2 simple outfits

shoes - clarks, skirt - h&m, t-shirt - h&m, cardigan - cath kidston.

shoes - clarks, skirt- h&m, t-shirt - h&m, cardigan - cath kidston

I finally feel like wearing some more colour now. I know spring is far from here, but we are getting more sunshine (so much sunshine that my solar powered garden lights keep coming on!) so I feel the need for colourful tights. I also love this cardigan, it was such a great buy in the Cath Kidston sale. It was still expensive(ish) at £32, but it's such good quality and I know it'll be in my wardrobe for a long, long time. As I get older I seem to be buying less clothes, but better quality. Like I don't even enter Primark anymore - I'd much rather buy some Tabio or M&S tights for the quality. The same with my shoes - I'd rather buy a pair from Clarks or Jones than Primark. Infact, these Clarks shoes were SUCH a great bargain! My Mum treated me to them whilst I was on my placement and not working. She got them for just £12! Each time I wear them she likes to brag about how great she is at buying me things haha.

This week I cannot stop listening to Los Campesinos! new album, Romance is Boring. I was listening to it in my car on the way to work the other day and it is SO good, I did not want to get out of my car. I haven't been this excited about a new album since I was a teenager probably. The lyrics are so good, it's slightly less twee than their first album, which I loved, but is miles miles better than their second album, which I just couldn't get into really. There are so many quotable one liners that just keep getting stuck into my head and I feel like scrawling them all over my notes in Uni when I get bored, but then I remember I'm not in school any more. I urge everyone to have a listen to it on Spotify and then buy it if you love it like I do. 

Label love

I love Sonia Rykiel, and her diffusion line Sonia by Sonia Rykiel. She set up her first boutique on the Parisian left bank in 1968 and has been designing perfectly chic and french-inspired clothes ever since. I love how playful her clothes seem, yet not too childish either. When I was in Paris, I visited Printemps and drooled over her clothes and wished that I had enough money to buy something so that I could say I bought some Sonia Rykiel from Paris. I didn't, but I still get really excited when I see her new season stuff. One of the great things about her is that it doesn't seem out of reach - you can be inspired by her and appliqué your own old sweater, add a lot of bows to a stripy t-shirt, or some sequins to an old sweater, for your own slice of Parisian chic. 

My make-up essentials

I have a very streamlined make up bag. (Well, maybe more than some people but less than most I think!). I don't wear make up everyday, because as a teenager I had bad acne and the dermatologist drummed it into me not to wear make up everyday and I really do think it's good to give your skin a break. Some days I just wear a bit of lipstick, some days nothing. I think it's partly because I can be lazy too! I'd rather spend an extra 10 minutes in bed than applying make up. Still, in the past 2 years or so I have become more interested in make up than usual (especially lipsticks!). These are my make up essentials.

Bourjois blusher in Rose ambdre
Clinique superfit make up in neutral
Clinique almost powder in neutral
Benefit some kind-a gorgeous
Marks & Spencer foundation & powder brushes

I've always used clinique foundation, mainly because my Mum does also. It may seem pricey but I think they do some really good products for different skin types and this super-fit make up is oil-free and long wear so suits me really well! I use a little bit of powder over it just to make it set. On really lazy days, I just wipe a bit of the benefit some kind-a gorgeous over my face to even my complexion slightly and it works wonders considering how little I use. It's good for days when I want light coverage too. I've always used bourjois blusher so I can't really compare it to anything, but it lasts ages and also smells nice!

L-R Mac lipstick in spice is nice

Mac lipstick in satin brave

Mac lipstick in amplified brick-o-la

Collection 2000 Colour extreme in sultry

Chanel Rouge Allure in audace

I love lipsticks. They really make me feel like a lady. I still use lipglosses and balms, but to me some of them can be sticky and gloopy and bleh. I also hate it when your hair blows everywhere and gets stuck in your lipgloss - not a sexy look at all. My favourite everyday lipstick is the Mac Brave. It is a lovely pink shade. I wore it for my sister's wedding and it gives just enough colour but not too much. My other favourite is the Chanel, but I reserve that for special occassions.

