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Five on Friday

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I cleared out my old nail polishes and stocked up on a new colour (Smokin’ Hot by Essie – in a gorgeous deep grey with purple undertones) as well as a fast dry top coat by Morgan Taylor called Need for Speed

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It’s half term this week so on a rainy afternoon the children and I made these yummy Daim biscuits (as well as an almighty mess in the kitchen but these babies were well worth it)

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I finally booked tickets to go and see the Isabella Blow exhibition Fashion Galore! at Somerset House. I’m going with a friend next Saturday – the day before it ends, talk about cutting it fine!

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My tulips from Valentine’s Day are still with us (just about). I saw a tip on the Internet which said that putting them in ice cold water made the flowers last longer. It seems to have worked.

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I’ve also been decanting my kitchen staples like flour, sugar, pasta etc into glass jars (mostly from Ikea) and labeling them with these cute chalkboard labels from Not on the High Street. Looks so much better than lots of half full bags and packets spilling stuff everywhere.

Happy weekend everyone! X

Currently Coveting #17: The Many Shoes of Carrie Bradshaw’s Closet

Posted in Currently Coveting, Fashion, Interior by

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As soon as I saw this poster on the fabulous Stalking Beauty blog, I knew I HAD to have it. As any Sex and the City obsessive will know, Carrie Bradshaw’s amazing shoe collection played almost as big a role in the series as the star herself. To me, nothing has replaced Carrie and her gang for pure fashion indulgence (Gossip Girl came close, but still not a patch on the weekly sartorial feast that was SATC) and I still regularly watch my favourite episodes on the box set.

In an ideal world, this poster would hang in my own spacious walk-in closet complete with shelves heaving with Manolos and Jimmy Choos. Sadly, that is but a dream (for the moment at least!) so I will have to find another place for it when it arrives. Wherever it goes I am sure it will provide me with daily inspiration…

A Whiter Shade of Pale

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Some of you may already be aware of my obsession with white interiors – in theory at least, the reality is probably not so practical with small children and their sticky fingers! I love this stylish apartment with its bright and airy feel and little touches of pink – another of my favourite colours. The Liv lamp by Jonas Bohlin which hangs in the bedroom is a piece that I’ve been coveting for ages but at £500 I don’t think it will be moving in here anytime soon! Not to mention the Eames chairs, Smeg fridge and Asplund sideboard – a girl can but dream…

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All pictures from Hemnet.se

Linked In

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Links I love

Everyday I’m stumblin’…Here are few links that I’m loving at the moment:

1. The older I get the less bothered I am about keeping up with the latest fashion trends so I was relieved to read that not falling victim to fly-by-night trends is one of the seven habits of highly stylish people! Find out what the other six are at StyleCaster

2. 16 Signs You’re A Little (Or A Lot) Type A. I’m not entirely proud that I read this article with a pang pf recognition. Just about all of those points apply to me, especially the sleeping (or lack of it) and worrying too much about things that may never happen

3. We’re in the process of upgrading our eldest son’s room to make it more suitable for a pre-teen. Out go the pirate cushions and in come these cool headphone bookends.

4. My default hairstyle when I’m not wearing it down is a messy bun or a simple braid but this week I’ve been trying out this cute dutch braid. Find a step-by-step tutorial here

5. How To Make Your Child Feel Special With Just 3 Magic Words .This article is a must-read for any parent out there. I’m a strong believer that you should not need to raise your voice in your own home but sometimes that’s easier said than done and life coach Lisa Parkes shows parents how to transform screaming to peaceful.

6. Great art doesn’t have to break the bank. We recently renovated our downstairs cloakroom and while I love the monochrome colour scheme the walls were looking a bit bare so I’ve ordered this limited edition print by Dutch fashion illustrator Judith van den Hoek from Swedish website Arte Limited.

Happy Weekend!

