How We Wear: Home and Away

This last week has been a weird one for us, as for the first time in a long time I have been on Holiday without my blogging buddy! I spent last week driving to Austria and back with my Steve and H has been at home looking after the blog and attending a pretty cool Hen party as well as her day job of course. While the heat wave was hitting the UK, I have been chilling up mountains in Europe. This month we are sharing what we have been wearing at home and away. 

Rings from Accessorize, Daisy Hairband from Topshop (similar here), Earrings from New look (similar here), Brooch from I am Acrylic (similar here), T-shirt from New Look, Cropped Trousers from Topshop (similar here), Sandals from Office.

Jumper from Yours, Jeggings from New Look, Vest from H&M (similar), Trainers from Converse (similar), Bracelets from Accessorize, Necklace from Julie Nolan Jewellery.

Sammy & H

Foodie July in Instagrams

It has been one fun packed and busy July for both of us, but I will leave what Sammy has been up to, to her.

It has been a blur of hen parties and fun filled days which is always great for the summer months and I got to tick off one of my summer wishlist too, with a visit to the RA Summer show yesterday.

Wherever I have been this month though, I have had lots of food and a few drinks too.  From fish and chips on Brighton pier, cocktails in a teacup and Lemonade in a jar, to seeing a massive Magnum at Summer Streets on Regent Street, London - I can only dream it was a real massive Ice cream.

I think I might need to go for a few extra swims in August!

H

Love it: UK Craft Blogs #3

Another instalment of 'Our Favourite UK Craft Bloggers' for you today. I am writing to you today from sunny Austria, where I have been catching up on some blog reading as well as sightseeing, photography and a lot of relaxing. Don't forget to head over to these lovelies and say Hi and let us know your favourites in the comments below.


Miss Jojangles
Possibly the sweetest blogger we know. We fell in love with her whimsical life on her blog and even more so when we met her at Blogtacular earlier this year. We love her illustrations more than anything and we can't wait to see what's next for Jojo.


New Craft Society
We owe our trip to Liberty to these gorgeous girls (we are forever in their debt) and just adore their style, we can only dream of being this cool. Their attitude to crafts old and new is refreshing and their addiction to Liberty prints makes for some yummy crafty eye candy.

The Things She Makes
Jam packed with awesome tutorials, no faffy lifestyle stuff here, just pure unadulterated crafts... and we love it. Great for beginners and masters alike, great photos and easy to follow instructions make TTSM a brilliant place to visit on a rainy afternoon for a quick crafting fix.

I'm off to enjoy the last day here before we drive all the way home tomorrow (and the next day...)

Sammy xxx

Love it:Our Summer Holiday Wishlists


Summer is in full swing and it is so nice to be able to get our super summery clothes that are normally reserved for holidays out from the depths of the wardrobe. A nice a excuse to sprinkle in a few new bits and pieces too of course. What are your favourite pieces that you have your eye on for your summer holidays??

Sammy & H xx

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10 things to do this summer

                  
Now, you must by now know that I love a good list, I have lists everywhere, lists of lists and always thinking of new lists.  Maybe I am a list-oholic!  Anyway, I was having a think the other day of little adventures that would be good for the summer months and thought that I would share as they are things that could be fun for you to do also.  So, here is my 10 things to do this summer ....

                   
1.  Go to an Exhibition - I am planning a visit to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London next weekend.  I have been going for the past 4 years and really love to go and check out the Architecture room and Photography particularly.  There are so many good exhibitions and museums to check out though, perhaps combine a visit to St Ives for the Tate or go to Margate for the Turner Contemporary if you don't fancy London in the heat. 

2.  Watch the sun go down somewhere.  It could be at the beach, at a bar, in your garden.  But take in that moment of the sun going down below the ground you can see - it's a beautiful thing to see for free, so, that's even better!

3.  Buy yourself something you would not normally wear, it could be that the colours are not what you would go for, or a completely different look you have been wanting to try.  But you might surprise yourself how going out of your comfort zone and choosing what you have always wanted to try, can be liberating.

                   
4.  Watch a movie that reminds you of being a child.  It could be The Goonies or Labryinth or whatever you like, but it will remind you of fun times, simple times and also might make you wonder why you loved it so much when you can see every wire and cardboard cut out along the way.

