April

April has been, an adventure : )

I spent my first few days of the month with my lovely pa. We had a father-daughter weekend and i decided we should spend it eating and drinking yummy English things like amazing cheese and roast beef and cider. We just hung out really, went to our favourite pub and got all my dollars and stuff sorted. It was really good.
A tiny bit ruined by a near catastrophe that i'll write about when it comes time to round up my trip, yeah, i'm gonna make you wait!
After my short "Farewell Weekend" Dad waved me off at the train station and i began my journey to Seattle, which is where i am now! Because i am doing this big Seattle themed post/set of posts after i get back to Brit-land i'm not going to open my mouth right now except to say that it has been amazing and although i'm ready to be flying home in 4 days i am sad to leave too. Now to let my pictures do the talking for a bit:

I'm quite gutted i didn't get any pictures of my weekend with Dad or my journey from Exeter to London. But to be fair to me the weekend was a mix of fun and terror so remembering my camera just didn't happen and then on the train to the airport i had to spend all my time desperately trying not to cry my eyes out due to the fact that the train was full and i really didn't want to scare the person i sat next to/the whole carriage.

Now back when i started these monthly posts i used to be a good blogger and i'd tell y'all about the music i listened to and the films i watched and the books i read. All of these things have been so important to me this month that i'm gonna make a return to form and talk about them! Basically i've had a lot of time in the evenings when i'm alone and films, music and books have stopped me going crazy from boredom and loneliness and brain death.

MUSIC
I was gonna list albums but i've actually been listening more to specific individual songs so i'll list those instead. This isn't everything that i've listened to obviously but it' the songs that stick out the most.
Chase & Status - Blind Faith, Midnight Caller and Heartbeat (Chase & Status Remix)
Adele - Rumour Has It and If It Hadn't Been For Love
Devlin - Brainwashed and his cover of Blind Faith
The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix)
La Roux - In For The Kill (Skrillex Remix)
The Temper Trap - Conditions (yeah the whole album, it's the exception to the "specific songs rule")

FILMS
On the plane i watched the latest Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Love & Other Drugs (it was a 10 hour flight) I liked all of them but the Chronicles of Narnia was weak compared to the others! Since i've been in the states i've watched Whip It (AMAZING!) and Anchorman. Now, i've seen Anchorman so many times i can pretty much quote it at you all day long but you try resisting the urge to watch it after a couple weeks of watching the 5pm news in America, seriously.

BOOKS
Okay, this is where i surprised even myself. I have read so much
I have started and finished these books since i got here:
Peter Pan, To Kill A Mockingbird, Tank Girl, Eat Prey Love, and The Cavalier Poets: An Anthology. I've also started and half finished another two. And i'll probably go buy some more tomorrow : )

So overall, it's been an amazing April!
I can't really say whether it's gone fast or slow, i've been so relaxed most of the time that it just feels like the world has been passing me by at the perfect pace- not too quick and not too slow: just long enough to appreciate it and soak it in.
On this trip I've really learnt to live in the moment more, so all i'm going to say about May is: It will be what it will be and i hope it's amazing!
Hopefully all you lovelies had a great April, pleeeeease share any stories below, i love reading your comments!

From the Waist Up

 

SCARF&BELT:GIFTS BROOCH:DIY

this is how i looked yesterday, thought i'd share with y'all because it's raining and i'm bored : )

Happy Easter Sunday

Easter = a holiday i often forget is religious.
"Oh, Jesus died and then came back to life? I thought it was just all chocolate and shit."

I'd never had a peep before this Easter, woop for sugar.

Image Source

After two days of perfect spring weather we are now once again under a blanket of grey here, that's not a complaint though, just an observation!
This morning i went to the family brunch of the people i am staying with, i stayed pretty quiet and ate my amazing french toast (with bacon, i don't get 'mericans) but everyone was really lovely and welcoming. The place we ate at was at the Fisherman's Terminal, which, just to let you know, is where they keep the Deadliest Catch boats in the non fishing season.

