Valentines in London

Happy belated Valentines day one and all! I know Valentines has come and passed, but its such a special day and deserves due care and attention in my opinion!

Valentines day is never a sedate occasion in the Bradley household, every year we go to town and use the day to show each other how much in love we still are, 8 years on... cheesy but true! Cards are purchased or sometimes made, meals are planned, gifts are prepared and wrapped, and a day or evening out pencilled into our calendar.

This year, we decided to book tickets to the new west end production of Singin' in the rain. A classic film that we both love, we were extremely excited about the stage version. So, tickets were booked for 15th February, hubby booked the day off work, and I set about planning a fantastic day in London!

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you will know how organised I am, and how I like to plan occasions to the smallest detail. So, a few days before the show, I dug out our London map, propped the iPad on my knee and set about planning a special day for the two of us. I decided that we would have a little wander around Covent garden (little being the operative word, hubby is not such a fan of shopping as I!), a short walk into Soho to lunch at Banana Tree, an Indochinese restaurant that we previously visited in another area of London and loved, and then a short walk back to the National Gallery for an afternoon of culture. Lastly, a pitstop at a coffee shop for tea and cakes before making our way to the Palace theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue for the show.

Covent garden + giant creme egg = heaven! For our trip to London I wore my new Topshop chain print skirt, a grey Primark vest top, my new navy blue H & M cardi (tucked into the skirt) with a tan brown belt from Forever 21, my black Armani exchange coat and my Mullbery.

We saw the show on the 15th February which was the official opening and press night! Barbara Windsor, Christopher Biggins and Lenny Henry (amongst other famous sorts) attended too.

Hubby and I also had a wander around the National Gallery. 

Love my hubby : )

Although we didn't do very much shopping, I did of course visit Laduree in Covent garden, as well as H & M to pick up a grey cardigan. Hubby purchased my Valentines present in Pandora too : )

For anyone who has never tried Macaroons from Laduree I urge you to do so! I first tried them in Paris and have been hooked ever since! This time I purchased 8 (6 shown, 2 already eaten!) for £10.90. My favourite flavours include chocolate, vanilla and raspberry. Yum : )

Hubby purchased me the heart charm at the very front of the bracelet. Gorgeous, and very fitting for Valentines!

Grey H & M cardi £9.99. I love the navy cardi I bought the other day so thought a grey one would be useful to have!

Hope everyone else had a fab day, more soon elves XOXO

Outfit of the Night

Hi dolls, hope everyone has had a wonderfully relaxing weekend and perhaps a bit of shopping thrown in! Once again I have not had the chance to blog this week, as predicted in my last blog post, I had a super busy week with a parents evening and revision sessions after school as well as a full days worth of revision this Saturday too! Such is the life of a teacher, especially when exams are just around the corner!

I found the chance to relax yesterday after my revision session, hubby took me out to one of our favourite restaurants, Prezzo, which was really nice. Today I marked the exam papers completed yesterday but also managed to pop to Tesco to pick up some magazines for tonight's relaxation! Anticipating another busy week at work with two exams this week, another Saturday revision day and a final January exam next week! Only four weeks til' half term though... : )

Today's blog post is an outfit of the night from last night when I got the chance to wear my new Mango skirt from last weekends shopping trip.

I wore a simple black top from H & M, my new red Mango skirt, black tights, Red Herring black chelsea style boots, a silver necklace that was a pressie for Christmas and of course my Mulberry bag. I like the way that the bright skirt is the focus of this outfit, I wore it to school one day last week and got lots of compliments : )

Another shot of the outfit with my black Armani exchange coat which I left unbuttoned to keep it a little more casual. The fur collar is cosy and adds a touch of luxe too.

Enjoy your week dolls, I have a feeling I will not be blogging until next weekend again! Need lots of tea and sweeties to get me through the week ahead! : ) XOXO

End of year purchases : )

Hello dolls, how is everyone today? Hope everyone is still on holiday, and if you have gone back to work, it's nice and relaxed for a bit!

I met up with the girls last night, one friend back from working in Moscow and one friend down from Manchester, it was lovely to catch up with all the goss. I stayed over my at my best friends house last night and today we headed off to Lakeside for a day of shopping. We got there around half 11 and it was surprisingly easy to get to and park, no traffic to speak of. The shopping centre itself wasn't too busy, and only got busy later in the day just before we left.

I'm pleased to say I came away with a few bargains! As I hate sales shopping so much and rummaging through dis-organised displays, we stuck to the few shops that we know do sales well, and keep on top of the mess. This was only a few shops, and then we stuck to the full price merchandise in the less organised shops. Below is a little selection of some of my fave purchases : )

Jimmi Jams pjs from Boots - it infuriates and delights me simultaneously that  Boots put their entire Christmas stock in the sale just after Christmas! I always have a good look and stock up on anything I might need for the year such as shower gels, bath bubbles, face cream etc, as well as all my Christmas cards, wrapping and tags for next year! I picked up these pjs because I loved the cute slogan and bunny print, and thought they were good value at £14.

Close up of the pjs, and my own cheeky bunny making an appearance in the picture!

Aaah love : ) I have wanted a comfy pair of black wedge boots (although they look grey in the pic!) for ages  and saw these today in Debenhams. I was shocked they had a size 5 as being a common size, they often sell out quickly. These boots are by Faith and originally cost £60. They were reduced to £30 : )

Another style of boot I have been keeping an eye out for recently is the Chelsea boot. These  boots fit the bill perfectly and look a bit vintage I think. They are by Red Herring and were reduced by 70% - £60 to £18! Both boots are leather which is an added bonus : )

Rubbish picture, these jeans from Zara are really nice- skinny, navy blue colour with gold zip detail to the ankle.  They were only reduced by six pound but were still a good bargain at £19.99.

Pretty pleased with my purchases, especially the boots, they should see me through a few winters to come and will work with so many outfits. In terms of good sale shops, I found Zara the best, with the majority of stock being in the sale. Unfortunately a couple of items I wanted were not in my size so I shall have to be eagle-eyed and visit a few more Zara branches to see if I can get hold of them.

Has anyone else had any successful sale purchases recently? XOXO

Busy December days : )

Hey glitter belles, how is everyone on this chilly Sunday?? I have had the most chilled day ever which I was in dire need of! I have had the busiest week (hence the lack of posts!) so I really needed a relaxing day today!

My week was as busy as ever at work, and my weekend has been nuts too. Thursday night I went to a lovely little salon in Hamstreet for a spray tan and Jessica mani and pedi which was great. Friday night was hubby's work Christmas party which takes place at a Marriott Hotel every year. We had a great night although I did end up a tad tipsy due to the free bar that his company insist on providing for us... still we had great fun and danced the night away, which is the most important thing at a Christmas party! Saturday was my annual school trip to Ypres in Belgium, we spent the day visiting cemetries, war memorials and the afternoon at the Christmas market and chocolate shops of Ypres. A fantastic day all round, the pupils were exceptionally well behaved and made me very proud : ) So that leaves today, I was completely shattered after my busy week so I slept late, then chilled on the sofa with snacks and films! Just fabulous : )

Beautiful Cathedral, twinkly lights and back of the Christmas Market in Ypres, Belgium : )


As promised a couple of blog posts ago, I have recently bought some new goodies that I want to share with you all!

Gorgeous Christmassy Shopping bags!

Silk Ecote dress from Urban Outfitters £25 (was £58). After my successful sale rummage in UO the other day, I decided to have another look when I was at Bluewater the other day. I found this gorgeous silk dress in my size and snapped it up quick! I really like the colours and print, plus the classic style will work for many seasons to come.  Unfortunately, although the dress was available online, it sold out very quickly... you can however buy the same style in a rather nice black and wildflower print and a not-so-nice (in my opinion!) orangey shade with a kinda triangley print... (both these styles still have all sizes available)

Kimchi and Blue Startlet skirt Urban Outfitters £20 (was £40). I liked the cute print on this skirt, and thought it would work well for both work and weekend, with thick tights, boots and a classic piece of knitwear.

Blackberry bath bomb £2.75 Lush. Just because it smelt gorgeous and I do love a bit of Lush pampering!

Cashmilon ruffle scarf from Marks and Spencer £15. This scarf is so warm and cosy and looks great on.

Naughty little treat from Waitrose...

I couldn't resist buying some toffee and banana cupcakes, as well as some festive  Raymond Briggs 'The Snowman' cupcakes! I love the Patisserie at Waitrose, whenever I am shopping I struggle to walk past without giving in... 

Well that's about it lovely followers, I hope everyone is feeling Christmassy now and getting in the Christmas mood! I have pretty much finished my Christmas shopping now, I wrapped all my presents last weekend and I plan to put the tree up next Sunday! Sooo excited for the rest of December, I have so much fun stuff coming up, feeling very lucky and happy right now : ) XOXO

November round-up

Hello glitter sticks, how is everyone today? Wednesday's are mad for me, sooo busy, I just feel like I am on a treadmill all day long! Happy that it's Thursday tomorrow though, not long now until the Weekend : )

Today I thought I'd do a November catch-up post, just a few bits and pieces lighting up my life right now : )

TV I am loving: Frozen Planet! I love watching this, interesting and educational, such a good combo! Young Apprentice is keeping me entertained too.

Love the Penguins!

Favourite Website of the moment: ASOS. I love checking out the 'new in' section, there are some great winter items in at the moment, the dresses in particular look amazing.

ASOS party dress in mesh £55. I think the colour of this dress is really unusual, and  I love the plunge neckline style and mesh skirt, very ballerina-like.

ASOS Midi dress in flocked mesh £65. I love the classic lace overlay style of this dress, classy and gorgeous.

Playing in my car right now: Britney's greatest hits... love it, really, truly do!

Favourite moments: As the weather gets colder,  I am really enjoying cosy nights in with hubby and Woody. We are loving our film nights and working our way through all the Sky + programmes stored up for the cold weather!

My two favourite boys : ) This is actually an old photo just after we got Woody and he was still a little baby. I had a look through his baby pictures earlier and got a bit teary... love him sooo much!

Charitable cause of the month: This month I am mostly supporting Movember, a charity that asks men to grow moustaches for the month of November in order to raise money for prostate and testicular cancer. One of my former students is growing a 'tache for Movember so I will be supporting him : )

Eating too much of: Mr Kipling Frosty Fancies. I spotted these the other day in the supermarket and had to buy some, as I already love French Fancies, and loved the Christmassy take on them! I have since purchased and devoured about 5 boxes... worrying, especially as party season is coming up and I have dresses to squeeze into! Note to self, up the running...

My downfall ; )

Most looking forward to: Soooo much! The end of November and all of December are always amazingly busy months for me, I went through my diary a couple of days ago and noted with some fear that I have something on every Friday and Saturday in December... so going to need my Christmas holiday to recover!! Right now I am most looking forward to going to my first Opera next Thursday, Castor and Pollux at the English National Opera in London. Both hubby and I adore classical music and have been wanting to see an Opera for some time. I am also looking forward to seeing the new Twilight film this Friday, the day of release : )

Castor and Pollux at the ENO

Well that's everything for now dolls, more soon XOXO

Christmas Cookies : )

Hello lemon bon bons how are you all today? I have had the most ridiculously lazy day ever. I didn't wake up until 11 (no alarm clock in half term!) and then allowed myself to stay in bed til half 12. It was so nice not having to rush around for anything, I am going to enjoy it while it lasts! I decided to have a practice run making some Christmas biscuits today so set off later in the afternoon for a couple of ingredients from Tesco. Here's how I got on...

1) Get all of your ingredients ready, you will need 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 250g butter, 140g caster sugar, 1 yolk of  an egg and 300g plain flour. The cookie cutters to the right were a Christmas present from my mother in law and were perfect for creating festive shapes.

2) After weighing out the ingredients, mix the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until light and creamy.

3) Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat in quickly. Then sift the flour and continue to stir in. Towards the end, you will have to get your hands in in order to turn the mixture into a firm dough.

