Mother's Day Hamper Ideas

Hello lovelies. 

With Valentine's Day now out of the picture, the next event to get my creative flare flowing is the beloved Mother's Day. 

Valentine's Day was a huge hit! I presented my boyfriend with a tiny little envelope in the morning with a hand written clue that got him up and out of bed to take part in my handcrafted treasure hunt! Think cookie mixes in jars, fresh croissants in bed, cookie cutters in the shed and my favourite: a strawberry and banana breakfast smoothie in a Kilner Jar. Yup, I am all for those jars and he was certainly a happy bunny after making some fresh cookies in the morning.

Mother's Day is just round the corner and I've already got my ideas flowing on how to spoil my mum this year (plus I think she was a little bit jealous she wasn't included in the treasure hunt)! 

Mother's Day Bunting

A Breakfast in Bed Style Hamper

Fresh Smoothie (Already bought the bottle!)

DIY Bodyscrub/Bath Salts

Handmade Tea Bags

These are just a few ideas I have so far, of course it'll include some flowers too and some chocolates, wouldn't be Mother's Day without! 

What do you think? Do you have any ideas what else I could add? 

Kathryn x 

Yearly Recap

I honestly don't know how people keep up with this blogging business. As much as I love writing, taking and editing photos, it does half take up a lot of time doesn't it?

A year has been and gone and I must say I am extremely excited for 2016, not that I have a lot of plans, but I just feel like I've gone into the New Year with a high so I hope that continues throughout.

Let's take a step back.. and recap on the year of 2015 with some highlights!

In 2015 I..

Gained: Two guinea pigs, an amazing boyfriend, a second cousin & a kitchen aid.

Visited: Cornwall, Edinburgh, Plymouth & Majorca

Attended: a Nicki Minaj concert, Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich & 2 of my cousins Weddings

I also developed a logo for my cupcakes, business cards and a website! 

I hope you all had an excellent year. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015

X

Weekly Roundup #1

Happy Easter beautiful people, hope you've had a lovely day indulging yourself in chocolate!! 

This is my Weekly Instagram Roundup. 

1 - Nicki Minaj Pink Print Tour!! I got to wear my Nicki Viva Glam Mac Lipstick

2 - Cupcakes for the work girls

3 - Mummy's birthday presents

4 - Because a selfie never hurts

5 - Green tea before a trip to the Ice Bar in London

6 - Waiting..waiting..more waiting

7 - Mac. Brave, Hot Gossip and Love Cloud

8 - Because its Easter!

9 - Looking after this little cutie, say hi to Tilly the guinea pig. 

Hope you've all had a great week, you can follow me @kathrynscupcake :)
Signed, Kathryn x

Ice Bar Experience

Hi lovelies, hope you've all had a lovely Good Friday and looking forward to a long weekend, I unfortunately have work so please spare a thought for us in retail ha. No I'am only kidding, I still had my two days off but during the week instead and I had a blast. On Wednesday I headed into town aka London with one of my university best friends, we spent the day wondering round Covent Garden ( a Mac haul will be following haha), then later headed to the Ice Bar. Brrr, I'm not sure why I thought it would be a comfortable to wear pumps in a bar made purely out of ice, what was I thinking!! 

Our slot for the Ice Bar was for 5 o'clock and lasted 40 minutes. It is a pretty long time for such a small confined space, I personally think 30 minutes would of been enough. To my surprise they had a huge cupcake ice sculpture which was so adorable, along with a pineapple and a car to sit in. Aw I felt like a right little Eskimo in my warm poncho and gloves. The experience include an alcoholic beverage in a glass made of ice and cost £18 each, I did thoroughly enjoy my 40 minutes at the Ice Bar although I looked like Rudolph after and mainly because me and my friend couldn't stop taking embarrassing selfies! 

If you do happen to go make sure you pop into the Flat Iron for dinner, a steak restaurant that has the best chips I have ever tried and 2 for 1 cocktails before 6:30! 

Signed, Kathryn x

@kathrynscupcake

@kathrynscupcake 

Long story short, I deleted my old instagram account because I was in a low moment in my life and my photos reflected that. It wasn't me and although I regret deleting it now as I had some amazing followers I feel my new account will bring my love for blogging back! I want to stop looking and comparing my photos to others and not spend over an hour just to get one shot that I think people will love. 

I've only just started this account so it would be great if you could follow and I shall follow back to ensure I don't miss out on all your goings on either. 

@kathrynscupcake 

Signed, Kathryn x

A Bedroom to be Proud of: Boux Avenue Room Spray

Let me begin by letting you all know that I have a complete obsession with Boux Avenue, not just because they produce some beautiful and affordable sets of lingerie but also because their stores just provide you with complete bliss, it's as if you are walking into a huge walk-in wardrobe full of cosy pj's and drawers full of an endless amount of bras and underwear. A girl's dream right? 

One thing that always strikes me when I walk into Boux Avenue is the fresh aroma that the store has. Considering my drawers are covered with Boux Avenue rose petals and scented pouches I even surprised myself when I realised I didn't have the matching room spray. 

The signature scent of Boux Avenue is called White Chiffon, which is a subtle mixture of lily, jasmine and elderflower and provides you with a room you to be proud of (even if it is a bit untidy). I am so happy with this room spray, it makes me want to stay in my room and keep it fresh all the time now. Also how clean and sophisticated is the bottle?!

The 100 ml White Chiffon Room Spray can be found here, there are always discounts here and there so have a good search around. 

Signed, Kathryn x

Using Pinterest to Make Your Dreams a Reality | The Secret

Yesterday evening I finished reading a book, not any old story book but a book which I believe will and has already changed the way I see my life and the beauty of the world. And the title of this it? The Secret to Teen Power by Paul Harrington.

If you feel like you're currently trapped in a bubble and can't quite see the light, or maybe you have these dreams but keep thinking to yourself "its only a dream" then I highly recommend giving The Secret a read to hopefully give you the power of making your goal or passion become reality!

So you've created a new board on Pinterest. Now the most important thing about this new board is that it is set to SECRET. This board is about you and your life.

Your first pin topic. What do you want in your life? 

This one is extremely broad so start with the first thing that pops into your mind and it can be absolutely anything from a car to a dream holiday or maybe you want the latest Michael Kors bag. Whatever it is, search it and pin it. My first pin: a dog. Yup that's right, what I really want and will make sure I get in my life is a Beagle puppy. 

This one will grow and the more you think about it the more things you want, so just keep expanding on it.

Your hobbies and passion. What do you love doing?

Imagine you've been working or studying so much that you've had no time to yourself and then suddenly a day off! What do you do on that day? What makes you think yes I have the time to do that and puts a huge smile on your face. It could be going for a run, painting or just reading a book. Pin it along with some quotes about that hobby! One of my pins: Baking cupcakes! 

Travel. Where do you really want to visit? 

Imagine you have all the money and free time in the world to go somewhere. Where do you chose? You could go on a safari to South Africa, go to New York to shop and visit Broadway or visit see the Northern Lights in Iceland. Pin all those places and start imagining yourself going there! 

So you get the picture right, you're building the life you want. Keep going, include things such as your ideal home, motivational quotes, your perfect job, your favourite food and drink, anything that just makes you smile. Of course there is more to just pinning a photo online and imagining getting those things but if you read The Secret to Teen Power you will believe that you have the power to have anything you choose! 

Now whose to say you can't go get all those things you've just pinned? No one. 

Signed, Kathryn x

Life through Instagram!

Hello lovely people! :) 

I love seeing instagram updates on blogs and also love creating posts like this just as a quick recap on some happenings, I suppose its an easy post to write but still enjoyable so without further-ado lets get to it! 

I've done my fair share of baking the past few weeks. Some pretty pink vanilla cupcakes, strawberry and banana muffins and peanut butter and banana pancakes! YUM, all of which are followed by some jasmine white tea from Thailand. I am also decorating my parents 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary cake so will post about that shortly.  

I have also had a bit of a tidy up, although looking at the current state of my room you wouldn't think it! I cleared my makeup, brushes and vanity tray and bought a lovely sausage dog ring holder!

