Missing

Alloha! Ok so this is one of those mundane 'sorry I stopped blogging' posts. I just literally had to no time and was a bit ill and yucky for a while and had actually only planned to take a break for a week or two but it got a liiiiitle out of hand. Anyway, I am back, I shall resume normal(ish) service next week.

The Ten List

Ten favourite films!

1. The Lion King
2. Mary Poppins
3. Finding Nemo
4. 10 Things I Hate About You
5. Man on Fire
6. Lucky Number Slevin
7. Alice in Wonderland
8. The Notebook
9. The Jungle Book
10. Love Actually

Week in Words

I have had a tiring week! Not that I have been doing anything strenuous or have been particularly busy but it's been a long one! What have you all been up to? Any memorable bits? Here's mine!

• Getting stressed out by the amount of STUFF and general junk in our house.  We probably have enough to do about 5 dump runs but we just don't have the time.
• Wasting a whole hour of my afternoon sitting in the doctor's waiting room.... I appreciate the fact that we don't need to make appointments to see our doctor and that there is open surgery every morning and every afternoon but it just always seems to take so long.
• Doing a big food shop and actually sticking to budget.  It's always my aim but I get very sidetracked by all the goodies on offer....
• Putting up with the husband whilst he's quitting smoking, phewwwwww.
• Sorting out Christmas merchandise at work!
• Organising sky installation!
• Having a lovely evening with my beautiful friend drinking tea and possibly having a tiny wee gossip.
• Attending my little cousin's 1st birthday party.  He is such a clever little cutie!
• Rushing around after having a gorgeous lay in.
• Having to chuck my first cuppa of the day as my milk was off (despite being a new carton and being in date).  It was rather horrific.

I'm sure I have missed out bloomin' loads but I am absolutely shattered and I have a tooth bothering me and no painkillers in the house!

Secret Corner - Dibor

This week's secret corner is a lovely French style homeware store called Dibor.  This family run business has recently relaunched and you'll find tonnes of beautiful things.  As well as the french flair there is also a touch of vintage which I absolutely love! They do a wide range of gifts so make sure you check it out if you want to get a head start on your Christmas shopping!

I have actually held back a bit on my favourites, there is some real cute stuff but I thought I would keep it short and sweet today.  First up is this downright lovely Amelia Lamp which I am seriously considering buying for our bedroom.. so obviously I would need two! I'm not entirely sure yet if I am prepared to spend that much on two bedside lamps but I have struggled so much trying to find some simple, plain white lamps for the bedroom - who knew it would be so difficult!

Next up is what I would call a "grown up" item haha.  We get terrible draughts through our house in winter and it drives me mad so this draught excluder is on my "must buy" list.  And the red fits in with my living room, must be fate.

In keeping with chills of winter I just bloody love this faux fur throw.  Look how snuggly it looks! It would be utterly stunning draped across my bed... or any bed for that matter! I would not let anyone touch it for fear of dirtying it but it just looks amazing and COSY.

So, what do you think? Is French style your thing?

Week in Words

This, my friends, shall be short and sweet! I've had a crazy week and genuinely cannot remember most of it haha! Here's what I do remember..

• Taking a well deserved day off work.
• Day trippin' with the husband.
• Having to carry a massive bloody bag of dog food - I had dead arms afterwards!
• Tasting some chicken curry and rice soup, it was absolutely dilicious but basically left over curry without the meat haha.
• Recieving some exciting news!
• Making a funny treasure trail for the husband.
• Deciding to have a lovely chilled out night which actually turned out to be an amazing night with my gorgeous best friend.  I just love her.
• Googling, googling, and more googling!
• Saying goodbye to the bestie as she's heading off for a week down south.
• Having a lovely evening with my parents and my friends.
• Shedding a tear or too... they were happy ones.
• Having a busy day at work.
• Going out for a lovely long forest walk with the dog.  She had a right good time!
• Looking forward to FINALLY having a day off tomorrow with absolutely no plans and no one to see.  Think I'm possibly going to have the laziest day of my life!

Secret Corner - Country Cream

Country Cream is a beautiful, 10 year old family run business.  They have some exclusive items that are handmade and handpainted by various people.  I love this companies ethics - they aim to use mums at home, retired, elderly, disadvantaged and disabled people to help make some of their items.  The bonus being that for some of the items you can actually choose what colour you would like it painted in.  I wish more companies were able to offer this service!

Country Cream offer a wide range of items from ribbon to furniture and it's all beautiful!

I absolutely love this cute little card/photo holder.  I always wish I had somewhere to put my cards! I have a fireplace but it it fills up pretty quickly and I don't really like putting them in the window so this is perfect and when we don't have an "occasion" happening in our lives we can just pop some photos in but there are thinks like thank you cards or whatever that I would probably just keep in it forever.  I quite frankly think it's superb!

Check out these cute little cat shaped peg blackboards - what a genius invention this is! Not entirely sure how practical they are because they seem quite small but I still think they're cute and I'd still probably buy them.

