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Saturday 12 October 2013

Birthday weekend in London - Day #1

So, I'm now 21!

Wow, where is time going!? When I was a little girl imagining my life, 21 seemed like such a long way away and such an old age. In my head I would be married with a job and a house and a baby by the time I was 21 and here I actually am, still having to ask my flat mate to help me iron some of my more difficult dresses! It's crazy that I'm in my final year of university and I'm thinking about whats going to happen next, what I'm going to do with the rest of my life but that I'm still staying up till 2 am singing Steps hits with my best friend and having play fights with my boyfriend. Its scary, thinking about the rest of my life and my career and everything, but I'm also still having a stupid amount of fun. And, to be honest I was really worrying about becoming 21 way more then I should have been. However, it is kind of depressing that my next mile stone birthday is 30 :(

Anyway, for the big 2 1 my mom and dad paid for me and my boyfriend to spend a few nights in London. I love London as I've mentioned once or twice or twelve times, but I'd never spent the night there before, so it was such a wonderful present and I had the best time.

I'm going to do three separate blog posts about my trip to London as they are going to all be pretty picture and word heavy so I'll split them up into different days so it's easier for any one to read and easier for me when I want to pop back here and reminisce about the trip :)

So day 1 was Friday 20th September.



I didn't get too many photo's from this day. We arrived in London at about 1 o'clock and went looking for our hotel. Once we'd checked in, unpacked and spruced ourselves up we headed out to Camden Market. After perusing the stalls, scoffing salt and pepper chicken and rice from our favorite food stall and a quick pit stop back at the hotel to get changed, we headed over to The Lord Raglan pub where were met by Richard Jones to begin our London Ghost walk.

This was the first ghost tour we'd ever been on and it was amazing. Richard was such a good story teller, he was funny and passionate, engaging and interesting and, most importantly to us, truthful. He didn't just tell scary stories, he told stories of fake ghosts who were foiled by Samuel Johnson and showed us famous places for example, where Braveheart was hanged drawn and quartered, the graveyard where the "She - Wolfe" Queen Isabelle is buried, a walk around the wall that the Romans built when they first created their city Londinium and, for Sherlock fans, the hospital where Benedict Cumberbatch jumped from the roof in the last episode. Also, probably my favorite of all, was the stop off at the beautiful St Bartholomew the Great Church, which has been used in many famous films, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (the church where Hugh Grants marriage that doesn't actually happen is set to take place). Every stop was beautiful and fascinating and after every story Adam and I turned to each other and said "wow!". We were so impressed and for a mere £9 each it was one of the best experiences of  the weekend. Next time we head to London we're going to check out some of Richards other tours of London, I'm particularly interested in the Jack the Ripper tour.

After the hour and 40 minute tour, to settle our grumbling tummy's, we took the tube to London Bridge and made our way to the Garrison Pub for a gorgeous meal. And when I say gorgeous meal, I mean the best meal either of us have ever eaten. Ever. The pub had a wonderful atmosphere, it was loud and buzzing with happy people laughing and chatting away and it was really nice to be surrounded by everyone. But we were also in our own little corner and could still enjoy our own conversations. I'm not sure if that makes sense or if its everyone's cup of tea but we loved it. And the food! It tasted so good neither of us wanted to ever finish what was on our plate. To start we had the the crab (me) and the chicken (Adam) followed by the cod (Adam) and the veal (me) for mains.Just thinking about the food now is making my mouth water and my stomach moan. So I speak for both of us when I say we would definitely recommend the Garrison and would definitely go back again. The staff were super friendly, the atmosphere was great, the food was amazing and the decoration and little touches were so cute. 

What I wore:
Choies dress | Boohoo boots | Topshop socks | Ebay jacket | Charity shop bag




Wednesday 21 August 2013

wanderlust on a wednesday: #2 - Hungary

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all images taken from google images, if they belong to you and you want me to credit you I'll be happy to :)


Population: aprox. 10 million
Language: Hungarian
Currency: Hungarian Forint
Capital City: Budapest


  • Hungary was founded in 896 and is one of the oldest countries in Europe.
  • Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's cube, was a Hungarian. As was the inventor of the ballpoint pen.


