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

Goals for 2014

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In case you were wondering, yes, I have always done the end of year and new years resolutions posts separately. Don't ask me why, but this is just my system and I don't see any real benefits to changing it. As usual, a new year always brings new hopes and new challenges. I've decided to separate my goals into a few different categories. 

READING:

-I'm hoping to read 26 books. It's a smaller goal than last years, but if I reach this goal I would have read more than I did last year anyway. 

-I'm hoping to catch up on some review books (I have been trying not to ask for these unless they are ones I really really want, but the publishers just keep on sending them my way anyhow)

-I'm hoping to read at least one classic.

-Conquer some unfinished books.

THE BLOG:

-I'm hoping to reach 1000 likes on the Facebook page.

-I would like to make it to 100 followers on Blogger.

-I'm hoping to catch up on some beauty posts.

-I'm hoping to continue with some of the new post series I started last year.

-I'm hoping to write some more book vs movie posts.

OTHER HOBBIES:

-I'm hoping to learn a few tab songs on the guitar.

-I'm hoping to finally update my Ipod (hey I do have like 900 songs on there so it's not like I'm suffering from a music shortage or anything)

-I'm hoping to finish some of my smaller craft projects.

-paint artworks again for diaries and calendars.

-try out as many cool nail designs as the year will allow.

LIFE:

-I'm going to try and get into a bit of a routine this year. It probably won't last long, but I can at least try.

-I'm hoping to finish my course soon.

-I'm hoping to be a bit more social this year.

-Clean room & keep room clean (I know, I know, but I have a lot of stuff and I need to make a few purchases for storage stuff before this can properly happen. 

I wish you all a fabulous 2014.

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie