Graduate Fashion Week 2014 (And my first ever YouTube video!)

So a few weeks ago was Graduate Fashion Week 2014 and our university was one of hundreds to have their work displayed at The Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, East London. Although my collection wasn't in an actual fashion show, we had our final fashion show being played on a loop on four iPads as part of the wall display. My university is Norwich Univeristy of the Arts and our display consisted of mannequins with garments on, our portfolios on show, the changing iPads and a giant moodboard of our final work.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a ticket for one of the fashion shows, which showcased the work of Norwich University of the Arts along with Bath Spa. I really wish I'd gone to see more as it's so nice to see other universities work too, but there are many more years to come and I'll definitely be going back to Graduate Fashion Week as I just love the buzz. The lighting itself was probably better for people on the front row, so I didn't get the best photographs and I wasn't able to film outfits go along the whole catwalk, but some of the collections were amazing - some of my favourites being Grace Weller from Bath Spa and Sophie Fisher from Norwich University of the Arts.

Being a graduate myself this year, I had a lot of fun looking at all the other stands and collections. Some of the work was literally incredible. There were lots of pieces I would take home and put in my wardrobe, and there was a lot of funky, bright pieces that were amazing to look at. It was really inspiring to see all the innovative work from the other universities and you could definitely see the difference from one uni to another.

There were lots of cool things going on throughout the week, including talks from fashion designers and many competitions. Below is the set-up from one of the competitions where you could style your own outfit using the clothes provided and win a whole photoshoot to be featured in a famous magazine (I can't remember exactly which one it was!) but it closed just as I was about to enter, nooo! Also remember the children's game of 'Guess how many sweeties are in the jar', well this game was 'Guess how many words are in these fashion books' and you got to keep the whole lot - jealous!

After a tiring, long day at Graduate Fashion Week, me and my friend Vic decided to go to the famous fish and chip shop named Poppies after a few recommendations, and I must admit that it totally lived up to its expectations! I went with chicken, chips and a coke, and it was soooo lovely! The whole inside was decorated like a little vintage diner - even the way you paid your bill at the end was cute! :)

And finally, the long awaited, first ever YouTube video! This was my first ever time trying to film and edit a video, let alone doing it with Final Cut Pro which is quite confusing even if I do say so myself! But after a few hours fiddling, I soon got the hang of it. It took around a day and a half to edit the whole thing, and I still have no real idea how to do cool editing, how to put on decent music (excuse the absolute cheese, it was all I could find!), how to do cool fonts etc! So if you have any Final Cut Pro tips, or general YouTube tips, feel free to leave them below for me, as I'm hoping this video will be the first of many :D

Thank you for reading :)
Did you get to go to Graduate Fashion Week this year?
Which were your favourite collections?

Please go subscribe to my YouTube channel as I'm hoping to make loads more videos this Summer!

Love Dani :)

x

I graduated from my fashion degree! :)

There have been a severe lack of posts on my blog lately, and that's because I've been a very busy girl! I finished my university degree and had the fashion show featuring my final collection, then I had to move all my things back home and prepare for my graduation! I found out just over a week ago that I graduate with a 2:1 from Norwich University College of the Arts and on Tuesday I joined all my friends and family in celebrating our graduation together! :)

Me and the fashion girls who have all been through blood, sweat and tears together over the last three years! I'm so proud of us all, I can't wait to meet up again soon and I'm gonna miss them all so much! You literally get so close with people being in the same studio together day in and day out, love you my rats and goats! :)

My dad, my sister, me and my mum :) we were literally so lucky with the weather on Tuesday, we graduated at 10am (so we were up at 6am getting ready, collecting our gowns and getting professional photos by 8.30am!) and the sun was shining for us! We had a little bit of rain around lunchtime but then the sun came out again for the afternoon! 

Me and my lovely boyfriend Joe :) we've been together five and a half years, but 5 of those have been spent at different universities and in different towns so I'm super happy to be going back home so that we can eventually be together properly! Love you loads Joe!

