Lace Flowers

Laurent Desgrange grey satin bow ❖ American Apparel tee ❖ H&M skirt ❖ Tabio lace flower tights ❖ M&S black suede boots

Corners of My Home (Bathroom) #2

I think of my bathroom as a mini spa. Decorated in stark white mosaic tiles with only a splash of occasional colour, it is the perfect place to relax after a busy day. Bubbles, candles and a glass of wine are all that is required.

UK Top Fashion Blogs

Today I was stunned to see that I had been ranked in Wikio's new Fashion category - so here I am at No 17 in the UK's Top 20 Fashion Blogs:

1. Style Bubble

2. Face Hunter

3. SHOWstudio

4. Red Carpet Style Awards

5. Kingdom of Style

6. Catwalk Queen

7. My Fashion Life

8. Shoewawa

9. Fifi Lapin

10. shoegal

11. THE NEVERENDING STORY!

12. The Bag Lady

13. The Fashion Police

14. Happy Because

15. HiFashion

16. Discotheque Confusion

17. PinkBow

18. tobaccoandleather

19. Cheapskate Chic

20. Diamond Canopy

I'm also featured on Chicisimo right now... and would (again) very much appreciate your vote!

A Single Man

You know I love a film that is candy for the eye. I can't wait for A Single Man to be released next week. Directed by Tom Ford and set in the 1960's, what's not to love?

Eco Bag

Ascension leather tan bag ❖ Top Shop coat & dress

Usually when I hear the words 'eco' or 'ethical' when it comes to clothes and accessories, my mind switches off. I seem to have some pre-conceived idea that the style and design are not going to be particularly exciting. And yet, when I discovered Ascension, I realised that this does not have to be the case. The design of the garments appear to be simple and stylish, with some great basics and great detail. The overall look of the site is appealing to me also, always important with the plethora of sites out there.

I had been searching for a while, for an everyday bag that could be worn with most colours and that would be big enough to hold my dslr camera, without being too big that it would encourage me to fill with lots of unnecessary junk. This is the perfect fit, resting snugly under my arm and is a simple style with some nice details. It is the kind of good quality leather that I think will get better with age, the leather will soon soften to become even more slouchy and worn. It doesn't hurt also to know that it has been made fairly and in good working conditions.

I have been nominated over at The Lovelies, please vote for me!

Q & A

When did you start your blog and what was your reason for doing so?

What is PinkBow about?

What is your daily job?

I was so excited to be asked by Stefan Urschler to appear on Stylish Kids in Riot in a 'so-much-more-than-an-interview' feature. Following on from LiebeMarlene Vintage last week, I loved seeing the final interview. So if you fancy reading the answers to the questions above and more, see here!

A Little Piece of Luxury

I have lusted after Agent Provocateur pieces for many years now. But somehow I could just never allow myself to spend that kind of money on underwear - around £95 for a bra and £45 for knickers. I used to indulge in their Salon Rose range for M&S but sadly they stopped the designs.

But seeing this post recently and being literally bombarded with emails from AP for the last couple of weeks, I took another look. By the time I did, the were onto their 75% off sale. So I managed to get myself this little piece of luxury for £20. I just hope it hasn't given me the taste for expensive lingerie.

● Update to My City Guide ●

Blue Sequins

Blue Inc blue sequin jacket ❖ H&M navy & white striped tee ❖ Vintage wide leg jeans ❖ Kurt Geiger shoe-boots

I have been nominated over at The Lovelies, please vote for me!

A Nice Package

I mentioned recently that I wanted to start taking more care in wrapping gifts. So I have begun my search for pretty packaging. It started here with a few bits from a Nice Package - the hand-written tag I especially like.

I also bought some basics from high street favourite WHSmith. And dug out some ribbon from my ribbon box.

But I think there will be many more buys to come, this is only the start of a collection and I haven't really done a good web search yet. So many colour options, so many adornments - I think I could become addicted. And discovering this shop today - Mr Rabbit Sir, the possibilities for creativity are endless! Does anyone have any other good suggestions?

Navy Polka

Minkie at Top Shop navy polka dress ❖ Tabio navy 110 dernier tights ❖ Kurt Geiger beige & black patent shoe-boots ❖ Tiffany bow necklace ❖ Diamond ring

My City - Newcastle upon Tyne

I decided to add a City Guide button to the side panel on the right. When people think of England, they quite often think only of London. And while London is of course the capital and has so much to offer, there are lots of other towns, cities and villages worth visiting. Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England is one of them, in my opinion.

I think I've mentioned here before that I was not born in this city but moved for work and have lived here for the last eight years. Despite it's Stag & Hen Party image, there is a lot more on offer. This guide is by no means a comprehensive guide to the city but rather is a collection of the places that I like to go to and that I think are worth a visit. And while I'm sure many of you have absolutely no intention of ever visiting the North East of England, you may enjoy this little trip around my home city anyway.

This so far, is the starting point of my City Guide, which I will update regularly as I find new places and find the time to work on it. The Guide is not limited only to central Newcastle as the areas around the city are all very accessible and not too far away. I will make a note on a post whenever I update so you know to check back if you desire. And you never know, it may entice you to visit the city one day...

