I love a great DIY project. I'm not the most patient with complicated DIY projects and usually the projects that attract me the most are quite simple, straight forward and have a lot of impact for minimal effort.

So when I came across this Window Herb Garden, made using very simple parts that can easily be picked up from your local Ikea, and assembled in minutes, I knew I was onto a winner.

I decided to switch things up a bit with green hydrangeas instead of herbs as I love the positive energy flowers bring to every room you put them in. For water, I used a short candle votive with an inch of water (which I top up regularly as too much water at once would make it too heavy to hang).

With the best laid plans for an action packed weekend, right now, a laid back relaxed weekend sounds more appealing. Like most weekends, this one will probably fall somewhere in between the two which is my idea of balance. 

Here are a few of my favourites getting heavy rotation right now.

Yes, I only have 10 fingers, but that will never slow my roll with tiny, dainty little rings. The more, the merrier and while they might look similar, they're all very different and special in their own way. They also have the bonus of with so many combinations available, two days never need be the same.

I get asked lots of questions about my engagement ring so hop over here for better pictures.

I got this pen this summer in New York at the Schiaparelli & Prada exhibition at the Whitney. Promptly forgot it in the side pocket of my travel bag and rediscovered it last week when we skipped out of town. 

I'm no beauty expert, I'm not really a beauty junkie either. But I had to share my discovery of Philosophy's Serum, as it's just magic. I use it at night and it's made my skin incredibly soft. Love it. It's quite a dense texture so you only need a couple of drops so a little goes a long way.

Metallic nail polish and a fat stack of English magazines await some attention this weekend. The rose gold is Orly Rage and while you need about 3 coats for even coverage, it's a great colour once on. The iridescent green-ish colour (Orly Space Cadet) is reminiscent of the common beetle and works best layered over a greige or other neutral polish.

Or perhaps a deep forest green polish with hints of glitter (Revlon Rain Forest) and a gorgeous bordeaux (I couldn't find Rouge Noir anywhere this week so Essie's Berry Naughty is a great alternative).

I'm not necessarily loyal to any nail polish brand as my choices are usually dicatated by colours available, but I will say Essie's consistency, saturation of colour and finish, wins every single time.

With the daily variation of temperature in San Francisco, if you're out and about for more than a few hours, denim is your best friend. While we've been enjoying quite an Indian Summer here (I can leave the house in the morning in a dress, return in a dress without freezing to bits as the sun goes down), I'm still always on the hunt for yet another fantastic pair of jeans. This summer my bright lilac jeans were my staples, and now I'm in love with my coated burgundy skinnies. 

Here are a few of my favourites for Autumn/Winter as found in Nordstrom.

Every time I go to New York each trip manages to be a little better than the last. Each visit is always very different and last week we hopped over for a friend's wedding which was nothing short of spectacular. While that was the focus of our trip, we managed to pack a lot of fun into the short 4 days we were there.

I have been pining to move flat in SF but horror stories of ridiculously competitive price wars on the same apartment and have slowed my roll somewhat. So in the meantime, I'm obsessing over meticulously laid out plans to decorate. How many of these plans make it into fruition is another matter entirely. I'm blessed and cursed with the how-hard-can-it-be perspective on many a DIY project. Which is the thought process behind an equal number of happy discoveries (pretty handbags) and disasters (who knew painting a wall could be so hard?).

I love an amazing bathroom and our bathroom in our hotel in New York had me a hello. The classic and sophisticated black and white colour scheme, subway tile, the kinetic and quirky wallpaper and the great selection of Kiehl's. The Soho Grand was designed in 1996 so contrary to my expectations, wallpaper in the bathroom can stand the test of time.

Here are a few pics and hop on over here to get the scoop on how to recreate the look yourself.

I'm absolutely delighted that one of my favourite all time colours is big news this season. Burgundy, bordeaux, rouge noir is a deep dark, sexy, warm colour that works on everything. My favourite cocktail dress is bordeaux, my vintage fur jacket is bordeaux, my skinny cords and my favourite 5 inch heels are all a beautiful bordeaux. Next on my list, those coated skinny jeans or maybe one of those fabulous looking coats pictured below. Love.

Elizabeth & James Burgundy Blazer $495  |  Emilio Pucci Hat $390  | Chanel Rouge Noir Nail Polish

T by Alexander Wang Leather Skirt $425  |  Claire Vivier Foldover Clutch $156  |  DVF Delian Pebble Lace Dress $445

Topshop Coated Jeans $84

One of my favourite ways to add a little sparkle to a plain piece is with a great brooch. This is one of my signature elements when I design clutch bags and on pretty much every jacket I own, you can usually spot a brooch on the lapel or pocket. Most of my most treasured finds are from places like Portobello Market, Spitalfields and now vintage shops and flea markets in the Bay Area. 

