DIY | Transforming a plain black dress.

If you've read my post on my upcycled denim shorts you'll know that i love updating an old outfit or transforming a new one. I had a black sundress from Topshop which has been sitting in my wardrobe for ages,it wasn't that i didn't like it,it just looked really plain. While i was on holiday and the cruise stopped of in Palma de Mallorca for the day we went in El Corte Ingles,for those of you who haven't heard of it before its a massive department store that is largely populated across Spain, its the answer to our John Lewis and Selfridges. In the haberdashery section i found some gorgeous ribbons,which i have never seen anything like before in the UK to buy. I picked this ribbon because of the gorgeous colours running through the flowers,it also reminded me of all of the floral crowns that are in the shops at the moment. For a metre of the ribbon it only set me back 6 euros,so i was very pleased with this purchase!

Dress - Topshop// Sandals - Topshop// Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

This was really simple to do! I simply measured how much of the ribbon i needed for each pocket,pinned it onto the fabric and then sewed it by hand with black thread so it wouldn't be seen to the eye. I haven't added much to the dress yet its given it a nice pop of colour to make the outfit look more eye catching!

Thank you for reading! What do you think of this dress? Have you tried anything like this? 

First time cruiser!

I recently embarked on my first cruise which was with Royal Caribbean on the Independence Of The Seas and it was a Mediterranean cruise for 2 weeks. The port of calls were Vigo, Lisbon,Gibraltar,Valencia,Barcelona,Ibiza,Palma de Mallorca and Cadiz.Choosing a cruise for a holiday had never been something that i ever thought about and i often associated it with something that older people enjoyed. When my parents asked if i wanted to join them and my sister i jumped at the chance. Needless to say it exceeded any expectations i had beforehand.

The ship docked in Lisbon

Upon arriving to Southampton which is where we would embark for our cruise, the car parking there was so easy and our luggage was taken away to then be delivered outside our cabins later that day..how convenient! We were able to check in at 2pm to our cabins and our bags were already waiting there for us.

The cabin - We had an inside stateroom cabin, my visions of it beforehand were of a tiny room on a local ferry crossing! I was so shocked at actually how big the room was,with 2 single beds a sofa and also plenty of storage spaces for all of our clothes! Our stateroom attendant was called Alfina and her service was fantastic,nothing was too much trouble and the rooms were cleaned twice daily. Every alternate day they also left behind a towel animal ranging from a bat to a dog, such a great touch and something i always got excited about seeing in the evening!

Our stateroom

My favourite towel animal

The dining options - We were with my time dining and our dining room was King Lear on deck 5, most nights when we returned we were on the same table and always had the same waiters who were both from the Philippines which i loved as it was nice to build a friendship with them. Again the service was second to none and we were always well fed and the meals i did enjoy, however as i am a fussy eater i ate the chicken breast meal for two weeks, to say i was bored by the end was an understatement! But for those who enjoy eating different cuisines this is fantastic for you. For all other occasions of breakfast,lunch and dinner and also snacks on those days when we were at port the Windjammer buffet catered to those needs. I have never seen so much food in my life!!!They really did cater for all your needs including special dietary needs, for children and foods from different countries. It enables you to try a bit of everything and eat as much or a little as you like. I loved the buffet but it really is hard to resist those cakes!!

The grand dining room

The entertainment - Every night there would be a show on in the Alhambra Theatre which would be on at two different times so you were able to fit it around your dining time so you would never miss out. All the acts i saw were brilliant including a hypnotist,Queen tribute act,magician,love and marriage show,dancers,comedians my list could go on. They also had an ice rink where there were a few shows throughout the cruise this was fantastic to watch and hard to believe you could do all of this at sea!

Alhambra Theatre

Needless to say i could write pages and pages about this holiday but this is a summary of the cruise and i will try to do some more in depth blog posts in the next week or so! I honestly did have the most amazing holiday on my first cruise and i think i will find it hard to have a holiday which comes close to this.I really do recommend a cruise 100%!! 

Dining with a view of the Rock Of Gibraltar

Have any of you ever cruised before? I would love to hear about your experiences!