Tiers

Dress - H&M last year (similar here) ● Jumper - Zara (similar here) ● Necklace - New Look ●
 Shoes - Primark

Due to the temperamental state of the weather at the moment I'm not entirely sure how to dress. Too hot for a pair of jeans and a jumper but too cold for just a dress, so I decided pairing my trusty cropped knit jumper from Zara with a dress I bought ages ago from H&M would be the perfect compromise. I even think that the dress looks better paired with a jumper then on its own, as I originally intended to wear it, it just adds an extra dimension to the whole look. Speaking of Zara, has anyone been in stores and checked out their A/W collection, it is amazing. I literally picked out about ten pieces I can't wait to have in my wardrobe.

I'm always heading to New Look when it comes to nice jewellery that doesn't break the bank. This three tiered necklace immediately caught my eye as I do love a layered look when it comes to jewellery. It may not be of the best quality but I think it really adds something to an otherwise plain, colour-wise, outfit and is definitely an item that I will be packing with me to take to Reading festival this weekend. I am currently at Reading whilst you are reading this post, if anyone is at Reading this weekend I'd love to meet you!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Ellie x

Ambivalent

Top - Urban Outfitters (similar here) ● Dungarees - American Apparel ● Tights - New Look ●
Shoes - H&M (similar here)

And the dungarees are back. Probably my favourite item of clothing that managed to worm its way back into fashion from the 90's era. I don't know what it is about dungarees, perhaps the fact that they are tailored and almost masculine but pairing with different tee's or shirts can create numerous different looks. After hours lusting over this particular pair online and in stores in American Apparel I eventually decided that I couldn't live without them. If you haven't felt the softness of the denim from American Apparel then you really need to, these are seriously the most comfortable thing I have worn in ages and pretty much the perfect fit for me. Not too baggy but not too tight in, ahem, all the wrong places either. I think I may be living in these my whole life.

When I throw on a pair of dungarees is I always feel like a bit of a big kid which I kinda love.

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When you are reading this I have already found out the outcome of my A-level results which I am happy to say were exactly what I needed to get a place at university. So, I'll be heading off to uni in the middle of September and I would tell you how I am feeling at the moment but I really can't put it into words as there are so many different emotions rushing around in my head at the moment. Apprehension probably being the strongest.
I am currently working on how to keep up with regular blog posts whilst at university considering my boyfriend/photographer will be too far away.

Has anyone else struggled with this whilst at uni and how did you deal with the situation?

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone got the results they needed!
Ellie x

The Thought-Night: West Yorkshire

Whilst I am typing up this post I have just returned from a relaxing week away in the rather picturesque West Yorkshire. If I have to be honest it wasn't the most exciting holiday I have ever had but with the few things there are to do, there is definitely never a moment when there isn't a beautiful site to see. Although my trip was short and sweet, only six days, I still accumulated quite a few pictures which I thought I would share. I always think even if somehow my blog does end up coming to an end, which I hope it never does, I'll still be able to look back at it and remember things which I have forgotten. See, I seem to have become rather effected by all this beauty Yorkshire has offered me and I'm becoming quite sentimental, or you could say corny.

After eating pretty much my bodies weight of some of the best pub sandwiches I have ever had I am finally back to reality in boring ol' Essex. Seriously, I don't know why I didn't take some pictures of those sandwiches they were amazing, well done Yorkshire. Anyway now I'm back here and facing my future, considering the fact my A-level results day is on Thursday of this week and I'm looking at heading to Bristol for university, reminiscing over the past week I realised that if anything I just really enjoyed spending some quality time with my family which I take for granted most of the time. It was even nice getting my mum to snap a few outfit shots for me, even though they didn't turn out too great. This post seems to be turning a little too sappy so I think I'll wrap it up and let you experience Yorkshire a little yourselves in picture form.

Thanks for reading.
Ellie x

The house we stayed in had such cute features, future house plans are forming.

This picture and the one below were taken on our second day on a trip into a village called Holmfirth which the cyclists from the Tour de France went through. There was bunting and bikes everywhere and it seemed the whole village was really in the spirit of the whole event.

A dream catcher I bought from our shopping experience on our full first day. 

This photo and the three below were taken in the gardens of Cannon Hall.

This area in Cannon Hall's gardens was called Fairyland and was landscaped in the 19th century primarily for children to play in. It was such a beautiful and magical area and by far my favourite place on the day.

This was taken on a short walk around the area; the sheep were really friendly and even let you stroke them. This is amazing for me living in Essex.

No, don't worry I didn't just skip to South Africa. This photo was taken at Yorkshire Wildlife Park which was probably the best zoo type establishment I have ever been to. The animals enclosures were really spacious and they are even getting polar bears this year! If only I'd gone on holiday in December... maybe not.

In the park there were areas where you could go in with the animals, this included lemurs, spider monkeys, capybara's and wallaby's. You could actually touch the spider monkeys and wallaby's which I have never experienced at any zoo before.

