I have concluded that there are few essentials of life that make the living in sub-zero and slushy rainy conditions easier: draught stoppers if you live in a rustic, old house and fleece liners (or welly socks) for wellies as toes freeze quickly in the near-zero weather!

Today I dream of fleecey, warm welly socks/liners...

...and of cute wind-stopping draught excluders 

When I saw these cute linen pieces it was hard to resist them - I love the texture of linen, the soft, pearly grey and pure white colours. But most of all I loved the cut of the pieces. Western clothing with eastern details - oh so cute and delicate.

Even the packing was done so beautifully with a soft pink floral reusable fabric bag. A lovely idea, I think. 

If you saw the Emmy awards on Sunday night you could not have missed the cute little Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who plays Lily in the Modern Family TV show (and if you haven't see you can take a peek now as the new, fourth season starts September 26th at 9:00pm, ET). So did you like her dress? I absolutely loved it with its layers and that cure pink and purple colour combination - and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it came from one of my favourite places, the Tea Collection. They have a collection of special occasion dress, and this Lily's dress happens to be a limited quantity ones - so you better act fast if it is only your wish list too. It is just so cute!

Tea Collection Lily's Emmy Dress

So talking about dresses - my daughter's got some cute ones too from my latest trip, and were they happy! Now we just need to find an occasion to wear them, or organize a party of our own since I wouldn't mind putting on my own cute fuchsia Max Mara gown either... 

Miss C. got a lovely new gown - she is such a princess!

... and now my two girls could be like two peas in a pod if they wanted to, as Miss A. got a similar dress for her birthday

And Miss A.'s  new dress - cute black and white with fuchsia accent ribbon. So looked so cute in it!

New season and growing kids - it is time to do the quarterly closet cleaning for small items and stock up for the cooler weather of the fall and winter. One of my first stops - both for kids and myself is of course Tea Collection. I love their cute designs, and luckily right now they have  a new Nordic-inspired Fall Collection - think of moose, traditional patterned sweaters, Marimekko-style stripes and all other typical patterns from Northern Europe!

So here goes my top picks for the fall. For young Master H. it's going to be long-sleeve tees, sweater and cargo pants - and for once he just might be dressed in shades of blue like the Nordic flags.

Tea Collection Wood Moose Tee

Tea Collection Snowflake Henley Sweater

Tea Collection Lined Cargo Pant

For my girls then; I have never dressed them in same clothing but little Miss C. often wants what the older sister Miss A. has, so it could be a mix and match of these lovely Finnish patterns in tunics, shirts, dresses and of course leggings: 

Tea Collection Aalto Stripe Sweater Tunic

Tea Collection Rohkea Stripe Banded Dress

Tea Collection Skinny Stretch Leggings

Tea Collection Kukka Butterfly Top

And not to forget myself, I'd love to get this casual and colourful shift dress and this cute brass and leather necklace

Tea Collection Akvarell Shift Dress

Tea Collection Marisa Haskell Olympia

The hat event of the year has started- the Royal Ascot in England. As the dress code states that hats are required in most areas, one can be assured of something spectacular this year, and dresses to match those fantasy hats.

I am looking forward to seeing what people have come up with, and am already fascinated by these creations!

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Girls gotta have some fun and I've been just doing that with Lyst. I have created some collections with my favourite designers and also been adding cute accessories. Pretty cool to have all in one place, but even cooler that they can now send me sales alerts on my favourite items.

And since it is my birthday tomorrow this was the perfect wish list to show to the husband, who's just headed out to buy a birthday present - so exciting! 

So check out my collections on Lyst (such as my favourite accessories of the moment), or if you feel you already have too many places to log into I am also sharing my Lysts on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Yes, the latest episode of ANTM had a photo shoot with Hello Kitty couture. Clearly not made for the road, as some of the dresses weighted up to 40 lbs (nearly 20 kg), a far cry from the elaborate gypsy dresses we have seen lately, but still quite a weight to carry!

But, the images are fun to look as they are as much of a fantasy as everything else related to HK is... So enjoy some fabulous dresses (and some less fabulous poses)!

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All the beautiful things have been arriving in stores, and one of my favourites for this year is Tea Collection. There are just so many cool and pretty things on offer, take for example the new Bali collection (a place I always have wanted to visit). The summer is all about colours, patterns, stripes and happy kids playing and relaxing!

And since we will be moving soon to a location where the summer (already started there) will be very hot, it is time to refresh and grow our summer clothing reserves as I am not planning to do laundry every day. So here are my picks, which I will definitely run by my girls to get their seal of approval as lately these little opinionated sweethearts have been developing their own style sense (certainly layered dressing is one of them as is combining patterns) and even have tried to style outfits together for me.

