So, To Sum It All Up - Summer-y Summary.

Hi!!!

Well, September is upon us, as I'm sure you'll have noticed and I've been planning lots of posts for this Autumn season which made me think of doing a summary of the Summer for you all. Partly because I haven't done a summary in about a million years and also so that I can reflect on all the cool things I have done and feel ready for the new season.

Anyway, time to stop babbling - I hope you enjoy!!!

So, what happened this summer?

 



Birthday's!

 

I had a fantastic birthday this year and got to spend lots of time with my family and friends and enjoy lots of very nice birthday cake!

I was very lucky to get lots of lovely cards and wonderful gifts, too, and I am so grateful to everyone for making my birthday this year such a special one filled with the most wonderful things.

As well as my birthday, there was Elf Girl's birthday which was spent playing really old video games, eating Chinese food and watching some favourite films.
There was also my friend Lauren's birthday and  some family birthdays throughout July and August, too - you know who you are.
I hope everyone else had amazing birthdays, too.

 

To see a post I wrote about my birthday, click (ME).

For my post about Elf Girl's birthday, click (THIS) and to view her blog, click (THIS).

Special Occasions!

My blog turned two in June which I commemorated with reflections on how much things have changed and also with cupcakes, obviously.

I would just like to take another opportunity to say the biggest thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and this blog. I truly hope that you'll be sticking around to see what is in store for the future.

If you're interested, my post about my blog's first birthday is (HERE).

Travelling...

I did some staycation travelling throughout the summer to some places I hadn't been to before and I had a lovely time.

As a little post birthday birthday celebration, we went to stay with my cousin P in Cambridge. I'd never been to Cambridge before and I got to do a bit of exploring while I was there as well as go and see two open air productions of Shakespeare plays - on our first night we went to see The Merry Wives of Windsor and on the second night we went to see Romeo and Juliet.
I had a great time - thanks for having us P.

I also had a holiday in Brighton with my lovely Auntie S and my Mom. I'd also never been to Brighton before. It was an awesome holiday, it was really sunny and we did such a variety of things like exploring castles, paddling and reading on the beach, walking along the seafront and going shopping and I have fallen in love with Brighton.

Posts to come soon on both of these things.

Getting Cultural...

I did lots of "Arts and Culture" type things as well over the summer.

I went to the Tiffany and Co "Fifth and 57th" installation at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London in July which was so, completely amazing and spent other parts of that day exploring the Summer Streets Event on Regent Street. That was a great day and we did so many cool things.

Later on in July, I went to see the RSC production of Othello, which was an incredible show that I was so impressed by. The cast were amazing and so was the set design, staging and everything else in between. It was extremely powerful.

Still theatrical but in a different genre was The Importance of Being Earnest which I went to see in June. It was hilarious and the cast was fantastic. It was a great evening and I cry-laughed lots. Oscar Wilde is one of my faves and I was very impressed.

Earlier this month, I went to the National Portrait Gallery's "Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon" exhibition was really interesting. I have always admired Audrey Hepburn and it was lovely to spend some time looking at her life in pictures.

To see my post about the "Fifth and 57th" installation, click (ME)

To check out my review of The Importance of Being Earnest, click (THIS)

Historical Things...

Many historical commemorative events and anniversaries took place over the summer, such as the 70th Anniversary of V.J Day.

As always, I hope you spent time reflecting and remembering all of the brave people involved in these things and/or the things they did.

Little Moments.

 

There were lots of lovely little moments over the summer that are so good to look back on.

 

Dancing with friends, barbecues with some of my favourite people, eating ice creams, walking in the park, going for picnics, paddling in the sea, exploring markets, discovering new songs and artists, watching movies in pyjamas, trying to steer rowing boats (unsuccessfully) with friends, waving to people on river boats, reading, going out for lovely meals and spending time with my family have all added up - amongst other things - to make a fantastic summer to look back on.

