The Co-Operative Food - Tweet4aTable

Hello Lovelies,

This blog post has been in the pipeline for a while but I've only just got round to doing it - damn me and my busy schedule!

So, most of you have probably heard of the genius idea that is Tweet4aTable by The Co-operative Food, but if you haven't here's a little bit of background. 

After a very successful first year, Tweet4aTable came back and back with a BANG! Tweet 4 a Table is a Twitter led campaign that allows users to (quite literally) tweet for a table in the pop-up Co-operative Food restaurant. All you had to do is tweet a reason why you deserve to dine along with the hashtag #Tweet4aTable for your chance to win - brilliant, right? 

Unfortunately, the campaign has finished for the year after visiting numerous cities all over the UK. However, still follow their page as I'm hoping they'll be back again for round 3 next year!

This is a great way for The Co-op to showcase their (uh-mazing) food, get more and more people trying it and hopefully bringing ordinary folk like me into their stores. I must admit I am a fan of the Co-op and often venture there to get my lunch, but nothing could prepare me for the culinary delight I was about to witness.

I was lucky enough to bag myself a table, the table was for 4 people including myself, so there was only 3 people I would invite - my best girls!

Arriving at the stand I was surprised.

Pleasantly surprised.

When I thought of a pop-up restaurant, I thought of a pop. up. restaurant. Something that would look a little dingy and that it could blow away once the Manchester weather picked up.

Well, like I said, I was surprised. The restaurant was AMAZING!

I mean just look at it in all its glory!

I definitely wasn't expecting it to look as good as it did, so my first impressions were well and truly crushed into tiny pieces and replaced with this masterpiece. 

Whoever built that deserves a huge pat on the back - great job ;-)

I'm the kind of person who looks at the menu before going to a restaurant I haven't been to before (I know, naughty!) so this was no exception. After viewing the menu online at the Tweet 4 a Table website I decided straight away what I was going to be having.

The Hal and Pino Burger - which was a Halloumi Burger with Mediterranean vegetables, jalapeño coleslaw and tomato and chilli chutney with spring onion and cheese fries...

Oh.

My. 

God.

I was brave with my choice. Very brave. As I had never tried halloumi before and my vegi friends are always going on about how good it was so I thought I may as well give it a go, for FREE!

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that bit? The whole meal is COMPLETELY FREE - It just gets better and better.

Nachos came to start, which were delicious. I am a huge fan of the nacho and these did not disappoint.

Our meals arrived - they looked awesome! Complete with red baskets and red cups. The whole restaurant had a 50s American diner feeling to it, which I LOVE! Anyone who knows me will know I love the 50s so this was well up my street.

I can honestly say, hand on heart, it was one of the best meals I have had. I'm not sure if the fact it was free made it taste even better, but honestly it was gorgeous.

I devoured it.

(hence why I don't have a picture of my main, oopsy!)

On the table were lots of props, another one of my favourite things. I, for one, am always game for a little dinner time fun especially if it means I can tweet about it! As you can see we had so much fun!

The Co-operative Food were also hosting a competition for everyone who dined to win £500 of Co-op holiday vouchers to go towards their next holiday - bonus!

Erm, I still haven't heard a winner be announce but I'm sure my name will be read out sometime soon ;-)

Soz guys.

The food was amazing, the company was amazing (as always) and what was even better were the staff. I am a huge fan of good customer service, and I don't know where they found so many amazing people to work in one restaurant! They were the lovelies, friendliest, funniest bunch of people and made our experience even more enjoyable.

Mummy & Daddy Gorton even jumped on the hype and bagged themselves a table (cuties) 

And it looks like they had more fun than us, especially my father!

Overall, an incredible campaign that deserves all the recognition it can get! A huge thank you to the team at The Co-operative Food and all the amazing people behind this event, it really was a great success and one I am pleased to have been a part of.

Can't wait for next year!

Hopeful

xxx

Motivational Weekend #1

Hello lovelies,

So, I bet you're wondering why I'm doing a motivational post on a weekend! Well, the topic is relevant to today and there's no time like the present. So, here I am.

You've probably all heard of the app 'Time Hop' - at first I wasn't too bothered about it but I'm so glad I decided to download it. 

For those of you who don't know what it is, Time Hop is an app you can link up to your social media platforms and it will give you a variety of posts from the past, from years go. They can be anything from 1 year ago to 5 years ago.

I love it because I love to be nostalgic. I love to look back on the past and all the memories I made. Every time I open Time Hop it makes me smile, like really smile. I like that.

