Frills 'n' Spills

It has been just over a year since Mark and I moved into our flat and although I promised some more photos I never got round to it! We have managed to make the flat out own in the past year or so and I thought now was a good time to share a few more photos. As we are only renting, we can't change too much so accessories are the only way we can introduce some personality into an almost entirely magnolia flat....

Since last year we have swapped our turquoise sofa for something a bit more tasteful and stuck to bright cushions to lift the grey colour slightly...

These photos were a birthday present from our friends for Mark's 18th, we clubbed together to buy the two on the left and I bought the final one in the set. We have never been to New York but it is definitely on our list of places to visit!

I'm sure you know by now that I am a massive fan of owls and my parents gave me these cuties for Christmas. They live on top of our TV guarding my selcetion of trashy TV box sets....

I love unusual glassware and the Russian doll carafe was inspired by Helen at Afeitar. I found these two bottles at a jumble sale a few years ago and I love the fact that they have a proper place to live now, rather than being shuttled back and forth in boxes to uni! You can also see the little terracotta owls which my mum bought me, they are supposed to bring good luck and are another beloved owl trinket! 

The lamp itself is pretty heavy as it is made from porcelain but apparently you can mount it on a wall ( I haven;t been that brave!) The lamp has been getting a lot of love and you can see why, I couldn't be happier with it! 

These photos were taken way back at the beginning of October, before I picked up my glasses but I don't know why I haven't posted it yet as this is an outfit I wear pretty regularly despite both the shoes and the skirt being impulse buys. I have to admit, I am awful for making impulse purchases, (especially if I happen to wonder into a supermarket clothing section) and this skirt definitely falls into that category. I saw it on ASOS for a measly £9.50 and figured that even if it did look a bit yellow, with change from a tenner, I couldn't really complain. Luckily, when the skirt arrived, it was gorgeous- the colour is more camel than yellow and the check print is lovely- I never can resist a checked skirt! 

A slick of red lipstick and my faux fur stole always make me feel glamourous, even when heading to work, definitely the perfect sartorial pick me up...

Yes, my legs really are that short! Cable knit tights are a winter essential for me and these match these NW3 heels nearly perfectly. These heels hopefully elongate my stumpy legs too, despite the length of my skirt...

It's always difficult to know what to wear over Christmas and New Year, everyone has different levels of 'dressiness' and you have to leave enough space to accommodate the enormous amounts of food you are bound to eat (surely this isn't just me?!) 

On Christmas Eve, Mark and I decided to go for something cosy for opening our presents and I pulled out this festive jumper and paired it with a seasonally appropriate skirt.  I felt that an expanding waistband was necessary for all the Christmas goodies I was eating and this red skirt is a firm favourite of mine, plus it meant that I could match my lipstick to my outfit! ;)

This was my outfit for Christmas day, I bought this dress a while ago and have been waiting for a special occasion to wear it to. I was going to wear it on my birthday but I felt that such a princess-y dress was a bit too fancy for going out! It reminded me of the gorgeous dresses in the Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 RTW collection and the skirt is wonderfully swooshy- perfect for hiding a food baby! 

What did you wear over Christmas? How do you disguise a food baby? 

You could be forgiven for thinking that I had fallen off the face of the earth this past week. I was diagnosed with whooping cough on Monday and have been feeling very ill and sorry for myself all of this week. I have barely been outside, in fact, and so when it came to getting dressed this morning, I wanted something comfy and cosy that I didn't have to think about as Mark and I picked up the last few bits for Christmas - exciting! :D

I have had this song in my head all day- I love me a bit of Marmaduke Duke!

Are you ready for Christmas? Do you prefer to be elegant or fun?

On Sunday I spent the day with some lovely ladies at The Birdcage in Bristol for the South West Bloggers Christmas party organised by Hayley, Lyzi, Bee and Gina. I had never been to The Birdcage before and I will definitely be going back, I can see why Hayley thought it would be perfect for a blog meet up! I love meeting up with other bloggers, and I will definitely be going to more events next year. I didn't take many photos but keep an eye on the Twitter hashtag for everyone's posts...

The lovely Christmas tree with presents underneath it- I can't wait to see what I got!