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Able Mabel Headbands

Posted on 17 April, 2019 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Able Mabel styling one of my bridesmaids.

If you are not local to Bristol, you may not have heard of Able Mabel, also known as Emily. We first met way back in 2014 when we did this awesome shoot at Heartfelt Vintage, and then again, when she was my (Victoria) hair stylist for my wedding in 2015! I wish she could style my hair everyday. Emily is one of those annoyingly clever people who can do everything. Not only does she do bridal hair and make up and runs kids and hen parties, but she also creates incredible bespoke headpieces including hats and headbands! When we first saw a glimpse of her gorgeous handbands on Instagram, we both thought how ‘She and Hem’ they were, as they are so quirky and colourful. So we were thrilled when Emily got in touch to ask if we’d like to pick some to style. Heck yes.

Aren’t they lovely? Our little ladies also got in on the action and don’t they look adorable? They are two seriously stylish toddlers. Neither of the girls have ever kept a headband on for as long as these. Ok, so we may have bribed them a teeny bit with some chocolate treats, but they both seemed to forget they were wearing them after a little while. Hair play girls, hair play.

Able Mable announced yesterday that her Liberty print children’s headbands, like the ones the girls are wearing, are going to be available on Bob and Blossom very soon – so keep your eyes peeled for that! If you’re in Bristol, you can pick up a headband at either Heartfelt Vintage or Rhubarb Jumble.

V&J

Headbands kindly gifted

Simply Be Colourful

Posted on 30 March, 2019 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Woohoo! Look at all that colourful clobber!

We were recently contacted by Simply Be about putting together a couple of looks. I think it’s fair to say that both of us are going through a slight style transformation at the moment, so we were both quite excited to put new outfits together!

Victoria is currently channeling her inner Sporty Spice on the daily and is fully embracing what we like to call, soft play chic. She’s all about the comfy but fashionable attire and jersey bottoms have very much become the order of the day! After years of only really wearing dresses, this feels like quite the sartorial revolution. Her Side Piped Jersey Trousers* fit the bill just perfectly and look just dandy teamed with black Black Lace Up Pumps* and a colourful striped boyfriend tee*.

If you haven’t been following us on Instagram then you may not know that Jo is expecting baby number two in September. Therefore, a whole new wardrobe (and a whole new shape to dress) is very much on the cards! She plumped for this eye popping Blue Leopard Print Midi Shirt Dress*,which does a fantastic job of covering a multitude of sins. It’s also button-up so, looking to the future, will be just the job for breastfeeding post pregnancy. Win! She teamed it with a baby blue Circle Bag* and some seriously dreamy peach Vans Filmore Deacon Trainers*.

We hope you like these looks as much as we do!

J&V

To the Lighthouse

Posted on 18 March, 2019 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Having two very active toddlers, outdoor adventures are an absolute must. Of course, with the great British weather being what it is, we often find ourselves in need of appropriate outdoor clothing in a pinch. So last week we took a long afternoon stroll around Jo’s local area to road test some fine items that have been kindly been gifted to us and the girls from a new brand we have recently discovered, Lighthouse. Lighthouse pride themselves on making season-proof yet stylish clothing, and we think they’ve nailed it!

These items are from their SS19 collection, but we’ve also been lucky enough to get a sneak peek at their upcoming AW19 collection. Let us tell you, it’s rather She and Hem. Denim frocks and multi coloured bretons, you say? Stop right there and take my money!

Jo (left) is wearing a Bayside Shirt* and a Beachcomber Jacket* in pink. Victoria is wearing the Liliana Dress* and the incredible yellow Short Bowline Jacket*. The girls are both wearing Mollie Leggings* with a blue Causeway Top* and a Mermaid Lily Hoodie*.

We have a competition on our Instagram at the moment to win the above striped Liliana Dress which was kindly gifted to us by Lighthouse. Thanks guys! For full details, take a peek here. Good Luck!

