Thursday, March 27, 2014

Dolly Dowsie Is One! ♥

I can't believe it! This day last year I created Dolly Dowsie when I messed up the html codes on my old blog La Belle Dame Sans Merci and thought a fresh start was needed and voila, Dolly Dowsie was born. I have had so much fun over the past year documenting my ups and downs, my adventures of motherhood, my likes and loves, my favourite beauty and makeup products, my family days out and everything else in between. My blog has become my little scrapbook, a diary of sorts, a place to be myself and share all I love with the world. I am astounded by the milestones my little blog has reached within this year. When I began writing I never knew that so many people would want to follow my ramblings, take an interest in my life and Tyler Lee, compliment my photography and show me so much support. I love the fact that I know the majority of my blog commentors by name and that I have made some friends through a hobby which I really do enjoy.
Some of my favourite blogging moments from this past year have been -

Being made Netmums Blog of the Week for my super personal post, a letter to my little angel baby D - I'll Always Remember You.
Capturing all of my baby boy's milestones and monthly update on my blog - Posts about Tyler Lee.
Reaching 200,000 page views and almost 26,000 since then.
Taking part in my favourite link ups - Wake Up Wednesday, Living Arrows and Lets Have An Adventure
Reaching over 3,600 blog subscribers - I love that so many of you want to keep up to date with my posts!
Getting to review for some of my favourite beauty and children's brands.
Meeting some of my fellow Irish beauty bloggers at my first ever blog meet up - Cork Bloggers Meet Up.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been part of my blogging journey and who has showed their support through reading my blog, commenting on blog posts and interacting with me on my social media accounts, I truly am blessed to have such wonderful, loyal and interactive blog followers.

Here's to another year of adventures, happy memories, reviews, giveaways and hopefully more ups than downs!

Happy 1st Birthday bloggie, have a good one!



Share:

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Let's Have An Adventure Link Up ♥


A couple of weeks ago my babe and I spent a wonderful day together exploring the great outdoors and basking in the nature around us. We went to two spots which are both on our island and which are truly breath-taking, I couldn't imagine better backdrops for our adventures together. We went to the beautiful Fota House and Gardens as the weather was glorious and it felt as though spring had most definitely sprung. The sun was splitting the stones and it was so mild, it left me dreaming of summer and all the amazing adventures to come...

Trees, plants and bushes were beginning to get their vivid colour back in Fota Gardens and I took a liking to some pretty pink flowers which reminded me of soft roses and also my spring-time favourite, daffodils growing by the lake. We were still reminded that winter had not long passed as the grass was so squidgey and muddy, wellies were most definitely needed, unfortunately neither of us were wearing any! My boy was like a little fairy man exploring the tree stumps and plants which surrounded them, he was crawling all over the wood, peeking down the sides of the stumps and feeling the cracks in the wood, he's a nature lover for sure.

On the way home we stopped by a local scenic spot, a beach which overlooks the harbour, which is in fact the second biggest natural harbour in the world. My little love was curiously picking up stones and pebbles, he even found some shells whilst crawling along the beach. The sun was shining upon the water and it was truly beautiful, it was so calming sitting on the beach and us being the only two people there made it all the more special. This was our special first adventure of spring and was also our precious mama and baba time, doing something fun and yet relaxing all at the same time. I cannot wait to experience what other adventures this spring will bring.


gingerlillytea
Share:

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Wake Up Wednesday Linky & Giveaway ♥

 
              

 Welcome to the 9th week of 

 Wake Up Wednesday "Linky" 

11 Blogs  -  1 Party
 Giveaway


We are so excited to have you all party with us.
Thank you so much to all those who participate in our party.
Last week we had  269 awesome linkups!   

 Wake Up and be happy, get excited and have fun with us! 
We want to be inspired, entertained, laugh and have a good time!
 The hop is hosted and posted on 11 different blogs

Interested in Co-Hosting Wake Up Wednesday?
Fill out this form and Angel will be in touch with you?

This weeks 
Featured Bloggers
(click to see All Featured Bloggers)
All Featured Bloggers will be pinned each week. 

What is your favorite flavor?  How about raspberry icing with multi-colored sprinkles?  Or chocolate frosted with multicolored sprinkles.  My favorite?  Vanilla frosted with caramel sprinkles!



It is so nice when you can find encouragement and uplifting thoughts from so many sources that cross your path.
always bring encouragement  I am so grateful for the many people and places around me that give me a smile or words that help my soul to soar.  I have had depths of pain, but  have found so many more mountains of happiness all around



A couple weeks ago, my hubby and I had the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of Texas with a old time celebration on Windmill Square in our hometown of Pecos, Texas.   We were invited to demonstrate some old cowboy style Dutch Oven Cooking by making enough Peach Cobblers to serve about 100 people!  
What a fun challenge!! 
Long live Texas!!!




I've been thinking about ways to grow UP since I have limited space in the garden at the moment.  I'm definitely going to ask my hubby to build a tomato wall since we have all of the materials on hand.



