More things for Autumn

So clearly I can’t stop planning for Autumn and Winter. Seriously I keep seeing things that I want/need to own. Why is there so much great stuff in the shops and why haven’t I won the lottery so that I can treat myself? Maybe I should just not go near shops or online at all and then I wouldn’t see all these things. But then life would be boring and it’s nice to dream and look at even if you can’t do anything more than give each item a quick stroke or longing look before walking past. On the plus side it is not too long now until Christmas so at least when people ask me what I want I will have a ready made list (or two) to go to! Anyway here’s my latest loves, be warned it’s highly likely that you will see a lot more of these over the coming months, I girl can but dream right!

Lau’s Autumn Wishlist by lauevans

Check Skirt, Fat Face / Kissing Stags Cushion, Anorak

Cable Knit socks, Joules / Mini Bow Ring, Kate Spade / Chevron Throw, BHS

 Padlock Tote Bag, M&S / Fairisle Cardigan, Fat Face / Riding Boots, M&S

Fluffy socks and blankets, plus fairisle knits? I’ve found my own little piece of heaven right here in this post. Isn’t that what the cold weather is all about? Although I’m not sure I would ever spend £25 on a pair of socks. It may be time to fetch out the knitting needles and get practicing my cable.

Also I am so tempted by the boots, I’ve been searching for the perfect pair for ages and ages and then I found these and they fit perfectly around the calves – miracles of miracles. But can I really spend £99 on boots? I know that so reasonable for riding boots but I still sort of balk at that price tag. Hmmm, watch this space because honestly these are my favourite thing on this whole board of beautiful things.

Okay one final thing about these lovely things. The ring – the Kate Spade ring. I am obsessed with it and yes while it isn’t officially autumnal or wintery (yes, I know that#s not a real word) I love love love it. It’s an obsession. Hence the inclusion. What can I say, I’m a sucker for shiny things with bows! Plus I want a ring for my middle finger on my left hand and this just grabbed my attention straight away. This is definitely making it’s way onto my Christmas list.

What bits and bobs have you all got your eye on? Tell me please, although don’t make them too lovely otherwise I will need them too!

Lau xxx

My Dream Debenhams Bedroom

As I mentioned the other day I am taking part in the Debenhams dream bedroom challenge. It’s being judged by Annie of Mammasaurus and Jen from Love Chic Living. Up for grabs are £500 worth of Debenhams vouchers so it’s totally worth getting your dream bedroom into the competition too.

Personally I am always dreaming about making changes to my bedroom, I love sleeping you see so it’s a bit of a favourite place of mine! Therefore this Debenhams competition has come at the right time, you see it allows me to dream, peruse and plan to my heart’s content with the added bonus that I might win this competition which would bring my dream bedroom closer to a reality. Only a little closer mind you as I don’t think i’ll ever get the huge space with walk in wardrobes and glass walls that I’m dreaming about but hey, that’s what dreaming is for right?

My Debenhams Dream Bedroom by lauevans featuring white home decor

So what did I pick?

Firstly dark wood is a bit of a favourite thing of mine. So the Elba bedstead and the chest of drawers were literally made for me. I’d actually get two of the chests as I can’t see a wardrobe that I’d like. Plus the top of the drawers are perfect for putting all my bits and bobs. I’d actually probably use one as a dressing table and then have photos and other knick knacks on the other.

Rich Dark Acacia ‘Elba’ drawer chest – £400 (originally £1000) x 2 = £800

Rich Dark Acacia ‘Elba’ bedstead – £440 (originally £1100)

With all the dark wood the rest of the room needs to be all about colour. Hence the gorgeous Matthew Williamson bedding and the teal snuggler chair (great name by the way!).

Green chinoise bed linen – £30 (originally £60)

After the bed comes the bedding, hello gorgeous Matthew Williamson bedding.

Teal arundel ‘Goodwood’ snuggler armchair – £660 (originally £1650)

Then we come to accessories a mirror, a lamp, some photo frames and a couple of trunks for stacking on top of each other.

Wood pink oval mirror – £16 (originally £20)

White bird and branch table lamp – £78

White resin photo frame – £14.40 (originally £18) x 3 = £43.20

White large trunk – £40 (originally £50) x 2 = £80

Last but not least is a throw and lots of cushions for the snuggler armchair. Somewhere to curl up with a book and waste an hour or two!

We Love Cushions Button cushion – £28 (originally £35)

Embroidered birds and flower cushion – £24 (originally £30)

Mauve fleece throw – £10 (originally £20)

So there we have it, my dream bedroom coming in at £2,209.20 What do you think? What would you do with your bedroom if you had £5000?

