A Merry Christmas to all

Tick tock, tick tock. The countdown is on. Christmas Eve is in full swing here. 

Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas. Be happy, be safe, be joyous and most of all, be thankful. 

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Get your Hustle on

Over the last couple of days the weather here in Perth has taken a turn for the hot, hot, hot.  Of course, it's summer but until the first few days of extremely warm weather hits you forget how hot our summers actually get.  If I at all forgot, definitely this last day or two reminded me.  I'm hoping to get some beach time in over the next couple of weeks as I finish up work for the year and have some time off work for the Christmas and New Year period.

If you read the last Christmas gift list post you'll know I listed the Hustle Bag on the gift list.  I'm back now to tell you more about it and why I love it so much.  Seriously, this thing is the bomb dot com.

So what is the Hustle Bag?  Very simply, it's an easy, functional and stylish way to keep your smartphone charged.  I have an iPhone 5s and all iPhones are notorious for being very poor with their battery life.  I don't know what other smartphone models are like, but iPhones suck for battery life.  They really do.  I keep a charger at work as I find I need to always charge it up toward the end of the day.  It's even worse when I'm out because what with all the selfie photo taking, checking in on Facebook and uploading on Instagram you find it seriously eats up your battery life, and what's a day or night out if you don't broadcast it to your social media channels?  Riiight?  I mean, what are you going to do when you don't have enough battery life to add that Valencia filter to that photo of you chugging down on a glass of champers.  You'd have to latergram it, and well, that sucks.  While I am on the subject on Instagram though, does anyone else find the app really does drain your battery quite a lot in comparison to other apps?
  

As we've established already, the battery life on an iPhone sucks and sometimes when I would be out, , especially when I'd been out all day and night, I'd end up having to not use my phone at all because I needed to conserve that last 20% of battery life in case I had to make an emergency phone call.  

No more!

The Hustle Bag keeps my pretty little phone juiced up and I don't have to concern myself about rationing my phone use.  The design of the bag is a sleek clutch style bag.  For women there is the leather bag which comes with a wristlet strap and a cross body strap and a faux leather clutch that has a zip pocket exterior and comes just with the wristlet strap.  For men there is a wallet style in a black or brown leather.

I went with the leather bag option, which is $249.  The faux leather clutch is $199 so for the additional $50 I think it's worth getting the leather bag and having the two straps makes it versatile for use.  For a more casual look it works well worn cross body and if I'm out at night and dressed up with the wristlet strap (or even without) it's a classic looking clutch.  The interior has a zip compartment and card slots.  I can comfortably fit into it my phone (of course!), keys, a small coin purse for money, lip gloss and a small tube of hand cream.  It won't hold a lot but I have taken it with me when I've been at work conferences and slipped it into my larger bag.  It's pretty slim line so it doesn't take up a lot of space doing that.  The leather bag currently comes in four different leathers and the faux leather has two colours, both in a snakeskin print.

Although I have an iPhone it is compatible with most popular smartphone models as the whole kit comes with different adaptors.  Being that it comes with the Apple lightning connectors it'll also juice up your other devices such as iPod and iPad.  Built into the bag is the battery pack, you can feel it through the back of the bag and to charge it all you have to do is place the entire bag over the charge page and it wirelessly charges the battery.  Technology, huh? 

According to their website a fully charged bag can recharge your phone up to 4 times, dependent on the model of the phone.  Personally with my 5s I find I can get two charges out of it, and the FAQ section on their website actually states that for an iPhone 5 it will probably get you two and a half charges.  

The first time I used it I took it with me to a conference, I think I had received it two days prior and was just dying to use it.  It worked out well because I always drain my battery when I'm at conferences, after all they can get pretty boring and that often results in aimlessly browsing Etsy or eBay.  I was also going out straight after that night so it definitely came in handy.  I got a lot of positive comments about it with everyone saying what a good idea it was.

