Pretty Lovely Bloggers Santa's Grotto Event

I am finally starting to get excited for Christmas, and have done so by watching plenty of Christmas films this afternoon. I have shared a few gift guides on my blog, including stocking filler ideas, quirky cards, my top picks from Boots and some last minute gift ideas. I love Christmas!
Today is another festive themed post; featuring a lovely blogger event I attended recently, which was put together by Pretty Lovely Bloggers. It took place a few Saturdays ago at the Rose Villa Tavern near the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. It was a Christmas themed event called Santa's Grotto, I was super excited about wearing a Christmas jumper before December and I loved the decorations and the Christmas songs that were playing in the background.

The event was a lot of fun. There were quite a few brands at the event who gave talks and showcased their products, it was great to hear more about a variety of products and talk to the team behind them. Brands that attended the event included: 

 Friction Free Shaving

The Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Co.

Viridian

 Pure Potions

 Lipivir

 DryU

Skin Sincere

Pretty Lovely Bloggers had also arranged a raffle, with money being donated to the charity Mind. There were lots of things to get involved in and plenty of people to talk to. We also received a very generous goody bag with lots of brilliant products, I will be featuring those on my blog in the future too. A big thank you to all brands involved as I really do appreciate it.
I had a lovely time at the event and it was great to talk to bloggers; some I had met before and some I hadn't. I loved the venue and it is somewhere I have never visited before, but I am hoping to go back soon.

Thank you to both Adele and Kirsty for organizing the event. You can really tell how much time, effort and hard work they both put into all of their events and I had a brilliant time.

*Images belong to Clare*

Afernoon Tea at Bettys, York

Recently I visited York for the Day whilst I was up North visiting family. I have always loved afternoon tea and I am into anything like that, so we decided to head to Betty's.
You may have recently read my guest post from Georgina here, where she lists her favourite locations for afternoon tea in the UK. She included Betty's so I knew it must be a good place to go.

We chose afternoon tea for two, which consisted of; smoked salmon and cream cheese, roast Yorkshire ham, roast free-range chicken breast and egg mayonnaise & cress sandwiches, a sultana scone with strawberry preserve and Yorkshire clotted cream each, a selection of hand-crafted miniature cakes, and of-course a pot of Tea Room Blend tea. We also had a glass of homemade raspberry lemonade too as it was quite a warm Day, so we wanted a refreshing cold drink as well as tea. 

The food quite simply tasted amazing. Everything tasted fresh and I really enjoyed it all. The sandwiches were tasty, the cream tea was surprisingly filling and the strawberry preserve was sweet and delicious. The miniature cakes were really tasty too, and it was nice to have a selection of cakes to try. Next time I will definitely be bringing some cakes home with me.

If you love tea and cakes and enjoy afternoon tea, I think Bettys is a great place to go just for the experience. I probably wouldn't go too often as it is a real treat, but I would definitely recommend it for a nice day out. The staff are extremely friendly and the customer service really is fantastic. 

BBC Good Food Show Summer Event

I am a big foodie. I love food, I like to cook and I enjoy to eat, there I said it! The BBC Good Food Show Summer Event was on at the NEC, Birmingham last Week for a few days, and when offered the chance to go, I took it. As ao.com and the Summer Kitchen were the lead sponsor of at this year’s BBC Good Food Show Summer event, I knew it was going to be good fun.

If you haven't been to the BBC Good Food Show before it is a lot of fun - full of stalls and talks, as well as of-course lots of yummy food to try and buy.

It is always lovely to see some old favourite companies at events like this, and I really enjoy supporting new brands I have never heard of before. If you are a big foodie like me, enjoy cooking and checking out new products I'd definitely recommend going to the Good Food Show, its a nice day out. If you love food gadgets and trying out new products, I would suggest you go to the next BBC Good Food Show - you can check out where and when the next event is by checking out the website here.

*I was gifted tickets to attend the event*

Intu Spring/Summer Fashion Event

Last Week I headed to the Intu Shopping Centre, Merry Hill, for a sneak peak at the Spring/Summer collections which are hitting our fashion stores now. It was a blogger and press event, where we were able to see some previews of what will be featuring the fashion shows at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre this Weekend coming. We were treated to refreshments and were able to see the gorgeous models walk down the catwalk in style in some stunning clothes which are available at reasonable prices - and you can pick them up in the high street stores, too, which of-course is amazing - who doesn't want to look gorgeous for a fraction of a designer price?!

