200th Instax + Tie Dye day

Hey there! I have some really fun photos to share with you today! I haven't posted in a while because of school and dance etc. but I'm back now and have lots of exciting photos to share!

These are a few photos taken with my friend Sarah (who now has her own Instax wide) when we had a tie-dye day during our christmas break, so I won't be going through them individually as they are pretty self explanatory.

It is in this collection that we celebrate my 200th Instax photo! It didn't turn out as well as we had hoped, mainly because my mother didn't understand how uncomfortable it is to hold a scorpion for any amount of time (dancer problems). But the addition of some adorable stickers seemed to cheer it up a little!

I have decided that from now on I will individually scan some of the photos that turned out particularly well. I feel like scanning all at once doesn't really give you enough of a chance too see them. On that note I will have a few more posts in the coming week or two so make sure to check back!

Thanks for reading and make sure to follow me on Bloglovin,

AnnaMae ❤

189 Instax Photographs

Earlier today I started to wonder how many Instax photos I had ever taken. I received my Instax Mini 7s from my wonderful friends for my 16th Birthday (October 2012) and have been snapping at every opportunity ever since! :)

I decided to count the photos by counting an album and then writing the number now, to avoid any mistakes e.g.There are 72 photo slots in each album not including the cover space so that was a good way to keep track (I also have a half filled album). After counting each of the albums, including the only photo I don't have in my possession, a group photo of my friends and I with Franca from Germany   an exchange student who was staying with one of my other friends. At the end of our day out I gave the photo to her. This broke my heart but I knew she would take care of it. I am a little  really obsessive over keeping my photos so funnily that was quite a big deal for me, but I am very happy with my decision!

well that was off topic….

Anyways after counting all the photos 3 times over I realised I was missing one. As most of you will know instax films come in packs of 10, so this didn't add up. So, I freaked out and after about 2 hours of recounting and thinking back I remembered when I thought there were only 9 films in a pack. I am probably wrong but either that happened or I lost one along the way (which I highly doubt).

Either way I have decided to carry on as if I have taken 190 Instax photographs. It will be a lot more fun to celebrate my 200th photo rather than my maybe 200th maybe 199th photograph.

Well, thats my story, I hope you have enjoyed my little panic! Please don't be afraid to leave a comment below if something similar has ever happened to you, I am still looking for answers!

Lots of love, AnnaMae <3

This photo is actually one of the first Instax I ever took and it has always been one of my favourites
so I thought I would share it with you :)

Stained Glass Instax Film Review

It's almost time to go back to school…which will sadly mean a LOT less time to instax…

But before that happens, I have another film to share with you!

This film is the "Stained Glass Instax Mini Film". And another film that I am in love with! The benefit of this film is that it adds colour and fun without being too in your face, or without a particular theme that you would have -kinda- had to follow. I would suggest this film for more of a casual setting, like indoors joking around with friends, rather than out and about or at an occasion. 

I feel a little strange just putting some of these photos out without really explaining them, so I think in future I will probably talk about the actual photos more and what I could do to improve them.

Stained glass instax mini film

Photos:
1- a little dark but I can't change the Irish weather!

2- Cute, but as photo 1 was printing I think some rain got into the film which caused the white mark.

3- Although in the instruction manual it says that if you are taking an Instax with a reflective surface hold the camera oblique to the surface so that it doesn't catch the flash. This, obviously hasn't proved successful for me yet! (also here in photo 7 in the second set of photos).

4+5- I like how both of these photos turned out, but I could have moved closer to my friend Rebecca because the background is very plain.

6- An attempted selfie, the main problem in this is just that I am too frickin' pale and that I am so white the flash bounces off me a lot… it happens…

7- Honesly I just thought this wall looked cute so I told some of my friends to lean against it and look cool. You might notice that my friend Caoimhe has her own Instax (mini 25) which she got for Christmas and I am currently trying to convince her to maybe write a post on learning to use the Instax Mini 25.

