A landmark has passed and I didn’t even notice. That’s right; English Rose from Manchester had its 3rd birthday in August! So even though it’s a bit belated I still wanted to mark the occasion and say thanks to all of you, my lovely followers and readers, with my first ever blog giveaway!
Here are the three stylish retro-themed prizes you can win:
- Prairie Charms vintage fabric floral headband
You can win a very cute vintage-esque floral fabric bow headband from Prairie Charms. With a wire centre so you can choose to tie the ends together, tuck them in or stand them up, this is such a cute accessory for channelling your fifties pin-up style!
(above images by Prairie charms)
- Orla Kiely slim linen address book
The lucky winner will also win this stylish address book. I love Orla Kiely, from her stylish fashion collections to the accessories, homewares and stationary that feature her trademark retro prints and I think this address book would be a chic addition to any handbag!
- Owl pocket watch pendant necklace
And I’ve just added this, because quite frankly it’s irresistible! I love my own pocket watch necklace and when I saw this cute owl version I fell in love with it a bit!
How to enter
I’ve learned a lot from blogging in the last 3 years, so I thought it would be nice if the theme of the competition was Top Tips. I’ve created 3 categories so everyone should have at least one handy hint or tip to share…
- Top blogging tip
- Top style tip
- Top baking tip
If you have a tip for each category, lucky you! You can enter 3 times!
Once the competition has ended I’ll include some of the best tips in a post as well, to share the love.
So, here are the rules…
- Write your top tip as a comment to this blog post.
- You are allowed a maximum of 3 entries – one for each “tip category”. Each tip should be a separate comment to count as a separate entry.
- Follow this blog with Bloglovin or by subscribing by email.
- This giveaway is for the UK, so you must have a UK address for me to post your prizes to.
- The closing date for entries is 23rd September.
- I will select a winner at random using a random number selector and will contact the winner within 24 hours of the closing date so they can send me their address.
Good luck!
English Rose from Manchester's Blog 
My tip is for baking! To prevent getting greasy and buttery scales, I recommend weighing your butter on top of the dry ingredients – like your flour or sugar! Simples!
My beauty tip! With the number 1 rule of doing either statement eyes or lips, not both, I am definitely more of a dramatic eye girl! To enhance my lashes without putting falsies on, I give my eyelash curlers a blast with the hairdryer to heat them up. Its like a heated blow wave for the lashes! You will definitely see a difference!! But be careful not to overheat them, give them a quick check with your fingers to make sure they are not boiling!
My top tip for blogging would have to be: Don’t compare your own blog’s success to other peoples blogs. By all means it’s fine to look to others for inspiration but everyone’s blog follows a different path, it’s up to each specific blog owner to keep on following their path, until the reward of being satisfied with their own blog comes their way. It might take a week, it might several years who knows! But comparing your success to other people’s and becoming disheartened just doesn’t make sense, after all you’re not on the same path as them!
Shannon x
Fangirls&Foundations
My baking tip is to fully follow a recipe the first time you try it, baking is an exact science and every part of a recipe is there for a reason. After you’ve tried something once, it’s easier to adapt!
My style tip is to be confident! If you believe you look awesome, other people will too 🙂
Blogging tip: Quality over quantity! Write posts that you yourself will enjoy (: Everyone starts somewhere so don’t be discourage with a small readership, I promise you it will grow!
Style tip: If you’re going tight on the bottom ( e.g skinny jeans, tights or bodycon skirt), go flowy and loose on top, and vice versa. If you’re wearing a skater skirt, opt for a tight tank top! Balance is key!
Baking tip: To check to see if the inside of your cake/muffin is cooked, stick a skewer/chop stick in the center. If it comes out clean, it’s ready! (:
My top baking tip is when you are doing writing in icing, use a small baking parchment icing bag rather than a large one. Being able to apply a constant pressure to the bag helps keep the icing smooth.
My top baking tip is to use an ice cream scoop when dividing the batter for cupcakes to ensure an even amount in all cases. Making a consistent batch!
My style tip is to tuck your jeans in your socks when you’re wearing Ugg boots, it keeps them in and stops them rubbing your ankles.
Top style tip: Invest in a few retro scarves – wear them in tons of different ways around your neck, in your hair, tied to a handbag or as a belt! Can really make an outfit!
Top baking tip: Don’t be scared to experiment! My favourite ever cookies were the ones I dropped a dash of Baileys into! And my favourite banana cupcakes were the ones I swirled nutella into! Stick to ingredients you know you love and very often you’ll discover amazing new recipes that are unique to you!
Top blogging tip: Connect with your followers as much as you can – it will make your blog more enjoyable for them, but also more enjoyable for YOU! Do this by being down to earth (photos throughout posts help) and reply to as many comments as you can – it keeps followers interested and makes you approachable – enhancing your blogging experience 🙂 .