Papas got a brand new bag!

 Last Wednesday i was luckily enough to be invited to a Mulberry sample sale at the Music Rooms, South Molten St. How did i nab that invite? I don't know, but god bless that mailing list. After attending last year, i upped the ante, took various saved birthday money and aimed for a more peaceful hour of shopping around 3pm. Who was i to kid? These women were crazed Mulberry addicts, and i was right there with 'em. Bypassing the bags (there was a reason they didn't sell first time around), i could have nabbed some serious bargains accessory wise (£37 for a laptop case - serious regret!). But with my wise head on I snapped up this dark brown make-up purse for a rather tidy sum of £70, something i know i will forever use and also happens to nicely match this little purse i bought last year!

Fear not ladies, for the Mulberry January sale is just as good, if not a little dangerous. Look out for the online sale for some rather good reductions, and if your local House of Fraser stocks Mulberry, definitely check out their concessions. My local HOF always has some great sale pieces that don't sell out too quickly! I may have my eye on this. I have been awfully good.

Thoughts?

Nothing but the beat

What an obligatory blog post to write. For my non-blogger readers, this post is all centred around what's in my handbag, yeah slightly bizarre i'll give you that. But as much as i adore the art of the handbag, what i carry around it are some of my most prized processions and my most loved and used accessories.

My handbag of the moment is my dearly beloved Mulberry tan bayswater, my Alexa has taken residence in it's dust-bag whilst i use this baby. Not such a baby any more, as you can see it's aged with grace love over the three years i've lovingly battered it around every single day. I saved long and hard for this bag, then BOOM! out of nowhere every Tom, Dick and Harry has one. Ahem, trend setter anyone? I kid, i kid.

Marc by Marc Jacobs purse - This was my first 'big' purchase, just after i started college, i saved up all summer. My dad nearly had a heart attack when he found out, but 5/6 years later it hasn't aged a day.

Mulberry Purse - I bought this little dark brown purse in the Mulberry sample sale last year for quite a bargain. It holds all my pennies, as well as being the perfect small purse for clutches and small handbags.

Cath Kidston Train Pass - Never buy these full price (day light robbery), wait for their amazing sales. Picked this up for three quid, which currently holds a good three thousand old train tickets.

Zara Perfume in Iris - Cheap as chips, but smells to die for.

Moleskin Diary (with battered Mulberry sticker attached) - such a beautiful diary, the leather bound thick paper is every stationary dream and i quote the lady in the book shop when i say, once you go Moleskin you never go back.

iPhone 4 - emotionally attached.

Clarins Lip Perfector - Smells like toffee, tastes like toffee.

Mulberry keyring - a present from the lovely Sarah, with one house key, that is never used, ever.

Pink Tangle Teezer - must have!

Ancient iPod - this was given to me eons ago from my parents, my dad had 'fix up look sharp' engraved on the back and, yes i refuse to use the iPod on my iPhone, i get awful stares on the morning commute when i whip em both out.

I promise you this post wasn't sponsored by Mulberry - though i wish it was. And I much rather use my Luella bag to work (isn't as kickable in the staff room) so I'm forever taking out the crap (6000 lipsticks and tissue packets) when I swap bags. Long.

Sweet dreams or a beautiful nightmare.

After three hard years of university work, not to mention the last few gruelling months, i finally received my final, final results and grading. Various date push-backs and complete miscommunication meant i was even more nervous and crazy than ever. However, to my utter most delight and complete excitement on Tuesday last week i logged on to find out that i, yours truly, will be graduating with a First Class BA Honours in Magazine Publishing.

(Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!)

I am SO pleased, even more so to see that i received 90% for my dissertation! LCC are pretty harsh when it comes to grade barriers, needing 85% alone to hit a First. But honestly i really couldn't be any happier. After many thousand family and friend phone calls, i had an enormous celebratory dinner at my Grandparents house to celebrate! Much to the delight of my Grandmother who probably cried happy tears throughout the entire evening, and whom decided to tell the entire WI. I can confirm that i spoke to majority of the Over 60's group on speaker phone and the lady in our nearest Chinease take-out thinks i'm expecting my first child, rather than a First degree. Family, you've got to love them.

With the happiness of receiving the highest grade for all my work comes the sad realisation of not being a student any more. Time to hand back the student discount (sob!) and actually go out the real world and show em what i'm made of. But in the mean time, lets panic about the GRADUATION OUTFIT!

Cream Tired Dress - French Connection (£110.00)

Peach Blazer - Miss Selfridge (£48.00)

Lace Pumps - ASOS (£25.00)

Whilst my parents are suited and booted, my mother in a godawful dress she let my dad pick out (yes i'm still confused too!) They kindly agreed to go halves on the cream French Connection dress i tried on previously. It may seem pretty classic and simple, but i like it that way. I honestly don't want to show my grand children photos of me turning up in god forbid some block-colour maxi dress with ombred hair (i kid.) The French Connection dress fits perfectly and accentuates all the right areas, that is if i remember not to bend over. I plan to hunt down a pale dusty pink blazer, to add some colour and some sharp tailoring. I love a good blazer, it brings out my inner Balmain runway model. Forget the heels, flats are my fail safe option, i don't intend to make it any way possible to trip and land on an audience member whilst receiving my certificate in front of a full auditorium of people. No sir-ree. Pretty, delicate, embellished flats are the way forward. Then i may toughen it up with my black Alexa, which will hopefully look contrasting in a good way.

Then roll on my holiday a week later, then it really is time to knuckle down and start the career ladder - gulp. Thoughts on the outfit? And most importantly, do i really have to wear that ugly hat? I had in mind for a sweeping updo, and i don't want the horror of hat hair. What would the grandkids say?

Alexa.

After four months of blood sweat and tears, my printer finally gave birth to my dissertation. Weighing in a hefty 116 pages and 26,430 words, this was the hardest achievement to date. If you ever need to know anything about men's magazines - i'm your girl. No seriously, there is so much more than bog standard set of boobs and a few jokes, men are down right strange. After a strong rum, I soon decided that i definitely needed a treat.

I swapped this bad boy..

For this lovely young lady. The Mulberry Alexa. 

I have been umming and ahhing over the Alexa for a very, very long time as you may remember. After much pondering in House of Fraser (poor sales assistant thought i was crazy), and of course being slightly persuaded by Michelle, i really decided i needed the Alexa in my life. Although i had slight reservation about size, and whether it is less roomy is compared to my Bayswater, i realised i'm not actually a student anymore (sob!), so it nicely holds all my necessities and of course the kitchen sink, so all is well. I also went for black leather, considering my Bayswater is tan. Bloody crazy - i can't quite believe it!

I'm a very happy girl!

Just a note to say, in case you were wondering, as alas, i am a student and i do only work part-time, i am a very dedicated saver. Armed with both my 21st birthday money and Christmas money, i was lucky enough to be able purchase. Although i do think it is horrendously over-priced for what brand it is, i was lucky to receive a large discount from a friend who works in fashion industry, of which has no correlation to maa blog.

one word: bloomin' heck.

love me two times baby!

I found the one!

I know its from the S/S 11' collection and alas that's all. I haven't the foggiest of the name, price or colours available. All i know is that i want it! Its a satchel, but it's a Bays Water? I cannot word the love and lusting towards this bag.

After looking and pondering on the Alexa religiously for the past month, i came to the conclusion i don't actually like it. Don't get your knickers in a twist, i think its just silly. Silly because i would say the normal size version is tiny! I would have to purchase the over-sized version (which is roughly the same size as my bayswater), and sod that at nine hundred pounds, 

Please pray and cross everything that i have enough savings! FYI i sent the poor customer service team at Mulberry twenty thousand questions about this bag, so watch this space.

killamangiro

With winter, not only comes my thick chunky tights and endless, but sneaky hot chocolates (with extra whipped cream, of course) but the common British cold. I call it the British cold, as no other country complain and moan and whine and complain as much as we. Feeling slightly gross and rundown, and rather angry at catching this retched cold, i thought it was the perfect time to post this monstrosity, bitter issue.

Mulberry for Target, exclusively in America, each piece will set you back at under $30, disgusting

snot, snot, snot. 

Okay, a rather bitter post. But still, a Mulberry Bays Water costs a good £700* nowadays, yet the Americans get a rip of version for roughly twenty eight squid slightly unfair. However, i reside in the fact that this is basically one big marketing plan for Mulberry for the US branding, secondly each bag in the range isn't made with the craft and leather that the 'real' ones are made with ...and thirdly, queue evil laugh.. 

MULBERRY FOR TARGET. 

But on the hand, if they were to sell these over here, then every tom, dick and harry would have them and that defeats the point of having an exclusive designer bag, oui?

what are your thoughts? are some things just better when they aren't mass-available?

*my bag was purchased a few years back, with my savings, for no where near that price - thank god.


they are slightly FUG. (sorry Emma Hill) but i would mind the little ones please.

Showing my Mac some LOVE

I adore my Apple Mac, Marc Jacobs and my Mulberry Bayswater.

Lets mix the three.

Romance

Here are a collection of post cards i received whilst browsing in Mulberry, these photos are a sample from Chris Craymer's new title 'Romance.' Sold exclusively at Mulberry, this book debuts a collection of captured moments that depict and present true feelings of love, lust and romance. This sample i've posted shows the playful yet meaningful photos expressed in Craymer's Romance.