V&J

Kinky Boots UK Tour Review | The Bristol Hippodrome

Posted on 1 March, 2019 by She and Hem — 1 Comment ↓

On Wednesday night, I was very kindly invited along to The Bristol Hippodrome to watch the UK tour of super popular musical, Kinky Boots. Not only that, but I was lucky enough to be welcomed backstage before the show started to have a tour of the Hippodrome and all of the kit needed to put on such a spectacular production. As a Theatre Studies graduate (no really, I am), I was as happy as Larry, as the Hippodrome is such a beautiful space, a real curtain raiser of a building! It may not surprise you to learn that, during my time studying theatre, I once did a performance about puns. Well, really it was just a play on words…

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes the audience from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos. I feel compelled to give a shout out Joshua St Clair who played the lead role on Wednesday night. I was so impressed I didn’t even realise he was the understudy! A solid performance with top vocals. Encore!

Kinky Boots will be at The Bristol Hippodrome from Mon 25 Feb – Sat 09 Mar 2019 with performances on Friday’s at both 5pm and 8.30pm, Saturday’s at both 2.30pm and 7.30pm and every other evening at 7.30pm. Ticket prices: from £19.50 depending on which seats are available. If you’ve not heard of Kinky Boots before, I’d definitely recommend checking it out – I had a blast! And don’t worry parents, even thought the two main characters are called Charlie and Lola, I can promise you this show is a world away from it’s namesake book/tv show!

Victoria

The Coconut Tree, Bristol

Posted on 18 February, 2019 by She and Hem — 2 Comments ↓

Between all the working, blogging, and regular bouts of soft play, us Mums unfortunately have to turn down quite a few event invites nowadays. However, every so often, an email arrives in our inbox that we simply can’t resist. This was certainly one of them! We were very kindly invited along to try the Sri Lanken Street Food and fiery cocktails on offer at The Coconut Tree on Clifton Triangle in Bristol*. We could even bring our BFF along, the wonderful Ellie, from Better Bristol and Beyond.

With three small children between us, it can be difficult for us to get together on a regular basis, but we’re making sure we have a girls dinner date scheduled in once a month to catch up, usually over cocktails. We visited Coconut Tree on a weeknight, and although it was fully booked, it wasn’t noisy and the atmosphere was pretty much perfect for us to eat, chat and eat some more.

There were highlights a-plenty. Our personal favourites were the Coconut Tree’s famous Egg Hoppers (famous for a reason!), the mixed Kotthu (finely chopped rotti cooked with egg and veg and/or meat… SO GOOD!) and the spicy cuttlefish (nothing fishy going on there!), and Ellie was particularly impressed with their huge selection of both veggie and vegan options.

Thank you so much for inviting us along Coconut Tree, we’ve been raving about it ever since! We’ll be back!

V&J x

*We were invited for a meal at The Coconut Tree during the Visit Bristol event. The food and drink were complimentary but we left them a nice tip to say Thank You for the super tasty food and friendly service.

Back to the drawing board

Posted on 20 January, 2019 by She and Hem — 2 Comments ↓

Last week we met up to pay a visit to the RWA, Bristol’s finest art gallery, to check out their current colourful abstract exhibition by Albert Irvin. The large scale distinctive paintings can be seen until the 3rd March 2019.

We also had chance to check out the RWA’s gorgeous hidden gem of a cafe, The Epiphany. It’s a real delight, so we’ll definitely be back soon to sample their lunch options.

In true She and Hem style we went dressed for the occasion in the new fun stationery themed pieces, gifted to us by the wonderful Joanie Clothing, and let us tell you, they are real works of art…

Victoria wears the Picasso Paintbrush Breton* with the Sarah Scallop A-Line Denim Skirt*

Jo wears the Sarah Scallop A-Line Cord Skirt* with the Michael Stationery Print Ringer Tee*

What do you think of the stationery range?

V&Jx

Festive Forest at SouthGate, Bath

Posted on 28 December, 2018 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

We were kindly invited by SouthGate Bath to come and check out their Festive Forest Christmas installation. Now If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you will know how much we love a little visit to Bath. It’s the most beautiful city at all times of the year but it really comes into its own at Christmas.

