51 things I was thankful for in 2019

Can someone please tell me how it's been a year since I wrote last year's review?! WHERE IS TIME GOING

Last year was decidedly quieter on the opportunities front (anyone else find this?). In 2019 I found it increasingly difficult to be noticed in such a saturated market. Although 2019 was a bit of a quieter one, there was still plenty to be thankful for:

January

• January was a bit of a slow burner and there weren't many events or campaigns on
• Feeling a little blue post Christmas, I wrote a guide on how to keep the holiday feeling going for longer in collaboration with the amazing Adagio Teas who I'd worked with before previously here
• I also wrote a piece on beating the Monday blues (can you tell that I was relieved to see the back of January??)

February

• In February I finally published my What I Got For Christmas which although not January, was still a huge improvement on the previous year which didn't go live until March!
• I rounded up my top funny as f*** Valentine's Day cards  
• I wrote a travel guide for my happy place: York 
• I struggled to find a coffee table that I liked and ended up making my own marble table in this DIY post (STILL really chuffed with how it turned out!)

March

• I attended the Ideal Home Show (an annual tradition)
• I shared my quick and easy açai berry pancake recipe full of nutrients and antioxidants ready for Pancake Day. The ingredients for which were very kindly provided by Sambazon.
• I took a much needed two weeks off work and went to the Maldives which was every bit as special as it looks. It also coincided with Mr Curiouser and Curiouser's birthday so it was definitely one to remember for him! 
• On my way back from the Maldives I headed straight to the wedding of one of my best male friends. I was jet lag as hell, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

April

• I wrote the first of my Maldives travel guides here (more coming soon)
• I was able to test something I have always wanted to try - a silk pillow case (more on this here) - and found it did wonders for my eczema and psoriasis prone skin (thanks again Calidad Home!)

May

• May was my one of my busiest months and also my birthday month!
• I saw Walking on Cars with one of my best friends (best.night.ever) 
• I wrote about what I opened on my birthday here
• I braved clothing atypical to my usual black, white and grey wardrobe and fell in love with this stunning saffron pleated maxi skirt
• I wrote a guide on how to style an oversized blazer (again made possible by the wonderful Fashion World team)
• I found my dream fireplace for just £10 / $13 (I also promptly lost it as lamented about here)
• I worked with I Just Love it on a Father's Day gift guide here
• I went to Grand Designs Live (another firm favourite of mine)
• Something I hadn't mentioned on these parts was how our little girl Tia had gone missing. Miraculously she was returned to us in May after being missing for 2 long years (something that merits its very own post, but I haven't yet found the words)

June

• I started planning an interiors mood board for our hallway here and can't wait to decorate 
• I worked with Moonpig on a Father's Day gift guide here and if I'm honest, the cats loved the hamper as much as my Dad and Father-in-law did! 
• I was invited to Space Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD
• I tried my very first plant based afternoon tea here and I loved it!

July

• I was nominated for the Vogue Parody Q&A by the lovely Tanya so if you want to find out more about me, hop on over here...
• I wrote about how the struggle is real with blogging AND working a full time job here
• Had a company-wide half day so we could go to the park and play softball in the sun (AMAZING)
• I attended Yuu Kitchen's new residency launch at ICEBAR in swanky Mayfair in London and covered it here

August

• I started my money diary series (here / here / here) as an experiment after feeling inspired to be better with my spending after writing this post. I really enjoyed writing them (and turns out you liked them too!) so they will be here to stay
• I started my "interiors trends I don't get" series here (more to come this year) 

September

• The interiors inspiration kept on coming where I talked about my love of statement lamps here
• I also discovered that River Island has a boss homeware collection (here)
• I went back to one of my favourite places to eat - Cote Brasserie - and experienced all the Paris feels here
• I was promoted at work and received a pay rise which was a sweet way to end the year
• I received a dick pic in an ASOS order which I tweeted about here. The customer service I experienced was so shockingly bad (it deserved its own blog post if I'm honest) that I haven't been on the ASOS site or ordered from them ever since. I am thankful for this experience and for having my eyes opened. They do not value their customers in the slightest, you are just a number to them

October

• I found last minute (reduced) tickets to the Book of Mormon which were central AND second row (not sure how I pulled it off either!)
• Tried Flight Club for the first time and LOVED IT (plus the cocktails weren't bad either)
• I applied for The Circle, wasn't shortlisted (boo), watched it, and swooned about the interiors here. Next year perhaps?
• Wrote about the most wonderful staycation here with treetop hotel / treehouse hotel vibes. Also threw in an #ootd or two for old times sake

