November 28th, 2011
The Vintage Tea Party Book
Sundays; the perfect time for a bit of baking – something I’d been itching to do since I got my hands on the Vintage Tea Party book earlier in the year. With a few hours spare on a Sunday morning, I decided that I’d review the book properly by trying out a few of the recipes and sharing the results with you..and consequently gobbling them up. It’s a shame you couldn’t really come to tea, as the only guest I had was rather unwilling, but I turned him in to my “Mrs Nesbitt” anyway (Toy Story reference, anyone?).
I decided to try out the chocolate brioche hearts (or mini stars, in my case), classic scones, and a triple berry smoothie. Not exactly a balanced meal, but an extremely yummy one! Now, even these few things were a big enough task, and made a mess to match, so I dread to think what my kitchen would look like if I attempted a larger ‘tea party’, with actual guests. Still, Angel has included tips on everything from invites & decorating your house (including a nifty stencil of the Queen!) to vintage hair and make-up tutorials, which I thought were such great touches!
The images and illustrations in the book are my favourite thing – I’ve studied each page meticulously, as they are so beautiful! But on to reviewing the food. I chose a few of the easier recipes, as I’m not the most talented chef, but I even managed to mess them up a little! The brioche stars turned out a bit too salty as I went crazy with the butter when I was frying them, and the scones caught a little on top too, but still tasted perfect. Definitely okay for a first attempt!
If you have a space on your Christmas lists, or are looking for a present for a vintage loving lady, then I couldn’t recommend this book more. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited by a cook book! It has such amazing ideas, including ways to present your food, too. There are some really creative party food ideas that look worth trying out.
Both Miguel and Oscar the cat enjoyed their afternoon treats in the end! x
November 25th, 2011
Postman Carrie
An ode to my favourite children’s TV program, Postman Pat. Only, rather than a black and white cat, I have a black and white shirt. And in place of that bright red van, I’ve got bright red lips. I’ll explain the postman thing – on the way out, I mentioned how I felt ‘like a postman or something’ in my huge Doc Martens, traditionally worn as work wear. Then we spotted my clutch was envelope shaped, and it all got a little silly from there!
I remember my dad taking me to the Dr Marten’s outlet that used to be in our town in the hope of finding me some school shoes, and being the ridiculous child that I was, refusing to even go inside because the shoes were so ugly (I used to do a similar thing with Deli’s that smelt like cheese). But my love for chunky footwear – and the amount of style blogs that I read – influenced me to give them a go. I chose them as a gift from Zalando, and the first time I wore them, they completely ruined my feet. It seems like it’s just something you have to go through when you own DMs, but I’ve been promised by many that they’ll eventually be the comfiest shoes I own. They make me feel a little punky, and I like that when paired with a big injection of girly polkadots and red lips! I think they are a bit of a love/hate thing, am I right?
I’d like to point out that the clutch wasn’t actually carrying anything at this point. I just thought it would look pretty. I’ve always wondered that about fashion bloggers and clutches – is there ever anything in there?! Still, it’s the perfect size for documents – not that I needed any on my brisk afternoon stroll with Miguel. Usefulness aside, I’ve wanted an envelope clutch for ages! I seem to fall for anything envelope shaped – if only it would fit my laptop, it’d be perfect!
Thank you Miguel for your help taking pictures : ) x
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Hat - YesStyle | Top - Urban Outfitters | Skirt - New Look | Bag - YesStyle
Tights - ASOS | Shoes - Doc Martens via Zalando.co.uk
November 22nd, 2011
Just before I spilt hot chocolate down my vintage coat…
Okay, so I promised myself I wouldn’t start with the Christmassy posts for a while yet, but then I took a little break from work to go ice skating at Somerset House with Lucy and Katie, and started feeling completely in the spirit!
I hadn’t been ice skating in over 5 years, and remember being alright at it. Not anymore, it turns out! I tried to speed up a little but not falling on my bum was my number 1 priority. Despite it being romantic, and looking pretty cool when you know how to do it properly, I can’t say ice skating is really for me. It’s all a bit achey, and I can’t say I agree with any form of exercise being sold as fun! Still, I wasn’t a complete Scrooge and wore my pale tights and skater skirt to get in the spirit of things.
My beautiful coat was a charity shop find. It originally came with a fur collar, which I don’t feel comfortable wearing myself, so unpicked it and stitched on this less-attractive stole – the upside being it didn’t used to be a little furry friend! So after all that work, what did I end up doing? Spilling my Tiffany & Co hot chocolate all down the front! Typical.
And yes, you read that right, Tiffany hot chocolate. They have a beautiful pop-up store just beside the ice rink, selling a selection of their jewellery plus lots of yummy treats (which I was clearly more interested in!).
I might leave it another 5 years before I go skating again, *bah humbug*, but I’ll happily stand by the side sipping my hot chocolate and soaking up the festive atmosphere.
Now to start my Christmas shopping..! x
Coat - Vintage | Cardi - Orla Kiely | Skirt - ASOS | Tights - ASOS
Bag - Mulberry Alexa | Shoes - c/o Henri Lloyd
November 15th, 2011
jumper - c/o yesstyle.co.uk | skirt - c/o YesStyle
shoes - Russell & Bromley | bag - Mulberry Alexa
Goofin’ Around by the Opera House
It’s every fashion blogger’s worst nightmare, taking photos in the dark! Although, almost a necessity now it decides to get dark at 4pm – but this wasn’t 4pm – it was about 1am, and Shini and I thought we’d give it a go anyway. So please excuse the questionable sharpness of some of the pictures, they’ve been coaxed out of a lot of fuzziness to get to this stage!
Our hotel was just a short walk away from the beautiful Paris Opera House, so we wandered for a while before I broke out into a bit of a dance in the quiet, wide open space. Not sure where I got my energy from as I was exhausted from the packed day. Shini and I lamented over the fact that London is never as beautiful to photograph as Paris – the architecture, the windows with shutters, the lamp posts and the vintage Metro signs. I have to return sometime soon, it’s such a visual feast. Plus, I could get used to hearing the equally beautiful French accent too!
Slipping into this outfit was akin to putting my pyjamas on after a day of wearing heels. My big fuzzy batwing jumper from YesStyle has become a bit of a staple recently, and kept me plenty warm enough on a mild night. It’s all a bit Ab Fab wearing animal print with red lippy and a messy beehive, but I love it. I’m sure you’ll see these items again soon enough, and maybe with a bit of light next time too!
A huge thank you to my patient photographer and fun buddy, Shini! x
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