Emily and Fin review.

I have eyed up Emily and Fin for some time now. After discovering them via modcloth I have quietly watched in the shadows wishing I had a fair few of their dresses.

The price tag for is a bit too steep for me, even though on a few occasions the sale prices have tempted me. One reason I always end up hesitating is because I have been unsure what size to aim for. With Modcloth suggesting to size up and the reviews saying that it is a little too roomy in the bust I have been torn between and 12 and a 14. I fell for this Lucy dressin Meandering Polar Bears back before Christmas and I have been keeping an eye on it in the sale since the New Year. When it dropped down to £26 from £65 I really couldn’t say no anymore. I decided to order a 12 and a 14 in case one sold out if it didn’t fit and now I was finally ready to take the plunge I would know for future reference what size to order.

Lucy dress in Meandering Polar Bears 

I have to say the postage is a little high, and with no free returns that always puts me off a little ordering online. I am always much more willing to give things ago if there is free returns, but as the dress was such a good price and look amazing I thought, let’s give it a go!

I ordered them on Friday afternoon and they arrived Tuesday. Because they send their parcels DPD I was able to have it transferred to Halfords as I would have been at work which was a bonus!

I was impressed straight away by the quality of the fabric and print. The fabric was slightly darker than it looked online but I really liked it and it was still really vibrant.

The fabric is a nice weight but still light enough to feel comfortable to wear, I can’t stand heavy materials but this was spot on. The reviews were correct in that the bust came up slightly big on me in the 14 but the waist fitted perfectly. The 12 the waist was too tight and the neckline cut in a little too even though the bust fitted better, so I decided that the 14 was the best fit!

I really adored the little crystal button at the top on the dress to do it up, it was a really lovely touch. As well as that it was fully lined and had pockets HURRAH! How we do all love a good pocket in a dress. The length on me was really comfortable. I prefer shorter dresses but as I am 5ft 8” sometimes they come up just too short! Bum skimming. This is longer than my other dresses but still short enough that it doesn’t give me that frumpy feeling with the added bonus of my bottom staying covered.

Overall this is one of the highest quality dresses that I own and £26 was a great steal of a price. I am also pleased with the fit, it is really complementing and although slightly loose in the bust it isn’t noticeable. I will defiantly be purchasing more in the future!

So this dress gets 2 thumbs up from me! More if I had more thumbs, so much so I am tempted by the Rose Dress in teal falling snowflake!

Rose dress in teal falling snowflake

So I would highly recommend Emily and Fin and I would say the sizing is pretty spot on! I am now gutted I missed out on so many previous sales!

Silly Old Sea Dog

Back in August I believe I enter a competition with Marry Me Ink 'A wedding blog dedicated to the decorated bride' spend at Silly Old Sea Dog. I was SOO EXCITED as I had admired their dresses since seeing the Nutcracker dress on thesoubrettebrunette's blog back in 2014!

I decided to hold off until Christmas to spend it as I had wanted a Christmas dress for a few years now.

They announced the Christmas dresses and I was so excited which one to pick. The prices are quite high at around £100 for a dress. I do completely understand and appreciate why they are higher in price. As someone who has made clothes before I can appreciate the time and energy that goes into making these clothes and also the price of fabric.

Saying that and understanding why they are the price they are; unfortunately still left them slightly outside of my price range (with the new flat and Christmas coming)

So I waited until Black Friday in a hope that I would be able to get a dress and luckily they did do a discount. However I wasn't able to use my gift card and the discount code. I have to say I was a little disappointed with that, as to me a gift card is money not a voucher. As I had won the gift card I didn't say anything else. However had I bought one or had one bought as a gift for me I would be quite disappointed.

Anyhow my patience paid off and a few days before Christmas I managed to nab one in the sale and I was super excited when it arrived on the 23rd December just before Christmas day.

I had misjudged the sizing and went with measurements I had taken some time ago . Sometimes I still find it hard to order smaller sizes as I still have the mindset of 'GOD THAT WILL NEVER FIT ME!' but I misjudged it this time and a 14 was swimming on me.

