On the Run - Hobbs spotty dress

Having worn stripes yesterday, today it was the turn of some spots.  I was out at a lunch networking event and thought that I would trial run this Bryony dress from Hobbs, which I hadn't worn before.  I like the fact that it is a bit flippy but modest in terms of its length and the fact that it has sleeves.   It is also lined which adds a bit of warmth.  Unusually for Hobbs it's quite a snug fit for its size.

To stop it from being too formal I wore my cream leather jacket and, as I was walking to the venue, I put it with some red patent ballet pumps, and my pink Mulberry handbag. All was well with the outfit, other than my tights which kept wrinkling around my ankles, Nora Batty style - so chic!

Lunch was great - held at our local Italian Restaurant and it gave me a chance to catch up with my friend Caroline, who owns Caroline's Cake Company. She makes the most fantastic, utterly divine cakes, both in terms of design and taste.  If you want to take a look at her magical creations you can do so here  Living around the corner from her has a distinct advantage as quite often a tin arrives on our door step with some tasty morsels in it.

I went to bed far too late last night so I am running out of steam and as it's nearly time for the second Coronation Street I shall sign off now and wish you all a fab Friday night!

On the Run - If you're going to wear stripes, they may as well be bold....

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday as I spent a large proportion of the day with a headache and the rest of it at our daughter's school watching her dance production (with an even bigger headache) but a very proud one, if there is such a thing.  As the Queen of headaches it might actually help me to give them characters - they spend so long with me - but that's all getting a bit too much like voices in the head so perhaps I'll stop that line of thought before it goes any further.

This evening I have been at a swishing party. Yes, that's right, SWISHING.  It was held at the children's school and it was really very good.  I was open minded about the whole idea of clothes swapping but not really sure how it would operate from a logistical point of view. However I was pleasantly surprised with how it all went.  The ladies were very chatty, got involved, listened to what I had to say (something I'm not used to at home) and all went home happy. Later it was back to school to collect the eldest thus completing my marathon evening of six round trips for the evening.

This outfit was the one that I wore yesterday. I am not really sure how I decided upon it.  It probably stemmed from the need to find something different to wear every day!  I do like my H&M jumper dress though. I know it's too big but I like the relaxed feel of it and with heels it just styles it up a little bit.

Yesterday's outfit was:

H&M jumper dress (there were similar in GAP last week)
M&S tights, Jigsaw shoe boots

Special thanks to ten year old Lily for the photo!

If you would still like to "Like" my outfit for the Easy Living Magazine competition, you can do so by following this link http://www.facebook.com/EasyLivingUK#!/photo.php?fbid=340703882632950&set=a.337285469641458.68306.129074297129244&type=1&theater

On the Run - The Topshop pink brogues get their first spring outing

When the sun finally came out in Birmingham yesterday, I decided that there was only one thing to do and that was to cast aside some winter layers.

I'm not one for revealing all to the world at the first sight of the sun - oh no, it has to be very hot for me to do that and I wouldn't inflict myself on anyone without a certain amount of preparation - but I do like to lighten it all up a little when the sun shines.  I do this by swapping my winter coat for a trench, moving away from woollen scarves, wearing less heavy knitwear and changing my boots for something more spring like. Of course tomorrow it may be snowing so those winter items are never too far away!

I have been looking for some pink brogues for a while now - it must be at least a week - and this pair from Topshop fitted the bill.  I am a sucker for patent so they always were going to grab my attention.  It's always a risk ordering on line but I was fairly confident that they would work for me and anyway, the in store returns policy is so good that it wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't.

Whilst I am unlikely to wear these with a dress (wrong shaped legs but I'm not complaining) others will and for me, they are great with skinny jeans and trousers.  I really hate being restricted by the footwear I am wearing and these will enable me to skip about to my heart's content - like a spring lamb.  Oh, OK, maybe that's taking it a bit far but you know what I mean. I fear that my back may also be telling me to take it easy on the heels so flat shoes are perhaps something I should be wearing a little more often but I shall deny ever having made that statement if I am cross examined on it.

Here's a closer pic of the brogues and you can get hold of a pair by clicking here

This was my second attempt at some pink brogues, my first attempt having not worked too well.  They were an example of an online purchase which didn't quite go to plan, only because the colour wasn't the same in reality as online.  They were more of a ballet shoe pink than a baby pink, so had to be returned to Office but again as they could be returned in store it wasn't a problem.  At the sale price of £20, had they worked they would have been a great buy.

When I sent the pic of me in the Topshop brogues to Easy Living Magazine they responded that they thought they were "cute", which I much preferred to the "practical" and "sensible" considerations which prompted my to buy them in the first place!

