It'll be Christmas before you know it ...

... and before that, it'll be the Christmas party!

Rumour has it that we won't be having a Christmas party at work this year. However, my ears pricked up when I heard the boyf say that they are having a black tie Christmas party at the Hilton hotel. I immediately started to panic that I don't have anything that formal. And even if I did, could I pull it off?

This years Christmas party outfit inspiration comes from the film that we've all watched a million times on ITV2, and will continue to watch every time it's on ... 10 Things I Hate About You. I have always admired Bianca's two-piece prom dress.

So here is my Christmas interpretation. It's a bit 90's, but I'm liking that at the moment. And you can guarantee that with mix and match co-ordinates, there will be no embarrassing "same dress" situations on the night.




Skirt Beloved | Top Topshop | Bag Debenhams | Shoes New Look | Choker ASOS

Do you have any Christmas parties planned? What will you be wearing?

Long time no see ...

I didn't realise it had been so long since I posted on this blog. June ... That was 4 whole months ago. I don't know where this time has gone.

A lot has gone on over the last four months though. I have moved house, and moved into a house with my boyfriend. Applied for a job - failed. Boyfriend applied for a job - success! However, he is now working shifts, which means some days when I am crawling out of bed in the morning, he remains tucked up in his cocoon. Other days I am going to bed alone, and being woken up at stupid o'clock in the morning when he returns from work. My plan is to use all this alone time to be more creative, with sewing, drawing, and blogging too!

Infact, I attended my first ever bloggers event in Birmingham this weekend. It was hosted by FABB Events at the Custard Factory. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I had a really good time. It was a cosy venue spread over 2-3 floors. There were lots of lovely brands there, such as Me Me Me, Toni & Guy, Skin by Sterex, Bodhi & Birch, Bee Good, and Anovia. All of which spoiled us rotten with samples and demonstrations.

Over the next few months you'll see my blog become more active with posts as I try out all these new products and share my thoughts and experiences with you.

Until then ...

Peace xo

A stitch in time ...

With the weather being hit and miss this week, I've spent a few hours cutting, pinning, and stitching. I love to make something new out of something old. 

I found a duvet cover in a charity shop a few months ago, it was covered in Fiat 500's. I had to buy it! But it was too big for my duvet, and the pillow cases were European, so they were square rather than rectangular. 

So, I decided that I could share the love, and make cushions. I make a lot of cushions, but I usually become so attached to them that I can't bear to give them away, or sell them.
In this case, I now have too many! You can check them out by clicking on the picture below. (:

Grab your spade, here we go ...

I can't take the credit for this blog inspiration. I have borrowed the idea from sassysibel.blogspot.com.au. An Aussie girl who is also new to blogging. I liked it so much, that it got me thinking of the top 10 things that I would want to do before I "kick the bucket".

This has taken a lot of time and consideration. You know when someone asks you for your "Top 3..." and you spend so much time thinking about it, changing your mind, and re-ordering them, as if it was a life changing decision?

So, here is my Bucket List. Not limited to, and subject to change;

❥ Pack a bag, go to the airport, and grab the next flight out of there. Destination - unknown! It could be anywhere in the world. Must remember to pack for all weathers and eventualities. 

❥ Visit Iceland to see the Northern Lights. This is something I have wanted to do for years. Maybe jump on board a whale watching trip whilst I'm there. 

 

❥ Attach a padlock to a love lock bridge. The story goes "A local schoolmistress named Nada, who was from Vrnjačka Banja, fell in love with a Serbian officer named Relja. After they committed to each other Relja went to war in Greece where he fell in love with a local woman from Corfu. As a consequence, Relja and Nada broke off their engagement. Nada never recovered from that devastating blow, and after some time she died due to heartbreak from her unfortunate love. As young girls from Vrnjačka Banja wanted to protect their own loves, they started writing down their names, together with the names of their loved ones, on padlocks and affixing them to the railings of the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet".

Love lock bridges have popped up all over the globe now. You and your loved one attach a padlock, perhaps inscribed with your initials, to a bridge, and throw away key. Locking in your love for eternity.

Although it seems that now a lot of places are cracking down on this, due to the amount of padlocks appearing. In the most popular places, you can be fined for doing so, and in some cases all padlocks will be removed. Perhaps I would be best finding an untouched bridge for this.

❥ Swim at the foot of a waterfall. I have no specifics here, other than it's warm. I'm loving the look of Florence Falls in Northern Australia.