● Shopping ●

Vivienne Westwood - 1 Hood Street, NE1 6JQ

This boutique needs no introduction. It only came to Newcastle within the last couple of years but the infamous Orb has gone down a storm

Freefall Accessories - 24 High Bridge Street, NE1 1EN

This is a great little shop for quirky gifts and knick-knacks, definitely worth a visit

Central Arcade - NE1

This small Edwardian built shopping mall is home to Office, Space NK and JD Windows, the design of the building is I think stunning

Space NK - 132 Grainger Street, NE1

This beauty emporium is where I like to go to stock up on favourites Eve Lom, Diptyque and Nars

● Vintage ●

Retro - High Bridge, NE1

Best Vintage - HIgh Bridge Street, NE1 1EN

Tynemouth Flea-Market - Tynemouth Metro Station, NE30 4RE

A little drive to the coast or a short Metro ride, this is a great flea-market open Saturday and Sunday Mornings, Saturday has my favourite sellers

● Sleeping ●

Malmaison - 104 Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DX

A boutique a hotel situated on the Newcastle side of the Quayside, I love the gothic black and purple decoration in here. It is a small and intimate hotel where you can enjoy the relaxing surroundings of the bar for a quiet drink as well as the hotel restaurant, without needing to be a guest. I like to come here for a drink while nibbling on the never-ending supply of olives and pistachios they bring out to you.

Hotel du Vin - Allan House, City Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2BE

Hotel du Vin is another small chain of boutique hotel with a slight relation to the Malmaison Group. This hotel is fairly new to Newcastle and again is very small, yet has the same relaxed ambience as Malmaison. I like to come here for a meal where they often do great offers.

Jesmond Dene House - Jesmond Dene Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2EY

Another intimate hotel where I have been for Afternoon Tea on more than one occasion. Situated within the lovely Jesmond Dene (see Gardens).

Close House - Close House Estate, Heddon-on-the-Wall, NE5 0HT

Another favourite for Afternoon Tea and set in sumptuous grounds with a killer golf course (so I'm told). A drive of around 20 minutes out of the city centre but definitely worth a visit if the countryside is to your liking.

● Culture ●

Baltic - South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3BA

Previously a Flour Mill, the Baltic is an amazing space situated on the South Bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead. It is the biggest gallery of it's kind in the world and is an ever changing art space, so gives the incentive to keep up to date on the latest exhibitions. I love the Baltic Shop in the entrance, as well as lots of commemorative Baltic gifts it also sells lots of unusual books, cameras and knick-knacks.

Central Library - Charles Avison Building, New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AJ

This new library only opened in the city centre in June of last year and cost £24 million. It's a fantastic space, my favourite area being this glass reading room with gorgeous pink butterfly chairs. If this doesn't entice you to pick up a book, I'm not sure what will! It also has a great little cafe on the ground floor from local company Stewart & Co Fine Food which sells delicious coffee and muffins.

Lit & Phil (The Literary & Philosophical Society) - 28 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE

I wanted to include another library, as this is the stark opposite of the new Central Library. If you love the smell of old books, this is the place for you. It is the largest independent library outside London and houses over 150,000 books and is a Grade II listed building that opened in 1825.

Laing Art Gallery - 1 Higham Place, NE1 8AG

With an impressive reputation, the gallery is renowned for bringing some of the biggest names from the art world to the North East

Theatre Royal - 100 Grey Street, NE1 6BR

Opened in 1837, the Grade I listed building brings some of the biggest performances in the world of dance, drama, music and comedy. My favourite is The Rambert Dance company which visit most years.

● Gardens ●

Jesmond Dene - situated between Jesmond and High Heaton

So pretty, especially in late spring/early summer which was when I took these photographs last year.

The Alnwick Garden - Denwick Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1YU

I love a drive up to Alnwick in Northumberland to see the amazing garden which was set up by the Duchess of Northumberland. There really is so much to see and do - the Poison Garden, breath-taking waterfalls, the newly planted Cherry Blossom Orchard (I can't wait to re-visit when these are fully grown, they were mere babies when I was there last spring). And for food, the adult sized Tree-House is a step into nature where they serve light snacks in a cosy atmosphere.

Saltwell Park - Park House East Park Road, Gateshead, NE9 5AX

A Victorian Park since 1876, this park is lovely for a walk in the summer or on an autumnal Sunday morning. It has a lake with Swan shaped pedalos, a rose garden and offers events throughout the year. I recently went to the winter Enchanted Parks festival which housed a light installation based on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Life in Pictures #3

I rediscovered my ribbon box. I really want to start making more of an effort and give more time to present wrapping. I really rushed this Christmas, I think if you have lots of adornments, papers, ribbons etc to choose from, you can be so much more creative.

I helped Annette at Urban Buzz with shooting her lookbook.

I went to see the Ian Dury film, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll at the Tyneside Cinema. This is my favourite local cinema as it is independent and always shows great films. I haven't quite decided what I think about the film. Enjoyable yes, I love biographies but at the same time a little strange.

I went for a Sunday morning walk at the Victorian Saltwell Park and managed to get so close to this squirrel to be able to take his picture.

I received this vintage 1980's dress from Covert Candy. The print is slightly louder than I would usually choose but I love the neck and shoulder detail, once shortened it will be very wearable.