Charity Shops: Octavia Brompton Road, London

Now that I've created my blogging to-do list for the next year, I might as well make a start! This is the first of a new series of posts featuring some of the best charity shops around. I'm doing this in an attempt to encourage ethical fashion whilst promoting various charities. To give it a dash of glamour, I'm going to start with a rather fancy one-Octavia Brompton Road. The Octavia Foundation aims to establish strong communities and improve the quality of life people living in Central London. There are numerous Octavia charity shops dotted around London and I've been a few of these. The Brompton Road shop has been newly refurbished and is located in a very exclusive part of London with neighbours including the V&A museum and Harrods.

 The shop has two floors filled with beautiful designer clothes, shoes, jewellery and home artifacts.Unlike some charity shops where items looks tired and poorly presented, everything here is immaculate and well displayed. I spotted Chloe, Zandra Rhodes, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry etc. I fell in love with a pill box hat with coins and pearls sewed on but resisted the urge to buy. I tried on a Herve Leger dress which retails for over a £1000 full price at slightly less pricey £350.

As much as I love Octavia Brompton Road , it is definitely one of the more expensive charity shops I've been to. Some well known brands sell here for more than you would pay in the seasonal sales. However, there were a few brands like Marni and Sergio Rossi which seemed to have not been marked up as much. As with most charity shops and thrift stores, it is all about looking through rails carefully and seeking out little gems.If there is any charity shop where you can definitely find a beautiful piece of high end designer fashion, I think it is here. Ann x

Happy One Month Ickle Blog!

I cannot believe that its only a month since I launched my brand new blog! I've had over 2300 hits, written 14 new posts and and have 'virtually' met lots of really interesting people. The Quirky Lifestyle Facebook page has a 100+ likes but clearly needs building up. I'm so very grateful for all the support I've received from my friends (and my lovely husband) and for all the experiences I've able to share here. Thank you for indulging me!. Following the demise of my much neglected travel, fashion and food blogs (I've deleted them!) , I am determined to keep this baby alive. I've imported all the old posts and am currently going through a tedious housekeeping process.

As with most things, I figured a list would help me focus. So, here is my little wish list of 10 things I'd like to do before my blog turns 1....

1. Ethical Fashion: In keeping with my passion for ethical and thrifty fashion, I'd like to start a feature on some of the best Charity Shops around. I'm already planning my Kensington run... 
2. Celebrity: A bit of celebrity is always good for inspiration and business. I'd like to interview someone famous I admire for the blog. Watch out Vivienne Westwood and Heston Blumenthal! ;)
3. Food Blogging: I've learnt quickly (deleted blogs saga)  that blogging is very much about networking. I'd love to attend a food bloggers event and connect with some more 'real' people who blog and in the process develop that network.
4. DIY: I'm all about upcylcing and recycling so I'd like write about at least five really interesting DIY projects. Design my own shoe or handbag perhaps?!
5. Ethical Investment: I'd love to find one iconic 'forever' fashion piece from a charity shop and blog about the 'how'.Can you hear me Coco?
6. Travel & Adventure:  I've not been travelling as much I'd like to lately. I gently remind myself that I do have family responsibilities, a full time job and mortgage. Nevertheless, I'd like to travel to and blog about at least three destinations I haven't been to before (either UK or overseas) in the next year.
7. Fashion Week: I *so* want to attend London Fashion Week! I need to figure out how to go about this as a baby blogger. No plans so far but watch this space...
8. Olfactory Indulgence:  I am a huge fan of perfume-especially the niche brands. I'd love to visit a perfumery workshop and blog about the experience. Oh how I'd *love* to visit Grasse !
9. Quirky Partying: Nothing like a bit of dress-up and partying. Even better if it is on a grand scale. I really fancy participating in a themed weekend, I'm thinking posh murder mystery evening...
10. Recognition: As this is a wish list for the next 12 months and I'd be putting a lot of heart, soul and energy into it,  maybe I need to think about some recognition. Sign up for a blog award perhaps!?

Have you got more ideas of what I should focus on over the next year? Would you like to join me on one of these adventures?  I'd love to hear from you! Happy birthday little blog! Ann x

DIY Sparkly Shoes: Almost 'Choos'

Lately, I've been obsessing over all things sparkly. I am certain that it is my sub-conscious reaction to the general lack of sunshine in this part of the world. Sparkly shoes are a bit of balancing act-a little bit that way and it may end up looking tacky.  And then, inspiration struck unexpectedly...

About five years ago, I bought a pair of beige textile courts from the M&S Outlet in Springfields. It cost me a fiver and I wore it lots. I was beginning to get bored of the pair and decided to give them a bit of a makeover. I tried using nail varnish on them but that turned out to be a big fail (see photo for proof!). I then bought some glitter glue, used a paint brush for the application and three coats later, ( with drying periods in between) I had the most glittery glamorous shoes ever!  The glitter glue cost me £1.99 and you can find them in most craft stores.

I don't often feel giddy about things but I cannot wait to wear my sparkly new shoes! In fact, I may just have been wearing them around the house (brushing my teeth in them :o) as they make me so happy. Don't you think they look a bit like these Jimmy Choos? ;) I'd love to hear your shoe makeover ideas too! Ann x

After: All sparkly and glam!

