2013: Make It Happen

Happy New Year. Here is to a fabulous, productive and stylish 2013 for us all x

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. Here is a completely gratuitous photo of the lovely Ryan Gosling to mark Christmas Day. Enjoy! x

My Wardrobe Sale - Extra 10% off sale prices - Limited time only

Now that the January sales start in December, it seems that my inbox is flooded with notifications of sales. However one of the ones that I always look forward to the most is the my-wardrobe sale. The site is offering discounts of up to 50% on a range of brands including Acne, Carven and Vivienne Westwood. And as a special pre-Christmas treat, you can currently get an extra 10% off sale prices until midnight on the 23rd December. All you have to do is use the code MERRYSALE10 at checkout.Happy shopping!

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the sale:

Vivienne Westwood Glitter Court Shoes - £126

Raoul handbag - £250

Zoe Karssent-shirt - £39

Vivienne Westwood Accident Skirt - £149

Acne jumper - £133

Weston red moss agate silk-covered journal - £28

Weston iphone cover - £23

Kate Moss by Mario Testino book - £31

Not Your Usual Christmas Jumper: Markus Lupfer Kiss Sequin Jumper

The Christmas jumper has now become a firm fixture of the festive season for many. Whether it be those who love to wear (or are just too polite to refuse!) the latest knitted creation from their nearest and dearest, or those who go all out for shop-bought festive fabulousness: reindeers; snowmen; santa; candy canes etc..... You get the picture! 

However I have been on the look out for something that I can wear for more than a handful of occasions in December. I thought that I had found just the thing when an email from Donna Ida popped into my inbox, announcing the preview sale for newsletter subscribers. However foolishly, I started the checkout process but didn't complete, and when I went back the next day it was out of stock in my size. I have found the jumper on other sites, e.g. Selfridges and Net-a-Porter, but as those sites haven't launched their sales yet, the jumper remains out of my reach. So lovely readers, if you have seen anything similar, or even better, this jumper on sale, please do let me know!

The one that got away - Donna Ida

The light grey option, still available at Selfridges

50% off Lyn Harris Fragrance Gift Sets & Candles

Lyn Harris is the face, or should that be the nose, behind Miller Harris, the bespoke niche perfume brand. However her fragrances have been able to reach a wider audience as a result of her recent collaboration with Marks & Spencer. Her new range, Lyn Harris, has been Marks & Spencer's fastest selling fragrance brand since its launch in September.

The range comprises six fragrances - three for women and three for men:

La Poudrée - A fruity oriental classic. Raspberry and peach nectar with soft rose and orange flower on a base of Florentine iris, vanilla and musk.

La Rose - An elegant rose classic. Rose petals with sparkling green notes of galbanum and red berry on a base of patchouli, sweet musk and amber.

La Fleur - A white floral classic. White gardenia and Indian tuberose flowers set the tone with gentle woods, vanilla bourbon and musk.

Le Cologne - A vibrant citrus classic. Sicilian bergamot, lemon and Seville orange with French rosemary on a base of fresh vetiver and amber.

Le Sauvage - An invigorating zesty classic. Grapefruit and Seville orange with cardamom and coriander seeds on a base of oakmoss and vetiver.

Le Noir - A rich woody classic. Italian bergamot, green mandarin with lavender and tarragon on a base of pimento, patchouli and rich amber.

I have been wanting to try this range since I heard about it, and thanks to a fantastic offer at Marks & Spencer this week, I finally got around to adding one of these to my collection. This week Marks & Spencer are offering a 50% discount on selected beauty gifts. This means that I was able to get a 50ml Eau de Parfum and matching body lotion for £12.50! The Eau de Parfum retails for a very reasonable £25, but it was a bit of a no brainer to pick up the set for half that price!

I opted for La Poudrée as I have seen some really good reviews of it on the web. I love to scent my home with candles, so coudn't resist picking up a La Fleur candle which was also half price. I am collecting them instore tomorrow so will report back!

