The Floral Co-ord // Then And Now

 Floral co-ord // Monki // here (aff*)

Let me tell you a (rather uninteresting to most of you I imagine) story about my fashion journey. My mum decided that at the ripe old age of seven I was old enough to choose myself an outfit. I went a bit go bold or go home and opted for a garish floral co-ord. Big bright pink and orange flowers printed on a matching white blouse and skirt combo.

Little did I know that come 2019 I'd be very in fashun and so I find myself in the position where I've essentially replicated my very first outfit over twenty years later.

Seven-year-old or twenty-eight-year-old, you simply cannot go wrong with a floral co-ord.

The new co-ord in question is slightly less garish with more muted colours and smaller flowers, but makes me feel every inch as sassy as I felt in the first one (which, as a seven-year-old girl very much into the Spice Girls was off the richter scale levels of sassy).

It's nice to take outfit photos and put them on my blog circa 2014 style and this post is nothing deeper than a little girl and a grown woman feeling sassy as hell.

Amy x

AD // Where To Visit With Your York Pass

I was gifted two York passes by Visit York for the creation of this post, but all opinions and scary photos are my own.

A couple of weeks ago myself and CallMeAmy'sOH popped along to York for the day; only an hour's drive from where we live in Hull and with a beautifully historic city centre it's a bloomin' lovely place for a day out.

We went armed with our York passes, intent on squeezing as much out of our time there as possible. The weather and our own poor timekeeping/preference for not rushing around like loonies meant we didn't achieve as much as we'd planned, but we still had a lovely day so here I am putting together a (v achievable) itinerary for a day out in York with a York pass.

Yep, I'm sure you could start earlier/cram if you like, but there's having a nice day being touristy then there's having a very tiring day dragging yourself round everywhere trying to do everything and not actually enjoying it. Trust me, you'll get your money's worth with your York pass anyway. 

11am // York Minster 

Pretty much the most famous landmark in York, the Minster is pretty spectacular. I do love me a good old church and it certainly doesn't disappoint. The standard pass gains you entry into the church, with the VIP pass also gaining you access to the tower. Very tired legs for the rest of the week, you have been warned. 

12pm // York's Chocolate Story

I have a confession here; we had planned to visit York's Chocolate Story, but we may have become a little sidetracked by the shops and each bought a pair of shoes instead (it would appear it's impossible for two clothes obsessed idiots to have a day out without buying something). However this was definitely on our list and involves free chocolate so what's not to like? 

1pm // The York Dungeon

By far our favourite attraction of the day, The York Dungeon is a must visit if you're in York. I jumped so badly I threw my umbrella at one of the actors and you're constantly that level of scared that also just makes you lol a lot. It's still one of my life goals to work there someday (hi boss of York Dungeon, if you're reading this give me a job please, thank you.)

3pm // ASK Italian

A perk I didn't expect to see on the list was a free meal (excluding drinks and limited to certain dishes) at ASK Italian. The restaurant it's valid for is in a ridiculously beautiful building and even if it wasn't, who's going to pass on free food?


As I said, I'm sure you could fit more in if you're more hardcore than us, so some other fab things to do on the list (that I've done previously so can recommend) are Clifford's Tower, JORVIK Viking Centre, York Castle Museum; we were also hoping to do a York City Cruise, but unfortunately it was absolutely chucking it down on the day we visited! 

Have you ever visited York?

Amy x

AD // A Big Juicy Guide To Hull

This post is sponsored by the University of Hull, which FYI has excellent outfit photo backdrops.

I often write about places I've visited for the day or been on holiday to, but when the University of Hull asked me to write about my city, it made me realise how ridiculous it is that I've not written about the place I know best; Hull, and about all the wonderful things right here on my doorstep.

Instead of telling you the reasons why I love Hull (my gal Ashton did this well enough with her viral thread you can find here) I'm going to do a big juicy round up of all the things you can expect to enjoy if you ever come here to visit, study (FYI, clearing at the University of Hull is open to apply for now and if you carry on reading you'll discover why Hull is an excellent place to choose) or even if you already live here!

