I just want to do more - My 2018 New Year's Resolutions

I've always found hearing everyone's New Year's Resolutions really refreshing and I think it's because passionate and motivated people are my absolute favourite kind of people to be around. I don't care if we have completely different interests and goals - if you're passionate and driven, I could sit and listen to you talk all day about your dreams and what you're doing to manifest them in your reality.

Since I enjoy seeing other people take control of their lives and because I'm a bit obsessed with setting myself goals, I figured I'd share with you some of the things I have planned for myself this year.

Take more photographs

I already take a lot of photographs on my phone, but in 2018 I'm aiming to take my camera and maybe a disposable camera out with me more. iPhone's do have amazing camera quality, but you can't beat the quality of taking photos on a digital camera. 

That being said, some of my long term followers may remember that I used to take disposable photos a few year ago now, and post them on tumblr. I stopped doing this because of the cost and length of time it'd take to have the photos developed once I'd initially taken them.

I'm a sucker for anything vintage or retro though and there's just something about disposable photographs that I find so wholesome and endearing. I'm definitely going to give it another go this year because I miss it so much.

Do more alone

I think a lot of people are bothered about how they'd appear to other people if they were seen eating alone in a restaurant, or going to watch a film by themselves, but I don't think anyone should feel self conscious or anxious about it. I genuinely believe that spending time in your own company, is important for your soul and it's something we all should do more of.

Before I started university a couple of years ago, I'd never ventured anywhere further than school and college on my own. Commuting to and from Manchester everyday and shopping there in my free time, kind of made me acknowledge my own independence and I want to embrace more of that this year. As much as I love sharing experiences with my boyfriend especially, I want to push myself to go out and do more - eating at restaurants, shopping and just visiting new places by myself.

Try new recipes

Towards the end of 2017 I found myself making the same meals over and over again, and most of them weren't healthy and nutrient rich. I'm determined this year to step up my game in the kitchen and find some new, healthy recipes that I like and fall back in love with cooking again. 

Last year a lot of my food was coming from the freezer section of the supermarket and consequently I ended up feeling sluggish and moody more often than I'd have liked. I know I'm a few days late sharing this blog post, as New Year has already passed, but I'm happy to say I went food shopping yesterday and most of my food was bought from the fruit and veg aisles, instead of me gravitating to the freezers for vegan chicken nuggets, meatballs and burgers. 

I've been using Pinterest a lot to find recipes ever since I went vegan and it's definitely going to be something I use more in 2018 for healthy meal ideas. If you're new to veganism or you're wanting to eat healthier, but don't really know where to start, definitely check out Pinterest. It's great for keeping everything you find in one place, so you can refer back to recipes when you need to, without having to take screenshots or photographs.

Inspire people to go vegan

I'm extremely vocal about veganism on social media, which has definitely proved controversial over the last year or so, since I began speaking up for the animals. A few people who would previously leave me negativity for speaking out, have since either gone vegetarian or vegan themselves and thanked me for opening their eyes. Messages like that, along with knowing how cruel and damaging the animal agriculture industry is, is what makes me continue to speak out on pretty much a daily basis.

I already know that 2018 is going to be a huge year for veganism. The movement is gaining so much momentum and there's big companies every week now, announcing that they're bringing out new vegan products and options. 

I'm beyond excited to hopefully inspire more people online to go vegan this year. If it's something you're considering, drop me a tweet or Instagram DM and I'll do my best to help you out.

Write

Writing is something I've been passionate about since I could pretty much hold a pen and I want to do more of it in 2018. I spend a lot of my life writing, given that I'm doing a journalism degree, so when it comes to writing personally for myself or doing it creatively, I can feel a bit uninspired and tired. This is one of the reasons I'm going to start blogging again, because I need somewhere to just write for the sake of writing and not worry about the structure and bloody word count.

I'm setting myself the goal of writing at least two blog posts a month, as well making sure I take the time to write creatively for myself. Hopefully I won't burn myself out.

Celebrate Prime Day with Jord

Men's Jord watch that was kindly sent to Chris for us to review last year.

Hello my Spooky Spuds,

I don't know if you guys remember, but last year I worked with Jord, a brand who sell luxury, wood watches. Jord have started selling their watches on Amazon, so I've teamed back up with them to offer a 30% discount off their watches, to celebrate Amazon Prime Day.

Below I've included some images of the watches they have available on Amazon. Clicking on the images will redirect you to Amazon where you can further choose the colour of the wood itself and the face of the watch.

Women's Watches

Men's Watches

Unisex Watches

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Amy x

50 things to do before I die

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Hello Spooky Spuds,

I thought I'd make a list today and share with you some of the things I want to accomplish in my life. I'm also going to include some of the things I've already done, that were memorable, or that I'm proud of. When I've done something on the list, I'll cross it off...

