Bank Holiday Bliss

Hello readers! I know it's only wednesday but I'm exhausted! I'm currently in my second week of placement at NME magazine in London, and as amazing a time as I'm having (you can read my first article here!), the commuting is really taking it out of me. Luckily I had a Bank Holiday weekend to recharge.

Which my 21st birthday coming up on the 11th, I was well and truly spoilt over the three-day weekend. Firstly on the saturday, I finally got to visit the Cath Kidston factory shop! Anybody who knows me knows I love a floral and a bargain, so where better to visit that the discount store of the absolute godmother of prints. It's not too far from us in St Neots so we had a sneaky peek, and I was sold. Ignore the rubbish phone picture: I wasn't too sure whether taking my SLR was a bit cheeky in a shop so these ones were my best pap efforts.

I was in absolute awe, there were so many goodies on offer! Nothing was really crazy cheap, but if you had your eye on something from last season it was well worth a look: my mum bought a beautiful day bag for £22, reduced from £50. I decided to be good and snap up a few cheaper buys: a pretty pink travelcard holder for £3, and a passport holder for just £1, because it had a bit of a stain on the front. Lots of the more reduced things had slight faults, like bags with broken zips or chipped crockery, but most damage was fairly superficial. I could have gone mad in that homeware section....

In the end, with my birthday coming, my brother decided I might as well have something I really wanted, and bought me this lovely backpack from last season. At first I wasn't too sure if the colour was a bit too rowdy, but having had it in my room for a couple of days I'm ready and raring to pack it with my summer essentials and hit the beach.

My brother's treats didn't stop there - what a spoilt sister I am! On Monday he took me to Jamie's Italian in St Albans for a three course dinner which was seriously impressive. I rarely eat three courses so was stuffed by the end, but it was so worth it!

My Tuscan Bean and Mozzarella on Sourdoughbread toast - poshest beans on toast ever!

Look at the size of Taylors burger!

Prawn and Fennel linguine... I'm now seriously considering adding fennel to every meal I ever have.

Topped off with lemon meringue pie with pistachio crumb - serious food baby.

Every single mouthful was incredible, and the service speedy and polite. Even the apple juice I had with my meal was freshly squeezed and delicious. Would thoroughly recommend.

What did you get up to on your Bank Holiday?

 

Rimmel Haul - Boots

Happy saturday of your bank holiday everyone! I'm back at my family home down south at the moment because I'm on a placement with NME.com - commuting to London every day has really taken it out of me! It's lovely to come home after a tiring day to my family and not have to worry about cooking dinner or doing my washing, and their company isn't half bad either. Still, I do miss my Kevin, and it'll be great to see him again next weekend for my birthday.

Still, I thought I'd spend my saturday catching up on a little retail therapy with my mum. Kev's mum was kind enough to give me a £10 gift voucher for Boots a few months ago and I finally got round to spend it today. I am no beauty blogger by any stretch - my idea of getting dolled up for a night out is putting on a second coat of eyeliner to my normal one that I wear on a usual day, and I've never really progressed much further than that. Still, my obsession with nail varnish cannot be tamed, and with graduation looming, I thought I could do with a special shade and my first foray into lipstick to make me look a little special for the big day.

So here's my mini-haul! I swear by Rimmel varnishes so decided to stick to one brand. This little lot came to 10.17 with Boots 3 for 2 offer, so I only had to use 17p of my own money - result! Both varnishes go on as neatly and dry as quickly as you would expect from Rimmel - the 'Rose Libertine' (£3.49) is a super pretty pastel in just one coat, although looks lovely with two. The glittery one is 'Disco Ball' (£2.99), which I layered over a grey shade to create a subtle 'Queen Elsa from Frozen' shimmer. That said, this would also look lovely on it's own, if you're patient enough to build the glitter up using a few coats. I'm a big sucker for Boots body sprays and was after one of their delicious Vanilla body sprays to make up the extra pound of my voucher, but the cheeky lot have made the bottles a lot bigger and started selling them for £4.50! Shocking. Still, I picked up this 'Citrus and Red Berries' paradise shores spray (£1.69) which is almost as good, girly and summery.

I also bought a lasting lipstick in 'Heather Shimmer.' (£4.99) I had initially gone into the shop planning on buying one of the Rimmel lip crayons, but after struggling to find a shade that wasn't too sickly pink on me, I found this lovely tone which had just enough brown hue to create that much sought after 'your lips but better' natural tone. It glides on well, doesn't cling to imperfections and has the bonus feature of smelling and tasting just like refreshers sweets, which might not be to everyones taste but is certainly mine. I've already had a cup of tea and it's showing no signs of budging which is great.