Anyway, today I opened it and it has been exactly one year since I found out I would be graduating from the University of Chester with a 2:1 in Public Relations and Media Studies.

This made me smile but it also shocked me! I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone, it really puts into perspective how different your life can become in such a short space of time.

And then it hit me. I have achieved so much in a year! I'm actually really proud of myself.

I landed a job in the industry I wanted as a Digital Account Executive 

I realised who my true friends are and I'm enjoying spending as much time with them as possible.

I realised what I want and what I don't want from a relationship, and realised just how strong I am on my own. I don't need anyone else to define me. I'm the only person who can do that.

I've saved up and put my money into things that a year ago, I thought were just a dream. I got my boob job, bought a new car, booked a holiday with my girls and I'm taking a trip to NY!

And the biggest of them all... Well, that will become public knowledge soon ;)

I can't believe how much has changed in one year, and all for the better!

There's so much more in the pipeline for me too and I get excited just at the thought of my future.

So, if you're recently graduated or going to be graduating in the next couple of months and are panicking because you don't know what you're supposed to do with your time now. Don't worry!

If you're not enjoying your job, want to change careers or don't have a clue what to do. Don't worry!

Everything will work out. I promise

As long as you keep dreaming, I mean keep dreaming big, keep working hard and enjoy yourself at the same time - there is no reason why you can't achieve and do everything you want!

I've always been a dreamer. I dream of all the different jobs I want to do or have a go at, all the places I want to go and see, the cars I want to own, the happiness I want to have and the love I want to share with everyone. And some people see this as a flaw. I don't.

I see this as my wish list - to make sure I stay motivated and keep aiming high and achieving all that I want to.

So, basically if I can do it, so can you! Just believe in yourself, be yourself and be happy!

You can do it! Just keep going, keep dreaming and keep striving for more.

No matter what anyone tells you, there is nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself. It's your life, do whatever you want with it!

To keep myself motivated (and so you can see what I mean) here is what I aim to achieve in the next year;

1) Save up enough money to either put a deposit down on a house or flat, so I can finally move out of my family home

2) Be promoted or in another position and working my way up the career ladder

3) Start doing more freelance consultancy work, to build up my experience, contacts and skills

4) Save up to go on a BIG holiday with the girls, maybe somewhere like Australia, Thailand or Vegas

5) Attend as many conferences, networking events as possible

6) Make at least one person smile or laugh, every day

7) Fall in love 

8) Treat myself to a new designer handbag, to congratulate myself on achieving all that I have

9) Be even happier than I am right now!

10) Be a better version of myself than right now!

Looking forward to seeing what another year brings!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Forever Hopeful

xxx

Outfit post #33

Hello lovelies,

Hope you've all had a great weekend - I don't have a clue where mine has gone, busy as usual!

This post has been in my drafts for a couple of weeks now and I just haven't found the time to get it finished and posted, but here I am and here it is - yay!

So, here's my outfits over the past 2 weeks!

Crochet Vest - Bella Cosa, Polka Dot Trousers - ASDA, Flatforms - Next

How cute is this top? I absolutely love the pastel pink colour and the crochet finish! It's just adorable! It is perfect with patterned pants for a vintage feel look but also with jeans for a casual daytime look - a very versatile top! I've had these trousers for a looooong time, but they are a go to!

Jumpsuit & Shoes - Primark

A very affordable outfit! The jumpsuit was £17 and the shoes £9 - absolute bargain! You may remember this outfit from my holiday post, but I love that I can wear this in an every day situation, even in work! I love the vibrant pink and blues in this jumpsuit, perfect for summery days and cocktail nights.

Jumpsuit - Matalan and Hat - Ebay

I LOVE this jumpsuit. Again, this is something I have had for a while but haven't had a reason to wear it! One weekend it was a sunny day and I just couldn't resist! The dainty floral print of this jumpsuit has a lovely vintage feel which is topped off with this beige floppy hat.

Trousers, Vest Top and Necklace - Bella Cosa

Bella Cosa is my absolute favourite online boutique at the moment. It has some beautiful pieces for very reasonable prices. The clothing they have on they website are things I haven't seen anywhere else, I like that! These trousers are super comfy as they have an elasticated waist and look great with a vest top with a statement necklace or with the matching tee-shirt!