Here's my bucket list:

1. Graduate from uni with a journalism degree.

2. Move out with my boyfriend.

3. Get a tattoo.

4. Write a novel.

5. See Green Day live.

6. Adopt a rescue dog.

7. Have a baby.

8. Run a successful business.

9. Get married.

10. Live abroad for a while.

11. Road trip around America.

12. Visit Jim Morrison's grave.

13. Learn to drive.

14. Own a vintage car.

15. Have two finished sleeves.

16. Get my nipples pierced.

17. Stretch my ears.

18. Decorate and furnish my own home.

19. Make meditation and yoga part of my daily routine.

20. Road trip around the UK.

21. Stay in a cottage in the countryside with Chris.

22. Help someone to go and stay vegan.

23. Go to yoga classes.

24. Visit Prague.

25. Attend a fashion show.

26. Attend a film premiere.

27. Meet Billie-Joe Armstrong.

28. Ride on the back of a motorbike.

29. Learn to ride a motorbike.

30. Try eating fully raw for a week.

31. Give blood.

32. Volunteer at an animal sanctuary.

33. Learn to knit again.

24. Go to the theatre with Chris.

25. Have a vegan BBQ.

26. Visit a spa.

27. Get a matching tattoo with Chris.

28. Go on a double date.

29. Go camping.

30. Visit the pyramids in Egypt.

31. See the Northern Lights.

32. Take my children to Disney World.

33. Take my children to Lapland.

34. Stay in an ice hotel.

35. Own a house.

36. Write a children's book.

37. Build an animal sanctuary.

38. Take Chris to stay at my favourite hotel.

39. Spend a day on a yacht.

40. Do some form of vegan activism abroad.

41. See something I've written be turned into another form of art e.g. a film or painting.

42. Climb a mountain.

43. Visit Italy.

44. Adopt snails.

45. Adopt rabbits.

46. Get published in a magazine.

47. Get published in a newspaper.

48. Go back to Crete.

49. Have grandchildren.

50. Own something that belonged to Jim Morrison.

I really hope you enjoyed reading about some of the things I want to do in my lifetime. Let me know in the comments or by tweeting me, what's on your bucket list and what have you already achieved that you're really proud of?

Amy x

10 reasons why my boyfriend is also my best friend

Hello Spooky Spuds,

To me my boyfriend isn't just my boyfriend, he's also my best friend. He's someone who makes me feel beautiful in every sense of the word but he's also someone I can be crude and ridiculously disgusting around too. Here is a list of a few things I've picked up on over the last three years that made me realise Chris is my best friend as well as my boyfriend...


1. Farting around each other isn't embarrassing.

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I remember when Chris and I got together and the idea of doing anything even remotely gross around him for the first month seemed like a no go to me. Three years later things couldn't be more different and I love provoking expressions of sheer disgust when I fart around him and do other weird and disgusting things.


2. He doesn't care about what I look like.

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I spent the first few months we were together putting so much effort into the way I looked. Everything from the colour of my nail polish, to matching underwear, complete with stockings, to choosing a cute outfit everyday, was given so much thought. Now he's lucky if I even bother to brush my hair and the thought of wearing a bra at all is laughable. I'm sure he wouldn't complain if I decided to put more effort in on a daily basis again but Chris really doesn't care what state I turn up to his house in to chill, he's just happy for my company.


3. We share the same music taste.

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Music is a huge part of my identity. The music I listen to inspires my fashion choices and even my outlook on the world to some extent, so being with someone who shares an interest in the same music as I do, has always been important to me. I'm not going to talk about my music taste in this post as I'd honestly be here for weeks, detailing to you all the bands I love, but Chris and I have really similar tastes in music. There's honestly nothing better than getting ready for a date or just lying in bed, cuddling, and listening to each others favourite albums and sharing new music we've discovered with the other person.


4. Spending all day in bed together isn't boring.

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Chris and I haven't had very much money at all in the past but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying ourselves and making the most of our time together - even if that means just lounging around in bed. When we're spending time in bed we sit and talk for hours on end, watch Netflix, pig-out on vegan food and at some point take a nap. Some of our happiest memories have been made in the four walls of Chris' room.


5. We turn the house into a 'spa' and have pamper days.

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They usually go something like this... We take a relaxing bath or shower together until one of us feels like we're overheating and going to pass out from having the water on too hot for too long. Chris then dries and brushes my hair for me, before we paint our nails. I swear Chris paints his just to humour me but I find it adorable. His favourite nail polish colour is black, or he likes to paint them white before painting over them with that black nail polish that cracks. He's totally fascinated by it. We also give each other massages but I must admit that end up scrounging a way longer massage than he gets.


