My most Popular Lifestyle & Travel posts of 2017

Well I cannot quite believe that a whole year has flown by and have now waved goodbye to 2017 and have said hello to 2018! I think we can all agree that 2017 was a little bit of an odd one, with so many beautiful moments, amazing stories being shared, random acts of kindness, charities doing fantastic jobs, a real movement towards more sustainable living but then on the flips side Politics went mad and it didn't always bring the best out in people, innocent victims affected by terrorism, displaced families both in the UK and abroad, rather dark moments but as with anything people and communities pull together, inspired and help each other and rise above it. This up and down mixed bag was somewhat mirrored in my own life as we had some fantastic adventures near and far, hit milestones with both boys and shared truly amazing experiences but on the other side I lost a dear childhood friend to cancer (she was only 32!), I had a few bouts of anxiety creep in, I'm still tryi......

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Give back with the Toy Appeal at St Davids

As they say the festive season is just as much about giving as it is receiving and the Toy Appeal in St Davids Shopping Centre in Cardiff makes it so easy to give a little back, even when your in the throws of Christmas Shopping. They are simply asking shoppers to pick up an extra toy to donate, that will ensure every child in South Wales receives something special this Christmas. The Toy Appeal is supporting 20 key charities across South Wales including Sparkle, Ty Hafan, Llamau, George Thomas Hospice, Home-Start and Valley Kids. This is the third year we are making a donation to the Toy appeal and I also think this is a great chance to educate children on how important it is to give back and think of others especially as this time of the year and my youngest was very proud to hand over the toy we picked up from Hamleys.  The Donation Station is open until the 22nd December and is located on the lower level near the lego store. When you donate you are g......

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Street Style Sunday - Thank you

This past weekend has been surreal to say the least. On Friday we hoped aboard the train from Cardiff and headed to Holborn in London for a night at the Montcalm for the two-day blogging conference that is Britmums, thanks to my wonderful sponsors HomeSense . An amazing event that brings together so many different type of bloggers from parenting to fashion, travel and interiors plus any other kind of niche you can think of. The Friday night was also the Brilliance in Blogging awards ceremony and party and Side Street Style was up for the Style category for the second year in a row. Things have been so manic since having Baby G and I have struggled to find clothes that are "me" since he was born, having to juggle with breast feeding friendly clothing as well as the fact he is in the sling most of the time, I have to admit I committed a fashion faux par by not making as much effort in the past but having time to get nails and hair done with a 3 month old is fair......

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Thank-you to an amazing Woman

With mothers day looming I have found myself reflecting on my own journey as a mother as well as that of being a daughter to an amazing woman and all the trials, tribulations and celebrations we have gone through over the past few years and how we have grown to be an even closer and stronger family unit. My mother has always been the emotional stronghold of the family, the one we could lean on and still do. She is also my constant source of inspiration especially when it comes to interiors and style, her motto of less is more and quality over quantity is something I always try to take on board, in fact she was actually the one who introduced me to Laura Ashely and Bodens many years back. The thing that always blows me away is her strength which was really pushed to the limit when my father passed away suddenly 10 years ago. I was coming to the end of my somewhat difficult teenage years and entering my twenties and feeling a little directionless, while my mother had com......

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