I have some news...

So I'm blogging again after a relatively short absence (one month - not my worst record, but let's skate over that fact anyway...) . In my defense, I have been rather preoccupied and in a short scroll you will find out why...

I am pregnant! Baby Bradley pictured here at 12 weeks. : )

It is such a relief to have it out in the open! My last 4 weeks or so have been completely taken over with scans, appointments, vital baby research.. (oh yes, there is a new obsession in town!) Plus as any woman who is pregnant or has had a baby will know, the first trimester is an exhausting time, and I have struggled to stay awake in the evenings, so blogging has well and truly been shelved! Thankfully, I am starting to recover some of my energy now, so much so that I have been shopping twice in two days! Mr TIS has been rather happy delighted  with the fact that we have been staying it at weekends, as I have not had the energy to drag him round the shops! The tide is turning now though, what with increased energy, the 12 week scan done and dusted, and many, many baby items to be perused and purchased! (I apologise in advance S, life is going to be tough for you for the next few months!)

The baby is due on August 12th, so I am looking forward to lots of gorgeous summer maternity clothes. I'm picturing maxi dresses and flip flops galore! For the time being however, I will finish with a round up of a few recent outfits, including today where I think I can see a hint of baby bump... my waist has definitely expanded over the past week or so!

Cream long line vest top - Primark
White linen oversize jumper - Zara
Black skinny jeans - Zara
Monochrome snake scarf - M & S
Hi-tops - Converse

Beige long line vest - Primark
Burgundy oversize jumper- H & M
Zebra print scarf - Zara
Dark blue jeans - H & M
Shearling cuff boots - Red or Dead

As above with:
Leather biker jacket - Zara
Grey wrist-warmers - H & M
Mulberry postman's lock hobo bag

Today - boring but it was bloody cold!:
White long line vest top - Primark
White linen long sleeve top - Zara
Light blue jeans - River Island
Black long line cardi (underneath coat) - TK Maxx
Shearling cuff boots - Red or Dead
Khaki parka - H & M

And second 'bump' picture... I am definitely more rounded... still looking a bit like I've eaten too much though!!

And to finish, a few little bit and pieces we have bought the baby... I intended to wait longer but just couldn't resist a few bits and bobs! The above have come from M & S, Mamas and Papas and Baby Gap. I'm pretty sure the husband is having nightmares about my spending habits and the next few months... a whole new shopping world has opened up to me and I could not be any more excited!!

More soon (she says optimistically with fingers firmly crossed!) XX

Outfit of the Night and Day

Hello mini babybels, I hope everyone is well and has had a delightful weekend. I have but I just cannot believe that half term is over already! I'm not sure why I'm shocked actually, life flies by so quickly these days! Still, I am looking forward to seeing my classes and getting ready for exam season. I have a feeling life will continue to fly by pretty quick as we steam roller closer and closer to the exams!!

Today's post is an OOTN and OOTD for your perusal ; )

Friday night hubby and I attended the 30th birthday party of a friend. I wore a new H & M dress with  a dark brown pair of courts from Mango. I bought the shoes a  couple of years ago but they have barely been worn, so it was nice to pull them out and find they matched so nicely! I kept accessories simple with some gold dangly leaf earrings from Aldo and my Mulberry East West bag.

Today hubby and I drove to a nice outdoor shopping centre around 40 minutes from our house, for a little shop and some lunch. I wore a new Zara cardigan style jumper with my River Island Jeans. I also wore my newly purchased Marks and Spencers boat style shoes and my new Mulberry bag. When I bought these shoes, hubby told me his nan has the same pair which I thought was hilarious! I love them though as they are a bit geek-chic, and if the boat shoe is good enough for Blake Lively, its good enough for me! I am actually thinking of buying them in some other colours too, as they are so comfy (gotta love footglove!) as much as they are becoming.. : )

Well that's about all for now, I need to pack my work bag, check tomorrows lessons and try to get a bit of relaxation in before a night of tossing and turning! Mwah XOXO

My day at Westfield

Happy Friday glitter sticks hope you are all fine and well : ) I am just fine, enjoying a nice relaxing Friday with a stack of new magazines, a chinese takeaway and some good TV. My blog post today is about something very exciting that I did yesterday...

