Thursday, 30 June 2011

i'm back!

did you miss me?

we had a fabulous time visiting tiny little islands in greece. for a week the yacht here on the right was our home.
this little bay is where we spent our penultimate night at anchor. there was a fair bit of popping our heads through the hatch during the night to make sure we hadn't drifted off to sea. we were so lucky to see some of the places we sailed to and the weather was beautiful. with all the unrest in greece it's difficult to imagine that the place on the news is the same country i was enjoying this time last week. i hope to go back someday.

but for now i have lots of ideas piling up to share with you so just as soon as my unpacking is done i shall be back with fill in the blanks friday.

{em} x

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

going in my scrapbook

today i thought i'd share a couple of pages going into my scrapbook this month.

i'm loving my letter stickers at the moment, giving myself permission to stop hoarding, and start using them has been so liberating! on the second page i did i used 5 different fonts - woohoo!  lets hope i'm not crying when i only have v's and z's left in the packets.

{em} x

Saturday, 18 June 2011

this week i...

this week...

i fulfilled my long held dream of visiting hill top, the home of beatrix potter. the day was incredibly rainy, and the lady at the door offered to wipe us down in order to protect all the original furnishings from damp. oh how i love original furnishings! i studied beatrix's own patchwork quilt, and it had as many wonky seams as my own.

did some last bits of holiday shopping, and had a fun poke around in my new favourite shop - kath kidston. 

loved this tutorial for making a cute summer top out of an old shirt. i may have to raid the fella's wardrobe to make one of my own of these.

was engrossed in the glee series finale. who'd have thought it would turn out like that? i don't want to reveal too much and spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet - but what shocker!

{em} x

Friday, 17 June 2011

fill in the blanks friday

hello - happy friday. it's a particularly happy friday for me as i have no work next week and i'm off on my holidays. to keep things ticking over here, i've scheduled a few posts for while i'm gone. but happily i've still got time to fill in the blanks before i go.


1} the last movie i saw was pirates of the caribbean - on stranger tides. as i'd seen it with my mum the week it came out, i had to fulfil my promise of accompanying the fella to watch this too. i really enjoyed this film, especially the famous music, but second time round my mind was on other stuff and i left the cinema in a grump having spent a couple of hours mulling over things that were on my mind.

2} i want to be on holiday already! i hate all the packing, travelling, trailing through airports, panicking about forgotten essentials. i want to be warm, sitting on a yacht, sipping a glass of white wine please!

3} surprises are the best. i have never sought out my presents before birthdays, and my habit of unwrapping gifts as slowly as possible has been known to draw christmas morning out until the afternoon, much to the annoyance of my sister.

4} the best accessory is a hat of course!

5} my favourite warm drink is tea. i drink about 6 cups of it a day. proper english breakfast tea though - non of that nasty herbal stuff!

6} my favourite cold drink is (hmm this is tricky) lemon ice tea. it's not very popular in this country, so when i see it i always grab it. i also shared my recipe for making your own a few weeks ago.

7} currently loving polyvore, summer sales, bruno mars, game of thrones, restorative yoga poses, having my hair kinda wavey & burt's bees lipbalm.


have a lovely weekend everyone!

{em} x 

Thursday, 16 June 2011

3 unRemarkable self lovey goals - in review

the great response in the comments of my "10 things" post on friday gave me a really good reason to be self lovey this week! thankyou to everyone who came over and said hi. now to take a look at how i've been getting on with my goals.

1} f*$k it! i polished this book off yesterday. i'm writing a proper review which i will share soon, but what i can say now is - read this book! here's how i've been putting this into practice this week. annoying colleague getting me down? "sod it!" i'm not going to let someone who isn't even my friend bother me. hankering after that new bikini for my holiday? "sod it!" the price of swimwear isn't going to break my bank account, and with it i'll enjoy my holiday more. miserable train conductor on my morning commute? "sod it" i flash him as big a smile as i can manage, if that doesn't cheer him up, at least i'm not letting him get me down.

2} positivity list. i've been carrying this list around with me all week. it's good to look at and chose something positive to think about during a quiet moment. it's also fun to doodle on and get those creative juices flowing.

