Lily loves Lola

Woodhall Spa & Lincoln.

2012-02-12T12:14:00.001Z

As you may have seen here Jonathan and I took a trip to Woodhall Spa and Lincoln for my birthday. We fancied getting away for a couple of days and when I saw Gemma's post "kinema in the woods" I thought this would be a great place for us to visit.

I found an adorable B&B in Woodhall Spa and got us booked in for one night and the rest, we decided, we would plan as we went along.

It didn't take very long to drive there at all so after a hectic morning of getting up at 6.30am to drive to Leeds to drop Lily and Lola off with my parents then getting home, getting ready and having brekkie I was ready to relax and play the part of passenger for a while. With my iPhone map, a packet of Percy Pigs and camera in hand off we went!

When we arrived in Woodhall Spa we dropped our things off at the B&B and after a chat with the lovely couple who run it and marvelling at how adorable our room was, we headed out, wrapped up warm, to explore.

Top: Some local attractions / Jonathan doing a spot of "tree hugging"

Bottom: The road leading to the B&B / The only nice photo of me which Jonathan ruined :) Also, that is snow and not dandruff.. honest!

We found the Kinema in the Woods and both agreed it was the most wonderful place ever. If this was my local cinema I would be here every week!

We nosied at the Kinema a few times during our stay and saw it pre-snow, post-snow, in the light and in the dark and it looked great every time. We also went to watch a film (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and it was the most surreal experience, like we had stepped back in time. The best part was the interval where we were treated to some piano playing and a few jokes from the piano player.

The Kinema in the Woods - outside and inside.

It was dark by the time we left the Kinema but we had a wander around anyway, earmarking all of the places we wanted to go back to the following morning. By this point we were hungry (despite numerous cinema snacks and hot chocolate!) so we headed for some grub and then a relatively early night as we were pooped!

The following morning, after a huge full English breakfast with tea and toast at the B&B, we loaded up the car and had one last walk around the town visiting an amazing deli which you can see in the video I made. We loaded up on sweet treats for later on in the day.

Walking round the town

Before we drove to Lincoln we stopped at the Petwood Hotel which was stunning. You can read a little about its history here. We really fell in love with this place and thought it would be a wonderful place to tie the knot. Ooh er! ;)

The Petwood Hotel.

It didn't take long to drive to Lincoln so we had plenty of time to wander around the centre and visit the array of little shops on offer. It was ab-sol-utely freezing so we were glad to find warmth inside whenever we could. My favourite shop was the vintage clothes shop which had so many amazing things inside. We bought a few bits and bobs from other places, including some artwork by a local artist and some vintage-style postcards from a huge bookshop full of old and new books. We're going to put the postcards into frames to hang in our home.

Wandering around Lincoln / The most beautiful blue house!

We went inside the Cathedral and marvelled at the outside and how beautiful it was. Then after being outside for so long we were longing for a cup of tea to warm our cockles so we visited a little tea shop. This gave us chance to warm up and rest our tired feet before making our way back to the car and back home.

Have you been to Woodhall Spa and/or Lincoln? Do you live in either place? Let me know your recommendations of where to go incase we ever go back!

Converse - Chuck Taylor All Star.

2012-02-06T20:25:00.000Z

We all know by now that Sarenza sell great womens shoes and bags and you have seen a selection of them on this very blog, but they do mens shoes too! Jonathan recently picked out a pair of Chuck Taylor All Star trainers from Converse which are currently priced at £51.00 for the style and colour he opted for.

Jonathan chose the classic white pair which have a simple red stripe and the All Star logo on the back. This style comes in a whole host of colours. I just had a wee browse myself and I literally couldn't pick my favourite. Although I do really like white as it's very classic and I think Jonathan looks very dashing in them.

What does Jonathan think? He really likes them! He says they are very comfortable and he knows they will last for ages because Converse are such a good quality brand. He says they are perfect for so many occasions and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

How have Jonathan's legs fared in his first modelling debut? And does your chap like Converse?

The unbeatable Chuck Taylor All Star from Converse has arrived at Sarenza! Made legendary by the NBA basketball player Chuck Taylor, it is still a must-have in the wardrobes of fashionistas and more traditional wearers alike. It was actually in 1917, in Massachusetts, that the first Converse saw the light of day - it was all black and only intended for basketball players. And so it was that for more than 40 years, Converse shoes were exclusively reserved for use in sports. Everything changed when Chuck Taylor decided to wear only Converse shoes for a whole season.

A sneak peek (Woodhall Spa & Lincoln road trip).

2012-02-05T19:25:00.000Z

Last Thursday and Friday Jonathan and I took a mini road trip to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire and on our way home we popped into the centre of Lincoln. It was a great trip and we both fully adore Woodhall Spa now. What a wonderful place. If you live there I'm certainly very jealous.

The great thing was it didn't take long to get there at all so we had plenty of time to see the things we had on our list, and thanks to the recommendations of the people we stayed with we saw a few extra things too.

I've got plenty of photos to share with you but in the meantime here's a video I put together. I hope you enjoy it!

Woodhall Spa/Lincoln road trip. from Victoria Jackson on Vimeo.

(The music is from The Artist soundtrack. If you haven't seen this film I suggest you go. Immediately!)

Happy Birthday me.

2012-02-03T17:27:00.001Z

Today I turn the big 2-7 and have had a wonderful day so far. We are home from our trip away now and I'm really excited to share the photos and videos with you. We had such a great time. A special thanks to Jonathan for making my birthday so much fun. I have spent the last 2 days eating these kinds of foods:

Source

But it's my birthday so I'm allowed :)

Get the look: Zooey Deschanel in New Girl.

2012-01-29T18:20:00.000Z

It's no secret that I love Zooey Deschanel (along with the rest of the population) and I really like her new show, New Girl. Her character, Jess, wears some great clothes albeit a tad short! I particularly like the cream blouse and blue polka dot combo below and don't get me started on how much I love Zooey Deschanel's hair. I definitely wasn't blessed with volume of any description in my hair.

I'm no stylist but I have put together a few things that I like/want to buy inspired by Jess and her wardrobe. This was pretty easy for me as Jess has the ideal style in my eyes; cute prints, short skirts and shorts, printed dresses, pumps, and geeky glasses. I threw a few peter pan collars in for good measure too as I can't resist them myself.

I'm particularly in love with the star print blouse with its double peter pan collar *sigh* and the double collar Dahlia dress with gold buttons which is currently in the sale for £34.50.

I hope you like the things I have picked out. If you've been inspired by Jess and her style let me know what you've picked up!

Top: Boutique by Jaeger Star print blouse via ASOS

Bottom: Whistles shirt via ASOS

Left: A/Wear heart print skirt via ASOS

Right: Dahlia dress via ASOS

ASOS mini skirts - red, black, cream.

Last week:

2012-01-28T17:19:00.000Z

Lily and Lola got their annual boosters and felt sorry for themselves

They found the sunny spot as often as they could

Jonathan and I opened yet another box of Christmas chocolates

I played with new charms

We used our new Cornishware mugs and had plenty of perfect cups of tea

I progressed to level 3 of Ripped in 30 and I don't think my body will ever forgive me

I watched New Girl a lot

Also, my Grandad passed away last week and I have been very sad indeed. I would like to use my corner of the internet to say Rest in Peace Grandad, and lots of love to my Dad.xx

New in! (& a 15% off discount code)

2012-01-26T19:18:00.000Z

Now that I have recovered from the manic December rush I have been able to order new charms, update my shop and set up a discount code for you which you can use from now until the end of this weekend. All you have to do is enter LILYLOVESLOLA15 to get 15% off your entire order (I ship Worldwide too!)

I have added several sets to the shop so now you can buy a set of 3 saving you £1 compared to buying each bracelet individually, plus you save on postage too! "The popular ones" set has proved... popular. You all seem to love those 3 charms and I can't blame you. The tiny wishbone is very cute indeed.

I have also added gold charms as I personally prefer gold to silver. Choose from a gold peace sign, adorable gold buddha or a tiny gold star. I'm very excited about the new gold arrivals that are winging their way to me, I just wish the postman would hurry up!

Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I will be able to add my new charms, different types of thread and also friendship bracelets with clasps so you don't have to worry about tying a knot or a bow. The dark nights mean I have to wait for the weekends to take photos and even them I'm pretty rubbish, but hooray - the evenings are starting to get lighter so I won't have to worry about that for much longer.

I'm also looking for bloggers willing to do a review or perhaps include some of my items in a giveaway so if you fit the bill let me know in the comments. Thanks and happy shopping!

An amazing blogger contest (& I need your help!)

2012-01-25T20:04:00.000Z

First of all I want to mention a competition that Sarenza are currently running, the full details of which can be found on their blog. If you're a blogger and you like shoes (and let's face it, who doesn't!) go have a read through the details and get your entry in. You could be their next ambassador! You've got until 5pm on the 27th January to submit your entry and if you do decide to have a go, please send me the link! I'd love to have a read.

I can honestly say being an ambassador for Sarenza is a true priviledge and they are really wonderful to work with. So there's nothing to lose, give it a go!

I decided to step away from the pumps and try something new with my last Sarenza order and browsed the boots for hours on end looking for the perfect pair. The only boots I tend to wear are my beloved Uggs but when I saw the Texas boots by Blowfish I loved them.

They're completely not 'me' at all but I really, really like them. They're slightly tough looking (like I said, not me at all!) but they have an added bit of pretty in the gold buckle detail.

Here's where you come in. I have no idea what to wear them with, and you all know a lot more about clothes than I do. What would you team them with?

From its headquarters in Malibu, California, Blowfish relays all the trends from the big capital cities. The brand was created in 2006 by the same team who were behind the scenes in labels like Esprit, Sam & Libby, Rocket Dog, Aerosol. Always in perfect harmony with the expectations of the international market, these excellent designers were riding high from the start. Their brand is very diverse, fun and innovative and confidently mixes styles of the season.

Shopping.

2012-01-23T19:15:00.000Z

I don't often take part in sale shopping as it's far too stressful and I hate seeing things that I have bought reduced by a significant amount. But I really rate Dorothy Perkins for their sale. Whenever I visit a DP store during sale time things seem to stay fairly neat and tidy (take note River Island!) and there are always really nice things left in my size.

At DP's I also really like the sizing as it's consistent and I can shop online without worrying about which size to buy.

I recently bought a few things (all in the sale) and thought I'd share some of them with you. My only bugbear with this order is that they emailed me to say my order had been dispatched late and then when my order did arrive the invoice said some items had been cancelled (I assume they were out of stock) but this was the first I had heard of it! Some of the cancelled items were presents, so I was a little bit annoyed. But anywhoo, here's what I did receive:

L: Cobalt blue bow dress
R: Navy/cream dress (I already have the same style of dress in a stone colour and I love it so I had to snap up the blue version with its discount)

L: Grey and white cardigan
R: Boyfriend jeans

I wore the cardigan to work on "dress down" Friday last week and had about 3 or 4 compliments on it before 9am! So that can only be a good sign. Plus it was only £15 which is incredibly cheap for such a thick, long, cosy cardi.

I like wearing dresses and tights for work as they're so much more comfortable than trousers and a shirt, and I try to mix up my work wardrobe a little bit. I find it hard to find dresses that look smart but I think the navy/cream dress is perfect (for my work environment anyway).

What have you bought online lately? Bought anything from the DP sale?

Homemade chicken kievs.

2012-01-22T17:12:00.000Z

Last weekend we decided to have a go at making chicken kievs. We are massive kiev lovers and have tried them from just about everywhere (our favourite are from Asda incase you wondered) so we thought it would be good to have a go at homemade ones. Plus we like to try out new recipes as often as we can.

We used a recipe from the BBC Food website (this one). The good thing about this recipe is that we already had a lot of the ingredients knocking around so we only had to buy a few things, one being chicken breasts. We bought organic, slightly more expensive ones hoping that they would be big and chunky - perfect for stuffing with our kiev mixture. Unfortunately they were a little flat, so if we made them again we would visit a butchers to get chicken breasts perfect for stuffing.

They turned out really well and were extremely tasty! They weren't too difficult to make and you can serve them with pretty much anything you like. We went for diced potatoes in a tomato-ey sauce and asparagus which Jonathan pan-fried in a bit of butter (yes all of those potatoes were for just the two of us...)

Our perfect Saturday tea was topped off with a good film, a cuddle on the sofa, a glass (or two) of Sangria and a huge cream bun. Lovely!

Have you tried a new recipe lately?

Lily & Lola playing.

2012-01-19T21:47:00.000Z

You would think that with all of their teddies, toys and balls they would play with those but no, a plastic lid seems much more fun. Silly Mummy buying those dog toys!

Lily & Lola playing. from Victoria Jackson on Vimeo.

Miel Makes.

2012-01-17T21:54:00.000Z

Yvonne, the lovely owner of Jam Jar Beads in Sheffield, has been adding lots of things to her store Miel Makes recently. I spotted this wonderful foldover pouch which I thought would be great for storing some of my threads and needles, but most of all I thought it was incredibly pretty, so I made a purchase!

