Friday 1 April 2016

March Life


I can't quite believe that we're already in April and a quarter of the year into 2016! Where does the time go? This month absolutely flew by for me which is always a sign that i've had some fun and enjoyed myself. 

As always this post is a round up of what life was like for me in March so expect lots of photos, lots of shopping purchases and a more detailed look at everything i've been up to!  

I kicked off March with a well overdue visit to Ikea which is always a fun little adventure! We had previously decided that we needed to do something with our big blank wall in our living room so we had to pick up a few picture ledges and frames. As always we spent a lot more than we had planned to and seeing cute pink birds like this didn't help! 


I really love to fully explore Ikea when I haven't been for a while and I always end up coming home with so many things that weren't on my original list. It was also a great excuse to eat some more of those yummy vegan balls in their cafe. 

I was pretty impressed to find some really on point stationery in Ikea too. It wouldn't be where I would normally look for stationery but it would seem that this is an area that they are starting to branch into more and more now. I really didn't need any more notebooks but I couldn't resist these with their copper detailing and geometric shapes. 


I spent a whole day framing some of my favourite prints and organising our new picture ledges and i've been so pleased with the results. Picture ledges are the perfect way to fill up some blank wall space whilst also allowing you to have an area to show off some of your favourite artwork and home accessories without having to put loads of holes in your wall. 


I've still got some more artwork and prints on their way which will hopefully allow me to fill the picture ledges up a bit more so that I can achieve the desired look of layering frames, but overall i've been so happy with the results! 


We decided to get a couple of our own personal photos blown up for the new picture ledges too and I found that the hardback posters available on Photobox were the perfect choice. They're really sturdy and can stand alone without the need for a frame which is just what we needed!  


This handy trolley had been on my Ikea wish list for some time so I was really happy to finally have it in my life and it's been great for storing my yarn and crafty items in. I hadn't anticipated it being such a hit with the cats who clearly think that it's bunk beds for them!  


I also picked up a couple of cute accessories for my office from Ikea too including this happy blue cloud and black cat print cushions. Ikea is the perfect place to visit if you want to brighten up your living space! 


At the beginning of the month it was Mothers Day so I made a visit to my Mum who lives by the sea in Eastbourne. We went out for a lovely lunch at Carluccios who just so happen to have a dedicated separate vegetarian and vegan menu available. We also went for lots of walks with our dogs and it was lovely to just have some time out away from home to relax.  


I bought my Mum this really cute hyacinth bulb in a jar which I thought was a really nice idea as she can then plant the bulb in her garden and keep it forever. Such a simple great idea and one that I may try to recreate myself for gifts in future. 


One thing that I really wanted to do this month was to get my craft back on. I've hated that I haven't been prioritising the things that I love lately and the things that I know are good for my mind and soul. I picked up my crochet again for the first time since Christmas which made me really happy. I'm still working on my huge granny square throw and i'm determined that it will get finished! 


I also went to a really fun weaving evening with a few friends where we all tried our hand at some weaving and I have to say that it's by far my new favourite craft! It's so easy and enjoyable, without being too stressful in terms of concentration, and it's also relatively quick to finish a project which I love. I've decided to make a collection of small wall hangings for my home which I can't wait to share with you all once they're finished. 


I picked up this square weaving loom from The Works for a bargain £3 but by the looks of things they don't seem to be selling this online anymore, however it may still be available in store. If not  then they also have this other learn to weave set which looks just as good, if not better! I also watched some YouTube tutorials to help me get started which really inspired me with my own weavings. 


I normally like to buy my yarn from Wool Warehouse as they make it really easy to search for vegan friendly & synthetic yarn and i've always received really great service from them. I also happen to love the little silky bags that they send all the yarn in and they are so useful to use afterwards for keeping my crafty bits in. I have also became aware this month of the Vegan Yarn Store who specialise in vegan friendly yarns so they are also well worth checking out if you would like to get involved in making some of your own creations.  


I've been really loving SnapChat this month, it's such a fun app! I'm so glad that I re-downloaded it and succumbed to peer pressure as it really has been making me laugh. I wondered what part it would play in my life and if I would find any real use for it, aside from creating ridiculously funny faces! It's actually been great for sharing photos that aren't good enough for Instagram and it's also been a little bit like Vlogging, which I have also branched into recently. I think it's allowed me to show a bit more of my real self to my followers and also share a bit more in general. Plus of course it's been great for showing my pets in all their hilarious glory! 




Some huge news this month in the vegan community was Zizzi's announcing their new vegan menu. I was so excited when I found out on Instagram that this was happening and I couldn't wait to pay them a visit and review it for my blog. It's amazing to see such progression from a high street chain restaurant, particularly as they have even taken the steps to be able to provide us with some vegan cheese. Who would have thought this would have ever happened! 


My blog took on more of an Easter theme this month as the long weekend approached us. I reviewed some items from Lush's Easter collection which also saw me attempting some first time vlogging on YouTube as I really wanted to show these bath bombs and melts in action. I had so many positive responses to my videos that it's cemented in my mind the route I would like to take in including more vlogs within my blog. I will never move away from my written blog but I definitely feel that some video content is a welcomed addition and additional creative outlet. 

I also blogged my vegan Easter wish list which summarised some of the best dairy free Easter chocolate treats available. I think this year has been better than ever for vegan chocolate and it's so great to see just how much choice is available out there.  


Following on from my initial Lush YouTube videos I decided to do a live taste test of the Vegan Tuck Box on camera which was so much fun to film. It ended up being such a long video which I had to edit down from 45 to 24 minutes which was really hard work, but I was more than pleased with the outcome. It took some courage to build up to showing my face on camera but as soon as I got into it I really relaxed and it all felt so natural.  


This month has been the best month ever for happy mail! It would seem that my passion for sending post to people to make them smile has had a ripple effect and it's cottoned on with a few of my online friends who kindly sent me some really cute and thoughtful things... 


My lovely online friend Milly from sevenseasaway blog has been having a tough couple of months so I sent her a package of goodies to cheer her up. In return she sent me some really beautiful mail including some of her pretty sketches which I love! 


The gorgeous Priya, who you can locate on Twitter as @TSCPriyaKumar, started working for Tropic Skin Care (whose products are all vegan and cruelty free) and she was so kind to send me one of their amazingly soft bamboo face cloths which I have since been using every day. 


Finally, Evelyn & Lewis on Twitter as @xBinkyPatronusx & KingofEndgame, were so kind to send me some yummy vegan treats and a lovely Easter card which featured their very own bunnies! 

I feel so grateful to know so many lovely people online and their support and encouragement means so much.  


As always i've done some shopping this month so I wanted to share with you some of my favourite purchases from the last few weeks. 

I can't explain how much I love this blush palette from Makeup Revolution! I've been using it every day without fail and it has some really beautiful shades perfect for blusher or contouring. I also decided to try out the Makeup Revolution Pro Fix makeup fixing spray which is really great at helping to give your makeup more staying power. The Barry M Flawless Matte powder has been a firm favourite for a while now so I needed to stock up on more of this too.  


As soon as I saw this adorable cat avocado pin badge on Instagram I knew it had to be mine! Pony People are one of my favourite small businesses and i'm a huge fan of their illustrations. What could be better than a cat with an avocado anyway!? 


Talking of avocados.... I also snapped myself up one of these funny Avocado Addicts Annonymous magnets from the Teen VGN online shop. They have a whole range of goodies with this logo so they're definitely worth checking out if like me you're a self confessed avo addict! 


Quite possibly my favourite purchase this month was this personalised name necklace from Punky Pins. I've been wearing it all the time and it just goes so well with everything! 


This month also saw the delivery of my all time favourite magazine - Caboodle. This is a twice yearly magazine so it really does feel like a such a treat when you get your hands on a new edition. This magazine just epitomises everything I love in life and it's beautiful from front to back. I placed a pre-order for this Summer 2016 edition so I was lucky enough to get sent a couple of extra goodies too including a rather amazing unicorn keyring bottle opener! 


I think March has been a really beautiful month thankfully. I've loved the arrival of the brighter days and it's been so nice to be able to walk the dogs without feeling freezing cold. This kind of March weather is a real favourite of mine, I adore it when it's really sunny but still chilly enough to wear a coat. I think it's just the perfect balance! It has also really felt like Spring time with all the bulbs springing up and the scenery becoming greener. 





Last week we took the opportunity to have a few days away over Easter which was a really well needed break as towards the end of March both myself and Andy started to feel really run down and full of a horrible cold. We spent a few days at my Mums again and also had a couple of nights away on our own to Margate which was perfect. We had so much fun! And, importantly, we feel completely rested, recharged and ready to kick off a new month.

Overall I feel like March has been the perfect balance of being busy blogging and working but also making sure that I found the time to relax and enjoy some of the simpler things of life. 

I really hope you all had a great month and Easter break! 
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7 comments

  1. hehe, the ikea trolley is simply just a cat shelf! brilliant!

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  3. This was such an awesome post! Your cats seem adorably settled in their self-claimed home! I've seen quite a lot of good things about the MR spray so I may have to give it a go! Hopefully you have another awesome month Sarah :)

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  4. Sounds like you had a great month! That Makeup Revolution palette looks stunning, may have to drop by Superdrug to pick one up xx

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    1. March was certainly fun Nadia :-) and yes go buy the palette, you won't regret it! xx

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