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

Brilliant Berlin

Hello twinkly Christmas-tree lights!! Wow it seems I have been gone so long from the world of blogging!  The last couple of weeks have been manic, a whirlwind of social events, meals out, trips to London (we saw the Nutcracker - completely wow!) and the last few days which we spent sightseeing and generally having an amazing time in Berlin! Tied in with all this was my last week at work which was busy busy with me staying late to get all my marking done so I am free to enjoy my Christmas holiday! I still can't quite believe I made it to the end of term, I am so grateful and in need of a lovely long rest now before the madness starts again!

Anyway, back to Berlin, well, what can I say, such an amazing city! I have previously visited Paris and Milan, and enjoyed them immensely, but I have to say, I think Berlin may edge past them in my affections just a bit (I adore Paris, so it feels slight blasphemous to say this!) There was so much to see and do, the city felt so cosmopolitan and buzzing, but not in the same manic and stressful way that London can sometimes feel. Even though it was Christmas, and people had travelled from all over for the Christmas markets, I never felt pushed along, or hemmed in, and we always got a seat on the tube, whatever time of day we were travelling! Our hotel was amazing, we enjoyed our free mini-bar, flat screen TV and amazingly massive bathroom.

We spent 3 full days in Berlin and used our time wisely. Being as acutely organised as I am, I had already planned where we were going, our routes and directions were all printed and ordered according to district. I tried to prioritise the main attractions, fully anticipating that we will one day return and continue to see other sights and attractions. We did a little shopping, however for once I was too enthralled and caught up in everything Berlin had to offer, shopping fell a little by the wayside! We did make a few purchases at the Christmas markets though, some lovely wooden tree decorations, and a wooden nutcracker to stand on my bookshelf at Christmas time. I also took full advantage of the duty free at the airport, and indulged myself in some Benefit products, some perfume and some gorgeous grey suede gloves. At Berlin Schoenefeld airport coming home, I spotted a Pandora shop, and am happy to say that hubby took the opportunity to re-purchase me a bracelet and 3 charms (I sadly lost my first bracelet a few months back). So I am well on my way to re-building my beloved Pandora bracelet again!

Just a few pics from our trip...

At the top of the Fernsehturm, a panoramic view over Berlin

One of the many Christmas markets. I tried to pack and dress for the weather but I was so not prepared for how cold it was going to be (hubby explained that Germany does not benefit from the Gulf stream in the same way we do, I thought he was talking about an airline...) On day one I wore my Forever 21 navy blue skirt with a vest top and cream Zara jumper tucked in. I tried to be 'winter ready' by wearing my warmest Armani Exchange coat, my new suede gloves, my Red or Dead boots and a Marks and Spencer scarf... needless to say I failed and I was bloody freezing!

Ferris wheel that we went in, I love the cute little carriages : )

Outside the Berliner Dom. We went on an audio tour around the Cathedral (by the end of the trip we were rather addicted to audio tours!)

We walked up 276 steps to reach the top of the Berliner Dom, so worth it for the amazing view.

On our first night we went to a lovely Italian restaurant in our neighbourhood. I wore my Urban Outfitters polka dot dress with a brown River Island belt and my warm boots.

Hubby outside the Schloss Charlottenburg. It snowed lightly on this day which was so Christmassy!

Outside the Reichstag buildings. I was blown away by the architecture and design of this building.

The Brandenburger Tor

By day two I had succumbed to the cold weather and purchased a hat in Jack and Jones. I am so not a hat person and resisted for as long as possible, but hubby kept insisting so in the end I caved. Glad I did, it did make me feel a lot warmer. (And will now be relegated to the back of a drawer!) This picture shows the Ritter chocolate factory where we made our own chocolate bars, I kept it simple and picked Smarties to go into mine. : )

Day three, I wore my Zara jeans with tights underneath, thick socks and my warm boots. I had a warm H & M jumper underneath my coat, and a lovely dark green scarf that I purchased in Vero Moda on Friedrich Strasse. This picture was taken inside the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz.

Just a little selection dolls, I took loads of pictures in total! I fully recommend Berlin for a city break, and even though it was soooo cold, it was so Christmassy too, which really put me in the festive spirit (as if I needed any help!) It was a great chance for hubby and I to just relax too, we chatted and laughed, made plans and just chilled in a way that its sometimes hard to when you lead such busy lives. Couple trips are so important for re-connecting, it was the perfect end to a perfect year : ) 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

A summer's day in October

Hello Cupcakes, happy Sunday, hope you have all had a fabulous day and if you are in the UK, enjoyed the weather! I cannot believe that it is the second of October today and the weather is as beautiful as it is! Amazing. To make the most of the sunny weather, hubby and I decided to go to a castle quite near our home, about 30 minutes away or so. I had never been to Scotney castle but it was breathtakingly beautiful. There was so much to look at and it was a perfect time to go as the trees are all currently in their transition phase, with beautiful leaves in shades of crimson, rust and even pink! (my favourite!) Hubby and I spent a lovely few hours walking round and snapping some beautiful pictures, before stopping for snacks and ice cream! A perfect day : )

Beautiful sunshine on an October day

Loved this cute little house! I'm moving in ; )

Beautiful crimson leaves

Scotney Castle

I never thought I would still be wearing dresses and sandals in October! I decided to wear a dress that I bought in H & M yesterday, it was a bargainous £10 in a special promotion. My best friend bought the same dress too we liked it so much! I also wore my Warehouse toe post sandals, a simple pair of diamond studs and my Tiffany heart necklace that hubby bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Perfect for the warm weather!


