Nail Art Weekly Project #1


Welcome to week 1 of this amazing project. The Nail Art Weekly Project has been created by Danni over at http://www.gingerbreadsmiles.co.uk/ who has created different themes to run over the space of 5 weeks, that a group of nail enthusiasts will interpret in their own way and use to recreate nail art based on these themes. 

I wanted to take part in the project because I absolutely love nail art and although im quite a novice myself I thought it would be fun to give it ago and see what the other lovely ladies came up with.

Theme 1: An item of clothing or an outfit
This theme was really easy for me in terms of choosing an item of clothing. I instinctively knew that I wanted to choose my 1950s inspied rockabilly skirt that I wore to my 25th birthday party last year. The print of the skirt is black with red cherrys on it. It comes with a matching headband to.


What did I use to create this nail art?

Nail Envy - O.P.I
NYC - City Blackout
Bourjois - Colour unknown sorry
NO7 - Stay perfect top coat


I started by using my Nail Envy as a base coat because I am really loving this at the moment for strengthening and growing my nails. I use one coat of this.

I then used 2 coast of my City Blackout to get a really good slid base to represent the black of the skirt.

To create the cherry's I decided to use red diamantes from my set that I picked up from Ebay. I found them easy to apply with some royal nail glue.

The stems are what I found hardest to do and you can totally see that in the pictures that some of them are not that great. However I loved this shade of green from Bourjois that I picked up from Superdrug. I used the smallest end of one of the nail tools to try and create the lines and they turnt out way to thick so I will be on the hunt for a very thin nail art brush for the rest of the project lol.

I finished the look with 2 coats of my NO7 top coat and voila!


I am very much a beginner but am enjoying taking part in this fun project, after all who doesnt like sitting doing their nails :) Let me know what you think for my first attempt lovelies, it will be interesting to see if there is an improvement in my nail art by time the final week rolls around lol.


Id love to see all of your nail creations so be sure to let me know when your posts are live x



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Our visit to the London Aquarium

I work as a nanny and the theme of the week for one of the little boys I look after was 'Sea Creatures". I was super excited when I found out and immediately planned a trip to the London aquarium. Ive been tons of times as im lucky enough to just live down the road from there and the children always love it. I find it quite therapeutic to.

Although I find the aquarium quite pricey I do thing it is a really nice day out for the kids. We went mid week so it was nice and quiet, weekends are a nightmare with ques to get in and then tons of people in a confined space (anxiety sufferers back away now). 

I took this snap of a shoal of fish as we got in there and it pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the trip. Tons of beautiful fish almost posing for pictures lol


Jellyfish are my favorite things to see at the aquarium. They just seem so elegant when they move and the colours are gorgeous. The change of colours really captured the childrens attention to.


Now I remember a time when I use to go to the aquarium as a youngster and was allowed if not encouraged to stroke the sting rays as the swam past in the open tank. But of course since that poor old ozzie incident, touching of the rays is strictly forbidden.


Freddie enjoyed pretending to be a sailor turning the big wheel and singing the pirate song lol


Who could resist getting some snaps of nemo and dory ai lol? Ok granted I probably was more excited than most of the children when we approached the nemo tank but hey ho :)


If you get the chance to go to the London aquarium I would really recommend it, you can spend hours in there, its peaceful (if you try and go midweek that is lol). The children really enjoyed themselves and have been speaking about the creatures they saw and what they enjoyed about their visit. There was a point when a fish almost looked like it was dancing for us in the tank and all of the kiddies couldnt stop chuckling it was a favorite part for one of the kiddies. Hope you enjoyed this post, if youve been let me know what you thought :)

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Curried banana soup

If you've found your way to this post and seen past the title you may aswell jump in with both feet and cook up a batch of this yummy soup :)

One evening i was sitting around my best friends house & her lovely mummy got me to taste the yummiest soup ive ever tasted! I wasn't told that the soup contained bananas before I tasted it so I was very surprised to find out the ingredients. Since then I have made this soup 3 times & I fall in love with it a bit more each time. I think this comes from a recipe book they have so I take no kudos (do people still use that word lol) for it :)

I have been desperate to share this recipe with you for ages so here it goes. Please comment if you give this ago id love to know what you think. 


