Lily Doughball

lifestyle blogger residing in sunny Bristol, UK www.lilydoughball.com

[lilydoughball]

Image via Unsplash

Well, this is it! After a day and a half of figuring out this self-hosted malarkey it’s finally time to make the big move. Why am I telling you this? Because for those of you following me via the WordPress reader, I’m afraid you will no longer get updates from my site in the WordPress reader on the home page

For those following my blog via email, don’t fret. There is a little piece of magic which will transfer your subscription to this blog over to my new corner of the internet. I’ll be setting it up this afternoon, so it should be completed by tomorrow.

Of course, if you want to be 100% sure you keep getting updates from me, then you could always follow me on Bloglovin’ – it’s a handy little site which keeps all your favourite blogs in one place, and delivers a news feed straight to your inbox. It only takes a few clicks to get it set up, and then you have updates from me FOR LIFE, yay!

See you on the other side!

[lilydoughball]

Blog Club is back! After a summer hiatus the much-loved and world-renowned (probably) Bristol bloggers collective returned for a special meet up at the HQ of colourful children’s luggage brand Trunki, with the promise of some excellent guest speakers, lots of cake, and a turn on the office slide (yes, Trunki have a slide in their office!)

I travelled down with Emily, and was amazed when we walked through the door to see so many faces, and a few new ones as well! I love meeting new bloggers, especially from Bristol and the surrounding area. Naturally we all share a love for the city in which we live, and each interpret it in a brand new way in the content we create for our blogs. I’ve updated my blog roll page with everyone who attended this month’s blog club, go take a peek!

As well as Emily from Mermaid Gossip, I was pleased to see SJ, Lyzi, Megan, Jo, and of course Sophie and Hayley, the wizards behind the fabulous concept of Blog Club itself. After binging on treats, and eating my own bodyweight in Skittles, it was the turn of our first guest speaker, Charlotte from Black Heart Creatives.

The emphasis this time around was on successfully running your own business, and it was really fascinating hearing Charlotte’s story, and the success she has had with BHC in little over a year. She runs her business from her home office, and makes the most unique personalised laser cut jewellery, including my personal favourite, a dancing emoji lady necklace. She’s also nominated for an award, which she totally deserves to win! Vote for her here (Best Accessories Range).

After Charlotte spoke it was time for Fritha of Tigerlilly Quinn, a hugely successful parenting and personal style blog, which I didn’t know was based in Bristol! I’ve been following Fritha for a while now, her outfit and weekend snapshot posts are beautiful, plus her little’un Wilf is adorable! She spoke about running a shop alongside the blog, how to balance the time between the two and make an income out of both, all very interesting, and fantastically helpful.

Next it was Mel from Trunki, who gave us bloggers some really valuable advice about how to be approachable and appealing for brands to collaborate with you. She spoke of how the layout and content of your blog are both really important for making a first impression, and if you have some epic photography skills then this is going to be appealing from a brand perspective. They want their product to look good, after all! Best of all, the said, was to be creative with the product you are working with; brands thrive off being given feedback, and if you have a great idea and want to execute it, don’t be afraid to get in contact and pitch it to them.

All that remains is to say thank you to Hayley and Sophie for organising, Charlotte, Fritha and Mel for speaking and offering some really useful advice, and Trunki for the use of their amazing space and letting us have a go on their slide!

Until next time, Blog Club.

[lilydoughball]

1 // Dr Martens ‘Spirit of 69’ Leroy Loafers

2 // Casio Rose Gold Bracelet Watch

3 // Brit-Stitch Half Pint in Caramel

4 // Coco Fennell ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Bee Collar Dress

5 // Sterling Silver Antler Ring

The nights are drawing in, the mornings are getting chillier, and autumn is finally here! I am beyond excited about Autumn this year, I have a mental list of things which I am aiming to tick off, of which I have already done a few – drink a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (check!), make cinnamon rolls, go to Westonbirt and look at all the leaves, and fill my wardrobe with brown and black and orange clothes ready for the new season.

With this in mind, I’ve compiled an autumnal wishlist, with items off my shiny new Pinterest board. I’ve been reading a lot into minimising and streamlining your wardrobe, and one of the top tips that most articles give is to keep a wishlist, and keep it updated. Try to avoid on-a-whim purchases by pinning the item straight to your board and keeping it there for a week. If you still want it, and have a genuine need for it, then go for it. By resisting the urge to splurge your money at once you’ll feel less guilty, plus having items next to one another makes you realise which ones are of the most importance to you. This article is particularly useful for some more info on the subject.

First up on my wishlist are a pair of shoes I have fallen head over heels for (no pun intended). Me and Tom practically live in Dr Martens. I have three pairs already, so you could argue that I have enough, and this would only be adding to my problem. However, I like to think of it as ‘all bases covered’ – 16 eyelet black boots, short practical brown chelsea boots, classic black shoes, and now these tasselled loafer beauties, in a beautiful oxblood vintage leather finish. These are absolutely perfect for the change in weather, and I can just picture them on my hooves kicking through golden leaves. I’m going to have to do some saving up, though, and these might be on my wishlist for a while!

I’ve never been much of a watch person. I’ve often noticed beautiful timepieces adorning the wrists of the most fashionable and wondered what it is which is so appealing about them – to me, they were just another unnessecary piece of jewellery. However, I recently took the plunge and bought a rather stunning watch from Shore Projects (post to follow) and have now got used to wearing it so much my wrist feels naked without it. Since I’ve gone over to the dark side I’ve been eyeing up watches left right and centre, and this rose gold Casio beauty from ASOS is pretty special, plus its classic style isn’t likely to fall out of fashion in a hurry.

