Duke: An Update

A little like Marmite, you either love Duke or don't take a shine to him. (That's you, George. My all
things sporty but terrified of cats brother. Oh, and you Leona. Watch your knitwear!) 

When he hasn't seen you for a while, Duke is all things loving; crying at the stairgate until we say Good Morning, dishing out the kisses when we return after work, and, curling up next to us purring softly until he falls asleep. 

A very inquisitive boy, Duke isn't afraid of anything. A firework explodes over head and only so much as an ear twitches. A new drink on the table, he wants to know all about it!

A freezer drawer pulled out? Of course, he climbs in!

A coat that's accessible? Onto the floor, roll it up like a duvet, and get cosy!

Other mornings, his eyes flash red. If your trousers are anymore than Skinny fit, Duke reads "Bell-bottoms that must be swung on"; a gap down the back of the Washing maching? It's like a new Australia just waiting to be discovered.. Five minutes before you will miss the bus to work.

He will also launch himself at your cereal bowl in a dive that even Tom Daley would be proud of..

Oh, did I mention one more thing? He currently won't eat unless he is fork-fed. Yup. Meet Princess Duke.

Reinstating the Red Head

The one thing that always put me off dying my hair red was the warnings that came in their multitudes; each and every one threatening "It will never, ever wash out". I've probably dyed my hair more times than you've had hot dinners.. The reason? Boredom. Fun. Seasonal.  Yes,you read it, seasonal. 

So that doesn't mean I go green and red at Christmas with a gold Star on top.. My mood is easily dictated by the weather/ seasons (slight S.A.D, Seasonal Affective Disorder. Thank you for that Mother!) The darker mornings and evenings send me into mental hibernation, if I haven't got my pyjamas on, with a hot drink in hand, approach with caution..

Red to me was an obvious Autumm colour. I first coloured my hair red about 6 weeks ago, a dark mahogany red, a safe step as it could also be seen as a very, very warm brown. (or so I would tell myself if I didn't like It!)

The result: I loved it!  The only downside was how quickly it faded; remember those warnings? The obvious next step was to go slighter brighter, and test the waters a little more. 

It went back to brown so quickly:

I've never used Live Colour XXL but I had a feeling only this would take me as bright as I wanted to go!

This colour Dye...

Made this colour hair!

Those red tones in my hair that I despised every time I tried to go lighter/blonde/orange are finally In their element... And so am I!

When natural light gets a look in there are fantastic bursts of red (enhanced by old blonde highlights too)

I'm still tempted to go brighter...

My Autumn Edit

For me Autumn means chunky knitwear, oversized scarfs, statement jewellery, tall boots, ankle boots,  palettes of reds greens and golds, rambling walks in chilly weather, steaming lattes and a hot chocolate for Mr D. Autumn also brings the annual "I need a new coat" hunt.. But that's another story!

* All images have come from Pinterest

I love this red oversized jumper with a belt. The leggings and boots make the outfit well balanced.

A slightly warmer Autumn day is all about layering; this outfit would be just as lovely if the cardigan was taken off.

I need a coat like this! Rather loving the boots also but not sure I'll get far..

Michael Kors: Catwalk Chic to Supermarket Savy

Autumn colours of slate, dune, and vanilla; animals prints and colour blocking; Urban sexy meets equestrian chic; Michael Kors fall collection is absolutely delicious.

The classic Hamilton handbag, the Stockard boot, and the York suede/leather ankle boot are top of my Autumm wishlist. 

See the marketing shot of the York bootie below:

I've never been a fan of shoe boots until I saw these; they are gorgeous! Classic, autumnal, and downright gorgeous. And they are also unavailable in the UK..

If you live in the USA you can buy them direct here.

Completely by accident, I stumbled upon a high street alternative; for £110 less. So they don't have the leather detail and the heel height but this means they can be worn comfortably all day. 

Currently on sale at TU for Sainsburys; these ankle boots retail at £20. Go quick as there is 25% off all clothing and accessories! I paid an astonishing £15 for these beauties. Available in store only. Also available in black.

The leather bag is from Oasis.

Don't underestimate the power of your local supermarket.. 

Meet Duke: Our 9 Week Old Kitten

A moment of weakness, a moment of madness, and a moment of pure love. 

That was the moment we saw Duke.

Mr D was handed Duke (named Bruiser originally) and that was it, we agreed to pick him up Friday. 

 Growing up I was adament a pet was the answer to happiness; I campaigned for Ferrets, upsold the benefits of a horse, and very nearly tricked my mum into buying a Bernese Mountain Dog (those wide-eyed puppy pictures will melt any non-pet lovers hearts!) Prior to buying our house we lived with Dean's parents who had an elderly gentleman cat named Ralph who we both absolutely adored. 

