DIY Father's Day Cards

I have been making cards for a few months now and selling them in our coffee shop and always do themed cards for different times of year. Christmas, Mothers day, Easter etc.

I was not so thrilled about doing fathers day cards simply because I had NO idea what to make. Men are too hard to make cards for I tell ya! All I could think of was hammers and cars! typical! So when the Martha Stewart team emailed me with a little fathers day card idea I thought they had read my mind. It is a cute design using origami to make a shirt which you can then stick onto your card. I thought I would share it with you so if you are wanting to make your Dad a nice hand-made card you could give this one a whirl.

Click HERE to go and check out the Martha Stewart tutorial.

I also had a look on YouTube to see if there was a video showing you how to make the shirts and I found one! yay.. for me it is easier to follow. You have got to love her accent!!

I've made a start on mine... What do you think??

Lauren x

The Konjac Sponge

 I had never heard of a Konjac sponge until an old school friend mentioned it on Facebook.. and thank god she did because i love it!

It is basically 100% natural sponge that is a plant grown in places such as Japan, China, India and Korea. 

The Konjac Sponge company website says:

"A naturally moisture rich plant fibre which is by nature alkaline, and thus balances the acidity of the skins impurities and oils.

The unique net like structure of the sponge, gently massages the skin and stimulates blood flow and new growth of skin cells. Leaving the skin extremely clean and refreshed…..naturally! No need for additional cleansers or soaps unless you really want. Should you chose to use additional cleansers or soap, you can use a fraction of your usual amount, as the sponge will generate more bubbles and spread the cleaner further than usual. Better for your skin, better on the environment and your finances!"

I got mine from eBay for a few pounds as I found this company after I had already purchased it. However they do recommend to change it every 3 months so next time I buy one I will be buying from their website as I like the shape of theirs better (and it come in a range of colours at £5.99)

When it is dry it is like a hard brick (not that I know of any bricks that aren't hard) so you need to soak it under warm/hot water for a few seconds before use. I do circular motions with it all over my face after i have cleansed and it make my skin feel EXTRA clean and OOBER soft! Because of its grainy texture it is a light exfoliant but great for all skin types.

I highly reccomend this product as its natural, makes your skin feel soft and is cheap!

Have you tried it before?

RANDOM FACT: The Konjac sponge is also known as  devil's tongue, vodoo lily, snake palm or elephant yam. Something you have always wanted to know!


Edit - Since posting this post The Konjac Sponge company have contacted me saying that these ones from eBay are not tested for EU & may not be free from bacteria and mould. Therefore I DO NO recommend getting them from eBay..get the real deal from their website :)


Lauren x

Haul - The sun made me do it!

It has been such a sunny weekend here in the North West and from the sounds of things the whole of the UK has been getting 'holiday' weather! As much as I love it and feel like im back living in Cyprus I am getting headaches every day so can you chill out a bit Mr Sun please..Thanks.

I am in the process of saving money.. so I TOTALLY blame the sun for this haul.. if it wasnt out I wouldnt have gone shopping! (I need someone to blame right?!)

I have heard a lot of good thing about the No7 BB Cream so seen as Boots are giving away the £5 vouchers at the moment it was a good time to buy it! I have used it once and love it so far.

I only went in to get ONE cleansing lotion from Garnier but like I said they are doing the No7 voucher if you spend £5 or over so thought I would get two and try out this deep pore wash too. Im starting to be a skincare junkie and adore anything that will clean and refresh my face.. ermm who doesnt!

I was walking back to my car..when I accidentally walked into TKMaxx! But im so glad I did because this dusky pink over sized jumper was an amazing £5!!!!!! I know!! On sale of course.

This USA flag heart t-shirt was £7.99 in a little boutiquey shop in my town. Would look great with a pair of denim shorts but I really dont have the legs for it so its skinny jeans for me thanks!

I bought this yesterday in Preston. I went there to go to hobbycraft and ended up walking around the town because the weather was so nice. Then I got a phone call asking if I could gig that night so  seen as though I knew I was getting a bit extra cash that night I bought this and wore it to the gig. It was from a one off shop in St George's shopping centre for £10! I do find a good bargin!

This book was originally £8 reduced to £2.99. I work in my parents coffee shop and my step dad, Ian, is making a selection of homemade ice creams. So far we have mint, black cherry, orange, vanilla, amaretto etc.. I thought myself and Ian would enjoy this book and there is some amazing recipes in there such as rocky road ice cream!! yes please!!

This is a strange one to put in a haul and im still thinking as I type 'why the hell have I put this in' but hey ho.. Im obsessed with it so need to share the love. Its apple and blueberry by Feel Good and it taste DELICIOUS! I bought mine in Esquires Coffee Shop..

Has the sun been making you do anything this weekend?!

Enjoy the sunshine whilst it lasts... I hear the rain is coming to say hello next week!

Lauren x

Happy 1st Birthday GlossyBox! - May Edition 2012

Its a good day when the GlossyBox arrives from the postman! This month was a special month for the GlossyBox team as it is there 1 year anniversary! I remember when GlossyBox first came out and I thought wow what a good idea.. now im hooked! I get so excited gettting my monthly presents it really is like a mini birthday all the time!

In this months box along with the 5 products you also recieve a birthday baloon (who doesnt want a pink baloon huh?!) and a GlossyBox compact mirror which is so handy because i recently lost mine! 

So in this months box i got:-

NOBLE ISLE - Summer Rising Bath and Shower Gel

LOLIA LEMPICKA - L'Eau en Blanc & Eau de Parfum

NEAL'S YARD REMEDIES - Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture

COLLECTION - Lasting Colour Gel Liner in Teal

ELDORA - Falsh Eylashes

This eyeliner has amazing stay.. it can be smudged but once it has dried it aint coming of my friend!

It would look nice on the lower lash line.

Such pretty lashes... cant wait to wear them out to a party or a gig or something..

Plain and simple compact mirror! It now lives in my bag

I was SO happy when i saw this was in the box this month. I am having a really bad time with my skin at the moment and am tring all sorts to sort it out. It is a lovely moisturiser and so far so good. Still testing it out though so will let you know more thoughts in the future..

Did any of you get anything different this month?!!

Have a good weekend! :)

Lauren x

Samsung Galaxy SII - I finally got a new phone!

This may not be exciting to some people and I KNOW that the Galaxy SIII is coming out next week and I KNOW its not an IPhone but my goodness.... I'm so froogin' happy to have a new phone!

My last phone in the photo below was a Samsung Tocco, yep, that one that came out nealy 6 years ago!!! I got it about 3 days after it came out and I was so happy with it. I loved my little Tocco and I actually still love it to this day.. it has gone through some stuff with me I tell ya'. 

I have debated getting an IPhone for the past two years but I think I just wanted one for the novelty of it. I weighed up the pro's and con's of the different makes and models and there isn't that much difference apart from the price. This is a slightly larger phone but that I can get used too.

As you can see my old phone is 3 minutes behind.. I have known this for 2 years but have never changed it!

As you can see in the photo below I had a sticker on the back of my Tocco..It was that old the back wouldnt even stay on so when my buddy Lindsey gave me a sticker with her company logo on it I knew exactly where it was going (If you havent guessed Lindsey makes cakes, yummy ones too.. this is her FACEBOOK, TWITTER and WEBSITE. She wasn't happy with me getting this phone being and IPhone owner herself but I'm sure she will speak to me again after a week or two)

 So guys... seen as I am new to the App world have you any suggestions of good and useful apps?? Instagram and Draw Something are at the top of my list of course!!

R.I.P Mr. Tocco!

Lauren x

Union Jack Nails

So its obvious I havent got the steadiest hands in the world but when I got invite to a Jubilee party I had to let my nails join in the fun too right?!

Its fun, bright and is great for this time of year. Im sure the Queen would love it!

I used - 

Barry M, Bright Red 

Barry M, Navy

Gosh, Nail Whitener

Its pretty simple.. all I did was paint my ring finger nail white (although a pure opaque white would have been better) then with a fine paint brush i painted in the red cross and added the blue in between. It would probably have been much neater if I had used a toothpick to draw it on! Noted for next time!

Lauren x

Book Review - Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

If you like easy reading, romance and sweets your going to like this book! After previously reading 2 other Jenny Colgan book on a whim I HAD to buy this one. I enjoyed the others so much so I knew I would like this book before I opened the page!

Its about a girl (funnily enough named Rosie!) who has left her life in London for a while to go and sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian's sweet-shop in a small country village. She wasn't expecting it to be such a life changer! You are taken on a journey through the ups and downs of country life and along the way you get little recipes for various sweets and treats. The other books I have read by Jenny have also given recipes for cakes etc in them which even though its part of the story, it is such a sweet touch (no pun intended)

I cant wait for the next book to come out!

Rating .....

My nephew wanted to get in on the book reviews so he has picked a book he thinks is fabulous.. review coming up from the little man himself! ;)

Lauren x