I contacted Silly Old Sea Dog and they said ship it back and we will send you a new size. So after much remeasuring and checking the size guide (happy to report my waist and bust measurement have gone down since I last measured them!!) I ordered a 12. The 14 was so generous I was a little skeptical if this one too would be a little large also.

BUT then on the 2nd January my lovely packaged arrived and it fitted like a glove!

Firstly both dresses arrived in ADORABLE little polka dot bags and were both wrapped in green paper and ribbon with a little note that made me smile! There is just something about receiving your items like this that makes it all the more personal and special.

And you know what I do look fabulous! The dress is a beautiful material, it feels very durable but still soft and flows nicely. It is well finished and put together very well to a very high standard. 

As you can see the 12 fits perfectly! The sizing is definitely very generous and very true to their size guide so if in doubt I would size down! 

They do such adorable patterns and use really unusual fabrics. The cut of the dress is spot on and is really flattering. It hangs very nicely and I am GUTTED I have to wait 11 months until I can take this baby out for a proper spin! 

I am impressed with Silly Old Sea dog and I would highly recommend them! I really hope that maybe next year I will financially better and be able to pick up a halloween dress and maybe another Christmas one!

YAAAY for Sugarhill Boutique

I wanted to write about Sugarhill boutique today as I acquired another one of their beautiful dresses and had an exception customer experience with them.

Their dresses are so beautiful but in all honesty are usually a little out of my price range so I often have them as gifts or wait for a good old sale. Last year however they realised the 'Folk Bear Dress' and I fell in love with it I bought it (if I remember correctly I had some birthday money) in October last year! I wore it a few times in the autumn/winter you can see here. I loved it and it looked really stunning on.

In the New Year I noticed however there was slight damage to the dress and the material had gone funny. I emailed Sugarhill not expecting much and they sent me a replacement! I was so happy, and we I got it back I popped it in my wardrobe ready for next winter. 

The other day I bought some read tights (thought I would give coloured tights a go) and was trying on autumn dresses, I thought I better try on the bear dress to see if it still fits. It however was a little large but a belt would fix that, however then I noticed one of the sleeves hadn't been finished. There was no button or button hole. I was gutted, it really ruined the dress, and as I had said previously it was an expensive dress for me to buy. 

Knowing it had been 9 months since I got there placement, although brand new and unworn I had taken the tags out and nearly a year since I originally bought it I assumed there was nothing that could be done. But I emailed Sugarhill regardless, and I am so happy I did. They got back within a day, the offered me a full refund as they can't replace it as it is sold out and asked me to donate my faulty dress to charity! 

The email was so friendly and kind and I really felt like that cared what I thought and they were generally sorry that it had been faulty! All I have to say is Sugarhill Boutique your customer service has been faultless and you are an shining example of customer care! They have definitely got themselves a loyal life long customer from me now!

So much so I went and invested in another dress haha! Didn't even wait 48 hours I don't think. I also managed to replace my bear dress with a smaller size too. The evening I found it broken I went to eBay to see if anyone was selling one, and someone was in the smaller size. I felt like it was fate, surely it must be! I won it (paid rather a lot more than I had planned but hey ho) and it left me with enough money to pick up another beautiful dress.

I saw this dress back in the spring summer, but with all the moving and saving I couldn't afford it. It is stunning and covered in elephants and it is now in the sale so I just had to give it ago. I ordered a 12 and a 14 and although both fitted the 14 had more length in the body and overall length too so I went with that one! I tried it with a navy blue cardigan and shoes, but I think the Navy blue cardi and blue tights will look amazing too when it is cooler. 

 FESTIVAL BUNTING PRINT SMOCK DRESS

My replacement eBay dress arrived today and fits BEAUTIFULLY! I'm really glad I sized down! I think it now really compliments me and I seriously cannot love the neckline anymore. With this one too I noticed a few faults with the fabric, I guess it is just a problem with that dress in particular as all the other Sugarhill dresses seem lovely quality! But it is worth it have this dress in my wardrobe, I just fricking love it and I cannot wait to get it out when it is a bit cooler! It is just the perfect autumn winter dress!

