May favourites | Music • Food • Beauty • Tech

Happy Sunday! 

Like most females my age (26); music, food, beauty and technology are what keep me functioning on a daily basis. Plus I am always on the hunt for new things to try, therefore I've decided to share what I have been loving each month as an addition to my blog and please feel free to share your favourites and recommendations in the comments below. 

Music

James Bay (Let it go)

One of the songs that I constantly have on repeat is JamesBay’s Let it go. It’s a track from his debut album ‘Chaos and the calm’ and was released in March 2015. The song is about laying a relationship to rest and I find it very relaxing because of the soulful tones in his voice. If I’ve had a stressful day, I like to listen to music before I go to bed and this is always first on my playlist.

Click on the image above to have a listen. 

Food

 Bagels topped with fruit

During the working week (Monday to Friday) I eat my breakfast sat in my office, whilst checking emails and it’s usually rushed and something I can pop in the microwave at work. So when it comes to the weekend, I like to give myself a fabulous start to the morning with a breakfast treat.

At the moment, my go – to meal is bagels topped with fruit. The bagel must be cinnamon and raisin from the New York Bakery company and the toppings are usually fresh strawberries and banana.

It wouldn’t be complete without a glass of mango and passion fruit Innocent Smoothie, which I like to decant into my ‘Good Morning Sunshine’ glass bottle from Asda.   

Beauty

Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara

For my birthday in August last year my parents bought me a selection of makeup products, one of them being the Barry M Las Vegas, blackestblack with fibres mascara.  At the time I was already using one mascara and then I began to use this one and I loved it that much that last month I re-purchased another.

The mascara costs £6.49 and has a spiral shaped brush, designed to separate, define and reach the smallest of lashes for show-stopping volume. I didn’t find it volumising, which I usually like for an evening event however it is lengthening which opens up my eyes and is perfect to wear for work.

Technology

Studio app 

Studio launched as a free app in 2013 and I became an early adopter of the design application almost straight away. It allows you to add layers to your photo in the form of text, shapes and icons. Once this is done you can then share it to your followers and give them the opportunity to remix the design to their interpretation.  

Mashable describes Studio as 

“What Instagram did for photography, this app will do for design.”

I have used this app to create the profile picture for my Facebook page (as seen above), promotional artwork and enhancing blog images. It’s really easy to use and you can even download themed packs of content to compliment your designs. 

____________

June is almost here, so have a wonderful month and if there's anything you think I should try this month, please comment below. 

Krissie

Hump of happiness | Be yourself

"By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before." - • Edwin Elliot • 

Have a smiley day! - Krissie 

Hump of Happiness| Glow worm

"I wish I were a glow worm, a glow worm's never glum. 'Cause how can you be grumpy, when the sun shines out your bum?!"

• Author unknown •

Have a fab day! - Krissie 

Winnie's 100th Birthday Surprise | Social media goodness

Many believe that the meaning of ‘community’ is slowly disappearing, especially in an age where the majority of people live through the screens of their phones and computers. Gone are the days that you know your neighbours well enough to pop round to their house for a cup of sugar or to have a gossip over the garden fence. So when BBC Radio Sheffield launched a campaign for help on Facebook, they were overwhelmed with how their online 'community' had rallied round in the thousands. 

The team at BBC Radio Sheffield, located at 54 Shoreham Street, decided to organise a surprise for 99 year old Winnie. Using the social media platform, they reached out to their audience of 10,000 followers and asked for help in making Winnie’s landmark birthday really special, suggesting that those wanting to get involved could send cards and letters to the studio before the end of the month. 

Winnie doesn’t have family and has barely any contact with the outside world, so even she wouldn’t have been prepared for what was to happen next. Within two days the radio station was inundated with messages, cards, letters and the Facebook post had been seen by over 3 million people.  

Because of the campaign’s success, the team are now throwing a huge birthday bash for Winnie to present her with all of the kind gestures from people all over the UK and a far. 

