Hey lovelies!

So last weekend I booked a lovely trip to Birmingham to explore Bournville and visit Cadburys World for my boyfriends birthday! Honestly it didn't disappoint!


We set off to Birmingham from Manchester early and arrived just in time for our tour slot at Cadburys World for 1:30 however all tours were being let in at the same time. We visited on the Saturday and it was slightly busy, so just bare this in mind if you are thinking of visiting. It instantly felt like Disney vibes as the tour started, and being given 3 chocolate bars each was an absolute bonus! The tour lasted around an hour and a half and us being the biggest kids ever loved every minute of it, truly like willy wonka's chocolate factory!


The tour was full of interesting historic facts about the Cadburys family and how they created the business up until the present day. Also how cocoa beans were founded and used to create drinking chocolate and the classic dairy milk in the factory.

We then got to write our names in melted chocolate and test a sample of the melted goodness with added toppings of our choice (we chose marshmallow and popping candy with fudge) YUM!



The best part of the tour was definitely the cocoa bean ride, think Disney small small world vibes but chocolate! The ride lasted around 5 minutes and entered into cute scenes though cocoa bean world. Professional photographs were available at certain points of the tour however in my opinion these were too expensive to purchase so we chose not to.




The tour ended with a trip to the biggest Cadburys shop in the world, and it was as amazing as it sounds! There was a lot of chocolate on offer and of course we wanted to buy it all however with the heatwave smashing 29 degrees outside it would've just melted by the time we drove back to Manchester. So a fridge magnet sufficed!


The Cadburys world experience had ended so we headed to our hotel to check in. The hotel was lovely and we can't wait to go back to Bournville!


I really hope you have enjoyed this little insight into our weekend, lifestyle posts are some of my favourites to write! Please leave a comment below if you have visited Cadburys world, or would like to and also if you have recommendations of places to go this summer please comment down below as Im all about the road trips!

Hey lovelies,

So its finally July and summer is vastly approaching! Having had a lovely heatwave this week already, I just can't wait for more.


Often busy throughout the day with my bf at work and me completing Uni deadlines it is sometimes hard to get one on one time. The evening is the perfect time to celebrate the sunset and go on an adventure for it! Last weekend we did this. We set the sat nav to Dovestone reservoir and off we went on our adventure at around 7:30. I love summer nights as it doesn't get dark until around 10 pm, making the day last longer! Dovestone reservoir is perfect for any occasion (but never to swim obviously) it is gorgeously peaceful with grounds that last for miles, often popular with hikers and photographers alike. Also just 40 minutes from Manchester, definitely visit if you ever get the chance.


The sunset began setting at around 9 ish pm giving us enough time to walk to the ideal spot to capture the perfect shot. The Ducks were peacefully swimming along the edge, kiddies skimming stones (as well as my bf) and the birds singing. Sounds cliche but I loved every minute.


Walking through the memory woods to get to a beautiful open cove, honestly looked like where the fairies live! It makes me so happy to be walking at night in the UK of all places without even needing a jacket or cardigan on, amazing.


Capturing the beauty everywhere we went, I couldn't help to snap the landscape at every opportunity.

I hope this post has made you more inspired to take an evening summer walk somewhere pretty and peaceful. If you live near Manchester please let me know in the comments any pleasant spots you like to visit when the weather is nice, I'd love to check them out too!

Abbey Hearts ♥

This is not a sponsored post all images and view are my own Copyright Abbey Hartley.

Hello Lovlies,

So its nearly time for me to head back to uni and with that the time has come for me to also join the gym close by. I have been thinking about it for years now but constantly getting close and putting it off due to my fears and anxiety. So I put up with the tv workouts at home with a DVD and the odd Zumba class now and then. But as Im getting older, I need up my game - constantly feeling like I could be a better version of myself, the best version of myself! We all know the added pressure social media has with body image, confidence etc and it really starts to take its toll as a 20 year old female - it may not affect you but this is a totally different blog post.



NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO USE THE EQUIPMENT

I mean this is a given but Im pretty sure you get an induction with every gym you join, so they instruct you on how to use each of the machines and when to use them. I feel like every time I walk in there Im going to need a plan of action in my mind, whether I know how to use the machines or not the first moment I walk in will be everything I expected, daunting and nervy but Im excited for the changes.

KNOWING NOBODY

As I'm joining the gym near uni I expect it will be full of the same age group which is totally fine but again daunting. Im scared about the fact I wont know anyone, I have asked allllll my uni pals if they want to be gym buddies haha but they're already members of one. However then I contradict myself because if I do know someone I really really won't want to make eye contact...at all.

