Vendula London Le Bicyclette De Vendula Box Bag Review*

*AD- This post features a bag I was sent in exchange for a review. As always, all words, thoughts and opinions are my own and have been written 100% honestly.

When it comes to fashion, I've always had a weakness for handbags. Some women adore shoes, others love diamonds, but for me, it's always been about the bags. I love all kinds of different styles, but, as I'm sure most of you will know by now, I have a particular fondness for novelty designs and anything colourful. The quirkier the better.

One brand I have long admired for their quirky bags and purses is Vendula London, the British brand known for their iconic shopfront bags, so when they recently got in touch and invited me to review a bag from their new season collections, I couldn't have been more excited. Of course I said 'yes!'

Vendula London sent me the beautiful La Bicyclette de Vendula Box Bag* from my short list of favourites, and when the bag arrived on my doorstep a couple of days later, I was instantly blown away by how stunning it was. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined it would be, and it unsurprisingly attracted much jealousy from my Mum and sister who both keep trying to steal it! I can't say I blame them, but they won't be prising this bag from my hands any time soon- I love it too much to let go!

The La Bicyclette de Vendula Box Bag is a beautiful sky blue and cream vegan-leather bag featuring one of Vendula London's brand new shopfront designs for 2019- a charming bicycle service and repair shop! I thought there couldn't possibly be any shops left for Vendula London to immortalise in to handbags, but they've gone and proved me wrong with this wonderfully unique design. A bicycle service and repair shop bag?! I really have seen everything now!

Like Vendula London's other iconic shopfront bags, whose handbag establishments include everything from post offices to pubs and chocolateries to toy shops, the bag has, obviously, been designed to look just like the front of a shop. The top of the bag has been made in to the shop's awning in scalloped stripes of blue and cream, but the pièce de résistance is the shop's window display which is filled with amazing detail that has to be seen to be believed. I notice something new every time I look at it.

If you peek in the shop's window, you'll be transported to the sweetest bicycle repair shop you ever did see. On the left, there are shelves filled with storage boxes, cans of oil, and a blue bicycle helmet hanging above a red applique air machine. To the right, is a work station with tools hung on the wall above a table with a pink bike helmet sitting on top, and a couple of stools and storage boxes sitting neatly underneath it. Best of all, hanging from the shop's ceiling in the centre is a cheerful yellow bicycle and a sky-blue penny farthing, both with black trim, complimenting the pink applique vegan-leather bicycle with a wicker basket full of greenery parked on the pavement in front of the shop. The colourful bikes are easily my favourite parts of the design- they're so darn cute!

The detail doesn't stop there; look closer still, and you'll see a sign for 'service & repairs' in the window, and find the shop walls are painted cream with a sea of cogs outlined in sky blue faintly embossing the lower half of the shop. If that wasn't enough, the arch of the window is framed with a garland of colourful flowers sewn on to the leather, and beside the bicycle on the cobbled-grey pavement is an embroidered pot plant with an applique pot.

To the right of the window, the black and cream door is filled with colourful signs advertising 'REPAIRS DONE WHILE YOU WAIT!', 'SAME DAY REPAIRS', 'BICYCLES FOR RENT', and 'FREE AIR & OIL.' And hanging from the wall above the door by two little black plastic chains, is a crimped circular sign proudly advertising the shop's name, La Bicyclette De Vendula, in black, white, and pink so you know where to go for all your bicycle maintenance needs. The amount of detail that has gone in to this bag is just incredible.  

If you thought the attention to detail was reserved for the front and outside of the bag, think again; Vendula London have given the back and inside of the bag just as much care and attention.

On the back of the bag, you'll find a bright yellow and black tandem bike parked in a bike rack, just waiting to be taken out for a spin, and there's also a small zipped pocket large enough to store your phone or keys safely away from pick-pocketers against your body.

The inside of the bag, in both the main compartment and the back pocket, has been lined with a fun London print, which is made up of iconic British paraphernalia like red telephone boxes, the Queen's guards, black cabs, post boxes, double decker buses, London Underground signs, penny farthings, and more on a cream cotton background. The print compliments the outer design perfectly, and if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself admiring it each time you reach in to the bag to grab something. It's almost as pretty as the outside!

You'll also find a zipped pocket for keeping valuables secure, and a generously-sized mobile phone pocket that should fit even the largest of today's smartphones sewn in to the lining in the main section of the bag. 

