February Wishlist.

Click the items below for information on pricing. 

Somehow, I feel it's evident that I would have my shit together if I had the items included in the set above.

While my paycheck won't stretch to allow me to indulge in all of the above, a girl can dream. In the meantime I'm going to give you a lowdown of my favourite items that I wish I could splurge on this month:

Converse: a funny story for you, over Christmas, during the floods that hit the North of the UK pretty bad, and cut off North Wales from the rest of the world I decided to help my family in securing my Nan's house. Obviously, with water nearly up to your knees you would choose to wear the only pair of leather converse shoes you have right? Well to be fair ladies, I had no other choice. I was home from London for Christmas and not expecting mass floods had only brought my beloved converse to wear on my feet. Long story short, Christmas 2015 will forever be the year in which my shoe got sucked into the ground. I'll fill you in on the details another time. *Note to self* Always have a back up pair of shoes. For this reason, I would love to splurge on two pairs of converse - one in candyfloss pink and another leather pair in gold (as seen above).

Unicorn mug: I love unicorns. If you don't love unicorns then this probably isn't the blog for you. I can picture myself chilling out on a Sunday as snug as a bug in the middle of a duvet day, unicorn mug in hand with some yummy hot chocolate and marshmallows. *snapping out of daydream* At £26 this is about six times more than I would usually pay for what is (lets face it) a mug. With this in mind, I'm going to hold off for now, but can see myself caving in pretty soon.

Mac Lipstick: I need a new lipstick in my life. Truth is, I'm all neutralized out from sticking to nude shades all winter, and am feeling something a little more colourful for Spring. I feel a MAC haul coming on next month, as I'll be spending the remainder of this month deciding on a suitable shade. I love pretty much anything coral based, and want to treat myself to MAC. If you have any recommendations please let me know!

So there are my favourite picks from my February wishlist. I'm also coveting the cushions (which would look fabulous in my bedroom), the cat lamp (though I don't know where I would put it) and the dinosaur toy turned cactus pot (at £12 why not?)

Do you have anything on your February wishlist? I would love to see your picks!

*Healthy* Oatmeal Muffins - You Can Thank Me Later.

Now I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, these aren't exactly 100% healthy muffins, but they are probably the healthiest muffins you'll ever eat. 

I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and instantly wanted to give them a go because they looked amazing. I had my apprehensions, because they're gluten and sugar free - and to be honest, anything I've had before that's both gluten and sugar free tasted similar to cardboard. These on the other hand actually taste really nice, but I guess you'll just need to try them yourself. 

The Recipe: (6 servings)

You will need: 
1/2 cup of milk.
1 cup of quick oats (You'll need to split these in half later as mentioned in method below).
1 medium egg.
2 tablespoons of unsweetened apple sauce, or juice an apple if you'd prefer.
2 tablespoons for splenda sweetener.
1 tablespoon of baking powder.
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.
1 pinch of salt.
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence or extract.
1/2 cup of blueberries and a banana. ( or any other fruit or nuts etc. that you may want to add into your muffins).
1/4 cup of margarine for greasing the tin - unless you use muffin/cupcake cases like i did.

Method: 
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Grease the muffin tin with margarine or place the muffin/cupcake cases in a muffin tin.

In a small bowl combine the milk and half the oats (unground oats). Let them soak for around 10 to 15 minutes.

Grind the other half of the oats in a food processor, until the consistency is similar to coarse flour. Grind as finely as desired.

In another bowl beat together the egg and apple sauce, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir into the oatmeal mix from the first bowl (milk and oat mixture). Add ground oats mixture, splenda, baking powder and salt. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.

Gently mix in your blueberries and bananas (or whichever fruit or tasty filling you've chosen) into the wet mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin until the cups are around 2/3 full.

Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of them comes out clean.

TIP: You'll want to eat these warm, and they're great at breakfast time or before a trip to the gym.

Original recipe posted by keepsmilyn on Big Oven.

