heaven is a high high heel

{kurt geiger, eden, £160}

these will be my, "i'm a grown up - look how sophisticated i am" shoes

and oh, how i will love them

a very happy birthday indeed

{happy 50th birthday sharon x}

{a thai themed evening to mark a very special birthday}

{a room full of empty chairs just waiting to be filled}

{the cupcakes were among the most delicious i've ever had}

{doorway to fun}

the thai themed evening extended to every aspect of the night and of house. all the rooms were dressed accordingly and were lit with dozens of tea lights. rooms were filled with close friends and family, and chefs were brought in to create a delicious, authentic thai feast. after dinner we retreated to the after party - the casino. roulette and blackjack have never been so fun...although i'm soooo glad that we were only betting for fun, not for money or i would be in serious trouble by now!

happy happy birthday sharon xxx

girl-a-doodle

I've done quite a few of these girls for myself and when my mum came to stay a few weeks a go she helped herself to a nosey around my sketch books and demanded one for herself. I tried to choose which one to part with but couldn't - when i offered her a print of one, the look she threw me suggested that i'd better hadn't dare!

So for mothers day this sunday she'll be getting a huge bunch of flowers delivered, and a little surprise in the post - her very own girl-a-doodle.

I hope she likes it.

my guilty pleasure

i hate myself a little bit (or alot) for liking. ...wait...thats a lie. for loving the hills. i'm too old, they are too bitchy - the boys are as bad as the girls - and its a load of old crap, but for sheer escapism and the handbags...oh lord, the handbags, i can't get enough of it. add to the mix that ms montag (the blondest one) has seemingly checked her senses at the door of season 5 and is hell bent on turning herself into a manequin and that they have added a new baddie in the shape of ms cavallari and its tv that i cant miss. except i do miss it, because i live in the uk and don't have mtv...so i had to get the box set....eeek

now that i've purged of my deep rooted shame, i'm going to go and watch the next one.

and i'll love it

secretly.

today i......

....got up early and made the most of every part of this bright, sunny (cold) day
- started a new sketch book
- made homemade cream of leek and potato soup with warm crusty bread rolls and crispy bacon
- and ate it with a good friend

- ran around like a loony after my 18 month old godson, Taylor, who is so cute i could cry
- enjoyed the view from my window
- drank a glass of wine in the middle of the day
- cursed that i have to work all weekend
- made plans to get dressed up all fancy and treat my boy to dinner out on the town

a very good day indeed x

happy weekend

perfect patchwork

{blanket by tracey emin, hate and power can be a terrible thing,2004}

i've just finished reading an article in vogue about tracey emin and her collection of patchwork blankets - she never calls them quilts, as they were, in the beginning, made with the intention of going on a bed. the first one she sold, she sold after being in bed with it at the gramercy park hotel in 1994 and she cried when she had to let it go.

not only does love, work, blood sweat and tears go into these blankets but also memories. she collects and hoards fabrics like i frame meaningful photographs. she has a general box of fabric scraps and, if the pieces are especially sentimental, special or rare, then they get promoted to a box referred to as the "high alter memorabilia fabrics". "these fabrics are worth more than gold to me. but when i use them only i know."

i think that's lovely, small pieces of your heart being incorporated into something you can hold without ever knowing what they might have meant to the person that held it before you. even though her pieces are provocative, there is no doubting they are beautiful.

pay day

it's my favorite day of the month again and it has inspired another wish list....

{carvela auberge booties £150, mmmmmmmmm}

{socks - vivienne westwood}

never mind the fabulous shoes, i'm all about these ridiculously fantastic socks by vivienne westwood. they may not be new but my god i want a pair. i will not rest until i find a similar pair, might be time to get the old knitting needles out!

{unknown - DAM IT....}

i saved this picture on my desktop a while ago and i have just rediscovered it today. so, while i am unwrapping my new booties, i am wearing my new vivienne westwood (or look-a-like) socks and drinking from this FABULOUS mug that holds your biscuits for you. no need for a side plate. they are all there and ready to be dunked! stupendously brilliant. if anyone knows where i found this image....pleeeeease let me know.

also wishing for....

sunshine, or just no more snow.

a voice (i've lost mine - the boyf is practically giddy with glee!)

a miracle cure for adult spots

for little sophia to be brave and safe while travelling round south america

for that last box in the corner to unpack itself

a chanel 2.55....sigh

super stylish mum and dad

for my mum and dad, ridiculously young, impossibly happy and very very stylish - especially mrs b. (i'll neglect to mention the photo i've seen of you both wearing matching his and hers ben sherman checked shirts and denim flares!!!! no no no no. glad that was a one off.)

love to you both xxx

if santa came all year round......

{swallow earings, £24.00 tatty devine - tattydevine.com}

{5o's glasses necklace, £33.00 - tatty devine}

{price ticket cufflinks, £24.00 - tatty devine}

....i'd want these. and much much more. the london based jewellery designers website is overflowing with fun, funky designs that are stylish and have a sense of humour at the same time. find them at www.tattydevine.com i suggest a visit immediately.

while you are there check out the new cocktail umbrella designs, perfect for a silly, sunny look this summer.

summer.....sigh....hurry the f**k up if you please!

channeling audrey

{picture from creolewisdom}

{vintage champagne glasses- the redhouse interiors}

these vintage champagne glasses are so elegant. if i had some, i'd wear a mans white shirt, a beehive, and drink milk out of mine a la the gorgeous audrey in breakfast at tiffanys. my all time fav film. ever.

it was showing at my local cinema on valentines day but we didn't go. my most special date ever, was the first one i went on with ross. we went to the aldwych hotel in london. they were screening the film after dinner and we watched it in arm chairs while we drank delicious cocktails. best film. best date. best boy x

winter vs spring

i am not green fingered. at all. everything i touches wilts and dies. i don't know what i do to them? its not that i don't want to care for them. its not that i don't want a flat full of lovely living things. i do. i really really do. the amount of money that i have spent on plants is testament to that. so you can imagine my concern when i recieved several plants as house warming gifts. not only will these have to grow...they will have to florish. my mind was rested somewhat on hearing that said plants cost less than 4 pints of milk, but still, the challenge was set.

i don't think i've done too badly so far! the hibiscus has even flowered..WoW. i am very proud of myself, now if i could only keep them alive! and i especially like the chinese dragon i bought from the chinese new year celebrations last sunday as a decoration for my little indoor garden. looking at these flowering and thriving plants made me feel positive that spring was coming, and that the long dark, freezing cold nights were coming to and end, and that all we had to look forward to was sunshine. and then i looked out the window.

and it was snowing. alot. there is no better feeling than being in a warm cosy flat, on the sofa, under a blanket and knowing that its miserable outside. although saying that, from these photos taken from my kitchen window...it looks rather romantic and victorian out there. not miserable at all.

i think its the chimmney pots and the lamp posts. there are not enough chimmney pots in the middle of a city. or if there are you hardly ever get the opportunity to see them. they remind me of mary poppins and peter pan. you just know that magical things happen around them on twinkly nights when noone is looking.

my friend

love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love
there's nothing you can't do that can't be done.
nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game. its easy.
there's nothing you can make that can't be made.
no one you can save that can't be saved.
nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time - it's easy.

all you need is love, all you need is love
all you need is love, love, love is all you need.
love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love
all you need is love, all you need is love
all you need is love, love, love is all you need

there's nothing you can know that can't be known
nothing you can see that isn't shown
nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. it's easy.
all you need is love, al you need is love,
all you need is love, love, love is all you need.
all you need is love (all together now)
all you need is love (everybody)
all you need is love, love, love is all you need.

to olly,

i wish someone could have helped you when you needed help, i wish someone would have listened when you needed to be heard.
i wish i could have done something.
i will think of you always and smile when i do...
with love

sweet dreams

cosmic girl x

todays wish list includes.......

these shoes arrived in the shop today and "oh me oh my". so pretty, they have inspired a new wish list, if only i wasn't 7ft tall when i wear them.......