Westfield Stratford City. 

As the picture suggests, I finally got around to taking a trip to the new 1.45 bn Westfield shopping centre that opened last month in Stratford, East London! I have been waiting for this day for some time now, I intended to visit when it first opened, but due to my busy job and spate of illnesses, never got around to it. I decided then that the October half term would be the ideal opportunity. So yesterday, I got up ridiculously early and went into work with hubby, before driving to pick my friend Nikita up, and then on to Westfield. I decided to drive because it actually works out cheaper than taking the train and I prefer the luxury and comfort of my own vehicle. We arrived in just over half an hour and parking was a doddle. Coming home was a little longer due to traffic through the Blackwall tunnel, but I kind of blame myself for leaving during rush hour! In future I will definitely leave earlier/later to avoid the rush.

So, back to the shopping centre itself, in a word, wow. Architecturally stunning and stuffed to capacity with shops catering to all tastes including high street favourites and more individual, one-off stores, it really was a shopaholic's dream. The shops were beautifully designed with neat, well-stocked shelves and rails, helpful staff and a buoyant, buzzing atsmosphere all round. Westfield was pretty busy (it is half term after all), full of friends shopping, groups of teenagers enjoying their half term and trendy, affluent mothers' pushing their Bugaboo's, Silver Crosses and Stokke Xplory's (I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned that I have a penchant for high end prams and travel systems?? I have had my own pram picked out for about 3 years now lol). We spent the whole day shopping, and I am happy to report that I was rather successful and bought some lovely new items of clothing - I plan to blog about these soon, watch this space ; )

What I wore: White long sleeved fine knit top from Urban Outfitters, oversized scarf by Malene Birger, blazer from River Island, jeans from River Island, tassell pumps from Topshop and bag by Mulberry.

Afternoon tea and cupcakes in Buttercup... so delish.

I will definitely be returning to Westfield in the future and fully advise anyone in the South to pay it a visit! As well as the shopping centre, there is a cinema, a bowling alley and even a casino, so a bit of something for everyone!

XOXO

Easy like Sunday morning

Hello cupcakes, hope this is finding you well on this glorious Monday. I am overly happy again today because of the changing season and the beautiful changes going on outside, I love driving to and from work at the moment, noticing the leaves gradually change colour and drop. I really am an Autumn person! While driving to work this morning, I heard on Classic FM that on this day, 192 years ago, John Keats wrote 'To Autumn'. Whilst studying Keats in year 13, 'To Autumn' was always one of my favourite poems, so I enjoyed this little piece of information : )


Today's post is a bit of a picture catch up of my weekend, and Sunday in particular. Sunday was a lovely day, hubby and I had a nice lie in which was much welcome after the strenuous events of the day before (see this blog post). We then had a little trip into town so hubby could get his hair cut (seriously overgrown, much like a scruffy, unprofessional student... he absolutely hates his hair long like that but claims to never find time to get to the hairdresser... men eh?!) I took the opportunity to buy a couple of birthday presents, as well as the majority of my Christmas cards (did I ever mention that I am organised??!). I also had a look around H & M and fell in love with about 10 new season items... will definitely be back soon to try on and purchase! In the afternoon, we went to the cinema to see 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' which was an excellent film as the reviews had suggested. All in all a very pleasing day : )

Our Nutcracker tickets turned up! Eeeeee : )

What I wore: Dark denim ripped jeans River Island, leopard print pumps H & M, tiered top Primark, chunky knit cardigan (I have been waiting for the weather to wear my new super cosy cardi!) Primark. I also wore my heart necklace that hubby bought me from Agatha in Paris, and a pair of pearl stud earrings.

