Fashion: Pick of the sales - New Year's Eve

1 Topshop // 2 Topshop // 3 Warehouse // 4 Warehouse

It really isn't too late to get your New Year's Eve outfit sorted. Here is my edit from the sales. There are some really great bargains to be had this year. I love this jumpsuit and the embellished organza shift from Topshop is gorgeous and could be worn with black tights for New Year but would also work well for a Spring or Summer wedding with some coral shoes and matching clutch. Price per wear and all that...

What are you wearing for New Year's Eve?

Katie xx

Fashion: Pick of the sales 2013 - Tartan Coats

1 ASOS // 2 River Island // 3 Topshop // 4 Warehouse // 5 Oasis

If you didn't treat yourself to a new Winter coat this year, why not pick one up in the sales? The tartan revival from AW13 is still going strong into 2014 and here is my pick of the tartan Winter warmers that you can pick up in the sales. I particularly love the ASOS and Oasis draped styles. Really flattering, hide  a multitude of Christmas sins and you can fit a chunky knit underneath. What's not to love!

What have you picked up in the sales this year?

Katie xx

Life: Update December 2013

1. Misty morning.
Winter is now officially here and this is the view of my street on a misty morning a few weeks ago. I kind of like Winter when you can wrap up warm and head out into the cold or just stay indoors in your onesie with a massive cup of tea.

2. DIY bauble wreath.
I might do a separate post about this but I finally made my DIY bauble wreath! I really wanted to do it last year but didn't get round to it. All it takes is a wire hanger, some Primark baubles and about 30 minutes and you're done. I just need to trim the excess wire and hang it on our front door.

3. Christmas markets in Manchester.
Last week I had my second visits to the Christmas markets in Manchester. For a few years now it seems that the markets take up every available space in the city centre, with most of the stalls centering around food of some kind. I'm not complaining!

4. Our 'fireplace'.
This is our fireplace in our lounge, which is just a cast iron grate and a whole bunch of candles. They aren't all lit here but the effect still comes across. It's nice to have something in our fireplace and the candles do actually give out some heat when they're lit. The glow they give is really pretty and festive. I'm sure they will be lit many more times over the festive period. The grate is from Amazon and the candles are from IKEA.

What have you been up to lately?

Katie xx

Life: Taste of Christmas November 2013

On Saturday 23rd November I met my fave, Helen, for a day of fun and food at Taste of Christmas at London's Tobacco Dock. It's an annual event where some of London and the South East's restaurants, bars and food producers come together to sell their wares all in one place.

Tobacco Dock is easily accessible just a 5 minute walk from Shadwell station, which is on the DLR. Once you enter the venue are were two floors of stalls and rooms, which took us around two and a half hours to get around.

There are plenty of places to grab some hot food I particularly enjoyed the truffle mac and cheese at Opera Tavern and the roasted gnocchi at The Truscott Arms. We couldn't resist a Christmas cupcake and a glass of prosecco either!

There were also demonstrations from some of the UK's top chefs. We managed to catch Michel Roux Junior and Valentine Warner but we could have spent all day watching the yummy food.

I'd highly recommend catching this event next year if you're in the area or can travel to London. There are several options for ticket prices and you can also purchase 'Crowns', which is the currency you need to use for the restaurants in there, along with your ticket. These can also be purchased on the day and equate to £1 to 1 Crown but you must use them up before you leave. My advice would be to get them whilst you're there and buy them bit by bit so you know you will use them up.

Have you been to Taste of Christmas?

Katie xx

Christmas: Festive Clothing Guide 2013

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

As much as I tried to resist, last year I bought a Christmas jumper. I went down the tasteful M&S route but now I wish I had gone with something red and slightly more in your face. I'm hoping to make up for it this year with some of these great jumper and accessory options. That Christmas onesie might even make it's way to my wishlist...

Have you bought your Christmas jumper this year yet?

Katie xx

Christmas: Secret Santa Under £10 Gift Guide 2013

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Ah secret Santa. Loved by some, loathed by others. Hopefully this handy guide will take some of the pain out of it for you. These offerings are all under £10 and fit into categories that aren't offensive (when SS is often run in the office environment...we don't want any post-Christmas sexual harassment cases) and may come in useful at your desk.