I like using mine, and because I chose the beige leather it goes with any outfit and as I said earlier, depending on how I wear it works dressed up or down.  My only gripe is that the leather seems to attract a lot of dirt.  Maybe I'm just a grubbier person that I think I am.  I don't know.  I just notice that it seems to get a bit grubby so I'm careful with where I place it.  I am thinking it might be due to the softness and texture of the leather though.  Sometimes with a softer leather when you get any dirt specks on it, it can mark easily whereas with harder or coated leathers it's a bit different.  The other thing I notice is that when I do have my phone plugged in to charge it sometimes will stop and start charging, which I can tell by the noticeable little 'ding' that sounds when an iPhone is plugged in to charge.  I actually have this issue with my charger that I keep at work.  I think it has something to do with the output power supply, I read that on one of the Apple support forums when I googled it and I've always noticed it to happen when I'm charging with a non-Apple charging cable.  It's happened with all my previous iPhones.  Not a huge deal to me though.

The other great thing about the Hustle Bag is that it is a home grown creation and even better, based here in Perth!  So now, what are you waiting for?  Get a hustle on and order one for yourself.  Your social media, mobile shopping loving self with thank you for it.  Available via the Hustle Bag website. 

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Part 3

A thing or two about today.  It's 11 December 2013.  That's 11/12/13.  That also means in two weeks it is Christmas.  In two weeks IT WILL BE CHRISTMAS!!!  Whaaaaat?!  I still don't comprehend that.  I only have my mum to buy for so it's okay for me that I haven't started my Christmas shopping, but I have no idea what to get her this year.  If anyone has any suggestions, please do send them my way.

Now this gift list was an easy one.  Why?  It's my gift list for all the lovely ladies and I just compiled the things I'd like Santa to throw down my chimney.  Perhaps not throw down.  Gently place down my chimney.  Santa is probably going to have to be me though, and well, that's not quite as fun or special.  I guess that's just the way the Christmas cookie crumbles.

Photo taken from www.hustlebag.com

The Hustle Bag!  I do have a post specifically about the Hustle Bag coming up very soon, but in the meantime, take my word for how awesome this is.  The bag shown above is the exact one I have in beige python texture leather.  It comes with a long cross body strap and a wristlet strap and is a complete handy dandy little thing to have on your nights out.  The first time I used mine was at a conference I attended and I received a lot of positive remarks about it AND it kept my phone charged.  Which is important because we all know how boring conferences can be and browsing online is generally the most undertaken activity at a conference.  It is compatible with pretty much all smartphone models and comes with the appropriate cable so you could even be an angel lifesaver amongst your friends and carry them with you to help juice their phones up when in need.  The leather bag is $249 and faux leather is $199.

Photo taken from http://www.aristidesfinejewels.com

http://www.aristidesfinejewels.com

Faith and Love bracelets from Claire Aristides.  I actually want both to wear together.  They are 9 carat gold, available in all types - rose, yellow and white and are priced from $245 to $255 depending on the one you choose.  The Faith bracelet pictured is in yellow gold, and the Love bracelet is in rose gold.  If these aren't to your liking, they also have many other gorgeous little bracelets.  I also like the initial and horseshoe bracelets.  They're all just so sweet.

Photo taken from www.saksfifthavenue.com

THESE!!!  These Sergio Rossi filigree butterfly laser cut sandals are beyond words.  Just spectacular, of course with a price tag to match.  However if Santa is feeling super generous because you've been super good all year, then that's just your luck.  I have the Chloris sandal in gold which has a laser cut floral design and I love them so.  Not only that, but they're really comfortable.  These would be best friends with my Chloris, I am sure.  After all, butterflies love flowers.

Photo taken from www.pembaboutique.com

Photo taken from www.pembaboutique.com

Christmas in Australia means hot weather.  To my readers in the northern hemisphere, I do understand you're probably not wanting to wear shorts right now, but let me tell you, it's heating up where I am.  These shorts from Pemba Boutique are very cute, I especially love the various prints with the bobble trim.  There are quite a few different styles on their website and are priced from about $30 to $35.  My favourites are the fun prints, such as the pineapple pair above.  They also have some in watermelon and strawberry prints.  Paired with a plain tank or tee and some flats, it's a perfect summer outfit.