10 Facts About Me

One of the main things I want to stick to in blogging is being myself. I think that to be able to stick with this idea, and to be true to myself - I need to get a little personal on the blogging front. With this in mind, here are 10 random facts about me, to help you get to know me on a more personal level.

1. My middle name is Rebecca.
2. I have a degree in Writing Fashion & Culture and have written on a freelance basis for companies and publications including Boden UK, London Fashion Week, Company Magazine and Phoenix Magazine to name a few.
3. Though by night I'm (now) an avid blogger - by day I'm a Marketing & Communications Professional based in London, UK.
4. I have been with my boyfriend for five years (six in September). He's my lobster.
5. When I was a child I was petrified of dogs, until my parents adopted an abandoned cross breed. We named her Dot, and she made my childhood complete. Now, I love dogs and can't wait until I'm able to get one of my own.
6. I stayed in Brownies until I was 13. I was eventually politely encouraged to join the Girl Guides.
7. I originally come from North West Wales, and speak fluent (native) Welsh. My favourite place in the World would be Dinas Dinlle. (The best part of the Welsh coast line - that's where I am in the image above).
8. I've always hated milk and have never been a huge fan of cheese - I recently found out I am lactose intolerant. Coincidence?
9. I always feel more confident when I'm wearing lipstick. My favourite shades are coral and nude.
10. Last year I was diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome) and am still figuring it all out.

I hope this mix of ten random facts have helped to help you in getting to know me. I'd like to think of myself as an open book - so if you find you have anything in common with me from this post, or should you wish to discuss anything further, let me know. I'd be happy to chat!

My personal style inspiration on Pinterest.

Ladies, hands up if you're on Pinterest. So I'm on there, but in all honesty I've been keeping a pretty low key profile. I'd love for you to come and have a look at my boards. If you like what you see below and would like to hop over...click here.

This particular board is called Stylish Streets, and it's basically based around street style.

Below, I've enlarged some of my favourite pins on this board to date - these are looks I would feel comfortable trying out myself. Though I love keeping it casual, I'd never say no to a faux fur stole! 

Pinned by richgirlsss.blogspot.com.

Who said grey was boring? In my opinion the outfit shown in the image below goes to show that mixing up your textures really makes a difference to the look and feel of your outfit! (No pun intended). 

Pinned by This is Glamorous.

 As I'm putting this post together I can actually hear the wind howling outside. Can you tell? I don't know what the item in this next image is exactly, but it's wool, it's chunky, it's knitted. Enough said.

Pinned by luxeandlillies.blogspot.com.

 This next outfit (in image below) is just my kind of look. Casual, stylish and simple.

Pinned by Bloglovin.

What type of outfits do you usually go for? Do you have a Pinterest account? If so, please feel free to leave links to your accounts in the comments for this post. I always love seeing what other people are posting. I hope you like what you've seen here. If you do, please do stop by my Pinterest account. I look forward to seeing you there! :-) 

Changing Rooms: Dreaming of the Spring.

Stuck in the middle of Winter, I find myself dreaming of the Spring. So much so, I want to start thinking of how I can transform my bedroom without having to completely redecorate.

Since moving into the new flat with Scott, I've more or less focused on the living room - as this is where we spend the majority of our time. I am however getting bored of a boring bedroom that has no coordination or theme in sight.

For those of you who know me you'll know that I'm very indecisive, with this in mind I know that I need something that's not too committed to a colour palette, something crisp and light to really grasp the feel of spring.

Dreaming of Spring by hello-louisedawson featuring a silk flower arrangement

Canvas: Something I don't usually go with is art work. Don't get me wrong I love art, but have never really felt the need for it before. Now however, in the new flat, we have large white walls that do look a bit bare. I saw this canvas and instantly new it was something I needed in my life. The price comes in at just under 100 dollars, approximately around seventy pounds. Though affordable, I would grudge paying for something that I think I could have a go at first. I do consider myself to be quite creative, and so this is something I'm going to try out in the next couple of months. Once I've gotten around to doing it, I'll write up a post about it and you can be the judge of whether or not it was worth my time!