3} sing the sunscreen song.

"maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s."

i'm gonna have that song in my head all day now!

{em} x

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

sail away with me...

sail away with me...

sail away with me... by unremarkablegirl


with my holiday so close i can almost touch it, i have been using my lunch breaks to scour the shops for a few special holiday pieces. today i found a few bits to liven up last years holiday clothes, however with my budget as it is, it's much more fun to dream up outfits instead of worrying about buying them.


if it's not obvious already, i will spending a week on a yacht. oh how i love a nautical influenced outfit. i wonder how many blue & white stripe based outfits i can fit into one week!


{em} x

Friday, 10 June 2011

10 things... that are fun to do outdoors

i've had an outdoorsy post in my mind for a while and shimelle's "10 things" idea gave me just the excuse i needed to finally write it!

people often comment on how many outdoor hobbies i have, which i always think is weird as i don't see myself as a dirt under the finger nails type of girl at all. i hate the idea of camping, or being knee deep in dirt, but i do love the green of the country side, the feeling of sun on my face, and all the wonders of nature. given the option to write about any ten things of my choice, outdoorsy fun came to mind straight away. (and yes - there is one thing that is fun to do outdoors that i am purposely leaving off my list - but i imagine you can guess what that is)

1} horse riding. i took up riding at the age of 25, when all the other people at the stables were either 6 year old girls, or incredibly experienced adults. i thought it was pretty much too late to learn, but i was wrong. the rush of galloping through the country side and the joy of getting over a jump - no matter how high - are only heightened by the fact that i know a few years ago, i couldn't do any of this!


2} sailing. whether it's little boats or impressive yachts, sailing is great fun once you know the basics. i'll be the first to admit it's preferable to do it somewhere warm an sunny than anywhere on the british coast line, and that's why we reserve this as a holiday hobby. an added bonus is that it's really easy to tan (or alternatively - burn) with the cool breeze that's powering your sails on your face.

3} hiking. now this is a great option for a cheap day out. just throw on some sturdy boots, pack some sandwiches and a map, and go! whether it's ben nevis, or the local park, there's a great feeling of achievement in getting to the top of a hill.

4} yoga. this is on my wish list. i've always wanted to try a yoga class outdoors, preferably by a lake or somewhere equally as serene! where i live it's unlikely to be a nice experience, but a girl can dream.

5} geo-caching. for the big kid in all of us - there's nothing like finding some buried treasure. go to www.geocaching.com for all the details. if you don't have a gps device, you can test your map reading skills. you'd be amazed how many people are loving this craze right now. there's probably a cache buried right by your house and you wouldn't even know it.

6} kayaking. the best way to enjoy a nature reserve is on the water. from a kayak you can spot all kinds of things you might miss on foot. plus it's a great upper body work out. at tarpon bay on sanibel in florida, i've seen dolphins, sharks, manatees (or is the plural manatee? i never know!), and all kinds of birds, from the seat of a kayak.

7} via ferrata. a fantastic combo of hiking and rock climbing, this makes a great change from a usual mountain climb if you can get to a place to do it. using iron pegs and ropes already drilled into the rock, scale rock faces that would have been impossible on foot. i've enjoyed some of the via ferrata routes in the dolomites in italy, and there's also the honister slate mine in the lake district for a great day out.


8} explore country estates. as you may already know, i'm a huge fan of the english country estate. but not just the indoors. when many of those national trust houses are closed up for the winter, there are still grounds and gardens to wander around. the best kind have orangeries and follies to explore.

9} jogging. just fling on some trainers and run, any time of day you fancy. how great is that? getting fit and it's totally free.

10} nothing at all. my personal favourite. just sit on a picnic blanket and admire everything around you. listen to bird song or car horns. watch the breeze in the trees or the people passing by. smell the freshly cut grass or in my case, the freshly baked bread from the nearby factory.

i hope at least one thing here has inspired you. what's your favourite thing to do outdoors?

{em} x

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

3 unremarkable self-lovey goals

hello! last night i was at the concert i've been waiting for all year and i'm still on a music high today. just thinking about it is making me smile. i hope you're having a good week too. time for some little goal setting. 

this week's 3 little goals post, inspired by this series, is about loving yourself. for me, this has always been easier said than done, but i'm interpreting this as being all about positive mental attitude, which is something i really do believe in. growing up, i had never been happy about being 5ft10, curly haired, or pale skinned. now i'm in my late 20's i'm learning that i can "own" these things, and even begin to like them if i embrace them! 

tall? great long legs. 
curly hair? easy to manage in the summer.
pale skin? very english rose!

1} f*$k it! i'm reading this book, F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way and it's so inspiring though probably not for those easily offended. it's all about letting go of the reins and seeing the bigger picture. i want to finish this book and write a post with some gems i have gleaned from it.

2} draw up a positivity list. as a avid list maker, i'd love to try to come up with a list of things to feel positive about that i can draw on for inspiration when the negative thoughts come knocking.

3} wear sunscreen! ok - well this goal is actually about not about UVA, but about the Baz Luhrmann song. everytime i hear it, another line stands out as relevant to me. listening to this on the train to work in the morning should be an easy positivity boost!

are you playing along with the goal setting too? i'd love to read some more ideas! 

{em} x

Saturday, 4 June 2011

30 days of doodles


30 days of doodles... what a fab idea. oh how i wish i could come up with cute doodles like this!

i sometimes wonder how i manage to have such little artistic talent. but i suppose i'll never get anywhere without a little practice. i have a heap of empty sketchbooks lying around.

i think i might play along, just for fun though. i love a good challenge! is anyone joining me?

{em} x

Friday, 3 June 2011

time to think

this morning,  standing on the platform waiting for the train, i had a realisation.

what i realised is this. if you swap the word "love" for  the word "train" everytime it occurs in the phil collins song "you can't hurry love", the lyrics are actually much more applicable to life.

i need train, train
ooh, ease my mind
and i need to find time
someone to call mine;

my mama said
you can't hurry train
no, you'll just have to wait
she said train don't come easy
but it's a game of give and take
you can't hurry train
no, you'll just have to wait
just trust in a good time
no matter how long it takes

this is what happens when my mind is left to it's own devices!

{em} x

fill in the blanks friday


1} i love myself because i'm loyal, quirky and fun.... (trying out some positive mental attitude there - it feels WEIRD!)

2} a time that mum knew best was probably more often than not. more specifically, when stopping me from wearing those high heels that would have crippled my feet. what was i thinking?

3} my first kiss went a little like this. nerves, bump, adrenaline, disaster, embarrassment, escape.

4} my celebrity crush is leonardo dicaprio. leo in titanic, leo in romeo and juliette, leo in blood diamond... love love love.

5} my splurge of choice is anything from the jack wills shop. i love that place. i would use their catalogues as wallpaper if they would only send me enough of them.

6} my biggest accomplishment is the via ferrata on col dei bos in italy. that was seriously hard work. i thought i was gonna die a few times. it was a nice change to rely on my body instead of my brain for a change.

7} my dance-jam of choice is "don't stop me now" by queen. at 17 my friends and i made up some dance moves to the chorus and i've never forgotten them (though i have forgotten those friends).


{em} x

Thursday, 2 June 2011

3 unremarkable healthy eating goals - in review

hello my lovelies! i'm popping in in-between laptop meltdowns as i promised myself i would do a review of my healthy eating goals before i forget all about them.

1} cook something new from my quorn cookbook. i did make my veggie meatballs in a blue cheese sauce. the fella even asked for seconds which is unusual for him with a meat free meal! taking the time to choose a recipe and buy the ingredients has given me a real taste for cooking "like mum does". i hope to try a new veggie recipe every weekend. 


2} cut down on the pizza. this week i replaced my usual whole pizza with just half a pizza. i had a lovely soup starter and yogurt desert and didn't miss the missing pizza at all.

3} have another look at organic. using the left over cheese from my meatball sauce, i made a lovely cheese and broccoli soup. all my ingredients were organic, and the big pot made enough soup for great healthy lunches to last all week.

these goals were so easy to achieve, it almost feels like i cheated. i won't be giving up the occasional chocolate bar just yet though.

{em} x