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As bloggers we sometimes typecast ourselves into our own little niches. We decide to blog, choose a name, start creating – especially a few years ago when blogging was a little less polished and shiny! I was 26 when I started writing this blog in 2012. I had a baby and a 6 year old, I had just bought a new house and ran a business selling vintage clothes. At the time I just wrote about a bit of everything, it was something I did just for fun.

Now my kids are older and this is in theory my job, the pressure to produce great content, to keep up to date with all my social media and to earn a little bit of money is huge. Luckily I love it a lot, I love writing, I love taking pictures and I love wearing pretty things. Sometimes though I’m aware that the blog isn’t that much of a reflection of me. Lately I’ve been considering mixing it up a bit and writing about a broader spectrum of topics. Mostly because I think I would really enjoy it, I love writing and want to challenge myself a bit more. Just for fun I thought I’d make a little list of things I don’t write about, but would if they fit the blog a bit better.

Motherhood – nothing really defines my life more than my role as a mum. What I do above everything else is raise two girls, I wash their clothes, cook their dinners, help them with their homework and spend my time doing lots of fun things with them. I get exhausted and challenged and I have moments of pure joy, where I feel like the luckiest person alive to two have these two crazy ladies in my life. The reason I don’t really write about mummy life, is because the blog started my little escape and creative outlet. But I do read a lot of wonderful blogs about being a parent and maybe would consider doing an occasional post on life as mum.

Sex and Relationships – I love reading sex and relationships blogs, the more honest the better! However this is something I never cover on the blog. Sometimes I think about writing more about these things, but then I remember my friends and family read the blog! I have got some amazing vintage books and magazines and have thought about doing a little feature on relationship advice from the 40s and 50s. That would be fun!

Thoughts and Feelings – unless you’re my husband or my besties, I’m a pretty closed book. I’m very lucky to have a few people who will listen to me talk for hours on end, so I usually get all my personal stuff out that way! But I do like the idea of writing about certain things and what I think and feel about them, so you may see the occasional more personal post – maybe.

Fashion – Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved pretty dresses. I just really like pretty things. I do in real life, dress very much how I do on the blog, sometimes with straighter hair! But you’ll also see me a lot in gym clothes (I try to work out as often as possible), I also wear jeans a fair amount, for housework and going out with the kids. However I also quite like fashion in general and maybe now I’m a bit older I want to try different styles a bit more. So I might do some slightly different things on the blog occasionally.

Self Care – Since I got ill last year, I’ve focussed on my personal wellbeing and self care a while lot more than I used to. As a mum it’s easy to put yourself last, but ultimately it’s not a good idea. I take a lot of time now to go for walks and runs, work out, get early nights, have long baths and just live my best life. I’d love to share how I find time to do this and what I do to make myself happy and healthy, both mentally and physically. I’ve learnt the hard way to look after myself, while being there for everyone else and I think some of you may find it helpful to read about.

Music – I could probably expose my inner music geek and write about music all day every day. I spend so much time listening my favourite records and can mostly be found singing along to Fleetwood Mac really load all the time! I’d love to write more about my favourite records and what I’ve been listing to.

House and Garden – Ok so I do write about homes and interiors a bit on here, but I really want to do it more. I’m really enjoying working on my home at the moment and would love to share more of that on here. Don’t expect anything to be Pinterest perfect, I like the idea of being realistic and to remember that I have a functioning home with four people, two cats and two fish living in it. I want to write about having beautiful things alongside toy storage and somewhere to hang the washing to dry. Real life stuff! I’m pretty proud of my lovely little house and how I furnish it on a budget.

I’d love to know what you think, obviously there will still be pretty dresses, baking, skincare, more tea than you could drink in a life time etc etc. By the way, I am having so much fun creating content on my Instagram at the moment. I would really appreciate a follow if you don’t already!

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I’ve been very excited to put together a huge yellow Wishlist for Spring and Summer. As I mentioned in my recent Dolly and Dotty review, I am obsessed with yellow at the moment. I’ve been doing a yellow theme on my Instagram for a few months now. This obsession is definitely spilling into my wardrobe at the moment. And while I’m enjoying putting outfits together with the yellow things I already have, I do have my eye on a few new bits too. I shared my green Wishlist a couple of weeks ago and now it’s time for a very long yellow Wishlist!

Row One

  1. Every year I stock up on lots of crop tops, they are perfect for wearing with all my pretty skirts. I don’t like showing any tummy, but I find most sit just on the waistband of my skirts. I love this Bardot crop top from New Look. It’s so fun and classic.
  2. As usual everything in Collectif this season is awesome. This crop top and matching shorts really caught my eye. Perfect for holidays. xx
  3. These yellow floral shoes from Marks and Spencer would look so cute with the set above. I love the idea of dressing up simple outfits with such pretty shoes.
  4. This spotty wrap top from New Look is another one that would be great wear with skirts and jeans and is a totally gorgeous wardrobe staple.
  5. As you know I can’r resist a bit of Cath Kidston and since they don’t have any yellow dresses at the moment this yellow floral book bag is the next best thing. I love the book bags as they’r perfect for carrying my work around or for taking the girls books to and from the library.

Row Two

  1. I’ve had my eye on this lovely floral dress from Joanie clothing forever. The gorgeous floral print reminds me of the Queens yellow Horrockses dress from 1954 (pictures here)
  2. This ribbed button front vest from New look really appeals to me. With it’s big buttons I think it would look amazing with a full 50s skirt for a very vintage summer holiday look.
  3. This yellow dress from Marks and Spencer would be a great everyday summer dress. The dress in the link is slightly different (and nicer) than the one in the pic.
  4. I want this yellow lace dress from Joanie clothing for summer evenings, it’s so lovely!

Row Three

  1. I love the idea of wearing this gorgeous crochet bralet  from New Look in the summer with a gorgeous skirt like the yellow midi skirt from Marks and Spencer.
  2. The yellow circle bag would go with just about everything and straw bags seam to be everywhere this season. I love small bags like this, just enough room for a few essentials.
  3. I keep spotting these yellow shoes from Marks and Spencer and thinking how useful they’d be over the summer. Their clock colours accessories are amazing at the moment.
  4. I couldn’t resist adding this lace tassel crop top for a more boho summer look. This one is also from New Look, who seem to have loads of amazing tops at the moment.

Row One

  1.  I absolutely love Primark, for filling gaps in my wardrobe. I’ll often mix and match Primark pieces into outfits with original; vintage pieces or other high street items. This season I’m particularly loving all their summer tips and accessories. I’ll be searching my local store for this striped top, floral camisole, sunglasses (how awesome are these!).
  2. The the perfect summer smart out fit I love this yellow jacket and shorts co-ord set from Miss Selfridge. The two pieces are sold separately, so if you’re different sizes on top and bottom, then this would be ideal. I also love the very vintage styling of the side buttons on the shorts. These could be worn on their own with a vintage top for a 40s look.
  3. These Primark sandals are just £10 and would be perfect for adding a little yellow to summer outfits.

Row Two

  1. Probably the most me thing on this list is this lace sundress from Joanie Clothing. It’s the sort of thing I wear all summer and I absolutely love it.
  2. Other useful bits for building up a bit of yellow in your wardrobe are this cross body bag and crop tops Primark. I have the second top already and I love wearing under my dungarees for a casual look.
  3. also from Joanie clothing is this lovely embroidered midi dress, such a beautiful shade of yellow and a very versatile style, to carry you through all seasons.

Row Three

  1. The weather may be delightful right now, but the British summer cannot be relied upon! I always stock up some light knitwear for summer evenings and unseasonable cold spells. Two of my favourites include the aloha sweater and this gorgeous open weave cardigan, both from Joanie Clothing.
  2. My favourite new dress for the season so far is this gorgeous yellow floral cape dress from Simply Be. I love the light fabric and the little cape detail is just adorable. You can seeing me wearing it in yesterdays blog post.
  3. These block heeled shoes are from Primark and at £12, I’m going to find them hard to resist!
  4. I like to have lots of crop tops in my collection to mix and match with my high waisted skirts, this knot front top from Primark is another must-have. Lets hope I can find one!

I hope you enjoyed my yellow wishlist, what are your favourite pieces? have you seen any nice yellow stuff that you think I’d enjoy? Send me links!

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The weather over the last few days has been absolutely glorious. Sometimes I hate the unpredictable British weather, other times I love the way it goes from one extreme to another. No wonder we never stop talking about the weather. I made the most of the lovely days, by wearing lots of pretty dresses. One of those was this new addition to my wardrobe from Fashion World, which I was recently sent to try. They stock a huge quantity of brands and this particular one is by Simply Be.

This pretty yellow dress comes in the most gorgeous yellow floral print, perfect for this time of year and also perfect for my yellow Instagram theme! I love the vintage feel of the cape detail and neckline, but also quite like the more modern shorter length on this one.

