As some of you will know, I am currently in my 3rd year of university – which is one of the reasons that Cherry Humbug has, unfortunately, been placed on the backburner for a while. It has always been my intention to be consistent with my blogging, but I still can’t quite manage it – winter is a really hard time to be enthusiastic about taking photographs when its so gloomy out! This means that it is a good time for me to reintroduce you to Cherry Humbug, as a new business venture.

Ever since the days of making my own jewellery when I was 14/15, I have always sought to find fun and unusual pieces. And I want to share this with you!

CherryHumbug.com will be launching on February 25th – bringing you quirky and colourful pieces of jewellery, as well as other bits and bobs to appeal to all of your sparkle-tastic needs! I am excited to be starting my own business, as it is something I have been thinking about for a long time, and now I finally have the tools I need to get started, why not eh?! I really hope you will all find something you like!

The teacup above is a little sneak preview of what you can expect from CherryHumbug.com. For more, you can ‘Like’ the Cherry Humbug Facebook page by clicking this link! : )

I hope 2012 is treating all of you well so far! Sorry I’ve been away for so long, again! Haha. xxx

On Monday, I popped into London for the day to go to the album launch event in Oxford Street for one of my favourite bands, You Me At Six! I apologise to my Twitter followers for being an over excited fan girl that day… haha. I missed out on this ind of thing when I was younger, due to living in the countryside, so you could say I’m making up for lost time! I made sure I got there early enough to snag one of the wristbands, as there were only limited numbers available, which meant that I had quite a timely wait in the day before things kicked off in the evening. Naturally, during this wait, it meant I ended up buying a couple of things – oops!

I’m rather pleased with this pink skirt, since I’ve got a similar one that I bought from H&M years ago, which I’ve practically worn to death; I’ve been trying to replace it for a while, and with this one only costing £7 in the sale, who was I to say no?! I didn’t quite realise how creased it was until I uploaded my photos, so next time I’ll be getting the iron out before I put it on… at the age of 21 I should no longer be dodging the ironing!

Having been a fan of Forever 21 for a few years now, I am more than thrilled about the fact that we now have one in London – yay! I’ve always felt that the prices were very, very reasonable, and I’ve always been particularly impressed by their shoe and jewellery collections. I had a bit of a ‘wow’ moment when I walked upstairs to the jewellery department, it was a magpie’s heaven! It was pretty much a given that I’d end up parting with some cash in there, and I’m happy that I spent my money on something I’ve been looking for for a while – this cute little slouchy floral shrug, what do you think?

I’ve regularly been skipping over flimsy Primark creations similar to this, which have tempted me in the past, but I was glad I held out for this one because not only does it have a lining, but the print reminds me of the cherry blossom tree I used to have in my garden when I was younger, which makes it that little bit more special! I’m looking forward to wearing it out on my trip to LA and Las Vegas later this month, with a nice little dress in the evening : ) I can’t wait!

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By now I’m sure most of you will be familiar with Tatty Devine (and if not, shame on you!) – by no means is it a brand that needs introducing. I used to have quite an obsession with jewellery throughout my teens, and even now I really love the idea of wearing random shapes and objects around my neck, a la Tatty!

I stumbled upon Tatty Devine in a small feature in Kerrang! magazine years ago, back during my ‘grunger’/teenie bopper emo phase, and since then I’ve been a real fan of their fun and quirky aesthetic. Having grown up in the countryside without much inspiration around me in terms of fashion (sob story, I know…) it was a real personal achievement when I discovered that there was jewellery out there that wasn’t anything like what I was used to seeing in high street shops! (My hometown, as adorable as it may be, is hardly a fashion capital, with New Look it’s only ‘proper’ clothes shop!)

It sounds silly to me now, to think that there was a time when I couldn’t find anything unusual, bar my visits to Camden, especially when I spend half of my time on the internet looking at all kinds of strange creations nowadays!

Fine jewellery (and fine art for that matter… pop art all the way!) is totally wasted on me, unfortunately, and if I ever get married I’d happily trade in a diamond for some sort of wacky statement ring, which is why Tatty Devine appeals to me 100%. (I’m not a girl of tradition at all, can you tell? Haha.) I was really lucky and excited about the fact that my university arranged for founder Rosie and Harriet to come in to talk to us about how Tatty Devine came to be – they’re a very inspiring pair, and very down to earth, to boot!

