Side Street Style

The playful outfit

2012-05-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

So there has been a reason for the lack over posts over the past week - mainly do to the fact the UK had a mini sort of heat wave - and when it is sunny in the UK you really have to make the most of it. Also last thursday I was invited to the Boux Avenue store opening in Bath, and very excited we headed off to the amazing historical city that is Bath for a fun filled morning of lingerie, but on the way we got stuck in two sets of road works, stand still traffic getting into the city and my SAT NAV directing me to the wrong side of Bath...all in all despite leaving with more than enough time I missed the opening - could not believe it! Still had a great day in Bath though - but this sort of ruined what was going to be two large fashion/lingerie inspired posts. Although I have been making good use of the denim playsuit I bought for the opening and wore it on a little outing yesterday.

Wearing - Denim Playsuit - Miss Selfridge, Shoes - New Look, Watch - Guess, Beaded bracelet - Thrifted, Sunglasses - Thrifted

It's great when John has a midweek day off and it's sunny, it often means that all the places that would be very busy on the weekend are quite. Like Cyfarthfa Castle...where we took these photos

John wearing - Polo - YMC, Shorts - Gap. Shoes - Veras, Glasses - Rayban

YMC shirt and Ray Ban glasses with the barber hairdo

A minty Nail Polish

2012-05-23T16:53:00.003-07:00

I love all the pastel trends at the moment, especially all the new nail polish shades, so when I came across this Mint Choc Chip colour I had to get it, it's fun yet mellow and it's part of No.17 Lasting fix range - a range that is meant to last up to five days and chip free colour. I am always chipping my nail polish as most of my work is heavy on the hands, with a toddler to look after on top of that, so I am always up for trying very reasonably priced nail varnish in the hope it may last more than two days.....so we will see.

I was very happy with the colour, my only negative so far is it's quite slow drying time and I am terrible for fidgeting so I usually use speedy 60 seconds nails, but hopefully this will be worth it.

Thanks for reading Side Street Style

When the sun is out so are we

2012-05-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

The one thing you need to learn when you live in the UK is to use every ounce of sunlight to the fullest as the winters are long and the summers are often no shows. The past few days have been blissful so we have spent as much time outside as possible, with John even getting a little sun burnt. We have managed to pack a lot into a few days - helping in the garden at my mothers, running through poppies in Bute park and having a lot of fun at the very beautiful Cyfarthfa castle. Summer is also a great time to wear the things that you have packed away for the winter and now seem fresh and new. Here are some of out favourite photos

Blowing dandelions

Running through the long grass in Bute Park

Our dog Sam

Chloe Green Does Shoes

2012-05-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

So some may know here as a character from Made in Chelsea, others as the daughter of Top Shop boss Sir Philip Green, but now she is making her own name in the world of shoe design as she unveils her very stylish and bold shoe line, available at TopShop. When I first heard that she was going to be doing a shoe line I was not filled with excitement but since seeing the line I am impressed with the uniqueness and creativity of the collection, which has oversized heels and wedges. I know this line has divided some critics with some saying they are ugly, but I feel like they are something new, bold and not for everyone, which is what fashion should be. Chloe Green herself is not conventional and I like that they have used here in the advertising instead of a stick thin perfect model, it's a bit of difficult situation being apart of reality show and then trying to be taken seriously in other aspects and I think one should look simply at the product and I find them catchy and interesting and wouldn't mind a pair in my wardrobe. The prices range form £115 to around £175
Please note this is not a promotion - these are my own views.

