Matalan Graduate Design Project

Last week I was invited to an evening at the new Liverpool City Centre Matalan store to see the new collection designed by competition winners, Kerry Crone and Imogen Stubbs. It was a night of festive nibbles and drinks with competitions and collections for fashion bloggers to enjoy! Over all it was a really enjoyable evening and I met some lovely people.

The Graduate Design Project was basically a competition where young fashion designers were offered the opportunity to win their own range in the North-West stores and a £500 cheque! The winners were both challenged to create a collection that en-capsuled the punk era, and I for one would say they succeeded!

With Imogen's bold cross T shirts and Kerry's edgy safety pin prints the girls pulled off the perfect punk collection!

Above there's just a few snaps of the collections (both Kerry's and Imogen's) and some of the other fashion bloggers 'picks' on the rail. I though i'd share a few of my pictures from the night with you all below and then explain a bit more about the blogger's competition from the night!

Above, from left to right, are the gorgeous red velvet, Matalan cakes laid out for us, me and my plus one for the night, Abi, and the lovely goodie bags Matalan provided for all of their guests. The bags had tonnes of free vouchers and promotions for the store and a beautiful black, white and silver clutch bag worth £10!

Above is my outfit of the night which consisted of a Topshop cami, Primark leather look harem pants and my trusty New Look heels. I accessorized with white and fluro yellow baroque style jewelry from H&M and a fluro yellow clutch bag from ebay. The centre picture is me outside the Queens Square Matalan, Liverpool.

Above you'll be able to see all the bloggers tags that were there on the night. The idea was for each blogger to put their two tags on two items to make an outfit. The labels read 'Blogger <3's' and you can see a close up of my tag in the middle! We were given the oppurtunity to win whichever items we put our <3 labels on, the people hosting the night and Matalan designers will pick their favourite outfit and the designer of that outfit will win their selected items!

You can see all the items I picked above. I picked one of Imogen's grungy printed Ts and then in true form an extremely glitzy midi skirt from their 'we heart' section. I would probably wear this outfit on a night out and style it with some leather lace up boot style heels (think Jeffrey Campbell style) and an over-sized leather black clutch bag. I also think big silver statement jewelry would be necessary! Something grungy like thick chains would go well.

Any way I hope you like the outfit I picked, let me know what you think in a comment below. Also tell me what you love about the grad collections below! You can see a glimpse of the collection above but if  you want to shop the full thing click here. - Alice x

Autumn Favourites

Tis the season to wear chunky knits, snuggle up in front of the fire, drink hot choccy and go running and bounding through giant piles of crisp golden leaves! Yes Autumn is here and it's my fav time of year. I love the Autumn shades, the season is full of rich, warm colours with all the added frost of winter on its way. What better way to show these beautiful colours than with beautiful nails!

This post is on my current favourite collection of varnish, Sally Hansen's Complete Manicure. I've picked six of my must have shades for Autumn from an affordable highstreet name to show you all.

Each varnish is currently £6.99 in Boots and are available in loads of other highstreet stores. My favourite thing about the Sally Hansen Complete Manicure range is that each colour has a really good shine to it and it usually only takes on coat of varnish to cover the entire nail. As well is this the extra thick brush means you can cover the nail in pretty much one stroke.

The above are swatches of my favourite colours. The first is called 'Pat on the Black', number 660 and is a really dark shade of red, almost black. This shade is the one i'm thinking of Halloween because it looks so blood like, pretty gory right? 

Number two is 'Blue Rose' and makes me think of winter. It's a deep blue but not quite navy, it's a really gorgeous dark varnish that makes a nice alternative to black. The third is called 'Pumice' and is probably one of my most used shades at the moment. Grey nails (any shade) are currently a big trend in the nail art world.

Number four, 'Ivory Skull', is definitely my most used shade at the moment! If you don't have a white nail varnish these season what are you even doing!? You can get a decent white varnish for just £1 from MUA so price isn't an excuse! White nails continue to be the most popular shade for fashion and nail gurus world wide as well as celebrities including Rihanna and Kendal and Kylie Jenner.

Five and six are what i'd class as the warmer Autumn colours. Five is called 'Bandage' and is a creamy beige colour, I love a neutral nail so I just had to have this shade! It's a brilliant varnish for every day wear and work. Number six is called 'Nude Now' and is a rosy nude shade, again a brilliant neutral varnish for every day wear!

If you don't already now I do freelance nail art so if you'd like to check out some of my designs you can follow me on instagram (@alicesnailart) or like my Facebook page by clicking HERE!

Let me know what your favourite Autumn shades are and what your favourite nail varnish brands are in general in a comment below! - Alice x

London Baby!

Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Instagram etc. will already know that I went on a mini holiday to London this weekend. Me the mother and step-father went to celebrate their wedding anniversary and because I haven't visited the capital in over ten years!

I've had an absolutely amazing weekend and just wanted to share a few pictures and stories from the trip with you all. There are more photos from the trip on my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (links to the right) if you really want to know more about my London adventures!

The pictures from left to right - Top row: My first look at the London skyline from the overground train, Buckingham Palace at night time, Parliament and Big Ben from the open top bus tour.

Middle row: The London Aquarium and the London Eye, me and my mummy dearest outside The Tower of London, The Tower of London and a cheeky plane sneaking into my picture!

The 'Big Bus' open top bus tour that I spent most of my weekend travelling from one landmark to another on, the giant golden Freddie Mercury statue outside the Dominion Theatre where I went to see We Will Rock you, Big Ben and the London Eye taken from the open top bus tour. 

I arrived in London on Friday threw my bags in the hotel and ran back out to go see Oxford Street and for a meal at TGIF which was sooo yum! Then we went to see We Will Rock You before having cocktails at a bar next door. After this it seemed necessary to have a cheeky drunken pizza from the greasy shop next to the hotel.

The Saturday we went to see all the landmarks like the Tower of London, the Eye, Buckingham Palace and of course Hamleys toy store! We then headed to china town in a rickshaw (easily the scariest experience of my life) and had a meal at a chinese restaurant before heading back to the hotel and pretty much passing out from exhaustion.

Sunday we met up with family that live in London and had a meal and a drink at a bar/restaurant called The Alice House (I'll be doing a separate post on this later because it was so beautiful and named after me!) then my mum and my step-dad headed back to my home town Barrow and I hopped on a train back to Liverpool!

It was such a brilliant weekend and I was very sad to return home and leave my family but I'll cherish the memories forever! Let me know all about your trips to London by leaving a comment below! -Alice x

Primark AW13 - I'm in love!

So Primark's AW13 collection has arrived and is working it's way into the stores already! Grunge pieces, baroque prints, beautiful simple pieces that look like something you'd see the cast of Made in Chelsea sporting, animal print, BIG bling and shoes that look like they belong in Kurt Geiger all seem to be a running theme in the collection and I AM LOVING IT!

I have to admit it's the best high street AW13 collection I have seen so far. I can't wait to get my hands on these beaut bargains (my student loan is disappearing right before my eyes already!) and I've decided on a few must have pieces to show you all thanks to the Primark PR team! Get ready to write your shopping lists girls!

First off the all the jewelry Primark has presented us with could rival just about anything from Pat Butcher's crazy big bling collection! There are some amazing statement necklaces that resemble the heart of the ocean, over-sized diamante earrings and a pretty bizare bug arm cuff that I can't wait to add to my own over-sized jewelry collection! 

What I call the Chelsea pieces are all simple, clean cut items that I can just picture being modeled on the beautiful streets of Chelsea. My absolute favourite pieces from the above are the beautiful wine coloured fedora (also available in black), the bead embellished white collared shirt and the gorgeous over-sized grey coat! A lot of the pieces remind me of collections from Zara.

There's a big splash of grunge and punk in this years AW13 collection. With tartan prints, leather look skirts and some cute Doc Marten look alikes you'll look like you've stepped right out of the 80's! I absolutely adore the grungy metallic top shown above (top right) and the frayed denim/tartan shorts would look so good with so many outfits!

I absolutely adore baroque style and pieces of this collection look truly inspired by the original 17th century style! I love the cut of the high waisted shorts and cropped jackets above and the prints are truly beautiful! If you're not feeling brave enough to mix prints then team a jacket or pair of shorts with a simple white shirt (like the one bottom left) to give a cool chic look to the mad baroque prints!

Overall I'd give Primark's AW13 collection an easy nine out of ten. It's by far one of my favourite collections of the season and for a gal on a VERY tight budget it's just about perfect!