A couple of goodies I picked up in Superdrug. I have heard some excellent things about the new MUA range through other bloggers and in magazines so thought I would try a nail polish. I also bought a lovely natural peachy coloured blusher from one of my favourite brands, Sleek. This shade is called 'suede' and is from their new limited collection.

Awww mama's little boy : )

I know this may not be to everyone's taste, and I don't particularly love spiders but I was just so impressed by the work that had gone into this guys web! We have loads of spiders like this in the garden at the moment which is fine by me, yes I have to dodge them when I hang out the washing but better outside than in I figure!

Well that's everything for today, hubby and I have a fully loaded biscuit tin and are settling in for Corrie and Doc Martin! xoxo

Date Night

Hey dolls how are you all?? Today is Friday and that makes me sooo happy! This week was my first full week back at work and blimey did I hit the ground running!! I had a really enjoyable week and I really like all my new classes, but being back at work is very tiring!

Tonight I went for a drink after work with some work friends which was great fun, catching up on all the gossip (something we used to do a lot more but are always too busy for now!) When I got home, hubby told me that he was taking me out for a meal to celebrate our anniversary which is on Monday. It is not our wedding anniversary, but the anniversary of when we first became a couple. I guess we should only really mark the occasion of our wedding anniversary now we are married, however, we have been a couple for 8 years now and I think that is worth celebrating! We decided to go to our favourite Indian restaurant in Ashford, Zarin; we first discovered this amazing restaurant when we moved to Ashford and it is now our go-to for delicious Indian cuisine. The food is so tasty and flavoursome and the portions and service very good as well. Tonight I had a lovely chicken Dansak with pulao rice, muteer paneer and a naan. Yum : )

Strike a pose!

I wore my Zara sheer blouse, River Island high waist check shorts with a brown belt (also River Island), black tights and black patent pumps with a bow from Topshop (I was planning on wearing heels but I wore very high knee high boots to work today and my feet couldn't take any more!) To accesorise I wore a gold ring and my new gold necklace with a stag's head from Primark.

Hope you all have something fun planned for the weekend, I am looking forward to a nice lay in tomorrow morning!! xoxo

Fine dining on a Friday

Hey sweeties, hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend! I have had a nice lazy week which has been perfect, as i'm trying really hard to relax and enjoy my free time before I go back to work next week! Yesterday was GCSE results day which was nerve-wracking for me, however, my pupils performed beautifully and achieved some amazing results which makes me one very happy teacher! I spent yesterday afternoon setting up an edu-blog for them as they have requested one, so hopefully, that will be a good learning tool for them this coming year.

Today I took my car in for her MOT so fingers crossed she is going to be OK! In the afternoon, hubby text and suggested a meal out to celebrate my successful results: I immediately set about booking a table at a new restaurant in Ashford called Everest Inn. I have visited this highly respected and recommended Nepalese restaurant before, at the Blackheath branch, and was excited to see that a new one had opened up where I live. The food was delicious and we did not hold back: I had poppadoms, Daal soup, chicken biryani and tea to finish. Hubby had a Momo starter which was a type of lamb parcel and the chef's special for his main (another lamb dish). I can't wait to go back and continue to try different dishes off the menu!

I decided to wear a fairly casual outfit for our meal out, so I chose a peg-leg style of trouser from Matalan, a white H & M vest tep with an asymmetric grey/purple vest from River Island layered over the top. I kept my earrings simple with a pair of white gold and diamond studs, and accesorised with my new Forever 21 necklace, and leopard print peep toe flats from H & M. Comfy and stylish! : ) (Did you spy Woody making a cheeky appearance in the last picture... he is such a poser, just like his mama ; )

I am so excited for the weekend, I am hitting London town for a night out tomorrow night with my best girlfriends and am looking forward to a night of fun and gossip! I will take some pictures and share when I am home : )

Until next time my dears xoxo

Sunday Couples Shopping!

