Breakfast at The Ivy, Cardiff

*I was kindly invited to the Press night and breakfast at The Ivy in exchange for an honest review.  Cardiff has really seen a boom in the recent years with regards to the foodie scene with a variety of independent eateries popping up as well as pop-up events, festivals and street-food markets. It's also attracted some high-end chains with the most recent being The Ivy . I attended the press night which was packed to the rafters with guests being entertained with musicians, dancers and even fire performers - one way to make an entrance on the Cardiff scene that's for sure.  While I did get to try out some of their amazing cocktails & I know this will quickly become a popular jaunt for evening get-togethers but it didn't give much insight to what they plan to serve up and bring to the table as they say, so another visit was immediately on the cards. Excitedly I was invited to their blogger breakfast and the chance to experience more of what makes The Ivy g......

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De-stress naturally with Indigo Herbs + Win

A few weeks back I was sent a De-stress and Unwind natural health gift set from Indigo herbs to try out and it was perfect timing in the run up to the summer holidays and even when you prepare as much as possible, being a freelancer and then having the kids all day every day can become quite a balancing act and I often do feel stress creep in a little. I am really passionate about natural remedies and approach to things in live and the power of plants have been used for thousands of years. I started drinking Chamomile when I was around 13yrs old, herbals teas have always been very popular in South Africa with Rooibos being the nationals favourite drink. The gift set comes with a 100% pure Chamomile flower tea and it's a real tonic for nerves and is great when you want something to help calm from the inside out. The gift set also comes with with two aromatherapy oils, one is an essential oil which can be used in an oil burner or a few drops added to a relaxing bath......

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Monday Interiors - Wallpaper love

So as some of you may already know we are working on the house to get it ready to put on the market and we have been slowly sprucing up each room. After being so delighted with the Laura Ashely wallpaper we used in the nursery we decided that maybe our bedroom could do with a change up. I have to be honest I have never been a massive fan of wall paper simply because how often people use it in the wrong ways but if done right it can really create a chic and inspiring space. We wanted something subtle with a nature inspired print that has a hint of Orla Kiely to it which is why we went with this Ashcroft Sable  and I cannot wait until the bedroom is finished and share the end product with you.  We also really love all these Laura Ashley vintage and heritage prints at the moment which draw on nature, floral and botanical inspirations. Perhaps more suited for the older style property such as a bay fronted Victorian but would also work we'll in any kind of bedroo......

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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......

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