Laura and Cardiff fashion in Very Magazine

Wow really excited to be in this months Very.co.uk Magazine as part of a street style segment about Cardiff. I also contributed the Top 3 places to shop, eat and drink in the segment. It's always really fun when these kind of things happen and it's one of the lovely perks of being a blogger. My outfit is fairly typical of my style - a Nine west breton striped tee with a gifted faux-leather jacket, Max Studio trousers and Clarks brogues with a studded black bag, a sort of French inspired style with a little bit of NY street thrown in. In the feature is also two other lovely Cardiff based bloggers - Nina and Mia , do check out their blogs ...

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Monday Travel Inspiration - Arisaig

A few years back I spent a few months working in the West Coast of Scotland in two different remote villages. I talked about my trip to the Isle of Eigg last week and thought I would share some photos of my time in Arisaig, a small village with around 300 people. When I was there is had one hotel which also housed the local pub, a post office and a nice cafe. The real attraction however was the stunning landscape which never failed to inspire me. I use to take long walks and see no one for 2-3 hours, may a time I across Stags and deer and found the place incredibly peaceful. It's one of those places that I hope to visit again and take the family this time. The train from Glasgow via Fort William on the West Highland line which is famous and incredible and should be on every bodies to do list as you pass by lochs, rugged landscape, mountains and hours of countryside. In fact it was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of the travel magazine Wanderl......

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Keeping fit with your kids

t is hard to get your children interested in sport if you do not involve yourself in it as well. If you leave the decision to your child they may never pick up a sporting interest and as such could miss out on the social element, that team sports provide, and of course the fitness element which is vital to your child’s lifestyle. You want to actively encourage your child to pick up a sporting interest not force it.  Beautiful tennis rackets ( image ) Tennis is arguably the best sport to involve yourself and your child in. There are plenty of local coaches out there dying for increased membership and as a result they provide a fantastic service. With 584 calories burnt an hour from playing tennis both you and your children will have had a decent workout. If you and your child are both novices then tennis is a very good place to start, there shouldn’t be too many discrepancies between you and your child, meaning they could actually beat you and this friendly comp......

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Free range fun and beach adventure part 2

Last week we had so much fun in all the glorious fun that I simply could not fit it all into one post and  since we had more than one visit to the seaside this weeks country kids post is about our adventure to Penarth Park and Pier. Whenever we go to Penarth we park near the town centre and walk through the park first before heading down to the beach and pier. It's a lovely park with wooden sculptures, a small bird avery, pond and little play park with a hedge you can climb behind and is always popular with children.  We then headed down to the pier and had a little bite to eat followed by a ice-cream to help cool the little man down after all that running and since he doesn't get ice-cream very often it's always a lovely treat. We had only been on the Pier for around 10 minutes when we heard a a loud noise and could see part of the cliff near the pier come down, fortunately no one was hurt but it was pretty exciting to see and within about 15 min ......

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The Many uses of Velvet Fabrics

Velvet is one of those things that cannot help but conjure up thoughts of luxury in our minds. Like gold and marble, the use of velvet around the home has long been regarded as an indication of personal wealth and class. This status comes from the early 19th century when it was only the very rich that could afford such luxuries and this image of opulence has stayed with us ever since Pale Grey Velvet worked really well in this stylish and simple room ( image ) Over the years there have been many uses for  velvet fabrics . From dresses to upholstery fabric, velvet has adorned such an array of things that it can be difficult to know where to start. Embossed velvet used as upholstery fabric is still hugely popular today and embossed velvet is also enjoying a renaissance in many areas as a wall covering too. When using velvet fabric UK homeowners are no doubt searching for that image of luxury that was afforded to the upper classes back at the turn of the 19th ......

