This is the second in a little series of christmas posts. Loads of people have done similar things but i love to read them and each one usually has some new ideas which are definitely helpful to me! So here is my take on gift ideas.

Gift cards: this might seem less thoughtful than some other presents, but i know i love receiving them! I would often do something like this for my sister so that she can choose what she wants to buy, or save it for next season :)

Tickets: i think these are a great gift. A good idea if you are unsure what to get for a brother or boyfriend as well. It creates something that you can go to and will always have memories from.

Photo frames: these are perfect when a photo of you and whoever you are giving it to is popped in. Gives that little personal touch which is one of the main reasons of giving presents!

Bath goodies: this is just a small example from the lush christmas range, but smellies are nearly always a fail proof option. And its hard to resist the ones from lush!

Socks: perfect as a stocking filler or secret santa gift. I have a little addiction to socks but dont always like to spend my own money on pretty ones so they are great as a gift for girls.

Hamper: these make a great gift for parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The basket itself can be fairly inexpensive and then it can be filled with whatever you fancy. Its a great opportunity to do a bit of baking or handmake something. Other ideas could be cds, books, wine, cheese, chutneys.

Wall art: or just etsy in general! There are some really amazing sellers on etsy who have ideal christmas presents just about everyone. Its a good way to support individual businesses too.

I think the important thing to remember is that its about the thought and not how much you spend on someone. Taking some time to think about what they would love makes the gift that little bit more special. Think about there favourite hobbies, or is there something they have had there eye on for a while? Maybe they have just bought a new car, or moved into a new house? Buying a gift that is a bit more unique is a big positive :) Have you got any great gift buying tips?

x

Not so neon, neon blue

Neon Blue - American Apparel, Models Own white nail art pen, unknown - Accessorize

These photos arent great, but i blame the poor light. Its definitely not my bad camera skills.. Ok so maybe it is. But you can at least see the pattern i have gone for! Its similar to ones i have done before with little flowers but i love the colours used in this. The flowers also have more of an arrangement on my nail rather than dotted all over. I was inspired by this post i found on pinterest.
I only have to weeks of learning left in this semester at uni (cant believe it has gone so fast!) So i want to knuckle down this week and work extra hard. We have a case on breast cancer so its definitely one of the harder ones. Forewarning that i might be a bit MIA on the blog and twitter!
Hope everyone has a good week :)

x

Early morning

I took these yesterday morning. I couldnt not take my camera out for breakfast when i opened my curtains and saw this kind of light. There was also a faint rainbow in the distance which was just so pretty.

x

#1 Christmas outfit

So its just over a month till christmas now. I cant believe it has come around to fast! It definitely has to be my favourite time of year, made even more special this year because it will the first time in about 3 months that i will be spending weeks at home. I cannot wait to bake and DIY gifts and decorations, see all my family, eat lots of christmas goodies, give and receive presents and just enjoy a break away from work. So i thought i would share a little series of christmas posts with you all. Starting with a bloggers staple: clothes!

Dress - Monki

Nail polish and necklace - Topshop

Loose powder - Barry M

Heels - Miss Selfridge

This is not a usual outfit for me, but when i saw it i fell in love with this dress. Its something i would have to try on because i find i love the idea of midi dresses and skirts but they dont suit me. But i think it would make the perfect christmas party dress! Ive also picked a few items that i would pair with it. Gone for black accessories (with the exception of gold sparkly nail polish) because i think the dress would look better with a simple outfit. What do you think of this ensemble?

Also, let me know if you have done any christmas outfits with party dresses. I am on the hunt this year for the perfect one!

x

Life Update

Since starting university so much has changed in my life. Its such a busy place to be and its not often i have those days where you can just sit down and do nothing. Thats not to say i dont absolutely love it! But it does give me less time for things like blogging (being away from home also means i dont have my lovely brother to take photos for me.)
Incase people didnt know i study medicine at manchester and its definitely a demanding course. The majority of the work is self directed too so it takes a lot of motivation to sit down and get cracking when i have a laptop in front of me with a whole host of social media sites just waiting! Sometimes i think it would be easier if i wasnt on any of them, it would certainly be less distracting. Apologies for this turning into a little rant but i wanted to let you all know why i might post less often than before.
So what has been going on in my life?

1) Ive had a formal dinner held by the halls i am living in.

2) I went to BBC Radio 1Xtra live with my sister at the apollo. Saw Rita Ora for the second time and she was amazing! 

3) I have also been going to hospitals and GPs for placements for my course.

4) Some friends and i have been viewing houses that we might be living in next year. Its strange to be doing it so early, makes me feel all grown up haha.

5) Been planning meals for this weekend. I end up with so many things i want to cook when i take a trip to sainsburys.

So there is a little round up of my life lately. One thing i really wish is that i had an iphone so that i could snap photos all the time, i would love to have more memories like that. The blackberry camera is just not up to scratch. Thank you all for sticking with me! And hi to any new readers, my count is still slowly creeping up. Always puts a smile on my face.

x

Ps. I have been attempting to update my blog design a bit (but am completely useless at it) so if anyone has any tips or could help that would be really great.

AA: Lopez Canyon

Okay so after a failed attempt at recording a video for you all i thought i would do a quick post on (yet another!) nail varnish. The video didnt work out because silly me turned the camera portrait so i had to rotate it on the computer and then is had big black lines down either side when uploaded to youtube. So i will attempt to film it again asap.
In the meantime this is the free polish that i got from American Apparel last week.

This one is called Lopez Canyon and is more of a burnt orange irl, it shows up quite red on camera. Its not very similar to any shades i have and is something i have been after for a while so glad a was able to pick this up.

x

Remember remember the 5th of november.

Went to a bonfire and fireworks diplay on monday night with a big group from uni. I always love the anticipation of waiting for the fireworks and then peoples reactions when they start. Got some quite nice photos of them as they went up. This display wasnt as good as some of the ones i have watched back home, but it was lovely to be out. We wandered round some of the stalls after and bought some bags of pick and mix. I was definitely tempted by a jacket potato (perfect bonfire food) but had already eaten so decided against it. There was also a mini fair ground which looked pretty cool with all the neon lights. But it was so expensive! So we didnt actyally go on any of them.
How was everyone elses bonfire nights?

x

Parkin for bonfire night

Heres the promised blog post on a bit more of my baking! Now parkin is something i have had every year at bonfire night, along with cheesy baked potatoes, veggie hot dogs and cinder toffee. But i really think it must be a yorkshire thing because noone in my halls had heard of it until i made it today. Its a tray bake style ginger cake and its surprisingly easy to make. So here is the recipe i used:

12oz fine oatmeal

6oz plain flour

1tsp ginger

½tsp baking powder

½oz sugar

¼tsp salt (optional)

1lb golden syrup

4oz butter

½tsp bi-carbonate of soda

¼ pint milk

Mix together the oatmeal, flour, sugar, ginger, (salt), baking powder in a large mixing bowl.  

Add the butter to the syrup in a separate bowl and gently warm until the butter is melted. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir well. 

Dissolve the bi-carbonate of soda in slightly warmed milk and then add this to the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.

Pour into a deep greased/lined baking tray.

Bake for 1 ½ hours at 150C.

This is my great grandmas recipe that my mum gave to me, after she had a little shock that the one i find online didnt contain particular ingredients. But it means all the measurements are imperial, i just used google converter to find the metric equivalent.

I forgot to take pictures as i was going along, clearly got far too into the baking, but here's the final product. Quite impressed with how it tastes as well.

x

Bonfire night outfit

Snood, gloves, wellies, coat, jeans

Halloween and bonfire night are definitely two of my favourite times of the year (after christmas of course!) I love the traditions behind them and getting together with friends and family to dress up or go and watch the local fireworks. I am going to a bonfire in the park on monday night and cannot wait. There is a fairground in the evening followed by a big bonfire and fireworks! I was putting together a quick selection of items that i would wear. It usually gets freezing cold and i love to be wrapped up cosy and warm so a good scarf, gloves and thick coat are essential. And the fact these gloves are just pretty cool..

Tomorrow i am hoping to bake some parkin, which no one seems to have heard of at uni!? Will have to see if this new oven is up to standards. If all goes well there should be a blog post up on it :)

x