There's No Place Like London: Part One

On Monday, I took a rare trip away from home and spent the night in London to have some fun.

I don't get to travel or have fun very often these days, as I struggle to cope with my spinal pain when I'm out of bed. I manage the odd couple of hours here and there, but most days I'm lucky if I can push through five minutes. It makes it difficult to go out and do the things I enjoy most in life, but every so often I need to push myself to my limits for the sake of my sanity, and say "fuck it."

And that's exactly what I did on Monday, when I went to London with my best friend and my older sister to see Linkin Park live at the O2! It was exactly what I needed to put a smile back on my face.

My sister and I left home around noon, hopped on a train, and made it to our hotel in Covent Garden by half two. My best friend arrived soon after. We made it to London so early so that I could rest for a few hours before the show, to have the best chance of making it through the evening. It was a wise decision and the perfect excuse for a catch up.

The trip was only possible because I won a night's stay at a Travelodge hotel on Rachel's blog a couple of months ago. I don't actually live far from London; our journey only takes about an hour and a half by train, but I wouldn't have managed all the travelling and shenanigans in one go. Winning the competition could not have come at a better time! It meant that we could all afford a night away, even with Christmas on the horizon. It allowed me to get plenty of rest before and after the show, and to see my best friend who I'd not seen for almost a year, and we were / are all so grateful for that. 

We stayed in the Covent Garden Travelodge on High Holborn Road, which is in the theatre district and about a quarter of a mile from Covent Garden, and a mile from Westminster Bridge. It's about half a mile from Oxford Street and Leicester Square, too, so it's a great location to stay in if you're visiting London for sight-seeing, shopping, and a show.

It was the first time any of us had stayed at a Travelodge hotel, but it didn't disappoint. The staff were friendly and helpful, the room was clean, and the hotel was well maintained. We had a good-sized room, which, although simple, was all we needed for a night's stay. The room had a double bed and two single camp beds, which we all found comfortable. There was plenty of storage space for clothes and luggage, and a large wooden counter to work from or do your hair and make up from. It also had tea and coffee making facilities, a TV, and a decent-sized bathroom with a bath and shower (over the tub).

The best part about the room, and we all agreed, was the view we had from our tenth floor windows. There was so much to take in! We could see modern office structures alongside beautiful old buildings, with a little bit of nature and a couple of landmarks in between. Everything looked like it had been squeezed in between each other in no particular order and I loved how mis-matched it all looked. It's something I've always loved about London; the way new and old exists alongside each other.

Over the rooftops to the left of the window, we could see the tops of some of the buildings and ships along the nearby river Thames. I think the structure with the flag on the top is one of the bridges, but I'm not sure which one. 

To the right of the window, was the BT Tower, which let's face it, is a bit of an eye sore. It looks so out of place towering above everything else.

It was grey and cloudy when I took these photos on Tuesday afternoon, but when we arrived on Monday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, which made the view look so much prettier.

We all had a great stay at the Travelodge, and I just wanted to say a big thank you to Rachel for hosting the giveaway, and to Stephanie from Talented Talkers who was organising my stay and so kindly allowed a third person to tag along. Thank you both so much! I still can't believe I won, but it allowed me to spend a rare night away from home, and I really appreciated the opportunity to escape reality for a day. We all had a fantastic time, so thanks again!

I'd happily stay in the Covent Garden hotel again next time I stay over in London, and I'd gladly recommend the hotel to you guys. It has everything you need for a comfortable night or two away from home, and you really can't beat the central location!

This is only part one of my London adventures. Tomorrow I'll be back with part two, when I'll be talking about what I got up to while I was there.

Have you ever stayed at a Travelodge hotel?

Uniquely You: Following Dreams

Last week I was contacted by Modcloth, the retro and vintage inspired fashion retailer, who invited me to participate in their Uniquely You challenge. Being a big fan of Modcloth and their beautiful designs, I was very flattered by the invitation so of course, I said yes! 

I was challenged to create an outfit on Polyvore around a particular item of clothing from their private label collection, using up to seven other pieces from their extensive collections.

