Bernard Chandran

this show honestly took my breath away. while the clothes aren't necessarily what i would wear myself, bernard chandran does utilitarian chic to a tee, with malaysian inspirations that make me very proud of my own roots. despite being fairly structural, the collection maintains a feminine and somewhat soft edge to it that is very inspiring and wearable.





♥ xo

LFW

so i was completely lucky to attend LFW this year - i dillydallied with tumblr to upload my photos but in the end made it back to faithful blogger, with some new inspiration! here are my favourite shots from the week, with my favourite shows coming up in the next few posts.


{christopher lawrence presentation}


{backstage at jean-pierre braganza}

{body AMR}


{georgia hardinge}

♥ xo

p.s. these photos belong to me so if you'd like to use them, please credit me

diamonds are forever

i am far too excited for this to be available soon!!

♥ xo

perfect little apartment

i keep dreaming about this little breakfast nook in berlin {via ikea live}. it is my go-to look for what i want my future apartment to look like, and also proves you can have a kitchen in even the smallest of spaces! check out the link for the rest of the photos of this adorable little apartment

♥ xo

what to make of this?

i can't decide if paul and joe's new cat lipstick is completely adorable or verging on a little strange. if they did one with a bunny, on the other hand...



♥ xo

granny chic

i have heard the term granny chic banded around recently, and have seen countless knit cardigans and dropped hem skirts lately, but it was not until this morning that i really encountered a truly chic granny. i could definitely draw inspiration from her pearly pink cable knit cardi, floral print blouse, and even her high waisted trousers, but what i found truly charming about her ensemble was a long pendant necklace complete with....house keys! forget about a dainty little key charm from tiffanys, next time i hit the town, i know i'll be sure not to get locked out of the house!

♥ xo

back in the swing

this past week has been a whirlwind of homecoming from france, diy around the house and a major overhaul of my 14-year-old self's bedroom. i am in love with my new, 'grown up' room, conveniently finished a month before i move out. at least i still have a few weeks to enjoy it before i am thrust back into the 'big smoke'!

as for now, i can tell i've settled back into my daily routine, purely because of the fact that i have already ordered my next asos.com hit, in the shape of a bling bling boyfriend watch. it has to be said, i often quite openly wish i was a chav, and this little number is going to bring me that much closer to my longed-for identity. sadly, i won't be rocking a full tracksuit just yet.

i am keen to point out though, the rise of the 'boyfriend'. first it was stealing your other half's shirt...which has evolved into actual men's clothing made for women - the boyfriend jeans, the boyfriend blazer, the boyfriend cardigan and, now, the boyfriend watch. asos.com have a great little selection and i'm looking forward to the postman's arrival on monday. i also splashed out on asos premier - free next day delivery for an entire year, plus first-looks at new collection and sale items, at the discounted price of £14.95 until the end of august. definitely worth it.

the 'boyfriend outfit'

{slowmotion organic cotton tee, asos boyfriend blazer, gap distressed boyfriend jeans, asos boyfriend watch, all via asos.com}

♥ xo

oops

obviously when i wrote yesterdays post i had completely forgotten i am off to the south of france today! so blogging will recommence next week,

♥ xo

m.i.a.

so it has definitely been a while...it's been a whirlwind few months what with finishing up exams, working A LOT and then graduation! i am officially a SOAS graduate which makes me so excited but also a little bit scared.

At the moment I'm interning with a pr/marketing/events company which is really exciting, but i'm realllly excited to be interning next month with a fashion and lifestyle blog and i will be running around at LFW taking photos and doing some blog posts, which i'll discuss nearer the time.

i've felt a little uninspired to blog recently - i've moved home for now and when i'm at home i don't feel independent anymore, which makes me feel like i have nothing to blog about. but i'm really hoping to get my blog back on track and write about something worth reading!!

toodles (for now) ♥ xo

simple suppers

simple suppers all eaten from the same bowl.