You can read regular updates from BBC Radio Sheffield and even watch a video of the birthday girl being told about the fabulous responses she’s received, by clicking HERE. 

[Source: BBC Radio Sheffield]

Happy Birthday Winnie, I hope you enjoy the card I have sent to you too.

Hump of happiness - Alice in Wonderland

"You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head... but I'll tell you a secret.. All of the best people are!" - • Alice in Wonderland • 

Have a wonderful day! - Krissie 

What is social media?

Social Media is a selection of platforms based on the internet that allow participants to share large amounts of information through photos, audio, text and video. 

It is a great tool for your business and for promoting your event as it enables you to connect with your target audience and build those key relationships to not only sell and market to, but to successfully engage with. 

Your 'followers' on social media will give you the opportunity to listen first hand at what their likes and dislikes are with the ability to respond to them in a positive way that is much more fast paced than traditional customer service methods. 

If social media is new to you then remember to be creative, honest and engaging whilst always planning ahead.

Here's a breakdown of social media platforms: 

Social Networks

Personal web pages that you can build to connect with others and share content on. 

Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Bebo.

Blogs 

A regularly updated website or journal, written in a conversational style.   

BlogSpot, WordPress and Tumblr 

Podcasts 

A digital audio file made available to download or stream online either via a computer or mobile device. 

ITunes, Spotify and SoundCloud

Content Communities 

Platforms that specialise in creating a community of content, either through creating and sharing videos, photos or bookmarked links. 

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr and del.icio.us 

Micro blogging 

A social media site in which users make short and regular posts, also known as 'updates'. 

Twitter 

Social networks and other online media are great tools for engagement and two-way communication, but given the nature of this  real-time communication, there is also potential for significant risks. Therefore knowing which platforms to use and the way in which to use them properly will give you a good head start.

Hump of happiness | Inspired by Roald Dahl

If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. - •Roald Dahl• 

Have a lovely day - Krissie

Where to start when planning an event?

Whether you are planning a fundraising event for your favourite charity or organising a product launch, team building day or conference; here are a few guidelines on where to start. 

Establish event goals and objectives 

• What is the purpose of the event?
• Who will attend and why? 
• How will you achieve the end goal? 
• What will determine that the event is a success?

Identify team roles 

If you're solely organising the event yourself, identify the suppliers or companies that you will outsource some of the work to. 

If you have a committee or team of colleagues assisting with the planning process, then you will need to first establish the Event Manager to oversee and lead the team through to completion. Next, assign roles for the following: 

• Marketing 
• Venue management 
• Entertainment
• Volunteer management
• Sponsors 

Set the date and time

Depending on the scale of the event, usually  4-6 months is enough time to successfully plan your event and with this in mind, be sure to do your research before setting the date:

• Unless you are planning a child friendly event, try to avoid school holidays
• Check that there aren't similar events booked in local venues at the same time
• Find out if there are large sporting events taking place 
• Consult with the council to find out if there are planned road works that will impact guests arriving and leaving your event

Create a plan 

This plan should include all aspects of the event, including:

Marketing 

• Artwork (Posters/ leaflets)
• Website content 
• Social media 
• Tickets 
• Programme 
• Media relations 
• Signage 

Venue Management 

• Set up and shut down logistics 
• Equipment hire 
• Catering 
• Ticket sales 
• Contracts 

Entertainment

• Book speakers or entertainers 
• Ryder requirements 
• Insurance 
• Room specifications 
• Equipment 

Volunteer management 

• Volunteer recruitment 
• Training
• Briefing 

Sponsors 

• Sponsorship 
• Prizes 
• Partnership agreements

Once you've outlined the elements above, your plan should detail start and completion dates, before you assign each task to either a team member or supplier. 

Some event organisers prefer to use a gantt chart, however you can also input the plan into a shareable calendar, colour coding each section for ease. 

Then Voila, it's time for action.

... 

A couple of the above steps may not be relevant to your event, therefore if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them below.