Going Pink...

I have always wanted a pink and grey bedroom and seeing this beautiful picture inspired me.  When I first moved into my house one of the first things I did was paint the walls pink...it didn't look great!  I was so impatient that I painted over the wall paper, left the gross dado rail running through the middle of the wall, and picked a wood paint that wasn't quite white!  The look was pretty disastrous. 

Since then G has moved in and we've redone the room with green and grey - but the girl in me is still craving a bit of pink.

I saw this article, Pink at Brimfield 2013 and was drawn in by all the amazing vintage pink finds.

This fantastic montage of pink and grey rooms on The Pink Doormat really shows the kind of look I'm hoping for. 

 Loving this quilt from John Lewis - looks so cosy

Love the idea of these bedside lamps from John Lewis.  They have a formal office look about them but I think this would add something a bit different to the bedroom.

Finally, I've always wanted to have a nice reading area in my bedroom and I think this set up featured on Urban Outfitters website showcasing this gorgeous pintuck pillow would just go perfectly.

Favourite things...

If you had to write a list of your favourite things, would you know what to put on there?  I don't think I would.  It takes me a while to remember as it's often the smallest, quite insignificant things that make me happy and think 'Ahhh this is the best'.  This week I have had 3 of those moments and I remember how good it feels and how these are some of my favourite things.

Less of the 'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens', although that is one of my favourite films, this week is was more of 'Soft crispy bed covers and high count Egyptian cotton, brand new nail vanish and hot soup with cheese on.'

Sooooo pleased with my new bed linen from HomeSense (TK Maxx home department store) this week.  Reduced from £69.99 to £29.99! I've never bought expensive bed linen before so I love the idea that at HomeSense you can get designer, expensive bedlinen for the same price as Ikea ones.  New bed linen - Definitely a favourite thing!

Tinned tomato soup - already a favourite thing.  But add grated cheese, worcestershire sauce, croutons and pepper and a chunk of fresh bed.....EVEN BETTER!!!

Brand new nail vanish - FAVOURITE THING!  There is nothing gloopy or tacky about it.  It goes on so smoothly and straight. Amazing!!!!  Loving this Essie colour 'wikid', however I think it's still a bit too summery for such a dark colour.  I might have to shelve this colour for a month or so.

When Friends Come To Stay...

{Sunday 18th August}

We have friends round to stay fairly often and I like to make them feel special and it would be nice to think that they enjoy coming to stay.  There is nothing I like better than going to stay in a nice hotel, so it would be nice to think that our friends have a sense of 'going away' when then come and stay with us.  I am a home bird and don't really like staying at other peoples houses so I think it's important to make people feel comfortable in your home.

I think it's the small things that make a difference.  Here are some things that I think make the atmosphere a little bit more special when someone comes to stay.

Above and below:  Light candles in fireplaces, on mantle pieces, in storm lanterns on landings, and in bathrooms.  It's nice to light scented candles but make sure the fragrances don't clash throughout the house.  Some smells can be really over powering to some people so be sure not to over do it.

Make your guests feel special.  Always tidy and clean their bedroom as much as possible and think about what bed linen you use.  Nice crisp bed linen always make someone want to snuggle up and have a good night sleep.  Dress the room with some fresh flowers and then think about the little touches.  It's always nice to leave a towel out and put out someone hotel slippers or socks for your guest.  Also remember they might not always have the same bed time as you so they might be awake for some time.  Leave them a magazine or set up a TV/DVD player with a selection of your favourite films.

Plan something fun to do with your guests.  Give your evening some focus.  If you are having a BBQ why not think about having a fire pit, or have some cards or garden games at the ready. You don't want to end up just a dwindling conversation or just watching the TV.

Make sure that tea and coffee are always made available and that you are offering at regular occasions.  Or if it is a guest who is staying for a few days make sure you let them know where the tea, coffee, milk and mugs are so they feel comfortable helping themselves.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

{17th August}
I am very lucky to have a plethora of garden roses growing in the garden.  They aren't long stemmed roses so they needs a small vessel to house them - a jam jar or teapot.  I used my lovely flower print Cath Kidston teapot for the garden roses I picked last week for the living room.  Really cute little arrangement.

My pink roses in the garden tend to have slightly longer stems if you are selective when picking which allows for slightly deeper vases.  I have 2 vintage milk bottles that I bought from a flea market in Brighon.  They are perfect for little flower displays.

I love the idea of using unusual containers for my flowers and I love this idea for my shop bought rose this week - a storage jar placed on a beautiful delicate plate on our coffee table.

I love jars, wine bottles, and tea cups for flower displays.  It would be great to hear what you use as vases.

Happy Saturday

Life is the flower for which love is the honey

Nothing dresses a room better than freshly cut flowers, whether in a glass vase, jam jar or tea pot.  There are so many things you can do with flowers, but for me, simple is better.

I'm not overly keen on flower arrangements and prefer a vase full of the same flower.  I also find that flowers keep a lot better if you keep only one variety in each vase.

White Hydrangeas are my favourite.  I love their soft, full, heads, they just look so delicate and perfect.  I find you can get 3 stems from a florist for about £5 and they tend to last about 2 weeks.  I found the key to Hydrangeas is only giving them about an inch of room temperature water and changing this every other day.

They aren't particularly fragrant but they do look beautiful.

Frame of mind

{18th July 2013}

I have always loved the way that you can group pictures together on a wall in a collage.  I think if you get it right it just makes a wall pop.  The above image is the collage wall that I have at my parents house, I was firs inspired to do this about 5 years ago after seeing the idea in a changing room in Monsoon.  It used to look so good, and over time I have taken frames away and it has diminished.  I to get this looking beautiful again so that I am inspired when I return home.

The main plan is to also create a collage wall in our living room for our wedding items.  We have the letters 'N' '&' and 'G' and a gorgeous coordinates print that my sister bought us as our engagement present which will fit perfectly on a collage wall.

Now for some of the collage walls that I am taking as inspiration....

Collage wall in Blackbird Tea Rooms, Brighton