Time for tea with PiP Studio and Amara

"Happy products for happy people." reads the slogan on the bottom of the two PiP Studio porcelain mugs which I was sent by Amara. And the bright colours and mixture of patterns, which are part of Pip's signature look, certainly put a smile on my face! The way in which the brand mixes patterns and colour combinations manges to give a nod to vintage and shabby chic, whilst still looking modern.

To accompany my cup of tea in my brand new PiP Studio mug, I made a batch of Nutella & Hazelnut Palmiers, using a recipe from Liberty London Girl. As I am not known for my baking expertise I was very pleasantly surprised with these. Delicious and super easy to make. I will definitely be making up more of these over the festive season.

Whilst I was enjoying my cup of tea and palmiers, I took the opportunity to browse the selection of PiP Studio products available at Amara and chose some of my favourites:

Singing Roses Cosmetic Bag - £35

Set of 4 Senso Mugs - £31.99

Large floral teapot - £32.99

Birds of Paradise Quilt - £120

Fashion Sunday - Part 2 - Valentino: Master of Couture

Apologies for the delay in posting the second half of my Fashion Sunday update. It has been rather an eventful (but very exciting!) week, which has meant that my blog has had to take a back seat. But back to the fashion loveliness!

The second exhibition that myself and Penny saw at Somerset House, was the much-anticipated 'Valentino: Master of Couture'. As soon as this was announced I knew that we just had to see it. The exhibition features 130 of Valentino's haute couture dresses, spanning the 50 years of his career, including many iconic dresses such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis' wedding dress and the black and white gown that Julia Roberts wore to accept her Oscar.

Photo: PA Photos

The design of the exhibition turned the tables on the standard catwalk setup, with the viewer walking the catwalk to view the designs being worn by the mannequins sat on the white Louis XV chairs. The white backdrop and chairs allowed you to really focus on Valentino's exquisite creations in all their glory. I loved how the dresses are clustered in themes, e.g. 'animal print'; 'lace', which allows you to see some of the themes running through Valentino's work, as opposed to focusing on which dress came first. If you were in any doubt of Valentino's dedicated celebrity following, then the name tags on the chairs would remind you that his clientele list reads like a 'Who's Who' of Hollywood, past and present - Audrey Hepburn; Julia Roberts, and many more.

Photo: Peter MacDiarmid

I loved the combination of the hand-painted coral design on this dress from 1969, together with the simple shape and structure,

One of (if not the) highlights of the exhibition is the wedding dress of Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. The dress, created in 1995, took 25 seamstresses four months to make, and reportedly cost £225,000. The simple presentation of the dress allows you to really focus on the design and detail of the dress, which includes a 4.5m train and uses 12 different types of lace.

Photo: Peter MacDiarmid

One of the unexpected delights of the exhibition was the section showing videos of the seamstresses (or the "ragazze") at work. As someone who struggles with sewing a hem, I was in awe at the skill of these women. It was great to see the films alongside the pieces being created.

I absolutely loved this exhibition and am very tempted to pay another visit before it closes in March 2013. Have you been or are you planning on going? I would love to know your thoughts.

Fashion Sunday - Part 1 - Tim Walker: Storyteller

Yesterday, I spent a fabulous, if very busy day up in London with the lovely Penny, my friend who I met on Twitter via a shared love of all things fashion (and especially Chanel) -related. We had a busy agenda for what we had dubbed #FashionSunday, with four exhibitions on our 'to-see' list. Our first stop was Somerset House, for two very different, but equally fabulous exhibitions: Tim Walker: Storyteller, and Valentino: Master of Couture.

I don't want the post to be too picture-heavy, so this post will be about the Tim Walker exhibition. I have previously blogged about my love for Tim Walker's photography, but the exhibition surpassed even my expectations. The way that his work was presented alongside the giant props that he uses in his work (eg. a giant spitfire) just added to the surreal experience that his photographs convey. At times it felt like having stepped into one of his photographs. It is safe to say that the weird and wonderful world of Tim Walker is most definitely my kind of place!

The exhibition, which is free, is on until 27 January, so if you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend it.