DO I LOOK STUPID?

Probably Abbey yes! But I'll be a beginner and everyone in that gym has been a beginner at this at one time in their life so you're not the only one! Sorry future note to self.

IS THERE ANY POINT?

Will there be any point in this when all I'm craving is a mcdonald's, so when I hit the gym thats what I'll be wanting on the way out. BUT NO ABBEY if you put that effort in you'll want to see the results right? Im probably going to have to change my whole lifestyle around this, and the way I eat, what I eat and when I eat it. But Im okay with that, Im ready for this change and Im super excited for the results Ill hopefully be able to see soon.

AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?

Am I using this machine right and doing this circuit right in my head? Who knows but i'll try my best and hit Pinterest hard for all the inspo. Those judgy people looking at me, making me think am I eating this salmon salad right. Well F you. Im a student so healthy really isn't in my vocabulary, its eat what you can when you can. Often that one penguin and a bag of walkers between hours and hours of busy lectures.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

As I said Im nervous yet excited about all the lifestyle changes, putting in the work to see the amazing results. I am also hoping the exercise will help with all the added uni stress from deadlines and early mornings. As laughing releases endorphins Im hoping sweating out at the gym will do something similar!

Please let me know if you have any tips to help me combat my fears and anxieties about joining the gym in the near future, if you do comment below and tweet me @abbeyhearts on twitter (all my social media links are in the sidebar). I love all your feedback and I love replying to comments. Also please let me know what you'd like to see in the future on Abbey Hearts, again with a comment below. Thanks for reading.

Abbey Hearts ♥

This is not a sponsored post. All views and images are my own, copyright Abbey Hartley

Hello Lovlies,

So running with the back to uni theme here, we're now in September when the school terms are approaching and if some of you are heading back to uni for 2nd year like me or you're new to the whole uni thing then you may find this useful! Some points I make here may seem extremely obvious but if you're new to uni it is often easy to forget that you can now get student discount etc!  All of the points I make here are what Ive discovered from being at Uni a whole year already, and I continue to do them to this day!


 SIGN UP FOR ONLINE FREEBIE SAMPLES & ASK AT MAKEUP COUNTERS

This one may seem a little weird to some of you but I have been doing this one for years and I know many people that do too, even my boyfriend! Girls we all know that feeling of wanting to buy that new Clinique foundation for say £20 + however as a student that is pricey and a lot of money to fork out just for a foundation. So my savvy trick is to ask at you local makeup counters in Debenhams, Boots, John Lewis, House of Fraser etc for a little sample pot! I have sensitive skin so trying products out first for me is definitely essential! This savvy trick also works with perfume, I have sooooo many samples!

If you don't fancy being this abrupt and upfront in store then don't worry you can also sign up for online mailing lists from Latest Free Stuff (Which Martin Lewis has talked about before so don't worry it is legitimate) and Magic Freebies. These websites will email you every day with the latest free deals, from free makeup/skincare and perfume, to free candy bars. Once you've clicked on a link you often just put your name and address and the free sample is on its way!

LOOK OUT FOR SAMPLE SALES IN YOUR CITY

My University is great for this, we have a student union that often email us when the latest sample sale is on its way to our uni. In the past we've had boohoo sample sales and Victoria Secret but they do get busy with queues lasting for hours so I suggest you hit them up early! Sample sales are amazing everything is under half price sometimes every item is only £2 so great for us students! Don't forget to sign up to your university student union, and you can also find events happening in your city just by one easy google. If you're in Manchester like me theres often many sample sales happening at the Northern Quarter every month.

STUDENT DISCOUNT & DISCOUNT CODES

Now this maybe the obvious one but like I said above if you're new to uni then sometimes you can forget about student discount that many shops offer its so easy! You just ask and quickly show your student ID. Many shops do offer this in store online however River Island does not! If you have an NUS Card then you have some brilliant perks at both restaurants and shops however this does come with a fee.  UniDays is the number one, take that from someone who knows! Just sign up with your email and confirm your place and uni and you're in. UniDays has discounts for missguided, public desire, apple, asos and loads loads more so definitely have a look at their website!


STUDENT BANK ACCOUNT PERKS

When you receive you're student loan I highly suggest changing your bank account to a student back account, therefore you can arrange and see your money better with more added student perks! I received a 3 year Railcard with my Santander student account which saves me £ 25 a year on buying one and another 30% off each rail ticket I buy! I chose this one as I was commuting to London a lot in my first year as my boyfriend studied there and I was in MCR, so just pick the bank account that has the best perk for you! These accounts also offer a free overdraft, super helpful.


