On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink

Unashamedly, one of my favourite colours is pink.

Yes it's stereotypically girly. Yes, it's mainly pink of the pastel varirety that you'll see me in. But I do love it oh so much. Even after all my years of tomboy-loving of navy blue and Addidas tracksuits.

So it's no surprise that my love of this sugary shade, goes hand-in-hand with my love with Mean Girls.

I quote Mean Girls nearly every day of my life. So to save the muscles in my mouth - I jabber on enough anynway! - what better way to fulfil my inner Cady Heron than with this extrmemly quotable t-shirt.

Complete with pink skirt and scarf, both in a knitted fashion, and a shearing lined denim jacket, I was ready to take on anything real world - or girl world - had to throw at me!

Oh, and the piece de resistance? This fantasticly fluffy bag.

Can someone say Cher Horowitz?

You know how magpies are attracted to sparkly and shiny things? That's me, but with fluffy things.

tshirt:Tee Island, skirt:ASOS,  jacket:Topshop, bag:Topshop, boots:Topshop

And this little fella is like my new bestie when it comes to fun frolics and adventures!

This alphabet scarf is also quite a little find. 

It's the softest thing that you would wrap yourself in to warm yourself up this Winter, and not only can you get a letter personalised to your name or initial, but also all the proceeds of it goes to charity - pretty pastels, cozy and charitable, what more do you need!

You can get your very own one here. All profits go to Alder Hey Children's Hospital Charity. 

During the weekend excursion to the country that this outfit accompanied me to, I enlisted the help of my good ol' friend Hannah. She lives half and hour from the Big Smoke, and that meant only 30 minutes until rolling hills - Yes!

As much as I love London and all it's fun, food and places to frolic, the country-loving girl in me does miss seeing green grass, stepping in muddy grounds and not constantly having bright lights shining.

And you definitely wouldn't come across a group of deers in the capital!

We went to Woburn Abbey and Gardens, where we stumbled over a secret rainforest garden...

She took me to Woburn - and was top tour guide may I add - which was beyond adorable (eveb the post boxes are precious!)

We wondered around muddy fields aimlessly, chatted over warm cups of tea, ate in a cozy pub with a roaring fire, and even had a mug of festive winter Pimms to tie it all up (trust me, it's a winner!)

Although we both work in London now, we never have time to see one another. And it was just so lovely to spend some downtime doing pretty much nothing.

Literally, the only word I can use to desicrbe that day, is lovely.

And just the much needed escape that I needed.

Stay happy!

Until next time...

A.x

"You're not a feminist - You don't look like one!"

I got really riled up the other day when a car reversed into the back of mine. And it wasn't because he scratched or dented it.

There's a term that my friend Kim coined once when I was telling her about all the times that people didn't take me seriously because of the purple ribbon tied in my hair, or because I'm on a phone that has bunny ears on.

'Elle Woods syndrome'

If you've seen Legally Blonde (and why wouldn't you have - it's amazing), you'll know what I mean. When people don't take you or your opinion seriously as a grown-up, because in their eyes, you don't look like one.

Let my homegirl Zooey Deschanel explain it to you as she best knows how...

When she said this in New Girl, I practically jumped out of my chair in agreement.

There's been so many times that I've been spoken down to because of my appearance and way I dress. A flatmate of mine once laughed straight at the fact that I called myself a feminist, because - and I quote - I didn't look like one. Apart from not knowing what that actually mean (how is a feminist even supposed to look?...), it's also ignorant and offensive to females and feminists everywhere. 

Feminist or Feminine. 

That isn't a choice that has to be made - why can't you be both?

But this incident really took the biscuit. I went to the supermarket, and as my dad toddled inside to get some milk and other bits and bobs (Elle magazine, chocolate, wine - you know, the essentials), and I sat in the car, all parked up, and waited. And while I was sat there, waiting in my stationary, parked car,all of a sudden there was a big crash sound and I felt a bump. A guy hadn't looked properly while he was reversing, and hit my car. So I got out to check my car and speak to him - like anyone else would do (and also thought to myself, what on earth he was playing at - was he not looking?!)

