Opps I Did It Again

Its confirmed I have absolutely no self control when it comes to shopping abroad!

I've just got back from a flying visit to Paris, I got in late last night had a presentation this morning and then managed to sneak in a trip to the Vallee Village which is an outlet village similar to Bicester Village. As lovely as the Vallee Village is it is the Vallee Europe mall that gets me every time and to be honest it is one particular store...the huge SUPERMARKET!!! I can spend literally hours wandering the aisles. Today it was the

fish counter that caught my eye the most.

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I truly believe that if we had fish counters like this in UK supermarkets more people could be persuaded to try fish and most importantly try different types of fish rather than stick to the old over fished favourites. Everything on the counter looked delicious and was affordable.

As its not really practical to take fish on a plane I had treat myself to something a little more portable...and what better than some marzipan fruit and veg! They count towards my 5 a day right!?

I did pop into a few other shops while I was there (it would have been rude not to!) and I am not the new owner of the perfect party outfit...

Top - Zara

Skirt - Zara

Necklace - Maje

Bag - Bershka

I did also buy the best black trousers from Zara, I have been on a black trouser mission since last winter and finally I have found them...slim fitting, super flattering and not too long for a shorty like me!

Age But Not Before Beauty!

Last Tuesday I headed off for the much lauded Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Racecourse and boy did it live up to the hype...I came away with not only a ton of inspiration, but also some truly unique pieces - a very pink fox fur hat, a pretty silk handkerchief, green glass necklace and a beautiful brooch for my Mum for Christmas (not shown here - no peaking Mum!)

I can't wait for winter to arrive so I have an excuse to wear my unashamedly pink hat!

There was an incredible amount of spectacular furniture, but unfortunately it will be a while before I have a house big enough to fit my favorites!

Trial and Error

I finally got around to making up one of my tapestry glasses cases...but it didn't quite turn out quite as planned. Overall I was pretty pleased with the outcome, it looks just how I hoped. The only problem was cutting down the extra fabric meant cutting some of the stitching meaning it immediately frayed. Hey ho, live and learn...fingers crossed the next one will turn out better.

Not one for the Etsy store!

Remember Remember The 5th of November

This past weekend I went to my first fireworks show in a few years. My brothers, my friend (who also happens to be going out with one of my brothers!) me and the BF paid our £5 and headed off to Ravenscourt Park. The event was brilliantly organised and the fireworks were ace!

The only thing that was missing were a pair of these awesome Kate Spade mittens!

After the fireworks we trotted back to 102 for a delicious (if I do say so myself!) Chilli Con Carne, recipe (with a few tweaks) courtesy of Waitrose...yum scrums!

Exciting

I am so excited today as I have been given one of the original movie posters for Black Swan.

I totally fell in love with this poster when the movie was released, now I have to work out where to hang it and in what frame!

A Little Dollop Of Inspiration

I am still beavering away on my cushion cover...at this rate it might just be ready for Christmas! I did work out that if I sold it based on me being paid minimum wage for the amount of time I've taken over it, I would have to sell it for, wait for it...£133.95!! A little steep - if your lucky I'll throw the cushion in for free!

So, I either need to get speedier at my sewing or look to tackle slightly smaller projects. I was mulling over this dilemma I came across this in Grazia (17th October Issue) and there it was - clutch bags. I've made a few in the past and this was the perfect piece to reignite my interest.

My fav is the pink and white bag in the middle which looks remarkably like a laptop/iPad case to me.

Who Knew...

Yikes - its been quite a while! I've had the last couple of days off work in attempt to spend some time working on projects for my etsy store. I am mid way through a cushion cover that has been inspired by a good friend, but seriously, who knew tapestry takes so long!?! I also gave crocheting a go. The idea was to make a beanie, but again, who knew crochet was so complicated!? I am sure it wasn't this difficult when I was a kid! Pictures to follow...

Wonderful Weekend

I decided to extend the already long bank holiday weekend by taking Friday and Monday off. On Friday I ventured out to the country to stay with a friend and her beautiful 7 month old baby. We kicked off with lunch at the local farm shop and then headed to Wellington Country Park for a walk around the lake. Although we were waterproofed and wellied up to the max the rain thankfully stayed away.

