Blogger Awards: My Stylish Life

Today's post is a little different to usual - as I've been awarded not just one but two awards from fellow bloggers which is rather lovely:

Veshoevius of The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award:

And My Favourite Things awarded me The Versatile Blogger Award:

Once nominated for either of these awards, I have to: 

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award;
Share 7 things about yourself;
Award 7 recently discovered great bloggers; and
Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

Sources: left and right

1. Pearls

I love pearls. Strings of pearls. Pearl earrings. Pearl ring. If it has a pearl on it – or more than one – I will probably want it!! I remember that my mum had a string of freshwater pearls when I was a little girl and I loved them. She let me wear them for the ball at the end of my GCSE year and it felt like she’d lent me the crown jewels (yes – I led a very sheltered life!).



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2. Jeans junkie

I am a complete jeans junkie. I realised the other day that in the past five years I have owned over 20 pairs - from skinny to bootcut and boyfriend to flared. Most seem to end up at the charity shop at some point but many still remain tucked away at the back of my wardrobe - just in case! I don't ever seem to find trousers that fit me all that great but I rarely find a pair of jeans that I don't love!

3. Coloured nail polish

You must all know by now - I like to wear black. In my wardrobe colour does not feature too highly but on my dressing table I have many many coloured nail polishes. I love bright blues, corals, pinks, reds, as well as blacks, navys and pale natural colours too. I remember I was given my very first dark royal blue polish when I was 14 by a friend of my mum, it was from Boots 17 and even now I can remember exactly how it smelt - all blue polishes seem to have the same smell. I wore it all the time when I wasn't at school. During my teens I collected coloured nail polishes. then one day, just like that, I got rid of them all. Now I have a huge collection again.

4. I'd eat beans to buy clothes

If it wasn't for the fact that the boyf and I share a food budget, I would quite happily live on beans on toast for weeks at a time, just to have more money to spend on clothes and shoes and bags! In fact, as a student, I did.

"When I first moved to New York and was totally broke, sometimes I'd buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more"

-- Carrie Bradshaw

5. I ♥ Mr Darcy

I love to read and my favourite books of all time - that I read again and again - are Jane Austin's - all of them*! Every time I re-read Pride and Prejudice I fall in love with Mr Darcy again and then when I read Persuasion I love Captain Wentworth a little bit more again.

6. I hate wearing make-up

If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. I always wear very minimal make-up. The reason for my dislike is two-fold: 1. it is such a faff to put on and time-consuming; and 2. it always feels so heavy by the end of the day.

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7. I ♥ the summertime

Something which can prove a little disheartening when you like in the UK. If I could live anywhere in the world, I'd live anywhere the sun shone everyday and it was warm enough to only wear dresses and flip flops all year round.

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I am now supposed to name 7 bloggers for each award but I will leave it to you to tell us 7 things about yourself and post the link in the comments below. Alright?

*When we were clearing out some of my grandmother's things we came across a notebook filled with poems and quotations, including this one which marries my love of Jane Austin and my favourite book of her's, Persuasion:

Jane's Marriage

Jane went to Paradise:

That was only fair.

Good Sir Walter followed her,
And armed her up the stair.
Henry and Tobias,
And Miguel of Spain,
Stood with Shakespeare at the top
To welcome Jane--

Then the Three Archangels
Offered out of hand
Anything in Heaven's gift
That she might command.
Azrael's eyes upon her,
Raphael's wings above,
Michael's sword against her heart,
Jane said: "Love."

Instantly the under-
Standing Seraphim
Laid their fingers on their lips
And went to look for him.
Stole across the Zodiac,
Harnessed Charles's Wain,
And whispered round the Nebulae
"Who loved Jane?"

In a private limbo
Where none had thought to look,
Sat a Hampshire gentleman
Reading of a book.
It was called Persuasion
And it told the plain
Story of the love between
Him and Jane.

He heard the question,
Circle Heaven through--
Closed the book and answered:
"I did -- and do!"
Quietly but speedily
(As Captain Wentworth moved)
Entered into Paradise
The man Jane loved!
Jane lies in Winchester, blessed be her shade!
Praise the Lord for making her, and her for all she made.
And while the stones of Winchester--or Milson Street--remain,
Glory, Love, and Honour unto England's Jane!

Rudyard Kipling