Feeling the blues.....

So it's February already I mean seriously how?? But "thankfully" it's still cold, wet and raining so it still feels like January here by the seaside!!

In an attempt to pretend that Spring might be on its way I've switched up my Filofax to be the Finsbury in blue as it feels fresh and summery (unlike me sat here in a thick jumper and cosy slipper boots!)

I've also switched up my diary inserts to be the week on one page with notes again. I use this format in my "on the go" pocket sized Imperial Purple Finchley and in my work A5 Osterley and I used to used to use it in my Personal sized binders but I'd gotten used to the Cotton Cream week on two pages and was quite happy with them until recently....

However this year I'm finding with the wedding looming (7 months and counting eek) and lots of change going on at home I'm struggling to keep on top of my to do's for the week as they are slotted in all over the place - hence switching back. This way I have room on the left hand page for any appointments (hardly any!!) and loads and loads of room (i.e. a whole page) for my lists/to do's/ notes/ reminders etc meaning I feel much happier and in control!

I still have my month to view inserts in there so I can see exactly what is coming up but just a bit more room to write too!

So there it is no purple or pink for a change it is all about the blues....but not sad ones more tropical sea and skies to cheer up the continuous grey monotony!

How do you cheer yourself up in this miserable weather? Any tips or tricks?

Lx

Pretty Pretty Blue

Week on two pages (and yes I only put the Frixion in because it matches!!)

A Christmas Gift Guide For Her

So it is now officially the run up to Christmas as it is the 1st of December. And I am super excited for the Christmas season this year as it is my last "single" Christmas. This time next year I will be a married lady (hopefully, assuming Mr P doesn't change his mind at the last minute and decide to run off and join a circus!)

And with the Christmas season comes the dreaded gift choosing - well I say dreaded, I love shopping and any excuse to shop for lots of lovely things even when they're not for me is time well spent I say. Plus I adore all the wrapping of the gifts, placing them under the Christmas tree and writing tags/cards while watching a cheesy Christmas movie and drinking a glass of wine. Bliss!!!

But this year with the aforementioned wedding to save for Mr P and I have set a nominal budget, to ensure we don't spend silly and save instead for the day where we take 100 of our closest friends and family out for lunch and dinner!! While I can think of a million things I could buy Mr P he is fretting over the "little bits" as he calls it. And no reassurances from me that a coloured pen and a bottle of nail polish are super gifts works (I mean seriously he should read my blog to see how excited a notebook and Pilot Frixxion pen in a new colour makes me!!)....so it got me thinking there must be hundreds of men out there that fret over what to buy their girlfriend/wife so I thought I'd put together a little suggestion box to see if I can help (and yes I admit it these are things I would adore to wake up to from Father Christmas this year too)

If in doubt go for the packaging...

When it comes to good girl gifts I don't think you can go wrong with a good lippie - buying a "posh" lipstick doesn't have to be overly expensive but the thought factor of your man going to a beauty counter and choosing a lipstick or even a nail polish from Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent will quadruple the cost of the gift in her eyes.

Classics to look out for are:

The Yves Saint Laurent Candy Volupte lipsticks - these are moisturising and the colour is quite sheer so even if your lady is not a huge lippie wearer she should like the lip balm with a spot of colour effect these give (hint I have the Luscious Cherry one and it not only looks amazing (packaging) but smells lush and feels wonderful to apply I highly recommend!!)

Link

If lips aren't your thing then a super swanky bottle of mail polish is another winner! Anything by Chanel or Dior  here for amazing packaging - rule of thumb choose a dark plum colour, a pale pink/nude colour or a fire engine red. Unless you know for sure your lady likes a neon or blue finger tip stick to a classic shade from one of those categories you won't go far wrong! If you are in Boots then check out the Essie range of polishes, a cult beauty favourite and amazing range of colours. OPI is another favourite brand of mine, the new Skyfall collection (yes boys inspired by the James Bond film) all look gorgeous!

