Black and white from Margaret Howell
Black and white is a big trend for spring 2013, which is something of a joy as it’s a classic story that we can all pull off. Excuse the glare on the above photos but I wanted to show this… Read More
Trend Alert: Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
A couple of years ago I wrote a feature for Viewpoint magazine about pet trends. Treating pets as humans was something reserved for the Japanese and US markets and we Brits were still happy to treat our pets strictly as… Read More
Clarks Winter Warmers, be prepared!
As I write this my camelia plant is flowering beautifully, the magnolia buds are pushing through and you could almost think that spring was close…..It’s so easy to think winter is over after Christmas, but of course it isn’t, not… Read More
Our favourite women of 2012
Looking back on the stories that have made the headlines in 2012 its easy to feel a sense of despair when it comes to women’s rights. Whether it’s abortion, rape, or the sexism that appears to dominate our culture and… Read More
OPI Drip Dry
If you (like me) always try to do things too soon after applying nail varnish – this could be what you have been looking for.
Drip Dry acts like drops which you simply just pop over your ail varnish, wait… Read More
Go See: The Rain Room at The Barbican
Happy New Year to you all, we hope your festive season was fun and you are all nicely relaxed and ready for whatever 2013 brings. We both had a fabulous break and return re energised to inspire you anew.
After… Read More
Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Debora was right, this is a fabulous cookery book. I can now make stonkingly good houmous and it’s all due to this. A gem.
Buy here… Read More
Merry Christmas from us xxx
We are having a little break, trying to keep away from emails and social networking for a whole week (its not going to be easy) and will be back be back on January the 2nd.
Wishing you all a very… Read More
We love: Brasserie Zedel
If anyone is thinking of coming up to London during the festive period for sales, the theatre or some culture, can I recommend heartily the Brasserie Zedel as a great place to stop for refuelling? Canny Londoners may already know… Read More
We love: Sweet Paul
How did I not know about Sweet Paul until now?
An online and printed lifestyle magazine created as a spin off of Paul Lowe’s hugely successful blog, Sweet Paul is a must for anyone looking to “make simple, elegant meals… Read More
Trouser suits and androgynous dressing
I am currently obsessing about this lovely shot of Agyness Deyn in her wonderful cocoa brown, three button trouser suit. I am going to have to have this -or something like it- next year and am going to be searching… Read More
See this: Mariko Mori
If we have all survived the End of the World (which if you are reading this we clearly have) then its worth seeing Rebirth, the latest Royal Academy exhibition by Japanese artist Mariko Mori.
The opening was time to coincide… Read More
Amanda’s pre-Christmas perfume round up
While we are talking about Christmas adverts, am I the only one completely baffled by the current crop of TV perfume adverts? It’s like the perfume houses are stuck somewhere in the mid 90s, imagining we all want to slink… Read More
How to impress this Christmas – or not!
If you are feeling the pressure of Christmas entertaining this week, you can rest assured you are not the only one and for once, it seems this isn’t just about being a woman!
Recent research shows that Brits rank… Read More
The Fifties Mystique by Jessica Mann
This fab little book tells the 50s as it really was, as opposed to the rose-tinted view we sometimes have when we moan about how terrible things are today and how everything was better ‘back in The Good Old Days….’… Read More
Eye-Spec’s foldable reading glasses
It’s wrong to love a product because of its packaging isn’t it? Wrong. But as I type this, I have at my side my lovely silver satin reading glasses case from Eye-Spec, a new reading glasses company.
The glasses are… Read More
Films to see in 2013: Quartet and Song for Marion
After the success of the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, films featuring older people seem to be having a moment.
Quartet starring Maggie Smith and Billy Connolly is directed by Dustin Hoffman and is in cinemas on January the 4th.… Read More
What did we do before Down jackets?
Sub zero temperatures are hard to cope with at the best of times, but I do wonder how we survived before the down filled jacket became such a wardrobe staple. I used to think the only thing guaranteed to keep… Read More
Middleagedmum.com: competitive crafting
Since my kids were little, Christmas celebrations have involved various forms of crafting – all of which I embraced with gusto. Snow globes made from old jam jars and miniature Christmas trees, handmade Christmas cards featuring my children and pets… Read More
New store love: Bloom Perfumery in Spitalfields
We have a new perfume-store-favourite, the seriously interesting Bloom Perfumery in Spitalfields, owned by Oxana Polyakova.
What I loved about the store was the curated selection of really beautiful smells from interesting and below the radar niche, artisan and specialist… Read More
If you only listen to one thing this Christmas: Tinsel and Lights, by Tracey Thorn
I’ve mentioned my love of Tracey Thorn before and she hasn’t dissapointed with her new album, Tinsel and Lights. It even features a special guest appearance by Green Gartside – anyone else love Scritti Politti?
If last Christmas was all… Read More
Sai-Sei Japanese skincare range
I am a little bit obsessed with anything Japanese when it comes to skin care, as I know how seriously they take their cleaning routines. Washing can be something close to a religious experience for some Japanese and there is… Read More
All I want for Christmas: Amanda’s list
What I’d really like for Christmas is a Porsche like Saga’s. You remember Saga from the TV series The Bridge? Slightly odd Swedish police detective who wears leather trousers and drives around very fast in an olive green vintage Porsche.… Read More
The Town House: Spitalfields
Fournier Street in Spitalfields is one of my favourite London streets, home to Gilbert and George and some of London’s most exquisite Georgian houses, it was developed by the wealthy French Huguenot community who came to Spitalfields, bringing with them… Read More
Stylist Emma Freemantle, Worn With Love and barge living.
If anyone is harbouring dreams of giving it all up and living a quieter, slower life away from the madness of our hi-tech lives, this might be the post for you.
Pictured above is the fashion stylist Emma Freemantle, who… Read More
Choirs for Christmas: Lips and London Gay Men’s Chorus
Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without at least one opportunity to sing Carols (correctly in Amanda’s case), or listen to a choir. Over the last few years choirs have become a “thing,” as the wonderful Gareth Malone convinvced us they could… Read More
Recipe Journal by Orlando Gough
It’s a while since we popped over to the Toast Travels section of the Toast website, run by Rachel Seaton and we’ve missed a lot, its got all sorts of interesting things going on.
The first thing to notice… Read More
Christmas Marmite, the Gold Limited (bling) Edition
Can I just check all the Marmite lovers out there have got their jar of Marmite Gold? It is the most fabulous thing to happen to Marmite since the champagne edition, only this is better as addIng gold coloured flecks… Read More
Christmas at the Design Museum
As you would expect the Design Museum are very good at decorating their Christmas tree and this year they have enlisted the help of fashion designer Mary Katranzou.
The 3m height tree incorporates patterns from her Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, was… Read More
Middleagemum.com: my problem with singing carols
For as far as I can remember since the kids were small, December means carol concerts and obvs, carol singing and last night we went to youngest teen’s school performance (above).
When they were tiny it was all about the… Read More