The Follow Up: Mulberry Bayswater Review

So as promised I am reporting back with a review of my slightly under loved Mulberry Bayswater. Sadly I didn't manage to use it every day for the past week, mainly due to not needing quite such a big bag, however I can still recap the main points.

Firstly the size, this is a BIG bag. It easily accommodates A4 folders and paper which makes it great for work, however personally I feel this is too nice a bag to 'waste' as a work bag.

The bag is also reasonably heavy when empty. It is Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather which is relatively hard wearing and smells amazing. It even makes my living room smell nice just by being in it.

It is just one big compartment inside. This is great for holding huge amounts of stuff. The downside? Finding your lip balm in under 5 minutes is less likely.

As you can see there are a couple of small pockets on the back of the bag. I tend to put my phone in one of the two lower slip pockets, and keep things like train tickets or things I need to be able to reach for quickly in the zipped compartment.

This is the stuff I have inside currently. I also have a bag liner inside which protects the suede lining. 

So the run down of what I am currently lugging about is:

• Primark umbrella (I always lose umbrellas)
• Michael Kors purse
• Cath Kidston pouch with small essentials e.g. lip balm, pen, makeup compact etc
• brown leather credit card pouch
• small Le Pliage pouch with headphones in
• Mac lipstick in Speed Dial
• Sharpie
• Hair Clip
• Robinsons Squash'em in Summer Fruits

With this inside the bag is nowhere near full. I would also normally have my iPad inside, a notebook, some work papers etc but today I am travelling relatively light!

Another noteworthy fact is that the shape of the bag can be changed. There are buckles inside the bag which can be slackened off to increase the size of the bag. I also like doing this if I know I will need to be in and out of my bag a lot as holding it in this way makes things much easier.

So my thoughts? It is a lovely bag, a bit big and a bit heavy for me personally to want to use every day but that is mainly because I have other more suitable options.

Would I sell it? Hell No, it's a classic! The price of Mulberry seems to be ever increasing and I am glad I bought it when I did. 

Would I recommend it? Probably, but as a good friend I would advise you to look at other similar priced offerings first to see if they are perhaps a more practical buy. Of course I would have to come with you to play in the Mulberry shop...my favourite pass time.

See you Monday for Beauty Blog Post Week :D

Travel Thursday

                            

I found this on Pinterest the other day and it got me thinking. While I have never been one to pack my life into a backpack and takeoff for far flung lands, I do LOVE a holiday and appreciate getting to experience new cultures and cities.

Due to many factors (pennies in the piggy bank being one) this plan may never come to fruition, however it is always a good idea to start planning. 

So with that in mind, my travel goals are as follows:

1. Go skiing in Austria (fingers crossed Dec '14)

2. Go to Paris

3. Go to New York

4. Go to London (booked September '14)

In the spirit of all good goals I am giving myself a deadline of my 25th birthday. That is only 10 months away but if I can do 3/4 I would be a happy bunny!

So if you were to wish the world bon voyage, where would you go? 

Charity Bake-off with Glenn from GBBO

A few weeks ago now my mother and I attended a charity bake event for Rowcroft Hospice in Devon with Glenn Cosby from GBBO (Great British Bake Off, if you're not a follower).

Excuse the awful selfie, but it had to be done!

The event was held at Daisy Bakes, a fantastic new baking supply shop that has opened up in Torquay. Check out their fabulous decor! I love the mural.

Run by the lovely Kate and John the cake shop is the only of it's kind in the beautiful bay and I am sure will go on to do as well as their FANTASTIC cakery that is next door. (You must try the Hummingbird Cake)

So back to the night. Glenn started off proceedings by introducing his signature bake that he would be demonstrating for us. It is a one hour "start to serve" cake, perfect for all those times when you've forgotten that you had agreed to bake a birthday cake or similar.

It is a four tiered (quick to cook, quick to cool) chocolate sponge with an italian meringue butter cream icing. Glenn assured us that he would marry this type of icing if he could.

I will link the recipe up below. but one if the best parts about the evening was that everything didn't necessarily go to plan, and based on my own baking track record, seeing how Glenn rescues things and makes it appear as if that was how it was supposed to be all along was incredibly useful.

Photo Credit: glenncosby.co.uk

So we chatted, ate cake, asked questions and established that while Kitchen Aid's are an expensive yet priceless investment (Glenn admitted his is worth more than his car), but most importantly the night raised money for a cause that is very close to my heart.

Glenn's recipe can be found here: http://glenncosby.co.uk/one-hour-chocolate-cake/

Click here for more information about the great work done by Rowcroft Hospice: http://www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk

Get tempted by AMAZING cakes: https://www.facebook.com/Daisycakesuk 

Tuesday Treats

There is nothing like some homemade treats to brighten up what is looking to be a very dreary Tuesday. 

The treat of choice this week is Banana Bread Muffins. Just as easy as their name sake cake, but elicit somewhat more portion control (an issue when you live with a man!).

This recipe is literally idiot proof (I would know, I nearly didn't add sugar or milk and bunged them in at the end). 