Lastly, I just adore these beautiful heart boxes.  I can think of all sorts of things to do with them and places to put them but I have Christmas at the forefront of my mind right now and I think they'd be fab filled with some decadent chocolates or I'm actually considering filling one with some make-up bits and giving it to my bestie. There is a whole tonne of uses for them and they would look gorgeous on the dressing table.

Have you spotted anything you like? Share them with me!

The Ten List

Introducing a new fortnightly series I'm going to be bringing you lists of 10 things.... I'll kick off with 10 random facts about me.

1. I am 26 years old and this is probably the first year where I've actually started to feel like I'm getting old!
2. I have one sister.  She is slightly autistic and has various other neurological disabilities as well as some physical disabilities too.  It's pretty heartbreaking to see and I can't imagine how tough it must be on my parents.
3. I am a country girl through and through.  I lived the city life for 4 years and at first I completely loved it but as time went on I really started to appreciate what I had left behind and to be honest I love my super safe little haven - the city is scary!
4. I have one husband and one Dalmatian.
5. I can't stand clutter.
6. I'm left handed.  Lefties are all right. Ha!
7. I love my own company.  Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with my friends and spending time with people and being sociable, but every so often I crave that alone time!
8. I don't feel like I have a talent for anything.
9. I'm an obsessive list maker.
10. There are only 3 people that I trust wholeheartedly - my mum, my dad and my husband.  I'm just too cynical to 100% trust anybody else.

The Place I call Home

... is beautiful.

I could just stop there, because that is what I truly appreciate about this place.  The beauty.   I know that nowhere else can compare to it, because this is home and I know it always will be.

I have rolling mountains, fresh sea air, white sandy beaches, secret spots, caves, waterfalls, giant waves crashing into rocks, wide open spaces, the best views for miles and miles, a quiet little street that looks perfect even when lit up by street lights.  I have lived in other places... and I will always, always come back to here.  It's just where I belong.  Yes, it's small and lacks opportunities and some might say I don't have the freedom of a large city but I don't need that, I have the freedom to appreciate the creation of the world.  The mountains, the sea, the cliffs, the forests... the natural things.  I get to breathe fresh, sea air every single day and I am so grateful for that.  I get to see the stars twinkle every night when I look up into the sky.  I can walk outside at 3am and know I won't get mugged or attacked or witness something horrific.  I'm not scared here, I'm content and that is all I need.

Some day soon, I'll share some pictures.

Week in Words

Phewwwww, I have had thee busiest week ever! This is the first evening since Tuesday I've actually been able to spend at home and I'm trying to make the most of it by sipping on a hot chocolate and cuddling my poochy. Heres what I've been up to...

• Starting the week off with a 5am wake up call from my dog who needed to be sick, just as I was heading to bed again she spewed up blood so I brought her in to my bed for some sneaky cuddles! She is fine now, by the way, she had just eaten a bit of wood, which I think may have been a bark chipping!
• Arranging for someone to come and look at our rental property which has taken us AGES to finish.
• Lighting our first fire of the season and getting cosy warm.
• Getting to finish work an hour early every day, woohoo!
• Spending 3 nights down at the rental property trying to get as much as possible done.  Unfortunately for me the only non "manly" job that was left was glossing doors and skirting boards - verrrryy tedious.
• Finishing work, painting, rolling into bed, getting up for work and repeating.
• Missing my usual Friday post because I literally had no time at home and on Friday I didn't get back until 1am :(
• Dinner at my mum's for my sister's birthday.
• Starting to look for Christmas presents.  I'm determined to get started this month and hopefully have it all done by the beginning of December!
• Making a delicious roast for us and a friend.
• Watching X Factor with my mama bear.
• Falling asleep on the couch.
• Making plans
• Wondering and waiting....
• Wearing my onesie to bed... it seems it's not cold enough for that yet as I was too warm in it.

What have you all been up to? I'll probably have another busy week next week but I've got lots of new posts to get up!

Amazing Blog

Remember when I blogged about a super fab blog called Sawdust and Embryos? Well here's another super fab blog.

You may recognise this as it's gone viral and the world is going blooming mad for it.  There's even talk of a film and I for one would definitely be running to the cinema to see it.  40 Days of Dating is pretty self explanatory but it is absolutely amazing to read.  It's basically about two friends who haven't found the right person yet, Timothy is a complete commitment phobe and Jessica falls in love too fast.  They are both designers who live in New York City and have been friends for 4 years.  They decided to enter into an experiment, to date for 40 days in a bid to see if they can help each other with their seperate issues regarding relationships. Each day they completed a survey which questioned what they did and how the were feeling - it is such an addictive read.  I actually read the entire blog in one day because I was so enthralled by it and the outcome was not what I expected at all - I immediately had to google what happened next! They actually started this experiment in March but didn't upload their daily accounts until a few months later so I love that I can actually find out what happened after day 40.

I won't give anything away, you really need to read it, it's interesting to see how they interpret things as individuals and how intense the experiment was.  I don't think I could do it! Also, the blog is full of designer bits too and a couple of videos to mix it up a little.  It is truly genius.

Week in Words

The week is coming to an end and I've had a super lazy day today... so much so that I almost forgot all about this post! Here's a recap of my week:

• Working on my usual day off... what a bore.
• Suffering from my lack of sleep.  I always plan to go to bed earlier but then I start faffing about and I just never seem to get there.
• Catching up with the bestie and the baby.
• Getting very annoyed and defensive... I don't like people who feel the need to voice their negative opinions about my friends to me.  There's just no reason for it.
• Eating ice cream.  Probably the last of the year.
• Playing hide and seek with the dog.
• Heading to my besties with the husband for a fabulous feast, couple of drinks and a good old laugh.  Was such a fantastic night.
• Buying food for dinner and leaving it at work.
• Going for a meander to get lunch with the husband.  That's the best bit about working on a Saturday!
• Having a chilled out evening, relaxing bath and enjoying having an evening to myself.
• Having a nice little lie in.
• Waking up to gale force winds and heavy rain.
• Snoozing on the couch.
• Reading the entire 40 Days of Dating blog.  I'll be posting about this later in the week!
• Starting a new book.  I'm not sure if I like it enough to continue.
• Not feeling very motivated to work tomorrow....

How's your week been? Mine has been very 'blah'.  I'm looking forward to next week when my work shifts go back to normal and I can enjoy being in my usual routine again.

Secret Corner - Rockett St George

I have an absolute BEAUTY of a homeware store for you today.  If you haven't already heard of Rockett St George then check them out.  PRONTO.  I am so so excited to be doing a feature on this store.

They've been running for 6 fabulous years and decided to set up Rockett St George because of their shared love of shopping.  They know that not everyone has time to be rushing around the shops so they choose to set up an online store with the knowledge that it would be easy and accessible for people.  I've had a tough time trying to narrow down my favourites! This place really does have something for everyone - with things as cheap as chips to items running right into the thousands, there's something to suit every budget and every style.  From gift wrap to wallpaper, you'd be bloody mad not to take a peek.

So, my favourites.  This is just a small portion of my picks! First up, I love this simple feather print. I love feathers, I do. I've always said if I was ever to get a tattoo (I wont, I'm far too fickle) I'd get a feather down my ribs.  I like seeing feathers just floating about in the wind and landing at someone's feet and I feel like I could place this print in either my bedroom or my living room and it'd look perfectly in place.

Another piece of wall art.  I really want this 'what is love' natural limestone wall art (click and read, it's wonderful) .  In complete contrast to the feather print, I actually really like having things on the wall that people can stop and take the time to read and then leave my house full of thoughts and questions and answers.  There are various different options and to be honest I'm not 100% sure if I would necessarily choose the 'what is love' one... they all give me a bit of food for thought.  Hmm.

I'm not entirely selfish when it comes to my shopping habits... I think this adorable shaving mirror might just be going in the husband's Christmas stocking.  You can actually write whatever you want on it but I love the wording they hsve chosen... aw.

Next is another print.  I just blummin' love all that arty wall stuff don't I? I would just sit this pretty little lipstick print on my dressing table though, propped up against the wall, unframed.  I also think it would be the perfect gift for any beauty queens in the family... plus it's ONLY £10, wowza!

Now I know this Secret Corner series is all about homeware, but this homeware site have only gone and included a sneaky bonus of jewellery items and they are all lovely.  My favourites are the angel wing bangles and this gorgeous spike necklace which would look perfect under a blouse or a nice structured collar.  I think I'm going to have to put these on my Christmas list actually!

And finally... check THIS out.  A caravan.  A caravan! Rockett St George, I salute you.

Bag It

I've been on the hunt for a new handbag for quite some time now.  I fell in love with a few in Zara but I didn't order any because I knew I had to whittle it down to at least 2 but then I knocked myself out and got hospitalised and instructed to take it easy for 2 weeks so I kinda forgot all about them until a few days ago, and now they are ALL GONE.  So the moral of the story is, life's too short, buy all the bags as soon as you see them!

When starting up my bag search again I only had a couple of specifications: it must be big... I have tried time and time again to have a smallish bag and only take with me the essentials but who knows when I might need a phone charger, paracetamol, an umberella, a pair of sunglasses, a notebook, the spare car key, some mascara, a mirror, a squirt of perfume or various timetables?! Exactly. Ideally I would like it to have a longer strap as well as normal shoulder handles but it doesn't really matter too much.  I also wanted a fairly neutral colour as I want one for every day use and lastly, I just want it to be fairly simple and fuss free.

1.  This little sale beauty is from Miss Selfridge and is currently reduced from £42 down to £32..  I love pretty much everything about it right down to the cute little tassle! It also comes in a tan colour aswell which is lovely too but I feel like it looks a bit more like an overnight bag in that colour... weird.

