Bit of Bling

I've been sorting out my accessories today.  My necklaces hang on one of those little headless lady stands (what are they called?) and it is always toppling over.  

It seems I've acquired quite a collection over the years.  I have put loads in the charity bag and these are some of the keepers:  

I go for either small silver pendants or big statement necklaces, like the ones in the pic.  I like the look of long necklaces and lariats but they get in the way and irritate me.  The ones in the photo above are mostly from good old M&S.  The particularly glitzy one at the very bottom is from Butler & Wilson.  I bought this necklace years ago and have always saved it for evenings out but just lately I've been wearing it with ordinary t-shirts and jeans for the day.  It looks quite cool - I think because it isn't quite as sparkly as it was.

I have another with pearls and spangles which I wore yesterday with a breton top.  

(Oh.  That's not a very good picture, sorry, it's a bit blurry.  We had been out for the day 

and I had enjoyed one or two glasses of wine.)

This necklace is from Jigsaw.  Pretty, no?  I wore the top with my indigo denim leggings (no, not jeggings, that's a silly word) and ballerina pumps.  I thought the necklace pimped up my clothes a bit for a mooch around Cambridge and slightly boozy lunch with the other half.  

We had three delicious courses in Cafe Rouge, wandered around the town and loitered by the river.  We were planning to punt but the weather was iffy.  Rain and river rage [husband's] could be disastrous.  I bought a gorgeous cornflower blue silk top in Reiss and then we came home and ate rum and raisin ice cream cones watching a bit of telly.  All loved up.

Back to normal this morning.  Had a bit of a tidy up, showered and popped on my Bliss Softening Socks.  These socks are pricey but they rule.  They are gel-filled and you cover your feet with cream then pop on the socks for half an hour.  My hideous trotters are soft and pretty (ish) after a session with these.

Husband typically chose to enter the bedroom at the precise moment I was wearing nothing but these and a big old pair of fluorescent pink pants.  

'Babe, they clash' was his passing comment.  

If ever you didn't want your new husband catching you unawares...

Nicki 

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Gin O'Clock

How can a short week feel so long?!  

It's 6:30pm and way past gin o'clock so I've just logged off my work computer and am going out in the garden for a drink before it gets cold.  Lead the way, pooch.

I'd write more but, you see, there's a rather handsome man in my garden 

and he's got a gin with my name on it.

We're going to Cambridge tomorrow for some shopping, lunching and, if the weather is nice, punting.  Last time we went punting (at Stratford upon Avon) we collided with a tour boat on the water.  It was very embarrassing.  I was almost peeing myself with laughter (thus rendering self even more useless at steering) whilst he got progressively sweaty and stroppy.  Should be fun! 

Nicki 

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Bad Hair Day, Good Bag Day

Dress and Jacket - M&S, Belt - Reiss, Sheer Tights - John Lewis, 

Snakeskin Courts - LK Bennett, Handbag - Mulberry

Despite getting up at the crack of sparrows this morning I still didn't have time to wash my hair (as evidenced by extraordinarily straggly ponytail).  I really should get up earlier - I know it's attention to the detail such as washed and blow-dried hair, polished nails and curled eyelashes that make all the difference to your appearance but I err on the side of grunge most of the time.

It mattered not a jot today though, I was wearing my favourite work shoes and carrying a new handbag.  All was right in my world! 

Nicki

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♪♫ Workin' 9 to 5... ♪♫

♪♫...what a way to make a livin'... ♪♫ 

I love this song!  It is one of my guilty pleasures, I know every word, and on a long car journey I'll quite often select the 'guilty pleasures' playlist on my ipod and sing my head off.  I'm driving to Leeds tomorrow for a meeting.  It takes me nearly three hours to get there so I plan to fill my Starbucks travel cup with proper strong coffee and sing my way up the M1.  

I am a little bit excited.  Not just because I get to spend the morning with Queen Dolly, Dr Hook and Five Star but also because I have got a new handbag.  I'm using it tomorrow for the first time.  I know it's sad to say that I'm excited about using a new handbag but there we are.  It's a Mulberry handbag and it's my new favourite thing.  

You can't really tell properly here but it's coral coloured leather.  Eek!  It is the Mulberry Alexa and the colour is called 'watermelon'.  It has a short plaited handle which fits into the crook of the arm and a longer strap which you can sling over the shoulder or across the body.  I have a couple of other Mulberry handbags but this is the first time I've bought one in such a ker-azy colour.  It is summery and fresh - I love it.  Not pink, not red, not orange but a perfect bright coral.  The kind of colour that looks amazing with a tan.  I have a few brightly coloured tops but I mostly wear neutral and nude colours; my beige, grey, khaki and parachute silk pink all look so right with this bag.  I wear a lot of black too, especially for work, but I think the only black item of clothing I can bring myself to pair this with is my leather jacket.  I don't like bright colours with black.

In this photo, the bag is sitting on a footstool.  Quite a loud patterned one, I know.  I love this room, it's our little den, shall I show you?

Our house is odd.  It's very old - two cottages that were knocked into one - and it is built on a slope so we have five levels in total, even though we have just two bedrooms.  This room is at the very top of the house - it is the lightest, brightest and warmest room (everywhere else in the house can be cold and a bit dark, even in high summer).  

