Blog Every Day in August - Day 30

Today I'd like to show you my zine. A zine is like a little self-published magazine and can be about anything in the world. Mine are "perzines" which means "personal zine". That means that I actually blather on about loads of different issues and subjects that are relevant to me.

I've been reading zines for over 15 years but it was only about 2.5 years ago that I actually wrote my own. It's called Opinionated Nobody and I've just finished the 7th issue

I've done it landscape instead of portrait this time, which I liked a lot. It covers subjects like the death of a family friend, punk, writing, Rik Mayall, and birthday parties. 

You can buy it from me by contacting me on sullenhearts@gmail.com. It costs £1.70 inc postage within the UK, but more for postage abroad. I am also up for trades if you also write a zine. 

If you'd like to buy other zines, my favourite distro is Marching Stars! 

Blog Every Day in August - Day 29

I've had a busy old week. We were away last weekend and we're away this weekend, and in fact I'm busy every weekend until October 18th, which is making me feel ill to be honest! My depression and anxiety mean that I have to factor in a lot of resting.

This weekend we are going to stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins Rob and Peter. There's twelve years between Rob and I, and 14 between Peter and I, so I've had the privilege of watching them grow from tiny babies to young men. They're both incredibly lovely, so it'll be nice to see them.

We're going swimming tomorrow, I think, and we're taking our Wii U for a Mario Kart tournament or two, and Lee and I have said we'll cook on Sunday so I think we'll do curry with rice and snacks. We're also taking the board game Cranium, which is a lot of fun if you haven't played it!

Here's my list of essentials to take for a weekend away:

NB I do not travel light!

Underwear, inc two bras
Nightie
Pillow (my black hair means I do not want to dye your pillowcases)
Shoes (one pair)
Two dresses
Leggings
Casual clothes for relaxing in
Games
A book
My Kindle - maybe I won't like the book so will want to choose something else!
Toiletries of course, including shampoo etc
Black/dark towel (again for the hair)
Dressing gown
Crochet stuff
Notebooks
Camera

Yes, that might do!

Blog Every Day in August Month - Day 27

Today's theme is to share some links of blogs that you love. Well I read LOADS of blogs, on lots of different themes, for lots of different passions of mine. But I'll share some of my favourite fashion and lifestyle blogs.

Lovely Annelise, aka Mookie
Nikki, whose hair I'm so jealous of!
Emma, whose face pleases me muchly every time I see her
Kathryn, who was one of the first plus size bloggers I read
Gorgeous Leah at Thirty Something Curvy Me
Another gorgeous Leah who I love
Gemma whose style I love and want to steal!
Beautiful Rebecca across the pond
And finally Steph who came up with this challenge!

Link me to some more beauties!

Weekend in Northumberland

For Lee's birthday I bought him a weekend away in Northumberland. He needed a break especially from work, and it's always nice to spend time with each other. Lee is from Durham which is close to where we were staying, so we arranged to see lots of his family while we were there.

We set off on Friday afternoon and headed up the A19 to Cresswell Towers. We easily got checked in and drove to our Bronze caravan. To say it was the most basic I thought it was lovely! It had a bedroom and bathroom at one end, second bedroom and a kitchen in the middle, and a big living/dining area. The kitchen was well equipped so we made our curry and settled down to watch a film, but not before we had wandered along the beach for a bit.

Wasn't it gorgeous? I even paddled a bit - I have some 'beach shoes' which make even the North Sea palatable to my feet!

On Saturday we went swimming for a bit, then drove to South Shields to meet up with Lee's mum, stepdad,  one of his brothers, sister, and her twin babies (her elder daughter was dancing so couldn't come). We had fish and chips on the beach front, then played mini golf. Lee won, because he always does. We played in the amusement arcade for a bit, then Lee, Daniel and I played ten pin bowling which I haven't played in years but I really enjoyed it! 

Look how cute the bowling shoes were!

On Sunday we drove to Morpeth to see Lee's dad and stepmum. We had a wander round and ate lunch in a really nice Italian restaurant. On the way back Lee and I went up to Amble where we played pool in the amusement arcade, and then again we had a lovely chilled evening in the caravan. 

