Monday Interiors - Laura Ashley A/W

Last week John and I dashed off to London for a little interior and fashion inspiration in the form of the Laura Ashley A/W press day. It's been a while since I have been to a Press Show due to having the baby 3 months ago so it was really nice to be getting back into the swing of things and I was especially excited as I am a huge fan of Laura Ashley, in fact we have Laura Ashely wallpaper in both the nursery and our bedroom. This was also Baby G's first time to the capital, already in his short time here he has done a fair bit of travelling. As expected they had the countryside inspired look down to a tee and their kitchen range is all about vintage, wood and creating that homely feel. The China blue collection also caught my eye and is very clean cut with striking prints. What I really enjoy about press days is the creativity that goes into the room sets, I loved the record players covered in floral cut-outs and samples of their wallpaper,  as well as the st......

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Calm, Chaos and Home Decorating 52/3

Enjoying some simple pleasures and moments of calm Wow can't believe it's already the 3rd week of 52 memories with The Mumdrum - a campaign encouraging people to document there year through photos. It's been so busy around here that on days it's felt pretty manic, the baby is due in 4 weeks and we are having work done on all three bedrooms as well as needing to replace the whole bath and shower before the little one makes it's appearance. Its felt like we live in the land of boxes at the moment and no matter how many trips we make to the tip it doesn't seem to make a dent in the clutter. So what do you do on days like this? Get out of the house for a walk, chill out and a spot of Coffee, which Mr A loved as he was treated to some marshmallows. Sky Blue Paint, Laura Ashley bedspread, bunting and wallpaper  Today we finished painting most of Mr A's bedroom, although the skirting boards and door still need to be done, gone is the wall mural as w......

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Christmas Wreaths with Laura Ashley

So last week the little man and I went on a mini adventure across the Severn to Bristol, our favourite city and which we frequently visit, to spend the morning with some lovely bloggers in a beautiful Clifton Cafe - Mockingbird to make some lovely Christmas wreaths thanks to Laura Ashely who provided us with some kits to get creative with. Firstly I want to say how stunning this simple and stylish little Cafe is and was the perfect venue for a relaxed and creative morning. They provided us with Artisan coffee and divine homemade treats including wholesome granola bars, flapjacks and muffins along with some southern style breakfast muffins with eggs. The kiddos were also made to feel welcome and Lori was great at keeping them entertained. One of the things I also love about blogging is the friendships I have made along the way which are really special and it's always enjoyable meeting up with these creative ladies - Fritha , Jessica , Adele , Laura , Lori and Lot......

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Fashion flashback

Just thought I would share a few outfit posts from the past, here are four of my favourite, blasts from the past outfit posts, I had short hair for such a longtime, it's strange to actually tie my hair up these days, what do your flashback fashions posts look like? Rocking my Cazal glasses, with a lovely thrifted scarf and some Asos loafers This was taken on a trip to London, in a Love floral dress and Dents bag Wearing my grandfathers trilby and a vintage Ferragamo bag Channelling vintage with a vintage satchel and Dorothy Perkins dress I have joined up with What I wore Wednesday ,  Wardrobe Wednesday , Whatever Whenever Wednesday...

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Getting Eco and chic at HomeSense

Recently I was invited to have a little look around my local Homesense in Cardiff, I knew it was owned by TK Maxx and stocks some amazing interior goodies but until now had not had the time to pop in but one thing is for sure is that I will be back again very soon. I really didn't know what to expect in terms of shop layout, stock etc but the store is really clean and fresh with a clear layout, making it very easy to find what you need. I loved all the individual and unique items they had and I truly believe in a store like this you could pick up something you would be hard to find anywhere else. I love these retro chairs Another thing I was pleasantly surprised at was not only the designer pieces such as Dior and Ralph Lauren but also a lot of ethical and eco products, which is what I love in my home and stocked up on during this trip as Green products can be quite expensive but with up to 60% less than normal retail prices I made the most of it. How amazi......

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Instagram weekend roundup

So still alittle upset at not being at London Fashion Week this week due to work/life commitments (first time in a few years that I am not there) I have resorted to quite a lot of baking this weekend, which has now lead me to needing to go on a healthy eating diet this monday! Anyway since John and I both had today free we thought we would make the most of it, since it was dry, although very cold and apparently it's going to be raining for most of the week, we though an ouside adventure of some sort was on the cards. So we decided to take a drive to Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr (birthplace of Julian McDonald and Laura Ashley) and anyone living in Wales/Cardiff should check this place out, as it really is a beautiful setting. The castle houses a very interesting and fun Museum and Art Gallery, as well as a victorian style tea room (welsh cakes and coffee for me). It's also set in a 160 acre parkland with a large lake full of ducks and a sensory garden and best of all it's all......

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Penarth Pier

Yey to bank holidays, you have got to love a long weekend. On monday we decided to take a little drive down to Penarth, a little seaside town near Cardiff, in the Vale of Glamorgan. it has an amazing old victorian pier, which is in abit of state of disrepair but that almost adds to the charm of it. The weather was a little hit and miss with breaks of sunshine. We tried to get a seat outside the very popular figtree for a cup of coffee but being a bank holiday I think everyone else had the same idea. Which actually worked out to our advantage as we enjoyed amazing Tapas in the Ocho lounge, a cafe bar found in the centre of the town. It was a busy, bustling bar filled with people of all ages and the service was great. I had hummus and mozzarella with cherry tomatoes while John went for the pesto and chilli chicken - Arthur also joined in as he loves hummus. After a walk around there beautiful maintained park, that has hedges cut in the shape of birds, we headed back to the pier for an ic......

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Interview outfits

So both John and I had interviews during the week - John with a city centre barbershop and Me for a part-time Photography position. They are both quite creative jobs so you have to get a balance of presentable/smart while also approachable and individual. It was a beautiful summery kind if day but by the afternoon it started to get alittle chilly, I am not ready for summer to be over, not just yet anyway, as Cardiff is a beautiful place when the sun is out. I had bought this dress from White Stuff earlier in the season and hadn't had a chance to wear it yet so I took advantage of the few warm days we had left. Laura is wearing a Dress by White Stuff, Necklace - Laura Ashley, Bag - Radley, Shoes - Office, Belt - thrifted John is wearing a Shirt by Fred Perry, Albam Jeans, Quoddy Shoes, Fjall Raven Rucksack, Urban Outfitters sunglasses, Timex Watch Winter is coming. ...

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