Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Monday, 11 May 2015

My week #2

So I don't really walk to work as I live in that annoying in between area where it only takes 15 minutes to drive but it would take over an hour to walk. And I'm not doing the London to Brighton trek this year as Topher has a hernia so I'm just going to casually skip this topic for an update of what I've been up to.

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*Shopping on in the Northern Quarter with my cousin *Shopping continues *Blog on Mosi * Drawing with cats around *Glitter flowers at my grandmas *Church yard car boot * Selling my stuff * My office

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*Voting *Pickles is startled *Work evening out with the epic cheesecake *Hobbycraft haul

How has your May gone so far?

Monday, 27 April 2015

The Crochet Crop Top

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Last Saturday I led my visiting cousin into the city of Manchester and we hit the shops. I seem to be in a bit of a rut at the moment finding clothes to replace the ones I sold but at least I managed to walk away from the day with this.

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The vivid shade of post box red caught my eye when I was wandering through Topshop. Immediately I fell in love and went to try it on. I was surprised to find it was slightly cropped so it didn't look that great with the jeans I was wearing, but I was planning on wearing it with my new Zara trousers which are high waisted anyway. So no bother. To the till!

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Now if only the sun would return from wherever it disappeared to so I can wear this, that would be great!

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Monday, 23 February 2015

Meadowhall trip

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Last weekend I took the train to Meadowhall to meet with my family. Due to it being a Sunday, train times weren't regular so I ended up waiting an hour in Starbucks for them to arrive. No bother for me. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and a pastry while reading blogs on my iPad. Prepared. I forgot how nice it is to just sit and read in a coffee shop. I'm usually rushing about so it's a rare occurrence for me. 

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When it came to the time when the shops started opening, I decided to have a wander while I waited. First stop, Dorothy Perkins. Destination, the sale section. I got quite lucky considering how small the section is (the sale is pretty much over). I managed to find a pair of purple jeggings in a size 12 for just a tenner. They were a petite but fit my short legs just fine. And even better, when I got to the till I remembered that I had about £16 left on a gift card from my birthday last year. Score!

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Finally my family arrived and it was off to look around some more shops. We were stuck in Holister for awhile thanks to my brother and my auntie but I kept myself amused taking snaps for instagram with my new Paperchase postcards. Though it's still pretty dark in there I have to admire their floor. Pretty! The main reason for my Paperchase visit was to pick up a couple of things to top off the parcel for my #springtimesurpriseproject partner. Post to come later on that. But of course it being me, I had to get a few postcards myself. Only 60p each though so not enough to break the bank. 


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Next stop was lunch. TGI Fridays as chosen by my cousin. The less said about this place the better. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be disappointed by a quesadilla. On the bright side, I really liked the decor of the place.

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After that it was followed by more wandering around the centre. It's been such a long time since I last visited which is funny since I practically used to live here as a teen. A couple of weekends a month, my mum and I would drive the hour journey over to shop, have some lunch then go and visit my grandparents. I was a bit of a lonely teen so I used to enjoy these visits immensely. How times have changed. 

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Before heading to Primark, we stopped in Topshop and Debenhams. The latter where I bought a dress reduced to £10 in the sale and the former where I was surprised at how bored I was. What has happened to the clothes in Topshop? I've never seen so much black, white and beige in my life. Where's the colour? I hope it's just this store - Topshop is the majority of the time too expensive for me but I usually love walking around for inspiration. 

When it came to Primark, I really reigned myself in and just got things that I needed and things that were a complete bargain like the leather jacket below. Only £10! That'll be ideal for when Spring finally makes an appearance.

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The toiletries bag that I've had for around 10 years finally died on our Florida trip so it was time to pick up a new one. I love the nautical style of this and it's a decent size to fit all my bits. 

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For those who love Disney and Harry Potter, I would get yourself down to Primark soon as there is a massive choice at the moment for t-shirts. I couldn't help myself when I found this Hufflepuff t-shirt for £6. This type of thing would set you back double or triple the price in the Wizarding World in Florida. This will be saved for October when we visit next. 

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And of course in true February on the high street style, all the sandals and summer clothes are beginning to make an appearance. By the time you actually get the warm weather or go on holiday they're all gone so I took this opportunity to get a couple of basics. This vest will be ideal for work as I'm told it's like a furnace in the office during the summer months. And these shoes will go with everything. They remind me of a pair I saw in Accessorize last year, only these are about a quarter of the price. Sold. 

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Pickles approves.

What have you bought recently?

Monday, 26 January 2015

What I've read lately

Now that my commute has been reduced to a mere 10 minutes, my reading has been abandoned for the time being. I did get plenty of reading in during Christmas though.

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Yes I know this has been all over the internet but I finally picked up a copy in November. I'd read that people powered through the book in one or two sittings but I wanted to make it last a bit longer so I rationed it over about a week. I had planned on saving it for my holiday but I couldn't help but pick it up one evening and I finished just before I left.

I enjoyed Sophia's back story and loved that she worked her ass off to get to where she is today. Though I feel the section where she says what she looks for in her ideal employee wasn't needed, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to be their own Girlboss.



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I'm a big fan of the Shopaholic series but I have to admit this one left something to be desired. First of all, it ends on a cliffhanger which is a first for this series and a fact I really wish I knew before hand as I have no idea when the next book is out. Very annoying. 