Yesterday morning we just packed up and then drove to Gateshead where we saw our friend Paul. He's just bought a house there so we looked round, then went out for lunch. 

Gosh, it was a whirlwind tour around the North East but we really relaxed and got to see some people, too :) 

What I Wore 21st August

21st August was my partner Lee's birthday. He had the day off work (and Friday too, but I'll get to that) so we went to a really nice deli in Mirfield for lunch, then we did a bit of shopping. In the evening we went to Saigon 68 in Sheffield with my mum and stepdad, and some friends. I really recommend the place - it's REALLY amazing food, good prices, and the portions are enormous. They will give you any leftovers for you to eat later.

I had Vietnamese Stir Fried Noodles with Three Roasties meat, it's delicious! Lee and I also shared a portion of salt and pepper fried bean curd. They do have a good vegetarian section - we were eating with two vegans and they had the veggie set meal for £13 each.

I wore this red dress which you've seen before, but I also put on this lace back shrug. I got it in the New Look sale recently for £9.99. The sleeves are a nice length on my elbow and I like that the back would show any interesting details on the clothing underneath.

What My Mum Wore

Time for another edition of What My Mum Wore! She's mid 50s, a size 18/20, and seems to enjoy being featured on my blog!

She went away with my stepdad for their wedding anniversary. They got a really good deal on Groupon for a hotel on Haweswater in the Lake District. It must have been quite posh as she had to take posh frocks! This one of them. She originally bought it for the wedding of one of Norman's sisters.

The dress and the cardigan were both from Jacques Vert, where my mum likes to get her posh clothes!

The bag was a gift from my step-aunt, so we're not sure where it's from.

Blog Every Day in August - Day 22

Lee and I are away as you read this. It was his birthday on Thursday so I've whisked him away for the weekend. I'll share photos when we're home!

In the meantime I'm going to show you my current nail polish. This is a Zoya polish - Zoya are cruelty free, chemical free, etc. All their polishes are named after women, and this one is called Caitlin. I love the greyness to the purple!

Blog Every Day in August - Day 21

I missed Tuesday because I was out at my friend Sarah's. I stayed over so we got a Chinese takeaway, drank LOTS of wine, and watched three of my favourite films. I thought I'd write about them and maybe you'd like to watch them too!

Okay this isn't a happy film at all, but it is an excellent portrayal of the Moors Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. It's told from the point of view of her sister Maureen, and Maureen's husband David Smith, who was actually the person who went to the police about Brady and Hindley when they murdered Edward Evans in front of him. I think using Maureen and David's point of view really helps to not glamorise Brady and Hindley and what they did. Maxine Peake is excellent at Hindley and Sean Harris is truly terrifying as Brady. 

This is a really sweet film about two boys who fall in love on a South London housing estate in a long hot summer. Jamie (the blonde) lives with his mum who is hoping to open her own pub, and Ste lives with his abusive dad and brother. Leah (the black girl in the photo) is their neighbour who is obsessed with Mama Cass. It's one of my favourite 'comfort' films. 

The Italian Job is another of my favourite films. It's such a classic and it's so much fun. I have been watching it since I was very little. I love minis and it's probably due to this film!

Sarah had never seen any of these films - have you? 

What I Wore August 11th

I really wanted to see Boyhood while it was still at the cinema, so Lee and I headed off to Leeds on the last of his days off. We went to Frankie and Benny's for tea first. I haven't been in ages and they've really revamped their menu. It was yummy!

I enjoyed the film and thought it was pretty good, even though it is slightly long in parts. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the parents are really excellent. I recommend seeing it.

Anyway, here's what I wore. The dress was from Simply Be a couple of years ago but it's so classy and easy to wear that I wear it for work, for casual, for anything really! The cardigan I got recently from Asos, it was in the sale. I love the grey colour and the lace appliqué on the elbows! It's quite thin so perfect for changeable weather. (To that end, I wore it in the park on Saturday, too)

Blog Every Day in August - Day 18

This is going to be a quick post. I don't want to break my streak in blogging every day this month because I'm really enjoying it and because I think it's opening up my blogging past just fashion, which I'm also enjoying.

