Category Archives: Shopping

Matryoshka dolls

Posted on April 26, 2011 | 2 Comments

When I was 6 years old and in kindergarten I was deeply fascinated by this set of Russian matryoshka dolls (also called nesting dolls or babushka dolls). I could spend hours peeling off the outer “doll layers” until I got to the amazingly tiny baby one in the middle.

I’ve never owned any of these myself, until a while ago, when I spotted a set of these in a local bric-à-brac shop. They cost £1, so although they looked nothing like the classic ones from my childhood I had to buy them.  They’ve been cheering up our mantelpiece ever since.

And then when I read a post on Liberty London Girl’s blog about how she had bought one of the more traditional sets while in Moscow for around £8, I decided it was time to invest in the “real thing”.

Luckily for me Sam has a very nice Russian friend & colleague, who was just about to go to Moscow on holiday. And this is what he came back with:

The perfect set, which instantly takes me back to kindergarten.

I excitedly pulled them apart to see who was nesting in the middle: and yay, there it was, the teeny weeny little baby. How cute (sorry pregnancy hormones taking over here).

The dolls make great gifts for kids too (over 3-years-old though because of the small bits). If a trip to Moscow isn’t on the horizon you can buy cheap ones online at for example Amazon or Play.com.

Or if you’re a real aficionado you can visit matryoshkastore.com, which is 100% dedicated to nesting dolls in all shapes and genres. Here’s something for everyone, from cats to Little Red Riding Hood matryoshkas.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Shopping, Yndlingsting

Tagged , , , , , , ,

The sensible tan leather sandals

Posted on April 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

I haven’t worn high heels since the beginning of the pregnancy. It’s not comfortable, definitely not healthy and it just feels wrong to totter around in stilettos .

So I’ve been on the hunt for a pair of very simple leather sandals in a decent quality, that can replace my beloved jelly shoes,  and live on my feet for the rest of the summer.

And yesterday I found the right pair.

These Silas sandals from Office are both cheap and comfy. And they have that perfect durable rubber sole which guarantees a long shoe life and steady feet, even on the most slippery of surfaces.

They cost £58 and come in navy blue too. Buy them here.


→ Leave a comment

Posted in High Street find, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The pregnancy sausage

Posted on April 21, 2011 | 3 Comments

Meet my new best friend:

My beloved new pregnancy pillow or “pølsen” (the sausage) as I tenderly call it. Sam just calls it “the white maggot” – maybe because it seems to have a life of its own and is trying to slowly squeeze him out of bed every night.

This wonderful pillow creature is filled with tiny micro beads and you can mold it into whatever shape you like. You can use it while pregnant for support while sleeping, for back support and for breastfeeding the baby later on.

Look at all the things you can do with it:

I paid £45 pounds for it in John Lewis and so far it has been worth every penny. It has won all kinds of awards and is free from any chemical nasties

Read more about it and shop at www.theraline.co.uk

→ 3 Comments

Posted in baby shopping, Graviditet, Pregnancy, Shopping, Yndlingsting

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Dressing the bump – black on black from H&M

Posted on April 16, 2011 | 6 Comments

I was running out of comfy everyday clothes, so HAD to stop by my favourite H&M on Regent Street to get fresh supplies. I chose three different items that are easily combined, and they’re all stretchy so I’ll be able to wear them all summer (hopefully).

I bought this A-shaped cotton top with a pocket detail, as it’s perfect for wearing over trousers or leggings for that everyday casual look. £7.99.

There was also a big selection of viscose tops/cardigans on display. They come in many different colours, but I played it safe and went for good ol’ black. £7.99.

It’s perfect for wearing over the A-shaped top. I’ve spiced the outfit up with my old WoodWood necklace.

And the totally simple maxi-dresses are back.

Last year I bought one that was 100% viscose, but it’s shape has gone ballistic and it gets longer and longer every time I wear it + it’s so thin and see-through that you have to wear something underneath. Not nice for a hot and bothered pregnant woman.

So I was happy to see that this year H&M have mixed the viscose with cotton. And the fabric is thicker. This dress also comes in a white & blue + a red & blue speckled version.

Again I just went for black and bought two as I’m convinced I’ll wear them all summer, and they’re probably going to be sold out soon. £12.99.

I’m wearing it with my old brass Bambi necklace from affordable British jewellery brand Galibardy.

And I can of course pair it with my new viscose top.

The gladiator sandals are from Office. I bought them two summers ago, but they still sell them. They come in many different colours and cost £37. Buy them here.

I just wish the quality was a bit better as the leather is not soft enough and they hurt a bit when I wear them for too long. Guess I’ll have to go on the hunt for a pair of handmade ones.


→ 6 Comments

Posted in Dressing the bump, Graviditet, Pregnancy, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The amazing cup holder for sleep-deprived mums

Posted on April 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve just spent a few days in the lovely company of a good friend from Denmark. Thoughtful as always she brought me this:

It’s a coffee cup holder that you can fit onto your pram/buggy/pushchair…..or your bicycle, if you’re lucky enough to live in a city where it’s safe to ride one of those.

And if I’m feeling really sleep-deprived, I might just end up placing it on my wrist. Permanently!

Find out where to buy it on ko-be.dk. (And if you’re not in Denmark, you can find other models on Amazon).

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Danmark, Denmark, Graviditet, Pregnancy, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Dressing the (summer)bump – Liberty print jumpsuit

Posted on April 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

Summer really has arrived, so I’ve been combing through my closet seeking out summer dresses and other comfy light garments….with an expandable waist of course.