STUDENT MALL LOCK INS

If you are a fan of the student discounts then this one might be for you! Every year cities offer this in the winter months at local Malls and shopping centres. Ive only ever been to the one but picked up so many bargains. These student lock ins are obviously just for students and shops within the Malls offer a higher student discount than usual on these nights! So get your uni pals together and start planning.

BURSARIES & GRANTS FRORM YOUR UNIVERSITY

At MMU we have a card which the university provides money on, that you can spend on printing, your lunch, snacks, starbucks, art/stationary supplies, and technology like iPads and MacBooks all on campus at the uni shops which is super helpful for me and my life at university. You can apply for things like these through your uni and on your student loan application, depending on how much your family earns depends on if you will receive something similar to this or money etc. But be sure to look into it , or have your parents look into this as it can be confusing.

ALWAYS LOOK IN THE CLEARANCE SECTION

Again another obvious one but in ANY shop be sure to look in the clearance section of the store as Ive found bargains in sainsbury's and boots. Boots is a great one and often have amazing brands in the clearance section and even snacky foods!

5PM ONWARDS = TIME TO REDUCE TODAYS FOODS IN SUPERMARKETS

This clever hack I actually stole from my boyfriend as this is what we use to do when he was at London his local Sainsbury's and Tesco stores always did this past the 5pm mark as that days food obviously isn't going to last! You can find yourselves some amazing bargains if you are doing the weekly or daily shop for you hall. I commute so I don't have to buy my own food as Im still at home but like I said if you're staying in halls of residence then this is a great hack for you! Look at the sandwiches, ready meals and snack sections.

STORE LOYALTY CARDS & VOUCHERS

Another basic and more simple savvy trick but still a handy one, below shows some of the best loyalty cards and vouchers available including; Boots, John Lewis and Ikea. Some of these cards offer free drinks in the cafe, money off own brand names and free gifts. It is definitely worth signing up to as many shops loyalty cards as you can, the perks are so so worth it especially near the gift giving season in Christmas!


FREEBIES IN BIG TOWN CENTRES FROM BIG NAME BRANDS

Maybe you're uni is in a big city centre like mine in Manchester and if it is then don't forget to look out for freebies in the street from big name brands. In the past Ive had full size free drinks plus vouchers from; Coca Cola, Lucozade, Ribena and yoghurt drinks. Obviously this ins't an everyday occasion but when a company launches a new "zero" sugar drink then expect this to happen in your city! Saves buying a drink with that meal deal.

I really hope you've enjoyed this post and my tips for saving money and being savvy at uni. Hopefully these will help you if you're just starting or fancy being more savvy! Please let me know in the comments any other savvy tips and tricks or if you've tried any of these! I love feedback and replying to comments is one of my fav things to do. All my social media links are in the sidebar so don't be shy.

Abbey Hearts ♥

This is not a sponsored post. All views and images are my own. Copyright Abbey Hartley

Hello Lovlies,

So as we all hate to admit the new university term is quickly approaching and it will soon be October and I'll be a second year student, so crazy! Although I am nervous I am more excited, 1 year down two to go and I am enjoying every minute with my fashion promotion family. So because of this I have been feeling spendy on stationary bits recently, lately I can't leave a shopping trip without buying stationary. The addiction is real.

But Im guessing you didn't click on this post for nothing, welcome stationary addicts! A post to show you all the pretty stationary and give you a mild excuse to buy more...

Can we just take a moment to appreciate these beauties! I made a beeline for this collection when I saw it in the biggest and best Sainsbury's in Manchester, yes Sainsbury's! I am loving their stationary right now, including a marble and glitter collection (see further in my haul). The quality is amazing for just a supermarket and the bargain price tag! The A5 notebook was £4 and the pack of A4 wallet folders was £2.50! I love this design, it is so me and I will definitely be heading back to Sainsbury's for more as soon as! I have my eye on a beautiful pencil case and more notebooks, of the same pattern. (prepare to see this all over my insta & snapchat)


I got these cuties from the Works for 99p, they are going to be absolutely brilliant as cute page buddies for marking pages. I cant wait to start using them! With sticky backs, and great to write on.


Sadly these are the only ones I could find, but definitely check out your nearest the works shop! Similar here, so so cute!

I also picked up some of the hyped about stationary from Poundworld (not to get confused with the other pound shops) I could only pick up these 2 files as that is all my nearest shop had however I will defiantly keep an eye out for more of this 'premium collection' as the quality for £1 each is amazing!


