December in Pictures

Here we are again with my little monthly round up.

There were (as there usually are) good and bad parts of December, but as I've said many times before - the thing I love about Instagram is how it allows us to capture the good times so that looking back can bring a smile to your face :) 

I hope you had a fabulous December and a great start to 2015!

Lauren

xxx

My Style Diary - Murder Mystery

Hello!

For my first outfit post of 2015 I thought I'd share a rather glamorous outfit that I wore for a Murder Mystery dinner party about a week ago. It was a really fun night with friends, and something a little different to your usual dinner party. The game we played was "How to Host a Murder - The Last Train From Paris", which you can check out here if you're interested.

My character's suggested costume was something "frilly, flowing and dripping in jewels" so I thought a sparkly top, long flowing skirt and a statement necklace would be appropriate. I love costume parties as they are a great excuse to dress up and pull out those pieces that you don't always get a chance to wear in everyday life. This sequinned top has been waiting patiently for the perfect occasion, and it finally had it's chance to shine the other night. It's one of those "special pieces" that, although it may not be worn very frequently, is always going to have it's place in my wardrobe for night's like this. 

Have you ever attended a Murder Mystery party? 

If not I definitely recommend holding one - they're really fun!

Lauren

xxx

Top - Forever New

Skirt - Forever New

Necklace - Colette by Colette Hayman

Ring - Forever New

Heels - Zara

The Foodie Post - A Super Simple Spinach and Pumpkin Salad

Today I made a spinach and pumpkin salad which turned out rather well (if I do say so myself), so I thought I'd take some photos and share it here with you. It's very simple and easy to make and is perfect as a side salad or even a main meal as the pumpkin and nuts really bulk it up. I would usually use pine nuts for this salad, but as I didn't have any on hand I substituted them with cashews and I think I actually prefer it this way! Feta cheese is also a nice addition if you have it on hand!

Ingredients:

*Baby spinach

*Butternut pumpkin

*Cashews (or Pine nuts)

*Avocado

*Feta Cheese (not included this time but my favourite is Danish Feta)

*Olive Oil

*Vinegar

*Pepper

Let's Do This:

Ok so it's pretty self explanatory - basically you want to chop the pumpkin into small bite size pieces, coat with a little olive oil and pop it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for around 25 minutes. This timing is approximate though so it may be a little longer or a little shorter.

Place the cashew nuts (or pine nuts) in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, continually stirring so they don't burn.

For the dressing, stir together a little vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Place the spinach, pumpkin, avocado and nuts into a bowl. Crumble over the feta and then drizzle the dressing over the top. 

All Done! There you have an easy-peasy, super yummy and filling salad!

I like making salads like this as you don't need to be precise and you can throw in whatever you happen to have on hand. That's the kind of cooking I enjoy - adding a little dash or this or a handful of that. I'm not fond of really precise cooking where you need to measure everything out exactly - this probably explains why baking is not my forte! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this slightly different kind of post. I always planned for this blog to be a bit more varied and not just fashion based - so hopefully this will be the year that I mix it up a bit!

Let me know if you have any favourite salads. I'd love to get some ideas!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

On a completely off topic note, while I was eating this salad tonight I watched "It's Complicated" and I had forgotten how much I love that movie - it is hilarious, and Meryl Streep is fantastic as always. 

Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone's in need of a fun feel-good movie suggestion!

Happy New Year!!

Hello!

I know this is a little late, but I just really wanted to pop in and say Happy New Year!

I hope you had a fabulous New Years Eve and a great start to 2015.

I was planning on doing a post on New Years Resolutions, but to be honest I haven't completely decided on mine yet! For some reason it always takes me a few days into the New Year to really define what I want them to be, instead of just having a vague idea floating around in my head. That's one of the things about resolutions and goals though - one of the best things you can do to help achieve them is to be very specific, so that's what I'm going to try and do this year. 

One of the main ones though is to stop worrying about what others think. It's one of those things that creates so much unnecessary anxiety, and unfortunately I do often let it stop me from doing what I want to do. 

A perfect example of this is how I'm so secretive about my blog. For some reason I hate the idea of people I know reading it (my close friends and family don't count in this) because I worry about what they'll think. 

I know it's ridiculous so this year it's going to stop! 

Have you made any resolutions this year? I'd love to hear about them!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx