The tale of the TV and the new Kate Spade bag

For Christmas this year, Santa was quite good to my husband and he arranged for a Curry's van to deliver an oblong shaped item with lots of channels on it.

The problem was that it arrived 2 days before Christmas, which put Mr SG into a spin and which finally led him to the conclusion that he needed to do some emergency Christmas present shopping for me. So, armed with the eldest for inspiration, on Christmas Eve he braved the City Centre to see what he could find.

Now, as luck would have it, a couple of days earlier I had been admiring my friend's new Kate Spade bag. The eldest was with me at the time and clocked everything about it, so she led Mr SG straight to the handbag department in Selfridges and, when there wasn't one on display, she described what she was after and lo and behold a brand new one was produced from the stock room. That's my girl!

So this is what he came back with, the rather lovely Kate Spade cross body in empire grey.

I didn't want my husband to buy anything else for me, that wasn't the point of the gift to him at all*. No, the whole point of the gift to him was to redress the balance as throughout the year I definitely have many more treats than him. Having said that, I did take slight joy in the fact that once, just for once, he was speechless.

*Although inadvertently, I may have discovered a new trick for the future for securing something that one has been coveting!

A favourite French Connection printed skirt

I can't believe that it's Friday all ready. It's all been a bit of a whirl - one child back to school on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday - one had a birthday on Wednesday, sorting out a new phone yesterday evening (amazingly it worked, so far!) and here we are.

I can't even remember which day that it was that I decided to wear this French Connection printed skirt with this very warm, but quite short, jumper from Other Stories which I can only really wear with skirts or very high-waisted trousers. But at least it gets me in to a skirt on a cold day!

Hope that you have all had a great week - getting back to normal after Christmas, reading the new editions of the magazines for ideas for your spring wardrobe or even better, sales shopping!

Some transitional pieces to see you through the next few months...

For the first time since the New Year, today I was back in the shops, shopping for an event which is on Saturday. There were some great sale pieces which I picked up, so I'll try and share those with you in day or so.

I've also taken a look online finding some new, and some sale, pieces that appealed. These are things that could be worn now and which will also go through into the spring - so nothing too dark (other than the black dress I have included!) and nothing too heavy - but rather things that can be integrated into a wardrobe pretty easily.

Still on the theme of sweatshirts which, for their warmth, I prefer to fine knit jumpers, there's this Floral jacquard sweatshirt from J Crew (£148). Quite often I will spot the things that I like and then file them away in my brain, waiting until I find a similar, but less expensive, alternative - so I'll let you know if that happens! Being a girl who has lots of navy in her wardrobe, something like this would slot in quite easily.

I love the vibrant colours on this Paisley silk T, also from J Crew (£98) which I filed in my brain only for a day or two before I came across...

...this alternative in Zara (£22.99). Granted the colours aren't as vibrant but neither are they as pale as the picture shows. Clearly the Zara one won't be silk either but it will do the same job as the J.Crew one and for a quarter of the price, it's definitely worth thinking about.

Predictably this Fluoro pink bag by Zatchels at Atterley Road (reduced from £60 to £29) also caught my eye. It's the type of bag that would work well now against darker coats but also on into the spring and summer. Being a cross body bag it's a brilliant style and great price too.

I think that it's fair to say that these metallic heeled loafers from Jigsaw (£84 down from £169) are quite "Marmitish". I look at them from the perspective of them having a heel (good) which is sturdy (good) and not too high (good) all of which works for the hours that I spend walking around town. I wouldn't wear them with skirts or dresses - they are more of a trouser shoe - but I do like the fact that they are an alternative to boots come the spring, that they are metallic and that they were designed in conjunction with Patrick Cox -that loafer designing genius of the 90's!

As you know, I currently have my eye on bomber jackets and this one from All Saints (£91 down from £228) is a good starting point. The sleeves and trim are burgundy, rather than brown, but I'm waiting to see whether it gets reduced any further.

GAP has a few bombers which are new in and I'm waiting to see their floral one too, which I think might be a hit.

I liked this dress so much that there's one on its way to me. As you can see, the bodice on the Atle dress from All Saints (£68.50 down from £98) is quite fitted but the skirt is a jersey fabric so it's soft and not too structured. For anyone tempted, a word of warning - this style comes up tiny, so it's necessary to go up a size. I have an evening out coming up soon so I am hoping that this will do the trick. It can also be layered up for the winter and then on through into the spring and summer.

 

Finally, these shoes from Faith, reduced from £60 to £30 are a really good buy for anyone after a mid height leopard print court shoe. Oh, that would be me then!

