200 follower and 2 year anniversary GIVEAWAY

21/08/11: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

Have you entered my fabulous five giveaway yet? No? Well, what are you waiting for?

1st prize is a Filofax Flex systeml

2nd prize is a selection of Burt's Bees products;

3rd prize is a pair of leggings from Tabio;

4th prize is a bottle of Soltan Self Tan for the face and a face application mitt;

and 5th prize is four bottle of Boots 17 nail polish, a Models Own eyeliner and a Burt's Bees lip shimmer.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on the original post - including your email address.
2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on blogger or bloglovin'.
3. For a further entry, tweet the following: "I just entered the Fab Five giveaway @sugarandspiceSG - you can too: http://t.co/GpVjgo2".
4. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE!
5. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 28 August 2011.

The Fab Five GIVEAWAY!!! 200 follower and 2 year anniversary thank you!

21/08/11: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

I've been promising a big giveaway for a while now, to celebrate reaching 200 followers and 2 years since Sugar and Spice was founded - and now it is here! I have teamed up with some fantastic brands to bring you five fabulous prizes:

1st PRIZE: NEW FILOFAX FLEX + inserts

2nd PRIZE: BURT'S BEES FACIAL CLEANSER; BODY WASH; and CONDITIONER

3rd PRIZE: TABIO LEGGINGS

4th PRIZE: SOLTAN SELF TAN FACE CREAM + APPLICATOR MITT

5th PRIZE: BOOTS 17 SUPREME SHINE NAIL POLISHES x4; MODELS OWN KOHL; and BURT'S BEES LIP SHIMMER

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post - including your email address.
2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on blogger or bloglovin'.
3. For a further entry, tweet the following: "I just entered the Fab Five giveaway @sugarandspiceSG - you can too: http://t.co/GpVjgo2".
4. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE!
5. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 28 August 2011.

Good luck!! And a huge thank you to all those who contributed to this giveaway.

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

What I Wore book GIVEAWAY!

WhatIWore: today the What I Wore book - by blogger Jessica Quirk - hits shelves in bookshops across the country.

Jessica is giving away 10 signed copies of What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style plus a personalized illustration (of you!) to one extra special reader!

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the book which has been promoted as "a cookbook for your closet"!

For your chance to enter, be sure to check out the terms and conditions.

Oasis Vintage Giveaway: WINNER

Mrs Bossa, of Mrs Bossa Does the Do, is the lucky winner of the New Vintage earrings by Oasis. Mrs B, please email me with details of where to send the earrings!

Thank you to everyone who entered and I promise another giveaway soon!

GIVEAWAY: New Vintage earrings by Oasis

To Celebrate 20 Years In Fashion the high street store, Oasis, has launched a New Vintage collection:

Oasis were kind enough to send me a fabulous pair of earrings from the collection and I am giving you the chance to win them:

All you need to do is leave me a comment and tell me which dress from the collection is your favourite.

For an extra entry, go and "like" the Sugar and Spice Facebook page.

And for a third entry, tweet about the competition:

"I just entered the competition @sugarandspiceSG to win a pair of @oasisfashion earrings, why don't you too? http://ow.ly/5fr6p"
The competition will end in two weeks' time on 25 June.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Congratulations to Kate who is the winner of the pair of tickets to London Fashion Weekend

Please email me with your address Kate and I will organise for the tickets to be sent.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO LONDON FASHION WEEKEND!

♥ Yes, you did read that right, this is your chance to WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO LONDON FASHION WEEKEND. ♥

♥ I have one pair of tickets for London Fashion Weekend for Sunday 27 February courtesy of the very lovely people at Single Market Events. ♥

♥ The tickets are for entrance to the event only but you are usually able to buy a goody bag and/or tickets to the catwalk show on the day. ♥

♥ London Fashion Weekend takes place at the home of London Fashion Week - Somerset House in London. ♥

♥ As the website says: ♥

♥ Shop from over 100 designer brands, from the high profile to the emerging, selling a selection of current and past season's collections along with samples and one-off designs.  All at discounts of up to 70% off the retail price - allowing you to update your look to luxe for less! ♥

♥ You might remember that I attended the event last September - with my mum - and we had a wonderful day out together. ♥

♥ To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. (After reading the T&Cs below!) That is all. I don't want to turn this into anything massive, I just want to reward the people who come back everyday to read my blog and to say thank you to you. ♥

♥ Good luck! ♥

Competition Terms and Conditions:

Ticket are valid for Sunday 27th February 2011 only.

Tickets will be equivalent of ‘Black’ (general admission) tickets

Tickets are non-transferable and no cash alternatives can be given.

You must be 18 or over to claim this prize.
The competition will close in 2 weeks time on Wednesday 9 February 2011.
Winner will be announced on Saturday 12 February 2011 and will be drawn at random.

H! BY HENRY HOLLAND RAINY DAY GIVEAWAY

Autumn is really here as the rain falls and the wind blows outside. So it seems that now is the right time to announce another GIVEAWAY!!

This GIVEAWAY is a chance for you to win an H! By Henry Holland goody bag: a sports rucksack and a checked umbrella - perfect for this autumnal weather!

