Saturday sale buys (gasp)

Well a happy Saturday to all, and a mini pat on the back to me for managing to only leave a week between blogging rather than more than a month! Work is still nuts, but at least another two exams have passed, and there is only one to go, this coming week. I am still relishing this, well frankly, piss poor weather, and the chance to (not) wear all my gorgeous new summer clothes. Ever the optimist, I purchased the most gorgeous maxi dress in Budapest last week, but of course back here its too feckin' cold to wear the blasted thing. One to save for the holiday perhaps, or to dive upon if we should miraculously get another sunny day this year.

One good thing (playing hard and fast with the word 'good') about the lack of remotely warm weather is the fact that the summer sales have started earlier this year. Sales and I do not normally mix, and I have been quite vocal about this in the past. Hell, usually I avoid sales like the plague, and the zombie-like women that frequent the shops at this time of year (no offence if you like sales, I just mean hordes of women on a mission, me not remotely interested in sales and being pushed out the way by over zealous females). I have become better at sales shopping over the past few years though, but in a selective fashion (high end department and high street only), and use the opportunity to stock up on good quality basics. A good example of this is the Isabella Oliver perfect extra long tee that normally sells for £49.00. At sale time, these can be purchased in an array of colours for £34.30 which I think is pretty good knowing the quality and longevity of the tee.

So, back to today. I spent a lovely day in London with friends, afternoon tea at the Sanderson and a little shopping on Regent's street. I managed to rugby tackle my way into the eye-watering busy Cos and have a quick rifle through the sales shelves. I love Cos. Love love love. Gorgeous quality basics, well made and cut, heaven. A couple of purchases later, happy days.

Some great basics: white longer length top, reduced to £17.50 (from £25), and draped black linen cardigan, £34.50 (reduced from £69)

Afternoon tea and cocktails! So so yum, complete recommend this afternoon tea..

And last but not least today, a lovely little surprise waiting for me on arrival home, my subscription gift from Easy Living magazine:

Multi fix oil and multi purpose balm.

Pretty pleased, this is a brand I have not tried before, and both products retail for just over £20 (the subscription itself was only £12 for the year, amazing). Scarily, the multi purpose balm is targeted at 'lips, nipples and dry skin' Nipples?? Thought about this for a while and wondered if I was missing a trick, then realised it was probably for breast feeding women. Either that or I really did miss that class at school. Until next time XX

Shopping and warm weather

Hello pop tarts, happy Saturday to one and all! I couldn't believe the amazing weather today, it felt so nice to be outside and not shiver and rush to get in! I had a brilliant day with my bezzie Clare, we got up early and drove to Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. I last went to Westfield at the end of 2011 but honestly, I had forgotten how amazing it is! I could spend 3 days weaving my way in and out of the shops, there are so many high street favourites and one - offs too. I was in the mood to spend and luckily I wasn't disappointed. I bought a fair few items of clothing which I'm sure I will have the opportunity to showcase soon!

So today's post is just a quick OOTD, a super comfy outfit for a day of hardcore shopping!

I wore my new H & M jacket, a blue Reiss vest top, Zara jeans, leopard print H & M pumps, a wooden and mother of pearl necklace and my Mulberry.

Well dolls, that's everything for now, I'm settling down now with a delicious home made pizza, tea and soon, Britain's got Talent! (So excited its back!) : )

My tea! Home made chicken, spinach, pepper, red onion and mozzarella pizza! 

All blissed out

Hello and happy weekend to all my lovely followers, hope you are relaxing and enjoying yourselves. I really cannot believe how quickly time is going at the moment, another weekend and only two weeks until half term! So excited as I have some really fun things planned for half term and am willing the time away now!!

I am super busy at the moment, perhaps that's why it seems as if time is travelling at the speed of light! In these busy times, I am always reminded of the need to take a moment, slow down and relax for a while. I have to admit though, I find this difficult at times. With late nights working and then straight to bed, I often go a whole week straight with little down time, other than to eat and shower! Weekends and half terms are therefore sacred, and I try to pencil in a good few days of just pure relaxation - good food, plenty of magazines and new films/TV to watch.

In keeping with the relaxation theme, I recently decided that a spa day was in order, a whole day of nothing but relaxation, luxury treatments and delicious food. My best friend and I booked our spa day just before Christmas and decided to take it in the February half term. We travelled up the day before and stayed in a hotel so we wouldn't need to rush around on the day of the spa. We chose the gorgeous country spa Clarice House in Bury St Edmunds on the recommendation of my mum who visits the spa herself.

 Happily, the spa day was everything we wanted and more! We enjoyed 5 treatments including a 1 hour facial and massage, full use of the facilities and a three course lunch in their AA Rosette awarded restaurant. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact we were able to wear our robes and slippers all day, even for lunch! Here are a few snaps I took to remember our day (apologies for poor quality, I only had my iPhone available!)

