Perfect Alfresco Dining

Image from HONSESTLYWTF

At this time of year, with the weather warming up it is the perfect time to have people round for dinner outside! And I pulled together a couple of tips for having the perfect night;

CUSHIONS AND THROWS. The nature of outside dining tables chairs, is that they are usually wooden so they can last outside, making them more uncomfortable. So throwing tons of cosy cushions all over it, making sure you have some throws out there for when it gets chilly! (Living in the UK of course it will)

LIGHTING. Having lots of lanterns with candles in and loads of fairy lights every where creates such a lovely atmosphere! Especially when it gets dark and a bit chilly. It is one of my favourite moments in summer, having a couple of cocktails, and chilling with friends in low lighting with a blanket. Perfect.

CANDLES. Candles not only make the space cosy, but Cintronella candles reportedly also keep insects and creepy crawlies away from you!

MUSIC. Music just completely sets the mood for whatever evening you want. Create a playlist, or find one on Spotify, kick back and relax.

FOOD STATIONS. My final tip for a stress free evening, is to set up food stations. Make up the salad, the toppings, drink stations etc, serve up the mains on the table too and let your guests serve themselves. Meaning you don't have the pressure or serving up, and your guests can pick what they want!

What are you top tips for Alfresco Dining?

Tips For The Most Productive Day

Image from everlasting.charm Instagram

I'm not going to lie ... I have absolutely been nailing my to do list this weekend and I wanted to share some of my secrets to having that productive day. I love to plan one of these when I feel like I'm getting a little overwhelmed with everything that whirling around in my head.

This weekend have managed to get up to date with work, completed a couple of modules on a course I am working on, cooked fresh meals at home, headed to the gym at 5am Saturday and Sunday (yes, even on the weekend), and just generally bossing my to do list.
The best tip is to start with some good foundations, so you can hit the ground running when you wake up.

WRITE A LIST. The most obvious, but the most simple. I like to start with writing down every nagging task that is in my head under category headings. For me these are things like; work, cleaning, blog, study etc.I like to break down my lists, so that I will have one or two things from each of my categories. I have found that for me, this is the best approach, because it forces me to break down tasks into smaller tasks and then do one larger thing per night. So have a think about what it is you want to achieve the following day, and be realistic!

TIME YOUR TASKS. I like to think about how much time a task will take me, and set a timer. If I finish a task, then I will let myself spend the rest of the time doing whatever it is I've been dying to procrastinate on ... social media, texting, ASOS. This also motivates me to also complete the tasks quicker and not procrastinate.

PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE. If you are planning on heading to the gym in the morning the get your clothes ready to pull on. Also, ensuring that your surroundings are tidy. Tidying your whole house will make you much more productive, but if you don't have time then just the specific place you need to be the next day. I.e your desk or kitchen etc.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. Because quite simply if you are sleepy or cranky, then you will not want to nail that to do list.

WAKE UP EARLY. (if you are an early bird!). For me, if I can tick a workout and a couple of other points off my to do list by 10am, it actually makes me feel more productive.

What helps you to be more productive?

Reasons To Love // Linen Bed Linen

Gorgeous Bedlinen from MagicLinen on Etsy

Linen bed linen feels like such a luxury, but actually it is something that should be in everyone’s linen cupboard, especially at this time of year. When it is so warm inside and out you need something on your skin that will ensure you feel cool, although linen is slightly thicker then cotton, but is breathable so feels cool all year round. Other reasons to love linen are;

Linen absorbs moisture but doesn’t feel damp on your skin

Linen is bacteria resistant so known to be anti-allergy

It gets better with age! I.e. softer the more it’s washed

Linen is a breathable fabric, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer

But of course it needs to be taken care of a little differently than cotton bed linens, so here are a couple of top tips for looking after your linen bedlinen.

1. Make sure you are not washing your linen any higher then 40. This is because as the water gets hotter this can break down the fabric.
2. It should be washed on a gentle cycle, because this protects the fibres within the fabric.

3. Ensure you are using a mild detergent recommended for delicate fabrics (Also with no brightening agents). And where possible, use natural detergents
4. You do not need to add fabric softener into the wash. Part of the nature of a linen fabric is that it softens overtime anyway so is an unnecessary step.
5. Linen does not need to be ironed!! It has that natural look to it,
Little Tip – Put your linen in dryer for 10 mins, then finish naturally. This will ensure it keeps the fabric soft. But don’t over dry, this can easily be done as linen drys quicker than cotton
Buying Tip - Linen isn’t talked about in thread counts, as the fibres are thicker there are less of them, so would have a low thread count. You use weight instead, and the heavier the better.

Have you ever had linen bed linen at home?

My Year of Being 30

Beautiful Funfetti Cake

I turned 31 on Friday, and it got me reflecting about my year of being 30. Although I felt no different, there are a couple of lessons I have learnt along the way ...

