10 useful and thoughtful gift ideas for men

Ok you asked I deliver. I asked on my social media recently did people find gift guides useful and the response was overwhelming positive but there were definitely certain gifts that people found hard to buy for. And men were the number one so I have put together a gift guide, of gifts I have bought for my husband or family before that I know were well received. Anyway I hope you find 

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January Sales – investing in quality

Ah the sales, who doesn’t love a bargain but I suppose the thing with sales is not to get sucked in. Yes it’s easy to be dazzled by that jumper that only costs a tenner or whatever but the reality is that we need to stop and think about what we buy. Regardless of whether it costs practically nothing because sometimes a bargain isn’t a bargain if we’re not going to wear it all that much, that said if it does cost a tenner and you will wear it loads then yay for that! I love the sales for investment pieces, things that would ordinarily be way out of my budget are suddenly within reach so I jump. I want to pad out the basics in my wardrobe with really good quality clothes so the sales are a great time to look at investing in leather, wool, cashmere, denim; materials and pieces that will last.

That said it can also be a good time to step outside your comfort zone – for me it’s a great opportunity to buy dresses that I have notions of wearing everyday but in reality I rarely get to but I do love them all the same and someday I’ll wear them more I swear!!  Continue reading

Winter wardrobe essentials – investing in quality pieces that last

I have spoken about it more and more lately that I’m eager to move away from trends and fast fashion and to start investing in decent, hardworking, classic pieces of clothes. I don’t have the energy to style outfits in the morning and I find myself gravitating towards the same pieces over and over. So I want to make sure these pieces are really good quality, they need to wash and wear well and they need to look smart. I don’t always get my hair done or any makeup on but if my outfit is smart at least I feel like I’m somewhat presentable. Next year for me will be about focusing on buying less but buying better, and that won’t be just when it comes to clothes. Continue reading

Investing in the classics with Marks and Spencer

Lately I am loath to admit that though I harbour dreams of looking as effortlessly stylish as some of the ladies I follow on Instagram, for me this just isn’t a reality right now. My days (and nights!) are busy and I would love to have the time and energy to spend my mornings browsing through my closet pulling together outfits, but the truth is that the same jumpers and jeans are on rotation for many’s  a day. And that’s ok because I need to be warm (for walking to school) and I need to be comfortable around the girls. Continue reading

10 easy DIY decor ideas for a girls bedroom

Probably one of the most enjoyable things I have done in the house is decorating the girls bedrooms. I literally went mad in there with my imagination and it was the only place my husband didn’t really argue with what I did, maybe it felt decorating in pink was just out of his comfort zone! Anyway, he left me to my own devices and I really poured my DIY heart and soul into these rooms. I didn’t do it all at once and in fact they are always a work in progress especially as they get older or, more importantly, as I get bored and need something new to channel my creative Continue reading

The art of transitional dressing, pre- to postpartum, with Marks and Spencers

Ah maternity clothes…I have found over my four pregnancies that dressing an ever changing body is a real challenge. And maternity clothes are, bizarrely, becoming increasingly more difficult to find in the high street stores with most maternity ranges banished to the web. I always find it baffling really because of all the times in your life you need to try on clothes it’s when you are pregnant! Over the course of my pregnancies I’ve tried to mix it up in terms of what I wear from ‘maternity ranges’ and shopping around to find clothes that fit during and after pregnancy. This is the real dream, something that is flattering in both phases of existence, and while it can be tricky it is not impossible. Continue reading

Thinking outside the box with fashion this Christmas

This is a sponsored post with F&F Clothing 

Ahhh the festive season is upon us! I have to say it is without doubt my favourite time of the year especially now that the girls are totally into it all. Being a Mum though I have no Christmas party to attend per se but I have plenty of nights out planned with friends. For this blog post I was tasked to talk about party wear ultimately, but I want to think about it a little differently. I’ve spoken a bit about this on my social media but I’m starting to rethink my attitude towards shopping and clothes in general. Lately I find myself thinking more about where Continue reading

Sustainable denim from F&F

I would estimate that, despite having a wardrobe bursting with pretty dresses, the reality is that I spend 95% of my days in jeans. And in doing so I would consider myself to be fussy when it comes to finding the perfect pair. There are a few keys things I require when I look for jeans, the main thing is, possibly somewhat obviously, comfort. I spend my days walking to and from school and preschool, I am up and down off the ground constantly, and I spend the vast majority of my day bent over picking things (toys, babies, puzzle pieces, food, discarded sippy cups, paper, twistables, dolls, dolls shoes, you get my drift!). Continue reading

Holiday mode with Marks & Spencer

M&S summer holiday clothes for kids the two darlings parenting blog M&S summer 2017

Last summer I look back and think we didn’t make the best of the free days we had before the advent of big school. I suppose it’s fair to say that being pregnant probably didn’t help my energy levels but this year, with energy levels somewhat returned, I am making a commitment to myself and the ladies that we are going to explore more. The mornings are going to be filled with packing picnics, loading up the slow cooker with dinner and piling the kitchen sink necessary accoutrements that come with kids and adventures into the car. But before we hit off we had to get prepared, the weather was unseasonably mild this Easter and the big lady in particular was left peering into her wardrobe in search of a summer dress that would fit her!
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What do you see when you look in the mirror?

I watched a film recently that made me cry. Me! Cry! Rarely, rarely happens I can assure you but something about it really resonated with me. It’s a documentary called Embrace by Taryn Brummfit which explores the relationship women have with their bodies and encourages us to be more body positive. Not the first of its kind but I think its the way she gets all the different women to open up and talk about their journeys is what really struck a chord with me. It showed how magazine’s photoshop models so that not even the models recognise themselves and then these are the images being fed to us, that we are supposed to aspire to? Continue reading