016: my university creative communication project sketchbook on cath kidston

FAVOURITE THING TO DO

so welcome to part two of my sketchbooks from university! i have to say in hindsight i adored this project so much whilst i really didn't enjoy my time at uni. i completely adore cath kidston and having to do an entire project on the brand and herself was such a pleasure and something i found really interesting. i created two final outcomes that i photographed with the lovely olivia and jazmine, which i might share soon!

all of the pages from the sketchbook (both photographed and not, just so you get the picture of the work i did!):
main focus for the project and the initial response • an introduction to cath kidston • cath kids ton's inspirations • vogue about cath kidston (analysed) • brand introduction • first shop • first print • first collection • print history • past collections • cath kidston fashion • 2004 • the (international and national) expansion of cath kidston • stock lists and store locations • customer profile • celebrities with cath kidston • coming up roses • coming up rose talk at the cheltenham literature festival • comments on the notes taken at the festival • visual merchandising • cath kidston press releases • the cath kidston blog • twitter and pinterest • facebook • autumn/winter 2013 catalog • fashion promotion • collaborations • events • working with bloggers • the future • own fashion promotion imaging work for cath kidston • thumbnails • editing • examples of where the photograph would be used x2

«currently in the record player: arctic monkeys am» 

lots of love,
lily 

015: the perfume tag

SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF FLORAL, FRESH AND FRUITY

what's your current love? definitely dot by marc jacobs!
on a lazy day i reach for… probably tommy girl by tommy hilfiger, it's a really nonchalant smell… if that ever did exist. 
what perfume would you wear at nighttime/date night? either lola by marc jacobs, fierce by abercrombie and fitch or madame by jean paul gaultier. all three are quite strong smelling and i like perfume being noticed so they are perfume. whilst fierce is for men, it's an irresistible scent and madame reminds me of chocolate oranges, so it's always a winner once it's settled! 
what is your favorite winter scent? i've always struggled to find a winter scent but pomegranate noir by jo malone gets it. i don't own it myself but i can't resist not having a little sniff whenever i walk past my mums. 
what is your favorite summer scent? either g of the sea by hakajuku lovers, daisy eau so fresh by marc jacobs or mandarin tea by love and toast.
what's your most recent perfume purchase? that would be artemisia by penhaligon's 
what perfume is on your wish list? there are a lot as i love perfumes but to name a few i'd say honey by marc jacobs, vanilla and anise by jo malone and armani code by giorgio armani. 
what's your favorite scent category? (fruity, floral, fresh, oriental, woodsy) something along the lines of floral, fresh and fruity
what fragrance/cologne do you like on your significant other? alex wears only the brave tattoo by diesel which is actually quite a sweet fragrance, so don't be put off by the bottle! 

«currently in the record player: arctic monkeys am» 

lots of love,
lily 

014: a few of my favourite things & a room tour video!

I'M ALSO A NOTORIOUS RECEIPT KEEPER

having moved everything back from my university room i forgot how much stuff i actually had. once i put it all in my room i really hated how cluttered everything looked but i've come to realise that clutter=good and it's okay to be a hoarder! whilst i don't have it as bad are the tv programmes portray it i just love keeping things. from the bottle of vanilla vodka i drank the first night alex kissed me to the coconut i ate coconut ice cream from in paris with my best friend phoebe… i keep it all in my bedroom. i'm also a notorious receipt keeper, not because i might need to take something back (of course not, that would make sense) but because it holds memories.

recently, i've discovered where i get my hoarding tendencies from and that would be from my papa. we've had to put up numerous shelves around the house to home all of his little trinkets and having seen how much little things mean to him has definitely rubbed off on me to. so i thought i'd go through my own little shelf in my room and let you know what is on it. i'm also hoping to do the same with my little trinket holders you can see here.

 «currently in the record player: jake bugg shangri la (yup again!)»

lots of love, 
lily 

013: cath kidston s/s 2014

I SQUEALED OVER JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING

i'm certainly not one for copious amounts of press releases in my inbox. however, give me anything cath kidston related and i'm guaranteed to adore it. the catalogue came through my door just i was getting ready to snuggle up in bed with a cath kidston mug of tea - of course this hugely made up for having to get out of bed. i squealed over just about everything before instagraming a picture of it and just had to share it with you once it landed in my email inbox as well.
i feel like cath kidston's clothing isn't as celebrated as the rest of the treasures in store for some reason it's highly underrated. however, i urge you to check out the most recent collection, i already have but i think i will be numerous more times. (below are my favourite picks from the spring collection that is already in store!) 
  