I'm so glad I have one with functioning sleeves and that fits much better. I will be taking my old dress to Oxfam at the weekend, I have been taking my charity stuff to Oxfam as I want to do what I can to help the migrant crisis!

I think Sugarhill Boutique deserve a massive shout out for their customer service, and their clothes are beautiful and cute too! I am actually getting another one of their dresses for my birthday next week haha! So look out for an outfit post with that dress!

Happy shopping peeps!

All burnt out!

I don’t want to start complaining on here and whining and such (reading back through posts from 2013 it was a little cringy) but I want to just get this off my chest.

I AM SO BURNT OUT. Seriously I need a break and a rest. Last year I had 2 weeks off, one in the summer and I spent it away at the seaside and the second was at the end of September and we went to France. Both times we relaxing, it broke the year up and gave me something to focus on and look forward to. This year has been much different.

It’s been amazing and I have achieved what I wanted to achieve! However thinking back over the last year actually it’s been exceptionally stressful and I think it is catching up on me now. So far this year I have had 1 or 2 days off in March for Matt’s birthday (I can’t remember now), I then had 2 days over bank holiday weekend which added up to 5 days off, and finally a whole week off in June. In March it was nice (although I felt pretty unwell alas) but on the time I had off on the May bank holiday I was in full packing mode. We spent 3 days packing like MAD and then one day up in London which I wrote about here. When we went up to London I was actually exhausted. Every weekend was then spent planning packing and sorting. All my free time was spent preparing and mentally planning everything, fretting about the flat and money. To be honest with you for about 2 months I was a wound up coil ready to burst, my stress levels were through the roof. To bring a downer on our trip out too I hurt my back so that day in London was particularly painful too!

The week off in June was to move and as you can imagine that was stressful, by Tuesday me and Matt cracked and HUGE argument happened. It wasn’t until Friday that I felt calmer and more sorted, but even then we had to finish more things over the weekend.

I honestly don’t feel like I have had time off. I have now worked for almost 9 months this year without feeling like I have had any relaxation time. I honestly feel like I am just burnt out. My work in the office is lacking now as my concentration is just non-existent. I am beginning to feel very low in general too, I can feel myself just dragging my ass to work every day and just wishing for a few days of fun and relaxation. I don't feel like 'me' at the moment, but on the few days we have had out over the summer I feel like 'me' is creeping back in!

However, ON TO SOME EXCITING THINGS THOUGH! I have actually booked a week off in October for my birthday, and I found out that Matt has Christmas off again so that really exciting. I am hoping to do our trip away like last year. I now have things to look forward to and no guilt of money to stop me!

Yesterday I finalised and booked some fun for my week off. On the Friday the plan is to get home shower and eat and jump in the car up to Nottingham for a awesome weekend with Laura and Sammi. I’ve booked Annie’s burger and I hope to do a bit of shopping and just hang out. We will most likely drive home Sunday evening and have a good lay in on Monday. 

Then on Wednesday I have booked tickets to see Les Misérables. I saw the movie on Sunday on the TV and it blew me away I have been listening to the soundtrack all week. I am SO excited to see it and we will go up to London have a good poke around, the performance is at 2:30pm and then we will head to Buffalo for dinner on the way home.

Thursday is my birthday and I plan on getting up early and heading to The Harvester for the breakfast buffet. From here I have booked the 12:30pm slot for the Harry Potter Studio Tour! SO excited for that I have wanted to go and see the Hogwarts express since it opened!

I can't wait to take loads of photos, get dressed up and then blog about them!

No plans for the rest of the week yet but I hope to have lots of little trips out and just really enjoy myself and Matt’s company!

I don’t want to be the one to wish the summer away (even though I’m pretty sure it’s long gone, if it actually ever got here) but I am excited for October, I have loads going on this year! 2015 has been pretty uneventful when it comes to actually having days out so I hope October will be exciting!

• Nottingham
• Les Misérables
• Harry Potter
• Jack off Jill
• Tulleys Farm
• NFL football match

So yeah, it would be lovely to have some more sunny weather, but I’m kind of ok if September just disappears. Lots to look forward to, so I need to relax a little and keep stress level to a minimum.

