Holidays are coming....

Thought it might be nice to share a couple of photos of my chrimbo decorations as I was just sat here feeling all cosy and festive.



This is our first christmas in this house so weve had to buy and source all the decorations from scratch.



We were lucky to find some really lovely bits in charity shops (the pretty framed cross stitch was found by my lovely man on our recent trawl of the Edinburgh Charity shops) and it looks perfect in our lounge.



Weve been collecting all the baubles for the last couple of months as we wanted to fill the tree with individual treasures. We did have to add some cheap fillers to make it look fuller for the moment but the plan is to raid the sales to stock up on bits for next year!



I just absolutely love being at home at christmas, surrounded by pretty lights and gorgeous festive scented candles and stuffing my face with mince pies. It really does put a big smile on my face!

Are you all in the festive spirit yet?

Modern Milly xx

Leopard love-in at Zara....

As you know if you’ve read my previous post, I am a bit of a Zara addict but I’m also secretly a bit of a lover of all things leopard print too. ….

Just look at all these lovelies Zara have online and in-store at the moment!


Skirt ₤29.99

I came across the skirt combo first which really caught my eye as it would be perfect for every day wear. Stylish yet comfy.


Blazer ₤79.99

Loving the blazer as a dressier option…


Dress ₤69.99

And the dress is just too cute, teamed with the skinny belt, so flattering.

Throw in couple of accessories and Pat Butcher eat your heart out! Only joking….these pieces just prove that leopard print can look really chic and fabulous when paired with other simple black pieces or accessories.

Belt ₤17.99

And if you don’t want to go the whole hog, the belt, brogues or clutch bag are fabulous by themselves. Or should I say purr-fect! Sorry couldnt resist!


Buck skin clutch ₤69.99

Moccasins ₤49.99

Happy weekend!

Modern Milly xx

All about the dresses...

TFNC Peter Pan Collar Chiffon Pleat Dress ₤42.00


Asos Peter Pan Collar Lace Waisted Dress ₤40.00


Asos Embellished Collar Shift Dress ₤46.00


River Island Blouson Sleeve Mini Dress ₤59.99


Asos Premium Cut-work Leather Swing Dress ₤55.00


With all this cold weather and snow all I've been wanting to wear lately is warm, woolly layers and thick socks but I'm not feeling my most stylish! I decided to have a little browse online for some inspiration for outfits over xmas and found myself perusing the pages of ASOS, which I hadn't visited for a while.

To my delight, they have sooooo many gorgeous dresses at the moment, that I feel inspired to get girly again and ditch the pratical warm clothing for something a bit more glamorous! The above are my favourite picks and are all available online. I'm just loving the different colours, shapes and fabrics and dont know about you, but I'm a bit enamoured with all of the embellished peter pan collars that are around at the moment. So pretty!

Hope you are all well!

Modern Milly xx

The Perfect Irish Martini ....

Take one old bank in the centre of Belfast city and re-invent it as an eccentrically decorated, fabulous bar and restaurant......





and add the below ingredients……

Grey Goose Pear Vodka
Bombay Saphire Gin
Ginger
Elderflower Cordial
Lemon
Sugar



to make the perfect Martini at Café Vaudeville, Belfast.

Fabulous, especially after 3! Perfect for after work drinks on a cold winters evening. See their website www.cafevaudeville.com for more details.

Modern Milly xx

Lunch at Avoca, Belfast City

For the past 2 years I have been visiting Belfast for work and have many a time walked past a lovely looking store called Avoca but not had time to explore. The brightly dressed window styling and displays of cute home-ware really sparked my curiosity so last week myself and my work friend Suzi, finally ventured inside for a good look around and a spot of lunch in their cosy, warm café.

Avoca sell an array of pretty homeware, fashion and accessories and also house a deliciously stocked foodhall situated next to their quirkily decorated café. Think Cath Kidston crossed with Anthropologie and you kind of get the idea of what Avoca is all about.


Image taken from Avoca website.

The food on offer in the café consists of yummy homemade recipes, some of which are included in their new cookbook ‘A Year at Avoca’.

I went for a light dish which was grilled goats cheese with a rocket and pumpkin seed salad served with a peach dressing followed by a pot of tea and the biggest, fluffiest fruit scone I’ve ever seen! It was absolutely scrummy!



