Social media favourites | Week 4

Happy Monday to you! 

My social media favourites for last week is being shared a day later than usual because my internet has been on the blink and so instead of posting this out over the weekend, I can now brighten up your Monday morning with a couple of great finds! 

I hope you have a fabulous week and enjoy watching, reading or even singing to my top 5 favourites. 

Here is a quote to keep you motivated throughout today!

' One small positive thought in a morning can change your whole day!'

1. Little Boy Shocks a Guitar Store Owner 

This I believe is an old YouTube video from quite a while ago, however I have only just come across it as a friend of mine shared it over on facebook. 

Brendan McFarlane is a singer, song writer and musician from Perth. In this video he sings a little country number inside a guitar shop which completely delights the store owner. You can tell from watching that he oozes talent and it came as no surprise to find that Brendan is now in the studio recording his first original album! 

Source: @BrendanDmac


2. #SingitKitty

Here is what happens when a pedal-pumping songstress meets a flat-faced dynamo. - Isn’t that just an incredible summary? But the brilliance doesn't stop there, actually there is 1 minute and 14 seconds of it over on Three’s YouTube channel thanks to their new advert called #SingitKitty. 

Using the basis that we all need silly stuff, and how magical the moments are when we share silly stuff, Three have coupled a cute little girl named Jolie and a singing cat called Bronte to entertain our socks off! The short film tells the story of two friends who come together to ride around their street singing along to Starship’s 1985 classic, We Built This City and they end up taking us on the most fun, emotional ride of their lives.

The advert is genius and has me in stitches, singing along every time I see it. It’s a great follow on from their moon walking pony advert #DancePonyDance and just goes to show how the ‘silly stuff’ really can and does go viral through social media. 

Source: @ThreeUK

You can star in your own kitten-rocking, face-morphing music video at http://www.singitkitty.co.uk and for a Brucey bonus, here is the one i made! 

http://www.singitkitty.co.uk/#play/TFGrU 

Just make sure that your mouth is lined up, otherwise you will look like you have two mouths like i did! 

3. If It Fits, I Sits

Carrying on with the occurring theme of entertaining cats, the writers of boredpanda.com have rounded up a collection of photos to prove that no space is too tight for a cat!  

Again, if you love having a giggle, then these cat are the best of the best and even when it might look like they won't fit, then these cats demonstrate just how flexible they are. 

Click on the panda below to see the cats in action! 

Source: @boredpanda

4. Haribo Starmix advert 2014 

Also this week, it seems that i’ve found another great advert to share and this one is from Haribo. 

We all know their tag line ‘Kids and grown ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo’, therefore this film is cleverly set in a boardroom to demonstrate how the sweet shapes inside a bag of Starmix bring out the child in everyone. 

The advert also features Adam Brown who plays Ori in The Hobbit, so there is no wonder that he likes the rings the best. - See what I did there? 

Have a watch by clicking on the Haribo below. 

Source: +UKHaribo 

5. Boy with autism gets surprise gift from trash man

Austism Speaks is an organisation based in New York whose goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders and they've recently shared a video on their YouTube channel of rubbish collector, Manual Sanchez carrying out an act of kindness for a young autistic child. 

They were sent the video from Robin Newberger as her son Daniel has a fascination of rubbish vans, which means every Monday he waits and watches as Manual drives by to pick up the rubbish. But on this particular day Manual steps out of his truck to give the little boy a gift. 

I won’t spoil the surprise, instead click on the link below to see what Daniel is presented with.  *Warning* you may need tissues!!

Source: @autismspeaks

Happiness Fact

Happiness has a fragrance. Clinical experiments on body odour have proved your scent changes between when you are stressed or happy

Keep smiling :-)

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 |Week 2|                                                        |Week 3|

 

Social media favourites | Week 3

Here is this weekend’s second instalment of my social media favourites. 

I hope that you enjoyed week 2 that went out yesterday, as it was actually meant for last weekend but instead you can read both now! 

Don’t worry, there are enough great things to share and please let me know if you have found a story, video or quote that you think I would like to include in next weeks favourites by tweeting me at @Krissie_Akrill or leave a comment below. 

Yesterday I came across this quote from Dr. Seuss which is a great outlook to have on closing chapters in your life. 

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

1. Mother and Son wedding dance

Picture yourself enjoying a lovely time at your friend’s evening wedding party and it comes to the point of the night when the groom announces that he is going to entertain his guests with a mother and son wedding dance.

