Tuesday 28 July 2015

Today I Resigned, With No Job To Go To..


Today, was the first day in a very long time that I woke up 'easily', there wasn't the usual horrific migraines, I didn't yank my eye mask down from wherever it had slid to and the battle with my eyelids just didn't happen. Today, is the day I resigned from the first job I have ever had, after four and a half years of hard work..

Have you ever had a toothache? A niggling pain that at the start, you only really notice late at night whilst snuggled up in bed or when you're in a day dream, a pain that with the hustle and bustle of daily life, you don't really notice it's there, but gradually over time this pain grows and it becomes more and more noticeable until it's so unbearable that even the most simplest of tasks leave you feeling full of dread and generally deflated until it gets to the point where you can't stand it any more and something has to be done, so off to the dentist you go. My job is the toothache - without the dentist..

Some of you (my parents) might be shouting at the screen 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!' But believe me, this is anything but a rash decision!

The people I work with are lovely, and apart from the occasional female environment drama, time spent having random conversations about nothing, can often be the highlight of my day. And I can't say it's the job itself that I hate as I'm good at what I do and I could do it with my eyes closed. So 'why are you leaving' you might ask, I think what I've pinned it down to, is that it's not what I want to do with my life, and as small or silly as that fact might seem, that fact has picked away at me for so long that I feel like I'm suffocating. Waking up in the morning feels me with dread that I have to spend another day doing something that bores the life out of me!

For the last few months, a good nights sleep and days without migraines were thin and far between and it wasn't until the last couple of months that I noticed a pattern. On a 'school day' I would wake up constantly throughout the night and once the morning came felt more exhausted than when I actually went to bed, fast forward to the night before my day off and my bedtime is often much later than usual, yet the next morning I wake up the same time if not earlier feeling fresh and ready to go. I spent so long perplexed as to why it varied so greatly until one day I began to wonder whether work was a factor and from then on I couldn't ignore it!

Don't get me wrong, not having a job and doing nothing all day is not what I want to do either and I hear my dads disbelieving sigh as I write this but I've come to a point where if I hate something this much, and I want to spend some time on myself working out what I want to do with the next chapter of my life, then the time to do it is whilst I'm still living at home with no chance of eviction (I hope..).

Now there's no way I'm planning on living off my parents or the government and I have been preparing for the time when I take the plunge, with enough money saved up to cover my bills for the next 6 months! And I am looking for jobs, but for now they're temporary, work that will tied me over, nothing permanent that is just going to lead me to feeling suffocated once again, I even have hopes that as my little blog grows I might even start to receive some income through it, but we'll see!

So, in one month time, I will be handing back my badges and after what I'm sure will be an emotional farewell, I will be leaving my Clarkies behind..



I think the point of this post (apart from convincing myself it was the right decision) is that if something, anything, not just work has a negative impact that starts to affect not only your moods but your wellbeing then it's time to make a change! Don't waste precious moments of your life doing something you don't enjoy!

If you've made a major life decision recently then get in touch and let me know how it's going!




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Friday 24 July 2015

Wardrobe Full Of Waistcoats


I love the layered look but layering in summer can often be a difficult task, you want the look without the bulk or the excess heat.

It wasn't until recently that I saw waistcoats popping back up on the radar and I decided I rather fancied one in my wardrobe, and, now I have two..
(This will probably continue to grow until I have a wardrobe full of waistcoats.)

They can quickly smarten up any outfit, but look just as fab with a pair of jeans and some converse. as they do with a dress. (Throw one over a jumper when the autumn sets in for some extra body warmth.)

They're an ultimate all rounder.

Let your arms be free this summer and head to the shops now..









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Sunday 19 July 2015

50mm dream..


I recently turned 21, and got some wonderful presents!

One of these fabulous gifts was from my darling boyfriend, a brand new lens for my second love, my camera. 


I've had my camera for a little while now, about three years, but until recently I had only ever had the one lens, and I was pretty happy with that, until I decided I wanted to step my blog up a notch. I began trawling through other blog's to see what they were doing that I wasn't and whether there was anything I could improve on.

 I noticed a trend, photographs with a dreamy background blurred to perfection, which focused all your attention onto the main subject. I was missing this. Obviously my camera focuses on what you choose it to, but the blur was nowhere near this level, so I delved a little deeper and discovered that a 50mm lens was what I needed in my life.

My birthday post was actually the first outfit I did with my new lens and I fell in love instantly (even my boyfriend had fun experimenting with it).


Now, I have got a main point behind this post, rather than just showing off my new gadget. When our friends asked what my boyfriend was getting me for my birthday, they couldn't understand what the 50mm could do that my old lens couldn't, as far as they knew all lenses focused on one point and that was that, so I decided to photograph a couple of items with both lenses to show the difference...



This first one is with my original lens, as you can see there's blurring but everything is still quite clear.
Now look at the next photo..


As you can see there's quite a difference!



I feel that the flower and leaves show it slightly clearer. in the second image the leaves just blur into  mass of colour rather than their shapes..


And finally, an actual blog photo..




It brings the subject forward and I love the effect it has on my photos, this is something I wish i had discovered months ago, but better late than never I guess!!

Have you had a recent discovery that will improve your blog? Let me know!






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Thursday 16 July 2015

Barcelona - Part Two


This one is a special tribute to Barcelona's beach!

Glorious golden sand, warm inviting sea and an atmosphere that makes you want to join in a game of volleyball! Barcelona is the destination that has the best of both worlds, city break and beach escape. Even the locals can't get enough, they all flock to it when they've finished work, and at this time, it's the perfect temperature, the sun is still up and there's plenty of restaurants and metro stops around for when you want a break.