I have a bit of a confession to make with this next one. I broke the rules I laid out in the beginning of this post by splurging and purchasing this one as soon as I saw it. In my defence, it was half price (HALF PRICE!) in a one-day LFW special that Brit Stitch were having last week, and my spur-of-the-moment decision was egged on by the fact that the website told me that there were only 4 left in stock! I panicked. Since its arrival I haven’t taken it on an outing yet, merely staring at it sat in its box and cooing at its beauty. The colour is absolutely gorgeous – a little less vibrant than the above picture, but a beautiful warm orange colour which sums up the essence of autumn.

This next one is a dress which I have seen doing the rounds on Pinterest for a while, but sadly I had no idea where it was from. Imagine my delight when I discovered that this beautiful little bee embroidered dress is from eccentric London designer Coco Fennell, whose shop is stuffed with other delightful whimsical treasures. This Silence of the Lambs inspired dress features embroidered bees on the lapels of the oversized collars, which I absolutely adore; bees are probably my favourite animal, ever since I got a book about beekeeping a few years back… (such a nerd). Do you reckon I could get away with wearing this to a winter wedding?

ALast but by no means least is this sterling silver antler shaped ring which I found on the Lost Lanes, made by Aether Design. Taking inspiration from the natural world, designer and jeweller Amber Tenzin-Dolma creates beautiful pieces using precious metals and stones. I have been looking for an animal-inspired piece of jewellery for a while and instantly fell in love with this one, plus I think the modest price tag means it won’t be on my list for long.

What’s been taking your fancy this autumn?

[lilydoughball]

I’ve talked previously about the importance of healthy snacking, and in particular my struggle with it. Too often I forgo the fruit and snacky vegetables in favour of biscuits, crisps and Fanta (my beverage of choice), despite my best efforts to eat more healthily. My favourite tea time treat, to fill the awkward 3pm-gap between lunch and dinner has to be, hands down, Nakd bars. These little nuggets of joy are my favourites for a grab-and-go lunchbox filler – they come in about a million different delicious flavours, and all guaranteed to be 100% natural, gluten, wheat and dairy free, so you know you’re doing your tummy good. Some of these tasty flavours I haven’t tested out yet, but I was lucky enough to be sent a box to sample their best-sellers (*).

My current favourites are the Pecan Pie, Cashew Cookie and Gingerbread, of which I got samples of the last two, yay! These are the three go-to flavours when I’m stocking up my Asda basket, and to be honest I wasn’t brave enough to branch out and sample any others. I’d not previously been a fan of the Cocoa Delight bar, but luckily enough Tom loves anything which remotely resembles chocolate, so he snaffled these up in no time. Included in my sample box were a few variations on the cocoa theme – Cocoa Mint, Cocoa Orange and Caffe Mocha. I absolutely adored all three of these, despite my aversion to the chocolate. The stand out flavour for me though has to be Rhubarb and Custard. I did a small squeal of joy when I saw the bright pink peeping out of the box, and the flavour did not let it down at all. It was almost like a creamy custard-tasting cashew cookie, but with a sharp tangy rhubarb aftertaste, which was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be purchasing more of these!

Whilst foraging in the lavender for my Nakd bars, there were a few cheeky bees taking an interest in my cornflowers. I feel a little bit better for having a hideously overgrown garden now that I’m safe in the knowledge that I’m going the wildlife some good! She didn’t pay much attention to my Nakd bars though, I got to keep those all for myself.

If you haven’t tried Nakd bars yet, and are in to eating clean (or are just a repenting serial snacker like myself) then I really urge you to give them a go. This is just a small taste of the flavours they have on offer, and for the amount of delicious ingredients inside, they really are good value for money. These are my afternoon treat, and cereal bars in general manage to keep me a lot fuller and feeling a bit more nourished than if I were to have a rich tea biscuit!

Are there any flavours which I haven’t mentioned which I need to try? Let me know!

[this product was a gift, but opinion is my own]

[lilydoughball]

Beauty products, skincare and make up are a funny old thing. It is something which I and probably most other ladies (and gentlemen) couldn’t do without, but until recently I hadn’t paid much care or attention as to what I was scrubbing, smoothing or slathering onto my skin. I’ve tried to live by a ‘quality vs quantity’ approach to most things nowadays, including skincare, and only buy products which I have heard good things about or tested myself, rather than just waltzing into Asda and picking up the cheapest moisturiser they had on offer, which usually resulted in al least four unused pots languishing in my cupboard for months.

Organic beauty is something which I confess I had never really seriously considered, up until I was invited along to a pamper evening in the rather swanky Finzel’s Reach just down the road, which was being hosted by organic beauty giants Neal’s Yard. I had used NYR products before and thought them just another high end brand which was out of my price bracket, but as I found out on the evening, I had a lot to learn.

The evening began with a strange turn of events whereby I ‘bumped’ into SJ whilst finishing my dinner in good old Bristol institution, Bagel Boy. I say bumped into, it was more of a chance glance and an awkward half-mouthed conversation through the window – “are you going to the event?” “Yeah! Are you? How are you?” – and soon she was sitting next to me and we were having a lovely catch up. We walked the short distance to the event, and marvelled at the impressive looking Finzel’s Reach, before being warmly greeted by the lovely Jessica, who took us up to a flat on the first floor.