8- This is probably illegible after being scanned in, but the signs read "Happy New Year 2013 - 2014" and two exclamation points as an extra flourish by the 10 year old who wanted everyone to have a sign (she's just too cute). This was taken on the stairs of our family friends and neighbours house, where we usually have the same photo without the signs every year. In future I would have all the lettering filled in in black rather than colour as the flash washes it out too much.

9- On my way to a party with my family on new years eve.

10- I especially love this photo of my best friend Sarah and I after ballet class. It's just adorable and I think the colour of Sarah's leotard pulls in perfectly with the border of the film.

Thanks for reading! <3

Christmas Instax film review

As promised, my Christmas film!

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas! I thought I would be up to date for once and post the day I finished the film. Most of these photos are of family friends back from Dubai for the holidays, they are basically my family and I am so glad to have them here! The 10 year old girl is obviously the owner of the rainbow loom in the 2nd last photo, not me, the 17 year old! but that doesn't mean I haven't tried it out myself! I'm actually quite happy with how these photos turned out, in general they are not so bad (a little out of focus, blinking, too much white etc.). Also, just look at how adorable my dog is with all the teddy bears in photo number 6! <3

As for the film itself, I'm not so sure. Although it is festive, its nothing special. I didn't like how a lot of the top images were cut in half just because it looks like its faulty even though thats exactly how it's supposed to be. Because of this I'm not sure if I would purchase it again. Even though it is nice and festive I'm not sure if its worth it.

Well, I have already decided that my next film will be the Stained Glass film, which I think I will be starting tomorrow! 

I hope this has helped you in some way!

Enjoy <3

Cath Kidson Instax Mini film

I have another film to share with you! :D 

This is another one of the films I received for my birthday this year. It's the Cath Kidson Mint Instax Mini Film, and I love it! As you can see from the picture the colours are super vibrant. I didn't think I would like the ribbon effect on the top (cut off on the first row of scanned images) but it is much nicer than I had expected. I think I would also like to try this film in the yellow version, just because the colours are so much more vibrant than I had expected.

Although these look like a bunch of random photos they actually do have some order and were actually taken in the space of a weekend! The first four are from the craft fair I was selling at (I'll have a post about that in the near future). The next one was from our schools production of "Cats"(I'm in orange and red). And the last five are from a sleepover and dinner we had as a celebration after our last performance.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will have one on the Instax Mini Christmas film just after Christmas!

Rilakkuma meets Honey Instax Mini film

So this post is wayyy.. overdue. Most of these photos were taken around my birthday weekend, and if you have seen my previous post was around the 3rd of October…and now it's December.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this film, it was my first "fun" or not-plain film. When I took my first photo I was pleasantly surprised to see that parts of it were metallic! Most of the hearts, dots, stripes and honeycomb patterns are a shiny gold, which I love! I would love to try Rilakkuma print film again just for the pure cuteness of it!

The only sad thing is that they some of them didn't turn out very well and again, I had trouble scanning them in (the top cut off and a faint white line running through). Also the gold didn't show up very well but, I think you get the idea.

I have some more "fun" film reviews on the way so make sure to check back soon!

AnnaMae <3 

Little Twin Stars Instax Mini film

I thought I would share some of my more recent Instax photos with you! 

This year for my birthday I received about 8 packs of fun instax film, two of which were "Little Twin Stars". I decided to use both packs of this film of my day out in Dublin with two of my best friends, Sarah and Elizabeth, and we all had so much fun!

I ended up having 3 shots left which I used at the dress rehearsal for my schools production of "Cats" which is a bit of a contrast to the film but I still think turned out pretty well.

Quite a few of the Dublin photos turned out a little dark but thats just because it was a very dull, cold day and we were also there in the very early morning (2nd photo), until the evening(8th photo).

The film itself was just as I expected, adorable cartoons in pastel colours. I'm not sure if I would purchase "little twin stars" film again just because I already have had two and it doesn't stand out as a favourite. If you are thinking about purchasing some, go for it! Although its not my favourite it's still a super cute film. 

