Mulberry part deux

Happy Easter weekend Cadbury's mini eggs! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend, resting and eating lots of chocolate!!

I am having a great weekend, particularly as today is my first wedding Anniversary! We are taking it easy today in readiness for our trip to London tomorrow for afternoon tea and Jersey Boys! So excited!

I need to backtrack though as today's post is about a very exciting purchase hubby made for me yesterday... you may remember that I blogged recently about my Anniversary present from hubby, and how I was trying to decide what I wanted. Well, I eventually decided that I wanted another Mulberry as I love my first one so much, and felt a great need to add to my collection!

So yesterday, hubby drove me to Bicester outlet village where my first Mulberry came from (which was quite a journey with a few detours as we had a blown tyre, traffic avoidance etc etc!). We eventually arrived and went straight to Mulberry! I rapidly dashed round the shop grabbing up any bags that I liked the look of, which hubby then lined up on one arm for me to try on! I had quite a good idea of the type of bag I wanted this time - another classic colour, larger and slouchier than my first Mulberry for a more casual type occasion. I was greatly relieved to find a classic postman's lock hobo bag that I had previously spotted on the Selfridges' website, reduced from £795 to £556 (on account of a tiny 1cm scratch on the base of the bag!). So I decided quite quickly that this was the one, and hubby liked it too, so the deal was done! Best Anniversary pressie ever, v. happy indeed! : )

Ding Dong indeed! The bag alone was hu-uge!

My beautiful new bag! Postman's lock hobo in glossy buffalo deer brown. I love the classic satchel style and understated glamour synonymous with Mulberry!

One of my favourite features of the bag is the gold postman's lock that hangs down so beautifully!

Classic Mulberry front fastening

Inside lining

Mulberry siblings! 

What do you think of it dolls? I simply adore it, the smell of the leather alone is divine! So happy to have another Mulberry to keep the East West company! I need to think now about hubby's gift, he is still making up his mind, more indecisive than I am! : )Well that's about everything for now, more soon angels XOXO

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

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

How to fill a Christmas Stocking!

Hello dolly mixtures, how are you on this (not so bright) and breezy Tuesday?? I feel like it should be Friday already, I have worked so hard over the past couple of days!! I've been thinking about Christmas (again) so please excuse my Christmas related post if you are a bit bah humbug about the whole thing! ; )

Christmas. Loved by some, loathed by others, I definitely fall into the former category! December has always been a special time of year for me and my absolute favourite month of the year. My birthday falls on the twelfth and of course, Christmas is just around the corner after that. I adore the month of December, and the month or so leading up to December. One by one, the shops fill with festive goodies, the television adverts assume their Christmas character, local high streets become awash with twinkling Christmas lights and wish lists are written and fulfilled. I have already written my Christmas list, revised it, added to it, and, if I'm honest, am still adding to it now! My wish list has now spiralled out of control somewhat, not because I am greedy and expect to receive everything, but because I like to give hubby a wide choice, so that I have some surprise on Christmas morning when I open my presents. I think hubby has bought the majority of my main presents now, and he is now asking for some stocking ideas for me, so in the spirit of Christmas (long may it reign!) I have put together a little stocking gift-list : )

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a box set! I love Downton Abbey sooo much, I really want season 1 and 2 on DVD to watch over the Christmas holidays!

Chanel levres scintillantes lip gloss in Braise. I love this gorgeous reddy shade and the shimmer. I already own 2 Chanel lip glosses and know how good they are, so I want to add this one to my collection!

Urban Outfitters large peace sign necklace £14.00. I absolutely adore any jewellery with peace signs and would love to add this long chained necklace to my collection.

Lush Gingerbread House Bubble Bar £2.95 - I saw this the other day in Lush and really want to try it! The smell was gorgeous.

La Senza vintage rose pyjamas £30 (pyjamas at LS are currently buy one get one free!) I love La Senza  pyjamas, especially comfy cosy ones like these! I always have to have a new pair of pyjamas in the stocking!

And last but not least, gifts to myself in 2012... ; )

Mulberry Evelina satchel £595. Since purchasing my first Mulberry, I have been infected with the bug, and already started thinking about and planning my next bag! I really like the new Evelina Satchel, the style is gorgeously understated and classic. Evelina is new season Mulberry and also features a larger hobo bag, however I think this is a little bit too much of a 'mum' bag for me (giant, all encompassing, a bit blah...) 

The iconic Alexander McQueen skull scarf £165. I really want a classic McQueen scarf, perhaps with a twist (coloured skulls instead of white on black). Gorgeous for all occasions and seasons, and ever stylish.

Well dolls that's all for today, have you all written your wish lists?? Now it's November, are you starting to get excited?? I really am (in case you hadn't noticed!!) Sooo looking forward to all that is to come!! 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

Mulberry Day : )

Today I purchased my first Mulberry bag. I say first, as I have a sneaking suspicion it will not be my last. So today dear readers, my best friend Clare and myself took a little road trip to Bicester outlet village in Bicester, Oxford. We were excited about the designer shopping experience but had a very clear goal in mind: head to Mulberry, seek out and purchase a classic bag. And boy did we succeed!!

I have wanted a Mulberry for a fair few years now. For me, Mulberry symbolise quintessential British style, and the bags never date. There have been a fair few opportunities in my past where I could have snapped one up, however I have always declined, putting the greater good (purchasing our house quicker, having an even more fabulous wedding) ahead of my desire for this bag. I decided recently however that the time had finally come for me to indulge; the house is bought and filled with furniture and style, the Wedding was fabulous, the time had finally arrived! This tied in well with Clare's birthday, and we set the date a few months ago now for our trip to Bicester.