Suzi opted for a thirst quenching elderflower presse which looked so pretty and a warming bowl of butternut squash, coconut and coriander soup with homemade bread. Again delicious and not too pricey either.



Unfortunately I didn’t have any spare room in my suitcase to indulge in some shopping but that was definitely a good thing for my bank balance. Oh well maybe next trip!

For more information visit their website www.avoca.ie

Modern Milly xx

Barbara Hulanicki for George @ Asda

Butterfly Print Bow Dress ₤20



Lurex waterfall Cardigan ₤20



Animal Print Bow dress ₤20



Metallic Stripe Cardign ₤20
Slim leg black trousers ₤14

I was extremely excited to learn that the legendary designer of Biba fame is back, after snubbing the re-launch of the iconic brand into House of Fraser stores, with a 14 piece collection for George at Asda. The collaboration has produced a collection which is wonderfully retro in style and amazing value in price.

Barbara’s intentions when she first launched Biba in the 1960’s was to produce high fashion but at high street prices. She seems to have achieved it once again with this new mini collection which incorporates her signature retro inspired silhouettes and prints.

Above are a few of my favourite 70’s inspired pieces which are all available to buy online now or instore. For more information visit their website www.direct.asda.com/george

I’m loving the leopard print dress and at ₤20 it’s such a bargain. Sorry Tesco but I might have to take a trip to Asda next week!

Modern Milly xx

Have you got a Sweet Tooth?

I think I may have stumbled across cupcake heaven! The Sweet Tooth Cupcakery and Milk Bar is the newest addition to my list of quirky, interesting places to spend my lunchtimes. (This one however being penciled in under the naughty treat section!)

Situated on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, next to one of my favourite vintage shops ‘Pop Boutique’, this little delight is a vintage wonder both for the eyes and taste buds. With the 50’s/60’s style kitsch décor and a menu providing ‘five dollar shakes’ and ‘cola ice cream floats’ you can’t help but feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

The cupcakes are baked daily and are displayed in a pretty vintage glass fronted cabinet ready for your perusal. They have quirky named flavours to choose from such as Elvis and James Bond and it took me a while to choose. In the end I opted for a Grace Kelly (lemon and white chocolate) and a pot of tea and settled down on one of the vintage bar stools to enjoy my little lunchtime treat.

The cupcakes are a tad pricey at ₤2 a pop but for a special treat they are definitely worth it. I have to say it was one of the nicest cupcakes I’ve ever eaten….and I’ve eaten quite a few in my time!

For more information visit their website http://sweettoothcupcakery.co.uk

Modern Milly xx

The wonders of Tomato Soup...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't given up on the blog writing it's just that I've been out of action for the last week with a lovely bout of Tracheitis and have been bed bound :-(

However with a lot of patient nursing from my lovely boyfriend and endless tins of Heinz Tomato Soup, (thats all I ever fancy to eat when I'm poorly!) I'm back to work and back in action, well kind of, I'm still coughing and spluttering as I write this post but I'm back at work anyway.

Just wanted to say thankyou again for all the people showing an interest in my humble ramblings and the continuing encouraging feedback and comments.

Hope you are all well and I shall be posting again properly very soon!

Modern Milly xx

Love at first sight...

I have fallen a little bit in love with this range of handmade and vintage necklaces by a company called Love Hearts and Crosses.



Ornate pocket watch necklace ₤20.00



Vintage floral necklace ₤8.00

I have long admired, pretty, chain necklaces with interesting charms and pendants and have managed to collect a couple of beauties so far, but as soon as I caught sight of this collection I knew I’d be reaching for my purse and adding to my jewellery box.



Drink me necklace ₤12.00



Alice in Wonderland teacup necklace ₤14.00

LHC pride themselves on creating quirky and cute pieces that aren’t available on the high-street. They take their design inspiration from current trends and their love of childhood story books and films (see the cute Alice in Wonderland inspired ‘Drink me’ and ‘Tea time’ necklaces above.)

They also produce a great range of bracelets, brooches, rings and accessories but I think the range of necklaces are my personal favourite.