L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector
from The Beauty Section
Skin can be rough, uneven, have large pores, or fine lines, but this serum concentrate takes even your most difficult skin and turns it baby soft.  We've all washed our face and afterwards had the softest skin, but did it stay that way? With the Texture Perfector you rub it on your entire face and it really seeps into your skin actually giving you a whole new texture to your face, not just temporarily.

When I'm feeling low, I need to get busy. And there's nothing more therapeutic than baking cookies!


These scrumptious little babies are a tribute to the delectable French pastry Chausson aux Pommes, which are delicate buttery "slippers" filled with a tender apple compote.
. They are beautiful little purses of baked goodness, filled with tender apples cooked in butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Drizzled with a brown sugar glaze...

oops sorry, I drooled a little on my keyboard.

-------------------------------------------------------- 
You can enter our Rafflecopter to Win ad space on 
all these awesome blogs



Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, crafts, decorating, fashion, makeup, health & fitness, recipes, mommy moments -- anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly.

Please visit some other bloggers and make some new friends and say hello to old friends..
  • Please leave me a comment , I love to hear from you.
  • Please Link to your post and not to your blog home page
  • I'd love for you to grab my party button for your blog party site but it's totally optional
  • Please No adult content blogs
  • Please do not add links to shops or selling websites (they will be deleted from the party)
  • Giveaways are always welcome.. Add your giveaways to Sew Crafty Angel's Pinterest Community Giveaway Board too.  
Adding your link to this blog hop gives Sew Crafty Angel permission to share your posts and pictures via social media and as features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts.  Note- All features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts will be linked back to the original source .Social media features are linked back to the linky party.
Angel

Share:

LUSH - Mumkin Bubble Bar ♥

Mumkin is another LUSH product which my boy got me for birthday. This product is part of LUSH's Mother's Day range and although mother's day isn't until next week I just simply couldn't resist using this adorable little bubble bar. This bubble bar is decidedly cute with brown little 'eyes', a little leaf and a great mix of gold and pink colour. This little cutie was absolutely perfect for creating a relaxing, uber bubbly bath, the only downside was I couldn't get any scent from it at all. It's supposed to smell like raspberries and cream but I'd be lying if I said I could smell those scents from the bubble bar. That gorgeous LUSH scent which fills up my whole bathroom when I'm using their bath products was noticeably missing and if I'm honest that bothered me quite a lot, as I stated in my Rose Bubble Bar review the scent of a product really does add to the overall atmosphere of my precious bath time.

Once again I put this little beauty under the tap as I find this method creates far more bubbles than simply dropping it in the water does. This bubble bar broke up quite quickly and my bath was a mass of soft, fluffy bubbly goodness, I loved it, it really did look so appealing! The water was also turned a beautiful raspberry pink colour, I can safely say this was one of the most inviting looking baths I've ever had.

Once again my skin was left feeling so soft after this product and I was so relaxed, LUSH products really do make bath time so luxurious for me. I will say that I had a lot of bubbles in my bath and only realised afterwards that I could have perhaps separated this product up and gotten two or maybe three baths out of it so it is something that could possibly used more than once, if you can resist the urge to have a mega bubbly bath like I did!

Mumkin would make a sweet little gift for any mother this Mother's Day, this little cutie would bring a smile to any mother's face and lets face it us mothers need some rest and relaxation at times and a nice bath is the perfect cure.

Stay pretty people!


Share:

Monday, March 24, 2014

Living Arrows - Week 12 ♥

Your children are not you children, They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

*By  Kahlil Gibran
 
I am taking part in I Heart Snapping's weekly Living Arrows project, a photography project to capture an image which represents childhood to you through the actions, likes, dislikes, looks and movements of your own children. Below is my picture for the twelfth week of Living Arrows. This picture marks three months of Living Arrows and this year already, time is just speeding by. I got this picture yesterday when my son literally just woke up from his afternoon nap. He was so happy to see me as I peeked in through his nursery door, the door being the white element on the right hand side of the frame in the picture. We play this game of peek-a-boo everyday when he wakes up and I look through the barely open door and when he sees me I step out of sight and then back again while he is in a fit of giggles, I'm so amusing apparently! He was bouncing up and down with excitement and I got this shop when he paused for a moment to see if I was still there. He is so adorable and his dummy seems to be becoming his best friend now that the dreaded teething has started up again. I love the way the light streaming in through his curtains is flooding onto his hair and face. I'm glad I got a shot of him in an everyday moment, a thing he does everyday and with his messy bed-head curls too.



Share:

Thursday, March 20, 2014

LUSH - Rose Bubble Bar ♥

For my birthday my boy gave me five gorgeous products from LUSH all wrapped up in a pretty Parisian themed scarf. One of these products was LUSH's Rose Bubble Bar, a beautiful looking product made to look like a rose, swirled with pink and white and sprinkled with a generous amount of glitter to give that sparkle almost every girl craves. This product was so pretty, it was such a shame to put it in the bath really but I just couldn't resist, I wanted to experience it's bubbly goodness!

