Furniture Haul!

Okay, this post is going to be a biggy.

You may be aware that for the past two years I have been in the (very slow) process of redoing my room. I have been taking photos at every stage of development, so don't worry, you'll get to see the whole journey once it is finished.

Something that has been a big expenditure and that I have been saving for since the start of the transformation is my furniture. Actually, I think that one of my first posts on this blog was about me redoing my room and the furniture that I wanted to buy.

I'm a bit of an interior design fanatic, and I love planning. I've certainly had enough time to plan everything that I am going to buy, and believe me, so much thought has gone into it. I also own extraordinary amounts of crap and it's driving me crazy. I love IKEA, so everything that I have decided to buy is from there. I am pleased to announce that as of a few days ago, I have finally bought my furniture!

Even though it hasn't arrived yet, and when it does it will take us months to put together (though I kind of love flat-pack building), I thought that it is about time for me to do a furniture haul!

The plan is to replace every single item of furniture in my room apart from my bed because that is still relatively new. My room is painted yellow and white (because yellow is the best colour ever) with a grey carpet, and my aim with my furniture is to just bring it all together and make the room look light and fresh in the summer, but cosy and cute in winter!

The first piece of furniture that I bought is probably the thing that I am most desperate for. I'd had my old wardrobe for as long as I can remember, and in the summer it finally gave up and died. This was very sad, and also a great nuisance because I keep all of my clothes in the wardrobe. I've been driven a little barmy over the past few months because I've had to squeeze all my clothes into these tiny horrible plastic drawers and hang all of my dresses on the walls. This has just made the whole room look cluttered and messy and I really don't like it.

Now before you say anything, this wardrobe is from the children's section. However, it's much stronger, much cheaper, much roomier and to be honest, much nicer than any of the wardrobes in the adults section. I didn't want anything huge, because I fold the majority of my clothes, so this is pretty perfect at only 60cm wide. And, in my opinion, it doesn't really look like a child's wardrobe, you can change the handles if you don't like them and the colourful stickers are optional - though I quite like them! I really liked the fact that it had two big drawers, because not a lot of wardrobes come with that. I am really excited about this, I think that it will be the first thing we make up when it arrives, and at £104, it is really at the lower end of the wardrobe spectrum.

The next things that I bought are actually probably the things that I am most excited about (though I love everything!). I bought two bookcases! It's actually been a dream of mine for ages to have a bookcase, so that I can display all the things I love rather than shoving them in a drawer. I also love reading and the sight of books just makes me really happy. I've never had a bookcase before and I just can't wait to get them and start playing with them! I decided to get two 40cm ones instead of one 80cm one, because I thought that they would be a lot more versatile. I could have them together to make one big bookcase, or I could have them apart, maybe on either side of my bed to make a cool feature. They are only £25 each, and I love 'em.

The next item is another one that I am really excited about, though may have been an unwise choice. I am getting rid of my desk and replacing it with a dressing table! I am fully expecting to use it as a desk, especially during exam season, but for now, I just want to put my mirror on it and arrange my makeup in the drawer and makeup it look pretty and oh-so Tumblr. I also really like the glass top, I'm hoping it will bring a little extra (and much needed) class to the room. Plus it will make all of my foundation spills much easier to clean!

Right now it gets a big boring. I bought two sets of drawers, one which is very wide and the other which is much skinnier. The purpose of the skinny one is supposedly to keep all my makeup in, but I really don't have that much of a big collection (maybe one day though!). I have a feeling that these drawers are going to be filled up with random rubbish before I know it, but for now they look really nice because they match the wardrobe (yes, they are also from the children's range). It took me a really long time to decide between these ones and a set of drawers very similar to them that were just a bit smaller. In the end I did all sorts of complicated maths to work out the volume per pound to see which one was comparatively cheaper, and went for this set!

The other set and just very plain and boring, and where I'll probably be keeping the remainder of my clothes that don't fit in my wardrobe. If not, I own plenty of other stuff that will need a home!

I also ordered a yellow desk chair and a bed net because I've seen them on Pinterest and they look like the ultimate height of cool awesomeness! I cannot wait to hang it with some fairy lights and basically become one of those edgy teenagers from Pinterest!

I did also want to get a nice little armchair, but I decided that I didn't want to scrimp on that. If I get an armchair, it will be a really good quality comfortable one that I will enjoy sitting in. Should only take me another two years to save up!

I hope you enjoyed this and are as excited to see the finished product as I am! I think that it will look really good! Oh, and because I have spent so much time on the website, I have now decided to become an IKEA personal shopper - just letting you know!

See you soon!

Keeping Kosy

Yes, yes, I know that that isn't the correct spelling of cosy in the title, but really, on these bleak winter days, can you blame me for wanting a little alliteration in my life?

Actually, I say bleak winter days, but miraculously in the past few hours, England has started to resemble something outstandingly close to spring. Which, to be honest, really does ruin the whole point of this post. Oh well, you'll get over it, and this is England so we can be certain that it won't last long.

Today I am going to be talking about how I have been keeping cosy this winter!

I am very much a home comforts kind of person, and I just love to be warm. Having cold feet and cold fingers and cold ears and just generally being cold does not really appeal to me. Having said that, I don't know how many people leap out of bed in the morning, desperate to get out into those sub-zero temperatures and feel the life slowly drained from various body parts, but they must be out there.

And of course, being a teenager, it is on the verge of being socially illegal to wear a coat to school. I mean, a coat! For me, I don't not wear a coat because I'm too cool, I don't wear a coat because it is frickin' impossible to find any to fit over a school blazer! Also, on the few times that I have taken a coat into school, I have left it there, once or twice over the Christmas holidays - believe me, that lead to an awkward discussion when I got home.

And I know that there must be people like me out there, stuck in the same situations, and I thought that I would share with you my outstandingly unhelpful pearls of wisdom.

First up: mittens. I don't know what it is about mittens. I love them. More than anything else on earth. They just make me so happy because they're so cute and cosy and cuddly (now that's how to alliterate). Wearing mittens just makes me want to post pictures of them all over Tumblr because they're so ineffably (yes that is a real word... I think) adorable! I have a pair that I wear all of the time, and I couldn't have survived without them. Yes, I may have been laughed out a couple of times when I have been unable to press the button to cross the road or when I haven't been able to get my keys out of my pocket, but I know that those people were really just jealous.

Actually, I have just reminded myself of my other favourite type of gloves: convertibles! You know those ones that can be mittens or can be fingerless because they have a flap? They are perfect for people who want to look as cool as I do in mittens and for those people who actually occasionally use their fingers. I had the most amazing pair of fox ones (called Ben and Jerry), but then I left Jerry at the dentist so... we don't talk about them anymore.

Next up, my beanie. I think I mentioned this in a Primark haul before I went away to Amsterdam in October, but I bought my first ever beanie! (Though there has been some dispute as to whether it can be called a beanie if it has a bobble on top - leave your opinions in the comments!). I have never owned one of these before, but I think that they actually really suit me and my hair and my face shape and I have had a fab time wearing it. Plus, this burgundy colour has literally been the colour of my year! They say that you loose 40% of heat through your head (a statistic which I never really believed), but since I've been wearing a hat, I have definitely been keeping much warmer.

During winter, I have one drink only: hot chocolate. I have no idea how many gallons of milk I have taken in this winter in hot chocolate form, but considering that I don't eat any other calcium, that is the only thing that has stopped my teeth and bones crumbling to power. So, really, it's healthy. Ish. I just love hot chocolate, I never really get tired of it. I find it so comforting and like a sweet little treat if your a bit peckish but don't really want to eat anything. Also, I'm not really good with hot drinks, so mine always last for ages because I have to wait for them to cool down!

During January when my dad was away, my mum and I got into a bit of routine with our hot water bottles. We normally went to bed around the same time, so while she went around the house, putting the washing machine on and turning off the lights, I would go and collect our hot water bottles and bring them down to her. She would then make them while I brushed my teeth and then delivered it to me in bed - have to say, I definitely got the better deal there! It actually got to the point when the first night I didn't have a hot water bottle, I felt so lost and empty that I couldn't sleep!

Another thing that has been keeping me very warm in bed is my throw. I originally put it on for decoration, but it made my bed so much warmer that I literally cannot take it off.  it's really big and cosy and just so of permanently lives on my bed now. I also love the colours, pastels are perfect for spring!

My favourite method of keeping warm is actually one that I save for only very special occasions. You know, when you've had a terrible day and the radiators broke in all the rooms you were in and none of the other strategies have worked... well then it's time to bring out the comfort jumper. Mine is supposedly a size 10, but there must have been a mistake in the machine that made it because it is at least size 20. It is huge. I can genuinely fit my entire body in it and do so on a regular basis when I need to escape everything else. It comes down to around my knees (and I'm quite tall), and my family know to just not approach me when I'm wearing it. However, it works like a charm, because that comfort jumper (along with Jaffa Cakes) have helped me out of the coldest days until I am too hot and have to take it off.

However, the best piece of advice that I can really give you on how to stay warm in winter is just not to experience winter. Just stay inside, in front of the fire, where you'll never get cold. Or, better yet, just hibernate. If bears and tortoises can, why cant we?

See you soon!

Little Primark Haul

I have been to Primark a couple of times in the recent past (which actually hasn't been too devastating for my bank account), and I decided that I have just enough stuff to make it worthwhile doing a haul for you!

The first time that I went to Primark, I wasn't actually intending to buy anything. And that went well. Although, in my defence, everything that I bought was in the sale because who can actually afford anything else?

The first thing that I picked up is this little green swing cami. Obviously with it being February and all, I'm going to have to put this away for several months until I can wear it without catching hypothermia. However, when the sun does come out, I'm sure I will get lots of wear out of it, I basically live in tops like this for the duration of the summer. I also really like the colour, I own so little green and I actually think that it is a colour that really suits my skin tone. And, would you believe, it was only £1?

I am beginning to wistfully think of spring and I think that sweaters (or light jumpers as we say here in Blighty) are really nice for that transitioning period when it's not too hot or cold. I really liked this one when I saw it, again it has some green on it, and some other colours that I don't often wear. As a rule, I tend to avoid horizontal stripes, but I really like how skinny they are. I also really like the neckline, I'm referring to it as a sort of half-turtle neck because it doesn't go the full way up your neck, it just sits half way up. This was only £3!

I then bought this dress which I saw and thought was so cute and so me. I'm beginning to have to think about buying smart clothes for school (which is so boring), and I thought that this might look quite nice under a blazer with some boots. It also comes with a brown tie belt which is good because I don't really like things that don't have any shape whatsoever. It's probably a little shorter than things that I usually wear, but I'm sure when I've got my thick opaque tights on, it won't matter! This dress was only £5.

The second trip that I made to Primark was actually when I went to Oxford Street, which I mentioned yesterday. I was really on the look out for some black shoes (preferably boots) that I can wear to work and also on my birthday, but of course, I didn't find any and found something else instead.

I saw these little shoes and I just thought that they were so cute. When I looked at the tag and saw that they were only £3 (not even in the sale!), I just had to buy them! Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't actually tried them on yet, so I don't have a clue whether they actually fit me. I remembered how I had owned a pair in a similar style in the past but had never worn them because I didn't know what socks would go with them.

This of course lead to my friend and I going on a hunt for the perfect pair of socks (in the biggest sock section in the world - it was heavenly). She suggested getting some frilly ones and wearing them with a skirt, and I found this pack with three pairs of frilly socks that match the shoes pretty perfectly! The socks were only £2, and I cannot wait to wear them, though it occurs to me now that I could have just bought some shoe liners and gone sockless.

Anyway, that is everything that I have bought from Primark recently, I did say that it was a very little haul!

See you soon!

A Day Out In London

On Monday, I had a day out in London. I actually live pretty close to London, but I've never really been, which is really sucky. I don't suppose that I'll always live in such close proximity, so now that I'm old enough, I should really make the most of it while I can.

For me, most of the fun in a day out is in the planning. I have been called over-ambitious in my planning, and this time was no exception. I spent the majority of the weekend prior to Monday studying the Tube Map and pouring over websites with free tourists attractions.

I had compiled the most amazing list of things to do in London, and though some may have called it impossible or ridiculous, I merely saw it as a challenge. I was going to be the biggest tourist in the whole of London and see everything that there is to see in one day.

As it turns out, London is big.

There's also a lot to do.

However, my friend and I (lets call her Sara) did a lot, and I will tell you all about it.

