Lake District Trip

So last weekend my parents, my dog, and myself took a cheeky three day trip to the Lake District. I've literally been born and raised with this place, its so beautiful and its one of my favourite places of all time. 

As we only had three days we tried to pack in as much as we could, and do all of our most favourite things. We stayed in Windermere in the cutest guest house called  Virginia Cottage, which was great as it allowed dogs, (in selected rooms). So my dog George, and myself had a lovely dog friendly room. What I thought was extra lovely was that they included home made cakes and biscuits with the tea, but they also had home made dog biscuits for dogs. How cute and lovely is that!  

 

When we first arrived in Windermere, our first protocol was to go to The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. This is a walk-around attraction featuring all of the characters from Beatrix Potter's books, set out in scenes from her books. When I was really little we would go every time we went to the Lakes, but as I got older we didn't really bother so much, but it was really nice to go again, and see how its developed, but also all the old faithful characters that are still there. 

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck 

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin 

Of course I had to have my picture with Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 

The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle 

 Something that's new and that I hadn't seen before was the Peter Rabbit Garden, which is like a little walk-around garden with lots of plants and bits from her books. Which I think is really lovely. 

Spy Peter Rabbits jacket at the back

Once we had been round the attraction, and spent about three million years in the gift shop, because there was just soo many cute bits. We headed back into Windermere town centre and went round the shops, until we started to feel a little bit peckish, to which we made our way back to the Peter Rabbit Attraction, where they have a little tea shop on the side. Mumma Drake and myself had a drink and some cake, I opted for a hot chocolate and some carrot cake, while Mum had tea and a cupcake. 

We then checked into the guest house and headed down to the River for a little walk, before returning and having a little nap. 

Once we had charged our batteries we headed out to find somewhere to have dinner, and we ended up stopping at a local pub, before heading back and getting some shuteye.

The next day we headed into Keswick, which is where we usually stay when we go to the Lakes. One of our many Lake District traditions is to get our Christmas tree chocolates from a shop called Ye Olde Friars of Keswick. It is literally the most amazing chocolate/ sweet shop ever, and my favourite time to go in there is when they have all of the Christmas bits in there. 

I was in Heaven 

We picked up our usual Christmas decorations, and more... oops. 

Keeping with the Christmas theme, Mum and I a few years ago created the tradition where we buy a Christmas tree ornament from this shop every year, or maybe three as we do tend to go a bit mental. But the orchid house is one of my favourite shops ever, when I'm older I'm sure my house will be completely furnished with stuff from this shop. 

Sooo many cute decorations! 

Once we had well and truly brought as many Christmas decorations as we possibly could, we headed over to Buttermere, where we grabbed a cheeky ice cream and went on a walk. 

My dog absolutely loves playing in the water, he never swims, but he loves it when you throw rocks into the water for him. 

Beautiful view

Sadly our walk was cut short because a bridge that we usually go over was totally flooded, and we didn't fancy swimming across...

We made a quick stop at The Kirkstile Inn, where we used to always stay when I was little, just for old times sake. 

We then headed over to Maryport, where we had some drinks and a couple of games of pool in the Sailors Return, before heading next door to the fish and chips shop, and getting our usual order, and sitting down by the water to enjoy another one of our Lake District traditions. 

On the Sunday (which was our last day, boo), we got the ferry over to Sawrey which was the home of Beatrix Potter, and is where her house Hill Top still stands, as its owned by the National Trust. 

Hill Top is literally the cutest house ever and I'd happily live there. It's also the place where Beatrix Potter wrote the majority of her books, and based a lot of them in the house, or on parts of the house. 

Once we'd been round the whole house, and did a lot of damage in the gift shop, we went on a walk using a book I brought called 'Walking with Beatrix Potter'.We did the walk which takes you round Near Sawrey and Castle Woods, with views of Esthwaite Water (which was where her book The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher was based). 

How intellectual do I look? 

