London Fashion Weekend 2014

Hi guys, sorry I have not posted in a while been so busy settling in to uni! I am just starting my degree in Fashion Business and Promotion at Birmingham City and thought a trip to LFW would be be perfect before I started my course.  I went to LFW on the Friday with my mum which was the perfect opportunity to have some mum and daughter time before I headed off to uni.

It was amazing! There was a variety of different brands and designers as well as a selection of shoes, clothes and accessories. I bought a lovely scarf from Jane Carr which I love, the material is so soft and the colour is just perfect for me. It only cost £20 which I thought was a bargain!



I saw two catwalk shows while at LFW, one was the designer catwalk and
the other the trend catwalk. The designer catwalk was by Fyodor Golan who are best known for creating a conceptualist approach with intricate hand detailing and exquisite shape and textures.

Their pieces are very different to the work I usually like however their collection was very interesting which included bright colours and feathers.  I took this video at the end when the models were coming back out. Their collection consists a variety of textures from PVC, feathers and knit which I love as some of the pieces I have never seen anything similar before.

The trend catwalk was put together by THE OUTNET.COM which specialise in designer clothing online and have over 250 designer brands. This show was split into four trends, One and Only which is all about teaming separates in the same shade creating head-to-toes looks. Candy Crush is all about pastel colours with a grown up approach with structured silhouettes and sharp tailoring. Jungle Fever looks at earthy tones, exotic motifs and tribal/animal prints. My favourite trend is Fairytale Ending which is all about floaty gowns, delicate details and embellishment. I love how it is pretty and enchanting! 

I also had my make up done at the Maybelline New York stand which as nice to be pampered and drank prosecco from the Scavi and Ray bar.

Overall I had an amazing day and cannot wait to go again in February!

Little Jammy Tarts

So I found this recipe in Lorraine Pascale's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food recipe book. I just love it as it is so simple and the jam tarts are so delicious! They are so easy to make and you do not need many ingredients to make them.

What you need-
For the pastry:
- 250g plain flour
- 125g soft butter
- 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- large bowl or food processor
For the tarts:
- a little sunflower oil for greasing
- 12tbsp of one type or a selection of preserves
- 1 medium egg
- round and star cutter
- 12-hole muffin tin
- rolling pin
- pastry brush
- wire rack

The recipe is so easy, the pastry does not take long at all to make. All you need to do is put the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Next, add the egg and blend again until it all comes together into a dough. Take it out the processor and shape into a ball, then wrap it in cling film and put in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes. If you do not have a food processor, rub all the dry ingredients and the butter with your hands and mix in the egg when the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. When it has come together do as it says above.

Once your pastry has had 30 minutes to harden up in the fridge, roll out to 5mm thick using a rolling pin. Using the round and star cutters cut 12 of each shape. Make sure you preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease the tin before putting the pastry discs in (some on mine stuck!). Next, line each hole of the muffin tin with a pastry disc and prick a few holes in the bottom with a fork.

You can now add the tbsp of preserve into the pastry case and then put the pastry star on top. Next, crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk slightly with a fork and then brush each star with the egg.


The little jammy tarts then need to go into the freezer for 5 mins before they go into the oven so the butter hardens up and does not melt before the flour does (they will be soggy otherwise!). Remove them from the freezer and bake for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, the pastry should be crisp and

holden brown. Make sure you leave them in he tin to cool for a few minutes before removing them to completely cool on a wire rack. Be careful when eating warm as the jam will be piping hot! I know the jam has gone over the top but they look rustic and homemade.

My first tattoo ♥

For a couple of weeks I have been creating a mood board as part of my University summer homework which is all about me and my interests. I was asked to 'pin' a variety of images onto different boards on Pinterest. I have a variety of boards from interiors, designers, fashion and food. One of my boards is small tattoos, I love how cute they look and realised how much I wanted one! I decided what the hell lets just get one as you only live once. For a couple of years now I have really wanted a small love heart on my wrist. It did not hurt at all just felt a sharp scratch when it was being done. I had it done at Bodycraft in Nottingham, they were very helpful and professional.  I love it and have already decided I would like another one but may be not just yet...

Pinterest 'pins'

 My tattoo ♥

Work Experience

During my time off between finishing college and starting University (eeeek), I completed a work placement at Cotton Legend Ltd. The company are based in Syston, Leicester who design and manufacture sock and hosiery products. I did not realise how much work actually went into the manufacturing of socks!

For two weeks I worked with the Merchandising department, I learnt so much from Critical Path Management (CRM) to adding orders/products onto a system as well as making bookings for orders to be delivered to the customer. I did not actually realise how much work was involved from receiving the order from the customer to the end product being delivered to them.

I also worked closely with the Technical department, in which I learnt about testing the product so it is fit for purpose and safe for the customer to wear. The product also has be Red Sealed which is where a sample is sent to the customer before bulk production is started. Gold Seal is after bulk production and the finished product is sent to the customer with packaging to be approved before it leaves the factory and shipped.

I had the most amazing time, working with lovely people and learning valuable information I can use when starting my degree at BCU in September.

18th birthday

For my 18th birthday I decided the best thing to do was cram as much in as possible! The day before my birthday on the Friday I visited Center Parcs with my mum for a spa morning. It was lovely and so relaxing, I had two treatments as well as I thought I might as well have a treat. I had a Elemis Ginger and Lime Salt Scrub which was amazing as it made my skin so soft and smelt lovely. The second treatment was a Elemis Biotic facial, I was told it was an electronic facial and was not really sure what to expect but I loved and was a little bit different to a normal facial. We also had some food which was included in our package called Elvenses. 

We then travelled down to London and stayed there until Sunday afternoon. We did lots of shopping, went to see Matilda which was amazing and went out for a lovely meal in the evening. On the Sunday evening I went out with my work friends for a meal and drinks which was also very fun! 

Dress - M&S, Shoes - M&S, Necklace - Primark 

For my 18th I had decided I wanted to buy myself a designer bag which I could use for uni in September. After looking around many department stores, I fell in love with this Calvin Klein one. It's super stylish with soft leather and a perfect size for me to use everyday.

Overall I couldn't of asked for a better weekend to celebrate my 18th! 

Holiday Outfit

I'm still in America and have now travelled to Virginia Beach from Washington DC. I thought I would share this outfit as I love it! I was really apprehensive about buying stuff online but I absolutely loved this green lace midi skirt from Missguided I had to buy it. I put it with a simple cream vest top from Topshop which are now on offer for 2 for £10 which is a bargain. I added a pink flower necklace from Primark which adds a little bit of sparkle and detail. I put the outfit with some flat silver sandles and wore both my Nomination and Alex & Ani bracelets as well as my watch. The outfit is quite simple but the skirts adds texture and a splash of colour which I love.

Alex and Ani

Hey! I haven't done a post in so long as I've been so busy with all my a level exams and work etc. At the moment I am in Washington DC on holiday. I just love it here and it would be amazing to love here in the future. I visited Georgeown yesterday which is so lovely and reminds me of England and little British houses. I went round the shops and came across Alex and Ani. The bracelet bangle idea is so cute as they incorporate a positive message with a powerful symbol. I chose the bumblebee which the message is loyal, conscientious and driven. There is so many bangles to choose from including birthstones, zodiac signs and different symbols including the bumblebee that incorporate statements in which you can choose one which best suits you. I cannot wait to visit America again so I can get another one!

Georgetown 

Alex and Ani bangle bracelt