The Scents of Spring

Being a purveyor of an extortionate (and downright ridiculous) number of scented candles, I'm all for swapping and changing the candles I burn based on my mood, the weather, the season, what day of the week it is. You know, casual stuff.

I'm a huge fan of fresh scents all year round because frankly, why on earth would you want your house to smell like artificial (and oh my lord so sickly) vanilla cupcakes? Yankee Candle, I'm looking at you.

Excusing the accidental alliteration here: fresh, fruity and floral tones are my absolute favourite because they're usually the lightest scents when they're burning, making them perfect for small spaces (ie my bedroom) or for keeping a subtle scent for a longer length of time.

Below are three of my ultimate loves...

1. CHAMOMILE & VIOLET BY WAX LYRICAL

I never realised quite what a mix of layers this candle contains. According to the creators this fragrance includes: "chamomile and violet layered with delicate citrus notes of lemon blossom on a base of musks and precious woods. A blend of armoise, elemi, lavandin & orange essential oils". No corners cut here, thank you very much!

I keep this candle tucked safely away in its original boxed packaging whenever I'm not burning it regularly and as soon as I re-open it, the scent hits me as profoundly as it did the first time. If it was possible to make your soul smile, this candle would do it for me. This scent is perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons and leaves lasting floral notes well into evening time.

I bought this for £20 as a small treat to myself last Easter and if the fifty-five hour burn time is anything to go by, I've still got a whole lot of fragrance left to enjoy.

2. SEASHORE BY TRUE GRACE

Described as "a scent balanced with geranium, neroli, cedarwood and moss", I coveted this candle for well over a year before it finally joined my collection. In glass form it can be purchased for £25, but it is also available in a tin for £16. 

So often candle companies give their scents the fanciest of names and just assume that that's how this works. Not so, my friend. If you want to name your candle 'Christmas', then you need it to really smell like Christmas. But I digress, the point here is that this candle smells exactly as it's titled. Like a brazen, blustery (British) walk along a seashore. It's one of the most comforting candles I've ever burnt and for that reason, I know for a fact that I'll always have a glass, tin or diffuser with me, wherever I end up.

 It's also made of natural wax (always a pro) and can burn for up to forty hours.

3. APPLE AND ELDERFLOWER BY THE EVAL CANDLE COMPANY

This absolutely perfect combination of succulent crunchy green apples and the sweetness of elderflower berries is, in my opinion, what makes this candle so light, uplifting and joyful to be surrounded by. To me, it's the perfect morning scent; where your curtains are pulled back, the windows are wide open and the sunlight and fresh air can wash over everything.

Don't be fooled by the size of the tin, for £9 this scent is mighty enough to fill any space, and is said to burn for up to forty-five hours.



What are your signature spring scents?
~ Eleanor xo

Failsafe Spring Nail Polishes

I'm not the kind of person who's really into wearing the nail polish colours of the season, I never have been, but something about Spring just has me reaching for the pastels. Is it the fact I can now see bright blue sky, or that I'm surrounded by daffodils or that winter has been so dark and dreary that I'll use any means possible to brighten my mood? Could be all of the above. Probably is all of the above.

I love a good neon clash during the summer months (Pow Green from Maybelline Color Show is one of my favourites) but as I pack away my long sleeve winter tees and thick dark plaid cotton shirts and start to welcome back my light tanks and nude ballet pumps, my finger nails kinda wanna join in the party.

I also find that if I've been wearing a lot of dark colours painted on in thick coats, my nails really begin to suffer. Because of this, I always make sure to use a nourishing treatment to help them get back into shape before applying a few layers of a lighter colour to really help bring them back to life. Flaky nails? No thank you. If, like me, you've been wearing nail polish continually for over three years, you'll know what I'm talking about...

