A YEAR OF BLOGGING | BLOG ANNIVERSARY

Hello!

I never thought i'd be saying this a year ago but it's A Touch of Pastels first birthday, or anniversary. Yes that's right, I've been blogging a year today! This is not something I thought I would've kept at but I've really enjoyed writing and sharing what's in my head even if nobodies reading it. Over this year I've gained nearly 50 followers since joining bloglovin' which may not sound a huge amount but i'm so grateful and find it hard to comprehend that even one person enjoys reading what I write.

♥ ♥ ♥

I've not got an exciting blog post planned as I simply cannot think of what I could do to represent a year of being here, but i'd just like to thank everyone who's clicked to open my blog, read, commented, liked and followed over on bloglovin'. I've loved this year blogging and I certainly won't be stopping here, so here's to the time ahead where I hope to expand, simply with numbers of people who enjoy what I write.

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Thanks once again,

Amy X

What to Expect | A Little Update

Hello!

Today I thought i'd give a little update on what to expect in terms of my blog the following couple of weeks.

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Last Wednesday I officially started college again for my second and final year. Already i'm feeling under a lot of pressure and in fact slightly overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to be completed  much earlier than i'd like. Of course I love blogging and have really enjoyed getting up more than one post every week over the summer but until I feel like i'm on top of the work I've got to do, blogging will have to take the back seat in my life.

I'll still be blogging as much as I can as it is a hobby, something I enjoy to do in my spare time but that will be when spare time is available. I aim to post at least once a week and may include a second post on Sundays telling a little of what I've got up to that week, if at all interesting! These have been called 'The Sunday Edit'  in the past so let me know if you'd like to see more.

As well as college work, i'll also be working my part-time job which I am in fact looking into a new one(of more hours, more convenient hours and something I will enjoy more), seriously thinking about what i'd like to do next year in terms of study, working or taking a gap year and similarly last but not least attending a few university open days, one of which is Norland College in Bath.

What are you doing this September, or what have you done?

Also lastly, what would you like to see here on my blog?

Thanks for reading and understanding,

Amy X

A new look? | New Blog Header

Hello!
If you're a regular reader of my blog then you may of noticed a change, a new blog header! 

I have wanted a change since I made my makeshift blog header around December last year, nearly 8 months has passed and I've finally got round to re-creating my header and adjusting it to fit. I understand 8 months sounds like a very long time but I didn't think about it during term time as I had so much work to do for college, then when Summer came around I decided it was a must so I put it on Summer 2014s Bucket List, which you can in fact see here. I will also be giving and update on my Summer Bucket List, ticking off what I actually have managed to get done, so keep your eyes peeled for that if you'd like to see. 

This blog header is definitely more suited to me and my blog as it has a sort of vintage feel, includes pastels and the background is mint green- my favourite colour! If you're wondering, I certainly did not design this header myself, I in fact did a search on Google for blog headers and I came across this which you can find here, on a website called www.freeprettythingsforyou.com. I'd definitely check out this website if you're thinking of re-designing or just in general for downloadable images that are very pretty! 
I edited this on a website called PicMonkey which I found is a popular site to edit images and create blog headers, after playing around for a short while with this site I got the hang of it, so it's very easy to use!

I'm very pleased with the outcome of my blog header, although i'm somebody who likes change so there is no doubt my header will change in the not too distant future! I'm also thinking about changing the name of my blog which will correspond with my Instagram name also! 

So, if you have any ideas for a new name I could call my blog please leave them below! I'm open to anything, that doesn't necessarily have to include 'pastel, pastels' etc! This could include my name 'Amy' or 'Aim' or anything relating to the genre of my blog, 'Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle'. 
Also let me know what you think of my new header, do you like it?

Thanks in advance for any input you give,

Amy X

Nominated for the Liebster Award!

Hello!
I've been nominated by the lovely writer of the blog 'Little Miss Wallflower' for the Liebster Award- thank you very much! As i've mentioned before i've been excited to get this done and up on my blog so here it is. Also be sure to check out the lovely Little Miss Wallflower here, where you can see the questions she answered for this award. 
I've seen this blog award floating around a lot and am so pleased to be nominated for it, so lets get straight into it- with the questions I received from Little Miss Wallflower.

P.S.- I did not make this! I just found this under Liebster Award badge on Google Images- here.

