A Horsey Photo Shoot

Recently I've been making an effort to challenge myself photographically over the last few months, but this was way out of my comfort zone. Little known fact about me - I hate horses. Like, really hate them. I don't trust them, and I hate their mouths. I'm aware it's weird to hate horse mouths, but I do. In general, horses make me uncomfortable.

But when the opportunity arose to photograph a casual cross country horse ride, I decided to go with it. It was something a little different and definitely a challenge, but I was really pleased with how the snaps came out. 

An October To Do List

Happy October! 

In my humble opinion, October is the very best, and most beautiful month of the year. I've got so many little autumnal adventures planned for the month and I just can't wait to share them with you! 

September Favourites 2016

I know this is proper monthly favourites cliche, but can you believe that tomorrow is October? I'm simultaneously amazed and a little glad too, this year can do one in all honesty. 

A Starbucks Mug Addiction/Collection

 Let's talk about a little problem I have. Mugs. I can't stop buying them. I hoard them. I collect them. I obsess over them. I don't even use them that much, I just really freaking love them. 

Autumnal Skincare Switches

It's a slow process, but it does seem to be getting cooler round these parts. As far as I'm concerned, Autumn can't come soon enough, but it has been nice to have a few warmer days. Still, it felt like time to make a few skincare switches, to make sure my skin is feeling good.

An A/W Lush Haul

 IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

How I Stay On Top Of My To Do List

Staying on top of your to do list is hard at the best of times, but especially when life is getting in the way. September has been a manic month for me in so many ways, aside from the fact that this is the month we leave London (tonight is our last night in the flat, sob), so there was a lot of life stuff happening, I totally wasn't anticipating my month to start with my dad having a nasty accident. It totally threw me off for the first few weeks, and whilst I'd hoped to spend the month making the most of our last few weeks in London, I've ended up being home in Bournemouth with my dad. 

Despite all this craziness, I've inexplicably managed to stay, mostly, on top of my to do list. Now don't get me wrong, there was a lot of things I wanted to get done this month that wasn't necessary that fell by the wayside, but everything I needed to get done, got done.

So whilst I'm feeling motivated and on the ball, I thought I'd share my tips for getting shit done even when you barely have time to brush your hair. That way if you're feeling frazzled, maybe this will help, and I'll have this to look back on when I inevitably lose my mojo!

Preparing for Fall & Autumn Room Updates

It’s now officially autumn, so I can now talk about it as much as I want, and nobody is allowed to get annoyed at me - woohoo! 

iPhone Only: Wimborne Farmer's Market

 

My main worry about moving back home was that I was going to get bored. Bournemouth is great and all, but it’s no London. We’ve only had Starbucks for a year or two and we still don’t even have a Pret. And everywhere has a Pret.

Things To Do More Often #2

The Last Summer Day

We've been pretty lucky in England this year. Our summers normally consist of one or two weeks of good weather somewhere in July, and a few good days in September, surrounded by grey overcast days. This year though, we've had a good smattering of hot days from May through to mid September, so we've been tricked into thinking we've had a longer Summer! 

The downside is that last week when I was in London doing our first moving day with the van, it was bloody boiling. One of the days hit 34 degrees which is practically unheard of for London, never mind in September. 

It meant that my summer wardrobe had one last hurrah when I skipped out on packing to go meet Katy for a quick lunch! 

 The best thing about being friends with bloggers is having a built in outfit photographer! I roped the wonderful Katy into snapping these for me, hopefully you can't see the fine layer of sweat I'm covered in - I know, glamorous. 

I finally found an A-Line denim skirt that works for me, after months of searching! I was pretty picky, I wanted buttons and pockets, plus because I'm so tall I didn't want it to be too short. After so long searching, I eventually found one in Primark of all places, for the bargain price of £8!

I paired it with one of my favourite breton tops - this slouchy Zara number is so amazing I wish I'd picked up another one, some super comfy Primark sandals, and my Rebecca Minkoff handbag. I love the mix of breton stripes and a bold lip, this one is MAC All Fired Up and it's one of my favourites. Do you see a theme here? It's all my favourites! 

Katy and I hate to break with tradition, so we ended up at Flat Iron for lunch. We had 15 minutes to kill before our table was ready, so we spent those minutes exploring the side streets of our favourite cities. Katy was running around like a mad woman waiting for the perfect person to walk past the pretty painted doors, whilst I found myself in awe of, well, all of it. I'm certainly going to miss this city!

Big thanks to Katy for the outfit snaps!

An Autumn To Do List

Little Luxuries #2

:: Fairy Lights :: The simple joy of a string of fairy lights is highly undervalued in our society. I have a string of copper beauties above my bed that add a little glow to my life.