I will probably have some more "fun" instax film photos in the next few weeks so make sure to check back, or follow me on Bloglovin using the button in the sidebar!

Enjoy! X

* In the 3rd row of photos there is a faint line through the centre, this is nothing to do with the film I just had some issues when scanning them in. Also the top of the 3rd row is cut off again, scanning issues.

🎂 Happy Birthday to my Instax 🎉

Well, it's kinda my birthday too but...

It was this time last year that my friends came together to buy me one of my most prized possessions 💝 My Instax mini 7s 😃 

I took a few photos on the first day so as a little tradition I thought it would be nice I I took another one this year. But as it's a Thursday I had to ask my mom to take it for me ...at home...with me In my school uniform. Anyways it turned out quite well but didn't exactly scream "Birthday". Luckily I had a brainwave and remembered the adorable stickers that came with my 2NUL albums! 😃 They are originally just outlines so like most people I colored them in with fine tip gel/ink pens and adore the result! I was reluctant to use them before, but from now on they will most definately be appearing more in my albums ☺️💗

AnnaMae💗

Fjallraven Kanken (Classic) Review ❀

Hey there!

Since I purchased my second Kanken earlier this summer I thought it was about time to do a review!

I bought my first Kanken in November/December in 2011 it was a dual colour (lemon and dark green although I'm not sure of the names as it is no longer available). As soon as it arrived I was hooked, I loved it so much! It is the perfect backpack, its practical but still looks adorable ❤

This is my very worn dual colour Kanken. As you can see, it no longer looks cute, It looks dirty. I have been using it as a schoolbag for the last year and still use it when travelling so that combined with the pale colour makes it look a lot older than it is. Cleaning my Kanken has always been difficult, I have tried baby wipes and a small bit of warm soapy water on a cloth but neither have made much of a difference although they do slightly fade some marks. On the online store they recommend washing it in warm soapy water or alternatively in a washing machine on a very cool or delicate setting to minimise colour fading. But recently one of my Kanken-loving friends (pictured above with the warm yellow classic size kanken) tried to clean hers with lukewarm water, a soft brush and a little bit of detergent and she feels like the bag is now more delicate and the colour has faded slightly.

This is my newer Kanken that I love with all my heart because...It's Pink ❤ 

I got it while on holidays in  Santa Monica this summer, it was a very 'spur of the moment' purchase but definitely worth it! I absolutely love the colour so much, and I added a cute keychain to top it off.

Another thing about these bags is they are quite strong and hardwearing for a little backpack. They do look a little dirty but they don't scuff or tear and no straps or stitching has come loose or torn.

One very small thing that drives me and my Kanken friends crazy is the front pocket. In the photos on the website it looks like a cute little pouch, but in real life it doesn't puff out at all and is all wrinkled and deflated and gathers loads of dust on the top of it. It does however have a lot of space and is very handy, we just wish it was a little more structured.

The only thing I was confused my before I bought my Kanken was the seat/sitting pad included in a back pocket. At the time I couldn't find any reviews that really explained it. Basically its a thick plastic foam pad that lines the back of the backpack.

I personally have never used it as a seat. Its just really good at keeping the shape of the bag. Something that you might notice from this photo is that the main pocket zips down really far. I love this feature, it makes it so much easier to fit more stuff in because you can organise it more. It also has a cute area for your details. Lets also not forget about the cute little red and white reflective patch featuring an Arctic fox (Fjallraven).

My Kankens are by far my favourite bag in the world and also one of my most cherished items. I would highly recommend it as a bag for travelling, as an everyday bag or even as a small schoolbag. I would especially recommend it for girls or just generally smaller people as it is a nice petite bag with slim straps and the shape means it sits nicely and looks tidy on your back. I have been considering getting a Mini Kanken to use as a handbag type bag because I just love my Classics so much! They are so useful yet look adorable! I definitely see more Kankens in my future!

AnnaMae ☆

My best friend and I on a hike on Croagh Patrick Co.Mayo, Ireland

Dancewear re-fashion: crop top (2)

This is just a quick re-fashion post that really just shows the difference rhinestones can make!