-kurt geiger, garbo sandals-

-pantone mugs-

also......

a cuddle

spaghetti bolognese

an hour in a bubble bath with my new book - the lollipop shoes by joanne harris

vanilla ice cream

chanel rouge noir nail polish

to have the strength not to open my new bales of fluffy white towels until i move into the new flat

ditto - new fen wright manson crisp white sheets

to sleep soundly tonight

jonny depp

suprises rock

poached egg & bacon for him, fruit salad for me

my darling boy returnd from the gym this morning and after a quick shower, whisked me off for a very scrummy late breakfast at a little cafe called the scrumpy willow and the singing kettle.

all the food is cooked using organic ingrediants and sourced from local sellers. we hardly spoke two words to each other what with all the reading and the eating, but sometimes it's nice to be quiet with each other.

my world is upside down

moving has got my head mashed. i can't find anything, i keep tripping over boxes that i don't expect to be there and i'm getting a little bit sick of my resolution not to grocery shop until my cupboards are bare and the freezer is empty (less stuff to move - and we can defrost the freezer etc etc) we've had some very uninspiring meals so far...tonight's menu - pickled onions with green beans and rhubarb crumble - we might be eating out!

how can such a small kitchen hold so much stuff???

the clothes are out and only the shoes remain (there's more in the spare bedroom!)

this hallway is a trip hazard!

bored of this now

also confusing me this morning is my mobile phone mysteriously changing the time overnight. since i packed all the clocks my blackberry has been the only source of time telling and morning alarm calls. then this morning we were woken up by the phone, ross's brother was waiting in the car downstairs. whoops - the alarm hadn't gone off but it was still set, and the bb said 8am. but it was actually 9am. i'm fairly certain that i didn't reset the time in my sleep as i can't do it consciously without the help of an instruction booklet - what the hell happened? hope it doesn't happen tomorrow when i actually have to be at work.

bagel love

prepare.... to bake

i heart baking

sprinkes

mmmmm......

delish x

as i mentioned earlier today, on my to-do list was making bagels. a priority today as kneeding the dough is a great way to release the pmt mentalistic-ness that has me firmly in its grasp.

this recipie was pinched from miss jemma, a super mummy who makes all her own baby food and bakes and her son sleeps when he should....like i said - super mummy! its quick, simple and they look super impressive when you take them out of the oven. here's how......

ingredients

7g sachet dried yeast

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp salt

450g bread flour

poppy, fennel or sesame seeds

1.tip the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into a large bowl and pour over 100ml warm water. leave for 10mins until the liquid becomes frothy.

2.pour 200ml warm water into the bowl, stir in the salt and half the flour. keep adding the remaining flour until your dough is soft but not sticky. *you may not need all the flour.

3.kneed for 10mins on a lightly floured surface until the dough feels smooth and elastic, shape into a ball and put into a clean, lightly oiled bowl. cover loosly with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size - approx 1 hour.

4.heat oven to 22oC/fan 200C/gas 7. divide the dough into 10 pieces, shape into balls and use the handle of a wooden sppon to make holes in them. *i find it works best if you swing the dough around the handle to make the balls look like dough bangles as the hole with get alot smaller at the next stage.

5. meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the remaining sugar, stir well. slip the bagels into the boiling sugar water - no more than 3 at a time. cook for 1-2 minutes, turning over occassionally until the bagels have puffed up slightly. remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

6. once they are all cooked, sprinkle with your favourite topping, then bake in the oven for 10 - 15mins. *this is a total judgment call depending on how hot your oven gets. go by the colour of them, yummy golden brown is perfect....jet black is not!

7.place on a cooling rack and eat as soon as possible. *i had mine while they were still scorching with butter and razzberry jam.

things to do today

- stop reading fashion blogs and get dressed
- wash hair with new thickening shampoo and conditioner
- paint toenails psychedelic pink
- bake baguels
- sort through wardrobe and remove anything not worn or considered in last 2 years to make packing easy peasy
- think of something wonderful to cook for dinner
- smile through the pmt and don't be horrid to my boy


- change light bulbs

why does it always rain on me?

grey, wet, miserable, cold, slushy, january must be the worst of months no? so instead of wingeing all month about it, i've given myself a deadline of until the end of the day to get all my misery out of my system and then i'm just going to shut the hell up about it.

onto better things-things worth talking and thinking about it. 2010 will be the year of creativness, i've got lots of ideas, and i will make them happen, enough procastinating...Nike had a point - "just do it"

pretty things, pretty delicate things, pretty delicate things that hopefully other people will like! stay tuned for them, it may take some time but i'll get there... inbetween all the sleeping, talking, laughing, drinking, eating and chilling out i plan to do this year. surely the easiest resolutions ever!?!

so although today may be a struggle, for me and those around me! tomorrow i will be better