Friday 28 February 2014

Little Five Friday #6



Good morning lovelies, we've woken up to sunshine here for the past few days and it's wonderful! There's a real feeling of Spring in the air and some days I've even swapped my boots for ballet flats! Mark & I have enjoyed two days off together this week, involving plenty of shopping and looking for home decor inspiration for when we move. Mark finally got his start date for the Royal Mail through, the 7th April - exciting!


1. A very indulgent box of Cadburys Milk Tray. It's still half eaten, mostly
because I don't like half of them haha. My favourite chocolates are always
the orange ones, how about you?


2. On Monday Wolf & Moon offered free shipping, so I snapped up another pair
of these gorgeous Little Hex studs. They arrived the next day and I wore them
for the first time yesterday - it's love! There are more colours at The Little Deer.


3. Do I even need to say anything?! Rufus features on my list of reasons to be
happy every single day!


4. No one does colour like Kate Spade! This iPhone case & supercalifragilipstick
are from TK Maxx at £12.99 and £9.99, what a bargain! The lipstick will probably
feature in an OOTD soon.


5. Last but not least, my new post of the week goes to Sam's heartwarming
100th Birthday post. Sam's Great Grandmother turned 100 - what a special day!

What was your favourite blog post this week?

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Monday 24 February 2014

Handmade Mondays #9: Illustration of my siblings



Hello lovelies, Handmade Mondays are making an appearance again! This time it's something a little different,
in that it isn't a feature on an existing shop. Instead today's Handmade Monday is an illustration I've done for my
little brother and sisters; Phoebe, Indigo and Phoenix.







At some point this year I'm hoping to start up my own Etsy shop! Is a custom illustration something you'd be interested in buying for yourself, or as a gift to others?

I'm such a procrastinator, and where many others would just open the shop and pop one picture in and state custom illustration for sale, I need it all to be perfect and to have lovely stock photos and more than one item!

What's your favourite creative hobby?

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Friday 21 February 2014

Little Five Friday #5



Hello lovelies, this week has been kind of exciting and kind of scary! Mark had some good news regarding a new job, in a new area..! So one of my 15 by 2015 goals will be getting ticked off (the big move!). I keep going from excited to scared and back again. I have to hand in my notice at work on Monday, and Mark is handing in his tomorrow. Then in March we'll be moving into my mum's whilst we get ourselves on our feet and I find a new job. In other exciting news, last night for the first time Rufus was following me around in his little ball - too cute!


1. A little while ago Sam sent me this book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
This week I've been getting really into it, and just started Part 3. It's an
interesting and captivating read so far. It's something very different for me.


2. I've found an unhealthy addiction to Costa hot chocolate with marshmallows
no cream (yuck!). Those dark chocolate dipping sticks are divine too!


3. The lovely Sam has sent me another book to read this week, with a lovely
note. Thank you Sam!! Don't forget to donate to Samantha's JustGiving :)


4. This is my favourite combination of OPI polishes, Dulce De Leche with the
gold glitter crackle over the top. It's very chip resistant, perfect for work!


5. Because we're moving into my mum's conservatory, we needed a bed that was
multifunctional. This lovely Ikea Hemnes Day-bed will act as a sofa, a bed,
and much needed storage! It's also a good excuse to buy lovely big cushions!

What was your favourite thing about this week?

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Monday 17 February 2014

OOTD: Thrown on casual





Bowler hat - Helene Berman via Ebay £7.50
Boucle jacket - River Island £25 sale
Floral wreath t-shirt - All Saints gift
Black biker seam jeans - Zara £9.99 sale
Leather Chelsea boots - TK Maxx £35
Embroidered brooch - given to me by my dad

This is one of those comfortable, thrown on kind of outfits that's slouchy enough for mooching around the supermarket on a Sunday afternoon (and buying an Easter egg, Gü desserts and chocolate muffins... do you think I was in a chocolate mood?).

This is one of my favourite t-shirts, and of course the beautiful design has the All Saints aesthetic written all over it. Paired with my trusty boucle jacket and my new Zara sale jeans, it makes for a casual daytime look. These Zara jeans have been worn pretty much non-stop since I got them, you can't see on the photos but they have biker-esque seams on the legs which make for a bit of added detail and some interesting leg patterns when I take them off.

Because of the thrown together feel I didn't want to add any jewellery, but this sweet little hand embroidered brooch was the perfect addition. It's one of my favourite things, and one of the treasures my dad gave to me. He was a treasure hunter, and loved having a rummage at car boot sales and a good bargain (see where I get it from?!).

What is your 'throw on' outfit?

My lovely friend Samantha of All I Know Now is raising funds to volunteer this Summer in Thailand. Any donations, however small, will help send Sam on her way. So even if you can only spare £1, please head over to Sam's JustGiving page and give what you can. It's for a great cause and Sam really deserves this amazing opportunity, if you're not familiar with her blog or her story then just know that Sam has come such a long way and I'm really proud!

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Friday 14 February 2014

Little Five Friday #4



Firstly, happy Valentines day dear readers! I hope you're all having a lovely one whatever it may involve. This week has not been the best of weeks, we had a horrendous journey to my mum's on Wednesday that took 5 and half hours instead of the usual 2 - fallen trees in the road, bad winds and heavy rain was not fun. I did have a lovely day at home on Thursday though, involving taking my mum to a retail park and a couple of things below. I'm behind with everyone and everything, but I hope your week has been better!


