My #TravelodgeTopTowns; shopping and staycations*

17th December 2015

I’ve always been a girl who has loved to shop and I consider us very lucky over here in the UK as their are some amazing shopping centres to visit from the mainstream brands to the quirky independents. We’re also incredibly lucky that we don’t need to travel overseas to have an amazing break away. An hour or two down a motorway sees us almost in another country with changing scenery, atmosphere and even weather. With that in mind, when Travelodge invited me to share some of my top towns with my readers I really didn’t find it all that hard.

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I couldn’t not start this post with my home city, Bristol and all it has to offer. I’ve waxed lyrical about living here before especially in terms of the shopping! From out of town high street heaven at Cribbs Causeway to the brands and atmosphere of Cabot Circus there really is something to cater for all tastes and all budgets. Some of my favourite shopping haunts are Gloucester Road for it’s independent shops and cool coffee shops as well as Cabot Circus (nothing beats a browse in Pull and Bear, or I feel really extravagant then Harvey Nichols!

Another favourite for me in terms of shopping has to be Birmingham. The vastness of the Bullring (the UK’s busiest shopping centre) never fails to impress me and I love how so many shops that I can’t browse in Bristol are readily available for my browsing pleasure. I could lose half a day easily inside Selfridges and split the other half between Forever21 and Victorias Secret. I must make another visit soon.

On the staycation front there are two places that really stand out in my mind. Firstly Sidmouth, a charming little seaside town in Devon where I spent many a happy childhood holiday. There is something so magical about strolling down cobbled streets, eating ice cream and picking your way over the pebbly beach waiting for the tide to retreat so you can snag a rare bit of sand. I have so many happy memories from this little part of Devon, I don’t think it will ever lose it’s magic.

The second staycation destination is Melton Mowbray which I’ve become quite familiar with since Ben and I make more and more frequent visits up to see his family. He’ll think I’m mad for writing this but I think it’s such a charming place with it’s signposts for the pork pie shoppe and bustling weekend market. A short drive outside of town and you’re in some of the most beautiful countryside too… I always fall for this town every time we head up North.

These are all places I plan to see a lot more of in 2016. It’s going to be a busy year and I don’t think I’ll have the funds to fly off anywhere overseas, I can’t say I’m overly bothered though (weather aside) as the UK has so much to offer and you can easily get a weekend away very cheaply, leaving a few pennies left over to explore the local shops, of course!

Where are some of your favourite towns and cities? I’m starting a list of where I need to go over the next 12 months…

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Instalife

02nd June 2014

Welcome to the lastest edition of Instalife; another round-up of the happenings in my life, with a hefty dose of cats and once again showcasing my inability to have a social life. Click the images to enlarge them, I haven’t bothered to caption them this month as they are all pretty self explanatory!

Link me up to your Instagram round-ups…maybe one month I’ll have some pictures from outside my own home to share!

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Kreativ (apparently I am)

26th March 2011

Ok, shame on me because apart from Sophie and Beth I have lost track of who else passed me this award…please shout if you did and I will add you on!
Thank you all so much, I love reading other people’s answers and feel honoured to be nominated myself

*Oscar worthy speech over*

The rules are:

1) link 10 blogs;

2) tell these bloggers about the award;

3) write 10 facts about yourself;

Ok, so lets crack on.

Ten things about me…

1. Please don’t judge but I typically wash my hair once a week, twice at a push. I find it really doesn’t need more than that, and behaves better this way. Lucky, or plain lazy? I don’t care! Thank goodness for Bastiste to keep it smelling fresh!

2. I am a complete child at heart. Matey bubble bath, kids TV, polly pocket, jelly tots…the list goes on.

3. I also like to think I can save the world, anyone having a hard time and I feel gutted I can’t fix it for them, but I will always, ALWAYS offer support. It’s my little way of paying back the support my family and friends (including you, dear blog readers) have given me.

4. Once upon a time many moons ago my favourite activities were Judo, Kayaking and general outdoor sport madness. I have fond memories of white water rafting on a body board in Austria one summer.

5. I am a foodie. I always have been and always will be I think. I kept it quiet for a while, due to having been ill and people assuming my interest in food stemmed from that. Truth is, I’ve always loved the stuff. Give me Good Food magazine over Vogue any day.

