Decorating with Hermes

Have you ever thought of using your Hermes accessories or even boxes as decoration? No? Well, neither did I. Here are some examples how you can incorporate your favorite brand into your home decor.

Instead of hiding your orange Hermes boxes inside your closet, why not display it? It doubles as extra storage for stationery or paperwork.

Ever thought of using the Hermes tray as a centerpiece on the coffee table?

A beautiful Eames chair deserves a cashmere Hermes Avalon blanket.

I love how this lady artfully arranges her Hermes enamel bracelets so that they are within reach. She's also an enormous fan of the Tohu Bohu design!

Photo credit: Lonny Magazine and Domino


This is what I'd love to do with my scarves. I have the same Hermes Tohu Bohu scarf as pictured but I wear it far too much to have it framed.

Another elegant example of using your Hermes scarf as a framed art as seen in Ivanka Trump's apartment.

Photo credit: My Blue Hydrangea




Martha Stewart is a HUGE fan of Hermes.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart Home Design

In search of a perfect pair of jeans

With so many brands specializing in denim these days, it shouldn't be that challenging to find the right fit for me. I've tried 7 for all Mankind, James Jeans, Earl, Paper Denim, Notify and the list continues. What looked amazing on me pre-pregnancy just didn't look right now. My hips weren't where they used to be. They'd moved. Upwards. My blob, um, stomach now gravitates towards the floor. I completely understand why some women choose to have tummy tucks. Low-rise jeans are NOT an option for me these days.

I'm petite, sort of slim but certainly not curvaceous (bummer). Skinny jeans make my legs looked like a couple of stuffed sausages. I found +J for Uniqlo straight skinny jeans to be perfect for me and I've worn it to death. I wanted something with a little more stretch so the hunt began again.

I've worn James Jeans for years but whilst their Hunter Addiction style looked perfect from thigh downwards, it was only marginally comfortable from waistline upwards. I chanced upon this pair from James Jeans Hunter Idol on Outnet.

Dark wash? (anything to slimline my legs). Tick. High waistline without being constricting? Tick. Straight skinny cut? Tick. At least 2% stretch? Tick. Discounted? Tick. It fits like a dream and at £62, it's a bargain compared to the astronomical prices retailers here charge for American designer jeans.

I've found an equivalent to Spanx - Yummie Tummie. I bought the nude tank top on eBay US for 1/3 of the retail price here. That should hold my tummy in nicely.

Pre-school ballet

Generally, mothers and the odd unfortunate grandparent who'd been dragged along are relegated to a dingy room with mould splattered on the walls whilst waiting for our precious daughters to finish their ballet lesson. However, this time we were invited into the class to watch. Their teacher, Miss Gemma is a real sweetheart and the little girls adore her.


"What shall we pretend to be this time?", Miss Gemma asked. This led to an interesting debate amongst the girls as to which Disney princess was most suited to the role.


"But, Miss Gemma?" My girl interrupted the session. "That's not how princesses do it".


The best way to stop annoying questions was to get them moving. A LOT.


What do you do if you disagree with the logic of the argument? Stick both fingers into your mouth and pout.


Alright, alright. I'm STILL not buying it because Princess Ariel can't be swimming when she grew two legs but heck, I'll play along.


I need to teach these grown ups a thing or two. "Hey, Miss Gemma....."


That's it. I've had it. When are we going home?

A New Look

You've probably noticed something a little different about my blog. Weeeelll, I got tired of seeing the same boring white background with the default template. Bear with me over the next week or so while I ramp up the new look. Hopefully, this will make it far easier to navigate around the blog.

Secondly, I've decided that I needed my own domain name. You don't need to do anything different. My old URL will be re-directed to www.chocolatecookiesandcandies.com within the next 3 days.

Home Office

I'm getting more and more enamored with the idea of a hide-away type home office. Shut the doors and you can't see the mess. Living in a small place has made me more conscious of storage type furniture. Everything in the flat needs to have dual purpose. A footstool with storage space. A coffee table with deep drawers. Meanwhile, I'm still looking for a decent workstation at a reasonable price. So the search begins......

Birthday Present

Poor Steve had to put up with rather snarky comments for days before revealing his surprise for me. I had to make reservations for MY birthday dinner?! He sneaked out the day before with L to help choose a present for me. A lovely surprise and a much needed gift. What a sweet gesture!

Here's what I'm wearing now. My glasses were a cheap buy from Borneo but one of the plastic thingy on the leg broke within months. The filthy nose pads had to go too. So what does a girl do when she can't be bothered getting a new pair?



And this is my new pair to match the sunglasses he bought for me last year. I love the fact that the word Chanel doesn't appear anywhere on the exterior.

Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine

Too bad my little 3 year old nephew ZL, isn't here or else he'd totally flip seeing his "idol" - Thomas the Tank Engine. C and I took the kids to see Thomas on the Watercress Line. The day started off beautifully with sunny skies and a gentle breeze.

There's this whatever its name is:


Cute and happy face, albeit dirty


Would this be Bertie?


Cutie Pie S smiled for the camera


And then someone IMPORTANT pulled up and got the kids all excited. However, it started to drizzle. The kids became increasingly hungry and agitated. The moms got more frazzled. And Thomas needed a rest for 30 minutes.....


But at least the drivers were still cheerful.


Toby (correct me if I'm wrong) pulled up....


Thomas in vintage. I couldn't resist playing around with Photoshop


Absolutely no idea which engine this was but it looked mighty spiffy.


The calm before the storm. From cutie pies to rabid animals within seconds.

