THIS WEEK HAS BEEN...

Crafty

Unbelievable

Spooky

Reflective

Fruity

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I know it's not seasonally appropriate, but I felt this guy needed a moment in the spotlight! I attended a craft day this weekend with other Brownie leaders and we came away with a ton of ideas for Christmas and Easter decorations for the girls to make. I definitely have a secret fondness for crafts - give me a pritt-stick and some sequins and I'm happy (this will definitely be archived in the 'things not to admit on the internet' folder).

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The more time that goes on, the more shocked I become that I ever had the courage to enter this competition, let alone the potential to become short-listed. Sending out bags of gratitude for anyone who has voted for me already - I'm so thankful! And if anyone wants to go and see the five short-listed entries or vote for your favourite, just click here. All you need is your reading glasses and an e-mail address.

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I'm such a sucker for seasonal foods. Only yesterday I squealed in the middle of Wilkinson's after seeing Lindt teddy-bears for Christmas, so you can imagine my excitement over this one! Definitely glad they only changed the shape though...not sure I could have handled the sacrilege of a pumpkin-flavoured chocolate.

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I've been bringing out my inner Laurence-Llewelyn Bowen and redoing my bedroom gradually, and after refusing to pay £50 for a simple stand-alone mirror from Argos, was pleasantly surprised to find this one for a tenner in Home Bargains! That place is a student's mecca I tell you.

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Whenever my skin rebels I try to eat more fruit - it definitely works, but then I get complacent and fall off the fruity bandwagon. I'm hoping my blueberry facemask will cover for my laziness and do the job instead!

x

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN...

Relaxing

Chocolate-coated

Twisted

Nailed

Heartbreaking

Well actually, it's been quite the opposite. And completely self-inflicted of course, but it's been just one of those weeks where every little thing stresses you out. Job rejections, cold weather, smudged nail varnish, X-factor. Wait.... well, anyway, I turned to my trusty scented candle and a bit of blog-reading to quell any panic. I think it did the trick.

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These are not just white-chocolate coated raisins, these are M&S white-chocolate coated raisins.

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Twisted in an unreal-amazing-super-star-tasty way. You miiiight have realised by now that I do love a bit of baking, but the one thing that I've avoided until this very week is bread. It terrifies me. I don't know why - I mean, I love to eat it, but making it from scratch just seems to have far too many pitfalls for me to fall very ungracefully down. Nevertheless, I gave this twister bread a go [half stuffed with pesto, half with wholegrain mustard] and was pleasantly surprised at the result.

Bread: 0, Danni: 1.

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I tried leopard print nails a long time ago, a la Gem, but never seemed able to get it right. It looked more like a dodgy mosaic than any animal print I've ever seen. I think it was Lily's ever-lovely nail art that spurred me to try again and voilà, I think I nailed it [Buh dum bum....]. Will definitely try some milder colour tones next time though, not sure I can carry off these brights!

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My favourite album, ever. [Aha Shake Heartbreak, KOL] Other musical fads may come and go [my current go-to's being Foster the People and Bombay Bicycle Club], but just as soon as I break out Caleb and Co's archives I'm oblivious once again to anything else. They certainly have my heart [and my full-volume singing wailing].

x

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN...

Webbed

Ripe

Translucent

Nibbled

Clashing

The sun seems to have brought out the Autumnal beauty in everything - I'm certainly not a spider fan, but this web looked stunning caught in the afternoon sunlight.

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My friend's mum has been growing tomatoes, and much to her dismay they were pretty much refusing to ripen despite her best efforts [even talking them into turning red didn't do the trick]. So, after reading up some tips on the internet and apparently distributing them in random places throughout the house, they've finally ripened! I made bruschetta with them and ate it in the sun. Talk about a late summer!

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Again with the Autumn beauty. No editing, just some perfect timing and pretty leaves.