He just kept telling me how I was making it into a bigger deal than it actually was and that I was over-reacting. The car was fine, but I wanted to take his details in case something came up later on, but he just made me feel like I was being a drama queen!

"Oh, it's nothing really! You should stop worrying - trust me! You don't need my details!"

The way he was talking to me was like I was a useless, little girl, who didn't know my left from my right. He was even getting back into his car while he was saying all this. But then, when my dad came back to the car, the gentleman in question all of a sudden was a whole different person, being super apologetic.

"I am SO sorry. Are you sure everything's OK with your car? Have a proper look - I'd hate for you to drive off and then find something wrong."

I was stunned. 

He would've trusted my dad, who - no offence to my clever and delightful darling dad - is elderly, prone to forget things, English is his 2nd language, and can't even hear my when I say 'Good Morning' to him, rather than talking to a young woman who is socially engaged, studying a Masters degree and does actually know what she's talking about, despite what he thought.

My dad got into the car and I vented all the way home. And when I questioned how I just didn't understand why he did then, even he jokingly replied "Well, you are wearing a dress with hearts on it!"

It just makes me angry and disappointed because it's so ridiculous in this day and age, that people still judge others on their sex, and even more silly, on what they wear! 

Because that's exactly wheat that guy did - he saw that I was a girl. A female. One that didn't dress 'serious' enough, and just assumed that I didn't know anything, and swept me to the side as a silly, little girl who couldn't have dealt with the situation until a male came along.

And in 2014, that just isn't right.

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon.

A.x

Just a small, town girl...

For the past 2 weeks, I've been on a placement at a national magazine in London, and as if I didn't love the capital enough already when I lived there for my fashion internship, my love for it grew to a dangerous level this time...

I used to hate the city. It was too busy, everyone was always in a rush, I didn't understand the underground, everything was too expensive, and I didn't like how every person on the train didn't say 'Hi' to one another...

But just like people grow and change, their perceptions and aspirations do too, and my god, I cannot wait to be in the centre of this bustling environment now...get me down there ASAP!

Bauer towers, the office I was at, was based in Camden, and if you just skipped across the road, you'd find yourself at the Camden Lock canal. And everyday, I was armed with my lunch and my book of the moment and spent an hour soaking up the British sunshine, and it was glorious!
Bella was such a great enviroment to be working in, and as I often feel like I'm playing catch up with the rest of my coursemates when it comes to journalism, this give me a confident boost, and made me more ambition and wanted to chase after that career that I dream of, more than ever.

In lil' ol' London town,
There's always lots to do...

I met up with a friend, who found out on Twitter that there was an event at Selfridges to celebrate Magnums' 25th birthday, where you could make your own personal Magnum! As well as metallic and glamorous displays, there was a smorgasbord of toppings you could choose from, to sprinkle onto your Magnum, made up of your own chocolate combination. I went for cinnamon sugar, popping candy and silver leaf. As much as that sounds like a tooth cavity waiting to happen, it was one of the most fun and tasty ice lollies that I've had....I'm drooling now as I look at the picture...

There's always lots to see...

I've had tickets booked to go to the Wedding Dress exhibition at the V&A for a while now, with 2 of my old housemates and closest friends. And when I found out Kate Moss' dress was going to be there - which makes my heart flutter and what my dress dreams are made of - I couldn't wait to go, and it did not disappoint. It had everthing from the history and evolution of 

wedding dresses, to celebrity ones and how they differ in different cultures. And before I met up with my friends for that, I popped on over to the Quentin Blake exhibition at the newly opened House of Illustration by Kings Cross. It was so interesting to see how those drawings that I cherished while growing up, were developed and created. And with a trip to China Town, some strolls through Kensignton, and a secret garden discovered, I couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be at the point.

There's always lots to feast on...