I will end with 2 more exciting things that will hopefully counteract the complaining above.

I won TWO competitions in the last week.

£50 giftcard to spend at Silly Old Sea Dog from the amazing blog Marry Me Ink that I follow!

and then yesterday I won a £25 voucher from Frankie and Benny's! Yaay :D

Have a fabulous rest of the week!

Good bye 2014! And a Happy New Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, I did even though it was very different!

I haven't been very good with updating this blog in the last half a year! Work has been exceptionally busy and after my Grandpa passing away I don't think I have been much in the mood!

But as I have had rather a lot of time off over Christmas 

(still have 4 more days off woohoo) I thought I would sum up 2014!

This year has had some amazing parts & some shitty parts.Thinking about the amazing parts though!

I have the wardrobe I had dreamed of for such a long time. As I have written before I have never had the confidence to wear what I wanted and I have always felt quite restricted. This year I think was the year I really really changed. I've been really sticking to this since August 2013, and this summer with the gym and healthy eating i pushed myself past my goal weight and I am really proud of myself!

I have made some great friends at work, and I have actually enjoyed my job this year! My first job as a graphic designer I took so I could get experience, lets face it, in no way can you be picky if someone offers you a paid Graphic Design job the minute you leave Uni. It worked in my favor as I really do like my job now and all the people I work with. I have really enjoyed the last month with the Christmas Spirit, Elektra Awards and Christmas party.!

One thing I did which I was really pleased about was selling my designs. At the beginning of the year I had some necklaces made up and they were a bit of a flop. But this Christmas I had my Christmas design printed and I sold over 100 in a week! I was super pleased with myself and this year I think I will invest more in the greeting cards side of things!

I have been so excited though about Christmas coming around this year!

I booked a trip away (1 night) to LongLeat. It was just in a travel lodge and to see the festival of lights, I got an amazing deal on Tesco for Longleat and the hotel was super cheap as I booked it back in September!

The rest of the post is pretty image heavy so see below to continue reading!

The perfect dress

I found the perfect dress. I really did and I am so pleased with it! I wanted to get something perfect for my Grandpa’s funeral. I wanted it to be something that he would of gone, ‘yes I like that a lot!’

I have black clothes, but all of them have been for work and although I have a few smart dresses (all have patterns on of some sort) it just didn’t feel special enough… All the items that would have been ok to wear I only own because I had to get them for work so I never really liked any of them like I do my own clothes.

So I ordered a dress online and I wasn’t blown away by it… Matt suggested we went and had a look so last Friday after work, very reluctantly as I was exhausted we headed off to Lakeside. I actually ended up having a lovely evening. It was one of those shopping trips that ended up being really productive and satisfying and I kind of wish we could do it again tonight but there would just be no point.

I got some cardi’s from Forever 21, upon getting home I realised the black one was much shorter than the other two I got and was a little bummed out about that, then I also realised my blue had a hole in it at work on that Friday so I thought ohh good both of those can go back.

We also tried the new KFC pulled chicken burger. It wasn’t great.

We had a long mooch around forever 21, but that shop is just not made for people of my height. Then we came out of there and Matt convinced me to go to House of Fraser, even though I insisted I  couldn’t afford it! At the back as I almost gave up in there we spied a Yumi section (I do love Yumi dresses) I had spotted a Yumi dress online but it was £50 alas…. It was only £48 in store and then Matt found a card that said 20% off for students! Yay having my sisters student card! So I tried it on and I have to say it was perfect. Its not plain but the detailing on it is subtle and is just so elegant and feels lovely and feels like a dress my Grandpa would be proud of. We ended up getting it for £38, which although was more that I wanted to spend as I am trying to save up, it was worth every penny.

(please excuse the glum bum face)

I just thought it was gorgeous, and I am so glad Matt made me get it! I am dreading Tuesday no and at the same time looking forward to it being over with. The idea that it will all be very final and real upsets me but it must be done and at least I will feel  like my Grandpa would be proud of me!

