Diana is back from Benicassim.

Here are the promised Diana Mini pictures which have been developed. I am wondering if any photo developers actually do 'hour' processing anymore as I always end up waiting at least a day for them to be ready. Grrr. Anyway some of these were worth the wait. I'm hoping my next batch will be even better!

The Beni Blues.

Okay so I'm back from Benicassim and I am VERY depressed about this. If it wasn't for having lots to do in August - which includes attempting to fit into a bridesmaid dress for my cousin's wedding, eek! - and the fact I'm off to Portugal for a week in September I think I would actually contemplate suicide. So maybe that's a little bit strong but how depressing is the English weather at the moment?! I stepped off the plane to major rain and it hasn't stopped. Booooo. Anyhow Beni was amaaaaaazing and I wish I was still there, dancing away to some of my favourite bands. I am getting my Diana pictures developed tomorrow. I'm a little apprehensive as to what they are going to look like as I'm pretty sure it messed up halfway through but we shall see!

Check out these you tube videos of some of my favourite songs from the festival...







I just got bored of You Tube so I've left it at three!

Packing. Yawn.

I've been running around Preston today grabbing some last minute needs (and wants!) for Benicassim. I needed a rucksack so I dragged my Dad with me as he likes to pay for practical things and then I dragged Mum round as she occasionally likes to pay for pretty things! I have begun to form a pile of things to pack on my bed but don't have the will to do anything until the last minute. I took a picture of what I am eventually going to pack...



Okay so there's quite a few toiletries here including sea salt spray for my unwashed hair and of course some good old dry shampoo. The electric blue bag on the left is from M&S and is from the Limited Collection. I saw it today and I really liked it which surprised me a little as I never buy bags from highstreet stores but I thought this will be perfect for my four festival nights next week. My ray bans are poking out of my bag and I can't wait to wear them. The grey hat I bought today from Topshop in the sale along with the bikini - both for £7! Anyhow this will be my last post until I get back from Benicassim so get ready for a LOT of photo posts/outfit posts/what I got up to posts. Adios!

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

I finished my placement a few months ago and I love having a look through Me&Yu's website and blog for information on what they're up to at the moment. I've been oggling some of the new designs as they are soo cute and wanted to showcase a few of them on my blog for those new followers who may have missed my Me&Yu themed posts before April. Me&Yu specialise in handprinted and handmade designs and their amazing mix of screen prints and transfers are what they are best known for. Have a look at some of the following designs available NOW at www.meandyu.com



This one is where my post title is taken from and I have fallen in love with the quote. It's an amazing design and you all should have one in your wardrobe. I know I'll be getting one asap!



'They're like moments of time' is another cute Summer print which will look amazing as an oversized vest with some leggings or tights or even bare legs of you're brave enough!



'Lilac Swallows' is another favourite of mine. It is available in the vest option too but I think I'd prefer this print as a baggy tee with the sleeves rolled up. That's the great thing about Me&Yu designs - you can wear and adapt the garment to however you like or feel comfortable wearing. I have an entire section of my wardrobe dedicated to my Me&Yu pieces and I wear them differently all the time.

Angie - one half of Me&Yu - has her own blog which she includes Me&Yu related posts as well as personal themes. Click HERE to be taken straight to her blog... (you can also get to the Me&Yu blog through their homepage of the website)


And finally here is an old look book post I did as a Me&Yu themed post of my last batch of freebies. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the different ways you can wear Me&Yu and let me know if you do buy anything or post any looks including Me&Yu. If you're around and about in Manchester, pop into Afflecks Palace in the Northern Quarter and say hello to Me&Yu as they have a shop on the third floor and an amazing display gallery at the top of the stairs! They are just cool. So why wouldn't you want to shop at Me&Yu?

My first designer splurge.

