Bye 2012!

I can't quite believe that is 2012 over - it doesn't feel like a whole year has passed since I wrote this post! In the last year so much has happened... I learned how to cook (which was my new year's resolution); we bought a house (!!!) & I love it so much I want to hug it sometimes; we went to the olympics (awesome awesome awesome); and I had loads and loads of fun with my very brilliant friends & family (who are very brilliant indeed).

It was also the year that blogging took over my life. I'm so pleased that I decided to start a blog all those months ago... it's been such a brilliant way to document my life, it's inspired me to try new things & do more DIYs & I've met so many nice people & had awesome opportunities because of it! If you are swithering over starting one yourself, I highly, highly recommend it - you won't look back!

To round up my year, I thought it would be fun to look back at my most popular posts from each month. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who reads this blog... I really appreciate it so much! 

January - How to: make a vegetable pie

February - Valentines cupcakes

March - Topshop make up

April - Home owners

May - How to: rolled hair updo

June - Pixar 'Brave' nail art

July - How to: do the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

August - A trip to the Olympics

September - How to: apply liquid eyeliner

October - Halloween how to: zombie make up

November - Christmas shopping: gifts for gals

December - Synaesthesia at Lush Spa, Edinburgh

For Hogmanay Craig & I are going to be super lazy and stay in, but it's pretty much my perfect evening. We'll have good food, good wine, champagne & a mega pop playlist. Perfect! 

Have a lovely New Year whatever you do, and I'll speak to you in 2013.

December sponsors!

Time to take a look at the lovely people who have been sponsoring Ever So Juliet this month! If you are looking for a new read or nice place to shop, then this should hopefully provide some inspiration....

Kel Loves...

Kel is a lifestyle blogger that ticks all of my boxes - baking, beauty, books & shopping (plus check out her awesome yellow duffel coat - I have jacket envy!). 

www.kelloves.blogspot.co.uk

Studio 336

Studio 336 is a blog with a passion for supporting handmade goods, sharing DIY ideas, a little everyday life, and the inner workings of the maker's mind.

www.studio336.com

Jess Buckley

I blogged about Jess a couple of days ago - she's a graphic designer who blogs about a little bit of everything, giving you a glimpse into her lovely life.

www.jessbuckley.com

If you would like to sponsor Ever So Juliet then you can do so here! This site currently reaches just under 10,000 unique users per month, who are all very lovely. Adverts start at only $5 (which is £3!) for a month on site & a spot in my monthly sponsor feature. 

I am also always up for a button swap, so just send me an email (thisisjuliet @ gmail.com) or comment below if you fancy it. Thanks!

Book love

Here's the second instalment in my monthly Book Love feature - a wee recap of what I've been reading over the last month. December was pretty busy, so I didn't go through that many books, but I am looking forward to a chilled out January curled up on the sofa with a good read.

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) - Lemony Snicket
I'm reading quite a lot of kids & young adult books at the moment, as I'm working on my second draft of my novel (which is aimed at 12 year olds). I love the narrator in Lemony Snicket, it's so cleverly done. Annoyingly, because I'd seen the film a few years ago I knew exactly what was going to happen, but it's still a really fun read.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman
Hmm. I wasn't expecting much from this book, but found it quite flat & was quite disappointed overall. Oh dear! The book retells the story of Jesus & apparently is quite scandalous, but I just found it boring. Perhaps it's better if you are religious (I'm not at all). Still, Pullman remains in my very favourite authors list because of the absolutely wonderful His Dark Materials trilogy (if you haven't read that yet, get it bought!).

The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber
As I'd recently had to drag myself through a couple of books (Good Man Jesus & Tommyknockers) I thought I'd treat myself by re-reading an old favourite. I don't think I can quite sum up how much I love this book. I think it might be my very, very favourite. I love the narrator (so clever and so perfect), I love Sugar (the main character), I love how quickly & utterly you fall into the world they are in, and how tied up you are at the end (I cried at the end... partly because I didn't want to stop reading about her!). It's a pretty gritty read & a little bit sweary (she's a prostitute after all), but I couldn't recommend it more. LOVE!

Nail polish collection

I'm not usually one for showing off Christmas presents, but I couldn't resist blogging about this - Craig got me an ace (and very, very useful) nail polish holder!

Nail varnish display from ebay

It fits my collection pretty perfectly (and gave me a much-needed push to clear out loads of the old clogged up polishes I had been hoarding for far too long). It's so nice to see all of them in one space, and know what colours I have without having to root around in a massive box for ages! 

