Matalan Fruity Novelty Clutch Bags

I've added three more novelty bags to my collection this week.  I know, I know; I already have enough of them for an episode of hoarders, but I just couldn't help myself. 

They were on promo, though, and I spent less than £20 on all three! Want to know how, and where from? Keep reading!

These fruit-shaped clutches are all from Matalan. At only £8 each, they are so purse-friendly, but the best part is, they're also currently on 3 for 2! All three bags, plus delivery, came to a few pennies shy of £20! Bargain! The promo is running until the 2nd of June, so there are only a few days left to snag a bargain or three. If you're coveting more than one of these clutch bags, now is the time to pounce!

My favourite of the three is the watermelon clutch. I've wanted a watermelon bag for years, and I'm so glad I held off until now. This one is exactly what I've been looking for. The colours are bold (but lighter than my photos show), the design is so quirky, the faux leather is as soft as butter, and it's surprisingly roomy, too. I even got complimented on it the other day when I took it with me to the supermarket.

The lemon wedge is essentially the same design as the watermelon, and it shares the same great features. It's got plenty of room for the essentials, it's well made, the fabric is soft... The strap is even big enough for chubby wrists. It's so bright and cheerful, but more of a soft lemon-yellow than my photos show- my camera doesn't seem to like yellow, especially on grey days.

The other lemon clutch is a little smaller than the other two, and it's also quite flat, like New Look's novelty clutch bags. It has just enough room for a few essentials, but you'll never fit the kitchen sink in this one. I can fit my phone, a slim purse, and my keys inside with a little room to spare. The quality isn't as good as the other two clutches, but for £8 I really can't complain. It's well made and I think it's cute.

I have to say, I'm so impressed with the quality of these Matalan bags, especially for the price. In my opinion, the quality is higher than that of New Look's (which I also like), and they're £5 cheaper, too! These clutches are my very first Matalan bags, and I'm so pleased with them, I just might have to go back for more. I'd love to get my hands on the ice cream cone!

Have you got any of Matalan's new novelty clutch bags yet?

You might also like:

My novelty bag collection.
My novelty Christmas bags.
My New Look novelty clutch bags.

Wednesday Wish List

Another week, another Wednesday Wish List...

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I love these sweetheart-neckline swing dresses from Lady Vintage. Not keen on the bows? That's okay; they're detachable!

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I'd love to add these three navy Dorothy Perkins dresses to my wardrobe. I have a real thing for navy clothes at the moment.

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Dorothy Perkins also have the prettiest pastel sleepwear right now.

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And another bunch of clothes from Dotty P's- last one today, I swear! Just look at these gorgeous colours! I'm particularly taken with the yellow scallop-edge jacket, and the black heart-print shorts.

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Yours Clothing have a fantastic selection of leggings at the moment, and these colourful cropped ones have particularly caught my eye. I think they'd all look great with my yellow polka dot dress, as well as with a bunch of other dresses in my wardrobe. They'd make a fun alternative to black. I also discovered that Yours sell legging shorts, which I want to get my hands on to wear under dresses this Summer, so I can work on baring my legs in public with a little more security. I think they'd help  to prevent chafing, too.

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I wish I could wear heels because all of these colourful New Look wide-fit heels are gorgeous. All that colour makes me happy.

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These wide-fit sandals from New Look are lovely. I only wish New Look sold wide fit shoes in EEE width, too, because I can't always get their sandals on my horrible, monstrous wide feet

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I've fallen in love with an Etsy brand called DesignosaurYEAH who make the most amazing, quirky laser-cut jewellery, and accessories. They have a big selection of dinosaur pieces which come in a rainbow of colours, and these are just some of my favourites. I can't decide which I like best, but I'd love to get my hands on a plesiosaur piece, and the black glitter triceratops is pretty damn awesome.

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DesignosaurYEAH also have the funkiest animal pieces. I adore the sloth, koala, whale, and elephant.

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And last but not least, I'm loving these stunning circle skirts from The Oblong Box Shop. Aren't the prints amazing?!

What's on your wish list this week?

Colourful Collage: Yellow

This week's colourful flatlay is dedicated to all things yellow; one of my favourite colours.

