Friday Fancies: outfit crush time!

When I saw this week's theme for Friday Fancies I instantly knew which outfit I wanted to re-create.  Cue Clemence Poesy in this amazing Valentino dress at Paris fashion week!

This vibrant red dress would work well in warm summer days, or cold winter days paired with tights to keep you cosy.  I love how Clemence has styled this with her simple ponytail, and black accessories.

So here is my take on this week's outfit crush....

Clemence red dress by peanuts-pearls featuring a box clutch

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xx

Wedding Wednesday: flowers

I'm visiting my florist this weekend in the hope of finally choosing my wedding bouquet, so this has got me thinking about the kind of flowers that I would love to have at my wedding.

Pinterest is my main source of inspiration here.  There are so many gorgeous pictures of bouquets to admire, I could spend hours just drooling over them!


...this cute daisy and rose bouquet certainly caught my eye

....so did this simple bunch of white tulips

....or how about something a little bit different, like this bunch of white garden roses, gardenias, dusty miller, and grey Brazilian berries?

...I adore the pearls on this bouquet handle, such a lovely idea!

...last but not least, I could go for something with a more natural feel that includes gypsophila (or baby's breath) - just lovely!

There are so many lovely options, I'm actually really excited about this weekend and being able to decide on my bouquet....wish me luck!

xx

Emmy fashion 2012

The 64th annual Emmy Awards took place last night, and I have been busy drooling over some of gorgeous gowns.  There seemed to be a variety of colours on the red carpet, with lots of neutral and pastel gowns mixed together with more vibrant red and yellow gowns.

Here are a few of my favourite looks of the evening:

~ First of all, the beautiful Julianne Moore in a stunning yellow long-sleeved gown by Christian Dior Haute Couture.  Not many people could pull this dramatic dress off, but Julianne pulls it off with style.  The strong yellow tone of the dress matches beautifully with her red hair.  Perfection!

~  Another dazzling yellow dress, this time from Claire Danes. I love it when blondes wear yellow, she definitely stands out from the crowd in this Lanvin creation, perfect for her baby bump! 

~  Nicole Kidman rarely goes wrong on a red carpet, and this is another hit for her.  She's wearing an amazing white gown with blue detailing from Antonio Berardi, with her hair in a simple yet elegant style letting the dress do all the talking.

~  Kate Mara deserves a little mention here for her cute hairstyle and gorgeous make up.  Her Badgley Mischka gown is also divine!

~  Here's Emily VanCamp, a new style icon of mine (mostly from her classy and elegant outfits on Revenge).  She's wearing a simple ethereal gown in this lovely grey colour from J. Mendel.

~ Last but not least, January Jones in this 'love it or hate it' creation - I personally love it!  A daring look for January, but she's certainly making a statement by wearing this Zac Posen gown. 

                                                                        (all pics from Fashion Spot Forums)
 

                                         Who did you love from this year's Emmy's?

xx

Friday Fancies!

The weather has turned this week, the leaves are starting to turn brown and I can start to feel a chill in the air.  This can only mean one thing...purchasing new items for my autumn / winter wardrobe.

A camel coat is a must for my wardrobe - I love the classic look the coat gives and it makes me feel like Grace Kelly!

autumn outfit with a camel coat! by peanuts-pearls featuring knit tops

I fell in love with this coat from the website Chic Wish.  It's a classic coat with a twist - the frilled bottom definitely gives the coat a younger feel. 

I've paired the coat with skinny black jeans and slouchy black boots.  Also, this jumper from Topshop looks so cosy and I couldn't resist including this!

What's everyone's plans for this weekend?  We've got a few wedding plans to sort out, but I also plan on relaxing a lot after a hectic weekend last week involving my hen do!

xx

my instagram life

Well I am still recovering and smiling after the most amazing hen weekend!  I'm so touched by the efforts that my bridesmaids went to in order to arrange this, it was just perfect for me!

We travelled up to Bath early on the Saturday morning, a place that I adore.  They had planned a secret activity for me, which was afternoon tea on a narrow boat along the river.  We drank pimms, cups of tea and ate sandwiches and scones!  It was also an 'Audrey Hepburn / little black dress' theme in the night....which I just loved!  So we all got dressed up in our dresses and pearls, and went out for food and cocktails. 

Here are just a few little pics that I managed to take!

                                      (instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls) 

~ a naughty but nice breakfast to start my day

~ narrow boating in Bath...

~ hello lovely girls!

~ me as Audrey Hepburn!

~ my own personalised shot glass

~ the morning after the night before...

What a fantastic weekend, I am so lucky to have such great friends who organised this for me!

xx



Friday fancies: Autumn wish list

Following on from my previous post about my autumn coats wishlist, this week's theme for Friday Fancies is perfect timing! 

As I've said before, I just adore autumn fashion - everything from knitwear to jumpers to boots...I could spend so much money on whole new wardrobe! But I'll try and control myself...and just for now...here is my idea of a perfect autumn outfit for a weekend...

