If you have visited Paris before and are looking for some slightly different things to see and do while you are there, here’s my suggested 48 hour itinerary…assuming you’ll be arriving on Friday afternoon and departing again on Sunday. I strongly suggest that if you’re travelling from London you journey with Eurostar instead of flying. The ease and comfort compared with a flight is just incredible.

Day 1:

Arrive at Gare du Nord, travel to your hotel, check in and freshen up.

Catch the Metro to Tulieries station and begin your weekend with a touch of indulgence at Angelina (226 Rue de Rivoli,  75 001). Order their signature hot chocolate which is the richest and most delicious drink you will ever enjoy, but make sure that you arrive with an empty stomach; everything is so rich that it’s a struggle to fit in a delicately exquisite pastry as well as the hot chocolate. To avoid long queues, arrive before 3pm – you may still have to wait a while to be seated but the line hopefully won’t curl around the block.

From Angelina, stroll across the Jardin des Tuileries to the Musée de Louvre. If you’ve been to Paris before you may have visited this exceptional art gallery to catch a glimpse of the infamous Mona Lisa, but you may not have taken the time to explore the vast wings more thoroughly. There is so much to see you could spend an entire day wandering the beautiful building and still not cover it all, but if you want to narrow your visit down to just a few hours, make sure you peruse the Napoleon III apartments which are sumptuous beyond belief, and a great (although slightly downscale) alternative to visiting the beautiful interior of the palace of Versailles. The other must-see, which I didn’t know existed until recently, is the medieval Louvre; the original foundations of what is now the museum can be admired on the basement level.

From the Louvre, catch the Metro to Anvers and walk up the steps to the Sacre Couer. Have dinner at quirky, cosy Le Poulbot (3 Rue Poulbot, 75 018) and ensure you try either the boeuf bourguignon or the confit de canard from the excellent value Guinguette menu (EUR 16.50 for 3 courses).

Take a stroll after dinner to the Sacre Couer to watch the Eiffel Tower shimmering with lights and stop to admire some of the street performers on the steps of the Sacre Couer, and then head to Le Tire Bouchon Piano Bar (opposite Le Poulbot) where you can enjoy a crepe and some drinks whilst being treated to live music. If that’s not enough to entertain you, the walls are plastered with mementos and messages from many past travellers who have wandered through Paris…ask for the stapler before you head back to your hotel to leave a message of your own.

Day 2:

Breakfast in Paris is expensive, so hopefully the hotel you are staying at provides petit dejeuner for you but if not, stop at a small Parisian street cafe to enjoy an espresso and a pastry to start your day. Catch the metro to Pt. de Clignancourt and walk to the infamous Les Puces, the biggest Parisian flea markets where over 3000 vendors sell everything from fake designer goods to exquisite antique pieces and everything in between. The vintage clothes, furniture and accessories are worth browsing but be warned: they are not necessarily as cheap as you may expect from a flea market.

Once you’ve had enough of Les Puces, catch the metro down to St-Paul, where you can while away the afternoon in Le Marais, strolling through small art galleries, rummaging through retro and vintage clothing stores (if you still want more after the flea markets), admiring the beautiful architecture and relaxing in a cafe with a glass of wine or beer and a plate of food to share.

Walk to the Seine and cross Pont Marie to reach Île Saint-Louis. Here you will find the original Berthillon store selling luxury ice cream, offering flavours such as blood orange and fig. I recommend the rose & raspberry flavour, although they really do all look divine!

After a day of strolling, finish with dinner at Le Bistrot d’Henri (16 rue Princesse 75 006), a small, family-run restaurant in Saint Germain. The food is fantastic and reasonably priced and the intimate setting makes for a memorable meal. After dinner, make the most of being in Paris by strolling along the Seine and watching the beautiful lights of this wonderful city.

Day 3:

Have breakfast at your hotel again, or find a new cafe in which to start your day with coffee and a pastry.

Stroll along Rue Cler (closest Metro is Ecole Militaire) under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and admire and sample the fresh seafood, cheese and produce on offer. From Rue Cler, venture to the Champs-Élysées and stop at Ladurée to pick up some world famous macarons for the journey home. Might I recommend the rose flavour? It is indescribably delicious.

There is so much more to see and do in Paris, but this itinerary is just a taste of what you can see and do with just one weekend at your disposal. If you’ve never been to Paris before this is not the itinerary for you but I hope that, if you are looking for some new & interesting things to see in France’s capital, this has been a helpful guide.

