July Favorites | 2015

Hello, again! (I promise I will give you a break soon)

I've been so active on my blog over the past week because I've just had so many ideas and so many different things to share with you all. And for this 'monthly favorites' post, I actually have some interesting bits to write about, where as usually when I write these posts I'm sitting in my room racking my brain trying to figure out things I have enjoyed during the month. 

My Journey to a Healthier Body

Tom, who is mentioned in nearly every blog post, has now started a new blog and I reckon it's going to be pretty inspiring to a lot of people. The blog is centered around his journey to a healthier body and lifestyle to boost his self confidence and a healthier lifestyle. It will feature a new post every week with his achievements and progress. From reading a lot of his stuff, from English coursework to previous blog posts, I can assure you he is an amazing writer. He can make anything humorous and has the ability to intrigue a variety of audiences. Personally, I think it is a great idea and I am sure it will go very well for him! You can read his first post here.

Tom's the one right on the left-hand side!

Hannah Maggs 

Hannah Maggs, formally known as Hannah Michalak as she is married now, is a lifestyle/baby vlogger/blogger and makeup artist. Personally I only really watch her family vlogs as this is the sort of thing that interests me more than beauty. 

But let me tell you, the vlogs are so beautifully filmed and capture such an honest representation of parenthood. The highs and the lows. One that particularly moved me was where Hannah and Stefan's baby, Grayson (who is the cutest baby boy ever) fell down a set of outdoor stairs and had a black eye, and Hannah was just so devastated. I nearly cried myself! But that's what I mean, it doesn't capture a perfect 'happy families' life, it shows all the testing moments of being a parent. 

More stationary...

Yesterday I was really naughty and bought myself this adorable notebook from the Little Paperie shop in Ashbourne. I've been in there loads to have a look at stuff and honestly, each time I go into that shop I never want to come out. I always feel really bad though, because when I go in I never really buy anything and they stock so many gorgeous bits of stationary and home decor, so yesterday I treated myself to this Bando journal (£8.50) in preparation for college come September. I hope to supply loads of gorgeous stationary by then so I can feel really pompous when I get my stuff out and everyone else has really boring stationary. 

I joke of course.

But it would be quite nice if I did have nicer stationary.

Tommy Girl fragrance for women by Tommy Hilfiger

Apologies as this photo looks a little out of focus...

I have been an avid buyer of this perfume for about 2 years or so now. It all started off when my mum was telling me how much she loved the smell of it in Duty Free one year when we were going on holiday and she got me to try it, and I could definitely see where she was coming from so she very kindly bought me to a bottle of it. 

Similarly, before I went to Malia this year, she treated me to another bottle as I ran out of my Christmas supply.  

The reason I love this perfume so much is not only the sweet and refreshing scent, but because it brings back so many memories, I have worn this perfume to so many big events in my life such as the first time I met Tom, my brother's graduation, Christmas, my 18th birthday. It is, very weirdly, special to me and I will continue to buy and wear it for a long time.

Also, it makes me feel so sassy when people tell me how nice I smell because of it.

Adult Coloring Books

If you're an arty person, you will know all about this recent and massive craze for adult coloring books. A craze which I have joined. I started out by purchasing the Art Therapy Coloring Book and Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom because I was struggling to cope with my moods and anxiety, and I  read about these books and how they helped control feelings of anxiety through mindfulness. It has also been researched that people at 'panic attack levels' have been given these books, and within minutes there blood pressure went back to normal. 

Sarah, Tom's lovely mother, treated me to the Enchanted Forest Coloring Book and Inky Quest and I am addicted to it. Seriously, I was up until 2.50am this morning finishing the frog picture above. 

Also, you can get miniature versions of the coloring books, so like travel versions which come in handy if you get nervous traveling or even just get bored on public transport. 

My new bike...

I scraped some of my work savings together mid-July and bought this gorgeous, mint green vintage Pendleton bike, and it arrived in my local Halfords store just last week. 

I haven't properly rode a bike for about four years now, not since I went to Germany to see my friend Ann during Summer, and even then I was dreadful. I think I fell off my bike about 14 times then. So imagine how nervous I was during my test ride the other day! I think I burnt more calories shitting myself because I was so scared of being on the roads again, rather than from serious effort!

Malia (of course)

I've spoken about this loads on my blog for the past two months, both the build up and the holiday itself. I'm not going to go on about it too much in this post, but I just want to emphasize how much I really enjoyed it. I loved every moment of it, and it is something we will be doing again very soon. If you want to read more about our encounters in Malia, you can read my little review of it here. 

Harry Potter Marathons 

Harry Potter has always been a big part of my child hood and teenage years, both the books and the films. But more recently, Tom and I have had a Harry Potter marathon (films) for about half a week now and we are enjoying it so much. But we are nearing the end of it now, so we will need something else to watch soon! 

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I hope you guys have enjoyed this monthly favorites post. As I said before, it has been a lot easier to write this month because it's just been packed with fun stuff. 

I hope you're enjoying your Summer! 

Lots of love x