The bag itself has been handcrafted from high-quality vegan-leather which looks and feels just like thick, good-quality leather, but with one simple difference- no animals were harmed to make it, which is fantastic! I admit I do buy leather products from time to time, but as a big animal lover, I prefer buying cruelty-free alternatives as much as possible because I hate the thought of animals suffering for fashion. It's so unnecessary when there are amazing cruelty-free options to shop from, like this one, and it's just one reason why Vendula London's products appeal to me. 

Aside from the design and the quality, what I love about this bag is that it is the perfect size for every day use. It's neither too big or to small, and has more than enough room for the essentials. I can fit everything I need in it for a day on the go- including my chunky bridge camera and a book- with room to spare! I judge a good day bag on whether there's room for a paperback and my camera along with my other essentials, and the box bag definitely passes the test! It's the ideal size for everything from shopping trips to work, and sight-seeing to just doing the food shop in style.

Another detail which attracted me to the box bag is that it has an adjustable shoulder strap which can be worn on the shoulder and across the body, depending on your mood, outfit, and needs. I love having the option to sling a bag over my shoulder when my arms are tired, or I just need my hands free for other things.  The best part is the vegan-leather strap can be adjusted to seven different lengths, and it's long enough to wear comfortably. I'm 5'6" and if I wear it on the shortest notch on my shoulder and the longest notch across my body, the bag sits comfortably on my hip and top of my thigh respectively. Whether you're short or tall, slim or plus size, this bag should fit almost everybody comfortably, which is fantastic. There's are few things I hate more than finding a beautiful bag and then discovering the strap isn't long enough to be comfortable or practical. Well done, Vendula!

Now, it's unlikely that I will put this bag down long enough for it to gather dust, but if I do, I won't have to worry about it getting dusty because like all Vendula London bags, it comes with its own bright pink dust bag to keep it looking its best when its not in use. They really have thought of everything.

The Le Bicyclette de Vendula box bag retails for £78, which I personally think is really reasonable for a handcrafted bag of such high quality, especially with all that applique and embroidery detail which takes time and skill to create. I couldn't be more impressed with it; it's stunning, it's quirky, and fantastic quality, and I know I'm going to be using it for many years to come. You can find it on their website here or if you're in London, why not check it out in person in their Covent Garden store?

If the box bag isn't your style, the Le Bicyclette de Vendula design comes in a wide range of different styles, with another six bags and seven wallets and purses to choose from, all featuring this beautiful blue and cream bicycle repair shop. The collection includes Vendula London's coveted grab bag, an interchangeable backpack, and the loveliest little coin purse, with prices starting at just £19. You can shop the full collection here and of course, browse the rest of their fabulous designs on their website now. I promise you won't be disappointed.

What do you think of the design? Will you be buying anything from the collection this spring?

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Vendula London Russian Dolls Cross Body Bag Review

*AD- This post features a bag I was sent in exchange for a review. As always, all words, thoughts and opinions are my own and have been written 100% honestly.

Vendula London Russian Dolls Cross Body Bag Review

A couple of weeks ago, I finally treated myself to a beautiful novelty bag which had been on my wish list for about a year- the Russian Doll cross body bag from Vendula London.

I'm head over heels in love with my new bag, so I just had to give you a peek at it and review it for you today. I know many of you will love it as much as I do.

The Russian Dolls cross body bag is a beautiful little bag in the design of a black, red, and cream Matryoshka doll, which you'll probably know better as a Russian doll; a painted wooden nesting doll traditionally from Russia, The wonderful thing about this bag is that it features stunning embroidery and applique detailing, and has been handmade from high-quality vegan leather.

It looks like real leather; it feels like real leather; but no animals were harmed to make this lovely bag, which is fantastic. While I do buy leather bags from time to time, I will always prefer a good- quality, cruelty-free alternative because I hate the thought of animals suffering for fashion. It's so unnecessary, especially when there are great, fashionable faux-leather alternatives out there, like this funky little bag from Vendula London.

I mean, look at this amazing bag; the design is perfect! I just couldn't resist it- even though I already had a Russian doll novelty bag in my collection. This bag is just so pretty.

Her beautiful round face is Geisha pale with rosy pink cheeks, wavy black hair, perfectly embroidered red lips and long embroidered black eyelashes, with a crown of cream and burgundy dots above her head. The best part? Her face doubles up as a little zipped coin purse, which I think is a cute and ingenious little feature. With it, there's no need to carry a separate purse, so it leaves you more room in the main compartment for your other essentials- something that's definitely appreciated when it comes to novelty bags, which only give you a small space to fill.

Below the coin purse, the Matryoshka's body is a deep shade of red, and is decorated with applique vegan-leather flowers and foliage, along with beautiful embroidery in shades of black, red, and khaki green.

I have to say, I'm really impressed with the quality of the stitching, which was all done by hand- it's so neat and carefully stitched. I've attempted hand-embroidery myself, and let me tell you, it ain't easy; it takes real skill to embroider like that. The craftsmanship and quality of their work is wonderful, and it was something that attracted me to the bag in the first place. You just don't get the same quality and attention to detail with mass-produced bags on the high street.

The rest of the bag is plain black, apart from the two peach hands resting at her sides, and the pretty navy and white floral folk print cotton lining of the bag. It's not often I say this about the lining of a bag, but it's almost as pretty as the outside, with roses, flowers, chevrons, and dots running along it in stripes. I love me a good folk print.

Inside the bag, there's a little open-top pocket sewn in to the lining for holding your mobile phone, and the main compartment of the bag is just about big enough to carry the essentials. I can fit a small purse, phone, keys, lip balm, medication, camera, and a little make up in it with room to spare. It's the perfect size for those times when you don't want or need to take the kitchen sink with you, such as for shopping, going out to dinner, or for nights out. I can't carry a heavy bag around anymore, so it's the perfect size for carrying what I need. (If you love the look of this bag but like to carry more stuff with you, I'd recommend checking out the larger backpack / cross body bag, which has at least twice as much room inside. I originally purchased it, but swapped it for the smaller cross body as it was too big for my needs).

The bag has a zip fastening to keep your belongings secure, and its gold zipper is decorated with a pretty iridescent mint green vegan-leather tassel. 

It has a slimline faux-leather cross body strap that can be worn on the shoulder or across the body, and has seven notches and a buckle fastening for adjusting it to the desired length. I'm 5'6'' and at its longest, it sits on my hip across the body, and at the top of my thigh on the shoulder. It's a little shorter than I prefer, but not uncomfortably so; I just like my cross body bags long. If you're shorter or slimmer than me, you should find it a little longer. The straps are also removable, so you could even use the bag as a clutch if you wanted to. It's so versatile!

Another little detail I was pleased to discover was that the bag came with its own bright pink dust bag to protect the bag, and keep it in top condition when it's not being used. Hopefully this will help prolong its life and keep it in my bag collection for decades to come because I can see myself using this bag again and again for many years to come.

I'm so happy with my beautiful Russian Doll cross body bag, and I'm glad I finally got my hands on one. I snapped it up for just £23.50 (down from £47) in Vendula London's sale, which was an absolute steal, but I can honestly say, I would have happily paid full price for it. The Russian doll design and the quality of the bag are both amazing. It's one of the best novelty bags I've ever seen or handled, and worth every penny!

The good news is, the Russian Doll cross body bag is still available to buy online in both black and red, for the bargain price of £23.50, so snap one up now before they sell out! You won't be disappointed.

I'm so impressed with my Russian Doll cross body that I'm now tempted to treat myself to the equally gorgeous Russian Dolls tote bag. I'm trying to restrain myself from shopping, but I have a feeling I won't be able to resist it much longer! It's just too beautiful.

Have you ever purchased anything from Vendula London?

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Mini Haul | July 2016

A couple of weeks ago, I treated myself to a few little bits and pieces, so I thought I'd do a mini-haul, and show you what I've been buying lately.

As a self-confessed Cath Kidston and stationery addict, I couldn't resist treating myself to a new notebook and sticker pad in the Cath Kidston sale a couple of weeks ago; I'd been eyeing them both up for months. 

I already own a few Cath Kidston notebooks, but I couldn't resist the Guards and Friends design, which features beef-eaters, the queen's guards, and police men on the front and back cover; it's so adorably British! Inside, there's also a character or two in the corner of each page, and the pages are thin-ruled. which I find are perfect for writing lists and ideas in. They're probably my favourite notebooks to write in, and they're so inexpensive at £6 each. This one was on sale for just £4, which you can find here.

The sticker pad is filled with page after page of cute pastel-coloured labels and stickers. Twenty pages, to be precise. There are two different sheets of designs, one floral, and the other floral with little birds, and they're all so pretty. Each page features seven stickers, so there are fourteen different designs in the book, and one hundred and forty labels altogether. Not bad for just £4 (on sale)! They'd be perfect for journaling, scrapbooking, planners, snail mail, gift tags, labelling... all kinds of stuff. 

