Amylou's is moving!

Hey lovelies,

This is just a little post to say Amylou's is moving over to Wordpress. The web address will still be the same, and as of today amylous.co.uk will take you over to the new site.

It's a little bare right now, but i'm hoping to start uploading more soon, the sun is finally here meaning more day trips and with only a few weeks left until uni is done for the summer, hopefully i'll have a lot more content going up!

I want to thank you all for reading this little blog of mine, I started this blog just as somewhere to upload my thoughts or things that I just wanted to write about so I could come back and look at it in the future and even though I haven't posted much recently, i'm quite proud of how far it's come. 

Hopefully i'll see a few of you over on the new site when I can upload some new posts onto it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love, Amylou x

Why I'm Running The Pretty Muddy 5K

Hey lovelies,

I just logged onto my blog to see that I had 24 different blog posts all half-finished and waiting to be published, but instead of simply finishing one of these I wanted to talk about something that I think is quite important.

In May of this year I’m going to be running the Pretty Muddy 5K for Cancer Research. Whilst a 5K walk might not seem like much of a challenge, after all it is only 3 miles, the obstacles that need climbing over, crawling under and pushing through make it all that more tough. But what’s even more tough to think about, is the fact that women from all over the country are getting together to get through these obstacles in the hopes that they can raise money in memory of their loved ones.

Cancer is something that affects everyone. There are currently 2.5 million people in the UK that have been diagnosed, and by the end of the year it is estimated that more than a thousand people will be diagnosed every day. Over 50% of people diagnosed survive, and it is predicted that by 2030 the number of people surviving more than 5 years after diagnosis will more than double. The outlook is good, but with our help, it could be even better. (Statistics from Macmillan Cancer Support)

I’ve known friends, family members and colleagues who have been diagnosed, and luckily many of them won their battles, but unfortunately there were also a few who didn’t.

I’m not only running for them, I’m running for hope too. Hope that one day we will find a cure, and no one will lose their battle. Hope that families won’t be torn apart, and that people can live their lives surrounded by their loved ones, instead of their memories.

Research into cancer prevention and cancer treatments are progressing daily, but without funding, these new technologies take longer to develop, and the cure is just that bit further away. I’m not writing this post to get you to sponsor me, I’m writing this post in the hopes that it might inspire even one of you to do something to help. Whether that be donating money to a charity, whether it be donating old clothes to a charity shop, or giving your time volunteering at an event. It can be something as simple as saving the stamps you get on your letters and sending them to a charity such as Macmillan.

Every little bit helps, even if all you can give is your time.

If you want to see how my team is getting on, or if you want to start your own JustGiving page to raise money for one of your favourite charities just follow the link below

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/amylouisesugden

I'd love to hear about any fundraising activities you've done, and together we can support our favourite charities and hopefully make a difference to people who really need it.

As always, all my love, Amylou x

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A little life update

Hey there,

It's safe to say i've missed this little blog.

A lot has happened since my last post a few months ago, and yet strangely, not much has changed.

I've graduated from one Masters degree, and after a couple of weeks not studying anything and being thankful that my essay and exam days were over, I signed up to and started another. I think i'm becoming something of an eternal student, and for someone who finds exams stressful, it's been an interesting decision to make.

There's been good dates and bad days, butterflies and arguments. There have been highs where i've been so excited and nervous that all I could hear was my own heartbeat, and lows where it's taken all i've got not to cry in frustration, and yet I can say with confidence that i've had the most fun few months in a long time.

As i'm sat here watching the Sex and the City movie, planning my Galentines date for Sunday, I suddenly felt the urge to get out my macbook and catch up on all my favourite blogs. My screen has been full of peonies and beaches, roses and ski chalets, and more than anything, it has reminded me of all the fun things that I want to do.

There's so much to see, so many places to visit and so many new things to learn, and I can't wait to get started.

Love, Amylou x

Cupcakes, Cookies and Milkshakes in Newcastle

Hey lovelies,

Last weekend I headed up to Newcastle to visit my sister and one of our old family friends, and I just have to show you the amazing little cupcake and milkshake place we found!

