Do you ever find a temporary solution to something and then realise six months down the line that you’re temporary solution has become a permanent fixture? That’s what happened with Maggie’s laundry bin. Wow that sounds like a dull way to introduce a post but I’ll continue anyway.
So in my previous behind the screen post I touched on sleep training Maggie and how it had made a big difference to our life. It’s the kind of topic that would have bored me to death pre-baby so I was never planning to write a post about it but so many people asked how we’d gone about it and what method we’d followed that I thought it probably did deserve a post. If you’re like ‘pre-baby me’ then you have my full support in stopping right here and skipping on to some more interesting content but I remember all too well searching for posts on the topic when I was at the end of my tether, so who knows, it might be helpful for some.
2018 sees us bringing the outside in with more than just house plants, now extending to materials like concrete, terrazzo and terracotta. I happen to be a big fan of the earthy tone and texture of terracotta and how it can so easily soften a minimal and predominantly monochrome space. It doesn’t take much of a keen eye to notice how much I love clay. Peruse the blog for more than five minutes and you’ll realise that lots of my tutorials are based around this versatile material. I happened to come across terracotta air dry clay and thought why not give it a whirl and make some minimalist candle holders. It may also have a teeny bit to do with the fact I just broke my most recent candle stick holder (sob, sob).
When we moved it was a bit of a novelty to have a hallway. In our previous flat the front door led straight into the kitchen/ living room and as a welcome the first thing to your right was the bin as we couldn’t fit it in the kitchen. Charming I’m sure you’ll agree. In our current flat we actually have a decent sized hallway with a decent sized cupboard to store away coats, shoes, the hoover etc and yet it still became the dumping zone for coats, shoes and, well the hoover a lot of the time. It’s also been home to our buggy for the last six months. While the bassinet fitting was still on we couldn’t fold it up with ease but now that phase has passed (sob, sob) and we’re onto the next fitting we have more space to play with in the entrance. So having not given this space much attention at all I thought it was time to right that wrong and create a welcoming and practical entrance to our flat.
Last time I shared how I prepped to keep running my business with a newborn and this time I’m sharing the reality. So how did it all pan out eh? As the bible says, it’s good to make plans but we have to be prepared for them to change and shift in line with God’s will rather than our own. You can’t really predict these things, only prepare as far as you can. It turned out I didn’t really take much of a break from work at all but then perhaps that isn’t surprising knowing what I’m like. I had my ‘out of office’ email on for the first two weeks, while Nick was on paternity leave but I must confess I did check them most days and replied to some that seemed most urgent. I chuckled to myself the other day when I remembered even chatting to Nick about strategies to promote my workshops whilst recovering in the birth centre, a mere day after Maggie’s arrival. I’m not entirely sure what planet I was on but I would love to have been a fly on the wall for how that conversation went when we’d both barely slept for 48 hours! I’m such a joker. Anyway any Mum’s out there can testify that you’re sort of floating in some bizarre outer body state for the first week at least and I had no real clue what day of the week it was or even the time of day to be honest.
plates | brass cutlery | placemats | vase
I realise that Mother’s Day is at different times in different countries but for us Brits it’s nearly upon us which always feels like quite a shock when February is such a short month! To get geared up I thought I’d lend you a helping hand with some table styling inspiration, a recipe and a free printable card. That’s Mother’s Day sorted, right?! Mother’s Day is one of those loaded occasions that can be wonderful and yet can also be so painful for those who have lost babies, struggled to become Mother’s or even lost their own Mum’s. I’d imagine it’s a reflective time for many and yet it’s still worth making a fuss of Mama’s for all they pour into raising and supporting their children for however long that’s been, short or long. It’s probably a little cliché but let’s be honest, women mostly celebrate with cake so I adapted a very simple Nigella recipe, bought some meadow flowers and whipped out the table cloth (my Mum wouldn’t actually approve as she’d be wanting to take an iron to it straight away).
Well, I’m a working Mum. I never thought I would be and in all honesty didn’t really want to be, at least not straight away and yet here I am and it’s sort of just happened. People keep on asking how I do it all with a teeny baby and how do I seem so productive so I thought I’d share my experience. Having said that, as always I’ll add in the disclaimer that I’m no expert and I’ve only had one newborn but within that I still have a story to share. I also want to add before we begin that although I’m very positive about the experience so far, there have been tough parts, particularly when work and Maggie are throwing me curveballs at the exact same time…double trouble! I really have come to grasp the talked about notion of the ‘juggle’ and I’m sure I will get to know it even more as she grows up. I’ve split this blog post into two halves as once I start writing these kinds of posts I never stop! Rather than bombard you with a short novel as I have in the past I’ve broken it down into ‘The Prep’ and The Reality’.
Open plan room | hardwood nesting plates | rattan tall lampshade | textured bedding | hand thrown stoneware fruit bowl | mixed wooden lampshades | rattan chair | embellished throw
A key trend for interiors this season is a playful mix of textures, with an emphasis on a hand-crafted look. I’ve found myself drawn more an more to furniture with a natural feel like rattan or wicker, tactile pottery and ceramics along with a mix of textured textiles, whether it’s tassel, woven, knotted, macrame or tufted details. Some of these things have been popping up in my home over the last year, as I feel it makes a space a bit more homey. If you keep the colours muted then the focus is on the mix of textures and won’t make a room feel too busy. I love the pieces in my home to look handcrafted even if I can’t actually afford them to be but that’s not necessarily an issue when the high street are offering all sorts of lovely options to suit smaller budgets right now.
This post has been a long time coming! For a while I’ve had a lot of very sweet people asking where Maggie’s clothes are from on Instagram and whether I’d do a blog post on her style. It has to be said I have a lot more fun dressing her than myself and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the first things on my mind when we were told we were having a girl. Ooo the outfit possibilities!
Well what d’ya know, Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I’m not sure how but I thought I’d use it as a good excuse to share one of my favourite recipes with you all. I’m honestly sat here racking my brains, trying to remember how we spent last Valentine’s Day but I really can’t. We often cook a nice meal for each other but I would have been in the dark, nauseous first trimester abyss, so I’m sure a big meal was the last thing on my mind. Anyway this totally doesn’t have to be for Valentine’s Day or even Galentine’s day. I tend to find any excuse to whip up these delicious treats but they do happen to make a nice alternative to shop bought chocolates for feb 14th. Did I mention they take barely any time at all to make?