However, I want to be honest here too. I suffer from chronic anxiety and depression and have done since I was very little. I first took an anti-depressant when I was 14 and I've been on and off medication ever since. I've had two episodes of near breakdown in the past 8 years, and I've dealt with my dad's death by suicide in that time, too. Earlier this year I came off my medication and although I've been doing okay I have had some extremely low days.

It ebbs and flows - May and June were awful, July was better. This past week I've been not sleeping and I'm bouncing off the walls with anxiety about something - but I'm not exactly sure what. That's the worst part - if only I could direct the anxiety towards something I'd feel a lot better.

I ended up staying awake until 5am this morning reading, because it was better than lying in bed not being asleep. I finished my book and I fell asleep until 9.30 when the post lady woke me up. I've been trying to write a post all day, but it hasn't happened.

I hate anxiety, depression, and all that they rob from me. If I could live my life without them, I really would.

What I Wore August 3rd

It was my friend Katie's baby shower so I headed to her sister-in-law's house for the chance to spoil Katie, see her before baby Belle makes her appearance, and eat some truly yummy cupcakes!

Look at the cuteness of the cake!

I wore this dress from Simply Be which I've only worn a couple of times even though I've had it for about 18 months. It's the exact same cut as this dress, but it's not as fun of a print so I often discount it. But it was really nice to wear for Katie's shower. 

Blog Every Day in August - Day 15

Today's theme is "day out". I thought I'd write this post to show you what an ideal day out is for me.

Now, as I live in Barnsley in the middle of the country, the seaside is a long way away and therefore I like to go to the sea. I'm a big believer in this quote:

I love Whitby and Scarborough the most, because I was taken there a lot when I was younger. I like Sandsend, which is a tiny place just up the road from Whitby where you can paddle in the river and eat homemade cake in the little cafe at the end. 

In March Lee took me to South Shields and in April I went to Norfolk with some friends and we sat on two different beaches enjoying the sunshine. In May I went to France on a ferry with my mum and stepdad and we had lunch on the beach and even though it was blowing a gale I loved it. 

Here's some photos of beaches that I've taken:

Take me to the beach, buy me fish and chips, let me have a paddle and take me home with the smell of salt in my hair - happy Rebs!

What My Mum Wore

Time for the 3rd instalment of What My Mum Wore! Again, my mum is mid 50s, a size 18/20 and dresses really classically I think. I actually love this outfit on her - the skirt is so vibrant and she pairs it with a lot of different tops to make new outfits. I love this top, too, it's a lot of fun and looks great. I'd kill for a dress with this pattern!

The skirt is BHS and the top is from Wallis, both a while ago though.

Blog Every Day in August - Day 13

I'm doing these days in a slightly different order because of others posts that I've got scheduled or posted. For instance, today is supposed to be 'inside my wardrobe' - well I just posted three posts on exactly that subject!

So instead I'm taking the theme of 'sweet or savoury: discuss' and talking about a sweet thing and a savoury thing that I've enjoyed recently.

Lee and I went to the cinema recently and my favourite thing about the cinema is Tango Ice Blasts!

I only discovered these a couple of years ago but I love them! I like them swirled with the rapsberry and cherry flavours. Lee prefers just raspberry. 

I went into Sainsburys the other day because I was craving chilli, so I needed to pick up turkey mince and the spices etc. In the 'world foods' aisle I found tortilla chips on special offer with dips, so I picked up one called nacho cheese. It's very cheesy and a bit spicy and is yummy with tortilla chips!

I think in fact that it's time for me to go find some lunch - I wonder if there's any left? 

Weekend of Awesome 2014

In 2007 Lee went to the Rebellion punk festival in Blackpool for 3 days with his brother Andrew and friend Paul. While he did, I invited a bunch of internet friends to come and hang around with me. Thus the first Weekend of Awesome was born. I've had it most years for the last 8 and genuinely, if I invite you, you're welcome to come. My rules are simple: bring comfy clothes, a sleeping bag, some alcohol, some cash, maybe a craft or something.

