Next year I'm going to skip the festivals (unless I get tickets to Glasto) and mini breaks and combine lots of leave so I can have two weeks in the sun. I just want to lie on a beach, read and sip on cocktails. No getting coaches and buses around the UK, camping or staying at a travelodge. I want full blown luxury, sophistication and style but on a budget!

I'm planning on saving and getting a last minute deal next year or trying to book early for a good price.
I've got a few destinations in mind like Bulgaria and Turkey but I think Tunisia and South of France are on the top of my list at the moment. If I have a year to prepare I can pick up bits in the sales and on eBay so my holiday wardrobe doesn't cost a fortune. I tend to waste money on things I don't really need and maybe knowing I have a holiday to save and pay for would stop me doing this.

I've got a few picks here for things I will be keeping an eye on throughout the year-


I've seen a few lovely dresses lingering in the sales that would be perfect for a summer holiday. I'm going to be looking for dresses in bright colours with cut out details perfect for the Tunisian heat like these AX Paris and Topshop ones. I don't own any sandals and I can't really take converse on holiday so I will also be looking for some of these. I wont wear them often so I can pick up a cheap pair and not worry about quality too much. I don't think I will be able to resist the book themed passport cover as a library assistant, I wonder if there is a matching luggage tag... Tunisia is at the top of my list because it is exotic and safe at the same time. There are beautiful resorts but also some amazing ancient ruins and Islamic architecture to explore.


You can't go on holidays without a case and this leopard print New Look one is just up my street. It is the right balance between Kat Slater and chic and you're going to notice this print on the carousel at the airport. No holiday would be complete without the perfect swimsuit. I can't scrimp on this item as I'm looking for retro style plus size swimwear with underwire and support. I'm going to be looking for discount codes and sales for these as they cost around £40+ I think some retro cat eye sunglasses would be the perfect finishing touch for my chic French holiday wardrobe and I would also pack lots of navy and white stripes and broderie anglaise for a fresh summer look France is at the top of my list because I'm hoping my French pals will meet up with me after not seeing them for ages and  also be my unofficial guides.


Going to leave you with this Mystery Jets song which has me dreaming of another world and in the mood for a lazy holiday...



*collaborative post

I'm going to get involved with the theme by getting some garlands which I have picked up cheaply on ebay and I'm looking for some floral hair clips and I've found some pretty ones in the sale on Crown and Glory. I'm sure I will use the hair clips again, I hate buying things just for one occasion.
I decided to buy a tropical print dress from Primark which fits in with the theme but would also be perfect for a summer party or it take on holidays. I love the bold print and bright colours and I think I'm going to enjoy wearing something other than black for once on a night out.


The earrings would be a fun touch and you can pick up ones like there for a few pounds in places like Claire's Accessories. The shoes are so fun and bright and are a bargain at under £20 from New Look, you can get them lots of different colours like pink and orange. I'm going to dig out some blue eyeliner and pink lippy and go a bit mad on the make up too.
If money was no object I would have got a vintage inspired dress like this. I love the rockabilly look and I would feel a tad overdressed to go out in this normally but a fancy dress night out is the perfect excuse to get a little mad isn't it? I will share some photos of my final fancy dress look next week. They might be a little blurry eyed as I suspect a few cocktails will be involved...

Do you dread fancy dress nights out or do you fully embrace them?

*collaborative post

I went to my fifth Reading Festival this year and I think it may be my last. I'm about 10 years older than most people there and I'm not sure my old aching bones are cut out for any more camping. If it really was my last Reading then I went out in style and crammed in everything I could. I've said it would be my last festival every time I go though...

I got the coach from Cardiff on Thursday with my mates Emma and Harri (which was full of people who just got their GCSE results) and pitched up the tent in the green camping area by the G4 road where I usually camp. It's close to the site entrance and arena which is perfect for lazy people like me. We decorated the tent with some bunting which is pretty useful once you've had a few beers because all tents look the same in the dark. I spent Thursday night getting to know my camping neighbours around a campfire. I spent most of the night selling Wales as a tourist destination to Aussies, I always get so patriotic when I go away!

