inspired by my friends

I have been thinking about this post for a little while. Because of my situation I can't afford to take anything for granted. Life is full of ups and downs and recently my friends and family have got me through some tough times.  I need to express this, as it will burst out of my heart in a completely inappropriate way! For example when you are out with your friends and you get a bit tipsy, and then a verbal torrent of love spills out, which isn't that bad because love is good, but not everyone is as verbal and tactile as me!

So I wanted to say it like this. THANK YOU!!!! From the bottom of my heart thank you.  You may hot even realise who you are or even what you have done.  These are the friends that have given me a place to stay twice a week for the last 18 months. Gone to the cinema or dinner or dancing with me even though they didn't really want to.  The friends who held me when I was sick from dinking too much, when I was at my lowest. The friends who gave five extra minutes at school pick up to listen to me whilst I got things off my chest. The friends, that when I went to stay with them with my kids, who let me have a lay in in the morning so I could just feel that little bit more in control that day and not be so tired.

These friends have also affected my style.  The one's I am talking about don't even know that.

One friend is classic.  She taught nude colours can be fun too, not just for hiding behind, she has classic style, and would dress in designer labels, if she could afford it.  She is great at finding vintage bargains that are just my style and I love her greatly.  Thank you.

Another friend is quirky but not over top.   Her style has a grown up harder edge, unlike me. I can still manage to dress like a 18 year old, but i am trying to dress age appropriately, well sometimes! She is so  talented and amazing and we can talk on the phone for hours listening and supporting each other. She also is the best chef. Thank you.

Another who left England to move back to Australia and left a massive pile of broken hearts including mine. Who actually was my partner in criminally unique creative clothes styling!  She was always my competition and inspiration for pushing the boundaries of high street fashion. We always stood out and we were always noticed! We both are the kind of people that like to be different. She is wonderful and amzing, to be in a room with her is to be in the presence of inner and outter beauty.  But you know what, I see all my fiends like that.  They all are beautiful. Thank you.

A new friend, has a keep looking good, feeling good philosophy.  She does not judge or comment.  She is excepting, plus she love gold bling as much as me and always wears something gold and shiny everyday! Thank you.

Another friend is down to earth. She reminds me that everyday it is not always a fashion parade, but loves clothes and shopping just as much as me! She keeps me grounded.  This is a crucial skill to have when you have kids, I would say it was one of the  important skills to have along with patience. Which she has a lot of with me.   She helps me out immensely with the kids and I count her as family, a big sister. Thank you.

There are so many of you. You know who you are. My buddies, my friends, my family.

My put together family. OK so let the sappiness stop now. I hope none of you mind my tribute to you!  Join me soon as I have been shopping! It was my birthday last week and I got some great gifts and vouchers for my favourite high street shops from my lovely family.

Happy Shopping!

Samara

OCD

I have a ritual I do before I start to write.  I place my hands gently over the keyboard and smooth them over the keys in a "Daniel son, wax on/wax off" style.  I don't know why but I do.  I think I have a lot of little weird habits or OCD's like that. Like the one that means if I am busy cooking, cleaning or unloading the dishwasher etc. and I find myself needing a wee, I don't go until I have finished.  Even If I am busting!  Weird.  Or the one where I don't leave the house without earrings, and if I do I feel positively naked. Or the one that keeps allowing me to buy the same kind of shape dresses, or always bottoms and never tops and then I have nothing to go with them, so I shop looking for tops and end up with more bottoms!  AAArrgggh. Annoying.  I am sure I am not the only one with weird hang ups or routines, am I?

My purchases over the last few months, whilst my computer has been down and I have been unable to report the loveliness of my acquisitions, have involved coloured mascara (turquoise from Barry M)

I have been experimenting with that one a lot....the kids like it, always saying "Why do you have blue eyelashes, can't they be pink?"  I do have pink mascara,  but I prefer the blue with my brown eyes.  In this second picture I look like I have parrot feathers on my eyelashes!  I'm wearing Barry M lime green dazzle dust with the blue mascara.  Tropical, just like me!

Nail varnish, loving the fun I have been having with this!

Nail varnish is fun! I love being able to wear my favourite colours all at once and just having fun with it and not being too serious with it all.  I tried to paint a heart on my right hand but I ended up with a blob because my left-handed art skills are not that good! 

A pair of feather earrings, of which I have many, but my two favourite pairs of feather earrings and several other pairs got ruined.  My nail varnish leaked in my wash bag on second trip back from Portugal. :-(  So I bought these turquoise and gold ones.

Speaking of Portugal, I had a wonderful second trip, which only cemented how much I love Lisbon.  I dinned, shopped, sunbathed and met some great people.  Including a wonderful woman named Sofia Novais de Paula, who I now count as a great friend.  She has a face book group called Diario de um Baton, which translates as Lipstick Diaries.  Her page is in Portuguese, but she does the same thing as me and has been doing it for much longer then I have and is very successful.  We got on like a house on fire, there was no air left in the restaurant by the time we finished talking!  We realised how much we had in common, even down to the same clothes we bought from H&M, and we both have huge smiles!

Say Cheese!

(My top is from H&M, my jacket is from Topshop that I got about 10 years ago that I can fit into again!)

Lisbon was great. I visited a beautiful Moorish Castle in a place called Sintra just up the coast from Lisbon. 

(I am wearing a cute halter neck sun dress that I got from Joy and leggings from River Island.)

I digress, my other recent purchases have been from River Island and H&M. A Pair of distressed denim shorts from RI, love love love these.  Been wearing them so much they stay in the shape of my bum, even when I'm not wearing them! This top is also new from H&M, I got it because of the pink flowers as I just dyed my hair pink too.

There was an orange mini skirt, a black lacy vest, a crop long sleeve top that says "4 ever is a long time", a t-shirt with a print of a leopard on, a dress covered in a lip kiss print (super cute, and super short! Can only wear this with leggings unless I'm planning on flashing everybody).  

 

I think I am all caught up on my new purchases, but if I'm not I'll drop you a line!  Anyway enough for now.  Sometimes I don't know when to stop talking, writing and generally flapping my gums!  Another one of my OCD's, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I hope you all enjoyed checking out my new stuff. See you soon. 

Happy shopping!

Samara x

Hello dollies!

Helloooooo, have you missed me? I have missed writing to you!  I had the biggest catastrophe, well one of the kids, not me, decided that my lap top needed to leap off the sofa.  With that action, it was the beginning of the end of my computer screen.  Within a few weeks the screen was completely black!! So no more blogging for me. The last few weeks (well nearly two months) have been emotional, interesting, educational, slightly alcohol fuelled and fun packed.  There has been, (all for my kids) birthdays, parties and trips out and about. The first to the Butterfly Exhibition at the Natural History Museum, and swimming for the boy! There was also Easter and all the bank holidays, a royal wedding and some more drinking.  All of which has left me, it's fair to say broke.  There has been many nights out, another trip to Portugal, and I dare to say a bit more shopping, most of which was funded by my TDHS.  There was even a promise of a trip to the Big Apple! A big thank you to TDHS, you know who you are and what for!

After all of that I have been left feeling kind of all used up, like a faded T-shirt or a hole in a worn pair of jeans.  Something had to change, so I got out the rut and gave my self a kick up the arse and got my computer fixed.  £150 later and I am back!  Worth every penny. I am sure it's going to cost me a lot more than that, as not being on-line has meant my shopping capacity has been seriously compromised. Although not completely impossible, as I have and android phone which connects to the internet!

In the time that I have been shopping on my phone I have managed to buy a bum bag £18,

dress £32,

earrings £6

and a ring £12.50

 (plus another ring which I have lent to a friend and can't photograph it!) all from Miss Selfridge. A scooter from Micro scooter, for my son's, and several other birthday presents bought from Amazon.  Not bad for a first time android phone shopper!  

I haven't really shopped at Miss Selfridge in a very long time and I am a little disappointed in the quality of the the items I bought.  The frog ring has broken already, it just snapped off the ring post within a hour of wearing it, I still have to exchange it.  The dress is lovely but the fabric is quite sheer, and the bum bag, which I love, the brown faux leather part is made with PVU and is quite sticky when you thread it through the buckle loop, a bit annoying but I love bum bags because they rock!

Anyway glad to be back and sharing with you all. Must dash as the school run is imminent, but I shall be back shortly still got a lot to tell......wink wink. I hope you are all still shopping and loving everything you buy.

Happy shopping!

Samara x