6. Neither of us have a filter.

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I think being able to speak your mind on virtually everything is one of the most amazing parts of being in a long term relationship with someone who you trust completely and love hearing their thoughts on anything and everything. Sometimes I find myself voicing everything I'm thinking, out loud when I'm with Chris without thinking about it. Speaking so openly about the weirdest things that pop into our heads, free of judgement from the other person is oddly cathartic. Chris is the only person I've ever met who truly knows who I am and understands me.


7. He takes care of me better than anyone else, especially when I'm on my period.

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Chris is one of the most caring people I've ever met and he knows exactly how to make me feel better when I'm on my period. During the first couple of days when the pain's usually worse, he does so much for me, including making sure a hot water bottle is a permanent fixture on my back and/or tummy, he cooks all our meals and always makes sure I've got a warm drink in my hand, with a constant supply of snacks.

One of the cutest things he's done is clear out shelf space for me in his room and then stocked it with sanitary products and some of his comfy clothes that I can change into when I get to his house if I've been out in the rain or just want something baggy and cosy to chill in.


8. Binge watching boxsets is one of our favourite hobbies.

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Our favourite past time by far is cuddling up with loads of food, to spend the entire day binge watching boxsets. Some of our favourites at the moment include Dexter, Orange Is the New Black, The Vampire Diaries, Peep Show and Archer. We're both really loyal to our binge watching sessions so when we've agreed to watch a show together, (sometimes if one of us has watched the entire thing already we go back and watch the whole thing with the other person, just to see their reaction) neither of us watches ahead without the other person.


9. We wear each other's clothes.

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Whenever one of us buys a new piece of clothing, whether that be anything from a mini-shirt and heels to boxers and suits, we have a tradition where we have to try on what the other person bought. It's also great that Chris and I are similar sizes so if either of us wants to borrow a t-shirt or a pair of shorts from the other person, then we can totally get away with wearing things from the other person's wardrobe and it doesn't look out of place.



10. Everything we do together feels like an adventure.

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Whilst we're both more than capable of doing things on our own or with other people, we're in agreement that doing things together makes us the happiest. Even the most mundane tasks like food shopping or going for a walk, are made so much more fun and feel like an adventure when we do them together.

Let me know in the comments or by tweeting me if your significant other is also your best friend and why. I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. If you enjoyed it and are feeling particularly lovely, please share it around as that would really help me out.

Amy x

The best vegan pizzas - Zizzi restaurant review

Zizzi restaurant at the Corn Exchange in Manchester.

Hello Spooky Spuds,

As I'm sure you're all well aware by now, I'm vegan, and next month I'll be celebrating being vegan for a whole year.

Choosing to be vegan is by far the best decision I've made in my life so far but many people believe that it's difficult and time consuming. I want to assure you that it's not. What may have been overwhelming in the beginning - reading ingredients on packaging and asking for vegan options in restaurants, is completely second nature to me now and I wouldn't change my lifestyle for the world.

In this blog post I want to share with you my favourite place to eat vegan when I've had a busy day shopping or I'm celebrating a special occasion; Zizzi.

There are over 140 Zizzi restaurants spread across the UK and Ireland, serving a whole host of delicious Italian dishes, many of which are vegan and each restaurant has its own unique decor specifically designed to compliment the environment of the local area.

The restaurant I've had the pleasure of visiting on a number of occasions now is at the Manchester Corn Exchange, previously known as The Triangle. Each time I've visited with my boyfriend, and we've been greeted by friendly staff upon arrival and seated at a table of our choosing.

A lot of vegans we know recommended Zizzi before we even considered dining there so we knew to ask for vegan menus when we arrived. Most restaurants have one vegan option on their menu, so to have a full vegan menu with a variety of starters, mains and desserts to choose from was actually really exciting.

Vegan garlic bread to share.

We were told that all alcohol at Zizzi restaurants is vegan apart from a few drinks which were clearly pointed out to us. Both Chris and myself ordered a bottle of Peroni each and then we ordered the vegan garlic bread, topped with freshly roasted garlic, to share between us as a starter.

If you're ordering from the vegan menu it's advised that you state you want the vegan version of each thing you order, so that your waiter or waitress writes that down for the chef. Lots of the vegan food at Zizzi is available as a non-vegan version as well so it's really important you make it clear which food you want to be vegan.

Award winning Vegan Rustica Margheritas.

For our main we both ordered a Vegan Rustica Margherita each, which were served on 'big, thin and crispy bases.' They won the PETA Vegan Food Award for 'Best Vegan Pizza' last year and rightly so - these pizzas are exquisite.

Pizza and Peroni.

