In Black

Happy Monday guys, start of another week and the last day of what must be the most depressing month of the year! I hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying pay day!





Outfit today is a super old long sleeve top from Matalan (I've had this years but it still looks new!), Knitted skirt from Tesco and New Look boots.



Close up on the boots. These are from the teen footwear range, which surprised me as normally I have to buy a size 7 as I have flipper feet!



I realised after these photos that I'd forgotten to put my necklace on, but I'm wearing my fabulous new necklace from Go Jewellery.

Off to make a coffee now having just got in from a freeezing cold walk. Anyone got anything exciting planned this week?

xxx

You Are All Winners to ME!

Happy Sunday guys! Thank you to everyone who took part in my giveaways, I'm happy to now announce the winners!

*drumroll*

$1oo to spend at Shopbop goes to CowBiscuits

Tabio leggings go to Courtney

Girls with Attitude goodies go to Laura

Congratulations ladies, I'll be in touch shortly to arrange your prizes!

Here's what else has been winning this weekend...

Amazing necklace of joy that I won from G0-Jewellery. How amazing is that packaging?!

T-shirt dresses. So simple, so good. This was another "found in the back of my wardrobe" discovery.

Hand knitted scarf from my Nan.
New cook books! The Philadelphia one was a present and the other two are from the gorgeous and talented Katiecakes
Essential reading material!

Hot lemon squash from a mug with my name on. Perfect accessory for my not so rock and roll lifestyle.

And finally (there is no picture for this!)
YOU GUYS
It's been a challenging week for me, but between my blog and twitter you guys and girls have kept me sane and smiling without even realising it. Thank you!

xxx

Snack Attack

Thank you for the well wishes for yesterday guys, sadly the meeting got cancelled at the last minute due to one of the team being ill, but I'll be re-scheduling Monday and hopefully won't have to wait too long!

Yesterday I reverted back to my comfort zone, and to one of my favourite dresses. I added a black jacket until I realised just how cold it was...it was hastily swapped for a chunky cardigan!

Jewellery (hideously out of focus)









Actually, all the photos are a bit out of focus...apologies!

This week I was challenged to branch out of my comfort zone (a.k.a. rut) with snacks and add in something I haven't had before/for a while, I chose a fruit and nut mix because it is easily portable and perfect for keeping on my desk at work. I was quite un-inspired looking in the shops, everything was dull and samey (not to mention full of peanuts, which I don't especially love).
Waitrose came up trumps with these babies...



I'd seen Nature Snacks appear on Twitter a few times but wasn't consciously seeking them out as I didn't know where to get them. Originally it was the special offer sign that drew me over to them as well as the eye catching packaging.
There are four varieties from the brand:

Fruit, nut and dark chocolate mix

Berries Mix

Fruit, nut and yoghurt mix

Fruit and nut mix

And none of them contain peanuts, score! Give me Almonds any day. More details + stockists here

As you can see from the photo above, I went for the fruit and nut mix, which contains pistachios, golden sultanas, almonds, Chilean raisins and dragon fruit. I've never had dried dragon fruit before, or knew it existed for that matter. OMG it is amazing. I'm on a hunt for a whole bag of the stuff!



No dragon fruit pictured here, I'd snagged the last couple of pieces!
This mix is SO good. Sweet, tropical and the nuts are super fresh. I'm going back to Waitrose today to stock up on some other varieties whilst it is still on offer!

Have you tried Nature Snacks before?

What are you favourite snacks? I need new ideas, especially for work...

Would you like to see more food adventure related posts?

Have a great weekend xxx

P.S. Tabio and Shopbop giveaways are now closed. You can still enter the Girls With Attitude one until tomorrow,
all winners will be announced tomorrow!

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Introducing SilverFlint!

I came across these fab folk on Twitter and fell head over heels in love with their gorgeous collection,
they were kind enough to e-mail a bit more information about themselves so I could share the discovery with you guys!

Silverflintʼs Transeasonal Luxury SS11 Knits – Volumes and Versatility for the urban nomad New London based label Silverflintʼs luxury knits are designed with adventurers and style lovers in mind. Inspired by Silverflintʼs love of travel, each piece is both stylish and practical, designed to become THAT item of clothing you put in your suitcase first wherever you go, a garment you will love and wear forever. “I drew inspiration from the clothing worn by traditional nomadic tribes and gave the garments a modern, fashion spin. We all are urban nomads, I wanted to make the garments both beautiful and practical” says Joanne Maclean, senior designer. The result is a collection that is minimalist, chic and easy to wear; the SS11 designs offers playful volumes and structured pieces. The collection includes a selection of tops, ranging from soft superkid mohair cardis to light cashmere hooded ponchos and super stylish multi yarn open hand knits.

