Larkham Asylum

My Friends Are All Adults, I'm Still A Teenage Girl.

2013-02-21T22:55:00.000+00:00

I first came across these guys a while back, when watching an episode of the hit series 'Girls'. They were playing over the end credits, and usually I don't wait around after a show finishes but the tune got to me. After frantically typing the lyrics into google to trace these guys down (does anyone else do that?), I listened to all their stuff (that I could find) and honestly, I'm hooked.

The Echo Friendly are an atmospheric duet, on-again-off-again couple, from Brooklyn, New York. They really create an ambiance in their music, their method seems pretty simple and their stuff is completely relatable. The husky lead vocals of Jake are perfectly complimented by his female counter part, Shannon. They are light and airy, and they provoke nostalgia in me.

I think you'll dig it!

Winner Announcement!

2013-02-01T19:59:00.001+00:00

Hey everybody! Sorry for being a negligent blogger lately, been a very busy bee.

As promised, I am here to announce the winner of my give away for a pair of Viabloomfield Boutique Shoes - the winner gets to choose between either Batman or Wonder Woman!

Thanks so much to everyone that entered and spread the word, its been fun! As this is my first ever give away, its quite exciting. But, I promise that there will be many more to follow to celebrate blog milestones...assuming of course that I reach them ha.

Any way, with out further adieu....*drum roll*...

And the winner is.... Racheal Martin! Congratulations Rachael! An email will be coming your way tonight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Will be back soon with some proper updates. Happy weekend folks.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

2013-01-04T23:02:00.000+00:00

So today I went on an outing with my manfriend and his bassist to help out by taking some promo shots for them. Now, I am no professional by any stretch of the imagination, in fact I don't even claim to know alot on good photography, but its something I like to experiment with and well, I love a challenge.

Off we set to the castle grounds were there are all sorts of interesting surroundings to take pictures, with not to many people around. Light wasn't really my friend as it was incredibly dull out, but regardless we got some good shots outside.

On the way back to the car we stumbled across an exhibition that was open, but completely empty. So we wondered in and had a nosey around. The room was beautifully lit and it seemed like the perfect setting for an impromptu snap or two of the lads. Not to mention it was an interesting exhibition for any music lovers, which we definitely are. Here are just a few of the pictures taken today.

Doesn't he look dapper in his suit!

I recently got a bridge camera, fuji finepix, which is what I used today. To be honest, its not fantastic. I thought it might fill a void for me as I pine for a DSLR, which I just can't afford right now. I'm sure it will be good for a beginner like me though, and something I want to do this year is take alot more pictures!

Hope you all had a lovely Friday!

Shell vs Cool Bone

2013-01-04T18:25:00.001+00:00

I went into town recently for my quarterly Estee Lauder Double Wear replacement run. So I approached the counter with confidence and asked for my usual shade. Much to my complete horror, the girl uttered those words you never want to hear "Shell is a shade that is no longer". To say I was gutted is an understatement. Any one who has used Double wear will know how great its coverage is, and in my opinion there is no other foundation that really compares to it. On top of coverage, it was seemingly the only foundation that catered to us celtic (read: ghostly) skinned ladies. So with a deflated heart and a handful of testers, off I went, dragging my feet behind me.

I have learnt now that they are actually bringing Shell back due to the volume of complaints, but it is yet unknown when this might be. Among the testers there was a supposed replacement shade for Shell called Cool Bone, it even had the same code (1C1 - which means its the lightest shade, with pink under tones). I tried it out for several days and while it isn't bad, it just isn't the same. It is alot peachier than what shell was, and a lot more noticeable along my jaw line. Of course it all depends on your own skin tones, but if you were previously matched to Shell, you might find similar disappointment in Cool Bone as I did. As for the other light shades I was given, Ecru and Ivory Nude, they were more yellow toned, which is the main problem I find with other brands - making Shell the god send that it was.

I spent a good hour going around Debenhams trying out lots of brands, but none offer the same coverage as Double Wear, and most/all the lighter shades were yellow toned. So this really just leaves me hanging in wait for the return of Shell, which by the sounds of things will be taking its time to return.

Any pale skinned ladies got any fab finds? Foundation or other? I would love to know!

Blog Giveaway - Win a Pair of Gorgeous ViaBloomfield Shoes

2013-01-01T15:40:00.000+00:00

What better way to start the new year off on the blog than a give away. And more than that, but its hopefully the first of many here on the blog! For the entire month of January you will be able to enter the give away to win a pair of ViaBloomfield originals! Choose between these two fabulous designs...

Winners can choose either the fabulous Wonder Woman Flats or the Bat-tastic Batman Flats, in a size of their choosing.

There are 5 easy ways to enter this giveaway;

1. To qualify you must follow ViaBloomfield Blog using Google Friend Connect (click 'join this site' on the right side bar)

For added entries:

2. Follow me/the blog on twitter @surah_elle

3. Tweet about the Giveaway using the quote provided in the Rafflecopter.

4. Like Viabloomfield Boutique on Facebook.

5. Blog about the Giveaway, including a link back to Viabloomfield Blog.

All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be drawn at random by the rafflecopter and announced on Febuary 1st!

Goog Luck :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013!

2013-01-01T13:46:00.001+00:00

Although I spent ringing in the new year in a slightly different manner to previous years (bed ridden with the dreaded bug that's been doing the rounds), I still embarked on the same journey of what 2012 was to me, and what 2013 may be. I think its only natural to take a quick look back and recap, and at the same time look forward and try to assess what the future holds.

2012 Recapped

Made a debut onto radio, which also teamed up with being my first paid journalism related work. Something I never seen myself doing, and I am extremely proud of myself for grabbing the opportunity and running with it.

Continued to write and get published for several publications.

Bagged some interviews with bands and had them published.

Went for 2 Journalism job interviews, didn't get the job(s) but was very pleased to get to interview stage.

Went to some truly amazing gigs! The stand out ones being General Fiasco, Snow Patrol, and Blink 182 took the prize!

Quit my full time role as a nanny and went part to allow me to pursue other things.

Booked another trip to NYC for 2013.

Started to write 3 of my novels.

Started ViaBloomfield Boutique and enjoyed watching it lift off the ground. Overwhelmed and delighted by its success.

Started an internship at Irelands Homes Interiors& Living Magazine, and absolutely love it.

All in all, I am pleased with my little achievements in 2012, its been a fantastic,life changing year in ways. I have big hopes for 2013!

2013, the plans!

Continue my internship at IHIL magazine for as long as possible.

Get some-what fitter and healthier, shed a few of those extra pounds, and feel all round better about myself.

Get back on to the radio, and bag some more interviews.

Complete my Diploma!

Go back to NYC and have the time of our lives.

Move house, and make a home with Chris.

Make significant progress in at least one of my books.

Bag myself a full-time job in journalism.

Watch ViaBloomfield grow some more.

Make lots of happy memories.

Wishing you all a happy and ambitious 2013, hoping all your dreams and expectations come true!

Get the look - Zooey Deschanel

2012-10-30T21:35:00.002+00:00

There isn't a girl on the planet that doesn't have a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel, or at least so it would seem. I am certainly amongst the many on this one. I simply can't get enough of her. Her style is perfect in my eyes.

She is usually seen sporting girly, vintage-esque dresses fit for a 50's tea party, high waste skirts matched with cute blouses and waves to die for.

I am a natural brunette, though I have been frauding the ginger look for nearly 4 years now, and every time I see Zooey I get the urge to go back dark.

So, the outfit above is typical Zooey and I thought it would be fun to find similar pieces on the highstreet to 'Get The Look'. I also liked this outfit because of its festive colours (8 weeks till Christmas!)

Dress: Modcloth £27

Cardigan: New Look £14

Shoes: Republic £65

Bowler Hat: h&m £7
Glasses: Gok Wan @ Spec Savers £99 (2 for 1)

All the items I found to get Zooey's look are quite reasonably priced. Her shoes weren't actually visible in the picture but I thought these would complete the look. Or for a more casual Zooey look, grab some black flats (and even more budget friendly).

I actually bought this dress recently, it was my first purchase from mod cloth and I really love it. It is very figure flattering with its 'Fit and Flare' shape. If you are a slightly bigger busted lady, like myself, you will love it! I think it comes in other colours too.

Mod Cloth are actually offering up a $20 (approx £12 to us in the UK) coupon to all friend referrals, so if you fancy this dress, or anything else over there, you can use this link to get money off!

Twitter / Pinterest /instagram

Girls!

2012-10-29T20:09:00.000+00:00

So I recently finished the HBO series Girls, dubbed to be 'Sex and the City' for the younger generation. Four 20-something girls, living, working and falling in and out of love, in New York City. I got through all 10 episodes of the first season in a day (shamelessly) and it is actually fab.

Comparisons to SATC are completely relevant. From small details like Mr Big calling Carrie kid, to the more obvious comparisons. But its also different. Its more, if-Carrie-had-a-normal-girls-budget. I fear to admit that I can completely see parts of myself in the shows main character, Hannah - played by creator and writer Lena Dunham. Its slightly refreshing in the sense that the characters, while slightly eccentric, are relatable.

If your into girly, NYC based shows, then its worth a watch. I think I'm a bit tardy to the party on this one, but I'm looking forward to season 2 in January.

I'm back!

2012-10-28T23:52:00.003+00:00

It has been a long blogging hiatus for me and I have to say, I have missed it so! After a lot of basic coding, and very minimalistic "graphic design" I now have a prettier platform to share my thoughts from. I hope the blogosphere will welcome me back with open arms, and in return I won't abandon it.

I plan to introduce a few features to the blog, but as well as that it will just be me, sharing the things I love, or have a second thought about.

To celebrate the return of ViaBloomfield I will be holding a Competition for all my lovely readers. I will share more info on that very soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Its been a long time since I shared with you, so a little up-date is due, to kick this relaunch off the ground. I have recently reduced my hours from full-time to part time as a Nanny to 6 lovely children. It was a brave move to make in the current economical climate our country is facing. I know a full time job is hard to come by, but I felt it was something I needed to do to allow me to focus on other priorities. These priorities being my pursue of a career in Journalism. I am right in the middle of my distance learning course and continue to look for any opportunity that will get me more experience.

Having a little more time to focus on things also gave me the inspiration to finally open my own online shop. Crafting has always been a passion but I found I rarely had time to even think about creating anything, never mind completing a project. It has been such an exciting experience, from setting up the shop to having people put faith in my hands to create something they will treasure. I have been focusing on shoe design, but I plan on expanding my products in to other areas. I hope you will have a little peek, you can find it over at ViaBloomfield Boutique.

That's about enough of me for now! How have you all been?

I hope everyone is having a great Halloween weekend!

Twitter / instagram / pinterest

Be back soon!

2012-08-05T00:28:00.003+01:00

ViaBloomfield is under going some much needed construction. I hope you will all drop by again when I am finished making my blog a little prettier.

Much love