viva♡'s: internet finds and inspiration

Bonsoir everyone. I hope you're all well. I've spent the day sifting through quotes and reading my book. That's about it. I feel a bit lost! Anyway, enough of my emotional baggage. Today's post is going to be a short one for a very good reason. My younger sister is rather ill at the moment and I'm not sure if she'll be hospitalised or what because the doctor's are doing fuck all to help. Surprise surprise! They only give a shit when you're dying/dead. Here's a few things I've found over the past week that I wish to share with you all :) Enjoy!

guilt free fashion

Always want to freshen up your wardrobe on a low budget but not exactly sure how? It's your lucky day. I've followed the lovely Katie Styles for a while now and I've always admired her customisation skills so I thought I'd pay tribute to them by featuring them over at vivahearts! 'Guilt Free Fashion' is a site that was created as a way to 'promote recycling and to encourage the use of eco/sustainable and second-hand clothing.' You can find simple step by step guides on a range of things from how to create collars to how to create scalloped shorts to altering the length of garments. It really is an inspirational site that can essentially freshen up your wardrobe as well as your outlook. I'll definitely be attempting some of the things down the line! Go check it our for yourself! Coincidentally, Katie actually spoke to BBC Solent about her project today!

Guilt Free Fashion blog / Katie Styles blog

cellardoor magazine;

Forget all your trashy gossip mags because the only glossy you should be reading is Cellardoor Magazine. Cellardoor was started way back in 2009 by the lovely Jade Cooper-Collins and Amy Power and has since become a religious read for most. This online mag offers something for everyone from culture to travel, to music to fashion thus cementing it on the 'to read' list of many a blogger. I am absolutely in love with the current 'Spring Fling' issue. The layout and design are just perfect. This issue features a heart warming article on mother daughter relationships, an obligatory royal wedding feature and a food section that is simply mouth watering just to look at! The only bad thing about Cellardoor? it's quarterly, ha! Grab yourself a sweet cuppa tea and a cheeky slice of cake because this magazine is something you're sure to want to sit back and enjoy :) 

cellardoor magazine / cellardoor blog

 [Little Fawn, Athene Noctua, Wise Rabbit Says]

a few blogs to follow;

Here's a few blogs for you to check out! I'm loving all the Easter fun that Rebecca over at Athene Noctua is getting up to so be sure to check out her blog. She's also got an awesome name ;) The lovely Ellie has recently set up her new blog, Little Fawn, and I rather like it. She seems like such a sweet lady. Finally, I'm a massive fan of Ashley's blog. She's got amazing style and she left me one of the sweetest comments in the world the other day. She's awesome! Have fun checking them all out!

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 I've also been loving; 

 the thought that there's no more long goodbyes • copious episodes of QI, as ever •  finishing another book • compiling an extensive list for H is for Happy • tumblr inspiration • beauty products • beautiful comments from my amazing followers • the fact that my boyfriend read my blog out of the blue! hey luke ;) 

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I hope you've all appreciated this weeks vivahearts! I'm open to ideas for things to feature here so feel free to get in contact if you find something particularly interesting. I'll see you on Friday for a post. I need to actually work out a new Friday feature because I always feel a bit AGHHH when Friday comes around and I don't have a brief to stick to! Haha.

h is for happy: week 33

Hello party people. I pray that you've all had a lovely weekend in the glorious sunshine! I waved goodbye to my beautiful man this morning for 3 weeks and have had a rather productive day since! I always feel like I'm at a bit of a loose end when I'm unemployed but instead of feeling all glum I'm gunna use this free time for good. Yes, that's right, I'm going to start wearing spandex and run around saving damsels in distress. Not quite. I'm going to use it to brush up on old skills and build new ones. I should probably also start begging people to employ me. If any of you are wondering, I should be posting my little Q & A vlog this Friday. I kinda have to reshoot it because the sound didn't work. Oops. I'm currently lounging on my sofa smiling away at the smell of BBQ food coming from outdoors. Oh, I bloody love early summers! Let me know what's making you happy today! 

 161; bbq's - the food,  the smell and the warming fire & marshmallows afterwards! 

162; planning what I'd do in the event of a zombie apocolypse

(I blame 'The Walking Dead' and 'Shaun of the Dead' for this)

163; a nice ice old drink of pop

 164; conversing with people in a foreign language

165; not being afraid anymore to try new things / be myself

There you have it ;) Join in. Let me know what's keeping you cheery! I'll be seeing you again on Wednesday for another 'vivahearts' post. Until then, keep smiling!

snap happy 015

17-24/04

Good morning ladies and gents! How are we all? I'm feeling good today. The sun is shining and I'm spending my boyfriend's last day with him before he ventures back to uni. We've got fully addicted to The Walking Dead at the moment. Anyone else watching it? I think it's my third favourite show to Dexter and Californication. Christ, I'm being exciting this morning aren't I?! I hope you enjoy this weeks photos! I love doing these 'Snap Happy' posts. I need some ideas for my Friday feature so please comment away :) Keep smiling kids and I'll be back tomorrow for another post.

