My 23rd Birthday

At the beginning of the month I turned 23. I wasn't sure how I wanted to celebrate so everything was done last minute! I decided I would like a continental style breakfast to start the day, including toast with jam, blueberry muffins, and pain au chocolat. I was going to do croissants and other pastries too, but I just didn't have time to do it all. I used this recipe for the blueberry muffins, and they turned out really well. I would probably do a few less next time so the muffins are a little bigger, but they were nice and not too sweet. 

 Most of Jus-Rol's pastry products are suitable for vegans, and I have been wanting to try their pain au chocolat kit ever since I heard about it.  

 They were such fun to make; first you unwrap a cardboard tube which opens itself with a pop! 

 The pastry is rolled up and is perforated so that you tear it into six strips. 

 You then place a dark chocolate stick at each end of the pastry and roll the ends in to the middle. 

 Glaze with a little non-dairy milk and bake! They were delicious straight out of the oven.

After breakfast I went to a hotel spa with my brother's girlfriend where we enjoyed the swimming pool, sauna and outdoor hot tub (I didn't even think about taking any photos - sorry!). When we arrived my friend who works in the spa informed me that there was one space left that afternoon for a back massage. I decided to treat myself, and I'm so glad I did - I don't always have time to have a massage and it's great being the client for a change! In the evening my family and I went down to the local pub for a meal; I had a nut roast and all the trimmings, plus a few cheeky ciders. My mum did make me a gorgeous chocolate cake using this Lindy Smith recipe, which she smothered in chocolate buttercream and decorated with sugarpaste flowers and butterflies. However, when I got home I was rather merry and cut the cake before realising I hadn't taken a photo of it!  I had a lovely day, and got some amazing presents which I will be writing a post about soon. 

Jack's 3rd Birthday

A few weeks ago Jack turned three. As usual, I set out to spoil him rotten. This year I decided to buy him a load of vegan dog treats. Although Jack is not currently veggie or vegan, I thought it would be good for him to have some treats that aren't made of skin or bone, or any other body part that goes into low quality dog food and treats. Dogs can thrive on vegan diets and some vets even recommend it! Whilst looking for vegan dog treats I came across a website called veggiepets.com. They have a wide range of products to choose from, and I bought quite a few things so that they would last Jack a while. I wrapped them all up as Jack loves to unwrap presents (every time I get a parcel in the post he helps me to open it!). I tried to get him to pose for a photo with all his presents but he was too excited to sit still! 

 

Jack loved all his treats; he went straight for the 'pig' ear. I also made some vegan peanut butter dog biscuits using this recipe. 

  

  My mum got him some doggy chocolate drops (not vegan) and my brother got him some treats, a new ball, and a squeaky elephant teddy which is his new favourite!  

 

 

Of course no birthday would be complete without a cake, and so I made Jack a peanut butter and carrot cake topped with choc drops. I always make this recipe, but this year I veganised it by omitting the honey and replacing the egg with a ripe mashed banana. 

 

I also made a cake for my brother's gorgeous dog, Rhino, who turned three a few days before Jack. They love my cake! 

 Jack had a great birthday and was worn out in the evening. He still has plenty of treats left but I shall be ordering some more when they run out!Do you celebrate your pet's birthday? 

OOTD - Select Bow Print Tea Dress

Another OOTD from my last trip to Birmingham. One day Jamie and I decided to go on a canal boat cruise. It was such a hot day, so I thought it would be the perfect chance to wear my pretty new tea dress from Select, which was £14. I love how versatile tea dresses are; they can be worn as they are in the summer, or paired with tights and cardigans in the winter.

I wore this dress with my new faux-leather sandals, £9.99, and bag, £7.99, both from New Look. The sandals are so comfy, and they keep your feet cool in the heat.

On the way to the canal boat we saw loads of geese. We had taken some bread along to the canal the day before but the geese were all on the other side so we didn't get a chance to feed them. We got to feed them this time though, they were so cute and happily took the bread from my hands!

House of Fraser Fashion Getaways Blogger Challenge

I received an email a few weeks ago from House of Fraser inviting me to take part in their Fashion Getaways Blogger Challenge for the chance to win a £200 voucher to spend with them. All you have to do is put together a key outfit, beauty look or room inspired by one of the iconic fashion capitals (London, Paris, Milan, New York or Tokyo) and get your followers to guess which one you've chosen. This is my first blogger challenge so I couldn't wait to get stuck in! I decided to put together an outfit, which I would wear on a night out in my chosen city. It is a glam, sophisticated rock chick inspired look. 

