🎂 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....