Lovely things for the heart, home & little ones

My favourite picks from My 1st years The lovely thing about being pregnant is the nesting period, a time when you can indulge in designing a stylish space for your new arrival or update your older child's bedroom. I like to keep things fairly simple with an element of creativity and personality we are all huge believers of less is more in this household and investing in quality pieces that will last so I was really excited about Mr A trying his hand at the Italian made Sevi wooden toy drum from My 1st Years . They also have an array of beautiful gifts that can be customised with our favourites being the beautiful fabric storage bags, rocking chair and Cashmere two piece baby set. There is plenty for boys and girls and these make great gifts for baby showers as well as styling up any nursery or interior space. On first impressions it's very well made, colourful and perfect for encouraging little ones to enjoy making music. It comes with a nifty clip-on strap so your......

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Capture 4/52

A little late this week with the 52 memories but we had such a lovely day at Cosmeston today and this little man was mid asking me a question about Newts and got this little capture of him. Spending the days with him, even when it's cold and overcast is always an adventure. Why not join in with 52 memories and My Sunday Photo and capture your year one week at time ...

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Don't throw money out the window!

We try and be as economical and frugal as possible (especially after Christmas and the dreaded tax return) and we are always looking at ways to save, especially in the home and are certainly not the only ones, I mean no one likes throwing money away. What I found out during my research is that a staggering 50% of domestic heat is lost through windows which is shocking and upon hearing this I wondered what the best was to prevent this loss as I don't know about you but heating bills are so expensive so anyway to reduce them is a good thing in my eyes. The solution is pretty simple actually - for one it's best to have double glazing and secondly make sure you have the right type of blinds or thick curtains to increase efficiency. Duette® is a good place to start as they have a range of blinds for the home with the purpose of saving you money as soon as you put them up and have been proven to reduce heat loss by up to 46% which in turn can reduce your heating bill by up to 2......

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Simple Things

So the past two weeks have been rather stressful - mainly due to the dreaded tax return as well as trying to sort out three bedrooms before the baby arrives as well as needing to have the bath ripped out and replaced this Monday - as they say everything always comes at once. One the flip side we have been trying to see the beauty in the small things, breath and take a moment and be grateful for all that is good around us. Something we try to do often and I think is good for when you have one of those weeks which just becomes too much. I was driving in the car this week, lost in a world of thoughts when I realised the rain had stopped and the sun was so beautiful having broken free from the clouds and there was such a simple beauty to it all which you can miss so easily if you don't open your eyes and enjoy the world in front of you. We have indulged in the senses with fresh flowers in the home, a wonderful bicycle ride in Pontcanna park, trying out some delicious Caw......

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Cheltenham Race Day looks

Ladies day vintage race style ( image ) It's that time of year again – the Cheltenham Festival 2015 is just two months away, with the festivities kicking off from 10th March. To me it's always the signal that spring is on it's way and my mind drifts to summer days drinking Pimm's with friends or picnics or days spent looking stylish at the races.  Three days of fun, fizz and fluttering on our favourites will ensue, but for certain racegoers, there's only one day that will truly be the highlight of the festival – Ladies' Day. Taking place on Wednesday 11th March, the day will be a chance for ladies from all walks of life to show off their fashion flair. If you're lucky enough to be in attendance this year, make sure you're equipped with some of these key trends for spring/summer 2015. Yellow plunge style dress from ASOS £38 Yellow It was a hit in summer 2014, and it's made its way right back into our spring wardrobes, s......

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Style in your City - Apple Jacks

A little lunch date maternity outfit - wearing Bibee Dress and M&S jacket  So the lovely Fritha and Lori have started up a new lovely linkup called Style in the City that highlights the best parts of the place you live. As some of you may already know we are based in the Welsh Capital of Cardiff. I am not sure if this will be our home base forever but for now we are enjoying what this little city has to offer. As I get nearer to the end of this pregnancy both John and I are venturing out slightly less although we still managed to enjoy a rare child free date lunch to Apple Jacks a few weeks ago and thought this was the perfect time to share our mini adventure. Apple Jacks has a great interior Apple Jacks is a recently opened independent american style diner and coffee house located in the heart of the city, just of St Marys Street. We decided to try it out mainly because it caters for both veggies and meat eaters and has the option of serving it's burgers in Gl......