1. Winged eyeliner is pretty impossible. In my 31 years on this earth, (at least 15 of them loving make up) I have decided it is impossible! If not in general, then on me.

2. Red lipstick makes you look more 'put together'. I have only discovered this in the last few months after finding one that doesn't budge. The first day I wore it, a colleague said I looked glamourous! The first time in my life.

3. Always be comfortable. I have lived my whole life by this, but turning older has just solidified this for me. Trainers or sandals always, elasticated waist bands yes please!

4. Always wear SPF. Enough said! We know too much to not do it.

5. Recycle! A quote that I saw the other day 'There's No Planet B'. Do your bit, where you can! Recycle, take a tote bag (which would eliminate approx 140 plastic bags a year), use a reusable water bottle (which would eliminate approx 100 water bottles a year), all of these things add up.

6. Coffee will get you through anything. Wake up, drink coffee, conquer the world.

7. Upload things on social media for family. I am not one for putting things on social media, but overhearing my Nan speaking with my cousin, she asked him to put some more videos of his son on facebook so she could see. Uploading things so the people in your life can see the little things you are doing.

8. I prefer phonecalls. I am surprised by this myself, as I used to be a texter. But give me a phone, a spare hour after work and some headphones, and I will catch up with people to my hearts content. I have realised this, and now am totally on board.

9. I feel so snazzy when I have matching nails and toenails. It makes me feel polished! I will happily keep the same nail colour for weeks just so that they're the same.

10. A to-do list is key! I have one for work, home, blog ... everything! And ticking it off just makes me feel so much more accomplished!

11. Be yourself! I used to be embarrassed watching certain shows, but speaking about them, I have more in common with people then I thought.

12. Not everyone will like you, and that's OK!

13. Everyone will get married and have babies around you. I am definitely in the minority of my friends being unmarried and childless ... just get used to it.

14. You need to learn more about babies. Because of the above, you will have to become fluent with birthing! I have heard the word 'forceps' too many times for my liking.

15. Happy about who I am. I have heard everyone say it as they get older, but I am genuinely happy with who I am as a person, and just very content.

How did you feel turning 30? Or how do you feel about turning the big 3-0?

My 10 Summer Reads

Image from here

Summer is the perfect time to get stuck into a book. Laying out the sun, lounging on holiday. So below I’ve pulled together the ones that will be on the top of my list this Summer.



1. Armada by Ernest Cline

I an fully into Science Fiction novels at the moment, and with Ernest Cline's 'Ready Player One' being one of my top books of last year I am very excited to have a read through this.

Synopsis: It’s just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom—if he can make it that long without getting suspended again.
Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer.

At first, Zack thinks he’s going crazy.

A minute later, he’s sure of it. Because the UFO he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

But what Zack’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can’t help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching, and wonder: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little too… familiar?

2: Artemis by Andy Weir.

Having already whizzed through this, and just added it to my current favourites of course this will be in my Top 10| reads for the Summer. This is another Sci Fi one, and cannot recommend it enough!

Synopsis: Jazz Bashara is a criminal. She lives in a poor area of Artemis and subsidises her work as a porter with smuggling contraband onto the moon. But it’s not enough. 

So when she’s offered the chance to make a lot of money she jumps at it. But though planning a crime in 1/6th gravity may be more fun, it’s a lot more dangerous…

3: Classic Scrapes by James Acaster

I absolutely love James Acaster, he is currently one of my favourite comedians. So of course this is on my list ... looking forward to laughing out loud on trains whilst reading this!

Synopsis: James Acaster has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award five times and has appeared on prime-time TV shows like Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and Russell Howard's Stand Up Central. But behind the fame and critical acclaim is a man perpetually getting into trouble. Whether it's disappointing a skydiving instructor mid-flight, hiding from thugs in a bush wearing a bright red dress, or annoying the Kettering Board Games club, a didgeridoo-playing conspiracy theorist and some bemused Christians, James is always finding new ways to embarrass himself.

Appearing on Josh Widdicombe's radio show to recount these stories, the feature was christened 'James Acaster's classic scrapes'. Here, in his first book, James recounts these tales (including never-before-heard stories) along with self-penned drawings, in all their glorious stupidity.

4. Happiness By Design by Paul Dolan

This has been recommended by Gretchen Rubin, so of course anything she recommends I will jump on! I also love a good ‘Self Help’ style book, especially ones that explain why you feel certain things.