The item of clothing I had to dress was the "Following Dreams" sweater by Bea and Dot, a striped and polka dot number. Polka dots! Prints! Two staple ingredients of my personal style! It was fair to say I was in my element and had so much fun putting this outfit together.

Following Dreams by frecklesanddots featuring red shoes

I stuck to a simple, classic colour scheme with navy, white, and red pieces, but decided to have some fun and show a little personality by mixing patterns, and adding in some quirky accessories. That's basically my day to day style and this outfit in a nut shell! I love colour, pattern-clashing, and unusual accessories!

The sweater alone is lovely and would look classic with a great pair of jeans, but worn with the beautiful Resounding Thrill polka dot skirt, the unusual Afternoon Tea charm necklace (very Alice in Wonderland!), and the rest of these lovely accessories, it's transformed in to a head-turning outfit! Something to set you apart from the crowd, without being too out there. It may not be to everyone's taste, but this is how I'd wear the Following Dreams sweater. And did I mention it caters to sizes from an XS up to a 4X? Fantastic!

So that was my Uniquely You entry. The winning entry at the end of the week gets the honour of being displayed on Modcloth's Polyvore page! Wish me luck!

Legally Glam Blogger Style Challenge Competition

Legally Glam, the online fashion accessory boutique, is currently running a Blogger Style Challenge with the chance to win a gorgeous Ollie & Nic satchel. Being the hand bag hoarder that I am, I just had to enter to be in with a chance of winning the little beauty.

The challenge is to create an outfit based around the satchel, that you'd wear for a shopping trip to London with friends. Challenge accepted!

This is what I would wear for an Autumn shopping trip to London...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 //

I've been on countless shopping trips to London, and I've learnt that comfort is essential for an enjoyable trip. There's a lot of walking involved, crowds to manoeuvre around, and a hot Underground to contend with. (Not to mention all those changing rooms!) So I put this outfit together with that in mind, without compromising on style. I went for comfy shoes, layers that can easily be added or removed, and fuss-free accessories. 

I've stuck to three main colours, which I think compliment the bag well and all work well together. You can't go wrong with jewel tones in Autumn! The purple of the bag really stands out against the black pieces and looks stunning with the beautiful forest green of the dress. 

I love forest green with purple, so I just had to start with the lace New Look dress. I added some opaque tights for warmth, and a pair of studded Simply Be ankle boots which are stylish, toughen the dress us, and would be comfortable for walking around in all day. The quilted biker jacket keeps to the edgier look of the outfit, whilst being warm enough for October, and easy to remove on The Tube or in changing rooms. I added in a scarf to provide an extra layer of warmth- (and to also give me my polka dot fix)- as our English weather can be so unpredictable. And I had to add in a couple of light-hearted accessories to show some personality, so I went with a purple Topshop pork pie hat (to complement the bag) and an adorable panda ring by Irregular Choice. And voila! There we have one shopping trip outfit!

I think I've created a comfortable, stylish outfit which is true to my style and shows a hint of personality.

All information about the competition can be found here and you have until 5pm today to enter. Good luck!

Travel Supermarket Holiday Postcards Competition: New York

I was recently contacted by Travel Supermarket and asked if I would like to take part in their Holiday Postcards competition. The competition gives one lucky winner the chance to win £1000 towards their next holiday, and one of their holiday snaps turned in to a postcard. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is write about your last holiday and what made it memorable to you. You can find all the details here if you fancy participating. This is my entry...

My last holiday was to New York just over two years ago, between the 1st and 8th of August 2011, which was about a month before I injured my back and had to put my life on hold. Even though it was two years ago, the memories of that holiday are still so clear in my mind, and remembered so fondly. It's impossible to forget the holiday of a life time.

I had never been to New York before, nor had I stepped foot in America, or even left Europe. By the time I'd got off my very first long haul flight at JFK airport, I was able to cross four goals off my bucket list.

I'd dreamt of visiting The Big Apple since my childhood, after falling in love with the iconic city in countless movies and TV shows, like Home Alone 2, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Sex and the City, but I never believed I'd actually see it for myself. However, see it I did, and it was even more incredible than I ever could have imagined. It was overwhelming and surreal to be there amongst the iconic landmarks we knew so well from TV and media, but I also felt right at home and so content; I felt more like myself there then I had in a very long time.

