Invites to the Royal Wedding and brunch with Kim Kardashian —times we’ve been invited to brush shoulders with celebrities*

Many of are still smarting, and remain convinced that our Royal Wedding invitations got lost in the post. We had to make do, and sulkily watch the wedding of the year from our sofas, although, 2,640 lucky members of the public did receive requests to attend the big day.
The most recent Royal Wedding is not the first time we’ve been invited to brush shoulders with celebrities. Angelic Diamonds, retailers of engagement rings take a look at other occasions when we’ve had to scrub up to walk amongst A-listers.

(Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash)

Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle’s wedding

Taking place on May 19th, the Royal Wedding inspired mass Royal Fever. And, unlike other high-profile weddings, certain members of the general public were invited to take part in the special day.
People from across the UK had been selected by Lord Lieutenant offices to attend the wedding. These individuals were able to see the royals arrive at the chapel and watch the procession in their chosen carriage after the ceremony.
When the guest list was decided, the newlyweds specified that the invitees should be from a range of backgrounds and ages, and should include those who have “shown strong leadership and those who have served their communities”. The stories of some of the chosen guests were then told through the Kensington Palace Twitter page.

The official guestlist remained unknown, but there were rumous that the guests would be brushing shoulders with celebrities such as Serena Williams, The Spice Girls and Ed Sheeran.

Listening sessions with Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has always been one for keeping in touch with her fans. One Christmas, she personally wrapped gifts for her supporters as a festive treat. She’s also been known to invite her super-fans for secret listening sessions ahead of a couple of her albums.
In 2014, ahead of the release of her 1989 album, Taylor invited her fandom over to her house for lunch. She served them pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that she’d personally baked and gave everyone free album merchandise. Guests got their photo taken with superstar, held her awards and even listened to her talking about her relationship with ex-One Direction star, Harry Styles.
She must have enjoyed her self, so much so that she decided to do something similar in 2017. This time, she invited fans to a listening party in London to hear her sixth studio album, Reputation. Taylor personally selected 100 fans to attend the event and they enjoyed chicken nuggets, M&Ms and Reputation-themed cookies.

Birthday brunch with Kim Kardashian

We’re all about Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but would you ever think you’d be invited to brunch with one of them? That’s exactly what some of Kim’s super-fans got to do back in 2015.
For Kim’s 35th birthday she flew all of the fans that she follows on social media out to Los Angeles for brunch. The meeting took place at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village and guests enjoyed food and drinks, took photos with the reality star and got their phone cases signed.
As an extra surprise her husband Kanye showed up to the venue with their daughter North. After the event Kim said on Twitter “I love you guys so much and am so grateful to have met you guys today!” and sent personalised thank-you cards to those who were invited.

Getting married at the Grammys

Some of us dream of a quiet service for our wedding day, surrounded only by close family and friends. But some want bigger and better things and would be green with envy over what 33 newlyweds experienced in 2014.
They were invited to the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014- held at Staples Centre in Los Angeles. To celebrate their love and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s single Same Love, heterosexual and homosexual couples were married on stage. The marriages were officiated by Queen Latifah who was deputised for the day so she was able to pronounce the couples as married.
The full concept was planned to be a surprise and none of the guests or the viewers at home knew what was coming. The idea was decided the year before, and a casting director was hired to gather the happy couples. They then had to sign contracts and were not allowed to tell anyone about what was going to happen. They had to attend multiple rehearsals to prepare themselves for the biggest day of their lives!

Chrissy Teigen and banana bread

Chrissy Teigen is known for interacting with her fans over social media as well as posting about her own life and topical issues. So, when Chrissy wanted to make the perfect banana bread and needed six brown bananas it was only natural that she invited her followers for help.
In exchange for the bananas Chrissy offered fans a signed cookbook, a pair of her husband John’s underwear and a Becca make-up palette. Photos were posted on social media of Chrissy’s assistant picking up the bananas and of course, her cooking the bread.

As we can see, there has been many times where we’ve been invited to walk with the rich and famous. Always be prepared as it could be you next!

