Stripes look better with (a) tan...

This dress was a bit of an impulse buy from H&M but when I got it home and tried it on, I fell in love. It's the perfect shape for me and I loved the bold stripes too as I always think navy and white look so chic together...  I wore this outfit when I travelled down to Brighton (consisting of a bus journey, 3 trains and a 3 hour car drive!) and I can testify as to how comfortable it was even if the wind did cause me to have a few Marilyn moments! 

Dress: H&M, cardigan: Mango, belt: H&M, shoes: New Look, handbag: ASOS, weekend bag: John Lewis.
As you can see, I paired the stripes with all tan accessories, mainly so I could wear my fab new shoes from New Look. I bought these at the same time as these babies and they are so comfortable! I was inspired by the lovely Amy when I bought these as she always looks so fab in her tan loafers and you can't go wrong with gorgeous leather shoes for £25!  

I have had this weekend bag since December 2009 and it has more than paid for itself... I am ashamed to show you the original post where it was featured as the photos are so bad but I guess it shows how much my photos have improved since then! 


After having my haircut, I'm always worried about whether I will be able to style it or not but luckily it has proved fairly easy to maintain and I am loving the lighter style for summer! 

Hello freckles!
Do you have any new favourites in your wardrobe? What do you wear to travel? 
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Kew at Wakehurst and a day trip to Brighton...(PICTURE HEAVY)

This weekend I took a trip down to Brighton as I was the godmother at a christening and I was lucky enough to have some extra time to explore the area around where we were staying. On Saturday afternoon, my family and I visited Kew at Wakehurst and had a stroll around the Millenium seed bank which was really interesting! There were some really interesting sculptures around the grounds and the range of flowers and plants was phenomenal... I would love to visit again on a day when the mansion in the grounds was open but as it was a Saturday in June it was booked out for a wedding. 





You know I love cheesy puns ;) 
My little brother and me in casual mode...

As the christening was Sunday afternoon, my family and I went to Brighton seafront for a wander along the beach and some fish and chips...  I have never been to Brighton before and despite the gloomy weather I really enjoyed it! We pulled some funny faces, posed by the pier and made friends with the cutest stone ever..what more could you ask for?!





Hand fail! DOH! 




The christening was absolutely lovely and I managed not to slip over in my heels which I feel was quite an achievement! After an epic three and a half hour journey in the car, I was ready to collapse into my bed..I don't know if there's anything better than coming back to your own bed after being away!

 Have you spent any time away from home recently? Do you like being by the seaside?
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Crochet, floral and maxi length...the perfect sunshine outfit?

After the rain and gales of last week, I was beginning to think that we had had our summer and the sun was never going to peek around the clouds again but luckily it did and I have fully embraced summer dressing. I am one of those people who is always warm, great for in the middle of winter, but it always makes me dread summer due to the fact that I feel about 100°C in the shade. Whilst it is tempting (for me at any rate) to wear the minimum amount of clothing I have found that loose layers do a better job of keeping me cool when the weather gets a little balmier. 

Dress: Miso at Republic, crochet top: Yayer,  shoes: New Look, hat: Primark, sunglasses: Accessorize, bag:  Nine West via charity shop. 
I bought this dress around Easter last year after I fell in love with the print and colours but I never really wore it as it is actually strapless and I prefer a bit more support to avoid hoisting my dress up all day. This lovely crochet top came to the rescue though as it hides my bra straps and adds a bit of texture, without detracting from the lovely vibrant print. 


I'm not gonna lie, I also think it added a dash of hippy cool as I wafted around the park this afternoon too! :P I am also planning on pairing the top with some brightly coloured shorts for my summer holidays, because who wants fussy outfits when they are on holiday?! 


I had my haircut this morning too and it is such a relief to lose some of my hair. I'm not even joking when I say it was getting out of control! The hairdresser blow-dried it to give it some volume and then used some ghds to add a few curls at the bottom.  I am really loving it and I have already received compliments so she obviously did a good job! 


It is annoying that you can't see these shoes in any of the photos but I bought these (plus another two pairs!) with my voucher from the New Look press day and they are seriously the comfiest shoes ever. They are made out of the softest suede and feel like you are wearing slippers. There are 4 gorgeous colours but I thought the black would be most practical and get the most wear and who could resist the cute floral lining?! 

How do you find ways to rework a difficult piece of clothing? Have you bought new shoes recently? 
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Italian bread with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes recipe


I like food, and I love Italian food. I have been lucky enough to visit Italy a couple of times in the past on various exchanges and I fell in love with the gorgeous food. As I was wandering around Sainsbury's last weekend I caught sight of this bread mix and figured that for 49p I wouldn't be risking very much if I bought it. This afternoon then, instead of revising, I decided to bake some bread...


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This week has been...owl-coholic


I am Maria and I am an owl-coholic.* I love the little critters and I have a vast collection of owl prints. I added to this when I made an order at Dainty Roses last week. Mark treated me to this gorgeous necklace and also added in a lovely brooch to my order. I love the fact that it has a watch in its tummy too which is revealed when you squeeze his ears together... absolutely amazing! 

Cute AND practical!

Mark chose me another owl, a key and a teapot (due to my well-documented love of tea!) I am already eyeing up some more charms so a bracelet or another brooch is definitely in my future! **


Now Danni, Lisa and I have been talking about getting a hip-flask for ages now and I finally caved and treated myself to this cute little flask as a post exam treat (or for if revision goes really badly! :P ) 


At the moment I have over 6 varieties of tea in the house and these Teapig teabags are the newest additions to my collection. I thought the chocolate flavoured tea would be my favourite but I prefer the honey bush and rooibos which is really yummy! I like the fact that it is decaffeinated too as it makes getting to sleep much easier and I'm pretty sure my skin has improved too...