Here are my Spring favourites:

1. NAILS INC - FLORAL STREET
   The strong consistency means you don't need to apply twelve coats to cover your nail.


2. BY THE FACE - GALACTIC GIRL
   A subtle light grey for when you're feeling more 'April showers'.


3. BY THE FACE - LIGHT BLUE
   The blue I always come back to.


4. BARRY M - SUGAR APPLE
   A hi-shine gel paint sure to brighten up any day of the week.


5. L'OREAL PARIS COLOR RICHE - NOUVELLE VAGUE
   A mix of white, grey, blue and lavendar makes it perfect for this time of year.


6. LOLA - BALLERINA PINK
   My favourite nude. Effortless and chic. If I do say so myself.


7. BARRY M - ROSE HIP
   The lightest blush pink.


8. ESTÉE LAUDER - TEMPTING MELON
   Because what's Spring without a hint of peach?

~ Eleanor xo

Ten Favourite Spring-stagrammers

You cannot begin to fathom how pleased I am with that title. I should stay up late on Saturday nights more often if this is the sort of amazing inspiration I get!

Seeing as I love me some seasonal content (if you're not up to speed, Spring is my second favourite season of the year), I thought it'd be fun to do an Instagram round up of sorts, seeing as they're all the rage. I guess it's because there's suddenly actual light during several hours of the day, but Spring is so super pretty and it's near impossible not to take cute pictures of absolutely everything. Am I right or am I right?

Here are the top ten insta feeds I love going to for some springtime inspiration:

1. JULIA - @humphreyandgrace

"pictures here | words there | England"

2. JAMIE JAMISON - @alajamie

"•photo stylist • visual storyteller • social media content creator • mixed media artist"

3. BRITTNI MEHLHOFF - @brittnimehlhoff

"Craft stylist and founder of Paper & Stitch. Atlanta, GA"

4. KATE ARENDS - @witanddelight_

"Snapchat: @witinreallife"

5. CATCOOEE - @catcooee

"designer @cooee |ig ambassador for royal copenhagen|get a glimpse of cooee world, my inspiration"

6. SARAH KYLE CLOSE - @kyle.and.co

"Stylist + event & tablescape designer formerly "ladygolightly" Pacific Northwest ↟↟↟" 

7. MARINA - @lightpoem

"wife • mama • life enthusiast • Germany based"

8. MY PROVENCE STORY - @myprovencestory

"Provence behind the scenes. Wedding and event planner in Provence."

9. ABBIE MELLE - @abbie_melle

"photographer // believer // australian"

10. Benedicte - @Kardemomme1
"All the little things"

Happy springing!

~ Eleanor xo

Easter Weekend Scenes

When your daily FitBit step count goes down and your pre-10am chocolate consumption goes up, it can only mean one thing: it's Easter! Also, rain. By the gallon.

I love Easter, I always have. So many great memories from my childhood centre around this time of year and I can't help but feel positive and upbeat. Even now, while the rain hammers down outside, I've still got my positive pants on. This is my first Easter break with a full-time job, which means I'm now part of the mass revelling in a much anticipated four-day bank holiday weekend, as opposed to two/three whole blissful weeks off from education. Still, I'm really digging it. Despite the seemingly never-ending downpour.

This weekend has been about indulging in the sweeter things (to put it mildly), enjoying the simplicity of how happy seeing a bright blue can make you (especially after Storm Katie attempts to uproot everything), and planning for the upcoming weeks. Also, lots of productive blog post writing and photo taking. Hooray for me.

Good Friday dawned as, to coin a much-loved British phrase, a gloriously sunny day. Spring was well and truly in the air and it was the perfect antidote to the hectic last couple of weeks. 

I drank large cups of coffee, basked in the sunlight and caught up with my favourite TV shows of the moment before deciding that the afternoon would be the perfect time to learn how to grate lemon zest (spoiler alert: it's much harder than it looks #lemonjuiceEVERYWHERE) by baking up some lemon drizzle slices. Because as we all know, I’m basically Mary Berry. I also took the opportunity to try out courgetti for the first time; I liked it, but it’ll never quite be pasta *deep sigh*.