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There's a massive kit-kat divide in this family. To nibble or not to nibble? I always bite off all the chocolate first [not before checking to see which side is thicker] and eat the wafer afterwards layer by layer. Am I weird?

Actually, don't answer that.

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I do like a bit of subtle colour clashing; turquoise and pink is one of my faves, although I could never go all out and base an outfit on it. I reckon I'd end up looking like a) a 90s Barbie or b) a walking sweet-shop advert. Although, as a frustrated job-hunter, maybe there's a career in that?!

x

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN...

Frothed

Flighty

Tied-up

Riesonable

Britain's properly letting us know summer's over isn't it? I've been cold enough for daytime dressing gowns and hot, homemade mochas. And marshmallows.....marshmallows help.

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I've had these cupcake cases for a good 18 months now, and only just got round to using them! They're covered with hummingbirds in an ode to the London bakery, and to be honest, I was still reluctant to use them as they're so pretty!

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Been flicking through old scrapbooks and photo albums and it's made me a little scared about the future! Back in the day I had school, college, and uni to rely on as giving me a purpose. Now? Now it's all on me, and although I know where I want to get to, I doubt it's going be easy. Bring back the days of caterpillar birthday cakes and pogs! [If you don't remember what pogs were, you were probably one of the cool kids]
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And whenever I get too deep in thought like that? I reach for the Riesen. Obvs.

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You might have noticed a bit of a change around here too - I hope you like it as much as I do! Let me know if there are any issues with layout, links etc. I'm no expert when it comes to html and css coding, so don't be afraid to tell me if something's not working properly! I've also got a few new pages where you can find more info, and my blog roll is now under the links page. I'm hoping to add to it progressively so feel free to leave links to any of your faves [including your own ofc :)].

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x

This week has been...

Inspired

Cute

Collared

Expensive

Mooney

★ Whoever is in charge of sorting out new McFlurry flavours needs a handshake and a big payrise. ★


★ I reckon every cupcake tastes better with a topper. In fact, not just cupcakes. I'mma stick these in everything I make over the next few weeks I reckon. Brownies, cookies, beans on toast.
Hmm. Maybe not. ★


★ I've been after a sheer black blouse for ages now, and was completely shocked to find this one a) in river island [I hardly ever shop in there] and b) on offer. The £10 off meant it was hardly any more expensive than Primark's current stock [an issue that is really starting to grate on me] so I snapped it up sharpish! ★


★ The blouse was a symptom of a severe bout of shopaholicism that I've experienced this week. I think a combination of my first paycheck and a lack of any recent retail therapy meant I got a little hanger-happy in Merry Hill. And the Bullring. Twice. Let's hope I find a cure soon...★


★ Finally bought some paper hole-reinforcers so that I could attempt this half-moon nail style. It came out alright, but a little uneven so that some nails have more of a full moon, and others a mere crescent. Higgledy piggledy is in though, honest. ★


★ Oh also? Nutella truffles. Just, click. YUM. ★


xxx

This week has been...

full of reflection...

xxx

This week has been...

Romantic

Tagged

Indecisive

   
Eager

Roasted

★ Favours from my cousins wedding which, with no exaggeration, was the most perfect day. Sunshine, ice-cream, amarettos and a huge family reunion. It couldn't have been any better. ★

★ Managed to snag [nice word, but it does make me sound like a bit of a thief doesn't it?!] these luggage tags from Wilko's of all places. Thinking of doing my nails similarly. All for my HOLIDAAAY! ★

★ What with my sunglasses habit, I'm having to whittle down the selection to take away with me. Three pairs isn't excessive at all. Nope. ★ 

★ This originally said 'good luck' but, well, you know me by now. Chocolate doesn't last very long if I can see/smell/sense it. But back to the point, I started an internship this week which has proven to be really interesting, fun and creative. A little challenging, but that's what it's all about right? ★ 

★ As much as my aforementioned chocolate habit is somewhat scary now, it's nothing compared to my addiction to sweet potato. I know, I'm just too cool. Seriously though, roast it with garlic and salt and you'll be as weirdly obsessed as me. ★

★ This time tommorow I'll be in a different country, enjoying some long awaited sunshine. I'll be back next week with a monster photography post - expect obligatory photos of clouds, aeroplane wings and food. Standard. ★

xxx

This week has been...

