The black felt hat - is everything!

 

If you go down to the woods today...

 

So the other day I visited the local woods for a day out in the sun. I had to cover up so I choose to wear my now beloved paisley MissGuided flares which I showed on an earlier post, as well as my old faithful black top. My favourite piece of the outfit however was my felt hat.

It really is everything this hat, its so stylish, covers you from the sun and occasionally hides a bad hair day (if and when we all have one!). I wore it on this occasion because of the heat!

 

I love that its felt, it will work so well in Autumn (or Fall depending on what you say!) as well as Summer - its so transitional. A straw brimmed hat just would not work as well. I have many straw brimmed hats and they just look nowhere near as good! Also you cannot wear them in Autumn!

 

As the Summer days left are limited its always good to enjoy every moment outside in the fresh air and the woods is a great place! Soon enough we will all be inside for the winter! *sadface. Although that may be sad I have to admit I am excited about the new autumn looks which will be showing on the blog soon!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

 

 

 

 While on our walk we found this little mysterious message! Im not sure what it even says 'what is drawn and ... something?' but we found it stuck to a tree! What an odd little message!

 

First visit to Cambridge

 

So earlier in the year I visited Cambridge for the first time.

The funny thing about that is the fact I don't live all that far away from it - yet I had never been!

It is the most gorgeous looking city (I think anyway) and I really hope to go back there soon!

The amount of really old grand architecture there was great, everywhere there were great photo opportunities.

I didn't upload these at the time mainly because my blog didn't exist then! (Its still an infant!) I'm uploading them now however and wondering what dates to choose for my next visit!

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos although you'll probably feel the same as me, in the fact I'm jealous that these were taken early spring and its now nearly the end of summer...

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

 

 

Above was a little old-fashioned pub we stopped in.

 

My Coffee and Walnut Cake!

So I baked! Yes I don't do it very often! I decided to make a coffee and walnut cake for the first time. I followed a basic Victoria Sponge recipe. This little recipe book seen is my mums and I think its from about the 1970's! Its so vintage I love it!
 So according to my Mums recipe I used 6 Oz (170g) of self raising flour, 4 Oz (113g) of sugar, 6Oz (170g) of Margarine and 3 eggs. I also added tiny amount of milk and a tiny amount of instant made coffee until it was the right consistency and colour.
Its very easy to make, its a basic all-in-one recipe. You mix the margarine and sugar until combined and light and then add in one egg and a small amount of flour at a time until all mixed in. Then add the milk and coffee until it is sort of 'glupy' (yes its obvious im not a professional baker!).

 

I put the mixture into two tins with grease proof paper on the bottom of each. I put them on the lower shelf of the oven at Gas Mark 4 for 25-30 mins. I checked it regularly to see how it was doing - as everyone cant help but to do! I then used a cake tester to make sure it was cooked all the way through and put it on a cooling rack.

I added icing on the top which is made simply by mixing icing sugar and a small amount of coffee and then put walnuts on the top. Its such an easy cake to make and tasted so good, especially as it was coffee which is my all time favourite!

I hope you like the look of this cake as much as I did eating it!

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

Pastels - Not just for Spring!

 

My outfit today is a go to look for S/S (although summers getting close to being over *sadface). The pastel colours and statement pieces will basically work for years to come because the items never really go out of style.

 

So the outfit is actually another 'skirt-over-dress' look! I wore my lace dress underneath a pretty floral skirt (which I have had ages) because I prefer the dress as a top! I also wore my old faithful denim jacket - you just cannot beat it. Denim Jackets go with literally anything and everything and beat the struggle people in England know all too well in the summer. Its knowing what to wear when often its too cold for bare arms but too hot for cardigans!

 

 On a quick note the image below of me was a trial of new camera equipment and I really liked the 'soft lighted and pretty look' it gave to the portraits! So although you cannot see my dress too well in the image I hope you like it!

 

My nails were painted in this amazing mint colour, it is a polish by Bijois. I got compliments about it all day because its unusual and so striking. I had never actually worn it before because I thought it would be too pale!

 I love the sunglasses I paired with the outfit, they have crystals in a V shape on each arm. They just add to the 'pretty' look created by the pastels. They are by Valentino.

The showstopper piece for me however is my Parfois bag with its landscape print on the front. Its so vibrant and looks similar to the part of Spain where I purchased it from! Its just so unusual and actually one of my favourite bags.

Finally my shoes are 'jelly type' with a slight wedge heel. They look so cute, the only problem is I cannot remember where I purchased them to let you know!

So I hope you enjoy this 'go to' easy look with its pastels and floral's. I honestly think pastels have the ability to make anyone look much younger which is a very good reason to wear them! To really set it off, pair it with bright lips and your good to go!

Jasmine X

(All images are mine, I am in no way associated with brands mentioned)

Paisley MissGuided Flares

 

This week I bought two pairs of flares, these are part one of two! The first are a denim pair which I will show when they arrive. These ones however are paisley printed 70's styled flares. They are really soft and really, really long! They are regular length yet they are long on me! Therefore if your buying them and are quite small I would advise you'll possibly need heels! They are from MissGuided and are now in sale and I would call them the bargain of the century!

 

 I have paired mine with a white cami top which is pain and simple so that all the attention is on my flares. I wore my round sunglasses to add to the 70's vibe. This look would be great for a festival lounging around in the sun on the grass.

 

I plan to wear these flares loads in Spain on my trip there this summer. I think that they will look great both for a daytime look and also for night-time. This is especially true as some nights even in the Mediterranean can be cool. Therefore these would work so well as they are so light and 'floaty'.

 

P.S. the amount of cute butterflies during shooting the pictures was great, so I had to photograph one!

 

 

 For accessories I wore my pearl tipped necklace I featured on an earlier post. I also wore a really amazing ring I bought, which you can get from lots of markets. Its made from lots of little beads in stems. For shoes I am wearing my boho style camel flats which are hidden underneath the very long flares! Finally I'm wearing my 70's retro styled sunglasses as I already mentioned.

Hope you like these flares and if you want a bargain head over to MissGuided where they are on sale!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine, I am in no way associated with brands shown)