Frills 'n' Spills

The Bank Holiday was the first proper bit of sunshine we have had in a long time and I took full advantage with good food, good company and some super jazzy sunglasses. I really love these glasses but the arms are getting a bit loose now so I need some new ones. Do you have any recommendations for the perfect cat eye sunnies?

Where would I get some cat-eye sunglasses?

I can never resist going mad in Ikea and last time we came away with this little clock for the living room. For some reason, Mark said this one was too much?!

Mugs brought back from our trip to Italy last year. I am amazed that we managed to get them back in one piece to be honest! 

Pudsey and female friend (Fudsey?!) on our little cane chair. You will often find me sitting on this chair curled up with a good book or watching the cows.... Yes I am a grandma! ;)

Wine carafe from our friends, wooden duck figurine and various cards...

Recently, Out There Interiors offered to send me something and when I saw this amazing alphabet lamp I fell in love.  I have never been more glad that Mark and I share the same initial!

COWS! The cows are still my favourite part of living here, I was so excited when we get a new herd of them recently, they are just such cheery creatures!

How do you make your house feel like home?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Out There Interiors....

I admit it, I have never been cool. I can't pull off daring haircuts or some of the more extreme trends but I have always admired people who can. I have been wanting to try out a denim shirt ever since I saw my girl Claire looking so good in one and when I saw this oversized one on the Monki website I fell in love. I'm not quite sure that I pull it off but it has been the perfect light cover-up for casual days at work and to make certain things (like this cut out back t-shirt) more wearable. I was kindly given these cords by my friend Matilda and they are ridiculously comfy (think curled up on the sofa in your pyjamas kind of cosy) I'm not quite brave enough to wear denim on denim yet so my various cord trousers will have to suffice for now...

This jumper is another neglected favourite, it's a bit too flimsy for the depths of winter but it is ideal for the horrible weather we have been having recently. It's warm enough for the chilly mornings but the short sleeves come into their own by the afternoon. I imagine it would look fab with one of my maxi skirt too, I love  good cosy jumper! Can you tell that the heating in our building is atrocious?!

A close up of those adorable little pandas!

What do you wear when the weather is rubbish?

Stripes are perfect for pattern mixing and a spot of leopard-print jazzed up this outfit no end! Paired with my 'go to' hairstyle and some burgundy nail varnish, it made me feel like I had made some effort at least...

I have been obsessed with leopard print recently and these beautiful shoes are from French Sole, a brand I have been desperate to try for years.  People have raved about the fit but I thought they were just a glorified pair of ballet pumps, and not worth spending the money on. How wrong I was! They fit perfectly and unlike a lot of ballet pumps, they don't gape at the sides. I survived a whole weekend traipsing around London in them, no mean feat, I think you will agree!

I have had these Topshop jeans for a year or so now but they have really stretched after a few washes too many and I am on the lookout for a new pair. I have heard some good things about the Joni jeans but does anyone have any other recommendations for high-waisted jeans?

Paired with a rather cute tea dress and some rather vampy heels, I felt like a proper femme fatale! I love Sugarhill Boutique dresses (Sarah has an enviable amount which I am very jealous of!) but had always put off buying them as I wasn't sure how they would fit. I spotted this one reduced on Amazon and decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to try out the brand. One thing I would say is that this is pretty short, you can see from the photo how much leg is on show and when I wore it to work with some flat shoes, I felt a bit exposed. This is definitely one for the weekend when you aren't going to be constantly trying to pull it down all day! This jazzy red clutch doesn't get many outings but I have been trying to use it a bit more when I go out as it is pretty roomy. I bought it on a college trip when Sophie and I bunked off from the British Museum for an hour or so to hit up Oxford Street, smuggling it back on the coach was pretty funny!

Brushed out curls, cat-eye glasses and a slick of red lipstick topped off the 1940s look. I love the print on this dress too, the little rocking horses are adorable!

I fell in love with these shoes as soon as I laid eyes on them back in the January sales and I knew they would be the perfect finishing touch to this outfit, I just need to find a way to make them stay on my feet. I seem to just fall forward in them which is bad news for someone with such atrocious balance as I have!

To this day, this leather jacket is still one of my favourite ever purchases. I love the shape and fit of it and as it is leather, I just know it will stay a main part of my wardrobe for a long time. The fact I feel super cool when I'm wearing it also helps ;)

Simple accessories in neutral tones are essential when making a maxi skirt work-appropriate. Work (however relaxed it is) is not the time for wacky shoes or make-up!

How would you style a maxi skirt for work ?

I love how Victorian this dress is and I love the contrast of the black accessories too, it looks so dramatic. Now my hair is a bit longer (I have been trying to grow it for about 12 years) I have been trying out different ways to have my hair and this style with the top part pinned back and the curls loose is my new favourite. I hate it when my hair goes in my eyes so this is perfect!

I love a full skirt and this is so swooshy! See what I mean about it looking more dramatic against the black too? These shoes are my absolute favourite heels, I love the chunky heel and the Mary Jane style is one of the only styles I can walk in.

Who is your style inspired by? Are you a Buffy fan? ;)

I really love this outfit, my friend Matilda gave me this cardigan a while ago and I was never sure what to pair it with as it is such a bright mustard colour. My love affair with mustard has been slowly growing since January last year but I'm still not convinced that the colour suits me, what do you think? I try not to wear jeans more than once a week to work because it feels kind of lazy for me and also because I have so many clothes, I want to wear them all as much as possible! This is such a typical Friday outfit though, the vagaries of public transport and the weather call for some clever layering and this is pretty cosy with the cardigan. 

A close up of that gorgeous print and a necklace I have had longer than I care to remember. I constantly switch between short and long necklaces but I think long ones will always be my favourite, even if they do bash annoyingly on my desk at work!

This shape of blouse is not something I would ever normally choose but I loved the print when I saw it in the charity shop and  it is perfect for making my jeans look a bit smarter for the office. I felt quite 70s inspired in this outfit, I think it's the mustard paired with the floaty blouse and the suede boots.   Apologies for my facial expressions here, I'm not quite sure what was going on with them! I have still been brushing my curls out into waves but I'm not sure if it makes this look more modern or more retro, what do you think?

The most lovely pair of boots, paired with some turn-ups equals casual perfection!


What colours do you find difficult to wear? Any tips for other colours to pair with mustard?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo