Monthly Archives: November 2016

Duchess London- Investment Party Dressing*

25th November 2016
These days when it comes to picking out the perfect party outfit we are spoilt for choice. By October the high street is awash with fast fashion pieces that are pretty much disposable, I know myself that I’m guilty of buying a dress and wearing it only once before discarding it a year or so later not wanting to be seen in it again.

Now I’m getting older I often think it’s time to take things back to basics, to invest in some good quality and simple evening wear that might cost a bit (or in this case a lot) more but will last for years and years. When you strip back the sequins and glitter and opt for a simple yet impeccably made piece you actually open up a whole new area of party dressing- choose wisely and you can transform your outfit for multiple occasions with clever use of different jewellery, accessories and shoes.

Above is a selection of dresses from a brand called Duchess London who have recently popped on to my radar. Each piece is beautifully made in London, designed to be a blank canvas to suit any occasion. Forget for a moment the lure of that spangly mini dress that will only see the light of day once, focus instead on the beautifully cut classic designs made in the most luxurious of fabrics- actual silk for example, rather than some questionable nylon that fills with static at the most inopportune moments.

I’m rather taken with the light blue sheer sleeve dress. It’s currently on offer at 20% off (as is every piece until NYE) making it £159. Enough to buy ten dresses from Primark perhaps, but cut to perfection and will last for years. Sadly out of my current budget but a girl can dream…

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Posted in christmas, dresses, fashion, shopping

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#hatwithaheart

24th November 2016
For me one of the greatest rewards from blogging is being able to use my little piece of the internet to get behind charities and causes that I think are really worthwhile. Today my post is all about a campaign that Tesco is running to support Fareshare and the Trussell Trust called #hatwithaheart.

Tesco aims to donate at least £200,000 to food bank charities by donating £1 from all of their novelty hat sales (of which you’ll find plenty for men, women and children so there’s no excuse not to get involved!)

I’m all for a bit of novelty headwear so when Tesco asked if I’d be prepared to snap a couple of selfies to help raise awareness I didn’t hesitate. And it’s not just the hats I’m in it for. I genuinely think that what Fareshare and the Trussell Trust do is vital in helping to break the cycle of poverty. It’s ok for me, I’m sat here writing this in the warm and dry with a kitchen full of food downstairs- not everyone has these basic needs met and for people in crisis the 3 days of emergency food that the food banks provide can be the difference that keeps them going.

You can see more of my selfies over on Instagram where you can also join in yourself by posing in your novelty knit using the hashtag #hatwithaheart

For anyone who isn’t aware then Fareshare is an organisation that focuses on rescuing good food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to charities such as women’s refuges, homeless shelters and children’s breakfast clubs. Trussell Trust has a network of over 400 food banks across the UK who aim to stop hunger by providing a minimum of three days of emergency food to people in crisis who have been referred by front-line professional agencies such as children’s centres, housing associations, GPs or Citizens Advice.

I really hope I’ve done a good enough job of convincing you that this is a cause worth getting behind. You can purchase your novelty hat in Tesco stores or online (and whilst I was sent my hats for the purpose of this post you can rest assured that I’m going to be placing an order for the Christmas Pudding Beanie ASAP!)

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Posted in charity, christmas, fashion, instagram

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Sparkle Season with Rare Pink*

23rd November 2016
One of my favourite things about the festive season is that it becomes universally acceptable to wear a serious amount of sparkle from dawn to dusk. From glittery eyeliner and sequin skirts right through to upping your bling game and sporting some serious stones, people everywhere suddenly start to embrace their inner magpies determined to have some fun before the doom and gloom of January envelops us.

Today I’m bringing you a wish list from Rare Pink a London based jewellers that specialises in bespoke rings and wedding bands. In 2014 they were awarded “Best New Jeweller of the Year” by the British Jewellers Association so whether you are planning to pop the question over the festive period, hope to land a ring on your finger, or like me just fancy a browse (and dream) of something utterly gorgeous then rest assured you’re in safe hands.

This collage is just a teeny tiny selection of some of my favourite pieces by Rare Pink, the website provides some serious jewellery porn! You can browse through a range of classic rings or go down the bespoke route where the team will work with you to create your perfect piece.

What I really like about Rare Pink is their ethics. They operate a zero tolerance policy towards conflict diamonds and all of their stones and metals come only from sources that meet strict human rights, social and environmental criteria.

Obviously I’m now further away than ever from settling down to plan a wedding but should someone ever decide they’d like to make a wife of me I know I’ll be leaving this website open, dropping some not so subtle hints!

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, gifts, inspiration, jewellery, wish list

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There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky

22nd November 2016
Do you ever see an item and just know that one way or another you have to own it no matter what it costs? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw this dress from Miss Patina. At almost £70 it’s possibly the most money I’ve ever spent on a dress (aside from a prom dress when I finished my GCSEs) and I had to save hard but hands down it’s my purchase of the year for sure. It actually took me a long time to get around to wearing it, convinced the timing had to be “just right”…in the end I realised that was a pretty stupid way to think about such an awesome piece and finally popped it on just because.
I’ve included a stock image as well because I somehow didn’t manage to get a decent picture of the epic collar- Bowie and cats are two of my most favourite things ever and this dress represents my sense of style perfectly, paired with my sparkly trainers that I bought in Bershka last year this is about as me as it gets.

