Thank Goodness for Primark

Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say...

But oh sweet Jesus and all the angels, Primark has come to my rescue this week. I spent the majority of the week visiting every shopping centre within a 50 mile radius to try and track down some cheapie  flip flops for around the pool, some summer shortie PJs and a couple of throw-over-a-bikini dresses for wearing down to the pool and to lunch. So far so simple. But oh the demoralisation of coming home each and every day with sweet sod all to speak of. Every day that passed was another day for the shops to clear out their summer stock to make way for their annoying and frankly not needed right now thank-you-very-much winter stock. Humph.

So you can imagine my delight when I came across a whole load of beachy/summer items in a Primark near my work place that I visited on Saturday. Thank feck for that. And they were in my size. (Have I imagined this? Primark have items I need, and in my size? I must be delirious).

So anyway. Items purchased, sweet joy, one step closer to holiday ready!

Slip-over-a-bikini dresses, half price, something like £3 and £5! 

And now for another little beauty I spied on Saturday while at Bluewater on a smash-a-grab holiday shop with the husband (aka men shopping- visit the 3 stores he likes, pick stuff up, and buy it). Anyway, I was returning something to Topshop when I spied a most fabulous little beauty glinting in the deep dark dregs on the final sale items rack (normally avoided like the plague). The print caught my eye so I had a quick look and almost did a double take when I saw it was a size 8. Faint. Tried it on in double quick time and hey presto, another little number for the holiday, all for the princely sum of £15 (reduced from £55).

Little Topshop number. 

And to end with a quick round up of what I wore yesterday. The husband and I had tickets to the BBC Proms which was most fabulous all round.

Gold sleeveless shirt - Zara
Tapered leg trousers - Zara
Bag - Mulberry
Sunglasses - Missoni
Bracelets - Pandora and Thomas Sabo

Haha stupid pic, but the shoes are visible here! Toe-post sandal from M & S.

And tomorrow, back to London to see the men's hockey! Loving the Olympics so far, more than a few tears shed during the opening ceremony... I'm blaming the weather... (yep, my broken record and most convenient excuse for just about everything!)

Dressing for the weather cock up part one

I'm not sure how this happened. Actually, scratch that, I more than know how this happened. So used to climbing out of bed in the morning, piling on layers of clothing and heading for the door, I failed to recognise the need for change when that blasted yellow thing in the sky decided to stick around for more than a day.

So. On went the jeans, the cardigan, the pumps. And so began my journey to London for a day at Westfield Shopping Centre. And boy did I swelter. My car with its primitive air conditioning did sweet F A to cool me down, and I was boiled to buggery by the time I arrived at the train station. Thankfully the journey on the high speed only took 31 minutes, and the train was relatively empty. Still, I was relieved to arrive at the beautifully air conditioned shopping centre in one (albeit slightly sweaty) piece.

Me pre-sweat (aka before I left the house):
Nude vest top with lace trim - H & M
Black linen cardigan - Cos
Black and white printed jeans - Primark
Sunglasses - Missoni
Brown pumps - M & S
Bag - Mulberry

Now for my second weather related cock up, and one of the reasons I went to Westfield in the first place. The husband and I have just booked our summer holiday to Barbados and I wanted to purchase a few bits and pieces for the trip. So far so simple. Upon arrival and quick scan of my favourite shops it soon became apparent that the summer stock had all but vanished, in favour of autumn/winter cosiness and warmth. Feck.

Now normally, this is not something I would moan about, and while the weather was so shite, I was happy to buy into this:  jeans, jumpers and boots, giddy, giddy, giddy. But do the shops not know I now need  want a few summery bits and pieces? A new dress here, a new kaftan there??! It seems not, but I will keep searching. If not, the airport will hopefully provide a lifeline (having explained this angst to hubby, he laughed relentlessly for a few minutes before reminding me that I spent an arm and a leg on summer clothing for our honeymoon last year, and could I not wear that?? Well yes, but I still want some new things dear husband. Bloody men, they just don't get it!)

Ho hum. I still managed to purchase a few little bits (shock horror). And all things that I am pretty pleased with.

Contrast detail T Shirt - £35 Cos

My love affair for printed jeans rumbles on. Not content with my 2 floral pairs and my black and white print worn above, I just had to purchase this leopard print pair from good old Primark. Only £13 and very similar to the Malene Birger pair currently on sale. 

Giddy Giddy Giddy #2. I wanted these Zara shoes when they were full price but could never track them down in my size. Well, not only did the Westfield branch have one size five, they were in the sale £29.99 instead of £39.99. Not a fantastic discount but I would have definitely bought them full price so still a good bargain. These bad boys are definitely coming on holiday, perfect for evening meals and (very short) strolls.

So back to today. Still boiling hot outside but I have most definitely learnt my lesson. So on went the maxi dress while I was out running errands, and then Hollister jersey shorts and a vest for bumming around at home. Bliss.

