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Yearly Archives: 2014

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It’s easy to bang on about how we should ruthlessly throw out the things we don’t use and lead a minimalistic lifestyle, but some of that junk has quite a lot of sentimental value. So how can you cut back on clutter, without getting rid of all your sentimental things that don’t REALLY have any use anymore? Well, here are some suggestions:

Make it artistic
If you have a box full of old birthday cards or cinema tickets from when you first started dating your boyfriend, then instead of hiding them away, you could display them like pieces of art in your home. That way you get a nice reminder of the things or people you love every day.

Use it or lose it
If you have a piece of jewellery that means a lot to you, you should wear it every day instead of saving it for special occasions. The same if you have a set of dishes that belonged to you grandmother – chuck out the ones you use every day and use them instead if you want to make some space in your kitchen. You may be terrified of losing or breaking things than mean so much, but how likely is that really? You may as well get some actual use out of them.

Take a photo (it’ll last longer)
If you really have to debunk some of your stuff, then take photos of the really important things. At least then you haven’t completely lost the memories.

Tell the story
Documenting the story behind the sentimental item is such a fun thing to do, and when you look back in years to come you’ll be so happy that you didn’t just throw it out. Whether you write it down, make a vlog, or record some audio, your memory will last forever. File it away for when you need a little pick me up.

Image from Pinterest

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She may already have an engagement ring on her finger, but Emily MacDonagh was lucky enough to get an incredible eternity ring too!

Her fiancé , Peter Andre, shared a photo of his anniversary present for Emily, writing: “Wanted to show you Em’s belated anniversary present. Eternity ring :))))”

The couple started dating back in July 2012 and welcomed baby Amelia in January.

Despite their engagement, their wedding has been put on hold until Emily finishes her medical degree.

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Jake Gyllenhaal has done a Matthew McConaughey on it and lost a whole lot of weight for his new film Nightcrawler. He reportedly lost 20 pounds for the role of Lou Bloom, a struggling freelance crime reporter. He explained his reason for doing so: “I knew that [Lou] was literally and figuratively hungry,” so he got into a “mode where I was always a bit hungry.” From what we’ve heard about the gruelling 24-hour filming schedule, the stress on Jake’s face in this promo isn’t all acting. He also hurt his hand during filming when he punched a mirror while deep in character. With all that hardship, and having made the film with practically no money, surely an Oscar is on the cards? Watch the promo video and see what you think!

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Scott Disick has become a celebrity in his own right from starring in Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

That’s why, following his hospitalisation on June 22, fans of the show were left worried as to his well-being.

More details are now emerging of the days leading up to his illness, with sources saying he was “partying really hard” in the week before he got sick.

While celebrating his 31st birthday party at a house in the Hampton on the 22nd, Disick had to be rushed to hospital after drinking too much.

News of this may not come as a surprise to those who watch KUWTK as this is not the first time alcohol has gotten Scott in trouble.

Apparently, the star has now realised the error of his ways and will no doubt be cutting back on his partying and drinking.

Scott is currently expecting his third child with partner, Kourtney Kardashian.

Feel better soon, Scott!

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So, apparently Taylor Swift has been hooking up with none other than Scrubs actor, Zach Braff!

Well, that’s how the rumour went anyway…

However, the actor has denied the rumour, calling it “internet bullsh***.”

Speculation of the two dating have been circulating for a while, but it looks as if he has called an end to all that – boo!

Apparently the two are very, very good friends, so who knows, perhaps he may feature on an upcoming album…ooh!

We think they would be super cute together…

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We’re all for having a unique style but, is wearing taxidermy as a fashion piece taking it a bit too far?

But that’s what one taxidermist from London is doing, as she has now created her own range of animal corpse fascinators.

Margot Magpie originally created the fashion pieces as a hobby, but soon changed into a successful business and can now easily sell a taxidermy fascinator for £60 a piece.

The pieces are commissioned by Margot’s clients and are worn popularly to weddings. Even though what originally is behind the fascinators can be seen as strange, the end result is stunning and chic.

“They ask me to make something for a wedding or events, or just for fun as I am very creative and I tend to use different techniques and materials' says Margot who adds that, for her, taxidermy was an obvious fashion choice.”

Margot’s business is such a success that she now even works on commission.

“Usually if I make a batch and put them online, they sell very very fast. However I have recently starting just taking commissions. It is more personalised and I think people enjoy experiencing the creative process with me i.e. choosing colours, fabric, and sourcing particular birds.”

Magpie has received some negative comments about her designs but says she doesn’t let them bother her as she doesn’t purposely kill the animal she uses for taxidermy.

“Sometimes I do get negative reactions, I get people telling me they think it is absolutely appalling, cruel or disrespectful. But I don't kill anything purposefully for taxidermy, so I don't have any issues with it. There will always be people who think it is distasteful or who are against it – but each to their own.”

