30 Day Challenge (Post 3) - 'A Gift'

Evening ladies,

Hope you're all good and have already got that Friday feeling in anticipation for tomorrow - I have, and can't wait for the weekend!

Last night I had a very exciting evening, as I went to the National Movie Awards at Wembley Arena :-D Typical me, I forgot to take my camera, but my friend who I went with had hers, so I'll share some pics as soon as I get them from her! There might even me the odd snap of a celeb or too, but I'll keep you waiting...

Anyway, back to business - this is the third post of the 30 day challenge, and the challenge is to post a picture of 'A piece of clothing or jewellery that was a gift'

To be honest, I thought this would be really easy, but when I looked through my stuff I really struggled to find anything that was a gift. However, then I remembered this cute necklace that I got from a friend in a not-so-secret Santa.

I'm not sure where it's from but I really like it and wear it quite a lot :-)

I do have some really 'special' jewellery that's been passed on to me, but I'll save that for another post in the series.

That's me for now, and as I said, hopefully I'll be able to post up some pictures of my glamorous evening over the weekend :-)

Take care all and have a good Friday!

xx

30 Day Challenge (Post 2) 'Your Favourite Shirt'

Hi all!

Hope you've all had a great weekend :-) I had a great night out on Friday (no photos were taken unfortunately) which meant that due to a combination of alcohol and tiredness, yesterday was pretty much a write off! I've had a good day today but now it's Sunday night and I can't believe how quickly Monday comes around.

Anyway, moving on, here's the second part of the '30 Day Challenge', which is...

2. Post a picture of... your favourite shirt.

I've taken 'shirt' to mean 'top', assuming this tag started in America. So, here it is. I am just loving this top from Next at the moment, which I got a couple of months ago, I think for around £28. The colours are really rich and gorgeous, which I think you can see from this photo. It's also got a lovely silky feel, so it feels nice to wear.

The reason this top is my favourite, and not just a top that I like lots and lots, is that it is really versatile. I can wear it with a maxi skirt, shorts or trousers to create different looks, and it can be made to look really casual or really dressy. It's so nice when you buy something you totally fall in love with which I did today when I bought a new handbag, but that's a whole different post!) :-D

That's all for now girls, and enjoy the last few hours of the weekend!

xx

30 Day Challenge - Post 1!

Hola chicas,

I said last night that I really want to become more consistent with my blogging again. Up until a few months ago, I was blogging really often and really enjoying it, but recently I seemed to have lost my way a bit.

So, when I stumbled upon a tag on Selina'a blog I though it would be something that could help me get my mojo back!! (You can find her blog at flyingsaucer.typepad.com - check it out, its amazing!) It turns out the tag was originally meant for tumblr, but like Selina I'm going to give it a bash on my blog. The idea is that there are 30 posts you do in 30 days (I'm going to admit right now that I might not quite do it in 30 days, but I'll do them all as quickly as possible).

So without further ado, here goes!

1. Post a picture of... Your closet.

Ta daaaaa! This is my wardrobe. I got it from Ikea quite recently and it was a bargain at about £80. It's only small, and isn't quite the build in double wardrobe I have at my mum's house, but it get's me by!

On top of my wardrobe I have these two baskets I got from Tiger Tiger. They are perfect for all my bags....

And here is inside my wardrobe (it's quite tidy so I'm rather proud of myself!). I have most of my clothes hanging up, and then on the top shelf have plain vests and t-shirts, and my gym clothes. On the bottom are my hoodies, and shoes that I don't wear very often (I have the shoes I wear more often on a separate shoes rack). As you can see it's a tight squeeze so I have to keep it tidy really, else it would be ridiculous!

And there we have it - my wardrobe :-)

See you tomorrow (hopefully!) for post number 2!

xx

What's In My Bag?...

I love watching 'What's In My Bag' videos and toyed with the idea of making one myself. But seeing as I've gone off the idea of seeing my own mug on YouTube, I thought that writing a post on it may be a good compromise. It's not quite the same I know, but at least I can still show you 'what's in my bag'.

So first up, the all important bag. This is the baby I'm carrying round on a day to day basis at the moment...

I got it from Accessorize for a bargainous £8.40 in the sale. My mum bought the same one - we match! I love it because it's big enough to fit everything I need, but is still pretty light. I don't know about you, but I find some bags are just so heavy before you even put anything in them, so once you have got all your things in it, they're just ridiculous.

Here's what I have in my bag at the moment. I didn't realise I carried so much 'stuff' around with me all the time - and this is on a good day!

So I have some random essentials - I usually keep these in the little pocket on the inside. Tissues, hairbands, chewing gun, paracetamol, lipgloss and lip balm. I love cute little packets of tissues like this one :-)

Then we have the three items I never leave the house without - my Accessorize purse, iPhone and keys (complete with Tesco clubcard!). I literally couldn't live without my iPhone - I don't know how I used to function without it!