White bedding: There's something I've always liked about white bedding. I don't know whether this is because it looks clean, crisp and welcoming, or because I associate it with a good nights sleep at a nice hotel. Either way, this is something I'm certain on getting for the makeover of my bedroom.

Moroccan pom pom blankets: At £90 - £120 a piece, these blankets are more expensive than I would usually consider. Having said this, I've not personally seen anything like these blankets anywhere. If you have, please let me know! I've really fallen in love with these, but I'm going to park them on my wish-list for the time-being.

Pillow-Cases: Pillow cases can easily be changed to suit any theme, colour palette, style or look you may be going for, so this suits my indecisive personality just fine. This particular pillow case comes in at £17 (just for the one). I definitely would like something like this that compliments the spring season, and also adds a bit of cuteness. I am going to look for a cheaper alternative, perhaps even a cushion that would add the same value to the look I'm going for. I might, might, even try getting creative and putting something similar together myself. I'll keep you updated on that front too.

Tulips: My Grandpas garden used to be flooded with tulips throughout the Spring and so to me, tulips are indeed the flowers of Spring.Yes, they'll die in due course but equally yes, they'll compliment the room. If it means I spend my months wages topping up a vase of tulips, then so be it!

These are only ideas at the moment, but I'm really loving this concept. If you guys have any knowledge of more affordable versions, then do please let me know in the comments. 

Moschino SS16 RTW

In my own opinion, Moschino is the brand that injects a whole heap of fun into the fashion industry. Though I don't think I could personally pull off a traffic cone as a hat, there are surely elements of Moschinos spring summer collection that I can incorporate into my summer wardrobe. Yes, really.

From looking through Moschinos SS16 look book, the theme is evident. As models walk down the runway, you're warped into a wacky carwash: traffic cones, some splashes of fluorescent colour, dusters - the lot.

In case you're in doubt, the models sashay down the runway in between road signs, traffic cones, traffic lights and what appears to be an actual car wash taking place - bubbles and all. Here's a video so you can see the evidence for yourself: A little Zoolander-ish you might agree?

Watched the video? Great, now to keep you sane, I can and will confirm that you're not tripping. Though I do think this is the feel most of us get after watching a Moschino runway show.

In the beginning of this post I said I would be able to incorporate parts of this collection into my summer wardrobe, and I wasn't joking. I'll be bringing in some fluorescent accessories here or there, and I would love to get my hands on this bag:

In addition to that, here are a few of my favourite pieces from the show that I might look to draw some inspiration from:

 

 Whatever your opinion, I think it's fair to say that there's nothing quite like Moschino.

Catherine Quinn SS16 RTW

With a chic colour palette (black, black, or...black) sleek lines, a handful of textures and an essence of androgyny, Catherine Quinn's spring summer 2016 collection is everything you need in your wardrobe, and then some.

I've rounded up my personal favourites from Quinn's SS16 look book - I for one will be using these ensembles as inspiration for the staple pieces of my spring summer wardrobe this year.

To me, fashion is all about playing with your personal style. There are thousands of pieces sent strutting down the runway each year, and from those it's up to you to get down to business and decide what you want to go with.

There are a few things I love about Quinn's collection for SS16.
1) My favourite colour is black. It's chic, it's clean, it's uber stylish and goes with absolutely anything and everything - though of course my favourite colour to wear it with would be...yep, you guessed it - black.
2) I'm really into the idea of building my career at the moment, and I think wearing pieces so structured and consecutive would really make me feel the part. Each piece in Quinn's collection also looks quite simple - which to me whispers both elegance and chic.
3) Textures. Don't feel I need to justify this one.
4) Last but not at all least, i'm vibing casual and dressed up vibes from these pieces. For you normal people that means I feel that I could rock these with a top knot and a pair of Nike Airs or equally so with a lipstick and a pair of sexy heels.

What do you love about this collection? Click here to hop through to Vogue.com to take a look at Catherine Quinn's spring summer 2016 look book. You won't regret it.