On our last day we headed on a canal boat through a three mile long tunnel which was used for transport. We only went through a part of the tunnel otherwise it would have taken around three hours. The tour guide was great and really made you experience what it would have been like for the men building the tunnel at the time, pretty scary stuff in the pitch black with steam and water interrupting the job. He also told us that before the days of motor engines the men would literally have to use their legs to transport themselves and their cargo in the pitch black, which is aptly called legging. And I moan about my job! 

In The Dales

Cropped Jumper - Topshop ● Skirt - Zara ● Boots - Topshop ● Necklace - Black Tied

I'd like to start this post with a quick apology about the lack of actual outfit-based photos, the ones below mainly consist of my head. The excess of portrait style photos is mainly due to me being on holiday in Yorkshire and my boyfriend, who is my usual photographer, being an unobtainable distance from me. This led to my mum becoming my new 'please-take-photos-of-me-I-need-them-for-my-blog' person, whilst we were on holiday and let's just say she is not the most camera-friendly person I know. Hopefully I'll be able to make up for this in my next outfit post.

During any holiday I love to spend at least one whole day of unrestrained shopping, restrained of course by the other beautiful things that I should be enjoying such as seeing the sights etc. Shopping shouldn't really be a priority whilst visiting somewhere else but somehow it always turns out to be. I tend to get the urge out of the way on the first day to ensure I don't annoy anyone else, this really sounds like I have a problem...

Consequently that shopping experience led to the purchasing of this cropped jumper in the Topshop sale, it's a pretty good consequence. It is made of a lovely soft fabric and has a rip-style effect throughout. The rips give a slight 'grungey' look to the whole outfit which I am kind of a sucker for.

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Just to sum up what's going on with me at the moment:

I'm heading home after a relaxing trip in Yorkshire.

I literally can not wait for Reading festival at this moment in time.

Life isn't too shabby.

Thanks for reading.

Ellie x

Clean Stripe

Top - Primark ● Shorts - Zara (similiar here) ● Sandals - ASOS ● Necklace - Black Tied

Stripes are such a great staple for any wardrobe and suit pretty much anyone and everyone. I always seem to gravitate towards stripes whilst I'm shopping and especially in Primark, which is where this particular tee was picked up. I'm always stocking up on the stripes in Primark. Why not when you can get simple but such versatile pieces such as this for only three pound.

This look was put together for a casual walk around town on my day off work in the sweltering weather we have been having at the moment. As you can see I am still pale as a ghost even though the sun is beaming, I swear it is impossible for my skin to pick up any colour whatsoever, except red maybe.

Due to the simplistic style of this outfit I think it pretty much speaks for itself with the clean lines giving most of the detail to the look. On days like this one, comfort always wins.

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As you are reading this I will be on holiday in the English country side, hopefully enjoying and experiencing everything it has to offer. England itself, although sometimes overlooked, really is a beautiful place. Hopefully there will be a photo-diary up some time soon!

Have a lovely day!

Ellie x 

Oh, and here is a picture of me with the cheesiest grin in the world, major cool points. Right...

The Thought-Night: Chocolate Orange Muffins

Adapted from @neuroticmommy on Instagram.

(The banana muffins without the adaptations are also amazingly good)

Since I have finished college I've been baking more often, partly because I have a lot more time on my hands and partly because I find it such a stress relieving and fun activity. There is nothing better then getting your hands dirty to create an amazing end product that you can actually eat.

This recipe was adapted from a simple banana chocolate chip muffin recipe to incorporate one of my favourite things, chocolate orange. I'm still daydreaming about the Terry's Chocolate Orange I received last Christmas and mourning it's loss. The recipe itself is still very simple and requires minimal skill so these muffins can be whipped up at just about any time and you'll have yourself a tasty treat. 

I adapted these muffins especially for this blog post, and for my taste buds, so I wasn't entirely sure how they would turn out but they surpassed my expectations and beyond.

Another thing I should mention as these are relatively guilt-free muffins, just forget about the maple syrup and chocolate. But joking aside, dark chocolate is a great source of antioxidants. Coconut oil, wholemeal flour, bananas and almond milk are also great healthier alternatives to the usual butter-stuffed recipe's you'll find. Sure, it's great to indulge in an unhealthy treat once in a while but trust me once you have tried these muffins you'll be in awe of how good a 'healthier' muffin actually can taste. I definitely was.

Ingredients and recipe will be below step by step with pictures.This recipe will make up to 12 muffins depending on the size of your muffin tray.

Hope you enjoy this chocolate orange goodness.

Thanks for reading.

Ellie x

Ingredients

Dry

1 3/4 cup wholewheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Zest of 1 large orange

Wet

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 medium-sized ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 cup almond milk

Juice of half a large orange

AND 2 Lindt Dark Chocolate Orange Intense bars

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. 

This includes the zest of the orange, use a fine grater.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together.

3. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl, you can use a fork or even a potato masher.

4. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl with the mashed bananas, ensure dry ingredients are not in the same bowl as wet.

5. Whisk the wet ingredients together until fully combined.

Now onto my favourite part, the Lindt Excellence.

6. Roughly chop the two Lindt bars into smallish chunks.

7. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

8. Stir in the dark chocolate chunks.

9. Pour the mixture into greased muffin trays and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out relatively dry apart from some chocolate-y goodness. The muffins will be golden brown and risen.

10. DEVOUR.