Benefit badgal waterproof mascara in black

Mac eye kohl in smoulder

Clinique lash power mascara in black onyx

No7 stayperfect eyeshadow palette in twilight

I don't really use much eye make up. Most days nothing. Sometimes just a smidgen of eye-liner and a brush of mascara. I always think sometimes that when you wear a bold lipstick, eye make up just looks too much at the same time. Plus, I have very small eyelids (thanks to my father) so eye-shadow is never visible! I have to say I think that the benefit mascara is a bit disappointing. A bit gloopy for me. The clinique stuff was a sample I received from one of their bonus times and it is definitely better. Lancome Hypnose mascara is also very good, because my sister has that, so I think when I finish with the benefit I will either get some clinique or lancome. Do you have any recommendations for me?

What do you keep in your make-up bag? Is it a huge collection or just a group of essentials like mine? What make up items could you NOT live without?! Oh and my make up bag is Cath Kidston (of course). It's the perfect size for my modest collection

Goodbye January!

Can you believe it's February already? I have completed one month of my 365 project and I am feeling quite proud of it! There are days of course where I don't do anything exciting at all and it results in a photo of my dogs or my room, but hey. At the end of the year I want it to be a true reflection of what I've got up to so I guess there will be some boring photos and some exciting ones too. Through my photos I see a theme emerging that represents my life somewhat: dogs, baking and books! January has been a strange month, it kind of went by in a flash but also changed me lots because of my placement in the libraries. I now feel even more motivated towards qualifying as a librarian and finding my dream job in a public library. How has January been for everyone else? I hope everyone is as optimistic about 2010 as I am now! After all, we've managed to say goodbye to the recession and a Tesco branch has banned people from shopping in their pyjamas, so things can only get better!

Carrot cake

I've been making carrot cake for a long time now. I never used to like it until I met Scott, and he told me it was his favourite cake. I think it was the thought of carrots in cake that just made me feel a bit funny. I've also become a huge fan of cinnamon and spiced cakes as I've got older, making carrot cake even more appealing. So I've made plenty of carrot cakes in the past 3 years and I've tried many different recipes. For a while, Rachel Allen's recipe was a strong favourite (using an orange buttercream instead of her cream cheese icing). Then, of course, I tried the Hummingbird Bakery recipe and have never turned back. It is so easy. It was Scott's birthday on Tuesday and when asked what cake he wanted, he replied 'carrot cake'. No surprises there! I used the hummingbird recipe, including their recipe for cream cheese frosting, but added a bit of orange zest upon Scott's request.

Ingredients

300gs soft light brown sugar

3 eggs

300ml sunflower oil

300g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarb

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra to decorate

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

300g carrots, grated

100g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus extra whole to decorate

Preheat the oven to gas mark 3, 170c

Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all ingredients are well incorporated (don't worry if the mixture looks slightly split) slowly add the flour, bicarb, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.

Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts by hand, until they are evenly dispersed.

Pour the mixture into 2 or 3 prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (for 3 cake tins) or about 30-40 minutes for 2 cake tins (or until golden brown and sponge bounces back)

Leave to cool slightly in the tins before turning out.

ICING

600g icing sugar

100g unsalted butter at room temp.

250g cream cheese, cold

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium high speed. continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

Ice the cake with the frosting and decorate with the whole walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

^this is from when I did it using 2 cake tins

I actually recommend just using 2 cake tins after trying it both ways. The cooking times are slightly longer and you need to be careful the outside of the cake does not burn, but it is a lot easier for icing and layering. For Scott's birthday, the cake came out a bit wonky! It added character but for a more professional finish I would either get dowel rods to support the layers, or just do 2 layers.

Floral dress

Another floral dress! I actually counted up how many I have now and it amounts to 8. However, I have no floral skirts whatsoever which is quite odd. But I have a huge amount of polka dot skirts. Also, I only ever buy stripes on t-shirts. This makes for quite an uncoordinated wardrobe and I am not brave enough to mix patterns.

