Five Best: Super cute clutch bags

After recently buying this really cool Patricia Field Coca Cola bag, I've noticed a lot of high street brands have got in on the trend since Fashion Week, too.

Anya Hindmarch had the most original designs with super cute and fun retro bags in collaboration with Kellogg's, and Chanel worked with the whole trend on one of their supermarket-chic themed shows.

Now you can grab one of these yourself for as little as £12.99! Check out the best of the high street below.

1. The clear clutch trend is still in, but now with some adorable designs added on like this one from Asos, £30. Simple but trendy, it's easy to wear with any outfit.

2. The cheapest of the lot but also the closest to the supermarket chic trend, this £12.99 New Look chocolate bar clutch is a great neutral colour meaning it's easy to wear but quirky enough to be a conversation starter. I'm super prised that nobody has collaborated with the Willy Wonka licensees yet!

3. For the more adventurous ones, this SkinnyDip popcorn clutch bag is perfect for dressing with a big furry coat in the winter to add a bit of fun and pop art to it! £25

4. This Skinnydip clutch is my favourite! So pretty and elegant, and looks a lot more expensive than it really is (£45) due to the gold tones. How cute are the little bees? Wear it during the day with jeans and a leather jacket, or during the evening to glam up an outfit.

5. This Asos clutch is the closest you will get to the designer look, as it's most reflective of the retro supermarket packaging design. Wear it during the day with your high waisted jeans and faux fur jacket! £35

Travel: 10 Best Travel Apps

To help make your life and holidays just that little bit easier...

JetLag Genie
One of the most annoying things that could affect your holiday mood is jet lag. There are numerous ways to beat it, but this clever little app can give you some help. Once your travel dates, destination and usual sleeping times are added, the app will give you a bespoke guide on when to sleep, seek dark or control jetlag by getting up a little earlier a few days before your trip. It doesn't seem to have a lot of reviews but it's worth using even just once, if you are going on a long haul trip.
iPhone (£1.99)

FlightTrack
This app is really useful if you are waiting for a loved one, or just want to check in on your own flight. It follows the path of international flights on maps, with all information about arrival, departure, delays, and cancellations.
iPhone (£2.99), iPad (£2.99), Android (£2.99) and Windows Phone (£3.99)

Tipulator

Something I always struggle with is knowing when, where and how much to tip (or not tip!) when traveling. In some countries, it is offensive to tip anything, while in others you need to tip more than usual (New York...). This app is a tip calculator which will help you determine how much to take off your bill, or the best way to split it with others.

iPhone (£0.69)

Skyscanner

Clean, efficient, quick and to the point, Skyscanner's brilliant apps are super handy for any traveller as it finds the best and cheapest flights across all bookers for you. Search for flights via their flights app, or for hotels with the brand new hotels app (pictured). In the flights app there's an option to pin your search to your start screen and keep an eye on price fluctuations, and in the hotel app you can 'heart' your favourite hotels to compare them.

Available on iPhone (free), iPad (free), Android (free) and Windows Phone (free)

Banksy Bristol Tour

I've thrown this one in the mix as I really like the niche nature of it. We need more apps like this! I haven't personally tried it yet but think it's a genius idea. The legendary street artist Banksy is from Bristol, and this geo tagged map is your guide through the city via his artwork. It even has informational notes and artistic interpretations for each piece. Pretty cool!

Available on iPhone (£1.99) and Android (£1.99)

iStone

iStone is yet another very useful app that could be your daily saviour and eliminate a lot of time wasting or awkwardness with the locals. Containing more than 300 phrases, it translates into 12 languages and even helps with native pronunciation. No Wi-Fi needed!

iPhone, iPad (Free) 

Forevermap

Forevermap enables you to download any international map before you get there, and you can then use it on aeroplane mode and without incurring any data or roaming charges! Winning!