I’m going to pair it with my TUK heels and a little black bag so hopefully I will look the business!

At least it is the weekend now, because I feel like I need to sleep I am do drained at the moment!

On a more exciting note, I have finally reached my ultimate goal! I have lost exactly 6stone altogether and 4 stone since I started myfitnesspal! I’m now done with my diet and im going to start to find a routine to maintain this weight! I’m proud of myself and this also doesn’t really feel real but fingers crossed I can keep as this weight!

Feeling under the weather

Monday morning again, I always seem to start my posts on a Monday. The weekend just gone I feel like I was scammed out of a weekend.

Friday I was EXHUSTED and I went to see Captain America after work. We booked tickets for 11pm so we could try the DBOX seats. I was a little worried this was going to be too late as I was knackered but I had a nap beforehand and the film was so good It kept me awake. Also the fact the seats were moving and vibrating most likely helped hehe!

I really enjoyed the DBOX seats. I don’t think I would regularly pay the extra to sit in them, but they were fun!

We got back about 2:30am and I woke up later Saturday just before lunch time. I had to pop to the opticians and then me and Matt had a fry up. Yes I was meant to be being healthy and no I did not stick to it. It was amazing though! Bacon, chips, egg and fried mushrooms. My stomach is growling for more right now.

I agreed to babysit that evening. The family are lovely and the kids are adorable but I think when I only have 2 days off a week it REALLY sucks into my free time. I’m not sure I would do it again or too often at the weekends. I feel like I need that time to myself or for me and Matt. I was disappointed with my dinner (I took a microwave meal) so we popped to McDonalds when I got back  and forgot the clocks went forward so I technically got in again at 2am.

That night I woke IN AGNOY with stomach cramps and ache. It kept me up during the night. I thought it was eating such awful food so late but I am still feeling under the weather today so I don’t know what it was.

But Sunday morning I was still feeling bloated and horrible and lost my appetite. I haven’t had a bad tummy or been ill but I have just felt about 20 stone and tired and achy. I did however force myself up and into the shower and got ready to take my mum out for mothers day!

Mum and Dad

Sarah, Mum and Me

Sarah and Me

Taking my space dress out for an outing (didn’t feel glamorous in it though alas as I was so bloated.)

The food was lovely and although I wasn’t really feeling it I still goggled down dough balls and a large pizza and it was delicious. I had to pick the goats cheese off my pizza though as I discovered I didn’t like that! I think my Mum really enjoyed it which was cool.

Might try and do the same for Father’s day a my Dad is way too hard to buy for. Haha!

So the finale The Walking Dead and My Mad Fat Diary is on tonight. I CANNOT WAIT FOR TWD! Seriously I have been so tempted to look on Tumblr today but I shan’t! I also have the gym in between both boo hiss!

Also I have got rather into POP FUNKO figures again. I can’t wait for conventions this year to get some more!

I was naughty last week and got Daryl and Daenerys Targaryen. I will be on the hunt for more at MCM and also LFCC.

And I will end on a VERY HAPPY NOTE that made my week tbh. DAVID HEWLETT is going London Film and Comic Con. He is one of the people I would like to meet the most! He plays one of my favourite characters ever! And tbh it will make my summer meeting him WAHEY!

I can't wait for the weather to get nicer and the convention season to start!

First Monday in Spring. Ice cold this morning.!

Monday morning again and Monday blues. I am still pinning for last weekend alas, this weekend was very peaceful and relaxing which I think I really needed as I was SOOO tired last week.

Thursday after work we went for Chinese food with Matt’s Dad and Julie and it was a REALLY REALLY lovely evening! The food was just to die for and I really enjoyed spending time with both of them and Matt.

I wore my fox dress. I got it back in October or November, I saw it on a blog and it was at Very.co.uk for £12.50 reduced from about £25-£30! Fitted like a dream too! I’ve only worn it once though since buying it so I was quite excited to put it on and go out for dinner!

I will make sure I wear it more next autumn as it’s not quite right for the fast (although not fast enough) approaching spring and summer.

On Saturday I didn't do too much but I saw the new Muppet Movie in the evening! I really enjoyed it!! :)

We started Game of Thrones last week, and we literally spent all Sunday lazing in bed watching it. We have gotten through season 1 and half way through 2. I should slow down really as we are going run out soon!

I’m really enjoying it even though I keep getting exceptionally lost. I downloaded a family tree and that is helping a lot.

I’m so gutted though I missed the walking dead cast at LFCC last year. There has been a few programs I have gotten into in the last year and missed their characters at conventions boo hiss! However I know people get excited as its approaching the time of the yeah when its festival time and party time and going on holiday time. I love this time of year because from about May to October it’s Convention time of the year!! MCM soon and then my favourite London Film and Comic Con! Cannot wait! And now they have the ‘winter’ one too although I would say it’s autumn I don’t even have to wait a whole 12 months for the next one!

Changing the subject and something to end this post on. I read the other night about how ModCloth can be a rip of at times. I won’t lie I thought their prices are rather high at times. And the possibility or import charges and the items not fitting have put me off ordering! The cost to send things back just put me off if stuff didn’t fit.

Anyway a while ago I fell in love with a Unicorn dress on there for $80ish and then found it was a English brand Yumi and I found it in the sale for £25. I’ve been eying up a cherry dress on Modcloth now for a few months it is just lovely! After some research I found it on other US stores for about $20-30 less and then I found it in the UK for £22.99 HURRAH! I think it is the same and if not it is so close!

Cherry Dress eBay £22.99

Cherry Dress ModCloth $64.99

So I am HORRIBLY tempted to buy this. I need a little red cardigan first though! New look have just bought out their cropped cardigans for the summer and spring so when I get paid I will be making a trip there!

Hope your week is good and I hope my week improves and the Monday Blues vanish.  

Post Weekend Blues

So it is Thursday and I am officially back at work. I did come back Tuesday but then I had Wednesday off and the day flew by so it was rather pleasant day at work!

But now I am SUFFERING with the come down of a good time. The first time I really felt this was in June/July 2012 when I had my Graduation then I had London Film and Comic Con and then Laura’s hen do and then when it was all over, not only did I get sick but returning to normality sucked asses. Actually to be fair I get it every year throughout January as I pine for Christmas not to be over!

So last week I was counting down the days till Thursday. Actually I would really wish I could turn back the clocks by exactly 1 week. I finished up at 5:30 RAN to the car and speed off to Cineworld in Crawley where we grabbed a maccy d’s and then went to watch War Horse live in the cinemas. It was AMAZING. I was lost for words, the puppets are just mind blowing I feel calling them puppets not doing them justice! You forget they aren’t real and they move just like real horses. I was in floods of tears by the end of first half convinced it was going to end horribly *spoiler alert * but it ended happily and the horse did not die thank god as I think I would of exploded.

I then woke up at 7:20AM!!!! On Friday, I had planned on getting up at 8ish but I was too excited and I made pancakes and bacon because my bacon pancake failed. Looked more like a omelette, although Matt really enjoyed it. I also had some and it was very tasty and then he unwrapped his gifts and was really really pleased with them. Then he had a lovely birthday treat and I took him to the dentist. The dentist was good and bad news. Bad news its going to cost upwards of £800 over the next few months to get his teeth fixed up. Good news is they can save his tooth AND we are going to get everything fixed up before they get really bad. I’m really angry his previous dentist didn’t pick up on any of this.

After that we went home and I got ready and Matt played Titan which came out that morning and then we went and had buffalo for lunch which was lovely. Full rack of ribs, whole chicken, 4 portions of fries and 2 bottomless drinks for £24.95 and then we went around Croydon where I picked up a HEDIOUS cardigan I had mail ordered (that went straight back did not look like it did online) and then tried to find Matt a jacket no luck though.

I had planned on napping but by the time we got home and the fact I hadn’t packed or anything I got a 10-20 nap in and we were meant to leave at 6pm but it was almost 7:30pm by the time we left and headed up to Nottingham. The journey was pleasant and we got to Laura’s around 10:30-11pm. Laura had put up a few birthday banners and a balloon and got matt and cake and some presents and he was really chuffed with them :) I wanted him to realise people do care about his birthday!!