I am now entering my last full week in Seattle. And whilst i am more than ready to be at home, i will miss this city, yessir.
It is very difficult to explain how much this trip has given me & how much i think it will continue to give even after i leave.
I've been keeping a journal, expressing myself in words and drawings. Some is my own original stuff, some is lyrics and sentences i've stumbled across whilst here that i felt summed up a feeling or thought i was having.
I'm really looking forward to doing my monthly round-up post and i'm also going to do a separate Seattle post.
I want to share what this trip has given me so it will be word heavy but there will be pictures too, samples from my journal, photos i have taken & images i have found.
I am so excited to share my real journey with you lovelies : )

Hand Candy

Everything apart from the turquoise is from Silver Lion Jewellers in Exeter.
Pinky is kitted out with bling from Silverworks in Seattle.

Nails are wearing Barry M 290 Spring Green, with a top coat of Seche Vite.

I'm seeing Chase and Status tonight, alone, in Seattle. I am equal parts nerves and excitement.
: D

OOTD: Oh Bee-Hive

Yeah, that's the name i came up with and i am sticking to it, like glue.

So i decided that i put together a good look today and i'd do whatever it took to post it : ) It's pretty difficult; hanging your camera off a bed-post & trying to get a clean shot, but i did it, just.

DRESS:H&M TIGHTS:TESCO SHOES:EVANS

This dress is the prettiest, comfiest, easiest dress to wear. I wore it on my flight here, i wore it the other day, i'm wearing it now. Ughhhh, i love it! This is the navy/white stripe, i'd love if i could have it in a black/white a black/camel and maybe a mint green/white too, H&M MAKETHESENOW!

Shoes and Tights are standard.

As you can see i went for a bit of a 60's vibe, got my beehive and did me some fe-liner. (feline-eyeliner, get it!?!)

and i also, had me a little twist:

 

Ahhhh, don't you just love it when i dance in my OOTD's : )

Shopping in Seattle: Vol. 2

Sunday just gone i went on a very little spree at Southcenter. Which is a mall about 20 minutes south of Seattle.

At this point i'd like to mention that i do have a budget for this trip out of which i set myself targets on a day to day basis. This sounds silly because i'm on holiday and i should be careless and have fun right? Well, yeah. But girl needs to eat. If i went bat shit crazy with my finances i'd be living off table scraps by now and doing nought but window shopping.

So anyway, i buzzed around the place pretty quickly and left with three shiny new things (four if you count the cheesecake slice, but that didn't last long not even long enough to be papped).

Sunglasses - H&M around $8

Shoes - Torrid - $48

Top - Forever 21 - $17

Sunglasses were the only nice thing i found in H&M, dunno if it was a bad store or if i just wasn't in the right mood but nothing stood out. They kinda make up for it though because as sad as it is, i am in love with them so much!

The shoes were one of the three good things about Torrid. I don't want to be writing it but it's true. I really can't stand they clothes they're selling. The shoes i bought, another pair i wanted and the staff were the shop's three redeeming qualities. I mean i dislike the clothes so much i can't even grasp how the the shop assistants managed to look so good assuming they were wearing Torrid (fair assumption i think). But negativity aside these shoes are lush and the staff were lovely. (i'm terrible with names so this could be wrong) Jessica?!?! was who i spent a long time chatting to and she said she might check out the blog so shout out to her if she's reading!
Oh one other good thing, i got to use the $5 off card i got at Plus London so i basically paid no tax, happy days.

The top is from the F21 main range, not F21 + because there wasn't a cute thing in the small section they had. It's a 3/4 sleeve crop top that i'm gonna wear with high waisted skirts because it's too tight to be worn as a crop on me, in my opinion anyway. I basically couldn't resist the pattern and it was the last one so i was pretty happy when it turned out to be a large and even happier when it fit!


So that's it for Vol. 2. But i'm going to Pike Place for a proper shop later this week so expect a big long post very soon : D

Shopping in Seattle: Vol. 1

Today was beautiful in Seattle. It was a perfect Spring day, warm sun and a cool breeze, clear skies and plenty of cherry blossom.
Which is lucky because i must have walked about five miles, and I'd have still done it even if it was raining.
I'll start with pictures and then bore you with words : D

South Jackson St looking down over Chinatown, Qwest Stadium and The Puget Sound

The Puget Sound, Mountains and A Bird.