Once you have that picture in mind, take a look at the video below because you won’t expect what you are about to see.  Plus if you are in the mood for dancing, why not turn up the volume and join in! 

Source: +Doug Larson 


2. Coming out speech 

At the Time to Thrive LGBTQ conference on Friday, Hollywood actress Ellen Page came out as gay during her speech. Explaining that she was "tired of hiding" and "lying by omission".

Ellen also went on to say "I'm here today because I am gay. And because, maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”

Hoping that her revelation will help other young people who are struggling with their sexual identity, it took lots of courage for Ellen to openly talk. 

Please take a few moments to watch Ellen’s speech in full and show her some support.

Source: @EllenPage

Go Ellen!

3. 20 things to start doing

During the many hours I spend swooning on Pinterest, I came across this motivational picture named ’20 things to start doing’ which reminded me of my New Years Resolutions and details tasks that are fab for anyone who would like to make a few tweaks to look and feel better. 

Plus if you are the type of person who starts new regimes and gives up after a few weeks, then the best advice I can give is to start with one task at a time. 

You could dedicate week one to task one and once you have practised drinking lots of water and green tea, you can then move onto the next task, continuing until you have added all of the tasks into your routine. 

Source: Please note that this image did not have a direct link on Pinterest, but can be found on my tumblr profile. @Krissie_Akrill

4. L-O-V-E Mr & Mrs Fletcher

Mcfly guitarist Tom Fletcher and his beautiful wife Giovanna have shared yet another amazing cover for the subscribers of Tom’s YouTube channel (tommcflytwitter). 

Over the years they have graced our laptop screens with many collaborative sing-alongs and this one was made even more special because Giovanna is pregnant with their first child.

The couple sang Nat King Cole’s 1964 hit song L-O-V-E and left a lovely comment for the viewers in the description box that read “Happy Valentine's Day from me and the wife (plus bump)”

If you are ready to smile from ear to ear, then be sure to check out their video and give them a ‘thumbs up’  to let them know that you are a fan! 

Source: @tommcfly @MrsGiFletcher

Also, if you haven’t seen it - you should definitely check out Tom’s wedding speech! 

5. Dancing with your dog

Carrying on with more YouTube inspiration in this weeks favourites.. 

I am subscribed to a channel named Hello Giggles which is described as the ultimate entertainment destination for smart, independent and creative females. 

I’d link to think that I fit that category.

The channel was founded by actress and musician Zooey Deschanel, producer Sophia Rossi and writer and internet sensation Molly McAleer. But you don’t have to be smart, independent or creative to enjoy this bundle of joy! 

Zooey demonstrates how to dance with your dog in three easy steps:


1. Pick music your dog will like
2. Cater your dance style to your dog
3. Work with your dog's size

For a detailed description, please click HERE and you could also join in with your dog whilst watching the video below! 

Source: @hellogiggles @ZooeyDeschanel

Happiness Fact!

The most powerful way to increase your short-term feelings of happiness is to perform random acts of kindness to others, or to send a letter of gratitude to someone you care about. Five such acts in a week will increase your happiness for up to three months.

Keep smiling :-)

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 |Week 1|                                                                    |Week 2|

 

Social media favourites | Week two

Hello all, I hope you have had a fabulous week! 

A great quote to start off this blog is from Mother Teresa. 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

I didn’t post a social media favourites last week. You know how it is when time whizzes by and before you know it, it’s Monday and to make up for it, i am posting two this week. 

1. A South African Neck Nomination

Sometimes the power of social media worries me when extreme activities become a global phenomena and people feel obliged to participate. The latest Neck nomination trend is an online drinking game where nominees are filmed drinking alcohol and afterwards partaking in a physical activity. They then nominate a few people to outdo them and give a deadline of 24 hours for the task to be completed. 

Don’t get me wrong, some people haven’t gone too wild and made really funny videos but they are outweighed by the amount of people who have mixed alcohol with harmful substances and have died as a result. 

So when Brent Lindeque received his nomination, he decided to create a positive change to the craze by driving to a homeless guy on the street and giving him a sandwich, chocolate and drink. His video description also read “imagine if we all harnessed the power of social media to make a real difference in peoples lives. #OnlyGoodThings”. 

He’s set a great example for others who wish to spread kindness instead of harming themselves. Please take a look at his video and leave him a supportive comment :) 

Source: @RazzleMonster

2. Innocent Drinks - Pass it on

Anyone that follows me on twitter (@Krissie_Akrill) will know just how much i love Innocent Drinks! 

