5 Things I Love About Summer

Now I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of summer. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year, and to get to autumn, we have to do summer. In an effort to stay positive in the heat, I thought I'd share my 5 favourite things about summer!

1) Being barefoot.

If I am in my house or in my garden, I am barefoot. I love not wearing shoes and wish I didn't have to wear them half as much, so the second I get the chance, off they come! There's something about the earth underneath your feet that feels right. I love it.

2) Ice cream!

Ice cream, ice lollies, milkshakes, ice, I love a good cold dessert. I'm especially loving Aldi's gin and tonic ice lollies this year which absolutely taste like gin. NOM.

3) Mini dresses

Skies out, thighs out! Summer means dresses, and at 5ft 11 that usually means they are super short. I hated my legs for a long time, but am learning to love them. Armed with a pair of chub rub shorts (my personal faves are by Chaffree, and you can get 10% off their range with the code shemightbe10), I practically live in dresses in summer.

4) Being outside.

There's not much more I love than a Sunday session in the pub sat outside on the picnic benches. I'm not much of a drinker, but I love being outside and just chilling out with our friends. We can spend hours just chatting outside in good weather, and when it's really lovely you can easily stay outside once it eventually gets dark too! Just remember to lather up that sun tan lotion so you don't burn!

5) The long days.

I'm so much more productive when the sun is shining! As soon as it gets dark, I get sleepy and all I can think about is my bed. Winter makes me want to curl up on my sofa and just curl up with our animals and watch movies, but give me light and my energy goes right up. I think a lot of that is tied in with having a vitamin D deficiency too, I literally need the sun more to give me energy so I can be peppy and get to work. Light seems to help in so many ways, it helps so much with mental health and just feeling better about myself. I know so many with seasonal depression and seeing them do better in the summer is just wonderful. The long days mean barbecues and garden picnics and more adventures, it just feels like you have so much more time. I love it!

What are your favourite things about summer? I'd love to know.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Perks of Being a Wildflower : Persuede Me

5 Things I Consider Wardrobe Essentials

When it comes to my wardrobe, there are styles and pieces I find myself going back to over and over again. Whether it's literally the same piece of clothing, or I keep buying similar items, some things are just too good to resist. So here are 5 things I consider wardrobe essentials!

1) A good pair of Converses.

The thing with Converses is that I think they get better the older they are. I love the worn look and Converses seem to be really indestructible, I've got pairs I've owned for years and years that I still love. They look great with jeans, adorable with skirts, and there is no better shoe for with cute dresses in the good weather. I've no preference for the height, high and low tops are all good and I can't stop collecting them.

2) Skinny jeans.

I know, apparently skinny jeans are on the way out but I'll never let them go. I have no preference witht he wash of the denim, black, pale, acid wash, dark, I love them all. They are rock and roll and just damn cool.

3) A faux leather jacket.

I wear my faux leather jackets with absolutely everything. To work, over party dresses, with jeans, they work with anything! This particular beauty is from Plus Equals and the sleeves zip off making it even more versatile than your standard pleather jacket. I had a pleather jacket in my hotel room for my wedding even, just in case it got cold to throw on over my wedding dress. I take pleather jackets very seriously.

4) A pair of black boots.

A good pair of black boots can go with almost anything. My personal preference is for biker boots because my style is a bit more alternative, but I think investing in a sturdy pair of boots is totally worthwhile. Boots are something you can wear pretty solidly through autumn and winter and when you find 'the' pair, you'll know. I've owned 3 of this exact pair of boots now. They've been discontinued so I've ordered a near identical pair but a bit shorter in length to replace these as they have holes in.

5) A denim jacket.

In the summer when it's too warm for my pleather jacket, it's denim jacket time. Particularly for summer, this is a key item in my wardrobe. I don't do double denim, but for me summer doesn't really means jeans, so I wear it with skirts and dresses galore!

What do you consider your wardrobe essentials to be? I could have probably named a few more but then this wouldn't have fit in my 5 things series haha!

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

My Photoshoot with Shannon Swift : A Curly Girl Update

5 TV Shows I Recommend

In the next blog of my '5 things' series, I thought I'd recommend 5 of my all time favourite TV shows. Some are newer, some are older, but all of them are ones I'd happily rewatch and adore for different reasons.

1) Oz

Possibly my all time favourite TV show, Oz was truly groundbreaking. A prison drama, it started in 1997 and features issues and themes that would still be considered controversial today. There are a whole host of main characters with massive story arcs and character development, and some seriously incredible acting. This has just been added to NowTV and is absolutely worth the watch. It can be hard to watch at times, but also laugh out loud hilarious at others. I think it was hugely influential in all the television that came after it, it was the first HBO drama that really pushed boundaries. If you watch this, I also promise you that any TV show you ever watch after this will have you shouting 'oh, that's so and so from Oz!' because their actors pop up in everything.

2) Sons of Anarchy

This isn't a show without it's problems, but it is fantastic gripping television. It follows the story of Jax Teller and his biker gang, and their criminal activities. There are so many characters in this that you will love to hate, and one episode of this made me cry like no other TV show ever has! If you like long haired beardy men, this one is full of eye candy for you too.

3) Adventure Time

So here me out, yes, this is technically a kid's cartoon, but I love it! It's creative and surreal, and completely bizarre at times, but it also features lessons and ideas that are so important to teach children. From accepting everyone regardless of their species or appearance, to having characters with no distinct gender, and a totally created family, it tackles some hard issues in fun and wonderful story lines. I will never not think that Lemongrab is hilarious, and Lumpy Space Princess is ridiculous.

