living room with blanket ladder and fairy lights

If you've kept up with this blog for the last year or so, you'll have noticed that we move house a lot. Three times in 2017 to be exact, and now we've settled in a beautiful two floor apartment for one whole year.

It has a small studio room, a living room/lounge, open kitchen with a humble breakfast bar and a basement, noise-cancelling, light shielding bedroom that I have already adorned with macramé and instax mini's.

The elephant in the room

I know I've been absent from my little corner of the internet for the longest time now. After graduating, relaunching my blog and moving house while working two jobs I've struggled to find the time or motivation to stay in touch. In the time I've been away, I've been to some incredible gigs, taken up weekly swimming (inhaled a whole pool by now), am dealing with the death of my beloved Gran, settled into my new home, worked a retail job over the Christmas period, watched a whole 4 seasons of Gilmore Girls and spent New Year with Alex, drinking rum while spreading out on the couch.

I have missed being here so much and hope to share my life with you guys again, just on a less strict schedule and more personal level. :)

Studio

Having a studio room now means I have a beautiful personalised place to work on all my creative projects, where I can separate my work life from my home life! Never have I been able to do this and it feels so gooooood!

However of all of our rooms, the living room might be my favourite.

Comfy couches (an old set that my dad no longer needed) adorned with fleecy blankets, leaf print cushions and enough fairy lights to make you go "hygge", this room is a night owl's dream. We tend to spend the most time in here of an evening, when we abandon all of our work for some Departures or (guiltily), Riverdale.

I ran fairy lights up the stairs also and around the top of our banister, so you know where the cose lies.

Officially, I'm an adult because for Christmas I asked for a bamboo ladder to hang all my blankets on and a shaggy rug for the bedroom. Compare that to the Christmas 2016! Finally being able to make a place my own with next to no restrictions has been incredible. Movie posters, a projector and arrangement of everything have been Alex's inputs. We're lucky that our tastes align so well though he did say I could have reign over decorating the place. *wink wink*
Mirror selfie in blue jeans

Eatin' good

The kitchen is nearly always messy but it's also a haven to two little wicker chairs, draped in faux long pile fur in the corner of the room that sunlight brushes every afternoon. Plants are absolutely friggen EVERYWHERE so unless you know the place well, probably don't walk around in the dark.

My bad.

A wicker table is our home to a huge stack of magazines, ranging from revered illustration mags to crafty essentials and mindful moments.

To be honest, I haven't read them lately but have made a vow to read more print this year when I would be spending time on my phone.

We use command strips to hang up everything so we don't damage the walls (or hit any wires nailing things in) incase any of you fellow renters were wondering!

We're living here until the middle of this year when we can decide to stay or go. Depending on where our jobs/careers take us will be the decider but honestly I'm SO happy to be settled somewhere right now, even if paying bills and council tax is the scariest thing ever.

Have you moved out? I'd love to hear how you dealt with starting to pay bills and rent! What is the best part about having your own place?

Sarah x


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blue butterfly on arm

When I was a kid, the only things I used to draw were rainbows and butterflies. So original, I know. There's always been something about these little creatures that have drawn me to them, from their symmetry to their beautiful colour and how calming they are to watch! Playing Animal Crossing (which I still do now) I'd go around catching all the butterflies, reading their info cards.

I remember a few times as a child I'd find injured butterflies in the garden which I learned at the Butterfly House usually just means they are old and withered, putting them into open Tuppaware boxes filled with leaves, grass, flowers and bottle caps of water.

Sometimes they'd pick up and take off again much to my bittersweet dismay but getting to stare at them while they recovered was one of my favourite past times.

orange butterfly on leaves

man in plants at butterfly house

I've known about this butterfly house for a such long time but never been to visit! So when I managed to snag a rainy afternoon off work, Alex and I took the train to Lancaster, making the uphill walk from the station to Williamson Park.

I have never seen so much beauty all moving about in one room before! The Butterfly House was basically a large, walled greenhouse. The climate was hot, about 30 degrees and humid but not uncomfortable, so I soon got used to it.

