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MINI GETAWAY – DESTINATION ALNMOUTH

Published on October 8, 2017September 2, 2024 by simplycarinaxo4 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

At the beginning of the week I was away in Alnmouth, a beautiful village on the seafront. It is my dads 50th this November and he’s celebrating early with his brothers, sister, their spouses and his mum who have all flown over from Germany so they can enjoy a weeks holiday together in Alnmouth. I could sadly only visit for three days as I had to work, but I did enjoy three days with my extended family. I took the train up on Monday and on Wednesday we all drove down back to Durham together so the family could see our hometown. Although short it was so lovely in Alnmouth; I am already missing it. Anyway the coastal scenery is just so beautiful there I just had to share some photographs with you.

On Monday we went to Bamburgh a short drive up the coast from Alnmouth, for a lovely walk at the beach, although it was so windy the sand whipped around our legs in a bit of a sandstorm.

The next morning the sun was rising over the beach and I enjoyed my breakfast with a view. The living room window had a lovely window seat looking out onto Alnmouth beach and it was the most peaceful breakfast I have had in a long time – breakfast goals on point!

After breakfast I went for a walk at the beach with my dad which was lovely as the sun continued to shine. The weather was just fab!

Later on in the day we went to the Alnwick Gardens where we had booked to eat lunch in the tree house in which is just so cute and quaint. The food was amazing and we all enjoyed ourselves. I sipped on my favourite Rose Lemonade, had a terrine for starters and pork belly with broccoli and apple mash for mains which was just scrumptious!

After our meal in the tree house I walked to Barter Books in Alnwick. It is one of the cutest bookshops I have ever been to. A large building filled with secondhand books, antiques and first editions. One can really spend half a day here browsing through all the books. If you are ever in Northumberland I totally recommend you take the time to visit this quaint bookshop. There is a little cafe for refreshments and chairs to sit and read in oh and there are some CD’s and DVD’s too, but only a small section. As far as I am aware you can also exchange books, as in if they don’t already have certain books you can trade them.

On Tuesday evening we continued family time and had a lovely night reflecting on the past by looking at old photos which was cute.

Well that sums up my mini getaway in Alnmouth; thanks for reading! Also I’d love to know if you have ever been in Bamburgh, Alnmouth or Alnwick, so please do let me know!

Love Carina xo

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ME

Published on August 27, 2017March 1, 2024 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hi friends,

I think it is time for a get to know me tag, I saw this idea on another blog and thought it was a good idea. So hope you enjoy getting to know me better.

1. Do you have a nickname?

Nope, not really. When I was young some of my friends would call me Cari and whilst at Uni I occasionally got Car, but nothing stuck.

2. Do you have any weird habits?

Erm, I have a little OCD tick with toilet roll having to face forward; as in to pull from the front and not the side facing the wall if that makes sense.

3. Do you have any phobias?

Agoraphobia – the fear of being trapped in a public place, the fear of not being able to escape.

So if I go to the cinema for example I need to sit on an aisle seat same goes for the theater and planes and trains…

4. Do you have any habits others find annoying?

Yes aha, I crack my finger joints all the time which others can’t stand.

5. What position do you sleep in?

I am a stomach sleeper.

6. What drink do you always order at Starbucks?

I try and avoid Starbucks to be honest. Being a barista I prefer to support independent coffee shops. If available, my go to would be a freshly filtered coffee, but occasionally I would also enjoy an oat milk flat white.

7. What is your favourite comfort food?

Ooh this is a difficult one. I’m really not sure; crisps are definitely high up there for snack comfort food!

8. What series are you currently watching?

Z The Beginning Of Everything – It tells the story of Zelda’s marriage to F Scott Fitzgerald. So far it is quite good, although it is not painting F Scott Fitzgerald in a very good light haha.

9. Who are your three favourite YouTubers?

I follow a lot of YouTubers who cover various topics from makeup to veganism. It’s hard to just pick three, however if I had to I would say currently my three favourite YouTubers are Helen Anderson (makeup & fashion), Kate Flowers (health & veganism) and the SacconeJolys (family life).

10. If you could only use three makeup items for the rest of your life what would they be?

Oh it would definitely be concealer as my skin is always blotchy and red and my mascara and brow kit to make my eyes more prominent.

Well that’s it for now, until next time peepes, I hope you enjoyed this post!

Love Carina xo

3 WAYS TO STYLE A DENIM DRESS

Published on August 20, 2017March 1, 2026 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

Before summer disappears I thought I’d share 3 of my favourite ways to style my denim dress for sunny days. I had searched high and love for a denim dress that would look good on me but was never satisfied with any I tried on. Then finally one day I was browsing a charity shop and discovered this beauty! It fits well and suits my bodyshape. I would say the only problem is that when sitting down it is a little too stretched for my liking and so if I’m sitting for a while I will undo the two bottom buttons. Anyway lets get to it;

Outfit no.1:

Top: Primark, Bag: Primark, Shoes: New Look

Outfit no.2:

Top: Primark, Bag: ? , Shoes: New Look, Sunglasses: Camden Market

Outfit no.3:

Blouse: Topshop, Shoes: Primark, Bag: Primark

I love the versatility of a dungaree dress! It can be dressed up or dressed down and worn for so many occasions.

