Heritage Of Scotland

If there's one place I'd love to visit in the UK, it would be Scotland. Edinburgh, to be precise. I WILL go at some point but I'd have to probably find somewhere nice to stay as it'll take half the day to get there by train! A day trip is definitely out of the question. 

To feed my Scottish desires until then, Heritage of Scotland kindly sent me two of their products all the way from Scotland. They sell a variety of bags, kilts, and all things tartan. 

The first thing I received from them was a tartan handbag* which I fell in love with straight away. There's something about tartan that looks quite sophisticated, and it's great quality too. It comes with several  internal compartments, a pocket at the front, and a zip pocket at the back. It looks very stylish and I can't wait to take it out with me. This was originally priced at £64.99 but is on sale at £32.50. There are some alternative colours too.

Next up is the cashmere scarf* which is a very welcome addition to my ever expanding scarf collection. This scarf makes me so excited for Winter already! I prefer to wear dark colours and pastels so I think this will work quite nicely on me with it's pretty lilac and blue. It is 100% cashmere which is a first for me! Cashmere is supposed to keep you really warm despite being really lightweight. I do have a couple of winter scarves but they're all so chunky, which gets a little annoying when I have to take them off indoors and have nowhere to put them so this will definitely come in handy and I can see it being worn a lot once October hits. This is priced at £55, which is perhaps a little bit steep for some but I guess a good quality scarf can last for quite a while.

Now all that's left to do is head on over to Scotland. I wish! 

My Debenhams Blue Cross Sale Picks - £15 and under

Debenhams has long been one of my favourite places to shop because of it's vast range of high quality clothes. I'm not much of a Topshop or Zara girl so my go-to destination is always Debenhams. I can always find something there that I love and I know it'll fit well too. When I went out shopping the other week, I noticed that their Blue Cross Sale had started which means up to 70% off sale items! I didn't end up getting anything but I kind of wish I had now. I've been browsing through the website and picked out a few of my favourite items for less than £15! They tend to sell out quickly though so hurry!

1. Henry Holland candy floss t-shirt - This is simple and fun and great for summer. The design on the front includes an image of a candyfloss and a speech mark saying "give me the sugar". It's loose enough and long enough to be thrown over a pair of leggings too.

2. Red Herring beige heart satchel - I can never get enough bags, particularly ones that can go over the body. I love this one so much from the style to the colour to the heart print.

3. Henry Holland skirt - This is a black skirt suitable for casual wear or at the office (if you're not too corporate as the skirt does have a textured print on it). Such a bargain too!

4. Jon Richard heart and pearl drop earrings - These look so sophisticated and elegant, I think pearls are really understated and finish off an outfit well. These would also be perfect for a special occasion.

5. Henry Holland checked kilt - I have something similar in monochrome and I love how smart they look. If I love an item, I'm someone who has to then purchase the same item in as many colours and prints as possible...

6. Henry Holland grey rabbit t-shirt - Henry Holland has so much quirky stuff! I've been having a mini obsession with bunnies lately so this is the perfect shirt for me.

7. Mantaray stencil flower shirt - I've only ever owned one shirt from Mantaray and that was a few years back. I'm actually not sure why I never bought anymore since they're so comfortable and they look great. I don't really hear anyone talking about this brand but trust me, the clothes look so good when you wear them! I'm really into wearing grey for some reason so I love the subtle pattern on this.

8. Henry Holland talking milkshake t-shirt - Another adorable Henry Holland shirt. Need I say more?

9. Principles geometric patent sandals - When I saw these I just thought that they would be perfect for a summer's evening. The black patent gives it a more dressed up feel whilst the geometric print gives it a stylish look. Now I just need an excuse to wear them.

Have you shopped in the Blue Cross Sale?

New Things #7

Origami paper (link here) - Someone bought this lovely stash of origami paper for me and I can't wait to make some pretty things out of it. I usually just stick to buying coloured paper as it's a lot cheaper than "origami paper" but I'm looking forward to not having to cut out squares from A4 paper! 

Graze Snack Box - Another healthy snack box! I opt for the Light Box nowadays which is even healthier. My favourite thing from this box has got to be the coconut crumble cake! It was delicious and I could have easily eaten a whole one, might have to make one myself if I can find a healthy recipe somewhere. If you'd like to try a FREE Graze box, then click here or enter LINDAL54B at graze.com.

Penny Collector's Book - I never even knew that such books existed until the other week. It' a great way of displaying all my souvenir coins. In case anyone is a little confused right now, penny souvenirs are basically made by popping a penny into this machine (and it usually costs £1 to use it) and it flattens it into a design of your choice. The one in the photo is from Twycross Zoo (blog post to come!). I have so many of these pennies, I always use the machines if there is one. Now I finally have something to display them all in. 

The Heat DVD (link here) - I really wanted to see this when it first came out at the cinema so I'm glad that I've finally seen it. It's such a funny movie and they make a great duo. There was a bit of an expletives overload but, other than that, it was brilliant to watch.

Apple crisps (link here) - As part of my healthy lifestyle, I've had to reduce the snacking and find healthier alternatives to some of my favourites. I absolutely love these apple crisps, they're so crunchy and full of flavour. I've only ever had normal apple and dried apple so this made a nice change. I highly recommend it!

Enjoy your weekend!

The Simple Life

 

 

Over the past few years, I've developed such a love of nature. In a world full of concrete buildings, busy commuters, and petrol-fuelled cars, it's nice to be able to step away from all of that and enjoy the simplicity of life in a peaceful place. It was time to put down my phone, step away from the TV, and just enjoy the great outdoors. I actually wrote a post about how consumed we all are with technology and social media and you can read it by clicking here. 

I love the outdoors and how beautiful nature is, even just being able to stare up at the clouds is enough to put a smile on my face. I know that a lot of people find it a bit boring to just walk around outdoors aimlessly but I love it and it's great to be able to appreciate the little things. The only issue I have is that I'm so scared of dogs so I have to choose my destination wisely! 

I'd love to live in the countryside or by the seaside one day but for now, I have to settle for what I do have. I don't live in a particularly tranquil and scenic area but there are a few hidden gems when you venture out a little.

The other week, I headed out to some meadows to go for a relaxing walk. It's usually pretty quiet as I don't think many people really venture this far out and I surprisingly didn't bump into any dogs! It's been a while since I've been to these meadows so it was quite nostalgic to come back. The grass used to be a lot longer and more meadow-like but they've since cut it all which I was a little disappointed about as it looked quite bare but it'll grow!

The grass is always full of grasshoppers but they're usually hard to spot. You can never fail to hear them, but actually catching sight of one is pretty difficult in a place full of green grass. I did manage to find one though and I'm actually surprised that I managed to take a photo of it, I assumed it would jump away really quickly but this one was clearly made for modelling. I managed to snap away for about a minute before finally giving it a little encouragement to jump away. 

The simple life. Don't you just love it?