Add caption

Thanks for reading Side Street Style

Cybher Convention Love

2012-05-15T03:19:00.002-07:00

"because geek is the new chic" - and that is why it's important that blogger conventions like Cybher happen as more and more people are getting involved with the world of blogging - and what is even better is Cybher is for women only. I had been excited all week about going, as I managed to get a ticket to this sell-out event at the last minute. It was also taking place in the heart of London (I never need an excuse to go the big smoke), at the very swanky Northumberland, which means a mini shop for a new chic but casual outfit (needs to be comfortable as it's going to be a long day). I am also rocking my new shorter haircut

Wearing - Faded shirt - Topshop, Jeans - Topshop, T-shirt - M&S Fairtrade, Necklace - House of Fraser, Brogues - Dozzy and Dee

So on Saturday morning I had to get up really early (5:15am) to get ready for the 6:25am train from Cardiff to London and already at that time of the day people where tweeting about the event and through these tweets I discovered another Welsh blogger was on the same train - Debbie from Johnson Babies blog, it was great to meet someone before actually getting to the venue as it can be a bit overwhelming going to an event not knowing anyone.

I love meeting other bloggers but I knew this was going to be like nothing I had experienced before - about 250 female bloggers in one room - amazing! Every kind of blogger was welcome although it was mainly either fashion or parenting or like mine a mix of both. The organisers had also managed to get some really amazing sponsors in the form of The Leather Satchel company which provided leather bags to ever blogger (love mine), Freya which offered free bra fittings, Palmers for giving out some amazing goodie bags and Pink Lady for the very yummy apples at ever corner. In the Leather Satchel we where also given not pads, pens and Almonds (which got me through the mid-morning munchies)

I love Almonds!

I love these little leather bags we were given

So to start things off everyone went downstairs for some freshly brewed coffee and an array of yummy biscuits before the first seminar. Sian the founder of Cybher opened the day with some touching words and then the floor was opened to the panel of experience and successful bloggers on the theme of - what is the future of blogging? It was very inspiring to see individuals who had created businesses and full-time careers from blogging - whether through setting up social networking sites of their own or ebooks, there is something for everyone.

The other sessions I sat in on included - Digital Diaries and how our children technology is affecting our children. How to make your blogs beautiful by Jo Gifford, a blogger geek workshop (which I learned a lot about customising my blog through blogger) and a very inspiring talk by Cathy Presland about how to get what you want.

I had to leave before the end of the convention to get back home to the little one but I came back with a lot of new ideas and positivity about blogging as well as meeting some wonderful people and I will be back next year for sure. I will be featuring some of the bloggers I met soon....

Thanks for reading Side Street Style

Anyone for tea?

2012-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

So I had a family event to attend a few weeks ago (when it was sunny) and I want something that was casual yet chic with a vintage sort of feel to it as the day included tea outside and wanted something fun but it also needed to be fairly smart. I didn't have much time to shop so I was very happy when the first store I went into was Dorothy Perkins and saw this little tea dress. I also paired it up with a little New Look headband, shoes from Office, my mothers bracelet, perky little peach nail varnish and a thrifted Leather Satchel.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins, Shoes - Office, Headband - New Look, Bracelet - gifted, Bag - thrifted

We have also done the draw for The Sphere of life necklace giveaway. We do the draw pretty old skool - everyone who entered has their name printed out and we randomly pick one and the winner is Rosie from the blog - A Pocket Full of Rosie. Don't worry we are running another giveaway soon and if your following the blog you get an automatic entry.

Eco Fashion love

2012-05-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

So whenever possible I always try and support green campaigns, especially when it comes to Arthur, I feel much better knowing that he is wearing organic, fair trade or recycled cotton made in a sustainable way rather than not know where it came from - and possibly a sweatshop (often we don't know how our clothes are made). So this post is about highlighting 3 current campaigns from three very popular fashion labels.

H&M have been stocking organic clothing for a longtime although now they are really starting to expand the line. Everything in the Conscious Collection is made from environmentally friendly materials such as organic cotton and linen to recycled wool and plastic (for accessories). They are really showing other retailers the way forward with regards to being green, stylish and affordable and I have to say I am very impressed with their current collection.

More high-end brands are also getting involved with good causes such as Tommy Hilfigers Promise campaign which donates 100% of the profits from the collection towards the development of sustainable communities in Africa and so far they have raised more than £800 000. They have also been very clever in teaming up with celebs such as Katie Holmes to highlight the campaign, which of course is for an excellent cause. What I love is the colourful and ethnic design of the garments, being born in South Africa myself, they remind me of home and I love all the products, especially the sunglasses.