The ingredients you will need
(The recipe says to include 50g of butter I missed this out to save on Weight Watcher points and make it a bit healthier)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of curry powder (if your a bit of a spice fiend wack as much as you like in)
110g basmati rice
1.25 litres chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)
250ml single cream
2 ripe bananas, peeled & cut into chunks


Step 1
Cook your onion & garlic in a pan gently for about 10 minutes (or until soft without browning)


Step 2
Add your curry powder in and cook for a further 3 minutes


Step 3
Add your rice and stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes (or until your rice is nice and soft)



Step 4
Blend. Then add your cream and your bananas. Blend again until smooth


Step 5
After giving it a try I wanted it a bit more fiery so I put it back on the hob and stirred in some more curry powder (you can make it as hot or as not as you like)


This recipe gives me 4 good size portions each coming in at 5 propoints a portion if your a Weight Watchers member. I put the batches in the fridge and have it for a sweet fiery filling lunch :)


Thanks for reading lovelies, hope youve found this twist on soup interesting enough to give it ago for yourselves :)
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We're going on a bear hunt ...


we're going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day...

Freddie is a big fan of the story 'We're going on a bear hunt' by Micheal Rosen & Helen Oxenbury. Its such a popular story among children & adults alike and I would highly recommend it. We woke up and decided to go on an adventure. Dean found us a new park to explore & we headed off to Coram Fields, which is about a 4 minute walk from Russel Square tube station (London). 

The park is amazing and we have decided we are going to try out a new park every week in London and shortlist our favorites for using in the summer lol. I might do a separate post on the park itself, it was such a good find and a lovely way to spend a rain free winters afternoon. 

Below are snippets from the story and our own take on the bear hunt classic

"Grass, long wavy grass! We can't go over it. We can't go under it! OH NO! We've got to go threw it! Swissy Swashy, Swishy Swashy"

   

"Mud, Thick oozy mud, We can't go over it. We can't go under it. OH NO! We've got to go threw it! Squelch Squerch, Squelch Squerch"



"A river, a deep cold river, We can't go over it. We can't go under it. OH NO! We've got to go threw it! Splish Splosh, Splish Splosh"


A forest, A big dark forest. We can't go over it. We can't go under it. OH NO! We've got to go threw it. Stumble trip, Stumble trip"


"A cave, a narrow gloomy, we can't go over it, we can't go under it. OH NO! We've got to go threw it. Tiptoe Tiptoe"

"WHAT'S THAT??!!"

One shiny wet nose, Two big furry ears, Two big goggly eyes.
ITS A BEAR!! 


Freddie really enjoyed doing the bear hunt, especially squelching threw all of the mud, and when he got to the bear he said

"The bears fast asleep, wake up bear"

A really cute spontaneous activity that ca be adapted in so many ways. If any of you other lovelies have done something similar please link it below in the comments section id love to see it x




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OOTD: Toddler addition

This post was inspired by the lovely Paige. On her blog http://www.paigespreferences.com/ her gorgeous little boy had me swooning in a super cute OOTD and immediately I was inspired to stock up on bribes & get my little one posing for an OOTD to lol. Luckily enough Freddie was feeling very photogenic and loved posing for the camera.



This was Freddie ready for his weekly singing class, which i did a post on just before Christmas. I love this cosy jumper and so does he, its such a cute winter piece.


Freddie is wearing:

Tigger knitted jumper: This was given to us as a gift & has no labels so unfortunately I cannot tell you wear it is from lol
Trousers: Primark
Desert style shoes: Primark
Scarf: Primark

This is such a cute outfit, I think it looks really comfy and warm on, the boots are an absolute bargain and we grabbed them in a couple of colours because for a tenner I dont think you can go wrong. 
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The 1975 at Brixton Academy: My 2 night round up




Welcome back gorgeous readers. I know I have been a bit absent from blog life for a while but my whole weekend has consisted of going to watch The 1975 in concert or spending the other day recovering and doing mummy things lol. This is going to be a very long post so grab your copy of The 1975 album wack it on, grab your preferred choice of beverage and get stuck in. 