If you aren’t familiar with Bath at all, the SouthGate is a relatively new addition (it has been open since 2010 which makes me feel super old, I can tell you) and a lot of hard work went into making sure this newcomer blended perfectly with the Georgian architecture that makes Bath so beautiful. They totally nailed it and now, as you walk around, you’d honestly think it had always been there. As someone that grew up here, I know how much life SouthGate has injected into what was once a very tired area of Bath. There’s just so much to do with so many great restaurants and shops. Plus, there’s a fabulous brand new boutique cinema, Tivoli, that we can’t wait to visit!

So what of the Festive Forest, I hear you cry! Well, it’s really rather magical and you can see that a lot of thought has gone into making your time in SouthGate feel that little bit more special. They have gone for a Narnia inspired vibe, complete with a ‘magical wardrobe’ to walk through. Guests are greeted by a veritable winter woodland playground, with life-sized animals, twinkly trees and a giant snow globe in which to frolic. It’s rather lovely and it even snows every half an hour! We saw a lot of stunned children (and adults) who weren’t expecting a flurry.

In a complete stroke of genius, they have dotted heated cosy cabins around the plaza, complete with cushions and blankets. You don’t have to pay to use them, you can simply plonk yourself down in one, should you need a break from all that Christmas shopping! Or, if you fancy, you can do what we did and grab a hot chocolate form the Nordic Delights bar, then snuggle on down! They have proved to be really popular with a nice mix of families, students, and workers taking full advantage of the warmth!

After all that frivolity, we were spoiled for choice as to where to eat! We plumped for Thaikhun, a thai streetfood restuarant that has incredible decor. The food was excellent and we will definitely be heading back to sample some more of their dishes.

The Festive Forest is on until January 7th, let us know if you go!

J&V

This post was written in collaboration with SouthGate Bath. All opinions are our own.

A Wes Anderson inspired Christmas

Posted on 21 December, 2018 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Last month we went along to one of our favourite National Trust properties (we are both members – that’s how we get our kicks now) Tyntesfield, because from now until 2nd January, they will be stepping back to Christmas past by having ‘A Very Victorian Christmas’. Now, we’ve both been to the grounds before, but we were absolutely taken aback by just how beautiful the house itself is and we were so glad we took the time to have a walk around and explore every gorgeous room. If you are in the area over the festive period, we definitely recommend collecting a ticket upon entry and enjoying the delightful decorations (including the best Christmas tree we’ve ever seen below!), storytelling, carols and a whole lot more lols. You can even ride in a horse drawn carriage, if that’s your thing.

Now, let’s tall about all of these fab festive outfits. We’ve both agreed that they are probably our favourite looks of the year. A big shout indeed. All of the items from the first three photos are from She and Hem faves, Joanie Clothing*. We seriously love Joanie (they haven’t paid us to say this!). We can always find just the right piece we need for all occasions. If you are a regular reader you may remember we both wore Joanie dresses to a friend’s wedding earlier this year. Jo’s black body and sequin skirt and Victoria’s brown corduroy skirt above are also from Joanie*, with the addition of Victoria’s black sparkly jumper from George at Asda. Our black and brown Chelsea boots are oldies but goodies from Boden* and the beautiful matching watches are from Lokken.

We definitely can’t sign off without mentioning our amazing photographer who captured our day at Tynesfield so beautifully. Thank you so much to the incredibly talented and all round lovely lady, Ello from Hunch Co. Pay her a visit for more stunning images. We cannot wait to work together again!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in 2019!

Victoria and Jo

Winter Style with Fashion World

Posted on 19 December, 2018 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

We love it when an email arrives in our inbox from a brand we haven’t heard of before. It’s always so exciting discovering a new website to browse, especially when it’s full of pieces we love! So we were excited to hear from Fashion World who invited us to put together a couple of outfits featuring their winter essentials! They have SO much good stuff and there’s still time to order for Christmas, if you’re quick!