I think this Kupu Kupu 5 piece set would be a perfect one for Miss Anaïs as she needs shorts and light summer pieces, and these colours would be perfect for her. That romper is just one of the cutest things and great for little gymnastic practise of cartwheels and handstands on the grass or on the beach.

She also loves her Missoni and Calypso St Barth skirts, so I know that she is going to adore this Golden Temple Skirt from the new Bali collection.

For Miss Celeste, the big fan of flowers this Ginger Flower 6-Piece Set will be perfect. She also loves leggings, so they will work in the evenings, but for the daytime these soft lilac Safari Paperbag Shortswill work better.

And the last, but not least is the little Master Hugo. He's a challenge, as most of the time he just wants to wear his black firetruck and car shirts, but those are just too hot for the summer. Hopefully he'll agree to wear these picks after a little while! It would make him look just adorable and mom so happy so that she would not need to wash the same things over and over again... This Dawn Patrol 5-Piece Set has some nice colours and patterns - and a car, so I am definitely voting for it. Cute shorts, and most importantly they have good pockets to carry a couple of little cars with him at all times! As I love colour in kids, I am picking for cooler nights this fab orange Long Sleeve Purity Tee. Let the summer start!

It's raining, it's pouring and the kids want to test their new umbrellas. I, on the other hand would love to get a new pair of wellies - and to be more exact - I'd love a pair of these Hunter's original boots in this cute Union Jack pattern. They are just so fab!

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Now this is hard to believe, especially as I do not have that many designers shoes, but I have just found a pair of Manolos in the garage in a box. I've doing a total household clear-out, and found these cutest sandals, along with few other fab pairs of shoes hiding in a box. They are so cute and just perfect for the summer, but I think I think I need an outfit with these cuties...Any recommendations what to get?

First it was the dress, and now it is the shoe. I just had another one of those "I want" moment thanks to Ralph Lauren... Yes this is a bit flashy, but nothing like my Badgley Mischkas when it comes to bling. Not sure why, but this gorgeous shoe just caught my eye today!

Now how gorgeous is this dress of Julia Roberts from her latest movie, where she is the evil queen mother of Snow White. I guess it would be a bit OTT in a standard party, but I still would love to have once a creation like this.

A masquerade might be the apporpriate occasion? This is dress love!

We all know that the Post Spice, aka Victoria Beckham has some talent when it comes to fashion. Now another spice, the Ginger Geri Halliwell has designed yet another collection for Next, the British equivalent to Pottery Barn meets the GAP - sort of. Whereas I am a huge fan of Union Jack in home decor, her collection somehow does not fill the void my wardrobe currently has. Maybe it would have 20 something years ago, as I am thinking back to the very first trip I did abroad without my parents. I was 12 and went with my best friend to England for a language course for a month.

In that trip I ended up spending almost every penny in the "cheap" stores of England (I came from a little countryside town with just one old ladies clothing store and a sports shop so no wonder every shop was exciting), which included buying a wide, white plastic-y belt with a big bow on the front from Harrods, and a psychedelic neon pink circle tank-top in SoHo...

Anyway, here's the Union Jack collection by Geri Halliwell for Next. Any takers out there? I'd prefer that fabulous Ben Sherman Union Jack armchair or a couple of throw pillows for any of these pieces in the collection...

Don't we all remember the Ginger spice in the Union Jack dress, which frankly was almost smaller than my fitted t-shirts of size XS

This tee must be the nicest piece, and being a bit shapeless might be great for pregnant ones...?

Shapeless bikini I say. Not flattering at all...

Help - all these Union Jacks in  variety of shapes and fabrics

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The Jason Wu collection for Target has finally hit the stores and there are some really cute pieces in that collection. My favourite is this navy blue poplin dress- it's such a casual, girly look -  what a bargain for less than $40!

Here we go - day 3 of LoveWriteWin. When you get a family, the sort of things you can't live without are the microwave, washer and car unfortunately, but on the fashion side the list would be a bit more exciting one. I absolutely love my Ferragamo loafers - last time I bought three similar pairs, as I have finally learned that when you find something that fits you and looks good, you better stock up on those things!

The next item I am hooked on are GAP pants. Somehow I have ended up with colour brown, as lighter colour ones always got dirty with kids fingerprints, and I already got lots of black. So GAP it is both for more casual and work pants. If I could choose I would get some more fab shimmery pants from Reiss (also the favourite of Kate Middleton), the lovely London store that I always visited when I worked right opposite it in the City, but as far as I know they are not around the West Coast yet...

My tied third place goes to fitted tees from Ralph Lauren - I just love the soft and thin texture, which makes it casual, but still good for casual work days too. And the other easy solutions are cardigans. Long sleeve, 3/4 quarter sleeve, with belts and no belts, stripes.. you name. I have all colours for so many occasions!

Black Ferragamos...

Brown pants from GAP

...and more brown pants from GAP

Cardies liek this fro J Crew. Also Phase Eight, Reiss Cardi wraps are great too!