It’s always a good start when one of their tag line’s in “We’re innocent and we're here to make it easy for people to do themselves some good (whilst making it taste nice too)”. 

But that’s just the tip of the ice berg, they actively raise awareness and funds for Age UK with their Big Knit campaign which sees people knitting thousands of tiny hats, which are then sold in stores and 25p of each smoothie sold goes directly to help older people stay warm in the winter. 

Before i go off on a tangent with all the reasons why i love Innocent, their latest campaign Chain of Good has turned into yet another fabulous social media campaign. 

If you haven't seen their latest advert explaining about the Chain of Good, check it out here: http://www.chainofgood.co.uk

It’s about starting with good tasting fruit drinks that in turn does you some good, then when bought also does others good. But a great campaign is made even better when it can be shared on social media and Innocent always do this well. 

They are inviting people to start their own a chain of good instantly by passing on a compliment to ‘a friend/lover/the postman’. It’s genius, and mainly because the compliments have been written perfectly. 

As soon as they launched #passiton I shared with my friend Jo, which she loved and then my partner and I read the rest, giggling between us. 

You can join in by following this link: http://www.chainofgood.co.uk/passiton

Source: @Innocentdrinks 

3. Father and Daughter  (Jorge & Alexa Narvaez) cover song

There is nothing more adorable than a father-daughter duo and YouTubers Jorge and Alexa Narvaez have this perfected! 

I’m subscribed to their channel, named Reality Changers full of video's oozing positivity and I came across a lovely cover of Edward Shape’s Home - it’s just too beautiful not to share. 

Plus, if you ever need a pick me up then subscribe too! 

Source: @narvaezjorge  

4. Newcastle street art

On 7th February, local Newcastle street artist Chris Fleming aka Ida4, spray painted a murial in protest against Russia's anti - gay laws. He painted a young gay protester being pinned down by a Russian policeman close to the Newcastle gay scene on the day of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony .

As a gay man himself, Chris was quoted by The Guardian saying “I have been deeply troubled by what has been happening to the LGBT community in Russia and wanted to show my support by creating this piece.”

Source: @ida4_ncl

I know only too well the struggles that LGBT young people face when coming out, after working for The Albert Kennedy Trust in 2013 and to see the harsh reality of LGBT people being hunted in the streets of Russia as a result of laws being introduced, it’s just disgusting! 

To show your support, say no to the abuse of basic rights and tell Putin that the world supports equally by pledging via the ‘To Russia with love’ campaign. 

http://torussiawithlove.no

5.  Maid of Honor Toast

Jennifer Gabrielli uploaded a video around 6 months ago that has only recently caught my eye, and i’m very glad it did. 

For her sisters wedding, she made a toast to their guests in her own little way. Instead of reading a selection of stories and reliving funny moments, Jennifer turned the toast into a rap with the backing of Eminem’s ‘Without me’. 

It’s a brilliant piece of creativity and a great way to round up this selection of social media favourites, enjoy! 

Source: @jengabrielli

Happiness fact!

Happiness doesn't just feel good. A review of hundreds of studies has found compelling evidence that happier people have better overall health and live longer than their less happy peers.

Keep smiling and look out for the next instalment of favourites. :-)

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 |Week 1|

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Social media favourites | week one

Good morning, 

I have been inspired by the quote "be the reason someone smiles today" which has encouraged me to add a regular feature to my blog.  If you haven't guessed already, I am a great supporter of all things motivational and positive, whether that is a quote, a memory, a picture, a story or even a video and combined with the beauty of social media, all of these are now widely accessible. So from the inspiration of 'being the reason', I plan to share my social favourites each week from treasures that I have found via Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube or Pinterest and hopefully they will bring a smile to one or two of your faces. 

Week one:

1. Tips for happy relationships:

I follow Action for Happiness (a movement of people committed to building a happier society by making positive changes) on twitter and each day they share motivational images. This one stood out because my eyes were drawn to the words 'love one another' and with valentines day coming up, I have been thinking of some innovative ways to show Mr P how much he is loved without buying a gift - sharing my favourite love themed quotes may just be an idea. 

If you like daily updates similar to this lovely image below, then be sure to follow @Actionhappiness on twitter too! 

Source: @actionhappiness

2. When Ellen met Elias:

For those who aren't familiar with Ellen Degeneres, she is a talk show host in America who has been said to be 'making audiences laugh all over the world with her signature brand of humour and her powerful message of kindness' - two ingredients for the perfect best friend! Ellen always has brilliant guests who are mostly known to the online world for either being a YouTube sensation, doing a random act of kindness or just generally being a fabulous person. 

Ellen's discovery of Sophia Grace and Rosie Lee; two amazing little performers from London who can be spotted by their trademark tutu's and tiaras is actually the reason why I continue to watch her show, or rather the clips they upload onto YouTube. 

So when my subscription email came through to say that the Ellen Show had uploaded a new video 'When Ellen met Elias', I just knew that it was going to be fantastic! His sparkly hat and gorgeous personality were just the start of this great feature,  but what I didn't expect was the stunning performance that was to follow his chat with Ellen. There is no wonder that he has been labeled 'one of the most memorable guests in history' by the production team.

Take a look at the clip below, you will see what i mean! It's sure to put a smile on your face. 

Source: +TheEllenShow 

3. #Glittergetsfitter:

Being a social media junkie, means that I do spend lots of time scouring various platforms for something with a bit of pizzazz. Through Blogger I came across a lifestyle and beauty blog called Sprinkle of Glitter which is a lovely 'day in the life' of Louise Pentland. Anything with Glitter in the title is bound to get my attention, but her entries are a great read and her matching YouTube channel is a weekly treat too. 

Louise has set herself a New Years Resolution to fuel her body better and improve health levels and is doing this by joining Weight Watchers through their new Simple Start plan and keeping fit with daily exercise. Sprinkle of Glitter fans have been encouraged to follow and get involve with Louise's journey via the #Glittergetsfitter hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, sharing their developments, regimes and healthy food recipes. 

This is a fantastic idea and such a great way to feel positive, whilst joining a community of likeminded people to become healthy and happy. 

Source: +Sprinkleofglitter 

4. Do you wanna build a snowman?:

The Shaytards are a family of seven with their own YouTube channel of video blogs following their daily routines and funny moments. Each member of the family have an awesome nick name too; ShayCarl, Mommytard, Sontard, Princesstard, Babytard, Rocktard and Brotard! This week Princesstard (aka Avia) took over their vlog (video blog) to sing her version of 'Do you wanna build a snowman' from Disney's latest film Frozen. 

The adorable cover is far too cute to miss and has over one million views and likes already. 
If you watch the video then please click 'like' to share the smiles. 

Source: +SHAYTARDS 

5. 365 days happiness app:

Yesterday I uploaded a post about my lovely Positivity Pot and have received kind comments and messages from people who are looking forward to reading what the rest of the notes say. 

But if you don't have the time or a fabulous friend to make you a pot of motivational messages then there is an app that you can download for your phone which alerts you of happy thoughts and activities to complete, either daily or weekly. 

Click on the image below to download the app for free and here is today's happy thought from Audrey Hepburn "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says i'm possible". 

That is all of my social favourites this week and if you fancy sharing yours with me, please leave a comment below or tweet me @Krissie_Akrill. 

Happiness fact! 

Having a network of social connections or high levels of social support has been shown to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of heart disease and reduce mental decline as we get older.

Keep smiling :-)

Pot of Positivity

At Christmas I was fortunate enough to receive a beautiful handmade gift from my lovely friend Jo in the shape of a positivity pot. She made the present from scratch by scripting positive messages onto brightly coloured paper, folding them neatly and filling the pot. The aim for the positive pot is that I can pick out a message on the days when I am feeling down and reveal a pick me up to raise my spirits. 

Jo and I have supported each other over the last few years through both the good and the tough times and she knows only too well, how much I try to remain positive, even with a few obstacles in my way. It's because I was brought up to see the good in every situation and my parents always instilled that I should keep the saying 'everything happens for a reason' in my mind. 

Therefore, when the funding and contract for my previous position came to an end, I told myself that it would have a positive impact on my life but finding a job since, in this economy, has proven to be a little more difficult than I originally thought. So keeping me motivated whilst applying for jobs are the short bursts of inspiration, folded up inside the pot of positivity. 

Plus, what makes it extra special is that Jo wrote each individual message by hand. 

 

Just lately I've also realised that happiness is only real when it is shared with others, therefore when I pick out a note from inside the pot of positivity in future, I am going to share what it reads in the hope that the message also makes someone else's day. 

Here is the one that I picked out the other day at random: 

H`Happiness fact!

Happiness fact!

When we give to others it activates the areas of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection and trust. Altruistic behaviour releases endorphins in the brain and boosts happiness for us as well as the people we help. Studies have shown that giving money away tends to make people happier than spending it on themselves.

Keep smiling :-)