& other stories

Wow! That's all I can say about h&m's most recent brand launch in London. Occupying a prime piece of Regent Street is & other stories. 

 From their structured dresses, to basic T-shirts-I'm actually in love. With the above bag going for £95, it's pricier than the regular h&m but not out of this world. 

How cute! £10

 Spring can come any day now...

The site has endless options. & for those of you with large heads-their hats come in sizes! Weehoo! 

xx

A truly London Weekend...

For my birthday this year Jon had the lovely idea of getting me a selection of tickets to things around London. With the one-month countdown near to when I head home to t.o its been so much fun having the excuse to be a tourist in this great city. 

First stop:Borough Market

 Burger, sausage & rocket on a bun

 Smells like ocean

 Olive & cheese bread

 It's so nice to be surrounded by so much fresh produce on a grey day! 

 3 hours of solid laughing. Where some of Britain's greatest comedians have gotten their start.

 St.Patricks Day parade by Green Park

 Everyone getting in the mood

Other highlights of the weekend include:

-A trip to the London Dungeon! Newly renovated, it re-opened on March 1st on the South Bank. Highly recommended but be prepared for a lineup even if you pre-book. 

-Discovering the best sushi I've found since moving to London without breaking the bank. Head North to Mai Sushi! Exceptional service & food!

-A delicious brownie at Ed's Easy Diner. In true American style. 

xx

Sunday Dim Sum

With the countdown on until I move back to Toronto, I've been trying to use my weekends to explore London's leftover unknowns. Having never ventured there before, this Sunday I headed to London's Chinatown. 

 Enjoying a pineapple bun! Followed by a delicious lunch of dumplings and noodles. Such a variety of great food!

A map of Hong Kong Island. 

After lunch we took a short wander to Covent Garden. This Chanel pop-up outside their makeup shop sure added a needed boost of colour to the otherwise freezing day!!

xx

Hello Old Chum

Although I love having friends over for dinner, I have to admit one of my favourite parts is sitting over a cup of tea, chatting afterwards. 

I bought these mugs at Jamie Oliver's Recipease last year. This is something I've gotten from my sister-having sets of mugs makes tea time entertaining so much more pleasant. 

The best part of these mugs..

 While you're at it why not indulge in a slice of cinnamon streusel cake. I made this last night & it turned out! I've been sneaking slivers of it all day. 

xx

Living London: Surrey

This past Saturday a friend & I headed to London's lush Kew Gardens. 

The glass green houses kept us warm as it was a blustery cold day in London. 

 The air inside felt amazing. So many incredible plants. Rubber, coffee, ebony and more. 

 Tree top walk.

 The best part was we managed to catch the last day of the Orchid Festival. The timing of  how they got all these orchids blooming at once was amazing. 

Orchids & colour everywhere!

Even outside there was colour to be found!

Although the Orchid festival is now closed there is so much to be seen at Kew. Go on a weekend & make a day of it. There are so many beautiful looking pubs in the area that would be perfect lunch spots. Never mind the opportunities for summer time picnics! 

xx

Making the Unused Useable

Ever make an impulse purchase you know doesn't fit just right? Get it home, manage to talk yourself into it & take off the tags to make things final?

I did that a few months ago with these Persol sunglasses. I saved up my loyalty points with these in mind & headed to Liberty. 

Whenever I walked anywhere they would fall down the bridge of my nose. I was convinced this was unfixable and stashed them on my bookshelf. Two months later I finally thought better of the situation and brought them around to an optometrists who melted and curved in the sides. Voila! They are now EXACTLY the sunglasses I've been dreaming of. 

 I've got an app that tracks down great little coffee shops around London. I can't wait to test some out. This coffee however is from my local Daylesford on Pimlico Road. How cool are these lids? They are meant to allow you to enjoy the aroma & foam of your coffee.  This, while also letting it cool slightly so your first sip isn't ruined by a nasty burn! What will they think of next...

 A shop specializing in bones & fossils perhaps? 

A suggestion for your weekend...Take those jeans you bought months ago with the intention of getting hemmed into your local tailor. Boom, a new addition to your wardrobe at a fraction of the cost!

xxx

Winter Shorts

This is a term I've been using often as I hunt for the perfect pair of shorts to wear with tights. A weird concept to many, I personally love them. I'm not sure how practical they are in my native Toronto winter climate. However, on sunny winter days like we've been having recently in London-they are great. 

 A classy mirror shot of the finally found "winter short". Courtesy of Zara!

 I loved that these ones are gauze like! It makes them a bit more casual. 

Testing them out this weekend at a lunch at Gordon Ramsay's Maze. An incredible meal and great Christmas gift from my aunt & uncle! 

xxx