Pink Pumpkins!

The pumpkins are finally done! 

Black & white, and pink & sparkly! Perfect in the hallway. Not so perfect pumpkins but they're only around for a few days so it's ok!

What pumpkins have you been creating??

It's Halloween in the house!

We finally managed to get the Halloween decorations from the loft this week. For those who follow me on Instagram you'll already know this. It's only been for the past 4 or so years that we've decorated at this time of year, Britain isn't nearly as big on it as in America, but with social media like Pinterest and Instagram us English can feel a bit left out. So we like to get in the spirit of it, even if it's only dipping our toes in with a few sparkly spiders!!

We let the kids go wild with those jelly window stickers and tacky decor in their rooms, and we also decorate the conservatory. The living room with its sparkly skull and Eames black bird brings enough horror to the room according to Mr Donohoe!

We've also made paperchains that are languishing in the magazine box still to be put up, hopefully sometime before Christmas.

Today as there's a possible storm on the way we're staying in the house, candles lit, lounge wear on and decorating our pumpkins and making up the Trick or Treat bags. I'm guessing lot's of people are having their Halloween parties tonight, but our families isn't till next Saturday at my cousins (we just like to be different!) so there will be lots of crafts going on next week ready for that.

Metallic pumpkins from here

Pretty white & gold from here

I'm taking pumpkin inspiration from these images, but I'm not holding my breath that ours will look as good. I'll share the results next week for you to laugh  compliment me on!

Styling on a budget

Very excited at the moment to be helping my friend style her home. Her personal life has recently gone through some changes and so she wants to give her home a bit of a makeover, like a break-up haircut for the home!!

We're going to be making over 2 rooms, living room and her bedroom and we are on a strict budget of a few hundred pounds. Obviously it would be great if money were no object but lets face it, everyone has limits, and I find it more exciting this way, hunting out little bargain gems. When you have to make every pound count it makes the things you do decide to spend the money on more special. Here are some of the Pinterest images we've been getting inspiration from....

With a colour scheme of black, cream with shots of blue for the living room decided on the bedroom will be cosy with white, cream and wait for it.... PINK!! We're working with pieces that are already in the rooms so that helped narrow down colour choices. I think its probably harder to start a room from scratch, to choose from the myriad of colours out there!

We've been pinning like mad woman and are going shopping tomorrow, then Monday night we're going to be painting, ready to do the styling of the rooms on Tuesday. So I'll be sharing the results next week, while my friend snuggles up in her new rooms. In the meantime the mood boards are here and here.

Scarves, a wardrobe staple

There is one item that my wardrobe wouldn't function without and that's a scarf. Not just the one scarf mind, I probably own about 30 now! Even in summer there are not many days that you'll find me without one round my neck, I mean I'm in North West of England folks.

We've recently added a few gorgeous ones to the shop and they are definitely my go to present for friends, they are effortless and always something fab to receive.

I know one thing for sure, I never feel fully dressed without one. 

With so many different styles and sizes of scarves out there I'm always on the lookout for new ways to wear them. There are loads of '10 ways to wear a scarf' tutorials on Pinterest and although some of the options are good, some are just naff! Do we really need to know how to tie a scarf into a bow tie? No thought not.

I think the easiest way to find inspiration is on the catwalk, celebs and high street shops. Here are some of my fave looks at the moment.

Could these two ever get it wrong......

Funky & stylish as always on Gwen Stefani 

Billie Piper rockin this Louis Vuitton leopard print scarf for a night time look

Not just for girls either!

 What accessory would you not be able to live without? Leave a comment and let us know what your wardrobe staple is.

The one benefit of being your own boss!

I've not been on this journey of  being my own boss for very long, but one thing I've come to realise is that there are less plus points than one might think. The first major downside is that you never 'switch off', ever! Unlike when you're employed by someone, and you are paid for every hour you work, running your own business means you are certainly not paid for every hour of work and there is no going home and forgetting about work till the next day. It's still on your mind when your cleaning the house, cooking the dinner and watching TV. It's something no amount of relaxing scented candles can remove from your brain, I know this because I've tried!!

