Playlist: What I'm Listening To

Hi, I thought I'd do a slightly different post today just to mix things up a bit. I love visiting other blogs and finding a link to a new song or playlist, so I thought I'd return the favour and introduce you to the tunes I've been loving recently.
I constantly have music playing, such as first thing in the morning in order to stay awake, on the tube to and from uni, whilst cooking, and when pulling an all-nighter to finish coursework. I keep all my music on my iPhone (I'm glued to that thing!) so I needed a sturdy, protective (and pretty!) case to protect it from general wear and tear. The lovely people at Arena Media gifted me this gorgeous Uncommon Deflector Case from the Apple Store. It's such a cute colour and the case is lovely and shiny and pretty thick too so I feel like my precious phone is well protected.
Below I have included the links to each song (because I'm nice like that) and I hope you like them!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Life Lately and Brick Lane Buys

Woah sorry for the long absence! Uni life has been crazy busy, what with us getting a new project everyday with no definite deadline, so it's pretty easy to let it all pile up. A lot has happened since my last post, I'm now three weeks into my course, I met Alexa Chung at her book signing at Liberty, had another Flickr meet up (you can see my Flickr page here), met up with my mum who took me out to dinner at Strada on Southbank, and caught 'Freshers flu' which had made me ill for over a week!

I've been a bit (a lot) of an emotional mess recently what with all the changes going on, and being ill, but I won't go on about it. Last week I visited Brick Lane market (again) and I plan to go every weekend, it's the highlight of my week. There's always so much happening and you get to meet some very interesting characters, I also popped into Tatty Devine which is situated at the other end of Brick Lane, and even got 'style snapped'. However, last week I went with the intention of getting some warmer clothes seeing as winter is suddenly upon us. There's a shop called the East End Thrift Store, in other words the perfect place to grab a bargain, especially for those of us on a student budget, where I willingly spent my pennies on an oversized chunky cardi, pretty navy chiffon blouse, and a denim dungaree dress (finally!!). I also bought a burgundy maxi skirt and scarf for a total of £10 from another stall. I've been looking for a denim dungaree dress for ages, and a large cardi, although it's a bit too big to wear out and about as it completely swamps me!

Hat - Topshop / Cardi - EETS / Blouse - EETS / Denim dress - EETS / Belt - Primark / Tights - Primark / Creepers - Shoezone

And here's a sneaky peek into my room!

P.s. I've just discovered 8 Tracks and I'm obsessed with it! I've fallen in love with so much new music, do you use 8 Tracks? Link me your favourite playlist so I can discover even more music :D

Missing Home

65daysofstatic - Radio Protector

Contrary to yesterday's blog post, I am actually deeply missing home, but not in the sort of way that I wish I was there now; more in a way that I don't like all the change happening around me and want things back to 'normal'. Yesterday was a very lazy day, and I suppose being kept busy has kept me distracted. Also, in the evening I but the bullet once again and went out with everyone, only to have an absolutely terrible night resulting in a friend having to go to hospital and me having to walk all across London to get back to the flat in the early hours of the morning. I just wish I could curl up at home with my mum and my cats, and I know I should be super grateful for all the opportunities and excitement heading my way, but I'm actually terrified and really not good with handling change.

I'm also going to look at the positives here; I have some lovely flat mates and we had a group meal last night of delicious stir fry, cocktails and macaroons. Also, last night I happened to spot the actor Alexander Vlahos (aka Mordred from Merlin) and then this morning a group of us went to Spitalfield Market and got free cupcakes, and explored some hidden vintage shops. Right now I am keeping to myself in my room and watched Star Trek Into Darkness (hello, Benedict Cumberbatch!), I'm still exhausted from last night and don't know what I'll do later, perhaps have a much needed phone call with my bestie and look at the beautiful sunset from my flat window. 

(photo from my Flickr page)

I've Enrolled!

You are now looking at an official CSM art student, hello. So yes I finally got enrolled, it took me three attempts as the first time they said I needed my GCSE results too so I had to get the train home to pick them up, and the second day they'd closed early. It' so frustrating to waste all those train tickets! But anyway, it's done now and my course starts in three days, eeekk! 

