What’s in my handbag

Hi there! Today I’m sharing the content of my handbag in a bid to show you how I keep my handbag organised with all the essentials in it, without ever carrying too heavy.

1. Sunglasses Pouch & Sunglasses: I made this DIY sunglasses pouch out of neccessity and these is my sunglasses of choice. They never tangle in my hair! 
2. Lindt Chocolates: Somehow I manage to collect these little Lindt babies from my visits to Cafe Vida. They are great for snacking when you’re peckish but my personal favourite use for them is to try and replicate Vida’s legendary chocolate quente’s at home. 
3. Swiss Army Knife: I got mine from my father and whilst I haven’t gotten much use of it yet, each time I have used it I’ve been incredibly thankful that I’ve got it.
4. Essence Match2Cover: This is a great all-round concealer, perfect for covering blemishes or minor discoloration. It’s also incredibly affordable, so it won’t be the end of the world if I loose it or it gets damaged. 
5. Purse: This one was actually a Christmas present and it’s my favourite by far. I even use it for the occasional milk and bread run sans handbag. 
6. Lipglosses & Lipsticks: I love affordable makeup, but when the quality is also great you have to stock up! This is the case with Essence Lipglosses and I’ve been trying their Long Lasting Lipstick as well. I’ve also been loving the Revlon Colorstay range. 
7. Hairbands & Bobby pins: You never know when you might need one or a few of these for pesky flyaways, broken hairbands or just windy days.
8. Business cards: I keep a business cards from my favourite hairdresser, doctor and dentist on hand so that I can always refer someone and have the necessary details on hand. Keeping it organised and neat is very important. 
9. Pouch: This really is the key to my handbag organisation. I store all the tiny essentials in there like my tiny 8 Hour Cream (perfect for chapped lips, dry cuticles and minor cuts or burns), a comb, compact mirror, tissues and a miniature fragrance. When I want to change bags I simply toss this in along with the rest. 
10. Not pictured is my mobile phone which I obviously also carry everywhere with me. What do you carry in your bag that you can’t live without?

What are some of the most essential things you carry around in your handbag?

Shopgirl Find: Bangle Watches

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I’ve been looking for a new silver/gold watch as I’ve had to replace my current leather watch’s strap thrice already. I’ve been looking at bangle watches as they are so elegant and simple and I really don’t like the look of links as I they feel so masculine to me.

Michel Herbelin pioneered the bangle watch and their Salambo collection has some of my favourite watches. As always it is the pinnacle of feminine sophistication with mother of pearl faces and little diamond insets. Fossil and Anne Klein also have a great selection of bangle watches and I particularly like the fact that Fossil has various sizes of each design.

Right now I am on a gold kick, but tortoise shell has always been a favourite so I don’t know what I’ll choose yet but I am leaning towards the golden Fossil. Which is your favourite?

Scalloped Lace OOTD

Dress Woolworths | Belt Mr Price | Shoes Ackermans | Handbag Vintage

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Hello everyone! Today I’m sharing a pretty little lace dress that can be dressed up or down. It might be surprising for some to learn that this is the only white dress I have ever owned excluding a Halloween wedding costume from when I was six. Who can resist the powers of scalloped lace?

I’ve worn this dress on several different occasions and I've found it to be quite versatile depending on how I style it. For Christmas I wore it with delicate golden accessories for a more festive look but I’ve also toned it down with heavier wedges.  My favourite way to wear it however is to indulge in its femininity! I paired it with my favourite nude wedge, a pink lip and my Barbie-esque vintage handbag for a completely girly approach that would be perfect for a morning high tea.

Shopgirl Find: Gold tea cup

Chamonix Cup & Saucer, R120 (here)

Winter is just around the corner, meaning my uptake of warm beverages will increase dramatically over the next couple of months. It just seems like the perfect time to treat myself to a special cup for late night hot chocolates and early morning coffees.

I love this modern take on a traditional gold rimmed cup and saucer from Woolworths. It perfectly balances tradition with quirk.

As it is made from bone china with a metallic rim, this isn't microwave or dishwasher safe but I don't think I'll mind hand washing this beauty. What does your favourite cup look like?

