To Close 2014: A little post about happiness

Hello all, and happy almost 2015! So, I was hoping to do a little year in review post, and I’ve discovered one thing whilst looking back on the months: I didn’t do very much. And that means I didn’t take many photographs. So, I thought back on what made me happy (clearly what I captured most), and thus decided that would be my post. What brings me happiness?

2014: Music Year in Review

So, if I had to say what my favorite thing is besides fashion, I would say music. Actually, that is a very easy answer for me. I love music. I actually listen to music all day with whatever I’m doing. But because it is such a huge part of my life, I figured I would have to do a favorites post for you all from the year. Now, I can guarantee I’ll forget something and deeply regret it, but here are some of my favorite albums of 2014. And no, they are in no particular order because that would be wayyyy too hard to do. So, without further ado, here are my favorite albums of 2014.

1. 5SOS—from SLSP to THEIR OWN ALBUM

Yes. This is real life. I remember two years ago I found this band and I thought, “Wow, they’re pretty good.” And then I found some other people who liked this dumb band. And then we partied on their third birthday. And then we find out: they will have a single released. So, what do you do? You stay up until 2 in the morning to watch the “She Looks so Perfect” lyric video. And you do the same for “Don’t Stop.” And all of a sudden they’re on the Billboard Music Awards. And then you hear “Teenage Dirtbag” and cry because you see how far they’ve come. Then, in July, when their self-titled album is released in the US, you can’t help but shed a tear. Because those four Aussies made it. If that doesn’t make you want to go pick up their pop-punk album, then I don’t know what will. If you don’t think SLSP is your thing (ugh too mainstream), then take a chance on “End Up Here,” which adds a little more edge. Hear the drums and bass. You will fall in love with them, just like I did.

2. Ed Sheeran—X

I still remember fall of my senior year—I found Ed Sheeran. I also remember I cried the first time I heard his album. His voice has something—he’s got “it,” and I don’t even know what “it” is. “It” is a true passion. The man’s got talent, but he’s got more than that. He’s got passion. I feel like that’s missing in a lot of people today. He doesn’t write songs with dinky lyrics because that’s what’ll sell. He writes about life. Emotions. Love. Heartbreak. He lays out his life on the guitar and through the words he flawlessly sings. He can envelop a crowd with a single instrument. If that isn’t talent, then I don’t know what is. And the thing is, he captures every emotion. I am currently listening to “One,” and while I’ve never had love go wrong like he has, I can feel for him. I can feel for the people who have this feeling. And he creates this. It’s a masterpiece. “Photograph” makes me long for a love that’s worth remembering through that one thing that you keep tucked in your pocket, hoping. Hoping one day to find that person again. “I’m a Mess,” exudes a desperation, a serious passion—is it an inner torture? His songs have a deep, inner burn that makes my heart ache; for me, for him, for everyone else who listens.

3. Halsey—Room 93

I found out about her (Ashley) this year (?), and she, like Ed, has fully immersed herself into her lyrics. “Would you pin me to a wall, would you beg or would you crawl, stick a needle in your hungry eyes for me.” “I’m the wanderess, I’m the one night stand, don’t belong to no city, don’t belong to no man.” Her lyrics speak deep, but the visuals that correspond with the tracks speak more. The ache, the potency—her voice captures a listener and brings them into her world. She’s been through shit (pardon the language), and she’s willing to share it through her words. Though this was only an EP, it’s an insanely perfect purchase. Her live videos on her tour with The Kooks are great too. “Trouble (Stripped)” holds a special place in my heart. She’s touring the US in the spring, and I would LOVE to see her—but I’ll be in London. So, if you see her rock her pixie-ness, send me pics.

4. Taylor Swift—1989

Might I just say, the 1989-era of Taylor Swift is actually my favorite. I hesitate to listen to country, and I thought Red would be my favorite album. But 1989 tops every expectation. There’s something about the ’80s beats that I adore. Does anyone else here it (especially in “Style”)? The poppy beats in songs like “Welcome to New York,” are addicting. And every song is incredibly written. “Clean” touches deeper than many of the other songs on the album: “the water filled my lungs I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing.” She takes delicate care of each word, and her emotions are still as strong in this album as it has been in past albums. And I know everyone has gushed about this album, but it’s worth gushing about. 10/10 for you Taylor.