«currently in the record player: jake bugg shangri la» - it's not left the player ever since i got it!

lots of love,
lily 

012: my university visual library sketchbook

PART ONE OF THE SKETCH BOOK POSTS

this is part one of the sketch book posts as i didn't think i could get all the photographs in one post as this is already *a very photograph heavy post*. therefore, i won't say much! but, this is my 'visual library' we had to put together at university. we were told to put them in a4 folders but i work a lot better in a scrapbook layout so that's what i did and they liked it! the sketchbook was from paperchase and i would highly recommend all of the brown paper sketchbooks as i have gotten through  a high volume of them!

 «currently in the record player: jake bugg shangri la»

lots of love, 
lily 

011: wish list number one

WISH LIST NUMBER ONE

imac: one word, yum. i've always preferred an imac over a macbook, there is just something so pretty about them. plus, i hate the idea of carrying around a laptop that costs £1,000.

marie antoinette vinyl: this is currently my most coveted vinyl and probably will be forever. if you haven't listened to the soundtrack properly before i urge you to! someone has kindly uploaded the soundtrack here and here and honestly sofia coppola's soundtracks are second to none. (i also strongly recommend the bling ring soundtrack which someone has made a playlist of here!) i forgot to say it's like ridiculously rare, so i'll probably never get my mitts on the soundtrack on vinyl.

cath kidston ipad cases (patchwork gadget case and spotted cover): i saw the patchwork case in the sloane square store and just fell in love with this new print. i then fell even deeper for the spotted cover and couldn't help but think it would be the cutest ipad cover duo ever.

jo malone vanilla and anise: in my opinion there is (from bottom to top!) perfume, penhaligons, marc jacobs, then jo malone. all of the her fragrances are just out of this world. plus harry styles and i both share the same favourite jo malone scent that is vanilla and anise.

lush neon love soap: having worked at lush for three years i'm always going to be a fan of there products. however, this is just such an amazingly scented soap - quite jo malone like in scent as well!

 «currently in the record player: the great gatsby soundtrack»

lots of love, 

lily

010: my new do!

THE HAIR CUT MY DAD DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!

this ladies (and gentlemen?) this the hair cut my dad didn't even notice! neither did a lot of people as a matter of fact. anyway! it's been a good while since i last showed my face on this little blog and a lot of you probably didn't see what my hair was like before i had it cut so here is a picture pre chop. whenever i have a hair cut i always end up going for something i had when i was considerably younger rocking teal green glittery jelly shoes - but hey, i think it kinda works, what do you think? i felt like summer finn getting my hair all chopped off, someone queue hall and oates? 

 «currently in the record player: first aid kit drunken trees»

lots of love,

lily 

009: how and why i became a uni drop out

THE BASICS

what course?:
fashion promotion and imaging
where?: 
the university for the creative arts (the epsom campus)
why did i choose uca originally?:
• i loved the diversity of the course as i was so excited about learning and exploring the industry that i thought it was perfect.
• it's also a £6.55 train fare away (including underground ticket!) from london, instead of the
£50 fare from home to london. 
• and lastly, i loved the vibe, on the open day it felt so creative and homely.

THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS

why did i leave?:
• i was hardly in, for someone that loves working hard and finishing things i felt like i rarely did anything (whilst this isn't saying we didn't get set any work!). we had two scheduled days off and on the other days i was timetabled to do something i would be in for 2 hours tops. this wouldn't have bothered me at all if we weren't told on the open day and even on the time tables we were given it said we'd be in 10am-4pm. i know friends that are hardly in as well but, it would have been nice to have had a more realistic timetable in the beginning - plus they aren't somewhere as quiet as epsom. 
• this leads me on nicely to the fact that it just wasn't worth the money. now clearly there are very few courses (if any!) that are worth £9,000 a year but i just felt like this barely came close to the figure.
• i had an unbelievable amount of free time and went home almost every thursday. which doesn't sound like too much i guess but, home was 2 1/2-3 hours away and a £30+ journey away every time.
• which add ups and leads on to the point where i had a little bit of an awakening- the day i hit £0.00. i had spend a lot (and i mean a lot) of money keeping myself occupied and knew i couldn't go on spending so much just so i wasn't bored in my room for weeks on end. 
• going back to the point where i said i was only in 2 hours tops, i also felt really uninterested by the lecture sessions. however, i don't for a second think i choose the wrong course because i was so excited about learning. i found sitting for two hours listening to someone talk about their life or watching a film really quite boring. especially when we were close to deadlines and were told to attend film viewings i thought it was a little bit silly and like they were trying fill in time.
• another factor was my facebook news feed - it was full of my friends enjoying themselves at university and it made me realised how much i wasn't enjoying it. uni should be an experience, not just a degree at the end of 3 years and a debt. i especially think this relates with creative courses because it's the work experience and contacts that gets you places in the industry. 
• as well as all of this home just made a lot more sense. i mean there is a good university here, i'm closer to my family, my friends and alex, plus i'd have my car back.

how do i feel about leaving?:
• honestly i feel like a failure, university is something i've been working towards for so many years and it's just not worked out. i've wasted a lot of my own and my families money and time and there really isn't much i can do about it.
• but, i am also happy that i am happy and back at home. it made me a very grumpy bunny and as soon as i stepped off the train and on the epsom platform my stomach just sank and i felt like crying. so for now, home is good (central london would be better, but home is good).