Tee-Shirt and Necklace - Bella Cosa, Trousers - River Island and Shoes - Primark

Here's the matching T-shirt to the trousers above. This is why I love Co-Ordinates - that you can have  more than one outfit with just a couple of pieces. This outfit was perfect for work, not only is the tropical print bang on trend it is super comfy! The shoes aren't as comfy as I would like, but they look good so that's all that matters!

Kimono and Flatforms - Primark, Vest Top and Necklace - Bella Cosa and Jeans - Zara

I love this kimono! I love how comfy this outfit is! It was a perfect outfit for a casual day at work - I love the fact my office is smart casual meaning me can wear jeans!

Crochet Vest and Necklace - Bella Cosa, Jeans - Zara and Flatforms - Primark

Pink on pink - why not? Same vest as before, from the amazing Bella Cosa. I'm not usually one for pink but I had a change of mind/heart this particular day and decided to go for it!

Vest - Bella Cosa, Skirt and Shoes - Primark

This is definitely one of my favourite skirts - unfortunately, because I've lost weight it no longer fits me on my waist :( But I just put a belt with it so it cinched me in! I love adding a pop of colour to any outfit, it just makes it stand out more.

Dress - River Island, Shoes - Primark and Hat - Ebay

I adore this dress. It is the most flattering dress I think I own other than my ASOS wiggle dresses. I put it with my orange pointy heels, orange lipstick and my floppy hat for a meal and a night of cocktails! It's safe to say whenever I wear this dress I feel amazing!

Skirt - Topshop, Vest and Shoes - Primark and Hat - Ebay

As you can probably tell I am obsessed with floppy hats, I have them in 4 colours! They just add something different to each outfit I wear. I adore this skirt too, I love polka dots more than anything and they look great with any colour!

Skirt - Matalan, Shoes - Primark and Box Tee - Bella Cosa

Very 50s inspired outfit! This tee tucked in perfectly in this 50s wide midi skirt! The subtle yellow colour in the daisy print looks amazing with these yellow pointy heels! These coloured heels are the best things I have ever bought! 

Skirt & Top - Bella Cosa and Shoes - Primark

One of my favourite recent purchases, these beautiful, multi pattern co-ordinate! I love the fact I could easily wear the skirt and top as separates. I would wear a plain white or black vest top with the skirt and team the swing vest with a pair of boyfriend jeans or harem pants and sandals, for a more casual day look. The patterns are beautiful and the multi colours allow this outfit to go with any colour lipstick and shoes! Heaven!

Hope you like my outfit post for this week. I promise (I'll try anyway) to not leave it as long next time.

Hopeful

xxx

Outfit post #32

Hello Lovelies,

Welcome to my holiday themed outfit post! I made sure I took pictures of (nearly) every outfit I wore in the evening on holiday and what I chose to travel in. 

I absolutely love going on holiday and I love holiday clothes even more! Although, I do find it very stressful trying to find the right outfits to make sure they don't make me too hot or aren't too inappropriate for the country!

But I hope you like my choices and hopefully they will inspire you for your next holiday shopping spree!

Kimono - Primark, Harem Pants - H&M, Vest & Necklace - Bella Cosa and Shoes - Next

I don't know about you but I love to be comfy on a flight. I envy those girls who can dress up  in high heels and summer dresses and step off the plane looking just as glamorous as they got on. I'm not one of those girls. I step off the plane looking like a hot mess - my make-up is usually everywhere or non-existent and I look like I haven't slept for days, when in actual fact I slept through the whole flight.

This kimono was perfect to travel in - not only was it super comfy and kept the chill off, it also looked really nice compared to my usual travelling attire of joggers and converse. My friends and I booked the airport lounge before our flight so I felt I had to make more of an effort. This kimono is definitely one of my favourite purchases and a bargain at £8!

Outfit 1 - Jumpsuit - Missguided, Shoes - Office and Clutch - Matalan

This jumpsuit has been featured on my blog before and I constantly rave on about how comfy it is (which it is) this was an easy/safe option for me for my first night in Tenerife as the light material meant I wasn't going to overheat, but it also looked nice without a tan! An old faithful of mine!

Outfit 2 - Jumpsuit - Primark, Shoes - Office, Clutch - Matalan and Lipstick - Barry M

I love this jumpsuit! The bright colours and vibrant print are what drew me towards this piece - not only was it perfect for holiday but I will also wear it back home with my bright pink court shoes!

These black heels and black clutch feature heavily on this post as they are my old faithfuls and knew they would go with everything I took to wear! Less shoes = more space and weight for clothes!