On Saturday we went into town, me and Matt grabbed some pub breakfast and I had to washed my hair in cold water as the hot water had gone off which actually felt like it was burning my head hahah!

We did lots of shopping and I found this gorgeous dress.

I was planning on getting anything but you know when you see it and you JUST KNOW! It was £40 which is the steeper end of what I usually pay for dresses but it was worth every penny and it fit so well too!

I wore it to Annie’s on Sunday and asked Matt to get a nice photo and he got this instead! BAH he is great and getting me when I pull horrible faces!

So then we got home and went to Tesco! We ended up having a late lunch and that filled us up so we bought pizza and garlic bread on the way home and had dinner when Sammi got back. Alas she was working almost all weekend which sucked!

Sunday we woke up and went to a coffee shop for lunch. I won’t lie I paid a lot for a pretty nasty panni and Matt didn’t seem to enjoy his BLT either. Then we enjoyed some sunshine and had a good chat all afternoon and headed off to Annie’s Burger Shack!

I was very excited to see the pancake one was still on there so Matt had that and I went for the mushroom swiss! It was surprisingly quiet in there and we were in and out within an hour. The food was GORGEOUS my only complaint is they had sold out of almost all desserts except one we didn't like. So instead we went to the orange tree and had a cocktail each instead. I've been there 3 times now and I am addicted to the toblerone martini.

We then headed home and cut the cake had some and just chilled out in front of the tv and was nattering for hours again. I planned on leaving at 10-11pm but by the time we packed and kept chatting it was 11:50pm before we left and I really didn’t want to go! I had such a nice weekend I was GUTTED it was over and also I always forget how much I miss Laura.

The drive home was just horrendous. I bought energy drinks but I had to pull over twice it was too much and I was WAY TOO TIRED. We made it back home around 3:30am and I was SO SO happy to see my bed!

Monday Matt wasn’t in a very good mood and we just kinda bummed around. We went out for lunch and I just caught up on food shopping and what not.

Tuesday was back at work, I have to say it flew by I was quite busy with things to catch up on and then when I got home Matt had been very naughty and bought me the bag I had been pinning over for weeks. It’s a BEAUTIFUL Disaster Designs bag and is a little gingerbread house! We actually saw it in a shop in Nottingham. I didn’t know he had ordered it and I was all like OOOH NOOO it’s way too small blah blah blah. However it does fit what I need in it and will be great for days out when I only need my phone and purse, Its actually fairly surprising what you can actually fit in there! But I am very spoilt and its FREAKING ADORABLE and I really really like it!

Wednesday I then had off to have a ‘farewell lunch’ with Matt’s brother as he is off to live in Singapore. We went up to Covent Garden and had a burger then we and Matt made the most of the day and went around London. I found the VOODOO Vixen dress I had been eyeing up in a shop there and was very disappointed when the fit was terrible. I don’t know if it was the dress in general or just the dress on me, but unless I lift my boobs close to my chin it’s all saggy at the top. Most likely for the best as I am SOOO SKINT till Tuesday heheh!

We are then going for a Chinese this evening with Matt’s Dad which should be lovely and then that’s it! As you can see if you actually read the above post I have had a rather hectic week and weekend. I’m gutted it’s all coming to an end and I really have post weekend blues! I need a pick me up to cheer me up!

Hopefully this weekend will be a relaxing one though!!

It’s been a few weeks since I posted anything. I haven’t been overly busy but I have a few things to update on.

I will start off with design based updates. Finally I have pulled my finger out my bottom and I have started to get some bits done and I will start with the Paperchase competition.  Now I know Christmas (much to my dismay) is long gone, but this was a competition to design a Christmas Card for 2014!

‘The Paperchase Christmas Card Competition

Designed & Chosen by You

This year we are asking you to remember the best bits of your festivities and take part in our Christmas Design Competition.  For Christmas 2014 we would love a card designed and chosen by you!

Do What?

Design a new charity Christmas card, your design can be funny, emotional, patterned or plain. Just make it festive.