My Home Office Tour

Today I’m sharing with you the place I’ve spent the majority of my time over the past few years whilst I was still studying, my home office. Now I mainly use it for arts and crafts, general admin and for the home PC (which my boyfriend kindly donated after my laptop died) but I still do spend a fair amount of time here as it also doubles as a space where I often shoot blog photos and write all my articles (House & Leisure and blog related). 

Our study is built into the attic so the exposed roof beams are a big feature in the room. This however allows for some unique shelving (not pictured, its quite messy) and the built in desk which is very practical. No other conventional desk would be able to offer me so much space.

I kept the colour scheme fairly neutral but added some pink and turquoise touches. The build in desk doesn’t have drawers so everything you’d traditionally store out of sight has to be on display so I try to be very careful about what I display. Oh and say hi to my Hello Kitty which I got several years ago in a McDonald’s Happy Meal! Still looking good (and storing my paper clips).

Unfortunately I don’t own a MAC PC (and I can’t see myself ever paying that much just for the looks) but I’ve made the best of what I’ve got. I like to keep things wireless if possible or if you have to deal with wires as I do, make sure they’re tucked away as much as possible. Most of my PC accessories are stored in the cupboard but I do keep a few things I use daily out.

Finally, I am going to share my few very basic tips on organising your home office as it really is the key to making it work for you.

• I like to make lists and keeping a cute notebook or diary on hand is essential for me. It not only makes me feel more organised but somehow also helps me to focus on what I’m doing or working on that moment. A printed daily planner can also help if you’ve got a hectic schedule. Try this (so very pretty with the polka dots) or this one as they’ve both got fairly large squares allocated to each day for writing.
• My DIY pin board really serves as a cute inspiration board with favourite colours, runway looks and art on display. Having everything pinned to a board instead of pressed to the wall with presstick not only makes it look more organised but it’s also easier to replace and change things up. I highly recommend this if you need some creative inspiration.
• Keeping things stored in a pretty container right where you need them is really essential to an organised space. I like to keep flash drives, memory cards and freshly charged batteries on hand when working on the PC. Nothing is more frustrating than having to search for them, especially when you’re in a rush.
• I like to use both a pencil holder (for prettier supplies) and a pencil bag (for the unsightly ones) on my desktop. You can use either one or the other, witch ever works best for you, but make sure you always have all the essentials on hand (glue, scissors, rulers, black and blue pens, pencils, sharpeners and erasers). This pencil holder DIY is very cute, I might have to try it.
• Keep magazines, books and binders stored horizontally for easy access. I’ve got mine sandwiched between the wall and a roof beam but you can also find cute magazine holders at shops like Typo to help with this. An In and Out tray may also be necessary depending on your workload. I just try to stay on top of my admin.
• This isn’t technically an organisation tip, but spend a little time and money to make your office space, however small it might be, pretty. This will motivate you to keep it clean and organised at all times. If it weren’t for this, I’d probably have a whole week’s worth of coffee cups and water glasses gathered here.

Rosewater Turkish Delight

Turkish Delight really is one of the easiest sweet treats to make-if you can boil water and measure ingredients you really can’t fail. It can also make an incredibly nice hostess gift and if you’re feeling extra indulgent why not cover a few pieces in chocolate? Yum!

Ingredients:

• 500 ml sugar
• 75 ml cornstarch
• 200 ml water
• 40 ml granulated gelatine
• 50 ml warm water
• Pink/Red dye (I used liquid)
• 3 tbs Rosewater
• Spray and Cook
• 3 tbs icing sugar
• 1 tbs cornstarch

Method:

1. Add the cornflour and sugar to 200 ml boiling water and stir until all the sugar evaporates.
2. Dissolve the gelatine powder in 50 ml hot, but not boiling, water and add to the sugar mixture and stir it in.
3. Add the rosewater and a few drops of colouring (aim for a medium pink shade).
4. Spray a heat proof tin/casserole approximately 16 x 16 cm with the spray and cook before pouring in the mixture.
5. Leave to cool before placing in fridge for 4-6 hours until completely set.
6. Once set use a smooth sharp knife to cut the turkish delight into equal pieces. Dip the knife into boiling water to make it easier.
7. Mix the icing and cornflour together in a plastic container with a lid.
8. To loosen the turkish delight place the container in warm water for a few seconds. The edges will start to melt making it easy to lift out. Place immediately into the icing sugar and close the lid and shake until it is completely covered.
9. Store it in the fridge.