a neat little shop + Sian Elin

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Friday 28 February 2014



I recently discovered Sian Elin and her amazing collection of textiles, wallpapers and home accessories at the Top Drawer trade show back in January, and immediately knew I wanted to stock her products in my shop a neat little shop. Her gorgeous designs aim to combine simple Scandinavian styling with a bit of Eastern flair, and focus on using bold, graphic patterns inspired by architecture or motifs seen on trips to the East. I would have loved to stock her entire range, but for now I'll be stocking these 4 cushion designs below. I'm so excited!
Horseshoe Arch in Teal cushion

Inlay cushion

Large Horseshoe Arch in Grey cushion

Riad cushion



In stock on the new-look website (wahoo!) soon!!

Have a great weekend x


You + Me Heart Tee

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Wednesday 26 February 2014


Loving this heart print tee from M&S (yes, it's looks more Madewell than M&S doesn't it!). As always, you can't go far wrong with a simple grey tee, but I love the monochrome design with it. A lovely basic for spring!




Park Life

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Monday 24 February 2014

How lovely was the weather this morning?!! After a good couple of weeks cooped up indoors getting through two bouts of Chickenpox, we were all more than ready to let our hair down and burn off some energy in the great outdoors today, and feeling the sun on our faces in the park today was bliss!

Sometimes I can't believe how quickly my two are growing up... I try so hard to remember to snap these simple outings before they're a distant memory. Not everyday goes smoothly, that's for sure, and as my Grandmother told me numerous times this weekend "you must have the patience of a saint"! However I really do love being their mum!


Scooter Sam... He's crazy fast on that thing!

I really don't want this little guy to grow up anymore - stop now please!


Those of us who remember the 80s and cycling shorts know that they went out of fashion for a very good reason, yet Tabby insists on rolling up her leggings like this!


Sunshine! 
(Sorry, I really do hate selfies as they're called, but sometimes when you take all the shots, there are no photos to show you were ever there!)

What else is there to do when you're 4 other than lie about in the sand!?

Thanks Ebay!

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This amazing maxi dress from Hobbs is from around 2 years ago, but is a piece which has stuck in my mind all that time, since I fell for it's perfect pleats and cool 70s-style print. As well as a maxi dress, it came in a maxi skirt, and a shorter style shirt dress, but since any of them were something like over £70 at the time sadly they were out of my reach.

So I was more than delighted to find the maxi skirt version on Ebay and win it for £13 + P&P! It arrived today and let's just say I can't wait for the spring so I can roll out my new maxi skirt, it's perfect. I'm going to pair it with a simple white vest, and my pair of past season French Connection wooden platform sandals (similar to these below) to complete that laid back 70s look! 







New Challenge: Yoga

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Tuesday 18 February 2014


Do you ever feel like your body needs a good stretch out? I've been feeling like that for a while now, all uptight and knotty. And maybe not just my body, but my mind too. I don't know if it's just getting older and being out of shape, or if it's perhaps the stress of house hunting (we've just offered on a 3rd house, but didn't get it - damn you St Albans housing market!), but I decided yesterday evening to go along to a beginners yoga class to see if it helped.

I did pre-natal yoga whilst I was pregnant with Tabitha a few years back and I really enjoyed it. It was great for relaxation, as I was still working full-time throughout my first pregnancy, and I also thinking caring for my body a bit during that stage certainly made the birth and recovery a bit easier. 

So, with that in mind, I thought a yoga class might be just what I needed. I didn't have the best start as I ended up running late and had to hot foot it from my car to the yoga hall in order to not miss the start (hmm, what was that about needing relaxation!) but once I was in and settled it was just what I was hoping for - part stretchy work out and part zen-like relaxation. This morning I definitely ache in a few places but it kind of feels nice to be aware of my body and to have pushed myself a little. I'll definitely be going back next week :)

New Curtains

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Tuesday 11 February 2014

So at last we have our new curtains up - our made to measure curtains for our bay window for the house we've just sold! Ah well, such is life, I'm sure they'll find a new home in the next house, wherever that might be!

What do you think? I love the big pattern, and the bold pop of colour against the grey walls and our wooden chest of drawers. I'm so pleased with how they've turned out.  (I'm shockingly bad with a camera unfortunately and the afternoon light was doing me no favours, so excuse the photos!)




I'm not entirely sure the curtains sit all that well against my recently reupholstered chair, and I may move the chair to our bedroom in time, but I also kind of sign up to the school of thought that if your home is full of pieces you genuinely love, they'll sit together and work together somehow - that's what makes your style individual right!?

Also, on the top photo you can just see the collection of framed photos and prints I have behind the sofa - I have generally created a kids art corner in the kitchen where all their bits of art, etc are put up, but this self-portrait Tabitha did of herself was so cute that I said we could frame it and put it up on the wall. She was so excited, it was really sweet. Here's a couple of photos she took of it herself, she was really proud! 




Chicken Pox And The New Season At GAP

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Friday 7 February 2014

Being a mum certainly has it's ups and downs... there's good days and bad days, crazy fun days and dare I say it boring days. There are also days when I wonder if I've got what it takes! Right now Tabitha has the inevitable, but dreaded, Chicken Pox and it's heartbreaking watching her break out in spots all over her body and not being able to do much to help. She's itchy and grumpy and understandably fed up, and in turn as we're all stuck in the house under quarantine, we're all fed up!

On the whole, thanks to ice lollies and disney films we're surviving the experience so far, but we're not over the worst of it yet I fear. It's probably only a matter of time too until Sam catches it. Wish me  (and my sanity) luck!

So where possible, I've been escaping into a corner with my laptop when I need a break. Despite all the rain I'm definitely sensing a change in the light at the moment and I'm getting excited about spring.  I like spring, as I think it's a time you can be more playful with your clothes. Everyone is feeling happy after the worst of the winter, and has a spring in their step (no pun intended!). Therefore with this mindset, I felt brave enough to go for these GAP jeans (which as an added bonus were in the sale at £14.99!). So far I've worn them out to dinner, with black heels and a blazer, and although I felt a bit nervous at first as they're a bit bolder than I'd normally wear, the outfit looked good. I'm also looking forward to wearing them when the weather warms up, rolled up a little at the ankle, with some sandals, and maybe a GAP essential grey v-neck tee and sunnies.



I really wanted these jeans, but they sold out too quickly. I took too long deciding if it was a trend I could pull off and I missed my chance! D'oh!


Continuing my denim craze at the moment I love this faded dip-dye shirt - I actually just got a similar one from Forever 21 which I love and have been wearing with everything. 


And then to go with all this denim I'm buying, this jumper is a great little spring find - still neutral in the grey but with a hint of colour that nods towards the warmer weather to come.


I love these stripped flats too - Madewell have had a very similar style around for a while, but as they don't deliver in the UK I've not been able to get them (plus Madewell is quite expensive for what it is), so these GAP versions are a great find. 

I'm a bit obsessed with the new GAP range at the moment, they have some great pieces. (And with 20% off until tomorrow now is a good time to check it out!)

Have a great weekend one and all... I'm going to be drinking copious amounts of tea and eating toast whilst on spot watch. There's not much of a normal routine going on around here at the moment whilst Tabby's feeling so unwell, so we're really just cuddling up on the sofa and watching a lot of films. Hey, at least it is still February and not the middle of summer after all! 

x

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