The Magazine List

When it comes to magazines, I have a little bit of a problem. Perhaps that's what happens when you have a degree in journalism, you become addicted to buying magazines wherever you go. Despite all the magazine hoarding I do, I've never really spoken about them on my little corner of the internet, so last week I rounded up my favourites, to give you a rundown to add to your Sunday Reading List!

Rain in the Forest

Lush Creative Showcase 2016

Conkers

The Sunday Reading List

Ahh Sundays. The best day of the week, no? For me Sundays are all about a long lie in, lazy brunch, and an afternoon catching up on my reading. So in honour of this important Sunday tradition (and because, I'm not sharing my brunch with you. Sorry. I love you, but food) I thought I'd share some good reads you should indulge in this Sunday.

My wonderful friend Carrie shared her Blueberry muffin recipe with the world this week. I highly recommend reading, drooling and recreating. What's a Sunday without baked goods, right? 

Cereal magazine shared some thoughts on Santa Barbara, one of my favourite parts of the world. Worth a click through even if you don't feel like reading, for the stunning images alone.

Need a good coffee table book? Look no further than Cabin Porn. Gorgeous pictures of beautiful woodland retreats, to dream about come Monday morning when you're back at your desk.

The new issue of Suitcase magazine just dropped. If you're passing a WHSmith or you're into digital downloads, pick this up and plan your next vacation. 

This article from The Guardian is an interesting read. Turns out no one wants to buy Twitter. 

The Little Book of Hygge dropped through my letterbox on the first and I've been really loving dipping in and out of it. I'll have a full review of this up soon but, spoiler alert, go buy it.

Let me know in the comments what you're up to today!

Hoping For Autumn

Hey Autumn, where are you?

You're late. You normally arrive as the first Pumpkin Spice Latte is brewed, but September First has been and gone and I still can't find you.

There are signs of you all around. The air is thick and cloudy and leaves are curling at their edges. The rain has arrived and is coaxing us into our homes, and yet you're still not here.

I pulled out my scarves and cosiest jumpers, I've got a purple lipstick that want's to be worn, and yet instead of waking up to the cold chill of a September morning, I wake up to the whir of my fan, and the warmth from the window.

I'm so ready for you Autumn. I can't wait to snuggle under a blanket and read a book while the rain comes down. I'm so excited for an early morning walk in your crisp, misty air. I want to go apple picking on a Sunday morning, and bake a cinnamon apple pie in the evening. I want to have a picnic in the forest where we feast on steaming hot chilli and spicy chai lattes.

I hope you'll be here soon. Summer is great and all, but you, you're my favourite.

All Used Up

It has been an incredibly long time since I've shown you my trash, it was overflowing from the little Selfridges bag in my bathroom. So I figured it was about time I told you about all the products I've used up, and what I'll be repurchasing.

Grazin'

It probably hasn't escaped your notice that I like food. Like, I really like food. I like to be in a constant state of snacking, which isn't always the best state to be in.

I discovered Graze box few my mum a few years ago and became an avid fan. Snacks I could eat without chubbing up? Yes please. They became a bit of a staple in my handbag, school bag, and super handy for travel too. 

So when Graze got in touch with me at the beginning of the summer to ask if I wanted to be one of their digital ambassadors, I said yes pretty quickly. Getting to work with brands I admire is the highlight of my job, so I was honestly so flattered to be approached.

Since then I've been testing out new products and old favourites, and so I've put together a little list for you of all my favourites, in case you feel like getting your snack on too!

Apple and Cinnamon Flapjack: I love all Graze's flapjacks but this one is my absolute favourite. Warm and fruity, it's the perfect handbag pick me up for when you're flagging. 

Fruity Mango Chutney with Black Pepper Dippers: These are SO GOOD. Connor and I normally fight over these because we both love them. Savoury rice dippers flavoured with cracked black pepper, dunked in fresh mango chutney. Deeeeeelish.

Lovely Lemon and Poppy Slice with an Afternoon Infusion: These are so freaking cute, a little slice of lemon and poppy seed cake, with a complimentary teabag too. I imagine these would be perfect to take to work for the 3pm slump. Who doesn't love tea and cake?! 

Herby Bread Basket: A selection of yummy breadsticks, crostini and crackers, in delicious herby flavours. I think this is my favourite savoury snack of theres, I always pick up the big bags of this! 

Tomato and Basil Pizza: Cheesy cashews, tomato breadsticks and basil crunchini. It's that good mix of savoury flavours that keep me going! I'm not normally big on nuts but I love these. 

