Legally Glam: Blogger Challenge | I'M THE WINNER!

So after my wish list post here, I was declared the winner, woohoo! And I won the gorgeous Ollie & Nic Georgina mini satchel. Now, if you haven't worked out from the title, I'm a massive fan of satchels, and I'm so happy to add this to my collection!

Isn't it gorgeous! And the perfect size to fit all my essentials in!

At the moment Legally Glam are offering all my readers £10 off the satchel using code SP10. So get yours now! 

DIY PINspiration: Diabetic Cakes

I haven't baked in a while and feel like I've lost a little bit of my inspiration for baking as I've been eating out a lot more lately (lets blame the husband!). This weeks DIY post is diabetic cakes as I think I need a little inspiration and a few good ideas to bake a really nice but diabetic friendly cake. 

So what have I found?

Chocolate and Almond Cake

YUMMMMY. 

Lately I've been really enjoying cooking with almond meal/flour instead of normal flour. I'm lucky I really like the taste of almonds and they are good for low carbohydrate diets too. 

(Image Source)

You can find the recipe here. 

Lemon Cake

Okay so like many people, I love a good lemon drizzle cake. This cake, similar to the one above, doesn't contain regular flour so it's very low in carbs as well. The plain white flour has been replaced with soy flour, something I'm quite intrigued about trying. 

(Image Source)

You can find the recipe here.

What do you think to my recipes?

Do you think you might try a cake with a flour replacement?

#AutumnBeautySwap

Katie from Curled Fantasies organised an autumn blogger beauty swap last month, and I was lucky to be paired with Daniella from Beauty Junkie. And boy, have we had a good time with our swap! 

We were both confident swapping with each other and had a good chat beforehand about what we were looking for. We both sent a list of around 10 things to each other in order we could pick from that, I think this was a really good idea as we definitely got a mixture of products we wanted. 

Daniella was amazing, and our swap went down fantastically! I couldn't have been happier. We were even on the same cards sending each other Yankee candles. 

So what did I get?

Little lucky old me got:

Barry M Chameleon nail varnish in blue; 

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me; 

Sleek blush in Pomegranate; 

MUA Matte Palette in Ever After; 

Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation in shade 120; 

Yankee Candle in Spiced Orange (YUM);

anddddd a Thornton's chocolate skeleton! (Which got eaten pretty much straightaway!)

Just a quick thank you again to Katie for organising the swap, and to Daniella for buying me fab things! Thank you ladies ❤

Next up on the cards is the #bloggersecretsanta from Hayley at Tea Party Beauty! 

Another Wish List!

There are so many beauty products out there at the moment I would love to try but just never get around to actually buying them. Sooooo, here is another wish list. With my birthday and Christmas coming up I'm hoping a gentle nudge to the husband might sort me out with a few. 

Body Shop Honeymania shower gel // Lush Rose Jam shower gel // Lush Snow Fairy shower gel // Sleek blusher in Antique // Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow perfume gel 

Will any of these be on your Christmas list?

I can't wait to try a few new things out! 

DIY PINspiration: Christmas Wrapping

My second post may be a little early in the year but I enjoy being prepared as we have a few birthdays in December to celebrate and I hate being late with my presents. 

I've been having a sneak peek at wrapping inspiration and ideas. I actually suck at wrapping Christmas presents so the more creative I can be and the less wrapping I need to do is always a plus in my book. 

Wrapping in Maps

I could never get bored of map wrapping paper. This is something I would be very careful about opening as I absolutely adore these! I would quite honestly unwrap them and frame them. Such a simple and cheap way for wrapping. 

Wrapping in Jars

Okay so technically not 'wrapping' a present although it's still housing or casing a present. Cake or cookies in a jar, such a fabulous idea! You pop all your dry ingredients layered in the jar and top with instructions on how to cook and add the wet ingredients. Gorgeous present for a really nice homemade gift. I saw this done on a few blogs last year, and it's such a cute idea. 

