Old Friends Are Gold

Happy Friday, we survived another week! I hope it was a good one for you. As you may already know, I like to post a quotation on a Friday to give you (and me!) a little weekend inspiration. I thought this week as well as giving you a little quotation about friendship I would also dedicate this post to my dear friend Rosie. Rosie and I have been friends since school, which means we have known each other for coming close to (whisper it!) 20 years. That's a lot of tears, laughter, embarrassing stories, breakups, weddings, birthdays and babies.

She has two boys under the age of three (and a husband, and a dog!). Her youngest boy is almost exactly the same age as baby Joe - it was so fun being pregnant together last year, and has been invaluable to share the experience of our babies' first year since then, and now we are not only fellow mummies but blogging partners in crime too!

 Rosie is one of those people who really doesn't realise how amazing they are. She got a FIRST (wowza!) in business at university, then trained and worked as a professional florist, then a youth worker and now she is running an Etsy business as Rosie and The Boys selling her her paper cut artwork. As you can see from these photos, her designs are so beautiful and intricate, I really love them and am in awe of her talent and determination in developing her business and her blog.

One of the advantages of having a florist for one of your best friends is that when you get married they offer to do the flowers for you! At least, if they are Rosie they do... I absolutely loved my wedding bouquet and we had so much fun going to the flower markets early in the morning and buying all the flowers. Rosie went the extra mile gathering cow parsley from the hedgerows and honeysuckle from her own garden for the bouquets. The end result was totally dreamy and exactly what I had hoped for.

Rosie works harder than I think I would be capable of, while also raising her two adorable sons. She gives so much to her friends and family, is involved in her local community, and is one of the most moral and honourable people I have ever met. No-one deserves success in business (and life) more than her. I love the fact that I can use this blog to share Rosie's work with you, and hopefully get her wider recognition. If you would like to find out more, then hop straight on over to her blog, her Etsy shop, her Twitter account or her Facebook page. I also think it is always worth taking a moment to remember the value of true friendship, it really is rare, and precious when you find it, and something to treasure.

Have a great weekend!


PS. Not sure who originally came up with the Silver and Gold quotation, do you know?

Collect Champagne Corks

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my little collections over the next few weeks. I love collecting things, and have all sorts of little collections on the go. It gives me some focus when I am shopping at charity shops and car boot sales, and collections can make great displays for your home.

I thought I would start with my collection of corks. I know this sounds completely tedious, but they are not just any old corks! I like to keep champagne corks from any time we have a special occasion - a wedding, a birthday, New Year's Eve, a new baby. I write on the cork to remind me when it was from and keep them in this great vintage tin. Looking through reminds me of so many special times gone by. It may be unusual but I love my cork collection!

What do you keep? How do you store and display your collections?

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Nan style!

Hi, how was your Monday? OK I hope. Normally I like to post a DIY project on Monday, but this weekend we've been away the whole time visiting family for Joe's first birthday celebrations. We had such a lovely time seeing loads of family and friends, but I think all three of us were glad to get home today.

Anyway, with so much going on I haven't made anything this weekend, but I did pick up a load of home style inspiration while staying at my husband's nan's (that's grandma, foreign friends!) house last night. I know Dan and his family will laugh if they read this post, seeing his nan held up as a style icon, but honestly, she has so many lovely things that wouldn't look out of place in a super-hip vintage shop. I'm sure she would be as surprised as anyone to see her tupperware cupboard on a website!

Seeing these way cool objects at Dan's nan's house reminded me that while vintage sellers are great at picking out individual items and putting them in a context where you can suddenly see them as cool rather than grannyish, if you get your eyes tuned in you can find design inspiration in the most unlikely places.

I hope this post inspires you to keeps your eyes peeled this week - and to visit your nan!

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When life hands you lemons...

...Put them in the vintage enamel basin you bought at a jumble sale! I bought lots of cheap lemons today at the market, I'm really excited about recipes for making preserves out of them! I'm thinking: lemon barley water, or limoncello, or lemon curd, or Moroccan preserved lemons... Ah the possibilities! What's your favourite way to use lemons?

My Wedding: The Rings

Hi friend!

One thing I wanted to share with you over the coming weeks was some details from my wedding. It was back in 2010 - our two year anniversary is coming up in May! When I was planning our wedding I had a very small budget and a short time frame (engaged at Christmas, married in May) so I was always looking for help and tips! I loved reading wedding blogs and sites to get inspiration, and I thought some of you might find it useful to know what I did and what I learned.

The first step after we got engaged was to buy an engagement ring. I knew I wanted a vintage ring, and while Dan insisted he wanted to pay fir it himself, I didn't want him to spend more than he could afford.  So, we went to one of my favourite local shops, the Ampthill Antiques Emporium. This place is a real treasure trove. I tried on a few rings, which was SO exciting, since we'd only got engages the night before! We picked out this ring together. It is a diamond with gold and platinum setting, and it fit me perfectly without any adjustments. I think sometimes you have to pay attention to these signs! I don't think it is super old, but I love the sparkle of the diamond, and the old fashioned style. It was priced at £95, I don't mind telling you, and the shop knocked off £5 for cash! I love my ring and remembering that special Christmas Eve when we bought it, and I love that it wasn't new or expensive. My top tip to you would be to look out for a second hand engagement ring in junk shops, antique shops and charity shops. For me, it was really important that the ring felt like us, and it is not our style to spend lots of money we don't have on fancy bling.

My wedding ring is a family ring that belonged to my Dad's grandma, and was passed down from his mum. Again, this one fit me exactly with no adjustment, and I love the fact that it is an antique and a family heirloom. I hope I will be able to pass both these rings on down my family tree one day, and love to imagine the life they must have had before me - and after! It is always worth asking in your family if there are any rings that you could use, it is surprising how often older relatives have family jewellery they have inherited tucked away in boxes and drawers, and they are usually really pleased to think these things can have a new life and mark a new marriage.

What is the story of your wedding rings? What do you think of buying them second hand?

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L is for Love It!

I just wanted to quickly show you this beautiful print that I just purchased from Rebekka Seale's Etsy shop (she also blogs at Hello Friend and has an official website as well). I found her work via A Beautiful Mess, one of my favourite blogs in the world. The funny thing was, her work already seemed familiar to me and I think that I have seen it around online - probably on Pinterest! - quite a bit before finally discovering who was behind it.

I can't decide yet whether I am going to keep this lovely print for myself of give it as a present: my sister loves anything with birds on and her name begins with S, so I originally thought I would give it to her, but I am not sure I'll be able to give it away... It's a tough call, though I always think that the harder a present is to give away, the better a gift it is. Check out here lovely flower prints and house portraits online, I am totally in love with all her work and I'm sure you will be too!

I love discovering beautiful new things, and I'm so excited for my order to arrive - all the way from Nashville USA. And you might remember in my last post I mentioned that I had interviewed for a job yesterday - well I just heard today that I got it, so there's lots to celebrate today!

Hope you had a great day today too,


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A Romantic Gesture

I just wanted to share these amazing tulips that my husband bought for me yesterday. I had a job interview and although it is a role I am well qualified to do (over-qualified even), I was really nervous about the interview. It was really strange to do something so professional - and have to look so smart! - after over a year off on maternity leave. I found the interview surprisingly tough, my brain felt so foggy and I felt like I rambled a bit. I was so happy to come home to these lovely flowers.

I love tulips for their amazing range of colours. They always remind me of those beautiful quiet still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. These are so unusual with their frilled edge, I really love them, and my wonderful husband. What are your favourite flowers to give and receive? What are your favourite everyday romantic gestures?

Have a wonderful day today,


PS. I should hear about the job today, wish me luck!

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