W H A T  T O  D O

There's really quite a lot to do in Hull, but I'll attempt to keep it short and sweet while at the same time trying to not miss anything out...

S H O P S // Hull seems to have upped its shopping game in the past couple of years, meaning you don't necessarily have to trek to Leeds or Meadowhall and can easily find heaps of goodies on home soil. The city centre has a fair few chains, plus some lovely independents like Beasley's and Chinese Laundry. Venture onto Humber Street and you'll find the beaut Tessie's and 19point4. Further afield Newland Avenue is the absolute bees knees for charity shops.

M U S E U M S // Hull has heaps of free museums, mostly located in Hull's Old Town, which is lovely for a wander too (oh and if you are wandering round there see if you can spot my face on the side of a building mega lols). The Streetlife Museum is my favourite and the Ferens Art Gallery is free and worth a visit too. The Deep isn't free, but is a fab day out for kids (big kids included) and once you've bought a ticket that gets you in for the rest of the year.

F E S T I V A L S // Hull has two main festivals; Humber Street Sesh the first weekend of August and Freedom Festival the first weekend of September. Humber Street Sesh is jam packed full of local bands in venues around (you guessed it you clever thing) Humber Street, whereas Freedom Festival is a mixture of music, theatre and dance across the city.

P A R K S // Hull has a fair few green spaces; but East Park is my favourite. It's enormous and a bloody lovely day out, complete with a little farm, a big lake and a cafe.

Photos: Violet Glenton

W H E R E  T O  E A T

Onto the important stuff. Considering places to include as recommendations in this post made me realise just how good the culinary (yes using a big posh word thank you) offerings in Hull are. I'm going to split this section into categories based on location, mainly so I don't have to describe where each one is separately, which would only waste precious words that could be used to describe food instead.

C I T Y  C E N T R E

Head of Steam // Cosy vibes, live music and an excellent veggie and vegan selection. Drooling now.

The Brain Jar // Hipster central, mouth-watering pizza and rather excellent cocktails.

Furley & Co // Craft beer central, but also very nice halloumi burger central.

Trinity Market // A covered market with heaps of food options so you can all have something different and still sit together (personal faves are The Greek and Falafia).

Marla's // The absolute cutest sandwich shop with v friendly staff. You will leave extremely full.


T H E  A V E N U E S

Zoo Cafe // A veggie/vegan cafe that makes the best avocado on toast I've ever eaten.

Barista // Bold claim, but probably my favourite place to eat breakfast. Much choice.

Level // Just bloody excellent food from somewhere you'd maybe think of as average at first glance.

Roots // Not the best for veggie options, but if you're a meat lover and like your food with a side of strong cocktails then this is your jam.

Thai House // The best Thai in Hull. I'd really quite like to go right now.


W E S T  H U L L

Urban 44 // Another v nice place for breakfast in cute ol' Hessle.

26 Wilson Street // Endless breakfast options and quite conveniently within walking distance of my house.

The Beech Tree // A pub but a nice one with pub grub but nice pub grub.

The Greek // Just give me all the halloumi and meze and I'll be happy forever.

Cascara // V cool place for if you're drinking with your food (gin as big as my head).

W H E R E  T O  D R I N K

As well as food, Hull isn't short on places to drink and the good news is it's CHEAP. We might complain about slightly higher prices in some of the more up and coming areas, but anyone from outside the city manages to remind us that actually it is still a pretty cheap night out.

H U M B E R  S T R E E T  //  Definitely my favourite place to drink, Humber Street is a supa cute fairy lit (going with that as a phrase) street by the marina. Bars range from hipster filled Thieving Harry's, which I love at any time of day to the fancy Humber Street Distillery Co, a gin bar that (drumroll pls) has coffee gin.

T H E  A V E N U E S  //  Within walking distance of all the student areas, The Avenues has heaps of choice; The Adelphi or Polar Bear for live music, 80 Days Bier Haus if you're into (you guessed it) beer, Larkin's Bar for a lovely beer garden and Pave for your standard know-what-you're-getting busy bar.