Speaking of purchases, I saw this lovely grey top as photographed above from Oasis and loveee it especially as its so comfy! In addition one of my best friends recently went to America for several months and has just returned. She bought us each little presents and I received some Willy Wonka Nerds, EOS Strawberry Sorbet Balm and a Vanilla Cupcake Yankee Candle, what an amazing friend!! The small things in life eh :) 

xx

The Weekend | Cambridge & Punting

Owh.. I was ill on Saturday so not a lot went on other than 'buming' around catching up with YouTube and Saturday night TV, exciting I know. Although I still felt ill I managed to make my way up to the beautiful Cambridge to visit my boyfriend and his family where his mum had kindly booked us a punting trip and a Sunday lunch.

Although born and raised in London I absolutely love East Anglia, the peaceful way of life and unique little cobbled streets, I know one day I shall be moving up there so I am so thankful I picked a boyfriend who lives in the area ha (well done me). More to the point, we started the day with a guided punting tour of the colleges by the river and the history of the bridges. It is so pretty and I would recommend it to anyone. Here's a handy hint, make sure you face the way the boat is going as it saves the neck strain that I experienced. 

After the 40 minute tour we headed a little out of town to a pub called The Old Crown in Girton! It's around 20 minutes outside the city center but an absolutely beautiful pub with incredible deserts.. just check out my instagram for the boyfriends eton mess. Looked like heaven. Tom and I decided to head back into the center to walk through some gardens however we got chucked out by one of the guards who shouted at us that it was closed, if a gate is open, you presume its open right? Oopsie ha. 

The only thing I could remember from the time I went to Cambridge when I was a youngster was the Fudge shop that is actually named Fudge Kitchen. Luckily Tom knew what I was talking about so we headed straight there and I immediately bought some dairy free fudge and some rum & raisin for my parents.

What a lovely day and I hope everyone had a lovely weekend too:) 

I have a lonnnggg week  ahead despite having today off so think some baking is in store today x

Shopping Haul | Pandora, Essie, Nars etc.

Another pay day...another shopping spree. I like to think I am good at saving money but lately I have just had to urge to work, spend, work spend, which really isn't the way to be! First stop on my spree was Boots. I have a shellac set at home and love it to bits but I really wanted a white nail vanish fast, so I purchased Essie Blanc as well as a topcoat, take a look at my instagram for close up as I lost my camera and now I have chipped a nail... not a good look! 

Then into SpaceNK where I purchased NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Vanilla. I am so sick of my Collection 2000 that I thought I would treat myself (not that I needed too) and buy one that actually matches my skin tone. So far so good but it's only day one (:  

Oh Pandora! All my girls have Pandora rings and although I have had my bracelet since my 16th birthday, I just never considered myself as a ring person...until now. This is from their Autumn collection and I am slightly in love, looking to purchase the earrings to match, uh-oh. 

Then onto River Island where I bought this black simple top. I never wear black so this is a bit out of my comfort zone but the v-neck is so elegant and classy that I can see myself wearing it a lot! Following on from buying my adorable Koala Slippers I was eager to buy a dressing gown. How pretty is this one from Boux Avenue? I have worn it every day since and loveee it to bits, its so me! 

And there you have it, think I got over excited with money but ohwells... that's why you work eh?!

:) Kathryn x

The Weekend | London Town The Shard

After a long tiresome day that was followed by a night out at a rollerskating disco, I headed back into London on the Sunday to reunite with my fellow uni friends. First stop was Covent Garden aka the meeting point of every trip to London, and I insisted we bought some paella in the market mmmm, a must if you are heading into Covent Garden quickly!

Hoping back onto the underground we decided to have drinks up the Shard! This was such a lovely experience and as a bonus you can walk into Aqua Shard for free, although I suppose you pay for it through the cocktails ha! I am unsure of the name of my cocktail but it was a take on my favourite cocktail, the beautiful Pina Colada but martini inspired! 

If you are following me on instagram you will have seen a lot of recent purchases, oopsie but these means there is a lovely haul in store tomorrow! 

Much love :) It's nearly Friday, whats your plan for the weekend?

xx

Olivia Burton Large White Face Watch

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Michael Kors watch however lately I'm finding it hard to style with particularly when I wear more delicate jewellery and especially as it was around four years ago that I bought it, it's not looking its prettiest. After seeing several posts about Olivia Burton watches I decided to have a little google and I am so thankful I did as a few days ago I stumbled across The Dressing Room online who happen to stock Olivia Burton watches and to my surprise had a store located near me. 

Originally I had my eye on their exclusive watch which you can find here, but I felt the rose gold was just too much and too similar to my Michael Kors that I decided to buy the Large White Face Watch in Rose Gold & Pearl Pink Croc instead. Ohhhh I love it, I wore it today and felt all girly and pretty. It's so beautiful and although it doesn't feel anything like my MK, it is still high quality for £75 and looks stunning with any elegant silver bracelet. 

Like it? Which watch is on your wish list? I would love to know (: 

Kathryn xx

The Weekend | London Town O2 Climb

Although I technically don't live in London, I like to class myself as a London galll and love going in town for little adventures to discover new places. This weekend was a special one as it was the last 21st birthday of our friendship group and we sure did celebrate it well. The first adventure of the day was climbing up the O2 ( you know the one, that big dome by the river in Eastenders). I hadn't a clue what to expect and can safely say I was least prepared girl in the group... I even had to purchase some socks because I stupidly thought my shoes would be suitable. All geared up in some uber attractive climbing wear we were ready to take on the huge challenge of accomplishing the O2, that's a slight exaggeration ha.

I really would recommend it, we had such a laugh and although it's not the highest of buildings the view was still vast, especially seeing the cable cars over the Thames. I think that will be my next on my to-do list in London. Being the classy girls we are, half of us ordered a sushi whilst the rest of us ordered a Nandos takeaway... can't beat a good Nandos pitta :)

Birthday girl!

I have a post to follow and after my previous post I feel really excited about my blog and my upcoming posts! I really hope all you lovely followers still enjoy my blog but I understand if you are more interested in the beauty side of things, who knows I'm sure a makeup post will pop up here and there :)

P.s Thank you everyone and also so proud that I reached 100 followers on instagram today! You are all wonderful people and have made me a very happy blogger <3  

21st Birthday Haul!

So it was indeed my 21st on Thursday and I have had the best week celebrating it! I feel as if I have been absolutely spoilt and thought it would be nice to share with you some of the lovely gifts I received from my friends and family. By no means is this a way to brag, I just know I enjoy looking at peoples hauls and I know I will love to look back on this to in the future :) 

From my Nan I was bought this b.e.a.utiful (that was necessary right?) Royal Albert 1960's Golden Roses tea cup set from their 100 years collection. I am a massive tea fan and after bringing back some gorgeous tea's from Thailand I just can't wait to drink out of this.

She then went on and bought me some Mac products. Bless her, she had no idea what to get but I love it all.  I haven't yet tried them properly so will follow with some reviews I'm sure but in the mean time the products were: 

Sheer Tone Blush in Peaches

In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash

Plus Gloss in Posh It Up

  <3 

Aw my friends! Along with this stunning Whistles clutch bag, they bought me YSL Rouge Volupte in the shade 33 Rose Neillia, Benefit Dandelion Ultra Plush Lipgloss and a SpaceNK voucher for £15 (already spent). Later in the day I had a parcel through the door and my best friend from university and who I went to Thailand with bought me the cutest Elephant Pandora charm.. not the whole bracelet haha! So adorable :) 

And then the boyfriend... spoilt just a tad! Along with the beautiful flowers I recieved on my birthday, he bought me a Tiffany & Co. beaded bracelet, which I must of hinted for about 4 years to various people ha. We took a trip to Victoria Secret and he treated me to some products (not to be shared on here haha) and then a box set from Lush. His parents then bought me a Thai Cooking Book that has excited me more than it should have had haha. 

A big big thank you to all of them esepically my parents who bought tickets for me to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, dinner out in London and a spa day in Champneys! I got a luxury pair of pj's from them also and some little homely accessories! 

Ahh they all deserve some wonderful Christmas presents haha :) 

Kathryn xx