Friday was the day that I manged to catch the most bands and acts and made sure that I got into the arena pretty early to catch the Cardiff band Future of the Left.. I caught the end of Chris Ramsay on the Alternative stage and a few other comedy acts before watching Spector and The Hives on my favourite stage, the NME/Radio1 tent which has a great atmosphere. I have seen Fred from Spector in a few bands over the years and even though he divides opinion I really like him and I was so happy to see the tent packed out for their set. Fred reminds me of Vice magazine and all the annoying things about East London types but it was pretty heartwarming to see him with a huge smile when people were singing along to all his bands catchy tunes. 'Never Fade Away' was my highlight of the set and event the stewards and event security were singing along.

I saw some Alt-J on the Festival Republic stage and Kate Nash and Felix from The Maccabees were also in the crowd. The Maccabees are my favourite band at the moment and I was trying to play it cool but squealed 'OhmyGodit'sFelixfromTheMaccabees' and nearly fainted when he walked past me my mates. Such a fan girl, he has such shiny hair... swoon. I managed to cram in Bombay Bicycle Club, Graham Coxon and The Courteeners (Liam Fray was looking HOT with his new quiff) before going to see The Cure headline on the main stage. I only stuck around for a few songs because The Maccabees were headlining on the NME stage and I wasn't going to miss that for anything even a classic band like The Cure. The Maccabees set was beautiful and almost brought me to tears playing First Love, Precious Time and Can You Give It in a row. They are such a sincere band and if you get a chance to see them live you really should.

The heavens opened when Florence and the Machine came on and I got soaked. I love her but it wasn't her best set, the play list was a little dull. I preferred her in Cardiff a few months ago but she gave a great performance.
Harri and I lost the rest of our group and decided to go and watch Feeder who played to a packed out tent. I loved this band so much as a teenager and it was great to see them play a set full of fan favourites. I think that watching them was the highlight of Reading for me and I had a blast dancing and singing with Harri and a few people we met from Essex. There is nowhere else in the world where I would go and see Feeder and dance with people I just met like I've known them all my life.


After the excess and madness of Saturday I took a more relaxed approach to Sunday. I managed to see The Joy Formidable, Kaiser Chiefs (2004 all over again) The Black Keys, The Horrors, Two Door Cinema Club (highlight of the day) and then saw a little of all the headliners Justice, Foos and Less Than Jake. I'm so glad I went to see The Futureheads do their acapella and acoustic set, talented guys!

I didn't take many photos because I was just having too much fun but I wore my Barbour jacket and wellies for most of the weekend with denim shorts and checked shirts like most people there. I'm hoping to take more festival fashion photos at Bestival and will be dressing up a bit more there.

I can sum up my Reading 2012 experiences with the following points:

1. I'm old now, it has taken me two days to recover
2. Liam Fray looks good with a quiff
3. 16 year olds should not wear hotpants. I do not want to see your cheeks.

I had so much fun in Torquay last year that me and my mates decided to go again. It was so relaxing to have a few days off with no work to worry about and without religiously checking emails and twitter. I'm so jealous of people who live near the sea, it really was beautiful down there.


I wore my new Primark jumper, a F21 ring and New Look necklace on the way down. The forecast wasn't great so I packed loads of jumpers and we got there at it was 20+ degrees so I was boiling hot all weekend. We got there and went for a huuuuge meal and then went to the club house and joined in with the karaoke. Everyone there was 60+ so we thought it would be appropriate to sing the Spice Girls with full dance routine and we also sang the Tom Jones version of Kiss.

We went for a nice day on the beach in Torquay, I spent the most of my weekend in my spongebob pjs because it was so warm and we had a huuuge fry up on Saturday morning. I swear I consumed about 20,000 calories in pringles and minstrels this weekend.


We stayed on a great site with some very interesting caravan neighbours, went quad biking and had a bbq before getting out the board games and watching series one Community. It really is the simple things in life that are so nice. The weekend away cost next to nothing, the weather was lovely and I had amazing company. Perfect.

