21



Yes, you read that right, I am now 21! As you know I absolutely love my birthday and this year was no exception! My birthday started last Saturday when my family and Mark's parents came to visit and we all went out for a gorgeous meal. The food was amazing and the people at the pub were so so nice, I can't praise them enough! 




I had prawns in a chilli and garlic butter with rice and stir-fried vegetables.  NOM
It was lovely to catch up with everyone and it was a brilliant start to my birthday :) On my actual birthday, I was woken up with breakfast in bed and then presents and cupcakes from my lovely friends and house mates, Danni and Lisa.




My friends Pete and Mike came down to celebrate with me and my house mates. Carnage naturally ensued! ;)






Do we watch too much ANTM?! 
We went out to a new bar and had an amazing time and Mark amused us by pulling faces like this:


OH DEAR.
We had an absolutely fantastic night though, although if you are ever offered the drink, liquid cocaine, DECLINE AT ALL COSTS! In addition to these lovely parties, I also received some very nice gifts...















I am so lucky to have such amazing friends and family... thank you all so much and bring on my next birthday! :)

What do you do on your birthday?

  

Wear it pink

Last week Emily challenged me, amongst other bloggers, to "Wear It Pink" for Breast Cancer Campaign in order to raise awareness and funds for vital research into treatment and cure for breast cancer.We have all pledged to "Wear It Pink" and post out outfit photos - what else would fashion bloggers do?!



I don't have much pink in my wardrobe, in fact I only have this pink silk blouse which I picked up for next to nothing in Debenhams AGES ago. I paired it with black to ensure that it really stood out and added gold accessories to make it a bit more interesting. Apologies for the very odd angle and cluttered background, it was the only place in our house with any light- don't you hate when it's dark when you wake up AND when you go to sleep?! 




I look so dopey! Ah well, it's all in the name of charity!!



I like how bright this pink is- especially with the gold, maybe I need to invest in more pinks in my wardrobe? :P




Go check out the Pink outfits of my fellow bloggers: Sherin of HiFashion, Leia of Leia's Delights, Florrie of Intrinsically Florrie, Laura of Political Style, Amanda of Forty Not Out and Zoe of Splodz BlogzIf you're also taking part and Wearing It Pink, leave a comment below with a link to your post and  please remember to donate HERE


  

P.S. I will be writing up my 21st birthday soon so here's a sneak peek of what to expect! 

Pull the other one

Earlier this week, I decided to go an impromptu shopping trip [when I say impromptu, I mean of course completely planned in order to buy supplies for a certain bloggers birthday...Happy Birthday Maria!]. Somewhat awkwardly, Miss Fallon decided she'd like to join and although it led to a not-so-subtle splitting up for half an hour, she also managed to seek out the perfect jumper for me! Y'see, after getting over-excited about finally getting a job, I went on another unplanned shopping spree [oops] and bought a lovely maxi skirt from Dorothy Perkins. Lovely Jubbly. Although, of course I had nothing to wear with it and, despite knowing exactly what I was looking for, I couldn't see anything anywhere - even cybershopping failed this time!

Luckily, Maria kept an eye out while she was gliding through H&M and voila, found this beauty alone on the sale rack.


Behold. The perfect cropped, cream jumper. Behold, the not so perfect pulls on the material.


Part of me was ready to put it back, after all £24.99 was steep for a jumper anyway...snags or not and as there was no sale tag I presumed someone had put it there by accident. Nevertheless, I wanted it. BAD. So when I got to the till I asked, in as nice and un-cheeky a way as possible if I could possibly have a reduction on it. Please? And just like that, it was mine for a mere £5. Considering I was going to be happy with half price, this was a real bargain. And it looks perfect with my maxi skirt...yay!

It got me wondering though, am I a really cheeky shopper? I've asked for reductions on a few things lately as they're the last in my size, and perfect except for some annoying pulls or small rips. I know so many people who would just buy it anyway, or wait for new stock...what do you guys think? Am I rude to ask for money off?!

Oh, and I've finally jumped on the Barry-M bandwagon with my cracked nails. I actually bought the stuff weeks ago, but have suffered from manky-hand syndrome after shoving boxes around and unstapling labels. Nice. I've gotta say I love the stuff, although it took two coats of clear over the top to make it look glossy and even - I think I was expecting the crackle effect to be less dense. Either way, it's amazing, and next time I'll definitely try it over a brighter colour!



Also, it's Halloween this weekend!! I never normally get excited... one bad experience of trick or treating was enough to put me off for life. It involved me, a gate, and a hungry dog. Go figure. Anyway, this year we're planning to make a bit of an effort, I can almost feel myself getting in the spooky mood already...



anyone else planning some spooktastic partys?!


Big girl's blouse

Looking into my wardrobe is an interesting activity. My storage facilities at uni are fairly spacious but I am impatient and often shove things into the wardrobe without folding them *gasp* As a result of this I have been trying to restrict my spending and revamp old favourites.  Recently though, I received an email from Miss Selfridge telling me about their sale and I clicked the link. BIG mistake, I wanted everything on the site! Miss Selfridge is a brand I love but often feel is overpriced (much like its sister shop, Topshop) As I had worked a long shift that week at work, I treated myself to another sheer blouse. 


I LOVE sheer blouses, I think they are more interesting than a plain t-shirt and add a feminine twist to key pieces (like my leather jacket) in my wardrobe. This one from Miss Selfridge is clearly vintage inspired with its floral pattern and cascading ruffles. 




I paired it with my Zara trousers to tone down its overt femininity and my gorgeous coral jacket, as seen here. Unfortunately, the day IO wore this was also the day that the weather turned from chilly to FREEZING. 


Silly me!
My poor toes were freezing in my peeptoes but my shoes matched my belt so perfectly that I just couldn't resist!



Recently, I have been trying to inject some glamour into my everyday life by wearing heels as often as possible. It seems such a shame to only wear them if I am going out, which happens less and less in third year, so I have been wearing them during the day too. Not necessarily the most practical choice I have ever made but you have to suffer to be beautiful, right?! My jacket was also EXTREMELY impractical as it had cropped sleeves and is so light that it provides no protection from the elements. FAIL.


Apologies for the crazy angle, Mark was hanging off a chair trying to take my photo and this is the best one that shows me full length, with my jacket on. It's difficult doing outfit posts at the moment, it is always SO dark when I am free and I like nice bright photos to show the details of my outfit... 


I hope you enjoy this super close up of my face! It's too funny not to include :)

Do you have any tips for doing outfit posts in the winter? Does glamour or comfort take priority when choosing an outfit?


  

Peacocks O' Clock

I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for this blogging malarkey.... I've been so distracted lately by so many things that I'm ashamed to say it's taken a complete backseat. But, I'm back on track with things, and trying to get into more of a routine so you can look forward [or not!] to more of my ramblings!

The first major thing as Maria explained, is that our house was just about ready to collapse. Mmkay...maybe a slight exaggeration but I certainly felt uneasy standing underneath that stain...and even more uncomfortable with the thought of being in a shower above a very soggy, very weak kitchen ceiling - some things you just don't  want to see when cooking... a naked housemate is one of them.
Anyways, the ceiling is just about sorted, and I was finally getting back into the academic swing of things [swing is the wrong word.... more of a weighty pendulum of DOOOM] when I happened to catch sight of a job vacancy in my local Peacocks store. I handed in my application form at 9am, and by 3pm I had a job - they're nothing if not efficient!


I won't go into detail about the job itself, there's just something weird [and completely boring for you] about sharing that kind of stuff. What I will say is goodness is it nice to be earning. Although not so good is the yawning. The routine that I was just about getting into? Yeah... kind of destroyed. But I'm gonna see it as being replaced by a spangly, brand new routine..... one that should belong to a time-stopping super hero but hey. I'll cope!

Especially when I have concoctions like placed infront of me.


And cute cards from the family...


