Introducing Clio...

This time last week was the first full day of being a dog owner. I have never been a dog owner before so it was a little scary. Growing up I had pets, I had a fish, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit but we never had a dog or cat and I didn't know anyone who had a dog or cat. 

When I was younger I had an encounter with a giant black poodle. I remember the poodle being massive but it probably wasn't. The "GIANT" black poodle got excited about my ponytail whilst I was scooting around the park. I know now that all he wanted to do was play but back then he was jumping up and trying to bite my hair which absolutely terrified me. Because of this incident I have been a little scared of dogs. They can be in the room but as soon as they jump up or bark at me I got scared. 

Simon was the first person I met that had both a dog and cat this scared me at first. This is until I met his dog she was called Mabel she didn't do anything, she slept, she got up, moved to a warmer spot then slept, all day! The cat Jess we have a mutual agreement she doesn't come near me as she knows she will not get any attention. After living with Simon for a couple of years sadly Mabel died, Simon's family were really upset and I understood why I just couldn't feel it myself.    

Then last month they decided as a family to get a new dog, so last week we ventured down to Battersea Dogs Home to have a look around. I never thought we would walk in and walk out on the same day with a dog but we did. Her name is Clio.

Clio is a 8 month stray dog taken in by Battersea, they do not know what breed she is, she looks like a mix of loads of different breeds, she is a packet of skittles! The staff at Battersea told us Clio was a shy dog who got scared easily, who needed time to adjust and space to be on her own. This was the perfect dog for our household.

When we brought Clio home she was very excited about everything she ran around and sniffed everything in her path, quite quickly she became used to us and her surroundings.I have quickly found a bond with Clio and now understand why people fall in love with dogs.

As she is still only young she only knows how to sit by command but we are slowly teaching her new tricks and commands. I will let you all know how the journey goes and hopefully my love for her will keep on growing. 

Throwback Thursday!

Many bloggers do 'Throwback Thursday's' and I love the idea of it, sharing with the world an old memory or photo. Things that make you who you are today.

So this is my first ever Throwback Thursday and I thought I would show you an oldie.

 

This is me trying on my Secondary School Uniform for the first time. I made the best friends anyone can make at secondary school and can defiantly say that some of my favourite memories have happened whilst being at school, no regrets!

 

Abbi's Top Tips - The Great Gatsby Eye

Seeing as The Great Gatsby cam out last month, Danni and I thought it would be a good idea to do a 20's inspired eye make-up tutorial. It's a great look that will last the ages. This is how we achieved it. 

1. Apply concealer to the eyelid to help the eye shadow stay on the lid.

2. Decide whether you are going to go for a black or blue theme for the eyes. Using the darkest tone of eyeshadow and put it as close to the eyelashes.

3. Shade in a lighter colour that matches the tone of the dark colour. Shade this all the way up to the brow.

 

4. Using an eyeliner pencil or pen, draw around the eye on both the bottom and top, this is to help enhance the eye. 
 

5. Splash on layers of mascara or false lashes to help finish the look.

 

 That's all it takes, 5 easy steps to get a great 20's themed eye make-up. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to be shown how to do.

Happy Fathers Day

As most of you probably know yesterday was no ordinary Sunday it was in fact Father’s Day. I thought this would then be a great time to declare to the world that I HAVE THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!!

Growing up I looked up to my dad (literally…so funny) as all little girls do. I hung on every word my dad said and believed every word that ever came out of his mouth, unfortunately for me my dad told me quite a few porkies growing up. What this meant for me was that I would go into school the next day and tell everyone in my class what my dad had told me and they would all laugh. The biggest lie my dad ever told me was that his grey hair was strawberry blonde, the arguments I used to get in with people about the colour of my dad’s hair was ridiculous. Despite figuring out at 13 that my dad lied to me constantly I still believe everything he tells me. 

Everyone says constantly that I look like my mum and I do we are twins but my personality is entirely my dad. Sometimes we can clash heads but only because we are a both too stubborn to back down and admit defeat, but then the two of us against the world would be undefeatable. 

I am so lucky to have a dad that supports me through all my choices in life. Every step along the way my dad has been there to help in any way possible and it makes me happy that I can give him a call anytime of the day to ask a “stupid” question (Dad I burnt my fingers… Dad what does this kind of bulb mean… Dad I’m lost) 

So Pup I just want to publically say thank you for everything you have ever done for me and that I am so happy that you are my Dad and I only have to share you with 2 other people. You are my dad, my friend and my role model. Thank you! 

I love you twice xx

Triathlon

Last weekend the time had arrived for Simon to take part in his Triathlon, It was such an exciting and nerve racking day. The Triathlon was at Eton Dorney Lake, for those of you who dont know this is where the rowing took place in last summers 'London Olympic Games' it was such an experience to be there a year on from such a great event. 

The race started a 12:55pm the competitors start with the 400m swim, which for Simon who is a swimmer was hopefully going to be his best section of the race. Simon finished the swim in well under 10 minutes which is a great time! Then comes the transition stage which meant he had to take off the wetsuit (which was compulsory as the water was less than 14 degrees) put on his shoes and helmet and then off he goes, sounds simple! Yet Simon took 4:30 minutes to do this, I wish I could of witnessed the transition stage.  

After the swim is the cycle, Simon has done a lot of training for this section of the race so hopefully this was also going to be a good time. The cycle was 21k which was 4 laps around the lake. Simon did this section in 43 minutes which yet again was a fantastic time.

The last stage of the triathlon is the run, this is the section he was dreading. It is safe to say Simon is not a runner and he did not train enough for this section of the race. Despite this Simon did not stop at any point he either ran or walked. It was at this section of the race that you could tell Simon was tired by the look on his face. He finished the run in 33 minutes which for Simon is a great time.

Overall Simon took 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the triathlon which I am so proud of him for, it is a great time for a novice racer. He was completely tired after the race and hurt a little the next day but it has not put him off, he is already excited about next years race and wanting to beat his current time.

Simon taking this race head on has defiantly inspired me to get active. I am so proud of him for achieving what he did on Sunday and looking forward to the next race. I would love to know if anyone else took part in the Triathlon weekend and Eton Dorney and if you did WELL DONE!! 

The Countdown is Over!

What I have been working on for the past couple of months is officially now open to the world, and it is a little scary.

Since the New Year I have been trying to figure out my plans for the future and one day it came to me, design my own graphic tees! Well today is that day that you can now buy official Elephant Bum Tees.

Click on the shop button above and it will re-direct you to the shop, go wild!

I hope that you all love my designs as much as I enjoyed designing them. I would really love to see how you style up your Elephant Bum Tees.