My iPod and pass holder with my Young Persons Railcard and Oyster card are always in my bag. I always need them on the tube/train/bus, so rather than have to remember them everytime, it's just easier if I always have them with me.

Looking in my bag it seems I'm prepared for all weathers! I've got my leopard print umbrella which I got in my goodie bag at The Look Show, some fingerless gloves from Primarni and sunnies from Dorothy Perkins. Come rain, cold or sunshine, I'm ready!

Last but not least, I might have been a little bit naughty as in the front pocket I appear to have a half eaten packet of Skittles (better than an empty packet I guess!).

So that's what I have in my bag :-) It's pretty tidy for me - no random receipts or half empty water bottles like there normally are! I might do another one of these posts in a couple of months time if I change things up at all.

If you've done a 'What's In My Bag' video or blog post, link me up :-D

xx

I'm Feeling Forever 21

When I went to Birmingham recently to meet a friend for dinner and a few cheeky drinks, on my way from the station I couldn't help but pop in to Forever 21 in the Bull Ring. I went to uni in Birmingham so for four years the Bull Ring was my second home, so it felt good to return :-D

As it was only a very fleeting visit I didn't actually try anything on or buy anything, but I did do a bit of exploring.

My main observation is that the store is MASSIVE!! Three floors of goodness :-D The ground floor is some mens and some womens, the middle floor is all women's clothes, and upstairs is mainly accessories, underwear and sleepwear. There's even a Costa inside the store, so you can stop for a bit of a rest after you've shopped 'til you've dropped!

The store is really nicely decorated (if that's the right word!) with big chandeliers, good lighting and lots of glittery-ness. I thought it was a really great shopping experience, as everything was well spaced out, well displayed and tidy (a nice change if you are used to Primark!).

As I say, I didn't try anything on, but a quick peek at the price tags suggested everything was pretty affordable - I'd probably say about New Look prices.

The top floor was my favourite - a treasure trove of jewellery, belts, hair accessories, bags, purses and belts... I wanted everything :-D I'm pretty sure if I was after a necklace to go with a specific outfit, I could have easily found one in there.

Look how these accessories are displayed - on cute tiered cake stands! I just think showing things off like this makes everything seem more expensive than it actually is, so you really feel like you're buying something special :-)

I'll definitely be making another trip to Forever 21 next time I'm in Birmingham, when I'll hopefully have more time to peruse the rails (and not just take some rushed photos!).

Have any of you managed to visit Forever 21 yet, either in Birmingham or across the pond in America? If you have, what did you think? Did you buy anything?

xx

Put A Ring On It!

Evening all.

So I'm pleased to report that I had a really good second week at my new job :-) But I still think that no matter how much you like your job, you still get that Sunday night feeling where the weekend just seems to have flown by and you can't believe it's Monday so soon. Ah, well, it will be Friday again before we know it!

I really want to do another couple of posts like my last one on my old room at home, but because I don't want things to get too boring, I thought I'd mix it up, do this post on accessories, and then do another room post next.

Now I do love a good old bit of costume jewellery. A statement ring here. A funky necklace there.

Over the last few weeks I've added a few new rings to my collection. I only really tend to buy costume jewellery in the sales, as you can get some real bargains. Here are a few of my latest purchases... I can't wait to wear them...

Miss Selfridge - £2

Big. Chunky. Flower. Can't go wrong.

Left: Miss Selfridge £2. Right: Bijou Brigitte (Uxbridge) £5

I bought these two separately but I think they look good together. I bought the Miss Selfridge one because I have so many rings for my middle finger, but none for my ring finger.

Accessorize - £1.80

I'm not really sure about this one, as the diamantes aren't my usual style, but it's still quite pretty and will look nice when I want something a bit more subtle.

Dorothy Perkins - £2

So this one's pretty big and impractical, but it's pretty! I wouldn't wear it on a daily basis but thing it could be a statement piece to add to quite a plain outfit for a night out or event.

\

Miss Selfridge - £3

I couldn't resist the colour of this, with the wires and chains. I also picked up the matching long necklace for £3. I probably wouldn't wear them at the same time though.

I don't know about you, but my heart always skips a beat when I see a sale jewellery rail! *need to get my kicks in ways other than shopping*

xx

Pretty Place for Pretty Things

Hi girlies,

Sorry I've been a little bit absent from blogging over the last week or so. I started a new job on Monday which meant moving city and being really tired from taking lots of new information in every day, so I haven't had the energy in the evenings to blog. But now I've had a lovely lie in this morning I feel much more awake and ready to get into the swing of things! My job is going really well so far - I've had a great first week :-D I'm looking forward to moving into my new flat in a week or so too, and not longer having to live out of a suitcase (MBFGW calls...)

