Friday, 29 April 2016

April Life


As always this monthly post is loaded with photos, links and includes all my best bits from April!

HOW I'VE BEEN FEELING

I kicked off April in terrible style with a really horrible cold which hung around for about two weeks. Anyone who follows me on social media will have seen my continual moaning about this so apologies for that! But I guess it's been long time coming as everyone around me had been ill and I hadn't had a cold or flu for so long. It made it difficult to keep up with my regular work schedule but it was also kind of nice to be forced into having to chill out and take it easy. Despite this initial set back I still managed to have a pretty productive month and more than made up for things once I felt better again.  

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING


I began this month in Margate and Eastbourne finishing off our little Easter mini break which was so much fun and great to get away for a few days and experience the wonderment that was Dreamland


I definitely haven't found the time to craft as much as I would usually like to this month but I did manage to complete this cute bunny cacti cosy which came in my Lucky Dip Club box. It was so quick and easy to make so I really want to make more of these in different sizes and fill my home with bunnies. 



There was a really sunny and warm day in the middle of the month so we decided to make the most of it by taking the dogs off to Hampstead Heath for a long walk. It was our first time visiting the area and we really loved it! The view of London was epic and the dogs had an awesome time. This is somewhere we're definitely going to go back to for more doggy adventures.  




I've been obsessed with all the Spring flowers and colours this month. Everywhere i've been has looked so pretty and i've loved filling my home with beautiful smelling hyacinths.  


A major task on my hit list this month was to clear out my wardrobe. It's been bugging me for ages now and with the weather getting warmer it was time to change things up a bit. I ended up surprising myself by being quite brutal and I got rid of everything I know I won't wear and clothes which make me feel unhappy. It was such a life changing experience I recommend you all have a go! I can't tell you how nice it is to now look inside my wardrobe and only see all the clothes I love staring back to me. I also have room for lots of new clothes! 


This month I signed my gorgeous little dogs up for the RSPCA's Big Walkies event which is taking place at the end of May at Alexandra Palace. It looks like a really lovely event and it will be so much fun going on a big walk with so many other dogs and their owners. It's also a great opportunity for us to raise some money for some less fortunate animals. You can sponsor Zen & Bappy on their Just Giving Page and every amount no matter how big or small will be so appreciated and will go towards helping us reach our target.  

WHAT I'VE BEEN EATING  



At the beginning of April we had the chance to visit one of our all time favourite veggie/vegan restaurants, The Green Almond in Eastbourne. The buffet food is incredible and such good value for money and you may recall that I reviewed it on my blog around this time last year. 



Something we've been meaning to do for ages now, but haven't got around to, is visit the new Yo Sushi in Chelmsford. I'm so happy that we finally found time this month to try out the new branch as it was by far the most stunning Yo Sushi we've ever been to. If you ever find yourself in Chelmsford you must go here. And don't be put off by the word 'sushi'. Yes there are some raw fish options but this restaurant is SO GOOD for vegetarians and vegans and there's way more to it than just sushi. 



I think it would be fair to say that i've also been eating a lot of vegan food which I purchased as part of my Tesco haul this month which has included a lot of ice cream! It's so great that there's such  good choices for vegans now when it comes to supermarket shopping and it's also been good to see Tesco bringing out some new vegan friendly items. 



The highlight of my month would have to be our meal out at Ethos in London. I've already raved about it so much on my blog and Snapchat so I won't bore you with the details again now, but if you find yourself in the West End with £20 to spare then you must go here and experience the yummy buffet! You won't be sorry. 


I also had a return visit to Zizzi's this month with some vegan friends and i'm pleased to say that my second try of the new vegan menu was as good as my first. I have heard and seen some mixed reviews (which seem to be quite branch dependent) but i'm glad that my local Zizzi's in Chelmsford is getting the vegan pizza right on point.  


Aside from all that ice cream, we've actually been trying to be quite healthy this month and lose a little weight for our upcoming holidays. This has proved to be pretty difficult with so much amazing vegan food around to eat! That being said, Mr K has made up some pretty special rainbow salads most days for lunch and our favourite salad addition would have to be these yummy sprouts

WHAT I'VE BEEN BUYING


As with every other month i've been shopping quite a lot in April, both online and in person. My first online purchase of the month was this 'be a nice human' print from Junk & Glitter which I absoloutely LOVE! It's completely what I try to promote in life and I think it forms a big part of being vegan too. It's the perfect addition to my ever growing picture ledge. 