In no way whatsoever did this prepare us for Duke.

Please don't get me wrong; this wasn't a rushed decision. For weeks I have been testing the water on getting a cat in our new home. I've showed Mr D many a kitten for sale, and even tried to make him believe I had brought one home the day he was due home late from work. I was surprised he hadn't given in; normally he is the impulse buyer and I am the "but do we really need that?" And "definitely not at that price!" Yet look at the smile with the laden trolly...

The first night was an incredible success; no noise, Duke went to bed when we did and slept through, and the cat litter was used. Second night... Hmmm, not so great. Toiletting accidents on Mr D's pyjamas, on the bed (!), and on the front door mat. Duke decided the cat litter type just wasn't right, so we replaced it and put the litter box in the place he kept looking for it and (touch wood) all is well so far! 

He very kindly meows at us when he needs it, so we pick him up and put him in it, just for the first few days to remind him where it is.

We never expected we could love Duke as much as we do. He plays until his heart is content, he loves the TV, and just wants to sit near us even if we don't give him attention. After an exhausting week at work, I found myself falling asleep on the sofa on Sunday afternoon; Duke was asleep in another room. Next thing I know, I've woken up as Duke scrambles over my legs to curl up as close as he can..

He does leave to sleep in the strangest of positions!

And despite the fact he is absolutely petrified of his own reflection we love him with all our heart

Eyeing up my cheesecake!! 

Off to Uni: One in 3 Students Can't Boil an Egg

And 18% don't even feel confident in how to make toast. *

Can't cook, won't cook?

 

My sister will be the first to admit she fits in both categories very easily. I used to get woken up to make her toast (my parents were thankful for this as it meant the house remained intact.) A lasagne? No way! A pasta dish? Unlikely. A roast dinner? Not even worth answering...

There are a lot of student cookbooks on the market. Some are pretty good, some are naff, and some aren't even worth picking up. But the majority of them include meals and dishes that 90% of students will not bother to do. (Okay, so I made this statistic up, but you get the point!) Students want what I call 'cupboard cookery'; no specialist ingredients, just a meal they can whip together with ingredients they are likely to have already. There is no point buying a specialist spice when they can buy the curry sauce in a jar cheaper... or better yet have it delivered with a naan bread, some onion bhajis, and a pilau rice.. 

As an 'off to uni' gift for my sister, it was only ever going to be sharing the knowledge of what I do best and she does worse; cooking. (Sorry Jem we both know it's true!) I picked up a funky notebook and decided to create my own recipe book. 

Uni essentials: Alcohol, Tea, and basic recipes from someone who knows you! 

(Luckily she doesn't like tea, and the Strawberry Liqueur is mine, so she can have the recipe collection!)

 

The notebook already has three dividers in. I have subcategorised in the following ways:

 

1. Quick food fixes: Jacket Potatoes (in the oven and the microwave, step by step); Bacon and Mushroom omelette (perfect for the morning after the night before); Loaded Nachos (to go with the beer pong!); Poached Egg on Toast; and, a Sweet Chilli Prawn Wrap
   
2. Actual Meals and their sides (on the rare occasion a student eats one of these): Home-made breaded chicken pieces; a Superfood Salad; Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables; Yorkshire Puddings; Egg Fried Rice; the list continues...
   
3. The Sweet Stuff: (what students eat most! and great ways to bond with your flatmates): American pancakes; Blueberry Muffins; Banana Bread; and Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies. 

The great think about a notebook is lots of free pages remain; it would be hugely optimistic to assume she will continue to enter her favourite meals and recipes as she learns them but where there is hope it may happen... 

*Read more statistics from the Sainsburys survey here

A MidSummer Cakes Dream: A secret location in Oxfordshire

The gold star for discovering this hidden world goes to my mother. Her love of rambling canal walks into the middle of nowhere combined with her English love of afternoon tea and cake made this find the perfect hidden gem. 

Hidden deep in the Oxfordshire countryside, Jane's Tea Room has to be a priority on your To Visit list. I'll admit, the name, Jane's Tea Room is uninspiring. How many Jane's Tea Rooms must there be across the United Kingdom? Well I promise you now.. this place is like no other! 

Owned by a lady called Jane (surprised?) who lives on a canal boat, the outside tea room is only open on a Sunday from 12-5. Jane owns the land, including a vintage caravan for rent and a horse! All of the baking is done using fresh and local produce where possible.

Jane's is nestled in a small village called Kirtlington, a beautiful archetypal Oxfordshire village. 

