Petite Problems

25/09/2014

Hello everyone!

Don't you just hate it when you're looking for a new coat, a pair of trousers or even a dress and nothing seems to fit right? Just lately I seem to be experiencing this problem more than ever and not just with clothes - with shoes too! I am a different size in each shop and honestly can't say I am just one size.

I've just been on a quick trip into the town near where I live with my nana this morning and went into Dorothy Perkins. I decided to look for a new winter coat being as they have a 30% off everything at the moment and tried on a few. The first one was a petite size 6 which fit perfectly on my body but was a little too short on my arms. The next coat was a size 8 but ended up being way too big and I thought I would try on a small size 10 (more like a size 8) which did look lovely though was also too big for my little body. It's strange because when I tried on a size 8 coat in Matalan the other day - it fit perfectly, so I will probably end up going for that one. Every shops size is different! A size 8 in shop A isn't the same as the one in shop B.

Just recently I've lost a lot of weight due to illness which has caused me to go down a few sizes so I have bought a whole bunch of smaller clothes until I put the pounds back on again. I've not only gone down in clothing sizes but my feet have shrunk from a 5 to around a 4 and sometimes even a 3 (it depends where I purchase the shoes from). I never knew it was possible for feet to shrink - hehe!



I would just love to have a fashion designer who tailors clothes for me and my body. It would be so much easier than traipsing round different shops spending endless hours in the changing rooms just to find something to fit! Hopefully when I've put on weight I will find it a little easier to find clothes to fit me right.

Overall I've found that I fit into most things in my size at New Look, they have a great range and a lot of pretty clothes to choose from in different styles. I have quite a wide variety of New Look clothes in my wardrobe. Talking about this has made me want to have a quick online stroll around the clothes shops websites - not to say I will buy anything because I ideally need to try the items on.. but there is no harm in having a sneaky peaky right? ;)

Do any of you girls out there have the same problem when finding clothes to fit?

Lots of Love, 
Koren 
xo 

The British Tag

Hello there everyone!




I have decided to do the British Tag as I am proud to be British and thought it would be an interesting post to do for all of you to read. I haven't actually been tagged by anyone but thought I should start the ball rolling for me and my close blogging friends, there's always got to be someone who does it first otherwise these things will never start, right?


How many cups of tea do you have a day and how many sugars?
I have around 3-4 cups of tea and they're always strong (wish a dash of milk) and no sugar. I don't think tea with sugar in tastes very nice - I love the refreshing crisp taste without.

Favourite part of your roast?
Well because I'm a vegetarian I am definitely NOT going to say the meat! I would have to say the yorkshire puddings - they're just lovely, or the mash potatoes. Yum.

Favourite dunking biscuit?
My favourite dunking biscuits are the digestive or malted milk. The malted milk biscuits tastes gorgeous when dipped into tea, its very soothing and melts in your mouth when all soggy from the tea.

Favourite quintessentially British pastime?
I would say my love for a good bargain, I am constantly trying to get a good bargain on anything I buy. Whether it be using a voucher code from a website, buying something in the sale or second hand! I love looking in charity shops and purchase quite a few of my things (especially books) from them. Looking for a bargain is quite a British thing to do hey?

Favourite word?
I honestly do not have the slightest clue what my favourite British word is, there are too many to choose from.

Cockney rhyme slang?
I quite like the saying "Apples and Pears" for stairs, it sounds pretty cool. I'm off up the Apple and Pears to bed *giggles*.

Favourite sweet?
Oh wow my favourite sweet would have to be the Foxes Glacier Fruits (boiled fruit sweets). They're absolutely gorgeous, so juicy and tasty.

What would your pub be called?
I would call my pub Rose and Crown because I think it sounds pretty. I love roses, it just reminds me of something elegant and royal.

Number 1 British person?
I would have to say Kate Middleton, she's just so beautiful and a great role model for all women throughout Britain! My grandad works in the last ever lace factory in the UK and made the lace on Kate's wedding dress, though he didn't find out until after the wedding! We were all so proud of him.

Favourite shop/restaurant?
My favourite shops are Paperchase and Primark and I don't really eat out at restaurants (because of my emetophobia) so I can't comment on that.

What British pop song comes into your head?
Well it's not a pop song but the British anthem of course.

Marmite
Well.. you either love it or hate it. I am a lover of Marmite, from when I was a little girl (my uncle got me into it).



Well that's the end of the British Tag and I really enjoyed it! I want to tag Emily, Catherine, and Rosie and of course, anyone else who would like to join in.

