tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63478536861300700292024-03-27T16:53:32.006-07:00 Frankie Amelia Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-87583036160889043052020-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:002020-06-17T12:31:23.497-07:00Our Birth Story <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I never thought I'd actually be sitting here writing my birth story!</div>
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41+5 days and I was beyond impatient, pacing (waddling) around our town, my phone on silent as the constant calls and messages were driving me crazy, 2 sweeps, a few false alarms, I had thoroughly had enough of being pregnant now!</div>
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Throughout my pregnancy I was absolutely convinced I would give birth early, so to have gotten to the overdue stage was a shock to me, I remember my Midwife, Naomi wondering the same thing.</div>
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I had spent the last month googling every possible way to bring on labour, I bounced on that damn ball every day and night willing for pains to come and then slowly freaking out if things did ramp up a little! </div>
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I was due to be induced at 41+6 days - Tuesday morning, this was something Naomi had set in place for me, however I had planned to ask for further monitoring over a few more days because I was absolutely petrified of the idea of being induced.</div>
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I had been reading online that a few people had been on the swings at there local park and so when Sam came home from work on the Monday around 4.30pm, I quickly forced him out of the door, we slowly walked around the park, which luckily isn't too far from our house, it took every last piece of my effort to make it around, its quite hilly & we ended lastly in the children's area at the swings! </div>
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I think he genuinely didn't believe this very heavily pregnant women was actually going to swing her way into labour, but, yes I sure did! </div>
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After a few minutes, I remember feeling like I needed to get off as I just didn't quite feel right and said to Sam we needed to go, I was quite exhausted by now and just felt the need to be at home!</div>
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Once we were home we made dinner as usual, I bounced on my ball for a little bit and then decided I was going to go to bed, I’d got to the point where I was admitting defeat to being induced and figured I might as well prepare myself for the morning, I started watching my Positive Birth Company hypnobirthing videos on induction, something I’d decided throughout my pregnancy I didn’t want to watch as I didn’t want to believe that this would be the road I’d have to go down but alas, there I was the night before preparing myself! </div>
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I actually felt quite positive after those and locked my phone, faced it down on the bedside table and felt almost ready and accepting of what was going to be, Wolfe clearly had other plans though! </div>
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About 10 minutes after I locked my phone I started to feel these little niggles down in the bottom of my tummy, almost like very mild period pains and an urge to go to the toilet, during the niggly pains I decided to message Sam’s mum as we’d been speaking just before bed and I knew she would still be awake, I explained what I was feeling and she told me to go to the bathroom, once there I realised I was covered in blood (soz) down there and there was a big lump of blood in the bottom of the toilet (again soz) I actually got really scared as I’d heard of ‘the bloody show’ but I didn’t expect it to look quite like that! </div>
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By that point I realised something clearly was happening but still didn’t think I was in full labour as I wasn’t having the excruciating pains I was expecting.</div>
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I woke Sam up and said I thought I was having contractions and we started to time them on the Freya app (PBC) they were coming really fast, some 1.5 minutes some 45 seconds in between, I was confused as I’d read and watched that contractions come on slowly and with large gaps in between them to begin with. </div>
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We called the birthing centre and double checked whether or not we should be coming in at this point as they were very fast, we were told to wait a little while longer, as I was so calm they didn’t think I could be in established labour just yet, however after about 45 minutes we decided to call them back and say they were still coming fast and we would like to come and be checked! </div>
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Sam made us a coffee each to take with us, so chilled and I sat on the bench of our dining table, calm and actually joking that it wasn’t painful at all, I clearly can’t be in labour yet? </div>
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The drive over to the birth centre I can barely recollect, I remember us leaving the house with all our bags in the dark of night, waddling down to the car, it was cold and I remember feeling so calm still, the chill of the air was fresh and I was excited that we were potentially going to be meeting our baby, I was giddy! </div>
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We pulled up and I remember struggling to get through the hallway to the midwife led unit, I stopped half way to get through a contraction, once there we waited a little while as there was another lady being checked before us, I could hear her really moaning in pain, I wasn’t anywhere at that level so definitely thought we were going to be sent straight home again! </div>
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We were then taken into a room to be checked, again I don’t remember much it all seems very hazy a year on, I remember having a few contractions whilst the midwife was filling out our paper work and then I was asked to undress my bottom half and pop onto the table where she checked to see if I was dilated, she was shocked “you’re 4.5cm dilated, We can start filling up the pool” as I’m writing those words my eyes are welling up, the elation of knowing I was meeting our baby and I wasn’t being induced was bloody insane, Sam was excited and we hurried into the birthing room as fast as we could! </div>
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The room was so calm, the water filling the tub, I had a plan of using all these lovely essential oils in the water and having our music playing in the background, we didn’t use any of it, of course! </div>
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I remember popping my green T-shirt dress on over my bra and just willing the pool to hurry up. </div>
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Once it was ready I got in and felt almost instant relief from the amazing warm water, honestly the best bath you could imagine, the sense of relief from the pain was almost immediate and I felt this huge smile on my face, I looked at Sam and was just so so happy! </div>
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The contractions started to ramp up a little, they were hard but bearable, through every one I needed to hold Sam’s hand or the side of the pool, and just grit through them.</div>
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Daphne the midwife was saying how well I was doing through them and I said “please stop telling me how well I’m doing as when I get into proper labour I won’t be doing so well” </div>
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She laughed and said “I’m afraid you can’t get in more established labour than this”! </div>
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I think I genuinely still didn’t believe this was it, it just wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I started to get a little urge to push and felt like I needed to go to the toilet, I got out of the pool and headed to the toilet for a wee, this was actually quite hard and I remember regretting this choice once I was there, everything is far easier when you’re in the water and you feel weightless! </div>
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I was there for quite a while as, quite honestly, it was a struggle to give myself the energy to get back to the pool, which bearing in mind was pretty much 2 metres at most away from me. </div>
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Daphne had registered I was really struggling at this point for strength and decided to give me a drink of lucozade sport out of our labour bag and try and get me to eat something, I couldn’t even stomach the thought of food, I had some of the drink and managed to make it back to the pool. </div>
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During the stints in the pool they were checking on the baby with what I presume is a Doppler? And I remember hating every single check, each one was worse than the other as they took me completely out of my calm pain free zone and just aggravated me, another thing that’s just popped into my head that annoyed me was that lovely Daphne didn’t stop talking, she was happily chatting away to Sam, who at this point was sat in an armchair chilling with his third cup of coffee she’d made him, talking about how her son was going to be decorating her living room, at one point I think I told them both to shut up talking as they were driving me mad 🙈 </div>
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I needed to get out of the pool, I wanted to be on all fours, I was leant over the couch in the room and just groaning through contractions at this point, I was getting really exhausted and almost felt like I couldn’t go on any further, I kept saying he isn’t coming out, he isn't coming out, he’s stuck, please stop telling me to push as he isn’t coming, please listen to me, he isn’t coming! </div>
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I absolutely knew he was stuck, I’d known for ages, I just had this intuition and they weren’t listening to me, of course they thought I was just being a typical woman in labour getting to the point of pushing. </div>
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The second midwife on duty, Michelle had come in at this point and they decided to check up there to see what was going on, they noticed my waters still hadn’t gone, they could see the babies head was so close she said it was bulging and explained they were going to manually break them; out come a hook and up they went to break them, hardly any water came out and this worried them, considering I was now 2 weeks overdue it was to be expected but I think at this point they knew they were going have to phone an ambulance to be on standby. </div>
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They kept saying PUSH with everything you’ve got and I was, I couldn’t push more if my life depended on it, he wasn’t coming! </div>
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The call was made and an ambulance was on its way, I remember hearing their conversation; the ambulance must’ve said they’ll be around an hour and they were saying “NO GET HERE NOW”.</div>
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They knew he was stuck, finally we were getting somewhere. </div>
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The wait for the ambulance felt like it took a lifetime and by this point they’d told me I couldn’t push anymore, I had to hold in my strong uncontrollable urges to push, something that is totally unnatural to a birthing woman, but for the safety of my son I had to. </div>
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The ambulance ride to the hospital was absolutely horrific and something I would never want to redo ever again, the driver didn’t know the area and went the back routes to the hospital, over every bump you could imagine, it was excruciating holding the pain and urges in whilst being hurdled over the road, never again! </div>
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Sam followed in the car, we arrived at the hospital and went straight up to a pre theatre room, Michelle had come with me from the birth centre and I’m so thankful she had as it took Sam ages to get there and to then find us and I’d have been left alone with the hospital staff which I was petrified of, I told her I was scared. </div>
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One thing I didn’t want to end up with is a ceaserean and I feared this was my fate. </div>
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I had to sign paperwork from the doctor on duty explaining they were going to try a few interventions to deliver the baby safely and if all failed I would be operated on. </div>
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To do so I had to be given a spinal block, my second biggest fear and I refused at first, I absolutely did not want any form of pain relief, I’d had none up until this point and I really wanted to go without it! </div>
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The doctor explained that what I was about to go through would be 100 times more painful than I’m experiencing without a spinal block, I agreed and signed the papers! </div>
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Finally Sam got up to the room, was handed scrubs as soon as he stepped in the room and eventually I was wheeled into theatre. </div>
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I was given the spinal block, and the pain diminished almost instantly, maybe these weren’t so bad! </div>
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I was so calm still, something I whole heartedly put down to the hypnobirthing. </div>
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The surgeons (I presume?) explained what they were going to be doing and started with forceps, I don’t really remember feeling much of them doing this as I was obviously very numb, some have said they refer to it as a tugging sensation but I honestly don’t remember! </div>
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They could see his head and further explained they were going to have to make a little cut to allow room for him to come out.</div>
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I was happy for them to do so, by this point I just wanted him here safely, they were monitoring his heart rate which kept dipping and they knew he needed to get out quickly and safely too! </div>
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Everything went by in such a fast blur, I heard this huge cry and our son was lifted out and placed straight on my chest all I could do was cry and say “he’s here, he’s here, he’s finally here” to Sam, who looked just totally overwhelmed and as shocked and happy as me! </div>
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They took him off fairly quickly as they needed to do some checks on him, I think Sam cut the cord and off they took him! He came back to Sam for some cuddles and I just kept staring at them in awe and disbelief that our son was really here. </div>
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I was losing a lot of blood, they were concerned and were doing everything they could to control the bleeding, even throughout this I was still so calm and just watched them in amazement of how incredible they were working away, I could see a huge table of trays absolutely filled with bloody gauze, I was probably totally unaware of actually how critical that moment was and actually I’m quite happy to keep that recollection too! </div>
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About an hour of them sewing me up later, I was allowed to hold our baby again, he was absolutely perfect and I couldn’t believe how beautiful he was, I kissed him and just knew my life was totally different now! </div>
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We were wheeled into the post theatre room where my mum was waiting for us and she just cried, it was pretty amazing to just be holding our baby with my husband and my mum there, I was so content and just bloody tired to say the least! </div>