Speaking of Easy Living Magazine, I really would love to try and win the schoolrunway competition that they are running this month.  So, if you felt able to "Like" my picture by clicking right here I would be very grateful. It may mean that I get a chance to appear in Easy Living Magazine, which is a very exciting prospect and I know that it would make my Mum very proud and give her something to tell the neighbours!

Calling all fashionistas and bargainistas - Buy My Wardrobe is coming to Birmingham!

I just wanted to thank the team over at Buy My Wardrobe for the lovely blog post they have written about me in advance of the Buy My Wardrobe event being held on Saturday 14th April at Nuvo Bar in Birmingham - the first time that such an event has been held outside of London. You can read what they have to say here

I am delighted, and very excited, to have been asked to be the stylist at the event, which is a role normally undertaken by the Nicky Hambleton-Jones style academy at the London events.

The event promises to be a real treat - not only in terms of what will be on offer to buy but also because the event is being held at one of Birmingham's premier bars - Nuvo bar - where there will be a live pianist, champagne, lunch and afternoon tea being served. 

As to the concept, Buy My Wardrobe was launched in 2008 as a fashion recyling event.  At these events there are those ladies who go to sell pre-owned  items and those who go to buy a designer piece at an affordable price.  I guess that some may do both, which is even better.

For those ladies who are selling, the items should be of top end high street, or designer, quality.  A Buy My Wardrobe event is the perfect chance to part with those items which may no longer fit, which were perhaps an impulse buy or pieces with which you may just simply have fallen out of love. And let's face it ladies, we all have at least a few such items in our Wardrobe. Those ridiculously high shoes which can only be worn for an hour, those expensive jeans which are now too tight, those "I must buy it, it's in the sale dress" which never really suited your shape or fitted you properly.  Well now is the time to part with those guilt gremlins which serve to hide in your Wardrobe and then haunt you whenever you open it!

The event provides a fantastic opportunity to part with those items, whilst earning a few pennies with which to buy some new items.  After all, there's no point having those items sitting in your Wardrobe when they could be earning some money for you and working hard for someone else - and let's face it, that is their purpose in life! 

There are only 20 places available for ladies who are selling with each place costing £100.  Selling a few designer items would easily cover this cost but if it is more the case that you, together with a few friends, have a number of top end high street items with which you would like to part, there's always the option for you to share the cost of the stall and divide the proceeds - may be spending them on some different items or a girls' night out.  It wouldn't be necessary for each of you to sell that much for the figures to make sense.

For those attending the event in the hope of securing an amazing purchase at a discounted price, I am sure that you won't be disappointed.  Birmingham is a place for fashionistas and bargainistas so I have no doubt that there will be some amazing pieces on offer and that tickets will sell quickly, as they do for the London events. This is a great opportunity to own a designer item for a fraction of the price.

VIP tickets cost £20 each and permit entry within the first hour of the event, which is between 12pm and 1pm.  Subsequent tickets are priced at £5 and permit entry after 1pm.  Tickets are available through Eventbrite: http://buymywardrobe-birmingham-apr2012.eventbrite.com/

For anyone who would like assistance in selecting items, ensuring that they don't make a mistake when buying, of if you would simply like guidance on your body shape, what styles of clothing will suit you and the trends for the season, I am offering 30 minute styling sessions at a cost of £20.  These may be booked with me direct at style@bethgoodrham.com but places are limited so that's just something to bear in mind if you are thinking of booking a session with me.

I am really looking forward to the event which is a real coup for Birmingham and I look forward to seeing you there.  Please do come and say hello!

On the Run - Weekend Wear for a Trip Away

Although I may not have participated in "Sunday Best" this week, leaving that duty to someone far more glamourous, it was always my intention when I started Style Guile that I would share as many outfits as I could with you - including the good, the bad and the ugly.  None of us finds it too difficult to flounce around in a lovely dress and heels but it's the day to day attire which proves more challenging in so many ways.

We were away in Wales this weekend, where we have a much more "outdoorsy" existence than we have at home - lots of walks along the beach, lighting fires and pottering around outside, just faffing really.

For me, there are two approaches to packing.  First, take a capsule wardrobe and work out what to wear as each day comes, knowing that everything will work together. The risk with this approach is that it ends up being less capsule wardrobe and more entire wardrobe, as it can be hard to know where to stop - and you can still be grabbing items as you rush out of the door (says she, speaking from experience!) Second, take specific outfits for each day.  The latter option is the much braver one as there is either little, or no, room for maneouvre. Having said that, it can also be much quicker to get dressed in the morning as one's options are so limited.