1. 642 Things To Draw book. A book full of drawing prompts, and plain paper to draw on.

2. Original Source Quench pineapple body lotion. The scent is to die for!

3. Waikiki Melon Yankee Candle.

4. Neal's Yard Bee Lovely To Your Hands hand cream.

5. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.

6. Pretty mustard-yellow rose hair clips,

7. Honey Mania lip butter from The Body Shop.

8. A River Island clutch I've had since at least 2003. I think it may actually be the oldest bag I own!

9. A "currently loving" piece of journaling paper from a La De Dah pad.

10. A pack of lemon Lockets cough sweets.

11. Carmex lip balm.

12. A pair of false eyelashes I'm saving for the right occasion.

13. A Cath Kidston canape flag. 

14. Lemon yellow Inglot eyeshadow.

15. Sunshine yellow Inglot eyeshadow.

16. A Project Life card.

17. Burt's Bees replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil.

18. Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express waterproof mascara. One of the best mascaras I've ever tried!

19. A little wooden elephant, which my parents brought me back from a trip to Sri Lanka.

20. A length of lemon and white gingham ribbon. It didn't want to cooperate with the camera.

21. A nail art dotting tool.

22. An Indian bangle which I bought, along with about a hundred others, during a holiday to France about a decade ago.

23. A Hobbycraft rosette embellishment thing-a-ma-jig for crafting.

24. Lemon yellow Sally Hansen nail polish in Yellow Kitty.

25. Three random yellow buttons.

And it was all yellow.

Do you have a lot of yellow things, or is it not the colour palette for you?

Other posts in my rainbow flatlay series: 

Red.

Orange.

It's The Little Things

I've not had a lot of fun or excitement in my life for a while, but I've still had a few reasons to smile lately. I think the little things in life are often even better than the big things, anyway. Anyone agree? Either way, the little things make me smile, and here are three which recently left me beaming.

Last week, my best friend sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which totally took me by surprise- particularly because there was nothing to tell me who had sent them. I never get sent flowers, so I was completely baffled for hours until my bestie confirmed they were from her. I had a hunch. She'd sent them as an apology for not being in touch for a while, which of course wasn't even necessary. You know how life gets. It's not always easy to catch up regularly as adults, especially when you currently live 150 miles from each other, and one of you is a single Mum (her, not me!). I definitely didn't deserve a bouquet of flowers, but I was touched by the gesture, and the flowers definitely brightened my day. The white roses and lilac freesias are gorgeous, and they're still looking great over a week later. 

Last Saturday, another surprise landed on the doormat; a box of mini American chocolates from Dandy Candy. This parcel was also anonymous, which had me confused again. Had I won it? Had I been sent it for review or something? I wasn't sure. My first thought was to check with the bestie again, and yep, she'd sent me the chocolates, as well as the flowers! She sure did spoil me last week!

I love American sweets and I'm looking forward to working my way through these. There are several I've never tried before, and a few I love- Butterfingers, Baby Ruth bars, and peanut butter cups. Nom!

And last, but not least... a month or so ago, my sister and I stopped off for a drink at a riverside country pub. It was the first hot day of Spring, so we both grabbed a pint...of coke...(how exciting are we?!), and sat outside in the sunshine by the river. There were only a handful of people in the beer garden with us, and it was so peaceful. 

Just across the river from us was a beautiful brown and white horse. She was galloping around her paddock at lightning speed, rolling around on her back, demanding attention from everybody who walked past, and whinnying as happy as can be. I don't think I've ever seen a horse look so happy!  I don't think anybody else had, either, because she had the whole beer garden transfixed and smiling! It was really lovely to watch. 

This is how domesticated horses should be able to live; not raced and whipped to death for sport. In my opinion, it's far more entertaining watching a horse enjoying life out in the country than being forced to race around a race track. I could've sat there watching her all day. 

What little things have made you smile lately?

Wednesday Wish List

It's wish list day and this week I've got lots of lovely things to share with you.

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I know I've featured a lot of Lady Vintage dresses in the last few weeks, but the gorgeous dresses just keep on coming. These newcomers are all to die for! I'm still besotted with the kingfisher print fabric, and I really, really, really need one of the kingfisher frocks in my collection. Really, really. Damn you, bank balance.