1. Mark's valentines surprise I mentioned last week is tickets to see both
Fantastic Mr Fox and Moonrise Kingdom at FACT Liverpool - exciting!


2. I have eventually finished the drawing part of this picture for my little
siblings, now I just need to finish painting it and pop it in the frame.


3. A couple of hours on Thursday were spent with my best friends, Leah and
Nicola. This involved lots of chatting, catching up, hot chocolates, and of
course cuddles with little Belle (who is 3 months now!!).


4. Thursday tea time was spent round at our family friend's house, eating
yummy pancakes and having a lovely time. It's always nice to get together.


5. Today (Valentines day) would have been my dad's 49th birthday. It's a day
tinged with sadness, and every year I try to do something to remember.

How has your week been?

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Sunday 9 February 2014

OOTD: New hair & Blair Waldorf




Check headband - Burberry via Audrey
Half & half choker - Cinderela B via Steph of faiiint
Navy blazer - Zara via Barnardos charity shop £1.99
L/S top - Orla Kiely for Uniqlo around £14.90
Molotov Kenta skinny jeans - All Saints £85
Frankie flats - Sam Edelman Birthday gift
Gold & black leather chain bag - Vivienne Westwood via Ebay £102

Hello lovelies, I'm finally sharing my new hair with you! I had my hair done almost 5 weeks ago now, and I still love it just as much now as I did then. Me and my mum went to Paul Kavanagh Hair Studio nearby to where my mum lives. I've not had my hair salon coloured for many, many years, and I'm always reluctant to try someone new. Paul is a friend of the family, and my sister Willow's best friend's dad (did you get that?!).

On the whole I kept my hair my natural dark brown, and Paul put foils through the underneath - some caramel and some copper. It took a very long time (all day!!) and Paul was very precise, making sure everything was perfect and as we wanted it. He cut my hair too, and it's much more manageable now than before. I love it, it's exactly how I wanted it, colours and all! I love how subtle it is, but if I pin back the front section of my hair I can make it more noticeable.

I wore this lovely Burberry headband I won (thanks Audrey!), and loose straightener curls from the day before. I think this whole outfit has a Blair Waldorf feel to it - thanks mostly to the headband! How much of a bargain was this blazer?! In my local Barnardos, all clothes are £1.99 each!

Were you a Blair or Serena fan?
Don't forget my Ebay auctions end tonight!

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Friday 7 February 2014

Little Five Friday #3



Hello lovely readers, and what a lovely lot you are! Thank you so much to anyone who left a comment on my last blog post, I'm so lucky to have readers as wonderful as all of you :) and hello to my new followers, please come say hi and leave me your link so I can come and have a nosy at your blog too. Here's what I've been enjoying this week...


1. I never tire of seeing this furry little face! Rufus is our first pet as
grown ups, and we didn't imagine it would be possible to love him so much!
(We know most couples our age are saying this about their human babies!!)


2. I finally got around to clearing out my wardrobe and unpacking the bag of
clothes I took to mum's at Christmas! It's such a relief, and a few bits are
for sale here on Ebay, all ending on Sunday evening!


3. This lovely bunch of daffodils is currently brightening up the kitchen,
much needed when days have been as grey as they have lately!


4. This week I booked a Valentines surprise (two!) for March, for Mark.
I'm so excited to tell him next Friday what it is, I know he'll love it!


5. I love the Channel 4 series Coach Trip, it's so funny and they visit so
many interesting places. It's interesting when the group divides!

What have you been enjoying this week?

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Monday 3 February 2014

OOTD: Green polka dot dress & Cinderela B





Bowler hat - Helene Berman via Ebay £7.50
Burgundy cable knit cardigan - Topshop gift
Green polka dot skater dress - River Island via ASOS gift (£22)
Super cosy black opaque tights - Primark £3
Leather Chelsea boots - TK Maxx £35
Half & half choker - Cinderela B via Steph of faiiint

Yesterday morning was a lazy Sunday morning; we sat in bed catching up with emails and playing with Rufus, who wanted to see us on one of his rare morning appearances. I wasn't in work and Mark wasn't in until 2pm, the sun was shining and we decided to go out and get some fresh air. We walked just a few steps from the house to the lane that leads to the Beacons, which is lovely.

This pretty dress was a Christmas gift from my mum, I'm pretty sure I saw it on someone's blog before Christmas and it had me at first sight (was it you?!). I love the crisp white collar and the little sleeves, the shape of the dress is lovely too. Surprisingly it was warm enough to not wear a coat, but thick tights and a cardigan were needed. I never wear a dress or skirt without tights anyway, my legs are that part of me that I don't like! I often find myself wishing dresses were that bit longer, but I'm not sure I'd find added length any more flattering on my legs - I wonder if wearing different coloured tights would help, because black is so defining & bold?

I'm quite fussy when it comes to jewellery, and this means that I buy less but I'm more careful in my choices. When I saw this Cinderela B necklace up for grabs on Steph's blog, I had to enter. I'm so lucky to have won the giveaway, I've found myself reaching for this necklace often. There's something about the delicate black agate in contrast with the chunky 22 carat gold chain that I just love. The first thing I thought was how versatile it would be, and it is. I love how the gold chain just peeks out from underneath my collar in this outfit and toughens it up a tiny bit. Cinderela B jewellery is handmade in Spitalfields, London and they have some beautiful Liberty fabric pieces.

How would you style this gorgeous necklace?

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