Where is February going?

Hi there, thanks for taking time to read my latest blog. How have you been? I can’t believe how quickly February is going, January took an absolute age to end and now I’ve blinked and it’s nearly the end of another month. It doesn’t help that it’s an extra short one which means it’s nearly my Birthday too (2nd March). I always appreciate a leap year because I feel like I get an extra day of being whatever age I am, but I get one less on a regular year like this one! Oh well, it’s a privilege to get older I suppose.

Last week got a bit turned on its head as Ivy tested positive for Covid so it meant all plans out the window and having her at home for a window of home schooling. She wasn’t really that unwell at all which was a relief, just a bit of a cough. That meant she was fine to do some homework, but she was also getting easily bored so I had to keep her occupied. It also meant that I had to brush up on subordinate conjunctions again! I swear we never had to do this at the age of six when I was at school. We tried our best but in the end we mostly did arts and crafts and I had her doing lots of reading with me and writing practise.

I also got her to help me in the garden as I was putting a future Today’s Special Value (TSV) to the test from Richard Jackson. I shall share more of that further down the line. We were lucky to get at least one afternoon of lovely weather before these latest storms arrived, so we enjoyed chilling out in our double egg chair. She loved just snuggling up with me and gently swinging ourselves as we felt the sun on our faces. This is the Double Cocoon Egg Chair from Innovators that we were lucky enough to get as a Christmas present from my parents as a joint gift for myself and Fred. Pretty sure all gifts for the foreseeable will be things for our new house!

I did also get asked to try out the single Holly Cocoon Chair by QVC to see how easy it is to put together. This is the Dark Grey option which is very smart. Unfortunately we no longer do the Mocha option in either of the double or the single, which is the colour that I have in the double. The dark grey though is by the far the most popular in recent shows. The instructions on the single actually say that it’s a two-person job but I did it on my own and I found it nice and easy.

I honestly did it in about 15 minutes. I have done a time lapse which I have posted on my Instagram that you can watch here. What I love about the Cocoon Chair, in either size, is that it is incredibly relaxing and a really good way to unwind. Whether you are chilling out with a cup of tea or a glass of wine or nothing at all it’s so soothing and comfortable to sit in and such a lovely looking addition to your garden. The single is actually a great size to have inside too if you have the space in a conservatory for example. Its footprint is no bigger than most armchairs and it’s such a fun feature to have indoors. It’s a top-rated item and has an incredible 135 five star reviews so have a look at those if you are wondering if it’s right for you!

I thought I would share a few of my favourite fashion outfits for you this week as we’ve had a few really nice pieces in recently. The first look was on my Morning Style show and featured the new Frank Usher Faux Leather Bomber Jacket and it was very popular. We still have it in Blush, Stone and Black and it’s the softest faux leather ever! The lining is leopard print and it’s a really nice length as I find some bomber jackets can be quite short. I’m in the Stone and wearing a size Medium, and I’m usually a size 12 on the high street. I teamed it with the Badgley Mischka Mixed Media Shirt which is a perfect capsule wardrobe staple. The mixed media is that the sleeves and the back are a soft viscose fabric and the rest of the shirt is 100% cotton. I also wore my new favourite trousers!

They are also Badgley Mischka and are the Mid Rise Cargo Trousers with pocket detail. I wore the Dark Olive but loved them so much I also ordered them in the Black. It’s not just the shape and design I really like, it’s the fabric. They are a polyester, viscose, elastane and a slightly thicker handle than some of the finer jersey fabrics we often do and they are ridiculously comfortable. It means they keep a really nice shape on your figure but also don’t show any dimples etc. on the thigh area. I love the tie detail at the waist and know that I will wear them to death! I wear the size Medium.

Next piece to tell you about isn’t a new item but it’s one that I have been loving for quite a while so wanted to feature it while we still have some stock. It’s from Helene Berman and is the Frill Trim Collar and Cuff Blouse. Again, I wear the 12 in the Black, we sold out of the White before I could get it too. It’s 97% cotton with a splash of elastane so you have more movement and it’s such a fabulous way to step into the big collar trend. I have worn this under jumpers and cardigans with the collar over the top and I think it looks great.  It also works under blazers too! The white contrast buttons really add to the look and I do hope Helene does this again so I can get the white one or even another colour!

I just ordered a few new nail colours to wear on air and outside of QVC and I know I will get asked what shades they are. So here is one that I have been wearing a lot this week, it’s called Kensington High Street by Nails Inc and it’s a beautiful deep berry colour. My nails are still growing out from long wear gels so aren’t in the best shape and this finish makes them look like I’ve had a fresh manicure! They are from the Gel Effect range so that is probably why! I love this shade so much that I ordered the trio of them so I can stay well stocked up in it. It must be a popular shade for us to do a whole trio just of this colour so you may want to give it a try.

In the kitchen
I’ve been doing quite a lot of cooking at home over the last few weeks and I’ve been trying out a few baking recipes. Ivy loves lemon cake so I gave the Mary Berry Lemon Tray Bake a whirl and I wanted to shout about it because it was such an easy recipe that turned out beautifully. I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Queen of baking but still, it doesn’t always work out that way does it?! I posted the recipe on my Instagram which you can click through to here. It was incredibly light and fluffy, perhaps also helped by using my KitchenAid Mixer, and it went down a storm with Fred and the kids. We finished it in a few days!

Before I go I wanted to share one more picture with one of my favourite guests at QVC. Beauty expert SJ Froom! I haven’t seen her in forever and so I was thrilled I got to do a Pre-Record with her this week for an upcoming Beauty event. It’s really easy to not see some guests months at a time all depending on your schedule, so often we are ships passing in the night. We get to work with some of the loveliest people at QVC and there are so many genuine friendships made here. It’s a wonderful place to work.

Have a great week.

Lots of love Katy xx