The dress is from New Look, which actually has a rather nice selection these days, despite it's slightly chavvy image. They're also doing 20% student discount at the moment which was a nice surprise, making this dress only £20. It was certainly worth getting into an argument with a woman over queueing over!

I wore it with this new necklace from Topshop that says I love tea on it. I can't stop pretending to sip it and stir it. Why are things so much nicer in miniature?

What's in my bag?

I have returned to Uni now and the difference between my work placement and Uni is huge. I really can't wait to enter the world of work. I found it quite hard having to concentrate from 10-4. I don't think I deal well with just being talked to for hours. I got my results back from last semester though and I have improved as the year has gone on so this motivates me to try to do well this semester. I decided to get an early night on Sunday night and pack my bag (an old Sunday evening routine for as long as I can remember/have been in education). The above is what I packed in my bag for my first day back at Uni.

• Yellow leather gloves - because Liverpool can be very cold.
• Celia Birtwell flask for coffee.
• Red pocket moleskine diary for writing in my homework and assignments.
• A clockwork orange - essential to have a book for the train journey.
• New notepad!
• House & car keys.
• Cath Kidston pencil case
• Cath Kidston purse
• Miss Dior Cherie L'eau perfume
• Vaseline rosy lips & bodyshop lipbalm
• Hairbrush
• Cath Kidston rail card holder.
• USB stick
• Phone

What are your essentials for work or Uni? I also realised that I really need to pack tissues in my bag after the coffee dripping down the flask and getting other things in my bag a mess! And also headache tablets, because I am so prone to them, especially when trying to concentrate for so long.

I know I keep apologising for not posting, but whilst I am on placement, I am working full time in a local library and when I come home, I often don't want to carry on staring at a screen when I've been doing that all day too. So, my poor little blog has been slightly neglected. This is my last week on my placement though, so by next week things might get back to normal. It has made me think that when I do enter the real world of work, I may have to close the blog. That probably won't be a for a while yet though, so do not fear!

In between my placement, I have still been doing project 365 which is going really well. You can see it on my flickr here. (Feel free to add me on flickr, I update that quite regularly). On Sunday, for my 365 photo, I took a photo of myself all ready to go out to watch Scott's friends band support OKGo. They were superb. I used my new bag from Asos, that is wonderful and mustardy and such soft leather. I love it. I really want a proper doctor's bag now.

Dress - New Look
Shoes - Jones
Coat - Topshop Petite
Scarf - Cath Kidston
Bag - Asos

Lately I have been wearing a uniform of black and grey with splashes of red, but I feel that once the spring arrives, I'll have to dig out the floral patterns to celebrate the occasion.

How is everyone anyhow? How is 2010 treating you so far?

My desk

For some reason I appear to have an infatuation with taking photos at my desk. I guess it's because I spend quite a lot of time there - between writing essays and blogging. On my desk there is nearly always a mug (got to have a cup of tea to keep me going!). Occasionally there are cakes and treats. I always like candles on my desk to make my room seem super cosy when I watch DVDs or iPlayer from my bed. I've also become fond of using my wall above the desk as a make-shift notice board. I keep my calendars, family photos, post it notes, old ticket stubs and pretty photos on my wall. This has grown quite a bit in the past few months hmmm. Some say it's cluttered but I like it. I'm a cancerian so I am a hoarder, and a sentimental hoarder at that, so it comforts me in some way.

What's on your desk? Are you a hoarder or a minimalist?

Snow!

I'm sure everyone is probably sick of snow photos now, but today was the first proper snow day we had in the north-west here, as the snow before Christmas never really stuck. Today we had about 6 inches all together! I had started my work placement, but got sent home early as the libraries all shut early and I'm off tomorrow too. I took advantage of the afternoon off and took the dogs out in the snow (they really love it).