MY GARDEN BEFORE & AFTER

Published on August 16, 2017August 26, 2017 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Hello friends,

The other week my parents came over for dinner and brought me a little present. I’d been saying for ages that I needed to de-weed the garden and so they showed up with a little trowel and my own cute gardening gloves! The back garden almost looked like a little wilderness and I couldn’t wait to tidy it up! So on a sunny day off I got my fingers dirty and took out all the weeds!

After a good two hours of gardening, here are the after photos; from a weed infested garden, to a tidier, cleaner looking back yard! Although surprisingly tiring work I enjoyed myself and can now enjoy soaking up the sun again on nice sunny days!

All that is left to do now is the front garden!

Love Carina xo

HOLIDAY BLUES!

Published on August 11, 2017August 11, 2017 by simplycarinaxo3 Comments

Hello my beautiful readers,

I have been dreaming of a holiday for ages, the need to get away for a couple of days really gets to you esppecially when working 19 days in a row with no days off as I am at the moment! However I finally have something to look forward to now at the end of August! A mini getaway with my best friend Emily and perhaps a few others if they decide to join us. Just before she set of on her honeymoon interrailing Europe we booked our tickets for the Lindesfarne festival!

This will be our second time going to the Lindisfarne festival together; last year we wnt for the first time ad it was the first festival experience for the both of us. The Lindisfarne festival is a small new (this year is only it’s third year) local festival in one of my favourite places (a stunning coastal plot of farmland overlooking the beautiful Holy Island in Northumberland). Holy Island (see photos above) was were I had my first every job as a waitress in the holidays. I used to stay on the Island when working there so it was like a holiday for me even though I was working. I love the place; it it idylic, peaceful and just holds a speacial place in my heart. Thus it was without question a great descion for the Lindisfarne festival to be our first festival experience. As it is a small scale festival you can walk from your tent into the arena within minutes and there weren’t any overbearing crowds. It was a great first festival experience and I’m hyped to be going back again this year! Let me share some photos from last year:

The festival didn’t have any famouse artists playing, more local and smaller talents, but it was nice to discover new people; for us the highlight was Molotov Jukebox and meeting the artists afterwards including Natalia Tena (Tonks from Harry Potter/ Osha from Game of Thrones). Their music was bizar but upbeat and happy and got us all dancing with smiles plasterd on our faces! Loved it! Comedy was also offered there as well as the Sanctuary a wellness tent with holistic treatemants and the like. On our second morning we participated in meditation followed by partner yoga which was hilarious and great fun, even though my back killed afterwards from lying on the uneven ground aha. We treated ourselves to a massage afterwards and then continued to enjoy the music, views and general atmosphere of the festival. Not long now till this years festival and I can’t wait!

Love Carina xo

MY VEGAN MONTH REVIEW

Published on July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

Firstly, I am so sorry that I have been MIA recently! I have now finally got the internet back and will be trying to get back to blogging regularly again!

As you know I spent the last month being vegan. I really enjoyed the challenge and only caved once to have a nibble, literally a teeny bite of an egg and of a teeny bite of a slice of salami. However although I managed pretty well I did miss certain things, or rather a month without was fine, but a forever without stresses me a little aha. Thus I have decided for now to allow myself the occasional exception, eg. 1 croissant a month and a dippy egg or something.

You may think well that’s not being vegan and no, it isn’t being 100% vegan, but you know what, I am still proud of myself for the changes I have made so far. Leading a mostly vegan diet is still making a bigger impact on my health, the environment and animal welfare than if I hadn’t made any changes at all! I used to eat a lot of meat and dairy and I do hope that I will eventually become 100% vegan, just not right now.

So here just a couple of my Vegan meals from the last month:

Hope you have all been keeping well!

Love Carina xo

WEEKEND AWAY – HEN DO EDITION

Published on May 15, 2017March 1, 2026 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

What a fabulous weekend! Everyone had a brilliant time! It was packed with activities but also very relaxed and full of fun and quality time with Emily’s best Ladies!

Friday:

Emily’s mum Debbie, Kim and myself arrived earlier at the house to set up. It was such a beautiful house – very lux! Set in Coldingham just across the border into Scotland with sea views and 5 mins away from the beach!

When we got there we sorted out rooms, made some cocktails and then waited for our online shopping to arrive before tidying it all away and setting up a yummy buffet and drinks reception.

At about 8pm the rest of the hens and Emily the bride to be arrived and we toasted with prosecco and enjoyed some scrumptious fajitas! After food we played a reveal game where Emily got to find out what was happening throughout the weekend and we reminisced over some of our memories of us with Emily through a slideshow (here some of my memories)

Those of us who weren’t too tired then also made use of the hot tube for a nice soak before heading to bed.

Saturday:

Rise and shine at 8.30am for a yoga session led by me and a yummy smoothie bowl breakfast made by me!

At 10.30am we left for Potadoodledo, a pottery painting studio where Emily and I have been before, so I knew it was an activity she’d enjoy. Everyone had a great time getting their crafty fingers out!