Saturday 17 August 2013

such a lovely place, such a lovely face

I love Bristol (which is a fact my friends and family can firmly attest to since I kinda have not shut up about the city since I went) so I'm surprised it's taken me this long to blog about my little weekend trip I took there all the way back in March! But I've finally gotten around to it.













It was my boyfriends 21st birthday and, as the football team he supports were playing against Bristol and we'd both always wanted to go, I thought I'd treat him to two nights in England's 6th most populous city. It's a really beautiful place, we literally could not get enough of the sights and spent the three days just walking around taking it in. We both fell in love with the laid back atmosphere and chilled out vibe the city had and spent countless hours sitting by the canal watching the sun go down and reading about Banksy (speaking of, if you go to Bristol make sure you keep an eye out for the original Banksy's dotted about the city, my favourite being the Well Hung Lover on Frogmore Street). If I had a pound for every time either one of us said "I could live here" or "I wish I lived here!" during the three days then I would be a rich woman right now (well, not right now I'd probably have spent it by now...) You know when you go to a place and you just seem to fall in step with its pace and you just think "yep, I fit in here"? That's how I felt in Bristol, like I was completely suited to the Bristolian way of life. Also, not meaning to generalise or whatever, but we both found that the people in Bristol were so friendly. Everyone we came in contact with was lovely and friendly and helpful!

We stayed in a really lovely b&b, The Whitehouse Guest Rooms. It was cheap, comfortable and in a really good location. We definitely couldn't have asked for better for what we paid!  I wish I'd taken better and more photos but hey ho, I guess I was too busy enjoying myself. I'm already (and have been ever since we got back) planning my next visit to the city as there is so much I want to see and do, so many markets I want to go to when I actually have money to waste, so many cute tea rooms and restaurants with mouth watering menu's and breath taking views that I want to visit! There is so much to do and see and I feel like it's got something for everyone, regardless of what your interested in so if you're looking for a place to go for a mini break, whether with your friends, partner or family, I hugely recommend Bristol!

P.S - I may get severely told off if Adam sees this, but I had to slip in this picture I took of him during his birthday meal at Giraffe. He just looks so cute!







x rose paddle

Wednesday 14 August 2013

wanderlust on a wednesday: #1 - Cambodia

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all images taken from google images, if they belong to you and you want me to credit you I'll be happy to :)

Population: 13.5 million
Language: Khmer
Currency: Riel
Capital City: Phnom Pehn

  • The Cambodian national flag is the only flag that has an image of a building on.
  • Half of Cambodia's current population is younger than 15 years old.
  • Traditionally, birthdays are not celebrated in Cambodia and some older people don't know how old they are.

Monday 24 June 2013

You just use the future to escape the present

I'm feeling pretty gutted right now, because I've read everything John Green has written and I am missing the way I felt when I was reading his books. 


John Green is a beautiful author. I love the way he writes, I love the stories he tells. I love the way his writing makes me feel. Like I know exactly whats coming and I so don't want that to happen and then that doesn't happen and I'm happy and sad. Like I don't want to do anything but read his books for the rest of my life. I love that his books have made me laugh so hard and some of them have made me cry even harder.
I love his characters and I love that I have fallen in love with every single one of them and believe every single one of them and want to know every single one of them. Radar, Will Grayson, Quentin, Hazel, Augustus, Tiny, Alaska, Miles, Chip, Hassan, Colin, Margo, Lacey, Lyndsey. I would do anything to have them jump out of the book and out of mine and John's imagination and into my life. Because I love them and I know them and I want so badly to be their friends and to have conversations with them and adventures with them. That's the sign of a good author to me. The plot has to be good and the story has to grab you and make you want it to never end but most importantly, the characters need to be real and you need to love them and hate them and cry for them and feel with them and want to know them. 

I love the message his books have. All of them. They are all about different people with different problems and different heartaches, but they all convey the same message. Life can be a pile of crap and it wears us down and hurts us and changes us and, in the end, life kills us. But it is still so worth living.





