Wow, so it looks like I haven't blogged since February, deary me. I must admit that life had become a little hectic, I was working 7 days a week and then coming home and spending all evening on my laptop, because I felt I had to. It was beginning to feel like a stress rather than a hobby. So I took a break from it and I must say I felt better for it, I've actually been able to relax in the evenings. I honestly do want to be a good blogger, but I was struggling for things to write about and struggling to find time to do it while balancing every other aspect of my life, but I'll try and start again, maybe just less regularly.

Anyway, here's a little bit of a life update for you guys:

• I had to start doing less days at my placement, as they couldn't afford to pay my expenses any more, and neither could I. But I'm still there two days a week so I am still gaining valuable experience.
• Since I'm at my placement less, I've been able to pick up quite a bit of overtime at River Island, so although I usually only get one day off a week, at least I'm making more money now- not that I really get to spend it as I'm paying off my overdraft so that I don't owe any money in time for starting my final year at university.
• I've been going to the gym at least three times a week since March and although I haven't really lost any weight, I know my body has become stronger and healthier, I've even managed to decrease my rest heart rate so I'm not my way, I just need to try and eat a little healthier, but chocolate is my downfall and I shan't apologise for it.
• Unfortunately I have to admit that over the past couple of months I've been rather unhappy, but it's starting to get a little better, although I'm still concerned that my boyfriend doesn't seem to care about us having a future together, but we'll see.
• I'm a little worried about Penny (our dog) at the minute, she hasn't been eating properly for about a month now, we're hoping it's just because it's hot, since she seems perfectly happy besides the change in her eating habits.
• I've started reading a bit more again, finding time to read never seemed that important recently when there is just so much other stuff to do, but just last week I went through a whole book in just three days and it really reminded me how much I love reading and how captivated I can get by a good story.
• I had to have my laptop sent off to get fixed as all the systems were running about as fast as a disabled snail, but luckily it's running better now, I'm just worried that it'll start running slowly against, once I get the software I need for fourth year.
• In a couple of weeks I should be getting a new phone, so that's exciting; I love new gadgets.
• My shopping addiction is as bad as ever!
• And finally, I really can't wait to go back to uni in September and start developing my final collection!!
• Oh, and I got my left ear lobe pierced a third time!

As part of my placement at Sophie & Anna Dressmakers/ The Bridal  Studio, I was lucky enough to attend a wedding Fayre with them. I can't really explain how excited I was about this, even for months running up to it. Since I'm not engaged and don't really know anyone who is engaged, I haven't attended a wedding Fayre before. But anything wedding I just find incredibly exciting; dresses, flowers, shoes, venues, suits, cars, just all of it!!! 

I remember when I went to London last February and when we were in the massive, and I mean MASSIVE Topshop, we saw these amazing cases, similar to the ones below that had beautiful glitter dancing beneath the surface, and I was abslutely heartbroken that there weren't any cases for my Iphone 5C. But nearly exactly a year later I found the wonderful website that creates these fabulous cases. I have completely fallen in love with these quirky designs and I just had to have one! So I've rounded up a couple of the super cute cases for you to browse. Some sale some full price, and of course you are welcome to go on the website and explore for yourself!

Iridescent Glitter Case | £18 | IPhone 6/6S Plus | IPhone 6/6S | IPhone 5C | IPhone 5/5S

Heart Macaroon Case  | Sale | £6 | IPhone 6/6S Plus | IPhone 6/6S | IPhone 5C | IPhone 5/5S

Angel Caticorn Case | Sale | £7.50 | IPhone 6/6S Plus | IPhone 6/6S | IPhone 5C | IPhone 5S Caticorn Case | £12 | IPhone 5C

Cat-Nut Case | £12 | IPhone 6/6S Plus | IPhone 6/6S | IPhone 5C | IPhone 5/5S Cat-Nut Coin Purse | $12

Googly Pug Case | £15 | Samsung S5 | Samsung S6 Glitter Unicorn Case | £18 | Samsung S5 | Samsung S6

I used to have a case with the glitter trapped inside, but unfortunately an air bubble formed which just continued to grow and grow so I had to change my case. Which although I love them has put me off having another slightly. So when I picked my new case I was cost effective and picked one from the sale that I absolutely love! I love hearts, I love glitter and I LOVE MACAROONS! So if this isn't the perfect case for me I don't know what is!

