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Although I wouldn’t call myself a slave to interior trends, I love to update things on a fairly regular basis. Richard would roll his eyes at this point. I think ‘fickle’ might be a good description. But things don’t always have to cost a lot. You can always update on a budget. For example; our …
AD | I have been (or could be if you click on a link in this post) compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See the full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details. For the last four years — during the last week of July — we’ve made our …
Looking for smart living room storage for toys? Toys literally seem to be taking over our home. We’ve gone from having the ubiquitous Jumperoo — in duplicate — sitting in the corner of our sitting room; to mounds of Lego, a giant play festival food van, and loads of teeny tiny Playmobil accessories. I wrote …
There has been so much in the news about ‘sustainability’ in the last few months hasn’t there? Documentaries like Blue Planet II, showing sickening images of plastic pollution; closely followed by Stacey Dooley with her hard hitting report on cotton production and the fashion industry. I feel as though there’s been a real shift in …
Looking for an honest review of the VQ Lark? You’ve come to the right place! Working from home is something that I’m so grateful I’m able to do. I’ve been freelance for 11 years now and there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t feel thankful that I’m able to do what I …
This is a paid post with McDonalds to promote the McDonald’s character visits. Although this is a collaborative post all thoughts, words and images — as ever — are entirely my own. Through the mists of time (OK — I’m exaggerating — throughout my lifetime) there has been an unequivocal link between children’s happiness and McDonald’s. Our family …
AD | I have been (or could be if you click on a link in this post) compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See the full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details. I’ve spoken before about my love of our bed. My boy and I bought it for …
I wrote last year about finding the perfect narrow hallway bench seat for our wonky little cottage. We didn’t have to look very hard, as I found the perfect small hallway bench with storage from GLTC. The Abbeville storage bench is SO useful and a master of disguise. It works well as a little reading nook. …
Well, hurrah for the clocks going forward. I don’t think I have ever, ever been so grateful to lose an hour! This winter has felt very, very long indeed hasn’t it? That extra hour of daylight made the world of difference yesterday though. Added to the fact that spring finally seems to have sprung. At …
Is Lapland UK worth the money? I thought I’d write my Lapland review for any parents looking to book tickets. There’s no denying that it’s expensive — but is it worth it? Read on… ‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house,Every creature was stirring,As they’d all been kept awake by two very …
The first week of December has given us a bitter wind and the clearest, bluest skies. As you know, I’m not keen on the short dark days but I make an exception for the final month of the year. I love December. From the very first day — to the very last — it’s a month …
When you think of Cornish holiday cottages, what’s the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to decor? Blue. Whitewashed wood. Seaside themed accessories. Certainly not punchy brights, designer prints and funky furniture then? No. Me either. I must admit, they certainly wouldn’t be top of my ‘Cornish cottage decor’ list. So when …
I’ve gone to great lengths in the past to make sure our guests have a good night’s sleep when they come to stay. We’re lucky that the basics are already covered. Our guest rooms are on the back of the house so there’s very little traffic noise; visitors won’t be woken by lorries rumbling by in …
Disclosure: I received a set of Tetbury bedding from Bluebellgrey and paint from Farrow and Ball to style this colourful bedroom makeover. Amazing how quickly the summer has passed. It seems that no sooner as the first snowdrops appear — and we joyfully wave goodbye to the cold and grey — that we we have …
Smart storage. Does the ‘smart’ mean clever? Or does it mean dapper and debonair? Well in the case of the Abbeville Storage Bench from GLTC it means both of those things. This is one bit of furniture that’s as clever as is it good looking. The Perfect Reading Nook. When we first bought the Abbeville …
After our St Mawes adventure in February, we followed it up with another trip down to Cornwall in May. This time to Bosinver, near St Austell. I wrote a little post saying that we’d booked to go, back in September of last year, and we’d been looking forward to it for the best part of 8 …
Since we decorated just before Christmas last year, the majority of the walls in our home have remained bare; and most of our framed pictures have been stacked up on the floor, waiting to be rehung. We used to have a ‘stairway photo gallery’ going up the staircase. Dozens of black framed, black and white photographs — in various shapes …
Looking for a review of the Hotel Aiguille Percee in Tignes? Here’s what we thought. Our Trip to Tignes With Mark Warner For someone — like me — who’s never been to the mountains before, the coach journey from Grenoble airport to the ski resort of Tignes was pretty spectacular. Winding through the French Alps, looking …
February. A very short and very memorable month for me and mine. We’ve done some decorating. Been planning and getting very excited for our upcoming ski trip with Mark Warner. And, of course, we celebrated our wedding anniversary down in Cornwall; at lovely Dreamcatchers; courtesy of St Mawes Retreats. It is definitely one of the most …