There's also space underneath to fit another display in (which I think I'll have to do fairly soon, I'm pretty addicted to buying polishes!).

I'm a pretty huge fan of Models Own - they make such a lovely range of colours and they always go on really smoothly, which is important! I've got a few by Barry M - I don't think they are as consistent in terms of quality, but they are really affordable and I love their glitter polishes. I also love 17 - they always seem to be on special offer, or be part of free gift sets which is nice! 

I couldn't resist sorting them by colour either, which means it (sort of) matches my library too! 

Jess Buckley illustration

I feel like I am always tinkering with my blog in one way or another, and my recent mission has been updating my blog pages (the about ever so juliet, how to, blog roll, contact & sponsor links above) to make them a little more interesting. 

For my about me page I really fancied using an illustration (I figure there are enough photos on here of me already!) so I asked Jess to put something together for me and she came up with this! 

I love it! I think my favourite bit is Riley just casually lounging in my hair, how cute!

Jess put together a post on how she came up with the drawing (which you can read here) & you can order a custom illustration here if you fancy.

Christmas fun!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a very merry Christmas - I had planned to schedule a post to go up yesterday, but my last week has been very, very busy (in a good way!) and this is the first chance I've had to sit down with the laptop. I just wanted to share some photos from our day yesterday... I love this time of year!

Riley & our lovely Christmassy living room 

As this was our first Christmas in our new home, earlier this year we very enthusiastically invited my parents & Craig's parents round for Christmas dinner - not worrying about actually making it (or the fact that I had only just started to learn how to cook!). So I think it's fair to say I was a wee bit nervous about cooking a massive meal for six people, but I really shouldn't have been!

We had a really lazy morning (opened presents then watched the Muppets - perfect!), and I started prepping food around 3pm. I cheated for a lot of it (ready made cranberry sauce, turkey crowns instead of a full bird, etc) so my main mission was just making sure everything was cooked, hot and on plates at the same time!

I ended up serving food 14 minutes behind my "official schedule" (ha) but I think I did good! Everyone seemed very happy, plates were cleared & my mum said that it was the best turkey she had ever tasted (!!!) - high praise from my mum, the best cook I know!

I'm a much more confident baker than cook, so I couldn't resist making some sweet treats too! I made some Christmassy cupcakes (this recipe plus decorating inspiration from the Lily Pink bakery!) and a gingerbread house (this recipe plus tonnes and tonnes of sweets!). It took ages to decorate the gingerbread house because I'm a bit of a sweet perfectionist, but I really love how it turned out!

Today I've just been chilling out with Craig - Christmas is for spending time with the ones you love, and I am doing really well on that front so far!

Hope you're all having lovely days and are tucking into leftovers right now! x

Moving to the suburbs

This month marks a whole year since we bought our house. It's funny to think how fast time has flown by - I remember the utter stress of trying to find a mortgage, credit checks, traipsing around building sites, researching everything, trying not to get our hopes up.. and then, spending the most money we ever have on something that wasn't even built yet.

Dwellings cross stitch collection by not so modern millie (etsy)

It's been eight months since we moved to the suburbs, and life has changed in so many ways. Before, we were in a tiny little flat in the centre of town, surrounded by neighbours and noise and cars and shops. Now we live on the edge of a country park. Our neighbours are spaced out and super quiet - at night I can stand in my back garden and look to the sky and hear only the wind in the trees.

I used to be able to walk to the shop in two minutes, now I have to actually make shopping lists (!) and plan in advance (like a real, proper grown up). It's forced me to learn to cook, as I can't just nip out for tea. I have to be sensible now and think about money and where it goes. I can't just spend it all on dresses these days, I budget, have home insurance, and swoon over homeware catalogues. I've changed. (I still buy a ridiculous number of dresses though).

So here's to being a grown up, I guess. It's actually a lot of fun.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

BENEFIT BROW BAR

I used to get my eyebrows threaded, but fell into a bit of an eyebrow-rut when I could no longer get it done at my hairdresser. I tried a few different places but wasn't satisfied for various reasons... they were too expensive, or I didn't like the shape, or it was a pain to book... etc etc.

So when I noticed Claire, the lovely events co-ordinator from Benefit, tweeting that a brand new Brow Bar was opening in John Lewis Edinburgh I instantly messaged her saying - tell me more! (thank goodness for twitter).

