Boots sale: Where there is Soap there is Glory

Hi guys,
One of the sales I always check out is the Boots sale: straight after Christmas all of their gift sets are reduced by 50%. Later in the month the reduction will be increased to seventy percent, but the products available by that point are usually pretty limited: shoppers have already snapped up all the best stuff!

As well as picking up a few birthday gifts for family and friends, the thing I have my eyes peeled for are Soap and Glory sets. I really love the scent of their bath products and buy them regularly, full price or not. So getting them in the sale is a real treat! When I popped into my local Boots on the 27th I got the hand wash and hand lotion set for £5 (reduced from £10) and the travel miniatures set for £9 (reduced from £18) which I will be saving for our next holiday in February!

Other great brands and products I spotted were Charles Worthington hair sets, French Connection bath sets for men and women (complete with lovely wash bags) and even some gorgeous Jamie Oliver cookery sets. There were huge Champneys boxes full of products too - basically I could have spent a small fortune filling my bathroom with gorgeous lovely-smelling goodies!

Have you checked out the Boots sale yet? Are reduced toiletries on your sale shopping itinerary? And if so what have you picked up so far?

Love Tor x

The January Sales are here! Simple tips for success....

Hi guys,
They're here! Christmas is over, and the part of the celebrations every girl who cares about fashion really gets excited about is upon us: the January sales. I don't really know why they call them the January sales, as technically they start at the end of December, but nonetheless, they're here!

I wrote a quick post of tips for January Sales shopping last year, and was simply going to link to that again for this January. But actually I realised I'd missed out on some great tips, and if you want to have sales success you have to be prepared. So I've written the list again! Here are my new and improved top tips to get what you want from the January sales:

1. Plan ahead! In the week before Christmas (leading up to the sales) when i'm shopping for my Christmas presents I'm also looking at the things I'd like to get for myself: If I see something I really like I even try it on, because believe me, trying things on just isn't feasible on the first days of the sale. That way I can run in, find it, and buy it as soon as the sale starts.

2. Set a budget. And then stick to it! I know it's easier said than done, but when you hit the sales it's easy to forget how much you're spending, and spend much more than you wanted to. When I'm going sales shopping I take out the amount I'm prepared to spend in cash before I hit the shops: that way, I know exactly what I'm spending as I go (it's so easy to lose track with cards) and when it's gone, it's gone!

3. Last year The Telegraph reported than one in ten people do their Christmas shopping in the January sales. Whilst I'm not condoning such bah humbug behaviour, I do do some of my present shopping for birthdays throughout the first half of the year (My nieces birthday is in January, and my sisters birthday is at the beginning of Febuary for example) in the January sales. It just makes good sense: you get more for your money, meaning people get better gifts!  Plan ahead for this like you would when shopping for Christmas: write a list of the people you're looking for presents for, a few ideas and all their vital statistics (sizes etc) to take with you to the shops.

4. Make a list of things you need, and more importantly, a list of things you DON'T need. I am a self confessed coat and jacket addict. I don't need any more: it would be a waste of money. But I really need new jeans. Having a piece of paper to shop with that spells out that I need jeans, knitwear, make up etc and I don't need jackets, coats or anything with sequins on it makes it much easier to stay motivated to only buy what I need.

5. Finally, don't give up! This is a tip I shared last year that's still just as relevant now. If you've got your heart set on something but it's sold out don't give up: just think outside the box. If you really wanted French Connection shoes but can't get them from French Connection, for example, try Sarenza or Zalando or any other website that sells big brand names. And for high street clothes, ASOS is a veritable gold mine of sale items that have sold out elsewhere: it's where I got that River Island dress I wanted last January that was sold out on their website!

Are you prepared for the January Sales? Do you have anything on your wish list that you're hoping to pick up? Or have you been too busy thinking about Christmas to prep for the bargain hunting afterwards?

Love Tor xx

The cutest Christmas message (guaranteed!)

Merry Christmas guys!
I hope you all have a wonderful time and that Santa is fashionably good to you. I will be spending my Christmas with my two favourite guys, and can't wait to help Wilbur open his very first Christmas present. Next stop: the January sales! My second favourite thing about Christmas.... prepare for a month of sales reviews and shopping tips!