This is the same plain crop top I used in this earlier post, but this time I added colourful rhinestones of all different sizes and I LOVE how it turned out! I have had many complements on it and it could always work for a costume or just help you stand out in a audition or workshop.

Really sorry about the terrible quality of all these photos, especially this one but the strap got very badly damaged and is falling apart so I am in the process of fixing it and it doesn't look pretty!

This was just a plain v-neck lycra leotard that I got for christmas and was the perfect candidate for some plain rhinestones in the centre. Most of my friends didn't even recognise it after the rhinestones !

Just shows what a little sparkle can do!

❤

What to wear to Ballet class ❤

As you may know I am a dancer, I take mainly Ballet but also Tap and Jazz. Even though this blog has been mainly about Instax I will hopefully do a few things on Dance also (My friend and I used to have a dance blog).Let me just start by saying I am very particular about what I wear for ballet, even though its not exactly what I should wear, I feel its the best option for me.

I came back from my summer intensive over 3 weeks ago and ballet will be starting back again soon so I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about what I think is appropriate class wear :)

Leotard: Any colour as long as the style suits you and its fits well. I love wearing colourful Leos but I don't like high cut leg-lines on me, they are lovely on some people but look terrible on me... which brings me to the next item

Skirt or shorts? : At the start of my summer intensive we are given a small talk on what classes will consist of and what we should wear. Well I thought I would be able to wear my usual stuff but then she told us just how much she HATES ballet skirts and booty shorts.... This was an issue for me. I am emotionally attached to my booty shorts. I know that lots of teachers don't like them but unless it is near an exam we are always allowed. I would choose shorts or plain black leggings over a skirt because they are more fitted but either are fine in my opinion.

Tights: Peach/Ballet pink. Maybe black, but I would never wear that. Never tan unless its an emergency.

Hair: At my intensive it was mentioned to my class that some of our buns were "MUCH too high!". This was referring to me. I like to wear my bun right on top of my head, sure, it looks ridiculous sometimes and people always make fun of me for it but it rarely falls down and its the most comfortable  place for me. So, put your bun wherever you want, as long as it is tightly off your face. Also folded ponytail "buns" do not count as a bun.

Shoes: Full sole for under 12s, but split sole for everyone else. I just think its much more flattering to the foot. I wear Grishko performance split-sole soft shoes and I love them! They are a slightly stretchy canvas and elasticated under the arch but I will talk more about them in a shoe review I'm hoping to do.

Extras: No t-shirts, a fitted sweater if you are cold. And no jewellery, bracelets brake your lines, and necklaces, rings and earrings can get easily and hurt you or another dancer.

I hope I haven't offended anyone. Please remember that this is just MY OPINION and always follow your schools dress code
I hope this helps ❤

Perfect 💙

 Lets just take a moment to enjoy this perfect instax mini of my best friend Sarah 

Follow her on Instagram @sarah__nolan :D (two underscores)

As if I didn't have enough

I bought 2 new washi tapes here in London :D I tried not to but it can be hard to find them and after all who can resist neon pink ? I had actually seen the orange and red tape on Pinterest and loved it but couldn't find it anywhere that would ship. Delighted with my purchases :)

What to do with terrible Instax photos ☹

So I gave in..... I used my Instax, but now I regret it.

I couldn't stand not taking photos so very stupidly I decided to take photos of some flowers. Yes, flowers. And sadly the first 3 turned out crap, this happens a LOT to me, I get a craving to use the camera and then take a handful of duds. If anyone else uses on of these cameras you will know how expensive and hard to get film is....

The Solution? Washi Tape!

Washi tape has a particular way of making even the worst photos look a little cuter. At least now when I look through my album I won't be too mad and it was a good opportunity to try out some of my new tapes and at least now I know not to photograph flowers....