Bad news for my tummy! Or good news, as I ate everything from cupcakes and cheesecake slices from the Hummingbird bakery and creamy milkshakes, to a sophisticated lunch of charcuterie and cheese boards with a glass of champagne and Dim Sum with blossoming jasmine tea, to just a FEAST of Brazilian barbecued meat. And it'd it all again. In a heartbeat.

There's always lots to shop as well (bad news for my bank account unfortunately)...

From the great British high-street, to market stalls and even a spot of fabric shopping from an iconic department store...my wallet took a bit of a battering...

And most importantly of all, there were lots of lovely guys and gals to share it all with!

As well as meeting lots of great new people at my workplace, I caught up with family that I don't see as much as I should, childhood school friends that make me feel like no time has passed, old housemates who I've spent many a night playing stupid pranks with, and newer housemates who I've spent this past year with.

It seems just like yesterday that I was writing about how scared and excited I was to move to a new city and move to Sheffield. And now as I type this, my room looks like a tornado has hit it as I try and pack up my life and move out - and it's been one of the happiest, hardest-working and mostly, most fun years of my life so far. And if that's what a year in Sheffield had in store, I can't wait to see what my life has in store for me when I move to face the real world (I can't believe I've been in education for so long!)

This post is a little bit different - a little update if you will! (Do you like posts like these?!)

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon!

A.x

And...breathe again!

So, first of all, my apologies for my lack of presence on here lately. I've had a lot of deadlines for my Masters degree, and what first seemed like a completely manageable amount, turned into this monster of word counts, essays, page designs and colour palettes.

image: WhatOliviaDid

So a week ago on Friday, I finally handed in all my individual work for this degree. That portfolio included my own magazine concept, a business plan and market research into it, designing covers for it, thinking of contents, interviewing for it and not only writing features from our own magazine, but a variety of different features.

I remember one of the first days that I moved to Sheffield, I was sat at this pub with all these new people, and one guy mentioned how it was his birthday in June, and he wasn't sure if people would still be around to celebrate it with him, and it was a big birthday. The big 3-0.

Before i knew it, I was sat at the same pub, with the same people, on that said-guy's birthday, celebrating his birthday and our deadlines. It was kinda poetic in a way.

We went out and celebrated. For all the stress, teas, cups of coffee drank and late nights, it was finally done.

The upcoming week was a mixed bag of emotions. Despite the deadline, there was still an essay to do, but I got a few beers, a gin & tonic here and there, sang along (badly!) to a silent disco and quite lot of dancing in there too...

Since then, I've been getting on top of my life again. My actual life!

That includes doing boring things like banking and posting... But I've also seen my family at my nephew and niece's birthday party (how is my nephew 7 years old already?!), followed my own blog's name and frolicked in the park in the sunshine with ice cream, swang on some swings, laughed at movies and while catching up with Orange is the New Black, and I even got asked on, and went on a date!

It's not until  I've stopped and taken a step back, that I've realized how far I've come, from when I started this course less than a year ago. I'm happy and proud with how much I've learnt, and excited for all that's to come in the future! (I do still have summer project before I finish officially in September, but let's not concentrate on that...)

Regular blogging will resume!
Hope you're all well!
Speak soon,
A.x

And onto the next one!

Hello one and all!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend it with the ones you love and ate a silly amount of food!

A couple of days before Christmas, I finally handed in my portfolio and work for my deadline, and the feeling of freedom I felt as I slipped those pieces of paper in the hand-in box was better than I anticipated!

I then went on to celebrate with festive fun with friends before trekking around the country and spending so much-needed quality time with family.

I went to fulfill my Aunty Amy role and had light-saber fights with my ever-growing 6-year-old nephew, and hide-and-seek with my niece. Before spending Christmas in Yorkshire at my brother's with the family, and it was cozy and filled with love, and I ate more pigs in blanket than you could shake a stick at!

But now it's that weird limbo stage in between Christmas and New Year, and i'm trying to motivate myself to organize all my work for Uni before I start the next term so it's not too overwhelming and I get time to enjoy all the other precious things in life.

