A spot of DIY and some gorgeous jewellery

What I’ve been up to

Well hello there, how are you doing? Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. So this week, I have just about started to get my routine back. Ivy is finally doing full days at school and seems to be doing well, although she is refusing to eat the school lunches so I may have to get back to packed lunches for her. Tilda is still loving her new school too so all is good so far.

On my first full day at home without the kids my parents very kindly came down to help get a load of DIY jobs done. This was a great way to get the house back in order after the summer. Isn’t it amazing the things that you put up with around the house after a while. We had a broken curtain rail, a drawer front that had come off the fitted cupboards and a shelf that had been pulled off the wall. All jobs that needed fillers and drills and well….my dad!

I’m pretty good with basic DIY, but with everything else I do, these jobs just end up on the back burner. So I was very grateful for my parents to come to the rescue. It also meant that I was able to get my brand new Erica Davies mirror that I had just bought from QVC, put up at the top of the stairs. It’s a gold-coloured mirror with monstera leaves around the edge and I just love it.

We used to have a picture at the top of the stairs but the mirror has opened up the space beautifully, not to mention brought more reflected light to the landing. I then placed one of my monstera plants next to it on the window ledge to keep it company! I will also be presenting the next live Erica Davies show at 2pm on Monday 23rd with the latest pieces in the collection. So set the reminders as there are some fantastic pieces.

On Wednesday, Fred and I realised it was the anniversary of our very first date, 16 years ago! So we thought with a day to ourselves, and Fred working from home we would take advantage of a lunch offer at one of our local restaurants. It’s called Zim Braai and it’s a South African menu. Fred and I have had many a trip to Cape Town before we had kids and it’s one of our favourite places in the world. So it felt very apt to go there for this particular mini celebration.

They were doing two burgers and chips for £10 so it was a cheap date too, haha. They were Borere Burgers and really good, and a lovely opportunity for us to get out and enjoy some food together without having to get up and down from our seats every five minutes to sort the kids. Obviously it’s fun taking the kids out too but it was nice to enjoy each other’s company on our own for a change.

What I’ve been wearing

I found a couple of great pieces for you this week. I know, I know I said I was going to avoid leopard print for a while but I can’t help myself! First up, with all the fabulous prints that we have it’s important to have a few plain pieces to balance things out. That’s why I love this Phase Eight top. It’s so simple, bar the gold buttons on the shoulders and the cuffs, it’s completely clean. It’s the ideal piece to bring together lots of other outfits. We have it in camel and black and I am going to be ordering both. Perfect to balance pattern but also great with jeans for casual daytime and smart trousers for work. It’s largely viscose too so nice and breathable.

The skirt is Ben de Lisi and in classic traditional leopard print. This colour pallet works as a good natural base so can be teamed with lots of bright colours too. The camel top is perfect for going tonal but I would wear pinks, oranges, reds and yellows with this skirt, actually pick any colour, green and blue would work too! It’s a pull-on skirt so no zips or buttons to worry about and it’s incredibly comfortable too.

Jewellery

I’m bringing you a bit of a jewellery edit this week as there is a lot going on in this department. Exciting new styles and new brands too!

Firstly I want to introduce you to Sam Ubhi, a British jewellery designer who actually started in textiles. After trying her hand at making some jewellery pieces, a chance meeting with a jewellery buyer for one of Knightsbridge’s number one stores rocketed Sam into the world of jewellery and she hasn’t looked back. I will be presenting Sam’s first show and I am so excited about it as I have completely fallen in love with a number her pieces.

My absolute favourites are the peacock earrings and necklace, I’ve not seen anything like it before. It has a feel of vintage and it also features semi-precious stones. The rose quartz is so pretty but there are also Onyx, Rock Crystal and Blue Agate which are also gorgeous. A lot of the pieces are inspired by Sam’s love of travelling and you can see that in the designs and the inspiration behind them. Lots of charm like pieces and colour. Each piece is hand made so no one piece is exactly the same.

A stand-out piece is the ear cuff which is so unusual and a wonderful way to add drama to your look, great if you don’t have pierced ears too. The other gold earrings pictured here are also a good buy for the jewellery case as they go with so much, I’ve been wearing them a lot on air. They are a textured gold hoop with a semi-precious stone hanging below, classic and timeless. Sam’s first show is the 24th of September at 6pm so tune in if you would like to hear more from the designer herself.

Next up, it’s an old favourite of mine. Pilgrim jewellery, the Skandi cool brand with a quirky vibe for those of you who like to have something a little different from everyone else. I have a show with Helen and Pilgrim on the Style channel on the 23rd and I wanted to pick some of my favourite pieces for you that will be coming your way.

Firstly, many of you have been messaging me asking me about my Initial pendant. Well here it is and yes it’s Pilgrim, chunky, fun, gold or silver and a stand-out size. This isn’t a dainty little letter it’s quite substantial and has a real designer vibe to it. I’m definitely feeling the chunky style this week from Pilgrim so I have also picked the 47cm chain necklace and matching bracelet. It’s got a slight 80s glam feel to it, imagine big shoulder pads and big hair! Obviously I wouldn’t be styling it that way but you know what I mean. It’s got that chic Italian feel too of high shine gold. I think they are fabulous.

The ones that I want to highlight though are some special pieces which are a collaboration with Pilgrim, QVC and designer called Anne Lahn Hornbaek Hansen. It’s called the ‘Girls Support Girls’ collection celebrating women and womanhood. The collaboration came about from a special award sponsored by QVC last year.

Anne’s designs were loved by all and awarded in the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council awards. She says ”I used my characteristic drawing style to tell a story in a fun and humorous way. However, the message is serious – we must remember to be there for each other. Regardless of religion or sexuality – we must support each other.” Along with it being a great message these pieces are so much fun and super quirky. I love the little line drawings of the women on the earrings and the necklace.

What’s coming up – Bareminerals

You may have seen already but we have got a great Today’s Special Value from Bareminerals coming this Sunday to QVC. As we often do on beauty though we have launched it online ahead of the day so you can get your hands on it sooner!

What’s in it?!

You will be getting the New Bounce and Blend Eyeshadow palette in Dusk, the Bare Pro Longwear Foundation, Bouncy Blends Blush, a Prime Time Original Travel Size, Mineral Veil and a Gen Nude Lip. This is almost a complete look so a great way to update your make-up bag. All you really need is a mascara and you are good to go. There are 12 shades to choose from for the foundation so you may want to have a look ahead of Sunday’s shows before they start to sell out. This is the liquid foundation rather than the powder and is gorgeously creamy and has a breathable matte finish. If you want to see a full presentation then tune in at 9pm on Saturday to see it launch on air.

Right then, that’s it from me for this week. I hope you are squeezing in a few more days in the sun out and about with this extended summer weather. We are making the most of the beach after school before the days get darker.

As always you can keep up with me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Lots of Love Katy xx