Meeting Rosie and Harriet got me really excited about the brand again, and has seen me trawling the site obsessing over all of their adorable little animal trinkets and otherwise… there’s one piece I’m really in love with at the moment, which I’m saving for my next Lust List – although for anyone who follows me on Twitter, it probably won’t come as a big surprise because I got a little bit too obsessed with it that day!

I’ve had little ventures into jewellery making, myself, and this has been the kick I’ve been waiting for to get started up again – so, watch this space! : )

P.S If you’re an animal lover like me, I can guarantee that Tatty will have something you’ll fall in love with! Isn’t this little Fox brooch adorable?!

So this is my first post as a brunette, again! This is partly the reason I’ve been a little standoffish with the blog the last week or so… it’s been quite hard for me to get used to, and I’ve not really been sold on it since I did it! It’s quite a big shock going from light blonde to dark brown in a matter of hours, as you might imagine. I’ve always been the kind of person who likes drastic hair colour changes, and for anyone who knows me in real life, I think they probably expect it of me by now! Haha. It’s strange for me seeing my blonde self in my past posts, I’ve actually been avoiding looking at the blog incase it makes me miss it too much, haha.

I can tell I’m going to be getting a lot of wear out of this dress, aren’t the colours perfectly autumnal? I’m really loving the skater style dresses at the moment, and got this one from Boohoo. I’m really impressed with the prints they’re doing on this style of dress at the moment, and found it tricky picking out just one! Also, I was actually really excited to wear these mustard tights (I stocked up the other day over at New Look – they're currently running a 3 for 2 offer on all tights, check it out!) because I haven’t tried this colour before. I feel a little bit like Donald Duck (or should that be Daisy?) with my bright yellow legs, but I think they’ll be my go-to colour this upcoming season… bring it on!

Hasn’t the weather been insane? I spent part of yesterday lounging around in Hyde Park, reading Glamour magazine – one of my favourite past times, especially when the weather’s so lovely! I do feel that, as a Fashion Promotion student, there is pressure on me to read magazines which aren’t so mainstream, and I do enjoy reading others from time to time. However, I would always defend more main stream publications, because they serve their specific purpose, and as far as I’m concerned, I really enjoy a bit of light heartedness and fun as far as Fashion goes : ) also, I’m secretly a bit of a celebrity junkie, shhhhh… ; )

I’ve been a little bit lazy with the blog lately, but now I’m settled in to my new house in Rochester, I plan on putting aside more time for posts which are a bit more interesting than just my outfits, watch this space!

I appreciate every visit, comment, and anything else related to this blog – thanks to everyone who still visits, even when I am being a bit useless post-wise : ) lots of love! x

P.S This cat isn’t mine… rather a frequent visitor to my garden, isn’t he/she pretty?

The fishtail plait is something I’ve been rather charmed by since it first starting appearing in magazines and blogs alike, and was something I’d always wanted to try for myself. Having never properly got around to trying my hand at it, I was really thrilled when my friend Sian offered to take on the challenge herself, and here we are – ta da!

I rarely ever wear my hair up, and if I style it I often leave the bottom half of it left long over my shoulders, so this is a bit unusual for me! You could say it’s a comfort blanket kind of thing. The intricacy of this kind of plait is amazing, and I’m going to have to head over and watch a tutorial now because I’m intrigued to see how it’s done, and can tell this isn’t going to be the last time I’ll want to wear my hair like this… wish me luck! (Perhaps if I get good enough at it myself I’ll make my own tutorial… watch this space!)

This cute little jade, collared dress is a new favourite of mine, and found it’s way to me courtesy of Boohoo! I’m a huge fan of embellishments, and love that the collar is both lace and pearl; a great combination for any Chanel fan, like myself : ) I’ve always kind of thought that minimalism is wasted on me, because I’m very much about creating a bright and fun look, with quirky added details, so this dress is the perfect new addition to my wardrobe. I’m looking forward to pairing it with some white opaque tights and my patent black loafers when the weather gets a bit colder, for now however, I’m doing all I can to remain bare legged… you could say I’m in denial that summer is coming to an end, as you probably picked up on last post!

Unfortunately, and typically, I came down ill over London Fashion Week, with a horrible cold, and only managed to make one stop off at Somerset House, which is a shame because I was hoping to have more blogger meet ups this season! There’s always next season though, eh? : ) I’m off to catch up on the latest shows now, to see what wonders I can feast my eyes on… see you all soon!