I got the dress in a size 14 and like most dresses I’ve had from Simply Be the sizing was pretty good. The dress comes in sizes 12 – 32, and I definitely think it’s one of those magic dresses that looks good on all shapes and sizes. I also love that the cape details skims over my upper arms, which is so flattering.

I wore the dress with some sandals and a bag which are also from Fashion World. The espadrille style sandals are by Simply Be and I absolutely love them. I have quite wide feet and these are just so comfortable and easy to wear. I’ve pretty much not taken them off at all for the last couple of weeks, as they go with everything.

There were so many different bags on the Fashion World website, but this embroidered saddle bag really caught my eye. I love a cross the body style and the colours in the embroidery go really well with the dress. This is another item that’s going to be really versatile over the summer and will do with so many of my outfits.

I love this outfit, as it’s so simple and easy to throw together, but still looks really lovely. This is why I love the summer so much, all my outfits consist of a dress, sandals and a bag and then I just add jewellery or other accessories if I need to.

Lets hope there is plenty more lovely weather, so I can wear more of my dresses. Which is your favourite season for fashion?

For more pretty dresses, take a look at the Outfits section on the blog. I also share lots of my everyday outfits over on my Instagram.

*This outfit was sent to me for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own. 

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There needs to be a word for the emotion you feel, when you walk into Cath Kidston and spot yet another dress you just can’t live without! This happens to me way more often than it should! I have a weakness for dresses anyway. They are a hobby and an obsession, as well as just being things to wear. My dresses are a collection and the number of Cath Kidston ones I own is always growing. The latest addition is the truly gorgeous Park View dress.

I first spotted this dress in the Covent Garden store, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford it at the time, but I didn’t forget about it! The dress features some of my favourite places in London, it makes me feel happy and nostalgic. The print is just beautiful. It features sketches of iconic views in the city including St Pauls and Kew Gardens. Along with lovely floral details. The colours are so lovely and bright. I also love the shape of this dress, the V neck is super flattering and the cap leaves are very comfortable.

A couple of weeks ago I spotted the dress in the sale and just had to make it mine. I am so glad I did, as I’ll be enjoying this for years and every time I see it, it puts big smile on my face. I wore it recently for a trip to Ham House, one of my favourite places. I think the beautiful dress and beautiful location worked wonderfully together.

I teamed the dress with my favourite denim jacket. This came from peacocks last year, at the moment I’m wearing it with everything. A denim jacket is perfect for this time of year when the weather isn’t quite warm enough to go without. I also like how a denim jacket makes a pretty dress look a little more casual. Perfect for a chilled out look when I’m out doing stuff with the kids. I added a rather dressy vintage necklace, because I think it goes well with the dress and it’s one of my favourite pieces of jewellery. I also wore my Clarks brogues, which I’m really loving at the moment.

I have a pin on my jacket, to pay homage to my all time favourite Disney film and character. The Beast! I absolutely love him and was so happy when I spotted this pin in Primark recently. It’s part of a set of Beauty and the Beast pins and my lovely mum bought them for me.

I usually don’t spend a lot on clothes, I love finding bargains and wearing vintage pieces, so Cath Kidston dresses are top of my budget, but worth every penny. They last forever, wash well and most of all they are beautiful. The print on this one, is up there with my all time favourite Cath Kidston prints. I wish they had done a few more things in this print as it is absolutely stunning and my favourite London print from CK so far.

The Park View dress is currently reduced from £75 to £55 and is available on the Cath Kidston website. 

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Earlier this week I visited The National Gallery in London to attend the press view of their new landmark exhibition Monet and Architecture. This incredible exhibition, brings together an amazing selection of works by one of the worlds most iconic artists and I felt hugely lucky to be one of the first people to see it. The Monet and Architecture exhibition takes us on a journey through Claude Monet’s career and shows how his style developed as he grew older, reaching a final crescendo with his beautiful paintings of Venice. All the paintings feature buildings and many differ considerably to the garden scenes that are so familiar to us.

Claude Monet, The Doge’s Palace (Le Palais ducal), 1908, © Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York

Of course I brought along Matthew my resident art historian (and brother) to help me write about the exhibition. I asked Matthew to write a review of the exhibition and this is what he thought:

For an art historian, Monet is one of those artists that you think you know, and then he always surprises you. His name and his art are world famous. Most people will know he painted beautiful landscapes, that he helped create the Impressionist style – and that he loved water lilies! This exhibition aims to give a new perspective on his art and show that painting buildings, from cottages to cathedrals, was an important part of his work. More than that, it reminded me that Monet truly deserves his great reputation, as I lost myself in the beautiful paintings on display.

