June 2016 / Tea and blush

30 week pregnancy update

Sunday, 26 June 2016

I decided this evening to do an update on my pregnancy and I've just realised the last time I did one was at week 18- oh how time flies!

So, 30 weeks pregnant... it really is crazy how fast time has gone. We've started counting down the weeks now rather than up too which really makes things seem a lot more real.

I know this post won't be everyones cup of tea but I thought it would be nice to document how I'm feeling right now so that I can look back on it in years to come and remind myself of all the little details of pregnancy I've experienced. So, in this post i'll be reflecting back over the last few weeks, around weeks 25-30!

General symptoms
Weeks 25-28 I didn't really have any symptoms to mention thankfully; a nicely growing midriff of course but thats expected around these weeks of pregnancy.

Over the past couple of weeks however, a few symptoms have started to creep in; back ache, indigestion and tiredness but nothing I cant handle.

Swollen ankles are a daily occurrence now; I find if I have a really busy day at work and forget to get up and move about a bit they balloon up quickly. They also seem to balloon up when I'm on my feet a lot too so basically theres no winning but thankfully having fat ankles doesn't hurt they just don't look great with my skinny maternity jeans!!

Food cravings
Sweet stuff, cake, ice-cream. I've been really naughty the past few weeks and just let myself scoff so my aim for this week is to cut out the crap and replace it with fruit and yogurt. Although... I have baked a chocolate brownie cake today.. help help!

Sleep
Getting more difficult by the day now; completely okay with the waking up at around 4am to pee but I'm finding that I wake up more often throughout the night, either because of baby kicking me or the Mr rolling me back onto my left side (and my side of the bed!). Although the DreamGenii pregnancy pillow was great earlier on in pregnancy I find its making me more uncomfortable now as my tummy doesn't fit in the gap of the pillow comfortably so I've just purchased the Mothercare Pregnancy Wedge to help support my bump.

Emotions
Up until about week 28 I seemed to be doing okay in terms of my emotions, but I've really struggled the past few weeks to hold myself together when I'm tired. I seem to be able to cry about pretty much anything to be honest. However, a lot the last few weeks have been happy tears; thinking about how life will be when she arrives, picturing her in the house, making plans of things I'd like to do during the 12 months I'm taking off.. its all so overwhelming but lovely at the same time.

Purchases
We've been pretty keen with the baby shopping but we are so excited we cant help it! Our biggest purchase so far has been the Snüzpod co-sleeper crib and bedding to match. We love the idea of having her so close to us during the night but still being safely in her own space. Once the co-sleeper is in our room and attached to our new kingsize bed we've ordered I'll do a more in-depth post about it. We've also been stocking up on newborn clothes as we realised we'd purchased 0-3 months but nothing for the earlier weeks.. ooppss! I've got a few posts lined up over the next few weeks featuring some rather beaut clothes so keep an eye out for them.

Bump progress
As you can see from the photo at the top of this post I am now fully looking round around the middle! I love seeing my tummy grow week by week; it amazes me that there is a little human in there.
Her movements started around week 25 as kicks and were occasional but now I can feel her twisting and moving more often throughout the day. She's into a routine now with her movements; when I wake up in the morning she's already having a wiggle party in there and then she slows down once I'm up and getting ready for work. She then seems to go to sleep for most of the morning and then wakes up just in time to move around whilst I'm eating my lunch (such an odd feeling whilst eating). Then during the afternoon she's back to sleep and gets more active again just before I'm going to bed.

Things I'm looking forward to over the next few weeks

*Putting up shelves and pictures in the nursery- we've set up the furniture but thats about it so far.
*Starting our baby classes at our local hospital
*Attending more pregnancy yoga classes- forgot my class last week :(
*Receiving a bundle of baby and maternity clothes from my auntie
*Getting things organised for the baby shower at the end of July
*Starting maternity leave in 7 weeks- wow,thats not long at all!!

I'd like to start doing more regular updates now that we are counting down the weeks, hopefully you'll all enjoy reading them!

