♥ 5 Things

I have been absent from my blog for almost a week now. When you hear about the disaster that was my domestic life last week, you'll understand why.

We are currently having our bedroom repainted and bathroom re-tiled and painted (yay!) because they were crying out for some attention. We moved all our stuff (including ourselves) into the lounge so the work could be done and assumed we'd only have this inconvenience for a couple of days. We were also told not to use the shower so as to let it all dry out before it's re-tiled. But life never runs quite so smoothly, does it?

On Saturday, after the bedroom had been finished, we planned to move all our things back in but went in to discover that half the carpet was soaked through. After some investigation we found that a leak has been coming from the back of the washing machine ever since it was installed threeweeks ago. So not only had it leaked into the cupboard it lives in but under the floorboards and into the bedroom as well. So not yay. Three days later and we are still waiting for the carpet to dry and a plumber to visit. Ergo, we're still sleeping on a sofa bed with piles of stuff around us.

To add insult to injury, on Saturday night we had another surprise waiting for us. The toilet is also leaking. Luckily it's not the waste pipe but any kind of toilet issues are hardly ideal. We now can't use the bath/shower, toilet, washing machine or bedroom (basically half the apartment) until it's all sorted out. Amoungst my exacerbation of the current state of our humble abode I was not really in the mood to blog nor had any inspiration other than "How to cope with DIY nightmares" so decided I was better off leaving it a few days.

Anyway, with all of this going on I was grateful for the happy surprises in life to keep my spirits up.

A silky safari-style shirt I found in the Banana Republic sale.

Free limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Diet Coke given away on Bond St. last Saturday plus my Shellac manicure in a buttery nude.

Tip - Most Saturday's someone is giving away something so if you're in the area, it's worth taking a wander down. This week it was ice cream outside Mulberry.

Personally embossing the hang tags on my Mum's Coach handbag

Free Nails Inc. polish and this fortnight's copy of Grazia given away outside Kensington Gardens. I love a freebie as much as the next person.

I also managed to finally get round to uploading a few more (better quality) photos taken at the Burberry show, click here to see them.

Vogue's Fashion Night Out

I was lucky enough to attend the Coach New Bond St grand opening party last night. Gorgeous waiters, food so small you have to use a microscope, glamorous outfits and more celebs than I've ever been in the same room with (including David Gandy, Daisy Lowe, Erin O'Connor and Ozwald Boateng).

Here are a few snap shots from the evening followed by the Evening Standard article from today.

Cocktail waiter from The Savoy

Classic collection

Gwyneth Paltrow chatting with the CEO of Coach - Lew Frankfurt

Tulisa Contostavlos with sales associate Maria

The Evening Standard article

New Jeans

I ordered this pair of jeans from ASOS late last week and because of the bank holiday and delays to the post, I am still waiting for them.

Like with all new purchases, I've envisaged in my mind the plethora of combinations I can create from my existing wardrobe and with a good pair of jeans, the opportunities are endless. The last time I bought jeans was two years ago, an excruciatingly skinny pair from Hollister. And they've served me well. I still love them. But I was in need of a little denim injection so have gone for a different shape this time. We'll see how it works out but as with any new relationship, I intend to be with them as much as possible.

With that in mind, instead of sitting peering out the window, waiting eagerly for the postman, I thought I would at least try to be constructive with my time and play around with some different looks.

Now all I need is to get them...

Jeans - A/Wear at ASOS, jumper - H&M, boots - H&M, necklace - Halleh at net-a-porter.com, clutch - Anya Hindmarch

Jeans as before, shirt - Topshop, bowling bag - Zara, gold cuff - ASOS, cork wedges - Christian Louboutin

Jeans as before, t-shirt - 3.1 Phillip Lim, Chelsea boots - ASOS, leather belt - Dolce & Gabbana, bag - Coach

Weekend Away

I haven't had a lot of time to relax this summer. I seem to have unintentionally taken up most of my days with work so this weekend is a much welcomed break. My Mum is coming to visit from Spain so in a whirlwind of a weekend we have lots of family visits to squeeze in and a very special 50th wedding anniversary celebration to go to on Saturday. I can't wait. A weekend full of food, cuddles and catch up - what could be more perfect?

It took me a little while to decide what to pack (Jeans or skirt? Cardigan or jacket? Both?), especially since the weather has been so unpredictable. Essentially it's only three days worth of outfits which I need and I've tried to stick to that. I don't want to have to deal with the last minute panic of what to wear each morning - one option = no fuss. So below is an image of the six pieces which I'll be taking with me to form three outfits. That's right, six.

Clockwise from top: Monochrome geometric print dress, blue and cream striped satin top, both from Blanco. Black blazer from Stradivarius, Coach grey Merino wool cardigan, white slim cut jeans from Pimkie, light pink cotton t-shirt from Pepe Jeans.

Not forgetting footwear, I'm taking three pairs. Cream pom pom wedges, black patent heels (as another option to the dress as well as the wedges) and black patent flats.

Heels - Aldo, wedges - Zara, flats - New Look

Jewellery wise I'm taking my Burberry leather wrap bracelet and Tiffany key necklace for casual and Swarovski earrings for the anniversary.

Have a great weekend!

Road Trip Wardrobe

I haven't been very forthcoming with posts this week. The combination of working long hours and then remembering I have a dastardly summer cold when I do get a moment to breath means for little motivation to do anything other than sleep.

However, as I type whilst still in bed at 12.47pm on my day off, I do have the ability to do some browsing online.

I know everyone's buzzing about A/W already but it's hard to think about cosy knits and biker boots when it's 22 degrees and sunny outside. So I've made a conscious decision not to look at my winter wardrobe quite yet. Plus, I don't want to get fed up of it before I even get a chance to wear any of it.

Working isn't the only thing that's going on in my life at the moment. My boyfriend and I are embarking on buying our first car. I've had my licence for nearly two years and have driven my parents' car in Spain but there are more and more occasions now where I think it would be handy to have a car. For example, commuting to uni, visiting relatives and doing the numerous airport runs that there are during the year. Mr Maria's Gaga only started his lessons last week but hopes to pass his test by the end of the summer and after doing some research, strangely it costs less with him on the insurance than with me on my own even though he hasn't passed his test yet. Funny how these things work out.

Anyway, once we get the car we can't wait to take day trips to the beach and have cheap weekends away in the country. With that in mind I've compiled the ultimate road trip wardrobe.