We could smell the products even before we were properly out of the lift. It was absolutely amazing, a heady mix of herbs and floral smells which drifted down the corridor. We discovered when we got inside the flat that the various smells were coming from a beautiful line of their distinctive blue glass bottles down the hallway, plus vaporisers stationed at strategic points around the room. After meeting fellow bloggers, our lovely hosts, and some friendly ladies from the Soil Association, I made a beeline for the balcony to catch a rare view of the other side of Castle Park. I almost wanted to live in this flat, were it not for the noisy rowers every 10 minutes!

The whole evening went by far too quickly. I have learned so much about organic beauty, I cannot even begin to describe. We were first given some neat organic essential oils to smell, and we had to guess which oils they were, and describe how they made us feel. Apparently this sense of smell and the effect that the scent has on your mood is incredibly important – your body will naturally be drawn towards the essential oils it needs most. For example, if you have dry skin, then you may find yourself naturally drawn towards the beautiful orange flower range of their products.

I was lucky enough to sample their gorgeous Frankincense range, and I was given a luxurious facial. You can see me above demonstrating my excited face, my “I’m learning all the things” face, and finally my super-duper relaxed I’m-having-a-facial-face. Thanks to SJ for taking these lovely photos of me! I sampled what felt like every single product in the Frankincense range, my favourite being the facial oil. I have to admit I have always steered clear of oils and oil-based products, believing myself to have the oilest skin known to man. Apparently though, this one is more of a ‘dry’ oil (I know, weird right) which sinks into the skin, and has exceptionally nourishing properties. I then had my make-up did, and felt very pampered indeed!

I’m incredibly grateful for being invited to such a fantastic event, I learnt so much on the evening. On our way out we were given a pot of their best-selling product, Wild Rose Beauty Balm, which I’ve since been using every evening to cleanse my face and get rid of all my grubby impurities from the day. It really is the most wonderful product, simply melt it into your face and remove with warm water and the muslin cloth provided. It leaves your skin bright, smooth, squeaky clean and beautifully soft. People have even commented on how good my skin looks, which is a first for me!

Thanks so much to Neal’s Yard for inviting me, and also to the Soil Association, who taught us a great deal about organic beauty on the evening.

[lilydoughball]

What seems like 2 seconds ago (but was actually the weekend before last – eek!), we packed up our bags and travelled into deepest darkest Dorset, to attend End of the Road festival at beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens. I feel well and truly spoilt by this summer, it really has been a good ‘un; we didn’t attend any festivals last year, and this year we got to go to two! After Glastonbury and my trip to Padstow I feel like I am really getting used to this camping malarkey, and couldn’t wait to crack the tent out again and set up home at EOTR.

As soon as we arrived and started exploring End of the Road we began drawing comparisons to Glastonbury, and soon decided that it was just all the nicest bits, condensed. EOTR is a relatively young festival – it celebrates its 10th year next year – and as such has retained the charm and energy of creating something awesome and new, and in a much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The whole site is really small as well, meaning you can get from one side to the other in about 10 or 15 minutes, and I’ve heard the organisers purposely keep ticket numbers low, which means you never feel crowded.

Don’t get me wrong – Glasto is an experience, but its like the wise old (slightly eccentric) uncle of festivals now, with its sprawling fields and mechanical spiders and ribbon towers and rabbit holes, and its nice to give the support to the smaller guys. End of the Road is like Glastonbury’s cool, bearded, bespectacled nephew, who has cherry picked the best eateries, drinks fantastic local ales, likes hanging out in Victorian gardens, and has exceptional taste in music.

One of the reasons we chose End of the Road was because the lineup was absolutely outstanding – John Grant, Tune-Yards, Richard Thompson, Ezra Furman, Sweet Baboo to name but a few. It was as if someone had given me a pen and asked me to write down my favourite artists of the moment, then curated a festival around that (I wish!). Of course, I worship at the altar which is 6 Music, as all good people should, and was amazed at how many other acts I knew simply from humming along to their tunes on the radio.

The whole site, it seemed, was filled with the 6 Music demographic – the collective age of EOTR seemed to be slightly older than other festivals I have visited (I’m thinking of Reading here, when I say older I mean my age and upwards), and I was pleasantly surprised at how many young families with small children there were. This only added to the lovely atmosphere, and coupled with the amazing setting, the incredible food on offer, and the very reasonable price of ale at the bar, created a home-from-home feel to the proceedings.

I didn’t dare take my SLR for fear of dropping it in a toilet or it getting trampled or something, so I took a chance on my Lomo Smena, which I hadn’t used for a few years! I’m amazed that these photos actually turned out, but I took a few on my phone just in case…

I cannot tell you how good the food was. One of the nicest things about modern festivals is that you don’t have to eat cheap crap sausages or burgers or those giant yorkshire puddings which set you back about £8, there is an amazing selection of proper decent grub on offer, and EOTR was no exception. The above pancake bar did the best coffee I have ever tasted (and had the queue to prove it at 9am!) and the rotisserie next door could do you half a roasted chicken plus a mountain of little roast potatoes for £7. The ice cream was awesome too – I had peanut butter ice cream with hot fudge, and had to give up half way through which I was quite upset about. Props also go to the Rac Shack, who did exceptional croque monsieurs and a fancy bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich which sorted me right out on Saturday morning.

One of the best things about End of the Road, as well as the countless tasty snacks, the excellent music line up, and the beautiful gardens it was situated in, were all the whimsical touches dotted around the festival. The trees along the woodland path were filled with fairy lights, balloons and little creatures, there were sculptures made out of hay, messages cut into leaves and a giant Walkman named after one of Hollywood’s finest. My favourite festival nuance had to be the Secret Post Office – chaps and chapettes in blue shirts, red bow ties and braces who could deliver your hand-crafted, hand-written, hand-glittered note to anyone on the festival site, provided you provide an accurate description of the recipient. We sent one to the guy in the massive orange tent camped next to us who played soothing music on his guitar in the morning, and were very excited when we spotted him walking around the festival with it poking out of his top pocket!

Another highlight of the weekend was after watching John Grant on the Saturday evening, when we ventured into the deepest part of the woods towards the Comedy stage, to watch the 80s children’s TV show-inspired spectacle that is Knightmare Live. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced – standing on a steep slope in the woods at 1am watching drunken audience members don a helmet and shuffle around the stage directed by a man in a pretty impressive cape and full face paint. Halfway through the giddy drunken enjoyment things got slightly serious, and one of the performers had the terrible duty of informing us that we were simply having too much fun, and one of the neighbours had complained that we were making too much noise. Obviously this was met with cheers from the audience, to which we were told to proceed with 100% enthusiasm, but 78% volume. It was brilliant. Their stage show looks pretty hilarious, too!

All in all, we had such an amazing weekend, and were incredibly sad when we had to pack up our tent in the rain and head back home. We are definitely buying tickets for next year, especially if its packed full with all the secret post, woodland creatures and adventurers as it was this year. I’m probably going to do another festival as well, if you’ve got any suggestions I’d love to hear them!

[lilydoughball]

Well this one’s a wee bit late! I’ve been a bit busy, in my defence. Last weekend we went away to a festival, which I will tell you all about in due course, and this evening I was being spoilt rotten at an organic beauty event, pics to follow!

Here are the things which made the last month of summer pretty darn magical:

Taco Tuesdays (not actually on Tuesday), whereby we utilised our brand new slow cooker // went to visit my family in Cheltenham and popped over to the beautiful Pump Rooms for a dog show! // channelled my inner Molly Ringwald (kinda) // prepared for the imminent zombie apocalypse

BALLOONS!!

Best meat pun ever // Best leggings ever, featuring best Adventure Time character ever // took a stroll in the beautiful park right on my front doorstep // stopped for a cheeky pint in a pub with a view

Went for dinner with the lovely Emily and met Puggy! // beer in the sunshine // had an awesome lock-in at Lush Cribbs // ate some beans we grew in our garden!

Made some excellent food choices, including black pudding for a bar ‘snack’ // midnight cheese on toast // a massive Bank Holiday Sunday feast // best breakfast ever

I still can’t quite believe that we are somehow in September already, although I sure am glad of the change in weather, and can’t wait for autumn to start properly. The days seem to be running away with me at the moment so in between all of the unpacking and sorting out our new place I’m going to have to make some time to enjoy all the things I love about this time of the year :).

[lilydoughball]

We’re finally starting to settle in to our new little house now; we’ve met the neighbours, gone for a stroll round the new area, had Tom’s parents down for tea, and now have the internet installed – YAY!

Another plus to add to the seemingly endless long list of awesome things about our new house is that we have a garden, which means… I have a little secret place to take outfit photos! I’ve wanted to do outfit posts for absolutely ages – I’m mega envious of what other lovely blogging people like Lyzi and SJ and She and Hem are up to, but am still finding my feet a bit. Bear with me.

Also, please excuse my washing line.

[serious blogging face!]

As we all know, the weather is beginning to take a turn of late. All that Twitter seems to be full of is people gearing up for autumn, planning a little weekend getaway in a forest somewhere, and shopping for their A/W fashion staples. August isn’t over yet and we’re already waving goodbye to summer!

This makes me happy. I absolutely adore autumn, October is my favourite month and I cannot wait til it’s cold enough to start putting on my winter coat and mustard hat and go down to the park and just have a kick around in some leaves.

The other day was a bit nippy out, so I tested out my autumn/winter mustard ensemble, comprising of last year’s coat from Urban Outfitters, Primark dress, mustard jumper from H&M and a cheery mustard hat from Zara. To top the whole lot off I pinned this awesome crocheted poppy kindly sent to me by the Museum Selection (*).

This crocheted beauty will make a nice change to the November paper poppies which always melt in the rain, and seeing as it’s the 100th anniversary since the start of WWI this year, it would be shameful to not wear a poppy, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have a hard time forgetting to wear this bad boy.

Plus, I have serious crochet envy right now – the whole thing is made from  teeny tiny crochet, which is far more than my measly skills could muster. It has given me some much needed inspiration, and since receiving my poppy parcel I’ve been Googling amigurumi and becoming slightly obsessed!

To combat all the miserable serious blogging face, here is an extra special photo of me when I couldn’t get the remote back in my pocket quickly enough:

Hopefully this is one of many upcoming outfit posts, if you’ve got any tips I’d love to hear them!

[lilydoughball]

This post has been a long time coming, but better late than never eh?!

Living in Bristol, one thing you will never, ever tire of seeing, despite the frequency at which you spot them floating over the city, is hot air balloons. Having lived here for nearly 5 years, I still do an excited squeak of ‘BLOON!’ and frantically run outside/pull over my car/jump up and down to scramble to take a photo and upload it to Instagram (to add to the relentless feed of balloon photos posted by fellow Bristolians).

During the first half of August, balloon sightings become far more frequent, for one reason only – the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Situated every year on beautiful Ashton Court Estate, this fiesta, the largest of its kind in Europe, and now in its 36th year, is frequented by non-Bristolians and Bristolians alike. We popped along for the nightglow last year, but have always wanted to attend the 6am ascent the balloons take over the city. So, setting our alarms for 4:30am on a Saturday (!), we popped along to see what it was all about.

Ashton Court looked absolutely stunning in the morning light. That top photo really doesn’t do it justice; the mist was sitting over the hills and the sun was just rising enough to cast a spooky light over the whole scene, it was amazing. If you haven’t been up to Ashton Court it is well worth a visit – pack a picnic and take a bike ride up there, you won’t be disappointed.

Arriving to the fiesta at 5:45am was really weird, the rollercoasters and amusements lay abandoned and the aftermath of the night before littered the ground, it was like something from a horror film. We could hear a bustling crowd up ahead, though, and so not wanting to miss anything, pressed on into the main arena area.

I was amazed at how busy it was. I honestly can’t believe how many people would be so dedicated to seeing balloons that they would sacrifice their time to have an early night on a Friday and get up at the crack of dawn on a weekend. It wasn’t just hardcore balloon spotters either – there were whole families, even some who had packed a morning breakfast BBQ, blokes with their dogs, photographers, and even bleary eyed people like me and Tom, clutching at a Thermos full of coffee. It made the whole atmosphere really special – we were all there to share and marvel in the spectacle of some sacks full of hot air ascending into the early morning sky.

Once the balloons started to go up, I was in full five-year-old-child mode, and had almost completely forgotten that I was awake at 6am on a Saturday. There were easily as many as the nightglow, and to be honest I much preferred the atmosphere already – it was all the excitement of seeing the balloons, but minus all the noise and local radio DJs commentating, and most of the busy crowds. Don’t get me wrong, the nightglow is great – but it’s more for those looking for glamour and spectacle. This was just some people eating bacon sarnies in a field and listening to a man on a bad PA system tell us what type of balloons they all were. I must be turning into an old lady.

The wind was in our favour, and was drifting the balloons right over our heads and over towards the city. I can’t tell you how cool it was. This last chap wasn’t sitting in a basket, but was suspended in a chair-hammock-harness type thing, which made Tom feel a little giddy (afraid of heights), but made me extremely jealous – I still haven’t completed my life goal of going up in a balloon, but I guess there’s always next year’s fiesta!

On the way out, I took this shot of all the little black specks over Bristol, and it reminded me of why I love living in this city so much.

Until next year!

[lilydoughball]

It’s been a bit quiet round here as of late, and for good reason! Me and Tom packed up our bags and moved south of the river, to beautiful Windmill Hill.

We don’t get the internet for another week or so, so blogging is going to be a bit hit and miss for the time being! I thought I would just give you lovely folks a snoop into what I’ve been up to this past week…

Exploring our new stomping ground. Windmill Hill is between Bedminster and Totterdown, on the south side (arguably the best side) of the river. Everyone is mega friendly round here, plus we live right next to a massive park!

Unpacking seemingly endless piles of boxes. I have way too many clothes! I think another Frock Swap might be in order.

Growing veggies! We’ve inherited a pretty decent little vegetable patch, so I’ve turned my hand to a spot of gardening. I’m hoping to get some winter veg in soon. It’s a pity the neighbourhood cats like to leave little ‘surprises’ in my flower beds though… Ewww.

Reading this article about the first thing different bloggers saved up for, including yours truly! It’s a pretty fascinating read, who knew Tamagotchis were so popular?

Eating mountains of leftover goods from our brand spanking new slow cooker, easily the best thing we’ve ever bought! This was beef and mushrooms slow cooked in red wine, with tagliatelle. What is it about cooking something for 8 hours that makes it so darn delicious?

Normal service will resume shortly, but for now, enjoy the rest of the week!

[lilydoughball]

There is a plethora of things to do in Bristol when the sun comes out – especially if you’re looking to entertain the kiddos. Even if you don’t need to entertain any kiddos, you’d be hard pressed to find a weekday in Bristol with nothing going on. A couple of weeks ago, myself and my buddy Jules were invited along for an evening of fun at Bristol Zoo Friday Twilights.

I’ve written about these brilliant evenings before; they’re just one of the many events that the Zoo have rolled out over the last few years, including their excellent film screenings.

So what is a Friday Twilight evening when it’s at home? Well, for a mere FIVER a ticket, you have access to all the fun of the zoo after hours – including roaming performers, tasty food, refreshingly cold beers and live music. Not to mention saying hello to the lions, penguins, seals, red pandas and all the other animals as the sun sets.

We were soon invited ‘backstage’ to meet the animals before they got tucked up in bed, including an exceptionally cute family of lemurs. It was such a privilege to get up close with families of primates who were obviously well used to and comfortable being in the presence of humans. The staff at the zoo were quick to stress that the welfare of their animals is paramount at these evening events – noise levels were constantly being checked whilst we were there to ensure that the proceedings weren’t too rowdy for the animals’ tastes.

For my tastes, however, it was a bit of a different story. I have to admit that this being the first of these events of the summer and being fully sold out, it was quite a busy one. I wasn’t fully anticipating the amount of kids that were present, considering it goes on til 10pm, but I clearly underestimated the parents of Bristol. If you’re not a complete Scrooge McDuck like myself when it comes to being around kids, however, then this little detail shouldn’t bother you in the slightest.

After meeting the animals, we were whisked off to the Zoo’s brand new restaurant, The Hide, for some of their tasty fodder. Considering the tired cafe that this restaurant replaced, The Hide is certainly a vast improvement. Don’t come expecting haute cuisine – the usual family fayre is on the menu, including pizzas (with vegan options), chips, tapas-style sharing snacks and salads – but what we sampled on this particular evening was tasty and well cooked, and would leave any belly satisfied.

