grab your camera

A debate: The Honeymoon Gift List

Oh hey lovelies.

Today I’m collaborating with the fabulous Fly us to the moon to discuss a debate that often flies around, the whole wedding gift list / honeymoon gift list malarkey.

Is it a good idea? Or is it, y’know, kinda cheeky?

Okay, so first up…what’s a honeymoon gift list?

A honeymoon gift list is basically a list you can provide your wedding guests with, to choose different gifts that they can give you for your honeymoon. This can be from something as small as giving £2 for a beer on the beach, to upgrading your flights to snazzy first class, or even going the full way and booking the hotel, travel AND some beaut dresses to wear whilst you’re there.

I mean, a honeymoon gift list does not sound bad to me…AT ALL.

I think the only problem that could ever lie with a honeymoon gift list, is if the bride and groom ask for a specific amount of money or gifts. For eg a minimum spend.

Nuh-uh honey.

I mean, I don’t know about you but when I’m a wedding guest I’m constantly stressing about what to give as a present. Have I spent enough? What has everyone else spent? WHAT IF THEY HATE ME.

But this is where a honeymoon gift list kinda saves the day. You can donate what you like, buy what you like, and give what you like…YO’ FREE AS A BIRD BABY. And you have the great feeling of knowing you’re helping the married couple out, by sending them away on some fabulous honeymoon. It’s a win win situation.

I know if I was getting married, I’d much rather send out a honeymoon gift list rather than asking for like, a thousand and one items for my house. I feel like that is so much more pressured and just…I dunno, basic? Gal can go and buy some pots and pans from home bargains, don’t sweat it guys.

Creating a honeymoon gift list can be super easy to do too! Fly us to the Moon state on their website that you can “create gifts that guests can contribute to, from flights to meals to safaris and everything in between.” Oh, and you can register and get started for free! So anyone getting married soon…take note guys…I got cha’ back with this one.

The Fly us to the moon website is so fun and exciting, you can choose different types of gifts, and design your gift list to make it all cute and pretty. (Priorities ‘n’ all that.)

OH MY GOSH WHY CAN’T I GO ON A HONEYMOON?!

Let me know in the comments what you think about honeymoon gift lists! I’d love to know your thoughts!

Australia: The Good and the Bad

Australia: The Good

Hey peeps.

(omg…”peeps”…AM I IN YEAR 7?!?!)

So, it’s been just over a month since my feet touched Australian ground…wow.

IT’S GONE SO QUICKLY.

Like, really, really quickly.

But after being here for a month, I’ve kinda got into the swing of things and would like to share the good and the bad stuff with ya.

I mean, not there’s many bad things. It’s currently 28 degrees and I’m sat in a pretty cool apartment with my boyf; so yanoe, I can’t really complain.

The Good

The sunshine, obvs.
You can wear cute dresses and groovy shorts every day of the week.
Most people I have met are super friendly. Maybe it’s the accents, but N’AW, very nice people everywhere.
Australians say “hey” a lot after everything. “Good meal, hey.”…”Gorgeous weather, hey.”…”You watching the football hey?”
I bought a boomerang and I feel like a true Ozzie gal.
You don’t actually see that many spiders or snakes (thank god)
There’s a gorgeous lagoon in the middle of the city and the water is super warm
The pretty beaches
In the Australian countryside, the stars are SO bright and beautiful
If you have no money, you can just go for a dip in the pool FOR FREE
I’m finally starting to get a (tiny) tan
Every week there’s some sort of trivia / quiz going on at some cool pub
The food! In Brisbane, there’s soooo many restaurants, cafe’s, burger joints…just anything really!
You can get McDonalds delivered right to your door
Ceiling fans are a gift from God
There’s an awesome corner shop that sells tarot cards and crystal and other cool witchy things
There’s so many amazing places to explore
The walk into the city is just insaaaane; you walk over a bridge on the river where it’s surrounded by skyscrapers, boats, and a pure blue sky

The bad

When it rains, IT RAINS. And when there’s a storm, there’s a STORM gurl. It’s the craziest thunder and lightening you ever did witness.
Christmas is a bit naff over here. Like, where’s my Christmas Dinner at with yorkshire puddings? Where’s the Christmas tunes? WHERE’S THE TINSEL AND PARTY HATS AND CHOCOLATE AND COAL FIRES AND HOT CHOCS AND AND AND ….yeah. I miss the English Christmas.
Even though the wage is higher here, it’s preeettyyyyyyy expensive. Doh.
I miss my family and friends *sad face*
Cockroaches run so god damn fast and scare the living daylights out of me
Chocolate melts within like 0.2 seconds
You have to put bread in the freezer straight away which is annoying because I love a good crisp sandwich
Crisps are like, well expensive.
The time zone with England sucks. It can sometimes be tricky to call home because you’re both busy at different times.

