In the swing of this autumn thing.

PLEATED SKIRT FROM AMERICAN APPAREL

STUDDED BLOUSE FROM JOVONNISTA*

 BAMBI BOW FROM BEAUXOXO

BROGUES FROM EBAY

At risk of sounding cliche, it's been a lovely Sunday, a vast improvement on a Saturday spent dealing with finances, insurance and washing machines (what larks!). Today we walked lazily around town, taking photos and exploring corners of Bath we'd previously neglected. It reminded me how lucky I am to live and study in such a beautiful city! There are so many flowers, pretty old shops and of course not forgetting the architecture. It really is quite an incredible place.

Tomorrow is my first day back at university, and whilst I am looking forward to getting back into the routine of it, I'm also going to miss having so much free time to dedicate to my other projects. Ho-hum! On the bright side there are lots of exciting things going on this week. Tomorrow a collaboration I've been working on with Sketchstreet is due to go live, on Tuesday it's the student lock-in at the local shopping centre (hello discounts!) and on Wednesday I'm supposed to be doing a shoot with the fantastically talented Lily of Redbricklipstick. Hopefully between all of that and university I'll have a little time to fit in some blog posts!

I'm also planning a series of baking based posts for students, starting at the very basic and getting more and more complex each week. I've had a few Formspring questions relating to my baking and asking for easy recipes, so I thought it could be a fun addition to my blog posts (plus I'll finally be putting my 'recipes' tab to good use!).

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

What I'd rather like this week #2

Since I'm currently awaiting my student loan and considering what bits I still need to get for my A/W wardrobe, I thought it was a good time for a wishlist. Some bits are more frivolous than others, but they're all fairly friendly for those of us on a student budget. I might get the trousers and jumper at the student lock in next week (if my loan is in by then - fingers crossed)!

001. TOPSHOP FLORAL TROUSERS (£35) - Until now, I had no real interest in printed trousers. They were one of those things that I would admire on other people, but I didn't have the guts to try them myself. I saw this lovely pair in Topshop today, however I've yet to try them on as I don't want to fall head over heels in love before I have my loan safely in my pocket. I can't wait to try them on once I do! I love the warm, autumnal florals and I can see myself wearing them with a big slouchy jumper and ankle boots to university lectures.

 

002. H&M ANGORA BLEND JUMPER (£19.99) - I've always loved cosy jumpers and this year is no exception. This one is worn by Lana Del Ray in H&M's latest campaign, and whilst I didn't find the pictures hugely exciting, I saw this jumper in store today and it is wonderfully soft (not to mention any excuse to wear sugary shades for autumn and I'm there). Plus for £19.99 it's a bargain for something so snug and stylish.

003. SOYOUSHOES BROGUE CHELSEA BOOTS (£30) - Like printed trousers, I didn't understand the fascination with Chelsea boots until recently. I think part of it was that I found them rather dull, however since I've been obsessed with brogues for years now I love this modestly priced pair from SoYouShoes. I can also imagine that they'd be hugely versatile and practical (unlike the vast majority of my current shoe collection!).

 

004. ASOS CAT RING (£8) - Since I'm essentially a mad cat lady in the making, stick a cat on something and I'll instantly show an interest. I love this ring in particular because it's so sweet and simple. I don't often wear overly extravagant jewellery and feel far more comfortable in conversational pieces like this.

005. CROWN & GLORY 'NOT A LOTTA ROSIE' HEADBAND (£15) - Sophie, you've done it again! I love Crown & Glory's Whole Lotta Rosie headband (I own it in cream and in mint!) however this new, more understated version is equally pretty but more wearable on a day-to-day basis. I definitely need one in my life!

006. TOPSHOP LIPSTICK IN 'MISCHIEF' (£8) - I'm on the hunt for a slightly warmer, richer red lipstick than my current go-to shade ('Retrofuturist' by Lime Crime), and after trying this shade out in-store it's the current front-runner.

007. ECP DESIGNS STRAWBERRY MUG (£7.97) - I've been collecting these mugs since I left for university last year. Between us, Grant and I already have six, and this is the next on my wishlist!

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

A sunny autumn afternoon.

FLORAL VINTAGE BLOUSE FROM CASTLE IN THE AIR*

HIGH WAISTED TWEED SHORTS FROM YUMI

NECKLACE FROM THE COOKIE BUTTON

STUDDED BROGUES FROM EBAY

BAG FROM OASAP*

Autumn has well and truly set in. We've had our fair share of rain over the past few days, however the sun fought back today and it's actually been quite bright and pleasant. Because it was marginally warmer today, I finally had the chance to do this amazing vintage blouse from Castle in The Air (formerly Sergeant Fox) justice. To pick up the sweet floral pattern, I paired it with some bright accessories - my favourite Oasap bag and this adorable necklace I got in my #bbmeetup goodie bag, made by the lovely Sammy from The Cookie Button.

Whilst Grant was at uni this afternoon I made us a special dinner, autumnal vegetable soup with bread hearts. It was pretty experimental, however by some good fortune it was the best soup I've ever made. The main ingredients were carrots, onions, sweet potatoes and natural yoghurt. I would post a recipe, however I wasn't really keeping track of measurements (or measuring things at all if I'm completely honest!). That being said, I'm hoping to post more recipes over the coming months.

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

Retreating to my happy place.