I also bought the cutest Queen's guard money box to give to my best friend's little boy for Christmas, but I've already packed it away in the present stash.

I took advantage of The Body Shop's recent 40% off promotion, and saved a few pennies on a few of my essentials. I bought a pot of the Vitamin E moisture cream, and a bottle each of the satsuma body puree and shower gel. I've been using all three products religiously for well over a decade, and I couldn't (okay, I could, if I had to but wouldn't want to) live without them. All three products are amazing, give me super soft, clean-feeling skin, and smell incredible, too. I've yet to find a beauty product that smells better than The Body Shop's satsuma range; I don't think such a thing exists, but if it does, I don't want to know about it.

I treated myself to this fun tutti frutti juice box bag in the Accessorize sale after coveting it for months. It was reduced to £17.50 (originally £35), and I saved a further 10% using code RWDAW15, which brought it down to £15.75! Talk about a bargain. The bag is so cute and colourful and surprisingly roomy for a little bag; I can fit my purse, phone, camera, medicine, keys, and lip balm inside with room to spare. It's so different to any bag I own but fits in nicely in my novelty bag collection, and will go perfectly with so many of my Summer clothes. It doesn't appear to be available online any more, but it could be worth checking in store if you want to get your hands on one.

And I also picked up some new red and pink nail polishes from Boots and Superdrug, since it's been ages since I last bought any new shades. I hunted down a bottle of my favourite nail polish ever- Barry M's Bright Red (the colour is so classic), and came away with three new Sally Hansen salon manicure polishes to try. Clockwise from bottom left: Frutti Petutie. New Flame, and Aria Red-y? They were on promo for £4.99, and I have to say, I'm really impressed with them so far. I may have to go back for some other colours soon. Knowing me, I probably will!

What have you been buying lately?

Favourites | January 2016

It's been a while since I last did a monthly favourites post, so I thought it was about time I put a new one together. I've been enjoying all sorts of things these last few months, so you can expect to see some fashion, beauty, food,  creative hobbies, and entertainment faves in this post.

First up is the latest addition to my novelty bag collection- a robot bag from Accessorize, which has to be one of the kookiest bags I own. My Mum thinks I've lost the plot, but I think it's really fun, and it makes me smile because it's so damn cute and quirky. It's definitely not the most practical of bags, with just enough room for a phone, keys, lip balm, and a small purse, but who wants practical when you can carry a robot bag around? If you like the sound of an impractical robot bag, you can still get it on sale for just £10.50 here.

I haven't used a lot of new beauty products lately as I spent all of January in bed with the flu and I've just caught another cold, but two products I have been enjoying are Korres' Bergamot Pear body milk, and L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom hand cream. They both smell amazing, and have been keeping my hands super soft and well nourished all month. I'll review them both properly soon.

Over the last couple of months, I've gradually been working my way through my Yankee Candle stash. My favourites have been Snowflake Cookie, Christmas Cookie, Cranberry Ice, Sugared Apple, and Red Apple Wreath, which have all smelt ridiculously good. I'm currently loving Orange Splash, a candle my sister gave me for my birthday last year that has a gorgeous orange-citrus fragrance (funnily enough). I'm not sure why it's taken me seven months to use it, but it's been worth the wait and I'd definitely repurchase it once it's finished.

Watching (Movies): A Long Way Down, About Time, The Grey, Interstellar (amazing movie!), Insurgent, We Bought A Zoo, Life of Pi, Mockingjay Part 2 (at the cinema), plus loads of old faves.

Watching (TV shows): The Big Bang Theory, Daredevil, Fringe, Home and Away, The Supervet. (I haven't been watching that much TV, but now I've got Netflix there are loads of shows I want to binge-watch).

Reading: I've only finished one book so far this year- Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller, which is one of the best books I've read in years. (Review coming really soon!) I'm currently reading The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton.

Listening to: Panic! at the Disco's 'Death of a Bachelor' album on repeat, with a little bit of Fall Out Boy's 'American Beauty / American Psycho' album mixed for good measure. Both amazing albums! 

I've spent quite a few hours de-stressing with the adult colouring book 'The Menagerie', which is filled with beautiful, intricate animal pictures. I can't tell you how many hours have gone in to that hippo so far, but it's been keeping me busy for weeks, and I still have so much left to do! Would anyone like me to review the book once I've completed a few more pages?