There is lots of pressure involved in knowing that you have to put yourself out there and there is a very real possibility of failure. After all, not everyone has the same taste as you.

But this week I've discovered a big plus point of being self-employed. 

My little girl Olivia has been poorly and ended up spending a little time in hospital. She has a viral infection, but her symptoms were a fever we couldn't bring down, headache and a rash all over her chest, so obviously anything sinister had to be ruled out.

 As any working mum knows, nothing should keep you away from your sick child but when you have a job to do and less than understanding employers then where you SHOULD be isn't always were you ARE! If you stay home you feel guilty for not doing your job, if you go to work you feel guilty for not being with your child, it's a no win situation. This is the first time since I took the plunge and accepted redundancy that one of my children has been properly sick and I can't tell you the relief of knowing I had no boss to ring to say I won't be in or staff that I would be letting down by not being there. I was free to put everything on hold and look after my girl. So I might not be earning as much as I used too and I might be working longer, much longer hours but for this one thing this week it's all totally worth it. I don't expect many males out there to get this post, but I bet my life all Mums will.

A Simple Celebration...

Yesterday we had a birthday in the house. My Husband turned 34, which would sound old if I hadn't passed the same threshold 6 months ago!!

We were pretty low key in our celebrations, no wild parties, just some family time for the four of us.

We do have to do a little party decor, and I mean a little, nothing like the childrens birthdays.

These got opened, I've been waiting for an excuse to put them up.

They are the Mini Bright Bunting and Confetti from the shop, they are gorgeous and bright, yet because of their size not overpowering. They look so pretty that they're definitely going to end up in Olivias room.

I just casually hung them from the curtain pole, no perfection here!

I'd made the chocolate cake the evening before, talk about organised, I even surprised myself with that, so all I had to yesterday was frost it and decorate it. I used a easy peasy chocolate cake recipe from here, bunged everything in the Kitchen Aid and baked. I didn't do the chocolate frosting like the recipe as I wanted a white cake.  I just made up a vanilla one, no measuring, just some cream, butter, vanilla extract (use the best you can) and icing sugar. I just kept adding icing sugar until I got the consistency I wanted.

 We aren't talking cake decorator of the year here people, but by keeping it simple, very simple, it turned out quite a pretty cake. Rustic would be the best word. I like the word rustic, if somethings not perfect its rustic instead of wrong. Much more optimistic sounding I think. I made the monochrome bunting with wooden skewers, washi tape and twine, so easy the kids could have done this with their eyes closed.

We gave Lee his cake and popped open a bottle of champagne and spent a cosy evening in front of the tv. That's whats considered Rock an Roll at 34 don't you know?

What, you don't blow out your candles with a child hanging off your back??

Must remember to save this cake recipe, I think even Lee can rustle up this for my next birthday.

Re-organising......

We've been having lots of family time this weekend as my Husband has been working nights for 2 weeks due to a big re-fit going on at work. He finished on friday, so we picked the children up from school headed out for dinner then came home to relax. Candles, pink fizz and pjs.... bliss! 

Saturday was spent shopping with my girl. Clothes, snow cones and new bags all featured. 

 Sunday was a lovely lazy morning and an afternoon trip to Nandos. Cheese board and wine for the evening rounded things off nicely. All in all a lovely family weekend.

But to be honest it's not often that a weekend passes without some new addition or something changing in the house and so I did find time for a bit of re-arranging of the kitchen shelf. 

It was more decorative, giving the kitchen a shot of colour with the artwork that was up there, but its a long shelf so actually I was just wasting the space and lately I've been drooling over some gorgeous and functional open shelving on Pinterest like these.

( images from my Pinterest board here )

So I decided to just go for it and change it up, after all it's hardly difficult to change back! 

So it went from this.....

to this......

I'm really liking how its turned out, feels so much more practical and kitcheny... ( a new word for Monday that, kitcheny!! )

So a quick re-do in the kitchen that cost nothing.... just the kind of house project any husband will like!