{miso soup with poached salmon, leeks and soba noodles}

{salmon penne with spinach, olives, tomatoes and sundried tomatoes}

{sesame turkey stirfry with babycorn and coriander}

{roasted sweet potatoes with peas and sundried tomatoes}

{spaghetti with salmon and spinach in cream sauce}

♥ xo

this weekend i'm obsessed with these blogs:

bleubird vintage - a beautiful lady (called james!), her adorable kids, and her family awaiting the arrival of their 'baby bird' with vintage inspired pregnancy portraits.

blushing ambition - a sweet girl and her love of food and fashion. love this.

♥ xo

i've always had a thing for rob ryan's exquisite paper cuts, but i think i've actually found something i love even more - typography paper cuts by made by julene. they are beautiful and simple with a few words that say it all, and you can even commission your own. wouldn't this make the most wonderful first anniversary present (the first year is paper), a mementoe from a special event, or scanned and printed to use as perfect invitation covers.


♥ xo

london in may

the weather in london has decided to go mental! it is raining loads and really quite chilly. this time last year i remember taking my exams in a stifling hot exam hall and coming out feeling wonderful and being able to sit out on the grass and get a tan. no such luck this year, perhaps down to the volcano!

a day like today is perfect for snuggling up and catching up on my favourite blogs - which is what i've been doing instead of revising - so here's a couple of my favourite features this week!
{9 by design via a cup of jo}
i really love this tv show! unfortunately i've only managed to watch a couple episodes but i love the mother's accent - could listen to her talk all day, which is lucky because she talks a lot in this programme! the kids are called wolfie, breaker, bellamy, talulah, five, holleder and major (yes, there are seven of them!!) and while they sound ridiculous in theory, the names are actually as adorable as the kids are!

{this beautiful bride's style via once wed}

i'm so excited to see this wedding feature next week! what girl can pull off a straw hat on her wedding? so beautiful



{marina and the diamonds via rockstar diaries}

i saw this video a while back but was reminded by it today on naomi's blog. i am simultaneously enchanted and freaked out by this video, the black glittery paint and the way here mouth moves when she sings, especially.

{art deco cinema wedding via the rock n roll bride}

just so so cool!

♥ xo

style crush

while i'm obsessively refreshing bunny with fangs, hoping in vain that the new episodes of the hills and the city are going to be up soon, i thought i'd post some photos of my new style crush - olivia pallermo. i have to say, i sort of hate her. she is a wiley sneak and with each minute that she's on screen i get angrier and angrier (how does she think she can get away with all the things she says...she's on camera!!) but i can't help loving her style. she's so wispy, with a hint of a hunchback, but her reserved smile and saucer eyes are always perfectly off-set with a wardrobe full of luxe pieces, simple workwear separates and girly interludes. i'm also happy to see that whenever she's featured in magazines, she's often wearing a mixture of pieces from h&m and zara. in fact, while i don't know the origin the beautiful red rose jacket she was sporting at an anna sui show, it sure is a dead ringer for one of the pieces from h&m's garden collection.


{images from a selection at glamour.com}
gotta love a girl who wears a dress on the red carpet twice!

the hills is now up, so look out for my olivia inspired mood board tomorrow!

♥ xo

isn't this the cutest bunny you ever see?

apart from totally driving me crazy by wanting to play whenever i need to study, and wanting to nap whenever i'm ready to play, i am completely in love with my little bun. he is completely cheeky and now can't be left alone since he can now jump up on the bed and the windowsill by himself, but lucky for him i am home all day studying for finals. in three weeks i will be finished and it will be time to party again! also, some exciting things coming up at work that i'll definitely be blogging about. yippee!

scampi trying to blend in

♥ xo

getting somewhere

i now have 2 internships lined up for the next couple of months! they're both in pr, so hopefully i'll get to decide if it's what i want to do..otherwise, it's back to square one!

♥ xo

sweet love

i'm so smitten with this gorgeous new york backyard wedding featured on once wed. i love the groom's style and the bride's dress is absolutely to die for.how did they get the guests to coordinate!