Lots of love,
Tor (And Mike. And of course, Wilbur!) xx

Christmas crafty Saturday: Almond snowflake biscuits

Hi guys,
I love getting crafty, and Christmas is the perfect time to exercise my love of all thing craft with a real purpose. So I thought that every Saturday during December I would share one of my seasonal crafts with you guys.

Well, Christmas is almost upon us (just three more sleeps to go!) So I thought that rather than give you guys another sewing project you won't have the time to complete, I would give you my favourite Christmas biscuit recipe. It's my favourite because they taste delicious and it's so so simple to make: even for a not especially proficient baker like me! (I'm not being modest: you can see how unproficient I am by how messy the icing is!)

Ingredients
250g softened butter
150g caster sugar
300g plain flour
3 tbspoons almond extract
250g icing sugar
Icing pens/embellishment for decoration

-These really are so simple to make that there are surprisingly few instructions! First pre-heat your oven to 180oC
-Using a large mixing bowl mix together the butter, caster sugar, and 2 tablespoons of almond oil
-Gradually add the flour until you have a large ball of pastry with a doughy consistency
-Roll out the biscuit pastry and cut out biscuit shapes with a cookie cutter (I used a simple round one)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are starting to turn very lightly brown.
-Leave the biscuits to cool whilst making the icing: mix the icing sugar with the final tablespoon full of almond oil then add water until you have a thick paste consistency.
-Now it's time to decorate! Obviously you can decorate these however you want, but I like this easy to execute snowflake design: I just drew it on using an icing pen.

Mary Berry wouldn't be particularly impressed with my decorating skills, but this plateful of biscuits was so well received that it was munched down by my hubby in just one afternoon! Just three more sleeps to go until Christmas: I hope you all have a wonderful time!

Love Tor

The perfect seasonal shop window from Next

Hi guys,
In the latest in their series of festive themed competitions, Next are asking bloggers to create their perfect Christmassy shop window display. This time the competition is being hosted by the wonderful Jess over at Feeling Stylish.

I love shop window dressings (going to see the Selfridges Christmas windows is something of an annual tradition for me) so I couldn't resist throwing my hat into the ring and creating an entry. I've gone for a festive homespun-style window, complete with bunting, natural decorations, and cozy outfits perfect for snuggling up in under the Christmas tree. No constrictive party dresses and trousers that don't allow a second helping of turkey for me on Christmas day!!

Decorative robin, £10
Hand knit pattern cardigan, £75
Set of 2 bark Christmas trees, £12
Snowflake sequin sweater, £32
Fairisle pattern sweater, £20
Bell heart decorations, £10 for a set of three
Knitted slipper boots, £16
Button ballerina slippers, £10

The competition actually closes today (cutting it close to the wire I know!) but if you'd like to create your own entry, just head over to the Feeling Stylish blog for more info!

Are you ready for Christmas yet? And have you finished your Christmas shopping? We're all done here in the fabfrocks household, and already holed up at my mother in laws, ready to enjoy the festivities!

Love Tor x

Top tips for staying healthy this Christmas

                                   

Hi guys,

Deck the halls with boughs of holly: 'Tis the season to over-indulge! Yes, Christmas is here and with it comes not only the desire to dress up in sequins and party dresses but also the temptation to eat every chocolate that passes you by, and double portions of pudding after every meal. Admit it, I know it's not just me!!

But I have some baby weight to shift, so my overindulgence needs to be reined in this Christmas. Which is why I thought it was a brilliant idea when I saw that Bupa had released the Bupa advent calendar: a daily advent calendar for the month of December. But instead of tiny little chocolates inside, you'll find daily health tips on how to stay active, healthy, and stress-free, as part of the Bupa find healthy campaign.


Here are some of my favourites:
1. Have skimmed milk in your winter warming drink. This is a good one for me because the hubby makes the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted: and when he isn't at work over Christmas, I drink a mug a day! Using semi skimmed milk will cut the calories without affecting the taste.
2. Pick your puddings sensibly: choose just one dessert not several. This tip could have been written with me in mind: puddings are my weakness, and when I'm struggling to choose between trifle or a mince pie, I quite often will just decide to have both! This one will take some will power, but I'm prepared to give it a go!