Saturday rolled around and the heavens opened. Of course, this being our natural habitat, we were undeterred and headed out as planned to a newly discovered Farm Shop not far from our house. I love discovering new places; especially those that include fresh, organic and free range produce (because I’m both a middle class wannabee and about ninety years old). We picked up some delicious looking meats, honey, sauces and some bantam eggs in preparation for some mighty meals to come.

We also stopped for a little nose around the farm itself, where (in between laughing at how strange geese are) I clocked a beautiful barn conversion that doubles up as the farm’s B&B during the summer months. Just look at it. This is why #Goals was created.

After a quick coffee break at Le Starbucks (I seriously can’t get enough of these vanilla bean macchiatos), we headed towards home to cook up an immense fish pie dish for dinner because apparently it’s tradition to eat fish at Easter. What ever the reason, I am on board.

Easter Sunday dawned with a bright blue sky which meant I was able to slip on my Ugg boots and hot-foot it to my car in time to retrieve the Easter eggs I’d bought as a surprise for my parents. (I had to disclaim that the chocolate had been sitting in my car since the previous Monday so if they were melted and/or broken, I was not liable...).

Instead of chocolate eggs for breakfast, we poached a few of the bantam eggs we'd found at the farm shop the previous day and toasted up some sourdough bread to serve them on. The morning was going blissfully well and pleasantly slowly until the rain began to fall once again. After an obligatory lunch of roast lamb (I opted instead for roast chicken as lamb is the one meat I can’t stomach), we settled down for a cosy afternoon session on the sofa (me blog post writing, my parents detective show watching) while the storm well and truly hammered outside. It was a welcome change to not suffer from Sunday night blues, but instead indulge in a two-hour documentary about the queen. Wait, how old am I again…

I think the world and its wife woke up on Easter Monday thanks to the battering of Storm Katie. Luckily the majority of our garden was left intact (apart from the roof lining on top of our summer house which was ripped and half missing – we later spotted this in a heap at the bottom of our neighbours garden #SozMate. Meaning my parent's first, and rather unexpected, task of the day was to hit up Wickes, buy some replacement lining and somehow attempt to fix the thing, all while the wind continued to whip pretty ferociously. I enjoyed watching the events unfold from the warmth of the living room with a frothy latte in hand).

Eventually the sun re-emerged and the ‘I’ve got to go back to work tomorrow’ blues were momentarily silenced. I took the opportunity to prepare for the week ahead as best I could, then curled up with my new favourite magazine, a bar (or two) of Easter chocolate and a homemade berry smoothie.

---

Unsurprisingly, the majority of events this weekend revolved around the weather. That's just how British I am. Sorry about that.

~ Eleanor xo

Things To Do Now it's Spring

AKA, things I'm excited for because we're now into my second favourite season of the year. I agree, not such a catchy title, but we digress. Sunday officially marked the first day of Spring *throws petals in the air and dances*. I'm feeling rather smug that I was already aware of this before Facebook shoved one of its obnoxious announcements in my face and asked if I'd like to share it with all my Facebook friends. Errr no thanks, Mark.

While this overcast seven degree weather doesn't exactly inspire bright positive thinking, I always see Spring as the perfect time for something new. Whether it's a crazy makeover, or clearing out all the clutter you've hoarded during the winter, now is the time for change. Possibly. If you want...

1. Order iced beverages
Last week (on the one of the only sunny days we've had so far this month), I tried out the new vanilla bean iced macchiato from Starbucks and it was all kinds of tasty. My cravings for iced coffee began way back in mid-February so knowing that it'll soon be socially acceptable to order them on the daily makes me super happy.

2. Easter egg hunts
Because you can never be too old to enjoy wandering around your grandma's mahoosive garden in your favourite floral jim-jams hunting for tiny chocolate eggs and wondering how you missed a bright purple box standing out like a sore-thumb in a flowerbed.

