A Nola Wish List

It always seems to be a few weeks before Christmas that I start to get calls and texts from family members calling for a chat and then subtly asking if there is anything I would like in particular as a gift from them, my boyfriend seems to pop to the shops twice a day and comes back empty handed, frowning! My mum rings claiming she’s finally found something but not sure if I will like it.

Even though I would say I’m pretty easy to buy for, this year I’ve decided to beat them all to it and save them some time by creating my own Christmas Wish List from Nola. A shop I fell in love with since it first opened in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the summer.

Nola is a shop I pop in to a lot as it on my way too and from town, so over the last couple of months I have found a few things that I have my eye on. Nola is a shop which stocks sustainable fashion and homeware which is also why I want to point my loved ones to buy from them as I know everything they stock are pieces I have wanted for a while so are not impulse purchases and also it supports a local independent store which quite frankly I don’t think I could live with out.

1. Amber by Laboratory Perfumes  - £65

I discovered this perfume at Nola’s first late night shop opening and have become addicted to the smell. My personal favourite is Amber (although there are others to choose from.) I get so many compliments when I wear this scent. It such a beautifully rich but musky smell. I’m pretty sure it is a unisex smell so could be gifted to anyone who wants to smell devine!

Nola are currently doing an offer where you get a free Laboratory perfume travel set when you buy a candle and perfume together - don’t mind if I do!

2. Trainers by Spring Court. £95

I spied these in the store a few months ago and LOVE the uniqueness of the lightening bolt on the side of the trainer. These would be a perfect replacement for an old pair of high tops I have which have now got a hole in the sole. If I don’t find these under the tree this year, they might have to be something I treat myself to in the new year!

3. James Wilson Phone Case - £22

I am a hugeeee fan of Brighton based James Wilson’s work. I really love the simplicity of his line drawings. This design I actually have as a print in my home so when I saw the phone case in Nola I knew it was going straight on my wish list. Again, a great way to support a local shop and independent artist who’s work I admire.

4. Decanter by Sagaform - £30

This decanter is like a piece of art. My boyfriend and I love to host dinner parties, I think this beautifully shaped decanter would make such an amazing statement piece on the table or even if it is just a date night for us to use whist eating a home cooked meal. This decanter would just make it feel even more special. 

5.  Jacket by Selected Femme - £110

This jacket by Selected Femme can be dressed up or down, could be paired with a thick jumper in the winter months or with a t-shirt in the summer months so I know it will be a key piece in my wardrobe through out the year.

I also saw this super soft burgundy jumper which looks amazing underneath it … I wonder how good I’ve been this year… 

6. Necklaces 

The inscriptions on the back of these necklaces melt my heart. I have had my eye on them for a while but...  

“We part to meet again”

& 

“Friendship unites us” 

...Isn’t really something you can buy yourself, so I’m popping them on my wish list incase any one wants to buy me something a little more meaningful.

7. Kings Of Indigo - sweat shirt - £100

These two pieces have both been featured in Nola’s shop window and both of them have made me stop in my tracks when walking past. I love the colours and the text across the chest. I cant choose between the two so have popped both on my wish list for someone else to make the decision for me. Sweat shirts are again something that can be worn all year long. Whether it is with jeans in the winter or to throw on with shorts on a cool summer evening

8. Nola Workshop!

 I love “doing” gift and being given an experience rather then an item. I saw this advertised and didn’t sign up, I then saw all the pictures from the workshop of everyones amazing home knitted blankets and really wish I had which is why I am popping this on my wish list. You get to learn a new skill and take something you’ve made home with you. 

I’ve spoke to the girls in Nola and apparently there are more workshops before Christmas and in the new year! What ever they are I hope I have been signed up for one!

I hope you liked my wish list and that it has given you a few ideas of what to ask for on your own wish list or maybe what you could get for someone else. 

Happy shopping !!

Living in Levi's

So here is the thing, I've only really ever worn cheaper jeans. That was until a friend of mine gave me her Levi's as they didn't fit her... oh my gosh, I love them. I have worn and worn and worn them. The shape has stayed, the denim feels so lovely and stick and like proper thick denim. I love the cut, the fit, everything about them. I love the logo everything.. haha You get the point, I really like these jeans.   Recently I was very proud of myself so I treated myself to a new pair of Levi's. I wanted some black ones with a vintage feel, I walked in the shop and saw the perfect pair, I tryed on them and worried they gapped a bit so I asked the store assistant for some advice. she was so helpful and said that in this style I was better to get the smallest size I could fit in to as they do give a little. 