What would you add to my itinerary?

This DIY was really easy, and I can now wear my loafers with pride again. The thing I love most about this project is that I can make any number of embellishments to decorate these shoes and can swap them depending on my mood/outfit.

You’ll need:

• felt
• scissors
• needle & thread
• ribbon
• brooch attachments

Here’s how:

Firstly, cut two strips of felt of equal size. The length & width is up to you, depending on how wide & long you would like your bows to be.

Take one of your felt strips and roughly hand-sew the two short ends together to form a loop. Flatten the loop with the seam in the centre, and roughly hand-sew the two sides together, pulling the thread tightly to ruche the felt.

Loop a small length of ribbon around the bow and sew to secure, ensuring that all of the stitching from the previous steps is covered. Then sew the brooch attachment to the back of the bow, and attach to the shoe. Repeat these steps for the other length of felt.

Do you try to breathe new life into ailing clothing or shoes? How do you do it?

Anna Sui Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / blood orange margarita; whiteonricecouple.com

Hervé Léger Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / smoked salmon; source unknown

Hervé Léger Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / iced chai; shopcookmake.blogspot.com

Jason Wu Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / mixed olives; learnspanish4life.co.uk

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / grilled pineapple; kitchenproject.com

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / candy floss; source unknown

Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / liquorice allsorts; lollyshop.co.nz

Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / chilli chocolate; feel-the-burn.co.uk

Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 RTW; nymag.com / red velvet cake; source unknown

This has made me look at fashion week shows in a whole new way! I’m now looking forward to London Fashion Week more than ever…

I ordered the Ridgeway top from Megan Nielsen’s A/W 2011 collection, and when it arrived I liked it even more than I thought I would. It’s so soft and comfortable, I could wear it all day every day! I love the cute collar and the great sleeve length and can’t wait to be able to wear it in warmer weather, but for now it’s a nice pop of colour underneath a cardigan or sweater.

My outfit was a bit of a random colour combination but I was happy with how it came together…I love wearing bright colours in winter to cheer myself up!

{skirt: Sportsgirl, thrifted from Traid; cardigan: from a friend; top: Megan Nielsen Ridgeway; boots: from a friend; lipstick: M.A.C Red}

Taking trips with friends is awesome! I’ve done loads of travel with friends of mine; from weekend city breaks, to week-long ski holidays in the middle of nowhere, to two months’ backpacking in Australia and much more in between. As rewarding and fun as it can be though, there are certain things you should consider before embarking on an adventure with your BFF, or you may run into some unforeseen issues. Of course, this goes for travelling with anyone, whether it be family or your partner/spouse, and some of these tips may apply in those situations too, but your family will always be your family, and love covers a multitude of sins, whereas friendships can be made or broken by a holiday.

- Don’t travel with just anyone:

Make sure you and your travel buddy/buddies are a good match for you and each other. Sure, you’re not looking for them to be your life partner, but you’re also not just going to the pub for a beer together; you’ll be spending a lot of time in each others’ company and trying to make decisions as a team. If you’re into completely different things or have opposing ideas of what a holiday looks like, perhaps you should just stick to sharing beers at the pub and find someone who you can travel well with. You don’t want your friendship to be ruined because you fancied lying on the beach, but your bestie spent the whole time berating you for not ‘immersing yourself in the culture’.

- Get the budget conversation over and done with:

Once you know who you will be travelling with, sit down and chat about budgets before you get started with booking flights/accommodation/activities. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re holding someone else back because you can’t afford to do what they want to do, and it’s equally no fun to forego your dream experience because you don’t want your friend to have to sit outside alone and wait for you. Work out a rough budget and agree on a ball-park figure. Sure, one of you may have more money to splash out on extras, but if you know what the maximum spend is from the start, you’ll all be on the same page and there won’t be any of those awkward ‘well why don’t you want to treat yourself to this £400/night hotel just this once?’ conversations mid-way through the trip. It can also be helpful to work out how you’re going to handle shared expenses e.g. groceries or toiletries. I have found in the past that a kitty system works well (each person puts a designated amount into the kitty and that money is used to pay for shared expenses; when it runs out, everyone chips in again) but whatever works for you, decide what you’ll do and stick with it.