Thanks for the lovely feedback on my last outfit, that day I went for a wander down Brick Lane and then in the evening a large group of us went back down Brick Lane in search of bagels and then back to the flat for a game of Ring of Fire with some flat mates. I'm already getting to know everyone and starting to remember faces and names better :)

Yesterday, after enrolling I once again went down Brick Lane and visited a vintage shop called Rokit, I tried on a few things and have fallen in love with the clothes there! It's all so different and retro and perfect if you need something so spice up your wardrobe. Next week they're holding Student Happy Hours where students get 20% off, so I'll definitely be there! I then went and bought our flat a toaster which made me Miss Popular for a while, although I've now eaten way too much toast.

In the evening, I went on my first clubbing night out with everyone. We got the tube to Picadilly and spent the night at a club called Tiger Tiger. Clubbing isn't really my scene but I still wanted to experience new things and it was definitely exciting even though I wasn't drinking. Once we'd left the club we went on a hunt for a night bus and ended up trekking quit far across London, luckily I had put comfy shoes on and it felt so surreal to be wandering through Trafalgar Square at half two in the morning! 

On to the outfits; for some reason I've been wearing a lot of black recently, and I quite like the edgy look - I think it makes me look and act more confident. My outfit isn't much different from what I wore the day before, sorry. 

I think I've forgotten how to properly pose for photos.

Dress - AX Paris / Jumper (worn as cardigan) - New Look / Backpack - Primark

Mesh top - New Look / Green backpack - Primark / Studded Belt - New Look / Maxi skirt - Primark / Triple buckle boots - c/o* New Look

Major Lazer - Original Don ft. The Partysquad

Outfit Post and Life Update: Moving In To London

Hi, Im back from Greece, the most amazing holiday ever! I've been a lot more active on Twitter recently and haven't had much time for blogging because I have finally moved out of home and into my student accommodation in London. Woohoo! I've been here for a few days now; today I went for a wander around Whitechapel and down Brick Lane, seeing as it's within walking distance. Picked up a few things like hangers, cling film etc (living the glamorous life), but it's so different being on a student budget so I'm constantly on the hunt for bargains. I had my first pot noodle - surprisingly okay but a bit chewy and attempted to enrol at the uni for the second time (yesterday I didn't have the right documents) but they had closed early which was a bit annoying because not only does that mean I have to come back again tomorrow, but I'm wasting my food money on train tickets because I can't get an Oyster card until I've enrolled! 
Anyway, I'm enjoying this new life and the independence, it's always tough meeting new people but most of us here are on the same course and I'm starting to remember names a bit better. One of the great things about being here is that anything goes. I'm starting to experiment more with my wardrobe and going out in things I'd be too shy to wear back at home just because I'd be worried I'd stand out too much. For example, I've had the fringe/no fringe dilemma, but now I just don't worry about it, which feels quite liberating. Today's outfit was definitely a bit of an experiment; I'm wearing a large top as a dress, and wearing it backwards so that it's a high neck, with a jumper that's worn as a cardigan. The tights seemed necessary as I didn't want to feel too exposed even though it's been lovely and warm today, and I'm also wearing little black brogues. 

Top (worn as a dress) - New Look / Jumper (worn as cardigan) - New Look / Velvet belt - Primark / Tights - Primark / Backpack - Primark

Hopefully I'll now have more time to blog, even if they're just short updates. Luckily my new room has this lovely huge white wall (which has to stay blank because we're not allowed to stick anything on them) so I'll be more tempted to take some outfit photos, and hopefully I will continue to be more experimental with what I wear :)

P.S. My course starts next Monday! Eeekkk!

Stars - Dead Hearts

Holiday Photo Diary

*Scheduled post*

This is a brief summary of my amazing holiday in Wales with my friends. These photos were taken on a disposable camera, I've recently become very fond of them as they make you think a bit more about what you're taking a photo of, rather than snap away on a digital camera (which I also did) and I also really like the way they turn out, even if some of them are grainy or blurred. I took a photo of the sunset eat day except for day 5 because it was too cloudy, but for the other four days there were stunningly colourful sunsets and we had a perfect view! We also brought with us a video camera and caught snippets of each day (and night) but it's taking forever to edit into one video!

 

 

 

 

Day 1: Arrived and settled in, played guitar and chilled.

Day 2: Exploring the beach in the local town, didn't expect it to be so sunny and  so busy! The tide had gone out for a mile so we walked as far as we could and tried to avoid all the jellyfish, then chilled out on the sand dunes. Finished the day with a small BBQ and marshmallows!