I took the second approach this weekend and packed two distinct outfits - one for Saturday and one for Sunday.  The things that I had to bear in mind were the temperature, the need for practicality taking account of the beach/playing with fire/eating ice cream/wandering around the local town activities and the fact that I was likely to be wearing wellies on at least one of the days - so wide leg or boot cut jeans weren't an option.

The Saturday outfit (above) had a dark blue theme of skinny jeans and a shirt dress with accents of pink from a long sleeved top, belt, coat and pink Campers.

For the Sunday outfit I went down the grey and peach route with grey skinny jeans, two grey long sleeved tops, peach/pink jumper, grey and peach scarf.  It was just a bonus that the F&F at Tesco wellies matched - even I'm not that sad! 

So, there we have it. Essential every day weekend wear which allowed me to do all of the things that I wanted to do without worrying about my clothes or worrying what to wear because I had no choice in the matter!

What I Wore:

Saturday outfit: Gap jeans, Cos pink top and navy shirt dress, Hobbs pink belt, Camper shoes, Selfridges coat;

Sunday outfit: Grey Cos jeans, one grey Jigsaw and one grey French Connection top, Mango scarf and jumper, F&F wellies

Sunday Best - With a very special guest - HRH Libby!

As you can see, I am having a week off from "Sunday Best" this week as I am away in Wales and I can promise you, there will be nothing "Best" about my outfit today.  In fact, it probably won't even qualify as an "outfit" at all.

Instead my lovely friend Libby has agreed (or she will do when I tell her!) that I may use some images from the Style Event the other week. 

This was our bit of fun - a "Kate" outfit as Libby has lovely long Kate like hair.  This was Libby's most dressed up outfit of the evening - a little wedding like we thought.   She wore a Zara tulip dress, which is similar in design to the Zara lantern dress which the Duchess of Cambridge wore to an event not too long ago.  We put it with a cream coat, bejwelled heels (not very Kate really but we liked them) and a clutch, also from Zara. I understand from top sources (Libby) that the coat made an appearance on Lorraine this week. 

Libby in action on the red carpet....blurred but I like this shot..

Walking very elegantly indeed - mind those heels!

And here are the items from Zara, although for some reason the bag isn't available on line.  I'm not sure that the Zara site does either the dress, or the coat, justice if I'm honest but others may disagree. The dress is a much prettier pink than it appears on line and the coat is much prettier.

Tulip dress £69.99

Coat £99.99

Shoes £69.99

And finally, in a very regal pose!

On the Run - A China Blue Printed Cos Dress

It's probably fairly obvious by now that I have a bit of a thing about Cos. Not everything is for me but I love it when I spot something in there which I am unsure as to how it might look when on. Even if it does turn out to be a disaster I still find it fun. This was one such dress (hopefully without the disaster element!)  I loved the print, the stiff fabric and the inverted pleat in the centre back.  The high neck and elbow length sleeves were right up my street but despite its simple design, I still wasn't sure how it might all come together (or not!)

Without the belt (see below) it is very trapeze like in shape - fitted on the shoulders then flaring out in a rather triangular like fashion.  I really liked it that way and concluded that it would be a fab dress to wear for a Mother's Day lunch out when pudding really would be the order of the day!

However, when belted, as above, it took on a completely different feel -  more fitted and more formal than without the belt.  The belt that I have used here is a wide blue belt from Reiss in almost exactly the same shade of blue as the dress.

I then swapped the belt for a pink skinny one from Hobbs, which I think makes it slightly less dressy than the blue belt but slightly more dressy than without a belt at all.

Obviously the shape isn't for everyone and I really need to wear heels with it to make it work as best it can but I like it and it is nice to find something different out there.

I am away for the weekend so will try to post tomorrow from the Welsh mountains. I am not sure how successful I will be but if nothing appears, it's not for the want of trying. Have a great weekend.

On the Run - Marni at H&M plus a little more COS

I was going to try and pass this slightly blurry photograph off as being one of me - but it's not, so that would be cheating. Instead it is my friend, Sue, who I persuaded to let me photograph because she looked so amazing in these Cos trousers.  I had spotted these trousers in Cos a few days earlier but was styling someone so, on the rail they remained although I did manage to take a sneaky photo of them first.  Anyway, when Sue turned up in the very same trousers a few days later I twisted her arm and she agreed to let me take a photo of her.  How amazing does she look?