Gu-ey

Buzzin'

Rosy

Chilled

Vegged-out

★ My first proper Gu pudding, and hopefully not my last. ★

★ If bees flew around in silence they could be quite cute I suppose. But no, they buzz along right past your ear and make you jump up and down like a terrified moron.

Or that could just be me. ★

★ I have this thing with the Topshop jewellery sale. It's called obsession. I can't walk past those florescent  pink stickers without buying something, and this time it was two dainty charm necklaces. Good job they were only £1.50 each really! ★

★ Aaah, chilled wine, evening sunshine and...supermarket magazines. Another embarassing form of reading material to add to the list. It starts with the Lakeland catalogue. [Granny jokes on a postcard please] ★

★ When I say I threw this salad together I mean it in the most unpretentious and realistic of ways - left over potatoes chucked in a pot with peas, tomatoes and pesto. Car crash in a bowl if you ask me, but it was tasty. ★

xxx



This week has been...

Wishful

Fluttery

Retro

Neon

In bloom

Al Fresco

★ As a little girl I was always told these dandelion heads were fairies, and to make a wish if I ever caught one. Let's hope it comes true! ★ 

★  The butterflies have been going cuh-razy in our garden this week. I guess fluttering around all day can be thirsty work...pint of nectar it is then. ★ 

★  I was thrilled to find out I'd won a prize in Vicki's super-dooper giveaway [who has also just got herself a beautiful new blog design, I love it!]. I joked that after winning these lovely retro glasses and a scarf, all I needed now was a convertible car. Unrealistic? Me? ★ 

★  After months of an admittedly half-hearted search for the perfect green/yellow nail varnish, I stumbled upon this Barbara Daily number in Tesco. £3 seemed a lot for a tiny bottle, but I'm in love with the colour. Speaking of which, check out Susie's latest lime green mood board, my subsequent craving for a Twister lolly is ridiculous. ★ 

★  Not only have the butterflies been supping up, but so too have the flowers it seems - the garden's full of bright colours and unusual shapes, I just pray the sunshine sticks around long enough to enjoy it. ★ 

★  Lazy brunch outside this morning which consisted of fresh fruit, honey, bagels and Nutella.

I know. ★ 

xxx

This week has been...

Showered

Beefy

Simples

Lucky?

Final

❤ Though I'm looking out into glorious sunshine [and now beginning to wonder why on earth I'm sat at the computer at all] the week started off grey, drizzly and pretty depressing. C'mon Britain, it's July..part of that season you seem to forget? ❤

❤ Steak has played a big part in this week. Steak is good. That is all. ❤

❤ Got a couple of new Simple products to try. Fully expecting to turn into one of their looks-perfect-without-makeup, forest-dwelling models by this time next week... I'll review and let you know ;) ❤

❤ Herein lies the reason I'm not basking in the sunshine, bugs. There was a full on swarm of ladybirds [re: six] in the garden, and that coupled with bees-a-buzzing made me a little jumpy. Insects are not my friends. Although, do six ladybirds mean six times as much luck? *wanders back outdoors* ❤

❤ I've graduated. I'm a graduate. I have a degree. I could say it ten times over and it wouldn't sink in any more. It was with a little disbelief and a lot of laughter that I went to Uni on Friday; who knew that three years can go by so quickly? ❤

❤ And finally, it was the Birmingham meet up this weekend - a day full of shopping, good company, and delicious food and from what I hear an evening of laughter, cheap drinks and crazy dancing too. Big thanks to Fritha and Claire for organising it, and a slap on the wrist to me for taking zero photos. Lame. ❤

xxx