Making Time to be Creative

Creativity has always been part of my life, my parents both had creative jobs (my Mum was a graphic designer and my Dad is a sculptor) so we were always encouraged to draw, paint and make. We lived in the middle of nowhere in Anglesey until I was about 10 so a big part of my childhood was pretty idyllic (we only had about 3 channels on TV and lived an hour away from the nearest shops) so we made our own fun a lot of the time making clothes for Barbies, creating huge chalk drawings on the patio or drawing mermaids (my very favourite thing to do).

But as a boring grown up with a rather intense full time job, a house that needs some renovation, a blog, a fledgling business and an attempt at some form of social life, my spare time is almost non existent. I've recently changed roles at work to Head of Creative for our beauty sites which has really helped to give the creative side of my brain an outlet, but as it's all digital, I've been trying to add a little more 'real life' creativity at home.

A Little Retail Therapy

Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons but recently I have been desperate to shop. Like crazy lady levels of wanting to make my own version of supermarket sweep.

But, because we've been trying to save up a bit of money to do some work on the house (such a boring grown up) so shopping has had to shoved right to the bottom of the list, which has actually made me want to do it more. Thankfully Lowry Outlet came to my rescue! They set me a challenge to see if I could get everything I needed for the weekend away Joe and I have planned in a couple of weeks with £100 voucher they very kindly donated to Clare's shopping addiction fund.   

The Made Manchester Supper Club

A few weeks ago I rushed from work in the ridiculous British heatwave to what promised to be a rather civilised evening with Made at their very first Manchester Supper Club at the brand new UNCLE apartment block in central Manchester. I however arrived rather unkempt and entirely uncivilised looking like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards but thankfully, nobody judged my questionable appearance.

We were there to explore the new UNCLE apartments that are all kitted out in brand new Made.com furniture to see the new additions to their huge range. I'm a big fan of Made and spend far too long filling up my basket instead of doing the housework. If you haven't heard of them (where have you been and go visit their site now) Made is an online home, furniture and home accessories store where each piece is made to order direct from designers, cutting out the middle man that usually adds on £££ in the process making designer furniture accessible to all. Hoorah.

What to Wear to a Summer Wedding

 

It seems like all of Joe's friends have decided to get married (not to each other I might add) this year, with quite a few of them landing in summer which means multiple 'what do I wear??' breakdowns. Instead of leaving it to the last minute, I've plotted my plan of attack to make sure I'm not sat on a mountain of clothes crying the night before each occasion.

I settled on three tips to keep in mind when prepping your wedding guest outfit, they have worked for me so far and hopefully will help you too.

A Day in the Life | Challenge Bodyform

Sunday is oddly one of the busiest days of the week for me. It's the day I get my blog sorted for the week ahead, squeeze in exercise and try to see friends as well as having a lazy night at home with Joe to get us ready for the work week ahead. Bodyform challenged me to take you with me on a usual day in my life,  so I thought I'd bring you along with me for a busy Sunday.

Because Bodyform isn't just for that time of the month, I put their Daily Fresh Liners to the test to see if they stood up to their promises. Sometimes I 100% just want to laze around in bed all day but I drag myself out of bed and make the most of the day, with the Daily Fresh Liners I have one less thing to worry about as I rush around.