I wore my new red wellies from Father Christmas and my trusty earmuffs to brave the cold. All afternoon is snowed really heavily. I enjoyed the snow for today but I hope it melts away soon - driving was so horrible - my car skidded and then stalled just as I was turning into my street! Scary! Luckily I escaped any bad accidents but I know others haven't been as lucky.

365:2010

Happy new year! I wonder what 2010 will bring everyone. I've decided to take part in project 365 in order to document my year - I kind of wanted to do it from my 21st birthday, but then I forgot about it. New Years are always a good time to start a new project though. I will try to do a weekly round-up here, or you can add me on flickr to follow my progress.

Here are my first 2 days. On New Year's day, we had family round for a big roast dinner which is our tradition. I made carrot cake and it was very, very popular! No leftovers at all. Yesterday I went for tapas with Scott, then we went to the Playhouse to watch the 39 Steps, it was very good.

Is anyone else going to take part in 365? Good luck if you are! I hope I manage to keep up with it!

Farewell 2009, hello 2010

I hope 2009 has been fabulous for you all. I think we can all agree however that 2010 will be indefinitely better! 2009 has been such a busy year for me - graduating, turning 21 and finally figuring out what I want to do with my life. Here's a quick recap of what 2009 was to me -

January - Wearing my new favourite hat. Studying hard in the library for exams. Starting my final semester at Uni. Trying to think of grand ideas for my future.

February - Snow! Being snowed in and unable to get to uni. Reading lots of American fiction. Eyeing up the fall-winter collections on style.com.

March - Welcoming spring. Getting the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook (my kitchen has never been the same since). Celebrating my Grandad's 85th birthday with a teaparty. Watching Scott run the Liverpool Half Marathon.

April - Busy busy with lots of Uni work. Celebrating Easter with chocolate eggs, beetroot cake and nest cupcakes. Having my haircut short and then regretting it.

May - Finishing Uni!! Enjoying the start of summer. Visiting Crosby beach. Enjoying the Bank Holiday monday in Sefton Park.

June - Visiting my friend Emma in York. Betty's macaroons. Did work experience in a school and realised I did not want to be a teacher at all. Ever.

July - Such a busy month! Always my favourite month though. Turned 21. Graduated from University with a 2:1 in English Literature & Language. Visited Paris with Scott. Picked strawberries. Hosted my first giveaway and had my first blog birthday too.

August - Visited Harrogate with my family and had afternoon tea at Betty's. Went to the local ice cream farm and saw cute pygmy goats. Applied for my Librarianship masters and got accepted.

September - Started uni again. Quiet month - back to school. Baked a fair amount of cupcakes.

October - Visited the pumpin farm twice. Carved said pumpkins and also made lots of pumpkin soup. Experimented with the primrose bakery cookbook but returned to the Hummingbird. Celebrated autumn.

November - Visited London to see my friend Emma. Good Food Show. Portobello Road. Hummingbird Bakery. Lost in Nottinghill. Visited Bath and started to feel christmassy.

December - Such a busy month. Uni deadlines. Too much uni work. Christmassy cupcakes.

How has 2009 been for you? I am hoping that in 2010 I will finally start my career and have more spare time. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year.

*

Wow, it's been over 2 weeks with no post. I think that is the longest time I've gone without posting ever. Let's just say that doing a Master's and working in a theatre where Panto season has just started = madness. I have 5000 words due in on 4th January and I've also been working lots, serving ice cream and fizzy drinks to screaming kids. To be honest, it is only just starting to feel like christmas to me now. I have my little tree up and it's also snowing (slightly) outside. People are off work now and the house is stocked full of lovely food.

Of course, I haven't been too busy to bake some festive cupcakes.

I'm going to try to start catching up with your lovely blogs also and maybe squeeze in a few festive outfit posts too. Hope you are all well <3

Apologies/Bath

Apologies for disappearing for over a week, unannounced. Uni work got a little mad, combined with my few days of illness and trip to Bath, I had a fair bit of catching up to do. So I decided to take a break from the blog to focus on my work.

