{What I Wore Wednesday #7}

I'm linking up with Transatlantic Blonde for her What I Wore Wednesday blog hop.



And here I am... this is my outfit from yesterday. I don't normally wear high heels when I'm having to deal with the little ones, but my toddler was in nursery so I thought on this occasion I would as it was only the baby I'd be chasing after, and she doesn't get very far at the moment! Again, I'm wearing one of the outfits that I bought on my personal shopping trip.

Glasses by Dior

Jumper from Mint Velvet

Skinny Jeans from Next

Brown Knee High Boots from Next

{Bit of a Failure}

This week has been a bit of a failure for #groovingmums with Kate on Thin Ice. I've not had the time to attempt the challenges which I'm slightly annoyed at. I can't believe that tomorrow is December already.... where has the time gone!?

Despite not doing the challenges, I have been busy (when am I not?!).

The DIY is still ongoing. I will finish it in time for Christmas! I've picked up some new bathroom fittings from the supermarket (I had looked on eBay for a bargain to allow me to join in with Magpie Monday but couldn't find anything I liked). 

I had also planned a trip to the local charity shops but the weather has been so miserable that I've not wanted to go! I'm taking part in the Christmas Curiosity Project so I need to get going and get my box posted - I've been collecting bits and pieces for the curious person I've been assigned and had hoped to get a few more things from the charity shop. (Bit annoyed as I can't find one of the things I had already looked out, so I'll need to do some searching today in the house to find it again - my son has probably moved it!!). I'm so excited about receiving my box :-)

I went to running club and this week I ran 8.66 miles.... in the wind & rain too! I was also at my weekly Pilates class.

I had a weigh in with my personal trainer and my body fat percentage is now down to 25%!!!!! It was 39% when I started, so I'm giving myself a big pat on the back. Go me!

I've also had a couple of successes in terms of my blogging.... I was mentioned in the Scottish Roundup, the best of Scottish blogging every week, and I also had an excerpt of my blog about #groovingmums published on the Love New Blogs weekly showcase. Yay!

Here are this week’s prompts or challenges if you will.
1. How is your health? Is there a niggling problem that you are avoiding bringing to the attention of your GP? Are you up to date with your smear test and other matters? How can you ensure that you are in tip-top form before the stress of Christmas hits?
2. What does the concept of freedom mean to you? Do you have enough or do you sometimes feel hemmed in with your various responsiblities? When are you cut a bit of slack by your family, friends and colleagues?
3. Laughter Therapy – Can you do something this week that will make you laugh out loud? Perhaps see a funny film, write an amusing blog post or visit a comedy show? Maybe just share a joke with us.
4. Blog Hopping – One good way to make new blogger contacts is via blog hopping. How about taking part in one of the Britmums prompts this week? One is related to the festive season and one is about blogging in the New Year. Visit the Britmums site for more details. http://www.britmumsblog.com/2011/11/britmums-blog-prompt-christmas-wishes/

I have already e-mailed my gastroenterology consultant to arrange an appointment. My Crohn's symptoms seem to be getting a little worse and I want to get this under control before returning to work in January... I'm thinking of asking the in-laws to take the kiddies so I can have a day to myself to relax, have a nice lunch in local cafe, browse the local shops etc and have some precious me-time as there won't be much of it once I get back to work!

{Fabulous Finds: Blogging Resources}

I thought I would share with you some of the fabulous websites I've found for blogging resources. I love Photoshop, Illustrator (still a beginner) and all things digital design. I'm hoping to spend a bit more time styling my blog posts as it's one of the things I really enjoy about having my own blog - making it all look pretty and nice.

First up is Shabby Blogs. This is where I found the banner that I use for my blog - all I had to do was add my own photos. Shabby Blogs also have cute buttons, backgrounds and other free blogging resources and have some tutorials also on how to use them. (The notepad above is from 'post pretties' over at Shabby Blogs - I added some text using Photoshop).

I've been signed up for Pugly Pixel emails for a while now and there is always great inspiration and freebies. I like these free PSD blog photo templates and plan to start using them for my posts.