November

• November is usually one of my busiest months so everything felt a bit... weird? With no events to cover, I found myself writing about shoes and autumn winter fashion here
• We had an African & Caribbean cook off at work which made for one of the best work lunches known to man / woman
• I also continued on with my money diaries here having got a bit spendy in Oliver Bonas (again)
• I went on the Jack the Ripper tour again (last time's write up here), but this time as a paying customer. I took my Dad with me for his birthday (he absolutely loved it as well as the milkshakes and burgers beforehand!) 
• Black Friday this year was one of the worst ever (great on the bank balance though!)
• NOW TV pissed me off royally with their Black Friday promotion (more on this here)

December

• December flew by in no time at all thanks to having sporadic days off + finishing early for Christmas
• I caught up with friends and family, visited Christmas markets, and went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
• I wrote a piece here on which Christmas decorations to avoid if you have pets 
• I wrote a gift guide with a difference here for those who hate gift guides and / or feel awkward about asking for anything for Christmas  
• After moaning about NOW TV, we some how managed to find a free one month pass which covered us nicely for movies over the Christmas break (RESULT)

SUMMARY

Every year has its ups and downs, but 2019 was truly a special year. Lots of our friends had exciting engagement and / or baby announcements. And my standout moment: our little girl came back after being suspected stolen and missing for 2 long years.

Admittedly blogging took a little bit of a back seat at times as I was still in shock about having her back and I wanted to (and still do) want to spend every minute of the day with her, having lost out on the last 2 years. And you know what? The occasional breaks from social media and the Internet have been really therapeutic. Sure, I come back onto Instagram and find I have dropped x amount of followers, but if you are so flippant to follow and unfollow someone so quickly, I''m better off without you to be honest.

This attitude overrun into the Christmas period. I finished at work the week before and as soon as I left the building. I pretty much abandoned all social media. No constant photo updates over the festive period, no cringey Christmas and / or New Year selfies. I just lived in the moment with my loved ones without my phone glued to me and it was refreshing as hell.


In 2020 I hope to:

• put myself out there again and hopefully have the chance to attend more events and work with more brands and PRs who are open to the fact that 10,000+ followers IS NOT ALL THAT
• get back into vlogging and finish editing my travel footage (why does it take so long?)
• start THAT podcast I keep raving on about
• continue to detox offline and keep up my exercise regime
• continue to grow my social media organically (give me a follow here and here if you haven't already!)
• continue to embrace my darker hair (I was born with white blonde hair which turned golden blonde over time and is now what I fondly refer to as 'dirty blonde' which suits my personality perfectly haha)
• continue scoping out new authors and books and read every day (I bossed this in 2019)
• finish writing my many travel posts still sat in my drafts (doh)
• I'm beyond excited to be getting an extension and new kitchen this year - so being able to work with any interiors brands or kitchen companies would be a dream come true!
• travel more and experience more of the world

A huge thank you to everyone who reads this little space of mine!

47 things I was thankful for in 2018

What a great year for Curiouser and Curiouser! I said in last year's review here how I wanted to do more this year and more is an understatement! The start of the year is usually a pretty quiet time for campaigns and collaborations as some companies' new financial year doesn't start until a few months in so I didn't expect anything much to happen. However right from the offset of 2018 I was kept busy. Not too much, but certainly enough to sink my teeth into. Curiouser and Curiouser had an incredible journey in 2018 and with that, a review of 2018 and 47 things I was thankful for.

January

• I attended Fast and Furious Live at the London premiere opening night where it was opened by none other than Vin Diesel himself! (car videos on my Instagram here and here)
• Wrote a style guide here about how to take your outfit from day to night with an item kindly gifted from Simply Be.
• Had a bit of a shambles with my first ever Deliveroo order which I wrote about here. It's safe to say that I haven't ordered from Deliveroo since!

February

• Went through my Gran Canaria photos and wrote this Gran Canaria travel guide in collaboration with Holiday Gems.
• 2018 was the year I geared my content more towards my passion for interiors and dipped my toe in the water with this interiors post which Prestige Flowers very kindly supplied me with beautiful flowers for.