See you soon X

A weekend of all sorts

Hello angels, happy Sunday and hope everyone has had a great weekend! I always feel like weekends fly by, although time is pretty much flying by at the speed of light in general at the moment- can't believe its March already!

I have had a great weekend! I had a gorgeous meal at Prezzo with hubby Friday night, some home shopping and lunch with Clare on Saturday and an antiques fair and spot of lunch and shopping at Bluewater after. I am looking for an antique mirror for above my new shoe cupboard but have had no luck yet - I am looking for something quite specific though so may be searching for a while yet! Hubby treated himself to a huuuge Superdry kit bag today - he ordered one before but it was out of stock so we decided to just buy one in the shop. I bought a couple of bits of make up today which makes a change, I have bought so many clothes recently!

Chanel pressed powder, £29.50 and Clinique eyebrow stick with illumnator, £14.50.

Today's post is a bit of a mash-up of OOTN, and some exciting things I've got coming up soon! Onto OOTN, the outfit I wore to Prezzo Friday night.

Another new H & M jacket - I loved the classic boucle style of this jacket and at £29.99 I couldn't resist! I also wore a white H & M vest top, new black layered skirt from H  & M, my black Faith boots and a silver necklace which was a present from a friend.

So, this week, hubby and I booked a 4 day city break to Budapest! We wanted a trip away before our main holiday in August, and booked for the first week of June. I set an evening aside to research and managed to find an amazing 4 star hotel with brilliant reviews!

Hotel Castle Garden is a 4 star boutique hotel a few steps from the famous Buda castle. This hotel is number 25 out of  334 in Budapest on tripadvisor and has some brilliant reviews. I am so excited, I have already ordered a travel guide and started researching boat trips on the Danube and the thermal baths we can visit!

Second piece of exciting news came from my amazing hubby this week. We were talking about our first wedding anniversary which is rapidly approaching, and he offered to buy me a new designer bag, shoes or perhaps as Burberry trench! I am so excited, and now just need to decided if I want another Mulberry or some Louboutins... not going to be an easy decision! I am not sure what hubby wants as a gift in return, he suggested a rowing machine or perhaps a sound system for our living room... mens toys are nowhere near as exciting as girls ones!!

Well that's everything for today, have a great week everyone XOXO

Stack 'em high

Hello ice cream sundaes, happy happy Thursday to one and all : ) I am pretty hyper tonight which is a bit odd as it is Thursday after all! I am so super busy at work at the moment, lots of my pupils have the first part of their GCSE exam in January so it's a busy old time, thankfully I am coping well although it may be a different story come the end of term! Still, I have that glorious 2 week holiday to look forward to, and hubby has a similar amount of time off so we're all set! : )

Today I thought I would blog about something that I love love love and cannot get enough of... I am talking about gorgeous, glittery bracelets! It's funny because I didn't really like wearing bracelets until a few years ago, preferring earrings and necklaces. These days however, I am always drawn to bracelets, and love wearing a range of higher end brands stacked up together, I think that makes such an impact. Here are some of my favourites ...

Jinkksy gold and crystal Bonita bracelet £65. The Jinkksy brand only came to my attention recently, but I really love the gorgeous, glittery styles, favoured by lots of UK celebrities. I like the gold tone of this one.

Pandora bracelet, £60 for bracelet and £25 upwards for charms. I absolutely adore Pandora bracelets, and love the idea of building up the charms and linking them with special memories and events. I had a gorgeous Pandora bracelet with lots of beautiful charms mostly bought by hubby but (oh my it pains me to say this!) I lost it when I was shopping... : ( I hope to replace it in the new year and start building up my charm collection again.

Pink Thomas Sabo bracelet £25. I have this bracelet and wear it everyday, it was a present for Christmas last year from hubby. I also have an engagement and wedding ring charm on the silver part.

Nomination bracelet. This Italian brand only emerged in Britain just over a year ago but I like the sleek style and the idea of adding charms over a period of time (very similar to Pandora). I plan to add one of these bracelets to my collection in the near future.

Jinkksy Love bracelet £42. I like the style of this Jinkksy, a little less bling, but still shiny and gorgeous. 

Does anyone have any of these bracelets?? I just can't get enough of them! Well that's everything for today, I'm off to bed for a little bit of marking and reading : ) Sooo excited for tomorrow, Twilight eeee XOXO

Bags of style

Today I arrived home from work to a lovely surprise... my Claireabella bag had arrived! It was even better than I thought it was going to be, and will be perfect for the summer as well as the next time I take a trip abroad! I hope you love it as much as I do, and if you would like to make like a whole host of UK celebs and grab your own, you can do so by clicking on the following address:

http://www.claireabelladesigns.co.uk/

Can't wait to take it on its first outing!! xxx