Were you glued to the Royal Wedding over the weekend? I feel majorly in the minority here as I decided to make the most of the sheer volume of people watching it and headed to the normally heaving supermarket to do my food shopping instead!

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Trade in and Cash Out*

Two things bought about the writing of this post- firstly discovering loads of old gadgets sat around doing nothing whilst having a tidy up the other day, and secondly I’m on a real money saving/making drive at the moment with the greater goal of car and home ownership, plus a wardrobe to replenish weighing heavily on my mind.

Once upon a time I was actually quite organised when it came to recycling old phones when I got an upgrade. There is serious cash to be made with a little bit of research and not a lot of effort. There are plenty of websites out there which offer easy price comparisons to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your model- I’ve even started to see deposit banks in supermarkets which means you can tie it in with your weekly shop.

I’ve actually just had a quick look and discovered that my soon due for an upgrade iPhone SE could net me upwards of £100 which isn’t to be sniffed at! You don’t need much information to get a quote either, just pop in whether your phone is working, what network you’re on and there’s often a few cosmetic questions too- is the screen cracked? for example.

Trading in your phone is also good for the planet- rather than sitting gathering dust and eventually ending up in a landfill, the company who buy your device will instead re-purpose it, either a refurbished model or by stripping down the parts or even just disposing of it in the correct way.
Unbeknown to myself (and I suspect to many) mobile phones actually contain precious metals such as gold and silver as well as other elements all of which can be recycled and repurposed in their own way.

What’s the best deal you’ve ever got when trading in or recycling an old phone or tablet? I don’t think I’ve broken £100 on anything yet but hopefully my luck is going to change!

Do you find this kind of post interesting? I’d like to share a few more money-saving/making posts in the future but only if people are going to actually join them.

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Celestial

Happy Monday folks, it’s back to work for me after an incredibly relaxing week off with Bob- for once we timed it just right around the weather and really got to make the best of that glorious sunshine bestowed upon us for a few short days.

Life feels pretty damn good right now- we’ve just booked a holiday for July, I’m happy and fulfilled at work and out of work. I’ve just passed my driving theory test (for the third time, I might add) and I have plans, goals and dreams which actually feel obtainable.

Which is why it frustrates me so much that these outfit photos nearly didn’t happen, and nearly didn’t make it on to the blog. With so much going right at the moment it really gets me down that my body is my enemy and my confidence is at an all time low. Having had an eating disorder since I was 15 I suppose it’s inevitable that these demons will be the last, and the hardest obstacle to overcome, but I feel like I shouldn’t be as fixated as I am right now, nor as governed by stupid rules and rituals. I’ve been dragging my feet at this “almost there” weight for so long. I’m past the half way mark but can’t seem to make myself go that bit further. Oh to have freedom from this brain of mine for just one day.

Rant over,
on to the outfit, and to a dress which has been sat in my wardrobe for the last 6 months since I bought it- it’s taken until now to think up a way to wear it that doesn’t involve dressing up and going out.

Dress: Thunder Egg | Shoes: Converse at ASOS

I’ve featured Thunder Egg on the blog before and they still remain one of my favourite online shopping discoveries. As soon as I saw this velvet, constellation print dress I knew I needed it, and although it’s hung neglected for so long in my wardrobe now I’ve broken the “it’s a going out dress” barrier and started to treat it as the slightly more glamorous older sister of the humble t-shirt dress I think it’s going to get a lot of wear.

I hope everyone has a great start to the week, I’m on the birthday count down now (five days) and my next few weekends are full of fun filled plans and time spent with loved ones- all involving things that a year ago I didn’t think would be possible to do and enjoy.

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Old English Company Haul and Review

I’m a big fan of shopping small businesses where possible and I have an entire favourites file on my laptop dedicated to my first ports of call when seeking the perfect gift- for a loved one or for myself. High up on that favourites list is the Old English Company– known for their hand letter-pressed wares, it’s one of those sites where you are guaranteed to find something for everyone so when they got in touch asking if I would like to collaborate I wasted no time at all in sending my reply.