Day 3: Went on The Panorama Walk, the shortest walk we could find which took us up a hill and overlooked the estuary and harbour. We could see the tide going out and turning a turquoise blue while eating a picnic in the searing heat at the highest point. When we returned to the town we all got ice cream and watched the greedy gulls trying to steal chips. Had dinner out at a pub. 

Day 4: I convinced my friends to try crab fishing in the harbour, we caught about 9 crabs and then let them go down the slope, watching them race each other. We rewarded ourselves with ice cream and milk shakes from a very colourful ice cream parlour. One friend had to leave early so after a quick visit to the tiny fairground and saying good bye, the rest of us headed back to the beach. We then had the crazy idea to get up at 4am and go to the beach to watch the sunrise, crazy idea but I'm so glad we did it!

Day 5: The day we swarmed the markets and shops (my hands were too full to take photos during the day).

Day 6: Tidied up and left pretty quickly, and then it was a gruelling 6 hours drive home.
I think I forgot to mention that my grandparents own this tiny cottage, so I've been there a few times every year. It meant I was able to plan this holiday with activities in mind and it was pretty exciting just having friends there rather than family.

** Please note: I am now on holiday with very limited internet, therefore I will be unable to reply to comments and emails. I'll be back on the 25th. **

Holiday Buys (Wales)

Hey so this is a bit weird that I'm writing about a holiday I went on a month ago (!) when I'm only hours away from getting a flight to my next holiday destination (Greece, woohoo! Although by the time I upload this post I'll already be on the plane) but this was such a special holiday that I wanted to share some parts of it. Myself and my three best friends drove to North Wales and stayed in a cottage on the coast for a week, just us and no adults. It was such a lovely and relaxing holiday, but also a great laugh and the perfect getaway just before we all go our separate ways to uni. The local harbour was full of cute little local craft shops, sweets and ice cream shops, an ancient antique shop and plenty of stalls and markets to visit. 
One of the days we went a bit crazy at the market and charity shops and bought so many books that we couldn't carry them all in our bags so had to walk around town with a huge pile of books! I bought three books all under a pound, along with the MGMT cd from a music stall - we were there for what felt like an hour looking through every cd. We found a really adorable little shop selling things from handprinted bags, handmade candles and lip balms to bunting, chilli pepper fairy lights and tea sets, I couldn't walk out that shop without buying something so I got these two tiny sweet tins, one of which now holds my rings. In one of the souvenir shops there was a rocks and minerals collection so I picked up a large amethyst and clear quartz to add to my ever growing collection. And finally where would a beach holiday be without a few postcards? I only picked the ones of places we'd actually been, and I'm going to send some of these to a certain penpal. 

 

 

  

** Please note: I am now on holiday with very limited internet, therefore I will be unable to reply to comments and emails. I'll be back on the 25th. **

My Dream Interior Wishlist

To celebrate the launch of their new website, Chaise Longue Boutique are holding a competition for all bloggers to win an iPad 3. All you have to do is create a wish list or moodboard of things you’d love in your dream home. You have to include one of their products, and the rest can be from anywhere else you like.
My current room is very cute and 'shabby chic' with purple and cream walls, a pretty white bed, and an abundance of fairy lights and bunting. For my wish list I decided to go for a more mixed up theme and introduce some more vibrant colours. I wanted a mixture of cushions, especially the Rob Ryan print which I adore, instead of sticking to a single theme. There's also a hint of vintage and travelling from the map lamp, butterfly poster and woven rug. I chose this beautiful metallic bed from Chaise Longue as I've never seen a bed like it and it adds a magical element to the room. I also had to include something space themed, which is why I chose this simple moon clock. I like my room to be a collection of different items, each one meaning something different and from a different place, the only problem would be when to stop!

1. Ohhdeer.com / 2. Ohhdeer.com / 3. Ohhdeer.com / 4. Misterrob.co.uk / 5. Chaiselongue.co.uk / 6. Thinkgeek.com / 7. Notonthehighstreet.com / 8. Urbanoutfitters.co.uk / 9. Urbanoutfitters.co.uk / 10. Urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Check out Chaise Longue Boutique's website here. It's full of beautiful vintage and princess style furniture!

Festival Fun With New Look

Now that it's August I'm trying to make the most of the summer we have left, I mean I do have two weeks abroad coming up, but then after that it's straight off to uni and summer will suddenly be over. One way to keep the summer spirit alive is music festivals. I've never been to one myself, they always seem to be on at the wrong time or clash with other arrangements, but I will go to a music festival one day!
New Look have got a great festival collection at the moment, I'm always shopping there and I'd say an awful lot of my wardrobe is made up of New Look pieces. I was inspired by their Festival Fashion Timeline (below) to create my own festival outfit. At first I thought my style would be more bohemian, but as I put pieces together it sort of developed into a more "Rock Chick' look. And please excuse the terrible pouting, it's something about those glasses that make me go all pouty!

 

Hat - Topshop / Glasses - Firmoo / Necklace - c/o* New Look / Kimono - New Look (old) / Dress - New Look (old) / Belt - New Look / Boots - c/o* New Look

(Left to right) Above knuckle ring - Handmade / Amethyst ring - Dixi / Infinity ring - Handmade / Plait ring - Claires / Thin ring - Handmade / Scrabble ring - Ebay / Above knuckle ring - Dixi

Festival Fashion Timeline by New Look

Hope you're all having a good summer and enjoy any music festivals you're going to!

Happy (blog) Birthday To Me

The day has finally come, if you follow me on Twitter then you'll know that I don't like to keep quiet about my birthday, I can't in fact! I'm finally 18 and an official adult - scary, I know. However, it's also been exactly a year since I started blogging. It started off as a way to show my DIY 'experiments', attempting to gain confidence, and as something to do over a long summer.
Looking back, I've got more inventive and brave with my DIYs, digging out my sewing machine more often and not being afraid to alter and make my own clothes. I have definitely got more confident in myself and the way I dress. I don't know if that has anything to do with finishing school and getting a place at my dream university, but I'm pretty sure my blog and getting to know other bloggers has helped hugely! It's great to look back to my first few posts and see how I've changed for the better and I'm really glad I kept my blog going; that it wasn't just a phase and something I'd get bored with. I've managed to find time to blog (most of the time) and even write a guest post, and I hope that this next year is going to be just as amazing, and possibly attend a meet up so I can finally meet some of you wonderful bloggers!

Anyway, just a short post to show my appreciation for sticking with me and to say thank you, I will set up a giveaway soon and possibly tweak my blog layout, but for now I have a crazy amount of decorations to make and set up, and other things to organise for my birthday.
I have put together all my outfit posts from this last year, just because, why not.

Thanks again 

xxx

** Click here for a pretty awesome birthday song! **

Outfit Post: Charity Shop Dress

This is just a quick outfit post to show you what I found at my local charity shop. It was originally from Primark, and I spotted the pretty print and bought it hoping it would fit, which it did! It's got a super pretty lattice detail on the back and I love how light and summery it is. I also noticed, whilst editing the photos, just how short I look...

Daisy crown - Claires / Dress - Charity shop (originally Primark) / Brogues - New Look (old)

I do have one thing I'd like to add; the only thing I don't like about our local charity shops are that they are quite over priced, which I know shouldn't be something to complain about as that just means more money goes to charity, but I've noticed any clothes with a recognisable label like New Look gets priced at around £10 - almost as must as the store price! It's a silly little thing to get annoyed about, but when I go to charity shops looking for a bargain it's not always so easy. 
Ridiculous and insignificant rant over.

P.s. MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!

D.I.Y Scallop Skirt

This summer I am going to aim to get a few DIYs under my belt, and to use my sewing machine as I've barely had time to use it since getting it for Christmas. For this skirt, I spotted an adorable floral print in my local fabric shop, but there was only a small amount of it. As it was so cheap, I thought I'd be daring and try to make a skirt from it, so that if it didn't work out it wouldn't have been much of a waste.
I wanted to try to make a scallop hem as it's something a bit different and I like how it adds a feminine touch (not that a floral skirt isn't feminine enough already!) and so I searched for tutorials. The best one I found was from a blog called Extra Petite, and has an extremely useful step by step animation. 

** Click here for the link  **

I also have step by step photos to show you how I did it, and how simple it was, although it is also quite time consuming.

Looking back, I could have done with more fabric (I prefer skater skirts to tight pencil skirts) so that the skirt could have been more gathered. However, it's a lovely lightweight skirt and I'm really happy with the scallops, and worth the time it took (I had to turn the machine by hand when sewing along the scallops so that I could get a smooth curved line).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, let me know if you try it out, I'd love to see what you create!

P.s. It's my birthday and blog birthday in 2 days! Eeek!