I found our youngest mugging her three year old friend for her sparkly shoes today.  On the way out of school our terror had discarded her shoes and was walking along the path in her tights, trying to persude her friend to swap her beautiful silver party shoes for her own scuffed school shoes.  Not suprisingly her friend wasn't having any of it.  I cannot possibly imagine where she gets her like for sparkly shoes from.

I had the unfortunate experience today of witnessing the stampede in H&M for the Marni pieces. I just happened to be in town early and went into H&M to take a look at the collection. It was all sectioned off with everything beautifully laid out.  Then the barriers were opened for the first lot of wrist band wearing neanderthals and the place was trashed in seconds - it was like one of those documentaries where you see a swarm of locusts descend on a crop and destroy it within seconds. 

There was meant to be a strict policy of only one of each item being able to be purchased but the assistants didn't have a chance of being able to enforce that policy.  I have to say that I have never seen anything like it and it sickened me.  It had nothing to do with a lover of Marni being able to treat themselves to a piece at an affordable price and everything to do with greed.  I suspect that half of the items will be on ebay now being sold at a massive profit.

The above photo was taken about 10 seconds after the barriers had gone down so it looks relatively calm. I didn't think that I had better post the one taken a few seconds later with a chap holding so many boxes of necklaces that he could barely stand up.

I think that I have possibly mentioned before that I have entered an Easy Living Magazine competition, the winner of which gets to appear in the Magazine.  I hadn't initially realised but votes, in the form of "Likes" on the Easy Living facebook page are required. The competition involves posting a picture of an outfit worn on the school run.  The outfit with the most "Likes" wins. If any of you felt able to go in and "Like" one of my outfits I would be really grateful. Following this link should take you to the Easy Living facebook page where it's possible to scroll down and find a pic of the yellow skirt outfit I was wearing yesterday - http://www.facebook.com/EasyLivingUK Thank you so much and sorry to ask for your help once again. There are a couple of other outfits further down if you feel inclined to scroll any futher!

On the Run - How to wear neon (in a nutshell, with everything else toned down)

Nice photo of the loo eh?  What do you think that feng-shui experts would say about that?  It was just too rainy today to expect anyone to stand outside whilst photographing me so the mirror had to do it for me instead.

I was talking to my sister on the phone the other day and she informed me that she was ripping up some A-level essays that she had found.  Having read them she didn't recognise them as being her work at all and she concluded that she had been clever - once. 

The same thing happened with me yesterday, but to a lesser extent, when I was looking back at some posts that I had written in April last year.  I don't remember writing them at all but I actually found them quite useful.  They covered such things as dresses with sleeves in them, shoes offering moderate coverage and shoe which didn't show your toes - for those who don't particularly like their toes.  I plan to repeat the posts this year when I have a little more time - so keep your eyes open.  I have started doing my research already.

If you are a reader of Red Magazine, you might be interested to read an article featuring Amanda Start, the Online Stylist I first got in touch with Amanda in August 2010 as a result of a feature in which she appeared in Woman & Home magazine.  It was as a result of that article I started my blog. We finally met in January at the Marie Claire blog and twitter awards where she received a Highly Commended in the twitter category.  It was lovely to meet her after all her help.  Amanda looks great in the feature about her local boutique, Stanwells and it definitely worth taking a look at their lovely website too.

So, as to today's outfit. I can't wear this skirt too often but when I do, people often say that they like it - I still believe that it comes down to people liking a bit of colour. I went into Cos today to see whether they had any left at the end of the sale but they didn't and do you know where they go - the charity shops! Cos couldn't tell me which ones but it's quite possible that you might find a bright yellow skirt in a charity shop near you.  As to the neon skirt, the bright colour lends itself to white and then either black or navy, just to bring all back into line. I wore it with my black loafers which are very old but very comfortable, which is great for when I am walking around town.

I worked with a lovely client today and she bought me some flowers which was so kind of her. She kept the shoes I was talking about yesterday and is happy for me to let me show them to you all so here they are....

They are fab - real Cinderella shoes. Totally full on bling but not too high and they also come in coral, yellow, lilac and black I think. Here's a link to them so that you can take a closer look http://www.kurtgeiger.com/brands/carvela-kurt-geiger/anna-1.html Enjoy!

On the Run - Quite a lot of Cos today

 
Just to set the scene - I am sat on the loo (lid down) typing this with my feet balanced on our daughter's Ikea stool so that the lap top doesn't fall on to the floor.  And why am I in the bathroom?  I am partaking of that irritating six weekly task of eradicating the grey from my hair. I don't really like to use the word eradicate actually - it reminds me of a case I worked on in my previous career where there was a plot by two people to "eradicate" a man.  This was successfully achieved by shooting him four times. Nice. Anyway the chemical cocktail should soon eradicate these little blighters and at least I am using my time wisely in multi-tasking.

