As I wrote about a few months ago, I’ve been updating my wardrobe and my ‘style’, trying to get away from just jeans and t-shirts all the time.

I’ve also been updating my accessories. I’ll never be a huge jewellery wearer again (says the girl who used to wear 8 rings, 9 earrings and 4 or 5 necklaces all the time), instead choosing to show my style with the things I carry. Not just my handbag, which my mother in law actually bought, but my purse, my bus ticket holder, my business card holder, my phone case and my favourite shopping bag.

The amazing thing about those last four things? They are all Cath Kidston.

If you don’t who Cath Kidston is, you can click the link or listen to my husband who walks out of her shop and says ‘It’s like the 1950s in there…’

And I like it. I like her fabric patterns. But mostly I really like the way her products are designed.

A perfect example is my new shopping bag. It’s not just the fabric that I love, but the fact that it is two bags in one. So if I just need a few things, it’s a handy small tote and when the shopping takes over, it opens out and slings over my shoulder.

Now, if you’ve heard me complain about the decorations in my house, which is wall to wall flowers, you’re probably wondering why I hate that but love these.

Well, my house is overkill. Every wall, every drape, every blanket that was left by the owners is flowers. Even the tiles in the bathroom and kitchen have flowers!

That’s too much.

My accessories, on the other hand, are accents.

And go perfectly to compliment my plain black hand bag and/or plain brown canvas work bag.

PS The shopping bag linked to above is my anniversary present from Simon. Our anniversary is this Tuesday, the 4th. 🙂

PPS Cath Kidston has no idea who I am, did not pay me to say I love her stuff and never will. 🙂

My birthday, you may recall, was in February. And at that time I acquired, between my mom & step-dad and my parents in law, £200. Of which I had, until today, spent £12. And that was just last month.

You see, I’m a cheapskate. I hate paying full price for *anything*.

The problem with that being finding things I like in my size when the sales happen.

Last month I found a pink and grey stripped tunic top/dress at Dorothy Perkins (can’t find it on their website), originally £40. I got it for £12.

And then today I was at the mall and wandered into Debenhams. And found three pairs of jeans.

These, which I got for £12.50, down from £25

These, which I got for £9, down from £30

And these which I got for *free* as they were on the buy one get one rack with the ones above.

All pictures sourced from Debenhams

I think, based on the website, that the red ones were on the wrong rack and I shouldn’t have gotten them for free. Although, as I remember, they were marked at £9 like the brown ones above them.

Anyway, big bargains. I was very pleased.

I’ve also been looking for a new purse, so I went into Cath Kidston. I do like their purses but none of them were quite right. I did, however find this very useful ticket holder to keep my bus ticket in along with some other cards.

So a very successful day’s shopping, indeed!