Baby!

How much do I want a baby after seeing the adorable Summer ranges from Mamas and Papas and Baby Gap? And who could possibly resist the little converse?! *broody*
xxx

Butterfly Wedding Ideas

I absoloutely adore the wonderful butterfly themed ideas I have come across whilst looking for wedding inspiration. These cupcake cases are from an American company called Estilo - unfortunately it doesn't look like they ship to the UK *gutted* so I shall be hunting down UK based suppliers of laser cut cupcake liners/wrappers! Aren't they just beautiful? 

xxx

Perfect Summer Party Ideas

These butterfly and daffodil filled birdcages are perfect centrepieces for a spring or summer wedding or event. You could adapt them to suit any colour scheme simply by changing the flowers or the colour of the butterflies! This is so simple but fun and really brought a smile to my face when I saw it on the Hostess with the Mostess blog! I can just see something very similiar on the tables at my wedding :-) xxx

Hello Lucky!

Hours of research has had me feeling depressed over the revelation that there are very few suppliers of Letterpress Wedding Stationary in the UK. It was horrible seeing all of the beautiful designs available for brides over in the USA and then seeing the, somewhat paltry in comparison, invitations being sold over here in the UK. Over in America Letterpress Invitations are staples of any Bride's wish list - it's about time they got their due in England too! 

And then I came across Hello Lucky! And I fell in *Love*. The company is US based but have a UK website with appropriate prices in sterling and some amazing 'English' Designs. One of my favorites has to be the London Skyline set - perfect for a city wedding and the Save the Dates would be perfect for me and Scott (after all we are getting married around the corner from Tower Bridge!) Hello Lucky! Have the most amazingly perfect invitations around - perfect for any style of wedding and with a huge variety of designs and colour schemes to choose from. 

Letterpress itself is a type of handmade printing technique manufactured in the 1400s which involves each colour or ink being indented into the paper one at a time. It is a time consuming process, and thus more pricey than digitally printed invitations, but the effect is beautiful and well worth the extra money! 

My beautiful Scott

Ok so just read Scott's first post and *aww* i was in tears over it - I love you too baby! The words he wrote are so sweet and thoughtful and I'm completely blown away by it! Just an emotional, blubbing, hormonal wreck at the moment! Bless my gorgeous fiance - I still thank my lucky stars every day that I have such an amazing man in my life - he works so hard and is such a wonderful person to spend my time with! *i am truly blessed* Oh and btw sweety you could have ALL of the rolos if you wanted :-p Goodness... if that is his first post on our blog what are his vows going to be like? Best stock up on the waterproof mascara!!!

Xxx

Scott's First Blog

Hey, this is my first blog entry and to be honest I'm not really sure what to say or how to start but i suppose it always good to start with the important stuff and if I'm starting there then i really should mention Alex as she is the most important thing in my life! we meet nearly three years ago and things have been really been the same since it was nothing as cliche as love a first sight but it was something like the sowing of a seed and with time, effort and a relentless devotion it would grow into what it is now.

waking up every morning and leaving Alex for college or work was damn near impossible when she first moved in with me three months ago and it was still just as hard this morning. I get the distinct feeling that that isn't gonna change tomorrow or any other day after that. it may seem weird but i think that was worth writing about because i don't think that I'll ever get tired or bored of her, don't think I'll need to bitch about her to my friends and family, I'll never need alone time or time with the boys. don't get me wrong I'm not saying i want to be with her every second of every day but what i am saying is that it would be OK if she was.

i love her, she will always have time, spare me her shoulder, budge over on the couch and give me her last Rollo she is my best friend.   

Net-A-Porter

Ok so you all know that net-a-porter isn't exactly within my budget (think more primark!) but this site is amazing fashion inspiration and many a time have I seen something amazing and gorgeous and completely over my budget by about £600 and then visited a store on the high street and seen its exact double! Chloe lookalikes at River Island anyone?! Its also the perfect eye candy website for people like me - shoe addicts! And now they have started up a bridal boutique with sooo many beautiful items for brides, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, lingerie, honeymoon and guests! How wonderful!!!

Have a look at:

 www.net-a-porter.com/Content/boutique/wedding

Over the next few days I will post up some inspiration boards based on the different categories they have up on the site :-p so keep your eyes peeled!

xxx

Addiction

I am suddenly becoming just SLIGHTLY addicted to the work of Martha Stewart and her Weddings team! Every time I look on the website I am completely enthralled by something new and amazing and *So Perfect* for my own wedding! The best thing about the ideas they put up is that the vast majority of them are DIY ideas - so not only are they budget friendly but they make it so much easier to organise a wedding - who wants to be dilly-dallying with a dozen suppliers when you can just make a quick trip to paperchase or rymans, have a bid on ebay or spend the afternoon with the husband-to-be printing ribbons with our married name? I know what I would much prefer to be doing! At the moment I am browsing the cake selection - and guess what? I have always said that the wedding cake wasn't important to me... but it soooo is! Just take a look at these ones!

 

Scott's pick is the gorgeous colourful butterfly cake - simple but dramatic, fun and flirty isn't it a beauty? And the real beauty? It can cost so much less than a typical wedding cake... Ebay searching butterflies right now... :-) 

And what about the fun and summery daisy cake? Not so easy to do ourselves but what a perfect inspiration for a sunny summer wedding!

xxx

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart via Style me Pretty

Biscuit and tea tins used as vases like these are beautiful AND eco-friendly :-p Just test them to make sure they are waterproof and fill with single flower arrangements. If they aren't waterproof line them with plastic bags. 

xxx

Picture Credit: Martha Stewart

This cluster of potted zinnias provides a favour and table centrepiece in one. The sign next to the display asks guests to "please pick one". The flowerpots are painted to match the colour scheme and what about personalising them with the names? They could then be place settings as well! These certainly wouldn't look out of place at the wedding scott and me are going for!

xxx

DIY Wedding Favours

The simplest of wedding favours can be made spectacular with a little bit of DIY. 

How romantic are the top favours? They are plain boxes wrapped with newspaper style print of Shakespeare writings. The little beaded tassle with the 'love' beads is a simple but beautiful touch! Adorable! 

The centre image from Martha Stewart Weddings shows how a hole-punch can be used to make these simple dots (and lots of confetti). Lined with a brightly coloured paper and wrapped with a coordinating ribbon the favours look fun and very sweet! I want these at our wedding! 

The bottom favours from Martha Stewart were wrapped in hand-made paper. You can use any word processing program to make the design or for more complicated designs a graphics program. The designs were printed off onto thin paper and wrapped up with thin ribbon as an added touch :-)

xxx

All Pictures and ideas: Martha Stewart Weddings

Kate's Paperie

All Pictures: Kate's Paperie (www.katespaperie.com)

The stationary and accessories on this website are just amazing! Not only does the site have all of their own origional designs but also stocks items from designers such as Kate Spade and Vera Wang! Lovely pieces - not particularly cheap but you can see the quality just looking at them! I would love one of these handmade book-top birdhouses covered with butterfly decoupage - maybe as decoration at the wedding or as a quirky note holder in the house!

xxx

Yellow in the Home 3

Ok so technically this isn't much of a room inspiration but it sure helped me think up a few ideas. The mild buttercup yellow is the perfect colour for a communal living area and the beautiful big glass panelled french doors are lovely (just look at the view). The built in storage in very practical and I can just see right now how this room could look - it has so many possibilities. I would hang a paper thing white voile curtain at the french door, put a beautiful baroque style etched mirror in the space under the built in shelves and fill the sideboard with family pictures and trinkets :-) A big comfortable leather sofa would be on the wall next to the back door and a distressed wooden coffee table (probably vintage) would sit in front of it holding a few books and a vase of bright yellow tulips :-) 

Photo: dohrmann construction

Yellow in the Home 2

What can i say other than "Good Day Sunshine"! This hallway is the perfect antidote to morning blues - it would certainly wake me up and put me in a good mood for the day - no matter what side of the bed I got out of! Lovely. 

Photo: Country Living - Keith Scott Morton

Yellow in the Home

Pictures from: Country Living 

How beautiful and sunny does this kitchen/dining room look? I get cheerful just looking at it! The combination of rustic wood and yellow walls is fun and reminds me of a mediterranean villa - and who wouldn't want to be there with the weather like it is today? Gorgeous!

xxx

Cheers!

Pear Mimosa

2 bottles of champagne (or ginger beer for non-alcoholic)

4 cups pear nectar

1 lime cut into wedges

Pour the champagne into glasses, top with the pear nectar and garnish with lime slice 

Photo Credit : www.find.myrecipes.com

Apple Martini

2 cups vodka

1 cup apple schnapps

1 cup orange liqueur

1 cup fresh lime juice

Mix all of the ingredients and chill. Right before serving stir in three cups of ice. In the picture apple slices have been added for decoration.

Picture and Recipe Credit: Country Living 

How yummy do these cocktails look? I can't wait for the summer to come! Drinks with friends is the perfect excuse to try them out, as if I need an excuse! :-)

xxx

Sunflowers

Photos: Top to Bottom, all from Country Living. 

Sunflowers are such beautiful flowers and make great budget floral displays. In the pictures above I have shown them off in a rustic setting - the small cupcakes are made using yellow buttercream icing and a small amount of chocolate sauce as the centre-point. You can find similar lanterns in Ikea and Homebase. In the middle picture this relaxed family BBQ is brought to life with simple arrangements of sunflowers in different vessels, and note the lanterns again. At the bottom - what could possibly be more fun than a barn dance or dinner party? Perfect for a birthday or reception or even just because you love your Dolly Parton! 

xxx

Garden Entertaining

Photo: Decorative Country Living

Picture Credits: Tria Glovan

Deborah McClinton

Photo Credit: Deborah McClinton

How much do these pictures make me want to have a garden? They are lovely - perfect decor for so many events. Garden party? Check. BBQ? Check. Wedding? Check. Barn Dance? Check. Christening? Check. Family dinner? Check. Football night? Check.

Some of my favourite flowers are daisies, gerberas and peonies - fun summer flowers and these are some great examples of how to show them off! 

xxx

The Green Kangaroo

All Invitations from The Green Kangaroo (www.tgkdesigns.com)

Im slowly falling in love with wedding stationary. How delighted would you be if you recieved one of these through the post? These invitations convey the type of wedding that you are having. I can't even choose a favourite. Scott likes the daisy invite at the bottom - clear, simple and fun. But then there is the cherry blossom and swallow invite - elegant, fun and so beautiful. Oh but what about the filigree design in the middle? Is that not fun and beautiful and simple? And don't even get me started on the colours! 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

xxx

Wedding Invitations

These invites are by the talented Iva Swan they are so pretty. The top ones are fun and Scott reckons we could make very similar ones ourselves - although I'm not sure that amateurs like us could make anything this nice! Loving the colours and the pocket fold though!

xxx

South America - Peru

Picture Credit: Wikipedia

One of the places Scott and I most want to visit is South America - In particular Peru. When you first think of Peru you do of course think of Machu Picchu. But we also want to see the rest of the country - from the metropolitan city of Lima, to the beautiful Arequipa and Cusco. Of course we want to see Machu Picchu aswell! Scott loves biology and so is always on the look out for national parks and wildlife sanctuarys in the places we plan to visit - and of course this means that one of the places that caught his eye was The Paracas National reserve in Ica. This is a state protected area of beaches and rock formations and is a refuge to fur seals, otters, penguins, dolphins and more than two hundred species of birds including flamingos! Just a short drive away is Nasca - the home of the Nasca Lines *top* (one of the great mysteries of the ancient World). 

Arequipa is home to Mount Misti - It is a volcano that, despite being active, is not considered to be a threat. Scott wants to climb this on our trip... I personally am not so keen (not sure if the thrill of it would be enough to overcome the blisters) but as it is something he really wants to do I will join in - after all he certainly isn't leaving me at the base camp waiting! I personally am more interested in the cultural side of the countries that we want to visit - not too much mud or bugs and plenty of churches, people watching and eating lots of amazing food! 

Tacna is a beautiful city in the South - 50 kilometres from the border of Chile and is exactly the kind of place I want to visit. It is a beautiful city - known for its baroque churches, wineries and monuments from the War for Independance. 

Puno and Lake Titicaca are definate must-sees for both of us - here you can visit the Chullpas de Sillustani - a complex of burial chambers built by the Kollas, beautiful Colonial churches, and Pucara known for its amazing pottery. The lake itself is home to many tribes who live on man-made *floating islands* made out of reeds. Apparently this is an amazing site and I can just imagine the enjoyment that comes from photographing such a place. 

