2014: Things Are Looking Up!

Well, so much for "staying the course"! No new posts since 19th February makes me rather sad! However, much in my work life has changed since I wrote that, which should have a very positive effect on this blog. Let me explain.....

My previous job was in a beautiful little village out in the Warwickshire countryside called Hampton-in-Arden and although I loved working in a real, chocolate box place with a lovely team, it was a nightmare to get to. Think: on a bad day, my round-trip (and costly) commute was 3 hours, all for a (temporary, no less!) job which didn't pay too well. Fast forward to the end of March and I landed a new, permanent job within the legal sector which is 2 and a half miles' walk from home! No travel time, no travel costs and suddenly my world has opened up! This might sound like an exaggeration, but it's truly not! I now leave home at 8.30am, have an hour's lunch in the centre of the city and if Matt picks me up I am home for 5.45pm: a mere 15 mins after leaving the office! Last Friday, Matt and I met for lunch and we had tapas in a cafe/deli around the corner from work (Home Cafe - pricey but nice food, especially the calamari); last night we went for dinner at a pub/diner we have been meaning to try (The Rose Villa Tavern - great look, sadly the food and cocktails were mediocre at best) and we were home for 7pm! I'm not tired and stressed all the time and I'm having the chance to make new memories and have new experiences with Matt again. I feel like a new person :)

Over At My Place : Emerald Green and Kelly Green

I absolutely love emerald green and kelly green. I think they're such fresh and fun shades of green and I never get tired of seeing them. As far as I'm concerned, these kinds of punchy, bold green is under-used on furniture or even as accent colours, despite being Pantone Colour of the Year for last year and looking amazing with both navy and warm metallics like gold/brass/copper. I have a few elements of emerald green in my own living room and I'm actively adding more as and when I find them. I think these punches of colour add a little joy into what could quickly become too dour a space; with my Chesterfield chair, the Hague Blue walls and my penchant for heavy, antique or dark-painted furniture. I like to think that this colour adds a little youth to the room.

Here's my lamp with kelly green, spray-painted shade.

 I also lined it with some of my favourite wrapping paper from Fred Aldous.

 Which I then used to mount an awesome print on top of:

Lastly, I have four of these green H&M seat cushions on top of my repro Eames Eiffel chairs. They were cheap, comfy and I think pretty cute.

I also ordered a matching rug to go in front of my fireplace - will upload pics when it arrives in mid-March! Long lead times is one of the few disappointing things about ordering from cheap and cheerful H&M.

Furniture Upcycling: Edwardian Chest of Drawers

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that one of my favourite things to do in life is upcycle furniture. I currently have a spare room full of projects in various stages of completion (finishing off a piece is not my strongpoint!) and I'm starting to think that it's almost a sickness! Anyway, I recently completed a chest of drawers that I'm particularly proud of, so here's the before & after.

I thoroughly cleaned the piece and gave it two coats of blackboard paint. I then did coats of matt varnish and added the emerald glass knobs before adding green chevron paper as drawer liners.

I love it and it's going to be hard to part with, but she'll be going in my online shop once I get everything up and running!

Style Crush: Terrariums

Terrariums are so very cool at the moment and if you follow interior design trends, you've probably been aware of them for 2 to 3 years; but they've really blown up recently. I love a good terrarium, especially one that's a bit quirky or is in a glass/brass combo vessel. I LOVE me a little brass. I've decided to have a go myself at making one (really, how tricky can it be?) but in the mean-time, here are some gorgeous inspiration pics:

You can buy these on Etsy courtesy of the wonderful ABJ Glassworks

I think my original obsession was kicked off by this post on The Brick House in 2010 - they look fab and eminently do-able!