6. I love fashion, really I do, but for me it’s not about the runways and haute couture. Highstreets and real people inspire me more; seeing clothes on real people and knowing that price wise, they are more within my grasp is much more endearing. Saying that, I will happily drool over runway images and editorials..but purely for dreaming purposes, I never aspire to own the latest from Chanel in the way I do the new arrivals in Topshop or New Look.

7. I drink stupid amounts of coffee in a day…8 plus cups. I must be immune to the caffiene though as it doesn’t boost my energy or give me sleeping trouble.

8. My heart belongs to American candy. And their snack foods in general. The UK cannot compare…especially cereal bar wise.

9. I go through phases of only eating, or liking certain things. Greek yoghurt, smarties, certain TV programmes, certain teas, certain clothes. And then BAM, I want nothing to do with them anymore. The exception to this being my addictions to both tights and greek yoghurt.

10. I will be 24 next month and still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. Do I care? Not.one.bit. Right now I am happier and healthier than I have been in 9 years and I plan to live in the moment and embrace every second of it!

Now,

I cannot possibly pick just a few bloggers to pass this on to,

so I pick you ALL!

Gratuitous cat paparazzi picture for your time!

Happy Saturday xoxox

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1.03

01st March 2010

So the majority vote yesterday was that you guys wanted to see my tights collection. Because I am nice, I have obliged and took photos of most of what I own (a few pairs are currently in the wash)
The photos aren’t the best, but you do get the idea!

These are my detailed black tights and include sheer with floral sides, and heart polka dot style ones although these details dont show up in the photos.

The block colours…I think this is the pile where some are missing!

The patterned lot…as you can see, this collection badly needs adding to!

The boring plain ones for work and dull days!

As you can see, I am neither neat, nor organised and my collection lives happily tangled in a drawer. For this reason I will NOT be showing you the inside of my clothes storage, because it truly is shameful!

I also had a request or two for a look at the content of my bag, so I’ve done that for you as well!

My current bag is this Max C one from Asos.

Wallet, coin purse, envelope “voucher holding” purse, phone (nokia x6, which will get a post of its own soon)

Diary, notebook, keys, zip case, pen, tissues and matchbox friend (a good luck charm from a darling friend)

Zip case innards.

The rest of my junk including the best snack bars ever (well, no lara bars are but the UK stopped selling them), tea, mints, gum, cigs, various meds and sweetners.

Organised 😉

I hope that somewhat satisfies your curiosity! I’d love to see what you guys carry around, or what clothing/accessories you are addicted to.

Happy Monday

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Epic Answers Post

02nd October 2009

Well here we go guys, here are my answers to the questions you asked! Enjoy…

Where exactly in the UK you live? In a small town about 8 miles outside of Bristol.

What’s your favourite piece of jewellery? I have quite a few favourite pieces but one that always springs to mind is a cameo necklace that belonged to my Dad’s Mum. It’s a beautiful piece that has huge sentimental value to me.

Where are you from? The UK

Who takes your pictures? I do using the self timer, hence why they are always in my bedroom or the kitchen as they are the only places that have the lighting and required places to balance the camera at the right height. I’m not brave enough to have anyone take my picture outside of the home.

How old are you? I’m 22.

Do you have someone you look up to as your fashion inspiration? No, not really in the sense of having one or even two fashion idols. I take inspiration from lots of places, primarily bloggers and street style but it’s always a pinch of one, a dash of the other rather than one person in their entirety.

Where do you shop for your craft goodies? I get my chain from e-bay and charms and beads come from all over the place, as do other basic supplies. I try to support local craft shops as much as possible, but also love places like Etsy for the sheer amount of choice! A lot of my friends bring me things back from trips away, and I get a lot of old jewellery passed on to me to break up and use the components in a new way.

What is your favourite clothing shop in England? New Look without a doubt. When I was growing up it was the only shop in my town and I resented it. Now I love it and think it has grown and improved so much. I always know that if I need a dress, cardigan or shoes, no matter where else I look I can always find something I love more in New Look, and the quality and prices perfectly suit my needs. It’s a bit of an addiction really, but they don’t get enough love. I have to be realistic, I couldn’t shop in Topshop all the time as the clothes don’t suit my body very much and at the moment it’s way out of my budget.