3. Make smoothies
Fresh fruit is all the rage during springtime, especially when raspberries and strawberries come into season, so making fresh, clean smoothies is a no brainer. I like to mix mine with almond or coconut milk so it's healthy and filling.

4. Have that clean out
I cannot express how much I need to do this. Even more so because it was one of my New Years resolutions and I've done so well keeping them thus far. I have no idea where anything is and it's all getting a bit much. Not to mention I could be accused of being a bit of a hoarder if I don't get a grip sometime soon...

5. Pack away your boots
And all the rest of your overly wintery clothes. As much as I love it, I'm secretly looking forward to not having my enormous duffle coat as part of my outfit everyday.

6. Burn your favourite spring scents
Goodbye sickly cinnamon, hello chamomile & violet!

7. Instagram all the flowers
Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, anything that looks remotely flowery and will suit a VSCO filter over it.

8. Visit somewhere you love
Like the great outdoors! After months of cowering inside away from the cold, marathoning films and American detective shows, now's the best time to ease yourself back into life outside four walls.

9. Make the most of the light evenings
I am loving seeing the evenings grow lighter each day; it's a lot easier to power through working late when you aren't hurrying back to your car in the pitch black. The days suddenly seem so much longer and I actually have a desire to use them.

10. Plant something
I shall be planting sunflower seeds because they're some of my faves and I'm secretly looking forward to how tall they'll grow. Because yes, I am five.

11. Get your hair done
I'm not entirely sure why this is a Spring to-do because you can get your hair did all year round but I suppose there's something uplifting about chopping off all those split ends and ridding yourself of a wintery haystack.

12. Pastel nail colours
We all know I don't like to stick to seasonally appropriate nail polish colours, but that's not to say I won't be wearing pastelly pinks, blues and whites just like everyone else. I'm not a crazy person.

13. Try something new
Because why the hell not?

~ Eleanor xo

The Best in Valentine's Humour

I was going to write a post about how I really don't understand why people hate on Valentine's day, but I realised that it would probably just end up being me chatting about how much I like having an excuse to eat chocolate... and just any kind of food in general (because what else do couples on on Valentine's Day, am I right?).

But actually, the thing I love the most about February 14th is being able to buy a hilarious greetings card. I know some people prefer to be super serious and hella soppy when picking their cards but that's not my scene; give me all the cheesy (and borderline inappropriate) puns.

1. I love you even when I'm hungry from DoodleLove

2. Hayfever from Paper Planes

3. I dig you from Amy Beth Designs

4. Madly into bed from Paperchase

5. Let's Bone from Newton And the Apple

6. I fancy the pants off you from Bombus

7. Wanna French? from The Dandy Lion Designs

8. Get your Goat from Word Play Designs

9. Fan of your face from Philly + Brit

Or if you're feeling fancy, anything with 'Netflix & chill' on it will work too. #Yolo.

~ Eleanor xo

Combating The Winter Blues

It's officially been winter for what feels like a thousand years. Obviously, it's only been about two weeks but oh my lord, I am totally over it. I was not bred to be able to survive such low temperatures, let alone actually pull myself out of bed and out into the open air at seven in the morning. *Groan*

So, how does one find the courage, you ask? Well, by telling myself that I won't get paid if I don't, *ehem*, I mean, by doing some of these handy things:

1. Find your staple outfit
You know, so when it's horrendously dark and cold and it's the middle of the week and Saturday is so far away and you're just like "ughhh I have nothing to wear", in actuality, you can throw on your staple outfit and life is swell once again. Personally I'm down with skinny jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a blanket scarf, fringed ankle boots (and the mightiest duffle coat in existence, thanks Ralph Lauren).

2. Know how to take care of your skin
Moisturize your face within an inch of its life and be sure to carry hand cream and lip balm on your person at ALL TIMES. This is not a drill, you guys. This is serious.