A lane disappears off the village green, shown above, heading towards the disused Kirtlington Quarry. A recent cluster of new homes is the only sign of human presence as the lane continues; the cows, horses, and smell of fresh grass overtaking the senses. The road does turn into a dirt track so make sure you are wearing appropriate shoes; on my first visit I wore slip on sandals and the gravel kept flicking up under my foot.. ouch.

Keep walking until you reach this partially hidden sign on the left of the track. To your right you will see what looks like an entrance to a private garden- enter here:

As you walk down the garden path, you will slowly leave the outside world beyond the gate. Be prepared for caged birds, dogs, and doves amongst the trees, antique road signs, Victorian style pushchairs, and a vintage record player.  The extended branches of the trees provide a canopy, and unfortunately the partial darkness did not provide the best photography light.

What I could capture were vintage tea cups hanging in the trees..

Continue down this path and I can guarantee you will soon hit a small queue of excited walkers, or those in on the secret, who are desperate for their cup of tea and homemade cake. You can choose from a selection of High Teas, quiche, soup, cakes, and scones all fresh and handmade.

Take a look at the menu below:

All of the seating is different; old picnic tables, bistro style table and chairs, covered seating with gazebos that is decorated with bunting.  Choosing where to sit is as difficult as choosing what to order!

 

 

As a treat to a very good friend of mine, we decided on a slice of Raspberry cake and a Carrot and Walnut cake to share, a pot of tea, and some water. I loved my vintage china tea cup and saucer!

 

 

Make the most of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and head down there; enjoy! 

Disentangling Dress Codes

What do you wear to the date that's not quite a date? 

If its for lunch, drinks, or dinner?

Do you know your dresscodes?

Casual:

  Casual equals comfy. This is the outfit you would wear all weekend if you could. You are not aiming to impress anyone, or make a statement. You are simply putting clothes on that you like because you need to wear something. Looking good at the same time doesn't hurt! A pop to the shops look..

Source

Casual Chic:

This look is based on 'casual' but slightly more thought has gone into it; maybe an accessory or two. Still very dressed down with flat shoes, this is the date look that claims " I look like this every day" "I didn't try at all".  Lunch with friends look..

 

Source

Smart Casual:

This is a difficult one to perfect; can heels turn a casual look smart? A tailored blazer can work miracles with a pair of jeans and heels. This look can be made up by combining wardrobe essentials: jeans and sparkle, a lace dress with a solid jacket, and almost always heels.  Daytime sparkle, dinner with friends and family, your date..

 Source

Smart:

Everybody loves dressing up for special occasions. A good excuse to splurge on a new dress and heels! A tailored blazer works well with this look.  If you need to take the outfit from day to evening, stick to a strong colour palette. Off to the races, a wedding guest, dinner at an up-market restaurant, a party...

 Source

Black-Tie:

This is the dressiest of dressy dress codes. Men are to wear black; preferably a tuxedo and a bow tie. Women are not restricted to the colour black but it must be an evening gown; preferably floor length. Ellie Saab and Jenny Packham will get you brownie points, as will Jimmys, Louboutins, and Manolo Blahnik's.

Source

These dress codes are pretty standard. Once you get the basic 'rules' of each code, adapt them to suit you.

The real difficulty comes when an event makes up their own dress code (I know!)

Can anyone describe "Daytime Glamour?"

2pm on a busy Monday afternoon in Central London for champagne and canapes?

Nope.. me neither...

Review: Funtime Fuschia Rimmel Nail Polish

What a fantastic colour for the summer! I'm not normally a pink kind of girl but this really stood out to me amongst all of the other colours on the shelves.. and it didn't let me down!

The colour is 260 Funtime Fuschia by Rimmel London.

Advertised as a nail polish with an Express Brush, it promises to dry within 60 seconds. Of course this had to be tested- 60 seconds later, it was indeed dry to touch. This is going to prove very useful for those last minute swap to peeptoe shoe moments as you run out the door and realise you forgot to paint your nails. 

By the time I had put everything back, my nails were dry and I was ready to put on my heels and run to the door for work. 

What I liked about this colour was it is vibrant; although pastels are great to keep nails understated, particularly in the workplace or if you aren't confident with colours. Don't be afraid to experiment.

 There is a fantastic shine to this colour, not only in the light. Here is a close up of the colour:

I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the range, but in the meantime it will be interesting to see how lasting a '60 second' nail polish can be. I really dislike the look of nails with only half of the polish remaining.

The answer could be gel.... watch this space!

Oxford Foodie Festival

Bank Holiday Weekend, beautiful sunshine, friends, and food - could you ask for more? 

