Alice in Wonderland...

I love nothing more than adding to my children’s book collection. The charm of the illustrations and the playful nature of the stories themselves, I am a girl forever enchanted.

I found all of these in two of my towns charity shops and came away with this whole bunch for £1.20. Some were priced for as little as 5p each.



I was instantly charmed by this classic copy of Disney’s Snow White from 1980, and Brown Ears sounded like a lovely tale, I am quite fond of my rabbits after all.



Rackety-Boom is an American import, the cover looked fun and I was equally thrilled to see Super Ted so very 80s.



Rosie’s Walk is full of stunning illustrations and The Patchwork Cat is equally as adorable.



This Little Ted book is my absolute favourite of the day, it’s from 1981 and was 20p.



Some more Disney favourites of mine Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame all in pristine condition, I don’t think these have ever been read, I just couldn't resist at 10p each! I will never grow old of Disney classics.



Judy Moody looked like a fun one too, the cover illustration captured me.
And finally Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Never short of a copy of this one, after all I think we can agree why♥

(Thank you to every single person who left kind words and advice on my last post, I am so deeply grateful and appreciative of your kindness and understanding, I was truly overwhelmed, so thank you again)

A better me

Truth to be told I haven’t been happy with the way my life has been going for a long time. You go to school to learn, all for the hope of a bright future. Yet when reality hits, it’s not what it’s supposed to be like.

I have tried to dig myself out of this hole so many times. Years have passed by and yet I still am in the same situation I was in right at the beginning. It feels like life is paused, and therefore never can move forward or ever catch up with those who have.

If I didn’t have passion, ambition or an ounce of intelligence, I think I would have given up a long time ago, but part of me still feels I’m worth more than a life of nothing.

Part of my problem is I’m so unbelievably weak when it comes to rejection. I spend days crying about it, telling myself I am not good enough, therefore never will be, instead of just having the courage to move on.

I wish I was one of those people who had it all sussed, because believe me right now I couldn’t feel anymore tormented and challenged by life.
x

A tapestry wonder

I couldn’t let this tapestry bag slip away the other day, when gazing through the window of Claire's Accessories, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw these tapestry bags on a clearance stand.



This bag was £2.00 down from £20. I was instantly pleased with my bargain find. It’s a perfect in-between size, I never seem to have enough room in my regular handbag to carry everything, so this is perfect for those days when I need to carry my life around in my bag. And double straps are always a cheeky benefit lets admit it.



It even has a swallow in the bottom corner, this probably is the bit that screams Claire's Accessories, but I kind of like it that way.

p.s Gemma has set up a pen pal exchange, which I and many others are taking part in, if you like writing letters and receiving mail the old fashioned way, pop over to this post xxx

Love at first sight

This was my Valentines gift, and may I say I am totally smitten.



I have expressed my utter devotion to Miss Kirstie Allsopp before Well the girl has only gone and done it again and decided to collaborate with M&S, I am a girl completely spoilt by this collection.



This particular item pretty much is everything I could have wished for, a longing for handwritten letters and decorative tags, this tin homes everything a budding writer could want.

Having recently written to Gemma and Jazmine, I can say I enjoy putting together the contents of a good letter. My blog lets me express a lot of my creativity, but there are still personal parts that only come out when a paper and pen is involved.



This set comes homed in a beautiful keepsake tin, and contains: decorative cards, tags, ribbon, 7 stamps and an ink pad. I must admit I have been longing for a thank you stamp for quite a while, I always forget to say thank you to the most special people, so I am already embarking on putting together some thank-you cards.



The collection at M&S also includes a stunningly beautiful sewing basket, cake stand, and the cutest tape measure I have ever seen.





As daft as it sounds the thrill of stamping ink, and creating lovely text just like this, definitely beats a technological alternative. Here’s to letter writing and crafts.
♥

Second hand finds and a fracture

I went to the flea market yesterday but funnily enough left empty handed. It was then when I ventured into the towns Charity Shops that I stumbled across these delights...

Firstly this ever so cute small Bambi, he instantly charmed me and I felt I couldn’t possibly leave him behind on the shelf for 99p.



Shortly after this photograph was taken I somehow managed to drop him and break two of his legs, I was of course merely devastated, but then out came the superglue, I was not going to give up. So let’s just say he’s on the mend. Seriously could I be anymore clumsy if I tried.



I also stumbled across two more Beatrix Potter, it’s got to the point where I keep forgetting which ones I’ve got and which ones I haven’t. But I knew I definitely hadn’t got these two. I am determined to have the full collection, it’s quite fun collecting them too. 30p and 50p each.



Last but not least I found these Old Maid cards in the bottom of a children’s toys and games box, it sure was worth rummaging through.
I am quite smitten by the old illustrations, they make for a lovely addition to my ever growing collection of nostalgia.
These were 25p.


♥

My favourite kind of storytelling

My wonderful friend text me telling me this one had come out on Friday morning and of course I couldn’t resist going and buying it, which subsequently meant I was hooked all weekend long. I may not be a young reader anymore, but I can still get lost in a Jacqueline Wilson tale.

I always find myself completely enchanted by the character names in Wilson books, this time Bliss and Pixie being my favourite ones. (Just like Star and Dolphin in The Illustrated Mum, believe me I was convinced I was going to change my name to Star one day)



This story was full of mischief and fun, but also very deep sadness. I think there is a lot of important lessons to be learned in Wilson books. Sometimes I feel like she is not only reaching out to children alone, I actually feel myself connecting with her writing so much. I have been reading her books for so long now it’s such a familiar way of storytelling, that I enjoy reading.

Lily very much longed to be alone, away from her dysfunctional siblings and playing Mum constantly, but when she was alone, she soon found it wasn’t what she wanted to be at all. I’ve never been an ‘older sister’, unfortunately for my brother I was the little sister. This story made me wonder how tough it must be being the ‘eldest’ and having all the responsibility of knowing best.

I also felt a lot of compassion towards Lily’s middle sister Bliss, she was terribly timid and sensitive. I could almost see my younger self in her. I loved reading about the way she admired Cinderella and diving into her fairy tale book.



One thing is for sure, I will never grow old of Jacqueline Wilson
♥

Just out of curiosity…

Who takes your outfit photographs?



I am struggling with the idea of photographing myself, let alone my whole outfit.

(Lets be honest, I don’t have a very good camera, the next best thing to a tripod is a pile of books, and I don’t have anyone to take my photographs for me*)
Any ideas?

*sorry if this sounds like a moan, I promise it’s not
♥

Legally Blonde: The Musical

If there’s any film I could watch whatever mood I am in, it would be Legally Blonde. I have seen this film at least twenty-times and know the story off by heart, so it was only natural for me to want to see the musical version...



Despite my initial disappointment at missing leading lady Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods (She finished her mammoth run on the 9th Jan). The new cast lived up to expectations, Susan McFadden was stunning and at times I felt I could have almost been watching Reese Witherspoon on stage, and my somewhat embarrassing love for Hollyoaks, I got to see departed cast mate Carley Stenson (Steph) singing her heart out as one of Elle’s ever faithful besties.

And Denise Van Outen ultimately stole the show as Paulette, the audience went mad for her. I was enthralled by her energy (and slim post-baby figure) and of course leopard print attire!

In typical girly style this musical was such a feel good show. The singing and dancing was fabulous and the sets and costumes had me gasping in awe the entire way through.



A fabulous show, a fabulous night and lets just end with saying this is a musical I would definitely see again♥