Wrapping in Doilies

I think this is a gorgeous vintage inspired idea for wrapping, and can be used on anything as well as handmade food gifts. You can take a simple piece of brown wrapping paper, or a napkin, then surround with a doily. Doilies are really cheap to get hold of now, you can pick up a paper of paper ones in Poundland or could buy a cloth/lace one - this would make an extra present! 

(Images sourced from WeHeartIt) 

#AfternoonTea Meet Up in Leeds: Saturday 9th November

I'm organising a bit of a mini-meet up for anyone who wants to come! As you should all probably know by now I'm 7 months pregnant and won't be able to get out for any Christmas blogger events in Leeds (boooooo hiss!). 

It will be on Saturday 9th November, in Leeds, at a little cafe up by the Headrow called the Arch Cafe. I'm proposing we meet around 12:30 pm and if anyone wants to go shopping or what not afterwards that's all good. It's not a sponsored event, nor are there any goody bags available and you will have to pay for your own meal etc, in all honesty it's just a chance for everyone to meet and have a good natter and afternoon tea! 

It'll probably be the last event I go to this year as I'm a creature of habit and generally hibernate haha. 

It would be great if you could all come! 

As I said, the invite is open to anyone so please feel welcome to come along. 

If you want to come along, please let me know, I have a little list going! 

Seasons Online: Cheap Bracelets*

I've always been a fan of pretty bangles and bracelets, and Seasons Online, an online fashion, jewellery and accessory store press all my buttons with their fabulous array of cheap bracelets. With over 11 pages of bracelets from just £1(!), and with 3 for 2 offers on some of their selected items, you can't go wrong picking something for the season!

I've selected a few of my favourites below to tease and tempt you with!

Currently on offer are these Shamballa bracelets from £1.99 each! With a massive saving of up to 60% off, these would make a great stocking filler. 

I've always loved the style of festival bracelets and wearing more than one for effect. What could be better than just wearing one of these friendship bracelet cuffs? Starting at just £9.99, you get six individual bracelets woven together to leave one stunning cuff! These are so versatile to wear, and with the different colours intertwined in the cuff, would match any coloured outfit. 

One of my favourite styles at the moment is punk princess meets grunge. With the array of tartan and clashing prints on the market at the moment, what better to accessorise with than a grungy cross bracelet? Seasons Online have lots of different colours and styles to choose from, but I've narrowed it down to these three beauties added to my wish list. These start from £2.50. 

Last, but by certainly no means least, on my list are these vintage inspired bracelets. 

I adore the strings of pearls tied together with the ribbon, this bracelet would add a lot of festive cheer to a little back dress of the winter period.

The trinket bracelet has to be one of my favourites, I adore the charms on this one!

The rose gold twist bracelet will add character and bling to any festive outfit. 

And the key, so adorable! Worn with a few other charm bracelets would add to any vintage inspired outfit. 

Have you picked out your Christmas wish list?

With so many styles to choose from, and matching necklaces and earrings available in their collection, I'm sure you won't have trouble picking your gifts! 

Seasons Online free delivery within the UK on orders over £20, express delivery within the UK for £2.99, and worldwide delivery from £2.50 so there is no excuse not to get your order in!

At the moment, with orders over £20 you can get this free cross and bead bracelet! 

You can see my previous post for Seasons Online here, they have some amazing scarves on offer at the moment, so why not check them out? Club together on your items and pick up the gorgeous cross bracelet above when you spend over £20.

The Season for Scarves with Seasons Online*

Now the autumn/winter season is upon us, it's really great time to start accessorising with scarves. I'm a big fan of scarves, from all different fashion trends from vintage to grunge. If I'm being honest with you all, I went through a phase one year of wearing a scarf every single day of the week, even throughout the summer!

I think scarves are a very simple way to jazz up any outfit, along with keeping your neck warm so they are super practical and fashionable at the same time. 

Seasons Online are an online fashion, jewellery and accessory store where you can pick up some fantastic cheap scarves. They often have offers on too where you can buy one and get one free. For a bargain price of £6.99 this is not something to be missed!

I thought I would show you a few of my favourite scarves on offer at the moment with Seasons Online, and a quick guide on how to wear them throughout the seasons. 

