Embellished Details

I love a good bit of sparkle! 

I think most girls will agree with me; it just adds that little bit of "je ne sais quoi" to your outfit and it definitely makes me feel dressed up and good to go!

Last week for my sister's birthday, we headed into the city for dinner. As it was a special occasion, I had even more of a reason to wear something that shone!

(Not that I ever actually need a reason!)

I added a glitzy clutch to set off my manicure too! (Doing my nails is the first thing I do when I'm off work. I know its a silly little tradition, but it really makes me feel like its holiday time as I can't have my nails done in the hospital!)

Here's a (very small) peek into my collection of sparkly items that hang out in my closet! These are just a few of my faves. And I just bought a new pair of embellished shorts - I can't wait to debut them!

I love the beading on this blouse, and it has a peter-pan collar too!

This black, long sleeved mesh top is divine. It is covered in these beautiful, tiny caviar beads which catch the light and twinkle away so elegantly. I wore it on my first date with Mr ZeroDays, so I think its lucky too!

These are my absolute favourite though! Whenever we travel, the fear of the airline losing my bags means these go with me in my carry-on! Gold, silver and black glitter with a stiletto heel - they are perfect for dressing up any simple outfit. They add that little bit of punch or something extra to a monochrome outfit.

And no outfit is complete without accessories. 

Now don't even get me started on jewels! But how about jewelled bags?

I love an embellished clutch with an all black or navy outfit!

Some of my bags are one of a kind pieces. Each one has been hand made and sourced from different parts of Asia.

See on this one how each gem is individually covered with a gauze to give it a slightly muted appearance?

And the pouch style to this gauze and beaded little purse. It's so cute with an LBD!

Already excited to wear something sparkly on my birthday which is coming up soon!

These are on my wishlist now:

1. River Island Midi Ring

2. Topshop Bralet

3. Miu Miu Embellished Collar Top

4. Zara Studded Flats

5. Oscar de la Renta Embellished Clutch

6. Valentino Rockstud Flats

7. MSGM Embellished Cuff

8. Nicholas Kirkwood Loafers

9. DVF 440 Mini Bag

10. ASOS Embellished Jacket and Shorts

What are some of your favourite items? And how would you style your embellished pieces?

Read More »

London Zoo Lates

This amazing heatwave has been an incredible start to my few days of annual leave. 

I started by a little frolicking in the garden to top up my tan!

And I've been loving getting to wear my bright summer wardrobe, complete with my new semi-sheer blouse with an asymmetric frilled hem. Love it!

After a spot of sunbathing, Mr ZeroDays and I braved the sweltering tube to head into the city. (I caught up on the Metro's rush hour crush on my way!)

We met up with our friends and celebrated the start of our holidays with some cocktails ... out of a teapot!!!

Followed by a Passion fruit Martini (and a shot of Prosecco) - delicious!

Our wild night out was only just beginning though, and so we headed off through the park to the Zoo!

It was absolutely buzzing!

There was so much happening, it was a bit of a whirlwind really!

There were acoustic music sets, food from around the world, drinks, dancing, comedy shows, and of course the stars of the show...the wildlife! But they seemed less interested in our presence, but more interested in keeping cool and getting in a siesta!

As we meandered our way through the zoo, we came across mummy Sumatran Tiger Melati and her three cubs!

These are a critically endangered species and so the birth of Budi (wise), Nakal (mischievous) and Cinta (love) is amazing news for the conservation effort and global breeding programme. 

After our stint in Indonesia, we trekked through the jungles ...

All the way through the rain-forests and Gorilla Kingdom.

Where we got spotted by a rogue meerkat!

All that exploring really got our appetites going! So an international food market was perfect for our hungry tums!

I had a tofu hot dog from Rocket dogs. Totally classic with ketchup, mustard and crispy onions!

While we were tucking in to our dinners, the penguins were jumping and diving and porpoising around for theirs!

After a spot of rest on flamingo lawn listening to some acoustic music, we headed off into the night through the beautiful rose gardens of Regent's Park.

A beautiful, romantic end to a great night out where not only did we have fun, but it was made even better with the knowledge that our money was going to such a hugely important conservation effort for these wonderful majestic creatures around the world.

OUTFIT:

Shirt: Zara (here)

Shorts: Zara (old but similar here)

Flats: Zara (old but similar here)

Necklace: Forever 21 (old but similar here)

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (here)

Earrings: Accessorize (here)

Read More »

Lazy Lunch

It's my first day off in a while. So instead of my lunch being a cup of tea and few biscuits I managed to sneak whilst on the wards, I managed to eat an array of goodies at home today!

My plate was like something out of a colouring by numbers book! Sticks of carrot, cucumber, radishes, marinated artichokes and a few slices of fresh bread. And then slices of peach and melon for desert!

All ready to dunk straight into your choice of dip! 

I was greedy and had two!

Of course a baked Camembert was involved. In all its gooey, cheesy glory!

But I was ravenous so next up was something equally easy and gorgeous ... Baba Ganouj!

Roast a few cloves of garlic, an onion and a whole aubergine in the oven (also great over a bbq!) for about 30 minutes. Then peel and de-seed, mash up together and mix with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and tahini. And that is it peeps. So easy and absolutely delicious! Dunk in your veggies/bread and you're good to go.  

I'm sure this would be a great meal for sharing, mezze style, with a couple of friends in the garden. I'll definitely be doing that this weekend! I'm thinking some rose margaritas would go well too!

Read More »

Warm Rainbow Salad

This evening was all about a quick, healthy, delicious dinner.

It started with all sorts of different tomatoes. Some lovely large plum tomatoes still on the vine, and then an array of multicoloured little ones! Purple, yellow and red!

I placed the large plum tomatoes onto a baking tray and seasoned with black pepper and sea salt, followed by a drizzle of olive oil. I wanted to caramelize them a little bit as roasted tomatoes really taste great like this so I added a splash of balsamic vinegar and a tiny little sprinkle of golden sugar. Then I popped these into the oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes.

Whilst the tomatoes were caramelizing away, I got started on the quinoa and bulgar wheat - all you have to do is rehydrate these dry grains, so it really couldn't be easier. You could use anything similar here, for example, fregola, pearl barley or plain old cous cous. Anyway so literally all you do is simmer the dry grains in boiling water for 20 minutes, and then let them sit for a further 10 minutes to soak up all that water and rehydrate. 

Once the tomatoes have been in the oven for 20 minutes, take the tray out and fill the space with all your other veggies. I added the other tomatoes, olives, artichokes, fennel and radishes. Season again, and a little bit more olive oil. Then it's straight back in the oven for another 10 minutes; this time at 200 degrees.

After the full 30 minutes, you should have some lovely fluffy quinoa and bulgar wheat. Drain it and then fill the base of your serving tray with it.

As soon as you've done this, your multi-coloured veggies will be ready too!

Simply layer the caramelized plum tomatoes and all the other veggies over your quinoa/bulgar wheat mix.

Add a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of capers and a little squeeze of lemon juice and voilà! 

There you have it; a healthy, delicious, multi-coloured dinner. Enjoy! 

Read More »

Jane-Tira Thai

I must have walked down Brewer Street at least a thousand times. But never before have I noticed this little inconspicuous gem of a restaurant!

Luckily, for me, I finally woke up and saw the sign for Jane-Tira Thai. I have always been on the fence with Thai food, just something about the standard green curry has never really done it for me. But I've definitely been turned. 

We started with their spring rolls. These are my dad's favourite, and he wolfed these down before I could even take a photo! But they were crunchy, hot and delicious. A little hint of what the chefs had in store for us!

After this, one look at the menu and my head was a hot noodle-soup mess! There was so much choice, even for vegetarians, that I ended up making my choice on a whim when the waitress asked for my order.

We shared the Pad Morning Glory and Som Tum Thai. (Which is stir fried morning glory in soy bean with chillies and garlic, and thai green papaya salad, in English!) Both of these were crunchy, salty, sweet and spicy. Too delicious!

Then Mum had the Pla Neung or steamed Seabass. I'm told this was divine. 

I went for the Pad See Ew Tofu aka comfort food on a plate. (Noodles in dark soy sauce with tofu, vegetables and egg.)

And dad went for Garlic and Ginger Fried Rice with Chicken and Shitake Mushrooms (he is the least adventurous, but was definitely satisfied with his yummy dinner).

It's such a teeny weeny restaurant, and if you're like me rushing down the street, you've probably missed the door to it too, but next time STOP! This little restaurant has everything you're looking for. Punchy flavours. Fresh ingredients. Lovely service. And a pretty big menu, with a variety of dishes for vegetarians too - a massive tick in my books! 

I can't wait to eat my way through this menu ... the "son in law balls" is next on my hit list!

Read More »