The day got off to a spiffing start when I had left my newly purchased travel card by the magnetic fastening in my bag and it was then unable to be read. Great. So instead of going and finding a nice person in a booth and ask them to exchange it for me, I went and bought a new one. Because, you know, human contact... ew.

We got off at Baker Street, which as it turns out has a lot of exits. We started our London experience by getting hideously lost when trying to find the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Literally, we walked around one block twice, and walked past the same Pret A Manger three times. The same family was sitting outside the whole time, and were just looking at us like we were absolute weirdos/tourists. Which we were.

Eventually we realised that we had been walking in the complete opposite direction (neither of us has any sense of direction or map reading skills, so it wasn't really surprising), but we eventually found the museum, took some photos of it from the outside, and headed back to the station.

After all of this debacle however we were actually feeling quite positive. We felt that everything had gone wrong that was going to, and now it would all go according to plan. Surprisingly, we were actually right.

We then headed to Camden which is completely different to anywhere I have ever been before, but I actually loved it. It was one of those places where you just kept going through doorways to find more and more stuff. We didn't actually spend a huge amount of time there because of our ever so pressing schedule, but it is definitely somewhere that I would like to visit again and spend the day there, really try and soak it all up. I just loved the creativity that oozed out of every single shop and market stall, it was amazing!

I think that next we travelled to Monument Station which was actually very confusing because it had the different name Bank depending on what line you were on. We got there in the end, and with the end and with the help of GPS and Google Maps (which really saved our lives) we found The Thames. We did also find the London Monument, but I didn't actually notice it until we'd walked past it. Apparently I'm exceptionally unobservant.

This was actually probably one of my favourite parts of the day (though I loved it all). We got to London Bridge where we could see The Shard, Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast, and then walked along The Thames for a bit. Although it was quite cold (because February), the sun was shining really brightly and it was really windy and it was just really lovely and positive and beautiful. Also, London has some pretty cool architecture.

 

We got to the Tower of London which we, again, admired from the outside, before heading back to another station and catching a train to Westminster.

 I have to say Westminster was probably one of the places I was most excited about because it is just so iconic, and I ended up taking about 4 trillion pictures.

 We then headed to Downing Street which unfortunately was locked up with some very scary policemen outside. Although I was expecting this, I was a little disappointed as I had been hoping to march down to number 10, knock on the door, and ask them what the heck is going on. Seriously politics, sort it out!

We then headed to Trafalgar Square where we looked at the lions and admired old Nelson, though we didn't really dawdle as we wanted to get to Buckingham Palace before lunch.

As it turns out, the queen has got one heck of a driveway and I know this because I walked up it! She also has lots of lovely parks surrounding her home which we enjoyed walking through, so all in all, not too shabby your majesty!

 By this point it was getting on for about 3 O'clock and we hadn't eaten yet, so we headed off to China Town and this amazing restaurant that Sara recommended, I think that it was called Wong Kei. It was super duper cheap, it was really fast and the food was amazing. I would really recommend it - I had the shredded chicken noodles, and the portion was the biggest thing I've ever seen!



We then wandered around a bit, as we were both quite tired by this point. I didn't really take any more pictures, but we went to Leicester Square and Covent Garden, both of which are really nice. We then had about an hour before we had planned to head home, so we caught a train to Oxford Street and went to Primark, because I'm a cheapskate and I like it that way.

I did buy a couple of things, but I'm planning on doing a Primark haul tomorrow, so you'll just have to pop back to see what I bought!

We then headed back to Baker Street where we hit rush hour (because we were super smart with our planning), but it wasn't as bad as I feared, and headed home!

I had an amazing day in London. I was so shocked by how easy it all was. Obviously we had done quite a bit of planning before because we knew what stations we needed to go to and what trains we needed to catch, but to be honest, the tube is so super easy to use. My favourite thing about it was that there was literally a train every 2 minutes, so you literally never had to wait for one to come. The tube map is also really clear and easy once you get your head around it!

We were also so lucky with the weather. The sun was shining all day which was so lovely and unexpected - seriously, it had been snowing the day before. We got through so much, and I'm really surprised and quite smug that we did, all you need is ambition, positivity and efficiency! All I would say is keep your travel card away from anything magnetic and you'll be fine! Oh and maybe invest in a map...

See you soon!