Katie Holmes supporting the Promise Collection

When you think DKNY you don't immediately think sustainability but they have recently teamed up with Care - a charity that helps empower the women of uganda by securing long-term vanilla production in Uganda. Since the majority of the local vanilla growers in Uganda are women this campaign is set to help contribute to the improvement of their livelihood.

They are not trying to change the world but through small steps they are making a different. " A drop of vanilla in water from Uganda is the signature ingredient in pureDKNY

Thank you for reading Side Street Style

Dr Martens first loves

2012-05-02T14:20:00.002-07:00

I am loving the Lookbook.nu collaboration with Dr Martens for the First and Forever Spring/summer 2012 collection. They picked some bloggers and LookBook users to style some of their new shoes - with great success. The campaign is all about your first love with Dr Martens - everyone remembers their first pair....I had mine when I was 13 and discovering Nirvana and Soundgarden. I think they have come a long way though from the typical grunge look and developed the brand into unique everyday shoes. You can share your experience at #FIRSTANDFOREVER. I don't really use LookBook....I have always lean towards chictopia - but that's simply down to time, either way they have some great street style bloggers and loads of inspiration. Here are some of my favourite picks from the collaboration

Instagram lovelies

2012-04-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

So this is just a little instagram round up from the past few days. Since coming back from London, our first day away from Arthur together, we have spent pretty much the rest of the time with him...taking him swimming, learning to draw (and make a lot of mess) and building big dens... although I normal take him to the park everyday or have some quality outside time but due to the weather it's been a bit limited, so we found that McArthur Glen in Bridgend is quite useful as it provides some great undercover shopping with a large play area full of slides and games as well as pushcarts...which he loved. They also have a Vans outlet store and we managed to pick up some super cute Van's slip on's for the little man.

Arthur not looking too impressed

John rocking his new Ralph Lauren Jacket

A frugal purchase from the Vans outlet store

Spring into a New Look

2012-04-25T04:50:00.000-07:00

I know it's raining but that doesn't stop me having spring in my heart. I love re-using and reinventing outfits and especially since having Arthur the clothes budget has disappeared very quickly as I suddenly have to dress and clothe another person. So it's pretty important when buying a new outfit to take in consideration quality, price and style. I like things to last a fairly longtime but also have to work on a smaller budget so I thought I would look at New Looks spring/summer collection, as over the years I feel the brand and has improved in terms of design and quality and have also started working with and stocking other brands such as Ravel, Dune, Firetrap, Iron fist, Moda in Pelle, Wonderbra and Steve Madden to name a few. So with a £30 budget I wanted to see if I could get a pair of summer sandals and a vintage inspired dressed (was I asking for too much?). When I came across this cute little sleeveless polka dot dress I thought it would make a great summer staple and I love the sandals I managed to pick up to go with the outfit and all on budget. They look and feel great...just hope they last the whole of summer, i'm sure they will. I paired up the outfit with my H&M hat I bought a few summers ago and my Radley bag that John so kindly bought me for my birthday last year. My views are my own..as always.

Dress - New Look, Sandals - New Look, Belt - New Look, Hat - H&M, Bag - Radley

London, Champagne, Canapes and Watches

2012-04-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

John and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Global Blogger Search for Guess watches in London, to view their new spring/summer collection over champagne and canapes. We decided to make a day of as we haven't been to London together for a very long time as one of us has always had to stay at home with Arthur so it was a great for both of us to have a little bit of us time together. On the way there we had a cheeky upgrade to first class on the train from Cardiff to London...the seats are sooo comfortable I wish all the train carriages were like that.

Once we got into Paddington we took the underground to Oxford St to visit the Albam store just off Carnaby St, unfortunately not long after that we got caught in torrential rain and decided to take refuge in one of my favourite traditional pubs on Wardour St - The Ship were we had a much welcomed Pear Cider and Pint of Guinness. We then had a stroll around Soho and picked up some very yummy crepes. The rest of the afternoon was spent in Covent Garden and then at The House of Barnabas, the location of the launch.