There are loads more great tips included in the calendar which provide perfect motivation, so it's well worth checking out if, like me, you’re trying to rein in your greedy instincts this Christmas!

Do you try to find healthy at Christmas? Or do you forget all about diet and exercise and just overindulge to your heart’s content? And do you have any healthy tips to share for festive restraint? I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips!


Love Tor x

*This is a sponsored post 

Sponsored video: You can still get your presents from Next in time for Christmas!

Hi guys,
As you can probably tell by all my posts about them this month, I have a bit of a soft spot for Next. Fashion-wise they are an unsung high street brand, as far as I'm concerned. And don't even get me started on their baby clothes: I'm obsessed! I'm also slightly in love with my leopard print Next coat, which I've worn constantly for the past month. Basically, I'm a secret Next addict!

But at this time of year they also come into their own as a great place to pick up Christmas presents. And to celebrate this they've produced a fab video with Wallace and Gromit creators (it wouldn't be Christmas without them!) Aardman Animations. Here it is:

Cute huh? What's not to love about shoes that look good and dance better than I do, all by themselves?! I love Aardman Animations, and they really are as much a part as Christmas as turkey, mince pies, and the Eastenders Christmas special!

So why should you do your Christmas shopping with Next? Well frankly, because you can! If you place an order on next.co.uk before 9pm you'll get next day delivery to ensure all your presents arrive before Christmas. (At no extra charge: just the standard £3.99 delivery cost) Be quick though! The last order date for Christmas delivery is Friday 21st December.

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Or do you tend to leave everything to the last minute? And what do you prefer for your last minute Christmas shopping: surfing from your sofa or hitting the shops?

Love Tor

*This post is sponsored by Next

The shoes every girl needs part three: Flat boots

Hi guys,
Here's part three of my series of shoes you need to have a perfectly rounded shoe wardrobe! I believe that with just 6 carefully selected pairs of shoes, you can have a shoe for every possible occasion. Today is the turn of the shoe I am wearing on a daily basis at the moment: The comfortable flat boot.

Have I mentioned that I'm slightly in love with by H by Hudson Horrigan boots? I have? At least 100 times? Well that's because they are my perfect flat boots! Yours might look different: I have no intention of being a fashion dictator here! Your perfect flat boot could be a chelsea boot, a riding boot or even a cowboy boot. It really doesn't matter! All that matters is that they're waterproof, comfortable, and that you can walk for miles in them without your feet hurting. If you've got that then you've got the third pair of shoes in the list of shoes every girl needs, and the ones you'll probably be wearing most this winter!

Here are my picks of the best flat boots from the Sarenza website. I've chosen only ankle-height boots because they are my personal preference: I also think they're so versatile and they look good on everyone!

Ash studded boots, £240
Pin by Addict-Initial tan leather ankle boots, £87
Burgandy Mellow Yellow boots, £110
Mellow Yellow black and grey knit boots, £111
Ash brown moccasin boots, £140
Clarks lace up boots, £59.99

It's too late to ask if you have you're winter boots yet: I know you must have or you'd have frostbitten toes! So I want to know what your perfect winter boot is? And how many pairs of boots do you have for the winter?

Wondering what other shoes every girl needs in her wardrobe? Check out part one (black heels) here and part two (leather pumps) here.

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

My picks of the best party shoes from Clarks

Hi guys,
Yesterday I went out and picked out my new party dress for the season from Matalan (outfit post to follow): much later than usual for me to be choosing my festive frock, but it was hard to try one on when I was sporting the mahusive bump! Dress chosen, now I need to find the perfect shoes. And I've been looking at the women's party shoes from Clarks.

