TRAVEL LESSONS FOR THE BEST ADVENTURES!

Do you have a dream? I used to dream all the time as a little girl, my imagination was off the scale and nothing ever seemed too far fetched from reality for me! As I grew into a young adult, I experienced all the emotions from happy love to tearful heartbreak and my big dreams diminished into life goals instead. Teenage years consisted of trying to complete the next stage of my life and so I never was that person who looked ahead in their life, waiting for that day to come when your dream was a reality.

2011

It wasn't until I had my heart broken for the first time when I needed to start focusing on my future and what I wanted for myself. My first dream was to be a designer, making it in London and living a life full of creativity and inspiration. I'm happy to say with a LOT of hard work and determination I made it through college and university into a company that ticks all those boxes and boy does it feel good. It's funny though, reaching and grabbing hold of what you thought was your life's dream sometimes makes you realise it's not, it actually just turned out to be a career goal of mine. 

During the years of reaching my "dream" me and my boyfriend (now fiancé...WIN!!) went to Paris when I was 21 years old. It was our first trip together and what better than spending your birthday weekend with the love of your life in one of the most romantic cities in the world?? wrong! 

It was actually really stressful and tiring and we ended up spending most of our time oversleeping at the hotel as it had the comfiest bed I have ever slept in, still to this day! Don't get me wrong, it could have been everything I wish for but I didn't plan anything, I was moody for it and I felt we never got out of it what we were hoping. What it did do was unleash that dream of travel from inside me...that feeling of pure freedom where I was in a place where no one knew who I was or what I was about and I could just be me. Thing is, what I also learnt is that if I was truely going to create the dream I wanted then I needed to plan, gain knowledge and do all the leg work before hand so I could just go and soak it all in. 

So here are my top 3 tips that I now swear by every time I travel: 

1) Print out a map of the area you are going

Using letters or numbers, mark out places you want to visit on the map. I would recommend you categorise them by food, cool places, buildings, art, culture etc so you know exactly what they are (great time to whip out all that stationary you are holding). Mark them down and only write in vital information like times they are open, kind of food etc then on your travels you can wake up knowing there is plenty to do but without the fixated plans. This is the perfect way to travel organised but spontaneous at the same time! I have found that if everything is too planned it can be really stressful. You end up trying to hard to be here there and everywhere at certain dates and times which stops you from enjoying what is around you and at the very worst, from making your own discoveries. 

2) Use a BnB (now Air BnB)

This is the best way to experience life like a local. You will be in an area where they hangout and eat (always the best restaurants) plus staying in a house/apartment that oozes culture. When in Paris for the second time we were lucky to find a little apartment set into a French courtyard with French windows and beautul art on the walls. Also the host will give you all the local knowledge which is sometimes better than your own research! And you never know, you may make a friend or two.

3) Stray away from the tourist areas

I know it good to see all the main sites of a place but for me that's what I am least interested in as I have already seen it a hundred times over online, in magazines and through art. This is also a good tip for places to stay, plus it's cheaper too! Go for a walk or get on a train outside of the city centre and see what is around. Of course do a little research too but this is when you will really start having little adventures of your own. Speak to a blogger that lives in the area or find places for yourself, any way you like just do it! Trust me, these will be the memories you remember. 

2014 

The 'Love Lock' bridge has now been pulled down!

So thank you to my 21 year old moody unappreciative self and partner for taking me on this trip, because if I never had that first experience then I would have never enjoyed the amazing trips I did afterwards. I did actually end up going back a couple of years ago with my mum and with those tips we ended up having the most fun filled adventure ever and discovered some great local eats! I fell in love with the city after that and I can't wait to back again sometime.

For now though I need to start fulfilling that travel dream of mine by visiting as many new places as I can in my lifetime! I haven't been to many yet but I'm going to start with Europe as there is a lot of amazing places that I am yet to discover! Id advice giving GoEuro a look when booking your trip as they are great at finding the best prices and ways to travel, plus you can add in if you have a travel card and there is also an option to select Air BnB in the area your looking, which makes the hassle of booking a trip much easier!

