Lust-have #8: Cambridge Satchel

The satchels made by the Cambridge Satchel Company have been on my radar for a while, but recently they've been cropping up more and more and I'm just not sure I can resist any longer!

The classic designs are made using the finest quality English leather and each satchel is handmade per custom order (this means wait times are reasonably long, but who cares when you have a bag which is such good quality?) meaning you can request embossing too - who wouldn't want their initials on their handbag, eh?

The only thing I worry about with these bags is their size, I'm just not sure that even the biggest bag would be big enough for all the stuff I insist on carrying round with me, especially during the week at work. They're not the cheapest bags, coming in at around £80, but they're certainly not the most expensive, even so I wouldn't want to never use it, a bag that beautiful has be used! You can find out more here.

I love this look, it's a great girly and preppy outfit and the satchel just adds to the preppy coolness

Even without the satchel this outfit is 100% amazing, but matching the bag to the shoes is PERFECT.

The variety of colours available from Cambridge Satchel impresses me, and this green looks super chic.

These dresses are next on my lust-have list but look how nicely they go with floaty dresses - they're perfect for work and play.
Do you like Cambridge Satchels? Do you own one? I'd love to see how you style it!

Kitten Update

I know I've sort of gone missing for a bit, the last time I posted was Saturday and now it's Thursday and I feel really bad, but I've been struck down by a cold and all week I've been falling asleep on the sofa at about 9pm. Bad blogger I know. So instead of an outfit I present a few cute photos of my kittens, who have been living with us for over a month now! Time is flying and they're getting super big but they're still awesomely cute.

Just chillin'

Friends Like These

Top: Topshop, Chinos: Next, Cardigan: Forever 21, Shoes: Primark

I wore this for work and then dinner with the lovely Jen and Lucy on Thursday, we went to YO! Sushi for yummy food and a good natter. I know it will sound a bit silly, but it's been really nice for me to find some "girlfriends" up in Leeds, most of my good friends are scattered all over the country and it can often feel like everyone I know up North is Ryan's friend, not mine. But it's after-work dinners like this that make me feel like I have my own little life up here and now just 'Laura and Ryan's life' (which is pretty awesome, we do have a house and two kittens, it rules if I'm honest!).

Anyway, the outfit included my wonderful new Chinos from Next and this trusty Topshop blouse that has unfortunate holes in the netting after a few years of wear. Sob.

p.s. right now Bertie is sitting on my lap watching the words appear on screen and hiccuping. Sookie is pretty fascinated by the tapping noise of the keys and is sitting on the sofa next to me. Kittens combined with blogging makes for a fun Saturday early evening! Now to watch Doctor Who and X Factor while eating pizza and jelly babies. Yum. 

What are you up to tonight?

 

A Mature Pink

 
Jumper: Next, Top (worn underneath): Next, Jeans: New Look, Jacket: Next, 
Shoes: New Look, Necklace: Forever 21, Scarf: Forever 21, Nails: Models Own Coral Reef

This jumper arrived yesterday from Next (I ordered on Saturday night, what amazing service!) and I couldn't wait to wear it today. Although now I have realised it is a fluff-spreading jumper which is determined to make my home and workplace pink, I think that maybe wearing it wasn't such a good idea.

I felt quite ladylike in this outfit, I love this pink colour, it's quite mature for a pink, I think.

Lunch at Jamie's Italian

As you may know (ha!) it was mine and Ryan's anniversary this week so on Saturday we went to Jamie's Italian for a celebratory lunch. I've been once before but Ryan has never been so it was really exciting to choose from the menu and try new dishes.

To start we had a meat platter (which I forgot to photograph) which included: Seasonal cured meat: Tuscan fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, San Daniele prosciutto and Schiacciata piccante, Italian cheeses: buffalo mozzarella and pecorino with amazing chilli jam, Pickles, curly green chillies, green & Gaeta olives and caper berries and Crunchy salad shaved root veg with chilli, lemon and mint. We had this to share and it was delicious, the cheeses especially were amazing, really really tasty.

Next, we both chose pasta dishes for our main course. I went for Scallop and Squid Ink Spaghetti, I've never had squid ink pasta before but was really fancying some seafood so was really excited to try it. The menu described it as Brixham scallops with chilli, parsley, anchovies, wine and capers and it came and looked beautiful and smelt incredible, really fishy and wine-y! It tasted amazing, the scallops just melted in your mouth and the spaghetti was tasty and had a great texture.

Ryan chose Bucatini Carbonara which, according to the menu was: tubular spaghetti with crispy fried smoked pancetta and ribbons of leek, tossed with free range eggs and Parmesa. When this came to the table it looked delicious and the smell was just WOW. I tried a bit of pancetta and it was beautiful, Ryan thought the dish was brilliant, one of the best dishes he's ever had at a restaurant!

 Ryan didn't want as desert, but I definitely wanted The Ultimate Brownie, and it really was ultimate! A chocolate raspberry and amaretto brownie with vanilla ice cream, it was so sweet and gooey even though it was served at room temperature and the raspberries added a bit of bite so the sweetness wasn't overpowering. My mouth is watering just remembering it!

So, overall, we had an amazing meal, and it was very reasonably priced for the quality of the food and the brilliant service we had too. You can find out more about Jamie's Italian here. Oh, and this is what I wore:

Just to point out I wasn't asked to write this review, me and Ryan just decided to go and the food was so good I wanted to share it with you!

Style on a Sunday: Shopping Special

Yesterday, for the first time in what feels like a million years, I went shopping in Leeds and actually had a little bit of money to spend. I hit H&M for some autumn/winter basics and popped into Next for a bit of a treat, where I received a £10 off online voucher (I came home and promptly spent it...). Here's what I bought:

Jumper: H&M 

  Jeggings: H&M 

  Skirt: H&M

  Chinos: Next 

  Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser 

  Clinique Foundation Brush 

 No. 7 Mineral Blush in Rose Pink

Will try and do some beauty related posts on some of the products I've been using recently and the makeup here, and I'm sure you'll see everything in outfit posts soon!

Five years have flown by...

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the first time Ryan and I met. We'd spoken a lot online before we met and we've been together ever since. This year has been huge for us, although we moved in together last July, this April saw us move into our own house and a couple of weeks ago we got our first pets. This little post is just a small tribute to the time we've been together (and my ever-changing hair). I've grown up with Ryan by my side (I was 17 when we met) and I finished college, finished university, got my first job and my second job with him, and I'm so excited for our future together. I love you, Ryan, here's to another five years (and the rest.) xxxx