XOXOXO

Thursday, 23 June 2016

Parasol with LED Lights £179 | Dove Grey Plant Stand £80 | La Hacienda Chiminea £36 | Grey Rattan Garden Set £599 |

As the weather gets (slightly) better week by week its got me thinking about how I want to get our garden looking a bit more fancy and make it into a more useable space. At the moment all we have out in the back garden is some decking, a few plant pots and some slightly uncomfortable garden chairs.

Next week my parents are coming to see me to help me plan out how to make the garden a bit more private as, at the moment, when I hang my washing out, I feel like the whole neighbourhood can see my smalls! So, once we've tackled the issue of getting some higher fencing up its all about the sprucing it up with garden furniture and accessories!

I've always wanted a nice comfy outdoor sofa, the one in the collage above looks perfect.. I'd so get myself comfy on the right hand chair and use that footstool to make it into a lounger. I'd kick back on it on lazy Saturday afternoons and drink a nice cooling summer mocktail. The cushions on this Fishpools seating set are designed to be on the rattan seats all year round too so no having to pack them away at the end of a relaxing sesh.

Come the evening time I'd love to have the Chiminea blazing away to keep us cosy whilst snuggled up under a blanket. The parasol I've included has built in LED lights, I bet it would look so perfect! On the grey plant stand I'd have a selection of succulents and terrariums and possibly some strawberry plants.

Watermelon Candle £10 | Parlane Jar with LED Lights £7.99 | Parlane Garland Bulbs £25.99 | Grey Skandi Lantern £4.99

Of course, no garden set up would be complete without a few cute lighting accessories- above I've pulled together some of my faves. I'd have the watermelon candle and the jar on table of the sofa set. The garland lights wrapped around the stand of the parasol and the lantern on the decking near the sofa set too.

Scandinavian Birch Bug Tray £22 | Plastic Ombre Wine Glasses £12 | Collier Campbell Melamine Plate £7 | Rustic Cutlery Caddy £12.99

I love eating outdoors in the summer time so I'd choose the rather bright, slightly mismatching collection of stuff above to give the over all set up a pop of colour. The cutlery caddy looks super handy to save repeat trips indoors to collect napkins and serving spoons!

I'd really like to get the garden looking great and being a more useable space over the next month or so; I think its a shame to essentially have another room to the house that we rarely use.. lets just hope the weather gets a bit nicer come July!

Are you planning on giving your garden a makeover this summer? Which piece from the collages would you choose?

XOXOXO

*This post was sponsored by Fishpools but the words and lustings are 100% mine

Sunday, 19 June 2016

As you probably have guessed if you follow me on Instagram, my weekends now tend to be filled with baby related stuff; from looking at nursery decor items to wish listing cute outfits I'd like to have for the baba!

Can you imagine how excited I was to receive an email from Mamas & Papas offering to send me some clothes for the baba? I think I squeaked a little bit to be honest.

Mamas & Papas kindly sent me five items from the Fifi Lapin range to add to our growing wardrobe for the babe- who, might I add, is a girl. I'm not sure I've even made that announcement on my blog actually... how did that one slip my mind?

One of the items they gifted to us is way too cute to sit in a draw for the next two years so I have decided to do a giveaway at the end of this blog post.. stick with me!!

Fifi Lapin is a cute bunny who shot to fame in 2009; selling t-shirts at ASOS, UO and then launching a range of xmas cards in Topshop. Being the international it-bunny that she now is she's been given the opportunity to release the cutest clothing range in collaboration with Mamas & Papas.

First up is this totally adorable two piece legging and dress combo. The 100% cotton dress is going to be ideal for early spring/summer next year; the dress has a little underskirt attached but still remains light and airy.

The leggings to go with super cute with gathered detailing on the legs- I imagine this outfit is going to be teamed up with some little sandals and a hat. Or, if she fits into it whilst the weather is still a bit cooler then I could pop a long sleeved dark blue top on underneath the dress.

I love the detailed piping on the different sections of the dress; the pink, black and yellow really compliment the Fifi bunnies on the main fabric of the dress.

Next up are these amazing chino type trousers; aren't they just gorgeous?! I'm not a huge fan of too much pink so this really light pink tint works well for me..

Again, these are 100% cotton and feel really light; great for the spring/summer. I imagine her wearing these with a plain white t-shirt tucked in and maybe a bow/headband on. Ohhhhhh she is going to be such a fashionista!

These chino style trousers are £14- pretty reasonable I think. Love the print of the fabric too.. I'm already thinking what we could refashion them into once she's grown out of them.. maybe I should do a patchwork blanket with all of the gorgeous clothing pieces to remind me of how adorable her wardrobe was as a new baba?!

Next up is a cardigan with a Fifi bunny popping out the pom pom lined pocket- anything with pom poms on wins my love immediately.

The buttons on this piece give it a pop of colour and ohh its so soft and snuggly feeling! This cardigan is £19. This piece is in age 2-3 so we are going to have to hang on a while until the babe can wear this but at least we have a few nice bits stored away eh?

I really love all of the pieces that I've been sent by Mamas & Papas- it makes me so excited to think about dressing her up in such stylish outfits.. she's going to be dressed so much better than me at this rate! Which piece is your fave?

Last but by no means least is the item I have decided to give away to one lucky reader....

This cute summer dress is ideal for your 2-3 year old babe over the next few months in the warmer weather we will hopefully be having.

! I love the detailing around the neck and the tassels on the arms and hem line. The dress is worth £24; i'll be sad to part with it but would love to see a picture of the winning babe in it!

Of course, the focus piece of the dress is the little Fifi Lapin bunny, she's just so chic.

The dress is age 2-3 and you can enter by completing the form below-

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Competition rules-

1. Winner will be chosen at random

2. Competition will close on 27 June 2016

3. Winner must provide me with address to post to within 3 days otherwise another winner will be chosen at random

4. I will post the prize within 3 days of receiving the postal address (I am paying the postage costs of this)

5. You must complete one or all of the requirements on the rafflecopter form. This will be checked when drawing winner.
6. Only open to UK entries.

Good luck!

XOXOXOX

Wednesday, 15 June 2016

Ever had a piece of furniture that you love but it doesn't quite fit with the colour scheme of your room? Well, fear not, there is an easy way to re-style your furniture using Rust-oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint.

Earlier this month Rust-oleum sent me 2 pots of their chalky paint in Chalk White to try out around the house; I decided to paint some shelves we are going to be putting up in the baby's room.

The paints come in a variety of colours and finishes; check out the options here.

The shelves I painted started out their life as display crates for xmas decorations at a DIY store- as a member of staff my dad managed to get his hands on them just before they were going to be binned and then he sent 2 sets to us. They came in really handy in our last house; just the right size to store loo rolls in! It might be worth heading to your local store and asking about display crates but if not, there are lots of similar crate displays available Ebay.

The great thing about chalk paint is that whatever the surface you are painting there is no preparation required; who wants to have to sand furniture down before giving it a new lease of life eh?

I've used a very popular chalk paint before and can honestly say that Rust-Oleum does the job to the same standard; it covers well, doesn't give off any fumes (great for us preggos) and makes painting jobs quick and easy. I think the shelves look rather lovely when painted- they are going to go either side of the window in the nursery and display little items,possibly shoes and general nicknacks that need to be out of baby's reach. I'm picturing them loaded up with some cute succulents actually...

Although you can buy specific paint brushes designed for chalk painting I decided not to and just went for a multipack of brushes (find the ones I used here).With Rust-Oleum chalky paint I found that I only needed to do one coat to get a good coverage but I did go over with a second coat just incase.

The beauty of chalk painting is that you don't need any prior painting experience- you just go ahead and slap the paint on and really you don't have to worry about your painting technique; the shabby chic look is just how I like it!

If you are painting a piece of furniture that gets a lot of use it is worth investing in some Rust-oleum Finishing Wax.

My next project to work on is going to be my chest of draws in our bedroom which I use the top of as a makeup station. I chalk painted it 2 years ago with another brand of paint and although it looked great for a few months it quickly became a bit grubby due to all my makeup residue so it's in desperate need of a refresh. Once I've painted the chest of draws I'm going to purchase some of the Finishing wax. The wax comes in either clear or dark polish that helps to protect your furniture once you've painted it. This type of wax is really easy to apply; all you do is apply it with a brush or rag and it dries leaving a velvety sheen. It helps to ensure the paint finish is water-repellent and seals it against stains and marks- just what I need!

I'm so pleased with the results of the paint; I would choose Rust-Oleum paint over other brands of similar paint now that I've tried it out. It costs £12 for 750ml (works out £16 per litre) and can be found purchased online from Homebase and B&Q or find your local stockist here.

We've already started working on the nursery for the baby so once the shelves are up on the wall and have some pretty things on them I'll do an update on how they look- of course I cannot wait to do a full nursery tour too!

Have you used chalk paint before?
Tell me about your next DIY project!

XOXOXO

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

As the week's of my pregnancy quickly fly by I've been more aware of the necessity for comfy, well fitting bra's. You know that feeling most women get of needing to take their bra off when they step in the door after work? Well I'm now experiencing that feeling ALL day every day!! So when Bravado Designs contacted me asking if I'd like to try out their Body Silk Seamless Yoga Nursing Bra of course I wasn't going to say no!

Bravado Designs are an award winning brand who have been around for over 20 years. Their bra's are worn by mummas around the world, including some celebs like Beyonce and Jolie!

Bravado was created by two mums, some fabric, a kitchen table and sheer determination to ensure that all expectant mums and nursing mums can be comfortable as well as feeling great in their undies. Bravado continuously test their products with real life mums to ensure they fit in with everyday needs. They also combine this insight with information from lactation consultants so the bra's are suitable for nursing and beyond.

As of course I'm not nursing yet this post is primarily reviewing the bra as a maternity bra- I also started pregnancy yoga last week so I'm planning on wearing this to my next session as its advertised as a yoga bra too! The bra comes in 2 colours; pink and grey, which cost £34. I think is pretty reasonable for a bra which will see you through pregnancy and a good few months/years afterwards. I'd see it as an investment to make nursing easier when out and about.

The bra comes in a variety of sizes, from small to extra large- Bravado have provided a sizing chart on their website to help you work out which is best to go for. This model of bra is specifically designed to fit into an active momma's lifestyle and can be worn during low impact training such as pilates, yoga and taking many walks through the park to get the baby to sleep. The information on the website describes it as having Silverbreeze technology that helps to prevent the growth of odour causing bacteria whilst keeping the bra fresh and cool- of course this is ideal for those times when you have the energy to be active.

Just from looking at the bra before I tried it on I could tell it was going to be comfy; as well as being wire- free its 4 way stretch fabric allows the bra to change with my ever changing shape and sits comfortably at the top of my bump without adding additional pressure. This is going to be great when I start nursing as of course my body will change shape day to day!

The bra has removable pad inserts and also a handy clip feature that allows you to unclip the cup to allow for breastfeeding when your baby requires. The bra also comes with a handy converter kit for once you've finished nursing; all you do is attach one of the bra loops and cut off the guide strap and you've got yourself a handy sports bra. The straps are also adjustable and can be worn as a criss-cross bra if you fancy.

Overall, my experience so far with this bra has been nothing but positive; I've found it comfy,non restricting, soft and just what I need right now. I like the thickness of the band around the bottom of the bra; this will allow me to wear it well into the run up to baby's birth as I expect to get a lot bigger over the next 12 weeks.. can you believe thats all I've got left to go!?

Have you ever used a Bravado Nursing Bra?

Check out Bravado's range of bra's here or find this yoga nursing bra at the John Lewis website here.