 Cream Candy Skull Scarf

I am a big fan of the sugar skull print on this scarf, and think it would look great with a grungy look for this season. It can add a pop of colour to your black and burgundy attire, and as clashing prints are all the rage, would look amazing teamed with tartan print for an extra splash of colour. This can easily be teamed up with a cute white dress for the summer! 

Retro Vintage Carriage Print Scarf

I myself have a large array of vintage print scarfs. I just love the design on this carriage print scarf, the gold chains and and ropes really compliment the orange colour. This scarf would look fantastic with a plain black bodycon dress, a pair of bright orange tights and a pair of tan leather riding boots for the season. This could easily be teamed up with a cute shirt and pair of city shorts for the summer!

Now I know this is the same print in a different colour, although this time it's a silk scarf. The gold against the navy blue silk suggests opulence and sophisticated style with a fraction of the price. This would definitely be an investment piece for your wardrobe and could be worn at any time throughout the year. Make it a smart accessory for work by teaming it up with a collared shirt and high waisted skirt; or show your casual side with a t-shirt, jeans and a blazer. 

Traditional Festive Season Scarf

Last, but certainly not least, to my collection would be this festive scarf. The fairisle and aztec prints are perfect for this time of year. The colour combination of navy, burgundy, rust and teal means that it will compliment any of your autumnal outfits. Team with a teal jumper dress and chunky tights, or with a chunky woollen boyfriend blazer and jeans this autumn for a fantastic look. 

So what do you think of my finds?

Do you think you might invest with their buy one get one free offer?

DIY PINspiration: Whiteboard Decoration & Sharpie Mugs

I've decided to start creating a weekly set of posts on DIY inspiration, or more so PINspiration, as most of the bits and pieces I've found have been on Pintrest or WeHeartIt. Also, I'll be linking back with any projects I'm currently attempting from other lovely DIY bloggers I follow. 

The first project I'm having a go at is from Ally over at NowThat'sPretty. I've needed a notice board for a while, I do have a gorgeous organiser which I write it, and also a calendar along with a calendar on my iPhone 5 and MacBook Air, but even though I fill them in, I never bother with reminders or anything to actually see what I'm doing. It's more important to me now than ever with me having to have appointments at the hospital on a weekly basis, along with University deadlines and blogger events. I'm constantly having to ask people what I'm doing, it's not good really! This is where Ally's post inspired me to create a big enough notice board that I can't miss, and will update on a regular basis! 

(Images sourced from WeHeartIt)

As I'll be moving next year, I'm thinking of cheap and cheerful ways of brightening up my apartment in Munich. We'll be trying to make out house a home but on a strict budget, only cause in a few years we'll be up and moving again and I don't particularly fancy shipping all our bits and pieces over to China with me.

I've just bought 24 Sharpie pens and have no idea what to use them for other than colouring my hair in when I go blonde, so I've been having a quick peek at what others have been doing and I've come across colouring in mugs! It's the perfect idea, buy a few cheap white mugs (around 35p in Ikea), draw on your design and pop in the oven. Hey presto! Personalised mugs for the fraction of the price. I've asked the husband to get drawing up some tattoo designs already. 

Preen Clothing at Avenue 32*

Preen clothing at Avenue 32 is designed by Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi and contains some amazing items for autumn and winter. 

I've absolutely fallen in love with this collection, the tartan and leopard print pieces compliment each other really well, and the basic three coloured palette of red, black and white means these items can be worn together to create an exclusively individual and clashing print style. 

I've never seen tartan teamed with leopard print which works as well as it does with the Iris dress. I have a penchant for sophisticated bodycon dresses at the moment, and this fits in with my key autumn/winter season pieces this year.  I also adore tea dresses, and the whole vintage/bohemian look is really well represented with the georgette Fallon dress. The clashing zebra and polka dot print is very complimentary, and would look fantastic layered up for the season. 

And, these are all British designs! 

Keep it British this season!

I'm finding it so hard to narrow this collection down to my favourite five pieces, but here are the ones I've decided to choose:

The collection is perfect for this autumn and winter with it's punk princess grunge undertones. Each piece in the collection can easily be paired together making this a very versatile collection with each piece suitable for your investment wardrobe. 

