Passion 4 Fashion Linkup, and some Grey, Black & Houndstooth

I have thing for all greys and black outfits at the moment. Which is rare for me, a girl who is normally all about colourful outfits, but none the less i am very happy with the new monochromatic editions i've been adding to my wardrobe this winter. Life is so incredibly busy lately(anyone else find the Festive period crazy-hectic?!) and so i have been reaching for simple outfits more and more. In fact when i'm not going far and i'm home with the pooch and kids, i find i'm just chilling in skinny jeans and a chunky knit, and more often than not i'm happiest like this. Being surrounded by loved ones, in  simple and comfy clothes equals my happy place.

I know this won't last long, after a week of repeating the same outfit i get bored and look forward to mixing it up, the joys i guess of being fickle ;)

As for this outfit, this once again was from le birthday week and a meal out.. birthday and celebrations all seem to revolve around eating out for me.. good food and good company; Life doesn't get any better than that!

Scarf, bag & Biker Jacket: New Look

Dress: Primark

Boots: F&F

Earrings: Coming soon toYosa

Are you busy this festive season? Do you ever revert to super easy outfits?

If anyone would like to co host Passion 4 Fashion whilst Lena is on sebatical just shoot me a tweet or email! :) 
I would love to have some more co hosts!


An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Comfy Clothes (to wear when hungover and such)

You know those days when all you want to do is wrap yourself in your quilt and stay in your pj's all day, but can't as you may have promised some little people (kids that is not elves, just to clarify;)  that you would take them out to buy new christmas lights and decorations? Well this is the kind of outfit that is the next best thing to pj's and a quilt. Cosy, comfy and simple. Perfect for those days when you may have celebrated a little too much the night before (birthdays are fun aren't they?!), but have commitments that you know full well there is no getting out of.
Sunday was this day. Shopping proceeded by Christmas decorations/tree being put up. Fun! Except for the wee hangover...eeek! Fyi, clambering around in the attic to find said decorations, banging your head on the beams, stubbing your toe  and cursing loud enough for the kids and neighbours to hear is not fun! Drinking hot chocolate and falling asleep on the sofa with the twinkly lights all around is rather nice though.
So, yes, this was Sundays outfit for all of that!
This beautiful scarf was from my kiddoes for my birthday and my wonderful step daughter picked it out, she has good taste, only problem is i fear it may go walkies and fins itself in her room in the not so distant future, the girl has a penchant for scarves almost as much as me ;)
The Duo boots are a God send, the perfect heel size, soft fabric and just so so comfy. The other thing i love about these boots is how well they work all year round. Come summer they're cute with dresses for the boho vibe, and in winter they're just an all round great boot. I do love a great pair of boots.
Lastly i threw on the hat to hide the nest hair left over from the night before, and i was good to go (ish). McDonalds and full fat Coke were consumed and then suddenly all ways right with the world once again ;)

 Boots: Duo Boots

Green Trousers ,bag & hat: Primark

Cardi & Top: New look

Scarf: Local Shop (The Potting Shed, Llantrisant)

Do you have any outfits you like for comfy (or *ahem*hungover) days?

The Blanket Wrap (& Passion 4 Fashion LINKUP)

In the a/w'14 shows Cara, Suki and Jourdan  sashayed down the catwalk in the beautiful monogrammed Burberry blanket wraps. Since then they have hit the shops by storm and now everywhere i go i see these wraps. I do love when a beautiful item gets filtered down to the High Street making them accessible and affordable for all to try, especially when it's something i wasn't 100% sure of. As much as they looked stunning on the super models and the likes of Olivia Palermo (who would look fabulous in a bin bag quite frankly), i just didn't know if i could wear it and pull it off. All that i kept thinking of was "Will i look like Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western?"

