Summer Balcony Makeover

14-6-18

Out door space in London is in short supply but amazingly we’ve been very fortunate in both our flats to have a slither for ourselves. Our first flat had a rather large rooftop terrace, all be it a bit strange as the door out was from our bedroom and then the space actually had no sides so probably not somewhere you’d want to let kids loose! Our current place has a much safer balcony but it’s much more compact and sadly has been lying dormant since we moved in. I’m not one to be afraid of heights but weirdly seeing through the railings whilst being so far up kind of freaked me out. Last Summer I was sad to see it wasted, especially as it’s south facing! I wanted a little space to eat and drink outside in the evening or to soak up some rays in the day (probably not realistic now with a baby) but I was also craving some privacy and a means of blocking out some of the horrible scaffolding from the laborious building work next door, that has been stealing our view ever since we moved in. When Out There Interiors got in touch to introduce their brand and a possible collaboration I loved what I saw and knew I had to suggest a balcony make over! They have such a huge range of products to suit so many different tastes but I particularly fell in love with their rattan collection.

Pretty Little Thing

7-6-18

Since Maggie was born I’ve often dressed her in headbands because usually she isn’t wearing particularly girly outfits or colours and so it’s the easiest way to avoid the question, ‘is it a boy or a girl?’ Having said that I’ve definitely still been asked if she was a boy whilst sporting a bow on her head but what can you do eh?! I love being able to accessorise her outfits with headbands but recently the lovely ones I’ve been using from Evie Michelle since she was born, look a tad too miniature for the size of her growing head. It spurred me on to make some larger versions but with the same soft nylon bands that are so comfy for her, not to mention better at staying on than other her head than any other type. Turns out they’re refreshingly easy to make!

A Sneak Peak of Autumn / Winter at Tesco Home

23-5-18

This post is a paid advertorial with Tesco but all opinions and some of the photography is my own. Thanks for supporting the collaborations that keep this blog going.

It’s that time of year again when the sun’s finally out and we’re embracing picnics and bare legs but meanwhile all the shops are gearing up for their Autumn/ Winter ranges. I’m not one for wishing time away but I have to say that I’m eagerly awaiting the moment I get get my hands on some of the pieces I saw at the Tesco Home press day last week! There was an array of varied styles to suit different tastes and a bargain price tag to boot which definitely left me sold. I think it’s great when style is affordable, particularly when you’re a London dweller like myself and all your money ends up going on rent with little left to actually make your home look beautiful.

Abstract Shapes: Make Your Own Earrings

2-5-18

I’ve brought you a fair few DIY earrings over the last year, partly because they’re so easy to make and secondly as we still seem to be riding the statement earring trend. A load of gorgeous abstract clay jewellery has been popping up on my Pinterest feed and I’ve really been enjoying the imperfect and slightly wonky shapes so here’s a simple and inexpensive version for you to make at home. It’s not going to be the same quality but you’ll certainly be able to make a statement. Keep on reading if you want to find out how. I’m loving speedy DIY projects like this at the moment because when you have a baby, quick makes are the way forward! Nap time activity; sorted!

Pretty, Dirty Laundry: A Nursery DIY

23-4-18

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.

Behind The Screen

13-4-18

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.

Light up, as if you have a choice

28-3-18

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).

Hallway Makeover with West Elm UK

20-3-18

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.

Behind The Screen

7-3-18

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.