The House of Barnabas was such a beautiful location, with high ceilings and all the luxury finishes you would expect with a brand like Guess. The canapes went down a treat, especially with John who tried them all...we loved the Mediterranean veg crostini and mini burgers and who would say no to a glass of champagne. The turn out was very good with some very stylish bloggers coming to view the new line of watches, jewellery and accessories. I loved the bold colours of the mini watches and the double straps as well as a tortoise shell watch that caught my eye. We also got to learn more about the Guess One to Watch campaign that will be starting on facebook on the 1st May, it's a global search for stylish bloggers and individuals around the world to become the official voice of the Guess Access blog. More info soon to follow...otherwise here are some photos from our fab day out.

The Kooples store Carnaby St and I heart Soho

Mmmm yummy Crepes

John wearing Folk, Raybans and Quoddy Shoes

John wearing folk vest, Norse Projects shirt, Albam jeans and Quoddy shoes

Rocking the colours and ray ban tortoise shell glasses

Wearing a Love Dress by Topshop, Dents studded bag, Gifted jacket

Love by Topshop dress, Dents studded jacket, Laura Ashley necklace, Dozzy and Dee brogues.

Womens and Mens big Guess watches...ohh yeah

Launch party mingle.

One up Mannequin

blinged

Colourful Mini watches.

Guess Watches Spring/Summer love

2012-04-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Retro...fresh....eye-catching are all words that describe the new spring/summer Guess watch collection. The campaign was shot at a motel in LA and has a real vintage feel to it married with the modern and pop colour watches. Paul Marciano, the creative director of Guess described this best - "The spring 2012 campaign reminds every Guess Girl and Guy of what it means to represent the beauty of the past in a way that glorifies the present. I'm really impressed with there fearless approach to things and Guess has always been a brand not afraid to try new things with these bold new colours. John and I are going to London this week to attend the Guess One to Watch Global blogger search and will have a chance to see the rest of the collection and can't wait...up dates very soon.

Art Car Bootique

2012-04-17T15:33:00.001-07:00

If you live in Cardiff at some point I am sure you have been to Chapter Art's and for those who don't live in Cardiff, Chapter is like a one stop shop for the indie film and art lover. Showing independent films every night with an amazing cafe/bar, art gallery and theatre this is one of our favourite places and on Sunday that held there annual Art Car Bootique.

I had been excited all week about it, as it's been a bit up and down the past few weeks and after going swimming with Arthur in the morning, John and I had a rare free afternoon together and it was a day filled of arts, crafts, installations, performance, music and food. The place was packed, which was great except at one point you just couldn't move. There were so many campervans and lovely vintage cars that I wanted! Northcote lane had a mini vintage market and a lot of local art movements such as Project 10, Sho Gallery and G39 where there. We loved the cardboard ice-cream van man - what an amazing feat as well as the Milgi bar travelling cafe...which out us in the mood so much for Milgi's wonderful food that we went there after the car bootique.

Good times...good music...great food...wonderful company....a lovely way to spend a sunday.

I want!

I love this cardboard car!

Car boot quiz

This ginger beer at Milgi Bar was soo good

Me relaxing on the couch at Milgi

John in his Folk jacket

Good music....good food...good times

Tasty Instagrams

2012-04-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone out there has had a great easter....I'm still finishing off the last of the Chocolate. We spent most of the time with the family and at home as the Car needed to go into the garage and also Arthur was feeling under the weather for most of the week. Although yesterday Arthur and I took the train into town for a little adventure and to say Hi to John on his lunch break and tried out the new healthy hot spot that is Taste.

I love fast , fresh and healthy food and Taste hits all those. The chicken salad I had was so yummy, filing and only £3! There is nowhere that I know of in Cardiff with such reasonable prices in such a clean and chic environment so this has become on of my favourites. They do very well over the business lunchtime trade as they are right in the centre, even so they are very accommodating towards young children and have excellent changing facilities. We will be back!

