Feeling fruity

 So the Summer is here and we should all be feasting on fruit and not chocolate (lets just say my day isn't going to that way today.) We have been very lucky that the sun has had his hat on most of the last couple of months.

The fruits are at their brightest and juiciest, so all the graphics in the shops are feeling fruity. Not just the food stores... retail stores across the country are filled with cute little fruit prints and fruity inspired garments. These are a few of  my fave at the moment...

 How cute is this little happy pineapple, all sunshine and smiles...

Tesco

 Citrus fun with smiles all round at this little cute tee. Faces are all over the high street either on their own or as fun little characters... this little watercolour is perfect for holidays.

Zara

This little apple knit is simple and almost scandinavian, Boden are the queens of simple graphics in playful colours. Perfect for any little girl and everyone knows a apple a day is always good!

Boden

We can't leave the little boys out, so the apple has gone cool! So I guess you can say being healthy can be cool? It funny how often when companies often try and make fruit and veg look 'cool' it just looks ummm... not so cool at all. But the guys at Emile et Ida have nailed it perfectly... Simple but cool graphic, on a raw edge raglan tee.

Emile et Ida

I love this its fun, sexy and colourful...what more should the holidays be?

Magazine racks with style...

Are magazine racks a thing of the past? Some how when you even say magazine rack it seams dated... but people still buy magazines... what do they do with them? Leave them in a pile next to the sofa? Read them and chuck them away?

I am one of those sad people who keeps my living etc magazines all stacked up with their white spines on a shelf... looking pretty and full of inspiration ready for future flats and my dream home...

But magazine racks seam to have had a bust of excitement in the design world, a fresh take of inspiration...

This design is clear and functional but I think the little man reading the paper isn't needed, I'm guessing if the rack was full then you wouldn't see him anyway. A cute and fun design though...

Designed by Ramon Middlekoop and Chris Koen.

This is definitely a taking point... I think it would be great in the right minimal home. I like the way that you could add in extra 'shelves' and new layers. The leather straps give it an almost industrial look. The chunky straps would hold a huge amount of weight, the issue would be having the right wall fixing. I think its a fab design...could be quiet easy to make yourself.

From Rockett St.George

This is a contemporary style design,  I like the way that you can keep your page you were have way through reading a article. I wonder how many magazines that you could hang on the rack till it fell?

coolmaterial.com

How fun is this cute shelf and magazine/book holder... definitely a great piece for any kids room or living room with style. I love the chunkiness of the wood and the mix and match colours, it almost 

gives the dog character.

casasugar.com

This has to be my favourite design by far, fun and functional... just what good design should be. This could be a spare set of guests and gives a easy way of displaying magazines...imagine all the white spines of the living etc magazines stacked up looking pretty. Also they wouldn't get half as dusty being stacked up here as they would on a shelf! Love this... a stool that grows with inspiration.

'hockheimer' from sutkutusu

Over the weekend I was debating getting rid of all my magazines...

 but I think now I will keep them and make a stool!

Nail art... Cornflower blue

So in the last two weeks my nails must have changed colour at least 4 times!... I know this is what happens to you when you are single... way to much time on your hands.

So I have had these patterned blue nails now for nearly 5 days and they havn't chipped or marked at all so I am pretty pleased...and no top or base coat... I know, I know... I should... but I don't own any so...

First I applied two coats of cornflower blue nail varnish... then I used the black nail art pen to draw the geometric patterns... this design just developed as I did the first finger... I didn't realise how much harder the right hand would be than the left.

Day 5... starting to chip...including four days swimming

The nail varnish... Gelly high shine/ Barry M

Nail varnish score ... 8/10

It applys smoothly and only needs two coats to create a solid smooth colour. 

It also dried quickly and has warn very well.

 Nail art pens... Kelly Brook

Nail Pens Score... 7/10

This is the first time I have used nail pens, so partly this was me getting used to how they fast the flow.

Over all I was very suprised at how easy they were to use. They have warn really well and I like the way the nail pen varnish sits flat on the surface rather than being a raised mound. These are really easy for beginners and I would definetly recommend them in the future.

What shall I do with my nails this week?

Easter madness...

