My Trip To London

I'd been wanting to go to London for a couple of years now and on Tuesday last week I finally got round to going with thanks to my lovely boyfriend (Tom) paying for my train tickets and the use of my newly bought student rail card - containing photograph of me looking like a serial killer. 
      We were lucky enough that we did not need to pay for accommodation as Tom's Auntie and Uncle kindly let us stay at their house which was like my dream house; a high ceiling Victorian house including bay windows and the ultimate bathroom need, a roll top bath. Tom was right when he said I would love it and not want to leave! 


When we arrived in London last Tuesday we had a look around Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street which was really exciting for me seeing the huge Topshop on  and some of my favourite shops on Carnaby Street - Dahlia, Dr. Martens, Benefit and Lazy Oaf among a few. I have wanted to see Carnaby Street for a couple of years now due to it's high influence and popularity in the Sixties. If I was given a time machine one of the first places I'd go would be Carnaby Street in the 1960's with out a doubt!
Feeling peckish we came across a Byron - Proper Hamburger on Beak street which we've wanted to try for a while when out in Manchester. I tried the Byron burger that I quickly polished off, I found the Byron sauce particularly tasty! I'd give it a 9.6 out of 10, if you're a fan of burgers I would definitely recommend it. But, don't worry if you're a vegetarian they have few options for you too, such as their Bean Patty or maybe try one of their tasty salads. 
After sleeping like a baby probably due to walking what was definitely the most I have walked in one in my entire 21 years of living, we headed to the Natural History Museum. The museum resembling a sauna and was packed with children, maybe not the best idea going during the week when children have either broke up from school for summer or are having their final week trips with their classes. Non the less I loved looking around and taking plenty of photographs of course! I had to take an obligatory photo of  the dinosaur skeleton that is placed in the main hall of the museum, it just had to be done. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best photo going, so enjoy the photos that Tom took inside the museum instead. 

In the afternoon it all got hella exciting as I was lucky enough to be going to the Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum. I had seen the exhibition and knew I wanted to go back in April/May but, I knew I couldn't afford the tickets. Being super lucky the Tom's Auntie had a pass for the exhibition which meant she could bring a guest for free,! Never have I been so excited, I was not disappointed at all. It was everything I expected and more, the way McQueen's pieces were presented was amazing, using the room as a back drop for his masterpieces really set them off (not that they need it). I literally could have spent hours in there, especially looking at the Cabinet of Curiosities home to many of Alexander's pieces of work are displayed from shoes to headgear to dresses to capes. I just stood there in awe for the majority of my time in there. I really wish I could have take photographs of it all. If you love fashion this a must see exhibition for you! 

On the Thursday we packed up our things and with my suitcase in had we explored London, sort of slowly making our way to train station. Having a bit of a nerdy moment we went for a look around Forbidden Planet and holy guacamole was it a treat for somebody who's a fan of Star Wars! 

So that was my trip to London! Sorry, this has been quite a long post, I hope you enjoyed it.

I hope to go back again for longer so I have time to have a good look around all the shops :-)

(a sneaky photo taken of me taking photographs, Tom meeting his long lost brother)

{disclaimer - photo of Carnaby Street found on google images, photo of Byron Hamburgers window belongs to Byron Hamburgers them self and photo of McQueen's exhibition belongs to the Victoria and Albert museum.} 

Would anybody like me to do a full post on my visit to V&A's exhibition of Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty? Please leave a comment if your would like me to.

Love from

Katie
x

Netflix Tag

I thought I'd do this tag because as a student it becomes a daily essential to cure boredom and avoiding uni work -oops.

1. What are your favourite series' to watch on Netflix?

The Office U.S is one of my favourite programmes ever, it has Steve Carrel in it so what more do you want?

2. What are you currently watching on Netflix? Nothing at the moment as I'm at home for Summer but, I have been watching My Mad Fat Diary on Channel 4 On Demand, which I got so into and finished in about 4 days. 

3. If you could have any series, old or new on Netflix, what would it be? Hmm thats a good question, probably The Middle!

4. What is your one peeve about Netflix? The devastating moment you finish a tv series and you end up having to scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll to find something to watch. There are loads of films on there that nobody has ever heard of!