I've been drooling over some real Ray Ban Clubmaster sunnies for a while now as I'm getting fed up of cheap Topshop copies breaking on me and looking rubbish. Sooooo i have scoured ebay and obviously they all go for silly prices and have been used and scratched so I found a website which sells them for around £80 and in a moment of madness I've just bought them! I know I'll wear them everyday - even in Winter if I can! - and that by looking after them they'll always look amazing and last.



I've gone the for Tortoise shell colour as I'm a big fan of Tortoise Shell shades. I probably won't have them off all Summer so you'll be seeing lots of pictures of them posted on here!

Diana Mini.

My Diana Mini first results are now here! I got them back on cd yesterday and I am pretty happy with my first test batch. Some of them are a little iffy and too dark so I think I need to invest in a flash and for now use them in the bright shining sun in Benicassim.









That's just a small showcase of some of the best ones. I shot this film on half frame so I am looking forward to seeing the results of the square format frames. There'll be many more to come from Benicassim in the next few weeks.

My bling.

Following my jewellery post I wanted to show off my own collection which I always wear without fail. If I ever forget to put any of my rings/bracelets on I feel really bare. Also any jewellery I buy has to match what I already have, so no gold for me!



Starting from the left the first ring is a vintage Avon ring which I 'borrowed' from my mum and never gave back. The middle two are two which I always wear together and the bottom one I got for my 21st from Pandora and again the top one is from my mum's room. The pearl was one I bought in York the other weekend and it matches perfectly with my other three. I'm trying not to look like I'm creating a knuckle duster so I won't be wearing anymore on this hand - Now I can start on the other hand!

A little bit of bling.

Whilst having a look at some blogs today I came across a jewellery website which sells some beautiful pieces. I would love to splash out on some necklaces but going on holiday in a week means I can't - unless I whip out the dreaded credit card eeek! The site is called 'This Charming Girl' and sells handmade and vintage jewellery. Here are some of my favourite pieces...





You can buy both of these here.

I also have another favourite jewellery site which I have ordered from before. It is such a lovely jewellery site with a bit of a cool edge to it. It's called 'Sugar and Vice' and is a small independent jewellery label. You can buy your very own personalised necklaces which are handmade to any name, quote or word you like. If you sign up to their mailing list you will receive lots of offers from them including information about their frequent sales.

I've chosen some of my favourite pieces from this site...









I particularly love the camera piece at the top and miiight just have to buy this one! And the way in which the jewellery is photographed with the different paper behind them is so unique. I used to put music sheets on the top of my desk at Uni to make it look not so bland and studenty! Go to Sugar and Vice to have a look at their items. I'm sure you'll fall in love with them like me!

My Diana Mini.

My camera collection is growing and growing and my new edition is a Diana Mini. I love film cameras as my digital files end up clogging up my computer and never getting looked at, whereas actually going to get film developed ensures that I have hard copies of my photos. The Diana's shooting style is one of my favourites as it has either a half frame option or a square frame option. This basically means that on the half frame shooting mode you get 72 shots on one 35mm film instead of the standard 36. The square mode gives you 36 frames and produces a single shot in one frame. I took my Diana on its first outing this weekend to Knowsley Safari park and after one film breaking, I finally got back into the hang of loading film and managed to use a whole film of half shots so who knows what my pictures will look like! I plan on getting them developed some time today so I'm sure I'll be showing off my first batch of Diana Mini's later on!

Dressing up whilst packing.

So I'm off to Benicassim festuval in Spain next week and I have been trying to figure out what to take. It is SO hard! We will be camping so I don't want a load of stuff to be carrying around with me but limiting what I take is extremely challenging! I just can't wait until September when I go on a nice holiday with a pool. Here is one of my outfits which I am planning on taking (I think). The lace crop was originally a dress which came from ebay and was wayyy too big for me. The denim shorts were bought in my first week on my placement at Afflecks Palace and they are my first pair of comfy Levi vintage high waisters - usually I feel like an elephant as the waist sizes are so tiny! Here is a look book post of my outfit...