And as for the character of Becky, I really feel like it was a caricature of her former self. Becky Bloomwood is to be honest a bit of a ditz, but a loveable ditz who you want to get a happy ending. Shopaholic to the Stars loses the loveable and amps up the ditz. She was selfish, childish and I really understood everyone for being mad at her. I was pretty disappointed to see a hilarious character be turned into something so cliche.  

It's not a complete loss though as there are some pretty funny moments that made me laugh like I used to with the series so fingers crossed Sophie Kinsella sorts it out in the sequel.



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I've recently become a fan of historical fiction, particularly stories of people travelling to some new exciting country. The Dressmaker tells the story of Tess, a maid from England who dreams of travelling to America to become - you guessed it, a dressmaker. So she ends up becoming the maid for Lucille Duff Gordon, the fashion designer travelling on the Titanic. 

Surprisingly, this book deals with more of the aftermath of the Titanic, rather then the journey/iceberg/sinking etc. Mainly on the inquiries that occur into what caused the sinking, why the lifeboats weren't completely filled etc which lands Tess in the middle due to the Duff Gordon's place in the situation. 

Though only part of it was based on fact, I found the both the fiction and non fiction sides fascinating and really enjoyed reading it. My only problem is finding something similar. Recommendations anyone?

What have you read recently?

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Falmouth

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It's been many years since I've visited the great British seaside and Falmouth did not disappoint. It was stop two on the grandparent visiting trip where I spent my time meeting (and re-meeting) pretty much all of Topher's family. 

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Emma found this B&B for us to stay in and it was awesome. I wish I'd taken more photos of it inside but I definitely recommend it. Very clean and modern and their breakfast is delicious! 

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They even had a resident cat who we affectionately named Tripod as he or she only had three legs. Still they were such a playful and friendly little thing. This only cemented my need for cats of my own. Soon!

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Our first afternoon in Falmouth was spent wandering the main street of Falmouth; Emma and I looking in all the pretty shops and Topher and Luther perusing the book shops before giving up on us girls and heading to Cafe Nero. 

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This shop was like stepping into tv's Hoarders. If you have the patience, it's worth a look for a vintage gem. 

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After visiting every pretty shop (there were a lot) we found the boys having a little date...with their DS's. 

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Then it was off to visit the grandparents and indulge in my first ever proper cornish pasty!

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Have you ever been to Cornwall?

Thursday, 27 March 2014

Project 365: Week 12

This week is flying by. One more day and then it's holiday time!

March 19th
Doodling constantly

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March 20th
Ugly ring is ugly

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March 21st
Found shoes for cousin's wedding

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March 22nd
Took new parka out for a spin on 20 mile walk

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March 23rd
Found my holiday reading

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March 24th
More new shoes

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March 25th 
Lamb hotpot! Delicious!

How was your week?

Monday, 24 March 2014

Mini weekend haul

This weekend I had a mission. Get shoes to match dress for my cousin's wedding. This was a difficult task. Typical me, I had to pick a dress which had a colour scheme that is insanely difficult to find in the shops this time of year. 

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I decided to wear the dress on the left. As much as I love the one on the right, it's not right for this wedding. The other is better for a Muslim wedding. 

So the best choice for footwear would have to be that dark silver/pewter/rhodium kind of colour. Very difficult post Christmas to find. 

After giving up on the high street, I took the opportunity of living in Wembley and started browsing all the Indian sari shops. 

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By some miracle I happened upon these shoes that were the exact colour, size and they were on sale! Score. They are very bling but they will fit in nicely. Crisis over. Now all I need is a bag...

The Primark at Wembley is a small one but I popped in during my shoe hunt and found a few treasures.

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Desert boots for my upcoming holiday. We are actually going to be staying in the desert for a night or two and I have no appropriate shoes so these fit the bill. 


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I've been on the hunt for a parka recently as I don't have anything waterproof for my training walks. We all know how unpredictable the weather is here in the UK. I got hailed on yesterday while wearing this parka so job done. Plus look how cute the little umbrellas are! I will be getting an actual coat (and hiking boots!) for the trek so this will do me fine until then.


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And finally I can't say no to a nice necklace. It will be worn with tshirts & jeans and will also look great with my maxi-dresses. 

So excited for my holiday! 4 full days left to go!

Have you found any lovelies in the shops recently?

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Late birthday presents

For my birthday last month, I pretty much just asked for money so I only got one present on the day (which was awesome btw, thank you to the bf - see below), leaving me with cash to burn. 

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I love New Girl and I especially love Schmidt so this book is awesome! 

This week I finally went online shopping and spent up.

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This Kate Spade book has been on my wish list for the last few months. I'm a sucker for a pretty picture.

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 The next was another long time wish list dweller from British designer Made By Daisy on Etsy. I just LOVE this bangle!

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 It's actual hundreds and thousands encased in resin. 

I wish there were more Forever 21's in the UK. Come to Manchester please! Therefore, I had to shop online to browse the sale. 

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I came away with this gorgeous tiered pleated maxi dress which is perfect for the weather right now. 

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Why hello there dodgy mirror shot!

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Though I may need to wear slightly heeled/wedged shoes as it skims the floor and don't even get me started on stairs. I'm 5"6 so it's kinda surprising, ha ha. Apart from that, it fits perfectly and it was only £14!

And finally I got the cutest brooch, again from Etsy. Kate Rowland Illustrations has some awesome wooden jewellery, all hand made. 

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I couldn't resist this little rocket brooch!

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And just because it's been awhile, I met up with my old friend Photoshop:

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Have you bought anything pretty recently? Taken advantage of any sales?