The Quick & Easy Way to Make Glass Sparkle

It's been a while since I've done a DIY post and this isn't exactly making up for it. However, it is a super quick, easy and effective DIY to make all your glassy possessions sparkle. Cleaning our lovely wine glass chandelier can be a challenge as it tends to get dusty and at times a little grimy depending on its kitchen location ( it's been in three different homes with us now). I've tried used regular cleaners but they either made the glass cloudy or left it streaky.

I eventually decided to give distilled white vinegar a go and it proved to be a marvelous cleaner. All you have to do is mix equal measures of vinegar and warm water in a washing up bowl and gently rinse the glass. Drain and dry as you would your regular dishes. The difference is remarkable. I've also noticed that the glass tends to stay cleaner for longer after a vinegary wash.

You can also make a spray of the vinegar-water mixture and use as a very effective window cleaner! I've also used it to clean the windows of our old car. Vinegar also deters frost so a spray of this mixture could help either prevent or de-frost your car quicker! And the best bit of all is that this is 100% organic and dirt cheap!

 Have you got any organic cleaning tips you'd like to share? Ann x

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.

The Pommery Champagne Bar, Signet Library

Oscar Wilde once said "Only people with no imagination can't find a good reason to drink champagne." My boss mentioned the pop-up champagne bar at the Signet Library after visiting it (during the Festival season) and I felt absolutely no need to stretch my imagination to find a reason to visit this place. Luckily, I exercised some judgement and chose to book in advance for a lunchtime session. The long queue of people, without a reservation and waiting for a table, confirmed this was a very good idea!

The Pommery Bar is now a regular feature during the Edinburgh Festival season and pops up inside the beautiful Signet library. The area surrounding the library is a quiet oasis in the midst of festival mayhem. Whilst you can choose to go for a decant champagne afternoon tea, Ed and I preferred a seafood platter and lots of bubbly. I'm no champagne aficionado so the idea of a champagne tasting menu to help choose the prefect glass of bubbly sounded good.

The table service was impeccable and our waiter seemed very knowledgeable about champagne. The seafood portions were small but that just meant we had room for dessert! I *loved* the light-filled decadent yet friendly ambience of the place!

We stopped by the pop-up shop selling individual mini champagne bottles and artisan chocolates for a quick tasting session followed by a chocolatey purchase before we headed out.

Despite its  luxurious feel, the Pommery Bar is actually quite a laid back place and so I dressed purely for comfort. The weather was glorious albeit a tiny bit cold and I kept warm in my super-comfy Isabel Marant sweatshirt. My New Balance trainers have been walking almost every day for months on end and were my footwear of choice for trundling up the Royal Mile. 

We wandered around taking in the last week of the festival (separate post to follow) before heading to McEwan Hall to watch the Soweto Singers. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and the Pommery Bar session was definitely a highlight. 

Have you discovered somewhere special recently? Ann x

Wearing: Isabel Marant Etoile sweater, American Apparel boob tube, New Balance trainers, Longchamp Le Pliage bag and Christian Dior sunglasses.

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.

The Witchery, Edinburgh

As a nice little surprise ahead of the Tattoo, Ed booked us in for a meal at The Witchery in Old Town. It's been on our to-do list for a long while and Ed had to book months in advance due to high demand over the festival season. Although the building itself dates back to the 16th century, The Witchery was established in 1979 and mixes a modern eclectic menu amidst luxurious old world charm.  

The menu ranges from set lunches and pre-theatre menus for about £18pp all the way up to £6000 bottles of vino. We had a 6PM reservation and so the pre-theatre menu worked out quite well. The food was well presented, tasty but not mind-blowing. I think its ambience you pay for....and the excellent service. That said, joking about the petulance of Prosecco may not have gone down too well with their in-house sommelier...I need to be less irreverent sometimes!

A final note about my outfit....would you believe I bought my Louboutins, almost new and 100% genuine from a Stockbridge charity shop!! Admittedly I would have picked up similarly priced pair on Vestiare or even eBay but buying a truly special item from a charity shop makes me incredibly happy!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and a fabulous week ahead! Ann x

Wearing: Theory blazer, ASOS shirt, Joseph leather trousers, Christian Louboutin Gressimo heels, Louis Vuitton purse and Tibetan money purse (bought years ago in Nepal)

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.

How to build the perfect autumn wardrobe

Having adopted the colder and ever-changing climate of the UK many years ago, I had to learn (through trial and error) about how to dress for the seasons, what worked and what didn't and where to shop. I also learnt about layering. Over time, I have developed my individual style preferences and accumulated a reasonable amount of shopping wisdom. Here are my building blocks for the perfect Autumn wardrobe along with a small dose of Autumn street style inspiration.

1. Base layer: As the days grow colder, a set of good cotton or silk camisoles are perfect for providing an extra layer of warmth and interest. M&S do really good cotton lace camisoles that are also excellent value. For a simple and more basic version, try Uniqlo or Gap. If it's luxe you're after, Agent Provacateur and Bodas are worth trying.