4) Flour the kitchen surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Use the cookie cutters to cut out shapes., and evenly space them out on a greased non-stick baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes at 180 degrees, and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

5) Decorate! I used an icing sugar mix to create the white icing, and a sprinkling of icing sugar on a few as hubby is not such a big fan of icing as I am! You could experiment with different colours and toppings too as I intended to (but ran out of time!) Still, I like the white, I think it looks like snow, simple and effective : )

So there you have it, I think they turned out quite well for my first attempt, however, I have learnt some lessons for next time:

1) The icing sugar mix was quite messy and tricky to apply so next time I may try some ready to roll icing stuck down on top of the biscuit with apricot jam.
2) I am going to buy some tubes of different coloured writing icing as it will be quick and easy to create designs then without having to use my piping bag.
3) Make sure I only using my baking sheets (I used a regular cooking tray with one load of biscuits, and despite being greased it was not non-stick at all, so all the biscuits on that tray broke up).
4) Remove my wedding rings beforehand - when kneading the dough, it all got stuck between my diamonds, meaning I had to use an old toothbrush and washing up liquid to scrub it all out afterwards!)

Love to you all, more soon xoxo

October round up

Hello twinkly icicles, how are you all? I am enjoying my first day of half term, it's always so lovely to hit the snooze button and wake up refreshed and relaxed at 10 0' clock! I took Woody to the vet today for his myximatosis jab and a general check up, he was so scared bless him, he shook the whole time and kept trying to jump into my arms. I think it really is true that animals just know when they are at the vets. I felt so bad afterwards I dropped him home and then went to Pets at Home and spent a small fortune on treats for him, as well as some Christmas presents for his stocking!!

I thought it would be fun to do a round up blog post today, as I haven't done one for a while now, here goes...

My favourite TV show of the moment: This is a tough one as there is so much on I am enjoying at the moment! I would have to say 'Educating Essex' though. If you haven't seen any of this documentary you can catch up on 4OD, I really do think its worth a watch if you are interested about life in a typical Comprehensive secondary school in the UK. Some people have slated the attitude of some of the staff but I think they are great, they relate to the pupils well and reflect modern day teenagers, their likes and dislikes. I think the school and staff are providing a bloody good example for the pupils in the school (which is Ofsted rated Outstanding).

Best buy: Easy, my Mulberry! The pleasure/buzz hasn't worn off from this, especially when you go out and about and actually hear women whispering 'OMG look at her Mulberry!' Hahaha love it, see, instantly recognisable!! Rather randomly I would also say that another of my best buys recently has been my Glade Christmas scented candles... they are making me feel even more Christmassy and Festive!

Most looking forward to: Halloween! I love anything that fills the shop with seasonal products! I have already purchased a large tub of sweets for trick or treaters, last year we had some adorable local children knocking with their parents, dressed up to the nines in their Halloween finery. I also went to a halloween party last year dressed like this:

I went dressed as a sailor, however most people were in 'typical' halloween outfits such as witches, dracula, zombies etc... I think I misunderstood the brief! Haha loved the outfit though and looking at this picture makes me want to dye my hair red again!!

Listening to: Rihanna, Kanye West (not much new there!) and Beyonce's new stuff.

Best film: The best film I have seen recently is 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. I loved the dark, gritty tale and cold war setting, I want to read the book now.

Best book: I am currently reading and enjoying 'Difficult daughters' by Manju Kapur which is set during the Partition. It explores the topics of education, love and parental relationships, I particularly like the way the book is written and the fast pace throughout.

On my wishlist: Hehe see previous posts on my Christmas wishlists! There are lots of things I want at the moment, however, one thing does spring to mind. I really want to try the new Vivo make up that is sold exclusively in Tesco as I have heard so many good things about it from other bloggers. I have visited the 2 Tesco stores where I live and neither have had it : ( The search continues!

I want this!!

October/November brings: Halloween and Fireworks excitement, lots of cosy nights in with hubby and Woody, more Christmas organisation and planning, and a trip to the Country Living Christmas show in Islington with my best friend and our mums! So excited for that!

The Country Living Christmas Fair in Islington, London.