Free blog photo templates from Pugly Pixel

Another site I've come across is hot biggity blog. I'm very pleased with the free pink flocked background that I found here... they have loads to choose from! I'm not great with html but I somehow managed to get it to work! It doesn't look great on my mobile though so I'll need to see if I can tweak it a bit.

vol. 25 has some amazing bits and pieces. I've bought one of their card templates for my Christmas cards this year and I personally think it looks fantastic. Again, there are a few freebies. Non-blog related are the Christmas gift tags below. Love brown wrapping paper!

Styling ideas for using free holiday tags by Volume Twenty Five 

Makin' cute Blogs also have some great tutorials and freebies. The Background Fairy has some fab free stuff for your blog too.

Blog Header from The Background Fairy

Pixels & IceCream have some fab freebies too, like these brushes for PS. There are also tonnes of patterns, papers, overlays etc.

Free Photoshop brushes from Pixels & IceCream 

My first stop for free fonts has always been dafont and they have a massive selection of all sorts of fonts... fancy, script, techno.... I have a few favourites... sweetie pie is one of them! How cute!!

I'm also liking 'home & hearth' by Heather T.

I could play about all day with clip art and fonts if I had the time!

I just want to add at this point for those of you that are, like me, new to blogging, I'd recommend the free e-courses provided by @littlemummy_com and @scottish_mum. Both provide tips & tricks and info on blogging basics via e-mail.

As always, please let me know what you think :-)

{Ooh! That's Pinteresting! Christmas Craft Ideas}

I'm joining up again this week with Tina Gray for her Ooh! That's Pinteresting blog hop.

I thought I'd share some of the crafty ideas for Christmas decorations that I've found and liked the look of. I'm hoping that one day soon I'll be able to join up with Blossom Heart and Mummy To Five to share something for their Pinterest Make Me Challenge!

 Aren't these paper flowers beautiful! Thinking I could make them in red for the Christmas table 

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Another option for Christmas table decorations - napkin flowers

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Love this wreath! {image source}

Perhaps with some festive paper for Christmas decoration? {image source}

For hanging Christmas cards? {image source}

You can follow me on Pinterest here.

{Things I'm Loving Right Now}

Smokey eye make-up. Following on from my make-up lesson I've been trying to practice my make-up techniques! In fact, I'm loving all things grey particularly for interiors. {image source}

Baking, and in particular, baking cupcakes. If I could bake all day long I would... but then there is also the slight problem that I love cakes, so it wouldn't be good for the waistline! {image source}

Painting. Well, I'm not so much loving the actual painting but more the outcome of my painting! I'm getting there but it's been a long slog! {image source}

Christmas. I am super excited about Christmas this year. I love decorating the house, choosing gifts to give to friends & family, eating lots of nice food and spending quality time with our family. We are hosting this year so I'm busy painting my dining room in the hope that I'll have it finished in time! {image source}

Sewing. I have been sewing cafe curtains for my dining room and back porch... they're all done now and I really did enjoy making them myself... rather satisfying! I've now got a pattern for a little girl's dress and I'm going to attempt to make my daughter a dress! Watch this space! {image source}

{My Capsule Wardrobe - Outerwear}

Here's the lowdown on my outerwear. I have a few coats in a wardrobe in my hall, and at the moment I have one on my coat stand in the hallway by the door. Seeing as it's winter, my current coat of choice is my new North Face parka. I love it. It was very expensive, but I see it as an investment and it will last me for years and years. It's very cosy and is fully waterproof - perfect for the cold weather we get here! Thank you to @Scottish_Mum for the recommendation.

North Face Arctic Parka

I also have two showerproof macs. They are both casual jackets that I throw on over my day-to-day clothes when the weather is a bit warmer for popping out on the nursery run or to the shops. I have a beige coloured mac from Joules that I picked up in their sale a few years ago and I have a black mac from M&S. I bought the black mac just after my son was born and I've got a lot of use out of it so far. It's still in great condition, and it can be chucked in the washing machine which is really handy.

Of all my coats, I wear my parka and two showerproof macs the most. These have hoods so they're great when I'm out pushing the double buggy round the local shops... the Glasgow weather is notoriously unpredictable and so a hood is essential in my eyes as it would be very difficult to push a buggy and hold an umbrella!

I have a few other coats and jackets that I haven't worn for a while now, mainly because they didn't fit me when I was pregnant or they don't have hoods so are useless for when I'm out with the buggy (which is most of the time!).

I have a fab mustard mac from M&S which I used to wear literally all the time... with jeans during the day, over dresses at night! I also have a beige mac with a belt from Next. These are both smarter than my showerproof macs, but due to the lack of hood I rarely wear them but I will dig them out in the summer months (please let us have some nice weather next year!).

My mustard mac from M&S (me as a brunette!)

I bought a black leather short jacket from Mango pre-babies which I wore a lot for nights out clubbing but I've not been able to fit into it in ages...however guess what, it fits me again! Don't really have nights out anymore though!!

Black leather jacket from Mango (Note to self, I look much better with a fringe!!)

I also have a cream leather short jacket from Costco which is possibly 15 years old now and still going strong! My mum bought it for my little sister and I ended up with it for some reason. I can't remember the last time I wore it, but I can't seem to part with it.

My denim jacket from Oasis is possibly 15 years old too! My hubby thought it was hilarious that I still had my old denim jacket, but it still fits me and a denim jacket is a denim jacket. I've not worn it in years, but like the cream leather one I can't seem to part with it just yet!

I also have two gilets, one beige and one black, from Topshop. Again they are really old and I can't remember the last time I wore them. My sister wears the beige one occasionally when she visits, but other than that they don't get worn.

Here I am on my last day of secondary school wearing my black gilet!

I've got a long black 'Scottish Widows' type coat with a hood which I picked up at a Next sale a while ago, but the shape of it does nothing for me now and I think it is ready for the charity shop.

I'm not a hoarder (I've already put a few coats to the charity shop as they were drowning me and they didn't look flattering anymore), but sometimes I do find it difficult to be ruthless and let go. Watch out eBay - I have lots of items coming your way!!

I've heard that the rule should be if you've not worn an item in the last year then you should ditch it - is that really the case?

{Fabulous Finds: Baby & Toddler Gifts}

With Christmas just around the corner I thought I would share some of my fabulous finds for gifts for the little ones.

I was shopping the other day, in person rather than on the net, and it just reinforced my love of online shopping... I just couldn't be bothered with finding a parking space, not finding the item you were looking for, the queues at the tills...bleugh!

Here's my lowdown on some gifts that I've recently bought or I'm planning on buying... they're all under £15.00.

I'm thinking of getting my son a kite for his Christmas. He recognises the letter 'k' already and says 'kite' and makes a whooshing noise - very cute! He loves the outdoors so something like this will be perfect I think for running about at the local park (it's always windy here!!).

Spirit of Air Diamond Rainbow Kite from Kidz Outdoors

I've bought a couple of these stamps for Christmas gifts and I'm going to team it with some bright coloured ink pads, some pencils and a book for a few of my children's cousins.

"This book belongs to" stamp from Cox & Cox

I've bought a lunch bag and matching water bottle for my daughter who is currently being weaned. This will allow me to carry around her purees, spoons etc when out on day trips. I'm hoping to ditch the baby changing bag soon, so it's my plan to have a lunch bag of snacks and essentials that can be thrown into my own handbag. Here are the ones I chose:

Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie Insulated Lunch Bag in Ladybird from Funky Moose

Crocodile Creek Ladybugs Drinks Bottle from Funky Moose

(she's obviously too young for the drinks bottle at the moment but I wanted to get a matching one whilst it was available!)

A good friend of mine recommended the Orchard Toy games, and when I spotted these in a toy shop whilst away for the weekend I stocked up on a few! I bought the shape snap game for my son's Christmas - he loves shapes. I also bought the Quack Quack game. I've just been having a look online at the Orchard Toys webpage and the range of educational games is fantastic. They are also offering free UK delivery on orders over £15!

Orchard Toys Quack Quack Game

I've bought a few of these fab popcorn bowls from Cox & Cox as Christmas gifts for some of the older kids we know. I thought they were quite quirky! They're a bit smaller than I anticipated, but I should have paid more attention to the dimensions on the website!!

Retro-designed plastic popcorn bowl from Cox & Cox

Another fab gift I've bought is this finger printing art set. There are various themes, I chose the fairy tale theme. I think it makes a lovely gift and everything you need is packaged in a beautiful little tin.

I want to point out that I've just stumbled across the website The Pea's Knees and it's lovely...they also offer free UK postage!

Finger Printing Art Set from The Pea's Knees

My sister bought these magnetic letters and a magnetic easel for my son's birthday this year and he loves them. He already recognises a lot of the letters and we write messages on the easel for granny & grandpa or Auntie Ali when they visit!

John Crane Magnetic Letters

This Fairy Cupcake Recipe Book by Think Pink is super cute and I've bought one for a friend's daughter who loves to bake. I also managed to find some scented pens in strawberry flavour from a local gift shop (to match the strawberry page marker in the recipe book) and I think it will make a perfect gift.

Fairy Cupcake Recipe Book

Strawberry Scented Pen

Another gift that I've bought in the past is a mouse in a matchbox. They are adorable and I know my son would love one as he's currently obsessed with houses, boxes, little people/animals and role play. This one is from the online shop Hop Toy Shop and again it's a site I recently came across and bookmarked because I thought it was lovely.

Matchbox Boy Mouse

As always, do let me know what you think :-)

{What I Wore Wednesday #6}

I'm linking up with Transatlantic Blonde for her 'What I Wore Wednesday' blog hop. I'm uber jealous as she was lucky to win a competition allowing special access to the new Versace range at H&M. You can check out what she bought here.

If you haven't already seen my post, then you can check out my new capsule wardrobe which I recently purchased from House of Fraser on a personal shopping trip. I can't recommend it enough, and it's a free service!!

Here's my outfit from this week:

Dress by French Connection

Jeans from Next

Boots from M&S

Glasses, as usual, are by Dior

{And the beat goes on}

So, here's my #groovingmums update for Kate's Getting your groove back blog hop.


This week has been a bit 'bleugh'... can't think of a better word to describe it, sorry! I've now completed my three treats that I had lined up for achieving and maintaining my weight loss (cupcake masterclass, spa visit with a friend and personal shopping trip). I kinda feel like I've not got anything much to look forward to and despite the weight loss and feeling a bit better within myself things still aren't brilliant and I'm not sure if I have my groove back or not... 


However, I suppose there is Christmas next month which I'm very excited about as my toddler seems to be starting to understand about Christmas, probably due to him being at nursery. I've also got my 30th birthday in January which I need to start planning... thinking of having a party at the house but not totally sure yet. My to-do-list just keeps getting bigger and bigger!


This week I've only managed one run on Sunday with the running club girls and I did 7 miles! A new personal best, so I'm pleased with my achievement. *mentally ticks off one of the challenges from last week!* I'm sure that by May 2012 I'll be able to run the half marathon as planned... I might even do it in a decent time!

Healthy eating wise I've been so-so. I've indulged in quite a few cakes... had a massive scone at garden centre with hubby and the kids at the weekend (it was yum though!) and I also had one delivered to the house from Sponge which was delicious! I've not weighed myself so I'm not sure if I'm still at my target weight or not... got my personal trainer this week so I'll find out then :-/

I've continued with my painting and decorating at the house. I'm actually just back from B&Q where I was getting some more supplies as I plan to do some more painting tonight once the kiddies are in bed!

I have been enjoying my new wardrobe and I've been making an effort to mix n'match with my new clothes and wear things that are a little bit different for me.

On Saturday night I was at a friend's new house for a housewarming party. Hubby stayed to babysit the kids so I went along on my own. I was a bit nervous... I wasn't sure if I was going to know anyone there and I was feeling rather self conscious despite my amazing new clothes. I wore my skinny jeans, orange pussy bow blouse and my leopard print boots and I got a few nice comments about my shoes which made me feel more confident. Aside from my friend who's house it was, I knew one other person there, but I had a fab night and met some lovely people... There was no dancing though so I failed on Kate's challenge from last week (unless dancing about in the kitchen with the kids counts??... maybe the neighbours can vouch for me!).

In terms of Kate's other challenges, I have shared a favourite, but sad, poem in my Poetry blog post and I also took part in Kate Takes 5 listography blog hop which was harder than I thought it would be!

Yesterday I did some baking with the toddler (he licked the bowl - does that count!), and my hubby took the cakes to his work today for his staff. I was practicing my recipe for my Christmas cupcakes for the neighbours.... vanilla sponge with a gingerbread frosting... although I used pink spotty cupcake cases and heart decorations whereas my Christmas ones will be a bit different. I got a text from hubby to say that one of his staff members said my cakes were 'the nicest she's ever had' and 'well done you, everyone loves them'. So I was very pleased with that... success!