The 'premium collection' contains folders, notebooks and diaries etc and I have to say I am a little obsessed with the marble one. Its just so pretty! Again for the price you can't really go wrong, these folders will be perfect for the different classes I have at uni and also perfect when handing in essays and projects, just to seem that little bit e x t r a.



Keeping with the ever so pretty marble theme, I picked this notebook up at Primark for £2.50. It was practically calling my name! The marble screamed to me and also the rose gold/copper hardware, on the spine and embossed "notes" on the front of the pad. The paper quality actually isn't bad for the price either, If I can remember they had more marble stationary items in the collection...but I had to draw the line somewhere. I also prefer to stick with A5 notebooks at uni, they can easily fit in your bag and not be heavy! Find it online here.

However I then saw these in Sainsbury's...


Pretty marble and rose gold bulldog (binder clips) for £2!!! Bargain! As I used these a lot in my first year of uni, I thought it would be nice to get some prettier ones instead of just the bogstandard black and silver ones. Think how good these would look binding together a look book or essay...gorgeous! Can you also tell I was sticking with a theme.

Also from Sainsbury's I was clearly feeling a little more jazzy than usual the day I bought this but I still love it (I am really loving Sainsbury's right now).


I must say sainsbury's is my go to for stationary right now, everything is such great quality and really cheap prices. Again I got this in the A5 size (however available in A4 too) because you don't want to weigh your bag down when you can be in all day, sometimes 9am till 5pm and also carrying a MacBook - can get tricky! With all good quality notebooks they have a little folder flap on the inside at the back which I find super helpful as I always have little sheets lying around from lectures and things. And at £5 it really isn't a bad price.

I then happened to accidentally stumble upon Tk Maxx and just had to get myself some more stationary, obviously.





So I picked up this notebook by the brand Fringe, which sadly I cant find anywhere online but defiantly head to Tk Maxx asap! They also had loads of different designs by this brand and the quality is insane, definitely worth more than £5.99. Also how cute is this pattern! It reminded me of those black and white american style notebooks, especially with the little slot for your name on the front. Above shows the lovely attention to detail inside this A5 notebook with a space for the date which is beyond helpful! I am constantly flicking back through my notes to find the date and this will make it so much clearer for me.

I really hope you have enjoyed this little back to uni stationary haul, please comment below or on twitter more pretty stationary I can buy I'd love you're suggestions and feedback! I hope this has been helpful for any of you going back to uni or just starting this September, keep an eye out on Abbey Hearts as I continue the back to uni series with outfit ideas, clothing hauls and uni hacks.

Abbey Hearts ♥

This is not a sponsored post, all images and views are my own. Copyright Abbey Hartley

Hello Lovlies,

So a couple weeks back my wonderful boyfriend finally achieved one of the greatest life goals and graduated from one of the top universities, UAL! He achieved an honers in his chosen course Photojournalism which is highly competitive field. I couldn't be a prouder girlfriend and we had a such wonderful weekend away in London to celebrate!


I love London as a city and we have so many happy and fond memories together as a couple there. UAL is situated in Elephant & Castle so the graduation ceremony took place on the wonderful Southbank, in the Southbank Centre.

Before the graduation ceremony began we thought we would take massive advantage of being all suited and booted, dressed up in this lovely city and head to the Sky Garden for a few hours. We have visited the Sky Garden twice before together but this time was extra special as we took Joe's family along and all had a brilliant time there taking many many selfies with the selfie stick.

You can catch up on this over on my Instagram

The views from the top are insane!

The Sky Garden is such a lovely place to visit if you ever have the time, you can book tickets in advance on their website for FREE, so why not go?! Here you can see the whole of London in all its glory, from Buckingham Palace to Wembley Stadium and Tower Bridge. The list of landmarks goes on and on, and its fun to play a little spot it first game with your family and friends. It is also a beautiful space, not only for the views but the whole space is made from glass so it is basically like a humongous conservatory! You are surrounded by plants and succulents everywhere you look, it is utterly tranquil. Upstairs there are more views of the Gurkin and the Cheesegrater etc, followed with another bar and a luxurious restaurant. I recommend a hot chocolate downstairs on the sofas with a blanket on those extra chilly days (Yes blankets are provided, this place really is amazing).

We took advantage of our trip here and captured some lovely photos together so we can reminisce in the memories.

My dress was from Boohoo on ASOS  and I absolutely love it!

After this we headed to the Monument located just beside Monument tube station, so we had a quick gander at the spectacle (which is also stunning to look up at) then headed to the tube for a 5 minute journey over to Waterloo. Waterloo is an amazing Railway station, its a shame we didn't have time to wander. So we headed straight to the Southbank and over to the Southbank Centre. The vibe here is always amazing, there is a food stall there some days and we caught it on Friday and allllll the different smell sensations! Yum!