For anyone heading into the sales - good luck. The stores are marking down again so now is the time to find some real bargains. If they don't have your size, don't be put off - ask about inter-store transfers, postal sales or get friends on the case for you. Where there's a will there's a way!

Let's take a peek at what Boden has to offer for s/s '14!

I was going to do a bit of a "whizz around the sales" post today but then the Boden catalogue dropped through the door and I decided to do a "whizz around what Boden has to offer" post instead.

In all honesty I haven't really paid the sales that much attention ALTHOUGH I did buy 18 walnut whips from M&S which were half price in the sale. Now that's what I call a result, although I'm not sure that they would make a very good outfit.

Despite the fact that we haven't really had any proper winter weather yet, in my head it's spring. The Christmas tree has been replaced with lilies, I have cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, bought new crisp white bed linen and in fact I'm about to open all of the windows. I fear that I may be brought back to reality with a bump when the snow appears.

The first thing that I look to do with my clothes when spring arrives (which clearly it hasn't - idiot) is to lighten up my boots, bag and coat.

So with that in mind I am looking to the Boho boot in gold (£119). However I would like to reassure you that these gold, sparkly looking, boots aren't really sparkly at all but instead they are a cracked leather. I have hovered over the online photo for a long time just to check. I like a gold boot to wear with the usual - jeans or jeans, or perhaps some cigarette trousers, some skinny trousers, or jeans - just for a change.

I love the design of this soft leather bowling bag (£139) and it comes in a variety of pretty colours. What else can I say about it? Short strap, long strap, front pocket, decent size. It works on lots of levels.

A white stripe on a navy background is a more forgiving way to wear a stripe than the other way around. The fact that the stripes are narrow also makes them easier to wear, so if you've previously been unsure about trying stripes, this Spring Trench (£129) could be worth a try. The returns policy is so good at Boden that it's always worth taking a punt on things, even if they don't end up working out and what says spring more than stripes?

Next I look to lighten my knitwear because, as you all know, I wear jumpers all year around. I like this Audrey jumper (£69) in yellow because of its 60's styling. As you may imagine, it too comes in a variety of colours so if you look at this and think "hmmm, not so sure about that one" the others may appeal instead.

I really like this Polperro jumper (£79) for when I'm sailing around the Med on our yacht drinking champagne. Oh, OK, you've got me. I'll actually be wearing it when I'm on the Brittany ferry with vomiting children going from Weymouth to Guernsey.

I love the style (sleeves/decent length) and colour of this Leila dress (£79) and the fact that because it is made of ponte, it will still have some warmth to it. It's one of those accessible/work horse type of dresses rather than a pretty, but useless, one that sits in the wardrobe. Style it with a statement necklace and a blazer for a smarter look or with converse or flat sandals when the weather is warmer. It depends where your waist is as to how well this dress fits (and as to where those babies have left their legacy in terms of a slight bump too!)

This Paddington dress in pink (£89) is a brilliant shift, with pretty detailing on the neckline. Easy to wear, you could play it safe with a darker colour but there's something lovely and cheery about the brighter colours.

I still wear a similar tunic that I had from Boden many years ago and it's great for the hot weather. It is long enough to be just about OK to wear out and about and it has enough shape and structure not to feel as though I'm wearing underwear. I love the print on this  Casual linen tunic (£69) which looks as though it should be worn in Sardinia, or Capri, or somewhere like that - but definitely not on a Brittany ferry, with vomiting children.

This year Boden has done their Chino short (£39) in two different lengths. I thought that it may be helpful for you to know about them as some prefer a longer length and knowing Boden, even the shorter ones should be long enough to stop anyone from getting arrested for crimes against fashion, or general, every day indecent exposure, type offences.

I have my eye on this soft marl sweatshirt (£45) to go with the above shorts. I'm imagining family games of rounders on the beach as the sun goes down - which we might just about manage. On a good day. Provided gin was involved.

I'm seeing these Cork platforms (£99) styled very casually with boyfriend jeans and a Breton top, or coloured skinny jeans - definitely not a low cut bodycon dress. Oooh, heavens no. That would not be a good look. Let's not go there.

Right, I'm off to open some more windows!

The 12 outfits of Christmas (and New Year) - The Whistles Camouflage Skirt (and preparing for a gathering)

 

I think I'm coming to the end of my 12 outfits of Christmas by now. This is probably about the 14th or 15th but hey, whose counting? I have had the Whistles camouflage skirt for a few months but haven't got around to wearing it until now. I really like the blues and pinks in it as, despite it being camouflage, they are really pretty. I bought this pale blue Topshop cropped jumper to go with it as the only other one that I had seen in the right colour was in Reiss and it was ridiculously expensive. The clutch is also Whistles, the tights are M&S Autograph and the shoes are the Lacey court by Carvela. I would include links but everything is pretty much out of stock now.