I was also a little naughty and ordered a case for an Iphone 6, since that's what I am planning on getting when it's time for me to upgrade and I just couldn't cope not having this beautiful case! When my package arrived it was in an awesome shiny silver package, with a cute business card inside. The cases also come with a screen protector, which has made me realise how much I drop my phone! Oops!

Which one is your favourite?

Happy Valentines Day!

So remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥

With Valentines Day only a couple of days away, it was a necessity that I came up with a romantic themed cupcake! I love all things romantic and I love cupcakes, and I wanted to create a cupcake that was different from what I'd done before. So this recipe uses ingredients I haven't really used before and a method that I've still not quote perfected yet, due to not have a candy thermometer. So please welcome my:

Valentine's Champagne and Raspberry Cupcakes
- Champagne cupcakes with Raspberry liqueur buttercream and tempered chocolate hearts -

Recipe:

Cake Mix:
115g Butter
112g Caster sugar
2 Eggs- beaten
225g Self-raising Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
120ml Champagne (I used Cava)

Buttercream Frosting:
150g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
300g Icing sugar
45ml Raspberry Liqueur
Purple Food Colouring Gel

Decoration:
100g Dark Chocolate

Makes 12



Method:

Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 7/200C/400F
Place cupcake cases in a cupcake baking tray.

1.Break up about 75g of your chocolate and add to a ceramic or metal bowl. Boil a kettle, add the water to a saucepan and place the bowl on top. Slowly stirring the chocolate with a plastic spatula until it is all melted and reaches 41C. Take off the saucepan and add in your remaining chocolate, stirring in until it melts and the chocolate cools to 38C.
2. Lay out a sheet of grease proof paper or asitate. Put the chocolate in a piping bag and pipe out as many little hearts as you can, or whatever romantic design you want. Originally I wanted to do little arrows to do through the frosting, but I didn't cut my hole small enough in the piping bag.
3. Once you've done your design, put your chocolate shapes in the fridge while you make the rest of your cupcakes.



4. Add your butter to a bowl and cream a little so that it softens. Add in your caster sugar and cream together.
5. Beat together your eggs in a jug, then add into the butter and sugar slowly and mix.
6. Sift in your flour and mix in a bit at a time.
7. Once your flour is mixed in, add in a teaspoon of baking powder and combine.
8. Add in your champagne, there will be a little bubbly reaction, but don't worry it won't erupt. Mix in well.
9. Evenly divide your batter between your cupcake cases.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on how good your oven is. Take out and allow to cool.






15. Put your frosting in a piping bag and decorate your cupcakes.


16. Take your chocolate hearts out of the fridge and gently peel off the grease proof paper and place on your cupcakes.



I really really really loved these cupcakes. Dan's Mum even thinks I have surpassed my lemon surprise cupcakes, which is saying something! And I love how pretty these cupcakes photos turned out!

So if you want to make a romantic gesture why not make these for a loved one!

Also, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful boyfriend, Dan! 

So, remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥

These images are just a few of my favourites from the collection. Anyone who knows me, knows I love a big comfy jumper, especially big comfy jumpers that are interesting and stylish! For this reason McCartney's assymetric layered jumper and jumper dresses scream out to me. Believe me if I could afford one I would buy one without a moments thought!

I also love the combination of the loose floaty trousers, being pulled in to a tiny waist with a massive belt, completed with a subtle sweetheart neckline layered over a skirt. It's classic, but a little different, and surely a look that everyone could pull off.

The dress above, for me, is like a perfect little black dress with a touch of mystery. The layers are elegant, while the added length would allow you to feel like you weren't too exposed. And the neckline/straps, half on the shoulder, half off, gives such a point of interest that jewellery just wouldn't be necessary! (Although looking more closely at this dress, I actually can't tell if it's a long pair of tailored shorts, but even if they are, it's still a marvellous piece of clothing!)

I just love this collection because of the combination of classic tailoring mixed with unconventional shapes, that are used to create classic flattering silhouettes!

What do you think of McCartney's contradicting themes as a collection?

So remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥

Back in October, I did a 4 week internship with AX Paris, based in Manchester. I was a social media and merchandising intern, which wouldn't usually be the type of position I would go for, being a fashion design student, but I was just so excited that they were interested in my application that it really didn't matter what I would be doing, I was just excited to be part of the company.


When I first arrived it honestly wasn't what I was expected; I thought the premises would be bigger since it's a well company and I thought there would have been more people in the office. But with it being smaller it means I got to know more people which was nice.

