Button Craft...again!

Ok so it may seem like I am slightly obsessed with creating pretty things with buttons, but I just can't resist!!


On the 2nd August my Brother got married. He married the gorgeous Steph who has her own lovely blog which you can find here... http://bellsbowsandbella.wordpress.com/




I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid for them which was such an honour. It was an incredible day and very emotional! Every detail really showed both of their personalities and everybody loved the day.




I decided to make something for Steph to give her in the morning. I chose this as I wanted to give her something personal.




I had recently bought some hessian for my coasters so I knew I had plenty to make what I wanted. So I popped to hobbycraft for my materials and this was the outcome...

"Stephen and Stephanie Saturday 2nd August 2014"

I chose the blue colour so that it could be a little "something blue" for her to keep hold of forever!

What do you think?

xxx

Current Craft Project

I still absolutely love hessian and I am not bored at all with craft projects using it! It is so unbelievably cheap and looks so chic.

Recently I took a trip to my local fabric shop and purchased a few metres of hessian and some ivory lace trim. I want to make a few coasters as I do have a bit of a shabby chic theme going in my flat.

As I don't have a seeing machine, it is quite fiddly! But I have finished... ONE! So far!

Here's a picture...

What do you think?

xxx

Soap & Glory - Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks

For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive a pack of Soap & Glory Gloss Sticks.

The pack contained three shades. Nudist, Fuchsia-Ristic and Plum Jam.

Top to bottom:

Nudist, Fuchsia-Ristic and Plum Jam

I love the design of this product, the crayon like nib I really like. I think it's great that these aren't your typical lip gloss. I.E liquid in a tube with a brush!

I don't think the colours come out how they look. For example, Fuchsia-Ristic looks bright orange to me...but the name implies it is bright pink!

Nudist is probably my favourite. It's more the shade I would usually go for.

Fuchsia-Ristic would be my next favourite

It is quite pinky but not as pink as I would have liked. And it definitely doesn't look the colour of the stick.

On appearance, Plum Jam would be my least favourite, it seemed too dark for me. But once applied, it didn't look too dissimilar to Fucshia-Ristic.

I really like how glossy these are and they are so easy to apply. 

xxx

Boots Purchases - Essentials July 28th 2014

So today I popped to boots which, as normal, turned into leaving using one of their biggest bags that they provide!

I seem to have run out of my essentials all in one go this week so I went in to pick up my essentials.

Simple Oil Balancing Face Wipes

I always use the Simple brand. I use it for exfoliatition products and I have used these oil balancing facewipes for as long as I can remember. I did hear that these aren't particularly great for your akin but I am pretty lazy when it comes to skin care so I will be sticking with these! They always remove all my make up and are very gentle on my skin. Currently they have a deal in boots for 3 packs for £5. Obviously I bought 3 packs!

Radox Shower Cream

I'm not too picky on shower gel products. As long as it smells good, I'm sold! I love Radox products and I have been using the chamomile and jojoba oil shower cream for quite some time now. At 99p I really can't complain. The handy hook is always a bonus too.

Dove Deoderant 

My friend introduced me to the boots maximum protection deodorant cream about two years ago and I haven't looked back. It is a little pricey at just over £5.00 but it lasts all day and is so moisturising. Once I have let it dry, I never have a problem with marks. I have tried another fragrance of this product but I wasn't too keen, I will be sticking with 'original clean'. I like my under arms to smell like soap rather than some funky fruit! The box states 48 hour antiperspirant which I do usually find, but currently with these heat we have been having in the UK, I have been applying a miniature spray deodorant I have later in the afternoon, still by dove of course! It does say that it can last even after a shower...I wouldn't be so convinced about that!

St Tropez Gradual Tanner

I have a huge addiction to self tanning. I just cannot resist and can't stand being pale! I used to use the regular st tropez self tanner, but I used to find that it was too harsh on my skin in the sense that it was too obvious. It wasn't blending particularly well so I switched to the gradual tan which is seeming to work a lot better on my skin tone. It builds so much more natural which I love. I apply it nearly every day in the evening and keep well moisturised. I do still struggle...even after all of these years...to get it right around my feet! So if anyone has any tips for tanning around your feet and ankles...please let me know!

Hair Grips and Hair Bands

I am forever purchasing hair grips. I do have a little pot that they live in but they still manage to go missing every day! It's the same with hair bands! These hair bands are great, they never stretch too much and the elastic doesn't come out like some. These are also metal free which is great as I heard metal in hair bands is bad for your hair!

All in all, a great few essentials from boots!

xxx

British Beach Polo Championships 2014

A few weeks back I wrote about the press launch of the British Beach Polo Championships. Last weekend it was THE weekend!

I had stepped off a flight from the states at 7:30am and headed straight down to Sandbanks beach in Poole. Feeling a bit groggy I was a little worried about how long I would be able to last before I felt I needed to go to bed!

I managed to last until 2am!

The weather was incredible which was a bonus! We were in the hospitality tent which was great, there was champagne on arrival, a raffle and charity auctions. Lunch was served and it was a vast selection of seafood with plenty of wine followed by Eton Mess.

Once everybody had finished eating, the polo began! It was great to watch and exciting as the England team were playing! Unfortunately we didn't win...but it was still exciting! The polo was followed by England vs Australia volleyball! Which was also great fun to watch.

A fashion show took place and then it was time to party! There were two great acts, Gorgon City and Shiftk3y. We moved on to the VIP tent and I can honestly say...I don't remember too much after that! I did wake up with a rather sore head!

We will definitely be attending next year and I just hope the weather is just as great!

I wore a navy striped swing dress from Asos with a statement necklace from accessorize which I managed to get in the sale a few days before! I wore some trusty brown wedges which I've had for years from river island. I opted for the swing dress because I knew it would be comfortable and light and floaty. I don't have a full length picture of me in the dress so here's the model wearing it from Asos!

And some more pictures of the day...

xxx

Southampton Vintage Festival...

This afternoon Paul and I went to the Southampton Vintage Festival. This was to celebrate Southampton being an official city for 50 years.

We had a great time! The weather was glorious and the atmosphere was great.

There were various stalls selling all sorts of goodies, homemade bits and pieces, jewellery, vintage homeware, vintage clothes, cupcakes, ice cream...all sorts! There was even a stall offering vintage make overs!

We decided to head the pop up Orange Rooms bar and have an alcoholic beverage! I went for a coke float which was amazing. I think the alcohol involved was rum! Paul went for homemade lemonade...which we believe came with vodka! We sipped our drinks in the sunshine and watched the vintage dancers do their thing!

We decided to grab a burger from one of the stalls, the queue was humongous so we figured they were probably the best ones! 

Here's a picture of us enjoying our yummy drinks!

xxx

British Beach Polo 2014 Launch...

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the press launch of the British Beach Polo.

The event is held in Sandbanks, Poole every year on the 11th and 12th July.

Unfortunately I didn't go last year but from all of the stories that I have heard...it sounds like it's going to be brilliant!

So, onto the launch...

The day started with meeting at the Thistle hotel down in Poole quay. This gave everybody a chance to meet and get to know each other. There were models, volley ball players, polo players, DJs and other sponsors like myself.

We then headed down to the quay and had various photos taken with the Polo horses and players. After that, we went on board a beautiful 40ft Sunseeker yacht. I was in heaven! The yacht was stunning and had a whopping three floors...and a hot tub! Luckily the day couldn't have been more perfect weather wise! Whilst the models had their photos taken, we were able to relax in the sunshine on the top deck. No complaints here!

Once we had finished up on the Sunseeker, we headed down to Koh Thai in Bournemouth. I have been to the Koh Thai in Boscombe and it the food was so delicious, I was really excited to try out the Bournemouth version! They bought out some delicious Tapas and we continued to mingle.

All in all a great day!

Here's some pictures...

Apologies for the not so great pictures but I had my hands full!

Outfit:

Top: Topshop

Belt: Topshop

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: River Island

Bag: Vintage

xxx

Emma Stone never gets it wrong...

I have always loved Emma Stone but Pinterest has seriously made me love her even more!

After searching her name and finding all her incredible outfits, I just think, can you get any more amazing!?

She always looks so stunning and I love her simple, natural looking make up that always looks so beautiful.

I have seen that she has tried many different hair styles in the past and there are not many people in the world who can pull them all off. From blonde to red head, she always makes it work. And as a fellow pale skin girl, I love how she embraces it.

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't have thought pairing two shades of pink with red hair would have worked but this is actually one of my favourite outfits of hers. With her barely there silver shoes and small clutch it's just so sophisticated and stylish. It's official, there is nothing bad about this outfit!

 

She is just brilliant. Not to mention the clip of her totally overwhelmed by The Spice Girls Mel B.

 

Emma, you can do no wrong!

 

xxx

Maleficent Review...

Last Sunday Paul and I went to the cinema to see the new Disney movie, Maleficent.

I thought it was absolutely amazing! Maleficent, for me, was always the scariest villain of them all and Angelina Jolie portrayed my memory of her perfectly.

 

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of Angelina but this film may have swayed me.

The special effects are absolutely brilliant and the hair and make up is incredibly beautiful.

I've never really seen Elle Fanning in anything before but she is absolutely adorable and makes a brilliant 'Sleeping Beauty.'

 

 

My only disappointment were the faries. I remember them being so cute and hilarious in the cartoon but they aren't in the film too much. (I mean the cake making scene in the cartoon is a classic!)

 

 

I thought it was going to be pretty much a remake of the original cartoon but, without giving too much away... It was the same but different!

It's dark, sweet, funny and gripping all in one.

All in all, once again, Disney did not disappoint and this really is a must see film!

xxx

Bridesmaid hair...

This August I have the privaledge of being a bridesmaid at my brothers wedding. He is marrying the lovely Steph who has a great blog which you can find here

I have been thinking of some hair styles for the occasion and have once again been looking on Pinterest for some great inspiration!

I am loving the idea of having my hair down and having a plait as a crown.

What do you think?

 

xxx

Button up...

My latest little craft project was to brighten up my living room with something quirky and colourful.

I decided to purchase three identical frames from Ikea, which only cost £4 each and some mixed bags of buttons from EBay which only cost a few pounds for each bag.

I had some 'super strong glue' but NOT super glue! As this is quite fiddly and involves using your fingers a lot, you want to avoid using superglue as you will get seriously stuck together!

I arranged the buttons down free hand, you may want to use some kind of stencil if you want to do something a lot more detailed. 

Once I was happy with the arrangement, I got glueing!

The finished product is 'S & P' which is mine and my boyfriends initials...which I have also been told looks like 'salt & pepper' but I still love it.

I think it's a great way to brighten up a room for a great price and it's also something fun to do!

I hope you try this too :)

xxx

Weekly savings plan...

Whilst at work this week, we were all discussing how much we all need to save! Somebody said they had spotted a weekly savings plan online so I got cracking!

With a trip to New York and Vegas to pay for, I figured this would be pretty handy!

So the idea is as follows...

Week 1 - £1

Week 2 - £2

Week 3 - £3

Every week through the year continue doing this, so by week 52, you will be putting away £52.

If you keep this up every week for a whole year, you will make a grand total of...

£1,378.00. Who couldn't use that kind of money!

I am currently on week 11! Bring on the £££££!

xxx

Busy bee...

Hello all!

Well haven't I just been awful at this recently! When I saw how long ago my last post was, I cringed!

I have been very busy catching up with friends and family, settling in with a new job since returning back home but I think it's safe to say....we are now settled! At last!

I have been up to lots since the move...including weddings, jay Z, Christmas, a Christmas cruise to Belgium, my boyfriends 30th birthday to name a few...

I can't wait to get 2014 going with so much more exciting activities coming up such as city and colour and London grammar...

Sorry I've been so quiet but I will be back!

I have a great craft project I want to get started on so watch this space!

xxx