Laura Ashley S/S '15

 

A few days ago I was invited along to have a little mooch around at what Laura Ashley will have to offer next season. It's always such a joy to have a sneak peak.

Their handbag game was immense. They're not a brand that I associate with handbags but I fell in love with every one they had on offer. I adored the gorgeous pastel colours and many reminded me of Michael Kors in the shape. The stunning pink envelope bag would be ideal for a summer wedding - it's big enough to still fit all your junk in!

They really went to town with their patterns for this season. The nautical themed rail was amazing - loved the adorable seagull print. You really can't beat a good thick cotton dress when the weather starts to heat up and the boat print one ticked all the right boxes. The cute buttons on the strap at the back was a lovely detail. My personal favourite has to be the midi white embroidery anglaise dress. It was such a perfect length and the material felt so luxe. Definitely a piece I'm going to look out for!

I was particularly impressed with their range of kitchenware. I'm a sucker for some china and loved the pretty patterns they had on offer. The cake knife would be perfect if you were throwing a family garden party and wanted to impress whilst cutting a yummy Victoria sponge. Who can resist the cute Tobias the dog lamp? Such a handsome chap!

Has anything caught your eye?

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Layering up

Outfit:
Midi beige trench coat: Zara (similar)
Burgundy and navy scarf: c/o New Look
Black across the body bag: Zara (similar)
Black turtleneck jumper: Primark (similar)
White textured drop waist dress: Asos
Leather heeled black boots: Topshop (similar)

You can tell the chill is starting to set in when you resemble the Michelin man when you leave the house thanks to the endless layers. This outfit is the prime example! Gosh it's been a little cold this week hasn't it? This trench still hasn't left my body since the day I bought it but I might have to retire it soon. It's just not thick enough! I'm still not entirely convinced by the drop waist dress. It's a little bit too much like a smock and not too flattering. But it's the ideal piece for layering a jumper underneath and is so comfortable! It definitely looks better with a bit of a heel.

Thank the heavens for Friday eh? This has been one hell of a week!

How are you layering up now the winter months have hit?

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Embracing the junk (in your trunk)

It's hard being a woman. There I said it. Seeing stunning, slim girls in magazines can play havoc with your self confidence. Everyone always has an opinion of how you should look and what is attractive.

I spent years wishing I was built differently. I always wanted to be straight up straight down but alas this wasn't to be. I was born a classic pear shape with my hips being the largest part of my body.

Despite knowing deep down I'm not fat, I'm constantly trying to better my eating habits and lose weight. I'm the girl always moaning about how many calories I'm consuming yet will always have that extra glass of wine or eat everyone's leftovers. I blame the former chubby girl inside who lost three stone at the age of 18 on Weightwatchers. I always see that girl in the mirror. I last a week, maybe two weeks of being a machine with my eating habits then I fall spectacularly. Usually when I get the chance to go out for dinner and stuff my face with three courses. I know I should exercise more and stop eating as much junk food.

But do you know what? I've started to embrace who I am. I'm in a healthy weight range for my height even if it may be at the higher end. My height helps me to carry off any few dreaded pounds that I might be carrying. I have a boyfriends who loves me just the way I am. I would love to lose half a stone but I also love to enjoy life - which to me means eating all the food. In the world. Swings and roundabouts.

At the grand old age of 25 I've finally worked out what clothes suit me and help my confidence grow. I like to wear crop tops as my stomach is flat and my waist is my smallest part. I find the 50's silhouette skims my hips and helps me appear much more slimmer than I am. The midi length is perfect to hide the top half of my legs. I would love to wear trousers but they just cling far too much to my child bearing hips doing me no favours. I ain't ever going to be a jeans and tee kinda girl. My bum doesn't agree with that!

It may be cliché but it really is true that you become more comfortable in yourself the older you get. You just learn to not really care any more. Life is far too short to be counting calories all the time. If you want to have that burger, stuff it in your face. Just try to maybe have a better day the next. It's all about balance. It wouldn't be any fun if everyone looked the same. I bet what you have in your eyes as perfection, someone else has you as perfection.