Beautiful country house interiors

The ONLY time you will catch me without make up... and only because it's mandatory!

Hot choc : )

Starters! Clare opted for a goats cheese panna cotta with hot and sour cherry tomatoes, confit  pepper and a parmesan twille.

I chose a tomato and basil soup with rosemary bread.

Clare's main was an individual minced venison ragu, horseradish mash and carrots and parnsips.

I chose a pan fried chicken breast with pancetta, on a bed of risotto with a balsamic vinegar dressing and watercress accompaniment.

Gorgeous dessert: fondant chocolate tart with honeycomb ice cream.

Relaxing in the conservatory in between treatments.

Pretty toes!

A most brilliant day, and boy did it feel good to just relax and have nothing else to think about! With busy lifestyles I think spa days should be mandatory for women, at least once a year! I intend to return... : )

Enjoy the rest of your weekend elves : ) XOXO

Something Different

Hello  gorgeous followers, hope everyone is well and happy! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend too : ) Mine was great, I ran revision on Saturday again (my last Saturday revision and stupidly early start until exam season in June!) then went for my monthly wander around Rochester with co-pilot Clare. We love to take in the quaint little antique and home shops before stopping for a gorgeous lunch in our favourite shop/restaurant! I stayed round Clare's Saturday night and then returned home this morning. Waiting for me were some beautiful Christmas presents from hubby's grandma which I loved and put a huge smile on my face : )

 Later today hubby and I decided to lunch out at Chiquito's which has just opened near our house, there will also be a Nando's soon right next door, by the looks of things today it is very nearly finished, woohoo! We devoured three courses which left us stuffed, so much so that I didn't even want any popcorn when we went to the cinema afterwards! We saw Warhorse which was amazing, I shed a fair few tears as did hubby! ; )

As I like to mix it up from time to time, today's post is a foodie one, a dish that I made recently and enjoyed immensely. Hubby and I both love an Indian takeaway, and I also love making healthy curries in the week too. My recipe for healthy chicken korma comes from my favourite Sally Bee cookbook and is a winner in terms of health and taste.

1) Chop up a range of veg, whatever you fancy and enjoy. I chose green beans, courgette and red pepper.

2) Over a medium heat, heat some olive oil and saute the two onions, a couple of chopped chicken breasts, two crushed cloves of garlic and a peeled and chopped medium apple. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir in 4 teaspoons of mild curry powder.

3) Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the veg start to soften and the chicken has sealed in the spice.

4) Add 300ml of chicken stock to the pan, sultanas (if enjoyed, I left them out because I do not like them), and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

5) Just before serving, add some chopped coriander and 4 tablespoons of low-fat creme fraiche or fromage frais to the curry and stir in well. Season with freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes but do not allow to boil.

6) Serve with hot cooked basmati rice, adding one spoon of creme fraiche to each portion as you serve.

Very yummy and healthy too! Well that's about all from me today, I am looking forward to a slightly more laid back week, final GCSE until June is tomorrow morning so things will calm down a tad (for a while anyway!) XOXO

January pick-me-ups

Hello Strawberry swirls, hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend! I only returned to work for 2 days this week but was still pretty tired come Friday night. I had a nice lie in Saturday morning and then met up with friends for a curry and catch up which was lovely. Today hubby and I headed to one of my favourite places in the whole world. Bluewater, for some shopping and lunch. Hubby purchased a couple of new pairs of trousers and some boxers, and I treated myself to a few little bits too : )

I wore my new Mango skirt and Zara jumper with my Mulberry bag, silver tassel necklace which was a Christmas pressie from a friend, and my new chelsea boots from Red Herring at Debenhams.

I cannot express how much I love my new boots, and they are so comfy too! : )

I bought this cute Vero Moda dress for £32. Peter pan collars continue to be big this season, and I love the oversized one on this dress, as well as the cute tiny heart print. 

Floral sheer tunic dress from Vero Moda... £5! Someone had left this in the changing room and it was my size so I tried it on when I was trying the other dress on. I love the simple shape and classic styling, plus at £5 in the sale, I couldn't really turn it down! ; )

This is a terrible photo, this Mango skirt is more of a deep red colour than in the picture. This skirt only cost £10.50 in the sale and is the identical shape and structure to the floral one I am wearing in the first picture. I bought it because I love the floral skirt I bought the other day and have worn it to death since I bought it! I thought red would be a good classic choice, and would work well with black tights and boots and my black leather jacket.

Well that's about everything dolls, I have an incredibly busy week coming up including a parent's evening and  a full day of revision organised for my exam groups on Saturday (!) so I'm set for a relaxing evening now to get me geared up for the week ahead! More soon XOXO

2011 sign off

Happy last-day-of 2011 to all my lovely followers! Today I have been reminiscing a lot on the year, and I cannot believe how quickly it has gone! This time last year I was frenetically planning my Wedding ready for April 7th, now I am rapidly approaching my first anniversary! Nuts!