To enter:

- For one (1) entry, leave a comment on this post;

- For a second (2) entry, become a follower of Sugar & Spice;

- For a third (3) entry, follow me on twitter and re-tweet this giveaway.

The GIVEAWAY will run for one week, until 5pm on Wednesday 22nd September. The GIVEAWAY is open to everyone.

Good luck and thank you for entering.

And the winner is...

Drum roll, please!


Jo from Given To Distracting Others.


Congratulations and thank you to everyone else who entered.

GIVEAWAY!!

This is your chance to win a rather fabulous feather headband, like this one:

Feather headbands seem to be everywhere on the high street at the moment and this one features a gorgeous peacock feather attached to an elasticated band.


To enter, send me an email (sugarandspice (dot) shopgirl (at) gmail (dot) com), telling me who makes the headband - I wrote a piece about the designer in June when I interviewed her (yes, that is a clue!).


For an additional entry, follow me, either on Google reader, Blog lovin' or Twitter.


For a third entry, re-tweet about the giveaway.


The giveaway will be open for one week and will close at 5pm next Monday, 23 August.


The giveaway is open to all of my readers, both UK readers and international readers.


Good luck everyone.

Italian Phrase of the Day: prendo il gelato in cono

Source

Prendo il gelato in cono = I'll have the ice cream in a cone

Today we learn some of the many flavours of gelato that are often available in Italia:

Cioccolato = chocolate

Cioccolato fondente = dark chocolate

Cioccolato al latte = milk chocolate

Pistacchio = pistachio

Mandorla = almond
Nocciola = hazelnut
Cocco = coconut
Caffè = coffee
Fragola = strawberry
Lampone = raspberry
Limone = lemon
Mandarino = mandarin orange
Melone = melon
Albicocca = apricot
Fico = fig
Tarocco = blood orange
Frutti di bosco = fruits of the forest
Mela = apple
Pera = pear
Pesca = peach
Malaga = rum raisin
Stracciatella = chocolate chip
Liquirizia = licorice
Cannella = cinnamon


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.


You can find the previous posts in this series here.

Italian Phrase of the Day: prendo una coppetta con lampone e pesca

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Prendo una coppetta con lampone e pesca = I'll have a (small) tub with raspberry and peach


After all of that eating and drinking, the perfect way to finish off an evening in Italy is to take una passeggiata (= traditional Italian evening stroll) about town, accompanied by una coppetta di gelato (= small tub of ice cream) and, of course, un uomo bello Italiano (= a handsome Italian man).


Come back tomorrow to learn about the different flavours of gelato.


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.


You can find the previous posts in this series here.

Italian Phrase of the Day: prendo gli spaghetti alla bolognese

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Prendo gli spaghetti alla bolognese = I'll have the spaghetti bolognese


After yesterday's drinking session, we now need some food. With the prevalence of Italian restaurants in the UK, an Italian menu is no longer as daunting as it might once have been. However some dishes might not look all that familiar and you still need to be able to order them!


An Italian menu will normally be divided into five or six sections: antipasti (starters), pasta (pasta!), pizza (sometimes, pizza), secondi (mains), contorno (sides) and dolci (desserts). Often pasta is seen as what we would call a starter, with antipasti as a sort of "taster", the pasta is then followed by a fish or meat course with a side. But do not feel compelled to follow this, I normally go for a pizza or spaghetti alla bolognese. Boring but delicious.


Prendo... = I'll have... (literally, I'll take...)
Vorrei... = I'd like...
Pollo = chicken
Vitello = veal
Salmone = salmon
Gamberetti = prawns
Gamberoni = king prawns
Branzino/spigola = sea bass
Maiale = pork
Bistecca = beef steak
Filletto = fillet
Il conto = the bill


Today, I have even found you a traditional Italian menu with explanations of the dishes for you to peruse before you go.
 
If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.


You can find the previous posts in this series here.

Italian Phrase of the Day: Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco

Source

Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco = I would like a glass of white wine


Now. Please!


Today, drinking is the order of the day. After all of that shopping it is time to stop for a glass of wine.


Cosa vuoi? = What would you like?
Vorrei... = I would like...
un'acqua = a water
una birra = a beer
un bicchiere di = a glass of
una bottiglia di = a bottle of
vino rosso = red wine
vino bianco = white wine


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.


You can find the previous posts in this series here.

Italian Phrase of the Day: mi piace il vestito

Source

Mi piace il vestito = I like the dress


Now that you know how to ask to try something on and ask how much it is, you need to know what it is:


I vestiti = clothes
La camicia = shirt
I pantaloni = trousers
I calzini = socks
Le scarpe = shoes
La giacca = jacket
Il capello = hat
Gli stivali = boots
La cintura = belt
Il cappotto = coat
I guanti = gloves
La sciarpa = scarf
Il berretto = cap
La cravatta = tie
I jeans = jeans
Il vestito = dress
La gonna = skirt
La maglia = top
La maglietta = t-shirt
L'ombrello = umbrella


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up. 


You can find the previous posts in this series here.

Italian phrase of the Day: posso provare?