I visited the Brow Bar on the very first day it opened, which was MANIC (well done to the staff for keeping so calm and collected while surrounded by a zillion customers) and had my eyebrows tinted and waxed. I was very happy with the end result, but didn't get a chance to fully take in the Benefit experience (or take any photos!) so Claire invited me back for another treatment* & to see how things operated on a more normal day.

When you first go in they sit you down at the make up bar and explain the process. The Benefit brow is tailored to match your face (no stencils in sight!) to ensure the perfect look. The Brow Expert maps your ideal shape in relation to your facial features, so it starts, arches and ends in the perfect position.

I was getting my brows tinted as well (mine are naturally super fair) and they chat to you about what look is best - I like strong brows so mine are quite dark, but if you're more of a natural girl you don't need to stress - it's all about making you happy! Your brows are then waxed (I find it a bit sore, but it's so quick you barely notice it), then a cooling gel is put on to calm things right down.

The very best bit about a Benefit Brow Bar is afterwards they take you back to the make up bar to conceal any red patches! This means you can easily book an appointment at lunchtime (it takes about 15-20 minutes) & go back to the office without your colleagues wondering why you have a red brow. They also define your new brows with brow zings (a brow shaping kit) which keeps them super neat.

This is what the finished result looks like (ignore my scruffy, scruffy hair!). I'm really pleased with them, thanks Benefit!

It costs £11.50 for a brow arch, or £18 for an arch and tint which is a total bargain in my books!

Tiny felt creatures

Aren't these the loveliest things you ever did see? I just wanted to share something awesome with you all today - little felt creatures that my very talented friend Kate crafts!

Here's some of the brooches she has made recently - I think my favourite is the very dapper fox with the anchor jumper & tiny pipe. Look at the attention to detail! Amazing.

Every felt creature she makes is stitched by hand & are all custom orders - so you can ask for anything! They can also be made as brooches or necklaces -  I think a little fox brooch pinned on a yellow cardigan would look really lovely.

If you would like to order one, just email colleran.kate (at) gmail (dot) com with an idea of what you had in mind. Prices start at £20 (there's a little bit of waiting line, but it's totally worth it!).

Happy thoughts

Aw, it has been TOO long since I last did a happy thoughts post, so I thought I'd bring them back. Here's three things that have made my life that wee bit happier recently.

1. It's my birthday week!

Last year's birthday face - I got a Sheriff badge! 

I'm one of those people who, given the excuse, will make a celebration last as long as possible. It's my birthday on SATURDAY (hiya!) so this week is officially my birthday week & I will make sure everyone knows it! I'm not sure exactly what my birthday plans are, but as long as I see my pals & family I'm a happy girl.

I quite often get comments along the lines of "oh, it must be weird having your birthday so close to Christmas..." but I actually really, really love it! My family have always made a big deal of keeping my birthday & Christmas totally separate and it's such a FUN time of year - everyone is in a good mood. Including me. Hooray!

2. The Hobbit

INCREDIBLE Hobbit Hill cake by Katrina Kippen

We went to see The Hobbit last week and I really loved it! I'm a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, and was a little apprehensive about it (would it have the same magic? how on earth could they stretch it out to three films? what is HFR? etc) but it really was everything I wanted in a Hobbit film & I'd highly recommend it!

We watched the high frame rate version (which means you see 48 frames per second, rather than the usual 24) and it was really strange at first! I kept thinking it was like watching a TV show, which was really bizarre (although my helpful friend Murray pointed out that this is because TV films at a higher frame rate - I wasn't just going mental). It takes a while to get used to, but all of the fantastical & 3D scenes look BEAUTIFUL. Go and get lost in Middle Earth for a couple of hours, you won't regret it!

3. NASA

I love NASA so much. I have said it before & I will say it again, but I wish I was an astronaut! Or had a mind that was a little more science/maths friendly, so I could work with them!

The students at NASA's Johnson Space Centre have made a Gangnam-style (I know, I know) parody video.... but it's actually really good! Love you, NASA.

Party people: Scottish bloggers & The List Hot 100

Ooooh it has been a fun week!

On Monday I went to the Scottish Bloggers Christmas Party, which had been organised by Roisin, Gillian & Claire. I headed through with Lianne beforehand and was super nervous - this was my first proper blogger meet up & I wasn't sure what to expect! Luckily (and obviously) it was totally ace - everyone was lovely and chatty, the drinks were plenty (thanks Monkey Bar!), it was brilliant meeting people in the proper real world AND we raised £190 for Glasgow Women's Aid in the charity raffle (I won goodies from CuriouScope & a Barratts voucher - lucky me!).