I packaged the cakes in the cupcake boxes I shared in my fabulous finds post

Here are the challenges set by Kate for this week:

1. Winter Warmth – how can you treat yourself to something that keeps you warm in this wintry weather. A new hat, scarf or pair of gloves? A pampering session involving heat? A hot chocolate every night for a week? Whatever warmth means to you. 

2. Money – is it time you thought about your finances? This will mean different things to different people. Do you have debts to sort out? Do you need advice on benefits? Is it worth joining an credit union as a way to build up savings and with access to credit? Is it time you set a budget for Christmas and stuck to it? It is absolutely up to you how you interpret this one. 

3. Art – How much do you know about art? Would you like to share a favourite painting with us and tell us why it appeals to you? Do you create things yourself that you would like to promote? Would you like to learn more about art and how might you do that?

4. Blogging Fun – How about taking part in Magpie Monday where bloggers celebrate bargain pre-owned finds whether located in charity shops, car boot sales, Christmas fairs, Ebay or whatever? You will find details with the lovely Liz over on the Me and My Shadow blog.

Perhaps this is the excuse I needed to buy a gorgeous hat I've spotted in a local gift shop? ;-)

Catch up with me next week to see how I got on...

{Fabulous Finds: Mail Order Food Gifts}

A friend of mine had her second baby the other week, another girl (she's very cute too!). I wasn't sure what to get her as a gift.... she already has all the girls clothes, toys etc that she would need. So I decided to get something for her and her other half.... I sent them a cake in the post from Sponge. They loved it! At the moment Sponge are doing an offer if you join their family - send a cake to someone and get a cake sent to you for free. I chose the Victoria Sponge and here is my free cake... it was yum! (If you are wondering, my cake platter was a gift from my sister from Corn Kist Ceramics).

Another company I have used to send food in the mail is Send Happiness. I hadn't heard about this company until I saw a post by Love in the Nest and I thought it was a brilliant concept. It's really simple - you pick a box, pick a treat (such as Haribo sweets... I do love some pick n'mix!), write a message and your box is sent to your chosen recipient. All this from just £3.99. I sent a box to my sister from my two kiddies and she was delighted when it arrived.

A few other companies that I've heard great things of but I'm yet to use are Biscuiteers - delicious hand iced biccies direct to your door and they look amazing! There is also an offer for £5 off your first biscuit tin when you sign up to their newsletter. I love the look of their advent calendar tin...

Advent Calendar Tin from Biscuiteers

The Food Stork is another... they deliver freshly prepared food gifts to new parents - how brilliant is that! The gift boxes have some meals that sound just delish. How about roasted sweet tomato & thyme soup... or wild sea trout, shallot & home-grown herbs fishcakes... and the chocolate & almond brownies  look sooooo good!!

Don't these brownies from The Food Stork look divine!

Here are some other food gifts that can be ordered online that I liked the look of (can you tell that I love online shopping?).

This Ultimate Gin & Tonic Kit from Whisk Hampers via Not on The High Street would be perfect for a few of my friends... we do love a wee G&T.

Ultimate Gin & Tonic Kit

I also found this on Not on The High Street... Choc-affair, which is a stick of chocolate and sugar all ready to be swirled into some hot milk for the perfect hot chocolate. 

Choc-affair

I can't resist a good cup of tea! I normally drink Tetley Decaf but I will occasionally have some fruit tea (fav is apple & cinnamon) or something a bit different. When I was in Nice, France with the hubby I had a chocolate flavoured tea at a little cafe that was recommended in our rough guide. I have found this gift from teapigs... it's a Christmas Cheeky gift set and one of the teas is 'chocolate flake tea' and the description says it's like dunking a chocolate biscuit into your tea. Yum! I've had the 'spiced winter red tea' and it smelled gorgeous & tasted great - very festive!

Christmas Cheeky gift set from teapigs

Don't forget to let me know what you think of my finds, and share any of you own recommendations.

{Ooh! That's Pinteresting! Home}

I'm busy doing some decorating at my house and so this week for Tina Gray's Ooh! That's Pinteresting! blog hop I thought I would share some of my inspiration from my 'For the Home' pinboard. You'll see that I'm a big fan of grey at the moment!

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