Weekly Weigh In

Hey everyone, it's that time again! I would have done a post last week but the internet died a death until Monday. It was a tragic time..

Anyway I'll update you with last weeks weight loss- I stayed the same weight. To be honest I wasn't surprised as the week before I had family staying so was a little bit cheeky with what I ate. I generally stuck to eating healthy but may have had a few extras on top and slightly oversized portions in restaurants. I didn't go totally mad though hence why I didn't gain weight so I'm happy with that! Onto this week...

I am shocked but also thrilled to announce that I lost a whacking 4.8 lb this week!!!! I had to step on the scales many many times to believe it, even turning the scales on and off and moving them to different areas of the bathroom just to check I wasn't dreaming but no, it's true!

I was expecting to loose 1-2 lbs a week on my dieting journey as this is a healthy loss so was almost concerned at my loss this week but I can put it down to two things:

• New Job
• Jazzercise

I have started my new job (whoop), working in a very busy environment and being on my feet 4 to 5 hours at a time. It can be quite tiring but makes the shift go quickly. For the past few months I've been used to getting up leisurely and pottering around the house, (a right little lady of leisure) so I think my body has had a slight shock to the system with early starts and go go go for the enitre work shift!

Jazzercise.. I bloody love this class. Like, so much! The instructor has changed up the routines again this month which happens every month but this time I fee like I'm really working my butt off. I've upped my weights, only to 2 . 3 g but it really makes a difference and the exercises we're doing I can really feel working muscles I didn't even know existed! This is definitely a major weight loss culprit this week and I love it! Cant even explain, just.. gah! Amazing :-)

Now onto my weekly top tip for weight loss, this week being a foodie thing!

Smoothies!

If like me you're not a morning fan and the thought of breakfast first thing makes you want to hurl- have no fear! Smoothies are here! These are my go-to breakfast choice as I usually don't get hungry until mid-morning which is when I will now eat breakfast. Smoothies are seriously filling and keep me going for hours, sometimes even til lunchtime! They're also a great way of getting some of your five a day into your system first thing. I tend to choose two different types of fruit to use which leaves me three more fruit and veg portions to tackle throughout the rest of the day. 

My favourite combination at the moment is bananas and peaches. I use tinned peaches (draining off the juice) which are great to use as they won't perish like fresh fruit. I also make my own Greek yoghurt (I'm so cool) which is low in fat and helps to mush everything together in the blender. I've invested in a smoothie maker but have used a hand blender in the past which is perfectly adequate and less bulky if you don't fancy a smoothie maker.

The great thing with smoothies is you can mix up your flavours! When it's strawberry season I can't beat strawberry and banana flavour. I'm also a fan of blueberries, kiwis and guavas in smoothies. Anything that'll blend and tastes good- chuck it in!

So that's my weigh in and weight loss tip for the week. Let me know your tips and tricks!

Kat

xxx

Wedding edition: DIY Rustic Wedding Invites

Aaah hello there lovely people! Apologies for the MIA last week. Our internet was down from Wednesday hence the non existent posting. I've had major internet withdrawal symptoms so without furthur ado, here's my latest post: DIY Rustic Wedding Invites!

WARNING: Photo heavy content!!

So for any long-term readers of my blog you will know that my wedding is this July and coming around very very quickly. Being a crafter at heart I couldn’t bare the idea of manufactured wedding invites or worse- someone else hand making them for me! I’d researched various ideas but finally settled with these.

I wanted to keep with the rustic theme as detailed in our wedding and our save the dates I made (see blog post here) so came up with this simple and effective design. I think the brown card gives the rustic bohemian feel with the paper doilies giving a pretty “lace” effect to the invites.  Anyway onto the making!

You will need:

• Card with printed invitation detail
• Scissors
• Double sided sticky tape
• Paper doilies
• Ribbon

Step 1

Take your card of choice and place in the centre of your doily.

Make two folds either side of the card so that the doily folds and meets in the centre of your card.

Note: When choosing your size card, ensure that the doilies you choose are twice the width to ensure they meet in the middle of your card.

Step 2

Using double sided sticky tape, apply pieces to each corner of the centre section of the doily. 

Next place your card in the centre and smooth down over the doily to secure.

Trim any excess edges off of the doily if necessary.

Step 3

Next take a length of ribbon. I didn't measure an exact length, just enough to go around the entire width of the card and enough excess to tie a bow. 

Take a small piece of double sided sticky tape and place on the back on the card in the centre.

Secure the centre of the ribbon to the sticky tape.

Step 4

Turn the invitation over and cut another two small pieces of double sided sticky tape. 

Place at the edges of the doily folds and secure ribbon over the top.

Step 5

Finally, tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow in the centre of the invitation. Cut off any excess ribbon as required.

And voila! You have a rustic wedding invitation. It's super easy but they look so cute!

As you can see below I have made many many many invitations, 120 to be precise! The great thing is they were so simple which meant I could get them made in a reasonable time frame to send to guests.

I also made matching RSVP cards using a template I made on a word document and simple mounted them onto brown card to fit in the mini envelopes- how cute!?

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please let me know if you decide to make these yourself! Much cheaper more fun and also more personal than having manufactured wedding invites. Stay tuned for wedding place cards and wedding favours in the future on my blog!

UPDATE 23^rd March 2015: I am extremely chuffed that so many of you love this template and I have received increasing requests for the template I created in Word. Due to the number of requests I am happy to continue sharing the template but I am asking for a small fee of £2 to cover my time which can be paid via Paypal. If you would like the Word template I created, please leave a message in the comments below or email me at laydey_katabella@hotmail.co.uk

I also have templates for the following:

-      Rustic Save the Dates

-      Thank you cards

-      RSVP Cards

Each template is £2 each or to purchase the entire package (including extra images) it’s £6.

Please note: My ‘DIY guide and template’ are for individual, private use and not to be used for distribution or resale. Many thanks

Don't forget to check out the video to see me making these too!

My other wedding Videos:

DIY Rustic Bohemian Save The Dates: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0bm-yLCe6A&index=3&list=PLynVz0sWjU8wqwN-gi46760T0e1FagQ5J

DIY Rustic Bohemian Thank You Cards: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZH9oQ5TBHw&list=PLynVz0sWjU8wqwN-gi46760T0e1FagQ5J&index=3

DIY Rustic Bohmeian Wedding Place Cards: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bR6cCDZXPA&index=4&list=PLynVz0sWjU8wqwN-gi46760T0e1FagQ5J

Kat

xxx

Weekly Weigh In

Hey lovelies. I forgot to do my weigh in last week as I'm busy entertaining family at the moment and showing them the views of Cyprus! Nevertheless I lost 1lb last week which I'm very pleased with. I said before that I'm looking to loose 1-2lb per week so I'm doing good! This weeks weight loss was half a lb. Not so good I know but I ate out twice last week for Chris' birthday and drank a fair bit of alcohol whilst celebrating as well! Regardless it's still a weight loss, I didn't gain weight and I still ate healthily even when I was eating out! 

Onto my weekly tip.. 

I don't know about you but I've never been particularly sporty or enthusiastic for any exercise but I know it's good for you so I try my best to do something! Recently I've been going to a Jazzercise class 2-3 times a week and I actually really enjoy it! It's a mix of dance, aerobics and some resistance training with hand weights. It's none of this jazz hand namby pamby none sense which the name suggests and I find I really do work hard! Plus I love to dance around and the music is good so it distracts me from the fact I'm working out! The instructor is really enthusiastic and motivating which really helps me to work hard. I've never been overly keen on doing exercise classes, feeling self conscious and embarassed to exercise with others but I bit the bullet and I'm so glad I did. No one gives a damn what you're doing as they're too busy concentrating on what they've got to do and if you mess up its fine! Everyone does from time to time!

So yeah that's my exercise and tip for the week. Definitely a good way to burn some calories and get that buzz afterwards :-).

What are your exercise tips and tricks for weight loss? 

Kat

Xxx

Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Shampoo & Conditioner Review

Recently I picked up this Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Shampoo & Conditioner and thought I'd give it a road test. I have particularly dry hair with oily roots, (what a lovely combo), so was drawn in by the recommendation for "brittle, dull hair" and the "liquid silk" appeal, hoping that it would sort out my dry locks! I've also seen this brand in the hairdressers and thought well..if they use it, it can't be bad! The shiny packaging also caught my eye as I'm a bit of a magpie..


It contains liquid keratin which claims it "targets and repairs damaged areas on the surface and deep inside the hair". I felt it may have had an effect in the shampoo a it left my locks super silky to the point that I wasn't sure I'd washed all of the product out of my hair it was that soft! I'm no sure it's a that great for my oily roots but it left the rest of my hair feeling very soft. As for the conditioner again it did the job of leaving my hair feeling soft and nourished but there isn't a "wow" factor to it. It's no different to any other drugstore conditioner I've used. The products have a baby, cotton like smell to it which I neither like or dislike. The shampoo lathers up well and the conditioner is a thick and creamy consistency which you'd expect from a conditioner.

As for the formula containing liquid silk? Well, come on... do they really think we're that gullible? The liquid comes out in a creamy shimmery consistency but it's not silk.

Overall I'd say these are a nice duo, with  pretty packaging which is what initially caught my eye. The products leave my hair feeling silky and smooth but there's no major WOW factor about them, particularly the conditioner. This is perhaps because of my hair combination, it's probably not the best for me so I think I'll stick to my cheap and cheerful brands instead.

What shampoos do you recommend?

Kat

xxx