While I was there I had a mixture of responsibilities/tasks. One of the first things they had me do was research possible bloggers or instagrammers to work with, looking at how many followers they had, their style and how they present their posts to see if they would be a good match for the AX Paris brand. I also collected their contact details and location, these were updated in a spreadsheet that I worked on for the month that I was at AX Paris. I think by the end I had over 100 different bloggers, some of which I follow now myself. This was definitely one of my favourite tasks as I was getting to read great content and look at amazing photographs and it still being part of my job.

I also did work on the back end of the website. Checking stock levels, looking at item descriptions to make them more accessible for search engines and adding META descriptions, as well as colour options. Although those can get a little tedious when you have 20 products on one page and over 100 pages!


Another one of the tasks that I enjoyed was creating images on photoshop for the 'Bloggers Love' page! I'd be sent the images that have been either sent to us or found by our media manager of bloggers wearing our clothes! I'd also have to find the corresponding items on the website to alter the hyper links so that they images link back to the right page. Sometimes finding the right item could be a pain in the bum, either because the image isn't too clear (when the garment is combined with others in the post) or the item hasn't been in stock for a while. I was also lucky enough to be asked to write some of the blog posts for the website. These were usually about celebrity style steals, but I also got to right about the different trends we had on the website such as, Rock the Rouge and Blaque Chic.

Some of the other things I did was hang up samples, before they would be looked at to the have the designs approved. As well as tidying up the showroom before the buying meeting, as well as making drinks while the meeting was taking place.

I had a wonderful time working for AX Paris, although it was exhausting travelling so much, but I met some wonderful people and have a better idea of how one of my favourite brands works behind the scenes.

So remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥

I stumbled upon this Giles collection while on Pinterest. It is said that Giles has always aspired to a Parisian level of couture, but occasionally the execution hasn't always been up to scratch, but with this collection he really kicked it up a notch! What I really loved about this collection in the monochrome theme with hints of beige, and inspired by 60s and the idea of bondage, evident in the prints of Chains and belts, and slightly darker still the skeleton print! The bondage idea can also be seen in the patent spiked stilettos, high necks and patents belts and straps!




What I really love though about this collection is the massive Ostrich feathers, (I'm neither for or against real fur and stuff like that). These vast ostrich hats were designed by Stephen Jones. They are just so impressive that you can't help but stop and look!

"A hat makes clothing identifiable, dramatic and, most importantly, fashion... It's the cherry on the cake, the dot on the 'i', the exclamation mark, the fashion focus. Everyone from showgirls to dictators knows that by wearing a hat they will be centre of attention."

I also love the contrast of different shapes within the collection! The white slinky dress is gorgeous, but is massively different than the "ball gown" style dresses. I think the pleated circles is very striking, at first I thought they looked like records. The massive circle connects some of the other shapes within the collection, such as the large floaty shirt in the first image, the massive bishop sleeve style sits wonderfully with the slimmer trousers!

The collection progresses beautifully when you look at it in full, which you can see here!

So remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥

The biggest sales of the year tend to be those that start on boxing day, and of course being fashion mad I couldn't myself, although most of my shopping was done in the week between boxing day and new year, since I had to work on boxing day! I really love the items I picked up and believe me I could have bought so much more. So I thought I'd share what I bought! (Confession: I didn't actually buy anything from Primark until today, and it needs to go back anyway, so it's not photographed).















Don't quote me on some of the original prices, as I've since thrown away some of the labels, so I can't be sure about them, not that it really matters anyway!

And unfortunately a couple of these things had to go back due to financial issues. The worst one was the bomber jacket, I wanted to keep that so so badly and when I went back it was still there and even cheaper, but I just don't have the money for it *sob*. The green top also went back, the keyhole just didn't sit right on my chest; short girl problems!

I think my favourites are probably my purchases from River Island, although I have worn my other items a lot already; I love snuggling in my fluffy jumper, which apparently matches my hair perfectly. And I always get compliments in my blue shirt, so definitely not bad choices!

The jeans and gilet are worn to death, I'd had my eye on both of them before the sale started so I was overjoyed when I got them for half the price! And I am waiting, rather impatiently for an occasion to wear my dress! I usually wouldn't wear bodycon dresses as I'm not a fan of my stomach, but with the illusion lines down the front and back it actually makes my figure look quite curvaceous, as long as you don't catch me from the side!

Was your Christmas Sale Shopping Successful?

So remember, each day, live a little, laugh a little and love a little. ♥