My Beloved Luggage

Whilst the French have Louis Vuitton to provide their luggage, the British have Globe - Trotter. May Mum had a small suitcase by them and I always remember thinking it was so classic and cool when I was younger. The brand is over a century old and past clients include Winston Churchill and even the Queen establishing it as one of the heritage brands of Britain.
As with any brand that has stood the test of time, it reinvents itself. Last year it collaborated with the designer Erdem to produce beautiful yet fun luggage. The design stayed true to the brand, but the details and colour schemes used the distinct Erdem floral pattern.
Globe - Trotter is a great example of how a traditional brand can transform itself in little ways and still be a completely luxurious object.

Image from globetrotter1897.com

My Beloved Valentines Gift

Felt rather lucky this Valentines when these beautiful flowers arrived for me in the post, swiftly followed by the most amazing fudge in the world from Veronica Farm, Bryher. The fudge didn't last very long, but these daffodils are still beautiful and fragrant!

Fudge from http://www.veronicafarmfudge.co.uk/

Flowers from http://www.scillyflowers.co.uk/flowers-by-post/buy-online

Picture my own

My Beloved Commercial - Jason Wu for Target

Really like how they have cleverly brought this illustration to life and in a humorous, sweet way.

My Beloved Skirt - H&M Water Aid Collection

As I'm always wearing short skirts that end up riding up to dangerous heights, I felt that it was time to invest in some slightly longer that didn't need yanking down every five seconds.
Although summer is not exactly just round the corner, every time I wear this beautiful linen skirt from H&M I feel a little closer to the beach and a little further away from grey January. It has a great A line shape that will be lovely and cool during the hot months, and although here worn with a bikini, will look equally great with a plain t shirt or cotton strappy top.
Also in the H&M sale is a dress from the collection (in the picture below), which I am contemplating investing in for the summer holidays.

Money from each item sold goes towards the charity Water Aid, for more information on what they do and how to help visit http://www.wateraid.org/uk/

My Beloved Television Programme - Downton Abbey

I completely missed the first series of Downton Abbey and I'm not really sure why. Everyone was raving about it and saying I would enjoy it as it was a costume drama but still interesting and relevant, so when I saw the first season's box set for only £10 I thought it was the perfect opportunity to see what the fuss was about. Needless to say, everyone was right and I quickly jumped on the bandwagon.
The cast, mixed with Julian Fellowes excellent writing and the beautiful sets and costumes making it easy to watch and even easier to become attached to the characters. I have heard many people say they don't think they will enjoy it, only to become hooked after watching their first episode and I can't wait to see where they go with the story lines.

My Beloved Eyeliner - Maybelline Gel in Black

I always have problems with eyeliners. They don't stay in place, they aren't strong enough, they reflect onto my upper eyelid leaving a black smear, or are hard to apply neatly. So after spotting this new product I decided to give it a go as it sounded different and the promise of 24 hours staying power was too much to resist.
It can be applied neatly due to the precise brush provided and the colour stands out and is certainly intense. Not only does it not rub onto my upper lid but i accidently wore it whilst jogging and it didn't move or run.
This is defiantly one I will be buying again!

Image from superdrug.com

My Beloved Cushion Cover - H & M

I am a huge fan of florals and 1960's style Liberty print florals, so when I saw the new H & M cushion covers for only £1.99 each I snapped them up. They will look excellent on a plain sofa or brighten up block coloured bedding. So not too look excessively girly I decided to go with two blue and one powder pink, but H & M currently have some vintage inspired floral printed interior items that look great mixed together. 

Photos from hm.com

My Beloved Food Source - Graze boxes

Usually at University I eat awfully, but with training for the half marathon and noticing that my body was looking more wobbly than usual I decided that becoming a little more health conscious certainly wouldn't do me any harm! Graze boxes are great if your not on a strict diet and want interesting bits to snack on but still want to focus on healthy eating. Graze allow you to choose which of their range of dips, dried fruit, nuts, bread, flapjack, olives and many more yummy items you like then send them to you! This costs £3.49 per box, and you can get them sent to work along with specifying what day you wish to receive them.
I currently have a code to give away to people that entitles you to a box absolutely FREE- JM6FLT6 ! So if anyone thinks this interests them, please feel free to use it and give them a try, I thoroughly recommend them!

Image from graze.com

My Beloved Bag - Mulberry Bayswater

Chanel has the 2.55, Dior has the Miss Dior, Hermes has the Birkin and Mulberry has the Bayswater. These bags are classic, and so ingrained into fashions consciousness that they are named and stories of ownership are doted over. Every season they are brought out in trendy hues of patent green and dazzling silvers, but the most popular designs are the timeless muted tones of leathery soft black and warm browns.
Although I do love many different handbags, my enduring love affair has been with the Mulberry Bayswater. Since I was 12 the simple and sensible design has appealed to me, with the only detail a crisp metal lock. Finally last month my dreams came to an end and the reality of owning the Bayswater were here. The only sad fact in this story is that I am unable to actually get my hands on it before my birthday in JUNE!
But knowing that in my room back at home sits a beautiful, timeless handbag with my name written all over it is enough. Since I began staring at the glossy pages of fashion magazines I dreamed of this bag and I couldn't think of a 21st birthday present with more longevity and passion behind it.

