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One thing I find a little tricky is work wear. I have a regular office based job Monday to Friday with a smart dress policy, although they are pretty easy going and don't mind me having my tattoos on show - and yes, I do wear red lipstick to work! I try to make my work outfits a smarter version of my normal everyday, so keeping my quirky vintage taste but making it a little more formal. In all honesty I haven't yet worn this jacket to work as it's been far too hot, and unless we had some important visitors or I was in a meeting I'd feel a little overdressed.


This dress is one of my absolute favourites, not just at work but at home too. It's a gorgeous soft jersey fabric that's light and flows beautifully, with a really rich bright print in an unusual eye catching design. It's so comfy it's unreal, and it has lovely length sleeves - as you know I have a real thing about sleeves being too short!

The jacket is lovely too with a great detail at the top - the collar is sewn into the shoulder panels of the jacket so there is no actual loose collar around your neck. It adds a great twist to a smart black jacket - my only gripe is that the buttons aren't great, I think I'll replace them with something a little nicer.

These little brogues I wear to death. They're real leather and wide fit with a fab padded sole so are mega comfy. I tend to wear them for vintage fairs or shopping trips where I'll be on my feet all day. They're a little pricier than I'd usually spend on shoes but were totally worth it, they're showing no signs of wear and I've had them a good few months with very regular wear.


Dress - Simply Be
Jacket - Marisota - Sold out but this is very similar
Belt - ASOS Curve - Sold out but there are lots more here
Shoes - Clarks
Scissor Necklace - Present

What are your favourite work wear pieces? I'm always looking for interesting new additions!

Now here are some little treats guaranteed to liven up your next party! Delicious little two bite cupcakes with a naughty twist - booze! I have so many requests for the gin and lime since making full size versions at my birthday a few years ago it's crazy. You start off with a lovely sweet creamy flavour and then a nice warmth hits your palette from the alcohol, the cake is wonderfully moist and you can jazz them up with sprinkles or glitter or anything you fancy!

They make great hostess gifts to take to a barbecue or house party and work espcially well for a girls night in or hen party! Just make sure you use some adorable teeny cases and bake them in a mini muffin pan such as this one. I used these gold cases but you can get lots of designs such as roses, animal print, multi coloured or polka dot.

You could try lots of combinations like mojito with finely chopped mint and lime zest in the cake with white rum in the frosting or a woo woo style one with cranberries in the cake and peach schnapps in the frosting - yum yum!


Tiny Boozy Cupcakes
Makes around 24 depending how mini your cases are!

Ingredients
100g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
150g self raising flour
60g full fat natural yoghurt
zest of one lime
2-3 tbsp raspberry jam or 12 small fresh raspberrys
125g very soft butter
500g icing sugar
juice of one lime
1 shot (25 ml) gin
1 tbsp raspberry jam
1 shot (25ml) vodka
decorations of your choice

Method
Preheat the oven to 170 C / 338 F and line your mini muffin tin with cases, then set to one side.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy then beat the eggs in one at a time until you have a smooth creamy mixture. Stir in the flour and then the yoghurt until combined then put half the mixture in a seperate bowl. Stir the lime zest into one half  of the mixture and spoon into twelve of your cake cases, then spoon the plain vanilla cake into the other twelve topping with a little blob of jam or a fresh raspberry.

Pop into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until they spring back when lightly press down on them. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before spooning a little of the gin over the lime cakes and a little of the vodka over the raspberry ones - don't drown them, just moisten the tops a little with about a quarter tsp of the alcohol. Remove from the tins and let cool completely.

Bet your softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until combined and then seperate half of it into another bowl. Now add the lime juice and remaining gin to one bowl and the tablespoon of jam and remaining vodka into the other. Beat them both well until you have a nice piping consistency - you may need to add more liquid to get the consistency you want which can either be more booze or a little milk. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, decorate any way you please and then hand one to someone and watch them smile.

Isn't this fan exquisite?! It is hand painted silk and bobbin lace and dates from 1890! You can see it in Fashion Room 40 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London - I can't believe I've never seen it on one of my visits, I'll be making sure I find it next time!


Speaking of fashion, I desperately want these amaaaazing gold print nautical narwhal tights from Teja Jamilla! They come in a massive range of colours and lots of other lovely designs are available too like locks and keys, crown and tiaras and lots more.


Isn't Esme's hair dreamy? Such a gorgeous pale pinky lilac, I do wish my day job allowed me to have coloured hair... Here Esme give some tips on how to get these gorgeous pastel locks.


Boy do these mojito jelly shots look good! Such a fab idea for a summer party or barbecue, I'd like to try making pina colada style ones too with some coconut milk and rum - yum yum!


