The Secret Thief

I bought this skirt the other weekend from H&M and wanted to wear it to work on Monday, but I was staying at the BFs house and hadn't brought anything appropriate to wear with it apart from some grey leggings. So you know what I did? I stole one of his t-shirts!

And I don't intend to give it back!!!

It just goes too well with the skirt, and if I can pass it off as ladies t-shirt then surely he shouldn't be wearing it at all should he? No, I didn't think so either. I should definately keep it. Yes...I'll keep it.

The wicker bag - if you were wondering, is from Cath Kidston, and came as part of the lovely present I recieved along with this washbag. Its a really great size for throwing things in (I have a lot of crap to lug around you know!) and would be an even better bag to take with you to the beach (all I've gotta do now is just book that imaginary holiday!)

The lining is really pretty, and it comes with a matching little purse too.

Please note the *crap* as mentioned previously was removed for this lining photograph - because I'm good like that.

I wore this rose necklace - a long time favourite and a perfect colour match too.

I also added my bargain £1 black belt from Primark.

I just wanted to also quickly show you this jug, which was gifted, not thrifted. 

A very lovely friend gave me this the other day after I had been admiring it for ages. Its a Johsnons Brothers Greydawn piece and is so gorgeous. A perfect size for flowers or just to look pretty.

I hope you are still enjoying hearing about my additions to my Utility China collection it has sort of become second nature to show new things on here. One of these days I might even do an updated complete collection photoshoot - please do let me know if you would like to see it in all its pretty pastel coloured glory and I will do my very best!

I'd love to know :: what are you collecting at the moment?

XG

Rustling Something Up...

The other evening at the boyfriends house, we decided to make some yummy wraps for dinner.

This was our little spread below...

He wanted chicken, I wanted haloumi (possibly my favourite thing to eat in the world) so we compromised and made both! Not just chicken and haloumi but we threw in some roasted peppers too for good measure, oh and a bit of greenery. 

If you can't tell whats what in the photo, the haloumi has the griddle marks and the chicken has a southern fried coating...I just realised its pretty hard to distinguish them from each other.

A squeeze of light mayo...

and enjoy...

We also made some sort of milkshake/smoothie concoction from a ripe banana, strawberries and some apple juice...which meant we got to use our IKEA smoothie glasses for the first time. Anything other than a smoothie in these just wouldn't seem right.

What are you having for dinner tonight?

XG

A Few Of My Favourite Things

I'm sharing a few of my favourite things today, some little things that make me happy...pretty details from my bedroom...

I still love this clock, I've had it since I was about 10 and my mum bought it for me years ago. Its such an old fashioned style, but that pastel pink colour is just perfect, and even better than that, this is an alarm clock actually wakes me up! I keep it on my bedside.

Along with a rather lovely green provence rose Cath Kidston washbag which was a very generous gift from a couple of lovely ladies. My room is mainly pastel colours with a bit of red florals thrown in for good measure, so it sits looking pretty along with the clock, and it also handily holds some rather boring bits and pieces like moisturiser and deoderant...I thought it was a good place to hide them!

My two favourite nail varnishes of the moment are also on the bedside table. A pastel pink and pale brown, which I am wearing a lot these days, especially on my toes, although it would be kinda nice to break out the sandals again to see them, but the weathers just not playing ball is it! 

I also keep this pink swallow bird brooch with the nail varnishes, I bought it from Folksy sometime last year I think, and up until recently had forgotten about it, so when I came across it I put it somewhere that I'd see it and therefore it would get more use, so far, its working. Its a really nice piece to pretty up a cardigan, and I have seen loads of other lovely pastel colours for sale at Acorn and Will, so do go and have a little look there if you'd like a brooch of your own. 

Before the bedside the brooch was in this little floral china saucer of goodies - I keep my rings, hair clips, brooches and necklaces in here. The scrabble ring was made for me by the lovely Juli at Pretty Little Jewels, thanks Juli!

Lastly, in the bathroom I have this little enamel dish of Cath Kidston bath stuff. I found the dish at a vintage fair, and amazingly the Cath Kidston stuff was found boxed and unused in a charity shop a few months ago. Of course though, these things are not to actually be used, oh no just for display and to be admired from afar. 

Does anyone else do this with nice products? You know, nice soaps that never leave the packaging...things that just sit on display because they are far too nice to be used.

Tell me you do the same!

XG

A Good Hair Day

So this morning I needed to be at work at 8:30, instead of nine. I usually wash my hair every day as its so fine and can get greasy within a day (I know its supposed to be bad for your hair, but sometimes mine reeeeeeallly needs it!) but today I sacrificed my clean hair for extra time in bed!

Good Move!