S P I D E R S  N I G H T C L U B  //  I had to sneak Spiders in here because if you're going to go to a club it should be this one. Ridiculously cheap drinks, a choice between heavy metal, motown or nostalgic indie and a cheesy chip van outside. What more could you ever want?

And there you have it, my big juicy guide to Hull. Have you ever visited Hull? Would you consider studying here?

Amy x

Call Me Monthly // JULY

Yet another month where I've failed at getting lots of daily outfit photos, but generally I've been into everything and anything floaty; midi dresses, skirts and light jumpsuits galore.

I've gone for a mixture of girl power vibes and chilled out covers this month. Dreamy.

Lily Allen // Lost My Mind

Passion Pit // Carried Away

Charlotte // Somebody To Hold

Daniela Andrade // Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Dounia // How I See It

Bruno Mars // The Lazy Song

Lia Rose // Take On Me

Henry Green // Electric Feel

RIVVRS // More Than A Fool

Johnny Flynn // The Wrote & The Writ

Smash Mouth // Walkin' On The Sun

Natalia Lafourcade // Slowly

AURORA // Half The World Away

Listen on Spotify 

Stranger Things // No I don't mean I'm super excited about Stranger Things 3, I mean I've literally only just started watching it from the very beginning (can someone please explain to me why I'm always so late to the party?). Anyway, v much enjoying it so far.

The Wrong Mans // This is a kinda background easy watching thing for me; I can't say I'm paying too much attention to it, but I am enjoying it and it's good for a giggle.

And erm, it would appear I've not managed to actually finish a book in the past month. I blame Love Island.

Amy x

My Favourite Colour Is Green // LOOKBOOK

If you're reading this then it's quite likely you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't then pretty please do, unless you're not into fashun, coffee or cats in which case I'm not quite sure what you're doing here in the first place) and if you made it past that long winded bracket talk and you do follow me on Instagram then you'll know I'm partial to a bit of greenery, which was the point in my head when I began writing this sentence.

I don't know whether green is my favourite colour because I love plants and greenery, or if I love plants and greenery because green is my favourite colour. It's the big questions in life that really stump you isn't it?

So anyway, just in case you hadn't guessed from either the title of this post or my mindless ramblings thus far, green is my favourite colour. This brings me to the fact that I realised I have a lot of green clothes and I wanted to make a lookbook out of them and that's about it really there you go ENJOY.

Photos: Violet Glenton

Outfit One: Dress - New Look (here) // Blazer - Bershka (old) // Shoes - Converse (here)

Outfit Two: Top - Topshop (here *aff) // Trousers - Primark (old) // Shoes - ASOS (old) // Jacket - property of Violet Glenton

Outfit Three: Top - New Look (here) // Trousers - New Look (old) // Sandals - ASOS (old)

Amy x

The Happy List // 3.0

That fresh morning feeling when you've had your windows open all night.

Floaty dresses.

Halloumi.

Having a good outfit week.

Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

Lazy Sundays.

Sitting down after a big tidy.

Eating outside.

Sunny summer evenings.

Unexpected council tax refunds (and consequent ASOS orders).

Freshly painted nails.

Beer gardens.

Eau de barbecue.

Floral prints.

Sparkling water.

Feeling proud to have so many beautiful people in your life.

A rare day of absolutely no obligations.

All the patterns.

Arriving home after a long journey.

Pizza, always.

AD // London Bridge Calling

This post is a collaboration. Spending money was gifted to me by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.

London Bridge and the surrounding area is one of my favourite places in London; for me it's the area that really screams YOU'RE IN LONDON. It's a place I've visited a lot, and somewhere I'll always go back to because I adore the atmosphere and there are always new gems to discover there. So when in London at the weekend I headed back there to have a good ol' explore...

There are plenty of hotels near London Bridge and I personally think it's a really good location to use as a base as it's so easy to get to and travel around London from. It's away from the real hustle and bustle a little, with a stroll down Southbank giving you a little calm away from the city, yet there are still heaps of attractions, bars and (most importantly) restaurants to choose from.

A T T R A C T I O N S

The Shard // I've actually never been up The Shard before and I realise that makes me very late to the party, but I've been treated to countless views of London from it on my Instagram feed so that's almost the same right?! Just a stone's throw away from London Bridge station it's a definite highlight of the area.

The London Dungeons // While studying Drama at uni, I applied over and over for a job at the London Dungeons because I just really wanted to put on creepy makeup and run after innocent scared people to earn some extra dollar. Unfortunately I never made the cut (my face is too oh so sweet and innocent, obviously), but the next best thing to scaring people is being scared yourself so the dungeons are well worth a visit.

Tower Bridge // The bridge that is often mistaken as being London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge and I think it's my favourite bridge in London so there's a bold claim for you. Excellent Instagram opportunities to be had (plus because it's summer there are various pop-up bars set up along the river, pimms plus views yes please).

Southbank // Wandering down Southbank is one of my absolute favourite things to do in London. You get amazing views of the city, lots of choice of restaurants and bars along the way and it's just such a leisurely way of exploring the area.

F O O D

The Breakfast Club // My old faithful. I've been to The Breakfast Club a lot of times in various locations across London, but I think the London Bridge branch is my favourite. The food is delicious at all of them (highly recommend the pancakes), but the London Bridge one is nice and spacious plus the decor is amazing. Be prepared to queue if you go at peak times, but the queue usually moves fairly quickly. 

London Grind // London Grind also has chains across London and I've heard lots of good things about the food and the coffee, but last weekend was the first time I've visited one myself. We just went for drinks and it was the perfect place for a few chilled out cocktails; after a day in the hot sunshine the atmosphere was v welcome.

Borough Market // Perfect for street food, the dreamiest of sweet treats and a general nosey around the stalls if you're a bit of a foodie (let's face it, who isn't really?!).

What's your favourite area of London?

Amy x

Call Me Monthly // JUNE

Happy nearly end of June pals; this year seems to be flying by at a rather alarming rate, which is actually quite fine by me. Anyway, please do dive in to my latest monthly edition of what all things narcissistically me...

Clothes-wise I've been rather casual this month; jumpers, t-shirts, sportswear, but still with a hint of animal print thrown in for good measure of course.

Flume & London Grammar // Let You Know

Bastille // Doom Days

The Kooks // Junk Of The Heart (Happy)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds // Sail On

Bastille // Million Pieces

Two Door Cinema Club // Satellite 

Gerry Cinnamon // Diamonds In The Mud

Arctic Monkeys // D Is For Dangerous

Two Door Cinema Club // Talk

Listen on Spotify 

Love Island // Uh oh, yes I'm waving goodbye to my summer again. I actually think I may be a little over Love Island and might not make it to the end of this series, but give me a couple of weeks and I may well be eating my words.

Killing Eve // I'm  two episodes into the latest series of this and although I agree with the masses that it's not as good as the first I'm still very much enjoying it and Jodie Comer may just be my favourite actress ever.

The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley // This was a long read, but a good and emotive one. Throughout the book you know there are secrets to be revealed, but I didn't guess the twist at all. 4/5.

Amy x

Putting Yourself First // When Is It Okay?

We're taught from a young age that in order to be a kind, selfless and generally good human being, we should put others before ourselves. The concept is really rather lovely; put others first and you'll be rewarded by them putting you first too, meaning everybody is happy and we'll live in a world full of bunny rabbits and rainbows.

So for years I've lived by that rule; agreeing to plans when I'd really rather have a night in, accepting overtime to cover for someone at work even if it means exhausting myself, listening to other people's problems without boring them with mine.

Despite the fact that I may have neglected to look after myself for the sake of other people every now and then, putting others first makes me feel good. Put simply, it's nice to be nice isn't it?

But sometimes it takes a bit of a kick to realise that actually, shocker, it's alright to put yourself first too.

