University gift ideas for a loved one!

 A couple of days ago my baby cousin ventured off to start a new chapter in her life by going to University! As a girl who loves to give, I wanted to get her something useful and cute for her to take to her new place,  but since I've never been to University, I was at a loss on what she would need. In the end I went for a 'little luxuries' hamper that she wouldn't necessarily buy/afford when away from home.


If you know me well, you'll know that I can never just give one present, I always get far too carried away. So after days on the internet trawling through what to put in this hamper, I finally made a list on what to put in it.



Here is a list of the items I bought:

- Mini shampoo & conditioners.
- Dried pasta.
- Savoury rice.
- Hot chocolate sachets.
- Chocolates & sweets.
- Shot glasses.
- Cookies.
- Chewing gum.
- Nutella (a real winner!).
- Can of an alcohol mixer.
- Fluffy pyjamas.
- Fluffy socks.
- Paracetamol (obviously)
- Cold & Flu relief.

As you can see it all escalated pretty quickly and I had to buy a bigger box, you can get some really cute boxes for less than £4. But even the box I used couldn't fit in the pyjamas and socks, so they just went in my original box I had for the hamper.

I thought this post would be handy for anyone who's friend/family are heading off to Uni and wanted to give them a going away present. This is just my take on a typical University hamper, but you could change this to the particular person you are buying for and what budget you have.

I hope you found this interesting or even helpful, as Uni season hits full swing!

Did you get a University hamper? What would you put in one?

Daisy xx

            

Recipe - Peanut Butter & Chocolate chip bites.

I know everyone does the whole 'My New Years Resolution is to eat healthier' and never really sticks to it, I am definitely one of those culprits! 

Especially when working next to a Greggs, where fresh sausage rolls are made by the hour! Seriously, how am I meant to eat healthy?!

I've been trying out different recipes for dinner but yet to find a good healthy snack recipe that's quick and requires little cooking!

For me, I'm a right sucker for snacking whether it be crisps, chocolate or even cheese!

So when I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest (yes I finally caved and I bloody love it! You can follow me here!) I had to give it a try.

The base of these snacks are just 3 simple ingredients that you could probably find hidden in your cupboard! 

- 1 glass full of Rolled Porridge Oats. 

(I used a half pint glass as my measurement)

 - Half glass of Peanut Butter.

- 2 tablespoons of Honey. (Any type, I used pure honey.)

However, I add my own 'extras' to give it a bit of variety.

- 2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil.

- A handful of chocolate chips.

- Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence.

- 1 tablespoon dried Coconut shavings.

Obviously you can change the recipe to how you like them, this is just a guide to how I do it.

As you can see, these 'bites' are pretty healthy compared to a bog standard chocolate bar, and they make a decent sized batch (around 10-15 balls, sorry, there was no other way to describe them!) 

1. Measure out all your ingredients as stated above.

2. Melt your Coconut Oil in a small pan over a low heat until it's transparent.

3. Put all your ingredients into a bowl, dry parts first and then the wet ingredients after.

4. Mix all the ingredients together until they make a paste.

5. Once all the ingredients are mixed, get either a tablespoon or ice-cream scoop and scoop out bite size pieces of the mixture onto a plate.

6. All that's left to do is pop them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes and wait patiently (the hardest part for me personally!)

7. Finally you can eat them until your heart is content without the guilt!

Usually they last about half an hour in my house but if you don't have a growing teenage boy as a brother you could just keep them in a container in the fridge and take them as and when you please!

Let me know how you guys get on!

Daisy x

OOTD & ChimiChangas.

Coat (Next) - Charity shop.

Shirt - New Look // 

Jeans - Topshop (Leigh Jeans)

Boots - Topshop // Similar ones here.

Bag - Tk Maxx.

& I can't remember where my scarf is from as I've had it for years! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! I can't believe we're in 2015 already! It's insane!

As much as I love this coat and the bargain that it was at eight pounds! It's not the most practical coat during the middle of Winter! Especially when you spend the whole day outside wandering around Freeport designer Village (me being the fool thinking it was all indoors!) absolutely freezing to death! But this meant us darting into the shops to gain feeling back into our fingers.

And obviously no shopping trip is complete without some food/fuel in our systems. 

My healthy eating for 2015 didn't last long.

I'll start tomorrow I promise.


Daisy xx

The Perfect Jumper Dress.

Necklace - New Look

Jumper Dress - Primark

Boots - Topshop (Last year)

It has taken me ages to find the perfect jumper dress for the winter; long enough so that my legs are relatively warm without having to wear tights but not too thick where I can't wear my favourite coat in fear of looking and feeling like the Michelin Man (search it and you'll understand).