Big blue wings glittered all over the walls, ceiling and pops of orange, yellow and red flew past. One of the creatures had wings that looked like an owl's face when they were open, so awesome.

blue butterfly on leaf

girl touching plants and butterflies

girl in greenhouse

I celebrate Earth Day everyday in my life so let me tell ya, I was in my ELEMENT at this moment.

Huuuuuuge banana leaves (if you look closely you will see teeny, tiny pearl-like butterfly eggs), wild little ferns and fruit was everywhere for the insects to feed on- I have never felt so at home haha.

In the centre of the room was a white gazebo seating area where I rested for a while to just soak up everything happening around me. This is when my favourite butterfly (the crazy, bright blue one) landed on my flower tattoos. Over, the, moon.

white and green stripy plant

close up of black butterfly

butterfly on banana leaf

butterfly eating fruit

I think next time I visit, because I'm totally coming here again, I'll bring my sketchbook and some watercolours. Being someone who draws a lot of inspiration from nature I was gutted that I didn't bring even my good camera let alone some art supplies, so sorry for the quality of these pictures! 

butterfly on hand and eyes

big banana leaves

If you're local to the area or just swinging by, this exotic Butterfly House is definitely worth a visit. Not only do they conserve these beautiful winged creatures here but Williamson Park is also home to the Pendle Witch trial spot, a gorgeous pond / waterfall area and lots of other creepy crawlies. 

After a brief stop in the café for some hot tea, when walking back to the station, we passed a 'witchy' shop where I bought some Eucalyptus essential oil, which has really helped my breathing and smells incredible! 

Definitely put Lancaster on your list of places to visit in the UK.

Are you a bug fan or do they creep you out? Is there anywhere like this near you that I should visit?!


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Chinese teapot pouring

I sat in this brightly decorated yet crazily calming tea house for a good two hours the other day, barely paying attention to my phone or anyone around me. I've been coming here for almost five years now, from when I started visiting Preston city to now, moving into a place of my own having graduated from university! 

No matter how much changes, the tea house stays the same. The smell of literally hundreds of different teas meets me as I walk in and I'm always greeted so so warmly, sometimes with a hug! I always sit upstairs because I'm a creature of habit, but it's also where the most beautiful paintings are displayed and crazy little old books to read.

reading a tea house menu

round leafed plant on windowsill

We go upstairs and Sam, one of the guys who works here takes our order. Two vegan wraps and a pot of Citrus Rainbow tea (which I think is lemon, apple, hibiscus and some other fruits)! It arrives with agave and lemon, then before we know it, we're almost emptied the amazing bright pink tea- but not before the two wraps arrive along with homemade hummus (plus the biggest side salad you've ever seen).

Seriously, I don't know what they do with these wraps but a wrap has never tasted so freakin' good before.

vegan food on plate and teapot

close up of tea pot and cups

girl drinking tea

coffee table book about animals

The wraps were so good and we were too full to move, so ended up reading the little books that are dotted around the sofa area. I pick up a 2001 Collins book about space which was fascinating and Alex reads about British wildlife, as you do. 

It was refreshing to soak up so much information and images from a book instead of a screen! Strange how it's so normal now to head straight to Google. Making more of an effort to stay conscious of how much I use my phone in everyday life, haha.

comfy white wicker chair

Mystery Tea House Preston

We chilled for a good while longer before heading home. Isn't the decor here so awesome? I believe a lot of the paintings are done by local artists. The teahouse advertises lots of classes on mindfulness, yoga, meditation. It's such a hub for the hippie lifestyle and I'm so down with that- in fact I will be starting some meditation sessions in September when they begin again, just to see if I like it!

If you're ever in Preston you need to visit here as what I've shown you is only a snippet. The little tea house is usually quite busy, but we caught it on a quiet day for once which was just what I needed to clear my mind!

Are there any places like this near you? Where's your favourite place to relax outside of your home?


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lying in bed with leaves

When I was 18 I decided to use the non-hormonal, copper IUD. Mainly for my sanity, as hormonal contraception was driving me up the wall and the perk of having no period wasn't enough to justify crying for no reason more often than I changed my underwear. YA FEEL?!

If you want to read about why I chose the IUD and how my experience was with insertion, aftercare and cramps then see here! The following is a little update and some answers to questions I've been asked about my IUD over the last year or so.

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