Another teeny tiny matter that's been taking up my time is the small matter of a 10'000 word essay. I know a few bloggers are in their final year of uni now, and you know what that means....the dreaded 'D' word. I feel like I'm jumping on a rather large bandwagon here, but I'm going down the female blogging path for mine. Not exactly focused enough to warrant a proper title yet, but I've withdrawn books from the library and we all know that counts as actual work right? No? Really? Oops.

 And of course you can see my personal cloud nine in full use!

Apologies for this splat of a post.... I'm hoping to get back on my project 365 soon which will hopefully inspire some better blogging!! I've also just given in to Twitter so I can finally keep up with everyone's lovely new posts etc - if you've got any questions or suggestions then find me @Dannimoo :)

Until next time!

Taking a deep breath...

... and diving into the big wide world. One of the reasons we have neglected the blog (and you lovely people!) recently is that since moving into our uni house we have been having a few problems with our accommodation. Leaks in our house mean that we are restricted on the number of bathrooms we can use, which is a bit of a pain with 5 of us here at the moment... you gotta love student housing! 

Lovely!
My mood wasn't helped after Mark managed to shrink my favourite jumper that I featured on the last post. I was so upset when I pulled it out of the washing machine- it was literally the size of a child's jumper :'( I was going to put a picture up but it is just too upsetting! The icing on the cake was when I had to rush to A&E on Wednesday evening. My left arm swelled up and went all numb with sharp, shooting pains which was terrifying and confusing in equal part- fun huh?! Thank you to everyone on Twitter who sent such lovely messages of support, they really helped to keep me occupied whilst I was stuck waiting to see a doctor. I arrived home at about 10pm to find my house mates waiting up to see if I was OK and a really cute note on my door... 

Aren't they lovely?! :)
I think the worst part about being back at uni though, is the insane amount of work we both have on at the moment. In addition to lectures, reading and essay preparation, Danni and I have our dissertations to start and read for. I really don't know where to start but luckily my dissertation supervisor is FAB and just the person I wanted so with any luck, I will be able to produce a coherent 10,000 word essay (EEK!) 



I think at some point I am going to have a mental breakdown, so I am trying to distract myself with reading blogs and making myself into a Mad Men cartoon. Yes you did read that right. The lovely Fashion editor at large wrote a post about this and posted it on Twitter and I have spent my afternoon making cartoons of my house mates. (Yes I am that cool! :P) You should definitely make your own cartoon but I warn you now, it is ridiculously addictive :) 



I LOVE the Pete Campbell cartoon- it's perfect! 

In other news, it is a week until I get to see my family for a celebration of my 21st birthday which I am REALLY looking forward to. You would think at my age, the novelty of birthdays would have worn off but apparently not! I still don't know what I will be doing with my friends/ on the day itself but if any of you have already celebrated your 21st, do you have any tips? 

What did you do for your last birthday? Do you have any ideas to keep me sane over the next couple of weeks?

Cosy cable knit

As I have been bitten by the thrifting bug, I had a mooch through the charity shops and managed to pick up a lovely cosy jumper from Toast. It is perfect for me as I get very warm, whatever the weather, so its short sleeves are practical and chic! :) I layered it up with my H&M  bodycon skirt which (hopefully) made it more flattering. 


I bought my tights from Primark a while ago, thinking they were black but I actually think the grey is more flattering and easier to mix and match. 



Handily, they also matched my belt which I used to pull in my waist. Again to help with the potential frump factor! 






I really loved how the mix of patterns worked together to make a really cosy and comfy outfit that was perfect for the rainy weather outside.






I am finding it difficult to incorporate my glasses into my daily routine, mainly because I forget that I have to wear them all the time (oops!)




The only way this outfit could be made better (in my humble opinion!) is with the addition fo a perfectly fitting vintage wool coat...




Ta-da! I finally got this coat dry-cleaned! I bought this when Danni and I went Yummy Hair spotting at Vintage at Goodwood with Aussie and haven't been able to wear it until now.




What's your favourite comfy outfit? Have you ever mixed patterns?






  

P.S.  


We  have changed things around on the blog so take a look at the new layout and tell us what you think.  Please let us know 
what you would  like to see more of on Frills 'n' Spills too!