29 July 2014

EASY TOMATO & RED LENTIL SOUP





Another fairly quick and easy recipe today on how to make a filling tomato and red lentil soup!
Ingredients: (serves two)
- One tin of either plum or chopped tomatoes
- Around three handfuls of
- One small/medium red onion
- Salt and pepper for season
- Hand blender or food processor

Chop up the onions and then add them either to a large saucepan or a deep frying pan. Fry them off on a low to medium heat, in a little oil, until soft and browned. Add the tomatoes to the onions and start to cook the tomatoes. Add the lentils and leave the mixture to cook on a medium heat for around 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked through. Season the soup and add tomato puree and Worcester sauce for a bit more flavouring. Then blend (I used a stick/hand blender for mine). The lentils thicken up the soup, but if it starts to get too thick add some water to thin it out a bit. Once it's completed blended and smoothed out, that's it! Serve up with some rye bread and add a swirl of creme fraiche or cream to finish it off.

Let me know what you think of these recipe posts as I'd love to do some more! I'd love to know if you try out these recipe so tweet me @afloralcrown if you do!

25 July 2014

100TH DAY OF MY #RUNSTREAK

For those who already follow me on Twitter you may know that today I hit my 100th run streak day. This basically means that I've run at least one mile everyday for the past 100 days. In that time I've covered over 150 miles, ran my first half marathon and my first 10k - We Own The Night. My biggest inspiration for my starting my own streak was the lovely Amy Lawrenson (Associate Health and Beauty Editor at ELLE UK) who's dedication to running is just incredible. She's currently run over 450 days and on the way to her 500th, it's just amazing!

I started this run streak to challenge myself and after beginning one about a month before, but then having to end it to a slight injury (with a half marathon coming up I didn't want to make it worse), I'm super happy that I restarted it. Some days were harder than others but looking back at all those miles logged, it's definitely worth it. Do I plan to stop? Not at the moment. I don't know when I'm going to stop, maybe I'll make it to a year or more, like Amy. But for now I'm enjoying every mile I run no matter how hard it seems at the time.

If you want to keep updated with my run streak then make sure to follow me @afloralcrown!

22 July 2014

HOMEMADE BURGER & SWEET POTATO FRIES






Today's post is a simple recipe on how to make homemade burgers served with sweet potato fries. The burger mix can also easily be used to create meatballs. Serve the meatballs with a homemade tomato sauce with courgette spaghetti for a healthier alternative to traditional meatballs and pasta.

Burgers- 500g mince meat (will make 4 regular sized burgers)
- 1 medium egg
- 1 small red onion
- Salt & pepper for seasoning
- Italian herbs for flavour

Mix all of the above thoroughly in a bowl. Quarter up the mixture and then shape into burgers. Once shaped cover the burger in a thin layer of flour before cooking them. You can either pan fry them or grill them in the oven, both on a medium heat so that it cooks evenly and doesn't burn the outside. Cook like normal, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear and the burger is cooked through.

Sweet Potato Fries
- One medium sweet potato
- Oil
- Honey
- Salt and pepper

Cut the sweet potato into normal sized chips. You can completely alter them for your preference, turn them into wedges, thin or thicker (you then just need to alter the time in the over). Spread the chips out evenly on a baking tray (I lined mine with tin foil to make clean up easier). Dash over some oil, then repeat with the honey. Sprinkle over salt and pepper. Place these in a  preheated over on gas mark 4/ 350 Fahrenheit/ 180 Celsius. Cook these for about 20-40 minutes until they're soft on the inside and with a slight crisp on the outside. Check them regularly to ensure they don't burn.

And it's as easy as that! A pretty quick meal with super tasty burgers and fries! If you make this recipe I'd really love to know your thoughts! Leave a comment of tweet me @afloralcrown.

19 July 2014

COMPANY HIGH STREET EDIT SUMMER 2014

I thought I'd share this quick little video that I created based on the Company Magazine High Street Edit Summer 2014 which is in store now! The art design of this magazine is just amazing. Check out @companymagazine on Twitter for tons of updates from them.

