31.03 outfits, easter biscuits and life

Hello, I hope everyone is having a good week so far? This might turn in to a bit of an epic post, so apologies in advance!

Yesterday saw me gravitating towards a lot of blue for my outfit, I'm not sure why, it isn't a colour I am instantly drawn to, but it also gave me a chance to re-experiment with the double denim approach.







I guess it's a semi nautical look as well? I'm not sure, I did remember part way through the day why I don't wear these shorts often; they button up both sides at the front and are a nightmare for toilet breaks!

Today I reverted back to my more typical style, not at all weather appropriate as it is still bitterly cold and miserable outside, but it's almost April, I'm dressing for spring regardless...







As you've probably noticed by now, Wednesday is my typical baking day...with Easter on Sunday I went seasonal and made traditional Easter biscuits, which are a real family favourite. These smell incredible when baking with the spices and dried fruits!

You can find the recipe I used here
when it came to adding the spice, I was very liberal...so I hope they are still edible! I used approx a tsp of mixed spice, and a further tsp of cinnamon.





I couldn't resist breaking away from the traditional round shape of the biscuit when I re-discovered some bunny shaped cookie cutters at the back of my baking supply drawer!

And finally, on a serious note,
my appointments Monday led to me having to make a difficult commitment in terms of treatment for my eating disorder,
I won't say more than that for now as I'm unsure as to when things will happen etc,
but mentally my head is all over the place at the moment, and so, please forgive me if I don't get around to commenting on your blogs as much as I usually do...it's hard to focus and find the words.
Silly to apologise? Perhaps, but I have always prided myself on keeping up to date with everyone who takes the time to visit my little blog and leaves such wonderful words for me, so I do have a sense of guilt going on
*hides away embarrased*

Much love all
xoxox

29.03 manic monday

Hello, Happy Monday! Just a quick post today as I'm inbetween appointments...oh yes, lucky me gets a double whammy this week!
UK people, hasn't the weather turned miserable? I hope no-one has snow as predicted!

Outfit today is super sloppy/boring, I need to be comfortable, so style goes out of the window!









I clearly had too much time on my hands first thing to take photos!

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is to announce the five winners of my Nokia/Comes with Music giveaway!
Congratulations to the following ladies:

geisharock
un petit lapin
Lady Bug Says
heartshapedbruise
Alex

well done girls, I'll be in touch asap!

Have a great week all! x

27.03 PennyDog Jewellery + Outfit

Clearly I've become a bit of a sellout lately, as when the lovely Kerry, creative genius at PennyDog Jewellery got in touch asking if I'd like to review her jewellery I jumped at the chance!
I'd never really heard of her site before she got in touch, but was smitten from the second I followed the link and found it impossible to pick a favourite piece. Instead, I asked Kerry to suprise me, and I was rewarded with this gorgeous necklace:



Kerry says on her website:
"I specialise in affordable, handmade costume jewellery made from resin. Every piece is unique, and though similar pieces can be made, no two are ever the same! From just £12 I offer a custom service to commemorate pets and loved ones by embedding their hair into a piece of jewellery, please contact me for a quote.

I source the embedded objects, mix and pour the resin, dry the piece over two days, then drill it, file it, polish it and varnish it, so each piece is carefully made entirely by hand!

Each necklace, ring or pair of earrings comes in a solid plastic box, and each bangle and bracelet comes in an organza bag. All items are provided with care instructions to help you get the most out of your new purchase. I also can create custom-made orders, so if there's a special photograph, trinket or name you would like embedding in a piece of jewellery, or you require hypoallergenic fittings, for example"

She really is a talented lady and each and every piece on her site is unique. My personal favourites lie in the Sweetheart collection and the Retro range

As promised, the necklace came in a sleek black box and was beautifully presented. It has a good weight to it, without being too heavy and it hung wonderfully around my neck. The quality of both the pendant, and the chain is outstanding, and knowing it is handcrafted and something you can't just pick up in Topshop or Primark adds a charming touch. I love the fact you can also request a custom piece for a special gift, or a memorial piece for a pet or loved one.



I wore it when I popped out to the shops yesterday and was complimented several times and I can see it working perfectly with much of my spring and summer wardrobe as a contrast against the nudes and florals I am favouring. I also have plans to team it with my much longed for maxi dress when I finally get my paws on one!