Anyway before I left home for this new job I'd just about got my room at home how I wanted it, so I took loads of pictures. I'm going to miss my room as I'd just got it really pretty and girly, but hopefully I can make my room in my new flat just as nice.

So, despite moving out and so my room at home not looking like this any more, I still thought it would be nice to show you some photos of what it did look like. I've done a post on my bedroom before (which you can find here) but all the pictures were taken for that when I didn't actually live at home and was at uni. However, when I moved back in before Christmas, the room had all my stuff in and so was a lot more 'me' :-) I'm going to do a couple of posts to show how I finally got my room looking, but for now I'll start with my dresser (well, it's not a dresser, it's a chest of drawers, but I used it for the same purpose).

So, here it is, as it was...

The chest was from Ikea and I believe it was about £80, which I think is great value. The mirror is also from Ikea and it was a bargainous £10!

On top of the chest I kept all my jewellery, everyday things that I need easy access to, and a range of trinkets to keep my room looking pretty :-) I'm not a particularly girly girl generally, but I find a girly, pretty room so much more relaxing that any other style.

The 'LOVE' block is one of my more recent purchases. I got it from TK Maxx for just £3.99, and couldn't resist its sparkly goodness! There's also a pair of adorable tealight holders on there. I don't ever light them, but they're cute just for decoration. The flowers are artificial, but added some much needed colour. The dark box is my nifty solution for storing all my earrings - you can see the post I did on it here - I thought it was a cool idea!

I kept my everyday essentials out on top of the chest. I have more brushes than this, but not that I use on a regular basis. I keep a few brushes, emery boards, tweezers, scissors and eyelash curlers in this 'Bridesmaid' mug which I was given when I was a bridesmaid last year.

In the back corner are all my necklaces and bracelets on a mug tree. I find its the only way I can keep them all untangled, which made it much easier in the morning when I'm rushing about, trying to get ready.

Probably my favourite thing on the chest is this lovely glass pot, which I got from a car boot for £1. It actually has a silver lid that goes with it, but because I use it to store all my eye make up, it wont fit on. These are all the eye shadows, eye liners and mascaras I have - not a huge collection, but to be honest if I had any more I probably wouldn't use them.

I got this cute vintage pot from a car boot for just 50p! At the moment it's perfect to store all of my rings. However, my collection seems to be growing rapidly, so I might need to reassess...

Finally, hanging off the handle of the top drawer is adorable sign... so true...

So there we have it - my much loved chest of drawers. I'm really going to miss it now that I've moved out again, as I'd just got it set up exactly how I wanted it.

I'll be doing another post shortly to show where I kept all the rest of my make up and toiletries, and how I stored them while I was back at home.

Have any of you got any cute storage ideas? Send me links to your blog posts on your storage if you've written any...

xx

Alphabet of Love! T-Z...

Evening ladies!

Hope you're all good, and happy that tomorrow is finally Friday! As I haven't had a job since Christmas all the days have started to blend into one for me, but as I start my new, very exciting job, on Monday, I'm looking forward to the days actually meaning something and getting that Friday feeling again :-D

Today I was finally able to finish my 'Alphabet of Love' - my A-Z run though of all the things that float my boat. You can find the first three parts here, here and here if you haven't already read them. Turns out it's much harder to think of things the closer you get to Z! Anyway, here's the final countdown...

...Tattoos (but not on me!)

I really love tattoos, even though I don't think they're for me. On other people I think they can look so gorgeous, but I just wouldn't get one myself (even though I think about it A LOT). I think it's because I'm very pale, could never decide on what to actually go for, and that I always think that it wouldn't look nice on my wedding day.

If I looked like the girl in this picture I would definitely have one. I really like meaningful quotes/words in particular, and I'm not a big fan of getting wives/husbands names tattooed - just asking for trouble me thinks!

...University

As you'll know if you read my blog regularly I graduated from university last summer after four years. One word to summarise my uni experience... awesome!

Although I was ready to leave, it doesn't mean I wasn't sad. I had a brilliant time, met great people and had so many memorable experiences! From other people's blogs I can see that many don't have as good a uni experience as I did, so I guess I was very lucky :-)

...Virgin Islands

So, in 2009 I basically visited paradise on earth! I hadn't really visited any exotic locations on holiday before, so when I went to the British Virgin Islands I loved it so much (it's where Richard Branson's Necker Island is). We stayed on Tortola but managed to visit some of the other islands too, and the scenery, beaches and people were amazing. The only problem is that I'll now probably never be able to top that holiday, so am going to feel disappointed for the rest of my life!

What's not to love about these pictures?!

...Weddings

Believe it or not, until a few years ago I'd never been to a wedding. But in the last few years I've been to quite a few, and feel like I was missing out before - they are so much fun! I was even a bridesmaid last year for my (now ex) boyfriend's brother and wife-to-be :-) I loved it so much and it was such a gorgeous wedding! I'm sitting on the left of the bench...