It's been a couple of months since I properly wore heels, so I want to break myself back in gently and guarantee that the party heels I choose are going to be comfortable to walk and maybe even dance (if the mood takes me!) in. And that's a guarantee that comes with pretty-much every pair of shoes from Clarks, in my experience. In fact, my Clarks heeled brogues were the only pair of heels I wore at the end of my pregnancy whenever a fancy occasion called for them. So I headed straight over to the Clarks website to check out their more glitzy seasonal options. Here are my picks:

Nude court shoes with jewel details, £49.99
Snake skin court shoes, £54.99
Animal print shoes, £69.99
Vintage inspired sandals, £84.99
Gold leather court shoes, £89.99
Black leather and snake skin sandals, £69.99

They're all gorgeous shoes, but of course I have a favourite. I really love the black vintage-style sandals with their unusual shaped heel and bling detailing across the toes: they'd go with just about everything, they're versatile but eye catching at the same time. Definitely top of my list of options!

Have you picked out your party frock yet? And are you buying new shoes to go with it? I'd love to hear all about your Christmas outfit: let's share inspiration!

Love Tor xx

*This is a sponsored post 

Christmas crafty Saturday: Make the gift wrap part of the present.

Hi guys,
I love getting crafty, and Christmas is the perfect time to exercise my love of all thing craft with a real purpose. So I thought that every Saturday during December I would share one of my seasonal crafts with you guys.

In case you haven't noticed over previous years, I'm going to let you into a little secret. I really really love Christmas. Like I'm obsessed with Christmas! I love decorating our house, buying special presents for everyone I love, I even like writing Christmas cards - I know! I'm crazy! But another one of the things I love (and something I've gotten from my mum) is wrapping my presents, so that they look amazing and leave people excited to open them.

Over the years I've decorated my presents with personalised keyrings, christmas tree ornaments, and candy canes. I've seen gorgeous presents that have been decorated with lollypops, cookie cutters, and even homemade jewellery. When you add something to the top of the present, however small, the wrapping becomes part of the gift.

This year I'm decorating my presents with candy cane mice: felt mice which I'm made by hand and added candy canes to make their tails. You can find the Martha Stewart tutorial on how to make the mice here: note that I stitched mine together rather than using fabric glue recommended by Martha (who knew she was so lazy?!) and they looked much better for it.


For the wrapping paper I've opted for plain metallics or red: I always think if you're going to embellish then the embellishment shows up so much better against the background of plain paper. I also experimented a little with polka dots for that Cath Kidston feel. Other unusual wrapping paper options are to use brown parcel paper and even newspaper: both guaranteed to make your presents stand out when they're underneath the tree!

How do you wrap your Christmas presents? Do you like to make the wrapping into something special, or do you prefer to spend more time on getting the right gift? I wonder if it's part of being a blogger than means I like literally everything I do (even giving a present) to be something that's aesthetically pleasing!

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Girl meets Dress. Dress meets Party. Everybody wins!

Hi guys,
Another day, another Christmas post: Sorry guys, I've just taken this theme and ran with it! Today we're talking about getting a knock out gorgeous dress that you definitely can't afford on a budget that you can.

Girl Meets Dress if a dress hire company where, for as little as £29, you can hire a frock for that special party or festive occasion: obviously the price of the dress depends on the one you want to hire, with the maximum hire cost being around £200 for a really extravagant ball gown.

I've written about Girl Meets Dress before, but they seem to have gone from strength to strength and gotten better and better since then: They now offer over 4,000 dresses from 150 different brands, so it would be almost impossible not find something you like! I can actually imagine this being the perfect place to find the perfect New Year's Eve party dress without breaking the bank (like I usually do every year!)

Even more excitingly (from my point of view) is that since the last time I visited the site, they have added a new category: Accessories hire! You can hire your dream bag for two nights, a week, or even a whole month! I think from my point of view this would be the most cost effective way of ensuring your outfits make an impact for the whole holiday season: just hire a fabulous Jimmy Choo or Halston clutch that will go with everything you plan on wearing, and show it off at every posisble occasion!

Have you thought about your New Year's Eve party outfit yet? And would you ever hire a dress for a big party, or would you prefer to spend your money on something with a lesser label that you can actually keep in your wardrobe forever? I have to admit, that's the one drawback of dress hire for me: having to give it back afterwards!

Love Tor x

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Fabfrocks at Home: Stylized Christmas home envy!