I'm really excited about the news that Vivienne Westwood will be opening her first ever store in Cardiff. This is great news for Wales and the South West as currently you can only buy Vivienne Westwood accessories in Cardiff at Urban Outfitters and shoes in Pussy Galore so I can't wait to be able to browse the full Gold, Red and Anglomania ranges in the flesh and not just online. The store will be opening in October in the St David's 2 in the Hayes opposite John Lewis. Vivienne Westwood is my favourite designer and I love how all her designs have a really British feel, drawing on Saville Row tailoring traditions with a punk edge. I've had my eye on the fulfilment dress for ages, I think the people in store are going to get fed up of me going in and trying things on....

Here are some of my favourite Viv items-





I was looking for shoes after I saw Sophie's lovely pair and I fancied the Vivienne Westwood Melissa flat shoes but I stumbled upon this bag and it had to be mine. I opted for a patent bag over tartan because it will go with everything.

Moving on from designer and onto budget now, I've got some great bargains in the past few weeks.



I picked up the playsuit in the Topshop sale for £20, it has lace around the waist and edge and the clutch in Select for £8 and got student discount on both. The shirt is from Topshop but cost £2 on ebay,can't argue with that price.

The gorgeous butterfly headbands are both from Crown and Glory and I just can't decide which one I like more, going to see how much I have left on payday after bills and treat myself to one of these. If I'm a tad skint I can opt for the New Look version in the sale, not quite as pretty though. The beetle earrings are from New Look, they would fit in great with the wildlife theme but I would also wear them again.


The butterfly and leopard print top are both from ASOS and again I think they are a subtle way to get involved in the fancy dress theme without buying a fancy dress outfit that you would never wear again. Getting into the spirit of things without going over the top. The bird print cover up is from AX Paris and I'm thinking of wearing this with a skater dress and will cover my shoulders if it's sunny (wishful thinking) The tie top is another New Look item.

Of course you need some sturdy shoes for a festival and the obvious choice are Hunter wellington boots. Practical and I like the croc effect. My final pick is the owl t-shirt from New Look which I might buy and not even take it to Bestival. It's only £7 and I can't resist.

Have you seen any lovely wildlife themed clothes that I could get for Bestival? I'm not very creative!

A rather sad title but lots of lovely things to report on. I took a week off work last week for my birthday and tried to cram in as many days out as I could and sample plenty of cakes. Sadly the week I chose to have off work was filled with downpours and I couldn't go camping like a planned but I still managed to have lots of fun.



Last Sunday I went for a mammoth walk around Cardiff and picked up a tasty Indian breakfast at the Riverside market and headed towards Bute park for a relaxing afternoon. I've seen the NZ football team and Brazilian teams train in the park recently and saw the GB team leaving Cardiff after their defeat on the weekend :( Cardiff has been buzzing with Olympic fever this week, nice to feel part of it all even though I don't live in London. I had a mid week birthday meal with friends because a few of us have birthdays in the same week. My friends know me very well and got me a caterpillar cake and Brit pop album. You can't beat a night in with the girls.
I went for lunch and cocktails and spent a small fortune on new jumpers, make up and clutch bags. Once I get started I just can't stop... I got a GOSH eyebrow pen and have been playing with it this week but I've not quite got the hang of it yet (major scouse brow)



I had a joint birthday celebration with my friends Jack and Harri on the weekend and we went for food at Mezza Luna which was a great little place on City Road in Cardiff. We had some Moroccan food and there was even a belly dancer, we all got roped into belly dancing but I have no rhythm at all so wont be taking that up as my new vocation. Emma made a ruffle icing, pastel layer cake masterpiece which tasted great, I think she should make me one every weekend. YUM.



I went to see a band called Mowbird in my new favourite venue Gwdihw (Welsh for owl) and got some great shots on my instax camera. I ate even more cake, this time with some comedy 1D decoratoins which Rosie would appreciate. I tried out some IMpress nails which looked fab and were so easy too apply, great for a night out.
I went to Bristol yesterday for the Bristol Bloggers Meetup that Kim and Steph organised, they did a geat job and it was good to see them again along with the lovely Lily, Hannah and Sammy. It was also lovely to meet some new people like Amie , Chloe Lee and Sophie. I always enjoy meet ups but get a little nervous and babble so I'm sorry if I went a little off topic. It was a great way to round off my my birthday week off.

I wish all weeks could be like this!