Claude Monet, The Quai du Louvre (Le Quai du Louvre), 1867, © Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

This exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to see paintings you’d normally collect a lot of air miles jetting around the world to see. The paintings have come from everywhere from Los Angeles to Moscow. In fact, more than a quarter of the paintings come from private collections, so unless you know some very rich people, this could be your only chance to ever see them.

Claude Monet,  The Beach at Trouville (La Plage à Trouville), 1870, © Allen Phillips\Wadsworth Atheneum

As the curators have decided to hang the paintings chronologically, visitors follow Monet through his career, starting in the 1860s when the he was an ambitious artist in his 20s, experimenting with a radical new painting style. Based on working outside, and quickly capturing the scene in front of you with bold brushstrokes, Impressionism was a bold and innovative protest against conventional 19th Century art. Walking through the exhibition you can see Monet learn and develop as an artist: his colours become bolder, his brushstrokes more exciting. Look closely at the paintings and you can see his creativity at work as he conjures scenes from thousands of lively strokes of colour. Then stand back, and you realise he has perfectly captured the atmosphere of a scene of a beach, or a busy Parisian street, or a house perched on a cliff-top.

Claude Monet, The Saint-Lazare Railway Station (La Gare Saint-Lazare), 1877 © The National Gallery, London

Monet lived at a time of huge change. Great cities like London and Paris grew into vast industrial metropolises, and Monet captures this. His scene of The Gare St-Lazare in the National Gallery’s own collection, shows Monet engaging with the steel, glass and steam of a great railway station. The railways allowed people to travel further and faster than ever before, and the range of locations of paintings in the exhibition shows this. As a Londoner I love seeing Monet’s views of my home city. He lived there from 1870-71 escaping the Franco-Prussian war in France. He returned to London again several times between 1899 and 1904. By this second visit he was a rich and famous artist, and painted the Thames from his balcony at the Savoy Hotel. Monet was fascinated by the effect of the sunlight through the smoggy air of the city, and captured the bold reds of sunrises and sunsets through the fog.

Claude Monet Houses of Parliament, Sunset (Le Parlement, coucher de soleil), 1900-1 © Kunsthaus Zürich.

The exhibition feels like going on holiday with Monet, and seeing the landmarks of the destinations through his eyes. The final room takes us to Venice, where Monet stayed in 1908. Here he presents his unique view of a city famous for its architecture, its light and its reflections. In his paintings of the Grand Canal, he shows the great domed church of The Salute. However, he changes the architecture, ignoring parts of the building to the dome more simple, as it dissolves into the brilliant shimmering light. By now in his late 60s, he was a complete master of his art, and the paintings capture his personal vision of a city already famous as a tourist destination.

Claude Monet, The Grand Canal (Le Grand Canal), 1908, Nahmad Collection, Monaco © Photo courtesy of the owner

When Monet’s Venice paintings were displayed together in 1912 at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, visitors were reminded that no one would ever have a chance to see them assembled together again before they were sold to collectors. Monet painted the same scene over and over, changing his canvases to capture the changes in the light as the time and weather changed. The National Gallery’s curators have got as close as they can to reuniting several of his series of paintings, so that we can see the views changing just as Monet did.

Claude Monet, San Giorgio Maggiore (Saint-Georges Majeur), 1908, © Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The curators show that considering Monet’s painting of architecture will change the way art historians see his career. However, it is his own constant inventiveness, skill, and the pure pleasure you feel looking at his paintings, that show that just when you think you’ve worked Monet out, he can delight you in ways you never expected.

This exhibition should be very popular, so make sure you book your ticket soon.

In homage to the beautiful art, I wore my Lindy bop Venice Skirt. I might start making a habit of dressing on theme when I go to exhibitions!

I am not an art expert, but I am an art enthusiast so from my point of view I absolutely loved the selection of paintings. I really felt like I learnt a lot from the works themselves as well as the interpretation. We were lucky enough to be shown around by the curators, but there is also an audio guide available, which I would definitely recommend to make the most out of the experience.

Monet is an artist we are all familiar with, but the exhibition made me see his work in a new light and I  thoroughly  appreciated it. It just felt like such a treat to be able to see more than 75 paintings. The cost of a ticket for Monet and Architecture is around £20, which feels like a lot. But having spent a good few hours immersing myself in the beautiful art, I feel this is worth it.

The Monet and Architecture exhibition runs from 9th April until 28th July 2018

You can buy tickets for the Monet and Architecture exhibition on the National Gallery website. 

Thank you to Matthew Storey for contributing to this post. Matthew is a curator and art historian with a specialism in historic art and decorative art. 

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