The signature “blankets” are available in plain vibrant tones or with a jacquard pattern. They are already a best seller and a future must have, easy to dress up or down. All garments are versatile and make the perfect layer pieces for a Spring day or a summer night. Silverflint strives to offer gorgeous premium garments at an affordable price with the classic blankets retailing at £75.

Currently Silveflint is available via their website (which is a delight to browse through!) and from the pop-up shop which you'll find at 18 All Saints Rd, London, W11 1HH; by appointment only.
You can follow them on Twitter or stalk them on Facebook via the following links...

Twitter @silverflint and Facebook www.facebook.com/silverflintofficial

Here's my top three from the online shop;

Classic Blanket in Blue, £75 (also LOVE the Hot Coral)

Hand-Knit multi yarn jumper, £85. This just looks so snuggly.

Hooded Poncho, £68. I thought I'd left Ponchos behind with my 17 year old wannabe hippie self...by I'm willing to make an exception for this beauty. LOVE.

What do you think? Are you a new Silver Flint fan?

xxx

Something Old Something New

Mixing it up a bit for this outfit...

1. I'm wearing trousers! I posted these on my blog waaaay back in 2009, they are from Zara and they actually belong to my Mum. Between us we'd managed to forget we had them. It was a bit (lot) out of my comfort zone to wear these, but I'm trying to expand my wardrobe horizon from skirts and dresses.

2. New blouse. I popped in to New Look on Tuesday with Mum. I hadn't intended to buy anything despite a gift card, but saw this blouse and *had* to have it. Bonus was that it only cost £10 in the sale...the exact amount left on the card! I've seen lots of bloggers wear sheer blouses lately and loved the look of them; my problem being most of the ones I've seen in shops are just too short...oh the perils of being tall! My biggest bug bear is tops that aren't quite long enough. It is the same with dresses actually, the Daisy dress that I posted the other week, in real life, just was.not.decent...kinda makes finding work clothes hard as I already push the limits on decency sometimes (though I've had no complaints so far).







I've got a review meeting later, to discuss how I'm getting on at home; I think I've been home longer than I was in hospital for now! Things are going better than I dared hope and my mission now is to keep this up and work extra hard on accepting and embracing my "new" body.

Happy Friday lovelies,
don't forget to enter my giveaways- 2 end tomorrow and 1 on Sunday!

xxx

On Repeat

So, Wednesday's work outfit ended up being a fairly recent duplicate; I have nothing against wearing outfits more than once, I just subconsciously seem to spread it out for longer most of the time!
I have such un-dying love for this dress from Peacocks though and it is perfect for work! No shame in rocking something you love, right?

(Does anyone else get like this about repeating outfits?)

((Do you, as a blogger hate showing the same thing twice?))

(((Do you, as a blogger hate SEEING other people wear the same thing twice in fairly quick succession?)))





7am does crazy things to a girls poses when she is hyped up on breakfast and coffee!



These shoes are also from Peacocks, but from about 3 years ago, I really need to get them re-heeled, but that costs more than the shoes did!



The jewellery. The ring is from Ethel Austin (before it closed down, sob) and the Locket was a blog giveaway win!

Hang in there guys, we're almost at the weekend

xxx

Nuts for Knits

I have a real weakness for knit-wear, I always have. For a while I was known as "Cardigan lady" an although my collection is now not as large as it once was, I can't resist browsing!

When an e-mail dropped in to my inbox introducing "Quality Knitwear" I admit, I almost just clicked delete. The name didn't scream enticing

but I clicked. And I lusted. And now I'm blogging.

Quality Knitwear (QK), the exciting new boutique vintage knitwear company, officially launched its online shop today at www.qualityknitwear.co.uk.

QK takes a fresh look at vintage pieces, offering some of the cutest and quirkiest knitwear hand-picked from around the world, with an emphasis on style and quality. The website showcases the best and most comprehensive range of patterns and styles in the vintage market, with an ever-evolving collection of unique pieces to suit all tastes.

The current collection includes a great range of quirky and classic cardigans, jumpers, dresses and sweaters incorporating all styles from classic Arans, Guernseys and Fair Isle knits to 80s mohair, Nordic knits and the more contemporary ‘geek-knit’ style Cosby sweaters. As the company name suggests, quality is paramount and QK’s [hyperlink] range focuses on natural fibre pieces, many of which are original handknits guaranteeing that their knitwear is not only stylish and on-trend but also long-lasting. In short, it’s ‘keepsake fashion’ at its best!