I've spent so much time exploring Tiger Stores this month, I am completely addicted to this shop! I can never pass it without popping in and I never leave empty handed. My favourite Tiger purchase in April was this gorgeous woven mat which was a total bargain at £4! 



I've been thinking about buying some Sun Jellies shoes for sometime now but i've also been debating whether I can pull them off. This month I finally just bit the bullet and ordered some and i'm so glad I did! They go perfectly with my jeans and my dungarees, and they're also so comfy to wear. 


April was the month where I discovered the world of Chubby PuppiesThese small collectible toys really are my cutest discovery for some time and I was overjoyed to find out they include this siamese cat within the collection. They also have a chihuahua which I'm currently searching for but can't find anywhere. They make the perfect little desk friends! 


I love my new giant leopard print scarf from Oliver Bonas and it's proven to be a very useful purchase during this Spring and unpredictable weather times. Their scarves are more expensive than what I would usually pay but it's great quality and I know it will be something I wear year after year.   


Ever since the 5p bag charge was introduced I have been terrible at remembering to take a carrier bag out with me when I go shopping. I decided that enough was enough this month and I searched online for a good bag for life which would be easy to slip into my handbag and I came across this pretty collection by Baggu. I couldn't resist this funky leopard print design! 


Speaking of funky designs, the time had come this month to purchase the dogs some new and more fancy harnesses and leads. I was really impressed with the the Urban Pup collection and the reasonable prices of their products. The dogs now use their old harnesses for muddy & wet days and we save these ones for warm days and special days out.  


I absolutely love my new personalised phone case from GoCustomized! It was so easy to create on their website and i'm really happy that I now get to carry around my favourite illustrated family portrait at all times.  


With holidays just around the corner I needed a new beach bag to take away with me and this 'Vacation' bag by Shop Ban.do really caught my eye. 



I finally treated myself to a couple of items of clothing from Lazy Oaf this month. I have lusted over their clothes for so long it was about time I owned something for myself! Their new Spring releases have been so adorable including this pink catafore and cat shirt dress. My only complaint would be that they class a size 12 as a large which means their more tight fitting clothing comes up tight on me. Although this has been some extra motivation to lose a few lbs, I think it's pretty disappointing for women generally that they feel the need to class a size 12 as large. 


Last but not least, I picked up a new cacti and succulent on a recent trip to the garden centre. 

HAPPY MAIL I RECEIVED  


A while ago we booked tickets to see Rudimental at Thetford Forest this Summer and our tickets arrived this month. We're so looking forward to this event!  


Illustrator and fellow Insta enthusiast Kayley Mills sent me this amazing portrait of myself this month and she was so kind to include some extra cute goodies too.  


Pindemic sent me this amazing little ghost emoji pin badge which i've been wearing most days as a symbol of my recent infatuation with Snapchat.  


I was so lucky to win And Smile Studio's Insta competition this month and she sent me this beautiful little original water colour as a prize. It kind of makes me want blue hair!


The Vegan Lifestyle Association sent me some of these luxury incense sticks from Sacred Elephant which i've been loving. I got to try the Jasmine scent which is just gorgeous! There's something very relaxing about incense sticks and I think these one's would make the perfect gift for yourself or others. They're also ethically produced in India and completely vegan friendly - yay! 

WHAT I'VE BEEN BLOGGING











WHAT I'VE BEEN VLOGGING





April saw the creation of our new 'Keeping Up With The Kirby's' channel on YouTube which is a joint venture with my husband where we'll be vlogging together. I'd love it if you could all subscribe to this channel as we are trying to build our subscriber and viewer numbers. This will also be the first place that we share any exciting life news and feature some fun life events like travelling, days out together, shopping trips and of course fun with the pets! Those of you who have already watched some of our vlogs will know that we shared some really exciting news on there this week which I'm really buzzing about! 


APRIL INSTA HIGHLIGHTS


I really hope you've all had a great month and are looking forward to what May has in store for us all. How was April for you? I'd love to hear so comment below and share some of your own highlights.
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2 comments

  1. I do enjoy your little monthly round-up's such a great idea x x x

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    1. Aww thank you Gem! Thats no nice to hear. I actually really enjoy putting them together too. Even if I feel like I have had a dull month I always feel differently after writing these posts! :-) xx

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