There was UAL graduations happening all day at it was a hugely busy event, but everyone was smiling and happy and I couldn't be more excited for Joe. It was time for us to take our seats at 2:30 ready for the 3pm kick off and the vibe in the great hall was immense. I was sat with Joe's family in a middle row with a perfect view of the stage and the upcoming graduates, we were searching and searching for him unsuccessfully. But that is all part of the fun.

As UAL is a prestigious arts & creative university there wasn't as such that ever so serious vibe which was brilliant for cheering on our loved one loudly! Grayson Perry made a wonderful speech as university chancellor before the ceremony began and it resonated with me to be so inspiring, like him as a person. His presence in that huge room was very well known, as he swept in wearing the most beautiful rainbow gown (this Jospeh and the technicolour dreamcoat but BETTER).



The event lasted a few hours but was a memorable one. We waited and waited for the Photojournalism course to be read out, and just our luck it was at the very end. Joe finally stepped across the stage shaking the UAL heads hand and receiving his honours degree as he did so. We all felt immensely proud as he walked across that stage as a graduated, I had a knot in my throat but cheered so so loud for him it was a crazy good atmosphere.

After his ceremony it was the perfect excuse for more champagne and prime photograph opportunities, which I'm sure Joe loved (I think he felt like a celebrity by the end of the day).

Prosecco in hand, obviously

After the tube journey back to our hotel in Finchley we quickly got changed and headed to the yummiest local Chinese restaurant...where we all ordered the biggest amount of food you have ever ever seen!

BRB just demolishing this amazing food

The food was so good I took my picture of the table when it had all been eaten, because who has time for that?

It was such a lovely lovely weekend!

I hope you've enjoyed this little life post update and what we got up to on our weekend away, I cant wait for another one! Congratulations to all the graduates of this year, class of 2017 you did it! No matter what everyone should be extremely proud! Head to my twitter for more, and comment below if you're excited to graduated or if you graduated this year like joe!

Abbey Hearts ♥

Not a sponsored post, all images and views are my own. Copyright Abbey Hartley

Hello Lovlies,

I thought I'd try and do something different today on Abbey Hearts which suggested by my boyfriend to do our version of a little film review of the latest hyped movie, Dunkirk. This film has been on our radar for a while, ever since Harry Styles was know to be in it as his first big acting role. Not only that but this film has a big storyline, moving me while I watched it.



Im sure many of you are aware of Dunkirk and what those soldiers did for us in World War 2, however I was slightly clueless walking into this film. Set in WW2 in the 1940's english and french troops were trapped in Dunkirk while the Germans advanced. They were trapped through sea, air and land this was utterly awful for Churchill and the UK but how were the troops going to get home? Without telling you too much about the film storyline just the basics. You can watch the Dunkirk Trailer Here! 

Me & Joe decided to go and watch this film for our date of the week whilst at the Trafford Centre (best cinema ever) and with a star studded line up we knew it shouldn't disappoint. Obviously Harry Styles with his first big acting role but also Tom hardy and directed by Christoper Nolan for a Warner Brothers Production.

In my opinion this historic thriller was almost hard to follow flicking from character to character, where almost all characters seem like extras - not one has a leading roll which joe quite liked. However I like to feel a connection with that one main character and will for them, however with Dunkirk you don't get that vibe. Although the quality of this film is brilliant, directed and filmed beautifully and to watch was utterly spectacular. I have never seen a film quite like it. However if you aren't a fan of films that make you jump now and then, then this isn't the film for you as the extremely loud shotgun blows and spitfire planes shot past made me jump more than a few times!

Joe's Rating - 7/8 out of 10
Abbey's Rating - 5/6 out of 10

Even though I have given this film a slightly lower rating than Joe has that by no means says I didn't enjoy it because I did! In fact I was hooked to that big screen for the whole 2 hours willing for our troops to pull through. It is a very moving film thinking back, as a male perspective Joe loved this film more than many others we have seen in the last few months together.

And what would a cinema date be without a Tango Ice Blast?! So so yum

I would definitely recommend going to see this film! In Joe's words this is a film you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren you went to see that when it was first in the cinema in years and years to come and honestly that is so so true!

I hope you enjoyed a little something different on my blog for a change, and the two perspectives from me and my boyfriend Joe - which I quite like and might do more blog posts like this in the future. We would love to hear your feedback through the comments below and through social media (links in the sidebar) I love replying!


Abbey Hearts ♥


This is not a sponsored post, all images are my own copyright Abbey Hartley