Beat the Boredom

Oh the irony of finally having a holiday and a break from work over the festive season, only to find that you are bored out of your skull and you have watched every series and movie on your laptop in the last 3 days (been there). We are so used to these fast and furious action-packed lives, going from work to gym to all those other commitments we have filled our plate with. No wonder we feel numb with boredom when the madness finally stops and we have a few days off!

The importance is not to fill your days up being so busy that you actually burn out, or just sit on the couch all day. Find a combination of relaxing and fun activities to do that are also constructive, and you will end your holiday feeling accomplished and rested. Here is my list of fun Christmas holiday activities to do with family, friends or by yourself.

Make Christmas tree decorations

If you are falling short on Christmas decorations for your tree this year, don't go out and buy more. Rather make them yourself as a fun activity and add a sentimental touch to your tree. Whether you do it yourself or get children or friends to help for the day, there are so many ways to create fun and easy decorations. You can use felt, paper, pine cones, fruit or ribbons. You can even personalise decorations with names of family members.

A personal favourite of mine is these easy-to-make polystyrene glitter balls:

• cover a small round polystyrene ball with craft glue
• roll ball around in glitter until all surfaces are covered
• Use a pin to secure a folded piece of ribbon or string at the top of the ball to hang on the tree

Image from hgtv.com

Inexpensive Christmas gifts

Working in a newspaper printing company has really opened my eyes to the extent that people go to spend money during Christmas season. The sheer mass of advert increases in the months of November and December just proves the fact that the Christian society of people that celebrate Christmas are conditioned to accept the fact that they are going to spend exorbitant amounts of money this holiday. Well I am here to say that it doesn't have to be that way!

Yes we all love to eat and drink more than we would any other time of the year, and that's okay, but spending ridiculous amounts of money on Christmas presents for every friend and family member is unnecessary. I have always found that the more sentimental a gift is, the more memorable it is, and those DIY or well-thought out gifts are better than costly electronics or jewelry if you ask me (shocking, I know). We all go on about how Christmas is more about our religion and less about presents, so why not prove it by scaling down? Lets instead put more time and energy into gifting this year- I know I am! Here are some gift ideas that are both creative and inexpensive.

Dream Closets

Since I can remember it has been a fantasy of mine to have a big walk in closet with shoe racks, good lighting, neat colour coordinated clothing and floor length mirrors. Even when I was little I would try and create extra make shift shelves with scrap pieces of wood and blocks. I always think of that Sex and the City scene when Big surprises Carrie with her new closet and that beautiful pair of midnight blue Manolo's perched on a rack inside. A girl can dream right?

I have gathered up a few dream closets for you all to be in awe of, and other closets that are easily attainable to create on a budget. There are also so many ways of incorporating your clothes and shoes into the decor of your room instead of hiding it away behind cupboards. If you have a fancy pair of stilettos, a cool hat or a statement necklace that is just too pretty to put in a drawer, display them in unique ways on hooks, boxes and shelves. I hope you feel inspired!

Image from refinery29

The perfect birthday dinner

It's my birthday tomorrow so I thought I would share my planning and preparation, along with TONS of help from Pinterest. I really wanted to have a relaxed dinner party with a few friends and family just to celebrate my special day.

All of these ideas are so easy to do and only require a small budget. I like to keep things simple, because I find that as soon as you try too hard to impress everyone or spend too much money it doesn't usually have the desired effect. It's never easy to cater for a group of people so I thought I would have a variety of snack foods to keep everyone going. I have also included a few ideas for atmosphere and decor.

The details
It's always nice to add small touches to the evening to make it seem more put together, whether its adding tags of peoples names or having a nice arrangement in the middle of the table. I saw an idea where each placemate is a piece of black paper and you simply write each guests name in chalk on the black paper. I love monochrome, it always looks more sophisticated than it is. Another idea is to present knives and forks in a serviette tied into the shape of a bow tie. This is perfect for a barbeque or help yourself type event.