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Friday 30 December 2016

The Birthday Vlog: 2016

I'm not going to do a proper introduction to the blog re-brand today. Instead I thought I'd alert you to my first new video as She's A Gentry which has gone up and is a vlog of my birthday celebrations.

Its been so nice to become re-acquainted with the world of vlogging and I'm definitely inspired to create more content in 2017.



Anyway that's all from me for now. I hope you all have the best time bringing in the New Year and I'll be back soon to officially say goodbye to Laydey Katabella an hello to She's A Gentry.



Tuesday 6 December 2016

Christmas gifts with Dotcomgiftshop

I'm going to sound really old when I say this but how is it almost Christmas already!? With that in mind, I thought it best to share with you one of my new favourite online retailers known as dotcomgiftshop who kindly gave me a gift voucher to pick up some Christmas goodies.


There is something for everyone in this shop, supplying quirky, stylish as well as practical gifts. I decided to grab some super cute lunch bits that would make a perfect stocking filler or secret Santa gift.


You may have seen this travel mug on my Instagram a little while back. To me it is the perfect gift for the chilly winter months or for anyone who is constantly on the go. This blue tit travel mug is guaranteed to cheer up any commute and is made of bamboo, making it eco-friendly too! It's dishwasher safe and is much more appealing than a regular coffee cup. 


Keeping with the beverage theme, I've been loving this water bottle with it's mid-century poppy print and carry handle. Again this is perfect for anyone on the go from commuters to gym goers and is much nicer to drink from than a conventional sports bottle too. I must admit I did decide to keep this one for myself and its certainly been perking up my desk and reminding me to drink more H²O! 

The next few bits I got as a gift to the hubster who I hope is not reading this and if he is, I suggest he stop right now...


I always find men hard to buy for at Christmas, in particular Chris but I had a light bulb moment when I saw the Le Bicycle range!

In case it's not plainly obvious, my husband is a lycra loving road cyclist and loves nothing more than to riding around with other men in padded shorts so when I saw this theme I knew he would love it. There's so much choice in the Le Bicycle range that I found it hard to choose but ended up settling on lunch and luggage themes as Chris loves to travel and also loves food! The cool bag is perfect for any cycling adventures or day-to-day work life, keeping his food fresh. It's made of recycled plastic bottles, so again I'm loving how eco-friendly it is too. I then had to pick up the matching jumbo bag as this is perfect for Chris to sling his gym gear in, food shop or anything else he needs. 


To finish off the set and to make a lovely trio of Christmas goodies, I picked up the lunch box as lets face it- who wants a squashed lunch? It fits perfectly into the cool bag and will take pride of place in the office fridge!

I've only touched the tip of the iceberg with what's available on dotcomgiftshop so if you're stuck for things to buy this year, you won't be for long once you've had a browse.





Tuesday 15 November 2016

The Autumn Tag


Well hello! Fancy seeing you here.

I'm trying to get back into the YouTube game right now but it's been a struggle. I want to start filming more videos for mid to late twenty year old women like myself s expect to see some changes. I'll still being doing hauls when I'm not saving like crazy for a house and there will still be some stupid challenge videos but I'd like to talk about other topics too.

In the meantime I thought I'd break the ice by doing the autumn tag.

If you fancy giving it a go yourself send me the link to your video!


Friday 11 November 2016

Autumn Dying with DYLON

DIY Fabric dying with DYLON

Sooo I've had this blanket for a while... We're talking like probably nine years?

At the time I thought a big orange blanket was super cool laid on the end of my black and white bedding but nowadays not so much! Lets just say my interior style and colour palette has changed a lot in the past decade. The blanket itself is really good quality cotton and far too nice to throw away so I'd been thinking of dying it for some time to a) tone it down and b) get some more use out of it.

It's as if they read my mind, but DYLON recently got in touch and asked if I would review them- hell to the yes! Whenever I home dye things I use DYLON as the instructions are super easy to follow and they have a huge array of colours to choose from.

