Summer holidays

Heeeyy!

Wowee what a lovely week I've just had! My first holiday with my boyfriend Stuart, well, not our first but our first just the two of us and it was blummin' faaaabulous :)

I decided instead of uploading an album of 200 odd crappy photos on Facebook for my friends & family to see that I would write a blogpost with a handful of pictures instead, that way I have a cute little reminder to look back on to as well..

East Midlands Airport... en route!

So we decided to book a cheap get away & decided on Lanzarote, neither of us had been before so we thought it would be nice to have a week of nothing in a place neither of us had been - I got mixed reactions when I told people from 'oooh you'll love it' to 'Oh? Lanzagrotty?' so we decided to just go & make the most of whatever was there for us..

The gorgeous old town of Puerto Del Carmen fishing port

Representing What Sarah Did everywhere we went..

What you can see above is literally all we saw all week, we spent nearly everyday by the sea & eating ALOT of local food...and burgers, pizza & chips too of course! 

When we first arrived at Puerto Del Carmen, the first thing that we noticed that there was a lot of Irish bars, England shorts & bald tattooed men.... not quite what we had in mind, so we sat down & had a cocktail on the seafront... which 2 vans ended up parking infront  of us to ruin our view... not the greatest start but luckily we are able to laugh things like that off so decided to have a walk into the old town which people had recommended..

This was the pic I sent to my mum to let her know we had landed... :)

Stu wasn't too happy about carrying my 'I <3 Ibiza' bag bless him!

Our first meal with a glass of Sangria - standard!

...I did NOT like the local Brandy! Euuugh! This was burning my eyes just putting it there!

The old town was GORGEOUS! & we were so so happy to have found it, there  was some beautiful restaurants, it was fab watching the local kids jump off the rocks & in the evenings the old boys came out & played bowls in the square, we could have watched them for hours!

Making out he wasn't bothered about a calzone the size of his head - he nailed it to be fair!!

Tapas!! Yes!! We literally couldn't get enough of the local food... 

We were then advised to go to a beautiful restaurant in Puerto Del Carmen called Cafe La Ola... OH MY DAYS! It was absolutely stunning & I can't recommend it  enough, the service, the views & the menus, easily the best meal we had all holiday & I couldn't get enough of this 4 poster bed! :)

Cafe La Ola is hidden away near the casino at the top of the beachfront..

Meal with a view!

In. My. Element!!

Me & my best pal <3

We had a fab day out on a boat too, snorkeling & a banana boat ride, I'm not the strongest swimmer in the world so was abit nervous for jumping in the sea, but once I was in I was fine & it was one of my favourite days of the holiday by far..

..The guy at the front looks worried! haha!

We also visited a local market in Teguise, the views on the way there were gorgeous & it was nice to hear some facts about the villages along the way & the plans for the future of Lanzarote.. but the market itself was a little disappointing, we were hoping for local produce & be able to buy some gifts for family & friends but it was mainly fake Michael Kors bags... EVERYWHERE! but THEN, we stumbled across a gorgeous Crepe cafe up a side street & I was over the actual moon!!!

Local Spanish dancers at the market

Best crepe ever!!

Overall our holiday was exactly what we were after, a week of nothing but eating, sunbathing & just spending quality time with each other without our laptops & use of internet.. I would recommend Lanzarote as a getaway but I personally preferred Playa Blanca to Puerto Del Carmen (Pictured below..)

Watching the sunset on the harbour was one of my favourite evenings..

The essentials..

I borrowed this jumpsuit from my mate, I love it - it's by Dancing Leopard which you can also by here at SilkFred (I've spoke about them in previous posts..)

Here's a few pics of about 2% of the food we consumed..

We sat on our balcony & had breakfast some mornings..

Our meals at Cafe La Ola

Cute little Italian restaurant in the old town, I did have shoes on promise.. 

Had about 3 of these a day :) :)

....and about 10 of these!

I hope you like this post, I'm not going to lie, it was more for me & being able to have little diary style post of my holiday - but happy to share it with whoever fancies a read :)

Oh and we saw a dog chilling out with a cockerel... as you do!

Lotsa love,

My faithful Phantom Jewels necklace played a large part in this holiday! <3

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Stone + Armour

 Hello you lovely lot!

I've been looking forward to writing this post for a while now as it's about a company that is close to my heart - I've watched it grow from the very beginning & I'm proud to say that the founder of the company, Laura Williams, is also a good friend of mine too. (..but I promise I'd still bang on about her jewellery even if I didn't know her! :) )

I really hope that from reading this blogpost you will also fall in love with Stone + Armour..

S+A originated by hand-crafting the most beautiful delicate necklaces, using semi-precious stones & beads, the thing that I love about these necklaces is each one had its own meaning & Laura would study the stones to ensure that she was able to inform her customers the meaning behind the necklace & create a little story with it - this to me is what a brand is all about, not just producing a necklace that has nice colours or a pretty sparkle, but actual depth & something so that when a friend says 'oooh nice necklace' you can turn round and say.. 'well.. I'm actually wearing the stone of communication, it helps to inspire loyalty & trustworthiness' - see, sounds pretty cool right?!

This is Spectra Blue Lustre Spike Necklace (you can click on that link to view more pics of it) & I think it's one of my favourites - Perfect for the tribal trends that are hitting the catwalks for next season, layered up or worn on its own it looks fab!

Here's a few more of my faves from the S+A beaded collection..

More recently Laura has turned her talent to using metals in her work & my gosh I'm so excited by it!! So much so that I've already claimed some silver Magnum Earrings that I wear EVERYDAY & a gorgeous hand-stamped initial necklace called the Armatura Necklace.

Those of you that follow my instagram @cordelia_hearts will see that they feature in most of my pictures - I really struggle to find earrings that my ears are suited to as I'm sensitive to most metals, but these sterling silver ones are perfect, I even sleep in them! (naughty I know!)

Where the magic happens!

Me wearing both my S+A earrings & initialed necklace

These are the simple earrings I LIVE in, seriously - it's lovely how such a simple piece of jewellery can get so many compliments!

I'm so happy to be a proud owner of one of these necklaces.. mines the one with J on.. obvs!

Blurry pic, apologies - but you can just see my S+A necklace on this pic too :)

 Laura's talents don't stop there, just look at how incredible this ring is - it's not even on her website yet as it's still a working process, but a little birdy tells me that Laura is taking orders on these already for Christmas presents.. I'm actually in love with it, how amazing would it be with a black stone in it? ugh.. yes please!

Laura lives in Nottingham - about a 20 minute walk from my house which is nice & handy for when I need a jewellery fix ;) & hand-makes all of her jewellery in Nottingham, whilst attending a weekly jewellery class to constantly challenge herself & learn new skills.

For those of you that don't already follow, her instagram is @stoneandarmour where you will be able to follow her jewellery-making journey, I personally love the 'before and after' pics so that you are able to see how a slab of silver transforms into a piece of jewellery like this badboy..

How pretty is this?!

Laura is pretty shy when it comes to Instagram & doesn't post too many pics of herself.. I managed to find this one of her.... I always have serious fringe envy around her!!

                            

She does, however, have a dog called Frank who most definitely isn't shy of a selfie or two!!

 If you have a piece of jewellery in mind that you would love Laura to make for you - don't hesitate to contact her, she recently made this necklace for a customer as the numbers had a significant meaning behind them. Which I personally think makes the most thoughtful present for someone too, you could by your best friend a necklace with both your initials on.. too cute!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I for one can't wait to see what S+A come up with next, it's just getting better and better! Make sure if you decide to buy anything you tag me on my instagram @cordelia_hearts or Facebook ! I'd love to see what you purchase!

You can contact Laura via her instagram @stoneandarmour, her website www.stoneandarmour.bigcartel.com or even her facebook page www.facebook.com/StoneAndArmour

Love,

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Cabella Beauty Boutique

For those of you that follow my Cordelia Facebook page, will know that I absolutely love to promote anything that's Nottingham related & I'm really proud of the city that I live in.. but my gosh this little gem of a Beauty Boutique I've stumbled across would have got me travelling all over to give them a visit! I am so lucky to have CaBella on my doorstep! :)

Before I start this.. so I don't forget to tell you, by mentioning Cordelia at CaBella you receive 10% off!

What is CaBella?