2.  A beautiful beautiful bargain from New Look! Only £19.99! It's so nice and simple and I love grey but I can't help worrying that it might get a bit dirty... not to worry though as it also comes in black which is probably what I will opt for if this is the bag I decide to go for. Or maybe I'll just push the boat out and get both colours!

3.  Now this Zara bag looks classic and expensive.  Coming in at £99 though, it's no wonder, but since it's real leather I think that's a fair price.  Zara always get it spot on with bags but for me, I think this is a tad on the small side and perhaps not quite the shape I'm looking for either.... but it's so so beauitful that I can't help but want it!

4.  Next up is this bowling bag from Warehouse.  I love the simplicity of it the most and it's a gorgeous colour! It's priced at £36. and has that bonus strap too.  Is it a tiny bit boring though?!

5.  This absolutely gorgeous slouchy number can be found on ASOS.  It's actually another Warehouse gem but I couldn't find it on their own site.  It looks like the perfect size and has the perfect amount of simple detailing on it, plus it's only £38 which I think is pretty darn good.  It might just edge it as being my absolute favourite....

What one do you like best? Should choosing a bag really be this hard?! And how do you manage to decide what your essentials are, I think I'm getting worse, soon I'll be taking my whole house along with me everywhere.

Week in Words

Oh my goodness I am shattered after a weekend of painting and grouting tiles - not fun! Here's what else I got up to...

• Enduring some epic sneezing fits.
• Suffering with toothache..
• Having some lazy days at work.
• Doing a tonne of washing and drying.
• Finally getting round to clearing out the bedroom.  The next stage will be painting it. woohoo!
• Having evening coffee and chats.
• Googling Hallowe'en inspiration!
• Somehow developing a cold overnight.  It was pretty extreme.
• Waking uo to nose bleeds, yuck.
• Getting through the day at work by drinking lemsip - it's horrible, I just like the smell and only manage to drink half a cup.
• Doing an expensive food shop.  here's only 2 of us, I don't know why it costs so much.
• Taking an extra day off from work so only having to do 4 days.  It flew by.
• Having a homemade nando's and movie night with one of my besties.  We watched This is 40 and it was pretty darn good!
• Late night tea and chats.
• Clearing out the car.... I wish we didn't let it get so messy and full of "stuff".
• Heading for a snooze at 5pm and not wakening until 10pm....
• Coming home to a naughty dog and a chewed (new) clutch bag.
• Catching up on xfactor.
• Sending the hubby out for  box of chocs and a bottle of wine!
• Having a chilled, lazy end to the eekend before a long week at work, booo.

Secret Corner - Mocha

Mocha is another online store that's run by a husband and wife team, Samuel and Sarah. It's jam packed with quirky, useful and unique bits and bobs! If you want a fun wedding gift or new home prezzie then this is definitely the right place to go.  They especially love working with up and coming designers and small businesses so it's no wonder that there's so many things here that you'll never have seen before... how cool!

I especially love this eco cup with it's classic print and it's cute little teapot button to hold your teabag in place.  I think I might just have to pop this on my Christmas list, although not sure I can last that long without it! I also adore this AWESOME vase! It's out of stock at the moment but I just think it's amazing! I'm not sure I can justify the price at the moment but I keep thinking about how amazing it would look in one of my windows.

Right.  There's a lotta love out there for stationary, isn't there? Well check these cute rainbow highlighters out.  I think they would be the perfect gift for any teacher friends or stationary lovers in your life!

Lastly, I love love love these tea towels.  I don't even think I'd use them as tea towels, I'd probably just frame them instead because they are far too nice to get dirty!

Tell me your favourites pieces.  I hope you'll be adding this to the list of places to do your Christmas shopping!!

Autumn

It seems that Autumn is creeping closer and closer.  I don't think the weather quite knows what it's doing with itself lately.  It seems very indecisive... I don't like this uncertainty.  I would like it to be either Summer or Autumn.  No inbetweenyness please.  I could do with a few more warm, dry days so we can finish clearing the garden but we have a lot of trees and branches to chop down and I guess being leave-less would make it slightly easier.  I love every single season for different reasons.  And the reason I love Autumn? The colours.  It's not so nice towards the end when everything is bare, brown, sad looking and a bit sludgy. I love how crisp the air is too, it just feels refreshing and clear and the chill in the air brings with it a justification for drinking so many cups of tea.

I know it's a typical Brit thing to moan about the weather but I sometimes think we're pretty lucky getting to experience four very different seasons in one year... there's some countries that don't have much of a distinction between their seasons and I love how each one will bring a new wardrobe, new flowers, new scenes, new vibes, new weather and whatnot. It would be kinda boring if every season merged into the next one with no real difference, would it not?

I'm excited for Autumn to come.  I feel motivated and positive that it's going to bring new things our way and I'm feeling really ready for it!

Week in Words

I have had a pretty jam packed week this week!

