Halloweve

In my pre Halloween excitement I couldn't resist trying to make some halloweenesque cup cakes. I've seen a few on other blogs such as A Beautiful Mess. 

Hope you all have a fun Halloween whether you're off out tonight or tomorrow or not at all :) If you are out and you're dressing up, link me to some piccies of your outfits! I'm sure I will be tweeting my Little Red Riding Hood creation later tonight :) x

Her Name Was Lola...

Myself and the boy picked up these beauts in Topshop on Oxford Street last weekend. They're by Lola's and are gorgeous! I've always wanted to try them but have never taken the trip to Mayfair, so when I saw them being sold in Topshop I couldn't resist. These ones are mini's, and we got 9 for £8. Regular size ones were around £2. Which I didn't think was too bad considering how pretty they look. I'm hoping to make some of my own once our new kitchen is finished...possibly some cute Christmas cupcakes. 

Woodland Faux

Jumper: Urban Outfitters

Faux Fur Coat: Vintage

Leggings: Topshop

Boots: Primark
Bag: ASOS

Rings H&M and Vintage

Polish: Purple Ash by Models Own

On my recent trip to London I picked up this gorgeous knit jumper from Urban Outfitters. It's so cosy and warm, I'm in love with it! I also thought I'd finally showcase my new fur coat :) I wore it to Westonbirt Arboretum at the weekend and thank god I did as it was freezing cold! With the sun shining though it heated up the faux fur nicely so I had my own personal heater.

I'm wearing one of the new Model's Own polishes, Purple Ash. It's a really lovely colour, a lot of people have compared it to one of Chanel's. But from my own experiences I have to say Model's Own wins hands down, I find Chanel nail polish not only extremely over priced but not the best at coverage.

Sweet Monday 004

01. Sorry for the lack of blogging over the weekend but I had a bit of a busy one. My boyfriend and I went to London on Saturday for a spot of shopping...I got lots of goodies :) Enjoying my healthy pay check. It was soooo busy in Central. I have no idea why anyone would wanna work on Oxford Street.

02. Yesterday we went to Westonbirt Arboretum which is a beautiful place. A huge collection of trees and trails for you to follow, showcasing some amazing colours at this time of year. Well worth a visit. It was so nice to just get away from everything and grab some well needed fresh air.

03. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm sooo excited for Halloween next weekend :) I have my Little Red Riding Hood outfit all sorted! Will hopefully get some photo's up to show you all. My friends are going as Snow White, the Queen of Hearts and the Madhatter...we're going all out this year! But my parents are going away for the weekend so I hope I don't get too many trick or treaters scaring me to death :| What are you all up to? Is anyone else dressing up for the occasion? 

04. Ooo also I bought these clogs from Dixi this week for only £10! What do you guys think? They're surprisingly comfy.

Once again, I hope you've all had a lovely weekend! x

Willow

Is anyone else absolutely loving Willow Smith?!! I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH, I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH!!

Not only has she made a tuuuune, she's not even 10 years old yet (31st Oct) But with a legend of a father that is Mr Will Smith, it was inevitable she was going to be a star one day. And my god doesn't she already have it down to a T. Looking through photos of her she's got more style and attitude than anyone. And check out the hair do...eat your heart out Rihanna!

Oh and if you have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this.

Vintage Fair

Blind Lemon's vintage fair came to Cheltenham on Sunday, it's been there a few times but I keep missing it, so this time I made sure I was around for it. It was held in the Pittville Pump rooms which is a stunning building! 

Just about everything and anything was on sale. A whole host of fur coats, bags, tweed jackets, magazines from the 50's, some very cool lady gaga esque sunnies! And more jewellery than you've ever seen before! It was truly mesmerising and a little overwhelming. Saw some beautiful items but a lot of it was a little out of my price range, and then I came across a faux fur coat that I immediately fell in love with. I've always wanted one but can never find one that fits me right, as I'm pretty tiny they tend to swamp me.

I have been looking at one in River Island but I think vintage is always best. So after much debating with my friend Rach, I decided on buying this....

It's originally from Debenhams believe it or not, dating back to the 70's. And although I was hesitant as I wasn't sure if it was worth £45, the fit was so good for me that I just went for it! And to be fair, it is half the price of any high street one. 

It's got leather panelling down the sides which is unusual but I kind of like it, it gives it that alternative edge. 

Your opinions would be great though :) Already had some positive feed back so I think I will keep it.

Sweet Monday 003

01. I went to see The Social Network and Life As We Know It this week. The Social Network I'm still undecided about, I like it but I wish I hadn't paid £7.80 to see it. Justin Timberlake is awful in it, he always plays such mean/cringe characters. And after hearing his interview on Radio 1, I've been a little turned off him :(

Life As We Know It however was really good, it was much more emotional that I expected though. If you're looking for a classic chic flick for something to do, it's definitely work a watch.

03. Yesterday I went to a Vintage Fair in Cheltenham, called Blind Lemon. It was really good, packed full of clothes and accessories from just about every era! And I picked up a faux fur coat which I will blog about tomorrow. Sadly I didn't get to see my friends exhibition that I mentioned in my previous post :( because on friday when I left work I had two flat tyres! It's a little suspicious as they each had a 6 inch nail in and they were my front left and back right which doesn't make much sense if I'd have ran over them. So yeah that was really annoying, missed seeing the exhib and the boy!

04. Also yesterday, I woke up to a lovely surprise that I'd won Jazz Pad's latest competition, a lovely vintage hand bag! I never win anything so I was so happy. If you don't already follow her blog, make sure you do :)

Beth's Blue

Models Own: Beth's Blue

I copied my friend Kate's design, and went for the Chanel Decals. They look so good on, and were quite easy to apply BUT they don't last long. The decals are like stickers but are thick, almost metally. And so they don't bend to fit your nail, they stay flat. With plenty of top coat they stay on fine but the edges are very sharp and skag on everything! Just trying to do my hair and get changed, they got completely ruined :(

So the only time I'll ever be wearing them is possibly for a night out and I'll be applying them after I'm ready, how annoying!

Pug Lovin'

Tee: Bake Designs

Cardigan: Republic

Shorts: H&M

Tights: Primark

Shoes: New Look

Watch: Casio, Urban Outfitters

Ring: Topshop

Thought I'd do a full outfit post including the tee from Monday's post. Still loving this tshirt. Now just want the real thing!

This week is flying by which is great, work is going really well and I'm looking forward to the weeeekend. :) My boyfriend's off on a charity walk for Diabetes so I'm catching up with friends Saturday night. Girls night!

And tomorrow I'm off to an exhibition set up by two friends that I studied with at University, who have set up their own collective called P.S. It's a small collection of work from a number of designers, artists, illustrators etc! If you live around/near Cheltenham please come, the private view is tomorrow but it's on for the next two weeks. You can find all the details on Facebook - From Bloomsbury to Bennington.

:)

Sweet Monday 002

01 Last Monday I started my new job and it's going really well. All the staff are lovely and I'm picking it up ok. I can't wait for my first pay packet! I've found out I'm going to be having quite a hefty pay rise too which is always a bonus :)

02. Also this week I've been really ill :( What started off as a bit of a cough as turned into a full on head cold/fluey thing. Friday I woke up and thought my head was going to explode. So I apologise for the lack of blogging. 

03. Whilst being ill, I've been spending my evenings (after a long hard days work) relaxing by watching the whole of season 1 of Gossip Girl. I've got to admit I'm wayyy behind the times and didn't start getting into it when everyone else did. So I've watched a few of the current series but have now gone back and started at the beginning. Long!! But I want to watch them all in order :) And I'm loving it! I'm literally addicted. I've now watched all of season 1 within a week!

04. Also just a little heads up....this t shirt I'm wearing turned up last week for me by a great guy called Ben at Bake Designs, which is a new online clothing brand set up from Bristol. You can follow Bake Designs on their twitter to find out the latest.

Cotswold Tones

Coat: Topshop

Top: Topshop

Jeans: Primark

Brogues: New Look

Bag: Vintage

Thought I'd finally showcase my new coat as mentioned in my previous post. It's such a good Autumn buy, it's light weight with a silk lining so is perfect for this mild weather we're currently having. My other coats are either too short, too thick or have three quarter sleeves. So although this coat was a cool £80 I know I will get the wear out of it to make up for it ;) 

I spent  today with my boyfriend in his neck of the woods of Oxfordshire, in the lovely Cotswold town of Burford. It's such a pretty place, somewhere where I would kill to live when I'm older. We enjoyed a nice pub lunch and will be spending the evening watching An Education which was recommended to me by Harriet :) What have you all been up to? I hope you're all having a good weekend.

Also is anyone else loving this weather? I love Autumn! Anddd I'm already feeling really festive!! Uhoh!

Chanel Decals

Props to Kate

I just had to share these stunning nails with you all. My friend Kate does some great nail art and she's actually just set up her own nail bar and is now fully qualified. So congrats Kate!

I've blogged some images before of nail designs she's produced that I've loved!! And I take a lot of inspiration from her work. 

I've now purchased these Chanel decals from eBay, they're pretty pricey at £6.49 with p&p but you do get 88. You can also find LV ones too which Kate has also bought, can't wait to see how they turn out! 

I also love the Models Own 'Nude' with them, this is a design I'm going to have to replicate exactly, sorry Kate! They're just too good :)

Sweet Monday 001

With all the success my blog has received recently I thought I'd start up my first feature. As my blog is 'Sweet Monday', you can now expect to see a weekly round up of things that have caught my eye, what I've been up to etc. :)

01. First up is the FANTASTIC news that Forever 21 is coming to the UK FINALLYYYYY! They are opening two stores, one at the Bullring in Birmingham on November 12th and one at the Jervis Centre in Dublin on November 13th. We can also expect to see a UK online store coming soon too :) I personally cannot wait and have already put the 12th in my diary!

02. I had a great weekend this weekend. Friday I went shopping too Oxford, and picked up this Topshop Camel Trench. What do you all think? I think I've fallen in love!

03. Also this weekend I went out in Cheltenham on Saturday for two friends birthdays. It was such a good night, myself and my best friends have all known eachother since we were five!! So we have some very special friendships. But sadly these days we hardly ever see eachother due to us all leading such busy lives. So when we do get together it's always a really good night! 

If you've never been to Cheltenham before I would really recommend it. It's a beautiful town and has great shopping and great nightlife. Some particular favourites are Copa, Revolution and to end the night in either Moomoo or Dakota. Also Subtone is great for dub step, a friend of my boyfriends dj's there quite regularly.

04. I started my new job today at the C&G bank. I'm working full time now which is a shock to the system! But my first day went well!

I hope you like this new feature. I know it's rather wordy, but a lot happened this week :) I will also in future include blogs that I'm loving and posts that I think you ought to read! x

Kimberley

Kimberley Pattern Cardigan

The little surprise I had in store for today is this beautiful cardigan! Dixi have very sweetly named this cardigan after me :) for being such a loyal customer! It's so lovely to find a fashion site such as Dixi that not only sell beautiful clothes, but they also have a great work ethic and appreciate each and every one of their customers. 

And remember today Dixi have uploaded over 50 new items to the store and are offering my lovely blog readers 10% off with this code SWEETMONDIXI209

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Discount Codez

FIRST UP - The lovely ladies over at Dixi are offering my blog readers 10% discount off any order of £10 or more! The discount code will work as of 9am Sunday 3rd October, when they will be uploading lots of new items to the store! So stay tuned.

The discount code is SWEETMONDIXI209

Top-Bottom, L-R: 

Cass Heart Polka Tights £6

Funny Bones Tights £12

Jolie Sheer Jacket Blouse £22

Laney Cream Floaty Tunic £25

Nicole Polka Dot Pussybow Dress £25

Maddie Peterpan Collar Top £28

NEXT UP - Motel Rocks are currently offering FREE delivery and returns. I also have a discount code for you to get £10 off any full priced item!

The discount code is NEW10CREDIT

I've just bought myself this dress, that's been on my wishlist for a while :) 

Also watch this space for an extra special little something coming Sunday!

If you don't already, be sure to follow Dixi Blog and join the Dixi Facebook page. They're also on twitter.

You can find Motel on twitter and they have a blog too.

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