The Oxford Foodies Festival could not have been timed better.

In Oxford's South Parks, open across the entire bank holiday weekend, the Foodies Festival was bound to be a success. Fresh food, novelty food, high quality kitchen tools, unusual drink concoctions, classic cider tents, and live music. This really had the potential to be a fantastic summer get- together event. The warm grass encouraged visitors to sit, drink, eat, and gossip amongst the fantastic aromas and sounds.

This was one of the quieter times when you could actually find somewhere to sit:

The summer sunshine was fantastic for us visitors; but not so much for some of the exhibitors. The preserve and chutney stalls were getting some serious attention; mostly from the fuzzy yellow and black striped little people..  With a small excited child in tow, we didn't want to approach these stalls too closely, just in case.

As a recently self-discovered macaroon fan I knew I had to try some of the home-made variety on offer. The friends I was with hadn't ever tried one before so I encouraged them to try one, my treat. I don't think Mr D quite got the full experience when he chose the bubblegum flavour (always a child at heart!). My two and a half year old niece happily devoured a pink macaroon and a few hours later at home was questioning where her next one was.. 

My next baking challenge will be to attempt my own macaroons- check back here soon for the recipe and tutorial. 

Overall, the Foodie Festival was a fantastic idea.. that unfortunately wasn't well thought out. A substantially large number of free tickets were handed out across Oxford, but they were charging £12.50 on the gate. Despite the ticket saying they could be used only once and not across all three days, the stewards at the gate purely glanced at our tickets and didn't take them off us. Not that it mattered, an hour or two was all we needed, not a whole weekend. 

Open until 7pm, it was a fantastic meeting point for those over the bank holiday weekend who wanted to enjoy the sun with some fantastic food and drink with a change of scenery. 

Next time, the festival should be a free event. At £5 a pint and over £6 for a pork roll, the events organizers could have easily made their money from the vendors. If I had been made to pay £12 entry as well, I definitely would have kicked up a fuss. A local foodies festival would also draw more punters in; there are a lot of local food and drink producers across Oxford and it would have been great to have seen more of these.  

Maison Blanc had some fantastic sweet items on offer, as did Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn with an interesting 'Gin and Tonic' and 'Madras Curry' Popcorn. It was an eye-opener, if anything! 

Life is short, eat dessert first!

Brunette to Red Head: Hair Colour

I regularly experiment with hair colourant. Experiment may not be the right word as this suggests an element of the unknown; although using chemicals in your hair could make anything happen (!) I always tend to keep my colour choices safe. Blonde, blonde highlights, Light Brown, Chocolate Brown, Darkest Brown, Plum, Black. Notice what is missing? Red.

I have always been scared of going red; it is a very very difficult colour to get away from if you decide you don't like it. The colour pigments are not easily covered with any other colour, except black. I have always loved all shades of red hair; from vibrant ginger, to volcano red, to dark mahogany. 

Yesterday, I spontaneously took the plunge:

My hair before was your typical tired looking brunette. I had recently had a few hidden blonde highlights put into my layers underneath but the impact was so minimal they may as well have not been there. They did add an extra dimension.. but not enough.

And now a soft, autumnal, and much warmer tone of red:

Let me know what you think!

*I used Clairol Extreme Nice 'n Easy Ruby Red hair dye 5RR. The dye was a bright orange (scary!) and had tendency to drip, but I absolutely love the colour result. I couldn't find anything else in this tone on the market; it was either much brighter or had plum tones. The model's hair on the front of the box is a shade lighter than mine, but I did have dark brown hair to begin with it. The box advises best results blonde-medium brown.

Home Sweet Home

Well things have been quiet on the blog for a month or so.. as we finally own our first home together!

Having lived with MR D previously for 3 years or so, no bad habits came as a surprise. What we weren't expecting was how well our interior design tastes complemented each other. Minimalistic, modern, feminine, with a hint of rustic is how I would struggle to define our tastes. We like clean lines and natural colour palettes, accessorizing with accent colours, plants,and  accessories. 

One of our biggest design struggles was finding artwork for the living room we liked. They were either too boring, too small, or just not quite right. Hours of searching in-stores and online brought no results. Mr D summarised well when he said he wanted it to look as if my ten year old brother had painted it. The issue was, we still couldn't define what "that" was. We decided I was going to do it myself. We wanted abstract, texture, and colours that would pick up the accents of our living room room; pastel greens, yellows, whites, and creams.