• Monday was spent feeling the affects of gardening.  I was like some old biddy everytime I moved, the backs of my thighs were so sore but at least I know I definintely put some effort in!
• Being super lazy on my day off and literallly chilling on the couch all day.
• Having a lovely pub dinner with a friend.  It was cheap and cheerful and I would genuinely eat there every night if I could afford it.
• Having far too many late nights,
• Experiencing dress drama.  I ordered a total of 5 dresses for a 21st birthday party and only one of them fitted me properly and it was my least favourite one.
• Buying some new black heels and finding them pretty comfy.  Bonus!
• Prepping my body for a fake tanning session only to discover that my mitt had disappeared and was nowhere to be found.  I also didn't manage to locate one in any of my local stores so I had to remain pale.
• Dog and cat sitting for our friends whilst they have a weekend away.
• Babysitting for our friends.  They have 3 children who are all superstars when it comes to bedtime but the youngest was a right little monkey this time and was up every 10 minutes wanting to play!
• Doing an epic amount of washing.  I don't understand how it piles up so quickly! There are only two of us!
• Giving my kitchen a good scrub down.
• Taking my dog for a late night walk.  It was so so peaceful.
• Finding a hedgehog visitor in my garden. It was massive and my dog was rather confused but really wanted to play.
• Enjoying my extra day off work.
• Taking 3 dogs and a baby to the park - it was interesting haha!
• Going out for a lovely pub dinner with my friend and her little sister.
• Hosting pre pub cocktails at our house before hitting the pub.  They were sooooo good.
• Partying it up for my friend's 21st birthday.
• Having a major lay in.
• Being excited with the husband for our secret mission!
• Having a lovely cuppa whilst going over the previous night's events.
• Having a chilled out day catching up on blogs and X Factor.
• Cooking a glorious roast whilst my hubby is out at the pub watching the football.

What have you all been up to this week? I've enjoyed having lots of plans but I think I'll try and have a quiet one this week!

Secret Corner - The Calm Gallery

If you love filling your home with prints and typography then you will love this little place!

The Calm Gallery.  Run by young husband and wife team, Lucas and Hayley, they have sourced a variety of fantastic artists to bring you unique, handmade prints, tea towels and postcards. I really need to narrow down my 'to buy' list but I've been trying to source some nice simple, neutral coloured prints for the kitchen for quite a while now but could never find quite what I was looking for.... until now! The prices are very reasonable too, AND there is of course the added bonus that you know you are supporting independent artists.

These guys don't offer a framing service but they do give you a few recommendations on what frames would suit your print if you don't have an eye for that sort of thing which I think is pretty perfect of them.  They have also gone to the trouble of including a little profile about each artist - how lovely of them! I seriously think these guys have done a great job, you can tell that they genuinely had the customer at the forefront of their mind whilst they were developing this site and as a result of this I don't think I'll be buying my prints from anywhere else! My only negative is that they don't offer any sort of custom printing which is a bit of a shame as it would be nice to change the colour to fit in with my rooms but that's just a minor and I can imagine that offering any sort of customisation would turn things a bit manic!

Now on to my favourites! I am most definitely buying this 'complete and utter bollocks' one for our games room.  It's a phrase my husband uses regularly and the games room is somewhere that him and his mates spend a lot of time so I feel it's pretty apt, ha.  I also like this one about beauty because it's true and I wonder why it's not a more well known phrase?! Unfortunately the colours mean it won't really fit into any of my rooms.

I am in love with these eye chart prints which are actually designed by the founders - at the moment I can't really decide which is my favourite and I'm having a bit of a debate with myself about whether to buy one for the stairway or not.... which would you choose?

So that's it.  A completely and utterly fantastico website.  I hope you guys like it as much as I do, I was so excited about writing this post and sharing this little place with you all! I actually had to stop looking because my favourites list was getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.....

Amazing Blog

I'm about to come at ya with a recommendation in the form of a blog.

Every once in a while, I come across a blog that I completely fall in love with and I just can not stop reading.  This is what happened here... although I can't remember how on earth I came across it, I think it may have been a picture on pinterest, or I might have been googling how to paint laminate furniture, but anyways I would literally sit down every single night, with a nice big cuppa and read several posts... right until I got to the very first one that was written.  I just couldn't stop, I was enthralled with their lives and their story and their utter strength.

Sawdust and Embryos.  A story of a couple struggling with infertility and IVF and all the while taking shoddy furniture and turning it into something amazing.  A journey through their heartache to their miracle twin babies.  It is heart warming and it doesn't matter what kind of blogs you like to read, this one will pull you in.  I know a couple of people that have gone through IVF and although I have always imagined it to be a struggle for them, I never realised the emotional strength and the amount of physical pain that they would have endured.

It's just cool when you stumble upon something that really makes you think.  Throw some links my way, lovelies.

Week in Words

Oh my Goodness, I am absolutely shattered! Had such a busy day today, I can barely keep my eyes open. What have you all been up to this week? Here's my memorable bits!