- Compromise:

No matter who you travel with, there will always be times when you disagree on where you should go, which hotel looks better, where you should eat, what you should see and do, and the best way to get there. It’s inevitable that you’ll disagree at one time or another, but you are going to have to compromise if you want it to be an enjoyable trip. That doesn’t mean that you should miss out on seeing the one thing you planned your whole trip around, but it does mean that you might have to take what you think is the ‘long’ route, or eat at the restaurant that had worse reviews than your ‘hidden gem’. If it’s not going to ruin your entire trip, just let it go. You never know, your friend’s dodgy-looking restaurant might just serve the most amazing food!

- Know that everyone has bad days:

When you’re travelling with family or your partner/spouse, you’ve usually seen the best and the worst of them. You know what sets off their cranky moods, when they’re just over-tired or when they simply need some time to themselves. You may not know this about your friends, so be patient and recognise that not all days are going to be good days. Everyone gets grumpy sometimes, but there’s no point taking it personally. Of course, you won’t always be on your A-game either, so know that it goes both ways and it’s not a big deal.

- Give each other space:

It’s difficult being around someone else 24/7, especially under the intense circumstances travel often brings. It’s OK to spend some time alone, doing the things that you want to do or just doing nothing at all. At the end of the day (or even after just a few hours) you’ll feel much more refreshed and happy to spend time together again. Don’t be scared to tell your friend that you need some time to yourself…it can make the world of difference!

When I’ve travelled with friends in the past and have considered all of the above tips, the trip has gone smoothly and the stories we still share together are priceless. Sure, we argued over how the other person did the dishes, or watched in horror as the majority of the group chose the Irish pub on the Greek island, but at the end of the day, we all had a memorable and enjoyable holiday and we’re still friends, which is what really matters in the end!

What tips do you have for travelling with friends? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below!

You’ll need:

• an old (clean) sock
• scissors
• rice
• needle & thread

Here’s how:

Cut off the toe and cuff of the sock, and roughly sew one end shut. Tuck the sewn end inside itself and then neatly sew the seam to create a secure join.

Fill the sock with rice (any kind); fill enough to reach near the top but leave enough room to sew the other end closed. Roughly sew the open end shut and then, as with the first seam, tuck the sewn end inside itself and then neatly sew across to finish the heat pack.

To use: simply place in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until hot. You may need to wrap the heat pack in a towel if it’s overheated to avoid burning yourself, but you’ll learn the optimal time required to heat it to the desired temperature.

This is a really quick and easy project (about 20 minutes), and a fantastic use for old socks. The heat packs are great to rest on your stomach if you have cramps, and help relieve sore muscles after exercise. They are the perfect little DIY for these cold, wintery days.

As is becoming my habit, I turned to Pinterest for recipe inspiration and found a delicious-looking cucumber and dill salad. When I visited the supermarket however, there was not a cucumber in sight! I picked up a courgette, willing it to change into the fruit I had come to find, and as I stared at it I suddenly remembered the delicious courgette fries I’d eaten at Byron with my favourite blue cheese burger and I had a lightbulb moment: baked courgette fries with blue cheese dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 courgettes; washed & ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pack plain breadcrumbs
• freshly ground salt & pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche

Method:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Cut the courgettes into chip-sized batons. Put a handful of courgette into a resealable plastic bag with a tablespoon of the flour; seal the bag and shake to cover all the courgette pieces. Put the floured courgette aside and repeat until all of the batons are coated.

Using a fork, dip the batons one by one in the egg, then drop them into a bowl of breadcrumbs mixed with salt, pepper & paprika. Ensure they are coated and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Place in the oven for 7 minutes, then turn the fries and bake for another 7 minutes. Meanwhile, place the blue cheese and crème fraîche in a small saucepan on medium heat and stir until melted. Place in a bowl to cool and put the bowl on a plate. Once the fries are golden, remove from the oven and place them on the plate around the bowl to serve.

When I received the Donna Ida spring/summer 2012 lookbook recently, I flicked through it and earmarked almost every single page; the candy and sorbet shades reminded me of lazy summer days spent picnicking, or sharing long evenings sipping white wine and watching the world go by. As part of my investment wardrobe (read what I’m talking about here and here) I am looking for some colourful skinny jeans (I originally thought I wanted a very bright shade, but I’m just loving these pastels), and all of the pairs below are now on my shortlist:

I could wear these all spring/summer long. Paired with a neutral tank top, a denim jacket and some gold wedges, I’d have an instant, funky, comfortable go-to look.

The entire Current/Elliot range is divine; I adore the leopard-print pastel shade skinnies, but these are my favourite pair – the orange hue is so summery, and the playful pinstripe is fresh and fun.

Some more Current/Elliot favourites; these aren’t yet on the Donna Ida website but the polka dot is irresistible (and these would meet my original ‘bright’ requirement too).

So, so pretty, so feminine…these could be dressed up with a pastel blazer and silk shirt, or worn for a casual summer stroll along the river…my only fear is that I’d spill something on them and ruin the perfectly pastel shade!

How happy are these jeans?! They bring a smile to my face and remind me of sunshine, daffodils, sunflowers, lemon slices…so many wonderful summery treats! This would be the perfect pick-me-up wardrobe piece for days when the London sun refuses to show up!

Another yellow pair, but this time the colour of a delicate and refreshing sorbet. These Paige jeans would be  ridiculously comfortable (I practically live in my pair), super flattering (I feel good every single time I pull mine on) and a gorgeous addition to my wardrobe. Once again though, I’m just worried about spillage (honestly, it happens to me more than I care to admit!).

What do you think of pastel denim? Which of these pairs would you choose?

In no particular order, here are my five favourite films for inspiring holidays:

Roman Holiday, 1953: This may be one of my favourite films ever and it also stars my favourite actress ever, the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Following the antics of a princess who decides to abandon her duties for a day to see Rome with a local reporter, Roman Holiday takes the viewer to all of the best locations in Rome: the Colosseum, the ‘Mouth of Truth’, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps…it’s a visual delight as well as an enchanting story.

Amélie, 2001: Set in my favourite part of Paris, Montmartre, Amélie is a quirky and charming story about a shy waitress who decides to change the lives of the people around her. Many people have been inspired to travel to Paris as a result of watching this movie; read this article on TravMonkey to find out more about visiting the film’s locations in Paris.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989: I have to admit that I’d never watched any of the Indiana Jones films until I met my husband, whose family adore the adventure movies. My favourite of the franchise films is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; notably the scenes at Jordan’s Petra, one of the new wonders of the world. Watching Indiana Jones was the first time I’d ever seen or heard of the rose red city, and I was so intrigued by it that I’m now planning a visit there later this year!

In Bruges, 2008: Another of my favourite films, although for very different reasons than why I love Roman Holiday; In Bruges is a dark comedy that ironically made me want to visit the Belgian town ASAP. It really does look like a dream; like a fairytale. Apparently not, according to Colin Farrell’s character Ray, but that still doesn’t deter me; this is hopefully going to be another 2012 destination of mine.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, 2001: I loved the book by Louis de Bernières, but it didn’t capture the beautiful scenery of the Greek island of Cephallonia like the film does. The story is beautiful, romantic and bittersweet, and the cast isn’t bad either (Penélope Cruz, Nicholas Cage & Christian Bale). If you ever needed an excuse to want a holiday on a gorgeous Greek Island, look no further than Captain Corelli’s Mandolin!

Do you have any films that inspire you to travel? What are they?

I had a Pinterest-inspired DIY in mind for this weekend, but when the snow ruined my materials-hunting (the leather boots I’d bought at the beginning of winter to be sturdy and snow proof apparently have NO grip) I had to make do with what I had at home. I found a bag of jewellery debris; a result of broken or disassembled pieces which I decided to make use of to create a piece I’ll wear. This is not intended to be a step-by-step tutorial; I hope instead to inspire you to use bits and pieces that you already have at home to create something you’ll happily wear. Be creative!

What I used:

• 1 silver chain
• 1 chain tassel
• cotton thread
• ribbon
• sewing needle

First, I measured three lengths of cotton thread, each a few inches longer than the chain I was using. I tied the three threads together at one end, taped them to the edge of my coffee table and plaited them together – this adds extra strength rather than using just a single thread. Once they were plaited, I tied the other end of the threads to one end of the chain and then threaded the plaited cotton through the chain (every second link)…I’d recommend watching a film whilst doing this – it’s rather tedious!

Once I threaded the entire length of cotton and secured the end of the plait to the other end of the chain, I then put a metal ring over one end of the chain, which I used to secure the tassel & bow. I attached the tassel to the ring using some jewellery pliers and then tied a piece of ribbon into a bow.

The last step was to hand sew the ribbon onto the tassel fastening. Easy peasy! And here’s the end result:

Do you, like me, keep bits and pieces and reuse them? What have you made from mismatched pieces of jewellery?