5.  Visit a new town, go Day-tripping.  Where have you always wanted to go, take yourself off for the day with sandwiches and a drink to explore your area or further afield.  I have plenty of weddings to keep me going this year, but planning on exploring the areas I go to alongside the wedding nuptials.

6.  Plant it, grow it, eat it.  Fancy having a go at making something to eat with your fair hands?  You can pop something on your windowsill if you don't have a garden.  I fancy having a go at Chilli's as they are simple and even my non-green fingers must be able to give it a go!

7.  Make a new playlist of sounds that remind you of good times with friends.  All those old classics along with some new ones.  I would start with Wonderwall by Oasis, which reminds me of hanging out my friends in the summer after my GCSE's.

                  
8.  Eat Fish and Chips on the beach, come rain or shine, you just have to sit on a beach somewhere and try to keep the seagulls from nicking your dinner!

9.  Make something from your Pinterest board.  You know you want to!  The list gets bigger and you never seem to get around to it.  Allow yourself to be creative, give yourself a couple of hours in an evening or a full day with friends and get creative.  Watch a bit of Man Vs Pin on You tube first to get you in the spirit.

10.  Stand in the rain - lets face it, we all know it's going to rain at some point this summer and usually when you are out in your flip flops and summer dress.  Go stand outside with the raindrops falling on your head, I love it, it really clears the head.  Then you can go and find the rainbow afterwards!  You never know, you might find a pot of gold at the end.

What do you think?  Do you have any others that I should add.  I hope to get most of these done this summer, a mission accomplished!  What would be on your list though?  Let us know in the comments below.

H

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We are in Reloved Magazine!


Once again we are very excited this month to be featured in another magazine!  After our feature in Mollie Makes last month, we are in Reloved Magazine this month.  Two months on the trot means we are going to be sad next month to not be in a third.

Obviously you can go and buy the magazine, but we thought it might be good for you guys to get a sneak peek.  You may notice that we featured the clock on the blog before but it was a great time to make a full tutorial and get it in print aswell.

We even got a mention on the Reloved website for one of their favourite projects this month.

What do you guys think?  Do you read Reloved magazine?  You can get it from WHSmiths or larger Morrisons or even online if you like.


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Make it: Neon Tassel Sandals

When I was online the other day dreaming of a trolley dash at Modcloth HQ I saw these Tassel Sandals and thought what a cool DIY they would make. If you are a regular reader you will know how much I love a bit of neon, So you can imagine how happy I was when I found these neon yellow sandals in NewLook and realised I could combine my love of all things neon and tassels in one yummy summer tutorial.

You will need: Sandals, embroidery thread (mine were by DMC), scissors, gold thread and tweeters

Start by making your tassels, take your embroidery thread and wrap it around two fingers about 10-12 times leaving a small gap between your fingers. Gently remove the coil of thread from you fingers. Take a small length of gold thread and loop it through the coil and tie a secure knot. Take a second length of thread and tie it around the outside of the coil pulling it into your tassel shape. Once you have tied that securely you can cut the loops at the bottom of your tassel.

Trim off the ends of the tassel until it looks even and is all the same length. Repeat these steps until you have made enough tassels for both your sandals. Take your tweezers and poke them through the strap of the sandal and pull one length of the tassel tie back through the strap. Secure it in place with a few knots. Turn over the strap and trim away any excess ends, you could add a touch of glue to the knots for security too. 

There you have it, the perfect pair of summery sandals ready for your holidays. The best thing about these is that the colour combinations are endless! Neon, pastels, brights, all one colour or a mix like these, they add a cute detail to any basic outfit.

I LOVE these they will be perfect for the Hen party I am heading for in Las Vegas next month. How are you wearing tassels this year? I am also loving tassel necklaces, I am off to make one of those to match...

Sammy xxx

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Who's who: Bonnie Bling

This month we are all about the acrylic jewellery once again, how can we not tire of this stuff!  This time it is Bonnie Bling and her quirky collection of Jewellery and accessories.  I think it best if we leave it over to her to tell all.

Who are you?
I'm Mhairi Mackenzie, designer and founder of acrylic accessories company Bonnie Bling.