My Little Haul (Bus Ticket Included)

My main aim today was to get to Two Big Blondes consignment shop on South Jackson Street. It's about two miles from where my bus stops in Downtown Seattle and I decided the walk would do me good so armed with google maps i set off. (What google maps does not tell you however, is that S Jackson St. is one big hill that makes you sweat and drags you through Chinatown and the smell of tasty tasty food at lunch time without any thought for the fact that damn it you packed a lunch so you aint buying one.)
Any, way.
We don't have consignment shops at home (as far as i know, correct me if i'm wrong UK peepz) so i didn't know what to expect (here's a wiki for people who like me, aint got a clue). But i arrived and straight away got to work looking through the racks for pretty things to take home.
The store is quite large and pretty well laid out and i think if you reserve a good portion of your day to rifle, you can find some good things.
I ended up buying the pair of jeans pictured above and i paid $9.31, which is around £5.70, which is a bargain! There was also a full length black fur cape that i desperately wanted but A: I can't be splashing out $90 on a fur cape and B: I can't be wearing a fur cape home because my suitcase is full.
I'm pretty sold on consignment shopping, but saying that i've been a long time lover of charity shops and it aint all that different price and range wise.

So i finished up there and headed back downtown. I intended to go straight down to Waterfront Park (which is not really a park, more just a very large deck) to take pictures of the sound and mountains beyond but i stopped at the Globe Bookstore which is lovely and quaint and pretty much the perfect book shop in my mind and the owner was friendly and helpful too.
I got the books pictured above because i'm reading a whole lot here. I started reading To Kill A Mockingbird two days ago and i'm nearly done, i have read it before but that's still pretty fast, i'm turning into Matilda.

After sitting and eating my packed lunch i headed home stopping only to buy cinnamon graham crackers because the honey ones were so tasty i had to try these. And then i had a cuppa and sat down to write this post. Which i'm now going to end with a poem by Robert Herrick from The Cavalier Poets, because i like it : )

Sunday

Spent the day packing, for an assortment of lame reasons; i gotta switch up my accommodation.

I got particularly bored at one point and took these

nothing like a nice flannel shirt : )
nothing too fancy.

I'm currently being bombarded by reports of Pimms weather at home. BBQ's, days sat in beer gardens, picnics and such are all going on without me!
I knew this would happen though, you come to the rainy city then the sun is bound to start shining at home!

OOTD: 'suup from seattle

i wanted so desperately to alliterate and this is all i had, are there any other greetings that begin with an s? i don't think so!


Anyway; moving on.
I'm holidaying alone so i don't feel hugely pressured to pull out my best garbs, however, i went to the aquarium today and i wanted to look nice for the sealife : )

TOP:DOROTHY PERKINS TIGHTS:TESCO SKIRT:H&M BELT:GIFTED CARDI:EVANS

Apologies for the bin that is in shot, i was too busy trying to find a good place to set up my gorillapod and camera that i didn't notice it.
This is pretty simple and i've worn it all before, but never in this country! I'm really glad i brought thie skirt with me, mostly because it's the only thing i have to wear with all the tops i brought (i'm on the hunt for good jeans, suggestions on where to find them are welcomed!) but also because it's very comfy and easy to wear with a whole shitload of things : D
The weather here right now is a bit all over the place so i'm grateful for me nice warm tights. It's sunny but cold now, it rained earlier, it hailed yesterday, the weather forecast never quite gets it right and if it wasn't for the coffee shops on every corner that i dive into then i'd freeze walking 5 blocks down the street.
(lol wut, i just said blocks!)

Just in case anyone wants to know,  the colour i have on my nails is Barry M 262 Bright Red (i loved how this was an example item for things that need to go in a clear zip lock bag at the heathrow security checks)
It's pretty sweet and goes nicely with the Barry M red lipstick.

aeroporto

Just a few pictures from the departures "lounge" where i had to sit and wait for 3 hours yesterday, i suppose i'd rather that than have the Phalanges or whatever explode halfway through the flight, but still i did let out a little groan when they made the announcement.

not really an OOTD but BOOTS,LEGGINGS & SCARF:EVANS DRESS:H&M

this little lady was flapping around the B gates at Heathrow, she sat on my bench for quite a while so i took some pictures and even had time to draw her.
I decided that she was a good omen.
(i'm assuming it was female due to the lack of fance in the feathers)