Girl In The Pretty Dress

I am just going to say it... I think Charleston is possibly the prettiest city I have ever visited. Not to mention the most warm and welcoming. It really showed us some amazing southern hospitality. We only stayed a couple of nights, but I could easily live here.  On our first evening we arrived starving after a long, long drive. I had heard wonderful things about Magnolias but sadly they couldn't squeeze us in. So here is my hot tip: head next door to it's sister restaurant Blossom . Which is every bit as good and much less crowded.  For shopping; you can't beat King Street, but the market hall was fun to wander through and we also found a fun farmers market on the square (held once a month). Mostly though, I spent my time in Charleston drooling over dream houses and other pretty places. Oh, and if you want to splash out on a fancy dinner - try this place . I celebrated by birthday with a Bison steak which I a...

When I was eleven, I discovered Leanne Rimes (thanks to Coyote Ugly) and Country Music became my guilty pleasure. (Believe me, for a teenager in the UK it was not cool, but I fell in love with it anyway.) I love almost all genres of music, but Country is the clear favourite. There isn't much of a country music scene in the UK, so visiting Nashville has been on my bucket list for a very, very long time... and if you can't do something special for your 30th birthday when can you??  We rose bright an early on our fist morning in Nashville (very early in fact - thanks jet lag!) and didn't waist any time heading Downtown. I have been following Kelsey Montague 's art on Instagram for ages, and literally stumbled into her famous wings not long after we left the hotel.  I think this picture accurately sums up my feelings about being in Nashville for the first time... Why can't every city have bike stands in the shape of music notes? ...

I'm a big fan of America - In fact it's my dream to do a coast-to-coast road trip across the States one day. Last week it was Independence Day on the other side of the pond. (It was also, coincidentally, a year since I completed on my house, so I like to think of it as my own day of 'independence' ...more about that coming soon!) The star-spangled banner is the main image associated with Independence Day, and this summer it's something that's really influenced high-street designs. So here's my pick of the best stars and stripes still out there at the moment...    Star Denim Hotpants , £28 from Topshop wear with: Stipe Crop Top , £10 from Topshop & Ring , £8 from Urban Outfitters Flag Vest , £20 (on sale) Hilfiger Denim via ASOS Skinny Jeans , £45 (on sale) Kill City via ASOS Flag Shorts , £15 from boohoo.com wear with: Emroidered Blouse , £20 from Dorothy Perkins & Cowboy boots , £110 from Kurt Geiger   Ski...