party planning

01st November 2011

Anyone following me on twitter will know just how much I am loving Matalan right now! With Christmas fast approaching (oh, hey there November) they’ve just started to showcase their party dresses, and I’m smitten! I popped along to my local store on Sunday and tried on the.dress. (although not in the colour I wanted, hence a non-purchase for now) and I saw some other real gems too, all at crazy good prices, meaning new shoes and accessories are totally justifiable.

1. Sequin Swing Dress has a touch of old-time glamour too it, the sequins and sheer give a slightly gothic feel and yet it remains modest, making it perfect for a works do.

2. Jade and Black Lace Butterfly Bow Dress this is just crazy gorgeous, classic and the jade and black go together perfectly. It looks even more special close up than it does on the website!

3. Layered Tiered One Shoulder Dress in my favourite shade of blue! The simplicity of this dress leaves lots of scope for accessories and the cut is lovely.

4. Sequin Shift Dress a.k.a. MY dress! I tried on the black and gold version of this (stunning but my heart is set on the blue). Unlike many a party dress this isn’t too short on my tall frame and the long sleeves stop it being too OTT. I’m planning on wearing this with some solid tights and some plain yet killer shoes…providing it doesn’t sell out before I get my mitts on it!

The best thing?
Not one of these dresses cost over £30! Bring on the invites!

Have you started party outfit planning? Where have you seen your dream dresses/s/outfit?

xxx

This is NOT a sponsored post, I’m just loving Matalan like mad!

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Only Fair

31st October 2011

This Fair Isle jumper dress is last year’s from New Look and one of my favourite jumper dresses. It’s warm, it has a nice fit…and fulfills my love of all things Fair Isle (just wait until you see the tights I was bought yesterday!) Perfect for a quiet Sunday after the night before.

The bracelet is a gift from my Mum and comes from Kleshna where the money goes to a very worthy cause.

I managed to do yet more shopping yesterday, I need shopping rehab…or at least, I’m going to attempt a non-frivolous spend week (meaning food, essentials and Christmas presents only). Oh help.

Happy Halloween…what are you doing? We’re taking fun sized chocolate to work and decorating with sprinkles (I might go trick or treating on a few doctors doors…after surgery, of course!)

xxx

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Muffins

30th October 2011

Friday afternoon provided me with an afternoon off work and a chance to do some baking, it was requested that I make some cakes for a social gathering I went to last night, and in the spirit of Halloween I finally got around to baking with pumpkin…finally finding a use for a tin of the stuff I purchased quite a long time ago!

Pumpkin, especially the canned type seems big in the USA but I’ve found very few recipes calling for it over here.
In the end I adapted a recipe I found on a food blog, substituting the faff of preparing and pureeing a real, live pumpkin for the same amount of the canned stuff.

The result? An absolute hit! The canned pumpkin is elusive, I found mine in my local Waitrose, and I know some American sweet shops and posh department stores sell it at great expense. It is, after extensive research, a highly versatile ingredient…so if you see any at a reasonable price I’d stock up!

The Recipe, adapted from here

– 200g plain flour
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 250g caster sugar
– 110ml vegetable oil
– 2 lightly beaten eggs
– 110ml milk
– 150g pumpkin flesh, blended to a puree (I used the same amount from the can)
– I also added a bag of chocolate chips.

1. Flour mixture: In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar together, and mix well.
2. Pumpkin mixture: In a large bowl, beat the oil, eggs and milk. Stir in the pumpkin puree.
3. Combine the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Stir until just blended (and lumpy). Be careful not to over mix as it will result in a tough texture.
4. Place baking cases in muffin tins. Spoon the mixture into the cases (each slightly more than 2/3 filled).
4. Bake for about 20 minutes in preheated oven of 175C (350F). Remove the muffins and cool on a rack for several minutes before serving.

The recipe stated it yielded 16 muffins, but I ended up with 24 cupcake sized ones, which were plenty big enough.
They took about 12-15 minutes to cook in my fan oven. A skewer that comes out clean when poked in the middle will tell you that they are done.

I will be making these again!

Anyone else do some Halloween baking?

Got any amazing pumpkin recipes to share? (USA readers, I’m looking at YOU!)

xxx

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Pink Lady

29th October 2011

Yesterday was Wear it Pink day, which proved to be the perfect opportunity to finally wear this Dorothy Perkins fit and flare dress which I purchased some time ago and left lurking in my wardrobe.

It was also the perfect excuse to snack on pink smarties…not that one needs an excuse to eat pink food!

Did you wear pink yesterday?

Happy Weekend!

xxx

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Fabulous Friday; Pure Collection

28th October 2011

I seem to be all about the luxury at the moment, glitter, diamonds and now…cashmere. I recently clapped eyes on what I think is the perfect Cashmere Sweater Dress from Pure Collection and despite being out of my current price range, I want want want it…

The dress, which also comes in grey costs £179 which, this far in to the month is just eye-watering…but then can you really go wrong with such a classic dress? Perfect for layering with woolen tights and chunky boots..or something a bit smarter to keep warm at work. The shape and colours are timeless and…do I need to go on? I’ve talked myself in to a full scale obsession!

And seeing as I seem to be compiling a massive wish-list here, I’ll just tag on a few more things I adore from the Pure Collection website!