Thoughts on the end of the year with Daniel Wellington...

The end of the year is a time when many of us can feel a little tired after a busy twelve months, so it is just as well that we have a few days to get together with family and friends over the holidays, when we can relax and recharge. The past few days have been all about good food, drinks and company and I have relished the chance to switch off for a while and to reflect on the highlights of the year. 

I feel as though I have changed so much this year and as I look back and take stock, I realise that I have grown up significantly too. I have travelled regularly for work and the chance to meet so many people and to visit new places has renewed my enthusiasm for life. 

Over the past year, I have learned to let go of the things which were holding me back and now I am more eager than ever to embrace life. I no longer feel guilty about focusing on my goals and I feel so much more at peace since deciding that I want to look forward rather than wasting precious time looking back. All this talk of looking forward brings me again to the passage of time – another year has slipped by and here we are on the cusp of 2018. I do not often share outfits with you these days, but this is a little glimpse of what I often wear on the weekend. I like to be casual but to still look smart and I think this outfit just about manages those aims – I bought this Boohoo wrap coat a while ago and I paired it with my Yeezus t shirt, skinny jeans and ankle boots. 

The accessories I chose were a classic black choker, my Balmain sunglasses, a black chain strap bag and my new Daniel Wellington* classic 40mm Sheffield watch with rose gold details and matching rose gold cuff which is engraved with Daniel Wellington. This classic watch and cuff makes every outfit look so stylish and do not forget that you can use my exclusive personalised discount code COCOCAMI15 to get 15% off purchases at www.danielwellington.com and free shipping and returns are available worldwide too. 

This year, I have tried to be mindful and to be aware of the moment I am in rather than worrying about the past or the future. I have been reading lots of books which have helped to give me a new outlook and I have worked on projects I have enjoyed so much, which I can look back on with contentment in future years. I have even learned to smile more! After all, life is for living and I want to enjoy it for the wonderful and thrilling ride it can be. I am happier than I have been for a long time because I am doing what I love which is writing and I have got to know myself more and tried to stop being so hard on myself all the time. None of us are perfect after all - that is what makes us human. 

Once again, if you feel like treating yourself at the end of the year, you can enjoy 15% off at  www.danielwellington.com using my discount code COCOCAMI15 and there is free shipping and returns worldwide too. I love my Daniel Wellington watch and cuff set and I am excited to wear them more often.

With regard to new year resolutions, I have not made any yet - other than to enjoy every moment! 

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday time and I am wishing you all an amazing 2018. I am stepping in to the new year with shorter, lighter hair and I am feeling refreshed after the break and eager to embrace 2018. There is nothing like a hair cut to make everything feel brand new! 

Thank you very much for supporting me on this blog, I appreciate every single reader and I love sharing my life with you. Have you all made any resolutions and what are your plans for the year ahead? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post. 

Here is to the new year! 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

*This post features items sent to me on a complimentary basis by Daniel Wellington. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest. 

A relaxing weekend with Daniel Wellington...

It is beginning to feel a lot more like the festive season is underway and this weekend I went to visit my family. There has been quite a lot of snow recently where they live, so it looked like a winter wonderland when I arrived. I have been looking forward to visiting for a while because I have been away travelling a lot lately and I haven’t had the time to catch up with them as often as I would like. Once again, this got me thinking about the importance of making time for the people we care about, even when life is busy. We did not have anything special planned and sometimes that is exactly what I need – it is good to relax and spend time doing nothing in particular with loved ones occasionally. We gathered around for some hot chocolate and caught up on all our news and then on Saturday evening we had a take away. On Sunday I headed out to do some last minute gift shopping with my Mum wearing my new Daniel Wellington watch and cuff*

If you are still looking for some last minute gift ideas, the Daniel Wellington Christmas bundles come in assorted sets containing either a watch and a cuff or a watch and an additional strap and they make a special gift. Don’t forget that you can use my exclusive personalised discount code COCOCAMI15 to get 15% off purchases at www.danielwellington.com and free shipping and returns are available worldwide too. The Christmas bundles all come in a beautiful black gift box tied with red ribbon for a luxurious feel and I chose a Christmas bundle which contains the classic 40mm Sheffield watch with rose gold and a matching rose gold cuff engraved with Daniel Wellington. 

We went out for a coffee over the weekend too and I got so many compliments on my Daniel Wellington watch. I have fallen in love with it because it goes with my entire wardrobe and it looks so elegant and classic. The large watch dial is definitely my style and I love how the watch looks with the delicate cuff. I teamed the watch and cuff with jeans, t shirt, boots and a teddy bear jacket. A simple black backpack with silver details completed the look. 

I love the minimalist style of this watch and I am looking forward to wearing it over the holiday season and next year. There are lots of gift sets to choose from on the Daniel Wellington website and you can customise your own gift set too and at the moment you can choose two favourites and get 10% off. Shop the gift sets here: https://www.danielwellington.com/uk/create-gift-set/

I invested in a few last minute gifts this weekend and I always try to buy a few bottles of champagne for people as an easy gift idea. 

What do you all think, did you have a good weekend and are you ready for the holidays? Would you like to spoil somebody with a Daniel Wellington watch or cuff and who would you gift them to? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post. 

Until next time,

Camille

xo

*This post features items sent to me on a complimentary basis by Daniel Wellington. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest. 

The perfect gift with Daniel Wellington...