So if anyone ever needs people to attend a wedding because they haven't got enough guests and want to look a bit more popular, I'll be there!

...X Factor

So this choice isn't that unusual at all - along with the rest of the country I love the X Factor. And pretty much every other reality show out there for that matter. I never actually phone up and vote, but that doesn't mean my Saturday nights don't revolve around the TV. I usually pair this with a Pizza Hut delivery, making me one very happy bunny :-)

...YouTube

Once I log on to YouTube, the next thing I know a couple of hours have passed - I just don't know where the time goes! I spend most of my time watching videos by all the big beauty gurus, and enjoy discovering new favourites too. However, my most watched video on YouTube has to be this performance of 'Set Fire To The Third Bar' by Snow Patrol and Cheryl Cole. I wouldn't usually say Cheryl has that great a voice, but I think this song really suits her, and their voices sound great together.

What do you think?

...Zzzzzz

Sorry if this is a bit of a cop out as it's not really a word, but I couldn't think of anything else apart from zoos or zebras! And it is true - I do really like sleep :-) I've never been one of these people who can get away with not getting much sleep, and if I go a few days without my 8 hours definitely start feeling a bit ropey! I love nothing more than snuggling in my bed, in some nice pyjamas, with some magazines in hand :-)

So that completes my alphabet of 'loves'! I hope you've enjoyed reading it, and if you've found it just a tiny bit interesting, funny or insightful then I'm happy :-) Hopefully it's allowed you to get to know 'the girl behind the blog' just that little bit better.

As I said at the top, I start my new job on Monday, so along with that and moving city and finding somewhere to live, things could be a little hectic. So I apologise in advance if my blogging is quite sporadic over the next week or two.

Loves.

xx

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day one and all!

I spent my evening alone watching Bridget Jones. Tragic.

Please fill me in on your Valentines stories to cheer me up!

And just because I'm a bit of a maths geek..

All pictures from weheartit.com

Loves.

xx

Alphabet of Love! M-S...

Hi ladies,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week - it's been a rather hectic few days in the life of Erin. To sum it up, I had a second interview for a job I REALLY wanted, and I actually got it! I am so happy but so nervous at the same time. In a recent tag post I did (which you can find here) I described my ideal job, and this new job is basically exactly this, so really I couldn't have wished for anything better :-D But now the frantic search begins for a flatshare, as I need to move back to London again.

Anyway, after a busy week, I'be finally managed to put together the third part of my 'Alphabet of Love' series. The first two parts are here and here. So without further ado...

...Macbook

Without doubt the best purchase I've ever made. I just couldn't live without my lovely little macbook. I got it in my final year at university and compared to my old, super slow laptop, I would say that it's genuinely changed my life.

...Names

Ok, so this one's quite weird, I admit. I have a slight obsession with baby names! I just find it interesting what names mean, what celebrities call their children and what names go together for siblings. Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that one?..

...online window shopping

I love a good old bit of surfing my favourite sites to see what goodies I'd like to buy if money was no object. I've bought a few things online but don't tend to do it that often, as for me I like the whole shopping experience and trying things on. But I do like to see what's out there and create my own little wishlists :-)

...Puddles

No, not of the rainy variety. Puddles was the name of my dearest pussy cat who sadly passed away about two years ago. We called him Puds for short.

He lived to 18 years and I'd like to think he had a very happy little life :-) I still miss him all the time though. I don't think people who don't have pets can ever understand how close you can get to them.

...Quizzes

I LOVE quizzes. I don't know why really though, as I'm not actually that good at them! My general knowledge is pretty poor, especially geography and history. I tend to do alright on the celebrity, entertainment and music rounds though (no surprise there then!). In my first year at university we used to do the pub quiz every Monday, and those were some of my happiest times :-)

... Revision

Jokes. I HATED revision with a passion. At uni I didn't mind lectures, tutorials, coursework, or actually doing exams themselves. But revision periods were just the worst ever - I could always find something better to do with my time. So for all of you that are revising for school or university - I feel your pain. But believe me it will all be worth it in the end when you can be proud of yourself. Then you can LOVE that it's over!

This picture was taken when I was revision for my finals - hoping that all the contents of my Operations Strategy module would go into my head through some sort of osmosis-like process!

...Stationery

I'm a sucker for cute stationery - I could get lost in Paperchase for hours. Having pretty stationary just makes writing things down so much more fun! And as I'm always writing lists, I go through them really quickly. This is my current notebook - so cute from WHSmith...

Only one more post to go! As i said before, if any of you want to do this tag then go for it - just send me the link so I can check it out :-) You don't have to make it a mega 4-part series like I have!

xx