Hello Lovelies, how are you all? I am having a lovely weekend : ) Yesterday I shopped and lunched with my best friend, I got some new bits and pieces for my autumn wardrobe which I will be sharing over the next few weeks. In the evening, hubby and I went to see the new Inbetweeners movie which was really funny and completely lived up to my expectations. Today hubby and I had a nice leisurely morning, we slept in late, then got ready for Bluewater shopping centre. I have to say, hubby is not a huge shopping fan, however, we are beginning to think about buying a new TV so with that arsenal, I managed to tempt hubby there. So, we spent a pleasurable few hours looking at TV's, discussing whether a Plasma or LCD would be better, and 40 inches or 43... hubby also announced he wanted a projector screen : 0 ! I was like, hmmmm, great idea, but think we better wait til we move again, as it will be installed in our ceiling!! Lol, boys and their toys ; ) I purchased a few bits for myself too (while hubby was occupied in HMV and Waterstones!) and we ended the day in Ed's dinner, eating burgers, onion rings, coleslaw and chips : )

Ok, so I am trying to slowly introduce new season autumn colour into my wardrobe and wean myself off all the colour block brights of the summer, so today I wore my River Island dark denim jeans, my topshop tassell ballet pumps, my new Forever 21 sheer top and a lovely rust coloured chunky knit cardigan that I bought on my shopping trip yesteday, from Primark. I also wore a chunky new tribal style ring, also bought yesterday from Primark. I really like the co-ordination of colours in this outfit, and it is perfect for transitional dressing!

Lastly, can I ask you to vote for the picture I have entered of me and Woody in a facebook competition.. all you have to do is click on the picture of Woody I have posted at the top of my blog page, follow the link and it should be clear (you need to like the Westfield Stratford City facebook page, and then click on 'vote' on my picture) Thank you xoxoxo

The big birthday weekend!

Hey dolls, so sorry for my lack of posts over the past few days, this Monday was hubby's 26th birthday, and I had a whole 4 days of treats lined up! As I blogged about here , this weekend just gone was the weekend where we had our mini-break in Hereford, and attended the Big Chill Festival! We had a lovely 3 days away, eating out, shopping, visiting some caves in Wales, and of course, spending the whole day at the Festival! The festival itself was everything I hoped it would be and more, there was so much going on and we saw some amazing acts, including our favourite band Metronomy, and our favourite artist Kanye West!! We rounded off hubby's birthday weekend with a trip to the cinema to see the new Transformers film, and then a day in London for shopping, lunch at one of our favourite restaurants Cafe Rouge, and an evening at the BBC proms at the Royal Albert Hall! Phew!

To the festival, I wore some newly purchased items, a blue and white striped shirt from Hollister with a white vest top also from Hollister underneath. My white shorts are also Hollister (I see a pattern emerging!). Accessories-wise, I wore my vintage cowboy boots, an oversized ring from H & M, my Thomas Sabo bracelet, my vintage gold charm necklace and slouchy Jasper Conran bag. Later on, as it started to rain a bit, I bought a really cool official festival hoodie and wore it over the shirt to protect my hair from the rain!

The last picture shows the outfit I wore out to dinner the first night we were there, it was not very warm so I wore some classic dark denim River Island jeans with my Next wedges and a new sleeveless shirt from H & M. I really like the colours and style of the shirt, and I wore it tucked in which seems to be one of my favourite styles at the moment : ) I also wore my gold H & M headband and new green oversized ring from H & M.

Hope you all had lovely weekends, now I am back, posts will be frequent this week! : ) xoxo

Sunday Beach Style

We are currently enjoying some beautiful weather in the UK, which is lucky, as I was starting to worry about when I was going to wear all my new summer clothes, still hanging in the wardrobe with their labels on! Yesterday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, so after returning home from my friends house, I decided that hubby and I should spend the day on the beach! We packed a bag of stuff (picnic rug, books, magazines, snacks, suncream and shades!) and set off for Littlestone beach in New Romney. We are lucky to live so close to an amazing stretch of coastline, and we always try to visit different beaches rather than the same one.
For our trip I decided to wear my Hollister denim shorts and brown belt from River Island. I matched these with a new colour block yellow and white t-shirt from H & M. I tucked it in a bit at the front and back cos I think that looks cooler : ) I finished off my outfit with the feather H & M necklace I blogged about here, my Thomas Sabo bracelet, Warehouse sandals and my black satchel.

I am super excited for the rest of the week because we are driving up to Hereford on Friday for a 3 day mini-break, and our festival on Saturday! I pretty much have my outfits planned and ready now (and packed!), can't wait to show you all when I get back!! Oh and I have decided against wellie boots - I really do think I will find them too heavy and hot (although I may live to regret this if it rains!!)


Until next time sweeties xoxo

Lazy Sunday

Today was pretty good in terms of weather again, mostly blue skies with just a smattering of cloud. Hubby and I decided to have a (very) long lie in, late breakfast, and then a little journey into town. The town we live in isn't amazing for shopping, although this has improved since a shopping centre was built. I really like to wander around H & M, River Island and Next on a Sunday as it is so quiet, the shops are big and generally have very good stock. Today proved particularly good, it seems H & M have just had a new delivery as they had a whole load of new stuff that I didn't see a few days ago when I last visited. I bought 3 tops and some jewellery but I will save these items for another post! Today, I decided to wear my favourite Hollister denim cut offs, a new sweater from Zara that is made of a nice light material which is perfect for the weather we are having at the moment. Underneath I wore a new peachy coloured ribbed tank from Armani exchange. I accessorised with a brown belt from River Island, my gorgeous gold fruit charm necklace, my light pink Thomas Sabo bracelet and some simple pearl studs. I also wore my tan sandals from Primark.

I love the little buttons up the back of the sweater - really unusual and a great design feature. My bargain Primark necklace is a favourite too, 3 separate shop assistants asked me where it was from today...

Hope you had amazing weekends too, I am counting down the days now until the summer holidays, 9 days and counting... : ) xoxo

No sale

Sale. One little word that can stop you in your tracks and make your heart beat just a little bit faster. I have to admit, this tiny word, displayed large as life in a shop window, has this effect on me too. But all too often, the feeling fades as quickly as it arrived and I am left feeling disappointed. Over the years. I have come to conclude that I am simply not a sales person. So why do I still get this fluttery, excited feeling when sale time rolls around come summer and Boxing day??

I can only conclude that I feel this way because there is always a chance that there might be an amazing bargain to be had. And the stubborn part of my personality refuses to give in! I have to admit though, I very rarely find anything in the sale worthy of a second glance. All too often, the sale stock is the rubbish that did not sell the first time around. The price is vastly reduced and therefore women grab at items they would not normally consider, convinced they are about to purchase the item of a lifetime. There are exceptions of course, and I am not saying that I have never bought anything in a sale. I find that high end shops and department stores do sales the best. Zara for example tends to put the majority of their stock in the sale so you can easily find something current and stylish. Reiss is another high street chain that does a very good sale. By contrast, I find Topshop, Miss Selfridge, River Island and H & M messy, almost jumble-sale like, with items that look as if they have been kicking around in the stock room for the past 3 years. The messiness alone is enough to turn me off - I am too OCD to contemplate rifling through, and I immediately find myself drawn to the full price section.

Nonetheless, I have had a look at some sale stock this summer and found a few pleasing items from Zara. One of my favourite finds was the dress Pippa Middleton wore to the French open last month:

Full price this dress was a pretty good bargain anyway at £35.99. I was lucky enough to grab the only small left in the shop for £24.99. I love this dress because it is such an easy item to wear to work, as well as on a summers day with wedges like Pippa herself. I have also spotted this amazing bag on the Zara website for a very reasonable £19,99 (down from £39.99):
I am immediately drawn to the lovely bright colour of this bag, and the messenger shape and style is very current and would look amazing with casual weekend looks. I also know that I would buy this bag at full price, not just because it is in the sale, making it a true bargain.