♥ xo

in years to come

i finally got my hands on a one line a day five-year memory book. the first time i went to order it they were out of stock for months, so a few weeks ago i ordered one that never came, and i really wanted to start it for my birthday, so ended up ordering a second one that came in the post today. while i love the idea and am continuously amused about the fact that i will be 26 when i finish this thing (!!) and that i'm assuming there are going to be a lot of big changes during the next five years, i'm kind of disappointed the book isn't as pretty as i thought it was going to be. it's a bit more teal than i expected, instead of being a more charming baby blue, but it's what's going inside it that is going to be really important.

♥ xo

storming through

i wasn't planning on already racking up another notch on my to do list, but i might have found my new favourite bar last night - barrio north. just off islington upper street which is crammed with bars, this little number is cosy with a south american vibe, complete with a booth in the middle for parties that is a hollowed out vintage caravan! with friendly bartenders who call you sweetheart, a truly extensive and beautifull put together cocktail menu, and 12 free tequila shots because it was my friend's birthday, what's not to like! although the cocktails were pertty pricy, i've discovered a new favourite - the paloma, a mix of tequila, ice and lemons and limes.

♥ xo

good ol' abe lincoln

i love this print from 3LambsGraphics that i just bought for my friend's birthday. the red and blue combination is uplifting and fresh and what a sweet and motivational quote by abraham lincoln himself.

these reasonably priced prints marry vintage inspiration with modern colour combinations and cheeky or romantic words of wisdom. thumbs up from me!

♥ xo

vegetable of the month - may

last night i made salmon en croute for my boyfriend, but stuffed it with boursin cheese and this month's vegetable - artichokes. after being certain that i didn't like them, i had artichoke hearts with cous cous at home last week and decided they're my new favourite vegetable. i got this recipe from a waitrose magazine and it couldn't have been easier...or more delicious as leftovers for my lunch today!

the first picture is a little out of focus because we were so excited to cut it open and see what it looked like inside!

recipe:
2 salmon fillets (or a large one sliced in half)
artichoke hearts
boursin cheese (the recipe suggested goats cheese, but i'm really not a fan)
ready made puff pastry
beaten egg yolk, to glaze

1. lay out one of the salmon fillets and spread generously with cheese and layered artichoke hearts
2. place the other salmon fillet on top and tie together with string like a parcel, so that none of the filling is spilling out
3. seal in a frying pan until it starts to crisp on each side
4. place on a sheet of puff pastry and wrap, tucking in the edges and sealing with a fork
5. brush with the egg yolk glaze and score the top with lines or any design you want! don't be scared to score deeply, i didn't think i was supposed to, so it didn't work all the well
6. bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 220C

♥ xo

21 for a 21

so i completely forgot that my goal for turning 21 was to make a list of 21 wonderful things i'm going to do before my 22nd birthday. i've only missed out on a week or so of time (i'm sure 50 weeks will be plenty of time), so without further ado, here's the shortlist:

1. visit greece
2. get at least one internship to help me decide what i want to do in the future
3. make a double-tiered cake
4. try a new vegetable every month
5. do something new in london every month
6. take at least one picture a month with my beau
7. learn how to use my camera in manual mode
8. cook a three course meal
9. enter a competition
10. have an adventurous cocktail night
11. declutter my student bedroom and home bedroom
12. move out of home (i.e. the decluttering, as i'm going to have to condense 2 rooms into 1!)
13. try new hairstyles more often
14. keep a potted plant alive
15. fit back into my favourite jeans
16. party like i'm still a student
17. write letters to people i don't see often
18. write letters to people i do see often
19. make an art installation
20. learn a craft
21. read at least one book a month

♥ xo

oh i do like to be beside the sea

{blissful day on the beach in perfectly cut swimsuits, via the rockstar diaries}

♥ xo

back to blogging

after a few days away from blogging, i'm back! with the end of my quest for the perfect denim jacket. i have been seeing them on everyone recently. literally can't get away from them, and instead of putting me off, it just made me want one even more. but instead of the classic 'gap' style jean jacket, i found a gorgeous biker style washed denim jacket from ted baker, but at £99, i was hesitant. but lo and behold i swiped a nearly identical model (that i actually prefer) from river island for £39.99! very chuffed.

i'm wearing it with bleached oversized t-shirts, leggings and plimsolls til the weather gets warmer and i can break out the sandals!