I'm all for supporting independent crafty folk, and I'm certainly not disappointed with my purchase. It's well made and the fabric is lovely. I really envy those who can make items out of fabric and can sew so neatly. I would love to learn how to make some simple fabric items and perhaps how to use a sewing machine (says the girl who did A-level Textiles, but it's so easily forgotten! Well it was 8 years ago.....)

I will be keeping my eye on Miel Makes and perhaps making another purchase in the future. I know a lot of you who read my blog also like to support fellow crafters so I hope you pop along for a look!

Monday summary.

2012-01-16T18:10:00.000Z

It has been a while since I did one of these posts but as I have had a day off today and a hectic morning packing up orders, dashing to the Post Office, walking the dogs, doing my workout and then some housework I thought I would have a sit down and blog my socks off for a little while.

My 5 good things:

1) Our new living room furniture from Next was delivered on Saturday and Jonathan worked like a trouper assembling it (with a little help from me). We bought a few items from the Hartford range as we both love dark wood and we have heard really good things about Next furniture in general. The bookcase is my favourite and is now sat looking rather empty, waiting to be filled with books and trinkets.

Look at the excitement on his face! Like a kid at Christmas.

2) Watching New Girl episodes back to back all Sunday afternoon. I adore Zooey Deschanel as much as the next person and I can't get enough of her new show. I don't often find much worth watching on tv but this is such easy viewing and has lots of laughs. Schmidt is my favourite character and this is one of my favourite clips:

3) Eating amazing (vast quantities) of food all weekend and trying out new recipes. The only problem now is I have to work out even harder this week to counteract the damage!

4) We booked our flights to Vegas! So with accommodation and flights booked bring on the 17 April!

5) Friday night saw Jonathan and I heading to Leeds for a leaving do for somebody at our work. We didn't stay out terribly late as we had to pick L&L up from my parents house but it was nice to be back in Leeds, my hometown. We ate dinner at the Lounge which I used to go to quite a lot with my Mum and Sister for lunch, so it was nice to be back! The food was really, really good. We shared smoked mackerel pate to start, and then I had the burger which was HUGE and came with amazing chunky chips/wedges and a few veggies.

What are your 5 good things at the moment?

The Artist.

2012-01-15T19:08:00.000Z

I went to see The Artist at the cinema yesterday with Jonathan. We saw the trailer a few weeks ago when we watched Hugo and I instantly said "we have to go see that!" I was immediately intrigued and excited to see something so different, and I love the 1920s so I knew it would be a visual treat!

Don't be put off by the fact this is a silent movie. You soon forget as the storyline and characters are so captivating. The two main characters are wonderful and really made me feel like I was watching a film straight out of the 20s. It made me laugh lots (and cry quite a bit too), the soundtrack is superb and even Jonathan enjoyed it although he probably hates to admit it.

Go see it!

Sweetcorn & red pepper soup.

2012-01-14T11:13:00.001Z

I found a great recipe for soup last week and made a batch to take to work to have for lunch with a bread roll. It tasted so great I didn't actually stop to take any photos but I thought I'd share the recipe all the same.

Making soup for work is a good way to get some of your 5 a day in plus you can't beat a hot dinner on a cold, miserable day.

The recipe I used was based on a Rosemary Conley recipe slightly apapted as shown below (tip: no way on God's Earth does this serve 4 people. It was enough for two servings for me).

Serves: 4 (if you're a family of Borrowers)

Per serving: 50kcal

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

4 ~~small shallots~~ 1 medium onion - finely chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

2 cloves ~~smoked~~ garlic - crushed

2 red peppers - finely diced

1 x 175g can of sweetcorn - drained

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

600ml veg stock

2 teaspoons ~~cornflour~~ I used regular flour as it's all we had

~~1 tablespoon finely chopped chives~~

Preheat your wok on a high setting.

Dry fry the shallots/onions in the wok until soft. Sprinkle over the paprika, add the garlic and cook for 1 - 2 mins stirring well.

Add the peppers, sweetcorn and chilli flakes and stir in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 2 - 3 mins.

Slake the ~~corn~~flour with a little cold water and add to the soup, stirring well to prevent any lumps forming. Cook for 5 - 6 mins until the soup thickens slightly.

Yum! I would definitely make this again but maybe double the quantities.

Source

Bauble by Dune.

2012-01-12T20:16:00.000Z

When I think of Dune shoes it conjurs up thoughts of pretty shoes that are good quality/perhaps even a little pricey for my budget. Now that I own my first pair of Dune shoes I can confirm that they are definitely pretty and, as they have now gone into the sale priced at £45.50, they're not so bank-breaking.

I opted for the Bauble pumps which are black with a fancy beaded/bobbly detail on the toes in black and silver. They are the style of pumps that slightly fold round when they're not in use which I love, because it means they're a better fit when they're on your tootsies. Nice and snug.

My one criticism though is that these are a size 7, and I'm usually a 6 to 7 depending on the shop/style of shoe, but these are a very small 7. So perhaps Dune's sizing is slightly smaller than I'm used to, but this is not a problem as Sarenza do free returns so I could have easily swapped them for a different size.

You know me, I love my pumps. This pair are no exception. They could easily be dressed up due to the fancy detail on the front, or paired with a plain black outfit to give a little bit of extra sparkle. I would wear them out for dinner with black tights and a dress, which is infact exactly what I'll be doing with them tomorrow evening.

Dune is a global retailer of men's and women's footwear and accessories in the affordable luxury market and considers excellence in design and development to be the foundation of their business. Dune, which is a British brand, started as a single shop in London's chic Kings Street in 1994. Dune is now one of the most influential global players in the fashion footwear market.

What do you think of Dune shoes? Own a pair yourself?

Back in the swing.

2012-01-11T20:59:00.000Z

If you've read my blog for a while you will know that I talk about a variety of different things, and one thing I used to talk about quite regularly was fitness/healthy eating. I'm still into those things but I guess a lack of time for blogging means some topics have fallen by the wayside. New Years Resolution = make more time for blogging!

In February of 2011 I did this blog post about my weight loss journey. It amazes me that since that blog post I've gone on to lose a further 5 - 6 lbs without doing anything special or different to my normal routine. A combination of regular exercise, eating a balanced diet (e.g. aiming for 5 portions of fruit/veg a day, not denying myself any treats, plenty of fish/protein, etc) and being happy has meant that the weight has just... well, dropped off I suppose.

Source

I'm happy at my current weight and continue to work to maintain it, but after a Christmas of eating everything in sight I am getting back into the swing of things. You will be seeing a lot more of these types of posts on Lily loves Lola this year. I have had a few emails and tweets from people saying that I have inspired them to lose weight/get fit from reading my blog and that is fantastic. So I endeavour to continue.

I have been using a few different sources to keep focused and they may be of use to you:

BeckyBlog - a great blog and one that introduced me to working out via You Tube, so thank you! I wish I could run as well as Becky can but she certainly inspires me to keep signing up for Race for Life and do my best running a 5k.

Celery and Cupcakes - I really like Jemma's blog. She makes healthy food seem so colourful and exciting which makes me crave those kinds of food. If you like smoothies then Jemma always has one on the go and shares the recipe! After a catch up on Celery and Cupcakes this afternoon I have been craving a Green Monster like mad!

Blogilates on You Tube - I love Cassey. Talk about enthusiastic and a cracking body! Some of the workouts are rather difficult for me as I'm completely inflexible but I still have a good go anyway. There are videos for beginners and some that explain the correct posture/breathing techniques so if you were thinking of doing a pilates class this could be a good starting point for you. I warn you though, you will be sore the day after your first try!

Race for Life - If you want an excuse to get fit/get out of the house/lose some weight/raise money for charity then sign up for a Race for Life event and use it as a goal to aim towards. I ran my first Race for Life rather slow and red faced but that made me want to do better the following year, and that I did! About 10 minutes faster to be precise even in scorching heat and with a crippling stitch at the end! Go me :) The 2012 dates and locations haven't been released yet but keep your eyes peeled, I believe they're coming soon.

Me - post Race for Life 2011

Jillian Michaels - Sorry but I had to sneak Jillian in here. I love her, her DVDs are awesome, her workouts give me quick results and her one liners are brilliant!

And if all of the above fails to get you going then here is my personal favourite motivational picture!

Source

Sunday summary.

2012-01-08T18:40:00.000Z

I woke up yesterday morning feeling great and ready for a relaxing weekend. Then all of a sudden I started to feel poorly and it hit me like a sledgehammer. I have been feeling gradually worse ever since which has turned me into a sulky, snivelling mess.

We did keep our dinner plans for last night though and went for tapas at Cubana in Sheffield as it is the first time we've managed to get a booking due to its popularity. Feeling poorly aside we had a lovely evening and the food was absolutely fantastic. Definitely recommend this place if you're ever in this neck of the woods.

Lily and Lola have been looking after me and we have had numerous naps together. Aren't they cute. They always know when I'm feeling down in the dumps and come to my rescue.

I added lots of new charms to my shop yesterday including a tiny gold star, a silver strawberry, a silver apple, and some new sets which work out cheaper than buying each bracelet individually (and saves on the additional P&P too). It's not often I wear jewellery but I love the little gold star and made one for myself yesterday.

I hope you've all had a good weekend. I'm off to watch Dancing on Ice, do some knitting and feel sorry for myself!

paper and chain.

2012-01-07T13:55:00.001Z

I was having a blog catch up last night and whilst over at Noir Nouvelle I read Lauren's post about paper and chain, a jewellery store run by Naomi and Ismay who make absolutely stunning bracelets, rings and necklaces.

For a while now I have been looking for a silver ring that I can wear all the time which is simple but pretty, and I think I may have found it! I instantly loved the Vega ring in silver (top photos) when I spotted it but I think it looks equally as good stacked up with a bronze ring of the same style.

I also really like the Hex Bar necklace from the Catena range (bottom photos). I haven't seen anything remotely similar in the shops and at £18.00 it is a steal.

My birthday is approaching so a couple of paper and chain pieces may make an appearance on my list!

Which pieces do you like?

Presents from the USA.

2012-01-06T18:27:00.000Z

For a few months now Alexandra and I have been swapping parcels, where we have been sharing letters, sweets, beauty products and trinkets from our countries. It has been brilliant receiving boxes of goodies through the post and I thought I would share one of my recent boxes with you.

Not only did I get a big bag of Cinnamon Bun marshmallows (yum!) but I got a whole host of other sweets too (I loved the toffee especially!). Alexandra also sent a makeup bag stuffed full of things including a Sephora lipgloss which I have worn so many times already - it's the perfect nude lipgloss.

Thank you Alexandra! I look forward to many more letters and parcels in the future.

New in!

2012-01-02T13:25:00.000Z

First of all I wanted to say a big thank you to those of you who bought something from my shop this year. It has done better than I ever imagined and I'm so pleased that you like my jewellery. It will continue to grow in 2012 - I have lots of ideas of things to make but the hard bit is finding the time to make everything. Perhaps I should give up the day job in order to spend more time making things.. now there's an idea!

Last week I added some new charms - Hello Kitty, a star (slightly bigger than the tiny star I have stocked for a while) and an ever so tiny wing charm. I hope you like them. I personally think the Hello Kitty is adorable and would look great as a set with the cupcake and horseshoe on pink and lilac cotton. I may add some sets very soon, to make buying buy then one bracelet slightly cheaper for you.

Also if you guys have any suggestions for charms then please let me know below. I'm on the look out for some nice bronze and gold charms, but gold ones seem to be like... well, gold dust!

Once again, thanks to anyone who has bought something from me. To those of you who haven't, I hope to see you very soon!

2012 will be the year I...

2011-12-31T13:50:00.004Z

♥ Learn how to relax

♥ Put the above into practice

♥ Stop stressing over the small stuff

♥ Expand my shop

♥ Tone up

♥ Spend more time doing nothing as opposed to doing everything all at once

♥ Take part in Race for Life for the 3rd time

♥ Decide what I really want to do with my life career-wise

♥ Use eye cream on a regular basis (I will be turning 27 after all!)

♥ Cook a Sunday roast (successfully)

Source

Untitled.

2011-12-30T17:15:00.000Z

I'm in love with this in every way...

Christmas party 2011.

2011-12-29T14:49:00.000Z

For this year's Christmas party (as the dresses in my cupboard are all too big for me now) I had the task of finding a new dress to wear. After several weeks of trawling the shops and ASOS I became fed up of the sight of dresses, but then finally I found the perfect thing in River Island - a little black scoop back dress with flecks of glitter. Perfect for the party season.

I teamed the dress with black tights, gold and black heels, and a little black bag which was also from River Island but from the kids section. It matched the dress and was only £14!

For the first time in my whole existence I was quite pleased with how my hair and makeup turned out, so I thought I would share a few photos and tell you a bit about the products I used.

Backcomb in a Bottle

I saw the kerfuffle about this product when it first came out but I didn't jump on the bandwagon, and by the sounds of it this stuff was quite hard to come across anyway. I picked up a little bottle in Boots recently to try it out and my first impressions were "hmm, it isn't making any difference". I think I expected it to be quite heavy and sticky, but actually I couldn't feel it on my hair at all.

