Feeling all kinds of green & turquoise

I think I am having a mint moment or something, everything that has been catching my eye this week is all kinds of green & turquoise. Also still loving Pinterest, anyone else a convert? Catch my pins at Taffeta Ramblings. (word of caution - it steals hours of your time especially if you download the app).

Source: designspongeonline.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: francescascollections.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: abacuscards.co.uk via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: bodenusa.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via Chris on Pinterest

Friday beauty frolics

When it comes to beauty products I am pretty loyal once I find something I like. Though I do like to experiment a bit more with nail polish, eye colour and lipstick for adding some pop to an outfit.

I am more than excited to hear that Stila is headed back to the UK shores. I was a big Stila fan for foundation & eyeshadow & my stocks of their Kitten eyeshadow had all but depleted.

Beauty things I can't live without - Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo (addicted to the smell), Liz Earle toner, moisturiser, hand cream (all their products really, I was also very excited to learn that they are soon to launch a make-up range) & Sephora mascara - I buy 4 or 5 anytime I am in the vicinity of a store. What are some of everyone else's can't live without products?

This week I have been beautified by:

Nars Blush in Orgasm with my trusty Sephora brush

Stila eyeshadow in Kitten, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in pale pink, Bad gal eyeliner from Benefit, No7 Speed Dry Nail Varnish in Coral Kiss, No 17 Wild Curls Mascara in Black Waterproof

Tom Ford - love love his Black Orchid scents, they last all day & are always commented on

Flash Bronzer by Lancome - I use it on my legs. It is great for summery days when you feel a bit pale. Goes on brown which helps the fake tan novices like myself.

My Liz Earle essentails - Skin Repair Mosturiser and hand cream

Thrifting club

When did buying second hand become 'vintage' & now it is 'thrifting'...something interesting happening there semantically or is that just me? Anyways, I digress, Sunday afternoon was a not a cloud in the sky kind of day & my friend Michelle & I headed off into the wilds of the countryside to check out a car boot sale she had been raving about. Remember when Sundays were filled with trying to piece together the happenings of the night before, not anymore, I'm officially an old lady!

Set in the glorious surroundings of Overton Farm, in Lanark, the car boot sale was a lot more civilised than I had anticipated. The fields surrounding the farm shop were filled with sellers peddling everything imaginable with the usual banter flowing. As with all markets/car boot sales I think it is very much luck & getting there early as to whether you will source any buried treasure amongst the junk.

The car boot sale had the usual children's clothes & toys & embarrassing purchases (such as the trampoline that has been used once) but it did have lots of china, antique lamp shades & niceties such as jugs & crockery. We hunted out a few bargains & tried our best to haggle (I need some Del boy tips):

My  bargain battered suitcase £1 - perfect for sitting on top of my wardrobe for extra storage.

China floral pattern large plate £1

1960s phone - £20 haggled to £4 by Michelle

I did briefly fall in love with a set of salt & pepper shakers but even with their floral pattern at £5 I deemed them too pricey. We left happy with our purchases & went in search of some tea & scones in the country air.

The car boot sale is worth a visit & over the summer months is on every Sunday & bank holiday Monday 8am- 4pm. It also has a lovely farm shop with fresh local produce, so you don't have to go home empty handed if you aren't so lucky on the treasure hunting.

It now has me wanting to investigate car boot sales & the antique delights that might be found. Any recommendations? I am thinking Perth & surrounding areas might have some good buried treasures.

Merchant City Festival Meandering

I hope everyone had a sunshine filled weekend - it was a chance for me to work my maxi skirt, new sunglasses from Urban Outfitters & feather filled bracelets. Saturday afternoon was perfect strolling weather in the sunshine, so stroll was what we did. Our stroll took us to the Merchant City Festival. It was a warren's den of street performers, market stalls & band stands. The continental market had an amazing selection of treats - we sampled Italian pastries, with a crepe sucre for me & an ostrich burger for the boy.

After all the eating we strolled round to George Square, The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games also had lots of activities on & you could try your hand at athleticism for the day - the boy insisted on pole vaulting & shot putting  (I held the bags) - don't think the Commonwealth team are missing his prowess too much.We then strolled homewards, a good 3 mile stroll in the sunshine to work off the pastries, my legs still hurt. What did everyone else get up to in the sunshine?

My new love

My new Mulberry love just arrived so I wanted to share - galloping horses its good!

It could be used as a small clutch but I think it is destined to follow me on a daily basis as a trusty make-up bag. I think my Mulberry fixation is getting out of control, might need to look into that!