What do you do?
We create laser cut acrylic jewellery and accessories. My main job is to come up with the new collections and design the artwork for new pieces each season. I really enjoy the creative process and having our own laser machine allows me the chance to really experiment and work out ways to turn my ideas into finished products very quickly.

How did you start?
I set up Bonnie Bling when I had the idea to create acrylic laser cut jewellery featuring Scottish Slang words! I then ran a crowd funding campaign to see if people were interested in my idea enough to part with their own cash to raise money to buy our own laser cutting machine. The campaign was successful and we now do all our own in house manufacturing from a wee island off the coast of Scotland. The products are always evolving and we have launched several new collections since our original Scottish words. We also recently started expanding our range to include wooly hats, coasters and greetings cards. I've been really lucky and have had a lot of celebrities including Sir Elton John, Laura Whitmore, Lana Del Rey and even Usain Bolt all snapped in our jewellery.

What's Next?
2014 is a big year for Scotland with the Homecoming, the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup, the anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn and of course the Scottish referendum so this years collections have taken inspiration from close to home. My grandfather was from the Scottish Highlands so I've been doing lots of research into our folklore and traditions. We have a range of unique tartan jewellery in production and have our own modern take on some traditional Scottish and Celtic pieces all ready to launch later in January.

I've been very busy designing and all of this year's collections are already sketched up and ready to be converted into the artwork that is then passed over to our laser operator for manufacture. All very exciting!

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the beginning?
Just keep going! Make sure you have great friends and family around who are supportive of what you're trying to achieve, it can get lonely setting up your own business. Surrounding yourself with positive people can really help you stay focused and motivated when the going gets tough.

Just look at all the pretty!  What's not to love with this quirky and interesting company.  Do you have some of Bonnie Bling's work, let us know in the comments below, or #livelovemake on Instagram or Twitter so we can have a look for ourselves.

H and Sammy, xxx


Make it: Dairy Free Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins




When food shopping last week, I found a recipe card down the yogurt aisle and as it uses Alpro Soya Yogurt which is dairy free - I thought it was worth a go for my new found dairy free diet.  I substituted a couple of the other ingredients too, to make it completely dairy and gluten free and it seemed to work well, so I thought I would share it with you.  It also helps to redeem myself after our epic birthday cake fail!

The Ingredients:

225g plain flour - I used gluten free flour
140g caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon zest, grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
245g Alpro Simply Plain soya yogurt alternative
2 tbsp poppy seeds
100g melted margarine - I used soya spread

Heat an oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6, and line a muffin tray with muffin cases.

In a large bowl sift the flour along with the baking powder. Next add the sugar, lemon zest, poppy seeds and salt, and stir to combine.


In another bowl whisk together the lemon juice, egg and Alpro Simply Plain.

Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, being careful not to over-mix. Spoon into the muffin cases and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and cooked through.

I managed to make around 10-12 from the mixture, but the recipe states that it makes 8.  I suppose it depends on how big you want your muffins.

I also, made a second batch and added around 100g of Blueberries instead of the Poppy Seeds, these were just as yummy.  In fact, I took them to work and didn't say they were dairy or gluten free and no one noticed, which is always nice.  They are great with a glass of juice when its warm, or a good cuppa when you are cold.


You can find the recipe here along with many other good recipes and I used Doves Farm Plain Flour and Pure Soya spread to make my version of the recipe.  Normally with Gluten free flour you have to add an extra bit of liquid, but as this recipe uses the yogurt, I think it works just as well.

These are so easy to make and there would be some other really great variations.  You can buy the yogurt in lots of different flavours too, which I am sure would work just as well.

H

We would love to see if you have a go at this. Like with all our DIY's if you do, take a picture and share it with us on Twitter or instagram with the hashtag #livelovemake

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Love it: Brush up those Blogging Skills

I am a person that really enjoys learning at my own speed and from the comfort of my own home so I am a big fan of e-courses. I have taken a few in my time online and I plan on taking many many more in the future. I am going on a road trip to Austria with Steve in a week or so and we have a few day trips to go on when we get there but we also have a lot of driving to do and a couple of chill out days and so I thought I would take the opportunity to brush up my blogging know how whilst we are away.

Today I thought I would let you know some of my favourite places to find useful e-courses on the net. 