What do you think? Would you wear some of Margot’s designs to a wedding? 

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If you didn’t manage to get tickets to any of One Direction’s ‘Where We Are’ shows, fear not. The guys are bringing their show to a cinema near you in October.  

Who can blame them when their last movie made over 40 million pounds?

They're milking it, but who can blame them?

 

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Brownies stuffed with a caramel centre? Sounds like the perfect combination to us! And now you can have your own delicious batch, thanks to this easy recipe.

What you’ll need:

Caramel sauce

    • 175g caster sugar
    • 150ml double cream
    • 10g unsalted butter
    • large pinch of  sea salt
    • 180g plain flour
    • 3 tbsp cocoa powder (like Green and Blacks)
    • 1/4 tsp salt

Brownie mixture

  • 300g dark chocolate
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 220g light brown sugar
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

What you’ll need to do:

  1. To make the caramel place the sugar into a medium saucepan, set over medium heat and cook until the sugar melts and caramelises.
  2. Pour in half the cream and all the salt, be careful the mixture will bubble up violently. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
  3. For the brownies preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a pan and line with a strip of parchment leaving about a two inch overhang along the long edges to make removing the brownies easier.
  4. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
  5. Place the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir occasionally until the mixture is fully melted.
  6. Take the bowl of the heat and add the eggs and sugars and beat until the mixture is smooth. Sieve over the flour mixture and gently fold together.
  7. Divide the mixture equally in half and spread out the first half into the prepared tin. Then pour the caramel over the batter leaving a border around the outside. You now need to spread the remaining batter over the caramel.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
  9. You can test that your brownies are done by inserting a fork or skewer in the middle and if it comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, your brownies are done.
  10. Allow to cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut into squares.

Image via Pinterest 

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Former Westlife star Mark Feehily has been voted the 55th sexiest man in the world by gay magazine Attitude. However, the pop star revealed that he wasn’t always so comfortable in his own skin, and he still struggles with his weight:

“I was chubby in school so was always self-conscious. Westlife helped as there were always complements flying in.

“Nowadays I’ve settled into myself and have good days and bad days… During the second half of my teens, I was struggling to deal with my sexuality and was chubby so that was a big challenge.

“But I was a good singer and I used to win lots of tennis tournaments so it was a roller-coaster, like many teen lives.”

Apparently Mark spent €3000 on a week-long stay at a French weight loss retreat after putting on weight since Westlife split, but that’s not to say he isn’t happy with life at the moment: “But in general I wouldn’t really change anything. I’m happy with what I got.”

Though his Westlife days are behind him, Mark still has ambitions in the music industry. He outlines his hopes for the future:

“To continue to make music, I want to be proud of each and every thing I do from this moment on regardless of chart positions.

“But in saying that, I’m driven and want to be successful too, so those two things combined would be the goal!”

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Donegal bride and groom, Gráinne and Jamie Corry wanted to make their wedding ceremony memorable and what better way than by staging this brilliant wedding entrance.

Guests were left a little confused last Saturday, when the newlyweds didn’t arrive at their reception for their entrance, but were instead treated to a hilarious video.

The video shows the couple having their pictures taken in the woods with some unusual poses, and then go on to have hilarious adventure of their own, before supposedly arriving at the Sliver Taisse Hotel and Spa for their wedding reception.

Gráinne’s brother Paul Doherty explained that it was all the bride’s idea to stage the unusual but funny entrance and took two days to film.

“It was all Gráinne’s idea! She thought it up and we all came together to kind of script it. It was so much fun to do and no one expected it. It took about two days to film everything. It was really hard to keep hard to keep it quiet in a small place like Kilmacrennan, but we did it!”

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It looks like baby number two could be on the way for Shakira. Columbian media outlets have been reporting that the singer and her boyfriend Gerard Piqué are expecting.

Rumours first began to circulate when Shakira showed off less skin than usual when she performed at the World Cup, hinting that she might be hiding something.

Apparently she is three months along and is taking a lot of precautions with her health and nutrition.

The couple, who already have a one-year-old son Milan, have yet to confirm the news, so we’ll just have to wait and see!

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Have you woken up recently with the mother of all hangovers and belly full of regret and thought ‘maybe I have a problem’?

Well, University of Leicester scientists found that by asking patients two questions they were able to correctly identify alcohol and/or drug abuse in 87.2% of cases.

The questions they asked were:

  • How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
  • As a result of your drinking or drug use, did anything happen in the last year that you wish didn’t happen?

They didn’t explain what kind of answers the people who were abusing alcohol gave, but we imagine if you’re answering yes to these questions every weekend, or more than once a week, then you definitely need to give the party lifestyle a bit of a rest for a while. 

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