Christmas Day round one!

Due to my family members being in positions where they have to work on Christmas Day (my mother is a care worker and my brother a head chef at a 5 star restaurant) we as a family rarely get to celebrate Christmas Day in the traditional way on the 25th. 

In fact we tend to wait until Boxing Day to celebrate at all! 

So my 'Christmas' day has consisted of watching telly, writing cards and having an evening of curry and drinks with my family! Hardly what you'd call a traditional Christmas.

Not to worry! We shall celebrate in a traditional way tomorrow, with presents and drinks, Christmas food and a slap up Christmas dinner! 

So I've shared with you my unconventional Christmas and I will update with Christmas number 2 in our household :)

Merry Christmas! x 

so happy christmas, i love you baby....

It's officially Christmas eve!! (in approx 30 minutes)
My nails are all Christmas-i-fied In Gold!
It's from the Fearne collection, by Fearne Cotton in Boots and is called 'Golden Touch' it is so hard wearing, and although they have glitter in they leave a smooth finish. I usually have to paint my nails after a couple of days due to chipping but these ones last for a whole week! (perhaps longer but I get bored of colours and have to remove it)
The tree is up, presents are out and Christmas songs are on!
I cannot wait to celebrate the Christmas time with my family, and then head up to Chester to celebrate New year with my boyfriend and his lovely family <3
Christmas time truly is the best time of year, and I am loving this year more than all those previous! <3 

Liebster award ...

I had no idea what this was, but apparently I've been nominated by Chloe - underestimatethegirl. I am following the rules so bare with me if I mess this up. 

"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

11 facts about me; (that'll bore your face off)
1) i'm obsessed with painting my nails EVERYDAY
2) the smell of soy sauce makes me very poorly 
3) I am horrifically allergic to cats, which hinders my love for them 
4) I get more excited for Christmas now i'm a grown up, than I did as a child
5) my boyfriend and my cousin are genuinely my best friends (how sad)
6) I put more effort into wrapping presents, than I do choosing them 
7) my favourite thing to drink is tea, closely followed by tea 
8) I HATE hot chocolate, every single kind
9) I am far too lazy with my hair (wash, condition, dry, done!)
10) I have the bladder of a kitten (or a heavily pregnant woman)
11) I am a massive History geek! 

my questions to answer from Chloe. 

1. When did you first start blogging and why?
   I began blogging through the advice of Chloe :) in Nov 2011.
2. What is the one beauty/hair care item you couldn’t live without
   I would die without moisturiser, I have the driest skin in the history of the world.
    A close second being mascara!
3. What is your favourite ever song?
   favourite song ever is a tough one, it's gotta be a tie between Mr Brightside by The Killers (which my boyfriend never fails to sing to me drunk) and Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams (which somehow became my freshers anthem)
4. What is your most embarrassing fashion mishap? (90’s double denim etc?)
   embarrassing fashion mishap? try everything I ever wore before I got to 16? I was a skater, a goth, worst of all a chav - you name it i've disgusted the world with wearing it!
5. Do you prefer outfit or beauty posts?
   I prefer outfit posts personally, (I class nails as part of the outfit) I enjoy looking at the different combinations people can make - make-up etc. doesn't interest me as I have found my look, that hasn't changed since I was 16!
6. What is your least and most favourite thing about your looks?
   I HATE my tiny ears, I feel stupid wearing earrings with my hair up, I don't want to draw attention to them!
   I have learnt to love my figure, I'm so very petite :)
7. You have £5 to cheer yourself up on a bad day, what would you buy? (not food/drink)
   NAIL VARNISH! ... easy 
8. Describe your perfect day
   cuddles, cuppa, films and my boyfriend 
9. What do you think of the massively popular trends like the Topshop “Geek” tshirts?
   I couldn't care less about 'trends' it's such a bore. People need to get some individuality.
10. What is the next holiday you’re going on?
    I don't have one planned :( woe is me.
    I am visiting Chester (my boyfriends family) for the New year so I'll class that ;)
    Sunny ol' Chester!
11. Which is your favourite blog to read, and why?
    I don't have a favourite, I genuinely love reading all kinds of blogs :) 

My questions for you!

1) what celebrity fashion best reflects yours?
2) daytime tv? yay or nay?
3) where would be your perfect proposal spot?
4) do you have a favourite film?
5) Team Edward or Jacob? ;)
6) Favourite beverage? (non alcoholic though! oooh)
7) statement wardrobe piece, you couldn't live without?
8) i'm well known for spending £10 a week on cake, (ooops) what guilty pleasure do you waste money on?
9) Highstreet, Designer or Vintage?!
10) The most amazing place you've visited? or intend to visit?
11) I'm a massive history geek, what's your little secret?

I tag-

Caitlin-Rose from Confessions of a Rose
The lovelies at lets live 2 eat
Daisy may from Daisy Mays beauty blog
Natalie from Your almost Alice
Rachel from Sweet Pea London

(Only managing to do 5, rule breaker. Sorry guys!)

the eve of my 20th celebrations...

although I don't actually turn 20 years old till Wednesday the 12th, tomorrow is the only time my lovely Chloe could visit and so we are celebrating early!

I have spent the day today, packing up the majority of my worldly possessions (ready to move back home at the end of the week) which my mother and brother came to pick up this morning.