I thought it had been a bit of a waste of money but on the night of the Christmas party I did the following: blow dried my hair upside down, used my straighteners to create slight waves in places, tied my hair up whilst I did my make up, then let it down and used Backcomb in a Bottle on the roots (then I ruffled up those areas to create a bit of lift). The result = just the right amount of volume and no more flat, boring hair! Roll on New Years Eve so I can use this again.

Barry M Eye Crayon in brown

I don't get on very well with eyeshadow so I picked up a Barry M chunky eye crayon in brown and used this to line my eyes and add a slight flick at the edges. I was impressed with the colour transfer and the staying power, and would definitely recommend.

Estee Lauder Double Wear

I swear by this makeup for covering up the scars on my face and generally making my skin look much better than it really is. I used Double Wear liquid foundation (colour: Fresco), Double Wear concealer and used a light dusting of Double Wear powder foundation (colour: Fresco) over the top to stop any shine. I also applied plenty of Hoola Bronzer over the top to avoid the dreaded "ghost face".

Perfume

My favourite 'night out' perfume - Flowerbomb by Victor & Rolf

St Tropez 'Everyday' Gradual Tan

I can't stand streaky, orange tans so this is the perfect product for me. I used it a few nights in a row leading up to the party and it gave me a subtle glow (and helped to dust away some of those pasty Winter-skin cobwebs!)

How did you prepare for your Christmas party?

Santa's little helpers.

2011-12-28T23:13:00.000Z

Not only did my Mum have me to help with the Christmas dinner this year, but she had 2 little reindeers. By help I mean they tried to climb in the oven/dishwasher/etc and got under everyone's feet. But they're so cute. You gotta love em :)

Decorating for Christmas.

2011-12-26T17:19:00.000Z

This post should have gone up before Christmas Day but unfortunately Jonathan had an accident playing roller hockey on Friday evening and after spending the morning of Christmas Eve in a hospital, blogging was the last thing on my mind. He is going to be okay with time though, so that's good news. Nothing is broken! He has badly bruised a muscle in his lower back and will struggle to do normal things for a while. And sport is certainly off the cards!

The past month or so has been pretty manic for us in our new home and Christmas decorations had to take a back burner while we sorted everything else out. But on a much needed day off the Monday before Christmas we decided to source a Christmas tree and some decorations, and after settling on a red and white theme we filled our basket with baubles and tinsel.

We're really pleased with our tree - not bad for our first one together! Over time we will collect more baubles and decorations and make our home cosy and Christmassy.

After my lovely American friend Alexandra sent me some Yankee Candles I have become obsessed and can't wait to get my hands on some more. The problem is I can't make a decision on which fragrances I'd like for each room! I have been burning Christmas Cookie pretty much non stop since I got it and it really relaxes me (and of course makes the room smell wonderful!) I am definitely going to get some more to dot around the house.

I bought some delightful decorations from an Etsy seller and even though it is obviously too late to get your hands on any for this Christmas you should definitely keep her in mind for next year. She also sells supplies and non-Christmas bits and bobs so go and have a nosy! The things I bought are really well made and extremely cute. I especially love my snowman complete with pom pom scarf. I will definitely be back for more!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

2011-12-24T19:37:00.000Z

From Lily, Lola, Jonathan and little old me, have a wonderful Christmas Day.

Eat, drink, be merry, and I'll see you on the other side!

Shop update (Christmas orders & new charms).

2011-12-18T13:17:00.001Z

Just a quick update to say that any orders as of 5.30pm yesterday onwards will not be guaranteed to arrive before Christmas unfortunately (I updated the shop banner to say so, but I wanted to make sure it had been spotted). This is due to an overwhelming amount of orders which has been fantastic! But I am a busy bee ensuring the orders placed before 5.30 yesterday are all popped in the post before the Royal Mail deadline.

You can still continue to place your orders and they will be dispatched at the soonest possible moment. Cross charms, heart charms and evil eye beads are out of stock at the moment but will be back very soon. If you'd like me to let you know when they're back in just send me a message through my shop or Twitter, etc.

In the meantime, please have a look at my new charms and happy shopping!

tiny silver owl friendship bracelet

silver 'wish' charm friendship bracelet

silver dragonfly friendship bracelet

Ugg Australia.

2011-12-15T19:52:00.000Z

I know there are a lot of Ugg haters out there, so if you're one of them this post isn't for you. But I love them. And I have accumulated several pairs over the last 5 years or so. My latest ambassador code from Sarenza was used to get the Classic Tall Wool by Ugg Australia. They caught my eye because they're a bit different to my usual style, I liked the colour and I couldn't resist the pom poms.

They're slightly too big for me which is a shame so I may return them for the size smaller if I can - but they're lovely boots which are extremely comfortable. They will be perfect for the cold months ahead!

In the beginning, UGG was an Australian brand with a strong reputation for manufacturing shoes of an excellent quality. It was surfers who were the inspiration for these boots - they found them nice and warm when they finished surfing. UGG Australia then modernised them to create luxury fashion products.

1 year on.

2011-12-13T22:06:00.002Z

This time last year Jonathan and I were in Paris having a wonderful time. Can you believe it has been a year since we went?! Time has really flown by, in a bit of a blur really. So much has happened in the past year but it has all been wonderful.

We had a great time in Paris where we stayed for 4 nights. We managed to cram lots of sight seeing (and lots of walking!!) into our time there.

Here are a few of my favourite pictures from the trip (and if you want to read my original blog posts click here, here, here and here).

Krispy Kristmas.

2011-12-12T19:17:00.000Z

One of the best things about the office I work in is that it's a 2 minute walk from Krispy Kreme. Other people at work have brought boxes of doughnuts in for everyone before, but the other day I decided to have a wander over for the first time to pick up a treat for Jonathan and I.

I had heard good things about the Christmas tree doughnut and boy oh boy, they weren't wrong! What could be better on a drizzly afternoon than a chocolate topped doughnut shaped like a Christmas tree, with a white chocolate star on the top and MARSHMALLOW inside. Yum!

Meet Earl.

2011-12-11T19:23:00.000Z

My Pug cushion is all the way from Germany and I'm sure you will agree, he is pretty handsome. The only thing left to decide is whether he will be a boyfriend to Lily or Lola.

The importance of pampering.

2011-12-11T11:03:00.000Z

I used to pamper myself on a regular basis in my younger days when I had more disposable income. I particularly liked Espa facials, pedicures, spray tans and manicures. Now I'm a fan of pampering at home and saving my pennies instead, but recently I have been feeling the impact of working too hard, being stressed out a lot of the time, and taking far too much stuff on in one go.

I have been trying to take a step back and relax more (easier said than done!) but a few little bits of pampering have done wonders for how I feel on the inside and out.

I treated my hair to a trim (at an actual hairdressers and not just Jonathan having a go in the bathroom with some regular scissors..!) My ends tend to get quite split from the blonde that remains (it must be nearly grown out by now though) and I probably use the hairdryer and straighteners on them too much. I had a little bit trimmed off the ends and some long layers cut in. The hairdresser styled my hair using a mixture of a conical wand and straighteners to achieve loose curls and I absolutely loved it. I literally felt like a million dollars when I walked out of the salon (twas a shame about the rain and gale force winds that put a slightly dampener on things!)

I also got a manicure and gel polish done at a beauty salon which I was really pleased it. At first I didn't believe that a polish could be completely chip free, so initially I was quite careful and cautious not to do too much with my hands (plus it got me out of the housework..) But eventually I realised that they literally weren't going anywhere and it was so nice not having to worry about chipped off bits. Plus I really liked the colour that I chose.

My nails grow super fast so they didn't last too long (after just over a week I was dying to file my nails down shorter and have the bottom filled in) but I would definitely have this done for a special occasion.

How do you pamper yourself?

New in!

2011-12-09T17:54:00.001Z

It has been a little while since I showed you the new additions to my shops (here and here) and as I will be updating them again fairly soon I thought I would share with you the latest charms that are available. If you have anything in mind that you'd like do let me know as I'm sure I would be able to source them.

Prices are still reasonable, as are P&P charges which start from 90p for UK delivery. I also post Worldwide and always try to send orders within 48 hours of receiving payment.

Large wishbone friendship bracelet

(original tiny wishbone bracelet still available)

Silver elephant (double sided)

Silver skull friendship bracelets

Silver cupcake & silver horseshoe friendship bracelets

Silver buddha (double sided)

coloured flowers friendship bracelets

Turquoise bead & silver wishbone bracelet with clasp (can be made with a different charm if you wish)

I can make larger quantities of each bracelet if needed - they would make great stocking fillers or party bag additions. Or perhaps a present for your Secret Santa? I'm more than happy to do custom orders for you.

Contact me through one of my shops or leave a comment below to ask any questions or to place a special order. Thanks!

P.S. Keep your eye on my Twitter page to see special offers and discounts!

I'm still alive!

2011-12-07T09:44:00.000Z

I haven't updated my blog in so long so I thought I had better let you all know that I'm still alive and well. The move went well, but we have been so busy moving boxes, painting, putting up wallpaper, cleaning, hanging pictures, and arranging delivery of a sofa, a bed, a fridge/freezer, etc etc. Busy busy!

We haven't got the internet set up at home yet as we need to wait for an engineer to come out to us, but we're hoping that will be next week at some point. I must admit though, it has made quite a refreshing change taking a break from the internet (apart from occasionally checking in using my phone).

My shops are both open again (links are in the sidebar>) and once I can update them I'll be adding some new charms.

I hope you're all as excited for Christmas as I am, and I look forward to being back in the blogging world very soon!

Home Sweet Home.

2011-11-18T18:40:00.000Z

We FINALLY got the keys to our new house on Wednesday after months and months of waiting. On the one hand it's all very exciting but on the other it's rather stressful. The good thing is we've had a few days to clean and paint before we have to move boxes and furniture in so we've not been tearing our hair out too much. Plus we have enlisted the help of some friends tomorrow to help with some heavy lifting.

via Etsy

We've got a list as long as our arms of things we need to buy and do, but hopefully with the weekend coming up and a few days off work next week we should get settled quite nicely.

Our new place is a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom townhouse with a lovely big back garden which will be perfect for the dogs and for us in the Summer. I can already see some BBQs in the pipeline!

My shop will be closed until I have unpacked my craft things in my new craft room (eep!) so please do check back if you were wanting to buy something.

I'll be back soon! :)

Bridesmaid prep: part 1 (featuring Vivienne Westwood Anglomania shoes)

2011-11-13T17:18:00.000Z

As my Sister's wedding in Las Vegas draws closer we have been getting ideas for hair, makeup, dresses and shoes for me as the one and only bridesmaid. When I spotted the Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Lady Dragon Vi shoes on Sarenza not only did I think they were beautiful and perfect for the festive season ahead, but they may also be perfect for my Sister's wedding depending on the type of dress we go for.

I decided to go for it and used my last ambassador voucher to get them. I took them on an outing into Leeds yesterday to try on with dresses where they received a bit of attention from the Sales Assistant helping me with the dresses I was trying on.

They look pretty on the website but they're even prettier in real life. Like my other Melissa shoes they smell amazing and fit my feet like a dream. I usually have trouble with slingback style heels as they tend to slip off my feet so it's great to find a pair that won't give me that trouble due to the perfect fit and the adjustable strap.

They're a tad darker in real life but it was difficult to get a good photo of them to reflect the true colour.

They're quite a luxury shoe purchase at £125 but if you're a shoe lover and like to stand out from the crowd you surely can't go wrong with these. They also come in red and they're stunning. I have seen a few brides opting for these shoes which I personally think look great peeking out from under their wedding dresses. Not traditional in any way but it's good to break tradition sometimes.

via rockmywedding.co.uk

The Melissa brand is the darling of the design world. Their shoes, which are made entirely of recycled plastic are hypoallergenic and have no odour, have won over the world of fashion, the ecologically minded, and some of the biggest celebrities in the world. The infinitely pliable plastic of Melissa shoes has been remodelled by a crowd of creative visionaries, from Zaha Hadid to Vivienne Westwood, from Karim Rashid to John Paul Gaultier. The Melissa brand celebrated its 30th birthday in 2009, but it is far from ready to rest on its laurels.

Wish list (featuring Cornishware & Alessi).

2011-11-03T20:57:00.000Z

Our move date is going to be thrust upon us any day now, after a long hold-up with various bits of paperwork going missing in the post and our Solicitors being very slow. To prepare for the move I have been clearing out cupboards (seriously Jonathan, you have packs of jelly 'best before' 2007!) and sending things off to the charity shops to get a new home.

If you weren't sure, I moved in with Jonathan a few months ago and shortly after we put an offer in on a much bigger house which would be perfect for the two of us, and Lily and Lola. We are only moving a couple of minutes up the road so we're hoping it will be a fairly smooth move, especially after my spring clean. We just want to take with us the things that we will use, and then buy new additions where needed to make our new house a home.

