Recently...

Life's been a little but hectic since I've moved to Sheffield. A new city and new course has made time just absolutely fly by! The course is great too but just a lot of work, but thankfully, I've also got some new housemates and friends who are great and I get on with brilliantly :) So I'm sorry my blgging's been a bit on the quiet side! Instead if leaving it high and dry, here's a little update of late via my instagrammed life:

1.) went for a morning tea at Emma Bridgewater with my mum and this polka dot aga is now on my wishlist for my future dream home 

2.) fell head over heels in love for Christopher Bailey's SS'14 collection for Burberry 

3.) I got my craft on and added some sparkle to my Vans trainers 

4.) spots and stripes feeling like a liquorice all-sort

5.) crammed into the car ready to move up to Sheffield 

6.) spending some quality time with my gorgeous nephew 

7.) having some scrummy dim-sum with the family 

8.) settling into my new room with some pretty lights and photos of friends and family 

9.) falling in love with the city of Sheffield 

10.) a killer salad I made for dinner of bacon, chicken and avocado 

11.) unwinding after a day jam-packed of lectures with Breaking Bad, hoc late and a trusty cuppa 

12.) shorthand is taking over my life 

13.) being a fresher for the 4th time 

14.) having after-uni cocktails with Kim 

15.) flat 29C together for a night out for Imogen's birthday 

16.) loving the graffiti at my new local vintage shop

I'm hoping I'll get a bit more time to go back to regular blogging when everything settles down a little and I get a better grasp on my course.

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon, 

A.x

Cheeky!

Red Nose Day is nearly upon us and as well as Comic Relief being a fantastic charity the whole-year round, i love the fashion collaborations that come out for RND.

 Last year, Vivienne Westwood's cheeky take on famous faces, with my personal favourite being a Louis XVI lady, with her modesty being saved by the iconic red noses.

This year, Stella McCartney takes on the reins for RND t-shirts once again and i love the fun-natured and cheek look of them, yet being stylish, and also for a wonderful cause. Surely that's a win-win!

With Kate Moss featuring in the collection, she is also modeling my favourite tee, with Marylin Monroe looking her finest with red nose and geek glasses to boot, and i also love the one of Tommy Copper...how could you not smile when you see this sight?!

Not only do all the profits from the sales of these t-shirts go to a brilliant cause. Comic Relief help people across Africa and here in the UK who are living terribly tough lives, and I'm sure if you've ever watched a RND broadcast, you'll know how heart-breaking the situations can be, so i am more than happy to help such a great charity, while also gaining a awesome t-shirt out of it!

Not only that but the cotton is fairtrade and the cotton is organic. Meaning that the farmers in developing countries are paid fairly and healthier communities and living conditions as chemical pesticides and fertilisers are removed from the earth. So not only will you look great, but you'll feel great about the fashion you're sporting also.

As well as t-shirts, RND this year also features some homeware from one of my favourite print designers: Emma Bridgewater.

I love these tongue-in-cheek tea towels, which are certain to make you chuckle everytime you dry up your dishes.

I love watching all the stuff that goes on for RND, from the inspiring tasks that celebrities take on, to the hilarious sketches, and i think the comedy aspect great way to approach and help such a tough and heart-wrenching subject.

I hope you all support this fantastic cause in one way or another, whether it's just donating a pound, having a bake sale, doing a run in a silly costume, or simply buying a good ol' red nose :)

All of these items are available from your local TK Maxx, or online. 

Images: tkmaxx.com & elleuk.com

Will you be buying one of these t-shirts? Which one takes your fancy out of the bunch?

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

Pottering about...

While my 2 housemates, Michaela and Hannah, came to visit me in Stoke, i decided to take them do something to do something completely...Stoke.

Stoke-on-Trent was once a place where a lot of the world's pottery came from, and even now is highly known for it's pottery, so i decided to take them, along with my other friend Sarah, to the factory and decorating studio of Emma Bridgewater, where we decorated and painted our own tableware.

  So, with our paintbrushes and stamps at the ready and our chosen weapon of paints in tow, we were ready to attack candle holders, mugs, and jugs.

 

Hannah and I have once been here before and highly enjoyed it, however, this time, there was the addition of festive stamps, such as Christmas trees, mistletoe and holly.

Sarah went for a jug, decorated with multi-coloured striped and spotted sheep.

Michaela went to town on her candle holder with a winter scene with lots of amazing attention to detail in her snowmen.

Hannah invested herself in a lil cute mug, as did i, and we both indulged ourselves in the festive decorations and decided that these were the perfect size for a tipple of Baileys.

 I had reindeers galloping around mine with a hidden, lil Christmas pudding surprise waiting at the bottom. 

 I also got a larger mug and made a statement with my love for moustaches

"I moustache you a question!"

 If you get the chance to come Emma Bridgewater, or anywhere else in fact, to do some pottery painting, i would highly recommend it. It's such a relaxing but fun activity to do with others, and lets you show off your creative flair as well.

We then went to Trenthams Gardens and mulled around, looking at mulled wine and yummy-sounding liquors.













We later went to have dinner at a restaurant that has been a ol' favourite of mine named The Swan and Two Necks, and we indulged ourselves in some fantastic food and a really amazing platter of desserts to share.

 

A lot of the time, gifts and partying takes over Christmas and we forget that spending time with the ones we love is what is most important and one of the best things about this time of year.

I hope you all get to spend time with the loved ones in your lives this year, and I know this isn't possible for everyone, so my thoughts are with you.
I hope all your days will be merry and bright!

I hope you're all well.
Speak soon.
A.x