Being the sweety she is my mother did bring me an early birthday cake! (I will celebrate it properly with my family when I get back home for Christmas) which she didn't have time to ice this morning so i did that this afternoon, while me and my boyfriend baked Whinnie The Pooh apple and pear muffins with a yogurt icing.

It's been one of those busy, yet oh so lazy days.

All in all i'll be celebrating my turning 20, three times! Lucky me :)

Now to relax with a Christmas film, a Irish coffee and a muffin!

Happy December!

x

Please forgive the awful quality of these photos. My camera was elsewhere.

Whinnie the Pooh muffins and Irish Coffee <3

My little Milo and my Birthday cake :) 

The picture on the left is one my sister sent me of her dog Milo and their Christmas tree, it made me smile! so I thought i'd share it!

it's a beige kind of day ....

Shorts; Topshop (old), Tights; Primark basics, Jumper; Vintage 

Spending the day shopping for new shoes (due to all mine being destroyed) and having tea and mince pies with my boyfriend was the most perfect thing I could 

have planned for a Saturday. 

(not to mention the amount of pick & mix bought)

I threw this outfit together last minute, an old pair of shorts and two layers of tights (too cold for one) along with a ancient jumper (not to quote Mean Girls but "it was my mum's in the 80's") and it genuinely was!

It's not everyone's cup of tea but I love it, and it's so cosy!

Spending my days being lazy with my boyfriend is perfect!

x

arts and crafts

I've been feeling very creative recently, I have always been a creative person anyway art being my one love but recently the arts and crafts bug has well and truly bitten me.

Watching things on telly like Kirstie Allsops many series and seeing art work of the people I know all over facebook etc. has sparked something in me and I cant seem to stop.

I've been making Christmas cards, and scrap books but there is only so far I can go with limited resources and I can't justify spending my student loans on craft materials (even if there is a beautiful shop locally that sells amazing stuff) as a History student it doesn't make sense.

I do however, gradually want to build my collection of art things, this brings me on to my plee.

I am hoping someone reading this can tell me where I can get a silk printing screen from, you know the ones that are used to create screen prints. I have always loved using them, and I decided I would like to invest in one but I have looked all over the internet and not found one.

Any help is appreciated :)

Example of the print screen i'm looking for.

Art lovers, watch this space.

x

my Christmas wishlist...

i'm jumping in on the swarm of all the 'bloggers' posting their Christmas wishlists!
this is mine ...

1 - Models Own Nail Varnish - Snowflakes - Wonderland  £5.00
2- Nutcracker Soldier £35.49
3 - Missguided - Kadira Shiny Disco Pants in black  £25.99
4 - Missguided - Ginynna Velvet Leggings in burgundy £12.99
5 - Cath Kidston - Laptop Case - Trailing Floral £28.00

Let's hope Santa gets my letter!
x 

Mulled Wine...

A simple post about my all time favourite drink!
MULLED WINE!
My boyfriends lovely mother sent a whole pile of gifts for
me for my 20th Birthday (next week) and Christmas.
In this pile was a set for mulled wine!
including...
a bottle of gorgeous red wine
a mini bottle of brandy
spices; cloves, star anise, coves and cinnamon sticks
and a orange

Such a sweet little gift, and perfectly suited to me.
I can't wait to get it mixed together and heat it up :)

             x 

cancelling monday...

nobody likes Mondays, so this week I decided to cancel mine.

my lovely boyfriend has come to visit me for December, in time for my
birthday, so I sacked off my lecture for the day and stayed indoors.

warm and toasty!

I did make an attempt on my history essays that are due in the next few days.

Most of my day was spent cuddling on the sofa and watching Christmas films/series.

On another note on my mums visit the other day she brought me my advent calendar, which I have had since I was about 8 and my mum got fed up of buying us chocolate
ones when none of us ate the chocolate.
So with these she can fill the little pockets with sweets we actually like!
I love it so much, It makes my Christmassy feeling complete.

Happy December 3rd!
x

a day of culture...

My mum and younger sister visited me today, to bring up my gifts for my birthday
 as I won't be home for it this year, and so we had a day out.

Visiting The Potteries Museum which is local to me, and has a stunning exhibition
of the Staffordshire hoard on at the moment that I did not want my mum to miss out on, and Newcastle Museum In Newcastle Under-Lyme which is where as of
February 2013 I will be working on placement. 

Both Museums are stunning and we had a wonderful day, the arts and crafts section in
Newcastle Museum was adorable and brought back my love of all home-made things!
Hence my obsession with shows like Kirstie Allsopp's many series on channel 4! 

We finished our day with a stop in the beautiful Michael Angelo Cafe and a little treat!

Nothing makes me happier than winter days with the ones I love!
(Writing this while listening to Christmas Songs has made this feel very Christmassy)

Happy 1st of December 

x

 

Images from The Potteries Museum,
A stunning painting by
Robert Polhill Bevan which is
undated. Every time I see this painting I
 fall in love with it just a little bit more.

The owl that has caught the stoat,
 I just though demonstrates
perfectly how brutal nature is!

 These images are from Newcastle Museums crafts section, I loved the idea of these wooden USB sticks! that are beautiful. The lamps were impressive and something I am going to try and make myself! and the Ritz box clock, well that speaks for itself! 

Ending the day with the ones I love and a gorgeous hot beverage 

x