So, that’s my good and bad so far!

I’m sure many more will keep being added to my list as I keep travelling around and going on new adventures. Yay!

HELLO AUSTRALIA

OH HELLO BEAUTIES.

How are you all?!

I’m going to skip all the “oh my god I haven’t posted in like forever” business, because y’know, I think AUSTRALIA is a pretty good excuse.

I’m all settled into my new flat with Luke, in the beautiful city of Brisbane. I have two jobs in restaurants, and I’m super happy here. I’ve only been here about three weeks, but it’s all kind of coming together. I can finally relax and take a moment to realise I’m on the other side of the world.

I guess I haven’t been online much because

a) I’ve been busy flat hunting

b) I’ve been busy job hunting

c) I’ve been busy exploring the city

d) The time zone is megga different

e) all of the above

*Hint*…(the answer is E)

AAAAH I mean, where do I start?!?!

I feel like I have so much to fill you guys in on. Like, if I was phoning you up I’d be throwing word vomit at you and basically just wanting to tell you my whole life in about 5 minutes. Yanoe… like this example below.

“oh my god there’s this amazing bagel cafe round the corner which is just PURE DELICIOUSNESS. But you have to watch out for the giant birds that swoop down and practically try and kill you. So far I’ve seen a few lizards, a giant grasshopper, one spider and a few cockroaches. GUUUUURL I nearly screamed the whole world down. I went to a yoga class on the park which was super cool. And a pool party. But oh my god it’s ACTUALLY been raining, like what the hell? If I wanted rain I’d be in England. I’m missing my family and friends back at home so much. But I guess that’s natural right? We’re planning a beach trip soon, and there’s soooo much more to explore. But now we’re settled I can post so much more often and there will be lots to update you on. I went on a small-ish hike but I was still the person at the back lolz. (The views were amazing though.) And oh boy, the cafe at the end was WORTH IT. I had a big fat potato salad and a raspberry muffin. Mmmm, yes perlease. I’ve met some really lovely people here. They all have cool accents, and most of the people we have met are also couples. So it’s nice to hang out and drink berry ciders at the pub. Yep, Australian’s are BIIIIG drinkers. I’m still trying to persuade Luke to take me on some mental night out…ha, I’m working on it. OH, and btw, we even found a Nandos. Gal’s done guuuurd.”

Did ya catch all that?

If not, here’s a spam of photo’s if ya fancy a scroll.

Anyways, I’ll love and leave ya there huns. I don’t want to blabber on too much. But there’ll be lots more Australian – goodness to come.

Mwah.

EVERYTHING 5 POUNDS

I’m gonna’ dive straight into this blog post by saying I LOVE EVERYTHING 5 POUNDS.

Since they were kind enough to send me an outfit (OF MY CHOICE!!!!) I’ve been blabbering on about this amazing online clothes shop to anyone and everyone.

Everything5pounds.com has super friendly AND speedy customer service. After I emailed with my product choices, they arrived within a couple of days!

I was slightly skeptical at first…Why is it so cheap?! Surely it can’t be good quality??

WHAT IF I HAVE TO WRITE A BAD REVIEW?!

But I am more than happy with what I received. They pick the trendiest products from the high street and give it to us for £5 – I mean…can we get a CHEERS TO THAT?!

The first items I picked were… this stunning (and perfect for Autumn) satchel bag and also these OH-MY-GOD-JUST-AMAZING Contrast Brogues. No really, I have fallen in love with a pair of shoes. I can’t even emphasize it enough…FIVE POUNDS (!!!)
I love brogues so much. They’re appropriate for uni, work, a trip to the shops…a fancy meal out. You name it and these brogues are ON IT.

The first outfit I chose to go with my bag and shoes, was a pair of cropped patterned trousers and a smart black coat. I teamed this up with my own baby pink top and wuh-lah- an affordable, stylish and Autumnal outfit that I just LOVE.

I’m seriously obsessing over cropped trousers at the moment. They’re so suitable for my “I miss summer and it’s not quite winter yet” feels.

As well as loving cropped trousers, I’m also loving long skirts! Again, another summer – to – winter transitional piece.

Treat Yo’self | Empress Mimi Lingerie Subscription Box.

Treat Yo'self | Empress Mimi Lingerie Subscription Box.

Excuse me whilst I just HYPERVENTILATE OVER HERE IN THE CORNER.

Best. Blogger. Mail. Ever.

Oh mah gaaawdddd.

The amazing Empress Mimi Lingerie Subscription box sent me a box for free to try out, and wow oh wow am I in love. A lingerie subscription box that gets sent straight to your door every month?

YES PER-LEASE.

(Oh, and FYI, they send it to you on the 7th of every month, OR you can send it as a gift for somebody else. The boxes are priced at around £35 and they don’t fail to impress!)

