#YumiLovesWinter

05th October 2015

So here I am, fresh back from a week in Spain where temperatures were averaging 28 degrees to the cold harsh reality of October. Thankfully I’ve been enlisted in to a challenge with Yumi to spread the word about their #YumiLovesWinter campaign and show off some of their pieces for the colder months.

Outfit c/o Yumi: Coat | Top | Skirt | Boots c/o Long Tall Sally

Every year I get the urge for a new Winter coat and when I saw the blue version of this one in the Yumi adverts I was smitten. I opted for the black version though as my coat collection lacks a classic black and I love the swing style and snug faux fur collar. I also really liked the way the coat complimented the fabulous crystal print sweatshirt and skirt. Each piece is available individually but I couldn’t resist the double whammy of pairing both together.

What do you think of my #YumiLovesWinter look?

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(Insta) life recap: 9 + a break

25th September 2015

I’m a little early with my end of September instagram post (follow me here to stay fully up to date) as tomorrow I’m flying out to Spain with my Mum to have a very much needed week away in the Sun. To say I’m excited is an understatement and for once I’ve decided to take a full break from blogging and haven’t scheduled a single post to go up whilst I’m gone- try not to miss me too much!

Gorgeous treats from Paperblanks

Doing my bit for kitties everywhere.

I love girl dates with my bestie.

I got far too excited to find this!

Tackling anorexia once again. This book is a revelation.

Apparently wanting to wear my shoes to work was wrong.

Mae’s new collar- post on this soon!

Caramac Breakaway, two retro treats in one!

Well attractive mother and daughter team.

Prizes from winning the Quiz summer calendar competition

Can’t get enough of this packaging.

World’s biggest coffee morning day!

Weed killer.

Could I have got Ben a more random Birthday card?

Kitty cuddles.

I hope everyone had a wonderful September. I’m looking forward to coming back from my break refreshed and ready to complete the rest of the year. Stay tuned for plenty of new posts coming in October! Make sure you leave me the links to your instagram round-up posts and leave your username below, I’m always looking for new people to follow.

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Beating the post-holiday blues

12th September 2015

Who doesn’t love going on holiday? I’m so excited for mine which is now only 8 days away (and counting!) and I just can’t wait to be on a beach, or by the sea doing nothing for 7 glorious days- and that includes blogging! The downside to going away is coming home again, especially later in the year when you’re pretty much guaranteed grey skies and a distinct chill in the air. It’s not much fun at all. Clearly the people at Jet2holidays were reading my mind as they sent over a parcel designed to help beat those pesky post-holiday blues.

This was such a thoughtful package containing moisturiser to soothe sun-frazzled skin and fake tan to keep the glow going. Sweets are always welcome in my life and these will be perfect to munch on as I upload photographs and catch up on my no doubt heaving inbox. I’ll also be treating myself to dinner at Pizza Express with the help of this voucher, ideal for catching up with my best friend over pizza and wine…

There are other ways to beat the post-holiday blues too though, things I’ve tried and succeeded with in the past include:

1. Bring back souvenirs– the tackier the better! I get so much enjoyment from the random things I’ve bought back from my travels and I make it my mission to find the cheesiest thing I can whenever I go away!

2. Create a memory jar- ages ago I picked up a huge glass jar in the sale somewhere. Anytime I go somewhere that I want to remember I pop in little items to trigger my happy memories- a train ticket, a napkin from an amazing restaurant or a business card from a hotel. I once even bought back a napkin dispenser from a cafe in Spain, that doesn’t fit in the jar but it does bring back some very happy memories!

3. Make a photo collage- as well as uploading photos to social media and my blog I tend to pick out some favourites and get them printed (you can find plenty of free print offers if you search online) and either scrapbook them mixed in with things like tickets and random finds or decorate a wall in my room with them.

4. Bring back tasty treats! I love discovering new foods/snacks when I’m away and I’m guaranteed to bring back quite a selection on my return. I keep these for day where I’m feeling a little blue before digging in and enjoying whilst browsing my photos or planning my next trip.

5. Get some sleep- I always come back from a holiday exhausted. This time I’m straight back to work pretty much the day after we land but I’ll be making sure I get in some early nights to keep myself in mentally tip-top condition. There’s nothing like exhaustion to make me grumpy.

What are some of your post-holiday blues recovery tips? I’d love to know them.

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On the Rocks

09th September 2015

Another one of those sort of outfit posts where I show you some more local beauty. This time at the other end of the sea front in Clevedon, having gone exploring further than the river path that runs behind Ben’s road we came across this grassy ledge and decided to climb up and check out the views before heading on to Poets Walk, a lovely and gentle 2km route visit by many a famous poet over the last several hundred years. It’s one of our favourite ways to spend a Sunday afternoon when the weather is good, and although we hadn’t set out with the intention of taking outfit photos (hence the not quite put together outfit) it was too good an opportunity to miss, those views!

Dress: H&M earlier in the year | Shoes: Converse

This dress is the ultimate weekend throw on piece and if it was still available I’d probably buy a back up I love it that much. I wouldn’t usually wear it with Converse, at least not for blog photos but as that wasn’t really our intention I hadn’t thought to take my typical brown sandals from Primark with me.

I love having these kind of locations on Ben’s doorstep, I feel a bit less in a rut when it comes to getting outfit pictures now, although my back garden is still my default. I want to spend the rest of this year working on improving all aspects of my blog and upping my game with photography is definitely a major goal- I’ve got so many blogger “how to” posts saved in my bloglovin’, I find them so useful although slightly intimidating as reading makes me feel a bit clueless when it comes to most things blogosphere and I’ve been doing it since 2009!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit more of the places local to me, hopefully I’ll have another pretty place to share soon!

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#WeAreReady for Autumn with Boohoo

07th September 2015

Like it or not we’re pretty much in Autumn now. I can’t say I’m sad, Summer was a bit naff in the end with it’s lack of prolonged sunshine and I still have my holiday to look forward to catch some last rays before we are plunged back in to the shorter, darker days.

I was recently contacted by the folks at Boohoo about their new #WeAreReady campaign, focusing on all the best things about Autumn. I happen to think there is quite a lot to like about the Autumn months, I love going for a nice long walk on the weekends then coming home to curl up with a cup of tea and netflix to shake off the chill. I’m also a big fan of the fashion, there is nothing I like more than ankle boots, snuggly layers and cosy coats. Boohoo have an excellent selection of new arrivals to kick-start the season and it’s making me even more excited for that telltale chill in the air! I was sent my favourite piece to style up and thought I might as well create a little wish-list whilst I was at it.

Suedette Bomber c/o Boohoo (get it here) | Skirt: New Look (similar) | Black Camisole: Primark | Boots: Stylist Pick

I’ve been looking for the perfect casual jacket for the cooler days and this is it! I can’t remember the last time I owned a bomber jacket- it was probably in my early teenage years and I’m wondering how we were parted for so long. This is exactly the kind of outfit I’ll be living in out of work for the next few months, this skirt is a staple having seen me through the Summer and the jacket is the perfect way to give it a new season update.

I appear to have a bit of a thing for Suede right now as my entire Boohoo wish-list is made up of the stuff! No bad thing though, the Seventies trend is still going strong and I’ll be trying to embrace it as much as I possibly can. Now, when’s pay day?