❥ Play some Twister! I haven't played this game for ages. Probably since I was a young teen. And even then I only got to play it on NYE, when we would go to a family friend's house, and us kids would be left to make our own entertainment. But I recently spotted this on Pintrest. Messy Twister! Add paint, or in this case they have used shaving foam and food colouring, to the coloured spots. Not to be played whilst wearing your best frock on NYE ... ! 

 ❥ This one is a combination of something that I love, with something that I want to do. I love dining alfresco. Picnics are one of my favourite things. Preparing the sandwiches, choosing which snacks to have, making a flask of tea. For Mother's Day this year, I bought my Mum a wicker picnic basket, which had a couple of plates, and cutlery. I filled it with all of her favourite food goodies. She said she had wanted one ever since she was a little girl, and she used to go on Picnic's with her Mum and Dad. If we ever get a sunny weekend, then I may be asking if I can borrow it.
An ordinary picnic, however, is not what is going on my Bucket List. A night-time picnic! A warm night, a blanket, a flask of hot chocolate, some supper, a couple of lanterns. Add on to this a clear night, and some star gazing. It couldn't get any better.

 
❥ Spend Christmas in Germany. I don't know why, but I imagine that Christmas in Germany has a certain romance and nostalgia about it. They seem to do it so much better than we do in the UK. Or it certainly come across as a lot less cheesy. 
I love Christmas, and every year I look forward to all of the decorations and the lights. When I was little, I used to look forward to hanging all the glass ornaments on the tree. They had seen better days, as they belonged to my mother when she was a little girl. A couple of years ago, there was an accident, and all of the tree ornaments got smashed. I've now started my own collection of glass tree ornaments, and I buy one new one every year. Perhaps it's something that I can pass down, providing I look after them.
I'm hopeful that this year I can strike this one off my bucket list. It's only 6 months away! I can already smell the gingerbread. Mmm.

❥  Go scuba diving! This has been on my list of things to do for ages. The closest I have been is snorkeling in Greece with my Dad as a child. Don't get me wrong, it was nice. But I'd love to go to the Great Barrier Reef, swim with the fishies, perhaps turtles, and if I'm lucky, reef sharks. I'm a big ocean-nut, and I think when I've done this once, I won't be able to stop.

❥  Ride the longest zip wire in Europe. It's not something I want to do to overcome any fears I have about heights, or falling. I've always been good with heights. I think is will be the closest thing I will ever get to flying without the aid of an aircraft.

❥ Own a VW Camper ... one day!!

So, these are 10 of the things that I need to get cracking with. I don't think I'm going to accomplish any of these tonight, so it's time for another frozen cocktail and a film. I'm still grateful for the small pleasures (:

"If you can dream it, you can do it" - Walt Disney

High Maintenance Red Heads

I have recently undergone the transformation of having the blackest of black hair, to becoming a redhead.

I had had dyed black hair for 8 years, and got stuck in a cycle of dying it black just to cover up the roots, as I am naturally fair haired.

A few months ago I decided to bite the bullet, and ask the hair dresser what they could do to get me away from the layers upon layers of black hair dye. So my hair was stripped, and then stripped again ... and then stripped again. When it came to choosing my new colour, that was easy! I am a big fan of Ariel, so wanted to see if I could pull off the red hair.

I love it! But since choosing to go red, I found myself in a new cycle. I was buying DIY hair dyes at an alarming rate, trying to grab as many as I could whilst they were on two for ones. My hair was fading so quickly, I was having to dye it with a permanent dye every couple of weeks if I wanted to maintain the brightness. It was causing some serious damage to my hair.

However, I've recently been given a top tip, which I am keen to share.

Mixing Crazy Color (I used Fire) with conditioner, and leaving on your hair for 10-15 minutes. It brightens up your red, and deeply conditions your hair. Simply slap it on, run yourself a bath, leave it on for 10-15 minutes, and wash hair as normal. I recommend using a plastic bowl, and not your boyfriend's cutlery and crockery, as I did.

I apologise for the photos, I don't have my camera handy, so they are iPhone quality only.

That's Summer Sorted!

So here I am, a single day away from June, and so far this year I can count the days of sunshine that I have seen on one hand. And there's a vicious rumour going round that the weather is not likely to change for the fore-see-able.

With this in mind, I can only imagine the summer festivities in my head. Walks in the park, BBQ's and drinks in the garden. Turning the music up to drown out the neighbour cutting their grass.

Today was payday for me, so I took a stroll around the shops, and I was in the mood to spend some serious money, but I just couldn't justify any of the summer clothes out there at the moment. I'm still living in jeans and jumpers. Here is a peek of what I have mentally purchased to kick off the summer wardrobe.





 Playsuit Boohoo | Shoes ASOS | Sunglasses River Island | Bag H&M