I've tried making my own vegan pizzas in the past, using a few different cheeses and I can say without a doubt that Zizzi have the best vegan cheese on their pizzas. Lots of vegan cheeses I've had before are either very rubbery in texture or don't taste of anything but the one at Zizzi reminded me of the cheese you get in lasagne; it was slightly runnier than real cheese but really flavoursome and tasted amazing with the tomato on top and light, floury base. Both of us have said that they're by far the best pizzas we've ever had the pleasure of eating, vegan and non-vegan pizzas included.

:)

On the occasions we've dined at Zizzi, we've both been way too full to eat a dessert so unfortunately I can't give you my verdict on those but I do know that they offer a selection of vegan desserts including coconut based ice creams and a chocolate and fruit calzone.

Cutting up my pizza (very seriously).

Zizzi's the perfect place to dine out for a family meal, even with smaller children or just with friends. It's also a great place for couples as the atmosphere and lighting is very intimate and romantic. I'd totally recommend taking a trip to your local Zizzi restaurant; I know we'll definitely be heading back soon.

There are always special offers on which change constantly, entitling you to money off your overall bill or discounts on selected food so it's well worth having a look on the Zizzi website before you pay to see if you can get any discounts.

Amy x

I collabed with alternative clothing site, EMP

Hello Spooky Spuds,

I'm working with my all time favourite alternative fashion site, EMP. The majority of my wardrobe is filled with clothes from their site, so when they contacted me and asked me if I'd like to work with them, you can imagine my reaction - I was beyond excited.

They very kindly sent me two items from collections they stock, to share in a blog post with you guys.

The first item I received was the Eyelet Lace Up Top by Rock Rebel. I'm wearing a size 'small' which fits really snuggly to my body. It's made from a super comfortable, soft cotton that stretches to hug you in all the right places and it's one of those tops that you can wear without a bra and still feel like your boobs are being supported.

I love the whole style of the top, from its acid washed black - bordeaux colour and feminine but still very badass, lace up detailing on the neck, to the anarchist writing and patches across the front.

I choose to team it up with a pair of grey or black skinny jeans and a pair of heeled boots or Dr Martens for something a little more casual.

You can find this top here on the EMP website if you'd like to bag one for yourself. More photos can be seen below.

The second item EMP sent me was this gorgeous coat by Heartless. This is their Sara Jacket and I am completely head over heels in love with it.

The faux leather detailing around the pockets and on the hood strap, give the coat a bondage look, whilst not being too 'out there'. I particularly like the faux fur detailing around the hood and think it compliments the the studs and faux leather perfectly. 

The Sara Jacket is lightweight but it's kept me warm and dry when the weather's been bad this week. I also get a huge confidence boost when wearing it, as it's tight fitting and really flatters my figure, especially when teamed up with skinny jeans and a pair of heels. The buckles on the back can be adjusted to alter the way the coat fits to your body.

The Sara Jacket is in the sale right now with 20% off. 

Thank you so much to EMP for gifting me these items, it's been a pleasure to work with you. If you'd like to be the first to know about collaborations in the future, sign up to the Blogger Programme.

Designer Wooden Watch From JORD | Review

Hello my lovelies, today I'm going to be writing about a unique, men's watch that Chris and I have been really excited to share with you. I was fortunate enough to be sent a Dark Sandalwood and Burgundy watch from the Conway series by JORD, to review with my boyfriend.

The watch arrived beautifully packaged in a smooth, varnished, wooden box, as shown above. Before even seeing the watch itself, we knew that the quality was going to exceed our expectations, as the box alone is a work of art. Complete with the JORD logo engraved on the top, the box has a magnetic lid for security and a drawer underneath to keep the cloth and spare pieces that come with the watch inside.

We both found it difficult to pick out our favourite watch from their vast collection but settled on this particular one because of its versatility. The dark wood and wine coloured face looks sophisticated and goes so well with a lot of the clothes and accessories that Chris already owns and enjoys wearing on a daily basis.

The watch modelled by Chris.

One of the main reasons I was so enthusiastic to work with the brand was the material all their watches are made from; wood! Most watches that I either see in shops or have owned myself have either been made with metal, which I personally always found uncomfortable and cold on your wrist in winter, or they're made from leather. As a vegan, purchasing things made from real leather is something I'm completely avoiding, so you can imagine my excitement at being contacted by a brand who's watches are all completely cruelty free and vegan.

JORD also have a full collection of women's watches, as well as men's watches - there really is something that will appeal to everyone's taste and suit a variety of occasions and outfit choices.

As part of the campaign, myself and JORD are doing a giveaway, which will give you the chance to win a $100 JORD e-gift code. Anyone who signs up through this link will receive a $25 e-gift code and the winner of the $100 e-gift code will receive an email from JORD when the competition closes.

Thank you so much for reading,

Amy x



Wooden Watch For Men