Robot Love

Dandering down the high street it's difficult not to notice the shop windows awash with copious amounts of the synonymous red and pink decor. This only means one thing in retail. Pink and red are the new key colours this season OR, most likely, the big V-day is approaching. 
So yes, Valentine's day is imminent (one week left everyone!) and some of you may be wondering, "What the hell do I get my very handsome or beautiful partner/ gorgeous friend/ cute pet?" 

 Are you fed up with the same soppy, sickly, heart-fuelled greetings card that dominates the card isles in the shops? I know bloody well I am. Well guess what? I have the answer! And it comes in the form of some very cute and charming robots! Yes, you heard me correctly, ROBOTS! And the genius behind these rollicking robots is the very talented and clever Debbie Montgomery.

Debbie set up 'Debmon Design' 5 months ago and lets just say her online business has taken flight! Everybody wants to add one of Debbie's whimsy robots to their lives. 

Personally, I know Debbie from our university days. We hit it off pretty much instantly when we began our foundation year in art and design together. Debbie is a fantastic painter and we first encountered each other in a painting module, bonding over mostly very silly things! One painting in particular brought a lot of entertainment to both of us, without meaning to. But it would be too rude to disclose that information here. Sorry!

Below are a collection of Debbie's Valentine's greeting cards! Each card is originally hand-drawn and professionally printed onto high quality paper. Not to mention you are receiving a very quirky and unique robot print. Additionally if you fancy something a bit more exclusive Debbie provides a custom-made service where you can contact her via her Etsy store and she will rustle up a print that is personal to you! How brilliant is that? 

I love you too Mr Robot!

Yes, even robots have hearts!

Cloud 9, where you will find a robot friend!

Debmon Design caters for all needs, not just Valentine's day. You will find robots watching movies, giraffe robots, baby robots and even elephant robots. Oh yeah!

Also, Debbie has very kindly provided me with a coupon code for you all to use in her Etsy shop! Simply head on over to Debmon Design (click the 'Dd' thumbnail below) and type lifenistyle20 when prompted to do so to receive 20% off any of her custom couple or custom family portraits! Now what are you waiting for?! If that's not a perfect incentive to buy a very unique and personal gift for your loved one this Valentine's day, I don't know what is! 

Also if that's not got you excited for Valentine's Day, and if not, then what's wrong with you?! Debbie is running a competition on her Facebook page giving you the opportunity to win your very own custom couple portrait. To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is 'Like' Debmon Design's Facebook page and share the post. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on February 9th! Simply click on the image below and it will whisk you straight to the Debmon Design Facebook page. You haven't got much time robot enthusiasts! Get liking and sharing!

Happy Valentine's Day Robot Lovers! 

My 2015 Mood Board

So a month has passed, resolutions have been broken and you've revived the box of Quality Street which you swore you would 'never touch again'. 

Well, fear not, because it's not too late to start afresh and embark on some new goals for 2015.

Personally, I don't make any new year's resolutions in January. To be quite honest in the past I did believe establishing a plan for the year was pretty pointless and setting myself up for disappointment. And quite frankly, who actually keeps their new year's resolutions? Hands up! Anyone? Nope, I didn't think so. But this year I made the decision to stop being so negative and change my outlook on how I view some things. I believe you're more likely to maintain your intentions if you give yourself time to figure out what you really want to achieve by the end of the year. Even if it's just one small aim you wish to accomplish and it's personal to you. I think you will feel much better for it. I also think it's important to be realistic and to not put too much pressure on yourself. And remember that they are YOUR goals. Don't let anybody else influence them. (Also, I wish I could take heed of my own advice sometimes). 

I decided to construct a mood board to help me stay focused this year. For those of you who don't quite know what a mood board is, it's basically a visual tool to quickly inform others of an idea or concept. The mood board above illustrates my own personal aspirations for 2015!  Now, don't get me wrong, I do love making a list. Somehow I can even make a list within a list. However sad and boring that sounds. But having something visual to look at makes it much easier for me to stay focused at the task in hand. 

So the 'Selfie' has taken over the world. My aim is to take photography a bit more seriously and take more photos. But more importantly, higher quality photos.

This is pretty self-explanatory. I really want to improve upon my hand-knitting skills this year.

Nope, I do not want to bet all my money on whether an extremely admired character in GOT will be killed off. (To be fair though, I could probably make a lot of money on that bet). I just mean taking a few relevant risks to improve myself. Also, to the ladies out there. If you haven't already read Girlboss, I would highly advise you to do so now.

There are many, many places I would love to travel to. Unfortunately there is only so much one can afford in a year. First stop, Barcelona.

I love visiting museums and exhibitions. No matter where I explore, top of my list will always be a museum or gallery. This year I want to make more of an effort attending exhibitions. 

I know it's pretty cheesy. But, hey, everyone has dreams! No matter how little or large they are. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

And I don't mean wearing the latest trends, however much I try to. This year I would like to try and keep up-to-date with what is happening in the fashion world. And reading more fashion-based books and articles.

Top of my list this year was to create a blog. Most of my January was spent preparing and learning how to set up a blog. I hope to continue creating new posts for you to read and potentially going back to my roots and getting stuck into some sewing and machine knitting again.

So there you have it, my eight quite small, but realistic goals for this year. Now, go ahead and make your very own mood board for 2015! You don't have to be 'techie' or Photoshop literate to create your own visual board. You can simply just rip out pages of magazines, take your own photos or find words that inspire you and stick them on your wardrobe, fridge or mirror. You could even have a cut-out of someone who inspires or motivates you. A certain Mr Dornan may be blu-tacked to my wardrobe door....

What's your goals for 2015?

*All images featured in this post are my own.