Two of the loveliest boys I've ever met! We were part of the Oak Street originals and I'm sure I'll get to see them over the Summer :)

Amy has been the only one who has been through my uni experience in the exact same way that I have. We've lived together and been on the same course as each other for the past three years and I literally could not have done it without her. All the stress has been worth it though and I love you my little Essex babe, excited for all the fun things planned this Summer! :)

My best friend Courtney, me and my little sister Liv. So excited to be moving back home so that I can be right near these guys, I've missed them so much these past 3 years! There are gonna be so many fun things coming up this Summer with these two and I can't wait! :)

I swear that the blonder my hair gets, the more me and my sister look like twinnies!

Getting to meet and shake hands with John Hurt was one of the highlights of the day. (He might be better known as Ollivander from Harry Potter to you guys..."The wand chooses the wizard, Harry.") He is the Chancellor of our university and he was so lovely! :)

Thanks for reading :)
I'll definitely be putting up another post once I've got sent the professional photos, and got the higher quality images from my boyfriend including ones with my housemates :)

Love Dani :)

x

Wednesday wishlist #17

Another week, another wishlist. This one is looking rather dark and gloomy seen as it's basically Summer, but we all know I don't really like to wear colour whatever the weather! I'm so glad that uni is all over now so that I can start getting into a proper blogging routine again, such as posting my Wednesday wishlists weekly and just generally being able to blog as often as I like. I'm also enjoying actually having the time to read my favourite blogs again which is nice :) Either way, here are my picks from this week:

Urban Decay 'Naked Palette' - £37.00

I literally feel like the only blogger who doesn't have a Naked Palette set. Now I've finished uni and I'm gonna be earning some money again I've decided I'm gonna treat myself, but I don't know whether to go for the 1, 2 or 3, does anyone have any suggestions on which one is better? I have blonde hair and green eyes, and I wear anything from a golden nude to a black smokey eye, but I really can't decide on which one to go for!

Blitzed Clothing Crown Tee - £14.99

This past term at uni I've gotten really lazy with dressing and just been chucking on loads of my old band tees, and I've really enjoyed it! I've decided that I really like wearing boyfriend tees again so I've been on the lookout for a couple of own-brand t-shirts to buy. I feel like independent brands are so much more original than Topman or H&M mens, and I came across Blitzed Clothing which I really like and they don't break the bank either! I love the black with the white font and the little daggers, it would look fab with a leather jacket and black skinny jeans!

Regal Rose Apogee Gunmetal and Crystal Chain Choker in Plum Black - £22.00

I've been a massive fan of Regal Rose for years now and I swear their pieces are just getting better and better. I'm so in love with this necklace (and I noticed it even made a cheeky little appearance in Made In Chelsea last week too!) It would look so lovely toughening up a summer dress and a leather jacket or kimono.

New Look black crochet hem playsuit - £19.99

New Look have definitely pulled it out of the bag this Summer with their S/S range and I want it all! It's making me really miss my New Look staff discount, there are so many lovely crochet pieces! This playsuit in particular could be dressed up or down so easily and I know I'd get loads of wear out of it this Summer! It's such a bargain price too! :)

Bonnie and Bell set of three Cactus Candles - £13.00

How cute are these little cactus candles?! There are three in a pack and would make the cutest little gift, I don't think I would want to ever light them though!

Next double band footbed sandals - £20.00

Just like every other blogger, or person my age probably, I've been on the lookout for some Birkenstock dupes. I can't quite afford the real thing yet as I haven't got a job yet since finished uni, but these ones I've found from Next seem to be the next best thing, and for only £20 I might have to get the black and the white pair! :)

Garnier Cleansing Micellar Water - £3.32

This is another product which I have just heard non-stop about through the blogosphere and I really need to try it out for myself! It's supposed to take off your eye makeup really well, and also works as a cleanser too, but is so cheap! My housemate has started to use it and she swears by it too :)

Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set of Make Up Brushes - £46.26

Oh God, the further I get down this blog post, the more I realise that I'm influenced so much by what other bloggers and YouTubers say! The final product is also one that I've heard non-stop about recently and I would really like to try them out myself! This is also something I'd have to treat myself to when I get a job - the gorgeous set of Zoeva make up brushes! They're supposed to be amazing quality, and they're Rose Gold which is my favourite! :)

Thanks for reading :)
Are any of these products on your wishlist too?
Or do you have any of these products already?

I wish I was at Glastonbury today!
Love Dani :)

x

Dottie Rocks personalised 'Floral Danielle' pencils and prints :)

I've been super excited about writing this blog post since me and the lovely Karen from Dottie Rocks started exchanging emails a few months ago. Back then she was just about to move studio and I was just about to finish my final stretch of uni so we planned what we'd make but then didn't speak for a little while as we both had our separate busy times, then recently she emailed me to let me know that my little package was on the way to me and I was so excited to receive it!

 Dottie Rocks personalised pencils and prints*

Dottie Rocks is a gorgeous little online shop, who's stock is currently being sold here on Etsy, and specialises in personalised pencils and prints. I am such a girly girl when it comes to stationary and homeware, so I'm in love with everything in the store! It ranges from Bridget Jones quotes on pencils to Coco Chanel quotes printed with gold foil, and every other girly movie or show in between!

I am absolutely in love with these pencils! They remind me of primary school where everyone used to have them with their full names on, so to have pencils with my blog name on is so nice! The packaging was absolutely gorgeous too, I didn't want to take them out of it! When I move back home from uni, I'm gonna make my sister's old room into a studio for myself, and these will go so perfectly on the desk :). Even though there isn't an option for personalised pencils on their website, Karen is absolutely lovely and would definitely be able to make you a personalised set to buy, so give her an email if you're interested!

I was also given the option to have some personalised quotes made for my little studio room which I am so excited about. I'm planning to make it really girly with white walls and inspirational walls so these will go perfectly right in the middle! I'm absolutely obsessed with Pinterest at the moment, and I love all the inspirational quotes on there so I decided to pick two of my favourites for my prints. The quality of the prints are really good, printed on thick card, and the gold foil letters look so professional, they would be a lovely gift! I will definitely be doing a little studio blog post when it's finished so keep an eye out for these prints up in their new home :)

Thank you for reading :)
Which is your favourite from my little Dottie Rocks post?

Would you get some personalised blog pencils?

Love Dani :)

x

My new favourite handbag - the HanaRoo 'Sahara Dream' :)

Since dying my hair blonde, I had been on the look-out for a beige coloured bag to go with my new look. I've always loved the colour beige, especially on handbags (my best friend has the most GORGEOUS beige Mulberry bag) but I'd always felt that beige would look a little boring with my brown hair. So after taking the plunge, I needed to find a handbag to fit all of my needs. It needed to be big enough to carry all of my random junk on a daily basis, it has to be comfortable to carry and obviously I had to like the look of it! When I was contacted by the lovely ladies over at HanaRoo.co.uk about reviewing a handbag, I jumped at the chance and came across this beauty almost straight away - it must've been fate!

Hanaroo 'Sahara Dream' Bag - £30*

This bag is literally exactly what I had been looking for. The detailings on the buckle and hoops are more of a rose gold and the shape of the bag is so sophisticated - I undoubtedly think it looks a lot more expensive than it is! The bag doesn't have a zip to close it as I had been looking for, but it is definitely safe because the buckle requires being turned to unlock, and then you have to open the whole bag up which would be almost impossible when the bag is being worn. I have been wearing the bag with the long strap (which is also removable if that's not your thing) over my shoulder to make it more comfortable as I get a really bad back when I have bags on my lower arm for too long, but this has been really comfy to use and I have had many compliments so far!

You can see how many things I've managed to fit in this bag and that's not even on a day when I've stuffed it full! There is a zipped compartment for my iPhone and other valuables too. All in all, I really love this bag and I can see myself using this daily for a long while! I'm sure you'll see it in some outfit posts during the Summer as it will be perfect for all the fun picnics and riverside walks to be had! :)

Thanks for reading :)
Do you like the look of this HanaRoo bag?
Which is your current favourite hangbag?

Love Dani :)

x