Wi-Fi Finder

Does what it says on the tin - absolutely essential with such high roaming charges nowadays. You can also download the WiFi maps before you head out, meaning you can find an internet spot anywhere without incurring any costs.

iPhone (free), iPad (free) and Android (free)

TripAdvisor

Real and honest reviews by real people - that's what you want when searching for anything from restaurants and hotels, to shops, attractions and even tourist spots. A traveller's free guide book, great for finding recommended spots, but don't panic if you see a negative review here and there on even the best hotels and restaurants...there will always be someone a little too picky out there.

iPhone (free), iPad (free), Android (free) and Windows Phone (free)

Foodspotting

I'm personally not a big fan of all the other food apps which make life a little too complicated with too much choice, reviews, and text in them. When I'm abroad, I'm usually in the middle of nowhere in the city and starving, so need to find a good place to eat straight away without thinking too much about it. What makes this app great is how specific it is to YOU. You can search for whatever you want to eat, and then browse the pictures of meals in your rare to choose the best restaurants for a specific dish! The pics make it so much easier to choose.
iPhone (free), Android (free), Blackberry (free) and Windows Phone (free)

Viber

One of the best things out there for frequent travellers, this free app enables users to make free calls to one another with 3G or WiFi. Sometimes the signal or sound isn't that great, but it beats paying rip off prices for a quick chat with mum!
iPhone (free), iPad (free), Android (free), Desktop (free), Blackberry (free) and Windows Phone (free)


I hope some of the above will be of use to you, or even inspire you to take a trip abroad soon!

Five Best: New mum & baby gifts

When one of my best friends got pregnant, I was really excited! Even more excited about alll the cute things I could buy the little one! I decided to get her a big wicker hamper full to the brim of all the lovely things I have found in the 9 months. She is a young, stylish mum and a Londoner, too, so I wanted to make sure I got the best for her baby but also some cool bits to throw in the mix that she would love as well.

Having a baby means mums will get tons and tons of gifts, so my advice would be to think about the mum too and the fact that she would like to be pampered as well :)

The hamper I put together had about 10 things in it including some organic baby clothes from GAP, as well as these great gifts...

1. The lovely Burt's Bees Baby Bee Getting Started Kit is only £12.99 and contains five amazing products every new mum will love. Packed with all natural nature's remedies for delicate skin, the gift set includes the Baby Bee Nourishing Lotion, Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash, Baby Bee Diaper Ointment, Baby Bee Nourishing Oil and Baby Bee Buttermilk Soap.

2. An international hit with the babies (fact!), the legendary Sophie La Giraffe is a gift that keeps on giving and makes parents' lives a lot easier (winner!). Ideal for teething babies, I knew my friend would love this and so I got it for her as soon as her son was born. At only £12.99, Sophie is made from natural rubber and for baby to squeeze and grab in compete safety. You can get it pretty much everywhere and babies love chewing on it as it soothes their little gums!

3. From the Green People comes this gorgeous little hamper of organic baby goodies. Placed in a lovely wicker basket, the 'mums to be' and new baby gift set includes the Scent Free Mum & Baby Rescue Balm, Scent Free Baby Oil, Scent Free Baby Wash & Shampoo, Nappy Cream Baby Wash & Shampoo, Nappy Cream Baby Balm and a soft and cuddly organic cotton bib. The basket is great value at the moment as it is only £25 for £40 worth of products.

4. If you have a little more money to spend, the Neal's Yard Remedies Mother & Baby Gift Box is the perfect present. A selection of luxury organic skin pampering products from this popular brand are all pure, natural and safe to use during and after pregnancy, and on baby;s delicate skin. At £45 the package is a pretty full packed one, containing the Baby Balm, Mothers Balm, Pure Baby Oil, Mothers Massage Oil, Baby Bath & Shampoo, Mothers Bath Oil and Organic Cotton Flannel.

5. This was my friend's favourite gift. She is one young, cool and trendy London mama so she was naturally a big music fan and was really excited about this Rolling Stones lullabies CD. The series of Rockabye Baby CDs transform timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies, helping mum and dad with bed time. Guitars and drums are traded for soothing mellotrons, vibraphones and bells, and the volume is turned down from an eleven to a two. There's lots of bands to choose from on Amazon from just £11.85.

