Beautiful Botanical Gardens, Oxford

Last weekend John was away in Berlin so Mr A and I thought it would be fun to take a road trip of our own. As we had been invited to an event in Bicester we decided why not explore the beautiful town of Oxford as well and we are so glad we did as it's such a wonderful place and so visualising inspiring. As always whenever we go anywhere we always look for some kind of outdoor natural space and when we discovered that the Botanical Gardens were literally a stones throw from the Eastgate Mercure Hotel we were staying in it seemed like the perfect place to spend the mid morning. It was really peaceful inside this walled garden and offered a lot of free range fun for Mr A as well as learning opportunities. We really enjoyed looking at all the late autumn crops they had growing including butternut squash, pumpkins, kale and brussels sprouts. There we also two large ponds filled with fish and ducks and two large greenhouses that had the biggest cacti we had ever......

Read more »

Stylish dressing tables and makeup inspiration

How beautiful is this dressing table ( image ) Growing up I always had a dresser, a vintage one my mother had picked up from an Auction before I was born, it had little shelves on each side where I could store all my goodies. Even though I was never a pink girly girl I liked having a space I could customise and make my own, somewhere to organise my letters, diary or keepsakes. It's something I have really missed because as you get older you of course accumulate a lot more things, perfumes, makeup etc and now more than ever I would love to have a dresser to keep all of these things in some kind of organised manor because at the moment they are strewn over our chest of drawers with no real home to call their own. You don't even need a lot of space and in fact you could make a custom dresser to fit into an alcove or even a solid wooden shelf with a nice chair underneath will do. I am currently on the lookout for a piece to up cycle or lovingly bring back to life, perhaps a......

Read more »

Swimming in the sea and eating street food in Antibes

So if you read the blog you will know we had a fantastic trip last month to Paris and the South of France, staying in a stunning James Villa near Cannes which was a perfect base for explore the French Riviera. There is so much to see and do along the coast line and we had heard of a wonderful public beach right next to the old town in Antibes and though it would be the perfect place to go swimming in the sea, as well as trying out some yummy street food. The first stop we made before heading to the beach was at the popular Gelateria Del Ponto where they had a huge array of ice-cream flavours and choices and shaped the ice-cream into flowers, Mr A loved it and it seemed only appropriate with spending the day by the seaside. After that we headed to the beach, which lies just behind the old city walls for a few hours, enjoying the warmth and the sunshine. Now we had a beautiful pool at the Villa but I have to admit I love swimming in the sea, it's one of m......

Read more »

Must have style items for busy mums

If you are a new mum, or expecting to be soon, and you are worried that your style halo might be about to loose its sparkle, here are five great maternity buys to ensure you will be in style heaven, even after the stork has made its delivery. MY WINTER BOX from the fantastic Parisian maternity brand, Envie de Fraises, is a sleek collection of three maternity pieces that will see you through your pregnancy and into the months that follow. The kit includes a flattering, soft, long-sleeved dress with matching leggings and a contrasting wrap belt. The combination has that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that will add a touch of French chic to your maternity wardrobe. My Winter Box from Envie de Fraises The Babymel Big Slouchy changing bag looks as good on the outside as it is useful on the inside. Almost as cute as your new baby, this bag comes in a range of designs (including bang-on-trend tweed), has plenty of pockets inside and out and ingeniously tucks away a coordina......

Read more »

Puddles, spotter sheets and autumn inspiration

So since Mr A is learning at home we try to keep things as flexible as possible - we love being outdoors and autumn is the perfect time for seeing the changes of the season first hand as well as spotting different leaves, berries and wildlife. There seems to be so much change going on and it's always wonderful to get out into the fresh air and see it for yourself.  Luckliy it was quite mild as Mr A seems to get warm very quickly, even though I remind him constantly to keep his jacket on he has hit that age were he is adamant to make certain decisions and one of those being what he wears. At least he is finally wearing socks again, after our trip to the South of France he refused to wear socks for a month, so that is some improvement. We collected a lot of fallen Autumn leaves and I have been putting together a few ideas on what to do with them and how to bring more Autumn inspired nature into the home...don't you love these simple crafts? I love......