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I'm loving Lindy Bop's newest petticoats; so many pretty colours. They come in three different lengths. I've linked back to the 30", but they also come in 26" and 28", and also in lots of other colours.

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These lacy Lindy Bop dresses are all stunning. I personally think that the gorgeous dark hues seem better suited for Autumn and Winter, but they're so beautiful, so who cares? I'd wear them, anyway.

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These cat-shaped bags from Topshop are adorable. 

Lemon bag

This lemon cross-body-bag from George at ASDA is the perfect Summer day bag.

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I don't need a new make up bag, but these narwhal and panda cases are the cutest.

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How awesome are these clutch bags from Matalan?! I love the watermelon and lemon designs, and they're all budget friendly, too. Thanks to Lucy for the tip off! You are my enabler!

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These necklaces from N2 by Les Nereides are amazing- especially the Alice in Wonderland themed charm necklace. Where's a spare £125 when you need it?

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I'm loving these hair bands from Designsix.

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Call me crazy, but I really like these fringe boots from Minnetonka. Whether I could get my ugly wide feet in them is a different matter altogether, but this is only a wish list, so who cares?

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I adore ASOS Curve's star print festival leggings. I think they'd look awesome worn with lots of cobalt blue.

I'm also pretty smitten with that stunning red and pink embroidered dress from Chi Chi London. I sadly don't have anywhere to wear a dress that formal, but it would be perfect if you've got a wedding, prom, or a day at the races coming up.

What's on your wish list this week? Which of these do you like best?

Colourful Collage: Orange

Last week I began a new feature called Colourful Collages, a series which basically involves me putting together a new colour-themed flat lay each week, and then blogging about it. And I'm challenging myself to go through as many colours as possible. 

Last week I started with red, and it only seemed right to continue on today with the next colour in the rainbow- orange; well, obviously!

1. Night In The Lonesome October paperback novel by Richard Laymon.

2. The Body Shop satsuma shower gel. (The best shower gel ever!)

3. EOS medicated tangerine lip balm.

4. Paperchase orange and silver tea light holder.

5. Marks and Spencer mango moisturising lip balm.

6. Herbal Essences uplifting volume dry shampoo.

7. Hairspray DVD. (Love this film; I'm a big fan of musicals!)

8. The Body Shop satsuma body butter.

9. Novelty radio necklace from Accessorize.

10. Some loose plastic sequins; spares from an unknown piece of clothing.

11. Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail paint in Mango.

12. Accessorize ladybug studs.

13. A pair of real yellow topaz earrings my Mum gave me. Yellow by name, orange by nature.

14. An orange and yellow iPod sock. (From the days of 1st generation iPod minis!)

15. A Project Life journal card.

16. Orange soft pastels, barely used. (I've had the box of pastels since I was fifteen!)

17. The Body Shop Born Lippy watermelon lip balm.

18. A piece of creative journaling paper from a Smash Book pad with the topic 'Most Memorable'.

19. A metal fox brooch from Cath Kidston.

20. Three coloured pencils from Hobbycraft.

21. An Accessorize snag-free hair tie.

22. Ciaté mini nail polish in Hopscotch.

23. A pineapple notecard from a pack of fruit-themed Paperchase notecards.

24. Clinique Chubby Stick in Oversized Orange.

I'm surprised by how many orange things I have lying around; these are just some of them! I personally love the colour orange, but I think it's one of those colours you either love or you hate. To some, it's garish, but to me orange is the happiest colour palette, so I have no problem having lots of it in my house. In fact, I don't think I have enough!

Orange; yay or nay?

Book Review | The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

It's been ages since my last book review. Why? I've barely read a book all year. It's really out of character for me, as I've always been an avid reader, but recently I've just not been able to get in to anything. I've had so much going on in my head that I've been struggling to concentrate, and when I have been able to, I've fallen asleep before I've read three pages. And that's why I've only finished one book so far this year! I started many, but I didn't find my reading mojo until I began reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

Title: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

Genres: Dystopian, sci-fi, fiction, young adult.