Benefit Bargains

I'd been thinking of treating myself to some new foundation and decided to give Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' after reading some really good reviews. I went to Debenhams to have a proper skin match test and noticed it was Benefit's 'They're Real' mascara's second birthday! To celebrate if you buy one of the full size mascaras for £19.50 you get the half sized one for free!.....how could I resist! As far as designer make up brands go I'd say Benefit is one of the most beautiful and affordable available.

I think I have finally stumbled upon the holy grail of foundations! The new oil-free brightening liquid foundation promises a natural complexion whilst making your skin look luminous and healthy at the same time. It comes in nine different shades ranging from 'Pure For Sure - Ivory' to 'Gota Know Me - Nutmeg'. I would strongly recommend going to a store like Debenhams or  Harvey Nichols to get a shade test to make sure you get the right foundation for your skin colour. My shade is 

'I'm So Money - Honey'. 

The foundation makes my skin look amazing, it does everything it promises and more! I have two small scars on my face that have always been really hard to cover but this foundation kept them hidden all day! As well as this my face is absolutely covered in freckles (which I despise) and this foundation covers them all. Usually you would need a really thick, gloopy foundation to cover such blemishes but Hello Flawless is really light and gives my face a nice matte complexion.

In true shopaholic style I just couldn't resist the fab offer on the mascara and treated myself (again). Benefit's 'They're Real' mascara is the UK's number one best-selling mascara as well as the Beauty Club Awards 2013 winner! It promises to lengthen, curl and volumise your lashes as well as lift and separate them. It's 'jet black' in colour with a long-wearing formula that ensures the mascara wont dry  out or smudge. 'It reveals lashes you didn't know you had'.

I adore this mascara it's one I've used before but never have I gotten such a good deal on it! It makes my lashes look long and feathery but dark and thick at the same time. It gives a full sultry looking lash without needing false eyelashes or excessive amounts of  eye make up. It's by far my favourite mascara around and I suggest you grab it while it's on offer!

For spending so much at the Benefit counter I got a free make-over which I have yet to book an appointment for and a free sample of 'The PoreFessional' which is usually £24.50 per tube. PoreFessional is the UK's number one best selling primer as well as the winner of the 2013 Beauty Club Awards. It promises to minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines for 'smoother than smooth skin.' It's a light weight balm that can be applied over or under make up that's translucent, oil-free and suitable for all skin tones.

The primer contains a vitamin E derivative that is known to protect skin from free radicals and so far it's worked for me! My skin has truly looked flawless whilst using this product combined with the flawless foundation. I applied this sample by dabbing it around my T zone and underneath my eyes using a concealer brush and it has helped to hide any pores and the awful bags I always have under my eyes! I will definitely be buying the full product when pay day comes around!

As you can see from the pictures below my skin looks flawless, glowing and very smiley! I love the way my eyelashes look with this mascara and haven't been remotely tempted to wear fake eyelashes since buying it, success! As well as the Benefit products I've used; Naked Basics palette for my eyebrows from Urban Decay, shades 'Faint' and 'Naked2' and Mac's powder blush in shade 'Peaches'.

To get the FOTD look or any of the products below visit the following links! Benefit's Hello Flawless foundation - £25.50, Benefit's They're Real mascara - £19.50, Benefit's PoreFessional primer - £24.50, MAC powder blush in Peaches - £18.00 and the Urban Decay Naked Basics eyeshadow palette (used for eyebrows) - £20.00.

Festival Essentials

As promised I've finally got round to doing my festival essentials post! I'm setting off to Kendal Calling festival tomorrow morning and have just finished packing all my essentials so I thought i'd share them with you all. We're right in the middle of festival season 2013 and whether you're going to one soon or just want to nail festival fashion, here's a list of some essentials every festival goer needs! 

First of all the main essential is the waterproof! The Great British Summer isn't always so great so always be prepared with a rain mac, every high street name from Topshop to Zara sell waterproofs so a stylish one shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on, then come rain or shine you're prepared and on trend. I got a camo one for just £14 from G21 at ASDA. 

Of course the second essential is alcohol! My favourite festival drink is Kopparberg in either mixed fruits or strawberry and lime - super fruity and tasty! It's always best to go for cans of alcohol as most festivals have a no glass policy (for obvious reasons) and they're easier to carry around and dispose of. Kendal Calling has a very strict no glass policy as it's held at a Deer Park so it's in the animal's best interests.

No matter where you are hair care is super important, possibly even more so at festivals! I have three essential hair products that everyone should have at a festival. First is dry shampoo because without not even Beyonce's hair would look good after five days without a shower! I'd recommend Bastiste cherry dry shampoo as it keeps your hair smelling nice as well as looking clean. Second is VO5 tousled style spray to give you that wavy beach hair look as well as keeping your locks shiny. Last but definitely not least (maybe even first) is VO5 extra strong hold, weather resistant hairspray to keeps your tousled locks in place come rain, shine or even thunder storm!

Two mega essentials are of course wellies and knee high socks! Hunters are the most popular festival pick as they have their own special festival range but lots of high street stores like Topshop and Matalan have gorgeous collections in ready for the season. Knee high socks are available just about anywhere, my favourites have been from Topshop, Hunter and Primark - all super pretty and will keep your tootsies warm!

A fashion essential for any festival is a floral skater dress, so simple, so comfy, so cool! They go with just about anything and start from just £5 in Primark! Bargain of the year or what!? Shove a floral skater on and team with a denim jacket and wellies or your waterproof (depending on the weather) and you're good to go!

Your festival kit wouldn't be essential with out a pair of sunglasses! Sunglasses have been a crazy big trend for SS13 especially floral frames or brown vintage style. I have the sunglasses shown in the picture above - they were just £2 from Primark. The sunglasses start from just £1 at Primark and come in literally hundreds of styles and sizes, so grab a bargain pair while they last.

Your skin is something you have to take care of at a festival. With no showers, sun and drinking for five days straight your poor skin will dry up and probably get a bit spotty. I suggest taking a moisturizer and applying it all over each morning (not easy in a tent but a must do!), taking moisturizing/skin clear wipes and use them morning and night to remove make-up and refresh your face - I recommend Simple products as they have an amazing moisturizing range. As well as this I'd suggest taking a pack of baby wipes just to give yourself a wash each day and to remove any pesky mud stains from your skin.

A safe and secure bag is so important for festivals, sadly a festival is the perfect place for thieves to take advantage of drunk people who maybe aren't being as careful as they usually would be. I'd suggest a backpack with lots of zip pockets or a satchel, again, with plenty of pockets to keep any valuables like money, phones and cameras in. I have the denim rucksack shown above for this  weekend.

The last thing on my essentials list is fluro/neon face paints! Not really essential but are cool and fun for festivals. Most festivals have dance/rave tents with UV lights so fluro paint looks really cool under it! I'd suggest using Stargazer neon face paints in tubes, they're really easy to apply and you can get the for pretty cheap on eBay, they are also sold at most festivals so don't panic about ordering them last minute!

Above is the line-up for this year at Kendal. Doubt i'm going to sleep tonight, partly out of excitement butpartly out of fear I've forgotten to pack something really important (like my ticket!). I'm getting up early tomorrow to get my weekend lashes done and then me and my friends are getting a lift to Lowther Park where Kendal Calling is held for about 12 o'clock when the gates open! I'm especially excited as it's my 19th birthday on the Sunday, can't think of a better place to celebrate!

Check out the official Kendal Calling website here or follow them via Twitter here. My next post wont be until the middle of next week but as always my Twitter and Tumblr will be regularly updated. In the meantime comment and let me know what your festival essentials are or about some of you festival experiences! Remember to leave your link or blog address so I can check it out.

The June Wish List

I have decided to start organising my posts and giving them more of a structure. I plan on doing a monthly wishlist and I couldn't think of a better way to start than with an outfit inspired by my blogs SS13 makeover! I would wear this for a night out or too a formal event like a wedding or maybe dress it down slightly for daywear. Enjoy and let me know what you think of my blogs new look!

1 - Is the China Blue Dress from ThreeFloorFashion.com at £178.00. As you can probably tell this dress is slightly out of my price range but I absolutely adore it. Also the blue print fits in well with the SS13 blue china print style. Below are the items I would choose to accessorize the dress! 

2. Barry M Gelly Nail Effects in Blue Grape at Superdrug for £3.99

3. My absolute fav lipstick! Revlon's matte lipstick in Pink Pout at Superdrug for only £5.49

4. I adore these premium thread wrapped stone earrings from Topshop for £35.00

5. Another Topshop goody, the Orbit Ring for £8.50

6. These beats, the Lyla Pink Super High Extreme Platform Peeptoes, are from boohoo.com for £35.00

Total: £265.98

Quite a pricey wishlist to start with from such an expert bargain hunter but that's why it's just a wishlist and not my wardrobe! Seriously considering treating myself to those beautiful shoes from Boohoo at the very least!.....and maybe the earrings.....and the dress....I need to stop shopping online!