This signpost and spot features in The Tale of Pigling Bland 

We tried to re-create a photo that
was taken of us when I was really little.
Bless

After almost getting lost and having to backtrack a little bit, we finally made it back to our car and had a spot of afternoon tea with scones, before having to get in the car and start making our way home. 

Spot George cuing up for some scone. 

What kind of post would this be unless I showed you what I got? 

Prepare yourselves I did go a little bit crazy...

Christmas hanging- £4.99
Post cards- 50p each
From gift shop in Windermere

Letters 35p each from Poppi Red 

Bath Bomb- £2.49 - From Lonsdale Galleries
Wind in the Willows- £1.49
Blood Brothers- £1.99
Both books from Oxfam

Reindeer- £2.99 - From Lonsdale Galleries
Hedgehog- £5, Berry Bush- £1
- Both from The Orchid House
Christmas tin- £6.99 -From Ye Olde Friars

Chocolates 55p each
Tea light holder- £1.75
All from Ye Olde Friars

Fizzy bubblegum bottles- £1.75
Assorted chocolates- £4
Both from Ye Olde Friars 

Coasters- £1.25 each
Hunca Munca magnet- £2.25
Mini card- 90p
All from The World of Beatrix Potter

Book- £5.99
Book mark- £1.99
Both from The World of Beatrix Potter

Postcards- 50p each
Magnet- £3.50
From Hill Top gift shop
Tailor of Gloucester tree decoration- £3.95
-From The World of Beatrix Potter gift shop

Lady and Gentleman mouse- £11 each
Guide book- £4
All from Hill Top gift shop

I was sooo chuffed when I found this Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail figure in Oxfam in Keswick, as its original Beswick, which is the type of figures I collect, and it was only £4.99! As you can see one of their ears has broken off, so Oxfam priced it accordingly, which was really good of them. But I really don't mind about the ear because its not like I want to sell it on, I only want it for my collection, so to get an original Beswick for £4.99 I was so impressed. 

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail figure- £4.99
From Oxfam 

  I also picked up this skirt, originally from H&M. I thought it would be perfect from the Autumn/ Winter months. 

Skirt- £5.99- From Oxfam

Then finally from Cancer Research I found this Warehouse cardigan, and strangely enough a couple of years ago when I was in the Lakes, mum and myself had gone shopping and I saw this exact cardigan in a House of Fraser. I nearly brought it, but didn't because it was quite expensive, (I think it might have been around the £35-£40 mark). So when I saw it this time round for £5.95 how could I refuse? 

Cardigan- £5.95

And that everyone is my little trip to the Lake District in a nutshell! 

I had such a lovely time and can't thank my parents enough for going, and just generally making the trip so lovely and fun. 

Where's your favourite place to go? Let me know down below. 

Cheerio! 

Hannah 

Autumn treasures- A September Charity Shops Haul

So as mentioned in a previous Charity Shop haul, I was thinking of doing these once a month, so over the month of September I have kept aside all of the wonderful things I've brought from Charity Shop's, so I can show you. Lets crack on with it! 

I'll start with two tops I brought, one being this lovely grey, sleeveless, square neck top, originally from River Island. I love the lace details on the neckline and hem, and also the cute rose pattern all over. It's quite long so I plan to wear it as a dress with black tights and some cute boots or dolly shoes. 

£3 from Sense 

Then the second top I brought was this adorable cat print top, with a double peter pan collar, which I love! It was originally from Primark. 

£3.80 from Cancer Research 

Moving onto knit wear, I brought this really funky, vintage-inspired cardigan. Its a size 16, so its really comfy and over sized, it has shoulder pads and really lovely gold buttons all the way down. I have a feeling I'm going to love wearing this in Autumn. Its originally from Marks & Spencer, so really good quality. 

£4.80 from a local charity shop

This is probably one of my favourite purchases this month, because I can not tell you how long I have been searching for a jumper like this. For about the past three Christmases I've been looking for the perfect Reindeer Christmas jumper, and now I have found it! 

