Weight a minute.....

Hello ladies, HNY and all that jazz! So a new year, new start, new diet, new exercise routine.....sound familiar? Ok, ok I've joined the party and rejoined my slimming world group. It's the only 'diet' I have ever been on and successfully lost weight with. I have always had a love/hate relationship with food. I love eating but hate what it does to my waistline. I'm overweight because I eat too much of the wrong things. This is going to CHANGE. Below is a picture from New Years Eve, granted my posture isn't great but my 'LBD' has failed me and I have affectionately named this my 'fat picture'.

*I'm not looking for sympathy here I just feel if I share my picture with the whole world then it makes it kind of real and stuff.

With slimming world it's about a lifestyle choice and eating normal healthy food, with very little weighing and measuring of foods. I joined weight watchers once and remember going to bed at 7.30pm because I had run out of points and couldn't eat anything. It made me cry! But hey it works for some people. I also tried a three day diet once, that didn't work either, you basically starve for three days then eat 'normally' for the other four. I was so traumatised by the three days I made up for it in the other four and ended up gaining weight.

Some people don't understand how people can be overweight, I know deep down its got nothing to do with my great Auntie Jean on my mums side who had a massive arse. I have big arse because I eat too much and don't really exercise. Simples right? It's easier said than done mind you! Whether its a bit of holiday weight you are carrying or like me 'puppy fat' that you never quite grew out of then I can wholeheartedly recommend Slimming World as a safe effective way to lose weight and keep it off. I read somewhere once that it takes 66 days to develop a habit but I would like to change my eating habits for good! I will be checking in with you guys now and again to let you know how I'm getting on.

Have you made any changes this year or do you have any plans to be healthy this year?

 

Gem x

 

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#shareadvent

Hello Ladies,

Holidays are officially coming, the coca cola advert has been on along with the John Lewis advert so it's really coming and I'm ridiculously giddy and want to jump up and down like a child excited! One of the lovely things about Christmas is the preparation, writing lists, writing Christmas cards, posting Christmas cards with Christmas stamps, drinking mulled wine and eating mince pies. Most importantly though is being with family and friends. I think that people are just more happy around the festive season!

Anna over at Skin and Blister has created something wonderful as it is of course the most wonderful time of the year (see what I did there) she has created #shareadvent. I have known Anna for a good few years now as my boyfriend and her husband are brothers, they are typical boys and don't quite get our love of craft. They can't quite understand our love of vintage or keeping a bit of ribbon just in case we might need it in three years time for wrapping round a jar to make the pasta in it look a bit cuter. (and yes I have done this) anyway she always has the best ideas and #shareadvent is no exception. It looks like this

A little prompt each day for December!

Anna made an advent calender a few years ago and I remember thinking it was such a lovely idea. Last year I made an advent calender for our flat to try and get my housemates to bond instead of arguing about the washing up. It was basically something small to do together everyday through December to get us excited for Christmas. Here are some pictures of the calender 

 On one of the days we went down to the seafront to watch Morris dancers it was pretty cold but we drank mulled wine and ate mince pies! Yum. SO if you want to be involved in share advent you can, here's how......

I quite frankly am super excited eek! holidays are coming!! 

Gemma xxx

You stole my heart....

I'm in love with winter fashion at the moment and really wanted a faux fur stole but couldn't find one long enough, they all seem to be short collar ones or really cheap looking. I found this one in primark for a £1 and decided to get creative so I bought two and then sewed them together and voila a new winter stole to warm your heart.

I also have new winter tights that are plum that made an appearance today, I'm a little unsure about them, what do you think?

Have you bought anything wintery yet?

 

Gemma xxx

 

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So fly he did....

Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions. Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.

Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top. When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.

So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed. Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended. But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew. So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!

For H xx

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Vintage, second hand, thrifted...

I will be honest with you ladies, I used to be a bit of a snob when it came to charity shops, second hand ebay finds and vintage. My sister used to buy most of her wardrobe from charity shops when she was a student and I just didnt get it. Her interesting london friends would wear skirts made from curtains which was all a bit too sound of music for me.

