Favourite Friday: Inspiration and Relaxation

Something a little different for my Favourite Friday this week, my Favourite ways to relax and get inspired. We have been so busy lately, which is great, but I have hardly had time to just take time out and enjoy the calm.

It is hard to remember that taking time out for yourself is just as important as working all hours. It's often the case that if I am struggling to work something out or finish a project, that stepping away and clearing your mind for a bit can be more helpful than working on, full steam ahead. It can fill you with ideas and solutions that are only visible when you take a step back. On that note, these are the things I will be doing over the next few weeks to get myself back on track.

Reading Craft Magazines:

There is nothing better for me than sitting down with a cup of tea and a stack crisp new Craft magazines filled with articles and images designed to inspire! I always start at the back of a magazine and work my way forward, then when I'm done I go through from the front with a pack of sticky notes close by to mark pages and make notes.

Pinterest:

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the amount of hours I have lost pinning images to virtual pin-boards!?!   I have been on Pinterest since the beginning and I still can't get enough, I Love going through pages and pages of inspiration and ideas.

Watching movies

I am married to a gadget-aholic which has it's advantages, like when he bought an Apple TV... I thought 'oh here we go another fruity gadget' but we are on version number three and it is hands down the best thing he has ever bought! I can rent a movie at the flick of the remote, it doesn't take up any space at all and you can get TV shows, music, radio and pod-casts on it as well.  Basically you can view you entire i-Tunes library including pictures on your TV through this little box! I love nothing more that sitting down in front of our TV in my Barker lounger and watching a movie, Popcorn in hand of course.

Scrapbooking

I am a member of Studio Calico, a monthly kit club based in the U.S. Every month I get sent a selection of awesome co-ordinated  paper-craft goodies in the post. I love this company in particular because they pull together some of the best names in paper-craft and include them in the kits. The likes of  Dear Lizzy, Amy Tangerine, Basic Grey and their own lines are some of the best products around. It is so fun to create things like mini books, cards and gift wrap out of these kits. I get totally stuck-in and hours can pass while I am creating in my craft room.

Re-arranging and Tidying

It may not sound very relaxing, but for me tidying my craft space can be very therapeutic. I put a good movie on, something like Dirty Dancing and sort out some pretty things. Whether it's rummaging through my button jars or sorting my fabric stash, I always come across a little something that sparks an idea. I always clear my desk first, so that if I do find something to make that just cant wait, I have a clear desk to work on. I am so lucky to have a space all to myself to indulge in my creativity.

I really want to hear from you guys today!

leave a comment below and let me know what you do to chill out and get inspired.

Hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing weekend <3

Sammy xxx

TV shows Loved and Lost

My name is Sammy and I am a TV addict!

There we go I have admitted it, I love TV, everything from QI to Geordie Shore, I have no shame, I will watch rubbish TV until the cows come home. I like great shows and rubbish shows alike, American and British shows, documentaries and reality TV, sitcoms and dramas, anything goes!

Usually Easter weekend for Steve and I means a two day TV show Marathon (we are currently re-watching Band of Brothers for the third time)  This year however I am helping my Dad to do some refurbishments at our shop, so the marathon is on hold. To help fill the void, I thought I would share some of the American shows that I have loved and lost.

The first is probably on most peoples list as the show that defined a generation, and will live on in syndication for the rest of time as the epitome of American sitcom. FRIENDS.

Still my favourite show of all time, in so many ways. Each character is perfect in their own way, I could never choose which one is my favourite. Each episode is a gem to be treasured. I have been watching this show from its first airing in the UK almost 19 years ago.  I was 13 and back then I don't think I even got all the jokes, but I knew that I was watching something special. It was a show that my generation identified with, we all wanted these six people to be our friends. We cut our hair like them, we wore what they wore, some of us even painted the walls of our flats purple (yes I did that) and 9 years ago we sat down and watched our six favourite friends get their happy ending, accompanied by millions of breaking hearts and more than a few tears as we all knew that nothing else would ever take its place in our lives. Every time I watch an episode to this day I still laugh out loud, I know what's coming and I have seen each one a thousand times, but it still makes me giggle like no other show has ever done.

Chuck has a super sweet place in my heart, possibly because I have a little ( read huge) crush on Zachary Levi, but mostly I think because it's a show my Hubby and I watch together. We found it late on, Season 3 was already under-way when Steve downloaded it on to our apple TV and we spent a whole week watching them in marathon mode (one after another, after another) into the early hours of the morning. Another group cast that just played off each other so well, the main cast were of course brilliant, but for me it was the staff of the Buy More that often stole the show. The romance between Chuck and Sarah that you always hoped would work out; Captain Awesome; the constant references to all things Star Wars, it was a Geek fest and we loved it!

Dawson's Creek is another show from my youth that I will probably end up forcing my kids to watch, this show helped me to figure out what growing up was all about. Yes they were all drama queens and used a vocabulary well out of reach of teenagers, but who cares, it was a lovely example of cheesy teen angst at its best.  I have all six seasons on my apple TV and still watch it to this day. There is an episode playing on my TV as I type.

If Dawson's Creek taught me how to be a teenager, Sex and the City taught me how to be a grown-up! From those first cringe worthy episodes where Carrie used to talk to the camera (remember that) to that final strut away from camera up a New York city street it was a  joy to watch. Luckily we were also treated to two films, and a soon to air in the UK prequel of sorts, meaning we can carry on our enjoyment of this show. But nothing will ever replace the 30 minute episodes with S.J.P. and crew that let us enjoy fashion, dating, and friendship like no other show possibly could.

Only one season of My So Called Life was ever made, it didn't matter, that was all it took for this show to make an impact. In just 19 episodes it tackled Homosexuality, abuse and unrequited love like no show had before it. It was the epitome of 90's grunge as far as the wardrobes were concerned, with a sound track to match. If you watched this show when you were a teen however the only thing you will remember is Jordan Catalano! You couldn't help but fall, just as Angela did, for the bad boy with a heart played by Jared Leto, the now front man of rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. A young Claire Danes and Jared Leto were the stand out players in this motley crew of a cast, not surprising that they have both gone onto big careers.

My love of J.J Abrams started here (I literally can't wait to see the new Star Trek Movie) I know some of you will have hated or just simply not 'got' this show, but I cant help it, I LOVED IT! fascinating to the point that I was reading the forums to figure out bits I had misunderstood. In the same way I love the film Inception, I loved Lost before it. The weirdness, the plot twists, the totally frustrating cliffhangers, all of it. I will give it to you that the ending sucked, but it will never take away from that opening scene of seeing Dr Jack waking up on an island to find the wreckage of flight 815 strewn across that beach.

I have lots of favourites and these are just a few of the ones that I miss the most I suppose, the ones that have a special place in my personal TV history book.

Do you agree, do you miss these shows, what are your favourites, what did you love about them? 

One day I will find a way to talk about my favourite TV show, that for now is still on air Supernatural... one day.

Sammy xxx

all Images from IMDB.com, the greatest website on earth!