My dream girly bedtime routine

I decided to make a little 'midsummer night's routine' post haha, my ultimate night routine. I somehow managed to time this well with it being the summer solstice (and with midsummer's night itself coming up, traditionally held around 23rd/24th June. In countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland it was believed that if a girl picked seven different flowers on midsummer night and placed them under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband). While it is still light outside it can be hard to settle in to slumber so here is a lavender scented bedtime routine (thanks to Lush's Sleepy lotion), a really sumptuous mini spa evening, the perfect OTT home spa night to relax and unwind. I had a lot of fun taking these photos and envisaging my dream night routine, I hope you enjoy! ♡♡

1. Dress bed with clean, fresh sheets - and open the window on summer nights, to let the sweet night smells and cool air in. I might make a little soothing playlist in advance. This is when I would do all my little duties for the night, brush up any excess bedding my gerbies have kicked on the floor and fill up their food and water bottles. I might also give them any veggie leftovers from tea.

I also tidy and arrange my things all nice, my goal recently is to live more minimally, have less belongings and invest in pieces that are special and spark joy within me. Rather than cluttering my wardrobe with all bits and pieces, I believe in saving my pennies to invest in only a select few pieces.

Unexpected changes when you first become a parent*

Learning what to expect when you have a baby is hard at the best of times, you always hear that you're never going to truly know until it happens. However, there are some things that nobody told me about at all! Definitely, the days of staying out late, getting a full night's sleep, or doing many of the things that you're used to taking for granted will be likely put on hold for a good few years - but also the impact on your home, surroundings and other areas of your life! Here are just a few more unexpected ways your life could totally change once your firstborn arrives...

Your car - Whether you're the kind of person who's pretty attached to their car or not, you might find that your car inadvertently gets a makeover soon after the arrival of your little one. Whether you have a fancy sports car or the old rust bucket you've had since you were seventeen, it will soon be bursting with things like bibs everywhere, soggy toys, bottles, nappies, wipes, cloths, spare clothes, always dummies stuffed in car door compartments - even if you don't remember using a pacifier and no idea where it came from! - and of course, the baby seat! Something like a new Vauxhall Vivaro panel van can be perfect for not only driving around your baby but also carting around all of their stuff as well - you could even make a little emergency kit to keep in there. The sheer amount of stuff you need to take with you when you go out and about with your baby can get crazy!   
*collaborative post but words are my own

My girly fashion bargains and how to find them!

I always try to take a minimalist approach to my wardrobe, constantly curating it and investing in only the pieces I really love, keeping everything clean, fresh and tidy, that is the dream! In a house of boys it can feel like the one area I have control over haha. Keeping less clothing and curating fewer pieces means I can dedicate more time to wearing, loving and appreciating each one, plus it helps me practise self control and is kinder to the planet! Because I only invest in a few pieces I love to fill the select spaces in my wardrobe with my favourite brands, however in the real world there is no way I can afford to spend £50-100 on a dress. I thought I would share with you my tips, exactly how I go about finding high cost items for much less, plus some absolutely adorable sales picks to go and grab now!

1. I subscribe to Love the Sales, I think I've mentioned this before on my blog but this is probably my favourite option because it delivers my favourite things to my inbox for me and I don't have to do anything else. I've been subscribed for quite a while now and I really like it. It caters for a lot of brands and shops... Disney, Missguided, GHD, Skinnydip, Nasty Gal, ASOS, you name it! I often use it to find fashion picks for my blog wishlists. It's kind of like the fashion version of Creative Market - it sends me pieces perfectly tailored to me, for example, if you are looking for Ted Baker...