Rose as you would expect is fragranced with rose scent and citrus oils which really is a divine mix of fragrances and as always with LUSH this scent filled up the bathroom just adding to the overall atmosphere of my relaxing bath, hey I'm a mammy, a bath is like a spa day for me so these little things really matter when I'm using a bath product! I first just dropped this product into the bath water but it wasn't really breaking up or creating a lot of bubbles so I put it under the running tap which worked far more effectively and wow were there a lot of bubbles! I'm one of those people who loves lots of bubbles and creating a lather when in the bath and shower so this was perfect for me and I was super impressed with the amount of bubbles this small little bubble bar created, the bath was little filled to the brim with bubbles - such a treat!

When the bubbles had melted away the bath water was left a gorgeous dusky pink/purple colour which was so pretty, I wish I had been able to get a picture but I was enjoying my bath too much to go grab the camera! Every aspect of this bubble bar really does live up to it's name and I love that, it has a rose scent, a rose appearance and turns the water a rose colour, what more could you want? My skin was really soft after using this product thanks to the cocoa butter it contains and I felt so relaxed. There's nothing better than a nice warm bath and a luxurious, gorgeous looking bath treat to lift your spirits.

You can read more about this product on the LUSH website.

Stay pretty people!


Share:

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

REN - Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra Moisture Body Oil ♥

As I get older skincare is a beauty element which become increasingly important to me, in fact, it's something which I wish I put a lot more effort into but I guess it's never too late to start. With the terribly cold winter we've had and summer fast approaching my skin is in dire need of some moisturising a real treat and REN offers just that with their Moroccan Rose Otta Ultra Moisture Body Oil. The packaging of these product is really elegant and decadent, simple, clean white with Moroccan inspired design. The product itself comes in a simple glass bottle with the same label as the box it comes in and a handy pump to dispense just the right amount of product you wish to use. The oil is golden in colour (liquid gold, yay!) and feels so luxurious on the skin. The smell is divine, it really does smell like a rose garden and the scent lasts all day which I think is fantastic, I love when skincare products have a beautiful scent which is long-lasting as well as giving my skin some benefit too. This oil has become a staple in my daily skincare regime. I apply to to my arms, neck and collarbone in the morning just to get that fabulous scent. It melts into the skin so easily and does not feel greasy at all, in fact, I'm able to put on my clothes straight after applying the oil, a big plus as I'm far to busy to stand around waiting for a beauty product to dry! This oil does not stain my clothes are leave a horrible oily residue on my skin. 

I also apply the Moroccan Rose Otto oil to my stomach, back and legs at night before I go to bed, I love smelling that rose filled scent as I drift off to sleep. I'm trying to prep my skin for summer, getting rid of any dryness from the harsh winter months and this oil is working wonders for me. It leaves my skin feeling soft, supple and perfectly nourished. This oil also prevents oxidative damage combating the premature signs of aging something which I think is a great factor in a body oil. This oil is also cruelty-free, a massive plus with me as I want to buy products which are ethical, cruelty-free and natural as much as I can.
I really can't tell you how much I love this body oil, the proof of it's power really is through using it. I highly recommend this product as my skin has improved so much since using it, it is now moisturised, gone are the dry spots from the cold winter months, it feels soft, smooth and supple. The only factor I don't like is the massive price tag €40 for 100ml is quite steep for me which really does make this a luxury, treat of a product in my skincare regime. It really is so luxurious to use. In fact, I just used it now and can smell that gorgeous rose scent, I love it!

You can see more about this product and browse the other products which REN have to offer on the REN website.



Share:

Monday, March 17, 2014

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick Shade 553 Princess Extreme ♥

For my birthday my amazing friend Marion gave me my first ever Dior lipstick, a very generous and thoughtful gift I'm sure you'll agree for a lipstick addict like myself! I was truly surprised by this gift as this isn't any ordinary drugstore lipstick, this is Dior baby! Marion picked a fabulous lipstick and the perfect shade for me, shade 553 'Princess Extreme'. The packaging is super sleek black casing with a silver pull out casing for the stick itself. This lipstick is glossy and has a fabulous shine to it thanks to the waxes in it's formula. It is long-lasting and gives a vivid, radiant and highly pigmented colour to the lips. 'Princess Extreme' is a gorgeous bright hot pink shade, close to a deep fuchsia colour, which really makes the lips stand out, I definitely feel like a princess wearing this shade, it's a perfect pink. The formula of this lipstick is light feeling and extremely moisturising to my lips, it doesn't dry them out and doesn't fade easily. The lipstick glides smoothly onto the lips and doesn't stick in the creases, it really is a dream to wear. There are eleven other shades available within the Addict Extreme collection, 'Lucky' being one I have my eye on. Dior Addict Extreme is a lipstick I would highly recommend and I think the hot pink hue of 'Princess Extreme' is the perfect bold shade for summer.

Dior Addict Extreme lipstick is €33.00 and is available within Debenhams stores in Ireland.

 Thank you so much to my gorgeous friend Marion for this amazing gift, a beauty and makeup lovers dream!


Share:
© Dolly Dowsie | All rights reserved.
Blog Layout Created by pipdig