Read more »

Dutch Interiors and Travel inspiration

 So of you may already know but before having Mr A I lived and worked in the wonderful city of Amsterdam for a few months. I have always loved this city, especially since my best friend from school was Dutch and visited with her as well as my family on serrate occasions before moving there. Each at a different age in my life and seeing the city from different perspectives every time so I am over the moon to be going there again for a short break very soon with KLM and this time with John and Mr A in tow - it's going to be great showing them around this lovely city and walking past my old apartment which was a very small studio flat right in the centre. I always loved the interior and fashion style of the Dutch and really miss the view from my old tiny but character filled flat. The view from my Flat The Dutch interior style is similar to that of the Scandinavian - less is more and well design pieces are a must with a splash of colour. The pair European style and practica......

Read more »

Tips to planning an Autumn and Winter wedding

Fritha looked stunning on her big day A few weekends ago I attended what was one of the most heartfelt, beautiful and relaxed weddings I have been lucky enough to attend. I was kindly asked by the bride, Fritha (you may know her from her wonderful blog TigerLilly Quinn ) to photograph her day and it was a real privilege to be apart of something so lovely. With so many homemade touches, getting all her creative friends to make things and a wonderful and mild autumn day you couldn't of asked for anything better. I am also going to be attending another wedding next month and it's made me think about what it takes when planning a wedding in the colder months, in fact the first wedding I ever shot was on a very crisp morning in January a few years back. I have found lately that when you reach a certain age, weddings start to crop up left, right and centre, not to mention baby showers and christenings. Sometimes certain weddings can all look the same, the term ‘cookie c......

Read more »

Street Style Sunday - Maternity Casual

I have to admit this week has been a bit of a difficult one for me, my bump has suddenly had a growth spurt leaving me with very few clothes that fit well. I had a rare free day to roam the shops to look for something to wear and discovered Cardiff offers very little in terms of maternity wear choice and it's going to have to be an online shopping experience I am afraid. The only thing I managed to find was a pair of maternity jeans so at least that was something but at a time when so much is changing I think it's important to feel good with how you look and not being able to find something to accommodate my changing shape left me feeling a bit down. Luckily I came across this stretchy grey maternity top from my last pregnancy and pairs it up with some leggings and my aztec cardigan and converse and it made me feel more like myself, casual and fun and a spot of lipstick to put the world to rights. Wearing RL Cardigan, M&S top, H&M leggings, Converse trainers ......

Read more »

3 Tips on Improving Your Smile

Smiling really does make you feel better If you ever wanted to do something positive for someone else, there is an easy solution. Smile. Very few things have the same impact as that of a bright beautiful smile. Your smile conveys warmth, happiness, and confidence, all of which are things that are worthy of spreading around. Your smile says a lot about you and your personality, even to virtual strangers. After all, first impressions really do matter. Besides the way you dress and your overall appearance, people often judge you by your facial expressions. You've probably seen people smiling awkwardly or nervously betraying their lack of confidence. You don't want to be one of those people, do you? Unless you've been blessed with naturally straight and white teeth which I am not, chances are you probably have something you want to change about your teeth. Are your teeth crooked? Do you have gaps in between them? Are they a little more yellow than you would like? Fort......

Read more »

A little bit of instalife

Wow we have had tons of adventures lately all of which I have shared on instagram and thought it would be nice to do a little round up From top, let to right 1. Hotel breakfast is always a treat - enjoying some Granola at Mercure Oxford 2. We had tons of fun at Forest School with the Wild Foresters in Bristol 3. Our very colourful hotel room in Oxford 4. A mini Eton mess at BlogCamp in Birmingham 5. I love this Grayson Perry Art Manifesto 6. The little man looking stylish in his new winter coat 7. Enjoying a day out at the fire station 8. Rocking some gold shoes 9. Indulging in some homemade milkshakes...

Read more »

Divine black bean choc pot & kitchen loves

Okay so stick with me on this one when I say the main ingredient here is black beans but oh do these chocolate pots taste so good and was huge hit with everyone in the house. I had seen a lot of people using black beans in desserts over the past year, especially with vegan baking but have always kept my distance until I came across a recipe in "Super healthy snacks and treats" and thought I would give it a go and I am so glad I did. I changed a few things to suit our tastes but Mr A loved making these with me and they are pretty low in added sugar are also gluten free and with low fat creme fraiche this is a light but decadent dessert with loads of depth. I would serve this up at a dinner party they are that tasty. Makes around 5-6 ramekins Around 200g Black Beans (half a can) 20g gluten-free flour - we used Rice flour 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 45ml maple syrup or argave 1 tablespoon sugar 25ml coconut oil 1 teaspoon vani......

Read more »