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My birth was totally not what I had planned for, I don’t think you ever can plan these things, every birth is as individual to you as the next person, but that’s not to say it’s ever going to go to plan or fall into place quite how you expect it to. </div>
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However I wouldn’t change anything about it, it was the most amazing, life changing experience I’ve ever gone through and memories I will treasure for my lifetime, I thank the world every day that I managed to experience one of life's greatest pleasures.</div>
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Wolfe Jax Shoebridge </div>
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April 16th 2019</div>
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7lbs 8oz </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-36439007870294800452019-02-20T10:23:00.000-08:002019-02-20T10:38:05.448-08:00our wedding - finding the perfect bridesmaid dresses & hightsreet dress picks <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I actually think finding the girls dresses was so much harder than finding my own!<br />
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From the minute I started looking at different styles, I made sure to involve them in the process!</div>
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I set up a group chat and we went back and fourth sending photos of what we all liked, colour ways, lengths, sleeves, no sleeves, the list went on.</div>
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I personally knew that I wanted a blush, full length look but it needed to suit them all, and for them to ultimately feel like they loved what they were going to wear on the day! </div>
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I absolutely fell in love with the classic wrap dresses from <a href="https://www.twobirdsnewyork.com/pages/bridal" target="_blank">Two Birds</a>, the most beautiful designs and you could switch the ways you wrapped them to tailor each bridesmaid individually, but they don't come cheap, at around £250+ per dress (before alterations) I knew this was far too out of reach for our budget and the search went on for an attainable dress on a budget. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohztchmeMSo/XG1dVpfG-XI/AAAAAAAAF7U/UhmRRl357HEKbw7RPaoPO6wXvtfqWjZGwCLcBGAs/s1600/Frankie-and-Sam-Wedding-low-res-90-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="617" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohztchmeMSo/XG1dVpfG-XI/AAAAAAAAF7U/UhmRRl357HEKbw7RPaoPO6wXvtfqWjZGwCLcBGAs/s1600/Frankie-and-Sam-Wedding-low-res-90-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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After a long few months of scouring every high street store & online too, eventually I came across the <a href="https://www.asos.com/search/?q=tfnc" target="_blank">TFNC</a> range on ASOS and I fell in love with the sateen bow back maxi dresses.</div>
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Amazingly they cater for petite, plus-size & tall which meant finding different sizes for the girls wouldn't be an issue as there is something for everyone in the range.</div>
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They had a few different colour ways in this style usually in the current 'popular' wedding colour trends which means you can generally find a shade that matches your wedding theme, if thats the sort of thing you are going for!</div>
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We decided on dusty rose, a beautiful blush with an almost grey hue to it.</div>
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Once all the dresses had arrived we had a girly evening and tried them all on to see if we needed to change anything about them, and too see if everyone actually liked them in the flesh, we had to exchange a few for the length and different sizes as they run slightly on the larger size and the trains are super long so bare that in mind if you do order from TFNC.</div>
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Once we had all the correct sizes we ventured off to the seamstress to have them perfected to the girls figures, this is something I totally recommend as it makes the dresses look completely finished and really meant that the styles flattered each of there individual shapes, we also had to alter the trains quite abit because of the original length of them, so we couldn't have really gotten away with wearing them straight out of the packet as such. </div>
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I personally found the material super flattering on all of the girls, it skimmed over any areas you would generally worry about with ease and even after a three course wedding breakfast they weren't clingy in anyway, our wedding day was one of the hottest days of summer and the girls said how comfortable and lightweight the dresses were, I think having such open backs helped too! </div>
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I left the accessories down to the girls to choose, I wasn't fussed about what shoes they wanted to wear as they dresses totally covered this but they all went for similar styled sandals as they were going to be wearing them for a long time, since our day I have seen a few other brides who have chosen the same dresses and added little necklaces that dangle at the back so it gives a subtle sparkle without being over the top, I wish I'd seen them sooner as I really love how they look, its definitely something I would've picked up for the girls to wear, however the dresses are so lovely by themselves that it isn't essential to add if you're on a budget.</div>
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My top high-street bridesmaid dress picks SS19</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i><a href="https://www.asos.com/asos-design/asos-design-bridesmaid-pinny-maxi-dress-with-ruched-bodice/prd/10882336?clr=soft-blush&SearchQuery=bridesmaid%20dress&gridcolumn=2&gridrow=2&gridsize=2&pge=1&pgesize=72&totalstyles=544" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Asos Design Pinny Maxi Dress</a><i> </i><a href="https://www.asos.com/tfnc-tall/tfnc-tall-bandeau-maxi-bridesmaid-dress/prd/8871687?clr=navy&SearchQuery=bridesmaid%20dress&gridcolumn=2&gridrow=10&gridsize=3&pge=1&pgesize=72&totalstyles=538" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">TFNC Bandeau Maxi Dress</a><i> </i><a href="https://www.asos.com/tfnc-petite/tfnc-petite-pleated-maxi-bridesmaid-dress-with-cross-back-and-bow-detail-in-grey/prd/9143310?clr=grey&SearchQuery=bridesmaid%20dress&gridcolumn=2&gridrow=23&gridsize=2&pge=1&pgesize=72&totalstyles=545" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">TFNC Pleated Maxi </a><i> <a href="https://www.next.co.uk/gl218s4" target="_blank">NEXT Maya Short Sleeved Sequin Maxi </a> <a href="https://uk.monsoon.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/mon_1,mon_1.2/5412491010" target="_blank"> Monsoon Garland Multiway Maxi</a></i></span></div>
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I hope this weeks post has helped any of you bride-to-be's in finding your bridesmaid dresses or just headed you in the right direction in your search!</div>
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Do let me know what Wedding Wednesday post you would like to see next, Frankie x</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0Kent, UK51.2787075 0.5217254000000366450.6418735 -0.76916809999996327 51.9155415 1.8126189000000366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-44480108625388298622019-02-06T07:04:00.002-08:002019-02-06T07:33:44.499-08:00Our Wedding - finding the perfect dress <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I pretty much always knew what style of dress I wanted for our wedding, even before I started looking I knew that I would want something slightly fitted but also a style that showed off a little skin, as I figured it was the one time I could get away with showing off the figure that I had worked so hard on and before I would gain those all important baby weight lb's! </div>
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When we had first gotten engaged, I worked part time on the weekends at a beautiful bridal boutique in my hometown of Tunbridge Wells, housing designers like Stewart Parvin, Sarah Seven & Charlie Brear, however nothing quite caught my eye, I actually never tried on any dresses whilst working there, as I really wanted my 'bridal experience", so I made it my mission to start scouring other places in the hunt for 'my perfect dress'</div>
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<i>"The One"</i></div>
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Wading my way through white, this time at Isabella Grace, another, absolutely stunning bridal boutique where I live, I found myself drawn to vintage lace sheath styles, with the help of the stylist we landed upon an Essense of Australia gown, along with a few others we headed off to the dressing room and I instantly knew I had to try this one first.</div>
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From the first minute I popped it on I genuinely felt like it took my breath away, I never thought I would get that feeling as I'm generally not the sort of person over bowled by clothes, but this dress made me feel things I'd never experienced from a piece of clothing before!</div>
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<i>Essense of Australia - Style No' D1767</i></div>
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I had fallen in love, however my purse had not, initially I had a budget of around £1000 (preferably under if I could try) and at the time of trying the dress on it was priced around £1650, I knew this wasn't a price I could justify and sadly left it on the rails for another bride to enjoy instead. </div>
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If you know me personally, then you'll know once I set my heart on something I have to have it, this was no exception, I perused other boutiques in the meantime, whilst comparing it to 'the dress' and nothing lived up to it.</div>
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I decided to give up the search for a while and just focus my attention elsewhere on our wedding, a year or so passed and I went back to the search.</div>
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After working in bridal industry, I knew after a year designers usually bought out new collections, therefor meaning any previous works would go into sample sales, I decided to contact the boutique I tried the original dress and yes, it had gone into sample sale, but sadly somebody had already purchased it that week at an amazing price of £975, slightly discouraged, but still in the hopes of finding it I decided to have a look on the internet for any other boutiques selling one, eventually I found a lady selling the dress in a size 10, brand new with the tags, in America! </div>
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With shipping costs included it would have cost me £650, I literally couldn't believe my luck, I emailed her instantly and snapped her hand off for it, I felt like the wait had truly been worth it.</div>
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Fast forward a week or two later and it arrived, boxed and wrapped in tissue was the dress bag containing 'the one', I couldn't wait to get home from work to try her on.</div>
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The minute I stepped through the door I ran straight to our bedroom and popped my feet through, the lace was so soft and delicate, I remember my heart racing and just wanted to look in the mirror to see what I saw the first time I tried it on.</div>
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This time I studied every detail of the dress, the vintage cap sleeves, subtle beading, low scoop back and the train.. the train, I didn't realise quite how much I loved it, but I knew it was definitely something special and I was finally wearing it!</div>
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I still to this day look at my dress and love it so much, I'd worked hard on ensuring it fitted me well and after a few hard months of diet and exercise, along with an incredibly talented seamstress, wearing it on our wedding day, I honestly never felt so amazing. </div>
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Now its time for you to find your perfect dress..</div>
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I learnt a few things along the way & I feel like after sharing my journey, that it is my duty to share these with you!</div>
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<li style="text-align: center;">Keep an open mind</li>
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Even though I personally pretty much knew the style I wanted to go for, this isn't always going to mean thats what is going to suit you, I was fortunate enough to have seen many brides go in and out of the fitting room with an idea in there minds and 9 times out of 10 they would walk away with the one style they had said they would never try on.</div>
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Bridal gowns are totally different to regular dresses and what you may expect in your head to look good on your particular frame may be the total opposite!</div>
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Pick around 5-8 dresses, throw in a wild card or two and you never know what you may fall in love with!</div>
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<li style="text-align: center;">Budget</li>
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To me this is SO important, its very easy to get carried away when it comes to weddings and you can easily stumble into a trap of spending far much more than you ever intended to.<br />
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The best way you ensure you stick to your price bracket is to only try dresses within this, don't be tempted to try a dress you love the look of if its £3000 as you'll probably fall in love with it, they always say you want what you can't have! </div>
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Be totally honest with the stylist and let them know your maximum and that you don't wish to exceed it, in my experience, most boutiques are usually pretty good with this.</div>
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You also need to factor alterations into your budget, you may have a separate allowance for this, however a lot of bride-to-be's forget about the need to have the dress fitted to you once you have purchased it.</div>
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This can cost anywhere between £100-£400+.</div>
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Of course it depends on the seamstresses individual pricing & the level of detail that is required to alter your dress, generally most dresses will need to be taken in/out up/down for them to fit you well & in some cases you may want to add additional details, i.e buttons, extra material for coverage of an area you may want to hide away, extra support around the boobs, the list goes on, and if you don't add this into the budget of your dress you may be shocked at the final bill, so it is always good to factor this in right from the beginning.</div>
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Speak with your stylist about alteration costs once you have chosen your dress but not before you make a final decision and hand over your hard earned money!</div>
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One thing I would see a lot of is brides with no concept of time, if you are going to be purchasing your dress via a bridal boutique, these are usually (unless you go down the sample sale route) made to order and designers generally have a lead time around 6-9 months per dress, which means ideally you'll be trying on your dress around a year before your wedding date.<br />
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I know this may sound like a crazy length of time but you need to factor a few things into this..</div>
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1 - Finding your dress, this could be the first appointment or ten stores later.</div>
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2. Designers lead time.</div>