Hi guys,
I'm a bit of an interiors obsessive: I love checking out other people's home decor, and am forever drooling over interiors blogs (I like to call it house porn!) And if there's one time it's especially nice to see what creative ideas people have for their homes it's Christmas. It's not just interior blogs jumping on this band wagons either: the big department stores are hopping all over it too!

I love checking out the photo shoots that the big department stores put out to promote their Christmas decorations and interior ranges. It used to be that preparing for Christmas meant putting up a Christmas tree. But now you can buy new Christmas throws and cushions, art work, kitchen utensils and even bedding. (Primark have some great Nordic reindeer-print bedding instore, and it's only £15) And I love it!

Here's some decorating inspiration gleamed from the stores you'll find on every highstreet:

Marks and Spencer

Next 

House of Fraser

How do you decorate your home for Christmas? Do you take interior inspiration from blogs and press images and go abit over the top (guilty as charged!) or do you think these things are going a bit too far?

I'll be showing you how we decorate our house for Christmas later in the month. But in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

The best Christmas present ever: Meet my son!

Hi guys,
In the midst of all of my consumerist Christmas posts full of presents I want, decorations I need, and perfect Christmas ideas, I thought I'd share the best Christmas present I've ever received. Meet my son: Wilbur George, who was born last Friday (7th December) at 3.45am weighing in at 8 lb 4 oz.


Words cannot express how in love I am with this little man. He is the most perfect, handsome baby I have ever seen, and the best thing I have ever done. Officially my greatest achievement.

So yes. That's that. The latest addition to team Fabfrocks is here, and he's increased our cute quotient by at least 100%!

Love Tor xx

Create Christmas glamour with House of Fraser

Hi guys,
I don't know about you, but nothing fills me with more dread than the thought of a formal Christmas party. Especially one where you don't really know anyone well enough to ask them what they're wearing (I'm thinking of husband's/boyfriend's work Christmas parties in particular). You don't want to go too formal, and be the most overdressed person in the room. But you also don't want to just throw on a little black dress and be the most underdressed person in the room if everyone else is in floorlength gowns. Frankly, it's a sartorial minefield!!

So when I saw these images from House of Fraser I both immediately fell in love with them, and then sighed a sigh of relief. House of Fraser have gone for all-out glamour when it comes to their Christmas campaign. And if you have a formal Christmas party to go to, there's something for everyone:




It's like the heyday of the 1920s come to life again. I really like the opulence of it, and suddenly have an urge to head out and buy pearls! I particularly love the beaded dress in the top picture, and the floorlength dress in the second: it's knot detail at the waist means it will be especially flattering on not-so-perfect tummies: just what I'm looking for!

You'll find all of the House of Fraser dresses here.

How many Christmas parties do you have to go to this year? They sometimes feel never-ending, don't they! Have you decided what you're wearing yet? I'd love to know and steal some of your inspiration!!

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Christmas crafty Saturday: How to make Christmas stockings

Hi guys,
I love getting crafty, and Christmas is the perfect time to exercise my love of all thing craft with a real purpose. So I thought that every Saturday during December I would share one of my seasonal crafts with you guys.

I like to create my own little presents for people, as well as decorations for the house: this year, for the first time, I tried my hand at making a Christmas stocking. It turned out so well that I'm going to show you how I made it so that, if you're feeling so inclined, you can try your hand at making your own:

I kept this really simple and used just two different cotton fabrics, cut out a felt letter, and then ribbons and buttons for the trim. But obviously the only limit to what you can make is your imagination: use velvet, add flowers, diamante, write your name on it with fabric paint. It really is up to you!

You will need:
2 sheets A4 paper to cut the pattern
1/2 meter patterned fabric
1/2 meter plain coloured fabric
Coordinating cotton
Embellishments (I used felt, ribbon, and buttons)

1. Cut out a stocking template pattern onto your sheets of A4 paper: this will be the template you use to cut your fabric. I drew and redrew mine by hand until I had the shape I wanted.
2. Cut the template 4 times; twice on each of your fabrics. Remember to turn the template around when doing the back panel of the patterned fabric, so the pattern will still show when the stocking is assembled.
3. Place the fabric with the patttern to the inside and the lining to the outside and then stitch the four pieces of fabric together: I used a simple running stitch. If you want to create this even quicker, you could use a sewing machine. Turn inside out and voila: you have your very own simple-to-sew Christmas stocking!
4. Embellish away to your hearts content! And don't forget that if you want to hang your stocking you'll need to add a ribbon loop to the corner.