Just before Easter I went to NYC with work for a couple of days and while there I spotted a lot of easter madness. I know in the UK some parents go over the top buying stupid amount of chocolate eggs to make there kids super size, but the shops in the UK don't seam to embrace it half as much as the USA.

So it is very cute to dress your little one in big bunny ears and to send them out in there dressing gowns in to the garden to find little hidden eggs... but these shops just go nutty for it! I couldn't help but take a few pics in both Target and Walmart.

Cuddly toys, plastic egg shells, cookie cutters, big baskets, drink beakers, toys, cards, greeting cards,gift wrap, table decoration and even special plates and bowls...

Just a tiny selection of cards, the sheep one made me giggle! Does anyone in the UK really send Easter cards, or is it just grandparents who are giving older kids money instead of eggs?

Walmart beakers... 

Target beakers... This proves they are two different customers. This was clear walking through the store, in the quality difference of the garments and the feel and laylout of the store. The Target products were generally more design focused and possibly built to last slightly longer? These beakers are pretty sweet.

Horrible plush toys, cute cookie cutters.

Creme eggs with the old wrappers.

What easter is really about... I am just suprised they have made it out of chocolate!

Is it Spring yet?

So the sun has actually come out, and it feels like the start of Spring! Flowers are poping out, buds on the trees and people are starting to cut their glass... it may still be freezing cold but it feels like spring is just around the corner.

Knits can get lighter, wardrobes become sunnier and heavy coats change for light jackets and body warmers are pulled out the back of the cuboards ready for those sunday afternoon walks across the beach!

The ombre trend is looking strong for Spring, is it that we are just dipping our toes into colour or is it that we are not quiet ready for a full wardrobe change? Take a peek at four ombre trends I have picked to be big this spring...

Purple to liacs...I love this way of displaying tuplips, so pretty. 

The table cloth would also be a real easy way to update any dinner party table!

Teal to mint.. Fabric necklace is not true ombre but it gives the same vibe.

Charcoal to grey... a really easy trend to carry off especially in the home.

 I always think a home full of books is a homely home... 

yes I do stack my own books in colours rather than topics!

Pink to coral... I love this necklace and I am very tempted to make one myself, it's pretty yet bold.

How fab does this cake look! This picture makes me want to learn to bake cakes that dont flop in the middle and then I could make a cake like this... I'm sure lots of little girls would love birthday cakes like this, especially if you kept the inside a suprise till you cut it open.

Hurry up Spring we are ready for you!

Saving the pennies...

The other day in work we were chatting about jars of pennies and counting them all up and taking them to the bank... but that is a bit boring! This idea is sooo much better... (and I really want to try it!)

A floor that sparkles and shines and just cost's pennies (probally lots and lots) I love the mix of old and new, the contrasts add to the sparkles! This has to be the best floor ever, and a fairly easy DIY job?

I'm guessing (but don't quote me...maybe do a bit of research if you want to do it)
- Clean and prep the floor, remove any old tacks and rubbish bits
- Check the quality/ level of the floor... if you need to use self leveling concrete.
- Sweep the floor again to clear and dust.
- Put down a floor glue, in sections.
- Lay out the pennies in random order (or a pattern if you have loop OCD)
- Wait for the glue to dry, grout the floor and wipe clean.
- Wipe, wipe and wipe again...
- Allow the grout to throughly dry.
- Coat the floor in a couple of layers of polyurethane varnish and let it dry rock hard!

It's a fun way to add abit of a difference to a room... texture, colour and sparkle! 

Check out this website for more info on doing your own... www.thepennyfloor.com

I love the way the light reflects off the coins, it could be fun for a small space or a hallway... even more reason to save my pennies for a house!

Candy stripe sheets...

So after writing my 30before30 post, its made me think about things...silly things like as I changed my bed sheets tonight, I thought about number 19...

19.Ring my Gran more and take more time to learn about her past.

Often we forget about our closed family members and how we only know s much about them, Id love to know how my Gran fell in love with my Grandad, her child hood tales... all sorts. My gran is the queen of my family and I know i would be heart broken if there was things i always wanted to know but never took the time out to find out.

