Polka Spots and Freckle Dots

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Wednesday Wish List

Hey guys,

I'm sorry this post is a little later than usually scheduled (I fell asleep while putting it together last night), but it's time for this week's wish list. I've got some awesome things to share today, too.

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The novelty bags just keep on coming. How cute are the banana and watermelon clutches from Monki?! The 'fruity pineapple drink' carton from Skinny Dip is really cute, too.

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I love the new pink and blue Provence Rose design Cath Kidston has just launched; it's so eye-catching. I'm digging the purses, wallets, and ticket holders it's been made in to.

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Oh, Lady Vintage, stop tempting me with beautiful dresses.

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Lindy Bop keep on taunting me with gorgeous dresses, too. Their latest additions are stunning, especially dresses number 1 and 4.

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I love these two dresses from Dorothy Perkins. The watermelon print sun dress has captured my heart, but it's sold out of my size (and most sizes) online. I wish I'd found it sooner. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets restocked or that I can find it in store, because I need it.

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ASOS Curve are killing it at the moment. Just look at all these gorgeous dresses! One of each, please!

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And last but not least, these vintage colour wheel watches from 10 North Creative are amazing. I think they're the best watches I've ever seen!

If you'd like to see more of the things I covet on a weekly basis, why not check out my style boards on Pinterest?

What's on your wish list this week?

Colourful Collage: Light Blue

I've got a new colourful flatlay (well, flat-ish!) for you today, and this week the theme is 'light blue.'

1. A hardback Moomin notebook, which my sister bought me after a trip to the hospital.

2. Garnier Refreshing Start Afresh Toner with lotus blossom and moringa.

3. Two swarovski-crystal rings, that I bought from Camden Lock Market six or seven years ago.

4. A travel adaptor.

5. Max Factor Max Effect mini nail polish in Dazzling Blue.

6. A length of baby blue gingham ribbon.

7. A packet of tiny polka dot craft buttons. I've had them since 2009 and still haven't used any!

8. The prettiest seahorse-print notebook from Paperchase. I use it as a reading journal, to keep track of the books I've read.

9. Three glitter, sequined make up brushes from Lush's old sister brand, Be Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful.

10. Rimmel Exaggerate waterproof eye definer pencil in Aqua Sparkle.

11. An old snowflake Christmas decoration from Paperchase. I have them in several different colours.

12. Some cornflower-blue thread, left over from an Easter cross stitch I made earlier this year.

13. A Models Own pastel nail art pen

14. A blue gingham hair clip, which I bought in New York four years ago.

15. Mamma Mia on DVD. Definitely one of the most uplifting films I've ever seen; it never fails to make me smile.

16. A polka dot pencil from Greengate.

17. A 'Turquoise' Crayola colouring pencil.

18. A nail art dotting and striping tool.

19. Madonna's The Immaculate Collection on CD. It's a classic! You can't beat a bit of eighties Madonna.

20. Ciaté pastel-blue mini nail polish in Ferris Wheel.

21. Three gemstone Christmas decorations from Paperchase.

22. A Nivea original lip butter, still sealed in plastic.

23. A postage-stamp scrapbooking thing.

24. A great pair of turquoise tweezers from Mont Bleu.

25. A glass nail file, also from Mont Bleu.

26. A piece of journaling paper from a Smash Pad, which says: "Quick! Quick! Write that good idea down!"

27. Chevron washi tape. I think this was also from Paperchase. I may be a little addicted to that shop!

28. Three polka dot hair clips from Cath Kidston.

29. My strawberry print passport cover from Cath Kidston.

It bugs me that I didn't squeeze one more thing in to the collage to end on an even thirty! Sorry if it bugs you, too.

It was a little harder to find light blue things for this week's post than it was with other colours on other weeks. I found I don't really own many things in light blue, or in pale pastel colours, in general. It's not that I don't like pastels, I actually love them- I just prefer bold, bright colours. (Yes, and water is wet!) I had to rely on a lot of items from my dressing table, and bookshelves again. Hopefully next week I'll have a little more variety.

Do you own anything interesting in light blue?

Other posts in the series

Red

Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom Adult Colouring Book Review

Hello, my name is Louise, and I love to colour things in.

Should I have admitted to that at the age of almost-thirty? Sure, I'm not embarrassed to admit it.

