Easter Treats.

I love my little cousins, honestly I do. I don't get to see them very often and their laughter and joy for life really makes me smile.

I also REALLY LOVE being able to sit and eat my meal and have a big catch up with my older cousins! (I sound selfish I know but I do make time to speak to the kids too I promise!!)

This is why for the past 3 years I have been using my best Single Girl Tactics to ensure I get the best of both worlds. Time with my lovely, crazy, funny tiny cousins and guarenteed "grown-up" conversations!

How do I manage both I hear you say? What are your tactics? Well they are simple.... I bring along fun, cheap treats nothing too fancy just some table top gifts that the kids can use straight away.

This year I have created an easter "Lucky Dip" filled with goodies that even the adults can appreciate! I bought all the goodies from Sainsbury's (I've ONLY just realised how good Sainsbury's seasonal ranges are!!!)

So this Easter Sunday will go as follows...  I will arrive wearing bunny ears (I'll spare the family the Bridget Jones style leotard) and let the kids pick from the lucky dip, while they are busy playing with their winnings I will be catching up on all the gossip!!


I'll let you know if my plan pays off!!

Happy Easter Ladies!!
xx

Ideal Home Show 2013

On Saturday I had a girly day out with my Mum and two Aunties, they had travelled to London from Wales to visit the Ideal Home Show (which is at Earl's Court)  and I decided to tag along.

Food, Home Improvements, Women and Interiors were just some of the sections the Show had to offer. The room was PACKED full of stalls with great ideas and bargains to be had (we definitely managed to pick up a few goodies for ourselves!)






One of my Favourite sections was the "Only Fools and Horses" refit. Which on one side was a replica of the Trotter's Peckham flat  and on the other side was a refit of the flat by George Clarke (I only managed to get pictures of Del Boy and Rodney's Flat as it was PACKED!!)

 Another Brilliant find was a chair by Kelly Swallow, I've been checking out her work since seeing her chair on Saturday and I am in LOVE with her designs!! I cannot wait until I have a house of my own so I can buy one of her BEAUTIFUL chairs.

Other great bits to see included the food section - there were some seriously delicious foods on offer, and some stalls selling BRILLIANT food gadgets. We managed to walk aways with a zillion different cheeses, so I am currently trying to plan a Cheese and Wine night!!!

All in all the Ideal Home Show is a great day out, we laughed all day and managed to grab a drink and rest our weary feet... I'd definitely suggest wearing comfy shoes because there is plenty of walking to be done!!

The best Christmas Sandwich - Part One

Tis the season, to eat Christmas Sandwiches and I am eating a LOT OF THEM! All in the name of research of course.
It's such a chore eating all those yummy Christmas Sandwiches, but someones got to do it!

So here are my findings so far...

Co-Operative  - 8/10
(10p goes to Carers Trust)



This sandwich had the perfect Cranberry to Turkey ratio. It was moist and the stuffing was really tasty!

Marks and Spencer - 9/10
(some money goes to Shelter)

M&S have a wonderful Christmas range - including Christmas drinks with little Santa hats and Reindeer on the lids!
This sandwich was PACKED with Turkey and as you would expect was really tasty, it would have had a 10/10 if there had been a little more Cranberry sauce!!

Tesco - 7/10

Even though there was a perfect blend of cranberry and Turkey, I gave it a 7 because I wasn't too fussed on the sausage meat. the Cranberry Sauce was amazing though!

The funny things men say....

So I blogged about Internet Dating a while back, and I thought it was about the right time to post about it again. I've been on one particular site for a while now and find it a brilliant source of entertainment. I know this isn't the idea of it, but most of the messages I get off men are like a dating 101 of things not to do!! 

So, I thought I’d post down the funniest messages I have received over the past couple of months, in hope that it will make you laugh, and may also help some men with their internet dating style. (If you are reading this and sent me one of these messages then I thank you, you made me laugh A LOT!!!!)

This was the first message I received upon joining the website.

 “If I give you £50 will you let me suck your toes?”

I think you will all agree with my choice of NOT replying to this message, especially when his profile picture was a picture of him wearing pants and fishnet tights. Although I really did want to write him a little message to say “This is probably why you are single!”

“Hi, so I just moved into my flat and I need a girl to come round and just clean up and look after me, you start immediately. Please bring a mop.”

This one is my all time favourite. I once again did not reply, as I knew that it would lead to an argument and would end with me telling him where to shove his mop!

“Do you find me attractive?”

This was after 3 messages, where I started to think that this boy thought I was his actual Girlfriend. He kept saying “We” when he talked about future plans, for example he asked me if I liked football I said “Yes but I wouldn't watch it by myself” and he said “I have loads of friends we can watch it with!" Boys just a little heads up asking a girl you have never met if she finds you attractive is not only awkward it’s embarrassing, don’t do it! 

“Hey, how you doin’ beautiful?" 

Joey is that you??? My reply to this was “Friends called – they want their catchphrase back!” (And that is probably why I am single!)

 “Hi, I’m looking for serious relation can we know you?”

THIS ONE MADE ME HOWL WITH LAUGHTER! I laugh every time I re-read it! He followed this message up with “Will you be my wife?” Brilliant!!!

“That face in the last picture is the one I want to make you do.”

I was a bit concerned about what face he was referring too, so quickly scanned my pictures. In the picture he was referring too I was smiling, so I was left really confused as to why this picture had such a seedy tone to it!

“I just want to ask your advice on circumcision, I’m thinking of getting it done but don’t know what women think about it.”

I had no words for this one. This guy looked at my profile, looked at my picture and thought – this looks like a girl who knows a thing or two about circumcision. I thought about googling it and sending him a link but then I thought better of it.

So you can see that Online dating has some entertainment, I still don’t think it’s for me but while I’m still a member of this site and still getting hilarious messages I will continue sharing them with you lovely ladies!

Let me know if you have had any funnier messages!

Love

J

xx

Pampering Time!

As Autumn is approaching, what better way to spend your nights than pampering yourself silly! A relaxing time for you and your body to rest, rejuviate and refresh!!
So over the next few weeks we will be blogging to give you ideas for quick and simple 'pick you ups' for your skin, body, nails and hair!
Here at SGW we will be trying all the cheap alternatives from local supermarkets and beauty shops. Why should we pay a fortune to keep our skin looking beautiful?

Stay tuned for our tried and tested reviews!

SGW
xx

A new Bag!

I don't know about you, but I HATE carrying bags sometimes. Like literally hate it, my shoulder starts to ache and I can never find a bag that just sits nicely on my shoulder. Even my trusty over the shoulder bag has annoyed me in the summer heat.
What I need from a bag in the summer is something big enough to carry all my summer essentials (water, suncream, sunglasses) and comfy enough to have with me all day. So I have taken to the high street to find a cool backpack, I know a backpack isn't everyone's idea of cool but I think it's the perfect bag to take on a day out. Whether it's at the park or the beach! Here are my best finds!

New Look - £19.99

I love this Aztec print bag, it's perfect for brightening up your outfit!

Matalan - £12
Bargain price and just as pretty!

Accessorize - £35

I love the pink spots on this one, and the little pockets at the front are great extra compartments!

  

River Island - £30

So this one looks a little bit like a Gillet, but I like it anyway!!!! The colours will carry you through to Autumn too!

 

Topshop - £34

I love this denim bag!!! My use of exclamation marks proves it!

All the bags shown can be found on line at the shops I have mentioned.

The best bit about the backpack is they are useful whatever the weather!!!



Whatever the weather....

So, that's it! I have finally come to terms with the fact that this summer is going to be a washout of weird weather. Rain, then sun, then rain, then sun..... (you all get the idea.) I've taken to carrying round an item for all seasons, flip flops, cardigan, brolly (my bag is seriously heavy).

I thought I'd post a few of my best finds here to share with all you lovely Ladies.

We still have Jubilee fever so these Hunters are our favourite! Teamed with a nice dress and cardigan (The Welly Shop have done just that - check their website) these are perfect for walking the water drenched streets.  

These wonderful wellies are £114.99 from www.thewellyshop.com

£17.50 for these wonderful Brollies. What better way to keep dry than with a love heart brolly!

There are so many wonderful designs to choose from at www.loveumbrellas.co.uk

The rain need never be glum again!

These Little Beauties are called Candy Girl Flex and cost £45. These are perfect if you want to keep your feet dry but still wear a little heel!! You can team these with just about anything! I love the bright pink colour too!!

www.wedgewelly.co.uk

Get the "Baywatch" look from Truffle Shuffle for £24.99.