I always say that the little things add up and, looking back, I can honestly say that they do - thanks to everyone who was a part of it all. 

Songs of the Summer!

I enjoyed lots of songs over the summer, some of which I mentioned (HERE).

I can do a dedicated post for some of my other favourite songs of the summer, if you guys are interested. Be sure to let me know.

I think that's everything - apologies if I missed something out. I had such an amazing couple of months that I am very thankful for and I am excited to now see what Autumn will bring.

What did you get up to this summer? What do you think of what I did? Would you like a post on some of my other favourite songs from the past couple of months? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments.
That's your lot for today then, folks! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again soon.

 

Have an exceptional day!

GingerSnaps xxx

 

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Roses, Wishes, Fairy Lights, Balloons, Candles and CAKE!



Hi!!!

So, before I begin, I would like to address the fact that I haven't blogged in about a hundred years - holidays, weekends away, visiting family and friends and good old fashioned bloggers block amongst other things can take the blame. I feel like summer is probably when I end up blogging the least, and I am so sorry about that but hopefully you've been spending lots of time outside enjoying the sunshine and so haven't been at your computer all that much to notice.

Anyways, today I wanted to talk to you about my birthday back in July and the kind of things I got up to. I hope that you enjoy and that you find this interesting...

Little Disclaimer: I am under no circumstances writing this as a way of "showing off" about what I did for my birthday or the kinds of things I received. I know that I am incredibly fortunate for everything that I have in my life. I am writing this because I find these types of posts interesting to read and to write and I hope that you enjoy this. xxx

 



I was born on the 24th of July and so that is, quite predictably, my birthday.

This year was a "milestone" kind of number and so it called for something extra special.

It has always been the case that I spend time on my birthday with my family and that we have a bit of a celebration-get together-meal-type thing (usually at my house) and this year was no different.
 

I woke up on the morning of my birthday to big silver number balloons and tonnes more pink and silver balloons dotted around the house from my lovely Mother - balloons are one of my favourite things and I was delighted.

 Somewhere along the line this year, I was bitten by the DIY bug and so I spent some free time making decorations to make everything lots more colourful and pretty and I spent the morning of my birthday hanging those up and cooking (because food, obviously).

Elf Girl came round to my house in the morning as well to say "happy birthday" and she also gave me a lovely card and gifts. She made a "birthday box" to put my presents in and every present was very thoughtful and creative (homemade presents are the best kind) and I absolutely loved everything - Thank you, Elf Girl!

I spent the afternoon getting ready.

 I put on one of my favourite dresses which has a 1950s silhouette and the most beautiful colours to it - it makes me feel like I'm going to a carnival in the 50s with all intentions of clearing the place of milkshakes and candyfloss.

I also put on my Chucks, because I didn't feel like wearing heels that day and Converse look good with dresses - it is an actual fact, let's not pretend it isn't.

 I then did my makeup which consisted of lots of rose and gold tones on the eyes and a peachy lip and popped a jewelled tiara/hairband on.

And then, somehow, the day had flown by and people were showing up at the door.

I had so, so much fun that evening. Lots and lots of birthday cake was eaten, photos were taken in the "photo booth" that I had DIYed (featuring handmade props and backdrop), fairy lights lit up the garden and party poppers scared the life out of everyone.
I was also lucky enough to get some super nice and special presents and cards off of my family as well as some money off one or two people as well.
 I am so, so fortunate to have received such beautiful things from everyone - big, huge thank you to everyone!!!!!

 

A few days after my birthday, Lauren came round for a catch up and she gave me a really cute Pop! Disney Vinyl of Princess Belle - I adore Disney and the Vinyl is so sweet, Belle now sits pride of place on the coffee table!

 

Also, a week or so before my birthday I met up with the other side of my family and ate homemade Pavlova that was covered in birthday candles and did cards and presents - all of which were very thoughtful, beautiful and will be well enjoyed - as well as going out for a rather fancy meal and I would just like to say a huge big thank you to everyone for that brilliant weekend.