New job and time for some new looks. I am so with Club Monaco for these 5 must haves for the wardrobe - by far I have managed to just get my cardigan, but it's time to plan a refresh for the wardrobe. I am also in love with Club Monaco's 2012 new look book, which brings our my inner Coco Chanel, Burberry and more. Time to set aside my old Burberry mac and find some fun replacements!

Whereas Coco Chanel's classics aren't quite within my daily wear budget, especially with the occasional need to the sandpit with kids, this ensemble gives me the edgier feel and releases my inner Coco Chanel

Time to lay away the old Burberry jacket and bring something lighter in

This is pattern love!

Forward-looking to the Miami trip in the spring - I have always loved the marine look...

When I was a teenager (and I still think that it wasn't such a long time ago!), the collectible things that relatives would buy on special occasions were traditional designer candle holders and silver spoon sets - I guess to prepare young ladies for the big world and formal parties...Nowadays it seems that kids get jewellery, at least the current trend are sets like these Italian Nomination ones.

First it was miss A. and now Hugo and Celeste have joined the trend and they are loving their little bracelets. I think they are a great idea as one can buy a piece at the time from a collection of hundreds of pieces from flags to letters, zodiacs and hobbies to book characters. As you can see Hello Kitty has made her way to the girls bracelets already, whereas Hugo has a little Moomintroll. Oh how the times change!

Greetings from a little star-loving girl: aren't these shoes the cutest things ever! We went a lovely dinner party yesterday and my friend had made some discoveries while doing some year-end cleaning, which made our kids uber-happy: old Thomas and Dora DVDs, accessories case for miss A., and these brand new star shoes for miss C. Oh that happiness!

I hope these shoes still fit Celeste when the big July date arrives as they would be a perfect wear then; provided that I manage to clean them as white is a bit of a challenge even for grown-ups!

I love those happy Bollywood movies filled with colour, dancing and happiness. I would love to go to a Bollywood-themed party and try out one of those fabulous sarees and other outfits. Therefore I love the business idea of Luxemi also. They sell and rent these colourful, glittering outfits for your special occasions.

Rentals starting at $50 the prices are not bad as some of the dresses are priced around $1000 or so for sale. So here are some of my favourite picks to wear - now I just need the party so I can rent one!

Fab turquoise-gree Tonal saree

Scarlett and gold sparkle

Vibrant blue chiffon jacket with gold embellishments

Love the brightness and simpler lines of this jasmin bud print saree

This nude-looking net saree with appliqued beads is very natural yet powerful

While I've been lounging in Europe with the kids our daddy's been working hard in Asia. we are looking forward to his return and the little souvenirs from there. Knowing my love for Hermes bangle bracelets he found a new lovely store where I found very chic favourite. And it comes with a lovely story too. So officially the favourite store of the month for me is Shanghai Tang (for those who know this brand better than me have probably seen even a store in the US...).

This Double Happiness bangle has a Chinese character representing joy in duplicate. It is supposed to be the symbol of matrimony and prominent double happiness characters grace the bridal chambers of traditional Chinese weddings. Beautiful and with a message - a perfect piece of jewellery!

Petra Ecclestone, the "not spoiled" 22-year-old daughter of F1 circuit owner Bernie Ecclestone, and the new owner of the $150M Spelling mansion is getting married. Apparently the location is the same little castle in Italy where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married few years ago. Congratulations for them I say. But I am more interested in the dress she is wearing in this picture. It is an OMG moment for me. I really, really love it.

I don't know who has designed it, and even if I did it probably is way out of my league anyway (and wouldn't look as good on me) - but a girl can dream. Absolutely fabulous colour, and nice and not too revealingly cut top - yet it brings the toned arms out well (I am thinking my arms are still tones from lifting these twins even if the midriff area has somewhat suffered). The best part though is the flowing skirt as it is not so revealing (sort of, as it is actually cut almost all way to her hip, but if this was my dress it would not be as hi-cut...).

Anyone out there - who is creator of this amazing dress (yes, I think I rate it even better than my recently bought Max Mara - see link here to my post).

I thought I had completely missed the Calypso St Barth collection at Target since I could not find a single piece at my local store. Yesterday I visited another one and stumbled upon a few pieces on the sales rack and added some nice colourful little things for this summer's holiday wardrobe.

Light and happy clothing - so just perfect for the seaside!

I am browsing Portero, one of these new sites offering limited editions of luxury designer goods for discounted prices. And I spot this cool hot pink limited edition of the Hermes Birkin Bag. But the discount price is  $64750 - in what world is that a discount price??

Given the choice, would I take this bag or the cool Fisker Karma electronic car - it starts at $80k but has so much use than the bag (gets you in place, keeps you warm, gets the husband seal of approval...).

What would you choose if given the options below?

source Portero