Thank you for reading this.
Lots of Love
Koren

xo














My September Paperchase Wishlist

24/09/2014

Hello there everyone!

A lot of you may know already that I love Paperchase and would love to buy everything displayed in the whole entire shop, that would be a dream come true for me! I'm obsessed with stationery and have WAY TOO MANY notebooks, pens, stickers and other items. I love girly stationery the most - anything with the colour pink on, butterflies, flowers etc. At Paperchase there is a whole variety of stationery and they also sell phone/tablet cases, headphones, bags and keyrings along with a whole host of other things which makes me very happy indeed. Whenever I go into town with my boyfriend at the weekend we always end up in Paperchase and he just stands there waiting for me to take a long look around without complaining, bless his heart.. that's just one of the many reasons I love him.

Anyway the reason for this post is to show you girls my September Paperchase Wishlist! I get so excited looking at the website here (go on, take a look) you know you want to! I was looking at the website earlier on today and found four items which I really, really want and wanted to share them with you all. Here they are..






Number 1 - Butterflies Mechanical Pen
The first one is this really pretty pink butterfly pen! I think it's a great pen as it's got a sort of vintage look to it and I love the little charm which is attached to the end of it. There is also another version of this in a sort of grey colour though I'm not keen on that one (probably because it's not pink, haha). You can purchase this here.

Number 2 - Elephants Hand-stitched Notebook
This is the picture on the bottom left, the beautiful hand-stitched notebook! It looks very well made, suitable for somebody who likes to carry a notebook around with them, I think it would be a good notebook to take to college. I love the design and have a writing set which matches this. I may just have to get it to add to my snazzy elephant collection. Another thing which attracts me to this is all of the wonderful bright colours. You can purchase this here.

Number 3 - Lush Mush mini sticky notes
These are so cute and I love the little designs inside. There are a few animal sticky notes including a cat and owl, 5 different colour thin sticky notes and a main larger one with a cute little bird sat at the top of a tree on it. I am a person who likes to write everything down and am extremely organised - these are perfect for that streak in my personality. You know I'm going to say that the PINK colour is just the best! (Pinkaholic Syndrome Warning). You can purchase this here.

Number 4 - A5 glitter cupcake week to view diary 2015
This diary is just perfect for me, I adore cupcakes, the colour pink and glittery stuff - can a diary get any better?! I also love the funky repetitive design. I love having a diary because as I said above I like to jot everything down so I know what's what and I am quite a forgetful person so it's useful to have it down on paper where it'll stay (unlike my fish like memory, 3,2,1 and it's GONE). I may purchase this diary for next year, but am not too sure yet as I already have one, ouch! Can a girl have too many diaries? *squeezes eyes shut and hopes you say no*. Anyway, you can purchase this here.


I hope you've enjoyed looking at my mini September Paperchase Wishlist and hopefully I've inspired you to get some more lovely stationery.

Where do you like to purchase your stationery from?

Lots of love, 
Koren
xo


That Autumn Feeling (Life Update)

Hello everyone,

I can really tell that Autumn is coming especially in the mornings when there is such a chill in the air but thankfully it's been quite warm still throughout the middle of the day (nothing can beat the warmth).The sun is shining down right now and I am sat in my lovely bright, warm conservatory with my cat enjoying a cup of tea, my fave.

I had a job trial yesterday afternoon from 1:30 until 4:30 which went quite well, the position is for an "Office Junior" where I will hopefully get trained up on all aspects of working within this sort of sector (that's if I am successful in getting the job). The office is quite small with just three other ladies working there - my ideal kind of environment. I was quite nervous as I took a walk to the office and had to take some deep breaths though after I'd been there for a little while I soon calmed down and felt comfortable. They got me to do a whole variety of jobs which I really enjoyed! I will know if I have got the job next Monday or Tuesday, hopefully.

I've done some more baking today and I feel that they had quite an Autumnal feel to them, I made some Honey, Fruit and Nut Flapjacks (I sort of made up my own recipe) and a flourless Banana Bread which has desiccated coconut, milk and once again "Crunchy Nut Clusters" in them amongst other ingredients - I seriously can't get enough of that cereal! ITS SO DELICIOUS. The Flapjacks turned out incredibly well and are scrumptious to eat though the Banana Bread ended up being a little more sticky than I would of liked. Next time I bake Banana Bread, I'll try a different recipe or tweak the one I used!

Looking outside now through the windows I can tell that the weather is a little more chilly as the warmth of the day is fading and the trees are blowing in the wind. I'm going to stop writing now and think about what I want for my tea later on,  I might have some Sundried Tomato Basmati Rice (Tilda) which I've not tried before, but looking forward to. I bought it last night on mine and the boyfriends trip to Tesco's and also bought some new snacks to try including a Red Berry mix, Kiwi pieces and sweetened dried Apple - I'm trying to cut down on my obsession with chocolate and replace it with healthier things which I think will help with my IBS.

What do you have planned for this evening?

Lots of love,
Koren
xo





My Honey, Fruit and Nut Flapjacks

The Liebster Award

19/09/2014


Hello there everyone!

I have been nominated by the lovely and beautiful Emily-Rose (you can find her amazing blog here) to do the Liebster Award! This is a great way to get the word about smaller blogs who have fewer views. So here goes... 


The Rules

You must answer 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you



You must link back to the person who nominated you



You must nominate 11 bloggers (with under 200 followers) and give them 11 new questions



You can not nominate the person who nominated you



You need to leave your nominees a link to your page so they know what to do


The Questions

1. What genre of blog do you read the most? Beauty, fashion, lifestyle, or other?
I mostly read lifestyle blogs, I'm very interested in how other people live their lives including the way they eat such as any baking recipes, where they get their stationery from, their shopping wish lists, a new good book or just a general update of life. I could scroll through these sort of posts forever and they'll never fail to entertain me.

 
2. Are you a Summer or Winter person?
This is such an easy one for me to answer - Summer! I love the longer days, the sunshine, the chance to wear pretty clothes without having to cover them up with a coat, the beautiful flowers which come to life among other things! I hate being stuck indoors and love to visit places in the summer like the zoo.


3. What's one thing people may not know about you?
One thing people who aren't that close to me won't know about me is I have a severe phobia of sick! (Emetophobia) It is such a debilitating condition to have which effects every day life from going out with friends, going on holiday to eating due to daily panic attacks. I would say that eating is the biggest problem for me and I am quite underweight.

4. What are your top three travel essentials?
My top three are sun lotion as I burn VERY easily (boo!), some fruity boiled sweets to suck on the plane and an entire case full of new pretty summery clothes/bikinis. 

5. If you could time travel to another era, where/when would you go?
I would love the chance to be able to travel back to the swinging sixties. I adore all of the fashion, hairstyles, make-up and music from that era and am so jealous that my grandparents got to live through it! I would love to look like Audrey Hepburn even though she was born in 29' - she's beautiful.

6. If you were the opposite sex, how different do you think you would be?
I honestly don't know the answer to this question, maybe I would be different? I do think that I would look pretty camp with the way I'd dress my self. I would constantly be in tight jeans and designer shirts with my hair like Spencer's from Made In Chelsea. Yeah, I think I would be a MIC boy.

7. What's the one beauty product you wish you never bought?
I can't really say one in particular because I haven't bought one I haven't liked in a while, maybe some cheap foundation which didn't sit on my skin right?

8. How would you describe you fashion style?

I would describe it as simply VERY GIRLY! I adore cute, ditsy, floral things.

9. What are your top five films?

I haven't got a top 5 though I do have a top 1 - 
DIRTY DANCING



10. Do you have a happy place? If not, describe what your happy place would be like

My happy place is my bedroom when I have my candles lit and a good book in hand! I feel the most happiest and safest at home especially when I am feeling very anxious that day (which is quite often, like now) :(

11. Post a selfie!




I nominate

Rosie at - 
http://www.rosielucky.co.uk/

Catherine at - http://catherine-cleevely.wix.com/simplybeauty

(Okay so this isn't 11 people but these are my two best friends and the only blogs I know with fewer than 200 followers) 


The questions for my nominees
1. What did you do and play as a child?
2. What's your favourite hobby (other than writing a blog)?
3. Do you prefer the countryside or the city?
4. What made you start a blog?
5. What's your favourite food and drink?
6. What is your idea of heaven?
7. How do you like to start your day?
8. What's your favourite season?
9. What's the best thing to you about Christmas?
10. What are you doing most days at 5pm?
11. How do you relax?

And there we have it, my completed Leibster Award - I hope you've enjoyed reading it. 

Lots of love,
Koren 
xo




Recipe: Crunchy Nut Cluster Vanilla Drops

My Paperchase Recipe Book!
Hello there everyone!