£4 from Cancer Research 

I also bagged myself a coat which I was so chuffed with as it was a total steal! I saw a coat from Matalan, which I fell in love with, but it's £40, and be to honest I don't particularly need a new coat, but when I saw this one I thought it looked very similar and couldn't help myself! It's this gorgeous tweed patterned, double breasted coat, and its like a dark purple colour mixed with bits of grey. It's originally from a brand called Cotswold collections, which when I looked it up is a brand that makes really classic clothes, and its quite expensive. Some of the coats on the website were £179 and more, so considering I got this coat for £5 I think I got myself a massive bargain there.  

£5 from Havens Hospices

I picked up this basic denim-look skater skirt, originally from Topshop. I think skirts like this are perfect basics that are good to have in your wardrobe, because you can wear them with so many things. This one is from the Petite section, which is good for me as I'm quite short, so its a great length on me. 

£3.50 from Havens Hospices

Another Topshop bargain was these almost tartan print leggings, with a zip at the side, and they have little turn ups at the ankles. They are high waisted, which I love and will be perfect for Autumn and they are also super comfy. 

£3.50 from Cancer Research 

To feed my scarf addiction I picked up two more this month, one being this lovely silk looking pink scarf, with purple flowers on, and also this thicker dark green one with red and blue flowers on. 

I did a whole post on how I style hair scarves, so if you haven't already, you should check that out! 

http://hann31bann.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/how-i-style-hair-scarfs.html

Purple scarf- £1.50 from Havens Hospice
Green scarf- £1.50 from Saint Francis Hospice 

I found a pair of shoes, which never usually happens, as I never find ones I like and they hardly ever have size 4's, but I saw these and thought they were lovely. They are a brogue, lace up style with a heel. I've been looking for a pair like this for a while, so when I saw these for £7 I couldn't pass, especially since they are brand new! They were from Peacocks originally. 

£7 from Cancer Research 

Once again I've managed to go a little bit book crazy, but I've very nearly collected all of Cecelia Ahern's books! So I added 'Girl in the Mirror' (£1.50) and 'The Book of Tomorrow' (£1) to my collection. I also picked up two Roald Dahl books; 'Matilda' (75p), as its a childhood favourite, and 'The Witches' (50p) because I've never read it. Then finally another classic, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (50p). 

All from assorted Charity Shops, including; Saint Francis Hospice,
Sue Ryder and Cancer Research, 

 I also picked up two crafty books; one being Christmas Crafts, which I'm really looking forward to looking through and picking stuff to make, and also a book about different fabrics and tips on how to use them with dressmaking. This one will be especially handy when it comes to sewing.

Dressmaking book- £1
Christmas Crafts- £1.25
Both from a local Charity Shop

Keeping with the idea of dress making, I brought this McCall's dress pattern. The dresses looked fairly simple and they also reminded me of the skater dresses that were in Topshop a while ago. 

Then I also got a couple of Christmasy vintage-looking tins. Not sure what I'll keep in them yet, but I thought they were cute. 

Penny Bazaar tin- 50p
Other Christmas tin- 75p
Both from Sue Ryder
Dress Pattern- £1.25 from Havens Hospices

Then finally my last Charity purchase of this month has got to be my favourite and most precious. For those of you who don't know I am a massive Beatrix Potter fan. I love her books, her artwork and just everything about her. I've started to collect Beatrix Potter figures, so I was soooo happy when I spotted this Tabitha Twitchett on the shelf! She was £22, which some people could argue is expensive for a charity shop, but she is an original 1961 Beswick England figure, and on Ebay I've seen others going for £48 and over! So I was very chuffed with this find! 

£22 from Havens Hospices 

So another very successful Charity Shopping month! Be sure to let me know down in the comments if you've made any bargain buys this month! 

I have another non-charity shop haul coming soon, so look out for that, but till then...

Cheerio!

Hannah

How I Style- Hair Scarf's

Hello, hello, hello.

