Monday 30 July 2012

currently loving & a mini instagram post

First of all can I just say hello to all my followers!  I've got 40 followers already and I can't quite believe it!  I'm so grateful that anyone wants to read this little blog of mine haha.

Did anyone watch the Olympics opening ceremony?  It was fantastic...it was so visual, funny in places and surreal.  Everything I wanted and more!  I'm thoroughly enjoying the Olympics so far, and can't wait for the athletics to start.

Here is what I've been loving this month...

Reading... I'm still reading 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth. I wasn't too sure at first about this book, but it has definitely got better and better.  I've only got about 2 chapters left though so should finish this tonight, and then I can start a new one!

Watching... Still loving Revenge....what a great show! And of course...the Olympics! 

Buying... There are so many cute dresses in H&M at the moment. I've bought a couple already so I'll do a haul post soon.

Loving... planning and decorating our hallway.  I would love the finished product to look something like this...
pic via Ideal Home

Wanting... to eat a lot healthier.  I've been trying to include lots of veggie in our meals and snack on fruit during the day.


And to finish off the blog post for today, here are a few little pics from my weekend...

                               (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

~ watching the epic opening ceremony on a Friday night

~  loving country walks in the sunshine

~ good food and drinks with friends on a Saturday night

~ a trip to Ikea to stock up on candles and photo frames

xx

Friday 27 July 2012

Friday fancies: a summer treat!

It's an exciting day today for many reasons...

1) It's Friday
2) The sun is still shining and making everyone happy
3)  The Olympics finally start!

I am so excited for a relaxing night tonight consisting of watching the opening ceremony with a massive bowl of ice cream.  A perfect summer treat. 

Speaking of summer treats, this week's Friday Fancies is inspired by my love of ice cream.  A bowl of neopolitan ice cream is always something I look forward to having on a warm summer's day. 

a summer treat



This ombre stripe silk blouse from Warehouse is now on sale for only £17, and would keep me nice and cool, paired up with yellow shorts and simple brown sandals.  It's making me crave ice cream by just looking at it!


Have a lovely weekend everyone, and enjoy the Olympics if you are planning on watching it!
xx




Wednesday 25 July 2012

Recipe: tuna melt pizza baguette

I spotted this recipe from an old Good Food magazine I had lying around, so I decided to make this on the weekend.  It's a perfect 'throw it together' lazy Sunday snack.

On the downside...it did get messy with all the cheese falling off and refusing to stay on the baguette before baking it...but it was delicious in the end so worth the mess!

I adapted it slightly from the original recipe, because I didn't have sweetcorn, and I added mozzarella as well as cheddar cheese. 

Ingredients (for 2 people)



  • Baguettes
  • 1 red pepper (I used a sweet pepper)
  • A can of tuna
  • 100g cheddar, grated
  • Mozzarella, chopped
  • Tomato purée 


  • Method:

    Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the 2 part-baked baguettes lengthways and cook directly on the oven shelf for 8 minutes. Meanwhile mix the diced peppers, tuna, and 75g of the grated cheddar and mozzarella. 


    Transfer the baguettes to a baking tray, spread each with 1 tbsp tomato purée, divide the tuna mix over, then sprinkle with the remaining grated cheddar. Bake for 12 minutes or until melting and golden.  Mine cooked in about 5 minutes!



    Then, relax and enjoy!

    xx

    Monday 23 July 2012

    my instagram life

    Well....we spent most of the weekend outside as the sunshine is officially back in Wales!  Who knows how long for this time....but I am making the most of it while this gorgeous weather lasts. 

    We're also in the middle of decorating our hallway, so we had to buy lightswitches (ever so slighty boring...) but apart from that it's been a lovely few days consisting of long walks up a mountain (with some amazing views of Cardiff), sunbathing in my garden and lots of good food. 

    Here's a picture recap of the last few days...

    (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

    ~ I won a giveaway!  Here are my cute prizes...thanks Lisa!

    ~ I couldn't resist this cute little thing for my house
                              

    ~ Haircut time....the fringe is back....
                              

    ~ Homemade chickpea curry on a Friday night

    ~ Amazing views on a Sunday walk

    ~ And I also spotted some gorgeous blue flowers

    I hope everyone had a good weekend?

                                                                                 xx

    Friday 20 July 2012

    Friday fancies: Euro trip!

    There will be many people arriving at an airport leaving for a glamorous destination as we speak, as the schools have just broken up for the summer!  So this week's Friday fancies is just in time, and has left me daydreaming of planning my perfect outfit for an European city break. 

    Once thing we you can't guarantee about a city break in Europe is good weather unfortunately!  As we know here in the UK, it has been mostly non stop rain and grey skies for about 2 months now. So layering is key here, and I've paired my outfit below up with a blazer...just in case those pesky grey clouds arrive!

    There will also be lots of sightseeing and walking around, so comfort in choosing an outfit was vital.  What is better than a comfy t-shirt and chinos?  Gladiator sandals also give support and look oh so chic! 

    And we can't forget the most vital possession...a camera to capture all those amazing moments!
    european adventure






    Head over to Long Distance Loving's blog for some more inspirational outfits

    Have a lovely weekend everyone!

    xx

    Wednesday 18 July 2012

    Liebster Blog Award

    The lovely Lisa over at Lisamello has nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!  This is my first ever blog award and I am very excited haha.  So thanks Lisa!  You should all go and take a sneaky peek at her blog, I love it!  She’s also from Wales (yay!), and posts lovely instagram photos and beauty reviews and much more. 

    Basically the Liebster Blog Award is given to your favourite blogs with less than 200 followers.  You need to list 11 facts about yourself, answer 11 questions and ask 11 questions which the rules below will explain in more depth.

    Rules

    1.  You must link back to the person who gave the award to you!
    2.  Post eleven things about yourself
    3.  Answer the questions the person giving you the award has set for you
    4.  Create 11 questions the person giving you the award has set for you
    5.  Choose people to give the award to and link them in your post
    6.  Go to their blog and tell them
    7.  You can't give the award back to the blogger who gave it to you!


    So...here are my 11 facts...

    1.  I studied Journalism and Broadcasting at University
    2.  I love dancing, and used to have lessons in ballet, tap and jazz!  I miss those days...
    3.  I broke my collarbone once whilst horse riding (I fell off a horse, silly me)
    4.  My childhood cat only had one eye, bless him
    5.  I speak fluent Welsh
    6.  I have one older brother and one older sister
    7.  Having older siblings means lots of nephews and nieces!  I have 3 nephews and 2 nieces so far!
    8.  Orlando, Florida was one of my best holidays.  I was 7 years old, it was magical!
    9.  I love chocolate ice cream, and could eat it every day if I could
    10. I am a tea addict
    11. My favourite high street shops are Zara, H&M and Dorothy Perkins 


    Questions I have to answer

    1.  What did you want to be when you grew up?
    This changed a lot!  From wanting to be a nurse to running away and joining a circus, to being a ballet dancer or being a writer!

    2.  What item of clothing (or shoes) is at the top of your wishlist
    A mulberry bag please! Does that count?

    3.  What features do you like to read on blogs?
    I love instagram posts, fashion hauls and recipe ideas!

    4.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
    Probably to be less of a worrier.  And to be more confident generally!

    5.  What's your best beauty tip?
    Drink lots of water and eat lots of spinach!

    6.  Where would you go on holiday if money wasn't a issue?
    My dream is to roadtrip around America! 

    7.  What celebrity would you love to meet?
    Kate Bosworth…and get some style tips haha

    8.  What was one of the fist blogs you started to read/follow?
    Anna Saccone’s blog The Style Diet was probably the first blog I fell in love with

    9.  What made you start blogging?
    I’ve been wanting to start blogging for a while after reading so many great ones, and I just thought why not give it a go!

    10.  Do you prefer books of films?
    I love both, but I am a bookworm!

    11.  If you could have any super hero power, what would it be?  And no, you can't have multi powers or the ability to use other people's powers
    The ability to be invisible.  Oh the conversations and gossip that you would hear would be amazing!