Peacock feather necklace ₤16.00

First treat will have to be the above peacock feather I think…thank goodness its pay day! :-)

For more info and to start shopping check out their website http://shop.loveheartsandcrosses.co.uk/

Have a great weeknd all!

Modern Milly xx

Tasty bit of Bread and Butter...

I was wandering around the Northern Quarter in Manchester yesterday continuing on my mission to find somewhere interesting to have my lunch and stumbled across a little place called Bread and Butter hidden away on Tib Street.

The bright pink façade and array of delicious looking cakes in the window caught my eye and with the threat of rain rumbling above and my lack of umbrella, I hurried inside.

I opted for the homemade soup of the day which was spicy parsnip served with a choice of bread and butter (no pun intended!) and settled down in a corner to read this weeks copy of the Stylist. Which I have to say had an amazing pic of Alexa Chung, 60’s style, on the cover looking fab!



The eclectic décor is a bit mismatched and almost shabby in places but this added to the atmosphere and the friendly banter from behind the counter couldn’t help put a smile on my face.

I still had a bit of room to spare so I decided to try one of the yummy looking chocolate and pear cupcakes and a nice cuppa tea. Delicious!

It certainly brightened up my rainy day!

Modern Milly xx

The definition of the Snood ...

The definition of the Snood….

Superfluous
Non-essential
Obtuse
Overboard
Dressing

The above descriptions are the words of my lovely boyfriend. His argument being: what is wrong with the humble scarf: simple, classic, reliable and fashionable.

My argument is why not??

Fashion in general is a total indulgence and the industry is always on the look out for new shapes and silhouettes so why not have an accessory that keeps your head and neck snuggly warm in one.

However the snood is not a new fangled thing, oh no, I remember the snood from my childhood however we called it a cowl back then (not sure if anyone else did?) It was a great way of keeping warm and for children who always seemed to lose accessories (moi!), a hat and scarf in one was the perfect idea, alongside mittens tied with a piece of string and inserted through the coat sleeves. Oh the memories!


Leopard print knit snood – ASOS ₤20.00



Military style snood – New Look ₤6.99



Oatmeal bobble knit – Dorothy Perkins ₤16.00



Black super sequined snood – Miss Selfridge ₤20.00


Anyway I’m loving the reincarnation of the cowl, ahem sorry, the SNOOD and I’m embracing it fully. There are so many styles, fabrics and colours to choose from out there on the highstreet at the moment and above are my favourite picks. From a snuggly warm bobble knit for daytime to the ultra glam sequin number to keep you warm for an evening out the choice is yours.

So in reply to all you doubters out there I’m afraid MY definition of the Snood will have to be as follows…

Snuggly
Needed
Of the moment
Outerwear
Delight

What would yours be?

Modern Milly xx

Top of the Crops...

In celebration of my new short haircut, that I have been wanting to try for ages and was finally brave enough to do yesterday, I just wanted to share a couple of my favourite inspirational photos of one of my style icons from the 60's, Twiggy.

Also just wanted to say that I've been so busy with work this week that I've found it hard to post as much as I initially wanted when I first started this blog, however I have come to the conclusion that I should think quality not quantity!

Thankyou so much for everyone's kind, suportive comments too, I can't wait to get more involved in the world of blogging!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Modern Milly xx

A pint of milk and a Prada-look dress please!

I was flicking through one of my weekly fashion mags the other day and came across an article on designer doubles on the highstreet. One item that caught my eye was a Prada inspired printed dress from F+F at Tesco.

Now I’m at Tesco every week without fail to get my food shop in but had never really ventured up the scary, moving travelator to the clothing department. For one thing escalators make me nervous, never mind one you can drag your trolley up, but also I normally want to get in and out of there as quickly as possible so I can spend my precious weekend at home.

However this dress really sparked my curiosity, so last week I decided to brave the travelator and see what the clothing department had to offer and I’m glad I did!

They have lots of really good value, fashionable pieces on offer and the above stood out to me straight away. You can shop online too at www.clothingattesco.com


Dress ₤20
Faux fur coat ₤40
Chain detail leather gloves ₤12
Bow neck floral blouse ₤14.40 (Sale item)
Harem trousers ₤20

Next weeks shopping list contains clothing treats as well as extra clubcard points, yippee! I’m looking forward to my weekly food shop already….

Modern Milly xx