We painted for about 2hs and then headed back for lunch before relaxing a little and painting our nails. In the afternoon we went for a short walk along the coast to St.Abbs which was nice although short as we had to hurry back to get ready to go out. When we were ready we got a taxi to Berwick where we had booked a table at a Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed some food before heading out for some drinks and a bit of a dance. I was unlucky however (probably due to a salad overdose) and was super bloated meaning I ended up having a peppermint tea whilst everyone else was sipping on cocktails haha.

Of course when we got back a couple of us made use of the hot tub again – bliss – sitting in the pitch black at 1am in warm colour changing water with a pint in one hand!

Sunday:

We had planned another yoga session but it did not occur as some were hiding in bed aha and some of us tried to make breakfast (pancakes) but failed as the pans there were terrible and just stuck, so it ended up being muesli with fresh fruit!

So it was a relaxed morning and we were so happy as the sun came out, the weather couldn’t have panned out better as we had beach games planned for this morning. Our first game was to split into two teams and we had 10mins to gather things from the beach such as driftwood and shells to then create and decorate and Emily out of sand in 20 mins. I was a really funny task and everyone had such fun. Afterwards Emily had to complete some tasks to receive her award – a picnic on the beach. We had rhymed together some pirate style verse telling her what to do, it included running up a hill and declaring her Love to Andy to the sea, being buried in sand and lastly having to run fully into the sea, all of which she laughed at and did without any qualms aha, so she earned a glass of prosecco on the beach and a tasty picnic.

Although it was windy it was soo beautiful and we had a lovely time next to the sea! The next activity on the list was a spa afternoon, so we returned to the house and started off with Pimms and a dip in the hot tub! Next we put on some face masks painted more nails and then played a game, Codenames to be exact, a really fun game I’d urge you all to try! We’d made it even more special though by creating personalised cards related to Emily, although that did make the game so much more difficult!

In the evening Debbie cooked a three course vegan meal (the whole weekend was vegan) and we all got ready for our last night which was bod girl themed, so we dressed up in our fancy evening attire and had a blast. The meal was scrumptious, the cocktails tasty and and the laughter hilarious as we played more games late into the night!

Monday:

So sadly Monday meant home day! We packed up and only had a brief stop to pick up our glazed and fired pottery before driving back to Durham!

What an amazing weekend it was though!!! Wish I was still there!

DIY HEN DO GOODIE BAGS

Published on April 29, 2017April 28, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

I am currently away in Coldigham, Scotland, for my best friend Emily’s Hen Do! I shall tell you all about it once back, but for now I wanted to share with you the Hen Do goodie bags I made for the weekend. Emily wanted a bit of a spa vibe for the weekend as we have a hot tub at the house we’re staying in, so I have created the goodie bags with the wellness and pampering in mind.

Bath Salts: I spotted some test tubes filled with bath salts on Etsy and thought they’d be cheaper to make myself rather than buy. So I bought a massive pack of test tubes from Ebay as well as two different bath salts, Epsom and Himalayan and then some dried rose petals for the extra prettiness factor. I thought this was the cutest idea and I love love love the results!

Incense: Who doesn’t love incense, it’s the perfect way to add some atmosphere and relax, whether it be in the bath, whilst doing yoga or just chilling with a book or some music!

Throws: May seem like a random choice and it was a spontaneous buy aha, but I just fell in love with these little throws from non other than Poundland! Our cottage is just a short walk from Coldingham Bay beach so these throws can have multiple functions from beach towels, yoga mats or throws to snuggle under when we watch movies sitting in front of the log burner!

Vegan Truffles: Emily is vegan and so we are making the whole weekend vegan. So of course I had to ask Anna the friend I’m living with at the moment, to make me some vegan truffles for the hen do. She is a chocolatier and her chocolates are amazing!! And you can’t have a goodie bag without a little treat now can you?!

Tea Tubes: Again another idea I saw on Esty and loved. I also decided I could make these myself too. I got the loose tea from my dads cafe, a delicious Blue Lady and a Green tea.

Badges: Emily is turning into a bit of an eco warrior and so I thought although I know they won’t look as good as bought ones, I’d recycle some bottle caps and turn them into badges! Not amazing aha but ok I think!

Well guys I hope you enjoyed this post and are having as fabulous a weekend as I am!

Love Carina xo

SMOOTHIE CLEANSE!

Published on April 20, 2017March 1, 2026 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

After another week of not loosing anything – oops – I have decided to do a 4 day smoothie cleanse this week. Four days of only drinking smoothies – woo aha! Lots of vitamins, not many carbs and hardly and sugars! I need to get into the swing of not allowing myself treats again aha!

I always wonder why I allow myself treats occasionally when I know they are not good for me in the first place, for three reasons. One, the obvious being weight wise. Two, they create a risk of me falling off the wagon. Three, I think I might be lactose intolerant (I will write a post on this sometime) so chocolate and the likes give me a bad stomach!

I am starting today and I will be drinking three smoothies today. I am excited to see how it will make me feel, if I will feel satiated enough and also how my stomach will react.

I will write down all the smoothies I make and will share my favourites with you at the end of the four days!

So let’s begin!

Love Carina xo