My sister and I were there for a week and managed to experience so much in that time.

We stayed in a gorgeous boutique hotel called The Muse, just off Times Square (located  half a block down the road between the Mamma Mia sign and TGI Fridays), which I have to mention as the staff were so friendly and helpful. The concierge were particularly lovely, and the night before our flight home one of the lovely older gentlemen found us before his shift ended to tell us it was a pleasure to meet us and wished us a safe flight home! It's little details like that which made our holiday so memorable.

We were able to absorb the wonderful atmosphere and bright lights of Times Square daily, which was like nothing I'd experienced before. The atmosphere was almost electric; bubbling with friendly people from all walks of life no matter the hour of the day or night. It never slept! It was fantastic for shopping and eating out (even at midnight).

I personally will never forget how fluorescent Times Square looked when we arrived that first night in a taxi. Never. I'd never seen anything so vibrant in my life, nor do I imagine I ever will again. It was so bright we both exclaimed 'WOAH!' in unison and had to shield our eyes from the glare!

On our second day, we took a trip over to see Lady Liberty, which was so surreal. It was lovely to be out on the water on a scorching hot afternoon, where we had wonderful views of the Manhattan skyline and the bridges, as well as the great statue. She was smaller than I'd imagined, but beautiful, and we spent an hour or two dawdling around the island, taking photos, enjoying the views, and eating soft pretzels. We also posed for souvenir photos... but  forgot to buy them. (Which we accidentally did at a further three locations! Memories like sieves, I tell you)!

The views of Manhattan from the island and the ferry were breath-taking.

We travelled the streets of the city in numerous yellow taxis and guided tour buses, taking in all the sights, learning things the guide books don't tell you, and gazing up in awe at the height of the colossal sky scrapers. The tour buses were such a valuable part of our New York City experience; we learnt and saw so much.

One of my favourite parts of the holiday was the night tour, which was a guided bus tour of the city in the evening. There are no words to describe how blown-away I was to see  the New York skyline lit up in the dark for the first time. It was breath-taking. It don't think the fact I was actually in New York had sunk in until that moment. We took the night tour three times in total, and on one evening, as we were gazing up at the skyline while we travelled across the Manhattan bridge, a fireworks display lit up the sky across the water, as if it was there just for us. It was the perfect moment.

Another memorable moment was visiting the Empire State Building late one evening, at about 10:30pm. There will never be another experience like standing a thousand feet and 86 stories up in the sky in the dark of the night amongst the clouds while it rained, looking down at a shadowy concrete jungle peppered with dots and rivers of light which stretched on for miles. It was a wondrous sight, a world apart from my quiet life in The Cotswolds.

We spent some time enjoying the view and reflecting, before leaving and trying to hail a cab- and failing. A rickshaw pedal cab driver spotted us and asked if we needed a ride, but being two larger ladies, we refused as we didn't want to burden anyone and cause him or the rickshaw any damage. Now, this man was a legend; he insisted we weren't too much to handle, and after we reluctantly accepted and settled back in the cab, he spent the journey complimenting our maxi dresses, jokingly making fun of our English accents, and made my sister's day by calling her and larger ladies beautiful. The man had stamina; we were flying along the busy city streets, peering out at the city from underneath a tarp there to shelter us from the rain as we swerved in and out of the traffic. It was hilarious and one of the funniest, oddest experiences of my life. We were soaked by the time we returned to our hotel, but we didn't care. How often can you say you'd returned from the Empire State Building by rickshaw?

We also paid a visit to Top of the Rock in the Rockefeller Center to admire the views of the city by day. We could see for miles beyond the city, and it was picture postcard perfect. The wonderful thing about Top of the Rock is that you're given flawless views of the Empire State Building and Central Park, which cannot be experienced from the Empire State Building, obviously. We took dozens of amazing photos, but again, forgot to go check out the tourist ones we posed for with the photographer.

Of course, we also made the time to visit Ground Zero to reflect and pay our respects. The memorials weren't ready for viewing then, but I found just being there incredibly moving and emotional. 