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They call him Big El

I greatly dig the fact that over the last year or two we've had some pretty good Mexican restaurants opening up around town. There was a period of time in my early twenties when I was absolutely cray cray for Mexican and would regularly head to Pancho's in Victoria Park or Mexican Kitchen in Fremantle. I remember once upon a time when the Mexican dining choices we had in Perth were fairly limited to these establishments and also the likes of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (hello, blast from the past!) and Acapulco Annie's. 

I'm glad that going out to eat Mexican no longer means overly cheesey and sour cream laden tacos that are more about the heat rather than the actual flavours of the spices.  Pancho's is no longer my Mexican of choice.

Most would be familiar with El Publico in Mount Lawley and La Cholita in Northbridge, both serving dishes designed to be shared and possessing some pretty impressive alcohol menus. Both also do not take bookings which is somewhat of a bugbear of mine. Sometimes you can't wait around for an hour or two (or even more) hoping that you will be bestowed with the blessing of a table. 

Big El's Latin American Fusion (we shall call him Big El for short) is new kid in the playground, taking up residence in the location once occupied by Sake Bar on Francis Street in Northbridge. I actually don't know what the deal is with bookings but we were there for a function and there was no problem with having a booking for that accepted. I don't know if that may be different for smaller groups of diners.

My friend's partner was celebrating his entrance into a new decade and I was helping her with organizing a special surprise birthday dinner for him while they were living it up at Marina Bay Sands.  I love organizing events though.  I even start thinking about my own birthday months and months in advance.  Sometimes I think event and party planning would be something I could do and then I think about having to deal with crazy pedantic people.  I'm a crazy pedantic person.  I don't know if I'd want to deal with me if I wasn't me.

From the time I contacted Big El's they were really helpful in accommodating me as well as giving some good advice in terms of how to organize the food orders.  Before settling on Big El's I had contacted a few other places and it's pretty disappointing that some did not even get back to me.  What actually made me think of suggesting Big El's to my friend is that I had heard of the place because I knew they had their artwork done by Perth artist Joseph Boin AKA Destroy so that in itself gave it some brownie points from the outset.

On the night there was 18 of us, and we were seated at the back of the restaurant.  There is a separate elevated dining area on one side that I assume is also used for private functions and group bookings and booth style seating along the other side.  It was a Wednesday night and fairly busy, however the staff were attentive and the service could not be faulted.  

Their menu is also designed to be shared and for starters we ordered a few serves each of the chorizo chiplets, elotes callejeros (street corn), nacho bowls and tortilla chiplets which we had served with chilli con queso and guacamole.  We did not order it, but they have a Mexican hot dog on their menu and the description of it alone makes me want it.  Do yourself a favour and head to their website and check it out for yourself.  I love a bit of innuendo and smut.  Actually, don't check it out if smut is not your thing.

 

 

 

 

These starters came out quickly and we enjoyed them while quenching our thirst with their skulls of mixed spirits.  We ordered a couple of skulls of Hendricks gin and tonic and Grey Goose vodka and cranberry.  The skulls are enough for five drinks and are priced at $35.  We also ordered some jugs of lime and mango frozen margaritas which are made with Patron tequila, with these priced at $24.  The margaritas were yummy but I was a bit sad as I was expecting an actual jug but they were served in something more like a carafe, which dashed the vision in my mind of drinking from a communal jug with multiple straws.  I won't hold that against them though.

They call me Hendricks Lamar

To follow the starters were tacos.  There are four different fillings you can choose from, which are crispy chicken, slow cooked pulled beef, ginger salmon and black bean.  We went with the chicken, beef and salmon.  They had a lot of different sauces and because we ordered so many tacos we were able to have each of the sauces.  I really like the idea of building your own taco and being able to choose your desired filling, sauce and salsa.  Oh, we had the mango and jalapeno and tomato and garlic salsas.  That mango salsa was so good.