This year Lee decided not to go to Rebellion so he was around the whole weekend which was actually lovely. I hope he enjoyed himself too?!

On Friday Lee and I had to see the mortgage advisor (we're not moving, just remortgaging) but then we went to Sheffield to get my friend Jane. But then the rain started! Visibility was down to almost nothing and the flooding had already started near our house.

The traffic lights were already in place and causing chaos, but the rain certainly didn't help! Leanne got soaked on her way to ours, so she got straight into her pyjamas while Jane and I went to get food.

This was the car park of the local shop!

However, Saturday was beautiful! My weather app had promised it would be, so we headed off to Wakefield to pick up Kim and Jacqui. Jacqui is one of my very best friends and I see her quite a lot, but I haven't seen Kim for years so it was lovely! 

We bought lunch and then went to the park. Despite the rain the night before, the ground was relatively dry and with a couple of picnic blankets and chairs we were fine! 

I took some wool and plenty of hooks so here are photos of everyone learning to crochet! This is Kim. 

This is Jacqui, who persevered the longest! 

This is Leanne and Jane. Leanne gets married in four weeks! 

Lee was also there, but he doesn't like photos so I didn't bother!

Leanne and Kim had to leave us, so we went home via the supermarket to get barbecue supplies! Sam then arrived - she's my very best friend and she lives in Huddersfield. She was mostly in charge of the barbecue. We just did burgers in buns with salad, very simple but delicious! We stayed outside chatting until about 10pm. It hadn't rained on us all day and Jacqui and I were quite sunburnt!

This didn't last, though. Today the torrential rain started again, so we just stayed in chatting. People have all gone, now, but I'm so glad to have such lovely friends and thankful that they will come to visit me :) 

Blog Every Day in August - Day 11

Today's post for Blog Every Day Month is "What have you been wearing this week?" But I spent a lot of time just at home in super casual clothes that I would NOT post on the blog! So instead I'm showing you a photo from my friend Michelle's birthday.

It was held at a place she works in Manchester which is a beautiful old building which added to the Downton Abbey theme that Michelle had. There was a buffet, a coffee/tea bar, punch, photobooth, photos everywhere, vintage teasets, and lots and lots of people dressed up. If Michelle ever gets fed up of being a youth pastor she could definitely have a future in event planning!

This photo is of four of us who went to 6th form college together and are still friends. Ailsa, the fifth of us, sadly couldn't make the party, but don't the four of us look beautiful?

I'm wearing the Claire Richards for Fashion World prom dress. It's so beautiful but fairly easy to wear.

Left to right - Amy the artistic teacher, Gillian the deep thinker, me, and Michelle the passionate!

Wardrobe Tour Part 3

Welcome to the final part of my wardrobe tour! In our bedroom we both have loooots of drawers. I have a chest of three drawers. They're all below.

Lee has a chest of five drawers. As I said before, he only ever wears t-shirts and jeans or shorts, so he needs lots of room for all the t-shirts. But I also have the bottom drawer of his drawers (thanks love!).

We have a big bedroom by the way! It's about 13' square. Our bed is in the corner; there are stairs up to the attic room and our bed is under that. It's really cosy and romantic :)

This drawer is all leggings! There's a little bit of room in here I promise.

On the left are pyjamas bottoms and the rest is all jumpers and cardigans. 

This is my top drawer, all underwear and socks, tights etc. 

This is the drawer in the bottom of Lee's chest of drawers. It's all tops. I roll them so I can see them more easily. 

Finally, here's proof that the room was actually tidy! I tend to sling all my clothes on here and every now and then am forced to tidy. This chair was from a vintage shop; I repainted it and recovered the seat. It matched our old bedroom decor but not this one, I could do with redoing it really. 

I hope you've enjoyed the tour through my wrdrobe! Let me know if you've done one too. 