My sisters, Soph and Amy, on the swing in the woods | Chilling out with my book on a lazy afternoon | Nice bit of smoked salmon for supper | Charles wearing his sombrero in the sunshine. Yes, my cat has his own cat-sized sombrero. Jealous?! | Nice ice cold drink in the sun | Luke the Mexican. Don't you just love his gardening attire? Dear God. | Royal Crescent, Bath. I loooove old buildings | Luke getting friendly with a pig | A subtle nod to the outfit post | Quaint little tunnels | Cake and coffee stop to sober us up | Modelling coffee | Thatchers Somerset Cider - the drink of winners | Molly and my sister, Amy. | Bath Abbey and the beautiful Pump Room. Nice and posh ;) | Small little alleyways with a range of shops on and swooping roads aligned with gorgeous houses | Cupface. Hello terrible roots! | Picnic in the garden | My sexy ice lolly tache | Attack of the ice lolly. Yes, I'm well mature! | Orange poppies | Luke and I. One day he'll actually pose nicely | Charles sunbathing. He doesn't actually know how to pose any other way. That's why all his photos look the same HAH. Mega Lolz at Luke's 'Oh shit this ice lolly is cold' face. Shoulda used Sensodyne my boy! | Tache again. 

i'm a fail whale

Hello ladies and gents! I'm afraid this is just pretty much a little filler post because I'm a bit of a fail whale. I've left my memory card reader at home and I've failed to arrange anything. Boo! I hope these poor quality photos of myself and a herd of cows will suffice....

I had a lovely day in Bath yesterday with the family. Typically, we embraced the 'culture' by sitting in the self-proclaimed 'smallest pub in Bath' sipping on Somerset cider and nomming bacon fries. It was still rather lovely though. Where has the sun gone today?! The weatherman said it'd be 25c but the sky is bloody grey. Michael Fish has a lot to answer for! I hope the weather picks up 'cause we've got a whole load of BBQ food to indulge in. Anyway, I'm off because, according to Bloglovin', I have over 150 blog posts to catch up. Sweet lord! Have a lovely Good Friday. What are you doing with it? I'll be back on Sunday with a proper 'Snap Happy' post.

viva♡'s: internet finds and inspiration

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second installment of 'vivahearts' - the post that unearths new things I've stumbled upon that are just too good to not share. I'm currently heavily anticipating a nice Thursday jaunt with Luke and the family to Bath! I'm rather looking forward to it as the last time I was there I didn't get to appreciate the city because I had to spend my time evaluating the customer service at the Roman Baths. DAMN YOU A LEVELS! It promises to be quite a lovely day. I pray that this week is treating you well so far. If not, I hope it picks up for you! I'm off to do my best Charlie Dimmock impression, minus the in-your-face-nipple-exposure and wild ginger mane, and give the garden a spring makeover. God, help me! I just wanna say thanks to you all for sticking around here at little Viva. I rather love every single one of you tramps <3 Ugh, maybe that's the wrong term to call my followers?! Hmmm....If you have any better ideas please comment! Anyway, enough babbling...onto the good stuff!

creme egg cupcakes;

I was browsing the 'food and drink' section of bloglovin' the other night, like the dirty food pervert that I am, and I came across these amazing Creme Egg Cupcakes. There is a God and he appreciates fondant gooeyness!! The lady behind them is Susie from Sticky Pinny. Her blog even gives you the recipe so now we can all make our very own cupcakes to gorge on. Don't they just look like they taste absolutely amazing? I haven't baked cupcakes in so long. Do any of you girls follow any good food blogs? If so, send them my way. 

one line a day;

I think I spend far too much time looking at journals. However, when I stumbled across this little gem I knew I had to share it with you all. A lot of my readers have said in the past that they find it so difficult to keep up with writing a journal when they have such hectic schedules that don't allow for relaxation time. This journal is the cure for such problems! 'One line a day' literally only wants you to capture just one memorable moment from your day. One tiny memory! I'm sure it'll make journals a lot more do-able for some of you. The diary also contains enough space for five years worth so you can be a nostalgic Nigel and look back through your previous memories :)  How's that sound?! You can find it HERE.

 (All above images courtesy of Handwritten)

handwritten; 

Are you a fan of the handwriting memes that grace the blogosphere from time to time? If so, you'll love Handwritten. Handwritten is a blog that encourages bloggers to come out from behind their default font and explore the use of their own handwriting in a post! I think it's a really interesting concept because I believe you can read a lot about a person from their style of handwriting. Maybe that's just me?! Lots of top bloggers have given it a go including the lovely Gem from Gem Fatale, Hollie from Lipstick and Balloons and Winnie from Diamond Canopy. 

