Going dotty for Dorothy Perkins!

I absolutely love this spread in this week's Dorothy Perkins online magazine. How fab is that outfit? I'm quite lucky that there is not a "Buy all" button because I'm not sure my poor card could take that at the end of January! I will absolutely have to get these snake skinny jeans though, because I live in my black skinny jeans and I really do need some more options.

What do you love about this? You must love it surely?!

Sunday at Hemswell Market

Today I went for a wander around Hemswell Sunday Market in Lincolnshire. It is about a 10 minute drive from my house and such a fabulous place for encountering some great finds! It is in a huge airline hangar, so it's quite chilly but bringing the outdoors in meant that we could take the dogs for a quick sniff around too!

Those of you who follow me on Pinterest will have probably noticed that I'm on the lookout for a gorgeous old bookcase that I can do up and store all of my lovely books finally! Can't wait until I find one and I can get sanding and painting!

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Restaurant: Empress of Sichuan, Chinatown, London

Chinatown last night

Last night we went to Chinatown in London, as we had been in London flat hunting for Mark. We found a lovely 1bed in Finchley Central... But anyway, it was Chinese new year and I fancied some good food, so we hopped on the tube into Leicester Square and found a very lovely place, full of people (although many restaurants were) on Lisle Street.

"Chef Kang Dong was formerly the Head Chef of Dujiang Yan Grand Hotel in the Sichuan Province and has been perfecting his menu with over twenty years of experience in both China and Europe. He presents his dishes in style and with panache, keeping true to his roots by presenting unusual cuts of meat and offal with garlic, chilli and the ubiquitous Sichuan pepper."

Taken from the restaurant website 

Food: We enjoyed prawn crackers, crispy Peking duck with pancakes, hot and spicy ribs, chicken with red and green chillies, shredded pork in Peking sauce and fried noodles with vegetables. It was all delicious but we definitely over ordered as the servings were enough for 2 people per dish. We ended up bringing most of it home for lunch today.

Yummy Crispy Duck

Service: The staff were very lovely and extremely attentive, almost bordering on too much so but never overbearing. The waitresses all knew the menu well and were able to recommend dishes, help you choose between two different ones and give their own favourites. I probably wouldn't have plumped for the spicier ribs, had the waitress' eyes not lit up when I asked which were better. The chilli was a little too hot for me, but I quite liked the fact that it was too spicy because I don't often believe Chinese menus when they say 'very spicy'.

Price Range: The list of food above, plus 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine and 2 bottles of water came to £85. At just over £42pp, I wasn't shocked by the price, given the portion sizes, however it was more than I had estimated.

Lisle Street

Atmosphere: the decor of the restaurant is modern, yet still very Asian with fountains and lanterns tastefully added to a dark, classic decor style. The restaurant was buzzing, but not busy, there was a full mix of ages and races in there and everyone seemed to be enjoying their food. I would definitely go back.

Location: 6 Lisle Street, Chinatown, London, WC2H 7BG
Tel: 020 7734 8128
Web: www.empressofsichuan.com

Spotted this little side street on our way back to the station

Ideal Home Show Spring 2012

Did you realise that the Ideal Home Show has been running for 104 years? That's pretty impressive. This year they're back and it's looking better than ever. I have often received pr emails about this event but to be honest this is the first year that I have ever been interested in paying attention to it, because I've always been a live-out-of-a-suitcase kinda gal (not always by choice, but definitely by circumstance, so I am now excited by the prospect of owning pieces of furniture and kitchen equipment without knowing that I'm going to have to sell them somehow to get rid of them before I get on a plane. This doesn't mean that I won't ever travel or live abroad again, but I definitely want to have something to come back to when I do (or be able to take them with me!). Below is a little more info for those of you who are also looking to settle down a little bit and become a "homemaker."

I'm not very good at coming up with ideas for homes. I could never be an interior designer, I need to see it all put together first to know that it all works. I have more luck with outfits in that way. That's why I'm pretty excited to know that the showhomes at the show are actual life-size mock ups in a residential street. It'll be like snooping around the homes of interior designers. Very Location, Location, Location-esque but with a glamorous element. Not that the lovely Kirsty Allsopp isn't glam enough herself! Speaking of Kirsty, she was on hand to visit the Prince's Pavillion. An entirely eco-friendly concept in partnership with the Princes' trust, this attraction is new for 2012, celebrating great British design, sustainability and traditional skills. I am a big fan of this idea, as I am currently celebrating Why Britain is Great in a series of blog posts. For more info on this project, visit this page.

And for those not quite as willing to knock down walls willy-nilly like the lovely Kirsty, then there will be a simple How-To-Theatre for DIY newbies, as well as a huge gardening section to prepare you for getting outside when the warmer weather finally arrives. I'm a bit of a gadget geek, so the ideal Home of the Future section from Virgin Media will be showcasing all of the latest domestic appliances to make it more fun to be in the kitchen or avoid the cleaning.