 Here is the result:

One thing I don't like is a room that looks too styled with a certain "colour"; themes I like, but a generic colour, however bright it is, can tire quickly. We wanted to accessorise our living room to make it feel homely, modern, and "us". We had to balance MR D's masculine input with my love for feminine chic. Luckily lots of candles, a few plants, and abstract items tend to fit the brief for both of us. (Although he still thinks I have too many candles!) Our living room is painted white and grey, with black finishings. The pastel colours previously mentioned soften the room but we needed to maintain a balance with the monochrome palette. The strong vertical lines of the unusual feature radiator on our wall is balanced with rounder items and contrasting lines.

As a result, our living room has ended up being a mixture of modern and monochrome, colour and contemporary, and it works well for us. The wide range of materials and textures adds depth to the room, wood particularly adding warmth.

We moved in one month ago today, so what a great opportunity to sit back and take it all in. Thank you to all of our supportive friends and family for helping us move in and enjoying it with us! In the end, it is not the space that counts but the life you live in it.

 

The Dangers in your Wardrobe: How the High-Street changes the way you think

Working in the bridal industry means every day I talk to women about their body shapes, their measurements, and the sizing options they have. Some women ignore the numbers and accept our advice, generally just wanting whichever size will compliment their body best. And some women don't. When you encounter a size 22 lady asking you to order a size 14 because she will hit the gym and she will lose the weight I don't know whether to applaud her determination or cry at her desperation.

After all, numbers are only numbers..right?

How can we truly measure the size we are? Only last week I found the 'perfect' pair of stonewash skinny jeans from Zara and just knew I had to get a few more in different colours to refresh my summer wardrobe. So imagine my surprise today when the same size in a different colour just did not fit. 

Surely a size 12 is a size 12? 

It's certainly no breaking headline to hear that different shops have different sizing schemes; we all know a 10 in Topshop is different from a 10 in Marks and Spencers. But have you ever thought why? 

My main belief is that the stores target their demographic; a young teenager shopping in TopShop has a very different mind-set to the lady shopping in M&S. The young girl wants to dress like, and ultimately feel like, the celebrity on the cover of Heat magazine; this is certainly no priority for the woman in M&S looking for summer essentials. The young girl must feel slim and fashionable, whereas the woman must feel confident and know she looks good. A size 12 in Topshop is 29.7" on the waist; A size 12 in M&S Per Una is 28.8".  The standard British sizing guideline for Size 12 is a 28" waist: proof of stores manipulating their sizes.

The young girl who is a size 12 in Topshop would be a size 14 if she were to shop at M&S. Which store makes her feel better about herself- Topshop; so she will buy here and buy more. 

Aside from playing mind games with your self- confidence, almost every woman will sympathize with the annoying scenario where you buy the same dress in 3 sizes from the same website just to try and find the one with the best fit.

Psychologists have a slightly more worrying problem to deal with; the growing obesity crises in this country. If you are encouraged to believe you can fit in a pair of size 14 trousers when you previously wore size 18, your self esteem goes up, but the true reality of your body becomes distorted.

On the other hand,  high street stores also encourage the false idealism of Size Zero. A size 14 pair of trousers in Zara has large red 'XL' stickers all down the leg; really, a size 14 a large? The particular range of jeans I loved only went up to a size 16 (XXL don't you know!)

The Size 12 jeans were perfect in the light blue last week, tight on the thighs in Coral this week.. and yet I had just bought a size 10 pencil dress from Debenhams  that fit great. If I had only shopped in Zara, I would definitely be going home to lettuce for dinner after I hit the gym!

Dress for your body shape; whatever your size, compliment yourself. Your clothes are a reflection of you; Keep your Heels, Head, and Standards High!

 

Friendship

It's funny to watch how people come and people go in life; some come back, some disappear into the unknown. 

I absolutely love my friends- all of them. And there's a lot. They all bring something unique to the table of friendship and they are all my friend for different reasons. Some I talk to daily, some weekly, and some even monthly.. But when I do talk to them, it's like we have been talking forever. It's knowing they are there for me even if they are hundreds of miles away. This summarises them completely:

Although being surrounded by friends doesn't always mean you are the most popular or happiest of people. You can have lots of what I call 'acquaintances', but are they always real friends?  I found this today which actually inspired this post as it really does make you question the value of friendship:

I'm bored of fake friends, fighting other people's battles, the deceit and the game playing. Doesn't summer inspire you to just get over it and on with it? Being nice to someone you don't like isn't called being two-face, it's called being adult enough to get on with it. 

Be friends with who you want to be friends, it doesn't have to be difficult. 

What I love about my best friends is they don't all mix. They don't even know each other. Why limit yourself to one friendship group? Surround yourself with people who make you laugh and love life.