven't worn, or that I haven't touched in months. It feels like such a waste to buy something and not wear it. I'd like to wear more of my abandoned accessories too. Things like brooches, which end up sitting in a drawer being appreciated by nobody. Those poor sad little brooches.

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9. DRESS MY AGE:
I am a modest dresser. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I'm not a fan of some of the too-revealing fashions that pop up in some of the chain stores. However, sometimes I think I can be a little too critical of clothes when I'm shopping or getting dressed and I will not wear something because I think it is too short, when by modern standards it is still actually quite long. I have realised that I'm as young as I'm ever going to be and I should take more advantage of that when dressing up.

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10. SMILE MORE:
I've got that "Resting Bitch Face" thing down to a fine art. We all forget what a difference a smile can make. In 2016 I want to be more positive, happier, And to smile more.

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11. DON'T WAIT AROUND FOR OTHERS:
I spent way too much time in 2015 waiting for other people. Between cancelled plans and phone calls that didn't happen, I spent way too much time being let down by people and making excuses for them. I don't want to be that girl in 2016.

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12. LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC:
I love music and I pride myself on being a music person, but there is still a lot of music out there that I haven't heard. In 2016 I want to discover more good music. I feel like I've been listening to the same tunes for a while now and I think it's time to add something new into the mix.

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13. TAKE MORE PHOTOS:
I have a lot of photos on my phone. Photos of the beach, of beauty things for blog posts, of my art, And a few selfies. I don't really ever take photos to remember events by. I don't go to a lot of events, but when  I do, I put my phone away. I think in the future when I look back on my life, I would like to have some actual photos to look back at. So in 2016 I'm going to try to take more sentimental type photographs.

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14. DRESS SIMPLY:
Some of my favourite outfits of 2015 have been pretty basic ones, with minimal accessories. Still old-fashioned and  still probably a bit outlandish, but just more of an obvious choice. I want to spend less time figuring out what to wear in 2016, but still look like I made an effort.

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15. STOP OVER THINKING EVERYTHING:
Have you ever made a small mistake or social faux pas and thought about it like 5 years after it happened? I have. If I do anything the slightest bit awkward or stupid I will still be thinking about it weeks or months later. If I make a bad decision, nobody is more disappointed in me, than I am. I'm a perfectionist and that applies to my life as well as my art. In 2016 I want to try to learn to move on from my mistakes.

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16. STAY INSPIRED:
One of the problems I had with keeping up with my goals in 2015, was a lack of inspiration/motivation. Now that I've got an Instagram account and I've started following a lot of other make-up artists and art artists, I am finding inspiration a little easier to come by. I want to make an effort to stay inspired in 2016 so I can keep going with the things I love and make some achievements.

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I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your New Year's celebrations. Do you have any resolutions for 2016?

To view image source click on the * under the photo.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

It's New Years Day: Thoughts, Goals and Pretty Pictures

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Welcome to 2015! I didn't do anything too exciting for New Years, I stayed home and watched a slightly depressing but good movie 'Tara Road' with my parents and we watched the local Fireworks from the window. We actually had a little bit of a summer storm yesterday afternoon, but it cleared before dark so a lot of the New Years celebrations still went on. 

I usually do this as two separate posts, but today I thought I might change that. In one post, here is my '2014 in Review' and '2015 Goals.

2014 IN REVIEW:

I feel like this year has gone ridiculously fast. For most of the year I felt like I was doing a whole lot of nothing. Looking back, I think a few things definitely did happen and I did actually make some achievements. I didn't make all of my resolutions from last year a reality, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. 

In 2014, we said farewell to some  great people who unfortunately didn't get to see the new year. I think it was a sad year for a lot of people, especially considering that there were so many national and international tragedies. 

I also turned 21, which is apparently a big deal. I don't really think that it's a big deal because 18 is the legal age for a lot of things in this country, so there aren't really any new privileges for me to enjoy. I just had a small gathering at a local restaurant for my birthday "party" and I got to dress up which is always fun.

