Christmas list Part 1 .

I know it may only still be November but with the risk of your parents getting the presents in early a well-detailed list (with images) is a must. I've just recently purchased no exaggeration of a new wardrobe, it was more of an out with the old in with the new kind of shop, and from boots to bras I got it all. So currently my Christmas list is quite small and precise with only the 'essentials'. However there will probably be Christmas list Part 10. By the middle of December!

1. This very reasonable priced Kurt Geiger bag (Saffiano Tall bowling bag - £199.99) was spotted being worn by Rosie Huntington Whitley recently. I love bright coloured bags and since the Royal blue tote I've had my eyes on for months has now been in the sale and sold out worldwide this red one is now on my mind, and will hopefully be in my arms soon.

2. There a lot of these hats on the high street atm, but I really like the shape of this one, £20.00 from ASOS.

3. I'm becoming more adventurous with my lip colours lately, this is 'suspected' £8.00 from Topshop.

4. I've been looking for a pair of knee high boots for months but I'm really picky when it comes to boots. These tick all the boxes and for £55.00 from ASOS these 'Kiss of Life' boots made it to the list

5. This green-checkered nightshirt is perfect for winter nights; I always wear huge fluffy socks to bed so onesies are just too much for me. For £25.00 I can afford a few more night pieces!

6. These Nike just do it leggings (£30.00) will come in real handy during the 'New Year, New me' gym freak phase everyone has come January.

7. These tweed shorts by Sister Jane from Topshop are ideal for a winter wardrobe. £48.00

8. The final thing on my wish list is a hoodie and jogger set. I seem to have lost all of my loungewear from moving house about 6 times during my last four years at Uni. This hoodie is £40.00, and the matching track pants are £32.00!

Abbie JS

xxx

Baby shower .

So after debating a career change to a wedding planner I tried out my event planning skills on my sisters baby shower. Shes due the 24th November and literally looks incredible, she deffinatley has the pregnant 'glow'!

I played down to her what I had planned, we both have worked in a tea room in the cotswolds for most of our teenage years so we were kindly told we could use the tearoom to host the party which worked so well as they have a cute little garden and it was such a nice evening!

I had a bit of an amazon haul and purchased bunting, paper straws, napkins, baby books and everything needed to make it look decorative. Me and my sister had been looking on pinterest and she had ideas of pink lemonade in jam jars, i told her this was abit far fetched for me to find 30 jam jars. but low and behold my mum told me she had loads in her cupboards!

They looked great, after some additional ribbon around the necks so they looked less like the bolognaise jars they were and more like drinking glasses. 

The cake was made by our neighbour who is so talented shes made all of our birthday cakes as a kid (and it was so yummy). The little cupcakes were bought by my sisters friend. They were both REALLY yummy and for a girl thats not supposed to eat dairy I may have had a slice (or seven). I now have a house full of cake that keeps staring at me!

We had a few activities planned including 'sign the nappy' leaving a message for my sister when she was changing the baby, a guess the celebrity baby name, guess the weight, date and time of birth and a few keepsakes for a baby book.

She got SO many nice presents, we were all sat there going 'omg' 'aw' 'so cute' for a good half an hour. Everythings so tiny and pink, she was spoilt rotten!

 I'm currently working part-time in a hairdressers and they were lovely enough to curl my sisters hair for her before the evening. It looked so nice with a natural wave!

It was such a nice evening and I cant wait for the little princess (shes having a girl) to arrive. I thought I would be broody but I'm okay with my puppy for now! The night ended with a rare sister sleepover!

Abbie JS xxx

Panic buy .

So we all know that feeling when its late at night, you check your emails and ASOS have sent you a discount code and obviously your so impatient you HAVE to order before 10pm to get next day delivery so you have a few mad hours looking through everything on the site! Thursday evening I recieved a code for 25% off student discount. Now I'm only a student for another 15 days therefore i obviously had to make the most of this! I had my sisters baby shower on the saturday (post to follow) and therefore needed a cute outfit.