Colouring isn't just for kids anymore. There are dozens if not hundreds of colouring books aimed specifically at adults, and over the last year or two, adult colouring books have turned in to a craze. More and more adults are returning to the childhood pastime for fun and therapy. You only need to check out a few lifestyle blogs to see how popular they've become with us grown-ups.

Me? I picked up my first colouring book as an adult (this one) about a year and a half ago- although I'd secretly wanted to get one for years. And you know what? I'm really glad I (eventually) gave in. It only took a few minutes of colouring for me to remember how fun it used to be, and on that first day I coloured for three hours straight without even realising the time had passed.

I realised that colouring isn't just fun and oddly satisfying, but that it's extremely therapeutic, too. Within just a few minutes of putting pencil to paper, I find that it helps me to destress and forget my worries, even when my head has been spinning with a thousand difficult thoughts all day. (Which is often!) The stress, and the anxieties dissipate, the weight on my shoulders lifts, and I just feel completely relaxed and calm. I don't know why, but the pastime really does aid my mental health, and I've heard others say the same! Now whenever I'm stressed or struggling mentally, I try to reach for the colouring book and pencils for a session of therapy. I only wish I'd returned to the childhood hobby sooner.

At the moment, I'm loving Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom colouring book, which is filled with gorgeous, intricate pictures of animals and plants. The drawings are made up of leaves, flowers, and a variety of different patterns, and they really are lovely to work on. It's the perfect book if you want to create pretty pictures but don't have a talent for drawing. (That's me, alright!)

Each page can take hours to complete, so this colouring book should keep even the fastest artist busy for weeks or even a couple of months. I've barely made a dent in mine, and I've done a little colouring almost daily over the last month or so. The paper is fairly thick and decent quality, although I wouldn't advise using felt tip pens because the pictures are back to back. I like to use colouring pencils, although it's definitely best to invest in a good quality set for best results. I've wasted money on crap cheap sets, and have just given in and bought a big set of Crayolas. (Why are they so expensive??)

I bought my copy from Sainsburys for just £4 (RRP £9.99), and it's currently available on Amazon here. I think it's a great colouring book for adults, but I think it would appeal to some older kids, and teens, too. If you're looking for a way to relax and destress, I think this colouring book might be for you!

Have you jumped on the colouring-book bandwagon yet? Do you enjoy colouring in your spare time?

Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few of the things that I've added to my ever-growing wish list this week...

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I'm loving these six polka dot, gingham, and deer print swing dresses from Lindy Bop. They're all perfect dresses for Summer, with the exception of the black polka dot Xandra frock which would really be perfect all year round. It's my favourite of the six, and a serious contender for my 30th birthday dress.

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These scoop-neck Jasmine dresses from Lady Vintage are both so pretty.

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Accessorize have so many adorable bags at the moment. I thought I'd seen everything when it came to novelty bags, but no, now there's even a box of washing powder! Weird, but strangely cute. I love the owl and the fox, too, and the London Life weekend bag is gorgeous. (FYI, Accessorize's weekend bags are the perfect size for hand luggage on most airlines!)

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These two ASOS clutch bags are so cute. I NEED the Rocket Lolly one in my life!

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I love these Lyra and Ursula dresses from the Lady Voluptuous range at Lady Vintage. It's not often I say this about a plain-coloured piece of clothing, but they're absolutely stunning. I love the styles, and the colours used are just dreamy. The best part? They cater for UK sizes 16 to 30/32!

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And I'd love to add all these pretty clothes to my Summer wardrobe. Simply Be, Lovedrobe and AX Paris have so many beautiful dresses and tops at the moment; I could fill my wardrobe with their clothes alone. New Look also have some cute clothes right now, including the cute embroidered play suit which would be great for keeping cool and looking stylish in the Summer heat. I'd only wear it around the house, but if you have the confidence, it would be perfect for wearing to the beach, and to festivals.

What's on your wish list this week?

If you'd like to see more of the clothes and accessories that catch my eye each week, check out my style boards on Pinterest. I pin to most of them every day.

Colourful Collage: Dark Green

This week, I've gathered up some of my dark green things for another colourful collage.

Dark greens, like forest and emerald, are my absolute favourite colours. I can't get enough of them. I don't have a huge amount of dark green stuff because it's not the easiest colour palette to find, but I own enough to warrant a post. Here are some of the dark green things I own.,,