And once again, I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by, more so than ever. It seems like it was last week that I graduated. In some ways, I feel like I've been living in Sheffield for what seems like forever, despite moving there 3 months ago, and at the same time, it feels like yesterday when I drove up and moved in.

A lot of things have happened in 2013.

It was one of the happiest, most enjoyable, yet most stressful years of life so far.

I survived Uni and graduated with my fashion degree in hand!

I'd not sewn and worked as hard ever in my life, and I haven't even entered the working world yet!

I graduated with the people I've shared my life with for the past 3 years, some who I know will be friends for life, and some who sadly, I thought were close friends but after sharing their true colours, I knew they were not who I thought they were.

I moved out of the uni home I'd lived in for the past 3 years, which also meant no longer living my 2 of my closest friends, which I've now found myself missing more than I thought I would. As much as I enjoy living in my new flat and my new flat family, it's just not quite the same and I miss these 2 crazy cats.

I spent the first year in a long time, not as part of a couple, and as hard as it was to accept and deal with at first, I had the most fun in my life for a long time. I really did lose part of who I was a little bit in my past relationship, and I became more independent and happy with myself this past year.

 And it made me realize, as much as I loved him, and I wouldn't change any of it for the world, we just were not meant for one another. Our memories make me smile so much and I'm so happy that after all we've been through, we still have our friendship :)
I generally have faith that people are genuine good people, and so when you not feeling you're tip-top, I think it's easy to lose sight of this. Yes, there are nasty people out there, but it'd make me 10 times more sad if I lost that belief and became skeptical. I'm excited for what's stored next for me over the horizon!

I've been putting in some major Aunty Amy time with my nephew and nieces, who are just TOO CUTE!

My oldest nephew, Lewis, is 6 and a half now, and it's been absolutely amazing watching him grow up and develop his own little personality. With my brothers watching my grow up, and supporting and looking out for me every step of the way, I cannot wait to do the same for all 3 of them :)

And of course, I moved to Sheffield. I'm exploring and getting to know a new city that I'm falling in love with. I learning new skills and lessons in class and in life everyday, and found out so many new things about myself too.

And, I've made a whole new load of great friends. 

Gals and guys who are so sweet and funny that they keep me sane throughout the mountain of revision and

articles that need to be done.

Flatmates that are hilarious and have been part to make up our happy family of a flat that is C20.

And one of the longest running things is that every week, our happy flat gets split in 2, as us girls go against the boys in a pub quiz! It all gets very intense. We've won gloriously with cash in our hand, and lost terribly with boys mocking us, but  in the final...we came 2nd! Girl Power!

And then there's Kim. 

In her words, she's my kindred spirit. I didn't think anyone could be more in love with Disney and all things sparkly and glittery as me, but thank god I've found this girl to share all my wacky and eccentric moments with. I've got many best friends, who have made their way close to my heart throughout different stages of my life, and I'm very happy and glad that she has a place there now too, for good!

And more recently and much less importantly...i cut my fringe (or bangs) cut back in! I've missed my eyes peeping out from under it, and having it keeping my forehead warm and cozy during the winter chill! AND, I finally braved up and got my nose pierced which I've wanted for a while. I love it at this point in my life, and the fact that there's a part of my face that twinkles when I move just makes me happy!

I'm not really one for resolutions, if you want to change something in your life, you shouldn't need to wait until a new year to do it! But, I know I need to stop over-thinking about little things. I'm not one for stressing at all, but I read into more lines than an obsessive bookworm, and it's not good for my little mind! I need to just live life in the moment instead of worrying about the little things.

What have you loved about this past year? And what are you hoping for 2014?

I hope you all have a great NYE, whether it's just chilling out and enjoying the company of friends and family, or if you're putting on your heels and painting the town red! I hope you get to spend it with the ones you love :)

A new year means new adventures, new memories, and anything new you want to make about yourself!
And I for one am excited!

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x