Lau xxx

p.s. Someone please buy me the chair please, it looks so perfect for winter months in front of the fire 🙂

Favourite Things #33

So I found myself wasting about two hours on the Urban Outfitters website the other day. It’s not somewhere I visit often (the website or the shop) as I find it a little bit overpriced and a maybe a bit to quirky for my tastes. So I’m not sure what took me there the other day but once I was browsing I just couldn’t stop. I came across lots of lovely things, so I’m sharing them with you lovely little people for today’s favourite things posts. These are all things that I would love to own – if money was limitless of course!

Number 1 –  Frame It tape – this is a totally genius way to display pictures, wrap presents or decorate anything. The possibilities are endless.

Number 2 – Beracamy Provato leather bag – I need this bag in my life. Everyone should have a red bag right??

Number 3 – Eleven Paris Batman top – In my humble opinion this would be perfect for running in.

Number 4 – Mechanical Coloured Pencils – Here comes my inner stationary geek. Coloured mechanical pencils, what more could you want?

Number 5 – Fabric and Twine Memo board – I love this. We are actually hoping to make something similar for our picture wall in the living room. I love the idea of pegging up pictures, it’s such a simple idea and it means that you can always be changing them around and updating as you get new pictures.  

Number 6 – Squirrel Soap Dispenser – Coolest. Soap dispenser. ever.

Lau xxx

Customer Service

I was having a conversation the other day about customer service and I suddenly realised that people only ever complain about bad customer service, they rarely praise the good. Me included. Don’t you think it is such a rarity to hear when people get it right. But it does happen all the time, people in a shop or restaurant make you feel welcome, smile and treat you properly. They do their job well. Like the lovely ladies and gents at my local Starbucks who are always so friendly, they have time for a laugh or a quick chat, but they also know when you don’t want much interaction as it’s so early. Then there’s the super lovely staff at Five Guys who were happy to chat and explain things, the smile guys at Strada, or the girls at Oliver Bonas the other week who were super helpful and went above and beyond what was needed.

So with that in mind here’s my pledge to you, I’m going to start shouting (here read tweeting) good customer service from the rooftops, I’m going to thank people for going that extra mile, for smiling and being happy during interactions with me, their customer.

Before that though I will say I had a truly hideous experience at Jack Wills a couple of months ago when I tried to return the dress previously mentioned in New Dress Glee. I’m not going to go into details but I will say this – the zip was broken, it was unworn and all the tags were still on it. Yet the shop manager was absolutely awful to deal with and after she finally gave me some money back she acted like she was doing me a favour. Obviously I’m going to spend the gift card that I now have, but after that I don’t think I’m going to be rushing back to this shop. Yes they have some lovely things, but that doesn’t meant they can’t be pleasant.

Anyway, on a happier note, I have a voucher to spend so what shall I spend it on? I’ve put together a bit of a collage of all the things I’m liking right now. It all looks very autumnal doesn’t it, I’m pretty certain grey, maroon, mustard and brown are going to be my go to colours for the coming season. Well if I get some more in my cupboard that is! How snuggly does the hoody look and isn’t that honey coloured cardigan divine? I think the collar on the top just dresses it up that bit more. Plus there’s a pencil case – I love me some stationery!

Jack Wills: how to spend my voucher by lauevans featuring Jack Wills

What do you think I should go for? Here’s hoping the customer service has improved since my last visit!

Lau  xxx

July shopping spree aka budgeting bloggers

So this month the budget has basically gone out the window! The whole idea of a budget just disappeared and I shopped way too much. With an unexpected trip to Westfield on the first day of the new month it was never going to end well was it! So my credit card may hate me right now but I’ve finally got a summer wardrobe that I’m happy with. My clothes from last summer are all too loose, so they’ve either gone on eBay  been donated to family/friends or been bagged up for the charity shop leaving me with almost nothing to wear. Before this month I didn’t own a pair of shorts, more than a handful of summer tops (black, blue and navy are my staples apparently), more than one jacket and the only summer dresses/skirts I had were only beach appropriate if I didn’t want to wear leggings. So yes I had quite a way to go. Couple this need with a sudden heatwave in the UK and a holiday at the end of the month and you can see what happened! Anyway I’m not going to berate myself, I’m going to smile over the lovely purchases I have and enjoy them. Most of them I did think about a lot and I waited around until they were cheaper so that’s something at least!

1. Skinny Mini Skimmer Khakis, Gap, £14.99 (originally £34.99) – I mentioned these ages ago as the summer trousers that I wanted. Well they finally dropped into the sale so I grabbed them straight away and have worn them non stop ever since! The green colour was particularly perfect when I was in Dublin for the weekend – I blended straight in!