Should you want to pop along to experience a Friday Twilight evening at Bristol Zoo for yourself, they are on the following Fridays throughout summer:

20th July

27th July

3rd August

10th August

17th August.

Thanks to Bristol Zoo for inviting me along and feeding me and my friend. I was invited for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are my own.

The post Friday Twilights appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

As some of you may well know, I have been downsizing for a couple of years now. Since Konmari-ing, I feel my personal style has developed, and I am much happier for having a wardrobe full of staples rather than a mismatch of vintage clothes like I had before. I feel like I have nailed my personal style and it’s giving me a lot more confidence.

Funnily enough, the only time I’ve ever been remotely interested in buying and curating my closet is now that I have two-thirds less ‘stuff’ than what I had before. I used to just see clothes as another commodity; my aim was to buy cheap clothes in bright colours and just sling on any old thing in the morning. By clearing out and getting rid, it’s given me a very clear colour palette to work with, which I know I will feel and look my best in. This includes black (lots of black, I love black) and dark blue, denim blues, earthy greens, mustard yellow and orange. I would never have chosen orange in a million years a few short months ago but it is fast becoming my favourite colour to wear.

As well as these obvious and immediate benefits, it’s also helped to hone my sustainability radar when it comes to choosing new pieces. With cotton production some of the most polluting business on the planet (I won’t go into it again), our obsession with fast fashion has to end. I would much rather stick to a clean and simple wardrobe and update it every now and then with key pieces which are going to last me a lifetime, not just a season.

So, you can imagine my joy (pun wholly intended) when Two For Joy got in touch. Their entire ethos is build around this notion of classic pieces which will flatter any shape, all made out of sustainably sourced materials. Their Forever Fair policy means that the producer of the clothing will always get a fair price, and you as a buyer know exactly where every penny is being spent.

After a lot of debating over what to choose from the array of beautiful pieces on their site, I finally settled on this – a pleat back cardigan in my new favourite colour.

Jacket – Levi’s (here it is in a different colour) // Top – vintage // Cardigan – Two For Joy(*) // Trousers – Lucy & Yak // Shoes – Ottowin

Just a li’l bit about the other pieces that I’m wearing – this jacket is another addition to my wardrobe, and I was over the moon when I found it in the Levi’s outlet shop, as it’s finally going to replace my beaten up old harrington which I have worn to death. The stripey top is from a kilo sale, and my trousers are from another UK company, the brilliant Lucy & Yak. Finally, on this slightly-too-cold-to-be-wearing-sandals day, I plumped for my fave Ottowins, which truly are a shoe which will last decades.

Let’s talk about this cardi, then; I’ve been searching for something like this for what feels like months, if not years. I used to have a beaten up old black vintage cardigan in my wardrobe, but it just wasn’t *right*, and layered on top of an already entirely black ensemble just looked a bit sad.

This chap injects a bit of vibrancy into an outfit, and is structured enough to hold its own but light enough to be layered underneath a jacket like this. I’ve already worn it to death to try and jazz up those all-black days, and can already tell it’s going to be a staple coming into the warmer months in spring.

So, whether you’re following the capsule wardrobe method, Project 333 or are just looking to inject some classic style into your wardrobe, I can heartily recommend taking a peep at Two For Joy.

This post was written for the purpose of review, and I was kindly gifted my item. However all words and opinions are my own.

The post One For Sorrow, Two For Joy appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

NOT TODAY, EMMA.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the UK is currently swathed in a blanket of thick, powdery snow, and if you’re anything like me, this means one thing – HIBERNATION. Thursday afternoon into evening was, of course, spent in the warm belly of a pub, but after the gruelling walk home we decided that it’s probably best to stay in for the remainder of this weekend and watch the X Files.

Top of my list of jobs this weekend was to finally finish off the project that has been haunting me since I started it nearly 6 months ago – sewing up my Wool & The Gang Dreamin’ jumper (*). One of my ambitions for a long time has been to start making my own clothes, to somewhat lessen my impact on the environment and also try and curb some of my spending habits.

As we entered the third month of this year I started to get a bit panicky that the time had passed to finish knitting a massively chunky jumper, but lo, Emma came forth and blessed us with her snowy presence, so I had an excuse to take some cute photos in my completely snowed-in front garden.

I was luckily gifted this kit as the weather turned wintery towards the end of last year, and promised myself that I’d have it done by Christmas. I chose the Dreamin’ jumper in this absolutely incredible ‘cinnamon dust’ wool, and was very much looking forward to drinking hot toddies on Boxing Day wrapped in its comforting embrace.

The problem is, not only am I the slowest knitter in the entire universe, but it’s been a good 11 years or so since I have attempted to knit anything. That, and the fact that I had never actually knitted a garment before. Before too long, my brain had fully entered panic-induced procrastination mode, and my once-enthusiasm for the project meant that there were half-finished pieces of knitting littering my front room for a good few months.

I cannot fault the kit that was gifted to me. The Wool & The Gang kits are p-e-r-f-e-c-t for anyone who hasn’t knitted up a project like this before – they contain everything you need to hit the ground running and absolutely spot on instructions so you can’t go wrong. Their website is also full of brilliant tutorials on the different stitches and tips and tricks in case you get stuck, and how to finish off your beautiful creation.

You guuuuys I FINALLY finished my @woolandthegang jumper just in time for snow day and I don’t ever want to take it off

A post shared by Lily Doble (@lilydoughball) on Mar 2, 2018 at 8:26am PST

Their website is chocca full of amazing projects to whip up if you’re handy with the knitting needles or crochet hook, or if you’re a nervous novice like myself. I’m already plotting my next project – how nice is this little cardi?

