The Women's Room | Daily Life and Style Inspiration

Things We LoveApril 13, 2012

Hope and Greenwood pinnies

By Amanda

We love a good pinny here at TWR, in fact I’d love us to do our own range, perhaps in Harris Tweed or even denim….but I digress. These cheerfully retro ones from Hope and Greenwood are uplifting, pretty and reasonably… Read More

Home & GardenApril 13, 2012

Winestorm: Jane Brocket’s new blog

By Jane

Yarnstorm was the first blog I ever read and was partly what inspired me to get together with Amanda and write this one. Five years later I am still a huge fan of Jane Brocket’s lovely posts on baking, gardening… Read More

Home & GardenApril 12, 2012

Locally made products: Solva Wool Mill

By Amanda

For the day job I’m in the middle of writing about how locally manufactured product is going to be even more important going forward, as consumers think carefully about buying stuff that helps support locally based factories and craftstmen. So… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingApril 11, 2012

Florence Broadhurst, Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives, By Helen O’Neill

By Jane

Florence Broadhurst was an extraordinary woman who was born on an isolated Australian farm in 1899. At 15 she wrote an article for her school paper saying “I am resolved to do great things.” By 19 she was singing her… Read More

Home & GardenApril 11, 2012

Nice wallpaper from House of Hackney and Kate Spade

By Jane

I’m a huge fan of wallpaper, in fact there is hardly a room in my house that doesn’t feature a heavily patterned wall. I particularly like the House of Hackney range and love the latest addition to their collection, Flights… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 10, 2012

Online shopping for middleagedad (and his sons): Stylepilot

By Amanda

Middleagedad recently did a post on his blog where he looked at the efficiencies of his online shopping, claiming that fairly soon he will NEVER have to visit a store again. Men often don’t like shopping for clothes, well straight… Read More

Middle Aged MumApril 9, 2012

Middleagedmum.com: it’s tea time!

By Jane

On Thursday night, teen daughter and I went late night shopping and decided to eat out. I tweeted what a nice evening it had been and a Scottish friend replied, “Hope you had a nice supper, or what ever the… Read More

Home & GardenApril 8, 2012

Happy Easter and things to do with excess chocolate

By Amanda

Happy Easter all from us at TWR. Just incase you end up with an excess of chocolate today, we have a recipe that might be of use. Mint leaves dipped in white chocolate, suggested to me by middleteenson’s lovely girlfriend,… Read More

Health & HappinessApril 7, 2012

Something for the teens: cheap holidays

By Jane

As you know, we are not usually up for sponsored posts, and if we do, we choose them very carefully – if at all. But this one appealed to us, as it’s that time of year when the teens are… Read More

Things We LoveApril 6, 2012

Printed perfume bottles from Jo Malone London

By Amanda

If perfume bottles are sitting on our dressing tables and taking up space, the very least they could do is look pretty. Often much of the marketing spend goes into packaging and exotic boxes (I think we are supposed to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 6, 2012

We love: Katie Puckrik Smells

By Amanda

We recently met the rather lovely Katie Puckrik, a stablemate of ours at Handpicked Media, who some of you may remember from her days as a presenter on the uber-cool TV programme The Word. She has transformed into Katie Puckrik… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 5, 2012

ila and Kiels face oil

By Jane

I met up with a very lovely beauty PR recently who had the most perfect skin. As she has a 16 year old son, I assumed she must be middle aged, but was too polite to ask. She said she… Read More

Things We LoveApril 4, 2012

Antonia by Puredistence

By Amanda

Jane and I are a tad worried The Women’s Room is turning into a beauty blog, what with all the perfume and skin care products we’re being introduced to. With perfume, I’m starting to run out of adjectives when describing… Read More

Out & AboutApril 4, 2012

Gudrun Sjödén’s new store: more Swedish style in London

By Amanda

The Women’s Room is have a Swedish love-in currently, what with us loving the Hasbeens pop up store at Selfridges last week and now designer Gudrun Sjödén has opened her first, very pretty shop in London and we were there… Read More

Health & HappinessApril 3, 2012

Inspiration for growing old: “stay positive and eat well”

By Jane

My neighbour Joyce was 78 on Sunday, and on Saturday night she invited us over to have drinks with her friends and family. I was tired and looking forward to a night in front of the tv, but I love… Read More

Fashion & BeautyApril 2, 2012

LUCZA’s First Anniversary Celebration: win a capsule wardrobe! Really!

