Marble Mac Cover & Clock

Marble Mac laptop cover from the wonderful eBay! 

Marble is everywhere. Pop over to Pinterest and you’ll see what I mean, I’ve well and truly immersed myself in this trend (along with everything copper).

Adam isn't so keen on the copper theme – especially my tray from h&m which he thinks looks like small baking tray. Yep.

I've seen this Macbook cover over on so many blogs from the US or Etsy but the shopping was £££. Knowing me I needed to find a cheaper alternative! Step in eBay and a few week wait for delivery from China and boom. Mac transformed!

Also whilst we’re talking marble I've actually just ordered this gorgeous solid marble clock from Next at a bargain busting £12!! I've seen similar clocks on Made.com and it's a great copy for this Amara clock at over £200! 

Happy shopping! 

Jo Malone

Jo Malone to me just screams sophistication. Everything from the elegant stores, the stunning scents, to the way they box every item with such care, it's pure luxury to me. I've never had a perfume before however I did get a candle for Christmas a few years ago which was so beautiful I didn't want to light it! 

I had a mini break in Bath recently and popped into Jo Malone to test some scents to pop on my Christmas wish list. The staff were so attentive but not overbearing, after explaining what I liked and testing a few samples I decided I was in love with Peony & Suede Blush. This is a romantic floral scent. which is strong (as you'd expect from Jo Malone), but not overpowering. The assistant asked if I had 15 minutes for a complimentary hand massage and as we weren't rushing anywhere I said a big fat yes. 

Adam reclined in the man chair and I was poured flavoured water, my jewellery was placed in a little black fabric pouch and I had an amazing massage. I was told that the Earl Grey scent really compliments the Peony so I had my hands are arms washed in the Peony Shower oil which was so silky soft and had  scent that really stuck which I'm not used to with shower or body oils. I was then moisturised with the Peony & Blush body crème and spritzed with the Earl Grey perfume. The layering created something I've never experienced before, I couldn't stop smelling my arms and hands for hours afterwards!   

Jo Malone has a large range covering all types of scent from floral to citrus to woody so there's really something for everyone, Yes it's expensive but the quality you're getting is worth every penny. If you pass by a Jo Malone and haven't been in, I'd suggest popping in and trying out some scents (and getting a mini massage too!), you won't leave empty handed! 

Stylist Live Event

Stylist Magazine has made many a commute more manageable and I was lucky enough to get free tickets to their recent Stylist Live event in London last weekend! The event promised champagne, stalls galore with discounts, tasters, free styling, fashion shows, inspirational talks and just a whole load of fun and I wasn't disappointed.

Accompanied by my gorgeous friend Ruthie, we headed to Angel on Sunday ready to experience some serious style. We were greeted with branded tote bags and a glass of fizz which went down surprisingly well for 11am! After a quick photo or two we went to check out the catwalk presented by Edith Bowman.  It had a handy info card with all of the labels included in each segment of the show which contained a great mix of brands set to some kick ass tunes meant we had a fun 45 minutes and drooled over a lot of items.  

12pm and the main space was super busy but we managed a cheeky photbooth snap, picked up some great samples from Lindt and Green and Blacks and found our other favourite stands. Aveda, GHD and Rush were offering hair styling for free along with Nars and Clarins offering make up help and discounted treatments. Unfortunately for us the queues were over an hour or waiting lists were fully booked but who was I kidding - my hair is so short there's next to nothing can be done with it!  

We still managed to do some of our own testing on the Nars counter where I fell in love with this bright pink lipstick named Fanny £24 and Ruthie was coveting their perfect nude Brigitte lipstick. Both have now gone onto my Christmas wish list.

We dined on a healthy lunch of salad and smoothies (only because the Mac & Cheese stand was heaving), listened to the fantastic Katie Piper give a talk on inspirational woman, purchased a couple of presents from the This Works sleep range, which is amazing by the way, and headed on home.

It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday and hopefully there'll be many more of these types of event in the future! 

What's New - Home

First of all....sorry for being SO quiet of late! This was not my plan at all I had so many posts lined up to write but then I got mega man-flu type ill. It knocked me sideways for the best part of two weeks  which is so unlike me. As well as that my non blog job has been crazy busy meaning any lunchtime blogging went out of the window, and then I went away for a lovely few days in Bath (a short post on that coming up this weekend!), so all in all a blooming busy month!

So, here I am, I've been aching to get back into writing! 

Right, homeware. One of my favourite addictions. I love how the smallest things can make a big difference at home but that also comes at a price, and the price for me is space. I'm like magnet to little trinkets, flowers, photo frames, candles, you name it, I'll want to buy it. But those of you that know me, my London flat is smaaaaaall. So to spread out the lovely little things I found this simple ladder shelf:

I saw an almost identical shelf in M&S in real wood but after some shopping around I managed to find this beauty for £37.95 on Amazon. It came flat packed but was super simple to put up and I think it looks pretty lovely! It's slim so can go in the smallest of spaces and they also have short ones to have as an alternative bedside table which is a nice idea.

What do you think? Do you have any little home gems you've purchased recently? Let me know!

Home Scents

Yankee Candle Clean Cotton Decor Diffuser £21.99

A gorgeous smelling home is just so comforting to me. Candles, diffusers, oils or wax tarts, I've got them all! So I thought I'd run through some of my favourites and give you some ideas if you're not a candle/diffuser obsessive like me! 

1. Candles

I hold my hands up, I'm a candle addict. Not so much over summer (that's diffuser or wax tart territory), but as soon as it starts to get darker in the evenings, boom, those scented candles are out and lit faster than you can say yankee candle. 

For a start, they give off a romantic glow whether you'e having a cosy date night in, friends over to watch a movie or having your very own pamper night (and wine...don't forget the wine), they give a gorgeous glow. Secondly, they smell amazing, if you pick the right candles. I used to be a sucker for a cheap Ikea or Matalan scented candle but spend those extra pennies and the scent you'll get will last the whole burn, not just the first time. 

I always ask for candles for Christmas or birthdays and these are just some of the gems I've either used before or have waiting to use this winter:

Lily-Flame Fairy Dust - £9 or they do jars for £12 sweet smelling and oh so pretty!

The White Company Pomegranate - £20 and a double for Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir at less than half the price. Rich but not overpowering.

Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis- £42 I got this as a gorgeous gift and it was one I found hard to light because Jo Malone is always so beautifully packaged (and expensive!) but the scents are out of this world and travel through the whole house.

Yankee Candle Fireside Treats - £21.99 but you get a lot of candle for your money with up to 150hrs or burn time and all of their candles smell good enough to eat.

2. Diffusers

Diffusers are a great way to get a great scent with ease, and especially great if you have small children and don't want candles lit. Yankee Candle is the BEST diffuser I've ever used. The oil is long lasting and the one above is from their new decor range (sadly sold out in Clean Cotton which I have). I used one brand recently and the oil disappeared with a week - what a waste of £12. This will leave your house smelling fresh all.the.time. Win. 

3. Tarts or Oils

I also have a tart burner/oil burner because obviously, diffusers and candles are not enough for me. You can use oils or little wax tarts (or melts as some call them). You pop them in as a whole piece of heavenly scented wax, light a tealight and it dissolves into sweet smelling oil. Great thing with melts or tarts, they harden once you've burnt the candle and are super easy to remove. Perfect if you don't want a constant scent and want to mix scents up.  

So many lights and candles...bliss.

4. Where to Buy

You can buy straight from the websites I've linked to but for some, take time to shop around as there are always sales, discounts or end of line sites where you can save some money. QVC is another great place to buy Yankee candles as they often have special offers on the whole range (plus easy pay instalments which is amazing). If you're thinking ahead to Christmas, make sure you use Topcsahback to get money back from your purchases (i'm obsessed with cashback!).

If you've tried some brands I've not mentioned I've love to hear about them as I'm always wanting to try out new scents!

WEEKLY MEAL IDEAS & RECIPE #4

It's starting to get a little cooler now which means for me, there's always a bit of a switch away from salads and light meals to warming, comforting foods like cottage pie and homemade soups. That said, with this weeks recipe I'm definitely still trying to keep the summer vibe alive! Paella. Now it's not seafood because as much as I try I just don't get on with seafood. You could easily add some prawns into this dish but for me it's a lovely chorizo and chicken paella and it was super easy apart from a lot of checking back that it wasn't sticking. One point - make sure you have a large pan as my pan was full to brimming with this dish which made it very tricky to not make a total mess on the cooker. 

Dinners:

Monday: Cottage Pie

Tuesday: Homemade pizza with salad and coleslaw

Wednesday: Chicken & Chorizo Paella

Thursday: Piri Piri Chicken with giant cous cous & corn on the cob

Friday:  Tuna sweetcorn & mayo with jacket potatoes and salad

Saturday: Pepper & goats cheese bake, potato wedges & salad

Sunday: Turkey Kofta with rice, spring onion, & tahini dressing 

CHICKEN & CHORIZO PAELLA

Serves 4-6

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

1 carrot 

1 pepper

fresh parsley (dried works ok too)

chorizo 

chicken breasts (I used three)

olive oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbs tomato puree

chicken stock

300g paella rice

frozen peas

lemon

Peel and chop the garlic, onion and carrot and on another board, the chorizo & chicken. Get your pan and heat up your olive oil and add in the chorizo. I like my chorizo crispy so I crisped this up and then added all of my other chopped ingredients. Start to fry and add in the paprika and parsley, fry for 5 mins. 

Chop your pepper and add this to the pan and fry for 5 more mins. Stir in tomato puree, crumble in your stock cube and then add in the paella rice. Stir so it all gets coated and then add in 750ml boiling water along with salt and pepper to taste.

Pop a lid on, bring to the boil and then let it reduce. Simmer for 15 mins but keep a eye on it and stir every now and then

After 15 mins add in your peas (and your prawns if you're that way inclined), and stir through. ADd the lid and cook for 5 more mins. 

Serve up and garnish with lemon ready to squeeze over!

Serving suggestion - LOTS OF SANGRIA!