These tiles were hung across a chain link fence in The Village, made by school children as a memorial for the victims of 9/11. Seeing them brought a lump to my throat.

We took a long carriage ride around Central Park with a lovely Irish guide, and a beautiful horse named Chester. We ambled along the roads of the park under the trees, which gave us some relief from the scorching heat and humidity for an hour or so, and were given a guided tour of all that can be seen from the roads.

Afterwards, my sister and I headed in to the park on foot, where we had a picnic of food from the local Rockefeller farmer's market, and Pret in the avenue above. It was blissfully peaceful. We intended to spend the rest of the day exploring the park, but it was so hot that we needed to get out of the heat. We intended to go back another day, although we ran out of time. Instead, we headed off and bought tickets to Phantom of the Opera.

One of the best places we ate at was easily Serendipity 3; the restaurant slash general store made famous from the romantic comedy- yep, you guessed it- Serendipity! I'm a bit of a movie geek, and had wanted to go there solely because I love the film. It was difficult to find, although we eventually discovered it was around the corner from Bloomingdales, and we had to wait quite a while for a table as the queues were out the door, but it was worth it. All I can say is, their Frrrozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate is to die for.The portion sizes are ridiculously huge, so go on an empty stomach or better still, just go just for dessert. You will not manage three courses!

During the week, we booked tickets for a movie tour around the city on a coach, with several stops to visit certain locations by foot. It was fun, even though our guide was a bit obnoxious and kept plugging his acting career resume, but we got to see the Friends building, The Cosby Show house, the house from I Am Legend, and the Ghostbusters fire house, amongst others. This was the Washington Square Arch which is across the road from the I Am Legend house, and is seen in countless films and TV shows.

The house behind me is where Will Smith's character, Robert Neville, and his dog Sam lived in I Am Legend. 

And I'm sure most of you can recognise this building! This is the Friends apartment building! I can't tell you how excited I was to see it, being a big Friends fan.

These are just some of the experiences which made our first holiday to New York so memorable and incredible. It was truly the holiday of a life time, which I will never forget, and I can't wait to return to experience more of what it has to offer. I don't know what it was about that city, but it's left a mark on my heart forever.

Money Supermarket's Budget Bucket List Competition

Money Supermarket have launched a competition called The Budget Bucket List to find out what is on our bucket lists. One lucky winner will win £1000 to put towards crossing something off their bucket list (£2000 if they receive 50 or more entries), and four runners up will receive £50. For my entry I need to share a couple of my bucket list goals, including one extravagant goal, and one budget. You can find out more about the competition here.

Well, I live by lists, and ever since I injured my back I've been busy thinking about all the things I want to do as soon as I'm well enough to do them to make up for lost time. I have a bucket list, a 29 by 29 list, a mission 101 list, and a list of things I want to do when my back heals. I'm currently redoing these lists, but intend to share them with you soon, but in the mean time, here are five of the goals I most want to achieve.

Spend My 30th Birthday in New York (An Extravagant Goal)

I've had this goal sketched out ever since I visited New York for the first time two years ago in August 2011. I would love to return in two years time to celebrate my 30th birthday with my best friend and a few others to truly mark the occasion in style. I can envision a week of sight-seeing, shopping, and cocktails, and can't wait to show my best friend my favourite parts of New York whilst making new memories together, too.

I want to make sure I have a 30th birthday to remember, and where better to do that than my favourite city in the world?! It's especially important to me as I didn't celebrate my 18th and 21st birthdays, which I've always regretted, and I want to make sure I'll be able to look back on the next milestone happily. If I make it there for my 30th that means I will have come along leaps and bounds on my road to recovery from disc injuries. If I don't... well, then, I will just postpone this dream holiday until I'm strong enough to go! No matter what happens, the goal at the top of my bucket list is a celebratory holiday to New York; the only things stopping me are disc injuries, and lack of funds. I have my heart set on getting back to New York as the city means so much to me!

Learn How to Make My Own Jewellery (A Budget Goal)

There's one goal I'm hoping to start achieving soon, and that's learning to make my own jewellery. I don't intend on learning so that I can make jewellery to sell to other people; I'd just like to be able to make pieces for myself. I like quirky accessories and I'm certain it would be fun to make my own. Financially, I don't think making jewellery has to cost the earth as materials are generally inexpensive so I consider this a budget goal. I'm just being held back by a lack of skills, but I can easily rectify that as I'm eager to learn something new!