If you want to meet people who will inspire you and make you laugh and make you cry and make you feel normal for feeling the way you do and say the kind of things you thought only you felt, then I recommend reading a book by John Green. Or if you want to read a book that makes you realise both how crap things are and how great things are and that the good things about life out weigh the bad a bazillion to one then I recommend reading a book by John Green. Or if you're after a book that makes you feel young and old and naive and wise and makes you laugh and cry, then I recommend John Green.

And please let me know what you think! 







Thursday 2 May 2013

take me away

Isn't it wonderful when your senses carry you off? 
When hearing a song, seeing a sight or smelling a scent can rekindle old feelings and memories that were lost somewhere in the back of your head, sometimes completely randomly, and transport you to a different time or place.

I think it's absolutely magical and love nothing more than running away to a happy memory.


For those 5 minutes I was in Barcelona with my boyfriend.




Saturday 27 April 2013

#nofilter






 

As I'm sure everyone is aware we've had some gorgeous days recently and the sun has been out in full force. Swansea is a great place and I love living here but sometimes, when it's rained every day for a month and everything is so grey and miserable, I can forget how beautiful it really is. Days like this, when you can go for a walk and stumble upon a stunning, hidden park or stroll down the coast to the wonderful fishing village that is Mumbles, remind me just how lucky I am to go to a uni in such a nice location.

Monday 8 April 2013

Tiptoe through the tulips with me

Hello guys!
The sun was out, the air was warm and for me that meant one thing... long rambles in the country side with the dogs! Hopefully this isn't the last we see of the sun, it looks like England has finally realised it's spring time and the weather is getting its act into gear.











Firstly on Saturday me and Adam took his dog Lenny for a long walk through the fields and by the river and then on Saturday my family and I took our beautiful border collie Shay to Kingsbury Water Park for the afternoon. I loved both days, especially Sunday. Kingsbury Water Park is a lovely place, particularly on a warm weekend as it is full of families with young children, old couples and dog owners and just has a really wonderful atmosphere, perfect day out when you bring a picnic along!  Unfortunately Shay hurt his leg towards the end of the walk and has been hobbling about on it ever since which, although a little bit funny, is so sad to watch. It should have sorted itself out by tomorrow we're hoping and it doesn't seem to be anything series but the poor little mite has been in the wars a bit recently :( 

Saturday night was also quiz night at the cricket club in the village where Adam lives so Adam, myself, his mom, dad and sister all set up a team. We didn't do too badly, coming a respectable 9th out of 13th (made more respectable by the fact that there was joint seventh, fifth and third meaning we was technically only five spaces behind the winners) but it was a lot of fun and after all it is the taking part that counts not the winning... although if someone could please tell that to my incredibly competitive boyfriend I'd be grateful ;)

I've had a lovely weekend and I hope you all did too! What did you guys get up to?








Thursday 4 April 2013

You're so money supermarket, you don't even know it: PASSION FOR FASHION 2

So Money Supermarket are running a competition called Passion For Fashion 2. To enter you have to create 3 looks for under £200 in the categories 'Casual', 'Beach/Holiday' and 'Party'. To find out more and how to enter click here :)

I've mainly entered this for fun. I don't have the best style in the world, I'm not one to follow trends I like what I like and that's what I wear, so my entries might not appeal to everyone but putting them together was so so much fun. I've never made a collage like this before but I used Polyvore and this has now kick started my addiction to it haha! If I'm being really honest its been a bit bitter sweet actually because although I've loved browsing my favourite on line shops and creating these collages I now some how have to find £516 to buy these three outfits because I have fallen madly in love with everything and I really need them! 

When shopping I like to look for a statement, expensive item and then go bargain hunting for other things to create a whole outfit so that's what I've done here and I'm really happy with the out fits I've created. Not only are they good value for money in my opinion but all the pieces I could team with other items in my wardrobe so I'd really get my moneys worth and a lot of wear of everything. 





Playsuit £44 | Crochet Vest £19.74  | Bikini top £16 | Bikini bottoms £10 | Sandals £12 | Tote bag £14.86 | Sunglasses £16 | Nail Varnish £5.27

On holiday (when I go abroad this is, I doubt I'll be getting the chance to wear anything like this in England this summer - sigh!) I really don't like to be restricted. I want light, loose clothes so I can run around in the heat and eat all I want and still be really comfortable. This play suit is perfect and beautiful and I love it so much. Totes are my bag of choice as they fit so much in and have the prettiest designs. I've been after this wolf one for ages ever since I stumbled across it on Etsy - wolves are one of my favourite animals and 'wolf' or 'wolfy' are names I often call my boyfriend so I doubly love/want this tote. Orange is my favourite colour so when I saw these River Island bikini bottoms I had to add them and when I was looking for the matching top I came across this one which is just so cool and stylish and I think goes perfectly with the orange bottoms. I'm not really keen on accessories in hot weather, I don't like anything I don't need making me hot and bothered so a pair of gorgeous sunnies, simple sandals and a little crochet vest to throw over my shoulders to stop getting too sunburnt and my outfit is complete!
I really am in love with this outfit and wish so much I'd found all these pieces before I went to Italy last year - it's the perfect combination of style and practicality in my opinion.




Crop Strappy Cami £15 | Space print skirt £26 | Wedges £65 | Clutch £30 | Bangle £2.50 | 3 Pack of Rings  £15 | Earrings £5.00 | Gel eye liner £7.99 | MAC lipstick £14 | Nail Varnish £5.27 |

I love going out and getting dressed up but I'm not one for tight body cons and glitter, it's just not really my cup of tea as I think both looks pretty awful on me. This outfit however is right up my street! I love it! It's bright and simple and not outrageously expensive which is just what I look for in an outfit. The shoes are probably my favourite part. I'm no good at walking in heels but wedges I can do and when they look like these Topshop beauties that's even better. I love this Mod Dolly vintage skirt, it's not your regular party choice and I'm pretty sure I'd be the only one wearing something like it which is perfect for me as I like to stand out a little on a night out. I love the clutch and jewellery and think they add a little bit of glam. Loose curls, a dark smokey eye, bright red nails and a red lip and I'd be all ready for a night on the town.





Jacket £45 | Blouse £31.70 | Shorts £50 | Boots £15 | Bag £35 | Bangle £2 | Earrings £3 | Lipstick £3.99 | Blush £6 

Whilst I love all three, this is probably my favourite of the lot. Maybe it's because it's the casual category so I could wear it (and mix and match the different pieces) practically every day. I chose a little picture of the Eiffel Tower for this look because me and Adam are going to Paris in June (don't get me started on how excited I am) and I can definitely see myself strolling down the Champs - Elysée in this get up. However I could also see my self running to lectures in it too (obviously after adding some thick woolly tights - I do go to  uni if Wales after all) and I think that's why I love it so much. The shorts are probably more then I would normally spend on a pair of shorts but I just love them so much and would get so much wear out of them that it would be a justifiable purchase - same with the jacket. I like buying an expensive garment every once in a while if I know I can team it with lots of things I already own and these two items would go with pretty much all of my wardrobe so they would definitely be worth the splurge. I don't know what to say about the blouse and the boots, I think they speak for themselves. I love the detailing of the shirt and how much of a bargain are the boots!? £15!! Can you believe it? They'd set you back more than double that if they were from Topshop. They're cheap, lovely and will look great with a tan! I've bought a few bags off eBay recently that have just fallen apart and all of them put together probably cost me double this Urban Outfitters bag and are no where near as gorgeous so again I wouldn't feel any guilt spending the very reasonable £35 for this beautiful, quality bag. I could fit loads in it which is perfect for casual days as I usually end up with all of Adam's crap too and it goes so well with the rest of the outfit it would probably be a crime to not add it. The jewellery is from two of my favourite stores, they're not designer or expensive but they are hand made and gorgeous and cheap and I just love everything from both sellers. The make up is fresh and girly and I think will work really well with this look.


What do you think of my outfits? Would you wear any of them? Have any of you entered this competition?