Aim for the week: Relax, relax and relax some more! I am also going to shop a bit, watch some films and practice making some Christmas biscuits! In case I didn't say it before, I LOVE half term!! : )

Well that's just about everything, more soon strawberry bon bons xoxo

Christmas shopping : )

Hello strawberry swirls, how are you all?? Good news, I have finally shaken of my illness, after repeated trips to the Doctor's and 3 different antibiotics! I went back to work on Thursday and Friday which was great, and now it's half term so I have 9 lovely lazy days off! So pleased : )

Today hubby went off to hockey as usual and I spent the afternoon running some errands: I booked Mr Woody into the vet for his myxomatosis injection and a toe nail clipping, returned a faulty item to TK Maxx (which had all the Christmassy things out, I literally squealed out loud!) and then went into town to buy a photo frame for my new piece of wall art. When hubby got home we went to Bluewater in order to start our Christmas shopping, for relatives and each other too. I was so excited when we drove in because John Lewis had their Christmas lights up and they were so gorgeous! I bought hubby some lovely things and I noticed (accidentally on purpose!) a pleasing pile of presents for me in the boot of the car... now just have to be good and resist temptation to go snooping before Christmas! I am really glad that we've started our Christmas shopping, I plan to buy a few more presents at the end of the month, and save my final Christmas shop for when we are in London (blogged about here).

My first blog award!! Thank you so much to Launa in Ponderland for awarding me my first blog award, it means so much to me that people are reading and enjoying my ramblings and news! Thank you all : ) xoxo

What I wore: a light grey super cosy over sized jumper from Topshop, jeans from All Saints, Ugg boots and Mulberry bag

Winter nails: painted with my new No7 nail polish in disco nights, with Rimmel  glitter polish  in disco ball painted over and concentrated most heavily on the tips.

Well that's all for today, hope you are all having a fun weekend, until next time sugar fairies xoxo

A sprinkling of glitter and sparkle

Happy Saturday strawberry cupcakes, hope this is finding you well. Sadly, I am not well still : ( Last Saturday I blogged that I had been ill and this has got worse this week, culminating in a trip to the out of hours Doctor at the hospital today. Trying to remain positive though, I have new drugs now and am hoping to feel a bit more normal soon!

While I've been ill and off work this week I have been putting more thought into my Christmas wish list! A few new bits and pieces have come to my attention that I feel very sure I must have... : )

Liz Earle skin set £41. I love the Liz Earle cleanse, tone and moisturise routine, I don't think I have ever used another brand that has made my skin feel so clean and soft. I am running low on products now so this would be a good chance to stock up.

This would make a good little stocking filler (must try hard NOT to purchase before Christmas!) Facets of Fuchsia nail polish by Revlon. I love the deep dramatic colour of this and the gorgeous glitter.

A selection of soap and glory cosmetics. I really like  the soap and glory toiletries range so am looking forward to trying out their cosmetics!

Mulberry iPhone case £65. I saw these the other day on the Mulberry website and think they are gorgeous. Plus the chocolate brown will match my new bag : )

Jinkksy heart on my sleeve bracelet £35. This brand has come to my attention recently as many UK celebs have been spotted wearing the gorgeous pieces, particularly the bracelets.

Well that's everything for today, has anyone else started writing their Christmas lists yet? Hope everyone is having a nice weekend : ) xoxo

Friday Night With Friends

Hello dolls how are you all? It seems like an age since I last blogged, I had a really busy week and then was ill again at the end of the week so I just haven't had the opportunity to just sit and write! Today was a great day, hubby went to play hockey so I had a lovely lay in before dropping into town for a spot of shopping. I loved my shopping experience today as there was a food market in the shopping centre and they were selling Christmas bits and pieces which really put me in the festive mood! (Like I need any extra help with that!) I also got a few more Christmas things - cards for all my close family and friends, gift wrapping and ribbon, some presents for the children in the family, some gift bags and a little wicker sign for the front door saying 'welcome', with a snowman and reindeer in the middle! (Never fear, this will not go up until December!). I am feeling pretty smug right now as I have most of my Christmas stuff, and now just have a few more pressies to get for family and hubby! Woo hoo ; )


Yesterday was my best friend's birthday so we had a fabulous night out in Rochester. It was really nice to get dressed up and go out with hubby as well, as usually I go out with the girls only. 

Me and the birthday girl : )

I wore a Hollister camisole vest top, a grey/black ruffle skirt from H & M, my H & M tweed blazer, chunky bangles and earrings from Primark and grey heels from Primark too.

Pout off! Me with hubby and friends

That's everything for today, I hope you have all had good Friday nights/Saturdays too, I am soooooooo excited for tomorrow, I am going somewhere very special indeed... will reveal all tomo!! : ) xoxo