Happy New Year!

Well I don't really know what happened to December, it kind of flew by in a whirl of christmas shopping, nursery nativity plays, and bad christmas films, so I seemed to never get a chance to stop by here.  I hope in 2014 I'll find a bit more time to do more of the things I enjoy, like blogging. 

I'm not exactly a bore but I have to be honest I've not got any plans for new year's eve, I always find it's a bit over-hyped. (And actually I'm writing this from my sickbed so there'll definitely be no partying for me tonight, as I'm fighting off some sort of bug!) Anyway, I much prefer the promise of the new year ahead than the promise of a good night out, so tonight I'll just be chilling at home eating left over chocolates from christmas and working on my new year's resolutions. (I'm not very strict about keeping them but I like making them all the same!) 

So here's to a fabulous 2014 - I can't wait to find out what's in store! :)

Zara Knitwear

Zara is one of those shops I just never shop in - there's not really one local to me, I'd have to go into London or to the nearest large shopping mall to find a store (and it's fair to say my days of hanging around Watford shopping centre spending my clothing allowance are well gone - with two small kids I'm more of an internet shopper now!) and for some reason I hardly ever think to look at their website. Which is silly really because I actually really like their style - minimalist, subtle detailing, affordable... what's not to like!?

Case in point, this amazing knit jumper that I really, really want! With it's cool, utilitarian look, perfectly chunky neckline, and available in blue or grey (which will of course go with everything) I can't think of a better way to stay warm this winter! 

Zara Reversible Knit Sweater, £35.99

Cool Cable

How neat are these USB cables for iPhone/iPod! A perfect little stocking filler (I can't believe I keep referring to Christmas already, it's obviously going to be one of those years when I get really into the festive mood - do you have some years like that, when you're really into it, and others when you're not so much!?) Anyway, I'm digressing, again! 

I just came across these from Urban Cottage Industries and I think they're such a cool twist on something which is usually just so functional. I'm definitely feeling the black and white, and the red and white cables. There's a whole range of colours to choose from.. check them out here.

Black & White, £9

Red & White, £9

Fuschia Pink, £9

Craft Book

The seasons are definitely turning, there's a chill in the air this morning that I've not really noticed yet. Autumn's been flying by this year, and there was definitely christmas music playing when I was in M&S on the weekend! Yikes! Mind you, I do love the festive season so once all the birthdays are been and gone in our house (November's a busy time!) I'm happy to look ahead to December and start thinking about christmas shopping.  I try to take time to think about what to buy for people - make a list and then go looking online & out and about for what I want to buy, rather than hot foot it to the shops in a buying frenzy. And, as always, I think I'd like to get crafty this year but it doesn't always happen. For my birthday I got this fab crafty DIY book so I'd love to be able to give some homemade presents this year, fingers crossed I manage it this year!

It's a lovely book by Ana Alicia, who runs her own jewellery & accessories business. I can't wait to give these projects a go, I particularly like the cork pin boards, which would also make good coasters if made with smaller cork mats. I'd definitely recommend this book for your christmas list! x

Post Birthday

If you've got kids you'll probably be doing what I have been doing so far this week... enjoying a break from legging it to nursery everyday, trying to think of exciting, family fun activities and days out where not everyone else off on half term will also be, and drinking a lot of tea! As an added bonus Mec has taken this week off work so it's been nice having him around and hanging out altogether. 

The past few days have also been well-earned rest after the craziness of Tabby's birthday on the weekend. 4 year olds know how to party! It was a fun weekend though and everyone enjoyed the homemade birthday cake. I was really pleased with how it turned out, it tasted great and was certainly pink so ticked all the important boxes! You'll have to excuse the pictures, my iPhone screen is totally smashed and the camera is slowly dying (hmm, time for an upgrade!?) but you can get the gist... I'm not a fan of buttercream icing but it was a nice and simple way to decorate the cake and achieve the compulsory pink colour, and a good tip which I discovered on a foodie blog somewhere was to flavour/colour the icing with raspberry coulis instead of red food colouring - nice and natural, and tastes  good too!

Tabby Turns 4!

There's a definitely buzz of energy in our household this afternoon, as Tabitha turns 4 tomorrow! She's beyond excited of course, and I have to say I'm quite excited too! I've got a little list of things to do later once the kids are in bed - bake a cake, put up decorations, wrap her presents - which right now I really don't have the energy to do, but after a brief sit down and a glass of wine I think it'll be a fun evening as Mec and I get elbow deep in pink icing and hundreds and thousands (more about the cake below...)! I can't believe my baby girl is turning 4 already, time is just going by so fast!

I have been thinking a lot about what sort of cake to do for our family birthday tea tomorrow (Tabby really wants a pink princess cake so for her party next week I'm going for a shop-bought option which should fulfil a 4yr olds dream of a perfect princess birthday cake!) but for tomorrow I thought something a little more homemade (and a little more edible!) would be best, so after a quick look through some foodie blogs, I found a couple of pictures for inspiration! I'll let you know how I get on :)

                              

                          

Ankle Boots

Boots, boots, boots! I seem to be on a mission for shoes at the moment and since coming to a decision on trainers I'm now on the hunt for the perfect pair of ankle boots. As usual I sort of knew in my head what I was looking for but couldn't really put my finger on it until I spotted them, but ta da, these boots from Mint Velvet are spot on! Mid height heel, not too chunky, in slightly beaten up looking brown leather - so perfect - and I especially like the gold zip on the inside of the ankle (although you might have to take my word for that seeing as you can't see it here!)

