Getting Married? A guide to finding the perfect venue

As we move into spring and slowly closer to summer there are many looking ahead to their Big Day, having worked for a while as a wedding photographer after graduating and having attended a variety of weddings I thought I would put together some things I learnt about what does and doesn't work. Planning your wedding is an exciting time but there’s always a lot to organise for the Big Day. One of the first decisions you’ll have to take is where to get married. Your choice of venue will usually be determined by 3 key factors:  What sort of ceremony are you hoping for?   According to recent figures, just under a third of couples choose a religious ceremony so if you don’t want to get married in a church, you could have a civil, humanist or another type of ceremony or blessing.  The format of the day will set the tone for the mood you want to create. Generally speaking, formal wedding receptions are better suited to hotels or country house settings, while ......

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Glamping at Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans Part 2

If you are a regular reader to my blog you may have come across part one of our glamping trip  and you will know that we had an amazing time on our recent getaway. Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans has so much to offer all ages and with such an exquisite location in the heart of the Wye Valley I just couldn't do the place justice in one post. The first instalment mainly covered the accommodation so in this second part I wanted to share what we got up to on the site, the facilities and exploring the local area. Firstly the site is small but perfectly formed and even with all the caravans rented out it wouldn't feel crowded. All except one (Elsie) is off-grid and doesn't have electric so at night you surround yourself with the beautiful flicker of tea lights and fairy lights, with torches being provided should you fancy a night time walk. This doesn't however mean you cannot charge your phone, near the small parking area is a wall plug just for that, along wit......

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For the love of Modern Period interiors

We are edging closer and closer to putting our house on the market and we cannot wait, our time in our little welsh hobbit house as we refer to it as the ceilings are so low are coming to an end. We are all in need of more space, more light and in Johns case a doorway he doesn't bang his head on everyday. As much as the rustic appeal is to us and it really does, our home is a bit neither here or there in terms of location, only 20mins from the city on the edge of a small town so it doesn't have the slower pace feel as you would find in a more rural location and equally does not have the colour and culture of living within walking distance of the city. We have also found over time our real passion and dream would be to find a small bay fronted Victorian property as we absolutely love the combination of a period property with a fresh and modern look that embraces the original features of that time rather than covers them up. I think the Scandinavian inspiration that has b......

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Loft living inspiration

How amazing is this Loft inspired room at the Wythe Hotel As with most things in my life, I take inspiration from different countries, cities, places visited, cultures experienced and try and inject the things I love into my home and life. Both John and I like the idea of living in a loft, or artist studio or disused factory such as the amazing rooms at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn and although in Wales properties like this are few and far between that doesn't mean we can't take the vintage and retro elements of a loft space and bring in to our own home. We both love the industrial feel that combines materials such as metal, brick and wood and even though we are not sure what kind of property we are going to move to next we would love one that would suit a feature exposed brick wall in either the kitchen or bedroom without it seeming to out of place. Although you don't have to go to such lengths to get a little bit of loft living style in your daily lives and living spa......

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New Me, New Hair

Have you ever woken up and taken a long look in the mirror and feel like you don't know the person staring back at you? Well there was a moment the other day when shopping for my son that I spotted my reflection and I didn't like what I saw. Now don't get me wrong no one pressured me to lose the weight after having my second baby or to spring back into shape and I wouldn't go as far as saying I had let myself go but I certainly had allowed myself to be engulfed by sleep deprivation, a bad diet and not getting enough (or any) time for myself but enough was enough. After being inspired by fellow blogger Alison from Not another Mummy Blog who has talked a lot about getting out of the style rut, I wanted to follow suit, especially as many many years ago this blog was born out of my love of both clothing, art and interior design and it was time to start feeling like myself again and that meant addressing the thing bothering me the most, my hair.  Last we......

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Last Minute must-have Christmas kitchen items

Christmas is the time of the year that everyone in the family looks forward to. It’s a season of happiness, indulging in treats that we usually wouldn’t allow ourselves to and giving presents to those we care about the most. Certain things cause the Christmas cheer to rise in people, and quickly the whole area becomes covered in decorations, as if Santa did them all overnight himself. Here’s some seasonal-themed items that will look fantastic in your kitchen this Christmas, and be worth keeping all year round. Christmas cookie cutters Not the most technological item on this list, but everyone will love it when you make cookies in the shape of Santa Claus, snowmen and Christmas trees this season. The Good cook shop has lots of offers on cookie cutters , meaning that you can replace the delicate cutting with stencils, which do all the work but take none of the reward. Vintage inspired kitchen scales Despite all the food having multiple pinches of love......

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Friday Interior Finds - Call Me

We have been meaning to get a "proper" phone for a longtime, especially since our Juno hamburger phone was too tempting as a toy for Mr A and really I had had it for years and needed or a more grownup replacement. As some of you may already know we are huge fans of retro and vintage interiors and we did actually have a phone from the 60's for a while but they don't have touch dial and if your calling anytime of number that requires you to "press one" it simply does not work so this Wild and Wolf phone from Red Candy has all the retro features but is as practical as any modern phone today. I thought I would also put a few of my favourite interior picks for Friday Finds from Red Candy as they have such a great selection of chic, quirky and unique products and I absolutely love this round light fitting and sorbet bowls and as soon as we move later this year I have my eye on a few pieces I would like to pick up for the new home. 1. Umbra Tr......

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Bringing nature into the heart and home

Vintage woven basket £18 As the weather has slowly started to warm up with blue skies scattered between cloudy ones we have started to spend more time outdoors on countryside walks as well as in our own garden which has been taken over by weeds and is in need of some TLC, something Mr A and I love to do together although this year we are running behind on our vegetable patch but hopefully a few more sunny days and we will be well on our way. Vintage Galvanised watering can £21 I really love bring nature into the home, especially when it's flowers and produce that has been grown on our own garden. It's made me think about a few bits and bobs I want to pick up, perhaps a flower press, some new gardening tools, a beautiful woven basket to collect flowers in or a vitnage watering can to display them in. Either way I love all the inspiration that the outdoors can give you and I am really looking forward to pottering round in the garden this summer and hop......

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Street Style Sunday - Boys be bold

So this weeks Street Style Sunday is all about the little ones. I have been waiting to be able to put this beautiful retro print Powell Craft baby grown on baby G since one of our lovely Home Ed friends gifted this to him after he was born. I love all the vintage machines and forms of transport and it's just so different to what you normally see in high street stores. Mr A has also been going bold this week with some strong colour blocking with his yellow Mama's & Papa's rain jacket and RL trouser When it comes to picking up new clothes for the Boys I do find there is often less choice in comparison to the girls departments which always seem twice the size. Although I have to be honest and say sometimes we actually mix and match - Mr A has a tiny waist for his size and these trousers are actually from the girls department as they fit slightly better for him - but as I say whatever works. Here are a few staples I am loving at the moment for little ones ......

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