3. Mentally prepare yourself for manually de-icing your car
If that's even possible. Which I have found it's largely not. Mostly it just makes me even later leaving my house and air-go, later leaving for work.

4. Find a good TV series to watch
Personally, I'm hooked on the new BBC drama 'Dickensian'. There always seems to be a lot of crime dramas floating around at this time of year and I am down with it. I love a good murder mystery on a cold winters night. Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, I get nightmares. #THRILLING.

5. Keep motivated
Potentially the most difficult thing to do (besides point #3), but definitely worth it in the end. Like my FitBit challenge, for example. It's so hard to keep myself from shoving my hands in my coat pockets to keep warm and not swinging my arm to count my steps, but when I do get my steps counted, and the number is high, I feel good! If not lacking in fingers because of frostbite...

6. Drink all the signature winter drinks
Hands down my favourite thing about this time of year. I mean, I'm a lover of iced lattes and frappuccinos and all that jazz that happens during the summer, of course I am! What kind of #BasicBitch would I be if I wasn't?! But winter drinks are it. I've enjoyed the delights of Crème Brûlée lattes, Praline Lattes, Winter Berry lattes, Spiced Orange lattes, Peppermint lattes.... Ok I have a thing for lattes... Either way, splashing out on a warming wintery treat just makes sense.

7. Plan for a less brutally cold time
There's a reason that travel companies have such good sales going on at this time of year, because they know that no Brit can deal with this sort of climate. It's called science, duh.

8. Make the most of feeling cozy
I'm talking bubble baths, nights in, blanket cuddles, Saturday evening casseroles, the whole shebang. Because before you know it, you'll be complaining that it's way too hot outside and you'll have to shower thirty times a day because how else do you stop sweating?

9. Burn a good candle
You know, something uplifting and spiritually fulfilling. I'm not sure what scent that translates into for you, but for me it's got to be something like Yankee Candle's 'Fluffy Towels' or 'Seashore' from True Grace.

10. Always assume it's going to be blustery, rainy and freezing 
That way you will never be disappointed, or alternatively, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you stumble upon a day that isn't so soul crushing.

Or alternatively, stay inside for the next three months and claim you're being at one with the animals and 'hibernating'.
~ Eleanor xo

My New Years Resolutions: 2016

I am notoriously awful at making, keeping, fulfilling and actually remembering my New Years Resolutions. I haven't bothered to attempt to make any for the last two years (that is, if we don't count the small mental note I always seem to make to myself to try and eat a little less. "Think of biscuits as drugs, Eleanor. JUST SAY NO").

Still, this year, the big twenty-sixteen, I am entering January as the dictionary definition of 'adult'. I'm probably totally incorrect here because I've never actually looked up the dictionary definition of adult, but I digress. In Eleanor's Dictionary (available at all good make-believe bookstores), an adult is an individual who:
a) Remembers running headlong down the middle of a road on the night of the last millennium
b) Is fulled by caffeine
c) Walks through a park when it's dark and is certain they're going to get mugged by youths
d) Is in the process of replacing every polyester blouse in their wardrobe with 100% cotton shirts
e) Talks about the weather constantly
f) Has an actual real life job and enjoys reminding people of the fact as often as possible
g) Wonders why their car isn't locking as they continually press the 'unlock' button on their keys

So, as a real life adult, here are my adult-proof resolutions:

1. Learn to talk slower

(Sub note: learn how to pronounce my own name correctly)
Talking fast is a habit I picked up after watching a large number of American teen shows and movies. At first I was all "this is so cool no one can keep up with what I'm saying and I look awesome", now I'm all "how many times do I need to repeat this ONE SENTENCE SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING JESUS CHRIST". So I figure it's probably best to train myself to talk slower and then I won't have to repeat myself twenty times and everybody wins. Huzzah.