Ignore the awkwardness of my selfie (my hair was NOT playing ball!), but you can see how subtle the colour is.

What do you think of my Rimmel purchases? Have you bought anything from Boots recently?

Lust List: American Apparel

With my 21st birthday looming (eek!) I thought it'd be fun to do a round up of some of the lovely things I definitely don't need (far too many clothes!) but have always liked the look of. The expense of it and lack of one nearby has always stopped me from shopping in American Apparel, but I've always admired how they many to make basics look desirable and how they aren't afraid to subvert boring items with bright colours or patterns. Some of their things are a little on the short side which is a shame, but with the right pair of tights or leggings I'm sure the dresses and skirts would be fine. Here is a round up of a few of my spring favourites.

Ugly Betty who? My very first pair of glasses

After nearly 21 years of priding myself on being the only non-glasses wearer of my entire extended family, I am sad to say that unlike Justin Timberlake, my 20/20 experience is no more.

Whether it be the stress of the coursework, increasing amounts of time spent at the the computer or just the fact that I was too lazy to go to the opticians for years (oops), I found myself with a two week long headache that ended up in the emergency doctors surgery before the final realisation that my right eye was struggling to keep up with my left.

Initially I was pretty sad, because glasses definitely seemed like an expense I could do without. Still, once I realised that I would only need them for reading, I figured it was as good an excuse as any to update my look.

After several rounds of Specsavers, I was feeling pretty despondent. Hipsterlicious Hoxton Wayfarers were far too round for my chubby cheeks, whilst squarer frames left me feeling like I was back in school waiting to do an experiment with a bunsen burner. I wanted something fun, in a light enough shade that they didn't look too heavy on my face, but also sturdy enough that I didn't feel I was spending my money on nothing.

And so I found these bad boys. Heeeelllo French Connection.

Sure, they weren't cheap, but with 25% student discount, I managed to snap these prescription frames up for £74. Specsavers also offer a 2 for £99 deal with means you can get two pairs the same, with clear frames, or as prescription sunglasses. Tempting, but as my taste in sunglasses changes with the season and I really have no need for two pairs of glasses, I figured I was better off saving my pennies.

And so here we have my first speccy instagram selfie! What do you think? 

How To: Floralise Your Storage!

After having such a lovely time with my cushion tutorial for the Hillary's blog competition (the results of which will be popping up here next week on this link!), I thought it'd be fun to share another tutorial with you. This one originally appeared in issue 2 of Judy's Affordable Vintage Digest and is a great way of turning a boring bit of storage into something more fun.

What you will need

Pretty paper - I used wallpaper samples - you can get decent sized squares free from most hardware stores. Decoupage paper would also work.

Spray Adhesive - But do remember to work in a well ventilated area

Paint - I used white, but you can pick whatever you like. One or so matchbox sample pots should be plenty.

Pencil, scrap paper and scissors

A storage box - I got mine from a clear out with the cafe I used to work at shut down, but ikea do this very similar one for £17.

 Step by Step Guide

Firstly, gather all your material on a flat surface, put newspaper down to save from any drips and make yourself a brew - this could take a while!

Pull out your drawers and give them a good clean, especially if like mine, your draw set isn't brand new. Don't worry too much if things are written on the fronts - this will be covered up by the paper later.

Sand down any imperfections with sandpaper, or if you haven't got any handy and your box is cheap MDF like mine, the rough side of a scouring brush should be enough to remove any major imperfections. Don't get too bogged down in this part - the odd flaw will add to the shabby chic charm.

Taking care not to overload your brush with paint, cover the box all over, making sure to paint in one direction. One coat worked fine for me, but if it's looking a little streaky or you're using a thin paint, let it dry and apply another.

Draw round one of your drawers onto paper to make a template. This will be especially important in a few steps if like me, your chest is missing drawers - by tracing the template out on thick cardboard, you can make dummy drawers.

Trim your prettiest papers down to size and work out your arrangement of patterns. I chose a busy spring palette, but ombre effects, block colours and one big images spread over the 6 boxes also works well.

Spray a thin layer of adhesive onto your box, let it settle for a few seconds and then place your chosen paper sample gently on top, smoothing out any bubbles.

Trim down any excess...

Repeat and leave to dry.

 Remember that cardboard from earlier? Follow the sample principle to create dummy box fronts, and then squeeze them into place.

And there we have it! A lovely spring chest to store all your bits and bobs in. I'm currently using mine for stationery and odds and ends, but it'd be a great way to store sewing items, cosmetics or jewellery. 

If you end up making a chest, let me know - I'd love to see your designs! 