Why I chose it: The exciting synopsis caught my attention, and with the promise of another dystopian tale, I just had to have it.

Plot: The 5th wave is a classic tale of man vs. alien, set in the modern day. The human race is being exterminated by an advanced alien race who have claimed the planet as their own. The invaders are intent on cleansing the planet, and they are doing so in a system of waves.

The 1st wave took out half a million people.

The 2nd wave put that number to shame. 

The 3rd wave lasts a little longer. Twelve weeks... four billion dead.

In The 4th wave, you can't trust that people are still people. 

And the 5th wave? Nobody knows. But it's coming.

The story is told from multiple narratives, and begins through the eyes of sixteen year old Cassie. Once just a normal teenage girl lusting after boys, Cassie's life now revolves around survival. She needs to search for supplies, while hiding from the alien drones which are hunting people down. All she cares about is surviving long enough to find her little brother, Sammy, who was taken away to a camp with other children. In order to keep her promise to him, she knows she must survive and to survive, she has to stay alone. She can't trust that people are still people; nobody can. The aliens don't look like aliens, nor do they patrol the Earth in flying saucers. They are invading from within.

Can she really trust quiet, mysterious Evan Walker, who saves her from an icy tomb? And will she save her brother before it's too late?

Meanwhile, children are being molded in to soldiers at a military base, but is it what it seems?

Thoughts: I found myself hooked on this book before the first chapter was even finished. It was one of those books I just couldn't put down, and when I had to, I was always impatient to get back to it. The story was fast-paced, with plenty of suspense which was only intensified by the sub-plots which switched back and forth every few chapters. This kept me reading on and on just so I could find out what happened next to the characters in the sub-plot before. 

The story has multiple narratives, with two making up the bulk of the story. I enjoyed reading from each perspective, but it was Cassie's story that I was invested in most. I found her voice witty,  feisty and likable, and it was difficult not to hope that she'd make it back to her brother. Her relationship with Evan was also interesting to see develop, especially as it was clear who Evan was from the start- even before his true identity was revealed. I'd be surprised if anybody didn't see it coming.

The other main narrative, follows a group of child soldiers led by adolescent Zombie. It's told from within and around a military camp, and brings a new perspective to the fight for survival against the alien beings. It brought plenty of excitement to the book, and it had me on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded, and the truth came out.

While tales of alien invasions have been told a million times, there is something unique about The 5th Wave. This is probably the first alien sci-fi story I've read which doesn't consist of flying saucers, or stereotypical alien beings visibly conquering the world, and exterminating humans en mass with machines. It's a unique take on an old classic, and it's a brilliant little read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if you love dystopian, sci-fi, and tales of alien invasions, I think you will, too!

Rating: 5/5.

The 5th Wave is the first book in a series, and I'm already on to book number two. It's safe to say this book has helped me find my reading mojo again! I'll be sure to review the next book as I'm done.

Have you read The 5th Wave yet? Do you enjoy alien invasion stories?

Wednesday Wish List

It's that time of the week again... somehow. The days are passing by so quickly I can barely keep up! (But not quickly enough to keep me from putting together a new wish list!) Here are some of the things I'm loving this week...

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Lady Vintage have just brought out their classic Hepburn dress in a bunch of gorgeous new fabrics, and I am head over heels in love with them. I'm dying to get my hands on the kingfisher and flamingo print dresses, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen. Why do all the best clothes come out when I'm skint?? 

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Lindy Bop have also been releasing so many beautiful dresses this season, and these are four of my new favourites. The fabrics, the colours, the shapes... everything about  each of them is stunning.

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I love how different these acid wash off-shoulder dresses from ASOS Curve are. I'm not sure I've ever seen a denim dress with matching lace along the hem, but I like what I see! I love a good denim dress; they're so easy to wear.

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These accessories from Suzywan are so funky. I especially love the lightning bolt earrings.

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I'm loving these four bags from ASOS, but particularly the leather satchel with the cut out detail. It's a beauty.

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These cat-ear hairbands from ASOS are really cute. Whether or not I can still pull off a hairband at 29, I don't know!

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And last but not least, I love these wide fit sandals, and Liberty print trainers from ASOS.

What's on your wish list this week?