All items c/o Old English Comany

I was pretty much given free reign of the website and allowed to pick out some products to review and keep. The decision process was a lengthy one, there were (and are) so many items I love and narrowing it down was near on impossible.
My Mum and I both collect enamel pins and the Old English Company do an impressive selection for £7.00 each. I had to go for the coffee for life pin for myself- coffee IS life, every one who knows me is aware of this and waits until I’ve had at least one cup before attempting any kind of interaction.
I picked the Number 1 Mother pin for Mum as she’s been a bit stressed out lately and I wanted to remind her how much I appreciate her. I seem to barely see her these days between work and spending time at Bob’s so I’ll take any chance I can to make her feel special and remind her that I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.
As well as collecting enamel pins I also hoard mugs- I have a vast selection at home, and at Bob’s- and his collection is growing rapidly thanks to me as well. The Old English Company sell many, many mugs with tongue in cheek, motivational and sentimental statements on them- perfect for gift giving (and budget special at a tenner each, not bad for something so personal to the recipient). I chose the “good morning my love” mug to give to Bob as it’s the first thing he says to me each day- in a terrible Bristol accent, and as soon as I saw this print it made me smile. Of course I went coffee themed again for myself. It’s become a new fixture on my desk at work, where my dependence on coffee is now a standing joke.
Finally the stationery addict in me couldn’t resist adding this planner (sparkly pen from Typo) to my notebook collection. I’m a list maker, it keeps me grounded and on track and this planner has no dates on it so it’s perfect for ad-hoc use at any time during the year. It would be great as a bullet journal platform as well, and a great gift for any one who is in to their organisation. It’s £11.95 which may seem pricey, but any fan of a good note book will know and appreciate that some times it’s just worth paying that bit more- with it’s chic black cover and pearlescent print, this is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical- it also comes in several other colour ways.
As you can probably tell, the Old English Company certainly didn’t disappoint and I hope this post serves as inspiration and encouragement to shop small businesses. Take a look at the website and let me know in the comments what your favourite products are- I’m desperate to add more of their homewares to my life, and I’m pretty sure Bob won’t notice if a sneak a few to his until we get a place of our own…

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My 9-5 Style

Ok, so I don’t know where the last week has gone but I want my time back! Every time I thought I’d get a minute to sit down and blog something got in the way and at one point I’d convinced myself I had already written and published this post!

Now I’m working 9-5 it’s been harder and harder to get motivated to do any outfit photos, all of my favourite, casual outfits barely see the light of day, and with one exception there’s not much in my work wardrobe that I want to be showing off- and by the time I get home from work I’m usually do dishevelled that it’s not worth photographing. I did finally get my bum in gear though and took this outfit with me to a weekend at Bob’s purely for photo purposes- it ties in nicely with how I’ve been wearing my Zadig & Voltaire watch I featured the other week and whilst my working wardrobe is still a work in progress, this is the kind of style I’d ideally be sporting every day.

Shirt: Monki | Trousers: Monki : Boots: Banana Republic | Ring and Watch c/o watchshop.com

Monki wasn’t the first shop that sprang to mind when I thought about work wear, but on a shopping trip for some weekend clothes (jeans, mission aborted) I ended up grabbing two of these shirts and these trousers instead. I’m not really a shirt or blouse person but these hang so nicely, and are a great length- I got two in the end, this one and a black and white pinstripe one and I highly recommend them. The trousers were very reasonable at £30 and fit like a dream. I love culottes, prefer them over full length trousers to be honest as I can never quite find the right length in not cropped styles. I’m definitely going back for a black pair as well, they are hugely flattering, and whilst I’m not a trouser person these days due to ever expanding waist line these don’t make me feel anything other than a little bit smart and refined.

Sadly since taking these photos my beloved Banana Republic boots have died a tragic death and are no longer in circulation. I’m yet to find the perfect pair to replace them- this is not the time of year to find yourself in the market for a new pair of boots- if anyone has seen any that may bridge the gap do let me know…

I’m constantly seeking inspiration for my work wardrobe these days as I spend the majority of my life there so I would love to know where everyone shops and what styles they are loving at the moment.

That said, I have a week off next week and I am hugely looking forward to breaking in to denim dresses and trainers and kicking back for a while.

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