The first thing I found was this home-made, second-hand jumpsuit, made from Liberty fabric. I bought it for £12.50 two years ago at the outdoors Greenwich Clocktower Market (open Sat, Sun & bank holidays 10-5).

It always had a very loose-fitted waist and before I had to wear it with a belt. Not so much anymore.

And if it gets a bit more chilly, I’ll wear it with my beloved old Camilla Stærk jacket.

On my feet are the even more cherished (they live on my feet every summer) glitter-infused jelly shoes.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Dressing the bump, Genbrug, Genbrugsfund, Graviditet, Outfit, Pregnancy, Second-hand, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A + dressing the bump accordingly

Posted on April 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

On a grey and rainy day like today there’s nothing better than cuddling up on the sofa with a cup of hot tea. But if you want to be a bit more active, you can always head for a fashion exhibition.

Even though I love (second-hand) clothes and shopping I tend to yawn and curl my lip in contempt when faced with catwalk shows, fashion weeks and the name-dropping of aaaaarrrhhhmazing designers.

It just bores me to death and I never learned to love the vacuous mingling and bitchy atmosphere of Copenhagen Fashion Week, when I worked as a fashion journalist.

But if there’s one designer that can get me up from the sofa it’s the ground-breaking Japanese Yohji Yamamoto. So last week I went to see the his exhibition at the V&A. It’s small but good.

Left-hand side is dedicated to a mannequin parade of some of his best designs, through the years. 9 out of 10 of his designs I would wear on the spot, and I was (almost) tempted to just tear a few dresses of the dolls and make a run for it :-)

The right-hand side consists of a row of TV’s, showing Yohji Yamamoto’s catwalk shows  and videos about the controversial designer. Should you want to meet the designer himself, then I suggest you book a ticket for the talk on the 26th of June.

6 months pregnant or not, I felt I had to honour Mr. Yohji by wearing one of his designs to the exhibition. I only own two Yamamoto items: a skirt with a narrow waist (so that one was out of the question) and this dress:

So on it went. I had to leave the zipper half-open, but I still like the way it looks. If you want to see it in a non-pregnant state and read about where I bought it, click here.

I love how this last windblown picture reminds me of the poster from the exhibition. Noone does those avantgarde silhouettes quite like Yamamoto. They’re instantly recognisable.

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A, until 10 july 2011.
Read more & book tickets

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Art, Dressing the bump, Exhibitions, Genbrug, Genbrugsfund, Graviditet, London life, Outfit, Pregnancy, Second-hand, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

No7 concealer and triple protection tinted moisturiser

Posted on March 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Just wanted to share these two fab beauty products with you.

The other day I used the last tiny drop of my YSL Touche Eclat concealer and decided that there was no way I was going to buy a new one, a) because they’re too damn expensive (£22-25) and b) they aren’t really that great. If you’re after some of the big brand concealers I’d rather spend my money on those from Estée Lauder or Lancôme.

But I wasn’t nowhere near a shop that sold Estée Lauder or Lâncome. I was standing outside a Boots, so I decided to take a chance with Boot’s quite brilliant own range No7 and their Radiance Concealer. It cost £14 but I had a £5 off voucher and paid £9.

And I really like it. I think it’s about as good as the Touche Eclat and so much cheaper.

When I bough it the cashier handed me yet another £5 off voucher, so of course I had to run back in and buy what proved to be the piece de resistance, the No7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser.

I’m not a big fan of traditional foundations as many of them are too heavy and give my skin a fake and very made up look. So I used to not use anything. But with age your skin tone become less even, and pregnancy isn’t really helping either as I’ve started to get these darker pigmentation spots. They’ve decided to make their first appearance on my nose, of all places.

So the much lighter tinted moisturisers are my way forward. I guess you’re supposed to use this instead of your daily moisturiser but I prefer to moisturise as well. It’s so easy to apply and evens out the skin tone in the gentlest way possible. £12 (£7 with the voucher). And it contains SPF 15!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Beauty, Shopping, Skønhed

Tagged , , , , , ,

Dressing the bump – Japanese polka dots

Posted on March 25, 2011 | 6 Comments

I had a dinner date with some friends in East London last week. And with all the young hipsters running around in that part of town old Mette kinda felt the pressure to retro-dress-up the bump a bit.

Looking in my closet the options were very limited, but then I remembered this dark blue polka dot dress with puff sleeves, which has a very high waist. I bought it ages ago in a second-hand shop in Japan for around 3 pounds.

But the big question was: could I squeeze the bump into it?

I could. So I chose to ignore the fact, that it’s made from 100% polyester and left for a lovely dinner at one of my favourite East London restaurants, Lennie’s Snack Bar.

Here I’m wearing it with a pair of studded ankle boots from Topshop to make it less dressy.

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Dressing the bump, Genbrugsfund, Graviditet, Outfit, Pregnancy, Second-hand, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Habitat sale – shopping spree 2.0

Posted on March 23, 2011 | 4 Comments

Well. Apparently the Habitat sale doesn’t end until NEXT Sunday. So I had a second go in the one at Finchley Road.

The Dachshund pillow was nowhere to be seen, so instead Sam chose this cheerful one with pears. £10.

We also bought some ecru Thea towels w. gold details. £30 15.

I couldn’t resist the playful colours of this Madras table-cloth (180×270 cm), £30 15. I also bought 6 matching napkins £2 1 each.

 

Last, but not least: I’ve been going on and on about wanting to get an atlas/world map shower curtain. So when I spotted them on sale in Habitat, I didn’t hesitate for a second.

Before:

After:

The Mappa shower curtain costs £22 11.

And, as alway, there was a further 10% off on check-out.

habitat.co.uk

→ 4 Comments

Posted in High Street find, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , ,