Quirky and 30: Vintage Makeover

Although I'm into all things quirky, when it comes to my hair and I'm fairy low maintenance. 

I do get my hair dyed in quirky colours from time to time but for the most part I let it grow out until I can be bothered getting my roots done.  I'm not great at styling so I straighten it now and again for a treat. 

For my 30th birthday a few months ago, my friend Nicole decided to take me to a Vintage salon she'd visited as part of a Hen Day as she thought I'd love it. 

She was right, we arrived at the beautiful Pin Ups Salon in Glasgow on a Saturday afternoon and I was transformed into a different area as the stylist began taking me from Rachel to Marilyn. 

I'd chosen a 50s style as it aligns quite well with my shape and my taste in clothes. 

I'm not really into make up do I didn't bother with that but I was so happy with my hair and received loads of compliments. 

I'd thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone else. I'm so grateful my friend suggested it as it's not something I would have chosen to do for myself but something I really enjoyed. 

We made a day of it by going for unicorn lattes and then dinner post makeover! 

30 Things Total: 5

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Quirky Faves: Autumn 2018

The first time I typed the title of this blog I typed Summer 2017, I'm off to a great start!

I love Autumn. Nature starts charging it's batteries and takes a bit of time out to rejuvinate before bursting to life again in Spring.
That's a really healthy reminder sometimes, to take some time to recharge and not to burn out.

I'm probably rubbish as favourites posts, I think I've made two lacklustre attempts but I thought I'd give it another go, maybe seasonally. Which would work well, as I'm also terrible at having an upload schedule.

Here's some of my quirky faves this Autumn.
I'm not sponsored by any companies, authors or locations I have mentioned below.

Books

  

Yes, I am a 29 year old woman and yes there are two unicorn books in this section. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I dig unicorns.

This Summer/Autumn some of my favourite reads have been

Be More Unicorn: How to Find Your Inner Sparkle by Joanna Gray
When The Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher 
The Little Book of Unicorns: Unicornucopia by Caitlin Doyle

You can find all of my Quirky Reads posts here

Monki Midi Skirts

I've built up a steady collection of these since I first discovered Monki last autumn.
I fall in love each time a new quirky pattern is released - I don't buy every one I see but I've been reaching into my wardrobe for these again and again. 

Shoes

Another Monki purchase, I don't normally wear mustard but when I saw these I knew they belonged on my feet.
I don't wear alot of corduroy either but I love these.
They are super comfy and they fit like they were designed for my feet.
Great for walking through crunchy leaves! Not so much on a rainy day but there are other shoes for those days! 

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I don't actually like coffee and I have a dairy intolerance but thankfully this can be customised!
I discovered I enjoy lattes when I can't taste the coffee so I've been having them with soya or coconut milk and the occasional shot of caramel or vanilla.  I discovered a few weeks ago that Pumpkin Spice Latte's are amazing! Another reason for Autumn to be my favourite season!

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Morning Brew Review

*This is not a sponsored post, I just really enjoyed the tea and wanted to write about it*

I've always been a bit picky when it comes to hot drinks although I've recently discovered that I'm quite into quirky tea!

I was doing a bit of shopping on my way to meet a friend on a freezing cold day - to give her a two month late birthday present, I digress - and wandered into T2. 

I'd been in before about year or so before, bought some fruity tea that didn't really float my boat and never really ventured back in, but on this freezing cold day I wandered in and the friendly staff member encouraged me to have a small cuppa while I browsed - I poured myself some Green Rose and began to look around, I knew there were a lot of flavours but I'd never realised just how many!

I spotted the explorer flasks and after a chat with another friendly member of staff I decided to go for one - I've since bought a teamaker too and both are amazing.

I bought a few flavours to go with the flask and the person serving me asked me if I wanted some tea to drink in my flask - given how cold it was, I said yes and asked for some more green rose. 

I've been trying to get myself into the habit of taking something hot in my flask with me with I leave in the morning for work and decided to do a little Morning Brew Review.

Flavour: Banana Bake

Smells like: A local bakery preparing bread and cakes for the day (with a hint of banana)
Tasted like: Freshly baked banana bread.
Transported me to: A quirky coffee shop in my day dreams, I've possibly read too many books about characters who own coffee shops. 

Flavour: Toasty Nougat

Smells like: Toasting marshmallows over a campfire
Tasted like: Somewhere between a toasted marshmallow and s'mores.
Transported me to: An adventure into the woods, with a crackling fire, someone in the background playing guitar and gazing up at the stars.


Flavour: Green Rose

Smells Like: A warm day with nature doing its thing. 
Tasted Like: Tropical fruit
Transported me to: A park or a beach, catching rays of sunshine, very welcome on a cold day!