DIY Fabric dying with DYLON
Dylon Pewter Grey*

My aim was to dye the blanket grey and have it on my new bedding which is a mixture of greys and lime yellow tones as it'd be a lovely extra layer for those chilly winter nights to come. The directions were easy to follow, advising you to pop the sachets into the drum of your washing machine with your fabric of choice being damp. I used three sachets on my blanket as its the size of a king size bed and needed plenty of dye to cover it! Once the cycle was done, you put it through a normal wash cycle and voila, it's washed and done! The dye doesn't remain in your machine whatsoever so none of my clothes have been effected since either, horrah.

Now as I say, the plan was to turn it grey (ooh that rhymes!) However me being me I encountered a few factors that I hadn't vouched for...

DIY Fabric dying with DYLON

As you can see it's more of a brownish-grey (or just brown if you're a normal person but I am in denial.) What I should have done was used DYLON Pre-Dye before hand which would have stripped the blanket of it's original colour. Now because I didn't do this, the grey dye on top of the orange has given the blanket a brown hue. Another factor was the thread remained orange which I later found out was because it's synthetic thread as opposed to cotton which DYLON don't recommend you try dying. The orange thread definitely makes the fabric look even more brown than grey and I'd toyed with unpicking the thread but that's A LOT of unpicking to do!

DIY Fabric dying with DYLON

I have since found a new and better use for the blanket and that is for adding to a cosy autumnal home. We have red sofas and cushions in our living room so the brown goes wonderfully with the orange thread adding to the autumn colours! I'll admit I as tempted to fib about my original intentions for this blanket and act like I'd planned for it to come out like this however I just can't lie to you lot. Regardless, I'm actually really pleased with the way it came out!

DIY Fabric dying with DYLON

As you can see Harry is rather taken with it and enjoys a good snuggle on it so all is not lost and actually it's more practical now so win win all round.

Anyway besides my silly mistakes, the actual dye was really impressive. My mum had warded me off dying such a large piece of fabric thinking it wouldn't completely cover and would come out blotchy from the machine but DYLON know their stuff, giving you advice on your ratio of fabric to dye on their website. They have plenty of helpful hints too.

I have a couple of other autumnal colours to try out as well such as Burlesque Red, Tulip Red and Rosewood Red so watch this space for upcoming autumnal crafty posts!

Have you tried dying with DYLON?


Tuesday 1 November 2016

Autumn Favourites/ Haul


It has actually been a ridiculously long time since I've uploaded a video and probably the longest I've ever gone! As it's my favourite time of year, I thought I'd do an autumn favourites/ haul for you all.

I've been saving for a house the past year which is why there have been very little to zero hauls on my channel but it'll be worth it in the end right? The things I have been picking up though I adore and have been rather thrifty about. Perhaps I'll do a blog post on being thrify...

Anyway without further a-do, here is the video!


What are your favourites this autumn?



Friday 21 October 2016

Carluccio's Presents: Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

When you think of dinner then the opera, you don't think of both at the same time... Am I right? Well Carluccio's have some dates where both are combined and I fortunately got to experience one for myself in their Peterborough venue. Welcome to Opera A Tavola.

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Tucked away behind the town square church, this Carluccio's venue is a mix of the old and the new with an al fresco dining area- perfect for brunches or warm summer nights. With the restaurant closed to the general public for the evening, we had the luxury of aperitifs and pre-dinner drinks outside and in the foyer of the restaurant.

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola


The food for the night was a custom set menu for the evening and promised "an evening of good food, wine and music". I wish I could tell you what exactly each dish was but in all honesty, I didn't note down what each course was! What I can tell you is it was delicious and each course was wonderfully presented, inviting you try everything. See for yourself...

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Now onto the opera... You're probably thinking this was at the end of the evening? Oh no! Your evening was accompanied by the music which was in between the food; giving a nice break to each course and the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine.