I found the salmon to be on the dry side, but other than that I enjoyed all of the food.  It definitely has the flavour as well as the heat - if you want it.  It's not just chilli, chilli and more chilli but no real flavour.  The chilli con queso dip was so very yummy, and the guacamole is made for you at the table.  Or you can do it yourself if you wish.  The pulled beef was my favourite of our filling choices.  As you should expect with any slow cooked meat, it was very tender and full of flavour.  

Oh Lord Jesus, it's a fire!

At the end of the night they served the birthday boy a special birthday drink on the house, which was very nice of them.  It was massive!  It came out on fire! It is called Down the Rabbit Hole on their menu, but I'm not sure ordinarily if it's as big as they made it for him. 

Like a knife through the heart!  If you're wondering about the message on the cake it's a reference to a hip hop classic.

The total bill came to just over $600, which I think is pretty damn good considering we were all full at the end of the night and had ordered quite a few of the skulls and jugs.  I definitely will return to Big El's as there's a few other items on the menu I'd like to try, the smutty hot dog being at the top of the list.

Oh and here I am.  What did I wear?  I was Bruug'd out, in their Island top and Nightowl skirt.  Check the clutch, it's my Hustle Bag which I received a couple of weeks ago and LOVE!  I will write a post about the greatness of the Hustle Bag soon, but for now, ladies you definitely should get one.  No more low battery! 

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Part 2

Home is where the heart is.  That's how the saying goes.  And for house and home is where I find myself wanting to buy all sorts of wonderful things.  Does anyone else have this obsession over homewares?  I don't know exactly what it is, but I've always loved all types of homewares and from years ago would find myself buying things that I'd keep for some point in the future.  I even find myself trawling eBay or Gumtree and finding these beautiful vintage or recycled pieces and think "yep, I'm gonna buy that" and then I realize, I don't have space for bookshelf that is many metres long and high complete with a ladder.  Nor do I have the means to transport this oversized bookshelf to my house.  That's the magnetic pull of homewares.  It's almost as bad shoes.  Almost.

It would be pretty easy to have a separate Christmas wishlist filled entirely of delightful little things that would be at home in the house of my dreams - you know, the one that looks like it could grace the pages of Modern Home magazine.  Until that time comes, I do still have a wishlist.  

Photo taken from www.moroccanpouffe.com.au

Moroccan pouffes!  I have loved these leather pouffes for some time, which are essentially like a much more stylish version of the good old beanbag.  Upholstered in leather and coming in various colours, they are undeniably more stylish than the beanbag of your childhood.  These pouffes are by Mykela Rose and are the real deal from Morocco.  Priced at $189 each, they come in a range of beautiful colours as well as metallics, so you'll definitely find one that you love and fits your home perfectly.  The stitch pattern on top of the pouffes is beautiful and with some of the pouffes, is done in a contrasting colour.

 

Photos taken from www.patriciafernandes.com.au

These ceramics handmade by Patricia Fernandes are pretty and functional!  Double whammy!  I own the Meek Beakers (the first photo) but I'd also like to have a couple of the platters.  This may make me sound very stupid, but I had no idea I could actually bake in the dishes.  So essentially, almost every piece can be baked in, limited only by your culinary imagination.  The colour choices range from the neutral to the bright, I like the blue hues myself.  They all work well together which means you can mix and match your pieces as well.

Photos taken from www.iseenoise.com

  

I like having all sorts of art and prints.  In fact, I have way too much and more than I can actually all display at the one time.  My tastes are pretty eclectic - vintage prints, graffiti, photography and almost everything in between.  I like pretty and feminine stuff, such as the prints above from I See Noise and something a little bit different and special such as below by So Fresh Peche, which is the exact one I personally own.  I love the heart shaped fingerprint 'balloon'. 

I think art is something that should be accessible to all and some of my favourite pieces are those that cost me the least - in fact, sometimes the framing costs more!  But if you love it, and it speaks to you, it doesn't matter how much or little it costs.  What does matter is that you smile every time you pass it on your wall.

At the moment, I See Noise is having a sale with all remaining stock discounted by 50% in preparation for the new cardstock to be released in December.  I could not see the print I own on the So Fresh Peche website, but I'm sure you could enquire directly of its availability. 

 

Photo taken from www.bombardierdesigns.com.au

Scented soy candles are a must for me.  I only like to burn soy.  I'm not a fan of paraffin wax candles and in my experience, have always found that soy candles burn much nicer than those made of paraffin wax.  I actually have been burning a paraffin wax candle that I received as a gift and in comparison to my soy candles, it has burnt and melt so messily and this has always been my experience with paraffin wax.  

The design of the candles by Bombardier Designs is simple, yet stylish, with its monochromatic and unfussy labels.  You can even have them made custom for you to suit your next special occasion!  Now that's one party favour or wedding bomboniere I wouldn't mind receiving.  You can't go wrong with French Pear or French Vanilla (these two scents are on constant rotation at my house) but there's plenty other gorgeous scents to choose from.

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Blow (Dry) and Go

Hello, hello, how's it been going?

Firstly, who has attended a Beyoncé concert while she's been touring Australia?! I saw her on Friday night after I was able to secure some last minute tickets. I was pretty cut when I was unable to purchase them when the first Perth show was announced, and then during the time the second show was announced I was in the Kimberley and cut off from the rest of the world. I was sure that I had missed out entirely until this week when some further tickets were released on Ticketek. To be honest, how does that even happen? I'm not complaining though. Beyoncé did what she does best and put on a great show although I do admit that the concert during her 2009 tour was better than this one.

Regardless, watching Mrs Carter perform for an hour or two is time well spent.  The last time she performed in Perth I had tickets that got me to the front of the stage but this time I was in the gold seated section in the upper level.  One thing I don't understand are those people who attend concerts and dislike others who choose to stand up and dance.  Hellooooo...it is a concert?!  A group a few seats away from us were yelled at to sit down when they danced during some of her songs. Beyoncé herself didn't dance that much, not to the extent of her other performances, I wonder if that is an indicator of a little somethin' somethin' going on?  Hmmm.

Well known for her trademark long blonde locks, she was cropped short again that night.  I actually loved that sleek short bob she sported for a short time and I would love to do that with my own hair but my naturally curly hair follicles tell me it's not going to happen.  At least not with my natural hair.  The upkeep on that 'do is more than I'm prepared to give.  However, I'm sure if I had an army of people as she does I could probably pull it off.

Until the day that I do possess a Beyoncé-worthy army of hair stylists, I have to settle for the temporary sleekness achieved from a great blow dry.  Being absolutely useless with my own hair, this only ever happens when I make the visit to my hairdresser for a bit of heated styling action.  Although I am very happy with my regular hairdresser, it's not always easy to get to her on the odd occasions when I want to have my hair styled being that I work in the city and her salon is out in the burbs.  

Enter Blow Dry Bar.

What a ridiculously smart and cool concept!  Sometimes all you want is for your hair to be blow dried or styled.  You don't always want the works, sometimes you just want your hair to look nice for dinner that night or a weekend out and what better than an express salon where you can get your hair blow dried within the space of half an hour and at a reasonable price?  

In Perth there is only one BDB so far, located in the city in the Raine Square complex.  This works well for me.  It's five minutes to walk from my office to the salon, which means I can get my hair did during my lunch break or after work.  I went for the first time this week and had my hair blow dried and tonged by Jessi to the perfectly sleek and straight look that I so love and long for.  

The blow dry is $40, which includes the shampooing and head massage and you can have your hair blow dried straight or curly.  They do other styling as well, such as up-dos, and your general salon services such as cutting and colouring.  I would definitely be interested in trying them out for a cut and colour, even though I am loyal to my hairdresser, but just for research purposes of course!

The super convenient city location means that I can easily get my straight locks for a night out.  It would be great if in the near future more locations opened in Perth, but for now, check out their Raine Square location especially if you work in the CBD.  

 

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Part 1

Christmas, once again we meet so soon. There are two months left until Christmas which is a stark reminder of how quickly the year has passed. Why does time honestly seem to pass us by so quickly, yet at the same time the beginning of this year does feel like so long ago. It's strange, it's weird. People say the older you get the faster time goes. I hate to agree with this sentiment but sometimes it really does feel this way. 

With Christmas come the gifts.  Although truth be told, I'm not big on gifts. Both the receiving and giving. I really don't think it's necessary but of course, I always give gifts to my nearest and dearest however I'm not one for masses of gifts under the tree. At the risk of sounding like a sanctimonious so-and-so, I would prefer to put the money toward a charitable contribution and would rather others did the same instead of giving me a gift. I really do have almost anything I would want. 

Even so, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy shopping and sheesh, it doesn't need to be Christmas for me to shop! I know some of you share this same interest in shopping and I also know that some of you do enjoy gift giving. So in the spirit of not being a Bah Humbug I've thought long and hard about the types of gifts I would like to receive and the types of gifts that I would like to give. Some are very attainable, others perhaps not so but it doesn't hurt a girl to dream and have a savings plan. 

Over the next few weeks I'm going to put together a little collection of must-and-lust-haves. Perhaps these will give you your own ideas? I'd love to hear how you tackle the Christmas shopping lists. 

For now, we commence Part One of this series with all things beauty, fragrance and skincare. Drumroll please!

Photo taken from www.laclinica.com.au

I really like La Clinica skincare.  They are an Australian owned company and I love the ingredients they use in their products.  I prefer to steer clear of products containing mineral oil or silicones, and La Clinica is pretty good in that department.  I was first introduced to La Clinica from my friend Sydney Shop Girl when she started me off with one of their kits and since then I've been hooked.  Thanks SSG!  

I use their anti-ageing range, or as I call it, the 'pink one'.  I like a cream cleanser so I use the cleansing milk, but there's also a cleansing oil in the range.  I find the kits last for a couple of months so it's good value. Every year they release their Christmas specials which is a great way to spoil someone, or yourself!  

See more on the La Clinica website.

Photo taken from www.meccacosmetica.com.au

This is my favourite fragrance.  I love rose scents and this is basically like roses stuffed into a bottle.  It's beautiful and not at all an old lady Yardley powdery soapy rose fragrance.  It really is to die for.  To die for!  I purchased mine in France but it's also available at Mecca Cosmetica.

Photo taken from www.saxony.com.au

 So I know that it's the Australian summer when Christmas rolls around for us and normally I'd be rocking the bright nail polish but I still like the allure of a darker nail.  Saxony have three different nail polish sets, each with three polishes in a monochromatic colour theme.  They're only $25 each and perfect little stocking stuffers.

Photo taken from www.chanel.com

Perhaps a perfect partner to the Saxony nail polishes in this Chanel eyeshadow palette, which I think would produce a lovely smokey eye.  How nice is the quilting design?  I do like the Chanel eyeshadow quads and have a few, I find they wear really well and I especially like the slight iridescence some of them have.

Photo taken from www.guysgrooming.com.au

I don't think there's any reason why a man should not maintain himself.  I get that not all men are entirely comfortable with fronting up to a salon that mainly serves female clientele, so if the special men in your life are based in Perth then send them down to Guys Grooming, which as the name suggests is all about the grooming for the guys.  I have a few male friends that are clients of Guys Grooming and they love it.  They have a few packages or they can also make one up for you.  More information and pricing on their website.  I know we ladies love the day spas, so the way I see it, if you get him hooked to the experience he'll totally understand why you should be at the spa at least on a monthly basis.