XOXOX

Monday, 13 June 2016

Alongside home accessories and baby things one of my shopping weaknesses has to be jewellery; whether it be old vintage finds or brand new jewellery spotted in-store or online.

JewelleryBox.co.uk is a South London based online jewellery store that stocks reasonably priced gold and silver jewellery at what seem to be lower prices than you'd pay in high street stores. You can read more about them here.

Their range of jewellery on the website is pretty impressive- from necklaces, bracelets, charms, anklets and rings. You need a piece of jewellery for day to day wear or a special occasion? They've probably got it and at a price a lot lower than visiting your local high street stores.

I was given the opportunity to have a browse through the site and select an item to feature on my blog- I've already got a whole array of rings and necklaces so I decided to select a bracelet, something I could wear daily that would go with all outfits and look cute! After having a browse through the bracelet section of the website I selected the Sterling Silver Infinity Bracelet.

Before I get on to the bracelet itself look at the cuteness of the packaging.. the little pegs holding the jewellery in place on the hand stamped card all put together in a little box. Some love has definitely gone into making it feel special when you open your parcel.

Monday, 6 June 2016

Have you tried out the Camomile Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop yet?

I tend to avoid heavily scented face products these days so this balm with its light camomile scent is ideal. I use this at nighttime and love having it as part of my quick skincare routine- for me, the less time I have to spend on routines the better and I'm sure going forward when the baby is here I'll be thankful that I've got my skincare routine down to a few minutes.

I like that this product comes in a tin, it makes it easy to ensure that I'm not wasting any of the product and ideal to chuck in my travel bag when I go away with work. The balm is suitable for all skin types and also suitable for contact lenses wearers to use.

Saturday, 4 June 2016

A few weeks back I was invited along to a special blogger evening at Lush in Sheffield to learn more about the ethics being their best loved products. Throughout the store Lush set up small stations to discuss each aspect of the evenings topics; I'll briefly cover the stations and also link to more information on the Lush website.

Lush Charity Pot

I've never really known much about the Charity Pots before the event so it was really interesting to spend some time hearing about how the floral scented hand and body lotion helps communities around the world. Every penny (minus the VAT) from each sale of the Charity Pot goes to carefully selected grassroots causes working for people, animals and the environment. A whopping £7 million has been raised since the start of the Charity Pots in 2007 and has helped support good causes such as Frack off London, Sea Shepherd,Climate Rush,Humane Society International and the Beagle Freedom Society. You can buy your Charity Pot here.

The Charity Pots are made from using materials carefully sourced via the Sustainable Lush Fund (SLush Fund) projects too, such as fair trade olive oil from a women-led cooperative in the north of Israel encouraging empowerment of women and rosewood oil from a Peruvian rainforest where Lush bought the rights to six thousand hectares of rainforest in an attempt to save it from being logged and wildlife destroyed. I found it really eye opening to learn about this when at the event; if you get a chance, pop into Lush and ask for more information as its really so interesting.

Naked and Self-Preserving

Naked- As you'll have probably noticed when shopping in Lush, a lot of their products come completely naked! Over the past few years Lush have been on a journey to cut out the rubbish- I do hate the thought of all of the tubs i use being chucked onto landfill sites. Lush can quite rightly boast that small changes to their products can make a huge impact on the amount of rubbish we throw out. Due to making their body butters into solids a few years back they worked out over a period of 11 months they cut out 1572kg of plastic pots. Also over those 11 months their solid shampoo bars meant that a massive 15 million shampoo bottles were never even created!

SLIDER

30 week pregnancy update

Sunday, 26 June 2016

My garden makeover wishlist

Thursday, 23 June 2016

Fifi Lapin X Mamas & Papas clothing and giveaway

Sunday, 19 June 2016

Upcycling with Rust-oleum

Wednesday, 15 June 2016

Bravado Designs- Yoga Nursing Bra

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

JewelleryBox.co.uk- Cute, budget jewellery

Monday, 13 June 2016

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

Monday, 6 June 2016

Lush Sheffield Ethics Event

Saturday, 4 June 2016