There comes a point where you've put other people before yourself for so long that you hit a wall; you have nothing left to give because you've given it all away already without taking the time to replenish yourself.

They say you have to look after yourself before looking after other people and I think that may just be true. If you're not happy yourself then how can you make other people happy?

So in answer to the question posed in the title of this post; it's okay to put yourself first whenever you need to.

Believe it or not, you can still be a good person even when you put yourself first. You can still give to others without running yourself into the ground.

Like everything else in life, it's about that ever elusive balance. We probably won't find it or get it completely right, but we can try to do our best, not only for others, but for ourselves too.

Photos: Ashton Gibbs

Style Clash // LOOKBOOK

I love the feeling of putting items of clothing together that on paper really shouldn't work and should clash really rather horribly, but that in reality look absolutely bangin' (that's the technical term) and make me feel ten times cooler than I actually am.

It's the little things in life isn't it?

So in celebration of all things clashing, I've put together a lookbook of some of my favourite recent examples. Enjoy folks...

I've always been a fan (slight exaggeration, I wasn't a fan of this when I was a baby, but 'I've been a fan since around the age of 15' didn't really have the same ring to it) of dressing things up or down; putting something smart with something casual like a pretty dress with chunky trainers or a floaty (spell check seems to think that 'floaty' isn't a word and I strongly contest this) blouse with joggers.

Another contrast I love is pairing pretty and feminine with something slightly more grungy (I'm so edgy) such as florals and leather or a skirt with biker boots. And to really be controversial I have to say you can't beat a good print clash. Gimme stripes with polka dots, florals with gingham; throw it all on and see what happens.

Amy x

The Coffee Shop Guide // HULL

Sorry to be such a cliche millennial, but I spend a fair amount of money on coffee. Nothing makes me more content than a leisurely weekend coffee with a friend and nothing perks up my working day quite like a takeout coffee on my lunch break (in my v. hip and bougie KeepCup, obviously).

Having visited just about every coffee shop in Hull and the surrounding area I thought it'd be nice to do a little guide to my favourites just in case you love coffee as much as me. Here we GO;

T H I E V I N G  H A R R Y ' S  //  Hands down the best coffee I've ever had, not just in Hull but ANYWHERE. Bold claim, I know. Thieving Harry's is on Humber Street by Hull Marina; ideal for a wander, pretty views and feeling like you're not hipster enough to be there. If you like your coffee weak then it's not for you, but if you like your coffee weak you're only pretending to like coffee anyway aren't you?

J - J A Y ' S //  My go to town centre spot for my lunchtime takeout, complete with healthy (ish) snack. J-Jay's is extremely vegan and veggie friendly (if you ever fancy treating me my regular is an almond milk flat white and a peanut butter slice) and the owners are lovely and friendly too.

Z O O  C A F E  //  I'm a bit of a Newland Avenue junkie because there are so many great coffee shops down there, but if I had to choose just one it would be Zoo. It's a vegetarian cafe and it's absolutely chocka full of plants (yes I just used the word chocka in a blog post, when did I stop being able to form real sentences?). I recommend the iced oat milk latte in summer, with a side of avocado and feta on toast, obviously. 

B A R I S T A  //  SORRY it's another one on Newland Avenue, but just get yourselves down there alright? Barista is relatively new, both the interiors and exterior are dreamy and the breakfasts are mouth-wateringly amazing. It goes without saying the coffee is excellent too, hence why I've included it in this post...

I pondered whether to include more coffee shops, but I really just wanted to do the absolute best ones and focus on good coffee so there ya GO.

Amy x

Call Me Monthly // MAY

Fun fact: while writing the title of this post I accidentally misspelt May as Amy and that's actually my name so that's interesting isn't it? Okay, fun fact over. Here's what I've been listening to, reading and watching throughout May...dive in pals.

I've been really quite appalling at taking any outfit photos this month so I don't really have a 'wearing' section and you'll have to just take my word for it that I've been very into floaty dresses (see above), mustard and generally beige clothes.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds // I'd Pick You Every Time

The Kooks // No Pressure

Laura Marling // Night Terror

Bastille // The Descent

Feist // My Moon My Man

Natty // Bedroom Eyes

The BPA // Toe Jam

Yeah Yeah Yeahs // Gold Lion

Coldplay // Princess of China

DMA's // Do I Need You Now?