And because I can, here is a bonus outfit/what I wore my necklace with yesterday (excuse the blurry first photo, still struggling with the camera!)





Polka dot tights and floral dress? Loving it!

Anyway, it is payday weekend for many, so go and check out Kerry's at PennyDog and treat yourself. I demand it.

xxx

Nokia X6 comes with music + mini giveaway

Now, I'll preface this post by saying I am not the most technology savvy of people and until I was presented with this oppurtunity I was perfectly content with my faithful old Samsung phone that did everything I needed it to and more. Smartphones; be it the iphone, blackberry or latest release from anywhere really, always passed me by and I dismissed them, and the related gadgets as too complicated for my easily confused brain to handle.

This changed when Nokia and Comes with Music contacted me at the start of the year, coincidentally just as my valiant pink phone finally gave up the ghost. They offered me the Nokia X6 phone and subscription to Nokia Comes with Music and after initial hesitation (I don't blog for free stuff, I blog because I love to) I accepted, realising I'd be kicking myself for years to come if I let this pass me by.

So firstly, the phone...





Slim, sleek and touch screen, this is far more advanced than anything I have ever owned before (including my laptop!) I had reservations about a phone with no key pad as such but the touch screen has proved simple to use, as is the phone in general with it's easy to navigate menu, and built in help guides.
It's great to finally be able to check e-mails on the go, and keep up with social networking (particually fab for reporting the status of the doctors waiting room it seems), it also means I am never behind on any important advances in my friends and fellow bloggers lives.
But, the main feature, and main appeal of this phone has to be the music player.

I hadn't actually heard of Nokia's music service before now
but again "Comes with Music" has opened my eyes to a whole new world.

I guess the easiest comparison to make would be to itunes, which I have used before. I genuinely prefer Nokia's offering though, it is easier to navigate and the downloads are very fast.
There is a huge range of music, set out in a clear and concise way; categorised with an excellent search function and a constantly updated new releases list to make sure you don't get behind.

Linking the music with the phone could not have been any easier. In fact you can download the software directly on to the phone; although I opted to keep it on my laptop and just transfer the music across (takes seconds!)

Basically, I'm a fan. A convert. Finally up to date in an ever changing world.

I realise this is perhaps a mish-mash to read (it's 6am as I write this) and that potentially you have no idea what it is I am wittering on about,
so, for my UK readers at least, I have a wonderful oppurtunity for you to test out the player for yourself; my music collection has never been more up to date!

Giveaway Time

Nokia and comes with music have kindly provided me with FIVE codes each good for 10 free downloads from the Nokia Music Store
This will of course involve downloading the software if you haven't already, but if I can manage it...then well...the rest of you can!

How to enter:
- open to UK readers only (sorry, I have another giveaway coming up!)
- the giveaway will run until Monday 29th March
- there will be five winners each getting a code for ten free tracks e-mailed to them
- to take part just leave a comment on this post saying "I want free music" and your e-mail address
- winners will be announced and contacted on Monday

Simple!
(and anyone who doesn't want to/can't enter, give me music ideas, I need new stuff!)

Good luck,
and thanks for reading this post! I'll hopefully be sharing an outfit tomorrow...apologies for the scattered nature of my posting this week!

xxx

Recipe: cheese scones

So, as mentioned yesterday I made Cheese Scones today. I used my good old faithful Be-Ro cook book which is yet to fail me. With Dad home I had an eager taste tester and he's put in a request for these for his lunchbox when he is back at work, after declaring them delicious. Hopefully he will save at least one for my Mum when she comes home for her lunch break!

Ingredients:

175 g (6 oz) Be-Ro Self Raising Flour (any brand self raising is fine!)
pinch salt and pepper (I added 1/2 tsp of each as the recipe in my book stated)
1 x 2.5 ml spoon (½ tsp) mustard powder (I didn't have mustard powder so added an equal amount of mustard from a jar)
25 g (1 oz) margarine
75 g (3 oz) cheese, grated
1 medium egg
2 x 15 ml spoon (2 tbsp) milk

With the cheese, I added all the cheese to the recipe and then grated some extra for the top of the scones.

