Sunday Best - Spooky Makes

Sunday Best this week is inspired by last minute Halloween crafty projects...and Halloween snack making. I'm not going to a Halloween party this year but might be tempted to make some little treats for any Trick or Treat visitors we may receive. I thought I'd share some of the tutorials/ recipes I've pinned in case they help anyone else with their last minute prep!

Sunday Best - The Bear Necessities

I'm a little bit in love with bears at the moment. They seem to be creeping into my autumn home decor and I have a bear ring...and am on the lookout for a bear necklace. Could they be the new owls? (nope...nothing is ever going to replace the owl in my heart...but they could be a close second...)

This weeks pinterest board is brought to you by the giant fuzzy guys who are so good at hugs...

Collection Crush - Nordic House

Not so much a crush on a specific collection this week...more like a crush on a whole shop. I've always loved the minimalist look and relaxing feel of Nordic Style and so when Nordic House was recommended to me I had to take a look...and am in love with pretty much everything they sell. I think my love of 'stuff' is always going to get in the way of me achieving this look, but these items would surely help (photos all from Nordic House...I don't own any of their items...yet)?

Hexagonal Tealight Holders

Mirror with Shelf

Antique Copper Cutlery

Hanging wrought iron candle holder   

Browsing their website is a new addition to my list of 'relaxing activities'. I'd love to know what you think of this Nordic style - it's a look I definitely admire - if I ever manage to conquer my clutter I may achieve it one day!

Christmas Card Challenge - Week 1 Update

Hello, hello! Last week I set myself a challenge to start making Christmas Cards in honour of World Card Making Day. Over the past week I have learnt/ remembered a few things...

1. Cross stitching takes longer than I give it credit for
2. Just because something is small doesn't mean it'll be quick to make if it still involves lots of stitches and colour changes
3. I find it hard to concentrate on anything other than self pity if I have a bit of a cold (pathetic..seriously...I'm pathetic)
4. I love finishing projects, no matter how big or small
5. As much as I've side-eyed people who start talking about Christmas in October in the past - starting to get prepared early actually feels lovely 

So the three cards I had planned to make this week were wayyy too adventurous. I'd just forgotten how many hours can go into even the smallest of projects when it comes to cross stitch. I think I'll try some other crafting techniques (in addition to cross stitch!) over the next few weeks to help build up my card stash.

I cheated slightly this week and ended up making one card and some gift tags (I'm sure they count, right?). These were made using kits I had hanging around. I know exactly who is receiving the teddy card and I really love the Scandinavian tags - they'll look lovely with parcels wrapped in brown paper.

Here's my week 1 photo...the bear bowl in the photo is a purchase I made today in Next...a bowl with bears climbing into it...does winder home ware get much better than that? I'll blog more about my most recent Next home ware haul as soon as there is enough daylight for me to take photos!

Sunday Best - World Post Day

Did you know that today is World Post Day? I tend to find that my post these days generally consists of junk mail and bills so am vowing to try and send more positive post to see if karma means I get more exciting post in return. I did receive a particularly lovely parcel from a friend in the post this week, and it absolutely made my day...so its time to spread a little bit more of that.

I've been looking at investing in some new writing paper and have been pinning away on Pinterest, so here are some of my favourites...if these beautiful sets don't encourage me to write and post more letters then nothing will...

Collection Crush - Cath Kidston New Season

All photos from Cath Kidston

I have a bit of a collection crush for all of Cath Kidston's new prints and designs at the moment but thought I'd pick a some favourites that tie in tweed beautifully with flora;d and pinks. My favourite is definitely the tweed dress - my autumn wardrobe would be very happy indeed to have that dress hanging in it.

1. Tweed Dress

2. Mini Leather Tote

3. Norfolk Rose Wallet

4. Norfolk Rose Pleated Skirt

Bye for now! xx

That Friday Feeling...Colds and Sneezes and Sniffles...oh my!

Mug and Photo from TailoredChocolates on Etsy

It's Friday!...just in case you hadn't heard.

The weather definitely taken a turn towards the chilly this week and unfortunately that has brought with it the usual range of coughs and colds. I've been fighting off a virus of some kind all week which has basically meant my days have looked something along the lines of...

Wake up

Drag myself out of bed 

Crawl to work

Work

Crawl Home

Walk the dog

Sit under a blanket staring into space whilst thinking about all of the things I would rather be doing

Go to sleep

Which means I don't have an awful lot to share this week for my Friday Feeling! I've been sat here staring at my laptop for 30 minutes trying to think about the awesome happenings of the week.

Then I realised that it shouldn't always be the awesome happenings or 'best things ever'. Sometimes it can be the little things that bring a smile in an otherwise slightly grumpy week.

So here's my top 5 favourite things from this week...