Fake the confidence until you have it my friends. You're beautiful just the way you are.

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Recipe: Scones

Whenever I'm pushed for time and fancy baking up a storm, I always opt for some scones. They're so simple to make and cook so quickly that they're in your mouth before you have the chance to say 'clotted cream and jam please!' This is my go-to recipe adapted slightly from Good Food.

Ingredients:
350g of self raising flour
150g of sultanas
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder
85g of stork baking spread
4 tbsp of caster sugar
150g of half fat natural yogurt
4 tbsp of semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of milk to glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a piece of greaseproof paper with butter before placing in a baking tray.

2. Mix the flour, salt, butter and baking powder in a big bowl with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the sugar and make a well in the middle of the mixture.

3. Warm the yogurt, milk and vanilla extract in a the microwave for a minute. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little lumpy, this is normal! Pour the mixture into the bowl and mix in with the dry ingredients. Pour the sultanas in at this stage too.

4. Take the dough out on to a flour dusted surface and fold it over a few times. Roll the dough out to about 4cm thick and cut out your scones. Continue until you have used all the dough.

5. Beat the egg with the milk and glaze the scones before popping in the oven.

6. Leave them in for 10 minutes until they are golden brown and risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack before tucking in with lots of jam and clotted cream if you have some in the fridge. Strawberry is my favourite!

As always make sure you tweet me if you happen to give these a go, I'd love to see how yours turn out. Happy baking!

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Thoroughly English

At the risk of being very cliché, I'm very much an autumn girl. I love it when the weather starts to get a little more chilly, the trees start to change colour and I have the excuse to spend my Sundays tucked up in bed binge watching Netflix without feeling guilty about missing out on the sunshine. I really do love layering up and getting all cosy with a scarf and gloves. Don't even get me started on buying coats. My excuse for my bulging wardrobe is as a Brit we spend most of the year in coats so I need to stock up. But just no rain please. I hate the rain. I've put together a little wish list of things I'd love to be sporting this season. A girl can dream right?

Parka - Joules, Skinny Jeans - Joules, Red Audacious Lipstick - NARS, Navy Tartan Check reversible scarf - River Island, Kate Salon Pro red Nail Polish - Rimmel, Jewellery - Joules, Leather brogues - Joules

Jumper - Joules, Trench Coat - Joules, Cream Embellished gloves - New Look, Grey bag - River Island, Boots - Joules

What are you looking forward to buying this autumn?

This post was written in collaboration with Joules.

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D'you reckon that they do it for a joke?

Outfit:
Burnt orange midi boho dress: Zara (similar)
Nude leather courts: Topshop (similar)
Lip crayon: Cover girl shade 215

I saw this dress in a Sunday paper magazine and decided there and then I just had to have it. It's not usually what I would ever go for but something just drew me in. I think I was hoping to channel my inner Sienna Miller that day. It was a tad overpriced but it was payday and I threw caution to the wind. You do have to be extremely careful with it as it does tend to snag if you're not careful. Serves me right for purchasing such a delicate piece I suppose! I'd been eyeing up these courts for weeks and was frantically selling on eBay to help pay for them. Just as I had enough money I learnt they'd gone in the sale and were sold out online but I managed to find them in a branch near work. I think it was fate! Real leather shoes for £30? Not bad Topshop, not bad at all.

Have you ever taken the plunge and bought something not your style but loved it?

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Tower Poppies

I'd been planning to visit the beautiful Tower Poppies for months and I finally got the chance to pop down to see them last weekend. What a gorgeous day it was to choose - London is always so much prettier when the sun is shining. The city just seems to come alive.

We hopped off at St Pauls and decided to walk along the river - with a detour to Borough Market which was shut for filming booo! - to the Tower. The Tower of London gets me every single time, it always has ever since I was a little girl obsessed with the Tudors. It always takes my breath away whenever I see it and it's by far my favourite building in London. So much history in one place - it's just a shame it's flipping £25 to go and visit!