We have this toaster made by Dualit which is totally rubbish (I was going to call it Dual(sh)it but I took legal advice and was advised not to so I haven't). It doesn't ever switch itself off but instead nukes the toast. I have filled the kitchen with dense black smoke more times than I care to remember. We also have a lovely stainless steel bin but the lid on the rim has broken so that doesn't work properly and nor does the computer.   The computer chair, which I also like, has a great big crack in it.  But can I break the green tea pot which I bought in 1995?  Can I flip.  Even breaking the lid would be a start as you can't really use a teapot successfully without a lid but will that break either?  Of course it won't.  We're not really a disposable kind of family - replacing things just for the sake of it, which is why we have a house full of things which don't quite work but which aren't quite broken enough to part with...and a bright green teapot.

I am not quite sure where all of this is leading but I think it's towards the point that...oh flip, I have just checked the clock and I had better rinse my hair so that I avoid doing an impression of Paul McCartney with his plum hues. OK, sorted now - so the point is that, when it comes to clothes, it's never the things that you don't like that get trashed but always the dry clean/most expensive/gift from a loved one type of item that cops it. Do you remember hearing about how VB took her new crocodile skin bag to the pub on Christmas day and how one of her boys blew a candle out, covering it in wax in the process - well it's that kind of thing. Whilst I don't agree with the concept of a crocodile skin bag, I can identify with the pain of a brand new item being trashed. Maybe the answer is never to have anything new and then it can't be an issue. Oh what twaddle.

Because I did a hero post yesteday you were spared my witterings - hence the double dose today!  Yesterday I spent a couple of very pleasant hours shopping for a client who has some events coming up.  Oh the joy of wandering around House of Fraser choosing things that I thought would work for her. I have some fab shoes but can't really show them to you yet.  She is coming round tomorrow for me to style her so I may be able to show them to you later on in the day.

...after this shot was taken I then went to the shoe department and acquired another large pink bag, with four pairs of shoes in it. I think I nearly got knocked off my feet about five times whilst walking back to the car but having said that I probably took out about 15 shoppers so the odds were in my favour.

Today I was helping a lady with a design for her wedding dress, as she has some concerns with it. I am confident that it will all turn out well for her and that she will look beautiful on her big day.

So tomorrow I am hoping to bring you a few styles of shoes which I have seen and like but for now I will leave you with this thought...


                                                           

 Today's outfit top - Cos skirt and jumper, Red patent KG shoes

Previous day's outfit - Benetton skirt, Jigsaw shoe boots, House of Fraser pink bags

Mum on the Run - Hobbs, another of my "hero" brands

A series of posts on "hero" brands wouldn't be complete without the mention of another of my favourite, fail safe, never let you down brands - Hobbs. Originally a shoe brand, Hobbs opened its first store in Hampstead in 1981 but after its huge success, the brand created a complementary clothing collection. The brand represents a British look but with a contemporary feel and is known for its quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail.  Under the Hobbs umbrella there are several brands, including Hobbs Unlimited, Hobbs London, Hobbs Invitation, the Hobbs 30th anniversary collection and NW3 by Hobbs.

I have been shopping in, or more often than not admiring, Hobbs for many years now. My first purchase from Hobbs was a pair of Marilyn Anselm shoes which I bought from the small (as it was then) Hobbs in Covent Garden when I qualified as a solicitor in 1995.  My first pair of leather soled shoes, I wore them for years and years before packing them away ten or so years later. I can't bring myself to part with them, even though I am unlikely to wear them again.

My second big purchase from Hobbs was a pair of knee high black leather boots which I bought when I moved up to Birmingham.  That was before the stand alone store had arrived but when Hobbs had a concession in Rackhams, as it then was.  I remember that they cost £160 - even then, 15 years ago.  It was a small fortune but I knew that they would be with me for years - and they have been. Each Winter I bring them out and give them a polish. I love those boots still, despite the fact that they would now be considered a little "retro" in their styling. 

The morning after my husband and I got married in 1999 I wore a Hobbs top to breakfast, with a grey skirt, Whistles cardi and the Hobbs boots.  My fondness for Hobbs clothes continued into workwear (from Bicester Village - such an advantage having in-laws who lived close by) knitwear, more shoes, pieces of statement jewellery and the occasional dress. 

The arrival of a stand alone store in Birmingham, next to Jigsaw, was heaven! Lunch hours were spent wandering in there with friends, plotting our escape from private practice where we worked as solcitors. 