How are we all on this rather dull Friday lunch time? I hope you're not letting the weather get you down TOO much. I've just been on a quick walk to the local shop and bakery with my Nana, I can tell you that Autumn is definitely on it's way and it's best to be positive about it. I absolutely love to see the view of orange and brown leaves falling from the trees ready to crunch as you walk through them in the crisp Autumn air.

This is just a quick post of the recipe which I wrote about when I had a baking day here. I am an avid baker and sometimes like to twist things around when making recipes. I don't change the recipe ENTIRELY but I just try a few subtle changes such as using Crunchy Nut Clusters instead of Cornflakes in this recipe (which does taste much better in my opinion).

Crunchy Nut Cluster Vanilla Drops

Prep Time: 10-20 Minutes
Serves: 18 little balls
Cooking Time: 17 Minutes

Ingredients
4oz/100g Softened Butter
2oz/50g Caster Sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla Essence
4oz/100g Plain Flour
oz Crushed Crunchy Nut Clusters 
Yummy!

Method

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy

2. Stir in flour and Crunchy Nut Clusters (crushed)

3. Roll out 18 little balls, then flatten slightly

4. Put on baking tray well apart

5. Bake on 190C/375F/Gas no 5 for 17 minutes

6. Leave on tray for 1 minute before transferring to cooling tray

7. Sprinkle with caster sugar or more clusters if desired


And there we have it my lovely bakers! I hope you enjoy baking these as much as I do (I'm going to bake them in about an hours time - yay). They're extremely easy and a firm family favourite for us.

Please let me know of any recipes you think I should try!

Lot's of love, 
Koren xo



  

Book review: A Proper Family Holiday by Chrissie Manby

16/09/2014

Hello there everyone!

I hope you're all well and enjoying your Tuesday with whatever you're up to. I have just finished reading another book and would like to do a little review for you all.

'Could you survive a week-long holiday with your entire family? Newly single magazine journalist Chelsea Benson can't think of anything worse. 

Your grubby small nephew torpedoing any chance of romance with the dishy guy you met on the plane... Your eighty-five-year-old granddad chatting up ladies at the hotel bar... Sarcastic comments from your older sister who's always been the family favourite... And all this is before your parents drop their bombshell.

Is a week enough time for the Bensons to put their differences aside and have some fun? Or is this their last ever proper family holiday?'

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down when I had to do other things! It took me around 2-3 days to read (like most of my books).

This book is based around the Benson family taking a weeks cheap holiday in Lanzarote for Jacqui's (Chelsea's mum) 60th birthday. It has sibling rivalry and family misunderstandings throughout the book though it is written in quite a comical way - it made me giggle a lot of the time!

Chelsea and Ronnie are sisters and haven't spoken in two years but the story is written in a clever way where you get both of their perspectives of the situation. You soon realise that they have a warped view of each other's lives, thinking that other has the better.

This story is hilarious, fun and fast paced, perfect for a beach read whilst you relax on hopefully not quite as an eventful holiday as the one occurring in the book!

I would definitely recommend it for all of you who likes a great holiday read to pop into your beach bag! You can purchase it on Amazon here.

The next book which I am about to begin is Sophie Kinsella's - Twenties Girl! (I shall do a review of this after I've read it - hopefully in a few days time)

Lots of love,
Koren
xo







Let's bake!

05/09/2014

Hello there everyone!

Crunchy Nut Cluster Vanilla Drops
I hope you're all doing okay and have had a great week with whatever you have been up to. At least the working week has come to an end now and you can relax for the weekend. What do you all have planned? I think I'm going to do a bit of shopping tomorrow as I need to get a few bits and bobs from Tesco's. I also need to clean out my cute little lady Poppy (the hamster) oh what fun!

I'm at home a lot being as I don't have a full time job and can get quite bored but one of my favourite past times is baking. I have a variety of different hobbies but baking has and always will be one of the most enjoyable for me!

Cheesy Loaf
I bake all sorts from cakes, scones to biscuits and loafs. I have a cute recipe book from Paperchase which was around £8 where I write the recipes I make the most often. I would love to build up my collection and fill the whole thing.

Today I have been baking and I've made a homely Cheese Loaf out of my nana's old recipe book and something I call "Crunchy Nut Cluster Vanilla Drops". They're originally called Cornflake Vanilla Drops but I much prefer them with the other cereal! Either of them do taste lovely though, it's whichever one you fancy putting in. I will write a post with the recipe in for you keen bakers to try! :)

Do you have any scrumptious recipes which I am able to try? I would love to hear from you so I can discover some new baking recipes.
Lots of love,
Koren
xo