5. What are your essentials for a perfect night with Netflix? 
Some snacks, being in my pyjamas(obviously), a duvet and my boyfriend is my ideas of a perfect Netflix night.

6. Recommend one series or film for someone else? 
Breaking Bad is a must and for a giggle the Office.
7. Name a series on Netflix you keep meaning to watch but haven't yet? 
Hmm none right now!

8. Did you discover anything awesome because of Netflix? hmm I did discover Brooklyn Nine which I love! I also discovered the Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt another favourite which I can't wait to come back on!

New Bedroom Wishlist

Back in January my lovely Dad kindly decorated my bedroom, new wallpaper, new carpet, the lot! I was a little sad to see my floral wallpaper, pink and lavender paint colour scheme (that I've had since I was probably 15 years old) go. On the upside my bedroom makeover also consisted of getting a new bed, woop woop! This was definitely a big deal for a girl who's had the same bed since the age of 4 (yes, 4 years old, you did hear that right). So, of course I had to pop to my favourite place for all things home wear/furniture related...IKEA in order to get my new bed. After, much umming and erring I decided on an oak look bed with under bed storage called MALM, the drawers on the sides of the bed are prefect for me, somebody who has lots of bits and bobs (pieces of art I've made, big folders and things that just have no place). So another big change was the wall paper, which I'm in love with! It's basically a collage of vintage postcards from destinations such as Paris, London, India and New York on a wallpaper.

This is just a small section of the wallpaper.

I am slowly getting all my bits and pieces back in my room but, I still need to buy items like storage, photo frames and wall art etc. So, here is my wishlist that I have gathered from various websites.

1. Audrey Hepburn Wall art - B&Q // 2. White Ceramic box - H&M // 3. Ornate Scroll Cutwork photo frame - M&S // 4. Light Pink Ceramic box - H&M // 5. C'est La Vie! cushion - H&M // 6. White Lantern - H&M // 7. Bird Heart photo frame - M&S // 8. Metal Wire basket - H&M // 9. Marilyn Monroe Wall art - B&Q

I have a decent space on one of my bedroom's wall which I want to turn in to a photo wall gallery (you know the Pinterest kind) so I thought the Audrey and Marilyn photos would be perfect for that. I'm loving the cute little ceramic boxes in this wishlist, definitely need so I hopefully will stop losing all my bobby pins, seriously where do they all go? How nice are both of the photo frames which I will put family photos in, I love how the white frame looks like branches joining to form a heart with birds perched on the top. The metal wire basket would be used to put my hair dryer and straighteners in, I may get an actual box with a lid for them instead as I don't like the wires of my hair dryer etc being on show as I think they look messy (but hey that's just me).  The monochrome cushion with the line 'C'est la Vie!' would go nicely in my room as my wallpaper is quite colourful and it wouldn't clash with all the colours and I think the line 'that's life' is something I should listen to, as I worry far too much! I think the white lantern is so cute with the cut out details.

10. Grid photo frame - Urban Outfitters // 11. Ornate Bronze mirror - Urban Outfitters // 12. Paris Souvenirs wall art - B&Q // 13. Cream Floral drawers - George Asda // 14. Dachshund letter organiser - ModCloth // 15. Memo board - Urban Outfitters // 16. Stay Wild Framed wall art - Urban Outfitters // 17. Vintage four Aperture photo frame - George Asda // 18. Lavender in a Jug - George Asda

With the grid photo frame I would be able to make a collage of photos that bring back happy memories to have on my wall, it would be a very organised collage (having a Monica moment, Friends fans will understand, hopefully). How beautiful is the ornate mirror? The three pieces of Parisian inspired wall art would work so well with my bedroom wall paper. I think these little set of drawers are cute for putting bits and bobs in, I love the floral detail! My sausage dog obsession has extended to wanting a letter organiser just because it's in a sausage dog shape!! A memo is always needed for me, the girl with a memory like a gold fish. I really like how the 'Stay Wild' motif is made out of grass and flowers, it would give a love fresh summery feel to my room. I'm a big fan of the Vintage four aperture photo frame that looks like its been roughly painted cream to give the impression the paint has worn away with age for a vintage look, it's a must for my wall gallery. Yet again, the thing that makes me like the Lavender in a jug is the vintage aesthetics and also the fact the lavender is fake so I won't be able to kill it in a week (woop, woop!).