• Making some overnight oats and experimenting with various different flavours, toppings etc.
• Having snuggles with my favourite little girl.
• Lots of chinwags and chats with one of my besties.
• Making malteser slice.
• Taking a trip to the next village.
• Having far too many late nights.
• Dealing with super busy times at work... definintley appreciating my days off this week!
• Painting skirting boards.
• Making a trip to Homebase to purchase some essential DIY products and to take advantage of the bank holiday 15% off special.
• Cutting down branches, weeding the rockery and discovering the garden path again!
• Finding lots of frogs and some mice babies.
• Feeling pleased and proud of all our hard work in the garden. I never expected us to get so much done.
• Appreciating great friends.
• Feeling exceptionally grateful for all we have in our lives.
• Visiting our friend's beagle puppy. He's a little nipper but so cute!
• Finishing off a perfect weekend with  friends munching on some fajitas. 

Secret Corner - Live Laugh Love

I'm back with another lovely lovely homeware site! This is another shabby chic one with a hint of vintage and "coutry kitchen" thrown in too.  You will be spoilt for choice.

Live Laugh Love are run by husband and wife team, Claire and Ricky and has been going since 2007.  Some of their stuff has been designed and hand finished by themselves so if you're after something a little more unique then have a browse and you might spot something! The images on the website are beautiful and it makes me want to have a snoop around their own home - I can only imagine how wonderful it is as they clearly have an eye for all thing great!

I love this cute little antique dressing table pot.  I haven't even started on decorating our bedroom but as it's next on the list I am constantly keeping my eye out for things that would fit in with what I have in mind for it! This mirror is another thing that I spotted and thought would be pretty damn great in the boudoir - it's out of my price range but I shall lust after rather than buy! I've also picked out this photo frame for the bedroom which I love.  I find it quite hard to find photo frames that I like (don't know why, I mean it's a pretty basic thing) but this one is gorgeous and I love the idea of popping black and white photos in it rather than coloured ones.

I also found a couple of things for my bathroom - this hilarious sign and this cute little glass storage jar, isn't it adorable?? I'm always looking for various shaped jars so I can keep them on my floating shelves and store cotton buds, cotton pads etc in them. I also spotted this ADORABLE little bird.  I had an idea ages ago that as a sort of "finishing touch" I wanted to have a few things like this hung on door handles/window handles/curtain poles... just 3 or 4 of them with inspirational words dotted about the house and this little chap is exactly the kind of thing that I'm looking for.

Not only is Live Laugh Love for the homemakers amongst us, it's also a fantastic place for Bride's to be. They even have a wedding section and a whole host of hanging hearts.  I wish I had discovered this place before I got married!

Let me know what your favourite pieces are and if you're going to be making any purchases - I feel like every bathroom needs that cheeky little sign, right?

Favourite Perfumes

To me, perfume is a little luxury.  A tiny bit of indulgence. It's amazing how a scent can mean something, that when you smell it, it can bring back to life a thousand tiny little memories.  I always think of perfume as a gift.  I very very rarely buy it for myself - I love trying out lots of different scents and I often find that the ones I'm not too keen on are actually the ones that suit me the most!

I think Daisy by Marc Jacobs is probably a popular one with a lot of people.  For me, it's my go to spring/summer scent.  It's lovely and light and fresh smelling and people seem to recognise it instantly.  It's not heavy and I think that's probably what I like most about it. Oh, and that bottle is just toooo cute.

Next up is She by Armani.  This was a Christmas gift from a friend and as soon as I smelt it I disliked it and didn't think I would ever wear it.  I absolutely HATE the packaging, and I know that Emporio Armani is a diffusion brand but it just looks so cheap and nasty... anyway, despite all this, it is one of my favourites and it clearly suits my skin because it seems to really suit me.  I get people commenting on my lovely perfume when I wear it and the longer it's on for, the more I like it.

Women by DKNY is another one that I instantly disliked and it actually sat untouched for a couple of months.  It is quite a strong smell and it's pretty distinct but the first time I ever wore it and walked into the office the men were all gushing about it and telling me that it was their favourite perfume on a woman.  I used to have to hug them so they could get a sniff ha! So if you're looking for a new perfume for a date night or scratching your head about what to buy your mrs then go for this one - I don't think you'll regret your choice!

Deep Red by Hugo Boss is just the perfect mix of scents, subtlety and loveliness.  It's what you'd call an every day smell.  Unfortunately this just reminds me of an ex boyfriend so I probably won't ever wear it again but I do really really love it. 

The final one is a bit special. Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf was my wedding perfume.  It is rather expensive but it's one that I will request again and again.  It won't be everyone's cup of tea as it's quite sweet smelling but I like it more and more as it sinks into the skin.  It holds the most perfect memories for me and I get butterflies thinking about the best day of my life everytime I spray it and I'm transported right back to the morning of my wedding.

What's your favourites? I'll be popping them on my Christmas wishlist and making some not so subtle hints to the husband... or maybe I'll break the habit of a lifetime and buy a few myself!

Dan Baldwin Art

I am not an arty person.  Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a nice looking picture and I can also appreciate the amount of work and talent that is required to create a masterpiece but you won't catch me heading to any art galleries or engaging in any "arty" converstions anytime soon.