Another creative book I've been enjoying is '642 Things To Write About Me' (recently reviewed here). I've written in it almost every day since I bought it in December, and I'm loving it. It's not just challenging my creativity, but it's prompting me to stop and think about my thoughts, feelings, opinions, and all kinds of moments from my life, before exposing them on paper, which I personally find far more challenging than writing meaningless fiction. It's a fun kind of challenge, though, and the book is well worth a purchase if you love to write.

The weekend before last, I began a colourful new cross stitch project, a patchwork-style 'home sweet home' sampler from Riverdrift House. It's so bright and cheerful that it's been so much fun to work on so far, and it's super easy, too, as it's all colour-blocked in simple lines or patterns. It might not be much of a challenge, but I'm finding all the continuous stitching really therapeutic, which is just what I need right now. I can't wait to see it all come together because I think it's going to look awesome when it's done. That's something I never thought I'd say about a 'home, sweet home' cross stitch sampler! 

I found Pocky sticks in Tesco before Christmas, and I had to get them to see what all the fuss was about.  I don't understand why people are obsessed with the chocolate flavoured ones as the chocolate is disgusting, and tastes very synthetic, but the strawberry flavoured ones were amazing. They taste like strawberry Mini Milk lollies in biscuit form. I wish I'd bought more than one box!

I can't stop wearing my bespectacled French bulldog brooch whenever I go. I'm surprised I haven't pinned it on to my pyjamas yet! It's easily one of the cutest brooches I've ever owned, and it goes with everything. I don't know who made it, but I bought it in a little art shop in Cheltenham called the Cheltenham Collective. (P.S. It doesn't actually have a discoloured stripe down the middle, it's just the way the light hit it).

And last but by no means least, is this gorgeous green polka dot 'Lola' dress from Dolly and Dotty. I've blogged about it in a haul post already, but I'm still crazy about it, so I had to include it today. It's so beautiful! I've worn it a couple of times already and feel amazing in it whenever I wear it. I've even taken photos of me wearing it (!), so I'll tell you more about it in an outfit post later in the week!

What have you been loving lately?

My Christmas Novelty Bags

Merry Christmas everyone! 

How was your Christmas? I had a lovely, albeit very quiet, Christmas at home with my family. I got spoiled rotten, ate lots of delicious food, spent some quality time with my family, got cuddles from the Mia dog, and dressed up really festively in a fabulous new dress! I couldn't ask for more than that!

I feel absolutely shattered today, though, and can barely move, so I've spent my Boxing Day in bed watching festive TV, napping, eating a few Christmas chocolates, and going through photos I've taken over the last few days. It's a hard life! I'll be blogging more about my Christmas in the next couple of days, once I've edited my photos, but in the meantime, I thought you might like to see my little collection of Christmas novelty bags before I pack them away for another year.

I currently have four Christmas bags in my collection, which were all purchased in the last thirteen months. Three of them are novelties, and the fourth features a festive print.

The Christmas pudding bag came from TU at Sainsburys last Christmas, and if I'm remembering correctly, it was only about £12- and an absolute bargain. It's a cross-body bag, so I it's the perfect bag to use for Christmas shopping and running errands to leave my hands free for all those shopping bags. Plus, most importantly, it  makes my festive outfits look pretty damn awesome!

Last year, I also bought the red and silver bauble clutch, which was from New Look for less than £13. At the time I'd never seen a novelty bag quite like it, and I still think the design is really fun and eye-catching. It's definitely a conversation starter, that's for sure! It's also surprisingly roomy for a clutch bag, and fits everything I might need for a night out. (Not that I get to have many of those these days!)

The snowman bauble was also from New Look's Christmas collection in 2014, but I didn't buy it until earlier this year. I think I bought it on sale from ASOS for about £5! I just couldn't resist it. I haven't actually had a chance to use it yet, but it will definitely add a touch of whimsy to my Christmas outfits when I do. I mean, c'mon- it's a snowman faced bauble bag! How awesome?!

And last but not least, is my Cath Kidston Christmas book bag, which I picked up on sale earlier in the year for just £7- a bargain considering it was about £18 full price. I put it away to use this Christmas, and I've used it quite a few times already, even if it's just been for boring stuff like going to the supermarket, post office, and popping over to my sister's. 

I didn't buy any new Christmas novelty bags this Christmas, even though I had my eye on several, but if there are any left on sale at the end of the month, I may have to pick up one or two from Skinnydip to put away for next year.

Do you own any novelty Christmas bags? Have you bought any new ones this year?

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