 

I had the most amazing birthday in the world and I feel extremely lucky.

Thank you again to everyone for all the birthday wishes as well as the cards and gifts. Big love xxx

 

Well, I think that's everything, I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post today and that I'll see you again for my next post.

When is your birthday? What do you think the best part of birthdays is? Do you have any comments? Do you have any suggestions for future posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments.

I'll speak to you all soon, guys.

 

Have an utterly awesome day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



Celebrate Good Times! - Happy Birthday To You... - Happy Birthday Elf Girl!

Hi!!!

Hello everybody! How are we all on this wonderful day? It's the lovely Elf Girl's birthday this week - I might have mentioned her about a thousand times or so - and so I thought I'd put together a little post about it.

Happy Birthday Elf Girl!!!

 

Thank you for being a fantastic friend.

Elf Girl is the best friend ever in the world and is a sister to me. 
She is the most hilarious, sassy, fun, awesome, supportive, thoughtful and kind friend who is always there for air guitar playing, singing along to musicals, long chats and everything else in between - I haven't a clue what I'd do without her.

Happy Birthday Elf Girl, loves ya xxx

Read Elf Girl's blog (HERE).

That is all for today then everyone. I hope you've had a lovely day today and I will see you all when I'm back from Brighton (which is where I'm spending a long weekend).

What is your favourite thing about birthdays? What are you guys up to this weekend? Any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for joining me today.

 

Have a totally fab day!

GingerSnaps xxx

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do! - Music - Some Current Favourite Summer Sounds.

Hi!!!

What's up, guys? I had an absolutely wonderful birthday on Friday and I'm back from my little "birthday break" with today's post. I thought that I'd fill you guys in on some of my favourite songs at the moment - I really enjoy putting posts like this together and hopefully you enjoy reading them!

"T Shirt Weather" by Circa Waves (HERE)

 

This song has fantastic music and lyrics and an awesome vibe.

I am absolutely in love with it and have been since I first heard it.

 It is a great one to dance around to but is equally well suited for a road tripping soundtrack and even just something a bit different to listen to when all you want to do is sit down and listen to some music (as I often do).

"Stronger" by Clean Bandit (HERE)

This song is brilliant.

 It is a real bop about, lift your mood, sing along with a smile kind of song and whenever I hear it, it puts a big smile on my face.

 I really like Clean Bandit and their unique sound and this song does a great job in showing off their musical abilities (violins and cellos? Yes please!) and their fun side.

"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk The Moon (HERE)

I'm fairly sure everyone has been loving this song (even a little bit) lately and it isn't hard to see why in my book.

It's fun, it's catchy, it's a cracking tune with some ace lyrics behind it and I just really, really like it - a lot. 

This is definitely one I like to turn up a few notches whenever it comes on - it's a proper summer tune.

And that's your lot for today, folks. Thanks for reading.

What are your favourite songs and new discoveries at the moment? Have you discovered anything new through this post? What do you think of my picks? Do you have any ideas to share or comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments below.

I shall see you guys again soon.

 

Have a fantastic day today!

GingerSnaps xxx 

 

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - A New York Minute, Dancing in the Street, Free Fallin' Buskers and Milkshakes.

Hi!!!

So, the other weekend I headed down to my beloved London with my wonderful mother for a day full of all of the best things and I had an amazing time. I thought that I'd tell you all about it today and I hope you'll enjoy this post.

I was doing some browsing around the interwebs a few weeks ago and I found out about the (free to visit) "Fifth and 57th" installation at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London to celebrate the opening of the new Tiffany and Co store in Selfridges on Oxford Street. I have always loved Tiffany and could sit at my computer or stand at the counters admiring all of their exquisite pieces of jewellery all day long so this just seemed like a must for me. I was telling my lovely Mom about it one day and she suggested that we go together on a weekend. We ended up going on the last day it was running - the 12th of this month - and we had a great time in London.