2. Read more
It's been three years of forcing myself to read through ginormous textbooks on everything from advertising, to market research to the psychology of a brand. AKA soul destroying stuff. Now I actually have my life back, I'm going to use my time to indulge in fun fictional reading. Also, I spend a large amount of my time each day sat in front of a mahoosive iMac screen, so being able to do something other than that is probs good for my health, eyesight and general well being.

3. Have a proper clear out of all my shit
When you spend three years with essentially two homes, you accumulate a hell of a lot of crap. I've been back home for just over seven months now and I still have half my stuff in boxes/stowed somewhere it shouldn't be. I need to fix that. Probably by stopping myself being a hoarder and actually keeping what I need and dumping what I don't. Famous last words.

4. Get my #GirlBoss on 
I'm the kind of person who wants everyone to like them so much that I try not to upset the peace by demanding stuff from people. However, I am paid to get shit done. Therefore I must make sure I am not afraid to do whatever is necessary to get said shit done.

Wishing you all a totally swagalicious 2016 (definition of which can be found on page 743 of Eleanor's Dictionary). Keep it real.
~ Eleanor xo

A Few Christmas Bits

I considered doing a full-on LOOK WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAAAAAS post but the thought made me shudder a bit inside. So instead, I've decided to select a few gifts that I couldn't resist chit-chatting about, because as we all know, if there's one thing I love, it's talking about stuff I like.

This isn't about bragging or any other kind of negative nonsense (love that word), it's about me embracing the fact that no matter how much we all deny it, everyone loves a good nosy at what everyone else received. #AmIRight.

1. Monin 1L Vanilla Coffee Syrup (+ pump)
Because if there's one thing I love, it's flavoured coffee. The cupboards in my house are filled with an array of coffee syrups; my dad is a purveyor of wine, I am a purveyor of coffee syrups. It's not quite the same thing, but it works. Vanilla, of course, is the absolute classic and I pretty much use it daily, so I deemed a one-litre bottle (with accompanying pump, a la many well-known coffee-shops) a completely necessary addition to my growing collection.

2. John Lewis Cashmere Gloves
These are so comfortable I can't even stand it. Well, I can, because they'll be perfect for when Winter actually shows up and it's colder than eleven-degrees outside. I'm hoping this happens soon because it's incredibly difficult to know how to dress when there's a storm battering outside, but it's way too warm to bundle up.

3. Hedgehog Print Cushion
Because as an adoptive hedgehog mother, I need something to remind me of him during the months he's hibernating somewhere in the garden. So adorable!

4. Chocolate
It would one-hundred-percent not be Christmas without a Terry's Chocolate Orange... or about a thousand tonnes of Dairy Milk. You could probably sink a ship with the amount I unwrapped this Christmas, and I'm looking forward to rectifying any particularly depressing January days with a good helping shoved into my gob.

5. Bath & Beauty Faves
I know shower gels are characteristically un-glamourous, but I really don't have enough time to take baths, so showers are my equivalent and shower gels are my luxury product of choice. I'm also super into looking after my skin right now so Neal's Yard and Korres are perfecto. I also swear that after using 'Sensual Jasmine', the cold I'd been battling totally disappeared. Well, for a little while anyway.

I'm so excited to try out these Lancôme mascaras; because as we all know, I love a good mascara, and I've heard only good things about Lancôme (including that Kendall Jenner wears it so).

6. L'Occitane 'Cherry Blossom' Candle
This candle represents one of the many candles I was gifted this year (others included Wild Jasmine, Sparkling Snow, Lavender and Cinnamon & Clove). I inhaled the scent from this candle for a good five minutes or so before I could get a grip on myself and declare that "this'll make a good spring scent" like a total mad woman. I now have the fun task of attempting to find a home for them all...

7. Cath Kidston Christmas Mug
I love Cath Kidston mugs; not only are they so adorable it hurts, they are the perfect size for a whopping cup of coffee in the morning. Which is of course, the most important thing. I've also made the executive decision to use this mug all year round because it's so fab.

