a break from the brights

Dress, Dorothy Perkins (£7), Tights, Superdrug, Shoes c/o Ellos

As temperatures dipped a little yesterday I took a break from the brighter colours and reverted back to my standard work colour scheme. This dress was yet another mid-season sale bargain and was perfect for keeping the chill out. Rumours are that we’re getting a uniform for work, which suits me fine…that’ll be more money to spend on “fun” clothes and less stress in the mornings over what to wear!

This week has dragged on forever, between hospital visits and general worrying to all round chaos at work, it was fantastic this morning to wake up at the time my alarm goes off and be able to roll over and sleep a bit more.

Here’s hoping for a somewhat less traumatic weekend! I’m going to be visiting my Nan in hospital today, taking with me a childish yet awesome colouring book to keep her busy…and I’m getting prepared to be nagged from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave (a sure sign she’s made improvements over the week!)

What are your thoughts on work uniforms? I think in some jobs it can be essential…where I work, at a doctors surgery, sometimes it’s hard to tell the staff from the patients so I see it as a bonus (as well as the points I mentioned above!)

xxx

Snackaddicted

First there was my popcorn obsession (still going), followed by roasted chickpeas (also still going strong) and then Popchips had to go and launch themselves in the UK.

Long gone has my sweet tooth, these days I’m all about the savoury, and these things are just…AMAZING! I first picked up a couple of packs in my local Waitrose, but the kind folks at Popchips also sent me a box to review after I rather enthusiastically stalked them on Twitter…I intended to snap a photo of the box (it was awesome) but greed got in the way.

“you say crisp. we say chip.
we all say delicious.

never fried. never baked. our potato chips are popped (like popcorn). with all the flavour and less than half the fat of fried crisps and less than 100 calories per serving, you’ll taste why they’re winning awards (and acclaim) throughout america.

the magic of popping

popping is a way of making our naturally delicious chips. we start with the finest potatoes, add a little heat and pressure, along with a little snack magic and pop! it’s a chip. then we add all-natural seasoning for a snack so tasty you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier. pop open a bag of popchips and try for yourself. everybody has a favourite. or two.

naturally delicious. nothing fake or phony.

our all-natural pledge: no fake colours, no fake flavours, no preservatives, no fluorescent orange fingertips, and no wiping your greasy chip hand on your jeans. no really. we only use ingredients you can feel good about eating and we leave out the bag stuff like hydrogenated oils and msg that give snacking a bad name. because popchips have no preservatives, make sure to get a good chip clip after opening the bag to keep our popped chips fresh. or better yet, just eat them all at once.”

Out of the four flavours, my favourite is probably the salt and pepper variety, although all of them are really bloody good! somewhere out there exists and a salt and vinegar variety, but so far no luck with getting that one.
Have you tried these yet? if you have a Waitrose near you, hurry on down as these babies are on offer until the 10th of April…I’ve been buying (in bulk)
xxx

Daisy Chain Dreaming: Daisy Lace & Studs from Lola&Grace

How stunning is this jewellery from quirky brand Lola&Grace? It takes a certain something to make me want to post about something on the blog; if I shared every press release I recieved this blog would soon lose focus; and although my posts are eclectic, they are all things I truly adore. Jewellery is a weak point for me…I’m like a magpie, attracted to anything that shines. Traditionally I’ve always opted for more delicate pieces, especially when it comes to neck adornment, but I would happily wear each and every one of these pieces, and I suspect one or two will feature highly on my Birthday wish-list.

And how much for these wonderful creations?
Well, I was shocked…

From top to bottom:

Daisy lace necklace – £23.90
Daisy lace cuff – £29.90
Daisy lace earrings – £15.90
Spiral rebound necklace – £31.90
Spiral rebound ring – £23.90
Spiral rebound earrings – £23.90
Spiral rebound bracelet – £21.90
Gem petals necklace – £39.90

Gem petals ring – £31.90

Impressive!


If you had to narrow it down, which piece would you pick? I’m erring toward the Gem Petals Necklace (and perhaps the ring!)

xxx 

Midi Adventure

Skirt (£3!) H&M, Tee Peacocks, Tights Tesco and Boots New Look.

I couldn’t resist this bargain skirt in the H&M sale, swayed by the super cheap price tag and slightly daunted by the colour. It’s actually turned out to be one of my favourite impulse buys ever and was perfect to add a splash of colour to a super sunny day!

I can’t believe it’s Thursday, this week has passed by in a surreal haze…how’s it going?

xxx

Platform 51

Platform 51, is a charity that supports disadvantaged women and girls across England and Wales. On International Woman’s Day they launched ‘Glad Rags’, a month long YouTube campaign to raise awareness of low-level mental health issues and empower women to come together in a positive way to share experiences and raise self-esteem and confidence.

They have been asking women to upload videos to our YouTube channel where they are wearing an outfit that makes them feel good about themselves – this could be them wearing their favourite dress, or the suit they wore to a successful job interview – to encourage them to engage with low level mental health issues in a positive way. It would be great if you’d contribute a video to the campaign, and you can style it in whatever way you like and make it as creative as you want.

Platform 51 has conducted some research showing that 33% of all women have taken antidepressants and more than half weren’t offered an alternative. 24% currently taking antidepressants have been on them for 10 years or more and 24% have not had a review of their treatment for a year or more at some point. We are therefore calling for a review (there is a petition being run as part of the campaign) in the way low-level mental illness is treated in this country and an end to the stigma that surrounds mental health.

You can find the petition here

Let me know if you upload a video; and please spread the word about this fabulous campaign.

xxx