2. Denim jacket, H&M, £15 (originally £30 – I have been eyeing up this jacket for awhile and almost bought it last month when I had my spree in H&M, so you can imagine my delight when I saw it was half price in the H&M sale. Obviously I snapped it up straight away with shouts of glee and it’s lucky I did as the next day it had disappeared from the website (which is why there’s no link), so my timing was perfect. It’s so comfy and easy to throw on over any outfit.

3. Sunkissed Shorts, Gap, £14.99 (originally £24.99) – I actually got these in navy, but they aren’t available online so the pink will have to do. Another item (along with the cropped trousers) that was on my need to buy list and another Item I waited to drop into the sale. Totally worth it and they’ve been worn numerous times already thanks to the previously mentioned heatwave. Plus the navy colour is perfect as it goes with practically everything else already in my wardrobe!

4. Faux Patent Leather Flip Flops, Forever 21, £7.40 – Oh dear, I found myself in Forever 21 – oops. This might have been when things started to go wrong! As I do this thing where everything is such a good price that I pick it all up and then end up with a huge total at the end – it’s like Primark in that respect. Yes I did need new sandals as they look a lot smarter than my havianas, and they were super cheap – but they weren’t a necessity this month!

5. Monochrome Polka Dot Espadrilles, New Look, £9.99 – These shoes were desperately needed to replace a pair that I bought last year from Primark that have now most definitely seen better days. There was an incident with rain and a lot of puddles which means that those shoes are no longer white and they also have a bit of a dodgy smell going on. So out with the old and in with these new lovelies. They are so comfy and I just love the polka dot pattern, they’re are also perfect for the summer – you know when you want something more than flip flops but less than a ballet pumps. I never seem to find much clothing wise in New Look, but I love the shoes.

6. Essential Tank in cream and light pink, Forever 21, £2.00 each  – A bit boring, but essentials to replace others that are dying in my wardrobe.

7. Multicoloured Striped Top, Forever 21, £12.75 – Again not needed, but I love it and have worn it a lot already. Plus it’s a light jumper and we know how much I love jumpers!

8. Wild Garden Print Racerback Tank, Forever 21, £9.75 – This is such a summery vest and it was sorely needed. Plus it works perfectly with both my trousers and shorts.

9. F&F Fit and Flare Dress, Tesco, £0 (gift, originally £25) – Okay so this dress isn’t included on the adding up of my spending this month as it was a present from my Mum but I wanted to include it as I love it so much. My Mum and I were in Tesco’s picking up some last minute barbecue bits and I ended up trying on a lot of things. This dress was one of them. I decided against buying it preferring the other items and also not knowing when I’d wear it as it’s quite smart and all the events coming up where I could wear it had outfits planned already. Anyway my Mum loved it so much on me that she bought it for me – total love right there. It turns out that this was doubly lovely as the next day I was organising my outfit for a wedding at I discovered that the zip on the dress I had bought for the occasion back in March (see here) was broken and therefore I wasn’t going to be able to wear that dress. I was so angry but thanks to Mummy Evans I had a dress on hand all ready to wear.

10. F&F Floral Floppy Skirt, Tesco, £12 – I’ve actually been searching for a skirty that I can wear without leggings for ages. So many skirts at the moment are unbelievably short that I have visions of flashing to all and sundry and I don’t want to have to wear leggings all the time, I mean my legs are never going to get brown at that rate right?! So discovering this skirt was a bit of a eureka moment. There was so many other patterns and colours that I was seriously tempted to get more that one. but i’ve stopped myself, for now at least. Also it’s not too summery so I will easily be able to wear this with tights and boots in the winter.

11. Red flowered dress, Tesco, £25 – So I saw this and couldn’t resist. I love the tea dress style and again it’s long enough to wear to work bare legged – anyone else sensing a theme? – and will work in the winter with tights and boots too.

Plus…

Metallic Striped Scarf, Forever 21, £8.40 – totally not needed, but so pretty!

Blue patterend top, Sainsbury’s, £7 (originally £14) – so I saw this on sale when I was food shopping, some how it found it’s way into my basket.

Maxi dress, Tesco, £22.00 – Another much needed item I plan on wearing this to death when I’m in Wales – in fact as this is posting while I’m away I’m probably wearing it right now!

I also picked up a couple of essential items –

Two pairs of pajamas, Primark, £16
Workout trousers, Primark, £7

Total = £186 – £37.50 items sold = £148.50

Surprisingly I’m only over my budget by £28.50 when you take off the money I made by selling a few things.

I’m linking up with Franish and the rest of the Budgeting Bloggers.

Lau xx

p.s. apologies for the bad formatting, wordpress was not cooperating and I gave up in the end!