The dress code was christmas party dresses/awful christmas jumpers & I found this BEAUT in the charity shop across from my work for £3.50. It has animals on it (dogs? llamas? who knows?), is grey & brown striped & has TASSELS. Oh yes.

There's chat of another meetup being organised in the new year in Edinburgh & I can't wait - bring it on!

The next night (my poor head) I went to The List's Hot 100 party. If you don't know The List (shock, horror, etc) it's basically a Scottish version of Time Out & also where I spend most of my time, Monday to Friday. We're putting on more and more events these days and it is FUN, and it was ace getting the opportunity to invite my fellow Scottish blogger pals along.

I drank ginger grouse (yum!), tried to dance to music that was a bit too cool for me, and could not resist the photobooth (I'm addicted). FUN!

Today is the List staff lunch, then I have a quietish weekend, and then the countdown to my birthday starts. Tis the season to have parties!

How to: make a sugar scrub

As much as I love shopping, I am a big fan of homemade gifts - I think it's really nice to put a little bit of effort in AND it also tends to be cheaper, which is always good! 

Here's a really easy DIY - how to make a lovely coconut & vanilla sugar scrub. Mmm! (Mum & sisters, please look away now - ha!). 

I used American cups to measure everything out as it seemed easier - if you don't have a set there's loads of conversion calculators online!

For one jar, you'll need the following:

• 2 cups of sugar (I mixed granulated and caster sugar)
• 4 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• Food colouring
• A jar! I got mine from Ikea. 

Measure out your sugar and put in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil (I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds), then mix in the grapeseed oil and vanilla extract. Stir it all together, and add in a couple of drops of food colouring. Stir again, check that the scent is as strong as you'd like & spoon into a jar!

It's SO easy!

As I was making these as gifts, I cut out some washi tape into triangles & stuck it round the jars to look like bunting. I made some gift tags & tied them on with tiny bits of tinsel. Lovely stuff!

Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with NOW Pensions (thanks guys!). They're keen to put money saving at the forefront of people's minds this Christmas, and to think about saving money more generally - particularly when it comes to saving money for the future. 

50% off Motel!

Are you looking for a Christmas party dress? Well, I have a bit of a treat for you!

Motelrocks.com are launching their sale next week, but you can get 50% off now! Just take a look at the secret selection of items that are going to be in the sale & use the code XMASPREVIEW50 to get the discount.

Motel do free next day UK delivery & free USA delivery too. Phew!

Outside of sale-fun you can also always use EVERSOJULIET to get 20% off items. Let me know if you get anything... (and sorry for being such an enabler!).

Synaesthesia at Lush Spa, Edinburgh

Last week the very first Scottish Lush spa opened up in Edinburgh - on Princes St just a little bit along from the old shop, sitting straight across from Edinburgh Castle.

I'm a HUGE Lush fan, but who isn't? They are animal-friendly - using only vegetarian ingredients (and never, ever testing on animals), and people friendly - creating fresh products with little or no preservatives or packaging.

So I was super excited when I was invited down to try out the signature spa treatment, Synaesthesia*. This is a ninety minute treatment where scent, sound, touch & sight all combine to create your chosen state of mind. It sounded a bit bonkers, but I was definitely keen to go with it, and see what actually happened.

The spa is in the basement of the brand new Lush shop (which is much more spacious than their previous home). It feels nothing like what you'd expect from a spa - instead it's based on the founder's own kitchen, and is a cosy, homely space for you to relax and chat with your therapist before the treatment. (I want those chairs!).

There's a large blackboard in the kitchen and you are invited to pick the word that jumps out to you the most, which your treatment is then built around. I went for mind-cleanser (which sounded LOVELY) and was told I'd be getting a treatment of a head and face massage, hot and cold stones, leg massage, back massage & my choice of a stomach rub or chakra massage. Phew!

Then I was asked to pick from one of a row of coloured bottles - scents that were going to be added to my treatment, but I wasn't allowed to chose by smell. Again, I had to just go for whatever appealed to me most. I picked a tiny bottle that said happy on it.

You are then given the choice to shower/clean your make up off before the treatment (they have all sorts of nice lotions and potions in the bathroom for you to use). When you're ready the therapist gets you settled in the room and explains exactly what you should do (which is so helpful, especially if you're like me & get stupidly nervous you'll do something wrong!).