Changing Rooms

I mentioned in a previous post that over the summer I am planning on re-decorating my room. My room, at the moment, is blacks, pinks, whites and greys, I love the colours and design but I'm just sick of it now. My room is quite small and doesn't get a lot of sun on it so the black and dark pink make it look very dark and dingy and I feel it's time for a change. As you know, if you follow my blog, i've been under a lot of stress lately and haven't exactly been at my happiest so I feel like a fresh, new, clean room would help with my 'healthy mind' plan. 

The colour scheme I am planning for my new room is white walls, black wood furniture (my current furniture),  'gilver' accessories, with dashes of rustic looking pastels and florals. I want the room to look clean, fresh and bright but chic and classy with a touch of vintage as well and I think the mood board I have created will achieve this. Below I have shown a few of the items I have bought or am planning to buy for the new room to help give you a feel of what i'm planning!

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED wall art, Debenhams - £19.20

Floral Vintage Storage Cases,Sasse & Belle at Debenhams - £25.60  

Punched Metal Lantern, Next Home - £14 - £22

Cath Kidston Clothes Hangers, Cath Kidston at John Lewis - £12.00

Cath Kidston Greenwich Rose Duvet Covers, Cath Kidston at John Lewis - £40 - £52

5 Light Inspire Black Chandelier, Argos - £34.98

White Glass Jewelry Stand, Wilkinsons - £10.00

Long Decorative Glass Storage Jar, Wilkinsons - £5.00

Venetian Glass Trinket Box, Wilkinsons - £8.00

12 Peony Flower String Lights, Wilkinsons - £10.00

Lily Flame Party Time Scented Candle Tin, John Lewis - £8.50

Vintage Baroque Photo Frame in Gilver, Wilkinsons - £8.00

Sadie's Birthday Surprise

On Friday (19th) it was my little cousin, Sadie's, ninth birthday and it was the first birthday i've ever been away from her because of university. Me and my cousins, Lewis and Sadie, were pretty much all brought up together so we're the closest members of the family and when Sadie found out that I couldn't make it to her birthday she got really upset. Even on the day of her birthday she expected me to show up and again when I didn't she was upset so I phoned her and had a little chat and she cheered up - I don't like seeing Sadie upset so I came up with a little plan to surprise her.

On the phone I said that I was sending a special delivery for her birthday, it wouldn't arrive on her birthday but would definitely be there for her party! So yesterday I traveled five hours by train and coach to get back to Barrow for the party carrying a giant cardboard box covered in Disney Princess paper ready for her birthday surprise. I then arrived at her house and got under the box and sent my mum down to get her!

She had absolutely no idea what the present was and was hesitant to open it after one of her friends suggested something was going to jump out, another one wanted her to kick the box! Thank god she didn't.

When she opened the box and realised it was me she dived up for a cuddle then burst into tears! She cried, I cried, everyone cried! It was definitely the best thing i've ever done and soooo worth the horrible journey!

Watch the surprise revelation below!

I'm travelling back to Liverpool this evening and should get back about half nine! It's going to be a long

 horrible journey so i've stocked up on magazine and biscuits to keep me going! Wish me luck!

Wishlist

I decided today after online window shopping for around three hours (and almost crying because I don't have enough money to buy everything I want) that I would do my first every wishlist post! Also my blogs been very beauty/review type post lately so I felt it was time to throw a bit of fashion back in there! So here it is...Alily-Louise's first ever wishlist post - Enjoy my super cute Summer selection!

1 - New Look Blue Sweetheart Denim Playsuit -£22.99

2 - Topshop Fluro Mini Skater Skirt - £28.00

3 - New Look Kelly Brook Navy Floral Bralet - £22.99

4 - H&M Denim Button Up Crop Top - £12.99

5 - New Look Floral Bikini Top - £12.99 & Matching Briefs - £7.99

6 - New Look Kelly Brook Daisy Bikini top - £16.99 & Matching Briefs - £10.99

7 - Pale Pink Vans Authentic Slim Twill at Schuh - £55.00 

8 - River Island Gold Tone Cut Out Cross Necklace - £7.00

9 - Topshop Wrap Front Flippy Dress - £40.00

10 - H&M Sleeveless Lace Fringed Top - £9.99

11 - H&M Glitter Leopard Print Frayed Denim Shorts - £19.99

I hope you all enjoyed my summer wishlist but considering all together it costs £267.91 it doesn't look like i'll

 be enjoying it anytime soon! Let me know if you want to see more of this kind of post in the future! I have a 

review post and a OOTD/New buys type of post prepared for tomorrow and i'll be doing a few 

personal/lifestyle posts towards the end of the week as well as the monthly 'instagrammed' post! So watch

 this space basically!

