New York, New Year!

I only have one new year resolution this year and that is to spend more time in my favourite city, New York. Happy New Year everyone!

Summer Swimwear

Im at the beach this week so my thoughts have turned to pretty swimwear. I picked up a very cute Jets bikini the other day that was on sale and now have my eye on a glamourous one piece from the current season range. The above shots are from Zimmerman's summer 2010 look book.

Holiday

After a hectic lead up to Christmas its lovely to be finally off on holiday to a gorgeous litle coastal town for some much needed rest and relaxation. I plan to do not much more that read, eat, sleep and laze around by the water. I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays too!

Christmas Eve Drinks

Its not Friday night but I think Christmas Eve deserves special drinks and a gorgeous outfit! You cant go past French Champagne and my long time favourite is Billecart Salmon. In keeping with the French theme I think either of these stunning red Chanel dresses would be the perfect accompaniment. Happy Christmas Eve!

Hopeless Lingerie

I love these cute nautical inspired images of new handmade lingerie label Hopeless. Check out http://www.hopelesshotel.com/ or visit their etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/hopeless to see more.

Sunday Night

When I was growing up up I hated Sunday night, the thought of school the following day and the end of the weekend was enough to make me wish it was Saturday every day. These days however I love Sunday night, it is the best night of the week to relax and spend at home with family and this bath looks like a lovely place to hide out for an hour or so!

Friday Night Drinks

It has been a very busy week and tonight's drink is a classic Manhattan, slightly sweet and potent, it is a perfect pick me up after a hectic few days. And to wear? Something short, sparkly and worthy of any Manhattan club! Happy Friday Night.

Rei Hosokai

These designs are by Daisy Balloon (Rei Hosokai), a clever Japanese balloon artist who creates all of her designs from balloons. After some further research it seems that people everywhere are making all kinds of interesting items out of balloons- vases, christmas snowmen and five metre high dinosaurs to name a few! You can see more of Rei's work at http://www.reihosakai.com/

The Cinque Terre

I have been dreaming today of the magnificent Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. The five villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarolo and Riomaggiore are interconnected by walking paths, trains and boats and cars cannot reach the villages from the oustide making it feel wonderfully cut off. I visited the area a few years ago and the trip remains vivid in my memory for the incredible beauty of the area and the amazing food, quite simply the best prawn ravioli and pesto pizza I have ever tasted. Here are a few images from my trip including one of the (almost) devoured ravioli!

Natalie

I love these images of the very talented Natalie Portman in the January 2010 edition of Marie Claire.

Sunday Afternoon

After a lovely day out in has been nice to come home and spend an hour or so in the garden. It is a great way to relax before another busy week ahead. Here are some images of my garden today. I hope you had a lovely, relaxing weekend too!

Behind the Scenes - Maiden Luxe photoshoot

Last weekend we had the photoshoot for Maiden Luxe. It was a beautiful afternoon and luck was shining upon us with the incredible weather and lighting. Here are some images behind the scenes at the shoot, next week I will be posting some of the beautiful images that our lovely, very talented (and heavily pregnant!) photographer Kim Selby shot. A huge thank you to Kate (styling and assistance), Sophie (model), Kim (photographer) and Margaret (make up artisit) who made the shoot great sucess.

Friday Night Drinks

It is an unseasonably cold day here today and I am off to (yet another!) Christmas party. It is a casual affair so my drink of choice tonight is a festive rum eggnog, this cute dress (worn by Jessica Alba) with a cardi to keep warm would be the perfect dress. Happy Friday!

Rum Eggnog Recipe:

Servings: 10
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces rum
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus a pinch to garnish
Method:
Place a large bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.
Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks and whites. Refrigerate the whites.
Once the bowl has chilled, add the egg yolks and use an electric hand mixer to beat for several seconds. Add the sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks have turned light yellow, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the rum, then beat until well mixed. Add the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg, then beat until well mixed. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Just before serving, place the egg whites in a second large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until they form stiff peaks. Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Finish by gently whisking the eggnog to smooth the texture. Serve immediately.

The Lovely Kate

I love this set of images of the lovely Kate Hudson for the January 2010 edition of Marie Claire.