I don't want to spoil the surprises of the treatment for you, but it was BRILLIANT! The treatment is choreographed to specially composed music which takes you across a day and night - I found myself drifting in and out, and every now and again would realise that birds were softly cheeping. Surreal but lovely!

Afterwards you are given a cup of tea (brewed with some of the oils used in your treatment), a massage bar and bubble bar & a chat with your therapist who answers any questions you have. I was so chilled out that I couldn't think of any apart from asking who does the famous Lush handwriting (turns out it's one person called Jo!).

I felt AMAZING afterwards - so ridiculously blissed out all day, and I ended up going to bed at 11pm and sleeping until 1pm the following day (and felt brilliant and chilled when I woke up too!).

Treatments start at £40 and you can see what's on offer at lush.co.uk/spa. Thank you so much to Lush Edinburgh for having me along!

Christmas spending

It's December, which means Christmas is ON! Festive lights are up everywhere, the markets are open, mulled wine is brewing & I've got my beautiful (real!) Christmas tree up and decorated (more on this soon!).

This year I've tried to be as organised as possible! I started shopping in November to try & spread the costs of presents out a little more & have been armed with spreadsheets, lists and highlighters to keep me right (and avoid any potential "ohgodohgodohgodIforgotaboutsoandso" panic). I realise that sounds very boring, but I promise it's fun & not quite as military-esque as it sounds!

Anyway, as fun as being Captain Organised is, I still always look forward to a "proper" day of Christmas shopping with my mum - bustling round shops, feeling like santa with millions of bags & going for "reward" cups of coffee. Ace!

So, this leads me (sort of) nicely onto a new ad that was flagged up to me last week. It's promoting Barclaycard's contactless payment (which, really, is some sort of wonderful witchcraft!), where you either tap your card or your phone over a contactless reader & instantly pay for items up to £15. No faffing with your wallet, or struggling to juggle bags, or anything!

 

The ad is very Toy Story esque... toys come to life to show how easy shopping can be. The future is here... 

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Spreaditfast.

How to: bake scones

Scones are one of my very favourite things, but up until recently I had never actually tried to bake them. Turns out it's super easy & I am at great risk of becoming completely addicted. Ah well! Here's how you do it...

You'll need the following ingredients:

• 225g of self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g of butter
• 25g of caster sugar
• 150ml of milk
• 1 egg
• handful of sultanas (optional)

& you should heat your oven to 220 degrees.

Start by measuring out the flour, salt & butter. 

Rub the mixture between your fingertips, until it looks like breadcrumbs. This will be easier if the butter is at room temperature & chopped into smaller pieces.

Stir in the sugar, make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the milk. Stir.

Add the sultanas and mush it all together until it starts to form a dough.

Then roll your dough out onto a floured surface (stops it sticking!) and use a cutter to stamp out your scones.  Keep re-rolling out the dough to use up all of it.

Beat the egg and lightly brush onto the top of each scone. Turns out I didn't actually have a pastry brush, so I just sort of smeared it on with a spoon instead (hence the gloopiness!). Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, until the scones are well-risen and all lovely and golden.

Serve warm with butter and loads and loads of jam. Yum!

Christmas fairs in Edinburgh & Glasgow

Looking for somewhere to buy unique, handmade, lovely presents this year? I've put together a wee list of the nicest looking craft & shopping fairs taking place in Edinburgh & Glasgow this month...

EDINBURGH

Noir | Christmas Bookmarket | Judy's | Maker's Markets

Noir! #11 'A Christmas Fair'
8th & 9th December, 11am - 7pm
A weekend of fashion, design, food & an arts market at Summerhall. There will be bespoke stalls, exhibitions, live music performances, toy making workshops, & more! It's worth a visit just to see the building alone - it was the old Vet School & is still packed full of interesting & quirky stuff.

Christmas Bookmarket
6th, 13th & 20th December, 6 - 9pm
The lovely Fruitmarket Gallery run events all year round for artists, designers, publishers and other creative types to sell and present their work at the gallery. They are running three festive events in December (first one is tonight!) which promise lovely gifts & a pop up hot chocolate parlour (hello).

Judy's Very Vintage Christmas Fair
16th December, 12 - 5pm
Britain's biggest vintage fair is setting up shop at the HMV Picturehouse again for a special seasonal event. There will be vintage-inspired gifts and collectibles, gorgeous clothes, carollers, tea & cake & lots of loveliness.