I've had my eye on a few things and luckily as I've saved a few pennies and Christmas is coming up I may strike lucky!

Cornishware: My parents bought Jonathan the Cornish Blue teapot last Christmas and we both thought it would be a nice colour scheme for our new kitchen, so we have popped a few things on our Christmas lists. A set of mugs would be great and the garlic keeper would be very useful as we consume lots of the stuff. Eventually we hope to have a full set - plates, bowls, etc. but it doesn't come cheap so it will definitely be a gradual collection.

Alessi bird kettle - If it is possible to fall in love with an electrical appliance (steady on now..) then that is certainly what has happened with this kettle. They do a stove top version for around £90 but I'm too impatient to wait that long for a brew, so I would opt for the electrical version which doesn't come cheap at around £125-£130. But it's so pretty. Look at the little bird! I'm ~~definitely~~ probably going to buy this very soon.

Cross stitch kits via Etsy: My friend bought me a little cross stitch kit a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. Since then I've been hooked. It is so simple and relaxing, and satisfying to see those little x's make a great pattern.

I ordered a couple of cross stitch kits from this shop on Etsy, so they're not necessarily on my wish list as they've already arrived, but I thought they were worthy of a mention all the same. They will hang in our new home somewhere, and I hope to make a couple of bigger ones with the supplies I bought from Hobbycraft today.

Wall stickers: I adore wall stickers. What a brilliant way to transform a plain wall and make a feature in the room, and with the vast array of designs out there you can pretty much have anything you like. I particularly like this pretty tree design via Etsy but I have seen so many that I like.

And of course, anything Pug related: I have seen a few things on Etsy but my favourites are these Pug felt cushions via Etsy which are absolutely brilliant (the only problem is I can't decide which one to get!) and this eyechart print which I am sure would be a great addition to one of our new rooms.

Writing this has made me so much more excited to move!

Vaseline Ltd Edition: Creme Brulee.

2011-11-02T11:00:00.000Z

We're all familiar with the little tins of Vaseline petroleum jelly and no doubt lots of you have a tin stashed in your handbag or on your desk at work. It's cheap and works well to combat pesky dry lips. Well, Vaseline have launched a limited edition Creme Brulee flavour with all the benefits of the original.

The Creme Brulee flavour is only available for a short period of time and you should hot foot it to Selfridges in London or Manchester to get your mitts on a tin of your own. I have tested it out and it is delish! It tastes and smells absolutely yummy, and keeps my lips soft just like the original.

Pugs and pumpkins.

2011-10-31T17:49:00.000Z

Happy Halloween! How will you be spending this evening? I will be dodging answering the door (as Halloween masks scare the living daylights out of me) and then no doubt polishing off the leftover sweets.

I love this time of year. Dressing for colder weather is so much easier for me - I love wrapping up warm in lots of layers and dusting off my big coats to give them an outing once again. I love going for walks at this time of year too (although L&L aren't so keen).

The other day I popped on my big Winter coat, a pair of Ugg boots and harnessed the Pugs ready for a long, relaxing walk in the sunshine. This didn't quite go to plan as Lily and Lola's idea of a walk is to shuffle along slowly, sniff everything, go back and sniff the same thing again, and bark at cyclists, cars, buses, etc.

Anyway we did manage to have a good stroll around the neighbourhood, get some fresh air and avoid the swarm of people knocking door-to-door along our street which I spotted on our way out. Bonus!

Lily is obsessed with this plant - can anyone identify it? It's not poisenous I hope?! It sends Lily doolally, she loves it!

I got home feeling a little chilly but luckily I had a big carton of pumpkin soup waiting for me in the fridge, which I enjoyed with a bit of bread and butter. I'm not sure I've ever had pumpkin soup before but it was very tasty. I'd love to have a go at making my own but I imagine it's a messy ordeal.

That's as far as I've gone with Halloween this year, eating pumpkin soup! How about you?

Giveaway winners.

2011-10-29T17:51:00.000+01:00

Thanks to everybody who entered my giveaway. I will be running something similar very soon so keep your eyes peeled.

A BIG congrats goes to Titiyo for being the first name picked at random, and also to Please may I? and fashion written with a lipstick who win the runner-up prizes. Please email me with your choices. Thanks girls!

My boyfriend is a World Record holder!

2011-10-28T18:59:00.000+01:00

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen my tweets about Jonathan last weekend. Along with some other people from his badminton club he took part in a World Record attempt which involved playing badminton for 29 hours with only a 5 minute break every hour. Phewph! It makes me tired just thinking about it and it certainly made me tired watching. He did so well and they broke the record of 28 hours by playing for 29 hours and 6 seconds.

I had a lovely relaxing weekend which I felt slightly guilty about, so I prepared a few things to welcome Jonathan home including some homemade rocky road and my ever-so-artistic and professional sign. It's the thought that counts right? (The penguin was just my attempt at showing off my new found love for cross stitching which had kept me up till 2am while he was away!)

After I had driven a rather weary and sweaty Jonathan home, he slept for a billion hours, we celebrated with a huge Dominos takeaway and relaxed watching some tv.

Well done Jonathan, I'm so proud! ♥

Double Decker rocky road.

2011-10-27T16:49:00.001+01:00

While Jonathan was away over the weekend playing badminton for 29 hours in a bid to break a Guiness World Record I kept myself busy doing a bit of shopping, crafts and baking. I say baking, no actual baking was required for this yumminess. I wanted to make something quick and easy, but something Jonathan would like as a "well bloody done!" for doing something so brilliant. As Double Deckers are one of his favourite chocolate bars I decided to give Double Decker rocky road a whirl, throw in a few different ingredients and see what happened!

I used a pretty standard recipe from the t'internet for the base using plain chocolate, Golden Syrup, unsalted butter, and caster sugar. I think I would use milk chocolate in future though.

I chopped up a couple of Double Deckers, broke marshmallows and plain digestive biscuits into chunky pieces and added them to my cooled melted chocolate mix. A good stir later and the mixture was popped into a container on a sheet of baking paper, and left in the fridge overnight to set.

Voila! Once I had cut them up and added a sprinkle of icing sugar they were ready to eat. Jonathan loved his rocky road surprise plus they tasted pretty great if I do say so myself (they would be even better with milk chocolate though I think).

I didn't make a huge batch of these but I did cut them into bite size pieces to last us a little bit longer. They lasted a few days (it's too tempting to have 2 or 3 bitesize pieces in one go that's the problem!) and the last few were the tastiest.

What would you add to your rocky road mix? I am tempted to make another batch!

Rustic Carvings Etsy store (part 2!)

2011-10-25T15:33:00.000+01:00

You may remember this blog post where I shared an Etsy store with you called Rustic Carvings. If handmade, eco-friendly products are your cup of tea, or someone you know would like such a thoughtful gift this Christmas, you can't go wrong with an item from this store.

By the way, this is not a sponsored post and everything has been purchased with my own money, but I just think the shop is so awesome it's worth ~~shouting~~ typing about.

What do they say?

Welcome to Rustic Carvings! If you like the imperfection of the world around you, aren’t troubled by the flaws and knots in wood because you see them as giving a piece character and definition, and are interested in unique, personalized gifts, then you’ve come to the right place.

All of my designs are made out of reclaimed or FSC regulated wood. What is reclaimed wood, you say? It’s taking wood that has previously been used, or were scraps from another project, and “recycling” them into something desirable. I call it artwork.

Functional artwork. Rustic. Eco-friendly. Handmade. Character. Reclaimed wood. That’s what you’ll find here.

I originally picked up 4 personalised coasters - one for me, one for Jonathan, and one each for the Pugs (not that they have the need for a resting place for a hot beverage that often) in the style of scrabble letters. Poor old Lily and Lola - they're only worth one point!

Anywhoo, I really wanted a tray to keep our coasters neat and tidy when not in use so I made another order (along with a few Christmas presents which I can't show you for obvious reasons!) and as usual I received brilliant customer service. I was kept up to date on the progress of my order from start to finish, and my rather large order was completed, shipped and received before I knew it!

Thanks again Rustic Carvings, I will certainly be back in the future. Next up I'm thinking some large tiles for a wall decoration?

Happy shopping!

Giveaway: from the Lily loves Lola shop!

2011-10-23T17:48:00.000+01:00

I thought it would be a nice idea as my shop is still quite new (and to celebrate the launch of my items on Etsy) to do a small giveaway for the readers of Lily loves Lola. The giveaway will just run until the end of next week, so on Friday 28 October 2011 at midnight it will close and the winners will be chosen. I will pick one overall winner who can pick 3 friendship bracelets of their choice on any colour cotton, and then two other commenters will win 1 bracelet of their choice.

The contest is open internationally so feel free to enter no matter where you're from.

The rules are very simple. Subscribers of my blog can leave a comment below between now and Friday at midnight saying "please enter me" and that's about it!

For an extra couple of entries you can follow my Twitter and my Facebook page and leave seperate comments for each to let me know. But no pressure! If you just want to enter the once, no problemo.

Thanks and good luck!

Happiness is:

2011-10-21T16:12:00.004+01:00

- a new dress

- browsing Not On The High Street for things to fill our new home with

- rainbows in the distance on the way to work

- finding new music that you like, getting the album and loving the whole thing

- eating Krispy Kreme donuts in your pjs

- receiving mail from America

- sitting in traffic with your boyfriend but not really caring coz you're utterly happy and in love

- the weather turning cold enough to put the heating on, wrap up in umpteen layers and cuddle under a Slanket.

You? x

News & other things.

2011-10-16T12:41:00.002+01:00

Jonathan and I listen to Radio 2 every morning on the way to work (coz that's how we roll) and a song has been catching my ear for a while now. After some investigation that song is Kissing You Goodbye by The Pierces. I have since obtained the album and have been listening to it on repeat this morning and it is pretty damn good.

I took Lily and Lola on a walk yesterday evening when a lady pulled her car over next to us and came running over. I thought "hang on a minute, what's going on 'ere!" but it turns out she lives a couple of minutes away from us and has a boy Pug named Elvis. She was so excited to see my little Pugs and thought they were so dinky and cute compared to her chunky Elvis (I have spotted her husband walking him and he certainly is a chunk-ster!) She fussed over Lily and Lola for ages while they barked at her and licked her. They have rather smelly breath so I hope she washed her hands afterwards! :) When we got back they were all worn out after making a new friend and cuddled in various positions all evening...

I am excited to have episodes of New Girl lined up to watch this week. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see Zooey D in the trailer wearing glasses similar to mine. Yes I love her far too much, but I can't help it. She is perfection!

Picture via Google images

In other news, yesterday I added buddha charms, cupcake charms and horseshoes to my shop! And if you follow me on Twitter you may have seen that if you retweet my giveaway tweet before 5pm today you could win a friendship bracelet of your choice! I'm feeling generous today :)

Good luck! There is roast dinner to be eaten so I bid you adieu and wish you all a lovely Sunday.

My first Graze box.

2011-10-13T20:16:00.001+01:00

I first heard about Graze boxes a while ago but I didn't hop on the bandwagon. I didn't have the spare income, and treats like this were few and far between. Fast forward a few months and I decided to give Graze boxes a try as I think they're a great idea, especially as I used a code from Fiona to get my first box free. Plus when I entered the code it turns out I get my 5th box free too (psst, use my code HDTKYQF to bag yourself some freebies!)

I think the website is brilliant. The way you can 'bin' foods you don't like to avoid ever receiving them (bye-bye olives) and give a thumbs up to the foods you do like the look of is brilliant and saves any disappointment further down the line. I also like the surprise element of not knowing what will arrive. The fact the box fits perfectly through the letterbox is also a great plus, as was my first box arriving dead on the day it was supposed to (always a plus when the post service works!)

My first box contained:

Copacabana: brazil nuts, dark chocolate buttons and milk chocolate buttons. My verdict = yum! I love brazil nuts as they're quite meaty as nuts go, and quite filling. Giant milk chocolate buttons can only ever be a good thing and I don't often have dark chocolate so it made a nice change. These were eaten within 10 minutes of receiving my box through the door *oops*

The Beach: banana coins, mango and pineapple pieces. I found these so-so. I would eat them again if I received them but I could live without.

Orange and ginger flapjack: As flapjacks go this was quite tasty. I'm not a huge ginger fan so I'd be interested in trying a different variety of flapjack, however Jonathan (not normally a flapjack fan at all) enjoyed his piece *yes I shared!* very much so and raved about it.

Oven roasted cashews: I could have eaten these all day had I had a bigger box of them. Completely moreish and very yummy!

I am definitely going to continue with my Graze membership to try a few more boxes. Snacks like this are ideal to keep in the cupboard or in your drawer at work. I am not sure if receiving the boxes will be a novelty and eventually wear off, but I'll certainly give a few more a go, if only to try the delicious looking grub I have spotted on the website! Give a box a try for free if you like the sound of it. Just enter my code - HDTKYQF

Happy munching!

Monday summary.

2011-10-10T19:04:00.001+01:00

Source

I hope you all had a good weekend? I'm feeling rather sluggish today after an indulgent weekend of junk food and buckets of Sangria, but it was all very good fun.

