Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas is now well and truly in sight and I am as excited as, well, a child before Christmas. My lovely parents sent me some Xmas money (thanks mum & dad) so at the weekend I went shopping at Topshop to buy some pre-Christmas treats.

I have been after a denim shirt since the summer time however everyone I tried on seemed to swamp me. Brain was functioning at the weekend and I found a lovely light denim shirt in the petite section. Hurrah!

Since it has been insanely cold lately I bought yet another big chunky cardigan - this time in black. It is so warm and toasty.

Cup of tea time! Mmmm Earl Grey..

Once more - I am sorry that these photos are so orange! It is the odd lighting in my flat mixed with winter darkness outside.

I have also been meaning to post a picture of this lovely top knot headband I bought from Etsy (by foliage). I love top knots – they have a great rockabilly look to them. I have been wearing it quite a bit lately and I am considering purchasing a floral one soon.

This might be my last blog post for the New Year, so I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year

Emma xx

Material Girl

I really love Dolce and Gabbana’s new campaign featuring Madonna. She looks really womanly and healthy (has the scary muscular yoga Madonna withdrawn?) and I also think it echoes the ambience of classic Italian cinema.

Shot by Steven Klein, the photos show Madge as a sensual Italian housewife wearing floral skirts, crochet tops, dresses and leopard print. I am trying to ignore the fact that Madonna is chomping down on some spag bol in one of the pictures – I wonder if it is macrobiotic pasta?

Modern yet Folksy

When I was last in New York I visited this great store in Greenwich which stocked these gorgeous wooden post cards with twee looking animals on them. I am so happy to have finally found them (and other awesome products!) on-line at Night Owl Paper Goods.

They have such a cute collection of post cards (printed onto light weight wood). My favourites are the fox, kitten and bunny with a latte. What a lovely treat to send to loved ones.

They also have some really cute notepads (made from the same wood). I really love the otter and owl prints. They would be perfect to carry around everyday in my handbag.

Lori Nichols also makes handmade owls for Night Owl Paper Goods. She uses thrifty sweaters, wool, acorns and letterpress bits and bobs. They are so adorable! I really like the one made from mint green wool.

Potty for Pottery

Apologies that I have been a bit slack with blogging lately. I have been sick for the last two weeks with a cold which will not go away. It is driving me mad! I thought the point of getting sick was that you eventually got better, not stayed the same?

Like most people, I have been thinking about Christmas an awful lot at the moment. What to buy other people, what yummy treats I will be eating and most importantly what to put on my Christmas wish list. I put together my Xmas list a good month ago now, but in the last week I keep thinking of more great things to add to the list. Something tells me that I might be buying these things for myself…

Anyway, I have been trawling around on Etsy (I have been a tad bored at work lately) and I am really in love with the collection of ceramics by Fruit Fly Pie. Everything for sale is so cute and I love all of the bright retro colours.

These are my favourites (if you are listening Santa?)

Pretty in Pink

I have never really been able to wear pink… I love the colour but every time I try to wear something pink, I feel like a giant ball of fairy floss. It looks so pretty, soft and girlie though that I really want to try it out again and see if it could work for me.

I mean look at these pictures - don't these girls (and their poodles) just look so cute in pink? Now I know some of them are not actually wearing pink and are just bathed in rose lighting but they all look so sweet and yummy.

Whenever I think of pink, cherry blossoms automatically pop into my mind. I really want to visit Japan when they are in bloom. I also really love the colours in this picture from Lula. Sigh.

I saw this cute little shrug in Topshop which I am going to try on at some point over the weekend. I think it could be a good first step into the world of pink?

I also really love this Urban Outfitters dress. It is made from the most alluring fabric that I am slightly obsessed with it. I just wish they made it in black… I am such a creature of habit.

My Latest Muse...

I am totally envious of and in love with Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor. She looks like a cross between Rachel Bilson and Jade Jagger which means her looks are to die for. Her wavy locks are perfect and she has the most beautiful face (look at her mouth – which other 17 year olds are that pouty?).