Flavour: Creme Brulee

Smells Like: Hazelnuts

Tasted Like: A plate of fresh hazelnut cookies
Transported me to: My kitchen, well the kitchen of my day dreams, where I'm an epic baker who could whip up a plate of cookies with ease - reality not quite as impressive. 

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Friday Firsts: Here We Clubbing Go

*Clubbercise is not suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy *

When I was a kid I used to love dancing, around the house, in the garden, in the playground, anywhere really.

I took classes in Disco, Tap, Ballet and Modern, I have a few certificates under my bed from my dance exams and even have a few medals, although I pretty sure they were for participating! 

When biology took over my body in my early teens I sort of gave up dancing, with the exception of the occasional shimmy  at a friend's birthday, a night out or a wedding....or in my car. 

It's probably been about 14 years since I've been anywhere near a dance class, so naturally when my sister in law suggested I join her at clubbercise I was a little reluctant but after she'd been and told me how fun it was I decided to give it a go. 

If you've never been to or heard of clubbercise it's easy to follow dance moves to 90s club classics with glow sticks and disco lights! 

At first I felt really out of place, like a giraffe in a boardroom meeting out of place, but I quickly realised that loads of other people probably felt the same way. Once the lights went out and the music got going, I forgot all about how out of place I felt and just got into the spirit of the class.

What I really enjoyed about it was that it really suits everyone, you could be brilliant or you could be completely lacking in rhythm and it doesn't matter in the slightest, you can still take part and enjoy it. 

Everyone cheers each other on and there is lots of 'Here we clubbing go' 

You can take it at your own pace, grab your water when you need it and get back in the groove when you've got your breath back.

Tonight pushed me out of my comfort zone in a few ways

•    My sister in law couldn't make it and I nearly chickened out of going but I knew that I would be mad at myself and there would be a few other people I knew when I got there so I shut out the voice of doubt in my head and went along anyway. 
• As I mentioned above, I haven't been near anything resembling a dance class in years and I thought I would really struggle but I actually managed to attempt most of it, dialling down the effort a little when I was feeling a struggle coming on. 

As someone who really doesn't love exercise, I came away having really enjoyed it and would totally go again. 

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The Adventures of Hector and Roland: An Introduction

If you've been on my blog before, you'll know that I have a penchant for all things shoe related, but I've never introduced you to the two who make all the shoe interaction happen, the ones who do all the shoe related work....Hector and Roland. 

I decided it was time I rectified this and allowed the real stars of my shoe experiences to shine. 

Meet Hector and Roland
Yes, I'm a 27 year old woman with a minion duvet, we'll discuss that another time.

Hector, on the left already has something of a presence among my closest friends, I've spoken before of his desire to succeed in politics...standing for the important issues, as that is what feet do, they stand. He's partial to a quirky design and is willing to be adventurous in his shoe choices and enjoys being outgoing.

Fast Facts About Hector

Name: Hector McFoot
Age: 27
Occupation: Full time foot
Ambition: Politician
Interests: Current Affairs, Networking, Origami.
Shoe Size: UK 5/5.5 - US 7/7.5 - Euro 38
Fave Shoe Types: Boots, Low to Mid Heels, Unusual Designs

Roland, on the right, is somewhat more reserved. He's happy to take a back seat when Hector is in the limelight and will even write 

speeches for him. Much like me, Roland enjoys reading and writing.
 He's also partial to a quirky design but values comfort in equal measure. 

Fast Facts About Roland

Name: Roland McFoot
Age: 27
Occupation: Full time foot
Ambition: Writer
Interests: Writing, Reading, Theatre.
Shoe Size: UK 5/5.5 - US 7/7.5 - Euro 38
Fave Shoe Types: Canvas lace ups, Ankle boots, Flats.

I'll be featuring some of the their adventures, their experiences and the shoes they come into contact with on my blog if you fancy having a read.

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Crafty Monday.

Crafty Monday 

 

I've been lucky with my new job that I joined a few weeks before Easter and got two mandatory holidays as a result....I've also been lucky that I get both of the May bank holidays as well.

Today was the first of those May bank holiday in Scotland today and I had the day off work.

I didn't want to waste the day being lazy but didn't fancy navigating my way around tons of other people spending their day off in busy places either.

Instead, James and I headed to a pottery and ceramics workshop a little bit out of the way and spent the afternoon painting.
As you can see from the pictures, James is far more artistically gifted than I - his wizard is amazing.

I have literally zero artistic flair or talent for anything remotely crafty - give me a post-it note and I can fold it into a swan, crane, bat or cat but anything beyond that and I'm hopeless so I'm really happy that my humpty dumpty turned out alright!

There was something really therapeutic about spending the afternoon painting and paying attention to all the little details in the ornaments and turning them into something with a little bit of character.

It was an activity that ended up being relaxing and fun. 

Today's Footwear

These are not shoes.....they are quite clearly socks.
But they are awesome....and glittery....and Powerpuff themed.
I felt the need to share! 

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