Getting Excited Over Grocery Store Trips

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm trying to be a bit wiser with my spending habits and develop some sort of budget. While also being wiser with my spending, but I'm trying to be smarter with me eating. I'm not going to be super healthy all of the time, because right now that's just unrealistic for me, but I'm going to try and make small changes and better choices where I can. I went to Aldi with my brother yesterday and picked up all of this stuff for less than $30! To me, that seemed like a bargain. There are a few not so healthy bits in amongst the healthy things too - baby steps! It was such a successful trip to the grocery store and I feel so pleased with my purchases. (For reference, I still live at home so I don't need to buy all of my food, just extra things that I want for myself.)

As a quick overview I got asparagus, basil pesto and egg fettuccine to make for dinner (many, many servings of it ha!), amazing looking chocolate muesli to have with fresh berries and yoghurt (I bought the berries but already had yoghurt at home), some dip, chocolate coated rice cakes, and dark chocolate to snack on, and shortbread to have with a cup of tea. I'm a happy gal! 

RawSpiceBar

Recently I had the privilege of being sent the RawSpiceBar Istanbul spice box. RawSpiceBar are a Californian-based subscription box service that aims to spice up your meals. For only $6 a month you get the chance to experience new and exciting flavours that are delivered straight to your mail box. Each month focuses on a different culture and you are provided with a variety of spices to try and enjoy. 

I love to cook. I love to experiment with flavours. I love seeing what other cultures have to offer. That's why I love what this box has to offer. The monthly box includes three different freshly ground and high quality spices and a recipe card with suggestions of meals to make using the spices. Something I really love about this box is that they include little snippets of information on each of the spice sachets. It's a mix of cultural information and suggestions of how to use the spice - and it just makes it so much more interesting to read. 

The spices I received in my box are:

Baharat - spice staple in Turkish cooking, can be used in a variety of dishes, has warm spices such as cinnamon and clove, coriander and cumin, and sweet paprika. 

Urfa Biber - described as raisins meets coffee, smoky and almost sweet flavour.

Za'atar - originates from the 13th century, brings zest to each dish, can be used as a meat rub or stirred into dishes. 

I'm yet to use the spices, but I cannot wait to. I'm definitely not as adventurous in the kitchen as I could be, but I'm excited to give these a go and experience a whole new world of flavour. 

You can check them out here. 

Essentials For a Summer Adventure

Here in the southern hemisphere it is anything but summer, but that hasn't stopped me from dreaming about all the adventures that I plan to embark on when the warmer seasons roll around again. For today's post I thought I would offload a little inspiration onto you to get you feeling just that little bit more excited about the upcoming warmer months. Currently, the weather is anything but sunny. It is cold, windy and very grey outside today. So here is a little bit of summer sunshine to warm up your gloomy day. Below is my list of essentials for a summer adventure! I love going on adventures to new and exciting places, and these are a few of the things that I always seem to take with me. 

1. Comfortable shoes for the journey | I understand that Birkenstock's are a bit of a love it or hate it shoe. I personally love them, though I was definitely a hater at first. Once I saw how they could be styled they began to grow on me, and then I couldn't resist buying a pair. I actually bought a cheaper pair of dupes at first, but have recently invested in the real thing (a leather pair too, might I add!). A good adventure needs comfortable shoes, so invest in a good pair! For me, it's Birkenstocks, but I also love a good pair of Nike's. 

2. Camera to capture | If the adventure isn't posted on Instagram did it really happen? Of course it did! But taking a bunch of photos along the way helps you to capture the amazing memories. While I do have a proper dSLR camera that I love dearly, you just can't beat the portability of an iPhone. It's way too easy to snap a good quality photo, edit it using an app such as VSCOcam or Afterlight, and then post it to social media for your friends to drool over (and for you to look back on and drool over also). 

3. Tinted lip balm to have pretty lips | I'm all for lipstick, but sometimes when it's way too hot outside, you just can't be bothered with it. That's when I turn to a chubby stick alternative. My current favourites are these new releases from Maybelline. They're the Baby Lips Candy Wow tinted lip balms and they come in a variety of colours/flavours. I happen to own them all because I'm a little bit obsessed, and I know that I'm going to get even more use out of them once spring and summer rolls around. And who said you can't have pretty lips while adventuring and exploring? No one. Exactly! 