Link us to some of your favourite blogs: I’d be here all day if I tried to do that, honestly, I read and love so many!

How many pets do you have, what are they and what are their names? As of yesterday, I have my cat, Flash and one guinea pig named Harry.

If you could come back as any animal, which would you be and why? After seeing the charmed life Flash leads, without hesitation, I’d be a cat!

Where would you like to be in five years? This is actually a really tough question as I have a hard time looking ahead to the future. Ideally though I’d like to have moved out of home and be working as a journalist.

What five things couldn’t you live without? 1) My family and friends, 2) my phone, 3) coffee, 4) my laptop, 5) sweets!

If you could travel to any country/city in the world where would you most want to go? There are so many places I’d love to visit, but Paris is top of my list.

When are you going to quit smoking? One day for sure, just not today!

You mention you are 22 and finally getting where you want to be. Where is that? “That” is finding out who I am, and getting to know that person, realising I can and do achieve things and slowly but surely moving upwards and onwards in all areas of life.

My question would be… what truly inspires you? Life. The people and places, sighs and sounds around me.

My question…what is your most cherished dream? That I can, and will be the person I have always wanted to be.

Okay, I want to know what lip gloss you use…in a recent post you showed a close up of your face, and I just adore the lip colour! That was MAC Angel lipstick with Nivea care gloss and shine on top.

Cookies or candy? Candy wins hands down!

What’s your favourite season and why? I have equal love and hatred for all the seasons! You’ll find me praising, and then ranting about each and every one at some point!

What’s your favourite piece of clothing? Do tights count? Defiantly tights!

Who are your favourite designers? I don’t really have favourites per say. I can’t think of any designers I don’t like, but there are none I covet exclusively. I’d happily take my favourite pieces from each one rather than have a whole wardrobe full of just one. Saying that, I do have a soft spot for Chloe, Marc Jacobs and Luella.

WHEN WILL WE FINALLY MEET AND RAID H&M? When do you want me?! Ha-ha.

If you were granted one wish (whatever you want), what would you wish for? I have several friends really struggling with life right now; my one wish is that they could be happy, healthy and love themselves.

Your skin is flawless. What kind of skin care products do you use? Oh, really, my skin is far from flawless! For my body, I use soap and glory products, especially the body butter and sugar scrub. For my face, I swear by Kate Logan beauty, who I was introduced to when I reviewed her range for my final project at college.

Where are your favourite places to shop? New Look, Primark and anywhere with a decent sale! I also love markets, especially farmers markets and craft markets.

Which are your favourite fashion magazines? The usual suspects, Vogue and Elle, oh and Lula. I only read the British versions but would love to get my hands on others.

Where do you want to travel? Everywhere! Honestly. Just everywhere.

What would your dream job be? Journalist. It’s all I want to do.

What do you do in your “Laura” time? Read, blog, write letters, make jewellery, watch TV, and go for walks, window shop. I have a lot of Laura time at the moment so that pretty much sums up my daily routine!

What is your favourite thing to cook? I love cooking in general and don’t do it enough. Give me ingredients and a recipe and a willing taste tester and I’m in my element. For myself, I don’t cook a lot as I’m….struggling with food myself, but I love playing around with tofu and experimenting with flavour combinations. If anyone has any great tofu recipes, send them my way!

What is your favourite book? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Possibly the most moving book I have ever read. It was so powerful I was in tears during some parts.

What fashion trend do you absolutely loathe and why? Apart from Crocs which are my absolute pet hate, I don’t loathe any, as what doesn’t work on one person looks amazing on another. My biggest peeve is people who dress with no imagination. I hate that more than anything (though my own outfits aren’t exactly imagination central!)

What do you love to read? Books in general, I’ve always been a big reader and will devour anything. I remember reading the dictionary once!

When are you coming to Australia? When I have the money to do so!

If you made your way through all that, you can award yourself a gold star/cookie/pat on the back.

Here is my outfit from Wednesday to round off the post…