I'm hoping this rather scary looking face mask will also help. I'm not patient enough to leave face masks on for very long but I this one peels off making it a lot less messy and hopefully easier to use! 

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* Apologies for this appalling pun but I just couldn't resist! ;) 
** I realise that this sounds like an advert for Dainty Roses but Mark bought this with his own money and we would both definitely recommend this! 
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Hot pink...

This top has been a long-term tenant in my wardrobe and yet it has only featured in a handful of outfits. I think the fact that it is so pink means that I shy away from it, which is strange when you consider how much I like colour! I have actually worn the top and trousers together before for work but I wanted to make it 'weekend appropriate' so I added my new favourite necklace and shoes.

Top: Principles at Debenhams, jacket: M&S via charity shop, trousers: Zara, shoes: Deena & Ozzy at Urban Outfitters, necklace: Dainty Roses.
My hair desperately needs a cut at the moment but I don't know whether to have it cut a bit shorter for the summer? Although at the rate the weather is going at the moment, I'm going to have to dig out my thermals instead! Luckily the lining of my jacket matched the top perfectly :)


These shoes are lovely too and despite them being new I haven't had any blisters so fingers crossed that this continues! I bought these as a replacement for my beloved nude shoes as they are close to falling apart and they go with so many of my outfits so I figured a replacement had to be found pretty pronto! The scalloped edge is just perfect too and adds a bit of interest to an otherwise basic shoes.


You can see how cold it is as my feet are a funny purple colour...how attractive! :P


I will be featuring this necklace in my week in photos as it is seriously the best thing ever...keep your eyes peeled! 

What do you wear on the weekend? Do you ever get back-ups for your favourite clothes or shoes?
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Seeing spots...

Jacket: Principles at Debenhams, top: H&M, skirt: Primark, belt: vintage at Topshop,  shoeboots:  Office,  necklace:  D.I.Y  from Laura Ashley, bag: Fiorelli
There are some days where clothes just seem to work together and yesterday was one of those days. I wanted something frivolous that was also fairly practical and so the pairing of a simple white t-shirt with this gorgeous spotted skirt seemed to be a match made in heaven for a day of revision. I also got the chance to wear the necklace which I got for my birthday off Cindy and Dan as the colours matched perfectly! 

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For some reason I look really unimpressed in all of these photos but I was actually in quite a good mood! It was an outfit that felt slightly more grown-up, due in part I think to the white t-shirt...although it's a basic for many people, I can honestly say I only wear it a couple of time a year! I guess though, that's the beauty of being able to create your own wardrobe, a few years ago I wore it almost constantly so it's interesting to see how my style has evolved :) 

Sunglasses: Accessorize 
Outtake of the day has to go to this rather windswept photo of me in my new sunglasses! I love  the cat-eye shapes and Paula wears it well but have always been a bit wary until I swooped down on these beauties in Accessorize. I usually treat myself to a new pair of sunglasses each year whether that is magazine freebies or Primark specials and the tortoiseshell frames and slight cat-eye meant that I was unable to put these beauties back on the shelf... They have been the perfect finishing touch to many an outfit since I bought them and I think they may have even overtaken this pair as my favourite! 

Has your style evolved? Do you think it's worth spending money on accessories or do you rarely wear them? 
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This week has been...full of ups and downs...

As you may know, I have been taking part in the Aussie 'lighter life' challenge and this Saturday I attended a bootcamp day with some lovely Angels at the Reebok gym in Canary Wharf. I thought it would be a day of fun and games but, whilst I enjoyed the exercise we did, the yoga was more intense than I anticipated and 'Gymanda' certainly put us through our paces! When I got there though, I tucked into a yummy breakfast of strawberries, blueberries and pomegranate. I have been trying to eat more healthily recently and my fridge has been stocked with fruit and veg rather than crisps and chocolate! 


Luckily I won the giveaway at the lovely Lily's blog and won some yummy '9 bars' which I have absolutely fallen in love with! They are really filling and packed full of seeds and nuts which always make me feel more healthy ;) 



So far the nutty one is my favourite but the original also deserves a mention! 



I am also indebted to the lovely Lil (who was also my exercise buddy on Saturday!) who introduced me to the infamous Hummingbird Bakery which completely negated any good done by the bootcamp day! I figure though, as long as I don't over indulge then I should stay on track for a lighter life this Spring! 


The wrapping was SO beautiful that I didn't want to open it! 
I also need to mention my most recent purchase. I bought a gorgeous red midi skirt from the lovely Jazmine but I'm struggling with how to style it...heels are a must but I'm not sure about the rest of the outfit which is where you lovely ladies come in! Any ideas about how to make me look chic rather than dumpy will be greatly appreciated and the best suggestion will have an outfit post dedicated to them ;) 


In an ideal world this Danielle Scutt necklace would definitely feature...a girl can but dream! I mean what could be better than teapots and red lipstick?! I also LOVE this teapot ring... jewellery perfection!


I forgot to add that this is an EPIC hot chocolate with Malteasers, fudge sprinkles, marshmallows, whipped cream... it's basically heaven in a mug! 


A special mention has to go to my friends Ian and George this week, who have made me feel a lot less stressed about the dreaded exam season and the revision it entails. I mean what could be better than days spent chatting and doing  walrus impressions with chopsticks?! [I'm afraid I don't actually have photos of this rather amazing occurrence! ] It was just what I needed after another week of illness and stress too :) 






What have you done to cheer yourself up this week? Have you done any window shopping recently? 



P.S. Posting will probably be a bit more sporadic over the next couple of weeks as I have my finals coming up [eek!] so my focus is (temporarily) away from the blog :) 
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