Thinking back over the year, and the many experiences and achievements of 2011, I decided to put together a photo story of some of my favourite moments, days out and adventures : )

March 2011: My hen weekend in Brighton. I had such an amazing time with some great friends, we shopped, rolled down massive hills in zorbing balls and danced the night away in Brighton's amazing clubs!

April 7th: My Wedding day aka the best day of my life so far! I spent the majority of 2010 planning my dream day,  with no stone left unturned. We married in a gorgeous old church near our home and held our reception at the 17th century Jacobean manor, Boy's Hall. We had exclusive use for three days and could not have been any happier. The sun shone, every little detail was taken care of and everything was just perfect : )

A shot of us in our Wedding finery and our gorgeous cupcake tower. My father sourced all of the Vintage china tea cups, plates, saucers and cake stands for my big day : )

April 2011: For our honeymoon, we took the trip of a lifetime to Thailand for 2 weeks. We stayed in a luxury 5 star resort and spent our time sight seeing, swimming, sun-bathing, trying out as many restaurants as possible and as the shot shows, meeting new friends! We were so excited about our elephant ride, and we were not disappointed.

Beautiful clear sea in Thailand

'Our' pool, right next to our room. One of the many we were able to use.

May 2011: Overnight trip to London to see Legally Blonde. An amazing show!

July 2011: Trip to Hever Castle. We took advantage of the good weather we had this Summer and went on lots of trips to National Trust and English Heritage properties.

Another sunny day enjoyed in July, picture taken at Littlestone beach.

Hubby's birthday weekend in August was spent in Herefordshire at the Big Chill festival. We had a fantastic day and enjoyed so many amazing acts.

Picture of Kanye West performing at the Big Chill festival, our ultimate favourite : )

September 2011: Night out in London with the girls, to say goodbye to Anna (left) and good luck for her work placement in Moscow. Girls nights have remained so important to me this year, for all their support, fun and laughter, I could not be without them XX

October 2011: Purchase of my first Mulberry bag, the East West Bayswater. Gorgeous, classic Mulberry.  A love affair has begun!

November 2011: Christmas begins! I went to the Country Living Christmas fair in London with my best friend and our mums. Perfect for festive spirit and pre-Christmas purchases!

December 2011: 4 day mini-break to Berlin with hubby. A perfect way to celebrate my birthday and finish off the year nicely. We saw so many sights, shopped and had an amazing time.

Just a selection of some of my highlights, 2011 has proved to be a very good year for me for so many reasons! Work has gone from strength to strength for me and hubby, I am officially 'outstanding', we have spent another year in our amazing house, and our baby rabbit Woody is healthy and happy! We have travelled, seen a great deal, married, made some big purchases and stayed blissfully happy and in love! I am so excited about 2012 and all that it may bring, so all I can say is, watch this space!

Here is to a happy and healthy New Year for all my lovely followers, may all your dreams come true in 2012! 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

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

Saturday Style

Hey cupcakes, happy Saturday to you all, hope you have had a great day! I have had a fabulous day, I had a bit of a shopping marathon with best friend Clare which was so fun. We shopped all day and I bought some great stuff, a few tops from H & M, some makeup and a little treat for the house from one of my homeware stores, Dwell. We had a good look around one of my favourite jewellery shops, Thomas Sabo, and I spotted some bit and pieces for my Christmas list! So excited it seems to be getting closer and closer, nearly October now! We had lunch in one of my favourite restaurants, Cafe Rouge, I opted for a dessert and hot chocolate instead of a starter and thoroughly enjoyed their chocolate tarte and hot chocolate. Yum : )

Sleek Make up eye palette in Oh so special.  This is my second Sleek eye palette, I  have  had  the 'Storm' palette before and absolutely loved it. The eye shadows are highly pigmented and mineralised, meaning excellent results. The quality is fantastic too, they last all day long.

I spotted these in Dwell a while ago but they sold out so I've had to wait for them to come back in. Three wise monkeys set in white ceramic. Not a brilliant picture but they can be viewed in their full glory here. I am completely in love with this shop, everything is so cool and contemporary, I have my eye on a floor lamp next... ; )

I saw this top in H & M the other day when we went to town to get hubby's hair cut ,  I really like the  smart style but think it can be dressed up for work with a skirt, but just as easily worn with jeans at the weekend. Love the colours.

I really liked this little cardi as it's a bit different with the red stripes, plus I love the suede elbow patches!

Well that's everything for now, hubby and I are now relaxing with an Indian takeaway for dinner, X Factor on the telly and a nice new stack of magazines... bliss : ) xoxo