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.