HOW CUTE, RIGHT?

By this point I was squealing with excitement and the tissue paper was half way across my bedroom floor.

The first item I picked out were these super cute pants! I absolutely love the colour and the design, so straight I knew I’d bagged myself a fabulous subscription box.

The next item I couldn’t w-a-i-t to get out of the box was this lacey, black, bodysuit lingerie set. It’s god damn HAWTTTT. (I’m currently trying to get an online-appropriate photo of me wearing this so stay posted. ha.)

However…a much more appealing photograph can be found below which I found on their Instagram page.

It’s just pure goregeous-ness isn’t it?

Now I wasn’t expecting jewellery to be in a lingerie subscription box but what an amazing surprise that was! These bangles, earrings and the choker are right up my street! If I got sent a subscription box like this every month I feel like it would be Christmas all the time! So in my opinion…it’s totally worth the money. ( 😉 )

I’m so so chuffed with this subscription box and I will definitely be signing up to it in the near future!

Thankyou so so much Empress Mimi…

Go and follow this incredible brand over on their Instagram to see what else they have to offer!

The Boyfriend Tag – Blog style.

The Boyfriend Tag - Blog style.

Remember the days where you’d rush home from school and see that your fave youtuber had uploaded a “Boyfriend Tag” video and you’d probably watch it every week to remind yourself of how #ADORBZ they were.

Oh, those were the days. The days of worrying when my first kiss would be, and laying awake at night thinking ‘I’M SO UGLY, NO ONE WILL EVER FANCY ME.’ Ha.

Well luckily, I met someone who maybe, just maybe, did fancy me a lil’ bit…and now he’s my boyf. *heart eyes emoji.* So I’m making my inner 14 year old happy by creating this boyfriend tag blog post. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

HERE WE GOOOOO.

1.) Where did we meet?

Well, wanna hear a funny story? BRACE YASELVES PEOPLE.

Luke was actually my boss to start with. Hahahaha.

He was a manager of a night club, and I got a job hostessing there. We barely spoke at first, I was so shy…and eventually I quit the job. Then, fast forward three years later, we met again. I was drunk on a night out and bounced over declaring how much I fancied him. *cringe.* We started talking and them BOOM. Romantic, right?

Oh, and then he gave me my job back. #PerksOfDatingTheBoss

2.) Where was our first date?

Our first date was actually a double date. Four of us rocked up to a fancy Italian Restaurant. I had spag bol of course, and Luke ordered numerous bottles of wine. And y’know, us being us we got absolutely hammered and ended up going on a big night out. STANDARD.

3.) What was my first impression of my boyfriend?

I always thought Luke was cute. He had a certain charm about him (even when he was my boss.) But of course I kept it secret…he was a player back in the day anyway, Lolz. Who’d have thought I’d actually have a chance?

4.) What was our first holiday together?

Our first holiday was a city break to Milan. It was so exciting going to Italy as neither of us had been before. We visited all the sites, hunted down tasty pizza, and of course got a VIP booth in a club and had way too many vodkas. It was a bloody good holiday!

5.) How long have we been together?

We’ve only actually been together for around 10 months now. BLIMEY. And we travelled to the other side of the world together. IF YA KNOW THEN YA KNOW.

6.) Do we have any traditions?

Hmm, not really. We’re quite spontaneous people so we just do whatever we feel like at the time! But maybe setting some cute traditions would be a nice thing to do.

7.) What do we argue about the most?

To be honest, we don’t have a main topic that we specifically argue about. We just bicker at the most stupid things. But that’s because he’s the most irritating person on the planet. :)(: But we always just end up laughing at each other.

8.) Who wears the trousers in the relationship?

LOL we both like to think that we do.

9.) Where was our first kiss?

LOL A NIGHT CLUB SOZ.

10.) Who said ‘I love you’ first?

He did! We were lying in bed and he just blurted it out. Such a lil cutie.

So, that’s the boyfriend tag!

I might try and persuade him to do a proper version on youtube some time soon. But I highly doubt he’ll agree to it haha!

Writing this post made me realise our relationship is 90% food, alcohol, and being best pals. He does make me chuckle.

As this post was kindly sponsored by a dating company, I have some saucy links to share with you. If you need hooking up, then here you go! Just call me Cupid. Cupid Claire.

Dating Series: Dating tips for when you have a high maintenance girlfriend

OKAY okaaaay, I can be a little bit of a high maintenance girlfriend…a bit needy, a bit…y’know…WHY HAVE YOU NOT BOOKED A FLIGHT FOR US TO GO TO NEW YORK YET HONEY??? (okay, that’s a bit of an over exaggeration…but you get the idea.)