After having lunch in Pitcher and Piano on the river, we started to think about where we could get some cakes, and my sister recommended a place her friend had told her about.

If you walk along the river, past the Millenium bridge and up into the centre you'll quickly come across a little place called the Great British Cupcakery, and it's officially my new favourite place for desserts.

The interior is so cute, it has mirrors, flowers and little quotes everywhere

But best of all are the amazing cakes and milkshakes that you can get, so we grabbed a table and ordered ourselves some treats

One look at these milkshakes and you know you're in heaven. My sister had a vanilla milkshake with crème pâtissière and a profiterole on the top, and I had a cookie milkshake, which had nutella all over the jar, freshly whipped cream and cookies all over it.

I couldn't believe my eyes when they were brought to our table, dessert heaven!

We found them impossible to finish so I definitely recommend having one of these for your meal rather than after it! But if you're like us and don't even come close to finishing then they do have paper take out cups so you can finish it later!

If you're ever in Newcastle, it's definitely worth the visit!

Have you ever been to the great british cupcakery? 

Where is your favourite place to go for sweet treats?

Love, Amylou x

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Affordable Winter Boots Wishlist

Hey lovelies,

Ankle boots are everywhere you look at the minute, and as you can wear them with everything they really are a staple piece to add to your wardrobe! I've been loving so many lately that I thought i'd share a few of my favourites with you guys!

Usually I stick to my standard black and brown ankle boots for this time of year, and save my lighter and more colourful boots for the spring and autumn months, but this year there's so many nice colourful boots that I might have to invest in some of these this year for a change!

And of course I had to add them all to my wantfeed page, it is getting close to christmas present buying time after all! If you want to visit the stores where I found the shoes then just click the photo source links under each photo! :)

Photo Source: Debenhams

I am in love with these Navy 'Lyndsey' Ankle Boots from Dorothy Perkins at Debenhams, and at £39 they are a bargain. I'm definitely after some of these, still quite dark but they bring a little extra to an outfit rather than my usual black boots. The shiny inside heel is a cute touch too!

Photo Source: Debenhams

I must say though, they are also very beautiful in black, I can't decide which I love more! There's just something so classic about black boots for the winter, and at £39 you can't really go wrong!

Photo Source: Dune

I think my favourite colour boots for this season has to be burgundy. There's something so festive about them and they look great with so many different outfits. Plus I do have a lot of different red clothes this winter, so they'll be perfect with those! At £115 these are a bit more expensive, but they are such an amazing colour I had to share.

Photo Source: Dune

I think these boots have to be my favourite, but they don't have them in my size! So sad, but they are beautiful so had to be shared, and they are £49 so not outrageous either, I just wish they had them in my size!

Photo Source: Topshop

The last pair of red boots i'll share haha, can you tell I really want some red boots this year?! But I'm a 42 so it's practically impossible to find any! One day I will find some, but until then i'll just share my favourites with you guys! :) These are £69 so a little bit more than the others, but the gold plated heels are gorgeous! The heels are a little higher on these too, so perfect for the evening with some jeans or a cute dress!

(They also make these in black, and they are equally as gorgeous in black too!)

Photo Source: Topshop

I've never been a fan of buckles and straps on ankle boots, but surprisingly I actually love these boots. The heels are a bit higher than I usually buy for daytime boots but I think i'd make an exception for these as they are beautiful! A bit more expensive at £72, but if you look after them they'd last a long time! Plus it's almost christmas time so the perfect time to treat yourself! :)

What ankle boots are you loving at the moment?

Do you like to wear coloured boots, or do you stick to the classic black and brown in the winter?

Love, Amylou x



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A Weekend in Vienna

Hello lovelies,

One of my good friends from University recently went back home for a few months to Vienna, and asked if I wanted to visit, so I jumped at the chance and i'm so glad that I did. Vienna is officially the most beautiful city I have ever visited. The architecture is amazing, the detail in the buildings is incredible, easily one of my new favourite places. 

