2015 has really be a great year in reading for me. For those of you who may not know, I was never what you call a 'bookworm'. In fact, I used to hate reading in school. I guess that now through my last year, I wasn't being forced to read and so my love for books grew. And so, since then I have been obsessed with reading and building my collection of books.

At the beginning of the year, I set myself a goal. That goal was to read 15 books. I'm proud to say that I reached my goal. Today I want to share with you my top 3 books for the year. It's quite difficult to chose to be quite honest but in no particular order...









1. Wonder - R.J Palacio

I have already done a full review of this book which you can read here. For those of you who haven't heard of the book yet, I fully recommend checking it out. It basically about a boy who has a strange disability in the cells of his face. It contains things like how to deal with bing judged and how a friend can brighten up your day. It's a feel good read and I am absolutely in love with it.


2. All The Bright Places - Jennifer Nivan

All the Bright Places tackles the main theme of suicide and relationships. I love this books because it is so real. The story is more realistic. It's all about Violet and Finch who meet at the top of the school bell tower, both wanting to take their life. The story follows the two and how they practically saved each other up there from ending things. It's an amazing read and hits you hard. It's definitely a book you should pick up if you are wanting to understand how people think and feel in this kind of situation.

3. Girl Online - Zoë Sugg

Girl Online is a story about a girl who keeps a blog. She wants to remain anonymous so she can have a place to be herself. We follow the clumsy girl through her travels of surviving viral videos, a trip to New York, meeting boys and trying to get her panic attacks under control. Zoe Sugg is a Youtuber and Blogger and I bought her book to add to my collection because she was one of my favourite Youtuber/Bloggers. Little did I know what an incredible writer she could be. She has written a sequel called Girl Online: On Tour which I have already read. Her books are really worth the read if you're into blogging and following the life of a teenager.

I would love it if you could look into these books and possibly read them if you haven't already. If you have then let me know what you thought of them :) Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that the last few days of 2015 and worth while! :)

I, for one absolutely, love holiday drinks. Especially if they are hot drinks. If you've been here for a while you would know of my love for tea. Bearing that in mind, I often have random obsessions for coffee. In other words, I go through phases of loving coffee (never more than tea but tea is put on pause while I enjoy coffee) These are rare and short phases and since I suddenly felt like coffee is my new fav, I thought I'd share my favourite concoctions before I dive back into the never-ending cycle that is my obsession with tea.

Today I have two to share with you. This may come as a shocker to most of you but in South Africa, where I live, we don't have a Starbucks. Yeah, I know. It's awful. However, due to this, I have managed to create my own Starbucks. Well, my own versions of it. My favourite ones are Gingerbread Latte and Choc/mint Latte.





Gingerbread Latte:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of plain coffee
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 Tsp nutmeg
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp maple syrup

Method:







Choc Peppermint Latte:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of plain coffee
2 tbsp of choc mint syrup (I used an Ice cream topper syrup)
1 Tbsp of coco powder
1 Tsp of brown sugar

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients and heat to your desired temperature. Optional: Top with whipped cream or frothy milk and green sprinkles.


I really hope you try these both out and let me know what you think. Feel free to tweet me or tag me on twitter(@LockKayleigh) and instagram(@KayleighLock)! I'd love to see your creations.

Hello Everyone!
I have always loved Christmas Decorations and I think it's such a fun activity to do with your family. Today I wanted to share with you a few of the decorations I have put up. I hope you can get a few ideas and don't forget to let me know what you think :)


















1. A wreath is something that is so beyond simple and cheap to add to your home. My family got these little ones last year and placed white candles inside to light when we have dinner. It's really a great idea to spice up any area.

2. Snow spray is a new thing to appear in our home this year. I cut out a paper snowflake and used it as a stencil to spray the snow spray over. I think this is really a clever idea if you don't get snow during Christmas. This way you can still have a little bit of snow on Christmas day.

3. Our tree is not a traditional Christmas tree. We chose white. I think that no matter what tree you get, you can always dress it up to look amazing. In our case, we chose white to make the decorations stand out more. I really love all our decorations on our tree.

4. Stockings are a great way to decorate your fireplace. My one is covered in teddy bears which I think is too cute. It's not too big either which is really lovely.

5. For our staircase, we just simply added Tinsel. It's so easy and so effective. I suppose you could add Christmas lights for a little more effect. You could even try different colored Tinsel.

6. A Nativity scene is very important in our home. It's the reason why there is Christmas in the first place. This one is a beautiful glass one which we set up each year.

7. A completely simple and easy way to decorate your windows is to stick paper snowflakes. I have been doing this for the last 2 years and I love watching people walk by our house and point and exclaim when they see it. It's adorable.

Everyone loves music and what's better than Christmas Music at this time? Here are my favourite christmas songs that I listen to during this season.

Hey everyone,

This was originally going to be a video but instead I thought I would discuss it with you on here. I know that everyone struggles with finding gifts for people at least once in their lives so I have a few tips to help you.

1. Something they want
Usually people leave hints around this time and if they don't then you could always ask their best friends or their family for ideas on what they want. Even ask them for a wishlist.

2. Something they need
Don't be boring by buying a pair of socks but if they literally do need a pair of socks then by some with a cute pattern or something. Often the best presents are things that the person actually needs. Get something for them that they need.

3. Something to wear
Honestly I think my favourite gifts I get is things that I can wear but that's just me. However everyone could use something to wear as you can never have enough clothing pieces. It doesn't have to be expensive either. A scarf or beanie is perfect for if you live in the northern hemisphere and sunglasses or jewellery is perfect for the southern hemisphere.

4. Something to read
Even if your friend or family member isn't as big a read as me, a book to read is a really good idea. If they don't read or hate reading, (I'm going to be honest and say that I know a fair few who despise the thing) there is the option of fashion books for women and gaming books for men. There are so many books which has little words to read but is still really great. On the other hand if they are a reader like me then you can literally buy any book in the store and they will be happy. However if they are REALLY into reading then rather get a gift card because you don't want to buy a book that they already have ;)

5. Something to eat
Let's just be real for a second. No matter who you are, Christmas time is the time when diets are forgotten and everyone goes wild with treats and seasonal desserts. If you get some sweet or chocolate that is seasonal, I can almost 100% guarantee that they will be happy with it.

6. Something to make
I get to live through the christmas with lego cars and loom bands everywhere since I have little siblings and I know for a fact that they love to make things and if it keeps their energetic little bodies still for a little while then that's a bonus but these 'making' gifts aren't just an idea for kids. This like cookbooks are more suitable for adult and teens. You may question why someone would want something they can make something out of it. Here's the thing, if they have siblings then they will know that if they just get clothes and books and sweets, they can't help but feel a little twang of jealousy as their siblings play on the floor. Giving someone a gift with an action attached makes a perfect gift. It also prolongs the gift experience :)

7. DIY something
Not all gifts need to be bought from some expensive store. If you search YouTube right about now, you should find 1000s of DIY gift ideas. Some are actually so stunning. It could save you some money so I would recommend checking it out :)

Hey everyone
I recently went to a Canon Roadshow. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically where the people from Canon explain some tips about taking photos and films and what cameras they use. I learnt quite a bit this year as I did last year. Today I thought I'd share the tips with you. Here are a few tips I have learnt:

1. Always shoot in raw.
I have always loved black and white photos but a tip that I have learnt is to shoot the photo in raw which means that when you take a photo, you don't add a filter before. All editing should be done afterwards to get a better photo.


2. Capture Emotion
Emotion is extremely important when taking photographs. It is the base to any photograph. A smile or serious face can evoke completely different vibes and feelings towards the photograph. Make sure you take a photo in which the lighting helps elevate the emotion. This can be done with softer tones for a happier emotion whilst harsher tones for a more gripping and serious photo.

Always capture the subject of interest using the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is very basically a guide or 3 x 3 blocks in a grid placed over the image in order to get the right composition. If you need more information then you can find out more here