Before: And after the nail vanish disaster

The November Garden

Our allotment is a tip right now and the garden doesn't look that much better. The incessant rains and the short days (and hectic work schedules) have meant that we've not quite 'got there' in terms of autumn gardening. Hard frost has not arrived in the East yet so there is still time for a bit of garden TLC. So here are a list of things I'll be doing this Autumn.

Autumn Leaves: You need to rake those pesky leaves regularly. It is important, especially if you have leafy deciduous trees nearby which encourages the growth of moss and mushrooms and will eventually ruin your lawn. Use the leave for mulching your borders or as compost (leaf mould).

Seeds: This is a good time to continue collecting the last of your plant and flower seeds for planting later in spring. And, it saves a few pennies.  Always dry first and store in paper bags in a cold dark place. I love it when I'm able to re-grow plants from seed. My giant sunflowers were born this way and they are still beautiful!

Spring bulbs: Its not too late to plant some spring bulbs if you haven't already. My MIL bought us a bag of tulips that really need planting soon. Also, lift and store any gladioli bulbs or dahlias if you live in a particularly cold area.

Fruit Trees: This is the ideal time for planting, pruning and propagating fruit trees. Carol Klein's book on propagation has some great tips.Propagating fruit trees is also much cepaer than buying new ones.

Pruning:  Time to prune those raspberry and other fruit canes that have finished supplying the goods. Your autumn fruting raspberries may have another month to go.

Winter Vegetable Patch: If you've sown leeks, winter brassicas, celeriac etc., now is a good time to harvest. We also managed to get a rather late harvest of sweet corn and cucurbitas. Parsnips are meant to get tastier after the first frost so leave an excess of those in the ground. It is a good time to plant some garlic too. Also continue digging and preparing the ground for the winter. Check out Freecycle for free manure.


What have you been up to in the garden this month? Ann x

Little Black Dress (LBD) Recycled: Part 1

In keeping with the ethical fashion theme from my previous post, this post is about a well recycled Little Black Dress (LBD). I bought this dress a few years ago from the Cleethorpes Sunday market for something like a fiver. Its a Minuet Petite dress so what I paid was a tiny fraction of the actual price. Its a classic and I've dressed it up and down and it still works well. My shoes are JW Anderson Aldo Rise (at 70% off!) from the ASOS sale. My cuff is handmade and bought from the lady Michelle Lowe-Holder herself at London Fashion Weekend.  Have you got a dress that you constantly recycle? Ann x

Photography by Edward Chandler

Pushing Culinary Boundaries: Moong Masala Lasagna

 Do you have those days when there is nothing readily available to make a 'regular' meal and you really can't be bothered getting out of the house to shop? I tend to have more of those nearer the winter-I blame the cold dark evenings. I had one of those days last week and decided to improvise with whatever was available in the kitchen. I found pasta sheets, lentils, moong beans, rice paper, rice, flour, onions and the usual multitude of herbs and spices. It had been a while since I'd made lasagna and so decided to make some with moong. Definitely not 'regular' but Ed was willing to be party to the experiment. Here is what I did.

Ingredients:

8 pasta sheets

250g moong beans

1 large onion

1 tbsp garlic puree or 3 cloves of fresh garlic

1 tbsp ginger paste

1tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp garam masala

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbps tomato puree

Hard cheese 

Basil leaves or curry leaves depending on how Italian/Indianesque you want it to be

Salt to taste.

For the white sauce:

25g butter
25g flour
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
300ml milk

Method:

Moong Masala:

Soak the moong for 24 hours or at the minimum, overnight. Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves/basil. Add the salt, spices, garlic and ginger and fry for about 10 mins, until the onion is nicely browned. Add the tomato puree and moong, cover with water and cook for about 40 mins. The moong masala is ready when the moong beans have softened and 'melt in the mouth'.

White sauce:

Heat the butter in a saucepan and slowly add milk and flour, stirring constantly. Add pepper and continue the process until you achieve a thick sauce like consistency.

Lasagna:

Blanch the pasta sheets in boiling water with a pinch of salt. Only cook for about 10 mins, drain and set aside. Heat the oven to 180C. Grease the baking dish with butter, add a thin layer of moong masala and cover with pasta sheets. Add moong on top of this layer and continue until you are left with a pasta sheet covered top. Add white sauce and grate cheese on top. Let this cook in the oven for about 20-30 mins until top has browned. Serve with random accompaniments! 

Are you ready to experiment? Have you any random recipes to share? Ann x

Note: The moong masala recipe is a traditional South Indian recipe. The only difference is you would use curry leaves rather than basil.

In bed with Heston

I've had the day off work today and am recovering from a mildly traumatic visit to the dentist. With half my mouth anesthetized, I've had to take it easy. So instead of working on the allotment, I've decided to spend the afternoon in bed with one of my favourite books-The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal. If you know me, you'll know of my penchant for experimenting with slightly bonkers recipes. I have great admiration for the much more bonkers experiments that Heston conducts and the book has often provided me with plenty of ideas and inspiration. It describes Heston's journey in discovering/developing what is now popularly known as molecular gastronomy. It also makes me want to pack my bags right now and go on a gastronomical road trip around France. The book is packed with lots of detailed information and the photography is absolutely brilliant. Whilst I've not quite got to the nitrous oxide pump stage, I'd love to try the mustard ice cream! Have you come across any bonkers recipes of late? Ann x