I ordered a few items I've had in my saved items however sadly most of the items had gone out of stock boooooo. However I did still manage to find a large box full of purchases...

I absolutley LOVE this Monki jumper, its so thick and cosy too, purchased some high waisted black jeans cant wait for winter to come already! This was an absolute bargain at £14.00

This grey jumper is a great casual wardrobe staple piece, debating getting it in black too now as its so comfortable! £22.00 before discount.

These were in a pack of two (Even though i need to send these back as unfortunatley my boobs are too big for this size!) they were £20.00 before discount for the pack of two! I love the cut and colours of these tops! 

This draped cardigan is such a great fit - really wish they did it in black! This was £28.00 before discount!

The ones that didn't make the cut:

This warehouse denim skirt is so nice, just a little too long for me I felt slightly like I was going to church. If it was just below the knee I would of kept it! £24.00 in the sale!

I absolutley loved this jumper dress online but it just didnt look right on me! This would of been a bigger splurge anyway at £38.00!

After having a mango jumper dress in my wardrobe for years I thought I would try another one however this white one was not very flattering. They only had a size L left and with my boobs it just hung off me and made me look humungeous! This was £14.99 before discount.

For my sisters baby shower I ended up wearing the draped pink cardigan with a white vest tee and topshop jeans (which I have 'borrowed' from my sister until after she has had her baby hehe). 

Has anyone else been buying from asos lately?

Abbie JS xxx

My new favourite shop .

So my love for shopping goes outside clothing shop. Before deciding to study fashion, interior design was one of my other options and I felt that passion could be filled through decorating my own/family members houses and creating spaces for events! This has resulted in me loving shops like Ikea, Next home or Dunelm mill. So after finding Home Sense - a TK Maxx discount shop of homeware I literally was in heaven!

The shop is filled with homeware, fixtures, lights, mirrors, clocks, kitchenware, bathrooms accessories, pet stuff, toiletries etc etc. After telling myself I can't buy anything as I'm currently living back at home with half my life still in boxes containing all my home stuff I often forget what I already have. We were in the shop for 3 hours 3 BEAUTIFUL HOURS. I've already mentally made a christmas list of gifts I can get everyone! 

I managed to contain myself and only buy a few items, necessities may I add..

Now these plates were a bargain price of £2.99 each and they are so beautiful and the quality is amazing. Plus all of my plates at home are old cracked and ginormous (im trying to keep an eye on my portion sizes) so these plates were perfect! I picked up the bowls in Dunelm mill (in the sale for £1.79 each!) which match in my pastel crockery I have hidden in boxes somewhere!

This was my necessity buy... a notebook. for anyone thats a serial list maker like myself. a notebook gives the same excitement as a new pair of shoes. Its also metalic pink.. I personally think 7.99 is a small price to pay for being organised!

I'm off now to make more lists..

AbbieJS 
xxx

Matalan finds .

Matalan to me reminds me of standing with my mum with a huge trolley full of clothes and her stressing about where her Matalan card is. Thankfully they are alot more leanient to you misplacing/having no idea where your card is nowadays (back then it was a tradegy). So when I popped in the other week to buy a new work wardrobe I was pleasently suprised at my finds!

First of all I picked up 3 black jumpsuit. I tried it on in THREE different sizes as we all know clothes shops differ in sizes/shapes ALOT. I finally picked the comfiest jumpsuit in a size bigger than a usually wear (cry) but there was too much of a CT (camel toe) worry with the smaller size. It was £20.00 which was a reasonable price as the material looked quite expensive and as of yet no VPL issues!

I then picked some plastic version birkenstocks, which I chose for their comfy soles. I've always struggled with long shifts with my weak ankles but these shoes are like cushions and after a 13 hour shift my feet were fine! For the bargain price of £8.00 I've recently gone to get another pair for when I wear my others out! Perfect!

My third buy was a bright orange shift top, it would look 10x better with a tan but for £12.00 I could afford to invest for a possible next year holiday top.