Synopsis: This is not just another happiness book. In Happiness by Design, happiness and behavior expert Paul Dolan combines the latest insights from economics and psychology to illustrate that in order to be happy we must behave happy Our happiness is experiences of both pleasure and purpose over time and it depends on what we actually pay attention to. Using what Dolan calls deciding, designing, and doing, we can overcome the biases that make us miserable and redesign our environments to make it easier to experience happiness, fulfilment, and even health. With uncanny wit and keen perception, Dolan reveals what we can do to find our unique optimal balance of pleasure and purpose, offering practical advice on how to organize our lives in happiness-promoting ways and fresh insights into how we feel.

5. I Can't Believe You Just Said That by Danny Wallace. With everyone experiencing rudeness of varying degrees

See the explanation above for why I am excited for this book. But this one example a why other people are rude ... I hate rudeness, so this will be an amusing read.

Synopsis: Passive aggression. Road rage. Snarky tweets. Queue-jumpers. Idiots who are #justsaying. Fat shamers. Victim blaming. Furious waitresses who refuse to sell you a hot dog… We are ruder than we’ve ever been. 

In this incisive and very funny book, Danny Wallace investigates the new wave of rudeness that threatens to overwhelm us. He travels the world, visiting our rudest critics, interviewing psychologists, psychiatrists, bell boys, cab drivers, bin men, barristers, politicians, a limo driver called José and at least one expert in cooked meat production. In doing so he uncovers the hidden truths behind what makes us rude, whether it can be caught, and how one small moment of rudeness―like being declined a hotdog―can snowball into disaster. 

From the jihadist who launched a blistering attack on the “bad manners” of his fellow ISIS militants, to the mayor in Bogota who recruited an army of mimes to highlight inconsiderate driving―this is a very funny and powerful exploration into the way humans work and why it is surely time for an anti-rudeness revolution.


6. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

A very intriguing synopsis ... brought to us by the same author who wrote Big Little Lies which I love. If it along the same mystery lines, then I am here for it!

Synopsis: Nine perfect strangers, each hiding an imperfect life.

A luxury retreat cut off from the outside world.

Ten days that promise to change your life.

But some promises - like some lives - are perfect lies . . 

7. Not Working by Lisa Owens


I'm not going to lie, I was drawn to this book because of the cover ... Cliché I know. Then I read the synopsis and felt a lot of it applied to me, and probably most 'millennials'. Lisa Owens' debut novel - explores the idea that today’s 20- and thirtysomethings are lost in a sea of career options that many find paralysing.

Synopsis: Claire Flannery has had more than a few sleepless nights lately. Maybe she shouldn't have walked out of her job with no idea what to do next. Maybe she should think before she speaks -- and maybe then her mother would start returning her calls. Maybe she should be spending more time going to art galleries, or reading up on current affairs, and less time in her pyjamas, entering competitions on the internet. Then again, maybe the perfect solution to life's problems only arises when you stop looking for it . . .


8. The Secret Barrister by The Secret Barrister

Put simply ... this just seems so interesting! Finding out what really happens as a barrister.

Synopsis: You may not wish to think about it, but one day you or someone you love will almost certainly appear in a criminal courtroom. You might be a juror, a victim, a witness or – perhaps through no fault of your own – a defendant. Whatever your role, you’d expect a fair trial.

I’m a barrister. I work in the criminal justice system, and every day I see how fairness is not guaranteed. Too often the system fails those it is meant to protect. The innocent are wronged and the guilty allowed to walk free.

I want to share some stories from my daily life to show you how the system is broken, who broke it and why we should start caring before it’s too late.

9. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

One of the most reviewed books I’ve seen, so it was one I certainly didn’t want to miss. Fomo but for books?

Synopsis: White Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book.

10. Work Like A Woman: A Manifesto For Change by Mary Portas

I absolutely love Mary Portas, so will 100% watch or read anything she puts her hand to. And this is not one I want to miss out on. I think this will be my first purchase!

Synopsis: Are you ready to be your best self at work? 

Packed with advice, tips and decades of business experience from Mary Portas, this is a book for every one of us: whatever level you are, wherever you work.

It’s about calling time on alpha culture and helping every one of us to be happier, more productive and collaborative. 
It’s time to #WorkLikeAWoman.

What’s on your Summer Reading list?

Current Favourites

I know I have been a bit AWOL again over the last few months, but I thought I would come back with a bang, and let you know all of the bits I have been loving over the past few months.


Lacura Q10 Renew Cream (£1.45)
So, beauty wise there's Aldi's range of Q10 moisturisers. Last year, I bought and used the night cream and completely fell in love. I ran out, so just used something else I had at homr. Then, when I next popped into Aldi, I stocked up on the night cream and the day cream, and hadn't realised how much I had missed it! It is so hydrating, and really makes my skin smooth! I forgot to take it to my sisters at the weekend and my skin got worse for not having it for a couple of days. Next time I am in an Aldi, I want to pick up the Lacura Caviar Cream, the day cream is SPF 15 and I have seen AMAZING reviews for them.