Fashion stylist Lola Royle presented the show, explaining why she put the outfits together and gave us plenty of info on what is on trend this Season. We were able to have a sneak peak of some of the latest fashion trends and were able to see some of the beautiful collections that the high street stores have to offer this Spring/Summer 2015. 

The stores which were involved in the fashion show were New Look, Diffusion, Phase Eight, Warehouse, Topshop, Oasis and River Island. I am loving the clashing of colours and patterns that were involved in the fashion show. My favourite pieces were definitely from New Look and Phase Eight - I will definitely be visiting both of those stores next Weekend when I am doing some shopping in the centre. 

Lola Royle told us that the clashing of different prints and patterns is very on trend this upcoming Season, and we saw a lot of brights, jungle inspired and also 70's inspired outfits. She also told us that fringing in our accessories is going to be pretty popular too. I am keen to pop over to the shops this Weekend to pick up a few statement pieces ready for this Spring/Summer.

If you are local to the West Midlands/Birmingham area, why not head down to Merry Hill Shopping Centre this Weekend to pick yourself a bargain or watch some amazing catwalk fashion shows? 

You can get involved on Twitter by using the hashtag #IntuColours

• You can catch the live catwalk shows on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March on the Lower Mall at Merry Hill Centre. Shows start from 11AM.
• There will be exclusive offers available on the 28th and 29th only, with over 35 fashion and beauty offers up for grabs, from brands such as Dorothy Perkins and Diffusion. You can find out more information on the website. 

My New Best Trend Autumn/Winter Fashion Event at Intu Merry Hill

Last Weekend saw the My New Best Trend Autumn/Winter Fashion Event at Intu Merry Hill, located in the West Midlands. 

There was a lot going on over the weekend, including fashion shows which showcased the key fashion trends this Season. There was a lot of bold and statement pieces. The key styles this Season are; Bauhaus Expression, Dark Street, Folkloric, Historical Adornment and London Haze - these are definite themes to include in your Autumn/Winter wardrobe! I absolutely loved the fashion shows - the models danced across the runway, it was very creative and like nothing I had seen before. I went along to watch some of the fashion shows on the Saturday, where I watched the shows which were taking place in three different places in the shopping centre. I thought this was a great idea, as you could stop and watch as you were shopping around the centre. I was so into watching the shows I only snapped a few pictures of one of the shows, but I really wish I had of filmed them because they were a really fun way to showcase some of the Autumn/Winter collections from the big brand stores.
As well as the fashion shows, there was also a pod where you could design your very own fashion tote bag and get your creative juices flowing. I had a lot of fun and whats better still than exclusive discount over the weekend in lots of stores across the centre! It was definitely the right time to start purchasing some fashion pieces for the upcoming Season, and maybe even buy a few Christmas presents too! Some of the stores which offered great discounts were Blue Inc, Ann Summers, Oasis, Jacamo, Quiz, Simply Be, Toni & Guy, as well as many more!

Grand Designs Live

Last Week I had a really exciting email asking if I would like to attend Grand Designs Live! I of-course said yes, I love the show and absolutely love home decor so I couldn't wait to go along. 

Knowing that there would be over 500 exhibitions at the event ranging from technology to decor got me quite excited. 

Grand Designs Live took place in the NEC, Birmingham, over four days. It was split into six sections: interiors, gardens, kitchens, bathrooms, technology and build. There was pretty much a stall for everything you could think of; windows, heating, art, furniture, homeware, food, technology, body care, heath and fitness, building - if you are in the trade or are refurbishing your own home, Grand Designs Live is a great place to visit.

I was really interested in browsing some of the exhibitions. There were a lot that appealed to me - definitely something completely different to what I expected. I really enjoyed the talks - I have now decided I want an iKettle - an eyewatering £11 for a kettle but how convenient you can boil your kettle from anywhere in the house at the touch of a button - well, from your iPhone!

The tickets I received were kindly donated by British Gas. British Gas had a stand at the event this year, where they were promoting Smart Energy, in particular smart meters in the home. The British Gas team were at hand with expert advice and helpful tips of how to be in control of your energy. I had a little chat with some of the team, who gave great tips and advice. British Gas offer insulation to homes which need it. You can read more about that here.


*I was kindly gifted to tickets for this event to share my views on my blog. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*