5. One Direction—Four (aka my new fave 1D album)

Every time these lads release an album, I never know what to expect. I’ve been a fan of theirs since (basically) the beginning, and each album they release is much more mature and different than the previous. Yet, each one tops the next. But they’ve really outdone themselves this time around. They released “Fireproof” for free, and I loved the simpleness (?) of it. Yes, I made up that word, and I’m not sure it’s what I’m necessarily looking for. But their voices really stood out to me; there was a real sincerity. I feel like this album is really theirs. They really got into songwriting, and I think that made this album as strong as it is. “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” and “Stockholm Syndrome” are my favorites. The instrumentals and voices are incredible, and I would LOVE to see this concert live. I don’t have tickets for the OTRA tour, but if anyone wants to go, I’m game.

6. Troye Sivan—YouTube can find some amazing talent

So, I know he sang before this year. But, I didn’t give a solid listen until “TRXYE” was released. It blew my mind. Before he was a music-maker in my mind, he was the adorable Troye from YouTube. And I feel like I knew him pretty well (well, as much as I can from not actually meeting him, but I’d love to set-up a meeting sometime soon). But, this EP was a lovely surprise. “Happy Little Pill” is a tune—and cocaine?! Shocked me at first. But, the guy has talent. The beats are sick—did I just say that?—but the entire EP is catchy. I’ve seen he’s working on an album, and I can’t wait to hear more of his beautiful voice soon. “Touch” makes me feel… impassioned? Ready to rip someone’s shirt off? Okay, I’ll leave it at that.

7. Bastille—VS.

Here’s another one of those bands that I LOVE, and when I saw that they had an EP release for this year, I nearly jumped ship. Jumped ship of what, I have no idea. And when I saw they had a song with another fave band, HAIM, I was an emotional wreck. “Bad Blood” nearly killed me. That album tears at my heart. This EP gave me a different vibe, and at first I wasn’t sure what to feel. “The Driver” was one of my first clear favorites. Zane Lowe’s rescoring of “Drive” was incredible, and that song instantly took me back to the film. “Torn Apart,” featuring Grades, is one of my favorites. There’s much more instrumental and beats in these tracks than what I’m used to, but I think they succeeded. It’s growing on me, and I must say “Remains” tops the VS. collabs. I think the entire concept of the EP is inventive, and I like that.

8. The 1975—“Medicine” needs its own shout out

So, I mentioned the “Drive” rescore in Bastille’s little section. Well, The 1975’s tune “Medicine” was the perfect fit, and this isn’t an album. It isn’t even an EP. But, it is well worth the shout out. The song is them. The beginning of the track is gorgeous, and the guitar breaks in subtly. It then builds up, the instruments building up to Matty’s phenomenal entrance. “And how can I refuse? Yeah you rid me of the blues.” That’s actually what this song does. This song is my medicine. It fits perfectly with their aesthetic, and the little bits I’ve seen of this live makes me melt. Because this band has a passion that is unreal. Because they’ve got talent that is incomparable. Because they are who the world needs to watch out for. They know what they’re doing, and they do it well. I’ve heard another two years for the album, and I know it’ll be brilliant. Because why wouldn’t it be? This is just a taste of what they have, and I’m infatuated with every bit of it.

9. Charli XCX—“SUCKER” sure doesn’t suck; in fact it rocks

Not only is she an absolute style icon, but her edginess rocked my year. I feel as though she emerged as someone that I needed in my life, and I am ever grateful for that. I’ve loved Marina and the Diamonds, and I knew that they were besties, but I never gave her a chance. (Why, I have no idea). “Sucker” pushes the boundaries on music, and everything about her gives life into a very saturated industry of safe-playing pop music creators. The guitar is insane, and her performance is always insane. She doesn’t care. She’s just herself. “I’m a killer” in the title track “Sucker” perfectly describes the sensation. “Break the Rules” is gaining steam, and rightfully so. And while I love “Boom Clap,” take a listen to “Hanging Around” to get what I’d like to call her real sound. It’s badass, just like her. She’s got an image, and I’m liking it. I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for this rocker.

Here are some other artist favorites. Just because they didn’t have an album come out doesn’t mean that I wasn’t infatuated with them this year. Some I’ve loved for more than a year, some I’m just getting into. Let me know what you think in the comments below:

The 1975

Bastille

Bombay Bicycle Club

Arctic Monkeys

HAIM

The Kooks

Lana Del Rey

Marina and the Diamonds

The Neighbourhood

Nina Nesbitt

Sky Ferreira

Based on my favorites, who would you recommend I look into? What were your favorite albums of 2014?