Photo taken from www.ry.com.au

I've been wanting a Parlux for myself for ages!  My hairdryer died and I haven't been in the biggest hurry to purchase another one because I tend to let my hair dry naturally as it's curly but I'm thinking I should get another one and I know Parlux is highly rated plus I have friends who love theirs.  I'm not at all good at hair, I suck at doing my hair.  In fact, the only time my hair is straight is when it's been done by my hairdresser or somebody else who can do more with my hair than I can, which really is very limited.  I am hopeful that perhaps with a Parlux I might at least manage a semi decent blow dry? Maybe?  Parlux can often be found on eBay, in particular their highly powered model which is no longer widely available, but I also particularly love this pink model, because it's pink!

Photo taken from www.loccitane.com.au

I kinda have a bit of an obsessive compulsion over ensuring my hands are always moisturized.  It's really quite bad.  I don't even like to touch papers at work if I feel like my hands are dry.  Please don't give me that crazy lady face.  That feel of paper against dry skin gives me the creeps.  It's well known in my work place that I'm never without moisturizing lotion.  I usually have a large pump bottle of moisturizer on my desk but I also always have a small hand cream in my bag.  The little tubes of hand cream made by L'Occitane are famed for being one of their biggest sellers.  Apparently the shea butter variant is sold every three seconds?!  I love the Cherry Blossom scent.  The small 30ml tubes are $12.00 so they're a perfect size for your bag and it also means you can try them all!

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High Tea in the Hills

A couple weekends ago while I was still sick, I roused myself from my death bed to have an afternoon high tea at De Bles Cafe in Kelmscott.  Take it from me, it's not the most enjoyable experience to attempt a high tea sitting while you can barely breathe or talk.  In hindsight I should have stayed home, but I'm loyal to the cause and will rarely say no to food.

I pass De Bles Cafe on a weekly basis even though I live nowhere near it but my fabulous Pilates instructor is nearby in Roleystone and I drive past the cafe on the way to her studio.  In fact, I actually thought it was located in Roleystone because she is literally only a short walk further down the street but a quick check tells me it's Kelmscott.  When you have a good Pilates instructor you will drive far for her.  The same can be said for buttery pastries. 

As well as being a cafe, they are also a patisserie and the rear of their premises sells a variety of baked foods as well as breads and baguettes.  Knowing this I may stop in after a Pilates class to indulge in a pastry.  Again, I'm loyal to the cause.

I was really impressed with the cafe upon walking in.  It really is quite unassuming and for many they would probably drive past and not even know it was there.  The main dining room where the high tea is served was prettily decorated with the tables set with cute crockery and a simple vase of flowers.  At the rear is further cafe seating, however I believe this main dining room is solely for high tea.  

They offer a really good choice of teas, as well as coffee and hot chocolate.  I had the vanilla rooibos which was really good.  I didn't pay close enough attention though to making a note of the tea and coffee they serve so I'm not sure which brand of tea it was.  I did pay enough attention though to know that I enjoyed it.

The tiered stands came with an assortment of savoury and sweet treats, as you would expect.  A couple of different sandwiches, a quiche, strawberry tarts, macarons, chocolates and of course, scones with jam and cream.  I didn't eat everything as my appetite was feeling a bit suppressed, but the scones were really good.  They were great scones.  The sandwiches were good too, not being stale or dry.  

I noticed as we left that you can also buy the teas and coffee that they serve.  The only downside to De Bles was the confusion as to where we pay when we left.  The staff looking after the main room farewelled us, and they were very lovely and provided us with great service, but it seemed that they were not the ones who take care of the bill.  We were left standing there and when no-one came to take our payment we walked out into the rear cafe where the staff working that area helped us out.  We went out that way and saw the lovely grounds that they occupy complete with a flowing stream.  It was very picturesque.  I imagine it would lovely out there on a nice day.

