Photos with watermark courtesy of Mango, shot by Carrie Harwood. The rest by moi.

This was sunny Barcelona earlier last month, with the rockstar host Mango who brought together five bloggers (Yara, Levi, Christina, Carrie, moi) and four competition winners to two whole days filled with peachy fashion DIY fun. I was to overlook the workshops with my so-called ‘veteran’ DIY skills, and get the party started with a couple of projects. The stage was set, the venue decked out in every possible craft materials and tools imaginable, and of course, Mango victims (denim shirts, boyfriend jeans, accessories) sheepishly stacked along a wall, ready to be polka-dotted to death. And to my relief, lots of little dark corners to hide in if the DIY went wrong (i.e toilet with the stringy lightbulb thing). I was terrified, in all honesty, because as much as I like to call myself a DIY enthusiast, every project is still new to me with equal chance of success or failure. I could either end up with an amazing pair of slashed jeans, or a denim ‘thing’ with what could be pockets. Alas, the many years of ‘I play teacher, you play student’ games with my younger brother were of some use, it transpires, although as far as I remember nobody from this DIY workshop drank glue out of the bottle and ran off to mummy crying about it. I instructed the girls how to do ‘ABC’, and the girls went and wrote rap-songs out of their projects. It was mind blowing, actually, and wow am I really not as creative as I like to think (derp). Yeah, and nobody ate glue. I mean, I ate glue, while the girls created masterpieces. You’ll believe me when you see this.

Thank you Mango for the good fun and the warm welcome to Barcelona!

Broadway Market, E8

Sweater – Gap. Grey skinny jeans- Gap. Heels – Kurt Geiger. Watch – Guess. Doorknocker ring – & Other Stories. Bag – Couronne.

Forget bed, this is what you’re doing tomorrow. Throw on a nice cosy turtleneck, pick up a flat white at Climpson & Sons (No. 67) at the bottom of Broadway Market, and work your way through the crowd. 9am in the morning is probably the best time to go for some peace and quiet, but if you like the buzz and would like to eventually end up at The Cat & Mutton pub (No. 76) for a pint later in the afternoon, then a lazy Saturday start is fine. Sourdough bread is a must, so pick one up for the week; the fruit can be a little overpriced, but they look like something out of Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook so whatever floats your boat. Drop by Hansen & Lynderson stall for a the best smoked salmon (Norwegian-caught, locally hung) on bread with sourcream and dill snack – £3 a pop – just enough to whet your appetite. My lunch is pork steamed buns from Yum Bun (Broadway school yard market), or a pot of beef pho from Cà Phê, depending on weather – the latter has a little seating area if you’ve miscalculated your outfit like I always do and regretting those heels. Post-lunch, before you make a bee-line to the salted caramel cookies (yes, those), do a little detour to Strut (2b Ada st) for the best designer vintage in the East, for it may put you on a wee diet before the day’s end. Forget Brick Lane, Strust is where the fashion-savvy East Londoners’ Chanels, McQueens and Margielas come to rest and find new owners (Sunday and Mondays are their buying days). I always have dessert anyway, a gluten-free brownie from the Happy Kitchen stall, or a red velvet from Violet Cakes. One for now, one to have later at home.

A couple more recommendations: L’Eau à la Bouche for people-watching, over a pear flan, best around 3pm. Lucky Chip (31-35 Coate St) for the best burgers in town, Rebel Rebel (5 Broadway market), for great range of flowers if you know you can’t make it to the flower market on Sunday. Off Broadway (No. 63-65) when the sun goes down and home still can wait – a New-York style bar with great cocktails and Tex-Mex nibbles. Oh and don’t forget to visit the fish tank in the bathroom. Last but not least, Noble Fine Liquor (No. 27) for natural wine and craft beer – go back for wine tasting every Wednesday eve.

All makings of a good weekend!

Outfit: Part three of styling series with Gap‘s Styld.by platform. Check part one and part two here!

Heels – All Saints

Heels – All Saints. Coat – Club Monaco. Breton top – Uniqlo mens, stolen from hubby. Leather trousers – Hoss Intropia. Bag – Couronne. Scarf – Johnstons of Elgin. Straw basket – Chloé

Some people run marathons, I go to the flower market. By bus. I know I’ve featured it on this blog enough times to make it seem it’s a weekend ritual, but hey this is captain of Lazy club we’re talking about here – I get medals for doing the laundry. Marzipan medals if I hang them the same day. Sometimes the hubby smears BB-cream on my cheeks like battle-paint so I can get things done outside the house during the weekend, flower market included. On some days he accompanies me and we attach a rope between our bikes so he can pull me down the road. It really is just a quick cycle away, and whenever I do manage to make it down I ask myself why I don’t visit every weekend because I fall in love each time. The seasonal flowers and their cheerful sellers, the occasional puppy weaving between the happy crowd, the pastry reward at the end of the market… what’s not to love! Some pansies were starting to make an appearance, as well as some really stunning lilies. But since I’m still pretty much a n0oB when it comes to flower species, I brought home a bunch of hydrangeas and a fistful of eucalypti. Although, not sure what I can do with them really, maybe I’ll make soup of it.

Hope you had an exciting weekend, what did you get up to?

Oh, speaking of weekends, if you’re into taking pics of your feet on Instagram, this is one quick and easy competition you could take part in for a chance to travel to London with All Saints. I need someone to pull my bike to the market again, actually, if you want.

Cashmere cardigan – Gap. Cords – Gap. Heels – ASOS (US). White off-shoulder top – Stylenanda (similar). Bag – Mansur Gavriel. Scarf – Zara. Watch – Guess. Thank you Kit for the help snapping!

Unintentional dressed-by-mummy look again, cords and sensible knits and all. I guess I shouldn’t deny that I’m becoming more like her everyday… I mean, ever since I cut my hair I’ve been waking up to two-kids-and-a-mortgage hair each morning (styled by pillow, who I need to fire soon) and I’m gradually finding more uses the mop other than just for cleaning. For now it may be broomstick acrobatics to open the skylight window and balancing dried anchovies over to the stray cat across the roof, but I’ll be mop-wielding tiger-mum soon enough, I’m sure. (This blog may become Park & tiger cub then, I fear, pursue at your own risk.) The weather in London is still going through the usual mid-season identity crisis, and thankfully occasionally it still lingers on the summer end just long enough for me to get by with a shirt and a slouchy pair of cords from Gap + a reserve cashmere cardigan in the bag for colder moments. I love me a good coat but as long as the ENTIRE WORLD and their mothers continue to flood central London in the middle of the day (seriously, what’s causing this?) I’m happy with simple layers to darting between meetings less arduous. Happy weekend, all!

Part two of styling series with Gap‘s Styld.by platform. Part one here!