Stylish Gifts for Him, Her and the Home

The women's Bixby bike which I am in love with  First of all how beautiful is this bike above...oh how I would love to have this standing in our hallway waiting to be taken out each day on adventures along the riverside. Is there really anything better than when aesthetics, design and practicality come together in seamless harmony - I think not! This is the running theme of the small but perfectly formed collection of products from the high end Detroit based retailer Shinola who opened up a London store in 2013. Instead of out-sourcing their goods to be made in cheaper countries nearly everything is handcrafted in America which to be honest is a bit of a rarity so it's pretty exciting to see it pop up in the UK, including being able to buy all their products online. Large hard linen journal £17.50 Shinola started life out as a shoe polish company which saw some investment a few years ago and with an initial focus on handcrafted watches made in Detroit, it th......

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Looking for the Perfect Valentines Gift

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a bunch of roses and chocolate - I mean I won't turn them down, but being a bit more creative or tailoring the gift more to the interest of your partner rather than just picking a generic option can go a long way in my books. I love the graphic below and I totally agree, especially when your a mother that time of from chores and a child free evening is one of the best gifts you can give, time to actually put your feet up, read a book and relax in a warm bath sounds like total bliss. When it comes to Valentines you need to strike the balance between being romantic but not cheesy and to show the ones you love how special they are and it really doesn't need to cost the east, some nice bath salts would do me. What is your dream Valentines gift? Escape and unwind by creating a real pamper session at home with luxurious foot care and beauty care products . ...

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Dear Valentine

So I know some people don't do Valentines - and we try and not get caught up in all the madness by simply enjoying each others company and that of the people we love - but we do like to treat the ones we love as well with simple pleasures such as breakfast in bed, maybe some nice bubbly, baking carrot cake with the little man for the other half and perhaps a little present wouldn't go amiss. We always make our Valentines day cards (so much more fun and heart-felt) but I thought I would put together a little inspirational list of cool and quirky gifts for the day of love. Map Cufflinks for him - from Etsy £10 Say it with Flowers Scented Rose Seed Gift - £4 from John Lewis I am totally in love with this Limited Collection Rose Print Floral body from M&S - I usually don't by things like this but I just think it's beautiful and would be as much as a gift for me as it would be for the other half and it's very reasonable for such a wonderful item coming......

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A little like Love

Some beautiful Roses from John So we decided to have a low key Valentines day this year, as we had just come back from our short break in the Wye Valley, which was sort of a Valentines break, but we still made an effort and didn't spend much money in showing each other we cared. The day started with a beautiful bouquet of white roses from John and a lovely Card and in return little Mr A and I had made him a card. John had to go to work but it was a beautiful winter day and me and little Mr A went for a wonderful mountain walk, which really tired him out so by the time John came home he was asleep which meant we could enjoy the nice mushroom filled pasta I made with and a South African bottle of Red wine, after which we had a nice relaxing time watching the very funny Rom Com - "going the distance" It's wasn't and extravagant day but it was great to spend quality time with both of the boys. Our night Amazing tall trees on our mountain walk ...

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Etsy Love

Oh how I love the creative people on etsy.....here are two things I came across today that made me happy, these gloves from Yastik izi are just too cute (very valentines appropriate) Also I think these roll-top couches are such a good idea from Rough House Art , perhaps not my colour scheme but I love the idea.... ...

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Valentines

Sooo I am not a huge Valentines person, well not in the whole cheesy way, but I do like to celebrate a day of showing people how much they mean to you and to just love those around you. So my partner and I decided to go for a nice meal the night before Valentines day, and it was lovely and quite, with great food, wonderful wine and even better Mint Tea. We went to a place called Mina's, on City Road in Cardiff, it's always busy (due to the excellent north african food), but we got there at 7pm which is quite early and missed the rush. Had some lovely mezza's - pitte and hummus, falafle, tahini and such wonderful things. Valentines morning was also spent chilling out to some sweet fruit and pancakes and champagne (ofcourse haha) and I am in love with the little candle lantern my partner got for me. ...

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