You could even try adding a dash or two of bitters to the recipe! My boyfriend Pete has just started harbouring a real love for chamomile and is a big fan of an Old Fashioned which he likes to add bitters too, usually plum or peach, so some of these would make a great present for him.


I'm SO looking forward to more Downton Abbey later this year, it seems we're on television hiatus before all the good shows start back up in Autumn. Maggie Smith's character of the the dowager Violet is one of the best parts of the show with her aserbic wit biting through in every sentence and breaking the tension just perfectly! These would make great little pressies to give all your DA loving friends as each one has a different quote on the back!


I've become a little tired of macarons I think due to the over-saturation of them in our shops. Seriously, don't bother buying the supermarket ones if you really want to try them go to Laduree or Pierre Herme and get the real thing! They are time consuming to make so I rarely bother, but these S'mores Macarons from Bakers Royale look worth the effort.


Ooooh jackalopes! Such a cute imaginary creature! I've been looking for a good jackalope accessory for a while but nothing I've found has ever been quite right, these gorgeous brooches look just perfect though! I'm big on brooches and pins at the moment, you can jazz up any old outfit with a good one and they're usually pretty well priced compared to other jewellery pieces.


I'll leave you with this lovely little mash-up cover from Sydney Baldwin, probably one of the cutest things ever!



I actually saw this dress in the Fosse Park branch of Evans last week and didn't dare try it on as I knew I'd fall in love with it but don't have the pennies this month! Damn you car failing your MOT! The vibrant bright blue is just gorgeous and the floaty semi-sheer fabric make it perfect for this hot weather.

I always love a lace biker jacket too, although I must admit I think this one is kind of over-priced. I do already have one that I got last year from Forever 21 and wear it an awful lot when going out of an evening in the summer as it's the perfect hot weather cover up.

These block heel mary jane's stole my heart too - they have a very vintage feel to them and from my experience a block heel and Evans's flexi-sole would make them very comfortable to wear.



I love anything with hearts on so I was sold on this cardigan straight away, it's a nice length too so could be used to make a fancy dress feel more casual - this is a trick I love so you can wear something you'd usually save for the evening in the day time!

As you know I am a big black and white stripe fan and the layered look of this top is super cute, I think it would look lovely with the high waisted black denim skirt or over some skinny jeans.



It's always nice to see sexy plus size lingerie! Stockings in larger sizes are always hard to track down so to see them available from a high street retailer is just great.

I like to make a special dessert for my friend's and family member's birthdays, to be honest it's a really good reason to get me baking again. After a year or so of spending all my weeknights baking for a local cafe for next to no profit I was a bit tired and gave it a bit of a break. Thankfully I've started to really enjoy it again so hopefully there will be a few more recipes up for you to try over the next few months!


My boyfriend Pete's mum is a really good cook, in fact she was a cookery teacher at one point, so the pressure is always on when cooking for her! I decided not to go for a birthday cake this year and combine two of her favourite desserts - key lime pie and whipped cream filled choux buns. They came out really well and looked so pretty towered up on a platter drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with edible glitter.


I'd not made choux pastry for a really long time so was a little nervous at how they'd turn out, especially in this heat wave that we're having, but they turned out great and puffed up much more than I thought they would! I had planned to use condensed milk in the filling as you would when making a real key lime pie, but unfortunately our food delivery went slightly wrong and I ended up with evaporated milk instead which is not at all the right thing! Thankfully I have some lemon curd in the fridge so use that to add the thick silkiness and stability to the cream and it worked out great.

One important thing to remember is that you need to cool these completely in the oven with the door slightly ajar so I'd recommend baking them in the evening and letting them cool overnight as I did - don't forget to poke holes in them too or they'll go all soggy!


Key Lime Cream Puffs (Citrus Choux Buns)
Makes 12 large pastries

Ingredients
130g plain flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
115g unsalted butter, softened
240ml water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
600ml double cream
juice and zest of three limes
8 tbsp lemon curd (or to taste)
100g white chocolate
edible glitter (if you fancy it)

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F and line two trays with baking paper. Sift together the flour, sugar and saly and set to one side.

Get a large saucepan (heavy bottomed if poss) and set it over a medium high heat adding the water and softened butter and bring to the boil - the butter needs to be softened so it melts before the water boils and you don't lose too much of the mixture to evaporation. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, mixing well until it is properly combined. Pop back on the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly until the mix forms a smooth ball and comes away from the pan.

Transfer the mixture to your freestanding mixer bowl or into a cake mix bowl and beat for several minutes letting the steam escape and until it is lukewarm in temperature. Now add the beaten eggs and mix again - it will split but persevere, I promise it will come back together into a thick pasty dough.