Outfit 3 - Snake Print Maxi Dress & Necklace - Bella Cosa

I love a good maxi dress and I think you'll agree this one is stunning. I felt like I could have attended a red carpet event - it looked so glamorous (even when teamed with a pair of flip flops!)

The floaty material was perfect and helped hide any all inclusive bulge I may have formed over the space of the first few days. This was a perfect outfit for a relaxed evening and a walk down to the beach! A must have for any female suitcase!

Outfit 4- Co-ordinates - Bella Cosa, Shoes - Office, Clutch - Matalan and Necklace - Laundry Boutique

Love love love these tropical print co-ordinates! They are ridiculously comfy and felt perfect for a sunny evening in Tenerife. The pants have a great detailing at the bottom (which I know is hard to see) which allows your shoes to be shown off more! I teamed this with my large, green float necklace and a pop of orange lipstick! I would wear both the pants and t-shirt as seperates, with red shoes and lipstick! 

 

Outfit 5 - Dress - Primark, Shoes - Office and Clutch - Matalan

This particular night me and the girls decided to go out for a meal for our last night together (sad times) which was a perfect excuse for us to dress up, drink cocktails and eat some pretty amazing food! This white dress is easily one of my favourite purchases and was an incredible steal at just £17 from Primark. It has a gorgeous vintage, crochet feel to it and was very comfy - the floaty skirt helped me hide the food baby afterwards too!

Earrings - Bella Cosa

I also wore these gorgeous, crystal grey and white earrings from Bella Cosa. This just added a little something extra to my outfit and I absolutely love them!

Jumpsuit - Primark and Necklace - Bella Cosa

This was my travelling home outfit (excuse the un-made beds!)

This jumpsuit is super comfy - it was like wearing a onesie! I also have this in blue and they look great with a pair of wedges or flatforms and a denim jacket. This large floral necklace was perfect to bring out the pink in the jumpsuit and make a comfy, casual travel outfit a little bit snazzy!

I had the most amazing holiday - pretty gutted to be back as the 'rainy city' is living up to its name as usual! 

Hope you all have something special planned for your summer!

Hopeful

xxx

Outfit Post #31

Couldn't agree more Vicky B!

Hello lovelies,

Hope everyone has had a great weekend and a productive week so far. 

I meant to upload this post before my holiday, but with the mad rush of panic packing and getting everything organised, it completely slipped my mind. However, you get to have two posts from me - this one and my holiday one, lucky you!

Wiggle Dress - ASOS & Shoes - Primark.

You may remember this dress from a previous post as I wore this for my graduation but haven't had the opportunity (or shoes) to wear it again in the day time. When I came across these pink court shoes from Primark I knew I had to have them! They match this dress perfectly and compliment the colours - ASOS wiggle dresses are my absolute favourites and I have added a couple to my collection!

Jumpsuit - Missguided, Shoes - Primark, Belt - Miss Selfridge and Necklace - Bella Cosa Boutique.

I adore this jumpsuit. It is such a staple piece in my wardrobe that goes with everything and is super comfy, dressed up or down. I also adore my neon orange chain from Bella Cosa - a new online boutique which sells a variety of 'beautiful things'. I would recommend any of my follows to go online and have a look, I have purchased a couple (a lot) of pieces recently and the quality is second to none! The jewellery is a winner for me, as it can be very expensive in places like Topshop and River Island, but Bella Cosa has all your accessory needs without the high end prices!

Heart print T-shirt - Bella Cosa, Boyfriend jeans - Zara, Shoes - Office and Necklace - Primark

Another winner from Bella Cosa, this beautiful heart print t-shirt. I absolutely love the print and haven't seen anything like it before! I don't usually go for such a casual look but I just couldn't resist this print and the box tee style. It also looks perfect with red lipstick!

Jacket - Primark, Shirt - River Island, Jeans - Zara, Shoes - Primark and Necklace - Bella Cosa

This is definitely my favourite outfit in this post! I have always loved shoes, but have recently become obsessed with having as many coloured/patterned court shoes as possible! I spotted these Primark polka dot heels (see what I did there!) in a magazine and have been on the hunt for them ever since! They're stunning and go with jeans and dresses perfectly. This jacket is gorgeous and at £17 a complete steal. I have been looking for a jacket to wear with my jeans for a while now and couldn't resist this Primark number!

Bomber Jacket and Vest - Bella Cosa, Jeans - Zara and Shoes - Primark.