So I brought them. I wondered if I was even going to be able to sit down in them but after a week or two they now fit perfectly and I love them. I have had also many compliments when I wear them

My legs are my least favourite part of my body, so anything which make them look thiner and longer is good for me and these jeans do just that! 

I just wanted to write this short little post, incase like me, you have been debating for a while whether to invest in a pair of jeans... My advice is to go for it! 

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Why don't I just call?

Throughout life there have been friends I have lost along the way, and looking back I have no idea why. Some of them anyway. We have lost touch, grown apart and moved away but there is no real reason as to why we don’t speak. There are friends who we have fallen out over reasons which now seem so small. We have chosen not to speak for a few years and then all of a sudden it is water under the bridge and I am so sooo happy they are back in my life. There are friends I miss and friends I want to speak to but it feels like it has been too long. Sometimes I think why don’t I just pick up the phone and call?

What is stopping me?

Maybe I’m too scared. Scared they wont pick up or return the love, scared we will never get back what we once had. Scared of the awkward start and maybe scared of rejection.

I remember someone once told me that your lucky if you have a bunch of close friends you can count on one hand. I for one am one of the most luckiest girls with a bunch of friends I have had since school, I think there is 10 of us, still as close, as silly and as there for each other as we ever have been. They are the kind of friends that if life gets in the way and we don’t speak for a month the conversation picks right back up where it started. They will always be there for me and I for them. It is a beautiful friendship and I honestly don’t know what I would do without them.

There are friends I made at uni who are still my closest. They know the older me, inside and out. We share the same stories, we have grown together though some of the craziest times and they are my life.

Then there are the friends you meet through working. The work friends who can slip from being a colleague to a friend. These friends pick you up, spur you on and get the industry your in and inspire you. Personally I couldn't live without them!  

And then between them are the people who have slipped away. I always see posts about doing a friend clear out, or people saying that they feel happy with their friends who have stuck around and know that they are life long friends to stay. I don’t know if its because I wear my heart on my sleeve a little more but just can't let it go. More recently these people have been on my mind. So you know what…  I think I am just going to pick up that phone and call..

Float Festival Manchester

On 22nd September Manchester's first wellness festival is taking place. Float Festival with the motto "IN A WORLD OF SINK OR SWIM, LET US BE YOUR FLOAT". It is something that I am super proud to say I am an ambassador for. 

With a great line up of events through out the day. (see below) I know that everyone who attends will find something they can take away with them. 

Tickets can be purchased here:

Float Festival - Morning Session Ticket

Float Festival - Afternoon Session Ticket

The interview

"A Photographer telling stories of creativity, passions, friendships, life and style through imagery and badly spelt words.”

Working with brands, influencers, fashion houses, and magazines to create a myriad of creative content, from lookbooks to social media imagery, to e-commerce assets, Rosie Butcher captures the beauty of everyday life, while observing the changes and shifts in our perceptions towards beauty, fashion, and wellness, documenting her stories and tales on her aptly named blog - ‘thoughts on that’.

Working in a profession that puts the visual and aesthetic on a pedestal, Rosie is well aware of the benefits that come from taking a step back from social media, where the quest for perfection can cause immeasurable damage for those creating and consuming content. Rosie’s creativity and level-headedness makes her the perfect Float Ambassador, and we caught up with her to find out what wellness means to her, what brings her joy, and whether there is a social responsibility to promote wellness.

What is your company, what do you do and what makes it special?

I am a freelance photographer, so I take photos. It has been my passion since I was 14 and I still love it as much, if not more, so everything I shoot I always go above and beyond out of the love for it.

Why did you want to be a part of Float?  

I am very pro mindfulness and taking care of yourself, this seemed like the perfect event to mix my passion with wellness and meet other people/ creatives on the same wavelength in other industries.

How do you think the wellness industry is evolving?  

I think it's becoming much more normal to consciously take care and look after yourself and your mind, just like it is normal to take care of say... your hair, skin or nails. Every other advert is a new cream to try or shampoo, we’ve not got to the point where we see adverts for helping your mind but hopefully that’s not too far in the future and we will see that it is just as important!

What do you think people will take away from attending Float?