When I was little and we went to stay at my Grans I always had candy stripe super soft sheets and a pillow case with bunnies on (I was little!). Years later they are now in my laundry cupboard and still a favourite, they don't get used a huge amount but sometimes you need super soft cosy sheets. They obviously bring back memories for lots of people as a few companies have used old candy sheets as inspiration....

Washed out stripes similar to mine.

www.pedlars.co.uk

Toast have taken a washed out rustic earthy approach.

 The use of the olive is really against the peach and denim blue.

www.toast.co.uk

Cath kidston taking the classic look, in adding the bright highlight red and knocked back green.

The colours look really fresh against the soft grey pillows.

www.cathkidston.co.uk

Cath Kidston take the range into towels to, I love this pallet its so fresh and clean.

The classic candy sheets with bright fun stripes...I wonder if mine ever used to look like this? 

Cool places Sunday... Hammet House, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Place...


Hammet House
Llechryd,
Cardigan,
Pembrokeshire,
Wales
SA43 2QA

www.hammethouse.co.uk

This weeks cool places, is a beautifuly modern hotel in Pembrokeshire. This place is a stunning old house that has been very carefully filled with contempary furniture...every detail has been thought about and this has resulted in a stunning hotel! I would definetly love to go and stay there.

I know the owners havn't quite finished restoring every room yet, but it is definetly a project that is worth every wait. I love the use of grey and the contrasting bold bright furniture... the cardboard stags, the crisp white sheets and the red flex on the lights! God help if any guy did ever take me there I would spend the entire time commenting on the cool decor rather than there company hehe.

Dosn't it look like a fairy tale house...

 The amazing decor in the bar area... I'm sure a few glasses of merlot would go down nicely sat here.

Get the look with these cool light blubs... www.rocketstgeorge.co.uk

Look at the stunning floor... I love the approch they have taken to this.

Don't the bedrooms look dreamy, you could sleep for hours in these crisp white sheets.

Fancy a corner to curl up with a book and a liquer coffee?

Ghost chairs... www.conranshop.co.uk

Fresh, bright and bold dinning room. Every part of this hotel has been thought about and designed with style. I'm sure it will be come the 'it' venue of Pembrokeshire and be a huge success. Good luck to them x 

Lego...

Lego has to be the best timeless boys toy ever. It is a toy that can be played with from the age of 2 to 102! Who would have thought small plastic injection moulded blocks could be made into so many things and have been a firm favourite in many households since 1949 when they were first manufactured... let your imagination go wild!

est.1949

Lego, has since been used to make many things and lately it has inspired lots of artist and product designers. Check out this fab lunch box, I'm sure even a grown man would be happy with this...maybe not a pink one though!

Make any Lego fans day when they open up there lunch box to discover this!

 Get this in many colours from... www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk

Are you someone who is always miss placing your keys? Maybe this simple and easy idea is for you! It's super fun and anyone could make it, I'm not sure if it would be able to hold a massive bunch of keys though?

Lego board keys.

Blocking keys, this is a fab idea, especially when I go running on the beach I end up taking my whole bunch of keys apart just so that I can just take my house key with me. Maybe this is something I need to do, I could have a ring for England keys and a ring for Wales keys?

This is fab,  I wish they would do more exciting things like this in the UK, we need a bit of fun in our boring grey streets...

This amazing bridge is in Wuppertal, Germany. It is painted by street artist Martin Heuwold.

Fancy building a house out of Lego, well remember when James May tried?

Well we all know it didn't work out to well, but the effort was definitely there! 

How about making one on a smaller scale...

How cute is this! Little minds could wonder about who lived in this little house for days...

These should be on every street corner, they would definitely make the public smile a little bit more.

Fancy mending a brick wall...helping the community? Is this the Lego version of yarn bombing?

Need some inspiration for a boys bedroom or play room? How about tiling the walls with lego boards? I'm not sure about the whole room, but one wall or section of a wall would be pretty cool. It would definetly keep kids quiet for hours.

Something for the taste buds... Lego inspired cake that Dad and I made for my brother's 30th last March...

Lego inspired block and little workers busy making it! 

(Don't panic health and saftey was considered, they all have saftey helmets on...)

 Every man had a job...check out the little guy directing the crane driver!

I'll leave you with a lovely old advert from Lego... This would be fab as large scale print?

Lego isn't just for boys!