Three little instgrams that sums up the past 2 weeks

We love interesting bottles of wine...this Art deco design did it for me

A much happier little boy after feeling under the weather.

If anyone is around Cardiff this weekend....you should check out the Chapter Art Car Bootique this sunday - we are going and can't wait. We haven't been before and we are looking forward to it as it should be a day filled with creativity/fashion/performance/vintage/food and music with over 50 stalls including The Milgi bar travelling cafe. Chapter Arts 11am-6pm be there.

Sphere of Life Giveaway

2012-04-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yey so it's that time again for a lovely giveaway to one of my readers!

Our beautiful necklace giveaway comes from the lovely people at My Sphere of Life

The necklace is called "Over the Moon" and is part of their cute collection and is made out of silver and comes in a beautiful little sphere.

I also have a special code for any readers who want to purchase a gift from My Sphere of Life - it's £10 off a £20 spend - all you need to do is type in SIDEST12 at the checkout

All you have to do to enter is either follow the blog (if your already following you get an automatic entry) or follow on Twitter, Pinterest and/or Facebook - the more you do the more entries you get...simple as...and it's open to everyone around the world....good luck :)

Easter love

2012-04-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

I had such big plans for Easter and then Arthur was ill the week running up to it and everything had to take a back seat and I didn't get to make all the crafty lovely things I had planned but we still had an amazing day. First of all I don't think giving an 18month old loads of chocolate is a good idea, in fact Arthur has up until this point had very very little chocolate (I can count on one hand) and on the occasions he has had a taste, it's simply been a taste. But saying that I still wanted him to have a easter egg hunt, so I have been keeping the eggs I have used for omelettes over the past week and stuck them back together with craft clue and tissue paper and painted them - this way he could still go into the garden and collect them. I also put Johns eggs out in the garden so Arthur could pick up these and he was of course allowed a small Lindt bunny which totally blew his mind.

After the Easter Egg hunt we had some of my homemade healthy Spelt Apricot and Banana muffins which are very low in added sugar but naturally sweet from the fruit and very very yummy.

We also decided this year that less is definitely more so I only got John three small cream eggs and one large egg and I was soooo happy when I saw mine was a Marc De Champagne Egg - I love Champagne truffles soo much!

Arthur made so much mess with his little egg and it really was a real treat for him we just let him go for it, although it did end up with him having a mid-morning bath :)

Fashion from around the world

2012-04-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than taking a stroll through an area famed for it's fashion, whether a city close to home or somewhere exotic and overseas. Here is a short list of five of the most famed fashion districts of the world, each renowned for it's attitude and originality towards style. I never need much of an excuse to travel, it's one of my favourite things to do and it's always great to see the street styles of the world. So credit cards ready, a chic outfit on and even if your just window shopping, go out and be inspired.

Milan

Milan is a city whose name is synonymous with fashion. The second largest in Italy (after Rome), it boasts amazing Cathedrals and Museums and is also the home of Leonardo Di Vinci's The Last Supper. Milan is famous for it's brand named shoes and cutting-edge catwalk fashion, and as the name suggests it's also home to Milan Fashion week which happens twice a year.

But beware, when I was there on a backpacking trip through Europe, the local citizens of Milan tend to be extremely well dressed even if they are just going to the supermarket. You might end up spending a fortune trying to keep up. Although they also have a create indie fashion scene inspired by street art and skateboarding.

Milan chic street style via Fashionising blog

Large D&G advert at Milan Central station from when I was there last.

Shibuya, Tokyo

Tokyo is on my bucket list of places to go to before I die and with good reason. Tokyo is a city of contrasts, with ancient shrines and massive shopping centres sitting next door to each other. Here you could end up shelling out a small fortune on a costume made Kimono, as many store bought traditional clothes won't fit Western bodies, although since I am only 5ft I am hoping this won't be the case for me!