I finally feel like I’m dressing like myself again. It’s taken a long time and at times I have felt completely uninspired when it comes to my clothing. This year has been a tough one and somewhere along the way I lost myself for a while- between the stress of moving out of my parental home, finally admitting I had relapsed with my eating disorder, being signed off work, my relationship ending and moving back home again all within the space of 7 months it’s easy to see how everything fashion and style fell off my radar. Finally though life is starting to feel ok again. I’m settled back at my parents, my heart is healing from the break up, I’m getting help and support with the anorexia and I’ve just been given the news that I can return to work in January which is just the best possible feeling.

It’s hard too, in a world where blogging is now so prevalent. I know I’m not the most fashionable person in the world. I don’t have a professional standard photographer, a big budget for new items, the prettiest face or the popularity of so many of the bloggers I look up to and admire. This is just my part-time hobby and sometimes I feel like I just can’t compare. I think it’s easy- too easy to play the comparison game and for a while I forgot why I blog and who I do it for…that is, myself. It’s not my career, nor do I want it to be. I don’t do it for the followers, the admiration or the money/gifted items. I do it because I enjoy having a place to write and to be myself. To share the things I love (and sometimes the things I don’t).

That being said I am now getting more in to taking photos of my outfits again. My choices are getting bolder and my confidence is slowly building. It might seem strange for someone who struggles with an eating disorder to put themselves online like this and sometimes I do question how and why I do it…but the bottom line is I enjoy it, for myself. I see my body as nothing but a vessel for living my life and I occasionally feel like sharing how I dress it and there’s nothing wrong with that in the slightest. It’ll be hard, as my weight begins to creep up- it always is difficult to have a visual diary of a process you’re not entirely comfortable with, but then my blog becomes something else again, a document of how I took on my demons and eventually after 15 years of hell I came out on top.

Wow, this has turned in to an un-intentionally deep and rambling post, I would say I apologise but I’m really not sorry. It’s rare that I find myself able to express the thoughts in my head and convert them in to the written word and I make no apology for the fact that at times I feel like making them public so I have a reminder of everything I’ve been through.

Let me know your thoughts on the dress- do you have any items in your wardrobe that you simply HAD to own?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, shopping

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Healthier Baking with SugaVida

21st November 2016
I’m using the word healthier in place of healthy in the post title because I’m not sure that the cookies I’m sharing a recipe for would pass as a “health food”- they still contain real butter and white flour after all. I’m definitely not the kind of person to jump on any dietary bandwagons but I’m all for a bit of experimentation so when I was given the opportunity to test out the UK’s new “super sugar” SugaVida I jumped at the chance. Actually this was more for the benefit of my best friend’s Dad who has recently been told his blood sugar is higher than it should be- he’s been really careful with his diet but has been mourning the lack of my baked goods…I decided to put my thinking cap on and come up with a bake that he could enjoy but wouldn’t undo all of his hard work.

Before I get in to the recipe I’ll explain a bit more about SugaVida. It’s essentially an alternative to traditional sugar and also goes by the name of Palmyra Jaggery which is a crystallised, unrefined nectar. Because it has a low GI it is suitable for diabetics and can be used in place of sugar in hot drinks, baking and cooking. It’s also packed with other nutritional benefits- one teaspoon of SugaVida contains 36% of the RDA of vitamin B12 (in fact, SugaVida is the only plant-based source of B12 which is great news for veggies and vegans), 210% of the RDA of vitamin B6 and a whopping 500% of vitamin B1. What’s more, SugaVida is organic, ethically sourced and sustainable for the communities who farm it!

I decided to make cookies as my first experiment, a nutella type cookie in fact, although I used Jim Jams low sugar chocolate hazelnut spread to continue on the virtue front.
Ingredients:

100g Jim Jams chocolate hazelnut spread
100g unsalted butter, softened
175g SugaVida
1 egg
250g Self raising flour

You will need also need a baking tray lined with baking parchment

How To:
Heat the oven to 180c, 160c fan. Gas 4.

Place the chocolate hazelnut spread, butter and SugaVida n a mixing bowl and beat well until smooth (an electric whisk helps).

Beat in the egg then beat in the flour to make a stiff dough.

Shape the dough into large walnut sized balls and place on a baking tray spaced a little apart. Flatten with a fork and bake for 15 mins until golden. allow to cool and store in a cake tin- they keep well, if you can resist them!

The SugaVida reminds me very much of a dark, muscavado sugar so adds a real caramel taste to the cookies. This combined with the chocolate hazelnut spread was a real winning combination and already a second lot has been requested. They are so quick and easy to make that I don’t mind and I’m hoping to experiment with some more low sugar bakes in the future so my bestie’s dad no longer needs to miss out!

SugaVida is available at major retailers now with an RRP of £6.49 for 250g. Yep, it’s pricey but if you’re baking for an occasional treat for someone who would otherwise miss out, or are planning on using it just to sweeten hot drinks then it’s not too bad.

Let me know any diabetes friendly baking recipes you may have in the comments, I know they’ll be appreciated!

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Posted in baking, food, review, snacking

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