• i do feel like i've leant a lot about myself i have to say (without sounding like a cliché!) and i've cemented how i want to learn and explore the industry of advertising, marketing and fashion. 

what is next?:
• well firstly, i'm working on getting a job as this was something i missed so much - and something i am in desperate need in!
• i'm also working on some really interesting work experience/shadowing with a marketing agency at home that i'm really excited about.

in the future?:
• living at home and going to the university of gloucestershire - which ironically was the first plan before uca. i'll be starting in september as a year one student as i have got two unconditional offers and i'm a very happy bunny.
• once i have a job (and saved a lot!) alex and i have made tiny weeny plans to move in together.

please note: i'm not trying to troll on the university as i'm sure many people enjoy it there, but personally it was a disappointment  - as i think university in general is too! a lot of people asked for a post about this topic so i thought i would write one. i would also love to hear your experiences with university as well!

lots of love, 

lily

008: i got some snazzy white shoes!

WHO CAN RESIST CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY?

i've been a lover of converse ever since hilary duff was pictured wearing a pink pair on the cover of a cinderella story (who can resist chad michael murray?). eventually chose these beautiful and oh so shiny white ones - which are now on sale too! i haven't worn them as much in the winter because i'm not too sure how they look with tights so i would love your opinions but over the summer they didn't leave my feet!

lots of love, 

lily 

007: behind the scenes of my fashion photography and styling project at uca

I'LL BE FIRST IN LINE FOR ANY SMOCK RHI MAKES

just before leaving uca epsom in september i handed in my fashion photography and styling project - which whilst i enjoyed i just did not feel like was for me anymore. i unintentionally took some behind the scenes photographs and so i thought i would share them. the white pepper kindly lent me some of their beautiful shoes and a two piece (which i was in love with!). and i also worked on some smock designs with the wonderful rhi from vintage style me, which you can see in the first two photographs - aren't they adorable!? i can't wait for them to be released come spring/summer time, i'll be first in line for any smock rhi makes. we had a lot of fun creating the images that i ended up calling 'bopiscle' a mixture between bopping and a popsicle as we listened to one direction and chewed bubblegum i thought it was appropriate.  
this was my first proper university project, and my last at the university for the creative arts as the university of my dreams has really disappointed me. i'm tempted to do a little post about it because it's nice to know that some people are in the same butt (nemo reference i feel like i have to point out!).

lots of love, lily

p.s hi mum!  

006: the orla kiely scent review

IF LOLA, DAISY, HONEY AND DOT HAD A LOVE CHILD

'a charming fragrance of light floral notes, with natural extracts of rose, geranium and bergamot, subtly balance with fresh fig and a hint of chocolate.' - orla kiely website 

if you watched my youtube haul that was live for all of 5 minutes you might have had a chance to see the absolute steal of a price i got on this orla kiely perfume in tkmaxx. so i thought i'd pop a review up and let you know where you can get it for a reduced price as well. its currently 05:29am and i'm led in bed with the orla kiely perfume practically stuck up my nose trying to think what it smells like.

a few hours later, i think i've come to the conclusion that if marc jacobs lola, daisy, honey and dot had a love child (which would be impossible but hey) it would be the scent that is 'orla kiely'. i'm a sucker for names of products and anything that has a really strong image to it, so whilst the packaging is completely beautiful i do wish they had been a little more inventive with the name. however, it's time for me to attempt this beauty blogger stuff and describe the smell… it's fresh like dot but dark like lola with the sweetness of honey and a drop of daisy and it's own floral rose and geranium notes. and if that didn't make you want it then this video on the orla kiely perfume website will most definitely.

overall: price £15.99 (reduced from £55 on amazon for 100ml!) • notes: floral and fresh • out of 10: 7/10

lots of love, 

lily 

004: my a parcel from my favourite illustrator

ALL SORTS OF PRETTY CREATIONS

i've been in love with natasha's illustrations for as long as i can remember and recently-ish i placed an order with her from her etsy site velvet wolves. it's full of all sorts of pretty creations natasha has drawn and i'm always in totally awe of it and her talent. i bought some lana del rey and marie antoinette stickers that are so totally beautiful i want to stick them everywhere. whilst i've just pinned up this parcel on my new pin board for this post, i cannot wait to pin up my huge hoard of natasha's illustrations. i wish natasha could illustrate everything, i think the world would definitely be a prettier and pinker place. 
p.s i've also just noticed this amazing illustrated mean girls quote. 
p.p.s what do you think of the new post layout? i'm trying to get over the phobia of having portrait photographs on my blog.

lots of love, 

lily