Easter Sunday

Hello Lovelies,

HAPPY EASTER,

After waking up this morning and downing an obligatory cup of breakfast tea we all pulled on our wellies and ran out the door to start the Easter egg hunt.  After charging around the garden collecting eggs we retreated to the warm of the kitchen to devour our Easter breakfast.

Breakfast was like any good Easter breakfast should be, dippy eggs and soldiers (covered in lashings of butter) as well as a stray bowl of Shreddies for my little brother.

One of my favourite parts of Easter beside family and chocolate is decorating the table.  I love filling mason jars with daffodils and tulips, cracking out the handmade glasses and making it all pretty for the family to sit down for a big meal.  

After eating we worked our way through the Easter eggs sending ourselves into a wine and chocolate coma! 

A very short post today as family beckons, but I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Easter.

My Childhood In a Candle || Jo Malone Green Tomato Leaf

Hello Lovelies,

I have to be completely honest when I first heard about this candle I was rather skeptical, however the more I heard people rant and rave about it the more I wanted to try it.

I am a Jo Malone girl through and through, I don't think I go a day without spritzing my favourite scent or burning a candle!  So after much deliberation it magically landed on my doorstep.

After marveling at the packaging (you know how I love good packaging) I opened it up to get a good sniff, to my great relief it didn't smell like the plum tomatoes I cover my salad in, instead it was like a throwback to my childhood.

My father was/is an avid vegetable grower and as a child our green house was always full of tomato plants.  That lovely smell wherever it is reminds me of those carefree long Summer days.  Jo Malone's Green Tomato Leaf doesn't disappoint my senses, it perfectly captures that light, fresh, leafy smell that reminds me of Summer.    

   

"Glasshouse tomatoes.  Earthy, leafy and full of sunshine.  Crisp with stem-green galbanum.  Lively with artemesia, fruity with cassis, resting on a cushion of moss.  Tangy and evocative."

This is probably the freshest candle I own, it is very uplifting and perfect for burning while you eat to add a little ambiance as well as get rid of those kitchen smells.

If you aren't green fingered and haven't grown tomatoes then the closest scent I think you can compare it to is the smell of a botanical garden, it's like wandering through Kew Gardens on a warm day.  This is my new love (forget men!) and something that I will be burning when the sun is shines.

Jo Malone Green Tomato Leaf Candle £39.00 via Jo Malone - link

Easter Basket For A Little One

Hello Lovelies,

I have the most gorgeous little goddaughter, she is two and is a bundle of cuteness (she is also my cousin once removed so I get to see her rather a lot which is lovely).  I look forward to the holidays as it is the perfect excuse to get my godmummy on and treat the little lovelies  .  

So this Easter I have made them Easter baskets (a rather American tradition).  I know they will receive masses of chocolates from both the pesky Easter Bunny (who leaves his chocolate eggs all over the garden) and family members, so I wanted to give them something a little different.  

The gorgeous felt basket with flowers on is from Gisela Graham which I bought from Not On The High Street one of my favourite sites for quirky little prezzies.

For the sweet treats I choose, bunny peeps, pastel jelly bean eggs and mini eggs (all from an American sweet shop).  I used plastic shaped eggs (from Amazon) to put the little sweets in as I don't want the eggs getting crushed in the post and wrecking the rest of the basket with melted chocolate and stickiness.

My goddaughter is a serious Peppa Pig fan so I found these sweet little bracelets on Amazon as well as some glitter stickers (what child doesn't love stickers and pigs!!!)

The last part of her basket is this gorgeous Jellycat Small Blossom Bunny with floral ears, once I saw it I just knew it had to go into her basket.  My Mummy bought me one when I was little and I still have it so this one with floral ears and feet was a must.

Do you treat your family at Easter?

Happy 1st Birthday Little Blog! || Giveaway

Hello Lovelies,

Today marks the 1st Birthday of my blog, Hurrah!!!

For me blogging is like a chat with my best friend, as I write I feel as if I'm tucked up on a big comfy sofa with my best chums, tea in hand chatting about my life and little adventures.  Filling them in on my favourite products and nattering about the yummy food I have been consuming.         

After nattering away my mouse hovers over the publish button, and then click, off it shoots into the big wide web.  I then wait with baited breath to see if you all like it.  I share my news, recipes, likes and dislikes and you leave your comments and lovely likes on Bloglovin' (which always make me smile).  Although I know some of you read my musings and don't comment, I am confident that you will eventually say hello and let me know a little about you.  So I suppose in a nutshell today is a little (big) thank you note to all of you who read this blog. 

To celebrate my blog's birthday/anniversary I wanted to give you lovelies a little something.  It would be fab to be able to give you all a prezzie but sadly it just isn't possible so instead, fate will have to decide who the winner is.

As I'm a massive jewelry fan and love rings, I thought what better way to celebrate than to give you guys the chance to win a 'Pandora Birthstone Ring' I love mine and wear it everyday.  It is the perfect pretty little ring that is just fab for Spring/Summer, as you can stack it with others or wear it alone as a statement piece.