    Here are the questions you have to answer:
    1)      Who is your style icon?
    2)      What would be your perfect meal?
    3)      Describe yourself in 3 words
    4)      What would be your perfect weekend?
    5)      Which blog do you love to read?
    6)      Tea or coffee?
    7)      If you could live somewhere else, where and why?
    8)      Favourite movie?
    9)      What is your favourite TV series?
    10)   What is your dream job?
    11)   What do you love most about blogging?

    And I tag Notes from Holly Street, Salad and Sequins and Reverie to Reality.  I adore these
    3 blogs and would love to hear what they have to say!

                                                                             xx

    Monday 16 July 2012

    my instagram life

    I made slight progress on the wedding plans this weekend...I've found my wedding shoes yay! 

    To be honest there's wasn't much choice out there, I wasn't looking for ivory colour wedding shoes so I was struggling to find exactly what I was looking for. However, I managed to find a beautiful pair from Dune and I'm very relieved!

    Apart from shopping on the Saturday, I generally had a relaxing weekend and managed to start my knitting project too!  One of my goals this year is to learn a new skills, so I'm happy I've made a start finally.

    Here's a few pics of the last few days....

                                        (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)


    ~ a homemade banana bread for a mid morning Friday afternoon snack



    ~ would you put smoked salmon and pizza together?  It was delicious!



    ~ trying to find inspiration from Cath Kidson



    ~ tired of shopping all morning...off to Jamie Oliver's we go!



    ~ Sunday afternoon spent knitting.  Well...trying to knit and lots of patience!

    Friday 13 July 2012

    Friday fancies: a summer wedding

    I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am that it's Friday!  This week has gone so slow, but I've got some lovely plans for this weekend, thank god! I'm mostly looking forward to going wedding shoe shopping with my mother, fingers crossed we'll find a pair that I love.

    Talking about weddings, this weeks Friday Fancies theme is 'wedding guest'. 

    Now I was recently a guest at my friend's wedding back in June (and I loved the dress I wore) but if I could choose a completely different outfit I would go for a little bright summery number like this!

    summer wedding


                                                  
                          
    I always find if you combine a bright colour (such as this yellow dress) with nude colour accessories, they always compliment each other.

    Now all I need to do is to find a wedding to attend, wedding crashers style!  Head over to the Long Distance Loving blog for some more lovely outfits!

                                                      Have a lovely weekend everyone!

    xx

    Wednesday 11 July 2012

    Crete holiday 2011

    As we have yet to decide on a destination for our honeymoon (time is running out....just over 4 months to go!) I decided to flick through some pictures of our holiday last year in Crete for some inspiration.  This will hopefully spur me on to look for honeymoon ideas!

    This was my first time visiting a Greek Island...and I fell in love!  The weather...the gorgeous scenery...and the delicious food....everything was perfection. 

    We definitely want to go back to Crete one day, and will also be visiting some other Greek Islands.  I can't wait!





















    a little house we spotted on a walk / the harbour / the fountain in the square / enjoying food and wine!






















    Spinalonga / approaching Spinalonga / old buildings / beach & BBQ!




    harbour / a lovely restaurant / feeling sleepy haha / Elounda harbour

    Ah take me back to Crete please!

    xx

    Monday 9 July 2012

    my life in pics

    I can't quite believe it's nearing the middle of July already!  Although it still doesn't feel like summer with this awful weather we've been having.  Surely we deserve some sunshine now after all this rain?!

    Anyway...in spite of looming grey skies I managed to have a lovely weekend, where I caught up with friends and managed to squeeze in a date night with my boyfriend yay!

    Here's a picture recap of my last few days...

                                         (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

    ~ my first ever time in Nando's!  Can you believe it?!


    ~  I went for a wrap and spicy rice, with the lemon and herb sauce...yum!


    ~  Saturday morning bliss


    ~ Reading 'Divergent', about halfway through now


    ~ Lazy sunday spent watching the Wimbledon final.  I got slightly emotional with Andy Murray's speech at the end!


    ~  Feeling crafty! I'm determined to start this little project this week



    Did anyone else watch the tennis?  It was a great final!  I hope I wasn't the only one who shed a little tear!


    xx