H & M

Not since Kate Moss announced she was doing a clothing line for Top shop has there been this much excitement on the high street. H & M is going to be launching its home ware range this autumn in the UK and my god it looks amazing and as with anything that comes from H & M it is up to the minute fashion and doesn't put a dent in your credit card. Not only do we have this to look forward this will also coincide with the launch of their online shop! oh my god I will never get any work done now.....

Trunks full of colour

I am in love with these trunks from Graham and Green the pink one is girlie perfection and if that isn't enough they come with the cushions. So not only can they be used for storage you can sit on them as well and at £119 each I think they are a bargain!

hairy fun

Need a little fun at work? moustache mugs £16.95 from Pedlars

http://www.pedlars.co.uk/

Cufflink love

Don't you just love Paul smith? His eccentric designs are pure genius and my husband is a huge fan

These heart shaped cufflinks are 3d in gold availabe from harvey nichols £60.00 

how about these heart reverse multi stripe available from Paul smith £115.00

and for the man that holds your heart how about these red hearts with gold plated paul smith signature swing fastenings available from Paul Smith £69.00

All of these would make a great present for your boyfriend or how about cufflinks for your Groom

http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/shop/home/

Give a dog a........

As you will probably have guessed I am a dog loving mad woman and have even managed to pass on my madness to my husband. We have two West Highland Terrier dogs and they are like our children (yes as I said we are mad)

Alfie is my lovely little boy who has a few mental issues in that he is afraid of some very weird things! blowing a raspberry is one of them and children scare the hell out of him. Alfie overcomes these fears by pretending to be very brave and scary by growling but then has a habit of wetting himself or hiding behind me.  He is such a happy little dog otherwise and loves nothing better than eating and getting back scratches. He likes to play on his own sometimes and will pick up one of his many toys and will be seen to do a funny like skip and jump over to the corner of the room whilst throwing the toy in the air.

Piglet my cute little girl is the leader out of the two, she loves to play which involves trotting over to a sleeping Alfie then hitting him on the nose until he will chase her. She can run really fast and being chased is the most fun. One of her little habits (if sometimes annoying) is to lick she can not stop herself she has to lick you and it you don't let her she will hold her paws each side of your head until you lay still and will lick your entire forehead. Her other loves in life is the tummy tickle she will sit on her side and if you look at her she will immediately kick her leg up to the side to show you her pink tummy and will wave at you until you tickle it! This is a dog who knows what she wants.

I was given a dog cook book at Christmas called "pup cakes" it has many wonderful recipes for dog treats and meals which look good enough for humans to eat. So I decided to give one of the recipes a go last weekend and made some cheese twisted biscuits, they didn't look quite like the perfect looking biscuits in the book but Alfie and Piglet totally loved them and have requested some more! They were very quick and easy to make and a great healthy option for doggie treats. I think I might tackle another recipe
pupcakes by stephanie mehanna is available on Amazon for £8.99

The Big Time

I've always liked the idea of hiring a big house and inviting lots of friends for a getaway. Somewhere in the country, great food (and wine) room to have a party and lots of laughs.  This was one of the ideas I had for my hen party so when I was searching I came across this little (big) gem.

Berkeley house is a Georgian townhouse in the Cotswolds and owned by the very talented photographer Lena Proudlock. This house is just dripping with style and will leave anyone with a love of design drooling which is why it comes as no surprise that it has 5 stars. It sleeps up to 16 people and can be hired for a week or if you just fancy a mini break up to 3 nights.

All the rooms look like something out the pages of Elle decoration or a boutique hotel this really is High Glamour luxury self catering (chefs are available if requested). The landscaped garden boast a fire pit and barbeque area worthy of any garden party. Looking for entertainment then if the Ipod station and CD player found in every room isn't enough for you how about LCD TV, DVD, free wi fi, sky +,classic film library, PS2 or croquet set?

Each bedroom is provided with The White Company bed linen, black bath robes, Molton brown toiletries, mineral water and fruit. This is some dream house I want it badly.

Need somewhere to have a wedding reception then this house can also provide it, with space for up to 90 guests (60 seated) what couldn't be more perfect?

 prices start from £2,800 from mon to fri, £3,500 from fri to mon and £5,000 for a week.
http://www.lenaproudlock.com/

Who needs Jimmy?

Janison 2 £100

Who needs Jimmy choo? now I'm not saying I don't lust after a pair of his little lovelies but I also can't bring myself to pay that kind of money on a pair of shoes I know I will destroy the heel on by falling down a crack in the pavement. So what's the next best thing well Kurt Geiger of course their shoes are definitely lust worthy, incredibly stylish and very affordable. Janison above comes in three colourways a very sexy black and white, a cute pink and the very elegant taupe. Echinacea below comes in up to the minute trend nude with these pretty lace bows. Both these styles would work brilliantly for weddings either for the bride or how about for the bridesmaids in matching nude or taupe dresses for a romantic contemporary style wedding.  So don't worry about Jimmy fall in love with Kurt. http://www.kurtgeiger.com/

Echinacea £150

s.w.a.l.k

I'm a bit of a stationary addict you name it gift tags, tissue paper, ribbon, wrapping paper, cards, rubber stamps I love them! So when I came across http://www.papernation.co.uk/ I was in heaven they have everything. Their rubber love stamp set is so cute and would look so pretty on DIY wedding invites. The Cavallini decorative paris gift tags would make ideal wedding name place cards they even come in a pretty tin. If you are having an afternoon tea theme how about this Cavallini glitter greetings sweet treats post card set they would make perfect save the date cards. 

Product code - 410178 £8.99 for 12

Product code - 160074 £6.99

Product code - 410059 £9.99 for 36

The one

So after the ceremony venue was booked, the reception location had kindly been agreed the next big thing was the dress. Growing up I wanted to be a fashion designer and would spend hours drawing up designs for myself and my friends and wedding dresses featured a lot. They would always be big princess ballgowns with full skirts and beading even from a young age I loved anything that sparkled. So when it came to choosing the one it was a surprise that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted. I suppose because I didn't have a large budget to spend on a dress and truth be told I didn't want to spend a fortune on a dress I would only wear once I didn't think there would be much choice for me. 

I started looking on the Internet as I knew the likes of Debenhams and Monsoon did inexpensive bridal gowns and in September the sales were on. Guy thought I had lost my mind as he couldn't understand why I was looking so soon but I wanted to get it sorted and I knew if I started looking in bridal magazines I would start falling in love with designer gowns I just couldn't afford. I had seen Jenny Packhams bridal gowns and totally loved her 30's style bias cut slinky collection but knew that a curvy 5ft 1" tall figure with a large bust just wouldn't look good.  Because the wedding was going to be a vintage style I knew I wanted something vintage looking and a bit different. I came across a Ben de Lisi ivory dress on the Debenhams website it was strapless with a full A line skirt it had a tulle over lay with ivory cut flowers cascading down the skirt. It had been reduced to £250 so I decided to order it and see what it would look like. I also found on the Very website a £360 Nicholas Millington white dress with full ruched skirt and silver beading across the bodice as seen in this picture it had great reviews so thought I would also give this a try.

Both dresses came within the week I had them delivered to my parents and drove around to try them on. The debenhams dress was the first one I tried on, it was actually very well made and did have a vintage look to it I was pleasantly surprised it fitted ok it needed taking up at the bottom and taking in at the bodice to give it more shape but all in all for £250 it looked amazing. Dress number two when I had it on made me feel like a princess with its full skirt but it's material looked like polyester and the bead work looked plastic although I had a small budget I didn't want it to look like it. My parents preferred dress number one so this was in the running.