The Makers Markets
8th December - St Andrews
15th December - Portobello
These markets run all year round in five different venues across Scotland. You'll find a mix of artists, crafters and designers from all over Scotland.


GLASGOW

Lighthouse | Granny Would Be Proud | Little Birds | Traditional 

Christmas Markets at the Lighthouse
8th, 15th & 22nd December, 10.30am - 5pm
An art and craft market with 30 artists, designers and makers, including my very talented pals Debbie (designer of beautiful prints) & Claire (tie dye extraordinaire). Visit their stall & say hi!

Granny Would Be Proud
9th, 16th & 23rd December, 12 - 7pm
A small but perfectly formed vintage, design arts and crafts fair, held in the super cool Hillhead Bookclub. They guarantee smiley sellers & affordable gifts & have the best name!

Little Birds Market
9th December, 12 - 5pm
Exhibitors selling everything from homewares, upcycled furniture, jewellery & millnery to baking, vintage clothes, accessories and artwork. Phew! Little Birds markets are based in the Grand Ballroom of Sloans, with 'Mrs Sloans Cake Salon' running all day (amazing).

Traditional Christmas Market
All month, 10am - 8pm (ish)
You need to go to at least one traditional market each year, and Glasgow's sits in St Enoch Square. Eat bratwurst, drink mulled wine, be merry. Hooray!

Lovecrumbs, Edinburgh

Recently I met my friend Lianne for the best kind of lunch - all cake, and nothing sensible. We went to lovecrumbs, an amazing wee cakey cafe just up from Edinburgh's Grassmarket.

The cafe is lovely! It's full of quirky, mis-matched furniture, and feels like you've just stumbled into some brilliant guerrilla cake party. There's an old piano in the corner and little window nooks for curling up and watching the world go by - basically the perfect place to be if you find yourself with a free afternoon & a good book.

The cakes are displayed on old pallets and in a huge wardrobe (which is amazing - surely cake is the next best thing to find in a wardrobe... after Narnia, obv!).

It was hard picking what to go for (check out the gooey chocolate tart in the first photo), but in the end I went for a ridiculously massive slice of chocolate, banana and peanut butter cake and coffee. GOOD LORD. Lianne had an equally huge lemon cake and tea (that came in a thermos, aw).

The cakes were gooooood. Mine was really moist & the combination of chocolate, peanut butter & banana was amazing. Just writing this post is making me hungry, I need to get back!

If you find yourself in Edinburgh, check them out. Lovecrumbs is at 155 West Port (roughly between the Grassmarket & Lothian Road).

Dream handbag wishlist

I thought I'd do something a little big different today, in honour of a little fashion show that's taking place in my hometown today (Chanel in Linlithgow - who would believe it?!).

I'm very much a highstreet girl when it comes to clothes. I am trying to move more into the mindset of quality over quantity, but I find it hard to resist pretty dresses... especially when they are under twenty pounds! But accessories are different. It doesn't matter if you change size or shape - shoes, handbags and sunglasses will always fit.

Generally I try and only blog about things that are affordable (maybe a little splurgey, but nothing too mental),  but as it's "Linlithgow Chanel" day (omg), here's my pick of ridiculously beautiful handbags that are on my wishlist.

Top row

Marc by Marc Jacobs 
A super chic leather cross-body bag. Such a grown up bag, it's lovely. & it's £470.

Mulberry Bayswater 
The dream! Such a classic, wonderful, I-will-keep-you-forever bag. It's (gulp) £795.

Lulu Guinness Envelope Clutch 
I am rubbish with clutches (I always drop them!) but I'd make an effort for this one! Love the lips clasp. It's £275.

Bottom row

Orla Kiely
The foxes! Orla Kiely is a master of beautiful prints, and this is no exception. It's £255.

Vintage Chanel
OF COURSE I had to include Chanel. This one really is a dream, £1,600.

Modula Pippa
A bright bag is a lovely way to add colour to an outfit. This one earns a million bonus points for having LOADS of compartments and pockets. & it's the cheapest on the list at £220.

Disclaimer: This post is written on behalf of Dilemma. All dreamy bags chosen by me.

Nanowrimo winner!

During November I took part in National Novel Writing Month (see my previous posts here). The challenge was to write 50,000 words in one month - giving you (roughly) a first draft of a novel to work on. 

& I did it! (PHEW).

