I meant to do a Friday Five last week but I was very very busy doing #fridayfeet with Bean from Smalltownthreads. But this week, I'm free! (said in a John Inman kind of voice).
Friday Five (1 of 5) Hiut Jeans
You know that Meghan Markle lady who just got engaged to Prince Harry? Of course you do. Well because I live in a bubble and only listen to the news at 7am in the morning and 10 o'clock at night and only catch snippets, I missed out on the fact that she's been sporting a pair of Hiut denim jeans. Never heard of them? Me neither till Wednesday when I asked Jules what jean brands she was in to when we were having a little natter about jeans. So obviously, once home, I googled Hiut Denim and found out about the Meghan bit but the bit I was more interested in is that they are a small Welsh company and they only do four styles of jeans for women and one of those styles is in a raw denim. This is something I investigated in the past (see here) but failed miserably with as raw denim is not an easy ride. I signed myself up for the newsletter so I can mull them over for now as I know I simply can't afford or justify them right now. Ho hum. Oh and by the way just incase you're wondering, Megan has the skinny fit Dina pair here.
Friday Five (2 of 5) Saucy.
Panda Brand Oyster Sauce
Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood
Flying Goose Sriracha Mayonaise
Right for a woman who doesn't like cooking, I have one secret ingredient in my cupboard which makes my cooking taste better. It's oyster sauce. Don't retch. It doesn't actually taste like oysters or else I wouldn't be using it. It just adds a little oomph to your cooking when you think something lacks a bit of depth or you just need an extra dimension to the flavour. I even add it to my spaghetti bolognese which the hubs found hilarious at first but sometimes he does say "it needs a bit of oyster sauce does that!" when he's tasting. One of the simplest ways to use it is to steam some broccoli and then toss it with a half a tablespoon of the sauce and it's an instant side accompaniment to a meal and stops broccoli being so basic. I serve it like this to my boys with plain rice and pan fried salmon. Oh and the other two bottles in that pic? Get yourself on to Sriracha mayonnaise - it's great on chips! Or use it on some chicken strips in a wrap with some salady bits. Bee-yozz-a. Last but not least, the soy sauce I use is a subtler one than the more mainstream well known ones. It is not as "salty" and has a tiny sweetness to it which makes it nicer on rice and seafood. Just thought you might like to know. I tend to buy all three from the Chinese supermarket but I think I've spotted them in some of the larger Tesco superstores as well now.
Friday Five (3 of 5) New Look Blouse.
New Look Cutwork Frill Blouse (black available here)
Well a couple of weeks ago, I bought this River Island smock top. I've just tried it on again this week and decided that I wasn't sure about it on me anymore. I suddenly felt it was a touch big on me for some reason so it's been earmarked for a return (I did spot they do a petite version now online so I may have to reorder to see what the difference is). But then I spotted this New Look cutwork style blouse too which I felt was possibly a little more me. What do you think? River Island or New Look? River Island or New Look. Maybe neither?
Friday Five (4 of 5) Upcycling
I bought a little crate of clementines a few weeks ago from Aldi and when it came to recycling the little cardboard crate and taking it apart, it was a bit of a toughie. I literally couldn't take it apart so given that I knew it was rather a robust thing, I took a paintbrush to it instead to make it a little less "clementine crate". If you're feeling particularly crafty, you can paint your own designs on but I wasn't feeling that way inclined this week - another week maybe - you know how it is. For now, it's a free basket/crate which is good for crafty stuff and odds and sods and whatever you put in baskets normally.
Friday Five (5 of 5) Pink
I'm currently obsessed with pink. I want a pair of pink jeans in roughly the shade of that cardi up there. I have ordered a pair of pink jeans incidentally but there is no pic to share. #Sausages.
Have a good weekend y'all. x
I missed the Meghan Jean thing too but interested to see what they are like and I bought that pink cardi too, but now I'm not sure it's the right colour for me so it might be going back ��fickle lot aren't we? ��
ReplyDeleteWell I've kind of figured out that a pink cardigan might be easier to wear than a pair of pink jeans. And pink jeans? What is going on in my mind??? But I totally missed the Meghan Markle thing with the jeans too - they're not cheap definitely but I don't think they will ever go in the sale either so I may not get to try. I did get some more MiH's though. :)
DeleteGreat post - just read it over a lazy Saturday cuppa in bed. The white blouse looks interesting- I might be tempted to try this one. I tried the RI pom pom one too but it made me look preggers which is not the look in after �� The clementine box idea is genius- I wish I’d kept ours now! Have a great weekend x
ReplyDeleteSome of those smock styles can make you look preggers but it wasn't too bad on me where it sat on my boobs. However, the sleeves were looking a bit too much when I tried it on again so I might go back to the petite one and order that to see if it makes much difference on the fit. When I look on the pics, it's quite hard to pick between the two as both have their own merits. The tassels on both might annoy me though. LoL. And if you get any more of those little crates, you can build up quite a nice little collection of them and do them in different colours - quite nice for organising food cupboards too. x
DeleteSo sorry you missed last week because of me! But you kinda saved my bacon and I really do owe you one.
ReplyDeleteMy secret ingredient for mist things is a drop of cassis. It’s sweet, so only a tiny dash is required but gives the mince based dishes or a stew that extra oomph!
I love the cardi. A lot. I’m slightly obsessed with pink - mainly as a result of realising that most shades of it - including this (very American Vintage looking cardi) m&s one, just don’t suit me. So gutted! I’d need to wear a lot of make up for it to look good, and I’m lazy with make up. Pretty devastating really.
No problem - glad to be of assistance - you've got a runaway train there you know with your #fridayfeet. And cassis - that is a bit different. I have been known to throw in a big of sugar in to something if I think it lacks sweetness - I take things very literally but somehow it does seem to work itself out. And the cardi does remind me of the American Vintage one but definitely at a much better price point. I did nab one last year for a bargain but I sent it back as I was convinced that a button hole was set in the wrong place slightly and it bugged me. I couldn't keep it. And fellow lazy make up girl here - I'm even lazier than you. x
DeleteRushing across from my feedly to actually comment for once... Love your blog,; love that crate; definitely the NL top; but the jeans? These are 'real' jeans in that they are proper indigo and I'm presuming no lycra, right? And who wears-and has always worn-those types of jeans? With those turn-ups? Every 50s vintage-loving gal and guy out there! There are loads of makes that cater for teds, but one of the nicest is Freddies of Pinewood. Some of them are wider 40s numbers but they do drain pipes (as skinnies used to be called!) as well. Collectif do them too. Anyway, they're half the price of Hiut. (Also, "Order your basic size 12 and we will cut it and sew it and send it to you" Wtf?? Because at those prices you can't afford to have half a dozen pairs already made to sell??!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming across especially to comment. I had a look at the Freddies of Pinewood jeans and they are proper retro style ones aren't they? The reviews for them are excellent though. I get you about the prices though - anything over the £100 mark is pretty hard to stomach and to date all my higher priced denim have been bought on sale. I think what I do find hard to visualise is the styling because it is so retro. I need almost to see the Freddies jeans styled more contemporary to gauge the look more. But as it is, I'm pretty lazy and I tend to buy my jeans pre-distressed looking so going back to such a clean denim would be hard. But I LOVE the idea. x
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