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Filling Space with Potted Flowers and More

I love this Geodesic style pot ( image ) After you get all of the furnishings in a room, you may notice that it does not quite look complete without accents like plants, flowers, or indoor trees. When you want to add this decorative touch to your home or workplace, however, you may lack the time to go out shopping at your local florists. Rather than go without such fixtures or substitute with fake potted plants, you may find what you need when you shop for decorative touches like indoor plants online. You can find arrangements for both your house and workplace your are decorating, regardless of the space you can find plants that will fit into corners, by windows, or near tables, letting you arrange the room to look hospitable and occupied. It maybe useful however to have dimension of the room to help you choose the right varieties, size, and shape, which will help you create a room that is interesting and full of character. I love this simple arrangement I came across at......

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Funky Giraffe Giveaway

I love this starry bib from Funky Giraffe bibs  So I am officially 36 weeks and things are really starting to gear up towards the new arrival and I was super excited to received these wonderful soft and beautiful designed bibs from Funky Giraffe - I love the patterns and prints and the easy bandana style which adds a little element of baby fashion in a useful and practical way. What is more exciting is I get to offer one lucky reader an assorted 5 pack of bandana bibs, with there lovely 100% cotton front and fleece back to keep your baby dry they are the perfect stylish accessory. So it's super easy to enter and 5 beautiful designed bibs will be sent out to the lucky winner. a Rafflecopter giveaway ...

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Bringing Colour Theory into Everyday Life and Interiors

Colour can really effect your moods (image) Have you ever noticed how throwing on a brightly coloured top or a slick of red lipstick can help cheer you up on a gloomy day? Colour can have a direct impact on our mood, which makes it important to choose the right themes for your interiors. Different colours can evoke specific reactions. For example, painting your kitchen red may cause you to eat more, while painting a child’s room bright yellow can leave him feeling agitated. Take a look at the basics of colour theory and how to use it to brighten up your daily life! Putting the Colour Wheel to Work Interior designers use the colour wheel to pick and choose colours that will work well together. It provides a nice visual of the basic colours, and how they blend. One popular way to use the colour wheel is to choose a complementary colour scheme. This involves using two colours that sit across from one another on the wheel, with one acting as the dominant colour and the opp......

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Street Style Sunday - a Love of Clarks

What I wore to the Clarks Press Day...Clarks brogues of course I have to admit none of us have been 100% this week, we have managed until this point to ward off most colds but it seems like winter has finally caught up with us this week so we have been hibernating somewhat the past few days but that means I have finally had time to get around to blogging about the lovely Clarks Press Day I attended near the end of last year and showcased the summer styles coming 2015 and I totally feel in love with the silver Clarks Originals for kids (I really want a pair for myself!) Plus all the fun colours and patterns. We love Clarks in our household, I think it's because it's such a great British family brand and there is something for everyone. John has always been a keen collector of Clarks Originals and have a few mint pairs of Desert Boots that are more than 15 years old! I personally love their brogues, loafers and summer sandals plus the collaboration th......

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Free Range fun at Bluestones Resort

Earlier this month we were lucky enough to have a 4 night break at Bluestones National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, a welcomed relaxing trip after the mania that was Christmas. Unfortunately John had to work but my mother was more than happy to come along which was lovely as both Mr A and I got to spend some quality time with both her before the baby arrives next month. It took us just under two hours to reach Bluestone although we were in no rush and enjoyed driving along some pretty country lanes. Once we arrived and checked into our Ramsey Lodge it was already dark but that didn't stop us having a night time walk to explore our surroundings and get our bearings. The next morning we were up bright and early as it was going to be the driest day of our stay. We walked down to the village where we enjoyed some fresh pastries from the bakery before having some fun in the treetops treehouse which is a little wooden playpark that encourages natural p......

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