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FASHION FRIDAY: A Farewell to Marc Jacobs

The news was confirmed with a dramatic runway show - Marc Jacobs would be leaving Louis Vuitton.  The man who has been an integral part of the Louis Vuitton brand since 1997 and without a doubt a driving force in transforming Louis Vuitton from more than just being known for brown monogrammed bags into the fashion powerhouse that it is today.  It is said that he is leaving to concentrate on his own Marc Jacobs line as the company prepares to go public.

Where would Louis Vuitton be today without Marc Jacobs?  That is something we will never know. It's almost like there was a Before Marc and an After Marc period.  Before Marc it's not at all debatable that Louis Vuitton was well established within the luxury sector.  After Marc is where he took the brand above, beyond and further, to a level some may even say to be over saturation.  One thing is for sure, if you didn't know the iconic monogram logo before, you definitely knew it once he had come on the scene.  It was all about the logo, in every form, in every reincarnation, in every colour, on everything.

Photo taken from www.harpersbazaar.com

Yes, on everything.  

It was Marc Jacobs who was responsible for Louis Vuitton releasing its first ready-to-wear collection and while this was the a definite sign of the brand's evolution it was with the accessories and small leather goods where the ball was well and truly hit right out of the park.  Collaborations with the late Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami produced some of the most recognizable designs; the Louis Vuitton graffiti (over which Mr Jacobs is sprawled in the above photo) and the Monogram Multicoloure and Cherry Blossom.

Photo taken from louisvuittonads.blogspot.com

 He enlisted an army of celebrities to to advertise the products.  Not that he really needed to.  The lines that snaked outside boutiques when new and limited edition collections were released and the wait lists for products proved this.  I suppose though that the relationship with the celebrity culture was a reciprocal one.  Seeing JLo or Madonna in the print ads upped the highly desirable factor, and at the same time, their association with the brand made them cool.  How many times has Louis Vuitton been named dropped in countless songs?  Kanye West styled himself as the Louis Vuitton Don and strutted around with a monogrammed backpack.   

Some designs have been questionable.  I can't say I was a fan of the patchwork or perforated bags, or the Miroir collection.  However, I thought the small Groom collection was particularly cute and was a nod to their origins as a luggage maker.  I still think that the little bell hop looks like Tin Tin.  I have the rectangular Pochette Cles coin purse although I don't use it very often.

Photo taken from www.purseblog.com

I have a special place in my heart for Louis Vuitton.  It was the first 'actual' designer piece I owned when I received a bag for my 18th birthday.  A bag which I still very heavily use to this day, after all, it's a Speedy.  A Speedy will never get old.  Hands up if your first LV piece was a Speedy.  It seems that the Speedy is a popular starting point as well as the Alma and the Pochette. 

Last year when I was in Paris I visited the Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs exhibition at Les Arts Decoratifs.  Not only was it masterfully curated with a great use of props, lighting and various media but it was also like walking through a timeline of the brand's existence, almost like going from a silent black and white movie to a surround sound high definition full colour spectacle.

The rumour is that Nicholas Ghesquiere will take over the reins from Marc Jacobs.  It will be interesting to see what he does with LV and at the same time see what MJ does with his own label.

Some of my favourite and/or memorable Louis Vuitton moments below...

Photo taken from www.stuffpoint.com

Of course Ms Carey had the flagship store on Les Champs-Elysees shut down so she could drape herself over some vintage trunks.

Photo taken from www.straightfromthea.com

The Louis Vuitton Don with his gold and silver Miroir.

Photo taken from www.style.com

Photo taken from www.style.com

The dreamy Spring/Summer 2012 runway.

Photo taken from www.vogue.com

Photo taken from www.vogue.com

Photo taken from www.vogue.com

Lemon yellow, checker board retro goodness at Spring/Summer 2013.

Always a favourite moment to be had in the flagship store.  Unfortunately no vintage trunks to drape myself over.  I forgot my bikini.

Thank you Mr Jacobs for all the Louis Vuitton loveliness through these years.  I'd spend the money all over again.

Photo taken from www.nytimes.com

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