Outfit of the Day

The thing about the English weather is it's completely unpredictable. I'm usually overdressed OR underdressed. No wonder Londoners are so good at layering. It's as if the weather can't make up its mind to be sunny or raining.

I've always loved Hermes silk scarves but I find myself gravitating towards their cashmere shawls. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of mine.





Outfit: Zara trench coat, Gap striped t-shirt, Uniqlo jeans, Repetto flats, Hermes belt, Hermes Kelly 28 Retourne, Hermes Ex-Libris shawl and Hermes Clic Clac.

My photo is on Pioneer Woman

Wow, I'm beyond thrilled that a photo of mine was chosen to be on Pioneer Woman's Love assignment's Group 5. I didn't get into the finals but wow (sorry for the double, ok, triple wow) there were well over 100,000 photos submitted for the competition. Her blog Pioneer Woman  is hugely successful. Yes, well over 10 MILLION page views per month! I'm honored to have my photo selected amongst so many talented photographers. It's a shot I took of my mom and her 4 sisters during a rare occasion when we were in the same country at the same time so it's extra special to me. A happy moment captured forever.

Soldiers' home coming

This is guaranteed to make you bawl like babies. We often forget what it's like for the families when their loved ones sacrifice their lives and fight for the country. This is one of the most heartwarming videos I've seen in a long time.

Sports Day

It was that time of the year again. The end of school term right before the summer holiday begins. It's what most parents dread with the exception of moi. I'm ashamed (only just) to say that L and I love lolling on the bed to catch extra winks. Now, if I'm a supermom and wife, I would jump out of bed with a cheerful grin and break into a song before proceeding to make a full English breakfast for my darling hubby before he goes off to work and whip up another for our little mini me.

Now wouldn't that be further from the truth. Stepford wife material, I am not. Most of the time, I'm worse than a grouchy bear in the morning and used to part the office like the Red Sea when I walked in. Colleagues dived for cover and would only inch closer to my desk at 11am and no earlier.

Oops. Sorry for being sidetracked. L1 and L2 as I call the two best friends had their last Sports Day at the pre-school. Unlike last year, they were a little older and understood what to do.


Oh Lordy, this is soooo boring. I think I'll take a nap. *Yawn* I'd much rather play dress up. One can never over-accessorize. If in doubt, ply on more jewelry.


L: Did I say I was bored? This is taking forever.


Ooops, my pants!!. I hope no one saw my knickers.


Okay, mom, stop screaming. Can't you see I'm running?!


You know I'm only 4, right? I'm not exactly training for the Olympics.

Same dress, different accessories

Karen Walker is one of my favorite designers. She is incredibly popular in New Zealand but has been gaining popularity within the UK, US and Japan.

I bought this dress many years ago and still adore it even now. I love that it hides my upper arms which I'm rather self conscious of and my tummy especially after a REALLY good meal. It's a versatile dress that can go from casual to party by simply changing the accessories. What's more, it's machine washable, a VERY important factor for those of us who hate having to hand-wash or dry clean our clothes.


Casual look when I'm out and about in town. Shoes: K Jacques. Necklace: some cheap fine from a High St store years ago.


And if I can't be bothered to change to meet the moms in town (we let down our hair at a local pub every now and then). Shoes: Zara. Jewelry: Hermes Horn Necklace

Buckler's Hard & Beaulieu

To the astonishment and dismay of my English friends, I've yet to properly explore the UK. There are many grand estates and beautiful rivers in Hampshire county, home to famous authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Since it was the school holidays and much effort is required to entertain the kids, Lou decided to take us all to Buckler's Hard and Beaulieu, both of which are in Hampshire.

Buckler's Hard is a remarkably well preserved 18th century hamlet where warships for Nelson's Navy were built. I felt like I was transported back in time. It was originally named after the second Duke of Montagu who built it as a free port for trade with the West Indies. I later found out that a friend's husband is the ancestor of the Duke. I must ask him more about his family history.





We decided to have a picnic with the girls on the hilly grounds overlooking the yachts. It was a lovely sunny day which is always a nice surprise (if you live in the UK long enough, you'll understand why).





I was absolutely starving so we went into the nearby Master Builder's house which is now a pub cum restaurant for lunch. Since we're near the sea, I suggested good ol' English pub fare - fish and chips. It was the best fish and chips I've ever eaten far. The two best friends had ice cream but poor L was stung by a wasp who was attracted to her dessert. She howled her head off but thankfully, one of the customers at the pub had a bee sting cream handy.


The Master Builder's House













The interior of the restaurant and pub


The two best friends.

The next stop on our itinerary was Beaulieu (pronounced Bew-Lee) or otherwise known in French as "the beautiful place". So it is. It's where the stately home of the current Baron of Montagu is located, British National Motor Museum, famous for its display of James Bond's cars and Beaulieu Abbey, one of the most haunted places in the UK.


The Palace House




The kids decided to re-enact their famous Disney Princesses on the cemetery grounds. Rather odd place to prance around if you ask me.





The town centre is teeny tiny but it was a great place for a spot of tea. Our two girls were extremely courteous on the day and did not forget their please and thank yous, albeit with little volume control to the amusement of the patrons at the tearoom. It was such a pleasant surprise when a gentleman sitting at the next table got up and told us that the two Ls were the most well-behaved little girls he'd ever had the pleasure to meet.


The town centre

I wanted to capture the wild horses of the New Forest. They come and go as they please and often saunter into the town centre. Every car on the narrow stretch of road screeched to a halt when this little fella decided to graze on the grass by the roadside.





I couldn't resist poking my head into a nearby car yard to check out some of the restored cars.