Category Archives: life stuff

A Purrfect April

02nd May 2016
Another month and another delivery from Purrfect Box which was split between my two feline fiends. As usual it’s Mae who gets the toys as she is a fussy bugger when it comes to food and treats. Tobias on the other paw isn’t so bothered about toys but will have your hand off for anything that looks vaguely edible.
As ever the selection of toys in the box was excellent, Mae has a huge bucket full of toys at my parents’ house and her most played with selection have all come from Purrfect Box. This month it was the spider that really tickled her fancy and we spent ages playing hide and seek with it! The little catnip infused dragonfly was another hit after a slow start, I think she was confused by the rubbery texture but soon got over it!
On the treats front, well, I’ve never been sure of those squeezy tubes of treats to be honest but Tobias goes absolutely nuts for them! His preferred way to eat it is straight from the tube, which he has run off with and tried to pierce on numerous occasions. The tuna chunk treats lasted all of five minutes before he ran off with the bag and broke in to it- many a treat in this house has met this same fate no matter how well we hide it.

The little tins of food are more of a snack for Tobias and he wolfed one down then looked for the rest of his dinner. Mae turned her nose up of course, but for a cat her size one would be plenty.

Once again this was a brilliant box and gets a paws up from both of my furry friends. For those that don’t yet know the Purrfect Box is a monthly subscription which costs £19.90 a month, or £14.90 per month if you take out a years subscription. The contents of the box are guaranteed to be worth at least £30 with 4-6 premium products inside so it’s a pretty sweet deal, especially as each box is catered to your feline’s needs and preferences. Let me know if you decide to treat your feline friend to a box; I’ll be picking up a few on a one off basis throughout the year, I can’t afford it on a monthly basis but as an every so often treat I think it’s wonderful.
If you’re tempted to give it a try then you can claim an impressive £5 off of your first box with the code ukb1xlvr. Let me know if you give it a go…

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Posted in life, life stuff

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Spring in Monochrome

06th April 2016
It’s hardly groundbreaking but the other day, spurred on by the slightly warmer weather I discarded my more standard weekend wear of jeans and a knit for something a bit more “daring” if you will- my beloved culotte playsuit from New Look layered up with a simple black tee and my trusty black leather ankle boots.

Playsuit: New Look (similar) | Ribbed tee: New Look (here) | Boots c/o Long Tall Sally

I picked this playsuit up last year in a Summer sale for something silly like £10. It was an impulse purchase and to be honest one I thought I’d wear once and then forget all about. That was almost the case until I re-discovered it when I moved out in January. Since then it’s been sat in my wardrobe waiting for me to brave it and wear it again and eventually I have and it’s reminded me just how much I love this piece.

I’m now trying to psych myself up for the mammoth task of packing away my “winter wardrobe” and schlepping it back to my parents’ house and swapping it for my “summer” selection. I’m a bit afraid to commit too soon as the weather is so changeable but at the same time I’m utterly sick of everything I’ve been wearing lately that I feel a change will do me good. I’m not sure I’ll feel any better about what awaits me in the warm weather collection either to be honest, I’m a bit jaded with everything I own as nothing currently fits as it should and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m on a self imposed clothes buying ban until I’m in a healthier place.

Oops, I went off on a ranting tangent again didn’t I? It’s only a matter of time before I cave in and buy a few new wardrobe additions I’m sure…where have you been loving lately and have you re-found any hidden gems tucked away in your wardrobe?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits

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How to Accessorise for a Long Haul Flight*

04th April 2016
Long haul flights are something to be endured rather than enjoyed. There is no escaping the fact that being stuck in a metal box for 15+ hours is not entertaining (unless you are lucky enough to be sitting next to Harry Styles in First Class of course, or can charter a private jet from jettly).
Clothing, hand luggage, and personal accessories all play their part when planning a long flight so here are a few tips to help you accessorise properly the next time you head off on a long haul flight.

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Stylish Luggage

Choosing the right hand luggage is essential. Most airlines are very strict on the dimensions and weight of hand luggage so always check the requirements before you arrive at the airport. If your hand luggage is too heavy or too large you will have to pay a penalty so don’t take the risk.
When it comes to hand luggage look at trolley cases from www.charlesfordlondon.com as these are roomy and easy to manoeuvre around in the departure lounge. Choose a piece of hand luggage that fits your personal style and colour match it to your travel garments- that way the check-in staff might mistake you for a celebrity travelling incognito and give you a free upgrade!

Looking Good

There are plenty of passengers who don’t give a stuff about what they are wearing when they show up at the check-in counter. This is great for them but if you want any chance of scoring a free upgrade to Business Class or even First Class you need to look the part.
Think smart but casual when flying long haul. A loose fitting pair of casual trousers and a lightweight coat or jacket is suitable for most passenger lounges, accessorise with some attractive costume jewellery. Airports and planes can often be a bit on the cool side so layering up is sensible that way you can remove layers if you get too hot.

