Let me just say that I am a shameless lover of blockbuster movies. Slap a Marvel logo over the intro and I'll pay $20 to see it. Any kind of action/adventure with explosions or a cute romance film will make my Saturday night worth leaving the house for. I know this year has been pretty hard on the world, but in terms of film-making, we have been given some pretty amazing distractions. More books have been made into movies and these superheroes are on a whole new level. It's an exciting time for a nerd like me!

Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds really outdid himself on this one. I always knew that Deadpool was a hilarious and kick-ass character in the superhero world, but seeing him on the big screen just cemented him as one of my all-time favorites. Some of the gritty stuff isn't my thing, but the humor really made up for it. All I need now is for him to team up with the Avengers so I can watch him cause all kinds of trouble.

Suicide Squad

I know this one got mixed reviews, but I bloody loved it! It was nice to watch some bad guys forming a team to kick ass and not worrying about doing the right thing. With all of the superhero films around at the moment, it was a nice break from all of the serious stuff DC produces. I was so excited to see Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and she totally nailed it. Even though Will Smith was bad-ass as ever, I think my favorite character was Captain Boomerang. He makes me giggle so much in this movie. 

Miss Perigrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I went along with my family to see this, mainly for their benefit. I wasn't overly excited about the movie, but I left the theater absolutely loving it! So many lovable characters, a bit of adventure and some magic on the side. It had that typical Tim Burton feel and a few creepy moments that I wasn't expecting, but in good way that it added to the experience. I've bought the book and am planning on buying the DVD once it's been released.

Captain America: Civil War

An obvious one, but how could I not love this film! It's like the Avengers but better because it we get a new Spiderman, Bucky Barnes, and a villain smart enough to take down the whole team. I liked that Cap was more of the rebel in this one and Tony was behaving himself, it made for an interesting change. It was so good to see Ant Man in the mix as well. If you couldn't already tell, I would be on Steve's side too.

Doctor Strange

God bless Marvel for bringing Benedict Cumberbatch into the MCU. And also for bringing that multiple dimension/magic element more into the superhero world. It's one of the reasons I love the Thor movies. I also enjoyed how their powers are all about the strength of your mind, rather than your body. Just goes to show that if you study hard, you'll be rewarded. Can we please talk about his awesome cape?

Star Trek: Beyond

Fun fact for you: Even though I wasn't in the right generation to watch the original TV series, I really like the recent films! The chemistry between the characters is always so natural, and it has a good balance of humor and emotional moments. I liked that this new installment took them away from the depths of space and into a whole new environment. Plus, Chris Pine looks pretty good on that motorbike and blue jacket...

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 

I waited all year for this to be released and I was not disappointed! As soon as I saw the Warner Brothers logo in the clouds, I felt like I was straight back in the Wizarding World. I don't know what I love more: Newt Scamander and his new friends or the amazing creatures he has in his case. I totally saw the Grindewald reveal coming, but there were lots of other surprises that I loved. J. K Rowling really did the most amazing job of the screenplay, and I'm so happy she's back to writing about magic again! I'm also happy that everyone loves Hufflepuffs now, we are pretty cool after all!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I sat down to watch this I was a little frustrated with the first half of the film. But after seeing it a second time, I realized how brilliantly it shows the realistic side to the rebels and what they had to sacrifice. This movie is such a great addition to the film franchise and I can't wait for more stories to be released.

What were your favorite movies from 2016?
Steph x.

My 2016 Blogging Goals

Hello Everyone!

If you read my previous 2015 post, you'll know that this was quite the turn-around year for me. I was pretty lost at the end of 2014 with what I wanted to do with my life (quarter life crisis suck!) but thankfully I have now found my feet and I'm definitely on a the right path. I can't explain how much I have loved blogging this year and what it means to me now. So with 2015 being an awkward self-discovery year, that means 2016 will be my time to really kick things up and see what I can do.

In 2016, I will...

Step up my photography game
I've always loved taking photos and one of the best parts of blogging is being creative with how I can visualize my post. I'm also a massive lover of Instagram and have been having a lot more fun uploading this December. I want to get even better and keep putting out content that I'm proud of.

How will I achieve this: Stay inspired by others and experiment with new ways to take photos. Also, make more of an effort to upload onto Instagram more.

Launch my brand/designs

This is something that has been a work-in-progress for a while now and it's something I'm really passionate about doing. One important thing I learned about myself in 2015 was that I need to be my own boss. I simply can't live my life on another person's terms. No, thank you! I've always been a creative person, so owning a small creative business is my dream. It's a good thing I come from a family of entrepreneurs!

How will I achieve this: Keep working on designs and stay inspired. Get the hang of InDesign and launch my designs when I feel proud and ready. 

Make blogging friends

This is a big one for me. Because A) I don't make friends easily, and B) Bloggers are some of the best people and I would love to have some buddies! I see a core group on Twitter all the time and would love to be a part of that. Thanks to #GirlGang hopefully that will change!

How will I achieve this: Be more interactive on Social Media and participate in blogger chats every week. Make the effort to talk to people, Steph! 

Let my little blog grow!

In 2016, I would love to have 500 followers. This still seems like a gigantic number to me, but you gotta aim high right? As much as numbers don't mean a lot if you are proud of your content, it would just be awesome to interact with more people and to get more feedback. It would be amazing to be able to start working with brands too.

How will I achieve this: Continue to work hard on my blog, be smart about self-promotion, and be more interactive on other blogs. Most importantly, continue to write about what I want to write about, not what I think I should.

Vlogging?

 I watch and admire a lot of YouTubers and there's a part of me that really wants to give this a go. It would be fun to be able to watch days back when I'm older too. I may not upload my vlogs for a while, but I can have a bit of fun in the meantime while I get on my feet.

How will I achieve this: I will start filming the odd day and practice editing. I want to spend the year getting my confidence up too.

Teach myself HTML 

I feel like this is a great advantage to any blogger. I've seen quite a few designs or blog layouts, and say to myself "I wish I could do that!" Well, I do love a good challenge and this would be great to learn.

How will I achieve this: Use the internet as your teacher! There are plenty of basic tutorials available for beginners that are completely free. Just practice and have a bit of fun with it. 

Be braver. 

As much as I'm getting better at this, being bold doesn't always come naturally to me. I mean, I will rock a red lipstick anywhere, but being bold socially and trying new things can be hard. I will overcome these fears in 2016 and see where it takes me!

How will I achieve this: I will say yes to doing more things, or make more adventures happen myself. I will also ignore that part of my brain that likes to comment "What will people think?" and just be bold about talking to people.

Every single one of these goals are completely achievable, and mostly by just taking small steps everyday. I always see people working on these awesome projects, so 2016 is going to be my year to join them! 

What's your biggest goal for 2016? 

Steph x.