Here comes the bride

I've been promising for a while to do a post on my beautiful mum's wedding that was on the 9th of February this year....the time has come! I really want to share this post with everyone because the day was absolutely amazing, I want to show off my dress and I just want the world to know how proud I am of my beautiful amazing mother - Helen this post is for you x

(Group photo of all the guests at the ceremony and reception)

The day started off at around 6am with a breakfast of croissants and coffee (the breakfast of queens) and a few excited/nervous tears from both me and my mum. At 7am the hairdresser arrived and began work on mine and mums hair whilst Andy (the fiancee, now husband) went to the cemetery to put flowers on his mother, father and sisters graves. Between 8/9am I was finishing off mums make-up after doing mine and the wedding car had arrived to take Andy and my cousin Lewis (Best man) to Clarence house where the wedding was being held.

(The cousins, left to right: Rachel, Sadie, Me, Lewis and Sarah)

The next section is a blur but between 9.30/10am the wedding car returned to take me, my grandma and my little cousin Sadie (flower girl) up to the venue and then returned again for my mum and grandad to bring them up to the venue for about 10am. As me, Sadie, mum and grandad made are way up to the chapel we could here the first few notes of Pachelbel's Canon by this point we were all really nervous and excited. 

(The flower bouquets lovingly hand crafted by me & mum and one of the tables at the reception)

Sadie turned the corner to go down the isle before me looking beautiful in her little white dress and then it was my turn. All I remember thinking on my way down towards the alter is "Jesus christ this floor is not safe to walk on in these heel!" Then as I reached my place and turned to see my mum walking down with my grandad grinning away at everyone I think I must have been the proudest daughter in the world. My mum has overcome so much to reach that day and she will never stop amazing me.

(All the girls! Me, Mum & Sadie posing before and after the ceremony!)

Next the vows were exchanged and, again, this section is all a bit of a blur! I went to sign the register as witness then next thing it was all "You are now husband and wife!" My mummy was the new Mrs. Murray! We made our way back out of the chapel to the traditional wedding march and into the conservatory for champagne and bucks fizz! After this we were all seated at our tables and it was time for the speeches. Needless to say I was terrified for my speech! 

(My Dorothy Perkins dress and Topshop shoe combo looked great with the colour scheme! Me getting out of the car at the venue, me giving my speech and me and my beautiful Grandma!)

After panicking for weeks about my speech (which I completed on the train home the day before the wedding might I add) it went brilliantly! Everyone laughed and cried as I said how much I loved my mum and wished my auntie Paula, who sadly died a few years ago, could be there to see her. All the speeches went well with only one slight hitch including a giant, flaming candle falling from a great height.....but we wont get into that!

(Andy's customised champagne glass, said candle and mums matching glass)

After the speeches there were toasts and then we tucked into a meal of veg soup (The venue messed up the starter! It was meant to be pate), roast chicken and sticky toffee pudding for dessert! The food was amazing and I managed not to spill a thing on my beautiful dress! The new Mr & Mrs Murray then cut the cake and everyone went outside or into the lounge and conservatory for drinks and a chill before the night do!

(The wishing well for people to post cards and money, wedding menu and the gorgeous cake which was a gift from my Auntie Sarah and Uncle Mark)

At the night do there was an Elvis impersonator and a DJ, it was an amazing night! A tea of pie and peas was served (proper northern style) and every one bought me crazy amounts of drinks, needless to say I was fairly drunk by the end of the night! Overall it was an amazing day and one that I will never forget. I know my mum and all my family enjoyed the day and have been talking about it ever since!

(Me, Mum, Andy, Sadie & Lewis. My wine glass with homemade name place. Mum, Andy & Me)

This is a personal post which I don't do too many of but this is something I really want on my blog. I'd like to finish this post how I started really by saying my mum is a truely amazing person. She has been faced with a lot of hard times in her life but never once has she let it beat her and never once has she let me down and I know she never will - I love you mum x