As a result I ended running late and just up pulling my hair into this messy side bun, which is now one of my new favourite ways to wear my hair for work.

What do you think?

I added a little bow hair clip to pretty it up and it ended up being a surprisingly good hair day! 

So I'm thinking maybe more sleep and hopefully, more good hair days should follow...

Anyway, right now I am sitting and enjoying a lovely cuppa from this china (these are my favourite bits to use daily) and the other day I found a Greydawn plate for £1 in a charity shop, so although my Utility China collecting has slowed down a bit, I am still finding some lovely things for not very much money at all :) Happy Days!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

What are you up to?

X

Pretties For Pennies

Its nice when you find something lovely for very little isn't it?

That moment when you decide that this is something you simply must have, kinda like this blouse I found on eBay going for 99p with seconds to spare. I couldn't bid fast enough!!

Its just a nude coloured bow front blouse with a black horse shoe print. Its a Primark blouse, which I guess is why it was priced so low, but I thought it was really lovely and for just 99 tiny pence it was definitely going to be mine! 

My other treasure of the week :: this Meakin Glamour Celeste serving dish.

I was in a charity shop that was new to me, and I spotted it in the "back room". It was on a shelf and I couldn't quite tell whether it was what I thought it was, or whether it was plastic. I was hovering by the "threshold" of the back room, trying not to step over the line...wondering whether to ask if I could see it or not, when one of the volunteers walked in and I grabbed my chance.

"Excuse me, could I just have a look at something on that shelf please?"

Now I know it is sort of forbidden to enter the back room, but I went for it, the volunteer said yes, I picked up the dish..yes it was china and yes...it was in good condition. Grubby, but no chips!

I took it out of the room and over to the til to ask how much it was...

"Err, two pounds then"

:)

Yippee!

Lastly, but by no means leastly, I spent one hundred pennies on this beautiful floral china plate the other day... I couldn't leave it on the shelf now could I!?

XG

Today I...

Here are some snippets from my day today.

Today I...

Strung up the oilcloth bunting I made for my mum. Possibly the simplest bunting I've ever made, just oilcloth cut into triangles then attached to some bias binding. The fabrics match the ones in the kitchen so I strung it up along the window.

Today I...

Wore my hair like this ::

A messy side bun with a pretty vintage looking hairslide.

Today I...

Had some cuddles with this little man and then watched him fall asleep on my bed! The cheek!

Today I...

Made Pitta Pizzas for dinner :)

Just take a pitta bread, spread with tomato puree mixed with a little ketchup, grate some cheese over the top and pop your choice of topping on! I went for yellow peppers and red onion. 

Serve with some green beans...yummy, and I'm pretty sure it must be healthier than a pizza?

Tell me I'm right! Am I right?!

What have you done today?

XG

Bake-a-Boo

If you read my birthday posts last month then you will know that there was one part of my birthday that didn't quite go to plan, and something I was waiting to do. What I was waiting for was a trip to Bake-a-Boo bakeshop and tearoom in West Hampstead. 

I planned to go on the afternoon of my birthday but it was completely fully booked and it was chucking it down, so I went home pretty disappointed that it didn't go to plan. So today I had a day off from work, and my mum and I went this afternoon.

The window display is lovely, all the homemade cakes, vintage style sweeties, flowers and china.

Cupcakes! Yum!

Its a really pretty little tearoom, quite small compared to where I work, but just as lovely inside.

I ordered a raspberry cupcake and my mum had Victoria Sponge. Both were really lovely, and a lot of the cakes are gluten and wheat free, so thats handy to know if you have allergies.

Tea was served in pretty miss-matched china, and in a sweet floral teapot.

Pretty isn't it?

I think my cupcake was gluten free, but I just picked it because it looked pretty - and yummy - of course, and it really was!

The tearoom is decorated with paper bunting and some very clever doily bunting too - basically just doilies folded over some string, so not that clever, but I'd never seen it before! I really liked the artwork on the walls too, nice cakey photographs.

There is a big table at the back of the shop, for larger parties, but it is really quite small and very quaint. Even the loo was pink and cute!

They also serve things like crumpets, teacakes, and ice creams, but nothing lunchy - if you were thinking of going for lunch!

Mmmmm

So all in all a lovely afternoon, great tea and delicious cakes in a really pretty and vintage atmosphere.

I thought I'd show you my £5 bargain dress I got the other day, and wore to Bake-a-Boo.

Its navy blue with a pink floral print and a lovely white lacey collar. I think collars like this are so sweet and vintagey.

A little bit house on the prairie maybe?

I wore my pastel pink rose ring and this daisy ball necklace. 

Hope you enjoyed the visit to Bake-a-Boo, do check it out if you are in the area, but of course, if you are in the area you should really come to the gorgeous Emporium first! :)

X