Whilst on my most recent shopping trip, I found this beauty calling out my name in Primark. Yes Primark! To me it looks like something you would find in All Saints but without the enormous price tag. At £12, There was no way I was leaving the shop without it! What a BARGAIN!

Everything about this dress is perfect, the length, the colour, the material and the price! 

 Daisy xx

Casual Sunday

Coat (Last years sale) - Topshop (Similar styles HERE.)

Shirt - Matalan

Jeans (Last years) - Topshop

Bag - TK Maxx

Shoes - Zara

I made a huge mistake today in wearing these beautiful white patent flats from Zara today, not because they cut my feet up for once! But because my poor little tootsies were freezing! 

However, I've been obsessed with wearing these shoes ever since they stopped giving me blisters! Girls, you know what I'm talking about! The majority of the shoes I own, I had to go through that barrier where they just really hurt your feet :( 

For these shoes, those days are long gone now, Thank God! I just love them so much, they are so comfortable and versatile. The patent white material really reminds me of the 60's , so they are a great way to incorporate the 60's styles into your everyday wardrobe, especially as the perfect transitional shoe from Summer to Autumn/Winter.

Looking back at my outfit choice of today, I look very patriotic, you know following the colours of the United Kingdom's flag, this wasn't intentional until I looked in the mirror at my shirt and jean combo and decided a black coat just wouldn't complete the look. 



Daisy x

Take me back - Ibiza.

Gone are the evenings where daylight stayed with us until late eight O' clock. As I sit here writing this, it's dark outside and I'm warm and toasty in my dressing gown. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing more cosy than cuddling on the sofa with a cup of tea, your favourite slippers and the heating on. However, when this becomes acceptable, I start mourning the summer, especially the previous holiday. This year, I had a late summer holiday, around end of August myself, my Uncle and Aunt and two cousins went to the beautiful Balearic island of Ibiza!

I've always heard great reviews about Ibiza as the place to be in the summer, and I tell ya, I wasn't disappointed!

We stayed in two different apartments, both on the other sides of the island so that we could explore most of it in our week stay, and on one night we also had the luxury of staying at Ibiza Rocks House, formally known as Pikes Hotel (famous for being the location for Wham's Club Tropicana music video and Freddie Mercury's 41st birthday party!)

I could live there, it's like a funky, mismatched, anything goes, home from home yoga retreat. Plus we partied all night with the likes of Groove Armarda and Idris Elba! Idris Elba!

Instead of boring you with all my photos of the palm trees, sea and blue skies (I had to!) I'm just going to show you a collection of photos from our stay at Pikes Hotel Ibiza, as there was just so many things to take photos of!  

 

  

 

       

     

"You can check-in, but you can never check out." 

If you've been to Ibiza, you'll understand.

Follow me on Instagram for more Ibiza photos - @daisygraceox     

x
                                                     

Style Crush - Vivian Ward.

Oh hello! Remember me?! Yeah I'm the girl who states she'll start posting more often at the end of each blog post...And never sticks to her word. Ooopsies. 

But now I'm going to be making more of an effort as I've always got some sort of post ideas swirling around my head!

Lets get back into it!

Every time this movie is on TV there’s no doubt that I’ll be glued to the television, quoting my way through the duration. Needless to say it’s one of my favourite films of all time. Nostalgia making me want to relive the 90s, but this time in Beverly Hills.

Despite the film being a typical love story, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl but with the restraint of social class this cannot happen, it’s also a great film to portray different styles of fashion in the nineties. Vivian (Julia Roberts) is probably one of my favourite characters to do this as her taste in fashion evolves throughout the film, as well as her character. I mean as much as the thigh high boots were her statement look in the beginning, no one can dispute that the red ball gown that Vivian wears to the opera is the balls. Only in Pretty Woman this could happen. That’s why it’s so great.

Furthermore, the transition from Vivian walking into the boutique for the first time and getting turned down to Vivian walking in looking completely different. “Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.” It’s just brilliant.

And here's why I love Vivian Ward's fashion:

As you can see at the start of the film Vivian's character looks almost like a badass, even though we all know she isn't (that is if you've seen the film!) with her wild and unruly hair, which I'm so jealous of, short skirts and the trusty thigh highs. But as the film progresses her style develops her into a Pretty Woman (excuse the pun). It's all about the midi length dresses, understated shades of nudes, subtle patterns and the perfect up do.

However, as much as I admire the elegant side of Vivian's style, there's something so effortless with the white shirt and body con skirt that is seen on the second picture. 

What do you think of Vivian's style?

Do you have a film character who's style you envy?

Until next time,
Daisy xx