Listen on Spotify 

Line of Duty // There certainly aren't any spoilers here because I've only just started watching this from the very beginning. So far I'm not as gripped as I expected to be from what everyone else says about it, but I'm soldiering on so we'll see.

Game of Thrones // Yes this was in the last monthly round up, but I couldn't not include it when it's been the finale and all that could I? No spoilers here either, but I think I was a little underwhelmed. 

This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay // I finally got round to reading the book everyone and their dog has been talking about and I bloody loved it. It's in equal parts funny, gross and heartbreaking and is just so real. Would 100% recommend if you're as late to the party as I was. 5/5.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty // I love Liane Moriarty's books, but I'd say this was my least favourite of hers so far. It was good, but a little far fetched. 2.5/5.

Amy x

Please Can We Stop Measuring People By Their Achievements?

Society as a whole tends to judge people on the things that don't matter so much; having a good job, being a straight A student, being able to afford your own house in your twenties.

Society as a whole is kind of missing the point.

Why does it matter if someone has a good job when they might actually hate said job so much that it's making them really unhappy?

Why is being a straight A student more important than being a kind, honest and giving person?

Who cares whether you own your own house or not as long as you have a roof over your head and you're grateful for it?

We're brought up to believe that there are certain things we should achieve in life, usually by a certain age and done in a certain way.

To be seen as functioning adults we should find a job that not only do we love, but that earns us a decent amount of money. We should find a person who we love, who we'll marry and start a picture perfect family with. We should buy a house with the decent amount of money that we earn from the job that we love and fill it with the picture perfect family we're supposed to have.

Tick all those boxes and society will tell you that, yes, well done, you've done an excellent job at living and you should now be very happy. 

But, (excuse my language please mum) that's all bullshit really isn't it?

The same things don't make everyone happy. Ticking boxes doesn't make everyone happy. Sometimes boxes that are ticked end up with a big red cross through them instead.

Life isn't about doing what you think you should do. It's about finding what makes you really, truly happy.

And hey, maybe ticking those boxes does  make you happy, and that's fine too.

Either way, we need to start judging people for who they are rather than for what they are.

Ultimately it comes down to that awfully tacky and overused phrase you do you, which I never thought I'd use in a blog post, but I suppose it sums up my point quite nicely doesn't it?

Amy x

The Happy List // 2.0

Catching up with a friend you haven't seen in years and immediately remembering why you were friends in the first place

Beige clothes

Having so much fun you forget to check your phone for hours

Buying someone a present you know they'll really love

Coffee and croissants

Sticking to your guns, however difficult it may be

Too much pizza

Sleeping with the window open

A supportive comment from someone who doesn't realise how much you needed it

Lists

The people who just get you when you think that nobody will

Making plans, big or small

Looking to the future, not the past

Cooking a meal from scratch

The smell of fresh air after it's been raining

Getting lost in a book on the train

Minty lip balm

Brief moments where you feel like it may just be possible to actually get your shit together

I'm Obsessed With Gold Jewellery // LOOKBOOK

I blame Pinterest (and, I suppose, my newfound obsession with getting various parts of my ears pierced) for the influx of gold jewellery that's made its way into my shopping basket, and therefore my life recently.

I've heard that at some point in your life you're supposed to choose between whether you're a gold or a silver jewellery kinda person. I'd say I'm a ditherer; I've certainly been both and I'm not even opposed to a bit of mixing even though I've been told that's a cardinal sin. At the moment though, I'm firmly in camp gold.

I'm very much enjoying 'styling my ears' (feel free to comment and call me a pretentious idiot for that phrase) and I thought it'd be a waste of my endless collection of new (fake, obvs) gold jewellery if I didn't make a lil' lookbook out of it.

So v important question of the day; gold or silver?

Amy x