Can you believe that Christmas is already just around the corner? This year seems to have gone so quickly and I have done so many things which I will remember for the rest of my life, such as travelling to five amazing countries to write travel features. Along the way, I have met some lovely people and had so many wonderful moments to treasure. Time is such a relative concept and I wear a Daniel Wellington* watch every day so that I am on time for all those important events and special occasions. I was delighted to receive a Daniel Wellington Christmas bundle in the post recently and you can use my exclusive personalised discount code COCOCAMI15 to get 15% off purchases at www.danielwellington.com  and free shipping and returns are available worldwide too.

This is a time of year to reflect and to look back at all we have done during the year, but also to look forward at the promise of a new year. The thought of a new year is always exciting to me, a blank canvas of twelve months full of possibilities is an exhilarating thought – but of course, before then there is time to celebrate with family over the holidays.

The Daniel Wellington Christmas bundles come in assorted sets, containing either a watch and a cuff or a watch and an additional strap, which all come in a beautiful black gift box tied with red ribbon, for a luxurious feel. My Christmas bundle contains the classic 40mm Sheffield watch with rose gold and a matching rose gold cuff engraved with Daniel Wellington. I will be wearing these constantly over the festive season and beyond as they make every outfit look so polished.

These gift sets are the perfect present for somebody special and the timeless elegance of a Daniel Wellington watch looks great on everybody. I relied on my Daniel Wellington watch to make sure I was on time for so many flights this year and I never travel without mine! They are just such a must-have accessory and the matching rose gold cuff is sleek and simple. I love to stack the watch and the cuff together, for that Instagram worthy look!

Have you done your holiday shopping yet? I am that sort of person who leaves it all until the last minute so I definitely need to go Christmas shopping soon! There are lots of offers on the Daniel Wellington website over the holiday season, so be sure to take a look. These bundles are a great gift idea and a classic watch is an accessory which will never go out of fashion.

What do you all think, would you like to spoil somebody with a Daniel Wellington watch or cuff and who would you gift them to? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post. 

Until next time,

Camille

xo




*This post features items sent to me on a complimentary basis by Daniel Wellington. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest. 

Reasons to be grateful...

Don’t you find that when you are grateful for what you already have, more and more things to be grateful about seem to naturally flow in to your life? It may surprise you to learn that I am an avid believer in the Law of Attraction and I have read quite a few key books on the topic such as The Secret and The Magic. It is fascinating because it has a solid scientific basis – as we know every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the more grateful and happy we feel, the more we magnetise circumstances in to our lives for which to be grateful. Obviously, that is a very brief overview of the topic, but just the other day I was thinking about this again and remembering how important it is to practice gratitude. I have just come back from a trip to Verona which I was so fortunate to go on and I was so happy to have the experience, in fact I have travelled so much this year and I find travel such a positive experience which broadens my horizons. No sooner do I return from one trip than I am daydreaming about where I will travel to next. Travel is a big thing I am grateful for this year, but there are so many smaller things to be grateful for in the course of a day too. Here, I thought I would share with you some of the things I am grateful for, which make me feel content. Curling up with a good cup of tea is definitely something which makes me smile and I recently discovered Clipper Tea thanks to the team at Kilpatrick PR who sent me some to try.

I love the smooth taste of Clipper Tea and one of my favourite things to do is make a big mug of it, light a candle and curl up to read a book. Even during the evening when I am working on my laptop I make a mug of tea and take it upstairs with me to enjoy while I write. The Everyday Gold Tea is a luxurious blend of the finest teas selected from Kenya, Assam and Ceylon which results in a slightly malty flavour from the Assam while the Ceylon adds a fragrant, citrus note. Overall this tea has such a satisfying and rich taste.

I love taking a cup of the Clipper Everyday Organic Tea with me on a walk. I decant it in to a portable coffee cup and off I go. This variety is a refreshing and full-bodied blend of quality black teas, sourced from organic tea gardens and it is the perfect tea to take on my walk. Walks are another thing which I am grateful for in life - we live close to a marine lake and I try to walk around that at least once per day as it is a nice easy walk and the views over the water are beautiful. I find that walks in the fresh air make me feel more focused on whatever tasks I have to do during that day.

We have several pets which live at my parents place, our cat Iona, our dog Minnie, our horse Jock and our sheep Nelson. They are a source of such joy in my life and I love spending time with them when I go home to the Peak District. They have amazing personalities and they are so loving. Something else to be so grateful for, in fact when I start really looking at life I have so much to be thankful for. Of course, since I am a food writer I have to mention food too. Food is something I am  grateful for because not only has my love of food led me to my dream job as a writer, but also because I just love eating! I am always planning my next meal and I love cooking and eating out so food occupies a big place in my heart. Another thing I love is reading and I am always grateful for the time to bury myself in the pages of a good book. I love the author Phil Rickman, his Merrily Watkins series is so well written and his characterisation is some of the best I have ever come across. I also love the thriller writer Lucy Whitehouse and the historical fiction author Barbara Erskine who both write amazing books. So there you have it, a few of the everyday things I am grateful for.

www.shop.clipper-teas.com/

I hope that you enjoy this gratitude themed post featuring Clipper Tea. I love to make lists of everything I am grateful for because it makes me focus on the good in life and it always puts me in a great mood.

What do you all think, have you tried Clipper Tea and which of these blends would you choose? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

With thanks to Kilpatrick PR and Clipper Tea for the samples featured in this post.