Obviously this one is entirely for my own satisfaction, as the baby will be far too young to appreciate Christmas or stockings. But he'll only get one first Christmas, and I intend to suck as much joy and fun out of it as possible!

So what do you think? Do you think you'll have a go at making your own? If you do, I would LOVE to see how it turns out; email me a picture!

Love Tor x

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Christmas gift ideas from TK Maxx

Hi guys,
I've just made my annual Christmas trip to TK Maxx, and I just had to share what bargainous bargains I picked up whilst I was there! I always make a trip to TK Maxx at Christmas, because they have a great gift range. It's also the perfect place to pick up little designer bits (perfect for Christmas stockings) at massively reduced prices. If you think I might be buying you a gift this Christmas, it's probably best you turn away now! For everyone else, here's what I picked up:

Edible gifts 

Is there anything nicer than being gifted something yummy? Maybe that's just a sign that I'm greedy, but I do love an edible gift: and they're perfect for secret santas, aunts and uncles, and even the next door neighbour! This selection that I picked up ranged in price from £3.99 for the Christmas tree tin full of chocolates to £12.99 for the ceramic biscuit jar filled with ginger bread men! The best thing about these ones from TK Maxx is that the tins are so lovely, they can be saved and used again!

Stocking filler socks

Call me predictable (I am!) but every man in my life gets socks in their stocking at Christmas. I think they're a great, useful stocking stuffer! TK Maxx have some really great boxes of socks instore at the moment, from brands such as Calvin Klein, Original Penguin, French Connection, Ted Baker etc and all the ones I saw were £9.99 per box: considerably less than RRP!!

The ubiquitous Christmas jumpers

Another predictable one I'm afraid, but jumpers do make great gifts! As always, TK Maxx have a great selection of great labels instore, but at high street (and sometimes less than high street) prices. I managed to pick up 2 lovely knitted jumpers, one from Original Penguin and one from Superdry. Both were £24.99 each.

Make up, perfume, and smellies
I didn't actually buy any (I just didn't need them) but I was massively impressed by the range of make up, smellies, and perfume in store. There were Nails Inc gift sets for £12.99, and Calvin Klein make up sets for £9.99. There were also lovely boxed and hampered bath sets, perfumes, and an unlimited range of make up bags and wash bags: it was like girly gift heaven!!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? And have you had any bargains from TK Maxx lately? I'm delighted that I managed to combine both: and proud of myself for spending over an hour in my local store looking at pretty things without actually buying a single thing for myself! Here's hoping that means extra brownie points from Santa....

Love Tor x

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

My Christmas wishlist from Notonthehighstreet.com

Hi guys,
I am completely in love with notonthehighstreet.com: Its my go-to website when I'm looking for a present, or something quirky and unusual for myself. It brings together all of those boutique independent brands I love in one convenient, easy-to-search place.

So when I started thinking about a Christmas wishlist for myself, I knew it would be my first stop! Here's what I will be hoping to find in my stocking when the big day arrives. And because I wanted to look at stocking filler prices, everything I've picked costs less than £25:




Rob Ryan initial tote bags for Alphabet Bags, £16, Clicky link
Four teatime cupcakes in jars, G Desserts, £14.40, Clicky link 
Wish I was there make up purse, Rosie's Armoire, £24, Clicky link
Sandcastle bowls - blue, yellow, or white, Caroline McGrath, £25, Clicky link
Personalised leather hoops bracelets, Soremi, £22, Clicky link

Have you started thinking about what you want in your Christmas stocking yet? And the scarier question, have you started your shopping? I've done some of mine but the panic is no doubt going to start shortly: there's not long to go!

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Five gold rings for the fifth day of Christmas....*

Hi guys,
"On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.....fiiiive goooold riiiiings" (Elongated vowels essential). Yes, more Christmas themed fun but this time relating to a matter close to my heart: costume jewellery, specifically statement rings.