Saturday afternoon I went to Meadowhall with my friend as we had an appointment for a Benefit makeover and I needed to pick up a couple of bits from Primark while we were there. The makeover was great, I was very pleased with the results. I already had my base on as I've been having a few problems with my skin and didn't want anything to make it worse, so I asked for some Hoola on the cheeks and a smokey brown eye. The eye makeup was great and made me look so different. I bought Hoola and Brow-Zings which I have used before and think they're pretty great.

Here are my 5 good things of the moment:

1) My Sister made a wonderful bag for me (and one for her and one for my Mum too!) for when we go to Las Vegas for her wedding next April. I can't wait to use it, it's so cute. Lily and Lola even make an appearance!

If only my eyelashes were as long and luscious as my alter-ego!

2) Making progress on the above wedding plans in terms of my bridesmaid dress, shoes, etc. I have spotted a dress that I like so I just need to have a mammoth trying on session just to see what else is out there and how things look on me. I have potentially sorted my shoes, and I'm on the look out for a nice up-do and some pretty makeup although I've got a good idea in my mind of what I'd like.

3) My lovely Jonathan. He always picks me up when I'm feeling a bit down, and looks after me, Lily and Lola so well.

4) The Boots Christmas catalogue is out so Christmas feels well and truly on its way! I absolutely adore Christmas and the whole run up to it - buying presents, making cards, listening to festive songs. Talking of which, She & Him are releasing a Christmas album very soon which I'm sure will be just lovely!

5) After weeks and weeks of waiting to hear about our new house (yes, we still haven't moved!) the paperwork seems to be shuffling along a little quicker now and we're hoping to move in November at some point. I hope we will be moved and settled by Christmas, that would be perfect.

What is making you happy at the moment? ♥

New in!

2011-10-07T20:03:00.001+01:00

I have had a few questions via my shop asking if I can make scarves in other colours apart from grey. The answer is "yes!" I most certainly can. The other colours are now shown on the listing for the scarf but here's a peek of the different colours if you haven't spotted them over there yet. Here's the mustard colour in full action. I also like the red (bottom row, 2nd from the right) and denim blue (bottom row, 3rd from the left).

Prices start from £18 so please do have a browse if you're looking for cosy knits this Winter!

I have also added some tiny gold kissing couple charms which you can buy as a friendship bracelet on your choice of cotton (red, black, turquoise, light pink or lilac). This charm is adorable and very cute, but you must be quick if you like it because I only have two left and I fear I may not be able to find any more.

I have added some silver glitterball earrings which are handmade by my own fair hands using silver wire and gorgeous sparkly beads of various sizes. I can make the hoops as big or as small as you like or I can use more/less beads - just contact me if you want to ask about this.

Also new in is a single bead friendship bracelet. Choose from a gold or silver bead on any colour cotton. I particularly like the silver bead on lilac or light pink cotton. It looks so pretty yet very simple and dainty.

The silver Eiffel Tower earrings proved popular, I even made a pair for my friend in London and sent them on their merry way, so I decided to stock up and I also added gold Eiffel Tower charms too. The listing does say to allow 2 weeks but at the moment you definitely wouldn't have to wait that long as I have the supplies ready. I love the gold Eiffel Towers with the yellow stars, but the silver/pink hearts is a great combination also.

Thanks for the support! x

Our weekend (#1).

2011-10-02T17:26:00.000+01:00

Sheffield wandering / bead buying / jewellery making / BBQing / sunbathing / Lily and Lola / eating / drinking / being merry.

Our weekend #1. from Victoria Jackson on Vimeo.

Sarenza contest: win £800 worth of shoes!

2011-10-01T09:46:00.000+01:00

Sarenza are currently running a contest across the UK fashion community with a prize of £800 in vouchers. That's a lot of shoes ladies (and gents!) Plus the contest has been extended and now runs until 7 October 2011 so you have plenty of time to get your entry in.

Sarenza wants the fashion Queens of the UK to show their European neighbours what British style is. The creative, fun and inspiring British style has long been the envy of Europe, that's why the best reviews and style pictures will be featured on their international sites across Europe, so feel free to include photos of you in your post to illustrate your review.

Here's the idea:

* Write a review on your blog about your favourite items from the new Autumn/Winter collection and for a maximum of £800.

* The theme of the review has to be 'pure British style' and to make your entry valid please include the links to the product pages of the items on the Sarenza website in your post.

* Sarenza will then select the 15 most exciting reviews and feature them on the Sarenza blog. In this blog post, Sarenza will encourage readers to vote for their favourite review.

* The blogger who gets the most votes will win £800 of vouchers to buy the items she reviewed, and one of the people who voted for the winner will receive the same prize, decided by a draw.

All make sense? If so get your thinking caps on. I'm working on my entry too. Good luck!

Friday feelings.

2011-09-30T21:15:00.000+01:00

Have a great Friday night everyone.

All found here.

A good day for Crafts! (hand made candle and headband, beads, Cupcake mag & new lilac cotton in my shop!)

2011-09-28T19:24:00.002+01:00

Today has been a great day Craft wise. Various parcels have landed on my doormat and brightened up my day no end. First things first, Big Cartel decided to make most of my bracelets out of stock when they're not at all! My apologies if you wanted something and it was showing as out of stock. The little hiccup is sorted now and I even have a new colour of cotton available - lilac. It's a very pretty shade and all of my charms can be supplied on this cotton.

I had a parcel waiting for me at the Sorting Office so I went to collect that after work. Turns out it was my tin candle from Fiona who writes the delightful Sugar for my Honey. Fiona makes candles in tins and teacups and I purchased one of the small, polka dot blue tins with pink wax. Not only is it really pretty and goes perfectly on our kitchen windowsill but it smells amazing. I don't want to light it and spoil it, but I'm certain I will be back for more very soon. Thanks Fiona!

Whilst browsing the aisles of WH Smith on my lunch break today I spotted a magazine and not only did it catch my eye but it made me drool all over the display. The magazine is called Cupcake Heaven and issue one is out at the moment. It is PACKED full of cupcake recipes, ideas for decoration, and other bits and pieces. It is like a recipe book in magazine form but better because it was only £4.99. That may seem a lot of money for a magazine but honestly, it has so many recipes inside and they all sound amazing.

My friend Rose who I have known for such a long time (about 15 years or so!) has started to make headbands and hair accessories on Etsy and today I got home to a wonderful letter and headband from her. I am going to do another blog post on this very soon and show you some photos but I couldn't let this post go by without mentioning her and her new Etsy shop. Thanks Rose!

And last but not least my bead order from Ebay arrived and I now have plenty to play with over the next few days. Addicted to jewellery making much!?

Do share with me how you're being crafty today :)

Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes.

2011-09-26T21:26:00.001+01:00

When I spotted these Vivienne Westwood for Melissa pumps on Sarenza I knew they would be my next choice as a Sarenza ambassador. They are very me. I love pumps and I have wanted a pair of Vivienne Westwood/Melissa pumps since I spotted some on a girl a few months ago and fell in love with them.

Not only are they the nicest smelling shoes ever (honestly, they smell amazing!) they fit like an absolute dream. They are not uncomfortable in any way which is surprising, as looking at them you would think they would rub due to the material. They fit my feet like a glove! I love them :)

The colour is perfect and goes with pretty much any outfit. I have worn the pumps a couple of times and both times I received lots of compliments on them. I must admit I'm scared of getting scuffs or scratches on them but so far any marks have just wiped right off so hopefully they will stay looking pristine for a while to come.

Walking with Lily and Lola.

2011-09-25T12:07:00.001+01:00

Jonathan's parents are on holiday at the moment and we've been doing some spot checks on their house to make sure everything is okay. The last time we went we took L&L because Jonathan's parents live in a lovely spot with lots of fields and nice places to walk (not that L&L can walk for very long without getting tired).

It was so cute helping them over the stiles. They really enjoyed themselves and were very well behaved off the lead. Lily got a bit tired walking back up the hill though. She had to stop for a rest, but there was plenty of new sights and smells to keep her occupied. Lola was off like a rocket. She doesn't mess about :)

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Catch up (& my giveaway winner).

2011-09-24T13:12:00.000+01:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a good week. We have had a great week off work. I hope you have enjoyed the "day off" posts I've been doing (if you missed them you can see them here: one, two, three, four, five, six and seven). Day six at Chatsworth House was my favourite day.

There won't be any more dedicated day off posts as yesterday was a kind of chores day, going to the dentist and such. Not very exciting at all. Last night we stayed in and finished off series 5 of '24', had a mahoosive cantonese takeaway and then snuggled under my Slanket with Lily and Lola.

This morning we popped to Meadowhall as I needed a few bits and pieces, and this afternoon I've got some orders to get together and a letter to write before seeing my friend this evening. Tomorrow I am cooking for Jonathan (should be interesting) and preparing myself to go back to work on Monday!

My giveaway has now closed and a winner has been picked at random..... that winner is Kit-Cat-Kitty-Cat. I will send the ring out to you asap. Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I love holding giveaways so I will definitely have another one very soon.

Other things that have happened this week: we had tea in Chapel Allerton on Wednesday night with my parents to celebrate my Dad turning 60, I received my parcel from my new American penpal, Alexandra, and I literally jumped up and down when I saw it had arrived (receiving parcels is brill!) and we have spent lots of time with Lily and Lola. They have enjoyed having us around more I think.

Baby Ruth chocolate bars are amazing and I always eat my own body weight in them when I go to America on holiday. I am going to get working on my return parcel this weekend and fill it with lots of fab English-y stuff!

If you can think of anything I must include do let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Day off #7 (Yorkshire Wildlife Park).

2011-09-23T18:40:00.000+01:00

Yesterday's attraction of choice was the Yorkshire Wildlife Park where we headed in the morning, not long after it opened. It was lovely and quiet but oh my gosh it was cold. And so very windy. I wish I had worn a few more layers. I guess we're just not used to the change in temperature yet.

It only took about 30 minutes to get there which was great, and now that we're seasoned professionals at day trips we were armed with Greggs sandwiches, Jaffa Cakes and bottles of water to avoid over priced and rubbish cafe food! :) The Jaffa Cakes depleted at a fairly rapid rate I must say!

I was as cold as I look!

We managed to catch the Birds of Prey show which was brilliant. The birds were stunning and so clever, and the little Burrowing Owls were adorable. I wanted to pop one in my pocket. It was well worth braving a hard bench and the bitter winds to catch the show and learn about the clever birds.

The lions were fast asleep when we first arrived much to our amusement as they were arranged in all sorts of piles. They reminded me of Lily and Lola when they're asleep, legs all over the place keeping each other warm. We visited the lions again as we were on our way out of the park and this time they were awake and alert, and one even roared and it was truly terrifying but brilliant.

The story of where the lions used to live was very sad, they were in such a bad way and had been treated so poorly, but in the park they looked much healthier and happier which was great to see.

The tigers were absolutely stunning and we spent a while reading the boards of information up and around this area. The amount of tigers left in the World actually makes me want to cry. So very sad. To think they are killed not only for status but for medicinal purposes!?

We spent ages watching the Meerkats as they are adorable and fascinating. We did have to ask some unaccompanied children not to throw stones at the Meerkats though... tut tut.

All in all an interesting couple of hours and great to see the animals so well looked after and healthy.

New in!

2011-09-23T15:19:00.002+01:00

This post is just a quick update to let you know what's new in my shop. I have added a few things lately plus I'm continuously playing around with new ideas and making new pieces. Christmas is coming up and I am hoping to make lots of handmade presents this year, along with lots of new additions to my shop. Not all of you will follow me on Twitter where I tend to say when I've added something so here goes:

Eiffel Tower charm earrings with a hot pink bead. The shop currently shows these as 'sold out' as I have already sold the ready-made pairs but I can make these to order if you so wish. Just email me:- lilyloveslola at yahoo.com and I will obtain the supplies to make them for you.

Triple wire bracelet with a mix of large and small silver and purple beads. Measures approximately 19cm in length from one end to the other. Very pretty. I can make this style of bracelet to order if you would like a certain colour or style of bead. Just drop me an email!

Silver heart charm on your choice of waxed cotton:- red, black, turquoise or pink. Looks particularly nice on red and pink. Just select your colour preference before adding to your basket.

Eiffel Tower charm earrings with a baby pink heart bead. The shop currently shows these as 'sold out' as I have already sold the ready-made pairs but I can make these to order if you so wish. Just email me:- lilyloveslola at yahoo.com and I will obtain the supplies to make them for you.

Elasticated bracelet with a mix of purple and silver beads. Handmade by my lovely friend, Katy. Can be purchased through my store or directly from Katy and again, she can make a variation of her designs if you have something specific in mind.

Triple wire bracelet with a mix of large and small silver and blue beads. Measures approximately 18cm in length from one end to the other. Very pretty. Again I can make this style of bracelet to order if you would like a certain colour or style of bead.

Silver chain necklace with a mixture of pink and purple beads. Length from the clasp to where the beads start to drop is 32cm so it's nice and long.