At £139 they're a bit pricey but I think generally you can't go wrong investing in a good pair of leather boots - I happened to wear some mid calf brown leather boots this weekend that are 3 years old and still going strong, although argueably in need of reheeling perhaps!

They come in grey too (very nice!) but I think for me the brown is more versatile. It's a close call though!

My Weekend

Hello, how was your weekend? Mine was busy but fun, with a good mix of family time and me time, which was nice. I was up and out early on saturday morning, braving the rain to take Tabby to her ballet class. It's an early start for a weekend but once we're there and I've woken up a bit it's so sweet to see my girl all pretty in her pink ballet gear and she loves it so much! (Saturday coming it'll be her 4th birthday so we're going to take in little cakes for all her ballet friends!)

Then later in the afternoon I took a trip into London with my mum for a girls outing - a quick wander round the shops of Oxford St, followed by a child-free dinner and a gig at The Borderline, off Soho Sq. We went to see Ahab (no, I'd not heard of them either but they were really good) and it was a great gig.  A couple of pics below - great musicians, good performers and (hopefully my husband is not reading this) quite easy on the eye too! You can't tell from these pictures but trust me :)

Then on Sunday I headed over to Chelmsford with the kids to see some friends - it was a crazy morning of masking making, pizza eating, face painting fun and a good time was had by all I think! Thanks for hosting C! x

I hope you had a good weekend too!

Hooray for the Weekend And My Little Guy

Sometimes it's good to slow down... Life has just seemed so busy recently - from when I get up with the kids at 7am, to when they go to bed at 7pm, it's feels like I barely sit down! So today, after taking the kids to a toddler group this morning, rushing back for lunch, putting Sam down for a nap, getting Sam up from his nap, dropping Tabby off at nursery, heading out to the shops to do some secret shopping for Tabby's 4th birthday next week, then popping home for a quick snack and nappy change (Sam obviously, not me!!) before nursery pick up, I finally slowed things down a bit and decided to take a nice, slow walk to collect Tabby from nursery, and Sam and I had so much fun! 

I'm really enjoying this stage, Sam is 18 months old now and he is such a happy chappy! He's into everything - scooting on his sister's scooter, playing peekaboo (our new favourite game, which I love as "boo" is currently his only word apart from "mamma"!) and just generally finding the fun in everything we do - it's a joy to see. 

We've got a few things on this weekend so I guess there's no rest for the wicked but I'm definitely going to try and remind myself to just slow things down once in a while, as generally it's the little things that are the good things, right!? Have a good weekend! x

Caroline Z Hurley Textiles

I think I love printed textiles just as much as I love paper prints (I've always got my eye on a print I'd like for my home) and so I was delighted to discover these wonderful table runners and tea towels by Caroline Z Hurley last week.  Hand printed in her studio in Brooklyn, these simple geometric designs are block printed onto linen and have great little finishing touches like neon stitching - it's all in the detail right!? I think the red neon triangles runner would be a great alternative look for a christmas table!

Falling Confetti Tea Towels in Grey and Turquiose

I bought some black fabric paint recently in a bid to give block printing a go but I've yet to get stuck in. Now I've come across these I'm feeling newly inspired.  As much as I would like to purchase these for my home, sometimes my budget can't always stretch to meet my wishlist!

(Also on my wish list are these napkins from A Sunny Afternoon :) )

My Weekend

How was your weekend? Mine was a subdued one. Without going into too much detail, I attended a memorial service for a family member who recently passed away suddenly. It was a sad event, especially since it was in honor of a life cut tragically short. Sometimes life really can seem very unfair and quite random in it's twists and turns. It was a sad time but also heartwarming to see family and friends share stories and memories together.  If there's one thing I took away from the day, it's that family and friends are so important and that you owe it to yourself to make everyday count, in whatever way works for you.

Image via drbillwooten.com

New Trainers Part 2

So I did some very important trainer research yesterday, which basically meant spending half an hour in Office trying on lots of shoes (a well timed half hour I might add, as the excitement of going into town on the bus had worn Sam out and he napped in the buggy the whole time... hooray!) and I successfully made a decision about which trainers to get (I am the world's worst decision maker!).

It's definitely going to be New Balance U420s - sporty enough for a new look, but still slim enough not to look too heavy or masculine. My favourite were these grey and yellow pair. Or if I can't hold of those then this navy pair with grey would be perfect too. Just dropping loud hints to Mec now about wanting to get them sooner rather than later for my birthday!

I did really like the colours on this pair of WR996s - I loved the navy and pink, which added some femininity to the style, but I found them to be a bit chunkier than the 420s and so I didn't like the overall look on me.

I can't wait to get my hands on a pair soon!

Have a good weekend x