And finally if these aren't your style then do check out Benefit (http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/) for quirky packaging and excellent products. Blushers are really good from there in cute little box packages and they do lots of different gift sets containing miniatures of cult products where you really can't go wrong!

It's the little things that count

Nic knacks may seem annoying to boys (well at least Mr P) but small "mundane" objects that you use everyday like umbrellas, travel card holders, change purses, key rings, Kindle sleeves and mobile phone cases all come now in a massive variety of designs and prints. A gift like this means your recipient will use her present everyday and will think of you every time she does! And don't think just because she has a key ring/umbrella etc already she won't appreciate a cute new one!! Great sites to check out for small but gorgeous items like this are:

Red Direct http://www.reddirect.co.uk/ACCESSORIES
Not on the High Street http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/women/womens-accessories/handbag-essentials
John Lewis http://www.johnlewis.com/Search/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=Gift+Ideas+For+Her+Under+20

Or on the high street Primark is great as are Boots, House of Fraser and Debenhams. Seriously who doesn't love a quirky umbrella or a new key chain?

Snuggle me warm and cosy

Of course other classic and inexpensive gifts include:

• scarves - you can NEVER have too many scarves 
• costume jewellery - sparkly items or classic silver studs are always welcome
• slippers - warm tootsies are the way to a girls heart (and in my house come in handy as an anti kitten foot chomping device too!)
• gloves - at this time of year a soft pair of cute gloves are really handy (no pun intended honest!) as I'm always loosing one of my gloves and I can'y be the only one (can I?)

For all these items check out Primark, Monsoon/Accessorise and Oasis. All have excellent ranges this year and prices from £2 upwards so super affordable too!

If in doubt just hit up Boots for pampering products to warm her cockles...look out for ranges from Champneys and Soap & Glory you really can't go wrong!!

And then there's always the stationery....

Of course a post from me wouldn't be complete without a Filofax recommendation and some post its and pens!

I am currently lusting after this Parker Sonnet ball pen which I think is just stunning:

Link

Or there's the whole of Paperchase from pens, to stationery and stickers is amazing!! And frankly just get me some Hootsuite sticky notes and I'd be a very happy girl:

Link

Then from Filofax (and if you order anything make sure you order via City Organiser as their website is just the best!) I am in love with the new style Flex notebooks especially the Blackcurrant Lizard Print cover (would go so well with the Parker Sonnet don't you think?)

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And also the Temperley for Filofax Violet in Pocket Size (yes I'm thinking again about downsizing, no I don't need the binder, yes I think it's lovely and want want want.....)

This is super cute and with the bespoke inserts adorable in my opinion....

Link

So there you go, what do you think about my gift list? I am having to try very hard not to splurge and buy all the items now for myself (perhaps I could wrap for under the tree from Boots the kitten??)

 Just so you know, all the links I've added are purely to show you where you can get the items it's not for kickbacks and none are sponsored :)

Let me know what you think of my list in the comments, what are you hoping for this Christmas and what items are you purchasing for people in your life?

Lx

All change for 2013....it's a Filofax diary revamp

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Well not exactly all change I mean I'm still using a Filofax, still using a Filofax insert but I am planning on trying out a new diary format in 2013! I used to adore the week on one page with notes but then had a planner crisis and then when I was lucky enough to receive my Amethyst Deco I moved to Cotton Cream week on two pages inserts as they were so much nicer for the gorgeous binder (see here) And this has worked really well for me for quite a while....

However I'm currently finding that there's just not enough room for me to write everything down that I need to do so I end up with additional note lists hole punched in

Wonky photo no 1

These Chococat note pages are super cute and I'm sure I'll carry on using them occasionally but they don't half bulk out the binder when you end up with 3 or 4 a week!!

So I started to consider changing up my format for the new year as with the wedding coming up the number of things to do/remember/check per week gets larger than ever so I figured a bit more space on the daily planner would be a huge help!

Cue the 2 days per day inserts!