So to be in with a chance of winning, you need to be following this blog on Bloglovin' then leave a comment in the section below telling me what your favourite piece of jewelry is.  To get an extra vote you can also tweet about the giveaway (if you do let me know by tagging me at @SophsJane).  This Giveaway will close on the 23rd April. 

Good Luck! 

The winner of this giveaway has been notified, thank you so much for entering. XXX

Azo Equipment Dessie Pouch

Hello Lovelies,

I love organising things (this however doesn't include my bedroom, it looks a complete utter tip at the moment), my handbag being one of the most satisfying.  I find pouches are the best way to separate all my clutter so my large tote is full of them.  Although I have rather a few I have never found one that is the perfect size to keep my makeup in, they are always a little to small or to big and bulky, but hallelujah ladies I have finally found one!  

Azo Equipment is the company that gets the applause for this perfect pouch, and perfect it is.  I originally bought it for a friend as he was going travelling but spotted something else for him and ended up keeping it for myself!  Although I'm quite girly and like my pretty prints and patent leather the waxed cotton of the Dessie pouch appealed to the country bumpkin in me, it reminds me of pulling on my Barbour and wellies and stomping through the fields with the dogs, which is one of my favourite things to do.    

I have mentioned Azo Equipment before as I was/am lusting after their Bashilo bag, but if you are new here then I will give you a little lowdown on Azo Equipment. 

Azo (Ethiopian for Crocodile) Equipment is a brand that aims to 'bring bags and other travel related products to the world which are of the highest quality,' long lasting and offer a new style.

The Dessie pouch like the Bashilo bag is made of British waxed cotton with a waterproof lining, a leather zip pull and a coiled zip.  It is 25w x 15h (cm) (and fits a Nexus 7 tablet) so the perfect size for those daily makeup essentials.  

Although I'm pretty sure Dan didn't design it with makeup in mind, it is rather perfect for all your on the go makeup bits and even fits a couple of brushes. 

 I have found my perfect handbag makeup pouch, could it be yours?  

Verditer Slim Satin Bracelets

Hello Lovelies,

At the beginning of the week I was reading some of my favourite blogs and while reading the Lux Life Blog I saw a lovely bit of wrist candy.  The bracelet in question was by Verditer, so I cracked out my laptop and had a browse around their site. 
  

After lusting after all the pretty satin bracelets, I had a little read about the company.  Verditer was started by University of Exeter graduate Caspar Giles, the vision being to 'build a British lifestyle, clothing and accessories brand, which was inspired by the sporty university experience, British heritage, and the town country life'. 

They started with bracelets in the brands colours (which are so pretty) and they then started producing bespoke bracelets for university sports teams in club colours.  Soon after hey launched the range of solid satin slim bracelets which were available for all to buy (of which one is happily wrapped around my wrist right now).  

The company not only makes great bracelets but has fab values and tries as hard as possible to keep components, materials and manufacturing close to home.  With everything but the snap being made and produced in the UK.

I bought my first bracelet in 'Sea' which is a lovely grey/blue colour, I originally wanted something rather subtle to wear with lots of silver bangles, but after it had arrived I decided I needed some colour as well, as I'm just willing Spring to arrive!

So after taking some snaps I hopped back onto my laptop and ordered  two more in 'Steel' and 'Turk' a lovely gold/grey and a beautiful turquoise colour. 

As I was away when I ordered my first one I didn't realise how quick they were when it came to postage, having ordered them yesterday I wasn't expecting them to land on my doormat this morning (fabulous service). 

After ripping open the parcel like an excited toddler I found the two bracelets I had ordered as well as an extra one in 'Gold' (thank you very much Casper) which will look lovely in the Summer with a pretty white dress.

The  braclets make a fab alternative to the good old fashioned friendship bracelet, can add a lovely pop of colour to any outfit, and are perfect for stacking. 

        

Will you be giving your wrist a little present this Spring?

 (go on you know you want to)

Rimmel's Rita Ora Nail Polish in 'Don't Be Shy'

Hello Lovelies,

I have been looking after my fathers dog for the last week or so and completely forget to pack any nail varnish, although Labradors don't tend to care what colour your nails are, I however can't stand looking at my unpainted talons so some nail varnish was needed pronto!  

The next time I was in Tesco's I grabbed the new Rimmel Rita Ora Nail Polish in 'Don't Be Shy'.  I haven't actually scoured the rest of the collection so can't really comment on any of the other colours, but what I can do is gush about the brilliance that is 'Don't Be Shy'.  

This almost pains me to say but I would pick this over any of my Essie pinks, which is a pretty big as I love those little glass pots with pretty white lids.  The colour of this polish is gorgeous, it is a really nice bright pink with blue undertones, a perfect Spring/Summer colour, which I can see frequenting my nails a lot during the coming months.

It has three fab points, number one  it has the one stroke brush that gives you really even coverage and means you only need one coat, two is that it dries in 60 seconds (fabulous for the impatient) and the third is it's amazing staying power, most nail polishes last about four days on my nails, but I have had this on for a good week. 

Will you be giving this collection a try?