We walked along Tower Bridge and immediately saw the huge crowds leaning over the fences to catch a glimpse of the poppies. They looked absolutely stunning. It was really humbling to stand there and take in the sight whilst thinking that there was a ceramic poppy for every single person who lost their life in The Great War. It really is mind-blowing to think there are 888,246 poppies in the moat. It's so hard to imagine such a horrific loss of life in only four years. It's an outstanding tribute to the 100 year anniversary.

If you can make it to the Tower before Armistice Day, make sure you go! I'm a massive history buff when it comes to the World Wars - that sounds very strange i'll admit, but I just think it's so important to learn from our mistakes. But even if you're not that interested in the history behind it, I personally think it's a great place to recognise the the sacrifices these soldiers made so we can live the life we lead.

Have you been to see the poppies?

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Interning for dummies

When people tell me they're desperate to break in to the journalism industry and ask me for tips. I always say the best advice is to run away screaming and promptly choose another industry. At this point they stare at me wide eyed and you can see them struggling to get their head around it. 

But if you do decide to ignore me, you'll soon find yourself in one of the best industries in the world. I honestly couldn't imagine dong anything else. This is my dream job and all I've wanted ever since I was 11 years old. But it really wasn't an easy ride to get here. I have spent many a sleepless night worrying if I was good enough. But if you can ride out the storm and be prepared to work seven days a week - five of those days for expenses only - and throw your heart and soul in to making sure you're indispensable, then you're halfway there.

Interning is soul destroying. You spend hours doubting your abilities, your self esteem takes a severe battering and you break down in tears when you receive yet another rejection email - someone doesn't even want your services for free! After a year on the emotional roller coaster you begin question your sanity. I was two weeks away from jacking in all my dreams of becoming a journalist and fill our an application to start my PGCE before I got my job. But if you can jump on the interning train, i've got a few tips that could help you along the way.

Don't just go for anything - pick internships that you think you have an interest in. Vogue may be your dream but it's everyone's else's too. So if you want to work for a fashion based magazine then write to all of them to try your luck. Don't send out generic cover letters - make sure you tailor them and really get across why you'd love to intern there. Gorkana, Media Muppet and Fashion Monitor are great websites. Don't be afraid to ring the publication up directly and ask. They'll remember you more if they hear your voice rather than see a faceless email. 

Don't be afraid to go the extra mile and never ask to go home early. The interns that will be remembered are the ones who offered their services, never came back from lunch late and found office jobs for themselves to keep them busy. The journalism industry is very close knit and almost everyone knows someone at one publication so news travels fast. Be willing to put the effort as it will help you out in the long term.

Make friends and talk to everyone on the team. Like I said above, the industry is very small so keep in touch with everyone who you work with. You never know what information you could be fed on the grapevine. They can give you the heads up for potential jobs and put in a good word for you if needed. I have made some great friends over the years and still keep in touch with them now. It's always nice to catch up with them at events! 

Good luck! 

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Return of the Mac

 

Outfit:
Red and white striped tee: c/o Florence and Fred (similar)
Light wash skinny jeans: New Look
Beige long trench coat: Zara (similar)
White chucks: Converse c/o Tower London

I went along to the Tower London press breakfast a few weeks ago - fell head over heels for the Melissa x Vivienne Westwood boots below -  to have a sneaky look at all the a/w gems they have coming in to store. They had some amazing boots and some really great brands. I was especially taken with the floral Doc Martens - the pattern is amazing right? Tower London are definitely a shop to look out for if you're looking to treat yourself to some new boots. They have something for everyone! I was very lucky to win these Converse in a competition they were running on the day and they've hardly left my feet! I opted for the classic white as they go with absolutely everything.

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Feeling left behind

When I was 16, I had my entire life mapped out by the time I hit 25. I was going to be a well travelled individual, jump on the property ladder, work as a journalist, have a ring on my left hand and own a wardrobe filled to the brim with designer goodies. Well I hit 25 earlier this year and life hasn't quite gone where I thought it'd go. 