18 July 2014

DIOR FALL 2014 COUTURE


 I don't think Dior can ever really go wrong overall when they bring out new collections. These designs were not an exception to this. They were gorgeous, feminine pieces. For the majority of the collection the colour palette was kept light and bright with whites and pastels making up many pieces. However, as expected from an Fall collection there were also a large number of pieces that were darker, earthier shades. There was a great mix of glamorous, more extravagant dresses mixed in with more some more casual pieces - which still remained sophisticated and smart. The pieces had great stucture to them and movement as they went down the catwalk.
Overall, another really nice collection from Dior and a great addition to this seasons Couture fashion shows.
*Photographs via Style.com

17 July 2014

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI FALL 2014 COUTURE





Giambattista Valli is another one of my favourite designers (another being Elie Saab) and I thoroughly look forward to their collections when a new one hits the catwalk. This season was just as gorgeous as ever. I LOVED the use of floral patterns in these designs. They were gorgeous and feminine, just perfect dress.
The shapes were flattering, there were a great mix of silhouettes and styles. Having the white as the base colour helped create a lovely light and fresh collection.
One of my top designs from this collection has to be a gorgeous a-line, high necked, sleeveless design (bottom row, second from left) with stunning detailing at the waist. The waist was accentuated by the the flowers used getting bolder in colour towards the waistline. It really draws the eye into the design and concentrates it onto the waistline. The final few dresses were certainly show stoppers, amazing dresses that really were just completely eye catching.
This was overall one of my favourite collections from the shows so far at  Fall 2014 Couture in Paris. You can check the rest of this collection, as well as all the other designers showing this season, out at Style.com.
*Photographs via Style.com

16 July 2014

CHANEL FALL 2014 COUTURE





Yet another amazing collection from Chanel. I thoroughly enjoy their couture collections, as well as many of their ready to wear ones.There were lots of metallics, bright pops or oranges/reds and plenty of texture to these designs for this new season. The detailing and texture really made this collection stand out for me. I love the work that Chanel does with texture and these garments were no exception. The colour palette featured some really nice earthier tones but had a more futuristic style, to some, with the uses of silvers and golds. Many pieces had a tailored look, with a few featuring that tight, sleek waist we have seen from Chanel in the past couple of seasons now. This emphasized waist going into a fuller bottom shape really brings something to the outfits. It creates a lovely silhouette that attracts the eye to the designs and works well with the busier textures going on with some pieces. Paired with faux mohawks hair styles, creating an edgy look to the outfits, these designs were feminine and a pleasure to look at.
Another pleasing collection by Chanel, ending with pregnant model taking to the catwalk showing off a gorgeous, flattering, long white dress.
*Photographs via Style.com

15 July 2014

VIKTOR & ROLF FALL 2014 COUTURE




With only a small number of pieces making up this collection by Viktor and Rolf, compared to other designers, I thought I'd keep this summary a bit simpler. I loved the bows, the simple designs and styles to these pieces. With the hair styled down with a messy bed hair texture - it acted as the perfect casual accompaniment to the designs. It allowed the garments to speak for themselves without the distraction of overdone hair or makeup. Although they aren't the most wearable designs, (although that is to be expected somewhat when it comes to couture collections) I do think they could work really well at formal events, if worn by the right person. It would definitely make a statement on any red carpet. My favourite piece was a longer gown, sleeved, featuring a large centered bow (above, far left). It just looked gorgeous and is the stand out piece for me. I loved the addition of the bows, for some pieces it looked as if the fabric was simply tied place.
Personally, I loved the use of the heavy red velvet. It created designs that stood out and were definitely eye catching among images of some of the other collections shown this week. A simple yet satisfying collection by Viktor and Rolf this couture season.
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*Photographs via Style.com

14 July 2014

ELIE SAAB FALL 2014 COUTURE





I've said it before and I will say it again; season on season, collection by collection, Elie Saab just is spot on for me. Whenever a new piece appears on the catwalk it does not fail to impress me and I just love this designer. This years Fall 2014 Couture collection was no exception. Each piece was as stunning as the on that walked down the catwalk before it. Necklines were a mixture of; straight across, widely scooped, deep "v's" and highly cut. Each complimented the rest of design extremely well, producing well rounded outfits.
One thing I always love about the collections from Elie Saab is that all of their couture pieces, although sometimes extravagant, are pretty much always wearable. They are just the perfect dress for red carpet occasions. The range of fabrics kept my interest throughout, with a variety of both embellished outfits, heavier fabrics and long floating designs. A few pieces were covered head to toe in embellishments creating gorgeous, eye-catching dresses that really made this collection a stand out again this season. The waistlines of the dresses cinched the fabrics in at the perfect place, creating beautiful silhouettes that really flatter.

I could go on forever about how much I really love this designer and the collections produced. But to sum this couture collection up - for me it was just as delightful as ever. The dresses were gorgeous, feminine and contained a perfect variety of styles and designs.
I for one can't wait to see what Elie Saab has next up his sleeves.
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*Photographs via Style.com

10 July 2014

DOG AT THE BEACH: GOPRO HERO 3+

On a recent dog walk I managed to film a couple of pieces of footage with a GoPro. I thought I'd edit some of them together, so I hope you enjoy you this short little video.
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