Don't you drag me down cause I'm living my life

Benga "Icon" Featuring BeBe Black

The Jubilee Weekend Round-Up in Numbers:

Days to enjoy the Jubilee: 6

Street Parties Attended: 1

Bbqs Attended (in the rain!): 1

Scones Baked: 12

Scones Eaten: 2

Blueberry Muffins Baked: 12

Blueberry Muffins Eaten: Yet to be confirmed...

Cups of Tea Drank: Too many to count (ranges from 4-8 cups daily)

G&T's Drank: 'Enough' (I do not recommend a Disarono, G&T mix if you have any sensibilities about you!)

Queens Spotted: Numerous! (I went to GLAS Super Pride as part of Gay Pride in Birmingham over the Bank Holiday, celebrating the reign of the Queen surrounded by queens-how apt!)

Roast Dinners Eaten: 2 (Neither of them fell qualify for the 'Sunday Dinner' tag)

Yorkshire Puddings Eaten: 8

Hangovers Endured: 0 (This one still surprises me)

Trips to the Gym to Account for my Overindulgences: I'm still working on that one...

Well good ol' Queen Liz, she sure knows how to throw a party doesn't she? In somewhat unpatriotic fashion, I didn't watch much/any of the Jubilee concert/floatilla/awkward celebrity meetings; but I am looking forward to catching up on a glut of who wore what, and how much he/she/we/they loved or loathed it. But I thought I'd share a bit of what I've been wearing throughout:

Headband Dorothy Perkins, flowers Accessorize, top Topshop and skirt River Island both via ebay, Miss Selfridge belt,Topshop boots, jewellery H&M, Dorothy Perkins, and Topshop

This was the outfit I chose for GLAS, I thought I looked more like Xena Warrior Princess, opposed to our Royal High-streetness, Princess Middleton. The top was formerly a dress, it was a really simple diy that I will post about later this week. I got it for a steal at 99p on the ebay, which is why I had absolutely no qualms about cutting it up!

New Look vest, River Island skirt and Zara pumps via ebay

For my one and only street party appearance I thought I'd indulge in a little red, white and blue, or in my case....just red. Despite my sunny disposition, the weather didn't match up; it didn't rain (for a change) but I was a little optimistic in opting to go bare legged, I did wear my trusty Oasis leather jacket, but that didn't stave off the leg chill.

Oasis leather jacket, New Look denim shirt, Dorothy Perkins necklace, Zara shoes via ebay, and River Island sequin shorts (just seen) via carboot

A bbq in Britain is never going to be a simple affair, but we Brits do have a love for alfresco dining and all things outdoorsy. (Picnics included) I left my house in the rain, so despite the footwear in the picture I actually made a last minute change for my Zara ankle boots, not that it helped with the bitter cold. When the perfect addition to your bbq would be a pair of gloves and a granny-lap blanket, you know it's time to call it a day. Disappointingly I only managed to snaffle one burger, as good as it was, the decision to either sit on my hands to conserve heat, or eat, wasn't really a decision at all.

Having an extra day off today as work thought they'd throw a concessionary day our way has been spent perfectly by baking with the MB*. We plumped for blueberry muffins. I don't know if it's just me, but what I thought would be a quick google for a recipe turned into a 20-minute trawl; as an American favourite it seems as though everyone wants to add buttermilk, or have you measure everything out in cups. Eventually I came across this recipe on the Daily Mail, the addition of the streusel topping really pepped them up, so my only recommendation would be to make more than stated as there's not much sugar in the actual recipe, the muffins can take the additional sweet topping

Fresh out of the oven

Only two days of work and it's the weekend again!

KDx

*MB is the (lovingly given) shorthand for Momma Bear

My home, is where you are

Paul Van Dyk "Home" Ft. Johnny McDaid (Wippenberg Remix)

I own a lot of stuff. Having the (extra) day off today meant I had ample amounts of time to get my life into order. I amass things throughout the week, and it's not until I have some free time I find that I am able to integrate these items into my bedroom and get them accustomed in their new home, now I am not just talking about clothes here. It's a known fact that I love stuff. Period. I buy things because I like them, not necessarily because they have a purpose, just because the thought of not having them is so overwhelming I can't leave them behind. (Charity shops play a big part in my conspicuous consumption). So as can be imagined the issue of storage comes up a lot. I'm fortunate to have a big bedroom, but as us girls know it isn't merely an issue of size. Make of that what you will... *ahem* How you make use of the space you have available will ultimately save you time, and help you keep on top of what you have. 

I've always been interested in interiors, you spend so much time in your house/bedroom, so I think it only right that you invest some of this time in making it fit for purpose. This could be a creating a calming environment to relax in after a busy day, or providing a space that allows you to work from home and let the creativity flow. For me it's a feast for the eyes, I'm a magpie by nature, and I like busy, not messy, but full. I think my need for things to be on display stems from momma bear, we are in stark contrast. She likes clean, simple lines, everything has a place, and that place is generally out of sight.

I look around for inspiration all the time, I like the mix of old and new and it just so happens it is so readily available. I do admire the sleek American aesthetic towards decoration, as can be seen here at Cupcakes an Cashmere. I particularly like the way that The Coveteur "takes you inside the closets of internationally influential cultural forecasters, showing us what culminates in their personal style - one item at a time." In their own words. It's a visual buffet of delights! I urge you to take a look, although be forewarned, I cannot be held responsible for any feelings of lust and envy that will undeniably ensue throughout.

The backdrop to many of my outfit posts is this rather sizeable unit:

It's pretty old now, and I think it comes courtesy of those storage solving Swede's at Ikea. This is the most similar design, if not the same available here, not sure how much I paid, but retailing on their website for £79, it ain't half bad for the amount of stuff it houses. If I were to go through every cube, item by item, I'd bore myself, but a few notable things you will see is that I use my shoes as an ornament-they are beautiful though right? Why can't you use items of clothing or accessories as decorative touches? My thoughts are if I love it so much, and you're not currently using it, why not enjoy it by looking at it? The same goes for the vast amount of jewellery I have, which artfully 'clutters' the majority of the top of the unit.

 

Now these are definitely old, but a relatively new purchase, either birthday or Christmas, but since getting rid of my low bed in favour of a high cast iron framed bed, I needed something of equal or greater height. These are perfect, draws and cubbey holes; extra space for stuff stuffing. Again note the shoe 'display'. A great way to store and display jewellery is through cake stands, these two are genuinely old, but the high street is full of them, from New Look to Next, John Lewis to Wilkinsons, and start upwards from around £8. If you are a bit of a bargain hunter like me, then it's always worth checking out your local car boot and/or charity shops as they do tend to crop up, but since the influx of cupcakes and kitsch kitchenalia coming back onto the radar, they don't tend to stay unsold for long.

Inspired by using suitcases as permanent storage, as Jen over at a little bird also demonstrates in a number of posts, I went in search of some of my own. Again, since changing my bed, I have now gained a wealth of extra space I can put things, however, knowing that whatever I put under my bed would be seen, suitcases seemed ideal, and a little quirky, this is what I came away with:

 

The top one cost £7.50 at a carboot, and the bottom one cost be a bargainous £2 off a man at a market, literally. They now live happily under my bed and are currently and quite comfortably housing the bulkier part of my winter wardrobe, which judging by the forecast for this weekend might have been a bit premature of me...

Anyway, hope everyone has some fun plans for the Jubilee and extra long weekend, did I mention I have 6 days off? Not that I am playing top trumps of time off or anything!

KDx