We went to Disneyland...They made it snow!!

Every child should get to visit Disneyland. Having been to Florida, I was apprehensive that Disneyland Paris wouldn't match my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised!!
For me, Disneyland Paris was just as magical and special, even at 22, I couldn't fault the attention to detail around the park. We were lucky to visit in early December so the park was not only filled with its usual magic, but also Christmas magic. The park was decorated from head to toe in Christmas decor, wreaths, baubles, lights and even snow! After visiting at Christmas I wouldn't visit any other time of year! It got me so excited for Christmas and I was able to buy a few Christmas gifts for family and friends as well as some Christmas decorations for our house.

I was also really lucky to spend the trip with two of my lovely cousins, also massive Disney enthusiasts, so I could go as OTT as I wanted and neither them or the little kids would judge me :) We wore Disney Minnie mouse sparkly ears the whole 4 days, although they looked amazing, they did hurt! Be warned, I think I still have bruises behind my ears now!








We stayed at Disney's Sequoia Lodge just a few minutes walk from the park. Its log cabin effect was perfect for this time of year, its cosy open fires and sparkly Christmas lights made it the perfect place to stay. Its Bambi wallpaper in the rooms finished it off perfectly, in our opinion:) Having stayed at one of the Disney hotels, we were able to get into the Disneyland Park early which was great for photos and to get in the queues to meet the Characters, it also meant we had a free shuttle bus in and out of the park every day, however, we chose to walk through the Disney village back to our hotel most days which was only about a 10 minute walk, it also meant we could pop into the Disney shops every day.
Walking down main street up to the Disney Princess Castle is one of the most amazing feelings ever, whatever age you are, Disney fan or not, if you don't shed a tear i would be surprised. The Disney Christmas dreams firework display , also another tear jerker, was phenomenal and I honestly could have watched it every night. I would highly recommend a visit to Disneyland Paris, even if you have been to Florida, you would not be disappointed!

Bath Christmas Markets & December 25th

Bath is one of my favourite Cities ever. Especially at Christmas. Not only do they have the Bath Christmas markets every year, they also have the December 25Th shop. Every year I visit the markets to indulge in Christmas cheese, mulled wine and mince pies. I love the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle  and the testers of all the local food.

My visit this year was just as magical as ever, with carol singers in the corners of the city, the beautiful Christmas lights surrounding the abbey and copious amounts of Christmas food what more could I want. The Christmas market is only open for two weeks every year, this year from the 27Th of November until the 14Th of December. I always make sure I go in the first few days of it opening, and perhaps again if I can. My favourite time to visit is on an evening, the quaint German style Christmas huts look even more beautiful, you can wrap up warm, have some mulled wine or cider and browse the markets whilst they are lit with the glistening Christmas lights. Maybe even indulge in some roasted nuts, which by the way you can smell around the whole market.

As well as the Christmas markets I also love a visit to the tiny, but perfect, December 25Th shop. As you walk in you feel like you are walking into a film, the shop is very small but full of Christmas decorations. Christmas lights, wreaths and decorations covered in glitter camouflage the shop. They have a corner for each Christmas colour scheme, the decorations vary from traditional to extravagant. The shop not only looks amazing, but smells amazing too and is definitely worth a visit if you are in Bath. I buy a decoration from here every year :)

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December is here ...

The countdown to Christmas is here! Let the advent calenders, Christmas songs, Christmas films & present wrapping commence.

This is usually the time of year where I start to go a bit crazy, I surround myself with all the crazy Christmas shoppers, buy all my gifts last minute and wrap my presents on Christmas eve. This year, I have done everything in advance:) although I feel much less stressed at this point, I do quite enjoy the crazy Christmas atmosphere, so I may indulge in a few extra presents just for fun!

December has already been full of Christmas cheer for me. I had a family Christmas party at the weekend with my in laws, which I must say was hilarious. We all had to wear 'ugly Christmas jumpers' and take part in all sorts of Christmas games, including 'Pin the Nose on the Rudolph', 'Christmas Charades' and of course a Christmas quiz. A bit of alcohol and food thrown into the mix made for a perfect start to December.

Hello December ... :)

Fun Festive buys

This time of year is great for the 'special addition' festive buys. Not only did I pick up some lovely autumn inspired flowers this week, but I have managed to pick up some great Christmas buys as well.


My favourite buy of the week was my shawl from Matalan. It is thick and woolly and wraps around like a cardigan, but has the texture and look of a scarf. The plum, orange and navy colours compliment each other perfectly and make me feel really festive. Matalan had some great Autumn and Winter stock I would recommend a visit!
I have really been embracing the autumn lip this year, so I picked myself up another lipstick product this week. I am usually a fan of the more expensive brands of makeup, but when I am uncertain of weather I might like something I prefer to try a high street brand first. I picked up the Maybelline 'Color Drama' kohl in shade 'Berry much'. Having never used a lip kohl before I was optimistic about whether the colour would be powerful enough and whether the quality would be good. I loved this product, the colour is a beautiful plum colour, the Kohl liner is really easy to apply and wears off the lip naturally. It has a smooth texture on your lips and has a great matte finish. Very impressive high street find :)

I can't help buying Christmas smelling items for the home this time of year. I picked up two fantastic smelling items today at my local supermarket. First, I brought a Glade home spray in 'Warm Spice' It smells of a mix between Cinnamon, Orange and Jasmine. It makes me feel like I am curled up next to a warm open fire with logs burning, its a really beautiful Christmas smell. I also brought a 'Spiced apple' plug in by Ambi Pur, again another really warm Christmas fragrance. I also couldn't resist buying a tiny Christmas tree in a cute red pot...it was calling my name:)

To do list
.Make house smell like Christmas 
.Visit Bath Christmas markets
.Wrap Christmas presents
.Get Christmas Tree
.Make Christmas biscuits

365 Days 'til I say, I DO

365 days 'till I say, I DO.