The launch of NW3 brought a whole new meaning to Hobbs.  I loved the fact that this new, trendy and slightly quirky, sub-brand was named NW3 after the first branch of Hobbs ever opened, as that was also my "local" Hobbs when I first lived in London.  I love the NW3 shoes and have bought a couple of pairs......

I also love their jewellery too.  This is one of my favourite necklaces...

 and their scarves, which are so very English (or in this case, French!) 

Most of all I love their good solid foundation.  The introduction of NW3 brought an edgier element to their look but they have kept true to their roots with knitwear, work shoes, ballet flats and occasion wear.  And for those of you who don't already know - I really rate their jeans - I just wish that they would make them in a longer length!

I have just received this evening, these navy patent loafers, which I think will look great in the summer with capri trousers.  Flat but smart and still great for running after the scootering four year old! I had to order them on line as I take a five and a half and the stores don't tend to stock the half sizes - but it's good to know that they can be obtained on line.

I recently ordered this Bryony dress from Hobbs to wear to several events that I have coming up in the near future.  I love spots and that combined with it's three quarter length sleeves, knee length and neat silhouette means that I know it will work hard for me. I plan to style it variously with a cropped cashmere cardi, cream leather biker jacket or blazer, depending on how I feel and I also bought a pink patent belt to wear  with it, just to lighten it up a little.

And the great thing about Hobbs is that they have cracking sales - not just the odd 10% off but proper reductions. So for many items it is possible to identify what you like and then swoop when the sales start. I have seen work trousers reduced from £139 to £35 and less - now in my book that's a proper saving.

I love taking my clients to Hobbs, if there is something that I feel will work really well for them in there - such as their jeans, their bolero cardigans, work clothes or occasionwear. I have styled ladies in there from 25 to 65 and that is the beauty of having so many brands within a brand - there is something for everyone.

Above all, as with my other hero brands, you know where you are with Hobbs - what it stands for, the quality and the details. It is also a nice experience being in there -  a little naughty, but very nice!

Mum on the Run - Sunday Best

So there I was last night, putting clothes away and thinking to myself that winter was probably on its way out now so it might be time to start putting some of my heavier winter jumpers away. When the small person came in the bedroom this morning and told me it was snowing I thought that she was just utilising the gene she's inhereited from her Dad - that, "I'm going to wind you up, make you look out of the window and then tell you I was kidding" gene. Having established that she was talking about a really really small amount of snow I concluded that she was having me on and continued to get dressed with the curtains still shut.  But then our eldest came to see me and said "Mum, have you seen the snow?"  Oh flip, she wasn't lying either.  How bad did I feel?

As I mentioned yesterday, today saw us taking a trip to Ikea.  It was quite fun really - we used the self service scanner and faffed about buying lots of things that we didn't need but which looked nice.  On our return our son set up his "work station" and went about making his now famous hot chocolate complete with whipped cream, grated chocolate and hotel chocolat nibs...

Above, the hot chocolate being created and below, the end result. I thought that the napkins were Orla Kiely(ish) in appearance so naturally they found their way into the basket today.

As for today's Sunday Best - I am showing you an outfit which I in fact wore on boxing day but there didn't seem much point in taking more photos of the same.  Hopefully no one will mind. As we were going to visit family on this occasion, I wore a cropped cashmere cardigan with it but if I was wearing it for a night out it would lend itself to a black blazer or a leather jacket.

Sunday Best Outfit: Dune sparkly shoes, Zara trousers, Topshop blouse, Boden cashmere cardi, Topshop necklace

Mum on the Run - Featuring a printed dress and blazer, Marc Jacobs bag and Jigaw shoes (honestly hubby, they're not new and the blog can prove it!)

Oddly for a Saturday, I was working.  Secretly I was quite pleased to avoid the Saturday morning mayhem which ensues at home and which involves rounds of dropping off and picking up small people from various activities.  Instead, I enjoyed a couple of hours in the shops with a client - and most civilised it was too, in comparison.

I wasn't up to much this morning, having been up a lot with the youngest in the night.  When those times hit it's just best to go for a tried and tested outfit so today I wore my M&S Limited Collection dress with a white shirt underneath, to lift it.   I also wore a black blazer and my Marc Jacobs bag and Jigsaw shoe boots finished off the outfit.  As I walked downstairs my husband asked "Are those shoes new, they look it?"  Of course it's not like I have worn them virtually every day for the last month or so.  I have to say, having an unobservant husband is great - it's possible to sneak all manner of things in under the radar - not that he would mind anyway, to be honest.