The first is a course that everyone needs to take by the gorgeous Ann-Marie of annmarieloves.com Make it happen: A guide to getting it done and feeling good about it Who doesn't need to learn how to do this better right? Get your butt over to Ann-Marie's shop and get learning!

The girls at A Beautiful Mess have just re-launched their epic 'Blog Life' and 'Blog Design Love' courses in their shiny new online store. Despite having taken both these courses in the past I have signed up for both the new versions already. I love the way these girls teach and they now have a bunch of crash courses available too, Macaroons 101 anyone?
Check out Blog Life here.

This offering is one class in particular, but a site that has changed the way I learn. Skillshare is a site chocca-block with creative e-courses, with everything from Photoshop to Calligraphy.  If there is something you want to learn about then there will no doubt be a course here for you. The one that I have loved the most, was by one of my favourite bloggers Brittany Mehlhoff of Paper & Stitch. This course 'The How to on How tos' teaches you how to create tutorials for your own blog. Check it out, it has some great photography tips in there too.


Make Your Day is a download from Lovely Indeed's Chelsea and The Paper Mama's Chelsea. It is more of a e-book but a great read none the less, a great DIY master-class with tips, tricks and projects to keep you DIY-ing all day long.

This Photography e-course from the brains behind Blogtacular, Kat Molesworth and Kat Goldin, is a great alternative to heading to your local evening class to brush up on your DSLR skills. Manual Overdrive (awesome name) is designed to take your photography to the next level and you know from the Kat's blogs, Housewife Confidential and Slugs on the Refrigerator that they know what they are talking about. Sign up soon though as these amazing ladies are heading on to bigger and better things, but the instant access courses will only be available until the end of the year.


Blogshop is THE Photoshop boot-camp. Run by the amazing Bri ( DesignLoveFest) and Angela (Angela and Ithyle) it is famous for its photography styling sessions and EPIC goodies bags. The best news is that it is now available as an online course. It is also open to us PC users as well as apple lovelies. Seriously best news ever!! 


The epitome of blogging workshops is surely Rock and Roll Bride's 'The Blogcademy' H and I have been saving up to both go to this since we started blogging so we were super excited that the girls have now released online video sessions ( some free and some for a small fee) so we can watch them whilst we carry on saving. I love that they have split them up so you can pick and choose which modules you work on first. Awesome!

I hope this has inspired you to learn something new this summer. Have you ever taken an e-course before and did you enjoy it? Do let us know we are always on the look out for new things to learn. 

Sammy xxx



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Make it: Holiday Luggage Tags

Whilst checking out the 'every-things a pound' store the other day I came across these awesome colourful luggage tags and without a second thought I had bought one in every colour... They were £1 each, that is a bargain! I loved them but I knew I couldn't just leave them plain, I needed to spruce them up a little. So I reached for my trusty gold paint and got stuck right in.

You will need: a luggage tag, liquid leaf gold paint and a selection of things to mask off areas - I used washi tape, letter stickers and hole re-enforcers.

For those in the USA, the Martha Stewart gold liquid gilding is brilliant for this, for us UK lovelies this Liquid Leaf is almost exactly the same product.  So for anyone over here lusting after a bit of Martha's gold (like I was), fear not Liquid Leaf is your answer.

I started by taping off a section and popping some hole enforcers onto this one to create a pattern

Then I simply painted over the tag with my gold leaf where I wanted it to be.

For my personalised tag, I used washi tape and letter stickers to mark out my Monogram onto the pink tag.

Once my paint had dried (the Liquid Leaf touch dries pretty fast, but I would leave it a little longer before you use the product to give it time to dry fully) I simply peeled off the stickers using tweezers, to leave my design in relief.

I also had a go at free handing a little message which also looks pretty cool.

So there you have it, a really easy way to identify your luggage at the airport this summer. I am off to paint like 20 more for all the girls coming to Vegas in August for my friends Hen do!

Where are you headed this summer? Are you off via plane, train or Auto-mobile? Steve and I are off for a week, driving to Austria and back via Germany. I can't wait!

Sammy xxx

Just a quick question for you all...
Is there anything you would like to see us D.I.Y. here on Live it. Love it Make it. over the summer? Any tips or tricks in particular you want to know more about??
Let us know in the comments below or as usual on Facebook or Twitter (links below) Thanks xxx

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