My final buy was my favourite (and the biggest bargain).. £30.00 down to £10.00 for this perfect winter jacket! Its pastel pink and I fell in love as soon as I saw it!

Will deffo be returning to Matalan in the near future for more bargains!

AbbieJS xxx

Doing my research .

Call me cheap (or smart) but with a potential holiday to Sharm el Sheikh in October I've decided to be more prepared than previous years and look at some of the styles and trends so if I am able to go browse some of the fakes in Egypt I know I'm getting the right look! Now I would love to be able to afford to buy Michael Kors items, ideally a bag, purse, sunglasses and a new watch (is that too much to ask?) but with a large student overdraft and a top up masters year with NO student loan, my finances cant cope! Last time I travelled to Egypt I came home with half a suitcase of new goodies including a Hermes purse, Marc Jacobs bag, Mulberry clutch and a large Mulberry bag (which many people have commented on thinking its real! - obv it was rude to correct them on their mistake ;))

I also had my eye on a royal blue bag which seems to have dissappeared off the website (cry) but I'm sure I will be able to find it in one of the stores. Think I might have a staple wardrobe item investment on this arm candy though and ask for it for my birthday! (birthday list post to follow in the near future). 

I REALLY want a black office wear kind of bag, 1. because black goes with everything and 2. because it makes you look more professional than you really are. Everyone knows a good pair of shoes and a great looking handbag are essential work wardrobe items. So obviously I'll have to have at least two! These black bags are perfect! Im espeically loving the studded bag! 
The orange bag is to replace an orange denim bag I had from Mango for years, it was one of my first (of many) purchases with my student loan and it lasted me nearly 3 years at uni of lugging my laptop and various notepads around! I like having the option of a bright handbag to add abit of colour to my very often black outfits!

The sunglasses are purses will be additional extras! Im loving the dogtooth purse but if I was to pay the real big bucks for a Michael Kors purse I think I would go for a block colour - maybe the royal blue to match my bag! Also this silver metalic purse I absolutley love!

If I don't end up going to Egypt I'm sure some of these will be on my Christmas list!

AbbieJS

xxx

Mid year resolutions .

As things in life change so quickly I think its only appropriate I make some 'mid-year' resolutions.

My first resolution will obviously be similar new year resolutions, relating to the new year fitness bug and detox. Seeing as I rarely drink and have no holidays booked, alcohol has never really been an issue (except from during my undergraduate where vodka was an appropriate lunch).

So this summer I've been trying to work on my 'winter bod' to a healtheir and happier me. I've always been an 'all the gear no idea' kinda gal. I'm also always either hammering the gym 6 times a week or faceplanting the fridge for 3 weeks - therefore I'm not setting a number to lose or a crazy ideal 'where I wanna be by blah blah' but just learn to have a healthy balance between my chocolate addiction, fitness and my general well being.

For christmas I got a Polarft4 watch, it was literally my best present, it cost around £50.00 from Amazon, there are loads of different versions that will track distance etc but for me a calorie count was all I wanted! It really makes me work 10x more at the gym, and also stops unrealistic expectations of jogging on a treadmill for 10 minutes and being like 'that burned off my burger king I had yesterday right?' You can put in your height and weight and wear a heart mointor band and the watch to give you an accurate calorie count of your workouts. I have always quite enjoyed HIIT workouts, not only do they mean less time in the gym but they also raise your metabolism for the following 24 hours. I tested this out with the watch and wore it for 2 hours after my workout, the calories literally keep going up even though I was sat on my laptop! I also bought a iphone arm holder as theres nothing more annoying than your earphones popping out or falling out your top (I used to use my bra as an ipod holder). Esepcially as it cost me about £1.99 from Amazon it was so worth it!

The pink nike trainers I got from Sports direct which worked out at a fraction of the price I would of paid for the Nike free runs I wanted, they may not be as pretty but they do the same job for now (Even though Nike's are on my birthday wishlist - post to follow).

