Category Archives: shopping

Ankle Boots for Summer with JD Williams

15th August 2016
Once again rather a lot of time has passed between outfit posts, I’m not sure anyone is actually missing them but I have missed doing them and now I have found myself living permanently back with my parents (well, for the for-seeable at least) I will probably get more chance to start snapping what I wear again. This Summer has been an absolute nightmare in terms of deciding what to wear- from heatwaves to torrential rain over the course of a few days it’s been tough to get any kind of consistency or theme going on or to plan ahead. I guess that’s the beauty of living in England though, it certainly knows how to keep us on our toes!

Top c/o George at Asda | Skirt: Pull and Bear | Boots c/o JD Williams

I seem to have skipped sandals almost entirely this year, opting instead for a mix of trainers and my ever faithful ankle boots. JD Williams recently asked me if I’d like to pick out a pair of ankle boots from their website and show how I would wear them for Summer and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to show the kind of things I’ve been choosing to wear lately.

The skirt I’m wearing was an absolute bargain at £5.99 in the Pull and Bear sale. I had only popped in to town the other week to keep myself busy when faced with a long day alone and I’m really glad I did! It’s quite a lightweight denim so perfect to wear now but it will also layer up nicely with tights for the colder months ahead. I’ve always loved the combination of denim skirts and ankle boots and I think the tan leather of these JD Williams pair goes perfectly with the cut and colour of this skirt.

The top is actually meant to be a bardot neckline but after trying and failing numerous times to get along with them I gave up and popped it firmly back on my shoulders. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but I still really like how this adds a bright and breezy component to the outfit, although typically a jacket also made an appearance later in the day.

Ankle boots in my eyes are a year round essential as they go with everything from knitwear to a summery floral frock. This is how I justify having such a large collection of ankle boots to myself anyway, and that fact I have at least another 5 pairs on my wish list…well, there IS nothing worse than cold feet no matter what time of year right?

How do you wear ankle boots in the summer? Or are they a seasonal shoe in your eyes?

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2016’s interior trends and how to make them work for you*

31st July 2016
I’ve always had a passing interest in interior design and would quite happily flick through Mum’s pile of home decor type magazines to while away some time. Since moving in to the flat I’ve taken an even keener interest, especially in how to incorporate some of the latest trends in a budget friendly and suitable for rental way. Baytree Interiors have been looking in to some of 2016’s biggest hits for the home and there’s a great feature on the Real Homes Magazine website too. With this as my inspiration I’ve popped together my thoughts on those trends and how they could work for me and my home.
The first thing to mention is colour. Ben and I are far from colour shy which is just as well as it’s set to continue being big news when it comes to the home. From Pantone’s colour of the year through to Dulux’s colour forecast for the year it’s clear to see that white and magnolia has been banished for the time being. Rich colours paired with metallic golds and coppers are the top picks and un-wittingly we already have a lot of this in our living room (nicknamed “the amazing technicolour living room”) with our mis-matched furniture, most of which we bought second hand for a very low price then painted up with a coat or two of Annie Sloan’s infamous chalk paint. I think a bright home using rich and warm colours makes for a cosy home and our living room is my favourite place to relax.
Patterns are also still going strong with world travel being the main influence. It doesn’t have to be limited to the walls either- a colourful rug on the floor, reupholstering a dining room chair or adding a Moroccan inspired runner to a table are great ways to embrace the trend with minimal commitment and without breaking the bank.
Metallics are having a moment with everybody and their dog going crazy for copper. I’m no exception and around the flat you’ll find lots of metallic elements dotted around- from silver herb planters hosting bright and bold flowers to the copper pan taking pride of place in my kitchen. From my experience places like Home Bargains and The Range are good places to pick up inexpensive decorative bits that will certainly last the duration of the trend if you’re likely to change your mind. Slightly more pricey are H&M, Urban Outfitters and Oliver Bonas- I have a massive wish list for all three of these stores and keep a close eye out for sales or discounts! For bigger pieces of furniture and decor you can strike gold on sites like gumtree and ebay or by scouring charity shops and car boot sales. We picked up a massive filigree mirror for about £20 via gumtree when we’d previously seen them in a reclamation yard for over £200!
Have you embraced any of these trends around your home? What have been some of your homeware best buys?