*All photos are screenshots of my PURCHASED albums on iTunes. Be sure to purchase them yourself. You won't regret it.

Blogmas Day 25: MERRY CHRISTMAS

Okay, so I know I missed Blogmas day 23, 24 and, well, every day before that, but I figured I couldn’t miss day 25! So, here I am doing a little house-y festive post. We didn’t get all the decorating done this year that we would have liked, but as long as there’s a tree, then I’m happy. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast (my favey fave), and then we figured that the rest of the day should be spent watching films. In other words: this is the day of my dreams.

On a side note: I just watched “The Holiday” a few days ago AND I LOVED IT. Seriously amazing, and Jude Law: No. Words. I just watched it again with the fam last night, and it’s officially on my list of Christmas favorites.

I have some yearly highlights and packing posts coming up, so I can’t wait to speak with you all soon.

Merry Crimbo,

Maggie D. xx

Blogmas Day 22: The Perfect Gift—Cupcake in a Jar

I’m back with another Blogmas post for you—and it’s a recipe. Yes, if you know me at all, you’re probably thinking, “Why would she bake something? She can’t bake AT ALL.” And I would agree with this. But, I saw this lovely Christmas gift idea on mycakies.com, and I figured I would have to try it out myself and let you know how it turned out. Sometimes those professional bakers make things that are literally impossible. BUT IT WORKED. Well, mostly. It got a little messy, but I think it would make an adorable gift. So I made a little video to show you my process.

A WARNING: This is not totally gorgeous—I am not a professional. At all. Like at all. But, I’m hoping that you at least get some inspiration. Let me know if it helped you with your gift giving, and I can’t wait to speak with you all again soon.

Supplies you'll need:

• Red Velvet cake mix (I mean you could make it homemade if you're feeling ambitious)
• Whipped cream cheese frosting
• A mason jar
• Ribbon
• A cupcake tin
• Pam (or whatever else you use to keep the cake mix from sticking)
• A mixing jar
• A spatula

Much love, 

Maggie D. xx

Blogmas Day 21: Christmas Favorites

Hi everyone,

I’m back. AAHH. I just finished the first semester of my sophomore year in college, and it flew by. I always say I won't fall behind blogging, but I always do. However, I'm back, and I promise I won't be leaving this time. Why is that? Because I'll need to be updating you about London. YES, LONDON. I made it through this crazy semester in Iowa, and now I’ll spend the next four months in a city I’ve always dreamed of.

I’m planning on doing a yearly favorites post soon, so I’ll update you with some of my festivities then. But I figured I would try to do at least a few Blogmas posts while I still have time! Yes, I know I missed days 1-20... We'll just start out a little later than most.

I’ve been a little out of the Christmas mood recently (maybe it’s because there’s no snow), but I figured I would need to change that myself. So, after watching Elf, some vlogmas and Christmas-y videos on YouTube, and listening to Christmas tunes (Band Aid 30's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is amazing), I'm finally starting to feel in the mood. I’m figuring out what the most festive of festivities would be, and I picked out some of my favorites for you all.

Favorite Christmas Movie:

"Elf"—"Christmas Vacation" is a close second

Favorite Christmas Song:

The Christmas Song (errr festive title too)

Favorite Christmas Food:

Peanut Butter Balls—recipe to come! (I know you'll love it as much as I do)

Favorite Christmas Candle Smell:

Christmas Cookies or anything that smells festive: Christmas tree, Christmas Cinnamon, Christmas Candy Apple. Now I think I'm just putting Christmas in front of some of my favorite smells because I love candles...

Favorite Tradition:

Getting together with my family and eating way too much food. Family is what makes this season amazing.

My lovely siblings, cousins and I.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Yay or Nay?

Yay, obviously! Who doesn’t like getting to dress up like a total goof for a day (or month—why not wear them all 25 days)

So, this is my scatterbrained post about Christmas. I want to post a recipe or DIY for you before the actual date—it’ll be here quick. I also best finish up my shopping. So, I’ll call it good for today. Be sure to finish up your shopping, remember Santa is always watching and please keep in mind: giving is ALWAYS better than receiving. Until next time,

Maggie D. xx