The pink bobble bottle I got from Tesco for £10.00 they come in various sizes and colours (obviously I got pink to match my gym gear - matchy matchy), I chose to get the biggest size of 1 litres as trying to up my water intake. Its really handy out and about and as I used to constantly buy bottled water theres only so many times you can refil them before you need a new one so this was investment (or so I tell my mum).

I also purchased a blend active, these have really became popoular through the smoothie craze everyone is on. I'm not a huge fan of smoothies and will try to use more veg than fruit due to the sugar content but one thing I'm loving my blender for is iced coffees! I've recently had to cut dairy due to my IBS and after crying over not being able to eat cheese or chocolate (my staple diet) I experimented with some almond milk. I've used it in the past and its amazing with porridge and coffee but FYI scrambled eggs and tea is a no go. In these hot summer days though the last thing I feel like eating is a hot drink therefore I decided to try an ice coffe simply using almond milk, some coffee and ice. I mixed a spoon full of coffee with some boiling water to dissolve the granules, added the coffee to almond milk and ice popped it in the blender and voila! Great for a morning coffee fix! The blender comes with two flasks and I bought it for £29.99 from Tesco (its cheaper on there online store but im too impatient).

Another thing I've really got into is herbal teas! also not being able to have milk has resulted in my 7 cups of tea being swapped for herbal teas. I'm not 100% keen on regular green tea and always get the green tea with pineapple and grapefruit which is lush! I recently went into Holland and Barrett and asked about whether there were any teas that would give me a boost of energy! - I bought this 'Engergitee' for £2.70 for 10 teabags. The taste is not great and is similar to the daytime tea from bootea (which gave me loads of energy), your meant to have 2-3 cups a day but I've just been having one cup with my breakfast and it has significantly made me feel more alert and awake!

Will continue with my other 'mid-year resolutions' in a later post!

AbbieJS xxx

Girls night .

Due to the fact I've turned into a unsociable hobbit I have only been out once this year (that being in February), so when I planned to go out one weekend in July you can understand my distress trying to find an outfit. 

ASOS next day delivery has saved in me many of these situations - so I ordered a few options (obviously it had to be over £120 so I got the free next day delivery ;)) First time I've EVER ordered various things from ASOS and not kept anything - typical!

So then an emergency shopping trip commenced. You can put money on it whenever you have money to spend and NEED an outfit everything on the high street is hideous/makes you look fat/tacky. After 3 hours in various changing rooms and a small mental breakdown I finally found an outfit!

The shoes were FREE (adopted from a friends unwanted wardrobe clearance), the skirt and top are both from miss selfridge for a bargain price of £34.00 (including student discount), teamed with a silver clutch I got for £4.00 from Primark last year. I also loved life as my hair curled perfectly!

AbbieJS xxx

Her name was Lola .

After months and months of begging my parents to let me have a puppy THEY FINALLY CRACKED! 

Her name is Lola and she is the most beautiful pup ever! After months of searching for a poochon (toy poodle x bichon frise) I couldnt take the risk (or price) of some of the strange looking cross breeds, no one wants an ugly dog.. cause lets be honest you'd love it - but no one else would! 

This is Lola - I fell in love as soon as I saw her!

Anyway I was first to choose from the litter of 8 springer spaniels, which I absoultley loved as I am so fussy I wanted to pick my perfect pup! The only downside to this was I had to wait 9 days to go pick her up. The longest 9 days (of my life), even though I really wish I had made the most of my sleep in that time and now she howls and crys ALL night for me, literally the most heartrenching cry EVER but I'm trying to stay strong and let her learn. Even though last night she turned into Lara Croft climbed up over her pen through a small gap in sliding doors and ran into my room. Of course we had to have a sleepover then and she was so worked up she never would of slept.

Being the diva that she is (and the instawhore I am) she has her OWN Instagram. Partly as she is the cutest thing ever and I can't help photograph her every second of the day, and partly as my friends would probably unfollow me turning into this crazy dog lady. So if anyone wants to give her a follow its: @hernamewas__lola 

Heres a sneak peak of her first few days at home:

Of course she had her first (sleepy) selfie

Before she decided to poop in my car

Shes so tiny! The pics dont do her justice.