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola
 
The singers circulated the room so every diner got a good view during the evening and each piece had a story to tell. Being a novice in opera knowledge, it was nice to hear some pieces that I actually recognised. In all honesty though, it initially felt rather bizarre to have strangers singing to me mid-dinner, never mind full blown opera. If I told you I didn't get the giggles initially, well, I'd by lying!

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Each course was warmly welcomed by my tummy with each dish being something I wouldn't typically choose but was pleased to try. The opera grew on me as the evening progressed and it was lovely to see everyone listening contently to the music. The night was sold out which goes to show how popular it is and how much everyone enjoyed it. I would note however that on this particular evening, Chris and I brought the average age down considerably, with no one in their late 20s to early 30s being present other than us. Regardless, this shouldn't stop anyone from attending and enjoying the evening whatsoever.

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

Carluccio's Presents Opera A Tavola

We finished the night with coffees and carriages at 10:30 pm which was perfect for a Tuesday evening.

Opera A Tavola was a truly unique experience and one that I've not come across at any other restaurants. Carluccio's have certainly got it down to a tee with their exquisite food and talented opera singers for the evening, making the whole experience a delight for the senses.

If you're looking to treat an opera lover to a evening of food and music, this would be perfect! I'd also recommend that you book in advance as tickets sell out fast! Would I go again? Perhaps not. Purely because I didn't appreciate the opera as much as the other guests but as far as food at Carluccio's goes, I'll definitely be returning for their authentic Italian dishes.

Have you been to Opera A Tavola?

Monday 17 October 2016

Boots Emporium

Boots Emporium

You may or may not have heard the Emporium now in the large Boots stores across the UK but what exactly is it? Both Emily (from Musings and More) and I were very intrigued to find out what is was all about and were fortunate to be invited to one of the launches at the Peterborough branch.



The first thing to note were all the Christmas goodies were out! Emily and I were literally oohing and arring, trying to justify getting ALL THE THINGS as we'd just been paid. There's a gift for everyone this year from coffee lovers to candle burners, bubble bath fiends and much much more. There's lots of bits that make for a perfect present.


Boots Emporium

Now the Emporium itself promises to personalise your purchases from Boots an the perfect way to do this is to get things engraved of course!


Boots Emporium

You'll be pleased to know that the engraving service isn't just for Christmas either. From Valentine's day to birthdays, graduation to an anniversary- the engraving service is a perfect way to add that personal touch. It's only £3 an engraved message which I thought was petty darn reasonable and can be produced on multiple surfaces of the product albeit the same message.

Boots Emporium

Boots Emporium

The engraving can be coloured using different types of ink. Unfortunately with my choice of product to engrave it didn't come out very well so Boots engraved another product free of charge.

Boots Emporium

With my mum's birthday being this week and her huge love of Yankee Candles, it seemed kind of perfect to get a candle engraved for her (and yes I do call her Mothership!)

To add some extra personalisation, the Emporium offers gift wrapping, with custom ribbon too. I'm be *subtly* hinting at Chris to head here as his wrapping skills are ahem,,,, interesting? This is also perfect for anyone else that isn't a gift wrap pro or just wants to add that extra finishing touch,

Boots Emporium

Boots Emporium

Boots Emporium

Onto more beauty... The emporium offers make overs and the chance for you to try out products and see how they perform unlike some of the typical beauty stands. They also have exclusive brands to peruse at your own leisure.




Boots Emporium

Beauty experts are on hand for you to try a new makeup look or trend and there were plenty of ladies looking fabulous  at the event with eyebrows on point and eyeliner on fleek! There's lots of beauty events coming up too like Halloween which are perfect opportunities to have your make-up done.


Boots Emporium

Overall the Emporium is an awesome addition to Boots, giving a more personal shopping experience that you won't find anywhere else. They've certainly upped the anti on giving the perfect gift this Christmas!!


I may have come home with just a liiiitle bit to try out after the event. Oops!

Have you visited the Emporium yet?


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