I picked these up months ago from Selfridges stationary hall - if you ever visit London you have to go check out Selfridges and their stationery department I just adore it and it's right next to the magazine section so you can browse all the magazines from overseas as well as our UK versions - I nearly always end up purchasing a couple of American editions of either In Style, Marie Claire or Glamour plus any Martha Stewart magazines I can spy. Yes I download these occasionally via Zinio on my iPad but I'm a sucker for a printed magazine!!!

Anyway.....I saw this 2013 insert and wondered if the additional room could be worth a try and picked it up. Fast forward several months and I can actually add it into my Filofax and start seeing if/how it works for me!

It makes my Aston pretty chunky alongside all the other notes and bits I keep in there:

But certainly when I have it open allows for a much bigger area for writing, making lists and doodling!

Now one of things that worried me first off before I set this insert up was not seeing my whole week at a glance but because I use the month on two pages inserts in my binder as well I always have the brief overview to hand..

Wonky photo no 2 - so sorry for the wonky photos but Blogger keeps turning them round...grrr

But now that I'm starting to fill in the half a page per day I'm really starting to like the additional space and I can see the whole week easily enough by flipping the pages over - plus they also have a snazzy notes box right next to the weekend pages cool eh!

I have to say though reading up on everyone else's planner formats for 2013 I'm a little jealous of the daytimer inserts, the print your own (some of Ray and Steve's inserts for next year look really great) and of course LimeTreeFruits's designs are so so pretty....but I'm going to see how I get on with these first....

Is anyone else making a change next year? Any recommendations on ways to utilise these inserts to their best ?

Lxx

I love Marks and Spencer BUT.....

I love Marks and Spencer I really do. Their fantastic range of products, their emphasis on Plan A for sustainability and let's not forget their food halls YUM! Just to highlight how much I love their products today I am rocking a pair of their ankle boots, a handbag from their Limited Collection range, socks and undies obviously come from there (whose don't!) and a scarf....I feel I should be a typical target customer for Marks and Spencer - young (ahem go with it), disposable income, likes to purchase classic clothing with a nod to the trends (sometimes, usually just a classic frankly I'm a bit risk adverse in the clothing department) surely I should be in their cross hairs this Christmas?

But frankly I feel a bit let down by their Christmas advertising campaign this year! Their advert is the same style of advert we've seen from them for years. There's no Christmas feeling, no real sense of anticipation or excitement. Where's the magic Marks and Spencer?

We are in the midst of a massive recession, things are frankly a bit grim so I think Christmas is about finding that sparkle to maybe spend a day enjoying being with family and remembering all the fun we had as kids to pass on to our kids, if you have any, me I'll be trying to instill Christmas cheer in Boots the kitten's first Christmas!

I'm not talking about spending a ton of money none of us have either, but focusing on the essence of the season - goodwill to all men, love, family, thankfulness.....

Now I know this is difficult to convey in a 30 second commercial but come on this is the biggest and most important sales period for retailers of the whole year. If you can't make money at Christmas you really are in trouble and as we can see in the UK we are loosing retailers left right and centre off of our high streets. Therefore this Christmas, competing for the limited budgets available needs a new strategy not a rehash of the same old campaign rocked out for the past few years.

Cue the the John Lewis Snowman advert. This is an exceptionally well timed advert in my opinion - it pulls on all the heartstrings, it establishes John Lewis (again) as the destination for Christmas and makes me want to shop there. Cleverly though it doesn't actually show any products. No chance for me to dismiss their product range (sorry Marks and Spencers but that's exactly what I did with the products you featured) it just evokes the essence of Christmas and darn it I want to go and shop there purely because of that!

So Marks and Spencer you can take your tired, cliched jumping lingerie dressed models I'm off to John Lewis to feel the Christmas Spirit and no doubt spend far more than I meant to but at least I'll feel good for it!

How are you all facing the Christmas shopping this year? Am I alone in wanting it to be a nicer expeience than just a standard days shopping?

Lx

November Already....a sneaky list and Filofax tour

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So checking my Filofax it appears that we are in November (the 3rd as I write this actually!) and all I can say is HOW????

This year truly has flown by at such a rate of knots it's been hard at points to keep track - I mean so far I've:

1. Started planning my wedding to the lovely Mr P (which is now only 308 days away eek) and ordered my wedding dress (omg that's a big decision - will Mr P like, does it suit me, will I look like a giant meringue, am I too old for a traditional dress.........) I went with gut feel in the end and I love it fingers crossed Mr P will too!
2. Learnt to ski on holiday in Canada (badly but such fun who knew seeing as I thought I'd hate it)
3. Went to V Festival and saw the amazing Killers live again, and managed to secure tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2013 yay!
4. Visited Barcelona and celebrated my birthday watching a Spanish covers band while drinking goldfish bowls of vodka
5. Took Mr P to Minatur Wunderland in Hamburg (and actually enjoyed it there, the level of craftsmanship and detail is incredible. And as for the teeny tiny replica Christmas Coca Cola lorry - too adorable!)
6. Became a grown up and started having my hair coloured at a salon as opposed to dying the bathroom random shades of brown while attempting it myself
7. Started (and failed) at a shopping ban (trying again!)
8. Started weight watchers and have lost over a stone and bit (or thereabouts...) so far
9. Found myself using my Kindle far more than I ever thought I would (particularly handy for reading 50 Shades without anyone knowing hehe)
10. I finally tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and became OBSESSED with it..but it's now gone replaced by the Christmas flavours so instead I'm hunting down any Pumpkin spice syrup/flavouring that I can use at home in coffee instead (any recommendations???)

And the biggest thing was of course becoming a kitty parent to the most adorable kitten in the universe called Boots (cue gratuitous photo opportunity....)

Phew and that's just the top 11 things list....I am so lucky to have all this in my life. Especially considering everything on the news at the moment.

As to how I'm keeping on top of things (cue excessive Filofax content and images, look away here non Filofax fans) I'm using my Personal sized Orchid Aston (sighs while gazing at her) as I always say for ages I was using my Personal Deco in Amethyst which still is (and always will be my favourite ever Filofax) but as I take my Filofax everywhere with me, chucking it in handbags, using frequently, open on desks, removing it from Boots playing with it /sleeping on it /trying to chew it etc etc I don't want to damage/scuff/scratch her so she's having a wee holiday tucked safely away. This of course means one of my other binders can come out of retirement....

And for Autumn/Winter this year I'm using the Aston, she's such a lovely shade of plum/pink/purple very autumnal feeling. And here are some shots of my current set up (frankly no real change from earlier in the year as the system works for me but I love the pictures!!)

Outside shot - I love the seam details and the leather is so soft but durable (if you know what I mean?)

This is the inside cover with stamps, post its and business cards on the left and a clear pocket with my Harrods reward card on the right (bit like a Boots advantage card but never gets used!) and a quote that I love from Anya Hindmarch:

"Fire yourself every day and come back as your successor"

In the back of that first clear pocket is an ancient pic from a magazine I tore out (I do that a lot pictures and quotes that inspire me, things I want to read or purchase, potential gift ideas etc etc) Also in there is a "From Dorset With Love" business card - yummy treats I purchased at a food fair :)

In the next clear pocket on the right hand side are mementos - my Eiffel Tower ticket from when I went to Paris last year with Mr P, a Ski Pass ticket from Whistler earlier this year, more favourite quotes and pics...

Onto something a bit more interesting...the diary! I'm currently using (and have been all year I think) the Cotton Cream WO2P which has a notes box at the top of the left hand page. I'd never really gotten on with it before but it seems to be working OK for me this year as I've had more to do's/better system for writing them down than before maybe in this format?....I've already got a 2013 refill the same but I also have a half a day to a page insert to try out next year as well which I'm quite excited about!

As you can see from the pic I use colour a lot (no real system I keep trying but then I either forget or I need to write something down immediately (the curse of having a memory like a goldfish) so I grab the nearest pen!

It was a busy week this week (aren't they all at the moment?) as we had two wedding related things - visiting the registrar on Saturday and Sunday off for lunch at our wedding venue for a meet the parents lunch too (as in our parents meeting each other for the first time obviously we have both met each other's parents!)

I am in love with the ChocoKitty little tabs (top of right hand page as they remind me of Boots!)

As well as my WO2P I HAVE to have a monthly diary in there (and I have Nov/Dec this year and the whole of 2013 in there at the moment) as I need to be able to plan quite far ahead for holidays/work/wedding stuff etc etc and I like being able to see the whole month at a glance. It also means I can schedule in things like when Mr P has gigs or birthdays etc. As you will see this month there was a Christmas Event at Boots that was so important I stuck in the reminder....!!

And finally a sneak peak at my Wedding section - as well as top tab section in my Filofax for on the go notes I have this super cute little notebook that I keep in my Filofax for sketching and ideas as my master planner for the Wedding is an A5 Vintage Pink Malden...more on that I'm sure in a later post!

You can also see my Xmas top tab - currently that just has the Christmas Card list I made last year and a load of cuttings from magazines about potential gifts for people so obviously couldn't show you that!

Hope you are all well and you enjoyed my rambling about the current set up and what I'm up to! How are you all??

Lxx

Over the hill at 35 - at least according to the BBC...

So as you will know dear readers last week was my birthday, and off to Barcelona we went and had a fabulous time (more on that in another post) but on the day we drove up to Luton for our flight (all glamour for me an EasyJet flight via Luton airport!!) we had playing for the duration of our journey the penultimate Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1.

Chris Moyles's long running radio show (over 8 years) on weekday mornings was often controversial and he was often described as like Marmite - you either love him or hate him. I for one adored the show, the mix of banter between Chris, Comedy Dave, Dom, Aled and new girl Tina always felt like sitting with a group of mates every morning. They discussed the topical, the inane and the downright ridiculous. We got to know about their lives, their friends, their partners, their children...as James Corden so eloquently put it during this penultimate live show it was kind of like being part of a group of friends who have never excluded you from anything, you were always invited, always one of the gang. And the longer you listened the more of a gang member you became as you got the historical references and in-jokes and could laugh along with the team.

Unfortunately this long running show and the millions of listeners who loyally listened every single day singing along to the cheesy song and playing the Monday Night Pub Quiz did the unthinkable for Radio 1 - we got old.

I get that the BBC have a charter, they need to reach each section of the population and catering to these strict demographics means Radio 1 needs to meet the needs of the "youth" audience namely the 15-29 age brackets. And despite the continued success of the Chris Moyles Show (7 million listeners on average) the problem lies with the fact that us listeners who started listening when the show began carried on getting older...unfortunate that. So that elusive young audience grew up. And this is where I get angry....Where am I supposed to go now eh BBC?

As I say, I understand the predicament of the BBC I mean their funding is at risk. But frankly I don't feel old enough for Radio 2. I mean some of the presenters and shows are great but the music, really? It seems when I listed the majority of it just does not appeal to me, I like the chart songs, I like listening and singing along to David Guetta and Coldplay and Rhianna I mean I'm 35 not 65. And as for breakfast shows I just can't face Chris Evans in the morning - I mean I have lots of friends who love him but for me it's just not to my taste.

I could listen to BBC6 I hear that's good, a great line up of presenters, excellent music selections, but it is digital only, so not an option for my 2 hours of commuting per day in my car....so where are my options? How are you serving my age group that are still young enough to want to listen to music and hear about gigs and new releases, or are you telling me Mr BBC that at my time of life I should be staying at home with the Archers?

And I don't think I'm alone here - which radio station is it within the BBC that I am supposed to enjoy now if I'm too old for Radio 1? I take it as I'm 35 maybe I should just shuffle off and tune into my local station - which I often do on my drive home but the combination of the annoying adverts and the excessive ABBA/Bonnie Tyler/Banarama songs that prevent this from being a full time option.

So what have I done? I've moved to Radio 4! Educational, interesting, thought provoking but often depressing - I mean getting into work worrying about the economy and the threat of a potential new world war is draining on a daily basis. I love the business news, the in-depth topical discussions and occasionally thought for the day doesn't make me want to scream but I miss having a giggle in the morning with the team from the Chris Moyles show. I miss the silly links, and the un-PC chat and most of all I miss hearing what my mates (or my imaginary friends that Mr P used to call them when I'd come home talking about what they'd been discussing as though I knew them) were up to. I mean Dom just got chickens!!!

So BBC where am I to go? How about you start a Radio 1+1 you know a bit like Dave+1 on Sky...where all us 30+ listeners can go and still listen to music and chatter...and not feel like we're being punished for being loyal? And if you could bring Chris and the team, Sarah Cox, Edith Bowman and all the other DJ's that you retired out for being too old that would be great too!

Lx

Pre-Birthday Weekend Fun Times

So it may be September and we should all be thinking about winter wardrobes (boots, coats, scarves...lovely autumnal colours - I do love this time of year) but in Blighty it appears our weather wasn't informed that it was seasons changeover time and we've been experiencing some wonderful summery weather - hot with blue skies. Bliss!

And this weekend that was particularly handy as I spent part of it embracing the outdoors lifestyle with a visit to River Cottage Autumn Fair with one of my besties. This was a day basking in sunshine, sampling all the very best local produce (meat/cheese/wine/cider....) and listening to some talks and enjoying some music. Frankly it was just blissful and I came home laden with Elephant Garlic (HUMONGOUS) some super hot Dorset chillis, lots of preserves and some of the most amazing smoked cheese produced in the village I went to school in as well as Raspberry wine from Somerset...I mean I could say that I was researching flavours for our wedding next September but that would be a blatant lie I just enjoyed eating and drinking my way round the show!

After our countryside jaunt we stopped off on the way home at West Bay for a sunshine drenched fish and chip supper on the beach. If you've never been you must add it to your places to visit list as it really is just gorgeous!

Also this weekend I was reading the Boots magazine and I was so excited by this interview with the founder of Essie nail polishes that I Instagram'ed the article - the Filofax mentioned in point 3 must be amazing. I imagine it crammed with gorgeous pictures and fabrics bulging at the seams....much like I hope mine will be as I get more into planning the wedding!!

And then there was a magic surprise when I returned home to my boy....an early birthday present!!! As you will know from my previous post we are off to Barcelona for a long weekend soon and while we are there I will be celebrating my birthday so Mr P decided as he won't be able to necessarily pack and transport the gift I could have it early and OH MY GOSH the boy done good!

I am one of those people with kinky hair - you know the type that curls under on one side and curls out on the other. The type of hair that with the merest hint of moisture in the air goes frizzy and unruly so the invention of hair straighteners have improved my life no end. But while I know the magical properties of GHD's from my hairdresser smoothing my tresses with them I have never got round to committing the spend on a pair opting to purchase cheap ones that then expire after 6 months use or so. A false economy I know but it always seemed far too much of an indulgence to purchase a pair.....

But no more as the fabulous Mr P has only gone and bought me a pair - I hope because he knows me so well and not because my hair is an embarrassment to him hehe ;0)

So these are the beauties, they have pink sparkly ceramic plates and come in the most gorgeous travel bag with a heat mat as well...stunning aren't they? I really am a truly lucky gal! They are the special edition version that includes a donation to Breast Cancer care which means not only are they super pretty they also contribute to a fantastic cause who could ask for more!

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Other things I have been doing this weekend is watching lots of Paralympics coverage - I loved the Olympics and I'm loving the Paralympics equally if not more. The phrase Superhumans that C4 have used could not have been more apt as watching our athletes compete has just been so inspirational! Roll on tonight's closing ceremony for a party to celebrate all the fantastic achievements.

Even Boots has been getting some shut eye so she can stay up and watch the ceremony!!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend too

Lx