Coast Spring/Summer 2013

I popped along to the Coast flagship store on Oxford Street the other day to have a look at all the pretty dresses. I don't have that much use for pretty dresses this year (I just went to my only wedding of the season, and I was a bridesmaid so the dress shopping was done a while ago!) but that never stops me looking.

The dress in the first picture especially is just stunning. If only I had a ball to go to! I like that as well as the occaisionwear there are actually a number of dresses I would wear to work in there as well, which are much more justifiable for my purse. Thank you very much to Coast for having me along.

Reading in May

Here's what I'm reading this month:

1. Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge by Lindy Woodhead
I never saw the tv programme they made of this (I didn't hear good reviews!) but if you are interested not just in shopping but in everything surrounding the shopping experience this book is such a good read. I work quite near to Selfridges and a trip there is often a lunchtime treat when I'm in the office, so I had a special interest when reading the book, in learning how one of my favourite shops came to be. I really didn't know much about the history of department stores, but so many things about shopping such as having the merchandise out on display so you can touch it rather than hidden in a drawer were the invention of Mr Selfridge!

2. Persopolis by Marjane Satrapi
This is a graphic novel I got for my birthday. It is the story of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war in the 70s-90s, and again a topic I am wholly unfamiliar with. It is brilliantly written and drawn, and I felt like I learnt a lot about the lives of Marjane and her family. It doesn't sound like a book that i going to be a barrel of laughs, but it was very funny in places as well as being incredibly moving.

3. Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
This is what I'm reading right now. I feel like 20s fever is in the air at the moment with the release of The Great Gatsby in the cinema, and as I've already read that and a few other Fitzgeralds I decided to try Tender is the Night. I feel totally swept away every time I open the book, it's the south of France on a hot summer's evening in the 1920s as soon as I start reading, which is a pretty good place to be!

4. Lean in by Sheryl Sandberg
There was such a buzz about this book when it first came out, and having read a lot about it I am quite curious to actually read it for myself. I haven't started it yet, so I would love to know your thoughts if you've read it?

What are you reading at the moment?

Laura Ashley Blouse

cardi and top courtesy laura ashley, culottes - ymc, shoes - melissa, sunnies - topshop, belt - vintage

Last week I was challenged by Laura Ashley to style this cream lace top for the Laura Ashley blog. Along with fellow bloggers Paula and Natasha we each styled it a different way.

I went for my usual weekend look - top, cardi and skirt - complete with sunglasses for the first time since last year! I really like the top - it's already been worn at the weekend and to work. Most of the time my wardrobe is split rigidly down the middle, so it's nice to have a few things that can cross over. 

The only thing I find slightly annoying is it is dry clean only, which is always somewhat problematic as I am cheap and absolutely hate shelling out for the drycleaners all the time. But I think a bit of fabreezing will stop me having to make that trip too often, and I haven't managed to spill anything on it yet, so go me!

Lazy Sunday Links

1. How gorgeous is this wallpapered kitchen? 2. And this photoshoot 3. I love this moss graffiti 4. Mariell's post about her Friday explorations of London definitely makes me want to get out more 5. Parisian bakeries are the best 6. I am way late on thi one as April Fool's day was over a month ago, but this video from Modcloth is fantastic!

I've had another busy week this week, but fingers crossed next week should be a little bit more calm. The thing I hate most about being busy is that I get so unhealthy, and end up just cooking ready meals or anything that's fast and completely devoid of vegetables. Plus I get such little exercise in as well, moving from bed to train to desk to train to sofa and back to bed again! I love to have a routine so it really bothers me when I get all out of sorts!

This week I am looking forward to going back to getting in my morning runs, and actually doing some cooking when I get home. No more jacket potatoes for a while please!

Sweet Potato Tart

I made this super simple sweet potato, leek and feta tart on bank holiday Monday, with enough leftovers for Tesday night, when I really couldn't be bothered to cook!

I am very much of the Delia school of cookery (being that left is too short to make your own pastry!) so I used one packet of ready rolled puff pastry, one leek, one sweet potato, some tomato puree and a block of feta cheese. I think in retrospect I would have added a second leek, and maybe swapped ou the feta for a less sharp flavoured cheese, as between that and the tomato puree the tart was a little too tart! But it was prety yummy none the less.

I boiled slices of sweet potato until they were soft, and then stir fried it with chopped leek, cumin and seasonin for a few minutes. Then I sliced the pastry sheet into individual tart sized bits, spread with puree and topped with the leek and sweet potato and cubes of feta.

The tarts went into the oven for about 10 minutes at 200 degrees C and that was that! I've been quite busy recently and not massively in the mood for cooking so it was nice to get back into making something that involved a little bit of effort over the weekend.

Uniqlo Jeans

top - borrowed off my mum, jeans courtesy uniqlo, bracelet - vintage, boots - schuh

I don't know if this is normal or not, but at twenty six years of age what you see in these photos is my first ever pair of skinny jeans. I've always felt self conscious of my thighs, and the tapering style of most skinnies just seemed to emphasise everything I hated even more.

I have been branching out into trousers more and more though, and so when uniqlo offered to send me a piece of clothing to try out I decided it was time to give uniqlo jeans a go. What particularly tempted me is that these are uniqlo's 'skinny-straight' jeans - skinny at the top but with a straight leg at the bottom. 

This works so much better for me as I think the straight leg balances out the bits I don't like about myself, and although I still feel a bit self conscious I really like these jeans and I'm really happy with the fit. As with everything Uniqlo, they are really well made and very reasonably priced. I already want them in a whole rainbow of colours!

Lazy Sunday Links

1. Such a lovely home 2. I want to jet away so badly right now 3. I am always on the look out for new smoothie ideas 4. Cat Eyes are pretty much the only makeup I can do, so they are abviously my favourite 5. Love these book shelves 6. This is a great idea for a website

Well I'm not gonig to lie, it's been a pretty awful week full of stress and horribleness, but! I made it to the end, and it's a bank holiday too! I am pretty much just spending this weekend catching up on all things life and blogging, hope you've got something similarly fun planned!

Instagram Lately

1. Tarte Au Citron at Angelina's 2. Getting ready for a chilly day out in Paris 3. Galeries LaFayette - the most beautiful department store ever 4. Sephora, how I love thee!

1. Amazing spring floral display in Liberty 2. A shake break at the Diner (peanut butter and banana is the most amazing combo ever!) 3. First signs of spring on my road 4. Favourite afternoon snack of frozen berries and yoghurt

1. Reading my mum's copy of Harpers Bazaar 2. Last pastry in Paris *sniff sniff* 3. Lunch at Laduree (yummy but seriously pricy!) 4. The amazing Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

This was my Instagram in March and April. You can follow me on instagram at whereisharriet (of course!)

Cute iPhone Five Cases

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

 Woe unto me, my iphone 4 finally died last week. I really cannot believe there was a time when I did not have a smart phone, it has just become so much a part of my daily life I don't even think about it anymore. I had to *gasp* read the Evening Standard on the train on the way home as I had no games to play or websites to look at!

Obviously I had to trade my baby in immediately (sorry iphone!) and a shiny new iphone 5 came home with me this weekend, which obviously means I need a new case for it. Obviously! These are my faves from society6, which is an American website, but ships worldwide. Ideally I'd like to find a UK website that I won't get charged customs fees for though - anyone know any websites for cute iphone cases? Iconemesis my usual go to website alas only seems to do cases for the 4 or 4S so I need a new source.

Rituals

I was reading an issue of Elle Decor recently and they had an intresting little article on rituals, and the daily/weekly/monthly little things you do that make a difference in your life. The article inteviewed lots of the magazine's staff, and it was really interesting to hear about all the habits people had in their week. I thought I'd share mine, and I'd love to hear about yours in the comments!

1. Every Sunday night I put on a face mask and watch youtube makeup videos. It's my 'urgh, I have to go to work tomorrow, I am going to be totally self indulgent today' ritual. Usually it's a Ren mask and a video from Lily Pebbles or Gh0stparties.

2. Twice a week I get up early and go running. Yes, I'm still keeping my New Year's Resolution! Ok, so it is often more like once a week, but it still makes me feel good knowing I am keeping some exercise in my routine.

3. On a Friday and Saturday evening, around about seven it is drinks and nibbles o'clock! This is a ritual I started with my mum when I still lived at home, and one I have kept up since I moved out. Unless I'm out I always try and sit down with a glass of wine, a bowl of nibbles and good company for an hour or so before we make dinner.

4. Saturday morning is for reading blogs. I just love the feeling of waking up on a Saturday, and knowing you don't have to get out of bed for a while, feeling all warm and cosy with a cup of coffee and your favourite blogs. Pure Bliss!

These don't always happen every week, I've been so busy recently it's hard to get everything in, but I try and make sure I get at least one or two of them in each week to keep me sane.

Goats Cheese and Avocado on Toast

This is my favourite lunch at the moment - creamy goats cheese and avocado slices on toast. A perfectly ripe avocado is pretty much my favourite thing to eat ever. Well, excluding ice cream (I am actually something of a fan of avocado ice-cream though. It's better than you think it would be!) They are horrible when they aren't ripe, but oh so good when they are, I am always prepared to run the risk of getting a bad one.

In case you hadn't noticed, I really really love avocados!

Old Faithful

dress - topshop, cardi - orla keily, shoes - clarks, bracelet - kate spade

I am so ridiculously happy it's sunny right now! It's prety much been six months since we had a nice sunny day in London, so naturally out came my favourite sun dress for the first time this year. Ok, it's not really that warm yet (though I spent a lot of the weekend moving between strategic patches of sunlight to soak up as much of what warmth there was as possible!) but we're getting there. C'mon British Summer Time, I know you have it in you!

I've had this dress for three years almost exactly (blogs are good for dating your clothes!) and it still gets lots of wear each summer, it's definitely an old faithful in my wardrobe.

Lazy Sunday Links

1. Kit's trip to the Barbican Conservatory looks amazing 2. I always discover the best blogs via Paula 3. This video made my mouth water 4. Obsessed with greenery and this lovely Brooklyn garden shop 5. This Parisian lunch (via Rachel) looks amazing 6. Spring and Summer dressing inspiration

After a fairly blah week I am so glad it's the weekend and it's sunny! Spring has definitely been my inspiration for my links this week. We did jobs on Saturday morning and then went to the Tate Modern in the afternoon to see the Lichenstein exhibition, and today we are going up on Blackheath to watch the marathon runners start their race.I know three people running this year, so fingers crossed I will spot them in the crowds!