Because Christmas is all about giving....or is it?

Christmas is all about giving and I understand that, really I do. But you know, if you're on your travels and you see a little something for yourself, or if you feel in need of a little addition to your wardrobe to perk it up for Christmas, then maybe I can guide you on your way. So far these are the things that I have bought for friends and kept for myself  think some of you might like....

I love these low court shoes with frill from H&M (£14.99). They won't break the bank and if you don't walk too far in them they probably won't break your feet either. They have such a cute block heel and I would wear these around the house at Christmas time instead of slippers. So whether I was in my trusty Me & Em joggers or beaten up jeans, I would still feel ever so slightly "put together."

Even if you're not a big fan of sparkle, a sparkly top coat of nail varnish is always fab over any colour - and it makes your nail varnish last longer too. Barry M diamond glitter from Super Drug (£2.99)  is brilliant. Another idea is a glittery liquid eyeliner. Topshop sell them (although not online) and I love putting mine over the top of my ordinary eyeliner. It's an easy Christmas make-up update.

I love these rings from H&M (£5.99). They can be worn on the upper and lower part of the finger. Sometimes it's just nice to try something a little bit different but which doesn't cost too much. Things like this give me a little "whoop whoop" in my stomach at least!

I love an ear cuff too. It means that you can have all the fun of an additional ear decoration without having another piercing. Claire's Accessories have a really great selection which I've linked to here but in particular I like this gold star cuff (£4.50)

And these are currently my most favourite socks EVER. They are the glitter star wars socks from Topshop (£3.50). I'm rubbish with Star Wars - I don't understand it and fall asleep when watching it but I feel that with these socks I'm no longer the Star Wars outcast of the family.

Some of my favourite presents have been ones that are personalised and I love giving them as gifts too. A great place for personalised stationery and notebooks is the aptly named Papier. They do a great selection of notebooks, such as this flamingo travel notebook (£12.99)

Or I really like leopard notebook (£12.99)

And finally, what more could a girl want than a pink fluffy bag? This one is the one that featured on the blog yesterday but it reminds me of the whole "pink fluffy pencil case" scenario in the Daisy, "Eat your Peas" books, which both of our girls loved. This bag is from River Island and costs £20

Or there's this navy blue furry bag from Skinnydip at Topshop (£28)

Oooh but before I leave, whilst we're on all things furry, how about some ugg sheepskin innersoles from Schuh (£18)? Whilst they seem the ultimate in the wholly unexciting and practical present, if you have a pair of wellies or trainers that are too big, or you own boots that are fine with thicker socks but not with tights (that might be me then) - these would be heaven. 

And finally, this is something that I have my eye on and absolutely love. It's the ultimate star from the White Company (£42). It's sold out online but I've seen plenty of them in our local store. And for me this wouldn't just be for Christmas - it could stay out all year round.  As one who has been looking at wall art for a while now, I have about 75 places I would love to put it! In this picture it's had some fairy lights woven through it but it's made of glass beads so it will catch the light without them.

We give so much to others at Christmas - both physically and emotionally - that it's important that we nurture ourselves too. And if that's not a fabulous excuse for treating ourselves to a pressie or two that we can wear/make lists in/look at whilst tidying the house/cooking the food/doing the washing etc - then I don't know what is!

Styling "the Faces of the Fort" Campaign...

Way back in August, when the sun was shining and we were all heading off on our holidays, I was shopping for Winter clothes. I have worked with the Fort Shopping Park a couple of times now, either appearing in their previous campaigns, or styling their shoots, and it was great to be styling this shoot, which featured six of their staff members as the faces of their autumn/winter 2016 campaign - "Styled by the Faces of the Fort."

In the shot above from left to right there's , Jamil, a Sales Associate at River Island, Kennedy a Sales Associate at Schuh, Adrian, the Manager at Next, Tiffany, a Sales Associate at River Island, Adrian, Manager at Costa and Tiffany, a Sales Associate at the Perfume Shop.

The brief was to create two outfits for the campaign, one "Winter Warmers" and one "Christmas outfits". This top shot was the first of the two shots that we needed to capture and the outfits were styled to include different prints, textures, colours and trends. The additional photos are my out-takes!

Forgive me but I'm just going to concentrate on the girls' clothes for now! So Kennedy, who is second from the left, is really young, and quite a tomboy and I thought that trousers and a baseball jacket would be great for her but with a silky cropped cami and sparkly shoes for a bit of femininity too.

All of her outfit was from New Look, other than the shoes which were from Schuh  as follows :Crop trousers £19.99, Satin cami £9.99, Baseball jacket £39.99, heart choker £3.99, Glitter shoes £25.99

Demi, who is sitting down in the above shot is very pretty and elegant and loves sophisticated, feminine clothes. Her outfit is from River Island as follows: Blue Coat £75, Black pleather skirt £32, Black suede OTK boots £75, pale blue ribbed top £20. I really loved the blue coat in this outfit and the combination of the pleather skirt and OTK boots worked really well for her.

And finally Tiffany, who is on the far right is wearing an outfit from Warehouse and New Look. She loved the idea of print and layering so the dress and sleeveless coat combination worked well for her and as I'd used boots for Demi, the idea of these peep toe tie boots added something a little different. The details of Tiffany's outfit are as follows: Warehouse printed dress £55, new look sleeveless jacket £19.99, new look lace ups £24.99, new look filigree necklace £3.99

As well as being hard work, shoots are great fun and I love to see how people come to life in front of the camera and embrace it - once they've relaxed and got used to the whole idea. I'm convinced there's an inner star in most people and being styled and having hair and make-up done also helps with stepping off your own world for a day and entering a more glamourous one!

Because the shots were taken a while ago, some items may no longer be available at the Fort, or they may well be in the sale. The Christmas campaign will go live soon, so I'll bring you further shots and outfit ideas.

You can find the Fort at the following:

Visit the Fort website at www.thefort.co.uk 

Follow the Fort on Twitter @Fort_Shopping

Like the Fort on Facebook here www.facebook.com/FortShopping

Being part of the "Styled By You" campaign for the Fort Shopping Centre...

I was really excited way back in April to be asked to be one of the faces of the "Styled By You" spring/summer campaign for the Fort Shopping Park in Birmingham. The idea behind the campaign was that three fashion specialists would be chosen to form the Fort Style Squad, to help inform and inspire Fort Shoppers to update their look for the summer months.  

My Partners in crime were model Tom King (you may recognise him from the TV) and local blogger Sophie Neal, who edits the blog Sophie etc . In my role as an Ambassador, I will be hosting a twitter take over one Friday lunchtime in July, as well as contributing to features for the media. 

I've written about the outfit that I wore previously but looking back now all that I feel when I think about the day that I chose it, is pain! It was the day after the London Marathon and the only way that I could walk down the stairs in the marketing suite was to use the handrails and pretty much swing down them like a monkey. But the walking around the Fort was good for me and I loved the outfit that I got to wear for the photo shoot a couple of days later - the Culotte Jumpsuit from Warehouse (£59) and Adidas Stan Smith trainers from Schuh (£56.99). 

The latest news and style tips from "the Style Squad" can be found on the Fort's social platforms  - twitter and facebook, so do drop by for a look sometime. 

Wishing you all a fabulous start to your week!