With the prospect of the new university year (and my last, eek!) looming, I’m desperately holding on to summer for as long as I can. This means that today, I decided to go for this playsuit, which is probably a little too skimpy to be worn at the current time (we’ve had a really bad summer this year in the UK, weatherwise, and today is looking rather overcast once again) but since I’m also fast running out of tights, I thought “to hell with it!” and am embracing what may be one of my last summer looks! The lipstick is ‘Plum’ by ModelsOwn, which I’m really liking right now. I find that it has just the right amount of metallic shine to it for it to be fun, but not too cheap or childish looking! I also really like the richness of the shade; I’m very much about fun and bright colours when it comes to my nails and lips.

I’ve been feeling rather frustrated with my wardrobe as of late, as I didn’t really prepare for bad weather when I packed my suitcase to come back to Somerset… has 21 years of British weather taught me nothing?! Oooops.

This means that I’m more than ready to head off somewhere sunny…

I haven’t mentioned properly on the blog yet… but what with this being my last year as a student, I’m seizing the day and any sort of freedom I know I’ll miss once I start working full time, and will be going to Las Vegas and LA next month! It’s hard to believe that I haven’t mentioned it yet, because it’s something I am extremely, extremely excited about. I have always had a bit of an obsession and fascination with America (and I also love Americans, if there are any reading this! Haha) and knew that it was only a matter of time before I went off an explored another part of the country – I’m counting down the days! I also think that this trip will be the perfect antidote to the stress I can expect during 3rd year on my course : )

I’ve never been to either Las Vegas or LA before, so if anyone has any hotspots, ‘fashionable’ and otherwise, I would be delighted to hear them!

Ever since I was really little, bike rides have been one of my absolute favourite summer activities! There’s nothing quite like feeling the summer breeze (and maybe a bit of sun too, if you’re lucky!) fresh on your face whilst traveling along at a good speed along the country lanes – it’s at times like this I appreciate my countryside surroundings! Having been bike-less for the past three summers, and being without my car this summer, I’ve found myself hankering over many a beautiful city bike in the months leading up to and including the warmer months.

I’d practically given up on my summer dream, when my mum surprised me with this beauty last weekend! I had actually been pondering why I hadn’t asked my mum to look out for a pretty bike for me on her trip to the car boot sale, on my walk home from the gym… but as usual, she was one step ahead of me, meaning that I arrived home to the best early-birthday present ever! Summer may very nearly be over, but it’s certainly not out just yet…

It makes me a bit sad that I won’t be taking it back to Rochester with me when I go back to uni… but I do worry that as a student, in a place I’m not completely familiar with, there’s more of a risk that it could get stolen; so for now it’ll be waiting for me at home ready for me whenever I pop back for the holidays etc : )

I’m going to be going back to Rochester next Wednesday, which means I’ll be back to blogging more – yay! See you soon! xxx

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you might remember that a little while ago I got a bit obsessed with deer-print, and deer themed accessories… which is exactly why I fell in love with this cute little sweater the second I saw it. I’ve also been a bit of a secret camel fan too for a while, but have failed to end up with anything camel-coloured because it always seemed like a bit of a cliche option to me, I think. Whilst I’m not the most ‘out there’ with my fashion choices, I sometimes pick up on trends a little bit later once the hype has died down, because to me, it isn’t fun looking like everyone else walking down the high street! That said, I don’t think badly of anyone who does pick up on a trend because everyone’s fashion sensibilities are, and quite rightly, should be different!

I’ve been trying not to buy clothes at the moment, but often the odd bargain pops up here and there and I just can’t resist. I’m proud of the fact that most of my recent purchases have been either charity shop or *sale* buys – I can’t resist a bargain, as you know! This jumper was an early Christmas present from my mum, because we aren’t really ‘doing’ Christmas this year as such, and whenever it gets to December I never know what to ask for anyway; so this kills to birds (or deer?) with one stone : ) also, I’m thankful to have another, more exciting jumper available for wearing right now, because this summer weather has been very chilly and difficult to dress for, particularly when you come back from uni for the summer with only 3 jumpers in the suitcase! Booo.

The skirt was £2 from a charity shop, which I bought yesterday. I sometimes wonder how things ended up in a charity shop, and discover possible reasons why when I make it to trying them on. This skirt gives the illusion of a bit of a belly, thanks to the cut, which isn’t all that flattering! I’m going to see if there are any quick fixes I can do to flatten it out a little bit, but we’ll see… either way, I love the little gold button and chain details on the front, super cute!

