I'm a simple soul and nothing is dearer to my heart than my friends and family, so to celebrate my upcoming 27th Birthday I had a bunch of them around for some food, drinks and a old whack at the Pinata.  The rain was on and off but our trusty garden cover was the hero of the day...and my oldest sister Eiza who made the best friend chicken EVER!  Here are some photos, as you can tell people got way in to bashing the poor donkey.

Pere lachaise cemetary, on a sunny morning is strangely pleasant and beautiful.  We went to walk around there as soon as it opened and were impressed by the beautiful tombs and crypts.  It is known for holding the graves of many famous Frenchman and other well known people too like Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison.  After that we walked around the trendy Canal St Martin area where we had a nice Flat white from Cafe Ten Belles, sat along the canal and then shuffled through the wonderful books at design book shop Artazart.  I bought a fantastic book about Brand identities for small businesses and it has given me so many ideas, I carry it around with me everywhere recently!  After grabbing a drink at one of the many outdoor cafe bars along the streets of Paris we went to the largest flea Market the city had to offer, St-Ouen Flea Market.  It has some beautiful stalls that make you wish you had 100 rooms of your own to decorate.  The Market though is located right next to another market that sells cheap clothes and electronics which was a little manic when we were there.  To end the day which was our last we had a lovely steak and frites dinner at RELAIS DE L’ENTRECOTE, accompanied with a lovely reserve.  After dinner, we ran to get our bags and rushed to the Bus Station for our 11pm trip back to London.  And, that was that...for now anyway.  Paris Je t'aime. 

Two days in Paris is not enough especially if the last time you were there you were fourteen and travelling with mum and dad.  Saying that though, two days is all we had and we made the most of it.  Taking the coach meant cheap travel but it left me feeling quite sleepy when we arrived in at 5.30am, and then waiting until 6am for the Metro to open didn't help.  Once we finally got on the Metro the excitement started as I started to hear French words flitting through the air, party goers on their way home and the quaint tiled signs showing each station.  We alighted near the Notre Dam and saw the sites in the early morning choosing against mingling with the tourist groups that would of visited later in the day.  Sauntering along the River we made our way past all the major landmarks including Mr Eiffel Tower and ended at the Modern Art Museum.  It was reaching half one, and we were allowed to check in at 2pm so after 7hrs of morning site seeing we went to sleep ready for the evening.  The evening was all about Montmarte (the home of Amelie!) where we climbed up the steps to the Sacre Coeur, ate a lovely dinner just off the main cobbled streets; enjoyed the beautiful sunset over Paris and grabbed a few drinks.  I made everyone walk to the Moulin Rouge because I am cheesy tourist.  We did do a whole bunch of walking this trip but to me that is the best way to explore all the nooks and crannies.  Part two to come...

Take me back there!

I have not been able to get around to posting some original content recently but to fill the void lets look at this pretty lady in pretty Kenzo.

Last week I attended the Company Style Blogger awards which I know many of you voted for me to win the 'Best Designed' category.  Again, thank you so much.  Unfortunately I did not win but as much as it is a cliche to say, I feel special even getting so far.  

The night was fun too and there were so much awesome freeness (inc, BAR!!) that the goodie bag alone made the wearing heels in the rain worth it.  As I turned up alone I was a bit apprehensive as to how the night will pan out but after doing the room circle, you know; when you do a lap of the place you are to check out the scenery (usually apt for when going to the club) and taking some snaps here and there I sat down and got to chatting to the lovely Toni from tandffashion; her blog was up for best style blog.  We stuck together for the rest of the night and it was a blast, and get this....SHE GREW UP IN WEMBLEY!  Like me!  Haha.

So after the awards were read out there were many things to check out like a sunglasses customizing section, a Paul Mitchell hair corner and a photobooth.  As I am balls at at 'networking' I gave myself one goal and it was to chat to the Editor of the magazine Vicky White, and I did and she was a doll.  Without much strategy I ended up nattering away to the acting Photo Editor and a features writer which was nice too.  The annoying thing was that everyone was asking if I had a card....do people who blog have cards now?!  That is something I never considered, especially when the idea of writing as a title 'blogger' actually make me cringe.

The whole night was an enjoyable experience but something I am not seeking to attend often.  However, after the night was over, when I was travelling home I did have some ideas about the future of my blog; what it could be as a brand and the overall direction of it and it put my mind into overdrive.  In a good way!  In conclusion, there is a lot of work that needs to be done by me, but hard work pays off right??

Mexico.  Teen Vogue.  Fashion.  I love all of these things and was happy to see this lovely shoot in the youth Magazine's latest edition.  Exotic beauty Dalianah Akerion looks equally local and other worldly as she poses among the beautiful scenes of Mexican rural life.  Shot by Sebastian Kim this editorial is definitely an unintentional travel advert to visit this amazing place and it's people.