New Finds: Vintage sequin top

My favourite past time has got to be vintage shopping (or just shopping?!). I love to go to weekend car boot sales, and scour eBay and Etsy for the most unique items that nobody else will have. Apart from vintage dresses, jackets and 80's tops, I'm also a big fan of heavily sequinned tops.

I found this gorgeous one on Etsy and it was in perfect condition. The seller is called BadBabyVintage and they always seem to have some gorgeous pieces (you may have to pay customers charges in the UK, be warned!) It's a short sleeve top with holes on the sleeves, and lots of sequins and tiny pearls in the design. I'll be wearing it with jeans, shorts or a mini skirt, and some dark purple lippy!

One thing I learned is to always try and remember the old brand names and search them on eBay from time to time, to find more items from that designer. The tops are also much cheaper on eBay than anywhere else, especially on Brick Lane in London.

London Food: Scandi Kitchen

As some of you may know, I used to live in Iceland. From time to time, I really miss the unique but yummy Scandinavian foods, snacks and cakes...it's easy enough to find Polish shops to feed my Serbian cravings, but it didn't prove as easy to find a Scandinavian place...until I bumped into the lovely little Scandi Kitchen on 61 Great Titchfield Street.

Started in 2006, this cute cafe, shop and mini restaurant is conveniently situated just off Great Portland Street and easily found when walking from Oxford Circus.

Founders Bronte from Denmark and Jonas from Sweden import over 600 foods and treats they miss from home, found a group of charming and friendly staff, and opened the Scandi Kitchen to teach Londoners about the delights of super tasty and healthy open sandwiches.

I decided to be adventurous and try some of the traditional open sandwiches on offer. Despite not really remembering what was on my takeaway box, I loved every bit of it. I selected 4 different combinations below, with some side salad: 

• Rare roasted beef with remoulade and horseradish on dark rye bread
• Danish salami with remoulade and red onion on dark rye bread
• Egg and Tomato salad with lambs lettuce on dark rye bread
• Scandinavian cheese with radish and chive on crusty bread

Nutty Cinnamon & rye wreath. #treat #testday #cinnamon #kanel #baking #rye #cinnamonbun #kanellengd #kanelstang #kanelsnegl #rugmel #gbbo #cakes #baking #homebaking #wreath #buns #kanelbullar #comforteating #nuttybakes #bronteaurell

A photo posted by Scandinavian Kitchen (@scandikitchen) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:07am PST

Was going to make cinnamon buns for #gbbo. But I upset the yeast. Flat, hard rocks. Yes! It happens to all of us. Yes, still, after all these years. Never upset the yeast! Here are some I made the other day, with cardamom and vanilla. Delicious. And not flat. #gbbo #buns #kanelbulle #kardemummebulle #cardamon #cinnamon #vanilla #baking #yeast #bakeoff #knots #baking #swedish #danish #norwegian #nordic #scandinavian

A photo posted by Scandinavian Kitchen (@scandikitchen) on Sep 9, 2014 at 12:37pm PDT

The open sandwich shots are going well... #smørrebrød #opensandwiches #smörgåsar #smørrbrød #openfacesandwiches #nordic #scandinavian #danish #danskmad

A photo posted by Scandinavian Kitchen (@scandikitchen) on Sep 9, 2014 at 7:22am PDT

#aboard

A photo posted by Scandinavian Kitchen (@scandikitchen) on Jul 7, 2014 at 4:04am PDT

The cafe has plenty of room to sit and relax, and is a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. The cafe is busy during lunchtimes but there is always room somewhere, and is less crowded than other cafes in the area as it is a little bit out of the way.

Lots of delicious cakes on offer, too! They also do Icelandic hot dogs with all the trimmings, as well as their famous Swedish cinnamon buns which Londoners are obsessing about.

I highly recommend a visit, as the friendly staff will make you feel like home, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the delicious food on offer (I say pleasantly because it may be more adventurous than your usual salad lunch!). Don't forget to do a little Scandi shop, it may inspire you to take a trip to Iceland! :)

Scandi Kitchen

61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7PP

Check them out on Twitter and Instagram for daily fun updates

You can also shop for Scandi products online on www.scandikitchen.co.uk , order wholesale, or catering for your party!