Happy Feet

Happy Sunday! After almost 6 months of hard work, I finally finished my case study and practical project and couldn't be more relieved. Now, there is only an essay and two features standing between 3 weeks of work experience at NME, lots of exciting summer projects and mini holidays, lots of reading time and perhaps most excitingly, graduation! (more on that in a bit)

With most of the hard work over, Kev and I decided to treat ourselves this weekend. His mum ever so kindly sent us up a sainsbury's voucher to pick ourselves some shopping so we indulged in the ingredients for homemade cocktails and ended up with a delicious concoction of cherry brandy, amaretto and cranberry that tasted just like Cherry Bakewell cakes. I thoroughly recommend! 

On Saturday morning, we got up bright and early for a bit of retail therapy. The sun was shining and we had a lovely long peruse around Huddersfield Market before stopping off for a massive chippy lunch. It always baffles me when so many of my coursemates say they've never visited the market - it really is a treasure trove of all sorts of stuff, from crazy cheap furniture and vinyl records to amazing vintage buys, often sold by lovely Nana's who are up for a chat.  

However, the single best thing about Huddersfield Market has to be what is colloquially known as 'The Topshop Stall'. Basically, it's an amazing stall that sells all manner of out of season items from Topshop, Miss Selfridge and occasionally, H&M. I'm not sure how they do it and it can be hit and miss as to the variety of sizes on offer or the conditions of the garments, but I'm pleased to say that this saturday, they made my shoe dreams come true...

 You guys will have seen me harping on about these on the blog multiple times, but finally they are mine, allllll mine! (evil laugh). They were sat all innocently jumbled along all the massive heels and clutch bags and nobody seemed to be looking at them, but when I saw that flash of white I leapt on them and was ecstatic to find that they were first in a size 6, and second, only £12, a massive £26 less than they were in Topshop last summer. Good things come to those who wait eh? My day with topped off even further when I picked up a beautiful Topshop beaded dress for just four pounds because some of the beading was a little off. It's exactly what I wanted for graduation and as it was selling originally in Topshop for £70, I'm feeling pretty thrifty. Sadly, putting pictures on here of it so many months in advance feels a little like posting your wedding dress before you wear it, so you will all have to wait till July to see that one.

Here are my shoes with a couple of wired hair bows I also picked up from Primark for £1.50 each - I've been planning on buying some for ages. they're a lovely way of girlying up a simple jumper and jeans combo and I love the way the wire holds the bow in place. I'm very happy with how my spring wardrobe is shaping up, and on such a great budget too. You can also see a little polka dot number that I picked up last week from eBay for just 99p - the floaty chiffon will be perfect for pub garden trips or the university awards night I will be attending in the week.

What have you been treating yourself to recently?

Crafting a Cushion: Hillarys Blinds Country Crafts Competition

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is a very special blog - I'm unveiling my entry for the Country Crafts blogger competition run by the lovely people at Hillary's Blinds.

As you may know, I love a good sew (hey, a rhyme!), and as I've been so stressed with uni work, when I saw that Hillary's were running a competition to turn one of their new country retreat fabrics into something fab, I jumped at the chance for a little creative project. Plus, prize money of £1,000 is certainly nothing to be scoffed at!

Naturally I know there are all manner of incredible craft bloggers out there whilst I'm still very much an amateur Annie, but after scouring Pinterest for inspiration, I fell in love with the idea of 'conversation cushions.' I'm going to be moving house soon and will have my own home office, so really wanted to make something that would bring a bit of whimsy to my new space, plus greet visitors! Here were some images of inspo:

I then had an agonising decision between the four beautiful Hillary's fabrics on offer. I very nearly plumped for Bird Parade Teal, but we all know I'm a sucker for colour so Calluna Amethest became the obvious choice. The fabric was lovely and thick to work with, as you would expect curtain material to be, and really provided a solid base for embroidery and applique. As I love a bit of upcycling, the Amethyst also perfectly matched an old t-shirt of my boyfriend's which I used for the back of the cushion. 

And here is my final cushion! In hindsight I wish I'd used embroidery thread on the 'hello' to make it a little bolder, but considering I did the whole thing by hand, I'm pretty pleased with the result and still have loads of fabric left to experiment with. If you're interested in making your own 'hello' cushion, you can follow my step by step below. Sewing by machine is obviously quicker, but if you're after something fun to do in the evenings whilst watching telly, I couldn't recommend hand sewing more - it's so relaxing.

What do you think of my cushion? Wish me luck in the competition! Check out more info here - http://www.hillarys.co.uk/inspiration/the-hub/2014/country-craft-competition/