You can't see it but those two chairs are in front of a TV - that's where my man watches his football/sci-fi and I watch my trash TV.  The little desk is where I sit with my laptop when I work from home and I also do any sewing up here.  We have books on shelves everywhere in this house, it drives me crazy.  The Mr and I both read a lot and he likes to see books on display.  I don't, I'd rather they were packed away, but we also have several strings of fairy lights in various spots around the house so I reckon I can compromise!  

Here's my little desk.  And some of the trade-off twig lights.

This is the only room that we can have a nice big light in - the ceilings everywhere else in the house are pretty low.

My Mother in Law keeps telling me that I need to remove all of the crystals once a week and wash them in hot soapy water to keep it sparkling.  I pretend not to hear when she says this.  The best it gets is a flick of my feather duster.

And finally, here's my little work chum.  She keeps me company when I work from home and listens out for would-be burglars, the postman and the annoying little boy next door who keeps booting his footballs over the fence.  She also patiently listens to me rabbit on when I'm in the middle of a particularly tricky spreadsheet.

This was her today and this photo makes me smile because I think she looks quite wise 

with a walrus moustache.  

See, you can go crazy in the coconut being on your own too much, thank goodness I'll be seeing real people at the office tomorrow.

Nicki 

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Shopping and a Girl Crush

I picked up this book (Cute and Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench) at the weekend.  I have wanted it for a while so was pretty pleased to grab the last copy in my local Hobbycraft along with a few sumptuous balls of yarn...

The brown and the pink are both 'Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK'.  It is 75% extra fine merino, 20% silk and 5% cashmere.  It is soft, warm and I love the delicate shade of the colours.  I found a blanket in the book that I would love to use this yarn for but I would need to buy 32 balls.  (32 balls!) At £5.49 a ball that isn't something I can persuade our Household Financial Controller (husband) to sign off any time soon!  I couldn't leave the yarn in the shop so I bought six balls of it.  They didn't have it in store in a cream colour and I quite fancy making a cream baby blanket with accents of the brown and pink.  I am sure I can buy it cheaper elsewhere - I might try eBay.

I really want to make something out of the book soon though, so I'm going to give the fingerless gloves a try (although I prefer to call them wristwarmers!).  For this project I bought two balls of the cream-coloured yarn in the photo.  It is an Amy Butler for Rowan 'Belle Organic DK'.  It's 50% organic wool and 50% organic cotton.  I daren't start it yet in case I mess up but at least the material is in my basket for when I'm having one of my more confident moments!

Matalan is next to Hobbycraft in our town so whilst I was there I thought I'd pop in for a quick squizz.  There were lots of gorgeous little floral dresses in store but cute florals aren't me :( .  I saw this jumpsuit though and loved it:

It is difficult to show it properly in a photo without wearing it (and I'm not ready to post any photos of myself!) but it's kind of silky with a loose waist so it drapes nicely.  It also tapers at the ankle with little ties and has similar ties on the shoulders.  It looks lovely with my black leather jacket and nude platform peep-toe shoes.  I feel a bit Rod Stewart in it but I think I can get over that after a stiff gin!  It will be perfect for a nice dinner somewhere or drinks in a chic bar.  Here's a close up of the fabric:

Very happy with it and it only cost £22.  I always forget just how affordable Matalan is.  I'm not a huge fan of throwaway fashion; I don't often buy clothes but when I do I like to go for the best I can afford and tend to choose things that I hope will be timeless.  However, if I didn't go to the cheaper stores for a few bits and pieces my wardrobe would be a bit safe and boring.  I definitely wouldn't have much choice either!  I am trying to sort out my clothes at the minute and I've got a few events coming up at the end of the month so in a move that is completely out of character for me I am planning my outfits in advance (I never do this - I always frantically rush around the shops the day before a big dinner/wedding or whatever to find the right outfit).

So, back to work tomorrow having had over a week off.  I've got that end-of-holiday feeling which is ridiculous because I love my job, have a great boss and enjoy a certain degree of flexibility.  But it has been really nice to just potter around at home with my husband for the week.  The only thing I regret is that I didn't get round to any baking - this WeightWatchers thing is tough so probably a good job I didn't.

Before I go, can I just say that I'm now a tiny bit obsessed with Princess Kate.  I have always considered her to be a bit bland, boring and old before her time (I feel guilty for admitting that now).  Since the wedding I haven't been able to stop thinking about her.  She was so cool and calm on her wedding day.  She is thin, toned, impeccably behaved and beautifully turned out.  She must have such willpower and I am so totally jealous of her discipline and her cool head.

♥♥♥  I have a bit of a girl crush... ♥♥♥

Nicki 

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Geeky Days

Fancied a cream tea today so we used our National Trust annual membership and popped down the road to Canon's Ashby House.  The house and gardens are beautiful and there is vast parkland to wander around - it was the perfect weather for it.  After a nose around the house and a stroll around the grounds we headed to the tea room and had a lovely old-fashioned lunch:  thick cut ham sandwiches with real butter, a pot of tea and scones with clotted cream and jam.  It was such a treat.  They sell my favourite Dandelion & Burdock and now I can't get it out of my head.  I have to find a stockist near me.

Not long now until the wedding!   

I'm getting quite excited and wish I'd bought/made/stolen some bunting to drape around the house.  I was too cool for it a few weeks ago; I should have known I'd revert to type within days of the big day!

Perhaps I'll just settle for a Papa John's pizza with my Dandelion & Burdock this Friday.

Nicki 

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