I can't wait... maybe we will even make Peru our honeymoon... :-)

xxx

Springtime Entertaining

Photo Credit: Aimee Herring

Photo Credit: Keith Scott Morton

Photo Credit : Francis Janisch

Me and Scott can't wait to have our own place so we can start inviting friends over for dinner. Spring and Summer are our favourite seasons and so when I came upon this on the Country Living website I couldn't help but be seduced. Maybe its the light and airy colours, or the gorgeous flowers or the fact that this is exactly what we want from our wedding... whatever it is I'm in love! Scott wants to have a go at the tin can vases from the bottom picture - I'll post his attempts up on here as soon as they are done! :-)

Cakes

Photo Credit: Aimee Herring Via Country Living 

Photo Credit : Frances Janisch

Photo Credit : Miki Duisterhof

Wow I'm getting hungry just looking at these cute cupcakes! They are off the Country Living website (complete with tips on how to decorate your own cupcakes). The little edible flowers on the middle cupcakes can be easily found - chamomile, violets, nasturtiums and scented geraniums are all useable :-) The cookies at the top are lovely - and of course you don't have to have the colours shown above. These are exactly the sort of thing me and Scott are looking at for our wedding - a little bit country, a little bit chic and a whole lotta perfect!

Beautiful Rooms

This bedroom isn't really me and Scott but it is a beautiful room - and for some reason really reminds me of a friend of mine, Anna and her boyfriend Glenn. They are such a fun couple and the colours in this room make me smile - just like they do. Not sure Anna would be feeling the butterflies though! 

Aren't these room ideas beautiful? I found them whilst having a quick search on Ideal Home Magazine website. The top one would be a really beautiful home office - feminine but chic and the wallpaper and matching noticeboards make a really cute room amazing!

Hasn't every girl always wanted a dressing table? I know I have - unfortunately no bedroom I have ever had has had enough room to put one in! The mirrors on the wall are lovely - probably not the most practical place to have them but pretty all the same! I love whitewashed wood furniture but I do prefer a more distressed look. Maybe when Scott and me get our proper place we will be able to have one :-) - if I'm especially lucky I might be able to get an old one from a charity shop or furniture yard and do it up myself *can see a DIY project coming on*

xxx

New Season Fashion - My wishlist!

How pretty is this dress? I love it - and would love to wear it. Its perfect just the way it is shown on ASOS, but imagine it worn over a grey skinny-fit tee from H&M... Yes you like the idea too right?! Its only £25 Why oh Why do I not have more money?! :-(

This Fred Perry dress is soo nice :-) I love the rolled up sleeves and the deep v-neck I would wear it with grey pumps or black flip-flops! At £74 I'd need to save up until NEXT summer to buy it though :-p Fred Perry clothes remind me of summer and having fun, playing frisbee in the park and dancing around the garden to 'I wish i was a Punk-rocker' by Sandi Thom. 

You can probably tell by now that I LOVE Asos - I'm always popping onto the site to check things out :-) Of course im never able to get the things I love due to lack of funds and a penchant for expensive or beautiful things!

xxx

Musings and Wishes

The moment i saw this t-shirt from Ringspun (via Asos.com) I knew that it would be a staple part of my wardrobe the moment it arrived in the post! The weather outside today is sunny with a bit of a chill so I would pair it with a pair of skinny jeans and a slouchy cardigan (probably one of Scott's!) In the summer heat I would wear it with a pair of denim shorts and a pair of gladiator sandles (I have kept all of mine from last summer!) Then in the winter I'd be wearing it layered up over vests or a long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans and my trusty tan leather slouch boots! What an investment and only £25.00! Bargain too!

xxx

Red and White Inspiration Board

I absoloutely love the drama of a vibrant red up against a crisp white background! This cake is such a work of Art I don't think I could possibly cut it at my wedding!

Clockwise from top left: Cake by Kate Sullivan, Picture of red shoes from Flickr via Style me Pretty, Invitation from Wedding Paper Divas (www.weddingpaperdivas.com), Dinnerware set up as tablecentre with cupcakes and mini glass christmas baubles all Marks and Spencers and Red Bridesmaid dresses J Crew.

First Inspiration Piece

Inspiration for a Blue and Orange Wedding

How beautiful is the painting at the bottom 'Impression: Sunrise' by Claude Monet? I used this as a base for a colour scheme of turquoise blue and orange. 

The cute earrings at the top are handmade from Button Jewellery (www.buttonjewellery.co.uk) and would look stunning paired with a deep blue dress for the bridesmaids.

The middle pictures are both from The Knot (www.theknot.com) and show a navy grooms suit with lighter blue shirt, coordinating tie and a sweet single gerbera buttonhole - very sophisticated but fun at the same time! The other picture is of an orange bouquet from one of their featured Real Weddings - how lovely are the different textures and subtle differences in colour? 

I love these colours together - but it's definately a look for the brave!

xxx