By Amanda

This is SUCH an exciting Monday morning we can hardly stand still because LUCZA, the luxury basics brand is celebrating its first anniversary with us here at TWR by giving away a whole capsule wardrobe…I know! Fabulous eh? This competition… Read More

Things We LoveApril 1, 2012

Jo Malone London Scent Surround Collection

By Amanda

Jo Malone London’s Scent Surround collection launches on Monday 2nd April, making your house smell as nice as you after you’ve spritzed some of its lovely perfume. I’ve been testing the Red Roses Scent Surround Diffuser this week and I… Read More

Health & Happiness, Health & Happiness, We Are ReadingApril 1, 2012

The Elegant Art of Falling Apart by Jessica Jones

By Jane

Just when Jessica Jones thought she had it all – a job she liked and a man who loved her, in a city she adored, – she was diagnosed with breast cancer. With the help of friends and family, she… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 31, 2012

Rachel Riley’s sundresses and vintage hanky collection

By Amanda

Last week I went vintage shopping with designer Rachel Riley and she happened to mention she had a hankie collection similar to The Printed Square one we mentioned last week. Rachel produces nearly all her own prints now for her… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 30, 2012

Hasbeens Pop Up at Selfridges

By Jane

This week has been all about footwear for us and on Tuesday it was Scandinavian footwear from our favourite Swedish clog brand Hasbeens. As you know we are huge fans of their very comfortable, wooden sandals and were delighted to… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 29, 2012

Proceed With Fashion Caution, TWR’s list of unsuitable fashion trends

By Amanda

Yesterday we were thrilled to be invited to do a guest blog for Gransnet, older sister (mother?) of Mumsnet, which despite its slightly ‘ageing’ name has good discussions going on about many issues relevant to older women (and a nice… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 28, 2012

Nature or science, which one to choose?

By Jane

We have been attending lots of skin care events recently and consequently getting more and more confused. It seems there are two distinct types of beauty customers, those who like their products natural, chemical free and organic and those who… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 27, 2012

My summer Ancient Greek Sandals, shall I get the winged ones?

By Amanda

We spotted these last year on Yasmin Sewell’s Vogue blog, and quite simply fell in love with them. Beautifully designed FLAT shoes, now that’s something we don’t see every day in our hooker-heel-chic-loving world. The shoes are made by newly… Read More

Things We LoveMarch 26, 2012

Pastel Grensons

By Jane

Available from the the 31st of March, pastel and two tone Grensons for £175. That’s all you need to know this month!… Read More

Middle Aged MumMarch 26, 2012

Middleagedmum.com: just ask!

By Jane

As I get older, I find when I meet new people (women), I either click with them straight away or I don’t – simple as that. Obviously age and experience have taught me to persevere with the ones I don’t… Read More

Home & GardenMarch 25, 2012

We love: John Smedley’s Care Wash by The Laundress

By Amanda

Anyone who has had moths will be interested in this new range of Care Washes from British knitwear designer and manufacturer John Smedley. Designed by The Laundress, the cult New York detergent team, the cotton and wool washes are designed… Read More

Art & CultureMarch 24, 2012

Lost Bohemia – where I want to live when I’m old

By Jane

Both Amanda and I saw the Bill Cunningham New York film (separately) as a mothers day treat. We loved it (as did the teens) as it’s about so much more than just fashion and Bill Cunningham is an inspiration. The… Read More

Out & AboutMarch 23, 2012

Tulipmania at Neill Strain’s Flower Lounge

By Amanda

If you are close to West Halkin Street in Knightsbridge before Easter, try and get to florist Neill Strain’s flower store, which is bursting with Spring fever and over 40 different types of tulips for Tulipmania, a celebration of his… Read More

Home & Garden, Home & Garden, We Are ReadingMarch 22, 2012

Homespun Style and Dottie Angel

By Jane

We love anything crafty here at TWR, be it books, blogs, magazines, craft fairs or classes. Amanda is a dab hand at quilt/jam/garment making, but I’m more of a ‘collect loads of vintage fabrics, ribbons, antique buttons and interesting haberdashery,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyMarch 21, 2012

Big pants: shapewear by Matalan

By Amanda

It’s all about pants today, big, good value ones at that. Oh, the glamour. Recently I was in a Matalan store for the FIRST time ever, on a supermarket retail safari with fellow retail geeks (on a Sunday too, talk… Read More