So, this morning, I filled up hubby's car, picked Clare up en route and set out, filled with hope and excitement. Upon arrival, we were shocked at how busy the car parks were, and spent a good 20 minutes searching for a space. We struck lucky though and dashed straight to Mulberry.

Now picture the scene. We enter the shop. 'Right or left shelf?' Left. Our eyes scan quickly and then we see them . Two perfect East West Bayswater bags, one in black and one in chocolate brown. I reach for the chocolate brown, Clare reaches for the black. Women huddle behind us, pushing to see if there are any more. Clare and I hold on firmly and grin inanely at each other. I couldn't have planned it better myself.

You see, Clare and I have always wanted these bags. We love the classic Bayswater style, the way you look at the bag and instantly know its a Mulberry. Still clutching our bags, Clare and I scan the rest of the shop, just to be sure. We look at the lesser known bags, styles in shops for a few months in seasons past, and decide they are not for us. No, we have got what we came for. Purposefully, we march to the tills, I can still hardly believe it as I hand over my card. The bags are beautifully wrapped and handed over to us. Done.

So beautiful

My bag is the chocolate brown crocodile East West Bayswater, and Clare has the identical bag in black. It is current season (A/W 11) and has absolutely no defects. The saving on the store price was good, obviously not as good as if it had a defect, but still a pleasing saving. I am absolutely in love with it, the fact it is a classic, a beautiful colour (I would only ever consider a black, tan or chocolate brown Mulberry), 100% perfect and current season. It is the perfect size for weekends and I imagine will last me a good many years.

My beautiful new bag is now sleeping soundly in its dust bag, and I imagine tonight I will be sleeping soundly too, knowing I have such an amazing and iconic new bag in my life! : )

Dreaming of Berlin

Happy Friday everyone, it feels like I have done a full week at work when in fact I have only been back two days and haven't actually taught a lesson yet... still after all the rest I had over summer I guess i'm bound to feel tired!

My last few days have mostly consisted of research for our trip to Berlin. I am still unbelievably excited and now wishing the time away until December! I have started researching places to visit and things to do, logging the details in a folder on my desktop created especially for the trip. I know I definitely want to go to the Reichstag buildings, the Berlin wall, the Bundestag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburger Tor and the Schloss Charlottenburg. Naturally I will spend a good portion of time on The Kurfürstendamm, one of the main shopping streets in Berlin which, luckily is only 400m from our hotel (wonder how that happened...!)

I took on the job of researching hotels, mainly because I enjoying researching and weighing up all the options before booking. Hubby was happy to take on this job as it is my birthday present after all, however, I have a certain 'vision' of the type of hotel I like to stay in, long gone are the days when we were students and had to find the cheapest 3 star accommodation around! So I volunteered, knowing I could devote more time and energy to the task, and, get us as near the Kurfürstendamm as possible!

Cool Bedroom at Hotel Sir F.K. Savigny Berlin

The hotel I chose is called the Hotel Sir F.K Savigny in the Charlottenburg district (another fact that made me very happy!) The hotel is 4 star and is billed as a cool, boutique style hotel with Nespresso machines in every room, iPod docks and free soft drinks in the mini-bar. According to Trip-advisor, the hotel is ranked number 37 out of 655 in Berlin so should be pretty good! : )

I am really enjoying researching and planning, being organised makes me happy (my OCD ways are a constant source of happiness to me, although perhaps not others around me!) I love the fact we are going just before Christmas too, the Christmas markets should be really good, and it will be a great way to get into  the Christmas spirit!

Swarovski Christmas Tree Berlin 2006

So I am officially in Christmas countdown mode! Which is cool, as my older students always insist on doing a Christmas countdown each week from the first week back in September anyway! Hope you are all excited for the weekend, I am, no 6.30 rise tomorrow! 

: ) xoxo

I nailed it

With my nail technician away for the summer, I have had to be more inventive with my nails for the past couple of months. I never thought I would say this, but I have really enjoyed painting my nails, trying new colours and styles. Nail art has really exploded again recently and it has been really enjoyable trying different techniques for myself. I now own a great deal more nail polish than ever before, as well as a vast array of nail oils, cuticle creams and scrubs! I will never be fully converted though, as I enjoy the luxury and ease of having a professional take care of my nails, however, its good to know I have back-ups!

One such nail experiment that I have been particularly pleased with is the application of nail foils on my toes. You may remember that I blogged about my minx toe nail foils here, back in June. I was so impressed with the look of these foils, and the way they stayed put for a good 5 to 6 weeks. I was therefore keen to try the at home version when my friend told me that she had bought some. They are available to buy in Boots and Superdrug, as well as Ebay which is where she purchased hers from. Just like with Minx, they come in many designs, and cost a very reasonable £9.50 for 5 designs.

Step 1 - Clean off any old polish and residues with nail polish remover.

Step 2 - Select the size of foil that fits best for your first toe and blast with a hair-dryer to soften for about 5 seconds. When soft and malleable, lay the foil down on the toe nail.

Step 3 - The foil will be much too long so use a pair of nail scissors to trim off the excess. When this is done, you can file the edge of the foil and nail to neaten and to seal the edge.

Step 4 - Use a cotton bud and roll over the nail to ensure good adhesion and smoothness.

Step 5 - Check the nail, and repeat the steps above until all toes are complete.

Ta-da! Your nails should look something like this when finished! These foils should last at least a month, however, if you wish to remove to change design, they are easily taken off by blasting a hair dryer on each one to soften. They will then simply peel off.

That's everything for today, hope you are all having a nice week : ) Until next time xoxo