I mentioned a few week’s ago that this year I’m working with Wayfair, on their Home Experts panel. My first challenge was to create a post celebrating the colour of the year ‘Greenery’ and more recently I was asked if I’d like to pick six of my favourite products, from their site, and discuss why I liked them. Definitely easier said …
So. When I wrote this post, I spent the next half an hour humming Prince’s ‘Most Beautiful Girl In The World’ — *replace actual lyrics for the above title and you’ll see where I’m coming from*. But the Pigeonhole Wall Shelf from GLTC is exactly that. The most versatile shelf. My boy had originally bagged it …
Recently, as part of their Great Little Trading Testing Team duties (literally the BEST job ever!) my little man-cubs were asked to try out the GLTC Fix It Workbench. A cool bit of kit for handy little boys and girls; especially ones like mine who regularly see their daddy using a big grown up version. The …
A couple of weeks’ ago I mentioned that we were planning to throw a Halloween party. We’d decided to make it a bit of a village affair — invite all the neighbours and their children — and decorate the house and garden in a suitably spooky manner. Although we spent hours scouring Pinterest for games and …
I wish the weather would make up it’s mind — one minute it feels as mild as spring, the next it’s Baltic. On warmer days, I’ve been sitting in my she-shed with the doors and windows open but on cooler mornings I’ve literally had a blanket around my knees as I’ve been working. To ensure I …
Since we’ve been a family of four, all of our holidays — apart from our amazing first family abroad to Sardinia in July — have been in and around the UK. Luckily, Britain is such a beautiful island and, arguably, there’s nowhere more picturesque than Cornwall. So much to do — sweet little fishing villages to explore …
I mentioned a couple of week’s ago that I was planning a dining room makeover. I’d put together a little mood-board, picked out the wall-paint and chosen a couple of bits and pieces to give the room a bit of a refresh. The room was OK before — not hideous — but it was all a …
Well, we’re very nearly reaching the close of this month and I’ve only just got around to writing my styling the seasons post. But hey. I’m consoling myself with the fact that at least I’ve done one this month!! I missed June’s completely!! I was recently sent a mini greenhouse from the lovely interiors company Rose & Grey and asked …
I thought I’d post a GLTC Bed in a Bag review; our findings might help another family. Since the boys were born, we’ve never had a proper travel cot. I hate how big and clumsy traditional travel cots are and decided to look for an alternative. So after a lot of research, we bought a …
Since the boys were born we’ve had quite a few friends and family remark that we’re ‘brave’ to have white sofas. I’m not sure if it’s brave or foolhardy but I’ve always loved pale coloured sofas. Plus, but I’ve got some top tips for keeping white sofas looking nice! I love white sofas as they work well with …
Ever wondered how to set up a gin bar at home? These days there are gazillions of Pinterest boards full of gin bar inspiration. Mine is a little more humble, but it is really lovely to have my favourite tipple in one place! Mother’s Ruin Aaah gin. They call it ‘Mother’s Ruin’ don’t they? In …
Looking for pictures of a pirate birthday party? I took more than 400 images of the twins’ third birthday at the weekend! I’ve managed to cut them down as much as I can, but you’ll still see what we got up to in the pics below. As quick as a flash, the not so ‘terrible …
Disclosure: This is an unpaid review with Nissan. We were given a Nissan Leaf to try out for a weekend, for the purposes of this Nissan Leaf review. All words, thoughts, and images — as ever — are all mine. When we think about buying a new car, there are certain things that are on the check list …
When I was a little girl, I dreamt of being an artist when I grew up. It was inconceivable that I’d be anything else, to be honest, as I spent my days drawing, painting and colouring. Then when I was a little bit bigger I studied for an art A’Level, followed by a graphic design course at art college, before finally leaving home and …
I love having friends and family come to stay and, throughout the year, our house can be so busy — and full of people — it sometimes resembles a B&B. A visitors welcome basket is a lovely thing to welcome guests with. It’s easy to put together but really makes guests feel looked after. We …
In the days when I was art-directing, my working days were busy and full of noise and laughter. I spent 15 years in a location or studio environment and the teams I surrounded myself with — made up of photographers and stylists — soon became friends off set as well as on. There was always plenty of catching up and …
The 14th colour in my spring/summer 2015 colour series is ‘Pantone Woodbine’. I LOVE this colour. It’s a little greener than it’s yellow-rich counterpart — chartreuse — and it’s one of my favourites to wear. I perhaps call it ‘olive green’ rather than Woodbine though. But hey — who am I to argue!? Leatrice Eisman from The Pantone Institute describes …
Disclosure: This is an unpaid partnership with Phoenix Yard Books. I received The One and Only Adult Colouring Books to review. All thoughts, words and images — as ever — are entirely my own. There are some things in life that I still enjoy; now I’m an adult, just as much as I did when …
A couple of weeks ago we visited the Bluestone Resort in Pembrokeshire and whilst we were there, had a day out at an amazing tourist attraction called Folly Farm. It’s located close to Tenby so brilliantly close to Bluestone and a must-see if you’re ever down in that neck of the woods. Whilst it’s name would suggest …