You know when you really want to try some new make-up out, or just fancy a bit of a pamper at a beauty counter but you always get that salesy finish where you are almost forced to buy a product after? (Ok not all beauty counters are like this - but there is always an element of.. 'so.. what are you going to buy?' afterwards)

Well at CaBella you can get exactly that in the comfort of the most luxurious boutique setting, surrounded by stunning furnishings and beautiful colours you can get well and truly pampered by the CaBella team and simply pay for the service you received without any added expenditure at the end of your visit..

There are plenty of packages on offer, from The Bardot where you will receive a 30 minute makeover to The Elizabeth Taylor where the hair and beauty experts will spend a full 90 minutes on you totally transforming your look ready for your special occasion.. or simply a day out shopping with the girls! - How fab are the package names too? Dannica (whom I will talk more about shortly) is inspired by Holywood stars and this is clear from the second you walk in her store.. 

So inspired by this beautiful fireplace!

Waiting areas don't get more relaxing than this!

Obviously couldn't resist a cheeky selfie in this AMAZING mirror!

What are the team like?
So, I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect as I walked into CaBella, I was apprehensive that I would be judged as I walked through the door or be told I had my winged eyeliner on incorrect - but it is nothing like that at all! The team are an absolute bunch of beauts, both inside and out. I was greeted by the gorgeous Dannica who owns the store (only 22!!) her lovely mum Denise and one of their make-up artists Charlotte and instantly I felt relaxed, there was such a positive buzz in the air and I couldn't wait to hear more about the boutique.
Dannica has previously worked on the Urban Decay counter in Debenhams and also some freelance work alongside, she decided to take the plunge of opening her own place when inspired by a similar concept store in Liverpool, when talking to her I noticed that her own  make-up was simply perfect so already I knew I was in good hands!
Denise, Dannica's lovely mum, was quite obviously so proud of her daughter and said that she has always encouraged Dannica to follow her dreams :)

Charlotte, Dannica & Denise <3

CaBella is full of the cutest little quotes and sayings.. I felt inspired everywhere I looked!

A huge congratulations to Dannica who recently won best make-up at Portsmouth International Film Festival!!

What do they offer?
So as mentioned they have their fabulous beauty packages where you can walk in feeling like a toad and walk out looking like a princess, but they also offer gel nails and make-up tutorials too! Infact, this might be right up your street - I'm so impressed with the skills of this contouring pictured below & CaBella are holding an exclusive master class on 21st August where you can learn how to create this Kim Kardashian inspired look yourself! 
For more info call 0115 941 1701 or email cabellaboutique@hotmail.com

How absolutely stunning does Charlotte look! I need this tutorial in my life!

LOVE these beautiful compact mirrors on sale

These Alphabet Bags are just the cutest!!

Adorn Accessories
What makes things even more perfect about CaBella is that Dannica is related to the gorgeous Becca at Adorn Accessories!! Talk about a family business! So they also stock one of my favourite jewellery brands too - You will have seen on my instagram Cordelia_Hearts that I have been an avid fan of Adorn from their early days so I'm sure you can imagine how delighted I am that I now have a stockist locally so I can see all of their beauties in real life!

What's next for CaBella?
When I went to visit the boutique it had literally only been open 2 weeks so it was early days, but Dannica has a fantastic business mind on her & already has a lot in the pipeline- including designing her own make-up brand to sell in store and also she studying her teaching qualifications with the mind-set of opening a make-up school! VERY exciting times ahead for this lovely young lady.

So, how do I find this gem?
The best thing about CaBella is that it is hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the high-street but is still, at the same time, very central... I'm guessing if you have read to this point of the blog, the chances are you are from Nottingham, so you know Bridlesmith Gate?.. well.. it's there! Tucked away in the beautiful Bridlesmith Walk..

CaBella is situated opposite one of the best little cafes, White Rabbits.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, obviously you don't need to be from Nottingham to be involved - Why don't you plan a girly weekend here and get you and your friends booked in for a group makeover before a night out in town? If you do.. let me know, I might be out too and could meet up for a cocktail or three ;)

Thanks to the lovely Dannica for inviting me to see CaBella, I'm so excited to watch your journey and wish you every bit of success for the future - It's great to have some young, fresh and exciting ideas on the cobbled streets of Nottingham! :)

Website: www.cabella.co.uk.

Instagram: @CABELLABOUTIQUE

Facebook: CaBella

                                                                              Love,

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