Favorite UK Purchases

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1. It's not a proper trip to the UK without a stop at Marks & Spencer.  If only we had this chain in the US.  I purchased this cute tea towel, because well, when in Rome ...

2.  These were actually my husbands purchase.  The minty ones are amazingly fragrant and awesome in the morning for waking you up.  I steal a bit of the Eucalyptus one whenever I'm in need of a spa moment.  

3.  My Brother and Sister-In-Law sent these bars to us last Christmas and they were delicious.  This year for my birthday they gave me a gift card to the chocolate shop that stocks these.  I was like a kid in a candy shop - for real.

4.  My husband would buy me these candles when we were dating, Freshly Cut Grass is his favorite scent.  I would take them back to the US with me and light them on days when I was missing him and feeling blue.  Now that we are together, we light them to remind us of the green green grass of Wales.  This candle line is so cute - I love all the different scents!

5.  There really is no comparison between British and American chocolate and I always indulge way too much when I am over.  One of my favorite things to do is walk through Tesco and check out whats new in the candy aisle.  I picked up this bag of Cadbury Mix-Ups this past trip,  It's a mix of Cadbury Chocolate bits and Maynard's Wine Gums - didn't last a day. 

6.  NEXT is one of my favorite shops to visit in the UK.  I usually can't buy too much, but it certainly is fun to get inspired by all the different styles of clothing and accessories.  My Mother-in-law treated me to this jumpsuit and I absolutely adore it.  I've worn it both out on the town and to work.   It's super comfy and easy to wear.  I think Next may even have free shipping to the states, so check it out.

7.  I'm a grey girl and I just couldn't resist this easy little shift from River Island. 

8.  I have been looking for a skirt like this for ages.  I could't find a style in the US that didn't accentuate my hips in all the wrong ways.  I can't wait to style this skirt, I'm thinking a fitted tee and some fancy flats ... 

9. A Cath Kidston Diary has become a tradition for  me.  I buy a new one every year.  It's super functional and also a daily reminder of my connection to the UK. 

10.   Silly me forgot to take some perfume on our trip.  I picked up this inexpensive one at Marks & Spencer.  It's super sweet and now that we are home I have been wearing it on and off.  The scent makes me nostalgic of our trip - crazy how scents can do that!

Bootie Cutie

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One of my favorite things about the fall and winter months is boots.  I love how cozy yet chic they  can be.  This year, I really need a new pair and I am loving this ankle boot trend.  I have heard lots of good things about the Sam Edelman "Petty" boot (shown here as #6 in the color putty suede), so I decided to order them off Piperlime today.  I can't wait them to arrive to see how much I can pair them with.  There are so many cute booties out there this year.  It was a tough decision, as I wish I could just have them all!  Here are some of my favorite styles. 

xo Bridget

Won Ton Spinach Lasagna

Our vacation is over - boohoo. We flew into DC from London last Sunday afternoon and spent the whole Monday driving (12 hours) back to Georgia.  It was a wonderful trip and I loved every bit of it, but come Tuesday morning I was thrust back into an intense work week.  By the time Saturday rolled around, I needed some serious gym time and a bit of a food detox.  At the same time, one can only eat salad so long, so I went through my recipe books and ignored every bit except for the light and healthy sections.  In my Southern Living Cookbook I came across this recipe for Won Ton Spinach Lasagna.  It just stuck out to me; a comfort meal (much needed) with not as much guilt.

This was a super easy and delicious recipe.  My husband complimented it to the point that I thought he was pulling my leg!  I will say it was a bit on the spicy side, SO if you have a low heat tolerance - go a little lighter on the ground red pepper.  Other than that I have no complaints, this was easy and yummy.  I have a feeling it will be a new favorite in our house.  

xo Bridget

Buddha Beer Vase

A couple of months ago, my husband and I came across these totally cool Lucky Buddha Beers at Kroger.  We both decided that the bottles were so interesting that we should give it a try.  The beer was pretty good, and after they were empty I really didn't have the heart to throw them away.  My crafty side had to come up with a project for these Buddha beer bottles.  Painting them seemed like a good option, so I checked out the glass paint section at Michaels and decided that this Martha Stewart Opalescent Finish in Green Tint might look pretty cool.  

For prep, I just rinsed out the bottles once they were emptied and peeled off all of the labels.  I did my best to soak and peel off the labels with water, but usually a bit of Goo Gone was required to eliminate tiny bits of sticky residue.  Once the labels were off, I gave the bottles a good rub down with some alcohol and let them dry.  The bottles shown have about three coats of paint on them.  I left about a day to dry between each coat, mostly because I had to come away - I don't actually think you need that much time between coats.  Once the final coats had a day to try - I sprayed them with a clear shiny lacquer.  I think the paint really brought out the features and details of the Buddha and I am super pleased with the results. 

Before

After

I went with the most obvious choice and am using the bottles for small flower vases at the moment, but I would love to come up with some more creative uses.  If you have any fun ideas, please do share!

xo Bridget

Current Color Obsession: Berry Red

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In My Toiletry Bag

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My least favorite thing about traveling is getting all my extras together.  I don't mind putting together outfits and accessories, but I always find certain things, like my putting my toiletries together to be a drag.  Recently, I have been traveling a good bit for work, and with out current trip overseas I thought I'd share my toiletry bag essentials.  I try to keep well stocked on these items and have them packed and ready to go all the time to alleviate some of that pre travel stress.

What helps you feel organized when you travel?
xo Bridget

Lovely Layers

This week, my husband and I are in Wales visiting family.  While I was in a bit of a rush to put together some blog posts for this week, I stumbled across these pictures from a few months ago that I totally forgot about.  Since we are vacationing in a cooler climate, I was totally excited to be packing lots of layers.  That being said, and with fall right around the corner, I thought this outfit was appropriate to post.  The cool weather in Wales is amazing and has gotten me so excited for fall in the states. Bring it on!

Top: American Apparel

Shorts: Forever 21 (love these, these, and these)

Sweater: Uniqlo (love this)

Vest: Free People

Hat: Magid Hats (similar)

Boots: Jessica Simpson (love these)