Have a good weekend whatever you are up to xxx

Friday fix

So its Friday once again (you can almost taste gin o'clock in the air). My to-do-list looms large but as promised I bring you my Friday round up part two.

This week I have mostly been wearing (bearing in mind summer keeps flitting in & out):

Searching for bag shaped never never land

I am a bag whore, I freely admit this & I have actual shame when I think of how much I have spent over the years & how little grown up purchases I have made, but this isn't deterring me from my search for the clutch bag of my dreams. Since I am spending most weekends attending weddings of people I barely know, I think I can justify this splurge as an investment & something to look at when there is that inevitable awkward moment in the speeches when no one knows whether to laugh, cry or leave.
Criteria: roomy (I pack for all eventualities), neutral colour to maximise use, not too expensive to make the boy & my bank manager cry & finally it has to make my heart flutter a little.
Contenders:

Miu Miu Matelasse leather clutch

Diane von Fustenberg Lytton box clutch

YSL Bag du Jour Large in Beige

Mulberry Daria clutch

The Miu Miu seems like a staple & a practical option. However, as usual my heart flutters the most at Daria the Mulberry clutch, but it also pounds a little at the thought of spending £415 on her. I would also like if Daria was available in something other than black, maybe grey, although black is a can-never-go-wrong-with colour. Anyone else able to convince themselves to spend a stupid amount on "investment" items?

Nail art

Is it just me or are nails painted, preened & printed everywhere at the moment? I would like to think I was a well turned out lady: painted nails & toes at all times, but I must admit that I am more of a low maintenance beauty buff. I like to paint my nails once a week at most & normally get a pedicure if I am going on a beach holiday but that is as far as I go. I favour caramel hues for work, coral in summer & dark purple verging on black for a night out. Nail stickers, Minx & everything else has passed me by. Am I missing out?

Source: thesenseandsensibility.tumblr.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Source: lyndarthemerciless.blogspot.com via Taffeta Ramblings on Pinterest

Floaty skirts

Source: fashionfillers.com via Nicky on Pinterest

Hope you all had a good weekend, it was a long weekend here in Glasgow town (pancakes, lazy starts & cinema visiting ensued). Floaty skirts have got me going week at the knee at the moment. I am aware this trend has been around for a while but after some ebay fighting over some vintage skirts, I am loving it all the more. I think it is a difficult trend to work in some ways, you have to consider, print, length (midi/maxi/or way too long) but in other ways is so simple: throw on a vest or tshirt, beat up vintage belt, big bag & if you live in Glasgow some sort of wooly knit inevitably.

Source: moredesignplease.com via Monique on Pinterest

I am still on the look out for more vintage print maxi/midi skirts & working at my laptop all day has brought back bad ebay habits. My recent ebay win of this french vintage brown & cream print midi skirt inspired this bank holiday pottering outfit:

Vintage skirt, h &m vest, topshop sandals, vintage belt, vintage straw bag, house of harlow gold necklace

Friday round up: Eat a little, drink a little

I have decided that on a Friday I will do a quick round up of things that have dominated my week: this week food! My beach body diet has taken a bit of a hit this week, dinning out has been the theme of the week. So far on my tour of Glasgow eateries I have been to Velvet Elvis, Blythswood Square Hotel & Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn.

Velvet Elvis is one of my local favourites & is within stumbling distance to my flat which is what I look for in a restaurant. We went midweek for the boy's birthday, with some celebratory gins in hand it was good food all round.

Birthday boy - clearly overjoyed at aging

Goats cheese & lentil dahl parcel - yummy

Next up we donned our finery (Whistles frock & Kurt Geiger shoes for me) for a night at the Blythswood Square Hotel Restaurant, the 5 star hotel & restaurant was the perfect backdrop for birthday celebrations part two. It was suprisingly relaxed even though every table was booked & the food was interesting without being overly pretentious (the boy was also pleased with the portion size). We dined on lamb, seabass, gnocchi & creme brulee washed down with copious amounts of red wine. Their menus had something for every budget (impressive 3 courses for £20 on their Market Menu) & I will definitely want to go back for more.

Last night I went for a girlie midweek dinner with my uni chums, Jen & Sarah (reluctant to be photographed) which was very civilised & sophisticated for a change. We went to Tiki Cafe & Kitsch Inn on Bath St, their decor doesn't disappoint. Having been in before for their crazy drinks, I was intrigued to sample their Thai food. Food was tasty and fresh- tempura king prawns, squid, Thai green curry, Thai Red Curry & spiced coley. Their cocktail selection gets me everytime, I am a sucker for an umbrella in a drink, never mind drinking from a coconut.