 The Vila Skinny Coated Jeans, £35, are the perfect jeans for a night out. They have a cool (faux!) leather look, but are primarily made of cotton, which would be more comfortable to wear. Team it with this Warehouse Guipure Lace Shell top, £25, to add a pretty, feminine edge to the outfit. This Throw-on Jacket by Mary Portas, £129, smartens up the look and is perfect for keeping the chilly night air away after the sun has gone down. No night out would be complete without high heels, and these Bewitched High Platform Court Shoes, £45, are perfect for this look. The Katie Clutch Bag by Therapy, £20, softens the look and compliments the rest of the outfit perfectly. Both the shoes and the bag are of course faux-leather! The weather in this city is always unpredictable, therefore this Fulton Plain Superslim Umbrella, £18, is the ideal size to keep in your bag in case of any downpours. Add a touch of bling with some gorgeous statement jewellery. These Coast Reese earrings, £15, Lola & Grace Square Solitaire Pendant, £24.90, and JewelEver Gold Plated Ring, £49.50, all add a touch of glamour to the outfit.
This outfit is finished off with a dramatic smoky eye look, which can be achieved using Bellapierre's Eyeliner Duo, £20. A subtle pink lip using Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Cowboy, £13, adds shine without being too dramatic. Both these brands are cruelty-free and BUAV approved. Complete the look with big, voluminous hair and you're ready for your night out in the city!
Can you guess which city I've chosen?  

OOTD - Primark Paisley Maxi Dress

Way behind with my blog posts but I hope to be posting regularly from now on! Here is an outfit I wore when I went up to Birmingham last month. It was the week of the start of our summer heatwave in the UK, so it was really hot and muggy, especially in the city.

As mentioned in my haul post, I bought all my clothes on the first day up there, and these formed the basis of my outfits all week! One day it was slightly cloudy so I opted for this paisley print maxi dress, which was £15 from Primark. I teamed it with my trusty denim jacket that I bought in New Look last year. I wore my old tan and black faux-leather flip flops that are from Peacocks (and are well past their best now!), and my new faux-leather cross-body bag which was £7.99 from New Look.

We took a wander along some of Birmingham's canals, where I excitedly spotted a little cafe that serves lots of vegan meals, including lemon cake! We couldn't not sit down and have vegan cake could we?

After our yummy cake we headed down to the Mailbox shopping centre for a browse, where we spotted some rather interesting statues!

New Blog Design!

Just a quick post to introduce you to my lovely new blog design which was created by the very talented Steph :)

If you fancy getting a makeover for your blog you can do so here: http://bonjourbelledesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

What do you think of my new look?

Why Veganism isn't About Being Perfect

During my years as a vegetarian, I often thought about going vegan. However, like many people, I had this vision of vegans being perfect, über strict police-types who would hurl abuse at you if you accidentally put a foot wrong. When I finally decided to go for it, I joined a few vegan Facebook groups and online forums, and I have to say I was really surprised. Vegans are actually a pretty friendly bunch!

Now, going back to the title of this post. You might think I'm trying to say that you can still be vegan and eat 'free-range eggs from your auntie's organic farm' or 'the occasional bowl of dairy ice cream when you need cheering up'. That is not what I'm saying at all. By all means, if you want to abstain from eating most animal products but still eat one or two things then that is entirely up to you, just maybe don't call yourself a vegan (or you will only add to the confusion of what vegans actually eat!).

What I am saying is, being vegan doesn't mean you are only allowed to shop from vegan supermarkets, buy clothes from super-ethical businesses, grow your own vegetables, buy cosmetics from independent vegan companies, or only eat at vegan restaurants. As ideal as that would be, it is just not currently possible in a non-vegan world (hopefully this will change in the future as veganism becomes more mainstream).

Of course, there is often much debate in these vegan groups, which does bring up some good points. For example, people regularly show off their 'vegan finds' (such as accidentally vegan biscuits or cakes etc.) that they found in the supermarket. Some vegans will say that they don't shop in supermarkets as they sell meat and dairy products, and therefore by buying other products from them, you are funding the very thing that vegans are against. This is a very good point. Which brings us onto the other debatable topic of buying cosmetics from cruelty-free brands whose parent companies test on animals (such as The Body Shop being owned by L'Oreal). Some of the vegans who say they avoid supermarkets may buy from the likes of the Body Shop, and vice-versa. But is there really any difference between the two?

One interesting argument for not boycotting supermarkets or cosmetics companies is that if the demand for vegan products dies down, these products may stop being produced or become difficult to get hold of, which would be a great shame after having so little choice for vegans for many years. One prime example is vegan alternatives to dairy products, such as Alpro and Vitalite, both of which are ironically owned by dairy companies. Buying these products may mean some of your money inevitably goes into the dairy industry, but on the other hand boycotting them may mean no more vegan margarine, yogurt or milk.

If you are thinking of becoming vegan but are worried that it will be difficult, my advice would be to just give it a try - it really is easy. As long as you do not eat any animal products, do not wear leather, suede, fur or silk, and only purchase products that you believe to be cruelty-free, then you can call yourself a vegan. Anything else you do, be it continuing to feed your pets meat, visiting zoos, or going horse-riding (all of which some vegans avoid), is your personal decision. As long as you are happy that you do as much as you possibly can to avoid supporting animal cruelty (which is, after all, what being vegan is all about), then don't let others judge you, when they are probably not 'perfect' themselves.