 So its been a couple of weeks since I last uploaded, apologises for that, but it has been a very exciting couple of weeks for me as I was rehearsing then performing in The Ladykillers with the Amateur Dramatic's Group I'm apart of. We had our final two shows yesterday, and although I'll be happy to finally sleep, I will also miss it sooo much, as show week is so exciting and fun, even if it completely tires you out. 

But to get back into the swing of things here is a quick post showing you some of the ways I like to style scarf's in my hair. 

Scarf's have been my saviour this week, they really have, because where I played an elderly lady in the show we had to grey the roots of my hair up in order to age me a little bit. So this looked great on stage, going home and in-between shows, not so much. So in order to hide my grey roots till I got home I found myself wearing a variety of scarf's in my hair throughout the week.  

I just genuinely love wearing scarf's in my hair though, I think they can really add something to an outfit, and over the last three years I have really built up a collection- 

I have a serious scarf buying addiction. 

All the scarf's I own are all either from Charity Shops, Vintage shops or ones I have inherited from my Nan's. I think its nice to have a variety of colours and patterns, because depending on what outfit your wearing, or the season, you can always find one to match. 

Style 1- Classic Bow

This is the style that I wear most of all, its so simple yet it can transform your hair. All you do is fold the scarf so its in a thin rectangle, then position it at the back of your neck, make sure all your hair is over it then bring it up on top of your head and tie it in a bow. You can adjust the size of the bow depending how big you want it. This also works nicely when you're hair is in a bun or pony tail. 

Style 2- Through the loop

This look almost has a slight turban look to it, only because of how the font looks, and all you do is fold your scarf in half so you have one end with the two ends of the scarf, and one with a loop. Then you wrap it round under you hair, position it so that the loop is in the centre of your forehead then thread the two end of the scarf through the loop, and tuck them either side of the loop. 

(Apologies for my terrible instructions, as they probably make so sense!). 

Style 3- Pretty Pony

Just a little something to jazz up a plain pony tail. All you do is style you're hair into a pony tail, you can make it as messy or as neat as you like, then simply wrap the folded scarf around the pony tail and tie into a bow. 

Style 4- Vintage Plaits 

  I think that messy plaits can look really cute, but just to add a pop of colour I like to wear a scarf. I think that this look has quite a Vintage vibe to it, as it reminds me of how the women wore their hair back in WW2. I think that's because the bow is in the middle, as opposed to the side of the head. You would do exactly the same as you did for style 1, but rather than leave the bow at the side you would keep it in the centre of your head. 

Style 5- Boho Chic

Once again a very quick and easy style, that you could wear with your hair up or down. All you do is twist the scarf as tight as it will go, then wrap it around your head, over your hair and tie into a bow. 

I hope that you found this post useful, and its given you some ideas on ways to wears your scarf's. If you have any other ideas be sure to let me know down in the comments! 

Cheerio!

Hannah

'A few of my favourite things'- August Favourites

August is now over, which means that Autumn is just around the corner, my favourite time of year! So I thought I would share my August favourites with you. 

I've done lots of lovely things this August, I went to The Harry Potter Studios and then to London, Thorpe Park with my family, I've gotten to spend time with my friends as they are all back from Uni, I've seen a couple of shows and I had a lovely afternoon in London with my Mum and Dad at a Fawlty Towers Dinning experience. So I've been very lucky this month and all those trips and things have all been favourites of mine. 

Mum, Dad and I at the Fawlty Towers Dinning Experience 

Moving onto beauty and make-up, I've been loving my Body Shop Define and Lengthen Mascara. I did actually buy this one a few months back, but I accidentally brought it in brown, rather than black, so I didn't really rate it much as the brown colour wasn't as bold as the black is. But after buying the right colour I'm really enjoying using this as it really lengthens your eye lashes.   