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I bought a new car last year. No it wasn't a vintage Cadillac, but it is blue and I think it's magnificent. I honestly thought I'd never sell my little car or buy anything bigger, but I changed my mind and I'm glad I did. While I may not have as much money free to spend each pay day, I am happy about getting to drive "baby" each time I travel to the shops. 

I also entered a pin-up competition. It was a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone and I think it was really fun. I don't know if I will enter it again this year, but I have been thinking about it. If I do I think I will definitely need to work on my poses a little bit. I'm not entirely sure that I'm cut out for the pin-up thing, because I'm more of a 'Funny Face' kind of girl, however in our town you kind of just take what you get, And a vintage-inspired event is kind of a miracle.

Our town also had a Festival, Super Boats, Monster Trucks and a Rally relating to an important cause. I didn't go to the Monster Trucks, but I went to the festival and the Super boats and had a good time. I really like that there were actually events to go to for a change, though it can get a little expensive.

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I have bought a lot of stuff in the last year. I definitely need to curb those spending habits now that I have a new car to pay for. I kind of learnt my lesson this year with buying cheap things from Asia. You wouldn't think it, but I have bought quite a few things online that turned out to be too small. I've since sold these things or donated them to charity. I also indulged in some of the online after xmas sales not that there were many...

I have also made a few accomplishments with my blog in 2014. I have made it to 1400 likes on the Quirky Vintage Facebook Page. I also had one of my posts 'Vintage (style) can be appropriate' featured in Chronically Vintage - Vintage Link Love October 2014. I also decided to start posting Movie Recommendations, Playlist Posts, Pretty Picture Posts and Seasonal Beauty Favourites.

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In 2014 I also started posting some Beauty Pictures to the Facebook page and I'm really happy with the response I've been getting. I've gotten a lot of complements for my make-up lately and I have even been considering tutorials...

In the last year I also discovered Nail Stamping and got addicted. I have done quite a few different designs and I think my favourite one is probably the National Anthem by Lana Del Rey inspired manicure. There were a lot of other designs I was really happy with as well. These included the 'A Place To Call Home' manicure, 1920's flapper nails, Sabrina Nails and Diana Camera Nails.

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I only read 13 books this year which I know is really slack. Considering that one year I did read 72... I did do a lot of other things with my time though, and I have a lot of hobbies. This year I really enjoyed reading the Stephanie Plum Series and 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell. 

MY GOALS FOR 2015:

I have some really obvious and boring life goals to start off with. Things like being healthier, doing physical activity, going to bed earlier, being organised, getting to places on time, being more efficient...

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I'd really like to get into dancing again, even if there are no classes available. I want to get my old ballet posture back. I want to tap dance and charleston and jive, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. I will take hip hop if I have to... I don't hate hip hop, it just makes me feel a little awkward.

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I want to spend less money in 2015. I think I am going to bargain hunt less and wait for the good quality stuff to go on sale. I also want to keep tabs on what I spend (I think this is usually where it all goes bad).

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I want to organise my music this year. I'm thinking it's time to finally sort out that vinyl and to set up my second ipod (one for driving).

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I want to make a conscious effort to read more. I love reading, but I get so distracted by other things that I just forget about my TBR sometimes. I don't want to make a reading goal, because I always end up reading less. I definitely want to get stuck into the new books I got for xmas and read some of the books that I find intimidating.

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I want to make more of an effort with my skin and with cleaning my make-up brushes. I want to try out heaps of new looks and keep uploading pics for you all.

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I want to make sure my blog doesn't get forgotten and I want to try my best to write great stuff that people actually want to read. 

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I want to keep on going with my art and be inspired to try new things. I would like to do some more art journaling  like I used to do in high school art class. 

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I want to find time for all of my random little hobbies including guitar.

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I want to make an effort to dress well and go out more so I can actually wear some of my new cute little outfits. 

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I want to be more social and meet new people. This kind of goes with the last one, because what is the point of "going out" by myself. Having said that, I don't want to put up with petty dramas, cattiness, or any of those stereotypical things people do so they can convince themselves that they are cool. 

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Most of all, I want to have a bit of fun, be positive and spend quality time with decent people.

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I hope you all had a wonderful new year! Did you do anything exciting to celebrate? Do you have any resolutions?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie