Mini H&M Haul

"Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week." - Joseph Addison

Today is Sunday, the "day of rest", it can also be known as the "day you spend £55 in a clothes store where you bought only 5 items and none of them were on sale." Whoops.

I will start with the school items. I am in year 13 but instead of a traditional sixth form "wear what you want" attitude, my school opts for a black, white, grey and beige colour scheme. Apparently we look smart.

This shirt was the first thing I picked up, and for £9.99 it was quite a bargain.

The main feature of the shirt is that the arms and collar are darker than the contrasting floral print on the body of the shirt. This makes it interesting and unique, which is probably why I ended up buying it.

close up of the collar

I also have a slight love for skater skirts so when I saw this one with the quilted pattern I instantly knew I wanted it. It was slightly pricey at £12.99 but is very good quality.

 

Next up are my colourful, full of life, non-school clothes yay. Two items are denim print though which isn't really that colourful.

I'll start with another skater skirt. A plain and simple blue denim print skirt. This also cost £12.99. 

Jeggings are just an easy way to be comfortable and fashionable at the same time, what's not to like. However they're really hard to try and take a decent picture of. Like the two before they were £12.99.

 Purposely I've saved the best until last. This sweater is everything I look for in clothing; comfort, style, it being in my size and of course, a floral print. This is the cheapest thing I bought today at £5.99 so I couldn't just leave it in the store. It really is beautiful and I can't wait to wear it.

omg so pretty

That's all for today, short and sweet. 

Lauren.

Baking #1

"Faites-vous des amis prompts à vous censurer." - Boileu.

Make friends with those who would be quick to criticise you.

I felt a french quote was relevant considering I baked French Macaroons, or Macarons, whichever you prefer.

The recipe I used was: http://britishfood.about.com/od/eorecipes/r/Easy-Macaron-Recipe.htm

It was really easy to follow and I loved making them.

Here is a summary of how to make french macaroons:

1. Whip the egg whites and caster sugar together to form stiff peaks which don't fall out of the bowl when you turn it over your head...

2. Add any pretty colouring that you want. I chose red because it was the 23rd of December and I wanted them to be christmassy. Also gel colouring is better to use than liquid as it maintains the air in the mixture...

3. Sieve in the icing sugar-almond mixture and fold into the bowl. Sieving will help remove larger pieces of nut that you do not want...

5. Pipe the mixture into a circular shape onto a lined baking tray...

6. Bake in a preheated oven for the given time or until they look fabulous...

 

7. Create the butter icing to use as a filling. I chose a mint green colour to match the christmas theme which also has a vanilla flavouring.

Spread onto half the cooled macaroons...

8. Sandwich together the biscuits to create your full macaroon...

finished products

They may not look perfect or shop bought but that is the art of home baking. The rustic, messy look is perfect and makes them even more enjoyable.

I bake a lot so I will probably be doing many posts like this one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Lauren.

Hi

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" - Neale Donald Walsch

This is so strange and I'm kinda scared aah.

So erm hey, I don't know why I decided to start writing a blog but I have been reading them for years, I wouldn't call it inspiration but from seeing how much fun and joy it brings to others I wanted to have a crack at it myself.
I am not a writer nor do I have any experience of writing (apart from a B at GCSE English) so I may make mistakes, but hey, who doesn't?

This is not the norm for me, I hate the spotlight and I hate fuss however I am 'stepping out of my comfort zone' because what harm can it do?
I will try to post interesting and exciting things but I am really not expecting anything to come of this. I want to do it for fun and if it is not fun I will stop doing it.
I'm not even expecting anyone to read it. I think of it as an internal monologue that is projected from my screen onto your device. It is a teeny webpage within the vast system of the Internet, it is not easily recognised but nevertheless it is there. (just like a star in the universe, aw cute, i know)

[universe picture saved from google images]

Here's something cute and relevant to be the focus of my first blog post (aah)
The name Florals and Fairy Lights comes from my two favourite things, plus it's christmas and fairy lights are very festive. I must admit I am very uncreative so I googled "cute blog name inspiration" and stumbled upon this site: http://heartifb.com/2012/07/26/the-blogger-name-generator-9-easy-ways-to-name-your-blog/

I liked the first naming method the best although I did change it slightly as I couldn't think of a dessert.

[screenshot of site linked above]

I'm going to end here because I don't want to ramble and be boring.

Thanks for reading. (I've just realised I never properly introduced myself either oops) 

Lauren.

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