After years of interning I managed to get my dream job and can finally proudly call myself a bone fide journalist - something I thought would never happen. I've also managed to bag that Mulberry after months of hardcore saving. But the others? I'm not even close to ticking them off the list so does this mean i've somehow failed at life?

After having a mini meltdown earlier on in the year when my friends started becoming grown up and investing in property, I had the realisation that success in life isn't straight forward. I was beginning to feel left behind and wondering if my stubbornness not to become a grown up was holding me back. Was it about time I embraced being in my mid twenties and start behaving how society said I should?

Life is not a race so stop comparing yourself to others. You might look on in envy to your friends and wish you were keeping up with the Jones' but I can promise you they're looking at you wishing exactly the same thing. They might have own a house but you get to buy that Chanel lipstick whenever you want as you live at home. They might have a high flying career and earn more than you could ever dream off but you get a jiffy bag full of chocolate sent to you at work. They might be getting married but you can tell your boyfriend to go home so you can binge watch The Tudors. They might only wear designer shoes but you can feel smug as you've managed to find some bargains in TK Maxx.

I may not have a house to call my own, spent a year travelling around the world being 'cultured' or own those coveted Christian Louboutins but to be honest i'm pretty darn happy with the way life is going. Nothing fun is ever straight forward right? And I am still only 25.

Your time will come so stop trying to rush it. Life is too short.

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Recipe: Carrot Cake

The recipe was loosely taken from BBC Good Food.

I can take or leave chocolate, crisps or sweets but cake? Cake I can eat all day, every day. Hence why I try not to bake it so I don't eat it all but last week I decided that I rather missed baking and whipped this up as a birthday treat for my boyfriend's dad. I was so pleased how it turned out!

Ingredients:
300ml of sunflower oil
4 eggs
280g of soft light brown sugar
170g of self-rasing flour
170g of wholemeal flour
4 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate soda
280g of coarsely grated carrots
100g of chopped walnuts

For the icing:
Make it easy for yourself and buy the Betty Crocker ready made cream cheese icing. It's like heaven in a tub. You'll need two tubs and some walnuts to decorate.

Method:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees and generously grease three shallow cake tins with butter.

Whisk together the oil and beaten eggs in a bowl and leave to one side. Add the sugar, flours, spices and bicarbonate soda into a large mixing bowl. Make sure you mix together thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Finally add the remaining grated carrots, walnuts and egg mixture to the dry ingredients and give it a good stir.

Divide the mixture equally between the three cake tins and pop in the oven. Mine cooked with 30 minutes but always keep an eye on it as it depends on your oven. Sometimes it can take up to an hour.

Once the cakes have cooled, slice off the top - quickly scoff them so the evidence disappears - and smear on the icing before placing them on top of each other. Decorate with the walnuts however you wish.

Admire your handy work and tuck in to a big slice in front of the telly.

Like always, please do tweet me if you happen to make this! Happy Baking!

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Giveaway: Foodie Festival

I have three pairs of tickets to give away to three lucky readers thanks to the generosity of the guys at the Foodie Festival - you can choose to attend on 28th, 29th or 30th of November. You'll be able to get into the Christmas spirit early with lots of festive food on offer - there's even a life size gingerbread house serving warm ginger beer and roasted ginger marshmallows. Feed your sweet tooth with delicious eggnog tarts, marzipan bonbons and macaroons at the Pudding Hall or browse the cheese village for treats to take home. 2012 GBBO winner John Whaite will be offering up his tips to make you a Christmas baking goddess. It's all going on at the Truman Brewery, London. I'm personally looking forward to treating myself to a few retro 'pops' at the vintage Soda Bar, a cool 50's themed bar.

All you have to do is complete what it says on the rafflecopter widget and you're in with a chance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck everyone! I'll announce the winners on Twitter on 1st November so keep an eye out.

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