Mascara- £10

I only brought this about a week ago and I can already say that this will be a firm favourite of mine for a while. I suffer with oily skin at times, which means that I have really bad breakouts sometimes, especially on my chin and around that area, and I really hate it. It seemed that no matter what I tried it either didn't work, or seemed to make it worse. So when I saw Zoe from Zoella talk about the Origins Super Spot Remover and say how good it was I thought I'd give it a go, especially since she was using this for the same area I was having trouble with. It's quite pricey, and its the most I've spend on a skin product, but it really does do the trick, the bottle is pretty tiny, but that's because you only need a little amount. After using it once my spots went down dramatically, and after 2 days of using it the remaining spots are almost gone. So if you have problems with spots I would defiantly recommend this. 

Super Spot Remover- £15

Fashion wise this month, and at the end of July I have rediscovered my love for the shop Jack Wills. For those of you who don't know they are an English clothing brand, and their slogan is 'Fabulously British', and they sell preppy, cute, British types of clothing. It's quite expensive so I don't actually usually buy stuff new, but their Summer sales are always good, so I've been picking up some cute things there recently. 

Some of the things I've brought from there recently

My favourite fashion purchases of this month have to be; my Henry Holland jacket, and my green sequin shorts from Topshop, but I got both of these from Charity Shops. 

Shorts- £4.50

I've been loving 2 candles recently, both Yankee Candles and they are Summer Scoop and Red Velvet. Summer Scoop is the perfect Summer scent and it smells like strawberry's and ice cream. Then Red Velvet literally smells like the best cake in the world, and it is one of my favourite Yankee Candles ever, but I don't know if they do it any more. 

Medium Jars are usually £16, but I got both of these in sales.

I've been getting my craft on this month, and I've brought quite a few crafty bits from; The Range, Wilkinsons, Hobbycraft and The Works. I've done home made cards since I was little, but recently I've wanted to make really nice cards using actual card making crafts, as opposed to cuts off from old cards. So I've gone a little mental and I've even started buying Christmas card crafts in prep for when I make my own Christmas cards! But one of my favourite crafty purchases has been this Everything Oz craft book, and it has things from sewing crafts, to baking to paper crafts, and since I love Wicked and The Wizard of Oz this was a must have for me. 

From The Works- £3.99

Keeping with the whole being creative kind of thing, I've also been big into baking this month. I've always loved baking but this month especially I've enjoyed making things I've not made before, like jam and these ice cream cone cupcakes. 

They just look so cute, and are perfect for Summer parties
or picnics. 

I had my friends over so I made scones and jam.
How traditionally English of us!

Speaking of baking, my favourite TV show this month has been The Great British Bake Off. This is my first year of watching it, and I am loving it! I'm rooting for Richard, I just think he's so sweet and genuine as well as a talented baker. 

On Wednesdays- BBC 1 8pm 

I've always loved Beatrix Potter and her stories ever since I was little, but recently I've really been enjoying looking back at all her timeless tales, and reminiscing. I love everything about them and her, so I've been bringing aspects of her books into decorating my room and I've also decided I'm going to collect Beatrix Potter animal figures. If I had it my way I'd just live in her house if I could, I think its stunning. I find the whole concept lovely, and I think her drawings are just beautiful, there is just something so sweet about animals wearing quaint human clothes (obviously I mean in story books, not in real life). 

This month I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at my local Theatre, and it was fab. Joseph has been a favourite musical of mine since I was little, so seeing it on stage was brilliant. Which therefore means Mum and I have had the CD on repeat in the car. The songs are so catchy and feel-good its great. 

Then to finish off with a bit of Disney. If you didn't know my all time favourite Disney film is The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so when this was on TV the other day it really made me smile. The songs are amazing and the jokes are hilarious and its just such a lovely story, I've lost track of how many times I've watched it, and even now when I can talk along with it, it doesn't get old. Which is why its my film of the month. 

And that my friends is all my favourites of the month! What have you been loving? And are you excited for Autumn? Let me know down below.

Cheerio! 

Hannah

The diamond in the rough- August Charity Shops Haul

So here I am with, you've guessed it another Charity Shop Haul. I just can't stay away recently!

 But when I've been finding such fab things, why would I want too? 

I'll get cracking with one of the first things I brought this August and its this khaki green flowery jacket, originally from Henry Holland! I couldn't believe my luck, he is one of my favourite designers, so to find one of his jackets for a mere £8.99 was amazing. 