8. Fossil Wallet
I'm hugely attached to my current four-year-old Mango croc-effect wallet, but sadly, my need to be as lazy as possible and take only my cards and iPhone out when I run errands means it's no longer up to scratch. This wallet is specifically designed to house notes, coins, credit cards, gift cards and your mobile telephone. It's also the nicest tan leather ever and I am in love.

Sadly, no Zac Efron under my tree (again) this year, but here's to hoping.
~ Eleanor xo

Things that happen at Christmas when you're an adult

If you want to get technical about it, I have in fact been experiencing Christmas as an adult for the last three years. However, I've spent those three years depending on a teeny student loan while living it large at University, so I'm making the bold decision to discount those as 'adult years'. Now though, my bank deems me financially stable enough to receive their complimentary travel insurance, so alas, there is no denying that adulthood is well and truly here.

Still, complimentary European-only travel insurance doesn't really do much for an adult at Christmas...

1. You wake up early not from excitement, but from your body clock thinking it's a work day.
2. It's hard to be enthusiastic when your system is caffeine free.
3. You're way more excited to give presents than receive them because you've totally bossed your gifts this year.
4. 85% of the presents you receive are pajamas, skincare and candles. And you are pleased as punch.
5. You realise that you could in fact eat chocolate for breakfast without asking your parents permission. The thought is rebelliously tantalising.
6. You decide to eat chocolate for breakfast and immediately regret it.
7. You do not stop eating all day, but you're sure this level of food consumption used to be easier when you were a child.
8. You start to feel a bit icky being in your pjs past eleven.
9. Sitting cross legged on the floor to open presents seems like a good idea until you realise you probably won't be able to stand up again.
10. You actually want to send thank you notes.
11. A message written in a Christmas card makes you tear up.
12. You miss the days when you didn't hang off the end of your parents bed while opening your stocking.
13. Seeing Boxing Day sale furniture adverts on television and wondering why this is still a thing.
14. Getting a selection pack is too amazing for words.
15. Reacting to presents only gets more difficult.
16. Drinking Buck's Fizz before you're even dressed.
17. Still using NORAD to track Santa because obvs.
18. There is a family argument and it is cataclysmic. 
19. You count down the minutes until the Downton Abbey Christmas Special.
20. Your entire family stays in the same room for hours at a time and you aren't sure what to do because this never happens.
21. That one present that makes you wonder who this person thinks you are.
22. Trying to reply to a "Merry Christmas" group text before all the other generic greetings are taken.
23. Reminiscing about that time when winter sales started in-stores on Boxing Day... while filling your online cart on the afternoon of Christmas Day.
24. Considering the size of an army you could assemble and keep well-fed using only the vast amount of chocolate you've received.
25. Not worrying about how awful the weather is outside because you probably won't be leaving your house until 2016.
26. Trying to be tactful when suggesting what you want to watch on TV.
27. Your Facebook feed is full of engagement announcements and baby's first Christmases. It's weird.
28. You yearn for the days when you received a stack of CDs. You regret the yearning because it makes you feel about a thousand years old.
29. You stalk all the Kardashian's Instagrams because you don't know why.
30. Looking forward to days of all Turkey everything.

I hope you guys all had a marvelous Christmas (and that it wasn't too socially awkward...).

~ Eleanor xo

Christmas in Windsor

It's no secret that I find Windsor utterly beautiful (and hella instagrammable) on any day of the year, but the festive season has taken things to a whole new level and has sent my use of the heart eye emoji through the roof... and not just because there's now a man selling emoji cushions in the middle of the High Street.

So instead of blowing up everyones Insta feeds with every wreath displayed on every door from every angle (followed by a caption of #WreathGoals), I figured I'd share some of my favourite festive photos here instead. And I thought it only fair to announce that really, no matter how many fairy lights you string up on the front of your house, you'll never come close to beating Her Majesty, who has an entire light display projected onto one of her many turrets each night. Kudos, Ma'am.

Merry Christmas, everyone!
~ Eleanor xo