Camping 2014

You may remember that last year I went on my friend Amy's annual camping trip for the first time. My post about it is here. Well this year's trip rolled around and it was just as great as last time! I took my friend Sam, and mine and Amy's friend Gillian also went. There were 20 of us in this campsite on Coniston Water - we had the whole place to ourselves. Now it's real back to basics - 4 compositing toilets, no showers, not even a drinking water tap, just a tap from the stream. I didn't actually mind any of this, but let's just say by the time we had lunch in the pub on Tuesday, we were a mess! Some of these photos aren't in the least bit glamorous.

Down by the fire pit is where we spent a lot of the time when it wasn't raining (which it only did a couple of times). I don't like fire so I was quite content to let other people take charge of it! The gazebo on the right hand side was the kitchen tent :) 

Here you can see me furiously crocheting a blanket that I was trying to finish for a friend. You can see my BFF Sam to my left, she's not often featured on this blog but I adore her! 

Here you can see Sam and me and Gillian in Lake Coniston! It wasn't too cold, it was lovely in fact!

And here you can see Gillian learning to crochet! Amy and I taught her the basics.

All photos were taken by Amy, thank you!

Blog Every Day in August - Day 8

Today's theme is something I've made, and I actually made tea tonight! Lee asked for a fish pie earlier in the week, so he bought the ingredients and I made it.

First I poached the fish in milk in a frying pan, I also had onion in the milk because I like onion. After ten minutes, I strained the milk into a jug and flaked the fish (2 small cod fillets and 2 salmon fillets) into a dish with the onion. I hardboiled two eggs and quartered them and put on the fish. Lee thinks this is a pointless exercise but I really like hardboiled eggs so! I made a sauce with a packet of parsley sauce and the leftover milk, but you can also make a white sauce. I poured the sauce over the fish.

Meanwhile the potatoes had been steaming in the steamer so I mashed them with a little butter and milk, spread them over the fish stuff and sprinkled grated cheese on top. We baked the dish on gas mark 6 for 30 minutes. It was delicious and incredibly filling!

Fish mixture and eggs before the sauce was poured on

Ready to go in the oven

Wardrobe Tour Part 2

Welcome to the second part of the wardrobe tour. I didn't want to overwhelm you with photos so I've split this. Now we come to my hanging hooks. Lee and I bought these from B&M Home Stores last year and honestly I really recommend doing this if you're running out of room. On these hooks I put dresses, which means I can see them much better and remember what I actually own, bras, because otherwise your precious lingerie can get squashed and damaged, and belts, because it's useful to keep them there.

When I bought the hooks I also bought these cute heart shaped hangers. They're felt, so clothes keep on them without sliding off. Plus they're cute! They were only about £2 for 5, I ought to get some more really. 

Which of these dresses do you recognise?

Two of my bras.

Further away look.

You can just see the belts on the end two hooks. It probably helps that we never shut our bedroom door because of the cat, but I don't put dresses on the end two hooks as they would stick out into the doorway!

Coming soon: drawers!

What do you think of my hooks? 

Blog Every Day in August - Day 6

Today's theme is about restaurants and although I could write about some, I never take pictures of food - usually too busy eating it! Instead I want to share some photos of some things I bought at Style XL on Saturday.

Iridescent Jewellery was there and the owner Samantha was such a lovely lady. The jewellery was really my style - statement pieces in gorgeous colours and styles, at reasonable prices too. There was a special offer on - buy one get one half price - which made the prices even more reasonable. Sam also accepted card and had a groovy app on her phone to do it with (as well as a card reader) - as someone who never carries cash this is a godsend!

I got these two pieces for £17. The bracelet was £12 and the ring was £10, but £5 on the half price deal. I think that is pretty good!

This ring is more copper-toned than it appears in this photo. It has 'love' engraved on it. I'm a big fan of things with hearts or the word love on them :) 

It's quite thick, too. It fits on my right ring finger. 

This bracelet has some really pretty bluey greeny beads on it, as well as that gorgeous dove. Sam had already added an extension chain to the bracelet, and had more with her to extend anything that a customer asked for. 

Here's a close up of the dove. It matches my dove tattoo! I love it.