Charity Shop- YMCA 

Staying with jackets, I found this Topshop blazer, which looks like its only ever been worn once. It looks basically brand new, the pockets are still sewn together, so I imagine someone must have brought this for a specific outfit and only worn it once. I was so chuffed to get a Topshop blazer for £8.99 when they can retail from £38- £68 in stores. 

Charity Shop- British Heart Foundation 

I found this white doubled breasted skirt from Topshop, and this one still has the Topshop tag in, so it is literally brand new. I found it on the reduced rail for £1.70! Total steal considering it should have been £35 in store. 

Local Charity Shop

Another BRAND NEW Topshop garment that I found while on my travels was these green sequin hot pants. They're amazing. They are so sparkly and amazing, I can't wait to wear them out! On the Topshop label they were originally £40, but I only paid £4.50. I couldn't believe my eyes. 

Charity Shop- British Heart Foundation 

The last brand new garment I got was this gorgeous dress from Miss Selfridge, I have a 21st birthday party I'm going to coming up, so this dress will be perfect for that. Originally it was £45 and I got it for £6.50! 

Charity Shop- Havens Hospice 

I found another pair of shorts, these ones are from Primark, they are denim and they also have the most gorgeous paisley tapestry pattern on them. In stores these might have been around £6-£10, but I got them for £2.50. I think this will be my new fab shorts for Autumn, and I'll probably pair them with black tights, some little ankle boots, and a slouchy cardigan.  

Charity Shop- Havens Hospice 

Then the last clothing item I got was this lovely blue and white striped dress from Primark. All Summer I've been searching for a nautical looking dress and I found this one and I love it! It has gold buttons on the top, with a little collar and two pockets as well. In Primark it might have been around £10- £13, but I got it for £5.49. 

Charity Shop- British Heart Foundation 

Moving onto books and little knick knacks, I found this cute make-up bag with like a vintage globe print on for £1.50. Because you can never have enough make-up bags, right? 

Charity Shop- Cancer Research 

I found this beautiful Beatrix Potter's Tailor of Gloucester mouse figure, which is actually a money box, but I'm not going to use it as that, as I think it is far too pretty. The Tailor of Gloucester is one of my favourite Beatrix Potter books, and has some of my favourite artwork of hers in it, this mouse in the shoe being one of them. It came with the box and everything, and is in perfect condition. On the box it says that it is originally from Past Times and should have been £24.99, but I only paid £10. I'm plaining on collecting Beatrix Potter figures, I already have another Tailor of Gloucester mouse, and a Timmy Tiptoes Squirrel, so this has made a great addition to my now growing collection.  

Then I got this rose tin for 50p, because I think pretty and vintage looking tins are a great way to store your make-up and other bits on your dressing table and in your room in general. 

I then seem to have gone a little book mental, I brought 3 Cecelia Ahern books, two of which I do in fact have, but my copies of Where Rainbows End, and P.S I Love You are both totally wrecked, so I've had to throw them away, so I found new copies to have! Then I also got The Time of my Life, because I've never read it and Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors. 

I brought The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, because as a play I know its won loads of awards, so I thought I could read the book. 

The Diary of Anne Frank is a book I have wanted to read for ages, but I've never got round to it, but now I finally have a copy so I know I will. 

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my favourite books, and I actually had this copy when I was little, but I seemed to have got rid of it, which was really sad as the cover is so pretty. So I was really chuffed when I found it for 50p. 

Then finally I found this Worlds Best Fairy Tales book Volume 1.  I actually already have Volume 2, so now I have both, and they are just classic fairy tales with lovely old fashioned pictures, which I love. 

Charity Shops- Local, Dogs Trust and Cancer Research.
All books from 50p- £1

And that is all my recent Charity Shop finds, maybe I'll start doing monthly hauls? As recently I've been finding such fab things. 

Have you found any hidden gems recently, let me know in the comments! 

Cheerio! 

Hannah