Mr ...

... has declared that we're not allowed to call tomorrow's get together a "party" but instead it is to be called a "gathering". I'm not quite sure of the reason for this, other than the fact that he was ambushed with the whole idea once the eldest and I had decided that there was going to be a "gathering" whether he liked the idea or not. (Actually he's secretly delighted because for once he won't be outnumbered by women but he just won't admit it.)

In typical husband/wife fashion, we have assumed our respective roles. Mr SG has been to the butcher to buy meat for the chilli - "for the boys" - and has used a Jamie recipe he's had his eye on for a while and which takes five and a half hours to cook.  He has also been to buy beer (and the rest of the alcohol in fairness). This is what I have done so far....

I know! Impressive huh?! But, whilst we're on the subject of being fair, in fairness to me I did also ask Mr SG to buy fizz for "the girls" AND I have made a huge slab of millionaires shortbread. What more does a party need apart from fizz and millionaires shortbread? Exactly! My contribution hasn't taken five and half hours - but it was a Nigella recipe - although I didn't add any "special" ingredient that she may have chosen to add either to herself, or the recipe, to improve it.  This is Birmingham for goodness sake! 

Actually I have done slightly more than that  (I've put some crackers in a jam jar and put up some more fairy lights) but more importantly I should point out that Mr SG isn't miserable at all and is actually a fantastic host. Far, far better than I am. I've taken to putting all the food out and all the drinks in one fridge and telling everyone just to help themselves or otherwise I forget to feed or water them, which is pretty rubbish as a host. It's totally unintentional. I think that I just get distracted with chatting and doing random things like checking that we have enough toilet rolls out.

So with that sorted (I need to stay in Mr SGs good books so that the boys keep away from the millionaires shortbread) I wish you all a really Happy New Year. I hope that you have fun at whatever party (or gathering) you are attending. Here's to much more fun and fashion in 2014! x

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 12 (+1) - An evening sports luxe look and Easter Eggs. In December?!

The sports luxe look has been around for a while now and this is an evening version of it, as in it is made up of sequins, satins and sparkles. With the outfit effectively being made up of a fancy sweatshirt and a posh version of trackie bums, it's a bit of a winner on the comfort front.

The top was from Reiss several years ago now and although I don't wear it a lot, when I do I love it. The trousers are the ones from Topshop that I keep wearing but it's good to be getting my monies worth out of them. The Dune shoes have been my friend for a few years also. Well, sometimes I fall out with them a little bit, particularly at the end of an evening.

This evening our friend posed this question to us: How do you know when Christmas is over? The answer: When Cadbury's Crème Eggs start appearing in the shops. Crazy or what?! Somehow I fear that we have lost the art of living for the moment!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 12 - The animal flouro print shift dress and pom poms!

Rather than wearing this Warehouse printed shift dress with a jacket (a bit too smart) or a cardi (a bit too casual), today I wore it with my furry Primark gilet, which was very toasty and comfortable. When we went out I also wore Jigsaw shoe boots and this bright blue bag from Kausar (which is no longer available online but there is an email address for Kausar on her site, so she can always be contacted that way.) I like the size and shape of this bag, just because it's a little bit different.

I don't usually include pictures of the house but this scene made me smile. I was sitting down, my sister-in-law was reading mags and the boys were taking charge in the kitchen. I hasten to add that it was only a snap shot of the day and we did contribute significantly in other ways. For a start we ate the lunch!

The Christmas tree was decorated by the eldest, complete with tinsel and fake snow and she did such a good job. The first time that we did it, it was all a bit random - so one evening she took everything off, including the lights, and started again. Her individual efforts were so much better than our joint ones!

 This was a pressie to my husband last year. Ah, bless him.

It's pom-poms galore in our house this Christmas. They are so pretty that I would like to keep them up all year round. Selfridges in London had a whole floor devoted to them. I have no idea how many people they must have had to fluff them all up and how long it must have taken - but it must have been weeks. They are tricky little beggars - but the White Company "open the packet, unfold them and clip them round the back" ones are much easier - although not quite so much fun.

Hope that you are all still having a great Christmas. I'm starting to feel a little full....

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Boxing Day - shiny new white converse and "Robin" the jumper

 

After wearing heels all day yesterday, and with two young nephews here for the day, there was only one footwear choice for me and that was the shiny new white Converse that I had for Christmas from Schuh. Now I know that it's really uncool to keep them white and that they should be trashed asap but I plan on keeping mine as white as possible for as long as possible - even if that means using the whitener that we used on our Dunlop Green Flash trainers when we were at school.