I hadn't been to London in a while as I'd been fairly busy and so I was really looking forward to taking a trip down - it is one of my most favourite places ever. We drove down on the Sunday morning, caught the train from Watford and walked from Euston Station to Covent Garden because we love spending time there. We looked around the markets and smelled and spritzed numerous perfumes in the high end shops before continuing on to Oxford Street. I love walking around London and on our way up to Selfridges we passed many a school trip in Leicester Square which is where we passed a pretty good busker with a guitar who played "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty and made me smile and sing along until we couldn't hear him any more. We were just about to walk up Regent Street and we noticed that the bottom of the road was closed off and we stopped to figure out if we could still walk that way.

It turned out that we could indeed walk that way, and I am very pleased we did. Every Sunday in July, Regent Street has been completely closed to traffic so that "Summer Streets" can take place. It features performances and workshops from dance acts and musicians, benches and deck chairs in the middle of the road, games (such as Penalty Shoot-Outs) and pretty flowers everywhere and nearly everything is free (except, I think, for things like food or certain games which have small fees). One thing I really liked about it was that I had the ability to see people's faces and to see people enjoy themselves. I love London, but it is true that on the busier streets like Regent Street and Oxford Street, you see less of people's faces and more of the backs of people's heads. I really relished being able to see people smiling and being able to stop and take photos without being in someone's way. That and being able to dance around in the middle of the road to "Uptown Funk" and not get run over because that is pretty hard to beat.

We managed to drag ourselves away and continue on to Oxford Street where we had a quick look around Selfridges before heading next door to the installation which was at the Old Selfridges Hotel. I hadn't ever been into the hotel but it is a great space which I really believe should be used more often. We were given our free guide brochures by the girls at the entrance and walked up the stairs to the installation itself. As we turned into the space, I instantly felt that my expectations had become a reality. Bright lights and the sounds of busy streets filled the room and we walked through the doors of a subway car to be greeted by a lovely Tiffany and Co employee and a slice of New York itself. There was a little corner inspired by Central Park which featured a beautiful backdrop, a crisp white bench and a "blossom tree" - we took photos and admired how pretty it was. We moved further along and found ourselves living the New York life, with "Walk | Don't Walk" signs flashing at us and projections of a subway station on the 1837 plain white Tiffany boxes that surrounded us - 1837 were used as Tiffany and Co was established in the year 1837. We watched a short film about the "New York Minute" and the influence Tiffany and Co and its founder, Charles Tiffeany, have had over it - for example Tiffany and Co had one of the first public timepieces on display in New York City by which everyone set their watches. We moved from there to the recreated Tiffany and Co storefront which looked identical to the one that sits on the corner of 5th and 57th Street in the Big Apple itself and watched a master engraver at work which was incredibly interesting. We then grabbed a complimentary bagel from a street cart and headed over to Charlie's Bar - a speakeasy inspired bar named after Mr Tiffany - to see the gorgeous décor and check out the scene. Finally, we caught the stunning "Manhattanhenge" Sunset which, as if it were not special and beautiful enough alone, transformed as it set, to become a gorgeous Tiffany Diamond, the boxes surrounding us turning blue and sporting white ribbon. It was a fantastic end to a brilliant exhibition. I had such an amazing time and was incredibly pleased that we went.

The rest of the day featured lunch at Selfridges, window-shopping on Oxford Street, more dancing and actual shopping on Regent Street, walking on walls in the rain in Leicester Square, dinner at Bella Italia and milkshakes on the motorway to keep us going until we got home.

 

I had the most brilliant day - a big, huge thank you to my fabulous mother for joining me.