4. Sunglasses to see | Nothing is more frustrating than being outside on a sunny day and forgetting your sunglasses. I make sure I always keep a spare pair in my car, just in case. The ones I'm currently wearing look just like those pictured above, and I actually bought them off eBay. However, if you wear prescription glasses then I recommend checking out Salt City Optics (view their website here). They sell some great sunglasses from the leading brands and they're perfect if you're a prescription wearer. You can also save 20% on your purchase by entering the code SUNNY20 at the checkout! 

5. Tote bag to hold everything | I'm a big lover of tote bags and I use them for all occasions and at all times of the year. However, they're particularly good during adventuring in the summer time when you have a lot of stuff to carry. In the summer I tend to use brown/tan coloured bags more so than any other because the colour is a lot softer and just seems to go with everything. 

6. Sunscreen to protect | An adventure is not worth having if you're not wearing sunscreen. Protect your skin, please! My favourite is the Beach Defence by Neutrogena because it smells like summer, not like sunscreen! It also has an SPF of 50 and sinks in to the skin really well, without leaving a greasy residue behind. It is everything you would want in a sunscreen and more. 

I hope this has got you feeling just that little bit more excited for summer to come around again! I cannot wait for the weather to warm up so I can jump in my car and begin exploring again. Let me know what some of your essentials are below! Now I've got to begin planning my next adventure...

What's On My Desk

My 'What's On My Bedside Table' post went down so well the other day (read it here), so I thought I would do another one along the same line. For all you nosey ones out there, this is what's on my desk! As you can see, I don't really keep too many beauty products on here, except for the Burt's Bees lip balm, and I'm not really sure why I don't. Also, my Kate Spade iPhone case is from the Apple store, in case you were wondering, and my laptop is a 13" MacBook Pro. 

My desk is basically my creative space. I like to keep the essential things on here such as, my diary, my blog and youtube notebook, pens, lip balm, candle, hair ties and bobby pins, tissues and hand cream - as well as a few other bits too. I try to keep it as neat and organised as possible, because clutter stresses me out. I also have those few things stuck on the wall above my desk to help inspire me. 

I hope you enjoyed this instalment in my little 'What's On My...' series that I have now officially begun. Look out for a bathroom countertop and makeup corner edition coming in the future!

Oh, and for anybody wanting to know, I finished the book I was reading that you saw in my 'What's On My Bedside Table' post and I really enjoyed it!  

What's On My Bedside Table

Today I was suffering from writer's block, when I noticed my bedside table and I just thought it would make for a nice little post. Perhaps you're a bit of a nosey one, like me, and find it interesting to see what people keep on their bedside tables. If that happens to be the case, then this is definitely the post for you!

As you can see, I pretty much have a few basic bits and bobs on there, only the essentials! The blue plastic mason jar is from Woolworths, however they're also stocked in Target, the Heathcote & Ivory hand cream at the back is from Target, the little green tube is The Body Shop Aloe Lip Care - seriously such an incredibly nourishing and soothing lip balm - and the pink candle is from Ikea. The book I happen to be reading at the moment is Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leuithan, but the book that's on there will change depending on what I'm reading at the time. I also like to switch up the hand cream and lip balm I have on there, depending on what I feel like using. 

Hope you enjoyed this little peak at my bedside table, let me know in the comments below if you'd like to see more posts like this - perhaps a what's on my desk or what's in my bathroom post? Hope you all have a fabulous week, now I've got some reading to do...

Valentine's Day: DIY Treat Boxes

As tomorrow is Valentine's Day I thought I would continue on this little theme of love and write up some more posts relating to the very romantic holiday, that isn't even a real holiday! Yesterday's post featured a beautiful mug from Kikki.K (which you can read here), and this morning's post was all about Valentine's Day appropriate nail polish colours (which you can read here). 

For this afternoon's post I thought I would share with you some DIY treat boxes that I made for my friends as a little Valentine's gift. I think handmade gifts are so special and memorable, plus they are super fun to make! 

