Hello, Let Me (Re)Introduce Myself

In my four years of blogging I don't think I've ever actually done a proper 'introduction' post. That's bad form on my part isn't it? You may not care all that much about who I actually am and if you'd rather just carry on looking at the sometimes dubious outfits I put together then skip this post and be my guest, but if you'd like to know a little more information than what's on my vague 'about' page then here goes...

If you hadn't already guessed, my name is Amy (you can call me it if you like), I make extremely poor jokes in almost every blog post I write (usually enclosed in brackets in the vague hopes that people won't actually read them) and I'm the grand old age of 28. I'm not going to moan about how old that is because I don't actually mind being in my late twenties, but that's a story for another time.

I live in Hull, which simultaneously makes my heart happy and has me itching to get away. I work as a Technical Operator for BBC regional news which involves, well, technical stuff. I enjoy it, but my real passion is writing and if I can ever make something proper out of that I'll be really rather over the moon.

I was born in Newcastle to Yorkshire parents and am forever bitter that I lost my Geordie accent; now it's an odd mixture of I'm not quite sure what. I'm also one of those annoying people who picks up a little of the accent of whoever I'm speaking to so if I do this to you I promise I'm not taking the piss.

If you've been reading this blog for a while then you'll know that I'd been renovating my first house and documenting it on here; well at the start of this year I moved back in with my parents and I'm now on the hunt for a little place to rent for me and my cats. That means no interior posts for a little while, but I'd like to bring them back once I'm settled somewhere else. I realise that's a rather vague way of speaking about something really quite huge, but that's all I'm going to say about it.

Now the pleasantries are out of the way I'll tell you some things that might help you to learn a bit more about who I really am, because it's hard to gauge that over vaguely sarcastic comments on Instagram isn't it?

It seems apt to start with the fact that I am very sarcastic. Well, it is the highest form of wit right?

A lot of people have the misguided impression that I'm very sweet and innocent, but get to know me properly and you'll discover I actually have a slightly sick sense of humour.

I absolutely adore clothes and find an abnormal amount of enjoyment in putting an outfit together every morning.

I'm a goody two shoes at heart; I'm not sure whether that's because I'm a good person or if it's just because I hate being told off.

Unless you know me really well I don't give much away. I'm very much a closed book and there are only a very select few who can actually read me.

I'm forever taking up new hobbies and consequently giving them up when I'm not immediately good at them.

I like to see the best in everyone, which is a lovely way to view the world, but also ends in me being disappointed by people somewhat frequently.

I'm extremely clumsy and despite having really small feet I manage to trip up over absolutely everything (including my own feet).

I would be really healthy if it wasn't for my unconditional love of pizza.

I'm a people pleaser, which sometimes means that in trying to please absolutely everyone I end up pleasing nobody at all.

I'm only just starting to learn that sometimes it's alright to put myself first.

In my four years of blogging I've never really learnt how to end a post...

Call Me Monthly // APRIL

Ello and welcome to this month's round up of things from my life and my brain (not as scary as it sounds and certainly not as scary as the fact that it's almost May already. My oh my. Here ya GO:

This month I've veered between v laid back and sporty (hello zip up hoodies of my dreams) and dressing like a 14-year-old girl (pinafore dresses and high ponytails thank you v much). Colour wise I'm feeling neutrals, greens and black (always).

The Kooks // Sweet Emotion

Gerry Cinnamon // Sometimes

Picture This // Life Of The Party

Ten Tonnes // Better Than Me

Charlotte // I Tell Lies

The Go! Team // Til We Do It Together

Blossoms // Cool Like You

Bloxx // You

Listen on Spotify

Married At First Sight // My trashy TV choice for this month, usually accompanied by my girl Ashton, prosecco and pizza.

Game Of Thrones // Obviously. Aside from the drama, 

Daenerys is my main source of hair inspo.

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley // This was the fourth book I've read in this series and although I'm finding that the structure of them is becoming vaguely repetitive I'm still v much enjoying them. 3/5.

Amy x

SWITCHING OFF // 5 Ways I Find My Zen

I've always found it difficult to switch off; I just have a busy brain, whether I'm worrying about work, contemplating a huge life decision or simply thinking about food, I've always got something whirring around in there (hard to believe sometimes I know).

In desperate attempts to bring myself some zen in the past I've tried meditating, yoga, stewing in a hot bath - essentially all the stereotypical ways you're supposed to chill out and find some calm away from the busyness of everyday life and the endless ticking of your thoughts.

Quelle surprise, none of them worked. The quieter and calmer I tried to be, the louder my brain became. Now though, I think I've finally found my own ways of switching off; they may not be the most conventional, but they're distractions and they work for me.

WALKING // Over the past few months I've really got into walking (I know right, someone tell me to calm down because I'm just out of control #staywild). Seriously though, there's nothing like sticking your headphones in and just wandering with absolutely no purpose and with nowhere to go.

CONVERSATION // This might seem like an odd one, but getting into a really in depth conversation with someone about something specific can make me switch off and forget about everything else. No getting distracted by my phone, no wondering what I'm going to have for tea and no worrying about anything else that might be going on in my life; just pure and simple conversation between two people.

MUSIC // There's no greater distraction from the rest of life than driving somewhere while singing along to your music at the top of your lungs. Just remember to stop when you're at traffic lights or you'll distract everyone else on the road too.

KNITTING // Hello @callmegrandma. I took up knitting a few years back and subsequently gave it up because that's what I do when I'm not very good at something. I've recently started doing it again though and there's something very therapeutic about it. Because I'm actually not very good at it I have to concentrate on it and not on anything else so I find myself getting completely lost in scarves and...alright just scarves because that's as far as my skills currently go.

GYM CLASSES // I'm SORRY to be that person, but exercise makes me feel a lot better about everything. I say gym classes in particular because they involve actual concentration, following instructions and they're normally really bloody hard work. There's a reason I drag myself out of bed at 6am every Tuesday morning for body combat and that's because I know it'll actually give my brain a rest, if not the rest of my body.

Trousers - H&M (*aff* here) // Boots - H&M // Top - New Look // Jacket - Topman 

Photography - Violet Glenton

What do you do to switch off?

Amy x

Is It Spring Yet? // LOOKBOOK

Apparently when midnight rolled around on March 20th, so did the season of spring. Spring is my favourite; after a wet and grey British winter that always seems to last unnecessarily longer than all the other seasons, spring seems full of brightness and optimism. In the air hangs a fresh feeling of hope, motivation and a tentative glimpse of new beginnings.

Weather wise, it may not have been the springiest start to the season (see what I did there? Much wit), but I like to live by the following:

Despite the forecast, live like it's spring.

Or, in my case, dress like it's spring. Jackets have become thinner, dresses have been hauled out of hibernation and my Asos basket is full to the brim with lace, floral prints and frills.

My wardrobe is fighting back against the fluctuating temperatures, and here are some of my current favourite outfits:

Dress - Pull & Bear (here) // Trainers - Asos (*aff* here) // Photography: Violet Glenton

Dress - Primark // Shoes - Asos (old) // Photography: Ashton Gibbs

Jumper - Asos (*aff* here) // Skirt - Bed Boutique // Trainers - Schuh (here)

Dress - Asos (*aff* here) // Top - Boden // Boots - H&M

Amy x