Massive thanks to Wool & The Gang for gifting me the Dreamin’ Jumper kit. The kit was gifted for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are my own.

The post Wool & The Gang appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

My relationship with glasses-wearing has been a long and tumultuous time; after wearing them solidly for working with at a desk for 5 years I gave up a short while ago, and settled on merely squinting at my spreadsheets.

Concerned about the furrow that was forming between my brows, I decided something needed to be done. The lovely folk at Ollie Quinn invited me in to have an eye test and pick out some brand new specs just before Christmas*.

Situated towards the top of Park Street, Ollie Quinn is a beautiful shrine to metal wire and glass, with their unisex frames sitting on antique teak sideboards and floating wooden shelves, plants tastefully dangling from the ceiling. It doesn’t feel as intimidating or sterile as your regular high street optometrists – the staff are on hand to help out without feeling overly pushy or sales-y, chatting away to folks trying on glasses like they’d known them for years.

I was invited to the launch party of Ollie Quinn back in the summer, and fell in love with the first pair of specs my eyes landed on – a pair of delicate black Harry Potter style frames which seemed to set off my semi-ironic hipster aesthetic perfectly. Plus, all of their glasses are set at the bargainous price of just £98.

Being Harry Potter at @oqstories this evening

. Verrrryyyy tempted to buy these specs!

. . . . #blogger #bristolblogger #harrypotter #glasses #nerd #hufflepuff #hufflepuffpride

A post shared by Lily Doble (@lilydoughball) on Jul 27, 2017 at 12:12pm PDT

My first eye test seemed to go splendidly well, but there was some confusion when I came to pick up my specs, and my prescription wasn’t quite 100%. After chatting to the lovely ladies at Ollie Quinn HQ in London, they booked me in for another eye test to see what was going on.

Turns out the prescription I’d been given was slightly off in my left eye (note: always take an old pair of specs to an eye test, so they have something to work off!) so off they went to the lab to be amended. They arrived in mid-December and haven’t left my mush since.

Feeling like a NEW WOMAN with my brand new specs from @oqstories and a bit of a barnet chop by Liam at the @glitchbristol pop up at Topshop @cabotcircus

. (Pls excuse my messy house, I have given up on tidying for the time being)

A post shared by Lily Doble (@lilydoughball) on Dec 15, 2017 at 1:55am PST

I just want to say a massive thank you to Ollie Quinn firstly for offering me a chance to pick out my own glasses, but also for dealing with my problem in such a fantastic and professional way. I was proper wigging out about the prospect of having to go back in and admit there was a problem, but they dealt with it all so smoothly. I’ve never been particularly loyal to an optometrists, but I think I’ve found the one for me.

If you like the look of Ollie Quinn then pop in and pay them a visit in Bristol, or find them at www.olliequinn.co.uk.

I was gifted these glasses for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are my own.

The post Ollie Quinn appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

I can’t quite believe it’s taken me this long to visit Everyman Cinema on Whiteladies Rd; I feel like I have stumbled upon a proper hidden gem of the Bristol cinematic world. Part of a chain of luxury cinemas all over the UK, Everyman Bristol opened a couple of years ago in the old Whiteladies Picture House.

Shortly before Christmas, I was invited along to a special screening of Murder on the Orient Express, supported by Max Factor.

This was my first trip to the Everyman Cinema but I’ve been back several times since. Part of the reason I prefer it to your average multiplex is the fact that their seating is far more comfortable (think miniature sofas you can curl up on) plus you can take their delicious, non-overpriced, real food and drinks into the auditorium with you. I’ve made it a habit of my ‘adventure Fridays‘ to pop along with a bag of pretzels and watch whatever has been released that week.

This particular evening, the cinema and the staff were dolled up in their best 1920s regalia, handing out canapés and glasses of fizz. The event was sponsored and hosted by Max Factor, who had created a signature look based on the style of the period and were giving makeovers in one corner of the foyer (little fun factual nugget – Max Factor were one of the first movie make-up specialists, and even used green foundation to even out skin tone in black and white films).

This evening’s entertainment was being shown on Screen 1 upstairs, under the absolutely stunning 1920s art deco ceiling. I didn’t think too much of the film, to be perfectly honest, but I did very much enjoy munching through our free popcorn, not to mention the massive bag of Max Factor goodies we got to take home with us! :O

Massive thanks to the Everyman Cinema, Max Factor, and Bristol Bloggers and Influencers.

The post Stepping Back in Time at Everyman Cinema appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

Name your two favourite things in the whole wide world. For me, numero uno on that list would be pizza. The second would probably be a tie between my bed (aka the comfiest place in the universe) and ale. Let’s be completely honest with ourselves though… beer > bed.

As luck would have it, the stars have aligned and the gods decreed that this Friday those two cibarious pleasures are to come together in an almighty party; the kings of the Bristol pop-up pizza scene Mission Pizza will be trailing their hot slice wagon to Left Handed Giant to sling some pies and have a couple of cold ones with the lads.

I’m going to be completely honest with you all – I think Mission are my favourite pizza people in Bristol. I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth an’ all that (I still love you heartily Pizzarova), but Mission Pizza are blazing a fantastic trail for vegetarian and vegan fodder in the city, plus their Instagram makes me want to bite tasty chunks out of my phone screen every time a new photo pops up.

(Not to mention their SUBLIME merchandise pictured above, plus the fact that they are some of the nicest chaps you will meet on the planet.)