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3. Fittings and alterations once the dress has arrived into the boutique from the designer.</div>
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This can take around 1-3 visits to get right, you are usually working to the seamstresses/boutiques schedules so if there are other people in line it can take up to 3 months until your dress is completely ready for you to wear on the big day! </div>
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Make sure you give yourself plenty of time so you aren't fretting over something that is one of the most enjoyable parts of planning your wedding. </div>
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I find this word so funny, it makes you sound like such a diva, but if theres one diva in the room you want it to be you and not your over opinionated third cousin. </div>
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Really think about who's advice means the most to you, the last thing you want is a room full of divided opinions on whether or not you look better in a full ball gown or if baroque lace makes you look like a granny. </div>
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I would suggest taking your Mum/Mother In Law, if this is someone you feel comfortable listening to (we all know what some parents can be like eek!) and 2 of your closest friends or family members.</div>
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The advice they give you needs to be valuable and honest but equally these people need to know that ultimately the final decision is yours and you need to feel your best and fully supported by them!</div>
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Also, its ok to go it alone, personally my favourite dress experiences were the appointments I went by myself, I totally knew that my decision would be made by me and only me and I didn't want anything else to sway that, and if thats you then go for it, don't feel pressured by friends and family into inviting them if you don't want to! </div>
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My final tip is to imagine what you want your husband to feel when you walk down the aisle towards him, this is something I really wanted to portray in my dress.</div>
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I wanted him to say "wow" and see me in something that took his breath away, that doesn't mean you have to go for something totally out of your comfort zone, if anything I'd say stay true to the person you are, thats who he fell in love with in the first place, but just amp it up a little.</div>
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Think of what your favourite part of you, your fiancé loves the most, and maybe play on these areas a little more, if you know he loves your butt maybe go for something with a low back so his eyes are drawn to this area, ultimately this day is about the two of you and the person you want to impress the most is him, so as much as its making the right decision for you its about making him feel included in the little details too!</div>
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I really hope you've enjoyed this weeks post, I feel like I've tried to cover as many of the important aspects of finding your dress as possible, however if you have any other questions feel free to leave me a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram: @frankieameliaxo and I'll be more than happy to answer them for you! </div>
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See you on the 20th for the next Wedding Wednesday instalment, </div>
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lots of love Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-67187180144915518492019-01-23T01:14:00.001-08:002019-02-18T03:47:41.466-08:00Our Wedding - The Venue - Decor <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This post has been a few months in the making, and something I've been wanting to share with you all for a while now but figured I would wait until the new wedding season was upon us, so that any bride-to-be's getting married this year could use our wedding for inspiration (if they so wished).</div>
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Over the next few Wednesdays I'm planning on sharing with you the finer details behind our big day, how we saved those all important pennies (and where I suggest spending them) and all the beautiful photos from our perfect day! </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2ZvFdCwC_k/XEeV8kbKeHI/AAAAAAAAFE4/_H7rYNxKU1QcSP3hodoApBWvPoCtZMurACLcBGAs/s1600/Frankie-and-Sam-Wedding-low-res-1001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="617" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2ZvFdCwC_k/XEeV8kbKeHI/AAAAAAAAFE4/_H7rYNxKU1QcSP3hodoApBWvPoCtZMurACLcBGAs/s1600/Frankie-and-Sam-Wedding-low-res-1001.jpg" /></a></div>
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So lets start at the beginning.. Our venue was somewhere we pretty much knew we were going to get married before we even started thinking about getting engaged.</div>
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Sam's Uncle had gotten married there a few years prior and we just absolutely loved the feel of their day, the relaxed vibe of the barn with soft fairy lights and lots of natural rustic decor was so up our street and that meant we visited them again ourselves in the winter time of 2016.</div>
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We popped along to a wedding open day they were holding and quickly remembered just how much we loved it in the first place, we quickly placed our deposit and booked our date for 28th June 2018 at The Plough Barn in Leigh, Kent.</div>
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We chose our wedding day to be on a Thursday, this was mainly down to our budget and one way we saved a large chunk of our money, from switching from a weekend to a weekday we saved a significant amount, which meant we could use this money elsewhere, this is definitely something I would recommend if you are wanting to save those £'s.</div>
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Initially we had worried this would put people off of attending our day but every single person we invited attended, and we figured along the way, anyone who wanted to be there would try to make it, however one tip would be to give your guests plenty of notice so they can book any holiday off work in time!</div>
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We also gave ourselves one full year and 6 months to save for our day and to ensure we could manageably save enough each month to have things the way we wanted them.</div>
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Personally for us this time frame worked best as we lead very normal lives with average salaries and having a slightly longer time frame just gave us peace of mind, so if you're in no rush then theres no harm in booking your date slightly further in the future.</div>
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The next 18 months I lived vicariously through other wedding blogs, watched every YouTube video on others wedding planning processes and, of course, had a Pinterest board for every wedding item you could imagine.</div>
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In my head I had envisioned very early on, a very simple decor theme of white with subtle hints of greenery and gold.</div>
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The barn itself did a lot of the talking so I wanted to keep it very understated, we opted for a round head table so we could face everyone we loved the most and then longer rectangular tables for the guests so they could converse easily.</div>
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I knew I wanted the Chiavari chairs the moment I saw them on a Pinterest photo and luckily the venue worked with a supplier that stocked the exact colour I had envisioned, we had to pay a little extra for them, but I totally think they were worth the spend and finished off the look beautifully.</div>
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The table decor was something I had fussed about in my head for months and months and on the day before the wedding we had to totally re-arrange our original plans due to my lovely friend and florist being stuck in another country, meaning we had to last minute pick up a few floral table runners from <a href="https://www.gingerray.co.uk/decorative-white-flower-garland-rustic-country.html" target="_blank">Ginger Ray </a>rather than the eucalyptus garlands I had originally planned! </div>
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They weren't totally what I had in my mind but on the day they looked lovely and I was so pleased with how it had turned out considering we had such a short turn around on them, we finished them off by weaving a selection of <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/candles-candle-holders/fenomen-unscented-block-candle-set-of-5-natural-art-80377937/" target="_blank">Fenomen pillar Ikea candles</a> & <a href="https://www.therange.co.uk/home-furnishings/candles-and-home-fragrances/candles/elegance-mercury-candle/#154399" target="_blank">mercury glass votives from The Range</a> in between the garlands which gave such a lovely finish and soft lighting. </div>
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The place names we purchased from a website called <a href="https://vmbespoke.com/" target="_blank">VM Bespoke</a>, whichI originally found via Instagram, they do amazing laser cut wooden pieces in lots of different font styles, we opted for the 'script' font, in natural wood as this made them slightly cheaper when ordering and then we sprayed them with a gold spray paint which I picked up at our local DIY store for around £10.</div>
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The rosemary was a little touch I'd seen on Pinterest, which was kindly picked from my sister-in-laws rosemary bush at her home and I thought it finished off the look just perfectly, it also meant we didn't waste any money on something that essentially would've been thrown away at the end of the day! </div>
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We added a few paper lanterns in amongst the fairy lights above the tables, we bought them in different sizes to scatter around, which added a softness to the wooden barn beams, these were again really in-exspensive, & we purchased most of them in bulk on Amazon.</div>
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Our table plan was made very last minute, this was one of the DIY jobs that I couldn't quite get my head around exactly how I wanted it to be, initially the plan was to purchase a giant mirror or frame and have the names hand calligraphy written onto the glass, however sourcing a large mirror on a budget wasn't as easy as I thought & in the end I ended up picking up some garden trellis and painting it white, adding one of the Ginger Ray garlands to the top and making the table plan cards out of a template on PicMonkey.</div>
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I used the <a href="https://www.picmonkey.com/template/botanical-wedding" target="_blank">Botanical Wedding</a> on their template section and then added the names of the guests for the tables, this I then printed onto some lovely watercolour card which made it look as if the greenery had been hand painted & attached these onto the trellis using little gold clips.</div>
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I was so happy with how it turned out and we've kept all the individual table cards in our wedding memory box at home! </div>
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<a href="https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/mache-kit-letters-mr--mrs-19cm/580297-1001" target="_blank"> Mr & Mrs Letters</a>, <a href="https://www.gingerray.co.uk/wedding-post-box-rustic-country.html" target="_blank">Wedding Cards Postbox</a>, <a href="https://katieloxton.com/guestbook-guest" target="_blank">Katie Loxton Guestbook</a>.</div>
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All the little crafty DIY aspects of the wedding were so much fun to make, and it gave me such enjoyment each evening to sit and craft, seeing all the projects I'd worked on over the months before the wedding on the day was amazing and knowing I could keep them all once it was over with made it even better. </div>
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When we visited the open wedding day at The Plough they had an incredible photo booth vendor and it made us totally fall in love with the idea of having somewhere guests could take group photos, silly photos or just photos they could simply pop on Instagram, however when it came down to budget we had simply spent too much elsewhere and thats where the DIY came into play again, the little props we picked up from Ginger Ray and also The Range, I made the little wooden 'Oh Snap' sign from an MDF board which we stained with a wood varnish and then using a white paint pen, I simply hand wrote what I wanted it to say.</div>
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The frame was one I found in a charity shop for £5, painted with the same white paint as I used for the table plan and then we found the gold clip fairy lights in our local Home Sense, we glued them onto the back of the frame and weaved them so that our guests could hang the polaroids we provided. </div>
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This was one of my favourite ideas as we have all the little polaroids in a box in our living room and I love going through them occasionally, I think I will find a frame large enough to have them all on display one day in our house so our guests can see them when they come over too! </div>
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The eucalyptus garland made a lovely backdrop for the outdoor area of the barn, the rings were simple wreath rings that I cut down to individual circles and the faux eucalyptus I picked up again, from Home Sense, I attached it with some green florist wire and then used fishing line to attach them all together, it took a few hours and was really simple to make. </div>
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So thats everything for my first Wedding post, I have LOVED reliving our day and cannot wait to share the rest of it with you all, do let me know if there is anything specific you would like to see over here too! </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0Kent, UK51.2787075 0.5217254000000366450.6418735 -0.76916809999996327 51.9155415 1.8126189000000366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-77565976636764288652018-11-12T05:37:00.000-08:002018-11-12T22:55:17.676-08:00A Whole New Chapter..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Friday 25th January 2008</div>
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Where it all began, the day that changed my life.</div>
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The moment I met you a wave of something new completely overcame me, a zest for something I had never known before, a whole new world was about to become me.</div>
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17 years of age, so young and naive, yet so sure of what I was heading into, from those very early days I knew this was the right person for me, my person. </div>
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Friday 3rd August 2018</div>
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The day that changed our lives forever.</div>
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A whirlwind of years have now passed and we are about to embark on a whole new journey, the journey to a new person, <i><b>our</b> </i>new person. </div>
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I sit here with a lump in my throat writing those words, and I'm sure when I read this back in years to come that lump will be replaced with tears thinking of these early days, currently you are, most likely, sleeping soundly tucked away safely in my tummy, you are around 6.5 inches long, roughly the size of a banana and weigh around 10 ounces.</div>
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You are 'baby' right now but in 5 days time we will know if you are a boy or girl, so many people have asked me "what are you hoping for" and I never thought I'd be one of those women who says they don't care, but when you become a Mum (eek), you really don't care, you know you will love those ten little toes and that tiny button nose regardless of what gender you become to be! </div>
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We are at the half way point on our track to you and let me tell you, its been a tiring road so far.</div>
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You've tested my pateince more times then once with the typical first trimester symptoms, which have continued well past the point of the norm, all I can say is you are definitely my child when it comes to pushing the boundaries and take after your Daddy when it comes to the constant need for filling your belly.</div>
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Little wriggles started about 3 weeks ago, initially what felt like being stroked with a feather developed into more substantial movements and now I can feel you moving around much stronger than before.</div>
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I cannot wait for your Daddy to finally feel those hands and toes like I have done for a while now and knowing you can hear our voices is so exciting, even though we are pretty crazy behind closed doors, you are the one who gets to know our wild side when we're cooking dinner in the evenings or snuggling on the sofa, just us 3! </div>
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We have started collecting some things for you and for your nursery too, the place you will call your own when you are here in our world, however you have some competition on your hands to fight off your little fur baby sister who has claimed your room as her own.</div>
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You have so much to learn and see, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, who are all so excited to meet you, and we have so much to learn in the run up to meeting you too.</div>
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It still doesn't quite feel like this is really happening to us, we have wanted you for so long, soon we will have you here and this post will feel like a distant memory, but for now know how much we love you and how much we will continue to love you so - Mum & Dad x<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com3Kent, UK51.2787075 0.5217254000000366450.6418735 -0.76916809999996327 51.9155415 1.8126189000000366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-32479078755775353542018-07-23T01:10:00.000-07:002018-11-12T06:14:02.048-08:00Current Home Decor Lust List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: center;">L I V I N G R O O M</span></div>
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If you couldn't tell from these overly pastel heavy images that I'm currently digging blush pink and eucalyptus green then I'm telling you right now.. I'm obsessed, throw in a few gold elements and you've pretty much got my dream home decor in a nutshell! </div>
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The blush velvet cushion from Tom Dixon is just so beautiful to pair with our grey chaise in our living room & with the Oliver Bonas lamp they're just the match to go with some lovely little copper side tables too, that I've had my eye on, this whole little set up just goes so perfectly together in my head, I could just imagine myself chilling here in the evenings with the cats, Samuel & a cup of tea.. </div>
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Also just how beautiful is this Perch and Parrow mirror, I spotted it on <a href="http://www.hello-october.com/2017/06/weve-moved.html" target="_blank">Suzie's</a> blog and have been obsessed ever since.<br />
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<i>Jo Malone Candle: <a href="http://www.jomalone.co.uk/product/11563/27607/fragrances/the-collections/floral/peony-blush-suede/peony-blush-suede-home-candle?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-ShoppingFeed-_-Floral-_-PeonyBlushSuede&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4vzKBRCtARIsAM3l8ODJhVWC-YbzCh5BuaIph5yEkmu6y-Z73QPKgig3v3-Rb_zwb7Dt0IgaAhzfEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLzE5eyO-NQCFdQw0wodCJYJ_g" target="_blank">Peony & Blush Suede</a> / Mirror: <a href="https://www.perchandparrow.com/accessories/millicent-mirror#product-detail" target="_blank">Perch and Parrow</a> / Palm Photo Holder: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/palm-leaf-photo-holder-48665" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Blush Mohair Velvet Cushion: <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/tom-dixon-deco-mohair-velvet-cushion-60cm_280-3002088-DECU01PIN/" target="_blank">Tom Dixon</a> / Pink Lamp:<a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/pink-table-lamp-with-marble-base-39310#selection=color:Pink__69" target="_blank"> Oliver Bonas</a> / Greenery Print: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/among-the-leaves-wall-art-54669" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Ecelctic Candle Trio: <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/tom-dixon-gift-set-of-three-scent-candles_280-3002088-SCE03GS/" target="_blank">Tom Dixon</a></i></div>
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K I T C H E N </div>
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In the kitchen there is no exception to the colour palette I'm coveting, this time I'm incorporating touches of blue with this gorgeous Zara Home Vase, and my literal fave dream homeware item; the SagexHestonBlumenthal coffee machine, we have a Delonghi machine currently, and its been something I've always said we would upgrade on in the future years & I'm feeling like that time might be nearing, ever the coffee lovers in this household our current machine doesn't quite deliver the right shot .. get it ;) but seriously this one by Sage is just so goddamn perfect & those clear espresso glasses <i>heart eye emoji </i>drool.</div>
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Another item I've been thinking of switching up for a while now is our dining table, we bought a really lovely large wooden one from a family friend a few years ago, shabby chic'd it up & I loved it for so long, but my style has evolved and the romantic white wood phase has gone with it, I'm loving the idea of more industrial style furniture and the style of the one below from Next is more up my street, I just need to think of what style chairs I would mix it with, or if I would go for benches, what would you go for? </div>
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<i>Double Wall Espresso Glasses: <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/bodum-pavina-double-wall-glass-350ml_244-72048697-455910/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-HOMETECH-_-BODUM&$$&_$ja=tsid:35948%7Ccid:196730614%7Cagid:10765184974%7Ctid:aud-86322337783:pla-293946777986%7Ccrid:39739644334%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:3513100961380211949%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1o5&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4vzKBRCtARIsAM3l8OA9oM8xn0RIFOscwMcAPaE5kS0ztBXG_cKMB4JAHk_v8R5lsphUyc8aAvsCEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Bodom</a> / Love You More Mugs: <a href="http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0397453007.html#Light%20pink" target="_blank">H&M Home</a> / Hardwick Metal Dining Table: <a href="http://www.next.co.uk/g75640s3#434807" target="_blank">Next Home</a> / Gold Metal Trivet: <a href="http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0465145001.html" target="_blank">H&M Home</a> / Blue Blown Glass Vase: <a href="https://www.zarahome.com/gb/blue-striped-blown-glass-vase/blue-striped-blown-glass-vase-c0p300031729.html" target="_blank">Zara Home</a> / Coffee Machine: <a href="https://www.johnlewis.com/sage-by-heston-blumenthal-barista-express-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine-with-temperature-control-milk-jug-stainless-steel/p2267464?sku=234865235&s_kwcid=2dx92700018956299488&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4vzKBRCtARIsAM3l8OCO8BvtCGmWFKSjmdB_7Y5J6pZYBvxsWRFMo5blLS7YrmunoMmEww4aAqotEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">SagexHestonBlumenthal</a> / Palm Print Plate: <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/bloomingville-pacific-jade-stoneware-plate_306-3002674-21106758/" target="_blank">Bloomingville</a> / Jade & Gold Cup: <a href="http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0455385001.html#Dusky%20green" target="_blank">H&M Home</a> / Blush Place Mats: <a href="http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0446084008.html#Dusky%20pink" target="_blank">H&M Home</a> </i></div>
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B E D R O O M</div>
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Lastly, we have the bedroom, now this has to be the most unloved room out in our little flat, which is surprising for me.</div>
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Having always favoured the bedroom as one of my personal favourite rooms in our homes, since we moved to our current property I just don't feel like I've ever connected to it.</div>
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Its a pretty pokey room with a bedside table, bed and a built in wardrobe at the end of it, so were talking a tiny room to make 'pretty' but I'm making it my summer mission to beautify our small space and make me fall in love with it before we part ways onto something bigger & better.</div>
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As the room is painted white I thought adding some colour on the few walls we have with this gorgeous <a href="https://www.wayfair.co.uk/Art-Group-Palm-Leaves-by-Summer-Thornton-Painting-Print-APET2265.html?ds=101282" target="_blank">palm print</a> would really liven the space up and adding some texture with the most perfect pink wool knit throw from Saint Wools, would make the room feel cosy and lived in.</div>
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One furniture peice I definitely want to replace at some point is the bedside table, as we have space for just the one I though making it a statement piece would be the right thing to do and I absolutely love this gold and marble version from Oliver Bonas! </div>
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<i>Blush Mohair Cushion: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/round-sheepskin-cushion-46865" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Gold and Pink Heart Print: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/heart-of-stone-foiled-wall-art-46682" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Palm Print: <a href="https://www.wayfair.co.uk/Art-Group-Palm-Leaves-by-Summer-Thornton-Painting-Print-APET2265.html?ds=101282" target="_blank">Wayfair</a> / Gold Triangle Hanging Mirror: <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/metal-edge-triangle-mirror/p/p60113200?&pdpredirect" target="_blank">Marks & Spencer</a> / Pink Chunky Knit Throw: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/469474500/pink-blanket-blue-chunky-knit-blanket?ref=shop_home_active_19" target="_blank">Saint Wools</a> / </i></div>
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<i>Grey Velvet Love Seat: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/furniture/velvet-love-tub-489#selection=color:Dusk__413" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Gold & Marble Side Table: <a href="https://www.oliverbonas.com/furniture/mica-side-table-46777" target="_blank">Oliver Bonas</a> / Spa Reed Diffuser: <a href="http://www.thewhitecompany.com/Spa-Restore-Diffuser/p/RVDDI?cm_mmc=GProductFeed-_-UK_PLA_GEN_RLSA_Skincare-_-skincare-_-RVDDINNA&ProGrpCode=AQ936&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4vzKBRCtARIsAM3l8OAY60v0qmpwtuYXN5YpUSHvxabbBfEvEyFPmh5ea3YcJAFUxGv7macaAnD_EALw_wcB" target="_blank">The White Company</a> / Marble Trinket Box: <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/marble-print-large-trinket-box/p/p60113378?prevPage=srp" target="_blank">Marks & Spencer</a></i></div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-27955312420642218802017-07-26T00:06:00.000-07:002017-07-26T00:06:26.495-07:00The Ivy - Chelsea Garden, London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Famously known for filling the bellies of some very well known names, it has been on my list to visit for many years, so I finally booked a visit to The Ivy, Chelsea Garden!</span></div>
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Upon arrival we were greeted by a lovely lady who showed us to our table, I personally love the idea of being greeted at the door and shown to your designated table, its touches like this that make you feel as if they go the extra mile for your visit. </div>
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Myself and Sarah both perused the menus, some beautiful treats were laid out before our eyes and I truly found it hard to choose what to go for, ever the cake connoisseur, I of course settled on the 'Ivy, Afternoon Tea".</div>
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Priced at £19.75, I thought this was absolutely incredible, especially for the area in which the restaurant is situated, and in comparison to other places I have eaten at, however it is only served between 3-5pm so do bear that in mind if you are planning a trip there and have a time frame! </div>
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Served upon perfectly quaint silverware, the afternoon tea offers some delectable little savouries, namely the truffled chicken brioche, which was absolutely incredible and I could have devoured many of these, the smoked salmon, cream and chive on rye bread was also heavenly, however a very strong flavour so 100% pack some breath mints in your handbag that day ;) </div>
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Onto the sweet treats, the warm fruited scones were literally pure heaven, they came with fresh strawberries, cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve, you could tell they were freshly baked with each person ordering, as they were still warm when I finally got around to eating them.</div>
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Among the scones we were served a fresh raspberry cheesecake, a chocolate and salted caramel mousse, also heavenly and incredibly lightweight (these would be dangerous if placed in my fridge as you almost feel as if you are eating delicate chocolate air.. <i>calorific</i>, delicate chocolate air mind).</div>
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Lastly, a creme brûlée doughnut, again very lightweight and easy on the lips! </div>
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Served with a selection of teas, infusions and coffees you are spoilt for choice, however a downfall is that you only had one choice of hot drink with the food, a shame as I felt like I could've sampled many different flavours and admittedly I have never come across this within other restaurants serving afternoon tea, namely the Sanderson, here you can choose from an array of teas and are unlimited to your hearts tea drinking content.</div>
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That being said, The Ivy Afternoon Blend was absolutely delicious, I would've just preferred slightly a little more.</div>
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Upon writing this review I felt impelled to explain something, the food at The Ivy is absolutely beautiful, you cannot possibly fault it, and if I was writing a review solely on the food I would rate it highly.</div>
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However, my recollection of the visit was left with a sour taste, the restaurant service is incredibly slow and poor, I felt as if the tables were overbooked and the staff over worked. </div>
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It seemingly has a very relaxed vibe as you walk through the doors and this is very quickly diminished by the wait time to finally be served from your tables, don't get me wrong the staff weren't in anyway rude, just inattentive.</div>
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For the food alone, this place is definitely worth a try, just bare in mind if you are there for a relaxed casual dining setting then this will be perfect for you as the ambience is very relaxed, however if you are there for a lunch meeting, or to simply dine and leave then you may be there for a little longer than you bargained for!</div>