♥ xo

birthday weekend

sorry it's been a little while, but as it was my birthday, can you blame me! i had a lovely party with friends the night before and then a beautiful meal cooked by my brother with my family on my actual birthday. presents included beautiful fresh flowers, the bunny i have been talking about from my boyfriend, the meal as a present from my brother, and a tiffany's surprise from my parents, as well as my present that i picked out. my uncles came over and surprised me with a beautiful hand painted minton tea cup from the 19th century. i'll let a few photos do the talking,


♥ xo

birthday!

i'm counting down the days til my birthday (3!!), and my party with my best friend is this friday. i'm super excited but there's lots of organising, decorating, cooking and baking to get done, since we're doing everything ourselves!
we decided to go for cupcakes for our birthday, and we're definitely going to try this out!


{video from xanthe milton's book, eat me}
annoyingly the video wreaks havoc with my layout, but at least you get to see pretty cakes!

i always use the 'classic swirl' she describes first, but i definitely want to try the rose technique to make our cuppies extra special.

♥ xo

push it!

i've seen these amorous salt and pepper shakers all over the place, but this cute couple from urban outfitters really caught my eye. sweet!


{image}

♥ xo

hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'?

since going to uni and having to fend for myself, i think i've done pretty well (aside from a few calls to my mum and a 'burnt brocolli incident' that i prefer not to talk about). my flatmate and i used to go to the market and choose exotic fruit and veg to take back to halls and learn how to cook up in all different ways. now i live in a house with my 3 best friends - they happen to be guys and they happen to be really really passionate about food (think A LOT of money spent on cheese and cured meats on a trip to france, and countless sushi takeaways...but also the ability to eat box after box of chicken dippers and survive on doritos for a few days).

living away from my mum has taught me how delicious some of the things are that i used to refuse when she cooked (aubergine is now literally my favourite thing). and i love taking recipes and making them my own.

so, it's pretty safe to say i can't wait to have my own kitchen!!

but for now, here's a couple of my favourites:

{image}

{image}

i'm quite surprised they're both white as i absolutely love colour. the first is from sophie dahl's show, the delicious miss dahl. you have to watch this show! although i'm not sure it'll be available to those of you acros the pond. but the above kitchen is redecorated with beautiful wallpaper, flowers everywhere, colourful pots and pans (le creuset, of course).

{unflattering screenshot from the bbc iplayer}

unfortunately, the largest it will go. but click for all the details!

♥ xo

room by room

i feel like i have decoration fever! i think i'm probably 'nesting' - i'm studying for my final exams and will probably move back home for a bit when i finish uni, but once i get a job i can't wait to move into my own little place, and all i can think about right now is how i'd decorate my dream apartment!

so for the next few days i'm going to be posting decorating ideas for bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and starting today with the ultimate fantasy - dressing room!


♥ xo

mix it up

i really love collections of frames in on the walls - it makes it so easy to bring together a bunch of pictures that don't necessarily go together, and make them cohesive and pleasing to the eye. i can't wait to do this

{image}

as i wrote about a few posts ago, moving in with the boyfriend might seem daunting (is he going to bring his video game posters?? please no!), but this seems like the perfect way to make compromises when you're cohabitating! throw in a vintage star wars postcard with a pretty sketch of tea cups, it really is a great way to mix things up. yay!

♥ xo

terrarium inspired wedding

this is the sweetest thing - while i love girly girly details with plenty of pastel colours and feminine details, i'm becoming increasingly drawn to more masculine inspired designs that still make space for pretty touches. which is why this wedding, photographed by whitney and her husband over at oh, darling caught my eye. while i can't help thinking that a wedding with so many customised features must cost a bomb, it obviously paid off. the couple look so happy and everything is just flawless - head on over to the blog to see what i mean!