Hopefully they will come away feeling inspired, I always love going to events and meeting new people. Even if I only meet meet one person who inspires me to try something new, meet someone I feel connected with, or if I’m given some advice, I’m always so glad I went and come away feeling so positive... which is wellness in itself. Taking time to do something for you.

How does your work help people to feel good?

I see a lot of people with little self confidence in front of my camera. Whether it be models, “real” people, families, or bloggers; everyone has insecurities. I love to chat away during the shoot to build up confidence and take pictures which make people say “wow, I actually like how I look in this” and I remind them that, actually that is what everyone else sees so they should see it too!

I’d also love to add in another question here. How does my work help me?  When I am on a shoot its normally quite full on, I dont have have time to look on my phone, so it gives me a break from comparison, getting bogged down trying to reply to emails and texts at the same time or anything else that is going on in my life. My mind is solely on the picture I am about to take and that is it. There are normally some great tunes playing and everyone coming together as a team and having a laugh on the shoot. The feeling of getting an amazing shot or coming home from a shoot feeling so happy with what we created in the day..there is nothing like it !

What comes to mind when you hear the word wellness?

Yoga, taking time out for yourself and laughter.

Do you think brands, businesses and influencers have a role to play in promoting wellness?

Yes! I think more and more businesses are recognising their responsibility to make sure their employees are happy. I think flexi working is on the rise and it is a great thing. Brands and influencers are being more honest and open about mental health and I personally think it brilliant for their followers to realise that not everything is fine and dandy, there is a rise of promoting the “perfect" life in tiny squares, which leads followers to think that a person’s life is picture perfect. Now that people are being more honest about the behind the scenes of those pictures it helps their followers to connect with them on a deeper level and realise that it is normal to need to take time out, or not to have a “perfect” life. Everyone is also sharing their tips of how they’re working on their own mental health which is brilliant for the online community.

Brands have stopped editing so much but more of them need to be following this example. Brands like ASOS are leaving in stretch marks, using diverse models and even creating a disabled friendly clothing line and using visibly disabled models, WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DONE SOONER?

What does happy look like to you?

Anywhere on a beach or by the sea. That is my happy place. I love to be reminded how big the world is.

What does success look like to you?

As long as i’m happy in what I am doing, that to me is success.

What pearls of wellness wisdom can you share with us?

Always take the time to step back and look at what you have achieved and give yourself praise, even for the small things.

I love to keep a gratitude diary that I fill in every evening.

The podcasts getting me through life

Podcasts are something I’ve never really considered. With ample music available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple music, Sound Cloud and all the rest. I’ve never really had the time to listen to a podcast. About 3 years ago I remember being told about Women's Hour, a podcast which women come together and discuss the goings on in the world. At the time I got quite into it, listening to it while I ran around Clapham Common, becoming so engrossed in the conversation, I didn't notice the pain of running or how long i had been running for, which was handy for someone who isn't the type to enjoy a good run.

After I gave up on the running and unable to find any other podcasts that I enjoyed it became a short lived thing of the past and something I swiftly forgot about...

That was until recently I was working on a job where a majority of the time I was working solo. Now I’m all up for enjoying my own company but after a few days I was driving myself crazy with my own thoughts. Welcome podcasts in to my life! I think I saw a tweet or something about a podcast and I thought Id check it out. Low and behold this opened up a whole world of podcasts to me! Diving into a world of like minded people who host interesting interviews, deal with life problems, discuss events in the world and talk about everything I love.

I have since then preached to friends and family about how they NEED to have a listen too. The way I describe it to them is it is essentially like personalised radio stations which you can listen to whenever you want.  Say if you're driving and you turn on radio 1 or xFM or these are great radio stations but they are for a mass amount of people so what is discussed can be not quite for you but you listen anyway. The amazing thing about podcasts is that you can really narrow down a niche that you want to listen to. You can find hosts that you completely get and can invest time listening to them, you can turn your podcast app into the kind of radio you want to hear.

As a warning, all podcasts everyone seems to talk really fast like the recording is sped up slightly- I’m not sure why, but you get used to it.

So here is my list of the podcasts I have found so far which now I don't know how I lived without.