In the meantime I had seen when searching on the Internet a website for Berkshire Brides  which sell second hand and sample designer dresses starting from £550 which was just over my budget I talked to my mum and she agreed we should take a look. I booked an appointment and took my mum and sister with me. Vivienne pulled out 5 different gowns in my measurements, looking at them on the hangers I really wasn't that impressed.

The first gown I tried on was a strapless corseted deep ivory dress with lots of lace and bead work it was a sample from Benjamin Roberts. Vivienne pulled me into the corset and once it was done up the transformation was amazing it gave me a tiny waist, curvy hips and even though it was about a foot too long made me look taller even the colour was perfect with my skin tone. My sister and Mum instantly liked it, I reserved judgement as it was only the first one I had tried on. More dresses followed that I was pulled in and out of they were all lovely but none of them had the impact of the first dress. The last dress was also a strapless corseted dress it was lighter than the first but it had a full princess skirt I did like it and it was giving me my princess moment. My mum liked it a lot but my sister wasn't so sure so I put the first dress back on and again it was like magic it gave me the figure I had always wanted and it even had the vintage look, we all agreed it was the one. The price tag was the only thing that was a problem it was £795 which was a lot over budget but my mum said don't worry it's worth it your having it and swiftly paid for it.

When I told everyone I had my dress they all thought I was insane it was the end of September and the wedding wasn't until July but I knew it was right and at least I had months to get it altered and not have to worry.

Kate's winter wedding

Top Shop has always been the place for high street fashion and what couldn't be better than a collection from Kate Moss. This winters collection from the coolest model in the world doesn't disappoint. Her limited Edition collection is truly breath taking this silk beaded godet maxi dress is heavily beaded with a fish tail detail back and would make a stunning winter wedding dress. It's style is very 30's and would work so well with a beaded head band with birdcage veil and Mary Jane heeled shoes if you feel the cold how about a feather shrug the price at £250.00 is an absolute bargain and you would look totally unique.

http://www.topshop.co.uk/

Traditional elegance

The flowers above and below I did for my friends wedding last April she wanted a traditional look with white and ivory flowers. For the table centres I used giant martini glasses to add height the flowers were arranged around a large central church candle that gave such a pretty glow in the evening. There were four bridesmaids they each wore an aqua cocktail style dress their bouquets consisted of white tulips and aspidistra leaves. The brides bouquet I used avalance ivory roses with diamante pins in the centres mixed in with gypsophila, around the edge I used aspidistra leaves bent over and tied with ivory ribbon.

The English rose

Cath kidston is the queen of all things English she is famous for her vintage inspired prints and designs ranging from homeware, fabrics, wallpapers and now fashion accessories. I am loving her collection of vintage inspired jewellery. This union jack heart shaped locket is oh so pretty and so on trend and the make do and mend charm bracelet is so cute with it's cotton reel,sewing machine and button charms, with a price of £35.00 each these would make affordable stylish presents.  Her latest collection can be found on http://www.asos.com/ clink on English Rose to take you to her page.

Country Elegance

The picture above is from a house I recently designed I wanted to give it a Country elegant chic look the colour palette of coffee,sands and ivory gave it a warm but light feel. The styling was very much and eclectic mix of country elegance and classic contemporary. The textures I used played off of each other the sofa upholstery fabric I used was a linen this works brilliantly with the shiny pained finish of the glass inset coffee table. The curtains were made in a linen stripe with a pinch pleated heading this texture compliments the glossy look of the shell picture with mirror frame. As you will see opposits can work well when you are using textures

To fake or not to fake?

If you are interested in Interiors then you have probably heard of "the design classics" these are pieces of furniture that are in the Interiors wall of fame they are iconic pieces that will stand the test of time. Their design is original and above all made to the highest quality.  Who can't drool over the ever so stylish and ever so comfortable Eames lounge chair and foot stool?
The thing is they also come with a high price tag but you can now see many of these pieces popping up on the internet or high street stores that quite frankly look a bargin. So whats the difference? Well as with most things the reason they come with a high price tag is the quality of the production, the craftsmanship and the superior quality materials you should be able to pass this down through generations in your family not in a few years time into a skip!

Charles Eames Lounger Chair The Conran Shop

The Conran Shop prides itself on design and quality and if you want a designer classic that is an actual designer piece then this is the place to get it. Each item comes with a stamp with the makers name, a serial number ensuring the piece is authentic so you can be rest assured your money has been spent wisely and on something that should hold its value and be a great stylish investment.

Once upon a time

So how do you decide what type of wedding you want?
As mentioned before Guy proposed whilst we were on holiday in Cornwall which was great as we were able to have that time to talk about what we BOTH wanted for our wedding day. We agreed almost immediately  that we wanted the day to be like a big party relaxed and fun. It had to be what we wanted and not what everyone else wanted us to have. We had almost no money saved so a big opulent extravaganza was out of the question but actually even if we had all the money in the world we wouldn't have done it any different. 
So sitting on the beach in Port Isaac we decided that a vintage English garden party with afternoon tea for the day and a hog roast for the evening was the perfect style for us.  So with no budget and with lots of help from our lovely family's and great friends we worked out how we could achieve this on a shoestring budget.

Town hall

Neither Guy or myself are religious and we are not one of these couples who pretends to be in order to have their wedding in a church as we think this is disrespectful to people who do believe. So where to have the ceremony? The registry offices we looked at just looked either like an old peoples home, doctors waiting room or the back storage room in an office. Guy's parents were incredibly generous and let us use their garden for the reception where we planned to have a marquee the house just so happend to look out over the river which gave us the idea to arrive to the reception on a boat from the ceremony. This meant the ceremony had to be not far from where we could get on a boat. This wasn't easy as most places that are not churches or registry offices that can hold weddings are places that normally hold the reception as well.  By some luck we found the town hall that not only would we be able to have the ceremony in we could have a few drinks afterwards and it was only a 10 minute car ride to get on the boat.

I love Venice in the spring time

I am big fan of wallpaper and in the last few years it has made a huge come back with bigger patterns, textures and more colourways than you could ever imagine. Wallpaper can add an instant warmth and look to a room even with just one feature wall. Cole and Son is one of the oldest British wallpaper printers it was founded in north London in 1873 by John Perry and many of the hand printing techneques is still used today. 
They have a very large archive of traditional designs which have been adapted over the years with use of vibrant colours and metalics.  Cole and Son have worked with international designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Tom Dixon and Piero Fornasetti.
The wallpaper shown above is from their Classix II collection it is called Venice and is simply stunning the design repeat is 185cm which really shows off the beautiful designs of the Ventian buildings. The beauty of this is that it can be used in a contemporary scheme or tradtional.

Did you say Wife?

Well we did it we got hitched. We have just come back off our honeymoon and as everyone says the wedding was the best days of our lives. The months of planning, preparing, dieting and getting stressed was all worth it. We haven't stopped hearing from all the guests that it was the best wedding they had ever been to which of course (even if we are slightly bias) we thought but it's brilliant to hear it.
What no one told me about was trying to get used to being called a wife hearing Guy say it or me saying my husband (it makes me want to snigger). Also I didn't fully prepare myself for the huge "Post wedding blues" it is quite bad and it's not just me that has them Guy is feeling it big time and even my parents do. So we have been trying to busy ourselves with DIY home projects although we can't get on with this properly because of the flood (which I haven't told you about yet) The only good thing is we haven't seen our wedding photo's or the video yet so we still have those to look forward to.
I thought it might be of some interest and also help to other brides out there to hear what went in to planning and preparing our wedding so I am going to give a run down to the big day (hopefully on a daily basis) with tips and advice.
P.S it's also a little bit of a way to keep hold and savior the "wedding high"