I've known for a while that the white converse were on their way on Christmas day, together with the nephews on Boxing day, so I asked a friend of mine if I could borrow her Robin Jumper from French Connection to wear on here with jeans and a white shirt.  As I've mentioned before, he has a definite pink breast as opposed to a red one - just in case you were wondering. As he's not mine for keeps he will be flying his way back home tomorrow though, which is very sad...

Later on in the day we headed out for an emergency battery run/let's give the boys a run, trip. So, for that I swapped the converse for Seven Boot Lane Abella boots (now £120 instead of £175), GAP hat and Whistles parka.

The thought of doing any sale shopping, either in store or on-line, just doesn't appeal right now, although my sister in law has just told me that she can get 50% off at Net a Porter all year round. Eeek, that could be dangerous!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - A Christmas jumper for Christmas day!

Happy Christmas to you all! I hope that everyone has had a fantastic day. We have had a brilliant day although I have to admit to being slightly freaked out by the new addition to our family - "Baby Annabell."

For a start, I had to put her face down on the work surface and shove a screwdriver into her back to get the battery cover off before inserting batteries into her. Even though she's (clearly) not real, I found that quite traumatic. Then, when I had to look after her whilst the youngest went to the loo, I found myself putting her music on and covering her with a blanket in case she was cold.  I also put  "Precious", the new "My little pony" from Build a Bear Workshop (hideously ugly), next to her cot to be her guardian angel. Then she opened her eyes and stared at me with blue glassy eyes - and that was totally freaky. As for the cry - it's so real that it makes my heart jump. At least this one has an "off" switch though.

Then I found myself watching the Queen, which I don't usually do, but since a friend of ours was recently invited to the Palace for lunch with her - during which she put her hand on his knee - I felt compelled to watch. Also she looks very like my Aunt, so I feel that I know her. Seriously, children stop my Aunt in the street to ask her whether she's the Queen and when she says no, they ask her if she's sure. Ooh, crikey, it's all a bit much for one day.

Anyway, as to the outfit, I have my friend Sarah to thank for the loan of the jumper. Like me she had had her eye on it but unlike me she didn't faff around and she bought one - whereas now they have sold out. Here I'm wearing it with my recent Topshop trouser purchase and Zara shoes.  It's a great jumper and my Mum has one too - although her cat plays with the fluffy balls on hers!

Today I thought that I would post a picture of a dress that I like. I'm not sure that I would ever actually get around to owning one and it's potentially verging on the border of being too young for me - but I quite like feather dresses. There's a nude one in Coast, a black one in Michael Kors and this relatively decently priced one in Warehouse (£110 in the sale). Knowing me I would sit on a drumstick lolly or something and trash it in one go - but I think that it would be great for a New Year's Eve party.

As to the presents - I think that I'll leave that story for another day! Hope that you all have a lovely evening. x

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Christmas Eve sparkles!

 

So the five of us did our run this morning complete with elf hats, Santa hats, reindeer and Christmas tree headbands and we did look utterly and totally ridiculous but it was certainly memorable.

I had planned on wearing a different dress today but then decided to go for sparkles so I wore my sequinned sweatshirt dress from La Redoute (now £57 instead of £95) and La Redoute sparkly boots (£89) with a statement necklace from Topshop. The dress and boots (below) are both comfortable enough to wear for the household jobs and baking that I wanted to do, whilst still OK to wear to see friends later.

As to today's gift. I love receiving really pretty notebooks. Shoes, bags and jewellery are great but memories are priceless. All too often life passes in a haze and it's nice to record those special moments, even if it is only occasionally. Each year I encourage (OK, bribe/force) our three to write about their Christmas day. I can remember some Christmas days from when I was little but not many, so hopefully, when they are wise old owls like me, they will appreciate having taken the time to record their memories. Paperchase has a great selection of notebooks and this one is £6.

Hope that you all have a fabulous Christmas Eve. Not long to wait now!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - I wish that there was more by way of silk/heels/sequins but tomorrow is always another day!

 

The plan was, having travelled home from Wales first thing this morning, that I would change into something a little more Christmas like - maybe a dress, maybe with some accessories, maybe even some heels - so as to avoid posting another picture of jeans and a jumper (Primark jeans, All Saints jumper, Jack Wills shirt, Ash wedge trainers). Clearly that plan didn't work.  I did however notice that on Coronation Street tonight, Sally Webster was wearing a nice blue blouse and a black pencil skirt and Leanne Platt had a top with pretty sequinned sleeves - so that might be a good place for Christmas outfit ideas.