1. Ctrl alt delete - Emma Gannon has such an incredible way of interviewing people. Her interviews are so insightful and very casual so you feel like you are sat at the table having coffee with her. Emma Interviews people she really admires which you can tell in the tone and passion in her voice, meaning that her guest are always really interesting. After listening I have always learned a lot, feel inspired and found have some new people to follow on twitter.

http://www.emmagannon.co.uk/category/podcast/ 

1. The Debrief - Stevie and Tessa become your new BFFs. They’re chatty, funny, witty podcasts leave me chuckling along. Personally I feel like they are an extended part of my friendship group discussing topics similar to what goes on in my girls whatsapp group.

https://thedebrief.co.uk/things-to-do/tv-and-film/debrief-podcast/

1. Get it off your breasts. Hosted by Emma Gannon and Lliana Bird- each week they have a new guest and discuss what might be getting on their nerves. They describe their podcast as unfiltered and it most definitely is in a very refreshing way.

https://www.acast.com/getitoffyourbreasts

1. The high low- Hosted by @dollyalderton & Pandora Sykes. A mixture of live and studio interviews. Great banter between Dolly and Pandora, I really enjoy listening to them chat away to their selected guests! I also love that they cover recent news stories so I can keep up to date with what is going on in the world and that they also recommend other podcasts, books and series to watch.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-high-low/id1211338187?mt=2

1. Estee La Londe - Who doesn't love her? If you don’t already follow her on instagram, youtube, twitter then why not? Estee’s podcast with single word titles like Strength, Mom, Identity, Travel Estee covers a range of topics, discusses her own experiences and chats with people which help her explore the topics- her podcasts are a perfect extension of her youtube channels.

http://www.esteelalonde.com/podcast/

1.  Fashion no filter - if I am completely honest I wasn’t sold when I first started listening to this podcast as I felt it was a bit to “high fashion industry” for me but I kept listening and ended up loving them. Monica and Camille do actually do what they say, give you an insight into the fashion industry.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/fashion-no-filter/id1183345770?mt=2

1. Luke and Lucy FM - This podcast is a bit more of a chatty radio show vibe, I would say that I have to be in a certain type of mood to listen to this podcast but when I am I love it. Its an upbeat, chatty, podcast which is great to pop on every now and then.

https://audioboom.com/channel/Lukeandlucyfm

1. Rookie - Part of the Rookie magazine which was started by the fashion idol Tavi Gevinson. The pod casts are insightful, interesting and although maybe aimed at a slightly younger market than myself I enjoy the interviews and even the “ask an adult” section at the end of the podcast.

http://www.rookiemag.com/tag/podcasts/

1. Homo Sapiens. Introduced to this podcast through an interview Emma Gannon did with Will Young. I had a listen and immediately subscribed! Will and Chris are funny and I find their voices super relaxing to listen to. They cover all sorts of topics often covering topics which will appeal to the LGBTQ community.

http://homosapienspodcast.com/

1. Women’s hour - Always discussing relevant topics, this podcast is a great way to get different opinions, learn about subjects you might not necessarily know about, celebrity guests and generally well put together. A recommended listen .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb/episodes/downloads

1. My dad wrote a porno - This one is hilarious. Jamie Morton’s dad wrote a porno and with this friends James Cooper and Alice Levine they read it out loud and chat about the plot, characters and storyline.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-dad-wrote-a-porno/id1044196249?mt=2

1. Keeping it candid. Sophie Milner and Millie Cotton.  I love to listen to this one in the gym. I get so involved with their conversation it makes forget what I am doing, meaning I can run for longer. Their casual and chatty conversations leaves me laughing along and I find them so relatable. They cover interesting pop and social culture topics and discuss them between themselves.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/keeping-it-candid/id1257944023?mt=2

And leaving one of the best till last…

1. The Dan Kennedy Podcast - Brilliant photographer , Dan Kennedy has started his own podcast! Woohooo! Finally a relatable and interesting photography/ creative podcast!  With only two episodes this podcast is already one of my favourites. I loved hearing Dan chat to his guest, giving a little insight to their careers in Photography. There is so much you can take away from over hearing these types of conversations and he asks all the questions to them that I wish I could. Very very recommended if you are a photographer/ interested in photography or you are a creative.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dan-kennedy-podcast/id1299112319?mt=2

Remember all podcasts can be listened to on your phone by going to the “podcast” app on your Iphone and simply search for the podcast title you want to listen to.

If you have any podcasts I haven't listed but you think I would like please tweet me @rosieannbutcher or leave a comment below as I would love to find more.

oh and my dress is from ZARA, incase your interested. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]