Method:

1 Heat oven to 220ºC, 425ºF, Gas Mark 7. Grease a baking tray.
2 Mix flour and seasonings, rub in margarine. Stir in cheese, reserving a little for the top.
3 Mix to a soft dough with the egg and milk, reserving a little for glazing.
4 Roll out to a round 1.5 cm (½ inch) in thickness and cut into 8 triangles.
5 Place on the baking tray and brush with egg and milk and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

[recipe from the Be-Ro website]

And of course, I can't post a recipe and not share photos.
As you can see, I opted for rounds rather than triangles as I think they look neater. The recipe still made 8 scones.



Pre-Baking shot







These really are simple to do, they took me just over half an hour from start to finish.
Make sure to report back if you make them!

xxx

23.03 Lace

Just a quick outfit post today whilst I have the chance. There isn't any real reason why having my Dad home affects my posting other than it is a lot more difficult to get photos when someone who doesn't really "get" it is around in the house! Anyway, he is out at a meeting today so I took the oppurtunity.

This dress is a couple of years old now and I think I've worn it all of twice. I didn't buy it with the intention of it being day wear, but it deserves to be worn so I'm rocking it regardless.

The indoor photos aren't the greatest, tempermental camera this morning. I got Mum to snap the garden one as it shows the colour contrast on the dress a bit better.







I'm off for a morning out with Mum shortly, followed by a course work filled afternoon...I'm almost half way through now and this week is my final push to get the first module submitted (gotta love self imposed deadlines eh?)

I also intend to do some baking this week; cheese scones and a cake of some kind though I am yet to decide what flavour.

What have you been up to?

xxx

21.03 sunday

Hello, how is the weekend going for everyone? Yesterday was a washout here with both awful weather and illness; not quite how I envisaged spending my day off, but at least I caught up with some sleep.
Despite being ill I still managed to fit in some retail therapy as Mum and I ventured along to Ethel Austin in search of bargains in their closing down super sale. We spent £14 and got 2 pairs of PJs, undies/tights, flats (mine) and a pair of boots (hers) with an original value of £56 total! Madness.

I'm feeling much better today and the weather also seems to be back to how it should be with sunshine and blue skies.

Today's outfit consists of florals, nude and shoulder pads. An odd sounding combination?







And these would be my new flats. So comfy and costing the grand sum of £2



I've got Dad home again next week so I'm not sure what the outfit post situation will be..never say never though.
Any exciting plans for the upcoming 7 days? It is looking to be (yet another) quiet week here, but who knows!

19.03 non floral

Happy Friday! We made it...congratulations :)
Who has exciting plans for this weekend? Not me, haha, though I have my last day off of work for a while tomorrow so I must think up something to do, if only a trip to the local farmer's market and craft market.

Shocker...I'm not wearing florals today! This dress is an ebay win from this week, a complete last minute impulse bid that worked out perfectly. It's by Happie Loves It and a gorgeous satiny material.





I teamed it with my jersey blazer to make a change from cardigans..hurrah for the weather becoming just about warm enough to break away from knit wear!





The pattern on the dress has a nautical feel to it, so I accessorised with this gorgeous brooch made by a dear friend of mine...





Well, I'm off to get ready to run some errands, have a great day

xxx

18.03 more floral

So, well, THANK YOU is all I can say for yesterday. Just thank you. I will continue to blog as I have done and try to ignore any criticism. I truly value your comments and support...and I will reward you with a giveaway in the near future!

Today I finally got around to wearing one of my newest dresses which I picked up a couple of weeks ago now. It's a little short, but I'm not really going anywhere today and I'm pretty sure the cat doesn't care about a little bit of leg.





(um, ignore the sticking up label, oops!)



Clearly I am far too obsessed with florals right now, though not such a bad thing! I shall challenge myself to make my next clothing purchase non floral related! Carrying on the theme though I remembered to add jewellery today in the form of this Daisy bracelet which was a gift from my grandparents



I really need to make myself wear jewellery more, I have so much of it just sitting around looking pretty!

Anyway,
I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far and that Spring is well and truly on it's way. We've been blessed with gorgeous weather so far this week; although today doesn't look so promising. Next week I'm hoping to get out in the garden and plant some fruit plants that a wonderful friend sent me, I love the idea of growing my own produce!

xxx

17.03 trend tracking

Hello there, Happy Wednesday and Happy St. Patricks Day to those of you who celebrate it (we don't really over here). Do you have any exciting plans for the day? Share with me!