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Posso provare…? = can I try (it) on …? (here you may add what you would like to try on, or leave it as it is)



Today's lesson is all about shopping. Yes, here at Sugar & Spice we love to shop, so it is important that we can partake in this activity wherever we find ourselves:


Desidera? = have you decided?
Altro? = Anything else?
Mi piace… = I like (it)… (as before, you may add what it is you like, or leave it as it is)
Quanto costa…? = how much (is it)…? (again, as before)
È troppo… = it is too…
Grande = big
Piccolo/a = small


Come back tomorrow to learn how to say the different items of clothing that you might be trying on.


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.

Italian Phrase of the Day: the basics

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Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. Or so the song goes.


I'm off to Italy again in just over three weeks and, as at one point I could vaguely speak the language and need to refresh my tired brain a little, I thought I might give something to you, my readers, too.


Over the next three weeks, expect phrases and words from the beautiful Italian language, delivered to you in a series of posts. Sometimes these phrases will be helpful and at others they might just be phrases that I enjoy the sound of or the meaning of.


Today, I will lay out the basics:


Sì = yes
No = no
Per favore = please
Grazie = thank you
Parla inglese? - Do you speak English?
Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano = I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian
Ciao = hi/bye
Buongiorno = good morning
Arrivederci = goodbye


I hope these phrases might come in handy one day. Remember to come back tomorrow for your next phrase or word.


If you would like to sign up to receive your Italian Phrase of the Day direct to your inbox, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and you will receive an email daily, as well as a weekly round-up.

Fascinating?

After recently professing my love for Carrie, I have to confess that she is also the influence behind my addiction to accessories. Carrie Bradshaw is the queen of accessories: corsages, pearls, cuffs. She rocked the lot. Of course, she also rocked hats and hair accessories. See?

Source: Pretty Good Things

With this influence in mind when I received an invitation to my cousin's wedding last weekend and when I heard that my sister was planning on wearing a rather enormous and fabulous hat, I decided that I too should seek out some form of head wear. So I did.

After much research and many hours spent trawling the internet, I found this gorgeous creation:

Isn't it divine?

Well, it is actually the handmade creation of Claire:

After receiving the beautiful fascinator I decided to ask Claire a few questions about them and her. Here, she answers those questions.

How long have you been making these gorgeous headbands?

I have only been making my hair accessories for the past few months. I am a firm believer that every girl has the right to feel gorgeous, and something as simple as a pretty hair accessory can offer a little pick-me-up on the days when we’re feeling a bit low, as well as helping to enhance an outfit.

What prompted you to start making them? And selling them?

I felt that the price of hair accessories at certain retailers were far too expensive, and that I could offer a more cost effective alternative, especially in light of the current recession.

Where can we get our hands on your creations?

At the moment, I only sell my items on eBay, under the name of olliethecockerspaniel - named after my beautiful pooch. This particular headband [the one I bought!] is currently available at a cost of £5.50 plus P&P, and is my bestseller!!

Have you always been creative?

I have always been creative, I took Art & Design for my GCSE and A levels, and went on to study a foundation degree in Art & Design also, in which I specialised in Fashion Design and Photography. My career then took a different route, but my passion has always laid in the creative field.

Who do you imagine would wear your headgear?

When I first started selling my items, I was quite dubious as to how popular they would be - I like them, but wasn’t so sure that everyone else would like them too! To my surprise, they have become extremely popular, and I have now sold over 400 of them to people all over the world and, more recently, to women attending Ladies days at Ascot!!

What is your style?

I wouldn’t say that I had a particular style as such, and my boyfriend often says that I pretty much have my own style. I don’t tend to follow trends just because they’re fashionable, but opt for items of clothing that I like and feel good when I’m wearing them.

And finally, cos I've been asking everyone recently, who is your style icon?

My Style Icon would have to be Jennifer Aniston, because she always appears to be effortlessly glamorous, and has very much a natural beauty, which is what I am a huge believer in.

And last but not least, what is your top style tip?

So, my top style tip would be to encourage people to wear whatever makes them feel most happy!!

You are all invited...

To my blog's first birthday party!!


This Saturday marks a year since my very first post on this blog! To celebrate I have decided to hold a virtual tea party.


There will be virtual Tia Maria cupcakes, virtual Pimms jelly, virtual gingerbread men and virtual white chocolate and raspberry muffins for you all.


As for what you'll all be drinking? That is up to you! You didn't think you'd just be able to turn up, did you?!


To RSVP, between now and Saturday, please send a photo of your party outfit (including a description of what you are wearing) and tell me what you would bring to the party (to drink and/or a present!!) to sugarandspice (dot) shopgirl (at) gmail (dot) com. I will post my favourite outfits here at the weekend, including my own party outfit. There may even be a prize for the best dressed!


I look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you all there.

The Winners of April's Giveaway...

Ishy of Crohn Ranger


and


Erika of Cafe Fashionista


*Winners are chosen at random using a random number generator at random.org


Ladies, please contact me here or on my email address (sugarandspice (dot) shopgirl (at) googlemail (dot) com) with your choice of colour and initial from Sunday Girl Accessories along with your address for your necklace.


Remember to check back soon for another exciting giveaway!