2. Fine knits: I prefer lighter knits for Autumn and would rather save my chunkier jumpers for the depth of winter. Fine knits are also great for layering under dresses or over silk shirts. Uniqlo's extra fine merino and M&S cashmere are both excellent bets.

3. A shift dress: I find shift dresses great for transitional wardrobes as they can be easily layered for warmth. They can act as pinafores or as pseudo skirts. I'm a big fan of Cos and & Other Stories as well as sister brand H&M for well tailored shift dresses. Vintage and charity shops are great for unusual gems.

4. A skirt or culottes: The latter option is one I've been obsessing over for a while after seeing Yasmin Sewell in the emerald Isa Arfen number. You could also try indie brands or new designers either directly or via sites such as eBay and SilkFred for sourcing cool statement skirts. For a more subdued versions, try Joules or Banana Republic. And try good old Zara for a skirt or a pair of culottes with the right dose of fashion forwardness.

5. Trousers: I despair when I see bog standard black poly trousers... trousers could be so much more!! I must admit I've worn these myself, albeit very briefly and a long time ago. If you want a fashionable wardrobe, I'd recommend wool, silk or textures such as leather and velvet. I believe that even your basic black trousers should add oomph to your outfit.  Try Zara and Topshop for their variety for styles and Joseph for beautifully tailored wool or leather trousers.  As for me, I'm currently lusting after a pair of J Brand Coated black jeans...

6. Hosiery: The perfect pair of tights can complete an outfit. Wolford and Falke are solid choices and wash well. I actually love the M&S ladder-resist versions too...

7. The trench: This is one item that will get *constant* wear through Autumn and back again in Spring. I doubt if it will ever go out of fashion! Everyone wants a Burberry but I love my Micheal Kors versions. If you crave Burberry but don't have the funds, try vintage and charity shops for vintage versions at much cheaper price! I've owned an H&M version for a while which cost me £13 in the sale and always brought me bags of compliments!

8. Waterproofs: Autumn can be wet although most seasons in the UK are! A solid brolly and a showerproof mac are worth investing in. Fulton do excellent brollies and I've recently sourced a super raincoat via ASOS.

9.  The bag and shoes: Autumn weather is made for boots...or is it other way round? I prefer ankle boots for Autumn and *love* Ash for their style and comfort. Their most popular and versatile styles are the Jalouse and Spiral (which are almost identical) and they go with pretty much everything in your wardrobe. 

10.  Accessories: No wardrobe is complete without a couple of happy accessories. I love Boticca and Etsy for new and indie designers as well as handmade accessories. A Uroco Obi belt and a Jennifer Loiselle necklace are currently on my Autumn wish list. And I *cannot* wait to wear my new Helen Moore vixen scarf!!

Have you got any further ideas around building the perfect Autumn wardrobe? Do share! Ann x

Images via Pinterest

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.

Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo

After a brief hiatus from the weekly blogging routine due to lack of broadband, I'm delighted to be finally back online! August has been a tremendously busy month as we moved house (again) a couple of weeks ago and amidst all the happenings of the Edinburgh Festival. I have a few posts lined up but first in the queue is the Edinburgh Tattoo. I half expected the Tattoo to be a touristy event  but I was pleasantly surprised by just how wonderful it actually was! Perhaps I'm still in that phase where I'm playing semi-tourist round here. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo performances take place all through the month of August and brings together audience and performers from all over the world.

Military bands from various parts of the UK as well as the Commonwealth countries performed musical and dance numbers in quick succession over the course of the night. I have been told that the nature of  performance has changed quite a bit over the years and that it was historically a very military focused event with guns and cannons being dismantled as part of show. It is very much a song and dance affair now but excellent nonetheless.

My favourites were the military band from Singapore, the Naga dancing troupe from India ( because I'm biased and I was pleased to see a lesser known part of the country represented) and the folk from Shetland. We even had a cute Shetland pony come and say hello!

And then there was the Kiwi band and they were superb! The Maori and Scottish Highland dance medley was very well executed and thoroughly entertaining. The sprightly Zulu troupe were also good fun and so energetic!

There were some moving and more sobering bits to the event, especially when the lone soldier started playing his bagpipe up the castle tower. However, with the finale where all the troupes came together for a final song and dance, and with the fireworks in the background, it did feel like we'd all come away from a very good party!

We were very lucky with getting tickets on time as well as the weather but it can often get quite wet and the seating area is not covered. If you plan to attend the Tattoo, book your tickets well in advance, wrap up warm, take some drink with you and most importantly, carry your waterproofs!

I was moved by the Edinburgh Tattoo and I felt even more grateful for being able to live in such a wonderful city. I really hope you get a chance to see the Tattoo if event already done so! Ann x

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter,Instagram or Facebook.