The best way to answer a question is to just go ahead and try it out, and i have to admit, at first i did feel like a bit i'd just walked off the set off 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly', but after a wee while i came to really like it! Wrapped around it felt comfy and warm and snuggly and then when simply draped it felt elegant. I wore this on my Birthday where I went out for lunch with hubby to our favourite local pub and i felt like it was the perfect outfit for lunch by the open fireplace.

Blanket Wrap & Navy Bag: Matalan

Turtle Neck Sweater: F&F

Hat: Asos

Boots: c/o Shoeqtiue

Necklace: one of my all time favourite Yosa necklaces; Purple Pleasures, no photos ever seem to do this beauty justice!

The gorgeous Friendship Bracelet is from Links of London, i absolutely adore it,  it's rose gold and so  luxurious and pretty. My colleagues in work love Links of London and i can see why, the pieces make excellent presents with built in wow factor in every piece.

Have you tried the blanket wrap? If you have, how do you love to style yours? I would love some more inspiration!

And if you haven't tried one, have i tempted you to give a blanket a go? 

I have to say even when i'm not going out, mine is close by, just to wrap around and keep me snuggly and warm, making it a perfect winter purchase!

Ps THANK YOU to everyone who commented/tweeted/IG me with birthday wishes, you guys are like a huge extended family and i want to send you all BIG humongous hugs!
My birthday was wednesday but it's kind of been a week long event (still on going in fact!) So i would love to write a blog post about it and share with you all next week!
30 so far is looking pretty swell!!

An InLinkz Link-up

List making with Lyst

If you've been reading RTH a while, you will know i am an avid list maker. Love 'em infact. I make lists about anything and everything (i actually have one to the side of me as i type this.. its a boring one though.. food shopping..meh) So when i recently stumbled upon Lyst from a fellow blogger, i thought i had to check it out. It turns out to be the perfect tool for making 'lysts' for all your the items you are currently lusting after. Usually I have a lust list as long as my arm, on any given week. Sometimes the items can change, and the lusting level can go up or down, but lists are my thing that helps me keep up with the ever changing world of fashion, plus my fickle fickle ways.
I've been doing a little soul searching on the shopping front lately, wanting once again, to invest in key items and spend less frivolously and more on planned, well thought out key pieces such as the divine Valentino Shoes, that stole my stud loving heart. These i can see many a mile over many a year being walked in and therefore cost per wear would ultimately be low, right?
The other great thing i love about Lyst is that it acts  like a super sales informant agent, letting you know when something on your Lyst is on sale/ reduced price, enabling me the avid bargain hunter to get my goodies at their lowest possible prices, making this shopper even happier.

When you first sign up (which fyi ,was super quick, easy and un-intrusive)it asks you in simple quick fire succession, who your favourite designers are, and let me tell you they have everyone from a-z, literally, Asos and Armani to Zara and a personal favourite of mine &Other Stories.
You can then browse whats New For You from the designers you've chosen, keeping you on top form of the latest arrivals.
The Lyst creative tool is easy and great to organise in whatever way you please, whether it be seasonal or as suggested when you first sign up, Gift Lysts and Wish Lysts. These can then be shared on your social networks, maybe even with the hastag #HINTHINT to your other half. Perfect in time for Christmas for all those other half's of ours who need a good hint to point them in the right direction ;)winkwink..
Here's a couple of my Gift Me Lyst items that i wouldn't mind finding under my Christmas Tree

I also love the Trending Now filter you can sort your view by, again enabling you to see what is currently selling well, what may be well priced and what may needed to be added to your basket;)
In all honesty folks i have to say, it's nice to finally find a tool that not is not only easy and clear to use, but actually works for me too with its informative sales information. It keeps me wanting to go back and use this tool rather than just endlessly pinning things on my other social networks never to be looked at again. I've actually now saved Lyst on my main bookmarks bar on my browser and when ever i'm in the mood to internet window shop, i just hop on over.

So there we have it, my new favourite toy  tool!

Do you ever use any shopping tools to enable better shopping habits?