I first became aware of their wares at the fabled Pizzafest back in November 2016, when their absolute beaut of a pie completely overshadowed every other slice I sampled that afternoon. Half ‘fun guy’ mushroom, half New Yorker, complete with home-made spicy fennel ‘sausage’ which fooled even the meatiest of carnivores.

Since then I have bumped into them on a couple of other occasions, including last spring at another pop-up at LHG’s brewery tap in St Philips. The ales were flowing, tunes were spinning, and there was even a makeshift basketball court for people to badly shoot hoops. I can’t imagine a better way to spend an afternoon, to be quite honest.

First pies of 2018 @lefthandedgiantbrewing this Friday. Come and #tryanuary some amazing ale and pizzas to boot and support one of your local breweries. Start the New Year as you mean to go on. #tryanuary #pizzanbeer #missionpizzapies #sourdoughpizza #woodfiredpizza #bristollife #bristol #bristolpizza #bristolbeer #taproom #veganpizza #veggiepizza #fortheplanet #neapolitanpizza #foodporn #pizzaparty #fridayvibes

A post shared by Mission Pizza (@missionpizzapies) on Jan 3, 2018 at 5:41am PST

Mission Pizza are going to be doing it all again this weekend, so sod the diet and pop along to get some tasty carbs down your neck.

If you can’t make it for bevs and slices this Friday then don’t fret, they’ll be stationed at the equally awesome Bristol Spirit throughout February. How about treating that special guy or gal in your life to a Valentine’s Day treat? Nothing says I love you more than a pizza pie.

The post Mission Pizza appeared first on Lily Doughball.

[lilydoughball]

I really wasn’t going to do a resolutions post, but I just can’t help myself.

I despise New Year’s Eve with every fibre of my being, but there is something about New Year’s Day which I’ve always found pretty inspiring; we usually plan to go on a little stroll around a different part of town, I wear two pairs of socks and endeavour to eat something delicious. Trouble is, it’s currently throwing it down outside, which has given me the perfect opportunity to do a lot of sitting, reflecting, and tea-drinking.

I’m not entirely sure why, but this year I’ve had little in the way of motivation for making resolutions. It kind of feels that in previous years, I’ve been so dissatisfied with the way in which I’ve been living that this time of year is always perfect for sweeping away my old self and attempting to rebuild another.

This year though, I think because I’ve finally got to a place with my minimising where I feel I am in the grasp of completion, I feel a lot calmer about everything, content just to sit here for a while and let things carry on, rather than aggressively building a strategy to turn my life upside down in the name of improvement. Does that make sense?

Having said that, it’s always useful to go over previous years’ resolutions to get a bit of perspective, and see how I’ve changed in the last 12 months.

My resolutions for last year (and subsequent actions) were:

KonMari the shit out of my house – I’ve been in a bit of a frenzy over the last week, taking carfuls of stuff to the charity shop and designating piles by the door for the tip; let me tell you, it feels SO GOOD to get rid of stuff, and I feel like I’m almost at the infamous ‘click’ point which Marie Kondo keeps harping on about. Since last year I’ve also been listening to the Minimalists podcast religiously which has helped me a lot (it’s a bit American and preachy in places, but on the whole it’s useful) and also a couple of excellent books – Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki and The Art of Discarding by Nagisa Tatsumi.

Blog on my own terms – I’ve been monumentally crap at doing this. I still have a big pile of posts for people which I’ve been intending on writing, and the guilt is still there. I’m hoping that a shiny new layout and some designated time on a Sunday will help me fall in love with blogging again, but let’s see.

Travel – We’ve just got back from Germany, which was all shades of wonderful, and I’m plotting some excursions to different corners of the UK this year. I might even pop to New York for Christmas if I can save enough.

Do some bloody exercise – I cycle to work and try to do HIIT at least once a week. I’m still super unfit, mind.

Drink a glass of water every morning – I did not do this. I am constantly dehydrated.

Get deep into morris – If my 2017 best nine was anything to go by, 2017 was the year of morris! It’s been crazy good fun, and I’m hoping 2018 will be just the same.

Fix up my little car – I sold my car. Well, technically I swapped it for another little old car but I’m considering selling this one too. I don’t deserve nice things.

Veganuary – nah. Am fully quitting meat now, though. Which might make it tricky to do restaurant reviews but at least it’s testing their ability to make a half decent veggie meal, eh?

Generally just be a bit more positive – HAHAHAHAHA.

Guidelines for 2018:

Stop buying clothes / make more clothes – can you IMAGINE the amount of money we would all collectively save if we stopped buying clothes with reckless abandon?!

My motivation behind this resolution is to try and dampen that spark of impulsivity I have for buying things with an intention of killing it altogether. I was watching the Minimalism documentary for the millionth time when something sank in – our lust for fast fashion is destroying the planet. We’re polluting the environment by buying crap that we don’t actually need. Half of it isn’t recyclable. If people could see the scale at which we throw things away I think they’d stop buying so much in the first place.

The minimising process has made me realise firstly, what I actually wear on a daily basis, and secondly, that I waste a lot of money on impulsive purchases. I’d love to make more of my own clothing, and so I’m going to try and make what I absolutely NEED first, and purchase only as a necessity.

Set myself a budget – I am so bad with money. I’d like to get better at money. If you have any recommendations for budgeting apps/strategies, I am all ears. I would actually like to save some money, which at the moment is a wisp of a wish which has yet to become a reality.

Stop eating meat – I was vegetarian for the most part of 2016. I’d like to do that again.

If you’ve got this far, I salute you. I’m off to make another cup of tea.

  The post 2018 appeared first on Lily Doughball.