Each box includes:

• Polka dot treat box from Big W ($2.00 for a pack of 8)
• 2 chocolate chip cookies (I used this Martha Stewart recipe)
• Twinings tea bag 
• 2 milky top Cadbury Freddo's (they are currently on sale for $3 at Big W for a pack of 20)
• Card (I used this template, they have other designs too)
• Vanilla & Jasmine tea light candle from Kmart (I think it was about $3 or $4 for a pack of 30)
• String
• Heart bunting (I used a template from Kikki.K)
• Gold and purple sequins and gold stars (from any craft store)

I am so pleased with how they turned out and can't wait to give them to my friends. You can pretty much put anything you want in these boxes, so have fun creating! 

lovelovelove

Valentine's Treat For Someone Special

As I am not currently in a relationship, Valentine's Day isn't really anything too special for me, but that doesn't stop me from lusting over the cute merchandise and Valentine's themed products that stores sell during the month of February. I just wanted to showcase something that I picked up from a store called Kikki.K today. 

This super sweet mug with a gold foil heart on either side is perfect for any tea or coffee lover! It is a nice, sturdy design and is a lovely treat to make someone's day and remind them that you love them. Whether it be for your special someone, a family member, or even just for yourself (like I did), this beautiful mug is a sweet gesture for this special day. It's only $9.95 and can be bought at any Kikki.K store or online at kikki-k.com

lovelovelove

Christmas Room Decoration Inspiration

Tree from Kmart, decorations from Kmart, candy canes from Coles

Handmade decoration

Pillowcase from Kmart

Toffees are Thorntons from Kmart, chocolates are a mixture from Coles and Aldi, candles both from Aldi

Tea light holder and tea lights from Kmart

Teddy bear from Coles 

This is just a little Christmas themed post to show you some of the decorations I have put in my room to really get into the festive spirit. I plan to continue to add more once some of my favourite YouTubers upload decoration tutorials. Hopefully this will inspire some of you guys when it comes to decorating your own bedrooms for the Christmas time. This time of year is my absolute favourite and I would do anything to be living in England right now. I love everything about Christmas and I definitely go all out, because why not? 

Also, expect some more Christmas themed posts and hopefully some videos soon too. Happy holidays! 

lovelovelove

A Little Room Tour

I have wanted to do a room tour blog post for a really long time, but whenever I take the photos for it I'm never fully satisfied with how they turn out, and I'm still not, but I'm writing this blog post anyway. I hope you enjoy this little sneak peak inside my room, and if anything catches your eye let me know if you want more information on it or whatever. Also, you should know that I really don't like my pink feature wall anymore, was a choice I made many years ago! I just haven't had the chance to paint over it. Perhaps this will even inspire you when decorating your own room. 

lovelovelove

Someday Summary | Monday

I have decided that every now and then I am going to post a 'Someday Summary'. These are quite commonly done as specific day summaries, 'Wednesday Summary', for example, but I don't want to limit it to a specific day so that's why I'm calling it someday instead! Hope you enjoy this little update style post. 

• Even though I'm not totally thrilled with my skin at the moment, the above photos are completely makeup free! Yippee. (But they are a little retouched and filtered, thanks iPhoto!)
• My super cute cat pyjama shorts (pictured above) which I got for my birthday have become my new favourite thing. 
• I baked banana bread today and it smells amazing. Expect a blogpost on it in the coming week.
• I only have two weeks left of uni for the year, which is so exciting because it means my course is 1/3 complete already. But I have about 3 more major assignments due within the next few weeks so today has been spent planning them out. 
• It's my brothers birthday tomorrow, and we're going out for dinner tonight to celebrate so that's exciting! 
• Currently reading Zoella, Essie Button and Rose Petals 

lovelovelove

Birthday Week ; Some Presents

So, it was my 19th birthday yesterday! Yay, happy birthday to me. I had quite a lovely day filled with laughter, happiness, love, and friendship. Sounds super cheesy, but it was! I basically spent the day at church, and hanging with my friends. We had Nando's for lunch which is my favourite! It was actually a very relaxed day, but the weather was super hot and windy which was not fun! I just thought I would share some of the gifts that I got with you guys. I love reading people's blogposts like these, or watching their videos, so perhaps you guys like reading them too. The gifts mentioned below were some of my standout favourites, and I shall include where it is from if I know so that you can go and buy it yourself if you wish. 

Some lovely cards from my friends and family

Liverpool jersey from Sports Direct 

Real Techniques 'Powder brush' 'Core Collection' and 'Eye Shading' brushes from iHerb

Pretty little bow earrings from Prouds, I think 

Body butter from Kmart

Cat pyjamas & scottish dog pyjamas, both from Kmart

Deer teacup, Will Grayson, Will Grayson book from Book Depository, 365 book & 2014 Diary from Kikki K

lovelovelove