I've written before that I am a costume jewellery addict. I've also mentioned that because of increasing frustration with constantly green fingers, I no longer buy cheap-cheap costume rings from stores that used to be my old faithfuls, such as Topshop or Accessorize. That doesn't mean I can afford thousands of pounds worth of real jewellery though (oh how I wish I could!) Instead I settle for a middle ground: gold or silver plating, semi precious stones, and prices around the £100 mark.

Here are the five gold rings I'd pick for myself this Christmas:

Gold plated crystal snake and enamel ring, Kenneth Jay Lane, £110 
Yves Saint Laurent Arty gold plated glass ring, £180 (clicky link to buy)
Wendy Brandes sterling silver @ sign ring, $115 (clicky link to buy) 
Isharya 18 karat gold plated ring, £75 (clicky link to buy)
Alexander McQueen swarovski crystal double skull ring, £125 

I find that I try to buy more and more quality items, rather than quantity. I certainly think alot more about my purchases before I make them, and the place I see this most is with my jewellery and other accessories. Ultimately I would like a wardrobe full of good quality staple and statement pieces, and to never see the Primark label in my wardrobe again. Well, a girl can dream.....

Have you noticed any changes in your wardrobe over the past year? Are you trying to focus on improving one specific aspect of it, for example, and if so which one? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Tor xx

*NB - Two of the rings are actually silver, but it just didn't work as well with the song!! 

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Shop: Celebrate Vogue's Online Fashion Week with big discounts!

Hi guys,
Vogue's Online Fashion Week started today, and runs until Friday 7th December. Loads of big brands are getting involved in the event and offering big discounts just perfect for either Christmas shopping or (even better) picking out that perfect Christmas party dress. Here are some of the great deals available this week:

- Baukjen are offering 50% off the top two LBD’s on their site: The Sleeveless Drape Dress and The Asymmetric Neck Dress perfect for the party season. They're also offering 25% off the category ‘Vogue Online Fashion Week’ on their website and Free Delivery with the code VOGUE25. You can take advantage of these fantastic offers by visiting Baukjen.com and entering the code VOGUE25 at the checkout.

- Henry Holland are offering 15% off their winter wardobe essentials: think cozy scarfs and chunky knits (view the collection here.) To take advantage of this offer just enter the code VOGUEOFW in at the checkout. The deal is running all the way through until Friday.

-  This is a deal you'll have to act fast on if you want to take advantage of it, as it isn't running all week. But Jigsaw is offering 10 per cent off all online orders until midnight tonight as part of Online Fashion Week by entering VOGUEOFW at the checkout when you pay. Every shopper will also be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a cashmere scarf.

- Finally, that online favourite ASOS is offering 20 per cent off their ASOS Collection range by entering the code PARTY20 at check out. This is my favourite offer of all of the ones I've found so far (I really like the ASOS Collection stuff) and again, this deal runs until Friday, giving you plenty of time to pick the pieces you want.

I'm sure loads of other great deals will also pop us as the week progresses: I'll be tweeting all of the best ones, so make sure you're following me on twitter to keep up to date with all the Online Fashion Week bargains.

Love Tor xx

Fabfrocks at Home: All decorated for Christmas!

Hi guys,
I love Christmas. Actually that's an understatement: I LOVE Christmas! So as soon as December 1st rolls around, I want my house decorated immediately. Because of course, why not maximise the amount of time you can spend looking at glittery decorations and twinkly lights, right? True to form, yesterday we built our grotto whilst listening to our specially crafted Christmas playlist. Here's how it looks:

-Nothing on my tree matches! It's a mish-mash of colours and styles: but that's because each bauble is special. My mum started it, buying my sisters and I special Christmas baubles to remember every year starting from when we were born. And now Mike and I pick up ornaments on our travels together: we have one to remind us of our wedding day, our honeymoon, even one that says "Our first Christmas together". I think it's a great tradition and makes putting up the tree even more special.


- I love poinsettias: they're so festive, and cheap too! This one cost me just £2.50 from Asda. It has pride of place in our fireplace, and the great thing is (if I remember to water it!) it will last for the whole of December!