We finished off the day with a film - Morning Glory - and I can quite honestly say it is one of the worst films I have EVER seen in my life!

The weekend carried on in the same laid back vein with brunch at Baker & Spice in Chelsea. I've not been there for quite some time so I was pleased that the food is still as good as I remember.

With my tummy full of scrambled eggs I set off to Poole in Dorset to see my Mum and Dad. We had a lovely walk along the quay and around the old town before indulging in fish and chips on the harbour wall. Why is it that Fish and Chips always taste best by the sea?! On Monday morning we attempted to go into Swanage, but the bank holiday traffic had other ideas...so we ended up in Tyneham. The history behind Tyneham is absolutely fascinating, it was taken over by the army during WWII to be used as a firing range and the villagers have never been allowed back. As well as this incredibly sad story Tyneham also boasts one of the most beautiful coves (in

my opinion!) in the Purbecks.

To round out my very long weekend my sister and her boyfriend came over for brunch this morning and I tried out a Nigella recipe on them both - Baked Croque Monsieur...I think they liked it!

Pretty Perfect

My Boyfriend (affectionately known as The Boy) arrived home from a short business trip to Versailles and he came bearing gifts!

Firstly the September issue of French Vogue which came with an exclusive Vogue's Fashion Night Out t-shirt. Fashion night out is September 8th this year. I'll be away in sunny Tenerife otherwise I would be there with bells on!

He also brought me back the gorgeous smelling L'Occitane Cherry Blossom bath & shower gel

Guess I better get a French-English dictionary so I can read the mag in the bath!

On top of these wonderful gifts I was also lucky enough to be taken to lunch at The River Cafeyesterday. I have been a couple of times before and it is a real treat...the food is always perfect. Yesterday I started with a buffalo mozzarella starter, followed by the most divine salmon with courgette fritti. By this point I was close t bursting, but you cannot go to River Cafe and not have their chocolate nemesis...even if you only have a bite!

A yummy lunch plus pressies from the boy plus the sun making an appearance equals a pretty perfect day!

Monday Night Pizza

I find going out to dinner on a Monday after work is one the most perfect ways to start the week...it gives you something to look forward to on that most difficult of work days. This Monday I headed to The Oak with two of my girlfriends. We had a delicious dinner of pizzas with wine and we even managed to squeeze in a little dessert...it would be rude not to right! You can't book a table at The Oak, but that gave us the perfect excuse to leave the office on time!

Sunny Saturday

I had a fantastic day at the cricket yesterday the sun was shining so much I even got a bit of a burnt nose...opps! The cricket was followed by catching up with old friends over a delicious home made middle eastern feast.

Today I got up early(ish) to see another friend and her gorgeous daughter. This was followed by a trip to Staples, Ikea, Hobbycraft and the supermarket. I finally got some plain white leaver arch files to replace the mish mash of files I've been collecting. In Ikea I picked up a lovely heavy set of velvet curtains to use as a front to my wardrobe...they are going to need to be taken up a little before I can hang them, fingers crossed I don't mess them up. I picked up some cross stitchfabric and thread at Hobbycraft. I am planning to make a glasses case.

I've been getting on with all my chores today listening to the radio on my brand new Roberts revival radio...I am obsessed with it!

In between all this running around I did manage to make myself a fairly healthy lunch of roasted peppers. I followed this recipe from Simon Hopkinson's The Good Cook...yums!

It's Just Not Cricket

Well today it is! I'm off to my first ever cricket match at The Oval. Even though I don't really understand the rules of cricket I have no doubt it is going to be a cracking day out and by a stroke of luck it has finally stopped raining...hooray! Now what to wear....?!

Starting Over

So, here I am starting over again and this time I hope to be a little more regular if you get my drift! The aim of this endeavour is to be a record of all the things I love and some random musings. I am kicking off with my dinner today! Courtesy of the lovely Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's River Cottage Eveyrday - hot new potato salad with bacon and onions. I savoured every delicious mouthful. It is the perfect sofa supper for one.

This tasty treat gave me the required energy to tackle a job that had been waiting for a few days...re-organising my book shelves! I had bought a couple extra shelves for my billy bookcase (www.ikea.com) to give me more shoe display room and I have to say I am pretty pleased with the result. Not a great picture, but you get the idea!

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