I didn’t manage to do one of these last week, mainly because I started my new job and life’s been a bit of a blur! I don’t think I’ll be doing one of these every week anyway, my life isn’t really that interesting. It may have to become an occasional monthly round-up. Last week I did take a few pictures though:
Jessica Alba’s bikini body. Ok, so this is not a picture of my world, but it is affecting my world, so it makes it onto the list. This recent holiday snap of her looking amazing is my motivation to get myself to the gym at the moment. How can she look so amazing after two children? I have no children and she totally puts me to shame. So envious!
On the Riverbank. We went for a long walk the other day, more in amazement at the fact it was actually above minus figures and a bit sunny than anything else. This river is near my house and it’s a really peaceful place to walk. It also holds happy memories for me, as my wedding reception was held at a venue overlooking its banks. But although its April, most of the trees are still bare of leaves, which goes to show how unseasonably cold its been.
Headboard idea. We’re looking to move house in September, so at the moment I’m getting engrossed in interiors magazines and blogs, dreaming up decorating ideas. I came across this really cool and quirky idea for a headboard made of weathered rowing boar oars (via Buzzfeed). I absolutely love it, although I have no idea where I’d get all the oars from to make it! Maybe eBay?
First Frap of the season. It’s been far too cold for anything approaching an iced coffee for more months than I can remember, so I made sure to toast the new-found sunshine with an ice-cold frappuchino as soon as it peeked out from behind the clouds!
Oooh, New Shoes Alert! I may or may not have accidentally found myself at the doors of my nemesis, Primark, this week, looking for a lightweight weekend bag (before I found my dream weekend bag, here) and I may or may not have found myself buying a couple of pairs of shoes! I didn’t mean to! But they were soooo cute! I can’t seem to resist the lure of a bargain either. The first are a pair of nude jelly sandals with rose-gold spike details on the straps (beyond cute! And an amalgamation of some of my favourite-ist things, namely nude, plastic, spikes and rose-gold. And they were something ridiculous like £3.00. So you see how its meant to be!). The second pair are smoking slipper-style flats in a tan leather with cut out details. Too nice to leave on the shelf.
A while ago, I asked you the question: Are Leather Trousers Ever Okay? In the end, we decided they could work, even for those of us without chopstick legs. And I got over my fear of them and bought a pair, which I’ve practically lived in ever since.
Now I’m asking: Can Black Tights Ever Be Sexy? This is a dilemma that’s been at the forefront of my mind for a while now. Here in the UK, the cold snowy weather has been dragging on and on into spring, and its only just lifted. The temperatures have been arctic here right up until last week, so if you were going out in the evening tights or blue, frozen legs were your only two options.
I’m definitely getting older, too. I used to be quite happy to freeze in the name of looking alluring, but now I don’t seem to be quite so willing to forego the comfort factor. I am now even of the age where I wear a coat when I go out clubbing (shock horror!), something my 18 year old self would have laughed at.
So tights at night are an extension of this. Determined to find a way to be stylish but still cover up, I have made it my mission to track down some examples of ladies rocking stylish outfits with the addition of black tights:
I’ve found another amazing bag design that I really wanted to share with you. As is becoming obvious, I’m something of a bag lady. Handbags seem to overload my soul with joy, more so that pretty dresses or even shoes.
I think its that idea of having a clean slate, of becoming somehow magically more organised and with more peace of mind that a new bag seems to hint at. Also, there’s no worries over fit or comfort - a new bag is not going to silently reproach you if you gain a few pounds!
I absolutely adore the Mulberry Willow bag, which combines a roomy tote with a detachable clutch purse, all complemented with the embossed leather and shiny brass postman’s lock features that declare the heritage and quality of the brand. I love anything with clever multiple uses and would dearly love a Willow of my very own, but sadly being on a realistic wage and saving up to move house means I don’t have a spare £1000 lying about to access one at the moment!
But I found this clever bag with a similar idea behind it when I was browsing the web for a lightweight tote that would be big enough to hold a change of clothes for an overnight trip to London myself and the husband are planning. We’re in town to sightsee and generally be tourists (I’m from London originally, but husby has never been there, bizarrely) and also to go to dinner and the opera in the evening, as I bought tickets for his birthday.