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I would definitely reconsider visiting again, however this time I think I would order a meal from the dining selection of the menu as I did find myself eyeing up many of the other tables around me, the steaks looked absolutely divine so I may give it one more shot in the future, however for now I would be happy to try out somewhere slightly different in London for more afternoon tea style lunches, than The Ivy. </div>
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-9622131400326692862017-07-01T04:51:00.000-07:002017-07-01T14:27:06.367-07:00Let's Go Through My Wedding Pinterest Boards!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Going through my Pinterest wedding boards has been something i've been wanting to do for a while now, and seeing as it is under a year until our big day, I thought now would be the best time to start sharing some wedding content with you over on here on this little corner of the big www.</div>
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To say I'm obsessed with wedding decor would be a <i style="text-decoration: underline;">huge</i> understatement, blush tones are for sure creeping their way into the mix of beautiful clean crisp whites and greenery of foliage!</div>
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Im also loving adding subtle gold tones, especially in dining accessories, I just feel like it adds a really expensive element to the decor without being over the top or too tacky (I hope)!</div>
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Pinning wedding dresses with literally the first thing I did as soon as we got engaged, it's funny, if you go through the board from the beginning of our engagement and scroll to the top you can see the transitions of dress styles that I thought I would've gone for and pretty much everything I pinned is completely different to the style of dress i've actually ended up with! </div>
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I absolutely adore the top dress in this post, the most beautiful Sarah Seven 2 Piece, the embellished crop top with the soft A-line bridal skirt is just the absolute dream, but unfortunately my world consists of far too many slices of cake and Starbucks frappe's so crop was definitely not the way forward in this girls world, therefore I started to broaden my outlook on styles and absolutely obsessed over more floaty feminine styles, tulle and lace are just perfect wedding dreaminess and this is something I will forever miss trying on.. gone are the days of swishing around bridal boutiques swooning over dresses, however I am very excited for the day I get to wear my chosen dress, can you tell? </div>
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Flowers are a hard one, theres just so many styles to choose from & you have to then co-ordinate that with your wedding decor, dress, bridesmaid dress etc etc the list is literally endless and getting it right is what I've been trying to perfect over the last few months & I'm feeling like I'm potentially failing on this one right now, I really love the idea of tying the blush tones into the boquets using soft roses, peonies, carnations & mixing them with white tones and keeping everything minimal and delicate!</div>
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Another idea I've toyed around with is all white flowers which I just think looks so crisp and fresh, with just a little greenery on show from the stems, however I think its about time I bit the bullet and made an appointment with a florist to discuss my options rather than swooning over pinterest photos all day. </div>
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... And finally, Bridesmaid dresses, how beautiful are the sequin gold dresses, I would absolutely love to have gone with something like this, but I feel like they don't sit right with the look of our day, however, I still love them & looking through Pinterest my eye literally constantly gravitates to blush tones.</div>
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I love the look of blush with the soft white bridal tones and feel like everything will tie so perfectly together with this shade, however it is a <i>pretty </i>popular colouring right now and I'm always someone who likes to stray from the norm so this whole palette could change drastically overnight ahh! </div>
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I really hope you enjoyed having a little look through my Wedding Day Pinterest boards, it feels so nice to share with you all some of the details of what our day might look like & if anyone else is currently planning their big day, leave me a comment so we can chat everything weddings as I feel like Sam may get sick of me before the day arrives haha! </div>
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There is also a video version of this blog post up on my YouTube channel if you would like to see some more content like this..</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-27820195160323292322017-06-28T00:32:00.000-07:002019-02-26T04:07:11.984-08:00What its like to live with hypochondria.. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So its been a long tough few months and I feel like right now is the time I should share whats been happening in my life.. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Around the beginning of the year I started to develop some scary symptoms, sharp stabbing brain pains, constant nausea, loss of feeling in my arms & legs (completely terrifying) & feeling like I was so run down I could barely function.. fast forward to many doctors visits later and a diagnosis of chronic sinusitis, I thought a simple dose of antibiotics would clear it up and i'd be on my merry way, how wrong I was! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Its been a long journey, with so many varying symptoms in the last five months that I have started to believe this simply couldn't be sinusitis, everyday seems like a battle as to how i'm going to feel that day & what the world could possibly throw at me, alongside this it has totally flared up my health anxiety and as a </span>consequence<span style="font-family: inherit;"> has also flared my 'hypochondria' tendencies up along with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who are unsure what Hypochondria is, the definition is: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><b>abnormal chronic anxiety about ones health</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, to put it bluntly, it basically means my abnormally overactive brain constantly believes I have something seriously life </span>threateningly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> wrong with me.</span></div>
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The reason why I wanted to discuss this on my blog today was because of the constant taboo that comes with hypochondria, i've had so many people laugh at me calling me a hypochondriac over the years & the fact its flared its ugly head once again, has made me want to step up and take control over peoples misconceptions of this, quite frankly, shit mental disease.</div>
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Anxiety is hard enough in itself, chronic anxiety is something else, imagine your entire days being filled with dread of what your mind might conjure up next, living day to day via Google frantically trying to find out what is wrong with you (this very thing could be how you ended up on this post) and believing you need to dial 111 at any given moment & imagine this being all completely made up by your overactive mind.</div>
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I want to give anyone out there reading this who may feel debilitated by this, hope, hope that there is a light at the end of a dark grey tunnel of cloudy judgement, hope that you will get through this bad patch of uncertainty, and finally hope that you will believe one day there is nothing wrong with you other than an over functioning mental state & that it will go away, I promise you will feel better with time! </div>
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I also want to dedicate this post to those out there who have mocked hypochondria before and accept that sometimes the mental capabilities of your own brain aren't those of others and to be patient, kind and supportive, a little really goes a long way & we will thank you more than you can imagine! </div>
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Frankie x</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-28885882942356345112017-02-12T08:07:00.000-08:002017-02-12T08:07:51.229-08:00mask sundays <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mask Sundays is something that i've been doing for the past few weeks without even intending too, every weekend I go to my beauty stash and pull out the latest addition to my collection and slather it all over my face until I'm contempt that you can no longer see any actual part of my real face!<br />
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This week was a treat from the Lush Kitchen, the Oatifix fresh face mask, first things first, it smells absolutely delicious, you genuinely feel like you could pick this up and scrape it out as your sunday breakfast (post hangover?) and feel pretty damn happy with how good it tastes!<br />
In all seriousness though DO NOT EAT IT!<br />
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Oatifix contains all the fresh goodness you would expect from Lush and is packed full of amazing skincare benefits including illipe butter which reduces redness, a HUGE problem I suffer with so this is straight up my street. along with bananas, crushed almonds and of course oats, these all combined allow you to have super soft and nourished skin.<br />
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The ingredients are also great if you are a dry skin sufferer i.e: myself, As many of you may know if you've read my blog or watched my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/3wildxx" target="_blank">YouTube</a> videos for a while now, I suffer from really dry/flaky & dehydrated skin, something that I battle with on a daily basis and this was the main reason I picked up Oatifix & I can confirm it really does nourish and replump my lack lustre face, however I would say be very careful with how much you exfoliate this off after use as it did make my face a little sore as the almonds can be quite abrasive, especially if you suffer from sensitive/dry skin.<br />
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The actual feel of my face after using this was soft and supple, you could really see and feel the difference in my skin, after the initial soreness of over exfoliating this off had calmed down, you could really see and feel that the mask had done its work, my skin was much brighter and significantly soothed and less aggravated, makeup went on so much easier and lasted longer throughout the day too!<br />
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I would definitely recommend trying Oatifix out if you have similar skin to mine or if you are just looking for a great weekly mask that can be doubled up as an exfoliator too & the best part of it is the price, at £6.75 it is such an affordable product that its so worth heading to your local lush for!<br />
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-56482482938457235592017-02-07T03:00:00.000-08:002017-02-07T03:00:11.853-08:00so, its time to plan your wedding <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Myself & my Fiancé Samuel have been engaged now for a little over a year and a half, some may think this is quite a while, some may be thinking its way too soon to start planning a wedding, but hey were doing it and we have a little over a year left until the big day!<div>
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Once you have been engaged for a while the fuzzy warm feeling soon passes and the realisation that you have A LOT to plan, make, organise, do etc becomes very overwhelming and you may catch yourself in a huge ball of WTF, so before you find yourself drowning in taffetta and confetti, grab yourself a cup of tea, glass of wine, maybe even grab the bottle and have a read through my advice & tips for brides to be.. </div>
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<b>Theme</b></div>
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This might not seem like the obvious choice for where to begin your planning but it can actually help more so than you think!</div>
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We wanted a 'rustic barn theme' so that whittled a lot of potential venues down and made the start of planning a whole lot easier once we had decided a theme!</div>
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There are a lot of different choices and styles for wedding themes, personally we kept our choice true to our personalities, but if you are struggling for ideas, Pinterest is the best place for a whole ton of theme inspo! </div>
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<b>Venue</b></div>
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You've chosen your theme, this is where the fun happens and you can finally go and visit your potential venues!</div>
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We settled on the first and only venue we saw purely because it just felt right, but you may be a very indecisive person and struggle with choosing the 'perfect' venue, have a look at local venues to you, fitting within your theme: i.e 'rustic barn weddings in Kent'..</div>
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I suggest whittling the list down to your favourite 3-5 venues and view those only to begin with, just to not over complicate things.</div>
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Liase as much as you can with the wedding planners that are dedicated to those venues and search for someone who is helpful, yet assertive as you know she/he will get shit done on your big day! </div>
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<b>How you gonna do it?</b></div>
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Now this relates purely to how you are as a person, are you someone who loves being crafty? </div>
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Are you a super organised person who has to have every single things absolutely perfect and wont have it any other way? </div>
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Maybe you're super relaxed, yet know what you want and will happily hand everything over to a wedding co-ordinator? </div>
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Having your decision on how your going to go forward with the whole experience is invaluable, personally I have struggled to decide how much control I want over the day, i'm a complete perfectionist & also very crafty, but how much homemade is too much homemade.. </div>
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<b>Budget</b></div>
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This is one of the most important aspects of the entire day, and will also help you decide the last section, do you have an unlimited budget and money is no object when it comes to your big day or are you a budget bride and saving every month to have the wedding of your dreams (yep I'm the latter)!</div>
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Sit down with your fiancé and grab a notebook and draft out every single thing you want to be a part of your wedding day and a rough estimate of how much you want to spend on each of those things, total them up and work out if that is an achievable amount for you to spend on the day itself, this is more for the bride who has a budget but it helps either way as it will just set you out for exactly where you need to be savings wise! </div>
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Once you have totalled everything up divide this out over the number of months before your big day (minus the month before as most vendors expect payment upfront around 3-4 weeks before the wedding date) and this will be the amount you need to put aside every month! e.g £5670 <span style="background-color: white;">÷ 15 months = £378 per month!</span></div>