 

Browse the Tiffany and Co at Selfridges website (HERE)

Browse the Selfridges website (HERE)

Find "Summer Streets" (HERE)

Find Bella Italia (HERE)

And listen to "Free Fallin'" (HERE)

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, it was lovely to sit and think about all the cool things we did while I was putting this together. It's my birthday on Friday so the next time I see you I'll be another year older (and ready to write more posts!).
Have you been to London recently? What do you think about the idea for Summer Streets? Did you get to go to the exhibition? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Please do let me know in the comments below.
I'll speak with you guys soon.

 

I hope your day is full of joy!

GingerSnaps xxx

It's So In Vogue! - Fashion, Supermodels, Models and Fashion Photography - Annie Leibovitz

Hi!!!

Well hello there ladies and gents! Its the perfect day for blogging and for reading books and drinking tea from one of my favourite mugs - its raining on and off and the sky is a lovely grey colour, which is perfect for staying curled up inside writing.

I haven't written a post in this series in donkeys years and I'm not 100% sure as to why that is, because I really like them... Anyway, I am here today with a fashion photography type post, focussing on the amazing Annie Leibovitz.

I know I don't really need a disclaimer for this, but I know a lot of people have very strong opinions on the fashion industry, and in particular, on models. I think that these ideas are often a misunderstanding of the industry, and the work and dedication involved. The fashion industry is a field I would love to work in, and have a real interest in, and so if you do have strong opinions that may offend anyone, please keep them to yourself. Thank you.

 

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz was born in October 1949 in Connecticut in the USA.

 She studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she also took night classes in photography.

 

In 1970 she began work for Rolling Stone magazine and soon became their chief photographer. She left the magazine in 1980, I believe, and by then she'd shot over 100 covers (wow!)

She went on to join Vanity Fair in '83 and to start doing lots of regular work for Vogue in '98. 

On top of all this work, she has shot loads of awesome ad campaigns.
 

Exhibitions of her photos have appeared all over the world at some of the most prestigious galleries and museums and books have been produced of her work. Annie has been recognised and honoured globally for her work, notably by the Library of Congress and the French government.

 

Her work.

 

Annie is an amazing photographer who inspires the work of many other photographers (budding or pro).

 

I really love the attention to detail in her work and the way that she seems to capture what feels like a very real connection and magic in her models (especially when she works - as she often does - with multiple models at once).

 

In many of her shots, her subjects are seen smiling or with a joyful light in their eyes and I think that the way she captures that is very unique as this never seems false or forced.

Her work is brilliant.

The Final Notes.

Find her Tumblr site over (HERE) - aesthetically, it is a lovely slice of internet.

You can find her work for Vogue (HERE).
You can find her work for Vanity Fair (HERE).

Alrighty then, that is all for now, I think. I hope you've enjoyed the return of this series and hopefully we can start it back up a bit more regularly again.

What do you think of Annie Leibovitz's work? Do you agree with my thoughts? Which other fashion photographers do you like? Any suggestions for future posts or thoughts on this one? Let me know in the comments section.

I'll see you soon.

I hope you have a terrific day!

GingerSnaps xxx



 

Congratulations! - Blogging Milestones - Happy 2nd Birthday Blog!

Hi!!!

How are you lovely people? Today, if you didn't guess by the title, is my blog's 2nd Birthday and I wanted to celebrate. Sadly, I can't give you all a slice of cake or a party bag but hopefully you'll enjoy this post (and the photos of cupcakes might be some kind of compensation on the cake front). Also, warning, this might be a bit "cheesy"... Soz...

 

This little blog, A Dash of Ginger, turned 2 on the 3rd of this month.
Wow. Two years. Two whole, actual years.