If you ever visit Barcelona, don't forget to get some sand between your toes!















 Choker and Chain Necklace - Asos
High Neck Top - Zara
Geometric Monochrome Skirt - Motel

It's a beach - you don't wear shoes..





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Sunday 12 July 2015

Barcelona - Part One



Last week was a very exciting time, not only was it my 21st birthday (you can see what I wore here) but the next day I jetted off to Barcelona for four days with my lovely boyfriend.

I had wonderful plans of doing blog outfits each day, but once I got there it was a different story, in 36 degree heat, it takes a lot to look good, and sadly, I just couldn't pull it off..
But, I have recreated the outfits once I had returned to the lower temperatures of the great British summer. Alongside this I've got snippets of my trip so that if you haven't been, you can see a snapshot of Barcelona for yourself!



We had an early morning flight so that we could make the most of our first day there (this didn't go to plan..), but my god was it painful! By the time we had arrived, ran around like tourists trying to work out which train to get and checked into our hotel it was well gone lunchtime and we were starving, grabbing a quick bite to eat we began our exploration.

This is where I admit that I don't have many pictures from the first day, tired and overwhelmed I was busy looking more with my eyes than with my camera, so its a snippet compared to my future posts!

We found ourselves on las ramblas, one of the main streets in Barcelona, which led straight down to the harbour. With glorious views out to sea, we sat at a restaurant overlooking the mouth of the port and watched boats come in and out before strolling round further to find where the boats were moored.
(And the biggest boats, all British..)




 Being horrendous holidaymakers we ended our first day here and headed back to our hotel for the earliest night I've had since I was 12!!






Sunglasses - Asos
Gold Bar Necklace - Asos Marketplace
Frill Tie Back Cami - Topshop
Belted Shorts - Asos
Peep toe Pumps - Asos





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Wednesday 8 July 2015

Wishlist: A Day to Night Summer Outfit


I'm a massive believer of picking multifunctional, transitional pieces. Statement items that can completely overhaul a look yet are practical enough to slide into your wardrobe like they've been there since it was first built.

For my second wishlist I've created an outfit that can take you from day to night for those lazy summer days where its too sunny to spend ages working out what to wear!




Waterfall Spike Necklace - Missy Empire
Tribal, boho, punk, can you fit many more styles in just a necklace? Statement necklaces are my thing and when they round of a whole range of outfits then even better. From hardening up a cute summer look, to stepping up an edgier festival outfit, spikes fill so many different needs that they are a must in your jewellery box! For more alternative styling, try wearing the necklace under the collar instead of the usual.

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What is there not to love?! This colour for transitional pieces has to be one of  my favourites. Pastels are always on the top of the Spring/Summer trend list, along side icy tones for Autumn/Winter, you cant deny that this slots perfectly into both. Bare legged for summer and woolly tights for winter it's set to be on my next delivery.

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Sadly its frowned upon to go out barefooted anywhere but on the beach, but for the instances where footwear it required I have found us a little Scandinavian company who have just launched a brand new UK site - www.footmaller.co.uk

I'm lazy, I'll admit it, I'm not a person to browse through hundreds of sites looking for a particular item when there are perfectly formed little websites like this that do the hard work for me!
Sunflower Classic Slipon - Vans - Footmaller
I love sunflowers, they're my favourite flower, so when mixed with the perfect classic van, oozing summer style how can I resist. It adds a little edge to the shirt dress for a more preppy feel, and if you fancy it, wear them with lace top socks if you really want to push the look one step further.



 Pointed Ankle Strap Heels - Buffolo - Footmaller
Everyone needs a shoe that just by slipping it on, it instantly turns your outfit into a glam evening look.
I've recently had a small love affair with patent, as it just gives everything that little extra 'summin summin' (yes I really did just write that..).
I'm not one of those girls that can teeter around in 6" heels and look like a gazelle, I'm far too clumsy,  so ankles straps are a must if I'm to survive an evening. And if you're worried about the straps cutting your legs short? It completely depends on the thickness of the strap and the positioning on the shoe, so give them a try before you dismiss them!

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I hope this wishlist has helped you see just how easy it can be to create a completely different look without changing as much as you think!

This post was sponsored by Footmaller.

Make sure you don't miss out on my future posts by following on Bloglovin!


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Monday 6 July 2015

BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY!!!


I AM FINALLY 21 WOOO!!

On the last day of June I became a fully fledged adult - how scary!

I had been searching for weeks for the perfect birthday outfit and failed miserably every time, until late one night I clicked onto my Zara app, and within seconds I was let lose on the just released sale. Searching like my credit card depended on it, I was whizzing through the choice,s until I stumbled upon this little lace beauty!

Being the old lady that I now am.. I didn't want to look too 'young' or 'sweet' with my angelic lace, so I brought out the heels I used in another recent Leather and Lace post to toughen up my look!
(I had planned on wearing my leather jacket for an extra hint of biker-chic, but the heatwave we got hit with was far too warm for that!)




Are you eagle eyed?
I was a very lucky girl and my wonderful boyfriend got me a gorgeous little 50mm lens for my Canon camera. This was my first post using it so I was super excited to see how the pictures came out, and I think the dreamy soft-focus background speaks for itself - yipee!





Chain and Bar Necklace - Asos
Lace Dress - Zara
Gladiator Stacked Heels - Clarks





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