I will do a follow up post of what my bedroom looks like once I've finished adding little details.

K x  

CAMP Collection

I recently discovered a new favourite clothing brand that goes by the name 'CAMP Collection'. They are a San Francisco based brand inspired by the nostalgia of summer camp. I love the whole vintage, Seventies look to the products and to the look books on their website. Their clothes just going off looks alone seem so comfy and perfect for lounging around on a hot summers day in (maybe getting carried away a bit, I do live in the North West of England after all). With the hues and colour palette of that of a Wes Anderson film, the photo shoot for their recent collection 'Summer Daze' is a massive hit with me. I'll share with you few of my favourite snaps from the shoot after I've finished rambling about my love for the brand. I wish I could buy every item of clothing, throw my laptop to the side (well, gently place anyway), pull on my Converses and go off on an adventure with map and compass in hand.

Here are a few of my favourite snaps from CAMP Collections 'Summer Daze' look-book photo shoot: 

   

Too see the full photoshoot click this link more camp collection snaps

I also made a bit of a mood board (it's no fancy Photoshop one, sorry guys) but, I was feeling inspired and thought I'd put together some images that relate to the brands aesthetics.

I get the summer vibe from these images just as I do with that of CAMP Collections lookbooks and clothes, there's something about those warm, vintage hues that I find so appealing.

So, here are my top picks from CAMP Collections range, believe me I tried to cut it down but, I couldn't!

I'm a massive fan of the slogan t-shirts which look like the staples from the wardrobe of a Seventies skater girl. The roller girl shorts look so comfy, can I please live in them? Oh of course their had to be something striped in my top picks! You could easily pair any of the t-shirts with some flares for the ultimate 70's look, you could do a Katie and tuck the t-shirts into a skirt or go all out CAMP Collection uniform and wear them with the roller girl skirts as seen in the Summer Daze look book.

I felt that inspired by the Summer Daze shoot that I even did a quick illustration of one of the photos.

This looks so much better in real life but, I had to take a photo as my scanner isn't working.

When I have money to save (a girl can dream right) I will save up so I can buy at least one item off their website, maybe one day when I'm no longer a poor student.

If you want to see more of what CAMP Collection have to offer check out their website

Thanks for reading!

 K x

Hair Dilemmas and Inspiration

I've recently become more and more bored of my hair, not knowing whether to get it cut or not. I always think about getting it about armpit length going on towards end of shoulder blade length but, I always put it off. My top two excuses are number one, what if I don't suit it? and number two, yeah but, if I get it cut shorter I won't be able do much with it. "Katie, that second excuse is a load rubbish seen as though all you do with it now is wear it down, straight or (if you really can't be bothered that day) up in a pony tail and sometimes a bun."

Back in January I had my hair dyed brown from a funky looking blonde colour! I had quite bright blonde highlights in my naturally dark blonde hair (even though I still think it was light brown), at the time I liked it but, over time it got lighter which I didn't think suited me at all. I also had a fringe cut in last summer however, it lasted all of half an hour before I brushed it to the side.
This is what my hair looked like when it was blonde:

Andddd this is the colour and length of it at the moment (unfortunately, it's a dodgy mirror photo of me, it was to show off my new jazzy skirt):

I'm really pleased with my hair colour at the moment but, it definitely needs a new cut because it's a bit limp and lifeless these days (I sound like I'm on an advert for a new volumising hair product). Being as indecisive as I am I went to endlessly browse the internet for hair inspiration.  

As you can probably tell from my hair inspiration images, I am a big fan of middle parted fringes (what I call 'Curtain' fringes). I think middle parted fringes give you something to work with if your not ready for the FULL fringe dedication and always look flattering on the face. I've had one a couple of times but, over time and being too busy to go home to get it cut it's grown out. Alexa Chung was always going to be a obvious inspiration to me, especially due to my love for her style (who am I kidding, just her in general). In fact, I'm loving all these lovely ladies hair styles, I think they have to be the best hairstyle each one of them have had over the years! I also really like the whole messy curls/waves look a the moment.

I'll definitely be asking my hair dresser for a decent amount to be cut off the length and to bring back the middle parted fringe.

To be continued...with photos of my hair cut!!!

K x

Are you planning on getting your hair cut soon?