1. The evening walks with the puppy and the hubby - yes, it's getting darker but I'm loving wrapping up in warm clothes and walking until it's dark
2. Hubby trying to make me a drink with my Dolce Gusto, which was supposed a Chai Latte but was actually half a caramel chococino and half a chai latte due to a pod mix up...and actually tasted alright
3. Gathering Christmas catalogs from the shops and choosing what to buy. I have been truly sucked into the Christmas marketing machine this year. I'm planning already and am literally itching to put up a Christmas tree. I'm telling myself it's because I'm too tired to resist!
4. Avocado on toast with sea salt and chili flakes - because it's literally the easiest and yummiest breakfast/ lunch/ dinner and has saved me on several occasions when I didn't feel like eating due to my cold...because trust me, it's going to take something pretty major to put me off that taste combo!
5. Lovely chats with lovely people - err...probably don't need to explain this one but have just had a few moments this week where I've realised just how lovely people can be (cheesy, but true)

So this weekend I'm planning to get back on track with some of my crafty plans, have some quality time with loved ones and catch up on some sleep....rock n roll my friends, rock n roll.

Whether your weekend is wild or serene, I hope it's a good one and I'd love to hear about some of the little things/ moments that have brightened up your week!

Bye for now!

Stationery Haul - Sainsbury's

I do love a mini stationery haul. I think its my most favourite type of shopping spree. I stumbled across the most beautiful selection of Stationery in our local Sainsbury's Supermarket and thought I'd share it here. If you live in the UK and have a Sainsbury's near by I'd definitely suggest a visit if you're looking for a stationery hit...the items I bought are the tip of a rather beautiful iceberg!

First is this lovely weekly planner...

It has the perfect layout inside for planning blog posts, so that's what I'm using it for. It has each week planned out and then a really useful space for writing notes and a 'to do'list..pretty and functional...perfect!

I also bought a cute little address and birthday book. Address books seem unnecessary in modern times and yet I love writing out addresses in a new book and knowing the next time I sit down with it will probably be Christmas card writing time!

The last thing that ended up in my basket was a pack of three washi tapes. The glittery gold tape is so pretty. And even better...it has a coating which means that it doesn't shed glitter everywhere.

Might have to start doing my weekly food shop at Sainsbury's ... just because of their food selection of course...nothing to do with the stationery.

Yeah....right!

Bye for now xxx

Sunday Best - Cocktail Hour

Etsy are getting rid of treasuries, which makes me really sad. I've loved Treasuries since I first discovered Etsy, and always enjoy rooting through and finding items I want to put on my own Treasuries.

The removal of treasuries will change how I do my 'Sunday Best' posts. Instead, I'll be posting my new pinterest boards to show things that have been inspiring me that week.

I've been neglecting pinterest lately, so this will be a nice way of getting back to doing some pinning and tracking things I love.

It does mean the items are likely to be from a range of shops - not just Etsy.

Anyway...without further ado, here's my new pin board for this week. I'm hoping to have a little cocktail party soon (ha ha ... sorry...I just realised how old it makes me feel to say I'm having a Cocktail Party)...and here is some inspiration I found for items I'd love to use and recipes I'd love to make...

World Card Making Day...and a Challenge!

Today is World Card Making Day, a day dedicated to encouraging people to make cards rather than going for the mass produced market. It has inspired me to have a go at making my Christmas Cards this year. It's something I promise myself I'll do every single year...and then before I know it, it's the 20th December and I haven't made/ posted a single card. I'm determined to change that this year so I'm setting myself a goal. I don't actually send that many cards each year, so my goal is that between now and the 10th December I'm going to try to make three cards each week, so I should have 30 in total. That's more than enough, and any left over I'll either save for next year or donate to charity.

My plan is to cross stitch most, if not all, of the cards, and I have soooo many free kits from magazines to make, so that's my first focus.

I don't think for a second that my blog has enough of a readership to start this as a 'proper' challenge with other people participating, but if you're out there and would like to give this a try too, let me know...I think I'm going to need some motivation to stop me getting distracted and making anything and everything but Christmas Cards!!

I'll do weekly updates of where things are with my card making challenge...wish me luck!

Bye for now!

Collection Crush - Paperchase Woodland Tails

I haven't been a fan of any Paperchase ranges for the last season and although my bank balance has been pleased, I have really missed having a Paperchase range to drool over. That has changed with their new Woodland Tails range. If features a whole host of animals with a woodland theme, so it's no surprise I love it! I was very spoiled on my birthday and friends at work got me a few pieces from this collection which I absolutely adore. I thought I'd share a few other pieces of the collection which I love, although I have to say that every single piece is so pretty...

1. Pencil Case

2. Rabbit jar of paperclips (this is my favourite!)

3. Padfolio

4. Glasses case

This was definitely my most challenging collection crush so far...narrowing it to 4 items was tough! 

Bye for now xx