Friday Five : 29th January 2021

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It's been a bit of a slow week this week at SoSo Towers. Just taking life slow. It's precious.

Friday Five (1 of 5) Blue Hues

Currently loving the blue hues on the Mango site. Have I told you how much I love blue? I love blue .... a lot.

Mango - A Step in to Indigo

There's definitely a nod to Isabel Marant and that's no bad thing - that blue jumper up there is a lovely affordable version to this sold out one and it's in cotton too which reminds me of the jumpers that were really popular in the eighties which I couldn't afford. It's not all available as yet and some of it is still coming in to stock at the time of posting this blog but I have that purpley blue quilted jacket bookmarked. Just so you know.

Friday Five (2 of 5) Woolly Balls

I bought some dryer balls last year for the tumble dryer and used them quite successfully on a down coat of mine. For some reason, I didn't like the idea of tumbling proper tennis balls around as I have visions of them exploding with the heat although I've never heard reports of such mishaps to date. Well, the dryer balls were okay (my coat came out okay) but they are quite hard and really noisy banging around in the drum and I thought they might be a little aggressive on some clothing and besides which they all seem to have gone AWOL. Anyway, going through Home Bargains this week (next to the Lidl so I couldn't resist a nosey in), I found these woolly balls which do the same job. How good they are, I don't know but they've got to be kinder than those plastic ones I used to have. Anyone used them? If they're rubbish, I know Maggie would love them.

Woolly Tumblers

Friday Five (3 of 5) Easy Peasy Squeezy Squeezy

I had a bit of an accident this week with a rather full bottle of cooking oil. It was a new bottle and the plastic was a bit flimsy and so when I held it, I inadvertently squeezed the sides and I created my own little oil geyser. Cue silent cursing (boys were in the same room) and copious amounts of kitchen roll to mop up the oily mess. The next day whilst idly browsing instagram stories, I spotted someone's kitchen shelves which were organised to the hilt and she had a little tray of squeezy bottles for her sauces. Lightbulb moment and frantic googling for squeezy sauce bottles commenced.

Metaltex Squeezy Bottles

I did find some on that famous place that begins with A that no one wants to give their money too as the big boss man has already made too many billions to comprehend but as I'm not going out anywhere at the moment to look for squeezy sauce bottles, I ordered myself a little set. Please don't judge me, however ... you can get them cheaper from Ikea as and when it opens again and I'm sure there are a lot of other places which have them if you have the patience and tenacity to seek them out. You might not even want any but they are quite useful for squirting oil accurately where you want it and they make you feel a little "Mastercheffy".

Friday Five (4 of 5) Suckered

Ding! 20% off at COS if you're signed up as a subscriber. Well I'm signed up as a subscriber and it is one of my favourite places to browse. I don't fit in a lot of their stuff admittedly (and thankfully) and a lot of their shapes are just a little too exaggerated on someone of my proportions but there is the odd nice little piece which I pick up from season to season. The blue top and the balloon joggers caught my eye. When I see stuff like that, I like to put them in a collage with stuff that I have similar in my wardrobe to see how it's all going to work together. Some people have a massive trying on fest, I knock up collages. It's like the 2021 version of paper dolls.

1. Cos Windbreaker Top

2. Levis 501 Straight Leg Jeans

3. Other Stories Leather Baseball Cap

4. Zara Mobile Phone Bag

5. New Balance 327 in Moonlight

6. Zara Embossed Bag

7. Reserved Green Padded Jacket

8. Vans Chequerboard Pumps

9. Weekday Sweatshirt

10. Cos Barrel Joggers

The CoS Windbreaker top, I just love the sporty shape of it and teamed with dark denim which I already have, I think it cuts quite a sharp silhouette.

The little bags - I'm forever looking at either great big huge totes or teeny weeny small bum bags, the latter of which I love for housing gloves, phone and poo bags on my daily dog walks.

And I'm liking the new shape 327 New Balance which is quite different from their previous styles. I missed out on the the 327 Staud collaboration with New Balance (I still search in vain) but that pair up there is a nice alternative - clean and crisp.

I have to say, I've been pretty impressed with the padded coats from Reserved. I have the longer version of that cropped green one up there and when my friend saw me in it, she said "Where's that from?" so I take that as I chose a nice looking coat. The proportions of mine are good for a smaller person and it doesn't overwhelm but I'm pretty sure the cropped version would work similarly. I just like having my bum covered.

And the balloon joggers. I have resisted joggers all through lockdown. But these could be the ones to turn me.

Friday Five (5 of 5) Cuppa Tea Time

Hotel Magique x Anthropologie Mugs

We need some new mugs. The Chug Jug mug and the red Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch souvenir mug are not really cutting it and are making my cup shelf look bad. But soon they will be relegated elsewhere (to another cupboard as I hate throwing things out) and two new mugs will take their place. I've gone for the blue Magique Magique one and the one below with the pretty green leaves and Love on it. Which would you have gone for?

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Last Note :

• I also find sellotaping a bit of kitchen roll round the sides of an oil bottle helps to catch drips and stops you having to handle a greasy oil bottle. It works though it's not pretty.

• Weekly weigh in. This is like going to Slimming World but I don't have to pay for not having reached my target yet. Down a lb.