Another beautiful piece from Bella Cosa! I love, love, love this floral print bomber jacket! Again, a bomber jacket wasn't something I thought I would ever wear but as soon as I seen this on the Bella Cosa website, I just have to have it! The floral pattern and bright colours are perfect to brighten up any plain outfit, especially when wearing jeans. My neon yellow court shoes match perfectly!

Those are my outfit choices for this post, I hope you liked them! Make sure you check out my holiday themed post too!

Hopeful

xxx

Motivational Monday #20

Ok, so before I start my Motivational Monday post I want to take the time out to say...

WOOHOO!

Not only is this my 20th Motivational Monday post, it is also my 100th post on my blog!

How amazing is that?

It feels great to overcome big milestones - although I do not blog as often as I probably should, to get to 100 posts is pretty impressive and I am proud of myself for how far I have come since my first ever post. I think you'll agree my more recent ones have been much better.

Anyway, onto the motivating.

So, the topic for this post came to me after a night out that I had on Saturday for a friends birthday. I know what you're thinking, what on earth is this going to be about if the topic was influenced by a night out. 

It's something we all do. It's something we should be shameful for doing but we're only human.

When I was out on Saturday night, a man came up to me and my friend and asked us to dance. He came across all innocent but my defence radar sprung to life as this man was old enough to be my dad. I politely declined and said I didn't think it was appropriate. However, my friend (who was the birthday girl) had other ideas and decided to dance, so I went with more as a supervisor not as a participant. As we were dancing the man he showed us his left hand and placed onto his finger was a wedding ring, to which he clarified this by saying "I'm Married!"

Game over.

I was immediately disgusted and disappointed in this man, whom I did not know.

My initial thoughts were that he was cheating on his wife or up to no good being in a club at his age, with girls half his age. I also felt very sorry for his wife, who would have been sat at home wondering where he is or knowing where he was and had no say in the matter. It dampened my mood. My faith in humanity slipped and it took away all hope I had that many people are still happily married/wouldn't cheat on their significant others.

Later on in the evening, he came and sat next to me. Complemented me on my outfit and said how pretty I was. My stomach turned. Had he forgotten he had just told me he was married. I'm not sure how all women are, but that was of no interest to me. However, I am a polite person and this man clearly sat down to talk, nothing else. So we engage in conversation.

How wrong was I.

He expressed how much he loved his wife and how she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He had a 12 year old son who was the apple of his eye. He worked in a successful IT company and was out with his work colleagues for a girls hen do. He was there merely to support his colleague and have a good time on a Friday night. 

I felt ashamed.

I felt miserable

I couldn't believe I had judged this man so quickly, before I even knew anything about him or before he could tell me his story.

The girl who doesn't believe in first impressions and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, had completely contradicted her own beliefs. 

I judged that man based on one minor detail. He gave me solid advice for my career and expressed his beliefs in how he had a feeling I would be very successful. He told me I was definitely a people person and could easily and comfortably talk to anyone. He said he could tell I was a hard worker and put 100% into everything I did. He was right. He didn't judge me, he allowed me to talk and listened to what I said and based judgements on my story, what I was telling him. Not from the way I was dressed, or what I was drinking or what music I danced to.

The old saying 'never judge a book by its cover' became some what of a fact, rather than just a ambiguous statement. 

Don't get me wrong.

Judging people is something we all do, and sometimes we can't help. As I've said before we're only human.

However, as humans we also have the right to control what we do and what we say, before we do and say it. So, that is something we should do more often. Think before we judge.

Giving someone the benefit of the doubt no longer exists, everyone is quick to judge someone as they do not want to be seen as the inferior. Whether you judge someone on their size, where they work, what car they drive, their physical appearance, the friends they have, the way they dress etc... it doesn't define them. Their story isn't told through how they look or what they do, it's how they tell you.

I have learnt from my mistakes. I am going to make a conscious effort to not judge anyone before I know them. I'm not a saint, far from it but I am always willing to better myself as a person to ensure others around me feel good about themselves.

I think that is something everyone should do.

Surround yourself with people who do not judge you, so then you know how to react and feel towards others. The best way to find out whether your friends judge you or not, is to do something really great and to do something really stupid, because no matter what they will react the same to each situation. They will not judge or pass a comment, they will not make you feel bad or inferior to them. Surround yourself with those people, be positive and make that positive shine through the way you act and react to others.

To the man I met on Saturday night - I'm sorry!

Hopeful

xxx