3 (small but great) things for the home

plus what I packed and wore in Liverpool

I am now one of those people who solely drinks from murano glasses (or should it be murano glass glasses?). Specifically from TK Maxx, but murano nonetheless. The fleck, the colours and the perfectly imperfect dimples that your thumbs fall into when you pick it up somehow transforms drinking a simple glass of water into something sensational. There’s no explicit label to confirm but these are almost identical to Casa Celva (which retail for £24 per glass here), which I happen to have felt up in Liberty (just to check). These ones are £7.99 or £6.99 for the shorter version, of which I also have a few, but generally lean towards the taller:

The two sizes

I regularly check stock updates on these, as a few of ours have smashed - and this week, a new batch must have come in. I *might* have ordered some before notifiying you (just to check they were still as good, of course, and also in case they sold out) - but they’re back!

Murano glasses, from £6.99, available here* (or just type ‘murano in the search bar). I bought blue. * denotes an affiliate link is used

M&S Home

I’ll admit I don’t really look at M&S homeware much, I will often shop their clothes but the home section? It’s all a bit cream for me and too many of those weird gel light up candles with sequins inside that I can’t quite fathom. However, I think they must have taken some notes from Zara Home because I keep seeing simple yet chic staples that look expensive without being too trend-led. I think we’ll be seeing a bit of backlash against wicker soon, but this lamp* is a nice nod without being OTT and their enamelware is what I sadly can only describe as heavenly:

Small enamel mixing bowl: £8, M&S*. 29cm roasting tin: £8, M&S*. Colander: £15, M&S*

And while we’re talking enamelware…my absolute kitchen must-have is a set of enamel tupperware. These small bowls with lids are the most used items in our home:

Dishwasher proof

Oven proof (without the lids, obviously)

Freezer proof

Stackable

Super light to carry for snacks (and light enough for kids to hold)

And an added bonus that they’re - pretty much - unsmashable.

And chic as hell. The downsize is they’re not cheap (welcome to a peek inside my birthday wishlist) but ours have lasted ten times longer than any other tupperware style we’ve owned:

£34, Dyke & Dean. Or Berylune sell them singularly here.

LIVERPOOL: What I packed

There’s always a point on a city break with kids where Chris and I look at each other and ask ‘are we mad?!’. But if there’s one city we’d risk going delirious for, it’s Liverpool. Even if it already feels like two decades ago.

We only really had one full day so visited Sefton Park (followed by a Lark Lane wander and lunch) and Museum of Liverpool which had lots of activities for kids. I’ve been to Liverpool a few times (for work, once styling the legendary John Bishop!) but still only feel we’ve scratched the surface. We worked with Walker Art Gallery (another favourite) a few years ago, staying at Hope Street Hotel, which is why I was on their mailing list and knew about their family deals. We ended up staying in a great sized family room for the same price we usually pay for an Air BnB (I always book Monday night stays, and made sure we added breakfast, which felt like such a treat).

I love that the city will evolve as the kids get older - stadium tours, Tate, Crosby Beach, Beatles Tours, shopping.

And I even managed to read a few pages of my book on the train.

We took one big suitcase between us with ample room, so I managed to sneak in two coats (travelling in my heavier one). I kept the colour palette simple and stuck to tried and tested outfits I knew I liked.

Day 1 (travelling)

Coat: Jigsaw (1 year old). Scarf: Liberty (Part of a paid project this year). Jeans: Everlane Way High Curve*. Trainers: Converse. Jumper: Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch. Bag: Sezane (7 years old).

Scarves are so great for jazzing up a plainer outfit but I’m guilty of tucking them into a drawer and forgetting about them. Not this year!

DAY 2 (parks and museums)

Jumper: JW Anderson secondhand via Matisa Market. Leather coat: secondhand via Curate & Rotate. Mules: Dr Martens*. Jeans: Marks & Spencer*. Bag: Sezane. Glasses: Vivienne Westwood via Specsavers (I work with Specsavers).

For some reason, I still feel that these glasses are too ‘cool’ for me to wear everyday but I really love them and think I look good in them. So maybe I should embrace that and just wear them as much as I want.

The calibre of photos we get as a couple these days

Interrupting the post to let you know that this cleanser* smells divine. I’m a fan of this Elemis cleansing balm anyway so took this mini with me (a PR gift from a John Lewis Press Day). It is next level.

Old H&M pyjamas and my muslin face cloth (should probably get a new one)

Day 3 (Breakfast and travelling)

Coat: Jigsaw. Jeans: Marks & Spencer*. Trainers: Converse*. Bag: Sezane (old). Necklace: Frkl. T shirt: Next (PR product - from my white tee edit last year!). Cardigan: Sezane*

Again, tried and tested as I hate taking chances on new outfits with kids. If in doubt, the red cardigan* that almost crashed the internet when it came back into stock last Autumn!

The bag is around 7 years old and one of the few bags I’ll ever travel with, lots of pockets and still looks great - it’s the ‘Sam’ bag and there’s a few on Vestiaire (but sadly none in my beloved leopard print).

I love bringing a photo out of the archive - this is from 2018.

And finally, things I’ve been loving this month…

Drinking faux gin and tonics - I’ll admit to being very anti fake booze in the past, I don’t really drink at home so why spend the same amount of money on non alcohol and then not get drunk? But I get it now, I’ve been enjoying Pentire with tonic in the evenings and I feel so relaxed and…tipsy? As well as sleeping better. The next step is to trick my brain into relaxing with less expensive ingredients - apparently cherry juice and magnesium (plus some other items you won’t find in Aldi) can make a perfect Sleepy Girl cocktail which is better for you and much easier on the wallet (I assume).

Watching ‘Miss Austen’ on BBC iPlayer - The semi true story of Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra (the brilliant Keeley Hawes), their family dynamic and why she burned her late sister’s letters. Only on episode 2 but it makes for lovely viewing with a stellar (mostly female) cast.

Challengers - from watching the trailer I thought this film (directed by Luca Guadanigno) was going to be much sexier than it was, which was the reason I had put off watching it, as I had assumed it was about a thrupple? It was not. It was mostly about tennis (plus a bit of a love triangle), it was hot but with unexpected humour and I was mesmerised by Josh O’Connor. I believe him to be one of the most unconventionally charismatically charming men I have ever witnessed. My only gripe was Tashi’s (played brilliantly by Zendaya) style, it just didn’t make sense to me. I guess I was desperate for her to be stylish and following the wardrobes of Tilda Swinton in ‘A Biger Splash’ and ‘I Am Love’, it fell flat - but maybe that was the point.

Thanks so much for reading this week’s post, next week will be the first house photos!