In my almost 10 years in the workplace I have found that it is the desk-based secret Santa gift that tends to stick around and be the most popular. I particularly love a good mug, even in offices where there are no drink-making facilities. You can always decant your machine tea/coffee into your mug or heat up your soup at lunch in it. Equally, a photo cube is a great way to personalise your desk with some snaps without going overboard.

Do any of these take your fancy?

Katie xx

Christmas: Beauty Gift Guide 2013

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

I thought, as I have almost finished my shopping (smug!), that I would help out everyone else by running a series of gift guide posts here on the blog.

Today's theme is beauty. There is much more choice these days for cute little beauty gifts. When I was a teenager the choice was a Lancome or Estee Lauder gift set, which wasn't the most exciting. Now there are all sorts of beauty-related goodies to choose from. The majority of the above are from ASOS, Feel Unique and Beauty Bay so if none of them take your fancy, have a browse of the gift sections and you're sure to find the perfect option for your beauty-obsessed loved one!

Katie xx

Review: Muji Log Fire Candle

I had been into Muji to smell this bad boy a few times. Every time I was in London with work (we don't have a Muji in Manchester any more...sad face), I would sneak in if I had time and give it a smell.

Why didn't I buy it? Well it just smells...odd in the tin and I wasn't sure I would like the scent of it burning. However, after a recent Google conference myself and my boss decided to make a quick pit stop in Muji on the way back to Euston and I bit the bullet.

I'm so glad I did! The scent, whilst unusual, is a lovely, welcoming, homely aroma. We don't have an open fire at home so this really makes the place feel all Wintry and inviting, especially when the heating is on and you're all wrapped up in your favourite onesie. No? Just me?

I would definitely recommend this candle to anyone who wants a more unusual scent for their home or who isn't a fan of the traditional sweet candles that seem to do the rounds at this time of year.

Have you tried this candle? Should any of Muji's other candles make their way onto my wishlist?

Muji Feu de Bois / Log Fire Candle £3.50

Katie xx

Life: Amsterdam Mini Break November 2013

We have just come back from a four day visit to the lovely Amsterdam. It was our first time visiting the city and we both loved it! We stayed at the NH Amsterdam Centre Hotel, which was perfectly located opposite the Leidseplein and close to the Vondelpark.

We did most of our exploring on foot, which we always tend to do on city breaks (sore feet!!) but Amsterdam and Holland as a whole is very much a bicycle city. We found out a great fact in that there are 550,000 bikes in Amsterdam and 10% of them are stolen annually. I can fully believe it too as there were loads that weren't chained up.

We arrived around lunchtime on our first day and had a wander. Our hotel and the Leidseplein are at the end of the main shopping area so we had a slow mooch round the shops before heading back to the hotel to check in and decide on somewhere for dinner.

After deciding to venture up the Spuistraat we popped into Lion Noir for a quiet drink en route, which was a really cool bar and restaurant. It reminded me a little of The Alchemist in Manchester, but a lot less pretentious. For dinner we ended up at Humphrey's Restaurant, which is a Holland-based chain but the set, three-course menu was delicious and really well priced.

On our second night we ate at the lovely restaurant in the Dikker & Thijs Fenice Hotel, which also had a set menu. The food here was incredible but the service was a little slow. We had visited the Anne Frank Haus that day, which was unexpectedly emotional so we needed some good sustenance!

On our third day we ate a tasty brunch at Greenwoods, which came highly recommended both in our guide book and on Trip Advisor. I had the eggs florentine and the boy had a full English. Both were excellent and the choice of tea was a nice surprise.

After brunch we bought a 24 hour hop-on, hop-off ticket for the tour boat, which was 20euro each. This was a lovely and relaxing way to see the city after all of the walking we had done on the previous days. We took both the red and orange routes, which covered all of the main sites, including the Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp. We decided to walk back down to this area for dinner on our final night and ended up at the Chocolate Bar, where we were joined for dinner by the house cat! I ordered fondue, which was an obscene amount of food and the boy had a perfectly cooked burger. The bar sits in the middle of a group of other bars and restaurants at the edge of the Albert CuypStraat so you should be spoilt for choice.

Have you been to Amsterdam?

Katie xx