1. What was your favourite post to write and was one of your most popular ones?
So far i'd say my favourite blog post I've written is my Christmas Wishlist(which was very early on my blog) as I love to lust over things and love Christmas, simple! My most popular blog post to date is my Christmas Haul, of course everybody loves a haul!

2. Apart from blogging, what are your hobbies?
Oh gosh, I always get stuck when i'm asked this *scratches head*, I'd say photography- I love instagramming and just taking photos in general as I love the memories that can be captured within a photo. I also enjoy shopping, catching up with friends and spending time with my family.

3. Would you want to be a Blogger for a living?
I definitely wouldn't say no! I'd of course give everything a shot but I doubt its possible for me to become a full-time blogger as there are so many big names out there at the moment, blogging is popular!

4. McDonalds or Starbucks?
I do like Starbucks, but I've only been a few times so, McDonalds.

5. Who are your favourite musicians and why?
Does Olly Murs count as a musician? He plays guitar and piano so, yeah. Olly Murs, McFly/McBusted, Twin Atlantic and I am really enjoying the 1975 at the moment.

6. Describe yourself in 1 word.
Ooh tricky, just 1? I'd say friendly, it doesn't hurt anyone to be kind, caring and well-mannered.

7. What's your favourite Disney film and any reason why?
I love Cinderella, a character who works super hard and then finally see's it's worth it. Good things come to those who wait, of course!

8. Do you read a lot? What are your favourite book(s) if so?
I wish I could say yes, but I've never been a keen reader, only of blogs.

9. If your house caught on fire, what 4 items would you save?
Providing my family are safe, i'd grab my photo album, my phone(as it holds a lot of photos), my bag(as it holds all my essentials) and lastly, i'm not quite sure- probably something sentimental of my Mothers like a card from her Nan before she passed away.

10. If you weren't human, what animal would you be?
Haha I like this question, I think i'd be a rabbit as they're my favourite animal- they're super cute and fluffy, independent in the wild but obviously are cared for domestically. They're just cute.

11. Where would you rather be; seaside, mountains or countryside?
Definitely the seaside, I love being near the seaside and usually those who live near are really friendly and just nice. I love the idea of being able to take a stroll on the beach in the evenings as it just seems so calming and relaxing!

The next part of this Award requires me to nominate 11 others, so here are my nominations! (I've taken the time to check through these blogs to ensure they each have under 200 followers(see rules below), if i'm wrong- sorry! However I still love your blog!)

Bits and Bows- www.bits-bows.blogspot.com
Thrifty Vintage Fashion- www.thriftyvintagefashion.blogspot.com
Hiya it's Lauren- www.hiyaitslauren.blogspot.co.uk
It's me Niamh Alice- www.itsmeniamhalice.blogspot.com
White Glitter- www.emyroseee.blogspot.co.uk
Natasha Writes- www.natashawrites.blogspot.co.uk
Lucy Abigail Smith- www.lucyabigailsmith.blogspot.co.uk
Little Lucy Wishes- www.littlelucywishes.blogspot.co.uk
Fantabulous/ teens&diabetes- www.fantabulous-diabetes.blogspot.com
Glassow- www.glassow.com
Alz Galzz- www.alzgalz.blogspot.co.uk

Here are my questions for you-

1. Did anyone in particular inspire you to start a blog, if so who?
2. What do you most enjoy about blogging?
3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time, in terms of work?
4. What is your favourite animal and why?
5. Eating in or out? Pick one!
6. What's your favourite word?
7. Who is/are your inspirations(inside or out of the blogging world)?
8. Ever kept a New Years Resolution, if so- which are you most proud of?
9. Where in the world would you most like to visit?
10. Arms for legs or legs for arms?
11. What are your hobbies?

Last but not least, here are the rules-

• You must answer all 11 questions given by the person who nominated you.
• You must link back to the person who nominated you and display the award on your blog(there are a number of different styles if you just search 'Liebster Award' in Google images).
• After completing the questions, you must nominate 11 bloggers(with under 200 followers) and give them 11 questions of your choice.
• You cannot nominate the person who nominated you!
  

I hope you've enjoyed this post, have fun completing the tag-like award! Be sure to comment below once you've answered the questions so I can be sure to check them out! Enjoy!

Amy X