Wire hoop earrings with black, cream and turquoise beads. Can be custom made in any size or with any colour or shape of bead. Just drop me a line to discuss.

Thanks for looking! x

Day off #6 (Chatsworth House).

2011-09-22T20:00:00.000+01:00

To see all of our photos click here. We got some really good ones!

Yesterday we went to Chatsworth House to visit the gardens and then the house. We wanted to visit on our week off anyway, but when we heard about the sculpture exhibition we couldn't wait! I didn't really know what to expect but we were both stunned at the size of the gardens and how completely beautiful they are, and we would definitely recommend a visit if you haven't been before. We can't wait to go back!

My tips would be as follows:

- try and catch the sculpture exhibit before it finishes on 30 October 2011.

- take a picnic and find a pretty spot to have your lunch. The cafe and restaurant prices are extortionate (£5.50 for a plain sandwich anyone?!)

- use the map they give you at the pay station and make sure you see everything, but don't be scared to wander up and down the pathways to see what you can find. We found an amazing lake which wasn't printed on the map and it was utterly beautiful and peaceful.

- if you don't want to pay to visit the house and the garden and you just pick one, pick the gardens! The house was impressive but the gardens are so much better (in our opinion).

We easily spent about 3 hours here and soaked up every bit of the gardens that we could. We also made sure we saw every sculpture which was tricky as they are spread out and some were not so easy to find, but it was well worth it. I particularly liked the lion and the giant feet!

We got a few photos inside the house which was very grand and impressive, with plenty of old and new artwork and furniture to nosy at.

Just click on the link at the start of the blog post to see the full set of photos. I hope you've enjoyed a sneak peek into day off number 6! Not many days left now unfortunately :(

10% off - Delly Dumpling on Etsy.

2011-09-22T19:13:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody! Adele here from Delly Dumpling. As a little 'thank you' to all my Facebook followers and to readers of Lily loves Lola I am offering 10% off my ready-made phone cases in my Etsy shop! Simply enter the code SEPTSALE10 at the checkout. Don't forget to share this with your friends!

Please note that at the moment the code only applies to the ready made cases currently for sale. Please keep sharing the page with your friends and I hope to be able to offer a code for custom orders sometime soon.

Thank you! xx

Day off #5 (Pottering).

2011-09-21T17:00:00.002+01:00

It started to rain yesterday morning and didn't stop drizzling all day, so instead of heading outdoors we changed our plans around and did indoor activities instead. We popped to Cineworld to see the final Harry Potter film (I call myself a fan yet I've waited this long to see it!) which I enjoyed it but thought the beginning could have been a little more fast-paced, but I am sad that it's the end.

Then we popped to Hobbycraft to get me some storage for my beads and things, and some ribbon too. Our dining table is constantly full of charms, beads, cotton, sellotape, wrapping supplies, so I wanted something that would be able to store the lot. I found this amazing pink carry case which has two layers to it. I also got a bead case which has lots of smaller compartments which is perfect for my charms and beads. It makes finding them SO much easier.

After a spot of lunch (ham sandwich and a made-by-my-friend cupcake to be precise) we watched a few episodes of '24'. We've almost finished series 5 now! It only seems like two minutes ago we were starting series 1!

Thanks for the cupcake Katy! It was delicious.

After a spot of jewellery making, knitting and blog reading I did my workout for an hour (this) which killed me and then it was time to get started on tea! Jonathan made the most amazing lasagne (with a little bit of help from me) using this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Throw in some homemade garlic bread for good measure and you've got an amazing tea. Plus we have leftovers! :)

The sky was beautiful last night and I managed to get a few snaps before it disappeared. What a lovely, chilled out day...

Day off #4 (Bakewell).

2011-09-20T17:51:00.000+01:00

To see more photos click here.

Yesterday we had a drive to Bakewell in Derbyshire to spend a few hours there. I have wanted to visit for a while and as we have got a whole week off this week, off we went! First stop was lunch and as Felicini was right next to where we parked we headed inside. It was empty when we arrived but soon filled up with other hungry folk. They had a 2 course for £11.95 type scenario so I had a mixed platter for starters which had hummus, stuffed vine leaves, mozzarella and a few other bits and bobs, followed by a goats cheese pizza. Jonathan had a seafood risotto to start and then steak and chips. We both enjoyed our food and felt stuffed, but ready to do some wandering and sightseeing.

The shops in Bakewell were delightful. We found so many different little shops selling all sorts of nice things for the home and all manner of trinkets. One shop was stuffed full, from floor to ceiling, with antique teacups and saucers and things. I could have spent a million pounds in there! I had to be pried away from there before any damage could be done.

We had a wander up to the church which was very atmospheric and beautiful and then back down through some residential streets having a good old nosy at people's houses.

We had a great afternoon and lots of fun, as we always do together. Bakewell is a lovely little place which I would recommend visiting if you fancy a few hours somewhere. I stopped off for a bakewell slice before we went home which I had all to myself as Jonathan doesn't like them. Bonus!

Have you been to Bakewell? Or do you live here? Lucky you!

Day off #3 (Whirlow Hall Farm).

2011-09-19T20:14:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we headed to Whirlow Hall Farm with some friends as the farm was holding a craft fair and a BBQ/hog roast, and all sorts of other things. My friend Katy and I mainly wanted to go to pay a visit to the Jam Jar Beads stall to stock up on supplies and have a chat with the owner, Yvonne, who is lovely.

First stop was food (28 day matured burger type scenario) and then we headed to the crafts tent. We were confronted with all manner of weird and wonderful cupcakes, cheesecake, jewellery, furniture, trinkets, and candles in teacups. It was great! I am in my element in places like that, I just want to look at (and buy) everything.

We got a box of 4 cupcakes and promptly ate them right up. I had a cookies and cream cupcake with an Oreo on top and it was yummy. I couldn't finish it though. I had to go back to it a bit later on! (wimp) Jonathan had a lemon cupcake and said it was delicious.

I wish my baking turned out as good looking as this!

As we were full of cake we had a sit down on some hay (as you do) and watched a show involving Border Collies showing off their skills rounding up ducks. It was brilliant. Those dogs are so blimmin' clever! I am determined to teach Lily and Lola some tricks (wish me luck...)

Then of course we went on the hunt for some cute animals (the pigs were hard to find, but we literally followed the smell!)

I am such a child - I wanted to to put my fingers in!

It was a lovely afternoon and we managed to get lucky with the weather as it only started to rain as we were ready to head home anyway. Unfortunately it was a long way back to the car and we all got a little bit soggy.

It was a great afternoon and nice to see our friends. I spent the evening playing with my new purchases and putting jewellery together. Look out for it in my shop soon!

Have you heard of/been to Whirlow Hall Farm?

Small giveaway: arty inspired ring (NOW CLOSED).

2011-09-18T19:07:00.002+01:00

I ordered an arty inspired ring from Frassy Rags a few weeks ago and after thinking the post had gobbled it up it arrived, but alas it is too big for me! I'm gutted because it is really pretty and I couldn't wait to wear it.

This is where you guys come in. If I can't enjoy it then I may as well do a good deed and offer it to one reader of Lily loves Lola. The ring is a 'small' but as I say it is slightly too big for me, so if you have tiny fingers it will more than likely be too big for you. It is currently sold out on Frassy Rags so now is your chance to nab one!

All you have to do is be a reader of my blog and leave a comment on this post before midnight on Friday 23 September 2011. One entry per person peeps.

You get an extra entry if you tweet about it and leave a comment telling me so. I will pick one winner at random when the giveaway closes.

Good luck! x

Day off #2 (tapas & new trinkets).

2011-09-18T09:56:00.001+01:00

Technically yesterday wasn't a day off as we don't work on a weekend anyway, but you know what I mean. We had a lazy day, watching '24' (we're on series 5 now. OMG - I have been an emotional wreck this series!) and drinking tea. In the evening we went to a restaurant in Sheffield called La Mama to celebrate 1 year of togetherness. If you live in the Sheffield area I urge you to go. Great food, lovely staff and live music - what more do you need!

I had a glass of Sangria and Jonathan had a couple of beers, and we shared 7 plates of tapas (and it was SO yummy that we ordered another 2 plates). We were suitably stuffed after our feast of homemade hummus and bread, asparagus wrapped in serrano ham, flattened meatballs, lamb skewers, seabass, clay baked potatoes in rosemary oil, prawns, ribs (in the most amazing sauce I've ever had), and tuna parcels.

My favourite things were the hummus (I could have eaten it all night and then probably exploded) and the ribs which were to die for. The potatoes were also incredible. We will definitely have a go at making something similar to those.

I wore my copper and turquoise earrings from Trinket Box for the first time too (blog post here if you missed it). I love them so much. It's not often I wear earrings as I tend to stick to bracelets and long necklaces but they are so pretty. And anything that combines copper and turquoise is a winner in my book.

Day off #1 (birthday celebrations & Alan Carr in Manchester).

2011-09-17T10:38:00.001+01:00

Jonathan and I had yesterday off work and after a wonderful lie in we dragged ourselves out of bed to do the million and one things we needed to do before heading to Manchester late afternoon to meet my Mum, Dad, Sister and her fiance.

It is my Dad's 60th birthday next week so last night we all went to see Alan Carr in Manchester and had some tea at Chaophraya beforehand. Alan Carr is my Dad's favourite comedian, he has one of his shows on Sky Plus and watches it alll the time, so the tickets were bought as a surprise.

Tea was absolutely yummy and we were all suitably stuffed afterwards and ready for some great comedy. Alan Carr was hilarious and we had really good seats. I felt a bit sorry for the people right at the back, as the arena is so huge!

P.S. Enter LILYLOVESLOLA10 at the checkout to get 10% off bracelets all weekend! :)

1 year ♥

2011-09-15T22:28:00.000+01:00

On 15 September 2010 Jonathan and I went out on our first date. We had dinner at La Tasca in Leeds and a few drinks afterwards, and then we went our seperate ways each secretly thinking that this could be the start of something very special indeed...

The past year has been the happiest of my life and has been filled with laughs and wonderful memories. Like the time we went to Paris and pulled silly poses in the Louvre...

And went up the Eiffel Tower...

And the time we went to Wentworth Garden Centre and got lost in the maze...

And when we had a walk and a picnic in the Peak District and Jonathan proposed with a Quaver...

And when we went on a little road trip and I almost fell off the cliff in Tintagel...

Here's to another 70! :)

Trinket Box handmade jewellery.

2011-09-13T21:13:00.000+01:00

Trinket Box Jewellery is run by Sophie, a fellow blogger who is very talented and makes wonderful jewellery. Her blog is a great read so you should definitely go and have a nosy if you can. I'm going to try my hand at the peanut butter oreo cheesecakes from her latest post *drools!*

Sophie kindly sent me a few pieces of jewellery to launch her transition from Folksy to Big Cartel and in this blog post I'm going to share a few photos with you guys. I have some special occasions coming up which will be a perfect opportunity to wear these pieces so I will share those photos with you very soon, and give you chance to see what they look like 'on'.

I'm confident you will love them as much as I do. I'm already thinking about going back for more as I've got my eye on one or two things.

Sophie put so much thought into the wrapping and I could tell that she had gone to a lot of effort to make sure I was happy. And happy I was indeed when I opened the little jiffy bag.

I love copper and turquoise so I'm absolutely in love with the earrings I received. The earrings were made using pure copper wire (Sophie made the headpins) and the small beads are Pyrite (semi-precious). The large sea green beads are ceramic. The ear wires are also copper.

The other piece I received is this beautiful heart pendant. The heart was made from art clay silver, a precious metal clay which when fired becomes 99.9% pure silver. It has a lace texture, and Sophie applied a patina to enhance the lovely texture. The heart is strung onto a sterling silver chain.

Finally, my very own personalised bow was also handcrafted from art clay silver, and also has a lace texture. I may attach this to some waxed cotton to make a little bracelet like the ones I sell in my shop, or I could put it on a chain. Either way I love it :)

I hope you will visit Trinket Box Jewellery to have a browse. I think it's really important to support sellers such as Sophie, and the array of wonderful people on Etsy, who lovingly handmake jewellery and other bits and bobs.

Sophie is offering readers of my blog 20% discount until the end of September. Just use the code LILYLOVESLOLA20 at the checkout to redeem the discount. Happy shopping! And if anyone wants to pick me up the hot pink quartz pendant I'd love you forever ;)

Monday summary.

2011-09-12T19:50:00.000+01:00

Hello folks. I hope you had a good weekend? Mine was a bit too good and I have paid the price with a hefty hangover but it was all good fun.

I haven't done a '5 good things' post in a while so I thought it was about time. Do let me know what your 5 good things are in the comments below!

1) Some long overdue time off. I haven't had anything more than a long weekend off work since June last year so I am ready for this Friday and the whole of next week off work. We had planned to find a last minute holiday abroad but to save pennies we are having a "staycation", visiting local places and generally relaxing. Lord knows I need it!

2) My shop is doing so well and I'm really pleased, as you never know how these things will work out when you start off. I attended a jewellery making course on Saturday with my friend and we have learnt some new techniques and loaded up on supplies so expect some different styles of jewellery very soon. Think pretty wire/beaded bracelets and earrings. The newest addition to my shop in the meantime is this pretty silver heart charm on cotton which is only £1.75.

3) Making friends. I moved to Rotherham to be with Jonathan as some of you may know, and I don't know anybody here apart from Jonathan's family so I worried a little bit at first that I would feel quite lonely. But then I met one of Jonathan's best friends girlfriends who is just very lovely and we have so much in common, so it has made moving away from Leeds much easier.

4) Mince pies are in the shops which can mean one thing... Christmas is coming! Sorry folks, I know it's far too early to think about it but I flippin' love Crimbo!

5) This Thursday marks 1 year since Jonathan and I had our first date. Can you believe how fast time has flown? For old times sake here's a bit of slush here (number 5), here and here.

Have a great Monday! I'll leave you with some wise words... all courtesy of here.

Bijoux Dolly jewellery.

2011-09-11T09:23:00.001+01:00

Two words that sum up Bijoux Dolly perfectly are bespoke and affordable. The start-up, run by fashion journalism student Katie, has grown from a small hobby into a growing success. Going into her final year Katie intends to extend her range of popular jewellery. She offers beautifully handcrafted pieces including necklaces and bracelets.

Katie describes Bijoux Dolly as "vintage inspired, affordable, unique". Bijoux Dolly offers jewellery beyond the usual high street offerings. Some items are one of a kind made from vintage and recycled jewellery. The individual pieces make a wonderful addition to any jewellery collection.

Katie kindly asked if I'd like to pick an item to review. I opted for the 'leaf and pearl' bracelet which I requested to be made shorter to suit my wrist. Katie will happily resize bracelets for you to ensure they fit perfectly.

My bracelet arrived quickly and wrapped up well, and I couldn't wait to wear it. It is such a dainty piece and suits my small wrists. I normally avoid bracelets because I find they're usually too big or too bulky and they get in the way when I'm at work typing all day. However the 'leaf and pearl' bracelet is so dainty and fits perfectly.

Katie also offers personalised pieces by request so if you want something specific drop her a line.

The 'owl and the pearl' is also adorable, as are the hair bows especially the aztec printed one. Happy browsing and do let me know which items you like!

Lemon & thyme loaf.

2011-09-05T19:27:00.000+01:00

Jonathan and I did some baking the other weekend and decided to make something different to our usual cupcakes which we make to death! As I am still holding my friend Katy's recipe book to ransom we had a look through and settled on making a loaf. The lemon and thyme loaf to be exact. It sounded a bit different and we both love lemon and thyme, so away we went!

The recipe called for lemon thyme which we have never heard of, or seen in the supermarket, so we used regular thyme for our loaf.

You will need:

Sponge -

190g unsalted butter
190g plain flour
Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
3 tsp of finely chopped ~~lemon~~ thyme leaves
190g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
25ml soured cream

Syrup -

40g caster sugar
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp of finely chopped ~~lemon~~ thyme leaves

A loaf tin

What to do:

Preheat oven to 170C and grease a loaf tin with butter and a dusting of flour.

Using a whisk slowly beat together the butter, lemon zest, thyme leaves and sugar until light and fluffy. Break the eggs in to the bowl one at a time mixing well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then add to the mixture in two batches and mix together. Add the soured cream and then pour the batter into the loaf tin.

Bake in the oven for 40 - 50 minutes or until the sponge is firm to the touch or a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out with no batter stuck to it.

While the loaf is cooking make the syrup. Place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan along with 40ml of water. Bring this to the boil, allowing it to reduce by about half and then pour over the cooked loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Allow to cool in the tin then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

The loaf turned out really well considering we have never made anything like this before. We ate a piece almost immediately, like you do, but it tasted even better the following day once the flavours has spliced a bit more. The syrup topping had soaked into some of the sponge so every now and then we got a real hit of spongey lemony goodness which was so tasty!

We ate the loaf on its own mainly, but we had it with a scoop of vanilla Haagen Dazs one night and that was absolutely yummy.

The Cake Days book has a few different loaf recipes and we will definitely be trying another very soon!

Yum!

Catch up.

2011-09-04T20:05:00.001+01:00

Last Tuesday I started to feel a bit poorly. I felt sick and off my food (I couldn't even face lunch which is not like me at all!) On Tuesday evening swollen tonsils kicked in and I thought "here we go", tonsillitis is heading my way. Luckily it wasn't tonsillitis but it was a horrible sore throat and cold which has only just started to subside today. I usually manage to avoid colds. I haven't had a proper one since April 2010 which is up there with my finest achievements. Even when enclosed in a room full of people with the flu last Christmas I escaped scott free and feeling fine.

I am completely run down at the moment. I'm stressed and cranky and I think my immune system is suffering.

A few days of comfort eating and downing cups of tea (and at one point just eating a whole bag of marshmallow just coz I fancied some) has taken its toll on my waistline. Alas! Tomorrow is a new day and the start of a new week (no Bank Holiday hangover and emergency McDonalds to deal with like last week!) so I am going to start like I mean to go on. Stress reduction, healthy eating and daily exercise is back on and I'm ready to take whatever the week has to throw at me.

In other news, this weekend has been lovely. We went to Meadowhall on Saturday morning and, although I didn't see any clothes worth buying, I did get the most amazing pair of pyjama bottoms from Primark which are the comfiest things I've ever worn. I have worn them non stop since purchasing. If only I could wear them to work!

I packaged up some orders which is now becoming a Saturday morning ritual, ready to head to the Post Office before it closes. I'm loving the red cotton at the moment, especially with the evil eye beads and the silver crosses.

Pugs are cute but not so much first thing on a morning when they require gunge removal from their eyes. Yuck! :) Still cute as a button though.

Today I picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a book I started a few weeks ago but haven't managed to finish. It's a good read, but peace and quiet to read a book is scarce. I must try and finish it this week. (Told you I love my new pjs!)

How has your weekend been? Been struck down with the lurgy like me? Hope not!

New in & free shipping code - Lily loves Lola bracelets.

2011-09-04T12:29:00.000+01:00

I added a few new bracelets to my shop this week which I thought I would share with you. I also have a discount code for free shipping on bracelets when you spend over £7.00 so keep reading for that. It's only valid for today so you must get an order in before midnight tonight!

My bracelets can be tied to suit the size of your wrist and the excess cotton can easily be snipped off. There's nothing worse than a bracelet that is too big and falls off (I have quite small wrists and find it hard to wear most bracelets). Or if you'd like to be able to remove them for the shower, etc, there is enough cotton to tie a bow.

The newest charms are tiny silver crosses, tiny silver stars, silver handbags, and blue evil eye beads.

As always you can choose from red, black or turquoise cotton (and pink will be available very soon).

Just enter PUGSNOTDRUGS in the checkout and then click on 'update total' to receive free shipping on bracelets when you spend over £7.00. Happy shopping!

Road trip part 4 - Boscastle.

2011-09-02T18:31:00.000+01:00

For the final afternoon of our road trip we visited Boscastle. You know the drill - if you'd like to see more photos go and have a browse over on my Facebook page. You're more than welcome to have a nosy. And if you'd like to catch up on parts 1, 2 and 3 click here, here and here.

Boscastle was lovely. We had a great afternoon here. We had a nosy in some of the shops and then headed up to some rocks where we got an amazing view out out over the water, and saw some lunatics jumping in. Brrr!

How adorable are those houses?! I wanted to move right in.

The views were stunning so we had a sit down for a while and took in the scenery. It was great forgetting about life for a little while and just feeling peaceful and relaxed. Jonathan did his good deed for the day and helped an old lady in a spot of bother on some rocks, which made me love him a little bit more.

I reeeally wanted to go in The Museum of Witchcraft but Jonathan didn't seem so keen. The artifacts on display in the window were certainly interesting to say the least! If you've been you must tell me if it's any good.

Boscastle is just a lovely place, well worth a visit. One piece of advice though; make sure you've got a map to back up your sat nav as you can't get signal for love nor money!

Wedding.

2011-09-01T19:54:00.000+01:00

I met up with my Mum and Sister for tea a couple of weeks ago and received the official invite to my Sister's wedding. If you missed this post, you won't know that my Sister got engaged last year and has been planning a Las Vegas wedding ever since.

The wedding will be next April at the Bellagio Hotel. The hunt is now on to find a nice bridesmaid dress and decide on a hair-do! So exciting :)

Have you/anyone you know had a Las Vegas wedding? Can you share any good bridesmaid supply websites?

Tea.

2011-08-30T18:43:00.001+01:00

The Saturday before last Jonathan and I went out for some tea in the centre of Sheffield, and as we couldn't get a booking anywhere that did Spanish food/tapas/paella (the food we fancied) we settled on some Indian grub and headed to the Saffron Club in Sheffield. It has rave reviews on Trip Advisor which is always a good sign!

I wore a blue shift dress from River Island with a cream lace trim, black leggings, and these pumps from Sarenza.

The service was brilliant - when we asked the waiter what he would recommend he didn't just point out the most expensive thing on the menu. He asked us what we fancied, and what we usually have, and whether we wanted to stick to the same kind of thing or try something new.

We got a starter to share which included 2 samosas, 2 onion bhajis, 2 bits of salmon and 2 pieces of chicken tikka which were all yummy. The salmon and onion bhajis were particularly tasty.

I can't remember the name of my main but it was yummy! It was a chicken dish with a yoghurt based sauce, and it had a really unique taste to it. It wasn't too spicy either, as I'm not keen on anything that sets my mouth on fire. Jonathan had one of the specials, lamb shank, and he was very impressed. We shared some garlic naan and some rice, and it left us feeling stuffed but ever so satisfied!

Definitely worth a visit if you live nearby and are partial to Indian food.

Road trip part 3: Tintagel.

2011-08-29T16:40:00.000+01:00

I almost forgot to share our last full day from our road trip, which I'll do in two parts as we spent the morning in Tintagel and the afternoon in Boscastle. I have uploaded all of our Tintagel photos to my Facebook page just incase you would like to see a few more than the ones below.

We headed up to Tintagel Castle where it was wild and windy, and the amount of stairs knocked the sails out of us, but it was worth it for the views. Stunning! We spent a good while up there taking photos and taking in the scenery, not to mention I almost fell off the edge of a cliff at one point. Oops!

Not ideal if you don't like heights but otherwise well worth a morning or an afternoon of wandering and photo taking.

We also had a stroll through the village where I found a bead shop (where I bought the shell pendants for my necklaces), the cutest Post Office ever, and a delightful pub where we had a beer and rested our weary legs. The pub was great and had the friendliest barman behind the bar.

We spotted a shop on our drive in that had a display of the most fabulous home things and furniture, but when we walked back up to it for a browse it was closed! :(

Have you been here? Do any of my photos look familiar?

Hand-knitted scarves now available in my shop.

2011-08-28T13:06:00.000+01:00

I have been busy recently knitting a scarf for Sam, one of my favourite bloggers. Sam's blog is my favourite type - a diary of what she gets up to, what she eats, and a little bit of clothes and makeup too. Sam has just announced that she is pregnant which is wonderful news, and I really hope the scarf I made for her keeps her and the bump warm through the colder months ahead!

If you like the look of Sam's scarf and would like your own it's your lucky day! They're available in my shop priced at £20 for a regular length scarf and £25 for a super long scarf like Sam's which can be wrapped round a couple of times or wrapped round once to leave super long dangly bits! Depends on your preference :)

The wool is my favourite colour - mustard yellow - and is really chunky. This bad boy will keep you warm through the cold Winter that awaits us.

I am also selling grey scarves which are unisex. As you will see the one I made for Jonathan suits him perfectly. I wish I could have shared some of his catalogue poses with you :) This scarf was made using a 'moss' stitch to give the bobbled effect, and again you can buy this in a regular/traditional length or extra long for maximum comfort.

All scarves will be sent by Recorded mail ensuring their safe arrival, and due to their handmade nature please allow 3 weeks for yours to arrive. I have to fit knitting around a full time job, a boyfriend and 2 Pugs but I will do my very best to keep well within the 3 week period.

Have a peek and see what you think! If you would prefer to email me about your order or if you have any questions drop me a line at pinkbubbles123 (at) yahoo.co.uk

Review: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (Jillian Michaels).

2011-08-25T19:56:00.000+01:00

You all know I love a bit of Jillian Michaels and I'm into keeping fit at home. No gym membership over here! I thought it may be of use to some of you fitness newbies and experts alike to review the dvds that I own and use regularly, to give you some ideas for your own workouts.

The first dvd I'll share with you is Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. First of all it's £5.99 with free delivery on Amazon so it's not exactly going to break the bank. Secondly, it is brilliant!

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism is my all time favourite workout dvd and at the moment I try to do this one 3 times a week. But boy is it tough. Even after several months of using it a few times a week I still find it a challenge, but this is a good thing! I like the challenge and being able to work up to doing it all the way through without pressing 'pause'. I did manage this once, just the once!