Here are some images from the exhibition, quite a few of which I hadn't previously seen before. I would love to know which are your favourites.

Style Sequel and Art Against Knives Fantasy Fashion Auction

One of my favourite websites is designer re-sale website 'Style Sequel', which is always full of fashion temptation. However, on 1st December, I will be able to browse a number of the listings completely guilt-free. 'Style Sequel' will be listing a number of one-off fashion collectibles produced by some of the biggest names in British fashion. All proceeds from the sale of the items will be donated to 'Art Against Knives', a charity working to reduce the root causes of knife crime through youth-led arts initiatives. Designers donating items include Christopher Kane, Phillip Treacy, Giles Deacon and Nicholas Kirkwood, to name just a few.

'Art Against Knives' aims to provide a positive alternative to violent gang culture. The charity was born from the 2008 unprovoked stabbing of Oliver Hemsley, a 21-year-old Central Saint Martins student, who was left in a wheelchair.The charity believes that a wide-ranging approach that coordinates resources and expertise among all grass-root and youth-led organisations and local businesses is the most effective way to tackle the root causes of knife crime. Therefore, most projects involve working alongside other youth providers and businesses in a way that efficiently utilises joint resources and maximises the possible outcomes and benefits for young people. It is great to see that the organisation's initiatives are being led by the very young people that they are designed to help

The listings will begin at 10am on 1st December, and will run for 10 days.

ASOS launches on Quidco

Just a quick post to give you the heads up on the fact that ASOS has now launched on Quidco. If you haven't come across it before, Quidco is a really useful site which gives you cash back on your online purchases. You can also add to your earnings by checking in to high-street stores on your smartphone. For me it is a no-brainer. If I am going to buy an item anyway, then it makes perfect sense to make my purchase via Quidco and get some of the cash back, which I can then put towards future purchases and savings. You don't get the cash back straight away, but once the transaction has been confirmed by the retailer, the money is paid straight into your bank account.

If you purchase via Quidco, you get 3% cashback on your purchases at ASOS, which might not sound like a lot, but it all adds up! I know quite a few people who save their Quidco earnings up and then treat themselves to something they might not otherwise have purchased.   It may be the season for giving to others, but it can't hurt if you get to treat yourself for free at the same time can it? 

EMU Australia Christmas Pop-Up Shop

The temperatures have definitely dropped this week, so what could be more perfect than putting on a pair of sheepskin boots or a cosy merino knit from  EMU Australia to keep the cold at bay. Thankfully, the hype around sheepskin boots from a few years ago has now died down, however that doesn't mean that they aren't still a great buy for keeping warm as the air outside gets cold. But of course a girl still wants to look stylish, which is where EMU Australia can help you out, with its wide range of styles and colours.

To make finding the perfect pair of boots for you even easier, EMU Australia have opened up a pop up shop in the heart of central London, just in time for Christmas. As well as the footwear for which EMU is probably best known, the shop will also stock a range of the brand's sheepskin and merino apparel.

The shop, which is open 6 days a week (Mon-Sat, 10am - 6pm), is at 47 Lambs Conduit Street. If you register with EMU Australia then they will keep you informed of the latest offers and events at the shop, which is open until 22nd December.

Here are some of my favourite items from EMU Australia

Stinger Hi boot, £195, EMU Australia

Nora Creina Pullover, £160, EMU Australia

Jolie Slippers, £60, EMU Australia

Mt Sabine snude, £65, EMU Australia

John Lewis Winter Wonderland

I thought that I would share some more photos from the John Lewis Christmas event, as I loved how they had done out the venue. I could quite happily have moved in, and cwtched up on the sofa with a cashmere blanket and watched some festive favourite films on the widescreen TV.

I loved the 'Pick 'n' Mix' table where we got to choose from a selection of sweet treats, decorations and tea-lights.

This was my favourite of the Christmas decoration looks on display - classic Christmas with a luxurious twist to it.

  I loved this felt Robin, below, which was hiding beneath one of the tables. They would be perfect for hiding around the house for a treasure hunt!