This post is for all you guys and gals who have high maintenance girlfriends and just sometimes kind of want to rip your own hair out at their annoying yet SUPER ENDEARING behaviour. (sssh, I won’t tell.)

Anyway, since you can’t figure it out for yourself, I’ll be like your cool older sister handing you the Bible of ‘dating tips when you have a high maintenance girlfriend’. So your little sorry ass will be thanking me later, trust me.

Dating Series: Dating tips for when you have a high maintenance girlfriend

1) Have patience.

Sometimes her anger and jealousy can stem from insecurities from a past relationship, or just personal insecurities she may have. In this case, having patience can work wonders.

2) Have a backbone.

Yep, sometimes you just need to stand up for yourself. Being a high maintenance girlfriend myself, sometimes it just takes my boyfriend to tell me straight and basically put me in my place!

3) Make sure you have your shoes on the second she’s ready.

Oh god, she’s taken 2 hours to get ready and now she’s yelling at you because you don’t have your shoes or your coat on? BIG MISTAKE DUDE…BIG. MISTAKE. Take it from me, put your shoes on that extra five minutes early and your night will be a lot easier.

4) Be prepared for makeup products, clothes, magazines, appointment cards, hair brushes and lord knows what else scattered around your room. And just deal with it.

Now don’t say I didn’t warn you…

5) Compliments are key.

A high maintenance girlfriend will usually put lots of time, money, and effort into looking her best. So a compliment every now and again goes a looooong way. Don’t get me wrong, this definitely isn’t a one way street. High maintenance gals love dishing out the compliments too…because who doesn’t love getting their ego stroked once in a while? And she knows that.

6) Plan around her prep.

High maintenance girlfriends value their prep time before a night out, date, or even a walk to the park. Don’t rush her…and try to plan around her prep time. It may sound vain and basically pretty lame…but it’s not! Not all people feel comfortable without wearing makeup or looking their best, so when they look good, they feel good – and you should respect that.

7) Give reassurance.

It may seem tiring, but offering her reassurance that you love her just the way she is (high maintenance or not!) will do a world of good. This is a no brainer really.

So there’s a few tips from me!
Do you have any extra tips to add to my list?
Take this blog post with a pinch of salt…not every relationship is the same and these are just tips! (not compulsions)

If you are having trouble finding a partner because of your high maintenance…or if you’re looking for love and a high maintenance (or low maintenance) ((or any kind of maintenance for that matter)) kinda girl is what you’re looking for, then check out these cool dating sites!

Good luck on your dating adventure and let me know how it goes!

Next Stop: The Yiros Shop

Hello lovelies!

Rumour has it…this gal right here is making a new blog series called ‘Next Stop’ to spice up my blog a little, go on some new adventures and basically re-invest my passion into blogging!

If you haven’t guessed already, ‘Next Stop’ will be featuring new places I visit, whether that’s restaurants, shops, cafe’s, landmarks, cool places…I’ll cover it all!

I can’t flippin’ wait!

Luke and I were lucky enough to be invited to The Yiros Shop in South Bank – Brisbane, to try some Greek food. I’d never had Greek food before so I was super excited!

We were welcomed into the store with big smiles, and straight away I was scanning the menu deciding just how much I could possibly eat…’cause y’know, gal has eyes bigger than her belly.

ERM, how cay-ute and insta worthy is that plant though?

Friendly staff? Check.

Cute decor? Check.

Nice food?…LET’S SEE SHALL WE…

*Spoiler alert, it’s extremely nice food.*

I mean, before I even explain about the food, the picture just says it all really. MY MOUTH IS ACTUALLY WATERING WHILST WRITING THIS LOL SOZ HUN.

The Yiros Shop had quite a lot to choose from. Me and Luke both chose a chicken Yiros. He was boring and had it quite plain, but I was throwing ALL DAT SALAD AND SAUCE IN THERE GUUURL.

(In case you didn’t know, a Yiros is a traditional Greek dish where it’s a thick pitta bread with meat, chips and filling inside. Mmm yes perlease.)

I’m actually quite fussy about kebab style meals, and about meat in general. But honestly? I could not fault this AT ALL. It was delicious, filled me up soooo much, and omg…was gluten free too! Can I get a HELL YES?!

Because me and Luke are greedy we also ordered a side of chips to share, with a megga spicy sauce. (also v v good.)

It was so lovely to eat outside and have the view and atmosphere of the hustle and bustle of South Bank at night.

Literally, the only thing I can fault about The Yiros Shop is that it has now given me a worrying obsession with eating a Yiros. Oops.

(Although that’s not such a bad thing…right??)

If you’re around the area then definitely go and check them out!

If you’re not in the area then I feel sorry for you sista… and to rub it in your face even more, here’s a link to their Instagram – The Yiros Shop

(How photogenic is their food though?)

Thanks again Yiros Shop, you’ll definitely be seeing me again!