Posted in Family Life by

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Saturday morning: coffee in bed while the children play downstairs. No school uniforms, packed lunches or getting out of the door by 8.30am. Now that I’m working again, weekends are even more precious – two whole days to recuperate, relax and gather our energies for next week.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! X

This Week’s Favourites

Posted in Family Life by

I just sat down to write my weekly round up post and realised I only had four pictures (and none of them of actual people!) from this past week! I guess now that I’m working four days a week and not out and about so much, there aren’t so many photo opportunities (let’s face it, pictures of me hunched over the laptop with a cup of coffee are not that interesting).  It doesn’t help that it’s January – the month which is renowned for being devoid of social engagements – so hopefully things will pick up in the next few weeks. My mood has finally lifted over the weekend and I feel much more positive going into the new week – going for a run yesterday morning really helped so I’m planning to fit in a couple of sessions at the gym this coming week to try and hold on to those happy endorphins!

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I found this book in my bedside cabinet – I can’t remember where I got it but it made for entertaining reading on a train journey into London for a meeting this week. The book was first published in 2006 so some anecdotes were a bit out of date but it gave some interesting insights into the fashion industry.

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It finally stopped raining and the weather got cold (and sunny) enough for me to wear the Ugg boots I got for Christmas. I love Uggs – so warm and comfortable!

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Friday night TV dinner – spaghetti carbonara with a side salad and a nice glass of red – in front of Breaking Bad, of course. We’re now on the last series – what will we do when it’s all over? I’m hoping the second season of House of Cards is out soon…

I had planned to go to the movies with a friend last night to see American Hustle but we left it too late and when we tried to book online all three cinemas near us were sold out. We will have to try next weekend instead.

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A trip to Ikea was on the agenda today, to buy a new shelving unit for my eldest son’s room, storage boxes and all the other usual bits and pieces that magically seem to jump into our trolley every time we visit the Swedish superstore. I was fairly restrained today it has to be said as we’re still feeling the pinch from the Christmas blowout…

It’s almost 8pm so time to round up the kids (who are still downstairs riding the wave of that second wind of energy they seem to get as soon as bedtime approaches) and try to get them into bed. I’m determined that our mornings this week will be a lot more pleasant than they were last week…

Happy Sunday to you all! X

 

Interior Inspiration: House Doctor Spring 2014

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The house is looking quite bare now that the Christmas decorations have been taken down and packed away for another 11 months. So what better time to give your home a little facelift as we move (slowly but surely) into spring? The new catalogue from Danish brand House Doctor, aptly named Everyday, features a beautiful collection of furniture, lighting and decorative objects. Some new lampshades and cushion covers along with a bit of greenery in the form of potted plants and fresh flowers would spruce up my home no end.

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This Week’s Favourites

Posted in Family Life, This Week's Favourites by

I guess I’m not alone in feeling slightly down in the dumps tonight as two weeks of Christmas holiday and family time draw to a close. Tomorrow the kids go back at school and preschool and I’m back at work (luckily I work from home so no commuting in the rain). It does feel like we’ve had a proper break and, although I don’t relish the thought of having to drag the children out of bed at 7.15am, hopefully we all have a bit more energy than before the holidays.

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We kicked off this week with a trip to Hampton Court ice rink. The boys did really well, ice skating in the pouring rain and howling wind, and were rewarded with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream afterwards.

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Rain, rain and more rain meant that indoor activities were mostly on the agenda this week. Luckily there were lots of new Christmas toys and games to keep us busy like this ice cream play dough set:

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I didn’t manage to take any pictures at all on New Year’s Eve. We were invited to a party at a friend’s house but as Clemmie had a cold she and Daddy stayed at home while the boys and I went for a couple of hours. All the kids were tucked up in bed well before midnight and the hubby and I gave the televised Big Ben countdown a miss and watched a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad instead. Does it get any more rock n roll?

The highlight of my week was without a doubt our trip into town last night to see the English National Ballet performance of The Nutcracker. With the children safely deposited at the grandparents, we took the train up London just the two of us, for the first time in ages. The weather had brightened up so we went for a walk around Covent Garden, taking in all the festive decorations like the giant red baubles..

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..and the massive Rudolph complete with shiny red nose.

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We had dinner at Balthazar, which opened its London outpost a few months ago.

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Delicious food and a glass of bubbly to set the mood..

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..before we made our way to the Coliseum for the performance.

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I saw The Nutcracker a few times as a child but my husband had never seen it before. We both agreed that it was a great night out and I’m sure we will go to the ballet again in the not too far future.

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As we had some time before our train, we decided to walk across the bridge to Waterloo Station…

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..and I was reminded of how much I love this city and how lucky we are to have all that it offers right on our doorstep.

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Today has been spent taking down the Christmas decorations, hoovering up thousands of pine needles (those things get everywhere! I’m sure I’ll still be finding some under the sofa come June), and getting the boys’ bags ready for school. With the alarm set for 7am, I’m going to have a cup of tea and some chocolate (no need to rush into the January healthy eating regime!) in front of the TV before heading off to bed. Wish me luck for tomorrow morning! X

Add a Scandinavian Touch to your Home

Posted in Interior by

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As some of you may have gathered by now, I am a big fan of Scandinavian design, both for the wardrobe and the home. So you can imagine my excitement this week when I discovered a new interior website stocking beautiful vintage pieces as well as some of my favourite Scandi brands, including House Doctor, Tine K and Ferm Living. Design Vintage has a store in Brighton as well as an online shop selling all manner of wonderful things to spruce up your abode.

Here are some of my favourites:

1. Industrial desk lamp by House Doctor DK, £150

2. Pink Bambi bedding for a cot or cot bed from Scandinavian designers By Nord, £44

3. Set of three large storage boxes by Tine K Home, £35

4. Zinc wire mailbox by House Doctor, £14.95

5. Dragonfly porcelain votives from Bloomingville, in three different designs, £8.95 each

6. Dark grey and white tie-dye cushion by House Doctor, £35

This Week’s Favourites

Posted in Family Life by

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My lovely husband offered to wash up even though he cooked dinner so I’m earlier than usual with my ‘weekly favourites’ post. It’s been a great week – busy but not stressful – and even though there are only nine (!!) days until Christmas I feel quite organised and in control (a definite first for me!). So without further ado here is the roundup I know you’ve all been waiting for!

1. I finished off the last Christmas shopping this week and of course no trip into town is complete without a Gingerbread latte at Starbucks to keep the energy levels up.

2. Cameron’s school Christmas concert was a delight: the children looked angelic and sang so beautifully it almost brought a tear to my eye!

3. Casper was not to be outdone and sparkled as Roman in his school nativity the following day.

4. As I mentioned in my last post we have put up all the Christmas decorations and I’m already dreading taking them down in the new year. January and February are my least favourite months and the house always seems so dark and dreary when the Christmas lights are packed away.

5. The little nativity set is a favourite with the children who love playing with it and moving the figures around. I don’t mind as long as it all stays on the mantlepiece!

6. The Christmas tree has a real mix of old, new and homemade decorations. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but there’s plenty of time for an immaculate tree when the children have grown up.

7. We went to a 1960s theme party last night so I wore false eyelashes for the very first time. Luckily my friend was on hand to help with hair and makeup as I think I would have struggled to glue them on by myself.

8. All ready to go in my 60s dress bought on eBay for £20! I didn’t take any pictures at the party but there were some fabulous costumes, includng Twiggy, Audrey Hepburn and the 1966 World Cup winning England football team.

9. After last night’s party a lazy Sunday was in order. I’m trying to make more of an effort to sped one-to-one time with the boys so Cameron and I went to the cinema this afternoon to see the new Disney film Frozen (and I managed to not fall asleep!).

Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday evening! X