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With our estimation's we made them slightly more expensive then we would expect to be paying, therefore allowing us to save extra and then use anything left over to go towards our honeymoon, savings, houses etc etc!</div>
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<b>Don't sweat the small stuff</b></div>
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I know this probably sounds so much easier said than done, so I went to Facebook and asked fellow brides and brides to be, the all important question, what advice do you have for us wedding planners?</div>
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The feedback I had back was invaluable and the majority of ladies said "not to worry so much over the day at hand & to enjoy it!</div>
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Don't worry about others expectations, who to invite (it really is who YOU both want there, not who is expected to be invited), who will and wont sit with who and all the other little niggly things we know and expect that come with wedding planning!</div>
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Instead celebrate the enjoyment of the build up, cherish the engagement photos with your partner, have girly evenings with a bottle of wine making table decorations, invites and bouquets, browse pinterest and dream up your perfect wedding day and then take all the inspo you can and turn it into your own take on those beautifully edited photos!</div>
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Wedding planning is hard, and hell i'm a long way off of even being close to the finish line yet, but i'm definitely taking as much advice and help along the way I can and I hope that i've helped you in the process too! </div>
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Let me know about your own wedding plans, ideas & what you have in place already, i'd love to hear all about your stories and make some fellow wedding planning friends! </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-59269226322894047802017-02-05T02:00:00.000-08:002017-02-05T02:00:19.731-08:00the life of a twenty-something millenial<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Did you ever hear your parents say "I wish I could go back to school, I wish id done enough" and think NAH, no you don't, and then hobble back to your bedroom with MSN nudges chiming in the background with a little giggle under your breath?<br />
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Well fast forward about 13 years later, sitting in living room of the flat I share with my wonderful fiancé & life partner of 9 years, the world at my feet & here I am saying those exact words my Mum mentioned to me when I was that aggy teenager and think "DAMN GIRL you were fucking right"!<br />
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My twenties have been a constant slur of feeling like *that girl* who's on a constant merry go round, waking up in the morning feeling like i'm going to own the world & be the next #GIRLBOSS, to then crying into my bubble bath, being a complete sap of life.<br />
Its been a constant slur of emotions of negativity, positivity, frustration and pure un-adultness and not knowing exactly where I want to take my life, I have career aspirations, personal life goals and also the odd occasion of wanting to divulge an entire galaxy caramel bar and ngaf!<br />
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For those of you who follow my blog, you'll maybe also know that I make YouTube videos & this is something that is a HUGE passion of mine, I absolutely love it, but that also doesn't go without saying that is really bloody hard to feel a part of a community that you are equally so distant from, having a conversation with my mum the other day made me realise how much we have come to depend on instant gratification from the likes of social media 'influencers' alike and how we thrive off of a world we have absolutely no true understanding of!<br />
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I lay awake till sometimes 3am at night, scrolling my feeds & pulling my screen down numerous times every ten minutes, with the hopes of a new subscriber, a few more instagram followers and tweets in my notification box, realising i don't quite live the life of the other girls on my feeds, a holiday to the Maldives? YEP hand me the ticket please, Gucci Dionysus, i'll have one of those to make my outfit posts trend!<br />
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Life as a Millennial is a constant battle of trying to live your normal life and do you, whilst living your life through a lens of other peoples and constantly measuring yourself up with the hopes of living that life one day!<br />
Now I'm totally not knocking this life, its the life I want, of course it is, I'm blogging for fun and I make videos for the love of doing so, but u wanna hand me a paycheque for that too so I can go shopping for some new Haul content, sure!<br />
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Its a constant battle of fear of never being good enough, even re-reading this blog post right now, I'm worrying is this content good enough?<br />
Never matching up to those you aspire and follow every day of your life, never feeling quite like your content reaches that level like those bloggers you see in the hammocks on beaches on insta, but thats ok! thats really fucking ok!<br />
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We are human, we are normal everyday people, who live everyday normal lives and thats ok!<br />
I want this post to be motivation for your day, motivation to get up and hug your partners, hug your cats/dogs, tell your parents you love them & love your damn self, love yourself so hard.<br />
You are good enough, you will always be good enough, have your dreams & push them, push those boundaries so hard they might break, but know when to take a back seat and chill with that galaxy bar, in the bath if you really fancy and realise there is more to life then relishing in the lives of others achievements!<br />
Realise how far you've come in life and how much more potential you have, do you & do it well!<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0Western Europe46.2021848 1.2643874999999981.2004647999999989 -81.3528 90 83.881575tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-75918353079520201052017-02-03T13:23:00.000-08:002017-02-03T13:32:19.394-08:00an affordable amazing cleanser? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If, like me, you are someone who spends a considerable amount of money on skincare and it all runs out at the same time, leaving your bank card sighing at the thought of yet another contactless payment being run through the till - sound familiar? </div>
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Yep, well that was my life & I knew something had to give as my penchant for Space NK was definitely wearing thin! </div>
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Being a 26 year old with limited funds, yet a love for high-end products left me wondering where exactly I could've taken myself and then one day I stumbled across a Liz Earle counter, now i've seen Cleanse & Polish many a time before, its a product you've probably heard every female and their mother mention atleast once in your lifetime, and you may have even own a bottle or 2 aswell, but me, nope, i'd never even considered trying it.</div>
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I have this thing where, if something is too 'hyped' up I just wont buy it, am I the only person who does this?</div>
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But something this time caught my eye, maybe it was the very significantly lower price tag or the huge bright flash of aqua running in columns along its counter, either way I picked up my bottle and headed over to the till with my bank card squealing with a happy face and brought my first ever bottle.</div>
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Now fast forward about 5/6 months and I've gone through around 3 bottles or so now & still loving it, however i'd been really wanting to go on a skincare splurge, but my ever relenting anxious stomach told me I couldn't, so off I trailed down to boots to pick up a fresh bottle of c&p, this time I thought, seeing as I fancied a change, to go for the Rose & Lavender and very excited by the prospect of feeling like I was trying a new product even though, really it was exactly the same just with a fancy new scent! </div>
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Anyway, I'm totally digressing from the actual reason why you clicked on this post, are you bored yet? If not heres a snippet on the actual cleanser at hand.. </div>
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For a start, the bottle is absolute genius, you literally pump it straight into your hands which makes it so easy and mess free to use, also no wastage which is a win win imo, the cleanser is then dispersed straight into your fingers and onto dry skin you massage the creamy cleanser all over your face, even on the eye area which is amazing for me, as, even though I luuvvvv my skincare, i'm also incredibly bloody lazy and I need a product that removes everything in one go, none of this extra eye makeup remover thanks, so, yes it works wonders with removing all traces of makeup/dirt in one cleanse, however I always like to go in with a second.</div>
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For me the ingredients in this product are just so perfect for what I need in a cleanser, the beeswax & cocoa butter help sooth my dehydrated and dry skin & rosemary oil helps repair, especially if I have a flare up of acne, i'm a picker, and this helps massively reduce the healing time and redness of the actual area - another reason I love it!</div>
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When removing the product, I like to use the (warm) muslin cloths that come with the product as they are gently exfoliating and great at removing any last traces of debris from my face without stripping it or making me feel as if I've literally rubbed sandpaper on my face, or 2-3 times a week i'll add in my Clarisonic for extra cleansing and the two work REALLY well together, my skin feels absolutely amazing, just like I've had a thoroughly good facial!</div>
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Now i'm aware this is a rather rambly post but I feel like this product really deserves all the praise it can get, I really feel like it has transformed my dull, lifeless face into one that is more healthier and radiant, which makes me one chuffed little pea!</div>
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I can safely say that I think Cleanse & Polish will remain a firm staple in my bathroom cabinet for a little while longer, maybe I should delve into trying some more from the brand? </div>
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Do you have any recommendations? Not that I need to add anymore products into my home, but a few more can't help surely? </div>
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-82388748322924861512017-01-26T04:06:00.000-08:002017-08-30T14:50:37.977-07:00Soft Grey Luxe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So with beautiful weather impending on us comes beautifullly light soft hued linens and fabrics to adorn our bedrooms this summer.</div>
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Soft greys and pale heather tones are the pallete of choice, making these colours sumptous and inviting for the long warm nights ahead of us! </div>
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When choosing the perfect linen for summer make it a higher thread count for maximum luxury and immerse yourself into the soft sheets with a lighter tog duvet, 4.5 is the ideal of this time of year keeping you cool and allowing the body to breathe.</div>
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Opting for a lightweight throw, the silk chevron heather throw is the perfect one for adding a touch of colour to the grey tones and is light enough to use as a cover for those warmer nights.</div>
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The linen is the perfect soft grey hue, with the jacquard weave accentuating the design and accompanying grey paisley cushions add a touch of design and darker colour to the palette to tie the look together, the linen is a 470 thread count, making the bespoke bedstead really stand out in its shade of soft lilac/grey Zinc. </div>
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The look is neither feminine nor masculine, making it the ideal for couples who love luxury and elegance but with simplicity to there bedroom design! </div>
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Adding the white linen cushions softens the look making it easier to dress up or down, depending on what sort of look you want to go for! </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adding these beautiful grey and glass lamps, they are the perfect companion for the high headboard of the bedstead, not too outlandish for the design, the soft grey shade looks beautiful lit for a warm tone, or left alone to show the depth of the grey against the bedstead, the glass adds an elegant touch and definitely one of the accessories you would want to show off to welcoming guests! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">What do you think of the soft grey & lilac design, personally I love it! Let me know :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Lots of love, Frankie x </span></div>
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* Paid for post in collaboration with Feather And Black </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-50806966980966564442016-11-08T10:38:00.000-08:002019-02-26T04:07:12.127-08:00the scent of christmas.. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Christmas is my most favourite time of the year, the frosty air, wrapping up warm under blankets, lighting the fire and cosying up on the sofa with a candle lit, watching a traditional christmas movie (Miracle on 34th Street of course!!) </div>
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The Landon Tyler, Scent of Christmas range is just THE most perfect scent for this time of year, the rich smell of Norwegian Spruce, originating from the Spruce tree gives it that fresh winter air smell, Clementines give it a beautiful citrus scent, the same scent you would expect from the wreaths studded with slices of citrus and cinnamon, the clove gives off a warm aroma of spice, spice is something I really consider a poignant status for Christmas time!</div>
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I adore anything with a spice at Christmas, it really makes me feel like its hit that cold point in the air and the holidays are truly nearing, Scent of Christmas is a really lovely strong, warm scent, it packs a punch even without being lit & placing the diffuser in any part of the house, will really give a strong sense of smell throughout.</div>
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Considering these are £8 (candle) & £10 (diffuser) I feel like these are incredible for such a great price point, the packaging is very luxurious, the frosted glass makes the range look so much more expensive than it is, so I can definitely see myself picking up more of these as gifts for family and friends this year!</div>
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Have any of you tried the Landon Tyler range? They have so many more scents in there collection I'm intrigued to see what else they have to offer, so do let me know if you have any favourites? </div>
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Frankie xo </div>
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*Product gifted to me from the brand, but all opinions are my own, I would only ever represent a product I personally enjoy using and feel it is beneficial to my readers + you all know I love a candle!<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-44913896067935775442016-11-05T09:46:00.000-07:002016-11-05T10:13:02.422-07:00pretty in pink <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Incase you've been living under a rock for the past few years, Sketch seems to be one of those iconic 'insta-famous' places that we all have on our bucket list to visit.<br />
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The minute you walk through the curtains along the hop scotch path you played when you were 5, you are instantly hit with Diptyque, like the best smelling cocoon of scent, I genuinely walked in and said "Diptyque" such an iconic scent filling the rooms is so obvious if you know the brand, none the less the candles are hidden away in perfectly placed spots so only those who know, know!<br />
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Mostly renowned for its pink room with chairs replicating pink sponge fingers, from which they serve you the most beautifully quaint afternoon tea's, Chai was my flavour of choice along with plentiful sandwiches and decadent little pastries, scones and cakes to fill your belly beyond contempt & the most amazing alcohol free raspberry daiquiris were added to the table.<br />
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Of course one of the many wonders of Sketch are those egg shaped toilets, surrounded by disco coloured ceiling and fish eye mirrors, selfies had to take place, the decor is down to a fine art, everything from a simple loo, to the entrance of the building is carefully thought out, staff are casual, and waiters wear boiler suits and converse to add that Sketch twist.<br />
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I would definitely re-visit, although I think if I were to go again I would likely choose from the restaurant menus, the tea is amazing but I think once you've been once, you kinda see it all, so a choice from a different menu would be a new experience to try!<br />
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Have you been before? Are there any other recommendations of places to eat in London, I love trying different foods so let me know below..<br />
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Frankie xo<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0Conduit St, Mayfair, London, UK51.5122733 -0.1418304999999691151.509802799999996 -0.14687299999996911 51.5147438 -0.1367879999999691tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-27291021980919177182016-09-15T15:26:00.001-07:002016-11-05T06:57:02.264-07:00the candle edition | diptyque figuer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever the candle obsessive, I have added a new scent to the stash!</div>
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With a *mild* Diptyque obsession developing I felt the urge to pick up something fresh and summery, this fell in the form of Figuier!</div>
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On first sniff of this I must admit I really wasn't keen, it smells almost nettle like, something I wasnt drawn to, I considered exchanging it for a different scent, but persevered and decided to burn it anyway as I am a lover of fig scents and thought I'd see what it smelled like once it was burning.. Im so glad I did! </div>
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The scent is very warming almost like baked figs and summer rolled into one, which isnt too over powering, for me I prefer this as there's just a subtle hint in the room i've lit it in once you walk into it, it almost leaves you wanting to know where the fragrance is coming from.</div>
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Diptyque describes this as: "<i>The warmth of fig wood, the freshness of fig leaves and light milky sap all blend to create a candle that is a glorious ode to the fig tree, with its light and delicious fresh fruit fragrance, figuier encapsulates the essence of summer" </i></div>
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Figuier really is the scent you wish for at this time of the year, light and fresh but with a warming sence to the air, it almost reminds me of cosying up on a warm summers evening in the garden, eating salad and drinking pina coladas, I almost wish they would make this in a perfume, it would make the most perfect summer fragrance!</div>
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Im so happy I picked Figuier up, and will definitely repurchase this in the larger size very soon, next on my list is the blogger cult classic Baies & my favourite perfume scent Roses, im desperate to try the candle version as I just adore the scent.</div>
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Have any of you tried Diptyque candles, know of any I should add to my wishlist?</div>
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Let me know in the comments below!</div>
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-20295136542616975592016-07-05T02:42:00.000-07:002017-08-30T14:53:36.825-07:00melony lip goodness!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If any of you have watched my most recent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/3wildxx" target="_blank">Youtube</a> videos you'll no I've been loving matte formulations in lipsticks recently and unfortunately as beautiful as they look on the lips they absolutely reek havoc in causing them to look and feel dried out, which is something I personally really hate the feeling of, therefore I found myself on the hunt for something that provided beautiful colour, as the liquid lipsticks do but also gives lots of moisture and plumps those bad boys back to life again..</div>
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The Stila Lip Glazes were a product I'd heard alot about over the years but for some reason had never picked one up, until I was asked by the lovely guys over at Stila, if I would like to try one out!</div>
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I chose the shade Watermelon, which as I'm sure you can see from the photos is such a gorgeous summery pink shade, and smells exactly as the name would suggest too, they are really true to colour once on the lips and rather pigmented for a gloss too, usually I find neutral glosses tend to disappear on my lips, as the natural colouring of mine are quite dark, but the formulation of these allow the colour to completely show through which gives them huge brownie points in my books.</div>
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Now usually I'm usually someone who quite likes a sticky gloss as I tend to find these have the greatest longevity in my opinion, therefore meaning they are providing more hydration throughout the day, while the Lip Glazes aren't super sticky, they are very hydrating and extremely long lasting, again big brownie points.</div>
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I'd almost go to say that they are pretty high up there in my favourite lip products, which is saying something.. as I have ALOT.</div>
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I'm really impressed with the shade I picked up, and will definitely be adding a few more to my ever growing collection, Have any of you tried these, what are your thoughts on them, I'd love to know if you have any recommendations on shades I should pick up, or anything else from Stila you think I would like, let me know below!</div>
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Frankie xo </div>
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*Paid post in collaboration with Stila Cosmetics </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com1United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188319499999999 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-24218362831113192382016-06-25T03:11:00.000-07:002019-02-26T04:07:11.913-08:00A Huge Homeware Haul <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey everyone, soon if any of you out there watch my Youtube videos you'll know im an advocate of home decor and I recently filmed a huge homeware haul, from cactuses to everything candle obsessed (as always), you name it, I brought it!<br />
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Have a little watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auONKaSOGHw" target="_blank">here</a> & if you liked it please head on over to my channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/3wildxx">www.youtube.com/3wildxx</a> and subscribe for more videos from me, see you all soon! </div>
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Frankie xo<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-16676103085876956662016-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:002016-07-04T17:23:41.686-07:00Aroma Works | Basil & Orange Candle <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So as many of my regular readers may be aware, I'm quite the candle <strike>addict</strike> lover & have an ever growing collection that I am yet to burn myself through, that however didn't stop me from picking up yet another beautifully scented jar of goodness! </div>
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Beautiful packaging aside, the Basil & Orange candle from Aroma Works is super luxurious soy and aromatherapy oil based, allowing it to be safe to burn as it isn't full of those nasty chemicals some regular candles posess.</div>
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The scent is<i> very </i>spa like (I will let you in on a little secret, it is extremely reminiscent of the Neom candle - Basil & Neroli and a fraction of the price), the basil is light and fragrant, whilst the orange notes are subtle and warming, it is a very calming and relaxing fragrance, therefore when you light this you almost unwind and chill without even realising you have done so, perfect for somone like me who doesnt have the ability to unwind easily after a long day! </div>
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I picked up mine from Waitrose, who I believe the collection is actually in collobaration with, which makes me very happy as I can pick up my favourite scented treats alongside my weekly food shop, although I would say it wouldn't be great for the bank balance, but they are extremely reasonably priced at £10, which frankly I would pay alot more for a candle of this high quality!</div>
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Have any of you tried AromaWorks Candles? Im keen to try more from the range, so if you have any recommendations, or if you have any other brands you think I might like let me know! </div>
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Frankie xo<br />
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-80669180801221692822016-06-24T06:27:00.000-07:002017-07-04T13:14:48.777-07:00Jo Malone - Peony & Blush Suede Shower Oil <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Good morning lovelies, I hope you're all well? </div>
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Recently I made a little trip to one of my favourite stores, in search of a new body product to ease the fact that my skin had become a little dry over the previous months, I headed into Jo Malone.</div>
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Automatically presuming I would've been picking up some form of moisturiser, I found myself sampling the body cremes, the scents were gorgeous and that was my problem, I liked them all!</div>
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I think the sales assistant could sense I was struggling on what to purchase, she came and advised me on what particularly I was in search of, and also which scents in general I like, she suggested I have a hand and arm massage with herself, using some of the scents she recommended from what I had told her I personally like from Jo Malone.</div>
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We chose Wood Sage and Sea Salt in the body creme and on her recommendation, the Peony & Blush Suede shower oil, a product I had personally never tried from Jo Malone!<br />
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She applied a generous amount of the heavenly smelling oil onto my arms which lathered into the most luxurious milk, the fragrance is incredibly light and almost undetectable until you catch it upon a whim and wonder where the scent is coming from.</div>
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Once she washed away the oil she asked me to feel my skin, it felt incredibly soft and supple, you would've thought i'd done a full body scrub and moisturised it was *that* soft, I just couldn't stop touching my arms and wondering how it had become so soft from one quick application of what seemed like a body cleanser? </div>
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To finish off she applied a small spatulas amount of body creme in the Wood Sage and Sea Salt scent (one of my personal favourites in scent from the collection).</div>
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This wasn't a scent I would have ever thought to have paired with the Peony and Blush Suede, but she assured me that they work really well together.. well .. they did, creating an incredibly warm and sofisticated layered fragrance </div>
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I ended up picking up the Shower Oil as I absolutely loved the way it felt alone, it was moisturising enough by itself for me to want it, plus I also loved the ease of use, knowing that I could use this in the shower without having to apply much effort or take into consideration 'dry time' as you would with a body creme! </div>
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Upon using this at home, Ive realise how long the oil is going to last, you honestly need the tiniest amount, a little goes a really long way! </div>
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If im feeling particularly in need of some moisture, I use a second application of it on my skin and just allow the shower to gently wash off the oil without using any force to remove it, this allows a light layer of the oil to stay on my skin leaving it feeling super soft and luxurious, without feeling as if there is any residue on my skin, it feels almost invisible on my body but allows an extra level of moisture to penetrate my skin!</div>
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I really feel that this is going to be one of those beauty products that you just keep repurchasing throughout the years, it has become a daily staple in my routine and something I can honestly tell my skin is missing if i forget to use it.</div>
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Asides from the beautiful packaging it really is a super luxurious and splurge worthy product that I can honestly say you should own in your collection!</div>
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Are there any Jo Malone products you can recommend, I absolutely adore their candles and diffusers, but am yet to branch out into there perfumes, which is something I would really like to add to my stash, but yet again there are SO many scents I just don't know where to begin, so any advice or personal recommendations will be greatfully recieved.</div>
