Celebs I love

Celebs I love for their style.....

Katy Perry

Gwen Stefani

Audrina Patridge

Abbey Clancy

(All images from Google Images)

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Book Review - Angel - Katie Price

"A book by Katie Price, it'll be rubbish" I hear you say. I have to admit I was thinking the same thing as I bought it.

Ok, so Katie Price didn't sit down and write each of the 400+ pages herself, actually I bet she didn't even write 1, but she, supposedly, came up with the idea and plot herself.

(Image from: Google Images)

'Angel' was Katie's first novel and I wasn't expecting great things from it. I thought it would be a trashy, badly written, corny story that I would hate but how I was wrong. I started reading it yesterday morning and by page 25 I was hooked.

It got straight into the story and there was, at first no background on the characters, you got what you saw and then it gradually got fed into the story so you could make your own mind up about them before hearing anything that could taint your view.

From the beginning you want the best for Angel who is a 17 year old, adopted girl who it seems is a let down to her family who spends her summer working as a life guard to try and save up money to go to art school and she has a serious crush on her brother's friend, Cal, but he only seems interested in other girls and Angel doesn't feel like she stands a chance with him.

When she's working she get's 'discovered' by a model agent and she quickly becomes a top glamour model and we witness everything that comes with being a celebrity.

I won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it but seen as I finished it this afternoon I would defiantly recommend it and I'd go as far as saying that it's possibly the best book I've ever read! With this in mind I'm starting straight on the sequel: Angel Uncovered.

NEW BLOG FOR CRAFTING

If your interested in my crafting blog posts then I've started a new blog with my mum to post them on instead of filling this one with them.

If you want to follow us then here is the blog address:

http://bkcrafting.blogspot.com/

Good Things skincare

Good Things skincare was launched exclusively to Boots earlier this month and it's no ordinary brand.

Image found here.

The packaging is pretty, simple and clear but most importantly are the ingredients, or rather what it doesn't contain.

The range is completely free form parabens, sulphates, mineral oil and animal-tested ingredients which means that they're super good for your skin.

They also have fav scents and unlike other brands they actually smell realistic like they're meant to such as:

• Grape and pomegranate fresh start cleanser
• Raspberry and cranberry face wipes
• Strawberry and cranberry exfoliator
• Blackcurrant and goji berry mattifier moisturiser

But I think I might try these:

• Avocado and goji berry five minute face mask
• Raspberry and lychee eye treatment cream
• Papaya and acacia spot gel

Products start from £3.49 up to £8.99 so the range is really affordable considering it doesn't contain all the 'bad' stuff other companies shove in their products.

What do you think about this range? Have you tried any products yet or are you going to?

Cleansers

I'm back to some beauty stuff rather than crafts, I'm going to sort out a new blog for those when I get round to it.

My Boots store have introduced a few new brands into their skincare selection including Vichy. I don't really know a lot about this brand as it looks expensive so have never really bothered to look at it!

Vichy do a cleansing gel for oily/combination skin but Boots have brought out a new range called Aqua Balance and they also do a cleansing gel. They are the same size, 200ml, are the same green colour (the Boots product in the photo is the cleanser for dry skin as I couldn't get a photo of the right one) and the same price at......£10.

Vichy cleanser & Boots Aqua Balance cleanser (Images: Google Images)

So the question is, which one should I try? Similar ingredients, same price, same size, similar funky green colour. Hmmmm, I'm none the wiser!

Have you tried either of these? Which would you suggest?

Blog challenge - Spotty Cat

I love this little digi cat image, he's so cute! And he's called Spencer!

This card is for a few challenges:

• Cupcake craft challenge - cats and dogs
• Paperplay challenge - blue, cream and one other colour (I used orange)
• Digi Stamp Boutique - Any stamp from the boutique
• Allsorts - Babies/children

I used:

• A5 white card
• Blue metallic paper
• Cat digi image from Digi Stamp Boutique
• Pink Petticoat spotty paper from the brand new vintage rose collection
• Sentiment also from the vintage rose collection
• Orange brads
• Promarkers

Blog challenge - A Bear-y Happy Christmas

This card is for:

• Just Cute Bears - Christmas is July

I used:

• A6 white card
• Forever Friends christmas decoupage & sentiment
• Silver metallic paper
• Daisy and Dandelion snowflake paper
• Anitas peel offs
• Papermania red brads

Another christmas design but today it's 5 months to christmas eve! I'm soooo excited!

Blog challenge - Christmas bag-a-lope

At christmas I alway make a bag, box or case of some kind to put little goodies in for my family when they come round for the annual christmas buffet at my house and thought this design would be perfect this year. I've only made 1 so far but I'll need at least 3 others but I'll do those another day.

This is for 2 challenges:

• Stampavie and more - Anything goes
• Charisma Cardz - Anything but square

The tutorial for this is on Split Coast Stampers website and they have loads of other projects so it's well worth giving it a look.

I used:

• A large white envelope
• Pink Petticoat christmas paper
• Pink Petticoat christmas image
• Pink Petticoat snowflake paper
• Smirk ribbon

Blog challenge - Under the sea

I love this card! It's so fun!

Like the post's title it's an under the sea theme which is for:

• Aly's Sunday Challenge

It was made using:

• A white square card
• My minds eye paper boarders (the seaweed effect paper on the left)
• Yellow Papermania paper
• Turquoise Papermania paper
• Doodlebug sealife stickers
• Kanban gems
• Francoise Reid peel off

Blog challenge - Summer days

Once again this is for 2 challenges:

• Allsorts - Summer days
• One stop craft - Pink, green, blue, red, flowers and bling

Materials used:

• Green craft tonic square card
• Photo corners (Lakeland, bought years ago)
• Pink Petticoat dotty paper
• Pink Petticoat Lola Rose digi image
• Red Kanban gems
• Promarkers
• Silver peel off boarders

I think the pastel colours are very summery and they remind me of ice cream!

Blog challenge - Pink, white & chocolate

This card is for two challenges:

• Crazy 4 Challenges - Button (any kind)
• Colour Create - Warm pinks, chocolate and white

Materials used:

• Square white card
• Pink Petticoat leopard paper
• Papermania chocolate paper
• Forever Friends sentiment
• Promarkers
• Glitter glue
• Large round circle punch
• Stamped image (I've had it years, can't remember the name of the company but they did a whole range of giraffe stamps)
• Pink Smirk ribbon

One thing I don't have in my craft supplies are buttons. So on the Crazy 4 Challenges blog it said that you could have any kind of button so I made one myself by using a large circle Woodware punch, put two holes in the middle using my pokey tool and threading a little ribbon through. It's the best I could do!

A closer photo of the stamped image:

Blog challenge - Burgundy, pink and cream

I had real problems with this card as burgundy defiantly isn't a colour I normally use but I think it turned out ok.

This is for the following challenges:

• Rosie-D's challenge - Burgundy, pink and cream
• CRAFT challenge - babies / children

I used:

• A 5x7 white card
• Burgundy card
• Pink Petticoat pink and cream paper
• Pink glittery peel offs
• Flower brads (possibly Papermania)
• Big pink flower
• Gorjuss girl topper

Blog challenge - Christmas in July and acetate

Another rush against time to get this one up, I made this last night but had only just remembered it needs submitting today.

This card is for the following challenges:

• Cupcake craft challenge - Acetate
• Oh la la - Christmas in July
• Cute card Thursday - Christmas
• Creative card crew - Design team card

I used:

• A5 white card
• Stripy paper (Daisy and Dandelion)
• Snowflake acetate (Papermania)
• Papermania brads
• Red metallic paper
• Digi image from Pink Petticoat
• Clear glitter glue

Blog challenge - Forever Friends pattern

This card was a race against time to get it on in time for the challenge closing tomorrow.

This is for:

• Forever Friends - sketch challenge

I've never done a sketch challenge before but now I've done one I think they're possibly easier than other challenges because all you have to decide on is the colours and picture instead of having to try to work out where everything would look best.

I used the following materials:

• Square white card
• Forever Friends pink parfait paper
• Forever Friends pink parfait decoupage
• Forever Friends pink parfait message stickers
• Gem flowers (not sure where from)
• Silver sticky tape (this was from Lakeland years ago)

I did Race for Life this morning and will put a post up about it tomorrow, actually with this card being pink its kind of appropriate for that cause (a little coincidence there!)

30 day challenge - Day 13 & 14

Day 13 - A fiction book.

I've just finished reading this book and I loved it. I found it a bit hard to get into but I do with all books but once I did get into it I didn't want to put it down!

Envy is Coleen Nolan's first novel and I can't wait for more! Envy was bitchy, girly, fun, naughty and shocking all at the same time!

I hope she writes a sequel as I'd love to see what happens to the 5 main characters. If you haven't read it 'd defiantly recommend it.

(Images from: Google Images)

Day 14 - A non-fiction book.

I've already don a post about Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose which can be found here.

30 day challenge - Day 12

Day 12 - Whatever tickles you fancy

On Sunday I'm doing my second Cancer Research UK Race For Life. Last year 6 of us did it but this year there's only 4.

We're doing it at a new venue which is hosting it for the first time this year, Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. Last year when we did it the weather was drizzly and this year the weather forecast says it's going to rain but its supposed to be 26°c, so quite warm. And hopefully it won't rain until after we've done it!

This a photo of some of us after completing it last year.

30 day challenge - Days 10 & 11

I'm once again behind with this challenge so I'm going to try to schedule some posts to catch up, I should be on day 14 right now! Anyway here is day 10 & 11.....

Day 10 - A photo of you taken over 10 years ago.

I haven't got many photos of me, partly because I hate having my photo taken and what photos there are are at my mum and dads and not at my house.

This photo is off a disc my mum gave me of all my old baby/toddler photos. Obviously it was taken way longer than 10 years ago, more like 21 years ago! Also in the photo is my dog Emma and my doll Lulu who I still have somewhere in my mum and dads loft!

Day 11 - A photo taken of you recently.

This photo was taken last year when we went out to celebrate me graduating uni. It's not a great photo but it's the best I have!

Blog challenge - red, white and black

This is the last card for today:

It's for the following challenge:

• Crazy4challenges - Red, white and black

Materials used:

• Black card
• Pink Petticoat dotty paper
• Red metallic paper
• Pink Petticoat digi image
• Paper mania 'It's a mans world' sentiment

Blog challenge - Anything but a card

I haven't just made this, I did it a while ago but it's the only thing I've made that isn't a card!

So here it is: It's an accordion folder type thingy-ma-bobby!

I use it to keep my receipts in which I need to keep.

I can't remember where I got the template from (I know it was an American site as I had to pay for it) but I know that Victoria at Blue Jelly Too did one first which inspired me to give it ago.

I used:

• A template (as mention above can't remember where from)
• Pink Petticoat papers
• Flower embellishment
• Pink brads

The box isn't great but it was a good first, well second attempt because I made one for my mum first, attempt but I'm quite proud of it!

Oh, almost forgot, this is for the following challenge:

• Create4fun challenge - Anything but a card

Blog challenge - Monochrome hearts

I had completely forgot about my saturday challenges I had chosen to do so I've had to quickly make some cards. This first one:

This is for three challenges:

• Allsorts challenge blog - Heart
• One stop craft challenge - Monochromatic
• Charisma Cards - Pink

Products used:

• Craft Tonic pink square card
• Pink metallic paper
• Pink pearlescent paper
• Pink Petticoat wedding digi image
• Smirk pink ribbon
• Kanban gems
• Promarkers

30 day challenge - Days 7 - 9

I'm behind with this challenge so I'm going to put a few days together to catch up.

Day 7 - A photo that makes you happy.

(Image is copywrited to me)

This is a photo of Lanzarote. I first went here over 10 years ago and have been 3 times. I love this island and could easily go here every year. Looking at the clear blue sea and sky makes me feel happy, calm and really really wanting to go there again! I haven’t been since January 2008.

Day 8 - A photo that makes you angry/sad

This is a photo from the World Cup. Yes you've guessed it, it's Frank Lampard's goal against Germany which was disallowed because neither the referee or lines man saw it. "Should have gone to Specsavers" springs to mind.

(Image from: Google Images)

Day 9 - A photo I took myself

This photo is of a seal pup taken a couple of years ago at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire. This is where seals come ashore to give birth to pups and they live on the beach. As you can see from the photo even though the beach is mainly fenced off, you can get quite close to them and some were even laid right up against the fence.

(Image is copywrited to me)

Ahh how cute!

Blog challenge - Summer birthdays

An easel card for a summer birthday.

My mum made this so I can't list what materials were made to make it.

This is for the following challenge:

• Rosie-D's Challenge - Summer birthdays

Blog challenge - Football, red white and blue

This card has the theme of football and the colours of red white and blue:

It's made using the following things:

• Square card
• Die cuts
• Red card candy (all from Craftwork Cards)
• Blue metallic paper

It is for the following challenges:

• Aly's Sunday challenge - Red, white and blue
• Cupcake Craft Challenge - World Cup Wonder (sport theme)

Liz Earle haircare

I have to admit Liz Earle is a brand that doesn’t shout out “Buy me! Buy me!” To me it seems like a brand for older, more mature women which of course is total nonsense.

A few years ago my mum wanted to try the infamous cleanse and polish so I bought her a set with cleanse and polish in and instant boost skin tonic. She wasn’t keen on the skin tonic, but she doesn’t like toners, so I got it and was quite impressed. She loved the cleanse and polish though.

Now Liz Earle are due to bring out haircare products. Retailing at £7.50 (I believe) they are reasonable priced and are due to launch in September.

(Image: elleuk.com)

I’m tempted to try them when they come out but to me the packaging lets the products down. Their skincare products look so sleek in their packaging but the haircare packaging looks cheap and wouldn’t stand out to me in a shop. Surely a bottle with a pump top would look more appealing

(Image: Google Images)

What do you think of the packaging? Will you be buying it when it comes out?

L'Occitane - Verbena Summer Secret

Oh my gosh when I saw this I almost die in excitement!

L’Occitane have just brought out a limited edition Verbena range called Summer Secret. I’m not sure if this is in stores but it’s online at the L’occitane website.

They range consists of:

shower jelly

100ml EDT

Moisture body gel

Lip gloss

(All images from: L'occitane)

And a scented candle but I don't have a pic of that for you (a candle's not that exciting though is it?!)

Prices range from £8 - £34