I love food. I love cooking and I'm excited to know that the Ideal Home Show has a lovely cookery section, with live shows from celebrity chefs and Masterchef favourite I-love-my-puds food critic Gregg Wallace will be on hand to do some tasting with you.

But if you aren't quite into home decoration or getting on to the property ladder, don't forget that the Ideal Woman section will feature a live catwalk show and there will be a plethora of shopping options. They'll even ship your purchases to you, should you go a little crazy and don't fancy getting on the Tube with your stash.

For more info on attending the Ideal Home Show Spring 2012, the lovely PR people for the event have sent me all of the finalised details here:

Ideal Home Show 2012 sponsored by Everest, 16^thMarch to 1^st April, Earls Court, London.
To Book tickets now log on to http://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk or by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0844 858 6763. Group bookings can be made by calling the Groups Hotline on 0871 230 5581. The show will open its doors from the 16^th March – 1^st April 2012, and will be open Daily 10am - 6pm. Thursday open until 9pm.
The 2012 show is once again supporting the Ideal Homes For Heroes appeal in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – see www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/ideal-homes-for-heroes/ for details.

Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

This dvd home workout has been around for a while but I haven't tried it before. I'm a big fan of The Biggest Loser and I have used their Wii game in the past but as a general rule, I don't really enjoy workout dvds. I get very bored with them, they tend to be very repetitive as do the silly jokes made on them by the presenters. That really puts me off listening to them every day.

However, negativity aside I didn't want the expense of joining the gym when I moved back to England. And, neither did I particularly want to be a cliche: one of those people you stare at on the treadmill in the first week of January, knowing full well that they wont be around in February. And because I happened to move back into the area in December, I would therefore by default have had to become one of them.

So this dvd appealed for a couple of reasons:

1. It only lasts 30 days and it is broken down into 3 levels each of 10 days. For me that was a feeling of progression, by following a month-long programme and not just a cheap alternative to going to the gym.

2. It is not presented by some D-list celebrity who will be proclaiming how fat and unhappy they are on the front of Closer magazine in 6 months' time. Jillian Michaels is a bonafide personal trainer who I have seen transform people's lives over and over again on The Biggest Loser. She gets results. I want results. Simple.

I'll be blogging each level so for those of you interested in trying it, I'll try to be as detailed as possible, sweat drip by sweat drip. It's going to be fun.

Apres-Ski Glam

I've been looking for a pair of ankle wedges ever since I got back from Costa Rica. My go-to work-look out and about in Costa Rica was a pair of cropped trousers with a simple T-shirt or off-the-shoulder wide-striped jumper. It went brilliantly with sandals or stylish platformed heels but now I'm back to reality (and the British winter!), I need something else to go with my cropped trousers. Whilst style is important, comfort is also imperative because I am not one to let a pair of shoes sit in my wardrobe looking pretty and gathering dust (ah-hmm, Mother!). I actually wear my shoes.  Gosh, I'm a demanding gal!

 

However, browsing online today I found this fabulous pair of boots by London Rebel on Sarenza. Are they the answer to all of my freezing-tootsie needs? Well, they just may be! And they're perfect for wearing with rolled-up jeans too, which is great because I'm fed up of trying to cram my straight leg Levis into knee-high boots. All of that bulky denim sitting at the top of the boot is NOT a good look.

Faux-fur is NOT faux-fun!
A couple of weeks ago I popped on my faux-fur gilet over my black skinnies to go for a drink with my boyfriend who took one look at my outfit and proclaimed that I looked like an well-off, apres-ski wife in the chalet who said, "Dahhhling, I'd like a glass of Chardonnay." The problem was that I just had to put on my old, brown knee-highs and it just took away the glamour. I needed heels. I needed sheepskin wedges. That's why these shoes needs to be a part of my life. They make me want to curl up in front of the fire, click my expensively-manicured fingers and demand that chardonnay.

WIN! $500 to spend on joie.com!

I just found out about this contest on Polyvore and I'm on my way out for dinner so unfortunately don't have time to enter myself. Gutted - maybe I'll skip dessert! But you can all still do it - it ends at midnight  TONIGHT Pacific time! (For UK readers, that is 8am tomorrow morning!)

I'm a big fan of Polyvore (I reviewed the site here a few years ago) and I often use them for creating looks for my blog. Do you use it?

Joie is a fabulous label and they have a stunning website! Why not have a quick look around now and then enter the competition! You've got nothing to lose! Rules are below. Good luck!