I thought that I would also share with you another photo of the Marni pieces for H&M - this time the jewellery. I love the look of some of them but I am not sure how well they might translate into every day life - especially here in Birmingham.  I think that I might have to go and have a try on and see....

Quite a few of the pieces are featured in the new edition of Red Magazine - so you can take a look there to see what you think.  On page 118 of Red there is also a feature with Amanda Start, who runs the blog "the online stylist". I first contacted Amanda when I started blogging a couple of years ago and we finally got to meet at the Marie Claire blog awards where she was highly commended in the twitter category.  Anyway, do take a peek if you have time as she looks fabulous.

We had to go school shoe shopping today for our son who announced, four days after going back to school after half term, that his school shoes were too small. Argghh!  Anyway our youngest was desperate for new shoe too, citing all manner of reason as to why she should have some (they were muddy, scuffed etc). Unfortunately for her, her feet hadn't grown but I remember feeling the same way at her age when in the same position and when those big tears rolled down her cheeks it was very sad. However, on the positive side, I have persuaded her that her feet will grow, and grown more quickly, if she sleeps a lot and doesn't minx at bed time.  Seems to be working so far.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who voted for me on the Easy Living facebook page. I am able to see who six or so of you are - but for some reason not the rest so thank you to you all. I fear that this may be a bit of a long process but I am not entirely sure...

Tomorrow I hope to bring you another "Sunday Best"outfit but with a trip to Ikea planned that could all turn into more of a "Sunday Stressed" outfit.  Oh the thought of it. Quick, pass me the chocolate - or something stronger.

Today's outfit - M&S dress and tights, Jigsaw shoe boots, Gap jacket and shirt, Marc Jacobs bag

Mum on the Run - On the red carpet

Now, I've managed to get myself into a bit of a pickle and I should be really grateful if you could help me to get out of it.

For a while now, Easy Living Magazine has been running a feature entitled "schoolrunway". As well as running a feature in the magazine, they have been asking people to send in photos, via twitter, of what they wear on the school run every day. As I do that already for the blog, it was really easy for me to flick them over to Easy Living too. 

However, it has now been turned it into a competition and yesterday Easy Living suggested that I should enter.  So, what now happens is that the photos are posted on Facebook with a request for people to "Like" the entries. Whichever photo gets the most "Likes" wins the competition.

Now this is where it gets tricky for me.  Unlike twitter, where a) things move on so quickly they are soon superceded by something else, so that even if you look an idiot it doesn't last for long and b) I never get to know if anyone has looked at the photo or not - the whole facebook thing is so much more visible. So, if you felt able to go in and click the "Like" button on the facebook page next to my pic, by following this link  http://www.facebook.com/EasyLivingUK?ref=ts, I should be really grateful.  I don't expect to win but it would be nice to get a couple of votes - double figures would be nice - I'm not greedy!

Progressing on to last night's Style Event... 

Here's a picture of me last night before we kicked off. As you may have noticed, I am wearing the same skirt that I wore for the Marie Claire awards. I chose this skirt for two reasons: First, I knew that I wouldn't have to walk very far in it and so was therefore unlikely to encounter the same irritating hurdles that I encountered when I wore it to the awards in i.e. not being able to move in the flippin' thing and desperately wanting to get home so that I could take it off. Secondly, I thought that the new dress I had intended to wear would work well on one of the models, so I selflessly(!) gave it up for her.

Once I have the OK from the others that they are happy with the pics, I will post a few more.  For now however I am afraid that it is just my mug shots that I can show:

Me being wired for sound - a la Cliff Richard,

Starting my presentation and chatting to the audience before introducing the models and their outfits;

As our eldest said "Well that's as close to the big screen as you're ever going to get." Yes, thank you for that one sweetheart.

Everyone was lovely - the audience, the models and everyone who was there to help with the smooth running of the event.  Can't wait until the next one.

Today I headed back into town and during my trip I spotted these Marni pieces in the window of H&M. They are on display in preparation for the launch of the collaboration between H&M and Marni on 8th March. Predictably I liked the spotty items and some of the jewellery. I am still undecided though about the tribal prints.   

I would love to have been a teacher in our daughter's school yesterday.  Her class were doing a 7 hour sponsored silence for the charity "No child born to die", which is part of Save the Children. What a perfect day! Imagine the sound today though. OK, maybe not.

Mum on the Run - How to (or not to) wear Chelsea boots with a skirt

Having said that I wouldn't wear Chelsea boots with a skirt due to my "muffin top" in the ankle area, that's precisely what I did today.  I started off with pink pumps which were fine but not that comfortable.   It was such a beautiful morning and I knew that the scootering queen would be tearing along today, dressed as she was as a fairy for world book day and as such, I would need to keep up . I don't like my footwear limiting my capacity to run so I stuck the boots on anyway and the results weren't as bad as I thought - in the right light through a squinted eye.

As it was bright but chilly I also wore my pink puffa and animal print scarf, again with pink on it. 

The outfit has served me well so far. As it's warm outside the heating has gone off but I am cosy in my tights and boots combo with a jumper and long sleeved top underneath and it should still do the trick for the school run this afternoon.

Things appear under control for this evening's event. I have packed the clothes and taken them to the venue (the shoes are probably being tried on by a load of 5 year olds as we speak and I dread to think what's happening to the feather cape!)  The music is sorted, speech written and everything seems to be under control for now. Ha! Famous last words!

Mum on the Run - A sneaky peek at the clothes for tomorrow's event...

I didn't actually get dressed properly until 3pm today - how dreadful is that? I started off in running gear, which doesn't count. This was followed by my faithful but utterly hideous tracksuit bottoms and fleece with a hole in it which came about as a result of getting too close to an open fire which spat embers and me and melted a hole in it. I am one classy lady!

I didn't head out until 3pm as I was busy catching up on emails from yesterday and preparing for tomorrow evening's style event.  There's a lot to organise in terms of the running order, making sure all of the outfits are complete, letting the models know where to be and when and so on and packing it all up.  

Anyway, I thought that I would let you have a sneaky peek at some of the clothes that will be worn tomorrow.....

together with some of the shoes...

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We are going to have so much fun - particularly as we have a Kate Middleton look alike who will be wearing a very "Kate" outfit - pics to follow (no pressure on the look a like now!)

You know that some times you reach that point in the day when you think "Oh flip, what are we going to have for dinner?" That happened to me today and I realised that I needed to act fast - doing my usual trick of minimum effort for maximum effect. So, I got everything ready for our favourite Jamie stew, only to go to the fridge and realise that my husband had frozen the meat. 

At this point I was quite relieved that the only thing I hadn't done was open the bottle of wine or else I might have had to indulge.  On the positive side, when I did eventually start to make the stew, I felt a bit like Delia as everything was already cut up in preparation and stored in little bowls and I just had to chuck it all in with aplomb - which was very satisfying indeed I must say.

Rather than showing a full length shot today, I am showing you my new pink Mango jumper which I have put with my favourite Hobbs necklace and flouro shellac nails - to which I am quite partial.  The jumper is a looser shape, which I like for a change as lots of my jumpers are quite fitted.  It vaguely resembles a dish cloth but I am not swayed by that! This jumper was in exchange for one which I bought at the weekend but which I took back because both my daughter and I felt that it was just too similar to something her Grandma would wear.  Hmm, dishcloth vs Grandma jumper - I am not really selling either of them am I?

It's been a long day and I am off for a sticky toffee pudding!

Mum on the Run - Being a busy bee!

So it was back to earth with a bump after my amazing day out at the shoot for Woman & Home magazine today.  As I walked through the front door tonight the two eldest were fighting over cheese biscuits (I know, why would you?) and the youngest was refusing to go to bed. Oh how I missed them today.

The whole day was a great experience, from the all white studios, to getting my hair and make-up done professionally, to working with Liz McAulay who is an amazing photographer, to being looked after by Sharon Mears, the pictures editor and to being styled by Jillie Murphy.  I also met a lovely lady on the photo shoot who, oddly enough, used to live on the same street as us. Talk about small world! Pics weren't allowed during the day so I am afraid that today it is just me in a bee jumper.....

Which brings me on to my bee jumper - with the words "bee mine" on it.  I came across it yesterday whilst taking a quick whizz around the Fusion section at Monsoon - which I love. The prints and retro styling are very Miu Miu - minus the price tag! What I loved about the jumper, other than the fact that it reminded me of my sis (we have a whole bee/ladybird/gnome thing going on) was that it came with a packet of wildflower seeds, which would provide food, nectar and pollen for the little fellas.  Given what has happened to the bee population of late, this can only be a good thing.  It also comes with a free Burt's Bees honey lip balm which is an added bonus - or will be(e) when the shop actually stocks them. Grey next to my skin isn't really a winner so I layered a white shirt underneath but will probably also put it with stripes, although probably not black or yellow ones, or a bright coloured long sleeved top.

So anyway, I am a bit whacked now and plan to buzz (oh the tragedy of the bee jokes) off to bed, ready to start again tomorrow with plans for the event on Thursday which is getting ever closer...