It is very energetic and includes a mixture of cardio moves (for example star jumps, knee ups, burpies) along with squats, kick boxing and ab moves. The variety and fast paced nature of the workout keeps it interesting and moving along nicely.

I find some of the moves really good fun, and others slightly challenging (I don't think I'll ever master doing burpies at the same speed as this!) but all in all there's nothing massively impossible here. Plus the dvd is broken up into sections so if you want to skip a section that you particularly dislike then you can.

The workout itself is about 40/45 minutes plus a warm up of 5 minutes or so, so it's not a quick blast like the 30 Day Shred, but if you want to feel and look better in a short space of time then this is the workout for you.

It sounds odd but I like a workout to leave me knackered and feeling like I have actually done something. This is 'that' all over.

Do let me know if you have this one or if you get it based on my recommendation keep me posted :)

White chocolate & cranberry cookies.

2011-08-21T11:18:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I decided it had been a while since any baking had occurred in our house, so I borrowed a couple of baking recipe books from my friend, Katy. One of those books was Cake Days by The Hummingbird Bakery and I can safely say I want to make 99% of the treats in there.

We opted to make the white chocolate and cranberry cookies for a change, as we're always making cupcakes and a girl can only eat so many cupcakes!

We already had the majority of the ingredients in our baking cupboard, but had to pop out for dried cranberries, white chocolate and light brown sugar.

You will need:

130g unsalted butter

80g caster sugar

80g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

190g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

~~1/4 tsp ground cinnamon~~ (the boyfriend doesn't like cinnamon so we didn't use this)

1/2 tsp biscarbonate of soda

100g dried cranberries

60g white chocolate chips (we broke a white chocolate bar into pieces instead of using chips)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 170C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Using a whisk (or whatever mixing device you have) cream together the butter and both types of sugar, then break in the egg, add the vanilla essence and mix well.

Sieve together the flour, salt, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda then add to the mixture in two batches until a dough forms. Lastly, stir in the cranberries and chocolate.

At this point you will have something that resembles this:

Break off pieces of the dough (about 2 tbsp in size), roll them into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Allow 5 or 6 cookies per tray making sure to space them apart from each other (about 3 inches).

Bake for 20 minutes then leave for 10 minutes to cool.

These cookies definitely tasted better a day after they were ready, which I find is the case with all baked things. We had one the same day and they were okay, but the day after we were like "WOW" - completely yummy, nice and soft in the middle, and a nice contrast of chocolate with the sweet cranberries.

The recipe says 60g of white chocolate - we easily doubled this. You can never have too much white chocolate in my opinion!

Have you made these or anything from the Cake Days book? Do share!

Rustic Carvings Etsy store.

2011-08-18T20:45:00.000+01:00

I found the Rustic Carvings store kind of by accident but boy am I glad I did. My Sister has an Etsy store and I was on her page a few weeks ago when I spotted a shop that she had added to her 'favourites'. When I saw the hand carved, personalised coasters I was all over them in a jiffy! I know how popular scrabble piece jewellery is and I loved the idea of having some scrabble coasters!

Naturally I got a V for me, a J for Jonathan and two Ls for the Pugs. Jonathan was delighted to see that his letter has the most points (oh what a boy thing to say!)

Not only is Christine (the lady behind the shop) super friendly and pleasant to deal with, but she kept me informed of each stage of the process so I was never left wondering "oh I wonder where my coasters are!" So many times I order things and the communication is poor, so this was a really nice treat.

I utterly love them and I'm definitely going back for more! The only thing is, they're so nice I want to keep them for show and not to plonk my cup of tea on.

What do you think? Do you like them?

P.S. This is not a sponsored post in any way, shape or form. I am just utterly impressed with the customer service and quality , so much so that I wanted to share it with you lovely lot.

Road trip part 2: Padstow.

2011-08-16T19:55:00.000+01:00

If you missed part 1 you can catch up by clicking here. Day two of our trip involved heading to Padstow and we were both really looking forward to spending some time here. Jonathan has been before but it was the first time for me. However I had heard and seen lots of good things about it mainly from other bloggers, and Jonathan of course, so I was really excited about our visit.

As per usual I took loads of photos so if you'd like to see more of Padstow you can have a nosy at them on my Facebook page.

After a slow stroll and a nosy at the boats we negotiated our way down some rocks to the beach. I wasn't brave enough to take the plunge into the sea but I did dip my toes in just to say I had tried! Jonathan was a little braver than me. I was missing Lily and Lola a little bit that day due to the volume of small, cute dogs there (L&L were staying with my Mum and Dad for a few days) but as you can see from Jonathan's nifty artwork they were there in spirit! Also, how big are my effing feet?!

The views from the rocks above the beach were spectacular and Jonathan had ~~hours~~ minutes of fun playing with the panoramic setting on my camera to get some really good shots. It was a fairly nice day which made it easier to get some nice photos.

The photo below is one of my favourites. I mean, could this be any prettier?! We spent a fair bit of time walking up and down the little streets and browsing in each shop. We picked up some fudge for my parents (compensation for having the two terrors) and saw a million and one things that we wanted for our house. Somehow I don't think we would have got an outdoor wooden table with two amazing benches in the boot of my Smart car.. but we wanted to try!

Have you been to Padstow? Recognise any of my photos?

New bracelets in my shop.

2011-08-14T18:55:00.000+01:00

My shop has been up and running for a week now and some of you are already proud owners (hopefully!) of one of my little bracelets. You can now choose from red, black or turquoise cotton complete with a peace charm, a wishbone charm, or an initial of your choice (stock permitting of course).

I will post to anywhere in the World and all orders are wrapped up securely within a jiffy bag to make sure they arrive safe and sound. I have kept P&P costs low as if there's one thing I hate it is overpriced P&P charges.

If you like what you see but you fancy 2 initials on one bracelet for example, just drop me an email at the address in the sidebar and we can work something out. If you'd like a slightly longer length of cotton that is fine too, just ask.

The bracelets can be worn on their own or stacked up with other friendship bracelets. I have been wearing a couple of peace charms and a letter 'V' charm for a few weeks now. The cotton is 1mm thick so it looks dainty even on tiny wrists like mine. But it is really hard wearing and will last you a fair while. I have tied my bracelets on with a knot and trimmed the loose ends so that I can wear them permanently, but you could also tie them on with a bow to be able to remove them for bed, the shower, etc.

If you have already purchased a bracelet from my shop - "thank you!" and I hope you like it. Some of you have tweeted me to say you like yours so that is fab. If you haven't visited my shop then do go and have a browse and see what you think. I'll be adding some knitted items very soon too!

Untitled.

2011-08-10T20:33:00.000+01:00

Just a short post to give my love to those people that read this who have been affected by the riots in London and around the UK. It is truly terrible to see this happening but I have been fortunate that where I live hasn't been affected. But I know so many of you will have seen it happening first hand. Stay safe everyone! x

Road trip part 1: Bath.

2011-08-07T11:27:00.000+01:00

Last Friday Jonathan and I headed off in my little car on a trip from South Yorkshire all the way down to Bath. We wanted to spend the day there before we moved on to Cornwall for a few days as we have both wanted to visit for quite some time now.

I loved Bath. What a wonderful place. If you live there you're very lucky indeed.

I couldn't possibly include all of our photos in this post as it would end up a million miles long, but do go on over to my Facebook page where you can see a few more of the photos we took.

When we first arrived we had a slow wander round and took in the sights. The park was very pretty and had some lovely flower arrangements and people relaxing on deckchairs. We watched a couple of newlyweds have their wedding photos taken (from afar) and agreed that it was a lovely setting for wedding pictures.

We gawped at Bath Abbey and then paid a visit to the Roman Baths and spent a while in there soaking up the history of the place. The admission was a little pricey but if you're in Bath you've got to see the Roman Baths right!? We took a million photos of this place, we loved it. It was fairly busy with tourist groups but not too bad. We managed to have a good nosy round and see everything. We took a tonne of photos in here.

I was absolutely blown away by the Royal Crescent. I turned a corner into the park and wham! A row of magnificent houses. The photos don't reflect just how magnificent they are. Imagine living here with your own private lawn to keep the pesky normal folk away :)

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of small boutique/vintage/one off shops and spent quite a while perusing clothes and trinkets and jewellery.

We wanted to have an early-ish tea as we were tired and a bit weary after lots of walking, so I used my Trip Advisor app to find somewhere to eat. A few different options came up but one that really caught our eye was Yak Yeti Yak. Not only had we spotted it earlier in the day but it has received rave reviews on Trip Advisor so tea was sorted! It's a good job we got there early otherwise we wouldn't have got a table. It was empty when we arrived but judging by the bookings sheet it was going to be a full house! Wow, what a delicious dinner and a really unique place. I am so sad we will never get to eat here again (unless we visit Bath again obviously!) Delicious food, amazing brass plates and dishes, friendly owners, and a great end to our visit to Bath.

Wedding plans, Jillian Michaels, & my new jewellery store!

2011-08-06T10:35:00.000+01:00

Happy weekend everyone! This week I have been:

* discussing wedding plans with my Sister. She has set a date for her wedding next April (in Vegas!!) and we have been looking at dresses and hair/makeup ideas. I'm on the hunt for a floor length dress, preferably not strapless, that will make me look a-ma-zing!

* making jewellery. I have set up a bigcartel job which you can find here but I have only added a couple of things so far. More will be added over the next few weeks though. The peace friendship bracelets are simple but look amazing when stacked up with other friendship bracelets. I've been wearing a black one on my wrist permanently for the past week and it is still going strong. They are designed to be tied on and then the loose bits can be cut off.

Prices will be very reasonable as will the P&P. The images can be enlarged for a closer look. I am also going to make bracelets like these but with different charms and necklaces too.

* exercising like a mad woman! I set myself a challenge to do a full length Jillian Michaels dvd every evening after work last week and I managed it. The results in just a week are really noticeable so I'm aiming to do the same again next week.

* sorting through our photos from our trip away (we went to Bath and Cornwall last weekend). We took so many photos that it is hard to select ones to share with you. What I will do at some point is upload them on to my Facebook page for you to have a nosy at, but do keep your eyes peeled for my blog posts coming soon! We had a brilliant time and managed to pack lots in to our Friday - Monday trip.

What have you been up to this week?

Georgia Rose handbag.

2011-08-04T20:00:00.000+01:00

To my utter delight as an ambassador for Sarenza I discovered that they sell handbags too! My latest ambassador purchase is this gorgeous bag by Georgia Rose called 'Colleen'.

Check out my Smart mobile!

(it was very early in the morning so please excuse the face - focus on the bag!)

I was starting to get a bit fed up of carrying my little satchel round with me. I carry so much stuff around that it was constantly overflowing. This bad boy is plenty big enough for my bits and bobs and looks pretty darn good too, even if I do say so myself.

It is the softest material and has a clasp fastening to keep the contents secure. There's a small handle but it fits on my shoulder just fine.

My only bug bear is that I didn't spray it with any protector, and when I used it whilst wearing a blue dress some blue colouring has rubbed off onto it. I knew it wouldn't stay pristine for long!

I am in love with my new bag - what do you think?

Giorgio Armani Code Sport.

2011-08-03T20:47:00.001+01:00

Little bit of a different post today! Jonathan has been testing out Georgio Armani Code Sport, a male fragrance described as a "woody, aromatic, citrus fragrance. Intriguing, mysterious and desirable". I thought a review would come in handy if you're looking for a new aftershave for the trouser-shape in your life.

Jonathan's usual fragrances are Emporio Armani Diamonds or Diesel Only The Brave for daytime, and Chanel Allure Sport for special occasions (just to give you an idea of the kind of thing he likes).

He absolutely loves Georgio Armani Code Sport and it is up there with his favourites now. I'd say it was more of an evening scent as it's quite musky, but it certainly smells amazing and it's quite a unique smell.

Think your fella might like this? Visit www.armanicode.com to request a free sample.

Georgio Armani has collaborated with artist Philippe Franq. The campaign tells a story of the power of a man's body, magnetic as it moves under the surface of the luminous swimming pool. A woman waiting for a man. The scented night of Los Angeles is a spell that inevitably draws them together. There is no escape. Seduction is a danger that is worth it.

Armani Code Sport retails at £45.00 for a 50ml bottle of eau de toilette (via Boots.com)

Lily & Lola & not much else.

2011-07-27T19:52:00.000+01:00

Lily loves Lola in Pure Beauty magazine (& on Facebook too!)

2011-07-26T19:19:00.000+01:00

First things first I wanted to tell you folks that I have set up a Facebook page where I will be posting new blog posts, photos, and other bits and bobs. I'd love it if you like my blog if you would like my Facebook page too? Thanks peeps!

I'm really excited to tell you that I am in the latest issue of Pure Beauty magazine. They asked me a little while ago if I would like to be their guest blogger and of course I was flattered and said yes. I must admit I forgot all about it but then up popped a tweet last week from fellow blogger Phoebe saying she had spotted me and off I went to have a read.

It is very exciting seeing my ugly mug in print like this (I'll even forgive them for getting my surname wrong, hehe).

Head on over to the magazine here and look out for me on page 63!