I love it when I brand I’ve previously only been able to access overseas hits British shore so when I had an e-mail about the opening of some Hema stores in the UK I pretty much did a little dance in my seat.

Hema is a brand I know through having Dutch relatives. When I went over to Holland about two years ago I spent ages browsing through the shelves of awesome bits and pieces and I’m pretty sure I grew up eating chocolate letters from there, sent over as a St Nicholas gift every year by my Auntie.

As well as announcing their arrival via e-mail Hema also very kindly sent some sunglasses my way. Typically by the time I got around to photographing them the best of this month’s weather had passed, but I’m one of those people who will wear shades whenever the mood takes me.

These aviators retail for a mere £5 at Hema and are a welcome addition to my sunglasses wardrobe. I couldn’t resist popping them on our stone Buddha for a more up close shot (nobody needs a close up of my mug) so you can see how sleek and simple these are. Perfect for a laid back and minimal weekend look, which is exactly when I wore them- to town for a cinema date with Ben.

I can’t leave this post without mentioning this amazingly cute cat cropped tee from H&M. A very recent purchase at £5.99, they did a whole host of brilliant designs but I just had to have this in my life, determined to wear it even though it’s cropped and I’m feeling not so great about myself. It reminds me of tees I used to beg Mum for in Tammy Girl, back when I was a pre-teenager…sometimes I wish I had kept hold of some of them!

Back to the topic of Hema though, there are currently three stores in the UK and if you happen to be near one of them then they are well worth checking out, selling all kinds of things from makeup to food, from stationary to home wares and all at insanely excellent prices. Have you discovered the joy yet? For those of us who sadly don’t live near one of the stores, the online shop is due to go live mid-September so watch this space…