I do feel like I’m being a really flaky blogger at the moment, and feel that I should be apologising for this! Like I’ve said before though, summer is the only time of year I have all the freedom I like, and I’m having a lot of fun taking advantage of this, so if the posts are a bit scarce, it’s not because I’m bored of blogging, it’s just that I’m making the most of my time off with friends and family : )

See you sooooooon (you can hold me to that!) xoxo

I think it’s fair to say that British beaches aren’t exactly known for their tropical charm or exotic beauty… (and only in England could you sit on the beach in the summer, wearing a bobble hat!) but whatever they may lack in this regard, they definitely make up for in character! One of my best friends invited me along to Weymouth on a coach trip his mum plans every year, so I finally got my much needed summer beach visit, yay! I’ve always found it hard making beach trips in my Summer holidays because I’ve usually been working a lot of the time, and particularly this year, now I have no car, I gave up hope that it’d ever happen. During the summer, I put on my best ‘Yes! Man’ cap and have been lapping up all I can before I go back to university. I love going to places I might not usually consider, and I am definitely having one of the best summers, to date! (Hence my lack of blogging, sorry guys!)

The last time I went to Weymouth was when I was much younger, and able to enjoy a donkey ride! Unfortunately, this time I was a bit too big to be going on… so instead, I watched jealously as all the little kids had their fun. Ever since my riding days ended, I’ve really missed having that kind of closeness with horses, so I couldn’t get enough of the donkeys when we saw them on this trip and couldn’t resist going over and giving them some affection after they’d been working hard!

Unfortunately I wasn’t gutsy enough to brave the sea; sand stuck between my toes is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, too! I’d say that a UK beach day is more for playing around in the sand than taking a dip in the icy cold sea, unless you want to catch pneumonia you should come equipped with lots of towels and warm clothes – which I wasn’t. I was quite keen to rent out a pedalo, but my friends thought otherwise, booo! I also took the opportunity to pig out a little bit and buy some chips, which I feel is kind of a seaside tradition over in Britain! We were very lucky that although it wasn’t the brightest or sunniest day of the year, the rain held off and we managed to stay warm in our deck chairs for most of the day – always a plus! : )

I’d definitely recommend a beach trip to anyone who may be visiting England in the summer! The weather may not match up to the kind of thing you can enjoy in the Mediterranean, but it is nonetheless a great day out and a chance to see things a little bit differently. Oh, and be careful not to get sand in your fish and chips, of course! There was a great little coffee and snack shop close to where we were sitting, which served slush puppy cocktails – great, if like me, slush puppies were <i>the</i> drink of your childhood, love it!

P.S you will be pleased to know that I have finally had my roots done, they are looking particularly bad in these pictures! But hey ho, haha : )

Hello! Apologies that I’ve been a bit MIA over the last week or so; I was preparing for a couple of miserable weeks doing jury service (booooo!) and felt that the only thing to do was to make the most of the sunshine and spending time with friends before I would inevitably be stuck inside a court room for 2 weeks! Thankfully, I was ‘released’ because of problems with expenses (my little home town is too out in the sticks for it to be viable!) so I’m a free woman, yay!

That means that I am now free to blog again too – something I’m very happy about!

I’ve been looking for a floppy felt hat for what must be over a year now! It was my plan to buy one to wear last summer, but I never managed to find one that was reasonably priced and in the style and colour that I wanted. Whilst it might sound a bit stingey, I can’t really justify spending more than £20 on a hat as I probably won’t get enough wear out of it! Certainly not in Somerset anyway, when wearing anything edging on ‘out there’ earns you funny looks, as I’ve mentioned before. I’m not hugely bothered by this, but most of the time I do just want to go about my business without making a spectacle of myself! I’m in love with the 70′s vibe this hat gives off, and definitely helps along the carefee attitude that should be enjoyed during the summer months. Peace, love and sunshine, and plenty of it, please?!

The lipstick I’m wearing is one of my favourites, and one I’m making more effort to wear lately. A few years back, I asked my mum for a plum coloured lipstick for Christmas, and she certainly came up with the goods in finding me this one – well done mum! It feels great, doesn’t dry out easily and is a lovely rich colour, and to me, the perfect shade of plum without being too ‘Wednesday Addams’. The nail varnish was a freebie with the current issue of ELLE, which as far as freebies go is pretty good; I only needed one coat! I can’t comment of it’s chip-proof-ness because I’ve only just put it on, but will report back soon!