Follow me on Bloglovin ❤

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10219895/?claim=h2mn77pykuj">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Instax withdrawal ☹

All summer I have been happy snapping with my Instax mini 7s. Without school and dance I have had a LOT of time on my hands, I have now finished my first album and am almost halfway into my second one! You can see more on these in an older post here. But, since I have come back from my dance intensive "Shawbrook Summer School" where I used my rainbow film, which you can see here I have had nothing to photograph! Given that the film is so expensive I'm not exactly going to go out and take photos of some flowers! My best friend in the whole world and fellow Lomographer Sarah has been away at another intensive, so even my photo buddy isn't here! I am dreaming of hearing that printing buzz again! Hopefully I will get some shots next week when she returns and with our other bunhead buddy Elizabeth before I head off to The Dublin Cheer Experience on Wednesday :D Which I will post more about next week!
❀

Annoying Instax mini film cartridges

These little things are driving me crazy ! Every time I take an empty cartridge out of my Instax I feel like there is something I could do with it ! I know some people turn them in to photo frames but I am looking for something else..... But what ?

There may be a DIY post on its way :P

✿Dancewear re-fashion: Crop top ✿

So at our studio we don't really get the opportunity to wear things like cute crop tops (sadly we really are Bunheads )

Anyways, whenever opportunity knocks we will jump at the chance to wear something fun! I have always been a little bit obsessed with my dancewear... I LOVE all the styles and adding a little bit to it yourself and just how fun it can be!.. But not really the price (especially if its not your run of the mill black camisole leotard). 

Recently, Penneys/Primark have started to sell plain crop tops in just the basic black, white and grey. As soon as I saw them I knew I could have some fun jazzing them up !

I started off with a plain black crop top that I bought in Penneys/Primark for €3

The next step was to ruche or gather the centre of the crop top to give it a different neckline. I think I gathered it to about 2 1/2 inches from the top of the item but just do it until you like the shape. To gather the centre, secure the thread at the top of the garment then make a running stich down as far as you like then bunch the fabric up and try to neatly sew it in place. 

I had bought a dark animal print stretch fabric months before so I decided to use that as the fabric for my straps. 

I cut the fabric into roughly 3/4 inch strips  long enough to cover the straps after being braided. I secured the strips in a stack of three by sewing them discreetly. I then braided the strips and secured them the same way. 

I sewed these braids to the original straps because I thought it would be easier than sewing them as new  ones. I also sewed an extra piece of fabric over the centre to just tie the whole piece together. 

The Final Product:

Please excuse the terrible selfie!

Re-washi taping my instax mini 7s

If you look at some of my earlier posts you can see that I used a hot pink chevron washi tape to cover some parts of my Instax Mini, well, when I was at a residential dance summer school last week I accidentally put my camera in the bag with my clothes which I decided to throw on the floor when frantically looking for a particular leotard. Anyways, I found it at the bottom of my bag with the batteries out and when I put them back in it wouldn't work *minor panic*. After tearing off all of the washi tape and shaking it around a little it started working again *panic over*.  But then I had a washi tape-less Instax! The perfect opportunity to try out one of my new patterns!

I chose the orange and white stripe that my best friend Sarah got me :)

AnnaMae✿

Dancewear re-fashion

I have had this cotton, forest green Plume leotard for a really long time now but I rarely wear it as it has a crazy high leg line and is super low cut so it looks pretty ridiculous on me. (This is not me BTW its just the photo on the website)

After seeing a Tshirt refashion using a bleach pen, I decided to give it a go on my cotton leotard. I decided on a *zig-zag/Aztec pattern which I drew on with chalk first. I then traced over the chalk outline with a Clorox bleach pen ( I ended up running out of it so I made my own, see link below) It tells you to leave it for about 3/4 minutes but because the leotard was so dark and was not completely cotton I ended up leaving it on for about and hour and a half. After that all you need to do is rinse it off then put it through the washing ( I did it by itself in case some of the bleach and dye ran etc.) and you will have a super cute patterned leotard !

*You can use whatever pattern you want
Bleach Gel Recipe

The Finished Product !