See Fall Out Boy Live

Fall Out Boy have been one of my favourite bands since the mid-noughties, but as yet I've not seen them live. Now that they've reformed after a few years on hiatus, and have started touring, I'm impatient for them to announce some more UK shows so that I can go see them! If and when they do, I shall be making this bucket list goal come true! Seeing them play live would truly be a dream come true for me, and would put me up on cloud 9.

Go Whale Watching

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamt of going whale watching and seeing those giant sea mammals up close. I've always been fascinated by sea life; it's incredible to think there are creatures so colossal in our oceans, and I'd love to see them breaching the water with my own two eyes. There's just something about animals which fascinates me, and I know if I ever saw a whale in the wild I would be in complete and utter awe and contentment. Hopefully one day I will!

Visit Italy

And finally, I've wanted to go to Italy for quite some time, but even more so after watching the film Letters To Juliet which is set there. From what I've seen and heard about the country, it seems like such a beautiful country, steep in history and culture. I one day hope to visit different parts of the country from Venice to Rome to Florence, Verona, and Milan. It's one of the first holidays I plan to take when I'm back on my feet!

If you'd like to find out more about the competition and are thinking about entering, you can find everything you need to know here. I'd personally love to see the Budget Bucket List's of A Dress is For Life, Doodleheartx, and The Curved Opinion, and of anybody else who decides to take part!

So, this was just a taster of the things I hope to achieve one day. I'm planning to share my full Bucket List with you all very soon, so keep your eyes pealed if you want to hear more of my life goals.

What's on your bucket list? I'd love to hear a few of yours, so feel free to tell me in the comments below!

What's in Your Handbag? Money Supermarket Competition Entry

Money Supermarket recently discovered that the average woman's handbag, including it's contents, is worth over £850! If designer handbags and more expensive gadgets were considered, this price would soar!

So, Money Supermarket are trying to find out what's in our handbags to get a better understanding of exactly what the average woman carries around with her every day.

They're asking bloggers to write about the contents of their bags here, and each participant is in with a chance of winning a Mulberry bag, purse, and phone case! There are also six £25 ASOS vouchers from   http://www.FashionPerks.co.uk up for grabs. I'm sure you'll agree those prizes are irresistible, so of course I had to participate.

So, what's in my bag, and how much is it worth?

Today I'm using my ASOS mint scalloped satchel. It's a decent-sized day-bag for carrying around all those essentials, without being too big or too small. I bought it in December as a treat for myself as I loved the scalloped detailing. This bag was just £28, which was a bargain for something so pretty.

The bag holds a surprising amount of things!

This is everything in my bag, excluding most of the make up which is still in the make up case. The contents of my bag can vary from day to day.

So, these are the things I would call my 'essentials'. The pieces I couldn't leave home without. I always carry around my purse, phone, keys, iPod, and earphones. The purse, and key fob are by Cath Kidston, as are the cases on the back of my Blackberry and iPod Touch. (I have a slight Cath Kidston obsession!). There's no money in my purse at the moment, but the two gadgets are both worth a couple of hundred pounds.

This is a carry-all case from Fossil which has room for a gadget and a few cards. I use this case when I can't be bothered to leave the car with a heavy bag; for instance, if I'm quickly popping in to the supermarket and just need my money and phone.

I always have some random lotions, potions, and other handy beauty products in my bag, to be prepared for what ever life may throw at me.  I like to at least have some blotting papers, hand lotion, and plasters on me if nothing else.

Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter // Body Shop Satsuma Hand Cleanse Gel // 
L'Occitane Verbena Body Lotion // Carmex Lip Balm //
 Lehearesor Powdered Paper // Paul & Joe Blotting papers  // 2 plasters

I forgot to add this to the photo before, but I recently bought this Impulse body spray for nostalgic reasons. I used to love a particular scent called 'O2' when I was about twelve / thirteen, and I was curious as to whether it was still available. I think the answer is no, but I discovered True Love in the supermarket, and decided to give it a chance. I like to have a body spray in my bag for freshening up.