MICKEY MOUSE SHIRT FROM URBAN OUTFITTERS

MINNIE MOUSE EARS FROM DISNEYLAND PARIS

FAUX LEATHER SKIRT FROM H&M

BROGUES FROM EBAY

Since I last posted I really haven't been up to much, we've just been settling into the new flat, going grocery shopping, mundane things like that. I haven't been able to post as many outfits as usual since Grant is going to all of his introductory lecture this week, and whilst we did pack the tripod, we didn't pack the tripod foot (how did we manage that? I mean, really?).

Oh well, c'est la vie.

By the way, thank you for all of the lovely comments and feedback on my last post - it ended up being the most well received thing I've ever posted on this blog - who'd have thought? Turns out my readers have a secret penchant for interior design! Next time and I'm in Cornwall and London I'll have to post photo tours of those bases too.

This being my final week of calm before round two of university kicks off on Monday, I'm being very self indulgent. Long bubble baths, baking brownies, catching up with all of my favourite magazines, drinking endless cups of tea... Tomorrow I actually have reason to leave the flat - I'm meeting up with a photographer from Grazia! You'll find out what's going on there soon enough. Whilst I'm in town I'll try to snap a few photos of Bath for your perusal. It's a very pretty city and I've yet to properly exploit that fact!

A quick tour of our new flat!

my favourite part of the flat, our living room

 guess which are mine and which are Grant's

 souvenirs from the Harry Potter studio tour

our cosy little sofa

 a teadrinker's table

 my blogging/studying hub

 proof that Grant had some say in the decor

 coasters we bought in Greenwich

the camera that belonged to my grandfather

cutlery in my Christmas mug

 the best mugs ever at our tea station

 Alice in Wonderland pillow cases

 my jewellery stand

 a corner of my dressing table

 the (sunken!) bath and a few extra goodies

 my morning cup of tea left on the window sill

a local cat exploring our garden

It may not be the newest or the biggest or the shiniest flat in the world, but it's all ours for the year and I couldn't be happier with it! We moved in yesterday and finished unpacking this afternoon, and it already feels like home. It's a bit frazzled around the edges and could do with some TLC, but what more can you expect from a student flat? We've put our stamp on it and I couldn't think up a better base for the year ahead.

One of the best parts is that the garden has a prime location for outfit posts! I had a pyjama day today, and while I do love my pyjamas, they're not quite worth photographing. I'm sure I'll be posting an outfit in the next day or so. It's probably going to take a while to get into the swing of blogging alongside university, however the year has got off to a flying start and I'm feeling dangerously optimistic!

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

The last time I saw these was on granny's wall.

FLYING DUCKS JUMPER DRESS FROM YUMI

GLASSES FROM GIANT VINTAGE*

When I visited Yumi last week to spend my vouchers, there were a few things I already had my eye on, and this dress certainly wasn't one of them. I'd seen it online, and whilst I thought it was cute, I didn't think it would look that great on me (clingy jumper dresses rarely do!). However when I saw it in person, with it's lovely detailed collar and those fantastically retro flying ducks, I had to give it a go. I tried it on, and fell head over heels in love.

It's a lovely A/W piece. I can see myself pulling it on over snuggly black tights on chilly days at university, or even pairing it with chunky heels for evenings out! It's so comfortable and the black fabric is very flattering.

I thought I'd use the ducks on my dress as an excuse to introduce you to our living, breathing ducks, L'Orange (see what we did there?) and Jemima. We had a third, Hoisin, but unfortunately the fox managed to get into their house one night. I know it would be cruel, but part of me is desperate to dress them up in bonnets and capes like Beatrix Potter characters.

Whilst we're on the subject, I might as well introduce to a couple more of the McMinn animals. We have three pygmy goats, Bugsy, Malone and Tallulah. Pictured below are Tallulah and Malone. Malone stopped growing when she was still quite young, so she's a miniature pygmy! Absolutely adorable, but very feisty. She's done a fair amount damage with those little horns before. When she's in a good mood, we sometimes manage to take her for walks. She loves going down the beach and jumping around on the rocks (although we probably look a little odd to local dog walkers!).

 

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

Duck egg blue, the way I like it.

 DRESS FROM AUDREY GRACE BOUTIQUE*

CHARM DETAIL BELT FROM ROMWE*

HEELS FROM DOROTHY PERKINS

CREAM JUMPER FROM YUMI

MY SISTER'S NECKLACE

Despite my attempts to leave behind my spring/summer fondant obsession and instead embrace more autumnal hues, I just can't say goodbye to my pastel pretties. I have tried, and I have failed - miserably. So, instead, I'm going to try and make my summer clothes more appropriate for the colder months. Audrey Grace sent me this gorgeous dress a couple of months ago, and it's far too lovely to bundle away until spring, so I paired it with my snuggly new angora mix jumper from Yumi that I picked up last week with my winners vouchers. It's so cosy, and I have no doubts that I'm going to be living in it over winter.

I cinched it all together with my lock and key charm belt from Romwe (isn't it sweet?!), slipped on some of my favourite footwear, and stole my little sister's balloon pendant necklace. I must admit, this is one of my favourite outfits that I've put together recently. I've been having a minor style crisis lately, wondering whether I need to tone down the quirkiness and make my look more widely accessible, so to let go and have fun again was complete bliss.

DRESS OF THE DAY | ACCESSORY OF THE DAY

Siren London £50 giveaway.

LACE AND SEQUIN DRESS FROM SIREN LONDON*

STUDDED BROGUES FROM EBAY

I have a lovely giveaway to share with you today courtesy of Siren London! One lucky winner will receive a £50 voucher to spend at their online store, where you can find everything from pretty dresses to edgier statement pieces. I've had the pleasure of styling a few of their pieces now, and they never disappoint. A lot of thought has gone into their collections and they're wonderful people to work with.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway