Faded Spring

    How To Style Your Bed For Cozy Winter Nights

    Her bed was her safe haven. A refuge from the dark thoughts that slithered across her consciousness. Instead, drifting whispers of satin would caress her senses. The sheets like warm hugs that invited her into bed. Vibrant red pillows, soft as clouds. A matching duvet stitched with warmth and care. Cradling her weary body, her limbs growing heavy with sleep. Watching the patterns dance on her duvet, like memories entwined. She slipped a pair of pink thermal socks on her freezing feet. Shook out the demons that leeched onto her veins hungrily. A rainbow blanket spread across the bed, mirroring the giant rug on the floor. A warm body rolling into bed next to her. D, her partner who embodied ... read more

    Cruelty Free Beauty Gift Ideas For Christmas

    She held the mirror's ethereal gaze. Staring into its silvery allure, streaked with steam. Where light danced, revealing more than met the eye. A catalyst for self-discovering, discovering the person within. Time stood still as she caressed her face. The beginnings of lines that were etched like poetry. Soft valleys of wisdom on a still young face. The start of wrinkles, like an intricate maze. Small lines on her forehead, a map of laughter, sorrow and memories. But the ones underneath her eyes were a hidden map. Laughter lines like ripples on a tranquil pond. The furrows of worry, biting her lip. Tiny delicate rivulets cascading like a waterfall. She didn't hate what she saw. Her wrinkles ... read more

    5 Books You Should Read This Christmas

    She had many job aspirations over the years. An actress. A teacher. Someone who worked with animals. A singer. But there was always one constant. The desire to be a writer. Bound by ink, a weaver of dreams. A guardian of tales, a scribe of feelings untold. She would place a pen in her hand,  feel the energy course through her veins. As a symphony of letters painted landscapes of hope and despair. Navigating the intensity of emotions, letting the catharsis spill out on the page. The words would be like a magic salve. Pressed upon her heart with kindness. Capturing moments that were frozen in time, a vessel of truths. It was her best friend ever since she could remember. Her one constant. A ... read more

    Unique Christmas Gift Ideas For Holiday Cheer

    In another lifetime she had been brought up with holiday cheer. Bubbles of mirth escaping her lips, rosy cheeked like a cherub. Her hair unfurling like rose petals, cascading down her back. She was the 'belle of the ball', the Princess of Christmas. Resplendent in a red velvet dress, a tiara wedged in thick wavy curls. Earrings twirling from earlobes, shimmers of gold trailing past her shoulders. She would sit at the table, a tablecloth adorned with reindeers that smiled. Holding hands with loved ones, let the Christmas feast commence. Engorged bellies pooched from eating. The memory of the crispiest of roast potatoes still haunting her mind. Bubble and squeak and all things nice. Carrots, ... read more

    Indulgent Christmas Gift Ideas That Are Feel Good

    She heard Christmas before she saw it. Cascading white veils, the ethereal chorus of nature's whispered hymn. Laughter dancing through the frost-kissed air, imprints of innocence. Each snowflake a fleeting moment of grace and solace. Falling gently, finding their own story. For Christmas was a season of joy, where the world was bathed in a warm and festive light. Though there were Christmases that she wished would be erased from her memory, there were others that made her glow. Christmases where the air was perfumed with sugared cookies. A dusting of icing sugar on the kitchen counter. Indulgence taking hold, with delicacies that made her mouth water. Hot chocolates steeped in marshmallows, ... read more

    The Holistic Benefits Of Hiking In Winter

    She felt the tears trickle down her face, dribbling into her mouth. Her eyes puffy, dark circles like charcoal circles underneath. Her hair limp, and unloved, tucked away in a felt cobalt blue beanie, tendrils escaping. Her body, mind and soul were exhausted, beneath a tumotous sky adorned with silver thread. And yet, despite her appearence, and mood, she was healing. On a mountain dressed in monochrome. Feeling the icy claws of winter scratch at her reddened cheeks. Hands stiffening, shoved into voluminous ski jacket pockets. She was hurting, but the walk was cathartic. Where she let out tears into the abyss of winter. Feeling the calm wash over her, the snowflakes slipping into her ... read more

    Luxury Winter Coach Holidays Around The World

    She watched the snowflakes twirling, suspended in time. Their icy whispers clawing at the coach window. Passengers lost in thought, headphones on. Some sleeping, swathed in blankets like burittos. Others gossiping, animated grins licking their faces. The sound of throaty laughter drifting to where she was sitting, her own face hiding a smile. Bleary-eyed and almost out of it, the dark shadows under her eyes grew deeper. But despite the exhaustion that sank into her bones, there was joy. Winding valleys serenading her senses, tinged with white. Forests bathed in the first morning light,  the sun breaking like an egg yolk. For she was on her solo travels, discovering the UK, and all its beauty ... read more

    Budget Friendly Christmas Gift Ideas Under £30

    She heard the distant rumble of the snow pummelling the ground. Wisps of white blanketed in hail, delicate snowflakes too. Like angelic dancers cascading in mirthful laughter. Despite the chill in the air, the rosy cheeked human's eyes sparkled with warmth. Even with the cost of living crisis, they made do with what they had. No matter what life threw at them, their optimism was infectious. For Christmas was a form of holistic self-care, where families gathered, stories shared. Gifts wrapped in love, roast dinner on the table. For most of her life she grew up on a budget. Working hard to afford her own things even from a young age. Her own laptop, her own camera. Books for research, clothes ... read more

    How To Make Your Colourful Clothes Last Longer

    She opened the mirrored wardrobe door and stepped into a new world. Where a tapestry of colourful clothes swung delicately from wooden hangers. Floor-length ballgowns emblazoned with large flowers. Monochromatic coords in oranges, blues, and greens. Wardrobes designed by colour, where rainbows lived and thrived. Two of the cats racing each other around the room, as the autumn sun peeked in. Floods of light illuminating green and hazel eyes, scampering into the folds of her ethical wardrobe. She could hardly blame them. An Alice in Wonderland set-up. Where prom dresses were swathed with delicately embroidered jackets. Carefully tailored suits shining in primary brights. And who could ... read more

    How Solo Travel Can Boost Your Mental Health

    Ever since she could remember, the demons followed her, wherever she want. Cloying panic attacks that engulfed her hungrily, that left her breathless. Depressive episodes that robbed her of all energy. PTSD that embalmed her in fear. There was something else too, undiagnosed. The key to her mental health and trauma, that was stopping her from healing. But she was a warrior. Who fought to get out of bed in the morning. Even when she wanted to block the world out, she put one foot in front of the other. Despite the over-crowded thoughts battled in her mind, she remained strong. The overthinking and the overwhelm, the panicked thoughts, and paralyzing horror. She never let it win. Because if ... read more