What better way to pretend that the sun is going to stay, this Baywatch t-shirt is an amazing retro piece.

www.truffleshuffle.co.uk

£19.99 - New Look.

This backpack is perfect for storing your rain coat and flip flops for emergencies!

www.newlook.com

Gladiator Sandal -£30 (avaliable in tan and black)

"Sandals in the rain?" I hear you shout.... well these amazing Gladiator Sandals are perfect for keeping in your bag, to change into so your feet stay dry and look glam. There is nothing worse than sitting in soggy ballet pumps so an emergency pair of sandals are my top tip!

www.dorothyperkins.com

Hope you like all my picks!

Lots of Love J xx

Tea Time for Two !!

A Balanced Diet is a piece of cake in both hands !! Well, thats what we like to think!!
So this week we decided to try and make some fancy little cupcakes.


Heres a simple recipe to follow if you're like us and are not a dab-hand in the kitchen :

Ingredients
To make 12 cupcakes

110g/4oz butter or margarine
110g/4oz caster sugar
2 free range eggs
110g/4oz self -raising flour
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Buttercream Icing

140g/5oz butter
280g/10oz icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
a couple of drops of food colouring

Here goes -

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F
• Mix the butter and the sugar together.
• Beat the eggs into the mixture and mix in the Vanilla extract
• Add the flour and a little milk until mixed together thoroughly
• Devide into paper cases and pop into the oven for 10- 15 minutes
• Check they are cooked all the way through
• Leave to cool down

• To create the icing beat the icing sugar and butter together
• Add a little milk until smooth
• Add food colouring
• Pipe onto cupcakes and add decoration.

Heres some we made earlier -

First Date Dilemmas.

A friend of ours is about to start dating again after a break up.
Now we all know dating is supposed to be fun, but that first date an still fill you with dread. What to wear? Where to go? What to say? Will we get on?


Here at Single Girl World we thought it would be a great idea to put some tips for dates down on our blog to help out all the single ladies fretting over a first date.


1. Have fun! Like we said earlier dates are supposed to be fun so just go and enjoy yourself. If nothing else comes from it at least you'll have had a great day out!


2. Wear something comfy.... Sexy yes, but comfy. Check out our previous blog about what to wear on dates here.


3. Stay safe. If you are meeting someone you don't know have a friend on standby!


4. By all means wear nice underwear. But there is NEVER any reason for a guy to see these on a first date!!


5. Talk, but make sure you ask questions too. No one wants to listen to a monologue!! Conversation is key!!!


Everyone knows that dating can be awkward. Just be yourself, because you never know when you'll meet Mr Right.


If any of you single ladies have any tips of your own, feel free to add them below!!


Love
All at Single Girl World xx

London Marathon 2012.

The London Marathon is a 26.2 mile run across the city, starting at Greenwich Park and ending on The Mall.
This year we went down to support the runners and soak up the glorious atmosphere!!
We were really lucky with the beautiful weather and managed to get a great spot at the 800m to go mark.
After watching it on the TV for years, when we were there it was overwhelming to see just how many people were taking part raising so much money for so many different charities.
The road was a sea of colour as the runners approached proudly wearing the vest of their chosen charities.
It really is an inspirational day and makes you very proud to have this event in our city.

Congratulations to everyone who took part and well done on all the money raised for wonderful charities. You have definitely inspired and motivated us to get our running shoes on.

Love
All at Single Girl World xxx

Betty Buff!

We were very lucky girls this week, we received some goodies from www.bettybuff.co.uk (@A1Betty) and we couldn't wait to try them out!
We got two sugar scrubs the first was called 'Strawberry Smash' and the second 'Scrummy Choco'! We fell in love with with them from the minute we caught a smell of them.
The Choco one literally smells good enough to eat/drink/bake with (we wouldn't of course because we know it's better on our skin!) We took it in turns to try each one and here's what we thought!
Single Girl 1's Review.
My favourite out of the two has to be the Strawberry Smash! It smells Devine ! Almost so good I wanted to spread it on my toast for breakfast! It's so zesty and fruity, the perfect wake up call in the morning !! Leaving your skin really soft and ready for your day ahead!

Single Girl 2's Review.
My favourite was the Chocolate one, it literally smelt like you should eat it!! the scrub was great all over my body, but especially on my feet!! My skin felt silky smooth and knowing that the scrub had no chemicals or preservatives made it even better!