March

• I attended the Ideal Home Show and swooned over this bathroom and this pink kitchen 
• For the first couple of months of the year I was trialing a new evening routine which worked wonders. I wrote a guide on it here and reading before bed instead of watching TV was a big part of it. 
• I re-ignited my love of reading and started reading every night. In the first few months I got through more books than I ever imagined and discovered so many new authors. I wrote my first book review for Driven by Dane Cobain which can be found here
• I embarrassingly only got around to publishing my "what I got for Christmas" post in March here. You know what it's like. You write something. It sits in your drafts for a hot minute (in my case, months) and you're left wondering whether to publish or not. 

April

• I visited a restaurant I'd been wanting to try for ages - Granary Square Brasserie -  and fell in love with the interiors which I wrote about here
• April was colder and wetter than hoped (those April showers though) and I lived in boots. I wrote a style guide here on five ways how to style knee high boots for which XYLONDON very kindly provided boots for

May

• May was my one of my busiest months and also my birthday month!
• I attended Rose Festival with Cyprus Tourism which you can read about here
• I reviewed the prettiest rose gold headphones (head here for my review and a 15% discount!)
• Hello sunny May Bank Holiday! I wrote a no nonsense picnic guide here which Mateus Rose and Altruist very provided wine and sunscreen for.
• For the second May Bank Holiday, we had rain and mesmerising lighting storms. The rubbish weather gave me a serious case of wanderlust and whilst planning where to travel to next, I wrote a holiday outfit guide here
• I went back to the Gilbert Scott which I wrote about previously here. This time I had the dreamiest of desserts as seen here
• I went to a Madeira Tourism event hosted by Pestana Hotels and fell in love with Madeira even more (my urge to visit intensified after seeing Madeira featured on Travel Man). 

June

• June I dubbed as interiors month as it was the busiest month for interiors events and campaigns!
• I attended a Sweetpea and Willow event which I wrote about here and was BLOWN AWAY. So many beautiful homeware pieces 
• I won tickets to the launch night of Emily @ The Pink House's collab with Sofas & Stuff. I went with one of my besties Chiara and we swooned over this chair and this chair. Apparently there was a lipstick goodie bag which I only found out about when I got home. Sad times. 
• I attended a Life Kitchens event where I met the lovely Tanya for the first time. It was an evening of swoon-worthy kitchens and wonderful food which I wrote about here
• I wrote about how to transform a room from bland and boring to bold and beautiful here in collaboration with Wallsauce
• I tried my first ever escape room at Lock'd with Tanya who I met at the Life Kitchens event
• I was spoilt rotten by the lovely Adagio Teas team and wrote about their amazing range of teas here

July

• I originally hoped to say "went to a dreamy bloggers supper club" but the truth and harsh reality of it I wrote about here
• I experienced a serious case of wanderlust after writing this piece about dreamy travel destinations in association with Destination2
• I discovered a great life hack and went to the zoo for a mere 90p which I wrote about here

August

• Mr Curiouser & Curiouser turned male model for Jacamo and graced his face for the first time here
• In the height of summer I received an incredible parcel packaged in ice and filled with pies, sausages and pastries from Wild & Game. I used some of the sausages in an incredible stew which I wrote a recipe for here and then a salad type thing which I wrote a recipe for here

September

• I took a cheeky trip to York at the end of August and wrote about the hotel here and food here (York travel guide to follow!)
• I discovered that the charity Sue Ryder 1) has an online shop here and 2) has an amazing homeware collection which I wrote about here 

October

• I saw Enrique Iglesias perform and still can't believe how close we were! (video evidence here)
• I wrote a couples gift guide here with some items very kindly gifted from Find Me A Gift 
• I wrote about the homeware pieces making me happy here
• I went for wine and food pairing with a difference and wrote about it here

November

• I reviewed a lovely Japanese and Peruvian fusion restaurant and also a fish restaurant (reviews for both coming soon!)
• I was invited to a special media-only Jack the Ripper walking tour which I wrote about here
• I reminisced about The Circle here, still swooning about the interior decor
• I discovered the beauty that is Friuli Venezia Giulia which I wrote about here
• I attended the Vuelio Blog Awards and donned my glad rags as seen here

December

• December was a busy month of events. Fully burnt out, I fell ill meaning that the latter side of December was an enforced quieter one (boo). Luckily I recovered in time for Christmas!
• Before I fell ill I participated in a really fun cookery event held at L'Atelier des Chefs in association with NEFF and Currys PCWorld. I wrote a guide on the event and how not to make a gingerbread house here
• Other than that, December involved festive shirts (as seen here) and eating my weight in cheese (because Christmas isn't Christmas without a cheese board!)