Photo from mulberry.com

My Beloved Boots - Alexander Wang, Dakota

Photo from theoutnet.com

I love getting post and yesterday I got a very exiting, and large, box. My Alexander Wang boots finally arrived! I have been somewhat nervous that they wouldn't fit, or would be so utterly uncomfortable that I would have to return them but fortunately they aren't too small and have lots of padding inside - well enough to allow me to walk a fair distance without crying out in pain.  Another pleasant surprise is that I can walk in them, but that is undoubtedly due to the hidden platform and chunky heel not my skills at balancing. Although they do mean that I may not be able to eat for a while (food is overrated...), I am very pleased with them. 

Can't wait to try them out with my light blue jeans and black pea-coat, or black tights and my a denim skirt with a grey marl cardigan, or hot pants and a crisp white tee......the list is endless : )

My Beloved Cause - Isabel Lucas and Angus Stone's Coral Sea Love - with Julia Stone's song ...

A really important issue that we should all think about. I love the sea, but more needs to be done to care for it!

My Beloved Day - Zorbing

Yesterday was my birthday, and I decided it would be fun to try zorbing. What is zorbing I hear you ask, well it is when you roll down a hill (above), inside a ball (below), and in our case we chose to be harnessed in. It was incredibly crazy, but so funny, and a tiny bit nerve racking, I would definitely recommend it if you like roller coasters, etc.

Afterwards we stopped off at the Mulberry Outlet - one of my favourite places in the entire world. I forced myself to not spend all the money I was given on this adorable little clutch, which took a lot of will power. Instead they gave me some stickers, badges and really cool postcards from the release of their 40th anniversary book. This is certainly the coolest sheep I have ever seen!

In the evening we had dinner at the Jamie's Italian. Was well worth it, and not incredibly expensive as you would expect. I love Italian food so this and my Tiramisu birthday cake, was absolute heaven. All in all a great day!

My Beloved Hair Style - Ombre Highlights

So I'm thinking of changing my hair, it's just plain at the minute and has a slight curl, so I'm thinking of getting ombre highlights. I don't want it to look fake I just want a sligh sun kissed look that adds a little more colour. Rose Byrne and Rachel Bilson have got the look just right, but i don't know if I am brave enough to actually take the leap. I have never had anything major done to it, so this would be a big change.....I'll think about it.

My Beloved Video - Janie Taylor for Chloe

Beautiful clothes and beautiful dancing.

My Beloved Photographs - James Silver Horne

Recently fould these beautiful photos by a English photographer on the walls of my local Starbucks. There is a stunning one of a red squirrel in snow, a zany photo of a puffin mid call amid flowers, a adorable front portrait of a Highland cow, and a perfectly structured silhouette of a seal. They are amazingly shot, and depict wonderful aspects of nature. He is very skilled and certainly worth a look!

http://www.jamessilverthorne.com

My Beloved Bikini - H&M

Everyone loves a great bikini, and when I saw this one from H&M I was very pleased to see it is only £3.99 for each half! With my summer holiday fast approaching, I have had an eagle eye out for the perfect bikini, and this is just what my collection needs. I already have a million patterned and embellished ensembles, and although this one is plain, it is in a great colour! Just right for casually stolling along the beach : )

My Beloved Idea - Birth Flower

Everyone knows they have a birth stone, but do they know that there is such a thing as a birth flower?! I did not know this so was quite surprised to find out that, firstly I have one, and secondly that mine (June) is a rose or honeysuckle! This actually makes alot of sense as I really like roses, and love honeysuckle, so much so that I recently saw Cath Kidston hand cream and am so annoyed that i have gone into 5 shops looking for it - no sign yet, so next stop is ebay. There was also a very shameful incident recently when I saw some when to smell it and it ended up looking like I was eating it and then the people that lived in the house that it belonged to were looking at me.....it was bad. 

Anway, this could simply be chance, but maybe its not! Thought I would post something so other people could see if this was true for them!

photos from about.com, ehow.co.uk and twohearttogether.com

My Beloved Bag - Cath Kidston Velvet Tote

I have had this bag for so long that it is actualy startin to quite seriously fall apart. It did once look like this, but is now kinda grey as it has been rained, snowed, and dropped on the ground. It is really sturdy so can easily hold all my books, but isn't too big to swamp me. I got it for my 18th birthday from my parents and it is such a great present cause it is incredibly helpful and its really pretty and kinda different. Hopefully Cath Kidston will release a similar style soon!

My Beloved Shorts - Accessorize

With Summer just around the corner, my wardrobe is once again getting inundated with floral printed items. I don't often look to Accessorize for clothes but they have some great bikinis and pretty vest and pant sets this season. The graduated pattern on these shorts really gives them a vintage feel, but also means that your top can't be too busy.
All we need now is the sun to come back!

My Beloved Coat - Stella McCartney

I saw this trench on Hanneli Mustaparta's 5 days, 5 looks, 1 girl on Vogue.com and instantly had to look for it. Finally foung it on StellaMcCartney's own website, but the ony snag was it's £1,255. Had been hoping I could ask for it for my birthday, and realised it would be expensive, but that would be just a little too much to ask for.

Really like the detail of the print and how it looks like a botanical study rather than simply a basic repeating floral print. May be I will get a job over the summer and save up, but I bet by then they wont stock it! Definatley to be paired with some really light blue worn jeans, or a exceedingly short dress ah la Hanneli. Love the green bag, but I just got a great tan tote bag that would suit it. Finish it off with a gold  Cartier LOVE bracelet, hair loose, not too styled, and Chanel shoes. Perfect! 

Photos from amerianvogue.com and stellamccartney.co.uk