However, now that I've finished my modules for this semester, I am beginning to feel rather festive! Tonight I'm going to bake some festive cupcakes and maybe put up my little tree in my room. I had a lovely time in Bath too, despite the horrible wet weather. The christmas market was lovely, there were carol singers, mulled wine and lots of pretty christmas lights.

wearing: hat - helene berman, coat - topshop petites, skirt - h&m, tights - tabio, shoes - primark, bag - h&m

 

We stayed in an amazing Georgian house. It was a huge school house, converted into 3 holiday homes. I loved the steps and the windows. Oh how I love Georgian architecture.

The Christmas market had the most beautiful backdrop of the Roman baths and Bath abbey. The whole city is the perfect backdrop to a short christmas break. There are so many fantastic independent shops, but my two favourite shops in the whole of Bath are Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights and Gillards Tea & Coffee. I can't go to Bath without visiting either. I love supporting independent shops. Visiting Mr B's feels so much more personal and heartwarming than visiting a branch of Waterstones.

Bath!

I'm in Bath for a weekend of christmas shopping and admiring Georgian acrhitecture! It is really one of my favourite cities ever. These are some photos from when I came last year for a little break and fell in love with the city.

Do you have any favourite cities? Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Wearing on Wednesdays

I'm afraid I was naughty and skipped last week's Wearing on Wednesday's. Oops! I'm not sure if it will return next week either because I'm just recovering from a sprained muscle in my lower back and trying to catch up on uni work I've been missing. However, I thought I'd do a slight 'remix', showing how I've worn one piece of clothing in different ways. I'm afraid mine aren't as exciting as some others, but I like to think that I demonstrate how a capsule wardrobe can work by having a few key favourite colours and items you can mix and match. This skirt from h&m is one of my favourites, but unfortunately due to eating too many cupcakes it's slightly snug on me now :( I'm hoping that after christmas it will fit me more comfortably!

boots - topshop, t-shirt - h&m, cardigan - m&s

shoes - uo, t-shirt - h&m, cardigan - topshop

shoes - clarks, t-shirt - h&m, cardigan - zara

shoes - uo, shirt - h&m, cardigan - zara


shoes - m&s, t-shirt - zara, cardigan - topshop

Anyone see a theme emerging? Yes, I love t-shirts and cardigans and the colour combination of red & blue. In a way, this makes it easy to get dressed in the morning because I have so many mix and match combinations. This black skirt is the perfect casual black skirt and I love the shape of it. It looks great with heels and coloured tights, boots, black tights - pretty much everything! Every girl needs a little black skirt.

Mi familia

Inspired by Meaghan's post of old photos of her mother, and also questions about my connection to Spain, I decided to do a post about my maternal grandparents. You see, they are originally from Spain, hence my Spanish connection. My Mum and Aunt were born over here, but technically I am half Spanish (I used to get into many arguments with kids at school who told me I was only a quarter Spanish because my Mum is really English although she's not, she's just born here.)

My Nana had this huge biscuit tin that was full of photos of my Grandparents and other family in Spain. I used to get so excited whenever we got to look at it and I'd spend forever asking 'who's this?' and 'where's that?'. My Spanish family seemed so intriguing to me as a child, rather exotic and mysterious compared to the little northern industrial town I grew up in. Now, that tin is in my possession because I loved it so much.

This is my Grandad Pepe. This photo was taken in about the early 50s/late 40s I think. Doesn't he look so suave? This is my favourite photo of him ever - when I was little I always used to think he looked so smart, he had to be a gangster or something.

And this is my Nana & Grandad together. My Nana and Grandad's story is quite romantic/sad. My Nana's own mother died when she was young and she had a horrible stepmother. When my Nana & Grandad started courting, my Nana's stepmother decided that Pepe wasn't good enough for my Nana. They still carried on courting despite this and even got engaged. However, under the regime of Franco, my Grandad was very unhappy and decided to emigrate to England. (Well, originally he wanted to go to South America, but it was too expensive and hard to get there, so after a stint in Paris, he settled in England). My Nana & Grandad were still engaged at this point, and were actually engaged for 9 years (a very long time back then!). They got married whilst my Grandad was in England and my Nana back in Spain. They didn't have a real wedding ceremony, but once the papers were signed, my Nana was allowed to move to England to be with her husband. They've been married for nearly 60 years now. Sometimes I wish I could see the love letters that they sent to each other whilst seperated. The closest thing I've got is a photograph of my Nana sat on a boat and on the back in Spanish she's written 'I wish this boat could send me to you'.