The winning design will be printed and sold in Paperchase stores across the land for Christmas 2014.

Why?

If the joy of taking part isn’t enough...

The winner will receive £200 and a Paperchase goody bag

The winning design will be a used as part of our Charity Christmas Cards range

Imagine the glory of handing out your own professionally produced cards!’

So that is what is was all about. I saw this back at the beginning on January. In true Toria style I of course didn’t get round to starting this until the day before it was due in February. Luckily I had a design from December I was ACHING to put together but never got round to it so I went from there. I ended up being really pleased with the result and although it was the day before I was pleased to submit what I had designed. The final entries were meant to be going up on the 12^th Feb and then the winner announced on the 20^th. As you can guess that has come and gone and no word from Paperchase so that’s kind of annoying. They said they had more entries than planned but still they are taking a rather long time with no update.

Anyway this is my final design.

So I am keeping my eyes peeled for an update.!

Moving on I was rather productive Monday evening. I have been saying I want to have my own little shop and sell necklaces and my designs and such…. I decided to do this is MAY! MAY 2013! I realised that was almost a year ago and I thought SOD IT!

I’m going to do it. So I went home and I ordered my first batch of acrylic charms. I then set up a little shop and I then bought e-mail hosting, ordered business cards and did everything I have been putting off for a year! Now I cannot WAIT for them to come! I’m going to hobby craft this evening to get some equipment for putting them together when they come!

I’m ever so excited. I know it’s a tiny start but at least I have started it now and hopefully I can grow it from here! I plan on getting 2 more designs made if these turn out well maybe at the end of the month!

So that’s that with design. I hope within the next week to 2 weeks I can post up some photos of the charms as necklaces. I really hope they come out nicely!

Moving on to dress related things. So basically I am dress obsessed. I’ve decided a new me this year and new start. New job weight lost! (almost back to the weight I was before Christmas) so I’m going to go with a style I’ve always wanted to indulge in but felt too big and clumsy to wear before. I REALLY believe in loving yourself whatever your size. I follow lots of plus sized blogs and these girls all look fabulous. It’s obviously looking good come through confidence NOT your dress size. What is sad though is I cannot apply this to myself. I still see flaws and I still see so much room for improvement and I WONT look good until the weight is lost. This makes me sad and disappointed in myself.

Anyway moving on.

I will start with my Owl Dress.

I saw this on thecluelessgirl blog. I thought it looked lovely on her! I looked it up on yours clothing and it was £12 in the sale. I was a little unsure on sizing as I’m a 12-14 in dresses and being a plus size store I worried the 14 may of come up a little larger. But I didn’t need to fear it fitted amazing!

The next dress I was strolling through town at lunch time. There was a little dress shop next to Debenhams and I poked my head in. I saw a little pink number with pandas all over it! I squealed a little, worried that it wouldn’t fit as these little shops tend to run up very small, but it fitted well and I was exceptionally pleased. Then I was informed it was only £10 so I ran to a cash machine and snatched it up straight away without hesitation.

  

My last 2 that I am excited about come from Soho’s and they are Hell Bunny dresses. The first one was the last in stock and in my size and they put it up for £5!! A FIVER I guess to clear old stock. I ummmed about it and then pictured wearing it to the beach on a really hot day and I was SOLD!

I’m quite pleased with it and I worried it would be a little short but I think it’s a nice length actually!

The last one is a replacement for the one that didn’t fit. Soho’s did 50% off of sale items and it cost about £17! The one I ordered didn’t fit at all so I changed the style and I am really pleased with this one! It’s a real beaut!

Of course I am pinning after things and currently on my wish list are cropped cardigans which I hope they bring out soon I guess it’s still a little cold for them and these two dresses. In actual fact its possible that the first one MAY come home with me tonight mwuaha

Got some plans this weekend. Had a lovely weekend just gone went to a party and saw friends I hadn’t seen in YEARS AND YEARS! Did lots of dancing and had party food. Of course as always went too quickly.

Now I am dead excited about all my charms and business cards to arrive so I can get them up on my shop asap!