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Posted in inspiration, interiors, life stuff, shopping, trends

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Embroidery and Elephants

26th July 2016
With my love of Henryka Jewellery already well documented on the blog it won’t surprise you in the least that I follow pretty much all of their social media channels. So when, last week I caught sight of a stunning new arrival and then kindly offered to send me one that I graciously (and very swiftly) accepted.

Elephant pendant c/o Henryka

Whilst all of the stone choices were stunning for some reason rose quartz has always been something I am drawn to, rumoured to lower stress and tension in the heart, allowing repair of the damage caused my negative emotions (an also known as the romance stone as it’s believed it can also attract love) this was always the stone I picked when taken to various fossil and crystal shops on Devon holidays as a child.

The detailing on the Indian elephant is just beautiful and it hangs like a dream from it’s 16.5″ chain. It seems to be, the perfect summer silver accessory and as such I’ve been wearing it non-stop.

Vest: Primark (last year) | Jeans: Glamorous (some sizes still available) | Sandals: Sarenza (similar here)

Technically I’m on a clothes buying ban until I’ve put on enough weight to buy things that will fit me in the long term, just not for this interim period but these jeans…oh these jeans broke me! I’d been eyeing them up full price, so I when I saw them in the sale for just £15 I caved. And you know what? That’s ok, I refuse to feel bad about that. Just because I’m not in the greatest place physically or mentally right now I still deserve treats…and a pair of jeans that doesn’t leave my arse exposed to the world is actually kind of essential right?

I got a distinct 90s vibe from this outfit. I don’t know if it was the plaits that tipped the balance, the flatform sandals or just the “mom jeans” style but I felt transported back a couple of decades. Which is no bad thing in my eyes as long as there is a resurgence of shell suits any time soon.

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Posted in jewellery, life, life stuff, outfits, shopping

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Bright & Bold picks from the MyBag sale

22nd July 2016

Sale season is a real test of my willpower and restraint. Now, more so than ever I need to be watching what I spend and not making rash purchase but when every shop on the high street and online is selling amazing wares at bargain prices it does make it highly likely that at some point I am going to take leave of my senses and cave in.

Today’s “I’m off sick and bored so might as well torture myself with online window shopping” website of choice is Mybag.com who are currently offering up to 40% off some of their extensive range of bags and accessories. As we’ve been blessed with such gorgeous weather lately my eyes have been wandering towards some of the brightest offerings and I’ve compiled my current wish list below (well, a rather scaled down one if I’m honest).

Aspinal of London | Michael Kors | Lulu Guiness | Lauren Ralph Lauren | Diane von Furstenberg | Furla

All of these would be just so perfect for the summer months and a great companion to my current favoured all denim attire. As it stands I’ve only just been able to justify only two sales purchases in the form of an £8 denim skirt and £15 pair of jeans, both essential and both regretfully not a bright and bold handbag!

Have you made the best of the bargains on offer? Which of these bags do you fancy the most?

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A Dress my Tech Wish List*

06th July 2016
One of the best things I did was to change mobile network to one that offered better prices and a lot more for your money. It was then I FINALLY got my hands on an iPhone, years late to the game and almost two years on I can’t imagine owning any other make.

I’m a little bit obsessed with buying new cases for my phone, which I really need to stop doing as I’m due an upgrade in a couple of months so really it’s not a good use of my money. However I’ve popped together a little wish list of quirky covers that have caught my eye and I’d be really interested to know where you get your favourites from.

I’m actually quite surprised there aren’t more cases with cats on this list- most likely it’s because I already own most of the ones out there! I love Skinnydip cases so much, my wish list for there is MASSIVE (the other one I desperately want is the fluffy bunny bums one, how cute?).

The chill pills case comes from blogger favourite brand Ban.do. At £35 (from Selfridges) this is way out of my budget but I shall keep my eyes peeled for a sale!

On the other end of the price spectrum you can’t beat eBay for phone cases, you really can’t! Probably half of my collection comes from there and I don’t think I have ever paid more than £2 for a case. You do have to wait a few weeks for international delivery but the quality of these tend to be far better than you’d expect. I keep toying with the idea of this Shakespeare quote case, a bargain at £1.10 and I think the ice cream cone case is perfect for Summer, or what passes for Summer round here.

As I said above, I’d love to know where you get your favourite cases from, as soon as I know what my phone upgrade will be I shall no doubt start shopping for it!

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