Washed Satin Wide-Leg Cropped Trousers (£98)

Last month, I bought, and have not taken off these Satin Cropped Wide Leg Trousers from The

White Company. They are like wearing smart PJ's! They have an elastic waistband and I have been loving wearing them with a plain t-shirt or vest, with some slightly heeled mules, or some open toe shoes boots.

Oxo Good Grips Hand-Held Spiralizer (£12)

My foodie favourite, is something a little odd ... freshly spiralised courgette! I hate courgette, and the first time I had spiralised courgette, it was even worse. I then saw a recipe on Pinterest that was half spaghetti, and half courgetti, we had half a courgette in the fridge so went for it ... and I loved it! I cannot recommend the fresh stuff enough, it's not as soggy and so much better! We have the mini hand-held spiralizer and its super easy to use. All you do is literally twist the vegetables through, and maye heat them through if you wish.

Love Island
So this is obviously only a favourite over the last few weeks but ... Love Island is back!! And I have two words ... Casa Amour.



Artemis by Andy Weir
The book that I absolutely devoured recently was Artemis by Andy Weir. Literally as I was writing this post I found out that he also wrote The Martian! The book is set in 2080, and is set in a city on the Moon called Artemis. The story is based on Jasmine Bashara who is a porter and smuggler in Artemis and she gets caught up in a conspiracy for control of the city.

Armchair Expert Podcast
My all time favourite podcast (Along with Happier), is Armchair Expert. Hosted by Dax Shepherd, I listen to them intermittently, but thoroughly enjoy them. He will meet with a celebrity, or sometimes an 'expert' in a certain field and they will essentially sit and chat for an hour or possibly two. They also usually feel a lot more relaxed so will discuss things that they wouldn't with a normal host.

Cladwell
And finally, this is my favourite organisational tool, is the Cladwell App. You essentially add your clothes into the app, and the app will the put outfits together based on the weather. You can create certain 'capsules', for example, I have a 'weekend' and a 'work' capsule, so when I am planning for work, I just use the 'work' capsule. I also have a capsule for holiday. I spend around an hour on a Sunday evening, looking at the outfit recommendations for each day and plotting them in. Then pull the outfits together with any jeweller. And it has revolutionised my week! The only downside, is that it is an American App, so they link to items on American sites.

What are you loving at the moment?

Removable Wallpaper

The thought of wallpapering brings me up in hives. I remember redecorating my bedroom in my teens, and it took my Mum and I (mainly my Mum), three days. Lots of redoing and a lot of mess. And of course even worse then putting up the wallpaper, is removing it. Hours and hours slaving with a wallpaper steamer and a tiny scraper *shudders*.

NuWallpaper Maui Green Self Adhesive Wallpaper

Now the wonderful folks at Dunelm have launched a huge line of removable wallpapers! The range is called 'NuWallpaper', and has 97 designs (81 wallpapers, 8 wall tiles and 8 floor tiles) of peel and stick/self adhesive papers. They are peeled off of their backing papers and literally just stuck onto the walls, smoothing out any bubbles as you go, taking out all the messiness of traditional papering!

Removable wallpapers are fantastic for when you are renting and cannot paint the walls. Or if you can paint then you have to repaint before you move out! We were in our first flat for three years and would have loved to cover some of our walls with these! Even if you don't have to worry about landlords, they are great if you are a commitment-phobe, as you can have the bright colours, or patterns without the permanence.

Clouds Grey // Zig Zag Taupe // Salvaged Wood // Loft White Brick

These paper can easily be repositioned, and removed, which is amazing! And they don't have to just be used for walls. They can be used for many other projects, such as; adding to the front of drawers, behind shelves in a bookcase, on doors, on stairs, on storage boxes, inside drawers, and the list goes on ...

Chalkboard // Dry Erase

They also have these two designs which just blow my mind. A self adhesive chalkboard paper, and a self adhesive dry wipe paper. Imagine these, as they have been used above, in an office, in a kitchen, or even in a hallway so you don't forget your lunch or for children to enjoy in a playroom! (If we weren't planning on moving, I buy so many rolls of these!)

Although. it can still be as tough to put up as normal paper. One of the main difficulties with wallpaper is lining it up straight, and subsequently lining the following strips up correctly. This is still an issue with removable paper, but there is certainly less mess as there is no need for any wallpaper paste.

Prices for each design range from £18-£27 per roll. Each one has slightly different lengths and widths depending on the design, so you will have to double check sizes before orders. The 'wall tiles' and 'floor tiles' come in actual tiles rather than lengths too. And they can all be wiped down with a damp cloth, which is fab!

You will still have to figure out the confusing wallpaper repeats if your are using some of the patterns. Amara has an amazing wallpaper calculator which I have linked here.

Have you ever tried removable wallpaper?