I'm sure this wont be the last you will see of her!

AbbieJS xxx

The Wedding Planner .

Ever since watching JLO in the wedding planner its been one of my ideal jobs. So when I stumbled (accidently of course) onto all the various pinterest boards people had made for their big day I was literally amazed at the stuff people do.

Of course there would be the standard Instagram hashtag personalised to your wedding. What better than choosing from hundreds of natural photographs of different points of the day you were unaware were being taken - espeically as if your someone like me who hates photos you can pick and choose which ones you upload yourself - tactical.

Now not that I plan on getting married anytime soon, even though it has been implied that out of my circle of friends il be first to tie the knot when the day comes I dont want to spend 5 years planning it - Therefore call it my organisation skills (or that im a freak) that have lead me to creating a premature pinterest board for my own wedding. Also backs you up if your boyfriend has a mad one and applies for dont tell the bride - pinterest boards arent cheating right?

Anyway first things first - the engagement ring. Now I have always said I am not that bothered about haivng the huge expensive ring as its about the commitment and not the size of the rock on my finger. However after looking at some potential rings I have to admit, who am i kidding- GIVE ME THE BIG ROCK! This doesnt mean it has to be thousands of pounds but I do want a big shiny ring.

At first I loved the square shaped rings - i literally dont think id be able to stop looking at my hand...

But then I found this gold simple band with a (rather big) stone with matching diamond wedding band and I fell in love. Me and my friends had the discussion the other day of silver or gold - i think I would go with the gold!

The dress was just too much to decide I think i'll be undecisive to the day I walk down the alter, theres literally 100000000000 kinds of wedding dresses with lace, buttons, creme, beige, white.

I also found some really cute things people now do on their wedding day - Im such a romantic, even though my boyfriends idea of romance is a pot of candy king and a night in on the sofa, these are such good ways to save memories!

Ive always invisioned myself getting married on a beach somewhere, really small and simple, and then returning home to a huge party threw in my garden. But after looking on Pintrest I think I would miss out on all these new cools things people are doing at these bigger weddings.

Anyway - until the day comes - my wedding planning hobby will remain!

AbbieJS

xxx

New shoesies .

I've been looking for a pair of 'functional' heeled summer sandals for a while now but the white/black block pairs I just couldn't like - I really tried but these were the first pair I really loved and the heel was just tall enough and the fit was perfect! I got these a few months ago in New Look for £24.99 (minus student discount ;)). They are so comfortable considering they are slightly heeled and deffinatley will be a staple shoe for my summer wardrobe!

I seem to have lost 90% of my shoes from moving between houses and back from Uni so I've had to reinvest - I can't walk around bare foot now can I? And when it came to summer sandals I knew Primark would not dissappoint.

I've had three people comment on how they 'love my birkenstocks' only to them have to correct them and let them know I purchased these gems for £4.00 from primark. My only regret was not getting another pair as we all know Primark shoes only have one season of wear before they start to fall apart. But for £4.00 I would of bought 10 pairs!

I also picked these up for my 'when I have a job wardrobe'(workrobe) for £6 from primark. It's becoming quite frustrating having a degree and nearly a masters degree to still be struggling to find a full time job! Therefore I am distracting myself by buying my work wardrobe. I absoultley love Office wear, if all fashion head offices could just relocate to around the West Midlands I would be set!

More 'workrobe' posts to follow. 

Abbie JS xxx

Swimwear obsessed .

As mentioned in my previous post I haven't got any holidays booked so I've been forbidden by my mother to invest in any swimwear, however I found a way around it! 

Picked up this mesh black swimsuit from Next for £20.00. Its really figure flattering but not too close to a speedo costume my mum used to try to force me into for swimming galas. The back is a low scoop back and except from a slight wardrobe malfunction of needing some help fastening the back I love it!! 

Of course this purchase is not frowned upon as its 'practical'. Going to try and get back into swimming and practical swimwear is of course essential, Sorry mum!


AbbieJS xx