All brooches pictured available from Nordstrom.

To say I'm excited about a good friend's wedding this weekend in New York would be an understatement. The church and restaurant are both classic and sophisticated New York places, and as it's an evening wedding it's the perfect opportunity to get dressed up to the nines (which is an opportunity that doesn't come round nearly enough) and enjoy a very special celebration. 

I've never been to a wedding in New York and as I packed I realised I've never been to New York in Autumn which gives me even more to get disproportionately excited about. The joy of wearing light layers by day and wrapping up with fur at night, and a wedding? Be still my beating heart.

So in the spirit of all things beautiful and bridal, here are a few of my favourite pictures from David's Bridal for this season's bridesmaids. Berry shades look great any time of year, but the details on these dresses elevate them to very sophisticated and perfectly seasonal choices. Just as a heads up if you're planning a wedding soon, it's all about the back detail. For the entire duration of the ceremony, your guests will be treated to your back view, so it's a great idea to give them something a bit special to see!

At the weekend I made my way to Union Square to see the spectacle that was Hermes 'Festival Des Metiers', A Rendez-Vous with Hermes Craftsmen. A travelling show in New York, San Francisco and Houston. Held in one of the big tents in Union Square, it was a 4 day show where the public could meet and witness some of the most skilled artisans in their trade give demonstrations and talk people through how they do what they do. The most pedantic attention to detail, the most skilled craftsmen in their trade, the finest quality of the parts that create the whole and the most tried and trusted techniques. "Nothing has changed in 20 years, it's the Hermes tradition", "36 print plates to create one scarf" and the most buttery soft leathers, dazzling bright scarfs, seriously dapper ties, statement jewellery and classic timepieces under one tent. It was definitely an afternoon very well spent. (I only had my blackberry with me so the pictures aren't great, all the more reason to move to the iphone sometime soon).

They very cleverly positioned the bag demo right at the front of the tent and while that initially seemed like the main attraction due to the great love of many for the Birkin, the other artisans definitely held their own!

Mr Duck Egg Tie was easily the most engaging person under the tent. As he talked the crowd through the meticulous screen printing process, how many dyes are used, the premium quality of silk and cashmere and how to care for your scarf "You dry clean it. At a good dry cleaners. A very good dry cleaners. The type who have done it before".

The beautiful colours of the scarves reminded me of butterflies. As a kid I remember being baffled as to why my Mum was so excited about her scarf, now I'm grown, I completely understand.

The tie-maker was pretty quiet but it was amazing to see the level of detail that went into making the perfect tie for the impeccably well dressed gent.

While I'm not necessarily a big fan of watches, I've had the same one for about 10 years (though on occasion I switch to this or my brilliantly bright Modify Watch). But, the horologists were fascinating. Each teeny tiny piece was ridiculously small and there were so many of them. Quite a complicated puzzle to put those babies together. 

This woman was handpainting the gold detail on the crystal glasses. They talked us through the process of the tar layer, the firing in the kiln, the polishing with sand. Meticulous attention to painstaking detail.

Hello again. I've been a little absent but I'm back. Full of sparkles. I grew up in England and now I live in San Francisco I get ridiculously excited about the presence of all things English in SF. So imagine my delight at hearing Kurt Geiger had opened their first stand alone store in America, in jolly little San Francisco.

Kurt Geiger, is a shoe shop staple in London. There are enough of them around that you never have to look far and they have concessions in the main department stores too. Reasonably priced, well made and always with a finger firmly on the style pulse, they're easily one of my go to shops for shoes (hello Hampstead High St!).

I hotfoooted it down there and wow. This season's collection is enough to make the sane insane in a nanosecond. I must have tried on about 20 pairs and kept saying to the lovely sales assistant, "I'm only getting one pair". And what a pair I got.

The pictures really don't do justice to the hematite leather, sparkly studs, miniature spikes and 4 inch cigarette heels. 

I have a great love of little clutch bags. The ideal accessory to switch your look from day to night and with so many prints, colours and textures, I'm like a kid in a candy shop. I do have the added skill bonus of being able to design and make them and I found quite quickly simplicity is key. Interesting prints, fabrics and candy coloured textured exotic skins win for me every time. Here are a few of my favourites around at the moment.

Top Row: ASOS Beaded Clutch $60  |  Matthew Williamson $2025

2nd Row: Antik Batik $115  |  Vlieger & Vandam Handcuff Clutch $269

3rd Row: Stella McCartney Snakeskin print with neon trim $320  |  Zara Waterprint Clutch $80

4th Row: ASOS Leopard Clutch $35  |  Newbark Cheetah & Snakeskin $495

Bottom Row: Miu Miu Croc Effect $495  | Topshop Clutch $30