Here is a little inspiration for you:

How to Enter:

• Create a Joie-inspired set for a chance to win a $500 gift card to joie.com! Your set will be featured on the Joie website if you are successful!
• All looks must include two of the featured items  on contest page and the "Style Your Look" logo.
• Winning set will be judged by Joie Fashion panel and announced Jan 20th!

I'm going to Paris!

Last night I booked a trip to Paris with my Mum! We are going for three days in February. I'm hoping it will be a fun girls' weekend packed to the brim with shopping and sightseeing, plus a little wine, cheese and crepes!

I have been there a couple of times before but there are a few things that I've never really done, that I would like to do. I'd like to go to Colette and see the Mona Lisa (I went to the Louvre but they closed the other half before I got there!).

Crepes in the Latin Quarter

Jardin des Tuileries

Do any of you have ideas of where to go and what to do whilst I'm there? Off the beaten track? Any good cafes or restaurants that I should do?

Glamour at the Golden Globes

If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I stayed up and tweeted my way through the red carpet show for the Golden Globe Awards last night, staying up til almost 2am to watch it. When the alarm went off this morning, I was NOT a happy bunny!

One of the main things that came across last night on the Golden Globes red carpet was that glamour is back in a big way. Big gowns and big hair are right up my street so staying up to watch the red carpet arrivals on E! was a real pleasure! Dresses were long and stylish with lots of sumptious material and textures, fishtails, sequins and jewels. One of my favourites was Sofia Vergara, who kept her hair, makeup and jewellery simple and let the beautiful gown do the talking. There were a lot of nude, wedding dress looks but there were also great punches of colour up and down the red carpet.

How stunning does Reese look? And Salma is looking fabulous! 

What was your favourite look?

Why Britain is Great: Pub Quizzes

Given that English pubs will easily consitute an entire post in themselves, I am starting here with the wonder that is The Great British Pub Quiz. Whilst it isn't entirely well-documented when and where pub quizzes started, we can almost definitely claim that it is British and my extensive sources and research (ie googling Wikipedia) can confirm this.

This may be the hardest round that I have ever seen!

I do love a good quiz. As does my boyfriend Mark, so we often try and find a great local quiz when I'm at his. His family are really into quizzing too so it's lovely to go in a big group. And now that I am back in Lincolnshire I am looking into some of the local quizzes around here with my mum, as well as a couple of pub meals whilst I'm at it!

Isn't he lovely?

What constitutes a quality quiz for me is a good mix of questions. I want general knowledge, things that have been in the news and also a little bit of celebrity gossip, just so that I can throw out my extensive knowledge (usually as the only one at the table with any clue!). We frequented so many over the Christmas period that our 2011 knowledge got better at each one, which really helped us as we hadn't been in the country for such a huge part of the year (I spent about 5 weeks in the UK last year!)

My local quiz produced this on Friday

Do you love a good pub quiz? Where are your favourites?

Christmas by Instagram

I never did share my lovely Christmas pictures with you. I was trying to get my Instagram on my phone to talk to my Instagram on my iPad and somehow get that on to my laptop... confusing to say the least! However, I have cracked it! I'm not a technophobe... I swear...

I spent Christmas Eve with my boyfriend and his brother and fiancee in the pub before catching the train home for Christmas Day at home and then driving over to my grandparents for Boxing Day. I then spent a good few days on the sofa with a box of Quality Street getting over all of the festivities! Hope you all enjoyed your holidays!

I heart this!

This is amazing. I just found it on Pinterest.

Do you pin?

Today, statistically, should be CRAP!

It's official. The second Wednesday in January is statistically the most depressing day of the year. It's not Christmas anymore - and doesn't your wallet know it! -, the shops are now filled with Cadbury's Creme Eggs and various other Easter goodies that not only make you groan in the same way that you did when tinsel appeared in Tesco in September, but also despair because salivating at the sight of shelves and shelves of sweet, sweet chocolate is not wholly conducive to your new fitness regime, which is waning slightly because on Friday night you were so proud of yourself for getting through the week that you went for a curry. And a glass of wine. Ok, maybe two. I certainly did.

My Monday lunchtime Bellinis...

At this point in the month, you are either still going hardcore (very unlikely), have completely given up and hit the leftover Christmas chocolates (well, they couldn't just SIT there could they?) OR if you are like me, you doing all of the above - in moderation. This seems to make sense anyway, as any kind of hugely restrictive attitude towards food and exercise will only serve to drive you crazy by the time you reach your second alcohol-free, sugar-free, fun-free weekend of 2012. And if you are one of those saints, raving on about how this detox has made you feel new again and everyone should do a juice cleanse and yoga session, then quite frankly, you can take your holier-than-thou comments and shove them, well, I imagine you-know-where. And that doesn't mean that I don't believe that it works for you, because I'm sure that it does, but it certainly doesn't work for me. Yes, I am watching what I am eating and YES I am actually working out every day following a programme, but if I blabber on about it, then it will become an obsession and a fad and I'll give it up as soon as I get fed up of listening to myself go on.

At lunch the other day with a friend, I must have mentioned 'points' about fifteen times. Apologies to her because I was actually chowing down on a pizza at the time and it was mighty good. And it was tracked. And I worked out that morning. So actually, I'm making this healthy lifestyle part of my life, not just my January. In fact, I have been doing so for about a year and a half now. It feels good.

It's a crying shame that my new start has actually coincided with the New Year, so I actually seem to have a lot of resolutions (see Monday's post) (and I do state that they are resolutions giving into the hype, even though I don't like that label). However, I have been wanting to make the leap to write full-time from home for a while, and moving back to the UK just happened to be at Christmas, so so be it. Apologies if I seem like a hypocrite but incidentally, if you are lacking in friends willing to go for a Friday night curry and a glass of wine in January, give me a call. Everything in moderation.

Home is not so bad...

Look at these beautiful pictures of the slow sunrise yesterday. I was in a hurry to work out and get to the station to meet my friend, otherwise I would have sat with my coffee and enjoyed the view. I love how the pink just sits above the old English houses and the church... So pretty.

2012: Time to SORT IT OUT!

For those of you who follow me on Twitter (@stefaniegrace), you may have already noticed a couple of my#2012SortItOut hash tags. 
This is one all-encompassing New Year's resolution. Whilst I do hope that this is not perceived to be too general, the actual hope it that it will be rather easy to stick to, due to the fact that it can apply to anything, from tidying up something at the time as opposed to doing it later to fixing your attitude.


In fact, the following list is actually what is does apply to in traditional resolution terms:

• Career: This is the year that I hope to become completely self-sufficient on freelance writing. I have moved home in order to have no great outgoing expenses but am hoping not to be here this time next year. Equally I do not wish to give up and go and get a job in the City like everybody else.
• Fitness: Cliche I know, but never mind. I am actually someone who works out a lot but hasn't in the last couple of months due to moving house and going away etc. I am about 3 stones (42 lbs) lighter than I was when I was 20. However, I do have a little more weight to lose in order to be truly happy and fighting fit. I keep hitting plateaus, so I am hoping that by sorting out a simple routine that I will find it easier to fit in exercise as part of my day.
• Food: As well as fitness, I also want to be cooking a lot more which should help with weight loss. Yesterday, I proved that I could do that quite easily. Now I just have to keep it up. I am always looking to share recipes and get tips from all of you so don't be shy here in the comments, on Twitter and on Facebook...
• Finances: This is a big one. Since leaving university, Ive had a fabulous time and really lived the high life. However, this has taken a toll on my bank account and savings are unheard of. Time to rein it in. This will not be easy.
• Positivity: I have a tendency to complain about things even if I dont actually care that much about what I'm saying. It's a bad habit that I'm in and makes me seem way more negative than I actually am, so I'm working on happiness and positivity. This was something that I worked on last year too and I'm in such a good place for it. If you haven't read Gretchen Rubin's 'The Happiness Project', please go and buy it right now. It was my book of 2011 (and I read a lot of them!)

What are your New Year's resolutions? Have you stuck to them so far?

Sunday: three courses, of course!

I got busy in the kitchen today. I love it when Sundays can be all about cooking and family time! I awoke to the sound of my brother's music playing (not my favourite, I'll admit but still...) and to my Mum laughing at Friends reruns downstairs. On Comedy Central, they were playing Chandler's best episodes and every single one was simply hilarious!

So when I finally managed to get up off the sofa, I headed to the supermarket to stock up on healthy ingredients for my three course extravaganza. No special occasion, except maybe the last day of the holidays as everyone gets back into work mode tomorrow. The pluses of living with a teacher is taking the same long holidays as them! 

So first up was Grilled Portobello Mushroom with vegetables and goats cheese with a balsamic glaze.  This was followed by Spaghetti Bolognese made with Turkey Mince, making it very low fat and not at all greasy. Result!

Finally this extravaganza is homemade LOW FAT strawberry cheesecake. I was amazed, firstly, that it set so well and cut into such perfect slices, but also that it tasted so good and not at all low fat. Pretty darn proud of myself there if you don't mind me saying. (Thanks to Weight Watchers for the recipe however...) Afterwards we played Scrabble (one the iPad!) and I finally got around to painting my nails. A lovely evening!

And this is my ultimate boast: Look at the beautifully clean and organised fridge stocked full of wonderful healthy ingredients for a great week! Gold star to me!

I'm off to meet a friend from uni tomorrow for the day, meaning work will have to be put off for another day. Oops! 

How did you spend your Sunday? Hope you all have a great week!