Shibuya is home to the famous scramble crossing. Surrounded by bright lights and gigantic TV screens, you can shop in the same place the Harajuku Girls and Shibuya gals get their often out-there and highly creative clothing. The younger crowd of shoppers in Tokyo are famed for their amazing eclectic street fashion and you can always use your charge or credit card to by some of Japans iconic frilly gothic fashion.

Tokyo street style from Tokyo Fashion

Fifth Avenue, New York

Ahh who wouldn't want to have an unlimited budget and go wild on Fifth Avenue? Even me who is very much into thrift stores and independent fashion wouldn't mind.
New York is a city so synonymous with shopping that it's frequently the primary reason people visit. Although I am very much into seeing the cultural sites of a city and getting a real feel for a city, luckily fifth avenue sits alongside attractions such as the Empire State building and you could also pick up a hot dog from the street vendor for a more authentic feel.

Like the American population in general, New York fashion has a bit of everything thrown in and creates an amazing melting pot of creativity and freedom with individuality seen daily on the streets with amazing home grown creations.

New York Street Style via Refinery 29

Soho, London

London, the world famous and busy metropolis that sits on the River Thames, zigzags between the tailored suits of Savile row and the punks of Camden Town.No district sums this up better than Soho, which mixes sleazy and sublime in one area. London is definitely one of the most cosmopolitain cities in the UK where every taste is catered too, whether your into preppy fashion, vintage or high-end. The highlight of this fashion capital has got to be London Fashion Week which happens twice a year and draws hundreds of designers, models and bloggers and I have been lucky enough to go a few times and attend some amazing shows.

Street Style pictures at London Fashion week taken by me.

West Bank, Paris

Who hasn't dreamt of living in Paris. I know I have, I have been lucky enough to work and live in the South of France for a few months when I was travelling, although Paris is where I would love to be if only I could speak fluent French! The women in this city seem to grow old so gracefully and with such style and the youth have such an eye for well structured pieces and perfectly fitted clothing as well as an excellent rock-chic look. In all the times I have been to the city I haven't had a chance to visit the famed Colette store which stocks some really famous labels including Bape, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou, Marc Jacobs,

I love Paris anytime of the year.

My wonderful SITS day

2012-04-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe my SITS day has finally arrived. For those who don't know SITS - The secret to success is support - is a support system for women bloggers and every day a different blogger is featured and today is my day :)

I always thought I would have something big planned for the day - a really funny or interesting post - but often life can get in the way and for the past few days my 18month old sun has been under the weather with a virus and high fever and anyone who has a toddler knows when they are ill life stops.

So here is a short introduction to Side-street Style. It's a blog run by Me (Laura) and my partner John and also features Arthur our son. John is a traditional cut throat barber and I recently graduated from my photography degree. We both love life, fashion, travel, art and being creative and bringing up our son in a green and frugal way. We involve our son in every aspect of our life and believe you don't have change everything about yourself when you become parents.

We currently live in Wales, UK, although we have big dreams to live in other countries. John has always live here but I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to Europe a few years ago after my father passed away. I have been lucky enough to live in Edinburgh, Cornwall, Amsterdam and Nice in France and now near Cardiff, Wales.

This blog is about our journey that our family is taking, through our careers, bring up babe in a creative home-made way, our fashion loves, food success's and fails, travel misadventures, moving house and photography.

Some of my Photography

We are also currently running a really wonderful giveaway from Sphere of Life - a very cute silver necklace - named "over the moon", it's open to anyone around the world. All you have to do is either follow this blog, my twitter, facebook or Pinterest - the more you follow the more entries you have.

Beach baby!