Travelling in Comfort

Comfort is an important consideration. If you are uncomfortable you can’t relax and sleep won’t come easily. Pack a pair of thick socks for the plane so your feet are always warm and snug. Support socks are useful if you suffer from fluid retention or varicose veins.
You can wear any shoes you like for a long flight but you will be more comfortable in some flats as opposed to a pair of fashion stilettos. Flat shoes can be slipped off and tucked under your seat whereas lace-up shoes are fiddly if you need to disembark quickly.

Optional Extras

The great thing about flying long haul (unless you choose a budget airline) is that you have entertainment, food and drink covered for the duration of your journey. You don’t actually need to pack headphones but since most free airline headphones are pretty inferior it is a good idea to take along some quality noise-cancelling headphones- these will improve your movie experience and make it easier to get some sleep on board.
Think carefully before you accessorise for a long flight or you could spend many long hours in long haul hell.

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Going round in Querkles

04th April 2016
Move over colouring books there’s a new adult activity book in town! Querkles launched last year in Australia/New Zealand and have just landed on UK shores too. Exclusive to WH Smith stores (and online) I was kindly sent over the book to find out what all of the fuss is about!
I’ll readily admit I got a little bit obsessed with colouring books and our bookcase has quite the collection gracing it’s shelves. Querkles is a step up from your average colouring book though as each image is made up of numbered, overlapping circles which you fill in either with a selection of solid colours or one colour but different textures to reveal a famous face at the end.

Now this is time consuming, I’m actually yet to finish one but I’ve been enjoying taking twenty minutes out of my day here and there to work on the picture and it’s fascinating seeing a portrait come to life. Each image can be removed from the book via perforated pages so you can frame and display your finished masterpieces too.

I was also sent the 1000 dot-to-do book (also exclusive to WH Smith stores) by Quirkles creator Thomas Pavitte. This was actually his original creation and again features iconic portraits in huge dot-to-dot form. I loved doing dot-to-dots as a child and this was a real blast of nostalgia. It’s also much faster progress to the Quirkles with each design taking around 30 minutes.

I’m not sure either of these books could take the place of colouring books, not for me personally at least as they offer something truly unique. At £9.99 they are a novel way to express creativity and I’ve found myself using them if I’m having a bad day with a racing mind to distract and unwind.

If you’re the creative type or are also in need of distraction then I highly recommend these for a new dimension in the colouring world. Time to get hot-footing it down to your nearest WH Smiths…

Have you jumped on to the colouring bandwagon? What else do you do to calm down a busy/stressed out mind?

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Posted in craft, life, life stuff

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Always Trust the Label?*

31st March 2016

Back in my teenage years when I was on the cusp of developing an eating disorder food labels were an all consuming obsession and spoke only the truth to my mind. If something said it was low fat then I equated that with healthy and serving sizes HAD to be obeyed…even one measly gram over was breaking some kind of food police set law (but actually who can eat just one piddly 30g of cereal?)

These days I’m thankfully no longer obsessed with what’s printed on the packaging and I’m not alone. A recent study conducted by Data Label quizzed 1006 people over the age of 18 in the UK and discovered that 31% don’t have confidence in food labelling on pre-packaged foods, 14% of which stating that they don’t trust them at all.

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The most commonly given reason for this mistrust is that information appears complicated and it’s difficult to interpret. Personally I used to find this the case but since the introduction of the traffic light system in 2012 I’ve found it much easier to determine if a product really is healthy or if the low fat label is masking a ton of hidden sugar and preservatives (which I quickly learnt is very often the case).

There’s been a lot of scaremongering in the media in recent years too which further compounds the issue and fuels the mistrust and this has very much been the case with me (despite my reluctance to admit to it). I find it quite sad really, and to the side of me that is still struggling with anorexic demons quite scary that what I once took to be true might not be the case- from unclear serving sizes to hidden nasties I think better education should be provided and clearer guidelines set on what should and shouldn’t be on a label or in the food we eat.

You can read more on the article on the female first website. If you’ll pardon the pun it’s certainly given me food for thought and as this year is my year for getting healthy and kicking 14 years of eating disorders in to touch and moving on with my life I shall certainly be following this further and educating myself on how to get the best out of the information provided.

I’d love to know your thoughts on food labels, do you trust them or do you too believe there is often more than meets the eye? I think the traffic light system was a great step in making labelling more uniform and easier to understand but there is still a long way to go before there is a standard across the board.

I also refuse to buy in to the media hype any more, one week we’re being told all fats are bad, the next we’re being told that the only yoghurt we should be eating is full fat and that real butter is the way forwards…with such conflicting advice I’m going with balance instead and enjoying what I want, when I want (just all in moderation of course). I’m by no means a health obsessed eater, I might fancy a chicken and avocado salad one day but beans on white bread toast the next- our bodies are well tuned to what we need and if we take a step back and listen to them I personally believe we can regulate ourselves.

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Posted in food, life, life stuff

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