- We picked up the nutcracker in Berlin last December. The 70s-style angel was a gift from my mum: something she and my dad have had since they got married. And it just wouldn't be Christmas without a plate full of candy canes to nibble on every time you walk past it!


-Our non-traditional Christmas wreath. I saw one just like this in a fancy design shop, but it was soo expensive. Luckily, my mum is a craft monster and a genius with a glue gun: she managed to replicate it completely for me. I think it looks amazing!


- This is our first year of having a proper fireplace for Christmas, and I love it! Our stockings are all hung up and ready in anticipation. Mike and I have Mickey and Minnie ones, brought in Florida. The baby has his own which I made myself: tutorial on how to make one to follow next weekend!


- Finally the focal point of any home at Christmas: the dining table. My centrepiece is an advent ring. The sweet cones are from Ikea: it's hard to fill them fast enough when Mike is around! We also have a full Christmas dinner service: you really can't avoid the fact that it's December in this house!

Have you put your Christmas tree up yet? How do you like to decorate for Christmas?

Love Tor x

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

The great big Fabfrocks Christmas giveaway!!

Hi guys,
December is here, which means I can officially mention the 'C' word without having to apologise at the start of every post! Yup, it's time to talk about Christmas!! (I know, I know - not that I haven't mentioned it several times already) But you have to forgive me, because this isn't just talking about Christmas, it's talking about giveaways too!


As you know, I attend lots of press days throughout the year; and quite often am given goody bags and little gifts at these events. But because I love you guys so much, I have been saving some of the goody bag goodies to give away in a great big Christmas competition. The prize pack includes:
*A Berts Bees gift bag and tinted lip balm
* A Dr Renaud soothing face cream
* A peach and diamante detail bracelet from Marks and Spencer
*A moleskine notebook
*A heart printed Marks and Spencer scarf
*A three strand detail necklace from Accessorize.

To enter: All you have to do is be a follower of this blog (using the box to your right) and then email me your full name using the subject header 'The big fabfrocks christmas giveaway'. That's literally all there is to it! If you would like a second entry, you can also follow Fabfrocks on Facebook: mention that you have done this too in your email.

The competition closes at midday on Wednesday 19th December. The winner will be chosen that afternoon, so that the prize can be posted the following day, and will arrive in time for Christmas!

I look forward to receiving all of your entries: Good luck guys!

Love Tor xx

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

My party shoe picks from Sarenza.co.uk

Hi guys,
Well, party season is officially upon us. Everyone has been mentioning the 'C' word for what feels like months (I know, I know, I probably started it!) and the atmosphere is starting to feel pretty festive. Which means only one thing: we have the perfect excuse to go shopping for pretty glitzy party dresses and their companions: matching impractical shoes. Hurrah!

Whenever I want to do some virtual shoe shopping I head straight to Sarenza: where else will you find so many premium brands all in one place? Which means that if you know you need amazing shoes but aren't sure what style/brand/colour you want, it's the perfect place to browse. Here are my picks of the perfect Christmas party shoes currently available on the site:

Heels

Betsey Johnson striped shoe, £93.50
Bordello pink glitter heels, £97.90
Betsey Johnson red heels, £93.50
Jeffrey Campbell foxy glitter shoes, £119
Dune snakeskin heels, £89
French Connection nude heels, £115

I'm really excited by the edition of Betsey Johnson to the Sarenza family: hence my including two pairs from her collection on the site! She was the first designer I really loved when I started exploring fashion, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for her now. The pair I am going to have from my selection as my Christmas party shoes though are the Dune snakeskin heels: you'd get so much wear out of these, and they're versatile enough to go with almost anything!

Flats

Ted Baker glitter flats, £75.70
Missoni sequin stripe pumps, £518.50
Steve Madden silver studded slippers, £84.99
Studio TMLS gold brogues, £101

I normally avoid flat shoes like the plague when it comes to party season time- a frock and heels is my December uniform. But actually there are a lot of really gorgeous flats out there this season and the importance of comfort really can't be overrated! I've got my eyes on these Ted Baker glitter slipper shoes: they also come in black.

What do you think of my picks? And have you started thinking about your Christmas wardrobe yet? I'd love to know what kind of shoes you're going for this season!

Love Tor xx