H&M autumn wish list by peanuts-pearls featuring h&m shoes

As you can see this whole outfit is from H&M, and I've kept it quite simple with neutral colours. There are so many gorgeous items there at the moment and I can definitely start building my autumn wardrobe by starting here!

What are your plans for this weekend?

I'm spending it with my friends, as it's finally my hen weekend!  My bridesmaids have done a fantastic job so far of organising this trip, and even kept a lot of it secret!  I hope I can share some pics of my adventures next week!

xx

Wedding Wednesday: celebrity inspiration #2

Gemma Arterton married her Italian fiance Stefano Catelli back in June 2010, in one of the most romantic celebrity weddings I've ever seen.  They chose a Spanish hillside in Andalucia for their intimate ceremony, then drove off in an open top car to start their married life!

I love the simplicity of this wedding, from her simple cream gown to her gorgeous flowers....it's everything I would want if I was getting married abroad.

Who wouldn't want to get married here?

Look at these gorgeous flowers - perfection!

The bridesmaids are in a pale blue colour, a gorgeous colour for a summer wedding

And to top it off...why not leave the ceremony in style with an open top car in the sunshine!

(pics via Just Jared and Fashion Spot Forums)

This wedding is like a dreamy scene from a Hollywood film.  Simple yet stunning!

xx

my instagram life

I turned 29 yesterday.  Only one more year in my 20's....and I plan on enjoying every single second of it!  My first weekend of being 29 was lovely, eating lots and lots of good food, chocolate, day trips and generally being spoilt by my fiance and family.

Here are a few little pics of my weekend!

(instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

~ eating the most amazing dessert on a Friday night - a banoffee cheesecake!

~ spending a lazy morning opening cards and presents

~ a road trip around the Brecon Beacons - such beautiful scenery

~ Hay on Wye is a must for book lovers like myself

~ they even have a bookstore in a castle!

How was everyone's weekend?

xx

My perfect birthday cake

What would you say if I told you that I have found a most delicious birthday treat, which is also gluten free?  Yes it is indeed true!

Thanks to Hemsley and Hemsley, a family run business based in London who make organic homemade foods, I have managed to find the most delicious recipe for a sticky toffee pudding.  They have eliminated all the gluten, wheat and refined sugar from the usual ingredient list for this pudding, but have also managed to replace these with equally delicious ingredients to balance things out. 

Here is the sticky toffee pudding cake in all it's perfection!

Ingredients (use organic ingredients where possible)
Serves 8-12 people

Pudding250g Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1¼ teaspoon baking soda
200ml boiling water
100g butter (room temperature/soft)
200g ground almonds
3 medium eggs
20g coconut flour
Optional: pinch of ground cloves

Sauce50g butter
100g dates
300-400ml boiling water

Instructions

• Use butter to grease a ceramic baking dish or line with parchment paper
• Soak the dates in the hot water and baking soda and leave to soften for 10 minutes
• Place the dates and their liquid into a food processor with the butter and ground almonds, and process until smooth
• Add the eggs and ground cloves and sieve in the coconut flour. Process again until creamy
• Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 45 minutes at 170C or until cooked through. You might need to cover the top with parchment paper if it starts to look too brown after 35 minutes. The pudding will slump slightly when it comes out of the oven
• To make the sauce, don't bother rinsing the food processor. Again, soak the dates in the boiling water before blending with the butter. Process just the dates and butter and then slowly add the soak water until your sauce is as smooth as possible. You can thin it with a touch more water and leave it warm or heat in a saucepan
• Blend the wet ingredients into the dry. Chop the dates as best you can for a lovely chunky texture to the pudding. For the sauce use a good quality maple syrup like Vertmont instead of the dates
  
  To serve: Dish up the hot pudding and pour over the sauce and, for extra extravagance, add some organic crème fraiche.

I can't wait to try this!  Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourite puddings, so to find an organic one like this one is a bonus.

xx

Currently loving and my instagram life

It's finally September yay!  This is my favourite month for many reasons, the main one being my birthday on the 9th!  It's also the start of autumn, and a lot brilliant TV programmes are due to return to our screens very soon (mainly Strictly Come Dancing, which I love)

Speaking of things I love, here is a little list of what I've been currenly loving this last month...

Reading... Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  A fantastic book so far, and I'm thouroughly enjoying reading this in my bed every night.  I can't quite work out how this is going to end yet!

Watching... Grand Designs.  We've been hooked on old episodes of this lately!  Maybe it's because we're in the middle of decorating our hallway.

Buying...  I'm on the lookout for a new comfy hoodie! I saw some lovely ones in Topshop yesterday, so I might go back and treat myself.

Loving... the fact that I have a 3 day working week this week, bring on a very long weekend!

Wanting... to go to a nice restaurant for my birthday.  One of my favourite places is the Thai House, so that could be a possibility!

And here are a few little pics of my weekend!

(instagram name: angie_peanuts_pearls)

~ an exciting package arrived for me!

~ curling up on a Friday night, recovering from being unwell

~ visiting some gorgeous little rabbits...

~ hello there!

I was so tempted to take a rabbit home with me!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend?

xx