Once settled in England, my Grandad got a job working in the mines and my Auntie and Mum were born in the 50s. The photo above is a photo of my Mum & Auntie, on holiday in Spain. My Mum is the youngest one, doesn't she look cute? I really like my Auntie's coat too.

This is a photo of my Nana, Grandad, Auntie and Mum, on a visit to family in Spain. My Mum is the little baby on the left with a dummy in. The old lady in the middle is my great-grandmother, my Grandad's mum. My Mum says this is the only time that she met her and it makes me so grateful that I grew up so close to my Nana & Grandad.

I've been to Spain to visit family twice, and I am so excited because in March I'm going again. My Nana & Grandad don't go as much anymore, because they're getting old, so I am really excited about a big family holiday, with my Mum, Sister, Brother-in-law, Nana and Grandad (my Dad has to stay at home to look after the dogs!).

Do you have any interesting or romantic family stories?

Starred

It's a rollover! Yes, there was no 'starred' last week so this is a double helping of delicious treats, fresh from my Google Reader.

Calivintage is fast becoming one of my favourite fashion blogs. Can you believe I've only just subscribed? She is the cutest thing. This was one of my favourite recent outfits, the blouse is just too lovely.

Yes, I appear to be obsessed with book art. These wreaths made from pages of old books are just too pretty! They would be lovely for christmas decorated with some glitter and festive baubles. Found via Apartment Therapy.

When I found out about Hygge, thanks to Harriet, I fell in love! I was so glad there was a word for making yourself all cosy in the winter and making the most of the shorter days. It's a Danish concept but I think even here in England we can all do with a bit of Hygge. It gets dark here at about 4pm now, and you even need the lights switched on from about 2pm, which gets so dreary and depressing, but if we try to bring a little Hygge into our life we can enjoy it more! Harriet lists some wonderful ideas, including long hot baths, baking cookies for friends and lighting candles.

Absolutely beautiful art installation by Shane Waltener, found via Pia Jane Bijkerk.

I am so jealous of Chelsea's super cute Swedish holiday cottage! I love the brightness of it and how fresh it looks. I really do love scandinavian style.

Illustrated guide for what to pack to Paris. Stylish and practical! I have the same conundrum with shoes and always end up packing far too much and never end up wearing the party shoes that I take with me haha. Found via The Paris Blog, which makes me swoon over Paris everyday.

I really loved this girl's huge oversized cardigan, especially how colourful it was. Then, I spotted this rather similar version on Miss Selfridge! However, at £60 I think it's a bit overpriced so the search for a great oversized cardigan continues...

Sesame Street turns 40 and Bakerella celebrates with cake pops of course! How adorable are these at all? I loved Sesame Street growing up and so do most people I know, so I was really confused to see this article, claiming that Britain 'fell out' with Sesame Street and got bored of it. How can you get bored of it?! It's amazing! The fact it's still going today shows how amazing it is. Did you love Sesame Street growing up? I have fond memories of going home from nursery school to my Nana & Grandad's to watch Sesame Street.

I loved this post by Bug, of In Bug's Drawers. She demonstrates 3 different and interesting ways to wear cardigans. I love cardigans and pretty much wear one every single day, but it is usually just lazily draped over me. I need to start experimenting! This has definitely inspired me. I think buttoned up was my favourite, but they also look very cute tucked in.

A self-stirring tea cup!! Perfect for when you get those horrible bits of dregs at the bottom or ensuring there is no sugary-tea syrup mush at the bottom of your cup. However, as Bobby points out, it's only a matter of time before someone swallows that ball, plus it has no handle which is bad for hot drinks. Nice idea, could be better executed.

An outdoor library!!! I love this idea. Not sure how well it would work in England really, with all the rain and stuff. This library in Magdeburg, Germany, was originally an experiment but the locals loved it so much they made it their own. Found via That Unreliable Girl.

This weekend I think is going to be spent mostly working and catching up on uni work - a bit less exciting than the past 2 weekends but hey. Happy Thanksgiving to all your Americans out there too! Have a slice of pumpkin pie for me. Hope you all have a great weekend, anyone up to anything more exciting than me? Ha.

London - A Very Foodie Weekend

So yes, I went off to 'The Big Smoke' (as us non-Londonders like to call it haha) last weekend. To be honest, I have been to London quite a few times growing up so I wasn't going with the intentions of doing touristy things or shopping on Oxford Street (although I am sure there are more touristy things I haven't done and want to do - like go to the V&A and The Globe!). One of my best friends has recently moved to London for a new job so I was going to visit her mainly. She informed me she had a surprise planned for me and when I got there, she presented me with tickets for MasterChef Live! As a bit of a geeky foodie I was really, really excited! Celebrity chefs! Free food samples! Free alcohol samples! Tasty foods to buy!

It was HUGE. So many stalls. We had so much fun, eating strawberry chocolate fondue, trying flavoured liquers, spying on James Martin (I got my book signed! We nearly touched!), eating so many sweet things, and buying probably too much tea.

If you love food and celebrity chefs, you should really go. Lots of the stalls sell items at trade prices so you can get them cheaper there than in the shops. I bought some teapigs tea, vanilla green tea, Beanies flavoured coffee and delicious stem and crystalised ginger.

Then on Sunday we decided to head to the Hummingbird Bakery. We went to the Portobello Road branch because it was closest to Emma's house. After walking around for nearly an hour, admiring houses in notting hill and generally being lost, we finally found it! It was the first time I've been to Portobello Road and for a Sunday it was very lively. It was kind of like a more grown up Camden I thought.

I brought home a box of 9 cupcakes and they were all polished off by Tuesday, they were that good. Below is the red velvet one that I had on Sunday night, after the tiring train journey home. I then took the black bottom cupcake into Uni with me for my packed lunch and oh my! It was AMAZING! It is one of the few recipes I haven't tried out of the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook but I MUST! SOON! I'm starting to drool a little just thinking about it...

So yes, it was a very very foodie weekend! On Portobello Road there was also an AMAZING Spanish food shop, called R Garcia & Sons. I ran around it squealing at all the things reminding me of my childhood and bought some turron for christmas (because it's so hard to get here we save it for special occassions, the soft almond one is our favourite), amazing chorizo and morcilla. I wish they did mail order.

How were your weekends? I hope they were as full of lovely food and good company as mine was!

Wearing on Wednesdays

boots - topshop
skirt - vintage
t-shirt - zara
cardi - zara

This past week has been a bit crazy - I had 2 assignments due in last week, combined with terrible cold which had me in bed all day last Tuesday and going to London at the weekend - I was feeling slightly frazzled. Still, on Wednesday I made the effort to actually get dressed (unlike on Tuesday, my duvet day). I did feel better, but I went for practicality over prettiness. I wore my trusty old boots to protect my feet from the rain (I HATE getting wet feet so much!) and my old vintage polka dot skirt which is the comfiest skirt ever. I carried myself along to the library to finish off my last assignment, still dosed up with cold relief tablets. I do hate this time of year because of all the colds I seem to get.

Anyway, yes. I am all better now, recovered from my cold and a busy weekend in London and today I'm going to spend catching up with blogs, sorting out photos, drinking tea and catching up with some uni work too.

What do you like to wear for practical reasons? Do you ever find yourself wearing less-pretty clothes in the winter? That's what I feel like sometimes because the weather rules out certain items of clothing! However, I know some people prefer winter because of layering. What do you prefer?