She also has that amazing laid back hippy look which I have been struggling and failing miserably with for a good decade now. Little Atlanta also has totally amazing fashion sense and really pulls together some gorgeous and unique looks.

I am also slightly jealous that Nick Valensi from the Strokes is her step-dad. No lounging round the house in saggy old jumpers and tracksuit bottoms for Atlanta.

New Years Resolution - Number One

Yesterday I met up with my 'sensible' friend. We had lunch and then she declared she was off to Zara to buy some boots. She was incredibly excited because she hadn’t bought anything new for 6 weeks. I commented that 6 weeks without shopping was an amazing achievement. She then said that after blowing £2000 at Topshop in 3 months, she was on a strict shopping regime where she is only allowed one new item of clothing every 6 weeks.

That is amazing right? I don’t know about other people but I am so hopeless at putting myself on shopping bans. I tend to eat baked beans or peanut butter sandwiches for a week so that I can spend all of my spare cash on clothes.

I was inspired by her and I am going to take on a similar New Years resolution. Not too sure what form it will take but it will involve cutting back on my clothing allowance and putting my money aside for more sensible things - like into my savings account.

So on that note – I just bought a really cute tee-shirt in the Urban Outfitters sale. I really love it… I did say that I would start being sensible in the New Year after all.

Here is a picture of my new tee-shirt worn by some cute red head on the UO website. Keep posted for some pictures of me sporting it!

Call of the Wild

I find animal print quite timeless. Year after year, I happily dig out my leopard print scarves, gloves, belts and shoes and I never feel unfashionable. I wonder if metallic or studs will last the test of time? Probably not but they are fun for the time being.

Leopard print accessories always top my wish list. I have also been lusting after two pairs of shoes for a while now.

Ashish leopard print shoes

Emma Cook zebra print wedges.

I cannot decide which pair I want more… The Emma Cook shoes are really comfortable however I would be really tall in the Ashish leopard print sweeties. Hmmmm.

I think Whitney Port and Rihanna look really awesome in their leopard shoes. However not too sure about the rest of Whitney’s outfit. Leather shorts in an awkward cut? Is she heading off to Oktoberfest? Dear, dear Whitney.

I adore Miranda Kerr’s leopard print mini skirt. I think this outfit is pretty perfect. She looks really elegant yet trendy at the same time.

So after dissing Leighton last week I decided to give her some credit for keeping things stylish yet simple in this gorgeous leopard print scarf and black trench coat ensemble. I really do love Leighton. She is my favourite of the Gossip Girl girls.

Olivia Palermo is also keeping it simple and stylish by spicing up this black dress with a really cute leopard print belt. She is a stylish and pretty girl but man I hate her in the City.

Little Miss Grumpy

It has been a funny past couple of days and I have been left in the strangest mood today.

I went out shopping on Saturday with a friend who was visiting London and we got absolutely drenched. I really hate getting wet when I am out and about. I felt miserable and cold for the rest of the day. What is with this stormy weather?

Sunday was spent hiding indoors and watching the entire first season of the City. I really don’t know why I am so addicted to that show. I think it is Erin… She seems really cool and has awesome clothes. Anyway, when Sunday evening had rolled around and I hadn’t moved from the couch, I felt slightly lazy and guilty.

This morning the rain was still falling and my day got off to a rough start after my computer got a virus. I have been forced to spend my day working on a dust covered desk which is also covered in stale cake crumbs. It hasn’t left me in the best of moods because I think I have lost 2 years worth of work emails. Oh dear.

On a different note - I wanted to post some pictures of outfits from the weekend. This is me on Saturday before shopping (note the dry hair).

These pictures are from Sunday evening. I recently got a new jacket and dress from Urban Outfitters and I totally love them. The jacket is really light and has big floppy pockets. The dress is really short so it has to be worn with footless tights. It is so soft and comfortable. I don’t think these pictures do them any justice though. I look a bit orange really!

Hope you are all having better days then me!