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See you all again soon, Frankie xo </div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-29683773285022113722016-06-13T03:22:00.001-07:002019-02-26T04:07:12.055-08:00the best victoria sponge - bake with me <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bp25HxHGrdg/V12IkOW_6BI/AAAAAAAADxY/cxOi0jxok7YiS8GzDg8kDvzCd4xNUpv9wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bp25HxHGrdg/V12IkOW_6BI/AAAAAAAADxY/cxOi0jxok7YiS8GzDg8kDvzCd4xNUpv9wCLcB/s640/IMG_2602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So for any of those out there who know me, and know me quite well will be aware of my love for baking, well love for anything that involves eating cake, but yes my love for baking..</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have decided to include a new series into my blog, sharing my little baking joys and spreading the love throughout my recipes for you all on here, this week I thought I would grace you all with possibly the tasiest victoria sponge cake *ever*.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Did I mention it's actually super easy and quick to make too?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You will need:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g Caster Sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g of softened butter (it makes it easier to mix)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4 eggs (beaten)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g self raising flour </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 tbsp milk </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now the method should really be followed as it's written to make the cake super lightweight and full of spongey goodness..</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Method:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Preheat the oven to 190c - Fan or 170c/Gas Mark 5 </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Butter two sandwhich tins and line these with non stick baking paper (this makes them pop out of the tins with ease, nothing worse than making a beautiful base for it to get stuck and fall to pieces :(</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Using a sieve for the powdered ingredients & also fold in the beaten eggs slowly ensuring everything is well mixed together creating a smooth batter with no lumps.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Smooth the surface with a spatula or baking spoon.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden brown (the best way to test if the cake is fully cooked throughout is to take a skewer or a knife and poke it through the middle, if there is no residue left on the skewer/knife then your sponge is completely cooked, if these is residue continue to bake until there is none. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Leave the sponges to cool for around 20-30 minutes otherwise the cream/jam will run out of the inside of the cake!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now for the filling, I personally use extra thick double cream, I whip this with a wisk until it reaches light peaks, basically it looks like a light thick mousse and if you were to tip the bowl upside down nothing would come out, once this point is reached you can take your spatula/wooden spoon and spread this onto the bottom base, I like to have a really thick layer of cream as generally this is my favourite part, although you can tailor this to your preferences!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For the jam, spread on the top layer of the cake (the underneath of the top layer if you catch my drift). I use either Tiptree raspberry conserve, it has a gorgeous sticky finish with no bits, or if you prefer a jam with bits in I also recommend Bon Maman Strawberry conserve, both are equally delicious it really is down to what you prefer, alternatively you can use any jam you like, these are just the ones I personally like and find work well! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Place the two pieces of cake together (like the photo below.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Dust over the top of the cake with some icing sugar and decorate how ever you like, these cakes also look really pretty decorated with summer berries, this is something I would do if they cake was for an occasion as it always has a wow factor to it :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.. And enjoy, Im pretty sure you will love this recipe, if any of you make it please send me a photo of your creation or hashtag your photo with #frankieboobakes </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love Frankie xo</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTCVZrDk_3k/V12IkD9f2xI/AAAAAAAADxU/QPnmyNh6RZAnmjMFZyZAqfCPxPtvWwFywCLcB/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTCVZrDk_3k/V12IkD9f2xI/AAAAAAAADxU/QPnmyNh6RZAnmjMFZyZAqfCPxPtvWwFywCLcB/s640/IMG_2606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-9033776633243868242016-06-13T03:22:00.000-07:002016-07-12T07:42:21.062-07:00the best victoria sponge - bake with me <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bp25HxHGrdg/V12IkOW_6BI/AAAAAAAADxY/cxOi0jxok7YiS8GzDg8kDvzCd4xNUpv9wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bp25HxHGrdg/V12IkOW_6BI/AAAAAAAADxY/cxOi0jxok7YiS8GzDg8kDvzCd4xNUpv9wCLcB/s640/IMG_2602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
So for any of those out there who know me, and know me quite well will be aware of my love for baking, well love for anything that involves eating cake, but yes my love for baking..</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have decided to include a new series into my blog, sharing my little baking joys and spreading the love throughout my recipes for you all on here, this week I thought I would grace you all with possibly the tasiest victoria sponge cake *ever*.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Did I mention it's actually super easy and quick to make too?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You will need:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g Caster Sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g of softened butter (it makes it easier to mix)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4 eggs (beaten)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g self raising flour </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 tbsp milk </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now the method should really be followed as it's written to make the cake super lightweight and full of spongey goodness..</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Method:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Preheat the oven to 190c - Fan or 170c/Gas Mark 5 </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Butter two sandwhich tins and line these with non stick baking paper (this makes them pop out of the tins with ease, nothing worse than making a beautiful base for it to get stuck and fall to pieces :(</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Using a sieve for the powdered ingredients & also fold in the beaten eggs slowly ensuring everything is well mixed together creating a smooth batter with no lumps.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Smooth the surface with a spatula or baking spoon.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden brown (the best way to test if the cake is fully cooked throughout is to take a skewer or a knife and poke it through the middle, if there is no residue left on the skewer/knife then your sponge is completely cooked, if these is residue continue to bake until there is none. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Leave the sponges to cool for around 20-30 minutes otherwise the cream/jam will run out of the inside of the cake!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now for the filling, I personally use extra thick double cream, I whip this with a wisk until it reaches light peaks, basically it looks like a light thick mousse and if you were to tip the bowl upside down nothing would come out, once this point is reached you can take your spatula/wooden spoon and spread this onto the bottom base, I like to have a really thick layer of cream as generally this is my favourite part, although you can tailor this to your preferences!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For the jam, spread on the top layer of the cake (the underneath of the top layer if you catch my drift). I use either Tiptree raspberry conserve, it has a gorgeous sticky finish with no bits, or if you prefer a jam with bits in I also recommend Bon Maman Strawberry conserve, both are equally delicious it really is down to what you prefer, alternatively you can use any jam you like, these are just the ones I personally like and find work well! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Place the two pieces of cake together (like the photo below.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* Dust over the top of the cake with some icing sugar and decorate how ever you like, these cakes also look really pretty decorated with summer berries, this is something I would do if they cake was for an occasion as it always has a wow factor to it :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.. And enjoy, Im pretty sure you will love this recipe, if any of you make it please send me a photo of your creation or hashtag your photo with #frankieboobakes </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love Frankie xo</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTCVZrDk_3k/V12IkD9f2xI/AAAAAAAADxU/QPnmyNh6RZAnmjMFZyZAqfCPxPtvWwFywCLcB/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTCVZrDk_3k/V12IkD9f2xI/AAAAAAAADxU/QPnmyNh6RZAnmjMFZyZAqfCPxPtvWwFywCLcB/s640/IMG_2606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-70743862742014216522016-06-11T07:52:00.000-07:002017-02-03T12:38:15.896-08:00a cult blogger fav? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-syXMwZAK6n8/V1X41567UXI/AAAAAAAADwI/QVXBm96LOS0eGNPYAnw2KrzMZwYHk3l8ACK4B/s1600/IMG_2493.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-syXMwZAK6n8/V1X41567UXI/AAAAAAAADwI/QVXBm96LOS0eGNPYAnw2KrzMZwYHk3l8ACK4B/s640/IMG_2493.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I almost cant quite believe I've never written a post about this, seeing as I am now onto my third jar and cant see anything changing in my cleansing routine anytime soon, I thought it was about time that I graced my blog with this beauty and tell you all about it (although pretty sure the majority will have already read about this somewhere previously as its just too goddamn amazing). </div>
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Having been a long time sufferer of teenage/adult acne & acne scarring, I had tried numerous and i mean numerous different products that claimed to be the cure to acne, Having spent a small fortune along the way (I could've had a deposit for a house with the amount I've spent) and many products thrown away, gifted to others or battled through with the hopes that one day they *might* just work, I finally stumbled across this beauty! </div>
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Hallelujah!!!! </div>
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The Moringa Balm has not only saved my skin, but has saved my confidence, or lack of.. Too! </div>
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The most beautifully soft, smooth balm, literally glides onto the skin like butter, is so lightweight and delicate it almost feels as if it couldn't really be doing anything to cleanse, then you look in the mirror and see every trace of makeup, dirt and the days grime just melting away.</div>
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Once adding water to the balm it emulsifies into a delicate milk that just gently washes away everything with ease, its such a concentrated balm that you could get away with one cleanse easily and feel pretty secure that your skin is freshly cleaned!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zXcgF3Y7g7o/V1X41kOsn2I/AAAAAAAADwA/cdXBDbbOAdgMUTQaxYgF5uGl9ox6MySHwCK4B/s1600/IMG_2499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zXcgF3Y7g7o/V1X41kOsn2I/AAAAAAAADwA/cdXBDbbOAdgMUTQaxYgF5uGl9ox6MySHwCK4B/s640/IMG_2499.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I can honestly say this product has single handedly cleared every trace of acne on my face, dramatically reduced the appearance of those blooming ugly scars and overall improved the clarity of my skin, its so much more radiant these days and I almost feel OK with leaving the house makeup free, I can't say I feel the overwhelming urge to slap on a full face of makeup anymore, a dab of lip balm is enough to make me feel put together these days!</div>
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Another thing I have noted is that I suffer with a very awkward patch of dry skin on the entirity of my toplip/ under my nose area and this has seriously helped in making it more moisturised and soothed, don't get me wrong if I don't moisturise for a day or so it does flare up ever so slightly but nothing like it ever did before, so this is a huge bonus for me regarding my skincare, as again I just couldn't find anything that didn't aggravate that area or help soothe it either! </div>
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Another use I have found with helping soothe my dry skin is leaving the balm on overnight as an intensive mask treatment, or slathering it on whilst in the bath and allowaing the warm steamy air penetrate those pores, its a fabulous way of deeply moisturising the skin and also looks like I've had a facial the next day when I've done this.</div>
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I can honestly say if you are one of the minority that haven't ever picked up Emma Hardies cult classic Moringa Balm then what are you doing... Please please pick a tub of this up, if you are sufferers of acne, rosacea, scarring, dry or general dull skin, you really do need this in your life! </div>
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I cant rave about this product anymore than I already have, unless I somehow manage to bag a job with Emma herself #dreamjob, it really is my all time cult fav cleansing product and I can fully expect to be using this years and years down the line, this better never be discontinued, I would cry rivers of tears haha!</div>
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Have any of you tried/not tried Moringa Balm, let me know your thoughts on it below, id love to hear your opinion and if you have any tips for products that would work well with it?</div>
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Lots of love, </div>
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347853686130070029.post-1260383491357956102016-06-06T13:38:00.000-07:002019-02-26T04:07:11.807-08:00diptyque - figuier | the candle editions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YnZoumO0mNY/V1XLjBj5O0I/AAAAAAAADvA/yfWYGcjPvcwq-cY9ZZyNlhAdFcV9zsXSACLcB/s1600/IMG_2490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YnZoumO0mNY/V1XLjBj5O0I/AAAAAAAADvA/yfWYGcjPvcwq-cY9ZZyNlhAdFcV9zsXSACLcB/s400/IMG_2490.jpg" width="290" /></a> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vzX3wh_n1RA/V1XLjFUuUQI/AAAAAAAADu8/pPJGXr6I9D0TSOwM--06foG8tJA4RhOMQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vzX3wh_n1RA/V1XLjFUuUQI/AAAAAAAADu8/pPJGXr6I9D0TSOwM--06foG8tJA4RhOMQCLcB/s400/IMG_2483.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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Ever the candle obsessive, I have added a new scent to the stash!</div>
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With a *mild* Diptyque obsession developing I felt the urge to pick up something fresh and summery, this fell in the form of Figuier!</div>
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On first sniff of this I must admit I really wasn't keen, it smells almost nettle like, something I wasnt drawn to, I considered exchanging it for a different scent, but persevered and decided to burn it anyway as I am a lover of fig scents and thought I'd see what it smelled like once it was burning.. Im so glad I did! </div>
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The scent is very warming almost like baked figs and summer rolled into one, which isnt too over powering, for me I prefer this as there's just a subtle hint in the room i've lit it in once you walk into it, it almost leaves you wanting to know where the fragrance is coming from.</div>
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Diptyque describes this as: "<i>The warmth of fig wood, the freshness of fig leaves and light milky sap all blend to create a candle that is a glorious ode to the fig tree, with its light and delicious fresh fruit fragrance, figuier encapsulates the essence of summer" </i></div>
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Figuier really is the scent you wish for at this time of the year, light and fresh but with a warming sence to the air, it almost reminds me of cosying up on a warm summers evening in the garden, eating salad and drinking pina coladas, I almost wish they would make this in a perfume, it would make the most perfect summer fragrance!</div>
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Im so happy I picked Figuier up, and will definitely repurchase this in the larger size very soon, next on my list is the blogger cult classic Baies & my favourite perfume scent Roses, im desperate to try the candle version as I just adore the scent.</div>
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Have any of you tried Diptyque candles, know of any I should add to my wishlist?</div>
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Let me know in the comments below!</div>
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Frankie xo</div>
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Frankie Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17824638494215026735noreply@blogger.com0