Yay! 

This year I cheated a little bit by using nanowrimo to continue a novel I had already started (I wrote 10,000 words in the summer), which means I now have a first draft of 60,000 words. I'm writing a young adult book, so the word count is sort of about right, but I'm not going to worry about that too much until I'm through a couple more drafts!

Now my next challenge is to KEEP GOING. One of the main reasons I like nanowrimo is that I really like working to targets and deadlines & they provide all sorts of fun word count widgets & graphs. I hated being behind, so I really pushed myself to write - even on days where I was tired, or lazy or just not in the mood. Now that I'm working off my own steam it's a bit harder - it's easier to go "ah, I'll just do it at the weekend", and fall back into lazy habits!

So I think I am going to get a diary or something and tick off each day that I write, giving myself mini deadlines along the way. I am determined to keep writing - even if it's rubbish, I really enjoy it!

November instagram

I'm knackered. What a month! I've been writing furiously for National Novel Writing Month (you can see my final word count in the box on the right of this post!), baked a three-tier wedding cake, blogged almost every second day & still managed to get out of the house a few times. PHEW.

Good thing December will be so chilled.. (er....!).

Instagram username: @eversojuliet

1. Craig & I were invited to a special event at Ikea for being one of their "most loyal" family members. I dread  to think what that actually means (in our defense, we had to furnish a house from scratch & they are good for a bargain!). It was really fun though - we got goody bags filled with really useful Christmas stuff (sellotape, notebooks, discount voucher & chocolate) and went to a couple of Christmassy workshops.

2. Edinburgh's Hogmanay launched this year's programme, which is all themed around luck. This year I am determined to go to the torchlight procession, it looks amazing!

3. Riley only really gets outside at the weekends now, as we keep him in when it's dark, so most weekends I get woken up like this. Look at that grumpy face!

4. I made scones, my favourite food ever. Recipe coming very soon...

5. We stayed up til about 3am watching the US election coverage. I went to bed very nervous & then was so relieved to wake up and hear the news! Well done American pals.

6. My view commuting to work (coming home is pitch black). I love living on the edge of town SO much. I can't wait until the fields are all snowy and lovely.

7. Ingredients for a wedding cake. I used my go to vanilla sponge recipe & Claire recommend her favourite chocolate cake recipe (which, bloody hell, is AMAZING). My lovely pals Jude & Charlotte were getting married & it was the most wonderful day. I wish I could go to a wedding every weekend! I love love.

8. Muzz, Biddy & I at the wedding. I pined some net to my hair & was obsessed with it - wish I could wear it every day! You can see a more detailed/posey photo here.

9.  The nice folks at Motel sent me my first Christmas card! You can get 20% off all year round with the code eversojuliet - keep it in mind if you are on the hunt for a party dress.

10. Rae and I obsessed with moustaches at Tachebooth!

11. At The Stand for Red Raw, the beginner's comedy showcase that runs every Monday. It only costs £2 to get in & it's a mixture of brand new comedians & more experienced ones trying out new material.

12. & finally Riley... snoozing away. I'm a bit jealous of how he spends his days!

November sponsors!

You might have noticed that for the last month or so I've had sponsors on my blog (look, over on the right!). They are all lovely people for helping me fund my nail polish & over-priced coffee habits, so I'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to them all.

Here's a bit of blurb about each of them (they are quite an eclectic bunch!). If you like the look of what you see, please visit their sites & say hello...

Barratts

Barratts Shoes provide shoes, boots, wellies, slippers and footwear for all the family. From classic styles to the latest trends, the store aims at stocking something for everyone.

www.barratts.co.uk

Auld Reekie Roller Girls

Auld Reekie Roller Girls are an all female flat track roller derby league based in Edinburgh, Scotland. (If you're asking yourself - what's roller derby? - then look here!). Next spring ARRG are holding their second home season - where the Cherry Bombers, Leithal Weapons and Skatefast Club battle to be champions!

www.arrg.co.uk

Tastes Like Love
Lauren's blog is a lovely colourful, crafty place to be! She blogs about her daily advenutres, illustrations, vintage finds, fancy folk & the delightful things she comes across. A lovely, lovely read!

www.tasteslikelove.blogspot.com.au

Sugar and Vice
Sugar & Vice is a jewellery company based in Canterbury, Kent, providing you with a one-stop shop for statement pieces and personalised jewels. They pride ourselves on our friendly, polite service, quality products and speedy delivery. The necklaces are gorgeous!

www.sugarandvicedesigns.com

Indie Chic Boutique
Indie Chic are an independent Edinburgh based women's clothing and lingerie boutique. They scour the world to bring clothes, lingerie, vintage pieces & all things pretty from Los Angeles, San Franciso, New Year and Miami to the UK.