 

 

When I started A Dash of Ginger two years ago, I was so excited.
 I had been debating and debating with myself for a few months at that point as to whether or not I should start a blog but, eventually, I did it.
On the day I decided to begin my blog, Elf Girl (my bestest friend and fellow blogger - HERE) and I were sat in her kitchen and she sat patiently listening to my ramblings about blog names and all that jazz.
Then, I went home and set it up.
Having ideas whirling around in your head for months before jumping into something like this can be helpful - I could already picture how I wanted everything to look - my colour scheme, my design. I was so excited to create my blog at last.
 My parents, bless them, were also incredibly patient while I talked their ears off about where exactly each piece of the blog would fit best and about all my plans for it.
And so, that evening in my old house, my blog, A Dash of Ginger, was born and I hit publish on the first post on my very own blog (which was proof read about a trillion times by both me and my parents).
 I was excited.
I sat, with my Blogger Dashboard open on my laptop screen for most of the evening. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but I was just excited to play around with ideas, create drafts and so on.
 

 I told my family and some friends about the blog, and I felt proud to tell them my plans.
 The first comment that I ever received on one of my posts told me that blogging is addictive, and that I should be prepared to lose hours, even days, to blogging. Of course, this was in fact very true.
Ideas for posts came from my little brain and from the suggestions of my family and friends and I enjoyed writing them up and publishing.

Fast forward a year and the Blogger Dashboard may as well have been my home screen.
Around the time my blog turned 1, I set up BlogLovin', I wrote posts as often as I could and I watched this little blog grow.
 It provided a sense of achievement and accomplishment, a whirr of ideas constantly in my brain, describing myself as a blogger, a love for what I was doing and for the people who appreciated it.
 

And, yeah, I know that at moments in the past two years, I have gone AWOL.
 There's been moments "IRL" (I know, I hate me for saying it, too) that have drawn me away from my computer, some awesome and some not so much.
There have been times when I have felt I was letting you guys down because I haven't always been able to write as much as I'd like to, or just honestly haven't felt like it and I am so truly sorry for those times.
But looking back at my archives now, I don't feel as disappointed seeing only a few posts in the archives for a particular month.
 Blogging *isn't* my job,  its my passion and I think that helps me to remember that as long as I always produce the best content I can for you to read, and so long as I blog about things that I really want to, and enjoy it all , then I'm doing the right thing.
 

Now that it has grown up a little more and it is 2 years old, I feel that this blog and I have an understanding.
 I love this blog so much and I love my readers loads.
I love being able to tell people that I write this blog.
I love being able to check in and see lovely comments, or page views or new followers.
And I'll always try my hardest to produce regular content - even if I don't always post as often as I'd like.
Blogging has become a massive part of my life and that is one of the best things.
I love blogging and I love you guys.

 

Over these past 2 years, I can most certainly say that this blog has given me nothing but pride, joy, excitement and love.
I cannot possibly ever thank it, or you, you lovely human behind that computer screen, enough for that whether I know you (in which case "yoo-hoo family!" - y'know, like Frozen?) or not. Whether you've been reading since day one, or if this is the first post of mine you have ever read.
Everything about the blog, your support and all the other bits in between truly mean the world to me and I am so grateful. So for every single one of my 4875 page views, each of my follows on Blogger and on BlogLovin', too - thank you.

 

Happy Birthday, A Dash Of Ginger.

I can't believe that you're already 2 years old.
We're both only young and both growing as a blog and a blogger respectively.

I cannot wait to see what happens here in this next year, and I hope that on your 3rd birthday, we'll have lots of good times to talk about. In fact, I know we will...

 

And to you, my lovely reader: I'd love it very much if you would stick around to see what happens next. Your continued support and readership means a huge deal to me, and I am so grateful. Thank you and I love you guys xxx

 

I hope you enjoyed that post. Also, thanks to my brilliant mother for being my photographer on this one, I'm really happy with the results.

Do you have any birthday messages for the blog? How long have you been a reader? What is your favourite post/type of post I have written? Do you like the photography? Do you have any suggestions or ideas for some posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments. 

Thank you, as always, for reading. You guys are awesome.

 

I hope your day is totally fantastic!

 

GingerSnaps xxx