We recently painted our staircase.  Three of the walls are a nice pale creamy sort of colour that I think goes by the name of "Almond Cream" and the wall that you look at as you walk down the stairs? Well.  I am in love.  We painted this wall in Dulux's Teal Tension.  I had decided I wanted teal long before we started painting and as much as I love it, I've already decided that when I get bored of it I'm changing it to navy blue.  Anyway... we are far from finished the staircase.  At the moment there is an awful dark green carpet down and I assure you that paired with my beautiful teal wall it causes somewhat of an offence to my eyes.  Needless to say I have picked out a gorgeous, textured minky coloured carpet (awful description, sorry!) that shall be purchased whenever I get round to it... probably after Christmas.

I have a problem though.  I went on a little trip to Ikea and found the most perfect framed print with a teal coloured background peeking through, to go on one of the cream walls and I DIDN'T BUY IT.  I live miles and miles and miles away from Ikea.  Before this whole fiasco I had come across Dan Baldwin and his splendid art and after discovering that it was way out of my price range I let it go.  This ikea print was like a nice £28 Dan Baldwin rip off though.  And I stupidly let that go too.

He's not everyone's cup of tea, I know.  I just love that everytime you look you're bound to see something new, that it is something people will talk about and comment on and I feel like this is the only place in our house that we can have something modern and funky without it looking like it's in the wrong place.  Let me know what you think and if you've seen something similar but at an affordable price then hook me up!

Week in Words

I've had quite a long week this week after working an extra day! Here's my cheesy memorable bits:

• Busying myself at work with lots of little tedious jobs.
• Having some spontaneous visits from my bestie and my favourite baby. Always bound to put a smile on my face.
• Doing the weekly shop and getting some fab bargains.  Fillet steak for £2.50 anyone?
• Thoroughly enjoying our steak dinners and nursing some epic bellies afterwards.
• Settling down with the husband to find a series that we could watch on Netflix.  We settled on The League and it is absolutely fantastic.  I thoroughly recommend you give the first episode a try if you've never seen it before!
• Timing how long it takes the dog to get completely knackered from chasing a ball in the park.  It was only about 15 minutes.  Dalmatians are supposed to get around 40 minutes of free running a day... she was having none of it.
• Listening to my 7 year old brother in law sing us football chants down the phone.
• Having a truly wonderful night out with my best friend.  We danced and drank and laughed.
• Losing my phone, bank card and lippy.... actually, I lost my bag and therefore its entire contents.
• Lying in until about mid day in an attempt to cure my hangover.  It didn't work.
• Retrieving lost bag and all it's contents from the pub.  Yay.
• Buying an ice lolly in an attempt to cure my hangover.  It didn't work.
• Cooking up a truly EPIC roast chicken dinner for a couple of our friends.  It was absolutely delicious, and there was plenty leftovers for us greedy little piggies.  Oh, and it cured my hangover.  Win win.
• Having snuggles with my favourite little girly.
• Looking at possibly every online store I could think of trying to find a dress for a 21st birthday.
• Making plans for the next couple of weeks.

Secret Corner - Serene Hearts

I love homeware.  Like really really really love homeware.  I wonder what will happen when I finally finish decorating and redoing every room of our house.  I hate clutter, so I guess me and my love of shopping will need to cut ties with homeware shops and websites.  Or maybe I'll just go back to the beginning and change all my accessories and soft furnishings....

Every week I'll be blogging the "Secret Corner" - a spotlight on a little gem of a homeware website, perhaps one that you have never heard of, maybe something that you will fall in love with, or maybe it will bring you just what you've been looking for.  I am going to thoroughly enjoy this but my bank balance will probably want to do a runner from me in return.  Yikes.

My very first homeware site is Serene Hearts.  If you like shabby chic and affordable gifts then this is the place for you.

Serene Hearts are fairly new to the world wide web and are actually just about to turn 6 months old! It was set up through a love of homeware and a belief that the accessories are what give the room a personality and I must say, I wholeheartedly agree.  Serene Hearts sell a lot of things from other brands, but they sell them cheaper than most other  places and have fantastic customer service to go alongside it, something that they focused on from the very start.  They love to intereact with their customers and build up an enjoyable, trustworthy relationship with them so join them on twitter, facebook, pinterest and instagram.

Some of my personal favourites include these gorgeous Gisela Graham ceramic door knobs.  When it comes to decorating the bedroom (next on the list!) I will probably purchase some of these for my wardrobes - I'm planning on tackling some horrid 70's veneer ones with some primer and white paint and think these would add the perfect finishing touch.  I also LOVE this cushion, I don't think it would fit in with any of my decor but I have a friend in mind that I think would love it so I might just have to go on my Christmas shopping list! And lastly... this! Which I think is just wonderful.  I will definitely be purchasing this at some point and I think it's bound to make people smile as they walk past it.  I am a bit obsessed with framed quotes and I'm constantly looking for ones that aren't super common... I think this ticks the box.

See anything that takes your fancy? Spend over £45.95 and you'll get free shipping when you use the code 'free shipping'.  Happy shopping!!

Amazing Pins #1

I basically spend hours and hours of my life browsing Pinterest.  I mainly look at the Home Decor and the DIY & Crafts sections but will often find my way browsing through various other things too, trying to get ideas for hairstyles, nails, make up looks etc.  I could genuinely gush about Pinterest forever and ever and ever.  Why did nobody think of it sooner? It's so simple, and so obvious. I was actually pretty late to this party and dismissed it for a while, I don't really know why, I probably just couldn't be bothered finding out more about it and I couldn't even tell you what it was that changed my mind but oh my... I cannot imagine that I would be doing half the things in my house if it wasn't for Pinterest - it is AMAZING.  Seriously, if you haven't signed up yet then you really really must....

Im loving these 4 at the moment!

Who knew that a peg board could look so lovely? This is in a shed.  I want a pretty looking shed! source

I love every single thing about this.  In case you don't know it's from a Mumford and Sons song and I kinda like those guys too so I would happily hang this in my house somewhere. source

I seem to have developed a bit of a thing for nails like this.  It just makes them so much more interesting and soooo pretty. source

A bench made out of pallets... look at it!! Isn't it just amazing and pretty and cute and adorable... and it's made out of pallets! Think I'm gonna have to add this one to the husband's list... source

My Pick of the Sales

So I bet your inboxes have been inundated with email after email from those pesky high street stores screaming at you to spend a little money and grab a bargain or two before it's all gone, gone, gone!

This is a few of my favourite items that have been launched into sales in some of my favourite stores.

1. This cute little denim dress is from New Look and has adorable little faded flowers all over it.  I think it would be wonderful in Autumn too and it's only £11!
2. I love this amazing swimsuit from Dorothy Perkins.  I especially love the shape and the funky colours.  If you love the print but aren't after a swimsuit then they have a couple of others pieces to choose from too, all of which are in the sale bin.
3. I feel like I need a little white dress in my life and I think this one from Miss Selfridge might just fit the bill.  I would probably purchase if it wasn't out of stock in my size, boo.
4. I love simple sandals. I especially love tan coloured simple sandals.  I believe they should be a staple in everyone's summer wardrobe and these Topshop goodies are simply perfect.
5. This H&M top has been reduced to £3... what are you even waiting for?!
6. Is there anyone who doesn't love polka dots? Dorothy Perkins have the perfect basic polka dot tee for you and if that's not good enough then there's a little exposed zip on the back to make it even better.
7. I think you're either gonna love or hate this beaded Topshop cami.  I personally think it's gorgeous and versatile and it would most definitely take me from day to night.

Week in Words

So what have we all been up to this week? I'll be annoying you every single Sunday with a list of things that I've been doing/appreciating/loving/hating.  I have stolen this idea right from Franky over at Love Audrey.  I look forward to it every week... she writes so beautifully and although I can't make my life sound as whimsical as what Franky does (although in all honestly that's probably nothing to do with my writing and probably more to do with the fact that I'm boring) I think the bullet point form might just be the best idea ever.....

So this was my week:

• Returning back to work after having over 2 weeks off recovering from a head trauma.  I felt ready to return and was glad to get back into a routine and actually have something to do with my days but I welcomed my day off today as it took a lot out of me.  I guess it'll take time.
• Using my final days off at the beginning of the week to get the living room and the staircase in order and finally get some things shifted into the loft!
• Finally  receiving my lovely lovely new laptop.  I have been without one for quite some time so I'm incredibly happy to finally have one again.  A tablet just wasn't cutting it.
• Talking through my accident with the husband and he filled me in a little bit although he doesn't like to talk about it too much! I am intrigued as I really don't remember any of it.
• I have been scouring Pinterest for bedroom inspiration.  I have finally decided on grey and white with a touch of sea foam green or duck egg blue.  Much like this blog, ha.
• Rushing to find a last minute birthday present for my little brother-in-law and finding it incredibly difficult as the toy shop was closed! I was organised and ordered him something online but they sent me the wrong product.  A pair of pink Nikes just wasn't gonna do.
• Trying to make a few life decisions.
• Feeling motivated to crack on with the decorating.
• Getting the chimney swept and feeling an itty bitty excited to be getting close to the time of year when I can sit in front of the fire tucking into a humungous roast dinner.
• Finding a pack of Haribo strawbs in the drawer and devouring them quicker than ever.
• Pulling out weeds from the strip that goes round the house and laying some tarpaulin down in the hope that this will keep them at bay.  I hate gardening!
• Painting a bedroom whilst the men laid some tiles in the kitchen floor.
• Trying to figure out Windows 8.  Face.  Palm.
• Having easy dinners because I've been feeling rather uninspired this week.
• Wishlisting a lot of clothes.  Both for me and for him.  I might even be encouraging to buy a few.
• Catching up with family and friends.
• Craving some reeeal good burgers.