More soon my loves enjoy the rest of Sunday. xoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy Thursday cupcakes, hope you are all well, I am finally recovering from my sickness bug thank goodness. I went back to work today which I enjoyed, I do get bored sitting around at home when I'm ill! Today is my lightest day of the week so I taught a triple and then was free for the rest of the day. I say free, I obviously spend the day planning and marking books! Still, a lot slower paced which makes a nice change.


Today when I was writing my usual list of tasks to be completed today and tomorrow, I flicked to the 'Christmas' section of my notebook, checking what I have done so far and what still needs to be completed. As with all areas of my life, Christmas is tightly controlled and organised which I gain a great sense of achievement and sense of peace out of, as I know exactly what needs to be done and when. For example, my earliest preparations for Christmas begin in January, when I stocked up on cards, tags, beautiful tree decorations and wrapping in the sale. This is carefully stored away until Christmas time. I buy a few gifts throughout the year, as I see things that I think people will enjoy, and these are also carefully stored away. I do not do all my Christmas shopping throughout the year though, as being an absolute shopaholic, I adore Christmas shopping, on my local hight street, at Bluewater, or in London, with all the twinkly lights and festive music. I cannot wait for the lights to go up this year, it is something I really look forward to.

Twinkle twinkle little star... Christmas lights on London's Oxford Street

This year, hubby and I have already planned our Christmas shopping trip where we will get the bulk of our presents, for each other and other people. We will go in November, and spend the whole day browsing beautiful department stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols, perhaps a little trip to Westfield and an outdoor Christmas market. We will have a Christmassy afternoon tea in Harrods or somewhere similar, and finish off the day ice skating at Somerset House. I did this 2 years ago with my best friends and loved it (despite the fact that I was pretty useless and had to grip my friends arm the entire time!)

One of my favourite things about ice skating at Somerset house... the Tiffany tuck shop!  Cupcakes and jewelley, what more could a girl want?!

Me and Clare at Somerset house. Thinking back, one of the reasons I think I may have struggled to skate was because my hat was so huge I could barely see! It did keep my ears nice and snug though ; )

I have already written my Christmas list and know exactly what I want from hubby. Obviously, hubby has paid for Berlin and the Nutcracker tickets as my joint birthday and Christmas presents so I won't ask for too much more... I do have my heart set on a Thomas Sabo necklace though and some new pieces for my Pandora. Then of course there is the usual perfume, pyjamas, make up and beauty products for my stocking... I know what I am getting for hubby and have written a list and have already starting ticking it off. It would be nice and a bit special to get some presents for each other in Berlin so hopefully we will find some nice stuff. I have also written lists of exactly what I am buying for family members and have started to tick this off too... satisfaction indeed!

I want the long silver chain and a selection of charms (not necessarily the ones above but you get the idea!

Maybe a cute little handbag charm for my Pandora?

What are you guys looking forward to most about Christmas? Have you started to plan yet? I have already bought some magazines with ideas for Christmas recipes, card and all other things festive, sooo excited!! xoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

All Saints Sunday Style

Hello Cupcakes, hope you are all well today. I am fine, had a good day work wise, but feel rather sick today, not sure why but it sucks, I hate nausea!! Anyway, today's post is a Sunday catch up (I never seem to get round to posting on a Sunday, hubby and I tend to chill with TV and films on a Sunday evening and computers are banned!) Sunday was a fabulous day, weather wise and activity wise. Hubby and I had a nice lazy morning (no change there!) and then decided to drive to a gorgeous little village called Goudhurst,  about half an hour from where we live for a nice country pub lunch. After lunch we had a wander around the village, before deciding to drive back home. On the way home we stopped off in Tenterden to get some bits and pieces in Waitrose, finally popping into Caffe Uno for a tea and a cake! 

What I wore: Skull t-shirt from All Saints, jeans from All Saints, new stripy cardigan from H & M,  heart necklace from Agatha in Paris and chestnut Ugg boots (so glad the weather is here to wear them again!)

My little Woody chilling on Sunday. I am so proud of him for  being picked as a favourite in the family portrait section of the Westfield competition! He is truly gorgeous and has the kindest face : ) xx

Well that's everything for today dolls, I will be nursing my nausea for the rest of the evening, however I have a new magazine so all will soon be right in my world : ) xoxo