I always carry around a hair brush and a hair bobble. Just in case. I think this hair brush is by Revlon, and it's one of the best hair brushes I've ever owned.

I usually carry my Fossil key-per make up case in my handbag, as well. I got this case in New York two years ago, as I fell in love with the key print and couldn't leave without it. It's a brilliant make up case, with plenty of room for all those essentials and it has a mirror inside which is helpful for applying make up on the go.

As you can see, it holds a generous amount, and has a cute print on the inside, too.

The contents of my make up case vary depending on the ocassion and the look I've gone for that day. I couldn't leave home without my pressed powder, a mascara, and an under-eye concealer. At the moment, my make up case has the following inside:

The Body Shop face powder // Benefit The Porefessional // Benefit Benetint // Benefit Sun Beam //
Lush Intuitive eye shadow // Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara // Dainty Doll concealer pen // 
Bourjois Khol and Contour eyeliner in black // Stila lipglazes in Holly and Splendor  // 
L'Oreal Colour Appeal eyeshadow in Pure Gold  // Benefit lipgloss // 
Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner in 100% black

And there's also one solitary Bic biro in the mix.

So, how much is this little lot worth?

ASOS Bag: £28

Apple Earphones: £25

Cath Kidston Purse (with not a penny inside): £12

Keys and Cath Kidston Key Fob: £4.50 (how much are keys worth??)

Blackberry and Cath Kidston case: £190 + £25

iPod touch 32gb and Cath Kidston Case: £220 +£25

Fossil Gadget Case: £25.

The Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter: £4

The Body Shop Satsuma Hand Cleanse Gel: £2.50

L'Occitane Verbena Body Lotion: £5.70

Carmex Lip Balm Pot: £2.05

Lehearesor Powdered Paper: £2.30

Paul & Joe Blotting Papers: £3.50

Two plasters: £0.20

Impluse True Love £2.00

Hairbrush and bobble: £5.00

Fossil Key-per make up case: £35.00

The Body Shop face powder: £12.50

Benefit The Porefessional 7.5ml: £8.35

Benefit Benetint 4ml: £7.84

Benefit Sun Beam 4ml: £6.00

Lush Intuitive eye shadow: £14.50

Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara 4g: £8.24

Dainty Doll concealer: £12.50

Bourjois Khol & Contour eyeliner: £4.99

Stila lipglazes x 2 £30.00

L'Oreal Colour Appeal eyeshadow: £5.99

Benefit lipgloss: £14.00

Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner: £4.29

Bic biro: £0.24

= £746.19!

That's astonishing! I can't believe my bag is worth so much! And that's a scaled down version of what I normally keep in my bag, too!

Ordinarily, I also usually carry around my Kindle (£89) in it's Cath Kidston case (£24), and sometimes a book (£7.99), as well. I always carry around my Canon camera (£230) and Cath Kidston case (£9), but I was using them to take these photos. And I often have a spare pair of glasses (£125) in a Cath Kidston case (£14), sunglasses (£25), notebook (£9.00), medicine (£28), sun cream (£7), and various other hair accessories, which would all increase the cost of my handbag. If I added all of these to the total, it would increase dramatically to:

£1314.18!

And that's not including any money that might be in my purse.

Considering the satchel is so inexpensive, I'm shocked that the contents of my handbag are worth so much money! Although, I do love my gadgets, luxury make up, and pretty Cath Kidston accessories, which I know are all quite pricey, so I can understand the total.

This challenge has certainly made me step back and think about just how much I'm carrying around, and how much I could lose if my bag became lost or stolen. I would be devastated to lose many of these daily essentials; they 're all important necessities to me in different ways.

If you would like to participate or learn more about the challenge, you can find all the necessary information at here. I'd particularly love to see what's in the following five ladies handbags: Rachel from A Dress is For Life, Nita of Pashteit, Hannah of Doodleheartx, Becky of Does My Blog Make Me Look Fat?, and Jenny of The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth, but if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged, too. I'd love to see what you guys keep in your handbags.

How much is your handbag worth?