What do you think of sales? I wonder what sales are like in other countries... let me know what you think, I love reading your comments xoxo

Outfit of the (summer) day

We had lovely sunny weather in the UK again today so I chose to wear a new maxi dress that I purchased from River Island. I also wore this to school on one of the hottest days last week and got so many compliments from other teachers and pupils alike. I really like it because it is a lovely colour with a gorgeous black and white tribal print all over. It is a really simple style and can be easily dressed up and down.

I accesorised my dress with simple toe post sandals from Warehouse, my black satchel and a some turquoise jewellery - a ring from Aldo and chunky beads I bought on honeymoon in Thailand. I really like the contrast between the turquoise and pink.

Stylish and practical for the sunny days we have recently been having! Hope you all had fabulous weekends too xoxo

London Style

Let me cut straight to the chase: style in London is incredible. In my opinion, the best in the world (OK I am a little biased being British and all!). I have been to Paris a few times and admired the effortless chic of the men and women gracing the streets of the left bank, the Marais and Boulevard Haussmann, I have been to Milan and again admired the classic, designer efforts of the ladies there. I have not yet been to New York although this is on my fashion wishlist for the near future!! So I have been to quite a few fashion forward cities and yet I still believe London to be amongst the very best. The sheer energy, eclectic and individual style is enough to secure London the award for most stylish. Women in London really know how to mix it up, the rules are non existent, and a perfect balance of designer and high street is readily achieved.

I have been reminded of our incredible home-grown style today as I attended a course for work at the Barbican. Amongst all the other educators in their smart suits and shiny shoes, I like to think I stood out a bit in my old faithful, ripped at the knee jeans, classic navy blue tee, bright floral cardi, my new Primark sandals, skinny plaited belt and D & G sunnies! The only part of my outfit that gave me away was my bright red lanyard and show pass! On the way home, reading the latest copy of Grazia, I started thinking about the hottest styles to be seen in right now; some I have, some I am still to acquire. So here goes...

1) Colour blocking

So easy to do and so effective - as simple as teaming a bright silky t shirt with a skirt in totally opposite colours. Hot colour combos include pink and orange, blue and green, yellow and blue. For those who are less confident with really bright colours, why not try one bright item, such as a bright dress - teamed with simple accesories and a tan, this looks fantastic. Even adding a colour pop bright bag to an outfit will tap into this trend and add an element of fabulous!

Orange shift dress - £35.99 Zara

Pink pintuck dress - £40.00 Dorothy Perkins

River Island Brights! - £various

2) Stripes

Ever since Marc by Marc Jacobs launched their striped silk dress in beautiful summery colours, the high street has been awash wish similar designs. The midi length is fresh and new, perfect for a summers day with gladiators or wedges.

The original Marc by Marc Jacobs design

Similar coloured Primark design - £11

Gorgous jewel shades in the River Island dress - £29.99

3) Prints

This summer prints are everywhere (again!) and once again, there is a staggering array of designs to choose from. Ditsy florals have been pushed out and replaced by larger, bolder blooms. Graphic prints a la Erdem are storming the high streets - my particular favourite right now is the bright graphic print immortalised on dress and skirt in Zara (see picture below), and already worn by a whole host of celebrities including Denise Van Outen. How best to wear this bold designs? Dresses look fantastic, partciularly with simple accesories, letting the dress do all the work. If you are less confident about a particular body part, play up another, e.g, a graphic print top will look amazing with simple black skinny jeans if you are not confident enough to wear print on your bottom half. Don't forget shoes as well! Shoes are an easy and attractive way to introduce a splash of print into your outfit and get you noticed for all the right reasons.

Zara graphic print skirt - £29.99

Asos dress- £45

River Island Maxi - £32.99

xxx