But since delving into the world of blogs, the resession and living in Brighton I have a new found love for the great british charity shop, eBay and anything vintage. Yes charity shops smell a bit and are normmaly run by little old ladies who eat worthers behind the counter but you can find some bargins in your local charity shop you just have to have a good look.

With eBay it can be a bit hit and miss, you can't try it on and it never looks like it did on line when it arrives on the mat wrapped in a bin liner crumpled, but at times you get something that you really love and think...Whoop and yey me!!! (well I do anyway) here are some recent pre loved items I have found.

This first dress is vero moda dress via my local charity shop for £5.99 belt charity shop 99p and green bracelet 50p new look sale.

This dress I was origionally from New Look but I got it c/o eBay & I absolutely love it, I first saw it on this blog all about the girl (she has nice style go and do a blog hop and check it out) and I finally won it for £5 after being out bid too many times. Cardigain is also from a charity shop via F&F for £3.50.

And last but not least my vintage St Michael dress.

Two out of three have pockets which is always a major plus for me. Have you bought anything from eBay or a charity shop that you really love?

Gemma xxx

This post comes from a serial procrastinator and looking at these pictures blogging seemed much more appealing than tidying my very messy bedroom :)

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A customised Cushion...

I love a good craft project, granted I'm not great at it and have been known to hem trousers using industrial parcel tape. But I do like to make and do presents for my friends, don't worry I'm not going to teach you how to make a sock bunny (although they are always fun) today's craft comes to you via a primark shopping bag.

And before you ask ladies I'm not talking about the paper brown ones that inevitably break as soon as you leave because 'you only popped in for black tights and seem to have bought three tops, two pairs of jeans and a pack of hair bobbles and forgot 120 denier tights' . I'm talking about the cotton ones that you have to buy when the paper ones break. They normally have quite cool patterns on like this.

So it is a cool shopping bag but it does say primark on it. So I thought I would make it into a cushion for my friend. Here is a step by step guide on how to make it.

To make it look more fun I sewed buttons onto the headlights and wing mirrors. As the bag has patterns on both sides I mixed up the colours. As the number plate said Primark I used one of thd handles and sewed Bella on each piece and then sewed it too the bag.

Once you have done this cut down the side of the bag (neater than I did) so you have pieces like this.

I then pinned the edges along each side like this

I then used a sewing machine to sew down all four sides, I sewed the sides inside out.

Once you have sewn each side leave a small gap to add your stuffing and fill your cushion. I used some stuffing that I already had but it should be available in all good haberdashery shops (ALWAYS wanted to say that)

Ok so here is where my craft skills come into question. Once you have stuffed your cushion you will be left with a gap, as I'm not great at craft I don't really know what to do here other than to hand stich it which is what I did. It's not great but I did it at the bottom so I figure no-one will see. (Shh don't tell anyone) If there are any budding crafters reading this then please let me know how to do this bit.

And here is the finished cushion....Ta-dah

Oh and proper Blue Peter moment but here is one I made earlier.

Same technique and a canvas bag from primark.

I would love to know what you think?

Gemma xx

Birthday fête....

This weekend I went to Bournemouth to see my very good friend Bella. Bella is totally opposite to me but I think that's what makes us such good friends, she is also the type of friend I can speak to everyday or not speak too for 6 months and we pick up exactly where we left each other. Bella and I went travelling to South East Asia a few years ago and we had the best time. Bella taught me that it's ok to make fun of yourself and that you can pretty much eat marmite with everything. So as the sun came out her boyfriend had organised an amazing surprise and turned their garden into a mini fête.

The games went down a treat, shots for the grown ups if they won and haribo prizes for the kids. It was a really fun to play these games and a lovely surprise for Bella (who is actually turning 27 but is the biggest kid I know)

I have decided to add on a little outfit post onto the end of this post as I'm not brave enough yet to dedicate a whole post to what I am wearing, so here goes.... *I haven't quite mastered the art of gracefully posing for photos yet, see below! Eyes shut, looking down and squinting, but check out this hilarious male fashion blogger Stu who has written a post on doing just this.

Head scarf home-made

Vest -New Look

Denim Shirt-Next

Jeans and Scarf -Primark

Shoes-Peacocks

I hope you had a lovely Saturday!

Gemma xxx