Staying the course

Well, it's been almost 4 months since I last blogged which is not acceptable! I spend so much time on the internet reading other people's blogs and reading interior design/lifestyle e-magazines but don't have the time or inclination to update my own? Not cool! I've decided I'm going to make a real, concerted effort to update this blog at least 3 times a week, no matter what else is going on in my life...... and there's a lot coming up! Namely, my wedding on 20th September. As if that wasn't enough, it's a big year in other ways: My Mum & Dad got married last month after 30-odd years together (!!!); I turn 30 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) a week today; I'm determined to take a step forward in my career this spring, rather than the steps back (however well-intended) I seem to have taken lately; and a couple who are very important to me are going to be parents later this year.... I'm a grown-up whether I like it or not! I figure I might as well start putting more time and energy into the things that I love as I enter my thirties; who knows where this will have led me by the end of the decade, eh? :)

Plus, with a view this pretty, I should be writing here every chance I get.........

Christmas Inspiration: John Lewis and The Queen of Crafts

So this morning I generously received a package of Ideal Home magazines from my partner's Mom and Aunts which I'm yet to properly dive into; but I did pull out the John Lewis Christmas catalogue and a catalogue from a company I'd never heard of called The Queen of Crafts. Suffice to say that I've spent the last hour or so poring over them both and getting massively inspired!

As a rule, I find lots of inspiration from the John Lewis catalogues, even though I largely can't afford the price tags! However, the Christmas decor is much more accessible and if you are lucky enough to snaffle the leftover Christmas stock in the January sales, all the better! This is how we bought our JL Christmas tree earlier this year; although if you really do want something very badly, I've found that it's best to cough up and buy as soon as you see it, as most of the JL Christmas decor sells out pretty fast.

I absolutely love the look of this mantelpiece. I already have mercury glass (well, faux!) candlesticks on either end of my mantel, along with some other mixed metals, so this look is definitely something that inspires me. Once we've re-wallpapered and I've actually been able to hang my Grandma's antique mirror so I can decorate the whole mantel, this will be what I'm going for.

I am so sad that I owned a mercury glass tree just like the ones in this pic, but it did not survive the move from Manchester to Birmingham :( Loving the miniature vintage mirrors, too.

I adore this sunburst- style bauble! I think it will really tap into the art-deco themes in our living room and add a bit of glitz.

Since our Christmas tree is shaped like an actual tree rather than a Nordic Christmas tree, I thought these birds and feather wreaths would add a nice touch of glam.

If I had gone for more of a Mid-Century modern vibe in the living room then I would be drooling over this pic for days at a time! Love, love, love the pops of colour!

 If I had a different type of home, such as a Victorian terrace or a cottage, these two pics would be major inspiration. However, as we live in a 1930s flat, I really feel that our home should reflect elements of that style but re-interpreted in a modern and comfortable way. Maybe one day we'll have a cosy little home where I can feel comfortable going slightly more rustic and traditional; for now I'll enjoy our airy and quirkly art-deco home :)

So, on to The Queen of Crafts. Firstly, I cannot believe I've never heard of this company. Even just looking through the short catalogue, I've seen so many products that I have previously struggled to source without paying the earth and I'm thrilled to have found it. 

The whole catalogue is an inspiration and if you're even the teeniest bit crafty, you'll find something to love. Equally if you're a serious crafter, it won't disappoint, although the range is more limited than say Fred Aldous. 

My personal picks for Christmas crafting from The Queen of Crafts are as follows:

Set of 6 Mini-Glass Blank Baubles

The possibilities are endless with these and you can really tailor them to your decor! Plus, the price is great :)

Blank Paper-Mache Christmas Tree

Again, a product that you can totally customise yourself! I definitely plan to get at least one of these for the mantel.

Set of 6 Blank Glass Ornaments

I love these and have been searching for the longest time for a set that won't cost £30! For £9.99 I'm definitely buying these, but I think I'll use them for a mobile/chandelier I'm going to craft. Watch this space :)

On that note, I'm off to dive into the magazines!

Style Crush : Vintage Mirrors

One thing I've been dying to do for a while is create a wall of vintage mirrors and I'm finally getting to do it! So far I've bought five assorted vintage bevel edge mirrors from eBay to go with the one I was allowed to take from my late Grandmother's house, and I'm hoping to achieve something akin to the following:

Source: theoldpaintedcottage.com via Tina on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

We've not decided exactly where this wall will be; I guess wherever we need to bounce around some extra light and where the mirrors can be appreciated.