All these things that I've done.

Life has been hectic recently. I haven't had time to think let alone to blog! This is me getting back on the horse. Here's how life has looked recently.

Clockwise from top right: Taken on our first night in the flat, this is our beautiful fireplace in the master bedroom / Emma Bridgewater Diamond Jubillee napkins at my Mama's for Jubilee tea / first day in my new job / One of our brilliant house warming presents, a Crystal Head Vodka bottle. We daren't open it!

Clockwise from top left: Gnaw dark chocolate from lovely Park View Kitchen in Whitley Bay / Finally framed, my Prefab77 Always in England print up in pride of place / Pret coffee / Breaking out the spotty trousers for a friend's birthday.

Clockwise from top left: Matching bling / New Stelton coffee press from the parents for our flat / the prettiest street in Tynemouth / Buying coffee from local artisan roastery, the Ouseburn Coffee Company. I can't recommend their Foundry No.1 and Coffee Johnny blends enough.

Clockwise from top right: brilliant laser-cut wooden business cards for new Newcastle eatery, Ernest / my favourite lip balm / new wine-coloured studded flats / Baby Angels with Guns ll preview night at fantastic local space, The Pure Gallery. We bought the Day of the Dead print!

Clockwise from top right: Testing out beauty products / a cycle up the coast with Joe / local ice-cream at Tynemouth market / another one of my favourite prints finally framed and up. It's all about The North.

Clockwise from top right: a reminder at Jesmond Metro station / the best kind of post, paper samples from GF Smith / celebrating my brother Adam's 30th birthday / finishing the Great North 10K in 58:16! Please excuse the ridiculous make-up free face.

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Normal posting duties to resume this week!

BuyaPowa's BlueSky Co-Buys

I really can't say enough good things about BuyaPowa. Some of my most recent and favourite cheap, beauty buys have been courtesy of their brilliant co-buying scheme - the more people that sign up for the deal, the lower the price goes. Care of BuyaPowa, I've bought some of my favourite beauty products at a lower price - Bobbi Brown's Black Ink Liner and the ultimate eyelash curlers by Shu Uemura.

When Leanne from BuyaPowa got in touch asking if I'd like to get involved with their latest Bloggers' Week, I jumped at the chance. For this particular blogger recommends series, they were after my summer essentials - beauty and non-beauty focused.

Now, we're not having much of a summer are we? But, I went ahead and recommended some of my staple summer essentials including my No. 1 essential - classic, black Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.

For me, sunglasses aren't just a summer accessory - I wear them whenever the sun is out, perfect for protecting those eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.

I'm pleased to say that my recommended co-buy for Ray Ban Wayfarer's will be going live on BuyaPowa in a couple of weeks, meaning you too can get your hands on these brilliant, classic sunglasses for a low price.

Maybe buying these will bring the sun out? Here's hoping.

You can check out my recommended co-buy, along with other bloggers' recommendations over at BuyaPowa.

To Build A Home

Above: Our gorgeous tiled hallway

Blogging has slipped by the wayside recently due to buying a flat and starting a new job. But I'm back! I had a lot of requests from Instagram and Twitter followers to blog some photos of our gorgeous Tyneside flat, so I though I'd start with something small as the flat is no where near done yet and I want to show it off properly when we have it pristine.

I always knew I wanted beautiful and unique prints up around the flat, and started buying some of my favourites before we even got the keys. Coincidentally, all of the prints below are by North-East based design studios - we have so many talented designers here and I love supporting them.

Here's a quick look at some of the prints we have up around the flat - I've got a lot which are waiting to be framed, so will snap them when they're ready to go up.

My absolute favourite print, Always in England, sits above the fireplace in the master bedroom and is by the brilliant Prefab 77. I'm still longing for one of their amazing Let It Reign prints - the ultimate way to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee. In LOVE.

Ben Holland who goes under the alias of Low Moon Over High Town, creates amazing ink drawings which celebrate less revered architectural gems located in the North-East. The above print is of the Crown Posada, one of Newcastle's oldest pubs and one of mine and Joe's favourite places to have a drink in the Toon. The Crown Posada have the best record player and a cosy snug, the perfect place for a quiet drink on date night. Next on my list is Ben's Vampire Rabbit print.

Above (L-R) are prints by WonderStuff Studio and C-Front, both North East based design studios. I love the hidden message in WSS's eye chart print (If You Know Where To Look, You Will Find Happiness) and C-Front's Impossible Love print is a brilliant piece of design. I heart it.