Quality Knitwear was founded by Lucy Grimble a 24 year old PR executive from London: “I’ve always had a passion for knitwear, but found that I was often disappointed by the quality of some of the pieces on the market. With Quality Knitwear I hope that I’ve been able to not only create a collection filled with personality, charm and individuality, but one which is also affordable and of the highest possible quality”

Prices start from £29

www.qualityknitwear.co.uk

Here are my favourites from the site!

Ahoy Sailor; £38

Scottie; £36

Peanuts; £40


Are you a knitwear fan? For me, it has to be the only up-side of Winter weather!

xxx

(all photos in this post are from QK website)

OH, and for anyone who asked, the cupcake cases are from Morrisons!

Will Bake For Shoes

Another day and a bit more baking! I'm making up for lost time! The cake and cookies yesterday were a big hit; after a delicious home cooked meal we all found space for some gingerbread and there were barely any leftovers (the ultimate compliment don't you think?)

Today I made some chocolate cupcakes, following the basic recipe I posted here + the addition of cocoa and dark chocolate chunks in the batter and white chocolate as icing. These are to take in to work tomorrow, I fully intend of baking my way to a permanent contract!

With agreement on Twitter, I've decided baked goods should become legal tender. I would happily bake day and night for a pair of killer shoes!



Animal Print cake cases are a must!





Fresh from the oven.



Trusty pink icing pen...a perfect (yet messy) way to drizzle chocolate!





As you can see, a few didn't go quite to plan...but they all go down the same way and I am a firm believer that looks aren't everything!

As for my outfit today, I've gone for my favourite swishy maxi skirt and a simple knitted tee





Don't forget my giveaways are running until the weekend!

xxx

Got my Bake ON!

So, as I mentioned yesterday, it's my Grandad's Birthday today! We popped round with his presents yesterday so he'd have them to open first thing, but Mum, Dad and I are going round tonight for dinner and I want to take another little something.

First up I made a gingerbread loaf in place of a traditional Birthday cake. It is a favourite with everyone in this family, you'll find the recipe in this post.


It isn't the prettiest of cakes, but it more than makes up for it with yummy taste and smell!

Next up was an experimental batch of cookies. I have a HUGE box of muesli that is running out of date faster than I can eat it, so I wanted to incorporate it in baking, somehow, but I'm fed up of making flapjacks. I adapted a recipe I have for oat cookies with m&ms (posted on here waaay back!) and added in some chopped dates as they are my Grandad's favourite.

Cookie experiment = massive success. I HAD to sample one and oh man. The dates give a toffee-ish taste and the cookie is crunchy and chewy at the same time.
They are now in a glass jar with a gift tag ready to be presented to the Birthday Boy.






For these cookies you will need:

150g self raising flour
150g muesli (I used a low sugar one from Lidl)
150g sugar (I used soft, dark brown, but caster is fine!)
150g butter
2tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp milk
Chopped dates...I used about double what you see in the picture and chopped each one in to about five pieces.

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180*c

Sift together the flour, muesli and sugar. Add in the chopped dates and mix together.

Melt the butter, syrup and milk, stirring until all the butter is dissolved.

Pour the liquid in to the dry mixture and blend well.

Shape in to rounds (I used a tablespoon for size) and place on a lined baking tray...these don't spread too much so you can put them quite near each other.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. I have a fan oven and they took just under 10 minutes, so do keep an eye on them!

Wait for the biscuits to firm up then move to a wire cooling rack.

ENJOY

xxx

What I've Worn this weekend.

Hello! I hope everyone has had a truly fabulous weekend! Thank you to all of you who've entered my giveaways, if you haven't...DO IT!

(here, here and here)
It's been a chilled weekend here, I still don't feel 100% well, although MY VOICE IS BACK! After six days of whispering, I'm now doing everyones head in. It's great!

I've enjoyed dressing down this weekend, it's great to have a distinction between work wear and non-work wear; something I've never had before as previous jobs have always involved uniform (I still have my sexy Tesco number).







Yesterday was a floral skirt from Sainsburys, Purple tights and New Look jersey jumper. Perfect for a day spent mooching around town with Mum.



Today involved a super old Topshop dress combined with some hyper-activity this morning.

Someone asked to see some more of my bedroom the other day, so here are a couple of photos of my favourite bits...





Tomorrow is my Grandad's birthday and I have some baking planned, so stay tuned for some recipe posts.

xxx