Night 1: Thursday 9th January 2013

The noise of ticket touts, the slow shuffle of people piling out of Brixton station and the swarms of underage giggly girls suppresses the anxiety that's been bubbling to the service since setting foot in the tube station. It sends electrifying excitement rushing around my body. I add at this point that I now feel very old. I stand, a bit taken a back by the crowds of Brixton and my eyes quickly scan the streets for anyone of similar age to me heading in the direction of the 02 Brixton academy. No such luck. Is 25 really to old to be hitting the live music scene? We sheepishly approach the academy and are told to join the que, which has already wound itself around the entire building and is almost back at the entrance. "I knew I should never have stopped off for that veggie burger" says a stranger joining the que behind us. "Snap" I turn around and say. We then all divulge into a conversation ultimately blaming our untimely appetites for our unappealing position in the ever growing que. Soon enough were moving and squeals of excitement ripple threw the crowd. An unexpected guy bounds round the corner clad in 02 gear shouts "Anyone on 02 can join the priority que with 3 guests" We all look at each other and curse our EE sim cards until one of the girls we are with says "wait im on 02" she says that we can be our guests and join them in the priority que. We skeptically challenge Mr 02 doubting the existence of a priority que and wondering if it was some sort of prank. However we were ecstatic to find Mr 02 was infact accurate with his promises of priority ques and fast entry and we were inside the venue before we knew it. 

The excitement had well and truly put a lid on any anxiety that had been trying to bubble to the surface of my calm exterior. We headed to the stalls and as the room began to fill, nerves began to creep in, my eyes searching the room for emergency exits incase a panic attack should rear its ugly head. After 2 supporting acts smoke machines and lighting created a welcomed distraction from the now very hyped up crowd as the stage was prepared for The 1975. 

Not a welcome sight for an anxiety and panic attack sufferer I can assure you.

The place erupts with screams as the boys come on stage and i am in my element, allowing myself to be swept up and carried by the environment. The show was amazing. Mattys stage presence kept the crowd pumped up. The complete package of the performance from the band plus the effects made the show a complete success. So much so that I found myself scouring twitter for spare tickets that night to another show and making a late night road trip the next evening for tickets to Saturdays show.

The main man himself 

I found myself reverting back to my teenage self and as I got back home found myself writing The 1975 in lip liner on my best mates wingmirror (you only live once right lol)


Home and winding down after night one. Hot chocolate in hand and listening to the ringing in my ears as back drop music in my living room lol

Night 2: 11th January 2013

Armed with the knowledge i had acquired from night one we left out earlier to try and avoid the long ques. Also armed with a borrowed 02 phone LOL (take me to those ques) This time I was upstairs in the circle part of the academy and it was such an amazing view. However the height didnt seem to sit very well with my anxiety and looking down sent a sudden surge of panic around my body. 

The view from upstairs (is it any wonder i had stomach churning when peering over the balcony) 

Thank goodness I had the supporting acts to warm me up and get me relaxed. As soon as The 1975 took to the stage, the anxiety was once again stamped down and excitement took over. I don't want to write to much about the set they performed etc incase people are going to upcoming shows, and even if your not grab a ticket its more than worth it lol. I can say you will not be disappointed. Mattys confidence on stage keeps you engrossed throughtout, and the other band members play their devoted roles in the performance, making the chemistry between the band ooze the genuine devotion and dedication they have to what they do.


After the show I found myself waiting with a small group of friendly fans to meet the band. We waited about an hour or so with updates coming out from security and everyone talking amongst themselves the time went pretty fast, but it was bloody freezing lol, feeling not resuming in my feet for hours after i got home. Matty came out (we had already been told that he was just doing pictures and no signings) you can't blame him, he must have been beyond shattered and he had been out every single night to meet fans along with some of the other guys. He was friendly and here is our selfie. 

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OOTD: Casual date night

Last night my other half took me out for our first date night of 2014. It was well needed and a lovely evening.
We headed over to Kings Cross to play some pool but before hand grabbed some dinner in Nandos (yum) I overindulged in a massive slice of chocolate cake for pudding lol. 
After dinner we walked round the corner to play pool, it was lots of fun and after loosing the first game I went on to win 3-1 wohoo lol. 
I ended up experimenting with my hair and went for a 1950s inspired look last night, I was happy with the end result, it was something different for me yet really casual.


                                 

My outfit was casual and comfortable. Luckily enough it wasnt' that cold out in London so I didn't need a jacket, plus we were constantly on the move playing pool and things anyway.

As i said before my hair is 1950s inspired and the only thing on my face is my MUA intense colour lipliner in 'Red Drama' paired with Rimmel moisture renew lipstick in 510 'Mayfair red lady'.

My khaki top is short sleeved with a nice zip detailing on the back and small gold studs around the colar, it has a satin texture to it and fits really comfortably. Both the top and the dark grey cardigan with small gold sequins are from River Island.
My black jeggings were a Christmas present from my other half and they were from Dorothy Perkins. These jeggings are amazing, they are soft, stretchy and so comfortable, so much so that I rushed out on boxing day and grabbed another pair hehe.
As we were going to be on our feet most of the night I completed my outfit with my black leather converse which are from office. With the threat of rain looming i wanted to play it safe with footwear and not only are these super comfy they are waterproof.
I took with me my new satchel style bag from New Look. Ive been desperate to get my hands on a new bag for ages and after searching the shops I found this one and fell in love with it. 
I will be doing a seperate post on 'whats in my bag' very soon :)

There we have it lovelies my first OOTD post let me know what you think x
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Happy new year


Hello my lovely readers :) I want to start off today's blog-post by wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014!
I brought in my new year with some amazing friends and had a really fun time. We started off at a local pub and because we live right next to the main fireworks in London we walked round the corner and watched those. It was a really relaxed yet fun way to see the new year in and im glad i ended up out and about. The atmosphere was amazing.

Unfortunately there were more lows than highs for me last year in the form of serious illness's given out to me and my loved ones, family breakdowns and financial struggle. I welcome a fresh year and a fresh start with open arms. I don't want to recap much of 2013 and instead want to focus on the aspirations i have for this coming year, so this post is going to be about some goals and aims I have for 2014.

Towards the end of last year in the run up to Christmas I let my eating habits run away with me (ironic statement really because running nor any type of physical activity has been had for several weeks lol). I allowed myself to overindulge way to much and used the excuse of Christmas as a cover up. However as im sure many people are, i am starting today on a fresh new healthy eating mindset. I am now back on track and clear on the goals i want to achieve. I noticed my poor eating habits and lack of exercise had a massive impact on my mental health which is another great motivator to get back on track with weight watchers.

Another thing I will be working on this year is my blog. I have enjoyed blogging so much, it is therapeutic for me as i have always loved to write and I enjoy this format of writing, plus im a big rambler (if you haven't guessed by now lol) so its a perfect place for me to freely express myself. I recently filmed my first youtube video and although I was so nervous at first (the lense on my camera coming at me did make me feel as if a darlict from DR who was out to get me) I really enjoyed it and plan on posting a video once a week onto my channel. Not only is another good way for me to ramble on its just easier sometimes to just sit and talk rather than write it down if I dont have much time.

If you havent seen that video yet you can watch it here :)

I have loved finding other people who can relate to my anxiety journey threw blogging and social media and am so glad I have helped a few people already with their journeys to. This will be a big focus of mine in 2014 so stay tuned for that.

2014 will be a big year for me in regards to getting my anxiety and panic attacks fully under control. I have been in therapy for about 3 months now and although I have come such a long way my big relapse over the Christmas period has shown me I still have a long way to go. The positive I have taken from all of this is my ability to help others threw such a negative thing. I aim to be doing lots of motivational and informative blog posts and videos to help other people deal with this illness.

Due to my surgery last year, my anxiety and depression I didnt make it abroad and that is a big thing we want to do in 2014. We really want to make this the year of travel and adventure for us and see as many places and things as possible. Freddie loves to explore and that is the perfect excuse for us to plan lots of trips away :)

One thing 2013 has taught me is that you have to grab life with both hands, and as cliche as it may sound tomorrow really is never promised, you have to live for the moment and do everything possible to have tons of fun :)

I look forward to sharing my year with you all, happy new year lovlies x
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