4) Star Trek : The Next Generation

Way back in 2012, my life changed completely. I was finally brave enough to leave the terrible relationship I was in, which also meant some tremendous changes. I quit my job, handed in my notice on my flat, and I moved across the country to be back near my family. But before I did all that, before I knew what I wanted to do, or was strong enough to do it, TNG was there for me. It sounds daft I know, but this TV show was there for me when no actual human could be. Team Picard Forever.

5) Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I know that Buffy can be problematic, and is just about the whitest TV show ever, but for 14 year old me, this was the first time I saw a really feminine girl be a total bad ass. She didn't need anyone, not her watcher or any man to save the world, she just needed herself and her friends. She was so cool, and characters like Willow also helped me realise that being a nerd was OK too, and bad ass in her own different way. Seeing a strong female character was so huge for me and I am grateful to Buffy for existing when she did.

I could talk about a whole bunch of other shows I love, but these are probably my all time faves. This week at least! What are your faves? I'm always looking for new shows to watch!

Much love,

Kitty xxxx

Colourpop It's Vintage : Alternative Work Wear OOTD

5 Movies That Make Me Happy

So, new blog series time! After the success of my 5 Songs That Make Me Happy post last week, I've decided it's high time my blog had a new series, so welcome to 5 Things. Picking just 5 songs was ridiculously difficult, so in keeping with impossible themes, this week I'm going to share 5 movies that make me happy. These aren't necessarily my favourite films, but they are ones that never fail to make me smile.

1) Hairspray (2007)

Yes, I really do specifically mean the remake, which I know some people consider a travesty, but I love it. The songs fill me with glee, I want to dance along, and I love that it features fat beautiful babes who don't change to achieve their dreams or find love. Queen Latifah is a total dreamboat in it and Elijah Kelley who plays Seaweed is everything. This is my go to movie for when I'm sick, it always brightens my day.

2) True Romance

So this list isn't necessarily all my favourite films, but this is my all time favourite film. Stu loves it too, to the point that we have quotes from it on our wedding rings. Patricia Arquette has never looked better than in this film and the fashions are incredible. We have an original VHS advert poster from this on our living room wall too, and we own at least 4 different versions of this on DVD and blu-ray. If you haven't seen this, watch it. It's cast is a veritable Hollywood who's who, yet so many people haven't even heard of it. You're so cool!

3) Con Air

The cheesiest action film ever made, and I bloody love it. When I split up with my last boyfriend the first thing I did was order myself a DVD of this on Amazon because I knew he would take it with him and I love it that much. I must have seen it 70 times. It is completely over the top and absurd and that's why it works. Nic Cage is just too funny in it, that accent. Put the bunny back in the box!

4) Stranger Than Fiction

I have to confess, I am not someone who finds Will Ferrell's particular brand of comedy funny. He just sort of comes across as man child shouting things loudly, and I don't really get it. However, Stranger Than Fiction shows a different side of him, and he gives a really nuanced performance you would never expect from him. It's a beautiful love story, and the 'flours' moment still makes my heart all gooey.

5) Mallrats

I am the first to acknowledge that all of the men in this do not deserve their happy endings, they are in fact, all arseholes. However, I remember seeing this film for the first time so vividly. I was 15 and with my boyfriend at the time, and he had done that cliche teenage boy thing of putting a film on to lure me into making out. Unfortunately for him, he put Mallrats on, so he got absolutely nothing out of me save for my hysterical laughter and immediate obsession with this film, Sorry Jon! Our friendship and my love of this film lasted much longer than our actual relationship did haha.

What are your go to feel good movies?

Much love,

Kitty xxx

A Morris Family Christmas Tree : Colourpop Haul III

Stu is shaving his beard for charity! Read more and sponsor him here

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stushavesthebeard

5 Songs That Make Me Happy

I've decided that I want to start doing more personal blogs as I haven't done many lately, and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourite songs to make me happy! Here are 5 songs that always bring a smile to my face and help lift my mood.

1) Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

Stu and I both adore this song so much that we had the acoustic singer at our wedding finish his set on this so we could sneak back into the ceremony room once it was empty and we could dance about to it together. It makes me want to be all dramatic and perform it and I will always sing along to this, even though I loathe for anyone to hear me sing.

2) Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive

I can't resist a cheeky bit of Jovi, but this is my fave. Ashen our dog can get a bit anxious in the car so I sing this to him and he loves it. It's that kind of sleazy country inspired cheesy rock that just gets me. I know it's not cool to admit I like Bon Jovi, but hey, I've never pretended I was cool!

3) The Eagles - Life in the Fast Lane

The opening lines alone of this song just fill me with the urge to wiggle about. They have to be some of the best opening lines to a song ever; 'He was a hard-headed man, he was brutally handsome, and she was terminally pretty'. It tells a story and it is so damn catchy.

4) Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

I am a huge Meat Loaf fan, my whole family are, so this song just takes me back to road trips with my parents and my little brother and us all singing our hearts out to this in the car. It is such an epic tune.

5) Destiny's Child - Say My Name

And the real curve ball of my list, is a bit of Destiny's Child. My tastes are very much rock, metal, punk, and a bit of country, but sometimes a song just grabs me and this is one of those. When I was a kid I had a tape with this on and I'd recorded it on the tape 5 times in a row so I didn't have to rewind it after each play. That's how much I loved it. I used to sit on my bed and pretend I was in the video, I absolutely loved it and still do. This is on my iPhone to this day and always makes me happy. I would love to do a photoshoot inspired by this video one day.

I could probably easily name another 5 songs that make me happy, there might just have to be a part two to this blog some time soon. What songs make you the happiest? I'm curious!

Much love,

Kitty xxx

Colourpop Haul II : A Very Oh Squirrel Christmas

Stu is shaving his beard for charity! Read more and sponsor him here

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stushavesthebeard