Honeycomb and Almond Protein Topper: A granola mix of almonds, chocolate coated honeycomb pieces and soy protein. I buy the big bags of this and add a handful to my granola, or in my smoothies!

If you're interested in trying out Graze, you can use the code JAYER2WLP to get a free box!

Are you a grazer? 

Wishing & Lusting

September for me is a strict no-spend month, we say goodbye to our little London home on the 27th, and in preparation for our new place I'm on the save. It's unlikely we'll get into our new place before Christmas, but we'll be going from a fully furnished one bed flat to a much bigger place with no furniture at all. Whilst unusually, I haven't found kerbing my spending to be too difficult, my wishlist has been growing at a rapid rate of knots!

Sundays in Shoreditch

Last month, my lovely lady Tami came to visit me in London, and we used it as an opportunity to explore East London, as she's never been before! We decided to make it a full on girls day, and in all honesty, it was one of the best days I've had in a long time.

The Photo Album: Sunset Drives

Sometimes, I end up with a little collection of photos that I don't really know what to do with. They don't fit with my Instagram, I don't really do the whole Facebook thing, and they don't really seem like enough for a blog post. But I hate to see these photos just languishing on my computer, so I've decided I'm just going to share them anyway! 

Lovely Things #7

Originally this post was going to be a monthly favourites but to be honest, there wasn't really much that stood out from the month, so instead I thought I'd do a round up of things I've been liking, from physical stuff to links and so on! 

Things To Do In London - Kerb Camden

I mentioned in this post that I've taken on a new client, the Louisiana Chilli Shack as part of the work I do as a freelance social media strategist. Louisiana Chilli Shack is currently based at the new Kerb Camden food market, right in the heart of Camden, so over the last few weeks I've gotten to spend a lot of time down at Kerb, and it's been so much fun!

A September To Do List

Happy September folks! I don't know about you but I'm so excited about the arrival of autumn! Autumn is my favourite season of them all, and I have a fall to do list as long as my shopping list. I can't wait for the weather to get colder, and to be able to pull out my autumn wardrobe!

My September Bullet Journal Set Up

It struck me the other day, that although I talk about my Erin Condren Life Planner a lot here, I often neglect to mention my Bullet Journal. In fact, I don't think I've ever done a post on it, so whilst prepping for September I figured it'd be a great opportunity to show you round my journal. 

5 Things: Life Lately

Hey loves, long time no chat. My fault, not yours, life has been crazy. 

I find myself right now in this hectic swirl of events, juggling work, blogging, our move, and trying to make the most of our last few weeks in London. There's been a lot going on, and I honestly am looking forward to the close of September, where I can sit back and breathe a little. 

1. My health hasn't been 100% over the last few weeks. I've been struggling with a lot of unexplained fatigue, dizziness and nausea, which has left me essentially a vegetable half the time. I had a low point last week where I blacked out whilst I was out in the city, which prompted me to get my butt down to the health professionals, who are running some different tests to see what's going on with me. Fingers crossed they get to the bottom of it soon, I'm bored of feeling tired!

2. I've been doing some social media work for the awesome street food company Louisiana Chilli Shack, who are currently set up at Kerb Camden. Because of that, I've been able to spend a lot of time down at Kerb, which has been great fun. I'm not the biggest Camden fan, but there's so much amazing food and such a great atmosphere down there, that I've begun to look forward to my weekly meetings in that part of the city! 

3. My wonderful friend Tami came to visit me on Sunday, and I spent the day showing her some of my favourite East London Spots. I'll have a full post coming later in the week, but let's just say it involved great food, a little pampering, some bargain shopping and flowers! A perfect Sunday if you ask me! 

4. Lucky girl that I am, I was treated to a shiny new Macbook by my wonderful boyfriend this week. I've been thinking about trading in my air for this pretty gold number for a while, and I'm so pleased with it. As I won't be splitting my time between Bournemouth and London anymore, I don't really have a need for my Air, but I still wanted something little for surfing the internet in bed, working in coffee shops or when I travel. I have my desktop for heavy duty video editing and the bulk of my work, but this is perfect for blogging and editing photos on the go! I also got these gorgeous Beats thrown in too thanks to Apple and their great deals! So excited to use them! 

5. And finally things were thrown off kilter this week after my Dad had an accident on his bike on holiday. He's been discharged from hospital now, with some broken bones in his face, some bruised ribs & lots of cuts and scrapes, and should be back in the UK later today. There's a possibility he will need to have surgery in a few weeks time, so I'll be home for the foreseeable. Any good vibes and love you can send his way would be so much appreciated.

Hope you guys are all having a great week, thanks for sticking with me!