Tomorrow will be a different story - I will change 55 times and wear dresses, skirts, sequins, silk, leather and prints; possibly all at the same time. In fact my first outfit will be truly impressive and will include a red flashing nose and an elf hat with a bell on it, in addition to running gear. There will be five of us running the streets of Birmingham so do give us a wave if you see us - assuming that we haven't been carted off by then.

As to today's gift, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a pair of sparkly or metallic shoes so if there's one thing to add to your last minute Christmas purchases tomorrow, they should be it. Dune is a good "go to" store for sparkly shoes and I like this pair which are now priced at £34. An ankle strap may not be for everyone but it looks as though this strap can be removed and I'm sure that everyone will be too busy partying to notice the little loop! Hope that you all have a fantastic Christmas Eve!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 7 - A biker jacket and wedge trainers

 

We're heading home tomorrow and so for an early dinner out with the family I kept it casual and comfortable with Ash wedge trainers, Primark skinny coated jeans, the Topshop crystal jumper and the Whistles Annabel biker style jacket, which is now in the sale for £95.

For anyone who is contemplating wedge trainers, these La Redoute ones (which now have 40% off and cost £41.40) come highly recommended from the girls I was working with at the Clothes Show. I really like the style of these as they're not too full on in terms of styling. They also come in black, caramel and...

this two tone gold colour, which have 50% and are now £34.50. Both of these colours are really versatile and a nice alternative to black ones, which may start to look a little too stark come the spring.

This picture was taken by our eldest whilst we were on our beach walk today. The sky was beautiful and it was a lovely walk but we decided that being on a beach wasn't really her natural habitat, particularly at such an early hour. Luckily we found somewhere for a drink and a rest and what with that coupled with the stops to take photos, pull up her socks, eat her prawns (sweets) and have a go on a play area I'm not sure that we covered that much ground - but it was very entertaining.

So, on to today's gift. I thought that it would be nice to include something that would see you through into next season. Blazers and biker style jackets have pretty much earned their wardrobe stripes and although bomber style jackets have been around for a while, they are here to stay for a while at least.

I recently came across this Harlow Varsity Bomber from Whistles (£295) and, not surprisingly, I fell in love with its pink colour. When I first saw leather sleeves on coats and jackets I really wasn't that sure but as is often the case with the passage of time and exposure to a trend, it somehow weedles its way into acceptance and then even favour. For now I would wear it with black skinnies and Chelsea boots, moving onto a midi-length skirt and heels for the spring.

    

This Topshop lurex bomber jacket (£42) is made of the same fabric as my Topshop lurex skirt which I featured earlier in the week. There's no way that I would go matchy matchy but I do like the fabric and at £42 it's a much more reasonable option price wise.

It would be easy to write a bomber style jacket off as a trend not worth embracing but an up to date style of jacket is a great way of lifting other pieces in your wardrobe and giving them a completely fresh look - so it's definitely worth giving them a bit of thought (even if you subsequently confine them to the room 101 of fashion no-nos!)

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 6 - Camouflage trousers and a Whistles Parka

 

We made it to Wales and guess what? It's blowing a gale and pouring with rain but secretly I'm quite pleased as I wanted to try out my new navy Whistles parka.  So far so good - it's warm, it kept me dry and the hood is brilliant, which sounds a ridiculous thing to say but it is substantial and doesn't blow off at the first sign of wind. Having looked online at both Whistles and John Lewis I can't see it, or else I would have included a link. And please excuse the dreadful photo - there are only so many times that I can ask the children to step outside into the rain and gales before giving it up as a bad job. I should add that the fact that I'm quite happy about the bad weather isn't at the expense of the rest of the family, who are equally happy to sit around the fire and watch films.

 

I also wore Gap camouflage trousers today to ring the changes from jeans and the cropped Other Stories jumper is probably one of the warmest that I own. The black ankle boots are from La Redoute and I didn't really have time to faff about with handbags today so I just picked up the clutch I used last night and brought it along for the ride.

 

As for today's gift  - either for your own Christmas list or to give to someone else - I love these cuffs from Aspinal of London. The top one is the Roma Cuff Bracelet (£79). It comes in several colour ways. The second one is the Venus Stingray Cuff Bracelet (£125). Aspinal has a seriously fabulous selection of cuffs, so much so that I have also included a link to the full collection.  A piece like this can really take an outfit from a plain one, to a fabulous one, so they are well worth the investment (especially if someone else is making it). I did not say that.