A quick, non outfit post from me as I want to introduce you to something I've recently been made aware of that I think you will also enjoy; I am just too kind!

Trendstop.com – one of the world’s leading fashion trend forecasters for the industry, have developed the first fashion trend mobile app for consumers – the TrendTrackerTM. With consumers being more trend savvy and demanding than before, they can now have access years in advance to the same fashion trend information as the professionals and it’s free. As of last week, it is now available on any mobile, not just iphone, including Blackberry, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Android and others.

You can download it for free by either going to http://mobile.trendstop.com from your phone’s browser or sending the word TREND as an SMS text message to: UK: 81148 Other countries: +447797803901
For iPhone its http://www.iTunes.com/apps/trendstoptrendtracker



I'm genuinley excited by this, having recently become the owner of a non iphone smartphone as it is rare to find an application that works on more than just one type. I shall be downloading and testing it out myself, and I hope that some of you, at least will join me (I'd love to hear back with how you get on!)

New advanced member's features will be added later on this year, so it really does look promising!

Outfit photos/normal posting to resume tomorrow I guess, as long as people are still okay with me posting outfits? I seem to be getting mixed reactions at the moment, and I just want you ALL to know that I am trying to get better, I hate hate hate this illness, but I really enjoy blogging and wish to continue in the way I always have done, I'm never "showing off my body", just showing my outfits like I have for the last couple of years. BUT if my doing so is causing problems, then I will stop for the time being.

I'm sorry to have to keep raising the issue, but, well, I'm sick of getting critical e-mails sent to me when I'm not sure they represent the majority.

15.03

Did everyone have a good weekend? I hope all Mum's who read my blog were spoiled rotten yesterday! I cooked dinner for mine last night which was well recieved, as were the little gifts I bought.

The sun has continued to shine over the weekend and it really is quite lovely out. Yesterday I wanted something comfortable to wear so opted for my nude t-shirt dress from Zara, it was such a bargain I wonder if they do more colours...





Today I had to be organised and out early for an appointment, though then had to wait 40 minutes past my appointment time to be seen! I went for a dress that was passed on to me by a friend, with obligatory bright tights and cardigan. Decided to give my new shoes a break today and went for suede ruffle front t-bars instead!





What are your plans for this week? I'm off to the orthodontist tomorrow (tres exciting life I lead) and will be making another batch of hobnobs on Wednesday as requested by Mum's colleagues! The rest of the week is un-decided and I'm trying to think of something to do on Saturday as I have my last day off work for a while...

xxx

13.03 Friday's Florals

Yes, I know it is Saturday today, but this is a quick post sharing what I wore yesterday; today I am scruffy and tired looking after a hectic morning at work. This dress is one of my newest buys, though actually about six weeks old now, finally the sun has shone enough to make me feel like wearing it (without worrying I might freeze to death), although temperatures are still not warm enough to leave behind the layers.









Hope your all having a wonderful weekend xxx

11.03

Hello, mis-match of a post today with outfits, new shoes and baking to share. It was fun to read your feedback on my marmite review though I refuse to believe there are so many haters out there!

First up is my outfit from Tuesday. This dress was passed along to me by a friend and I love the polka dots. It may be black and white but it feels as cheerful as wearing colour.





Shoe wise I opted for some semi forgotten about stud detail sandals. I seem to have a habit of forgetting I own things, a sign I really need to do some sorting out!

No photo of yesterday's outfit, I can't even remember what I wore it was that interesting ;)
I bring you this week's baked goods instead.



Hobnob biscuits with the addition of white chocolate chips. I made these a lot before Christmas and got fed up of doing them, but these have been such a hit I see a lot of them in my future! I've shared the recipe before but if you want it again, just say!

I also had the arrival of new shoes to brighten up yesterday. These babies are from Matalan (£7 sale bargain) and were a present from my Mum



They have of course been incorporated in to today's outfit, which was a case of pulling things out of drawers and hoping for the best.





I hope your all having a great week! The sun is still shining here and I shall shortly be off for a walk to enjoy it before returning to do course work and read blogs.

xxx