SUMMARY

One thing I was proud of in 2018 is how I managed to grow both my Twitter and Instagram channels. I did this through just being myself. No giveaways. No buying of followers. No follow unfollow nonsense. Don't get me wrong, I still don't have a particularly high following on Instagram and get ignored for all the exciting campaigns requiring 10k+ followers (lol), but that's fine by me. These days it's so difficult to know whose Instagram following and engagement is legit, and you know what? Brands and PRs are starting to wise up to the fact. I am truly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way and for all the brands and PR companies that see past the numbers and approach me because they like me for me / my photography / my writing style.

In 2019 I hope to:

• get back into vlogging. I started earlier this year, lost my camera (doh!) and have only recently re-found said camera
• and last but not least... I am beyond excited to be heading to the Maldives in 2019 so should have some exciting travel content coming your way!

A huge thank you to everyone who reads this little space of mine and for your continued support. Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year! 

25 things I am thankful for

This year was a bit of a funny year for Curiouser and Curiouser. I was MIA for most of the year, but even so, Curiouser and Curiouser still had an incredible journey. And with that, a review of this year and the things I was thankful for.

January

• I first introduced you guys to our rescue kittens. I can't believe how small they were back then!

February

• I tried Polish food for the first time thanks to Polish Village Bread. Pierogi are amazing!
• I collaborated with Voucherbox who challenged me to try living on £2 a day. It was tough, but I manage to create some tasty and filling meals which can be found here. For everyone who participated in the challenge and wrote a blog post, Voucherbox donated £50 to the charity Zamcog to help feed, clothe and educate children in Zambia. It was amazing being able to support such a great cause.

March - July

• In May I found the cutest tearoom. Even the bathroom was dreamy. 
• In July Tesco very kindly sent me a picnic hamper of treats and this started my love affair with their falafel
• Later in July I was fed up and needed a break. Bored of bland magnolia walls, I went to the dark side and painted the lounge in a beautiful dark teal sort of colour. 

August 

•  Pulsin very kindly sent me some brownies to review

September

• I collaborated with Lyst which was a dream for me. At my previous job I was managing their advertising campaigns and fast forward a year, having the chance to actually write some content for Lyst... it was a huge honor and meant a lot to me.
• I got my home interiors fix at Ideal Home and Grand Designs Live

October

• I was invited to a bread making class at the Jamie Oliver Cookery school 
• I finally claimed my voucher (a leaving gift from my ex workplace) for The Gilbert Scott and experienced my first Marcus Wareing restaurant. It was incredible. 
• I reviewed some more healthy treats thanks to Pulsin and Eat Real. I tried some amazing porridge oat bars from Pulsin and Eat Real very kindly sent me a box of quinoa, hummus and lentil chips. When a brand shows me such kindness - like Pulsin and Eat Real did  - I am incredibly loyal and will shop there time and time again. To this day, I have swapped my usual crisps for Eat Real chips (vegan friendly and much healthier!) and I pick up Pulsin bars for a healthier mid morning treat.

November

• I was invited to a Rome press event by Rome Tourism and Comitel & Partners. We ate beautiful Italian food (as seen here) and I am still pinching myself over the fact that I'll be visiting Italy for the first time!
• I was invited back to Yuu Kitchen to review their new menu and had the prettiest cocktails I have seen in my entire life. 
• I attended the Vuelio Blog Awards wearing this little number and wow, what a venue. 
• Later this month Estella Barlett and the Northern Ballet sent me to my first ever ballet (write up to follow)

December

• I wrote a gift guide for newly weds and the recently engaged
• Simply Be very kindly sent me a generous parcel of sparkly treats which made me feel all kinds of festive. Or in the case of this top, like a mermaid. In December I embraced glittery polka dots thanks to this black and gold polka dress and this printed tie neck blouse. 
• I talked about illusion chocolate and found the most incredible chocolate gifts in the station one day

Despite being out of action for the majority of the year, it was a year of incredible opportunities and experiences and I would like to thank everybody who reached out to me or worked with me. I am now free to take on more projects and I look forward to seeing what this year will bring. I want to travel more, meet new people, discover new restaurants and hotels, and discover new brands.

The biggest thank you has to go to everyone who reads this little space of mine and for your continued support (especially during my crazy long blogging break!). This year turned out to be a bit of a digital detox where I spent more time offline than I have ever done before. But that's ok. Being offline is good for the soul. It's important to experience things through your own eyes rather than through a camera lens and that's the balance I'm striving for this year.