Find them in-store at 111 Broughton Street Edinburgh, EH1 3RZ

or

www.indiechicboutique.co.uk

If YOU would like to sponsor Ever So Juliet then you can do so here! This site currently reaches just under 10,000 unique users per month (crazy, I know) & adverts start at only $5 (£3 to us UK-folk!) for a month. I use Passionfruit ads which means it's really easy to purchase, upload artwork, track your ad stats & see your advert up immediately.

Alternatively I am always up for a button swap - just send me an email (thisisjuliet @ gmail.com) or comment below if you fancy it!

Book love

One of my very, very favourite things to do is read. I love it. I can't understand why you wouldn't read (and to be honest, I slightly distrust people who don't like reading...sorry!). I have always been a very speedy reader, but doing an english literature degree really stepped it up a notch.

So I've decided to start a new monthly feature on my blog - a wee recap on the books I've read in the last month. I think it'll be fun to see how many I go through in a year, and hopefully will provide reading inspiration if anyone out there is looking for a new book!

As this month has been taken over massively by nanowrimo I'm including October's reads too (which includes all of my holiday reading!). I should point out, these aren't meant to be 'real' reviews (I'm too rambly for that), just my thoughts of each one!

Summer of Night - Dan Simmons 
Dan Simmons writes terrifying books. I couldn't read The Terror if I was alone in the flat. I had to stop reading Drood because I had really mental nightmares about it (an embarrassingly true fact). This book is a total cracker though! It's one of his earlier books, and it is so so so scary. Read it & freak yourself out. Then read the Terror, because it's amazing.

Embassytown - China Mieville
I am a big fan of China Mieville, but found this a really tricky book to get into. I sometimes think I'm maybe just not smart enough for his books because they are always based around such a clever concept.. and with this one it meant I was spending more time trying to figure out what was happening, than enjoying the plot. He's an incredible author though - Perdido Street Station is a brilliant piece of fantasy fiction.

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
I'm writing a young adult book at the moment, so thought it would be useful (and fun!) to read some books aimed at the same age group. This looked pretty good ("number one bestseller!" etc), but ohhhh I HATED Artemis Fowl. What an annoying character. He's just amazing and clever and perfect at everything. And he's not nice to his mum. No thank you.

Un Lun Dun - China Mieville
More young adult reading - this time a good one! I raced through the book really quickly, which was a nice change after my slow pace through Embassytown. He's just so creative and funny and good. I like him a lot. I can't wait until my book-loving niece is old enough for this, I think she'd love it.

Warlock - Wilbur Smith
I am a sucker for historical fantasy - I had read River God a few years ago, so was quite chuffed to find out that there was another novel in his Egyptian series (even though it came out in 2007... I am seriously behind the times). It was a perfect book to read on holiday - light enough to dip in and out of, but exciting enough that I absolutely raced through it!

American Gods - Neil Gaiman
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years, but I hadn't gotten round to reading it until last month. Neil Gaiman is really wonderful and you should read at least something by him, if you haven't already. Next up on my list is Anansi Boys, which (sort of) follows on from American Gods.

Patrick Ness - The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer & Monsters of Men
These books make up the Chaos Walking trilogy and they are practically perfect in every way. Buy them buy them buy them! (I really can't recommend them strongly enough. Love love love).

Those in Peril - Wilbur Smith
I am usually quite of fan of an action/adventure book, but in this case - oh, bore off Wilbur Smith! If you've read any of his other books you really don't need to read this one. It's packed with one-dimensional characters who do daft things in daft situations. I really can't be bothered with female characters who are presented as being SO STRONG until they melt in the arms of an even stronger man. Whatever.

The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. At the beginning and end it was exciting & scary & quite thrilling. But the middle went on FOREVER and it did feel like it was taking me months to read it.

The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling
Ahh, we're definitely not in Hogsmeade any more! Like the rest of the world, I would have bought J.K. Rowling's new novel regardless of what it was actually about... she is an amazing storyteller and character writer. But small-town political dramas aren't really my cup of tea. I sort-of liked it. I definitely wouldn't re-read it though (sorry JK, I still love you).