8 Awesome Things From May
Think of today's post as a conversation between friends as that is the only way to describe what I'm about to share. And as sharing is caring I wanted to divulge the details on some of the things that I'm seriously enjoying right now. I've got everything from a new Breton to stationery to even a new pair of wellington boots, so there is a bit of everything for you to enjoy this Sunday.
JOULES WELLIES
If you read this style post I wrote a few weeks ago then you will know that I was thinking about replacing my Hunter Wellies. And it was something that I knew I was going to have to do at some point and I didn't really love the baby blue anymore. But then I discovered that they had cracked and were no longer waterproof, I found out the hard way when the dogs started splashing around in a stream and I had a very soggy sock. With my birthday on the horizon, it seemed like the perfect time to add a new pair of wellies to my wishlist. As much as I love Hunters they were a little out of my price bracket this time so I opted for a pair from Joules. A store that I absolutely love for my Breton's but I've never bought anything else from them and I'd heard that their wellies are fantastic. I'm just a few wears in but I'm so, so pleased with them, they're much softer than Hunters which I love as it makes them lighter and easier to wear in the summer months. I've not had any issues with them giving me blisters either, they do run a little large so probably best to size down and they are quite slim on the calf too. It was pretty tempting to opt for the dog print ones but alas, no whippets to be seen!
Art work
I've been making great progress with my gallery wall above my office sofa and it makes me so happy to see it fill up with beautiful artwork. I received a few new pieces for my birthday and I just had to give them some air time on the blog as it's something that people always seem interested in. The quote print is from the wonderful brand Katie Leamon*, a stationery brand that I absolutely adore. Everything they do is absolutely beautiful and I've got a couple of new products that I'm excited to use. You can't go wrong with blush pink and gold lettering if you ask me. The second print I'm excited to share with you is a beautiful commission painting of Josie which was one of my birthday presents from my boyfriend. Of course, we all know that Josie is the love of my life, that not so little pupper now is so special to me. So when I saw that he'd got a custom painting of my all-time favourite photograph of her I wanted to cry. It's by a lovely artist called Harriet Lowther who mostly paints hounds in all sorts of different styles. As Josie is only one she's hopefully got many more years left with us but having keepsakes of her is just so special and when I'm not looking at her actual face when sat in my office she's always around me.
WHIPPET FIGURES, NOTEPADS, PINS AND KEYRINGS
Not so surprisingly when it came to my birthday I got a lot of hound related things, I promise this post wasn't supposed to be just sharing what I got for my birthday but it looks like it's going that way. Of course, everybody knows I'm fanatical about my dogs, they are so, so important to me so anything whippety usually comes my way. From my best friend, she bought me that lovely key ring with the girl's names on and as it's incredibly delicate it's living on my desk right now as I cannot bear from it to get bashed around. Then a fellow whippie owner got these handmade models of Josie and Edie made for me and I'm absolutely in love them. We all know that I love little trinkets like this and I will keep these forever. They live on my desk and every time I look at them they fill me with joy as they're so incredibly thoughtful.
Then there is another little whippet pin [it's modelled on Edie] to join my Josie pins which comes from the amazing Little Charm Store. I have mentioned Elaine's Etsy store a couple of times but I can't resist mentioning her at any chance I get. She makes these beautiful little hound pins that are made out of beads and you can get them custom made to represent your dog. You can get any pupper made too so if you're as obsessed with your dog as much as I am then do check her work out. And something really special that she does is donates all the money made from these pins to several hound rescue centers. The final whippet related item that has made me happy lately is a new brand to me called Rollo London*. A luxury stationery brand whose logo is a little whippet, isn't it amazing when your two loves collide? The quality of the notepads reminds me Smthyson and would make a seriously beautiful gift for anyone. I'm not allowing myself to write in them yet until I have finished my current notepad as that is one of my worst habits. I like to start new notepads left and right, especially when I'm feeling uninspired but I'm forcing myself to finish up my current journal so I can get started on these.
DENIM SHORTS
Something that I really wanted to make sure I did this year was to push myself to wear shorts as I feel really self conscious in them. I absolutely love skirts and dresses but they're not the most practical for dog walks but they're what I feel the happiest wearing when it's too warm for leggings. I think the biggest battle for me was finding a style of short that I felt super comfortable in and I think what works best for me is high waisted and frayed. I find that anything on my hips or quite long makes me feel like a child and really stumpy. And I've already got enough of a complex about my legs but my new pairs makes things look elongated but my bum isn't on show. I got a black pair from Topshop that are distressed and super casual meaning they're incredibly comfy, I can even wear these in the house when it's warm enough in our sun dodging terrace. I also picked myself up a pair from Monki when I'd been in London for work and had a chance to wander around a couple of shops. I found this traditional denim pair and I love the fit of them and paired with a white tee I think they're such a classic wardrobe piece. With both pairs, I have to wear a belt as my bum is much bigger than my hips so I do get a weird gap that is irritating but unavoidable.
CAMI & BRETONS
A birthday treat to myself was a navy Breton from Joules, a store I know I can turn to when in need of a new striped number. I was missing a classic navy Breton from my collection and I cannot recommend Joules enough as they're the perfect fit and style for me. Thick and weighty but I never find myself overheating and of course, effortlessly chic. And something slightly out of comfort zone is a new cami, my friend Jen pointed me in the way of these from Topshop and I'm a sucker for anything with those buttons. I haven't worn a cami in a good while as for some reason I convinced myself my armpits looked strange but now I've got over that weird stage I'm embracing them again. With either shorts or my khaki jeans, I've really enjoyed wearing it. The one downside is that I find it ever so slightly boxy in fit which I know isn't something that everybody loves. Oh, and it's linen too which is perfect for the humid weather!