Let me know if you have any travel tips that I can add onto my list as I'm sure there are lots I haven't discovered yet. Live the adventure! 

Khrissie x

Jewellery: Dolly Box

Happy bank holiday weekend everyone! Spring has well and truly sprung and so I thought I would treat myself to a Dolly Box. This is a one off box subscription curated by Kate Murnane of 'Dolly Bow Bow' on YouTube, consisting of 4 everyday pieces of jewellery and one statement necklace. After seeing how beautiful the pieces are from her shop and the great taste she has in fashion, I just had to give it a go. 

This spring the box was inspired by Paris which I didn't know until I received the box. I was really happy as I have wonderful memories of Paris and so wearing pieces that represent the wonderful city of love is just wonderful. The package comes in a black box (pictured above) with the cutest bow around it. Once opened the pieces are neatly displayed in sweet little pink bags. 

The first piece I opened up was this adorable rose gold necklace of the Paris skyline. Rose gold is my new favourite colour of metal so I was really pleased with this. 

I then opened up the cutest little silver earrings. They are inspired by the lovelock bridge and would look cute on any earlobes, the only problem you have is deciding what ear you put them on.

Next up was this beautiful rose gold heart ring, which you can wear with the necklace for a love inspired themed outfit. Its so dainty, it would look gorgeous layered with some other simple rings.

Last of the pink pouches was this yellow-gold bracelet with the French phrase 'je t'aime' which means 'I love you', how sweet. The only problem is that I have the smallest wrists in the world and its miles too big for me. I'm going to keep it non the less and see if theres some way of changing the chain to something I can alter.

I was really happy with all the pieces I received, not remembering there was another surprise awaiting my eyes. Behind the pale pink tissue paper a dainty chain was poking out. I lifted the paper to realise the most gorgeous statement necklace was waiting for me! I mean... look at this!

Light rose gold with flowers in the most amazing soft pink hues, its just too pretty! Perfect for pairing with a cute cream day dress to add some sparkle on a picnic date with your loved on by the eiffel tower! (breathe) It just makes me dream of wonderful memories with my favourite person! <3

The box is sold at £26.99 but as it included the statement necklace and as your getting another 4 pieces of hand selected jewellery on top of that, I feel like its a pretty good price. I was really happy with the selected items anyway and now that Kate has redesigned her website and business cards, I'm sure its going to be an even more exciting box to receive.

Thanks Kate for an amazing box. I look forward to the future subscriptions to come out. In the meantime check out her shop as there are some amazing pieces on there and I've just noticed a home where section which I need to grab a few pieces from quick!

I hope your enjoying your weekend and you enjoyed this post.
Let me know if there is anything you would like to see from me as I want to start getting back into
blogging again as I have missed it! I've just had other things I've had to deal with first :)

Love Khrissie x

Lifestyle | A weekend in Paris

So last month I was lucky enough to go to Paris to see my favourite artist, Beyonce!
Since I knew she was doing the 'On The Run' tour I really wanted to go, especially as Jay Z would be performing with her. They are the cutest couple together so I knew this was going to be one amazing show. I booked the tickets ages ago and then asked if anyone wanted to come with me. Everyone was busy and I was a little worried about going on my own but a month away until the show my mum realised she could make it, which made me super excited!

The day dawned and I couldn't wait! A weekend in Paris and an amazing show all in just a few days. We stayed in an Air BnB apartment which was amazing, the host was wonderful and it was in the cutest french courtyard so we really got a feel for the parisian lifestyle. Lots of laughs were had and we managed to explore a lot of Paris in the time we were there. The weather was so gorgeous, the food was amazing and the architecture was just beautiful. I could easily get used to the laid back lifestyle, it was bliss!

The show was the best I have ever experienced, I want to cry very time I watch it back! Most of the show I was just standing there is awe of what I was watching, the singing, dancing and the way it was put together to tell a story of their life together was incredible! I cant quite get over it.

Here is a vlog from my time in Paris. I annoyingly lost some footage of the first day there but this gives a good roundup of what happened. I hope you like it and please visit Paris one day. You definitely will not regret it!

Khrissie x