It is officially the year countdown until I get married. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. The year countdown is exciting but also scary! I'm sure its going to get crazy and busy from here on. So far I have been pretty organised, we have booked our venue, photographer and band/DJ, however, it feels like i still have the biggest list of things to cross off before I am ready for the day!


I have tried to keep my ideas and plans quite secretive as I want everyone to be surprised by everything on the day! I think if you tell everyone all the details it can ruin the magic of what you have created:) I have been to a variety of wedding Fayre's and friends family weddings since getting engaged which have been great inspiration, however personally my favourite resource for inspiration has been Pintrest. Recommended to me by colleagues at work, I have fallen in love with it. Its variety and simplicity helps you create your own boards of magic. I do find some of the ideas can get you ab it too excited and you have to remember to be a bit realistic about how to create what they have created in the pictures, but I have found it really great for inspiration for everything from colour schemes to cakes and even to simple table decorations. It also allows you to keep your boards private which means you can share with friends and family as little or as much as you like:) I will be using Pintrest religiously for the next year for all the final touches!
The next few months of planning for me will consist of Save the dates, bridesmaid dress buying and possibly even the purchase of my dress...

The next year has a lot in store and I'm so excited and ready for it! 365 days and counting...

A bit too early Christmas fun...

Its two weeks before I 'allow' myself to get excited about Christmas, but as usual I have already picked up some new Christmas decorations for our Christmas tree. I simply can't resist. Once the adverts begin on the television , the chocolate, biscuit and mince pies flood the aisles at the supermarkets, I just get too excited.

Our theme for Christmas last year was simple and traditional. Reds, wood effect and a few bits of glitter and gold. I made a lot of my own decorations last year including our wreath and glittery pine cones, which I am going to make again this year along with a table centre piece. I love making my own pieces as I think you can make them exactly to your liking, I also love that it means I can have a whole day dedicated to Christmas decorations and Christmas baking :) Unfortunately, I have to wait till December for that so I treated myself to a few decorations from The Range yesterday.

They had a really good selection of decorations to suit our wood and red theme, I picked just three from a very reasonably priced selection. I do think you have to filter through some of the ' tat ' but overall I couldn't fault their selection. I picked up some soft heart style baubles, with snowflakes and Merry Christmas on. I also picked up some great tartan and wood Christmas tree and star baubles, I think this will look really rustic and pretty on the tree. Finally, I picked out the adorable Reindeer with his orange scarf, I couldn't resist...  I'm not sure the whole collection goes together but I love mixing and matching, no - one likes a perfect tree and I'm sure they will suit all my decorations from last year.

Hurry up Christmas

A visit to the Library

As a child I was an extremely keen reader. I read Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl and of course J.K Rowling. I loved how books opened my imagination to a world of mystery and excitement.

Through my teens reading became Heat magazine, Look and Cosmopolitan. I am now, thankfully, brain dead of gossip magazines. I have turned a corner and found something I really enjoy reading. I believe reading is massively important, it takes you away from reality as well as being relaxing and therapeutic and I am so happy to have found an Author and series I really enjoy.

I introduce you too.. Benjamin Black, The Quirke series.

Benjamin Black is the Pen name of Author John Banville. This series is set in 1950s Dublin and has a total of six books, Christine Falls, Silver Swan, Elegy for April, A Death in Summer, Vengeance and finally Holy orders.

I am currently on the fourth book, A Death in Summer. It happened by chance that I started this amazing series of books. I stumbled across the first, Christine Falls, whilst on a holiday in Spain. It was only on my recent visit to the library that I realised there was a whole collection of these books, this made me very happy after falling in love with the story and characters; I honestly can't put the books down.

As i mentioned the books are set in 1950s Dublin, and tackle all aspects of that era. The books are full of mystery and crime, timed perfectly by Black. Not only have I fallen in love with the family and characters throughout the novels, but also each plot in itself is more exciting through each book I read.

I had to share this fab series and also add to remember to visit your local libraries and bookshops as you never know what you might find :)

November

November is probably one of my favourite months of the year.

November sets in stone the beginning of the cold winter months where we wrap ourselves in scarves & coats, drink hot chocolate and take winter walks through crunchy orange leaves. We indulge in days on the sofa watching movies whilst it rains outside, comfort foods and even a bit of early Christmas shopping, for those of us who are super organised that is :) 

November for me, so far, has included two amazing firework displays, plenty of cosy movie nights, including my favourite Harry Potter! I watch Harry Potter films a ridiculous amount anyway, but this time of year I personally love watching them even more, they feel really Autumnal and Christmassy :) I have enjoyed many a coffee date, mainly involving hazelnut hot chocolates and chocolate brownies. I have also really embraced November the 11Th this year and remembrance Sunday. I brought a lovely knitted poppy and also made some poppy jam tarts. I thought the poppy display in London was really lovely and disappointed I didn't get to visit it. November has also influenced some lovely Autumnal purchases, including my new tartan pillow, some knitted tights and some new candles:)

Happy November :)