♥ xo

food for thought

my birthday party with my best friend is in little under 2 weeks! i'm so excited, but now that everything is ordered and organised, there's nothing left to do until the last couple days before, which will consist of setting up, decorating the room (so excited), making all the food and baking and icing all the cupcakes. i'm keeping my fingers crossed for gorgeous spring weather.

while the savoury food (think cous cous, pasta salad, roasted veggies, etc.) is going to be served up in big bowls on each table for the guests, we're thinking about having a sweet little dessert table with a few cake stands on it that we can put on the tables when it's time for something sweet (along with a speech i'm dreading by mine and my friend's mutual school friend, who has a penchant for bringing up everything embarassing you have ever done!). so i thought i'd share some of the dessert table inspiration that i've dug up over the past couple days (and lo and behold, another use for a cupboard!)


{images from stylemepretty and decor8}

i think we're going to go with something simple. while i'd love tons of flowers and bunting, we're already near the end of our budget. but the table we are going to use is to tiny, i can't imagine much more than some perfectly iced cuppies will fit on it anyway! and maybe a couple balloons sneaked in for good measure :)

also, today's lunch:

{salad leaves with aubergine and cherry tomato, olive and dill omelette, courtesy of my mama}

♥ xo

the office

everyone loved that office-in-a-closet closet, and i found the where i got the picture from - the lovely rockstar diaries. check it out! it's fast becoming my favourite blog (probably because of their adorable bulldog puppy and the amount that he features in their posts).

i've always seen little closet offices in design magazines, but now that i try and search for me, my search just comes up with duds that aren't entirely inspiring and not pretty enough to post on a girly blog, thank you very much!

so here's a picture that's inspiring me in the run up to my 21st birthday party

{image}

hopefully this will reflect somewhat my birthday - my boyfriend is giving me a bunny and my parents are giving me a chair (i sort of wish it was this vintage metal loveseat now!)

i can't wait to post all the bits from my party when it's over - think dessert table, ribbon streamers, baby photos and colourful lanterns.

♥ xo

tucked away

i love small spaces. i think this comes from always have a little bedroom - i like to squeeze all sorts of things into it and make it like my magical haven, even if it isn't much bigger than a box! that's why i'm completely inspired and drawn to this idea:

{image}
the only problem is, why would you ever want to close the door on something this lovely!!

♥ xo

anthropologist

anthropologie has just come over to the uk! well...it's been over here for a while but i haven't had the chance to visit the shop on the king's road until yesterday, and let me just say it is beautiful. everything about it is perfect and lovely and i would happily live there!

i also stumbled across an internship opening on their website, so keep your fingers crossed for me! i'm wondering if the fact that my degree is in social anthropology will sway them at all..hmm.
i desperately love this dress that is only available in the states, but my beautiful gorgeous friend ant is going to make it for me to wear for my birthday!

i love the sunny yellow colour and the bow on the back...well, i can never resist a bow! the best thing about this is it will be made perfectly for me, with lots of love, and will be an amazing keepsake from my 21st birthday!

i also picked out my birthday present - a beautiful little chair in a 1950s design from designer's guild. i never realised that anything you choose there you can have reupholstered especially for you - my design is super personal to me and, as an added bonus, actually came out cheaper than the display model! i can't wait to show you all on here, but for now you'll just have to wait and see.

right now i'm supposed to be in study mode. i can't wait for summer when i can get out of the house and do so much more blogging!

♥ xo

creature comforts

easter weekend was wonderful, spent with family and friends, too much food and, most importantly, at home. there are just some things that can't beat going home to my mumma's house and leaving behind scummy student living, crinkly sheets and piles of dirty plates (mostly the boys, because i am a washing up nazi)

my favourite things about being at home are

a lovely girly bathroom without loads of stubble in the sink! (THE WORST)

childhood comforter that smells like lavender and home

fresh fruit always on the table

what are your favourite things about going home?

♥ xo

p.s. i made this lovely warm cous cous salad with rockette and figs for lunch last week. figs have really grown on me..i think i had them 4 different ways that week!