Want to get involved? Just drop an email over to: showmeyourhandwriting@gmail.com 

[1,2,3,4]

summer pastel coloured fashion; 

For whatever reason, in previous years, I've always made a miscommunicated link between pastel colours and the over-40s. I think it might be due to years of torment from my Grandma's blue-rinsed pastel-cashmere-adorned old friends leering up at me whilst telling me how much I've grown since the last time they'd seen me. However, this year has made me realised just how painfully silly that link is. I've actually grown to like a pastel or two. I'm not saying for one minute that you'll see me running around in head-to-toe mints, soft pinks and refreshing violets but then again I'm not saying it's a crime to be seen with a pastel accent to accompany a S/S outfit. I think 2011 may be the year I invest in a pastel. Watch this space! What do you think of the pastel trend? Are you embracing it or are you fearing the worst?    

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I've also been loving; 

luke and I's LOVEFiLM subscription • woodland walks with the fam • the return of BGT • summer prints • splurging a little on cute pieces • catching up on blogs • organisation • dinner outdoors • positive thinking • blossom • trips • spending more quality time with him • snacking like a maniac • making extensive wishlists

• ••

Are you liking this weeks selections? I'm trying to feature a good cross-section of things in hope of everyone finding something they like. I hope that comes across slightly! Let me know what you've been coveting this week! I'm off to be green fingered and do some gardening, yay. I'll see you on Friday for another post.  Until then, keep smiling!

h is for happy: week 32

Good morning ladies and gents, as you're reading I'm more than likely giving the dreaded cupboard under the stairs a much needed spring clean. Unfortunately for me, our cupboard under the stairs doesn't house a young wizard. It houses forgotten decades. Wish me luck! This week is Luke's last week at home before returning to uni to do his exams so I'll be spending all my time pestering him. We have plans to bathe in the sun, get a bit snap happy and trek to Bath for a lovely day trip. I rather cannot wait. Although, it has to be said, I really don't want to be back to the LDR situation again. Oh, boo. Anyway, enough of the selfish melancholic tones and onto the happy stuff! Here's this weeks picks - the first two heavily influenced by yesterday's walk in the woods. Have a lovely week!

156; woodland walks

157; treehouses

158; spending far too much of my time on tumblr

159;  nipping to the pub for a lemonade and lime

160; things organised neatly

I hope you enjoyed this weeks offerings! What's been keeping you happy just lately? I'll be back on Wednesday with my second edition of vivahearts. It seems a lot of you have been enlightened by the world of goodreads! I now need to track down some more gems for you, eep! Have a lovely week and remember to keep smiling :)

Snap Happy 014

Hello and welcome to Snap Happy's new sabbath day home. Of course, I'm in no way suggesting that things are gunna get religious around here ;) I've got a hell of a lot of photos this week - mainly because I've just been enjoying my freedom and taking time out to notice the beauty around me. It's been rather lovely. I popped into town yesterday and bought the Jade Floral Tee I featured the other week. It was rather expensive (compared to my normal Primark basics) but I felt that it was worth it because it's so gorgeous. I'm off to spend the day listing Ebay things and going on a big countryside walk. Perfect. Have a lovely rest of the day! P.S Sorry for not posting up my Q & A yet. The video I filmed came out soundless. I hate technology! Keep smiling ladies & gents!

I nearly managed to get a good photo of Robbie | Eery railings at the graveyard | Field of daises | My jockey hat and billionth drink on Grand National Day | My 'brother-in-law' and his beautiful Brazillian fiancé. We were joking about how Lee's hat obviously didn't fit his head | My unsuccessful bet | Woo Woo cocktail at Bar 27. The penultimate stop on our all day drinking session - explains the blurriness! | Luke had to study whilst I sunbathed and read my book - muhaha | This week you get a photo of the orange tree | Finished blogging to find this little note from Luke. You know it's serious when he uses my full name! | This little house is just down the road. I always think it's so quaint with its beautiful brick and ash coloured accents | Playing about with the ol' point and shoot. I'm not sure why my cardi is only 3/4 off | Blossom in the graveyard. I apologise for the quality - it was waaaay up high so I was on my tippy toes | The church on a summers day | MEGA sunny photos of us in the garden. Sorry for the nipple exposure. What a SCHLAAAG | Blossom in the sunset | I got bored so I drew this in my diary - like the 6 year old that I am | Chilled out at the pond for a while | One of the pretty floral summer tops I wore this week. I'm loving the florals right now | Reached 600 followers over here at Viva. Thank you lovely readers. You restore my faith and confidence in myself!