Jo was immediately smitten with the Sylvia Stripe Dress by Monsoon* and was determined to build an outfit around it! It’s such a flattering and easy to wear style, with a super stretchy jersey fabric (perfect for this indulgent season!). It’s just so flippin’ comfy and there’s zero ironing required, always a win! We always appreciate a dress than can be worn with all varieties of shoe, and we think this frock looks just as fabulous teamed with Jo’s Simply Be Patent Boots* as it would do with heels. To finish off her look, Jo added a yellow Wool Beret by Accessorize which goes perfectly with the rainbow chevrons on the dress and totally nails the colour block trend! Woo!

Victoria decided to fully embrace the Christmas spirit by wearing an actual Silver Tinsel Jumper*. It’s SO cool and an easy way to add some festive sparkle to any outfit at all. How awesome would it look with a sequin skirt? Blingtastic! For this outfit, she decided to dress it down with some Spot Side Tapered Jersey Trousers which she described as “so comfortable it’s like I’m wearing my pyjamas in public”. Is there higher praise than this? As you can tell, we are really into easy to wear fashion and these trousers, with their lovely detailing, are the perfect way to look like you’ve made an effort when really they’ve been lying on your bedroom floor. She finished off her outfit with a pair of trusty Chelsea Boots*, an absolute wardrobe staple.

Both outfits came in at under the £100 mark (Victoria actually chose a couple of tops to layer under her jumper too! ) which we think is pretty great value. Let us know if you’re a Fashion World shopper or if you’re tempted by any of the items we chose!

J&V

This post was written in collaboration with Fashion World and all items featured were gifted.

Festive Family Fun with Visit Bristol #MerryBristmas

Posted on 30 November, 2018 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Last week we were lucky enough to receive our idea of a Golden Ticket, a ten day pass for all of Bristol’s amazing family attractions to see and sample their festive offerings, courtesy of Visit Bristol. How kind! If you follow us on Instagram you will understand exactly how exciting this was for us. We have two very active toddlers who are happiest when they are exploring, so we really went for it and used the pass as a great opportunity to discover new places to take the girls. It was so fabulous that we’re seriously considering asking Santa for membership for several of the attractions. Here are our ho ho highlights!

First Up, Tyntesfield! From now until 2nd January Tyntesfield will be stepping back to Christmas past by having ‘A Very Victorian Christmas’ indeed. Now, we’ve both been to the National Trust grounds before but we were absolutely taken aback by just how beautiful the house itself is inside. We would definitely recommend collecting a ticket at the entrance and enjoying the traditional decorations (including the best Christmas tree we’ve ever seen!), storytelling, carols and a whole lot more. You can even ride in a horse drawn carriage!

If you are in the centre of town, then head for a browse of the outdoor Christmas markets. They seem to get bigger and better every year! We like to feast on all of the festive treats on offer with our firm favourites being the chocolate fountain and the Bratwurst, but if you are more adventurous, embrace your inner Torvil and Dean and head to We The Curious for a skate around their ice rink.

We also heartily recommend hopping on board a Bristol Ferry Boat for a delightful trip around the harbour. If you really want to push the boat out (ho ho ho), for £13 a head you can join them for a Santa Cruise (why they didn’t call it that is a mystery), which promises lots of festive treats for those big and small. You can find out more about it here.

Last but not least, and slightly further a field, is Slimbridge Wetland Centre. This is our top tip for a Christmas day trip to please all generations. This was just as big a hit with the Grandparents as it is with the toddler and it well worth the drive. As well as admiring the wildlife, you can join Slimbridge for a multitude of festive activities. You can breakfast with elves (!) as well as pay a visit to Santa in his magical grotto. Other festive frivolity includes the opportunity to ice your own gingerbread man, build an elf den, toast marshmallows or send a letter to the North Pole at their post office! I think we can all agree it all sounds pretty excellent and you can find out more here

Merry Bristmas, everyone!

J&V x