2012-04-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

When John has his days off no matter what the weather we endeavour to spend it outside, so it's even better when the sun is out. We are really excited for summer this year as last year Arthur was only crawling and now he is running around everywhere and into everything...I cant believe how the time flies. We decided to take a drive to Ogmore-on-Sea, a beautiful long beach in the Vale of Glamorgan. The great thing about John having a week day off is that we avoid the packed crowds that ascend on the weekend. Arthur loved the beach and collecting shells and driftwood, as well as the sheep that run wild on the dunes. Near the beach is the ruins of Ogmore Castle, which you can explore freely and is great for kids to run around in. There are also stepping stones across the river which takes you to some countryside walks. I still cannot get over how pale I look, as if my skins hasn't seen in a year...I just hope the good weather follows through to the rest of summer.

Arthur loves flying

Sphere of Life Review

2012-03-31T04:31:00.002-07:00

So the lovely people at Sphere of Life asked me to review one of their jewellery pieces and I was really excited about this as I had been looking for a Birthstone necklace for a while so when I came across their creative take on the birthstones I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. As with every review I always endeavour to be as honest as possible.

My birth month is September and my birthstone is a Blue Agate and this stone is meant to help with mental stability and bring peace of mind and bring calm on even the most chaotic days - which when you have a toddler running around can be quite often.

As with anything first impression count and the first thing you notice about the Sphere of Life collection is the packaging, it comes in a really nice little bag and branded box that houses the silver sphere that reminds me of the DKNY Delicious perfume bottle. The sphere has a deep red lining which feels very luxurious and sitting nice and sung in the sphere is the draw string bag that holds the actual necklace. It's a bit like russian dolls and would make a very impressive gift as they come with a name card with space to write a personal message.

All Sphere of life necklaces and charms are made out of sterling silver and are very light and delicate and feel precious. I really love the design of mine, it's very unique and I haven't seen many like it before. It's not over the top in anyway and would go with a lot of my outfits.

So why not check out the rest of the collection at http://www.mysphereoflife.com/ best of all it's Free delivery on all purchases and I have an exclusive voucher code for £10 off any £20 spend - just type in
SIDEST12

A Malago delight

2012-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night I was lucky enough to be asked to join the Q&A bloggers panel at the Malago Women's Institute in Bristol, with a promise of tea, lots of cake and good conversation I drove over the bridge into England for what was a very enjoyable and informative night. First of all I think sometimes first impressions of WI groups are that it's a place full of the other generation knitting and making jam but this was not at all the case at Malago, it was such a diverse group of chic and creative women of all ages and I was so impressed with the casual informal sofa tea-light style setting.

One of the best things about the evening was meeting the other three bloggers on the Panel, they were all so friendly and such lovely people each with something different to offer. Lots of questions were asked and we all had a great chat about topics such as the best blogging platform, how to gain followers, advertising options and what motivated each of us to start our blogs. I think we all came to the conclusion that blogging in general is a very supportive environment and despite it being at times very time consuming it, overall it's a very rewarding and enjoyable thing to do.

The cakes were lovely, my favourite being the ginger muffins and elderflower juice always goes down well with me being that it's my favourite drink. I really need to find out if there is such a chic Women's Institute in Cardiff as this group has really inspired me to find out more. At the end of the talk we were all given a bouquet of tulips which is now adding some much needed spring colour to my kitchen.

I highly recommend stopping by at these wonderful blogs

First of all is Catherine from Bristol Parenting Cafe, a really amazing natural parenting and crafting blog, it's such a lovely organic style blog without all the parenting does and don't, just wonderful personal experiences and amazing ideas and crafts, one of my new favourite blogs.

Beth runs the very interesting Bristol Craft blog which is full of different ideas whether is be crafting, fashion, art, food and beautiful photography. Beth has only been blogging for 6 months but she has really hit the ground running with this idea filled blog.

Jo was the most professional blogger from the panel in terms of now running her blog - Slummy Single Mummy - as a business and trying her single mother status into something quiet inspiring. She has been nominated for a bunch of awards and also won the MADS award for best new blog in 2010. Lots of well written, informative and entertaining posts that cover all kinds of topics from product reviews to sport, fashion to even cars and guitars.

Other mentions

Malago WI also have there own blog, so if you live in the area (Bedminster, Bristol) or your just curious about what goes on at a WI meeting why not stop by the blog and have a look.