Some of the pieces which I haven't shown on my wish list, but are equally as desirable to me, are the items featuring Swarovski crystals. 

The Jade shirt would look amazing teamed with the leather Drea trousers and the Harry coat; and the skirt would look amazing teamed with the tartan Bo shirt. 

What do you think to the desirable Preen collection?

I definitely think these pieces are a wardrobe investment! 

BHS Dress for Autumn*

You may have noticed on the big screen lately, a new BHS advertisement for their autumn collection, titled 'Dress for Autumn'. I must admit, I've never properly ventured into BHS to look at their clothes in detail, but I always skim through their collections in passing through when I pop into Leeds. Lately I've been noticing some amazing dresses and winter coats which I haven't noticed before. I'm in awe of the gorgeous panelled bodycon dresses and skater dresses I seem to be seeing everywhere I go!

Now like any other blogger, autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the deep burgundy shades and oversized boyfriend blazers which are regularly appearing this year. 

Here are a few items from their collection which I'm in awe of this season:

You can see the bag and coat advertised on their latest advert. 

I really love this collection of items, I definitely think they give off a 40's secretary vibe, which is one of my favourite looks. Team the dress off with a pair of coloured tights and court shoes for the office, or a nice pair of black leather biker boots for a shopping trip! 

All these are available from the BHS site here. They currently have up to 30% off on some of their items, along with a code for free delivery over £10! 

Do you think you'll be dressing up for autumn with BHS?

I'll be taking advantage of their current offers! 

Antatomicals: Java Lather Coffee Buzz Body Cleanser

Anatomicals were so kind to give me three full size products which were in my goody bag at the Leeds meet up back in August. I was so excited to try these products out as their packaging is gorgeous, and made me chuckle to myself quite a few times. I have fallen in love with their brand ethic and their website is divine to look at, it reminds me of my fave horror B-Movies! 

The first product I've been using from their range is the Java Lather body cleanser, which I took to be fancy wording for shower gel really. This retails at £2.99, and the great thing about Anatomicals is that you can pick them up at your local supermarket. 

I'm all about the fragrances, and this one was simply divine. 

Pure coffee power which would definitely wake you up in a morning! It wasn't an overpowering scent of coffee though, moreso of that of a cappuccino. You only need a small amount of product to get into a rich lather too, more is less in this case! And, it left my skin feeling silky soft, and no allergies either as I have really sensitive skin. 

Anatomicals are definitely a brand I would buy over and over again. Their products are rich and don't let down in any way, shape or form, and the prices are well within budget!

Have you tried Anatomicals before?

TK Maxx #MaxxMyStyle Style Tour in Leeds: Tuesday 8th October

Ladies and gentlemen of Leeds and surrounding areas, I present to you the TK Maxx #MaxxMyStyle style tour for their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, this will be hitting Leeds this Tuesday the 8th October, at their store on the Headrow. Definitely something you should get to if you can make it, and it's a central location. Lots of bargains to be picked up!

(on the left, editor of Clique Magazine, Jill Wanless) 

During the day, celebrity photographer, Wayne Tippets, will be scouting the streets of Leeds (between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm) looking for you guys who are dressed their best. Word of warning to you all: make sure you look your best if you're gonna be out and about! You never know what might happen!

During the evening at the store (from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm) two of the UK's renowned fashion stylists, Anna Dowd and Claire Wacey, will be offering you your own personal style appointment (on a first come, first served basis). So make sure you get down to the store in good time for your own personal consultancy and style guide! 

(on the left, stylist Anna Dowd)

A welcoming glass of bubbly will be on hand for those of you lucky enough to get your style appointments through the night, along with hair and a mini make over provided by the team at Vanity Van - you lucky lot! 

During the evening there will be a photographer taking photos of shoppers and their finds, you could win an on the spot prize for your style and the best bargains you can find! 

Remember to Tweet through the day any of your finds and best bargains you pick up at TK Maxx with their hashtag #MaxxMyStyle. 

There are other upcoming dates for the style tour, such as Manchester at the Arndale Centre on the Thurssday 10th October, Glasgow Silverburn on Tuesday 15th October,  Newcastle Northumberland Street on Tuesday 22nd October, and Cardiff Hayes on Tuesday 29th October. 

Make sure you keep your eyes peeled! 

Photos are from the Liverpool event the other week courtesy of Fluorescent PR.

Pregnancy Diary: Weeks 26 & 27

Hurrah for hitting the third trimester! I'm not sure whether this will carry on being a great two-three months for me or whether it will all go downhill from here and the morning sickness will jump back aboard! I'm hoping not as I really suffered with that one for a lot longer than I wished I had. 

Although, in week 26 I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which I won't lie, hit me like a ton of bricks, even though I think part of me actually expected it. It has actually taken the midwifery team a while to get back in touch with me and arrange my diabetic appointments, so I'm not really overly happy with them as I feel I've just been left in the lurch to Google and get myself a little worked up. Although I've taken this time to change my diet and cut a lot of sugar out. I've been looking at some great diabetic cake and cookie recipes for my sweet tooth so I might be having a weekly baking spot dedicated to that. The only thing I was really afraid of was having my bloods tested, more so taking them myself with the glucose meter. I absolutely hated the idea of pricking my finger, but so far has been not too bad. We'll see how this progresses! 

The SPD symptoms got really bad the weekend entering into my 27th week, I think I did far too much walking and for the next few days spent the time in bed crippled and not able to properly move. I have been trying to exercise a little bit more and walking around the block for half an hour or so, but I'm finding the pelvic pain pretty crippling. I can imagine that if I was still travelling to work it might not have been so bad and I would have been getting roughly 45 mins of walking exercise per day, but at this time in my pregnancy I'm not about to join a gym or go insane!

Dexter is doing really well, I was measured at 26 weeks and he's the perfect size. I say that now but being diabetic I'm actually pretty terrified he's going to grow to the size of a small elephant before I have to give birth. And lets not even talk about caesarean sections, I'm terrified of those as well! Actually, labour in general is pretty much scaring the hell out of me at the moment. 

Back to Dexter, he's moving around a lot more and has now started responding to music. He seems to be a fan of drum 'n' bass which I wouldn't have thought he would have been, although he likes listening to Metallica too which is awesome. I have my own rocker! 

Pastille Boutique Nail Bar: Leeds

I was lucky to be whisked away this weekend for a luxurious appointment at Pastille Boutique Nail Bar. Me and my fellow blogger buddy Kel opted to have the Spa Pedi, which cost £27 for a whole 50 minutes. I must admit I was simply amazed. 

We were welcomed by the lovliest members of staff I have ever met, and had a great chat the whole time we were having the treatments. The atmosphere is amazing, and more so for the fact we were sat in the most comfortable armchairs for the whole treatment!

I can't reach my feet now so I must admit they were in a bit of a mess, and I had just simply left my nail varnish to chip off, whoopsie! 

The treatment began with a little clean up and nail varnish removal, a foot bath, exfoliate, massage, complete pedicure and dry skin removal along with, a gorgeous foot and leg massage. After the massage my feet were popped into plastic bags and placed into these little warming booties, amazing. 

Ladies, thank you so much for my treatment, for such a bargain price and friendly atmosphere I'll be coming more often! 

Pregnancy Diary: Weeks 24 & 25

I have been lacking with my pregnancy diary updates, in fact I'm in my 27th week at the moment and with me having baby brain, I'm finding it quite hard to remember what actually happened a few weeks ago. I'm writing this post in retrospective. 

I think everything went well within those 2 weeks, I had compliments that I looked the best I have done since March, so all I can think of now is I'm at that blossoming stage when I look like I'm 'glowing'! I think it may be the fact I have been wearing more make up lately and I'm growing my fringe out haha. 

I haven't really had any symptoms apart from the usual SPD pain which isn't going to go anywhere, and the occasional bout of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome meaning my arms are really painful for a few days. 

I have been full of cold, and it's taking a while to get rid off leaving me with a nasty cough, but other than that I haven't actually felt that bad!