Spoon (or pipe) twelve mounds of the mixture on to the baking trays leaving at least two inches between them so they have room to puff up then pop them in the oven. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to 180 C / 350 F and cook for a further 30-40 minutes or until they are a nice golden amber colour and are almost completely dry inside when cut open - I just grab one and slit it open to test this. When they are done poke a few holes in each one with a knife and leave to cool completely in the oven with its door slightly ajar. When the are completely cool you can fill them!

To do this whip your double cream to stiff peaks, then add the zest and juice of the limes along with the lemon curd - this is to taste really so add a little at a time until you have a flavour you like. Now split your choux buns in half and fill them generously with the cream filling - you may have a bit left over which you must then eat as the cooks treat, oh no.

Pile your buns up on a plate and drizzle with the melted white chocolate. If you're feeling fancy you can throw on some edible glitter or sprinkles of some sort. It never hurts to be fancy.

Oh my gosh do I love this dress! Historically I've been a bit unsure of the fuschia and orange combo but this has definitely changed my mind. Happily I had some cute little orange kitten heels in my wardrobe that were waiting for their perfect outfit partner and now they have it!


This dress is part of Simply Be's 'Blogger Takeover' collection and was designed by lovely Lauren of Pocket Rocket Fashion - you can find it here in all sizes! The other two dresses in the collection are fab too, each one would suit a different occasion I think. The What Laura Loves dress would suit a party or night out perfectly and the Em Boombands style would be just great for work or a drink at a posh bar!


One of the things that really impressed me about this dress was the quality of the fabric - it's wonderfully soft and thick with just the right amount of stretch! Because of this there's no need for fastenings so you can just throw it only over some leggings, tights or nothing and head out the door! The sleeves are a great length too, I don't like cap sleeves too much as they can look odd under a jacket or cardigan but these sit just right.


Dress - Simply Be
Belt - From another dress
Leggings - Yours Clothing
Shoes - Office
I'd like to introduce you to a few of my favourite fashion and style bloggers of the moment...


I only came across Zero Style last night but immediately fell in love with Erin's fabulous style and super cute face! Check her out rocking that crop top up above, she looks amazing! Plus she has a Descendents tattoo, which notches her up a few thousand cool points straight away in my book!

 

I'll admit the reason I first clicked on to Mini Penny was after seeing Jessie's amazing black and blonde hair. I adore that combo and have had it in several different ways over the last few years. Over the following few months Jessie's hair has change colour combos a good few times but it always looks amazing. Her current multi-pastel locks are just fantastic! Oh how I wish my job allowed me to have crazy coloured hair...


Arched Eyebrow is another fairly recent addition to my blog roll only added a few months ago. Bets really has a great talent for putting together patterns and pieces that I would never think go together but look amazing on her! I love her for her bravery, passion, firm moral standing and love for quirky giant jewellery pieces like the spangly lobster necklace above!


Now most of you are probably already familiar with Kaelah's blog Little Chief Honeybee but I just had to include her in this post. Our tastes seem very well matched as she is pretty much always to be seen in a cute dress and cardigan just like me! If only I had her incredible wardrobe and ability to walk in crazy heels!!! There really is an impressive backlog of outfit posts on LCH, I seriously recomment you have a browse for a little style inspiration.

Of course there are lots more blogs I could add to this list, but I thought I would space them out a few at a time so it was easier to appreciate each one! Who are your favourite style icons at the moment?

Come and get yourself a vintage makeover at this fabulous fair in August! I can't wait it's going to be such a fun day!
All images from Jemma's Instagram account @wolfspit

I'm starting another new feature today spotlighting some of my favourite tattooists from around the world! I thought I'd start with a very talented lady Jemma Jones of Rain City Tattoo in Manchester. I found Jemma on Instagram somehow and was immediately drawn to her bold style and the unusual subject matter of a lot of her work.


Jemma's work always makes me think of the films of Georges Méliès the French illusionist, particularly' Le Voyage dans la Lune' from 1902 and Terry Gilliam's 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' from 1988, two films that I obsessed over in my childhood. Perhaps this is because of the beautiful and fantastical imagery that immediately catches both your eye and your imagination.

I'm yet to get a piece from Jemma myself but am on a mission to do so hopefully this year, my beauty parlour earnings and going into a pot to save up! I know for sure what I'd like her to do and can't think of an artist that could do it better, so fingers crossed I can get an appointment in Autumn!


You can check out Rain City Tattoo the shop Jemma works at here or check out her Facebook page here. The username to search for on Instagram is 'wolfspit'.


Have you found any exciting new artists recently? Do let me know if you have!

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