So I wanted a bag that would be roomy enough to hold some clothes and overnight stuff, but also light and portable – we’re trying to cram in a lot of stuff, so we’re arriving in London early, but won’t be checking into our hotel until later that day. I will be carrying that bag around with me all day, so it’s got to be portable. I do have a large weekend bag on wheels but its too cumbersome for this purpose.
If possible, I also wanted something stylish, that would look more like a large handbag than a holdall.
This bag seems to be the answer to my prayers! It is a large leather tote style bag, and the two zips on the front can be opened to make more room as needed. I like the fact the bag maintains a really nice shape when the zips are opened, so they look deliberate, not like a design afterthought. There are also two sets of handles to give you the option to carry it in your hand, or sling it over your shoulder. It also features a detachable inner pouch section that can be used on its own as either a clutch bag or attaches to a long, cross-body strap to make a little shoulder or messenger bag.
Genius! Multiple uses really press my buttons. It’s the perfect bag for me on a city weekend break as its roomy but still looks smart, and I can use the clutch for going out in the evening.
This bag would also be really great for those times when you go out straight after work - you could leave the tote part holding your daytime stuff in the office and just detach the little bag for the drinks. Or for taking as your carry-on luggage on a plane, with multiple uses as a beach bag/ evening purse on holiday.
I ordered in the black, because I’m not keen on the shade of blue which is the other option, but I would love to see this in some other colours like a rich coral or a lime green. Like my perfect party bag, I can see this becoming indispensable (at least until I can afford my Willow bag!)
The bag can be sourced via eBay from seller justforyou-2010.
What do you think? Are multiple-use bags the way forward?
Hi Dolls!
As a quick way of keeping this blog up to date, I've decided that I'm going to trial doing a picture a day during the week ( as long as I remember!), and then post them as a week in pictures. I've seen a few people doing this kind of thing and its always fun to look at, so here goes....
1) Has spring finally sprung? The past few days have been the first warm (ish. I mean not in the minus figures) and sunny ones since last summer. I spotted some cherry blossom on the trees, which makes my heart sing.
2) My current favourite lip colour! It's a custom blend, dontcha know! A mix of Barry M lipstick in 129 and L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Cheeky Magenta.
3) Graffiti is usually a horrid thing, but you know you're in a nice neighbourhood when you see this! I spotted this rather charming message on the side of my local supermarket and it made me smile
4) I went to the American candy shop and stocked up on a few transatlantic treats. This won't seem very exotic to any US visitors, but I've wondered for years what these are, having heard about them in all the trashy teen literature and movies of my youth (usually references to stuffing one's pants with them!?). Yum!
5) I took my beautiful little niece to the park to enjoy the sunshine. I lifted her onto the big girl's slide and surprise surprise, she loved it. She's such a little adrenaline junkie. She was fascinated by the first spring tulips coming up.
6) Nails of the week! Beige with a hot pink tip. The shades are Mink and Shoreditch, both from Nails Inc. I'm loving this look!
And how was your week?
As a quick way of keeping this blog up to date, I've decided that I'm going to trial doing a picture a day during the week ( as long as I remember!), and then post them as a week in pictures. I've seen a few people doing this kind of thing and its always fun to look at, so here goes....
2) My current favourite lip colour! It's a custom blend, dontcha know! A mix of Barry M lipstick in 129 and L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Cheeky Magenta.
3) Graffiti is usually a horrid thing, but you know you're in a nice neighbourhood when you see this! I spotted this rather charming message on the side of my local supermarket and it made me smile
5) I took my beautiful little niece to the park to enjoy the sunshine. I lifted her onto the big girl's slide and surprise surprise, she loved it. She's such a little adrenaline junkie. She was fascinated by the first spring tulips coming up.
6) Nails of the week! Beige with a hot pink tip. The shades are Mink and Shoreditch, both from Nails Inc. I'm loving this look!
And how was your week?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