You will need:

• Muffin Tray and Cases (my polka dot ones are from Tesco)
• Kitchen Scales
• A LARGE mixing bowl (this makes 12 large muffins)
• A Wooden Spoon
• and I used my iPad for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 250g Self Raising Flour
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
• Pinch of Salt
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 75g Butter (I used Olive Spread and it was fine)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
• 2 Large Free Range Eggs
• 3 Ripened Bananas
• 125ml Milk (I used Semi Skimmed Cravendale, but I'm sure any is fine)

 Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees (180 fan)
2. Mash the bananas in the bowl
3. Add all the dry ingredients (sieved if necessary)
4. Melt the butter
5. Add the butter, honey, eggs, vanilla and milk.
6. Mix the batter with a wooden spoon. Don't worry about mixing too well, the lumps are supposed to be there.
7. Once mixed divide the mixture up into your muffin cases. I used about 3 desert spoons of mixture in each, but as long as they are equal it is not a precise science.
8. The banana bread muffins should take about 20-25 minutes to bake. Check they are done by piercing with a skewer and checking that it is coming out clean.

Once the banana bread muffins are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for the first 10 minutes in the tray. This stops them from collapsing while cooling.

After 10 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and leave them to cool on a wire rack. I don't have one of these so left my muffins on a glass chopping board.

And there you have it, banana bread muffins that take minimal time or effort to make, but will definitely take a fair bit of will power not to take one each time you walk past. They should keep for 3 days in an airtight container, but in my experience they don't last that long. Well you wouldn't want them to go stale now would you?!





Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson, available from: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/banana-muffins-876.

Revision Woes

It is definitely that time of year AGAIN!

As a teacher I now see both sides of the exam stress. Not only am I still undertaking my own exams but I also get the pleasure of marking my own students work.

This year marked the end of my exam years (fingers crossed) and having worked out that I have sat exams annually for the past 13 years, I figured I would put forward some tips:

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE to revise all day ever day. People who say they do are lying. It is much better to work towards a break/reward and it will encourage you to keep revising for more than two days before you burn out.

2. Concentration is a skill. It can be trained. There are many links online who provide motivational tips to help increase your concentration span. My personal favourite is the 'training method'. Much like a marathon runner will slowly work up to their target, so should you in terms of revision. Start with 20 minutes, 10 minute break. Work then for 30 minutes, have a 5 minute break. Work for an hour and have a 10 minute break.

3. Asking for help is not a weakness. Teachers are still getting paid even if you are on exam leave. Email them and get an appointment to get to grips with that topic thats been tripping you up all year.

4. Remove distractions. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and general iPhone mulling are my own personal revision vices. They will still be there when you are finished and no one wants to explain to their mum they failed their exams because they were watching cat videos on YouTube!!!

Fashion Friday

Friday is ALWAYS by favourite day of the week. It means guilt free frappachinos (frap friday's came from somewhere) and the start of the weekend.

As an ode to this care free wonderful day today is frivolous friday, the post the revels in all that can be indulged.

This week my indulgence of choice has been my handbags! After a great conversation with Frank from Selfridges I have been seriously reconsidering my handbag collection.

I have for instance a Mulberry Bayswater that I bought back in December that has sadly only been on one or two outings. Why? It gets overlooked.

While it may be a style icon it was one I was never sure about pre-purchase. A whimsical day in John Lewis six months ago led to it coming home with me however i'm still not sure I 'pull it off'.

Days like these I need to still be a student and living with my best friend who was a fashion genius. She could pull anything together and own it! I on the other hand never quite seem to have the confidence.

So, on this first fashion friday I am embracing the bayswater. It will accompany me for the next week and I will report back with a full bag review.

OMG It's Thursday

Do you ever get those moments when you think...how on earth did this happen?!

Many a week has passed by at snails pace but this one, its on for a Guinness World Record!

We are off 'home' this weekend which in itself is an odd phenomena. I have come to learn that it is one that really only post university students experience. When 'home' is where you grew up, learnt to ride a bike (still can't do that!) and went to school. It's where your parents live and your school friends all come 'home' to at christmas. 

Other 'home' is where you live the rest of the time. It might be where you work, where you are still studying, or in my case, the house I share with my boyfriend. This is a house that we have lived in for a while now and have spent countless hours and £ on making 'our own'.

The question remains however, where is home?

There is a cushion in my mums house that says 'home is where the heart is' and somedays i'm just not sure thats true.

My heart lives here, with my job, my new friends, my boyfriend and ultimately my adult life. My 'home' however? Thats a more difficult question.

 

I guess the ultimate tell however may be this... ask me where i'm spending christmas?

An Introduction....

Hello....I've heard about you. I thought it was time that we finally met.

I haven't really got big plans for this blog, more as a way of guilting me out of documenting purchases, recent loves and the big changes that are happening in my life.

1970's called....they don't want this back

So about me, I am 24, living 200 miles away from home and so far convincingly playing the role of grown up and responsible adult....so much so that someone has let us have a house!!

This house now needs decorating (did anyone ever like a salmon bathroom???) and I hope to share the adventure here.

I also have a rather grown-up job. It is a different one, six months of the year I become a social hermit feel completely snowed under. The other half the year I am relatively free and I love to try and reconnect with the creative side of me that my job has no time for.

I am a beauty addict, buy far too much makeup and have a severe handbag issue. I hope to share the pictures of all of these guilt free in this place and just have to hope *fingers crossed* that my other half never finds himself bored enough to stumble upon a beauty blog one day!!

So yes. This is me.

So now....tell me more about you?

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