Luckily I packed a couple of dresses, back in England we had temperatures below ten, so packed mainly jumpers, but when I got to Austria it was almost 30! Absolutely beautiful though, perfect for walking around the grounds of palaces and stately homes!

I could walk around and look at the architecture in Vienna all day, and luckily that's what I did for most of the weekend!

Such regal homes, I don't think i've ever walked around somewhere so impressive.

It's amazing to see such a beautiful, regal building nestled in the centre of such a big and vibrant city. It was quite a hike to the highest point of the gardens so we could get this picture of the house, well worth it for the view though.

We were greeted by this wonderful building at the top of our walk, such detail with a beautiful gold eagle on the top, only with one head, though most of the eagles seen around vienna have two heads representing the dual monarchy of Austria and Hungary, and have done since 1867, showing how old this beautiful building is.

We chose to walk down one of the quieter lanes back to the main house and came across this column, everywhere you turned you found a new sculpture to see and there was far too much to see just in our morning trip!

I didn't want to leave this place, i've said it a million times already, but it really is one of the most beautiful places i've ever been.

After a morning of adventures Oliver decided to join in on my photo taking and joined in with my holiday spirit as he showed me around his home town!

I wanted to photograph everything I saw, and it took me ages to get anywhere as I was just constantly getting my camera out.

My tour guide quickly got bored of my photos and how long I was taking to walk to the next museum or art gallery (we visited 3 in two days along with the stately homes and palaces, though maybe we could have fit more in if i'd walked a little faster!)

But I just couldn't help it!

The churches were the most magnificent of all, even underground when we saw the caskets of the old Austrian royal family and rulers, though I didn't take any photos out of respect, it was fascinating to see the level of detail and the dedication of their people!

There were also a number of impressive water features around the city, very good for keeping you cool if you walked through the mist!

Oliver's sister is currently in Mary Poppins in Vienna and we had tickets to see the premiere of the second season and it was absolutely amazing. The entire show was in German, and I don't speak a single word of German, however there were subtitles over the stage and I loved the film as a child so I knew mostly what was going on, even though a few scenes were from the books and so not in the film.

If you get the chance to see this show whilst it is still playing, or when it goes on tour I highly recommend it, I was transfixed and I couldn't even understand a word they were saying, they are all so incredibly talented, and also lovely people!

I just can't get over the beauty of this city.

I had the best weekend in Vienna, it was lovely to be shown around by someone who grew up there, and to go to quite cafes and restaurants with amazing food that the locals go to, even if I couldn't speak to many people or understand any of the menus, luckily I had someone to translate for me!

Everyone I have spoken to has assured me that I must go back in the winter to see all of the christmas lights and decorations, and to visit the christmas markets, and I really hope that I get the chance to!

Have any of you been to Vienna? What was your favourite part, any recommendations?

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend,

Love, Amylou x

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Travel Diaries: Capri

Hey lovelies,

This was just the best day.

We took a yacht around the island of Capri, and it's one my favourite things i've ever done.

The view of sorrento as we sailed away was so beautiful, so many colourful houses and hotels built into the cliffs. It really is one of the most beautiful places i've ever been.

We stopped off at this waterfall on our way, the water was the most incredible blue, I just wanted to jump straight in! Every boat that sailed past stopped to come up to the waterfall, as getting underneath it is meant to bring you luck!

It wasn't long until we decided we needed to go for a swim, the water looked too inviting to stay in the boat! It was a lot colder than we were expecting, but it was definitely worth it!

This was my favourite view of the whole day, such an iconic place in capri, also the setting of many of the D&G advertisements, including light blue, as the D&G house is just up on the hill opposite!

I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole day, I think I found my favourite thing to do, and I definitely need to make the trip again!

Once we reached capri we got in the lift and headed up to the top of the island, and it was beautiful up there, such amazing views, but it was really hot so we soon headed back into the streets for a bit of retail therapy and some drinks in the sunshine!

I loved being in Italy so much, and I can't wait for the next time!

Love, Amylou x


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