There was also a fellow blogger in the audience - Lou - from Little Green Shed, I simply have to mention this blog as it's so beautiful with amazing photography and her own artwork that she sells on etsy. I am in love with this dreamy, crafty and carefree blog...it's simply wonderful.

John and the Pica Outfit Post

2012-03-27T17:49:00.002-07:00

It's always great to see the delight on Johns face when the large padded envelope gets pushed through the post box and contains one of his favourite reads - The Pica Post - Oi Polloi's own in-house magazine, full of on-trend men's clothing and arty sartorialist features. It relighted my desire to get more outfit posts of John, as his wardrobe is far bigger than mine. Here is a recent casual spring outfit, wearing some of his favourite Scandinavian labels - Nudie jeans and Norse Projects.

John Wears - Ray bans, Norse Projects long sleeve tee, Nudie jeans, Sugerga shoes

Superga court shoes and Ralph Lauren socks

Nudie jeans

Pica post

The Carhartt comback

2012-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

So for a while Carhartt seemed to be a bit off the mark but both John and I where very pleasantly surprised when we stumbled onto there spring/summer collection 2012. They seem to have come back to form, with some real MOD inspired designs. For a brand that has so much history it's great to see them back to what they do best, durable, well styled street style clothes. Here is our favourite picks from their Mens and Women's collection.

Bristol Fashion Week is coming

2012-03-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I can't wait for the Live Blogging event this friday at Bristol Fashion Week! There is going to be so much to see and do including the catwalk show presented by fashion stylist Mark Heyes and celebrity hairstylist Andrew Barton, which will be showing all the essentials for the season ahead and with so many brands and designers being apart of BFW including Coast, Dune, French Connection, Cecil Gee, Jigsaw, Monsoon, John Lewis and Radley to name a few it's surely going to be a great event. Also I love Bristol, the street style in the city is always amazing and I am constantly inspired when I am there. Besides the catwalk show there is also the pamper zone (which I will be visiting for sure!), a relaxing place were you can have mini manicures, make-overs and indian head massages. You can follow all the action from the live blog event by going to Mall Cribbs and signing up for a reminder or I will be tweeting all day @laurasidestreet

For the love of Costume Jewellery

2012-03-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Costume jewellery is a great, and often inexpensive, way to accent any outfit. You can find it at carboot sales and in thrift stores, and there is always a wide selection making it easy to find a unique piece to fit your style. For those looking for new pieces to add to their own jewellery collections, there are a few costume jewellery pieces that every girl should own:

Bangles
Costume jewellery bangles that are in non-traditional geometric shapes have become incredibly popular over the last few months. Many of these are square or hexogon in shape, and come in bright colors or patterns with chevron being a season favorite. If you are looking for some great arm wear, be sure to check out your local thrift store or consignment shop as they always seem to have a great selection of costume bangles at the counter.

Rings
The big bold sizes and colors of costume jewellery rings is almost unmistakeable, and they add a quick flare to nearly any outfit. Because they have grown in popularity, you can easily find new costume jewelry rings in several inexpensive. One of the newest trends in wedding bands is costume jewellery. Looking to avoid conflict diamonds, many brides-to-be are requesting vintage costume jewellery engagement rings instead. This is a really great trend, because it almost always ensures that your ring will be unique.

Necklaces
If there is any type of necklace that is sure to steal the show, it is a costume jewellery one. These necklaces are generally bold, chunky, and large, and can help you turn a regular drab outfit into something dressy and spectacular. Because of their popularity, like costume jewellery rings, they can easily be found in new and vintage retailers and can be purchased at fairly reasonable prices.
However, if you truly want a unique piece, again, check out your local thrift and vintage stores. You will be more likely to find one that is like no other, and will find it for a rather cheap price.
For jewellery that can really show off your own style and personality, there really is no better choice than costume jewellery. Made of inexpensive materials, these pieces can be just as beautiful as those made with precious jewels and fine metals, but can be purchased for a fraction of the cost.