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Solving an interior challenge with a bedroom makeover

After doing a social media shout out to my followers and having a great response, I was really excited to be working with young couple Rhian and Gareth, who have only recently moved into their first home and need some help in turning their uninspiring bedroom into a place that showcases their personalities and brings a little bit more style and colour into their home. They are planning their wedding later this year and have no budget to do anything with their bedroom which made the makeover that little bit more special. I discussed with them what they wanted to achieve and we put together and inspiration board of ideas. We also discussed simple storage ideas as there was a little bit of an issue with clutter. “By simply organising books and beauty products into stylish storage cases it really makes the room feel more streamline and spacious.” Bedroom before the makeover We were really excited to see what we would find at HomeSense and went in with an open mind a......

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How to stay within budget when travelling with kids

Train trips are always fun with the little man In Mr A's three years we have already been lucky enough to do a few adventures, some short city breaks and others a week away in a rural cottage or camping at a festival and travelling with a toddler is an adventure in itself and we have learnt a lot along the way. Being savvy travellers anyway, especially when I managed to stretch £1500 into pretty much 2 years on the road I thought I would put some key tips to the test when it came to travelling with Children. Mr A and I having some high speed train fun Of course now it's slightly different not only because we have a child but because we are no longer travelling as individuals but as a family and couple. I am pretty happy to stay in backpackers or couch surfing (personally have had AMAZING experiences doing this) while John prefers more comforts and luxury but we have to be realistic and come to a middle ground that works for both of us and our son. Us out......

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Putting the fun into kids bedroom interiors

A child's bedroom should be a place of wonder and whimsy, a place where imagination can flourish and fun is the name of the game. It needs to be approached in a different way to other rooms in the house and you need to realise that it's a place to play and things don't need to be perfect. In the past two years we have gone through three house moves, renovating and redecorating and our first port of call has always been Mr A's room as it was important he felt comfortable in his space. I always get really excited when I see quirky and cool items that just screams fun but is also chic and stylish and perfect for an inspiring children's bedroom and interior. So when I came across these playful and colourful wall pieces from Urbanara I just knew this would go straight on my list of things to get for Mr A's room. They are handmade with wool felt and made using an appliqué design, there are six different animals heads to choose from, my favourite being the ......

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Easy Ethical style

Easy eco style by laurasidestreet featuring a flap backpack We are huge fans of anything that brings fashion and an eco friendly ethos together and it's really exciting to see more and more stylish and ethical fashion brands popping up and so many chic pieces. I am really into simple design this year and thought I would put together this mini inspiration board. From top, left to right 1 . Women bamboo viscose and organic cotton tee from Continental Clothing 2 . Mata Traders Fairtrade handmade necklace 3 . Narrow Brim Fedora made from palm leaves 4 . Free People Stela Patchwork backpack 5 . People Tree Freya Button Top 6 . Eileen Fisher Boyfriend jean in Organic cotton What is your favourite ethical brand? ...

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Travel inspiration and simple pleasures

A quote to live by ( image ) Life is too short to not do what you love, what makes you happy and what makes your soul smile. I know life does not need to be humdrum and boring and with each day you can find some magic. Growing up in South Africa was like growing up in paradise with long summers spent on the beach, hiking up mountains or making dens in the garden for months on end, coupled with mild winters that meant I could surf all year round and that outdoor ethos that was engrained in me as a child is something I want to pass onto my son. Before having our son and when I moved to the UK a few years ago I spent more than 2 years travelling around Europe, making amazing friends and living very simply, spending a summer in Cornwall living in a very small camper van and John has also been to some far-flung places and now together we are making new adventures and just because we are now parents it does not mean the pursuit of happiness, wanderlust and sharing what we have learnt h......

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Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone, hope you are all having a wonderful day, filled with laughter, smiles and treats. We started the day with two mini craft projects which distracted the little man long enough for the easter bunny to visit the garden and put out the eggs for the hunt. This was the first Easter we have had in our new house and the little man was really excited. Over the past few weeks it's almost as if he has gone from toddler to little boy, the way he runs, the funny sentences he comes out with and how he just "got" Easter this year. Our hunt included crafted eggs we painted, a few plastic eggs as well as painted boiled eggs which bulked up the hunt as oppose to just chocolate eggs, although he did get a large chocolate egg which he was blown away with. ...

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