A big thank you to Betty Buff for making our skin soft and smelling lovely, all without chemicals and preservatives!

The 'Scrummy Choco' and the 'Strawberry Smash' sugar scrubs can be brought for £8 each from the website !!

Perfect for sensitive skin, we would recommend Betty Buff to all of our friends.

www.bettybuff.co.uk

Rain, rain go away... I want to wear my new dress!!

I bought this lovely new dress from New Look for a bargain £11.99. So it's just typical that its been pouring with rain all week, when all I've wanted to do is wear it!

I'm going to wear it with my favourite brown belt and my new cream Cardigan. Just as soon as the sun comes back out that is!!!

Xx

We found a new shop....

We took a trip to Brick Lane market and stumbled upon this amazing shop. Collectif London has 40’s and 50’s inspired dresses, accessories and more and is officially our new favourite place for party dresses. From the minute we walked in there we fell in love with the unique looking dresses (we are currently in the middle of figuring out our individual dress styles so we were very excited).
We fell in love with everything about the shop, the colours and prints on the dresses and skirts, the cuts of the dresses, the quality of the dresses and the sizing.... The sizing is a dream, at last a clothes shop that does real women sizes!
If you are looking for a dress for a special occasion then look no further than Collectif, we already have four of their dresses on our wish list!!!!

Man of the Week ! Eric Belanger! 💗

Today while reading More Magazine we came across the beautiful Eric Belanger !! With very little information on him on the net but a heap of gorgeous photos, we have decided to make this 6"1, blue eyed beauty our Man of the Week !!

Exploring History.

I am a self confessed history geek, so the Imperial War Museum is my idea of heaven. Actual fact that if someone took me on a date there I would be very happy!!
Today I went with a friend to explore history.

We started at the top at the Ashcroft Gallery which is amazing as it's so interactive!

We went down to the next floor to the holocaust exhibition which is a beautiful and haunting experience.

The Imperial War museum has the coolest shop with retro gifts, perfect for your grandparents!!!

There is also a relatively new part called "War story" which is an inspiring look into the lives of our servicemen an women fighting at the moment. Alongside this there are beautiful portraits on the top floor taken by IWM photographers.

The newest exhibition "Family in war time" was closed to the public today, so we are already planning our trip back to the IWM to see this and "shaped by war" photographs.

There is so much more to see, that we haven't explored yet.

You don't have to be a history geek to enjoy this museum though, it truly is a great place to go with family and friends of all ages.

Lesson learnt.

We learned a little lesson the other day, and that lesson was:

Never go backwards in life, unless your in a pedalo, then you should always go backwards because it's easier.

We did love the pedalo though. Even if we did have to be saved like damsels in distress!

Rule Britannia.

There is no better time to wear the red, white and blue look than this year. What with the Olympics and the Queen's Jubilee, it really is a year to be proud of being British.

Here are my best finds for the perfect Britannia look. 

 

Tesco - £28 (also available in Blue)  

This jacket from Tesco's is perfect for adding that British feel to an outfit. I'm teaming mine with a blue and white polka dot dress that I got from Dorothy Perkins. You could even team it with jeans and a white vest top for a casual look. 

Next - £28

How cute is this little bag?? Patriotic and a perfect way to jazz up your LBD!

 

Next - £35

This maxi dress is absolutely amazing, you can wear this dress anywhere, the park, the beach, the pub the possibilities are endless! Team it up with a pair of wedges, loving the denim jacket too!! 

New Look - £27.99

Elvis loved his and you'll love these!! They'll brighten up every outfit. The wedge will make them easier to walk in too!!

Accessorize - £14.

B-E-A-UTIFUL! Loving this ring, it'll glam your outfit right up!

 Accessorize -£6 

Matched with other Union Jack items this could be a little bit tacky but with a simple dress or jean and t-shirt combo its the perfect way to British-up your outfit!

 Accessorize - £12 

These beauties will keep your eyes safe in the sun while looking ultra cool. Click on the  link below for a video on the right style shades for your face courtesy of This Morning. 

http://www.itv.com/thismorning/styleandbeauty/sunglasses-to-suit-your-face-shape/

I'm loving the British look and will definitely be rocking it over the Easter weekend. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for more cool finds, let me know if you find anything too.

Websites used for this blog:

www.newlook.com

www.accessorize.com

www.next.co.uk

www.tesco.com

www.itv.com/thismorning